A week ago (in the main Marvel reality aka universe 616) the mansion was destroyed. His name is Barnell Bohusk; one day he was the biggest freak in his school, the next day he was enrolled at a school for “Gifted Youngsters,” mutants like him. It was hard growing up with a name like that but when you look like a giant stretched out molting bird, well, things are a bit more complicated. Barnell used to look normal, that is until puberty “hit him with the ugly stick.” But in the end, the feathers growing in weird places and growing of a beak worked out; Barnell is now an X-Man in training and is know as Beak.
The X-Men work together helping to reconstruct the mansion, Juggernaut hauls around a heavy steel beam. Construction takes place around the mansion, and Beak watches them with pride and awe from above the school grounds. As he thinks about his life and how much happier he is at the mansion, his wife Angel yells for him to come into the house to set the table before the pancakes get cold.
As he enters, his fly babies greet him and Angel warns him that he better not be filling up on worms outside. Beak starts telling his family about the construction outside and how he isn’t allowed to help since he lost Mister Logan’s hammer. Angel brushes off his comments and tells him that as long as she doesn’t need to help then she is fine. She begins to eat but Beak insists on saying grace and he gives thanks for being with the X-Men. As they say amen Angel and the children excrete bile from their mouths to help them digest their food. While a lot of people might be disgusted by the sight. Beak isn’t, they are half fly and you just have to do what comes natural. He’s learned to accept these thing and love people for their differences. There are a lot of things that he never expected, to be a daddy, to be with a woman like Angel, but then a lot of stuff happens and “your whole reality can change, and you decide if it is for better or worse.”
A portal opens and the Exiles drop into the ocean water near the Statue of Liberty. As Calvin checks in with the team to see if everyone is alright, Blink notes that she noticed that someone else ‘ported in with them. Morph suggest that the new member might not know how to swim and Blink suggest the he should look around. Morph changes from his Nessie pool floaty form into a yellow submarine. Thinking to himself, Morph ponders where David Hasselhoff is when he’s needed and decided that he prefers Pam Anderson when it comes to mouth to mouth. Just as the thoughts leave his head, he sees the barely clad form of a woman in the water; Morph quickly resurfaces to tell the group that they will not believe who their new teammate is.
Namora slowly surfaces and the expressions on the faces of the Exiles go into shock. Cal quickly gets a curt demand to stop staring from Blink. Namora, a blue skinned Atlantan clad in shiny gold breast plates and a scaly green bikini bottom greets them. She introduces herself as Namora, avenging daughter of Atlantis, Imperius Regina and tells them that she has become unhinged from time. Nocturne shrugs and smiles and, she comments on how she isn’t sure how many more pointy eared multi-colored chicks they are going to let into the Exiles, then welcomes her into the club.
As they continue to tread water, Sasquatch points out the Statue of Liberty, and they note that things look pretty normal except for the fact that the Two Towers aren’t there. Heather adds that maybe they were never built in this reality. Cal ask Morph to go get a newspaper and Morph agrees that it’s a good idea to know what is happening in this reality.
As the Exiles climb onto dry land some people see them and wonder if they are terrorists, another man suggests that they might be cashing in on the mutant thing and that it might be a publicity stunt.
Heather questions Namora, and says that she thought that the blue Atlanteans couldn’t breathe out of the water. Namora adds that a lot of Atlanteans also can’t fly or rip apart nuclear submarines with their bare hands, and a lot of Atlanteans aren’t mutants. She continues and tells the Exiles that before she joined up with them a being called the Timebroker told her that she was plucked from her reality and she must travel from alternate reality to alternate reality fixing time lines in order to be restored to her reality. Blink approaches Namora and tells her that is pretty much how it works and that she is leader of the Exiles. Clarice continues to introduce the rest of the group, Mimic is the cute guy, Morph is the smart aleck, Nocturne is the blue gal, and when Heather is big and furry, they call her Sasquatch. Continuing her spiel, Clarice tells Namora that they don’t really see the Timebroker that much and instructions come from the Tallus. Namora reaches out to strike the Tallus from Blink’s arm and demands if she finds their situation acceptable, “to be abducted and enslaved by unseen powers?” Cal intervenes and places himself between Namora and Blink, he tells her that they don’t see it that way. Calreminds her that the Timebroker isn’t really a person and is really a construct of their imaginations. Namora suggest that Mimic was probably fed that line by the Timebroker himself. Cal confirms her guess but adds that they all knew it was true deep down in their guts, but, Namora scoffs and adds sarcastically that they should trust their lives to their guts.
As Morph poses as a business man in a suit, he reads Times Week and hums a tune to himself. When he gets back to the group he reports that the reality they landed on isn’t exactly an Utopia. As Morph changes into commando General form, he tells the others that the USA are not the most feared country in the world. Morph changes form again and resembling the Arnold Schwarzenegger, he tells them that the Terminator got himself elected Governor of California. Everyone’s jaw drops open, Mimic replies that nobody is that crazy and T.J. adds that it looks like another reality gone bad. Heather seconds her notion. With a light hearted smile on her face Nocturne ask what the Tallus wants them to do, and suggest that this version of Earth might be about to self destruct or an asteroid might be about to fall into Brooklyn.
