The Jean Grey School, Westchester. Where an announcement has just been made that has sent shockwaves through the X-Men and the students, including the original X-Men from the past. Like Jean “Marvel Girl” Grey, who gasps ‘No’ and looks shocked. The past Beast a.k.a. Henry McCoy exclaims ‘I don’t think you understand the ramifications of what you’re doing’, while his present self tells everyone to just calm down. ‘Are you out of your mind? We made a deal!’ young Bobby “Iceman” Drake shouts. Ororo “Storm” Munroe looks on, as the past Scott “Cyclops” Summers states ‘As team leader I am ordering you. Stand down’. Students like Anole, Blindfold, Armor and Rockslide look on, while Kitty Pryde tells the young mutant standing before everyone that she knows they are angry and confused, but asks them not to do this. Wolverine a.k.a. Logan just glares.
‘I don’t belong here’ the past Warren Worthington III a.k.a. Angel announces, adding ‘Never mind the fact that none of the original X-Men belong here… but thanks to you I can’t go back to where I came from because I know that I grow up to be so tortured that I lose all sense of myself… I can’t go back to where we came from but I don’t have to stay here!’ the young Angel declares, before bidding everyone good-bye, as he approaches the portal where the present-day Cyclops is waiting for him.
‘But Angel…’ Kitty begins, until young Angel interrupts, pointing out that he has heard all of her nonsense, and all of Cyclops’s nonsense. ‘I like their nonsense better’ he mutters, adding that at least they are trying to do something.
Both Cyclopses, the present Iceman, Storm and the past Beast all rush towards young Angel. ‘Whoa whoa whoa… everybody calm down!’ the past Iceman calls out, while the past Beast asks his teammate what he thinks he is doing. Storm suggests that they let Angel speak, while the past Cyclops announces that this is a matter between the five of them. Kitty asks if she can speak to them privately for a minute, while the present Iceman shouts ‘Warren!’, before Kitty asks everyone to calm down.
The present Cyclops states that they have to let them make up their own minds. ‘How about we throw them all in the time machine and get them the hell out of here!’ Emma Frost snarls, while Illyana “Magik” Rasputin offers to send the original X-Men back herself. ‘Everybody stand down!’ the present Cyclops shouts.
Wolverine goes over to his former teammate and tells him that he needs to get the hell off this property and let them deal with this. ‘The group needs to stay together!’ the past Cyclops tells Angel. ‘Don’t touch me!’ Angel snaps as he pulls away. ‘Let the boy make up his own mind’ the present Cyclops tells everyone, while Angel turns to him and replies that he is not a boy. ‘You’re revealing a great deal about yourself here, Prof Logan’ Magneto needles.
Match and several other students suddenly run away from Marvel Girl, as she clutches her head, thoughts of others racing through it: ‘Of all the pot calling the kettle’, ‘Everybody calm down’, ‘What about what I want’, ‘Does anyone know where -’, ‘Don’t you need the master to eliminate?’, ‘Which one is the -?’, ‘Thought we were going to keep it to a -’, ‘What happens if the team breaks up?’, ‘How are they -?’, ‘Let him do whatever he -’, ‘This is hilarious!’ ‘This is the best X-Men picnic ever!’, ‘This is insane!’, ‘Angel!’, ‘Why don’t tou take your -?’, ‘There was a golden age Angel. I wonder if they are related?’, ‘This is crazy!’, ‘Let go of him!’
‘Stop it’ Jean calls out, before she screams ‘Stop this now!’, and with that, knocks everyone back with telekinetic fury. ‘Uh-oh. I actually didn’t mean to do that’ Jean mumbles. ‘Except you did’, young Angel, the only other person standing, tells her. Jean quickly apologizes to everyone, before telling Warren to get back in the house. Anole and Genesis get to their feet and watch, as Warren replies ‘No’. Jean repeats herself, but Warren declares that he doesn’t want to. ‘We made a deal’ Jean reminds him. Frowning, Warren replies ‘First of all, we didn’t’, and declares that, second of all, if they did, fine, he is breaking the deal and leaving. ‘You brought me here and showed me what happens to me when I grow up. This is how I want to deal with it. So deal with that’ Angel snaps. Marvel Girl frowns and narrows her eyes as she orders Warren to get back in the house.
