(Then)
This war began like they always do – with perversions of the truth.
'Mutants wanted to replace you... to subjugate you and ultimately to kill you, Feilong. So much for our new gods... HA HA HA HA!' Doctor Stasis laughs. The Orchis Protocols were enacted when Krakoa was announced to the world. They were meant to be a means of combating so-called mutant supremacy. 'Mutants stole Mars... my destiny. So... of course I'm in. but I want a seat at the table, Doctor Stasis' Feilong declares.
The humans were simply short-term partners in Orchis. Nimrod and the artificial intelligence want everyone dead....
(Now)
… and right now, they're winning. The battle to save life on Earth shifted off-planet where the machines had built a weapon to burn away Earth's atmosphere. Fortunately, the X-Men brought a sword. The S.W.O.R.D. space station has been plunged into the facility known as Sentinel City. Within, Logan a.k.a. Wolverine bares his claws as he moves towards Nimrod, while fires rage around them. 'The X-Men have destroyed Sentinel City's solar array – but all you've done is make sure that the dark times on Earth will be bloody and protracted' Nimrod states as he punches wolverine, knocking him backwards. 'I have multiple bodies. I'm fighting you here...'
'... and in New York City' Nimrod declares as Emma Frost in her diamond form moves through a fire to get closer to him. 'And in Washington, DC' Nimrod announces as Lorna Dane a.k.a. Polaris drops down in front of him and warns him not to take another step. 'Heed her words, machine... I underestimated you once. I will not do so again' Magneto announces as he makes a surprising return, and asks Lorna if she is ready. Wide-eyed and smiling, 'Always' Polaris responds as she flies up alongside him. In New York City, Emma is joined by Everett Thomas a.k.a. Synch, who begins to use Sunfire's powers in an attempt to soften Nimrod up for Emma. 'I'll try to shatter, it, Synch, darling' Emma responds as she slams her diamond-fist into the Nimrod. Back at Sentinel City, Illyana Rasputin a.k.a. Magik and Eden Fesi a.k.a. Manifold attempt to teleport up behind the Nimrod. But the Nimrod tells the mutants that he is not sure why they think they can win. 'I won months ago' he boasts as he fires a blast of energy from his chest, slamming the teleporters backwards.
Within the S.W.O.R.D. facility, Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops asks Kurt Wagner a.k.a. Nightcrawler if he succeeded. As Nightcrawler helps Cyclops walk through the ruined, flaming facility, Nightcrawler confirms that the thrusters are sabotaged, and that Nimrod and Omega Sentinel can't repair it before the orbit of decays. Nightcrawler then asks Cyclops how they are going to kill something that exists in multiple places. 'All at once if we have to... under that armor... it's just electricity' Cyclops points out. Suddenly, Kwannon telepathically informs Cyclops and Nightcrawler that Colossus just got punched into space, and is almost out of sight. 'Go – just come back' Cyclops instructs Nightcrawler, who teleports away while asking Kwannon to show him what she sees. 'Nimrod! You want to end it? Start with me!' Cyclops suddenly shouts. 'With pleasure, mutant' Nimrod responds as he turns to Cyclops.
At that moment, Omega Sentinel tries to regain control of the station. She connects to a console and checks various schematics, while wondering what Nightcrawler has done to the facility. Suddenly, 'Hiya, Sugah' Anna-Marie LeBeau a.k.a. Rogue exclaims as she bursts through the console and knocks Omega Sentinel back. Rogue refers to her as Karima, and asks her what she is up to. 'You forget every last shred of yer humanity?' Rogue enquires. 'Xavier cut a deal so you could live out your little lives on your stupid island – but you're all too dense or prideful to bend the knee. Fine. Then we'll kill him last. Do you have a message for him?' Omega Sentinel declares as she gets back to her feet, and readies her arms, which have been transformed into canons which she points towards Rogue, only for Kwannon to appear behind her: 'Yeah... no deal!' Kwannon exclaims as she breaks through a pane of glass separating her from Omega Sentinel, then shoves her psi-blade into Omega Sentinel's head.
'Weird. That was supposed to kill her' Kwannon remarks as she stands over Omega Sentinel, who begins babbling: 'Sorry it went bad...' 'Well, let me step in, then, and -' Rogue begins, raising a foot above Omega Sentinel's head – but before she brings it down, Kwannon tells her not to. 'I fixed the Sentinel mind. Her human brain is drowning in regret and pain' Kwannon explains. 'So many gone... Karima was partitioned away...' Omega Sentinel cries, clutching her head. 'She's in hell already' Kwannon remarks, before Rogue takes her hand and suggests they get back to the party.