Blink does not respond, she simply listens to the Tallus with a puzzles look on her face. She finally tells them that the Tallus says Leave your possessions, and earn your wings. Blank and confused expressions appear on everyone’s faces. As Namora fixes her hair, Nocturne rails about being given a riddle instead of a mission, Cal complains that the Tallus has never been that vague before. Namora starts to walk off saying that it was a waste of time and that she will not be a part of fool’s errands. Blink tries to reason with her, but Namora dismisses her and says that she understands perfectly and that while they might be willing to live in servitude, the Avenging Daughter is no one’s slave. She adds that she will resist their transdimensional kidnapper even if they will not.
Sasquatch grabs her arm and tells her that they can’t let her run off half cocked, Namora turns in anger at being told what she can and cannot do. She clocks Sasquatch and sends her flying into the ocean, Blink goes to get Sasquatch as the others go to deal with Namora. Morph announces a Super Cat Fight as he changes into a cat wearing a super hero cape. Morph gets grabbed by the neck and used as a shield against Nocturne’s hex bolt. Nocturne apologizes, Morph gets tossed aside and Namora punches Mimic and send his steel body to the ground. She takes this opportunity to jump into the water and tells them that they will thank her later as she swims away. In a Exiles basketball jersey, Morph tells T.J. that Coach Timebroker will certainly bench Namora for her actions. T.J. adds that she hopes he will replace her since she doesn’t want to go reality hoping with Miss Salt-Britches.
As Blink teleports Sasquatch back she questions where Namora is, Sasquatch mentions that she has something for her and holds up a fist. Cal places a hand on Blink’s shoulder and tells her that Namora swam off and they are not sure where to but that Namora is still convinced that the Timebroker is their enemy. Cal then asks if they are to stick to their mission or chase after Namora. As she pulls a hand through her hair Blink questions their mission and the meaning of the riddles, she comments on how they might just mess up and end up warping this reality more. Nocturne suggest that maybe it’s a metaphor and there’s something going one that involves both possessions and wings. Mimic questions where they are supposed to look for clues, the Avengers, the X-mansion, the Baxter Building? Sasquatch mentions that it’s Four Freedoms Plaza that the Fantastic Four live in in her reality and Morph adds that he thought the FF were hauled up in a warehouse on the waterfront. Blink tells them that if they have to looks for clues she would prefer to start somewhere more familiar and mentions that Westchester County isn’t far from where they are.
Atlantis
Namor swims home and is greeted by one of his imperial guards. Namor tells him that to inform Lord Vashti that he will require his counsel in an hour and until then he shall not be disturbed. His man agrees and leaves. Namor comments on his blessed solitude then hears a voice from his throne. Namora comments on how seeing is believing and scoffs that in this reality she is a man and has pink skin like some air-sucking surface-worlder. She adds that this is a very warped reality indeed. Namor calls her an intruder and lunges to attack her tells her that she will pay for violating the throne. She tells him that it is her throne too, and he calls her an usurper and threatens her. Namora tries to explain and tells him to hold still for a second. She tells him that she doesn’t come to him as an enemy but because there is a threat to the realm and that for the sake of their people, he needs to hear her out. Namor stops to listen cautiously and tells her that it better be good then comments on how there is something familiar about her. She tells him that in a manner of speaking, it is because she is him from a parallel universe.
Westchester
As the Exiles look down on the mansion they see the X-Men repairing their home. Cal comments on how it looks like Xavier’s home got taken apart brick by brick. Nocturne tells the others that she thinks they might have been to this reality before and brings up the evil version of Havok and the werewolves. Then she tells them that they look like the same X-Men they met on that Earth and points out that this is the same Nightcrawler anyhow. Someone comments on how they might want to keep their distance since they just saw the White Queen down there. Beak approaches the Exiles and casually asks them who they are.
The Baxter Building, Home of the Fantastic Four
Reed Richards comments on how unexpected it is that Namor is visiting them. Namor agrees that despite their past differences, he knows that Reed is the best man equipped to deal with the dire situation. Reed asks him what situation he is talking about and who he brought with him. Namor tells Namora to introduce herself. She tells Reed that she can’t tells him what a delight it is to meet him again. Reed questions what she means by again. She continues and tells him that her name is Namora and that she is Prince Namor’s counterpart from a different reality and that she was forced by a being called the Timebroker to come to this reality to alter the future of their world. Namor suddenly clocks Namora and grabs her by the arms, Reed questions Namor but is told to quickly get her contained. A groggy Namora comments on how she could kill the treacherous Namor and she is contained in a force field. Reed questions Namor on why he attacked her since she came to them for help. He replies that they cannot trust her since the stakes are too high. Namora demands to be released. Namor informs Reed that the Timebroker also sent five others and they make it their business to gallivant around altering realities. Namor tells Reed to quickly run whatever test he need to determine if her story is true but he already believes her. Namor adds that if they do not stop the Exiles then their destinies will be overwritten by them. Reed calls the other on the com and tells them that they will need to help Namor resolve a crisis.
Meanwhile
Beak tells the Exiles that the helmet he is wearing isn’t really his but it belongs to Mister Xorn. With a bird face, Morph questions who Xorn is. Beak continues and tells them that Xorn turned out to be Magneto but back when he was cool …he hoped the helmet would rub off some cool on him. Beak asks if they will hurt him. Nocturne places a hand on his shoulder and tells him that the will not hurt him at all and tells him that he needs to keep the presence a secret. Barnell questions why as Blink tells them that the Tallus has an update and that Namora has complicated things. She blabbed to the wrong people about the Exiles and they now have to rescue her from Namor and the Fantastic Four. Nocturne turns to Barnell and tells him that is how come.
