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We Have Always Been, part 4
I'm sorry I used you. You always did what you thought was right and so did I. And if I am right none of this will matter. The world will no longer need the X-Men. I don't know what happens if I'm wrong.
At a clinic, 'You're sure it's safe?' a woman asks a murse, who starts to inject her son with something from a needle. The nurse tells the woman that a very small percentage of people experience a slight allergic reaction around the injection site, some swelling and redness, but it usually passes within a day or two. 'It feels hot' the boy remarks. The nurse explains to the boy that that is just the vaccine entering his bloodstream, but the boy touches his arm and tells his mother that it really hurts. Suddenly, large blisters begin to form on the boy's arms, 'Oh my God! What is happening?' his mother gasps, as the boy suddenly vomits. 'What's happening to him?' his mother asks, while the nurse rushes to the door and calls out for Doctor Howard, 'Something's gone wrong!' she exclaims.
three days ago:
The moon glows over The Cloisters, in Washington Heights, New York. The X-Men search the historic buildings, and Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man tells his teammates that nobody has heard from the Nasty Boys in years, and asks why they would reappear now – and do it so clumsily. Dani Moonstar touches the ground and points out that there is no limit to what desperate measures people will consider when their backs are to the wall – so if these really are the last days of mutants, they can't fault the Nasty Boys for wanting to suit up and fight back. 'We're doing the same thing' Dani adds. 'I think things are going worse for the Nasty Boys...' someone calls out, as Hope Summers and Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops stand over the motionless bodies of Gorgeous George, Ramrod, Hairbag and Ruckus. 'Well, that's one more off our list...' Hope points out, as Cyclops tells his team to take defensive formations, as whatever killed the Nasty Boys might still be here.
'We are still here, yes' Fabian Cortez announces as he steps out from the shadows. 'Cortez! Why'd you kill them? They didn't deserve that!' Madrox exclaims. 'Honestly? They were nothing more than bait' Cortez smiles. 'And they outlived their purpose' Shinobi Shaw adds. 'I knew I smelled a rat' Alex Summers a.k.a. Havok mutters, to which Shinobi tells Havok that he wounds him. 'I knew you'd all come running if you thought the Nasty Boys were back. And surprise! They aren't!' Shinobi jokes. 'And that's when the gun begins' Siena Blaze calls out as she walks up behind Cyclops, Cain Marko a.k.a. Juggernaut and Illyana Rasputin a.k.a. Magik. Cyclops frowns at Siena and asks if the Upstarts have decided to play their ridiculous games again. 'Seems like a poor time to attack mutants for sport' he adds. Trevor Fitzroy makes himself known as he tells Cyclops that Ms Moonstar was right – these are the last days of mutants – so what better game is there than hunting the most endangered and most dangerous mutants of all – the X-Men?
The X-Men are now completely surrounded by the four Upstarts, and Cyclops tells Fitzroy that if they want a fight, then the X-Men are happy to oblige. 'What kind of monsters hunt their own kind?' Hope Summers asks as she clings to Juggernaut's back, while Fabian Cortez leaps towards them: 'I could ask you the same question, girl. Isn't that what you X-Men have been doing this whole time?' he asks. Madrox confronts Shinobi Shaw, while Siena Blaze kicks Havok in the face. Moonstar readies a psychic arrow, and Cyclops fires an optic blast. Magik leaps into the air with her Soulsword, and Sean Cassidy a.k.a. Banshee stands near her. 'You're in over your head, demon girl!' Siena exclaims as she blasts some energy towards Magik, who blocks the attack with a spell, and asks Siena why she is backing away. 'Did you idiots even have a plan here?' Juggernaut asks as he knocks Cortez aside with ease, while Madrox and two dupes find themselves drained of energy by Fitzroy.
Moonstar defends herself nearby, but Fitzroy tells her that she will find psychic shields will render her useless in this fight. 'What about me?' Havok asks as he blasts Fitzroy backwards with a surge of energy. Moonstar goes over to Havok and reminds him that he is still not recovered from his powers almost tearing him apart. 'So far so good' Havok replies. Siena stands over Magik and tells her that she is such a young girl, and so powerful, yet she wastes it – but with training, she could be theire equal. 'But instead, what do  you do?' Siena asks. 'I made friends' Magik replies as Cyclops knocks Siena over with an optic blast. Shinobi Shaw remarks that evolution is a funny thing and that the X-Men never think about what it means. 'Our genes have changed – adapted to to help us survive. But did you ever consider what we are trying to survive?' he asks as Banshee unleashes a sonic scream against him, and Hope moves in closer, before the other X-Men close in, and Cyclops tells Shinobi that he is surrounded.
'Humanity. We were built to survive humanity, and we failed' Shinobi declares, adding that there is no adaptation that will stop them from being crushed under boots. 'And now that they use us as weapons, there is no hope'. Cyclops asks Shinobi if that is his excuse for attacking fellow mutants – that humanity is coming for them anyway? Shinobi raises one of his hands and remarks that he is sure Cyclops won't understand, but that he was trying to protect the ones who are left from the bastard Hellfire Club, from the X-Men. 'We're all her chess pieces now, but at least I can say I did everything in my power to knock the board over. She won't get her Nasty Boys...and she won't get me' Shinobi declares, before making his hand intangible, 'Tell your master that Shinobi Shaw never knelt!' he adds, before plunging his hand into his head, his brain – he then keels over in front of the horrified X-Men.
two days ago:
Inside Hitachi Towers, the headquarters of the X-Men, Manhattan. The Dark Beast moves on his spider-like legs through a laboratory. 'I don't know if I can make myself sound stupid enough for you all to understand. I fixed it' the Dark Beast declares, holding up a vial. 'Fixed what?' Dani asks him as she, Illyana, Madrox, Scott, Alex, Juggernaut, Banshee, Hope and Warlox stand before him. 'The dreaded vaccine. The mutant cure. I have rendered it obsolete' the Dark Beast boasts. Dani asks him how he did that, to which the Dark Beast tells her that she is struggling with the concept, that he thinks the science behind it might overwhelm her. 'Try me' Dani replies. Dark Beast reveals that he took a sample of the vaccine, to which Dani interrupts him and asks him where he got the sample from. 'Scotty gave it to me' Dark Beast replies, pointing at Cyclops. 'You gave this maniac a biological weapon that can be used against us?' Alex asks his brother.
'In case you missed it, it already was used against us. The vaccine is in use throughout the entire developed world. A generation of mutants – maybe all future generations of mutants – has been eradicated' Scott declares. 'So you thought “How can I make this worse”?' Madrox asks. Scott tells him that he thought their backs were against the wall and every option should be explored. 'I'd be happy to hear your plan, Jamie' Scott adds. 'No, you're probably right. Arming our psychotic enemies seems like the way to go' Jamie responds. The Dark Beast tells the X-Men that while their lack of faith in him hurts, he must remind them that Scotty didn't give him the power to actually act on this – Warlox here monitored him 24 hours a day to make sure of that. 'I have just worked to give you an avenue of action. Feel free to ignore it if you don't trust me' Dark Beast remarks.
'Thanks for your permission, McCoy. Now that that's settled, we should discuss -' Alex begins, before Hope interrupts him: “settled?” she asks. 'Yes. We're not doing...whatever this is' Alex tells her.  Hope frowns as she declares that she knows the Summers brothers like to decide what is best for everyone else, but she recalls them saying that they vote on things like this. Dani tells Alex that Hope is right, and that they can't throw out the rules just because he is worried about the outcome – so they have to vote on this. 'He's a monster!' Alex exclaims. 'A monster who cured Illyana, Shan and myself. As painful as it may be, we have to be examining every option at this point' Dani points out. Madrox mutters that this is crazy, to which Dani assures him that she is uncomfortable with a lot of this herslef, but that they don't even know what it is yet, so they should hear McCoy's plan and go from there. 'Fine. But you can count my vote as a “hell no” right from now. No matter what he says' Madrox frowns.
McCoy tells the X-Men that he apologizes for his tone before, and claims that he uses humor as a defense mechanism when he feels vulnerable, but it really is quite elegant, if he can say so himself. The Dark Beast continues, stating that the vaccine is a really simple virus, that it attaches itself to proteins in their genes, specifically the x-gene, and smothers them while it tries to feed. He reveals that it is harmless to those of them whose genes have already mutated, but deadly to the genes of children in that crucial moment when their x-genes activate. The Dark Beast claims that what his anti-vaccine does is attack to their virus before it can attache to the x-gene, that it inhibits its ability to bond – basiclaly, he feeds the vaccine so that it doesn't smother the x-gene, leaving them free to activate. 'I can show you all the data and tests, but basically...I cured the cure' the Dark Beast smirks, adding that all it needs now is a delivery system.
'Oh, I'm sure we can convince every parent in the world to let them inject this stuff into their kids' Alex remarks, but the Dark Beast tells Alex that he misunderstands, as always – because he created this anti-vaccine to be an airborne, photosynthetic, asexually replicating protein – no one needs to inject it anywhere. The Dark Beast adds that if it is placed in a few key places in the upper atmosphere around the globe, within a week the vaccine will never work again. 'We just need someone who can fly' the Dark Beast points out.
And so, Magik begins teleporting Banshee around the world, as the Irish mutant soars across the  land, releasing the anti-vaccine across the planet.
Now:
The Hellfire Club's garage, the Upper East Side, where Wolverine and Kwannon confront the Hellfire Club – Emma Frost, Mystique, Elixir and Marrow. Sinister is with them. 'I know you put a lot of work into messing with my head, Emma -' Logan a.k.a. Wolverine begins, to which Emma interrupts him, reminding him that his head was a disaster before she got there. 'Well, I've got a psychic on my side and it's all coming back now, sweetheart' Logan declares. Emma admits that she didn't anticipate Miss Braddock's sexy side coming back to life and sticking her nose into her handiwork. Wolverine reminds Emma that she was an X-Man once, and so she should always be preparednfor crazy $#%& to ruin her plans – and for people to come looking to cut her head off. 'I hope you got more than Mystique, Marrow and Elixir to protect you' Logan tells Emma, who smiles and announces that she does, as she motions to dozens of Hellfire Club guards that rush into the garage.
