At the Hellfire Club in NYC, a big party is underway. Most of the guests are dressed as X-Men or mutant villains. One of the civilian guests, Tony Stark, is offered a million dollar worth glass of cold icewater, fresh from the highest peaks of Jotunheim. Compliments of the house. Stark declines. What Asgardians call water is so high-proof others call it fuel source. The barkeeper replies he told the boss that but he insisted on one last course. He then informs Stark that was his last call and has him thrown out. Outside, Stark mutters that he never realized how astronomical his dry cleaning bill was before he sobered up.
He is expected by Wolverine, who thanks him for doing this. After some wisecracks, Tony tells Logan he was right. He managed to charm an invitation off one of the more impressionable young ladies in line. He refers to the costumed youngsters standing in a long line outside. The NYC branch of the Hellfire Club is definitely owned and operated by the Phoenix Corp and Quentin Quire is definitely its White King. The invitation is to Quentin Quire’s 17th birthday. Anyway, there is a spectacular Spider-Woman at the bar whom he promised a late night falafel… So let’s drag that punk Quire out by his ear before the food trucks closes, Tony suggests.
Wolverine tells him that Quire is an omega level telepath. They can’t risk him mind-controlling Iron Man just because he’ cranky. Besides he ain’t here to bring Quire home. He’s here to deliver one last push. He puts on a Magneto helmet to divert mind control and walks towards the entrance.
Two bouncers, both dressed as Sabretooth, do their job of letting people in – or not – while discussing why Wolverine doesn’t have metal teeth and whether or not he is going to come, after Quire banned him from the party. While they discuss Wolverine’s current weakened state and whether or not they just threw out Maggott, they don’t notice that they let in the real Wolverine wearing the Magneto helmet.
The dancefloor is full of young people. For a moment, Logan believes he sees his student Evan Sabahnur. He makes his way through the crowd to find him, but he isn’t there, after all. Instead, nearby he sees Idie Okonkwo. He runs after her, to no avail. Then he sees Storm. He snarls and grabs her by the throat, Enough head games! What does she want with Quire? he asks, calling her Raven. Mystique turns to her true form and admits she wants nothing from the boy. She only wants to see him make Logan squirm. She kicks him and he tries to slash her but she dodges. On his back, she dislodges the helmet as she realizes he is using it to protect himself from Quire’s telepathy. The bouncers notice him and gang up on him.
Mystique walks upstairs to see Quentin looking down, seemingly disinterested. She tells him she is impressed. It is rare to see someone reach their full potential. Rarer still to see Logan played so masterfully. She moves closer to him and reveals she could feel Quentin down there. Creeping around the edges of all those minds. Very, very naughty. Just what was he doing in their heads? Eavesdropping? Trying to remember what it was like to be a real boy? He can’t hide up here in his gilded cage forever. Sooner or later, he is going to have to face Logan himself. Just so, he knows, she is pulling for Quire.
Downstairs, two of the guards are itching to finish Logan without his powers. However, as one of the guards hits him and breaks his hand, they realize that his bones are still adamantium-reinforced, powers or not. Logan dispatches of them but is exhausted. The party guests see his weakened state and use their cell phones to record and post this. Logan lashes out at them before they are paralyzed, after which a telepathic voice tells him, if he has something to say to him, to tell him!
Say it! Quire orders as he walks down the stairs. Unsure, Logan tells him he didn’t come to preach. He’s worried.
Quentin takes a cellphone from one of the frozen guests who shot a pic of Logan. Right,,. he mocks. He is worried about him. He doesn’t know if Logan has looked into the mirror lately, but compared to him Quentin looks like seventy-six billion bucks.
As an exhausted Logan sinks down, Quentin asks him what exactly he is worried about. Phoenix Corp made him rich. He tosses a bundle of notes into the air and burns them. Does he think he doesn’t know why he is really here? That he hasn’t given that peeping Spider-Tom Logan sent around the “full Monty” on purpose? That he couldn’t smell the body scent on Tony Stark a thousand miles away? He and his little Avenger pals are worried all right! Worried that he has come to his senses!
Logan tells him enough. He ain’t got nothing to prove to him. He knows what Quentin could do if he wants. He knows why he doesn’t. Quentin scoffs that he doesn’t know anything. He’s only here because it hurt his ego to think he failed at one of his little projects. No need to worry. He can confirm.it. He ruined Quentin’s life! Quentin went to the future. He met the little hero Logan tried to make of him. He saw the things he put in his skull tear him apart. He saw himself die! He shares what he saw with Logan. All this pushing and this prodding! Can’t he see what just being around him does?
Logan gets up and admits Quentin may be right. Maybe the blame for all his troubles lies at Logan’s feet. But he ain’t never been afraid of nothing. Dying least of all. Does he know why he always runs? Why he can’t stand being in the school? It’s because he cares. He care so much he can’t take it! He’s terrified of losing it. He puts his hand on Quentin’s shoulder. Of being alone again. They all face death. Some of them a hell of a lot more than they should. But he can’t be too scared to live.
Quentin slaps away his hand and rhetorically repeats Logan thinks he is scared? He tells him to look around. Does he recognize the faces? he asks, referring to the X-Men cosplayers. All the people Logan failed?
He controls them to attack Logan, who tries to defend himself without hurting the people. Logan tells him he’s made his point. He wins. The attacks stop. Quire states he is an omega level mutant billionaire with knowledge of the future. He could destroy Logan or anyone he wants at any time he chooses. But he’s not like him. He’s not Xavier. He’s not Magneto. Not Jean Grey or those idiot Summers brothers. The stupid quips, the defanged catchphrases. All the time he’s just let him see exactly what he wanted. Logan is wrong. Quire doesn’t win. He touches his t-shirt. And the writing “YOU LOSE” appears on it. Get it? he asks.
Disgusted, he turns away and orders Logan to get the hell out of his club.