‘I said get in the house’ Jean declares once more. ‘Jean?’ the past Cyclops asks, as young Angel starts walking back to the mansion. ‘The great saint Jean Grey, everyone’ Emma mocks. Kitty orders Jean to let go of Warren’s mind, but Jean replies that they can’t afford to have him go off by himself just because he is angry with her. ‘You cannot do this every time you don’t get your way’ Kitty points out. Young Cyclops tells Jean that Kitty is right, but Jean maintains her control over Angel.
Magneto steps forward, ‘This is not what Charles Xavier taught you to do, young lady’ he reminds her. The present Cyclops tells Jean that she has to let Angel make up his own mind, while Emma tells the Stepford Cuckoos that she thinks they are needed here. ‘We can’t let him go!’ Jean screams.
The Stepford Cuckoos - Celeste, Phoebe and Irma - step forward. ‘Let go of him’ one of them orders. ‘Should we count to three?’ the second asks. ‘No’ the third declares. ‘Jean!’ the past Cyclops shouts, while Jean clutches her head as the Stepford Cuckoos attack her mentally. She then keels backwards.
‘Whoa!’ the present Iceman gasps. The past Iceman and Oya are standing nearby, while Wolverine unsheathes his claws, ‘Cut it out!’ he snarls. ‘No!’ Storm declares, while the present Beast tells everyone to calm down. The past Iceman starts to panic, so his present self grabs hold of him. ‘Dude, seriously’ the present Iceman tells his past self. ‘But -’ the past Iceman utters. ‘Logan, please ‘Magneto remarks, before casting Wolverine into the air. Storm calls out after her dear friend, before Logan falls flat on his face.
‘No!’ Jean exclaims, as she telekinetically slams the four renegade X-Men backwards. The Stepford Cuckoos however hold their ground. They glare at Jean, who screams and falls backwards. ‘Stop this now! Mutant will not fight mutant here! Not here!’ Storm orders. The past Cyclops rushes over to Jean, while one of the Stepford Cuckoos mocks ‘The great Jean Grey’, and one of the others adds that she was just thinking that.
Angel is no longer under Jean’s control, ‘What just happened?’ he asks as he turns to see the students in chaos, with Storm ordering them to all get inside. ‘We can take them!’ Quentin Quire boasts, before ‘Inside now!’ the present Beast roars. Jean struggles to sit up, she clutches her head, while the young Cyclops shouts ‘That’s enough! You’re killing her!’
Angel stands near the present Cyclops, Emma and the Cuckoos, as the present Cyclops tells them ‘That’s enough!’, but Emma points out that Jean is learning a lesson. ‘FROST!’ Wolverine snarls as he moves towards her, but Emma switches to her diamond form, pointing out that Jean needs to learn. ‘Stop it or this is gonna get real ugly’ Wolverine warns her. ‘She needs to feel what it feels like to have someone digging in your head that doesn’t belong there!’ Emma explains, adding that Logan, of all people, should appreciate how important a lesson that is. ‘That’s enough’ the present Cyclops states once again, as Emma switches back to her human form. They stare at each other, before Emma snaps her fingers, ‘Aaand scene’ she tells the Stepford Cuckoos, who end their assault on Marvel Girl.
‘He - he can’t leave the group. Warren… you can’t let him leave’ Jean insists. But Angel tells his friend that Magneto is right - it is as if she forgot everything Xavier taught her. He stands by the renegade X-Men, and turns to young Cyclops, ‘You know, Scott, honestly you should take this as a personal compliment’ Warren tells him. Young Scott asks how this is a compliment, to which Warren replies ‘I’m the only one here who kind of likes who you grow up to be’.
‘Warren, come on’ the past Beast remarks, while his present counterpart points out that they cannot protect him if he leaves. ‘You can’t protect me now’ Warren reminds them. ‘We will protect him. Better yet, we will teach him to protect himself’ Magneto announces, adding that everyone understands the ramifications here. ‘But, Dr McCoy, you brought this on yourself’ Magneto adds. ‘You really did’ Cyclops tells his former friend. Energy swirls from Magik, as she teleports the renegade X-Men, the past Angel and the Stepford Cuckoos away.
‘If we don’t go back as a group to where we came from… we are seriously jeopardizing -’ the past Beast begins. ‘All of time and space. I know’ his present counterpart declares. Iceman past and present stand over the past Cyclops and Jean. ‘Is she breathing?’ the present Iceman asks. ‘Jean? I think she fainted’ the past Iceman remarks. ‘Ya think?’ his present-self mutters. The past Hank looks at his present-self and tells him that he can’t send them back like this. ‘I know’ the present Hank replies, while the past Hank announces that he doesn’t want to go back. ‘I know’ his present-self repeats.
