Piotr "Colossus„ Rasputin has walked a very long way and is tired, frustrated, sad, lost and in pain, not to mention shocked, as he stands on the dock of the Muir Island Research Center, Scotland, and sees Kitty Pryde, his onetime girlfriend in the arms of another man after she and the rest of the British Super Hero team Excalibur had a night out. Wisdom smiles at Kitty and tells her he is going to stay out and have another cigarette before bed. Kitty proclaims that she really enjoyed tonight, to which Wisdom replies that that is good, because in the morning she will get to nurse him through a hangover. Kitty and Pete kiss before she goes inside with the others, though she is very happy, she cannot bring herself to say it. Shadowcat catches up with the empathic Meggan, who tells Kitty that Wisdom is not as bad as she first thought. Kitty tells Meggan that he is actually worse, but she rather likes it. The two friends laugh as the walk through the corridors of the station.
Back outside, Wisdom does not feel the Scottish chill, the head full of whiskey and meaningful kisses can be held responsible for that. Pete smokes his cigarette and realizes that he has been pretty much accepted into Excalibur now, and for the first time in a few years he is actually pleased with himself. Everything goes suddenly quiet, but Wisdom is sober enough to remember that he does not like it when everything goes quiet, and in the reflection of a window, he sees Colossus rush towards him, Wisdom just manages to dodge the steel fist, which makes a loud noise on the wall, alerting Britannic to something amiss.
But Brian Braddock does not have enough time to react and Wisdom says ‘Am I smashed or are you the Terminator’? Enraged, Colossus introduces himself, adding that he has traveled halfway across the planet to find himself and his Katya, and that he cannot stand to see her taken away from him. Colossus uppercuts Wisdom, proclaiming that it was he who took her away. Pete lands against the wall, no healing factor to protect him, and aside from his heat casting talent he has no protective mutant powers. He does not have any idea who the Russian mutant is, except that he feels like cheap glass under Colossus’ fists.
Wisdom manages to get up despite his wounds and stare down the pain, he knows he has to end this, hopefully without committing murder. Wisdom uses his „hot knives„ against Colossus who suddenly knows what it feels like to have the sun lay a finger across his eyes. Inside the research station, Kitty and Meggan hear screams and Kitty instinctively knows something is wrong with Pete. She starts to run outside. Wisdom leans against a wall for support, telling himself not to pass out, as Colossus reels from the pain, before gritting his teeth and telling Wisdom that he knows the pain of losing everything.
What Colossus does not see however is his best friend, Kurt „Nightcrawler„ Wagner, leader of Excalibur teleport behind him, Kurt is shocked to see Colossus when Kitty runs out into the fray also. As Colossus takes a punch at Wisdom, Kurt calls out to him, and leaping onto Colossus’ shoulder informs him that Wisdom is of Excalibur. Colossus ignores Kurt and throws him to the ground, albeit apologetically. Kitty sees Colossus and her expression is more than just shock.
Shadowcat asks Colossus what he is doing and her former love informs her that he has come back for her, adding that he hasn’t slept in days before asking her if he has been gone so long that she could forget about him, or if she knows what he has been through to get to her. On the ground, Wisdom thinks he is going to pass out, though not before he sees Colossus threatening Kitty. Wisdom barely has enough strength to keep his heart beating, but he can think of a better use for it, and unleashes a full blast of his powers, right at Colossus’ lower back, before passing out.
Moira MacTaggert and the rest of Excalibur arrive, Meggan and her lover Britannic leading the way, the empath asks England’s greatest Super Hero if that is Colossus. Brian tells her that he thought Colossus was still with the Acolytes. As Douglock asks if he is the X-Man who defected, Wolfsbane sticks up for Colossus by saying that he is not a bad man, and Amanda Sefton stands at the back of the group, uncertain what to make of her foster brother’s best friend being here.
