Canada, along a snowy hillside, a green-cloaked figure makes their way through the wilderness. This yet-to-be-revealed stranger stops suddenly and sniffs the air. A short man and three monster-like creatures come out of hiding. They surround the stranger whom they figure to be a foreigner. They warn the cloaked figure that there are no Mounties left to protect the innocents anymore.
The stranger does not reply. The olive-skinned vagabond snatches the stranger’s satchel and heads to a rock outcrop to check the contents. The short one and the green guy with the heavy weaponry he’s perched on want to know why the cloaked-one doesn’t respond. The stranger answers them this time. The stranger warns them to leave if they don’t want to get hurt. Glarg, a three-headed behemoth, snatches the stranger up in his hand and shoves the stranger down one of his throats.
Shorty wants to know how the stranger tastes. Glarg tells him “like chicken” and starts laughing. They begin to walk away satisfied with the day’s loot when Glarg arches back in pain. His throat tears open and out pops the stranger, claws unleashed. Glarg falls over and crushes his olive-skinned partner. Shorty gets angry and yells out. The green guy with heavy weaponry lets loose with all that he has. The stranger dodges the gunfire, slices off the green guy’s firing arm and then proceeds to do the same with his head. The stranger then sets sights on the leader. Shorty sees his impending doom and cries out. His cry is cut short, literally, as his own head goes flying off his shoulders. The stranger reclaims the satchel and continues the mission.
Washington, D.C., the new White House, where President Robert Kelly is holding a press conference. He wants the American public to begin trusting mutants. He tells the press that without the help of mutants the U.S. would not have been built back up so quickly. He goes on to cite examples of how mutants have been helping rebuild. He asks for questions and hands immediately fly up. His first question comes from Trish Tilby.
Trish wants to know how President Kelly responds to the accusations that he’s under mutant mind control. He tells her those rumors are hogwash. They have shields setup all over the White House to prevent any mental attacks. His next question comes from a Mr. Vargas. He wants to know what the President thinks of the idea that the American people want their country rebuilt solely by themselves without mutant involvement. President Kelly tells Vargas that these mutants are Americans. He reminds the reporters that if it wasn’t for mutant involvement none of them would be free today. It was these mutants who stopped Apocalypse.
Another reporter by the name of Martin points out that it was mutants in the first place who took over, slaughtered and locked everyone up. It was mutants that were responsible for the rise of Apocalypse. He wants to know what has become of these “evil” mutants. President Kelly begins to respond, but Magneto coming from the shadows behind cuts him off.
Magneto explains that he is in charge of finding and punishing any mutant that corroborated with Apocalypse. He knows who’s responsible because he was there. He tells them that he is the Acting Director of Mutant Affairs. He wants to unveil his plan in capturing these traitorous mutants to everyone. Questions and doubts rise from the crowd. Magneto assures them that this time it’s different.
This time it will be mutants hunting mutants. He points to the screen behind him and presents his X-Men, via live video-feed.
Magneto comms Storm and asks if she can hear him. She acknowledges and tells him that they’re positioned outside the Massachusetts Academy, ready for Operation First Strike. It’s an organized raid to capture the Hellions. The X-Men banter a bit for the cameras, then Magneto gives them the go ahead.
Inside the Academy, the Hellions are watching Scooby Doo. Their reception goes screwy and then comes back with a live feed. They see the Blackbird hovering above their building. Roulette goes for the window to look outside. She wonders out loud if it’s the X-Men. Nightcrawler busts through said window and yells out, “Heeeeere’s Johnny!” She screams and instantly Nightcrawler and Gambit are teleported in and kickin’ butt.
Storm drops a lightning bolt that skewers their big guy Nightcrawler kicks the guy with goggles right in the face, breaking them. Roulette throws some of her probability discs at Gambit, but he’s quicker with his cards and they take her and the remote-control carrying Hellion out. Big guy is back up, along with goggle guy. The big guy is mad at Gambit and grabs him. Sunfire steps in quickly and blasts big guy and goggle guy through the wall. On the other side of the room, Tarot grabs her Death card and prepares to throw it. Nightcrawler skewers it to the wall with his sword. She gives up. Only one Hellion remains.
Catseye makes a break for it, but runs into Wolfsbane. They both claw up and go at it. Wolfsbane sends Catseye flying back and when she lands she goes unconscious. Storm reports back to Magneto that the Hellions have been neutralized and to send in the extraction team.
Applause erupts from the field of reporters. There’s only one dissident in the pack. Trish Tilby tells Magneto that she’s impressed, but the Hellions were just a bunch of kids. She wants to know how he plans on taking down the upper-level mutants. Magneto tells her he can’t go into specifics, but his “foolproof way” is “the best there is at what it does”.
Back in the Canadian wilderness, the stranger is kneeling behind some cover in front of a house that’s built into a tree. The stranger sniffs the air. A voice beckons from within the house for the stranger to come inside. The stranger does so and inside meets Weapon X. Logan says to the stranger, “Yer a long way from home, ain’cha, Dorothy?”
Washington D.C., the Xavier Institute, Magneto arrives and is greeted by his son, Charles and wife, Rogue. Charles tells his father that he was excited to see him and the rest of the X-Men on TV earlier. He asks his dad why he didn’t fight. Rogue answers for him, saying he’s getting too old for battles. Magneto chidingly tells Rogue he’s never heard her complain about him keeping up and she tells him she hopes she never will. They kiss. Magneto asks how the others are doing. Rogue tells him they’re all about to eat dinner and invites him to come along.
Magneto walks in to the dining room and congratulates everyone on the success of the day’s mission. He says only through their successes will they gain the people’s trust back. The Silver Samurai makes a sarcastic remark, which is not lost on Magneto. Magneto assures the Samurai that the mutants they captured today were “evil”. The Samurai wants to know how he can discern between good and bad mutants. He points out to Magneto that he has accepted some of Sinister’s experiments like Xorn, Beak and Wolfsbane. He wants to know how he can pick and choose who to accept and who to send to jail. He questions his right to judge those who did what they could to survive under Apocalypse’s rule.
Storm is upset at the Samurai and interrupts their conversation. Magneto assures her that it’s all right. He tells Samurai they will continue their conversation another time, as it’s upsetting people. He turns and addresses everyone in the room. Under the Bishop Treaty, he explains, all mutants will be given a fair trial. Wolfsbane asks him about Sinister. She worries that he’s still out there conducting experiments. Magneto tells her not to worry and that Sinister’s capture is already in the works. Sunfire asks how well the plan is going at this point. Magneto assures him that progress is being made as they speak.
Weapon X’s home, the stranger tells Logan that Magneto cut the orders for this visit. Logan says it’s a wasted trip. The stranger tells him that Magneto needs his help. Logan tells the stranger that Magneto had sent previous messengers and he told them all the same thing. His reasons for fighting died on the same day as Apocalypse. Logan shoves the stranger out the door. The stranger won’t leave without Logan, though. Logan smiles knowing it will have to be settled the old-fashioned way. Both mutants snikt their claws and strike. The stranger’s hood falls open and a young female is revealed. Looking Logan straight in the eyes the stranger says, “They told me you might react this way… dad.”
