London, House of Parliament in the dead of night. Jamie Madrox a.k.a. the Multiple Man marches towards the brightly lit sprawling building, accompanied by an army - of duplicates. ‘Everyone stay together!’ the lead Madrox calls out. ‘Shut up!’ one of the dupes snaps back. ‘I heard that’ the lead Madrox replies. ‘You suck!’ another exclaims, before the lead Madrox reminds the others that he was put in charge, so everyone else needs to get in line. ‘We’re only getting one shot at this!’ he exclaims. ‘Yeah, yeah - we’ve got it!’
Madrox thinks to himself that he likes Nirvana, the Pixies, Jane’s Addiction, Fugazi and Bad Religion, as well as Smashing Pumpkins back when Bill Corgan had hair. ‘I like my iPod. I love my Bose headphones. LOVE my headphones. Don’t think I could live without them. They cut me off from the rest of the world’. Madrox thinks to himself that he is not good at talking to people, he prefers to keep to himself. ‘I’ve tried the Facebook thing, but that just led to finding people I didn’t really want to find in the first place’. Madrox reminds himself that he likes a good mosh pit - a real mosh pit where you sweat and knock elbows and tussle. ‘You can lose yourself in a crowd - the music and the - it’s just - amazing. You’re probably thinking I’m just a testosterone goon - but if you do understand what I’m talking about, well then - you understand what I feel like - all the time. One of many. And then - I’m not sure - am I one? Am I many? I don’t know’.
The Madrox dupes march through the House of Commons, when suddenly a security guard stops them outside a door to the chambers, ‘Sorry, eh - Parliament’s closed. Emergency session on account of the tragedy in the States’ the elderly guard exclaims, before suddenly Madrox pulls out a gun and shoots the guard in the chest, before gunning down the other guards. ‘Come on, go go GO!’ Madrox shouts as the dupes rush into the main chamber, where Captain Britain, along with other Captain’s of European countries, is addressing the Parliament. ‘This action will not stand!’ Captain Britain exclaims. ‘We cannot - we will not - allow this terrorist to simply act as he pleases. His homicidal whims demand retribution. We must send Magneto a message!’. Suddenly, ‘Magneto has a message for you. Goodbye!’ Madrox exclaims as he and the other dupes pull open the trench coats, revealing numerous bombs strapped to their bodies - which they detonate - blowing up the House of Parliament, and everyone in it, including Captain Britain.
Meanwhile, at Xavier’s School for Gifted Children, in Westchester, New York. Rogue sits in a room, crying, while her teammates call out to her: ‘Rogue! Rogue!’ someone shouts. ‘What happened? Where is everyone? Rogue!’. Rogue calls out to her teammates, letting them know where she is, and they enter, carrying the bodies of their dead teammates - Beast, Dazzler and Nightcrawler. ‘Rogue? Are you okay?’ Cyclops asks. ‘No. I don’t think any of us are ever going to be okay again!’ Rogue exclaims, tears falling down her face as she cradles Xavier’s lifeless body.
Soon, in the med-lab, Wolverine, Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Iceman, Angel and Rogue stand beside the tables where four bodies lay. ‘How could you let this happen, Rogue?’ Iceman asks, accusingly. Rogue replies that they were being attacked by Sentinels, so she was a little distracted. ‘How do we know they won’t come back?’ Iceman asks, to which Rogue assures him that they won’t come back, as Stryker and the Sentinels skitter off with their tails firmly tucked between their legs. Cyclops asks how they can know if Magneto didn’t incite the Sentinels, to which Wolverine points out that they were human Sentinels, and reminds everyone Magneto doesn’t consort with humans.
