Emma Frost’s Academy of Tomorrow, Chicago, Illinois. Now…
Doug Ramsey, sitting behind his computer, jokes that he rocks. He calls out to Emma, who’s standing nearby, and explains to her that he has been scanning footage of all the traffic cameras around the building where Lorna supposedly killed those people. Emma corrects Douglas that he is supposed to be reorganizing the school’s library as punishment for failing to notify her on his classmates’ plans. Besides, Emma adds, she has already watched every gruesome moment of video from that day.
Douglas smiles that may be so, but Emma probably didn’t watch the videos from three days before the accident! He shows Emma a video, on which two people are seen planting some kind of machine right by where Lorna was standing when the accident happened. Doug doesn’t know who the black guy on the video is, but he ran the Indian guy’s profile through SHIELD’s facial recognition program (Doug sort of guessed their access password) and it says there’s a ninety percent chance that the Indian guy is named Forge, a mutant villain who used to be affiliated to Magneto.
Emma is startled and could kiss Douglas! He smirks that would be nice. She immediately takes the phone and contacts Xavier, wanting to be transferred to Fury immediately, as they just discovered Lorna is innocent, only being one step away from freedom.
New York City, outside the Triskelion base, thirty minutes ago…
Marvel Girl, protected by Colossus and Iceman, mentions that this wasn’t part of their plan. Captain America orders the X-Men to go home, unless they want a repeat of Russia. Bobby tries to make a joke, but Peter shuts him up. Jean tries to explain to the Wasp that they are only trying to help. Janet corrects that she and the other Ultimates are not ungrateful about that fact, but the Triskelion is their jurisdiction. Jean defends that’s the reason why they are standing across from it, so Alex Summers can be stopped before he even reaches the island’s gateway.
Colossus angrily shouts that’s true, because, if they would leave Havok to the Ultimates, they would just lock him up before he even gets a trial, much like they did with Lorna. Iron Man defends that isn’t fair from Peter, as Polaris was a special case. The Black Widow agrees with Peter to be wary of Americans, but she assures him that the Ultimates can be trusted. Iceman doesn’t know why they should trust a team that has both Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch on the team, as those two psychopaths tried to kill them not too long ago.
Wanda knows that Bobby has every right to be angry with them, but assures that their extremist days are behind them. Pietro agrees, adding that, while Polaris may be sharing a cell with their reprobate father, Pietro can personally attest that the girl is receiving excellent care. Colossus didn’t even know that Lorna was sharing a cell with Magneto and is startled to hear the news. Captain America gets angry with the twins because they just revealed a state secret. Pietro apologizes but he had assumed Xavier had informed them about it. Jean mentions she’s starting to think there’s a lot of things the Professor isn’t sharing with them.
Nearby, on the freeway…
Northstar, still carrying Havok on his shoulders, runs as fast as he can. Alex asks Jean-Paul if he’s certain he can get them across the pond to the Triskelion. Northstar defends that “certain” is a strong word. He explains that he has run over water a few dozen times at their academy pool, but Jean-Paul fears that one hit from a super-type will be enough to knock him out.
Alex isn’t concerned about the Ultimates. He has been studying footage of them taking down the Hulk and thinks to have found a few vulnerabilities. Besides, Alex thinks that the other half of the X-Men are probably going to be waiting for them as well, thinking they might be able to play both sides against the middle. Jean-Paul wants to know what’s going to happen if that doesn’t work. Havok corrects that failure isn’t an option, as they are the only people who can pull Lorna away of the jaws of hell.
Magneto’s plastic prison cell beneath the Triskelion…
Polaris finishes a game of chess with Magneto and has won, thanks to a checkmate. Magneto is impressed that it only took eleven games for Lorna to understand it all, and is even surprised that, despite Lorna’s natural aptitude for strategy, she was not elected as class president and that Havok got chosen instead. Lorna panics a bit, wanting to know how Magneto knows about Alex. Magneto gets up, claiming that’s a story for another day. For now, he regrets that he will soon be forced to take leave of this chamber!
Lorna doesn’t know what her cellmate is talking about, since he’s a terrorist serving a million life sentences. Smiling, Magneto believes they are about to be commuted. Lorna wants to know if Magneto thinks he can escape. Magneto calmly explains that “escape” is such a charged word. Regardless, it’s his hope that Lorna might join him on the outside. Lorna defends that she can’t as she hurt all those people. Magneto explains to Lorna that, if she stays there, the humans will torture her for the rest of her life for she did to their fellow men. But, if she comes with him, he promises he will reward Lorna for her boldness. She can be a leader in his Brotherhood and not just a follower.
Lorna defends that she isn’t like him. Magneto knows that. But, without polar opposites, he also knows that planet Earth would spin off its axis. He knows that they need one another and that the world needs them. He asks Lorna what she thinks about it. She turns away, but declines the offer! Magneto mood immediately changes and walks over to a chair, picking it up, correcting that he never truly cared about Lorna and that she was jus another tool he could use.
Lorna reminds him that, if Magneto hurts her, the guard will see it. But Magneto knows that the “guard” is preoccupied elsewhere. He’s correct, as the chair where Quicksilver sat, in the observation deck is empty. Magneto walks over to Lorna, and hits the chair against her face!
Outside the Triskelion base…
Captain America has just heard something and asks if anyone else did. Iceman thinks it sounded like… a car backfiring… inside his head. Jean feels the wind changing and asks if one of the Ultimates is doing it. Pietro defends that it isn’t the wind changing, that blast they heard was a sonic boo…!
