Cerebro’s yearbook:
Cyclops: Semester Evaluation:
Scott Summers has exceeded projections in class work and performed successfully in the field.
Marvel Girl: Semester Evaluation:
Jean Grey has exceeded projections in class work and performed successfully in the field.
Beast: Semester Evaluation:
Henry McCoy has exceeded projections in class work and performed successfully in the field.
Angel: Semester Evaluation:
Warren Worthington has exceeded projections in class work and performed successfully in the field.
Iceman: Semester Evaluation:
Robert Drake has a perfect attendance rate.
Another morning at Xavier’s School. Cerebro wishes the students a good morning and notes that, once again, Warren is not in attendance. The fourth time in two weeks. Maybe he’s got a stomach thing, Bobby offers weakly. Unfortunately, it will have to share this information with Professor Xavier upon his return, Cerebro informs them. Perhaps they could persuade Warren to be more punctual.
Appears flyboy doesn’t think he has to fulfill academics when X isn’t around, Hank remarks after lessons. Scott refuses to get into this. That’s for Warren and the Professor to settle. If he doesn’t show up to a mission, though, then he’ll find Warren and zap him out of the sky.
Suddenly, Cerebro alerts them to an unidentified object rapidly approaching school grounds. Something crashes through the window at high speed. Scott orders everyone to suit up. They’re under attack! Angel, scout the-- grr, Scott groans when he recalls that Angel isn’t with them.
Marvel Girl points to a bluff where they see their attacker, Quicksilver. The next moment, he’s gone. Beast anticipates his route and Cyclops tries to head him off. Iceman ices up the ground of the route Pietro has to take and the speedster slips and falls into Beast’s waiting arms.
With his usual charm, Quicksilver insults him. When Cyclops asks why he attacked them, Pietro replies that he did not mean to create the shockwave. He was getting impatient in his search. It’s odd seeing him without his sister, Jean observes. Is that a joke? he scoffs. They know where she is, don’t they? Cycops immediately replies they haven’t seen her and offers help. How can they help, he scoffs. They can’t cover territory as quickly as he. Bobby replies that they shot him down, didn’t they?
Jean remarks that the Brotherhood of … Evil, Bobby stresses. …Mutants is finished, Jean continues The X-Men aren’t Pietro’s enemies. Can they agree to trust each other? Pietro agrees. Beast lets him go. A split-second later Quicksilver is gone.
The X-Men head back. Cyclops doesn’t quite buy into Pietro’s story. Quicksilver appears from behind and slaps him before disappearing again. Jerk! Scott complains.
Inside, Jean starts that the Brotherhood of Mutants… Evil Mutants, Bobby stresses. … Can’t be together anymore, can they? Cyclops reminds them that, according to the Maximoffs, they disbanded.
Iceman recalls how that big weirdo called the Stranger messed them up for good. He appeared to be extraterrestrial and took Magneto and the Toad to the stars with him. That got him some points, Scott adds, especially when he petrified Mastermind. Speaking of, how long is the Professor going to keep this Jason Wyngarde paperweight around, Jean asks, looking askew at the petrified villain.
They consider the Maximoffs having something to do with Warren’s disappearance. Angel could be kidnapped or mind-controlled. Who knows the extent of the powers the Scarlet Witch has.
Jean leads them to Cerebro, which worries Bobby. The classroom interfaces are online now, she calms him and addresses Cerebro. They need to do a mutant search for Warren. Cerebro apologizes, but students are not authorized to run mutant searches, unless Professor Xavier agrees. Jean protests that Warren may be in trouble and Beast quickly hacks into the system.
Jean asks again and Cerebro replies that Warren is fifty-seven miles east of here at these coordinates. Jean casts Hank a suspicious look. Does it register any other mutant near Warren? The Scarlet Witch, Cerebro replies. What do Cerebro’s logs show as the most recent mutant search it has run? Scarlet Witch, comes the reply again. The penny drops as Cyclops notes that Beast hacked into Cerebro awfully fast.
Hank stammers an obvious excuse while Jean huffs; imagine what it’s like to be her waiting for all of them to catch on. Okay, she addresses Hank, what were he and Warren up to in here? Will this help? Cerebro asks and shows them a recording of Hank finding the Scarlet Witch for Warren. He confesses that he promised not to say anything. Warren’s not in any danger. Not that kind of danger, anyway.
The last time they saw the twins, they were trying to turn over a new leaf. He noticed how she was looking at Warren and vice versa. A couple of weeks ago, Warren said he was curious to see how she was doing and Cerebro revealed she was still in the country. Then, he blasted out of the window. And he’s been blasting out every change he gets since, Jean states.
Bobby demands they better head out and look at this. Is there a reason he’s being such a pain? Scott asks. They’re both grown-ups. They can do what they want without them interfering. Besides that’s Qucksilver’s problem. Hmm, maybe they should get out there since Quicksilver is getting close to their trail. When he finds his sister with Warren, there’s bound to be trouble.
