Atlanta, the morning sun shines into an untidy bedroom, where David “Hijack” Bond wakes and sits on the edge of his bed. He walks towards his bathroom, when suddenly a voice calls out, 'Good morning, David. 'GEEZ!' a shocked David exclaims. Turning around, he sees SHIELD's Maria Hill sitting at a table, with several SHIELD agents behind her. She warns David not to bother using his hijacking powers, because they have had the entire neighborhood's vehicles towed away – everything – cars, trucks, boats, bicycles, tricycles – there is nothing for him to use. She adds that, either way, there is no reason for David to attack her or her men. She assures David that they are not here to hurt him, and after introducing herself, asks David to tell her where Scott Summers is.
An unknown location: Alison “Dazzler” Blaire is strapped to a bed, tubes going into her arm, her eyes taped shut. A figure clad in a white SHIELD uniform enters the room – Dazzler? She is accompanied by Victor “Sabretooth” Creed. 'Ta-daa. Alison Blaire, Dazzler, Agent of SHIELD. Traitor to her people' this second Dazzler remarks. 'Why don't you gut her?' Sabretooth enquires. 'I'm not done with her yet' the second Dazzler replies, before her form shifts – into that of Raven Darkholme a.k.a. Mystique, who explains that everyone has a purpose.
Back in Atlanta, Maria tells David that there is nowhere to run, and no reason to, before asking him where the X-Men call home. 'I – I – you're not going to believe me, but... I don't know' David replies. Reading information on a tablet, Maria remarks that David recently discovered his mutant powers, that Scott Summers miraculously showed up and took him out of his normal life, made him an X-Man, but then he abandoned him. 'Isn't that right?' Maria asks. 'Do I need a lawyer?' David replies. 'Isn't that right? Because it says all that in these e-mails to your ex-girlfriend' Maria continues. 'You hacked my emails?' David asks, wide-eyed. Maria stands up and points out that David is cavorting with a known mutant terrorist, so of course she hacked his emails. 'We've been up your butt the second Scott Summers picked you up' she informs him, before suggesting that he doesn't beg girls in e-mails. 'We hate it'.
David announces that he is not a terrorist, and Maria tells him that she knows that. 'I didn't say you were, but... oh, that's right. Didn't you use your mutant powers to take a SHIELD helicarrier for a joyride?' Maria asks, pointing out that that sounds a little terrorist-ish to her. 'I do need a lawyer' David mutters as Maria moves closer to him, telling him that all he needs is to tell her everything he knows about Scott Summers and the X-Men and this mutant revolution he has planned. 'Because, Mr Bond, I have the legal right to detain you... for, like, ever' Maria warns him.
The unknown location once more, where Mystique informs Sabretooth that she has Dazzler's eyes and earholes pretty clogged up, and she is medicated all the way up to her dye job, but that Dazzler turns sound into light, and she doesn't really know her levels, or what triggers her powers. 'So let's keep it to a whispery whisper' Mystique suggests.
She reaches into a bag and Sabretooth asks her what she is doing. 'It's her fault, really... she's the one that sided with the humans against us. “SHIELD Mutant Liaison”. That's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard' Mystique remarks. 'The hell is that?' Sabretooth asks. Mystique holds a large syringe and replies that she has been living as Dazzler, and from a first person point of view experience, that Dazzler is a sell-out dirty whore. 'And you and I, Victor, we have known some dirty whore sell-outs in our time'. Pulling some bandages back, she reveals several track marks in Dazzler's skin, while Sabretooth tells Raven that she didn't answer his question.
'You really don't know where Mutant Growth Hormone comes from?' Mystique asks. 'This is where you're getting it from?' Sabretooth asks, the needle stuck into Dazzler's arm. 'Pure. From the source' Mystique replies, adding that their people pay good money for the power boost and that money will keep Madripoor running the way they want it. Sabretooth reveals that he has never tried it, and Raven adds that she hasn't, either, but points out that it makes a lot of mutants happy and it keeps them flush. 'She's gonna be pissed if she ever wakes up' Sabretooth remarks, to which Mystique reminds Sabretooth that Dazzler did this to herself – she gave up her rights as a mutant the second she turned on them. Mystique puts the bandages up around Dazzler's wounds and picks up the bag, 'Screw Dazzler and her happy music. Our people deserve a place to call their own' Mystique announces, and as they leave the room, Mystique tells Sabretooth that a little chunk of Dazzler goes a long way to them seeing their dream come true. 'Dinner's on you then' Sabretooth replies. After they have left the room, Dazzler quietly utters 'Ow'.
