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The Inhuman called Karnak rushes down a street within New Attilan, coming to a stop when he finds the blood-covered bodies of several Inhumans including Triton, Inferno, the young Ms Marvel, Gorgon and Crystral strewn on the ground before him. 'What've we got here? A stray Inhuman... come to help his friends?' a voice calls Marvel Girl and the Stepford Cuckoos have trapped Karnak in a psychic illusion where the Inhumans have been slaughtered by Sabretooth and he is under attack by the X-Men. The girls discuss the current war with the Inhumans, unaware that Mindee is in contact with Fantomex, who is in the reality known as the World. He is using Mindee's link to Karnak to copy Karnak's power as Fantomex searches the World, which the Someday Corporation has hacked. He is the guardian of the World, and needs to make sure that it is safe. During the process, Mindee inadvertantly shows Karnak that the Stepford Cuckoos were born in the World, which angers her sisters. They create more X-Men to keep Karnak occupied. Fantomex locates the Someday Corporation's virus within the World, and ends his connection to Mindee. Mindee reveals to the other girls what she was doing with Fantomex, while Karnak thinks he has located the breaking point. Fantomex, meanwhile, announces that with the Someday Corporation's virus, he is going to become the World.
out. Karnak turns to see Sabretooth, claws dripping with Inhuman blood, moving towards him, warning him that he is too late, that they got in the way so they got iced. 'You wanna join them, i'm happy to -' Sabretooth begins, before Karnakk moves swiftly towards him and shoves his fingers into Sabretooth's neck, then kicking the savage, startled mutant in the face, knocking his paralyzed body to the ground. Karnak stands on Sabretooth's lower back, then delivers a deadly blow into the back of Sabretooth's neck.
Medusa appears and tells Karnak that it is about time he showed up. 'Queen Medusa. The mutants -' Karnak begins. 'They have declared war, yes' Medusa replies. Karnak tells her that they knew this day was coming, as the Terrigen Mists have become increasingly poisonous to mutantkind. 'Now they strike at us... here in the royal city... in order to incapacitate us' Karnak adds. Medusa tells him that they seek to destroy the Terrigen Cloud. 'Without the Inhumans to stand in their way -' Medusa begins, before Karnak interrupts her, asking' Should we?' He tells Medusa to not bother responding to his rhetoric, as they both know the answer. 'The mutants attacked when they might have negotiated. They have made themselves our enemies' Karnak remarks, however he looks around, and decides 'That rings true. But something... does not. This is not New Attilan, is it? Where – am I?' he wonders.
Karnak is inside the Tower of Wisdom, trapped though in a psychic construct thanks to the time-displaced Marvel Girl, and the Stepford Cuckoos, who sit in a circle around him. Jean Grey a.k.a. Marvel Girl tells the Cuckoos that Karnak is starting to figure it out, that he knows this isn't real. Celeste tells her to calm down, as they are four of the most powerful telepaths in the world, so if they can't wrangle him back under their control, she doesn't know anyone who can. Celeste then suggests that perhaps they should die him up, just in case he does wake up, but Marvel Girl tells her that she doesn't think that would do any good, as she isn't sure there is a knot that would hold him. She reminds the Cuckoos that Karnak's gift is to see the weakness in any structure, any plan, any person, so right now, that makes him the most dangerous Inhuman around – at least until they have dealt with the cloud. Marvel Girl tells the Cuckoos that they are going to keep Karnak distracted, running in circles, for as long as they can.
Phoebe suggests that they are getting a little distracted themselves, and that they need to focus, coordinate their energies. 'Speaking of which... whose bright idea was it to show Sabretooth killing Inhumans?'
Mindee admits that was her. She apologizes and tells the others that she should have warned them. 'I just thought... if we can keep Karnak angry... it'll be easier to manipulate him' Mindee explains. Marvel Girl tells her that was a bad call, for eventually, when all the ugliness is over and the dust settles, they are going to need to mend fences with the Inhumans, and that is going to be a lot harder if they think the X-Men are butchers.
Celeste looks skeptical as she asks Jean Grey if she really believes they are going to “mend fences”. Jean doesn't answer, and the other Cuckoos fall silent, until Phoebe asks what will happen when Karnak wakes up. 'I mean... if he wakes up and finds us here?' she asks. 'You saw what he did to Sabretooth' Phoebe points out. 'Maybe he kills us. Maybe he escapes. But even if he does... where's he going to go?' Mindee asks.
The Tower of Wisdom appears to be floating on a chunk of land, in a strange realm with a pink sky. Other chunks of land and buildings float by, as do strange creatures, while a large robot-like being hovers, emitting bursts of energy. 'Have a care, mademoiselle' a telepathic voice calls out. 'If we lost Karnak in here... we might never see him again. The World is a big place. And full of violent, violent things' the voice adds. They are in the World, an artificial reality, and super-Sentinel factory. 'That's comforting...especially since you're supposed to be watching over us...but instead you're gallivanting around on some secret mission' Mindee responds telepathically to the mercenary Fantomex, who tells her not to worry. 'Ultimaton will not let any harm befall you' Fantomex assures her as he looks up at the robotic being radiating the energy. Mindee then suggests that if they want Karnak off the field, then why not let him go – it sounds like cutting him loose might be good for all of mutant kind.
'Perhaps... but it would not serve our...ulterior motives' Fantomex replies as he drops onto a floating walkway. Fantomex telepathically reminds Mindee that if Karnak wakes up, he will be none-too-pleased with the little telepaths who are holding him prisoner, and explains that Ultimaton is programmed to shield them from the World – not from Inhumans. He adds that he isn't there to protect them in such a circumstance. Mindee assures Fantomex that they can take care of themselves, and that the false chivalry isn't necessary. 'Of course, of course. I never intended to imppugn your abilities' Fantomex replies, before several robots drop down on some small asteroids floating in front of Fantomex. 'After all, I couldn't do this without you' Fantomex remarks, before asking Mindee if she is seeing what he is seeing. 'That's how mental links work' Mindee replies. 'Don't be judgy. It's not often that I willingly allow anyone to telepathically connect with me' Fantomex explains.
'Afraid I'll uncover some deep-rooted secret?' Mindee asks. 'Afraid one of my long-forgotten psychic landmines might go off and give you an explosive aneurism' Fantomex responds, before reporting that it looks like he has been noticed, as the deadly robots turn to him. 'The likelihood of aggression means I'm heading in the right direction' Fantomex informs Mindee, asking her to patch him through to Karnak. 'Let's see how he would handle this dilemma' Fantomex suggests. Fantomex faces the robots, and his predicament is similarly played out to Karnak, who finds himself confronted by Magik, Monet, Psylocke, Warpath and the time-displaced Cyclops. Karnak observes his opponents, then leaps out of the way as Cyclops fires an optic blast towards him. Magik moves in with her Soulsword, but Karnak leaps over that, too.
As Fantomex shoves a weapon into the face of one of the robots, Mindee telepathically tells him that she is still unsure why they are keeping this a secret from the others. 'What you're doing -' she begins. 'Yes, yes. I'm fighting the good fight' Fantomex replies, while, in the illusion, Monet flies towards Karnak, who has the young Cyclops in a headlock. Fantomex explains that somehow the forces behind the Someday Corporation were using World biotechnology to try to enhance the sleeper mutants – but they failed, and quite bloodily – but they still managed to hack this system. Fantomex uses the energies of one of the robots to blast another, and informs Mindee that he elected himself as the guardian of the World, the stalwart defender of all its secrets, so he must make sure the breach is sealed. He adds that it would appear the World is in no mood for his intervention today.
While Warpath attacks Karnak, but is knocked back, in the illusion, Fantomex explains that a computer virus on the physical plane, designed to steal information and project itself, using the factory to create its own defenses while doing so. 'The others would understand. They wouldn't want to look the other way' Mindee tells Fantomex, who kicks one of the robots over. 'Of course not. And that is why they must be kept in the dark, I'm afraid' Fantomex tells them. He reminds Mindee that the others have a mission of their own to attend to. 'Three telepaths can compensate for one distracted mind. I'm not sure they could handle the distraction, though' he adds as Kanrak is confronted by Psylocke. Shoving his fist through one of the robots, Fantomex announces 'That was oddly satisfying', while Mindee asks if keeping Karnak under their influence isn't solely so Fantomex can patch into his weakness awareness to help him accomplish his goals. 'You woundmme, dear. You know as well as I do... how dangerous the world can be' Fantomex replies.
Mindee gasps as she suddenly sees Karnak surrounded by strange cables and wires that are connected to pods where a woman appears to be in stasis in all of the pods. Suddenly, 'What was that? Who did that?' Marvel Girl asks, back in reality. 'It wasn't me' Celeste declares. 'Me either' Phoebe adds, before turning to Mindee. 'What's wrong. I've lost connection' Fantomex tells Mindee, who tells him that she is sorry, and that she lost focus. 'It's unsafe for me to lose connection here!' Fantomex exclaims, while Marvel Girl asks 'What was that, anyway? It looked like -' she begins, before Phoebe tells her that it is nothing she needs to worry about. Celeste and Phoebe glare at Mindee, and Phoebe telepatically asks her what she was going, showing that, revealing that they were “born” here, like the other weapons created in this place. 'Not cool' Celeste snaps. Mindee telepathically explains that it just sort of slipped out, and assures the girls that she has everything under control now.
'Okay. Everybody just..keep your head in the game' Marvel Girl tells the Stepford Cuckoos, as they project more mutants to oppose Karnak – Rogue, Mystique, Toad, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Gambit, the Blob, Deadpool, Colossus, Archangel, Magneto, Domino, Banshee, Armor, the Beast, Old Man Logan and Storm. Karnak is able to knock Iceman and the Blob back, but the other mutants are ready to strike Karnak steps back as Old Man Logan lunges at him, claws ready to strike. The Toad leaps at Karnak, who grabs him and tosses him at Rogue and Armor, knocking them over. Karnak glances over his shoulder and sees Medusa, who tells him that they have taken his people prisoner. 'Don't let this happen!' she exclaims. 'Free them!' Medusa urges Karnak, who walks towards a strange door. 'This...is not real. But... the Inhumans...' he remarks to himself, putting his hand on a panel on the door.
