Rogue and Gambit are speeding home from a visit to Beast in the penitentiary. Meanwhile, Gambit comments on Rogue’s precarious driving. Rogue defends her driving instructors (“good old boys on country roads”), but Gambit continues to offer her additional lessons. Rogue gets tired of Remy’s flirtatiousness and flies away. Unbothered, Gambit offers to park the car.

Inside the mansion, the X-Men and Bishop continue to debate whom the assassin is, that Bishop is looking for. Though partially amnesic, Bishop insists it is an X-Man. Rogue comes in and greets the group and the newcomer. She is closely followed by Gambit who Bishop quickly identifies… as the assassin.

Bishop fires his gun at Gambit, but Rogue uses her body as a shield. Bishop’s second shot hits Gambit, but then Jean telekinetically takes his gun. After Jubilee and Cyclops restrain Bishop, Rogue and Gambit demand an explanation. Professor X replies that Bishop is a time traveler trying to prevent an assassination. Gambit accuses Bishop of being a liar; and, once again, they have to be broken up.

Bishop insists that he is being honest. He states, his future begins with a single death in Washington. Gambit is the killer, but all mutants are blamed. Soon mutants are put in termination camps by a reinstituted Sentinel program. Eventually the Sentinels turn on the humans also; and the X-Men perish unsuccessfully trying to defend themselves.

Bishop explains that he is here because of his temporal transceiver wristband, and his purpose is to stop Gambit. This leads Cyclops to ask who the target is. Bishop cannot remember, but he does remember it happens in Washington and soon. The X-Men conjecture who it could be: the President, a congressional representative, or even Professor X who is visiting Washington soon to give a speech.

Gambit is incredulous that nobody is defending him. Wolverine points out that nobody really knows the Cajun well. Storm explains that no one can be certain of the evils of which they are capable. Gambit angrily looks around the room for support. Finding none, he storms out.

Later, Bishop catches Gambit skulking around the Blackbird. When questioned Gambit replies that he is going to stop the assassination. Professor X declares the plan too risky. The rest of the team will go to Washington with Bishop and Gambit left behind. Wolverine also offers to stay behind to keep an eye on them. With that, the others (Storm, Jubilee, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Rogue, and Professor X) leave for Washington.

Outside of the Capitol building, Storm, Jubilee, and Rogue set up lookout posts. Inside a nearby hotel, Mystique, Blob, Pyro, and Avalanche discuss their plans for the assassination of Senator Robert Kelly.

Back in the mansion, Gambit distracts Bishop and Wolverine with an exploding deck of cards. He uses the time to steal an X-Jet and begin flying to Washington DC with Wolverine and Bishop in hot pursuit.

In the Capitol, Senator Kelly accuses Professor Xavier of associating with renegade mutants. As Kelly is about launch into an anti-mutant diatribe, the room begins to shake. It is Avalanche accompanied by Pyro. Kelly flees the room closely followed by his aide (who, unbeknownst to Kelly, is Mystique). Jean and Cyclops who are soon joined by Storm, Rogue, and Jubilee forcibly remove Avalanche and Pyro from the building.

Outside, the Brotherhood now including Blob distracts the X-men until Wolverine appears and is able to trick Blob into a pool which Storm freezes. Bishop shoots Pyro and surprises Avalanche by turning his own bio-energies against him. Accidentally, Bishop releases too much energy and knocks off part of a nearby building; but Rogue and Jean ensure no one gets hurt. Pyro and Avalanche beat a hasty retreat. Bishop also departs looking for Gambit who is followed by Rogue, in turn.

Mystique leads Senator Kelly into a room where his real aide is tied up. Mystique then shape shifts into Gambit in front of the aide and Kelly. As Mystique prepares to pull the trigger, the real Gambit enters the room. The two mutants fight with the real Gambit emerging victorious; but Bishop enters the room, misreads the situation, and shoots Remy. Rogue flies into the room and rips off Bishop’s temporal transceiver before he can kill either one of the Gambits. Bishop disappears, returning to his own time.

Senator Kelly and his aide exit. With the real Gambit unconscious, Mystique reveals herself, and then Mystique reveals that she is Rogue’s foster mother. Shocked by this new information, she helps Mystique escape.

Senator Kelly and his aide bump into Wolverine and Cyclops. Kelly explains what happened, and Scott Summers surmises that it must have been a shape shifter – thus Bishop’s confusion. However, when they go the room where Mystique was, they find only Gambit unconscious.

Outside Mystique explains her intentions to Rogue. Apocalypse instructed her to assassinate Kelly to guarantee a war between humanity and mutants. Rogue pleads with her to leave Apocalypse; but Mystique insists that he gives her purpose, like Xavier did with Rogue. Mystique leaves the crime scene and a teary-eyed foster daughter.

Again in the future, Bishop returns to an unchanged timeline. It is still miserable and desperate. Bishop tells Forge that he succeeded, so it must have been something else that caused this apocalyptic future. Forge replies they can try again later. “The one thing we have plenty of, is time.”

Professor X, Cyclops, and Jean Grey go to speak with Senator Kelly, but his office is in disarray and he is missing. Xavier unhappily notes that his watch has stopped. It has become magnetized.