Atlanta again, where Maria tells David that Scott Summers abandoned him. 'But I'm not stupid. I know how smart he is. Raised and trained by Charles Xavier and Magneto. He is a ruthless son of a bitch' Maria declares, realizing that Scott knew they would come here for David, he knew they would be watching this apartment – and Eva Bell's parents' home, and Fabio Medina's, and Christopher Muse's and Benjamin Deed's old dorm room. 'He knoew he was literally dropping you off into our hands. He did this to you on purpose' Maria exclaims. Wide-eyed, Maria declares that Scott Summers made this conversation happen, and she has to have it with him. 'He is working us like puppets, but I have to ask you...and if you don't answer I have to punish you. He did this to us. Where is Scott Summers?' Maria asks, edging closer to David Bond.
The secret Canadian location of the New Charles Xavier School, where Scott “Cyclops” Summers is examining a map projected above him. 'Mr Summers?' Eva Bell a.k.a. Tempus asks as she approaches Cyclops, she asks him what he is doing, and Cyclops explains that he is watching Cerebro. 'Watching the mutant race' Eva adds. Scott tells her that Charles Xavier taught him that there is so much absolute chaos in this world, particularly in their world, that you have to take a moment, when you can, and focus on the important things. 'This is what we're fighting for. This is what we're training for' he explains. Cyclops tells Eva that she seems different. 'I do?' Eva asks. 'Since the training exercise' Cyclops remarks, before asking Eva if she is okay. Eva tells him that she doesn't know what to do. Cyclops assures Eva that she can tell him anything. 'I'm not sure that's true' Eva replies. 'Oh' Scott remarks as he sees a bright light on the map projected above him. 'What is it?' Eva asks. Cyclops announces that it is a new mutant, a very big one. 'Big?' Eva asks. 'Powerful' Cyclops explains. 'We should go' Eva suggests, to which Cyclops asks her what she was going to say. 'We – we should go' Eva replies. 'You can tell me' Cyclops reminds her. 'If you hadn't come rescue me when you did... who knows what shape I would be in. Let's find and help our new mutant' Eva declares. 'To me, my X-Men!' Cyclops calls out as he rushes from the room, leaving Eva to look up at the glowing light on the map.
Soon: 'Chicago!' exclaims Fabio Medina a.k.a. Goldballs as he and his fellow X-Men Students examine their new surroundings. Along with Cyclops, Emma Frost and Illyana “Magik” Rasputin they are on the look out for the new mutant, while the local civilians have stopped to stare at the sudden influx of mutants. 'Deep dish pizza!' Christopher “Triage” Muse smiles. 'Is everything food with you, Christopher?' Mindee Cuckoo asks as she stands with her sisters, Phoebe and Celeste. 'Yes!' Triage responds, while Celeste asks what they are doing here, other than upsetting the humans. Magik smiles and tells Celeste that they are not upsetting them, that it is exciting for them .'We're the famous X-Men. And Ms Frost doesn't wear proper shirts' Magik remarks. 'Like you do' Emma snaps back. Phoebe goes wide-eyed and motions to a man in a suit nearby, she tells the others that he just pooped himself. 'Really?' Magik asks. 'We appeared out of nowhere and he pooped his suit' Phoebe reports. 'Yup' Celeste confirms. 'That's the kind of magic yummie tidbit we pick up every day being a psychic hive-mind' Mindee adds. 'Yup' Celeste agrees, while Benjamin Deeds boasts that in all of the truly, horrible things they have seen, he has never once pooped himself. 'Yeah, we went to Hell and kept it together' Goldballs declares. 'Almost' Triage mutters.
