After rendering the Exiles unconscious last issue, Xavier walked into Phoenix and gave way to his stored anger. From the news the Exiles learn that within a five mile radius everyone was rendered comatose and possibly brain dead. Overall a quarter million people were affected. The team makes their way to a hotel where they deal with their hurting heads in their individual ways. Morph sleeps, Thunderbird meditates and like Blink, Mimic recovers very fast thanks to an absorbed healing factor.
The pair talks about the situation and Mimic is again reminded of his own world’s Xavier, yet Blink tells him that he should stop comparing them or thinking about the people they will meet as their friends and relatives.
Meanwhile Xavier breaks into the Mountridge facility, 100 miles off the coast from New York city. He simply walks in, mindblasts all the guards and gains their access codes to open the holding cell of his stepbrother Cain Marko, the Juggernaut.
Somewhat later, the Exiles have thought about the equipment needed to imprison all superbeings and came up with a likely suspect – Forge. One Cerebro assembly later, they are able to track him down and indeed he betrayed mutantkind by working together with this world’s government. The Exiles question him and after facing Thunderbird, Forge willingly fills the team in on everything they want to know, and even designs some dampeners and weapons for them, so that they can fight Xavier. As for the “One who would lead“, Forge can only think of Magneto, who peacefully tried to band together mutants before he was captured. Magnus is very surprised about the important role of his father‘s counterpart.
Xavier and Juggernaut have freed more superpowered people. Together with the Human Torch, Spiderwoman, Chamber and Domino the brothers attack New York’s Stock Exchange intending to disrupt world’s economy. At first everything goes according to plan, but then Mimic, Morph and Thunderbird show up, shielded from Xavier’s telepathy by Forge‘s technology. Even though they are outnumbered the trio holds their ground and Morph even fires a special weapon that entangles Xavier in power inhibiting cables.
The other half of the Exiles are at another prison facalty near Tahiti, where according to Forge, Magneto is held. At first glance the prison looks deserted, but Magnus‘ deep scannings reveal that although the guards evacuated, the prisoners are still inside and an automatic selfdestruct has been triggered to blow with an atomic bomb. Immediatly Blink and Nocturne make plans to get everyone out and contact the other Exiles, but Magnus has already decided the best course of action. He encases his teammates in a metallic bubble and asks them to not tell Magneto his real identity, before transporting Clarice and T.J. to a safe distance.
In New York the fight goes on, the Exiles defeat the villains one by one, but Domino frees Xavier of the metallic cables. In the end it’s him against the three Exiles, but apparently his telepathy is stronger than Forge‘s shieldings. It comes down to Mimic against Xavier, and the professor mocks Calvin for still wanting to see some of his surrogate father figure from his timeline in his opponent. Mimic can’t stand this violation of Xavier’s dream to gon on and pops his Wolverine-claws through Xavier’s head.
Magnus reaches with his powers into the Tahiti prison, locates every single inmate and too engulfs them in metalllic bubles that bring them to the nearby beach. With everyone clear he examines the bomb, but as it is made of plastic components there is no way that he can deal with it. He then creates one last bubble around the prison complex and himself to contain the whole nuclear blast. From afar Blink and Nocturne helplessly watch the bomb go off, but thankfully nothing of the atomic fallout penetrates the metallic shield.
Sometime later Mimic’s team joins them at Tahiti and they talk with Magneto who was among the rescued prisoners. He finds it strange that the man who died to save them was named Magnus like himself, and asks if there is a relation, but Blink respecting her teammate’s wish lies about him having only been a great admirer of an otherworldy Magneto who also happened to have been a great teacher. Magneto decides to follow this example and will try to unite the released superbeings. As the Exiles wonder what will happen next, a new arrival pops out of thin air. She introduces herself as Mariko Yashida, aka Sunfire, and explains that she was sent by the Timebroker as their newest member. Having corrected this world’s error (even though at the cost of 250.000 lives), the team is automatically transported to their next task.
The Exiles find themselves on a space ship in a giant hall. Below they see the X-Men who have just been transported aboard the Shi’Ar battlecruiser. Some among the team recognize the scenario - they have arrived at the Trial of Phoenix !