‘So what do we do?’ a worried Rogue asks as Marvel Girl pulls a cover up over Xavier’s body. ‘We kill ‘em’ Wolverine exclaims. ‘That’s your answer to everything’ Cyclops tells him. Angel declares that it is the right answer, and that when push comes to shove, he will understand. ‘Shut up!’ someone exclaims, before someone else suggests Wolverine might be right. ‘Maybe killing is the only solution’. ‘Everyone just shut up. We’ve gotta just think - just gimme a second’ someone asks. ‘No time to think. Not now!’ someone declares. Wolverine tells everyone to look around. ‘We’ve already lost. The question is: who else is gonna wind up in a body bag?’. Cyclops replies that he knows this is bad, really bad, and so that’s why they have to stay together, more than ever before. ‘No. We need to split up!’ Marvel Girl announces as the Phoenix power envelops her.
‘Things are about to get worse. Much worse!’ Marvel Girl declares. ‘His anger. It’s…it’s all around us. It makes me wanna puke. The wave was just the beginning. The things he’s thinking…it’s…. He’s gonna kill us. All of us. Mutants. Magneto’s going to kill us all!’ Wolverine asks how Magneto plans to do that, to which Marvel Girl replies ‘Madrox. We have to stop Jamie Madrox!’. Wolverine replies that he thinks they can handle one guy, but Marvel Girl replies that Madrox isn’t just one guy - he’s one thousand, ten thousand, more. ‘Every minute. I didn’t know he could do this - I don’t know if he even has a limit. We have to stop them!’ she gasps.
Angel stands over the body of his dead girlfriend, Dazzler, and declares that this is just a distraction, a waste of their time. ‘There’s only one thing we have to do. And we all know it. Magneto. He’s the priority. He’s the murderer!’ Angel exclaims. Marvel Girl tells Angel that Magneto is going to kill a lot more people if they don’t do anything, but Angel shouts ‘NO!’ and tells her to back-off. ‘These mutants need you. They need an Angel…’ Marvel Girl tells him. ‘They don’t need me’ Angel scowls. ‘I’m the Angel of Death!’ he boasts, while Marvel Girl frowns at him.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, at Emma Frosts’ Academy of Tomorrow. Another Madrox dupe sits over the body of Emma Frost, pistol in hand. ‘My name is Jamie Madrox. I’m something of an artist. Now a good one. But, well - I like to draw. To just let my imagination take over. I draw monsters. And super heroes. I was into Dungeons and Dragons. A bit of a geek’. He solemnly recalls that it caused his parents some grief, as they wanted him to be an athlete, as he was actually quite good at soccer, left wing, and won a bunch of trophies. ‘But it wasn’t for me. Turns out I’m not such a team player’. Madrox admits that he has trust issues, in that he doesn’t really trust people. ‘Friends. Girlfriends. I get paranoid. I think they’re saying things behind my back. So I make duplicates to spy on my friends. I know, it’s sad’ he admits to himself, deciding that he is just selfish, self-centered and egotistical. ‘I barely know myself anymore’.
Suddenly, Cyclops, Iceman and Rogue appear, ‘MADROX!’ Cyclops calls out, startling Madrox, who looks up from Emma’s body. ‘If you killed Alex - I’m going to kill you!’ Cyclops shouts, referring to his brother, Havok. ‘You can’t kill me!’ Madrox replies. ‘I can try!’ Cyclops booms as he unleashes a powerful optic blast at Madrox, when suddenly, duplicates appear: ‘No. Nobody can kill me’. ‘No. Nobody can kill me’. ‘No. Nobody can kill me’. ‘No. Nobody can kill me’. ‘No. Nobody can kill me’. ‘No. Nobody can kill me’. Madrox and the dupes exclaim over and over, while Cyclops’ optic blast tears through them.
‘They’re like rats. How many of them are there?’ Rogue exclaims, while Iceman declares that they are going to need an army. ‘Then we’ll get an army!’ Rogue boasts as she plants a kiss on Madrox’s lips. Almost instantly, Rogue then uses Madrox’s own power against him, by duplicating herself a dozen times or more, and fighting the Madrox dupes. Rogue calls out to Cyclops and tells him to go and find any survivors. Cyclops looks at Rogue, before rushing towards the burning buildings, and calling out to his brother: ‘Alex! Where are you?!’ as he rushes past the motionless bodies of Polaris and Sunspot, both members of the Academy of Tomorrow, lying in the flaming ruins.
