Atlanta, inside the apartment of David “Hijack” Bond, who is currently being interrogated by SHIELD's Maria Hill, who demands to know where Cyclops is. 'I. Don't. Know' David tells her. 'Where is Scott Summers?' Hill asks again, and David replies that he still doesn't know. She asks again, and this time David yells his response at her. Maria announces that she doesn't believe David. 'Clearly' David mutters, to which Maria declares 'One way or another Scott Summers is going to reveal -', when one of her SHIELD officers interrupts, announcing that they have found him. 'Scott Summers and his X-Men are in Chicago' the officer reports, adding that they have positive satellite command ID, and that there was another Sentinel strike on them, as well. 'Right now?' Maria asks. 'Yes, Ma'am' the officer replies, informing her that agents are headed to the scene, as are local law enforcement. 'Another Sentinel attack' Maria remarks, before asking David if Summers knows where the Sentinels are coming from. 'He thinks they're yours' David tells her. 'They're not' Maria replies, before David asks if he can call his lawyer now. Maria pauses to think, then tells her agents to move out. They all leave, and David drops down onto a seat, relieved.
SHIELD Helicarrier, the floating world headquarters of the UN peacekeeping task force, 1000 feet over Akron, Ohio: Maria Hill storms into a control room, 'Any visual on Scott Summers?' she demands to know. 'No, Ma'am' someone replies. 'Not the answer I was looking for' Maria mutters. Several agents follow Maria while others busy themselves at their station, and one officer tells Maria that, as she knows, Summers' team has Illyana Rasputin who has uncharted teleportation powers, plus the rather powerful psychic Hive Mind in the form of the Stepford Sisters. 'It's hard for us to keep up with their whereabouts -' the officer begins, to which Maria declares that she is hearing a lot of excuses, but no intel that she can use. 'I don't care about who has what powers! I care about us being smarter than him. And to be smarter than him we have to think ten steps ahead of him!' Maria snaps.
'How is that working out for you?' a voice asks, and Maria turns, to see Scott “Cyclops” Summers stand in the control room, all of her agents phased out, only she and Scott seem to be “present”. 'Being ten steps ahead of me' Cyclops remarks. Maria announces that Summers is under arrest. 'Sure I am' Scott replies, before remarking that his people were attacked by mutant hunting Sentinels again – mutant hunting technology that SHIELD bought and paid for.
'SHIELD had nothing to do with it' Maira replies sternly. 'Let's say that's true (which it isn't), then the fact that you are allowing these attacks on me and my people on your watch is just as much of an affront to me as if you were pulling the trigger yourself' Cyclops declares. Maria reminds him that he has psychics on his team, and offers for them to delve into her mind and see for themselves. 'You got it' a telepathic voice calls out, and the Stepford Cuckoos – Celeste, Mindee and Phoebe appear. Celeste remarks that Maria is a highly decorated SHIELD agent, and Mindee points out that Maria knows how to put up psychic defenses against unwarranted attacks. 'That might cause us some problems trying to dig into her – nope, we're in' Phoebe reports. Maria rubs her head, as Celeste reports that Maria is telling the truth when she says she doesn't know where the Sentinels are coming from. 'But she agrees with you that they might be connected to SHIELD' Mindee remarks, while Phoebe adds that it might be some hidden part of SHIELD that is so hidden that it is even hidden from her. Celeste tells Cyclops that Maria is worried that even if she finds out who is behind these attacks, she won't have the power to do anything about it. 'She thinks somebody is trying to goad the mutants into a war against the world governments by attacking us at every turn' Mindee announces, while Phoebe reveals that Maria Hill is also very attracted to Cyclops.
Scott smiles and asks if Hill knows anything about the Sentinels that they don't. 'No. And it scares her to death' Celeste replies, while Mindee reports that Maria hasn't dated anyone in a very long time, and Phoebe adds that Maria wonders why, of all the people in the world, she finds herself attracted to someone she morally despises. 'She wonders if that's actually why she also -' Celeste starts to say, before Maria declares 'All right, that's enough!' Cyclops reminds Maria that he has been involved with psychics for a very long time. 'Yeah? No kidding' Maria replies, to which Cyclops tells her that he knows the story that the girls just pulled out of Maria's head could have been implanted there specifically for them and him, to distract him. Cyclops tells Maria that until such time as she can prove to him that she is not even partially to blame for all of this madness against his people, to consider them at war. 'You're trespassing on my ship' Maria replies. 'No. I'm not' Cyclops tells her, as he and the Cuckoos vanish.
Maria looks around the room, and announces that she has been compromised. 'Ma'am?' one of her officers asks her. Maria reports that she was just psychically assaulted, and orders her team to go to code red, as they are under attack. She rubs her head, 'I said go to code red. We're under -' she begins, when she suddenly realizes that all of her team have fallen to the floor. Maria looks around, and sees Cyclops standing behind her in the shadows. 'Your move, Ms Hill' Cyclops utters.
