The Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, where a young Jean Grey from a time long ago lies in bed, sleeping. Suddenlya voice calls out her name and she wakes up. ‘Thank God I found you! We’ve come to take you out of here!’ the present day Cyclops announces as he stands with Magneto. ‘Scott?’ Jean asks, confused. Cyclops tells Jean that they are going to kill her, and she goes wide-eyed, when suddenly, there is an explosion and a naked Wolverine lunges towards Jean. Claws outstretched, he shoves them into her. Jean falls backwards, clutching her blood-drenched neck, while a fiery Phoenix glows in her eyes.
Jean Grey suddenly wakes up, screaming and clutching her neck. Objects in the room are floating around her thanks to her telekinetic power. ‘Oh God…’ she utters as she lets everything fall to the floor. Suddenly, Kitty Pryde, enters the room, asking her if she is okay. ‘I just…woke up’ Jean replies. Looking around at the mess, Kitty remarks that she sees Jean did some redecorating. Jean apologizes, but Kitty tells her that it is okay. ‘Not, it’s not, I’m -’ Jean begins, while Kitty adds ‘It’s not like I clean’ and tells Jean that if she hadn’t heard it, she probably wouldn’t have noticed. ‘You were nice enough to lend me your room. I’m sorry’ Jean replies.
Kitty sits down on the edge of the bed and points out that Jean has been asleep for a while. ‘Guess I needed it’ Jean replies, before asking ‘What - I’m sorry - what is your name again?’ Kitty introduces herself, explaining that she was headmistress of the school, but as long as Jean and the original X-Men are here, she is going to stay and work with them. A tear falls from Jean’s eye as she tells Kitty that she has never had a dream like that before. Kitty points out that Jean is having a lot of firsts this week - first time her telepathic powers came into bloom, and she is living in a different time than she is supposed to be. ‘And I found out my entire family…died. Terribly. I died…even more terribly. Charles Xavier…’ her voice trails off, and she falls against Kitty, who embraces her. Jean asks where the others are, and Kitty tells her not to worry about them right now. Unconvinced herself, Kitty assures Jean that they are fine.
At that moment, in the cafeteria, the young Scott “Cyclops” Summers enters, and immediately, most students turn and stare at him. The Shi’ar warrior Warbird sits at a table with some students - Anole, Glob Herman, Oya, Kid Omega and Genesis. Lockheed flies nearby, while Doop turns a watchful eye from the students to Cyclops. The Stepford Cuckoos sit at a table of their own, while the past and present counterparts of Bobby “Iceman” Drake and Dr Hank McCoy a.k.a. the Beast are all seated together. Cyclops looks back at the students and remarks: ‘It’s a funny thing - yesterday I was the leader of the X-Men. That was yesterday. At least to me’, before he excuses himself and rushes out.
Scott enters a garage and leans against the wall, rubbing his head, ‘How? How could I be this thing? How could I have done this?’ he asks himself, before noticing a certain motorcycle parked in the garage. A brown jacket has been placed on the motorcycle, and Scott goes over to it. He puts the jacket on, and rides out of the garage and away from the Jean Grey School.
Back in the cafeteria:
‘And I read online last night that Reed Richards thinks that - that the Space-Time Continuum is a living thing, you know. Like a person, and if we’re using it as a toy to -’ Iceman remarks, while Wolverine glances sideways, ‘Shut up, Bobby’ he snaps, while his super-hearing picks up the sound of his motorcycle being driven away. ‘SON OF A -!!!’ Wolverine shouts, standing up, he frightens Indra, while the Stepford Cuckoos watch Wolverine as he storms past them and shortly, he is in a jeep, driving away from the Jean Grey School.