Elsewhere, Warren is flying around the Scarlet Witch, who’s clearly enjoying the trip. Isn’t she cold? he worries. It’s worth it, she replies. She’d trade all her hexes to be able to do this. This is date four, he reminds her. He thinks they can say their real names now. Warren, he introduces himself. Snuggling up to him, she tells him she is Wanda.
He lands where he left his car and suggests taking in a movie she hasn’t seen yet. That would be all of them, she points out. But she didn’t bring a change of clothes. They’ll draw attention. X-Men think of everything, he replies and gives her a coat from his trunk which he picked up along the way. As he binds his wings, he explains that coats come in very handy when you have plumage like this.
Wanda is shocked when she sees the price tag. This coat costs a thousand dollars! Why did he pay so much for this? Is that a lot? he asks. Sharply, she tells him not to joke. He’s not, Warren replies. He has no frame of reference. He really doesn’t pay attention to price tags. And this car, she protests. What’s wrong with it? he asks. Where she comes from, you can buy a house for what this costs. Does she want him to buy her a house? No! she shouts.
As they walk in town, she explains how she and Pietro were raised by poor gypsies. Many things here seem extravagant to her. It’s just the way he grew up, he apologizes. They are still a lot alike though, right? All-powerful, misunderstood and feared… Is she ok?
Wanda feels bad about lying to her brother. He’s not her dad! Warren points out. Why does he have to approve everything she does? Because they rarely had parents to watch over them. He has far more control over his power than she does over her. The role of keeping them safe always fell on him. He didn’t keep them from falling in with Magneto and the Brotherhood, Warren retorts. Wanda reminds him that Magneto saved them from an angry mob. And they are done with him. Can they talk about something else? How about they just say nothing, he suggests sullenly. It seems everything’s fine until they start talking.
The X-Men drive through town in a minivan. Which sucks, Bobby protests. Jean sees Warren and calls out. Cyclops sees them, too but realizes they are too late.
Warren and Wanda are at a playground when Quicksilver catches up to them and shoves Warren, shouting at him to get away from his sister.
Warren is shoved into a slide, after which Quicksilver drags him around shouting he knew it’d be an X-Man. Does he have mind-controlling powers like their master? Warren gets angry. His wings snap through their restraints as one of them hits Quicksilver. Wanda shouts at them to stop it.
The X-Men have arrived. Go, Warren! Bobby shouts. Cyclops sharply admonishes him. Sorry, he corrects himself. Go, Angel!
Wanda again orders them to stop and uses one of her hexes. It destroys the monkey bars next to them.
Quicksilver and Beast quickly save the children while Marvel Girl tries to hold up the pieces. Unfortunately, some that she misses hit Warren, as he protects some kids as the rubble falls on him and his wings. Quicksilver notes what he is doing and calms down.
Wanda apologizes to him. She sometimes loses control. He tells her the danger is over and hugs her as he pointedly looks at Warren. He loses control too, he admits.
Warren belatedly puts on his mask, as the kids admiringly stare at his wings. He tells them to go to their teacher and tell her they’re okay.
Pietro asks Wanda why she didn’t tell him this was where she was going. Would he have given her his blessings? she asks. No, but she should have told him, he insists. Marvel Girl interrupts, stating as the only other mutant girl she’d like to say something. Quicksilver haughtily informs her that this is a family affair and she should stay out of it. Uh-oh, the male X-Men mutter.
He is bossy, isn’t he? Jean observes mildly as she telekinetically hangs him up in the air head down. Now how does he think his sister is going to react to all that control? When she wants to do something for herself, is she going to tell him? He’s just driving her away and, even if she did do everything he said, is that what he wants for her? Or does he want her to be independent and strong-willed?
Still hanging, Pietro asks Wanda if she would believe he was really trying to make her rebel against him. No, she replies, good try though. She asks Jean to put her brother right side up again.
Jean complies and Pietro apologizes for being a domineering brother. They have no family left and everyone tries to get close to Wanda for the wrong reasons. Cyclops agrees. If he had a sister like Wanda, he’d probably be zapping every guy in range. What does that mean? Jean wants to know.
Yet… perhaps some people do genuinely care for her, Pietro admits and shakes Warren’s hand. He admits that she’s still kicking him to the curb. They really are from different worlds. He and Wanda hug as she asks him not to feel bad. She still wants them to… Don’t say “just be friends,” he asks her. At least let him get out with his pride intact.
How great they have settled their differences, a teacher states ironically. But the playground is ruined. Warren apologizes. He’ll pay for all this equipment. He’s afraid this area won’t be much fun for a while though. Step aside lame ones, Iceman commands. Let the bringer of fun take care of this. And a little later the kids, the X-Men and the Maximoffs are having a snowball fight in an ice and snow playground, courtesy of Iceman.
