Fifty kilometers southwest of Madrid, the Inhuman's Terrigen Mist covers the countryside, as a small group of X-Men stand on a ridge overlooking the land before them, and the mist seeps closer and closer. 'All right. This is it' Cyclops announces to Emma Frost, Magik, Sunfire, the Stepford Cuckoos and Alchemy. 'Are we sure this is the right thing to do?' Irma nervously asks her sisters. Celeste snaps at her and tells her to be quiet, to which Phoebe points out that Ms Frost knows what she is doing. 'I certainly do, my dears' Emma tells the Cuckoos, adding 'And so does Scott. Don't you darling?' Cyclops agrees, and tells the Cuckoos that he understands and shares their concerns, but that they have no choice – this is about survival. 'Our survival' he reminds everyone. Sunfire looks at Alchemy, who is looking very nervous, and asks him if he is ready. 'Yes, Sunfire. I think so' Alchemy responds. 'Good. Then up we go' Sunfire tells him.
In Madrid, a group of X-Men and a group of Inhumans have found themselves confronted by Magneto and his companions Colossus, Wolfsbane, Warpath and Rockslide. Magneto levitates dozens of steel beams and large heavy-utility vehicles around the top of the building where the mutants and Inhumans were gathered, and has trapped them on the rooftop. 'Erik? What the hell are you doing attacking us?' Storm demands to know as she stands with Iceman, Forge and the time-displaced Cyclops and Angel, while Crystal and her team – Gorgon, Iso, Grid, Flint and Naja – are nearby.
Magneto tells Storm that he is sorry, but that she is on the wrong side of this, and there was no time to warn her, or to debate the best course of action. Suddenly, the two teams resume their battle, with Magneto's group involved, too, as Naja leaps at Wolfsbane, young Cyclops fires an optic blast at Colossus, as does Iso. Flint and Rockslide face off, while Warpath hurls a steel beam towards Flint, and Angel and Iceman move towards Magneto.
Storm tells Crystal to stand down and control her team, to which Crystal responds 'Me? What about Magneto? Aren't these guys on your team?' Storm flies up to Magneto, lightning crackles around her, as she tells him to stop his attack. 'If I were really attacking you'd know it, Ororo. I am simply containing you' Magneto explains. 'Containing? What are you – oh, no' Storm realizes as she looks over and sees the Terrigen cloud in the distance. 'Crystal!' Storm cries, and Crystal looks up and sees the cloud, too. 'No!' the royal Inhuman gasps, before using her communicator to contact Medusa, informing her that mutants are about to attack the Terrigen cloud just outside Madrid. She reveals that Magneto has them pinned down, and Medusa's response is immediate: 'Acknowledged, Crystal. We're on our way'.
'How high, Alchemy?' Sunfire asks as he carries the frightened mutant closer to the Terrigen Mist. Alchemy replies that he would rather be on the ground, but asks Sunfire to get him right above the center of the cloud, as that should be the best spot. Suddenly, Sunfire is struck by a blast of fire, and he drops Alchemy. A portal on a nearby ridge starts to close as another group of Inhumans has passed through it – Medusa, Black Bolt, Triton, Lockjaw, Nur and Inferno, who Medusa thanks. 'That was an excellent shot' she tells him, as Sunfire and Alchemy land on the ground, Alchemy breaking his arm as he hits the ground.
Cyclops tells the Cuckoos that they need to stall the Inhuman royals. The girls look over at the other ridge: 'Medusa? And Black Bolt?' Celeste gasps. 'How are we supposed to -' Phoebe begins, but Emma just points to the other ridge and tells the girls to figure it out. 'If they stop us here, we'll never have another chance' she announces.
At the same time, Black Bolt points at the X-Men, but Medusa ells him 'No, Black Bolt. Not yet. I'm hoping there's another way'. She asks Black Bolt not to act without her order, but that if she is wrong, and there is no way to get through this peacefully, then he will have it. 'If they won't listen to me... then they'll listen to you' Medusa declares.
Magik teleports herself, Emma and Cyclops down to Sunfire and Alchemy, who looks horrified as he clutches his broken arm. 'What are you doing? The Inhumans are here, right now! Get back up there and do your part!' Emma snaps at them. 'I just fell out of the sky, for God's sake! I think my arm is broken' Alchemy responds. 'And I'll break the other one if you don't get your skinny little -' Emma starts to snap, but Cyclops calmly calls out to her. 'Ah... all right, Scott. You talk to him, then' Emma agrees.