And so they do, with Rogue flying towards Nimrod, carrying Kwannon with her – but despite it seeming as if the tide has turned, Nimrod is one step ahead, and he fires a blast at Rogue and Kwannon. Nightcrawler returns, teleporting in with Piotr Rasputin a.k.a. Colossus. Thankfully, Colossus is able to get a punch in, striking Nimrod in his back. However, the machine had ejected Colossus into space for the express purpose of drawing Nightcrawler away from sabotaging the station. Nimrod tosses Colossus away once more, as Nightcrawler teleports away. The artificial intelligence had fought and won this war billions of times in war games that only existed in ones and zeroes. Nightcrawler reaches Magik, who lays motionless in some rubble alongside Manifold, but as Nightcrawler turns around, he finds Nimrod raising a foot over his head – then suddenly, a powerful optic blast slams into Nimrod, sending him careening backwards.
Nimrod never stopped playing war games. He had killed billions of souls in his minds... and in that time, there was always one X-Man left standing after the others fell. 'I'll never let you kill the X-Men!' Cyclops shouts angrily, ready to fire another optic blast. In those endless simulations of the end of the X-gene, Cyclops was the omega mutant – the last one standing. Cyclops dowses the Nimrod in another optic blast. His gift has the strength to crack Nimrod's armor. But Nimrod knows this – and mutants are not the only ones evolving, as his cracked armor suddenly repairs itself. 'You're the toughest of them, I'll give you that' Nimrod admits, before grabbing Cyclops by his neck and tells him 'I don't know if there is a next life for you, but I promise – if there is – I will follow'.
At that moment, in New York City, Nimrod has similarly grabbed Synch and Emma by their throats, and in Washington DC, Nimrod has done the same to Polaris and Magneto. In unison, Nimrod asks the remaining five mutants if they have any last words. 'She won't let you kill me' Cyclops declares. 'Is this more prattle about your dead wife?' Nimrod asks as he prepares to crush Cyclops' head. 'No...' Cyclops grins, as lighting begins to crackle around him. 'Allow me to introduce you to -' Cyclops begins, as Ororo Munroe a.k.a. Storm appears, and bombards Nimrod with lightning as she declares 'There will be no more death!'
A billion calculations only to end up being wrong about the last X-Men standing is the most humanity that Nimrod will ever achieve. A furious display of energy courtesy of Storm crackles around Nimrod, paralyzing him, while Storm looks over to Cyclops: 'Hello, brother. I've missed you' she tells him. 'Same here' Cyclops replies, before informing Storm that the floor is hers.
Nimrod's duplicates created a flaw that he could not perceive. Being able to exist and think across vast distances required a lot of data and power. The Nimrod in New York City drops Emma and Synch, as does that one in Washington DC, dropping Polaris and Magneto. Energy crackles around them both thanks to Storm exploiting this flaw in Nimrod. Magneto realizes that Nimrod is facing Storm elsewhere, and grins, while Polaris suggests that they increase the magnetic field inside of Nimrod, to generate a lightning leader. 'Here and there' Magneto agrees, as they begin using their powers in unison.
Back at Sentinel City, Storm narrows her eyes and tells Nimrod that if he was ever destined to be more than what he was programmed to be, then he will flee from the X-Men – or else he will die today. 'What you choose next will decide your fate' Storm points out. 'Is this what passes for “humor”?' Nimrod enquires as he fires a blast towards Storm – which Cyclops diverts by firing an optic blast into Nimrod's blast, preventing the blast from striking Storm. 'Take the last olive branch, you big, dumb machine!' Cyclops suggests.
'Nimrod, we don't have to do this' Omega Sentinel calls out, anguished, while Monet St. Croix has collected her and flies through the facility. Monet telepathically informs all of the X-Men that the station's orbit is decaying, and that it is a trap to continue this fight.
'If you stop fighting, the war ends – if we stop fighting – WE DIE!' Storm exclaims as she dodges another attack from Nimrod, while shoving some sort of lightning-charged blade into Nimrod's side. 'He's cracked open again!' Cyclops calls out as he fires an optic blast at Nimrod. 'We will not yield!' Storm warns Nimrod as she attacks him again with another surge of lightning.
In New York City, Synch sees the lightning crackling around the Nimrod and asks Storm if she can hear him. 'I've got your powers, Storm – and I've caught that bolt you sent!' Synch exclaims as another surge of lightning forms around him, and he strikes the Nimrod with it.
In Washington DC., Magneto declares that Storm's power is overwhelming, and as he hovers over the Nimrod, tells Polaris that he will keep his magnetic field negative. 'I'll keep mine positive – and, Nimrod, before you can explode – you can thank the X-Men and the Lorentz Force – something your artificial brain must know something about' Polaris adds. Magneto smiles as he tells Nimrod that, unfortunately for him, a moving electrical charge creates a magnetic field. Polaris winks, and as magnetic energy begins to crush down on Nimrod.
