Mumbai, specifically the Gavascar estate, where young X-Men Anole, Loa and Indra, as well as their companion Luz of the Children of the Vault, look down at the massive citadel that has crash landed on the city below. ‘What - what is that?’ Anole asks. ‘This is just a guess, but I’d say it’s my city crashing into your city. In slow motion. No telling how long they’ll survive’ Luz declares. ‘You sent Vaipala into that?’ Indra asks. Luz assures him that Vaipala asked to go. ‘The chica just wasn’t that into you’ she adds, while Loa motions to the citadel an exclaims that Rogue and Magneto are in there. ‘So that’s where we have to go’ Indra announces. ‘Finally, let’s move!’ Anole declares, throwing his arms into the air.
Shortly, Indra, Loa and Anole have changed into their x-uniforms and run down a staircase, while Luz watches them. ‘Paras, I forbid you to go’ Rav Gavascar tells his son. Indra replies that he is not asking for permission. ‘In this, I follow my own conscience!’ he declares. Loa looks back up the stairs and sees Luz standing there. ‘You’re not coming with us?’ she asks. ‘You don’t get it. If I go back there, they’ll never let me leave’ Luz replies, telling the young mutants that she wishes them luck. ‘And caring about other people is just falling into a trap’ Indra exclaims. ‘Right. Exactly. Thanks for proving my point’ Luz tells him, to which Indra replies that he does not see it that way.
‘My father thinks you only owe a duty to family. You think it’s just to yourself. It’s a pity we didn’t go ahead with the wedding. I bet the two of you would get along really well’ Indra scowls, before he leads his friends out of the foyer, past his father, mother and the priest. ‘Mierz’ Luz whispers as she watches Indra leave.
At that moment, a monitor inside Quitado switches on with Cadena’s image telling the citizens of Quitado - her honored sisters and beloved brothers - not to panic, assuring them that the power is being repaired as she speaks. Cadena declares that it is imperative they remain calm as this crisis is dealt with. ‘And I know I can depend on you’ she adds, while perplexed citizens of Mumbai look at the monitors.
Inside Quitado, Perro groans after being shaken to the ground. ‘Brother, you fell. Let me help you up’ a voice exclaims. ‘Gracias, sister’ Perro replies as he reaches for the outstretched hand. But as he looks up, he sees Rogue standing before him. ‘De nada’ Rogue exclaims, before using her incredible strength to propel Perro up into the air. Rogue turns to the cameras that were filming her death for other Children of the Vault to watch and exclaims ‘For those of you watching at home, the execution’s run into a few technical problems. But why don’t y’all stay tuned for some alternative entertainment?’
Elsewhere in Quitado, one of the Children of the Vault tells Cadena to forget Angelfire, that they need to switch back to normal power, as the trans-dimensional stresses are tearing the city apart. Cadena replies that she is trying, but that the power will not flow. She declares that each time she opens a channel, it shuts down again. ‘It’s as though the current is being diverted in some -’ she adds, when suddenly, Magneto, carrying the motionless Vaipala Rani, appears. ‘YOU!’ Cadena shrieks. ‘A current is just electrons flowing freely in a circuit. Your circuits are now under magnetic embargo’ Magneto declares, before remarking that Vaipala is dying. ‘Let us leave, along with Rogue, and I’ll give you your power back. Or else fight me, while your wonderful Emerald City falls down around your ears’.
‘You’ll doom Mumbai as well as Quitado, mutant!’ one of the Children of the Vault declares. Magneto replies that Mumbai is a city full of humans. ‘If it falls, so be it. My concern is for my own kind’ he remarks. Martillo frowns and holds his massive hammer out towards Magneto, asking him why then does he hold an injured human in his arms. ‘He’s lying. Bring him down, brothers. Our power will be restored as soon as he -’ Martillo begins, only for his hammer to swing backwards - and crack open the head of one of his brothers. ‘NO!!!’ Martillo exclaims. ‘I commend your choice of weapon, at any rate. I forgot to bring one myself’ Magneto remarks as he places Vaipala on the ground.
Elsewhere, Rogue walks into another part of Quitado, ‘It’s Rogue, the murderess!’ someone shouts. ‘She’s stolen our brother’s gravity powers!’ another exclaims. ‘Stop her!’ someone shouts. Suddenly, everything slips forwards - ‘Go right ahead and try, Sugah’ Rogue exclaims, before grabbing one of the Children of the Vault: ‘Hi there. Ah’m looking for a guy with silver hair and kind of a surly disposition. You seen anyone of that description?’ she asks.
