The Summers Institute for Higher Learning, where Hisako Ichiki a.k.a. Armor, in the dorm room of Glob Herman, gasps as she suddenly finds herself in a strange substance akin to Glob's body matter. 'What the hell? What happened to me? Why am I covered in... what is this?' Armor asks. Glob apologizes and tells Armor that he didn't know how much wax to use, several candles melted down on a table next to him.
The next morning, Victor Borkowski yawns as he sits up in bed and turns his alarm clock off. He looks over to a table in his dorm room and sees a vial with a colorful substance placed next to a piece of paper. Anole looks confused, and goes over to the table, where he picks up the paper – it is a note that reads “Open me and breathe deeply” and is signed by himself. He frowns as he looks at the vial, then opens it and sniffs, the strange, colorful substance billowing around him as it flows from the vial.
'What the hell did you do, Glob?' Armor asks, punching Glob in the head over and over, while Glob asks her to let him explain. 'You've got thirty seconds, then I'm going to Dean Angel to lodge a complaint. You'll be out of this school by the end of the day' Armor warns Glob, who cowers, and holds his hands up to his face, as he tells Armor that she can't do that, that she doesn't understand. Wide-eyed, Glob informs Armor that everything, this whole world, it is not real – but he isn't sure how to explain in. He adds that they have been here a few months, but everyone thinks they have been here for years – and that people keep going missing, and everyone forgets them. He admits that he thought he was going crazy, but he knows he isn't, and this is really happening.
'Bull' Armor replies. 'It's true' Glob tells her, adding that people break the rules and then they are hauled off to prison and everyone forgets. 'Bull' Armor repeats herself. Armor leans down over Glob, frowning, she declares that, firstly, there are no prisons here, and secondly, she thinks he is getting too wrapped up in the fictions he has been writing. She suggests to him that it is time for him to go to Dr Reyes and let her examine his head. 'No! It's not fiction!' Glob replies as he opens a desk drawer, and pulls out a book. He holds it towards Armor and tells her that it is everything he can remember from before – before they all came here – before all of this. He explains that he is writing it all down so that there is a record of it. He adds that he told Shark Girl it was fan fiction, because he doesn't want them knowing. 'Them who?' Armor asks. 'THEM!' Glob shouts. 'The people who make people disappear!' he explains, grabbing Armor, who pushes him away, telling him to get his hands off her, she drops the book and turns to leave his dorm room, informing him that she is not buying into his conspiracy theories. 'Please don't tell -' Glob calls out, but Armor interrupts him, telling him that she isn't sure what she is going to do, and she needs some time to think.
Later, in the canteen, Anole is sitting with Megan Gwynn a.k.a. Pixie, Santo Vaccarro a.k.a. Rockslide and Iara Dos Santos a.k.a. Shark Girl when Armor walks up to them. 'Dang, Hisako. Your hair!' Shark Girl exclaims upon seeing Armor's short, cropped hair. 'What did you do?' Pixie asks. As she sits down next to Pixie, Armor replies that she doesn't know, she just thought it was time for a change, and is no big deal. 'I like it!' Rockslide tells her, as a reporter can be seen on a television hanging from the wall nearby, announcing that the X-Men arrived and eventually extinguished the fire. The reporter informs viewers that Department X confirmed the house was empty at the time of the fire, and, thankfully, no one was hurt. 'What?' Armor exclaims. 'I said I liked your haircut. I think it looks good' Rockslide responds. 'Oh...right. Thanks, Rockslide' Armor replies, while concentrating on the news report. She then asks if anyone has seen Bling. Shark Girl motions to Bling, who is sitting at a table nearby. Armor thanks her, and gets up, informing her friends that she will be right back.
Armor goes over to Roxanne Washington a.k.a. Bling and asks her if she has a second. 'I'm eating' Bling replies, looking at Armor, who tells her that it is important. 'So's breakfast' Bling points out, telling Armor that it is the most important meal of the day. 'It's about last night' Armor begins, ignoring Bling, who asks 'What about it?' 'I wanted to ask you about what happened. You were talking about “exposing the truth”' Armor reminds her. 'I don't know what you're talking about' Bling frowns, to which Armor utters 'When I saw you...you know...at the fire' to which Bling asks 'Last night?' and tells Armor that she is confused, s she was with her friends last night, they were studying at the library. 'I saw -' Armor begins, to which someone tells her that she couldn't have. 'We were there all night' another student at the table asserts. 'Yep. All of us' another confirms. 'Ask the librarian if you don't believe us' one of them suggests.