Scott crouches down beside Alchemy and asks him how bad his injury is. 'What do you think? It hurts!' Alchemy exclaims. Cyclops tells the younger mutant that he knows, but that he needs him to work through it, as this is bigger than pain. 'This is bigger than you' Scott adds, telling Alchemy that he can set aside even this much pain. 'I've been doing it all my life' Scott remarks. Alchemy looks away and frowns, before turning back to Cyclops and asking him to help him up, while behind him, Emma helps Sunfire to his feet.
Sunfire carries Alchemy once again towards the Terrigen Mist. 'Now... you're sure you'll catch me, Sunfire?' Alchemy asks. 'Yes. Focus on your job – you need not worry about mine' Sunfire replies abruptly. Alchemy agrees that Sunfire is right, and decides that he should think this through, explaining that he will have to change this Terrigen rubbish the moment he touches it – he doesn't want to get any of the poison into his system.
Medusa turns to her team and tells them that they need to plan this properly, that she doesn't want any bloodshed. She adds that they have stopped their attack on the cloud, so that should buy them a little time to talk. 'Uh, Medusa...' Nur begins, looking at Sunfire and Alchemy up in the air. On the other ridge, Celeste asks her sisters how they can stop the Inhumans, as Black Bolt, Medusa and Triton all have psychic defenses. 'Ms Frost could probably get past them, but we can't' Celeste adds. '...about stopping the mutants' attack – I'm not sure we actually did' Nur concludes his sentence to Medusa, who turns and sees Sunfire and Alchemy above the Terrigen cloud. 'Damn them!' Medusa exclaims. Phoebe tells Celeste that she is right – they can't do anything to the royals, as Irma points out that not all of them actually are royals. 'Brilliant, Phoebe' she tells her sister, who agrees.
Medusa instructs Black Bolt to fly up there and knock the mutants back down to Earth. 'I'm sick of this – the mutants need to understand how serious we are' Medusa remarks, when suddenly, a portal opens as the Stepford Cuckoos' eyes start to glow. 'What the hell?' Inferno asks, as Magik steps out of the portal, and shoves her Soulsword through Black Bolt's back. Inferno fires a blast of flame at Magik, and Nur shoots her with a gun. 'Perfect' Irma tells the others. Suddenly, 'Wait...' Inferno gasps. 'Where the hell did she go?' Black Bolt is keeled over, smoke rising from his back. Medusa calls out to him, concerned.
Back up above the Terrigen cloud, Sunfire wishes Alchemy luck and tells him not to fail, as he drops him into the cloud. 'Oh, God. I already regret this immensely' Alchemy utters. At that moment, 'Hello, girls' Medusa calls out as a portal opens behind the Stepford Cuckoos. 'Ah, crap' the girls utter as they turn and see Medusa, Triton and Lockjaw. Emma, Cyclops and Magik look up at the cloud: 'It's happening. We did it' Cyclops utters. 'Of course. Together, my dear, we can achieve anything' Emma replies. Sunfire flies around the cloud, as Alchemy falls through it – his touch against the cloud causes it to turn red, and by the time he falls to the bottom of the cloud, Sunfire has flown down under the cloud to catch him – and as Alchemy falls towards Sunfire, the entire Terrigen Mist is now a deep red color. 'I did it, Sunfire. Changed the whole bloody cloud' Alchemy utters. 'Didn't let it touch me once' he adds, while Sunfire looks shocked as he takes hold of Alchemy.
'By the mists...' Medusa gasps as she, Triton and Lockjaw look up at the cloud in horror. 'Ha! Ms Frost did it!' the Stepford Cuckoos exclaim as Medusa has them trapped in her hair, while Black Bolt clenches a fist, and Nur utters 'Oh, man. This ain't good'. Magik frowns as she looks at the red cloud hovering over them, while Emma grins and holds out her arms: 'Have you ever seen anything so lovely?' she asks, before telling Illyana that if anyone ever asks, victory is red. 'And here he is. Alchemy, the conquering hero!' Cyclops calls out as Sunfire drops towards them, holding Alchemy. 'Well done, young man! I had my doubts, but -' Emma begins, stopping herself as Sunfire sets Alchemy on the ground in front of them. 'I think...I think the boy is sick' Sunfire remarks, as Alchemy, crying, looks at his arms – they and the rest of his body are covered in painful boils. 'You'll be all right, Thomas' Cyclops tells Alchemy. 'You're a good soldier. A good soldier' Cyclops adds as he crouches beside him. 'I'm not...a sol-' Alchemy starts to reply, before he passes away.