'Yes, yes. We all have species to save' Fantomex mutters as he stands outside a similar door, drawing on Karnak's abilities, he has located this door, leaving a trail of robots strewn about. 'Inhuman... mutant... and whatever is beyond' Fantomex declares as the doors open. 'The virus... like a flower... its petals opening... after all the obstacles... welcoming me' Fantomex remarks as he passes through the doors and walks down a corridor, where tendrils with razor blades and pincers lash out towards him. 'Someday' the robotic voice of a large Sentinel head, which the tendrils are connected to, states as Fantomex stands before it. Mindee tells Fantomex to be carefully, telepathically informing him that she is getting some interference, but that she is plugging this thing, whatever it is, into Karnak's neural pathways. 'Someday' the Sentinel states again. Fantomex tells the Sentinel that Someday is gone, that the mutants they infected with World Technology have been set free. 'And you are -' Fantomex begins, but the Sentinel states 'Someday' once again. 'I was going to say “uesloess” and then use my devilish charm and powers of misdirection to convince you to commit suicide' Fantomex responds, before deciding he should have a look at the Sentinel before he does anything rash.
Still linked to Karnak, Fantomex finds the yellow bug-like virus on the Sentinel. 'There we are. That's how Someday hacked into your systems, isn't it?' he remarks. He shoves a knife through the virus, 'Let's just do away with that...make sure no one else has the chance to follow the backdoor they've -' Fantomex stops himself and goes wide-eyed as he looks at something that glows before him. 'Well...what have we here?' he wonders, before puttingit into his jacket pocket. 'Fantomex? Is it done?' Mindee asks. He doesn't respond to her. 'Can you hear me?' Mindee calls out telepathicallly. Fantomex tells her that he hears her, but that now it is time for her to be quiet. 'Excuse me while I place the anti-psi plating back in my mask' Fantomex tells her, as he puts a small device into his mask. 'Wait! Don't just -' Mindee cries, but then she loses contact with him.
'He locked me out!' Mindee exclaims. 'He did? I'm not detecting any changes in his mental state' Jean remarks, while Celeste and Phoebe look at their sister. 'No... not Karnak. It was Fantomex' Mindee explains. 'Fantomex? What are you talking about?' Phoebe asks. Mindee tells the others that Fantomex saw this as an opportunity, a chance to use Karnak to help him stop another threat to mutants. 'So that's where all the psychic non sequiturs were coming from?' Jean asks. 'Everything we're trying to fo – you put it at risk!' she declares. 'I thought I was helping' Mindee snaps back. 'There won't be any mutants to help if we screw up!' Jean snaps. Mindee tells her that it doesn't matter, anyway, as he has gone now. Mindee adds that she doesn't know what he was up to, but that the mental connection is severed. 'You must have known this was wrong, Irma. Otherwise you would have told us' Jean tells Mindee, calling her by her true name. 'You better hope this didn't jeopardize the mission' Jean warns her.
At that moment, Karnak looks upwards: 'There it is... the breaking point' he tells himself.
Fantomex walks out of the room where the Sentinel head was. The robots he defeated earlier stand up: 'Someday?' they repeat over and over. 'That's right. Someday. But not now' Fantomex tells them. A smile can be seen beneath Fantomex's mask as he declares that there is a new utility function in town. 'Destroy?' one of the robots asks. 'Someday? Hunt and harvest?' another enquires. 'You mean my mutant friends?' Fantomex asks. 'No, no. Let them have their war. I'm done with all that' Fantomex remarks, announcing that there are much more interesting opportunities to consider. He adds that he has gutted the Someday Corporation's access-point to the World's systems, but he couldn't just leave the void he created tenantless, could he? Fantomex reveals that he has seeded his ID, ego and super-ego into the network. 'All hail the God-King virus' he remarks, claiming that when he next sees his old allies and old enemies – he will be quite changed. “Everybody wants to rule the world” he quotes. 'No. I will become the World'.


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Limbo, where Victor “Sabretooth” Creed and Rachel Grey trudge across a barren, rocky landscape under a burnt red sky. 'Damn' Creed remarks as they come across the petrified body of an Inhuman, motionless on the ground. Creed crouches near the body and informs Rachel that the Inhuman hasn't been dead long, but you wouldn't know that by looking at him. Rachel asks Creed what happened to the Inhuman, and what could have done this. 'You need ask?' Creed replies, looking up at several winged demons who fly away behind a nearby mountain range. 'What have we done?' Rachel asks, hanging her head. 'Inhumans getting killed by demons... after we dropped them off in Limbo... isn't going to win us any popularity contests' Creed tells Rachel, who declares that the Inhumans aren't even supposed to be here – they just got caught up in the undertow when they grabbed the key players. 'This isn't what we wanted' Rachel adds.
'It's not what most of us wanted' Creed corrects her. 'What does that mean?' the confused Rachel asks. 'You know damn well what it means' Creed snarls, before asking how many more are unaccounted for. Rachel tells him that there are three they know of, and that they aren't going to last long with these demons. Creed asks her if she can locate the others, and using her telepathic power, Rachel reports that she is trying, but that she has to be careful, for casting a wide net, there is no telling what kind of awfulness she will pick up. 'Don't put yourself at -' Creed begins, reaching out, he puts a hand on Rachel's shoulder, but she pulls away: 'HEY!' she shouts. 'Don’t! Don't touch me!'
Creed pulls away and holding his hands up, tells Rachel that no offense was intended. Creed suggests that they track the Inhumans the old-fashioned way, and starts to lead the way, telling Rachel to keep her psychic sweeps localized and she won't need to worry about getting too close to anything unpleasant. 'It's safer that way' he frowns, while Rachel follows him, a few feet behind. Creed tells himself that is a joke, that there ain't no such thing as safety – not for the Inhumans and not for the mutants – either the Inhumans pissed that idea away when they released the Terrigen across the Earth, or the X-Men did when they struck back. Creed and Rachel examine their surroundings as they walk across the barren land, and Creed notices scratches against a rock, splattered with blood. He thinks that he has been in some inhospitable holes in his time, but this place, Limbo, is the belle of the ball.
The rocks are razor sharp, and Creed touches the blood. He knows that if you brush up against them you are going to rip something open – but on the bright side, the blood gives him something to track, something he knows. He puts his blood-covered fingers to his noes. It makes it a little easier to pick out a scent among the rotten egg brimstone that sticks to you in Limbo. The trail is faint, fleeting, but it is there. Creed tells Rachel that they have to move fast, and explains that the rocky ground here, it is as if it drinks the blood, sucks it right down into the pores. 'Lovely' Rachel mutters, while Creed decides that there is part of him, deep down inside, that appreciates the the benefits of this locale – rocks that can gut you and then slurp down the blood – can go a long way to covering up a killing. He realizes that, back in the day, this could have been his stomping grounds. But that was then – and this is something different.
Suddenly, moving around from behind some rocks, a green-skinned Inhuman appears, blood tricking from her mouth, she begs 'Please...don't...please just leave me alone...'. Rachel goes over and the Inhuman collapses into her arms. She tells her that it is all right, that they have got her and she is going to be all right. The weak Inhuman asks 'What is this place' and reveals that demons attacked her and ruined her wings. Rachel tells her that they have healers and can help her. 'Why would you bring me to a place like this?' the Inhuman enquires. Creed tells Rachel to get her out of here and he will find the others. Rachel asks Creed if he is sure, to which he replies that he will be fine, and adds that if this is Hell, then he is going to end up here eventually, so he might as well get used to it.
'Attacked by demons' Creed thinks to himself as he passes over a ridge, deciding that the Inhuman kid might not realize it, but she dodged a bullet. He sees a winged demon, its body destroyed ahead of him, and Creed thinks that there are worse things than demons out here. He knows the Inhumans are running scared, and he can't blame them – yanked from their homes, thrown into a place like this – not too different from the mutants trying to avoid the T-Mists – and perhaps they should be afraid – maybe they should learn what it feels like. Creed approaches a cave, and tells himself that one thing is for sure – a mutant, someone who's been hunted – someone living in a world where the air itself is poisonous – would know better than to run off into the shadows. Because, in the shadows – that is where the monsters dwell. 'Monet' Creed calls out as he finds Monet St Croix within the cave, her hand over the face of an Inhuman, while anoher horrified Inhuman stands nearby and watches.
Monet's eyes are red and the energy-sucking tendrils within her palms that she has recently come to possess – or rather, be possessed by – writhe about. 'Victor. What are you doing here?' Monet snaps as she spins around. 'Looking for missing Inhumans' Creed replies, adding that they aren't supposed to be here, so he figured they might be in some sort of danger. 'Looks like you found them' Creed points out. 'And the X-Men sent you to find the errant Inhumans? You? Oh, that's rich' Monet declares. Creed informs Monet that he wasn't sent alone, and that Rachel Grey is on the hunt, too. 'Oh...little miss “Always the Hound, never the Phoenix” is with you, too? Where is she? I'd love to catch up' Monet adds sarcastically. Creed informs Monet, who moves away from the Inhuman, that he sent Rachel back, and reveals that he picked up Monet's scent a ways back – hhe figured he should have a word with her on his own first. 'Aw. Protecting your new friend? I'm not sure I like that' Monet responds.
'This isn't you. It's your brother. But... he needs to feed on mutants... not Inhumans' Creed reminds Monet, pointing out that Emplate can't be getting anything from the Inhumans. 'Maybe not. But I get a different kind of satisfaction supping on these worthless sacks. After all, the mutants who have died because of them... after Madrox died because of them... they...' Monet's voice trails off. Creed stands close to her: 'No. Monet. You can't do this. You have to stop -' Creed begins, when Monet shrieks, 'DON'T TELL ME WHAT I HAVE TO DO!' as she lunges towards Creed. The  palms of her hands reaching for him, Creed falls back over the energy-drained Inhuman, while the other Inhuman looks on, confused. 'This is what I want, Victor. Maybe you... now that you've been denied what you really want for so long... can't understand that. But I'm not like you. I'm free!' Monet exclaims. 'Aw, M... you must know that's not true... and when the X-Men find you -' Creed begins. 'But they didn't find me! You did! And we both know you don't have what it takes to stop me!' Monet snaps as the tendrils thrashing about from her palms lash towards Creed – who slices his claws through one of them, cutting it almost back to the palm.
'Don't push me, girl! You don't know me nearly as well as you think!' Creed warns Monet. The Inhuman looks at the remains of the bloody tendril that fall onto a nearby rock, while Creed informs Monet that if he has to hurt her in order to help her – that's what he will do. 'It's cute that you think that, Victor. Cute, but sad' Money replies, reminding Creed that he has been helping her all along – helping her keep her condition a secret – helping her feed. Monet reveals that Creed offered his own marrow up so often that she has absorbed some of his abilities – his healing – and his claws! With that, Monet, sporting Creed-like claws, leaps at Sabretooth and slashes him across his chest. If that wasn't the worst of it, Monet is already stronger than Creed. 'He's pulling his punches, sister! He doesn't want to hurt you' Emplate's voice can be heard through the mouths on Monet's palms. Creed tells himself that now Monet has got his regeneration factor, his claws, and his own abilities, ever since he started letting her feed on him, have been diminished. His reflexes are slowed, his strength is waning, and his healing is taking too long.