Madripoor, where Victor “Sabretooth” Creed and Raven “Mystique” Darkholme leave a building on a dimly lit street, observed by a rather large man, who goes into the building after watching them leave in a car. He breaks his way through the door and lumbers into a room, where he finds Alison Blaire a.k.a. Dazzler tied to a bed, hooked up to an IV, her eyes covered over. 'Frederick, what are you doing?' a voice calls out. Fred Dukes a.k.a. The Blob turns and sees Mystique and Sabretooth behind him. 'Looking for a snack?' Sabretooth asks. 'Did you not think we'd notice the broken lock?' Mystique asks. 'Or that I could smell you a block away even if I didn't have any mutant senses?' Sabretooth remarks. The Blob removes his sun glasses and announces that he just needed more, as he feels it slipping away again. 'I need more' he declares, his eyes bloodshot. Mystique reminds the Blob that if he needs more MGH then he was to come to her. 'You gonna kill me now?' Blob asks. Mystique holds up a bag and tells the Blob that all he had to do was ask, for they are a team, a family, and she wants him to be as powerful as he can be.
Mystique holds up a syringe and remarks that God created him as the Blob, so he deserves his power and it is not his fault that the crazy world took those powers away from him. 'But you need to trust me' Mystique adds. 'I – I do' the Blob replies, reaching out for the syringe. 'This is not trust, Frederick' Mystique points out. The Blob remarks that he just didn't know where Mystique was getting it from. 'I didn't know if -' the Blob begins, to which Mystique tells him that he does now, and asks if it really matters. 'Dazzler betrayed our people. Instead of letting Victor here gut her for her sins... she's supplying us with everything we need to make this island a true mutant utopia. And to keep you the way you have been and should be accustomed to being' Mystique declares. The Blob tells Mystique that he is sorry, annd Mystique hands him the syringe. The Blob turns from Mystique as he begins to inject himself, and Mystique explains that she wasn't keeping this from him – she was protecting him, as these are tough choices that not everyone would agree with. 'And we live in a world of psychic pests. What you don't know can't hurt you' Mystique remarks. 'Thank you' the Blob replies as he continues to inject himself.
Mystique looks at her cellphone and informs Creed that she has to go back to the States, to which Creed asks her how long she is going to keep up this charade. 'Until Scott Summers is a party joke and SHIELD is sold for parts. So I'm thinking until next Friday' Mystique replies. 'Fair 'nuff' Creed tells her, to which the Blob asks if he can come with them. Raven tells him that he can't, and instructs him to buy her a new lock and think about what they talked about here. 'I'm on it. I'll keep the disco bitch safe' the Blob declares. 'I know you will' Mystique replies as she takes her bag and leaves the room with Sabretooth.
And shortly: 'Special agent Dazzler on the bridge!' Mystique exclaims in disguise, as she approaches Maria on SHIELD's bridge. 'Where have you been?!' Maria demands. 'Madripoor' Dazzler reports, to which Maria tells her that she needs her here. 'I'm here. What happened?' Dazzler asks. 'Scott Summers happened' Maria reports. She leans into the fake Dazzler and reminds her that she is Special Mutant Liaison, and is supposed to keep things like this from happening. 'You're supposed to warn me or at least find Scott Summers and shut him down' Maria points out. Dazzler reports that she doesn't know where Scott Summers is, to which Maria tells her that he certainly isn't in Madripoor. 'But Magneto was' Dazzler tells her. 'Magneto' Maria remarks. 'Multiple sightings. I have it from the best source' Dazzler claims. Maria instructs her to follow that trail. 'I was. You called me back here. Ma'am' Dazzler points out. Maria announces that they need a psychic – a powerful one. 'I'll see what I can do' Dazzler replies.
Maria is unaware that her discussion with “Dazzler” is being projected into a laboratory where someone in a space-suit like armor is busy tinkering with Sentinels, as Maria announces that her gut is screaming at her that Magneto is behind these Sentinel attacks that have Summers rightly in a tizzy. 'I think he's crazy and always has been' Maria declares, adding that you can't be hoarding an army of giant robot Sentinels in secret forever, as the mysterious foe continues about their work.
Atlanta: David Bond sits wide-eyed on the chair still, before getting up, grabbing his uniform and storming out the door, while an old woman walking her dog nearby touches a communication device and reports that he is on the move. 'Helicarrier, do you read? I repeat, David Bond a.k.a. Hijack is on the move'.
The secret location of the New Charles Xavier School, where Cyclops, Emma Frost and Illyana “Magik” Rasputin stand with their students – the Cuckoos, Benjamin Deeds, Eva Bell a.k.a. Tempus, Fabio Medina a.k.a. Goldballs and Christopher Muse a.k.a. Triage – and Cyclops announces that they learned something important today, that their enemy understands Cerebro mutant tracking technology, that they used it to lure them out. Some of the students look up at the map projected by Cerebro overhead, and Cyclops explains that is how the attacks are always so close to them discovering a new mutant or making a public appearance. He adds that he thought it might be a psychic attack, but no, they are tracking through this. 'I think you're right' Emma agrees. 'Can I get that in writing, Ms Frost? It's the first time you've said it in years' Cyclops smiles. Emma tells him that he has ruined the moment again, and asks if he would like that in writing.
