Wolverine is sitting in a bar, halfway through his fourth bottle of whiskey. He is interrupted by the bar’s owner, who has realized that Logan is a mutant. He has seen regular guys twice Logan’s size die from drinking that much alcohol. He warns that they don’t serve Logan’s kind in there, to which Logan jokingly asks if he’s got a problem with Canadians. Not amused, the guy points his rifle towards Logan’s head, stating that he saw the Sentinels on the news, working on mutants. But he won’t give them the chance to come after Logan. Seeminly unworried about the firearm pointed at him, Logan smiles to himself, repeating “Mutie scum?”
Suddenly, the guy fires his rifle at Logan, who not only survives the blast, but is not even knocked off his barstool. With tips of adamantium revealing itself on the side of his shredded face, Logan remarks that he’s sure that this isn’t what they were all expecting – is it? Logan snikts out his claws thinking it’s time for some “self-defense.” However, before he deliver on his threat, Logan is interrupted by Storm and Bishop, who enter the bar.
Dressed in civilian clothes, Storm suggests Logan just drops it. Still holding the man by the cuff of his shirt, Logan asks Storm why they are here, to which Storm explains that they are putting the team back together… well, some of them, at least. They want Logan back on the X-Men. However, she warns him that, if a drop of blood falls on the floor, the offer is off the table. Logan thinks about it, eying the frightened man. Finally, he slices off the fingers of one of the shooter’s hands, blood spraying from the wounds. Placing his hat back on his head, Logan agrees to rejoin the team, if only because he has nothing better to do and it will keep him honest. Still in shock, Storm remarks that she hears someone calling an ambulance and thinks it’s best for them to leave now. Heading for the door, Logan replies that, lucky for him all the blood landed on the bar.
The Bronx…
A man with long grey hair stands in an abandoned building, where he is giving a speech to many gathered mutants. He is proud to present the Mutant Liberation Front their newest member, a proud warrior who will join their fight for equality. Just a short week ago, this woman was still an example of what humanity sees in mutants. She was an attraction to see and ridicule and judge because of her wolf-like appearance. He hates the fact that the humans shun their powers, which he believes make the mutants even greater than humans. He doesn’t want to see mutants as inferiors any more!
The entire crowd cheers for the man by name. Stryfe! Stryfe! Stryfe! However, Stryfe quiets them, replying that this isn’t about him. This is about them, and what they are all willing to do to help their cause. Stryfe declares that they are at war, which was instigated by the killing of Charles Xavier, whom he calls a champion of mutant rights. He believes the humans took one of their own, and brought this on themselves. He wants to take it to the streets to show that mutants will not accept this. They won’t remain silent any longer. No longer will they be oppressed, exploited and executed!
Suddenly, without warning, the roof of the building is torn open by… Sentinels?! The Sentinels open fire on the frightened mutants, who try to escape with their lives. Stryfe instead shouts that they need to fight instead… they have to fight for their future! While the battle rages, Stryfe remains on his stage and asks a small boy with a white face and blond hair called Zero to teleport him out of here, and Zero obeys.
Xavier’s…
Psylocke reveals that she and Syndicate have been working undercover for Xavier for quite some time now. After her consciousness was transferred to her current body, the Professor felt guilty because his son was responsible for it. She could no longer work for STRIKE because she’s officially a minor. Her father tried to pull some strings but that didn’t work out. She was no longer of any use to STRIKE. She had been using her contacts there to look into the Muir Island situation with Mojo. She was about to crack that wide open until the X-Men made a mess of things. Since then, she has been focusing on the Fenris twins, looking for ways to expose their illegal dealings.
