(New Apocalypse)
Keeper Murdock is the head of the Overlord’s hounds and, months ago, the X-Terminated went toe-to-toe with him. They gave better than they got and they escaped scot-free. Since then, Prophet’s team has never been far from Murdock’s thoughts or ears, as they say that once he hears your heartbeat he never forgets it.
High above the streets, Murdock and his goons survey a medical facility and he picks up a familiar heartbeat using his radar senses. He contacts Cyclops and informs him that the woman he has identified was one of the insurgents and she has been posing as a nurse in the dreg clinic. Viewing Murdock’s holographic message at his base, Cyclops tells him to monitor the situation because where there is one there is always more.
From behind him, Azazel overhears the conversation and asks Cyclops if he should inform Weapon Omega. Cyclops tells him to do so if he wants to further remind him that Azazel had Jean Grey in his grasp before but let her get away. They haven’t always had the Overlord’s wife in their possession. He calls Azazel clever but not one for getting messy, and then tells him to go distract himself with a Hellfire Club wench and to let him deal with the situation as it is about to get very messy.
(Humanity’s Last Stand)
As Dr. Moreau marvels at the machinery he is inspecting, Prophet tells him it is everything from the apparatus that they were told to get. Dr. Moreau confirms it as the rest was just housing and monitors that can be replicated back here. The rest though is the most amazing piece of technology he has encounters and he commends Von Doom as a true artist. Bolivar Trask asks if it can do what Doom says and Dr. Moreau replies that it can quite easily capture and store the Apocalypse power. Prophet says the hard part will be getting the current possessor to give it up.
Dr. Moreau says Prophet should have brought them Doom’s body, or at least his brain, and they could have stripped it bare to create a weapon to take down Omega. Prophet replies it was all he could do to get the equipment out of Latveria as Emma Frost was on the warpath. They had to scuttle the lab and von Doom’s body was lost in the fire. Dr. Moreau says it is a shame because, until they have a way of killing Omega and releasing the energies, they just have a very beautiful jar with no fireflies in it.
Deadeye, who had been listening to the whole conversation, storms off and Prophet runs after her. He apologizes, as he knows she agreed with Doom and she yells back that Doom was right and they could have won, and taken back the whole world. He points out she did as he asked and she replies she didn’t like it, or him for that matter. Bolivar walks in and asks if there’s a problem, to which Prophet says it’s quite the opposite actually. Bolivar asks if he thinks they should have told Dr. Moreau they have Doom’s brain but Prophet says that he needs to be working on the apparatus. Azazel saw them in Latveria and the net is closing in on them. Bolivar agrees and asks who they are going to give the head to if it’s not Dr. Moreau.
(Church of Penance)
As Penance sits in front of a mirror in her room, the Sugar Man taunts her and says it looks like she had a hell of a time at the palace. She tells him to shut up and reveals a large wound on her face. He tells her it will heal just like last time but she storms over to him and says it will heal when she has done her penance and her people are free. It will heal when he finds a way of killing that sick bastard who calls himself the Overlord.
The Sugar Man says that Omega is one tough nut to crack and Penance turns to ask Prophet what he thinks. Having been lurking in the shadows he walks forward and tells her he has von Doom’s brain and inside it is the information needed to build a weapon to separate the Apocalypse energies from Omega. Sugar Man is interested but Penance asks what they get in return for building the weapon. For starters, she would get someone who eliminates Omega without involving her, and if they should fail his anger would not be taken out on her.
(Apartment of Franny Trask, aka Fiend)
In her home in New Apocalypse, Fiend sits on a sofa and teases Jean Grey, who is putting makeup on in a mirror. Jean tells her to be quiet but Fiend continues and says that she doesn’t want to get involved with Graydon as she can show her some scars. Jean says she agreed to the date because he went to see his father in return. A knock comes at the door and she opens it to see Graydon, dressed in a suit and holding some flowers. They leave and head out on their date.
(Mecca Club)
Jean is impressed by the high class restaurant Graydon has taken them to. As they sit down, he tells her it’s mostly betas and gammas who come there but if they keep their ears open they can get some useful information. Jean says that Sabretooth said Graydon came to visit him, and he had some stitches on his head too. Graydon replies that he probably tripped and she asks how it made him feel talking to him. He asks if they are on a date or a therapy session and then asks the waiter for a scotch. Jean apologizes and promises no more daddy talk and they should just have fun.