Scott enters another part of the building, ‘Hang on, little bro. Everything’s gonna be okay!’ he calls out, but, stepping out of the shadows, a figure replies ‘No. Not Alex. Definitely not Alex’. ‘Why? Why’d you do this?’ Cyclops asks as he grabs the Madrox dupe, who replies that he didn’t, he was only supposed to do this. ‘I wanted to. I think. I wanted to, but my bomb - it didn’t go boom. A malfunction. Just like me. So many voices. Telling me what to do. So many voices…’ the Madrox dupe babbles, to which Cyclops shouts ‘This oughta shut up those voices’ as he unleashes an optic blast at close range, shredding the dupe’s head off, when, suddenly, another dupe appears behind Cyclops, exclaiming ‘You’d think that. But it doesn’t. It just makes more. It’s just going to make more and more and more’, as he slices Scott with a knife.
Beneath Manhattan, in the Morlock Tunnels…’My name is Jamie Madrox. I love my mom and I’m not afraid to admit it. And it’s not just the amazing chocolate chip cookies. Or the way she decorated our house at Christmas in Madison. Or her tomato soup. It’s not any of that. It’s the love. The unconditional love. She will always forgive me. No matter what I do. No matter what I’ve done’. Madrox thinks to himself as countless dupes, all with bombs strapped to their bodies, line up. ‘When I punched Steven Sesar and broke his nose. When I got DWI. When I stole those diamonds. I hope she’ll forgive me now. I hope she can’.
Storm turns to Marvel Girl and asks her how she is holding up. Surrounded by the Phoenix Force, Jean replies ‘Not well’, explaining that she is basically putting her finger in a live grenade, controlling fifty minds at once. ‘I’m the only thing keeping us all alive!’ she adds, referring not only to she and Storm, but Callisto and the other Morlocks behind Storm. ‘Think hard’ Storm tells Jean, who replies that Storm has to get the Morlocks out of here. Storm replies that she has tried, but the Madrox has blocked off the exit. Jean asks if there is no other way out, to which Storm explains that the flood sealed off the tunnels, and tells Jean they are lucky they got here when they did. ’Yeah. Lucky’ Jean mutters.
Storm steps forward and charges a lightening bolt, ’Maybe I can short them out -’ she begins to say, but Jean knocks Storm aside telling her not to touch the Madrox dupes, if she does, they will explode. ‘Then what?’ Storm asks, exasperated. ‘I don’t know’ Marvel Girl replies, exclaiming that Madrox’s mind is not like anything she has ever touched. ‘It’s so fractured. Parts of a personality. Nothing to really hold onto. Some are loyal to Magneto. Others are suicidal. Others just want to go home to Wisconsin’ Jean explains, adding that she cannot contain them.
Suddenly, one of the dupes steps forward: ‘HEY!’ he shouts, before Storm quickly alerts Jean to the situation: ‘You let one go!’ she exclaims. ‘Get him back!’. Jean replies that she is trying. ‘Quickly!’ Storm snaps. ‘I’m trying!’ Jean replies once more, when suddenly, Storm pulls a knife from Callisto’s belt. ‘Hey!’ Callisto exclaims, before Storm throws it at the Madrox dupe - it lands square in his head, and he falls backwards. Another dupe steps forward, but Jean quickly announces that she has got him under control, before congratulating Storm on taking down Madrox. But Storm looks at her hands. ‘I - I just killed a man’ she whispers. ‘You didn’t kill anyone. He’s not a man. He’s part of a man’ Jean tells her teammate. But Storm replies that he has thoughts, feelings, that he is a person, and they are X-Men. ‘And the X-Men don’t kill. It’s what makes us different from Magneto. Isn’t it?’ Storm asks. ‘Ororo…’ Jean begins, but Storm tells her not to lose another one. ‘And let’s pray Wolverine’s more successful than we are’ she adds.