When Scott asks that she’s been doing all this for the Professor, Psylocke confirms, further explaining that Syndicate has been working against the Hellfire Club by securing Xavier’s control of their financial holdings. Once he was done with that, the Professor sent him to her, to help work against Fenris. Iceman thinks it’s cool that they are both something like shadow X-Men and thinks he wants to defect. Psylocke doesn’t think the offer would have been accepted, but adds that they’ve been shut down. Xavier said if he lost contact with them for more than two weeks to come to the school. She suspected Xavier might have faked his death, to take a more active role in their operations, so she waited until enough time had passed before they came over. She asks if Xavier is really dead, which Scott confirms.
Changing tact, Scott asks what it is Psylocke was directed to do there. Unsure herself, Psylocke supposes she was meant to join the X-Men. However, to this, Scott invites her to stay at the school if she has nowhere else to go, as they could sure use her help around here. But there is no more X-Men, because he disbanded them. Incredulous, Psylocke becomes furious pointing her finger to Scott, accusing him of giving up, just because the Professor died. How dare he?!
The heated exchange startles Syndicate, upon which the lights suddenly go out. Clutching a part of his chest which glows blue, he apologizes, explaining that his heart naturally sends out an EMP pulse with each beat. He’s been learning to control and suppress it with Xavier’s help – but he was startled.
Sydney, Australia…
At their headquarters near the docks, Bishop explains to his gathered team inside that they are there because Charles Xavier is dead. This is bound to affect the future he came from. Cable believed it would help their future, that Xavier was somehow the cause of everything they had lived through. Bishop disagreed, instead thinking that Xavier’s death could easily make things worse. But Cable succeeded and Xavier was killed. His death is already having its effects. Bishop has no memory of this current uprising of rogue Sentinels, and writes it off as a direct result of Xavier’s death.
Wolverine asks if they’re supposed to sit around until something isn’t how Bishop remembers it and then go out and stop things from happening. Is that even possible? Dazzler calls this stupid. Responding to Logan rather than Dazzler, Bishop corrects it won’t be in their power to affect most things, and he doesn’t trust his memory of this time period completely. But things like these Sentinels clearly need to be taken down regardless. His other goal is to teach everyone there to better use their powers, to bring them up to the next level. He knows Xavier did this during his time with them. He’ll be trying to fill Xavier’s role in history. That is why most of them were hand-picked. So nothing is really changed, he continues. They’re still X-Men, they are still sworn to protect those who fear and hate them while trying to set an example for mutantkind.
Dazzler doesn’t care, mocking she just needed a place to crash and was sick of being alone. Warren jokingly calls her to be so pleasant. Storm tells Bishop not to worry as they know why they’re signed on, and that Xavier’s dream didn’t die with him. They’ll make sure of it. As Storm walks away, Wolverine asks Bishop for a moment. He tells Bishop he can preach all he wants. He isn’t buying a bit of it, but he indicates that he’s just there because Storm is. If Bishop steps out of line, he’ll gut him where he stands. Bishop asks Logan if he gave Xavier the same threat, but he just replies he never had to do that with Chuck.
Later…
Bishop has taken Dazzler aside in the gym for a private conversation. When he thanks her for meeting him there, Dazzler warns Bishop not to get any idea, because she and Angel kind of got a thing going on. Bishop promises she doesn’t have to worry about anything; they’ll just be studying her powers a bit. After he asks her to use her powers, Dazzler fires a burst of pink light. When Bishop rhetorically asks Dazzler what she just did, she answers she just used her powers like he asked. Sensing another meaning, she thinks Bishop is going to scold her now, that this is some kind of head-game military bull. She won’t go for that and she’ll quit the team before that happens.
Bishop asks her to calm down and just answer him. When she says he doesn’t understand, Bishop explains it’s like this: she wasn’t born with the ability to make flashes of light. She was born with the ability to manipulate her surroundings in a way that she currently expresses by generating light. Emphasis on currently, Bishop adds. Dazzler asks what he’s talking about, to which Bishop replies that she isn’t waving her hand and using magic. He asks how someone goes from just generating light. She’s not hiding it up her sleeve, so how is it done? Dazzler doesn’t know… it just happens.