Colossus proclaims that his spine and legs are injured before asking if everyone is against him. Nightcrawler says they will ask questions later before ordering Meggan and Brian to take Colossus down. Colossus believes them all to be against him before proclaiming he will not fall. The kindhearted Meggan apologizes to Colossus for what she is about to do, but tells him he is confused. On ‘two’ Meggan and Brian, Excalibur’s most physically powerful members strike Colossus. Being hit by one of them is like having a large freezer dropped on your brain, being hit by both of them is like being punched in the face by God. As Colossus falls to the ground unconscious, Meggan announces that she hated doing that. Moira tells Meggan to worry about that later but for now she wants them both in the medlab. Amanda teleports Colossus, while Nightcrawler bamfs with Wisdom. Kitty just hugs herself, realizing how happy she’d been only moments ago.
In the medlab, Wisdom and Colossus lay on tables, side by side, each with a scanner over their wounds, which analyses the injuries for Moira. Colossus has suffered massive trauma to the lower spinal region, while Wisdom has five damaged ribs, an under performing left lung and the blood pressure in his head is rising. Moira takes two pills, which are caffeine and vitamin combinations with taurine, guarana and glucose. She suddenly regrets the last seven pints of Guinness that she drank. Moira turns to her foster daughter, the former New Mutant, Rahne „Wolfsbane„ Sinclair, and newest addition to Excalibur. She asks Rahne to get sterilized and help her, but Rahne just looks at Colossus, concerned and sad.
Knowing the affinity her daughter had for Colossus, Moira assures her that Colossus is not going to die today, but she will need help with Wisdom. Rahne says that they cannot just leave Colossus how he is. Moira informs Rahne that the automated medical system will look after Piotr and that after last time he was on Muir Island she developed some new ways to treat him in his steel form. The two women watch as the diffuser guns move in and render his steel malleable. Moira adds that it is just a question of moving around the soft steel and reconstructing the shape of his spine.
Moira motions towards some computer screens, with various readings on them, and informs Rahne that when Colossus transforms to human again, his spine will transform with him. She says that it is Wisdom who is the problem, as with his chest and head injuries, if she cannot stem his cranial bleeding and reinflate the lung, he will die.
As time passes, Colossus awakens, to find himself in a cell with a mutant power inhibitor collar on, and Moira MacTaggert standing over him. She tells Colossus that he is a fool, before informing him that the man he never met but nonetheless decided to punch out in a jealous rage may well die in the next hour. She tells Piotr not to try and get up as he has spinal trauma, but it will be gone in an hour or two. Dr. MacTaggert informs him that his steel absorbed and deferred almost all of the heat, however if Wisdom hadn’t passed out and kept the fire blade in his spine for another half minute, he would be crippled for life.
As Colossus puts his head into his hands, Moira reminds him that at least he would have lived, before she makes clear to him that he is wearing an inhibitor collar and is in cell. Moira excuses herself to go and fix his mistake. Nightcrawler, who had been listening to Moira, calls out to Colossus that she is gone, and he steps out of the shadows. Colossus tells Kurt that it is good to see him again, before informing him that there must have been some mistake, as he thought he saw his beloved Katya kissing a sickly looking man in a suit who smokes.
Nightcrawler informs Piotr that there is not mistake, and that the mans name is Peter Wisdom, who used to work for a British Intelligence operation called Black Air, but tonight they made him a member of Excalibur, the same night that Wisdom and Kitty told the rest of Excalibur their feelings for each other. Piotr begins a protest, telling Kurt that Kitty loves him and has been waiting for him, that when he left Muir Island last time, she kissed him – Nightcrawler cuts Colossus off and tells him he is a child.
Colossus begins a protest, believing Kurt to misunderstand, Kurt just tells Colossus that he feels like he barely knows him right now, before informing him that Moira and Xavier believed his aberrant behavior of some time ago to be caused by brain damage, while Kurt himself began to attribute it to a basic childishness. Kurt suggests that his tenure at Avalon was not so much a need to convert Magneto’s people, but an escape from his own responsibilities and accountabilities on Earth.
