Rogue tells the Sentient Seed- based jungle she can feel them too. They come with noise, with crushing and fire. They are not of this place. They are intruders. Now, Utopia! she orders. Rise up! And the jungle turns against the soldiers, vines trapping, trees falling.
Listen to them… the screams, a broken Psylocke tells Jean Grey. They’re being ripped apart. She sounds like she approves, Jean observes. They all die, Psylocke replies telepathically. And for their kind it’s rarely peaceful. Jean tells her she is nothing like her. She is evil! Farbird agrees.
Psylocke scoffs. “Evil” is a poorly used word. Would Jean not consider herself a villain? By her silence and thoughts, she knows she agrees. She believes in the greater good, Jean replies. They all do, Psylocke agrees.
Farbird announces she is dying. Psylocke asks Jean to come close. She was here to preside over the extinction of mutantkind but, in these last moments, she sees her death need not be an obstacle to success. She believes there is one that may yet bring her mission to completion… Who is that? Jean asks. “You, Jean Grey”, she is told.
The battle ends soon after Psylocke’s death. Free from her influence, the soldiers soon see the situation for what it is: a battle needlessly escalated, one that the army has little chance of winning.
General Ross orders a cease-fire. He addresses Kitty Pryde, who tells her people it’s okay. The fight is over. She meets Ross, who informs her he has ordered a full retreat and withdrawal. He still has his orders, but if Washington persists in enforcing their resolution, they’ll have to do it diplomatically. He admits her jungle is an effective deterrent. She is one of theirs, Kitty replies.
Ross explains this needn’t have happened and advises her that they have won their war of independence. They have their land and people, even an ideology. People are afraid of her and them. Of what this place represents. Stop reminding them of it. Stay off the internet. Stay off the airwaves. Stop holding press conferences where they offer to fix the world’s problems. Lay low, work on their own problems. Live their lives. Stop giving people excuses to come after them.
Does he think that’s what they are doing? Kitty asks. Stop blaming the victim! All her life, all their lives, all they’ve felt is the pressure to hide who they are. That the way to avoid prejudice and violence is to be as meek and quiet as possible, and even that doesn’t always work. The problem isn’t them. They don’t need to change who they are.
Just a suggestion, he shrugs. They are all so young. Wouldn’t they rather just enjoy themselves? What they wouldn’t give for their childhoods back, Kitty replies. What human kids take for granted they can only dream of having. Tell that to his bosses in Washington!
Jean observes how the Utopians deal with the aftermath, now that they can track Psylocke’s influence even to their own problems. Kitty and Nomi make up, the two groups become one again. They are proud and celebrate.
Walking with Farbird, Jean muses they will be assets to Tian. But they are not there. Not yet. She orders him to return to Tian as quickly as possible, go directly to her private quarters and prepare for project activation. Codename: Supersonic. Use her private password. And wait for her word. She tells him it is important but hopes it will be unnecessary. He tells her that her people love her for her wisdom and protection. With that, he leaves.
Later in Kitty’s home, Kitty calmly confronts Jean with the fact that she knows who she is. Glad to see the whole “Karen Grant” thing’s passed. Jean asks how. Only an omega level telepath could have seen through her telepathic screens. The sentient seed, Kitty explains. She’s known almost since day one. The others are just finding out now. It’ll be interesting to see how this conversation plays out because when Jean leaves this house everyone is going to treat her differently.
So she knows why she’s here, Jean states. Well? Kitty walks toward her and looks her in the eye. The answer is no. Utopia is not Tian and never will be. There eventually has to be a place where mutants and humans coexist. Where there is tolerance and respect. A segregated society… when has that ever worked? Jean’s eyes begin to flare. Kitty tells her to go home. Utopia may be young and imperfect, but Jean doesn’t understand the first thing about what they are doing here.
Jean goes for her throat and calls Kitty an idiot. All of them walking around like they’ve won some victory. They’ll be back! They will always come back. This is why Tian exists! she shouts. But Kitty and her arrogance will doom all these people to this … ghetto in the desert and let their enemies plot their extermination at their leisure! She is an embarrassment to all mutants! Well? she demands Kitty phases through her and tells her she just doesn’t get it.
Fine, Jean states. Why doesn’t Kitty tell her what she doesn’t know. Kitty suggests she take the pulse of the community, then recalls she can’t. The jungle is blocking her telepathy. So she’ll explain. Had Jean come to them openly and honestly, they might have considered a partnership of sorts with Jeans. Sister nations etc. It wouldn’t have stopped anything they are doing here but a global community would be nice. Working together might be nice. But not with Jean. At least not the “mistress of Tian” Jean Grey.
Kitty accuses her of being a despot. Utopia will never be closed down or abandoned. Tian may be beautiful and unique but so is Utopia. And every day it gets more so, because they are building it with their own hands. She knows Jean wants them as part of some sort of mutant empire but she’ll never ever have them.
Jean flares with the Phoenix effect. Kitty calmly states Utopia won’t kneel to anyone.
The mutants outside see the flare. Rogue tells them the Seed promised her they are safe. What are they seeing then? Shola asks. A Utopia that’s learned to win, James replies, without ever having to fight.
Kitty tells Jean to go home.
And in Tian, Farbird activates Jean’s project…