Bishop tells Dazzler to hold her arms out, and she does. Now, she has to think about what she would do, what she would feel if she were to use her powers right now. He’s sure she took at least one science class before she started spending all her time getting tattoos… so she knows her arm isn’t floating around in nothing. He explains her arms are surrounded by air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, bits of pollution… When they generate light from nothing, it’s not really nothing. He wants Dazzler to think about what her bursts of light are. She’s forcing air molecules to split, causing little explosions.
Dazzler fires a tiny explosion, which has red and blue colors. She kind of feels that when she’s doing it. Bishop wants her to think about why they should stay tiny. If she can cause air molecules to explode, can she do the same with other molecules? He’s certain that with a little practice and some help from him, Dazzler will be surprised at what she can do. When Dazzler asks what he’s trying to say, Bishop smiles that she’s much more capable of doing than simply dazzling people.
Sitting together on a balcony, Angel mentions to Wolverine that he’s happy she brought him in and doesn’t think it would be the X-Men if Logan wasn’t there. When Logan replies noncommittally, Warren then asks if he ever thanked Logan for all that fight training he gave him when he first joined up. It used to scare the hell out of him at the time, but it really helped. Changing the subject, Logan asks Warren what the deal with Pyro is, who is sweeping the floor below them. Warren mentions that Bishop brought him in, but noticed that Pyro pretty much keeps to himself and is kinda quiet.
As the two walk down to join Pyro, Storm meets up with Pyro and compliments him on doing a nice job. At this rate, she says, they’ll have the place livable in no time. Pyro says he’s just trying to do his part. Storm wants to know where all the extra chairs went, remembering there were a ton lying around. Pyro answers he put them all in the south corridor to get them out of the way and also saw some extra mattresses down there, too. This place has all kinds of stuff they can use. Storm feels lucky Bishop pulled this place out for them, and again thanks Pyro for all the help.
She leaves and bumps into Wolverine, who grabs her by the arms to prevent her from running into him. Logan asks if she needs any help with moving the furniture. She’s glad with the help and she and Logan walk away together. Logan mentions he heard something about new costumes. Storm figured it was time, and reminds Logan he knows how much she likes making that stuff. She’s sure he’ll like his costume because it’s pretty familiar. Storm notices the doubtful look on Logan’s face and smiles that he just has to give it a chance. She had the most fun with Dazzler’s costume, though, because she had to make something Alison would actually wear. But Ororo didn’t want the suit to be just a blank tank top and cargo pants, and thinks she pulled it off.
Bishop joins the two and informs Storm she needs her to come with him. There’s still someone left who he needs for this team. Ororo asks where they’ll go this time. “A very familiar mansion”, replies Bishop. Storm is a bit surprised, and a smiling Bishop confirms they’ll be going back to Xavier’s school to ask them a favor.
The Bronx, the old “Fabric Man” building…
As mutants outside try to enter the building without being spotted by humans, Stryfe continues his speech with dozens of mutants already gathered around him. He shares that it fills him with both immense joy and rage to see so many brothers and sisters. He finds it hard to believe that the Sentinels spotted them simply by their mutant energy signatures. He rather thinks they’ve got a traitor in their midst, and wants to take a moment to warn that person. He promises he shall be found and dealt with, and the punishment will be severe.
Stryfe noticed there are still members arriving, so he wants to reiterate that this will be the last general meeting for the time being. He wants them all to meet with local groups, but not to share information with any other cells. They’ll narrow the leak down to an individual cell and they’ll find them there. But despite all this, Stryfe says with a determined look in his eyes, tonight’s mission will proceed as planned.
Xavier’s…
Bishop and Jean walk through the halls of the school together. Bishop appreciates that Jean helped him with this. Jean admits that just because she isn’t out there with him and Storm gathering the troops doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to pitch in. She wants Bishop to consider this as a “thank you” for helping the team rescue her from Cable. It also gives her more practice with Cerebro. She has been trying it out here and there. She already discovered Cerebro is not an easy device to work with and, with Xavier gone, it’d be a shame for such a useful tool to go to waste. So, she doesn’t mind helping out at all, but just doesn’t want Scott to know.