Back in Kitty / Jean’s room, Jean is telekinetically tidying up. Kitty tells her that it is breakfast time, that everyone is eating and that she should come down and eat too. Jean replies that she needs a few minutes. ‘Sure’ Kitty replies. ‘It’s just -’ Jean begins, and Kitty tells her that she knows. Kitty turns to Jean and states that looking at her, here, is just crazy. ‘I’m - yeah, I’m sure’ Jean agrees. ‘You are such - such a baby face’ Kitty remarks, adding that she will get over it eventually. ‘I forgot to ask, what is your mutant pow-?’ Jean begins, when suddenly, she screams and clutches her head, collapsing to the floor, thoughts rampage through her mind:
‘That’s not even good -’, ‘What are they doing here?’, ‘Young Scott is so -’, ‘Hair in the shower is so disgu-’, ‘I wonder if Kitty will be looking after the team’, ‘…always whining and crying about how bad she’s had it’, ‘In this day and age…’, ‘Let’s go back to the subject at hand’, ‘Has anyone seen Angel?’, ‘Pyramids of Egypt…’, I have to see for myself. I have to see what I have become’, ‘Taco Bell isn’t even good!’, ‘…alpha female whether she wants to or not’.
Kitty grabs Jean, who is crying, and tells her to look at her. ‘Look right at me. Look at my eyes’ Kitty calls out. ‘Voices’ Jean utters, but Kitty tells her that they are not voices, and explains that she is hearing thoughts. The thoughts continue to plunder Jean’s mind:
‘My arm, it hurts’, ‘Let’s talk again when you decide to get a brain’, ‘She is such a liar’, ‘How can Time and Space be a living thing?’, ‘But who cares about Maggott’, ‘How can you get hair that soft?’, ‘Nightcrawler not. And Jubilee - don’t even get me started on Jubilee’, ‘The person who died’, ‘Ninjas’, ‘Several hundred years of experience’, ‘Emma?’, ‘What time is it?’, ‘Used to go to these weird clubs’, ‘Cyclops was right’.
‘My thoughts, oy!’ Kitty thinks, trying to get Jean to focus on her. ‘You focus. Focus on one thing’ she adds. ‘Focus?’ Jean asks. ‘Focus on me. In your head are 1000 little doors. Doors! You close each door. One by one. You close them’ Kitty explains to Jean, but the thoughts continue to spill into Marvel Girl’s mind.
‘Can you hear me, Miss Frost?’, ‘Thought I’d seen it all’, ‘Where’s Angel?’, ‘Cyclops was right’, ‘Has anyone seen Angel?’, ‘Outer space?’, ‘Emma?’, ‘Only strike when?’, ‘Does anyone give a crap about the Space Time Continuum?’, ‘Several hundred!’, ‘She hates me!’.
‘This is your brain’ Kitty tells Jean. ‘You control everything about yourself. Decide to do it and you will’ she adds. Jean closes her eyes, and the thoughts are blocked off to her. She looks up, and thanks Kitty, who tells her not to worry about it. ‘I just became a telepath yesterday’ Jean adds. ‘Yeah. That’s crazy. You need training’ Kitty remarks, adding that she can help. She asks Jean if she knows yoga. Jean replies that she does, and Kitty explains that yoga will help. ‘That was good - what you did there. That worked’ Jean tells Kitty, asking her who taught that - Xavier? But, Kitty replies ‘You did’. Jean is surprised, and asks if they were friends. Kitty points out that Jean was in the class in front of her. ‘But yes, yeah, I admired you’ she tells her, while thinking to herself ‘Kind of’. ‘Kind of?’ Jean asks, picking up on Kitty’s thoughts. ‘Oh man, sorry’ Kitty thinks. While looking sheepish, she explains that Jean was a little tough on her sometimes.
Kitty stands up and helps Jean up, apologizing for her thoughts betraying her. ‘I shouldn’t be hearing them’ Jean points out. ‘Well, that’s true’ Kitty agrees, before Jean asks where they are going. ‘You have a team to lead’ Kitty remakrs, however Jean reminds Kitty that she isn’t the leader, Scott is. Suddenly, Ororo “Storm” Munroe appears and tells Jean that it was she who convinced the original X-Men to stay in this displaced time. ‘They listen to you. You’re the leader’. Storm’s thoughts introduce herself to the young Jean, who, in another time, was her best friend. ‘Scott is not going to have everyone’s trust here. They are going to need you’ Storm tells Jean.
