Brute stands before a huge door and behind it, he remembers, is his lab, but one small problem: Brute can’t remember the access code to open the door! Havok shows up from behind and asks if he can help Brute. Alex thought he would be in his lab by now, but the Brute doesn’t know how to get inside.
The Brute explains that the intelligence he regained from Xavier appear to be a ongoing process. Though he is rapidly gaining his intelligence back, he temporarely suffers from memory gaps. Alex asks how he lost his intelligence in the first place, but those are the exact same answers the Brute is looking for and is certain the answers lie within his lab. Hank suddenly gets a memory flash from an explosion. He falls back and Alex catches him just in time. Alex asks if he’s all right, and Brute explains that he’s been getting memory flashes that flash-by quickly.
Ice-Man enters the lab and teases Hank a bit, after which he and Alex leave so that Hank can work. Hank asks Alex if he can try figure out how Alex got in this world and he agrees. While Hank works, Alex tells Ice-Man what he was like on his world and Ice-Man does the same. Hank suddenly remembers everything and has ways to help all of his friends. Especially Ice-Man. Hank explains how he lost his intelligence.
It all began when Loki did something to make Ice-Man’s body go out of control. Next, when Madelyne found out that this universe’s Havok had an affair with Sue Storm, she sought solace with the best friend she had in the castle: Ice-Man. When the affair ended, Havok became jealous of Ice-Man. Desperate to find a cure for his friend, Hank eventually found one. All he had to do was press a button. But, during the experiment, Hank was set-up by Havok, who made the place explode and the explosion mixed the many chemicals of the experiment over Hank’s body, making him loose his intelligence. But, Hank has fixed all that now. He also has a surprise for Alex: he has found a way to send him home!
Brute still doesn’t know how to get in. Alex believes he’s over-thinking it and powers up and blasts the door. Brute quickly saves Alex from the impact, but the explosion doesn’t scratch the door one bit! Brute already realized he created the door with material stronger than Adamantium, so he already thought that brute force wouldn’t work. Brute now remembers all they had to do was push a button. He does and the door finally goes open.
This done, Brute gets another flashback, in which he tries to escape from an explosion. Brute and Alex enter his lab that he build by himself. When looking at some control panels, Brute has another memory about an explosion and again almost collapses. Alex picks him up and doesn’t find this such a good idea; maybe Hank should take it easy. But Hank is determined to find out, as he is sick seeing the world through Brute’s eyes. He wants to know what happened to him so he can move on with his life.
Ice-Man comes in and playfully throws a snowball against Brute’s head. Ice-Man tells Hank to lighten up, but he doesn’t want to. He picks up a pencil and panics, as he sees Ice-Man melting! Ice-Man panics too and doesn’t get it, but this time the joke’s on him! Brute playfully pushes Ice-Man. He loses balance and almost falls through some portal. Hank wants to grab his friend, but Ice-Man withdraws, reminding Hank what happens should he touch him. Ice-Man makes an iceslide and brings him to safety.
Hank tells Ice-Man that, if he had fallen through the portal, he’d have landed in the Negative Zone! Alex can’t believe that Hank found it. Hank explains that he found the Zone before he changed into the Brute. Hank apologizes and wants to continue working. Ice-Man leaves, but Hank has a question for Alex. Hank was surprised to see Alex surprised that he found the Negative Zone, but he assumes that he didn’t found the Zone in Alex’ world. But Hank wants to find out how Alex came to this world and what happened to the Alex they knew. Alex agrees and lets his friend be.
Alex and Ice-Man walk through the halls of the castle. Ice-Man finds it weird to see Hank smart again and so does Alex. Ice-Man asks how it feels to Alex to be in a whole different universe. Alex says it’s weird, but sometimes he wakes up in the morning, believing that this is the reality where he was in all along. Ice-Man asks Alex to tell him how he was like on his world. Alex tells Bobby that he doesn’t find it such a good idea. Ice-Man jokes that Alex has called him “Bobby” before, something he only allows to be called by Hank. Ice-Man can’t believe that his counterpart actually goes with “Bobby.” Alex doesn’t want to tell him, but Ice-Man finds it ridiculous; how bad can it be. But on the other hand, maybe it is, because he wasn’t the best of buddies with the Alex of this universe. Alex agrees to tell Ice-Man, only if he promises to tell him about his counterpart. Ice-Man agrees and Alex begins telling.
Meanwhile, Hank wanders through his lab and touches some testtubes. When seeing a computer panel, Hank has another flashback. He remembers that he was trying to cure Ice-Man from his permanent ice-form. The experiment was going so well, but then the explosion came. Suddenly, Hank remembers that he was set-up! But by whom? He remembers that all those different chemicals mixed up in his body and made him loose his intelligence.
Elsewhere in the castle, Alex has finished telling Ice-Man. He’s surprised to find out how different his life could be. Ice-Man asks if Alex remembers how his Iceman got out of his permanent ice-form, but unfortunatly Alex doesn’t remember. Alex feels bad for telling Ice-Man this, as he shouldn’t have. Ice-Man says it’s okay, he really wanted to know. And now he knows that at least some alternate form of his got some chances of love and a real life. Ice-Man tells Alex about his counterpart. He and the other Alex weren’t such good friends. Ice-Man doesn’t have any “dirty details” about Alex, but things got “soap opera” around the castle for quit some time, but eventually they settled their differences. Ice-Man has to stop talking when, suddenly, the alarm from Hank’s lab goes off.
They rush to the lab that has caught fire. Hank has it under control and has found ways to cure them all, especially Ice-Man. Another explosion takes place due to the fire, but Ice-Man freezes up the flames. Alex asks what happened, but Hank says that he only remembered. Hank begins his story. He remembers it all began when Loki, the Norse God, did something to Ice-Man’s body so that it went out of control. Not being able to see his friend suffer so much, Hank deperatly tried to find some cure. Hank found the solution that was pretty simple and logic on a genetic level. He had everything in the right order, and the only thing he had to do was press a button. But when he pressed the button, the explosion took place. Ice-Man says he regretted it for the rest of his life that he put Hank through this and blamed himself for not being able to save Hank that day.
Hank says it wasn’t Ice-Man’s fault at all, but Havok’s! Hank explains it, saying that it’s not really Havok’s fault, but his counterpart from this world. Hank explains that the grudge began with the affair this world’s Alex had with Sue Storm from the Fantastic Four. When Madelyne found out, she sought solace with the best friend she had in the castle: Ice-Man. Madelyne and Ice-Man became such close friends, but couldn’t become more due to Ice-Man’s powers. Should he touch her, she’d freeze to death. But when Havok’s affair ended, he became jealous of their close friendship. During the explosion, Hank saw that there was another person with them: Havok.
Ice-Man tells Alex he knows that he’s not the same guy, but doesn’t want to see him right now. Alex understands and says he’ll leave. Not yet, Hank says, because he has a surprised for Alex: he believes he can send Alex home! And second, their Havok might already be there.
