Kwannon thinks to herself that what she touches withers – and what she loves dies. The voice of her mentor echoes: 'Who are you to save anyone?' she hears her mentor say. Kwannon decides that she has no right to play hero, to be righteous. She tells herself that Elizabeth kept the righteousness, and left her as the shell. 'You know what you are. You will fail' Kwannon tells herself, echoing thr words of her former mentor. 'Myself against myself. Silence your thoughts. They cannot help you. Remember where you are. Focus. Remember what you came to accomplish. And those who followed you here' Kwannon, who now calls herself Psylocke, tells herself as she looks out to her companions, who drop down to the ground in Dubai, where they are about to confront a hostile force. 'Don't injure them! They aren't in control!' Laura Kinney a.k.a. X-23 calls out to her allies as they find themselves confronted by Apoth's civilian forces. 'And if they're trying to injure us?' the time-displaced Nathan Summers a.k.a. Cable asks. 'Then we get hurt. They're innocent' Laura replies. 'Are we clear?' she shouts. 'Clear!' Paige Guthrie a.k.a. Husk responds. 'Clear!' Roxy Washington a.k.a. Bling agrees.
'Psylocke?' X-23 calls out, after hearing nothing from Psylocke herself. 'Psylocke?' she snaps again, while Psylocke readies her psychic knife and announces that she is here. 'And apoth's up there' she adds, looking up to a high-rise building. Psylocke tells her companions that they don't need her, that they never did – they can do what must be done. 'I have a god to kill, Laura' Psylocke adds. 'Then get it done!' Laura calls back as she knocks over one of Apoth's forces. Laura tells the others to form up, to get some space between them and Apoth's forces. She adds that Psylocke has her task, and they have theirs. 'Stop them but keep them alive' Laura reminds the others.
Psylocke tells herself that this is already done, that through her will, she can accomplish the task. 'This is already done' she remarks. She closes her eyes, and tells herself to run. Her feet spring across the ground, 'Run, little caterpillar. Jump, little caterpillar' Psylocke thinks to herself, when suddenly, 'Fly' she calls out, as psychic energy manifests around her, and psychic butterfly wings appear, which begin to carry her up the side of the high rise. Pain, like failure, claws at her. It whispers, and tells her that she is not strong enough. Psylocke tries to fight the pain with love. 'Fly' she telsl herself, while thinking that she must fight with rage, but fight. 'FLY!' Psylocke screams as she moves higher and higher on the psionic butterfly wings.
Down below, Cable and the girls are still up against Overclock's controlled forces, when Cable informs Laura that he has an idea to buy them some time. 'Don't start asking for permission. Make it happen!' Laura calls back to Cable. 'Copy that' Cable replies as he hurls something towards their opponents and tells his companions to cover their eyes. The small object hits the ground, and releases a blinding flash that takes out Overclock's forces, while the mutant heroes cover their eyes to protect themselves. 'Lord, Cable. What was that?' Husk asks. Cable explains that it was modified phosphorus, and explains, Overclock or not, fire makes anything back off. Laura turns to Cable and asks him how much crazy he brought with him. 'Plenty' Cable responds. Laura tells him that she will keep that in mind, and suggests he keep it under control. 'Always' Cable assures Laura, who turns to see Psylocke continue to fly up the side of the high-rise and utters 'She's up to him. it. You can do this, Psy'.
'No more children' the manifestation of Apoth, appearing as a combination of man and machine utters as it hovers on the rooftop of the high-rise. 'Hai!' Psylocke exclaims as she drops down onto the rooftop. 'No more children. I should have destroyed you before. Don't expect me to make that mistake again' she warns the creature. The strange being asks 'So how do you mutants do it? Pithy words and then we fight?' to which it boasts that it can be anywhere in any mind, linked by his dirty drug. 'You can't destroy me' Apoth declares, while asking Psylocke to be the mother of God, beside him, to take his mercy. 'I don't want mercy' Psylocke responds as she holds up her Overclock technology and places it on her forehead, adding that she doesn't deserve it. 'But you deserve me' she informs Apoth. 'Use that and I already have you' Apoth warns Psylocke, who suddenly connects to Overclock.
