The New Xavier School:
In the Danger Room, Kitty Pryde watches their newest member X-23 train. In the laboratory, Beast is busy trying to make sense of the theories of time travel. In the backyard, Iceman is making snow angels and singing Run DMC.
In the cafeteria, Angel stares with longing at the burger he is about to bite into. He is joined by Cyclops, who asks him how he is feeling today. Moments later, Jean Grey sits down on his other side and asks how they are after yesterday’s almost-kidnapping and religious zealot throw down. He’s okay, Warren replies and nervously ogles Jean and Scott. When he wants to bite into his burger, Jean suddenly shouts at Scott: Go ahead! Go ahead with what? he snaps back.
He’s sitting there thinking all those thoughts and if it’s okay to talk to her. Just say what he wants to say! she shouts. Obviously he doesn’t have to, Scott snarls, because she was reading his mind without his permission! Again!!!
She wasn’t, Jean replies defensively. She can’t help what she overhears. Calmly, he explains they’ve been through a lot in the last couple of weeks. He just wanted to see if everyone is okay. He’s okay, Angel remarks, only to be ignored.
She’s fine, Jean replies. Scott reminds her she saw her future self die. That could not have been easy. She’s still processing it, Jean admits. They can talk about it, Scott insists. They are friends. Teammates. How is she really? Scrunching up her face, Jean replies that if she wanted to talk about it, she would. That’s healthy, Scott mutters.
Who says she hasn’t cried? Jean gets into his face again. Stop reading his thoughts! Scott shouts. Stop thinking judgmental %$§# about her! Jean snaps back. Scott glares. That’s not fair, Jean replies to his unspoken thoughts. He glares again. And he knows that isn’t true. Sitting between them, Angel clearly wishes he was elsewhere.
He doesn’t know that, Scott finally says. She’s the one who knows. Everything that’s going to happen to them… their entire lives. She’s seen her life. She knows about their entire relationship. He only has bits and pieces. He only has things that he discovers as they go. She won’t even talk to him about it.
She really doesn’t think it’s healthy for them to know so much about their destiny, Jean replies primly. But it’s okay for her, he points out. She didn’t ask for any of this! And he did?!
What does he want to know? she asks. He wants to know— He breaks off. Honestly, he doesn’t want to get caught up in all of this with her. He just wants to know she is okay. She’s going through a lot. She’s one of, if not actually, his best friend and, regardless of whatever else is going on with them, he just wants to know she is okay. Jean says nothing.
What? she suddenly demands. He didn’t say anything, he points out. She’s dealing with it, okay? That’s what she does. Stuck in the wrong time… dealing with it. Find out she dies, twice… she deals with it. Find out her whole family dies… dealing. Belying her words, her food goes flying in a telekinetic outburst. Find out they get married but he ends up with Silver Boobs McGee… she’s dealing with it. Then, to top it all off, she dies in front of herself, and yet… she deals with it. She’s dealing.
Jean gets up and stalks away, ignoring Angel calling out her name. Cyclops walks off into the other direction. That was really uncomfortable. Angel returns to his food. Bobby would have loved that.
Bobby is still outside, singing, when he notices three lights in the night sky coming closer. They are missiles. He erects an iceshield that is quickly broken through by armored beings. Before he can warn the others, he is shot at. An alert goes off which the others hear.
The X-Men attack. Cyclops orders them to protect the school. Kitty recognize their foes as Shi’ar. She tries to phase through one’s armor to make it malfunction, but finds out the hard way they are prepared for her powers as she is pushed back.
Jean uses her telekinesis to send their blasts off course as others attack. Beast is excited at the idea of dealing with real alien life forms. Cyclops less so. Suddenly, Jean is imprisoned in a bubble energy field and, after her, so are the others.
Only Iceman is outside. As he sees the Shi’ar getting away with Jean, he attacks on an iceslide and is also quickly put into a bubble.
The Shi’ar take Jean and leave.
Kitty awakes to see them fly off. Why should the Shi’ar do this? she laments. They were their allies, she explains, or so she thought. Beast marvels that they made extraterrestrial contact. X-23 warns them they are coming back.
Lights in the sky come closer. Kitty tells the kids she’ll do the talking. However, a very different motley crew exits the spaceship. A blond man introduces them as the Guardian of the Galaxy. He sees their faces and swears. They’re too late, aren’t they?