Wolverine roars as he leaps towards the guards, while Emma smiles and suggests to Mystique, her White King, that they let the guards do their job. 'They're getting murdered!' Mystique retorts. 'That is their job' Emma points out. 'You plan ends here!' Kwannon calls out in her native Japanese as she rushes past several guards, and races towards Emma, Mystique, Elixir and Marrow – but as her blade is about to strike Emma, the White King switches her body to her diamond form. Emma smirks and tells Kwannon that she thought she would like her more without that annoying princess living in her head – but she doesn't. Mystique leaps at Kwannon, but as she brings a sword down, Kwannon blocks the sword, 'Nice strike, but not fast enough' she states, while Marrow looks on. Mystique moves back and remarks that she can feel Kwannon trying to probe her mind, trying to predict her moves.
The two woman fight as Msytique begins to rapidly shape-shift, first into Lady Deathstrike, admitting that Kwannon is probably better than her, but if she is going to cheat, then Raven can match her every step. Mystique switches to Elektra and kicks Kwannon in the face, before lunging towards the skilled fighter in the form of the six-armed Spiral. Kwannon dodges the attack, but as she leans in to strike, Mystique switches into Kwannon herself, boasting that she can just become her. Kwannon gives no reaction, and Mystique finds this interesting, remarking that usually being attacked by your own body has more of an effect. 'Maybe I just picked the wrong you' Mystique suggests as she switches into the form that Betsy Braddock a.k.a. Psylocke spend many years in. This catches Kwannon off guard, 'Thought so' Mystique smiles as she shoves a sword into the shocked Kwannon's shoulder.
Sinister and Emma watch Wolverine battle the guards, and Sinister tells Emma that he loved what she has been doing with her little puppet show, that it looks fantastically fun, and apologizes if his getting involved complicated things – especially because it looks like she was about to spectacularly blunder this on her own – and he has longed to watch that. 'What did you do, you pathetic little man?' Emma scowls, before Marrow leaps at Wolverine and shoves him through a window – they end up outside the Hellfire Club on street level. Wolverine swirls around and strikes his claws across Marrow's stomach, causing the younger mutant to keel over. Logan then turns as Emma, Mystique and Elixir arrive outside and Logan tells Elixir that the rest of them aren't worth his time, and he should save Marrow instead, as he has to gut his boss.
Suddenly, dozens of Office of National Emergency soldiers surround Wolverine, 'Halt! This building and its inhabitants are under the protection of the O*N*E!' a soldier calls out. 'Congrats, Emma. Didn't think you could do it, but this is a new low' Wolverine snarls, growling as he lunges towards Emma, only to be set ablaze by several soldiers who use a flame thrower against him.
Meantime, in Washington Square Park, Manhattan, civilians go about their business while Alex, Dani, Scott and Illyana sit on two park benches. Dani announces that they have no more leads after the Upstarts incident, and everyone else on their list has vanished. 'They'll reappear' Scott tells her. 'And if they don't?' Dani asks. Scott admits that he doesn't know, and remarks that he hates to do it, but it might be time to call Rogers and see if he has any information. 'Don't bother' Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America calls out as he approaches the X-Men, accompanied by Doctor Nemesis. The X-Men turn to the new arrivals, and Scott asks them what they are doing here. 'I think you know, Scott' Cap replies. 'Actually I have no idea' Scott replies.
Cap states that he was worried when Cyclops came back – as Cyclops has made rash decisions before. He admits that they don't always see eye to eye. 'But if I'd know you were capable of this -' Cap begins, to which Scott gets to his feet and assures Captain America that they did not kill the Nasty Boys or Shaw – it was a trap that was set for them. Cap explains that he was talking about the vaccine, and asks Scott what the hell he was thinking. 'The vaccine was a hate crime. It was the chemical sterilization of the mutant race by the governments of the world' Scott replies, explaining that nobody asked those kids if they wanted to be denied the chance to become who they really are. 'So you're killing them to teach us all a lesson?' Cap asks. 'What are you talking about?' Cyclops enquires.
Doctor Nemesis steps forward and reveals that five children have fallen into comas after being vaccinated in the last eighteen hours. He reports that he has examined three of them, and that something put into the air is causing this reaction, and he thinks Cyclops knows what. Dani steps in and promises Captain America that that was not what they intended. She adds that his help and trust in the X-Men over the last few weeks has proven invaluable, and she asks him to once more trust them. 'What are you talking about, Danielle?' Cap asks. 'Taking the prisoners...? Your meetings with Scott...?' Dani responds. But Cap points at Cyclops and states that he has not spoken  with Summers since that rally at Empire State, and if he had known then what they were all capable of, he would never have let Cyclops walk away. 'You came to Harry's Hideaway...' the wide-eyed Dani tries to remind Cap. 'I don't know any Harry, but you should all know the Avengers are going to take -' Cap starts to say, before a stern-faced Cyclops instructs Magik to grab Doctor Nemesis and get them home. 'Excuse me? What the -' Doctor Nemesis utters as a portal suddenly forms around him, Magik, Dani, Scott and Alex, and they vanish.
Back outside the Hellfire Club in Manhattan, a O*N*E soldier approaches another and asks him what is going on. The second soldier reports that Callahan wants Sinister transported off-site right away, as the shackled Sinister is led to a transport vehicle. 'But we're still -' the first soldier asks. 'Take it up with Callahan' the second interrupts him. Callahan arrives on scene and notices a blood-covered sword lying on the ground and asks 'Where's Psylocke?' 'She's not Psylocke. They just shared a body' Emma replies as she watched medics place Wolverine into an ambulance. Emma adds that she doesn't know where “Psylocke” is as she seems to have vanished in the commotion after Callahan's stormtroopers arrived and royally botched everything. 'They saved your life' Callahan points out. 'I was doing just fine' Emma responds.
Callahan asks about Mystique, 'You knew she escaped from my custody with the other X-Men. You never should have harbored her' Callahan tells Emma, before asking her where Mystique is now. Emma reports that she doesn't know, and that Mystique is being psychically shielded. 'So be it. I'm done playing nice, Emma. I can't trust you' Callahan declares. He instructs some soldiers to secure this building and lock Ms Frost inside while he figures out what to do with her. He adds that the Hellfire Club is now the property of the O*N*E. 'That wasn't our deal, Callahan!' Emma exclaims, but Callahan informs Emma that they never had a deal – as deals imply that both parties wield some sort of power. 'You exist by the grace of me. It would do you good to remember that' Callahan reminds Emma.
Back at the X-Men's apartment base, Cyclops, Moonstar, Havok, Magik, Banshee, Hope, Madrox, Juggernaut and Doctor Nemesis enter the Dark Beast's lab, where the mad scientist is watching a news report that indicates there is word of a possible sixth child to have fallen ill after receiving the vaccination. 'What did you do?' Cyclops calls out. The Dark Beast replies that he was just trying to catch up on his shows, and asks if anyone knows whether the new season of “Fargo” has started. 'No more games! What did you do?' Cyclops demands to know. The Dark Beast frowns and points out that he did what he was asked – he made it so parents will never again subject their children to that horrible solution. 'It stands in the way of evolution. And we hate it' the Dark Beast states, adding that after the children have been exposed to this concoction, which according to his airstream models has now happened to 98% of the world, their little protein bonds with the big bad medication and shuts it down – harmless, mostly.
The Dark Beast grins as he reveals that sometimes a child's x-gene will actually activate while the serum takes effect, and then it works as a catalyst to help the protein replicate inside of them – basically, they made it so some of the little mutants' organs go into overdrive and they slip into comas. He states that they have given parents a choice – inject their kids and, if they are mutants, they will probably die – they will see how pure their hatred of mutant kind really is. The Dark Beast continues, stating that, as for how, all he needed was a little help from Sinister, and when he visited him in Westchester, Sinister looked over his work, saw what he could not and added the missing piece. Cyclops and Havok look shocked, while Magik frowns, and the Dark Beast tells them that all it took was Sinister offering some subconscious suggestions to all of them, and they were off to the races with this plan.
The Dark Beast boasts that they did great work this week, that they are a great team, although he might suggest that going forward they get another psychic to shield them, as without Jean, Betsy or Rachel it seems an awful lot of people are mucking around in their heads these days. Suddenly, 'Enough' Magik calls out as she narrows her eyes and starts to open a portal around the Dark Beast. 'Illyana, don't -' Cyclops calls out, while Dark Beast utters 'Where are you sending me, witch?' as he falls through the portal – and re-appears hanging from the ceiling above – his neck down, at least, while his head is nowhere to be seen 'Good Lord, Illyana!' Cyclops exclaims. 'What the hell is wrong with you?' Alex asks Illyana. 'He tricked us into killing children. What's wrong with you?' Illyana retorts, while Dani stands nearby and puts a hand to her own head.
Doctor Nemesis flips through a book annd announces that they are not dead. 'McCoy isn't – sorry – wasn't as smart as he thought' Doctor Nemesis remarks, adding that he can fix this, but he nees to move quickly. 'Good. Whatever you need to help those kids we'll...we...' Cyclops begins, before his voice trails off as he stares into the distance. 'Scott? Are you okay?' Alex asks his brother. Dani, Juggernaut and Doctotr Nemesis look over to Scott as he receives a telepathic message from Emma, informing him that she is going to give his memories back now. She asks him not to be mad at her, and tells him that she needs him now – she needs the X-Men!


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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We Have Always Been, part 5
“You were right. One way or another, this may be the last X-Men story. I just don't know whether I should say I'm sorry or you're welcome.”
'You sure this is a good idea?' one of the X-Men asks as they gather in front of the gates of the Hellfire Club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan under the cover of night. 'Emma is in there. We need to get to her' Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops replies. Hope asks Scott if they are trying to help Emma or trying to stop her. '... we're trying to find out what's going on' Scott announces. Cain Marko the Juggernaut remarks that he still can't believe none of the X-Men remembered Emma before. 'She was, like, a pretty big deal for you all. Scott was, like, always over her like -' Juggernaut begins, to which Scott interrupts him: 'We get it' he mutters, before motioning to some guards up ahead and instructing Dani Moonstar to take the one on the left, Hope the one on the right, while he takes the one in the middle. An instant later, the guards are felled by a psychic arrow, an optic beam and a weapon blast.
