The Danger Room at the prestigious Massachusetts Academy, where the powerful young woman Monet St. Croix holds her teammate, Jubilation “Jubilee” Lee in her arms and tells her to wake up or else she will die. Monet looks around the floor of the Danger Room, where her teammates and teacher – Emma Frost – are all scattered in trapped in some sick dream. Desperately, the beautiful Algerian mutant closes her eyes and thinks to herself that she doesn’t even know how this nightmare started, except that she went to bed as a member of Generation X and awoke as a member of the Hellions. Monet and her five teammates all found themselves as members of Emma Frost’s first group of students, the Hellions, whom she taught when she was the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. The original Hellions were murdered by Fitzroy, a madman from the future, and the Generation Xer’s found themselves reliving the Hellion’s last day, right up till Fitzroy’s attack, however they thought they could beat him, thought that they could change history. They were wrong and Monet was injured – something that is very hard to do.
The pain from the cut shunted Monet back to reality, where she cannot wake the others. Monet thinks she should find some help, and with Sean Cassidy still out of town the next best option would be Emma’s sister, Adrienne Frost. Monet flies across the campus, thankful that it is dark so that none of the human students will see her using her powers. Arriving at Adrienne’s quarters, Monet kicks the door down, however Adrienne is not home. Monet thinks that their new headmistress must be keeping late hours and realizes that she has no other choice except to go back into the Hellions’ reality. Monet knows her telepathic powers are what enabled her to escape, and can use them to re-enter and save the others.
Back in the Hellions “reality”
Everett Thomas, a.k.a. Synch holds up Monet in his arms while Jubilee, Husk, Chamber and Skin stand around them and the X-Men and the White Queen deal with Trevor Fitzroy. Synch looks at his friend and wonders how they let this happen, as Jubilee moves in closer and thinks to herself that she never liked Monet but didn’t want this to happen. Jubilee puts a hand on Synchs shoulder and tells him that it was no one’s fault. Angelo “Skin” Espinosa angrily shouts that they are just kids and never should have been here now. He declares that it is Emma and Sean’s fault – and Xavier’s – that they should never have put them in this position. He says that they try to make a difference in a world that makes them hide who they are, and all they get for it is death – first Blink and now Monet.
Jonothan Starsmore a.k.a. Chamber grabs Skin and tells him to cool down as he isn't helping the situation when suddenly Monet sits up. Synch smiles seeing the girl he has a crush on alive and tells Monet that he has never been so happy to see her. Jubilee frowns and tells herself to keep at cool, as this is not a time to get jealous, for she has a crush on Everett. Paige Guthrie, a.k.a. Husk asks Monet what happened to her, and the Gen Xer’s follow Monet as she walks around the room, admitting that she is not exactly sure, but she figures that somehow Archangel’s wings cut her and the shock “woke” her. She tells everyone that this is not real and that they are really asleep in the Danger Room, in some kind of trance.
Monet declares that she doesn’t know how any of this is happening but at least they know they can escape. She reveals that it was her telepathy that enabled her to break free and also return. Jubilee asks Monet why she came back instead of getting help or waking them up. Monet replies that she tried, but Sean is still gone and she couldn’t find Adrienne. Monet glances to the floor and says something that shocks everyone including herself I came back because, well…because you’re my friends. Generation X stare at Monet as if she is deluded, unable to believe their ears when their attention is drawn to the other side of the room, where Donald Pierce enters the building via teleportation.
The handsome Reaver sees that he has arrived at the Hellfire Club and calls to Emma, who is equally surprised to see him and realizes that he used his pet Aborigine – Gateway – to teleport himself here. Pierce is shot through the teleportation ring and Emma sees that he is under attack. Calling Pierce a fool she asks him what he has led to them.
Jubilee turns to her teammates and informs them that Donald Pierce is the White Bishop of the Hellfire Club and is being chased by Sentinels, who put Emma in a coma and kill the Hellions one by one. Synch asks what they should do, suggesting that even though this is some kind of mind-trap they cannot just stand around. Husk agrees, and reminds everyone that Monet said Emma was in a trance like the rest of them, and supposes that this young Miss Frost they see now is really their Miss Frost.
Jubilee declares that it is settled and tells her teammates to hit ‘em where it hurts. Pierce is subdued by a Sentinel and the giant robot moves in towards Emma, until Jubilee rushes to intervene, pushing Emma from harms way. Emma is astonished that she is saved by one of her students as Storm announces that the Sentinels appear disorientated and that it may take a fraction of a second for their circuitry to adjust to the teleportation. She orders the X-Men and “Hellions” to use their powers while they have a chance.
Trevor Fitzroy tells the Sentinels to obey the voice of their master and alters their programming to attack the Hellions and the X-Men. Husk has transformed to stone and Monet lifts her up, together they perform the “Fastball Special” and Paige jokes that if only her X-Man brother, Cannonball, could see her now before she is thrust into a Sentinel – only to get stuck in the middle of it, not quite making it all the way through. Paige thinks that Monet better work on her pitching arm while the Sentinel announces that it is still functional and prepares for a counter assault on Husk. Husk cries for help, and it comes in the form of her sort-of-boyfriend Chamber, who uses his bio-blast on the Sentinel, destroying it while Paige falls to the ground.