Someone asks the young Cyclops to take Jean to the infirmary, while someone else asks what happens if the Cuckoos did any damage to her. ‘Dr McCoy will run some tests’ someone announces.
Cyclops carries the motionless Marvel Girl towards the mansion, ‘You just lost one of your students’ Logan tells Kitty as he and Storm stand beside her. ‘What was I supposed to do?’ Kitty asks, adding that she thought the whole point of this was not to start a mutant civil war. Storm points out that Angel left of his own free will .Kitty mutters ‘Even if it’s stupid free will’. ‘You happy now?’ Kitty asks, turning to the Beast and looking less than impressed. ‘Least we got rid of those creepy Stepford Sisters’ Logan remarks. ‘Well aren’t you a cup half full kinda guy’ Kitty mutters, before Storm asks her friends what they think their Angel is going to do when he finds out his younger self went and joined the circus?
Meanwhile, at Resilient Headquarters, in Seattle, ‘Miss Potts, I thought you were in Wakanda?’ a man in a suit calls out as Pepper Potts enters his office. ‘I was. Now I’m here’ Pepper replies. ‘I just - I wasn’t expecting you’ the man explains. Pepper tells him that she heard from Tony this morning, and reveals that he asked her for a favor. ‘You heard from Mr Stark?’ the man asks, standing up. ‘Why would I not?’ Pepper enquires. ‘Because he’s somewhere in deep outer space’ the man reminds her. ‘We keep in touch’, Pepper replies casually. ‘I wasn’t insinuating’ the man begins, adjusting his tie. Pepper sits on his desk and announces that she needs to know if they can afford to help Tony, and asks the man to look at the main account. ‘Which ones? I would be more than happy to -’ he begins. ‘If you can just open it up, I can take care of it’ Pepper tells him. ‘you will take care of it? Is there a problem?’ the man asks.
‘Not with you. Where Tony’s involved I need to play it close to the vest’ Pepper smiles. The man motions to his computer and tells Pepper that most of those accounts can only be opened on the server from that computer. ‘Yes. Would you mind?’ Pepper replies. ‘It’s just - it’s highly unusual’ the man points out. Pepper tells him that she knows. ‘You want me to open up the server and leave the room?’ the man asks. ‘After you log in’ Pepper points out. ‘I don’t know’ the man replies, unsure, to which Pepper announces that she doesn’t have all day. The man presses his hand against a security-panel, ‘There you go’ he tells Pepper, who sits down at his chair. ‘I’m sure this won’t take long’ Pepper tells him. The man suggests he will just sit over on the other chair and play with his iPad, when suddenly, ‘What is that?’ Pepper asks, turning to the window, where they see a massive explosion at the factory. ‘What is that’ the man gasps. ‘Is it me or does that look like -?’ Pepper begins. ‘Mutants?’ the man asks.
What they see, is Wolverine leading the original X-Men from the past - all five of them - moving through the explosion and wrecking havoc. ‘Oh my God!’ the man in the office exclaims. ‘You know the drill! Go!’ Pepper orders him. ‘The executive panic room?’ the man asks. ‘And from there you call SHIELD. SHIELD will call the Avengers. Go! Now!’ Pepper orders. The man rushes from his office, ‘Dear God in Heaven Lord almighty’ he exclaims. ‘Guy smelled like bologna’ “Pepper” smirks, before tapping away into the computer, “Tony Stark Personal Financial Portfolio: Access Granted” flashes across the screen - as Mystique gets to work.
Back at the Jean Grey School, in the cover of night, Marvel Girl sits on the basketball court, all alone. ‘Why? Why am I acting like this?’ she asks as she senses someone approaching her. It is Kitty Pryde, who replies ‘You have a lot of anger in you and I can understand why. If I found out about myself what you found out about yourself - I would never stop screaming’. She tells Jean that she has to really stop using her powers like that every time something happens that she doesn’t like. ‘I know’ Jean replies. Kitty kneels down beside Jean and asks her if she has ever met Spider-Man. ‘Spider-Man?’ Jean asks. ‘Full body stocking. Never stops talking’ Kitty points out. Jean tells her that she hasn’t.