Dani, Juggernaut and Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man hide the guards in some bushes, while Alex Summers a.k.a. Havok, Cyclops, Hope and Sean Cassidy a.k.a. Banshee stand in front of the doors. Dani reminds everyone that they don't know what is inside so they need to move quickly and quietly, and that on her signal they will open the door. But suddenly, the door opens, and Illyana Rasputin a.k.a. Magik opens the door from the inside and announces that it is clear. 'So much for waiting for my signal' Dani remarks as the X-Men enter the mansion. 'I thought we were trying to be quick?' Magik asks. 'You didn't happen to stab Emma too, did you, 'Yana?' Alex asks. Scott reminds his brother that this is a rescue mission – for now. Suddenly, at the top of a staircase, Emma Frost appears: 'Not the romantic response I was hoping for, darling' Emma calls out, adding that she has never been one for being rescued. 'Other option is still on the table' Dani points out.
Meanwhile, at the Hotel Romeo, a secret O*N*E facility, inside the medical wing, 'We got four more coming in!' a O*N*E soldier calls out. 'What the hell happened?' a man in a suit wearing sunglasses asks. 'The X-Men happened!' another O*N*E* soldier calls out, as soldiers move between patients. 'Prisoner woke up in transport and tore us apart' one guard remarks, while a doctor bandages the severed limb of a Hellfire Club guard who is among the victims. 'Maybe next time you make sure he's really down before you start moving him, okay, Lieutenant?' a doctor suggests, before asking where the healer kid is. 'My name is Triage' Christopher Muse calls out as he approaches the doctor. 'We've been over this, Christopher. The faster you let go of that nonsense, the easier all of this will be for you' the doctor remarks, before suggesting they get to work. The doctor motions to the wounded and tells Christopher that he wants all the patients assessed before he begins healing them, as he doesn't want him to overtax his abilities on non-life-threatening injuries if they can avoid it.
Triage goes over to where Logan a.k.a. Wolverine lies motionless and blood-covered in one of the beds and touches his hand. 'What are you... stop! Not him!' the doctor exclaims. 'Why the hell is that thing even in my ER?' the doctor snarls. 'Callahan said we can't let him die' a O*N*E soldier reports. The doctor goes over to Christopher and asks him if he is trying to be clever here. 'What? You'd heal him and he'd save you? That it?' the doctor asks, reminding Christopher that they saved him, and the United States government is giving him the opportunity to be part of something that matters. Triage looks at the doctor and replies 'I already am. I'm an X-Man'. The doctor reaches into his jacket pocket, 'Still trying to be a hero, huh?' he asks. 'You forget about what we put inside of you? One push of this button and you're back to just being a normal human $%#&-up. So keep testing me, son'.
Triage responds by spitting in the doctor's face. 'Wrong choice, kid' the doctor declares as he presses the button on the device in his pocket – and Triage screams as he is struck down by a powerful surge. 'We needed that kid. Callahan is gonna have both of our asses for this' a O*N*E soldier mutters. The doctor wipes the spit off of his face and tells the lieutenant to relax, and asks if he picked up the other healer from Frost. 'We don't need redundancies. Bring him in from the transports and we'll get to work. We'll be fine' the doctor declares.
Back in the Hellfire Club, Emma walks down the steps towards her former teammates. 'Thank you for coming, my love. I knew you'd -' she begins, to which Cyclops interrupts her: 'Emma, don't' he declares. Emma tells him that they will talk in private later, but for now she sees that they did not bring what she asked for. 'The thing where you tell us what to do? That's over' Scott replies. Alex frowns and tells his brother that he knows he uused to love Emma, but that if she doesn't start explaining why she messed around in their heads, he is going to blast her through a wall. Scott steps between Alex and Emma and tells his brother to stand down, while Emma tells Alex that she wouldn't be so quick to forgo forgiveness, and reminds him that they last time they were all togeher, it was she and Scott who were trying to figure out what to do about Alex. 'Emma, I'm not trying to make this worse!' Scott snaps, to which Emma tells him that he doesn't have to do that, as she is a big girl and can take care of herself just fine. 'I'd shut his brain down before he could do anything. And that goes for all of you' she adds as Dani and Magik gather around. 'Even me?' Hope suddenly asks as she appears behind Emma and puts a gun to her head.
Emma smiles, 'Ah, Hope. The prodigal daughter returns, and using my own powers to psychically shield herself from me' Emma points out. 'Color me impressed. I was looking forward to seeing you after what you did to Scott's face' Emma adds. 'Funny. I was looking forward to doing the same thing to you' Hope replies. 'Not today, sweetie' a O*N*E soldier remarks as they appear behind Hope and put a gun to her head. Emma tells everyone to stay calm, and assures them that the O*N*E soldier is with her. 'With you all taking care of the O*N*E problem, I decided to let myself in. And I brought a friend' the O*N*E soldier declares. Emma addresses the soldier as Raven, and thanks her – so Mystique drops her disguise and Mr Sinister follows her into the foyer. 'Quite the crowd you've been running with, Frost' Hope mutters. 'I could say the same to you... it seems we've all had our backs to the wall lately' Mystique declares as she morphs into Captain America.
Back in the secret O*N*E  facility, Wolverine growls as he shoves his claws through a soldier. He lunges at another while bullets are fired at his back. He suddenly goes wide-eyed as he picks up a scent, 'dear god...what have you done...?' he utters. 'Logan?' a voice calls out. 'Show yourself...' Logan replies as he enters another room, and discovers an emaciated figure huddled in the darkness. 'Logan, it's me...' the figure utters. 'I know you?' Logan asks. The man appears old, bearded, and has been infected with the Techno-Organic Virus, and he introduces himself as Gabriel – Velocidad – and reminds Logan that they were on the X-Men together once. 'What did they... what happened?' Logan asks. Velocidad reveals that he has been prisoner here this whole time, that nobody has come for him all these years. 'I saw you in the sewers a month ago...' Logan recalls.
'A month? That can't be. Oh. My powers' Velocidad realizes, before the Techno-Organic voice takes over, and reveals that they have been using Gabeself to grow multiple Warlocks, that Gabeself is an incubator so they can produce Warlocks that reach maturity much faster, as normally it takes hundrds of rotations around Earth-sol. Wolverine tells Gabriel that it isn't his fault, and suggests they get him out of here, but Velocidad tells Wolverine that he won't survive, and that they have been keeping alive. 'No, just tell Blindfold I'm sorry I didn't believe her. Tell her she was right' Gabriel asks. 'I will, kid' Logan responds as he pops his claws into Velocidad.
In the Hellfire Club lobby, Emma smiles, and admits that she owes the X-Men an explanation. She confirms that she  removed herself from their memories, that she gave the slightest of nudges, subconscious suggestions to help steer them in some directions that she needed. 'And that's all you did in our heads?' Dani asks. 'What nudges?' Havok enquires. 'Where to find each other. Who to put on your little list of targets. That sort of thing. But I had a good reason. I was captured by the O*N*E and forced to work for them' Emma explains. 'So you made us work for you?' Magik snaps, shoving Emma up against a nearby wall. 'They were going to kill me, Ms Rasputin. What choice did I have?' Emma asks. 'Not dragging us down with you?' Alex suggests. 'Where's the fun in that?' Emma replies, before Magik raises her sword to Emma's throat and asks if they can kill her now.
Cyclops backs Magik away from Emma as he tells Emma that they lost people, and that they handed mutants over. 'What the hell were you thinking?' he asks. 'I was thinking I could keep you safe, Scott Summers. But you had to go and make a big scene and let the whole world see you. And I was thinking I'd find a way to save us. All of us. Mutants. And I did' Emma replies. 'If this is a trick -' Hope begins, using stolen telepathy to read Emma's mind, as Emma mutters 'Yes, tes, you'll shoot me in the face. Read away, love'. Suddenly, Hope goes wide-eyed and utters 'My God! Emma, show them'. 'As you wish' Emma replies, as she telepathically projects information to Cyclops, Moonstar, Havok, Magik, Madrox, Banshee and Juggernaut.
'Wow... I... did not expect that' Dani remarks, and Cyclops announces that he isn't sure it is a good idea. 'What the hell are we talking about?' Juggernaut asks. 'The game is up, dear. The O*N*E is coming for all of us now. I can't protect you anymore and you can't protect me. We have no other choice' Emma declares. Dani asks if it will work, to which Emma replies 'With your help'. Hope tells Cyclops that they have to try, but Cyclops reminds her thast it isn't his place to say anymore. Magik tells everyone that they all saw the plan, and suggests they vote now. 'All in favor?' she asks. Madrox, Dani, Hope and Alex all raise their hands with Magik, who points out that the ayes have it. 'Excellent' Emma smiles, before declaring that she will need a few things. She points out that the X-Men still have Fabian Cortez in their little headquarters, and that she will need him – and they need to bring back Elixir.
A short moment later, a stepping disc opens up in the secret O*N*E facility, which is littered with motionless soldiers among small blazes that are dotted about. Magik, Cyclops, Banshee, Juggernaut, Hope and Madrox emerge from the stepping disc, as Cyclops tells Magik that he knows she brought them to the right place – so his next question is – what the hell happened here? 'Oh' Scott utters as he looks over and sees Wolverine shoving a O*N*E soldier up against a wall. Logan turns to the X-Men and asks them what they are doing here. 'You need to get out of here right -' Logan begins, before there is a mighty BOOM and a large explosion. When the dust settles, a large Techno-Organic Sentinel looms over everyone. Cyclops tells the X-Men to concentrate all fire on that thing, when suddenly, the Sentinel knocks Banshee out of the air, he drops to the ground – and Banshee looks up as the Sentinel releases some sort of fireblast at Banshee, who screams as he is seemingly killed a fiery blaze. 'BANSHEE!' Magik calls out. 'Get up!' she exclaims as she rushes over to the flames, but someone tells her that Banshee is gone, and they have to go.
A large number of O*N*E soldiers move in and surround the X-Men, with Cyclops telling them that he is sorry, and that it is over. Suddenly, General Callahan appears on a large monitor, welcoming Illyana back to the Office of National Emergency, he suggests she put that sword down, if not for her friends' sakes, then for her own. Callahan remarks that Illyana might not recall, but last time she was here, he had a little device put inside she and her friends, but she ran away before he could use it then. 'But now that you're back in range, I can make the mutant part of you cease to exist' Callahan claims. 'And you think that will make me less dangerous, old man?' Magik responds as she slices the head off a nearby soldier. 'So be it. You still girl' Callahan replies, and an instant later, Illyana drops to the ground, clutching her head, she appears in some pain as an energy courses through her body.
