Deep within a mountain fortress in the Pacific North West, a boy’s childhood is being torn from him, his long life discarded with no regard for the innocence forsaken. Years of growth and discovery slip away in the space of hours. The infant Joachim Eduardo Vasquez becomes a boy, and the boy becomes not quite a man, but… a man-child.
And the one responsible for this transformation is the mutant only known as Vulcann, one of the secret guild of flesh shapers known as Bloodsmiths. Vulcann waited a long and patiently for a child such as this one, the proverbial diamond in the rough, which he can cut to a shine with unimagined intensity.
As Joachim gets out of his experimentation tube, he staggers. He feels disoriented by his newborn adult body, and confused by his newfound self-awareness. Joachim asks who he is. Vulcann tells Joachim his name and lies that he is his son, his creation. Vulcann explains to the boy that a great power lies within him, and Vulcann will help him learn to control that power. Joachim takes a look at his hand and notices it shining. He asks Vulcann who he is and Vulcann claims that he is Joachim’s lord and master. But he says that his word is absolute, as is his love for Joachim. Vulcann promises Joachim that, if he serves him right, a world will worship him at his feet.
Meanwhile, Halo City is in turmoil. An unnatural storm has arisen and over floats the entire city. There are lots of damages and the X-Men ride to the rescue. They rescue several people out of the water and try to figure out what place could be safe to bring those people to. One of the saved people’s daughter is still trapped somewhere in the water, but the X-Men can’t see her. Tim wants to go in, but Bloodhawk is faster and says that he will find the girl, with the help of his hunter’s eye.
After a short while, Bloodhawk returns, with the girl! The girl and her mother happily reunite, but Bloodhawk fears that the storm might be an omen of worse things to come.
Later, in the Tower Conference Room, the X-Men all gather around the holo-image of Book, who has gathered some information about the storm. Book informs his friends that this storm is not confined to the Pacific alone. He says that weather patterns across the globe are equally aberrant and show no sign of abating. Further, Book adds, Alchemax geotechs confirm that the polar ice caps are melting in an alarming rate. Tim wants to know who is behind the storms, because he knows that storms aren’t supposed to happen overnight.
Book explains that these global upheavals seem to be the result of a moon-sized satellite, which entered Earth’s solar system a month ago. And the satellite appears to be headed for orbit around the Earth.
La Lunática compares these events to a second moon. Tim wants to know what the satellite is and why it’s there. Book explains that its composition and purpose are unknown at the present moment. But he has discovered an energy field, which prevents astronomers from viewing its surface. Book suspects that the satellite is a space vessel. Bloodhawk rather suspected that the storms were a natural response to centuries of ecological abuse.
Sham doesn’t care about the cause, all she knows that they are in trouble. She knew that X-Nation wasn’t going to last. Tim asks his teammates not to worry and handle one problem at the time. He wants to know how much higher the sea level can rise. Book says that seeing at how the ice caps are melting, it would most likely rise to at least a kilometer. He knows that, by the time this year ends, approximately two-thirds of the existing continental land mass will be submerged. The only thing left to do is head for higher ground, or learn how to breathe underwater.
Krystalin says that the city council has decided to evacuate the city before it gets worse. She believes that the X-Men should try to keep the people calm. Tim agrees, and wishes that Meanstreak were there to help out. Krystalin too, and is worried about her friend. She says that Meanstreak’s comlink went off three days ago, and nobody has seen him in the entire city. It’s like he vanished off the face of the Earth.
Meanwhile on an unknown location, three Zoomers, who actually prefer to be called Wild Children, as they are called in their language, find Meanstreak’s body. He has fallen off a huge cliff, and lies on the ground unconscious. The Zoomers are surprised...
Elsewhere, Xi’an and Victor Ten Eagles come the bombed-out remains of the Unicelo building, where they fought the Foolkiller. Xi’an finds the Foolkiller’s skull: he is dead. Xi’an pities him, wishing that the Foolkiller had accepted his offer on redemption. Xi’an gets word about the situation in Halo City and leaves his former teammates of the Lawless and wants to go check on the Sisters.
At the same time at the Tower, Rosa cries about the loss of her child. Metalhead tries to comfort her and promises to get the boy back, but Rosa is angry at Eddie for bringing her, believing that this wouldn’t have happened if they had stayed with the Freakshow. Eddie calms Rosa down and puts his arms around her. Rosa apologizes and just wants her baby back.
Suddenly a bright light shows up outside, and enters the room! Vulcann proudly enters, and introduces himself and Joachim! Joachim, wearing a costume and looking rather serious, says hi to his mother. Rosa doesn’t believe that the creature she sees before her is Joachim. Vulcann tells Rosa to look into the boy’s eyes, and Rosa recognizes her child.
Eddie angrily wants to attack Vulcann, but Joachim protects his master with his life and attacks Eddie with pure light, pushing him out of the building and making him fall onto the ground violently. Rosa can’t believe what Vulcann did to Joachim. Vulcann explains the purpose of Joachim’s transformation. Vulcann knows that Joachim will be the one who is going to lead the next generation of mutants. Vulcann says that, to succeed in that, Joachim needs the proper training only he can provide. Vulcann offers Rosa to come with them, so that she can be at her son’s side.
Meanwhile, Xi’an has returned to the nursing room, where he finds the bodies of all the Sisters of the Howling Commandments. Xi’an knows that he Sister’s don’t believe in vengeance, but he swears to avenge their deaths.
Shakti shows up, carrying a badly injured Nostromo over her shoulders. She informs Xi’an that they wanted Sister Willow, and so they killed them all. Xi’an asks Shakti what happened to the others of X-Nation. Shakti didn’t felt them anymore after Exodus attacked them, and believes that they are all dead.
Nostromo freaks out and wants to avenge his friends. Xi’an holds the boy, who suddenly goes catatonic. Xi’an asks Shakti if Nostromo has done that before. Shakti knows that Nostromo has never truly been stable. She fears that the loss of his friend Clarion might be too much for Nostromo to handle.
Suddenly, some sort of circuitry etches itself across Nostromo’s cheek. Shakti doesn’t know why that happens, because normally Nostromo’s injuries have caused his body to repair itself with techno-organic tissue. Shakti tries to call out to the boy. Nostromo hears her, but says in a weird computer-like voice that he recognizes her and awaits further reunification.
Tim and Luna have made it to Halo City’s harbor. They check on any survivors and the damages. Quiver meets up with Sham, using his powers to get through a rushing crowd. Sham is going to make sure that she and her friend are going to be safe. Xi’an, Shakti and Nostromo are trying to get out of the nursery room. Nostromo is back to normal and doesn’t remember anything about his brief computer-like state.
Shakti and Xi’an try to figure out what it meant, but then a holding barrier breaks down and falls right onto them! Eddie wakes up after his hard fall and calls out to Rosa, but she isn’t anywhere to be found. The councilmen evacuate X-Nation’s residents by putting them on the many boats the city has.
Victor tries to cheer Krystalin up, who feels down for seeing what she saw as her home going to waste. Meanwhile, Vulcann lets Joachim attack Tim and Luna and defeats Luna, but kills Tim. Vulcann is pleased, and knows that everyone with the common sense will join them. The rest, he will just let perish away…
