West Texas, a broken truck. The driver and many of Edan Younge’s people lie motionless. Doop cradles the injured driver, who mutters the moment he saw the blue gremlins drop him out of the sky he knew he’d reached the end of the line. Doop gently tries to get him to drink something, as Sparky, the driver, continues his tale. He was running from trouble. Who’da thunk it’d be a magical sky booger that would make him finally face up to it? Doop can’t drive Sugar Mama on account he got no feet. But there’s something in the trailer that might get him home to his kids. When he does, take that sonuva’s beard for him. Make you a rug as soft as heaven from it. You curl up in it like the arms of a lover of our choosin’ and you let one rip for old Sparky.
Soon, Doop is on the motorbike Sparky left him, a tiger at his back.
Outside the Jean Grey School, the students are still suffering from Faithful John’s attack. Hellion is traumatized by the vision they shared of Evan becoming Apocalypse and killing everyone. Rockslide tries to assure him that Evan is their friend and wouldn’t do this.
Idie Okonkwo supports Hisako, who has been teleported out of her psychic armor by Faithful John’s brainwashed Bamf, something that shouldn’t have been possible.
Armor telepathically contacts Eye Boy via Martha Johanson’s telepathy. Eye Boy explains that Martha is using Cerebra to hide them from Faithful John and keep them in contact, but he hasn’t found either Evan or Doop and Enduque can’t get the Danger Room to…
At that moment, Glob Herman screams after touching the Danger Room controls. Hisako tells him to have Manuel keep at it. What about Nature Girl? Hesitating, Trevor replies that she can do what Hisako wants, but should she?
In the school’s atrium, Faithful John steps over Hisako’s psychic armor and announces that Fantomex cannot hide from him. His secret is well told.
Flashback:
X-Force was confronting a young clone of Apocalypse and Archangel told the boy he would grow up to hurt millions of people. However, he found he didn’t have it in him to kill or harm the boy. Psylocke and Wolverine were convinced that decision was right, that they could raise and rehabilitate the boy. But then Fantomex shot him.
Present:
No, Fantomex decides. No more running.
Behind Faithful John, Genesis closes in.
At the HQ of the Phoenix Corporation, Edan Younge asks his prisoner Wolverine if he will ever find the courage to give up. When the Phoenix died, he thought that he might a t last. But the years had finally shown him his vanity. Revealed that life’s secret grace, its only certainty is its insignificance. Once this young Apocalypse, Evan Sabahnur, might well have come to understand that. Perhaps he could have given over gracefully to the whims of a universe beyond his control but Wolverine gave him hope. He must not grow to challenge the Phoenix. Theirs is a rivalry that will doom them all.
The tortured Logan calls him insane. By setting the Phoenix against him, he is creating the thing he wants to destroy. Is there any other way? Younge asks calmly.
Enter Cyclops, blasting the wall apart.
He’s got to give it to Younge, Quentin Quire announces, he had his brains twisted like spaghetti night at the snake ranch. But thanks to DJ Glowstick here he’s seen the light. Thinking cap strapped on tight? he asks, ‘cause here they go!
He shows them his ideas mentally. If point A is them in the here and now and point B is the future where Quentin / Phoenix kills Evan / Apocalypse, then how in hell does Evan destroy Faithful John’s farther flung future at point C? Likely answer: point B never happens. He never kills Evan. Someone is lying and they both know who. It’s not Evan or Apocalypse that’s the problem here, it’s the Phoenix.
At the school, Faithful John mockingly confronts Fantomex, asking if the feeble illusion is all he has left. Fantomex realizes John wants Evan to see him broken. He wants the guilt to make him quit. He jumps over John’s head. He attacks realizing that, if he runs now, Evan always will.
John escapes his attack by teleporting away with his Bamf to behind Fantomex. Fantomex aims his gun at him and John goads him to show the children who he is. Fantomex decides that today he is not Jean-Phillipe, Fantomex or Weapon XIII. Today he is a father. He pulls the trigger, showing there is no bullet in the chamber. He dodges John’s blow, slices off his metal arm and dives for the World.
John is then fired at by Eye Boy. Outside, Armor gives Nature Girl the order and, on her silent command, a flock of birds attacks Faithful John. John is distracted trying to control the birds telepathically. Fantomex carries Eye Boy out and Oya comes in with an ice hammer, with which she hits John in the face.
At the Phoenix Corps, the cultists worship Cyclops as “holy father” and “partner” of the Phoenix, which amuses him. Logan tells him if the Phoenix is behind this, Quentin can’t… Can’t what? Cyclops demands. At 13, Quentin nearly wrestled the school from Xavier himself, remember? He was one of the most dangerous mutants alive, even without its help.
In the meantime, the Bamfs have teleported Quentin and Edan Younge back to the school in front of Beast’s lab. Quentin order Edan to take him to his future self. Anything screwy and he jumps in front of a bus. And makes sure Quentin doesn’t see the future.
Cyclops reminds that Wolverine Quentin is his student. It’s a choice he makes every day. Deep down, he trusts Logan. Isn’t it time he trusts him back?
The Bamf teleports back and Logan addresses him as Chuckles. He really named that Bamf after Xavier? Cyclops asks. Maggott was taken, comes the reply
The cultists seem more hostile. Cyclops tells Logan to go ahead; he has something to see to here.
At the school, the students tell John to give up. He refuses. That moment, Storm fries him with a lightning bolt. Chuckles, in the meantime, teleports Wolverine. He protests that isn’t McCoy’s lab. Chuckles jumps to Idie and teleports her away.
Still under attack by Storm, John tells her his body is the least of his weapons. Fantomex realizes what he’s doing. John has telepathically taken over the prisoners in the World, who are now looking to kill Evan.
In the lab, Idie sees an energy field, presumably of a time machine, where Chuckles has led her.
Logan rushes in, warning her she doesn’t want to do this. She apologizes but it’s the questions that scare her, not the answers. She steps into the light.