'What the...?' a nearby soldier asks. 'What's happening to her?' another enquires. Cyclops calls Callahan an idiot and tells ihm that Illyana's mutant side was the only thing holding it back – and an instant later, Illyana transforms into the Darkchilde, a hideous demon creature with hooved feet, large horns, red skin and a long flickering tongue. 'OPEN FIRE!' a O*N*E soldier shouts, but too late, as the Darkchilde casts a spell, and the soldiers are all teleported away. 'Code red! Code red! Evacuate the facility!' a voice announces over an intercom, while the Darkchilde approaches the X-Men. Cyclops asks Illyana if she iis still in there, but the creature's response is in a demon language. The Juggernaut then rushes forward, 'Forget this! I'm not waiting for that thing to try to kill me!' he exclaims. Cyclops tells Cain to wait, but it's no use, as the Darkchilde casts another spell, and Juggernaut finds himself held in stasis, unable to move. 'What are you doing?' Cain asks, before screaming as the Darkchilde plunges her hand into the Juggernaut's chest, and pulls the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak from him, reducing Cain Marko to a withered form. 'Cyttorak' the Darkchilde utters, before crushing the gem, and opening a stepping disc which Cain falls through.
Cyclops turns to Madrox and tells him to get hope and Logan out of here while he holds the Darkchilde off as long as he can. Madrox holds Hope, who is under some strain as she announces that she has Magik. 'C'mon, honey. Time to run from the demon that lived inside our friend!' Madrox calls out, as a stepping disc appears. 'What is this, now?' Madrox asks as he, two dupes, Cyclops, Wolverine and Hope begin to vanish. 'I have her powers' Hope explains, and as they disappear completely, the Darkchilde appears to scream.
In Manhattan, 'This is bad. You recognize that, right?' Doctor Nemesis asks as he, a Madrox dupe, Fabian Cortez, Warlox and Dani Moonstar run from a number of O*N*E soldiers. Cortez tells them that if they unchain him, he can fight, too. 'They killed my associates back there' he adds, to which Dani tells him that she prefers to keep it to one problem at a time as she fires a psychic arrow back towards the soldiers following them. 'Self-friends will not be able to lose them as self-friends planned' Warlox remarks. Madrox tells him that they should just hope they can make it to the Hellfire Club and hold them off while Emma does her thing with Cortez here. 'Or not! We got a plan B?' Madrox asks as they find themselves confronted by another large number of soldiers up ahead. Help arrives when Havok appears and blasts the soldiers back with a surge of energy. The mutants run behind some cars as Havok tells them to come on and that reinforcements aren't far behind. He instructs Nemesis to get Cortez inside, as Emma is waiting for them both.
Cyclops appears and tells the others to come with him, and states that Emma confirmred everyone within a mile of this area has been evacuated – so anyone they see now is trying to put them down. 'Nobody gets into that building' he adds, referring to the Hellfire Club. 'Where's everyone else?' Dani asks. Cyclops reports that their mission went sideways, that they couldn't find Elixir. They found Wolverine, but he and Hope are wounded inside. 'What?' Dani snaps. 'Nobody else made it' Scott tells her, while Havok fires another surge of energy at more soldiers. 'When this is over we're going to have some words, Scott' Dani frowns as she, Cyclops, Havok, Warlox, Madrox and Mystique gather in front of the Hellfire Club gates. 'If we're both alive when this is over, you can say anything you want. But they're coming. So for now...hold the line, X-Men!' Cyclops replies.
Moonstar fires a psychic arrow at one of the soldiers, while Madrox attacks another hand-to-hand. Cyclops shoots a soldier with an optic blast, while Havok prepares to release a surge of energy. The fight goes on, when suddenly, Mystique alerts the X-Men to the fact that the O*N*E soldiers have all become frozen. 'Why'd they stop?' she asks. 'What do we do?' Madrox enquires. Curiously, one of the soldiers extends a hand to Havok and asks him if he is all right. 'Lemme help you up' the soldier adds. 'I can get up myself...' Alex replies. 'Of course, Sir. Have a nice day' the soldier responds, before turning and walking away, along with all of the other soldiers. 'Is this it? Did it really work?' Dani asks. 'I don't know...' Alex replies as he turns to her, before a voice calls out 'It did'. It's Emma, who stands on the Hellfire Club steps with Sinister, Nemesis and Cortez. Emma holds a Cerebro helmet in her hand, and the side of her head has been shaved and stitch marks can be seen across her scalp. Emma announces 'They don't recognize us. They can't see what we really are. And they don't remember us'. Emma smiles as she declares that as of right now, the world at large has never even heard of mutants. 'We never existed. You're welcome'.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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We Have Always Been, part 6
'We did it' Emma Frost remarks. 'Get out of my head, Emma' Scott Summers responds. Emma tells Scott that it is over, that this is what they have always been working for. That this is their future – this is forever. 'You really think we won, don't you?' Scott replies.
Central Park, Manhattan, where Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops sits on a park bench, wearing his X-Men costume, he feeds some pigeons and squirrels that scuttle about around his feet. 'Mind if I join you?' Dani Moonstar asks as she approaches Scott. 'Sure' Scott responds, adding that he came out here to clear his head a bit. 'Is it clear?' Dani asks. 'Not exactly, no' Scott admits. Dani sits down next to Scott, who asks her if she knew that the squirrels in the city are physically different from other squirrels – they have shorter teeth and less body fat. Scott explains that it is because they don't rely on finding food in the wild, that they eat what humans throw away, they survive on garbage, so their bodies have adapted to help them do that – and although it sounds awful, adaptation like that is one of the tenets of evolution. Dani doesn't respond to Scott's comments about the squirrels, she just tells him on that they need to talk.
As people in the park go about their business, Scott tells Dani that on a micro level, evolution seems random, that traits are changing and evolving, but on the macro level there is nothing random about it – it's a war fought over generations – species fighting and struggling to survive. Scott adds that he used to wonder why they all had different powers, why they weren't allv icy like Bobby or agile like Hank, and that surely it would be better if they could all fly like Warren or read minds like Jean. 'Anything is better than shooting beams out of your eyes, right?' Scott asks. He removes his ruby quartz glasses and tells Dani that his powers are destructive by nature, that the others were given gifts, while he was given a weapon, and it took him a long time to realize that it wasn't about being cool or graceful – they were, on a genetic level, fighting to survive, and he is the one who did it. He beat the odds.
'What odds?' Dani asks as she listens to Scott sympathetically. 'Seven billion to one. Humanity. Every single mutant is given a single tool to help them survive humanity' Scott replies, putting his ruby quartz glasses back on, he then adds 'Or we were. Maybe it doesn't matter now? Whatever the hell Emma did...they can't tell we're mutants' Scott points out. 'They can't see our gifts. Apparently, they don't even remember mutants existed anymore' Scott adds. Dani informs him that is what she wanted to talk to him about, and asks Scott what they are going to do now. Scott tells Dani that he doesn't know – and he didn't have a plan for this. He reminds her that he spent his whole life learning how to fight, that he never learned what he is supposed to do when that war ends.
'That's it? That's your answer?' Dani responds. Scott continues to feed the creatures at his feet and asks Dani what she wants to do. 'What I've always done. Help people' Dani announces. She then puts a hand on Scott's and asks him to  stop for a second, before telling him that she needs to know if it is true what Logan said – that Blindfold told him not to put the X-Men back together before she died. 'It's more complicated than that. You knew her' Scott replies. 'I did' Dani acknowledges, before reminding Scott that she was a Valkyrie once, and carried the souls of the dead. She asks Scott if he feels their weight on him – Blindfold? Rahne? Illyana? 'Every day' Scott replies, hanging his head. 'But here you still are, right? And now you get to move on. You can still make your happy life with Emma' Dani points out. Scott tells Dani that that is not fair. 'Isn't  it?' Dani asks. She tells Scott  to look at them, look at who is left – everyone who didn't quite fit it in, everyone who stood out is gone, and the rest of them are still here.
Scott gets to his feet and asks Dani if that's what she thinks this is about – who could pass for human? 'You think I planned this? You think I wouldn't trade my life to bring any one of them back right now?' Scott snaps. 'No. I know you would' Dani replies, before standing up next to Scott and telling him that is not an option. She declares that it has always been the Scott Summers story or the Scott and Jean Story. Or Scott and Logan – and they all thought he was leading them to safety, fighting to help them all survive. 'But we were really just the supporting cast to get you here, weren't we?' Dani asks.
'How dare you. They were soldiers fighting for a cause. I wish we hadn't lost any of them, but they knew what this was' Scott exclaims. The pigeons on the ground fly away as Dani runs from Scott and tells him that she never understood the difference between the two of them – he lost soldiers, while she lost sisters and brothers.
Scott watches Dani run off into the distance, before calling out 'I know you're watching. You can come out. You come to yell at me too, Alex?' Scott asks. The handsome Alex Summers a.k.a. Havok emerges from behind a tree and tells his brother that he thinks Dani pretty much covered the bases on that – and he just wanted to watch him feed the rats or whatever. 'It's not depressing at all' Alex remarks. Scott looks over to Alex, then  turns away, admitting that Dani is right – people are dead because of him and nothing he does or says will fix that. 'That's what being a leader is though, isn't it?' Alex asks as he approaches his brother, and standing next to him suggests that they don't need to compare resumes. 'Yes I was an Avenger' Alex reminds Scott. 'And a villain' Scott adds. 'And an Avenger. But I can tell you this, everything I learned about being a leader, being a teammate, hell, being a good person... I learned from you' Alex reveals.
He tells Scott that he gets that the whole “self-doubt, self-pity” thing is sort of his trademark, but that it sucks. 'This is you helping?' Scott asks, frowning. Alex tells Scott that the expectations on them, the hatred, the people they've lost – they can't ever forget that, can't ever turn their backs on it. 'But you can't let it drag you down either. We press on. For those who can't' Alex adds. Scott asks his brother if he ever wondered “why me” - why the Professor chose him to lead the team over everyone else. 'Literally every single day' Alex replies. Scott explains that he used to think it was because he was the one who never doubted what they were doing – the Professor saw that hr had what it took to see their mission through – but he is afraid that is not him anymore. Alex smiles and tells Scott that it is a new day, maybe a whole new world – so maybe for once he doesn't need to be that guy. Alex reaches upwards and releases a powerful surge of energy. No one around them flinches, as Alex tells Scott that no one notices, that they can live normal lives now – no one even knows they exist anymore. 'So that's how it is? We're back to hiding again?' Scott asks. Alex stops releasing his energy and suggests that it beats dying.
