Willot Park, a modest little airport in the middle of the Adirondirack Mountains. Middle of the night. The stolen invisible aircraft lands and Rico announces he will neutralize the local alarms and warm up the gas lines. Becka runs past the others in desperate search for a bathroom.
A little later, while fueling the plane, Rico works on his computer and complains what kind of airport has no snacks whatsoever. What are they up here, un-American? Perhaps they have a problem with theft, Pavel suggests. Oli calms him, pointing out, they’ll get some food. Rico asks what they will do when they find No-Name. One step at a time, Oli replies. He hopes, Oli knows what he is doing, comes the reply.
While checking his ultramodern computer screen, Rico explains the Suits and X-profs have been looking all over for No-Name. But they never bothered trying to think like her. He does things cause he’s basically lazy. She loves efficiency with maybe a little bit of fun. For her, what better way to travel than by standing still? She holds herself in place and lets the Earth move past beneath her feet. Checking out a model of a globe, he explains that at the equator they are talking roughly 25,000 miles every 24 hours. So do the math, they adapt for her “height” above that point their longitude, remembering that the planet is also orbiting at roughly 67,000 miles per hour.
She’d be moving at a thousand miles an hour, Oli remarks incredulously. Nobody’s found a body, Rico points out, and she’s a very smart girl. He assumes she’s found a solution. Advantage for them is that any movement north or south she’ll have to accomplish through conventional means. Better yet, this stunt eats energy. Both physical strength and psychic focus. Figure the west coast as a break point. She’s going to need time to rest and recover her strength. And that’ll give them their window to catch up.
Having finished fueling up the plane, Pavel asks where Becka is. He finds her having fallen asleep on the toilet. He carries her out and threatens the other two boys not to mention that moment ever again.
Following him, Rico remarks he thought Pavel had a thing for No-Name. Oli calls him an idiot and reminds him that Pavel and Becka are best buds. His gramma helped raise her. Rico asks how to deal with the gas. Are they thieves now? Oli takes out a bunch of notes. Contingency.
They fly off, again marveling at this one of the last original Blackbirds and then discuss the alarm. Oli remembers it’s from the old days. It’s the X-Men’s Omega Alert. His dad used to call it the end of everything alarm. Like when the mansion got nuked? Rico asks soberly. Oli agrees. For a moment, they are all silent.
Oli admits that, back in the Danger Room at the end when the alarms sounded, he sensed something. He saw something in Becka’s eyes. Some kind of light. But when he looked around the room, took a closer look – there was nothing. False alarm, Rico suggests. The light in her eyes was real, Oli is sure. Something to do with her powers? Rico ventures. She is still learning what she can do after all. Pavel and Oli look at him dismissively. Okay, he admits, he doesn’t believe it either. What do they do about it? They find No-Name, find out what’s going on, then set it right, Oli decides. Just like hat? Rico asks amused. He is always open to better ideas, comes the reply.
They land in Valle Soleda, a magnificent old coastal community midway between Los Angels and San Diego. Over the years, it quietly became the residence of a surprising number of active mutants who weren’t interested in a public life, who wanted instead simply to live their lives and raise their families.
Olivier Raven was born and raised here. For him, this will always be home. He takes the others to his family’s home, and tells them to make themselves at home while he takes care of breakfast.
While he begins preparing pancakes, Rico fears that the teachers will check this place out. Maybe, maybe not, Oli shrugs. But there isn’t a whole lot of love left between the mansion and his family. Especially his dad. After his mom died, he really tried to keep up with the X-life, but his heart wasn’t in it. Especially when it came to Scott.
What about Oli and his girlfriend, Megan Summers? Rico asks while he checks out photos of Rogue and Gambit. That’s a complication all right, Oli sighs. Total Montague and Capulet. So he and his dad aren’t talking anymore. Mostly these days they stay in touch through Oli’s sister. Rico tells him that’s sick, but nevertheless smiles. When Oli asks what’s so funny, Rico explains that he was thinking about them and their relationships to their respective fathers, not to mention Rico’s grandpa. Plus Pavel’s pretty much solo, raised by his grandma, Becka’s got nobody, and neither does No-Name, as far as they know. Ain’t they a crew? Thanks for cheering him up, Oli replies sarcastically.