‘And you’re Storm?’ Jean asks. ‘Yes’ Ororo agrees, before Jean asks if they are friends. ‘Very good friends’ Storm confirms. ‘I thought so’ Jean tells her, before Storm’s thoughts tell Jean that she can look in her head just this once. ‘But after that…’ she begins, when suddenly, Jean asks where Scott is. She concentrates on him, then tells Storm and Kitty that she doesn’t think Scott is here. ‘He left. Wolverine went after him’ Storm reports. ‘Well…%#$@!’ Kitty mutters.
Shortly, a stunned Cyclops arrives in Salem Center. He is shocked at the appearance of two punks who walk past him as he parks the motorcycle. He enters the store and asks the woman behind the counter who is busy on her mobile phone whether she has a map. ‘A map?’ the woman asks, without looking away from her phone. ‘A map of the United States? Or the world?’ Scott inquires. ‘Doesn’t your phone have a map?’ the woman asks, holding up her smart phone. ‘My phone?’ Scott asks, confused. ‘Uh, yeah!’ the woman mutters. Looking around the store, Scott asks why the water is all in bottles. ‘Because it’s bottled water’ the woman replies, rolling her eyes. ‘Why is the water bottled now?’ Scott enquires. ‘As opposed to when?’ the woman asks. ‘Did something happen to the water?’ Scott asks.
The woman looks frustrated now and asks Scott if he is going to buy something, when suddenly, she exclaims ‘You know who you look like? You look just like him. You look like that guy with the - with the - you look just like him!’ as she holds up a magazine with the present day Cyclops on the cover. ‘How much is this? I’ll take it’ Scott declares, looking at the magazine. The woman replies that it is four ninety-nine, and asks ‘Are you guys related or -?’, but Scott shouts ‘Five dollars for a magazine!’, to which the woman adds ‘Plus tax’. Stuffing his hand into one of the jacket pockets, Scott mutters that this place is a nightmare. ‘How do you expect me to -?’ he begins to ask, but pulls out a large wad of cash. ‘What do you care, Tony Stark?’ the woman snaps. Scott looks at the money and wonders ‘Why does he have this much money in his pocket?’
Suddenly, ‘Because it’s none of your damn business’ Wolverine whispers into Scott’s ear as he appears behind him. ‘Get your butt back on my bike and back to the school’ Wolverine orders as he pulls Scott along by his ear. ‘Don’t touch me!’ Scott calls out, but Wolverine points out that he is here less than 24 hours and already annoying him more than his other self. ‘Which is, I must say, quite -’ he begins, but Scott once again tells Wolverine not to touch him. Scott hen pushes Wolverine away. ‘I don’t know who you think you -’ he begins, before realizing that the push hurt him. ‘Ow!’ Scott exclaims. ‘Yeah, unbreakable bones. So why don’t you take it down a notch’ Wolverine suggests, while asking ‘And who do I think I am?’, staring Scott down, Wolverine frowns at Cyclops and adds ‘I’m the guy that Xavier put in charge of the school before you murdered him. That’s who I think I am!’, but Cyclops replies ‘I didn’t do that’. ‘Not yet’ Wolverine points out. But Scott walks towards the motorcycle and points out that it is not fair everyone is blaming him for something he hasn’t done.
‘Fair? Listen, Slim, we made a deal with the people of this town that we keep our mutant crazy down to a minimum. So I can put you in a headlock and spank you or you can just get back on the bike and -’ Wolverine begins, but Scott assures Wolverine that he isn’t looking to fight him, ‘You better not be’ Wolverine snarls, but as Cyclops hangs his head, Wolverine tells him that he knows he is going through stuff. ‘Yeah’ Scott replies. Wolverine suggests that after a good night’s sleep, cooler heads and all that, then the original X-Men can go back where they came from. ‘Maybe’ Scott mutters. Wolverine tells Cyclops that he should have seen all this. ‘You go back. It’ll be like it never happened’ he assures him.
