Amsterdam:
Magik teleports herself and her brother Colossus in the street. Piotr asks if she is sure Nightcrawler is here. Cerebra located him there this morning before she left X-Haven, is her reply. As they enter through the tight doorway, Piotr complains Kurt couldn’t possibly have found someplace with a narrower staircase. Maybe he didn’t want Piotr to visit, she quips. Or has he has gotten bigger? He suggests she teleport them into the apartment. Where would be the fun in that? Besides, she wants to see his face when he opens the door and sees them.
However, when they enter the apartment door, they see blood pooling under the door. Colossus smashes the door and Illyana grabs her sword. Inside is a mess but the place is empty. They do find Nightcrawler’s tail in a pool of blood.
Neepway, Manitoba, Canada:
Storm and Iceman, with the help of a Sentinel, have just found Old Man Logan. Iceman asks the obvious question: how did he get so old? Logan asks what that is, pointing at the Sentinel, and why shouldn’t he turn it into scrap?
Storm explains this is Cerebra. Forge built her. She is with them. She is helping them relocate what is left of mutantkind. Much has happened since he – died. He ain’t dead, Logan retorts, but that is still a damned Sentinel!
Cerebra politely replies she is no longer a Sentinel. Forge simply used this shell to house her and she must say she has extensive records on him. It is quite a thrill to finally meet him. She extends her hand. “Zip it, rustbucket,” is Logan’s reply.
It really is him, Storm realizes, but how? She touches his face. Remembering her death, he puts her hand away and claims he doesn’t know. All he knows is he was there and then there was nothing and then he woke here. Where did he come from? she asks. Not where, when, he corrects her. The future. They were all dead. The villains rose and took over. Turned the damned world into a wasteland.
So this is a time travel thing, isn’t it? Bobby asks. What would the X-Men be without a time travel thing? If Logan really is from the future he may know things. The Terrigen Mist, the M-pox… he may know how to stop it.
Logan knows nothing about this. All he knows is this doesn’t end well. He remembers dead Iceman. Not for him, not for any of them.
Storm offers their help. They can figure this out together. Logan shakes off her hand. He isn’t interested. They need him, she reveals. Cyclops is dead. Mutants are dying, scattered… What happened to him? The Wolverine she knew would never turn his back on mutantkind. He ain’t Wolverine no more. It’s better for all of them if they stay away from him. He walks away. Gee, this is going well, Bobby remarks unnecessarily.
Brooklyn:
Jean has joined her fellow student Chris in a pub after all. She tells him she’s glad she came. School’s been hard to adjust to but she feels like she’s finally starting to fit in. Chris laughs, as she makes it sound like she’s from another planet. Sometimes it feels like it, she agrees. And there was… no one else on that other planet? he asks. Not really, she admits. There was one boy, Hank. They tried to make it work for a while, but she’s known him since she was a kid. It kind of felt like kissing her brother. And she guesses there was Scott too. But that was doomed from the start. Literally.
Hank and Scott? he asks. That was all back on that alien planet, she teases. She’s here now. They kiss. And that was not like kissing her brother, she smiles.
They leave the pub holding hands. She should get home. She has an early class tomorrow. Him too. That’s not stopping him. Suddenly, Jean senses something and runs off.
In a back alley, three men are beating up a visibly mutated man, who pleads for his life. One of the men shouts that they don’t want him sleeping here. He might have the M-Pox. His friend warns him to be careful not to get his spit on him.
Jean orders them to get away from him and is told to mind her own business. This is her business! she shouts. No, it ain’t! one of the men snarls. It’s his. He’s got two little girls. They live in that apartment building. And this freak is always creeping around here, sleeping in this lot right beside them. No way is he letting his little girls get sick from this gene joke!
Chris has caught up and tells her they are right. It’s a mutie. “A mutie,” Jean repeats. Really, Chris? Well, she has some news for him. Her eyes begin to flare.
She hits the men with telekinetic energy. She told them it is her business. Oh God, she is one of them! Chris realizes.
She lets the attackers go. Go home to his little girls, she tells the leader, and pray they don’t grow up to be freaks like her. The men run.
Oh God, he kissed her, Chris mutters disgusted. Is he serious? she snaps. He shouts at her to stay away from him and runs.
She offers help to the victim. She knows a place where mutants can be safe. Disgusted, he tells her he is not a mutant. He is an Inhuman. Don’t touch him! He also leaves. Jean looks at the mini Cerebro Storm gave her.