Back at the table where Armor's friends are sitting, Shark Girl asks the others if they know what Armor is talking about. 'No idea' Pixie replies, while Anole leans towards Rockslide and asks him if, in his history class, they have studied the Life Seed. Rockslide confirms that they have and explains that it is what Hope Summers used to give everyone their mutant abilities during the Resolution. 'But what happened to it after that?' Anole asks. 'After?' Rockslide replies. 'Why is there no record of it after the Resolution?' Anole queries. Rockslide admits that he isn't sure, but supposes there must be one, and offers to look into it, and tells Anole that he wil get back to him with the answer. 'Sure, you do that. If you can find the answer' Anole replies as he gets up and walks away. Armor returns to her friends and asks where Anole went. 'Dunno. Class maybe?' Rockslide suggests, to which Pixie suggests they should get going, otherwise they are all going to be late. Armor tells the others that she will catch them up in a bit, but she has something to do first.
Meanwhile, Glob is outside in the agricultural department, watching over the chickens called Logan, Scott and Hope. 'I think I screwed up, guys' Glob tells the chickens, adding that he really thought it would work, he thought Armor would see. 'I'm so dumb' he laments, before dropping some more chicken feed on the ground, he decides that he has to learn to keep his stupid mouth shut or else he is going to himself in a world of trouble. 'Glob... move over' a voice calls out. Glob looks up and sees the short-haired Armor standing over him. Armor sits down next to him, neither of them says anything, Glob just watches the chickens, until Armor finally turns to him and asks him to tell her everything – but first, she wants him to explain the eax. 'I'm sorry, I -' Glob begins, to which Armor raises a finger and tells Glob to just explain it. Glob tells Armor that everyone here seems to get their minds erased, like someone or something messes with their heads, and makes them think that they have always been here, but it also makes them forget people – only it doesn't seem to work on him. He supposes that must be because his bio-wax is blocking it somehow. 'I thought if I covered you with it -' Glob begins.
'I can figure out the rest' Armor replies, realizing that would explain why she is remembering things differently than what she is seeing on the news. 'Had to cut my hair off to get it out, though. I'll never forgive you for that' Armor mutters, before telling Glob that Bling thought she was crazy when she asked her about last night. She wonders what did happen last night, and what Anole is wrapped up in. Glob explains that Anole keeps falling in with a group of...radicals, he supposes they would be called. 'Keeps?' Armor asks. Glob reports that Anole has already been arrested twice, and both times he was mindwiped – he thinks they made him forget, but he keeps getting drawn back, like he is predisposed to act that way. Glob then informs Armor that from what he can tell, Department X only gives you two chances – and the third time, they make you disappear, he has seen it happen to a couple of other students – they just vanish one day and no one remembers them. 'Anole's my friend. I can't let that happen' Glob utters, while Armor reaches out for the chickens.
Meanwhile, in the Summers Institute Library, students are going about their business, studying and reading in silence, while Rockslide searches through a large filing index. He sighs and slams is head against the cabinet when he comes up with nothing. He goes over to a book called 'The Resolution” and flips through, it shutting it loudly and muttering 'Nothing'. Rockslide heads over to a desk where Sally Blevins a.k.a. Skids is sorting through a trolley of books. He calls out to her and informs her that he has been looking for, or trying to find information on the Life Seed. 'There's plenty about it right up until the Resolution. But after that...nothing' Rockslide tells Sally, who replies by telling him that there must be something, and asks if he checked the card catalog. Rockslide assures her that he triple-checked it and also read through every book about the Resolution – twice. 'There's nothing' he states again. Sally agrees that that is curious, so picks up a clipboard and starts writing on it, assuring Rockslide that she will put in a request with their circulations department, see if she can't scrounge up something for him. 'What was your name again?' Sally enquires as she writes on the clipboard “Student asking about missing Life Seed information. Seems distraught. Report to Dean Angel?”