Emma tells Scott that there is no mutant here, to which Cyclops replies that this is exactly where Cerebro said. 'Maybe he's invisible. Or super tiny' Benjamin suggests. 'Oh! Oh, man!' Goldball exclaims, while Triage tells everyone to watch where they step. 'X-Men...' Cyclops calls out, alerting everyone to the Sentinel that towers above the surrounding buildings. 'Another freaking Sentinel!' Goldballs exclaims. 'Who is sending these?' Tempus asks. 'We find out today' Cyclops declares, as Emma announces that it was a trap, that there is no mutant. 'Maybe' Cyclops tells her, before asking the Cuckoos if there is any sentient thought coming out of the machine. 'Uh, no' Mindee announces. 'Nothing we can read. Bit it feels – something's not right' Celeste reports, when suddenly, several smaller Sentinels fly out of the larger unit. Slightly larger than the X-Men, these Sentinels descend around the mutants. 'Magik, get the students out of here!' Cyclops shouts, before releasing an optic blast, which splinters in several directions, striking cars, buildings, tears up the pavement, and knocks civilians about.
'Magik, time to go!' Emma exclaims. 'Right' Magik agrees. 'Go! And go now!' Cyclops shouts as he prepares to fire another optic blast. But as the students gather around Magik, she reports gthat she can't. 'What?' Benjamin gasps. 'It's not working!' Magik announces. Cyclops instructs the students to split up and run, while several Sentinels suddenly glow green, and fire a powerful surge of energy towards Cyclops, breaking up the road around him – Goldball screams and drops to his knees, but the X-Men and the students find themselves safe beneath the time sphere that Tempus has created, freezing the objects around them. 'My balls are broken!' Goldballs utters, while Cyclops reminds the students that he told them all to run annd scatter. 'Magik, get me up there' Emma asks, but Magik replies that she can't, as something is blocking her power. 'But I can do this. Get behind me!' Magik instructs, as she casts a spell, the Vishanti Shield of Personal Defense, which creates a large multi-headed snake-like beast above the X-Men. The Sentinels start firing their energies at each other, destroying themselves, while the snake-like beast darts around them. 'Whoa' Goldballs utters when all of the Sentinels fall. Tempus stops the time shield, and Cyclops asks Magik what her new trick is.
Magik announces that she thinks these new Sentinels are doing something to their mutant powers, and reminds Cyclops that that wasn't her mutant power, but her sorcereress powers. 'Since when did you get this good?' Emma asks. Magik reveals that she has been working with Dr Strange in her spare time. 'Oh. Okay. Well done' Emma mutters, to which Cyclops asks 'When were you going to tell me about this?' 'I think he means “thank you”' Emma points out. Triage asks how they are still alive from the first attack, and Celeste points out that Eva threw up a time bubble. 'Time buble? Did – did we just time travel?' Benjamin asks. 'Just about a minute's worth' Eva explains. 'Well done' Cyclops smiles. 'You have to tell him' Emma whispers to Eva, while Triage asks if they have learned nothing from recent events? 'Mutants should not time travel!' he declares. 'Whatever that means!' Benjamin exclaims. Goldballs smiles as his power starts to work again and several golden balls appear around him. Magik reports that her powers are up, too, and Cyclops instructs her to get the students out of here. He plans to rip that giant Sentinel to the ground, but as he moves forward, it takes flight.
Emma stands over the ruined Sentinels and asks 'So who sent these?' 'SHIELD' Cyclops declares. 'Or someone who wants you to think so?' Magik suggests, while Eva points out that, either way, someone rigged them to mess with their mutant power. 'The mutant powers that...they knew about' Cyclops remarks, adding that they didn't know Eva could time bubble, or that Magik was a practicing sorcerer. 'They do now' Emma points out. Triage asks why they would attack them and then run away. 'What was in it for them?' he wonders. Suddenly, 'Go home, mutie!' a voice calls out. The X-Men turn to see angry civilians gathering nearby. 'Everywhere you mutants go, this is what happens. This is why everyone hates you. I almost got killed!' a woman screams. 'Go to hell, mutants!' a man shouts. 'Ow' Goldballs utters. 'Yeah' Benjamin agrees. 'That's why. But I tell you this...I'm sick of this game. I'm sick of being hunted! I'm sick of not knowing by who or why!' Cyclops tells the others.
Cyclops continues, unaware that in another location, someone behind a spacesuit-type mask is working on some Sentinels, and watches Cyclops on a monitor as he declares 'If it is SHIELD, we just went to war! If it's someone using SHIELD to get to us and SHIELD doesn't care enough to put a stop to it... then we just went to war!'
