Generation X find themselves in a space ship, which is partly destroyed! And Jubilee is about to be sucked out in the vacuum! Skin jokes about it, but decides to help out anyway. He stretches his arms like he has never done before, and over a great length manages to safely catch Jubilee. He keeps pulling until Jubilee is really safe, until Banshee… finishes the exercise!
Sean congratulates the kids, but Jubilee can sense that they are about to get a lecture. Sean explains that this isn’t funny. The new Danger Room uses alien technology to create realistic combat situations, and isn’t to be used for amusement. Sean thinks that the kids need to start treating these sessions like their lives depend on them. Otherwise, Sean concludes, they’ll all end up dead.
Meanwhile, Emma is having a rather unpleasant phone call. She yells at her financial planner, Mr. Barnfather, that she pays him to make her rich and not poor. Emma defends that she is the headmistress of this school, and doesn’t know how she can keep the building afloat now. She angrily disconnects and Sean enters, having heard the yelling from across the hall. Emma explains that the school isn’t doing well on the financial side. Barnfather will send her the exact numbers, but Emma knows they won’t be good. And since Xavier is still struggling to keep his own affairs back in order, Emma thinks it’s unwise to call in his help. But luckily, like always, Emma has a backup plan: she’ll telepathically “motivate” some more investors.
Later, Jubilee and M are talking. Jubilee is angry at M and doesn’t want to have her talking about motivation. Jubilee defends that she has always wanted to further her education, while M was too busy with her trances and such. M corrects that those were her sisters’ actions and not hers, and reminds Jubilee that she was trapped in the body of Penance at the time. M explains that she’s still getting used being back in her own body, and thinks she deserves more time in the Danger Room than Jubilee does, and jokes that Jubilee might be best spend her time studying intellectual topics. That’s it! Jubilee has heard enough, and challenges Monet to a one-on-one battle in the Danger Room!
Meanwhile, outside in a winter landscape, Jono and Skin are talking about Paige. Skin thought that Jono would want some time alone with her, after being apart for so long. Jono explains to his friend that, before Paige left, he told some serious things to her. Things you say to a person when you think this is the last time you’re going to see them. Skin jokes that, now, Paige will definitely want some behavior from Jono. He jokes that Jono is too emotional, especially for a Brit. They see Sean’s truck arriving, who went to pick up Paige at the airport. Jono begs Skin not to leave his side. Angelo does so.
Paige gets overenthusiastic when the truck stops, and immediately runs into Chamber’s arms! Paige asks Jono if he missed her. He hesitates, but Paige tells him not to answer that, as she knows he has. Paige jokes that her mama is right: she does ramble sometimes. Sean sarcastically asks Skin to help him get Paige’s luggage into the mansion, and leave the kids alone. Skin gets the point, and goes help Sean! Jono panics a bit, while Paige won’t stop hugging him.
A few minutes later, Sean is back at Emma’s office. They take a look at the window outside, and notice that Paige and Jono are still hugging each other. Sean wants to talk to Emma about her money problem “solution.” Sean is aware that Emma was abandoned by her parents when she was just a little girl and that she had to use her powers to survive on the streets in order to make a life for herself. Sean fully understands that. But this is a school, he defends, and that Emma’s plan is not an example they want to set for the kids.
Emma asks Sean if he ever heard of the expression “do as I say, and not as I do.” Sean has, and asks Emma if she has ever seen that work. Sean tells Emma that he isn’t trying to argue about this with her. He just thinks that maybe, now, it might feel good to do something on the up-and-up for once, and suggests that she thinks of it as a challenge. Emma sighs. She thinks she has going to have to shake up her routine. She’s aware that Sean is getting to know her too well to push her buttons. She thinks there is one person she could turn to for some legitimate backing. And she won’t even have to use her powers. Sean thinks that’s great, and wants to know who the person is. Emma gets a serious look on her face, and mentions that she’s talking about… her sister!
At the Danger Room, Jubilee and M have been fighting holographic Trolls for a while. M doesn’t feel tired at all, and thinks that the Trolls are hardly worth her effort. While fighting, M ask Jubilee if the situation is as realistic as back when she was with the X-Men…! M stops Jubilee, making her realize that everyone stops listening to Jubilee when she starts a sentence using those words. Jubilee asks M to cut it out, thinking she might learn something from her experience. Suddenly, a Troll sneaks up on her, and grabs Jubilee in his arms.