Triage asks who knows how this Cerebro thing works. 'Magneto' Emma points out. 'Charles Xavier' Magik adds. Emma explains that they invented it. Magik suggests that Tony Stark might know, and Emma adds that Reed Richards might, too. 'Hank McCoy' they both say in unison. Emma suggests that perhaps they should have a word with the good doctor, to which Cyclops remarks that he was going to say Hank would never do such a thing. 'Except for that he hates you now and everything you stand for' Emma reminds him. 'Enough to send the original X-Men to the present specifically to torture me' Scott adds.
'Wait, the young one or the blue furry one?' Goldballs enquires. 'Blue furry. The young one hasn't learned to hate me yet' Cyclops replies. 'But to attack us? To try and kill us?' Celeste asks. 'Those were more than attacks' Cyclops responds. 'They were fact-findings' Magik remarks. 'Exactly' Cyclops agrees. Benjamin tells the others that they felt like attacks to him, 'Yeah, I know we haven't been doing this as long as some of you, but that felt totally attacky' Goldballs adds. Phoebe tells them that Mr Summers' opinion here is that every time they are attacked, they discover more about their new mutant powers. 'They attack us with what they have learned about us so far... each attack harder, more personal' Mindee adds. Goldballs asks what that has to do with SHIELD. 'Magik, if you would' Cyclops calls out. 'Maybe we should turn off Cerebro. Maybe it will lead whoever this is to us' Tempus suggests. Cyclops agrees and reports that he and Magik will be back. He warns the others to be ready for anything. 'Where are you going?' Tempus asks. 'To have a talk with my old blue furry buddy' Cyclops replies. 'I'd like to come as – well. And he's gone'. Emma mutters as Magik teleports Cyclops and herself out of the room. Celeste reaches out for the small floating orb that is Cerebro, and turns it off. The students look around, 'Cut off from our people, our leader has left us... that doesn't feel too symbolic' Triage remarks. Emma tells the students that so they all understand, Cyclops called for a revolution – but this is now war, so they need to be ready for anything, at any time.
The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning: 'Should we knock?' Magik asks as they approach the main entrance. 'He knows we're here' Cyclops tells her. 'It isn't him who did this to us' Magik replies. 'You hope it isn't him' Cyclops tells her. Magik confirms that she does, and Cyclops admits the same. In his lab, Henry McCoy a.k.a. The Beast looks up from what he is working on and sees a monitor which shows Cyclops and Magik at the front door.
Ororo “Storm” Munroe drops down in front of Cyclops and Magik and asks them to go away. 'Let us teach our students in peace' she requests. Cyclops informs Storm that he is here to talk to Henry, to which Storm reminds him that he already has a Henry and suggests he go and talk to his. Cyclops ignores that comment and tells Ororo that it is good to see her, and adds that he really does miss her. 'What did Hank do?' Storm asks, ignoring Cyclops's comments. 'You mean what did Hank do now' Cyclops replies, to which Magik asks Storm if she saw what happened to them in Chicago. 'Only the news report' the Beast announces as he, Bobby “Iceman” Drake and Rachel Grey arrive on scene. 'Hey, it's a reunion. Well, it was good seeing you all. Bye' Bobby declares, before Cyclops asks the Beast if he can see his lab. 'Can I see what you're working on?' Cyclops enquires.
'Excuse me?' the Beast replies. 'How are you feeling?' Cyclops enquires. The Beast replies that he is feeling fine. 'Because you were dying. But now you're fine' Cyclops remarks. 'And Charles Xavier was alive once. Things change' the Beast snaps back. 'What is this?' Storm asks. Cyclops announces that they have been under attack, and the attacker is using Cerebro to do it. Cyclops points out that only a few people on the planet know it exists, let alone how to work it.
'How dare you?' the Beast asks. 'I know you'll never forgive me for the death of Xavier, but my students are just as important as yours are' Scott tells Hank. 'How dare you?' Hank says again. 'They are our future. They will succeed where you and I have failed' Cyclops remarks, asking Hank to let Ororo into his lab to open is files and prove his innocence. 'I'll glady apologize' Scott assures him. 'But I know you, Henry, and I know -' Scott begins, before clutching his head, as optic energy starts to flare. '- something is -' Rachel begins, before Cyclops fires a powerful optic blast, knocking the X-Men backwards.
On the SHIELD Helicarrier, and officer informs Commander Hill that they have found Scott Summers on satellite. 'All stations! Full battle alert!' Maria orders, announcing that she wants Scott Summers under arrest and in prison tonight!