Emma and Cyclops frown. Magik and Sunfire look shocked. Emma turns and looks away, announcing 'They're coming. I can feel their minds. A group of X-Men with Storm, and a group of Inhumans with Medusa's sister, Crystal'. She adds that this is all about to get rather complicated. Cyclops hangs his head and tells the others to stay here. 'Where are you going?' Magik asks him, and as Cyclops walks towards the red Terrigen cloud hovering before them, he replies 'To save the X-Men. Obviously'.
Inside the red Terrigen cloud, rain begins to fall. 'INHUMANS!' Cyclops booms. A portal opens and Medusa, Black Bolt and Lockjaw appear. 'Cyclops. What have you done?' Medusa asks. Cyclops explains that he had one of his people change the composition of the Terrigen cloud into something that isn't toxic to mutants. 'And before you ask, don't worry. It's harmless to Inhumans, which is a greater courtesy than you showed to us' Cyclops adds. He reaches out as the rain falls down and adds that he didn't expect the rain, but that it is a nice touch. 'But why? You have made enemies of us forever!' Medusa exclaims. 'We already were. Ever since you poisoned our planet' Cyclops replies. 'That's ridiculous! We didn't -' Medusa begins, but Cyclops interrupts her: 'Well. You have a story. I have a story. Doesn't matter which one is true. It matters which one is believed' Cyclops points out.
Cyclops informs Medusa that he will not be taken prisoner, and that there is another cloud out there, so he still has work to do. 'So. This can go easy or hard. I'd prefer easy – I don't want to hurt anyone. I never did' Cyclops remarks, adding that however it goes, he is ready: 'I've loved who I needed to love. Fought my battles. Lost the only person I ever cared for'.
Outside the cloud, Emma looks in pain – blood trickles down hert nose, and sweat pours from her face. 'What is he doing, Emma? Shouldn't we help him?' Magik asks. 'No! Just... leave him be. He's doing...what he has to!' Emma replies.
Black Bolt looks at Medusa, who hangs her head as Cyclops reminds them that he has been a student, a warrior, a teacher, a revolutionary – and a killer, but that he has tried to learn from his mistakes, inspire people and help every way he can. 'But now...everything's tainted. Too much has happened. I'm not even a person anymore' Cyclops adds. He looks at his hands, holding them up, the red rain falls into them. 'I'm gone. All that's left is the idea of me. But here's the nice thing...' Cyclops begins. 'Yes' Medusa tells Black Bolt, as Cyclops concludes '...ideas never die' as he releases an optic blast – but at the same time, Black Bolt opens his mouth, and a terrifying blast is emitted, which rips across the ground and slams into Cyclops, tearing him apart.
Emma, Magik and Sunfire look on from the ground, while Storm and Angel fly above, as Iceman, Forge and young Cyclops ride on the back of the Sentinel, and Crystal and her group are onboard Gorgon's hovercraft. Crystal hangs her head, while Storm watches in shock. Iso draws backwards, while Iceman's jaw drops. Triton narrows his eyes and young Cyclops looks petrified, tears falling from under his visor. Medusa remains expressionless, as tears stream down Emma's face, and Sunfire and Magik both look equally horrified.
One week later, waves crash against the shore of Muir Island, where several X-Men have gathered to remember Cyclops. His gravestone reads “Scott Summers. Cyclops. Teacher – Warrior – Hero. Mutants. He Fought For Us”. Storm addresses the small gathering as rain falls down. 'Life as a mutant sometimes feels like a constant fight for our species' survival against impossible odds. I know that. We all do' she begins. Some of the group hang their heads, others look around at their friends and allies. Among them are the time-displaced Angel, Marvel Girl and Iceman who stand together. The present Beast is behind them, and Sunfire and Wolfsbane next to him. X-23, and the time-displaced Cyclops and Beast stand towards the back, while Rockslide stands behind the Stepford Cuckoos. Cable is next to them, and alongside him are Colossus, Magik, Forge, Warpath, Goldballs and Iceman.
'But this endless battle has a purpose. We fight in the hope that somehow, some way, a day will come when we, or our descendants, do not have to fight. A peaceful day for all mutants' Storm remarks, adding that no one saw that day more clearly than Scott Summers.
On one of the cliffsides to Muir Isle, Emma Frost and Cyclops' brother, Alex a.k.a. Havok stand away from the others. Magik looks over to them, and wonders what game Emma is playing now. 'My, the woman can talk' Emma, in her diamond-form, remarks to Havok, who stands under an umbrella and replies 'She always could, Frost. Count your blessings. If she couldn't, you'd be rotting in some jail on New Attilan' Havok remarks, adding 'Or you'd be dead'. Havok reminds Emma that Storm was able to negotiate a truce, to which Emma replies 'Hm. We leave the Inhumans alone, they leave us alone. We all lick our wounds, accept our losses and move on'. She adds that Hank McCoy keeps working with Medusa's scientists on New Attilan to try and figure out a solution to Terrigen toxicity. 'All tied up neat with a bow' she mutters. 'Except it's not' Havok declares. 'No, Alex, it's not. Scott Summers – your brother and the only man I ever wanted to give a damn about me – is still dead' Emma replies.