M defeats two Trolls at once, and Jubilee uses her powers to free herself. Jubilee sarcastically thanks M for the rescue. M remembers that this was a training exercise and thought that Jubilee could handle herself, as, after all, she used to be an X-Man. Jubilee stops the simulation. She congratulates M on the attitude, considering all the things she has done for her. M freaks out. What?!
Outside, Paige and Jono are still talking to each other. Paige tells him about the time it was her brother’s, Jebediah’s, turn to cook dinner, but that didn’t end too well. Paige stops talking, realizing that Jono doesn’t want to talk about her time with her family. She kisses him on the cheek, mentioning that she thought of Jono every night. He panics and walks away, lying to Paige that he was supposed to meet up with Skin. She understands and suggests they meet up tonight. Jono agrees, and if not, maybe some other time. Whatever. Paige watches Jono leaving, and thinks.
Sean is confused about Emma going to ask her sister Cordelia for a loan. Emma won’t ask Cordelia. She’ll ask her older sister, Adrienne! Sean gets even more confused learning that there are three Frost sisters. Emma explains to Sean that they used to be pretty close when growing up. They all developed mutant powers, but Emma’s were the only “blatant” ones. Her father decided to have Emma institutionalized for her own protection. Emma tells Sean that he knows all about how she escaped from the institution and ended up on the streets. But, Adrienne was on the fast track to success, and became an even more successful entrepreneur than Emma herself. Emma knows that it’s going to kill her for going to ask her sister for a loan.
In the Danger Room, Jubilee jumps at M, wanting to kill her. Jubilee shouts at M that she was always nice to her when she was trapped inside her Penance form, and wants to know why Monet is now treating her like dirt. M remembers bringing Jubilee apples, like she was her favorite horse. M thinks that Jubilee didn’t treat her like a friend, but like a pet! She fights Jubilee. Jubilee safely lands, and fights back. She defends that M was trapped in a razor-skinned body with no way of communicating. All things considered, Jubilee thinks she was pretty nice. Jubilee’s powers hit M, explaining that she felt humiliated and patronized.
At the same time, Paige is talking to Gaia in her bedroom. She felt that her meeting with Jono was embarrassing and agonizing, and that Jono was acting too casual. She doesn’t understand why. Paige knows that Gaia wasn’t here for all this, but explains that she and Jono have been dancing around their feelings for each for as long as they know each other. Then, Paige adds, she and Jono finally share an intimate moment before she left back home to Kentucky, and now she comes back only to get this attitude. She asks Gaia for a few tips. Gaia jokes that she has been chained to a rock for as long as she can remember, and doesn’t know much about men from these days. Paige sighs.
M uses her powers to make a giant arm hoping to hit Jubilee, but she dodges it. Jubilee defends that all this time they have been talking that M, the real Monet, couldn’t possibly be as infuriating as the twins made her out to be. But now, Jubilee thinks that M is even worse! M smiles that she’s often imitated, but never duplicated. Jubilee admits that she might have treated M better, somehow, but she thinks her intention counts for something. M walks over to Jubilee, asking if she wants to know why she treats her the way she does. Jubilee explains that she wants to know.
M grabs Jubilee by her throat, and pushes her against a wall! M suggests that she’ll tell Jubilee a fable her father once told her. She tells that once upon a time, a scorpion and a fox were on a riverbank. The scorpion asked if the fox would carry him across the water. The fox said no. He was afraid the fox would sting him halfway across. The scorpion laughed and pointed out that, if he stung the fox, the scorpion himself would drown along with him. So the fox started across the river, with the scorpion on his back. And halfway across the river, the scorpion stung him. As they began to sink, the fox asked the scorpion why he stung him. To which the scorpion replied: “it’s my nature.” M smiles.
Sean enters the room, wanting to know what the ladies are doing. M releases Jubilee, saying that they were just working out. Sean asks Jubilee if that’s true. Jubilee catches her breath, and confirms that. Sean agrees, but explains that the Danger Room is still new, and he doesn’t want anyone working out without proper supervision, until anyone gets more familiar with the system. Sean leaves.
M asks Jubilee if they are clear now. “Crystal,” Jubilee mocks. In fact, she adds, now that M has explained some things about her, she wants to return the favor. Jubilee shouts that people only get one change to mess with her. And this was M’s. Jubilee threats that, next time, Monet best plays for keeps, because she sure will. M remains unimpressed and walks away, mocking Jubilee that was really convincing and that her old friend Wolverine would be impressed.
Meanwhile, outside the school, a cab stops. The customer pays his price, and steps out. It’s Maggott! He thinks it’s totally cool to be at a school where mutants come to learn about their special abilities.
