The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, where Scott “Cyclops” Summers of the renegade X-Men team screams, 'Help me!' as his optic power blasts around himself and tears the ground apart. There is an explosion and he is knocked backwards. 'Scott?' Illyana “Magik” Rasputin calls out to her team leader. 'Not me!' Cyclops calls back as Magik goes over to him and tells him that they are leaving.
Ororo “Storm” Munroe, Headmistress of the Jean Grey School walks over to Cyclops and asks him how many sins must he answer for before this world is done with him. Magik tells Storm to stop it. 'Scott Summers is not in control of himself! You can see that!' she snaps. Storm just tells Illyana to get Cyclops out of here. Magik clutches her head and reports that she can't, as something is wrong. 'Hurry!' Storm orders, while Bobby “Iceman” Drake and Rachel Grey stand next to her. Rachel calls out to Magik, who suddenly switches to her demonic form, and snarls 'Get away!' at the other X-Men.
'Goddess!' Storm gasps as Magik raises her Soulsword, and a large apparition appears overhead. Calmly, Storm holds up her hand and creates a storm above, sending rain and lightning down over them. The lightning strikes Magik's Soulsword, knocking it from her hand, Magik collapses to the ground and the apparition vanishes.
'What was that?' Bobby asks, as several others gather around, including Quentin Quire, Glob Herman and Doop. Storm explains that poor Illyana is carrying the dark energies of Limbo inside her. 'She should do the polite thing and keep them inside her' Bobby replies, before asking what they will do with Scott and Magik. 'Call the cops?' Quentin suggests. 'Take them to the lab' Henry McCoy a.k.a. the Beast announces, adding that he will deal with them himself.
Suddenly, someone declares that it looks like it is finally time for Scott Summers to pay the piper. 'And if it calms everything down between the world governments and the mutants, it's probably more than worth it, yeah?' The X-Men look through the rain to where the new arrival is standing. 'We can handle this ourselves' the Beast frowns. 'The problem is, Doctor... it's really not your call'. Dazzler, Special Mutant Liaison for SHIELD stands in her white SHIELD costume, holding an umbrella over her, she declares that if SHIELD says they are taking Cyclops, then they are taking Cyclops. Dazzler reminds the X-Men that SHIELD made her Special Mutant Liaison to keep everything calm. 'I'm trying not to get all easy way / hard way on you... but that is kind of where we are'.
Meanwhile, in Madripoor, a mutant with ram-like horns on his head is thrown through a window, as Fred Dukes a.k.a. The Blob throws him down for another punch. 'Come on, then! Is that it then? No more jokes? No more smart mouths?' the Blob asks, angrily. He slams into the other mutant again, then grins and declares 'I'm the Blob, you jags! I was one of the original Brotherhood!' He rubs his head, disorientated, 'The original! And you will respect me -' he mutters, before looking around, then stumbling out of the bar that he has trashed with several other mutants lying motionless on the floor. He throws up down an alleyway, 'Oh no. No no no...' he mutters, vomit over his face. He starts dialling a number on his phone, 'Come on, come on, Mystique – answer! You promised me! You promised you'd take care of me!' he pleads. But when she doesn't answer, the Blob takes off down a street, unaware that he is being watched by a bald figure in a trenchcoat.
The Blob arrives at a building where he starts rummaging through a draw, finding scalpels, bandages and various medical supplies. 'Come on! Where do you keep it all?' the Blob exclaims. 'Please, please be here! Where do you -?' the Blob asks, while the real Dazzler a.k.a. Alison Blaire lies strapped to a bed in the room, her eyes taped up, various tubes sticking into her.
Suddenly, several scalpels are levitated and held towards the Blob's head. 'What has happened to you, Frederick?' a voice demands. The Blob turns to see the bald Magneto standing before him. 'What is this? What are you doing?' Magneto enquires. The Blob asks Magneto to let him go, to which Magneto asks him what is wrong with him. 'I was looking for -' the Blob stammers. 'For more Mutant Growth Hormone' Magneto remarks. 'Yes' the Blob admits. 'Shame on you' Magneto tells him. 'Please – please don't' the Blob pleads. Magneto forces the scalpels against the Blob's face 'You let her turn you into a junkie' Magneto points out. 'You don't know how this feels – you don't understand' the Blob replies. 'And who is this?' Magneto asks, motioning to the blonde woman tied to the bed.
The Blob replies that he didn't do it to her, that she betrayed them and had it coming. 'Betrayed us?' Magneto asks. 'She's working with SHIELD' the Blob reveals. Magneto looks closer at the woman and realizes that it is Dazzler. 'You animals!' Magneto exclaims, using his control over metal to push the scalpels a little further into the Blob. 'Please, I – I need help' the Blob pleads. Magneto frowns, and remembers an early time with the Blob, before releasing his control over the scalpels. He tells the Blob to go and get it and get away from him. 'Erik...' the Blob utters, before leaving the room.
Magneto stands over Dazzler, and then pulls the cable out of her arm. He takes the bandages off her eyes, 'Don't...' Dazzler utters as she starts to sit up in bed. 'Dazzler? Can you hear me?' Magneto asks. 'Magneto?' Dazzler replies, confused. Magneto assures Dazzler that he will help her pay them back for what they have done to her. 'How long – how long have I -' Dazzler asks, struggling to get out of the bed. Magneto tells her to slow down, before Dazzler asks him who did this to her.
