Dream:
Outside a farm in Kansas. Evan Sabahnur and his “Uncle Cluster” (aka Fantomex) are playing baseball. Ensabah Nur was the first mutant on Earth, Fantomex informs the boy. As such, he was selected by the Celestials to become Apocalypse, charged with ensuring the success of humanity‘s new mutations. Ensuring they would flourish and become the dominant species. But Apocalypse’s duty was held back by the X-Men.
He throws the ball. When the X-Man Wolverine learned of a reborn Apocalypse, he sent a team to kill him. Only the monster was still just a boy.
Did they kill him? Evan asks startled. Fantomex turns away without replying. Evan runs after him but stumbles over a stone and falls. Wordlessly, Fantomex walks into the farmhouse. Holding his aching head, Evan follows.
His mother tells him to wash that out. As he cleans away the dirt, Evan asks Fantomex why he never told him any of this before. Fantomex turns into the Shadow King and grins that “Uncle Cluster” was the one who shot Evan. Evan look into the mirror and sees Apocalypse looking back at him.
reality:
No! Evan screams and awakes to find Amahl Farouk sitting next to him. The boy asks where he is. Reality, the evil telepath replies. They are in the back of a spacious car driven by Daken. Riding shotgun is Sabretooth, who turns around and points out one can’t be sure with so many telepaths running around. Who are they? Evan asks. The people who will tell him the truth, Daken promises. Who are going to tell him exactly what his “friends” have done to him…
At the Jean Grey School, Kitty Pryde and Beast have no idea how to find their kidnapped student, Evan. And their headmaster Wolverine is MIA. Kitty fears with those villains working together as they’ve seen on Genosha that means the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants has reformed. They don’t know that, Hank muses. Sabretooth, the Blob… they don’t equal a new Brotherhood. Kitty’s gut says differently. Creed has learned the significance of Evan. Question is, what does he plan to do with him?
The Brotherhood’s headquarters:
Mystique and Omega Black are playing pool, the Blob is eating and the wall is adorned with Fantomex’s corpse. Mystique wonders whether they actually managed to kill Wolverine. The Skinless Man informs her that, according to his scans, there is no trace of him or his companions anywhere on Earth, so, yes, dead. AoA Blob points out that Nightcrawler could teleport them away but he was bleeding out, beaten. No way did he get them out in time.
The Skinless Man is excited at what Daken and Farouk are planning with the boy. Even if they fail, he is satisfied, having been given his judgment. He studies Fantomex’s body. Mystique agrees that revenge may be priceless stuff but, if this goes off, payback is just the beginning. If all goes well, they’ll have the power to do anything they want.
Elsewhere, Evan glares at Farouk but as the evil telepath points out that he is as powerful as Xavier, so if he doesn’t want Evan to access his eyeblasts, he won’t.
Cheesitums? Sabretooth offers. What are they going to do to him? Evan demands. He makes it sound so ominous, Daken scoffs. Calling them villains…
Evan doubts they kidnapped him to round up the group for their roadtrip. Would a villain share his cheesitums? Sabretooth mock-protests. Piercing one with a claw, Daken agrees that’s some altruistic business.
He tells Evan he isn’t saying they are heroes. What a weirdly egotistical thing to apply to oneself. And “villains?” What does that even mean? People use the term “villain” to describe anyone who opposes them. Everyone sees their enemy as the villain. Hero, villain, these are words stupid people use. Stupid people like Evan’s teacher and father figure, Wolverine. Stupid people like Daken’s dad, who also happens to be Wolverine. Get the resemblance?
They come to a stop at a gas station. Daken asks Evan what if Sabretooth were to murder everyone inside the gas station, unless Evan killed him first. Would he do it? He’d find another way, the boy claims. Sabretooth enters the station and Daken points out nothing short of killing him with his most powerful attack will stop him. The Shadow King is unlocking that potential in Evan now. There isn’t much time…
Evan runs after Creed. Evan blasts him and orders the people to run. Grinning, Creed reminds him he had to use his full power. He holds back, she pays. He impales a woman.
Evan wildly attacks him, his eyes aglow, but finds he can’t do it. Creed grabs him by the throat and promises the woman won’t be the last death. He’ll kill again. And since Evan hasn’t got the stones to stop him, whoever he kills is Evan’s fault.
Cheerfully, Daken adds this is what the roadtrip will mostly be – a whole lot of killing. He burns down the station. And the only way to stop them is to kill them first. Preemptive killing is a tough thing to get, he chats, even though they are murderers. But this concept is what both of Evan’s adoptive fathers do. Logan and Fantomex. Shadow King has been in Logan’s head. He knows all about it. It’s how they found Evan. Found out about the truth they won’t tell Evan, Daken says. His dads are Grade A hypocrites.
They aren’t his parents, Evan points out. Right. His parents. Daken grins evilly. Their next stop. Evan recognizes Tolmen’s field, near his home. He hits the Shadow King and jumps out of the driving truck. He runs into the cornfield and toward the farm house. He shouts they have to run away.
Inside, he finds his parents butchered by Daken and Sabretooth, who sneer he could have prevented this. Furiously, Evan fires his eyebeams the villains, then attacks with his fists.
A burned Daken slices his back, snarling Evan that is the chosen one. Show him something! Show him what makes him so special! He goads as he keeps attacking. That his father, who has never given Daken anything, has given him so much!
Evan glares, promising he will show him. He will show them power! He grows to giant size. Time to rabbit! Sabretooth orders. Evan grabs them and promises they will suffer. He will crush them.
However, he finds he hesitates. He lets them go, refusing to be like them. Daken commends his self-control, announcing he has some good news and some bad news. Good news is they didn’t really kill his parents. The bad news is they can never kill them ‘cause they never existed in the first place…