Suddenly, Quicksilver is knocked out! Cap realizes that Havok is attacking, and immediately orders Iron Man to secure the perimeter and that the Widow should get the X-Men out of there.
Jean realizes that it isn’t Havok attacking, but his teammate, Northstar. Colossus wants to know how Jean-Paul suddenly got this fast, as he wasn’t like this before. Jean thinks Jean-Paul probably evolved like the rest of mutantkind tends to do. Iceman thinks he’s got a lock on Jean-Paul and tries to freeze him, but Jean-Paul is faster and Bobby instead freezes Captain America!
Natasha panics, but Janet calms her down, remembering that they froze out Cap before and can do it again. She attacks Bobby with one of her Wasp-stings and knocks him out. Peter shouts that that shouldn’t have happened, as what Bobby did was just an accident. Jean gets angry and uses the full potential of her psychic powers to knock the Wasp out. Iron Man orders the Scarlet Witch to do something about Marvel Girl. She attacks with her Hex powers, and Jean suddenly disappears! She emerges in New Jersey, telepathically contacts Cyclops asking him if they could make one more stop after they dropped off Havok’s defeated teammates.
Meanwhile, at the Triskelion’s front door…
Forge can’t believe their plan worked. Thanks to the X-Men, there’s nobody preventing them from entering the building. Mystique warns Forge not to get cocky, knowing the Ultimates aren’t the only security this place has. Forge is confident their stealth equipment will prevent them from running into those guys. Mystique corrects that the stealth suits will only get them past the hull and through the vents.
She asks Forge where his electromagnetic field generator is. He explains that he fit all the components into his backpack. It’s like Forge told Mystique: if she had given him three more hours, he’d probably be able to install everything into his wristwatch. There’s nothing he can’t build. Mystique, taking out a gun, smiles there’s nothing she can’t break.
Outside the Triskelion…
Colossus angrily fights the Scarlet Witch, demanding to know what happened to Marvel Girl. Iron Man and the Black Widow fligh toward Peter, warning to let go of Wanda or else they’ll use force. Northstar stops running, and Havok notices that mutant life doesn’t seem to mean much to the Ultimates. Iron Man notices Havok and suggests they talk about this. Tony mentions to have had his fair share of beautiful, dangerous women, but Lorna Dane is a killer.
Havok becomes furious and uses his maximum power and blasts both Iron Man and the Widow down!
Elsewhere, up in the sky…
Angel and Dazzler have seen the blast from Havok’s power. Warren wants to go help. Dazzler doesn’t, realizing that’s what Havok wants them to do. She thinks that the blast is probably just a distraction so Alex’ friends can sneak by and burst Lorna out of jail. She suggests that Warren uses those eagle eyes of his to scope the scene to find out if anyone sticks out.
Outside the Triskelion…
Colossus holds Wanda hostage, as everyone else of the Ultimates is defeated. Wanda smirks that the X-Men kids are up to a nice holiday at the Guantánamo prison, as they have just damaged technology worth the combined G.D.P. of several civilized nations. Havok defends that this hasn’t got anything to do with money: it’s about his girlfriend imprisoned together with Wanda’s monster of a father. Peter warns Alex that he’s going to end up locked up too, unless he surrenders right now. Alex tells Peter that he isn’t a sheep like his brother Scott is, and that he can think for himself.
Jean-Paul asks Peter why he doesn’t help them. They’re going through with this with or without Peter, but they sure could that muscle of his once they’re inside. Peter hesitates, but Wanda has heard enough. She prepares to attack again, but Havok thinks faster and blasts both Wanda and Peter down. Northstar doesn’t think this was necessary. Havok doesn’t care and wants to go rescue his girl. Jean-Paul, turning back from Peter and following Alex, mentions that at least one of them is going to get lucky tonight.
Below the Triskelion, Magneto’s cell…
Mystique and Forge have reached Magneto, and Mystique says “hi” to her love. Magneto is surprised to see a beautiful blonde girl, and asks Mystique if that’s really her. Mystique confirms, and transforms back into her normal, blue, mutant self. Magneto walks out of his cell, and takes a look at all the downed soldiers. He wants to know if they had any troubles getting inside. Mystique denies that, they only had to exterminate a couple of these soldier guys in order to get there.
Forge thinks that getting out is going to be the hard part. Mystique confirms, fearing that Fury has probably called in the cavalry by now. Magneto tells his friends they don’t have to fear anything and walks over to an unconscious Lorna and picks her up. He orders Mystique and Forge to get them past this plastic nightmare and he shall handle the rest.
Elsewhere inside the Triskelion…
Dazzler and Angel walk through the halls and find nothing but bodies of soldiers, thinking this is probably the reason why they didn’t face any resistance and could easily get inside. Alison asks Warren if he thinks Havok and his friends did this, uncertain if a couple of high school kids could do such a horrible thing.
Suddenly, a female voice calls out for help. Alison smiles, and recognizes… Deathstrike! Storm told her she gave Oyama a beating back in Canada. Yuriko gets furious, hearing Alison is friends with Ororo, and warns she’ll murder them for it. Alison isn’t impressed. Warren suggests they don’t waste any time here and go to find the burglars. Suddenly, an explosion is heard!
Warren doesn’t know what that was, but something weird happens to Dazzler’s face. Suddenly, all of her piercings are pulled out of her body! And then, the entire building seems to be moving! Alison corrects that only the metal parts seem to be switching place. Another explosion takes place, which destroys some walls and turns off the electricity. Oh, no…
Deathstrike walks out of her cell and sarcastically smiles. She stretches one of her adamantium claws, and sticks it right through Dazzler’s stomach!