Back outside, Laura tells the others that they need to help Psylocke, otherwise what is happening here will be the world world. Cable points out that he doesn't think Psylocke wants their help. 'I don't care what she wants' Laura exclaims, when suddenly, 'Oh no... no...' Laura utters as one of the civilians under Apoth's control lunges forward and pushes Husk backwards, to the ground. 'Please...kill... kill me...' the man pleads, appearing to be in agony. The man lashes out Husk, who calls out to Laura, 'What do I do -' Husk begins, before a shot is fired, and the Overclock-controlled civilian falls backwards. 'Cable!' Psylocke snaps. 'He was dead already' Cable remarks, before asking how they save the ones that aren't.
Linked to Psylocke, Apoth looks at her and remarks 'Fascinating. Your mutation of mind keeps you independent of me. But not for long'. Psylocke readies her psi-knife as Apoth asks her if she thinks she has more power here. 'How are you so foolish?' Apoth mutters, declaring that here, possibilities are infinite, his power is infinite. 'Kneel. And I will spare you so much pain' Apoth warns Psylocke, who responds by telling Apoth to kneel, and then she won't end him. 'End me? You can't even touch me. Try. Walk to me and try' Apoth responds. Psylocke closes her eyes and tells herself to ignore Apoth's words and laughter. 'You don't need to survive...God just needs to die' Psylocke tells herself as she opens her eyes and appears with some psychic armor and shield to protect herself.
'Enough' Apoth declares, remarking that perhaps God is meant to be alone. Energy crackles around Apoth's hand, which he directs at Psylocke, who blocks it with the psi-shield. The energy pours on, but Psylocke stands her ground as Apoth tells her that her mind is open to him. 'Can you feel it?' he asks her. 'Shall I choose the form of your cruel teacher?' Apoth asks, as his form shifts into that of Psylocke's hooded mentor. Psylocke doesn't react, she continues to hold her psi-shield strong, blocking the attack. Apoth shifts its form again, 'Or your love?' he asks Psylocke. 'Or your child?' he suggests, shifting his appearance into that of Psylocke's dead daughter. Psylocke doesn't react, she holds strong and pushes forward through the energy attack.
On the battle field, 'Laura!' Cable calls out as energy wraps around X-23, who flips over it, and lands near several of Apoth's forces, which she knocks back with ease. 'What do we do?' Bling asks. 'We help Laura save their lives' Cable replies. 'That's what I thought. Follow me' Husk smiles as the heroes rush towards Laura.
At that moment, 'Mommy! Mommy, no! I'm not fighting anymore!' Apoth, manifesting as Psylocke's daughter calls out, as Psylocke moves closer and closer, and eventually slams her psi-shield into Apoth, 'Please!' her “daughter” pleads, before Psylocke shoves her psi-knife into Apoth, creating a huge flare of energy that is noticed by those outside. 'Is that her winnin' or losing?' Bling asks. 'Winning' Husk declares 'Surviving?' Cable suggests. 'I don't know' Husk admits. Back on the rooftop, Psylocke looks at her hands as a voice calls out her name. Psylocke looks up and sees a strange figure hovering over her. Humanoid, glowing. 'It is finished' the figure tells Psylocke. 'What are you?' Psylocke asks. The new figure explains that it is the other aspect of what called itself Apoth. It states that life is binary, always, and to be God, Apoth had to make an adversary, and Apoth knew that, which is how he came to exist. 'And now there is no need for me' the being adds. Psylocke asks the being why he didn't stop Apoth, to which the mysterious being replies 'I did stop him. I sent you'.
Later, back on Krakoa, 'What do you mean you're walking away from us?' Laura asks. 'We can keep fighting together. We can be something. Don't shut us out' she tells Psylocke, who explains that she is not shutting them out, but setting them free of her. Psylocke claims that she isn't a leader, but tells Laura that she is. 'You're better than me. More certain than me. All I know how to di is make someone what I am. That can't happen'. Laura asks Psylocke what she is going to do, to which Psylocke replies 'I'm going to hope that I can call you a friend'. The two women then embrace.
Shortly, at Bar Sinister, 'It lives within?' Sinister asks, holding the Overclock technology. Psylocke tells Sinister that she isn't Xavier, and she can't even do what Elizabeth does, but that Apoth's echoes in her mind are bound in that thing. 'You should destroy it. But I know you won't' she tells him. 'Let's pretend I destroyed it' Sinister suggests, before asking Psylocke that if he had need of her, could he call on her. 'If you can find me. And if I believe your need is just' Psylocke responds. 'What could be more fair than that?' Sinister replies.
Afterwards, Psylocke looks out to the sun, which beams down on her. She tells herself that she did a good thing – that she can do good things. 'I can' she utters.