Back at the Jean Grey School, “Dazzler” standing in the rain tells Henry that it is not his decision. 'It is a mutant problem and the mutants will take care of it' the Beast replies. 'Scott Summers is the world's problem... and SHIELD is the world peacekeeping task force. Respect our authority. Stand down' Commander Maria Hill calls out as she approaches the X-Men, flanked by dozens of SHIELD agents. The Beast tells Hill that, with all due respect, something is wrong with Cyclops and Magik, that something or someone has tampered with them. He assures her that he has equipment and wherewithal to figure out who and how in his lab. 'We have labs and scientists, too' Maria replies as the rain continues to beat down. 'Please. Something is wrong here. This is about mutations. This is what I do!' the Beast exclaims.
The phony Dazzler goes wide-eyed as Maria Hill gives the Beast an hour. 'Miss Hill, you made me Special Mutant Liaison. You really should let me handle this' she demands. Maria tells Dazzler that she is giving her people a chance. 'Isn't that what you would want?' she asks. 'Scott Summers needs to be locked away' Dazzler replies. 'Uh-huh. Doctor, you have one hour' Maria announces. Maria motions to the SHIELD Helicarrier overhead and tells the Beast that they are pointing at him. 'They always are' the Beast mutters as he collects Cyclops and Magik, while the phony Dazzler hangs away from the rest of the group.
Everyone is seemingly unaware that they are being monitored by a mysterious figure in a space suit, from an unknown location. The mysterious figure taps away at a console, and decides that they are probably being greedy, but that all the major players are in one place at one time. 'How can I pass it up?' they ask. 'We knew this day would come, Dr McCoy' the mysterious person adds, pressing another button on the console before them.
With that, the SHIELD Helicarrier starts to unleash fire at the Jean Grey School, tearing up the ground and sending people careening backwards in spectacular display. The Beast tells Storm to take the battle head-on and to keep the school intact and save the students, while he takes Scott and Illyana to his lab. 'We need you to fight!' Storm replies, but the Beast tells her that they need to figure out who is trying to destroy them, and he thinks the clues are inside Cyclops and Magik. Storm agrees, and as the Beast carries on towards his lab, Storm rides on one of Bobby's ice-sleds towards the battle. Maria Hill radios the Helicarrier and orders it to stand down, while inside, one of her officers informs her that the Helicarrier has been compromised. 'It is not us! I repeat! No one in the command center is in control of the Helicarrier! Weapons are online!' a female agent calls out. Storm responds by casting blasts of lightning at the Helicarrier.
Meanwhile, at the hidden New Charles Xavier School, Emma Frost stands outside, arms folded, on a platform, while the Stepford Cuckoos, Goldballs, Tempus, Benjamin Deeds and Triage gather behind her. 'Stop reading my mind, Celeste' Emma orders. Celeste informs Emma that they have been looking all over for her. 'Just ask me what I'm thinking' Emma replies. Celeste remarks that one hardly has to read Emma's mind to know that she is upset that Cyclops left without her and that she finds herself uncharacteristically worried for him. 'You're both worried for him and annoyed by him' Mindee points out, adding that Emma is frustrated by the contradicting emotions. 'Plus you can't turn on Cerebro to talk to him' Phoebe adds. Emma declares that something is wrong – she can feel it. Goldballs suggests that they could turn on Cerebro for just a second and see what they can find out, when suddenly, 'What is that?' Tempus asks as a strange object appears in the sky above them.
Back at the Jean Grey School, Iceman creates an ice-shield, blocking some students from danger, and ordering them to the emergency bunker. 'This is not a drill or a test! I mean everyone and I mean now!' he exclaims as Hellion, Surge, Anole and Broo are blocked from going any further. Rain pours into this part of the building, and Firestar appears in a robe. 'I take a shower and this is what happens!' she declares, to which Bobby tells his friend to get on up there and help Storm.
Outside, Maria Hill orders an immediate shutdown protocol. 'All hands abandon ship!' she exclaims, using her security clearance code. An officer up in the Helicarrier reports that the commands have been overridden, that the ship is not under their control. 'All hands abandon ship! No exceptions!' someone calls out.
'Control freak' the mysterious person in the space suit remarks to themselves as they continue to observe the chaos at the Jean Grey School.
'Hi, Quentin Quire. Why is this happening, Ms Cook?' Quire asks as he reaches up behind Maria and puts his hands to her head. 'Why is SHIELD here to kill us?' Quentin asks. As the rain continues to beat down, the phony Dazzler, still holding the umbrella overhead, skulks away. Above, Storm, Firestar and Kid Gladiator fly towards the Helicarrier, while in his lab, the Beast has Cyclops and Magik laid out on tables. 'Okay, Scott Summers... let's see if you have anything constructive to add for once in your – oh my stars and garters... I know who is behind this!' the Beast exclaims.
And elsewhere, the mysterious foe remarks 'Congratulations, Dr McCoy. You were always the smart one. But there's that one lesson you never learned. So now I'm going to teach it to you'.