Creed and Monet lunge towards each other, and Creed tells himself that it is like he is tussling with a faster, tougher, more vicious version of himself – so he supposes that means he doesn't have to hold back after all – not if he wants to survive. But Monet gets the first strike in, raking her claws up Creed's body. He roars in pain, and knows that Monet is fighting like hell, but that it doesn't mean she wants him dead. Creed realizes that Monet's animal instincts have taken hold, and she feels the same things he does – the blood, the adrenaline, the pain. Creed reaches out to slash Monet, but she responds, latching one of the tendrils around Creed's neck, while the Inhuman watches from several feet away.
Creed pulls on the tendril and tells M that he knows what she is doing – attacking him with her brother's tongues. 'You know I'll cut them... know I'll take his voice away... at least for a short while' Creed points out. Suddenly, Monet's red eyes vanish, and she looks slightly calmer as she remarks 'They deserve to pay...all those mutants who died...Jamie...the Inhumans deserve it...don't they?' Monet asks. Creed doesn't answer her – his attention is drawn to the Inhuman who starts to run away out of the cave. Creed knows that the Inhuman is scared, lost in Limbo – where anything might find him. Creed pushes Monet away, slamming her into the cave wall. Creed starts to leave the cave, while a solemn Monet hangs her head.
Creed tells himself that, at one time, he might have let the Inhuman go, let them take their chance with the demons – but he doesn't have that choice anymore, at least, not a choice he is willing to make. Creed rushes across the barren terrain, knows that he is slipping – he can feel it. The old him coming back, chewing him up from the out – the Creed who doesn't care about anything but the kill – and it scares the hell out of him. He tells himself that the only thing that keeps it at bay, that keeps the devil at bay, is fighting for something worth believing in. But sometimes, those devils fight back. Creed comes to a halt as the Inhuman is several feet away, looking up at a ridge, where several horrid winged demons are waiting. The demons hiss, and the terrified Inhuman looks around. Sabretooth roars, then lunges at the demons. Creed thinks that every cut he makes slices away at who he is now. He shoves his claws into one of the demons' throats, and holds on with everything he has got, digging in, grasping at the lie as he feels it oozing warmly from between his fingers. He tosses the demon aside, while the other demons close in around him. 'That's how people are wired, isn't it? We're all too willing to fight tooth and claw for something we know isn't true' Creed tells himself, while the Inhuman covers his face, cowering in fear.
Grabbing one of the demons and slamming it to the ground, Creed tells himself that he knows he is not the man he has been pretending to be – but he doesn't want to let it go. A monster, a Marauder, an X-Man...it all gets so fuzzy in his head sometimes – his true nature mixing with the twisted, funhouse-mirror version. The third demon looms over Creed, who tells himself that he can't shake the cobwebs free – half the time when he is fighting alongside the X-Men, he is daydreaming about slaughtering his teammates – because that is what he is supposed to be doing. Creed grabs the third demon, and bites into it, tearing away the demon's flesh. Creed can't keep living the lie, and he doesn't want to go back to what he was, either – and that means becoming something new, something other than the truth – something other than a lie. The third demon drops dead, and Sabretooth, drenched in blood, gets to his feet.
'Th- thank you' the Inhuman calls out, getting to his feet, the Inhuman announces that he doesn't understand any of this – he doesn't know where they are, what is happening. 'But thank you so much for saving me from those things. 'Don't thank me, kid. I didn't save you. I saved her' Creed tells the Inhuman as Monet flies towards them, Emplate's tendrils thrashing about from the palms of her hands. The Inhuman screams. Sabretooth looms over the Inhuman, before Monet latches onto the young Inhuman. Creed thinks that he couldn't let the Inhuman slip away, as the X-Men might have found him, and he would have told them about Monet. He knows he has to fight for something to keep his head straight, and he promised Monet he would keep her secret, until they could figure out a way to beat the darkness inside her. Creed wallks away, and thinks that at least one of them needs a little hope, and decides that he will tell the others the truth – the Inhumans didn't survive the wilds of Limbo. The demons got them. And with that, tears fall down the face of the terrified Inhuman as Monet pulls him closer....


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Untitled
New Attilan, where several non-combatant Inhumans go about their business, like clearing debris from demolished statues in a garden that surrounds a temple. They are observed by Shen Xorn, who thinks to himself that it is not in the fury of battle that wars are won, that victory is not grasped ber generals gathered in their councils, rather, it is in the quiet moments, when cacophonous volley has subsided, when strategies have been played out, that the conqueror endures or falters. Children are gathered, and they look out from under a tree where they seek shade, over to where Archangel soars in the sky overhead, watching over the civilian Inhumans, and several mutants in black spandex surround this peaceful area. Xorn decides that war is a forge, and that when it cools, everything that passed through the hearth is reshaped and the future is cast.
The civilians try to avoid the gazes of the black-clad mutants, who are known as “Sleepers”. Xorn tells himself that he is not unchanged by this conflict, and that he thought himself a shepherd to the Sleepers, mutants who only wanted to escape death – but as they guard the Inhumans, he realizes that he has turned his flock into wolves. 'They promised' one of the Sleeper mutants utters as he watches the Inhumans.
'I am ashamed' Xorn tells himself. He kneels in the Inhumans' temple and admits that he is humbled by his own capacity for betrayal. A figure approaches Xorn and announces that thery should talk. Xorn knows without turning around that Sebastian Shaw stands behind him, and asks him to take a moment, to look around. 'Is this temple... this Inhuman temple... not breathtaking?' he asks, adding that he is certain this place fills its visitors with peace and hope. 'And we have taken it from them' he laments.
'Only in the interim, Xorn' Shaw replies, declaring that the Inhumans can have their sanctuary back once mutantkind is safe from the Terrigen Mists. Xorn stands up and tells Shaw that it sounds quite simple when he says it like that. Xorn asks Shaw if he thinks the Inhumans will ever regain their own sense of safety now that they have seen how quickly it can be ripped away from them? Shaw asks Xorn to forgive him, or not, for speaking bluntly, but he could not care less about how the Inhumans feel, as for months they have wallowed in their peace, their hope, while mutants fell prey to trhe Terrigen Cloud. Xorn remarks that it is no wonder Shaw has risen to his lofty station in life, as he is a charismatic man, and he almost convinced Xorn that he ever cared about the threat to their people.
Shaw shakes a finger at Xorn and tells him that he is making a mistake here, and that his misplaced guilt makes him careless. 'You allow these Inhumans to roam their city freely. This is  a recipe for disaster' Shaw warns Xorn. Xorn assures Shaw that their prisoners are not a threat to anyone and reminds him that they are being watched over by the Sleepers, which is as Magneto wished. 'Magneto's not here right now' Shaw declares as Xorn turns and walks away from him. 'No. Otherwise you would not have so openly opposed his wishes' Xorn responds. Shaw clenches his fists and tells Xorn not to walk away from him, as they are not done. 'That is why we are here, is it not? That is why we embrace atrocity. So that we will not be “done”. So that the mutant race will preserve.
'No matter the cost' Xorn declares as he walks outside, in amongst Sleeper mutants and Inhuman civilians. Archangel continues to watch from above, as the Inhumans turn to Xorn, and he can feel their eyes on him. He knows they are afraid, that many of them believe their days are numbered, and that mutants will not forgive and forget – that they will seek retribution against the Inhumans even after the sacred Terrigen Cloud is destroyed. Xorn is unable to tell them that their fear is unwarranted. Several children approach him and he tells them to go and play, and that with any luck, this will all be over soon. The children turn and run. 'Don't let him get us!' one of them shouts. 'Don't look into his eyes!' another calls out. Xorn looks over to several Sleepers, and he feels their eyes upon him, too, but it is not fear behind their stare. He reminds himself that he promised them sanctuary, seclusion, that they did not want to be used as weapons, and yet, here they are, loaded guns pointed at their hostages. 'And you, Archangel... are not listening, are you?' Xorn realize as he looks up at the winged X-Man.
Outside of the temple grounds, six Inhumans have gathered and examine their surroundings. Among them are two blonde women wearing blue costumes, an orange-skinned monstrous Inhuman, an elderly man with an oversized head, a metallic-like bald woman and a young woman in a pink and purple costume with metal gloves. 'There are so many of them' one of the blonde women remarks. She asks what they can do, as they are never going to get past all those mutants, but she knows that if they don't, then they are not going to be able to help Queen Medusa. The woman in the pink and purple costume turns to the blonde woman and asks her what her name is. She introduces herself as Treste, and refers to her sister, in the greenish-blue costume, as Irelle. The pink and purple clad woman introduces herself as Ren, and tells the others that she knows they are scared – she is, too, but that she needs them to focus for her.
Ren reminds the other Inhumans that this is their city, and she was just passing through. She asks them if they know why the mutants are so mad, and the older Inhuman with the large head tells her that it is the mists – the Terrigen Mists are killing them. 'Killing them? Well, not to be a jerk, but that sounds like a pretty good reason to be mad' Ren declares. The metallic woman exclaims that it does not give them the right to attack like this, and suggests that they could have tried to negotiate with the Queen. 'If the shoe was on the other foot, what would the Inhumans do?' Ren asks. The others don't answer, so Ren points out that it doesn't matter now, as battle lines have been drawn, and she is not one to let herself be caged. 'We're getting out of here' she informs the others. Treste reveals that she and Irelle have not undergone Terrigenesis, so they have no powers, and adds that if the mutants have their way, they may never be blessed. 'But we can still help' she announces, as Irelle reveals that they know the city fairly well and may be able to find a route out of here.
Ren tells them that it is too late for that, and now they have to decide if they are going to give up or go hard. 'What do you -' Treste begins, before Ren announces that they have been caught. Indeed, two female Sleepers appear above and move towards the Inhumans. 'What have we got here? A little rebellion forming in the shadows?' the female mutant riding some green cloud asks, while a woman with a starburst effect around her feet orders them all out of the alley, and tells them that nobody has to get hurt here. Ren turns back to the other Inhumans and asks them what it is going to be. 'I am not staying here. We fight' the monstrous Inhuman declares, while the older Inhuman tells the others to go, that he will hold the two mutants off. The mutant on the cloud screams as the older Inhuman enters her mind, forcing her to send her acid cloud towards the other Sleeper, who tells her to watch it, as she directs the cloud away. 'I can't! He's controlling me!' the acid-cloud mutant calls out.
