Blackness: a young boy crouches in it when he suddenly hears a noise through the darkness. Words begin to become clearer as does the person who speaks them: Xi’an Coy Manh aka Karma. Does he understand what she’s saying? The words become clearer. It’s been a while since he’s heard words, hasn’t it? But he’s starting to understand, she thinks. Quizzically, the boy looks at her. He wasn’t always like this, was he?
In reality, Cannonface just stands there while his teammates, Shauna and Trista as well as the controlled Cypher, are standing around the seemingly unconscious Karma. She’s awake! Trista shouts. Shauna touches Karma’s head, announcing she’s got her. She’s too doped up to make a possession.
Cannonface goes wild. Trista pulls on his leash ordering him to get away. Cypher points out that her raised voice has no point as he can’t hear her. Trista hits Face and Cypher admits he probably understands that. Shauna sighs, how did they pull these two losers? She bets everyone else is having fun right now.
Cannonball is in a cell, put in a straitjacket and surrounded by dynamite as Loca informs him. If he blasts he’s gonna cause an explosion that will kill them all, including his friends. What does she want? he asks. Sniffing at him, she tells him she is a tracker. She can smell emotions… taste them. He and his friends. They love each other. The notes are pleasant. But if something were to happen to them… the love would turn to anguish. And anguish… is delicious.
From the cell next door, Sam can hear Dani scream in pain. Timothy and a few of the soldiers are torturing her for their amusement. Timothy holds Dani by the throat, informing her that her arm is broken and she is in shock. When she tries to tough it out, he asks for the soul leeches. Sam shouts at them to leave her alone and Loca enjoys his suffering.
In another cell are the paralyzed Sunspot and unconscious Magma. The blue being, Bob, informs them that they won’t be paralyzed for long Shauna’s powers aren’t permanent. He assures Bobby he isn‘t mean like the others. He cuts off a small part of his own finger. He is an explorer, he likes to see things. The small bit turns into a miniature version of Bob that enters Bobby though his nostril.
Dr. Noc accompanies General Ulysses to the bound Darkchilde. Noc explains that her sword will agitate Pixie’s soul dagger gem much more efficiently. She should not have been brought here. She’ll do anything to get her amulet back, Ulysses points out. Does he think it will be wise to keep her here? Safer than letting her go, Noc replies.
Illyana Rasputin, Ulysses addresses her. A little, she replies coolly. He points to the purple mass on her shoulder, explaining that the anchor slug keeps her from teleporting. If it starts hurting, that means it’s infected and she needs to let him know. He wants her to know that, before Limbo, he’d never hurt a woman. Much less a girl! She is much less than a girl, Magik points out. Fair enough, he admits.
He turns to the tied up and gagged Pixie, explaining they are going to steal a piece of her soul and use it to complete the demonic W.M.D. they call the bloodstone amulet. It’s going to hurt her a lot, and he’s going to do it anyway.
Toko hands him the Soulsword. Ulysses continues that they spent twenty years in Limbo, hounded by every evil imaginable. Twenty years living as prey! They managed to kill a few demons in their day but nothing they did made them afraid of the soldiers. First couple of years, all they wanted to do was come home. Now that’s not enough for them. Now they want to see them run! Show them what happens when you mess with a United States soldier.
He has no idea what forces he seeks to unleash, Magik replies calmly. He states that every demon in Limbo is afraid of them activating that amulet. She has no idea how much that means to them.
Noc warns them the soulgem in Pixie’s dagger is vibrating. Never would have hurt a girl in his life, Ulysses mutters. His wife wouldn’t recognize him… Magik orders Megan to be brave. The girl screams as the soulgem is freed and Noc catches it.
Later, Scab carries Magik to the other two prisoners, Sunspot and Magma. He asks Russell how when he and Trista are… you know… How does he know she’s not using her voice to make him do things? What the $%! does he care? Russell asks and orders him not to pick himself in front of him - it’s disgusting! He informs Bob they have the gem and need to get moving. Bob tells him he hasn’t retrieved his other self yet but is told to shut up. Scab throws Illyana down and Russel draws Bob away with them.