Cyclops gets down on the ground and admits that Wolverine is right, before asking ‘Unbreakable bones?’, to which Wolverine replies ‘Yup’, so Cyclops removes his ruby-quartz glasses and fires a blast of optic energy, close range, at Wolverine, knocking him backwards. Logan lands with a crack, while Scott gets on the motorcycle and speeds away. Wolverine rushes after him, but he is not quick enough. He narrows his eyes and asks ‘Where the hell do you think you’re going?’
Earlier, at the Jean Grey School:
‘I have to see for myself. I have to see what I have become’ the young Angel a.k.a. Warren Worthington III decides as he sits atop one of the buildings. He tells himself that no one seems to have the courage to tell him - he sees Cyclops leave on Wolverine’s motorcycle. ‘Sure, leave me here, Scottie. I don’t want to be here in the first place and now you leave me here. You guys stick me here and you don’t even -’ Warren begins, before noticing a jeep follow Cyclops. ‘Huh - okay’ he tells himself.
Suddenly, a face appears in the ground and its mouth opens, ‘What is -?’ Warren asks himself, wondering if he is going nuts or if the ground just burped. ‘What has happened to the school? What has happened to the -?’ he thinks to himself, when a voice calls out ‘Well, this is unexpected’. Young Warren goes wide-eyed, ‘Oh my God…’ he thinks, as he sees his present counterpart gracefully hovering over him. ‘So…what are you, me from the past?’ the present Angel enquires. ‘Yes’ the past Warren confirms. ‘Yes?’ the Angel asks. The young Warren explains that the entire original X-Men team was brought here to the future - or rather, to the present - to help deal with what’s going on with Scott Summers. ‘The original X-Men are here right now?’ Angel asks.
‘Yes’ the young Angel confirms. Pointing down to the ground, the present Angel asks if Jean Grey is here, and the young Warren tells him that she is. When the present Angel asks if the Beast did this, the past Warren tells him that he did. The present Angel looks thoughtful, and pauses, while his past self looks up at him and asks ‘Uh, where did you get those…are those metal?’ But the present Angel ignores the question, and swoops down, picking his past self up in his arms and hugging him, ‘Well all right!’ the present Angel shouts excitedly, before asking his past self if he wants to go flying. ‘You believe me?’ the young Warren asks ‘Do I believe you?’ the present Angel replies. ‘I just told you an insane story…you believe me?’ the young Warren asks again. They take flight, while the young Warren asks his present self why his wings are made of metal. ‘I’m not sure I even know’ the older Angel replies. ‘Yeah, but, uh…’ the past Warren begins, wanting an explanation, however the present Angel just tells him to catch up, as he soars ahead.
Meantime, at an undisclosed Raven Darkholme a.k.a. Mystique sits in a dimly lit room. A bottle of alcohol beside her, when someone enters the room, and standing in the shadows calls out to her. ‘I told you to leave me alone until further notice’ Mystique snaps. Her visitor ignores her and places a tablet on the table, ‘You’re going to want to see this’ Mystique’s visitor tells her. ‘Stop talking’ Raven replies, but her visitor tells her to look. Raven picks up the tablet and asks ‘What am I looking at?’, to which the mysterious visitor replies ‘Cyclops blasting Wolverine across Salem Center’. ‘And…’ Mystique begins, before her visitor tells her to keep watching. ‘Am I nuts or does he look 12?’ Mystique’s visitor asks when there is a close up shot of Cyclops. ‘When was this?’ Mystique asks. Her visitor informs her that it was today, four hours ago. Mystique frowns and tells her visitor to get everybody together, as she wants to see this for herself.
