X-Haven, a refuge in Limbo where many mutants currently live, several of whom already illy due to the Terrigen Mists.
One teenage girl, Alisha Jackson, sits in the tent she shares with her mother and her younger mutant sister Maya. Alisha recalls how the X-Men had contacted her family and offered them a place to live. First her mother had refused, but then her sister grew sick and the neighborhood found out Maya was a mutant. So they called the X-Men and they brought h family to X-Haven. Despite everything they tried, however, nobody, not even the healers, could cure Maya’s illness.
Maya lies in bed feverish and weakly asks if she is here.
Her mother and sister put a wet cloth on her brow and tell her to sleep. Alisha promises her she will soon come. When Maya sleeps her mother chides Alisha for making such promises. Where is she going? Alisha replies, she promised to save them, so she is going to find her. She’s going to find Storm!
That moment, Storm, Forge and Old Man Logan are teleported back onto mansion grounds, welcomed by Iceman and Magik, who asks what happened. Not now, is Storm’s curt response. Not now? Iceman repeats. They just went to a secret meeting between the bigwigs that Beast called on Muir Isle – and he can’t believe he wasn’t invited – and now she won’t even tell them what happened? Clearly overwhelmed, Storm tells them that she needs to regroup. She asks them to gather the others. They will meet in fifteen minutes.
Illyana insists she tell them now. Are they going to war with the Inhumans or not? Storm admits she doesn’t know. What does she mean she doesn’t know? Iceman demands. Logan orders him to back off. She had a rough day. She had to zap one of her best friends.
Forge wanders off, announcing he has preparations to make.
Would someone please just tell them what’s going on? Bobby shouts. Logan tells him and Illyana to prepare for the worst.
Alisha walks into the mansion past many mutants. Alisha tries to address her but Storm tells her this is not a good time and suggests she get someone from the support staff. Alisha tries to explain, but Logan tells Storm they need to talk now. Fine, her office, she decides. They then walk there, leaving Alisha behind.
The young woman reluctantly leaves the mansion, recalling how her sister was excited to come here despite the M-pox. Maya’s power manifested young, she always wanted to be a superhero and Storm was her favorite. She wanted to meet Storm, but they never met any X-Men. They were always on missions. And now she is going to have to tell Maya she won’t meet Storm before she… Angrily, she turns around. She promised.
In her office, Storm explains to Logan she knows the others need to be told If they are really going to war with the Inhumans. It’s going to happen fast, but she needed a moment to gather herself. “If?” he repeats and bluntly tells her they are past that. It’s going to happen; they are out of time. This ain’t a matter of “if” anymore. Either the Inhumans’ Terrigen Cloud goes or mutants do. Storm stresses she knows that. So why does he get the feeling she isn’t sure, he asks. Because war goes against everything she is, Storm admits. This is not just some battle against Mr. Sinister or Apocalypse. She swore to protect these people, not send them to war!
He sits down on the desk beside her. War may be the only way to protect them, he points out. It doesn’t seem heroic, she muses. He points out that being a hero ain’t as simple as it used to be.
Storm fears, if they go after the Inhumans, there will be no going back to how it was at the beginning, but then it hasn’t been that way for a long time… He promises to follow her lead, whatever she decides.
Alisha enters the mansion. She sees several youngsters standing around Jean Grey. She has figured out the mutants have cliques like anyone. And as far as the young ones are concerned, the coolest kid is the redhead.
She addresses Jean and tries to explain what she wants but, before she can finish, Jean kindly shuts her down, explaining they are about to have an X-Men meeting, maybe they can talk some other time.
They walk off until Alisha screams why won’t someone listen to her. Her sister is going to die! They turn around and, crying, she asks if they can help her find Storm.
Soon, Alisha enters her family’s tent. Her mother warns her she doesn’t think Maya has much time. Then Storm enters and apologizes for not having come sooner. Maya smiles broadly when she sees her. Storm strokes her head and announces she has heard a lot about her. Her sister told her a lot when they walked over here. She wants to join the X-Men? Maya agrees. She explains she can see through everything. Storm agrees that is a very useful power. Has she thought of a mutant codename yet? Lucid, Maya immediately replies. Storm announces she is making her officially a member of the team, as Alisha quietly observes that Maya is about to die. Maya dies as happy as she can.
Storm’s anger and grief manifest as lightning and a thunderstorm outside. She steps out of the tent and informs the X-Men that Maya is gone then tells them to listen. They all know that they have been waging a battle against the effects of the Terrigen cloud. She brought them to Limbo assuming they could find a way to reverse the effects of the M-Pox. She thought they could live in peace. She thought they could find a way to work with the Inhumans to stop the death and sickness. Just now, she held the hands of one of them, a brave little girl named Lucid, as she succumbed to the M-Pox. And that moment she finally admitted to herself that they have failed.
There is no safe haven or cure. She swore to keep them safe and there is only one way to do that. What they are about to do will divide the world even further. She can understand any who wish to stay behind. Logan assures her they are with her. Storm announces, today they go to war.