Roberto tells Illyana Amara hasn’t woken up but he can see her breathing. She’s still al… She knows, Illyana states. He knows she knows. They are not all getting out of this, are they? he asks. Amara’s not getting out of this? No, Illyana replies curtly. He wants to know how Amara dies. Without regret, she tells him. She dies as she’s supposed to. He still insists on the how. He hasn’t asked Illyana for anything. He followed her into Limbo and didn’t say a word. Amara told him llyana holds her as she dies. How does it happen? She doesn’t love him, Illyana states. Not as he loves her. Bobby looks away, then announces he doesn’t care. Listen carefully, Illyana begins…
Elsewhere, Dani screams in agony as the torture continues. From the cell next to her, Sam shouts helpless abuse at her torturers, swearing to kill them. Dani shouts at him to get it together. He’s giving them what they want. Stop it! Stop dancing for them! She’s going to be fine. It doesn’t even hurt! He was right about Lila Cheney. He’s an excellent kisser.
She screams again and Loca suddenly loses her smile as Sam no longer reacts to Dani’s suffering. Did she hear that? he asks. She actually liked it. Frustrated, Loca hits him.
Elsewhere in the complex, Ulysses fingers the soulgem they freed. He hears they went back to Iraq because they thought Saddam had a nuke. How the hell are they supposed to stay put knowing what they know? Maybe someday they will understand, Noc offers. Not today, Ulysses states. Not today, Noc agrees. Looking at screens, another soldier informs them they’ve got the entire stateside air force bearing down on their position. Should he have the children intercept? Noc inquires. Ulysses decides they will take the collider tunnel back to the Epsilon portal. They’ve waited long enough. They are going back.
The prisoners are being taken to underground trains. Maw informs Loca she gets cranky when she’s hungry. Ulysses who gets onto the first train with Noc, Toko, Russel and Scab orders his people to load up the prisoners and follow right behind. They’ll need to fortify the hatchery for the big show. Noc warns the kids that the New Mutants will be a sacrifice to the Elders and he knows how many there are supposed to be.
Maw and Trista make Cypher carry Dani. What’s his story? she asks. Trista speaks with a mutated language. He is under the control of her words. First Selene… Dani begins, now… Yes, he agrees. He has become a cliché.
The blob-like Alex is used to transport Sunspot and the unconscious Magma whom Toko keeps down. Bob wonders if on the ride he can spare an extremity to explore her. Sunspot tells him he has something for him and spits out the small version he sent to explore Sunspot, bitten to death. Bob angrily announces, he killed him in cold blood as Sunspot is loaded on the train. Bob’s gonna cry again! Timothy gloats. There’s more where that came from, Toko chimes in. Cliquish jerks! he mutters as he gets aboard the train. So does Trista who tells the last group to use Face to seal up the tunnel behind them. Timothy drags Facecannon to his side.
Left for the last train are the unconscious Karma, Magik and Pixie, Timothy, Maw, Face and a few soldiers. One of the feral soldiers announces he wants Karma’s artificial leg. They don’t have time for this, Timothy insists but Maw remarks he wants to see if they can get it off.
On the astral plane, Karma talks to Face, still a child, and tells him not to be afraid of her. She needs his help!
The remaining soldiers and Inferno babies have gathered around Karma.
On the astral plane, she groans, holding her leg. She tells him he doesn’t know why it’s dark in here. Why the lights went out.
In real life, the soldier begins to cut the leg off.
Karma wants the boy to use her eyes.
Outside, they have cut to the bone.
The boy begins to cry as he sees all this.
He tears at the leash, then fires at Timothy, killing him, then at Maw and the other soldiers. He sinks to his knees. Karma wakes up, mumbling it’s okay. Magik tears off the paralyzing slug while Shan hugs Facecannon and tries to calm him.
Illyana announces that when Pixie awakes they will travel with her to Utopia. Once there, Karma will follow her instructions. The others are going to be killed, Shan points out. They have to go after them! Illyana calmly states that Shan’s mission is the only one that matters. The others are expendable.
What is she talking about? Karma snarls. Dani’s with them! Illyana came back from the future for them. She said they were important! She lied, Illyana states. She came back for Karma.
