The secret New Xavier School at the old Weapon X complex: The X-Men and their students go over the battle with the Sentinels while watching footage of the fight. Tempus admits watching this makes her anxious. Magneto informs her they are watching this so they can analyze their performance in the field. They came very close to a life and death situation. One he would like to avoid in the future.
Newcomer Hijack addresses him as “Dr. Magneto.” Magneto, he is told. Hijack continues, asking if they are concerned about who keeps sending these mutant-hunting Sentinels that show up every time they leave the bunker? School, Angel corrects him.
Celeste angrily proclaims it’s the American government. It’s SHIELD. They all know that! Oh, she’s one of those, Hijack remarks mildly. One of those people who think the government is out to get them. Celeste denies having any conspiratorial fantasies. Giant robots attacked them! Again!
As they argue, Christopher Muse aka Triage quietly heads outside. Cyclops follows and asks if he is all right. Chris admits he is freaked out, Scott thanks him. For bringing him back form the dead! Chris shouts. Scott admits it’s a hell of a power set. Doesn’t that rattle him to his very core? Chris shouts. Scott suggests he probably wasn’t completely dead. He was probably in a coma. Chris muses he thinks they are so used to life and death craziness, they don’t even notice how crazy this is anymore. Scott assures him he knows exactly how crazy this is. In fact, everywhere he turns, there is something to remind him.
Further craziness occurs at the Jean Grey School, as a group of strangers step out of the time machine: a middle-aged brunette, Beast, Deadpool and a tall, muscular young woman as well as a hulking Iceman, a young hooded man and a woman in a Xorn costume.
Who are they supposed to be? Kitty demands. They are the X-Men! future Deadpool answers. From their future? Hello? He thought this was totally obvious! Xorn announces they are here because their worst fears have been realized. They did screw up everything. And which of their numerous mistakes are they referring to? Wolverine asks belligerently.
Present and past Iceman display identical looks of horror at their future self. The others bombard the strangers with questions. Kitty suggests they keep calm and handle this like mostly mature adults.
The young man removes his hood. Underneath, he is bald and looks incredibly like a young Charles Xavier. Actually, his name is Xavier and he claims to be the original Xavier’s grandson. The day they let the original X-Men live in the present turned out to be a disastrous mistake, he explains. Old Beast adds they are here to correct that mistake and give their people and the X-Men a chance at surviving with some dignity.
Present Iceman muses he was just about to say how irresponsible it is for these guys to go back in time and try to alter the past, but the realized that was pretty… Hypocritical, Jean Grey agrees.
Wolverine tries to identify everyone. The grandson of Xavier, old-as-dirt Hank McCoy. Fascinating! the younger versions chorus.
Wolverine sniffs at the brunette, announcing she is Kitty Pryde all grown up. She jumps into his arms and hugs him. Remind her to moisturize, young Kitty whispers to Storm.
Deadpool mimics older Kitty’s behavior, trying to slobber Wolverine with kisses. That’s definitely Deadpool, he admits and turns to the tall strong woman. He still doesn’t know her. Molly Hayes reminds him they’ve met like six times!
Agitated, young Iceman asks if the giant lump of steroid snow is really supposed to be him. The giant growls in return.
Wolverine asks why they broke all rules and came here. And does Hank McCoy ever learn? Adult Kitty explains the original X-Men should never have stayed in this time and place. Xavier adds, if they go back right now, they can stop a series of events that will lead to--
Suddenly, Wolverine unsheathes his claws. What is he doing? Deadpool demands. Not… him! Logan groans before attacking.
The Ice- Hulk grabs him and throws him around. Kitty, Storm and the present and past Beasts try to stop any fighting. The two Icemen separate the would-be fighters from each other with ice walls.
Young Iceman asks if Wolverine just went nuts. On the back of the Ice-Hulk, who smashes through the wall, Molly addresses him that they happened. It’s not enough that he stood by and let Xavier die… Wolverine shouts it wasn’t him. Someone took control of his arms and there is only one person in the room who can do that – Jean Grey! They look around to find that both Jean and Scott have vanished.
Two minutes earlier:
While the others are talking, Marvel Girl telepathically addresses young Beast, telling him something is wrong. She can’t read the newcomers’ minds. Hank reminds her she isn’t supposed to read minds without permission. Impatiently, Jean insists something is really wrong here. Hank tries to be logical. Jean suggests they get out of here. They are in a room full of strangers trying to dictate their future for them! He insists they settle this peacefully.
Why can’t she read their thoughts? Jean repeats. He suggests Xavier may be blocking her. Jean asks why. Because maybe he doesn’t want her doing what she is trying to do, Hank points out. He continues maybe some believe she isn’t supposed to know her own future.
She asks him to come with her. Hank refuses. Something fantastic is happening here. And they need to pay attention.
Jean tries to read Xavier and once again is blocked, then she telepathically addresses Scott, asking him to leave with her. Immediately he agrees. Jean telekinetically turns Wolverine against the others and they use the ensuing chaos to slip away and steal a Blackbird. His first time flying this thing solo, Scott remarks. How hard can it be? Jean quips.
In the grounds, the others see them leave. Xavier tells young Beast he chose wisely. Young Iceman wonders where they are going and what they are going to do now.
In the jet, Scott wonders exactly the same thing. Jean admits she doesn’t know. He warns her they will have to abandon the plane soon. Wolverine will track it.
Liars! she bursts out. A bunch of strangers just appear. Strangers from the future trying to control them. She doesn’t trust any of it. This world they live in now is filled with liars! Everyone is trying to manipulate everyone. No one blocks their thoughts unless they have something to hide. No one understands. If they go back to their own time, she is going back to a death sentence. She knows they think they will go back and Xavier will just mindwipe them and they won’t remember any of this, but she is a telepath now and she is getting stronger every day. On reflex, she knows she won’t let Xavier make her forget any of this. She won’t go back and she won’t forget! This is the only second chance they all have.
He’s glad they are doing this together, Scott tells her. Hesitatingly, she agrees.
Back at the Jean Grey School, present Iceman announces they will go after them. He will go after them, Wolverine corrects him. Beast wants to figure the whole things out first. Molly tells him there is nothing to figure out. The young X-Men have to go back to their time and the future X-Men will go back to theirs. But with this they can help.
Storm wonders why Jean ran away from them. Deadpool blames everyone else but him. Middle-aged Kitty announces they all know. She doesn’t want to go back. Storm refuses to believe Jean puts her needs in front of others. Wolverine agrees. Glaring at Xavier, he suspects she picked something up in their heads she didn’t like. Time to come clean.
Xavier admits she didn’t like that they block their thoughts. Now why would they do a thing like that? Logan demands. It isn’t wise to know too much about the future, Xavier points out. At worst, it creates a paradox.
Xorn adds she warned Xavier what would happen. Jean is in a delicate emotional state. Rachel Grey enters, telling Xorn that wearing that outfit around here is in terrible taste, seeing as the last person who wore that mask killed Jean Grey right here. Xorn apologizes, but this is who she is now. Rachel announces who she is and that she’s an X-Man and a teacher here. She knows everything that happened here. So who might Xorn be?
She knows who Rachel is, Xorn replies and takes off her mask to reveal an adult Jean Grey. They are hiding their thoughts because they love them, she explains. They want the best for them. Her name is Jean Grey and she is an X-Man too. She gives Rachel a kiss on the cheek, then greets Ororo.
She turns to Kitty and tells her they have to find her younger self and get her back to where she belongs. Kitty made a promise to her. It’s time she kept it…
At a beach a jogger and a dog are surprised to find an abandoned Blackbird…