On that moment, Scott walks out of the game room next to them, having just overheard Jean. Jean tells him to calm down, joking it was done for his benefit. She telepathically asks Scott to be nice but he replies out loud that he wants Jean to tell him about it. Jean smiles that Bishop is looking for a mutant for his team of X-Men and asked her to help with Cerebro. She asks if that’s okay, and if they’re still a school if she does that. They walk into the living room, where Rogue is talking to Storm. Bishop notices Psylocke sitting on the coach reading a book, and Bishop tells Jean not to bother, he just found his mutant.
Jean explains to Bishop that Psylocke arrived just last night and calls it luck. She also adds that, apparently, Psylcoke had been working for Xavier covertly. Bishop says he knows that, and approaches her. Psylocke asks Bishop if she knows him. He denies it but also says she will. A distrusting Psylocke calls Bishop “gramps” and hopes that he isn’t making a pass on her. This might not be her body, but even her mind is about sixty years too young for him, so she wants him to back off. Bishop laughs at that. He remarks how young and different Psylocke is, but is convinced it’s her. Pyslocke is creeped out by Bishop, and hears the TV mentioning mutants.
They all listen intently to what the news reporter has to say in a breaking story. CNN has been getting reports in now that City Hall is being attacked by a small army of mutants. They’ve got cameras en route to the scene, but have already discovered that this is about the murder of Xavier and escalated into violence. They’ve got reporter Bill Stewart arriving on the scene, and transfer to location. Standing outside the attack lines of the mutant killing Sentinels, Stewart calls it all a pandemonium. The Sentinels arrived just moments ago and are already killing numerous mutants. It’s an all-out war on the streets of New York City!
Moved to action, Bishop announces that they’ve got to do something. He’ll gather his people if they… Interrupting, Scott refuses. He explains that they don’t do this anymore. This place is a school now, and have more important things to focus on. Jean tries to change his mind but he refuses to listen to it. If they’re going to do this, they need to do this. He points out that what kind of example does it set if they protect mutants who are breaking the law. Jean telepathically asks Scott not to do this now.
Resolute, Bishop unknowingly interrupts, saying that people are dying. He knows that these mutants may be misguided, that they may be setting a bad example, but they don’t deserve to die. Jean, again telepathically, tells Scott that this isn’t right. Scott says out loud that Jean has to trust him on this. He’s certain they can do so much more good for mutantkind by showing them that they’re peaceful, law-abiding citizens. He switches over to telepathy, reminding Jean that Bishop’s got a whole team and that Storm’s with him. He wants them to handle it. “Whatever,” Jean says, distraught.
Bishop can’t waste any more time. He tells Storm they need to get the others and suit up. He opens a portal behind them to step through. Before he does so, Psylocke asks Bishop to wait. She explains she didn’t come here to sit around. If they’re going to fight this, she wants to fight with them. With an angry voice, she tells Scott that he didn’t disband the X-Men, but just turned his back on them. Before she can say more, Bishop pushes her through the portal.
Later, New York…
The entire suit-up team arrives in the city, ready to face the Sentinels. Bishop declares it’s time that the world meets the New X-Men!
Elsewhere…
Sitting in a high tower watching the horrors outside on television, Trask cries that this is too big. That this isn’t how things were supposed to happen! There’s too much attention and all over the news. It’s getting out of control. He doesn’t know what his partners are going to do now. Both the government and the X-Men are in on this now, and he says it’s all happening too fast. He fears they’ll be shut down, be found and tossed in jail. Two people behind Trask are drinking a glass of red wine and tell him calm down, and claim he’s got no reason to be so agitated.
Everything is going exactly as Fenris has planned…
