Emplate is traversing back to our dimension through a nethervoid, he is being clawed and scratched by hundreds of arms, ripping his self replicating skin from his body, wretching his flesh as he writhes in agony. He arrives back in our dimension, gasping for breath as D.O.A. hands him his respirator and cloak. As D.O.A. fixes the rest of Emplate’s body armor on, he mentions that Emplate’s treks to beyond and back are getting more and more traumatic. Emplate agrees, that is why he needs Penance back. She was the sweetest of all to sup on - and he will have her. D.O.A tells him that the others are all ready, even ones such as Gayle, who have responded well to Emplate’s ‘prompting’.
In Massachusetts, Banshee has taken the kids into the city for some shopping. Synch, Jubilee, Husk and Mondo go off together, Banshee and M go to the park, and Skin and Chamber park the jeep. As they drive off, Chamber wishes he could tell Paige how he feels about her, unaware that she is thinking the exact same thing about him. But he has other things to think about. He is on his way to have lunch with Gayle Edgerton, the woman he once loved - and crippled. Skin drops him off and wishes him good luck. As he arrives at the hotel, he has trouble gaining entrance due to his appearance, the doorman thinks he looks scruffy, but Jono tells him he is a burn victim, and the doorman apologizes and lets him in. Skin parks up the jeep and has a sudden migraine attack, like before, due to the stress of holding all his skin in place. As he gathers himself, he is attacked from behind by a superstrong mutant, Bulwark, who knocks him unconscious.
At the park, Banshee is having some private time with Monet. As they relax and chat he admits there is something he needs to talk about with her - her ‘spells’. M gets defensive and tells Banshee that Jubilee is making a fuss over nothing, but Banshee doesn‘t let up - he wants to know whats wrong with her - she gets up to leave with a tear in her eye, and tells him its due to family problems. Banshee enquires about them, her older brother and two younger twin sisters, which really freaks her out and she disappears in the crowds. Banshee tries to look for her, but is ambushed from behind.
Back at the school, Emma is determined to discover Penance’s secrets. Penance has recovered from her recent seizure and is now in the Biosphere again. Emma sits quietly, waiting for Penance, then attacks her with a psi bolt, rendering Penance’s defences useless. She delves into her psyche but the images (a tank and soldiers) are too raw, too intense for Emma to handle, and she is temporarily left shaken, which gives Emplate, who has phased in behind her, the perfect opportunity to attack.
In the city, Jubilee, Synch, Mondo and Husk have gone to lunch, but Jubilee is driving them all mad by wittering on. Mondo sees Husk is distracted, and asks her if she’d like to talk about it. Husk tells him she has a friend she kinds likes, but it would never work out, Mondo tells her never is a very long time. Just then, their food arrives, but as Jubilee removes the lid, a swirling purple mist envelops them, knocks them all out and gains a humanoid form.
At the restaurant Gayle is late, but Chamber finds a photo at his place of him and Gayle before his mutant powers erupted. Gayle then appears, and Jono starts apologising for leaving her and disappearing. Gayle tells him it‘s all water under the bridge and they’ve all got to move on. She asks him to help her from her wheelchair and into the seat, when he sees the slits on her palms. Before he can ask what they are, she attacks him, plunging her hands into his chest, and draining him of most of his psionic energy.
Later in the evening, M flies back to the school, wondering how she will explain her disappearance to Banshee. She regrets running off, as she trusts Banshee the most, but could never tell him her secret, but now he will doubt her even more. As she lands she sees strange lights on the back lawn and goes to investigate, but what she sees shocks her to her very foundations, Emplate with his minions Bulwark, Vincente, Murmur and Gayle, with Penance by his side, and Generation X all captured. Emplate sees her and greets her - welcoming his little sister to the party!