Meanwhile, at the Hellfire Club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, 'Stop eavesdropping, Emma' Doctor Nemesis remarks as he watches Emma Frost using the Cerebro device. Fabian Cortez sits next to Emma, who glances sideways and assures Doctor Nemesis that she wasn't eavesdropping. She reminds him that she has manipulated the memories and perceptions of the entire planet, and that takes some fine-tuning. 'Just admit you were trying to read Summers' mind. I don't care. I just wanted to give you an update' Doctor Nemesis declares. Emma removes the Cerebro unit, revealing the scar along the side of her head where some of her hair has been shaved. 'Yes?' she asks Doctor Nemesis, who reveals that Dark Beast's vaccine has been dealt with, and that he delivered it to the Avengers a few minutes ago, so if all goes well, the children in comas should be on the road to recovery within the hour. He adds that it was quite a clever bit of work on McCoy's part.
'If he was so clever he wouldn't have ended up as part of a wall' Emma mutters, while Doctor Nemesis tells Emma that the vaccine is unusable now, that the eulogy of the mutant race was given a bit premature, so McCoy's plan worked – which is more than he can say for Emma's. 'My Cerebro worked perfectly' Emma snaps. 'I meant your play to win back your ex-boyfriend. Or are we -' Doctor Nemesis explains, interrupted by someone screaming. 'Oh good. More problems' Emma points out as she glances sideways. Emma and Nemesis rush towards a nearby door, as Nemesis asks Emma if she is keeping Sinister down here. 'What the hell is he doing?' Nemesis enquires. 'I'm more worried about what is being done to him' Emma replies, before opening the door where she sees Logan a.k.a. Wolverine, growling and forcing Mister Sinister to the floor, claws through his neck and blood pooling under him, while Warlox looks on. 'Foul beast' Sinister mutters, before Doctor Nemesis steps between Emma and Wolverine, as Wolverine raises his claws towards Emma. 'Out of the way, Nemesis. She's next' Wolverine snarls.
'Can't do that, “bub”. For better or worse the lady is on our side here' Doctor Nemesis tells Wolverine, who declares that it isn't about sides, and that Frost has played in his head one time too many. 'She saved our lives, Logan' Hope Summers points out from the hospital bed nearby where she sits. 'What happened to me?' Logan asks. Hope explains to him that in the explosion he inhaled a chemical that put him in a coma and slowed down his healing factor. It hit her powers too, but they are coming back. Emma informs Logan that she, Sinister and Nemesis figured out a way to counteract the poison in his body – a fact she is sure Sinister now regrets. Emma looks at Sinister's body as it dissolves on her shoes, and she supposes that this was simply a clone and they weren't dealing with the actual Sinister. 'What a vile man he is' she adds. Doctor Nemesis informs Wolverine that everything has changed now, that Emma's plan worked. 'What the hell are you talking about?' Logan asks. Emma explains to Logan that all the mutants he brought her helped her build her Cerebro, and that Cortez and Sinister helped amplify her powers. 'Humans won't hurt us anymore. They don't know we exist' Emma adds. 'Frost, if you think it's all over... you're an even bigger moron than I thought' Logan responds.
Back in Central Park, the Summers Brothers walk down a path, and Alex begins to say 'If this really works, the first thing I'm gonna do... is...' as a shadow falls over them. 'Known target detected' one of the Techno-Organic Sentinels looming above the park announces. 'Known target detected' another Sentinel adds. Scott and Alex look up, and Alex releases a surge of energy up at one of the Sentinels while telling Scott that he thought Emma worked all of this out. 'Apparently not' Scott replies as he fires an optic blast. Alex realizes that his powers are barely making a dent, and one of the Sentinels fires a blast back, knocking Scott aside. Alex calls out to his brother and rushes over to him as Scott falls on the ground. Scott tells Alex  to run, 'Shut up' Alex replies as he fires another surge of energy at the approaching Sentinels. Alex and Scott take cover behind some shrubs, and Alex assures Scott that he is going to be okay.
Scott points out that they are not far from the Hellfire Club mansion. 'Maybe if we -' Scott begins, while Alex's body appears translucent and he looks down at Scott and tells him that when they were younger, he used to think it was weird that their powers couldn't hurt each other. 'Why would that be, ya know?' he asks. Scott tells his brother to power down, otherwise he will tear himself apart. 'The device Callahan implanted is still making your powers hard to regulate' Scott points out. 'Yeah, that's where he screwed up' Alex replies, before admitting that he always thought Scott was the best of them 'Don't let me be wrong, okay?' he asks, before he releases his power, exploding like a blue nuclear weapon, which tears through the Sentinels. 'ALEX!' Scott screams, before covering his face with his hands as the energy clears around him, he was untouched by the incredible power surge.
The surge is seen at the Hellfire Club, as Logan, Emma, Hope, Warlox and Doctor Nemesis shield their eyes from the blinding glare. 'What is it?' Nemesis asks. 'Nothing good' Emma replies. As they move deeper into the Hellfire Club mansion, Logan tells Emma that  he is getting the feeling her machine didn't do what it promised. Suddenly, a door opens and General Callahan, wearing a Cerebro helmet of his own, appears. He tells Emma that it seems she underestimated him again. 'Did you really think you could make me forget you?' he asks her, before admitting that he is quite impressed with what she managed to build under his nose though – making every single person on Earth only see and think what she wants to. 'I hope you understand now why nobody cared that I was hunting your kind' he adds, before announcing that this will be the last time he underestimates her.
'I see you upgraded your little headset, General' Emma points out, to which Callahan asks Emma if she is sorry she couldn't erase herself from his mind so easily. 'No, I'm just surprised you came here so we could deal with you in person' Emma replies. 'No, I came to watch you die, Emma' Callahan announces as he presses the button on a small device. Emma tells Callahan that he is forever one step behind, and pushes her hair back, revealing the scar along her scalp, she informs him that she had his little bomb removed from her skull. 'Then we'll do this the old-fashioned way' Callahan snarls as several Techno-Organic Sentinels drop down onto the land outside the Hellfire Club. Callahan asks Emma if she really thought he wouldn't have backup plans for dealing with her when the time came. 'You're the most duplicitous creature I've ever encountered. Is there even a term for someone like you?' Callahan remarks. 'Survivor' Emma declares. 'We'll see' Callahan tells her, before boasting that after his Sentinels destroy her, he will destroy whatever this device is that she built. 'Just know that you sold out your people for nothing' Callahan adds.
Warlox walks over to the Sentinels and tells gthem to halt. 'Self recognizes Self. You are pieces of Self' he tells the Sentinels, one of whom reaches down to Warlox as he asks them not to hurt Selfriends. Warlox extends some tendrils and latches onto the Sentinels, announcing that he will relcaim pieces of Self. One of the Sentinels states that this is an attempted system override. 'Destroy known target' the Sentinel adds, before firing a close-range blast at Warlox – which tears through the strange creature, who collapses to the ground, seemingly still moving, while the blast also vaporizes Cortez. 'X-Men attack!' Emma shouts as she switches to her diamond hard form. Mystique lunges forward while Madrox creatures several duplicates and Hope and Dr Nemesis raise their guns. 'So much for your plan, Frost' Wolverine points out as he rushes forward, claws t the ready. Emma informs everyone that the Sentinels are mostly machine, so she can't control them.
'I was gone for half an hour!' Dani Moonstar exclaims as she arrives on scene as Logan leaps at one of the Sentinels. 'Shoulda stayed gone, kid' Logan replies. 'That's not how it works and you know it' Dani calls back as she readies a psychic arrow. Hope rushes in front of Warlox and tells him to hang on. She aims her weapon towards the Sentinels, but Warlox tells her that it is okay, that he did it – the Sentinels are linked to his memory. He asks her to take Frenemyfrost's powers, and use them to erase Self's mind. 'They will forget...' Warlox utters. 'I can't...' Hope calls back. 'Save other mutants' Warlox tells her. Hope leans over the strange body that is Warlox and tells him that his thoughts are so chaotic, that she isn't sure what she is supposed to be looking for – until she finds it, and an instant later, the Sentinels stop moving. 'They've stopped... it worked! Warlox, it worked!' Hope exclaims. 'What is happening? Where is Self?' Warlox asks, confused. Hope tells him that it is okay, that they did it, it worked. 'Who are you?' Warlox asks. 'A friend' Hope tells him, before Warlox dies in her arms.
'What's wrong with you? Attack the targets!' Callahan shouts at the Sentinels, one of which responds 'Indicated targets do not match known criteria for use of force'. Annoyed, Callahan exclaims 'They're mutants! You kill mutants!' but the Sentinel states that the term “mutant' is not known to self. 'Override priority x-ray alpha victory india echo romeo' Callahan snarls, and the Sentinel accepts the override. 'Kill all targets I indicate' Callahan instructs the Sentinels, one of whom opens fire at the mutants gathered below. Mystique and Doctor Nemesis leap for cover, while Wolverine shoves his claws into one of the Sentinels, who responds by grabbing Logan in its hand and begins to squash him – until the Sentinel's hand is blown off by an optic blast that is fired at it. 'Sorry I'm late' Cyclops calls out.
While Callahan motions at Cyclops, Emma telepathically tells Scott that he shouldn't habe come back, that there are too many of them. She adds that Callahan won't stop until he has destroyed them and Cerebro. But Scott tells Emma to shut up, and instructs her to patch him through to Logan. Emma does so, and Scott asks Logan what the situation is. 'It's #%&$' Logan replies, informing Scott that Warlox and Cortez are gone and everyone else is hurt. 'You see a way out of this?' Scott asks, while Emma, Mystique, Doctor Nemesis and Hope seek shelter behind some rocks. 'GET HER!' Callahan screeches as the Sentinels fire blasts towards Dani Moonstar who has fallen to the ground – thankfully the blasts miss her. 'Not unless you got a teleporter hidden up your $%#&, Slim' Logan responds, narrowing his eyes.