Meanwhile, the Gavascar’s chauffeur, Marut, pulls up near Mumbai and tells Indra, Anole and Loa that this is as far as he comes to Mumbai, adding that Mumbai is hard driving on a good day, but this is just too much for him. Indra thanks Marut, ‘You’ve done more than we had any right to ask’ he adds. Loa asks Marut if he minds if she keeps hold of Ganesh for a while longer, to which Marut tells her to keep him, as he think her need is going to be greater than his. Running towards Quitado, Anole remarks to Indra that he thought his religion did not allow him to fight. ‘It doesn’t’ Indra replies. ‘But you’re all armoured up’ Anole points out. ‘Armor is as for defense as well as for -’ Indra begins, when suddenly, there is a burst of light in front of him, and he tells his teammates to get ready. ‘They’re onto us!’
But Luz materializes, and tells Indra to relax. ‘It’s only me’ she exclaims. ‘I thought your powers were to make pretty pictures’ Anole points out. Luz replies that with light, she does things with light. ‘As in light speed. Light second. Light on your feet’ Luz adds, before asking the X-kids if they realize they are about to die. ‘We’re going to find our friends’ Loa exclaims. ‘And nothing you can say is going to stop us’ she adds. ‘Fine, but that city is full of people like the ones who just wiped the floor with your friends. Plus it’s falling apart’ Luz declares. ‘So?’ Anole asks. ‘So you can’t just walk in there and expect to walk out again’ Luz exclaims.
Luz tells Indra that they are going to need some help. ‘Specifically, you’re gonna need me’ she informs him. ‘Why? What can you do for us?’ Indra asks. ‘I can paint some pretty pictures. Hold your breath. Close your eyes’ Luz exclaims. ‘Get ready for a big surprise’.
Inside Quitado, Magneto continues to battle the Children of the Vault, tossing the ones he has defeated aside with ease - before a gray-skinned female approaches him. ‘Brothers, sisters, let me though. He controls iron. Even the iron in your blood. But Piedra Dura has no blood!’ the woman declares as she wraps her hands around Magneto’s neck. Suddenly, ‘Ah can see that, sweetheart. But what you do have…is a real weight problem!’ Rogue exclaims, before Piedra Dupra is thrown from Magneto.
Rogue lands beside Magneto, who tells her that it is a pleasure to see her, as always. ‘Be a pleasure if we survive, Magnus. Until then, best keep your mind on business’ Rogue replies. ‘Enough! Surrender mutants!’ Cadena shouts, before creating an energy chain which she wraps around Vaipala’ neck, warning Rogue and Magneto that she will tighten the chain around the child’s throat, and her death will be on their conscience. ‘Magneto -’ Rogue exclaims, grabbing his hand as he raises it. ‘She means to kill the girl anyway’ Magneto points out, but Rogue tells him that they do not know that, so they don’t have a choice. ‘You’ve got it. You won. Do whatever you need to do’ Rogue tells Cadena.
Cadena orders her strange minions to take Rogue and Magneto and to bind them with null-gauntlets. ‘They’ll die when we have time to deal with them’ Cadena declares, before announcing that they must restore power. She orders the technicians to slave the main array - but she is interrupted by Martillo, who informs her that Rogue and Magneto are phasing our. ‘Find them!’ Cadena shouts. ‘Bring me telepaths and sensitives. Find them now!’
‘You’re not what you seem’ Magneto remarks as Luz drops her disguise. ‘Who is?’ Luz asks, before explaining that Cadena cannot see them right now, but that it will not take long to figure out that they are still here. ‘So you’ve got to make this time count’ she explains.
‘Sister, this is a trick. Someone is bending light around the rear wall of the room’ a telepath informs Cadena, who shouts ‘Then aim your weapons and fire at will!’ But, Luz appears, telling Cadena that there is no need, as she is all out of fight. ‘Where are the mutants?’ Luz asks if it even matters. ‘You’ve got me. You can plug in the Angelfire again. Who cares about the details?’ Energy crackles around Cadena, who demands to know where the mutants are. ‘If you really wanna know - let me show you’ Luz replies as she conjures up a light image of Magneto carrying Vaipala.