‘He told me something - something about with great power comes great responsibility’ Kitty reveals, adding that one comes with the other. ‘That’s what makes us different from everybody else. You know what I mean by that?’ Kitty asks. ‘I know. I know that. I - I didn’t mean to -’ Jean begins. Kitty takes Jean by her chin and lifts her head up, ‘Hey. You are an X-Man. You are Jean Grey. And you need to pull it together. If you want to talk about your feelings, I will listen to you all day long. But I will not tolerate you acting the way you’ve been acting’ Kitty tells her, adding that she cannot put her before the school - even the school that is named after her. ‘I’m really embarrassed’ Jean replies, telepathically. ‘Good’ Kitty’s thoughts reply. ‘Now go find your teammates and apologize to them for the way you’ve been acting because they are scared of you. And they should be’.
Looking embarrassed indeed, Jean asks Kitty what they are going to do to get Warren back here. ‘What would you have me do?’ Kitty replies. Jean tells Kitty that in her memories - in the ones that Hank showed her, their future, she couldn’t imagine them breaking up - they stay together - even when other mutants became the X-Men, they stay together and become X-Factor. ‘I thought no matter what happened we would stay together’ she explains. ‘But by coming here you changed the dynamic of the group’ Kitty points out. Kitty adds that everything is different, that they don’t know how things are going to play out because Jean is not the same person she was when she got here, clearly. Jean looks away, and remembers the image she saw of the Phoenix dying. ‘I am angry at myself for being so angry’ Jean admits.
‘Well, if Wolverine has taught us anything… it’s that it’s okay to be angry… just find something that deserves to have you take out your anger on it and take it out on that’ Kitty explains. Jean rubs her eyes, ‘Like whatever we just heard about this shape-shifter, Mystique…’ she begins. ‘That sounds perfect’ Kitty tells her suggesting that it something they should be working on. ‘And Warren?’ Jean asks. Kitty tells Jean that she spent a great deal of time with everyone on that other team. ‘I could tell you that if I was a sixteen year old Warren Worthington the Third… I would last about four hours there before I came running back here’ Kitty assures the young Jean. Kitty asks Jean to promise her that she will get herself under control.
‘I promise’ Jean replies. Kitty honestly informs Jean that she is close to trying to find a way to send her home without her figuring out what she is up to. ‘That’s how upset I am about all of this’ she reveals. Jean replies that she knows, and asks Kitty not to. ‘I promise’ she says again. Kitty stands up, and extends a hand to Jean, telling her that the apology is accepted, and her promise is duly noted.
Jean looks towards the ground, before glancing back up at Kitty: ‘I think I’m going to hug you now’ she remarks. ‘Oh. Okay’ Kitty replies, and they smile as they hug. They start to walk back towards the mansion, ‘Mystique. The same one that came looking for Scott Summers?’ Jean asks. ‘Same one’ Kitty tells her.
Later, inside one of the X-Jets, Wolverine is at the controls, while Kitty sits back with the remaining young X-Men - Cyclops, Jean, Iceman and Beast. ‘Cyclops, just answer me! How did Mystique even know you were here?’ Kitty asks. ‘The hairy guy and I had a bit of a thing in town. People were filing it with their phones. Is that a thing now? People and their phones?’ Scott replies. Kitty asks him if people knows he is here, while Wolverine asks ‘By hairy one… you referring to me?’, to which Scott replies that he is. ‘Focus’ Kitty snaps, explaining to the young X-Men that Mystique is a very dangerous mutant. ‘She said the same thing about all of you’ Scott replies. ‘You have to tell us when things like that happen’ Kitty informs him, while Wolverine asks the young Cyclops to tell them exactly what Mystique said. ‘Um…’ the the young Beast utters when the computer announces ‘Collision imminently! Evasive action!’
The young Bobby is flung upwards in his seat. ‘Uh-oh’ the young Hank calls out. ‘Damn right, uh-oh!’ Wolverine exclaims, as the X-Jet is caught up in some sort of storm. A figure can be seen at the base of the turbine, ‘I hate this!’ young Iceman declares as everyone is tossed about, before the jet is forced to land in a field below. ‘What was that?’ young Hank asks. Wolverine announces that he will do the talking. ‘My butt!’ young Bobby exclaims. ‘Shut up’ Wolverine tells everyone, while young Cyclops asks ‘Who is out there?’ Wolverine peers out the window, ‘Well… your brother and his Uncanny Avengers!’ he announces. Indeed, waiting outside are Havok, the Scarlet Witch, Captain America, Thor and Rogue. Captain America tells the X-Men to come out with their hands up. He warns them that they are in a lot of trouble, and not to make it any worse for themselves….