Cyclops dodges some Sentinel blasts as Logan continues to talk to him telepathically thanks to Emma, and reports that Warlox made the Sentinels forget mutants somehow, but Callahan is still controlling them. 'So if we stop him, we stop them' Cyclops points out. But Wolverine explains that the Sentinels will still be locked on them even if they could get to him. 'I don't see a way out of here' Logan admits. Cyclops remarks that the knowledge of mutants will die with Callahan. 'And with us' Logan add as he slices a Sentinel's arm off, while Madrox looks up at him. 'Not for the ones still out there' Scott adds, as Logan and Madrox find cover behind some large rocks nearby. Cyclops announces that he doesn't have a clear shot, while Wolverine reports that he can't get to Callahan either, there are too many Sentinels, and he would be mowed down before he covered half the distance.
'I can get you there' Madrox reports. 'You sure about this, Jamie?' Logan asks. 'Not really. But this is the moment, right? Where you fibnd out what you're made of?' Madrox suggests. Logan tells him that it is, before Scott asks him what is going on. As Scott jumps out of the way of two more Sentinel blasts, Logan tells him that he can get there, but it ain't going to be free. 'But I can do it. You sure you want to do it my way?' he asks. 'If he walks away from this and we don't, it's the end of all mutants' Scott declares. Logan instructs Frost to tell everyone to cover them, as Madrox creates several dozen dupes, who rush out in front of the Sentinels, several of them scream as they are stuck by blasts or stood on. 'STOP HIM!' Callahan shouts at the Sentinels as Hope, Cyclops and Doctor Nemesis shoot one Sentinel that Wolverine begins to climb up. Callahan then instructs the Sentinels to forget Madrox and to focus their fire on Wolverine. 'Stop him. Don't let him -' Callahan begins as Logan lunges at him. Callahan raises a gun to shoot Logan, but he's too late – as Wolverine slices Callahan down the middle.
Cyclops appears to smile, while Wolverine leaps between some Sentinel blasts and joins up with Cyclops, asking him if Madrox Prime is still out there. 'None of them made it' Cyclops reveals. 'Sunova -' Logan begins, but Scott tells him that they can mourn later. 'What now?' Cyclops asks. 'Cutting off that bastard's head was my plan. It's your turn now' Logan replies. Cyclops reports that the rest of the team is hurt and have fallen back into the Hellfire mansion. 'When these things blow up that building, they'll die along with Emma's device' Scott warns Logan. 'We can't beat them...' Wolverine replies, and Cyclops tells him that he knows. Cyclops turns to Wolverine and tells him that it was an honor to fight by his side. 'The honor was mine, Scott' Logan responds. 'X-Men attack!' Cyclops shouts as he readies an optic blast, while Wolverine pops his claws and growls. They rush forward to fight the Sentinels, when suddenly, there is a blinding light, and a voice calls out 'You boys look like you could use some assistance'.
Shocked, Wolverine and Cyclops look up to see Storm hovering over them. 'To me, my X-Men!' Storm calls out, while behind her Colossus, Beast, Glob Herman, X-23, Iceman, Magneto, Archangel, Nightcrawler, Armor and Jean Grey can be seen, taking apart the Techno-Organic Sentinels. 'It can't be...' Cyclops utters. Storm turns as Armor battles one of the Sentinels, while Colossus smashes a rock into another Sentinel as Iceman sleds by. Archangel and Rockslide leap from a Sentinel that explodes, while Bishop fires his weapon at another Sentinel, blowing it up as the Beast jumps to safety. Cyclops turns to another Sentinel which Northstar flies into, and out the other side, creating a laerge explosion, while Psylocke leaps at the Sentinel's head. 'But...they're all gone...' Cyclops utters. 'We have to get out there and help them' Logan tells Cyclops. Nightcrawler telepors to Cyclops and Wolverine, with Kitty Pryde, and tells them that judging by their battle-scarred appearance, he would offer that they have done enough already. 'Elf? That really you?' Logan asks, before Kitty suggests they get them out of the line of fire.
Cyclops says nothing, instead he turns to another Sentinel as Emma, Mystique and Hope return to the battlefield. 'You were all dead...' Cyclops utters. 'Said the same thing about you, Scott' the Beast remarks as they watch the Sentinel go up in flames – and from the flames Jean Grey appears. Jean walks towards the others, passing Wolverine, who hangs his head, then past Emma, who scowls. Jean says nothing to either of them as she walks right over to Cyclops – they embrace and kiss passionately. Polaris and Moonstar are standing nearby, while Wolverine continues to look away, and Emma glances sideways.
'Let me look at you' Jean asks Scott. 'No, it's -' Scott begins, but Jean interrupts him, 'Trust me. I won't let you hurt me' Jean assures him as she removes Scott's visor, revealing his missing eye, she asks him what happened to him. Scott ignores the question and puts his visor back on, asking Jean how they found them, how they came back. Jean explains that Nate created another world, that he made it for mutants, for them, but it fell apart. 'all of us were there...even Dani, somehow' Jean adds. 'You knew they were alive?' Cyclops asks, turning to Moonstar, who tells him that she did not, but she knew she would see them again – just as she knows they will see all the others again someday. Colossus and Polaris gather around as Colossus asks where the others are – his sister? 'Where's Alex?' Polaris asks after Havok. 'I didn't know' Cyclops utters as he puts a hand on Polaris' arm. Jean asks Cyclops what happened, to which Cyclops remarks that he thought he listened to her, that Blindfold said everyone was dead. 'She didn't mean you...she meant us...this is forever for us' Cyclops utters.
Storm steps in and remarks that now might be a good time to point out that the media and police are here. Jean offers to keep them at bay, before realizing that the reporters and police, who put a barrier around the Hellfire Club, don't really see any of the X-Men. Emma steps forward with her Cerebro helmet and announces that they no longer know mutants exist – to them, they are simply humans the same as everyone else. 'You erased us?' Jean asks. 'I gave us all a chance to start over. All of us. We could just disappear, forever' Emma states, adding that it is their chance to find happiness, as she hands the Cerebro helmet to Cyclops. 'All of this was to get to here? All of the death? All of the fighting?' he asks. 'So we could have a future' Emma tells him. '... a future in hiding' Cyclops points out.
'All this and you didn't make them not hate us. You didn't take away their hatred. You just made us hide who we are. After all this, we still have tyo hide?' Dani asks. 'It gives us a chance to survive' Emma replies. Cyclops remarks that he can't take the idea of them hiding anymore, and that they deserve to let the world know who they really are. 'They deserve to know what we lost here' he adds, before stating that that can't just be his choice, and hands the helmet back to Emma. Beast, Polaris, Kitty, Storm and Jean look at Cyclops as he remarks that they could walk away now and the world will no longer know they ever existed, they will never know what they faced and what they lived through. ' But I say we stop hiding and stand proud. Come what may. Who's with me?' Scott asks.
Jean, Beast, Storm, Polaris, Nightcrawler, Bishop, Magneto, Moonstar, Colossus, Rockslide, Wolverine, Kitty and Emma stand with Cyclops, while Anole, Northstar and Glob start to walk towards them. Cyclops hangs his head and admits that he thought the X-Men were over, that there wasn't going to be anyone left to protect the next generation. 'And if you destroy it now, after all that's happened?' Wolverine asks. 'They'll declare war on us' he points out. Cyclops looks at Jean, before firing an optic blast at the Cerebro helmet in Emma's hands, destroying it. One of the police officers looks over, 'What the...holy hell!' he exclaims, which gets the attention of other officers and the media, 'It's...the X-Men!' the police man shouts. 'Where the hell did they come from?' another officer asks. Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Magneto, Dani Moonstar, Emma Frost, Hope Summers, Magneto, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Doctor Nemesis and Mystique turn to face the cameras that aim towards them as Cyclops tells Wolverine that he knows now – they have always been at war.


[Assistant]
Apokolips … Now
In a completely different part of the universe, exists the Promethean Galaxy. Within it, behind a wall of fire lies the Source, the beginning and end of everything. Before the wall, float several giants frozen in stasis. Sitting atop one of the giants, two normal-sized beings discuss their surroundings. One of them, sitting in his ornate Mobius Chair, is Metron, the intellectual knowledge-seeker among the New Gods. The other, whose face is obscured by shadows, warns him about the quest he is about to undertake. He reminds Metron of the fate of the Promethean Giants that surround them. They once tried to breach the Wall and, for their ultimate folly, they paid the ultimate price. Yet Metron would follow in their footsteps …
He has learned all there is to learn, Metron explains. One mystery remains: what lies hidden beyond the Wall. Perhaps there are things even gods are not meant to know, the other suggests. Metron asks the dark one not to mock him with false concern. He is only interested in his Psychon-Wave. True, the other admits, while they exchange gadgets. In exchange for the Psychon-Wave, he will give Metron the means to succeed where others have failed. The Omega-Phase-Helmet should enable the Mobius Chair to penetrate the Wall. At least, that’s the theory. His scientists were understandably… reluctant to test it.
He wishes Metron farewell and good luck and watches, as the Chair breaches the wall. A moment later, the Chair floats back – but there is no sign of Metron.
So, they both attain their heart’s desire, he muses. For Metron, the end of a quest and the final answer. For him, the fulfillment of a dream  - dominion over the stars!
Elsewhere on Earth, more precisely at Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, the secret Headquarters of the X-Men: In the Control Booth, Professor Xavier observes several of his X-Men honing their various skills and powers in the Danger Room. Despite some taunting from Wolverine, Xavier is satisfied at the end of the exercise, thinking to himself that all three X-Men performed exemplarily. Kitty Pryde, who announces that dinner is ready joins them.
Much later, when everybody is asleep, they receive an unexpected visitor. Armed with Metron’s Psycho-wave, the mysterious being extracts specific memories from all of the X-Men’s minds. Memories of the teammate they loved and lost: Jean Grey, who became Phoenix, saved the universe, was eventually corrupted and destroyed herself.
The last X-Man the intruder visits is Kitty. She, however, awakes only to see red eyes and an evil grin. She phases out of her room and screams in horror waking up the others. Storm comforts her as all of the others note that they seem to have had nightmares. They are interrupted by a knock on the door.
Scott Summers answers it, unprepared by the sight that expects him: Jean Grey – Phoenix - begging him to help her. She moves towards him and disappears, nothing more than a ghost. Scott screams her name in anguish, as his eyes flare.