Ren, Treste, Irelle and the other two Inhumans start to run, and Ren calls out to the sisters, telling them if they know a way out, then now is the time to start sharing. 'This way, come on!' Treste exclaims as she leads the others, but suddenly, everyone comes to a stop, as Xorn appears nearby and tells them that he knows they are confused, but that now is not the time for rash action. Flanked by a dozen Sleepers. 'I would suggest that we try -' Xorn begins, but is interrupted as Ren leaps towwards him, releasing a ribbon-like effect that spirals around her, she strikes Xorn in his face and tells him that the time for rational discussion has passed – for both of them. 'Of course they fight. Though they did not want to be here...did not want to be forced into this situation...any more than we mutants did' Xorn thinks to himself as the large Inhuman knocks back three of the Sleepers.
Xorn observes that they fight with everything they have, that they are young, their gifts are new to them – being Inhuman is new to them – and they are angry. The metallic Inhuman throws shards towards a woman with long hair, striking her wrist and shoulder. Xorn knows that the Sleepers wanted nothing more than to avoid conflict as well, so they, too, are angry. The bald Sleeper with the beard takes possession of the metallic woman, and Xorn notes that some of them turn their ire against the prisoners, but others, so many of the others, seethe at their real enemy – the one who promised them peace, the one who lied, as the large monstrous Inhuman slams two of the Sleepers aside, 'You hurt me, mutant! I'm gonna return the favor!' he calls out. The bearded Sleeper uses his power to transform Irelle into a de-evolved state. 'Irelle? Are you -' Treste calls out to her sister, while Xorn decides that he is angry as well, no matter how stridently he tries to keep his emotions in check. Ren tosses her ribbon like power against Xorn, while the children start to throw rocks towards him. 'Leave us alone!' one of them shouts. 'Get out of here!' another yells. 'Monster!' a third shouts, while a shadowy figure approaches them from behind.
It's Sebastian Shaw – and Xorn is angry – because Shaw was right. 'I warned you, Xorn! Squelch this quickly! Before you have a city wide riot on your hands!' Shaw tells Xorn as he pushes the children over. The Inhumans struggle to fend Shaw off, but they only fuel his strength, his righteousness. 'You picked the wrong party, fancy pants!' the monstrous Inhuman shouts as he punches Shaw, he is knocked back, but he grins as he turns back to the Inhuman and tells him that he is right where he is supposed to be. Xorn sees it in Shaw's malice-filled eyes – he has won – and it gives him all the justification for cruelty and violence he will ever need, as he shoves his fist into the Inhuman's chest.
Xorn tries to soothe them, and calls out to them all, asking them to stop this, telling them that they do not need to fight and that no one else needs to get hurt. But they don't listen. To the mutants and the Inhumans, Xorn is their jailer. The Inhumans are outnumbered and they are scared. The mutated Irelle lunges towards Treste, who calls out to her, pleading her not to. Xorn pities the Inhumans, as they have no chance of escape. The non-combantant Inhumans attack the Sleepers and Shaw as well, and Xorn realizes that they now know what it feels like to be mutants. Suddenly, 'That's enough... from all of you!' Archangel calls out as he flies down and tosses several razor-sharp feathers amongst the crowd, striking some of them. Xorn decides that the Inhumans have been taught a lesson that no one should be so unfortunate to learn. Xorn asks Shaw to let Archangel's neurotoxin do its work, pointing out that they are pacified. 'We don't -' Xorn begins, putting a hand on Shaw's shoulder. Shaw responds by punching Xorn, knocking him backwards and telling him to get his hands off of him.
Power starts to pour from Xorn's broken helmet. A brilliant light shines over the area, and Shaw shields himself from the energies that Xorn has struggled to control. 'Oh...good...not they're fighting each other' Ren remarks as she sits with the monstrous Inhuman. Shaw is knocked backwards by Xorn's power that has been pent up for so long. It hurts him to let loose, but it feels so good. One of the Sleepers screams as the energy rushes past her. Shaw takes the brunt of the blast, as the energies hurl him from New Attilan, where he lands in the habor nearby. This part was not instinctful, but purposeful. Xorn knows that with the Black King gone, they can work on healing and mending the relationshups between Inhumans and mutants. The Sleepers and Inhumans gather themselves as the energies dies down, only a small trail of it radiates from Xorn's helmet. '...I am... in control' Xorn announces, before looking over to the two Sleepers who were caught in his energy torrent and sees that they are dead.
'Look what he did!' one of the Sleepers calls out. 'He killed them!' another exclaims. 'He killed mutants!' a third shouts. The mutants are beyond Xorn's ability to heal them. He did not see them. He did not know they were there. 'Get him!' one of the Sleepers suggests to the others. 'He wanted us to be killers!' one of the Sleepers shouts. 'Give him what he wants!' one of them tells the others. But before they can strike Xorn, Archangel swoops down in front of him and tells them all to calm themselves. A light shines from above Archangel and the Sleepers come to a halt. Xorn looks up at Archangel and realizes that his light brings peace, and from one who was made to be a weapon.
Xorn looks over at the monstrous Inhuman, who appears to be dead as Ren has thrown herself over him, while the metallic Inhuman and elderly Inhuman with the large head kneel at her side. Xorn remarks that he understands now, he sees the path that is before him. He thought he was ready, he thought he could be ttrusted with his powers, as a shepherd – but that job must fall to another. The Sleepers are still enthralled by Archangel, who Xorn is referring to. Xorn turns and walks away, stating that for the world to heal, for mutants and Inhumans to heal, those who cannot be trusted, those who cannot trust themselves, must vanish, as if te forge itself had burned to ash.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Untitled
War Room X, within the Savage Land.
Betsy “Psylocke” Braddock tells herself that this is where it ends. She moves quietly through the corridors of the facility, katana in one hand, Betsy thinks that she should have dealt with Magneto – decisively – before now. It was a mistake, and a hesitation that she will see sorted or die trying. So, an ending – for Magneto's X-Men – for both of them – or quite possible just for Betsy. She goes into Magneto's quarters, but finds it empty, and an instant later, War Room X explodes, torn apart with a magnetic pulse. To protect herself, Betsy surrounds herself with a telekinetic bubble. Shards of metal are unable to harm her. Betsyt wanted to believe his agenda, she wanted to believe his methods, he secrets, his ruthlessness wouldn't put one species in grave danger while he tried to save another. But Magneto has been secretly working with Emma Frost. He lied to his friends while he planned to destroy the Inhumans. 'Who knows how many other hidden schemes he's been hatching?'Betsy wonders.
Betsy lands safely nearby. She wanted to believe that she didn't have to murder someone in order to make a difference. Now, though, with the world changing – changing for the better for mutants – changing in such a way that affords them to make another chance to make a go of it, and Betsy sees clearly now, who Magneto is, and who she is – and she knows that the world is better off without Magneto in it. Among the wreckage of War Room X, Magneto appears. 'Elizabeth. You said you'd be watching me. You said that if you didn't approve of my actions, you would kill me. Am I to assume you've come to make good on your warnings?' Magneto asks. 'You've been expecting this. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been waiting to spring your little trap'. Betsy replies. 'Yes' Magneto confirms, revealing that he has from the very moment Betsy agreed to work with him in the first place.
There is a psychic butterfly manifestation around Betsy's head, and Magneto see her concentrating, and asks her if she is trying to read his mind. He assures Betsy that her powers are formidable, but that she must realize this is wasted effort. Betsy smirks and informs Magneto that his isn't the only mind in the vicinity, and suddenly, a large T-Rex bursts through the nearby trees and bites down trowards Magneto, who quickly surrounds himself in a magnetic force field, while Betsy leaps to safety, before she starts to run into the jungle. Magneto strains as the dinosaur clamps its deadly teeth down on his force field. He extends it further and further, until it appears that he has snapped the dinosaur's mouth open. Free from its jaws, Magneto flies upwards and then down into the jungle.
Magneto thinks that this is where it ends. He tells himsel that he knew this day would come, and he prepared for it. Magnetic energy crackles around him and decides that it is a cruel trick that his planning for such an eventuality is what brought it about. The precautions he took, the groundwork he laid to protect the mutant species was too ruthless for Psylocke's tastes. Flying over a river deep within the lush jungle, Magneto thinks that it is equally cruel that his cutthroat tactics, his cold-bloodedness, would be what would turn Psylocke against him. A shadowy figure can be seen behind the waterfall, as Magneto thinks 'Psylocke is nothing if not the embodiment of those pitiless traits'. He wonders if she saw too much of him in her own actions, or too much of herself in his? Magneto turns as Betsy suddenly leaps through the waterfall, katana at the ready, while Magneto admits that it is for this reason he awaited this final encounter between them. Magneto knows that it is an even crueler trick of date that he is remoseful to see it come to pass.
Betsy leaps towards Magneto, telekinetic fury surrounds her, sweeping up trees and rocks in her wake, but Magneto, over the river, throws another magnetic force field around himself and decides that it is an even crueler trick of fate that hhe is remorseful to see it come to pass. 'It does not have to be like this, Elizabeth. There is still much work to be done. The X-Men -' Magneto begins, interrupted as Psylocke reminds him that his X-Men are gone. 'You made them – you made us – dance to your little symphony. You burned the team to ash' Psylocke declares. Psylocke tells Magneto that Mystique is in the wind again, but her personality has been stabilized – Betsy saw to that. Betsy adds that Mystique may still be a merciless killer, but that she is grounded enough to know that she should stay the hell away from Magneto.
Betsy continues, informing Magneto that Sabretooth and Monet are gone. She adds that she always thought Creed would revert to his old ways, and points out that Monet hasn't been the same since her encounter with her brother – and for all she knows, they are off on some starkweather and fugate joyride. Betsy reveals that Xorn vanished after what happened in New Attilan, as he thought himself too dangerous to be around innocent people, and he left Archangel in charge of the Sleppers, so Warren is acting as their shepherd now – the heir to Apocalypse guiding weaponized mutants. 'Sooner or later, that's going to come back to bite us'. Finally, Betsy reveals that no one knows what became of Fantomex – he went deep into the World and never came back.
