Sati and GeNext have taken Sophie von Doom to the local headquarters of national security to question her about the attack on the Latverian consulate by the villainess Kalima.
Sophie is not pleased, claiming that, by holding her, they are violating international law. Rico reminds her they saved her life. For which she is grateful, she replies, but that still doesn’t give them the right!
A muscular, handsome man enters, calling this irony to hear the heir of Doom talk about rights and international law. She’s possibly committed acts of terrorism against his country and she seems to be the target of one of their deadliest criminals. She’s going nowhere until they get some answers. And if she’s wondering who responsible for that decision, his name is Skanda.
Sati deferentially calls him milord and bows before him. The kids wonder what to do and Rico suggests they follow Sati’s lead. No-Name, however, announces she bows to no one. Becka tells them Skanda is as real a god as Thor, while Pavel points out to No-Name it’s a gesture of respect. Dooms don’t bow, Sophie sulks. Yeah right, they just make sure heroes stand between them and trouble, Rico announces nastily.
Beast acts familiar with Skanda, calling him “old friend.” As usual, he’s scared the youngsters. Skanda smiles and recalls Henry was one not too long ago. The difference is, of course, he looks his age, Beast replies. “Age cannot whither, nor custom stale, your infinite variety…” Skanda quotes. He’s glad to see Henry. It’s been far too long, although he could wish for better circumstances.
He looks at GeNext. Has Henry restarted the old team? Heaven forefend, Hank replies. The X-Men are history (though he isn’t really that sure). He explains to the kids that he and Skanda are old friends and colleagues dating from well before Charles and Magneto were based on Genosha. India is actually where he and Cecilia got serious.
Skanda again turns to Sophie, scowling and warns her that a great many questions need answering. While he looks into that he needs Sati and her friends to discover what Kali’s up to and, if possible, how to deal with her. Belatedly, he asks Henry’s permission. In for the proverbial penny… Hanks sighs.
Sophie announces her government will protest. Her father already has been contacted, comes the reply. He has no objections. Henry adds he’d like to sit in on the interrogation. He’ll catch up as soon as he checked up on Megan.
Megan is in a bed in the infirmary. What’s the prognosis? she asks Henry. Her vitals look good. A little more rest and she will be fine. Telepathically, she tells him to give himself a break. None of this is his fault. Just his responsibility, he replies, before asking how she feels. Fine, she assures him, adding he doesn’t look convinced. He’s just surprised that someone could get through her psychic defenses so easily. He thought they’d trained her better than that. Don’t remind her, she sighs, her mother is going to have a cow. He tells her he was joking and orders her to get some rest.
Oli asks for a private minute with Megan and Rico teases him. What’s wrong? Oli asks when they are alone. Megan admits that Kalima smashed through her psychic defenses like they weren’t even there. She’s never been hit like hat. What happens when she faces her again?
Couldn’t Kalima have been just lucky? Oli suggests. Megan worries that she was ready for a fight. But all her training, all her defenses… nothing mattered. Next time they are more careful, Oli promises, as soon as he figures it out. They kiss and Oli promises her wherever she is he’ll find her and bring her home safe.
Outside, Oli wants to know more about Rico’s and Sophie’s history. Is that a big deal? Becka asks, unaware of their families’ enmity as she hails from the Savage Land. Rico tells them.
Rico’s story:
He and Sophie met at MIT. Barely adolescent phenoms, 13-year- old doctoral candidates. Thing is, back then they started out as friends. Started like their grand-dads, pretty much ended the same way.
Sophie was experimenting; he was thinking about music. By the time he realized they were in trouble, it as too late. He could only use his powers to save them from being blown up along with the building.
The school wasn’t amused, they got the boot. His grandfather offered to tutor him, but his dad decided he’d be better off at Xavier. For that, he thinks he’ll always be grateful.
present:
He guesses Sophie went home to Latveria. He hasn’t seen her since.
In the meantime, Skanda and the Beast are questioning an unwilling Sophie. So she just walked into her consulate and there Kalima was? Skanda repeats her claims in disbelief. How many times does she have to repeat herself? Sophie asks. Yes!
And before that? Henry inquires. She was touring the city – would they like to see her photographs? And she knows nothing about combat robots? Skanda insists. What she knows is that Rico has one vivid imagination, she retorts.
Elsewhere, Rico insists that only half a dozen people can do this kind of work. Sophie is one. And he’s another? Oli asks. No-Name is embarrassed, realizing that all this time, the others let her think she was the team’s brains. She feels like such a fool.
How does he explain Kalima? Sati asks. Given Sophie’s family’s history with the dark arts, maybe she’s a godmother.
Oli reminds them this is all supposition. They need objective evidence. Not a problem, Rico decides. If Sophie’s making toys with local materials, he can find her base of operation.
Pavel notes Anne is dejected and asks what’s going on. Just suffering from an overdose of reality. She guesses she liked being needed by them. She is, he replies. Why else did they risk everything to find her?
Oli orders the team to change back into civvies. Megan promises from the infirmary to maintain telepathic contact with them, so she knows when they are in trouble.
Sati joins her in the infirmary, partly to thank her, partly following an instinct. She touches Megan and something happens. Sati explains that occasionally she finds herself doing things that she doesn’t understand, only to discover their true value later. Comprehension, it seems, isn’t necessary. Simply trust.
At the heart of Mumbai is the tech market, block after bock of open-air stands mixed with shop front upon shop front lining the street. All these vendors offer variations on technical themes, from some consumer electronics, from others computers galore, you can buy software, you can buy components… Some stores are a hustle, others a revelation. All a fascinating delight. Here the young mutants hope to find some sign of Sophie von Doom’s trail.
Becka points out Rico seems to have found something in a store. Rico seem to be in agitated conversation with a being who looks a lot like Armin Zola. Angrily, Rico shouts the slug knows something but he can’t make him talk. He suggests Megan could try to pick his brain. Oli remarks she isn’t up to it right now.
No-Name states she wants to take a shot. She talks to the man politely and charmingly and very soon gets the info that Sophie bought a lot here. She got the address as well. Pavel praises her for doing good and she agrees.
scream. Before she is done, they will come to love it!
Oli is less affected than the others, since he is made up of way more than just a single soul. He’s not immune; it’s just taking her time to gain complete control over him. He hits No-Name who is attacking him.
He sees Rico fighting a hesitant Sati and realizes she has some resistance too. He flies and quickly takes the exhausted woman away. He trusts his instincts and absorbs Sati’s power with a kiss.
Below, Becka (speaking with Kalima’s voice) warns him he will pay the prize in blood. Kalima orders her Ravarati to gather up their new playthings.
Oli sees images in his head which he doesn’t understand but acts on them. Light emits from his body. All the GeNext members (including Megan) are engulfed by it and change into Indians. Kalima screams.
The kids turn into energy spikes and fly off in different directions. They are gone, leaving only Kalima, her Ravarati and Sati.
Grabbing Sati by the throat, Kalima demands to know what she has done with her toys? She doesn’t know! Sati replies. Whatever the boy took, whatever he did with her powers was at his direction, under his control. Wherever her friends are, it’s where Kalima can’t touch them.
They’ll see about that, Kalima threatens. Time to go hunting, she orders her pets. Sati thinks she saved them? Quite the contrary. Before this game is done, they will all suffer. Before this game is done, Sati retorts, they will win!