'Is he, Emma? Because he's sure as hell not down there' Alex replies. Emma tells him that she doesn't know what he means. 'I was there when Black Bolt -' Emma begins, but Alex tells her to stop, as the others told him how Scott died – suicide by Black Bolt. 'But it wasn't Scott, was it? He's my brother. He'd never have gone out that way. He never gave up. It was almost irritating' Alex remarks, asking Emma to tell him if this is all some trick, that Scott is just in hiding somewhere, as part of some elaborate scheme the two of them cooked up. 'I wish I could, Alex. I would give quite a bit for that to be true. But it's not' Emma replies, before she turns away and walks down a path, telling Alex to come with her, as she supposes he deserves to know.
Soon, in Limbo, demons fly past geysers of fire that blast through the rocky terrain. The new Inhuman called Downer sits on a large rock, surrounded by flames, when suddenly, Magik teleports onto the rock. 'You! No! Stay away!' Downer exclaims in fear. Magik tells him to calm himself, and that she is not his enemy. She adds that she is here to take him home. Addressing him by his true name, Daisuke, Magik explains to him that this is Limbo, and that she brought him here under the orders of Emma Frost so that his powers could not disrupt her plans. 'It's a dark dimension, full of beasts – but you are safe as long as I am here' Illyana assures him. 'I don't know who Emma Frost is' Downer mutters, hugging himself, before he asks 'What the hel is going on?' Magik tells him that it is all over, that his people and hers nearly destroyed each other, she thinks.
'We lost some good mutants, but one of the Terrigen clouds is gone. Emma Frost is pleased. Your people... not so much' Magik explains. 'You keep saying my people. Do you mean the Inhumans? They aren't my people' Downer replies, adding that they are maniacs, but so are mutants. 'It's just been...horror, ever since I came out of that cocoon'. Downer reminds Magik that she said she could take him home, and asks her to make sure it is far away from them, and the mutants, and any place like this. 'Please...this it just wasn't what I thought it would be. I feel like I was lied to' Downer explains. 'Mm. You know something, my friend? Sometimes I feel the same way' Magik confesses.
Back on Muir, 'Scott' Havok remarks as he stands in a morgue and sees the body of Scott “Cyclops” Summers laid out on a slab. 'How – when?' the wide-eyed Alex asks. 'It happened when we first came here to investigate the Terrigen cloud. He and I entered the facility. He started coughing...then he fell' Emma reveals. She goes over and puts a hand on Cyclops' body, adding that it happened fast – the M-Pox spread in minutes, he suffocated in her arms. 'And then...' Emma's voice trails off, as Havok narrows his eyes: 'And then you lied. You lied to everyone, Emma' Alex declares. The telepathic broadcast – it wasn't Emma and the Cuckoos projecting Cyclops. They were just projecting Emma alone. The attack on the Terrigen cloud – it wasn't Cyclops' idea. He didn't encourage Alchemy. It was Emma projecting Cyclops. And even when Black Bolt killed Cyclops – he was “killing” Emma's projection. 'None of it was real. He was here the whole time' Alex utters.
Emma tells Alex that it had to be done, that she couldn't let him die like this – falling to disease in some lab. 'He deserved more than that. His death had to mean something. He was born to lead, born to inspire. Don't you see, Alex... Scott isn't dead!' Emma exclaims.
Flashback:
Cyclops coughs as he examines some data on a monitor in the lab on Muir Isle. Emma calls out to him, and Scott responds, calling out Emma's name as blood trickles from his nose, before he falls backwards onto the floor. Emma kneels beside him and tells him to stay with her, that she is here. 'Go! Get away – the Terrigen -' Scott utters, his face covered in boils. Emma grabs Scott's head and tells him that she will not leave him. 'We – can't – can't end like this' Scott tells Emma, who frowns. 'Scott, I don't -' she starts too say, as Scott asks her not to let it end, before he passes away in her arms.
Present:
'Cyclops is still alive. He isn't this meat. Not anymore. I made him an idea. That was my gift to the man I loved' Emma explains as she hangs her head. Emma's hair covers her face, as she adds 'And thank God for that, because his work isn't done. There's still another Terrigen cloud out there, after all'. Emma declares that she made Cyclops an idea, and tells Havok that ideas never die, as she pulls her hair back from her face... Emma Frost appears to be deranged....