In the Savage Land, Wolverine shoves aside an oversized multi-fanged prehistoric snake, muttering ‘Every @&#$ing time. I hate this place’. Suddenly, a voice calls out to him: ‘You need a hand there?’, and Wolverine looks up, seeing Ka-Zar and Shanna standing nearby. You got my message’ Wolverine remarks. Ka-Zar replies that he did and is happy to help after the whole robot-duplicate mess that Wolverine helped clean up. ‘Speaking of which…’ Ka-Zar begins, but Wolverine replies that he has the snake right where he wants him, before blood splatters everywhere as Wolverine shoves his three claws into the snake.
‘Let’s go’ Wolverine announces, pointing out that they have a long walk ahead of them. ‘And this place is hotter than the devil’s…’ Wolverine stops in his tracks as snowflakes suddenly fall. Ka-Zar explains that Magneto’s actions have caused odd weather throughout the Savage Land. ‘Throughout the world’ Wolverine replies, adding that it has messed up his senses, like a killer case of the allergies. ‘That’s why you asked for out help. To help you hunt down Jamie Madrox’ Shanna reminds Wolverine. ‘Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting a blizzard. And you in your loincloths, Shanna. Don’t expect you’ve got an REI around here?’ Logan asks. ‘We can handle it’ Shanna snaps back. ‘Gotta love that woman’ Wolverine utters. ‘Claws off’ Ka-Zar tells him.
Wolverine leads Ka-Zar, Shanna and their tiger, Zabu, north, and Ka-Zar tells Wolverine that Zabu agrees this is the right direction. ‘Can’t argue with the cat’ Wolverine replies, before pushing some bushes aside, and announcing that Madrox should be right through here. ‘Well. Can’t say I was expecting that!’ Wolverine remarks as he motions to the house, covered in snow, and adorned with Christmas lights. As they approach the front door, Ka-Zar asks Wolverine ‘Is he in there?’ to which Wolverine replies that he can smell him. Ka-Zar asks what they will do. ‘Ring the doorbell?’
Wolverine replies that is exactly what they will do, before he kicks the door down. Entering the house, Wolverine says “sorry”, to which Ka-Zar asks ‘What for?’. ‘No. The game. “Sorry”. “Parcheesi”. “Twister”. I haven’t seen these in years’ Logan remarks as he looks at the stack of games, wondering why Magneto would go through this much trouble for Madrox. ‘What’s going on here?’ he asks, when suddenly, an enchanting voice exclaims ‘Sorry boys’ as Lorelei steps into view, dressed as a housewife and carrying a tray of cookies fresh from the oven. ‘Jamie’s sick. He can’t come out an play’ Lorelei remarks, while using her manipulative powers on Ka-Zar, ordering him to kill Wolverine. Ka-Zar, under Lorelei’s spell, complies by raising his knife to Wolverine.
Back in the Morlock Tunnels, Jean announces that she cannot hold the Madrox dupes back any longer, and tells Storm, Callisto and the Morlocks to get close. ‘Get close and pray!’
At the ruins of the Academy of Tomorrow, Rogue and Iceman find a motionless Cyclops. ‘Is he okay?’ Iceman asks as he blasts the Madrox dupes, while Rogue’s dupes continue to fight them also. Rogue replies that she doesn’t know, and declares that they have to get out of here.
In the Savage Land, Shanna leaps into action, kicking Ka-Zar aside, asking him what he is doing as she prevents him from stabbing Wolverine. Lorelei just smirks as she utters that Ka-Zar isn’t thinking - at all. ‘I’m thinking for him now. It’s my power. I can convince men to do and think whatever I want. And what I want is you - dead!’ Lorelei exclaims.
Back in the Morlock Tunnels, Jean concentrates hard as Storm and the Morlocks stand behind her - then the Madrox dupes blow up. ‘It’s okay. It’s okay. You did it. You saved them. You saved us all’ Storm tells her, when suddenly, from the ashes, more Madrox dupes appear. ‘She hasn’t done anything yet!’ one of them exclaims as they close in on Jean.