Elsewhere in New York: Titans Tower, home base of a group of teenage superheroes. This newest incarnation of the team was gathered by Raven, daughter of an Earth woman and an other-dimensional evil demon lord. She is an empath and a healer. In her dreams, her soul self rises only to suddenly be torn apart by a Phoenix raptor. She wakes screaming. First to answer her call is her teammate, Starfire a.k.a. Koriand’r, an alien princess in exile.
Kory takes Raven to the kitchen and tries to calm her friend, as Raven tells her about her vision. She saw Earth transformed into a wasteland, its people stripped of humanity. She explains that sometimes her dreams come true, as she has a random prescient ability. Suppose this was such a vision?
The team’s youngest member, Garfield Logan, the shape-shifting Changeling, joins them. Raven describes the dominant image of her dream. A woman, a goddess, shrouded within a majestic bird of fire. Gar decides to use his powers to give Kory an idea of what the bird looked like, so he changes into a (green) raptor. Shouting the name Phoenix, Starfire rushes to attack him.
A moment later, she apologizes, telling her friend she lost control when she saw the image of the evil one. She tells Raven to pray that it was only a dream, for, if that is their future, the universe may well be doomed. With a starbolt, she activates the Titans red alert, the group’s highest priority signal.
Minutes later, the team’s speedster, Kid Flash, races towards New York, while quickly stopping to disable a gangster’s car on the New Jersey turnpike.
Donna Troy, Wonder Girl, flies towards the Tower, angry that another date with her boyfriend, Terry Long, has been interrupted.
Victor Stone a.k.a. Cyborg, the final member, swings through Manhattan, Spider-man style, passing a ruined broken-down skyscraper on the corner 57th street Madison. He recalls hearing that the building was trashed by the X-Men and wonders if they are really outlaws as the media claim.
Upon his arrival at Titans Tower, Raven’s story is told once more. However, she points out that their leader, Robin, is still missing.
The young detective is busy in his hometown, Gotham City, where a burglary is in progress at STAR Lab’s. Having followed a tip, Robin found out that Intergang was back in business and takes out one criminal in what appears to be an outlandish costume. Robin unmasks the burglar, only to get a shock, for the face beneath the mask seems more demonic than human.
A voice behind him announces that it is a Para-Demon and it works for him. Robin turns around to see one of the Titans’ deadliest foes – the mercenary known as Deathstroke the Terminator. Gifted with supernaturally fast reflexes, Deathstroke takes out the young Titan and walks away. Unconscious, Robin doesn’t hear the Titans alert.
The X-Men, in the meantime, find themselves paying a visit to Jean’s parents, who tell them that they’d been awaked by strange dreams when they’d heard a noise in the living room. John Grey went to investigate and saw Jean, who asked him to help her before disappearing. The same thing that happened to Scott. The Greys ask for an explanation. The X-Men had told them Jean was dead. Is she or isn’t she? Cyclops tells them that Jean was disintegrated before his eyes. As he understands it, that’s death. But, as Phoenix, Jean had tapped into a primal universal force, wielding virtually infinite power. Can such a being truly die? He doesn’t know. But something is happening. The nightmares, the apparition… The Greys don’t care about that. They only want to know about their child.
They’re interrupted by a psychic projection of Xavier’s. He informs them that he has used Cerebro but has found no trace of Jean. He has, however, found something. Throughout the evening, mysterious incidents have occurred, beginning at Kennedy Airport, the North Atlantic, Sullivan County, Texas, Antarctica and Edinburgh. The timing of these events coincides with the Phoenix apparitions. More importantly, these are places where Phoenix manifested her powers. They should be able to anticipate the next event and be there. Wolverine agrees, noting how ragged Xavier looks. Xavier politely brushes him off and tells them to take care.
In the meantime, the Titans have found their unconscious leader in a back alley. The empathic Raven does her best to heal Robin and, soon, Robin tells them that he was ambushed by the Terminator. How did they know he was in trouble anyway? They didn’t, Cyborg replies, but when he didn’t respond to the red alert they came looking for him.  Starfire joins them, announcing that there’s no sign of “the evil one.” The other Titans now finally want to know why Kory called them together.
Starfire reminds that she is from the planet Tamaran and that she’d been given to her world’s enemies, the Citadel, as a hostage to save her homeworld from destruction. She was being transported on a Gordanian warship when she learned of Phoenix. All major starfaring races were contacted by Empress Lilandra of the Shi’ar. Lilandra told them of an Earth woman who had once saved the universe and now might very well destroy it. The people on the ship watched in horror as they saw how Phoenix caused the star D’bari to go supernova and then destroyed a Shi’ar battle cruiser that sought to stop her. Lilandra pledged to end that threat and, soon after, reported that Phoenix was dead. Raven’s dream seems to indicate otherwise. The Chaosbringer must be found and destroyed, Starfire grimly states.
Cosmic menaces are a little out of their league, Robin states. How about asking the Justice League or the Avengers… Changeling also protests that they should do something about the Terminator. Recently, he almost killed Gar. Starfire reminds him that he is still alive; the people of D’bari are not. She asks her teammates for help. If they refuse, she’ll proceed on her own. Robin promises that they’ll try to find Phoenix. If they can’t, they’ll tackle the Terminator. Starfire thanks him with a passionate kiss. Out of breath, Robin announces that a woman named Phoenix used to be affiliated with the X-Men. A slim lead, but better than nothing.
In an electronic shop, a TV is running and a news anchorman announces that a Frost Industries research facility in Chicago has been leveled by explosions…
Elsewhere, in a giant complex, several workers are laboring towards an unknown goal. They are doing what they are told and only one person wonders what it is all about: Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke the Terminator, the most expensive mercenary in the world. A whip strikes at him out of nowhere, destroying the glass of champagne he was holding. With inhumanly fast reflects, Slade throws a few Shuriken at the attacker, destroying the whip. He follows up by drawing his sword and holding it to the attacker’s throat. The Para-Demon named Ravok nervously tells him that he was merely trying to test his mettle. Now he knows, Deathstroke replies. Too bad it’s the last lesson he’ll ever learn.
They are joined by their mystery employer and Ravok complains over Deathstroke’s behavior. What do they need humans for anyway? His leader tells him Deathstroke is here because he wishes him to be here and warns both of them not to push their luck. He orders Deathstroke to take his cadre to the final siphon point. Ravok’s object is the X-Men. He wants them alive an unharmed.
At the X-Mansion, within the hour, an exhausted Xavier has fallen asleep again but, this times, he remains on guard and awakes when he telepathically notices something. Too late, as Starfire crashes through the wall, threatening him. Instinctively, Xavier attacks her with a psibolt. Getting a good look at the stunned woman, he thinks that, at first, he mistook her for Jean but she is just a child. Why did she attack him? Suddenly, he is being attacked by ultra high frequency sonics inhibiting his concentration, courtesy of one of Cyborg’s gadgets, and then Xavier finds himself embraced by Raven’s soul self and unable to fight it. Kid Flash joins them, announcing that the mansion’s empty.
Robin angrily reminds the others that they just committed several crimes, such as breaking and entering, criminal trespass, vandalism, assault and possibly attempted murder. Being a Titan doesn’t give them any special status. He goes on to lecture Kory that she can’t simply attack people in their homes. Raven adds that she senses no evil in the unconscious Xavier. Only a deep abiding sadness, same as in the entire house. Could they have made a mistake? Starfire protests. Phoenix was an X-Man and Robin traced the X-Men to this place.
Suddenly, they hear a boom sound and a cadre of Para-Demons appear, attacking them and clearly mistaking them for the X-Men. Thanks to their superior technology, Ravok’s troops beat the Titans and take their prisoners with them through the Boom Tube. In the confusion, however, they missed Changeling. The shapeshifter quickly decides to mimic their forms as well as he can (being green) and jumps after the demons.
New Mexico.
On a certain remote butte stands a huge device meant to siphon off any trace of residual Phoenix power. The Terminator oversees the procedure, wondering just what the boss intends to do with all that power. Not that he truly cares, as long as he’ll remember his friends – namely him – afterwards. Somebody taps him on the shoulder, asking for a light. Instead of being surprised, the Terminator attacks Wolverine and misses. Wolverine doesn’t. In the meantime, the other X-Men attack the Para-Demons and the device. Wolverine, however, hasn’t made sure that Terminator is down for the count and the mercenary shoots Storm. The Para-Demons rally and eventually win. Only Colossus is left standing and not for long, as the Terminator finishes him off as well. Terminator decides that they won’t rebuild the Psi-phon, as they are behind schedule anyway. Considering who their prisoners are, the boss won’t mind.
The Wall beyond the Promethean Galaxy, the beginning and end of all things, where they mysterious Source can be found. That ultimate barrier has now been breached and raw energy rips through the ether randomly, awaiting some use. On a floating rock nearby, Ravok announces that the X-Men are captured. His master is not amused. True, Ravok has captured the X-Men’s leader but those others are unknown to him. Ravok defends himself but, at this moment, the Terminator teleports in with the real X-Men as prisoners. Terminator quickly relays what has happened and that they weren’t able to siphon off that last energy. A loss that is regrettable but not critical, the master decides. However, he suddenly notices a green Para-Demon. Terminator quickly attacks him, revealing the Changeling. The stonefaced leader informs Ravok that he has had enough of his stupidity and unleashes the Omega Effect, eyebeams that completely erase Ravok from existence.
Some time later, the X-Men awake to find themselves strapped to a huge platform up in the air, all forming parts of a device. Kitty Pryde finds that she cannot phase through her shackles. Frozen valences, the villain gloats. There are no spaces between the atoms of her manacles for those of her body to squeeze through.
He gives the sign to begin and the Psychon-wave is activated. Nimbi of fire envelop the captive mutants, as Metron’s device reaches into the core of their beings and drains them once more of their memories of their fallen comrade. Those emotions tapped earlier at the X-Mansion pointed the way to areas where Phoenix had manifested that power. The Psiphons absorbed that residual energy. Finally, the Psychon-wave amplifies those elements to a near infinite degree and combines them with the raw primal energy unleashed through the breached wall. Light flares, a shape forms and finally a voice asks who dares?!? Who summons Dark Phoenix? I… Darkseid! the evil New God replies, as he reaches for Dark Phoenix’s hand and she, ignoring Cyclops’ protest cry, takes it.