As another Sentinel commences attack on Jean Grey, who calls to the boys below for a little help, Synch uses his aura to copy Colossus’ powers and together the rip the arms off the Sentinel, freeing Jean. Another Sentinel is under attack from Archangel while another goes after Skin – whom it believes to be the Hellion Bevatron. Skin thinks to himself that he is so dead and cannot believe he is going to do this. He extends one of his fingers up into the palm of the Sentinel where one of its blasters is, and blocks it. The Sentinel declares that it has malfunctioned and Iceman slides over and encompasses it in ice while Jubilee uses her “fireworks” on another Sentinel.
Monet uses her incredible strength to rip the head off of another Sentinel and Synch jokes for her to remind him not to tick her off, when he suddenly sees something. Monet follows Everett and he asks her if she can see what he does, but she cannot. Synch uses his aura and informs Monet that he can see Emma, as if she is caught between two realities. Everett supposes he can see Emma because he has synched up with Monet’s telepathy. Monet asks why she is not able to see Emma, and Synch replies that it is a good question, but informs Monet that she may not have noticed but he has been using Chamber’s powers in ways even he cant. Everett tells Monet to concentrate with him so they can pull Emma out of where she is, and Monet agrees, but first plans to get the two of them some cover.
Telepathically, Monet contacts her teammates, informing them that she and Everett think they can rescue Emma, but that they need everyone else to keep the Sentinels away from them. Chamber replies that they will do what they can as Husk asks Monet what she means by bringing Emma to them. Monet replies that she cannot explain right now and warns Husk that she has more pressing things to worry about. Husk says I do? and is met with a powerful punch from Colossus. Chamber asks the others if he saw that and Synch tells Monet that whoever is doing all of this must not want them to get to Emma. Using telepathy, Everett announces that he can feel Emma getting closer and that the wall between the realities is weakening. Chamber declares that if this is all fake then the X-Men are not real and he can cut loose – and he does so, destroying Colossus. Synch cringes from using the telepathy so strongly – but it works.
Emma Frost sees a crack in reality and presses her finger up to it, widening it she then rips t apart and steps through it, into the fake Hellfire Club. Generation X applaud when they see their teacher now free, and Emma walks up to her younger self. So. “This is your life, Emma Frost”, eh? She continues staring at the younger version of herself before telling her that it is not her fault and that she did everything she could. Emma narrows her eyes and suddenly the younger Emma disappears. Jubilee tells Emma that this is some kind of crazy mind-trap and that both the X-Men and Sentinels are trying to kill them.
Emma looks calmly at the “X-Men” and Sentinels as they rush towards her and she simply declares That’s enough, this is all ends now! Emma kicks the reality itself and shatters it, and everyone wakes up in the Danger Room of the Academy. Husk congratulates Emma for taking control of the entire reality, and Emma mumbles that she is going to feel it tomorrow. Jubilee admits that Monet was right, that the whole thing was a scam. Skin asks Jubes who cares as they looked Death into the eye and Death blinked. Emma tells the Gen Xer’s to calm down, telling them that this just didn’t happen that someone must be responsible.
Emma’s eyes just about pop from her head when she turns and sees her sister standing on the other side of the room. Adrienne is dressed up in a new outfit and tells everyone that she will give them three guesses as to who is responsible, but that the first two don’t count. Say hello to the new White Queen, everyone’, she adds. Emma asks Adrienne how she can dare call herself that before informing her that they could have all been killed.
Adrienne frowns at Emma and tells her that she wouldn't have been killed, but just her kids as she needed her alive to witness her students die – again. Emma realizes that this has been a set-up since Adrienne first came to the school, and tells Adrienne to remember that when she gets pushed, she will push back. Adrienne smiles when she tells Emma that she cannot seem to remember her powers do not work on her. Jubilee tells Adrienne that their powers work fine on her.
Adrienne boasts that she would love to stay and play but that she has business to attend to elsewhere. She mockingly tells everyone not to worry as Auntie Adrienne will visit again soon, after all, this is just the beginning. Adrienne pushes her brooch and teleports out, just as Jubilee throws some “fireworks” at her. Jubilee doesn’t care that Adrienne can teleport and suggests that they go after her. Emma crosses her arms and tells Jubilee that it is not that simple, as Adrienne is immune to her psi-scan, and Monet is not strong enough yet to conduct a search that powerful. Emma declares that despite a temporary lapse in her own judgment she does know her own sister and she would be calculating, which is what makes her such a good business woman, and doesn’t think that they will see Adrienne until she is ready for them to see her.
Skin asks Emma how she can be so calm about this as her nut-job sister just tried to kill them. Emma smiles and declares that they have time to think about Adrienne tomorrow, but tonight she would just like to appreciate what she has got… Jubilee, Monet, Everett, Paige, Jono and Angelo, and Emma remembers her Hellions, gone but not forgotten.