“You're a poison. You wanted us to be X-Men... but you also wanted us to be the Hellfire Club and X-Force and the blasted Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. You wanted it all, and it cost those around you everything!' Betsy exclaims as Magneto forces her back with a surge of magnetic energy. 'Not everything. I see you still hold your true, murderous nature, dear' Magneto calls out. Betsy lands in the river and reminds Magneto that he said he would temper his rage – and points out that he just lets other minions channel it for him. 'I haven't killed anyone since I signed on with you' Betsy declares, before she runs towards Magneto, katana held ready to strike, she warns Magneto that is about to change. 'You can't be serious' Magneto responds casually as he destroys Betsy's katana with a wave of his hand, and tosses the shards of the blade at Betsy, striking her. 'To attack me with a sword... I have to wonder if you stand by your convictions... or if you are just making a show for your own -' Magneto remarks, bnefore Betsy forms her psychic energy into a psi-sword – and lunging at Magneto, she shoves the psi-blade through his chest and out the other side, while magnetic energy crackles around them.
Betsy steps back and tells herself that it is done. She did it – and she wasn't sure she had it in her. 'It's over. She did it. Somehow, I always knew she would' Magneto admits to himself, keeling over, clutching at his chest, he utters that the telekinetic sword was cold – like metal – he wasn't expecting that. Blood pools around the wound, and Betsy uses her telekinesis to lift Magneto's helmet off of his head. 'The cut...it will kill you' Betsy warns Magneto, revealing that it will take time, and that he will suffer. 'I deserve no less' Magneto replies. 'Maybe not. But maybe it's time... for both of us to rest' Betsy declares as she puts Magneto out of his misery with a psychic assault. Magneto gasps his last breath, before collapsing into the river.
'A second chance. That's what mutantkind has' Betsy decides. She turns and walks away from Magneto's body. Betsy knows that this second chance will never work with someone like Magneto out there in the world, and maybe not with someone like her, either. Like she said, it is an ending for both of them.
Blood pours down the river as Magneto's lifeless body floats limp – suddenly – a portal opens, and Exodus and Elixir appear. 'There! There he is, Exodus!' the young mutant calls out. 'You found him!' Elixir adds as he rushes over too Magneto's body. 'Indeed, Elixir. And now that he's been found -' Exodus begins. Elixir interrupts him, telling Exodus not to worry, that he knows his part in this. Kneeling beside Magneto, Elixir holds his hand over Magneto's wound and tells him that it is timew to wake up. Magneto gasps, and sits up, rubbing the back of his head, he utters 'She did it. She really did it'. 'Was there any doubt?' Elixir asks. 'For a moment' Magneto tells him. 'You live again, Magneto' Exodus points out, but Magneto standing up, informs them that for the sake of their people, he must remain dead. 'Either way, whatever debts I owed you, they're repaid' Elixir tells Magneto.
Exodus suggests to Magneto that he come with them, but he thinks they both know what his answer would be. 'Dead, perhaps. But not that dead' Exodus remarks as he opens another portal and steps back through it with Elixir. 'No' Magneto agrees, raising his helmet from the river, he puts it back on, and a surge of magnetic power radiates around his fist, as he frowns and agrees 'not yet'.


[Assistant]
First story: Disassembled, part 1   -  Second story: What Tomorrow Brings
First story:'I – I need... where's Kitty Pryde?' Jamie Madrox a.k.a. Multiple Man gasps, wide-eyed, surrounded by darkness. 'Jamie Madrox?' Jean Grey calls out, as Madrox stands before her. Madrox tells Jean that they have to find Kitty Pryde, when suddenly, there is a SNIKT, and two claws are shoved through the back of his head. As Madrox drops to the ground, Laura Kinney a.k.a. X-23 asks Jean if she is all right. 'I...' Jean utters, as the darkness gives way to a blinding red glow, where Jean sees dozens of Multiple Man dupes, all asking 'Where is Kitty Pryde' over and over, while Storm, Psylocke, Bishop, Cannonball, Jubilee and Nightcrawler battle the dupes.
As Betsy Braddock a.k.a. Psylocke shoves a psi-blade into one of the dupes, she declares that she doesn't know what is wrong with them, but that their minds are fractured somehow. Storm blasts one with lightning, while Cannonball blasts into another, and Jubilee unleashes her fireworks powers at one dupe. Nightcrawler teleports a dupe as Bishop fires an energy blast into one.
'WHERE IS KITTY PRYDE?' Jean Grey suddenly shouts, wide-eyed, inside the kitchen of the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach. 'Um... she took some students on a quick training op before the press conference. Why?' X-23 asks, eating slices of orange from her claws, while Bobby Drake a.k.a. Iceman pours some milk into a cereal bowl and Kurt Wagner a.k.a. Nightcrawler hangs from the ceiling, before teleporting to Jean's side, as she runs a hand through her hair and remarks that she doesn't know, but she saw something. 'Something about Kitty?' Bobby asks. 'Not… not exactly' Jean replies.
Kurt asks her what she saw, but Jean tells him that she isn't sure. 'You want an orange slice?' Laura offers, holding a claw towards Jean, who tells her that she doesn't, and turns to leave the kitchen.
Bobby tells Laura that she is gross, that her claws aren't forks. 'I know. They're way better than forks' Laura replies, causing Bobby to ask her if  they are even clean. 'Imagine how clean they'd be if I carve you into an ice sculpture, Bobby' Laura suggests. Bobby looks at Laura's claws and tells her that they are probably fine. 'That's what I thought' Laura smirks.
Meanwhile, above Morrinsville, North Carolina, Kitty Pryde pilots a Blackbird containing six X-Men students. 'You've got to be kidding me. This is who we're fighting? Forearm?' Santo Vaccarro a.k.a. Rockslide asks as he and his teammates look at a holographic projection of Forearm. Also in the jet are Megan Gwynn a.k.a. Pixie, Victor Borkowski a.k.a. Anole, Idie Okonkwo a.k.a. Oya, Hisako Ichiki a.k.a. Armor and Robert “Glob” Herman. 'His power is that he has... four arms? What's he gonna do? High-five us to death?' Rockslide asks. 'Who's his side-kick? Tricep? The Three-Armed Wonder?' Glob jokes, while Oya tells Kitty that she thought the purpose of training missions was to push them. 'Every mission is an opportunity to learn something, Oya' Kitty points out. 'But... Forearm? This guy's a joke! And... isn't he supposed to be dead, anyway?' Pixie asks. Kitty reminds Pixie that Forearm wouldn't be the first to beat death, and adds that there are people in that pharmaceutical lab, so Forearm is a legitimate threat, as they don't have mutant powers. 'They're terrified and they need our help. That's what we X-Men do' Kitty declares.
Kitty presses a button on the controls of the jet and tells the students to get ready, as they are coming in for a landing – but suddenly, Kitty goes wide-eyed and uncontrollably starts to phase through the ship's console. 'Kitty! You can't phase through the ship! You'll short it out!' Armor exclaims, but as she disappears, Kitty exclaims that she can't control it – and then she's gone.
'Where did she go?' Glob asks, while Oya wonders if this is meant to be part of the training exercise. The ship suddenly spins out of control, and Pixie is thrown against the ceiling, where she smacks her head. 'We've lost power. We're going to crash' Armor reports, before asking Pixie if she can teleport them out of here – only Pixie is dazed, and as Rockslide holds her up, she replies 'I... don't... my head...'. Armor grabs Pixie by her shoulders and tells her that she needs to teleport them out of here. 'Otherwise we're going to -' Armor begins, before the jet crashes into the side of a building below, which explodes.
In Botswana, Africa, rain falls into a large lake, where a pack of wild dogs, and herd of antelope have come to drink. A group of villagers stand at the shore, as Ororo Munroe a.k.a. Storm hovers above the lake and declares 'This is not natural'. Standing in the lake is Dr Henry McCoy a.k.a. Beast, who tells Storm that he agrees, while holding a small test tube sample of the water. Storm informs Beast that she has tried to exert control, tried to shift the winds and abate the rain, but she cannot. She drops down into the lake, as the Beast remarks that a lake springs up like this in the middle of the Kalahari Desert, he wants to say overnight –  but that's not correct, as one moment this is barren land, and the next a lake – and this rain. 'More precipitation in one day than this area has received in the entirety of the last decade' the Beast remarks as he takes another sample of the water.
The Beast tells Storm that even a backyard koi pond needs time to cultivate proper bacteria before it can sustain life, yet this lake, which has been here for only hours, has three different types of fish and at least a dozen species of plants – none of which are native to this area. He announces that “not natural” seems an apt description of the situation. Storm looks over to the locals, standing on the edge of the lake and tells Henry that she worries for them, as this must look like God answering  their prayers. 'But... I am not so sure' Storm remarks. As he collects another sample of the water, the Beast replies 'Nor am I, Storm. Nor am I'.
'Everyone okay?' Armor calls out as she, Rockslide, Anole, Glob and Pixie have cleared the wreckage of their jet, which is still ablaze in the ruins of the building they crashed into. Glob reports that he is fine, but that Pixie is bleeding. He helps her to stand as Pixie tells him that she will be fine. Rockslide reports that Anole is hurt pretty bad, and he thinks he needs help. Anole rubs his head, while Armor wonders where Oya is.
'You've got to be kidding me!' a voice calls out. Armor turns and see the Mutant Liberation Front behind her! 'I thought that we were gonna fight us some real X-Men. These are just little X-babies' Michael McCain a.k.a. Forearm exclaims. 'What a joke' Juliana Worthing a.k.a. Strobe mutters. Ishiro Tsuburaya a.k.a. Samurai stands next to her, while Tamara Kurtz a.k.a. Dragoness hovers above them. 'All right, kiddies. Let's get this over with so the adults can get back to adult business' Richard Gill a.k.a. Wildside snarls.
'I'm not gonna be dunked on by some dollar-store Wolverine' Armor exclaims as she slams her fist into Wildside's face, knocking him back. Dragoness flies towards Pixie and grabs her by the throat, while Rockslide and Forearm engage in battle. Glob is trying to call for help, asking if any X-Men can help him, he reports that their Blackbird went down at the Fairview Medical Labs, they have injured and are under attack by the Mutant Liberation Front. 'At least, I think they're the Mutant Liberation Front' Glob adds, before remarking that they need backup ASAP.
Nightcrawler's voice can be heard over the communication system, and assures Glob that they have a team on the way. Rockslide grabs Forearm by his head and asks 'If you had six arms, would you have been called Six-Pack? Where does it end?' Forearm ignores that comment and asks if the X-Men realize what is being manufactured in this lab, what it is that they are protecting. 'Don't know. Don't care' Rockslide responds. Forearm informs him that they are making a vaccine to wipe out mutants. 'You're protecting people who're trying to wipe mutants from the face of the Earth!' he declares.