At the Academy of Tomorrow, Iceman suddenly looks around, ‘What the…?’ he gasps. ‘Where the hell did all the Rogues go?’ he asks, worried as the Madrox dupes close in on him - one of them however is carrying Rogue’s unmoving body, and, in answer to Iceman’s question, exclaims ‘They disappear when you knock out the prime. All I had to do was find the original. Too bad for you - my original isn’t even here!’ the dupe smirks.
In the Savage Land, Wolverine, Ka-Zar and Zabu all turn on Shanna, who tells them to snap out of it. ‘You have a mission. Don’t forget yourself. Don’t forget who you are…please…’ she whispers as Wolverine’s claws stop less than an inch from her face - before Wolverine spins around, and shoves his claws through Lorelei’s stomach, wiping the smirk from her face as he does it. ‘It’s me - just had to let my healing factor kick in. It’s time to finish this!’ Logan exclaims.
Moments later, Wolverine walks down a corridor and comes to a door with posters and stickers all over it, and a “keep out” banner stuck to the top. Wolverine pushes the door open and inside finds a teenage boy, listening to music and drawing in a book. Wolverine turns the stereo down, causing the boy to remove his headphones and look at Logan anxiously: ‘Who…? Who the hell are you? Where’s my mom? What’s going on?’ he asks. Wolverine tells the boy that he is a friend, and needs to ask him some questions. ‘What’s your name?’ he asks.
The boy replies that his name is Jamie Madrox, and when Wolverine asks him how old he is, Jamie reveals that he is thirteen. When Logan asks him what year it is, Jamie replies that it is 1994. ‘Where do you think you are?’ Logan asks. ‘Madison, Wisconsin’ Jamie replies before declaring that he wants to talk to his mother. ‘Where is she?’ he asks. Wolverine crouches beside Jamie and informs him that the woman out there is not his mother. ‘What?’ Jamie asks, confused, before telling Logan to get the hell out, before shouting ‘MOM!’. Wolverine tells Jamie to think about it, remember who he is. ‘Lorelei’s dead. She can’t hold sway over you’ Logan tells him. ‘You killed my mom!’ Jamie exclaims. Wolverine tells Jamie that she was not his mother and that it is not 1994. ‘This guy - Magneto - he’s using you to do bad - awful - things’.
Wolverine picks up Jamie’s drawings and holding the pictures up, tells Jamie that this is happening. ‘You blew up Parliament. And a lot worse. You killed a lotta people today’ he tells him. ‘No. I don’t believe you!’ Jamie exclaims, while Wolverine urges him to remember. ‘You have to stop yourself!’ he exclaims. ‘Stop myself from what? I’m not doing anything wrong!’ Jamie exclaims. Wolverine unsheathes his claws: ‘Don’t make me do this. I will stop you, Jamie. I will kill you’ Wolverine tells him. ‘I’m just a kid!’ Jamie replies. ‘You’re not’ Wolverine tells him. But Jamie defiantly replies that he is just a kid and is not who Wolverine says he is.
Logan tells Jamie to pull himself together. ‘I know it’s hard. Yo have you mind so - split - you want to believe this is real, but it’s not’. ‘It is real!’ Jamie snaps back. Logan tells him to concentrate, to stop himself. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can’t do this!’ Jamie replies. ‘Try’ Wolverine urges him once more. ‘I can’t’ Jamie exclaims again. ‘You have to. You just - you have to’ Wolverine declares.
At the Academy of Tomorrow, Cyclops urges Iceman to keep fighting, not to ever stop, but as he is surrounded by more Madrox dupes, Iceman replies that he is trying. ‘But they just keep on coming. They keep on - coming?’ he exclaims, wide-eyed, as the Madrox dupes suddenly vanish.
In the Morlock Tunnels, Jean smiles and exclaims ‘He did it! Wolverine did it. He stopped Madrox!’ as the dupes there vanish also. Storm smiles, while the Morlocks rejoice.
In the Savage Land, Wolverine leaves Jamie’s room in the illusion house, and Ka-Zar and Shanna frown as he walks towards them. ‘What’d you do to Madrox?’ Ka-Zar asks. ‘The same thing I’m gonna do to Magneto!’ Wolverine snarls….