Had Nimrod survived, he would have had a lot to ruminate on. But the storm that Nimrod faces even wipes out the duplicates of himself he had hidden from combat. 'You vermin will follow me into the abyss...' Nimrod warns Storm and Synch as they both shove a lightning spear into the Nimrod they oppose, who begins talking in the binary code. The Nimrod aboard Sentinel City collapses in front of Storm, some of its body seemingly melted. 'If you should find yourself wandering back into this life, I suggest you shun death, and explore light and love' Storm tells the robot as more of its form begins to melt.
Monet arrives and drops Omega Sentinel near Cyclops and Storm. 'So much death... I'm so sorry' Omega Sentinel utters. Cyclops informs her that Kwannon telepathically showed him what happened to her. 'Earn this second chance' he suggests to her. 'Call me Karima' she utters as she wipes tears from her face.
'We need to leave – now!' Cyclops calls out as he, Storm, Monet and Karima join Colossus, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Kwannon, Magik and Nightcrawler. 'What're we doing saving Omega Sentinel?' Wolverine snarls. Kwannon reveals that her psi-blade lobotomized her computer brain. 'Says who?' Wolverine responds. Nightcrawler suggests that there has been enough death. 'If we don't believe in redemption, perhaps we shouldn't be doing this job anymore?' Nightcrawler wonders. Manifold steps forward and announces that, once again, he asks for much, but he asks for a righteous cause. A moment later, he teleports away with the X-Men. And the remains of Sentinel City explode in spectacular display.
Nimrod had so completely subjugated Orchis that without him, Orchis simply ceases to exist, and Stark Sentinels begin falling from the sky across New York City, while Synch watches on. 'I'll take this as a sign it's over' he remarks.
Orchis may be dead, but Xavier had become a ghost within its halls. He almost smiles as he utters 'Good for you, Scott...I never doubted you'. Suddenly, the door to the cell is kicked open by Kate Pryde a.k.a. Shadowkat. 'Could sworn I heard... never mind' she tells Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel, who tells Shadowkat that Xavier isn't here, and this place gives her the creeps. 'Graveyard vibes' she utters.
But Charles Xavier had a long history of making people see what he wanted – or not see what he wanted. Kate, Kamala and Lockheed the Dragon have a brief look around the room, then turn and leave, unaware that Xavier was in the room with him. Xavier is hunted for the destruction of the Frigate Agnew, but nobody knew the truth. And yet, Xavier was not ready for his game to be over.
Manifold and the X-Men suddenly re-appear, but Manifold thinks something is wrong, he doesn't know where they are. They are surrounded by stars, and as Manifold adjusts to his new surroundings, he gasps 'Bloody hell' and discovers that they are all within Lacuta, who looks down at Manifold and remarks 'Hello, Little Brother... I am hoping to obfuscate you from the threat that remains'. Lacuta tells Manifold that if the Enigma looks this way, it is only the void of the cosmos. Manifold tells Lacuta that once again, he owes them his thanks, before introducing Lacuta to Cyclops. 'If she is here, then well, we're in good hands' Manifold remarks, before Cyclops tells Lacuta that Jean spoke of their assistance in forming Planet Arakko. 'The universe is on the precipice, Scott Summers. It is your heart that could tip the scales away from death...and toward life'.
A moment later, the mutants find themselves on Krakoa. 'By the Goddess!' Storm exclaims. 'Literally, I think' Manifold remarks, while Nightcrawler declares 'Krakoa lives!' and turns to see Apocalypse, and asks him if this is his doing. 'This island was in hibernation' Apocalypse explains. 'Slowly starving, but no more. Your energies will be most welcome in nourishing this wounded land' Apocalypse tells the new arrivals. 'Scott, are you okay?' Nightcrawler asks as he sees Cyclops leap down onto the ground. Cyclops smiles and looks back at Nightcrawler, while Magneto, Polaris and Synch hover above in the air. 'I just need a minute, bud. Tell the troops we did good... Orchis is destroyed'.
Cyclops removes his optic visor and projects his thoughts to Jean, telling her that they did it – they did all they could. 'We smashed Orchis... we broke everything. Big and small. So once again, after everything we've been though, the lives, the deaths... we need you to rise again'. He remembers Jean back when the two of them were students at Xavier's School, then fighting side-by-side, and kissing. He tells Jean that it always goes back to Nathaniel Essex, he is out there, threatening to end them all. 'Lacuta told me that my heart will save us all... but I gave you my heart, Jean. Let love save us. I know you can't reply, but I believe you can hear me... come back... and bring the fire'.