Running across part of the city, Rogue declares that this cannot last, as they have got to try and pry the two cities apart. ‘Otherwise there won’t be anything left of either one of the’. Still carrying Vaipala, Magneto reminds Rogue that the girl told them how to achieve that, while Indra, Lo and Anole follow them. Magneto motions up ahead and exclaims that the device they need is in that hall. ‘All we have to do is get inside and disable it’ he exclaims. ‘Come no further. This space is prohibited’ one of four armored beings exclaims. Indra dons his own armor and asks Magneto if those things are alive. Magneto replies that they are not, as living things have bio-magnetic fields, whereas these behemoths are inorganic, some kind of machine.
‘Then what are we waiting for?’ Indra asks as he clasps his hands together, and he, Rogue, Anole and Loa each take down one of the four beings in their own unique way. Moments later, they enter the chamber, where Cadena’s image is depicted on monitors, telling her brothers and sisters to converge on the Anchor House, as that is where their enemies are awaiting, just inside. Olvido approaches Magneto and reminds him that they have faced each other before. ‘You you know that the void of non-being is stronger than any energies you wield’ he remarks. Suddenly, Anole drops his camouflage and punches Olvido in the back, ‘Yaddya yadda. And rock breaks scissors’ Anole mutters.
A dozen or so Children of the Vault race towards the mutants, and Rogue tells Magneto to go on, that she will hold the Children of the Vault here. ‘I’m not prepared to abandon you’ Magneto exclaims, to which Rogue tells him she is not asking him to, as she plans to buy them a little time. ‘Actually, maybe a very little time’ she adds, before her attackers converge. ‘Kill her! Whoever kills her is blessed!’ one of them shouts. ‘Ah’m happy to hand the blessings out myself, boys’ Rogue remarks, telling them to stick their chins out and she will work her way along the line.
Suddenly, one of the Children of the Vault grabs Rogue from behind, ‘No finish her!’ someone yells. Before the attacker can make their next move, a Indra grabs her wrist: ‘This is a sin. And it shames me’ he declares as he breaks the woman’s arm. Rogue looks up: ‘Indra! You -’ she begins, but Indra tells her not to talk about it. ‘Please. Just don’t’.
Rogue and Indra meet up with Magneto and the others at a large device, and Magneto remarks that it must be the anchor that holds this city in contact with reality. He explains that it is shielded from direct attack, and tells Loa that he needs her to weaken the shields. ‘Okay. Will this do?’ Loa asks as she swims through the device. ‘Admirably’ Magneto replies as he uses his own power to tear the anchor apart. Magneto motions ahead to a piece of mosaic floor and remarks that it looks like a piece of Mumbai. ‘We need to be in the right place when the cities separate’ he exclaims, to which Rogue points out that Quitado’s engines still do not have any power. ‘Then let’s give them some!’ Magneto exclaims as he unleashes some magnetic energy - which surges through Quitado - pushing the city upwards - then it vanishes.
‘We did it! Quitado is gone!’ Indra exclaims. ‘But - gone where?’ Loa asks. ‘Cast adrift between dimensions without compass or rudder’ Magneto tells her. ‘To find their way back will be like finding a needle in the sands of the Sahara’. ‘Which is something you could do inside of a New York minute’ Rogue points out, suggesting they go home and keep their fingers crossed.
Eight hours later, at Panchajana, Rav Gavascar stands with his wife, and Vaipala as he tells his son that he has a clear choice between good and evil. ‘Please, you must see that’ he declares. ‘Forgive me for saying this, father, but I don’t think you know what evil is’ Indra replies. ‘And you do? At your age?’ Rav asks. ‘Yes. I do’ Indra tells him. ‘I’ve met men who think nothing of killing hundreds - thousands, even - to satisfy some abstract goal’ he informs his father. ‘yes, there are such people in the world. It’s our duty to take the other path. The path of peace and non-violence’ Rav tells his son.
Indra hangs his head and replies that he tried the other path. ‘I could still hear the screams’. Indra turns to Vaipala and bids her farewell, to which Vaipala tells him that she is sorry she did not get to know him better. ‘Perhaps we can meet up the next time I come here’ Indra replies, before turning to Marut and the car. ‘On the other hand…who knows when that will be?’ Indra asks as Magnus, Rogue, Anole and Loa follow him to the vehicle.
Meanwhile, Quitado, somewhere, sometime. Inside one of the three towers, Luz sits in darkness, and create a light paining of Indra, telling him that she will see him soon.