The next moment, Becka finally stirs on the couch. He gives her the details and she moans how much she hurts everywhere, causing Rico to tease her. Pavel joins them before they can begin to argue and they have breakfast.
Within an hour or two, the quartet is on their way. The boys complement Becka on the new white summerdress she is wearing. Rico tells her just because she comes from the Savage Land, is no reason to perpetually fit the cliché. She is allowed to look good, if not great. Nice talk, considering the way he dresses, Becka makes fun of his slacker look. Oli joins them, apparently having a plan.
Rico calls him “fearless leader” and reminds him that they might be expelled from school afterwards. Oli agrees. He bets the X-Men never had to deal with moments like that back in the day. Rico recalls there were only five of them and Professor X was always disappearing or dying, especially once the new team formed. And now he’s gone for real, for good, Oli finishes his thought, and the X-Men with him. Does he miss the team, the life? Rico asks him. He’s seen the monuments. That life took away his Mom and a whole lot more besides. Oli knows, that but believes there’s still a need for X-Men.
He’d call him crazy if he wasn’t walking right by his side, Rico scoffs. He means he’s right? Oli asks. Not even close, comes the reply. But someone crazy as him obviously needs a buddy to hold his hand and right now, like it or not, they seem to be needed.
Pavel and Becka are walking ahead of the other boys. Pavel asks her why she keeps looking around. She admits she has a weird sense of being followed. Spider sense? Rico jokes, outrageous! She calls him a dolt and admits it’s probably nothing. But she is still not comfortable in the world they all live in. If she were at home in the Savage Land, what ten? Oli asks. She’d be running for the rocks, Becka replies.
Rico notifies them, his scanners jus got the hit they were looking for. It takes a little doing to focus in on their target, especially since Becka can’t shake her sense of being tracked. But try as they might, her friends can’t come up with any proof.
Becka flies herself and Pavel up. Through a pair of binoculars, Pavel sees No-Name surrounded by several Shockwave Riders. Instinctively, he turns to his metal form, and Becka can’t carry him anymore. He drops down to the plaza, sure No-Name is in trouble. He lands before her, ready to attack them. No-Name shouts at him that it’s all right. This is her family!
The other three heard that. This just got so much more complicated, Oli sighs. He tells the Shockwave Riders they just want to help their friend. How about they talk? Their leader seems willing while another one protests since when do they trust the X-brats. He notices something going on, even though the kids are not doing anything, and attacks Pavel.
The fight starts. Two Shockwave Riders attack Rico who, completely calm, turns himself invisible. A female Shockwave Rider with a sadistic disposition begins beating up Becka.
Oli smirks and reminds the Riders that back in the day his dad used to whomp their butt. Now, he guesses, it’s his turn.
The first Rider has Pavel secured in energy ties. Colossus angrily points out they didn’t come there to fight. The Rider replies his Daddy wouldn’t have been so stupid. Suddenly, he turns around – something tapped him. An invisible Rico tosses the two Riders he beat at him.
The female Shockwave Rider is still hitting Becka in the face, noting her teammates must really hate her, as none come to her help.
Pavel frees himself from the energy bonds and angrily confronts the three Shockwave riders Rico started with.
One of the Riders starts to drag No Name away. She protests that they are her friends. Hook up later, he tells her, this is too dangerous! Suddenly, he’s propelled into the air and into an icewall. The other Shockwave Riders are taken out by a red energy blast and by ice.
Becka, in the meantime, lets her wild side take over and beats the Shockwave Rider. What’s happening? she asks the others. Oli reminds her of the ghosts she kept sensing. They are making their entrance. Five alternate evil versions of the original X-Men, dressed in black.
The “Jean Grey” announces that the brats led them on quite a merry chase. But the game’s over. Now it’s their time to have some fun. She presses a button on her glove. Energy envelops them all and the kids and the rogue X-Men reappear on Genosha, the island where sixteen million mutants died, literally a place of ghosts.
Black Marvel tells them that here they can’t call their teachers or other help, be it with technology or telepathy. They are on their own.