Graydon tells her she is speaking his language and asks her when the exact moment was she realized she was in love with him. Jean tells him this was only a deal but he retorts and says the deal didn’t require her to get all dressed up like that. She looks a bit sheepish and replies that he told her fancy. But he says he only said they were going out, and then looks at his watch and tells her he’s late. He tells her if she wants to help him then she can give Franny a call to clear out the apartment. He gets up and says to sit tight and enjoy and he’ll be back after the first set. She is confused as to where he is going but, when she sees him go over to the grand piano on the corner, she trails off. As he plays the instrument, she sits at her table watching him.
Afterwards, as they are walking through the side streets, Jean tells Graydon he really impressed her. He tells her he picked it up from an old timer he used to share a basement with in his teens. It’s a good gig there, as he gets to hear almost all the rumors from around town, especially once they start drinking a few. As they reach Franny’s apartment block, Jean tells him she had a good time, to which he asks if this is the end. She replies it is for tonight and he asks if there will be another date. She tells him yes then kisses him but, as she pulls away, she tells him she wants him to continue seeing his father.
Graydon looks annoyed but she tells him she is seeing a change in him. He suddenly snaps and yells that she didn’t live his life and she doesn’t know jack about him. She is a little taken aback and tries to tell him it isn’t about their date. He continues his tirade and asks if she and his father are lovers and he is just a little side project or something. As he leaves, he kicks a trash can over and Jean angrily yells after him. She chastises him for talking to her like that but he replies that she obviously likes the wild ones.
(morning)
In the medical facility, Jean tells Franny she is worried about Graydon as he won’t respond to any of her calls but Franny tells her he is a lost cause. Jean replies that anyone can be helped if they want to be and Franny repeats the key phrase “if they want to be,” and not if she wants them to be because she has the hots for them. As she washes her hands in a sink, Jean tells her that she thinks there is a good man underneath it all and admits she does find him attractive. Franny smiles and tells her that admitting it is the first step towards a cure.
Just then a scream rings out and they see Cyclops and a squad of soldiers coming down the corridor. As the other patients at the clinic move away in terror, one of the soldiers tells Cyclops that Keeper Murdock has the perimeter secure. Cyclops orders them to seal the exits and to locate the Overlord’s wife and her friend and to bring them to him. They are to make sure Jean Grey is not harmed in any way.
Franny immediately starts getting into her Fiend costume as Jean takes out a gun. Fiend tells her to stay back but Jean says that they will do this together. Fiend replies that she is important and she won’t be responsible for the whole human race dying because she wanted to play hero. She orders Jean to stay behind her and if anything happens she must run and leave her.
The soldiers enter the room and inform Cyclops they found the humans but Fiend attacks and makes short work of them. They make their way to another room and Fiend surmises that they will have the alleys watched but they hopefully don’t know about the hatch into the sewers. As they make their way into the tunnels, though, they run into Emplate, who says last time he only had a little taste of human but today only one is required to stay alive. Fiend tells Jean to remember their deal and takes out a small device and activates it. As Emplate lunges at them, they split apart and Fiend drops the device, which promptly blows up at Emplate’s feet. Jean manages to make it round the corner of the tunnel and shields herself from the explosion.
Back at Humanity’s Last Stand, Bolivar and Prophet are sat down having a coffee together. Prophet tells Bolivar that Penance promised that humans would be able to live in the open without fear of persecution and that he also told her they want Hawaii. When Bolivar asks if Penance will honor the bargain, Prophet replies that he chose Monet St. Croix because she is many things, not all flattering, but she is not a liar. Bolivar says he feels more hope now than he has since the beginning of the war.
Prophet suddenly gets up and listens to something going on in his earpiece. Prophet goes down to Sabretooth’s cell and tells him Jean is being hunted and he begins to offer a deal. Sabretooth cuts him off and asks if Prophet thinks he needs anything for this.
At his base, Weapon Omega tells the holographic image of Cyclops to back off Jean Grey. Cyclops tells him that Keeper Murdock has her signature and the hounds will have her within an hour. He tells Cyclops that he should be happy that they are off the hook now. Jean is in the city and she is his wife, so it falls to him to hunt her down. And, if he finds she can’t be cured of her humanity, then he will kill her.