As she fires energy blasts at Pixie, who flies away from her, Dragoness exclaims that Forearm is right. 'You idiots have no idea what you've stumbled into' she adds. 'Oh? You guys weren't going to blow this lab up?' Pixie asks, dodging Dragoness' blasts. 'Well... yes, but you need to listen. And you're one to talk. You crashed your plane into it!' Dragoness points out, before knocking Pixie out of the air when one of her blasts strikes her. 'Pixie!' Armor calls out as she pins Wildside to the ground and punches him. 'Gah!' Glob cries as one of her plasma beams melts off part of his outer layer of body. 'You shouldn't concern yourself with her... when you've got much larger problems of your own!' Samurai points out as he knocks Armor off of Wildside. Dragoness announces that the lab is making a vaccine that would stop the x-gene from manifesting in children. 'By protecting them, you're dooming our kind... your kind. Is that what you want? A world with no more mutants?' Dragoness asks.
As Pixie heads back up into the air, Dragoness lunges for her again, while the injured Anole is resting against part of the wreckage of the Blackbird that is not ablaze.
Suddenly: 'Hey. Wake up. I need to ask you a question' Multiple Man calls out as he appears over Anole and slaps him in the face. Samurai kicks Armor, while Rockslide and Forearm continue to tussle. Glob leans forward and grabs Strobe, as Madrox tells Anole that this is important, and asks where Kitty Pryde is. 'Kitty?' Anole asks, confused. 'Your boss, kid. Where did she go?' Madrox asks. 'Gone... Kitty vanished...' Anole utters as he passes out. Madrox looks worried. 'Damn... too late' he mutters, before running off. 'I'm too late' he repeats.
Forearm forces Rockslide back and starts punching him, 'You're on the wrong side of history here, Kid-Thing' Forearm declares. 'Whoa. Quad-Arms has snaps of his own?' Rockslide retorts, when suddenly, there is a BAMF and a chunk of scrap metal is hurled towards Forearm, knocking him backwards off Rockslide. 'Fear not, mein kind. The X-Men are here to save you!' Nightcrawler calls out as he joins the battle, along with X-23 and Lorna Dane a.k.a. Polaris, who hurls another chunk of the Blackbird remains towards the MLF, slamming into Wildside and Forearm and knocking Strobe and Samurai about, while Dragoness dodges the attack. X-23 tells Nightcrawler to get the trainees to safety, which Rockslide starts to protest, before Nightcrawler darts about, teleporting the younger mutants to safety.
'All right, now let's see how they do against the “big kids”!' X-23 calls out to Polaris. 'Wait... are you a “big kid”?' Lorna asks. 'Big enough, Polaris' X-23 responds, popping her claws and telling Polaris to throw her. 'All right, all right. Not so bossy, “Big kid”' Polaris replies as she levitates X-23 in a magnetic field and hurls her towards the MLF, who have regrouped after they were knocked over. 'GRRRRRR!' X-23 snarls before she shoves her claws into each of the MLF members, who barely have time to react before they drop to the ground, groaning and clutching their wounds. 'Amateurs' X-23 mutters.
Meanwhile, at City Hall in Manhattan, intrigued citizens, media representatives anti-mutant protestors are gathered out the front of City Hall as Senator Ashton Allen stands on the steps and asks 'How many more times will we watch this city be torn apart by mutants?' The Senator declares that mutants are weapons of mass destruction walking among them, and that this is not their fault. 'They are our brothers and sisters and they are victims too!' Senator Allen suggests that it may be too late for mutants, but that their collective children, they truly are the future, and they can make it better for them, stop them from becoming those weapons of mass destruction. 'We can make their lives better... and with their lives, the world!' Senator Allen proclaims.
Amongst the crowd are members of the X-Men, all wearing civilian clothing to pass among the humans without getting noticed. 'Oh boy. I feel like I've seen this speech a million times, Bishop. When are they gonna just let it go already? And why does it always feel like the same boring politician in a suit giving it?' Jubilee asks Lucas Bishop, who replies 'These are excellent questions, Jubilation'. 'Right?' Jubilee adds. 'I already agreed with you. Let's not push it' Bishop remarks. Nearby, Warren Worthington the third a.k.a. Angel and Betsy Braddock a.k.a. Psylocke listen as Senator Ashton Allen asks 'We can give them normal lives. If such a vaccine exists, how could we dare deny that to them?'
'This guy. I may have to fly away if I can't control my temper, Betsy' Warren remarks. 'Don't you dare, Warren ...' Betsy replies, warning him that Jubilee is on the verge of throwing tomatoes she smuggled in, and that if he leaves her here with that PR nightmare, she will never forgive him. 'Damn. I wish I'd thought to bring tomatoes' Warren laments.
Elsewhere in the crowd, as Senator Allen asks 'How could we deny it to our own children that might otherwise become weapons?' Sam Guthrie a.k.a. Cannonball and Jean-Paul Beaubier a.k.a. Northstar frown. Sam tells Jean-Paul that he is glad he could come down, that it has been a while since they have seen him. 'Sorry it's to listen to this nonsense' Sam adds. Jean-Paul explains that this is why he came here, and points out that if the US actually passes this archaic legislation, it is entirely possible Canada will follow suit. As Senator Allen reports that such a vaccine does exist and that case studies are clear, Jean-Paul tells Sam that he is here to get as much information as possible and report back to the Canadian government, as they want to be ahead of this.
'And as we roll out this pilot program in the coming weeks, I know you will be as excited as I am for the future... our future as one people!' Senator Allen exclaims.
Jean Grey listens to those comments and asks Bobby if there is still nothing from Kitty. Bobby tells her that there isn't, and asks her if she is worried because of this morning. Jean tells Bobby that she is, and because she still can't seem to locate Kitty telepathically, and because she really doesn't want to go up there and speak in her place. Among claps and boos at the Senator's remarks, Bobby asks Jean if she wants him to go up there. 'Depends. Will you talk about the vaccine or do a ten-minute comedy routine set you've been workshopping?' Jean asks. 'Well, I was gonna go for a tight five, but yeah, definitely not the vaccine thing' Bobby replies.
As Jean walks towards the front steps of City Hall, Senator Allen announces that it is time for a word from the opposition, headmistress Katherine Pryde from the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach. More boos and claps can be heard. 'Ugh' Jean mutters. 'Here I go...' she tells herself, when suddenly, she goes wide-eyed as she sees someone else standing at the podium: 'What the hell is Jamie doing up there?' Jean asks as Jamie addresses the crowd, informing them that Kitty Pryde is not here, and that he is so glad to see all of them here on such an important day – auspicious, really. 'It's like it's meant to be... or something...' he adds.
Back at the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach, in Central Park, inside the med-lab and sick back, Pixie, Armor, Glob and Rockslide stand at the bedsides of Armor and Oya as the Beast examines Oya. Pixie asks Dr McCoy if they are going to wake up. 'I don-' the Beast starts to reply, as Rockslide interrupts, boasting that he is going to kill those MLFers next time he sees them. 'Because we did so well this time?' Glob asks. 'If Nightcrawler hadn't -' Rockslide begins, before Glob interrupts him, asking what he was going to do and reminds him that he was getting pummeled by a guy called Forearm. 'Shuttup, Glob!' Rockslide snaps, before the Beast spins and around and aggressively tells the younger mutants that if they can't give him some space and his teammates some breathing room, then he is throwing them all out. 'Sorry' Armor, Pixie, Glob and Rockslide reply immediately.
Rockslide then points out that it isn't their fault, really,  and asks why it took so long to send reinforcements. Glob wonders why they were out there on their own with only one X-Man anyway. Pixie tells them that it was nobody's fault, that it was just an accident, but Armor isn't quite sure. 'Did you hear what they were saying about that vaccine? I know they're villains but...' Glob begins, to which Armor tells him that the MLF were making sense. The Beast leans over Oya's unmoving body and asks her to give him a sign. Suddenly, Anole coughs, and tries to sit up in bed, 'What happened?' he asks, wearily. The Beast goes over to him and tells him to take it slowly, to stay still. Anole points up at a monitor and remarks 'That's the guy who was at the crash'. The Beast turns to the monitor and goes wide-eyed as he sees Multiple Man on the screen, addressing the gathering at City Hall.
'The difference between all of us, and this is big, is that really we are all the same...' Jamie announces. He adds that there are a lot of differences, but that the big difference is that there is no difference. 'That makes sense, right?' Madrox asks, before wondering whether the microphone is on and if everyone can hear him. 'What is he doing? This is a nightmare!' Jean tells Bobby, who remarks that he always finds Jamie funny. Bobby then switches to his ice-form and Jean gets Jamie's attention. 'Oh, it's time' Jamie mutters, before telling everyone to remain calm and they probably won't be hurt. 'Okay, he got creepy' Bobby remarks. Jean telepathically informs the X-Men that they have to stop this now before he makes them look even worse, but she can't seem to grab his mind, meaning something is wrong. 'Everyone to the front' Jean instructs her team. As civilians begin fighting with each other, Northstar's thoughts reach Jean: 'Hate to contradict you, Grey, but I think we will need some assistance in the back' he informs her.
Suddenly, dozens of Madrox dupes appear amongst the crowd, 'We're here to help!' one of them calls out. 'Let us help!' another exclaims. 'Excuse me! Coming through!' one shouts. 'This is important!' another claims as they try to intervene among the protestors. Jean flies up above the crowd and telepathically instructs the X-Men to shut the dupes down. 'Do us all a favor and call off your dupes, Jamie!' Bobby calls out as he encases Madrox in a block of ice. 'No! You imbeciles! I'm saving us!' Madrox calls back. 'Hiya, Jamie! Long time no see. Have some fireworks!' Jubilee exclaims as she blasts her powers at one of the dupes. 'I hate this guy' Bishop mutters as he slams a fist into one of the dupes. Suddenly, 'Yes, I hear you' Angel remarks as he flies above the crowds. 'Angel? I could use some help here. My telepathy isn't working on them' Betsy calls out as she fails to calm the crowd telepathically. 'Get out of the way!' one of the dupes exclaims as Betsy shoves a psi-blade into his face. 'We're trying to help!' another dupe protests.