Mad, Colossus asks Kurt how he can say such things, reminding him that he gave up everything to go to Avalon, to try and prevent any further violence – Kurt interrupts and asks Colossus how much of this was to do with the loss of his family. Colossus proclaims that it had nothing to do with the loss of his family, but his voice trails off, Kurt tells Colossus he knows he is lying, and reminds him that they joined the X-Men together and asks if he could really keep the truth from him.
Kurt begins to make several suppositions, suggesting to Colossus that he feels guilty over the way he behaved during his illness, that there is a great deal of emotion undealt with over the loss of his sister and the rest of his family. Kurt reminds Piotr that he has staggered through one stressful situation after another, at the end of it, he just wanted his own life back. Half-blind with pain, fear and stress, he made his way here, projecting everything onto Kitty. As Nightcrawler speaks, Colossus remembers his beloved sister Illyana who tragically died too soon and Magneto after the fall of Avalon.
Colossus hangs his head down and admits that when he saw Kitty with another man he snapped. He tells Kurt that he is right, and Nightcrawler informs Piotr that he needs to rest and regain some control over his emotions, adding that it would be politic to remain in the cell for several more hours. As Colossus asks Kurt what is going to happen to him now, Wolfsbane watches the scene from the communications suite, she cries watching the man she knew for such a long time and looked up to as a big brother reduced to this state, and it kills her.
In reply to Colossus’ question, Kurt tells him that he cannot prevent the others talking about this incident, and that it will get back to the Professor eventually, he adds that Wolverine will probably take to gnawing on a photo of him for a few days. Colossus admits he had not thought of that, and asks Kurt what Xavier, Storm and Cyclops will think. Nightcrawler tells Piotr that in America they have people called "Spin Doctors" and adding that they probably have them in Russia also and that he thinks it would be best if he remains here on Muir Island with the team.
Nightcrawler reaches through the bars and places a hand on one of Piotr’s shoulders, offering a "cover story" for his being with the team; that he fears there are behavioral after-effects of his previous neural problem and after placing himself under observation here is making himself available to the team. Colossus smiles when Kurt tells him that puts an acceptable spin on things. Colossus thanks Nightcrawler and clasps his hand.
After Nightcrawler leaves, Piotr wonders at the immense confidence of Kurt, figuring that no wonder Kurt is a team leader – his thoughts are interrupted by Shadowcat. Kitty Pryde appears before her former boyfriend, hands on hips she informs him that the man whose inside he pulped is going to live, though Moira said he will have to spend a week in a wheelchair. One more blow from Colossus would have murdered Wisdom, for that, Kitty tells Colossus, she should kick his brains out.
Colossus tries to stand and talk, but he cannot bring himself to do either, until he musters the strength to say ‘My Katya? Why…did you –’ Kitty phases through the bars of the cell and pointing a finger at Colossus she bluntly informs him that this is not a conversation happening here, and that she is not his "Katya." Colossus starts to protest telling her that he cares. Kitty tells him that if he cared he would never have left her for someone else, that he would have let her grow up and be herself, and that he would never have hurt someone she cared for.
Colossus just looks up at Shadowcat forlorn, and suddenly she changes her tone of voice, putting her hands on his face she tells him that she knows he has been through a lot, that they had reports from Westchester, and Kurt thinks it got too much which is why Colossus lost control. Kitty adds that she can see that, but cannot believe what he did, but she can understand it. She tells him that she knows it has been rough, but he has to come back and get a grip of himself.
Colossus asks Kitty if Peter Wisdom, an ex-spy, as Kurt informed him, is good to her. ‘Yeah’ Kitty says smiling before turning away and phasing through the cell, tears flow from her eyes, and she thinks to herself ‘Just like you were’.