In the medical theater where the tenth-year class is about to take lessons, Beak, Quill and Trance can be seen among the students as Dr Cecilia Reyes takes the roll call. 'Hope Abbott?' she asks. 'Here!' Trance responds. 'Victor Borkowski?' Dr Reyes asks, but gets no response. 'Has anyone seen anole?' In the tenth-year civil management class, Shiro Yoshida turns to Pixie and asks her why Armor did not see fit to come to class today. Megan looks at Sunfire and tells him that she doesn't know, and isn't sure where she is. Shiro instructs Megan that when she finds her, Hisako is to come directly to his office – as this sort of behavior will not be tolerated. Outside, the tenth-year agricultural class is underway, Paige Guthrie looks around at her students and turns to Shark Girl, remarking that Glob didn't come to class today, and asking whether she should be concerned. Iara remembers that he didn't come to breakfast either, and agrees that is weird, before asking Paige if she should go check on him. Paige tells Iara to keep doing her studies and she will send someone to check on him, as Glob is behind all the other students as it is, he cannot afford to miss classes.
That night, Anole sneaks out of his dorm room, and crawls down the side of the dorm building, he pulls his collar up around him as he walks down a deserted street, down another, until he comes to a house. He walks up a staircase, and enters a door, 'Bless, Scripture' he calls out, addressing a woman with white, blank eyes, who wears a purple costume with a mask over her mouth and nose, and her hair pulled into a side braid. 'Bless, Anole' Scripture replies as she writes strange messages on the wall: “We are not meant to be alone”, “Mutantkind was meant to be together”, “Community not conflict”. Scripture tells Anole to breathe deep and receive the words and wisdom of En Sabah Nur. Another strange dust flows into Anole's nose, as Scripture tells him that the others are waiting for him in the front room.
'In En Sabah Nur we trust' Anole utters as he enters the front room, where he finds three other mutants sitting in a circle around some candles. 'For he is the way' Maggott calls back. 'Welcome back, Brother Borkowski' a blue-skinned woman smiles. 'Thank you, Sister Tromette' Anole tells Transonic, while Batch looks up at him. Maggott and Anole hug, and Maggott utters 'After what happened last night... when those fascists burned down our place of worship...for they know that is the only way to scrub it of Scripture's truth. To try to silence the words of En Sabah Nur'. Maggott smiles at Anole and tells him that after what they did, he prayed he would see Anole again, and that he is happy his prayers have been answered and they did not mind wipe him again. 'No, Brother Japeth. I got away. Luckily I still had a vial of Unveil left. It helped me remember. Connected me back to all of you' Anole replies.
'Ah, yes. That reminds me. My supplier of Unveil seems to have vanished. Another victim of Department X, no doubt' Maggott announces as Transonic holds up a small box with a few vials in it. Maggott informs Anole that these are the last vials they will likely see for a long while. He hands one of them to Anole and tells him to keep it safe.
Back in the Summers Institute dorms, Armor and Glob walk down a corridor together, past several other students, as Armor asks Glob if he is sure that Anole is already in with the radicals. 'I mean... probably? He's already done it twice before' Glob reminds Armor, who knocks on Anole's door. 'Anole?' Glob calls out, but they got no response. 'Screw this, we're going in' Armor mutters as she forces Anole's door open and steps into the darkened room. 'We can't just break into Anole's room!' Glob exclaims. Armor ignores that comment and suggests that if Anole is in trouble, he might have left behind some sort of clue as to where he went. 'Oh no' Glob utters. 'What?' Armor asks him. Glob looks at the empty bottle of Unveil and tells Armor that if Anole has taken it, and remembered, then he has gone back to his group.
Anole stands around a table with Transonic, Match and Maggott, who announces that this is it – this is how they make a show, how they expose the truth – the Hope Summers Memorial Library. They all look down at blueprints of the library as Maggott remarks that this is the heart of their propaganda machine, the nexus of their lies. Maggott reports that there is an empty room on the fifth floor, never used and never checked, and it is in that room where they will change history – where they will free the people. 'How? What are you going to do in that room?' Anole asks as he follows Maggott to a curtain, where Maggott tells him that they are going to do what the X-Tracts and other followers of En Sabah Nur haven't had the courage to do – so caught up with their teachings of peace and love. 'We're going to end the facade...we're going to blow up their library of falsehoods and cease the spread of misinformation and lies' Maggott reveals as he draws back the curtain, revealing a large bomb. Anole goes wide-eyed and frowns as Maggott adds 'We're going to become martyrs for the truth'.