'What is Madrox trying to do?' Cannonball asks as he blasts his way through a group of dupes, knocking some of them back. As several dupes rush for the senator, Bobby throws an ice-wall up around Senator Allen, and tells Jean that he will buy them some time, but that she needs to get the senator out of here. 'Stop climbing my wall, morons!' Bobby shouts at the dupes while Jean knocks several dupes back with a telekinetic shove. 'Hey!' a photographer calls out as Northstar pulls him into the air as dupes beneath them try to grab him. Northstar tells the photographer that he is sure his photos are wonderful, but that it might be easier for them to deal with this situation if he made any effort not to get trampled. Speaking of trampled, Jubilee is suddenly knocked to the ground. 'Jubilee!' Bishop calls out as he sees Jubilee and rushes towards her.
Jean and Bobby are now both behind the ice-wall and Jean tells the senator's bodyguards to get him to safety, while the X-Men handle the situation here. 'Stay back, mutant!' one of the bodyguards mutters, while another radios someone and informs them that they are exiting around the north side, and to pull the cars around now. A dozen or so dupes break through the ice-wall and move towards the senator. 'Stay back!' his guards shout, opening fire. 'Senator Allen, you need to come with us!' one dupe calls out. 'We're here to save you!' another claims, as several of them lunge at the senator, knocking him backwards. 'Jamie! What are you doing? Get off him!' Jean calls out.
Back over the crowd, Angel still hovers overhead, acting strangely. 'Yes, I understand' he remarks, while Betsy knocks back two dupes, she glances upwards and asks Warren who he is talking to and what is going on. Angel offers no response, and suddenly flies away 'Warren!' Betsy shouts. 'Well, that' just bloody wonderful' Betsy mutters after getting no response, before she forms a telekinetic sword and shield and tells the dupes that they give her an opportunity to test-drive her new telekinetic weapons, before slamming the sword into one of the dupes.
'Enough!' Jean Grey shouts as she telekinetically removes the dupes who are piled on top of the senator. Jean goes over to the senator and tells him that he needs to get up. 'Please don't kill me – I'm so sor-' the senator starts to plead – when suddenly, he vanishes. Northstar flies over and asks Jean if she just teleported the senator to safety somehow, but Jean tells him that it wasn't her, that she didn't do anything. Suddenly, all of the Madrox dupes stop fighting and turn to City Hall. 'We're too late' one of them utters. 'We couldn't stop it' another points out. 'Too late again' a dupe utters, as Betsy slams another psi-sword into him, then he vanishes. 'What the heck?' Cannonball calls out as he blasts through several Madrox dupes who also vanish.
Bishop helps Jubilee to stand up as the X-Men regroup, and Cannonball asks 'Where's Angel?' Northstar reports that he saw him from a distance, that he just flew away, abandoned Psylocke while she was under attack. 'Did I miss something? Jamie can teleport now?' Jubilee asks. A photographer approaches Jean Grey and asks her where she took Senator Allen to, while another asks her why the X-Men attacked the debate.
Elsewhere, Kitty Pryde is chained to a chair in an empty room. 'Hey! Wake up!' a voice calls out. Kitty begins to stir, and looks up to see Senator Allen, chained to a chair a few feet away from her. 'What do you people want from me?' Senator Allen asks 'Does it really look like this is my idea?' Kitty replies. She tries to phase through the restraints, but finds her powers aren't working. 'If it wasn't you, then who took -' Senator Allen begins, interrupted as a voice calls out 'Shut your mouth. The girl does not answer to you'. Kitty looks over and sees Apocalypse strapped to a large X! Apocalypse announces that their captors have earned the wrath of Apocalypse today, and warns Senator Allen not to be so quick to join them!
Second story:Chapter One: A Bishop StoryThree days ago, at Hunts Point, the Bronx, Lucas Bishop stands in an alleyway, wearing civilian clothing. He holds a cup of coffee and checks his watch. 'Chase any crazy conspiracy long enough and you'll find Lucas Bishop already there, all alone' Bishop thinks to himself, remembering that is what his old partner, Ismael used to say behind his back. And here he is. All alone again. Bishop wonders if that is for the best, and recalls that it has only been a little bit since the X-Men took him back – or since he took them back, depending on who you ask. He tells himself that even when he and the X-Men get along, they never really understand jobs like this – and if he is being honest with himself, he isn't entirely sure he does anymore, either.
Bishop looks up as he notices a light go on in an apartment a couple of blocks away. A strange figure looks out the window of the nearby apartment and frowns.
Bishop remembers how it started two days ago, his early warning system for catastrophic events in this timeline – he doesn't know how to describe what it did – it just thinks something real bad happened or is happening. 'But I have no damn idea what or how to stop it' Bishop acknowledges, drinking his coffee, as he recalls how four hours ago, the warning system told him about Dark Beast – a $%&#%&-up Hank McCoy from a $%&#%&-up alternate world that never came to be. He doesn't even know if it is related, but it is the only lead he has.
Bishop sees several figures in black climbing the apartment building and wonders what it is going on, who these guys are. Suddenly, there is an explosion at the apartment, and Bishop tells himself that this is his cue. Dropping his coffee cup, he runs from the alley.
Arriving at the apartment, Bishop kicks the door down. He isn't sure if this is the thing he is supposed to stop, or if these guys breaking in are about to stop it for him. 'Dammit. I hate that smell' Bishop thinks to himself as he looks down and sees a deformed figure on the ground, flames darting across their body. 'This is Bishop of the X-Men. Put your hands up' Bishop calls out, holding a strange gun in his hands. He knows that someone has some explaining to do – but as he looks over and sees an open window, he supposes it won't be tonight.
Bishop looks back at the burning body and knows that it isn't Dark Beast, as the build is too slight, there is no burnt fur smell. Who it actually is is anyone's guess, though. He wonders where Dark Beast is, and where the other intruders got to. Bishop notices a trapdoor in the floor, and knows that Dark Beast could be long gone by now, and that Dark Beast would never not have an escape plan if he was that nervous. 'But what the hell scares him?' Bishop wonders, before deciding that this is the same $#%&, different day.
One day ago, Long Island City, Queens, Bishop walks towards a seemingly abandoned building and tells himself that today is the day he gets some answers. Bishop blasts the padlocked chain that hangs around the door and enters the building, where he finds it littered with bones and rubbish, and monitors hanging from the ceiling and walls.
'Or not' Bishop realizes, before suddenly, a strange figure emerges from the shadows, waving a meat cleaver as he moves towards Bishop. 'Stay back!' Bishop warns the strange man, dodging him as he lunges at him, while deciding that this is disturbing as hell, but that it doesn't feel like end-of-the-world stuff. Bishop fires a blast of energy at the strange man, who falls backwards. Bishop wonders why his prediction machine sent him here. Bishop goes over and checks the man who now lies motionless on the ground. 'Robots... where the hell am I?' Bishop wonders as he sees various mechanical parts sticking out of the man's body.
Bishop hears some slamming noises and carries on deeper into the building. He holds his gun out from his body and tells himself that he is getting sloppy, that he walked into this one. There is another loud slamming noise, and Bishop sees a thick metal door up ahead, deciding that whoever is behind the door was expecting someone – but just not someone who can absorb energy and re-channel it for their own use. 'They weren't expecting me' Bishop declares to himself as a weapon fires at him, but he absorbs the blast, and re-directs it at the door ahead, which he blasts open. 'Sugar Man!' Bishop exclaims as he sees the diabolical being sitting on a couch inside the other room. 'You?! After all this time, I never thought it would be you that was coming for me, Lucas!' Sugar Man exclaims.
Bishop knows that Sugar Man is one of the only living refugees from the alternate world that the Dark Beast is from – and that he is crazy, dangerous and as freaky as hell – but right now, he mostly appears terrified. Bishop tells himself that something is not right, and the Sugar Man tells him that they all pay the piper's price eventually, but he always thought he would have more time. 'Can't you let me walk away one last time, for old time's sake?' Sugar Man asks Bishop starts to tell the Sugar Man that he isn't here to kill him. 'I'm trying to -' Bishop begins, before a blast strikes him in the back and knocks him to the ground – Bishop realizes someone was ready for him, before he passes out.
Bishop's watch beeps at him, and Bishop slowly opens his eyes as he tells himself to wake up. He sits up suddenly, raising his gun, but sees that the Sugar Man is gone. 'I can't catch a break' he thinks, before his watch tells him that cataclysm is imminent in Midtown Manhattan. Bishop decides that the warnings are coming faster now, and realizes that whatever is coming, he can't help but think they are not ready. He walks back out into the other part of the building, and finds the Sugar Man's body, torn in two, lying in a heap on the floor. Bishop stops by the Sugar Man's body and tells him that he is sorry.
Chapter Two: A Jean Grey StoryMidtown Manhattan, where Jean Grey sits inside a busy cafe. She checks her phone as a reporter on the television tells viewers that massive clean-up and repair work continues in Los Angeles in the wake of mudslides that devastated the area recently during heavy rains. The reporter continues, stating that after a spectacularly dry year and a rash of massive wildfires, California has found itself particularly vulnerable to soil erosion, resulting in the destructive mudslides.
Jean looks up at the television as the reporter announces that, in international news, ongoing protests in Ukistoval, Chernaya, as unrest between military forces and civilians continues.
'Is someone sitting here, dear?' an older woman with gray hair asks as she stands at the spare seat at Jean's table. Jean tells the woman to have a seat. The woman asks Jean if she is waiting for someone. Jean tells her that she is, but her friend is running late, and once again asks the woman to sit down. 'Perhaps just for a moment, then' the older woman replies.
Jean holds up her newspaper and asks the woman if she would like it. 'Oh no, dear. The news is so grim these days. Too depressing to read, even' the older woman responds. Jean tells the other woman that it is hard to disagree with that, before introducing herself. 'What a lovely name. It's a bit old-fashioned, isn't it?' the old woman replies. 'Yes, I suppose it is' Jean admits, as she shakes the old woman's hand.
The news announcer can be heard again, interrupting the regularly scheduled programming for breaking news, he reports that hostilities in Chernaya have escalated, although details remain sketchy at this time. 'Tch. It just gets worse' the old woman points out, looking at the television screen. She adds that every day it become more and more difficult to see any way the world can be saved – every day it  feels as if it slides a little more into the abyss. 'It's just one horrible thing after another'.