X-Haven:
The workshop:
Forge is contacted by Magik and Colossus, who ask whether he is sure that is where Nightcrawler is. He assures them he had Cerebra send in new coordinates. They should be pretty much right above him and he’s picking up a number of other mutant signatures too. Maybe they should wait for Storm’s return. Magik retorts they can handle this but she’ll send something over to keep on ice. A moment later, Nightcrawler’s severed tail is teleported into the workshop.
Brooklyn:
Looking at the manhole, Colossus protests he is not going to fit down there. This is becoming a thing with him isn’t it? she sighs and teleports them into the sewers. Better? she asks. He points out they are standing ankle deep in sewage. When did he get so cranky? she wonders. He is not cranky, he insists. She accuses him of becoming a curmudgeon.
They are interrupted when a green monster is about to attack Illyana and Coda reaches for Colossus from the sewage. Stupid to come here, he hisses.
In the meantime, Storm, Iceman and Cerebra return to X-Haven. Storm asks if Colossus, Magik and Nightcrawler have returned. Forge informs them that Illyana and Piotr ran are tracking Nightcrawler in Manhattan.
Does she really think it is a good idea for Illyana not to be here? Bobby asks Storm. Considering… where here is now? Illyana insisted on getting her brother herself, Storm explains. Has he ever tried arguing with her? Besides Forge is working on some fail-safes, should anything happen to X-Haven while Magik is absent. Almost done, Forge assures her and asks where Jean is. The recruitment did not go as well as she’d hoped, Storm admits. That’s an understatement Bobby adds, then notices Nightcrawler’s tail. Forge asks him to ice it. Bobby complies but protests “this is vile.”
Forge asks Cerebra how she made out. He sees the teleporter works. Cerebra assures him she’s fine, though Mr. Logan was a bit rude. What does ‘zip it’ mean?
Logan? Did he miss anything? Forge asks. Long story, Bobby replies, and he needs to eat something. If he still can after that. Storm promises to fill him in later and asks him to alert her when Magik, Colossus and Nightcrawler arrive. She needs to check in with the students and the refugees.
In the sewers, Magik slices Chimera’s dragon apart. It’s not even a real dragon, she states, disappointed.
Colossus smashes Coda against the wall, only to suffer the same fate at the hands of Aries. Raising her sword, Magik orders him to stop picking on her brother.
Azimuth grins, two against one is unfair and goads Magik to play with her. Unimpressed, Illyana impales her with her Soulsword.
In X-Haven, Storm visits the little mutant girl Sapna and her parents, whom Magik rescued recently. Silently, she worries that Professor X’s dream of coexistence is dead. Did it die with Scott or was that merely the final blow? She decides what matters now is that they are still alive.
In the sewers, Colossus hits Aries so hard his one horn crumbles. He and his sister have taken out all foes, or so it seems. Ah, the Rasputins, a voice announces from behind them. He does love the possibilities of playing with their lovely bloodline, Mr. Sinister leers.
Sinister promises he has a surprise for them then slams Magik’s head against the wall. Then he goes for Colossus’ throat.
At the same moment at X-Haven, all hell breaks loose. The ground rumbles, demons gather in the sky. And Bobby reminds Storm he told her moving the school to Limbo was a really bad idea.
In a bar in Manitoba, Old Man Logan has downed a battery of drinks. He hears Jean Grey telepathically calling him and is unsurprised. Figured she’d catch up to him sooner or later. She always does. The barkeeper tells him, if he starts talking to himself, it’s time to go. He’s sick of this joint anyhow, Logan retorts and leaves.
Jean continues she can see his memories. She knows what he went through, she knows what happens. Logan recalls killing all the X-Men. He tell her to stay away. Bad enough he has to see what’s in there. It wasn’t his fault, she replies. Really? he scoffs. ‘Cause it sure felt like his fault when he was running his claws through them… tasting their blood in his mouth. He may have been tricked but it don’t matter now. End of the day, he killed all of the X-Men. ‘Course there is one blessing: He didn’t kill her. She died long before that night. First time he was ever grateful for that. Maybe that’s why he still gets to talk to her ghost like this. Sometimes it’s like she’s still with him.
He doesn’t understand, she interrupts. She’s really here! Hurry up and unlock his trailer, the shivering girl demands. It’s getting cold out here. Jeannie? he asks in disbelief. “Hello, James,” she greets him.