Changeling of the captive Titans asks what this is all about and Darkseid goes into exposition mode, telling him that this is about a war between gods. He is lord of Apokolips, home of the evil gods and eternal enemy to their twin world, New Genesis, ruled by the lords of light. Darkseid wishes to create a second Apokolips from the ashes of Earth. Before dawn, Apokolips pits – vast seething chasms filled with molten magma from the planetary core - will appear one every continent. Civilization will end. Then he’ll send his dog soldiers and Para-Demons to crush what resistance remains. Those humans lucky and brutal enough to survive will form the nucleus of the new servitor race. When he is done, a new Apokolips will grace the heavens. From there, Darkseid will extend his domain first to New Genesis, then to all realms of existence.
Cyborg curses him, wishing he were free. Phoenix gloats that he should be thankful that he is not and states that she once destroyed an entire star system. Darkseid reminds her that they have business elsewhere and they step though an appearing boom tube and are gone, followed by Darkseid’s troops.
With them gone, the heroes find that the shackles have vanished as well and they are free to act. The Titans are joined by the X-Men and, after introductions, they decide to work together. Wolverine, who’s not overly happy to work with teenagers, points out that the air is getting thinner. Using one of his gadgets, Cyborg agrees stating that they are losing atmosphere and they’ve got about an hour left. However, his radar scan shows something moving in the vicinity and it seems to be a functioning mechanism. Xavier wonders that he receives a telepathic beacon from the artifact as well. Working together, the heroes manage to move the asteroid next to the object, which, as it turns out, is Metron’s Chair. Disappointed, the heroes discuss their next move, while the teams’ youngest members, Kitty and Garfield, start chatting. Watching the others, they sit down on the Chair and Kitty comments that she wishes she were home. The next moment the Chair disappears with them only to reappear a moment later. All she did was wish, Kitty stutters.
A whispered conference between Kitty and Gar later and they present their solution to fitting them all onto the Chair. Gar turns into a huge dragon that holds the Chair, while the others can hold onto him.
Colossus finds himself bothered by pangs of jealousy. He’d thought that “Lockheed the Dragon” was Kitty and his special character… their secret. Kitty seems rather attracted to Changeling. Speaking out loud in Russian, he chides himself for being a fool. Starfire is entranced. A new language for her to learn, she exclaims, as she kisses the surprised Colossus. Fräulein, sprechen Sie Deutsch? Nightcrawler asks hopefully. While a pissed Kitty turns her back to the situation, Robin explains to the others that Starfire’s species absorbs languages through physical contact. Sometimes, she gets carried away. The sooner they all get carried away, Xavier jokes, the better.
The X-Men and Titans all find a place on Gar’s back or his limbs and Cyclops silently vows revenge on Darkseid: Jean’s earned hr peace. He had no right to resurrect her or violate the X-Men in the process. A moment later, they teleport away, only to appear almost instantaneously in the sky over New York.
Xavier tells them to head uptown. He senses Phoenix’s unique psionic matrix there. As she believes them to be dead, she isn’t bothering to hide herself. Gar flies them towards Central Park, where the New York Philharmonic is giving a free open air concert. The Park is packed with over a half-million people.
Overhead, Starfire notices Wolverine’s smile and asks him what’ so funny. He tells her that he’s a scrapper and enjoys a good fight. This looks to be one of the best. He doesn’t mind dying, as long as he gets a fair shot at Darkseid.
Raven announces that se senses the empathic void that comprises Darkseid beneath them. But how dare they attack with all the innocents in the park? They have no alternative, the Professor decides and, once again, the Mobius Chair teleports them away. The next moment, they find themselves in tunnel system under the ground full of pits of molten rocks. Wolverine doesn’t’ smell anything but Xavier informs them that he can hear the villains’ thoughts. None of them are nearby.
Robin and Cyclops start planning. Robin spells out that they are no match for Darkseid and Phoenix but they require a mechanism. If the two teams can destroy it, that should buy enough time to summon every superhero on Earth. Storm, in the meantime, struggles with her claustrophobia and Wolverine and Changeling try to find the villains’ scent. Wolverine tells the chattering boy to hush up; they are close by. ‘That you are, runt,’ a voice agrees, as an energy blast, courtesy of the Terminator, comes seemingly out of nowhere and stuns him. Deathstroke’s cadre of Para-Demons attacks the next moment, for all the good it does them. Robin and Cyclops decide they can’t stay there. Cyclops order the Professor to phase shift the Mobius Chair out of there and asks Cyborg to clear them some room, courtesy of his white-sound generator. Cyclops then blasts them an escape route to the lower levels and Storm uses her weather powers to cause an avalanche, cutting off their enemies. All but one, as the Terminator escapes and decides to alert ‘the big guys’.
The two hero teams, in the meantime, have arrived. Below them is a huge cavern filled with techno toys and Dark Phoenix wryly comments that they have visitors. Darkseid wonders how they managed to survive, much less return to Earth. Terminator joins them at that moment and Darkseid orders him to keep their guests… amused, until his work is done.
Wolverine attack Terminator with his claws but the merc easily evades that strike. Starfire aims her starbolts at Dark Phoenix, claiming vengeance for the people of D’Bari. For all the good it does her, as Phoenix mockingly states that stellar energy actually makes her stronger. She physically attacks Starfire and knocks her out. Nightcrawler teleports on top of Phoenix, begging her to remember who she is and to stop this. Phoenix coldly replies that she knows exactly who and what she is and it is not Jean Grey. Raven embraces Phoenix with her soul self, announcing that she has never beheld so evil a creature. Phoenix merely mocks and Raven finds that her soul self is not strong enough to hold the angry goddess. Phoenix taunts that Raven is tainted by an evil that rivals her own. They are too much alike and could almost be sisters, she adds. Raven cries out in denial at this revelation.
Darkseid orders Dark Phoenix to end this. The moment is at hand for her to strike. The Phoenix raptor around her, Dark Phoenix let loose an energy blast and a hell pit is born.
Darkseid turns to the heroes and taunts them with an explanation that their world is doomed. In minutes, the Phoenix bolt will strike Earth’ core, causing an irreversible transformation. The borehole will immediately expand, swallowing New York. Simultaneously, other hell pits will radiate outwards to emerge on every continent. The heroes’ cause is lost, he announces, offering them a chance to give up and serve him.
However, inside the machine, Kitty, phasing through the circuitry, and Gar, in the shape of a rat, are doing their best to sabotage the machines.
Nearby, Xavier’s Mobius Chair appears at the side of the ailing Raven. Xavier urges the empath that Phoenix is the key. According to his mind scan, Darkseid failed to gather all of her residual energy. She is a flawed vessel and can be beaten but Raven’s help is necessary. Raven moans that she cannot. Phoenix touched a resonant chord in her, the part of her that is bound to her demonic father, Trigon. She could not remove Phoenix’s evil; instead, she almost became evil herself. Then they will all die, Xavier announces sternly.
Elsewhere, Phoenix comments that the still-struggling heroes don’t seem to be interested in surrendering. Darkseid tells her to do what she wishes to them, while he deals with these minor distraction. He refers to Kitty and Gar, who are tossed from the machinery. Darkseid tells them that they will share the other’s fate and Kitty shouts for help.
Dark Phoenix announces that they won’t be able to help Kitty anymore than they can help themselves. She intends to press her attack but it is countered by the empathic attack of Raven, bolstered and heightened by Xavier’s own PSI-powers. Raven drains Phoenix of rage, hatred and lust and fills that emotional void with the love felt by Xavier and all the X-Men for Jean Grey. Phoenix’s reaction is shriek torn from her very soul.
It doesn't go unheard by Darkseid. Robin uses the distraction to carry the two youngsters away from the villain. Wolverine and the Terminator are still fighting and Cyclops joins the fray at the same time, worrying what Charles is doing to Phoenix. He knows that she is Darkseid’s creation, not Jean, yet he feels her pain, as he would Jean’s.
The PSI-war rages on until Phoenix starts feeling discorporation nearing. Only her insatiable desire for survival at any cost gave her the concentration necessary to stay on his plane of existence. Once that concentration was shaken, her very essence began to unravel. Robin gets an idea and suggests to Phoenix that she needs power to sustain herself. So why doesn’t she absorb the Phoenix-bolt she shot into Earth back? Darkseid protests but the heroes concentrate their attack on him, while Dark Phoenix does just that and reabsorbs the power, thus sealing the hell pit.  Moment later, she triumphantly announces that she has been restored and goads the heroes to face her if they dare. However, she finds that it wasn’t enough. She is still fading and moans that she doesn’want to die. Darkseid shouts that there is a way for her to preserve both power and life. She needs a physical form through which her energies can be focused. Phoenix agrees and Cyclops, guessing what’s coming, orders the others to get away from him. As he guessed, Phoenix chooses him and becomes one with him.
The next moment, the Phoenix symbol appears on Cyclops’ chest and an internal struggle begins. Having taken over Scott, Phoenix relives his memories, of his love for Jean. Memories that remind her of her true self. She realizes that to deny this would mean denying her true self, but to accept is her doom. It would have been better to remain dead than be given this brief taste of life, only to have it snatched away. Cyclops/Phoenix screams. Snatching away the visor, s/he turns to Darkseid and lets loose an optic blast which carries a red Phoenix raptor. An explosion follows and both Phoenix and Darkseid are gone.
In the park above, the concert reaches its finale; its eagerly awaited climax. The fireworks start and, at its crescendo, the Phoenix raptor appears, carrying Darkseid in its claws. For the audience, it is no more than a spectacular show. For Phoenix, it is a desperate race for her life, as she breaches the unimaginable distance from Earth to the Wall. A race she knows is in vain, as she enters the Source, from whence her life energy springs.
In New York, the audience is leaving and the heroes discuss their victory. Nightcrawler talks philosophy, Wolverine wants a beer and Storm asks Cyclops what he’s thinking. Both of them wish there had been another way. Ororo mentions that one thing puzzles her. If Phoenix had no conscious existence before Darseid recreated her, then who was the apparition that warned the X-Men and the Greys?
Epilogue:
The Source wall.
The Mobius Chair appears and its original owner, Metron, comes to reclaim it. He announces that the Wall is sealed and the balance restored. All is as it was, with one exception. He thanks his ‘old friend’ for revealing the answer to yet another mystery of the Source. Farewell, he announces to Darkseid, now just one more face on the Source Wall, like all the other Promethean giants.