The older woman continues, telling Jean that humanity has truly broken the planet – first the natural world, their expansion and carelessness destroying other species, their unchecked hubris breaking the environment in ways that can never be repaired – but also in their callousness to their fellow man – how they disconnect from one another even as the word connects them more than ever. She adds that they turn a blind eye to the horror around them because it is convenient, because it happens to someone else. The woman looks downcast as she tells Jean that corporations rise up and grow too powerful, that there is nobody to keep their corruption in check, so that they must rely on corporations having a conscience – a truly bizarre and untenable position to be in. 'The poor get poorer, the rich get richer, the gap widens and fear and hatred fester and grow' the woman remarks, solemnly. 'You disagree?' she asks, looking up at Jean. 'Actually... no' Jean responds. The woman falls silent, and Jean asks her if she is surprised. 'A little. A young woman like you... I expected more... optimism' the old woman admits.
'Well, I've seen... a lot' Jean remarks. 'I see' the old woman replies. Jean tells her that she can't really disagree with her, and that she thinks things probably are the worst they've ever been, it certainly feels it most days. 'But there's still hope' Jean smiles looking to the side, adding that she thinks no matter how bad it gets, she can still see, still feel, that hope – and hope, naive as it may sound, is everything. 'Don't you – think?' Jean asks, turning back to the old woman – only she has vanished. 'So strange. Possibly that old woman was also... a ninja?' Jean wonders, as a voice calls out to her. Jean looks up and sees Storm approaching her. 'Am I so late that you have started talking to yourself?' Storm enquires. 'Keep a girl waiting and things are bound to happen, Ororo' Jean replies, before they hug and Ororo apologizes for her lateness. Jean tells her not to apologize, and that she knows all too well how it goes. 'It's a miracle this getting-coffee is even happening' Jean points out.
They take their seats and Ororo agrees, remarking that it seems increasingly as they tumble from one crisis to the next that there is no time for the simple things. 'I kn-' Jean starts to say, when suddenly, someone crashes through the skylight above them. The new arrival is a man whose fist and eyes glow with energy – which he then fires from his hand towards Storm and Jean. 'You totally jinxed us!' Jean declares. 'I did no such thing!' Storm replies. Jean asks her if she sees anyone else, but Storm tells her it's just the one. Unaware that a woman nearby suddenly begins to glow as well, Jean tells Storm that she is going to put the man to sleep. 'Do it quickly!' Storm responds, but before Jean does so, the other woman fires a blast of energy from her mouth, striking Jean in the back. Storm commands a gust of wind to knock the man and woman together and asks her friend if she is all right. 'Yeah' Jean smiles, while pointing out that they can't hurt them, that she thinks they are just civilians who have been taken over by something.
'What is it?' Storm asks, but Jean isn’t sure, as something is blocking her and she can't read their minds, like there is static. 'We're going to need help' Jean begins, but Storm tells her that she thinks they can handle a few civilians, super powers or not. However, all of the other civilians in the coffee shop begin to glow, 'AHHHHHHHH' they all call out as they turn and face Jean and Storm. 'It's more than a few' Jean announces.
Chapter Three: An Armor and Anole Story'Ugh, this... I can't even' Hisako Ichiki a.k.a. Armor complains as she climbs down a ladder and steps into the sewers beneath Midtown 'What is that smell?' Victor Borokowski a.k.a. Anole asks as he follows. Armor shines her torch around and tells Anole that she doesn't want to even think about it. 'This is really the worst' Anole mutters. He gets out his torch, too, and they trudge through the murky waters. 'Thank God I got my diptheria shot' Anole remarks, but Armor tells him that she doesn't think that is for this – for this he would need Cholera, Typhoid, Polio... 'There probably aren't enough shots for this' Armor mutters, adding that she can't believe Kitty sent them to the literal sewers to chase what is probably someone's overgrown alligator. Anole asks her if she is that surprised. 'After all we've done... all the times we've put our lives on the line... all the times that we've stepped up when they needed us. And this is what they think of us' Anole points out, unaware that a figure is stalking behind them.
'No argument from me' Armor agrees, adding that she is sick of make-work assignments that just feel like a way for the X-Men to get them out of their hair rather than real missions. She points out that some days it feels like they are never going to treat them as their peers. 'I... I... can't. It's not fair. They promise us this great life and always talk about how great it is to be a mutant... but then they just leave us in the wings. Like we're these projects they lose interest in and just -' Anole starts to say, when Armor tells him to shush – too late, though, as the figure stalking them lunges at Anole, shoving him against the tunnel wall.
Armor throws a force field around herself, and calls out to her teammate as their attacker, the Dark Beast, looks crazed and tells Anole that he should not be here, that he should be running, now – while there's still time. 'Get. OFF!' Armor shouts as she smacks the Dark Beast off of Anole and extends her forcefield forward, pinning the Dark Beast  to the tunnel wall, declaring she guesses this explains the reports of a sewer monster.
'Has he got his claws into you as well? Have you come to kill me?' the Dark Beast asks. Armor ignores him and turns to Anole, asking him if he is all right. Anole stands up in the water and replies 'Physically, sure. Emotionally... I'm covered in sewage. I don't know that they make a shower hot enough to make me feel clean again'. Armor suggests they call it in so they can get out of here, when suddenly the Dark Beast pulls some sort of weapon from the pouch on his waist and shoves it into Armor's forcefield, which causes her to fall backwards and the force field to dissipate.
'I think not' the Dark Beast snarls as he lumbers off down the sewer, calling out that he will not concede, will not return. 'I will not let him bring me back!' the Dark Beast protests. Anole asks Armor if she is okay, and as she re-forms her force field, Armor tells him that whatever that thing was, it looks like it just disrupted her armor, but she has never felt anything like that before.
'No more sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves. Let's stop him before he -' Armor begins, when suddenly, Storm's voice can be heard over their communicators.
'We're kinda in the middle of something here, Storm' Anole remarks. Storm tells him that whatever it is, it can wait, as they have an emergency situation near their location and they need all hands on deck. 'On our way' Armor replies. They begin to run down the tunnel as Armor tells Anole that this was nothing more than something to keep them busy until they were needed.
But when they climb the ladder and poke their heads up to the surface level, they go wide-eyed. 'What...?' Armor gasps. 'That was my favorite coffee bar' Anole exclaims. 'Is nothing sacred anymore?' he asks as he sees Jean Grey, Storm and Bishop battling the mysteriously-powered civilians, all of whom display different sets of powers. Jean telekinetically knocks one of them aside, while Bishop struggles to control one of them who has increased their size, and Storm creates a blast of lightning that keeps another at bay, while many more gather around to fight the X-Men.
'Someone's controlling these people. Giving them powers. I can't...' Jean begins, informing the others that whoever is doing this is too powerful and is blocking her telepathy, so she can't get a fix on them. The battle rages, when suddenly, one of the civilians is able to reach Jean's thoughts. It's a young mother, pushing her baby in a pram. 'Jean... we don't want to hurt anyone' the woman claims. 'Who are you?' Jean asks, turning to a man who informs Jean that it doesn't matter, and that they are here to fix a mess and is sorry that she got in the crosshairs. Behind Jean, another transformed civilian knocks Armor to the ground, while another woman asks Jean to leave and let them do what they need to do. 'Why are you attacking us?' Jean enquires. 'You were... you were with him. We just got confused for a moment. We're okay now. We need to stop him before it's too late' the woman explains. 'Stop who?' Jean asks, but the woman doesn't answer, she just tells Jean to stand down, and that they don't know when they will get another chance – if they will get another chance. 'The world is in danger' she adds.
Jean points out that the world is always in danger, and tells the woman that she will have to be a little more specific. 'Please... this is all my fault. Let me fix it. I beg of you' a little boy calls out, while Jean returns to the battle around her, as a woman shrinks down and fires a blast at Storm, and a man leaps at Anole. Jean tells the other X-Men that someone else is controlling these people, that the people don't know what they are doing. 'Try not to hurt them' she adds. 'Maybe try telling them the same thing!' Armor calls back as one of the powered civilians fires an energy blast at her. Suddenly, someone with shoulder-length brown hair appears and observes the battle, and as Anole darts along a building wall, dodging energy blasts, he sees an old lady walk towards him. 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, lady! What are you -' Anole calls out as the building wall suddenly collapses on  top of the old woman.
'NO!' Jean screams as she flies over to the rubble and removes it from the old woman with a telekinetic sweep. At the same time, all of the civilians suddenly lose their powers, stop fighting with the X-Men and revert to normal – but appear very confused. 'They just... stopped?' Bishop asks. 'Odd' Storm remarks. Armor asks what that was, and why they were fighting normal people. Storm reminds her that Jean said they were possessed, they were not in control of their faculties. 'It's okay, you're fine now' Armor calls out as she uses her forcefield to lift up some rubble that had trapped several of the civilians. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you' a man repeats over and over, while the little boy who encountered Jean moments ago tells her that they are sorry, and that this wasn't supposed to happen. 'What? Where am I? What happened?' the boy suddenly asks, while Jean holds the body of the old woman.
Storm turns to Anole and Armor and thanks them for their assistance.  She adds that she knows they were on a mission of their own and tells them that they can handle it from here if they need to return to their assignment. 'Great. Can't win' Armor mutters, while Anole scowls and tells the X-Men that if they need them, they'll be in the sewers so that they don't have to get their hands dirty. Storm doesn't respond to this comment.
Epilogue:Bishop looks at the early warning watch and decides that this thing going off was always bad news, but at least it was a warning – only now, it is completely dead – no bad news, no warning. He frowns – he doesn't know what that means and wonders if these events are connected or simply coincidence. He feels that their lives are in chaos and knows that it is entirely possible these events have nothing to do with one another, but he is increasingly concerned, and he doesn't know if he should share that information with anyone yet.
Storm smiles as she approaches Bishop and asks him if he is all right, as he seems distracted. 'It's... it's nothing' Bishop lies. Storm asks him if he is certain, so Bishop tells her that there may be something, he is looking into it and she will be the first to know when he learns more.
Bishop looks over to where Jean is still holding the body of the old woman. The remaining civilians start to move away, and Bishop tells Storm that if they are going to worry about anyone, they should be worrying about Jean. 'Will she be all right? She's taking this particularly hard' Bishop points out. 'I am so sorry' Jean whispers to the old woman. Storm agrees that Jean is taking this hard, and assumes that Jean spoke with the woman who died before they were attacked. Storm tells her that the EMTs have arrived and so they must leave. 'This... this isn't over' Jean utters, unaware that someone is watching her from a nearby corner.
'Of course not, Jean. It's never over' Storm remarks. 'I... that's not what I mean... I mean... something is coming. Something's not done with us yet...' Jean explains, as the figure at the corner steps into view – it's the old woman. But, suddenly, the figure turns away, their form changes into someone with shoulder length brown hair, and as they slip into the shadows, they utter 'I'm afraid it's only the beginning, Jean'.