The Cape Citadel missile base, site of the first public show of power by the mutant master of magnetism, Magneto. Magneto proclaims his superiority over all humans when, suddenly, he is hit by an optic blast. He turns around inquiring who dares – to be faced with the X-Men – Mr Sinister’s X-Men: Havok, Malice, Sabretooth, Sauron and their leader, Cyclops.
Cyclops gives the orders and Sabretooth blithely ignores them, as he attacks Magneto on his own. Of course, the master of magnetism easily tosses him away. Once more, Cyclops commands, this time like a team. They’ve all heard Mister Sinister. If they fail today, all mutantkind will pay tomorrow. Sabretooth thinks to himself that he doesn’t know what he hates more: Listening to the punk kid or plying along with this whole charade.
(flashback)
He had asked Sinister on why he bothered with the X-Men and Sinister had arrogantly told him that he only needed know that he does bother and that Cyclops in particular is very important to him. He has devoted a great deal of time and attention to Scott Summers. Some years earlier, when Scott was a resident of the orphanage above them, his only friends were a fellow orphan named Nate and a Doctor Robyn Hanover. Hanover tried to get Scott adopted by friends of hers: Trish and Rick Bogart. Sinister first considered having the Bogarts killed and Hanover broken to his will. But then he decided that this might result in distancing Scott from him irrevocably.
Instead, he let the Bogarts live and mentally influenced them to back out of the adoption a mere hour before Scott was due to leave. As a result, Scott became closer to Nate. And he wanted that? Sabretooth asks. Nate was an aspect of himself, Sinister explains. His point is that, for the last ten years, he has watched Scott like a hawk, trying to anticipate every possibility. So does he really think that creating the X-Men was a random whim on his part?
(Present)
As long as Sinister keeps paying him, he’ll keep his place in his little team. Sabretooth studies his teammates. Cyclops aka Scott Summers with his optic force blasts and his Sinister-styled rhetoric, Malice, a psychic entity inhabiting the clone body of Jean Grey and Havok, Scott’s little brother, a mutant plasma generator and a general wimp. Finally, there’s Sauron - a human variant with a taste for mutant life essences. And him, paid to keep an eye on all of them.
Malice telepathically stuns Magneto and Sauron closes in intent on feasting on Magneto’s energies. Sabretooth tells him to back off. This kill is his.
Cyclops butts in. Sinister was clear on this, he tells them. The world is on the edge of evolutionary change. A volatile time that needs careful sculpting and control. Rough edges like Magneto do not fit and must be removed. If it has to be done, he’ll do it. Quick and clean.
During their bickering, Magneto has regained his bearings. He throws up a magnetic shield to throw them off and flees, threatening that they are to tell this “Sinister” this is not over.
Later, beneath the State Home for Foundlings in Sage, Nebraska, Mr Sinister is not happy. He addresses his X-Men telling them their X-Factor separates them from the milling throngs of humanity as gods from mortals and yet they bicker and fight like dogs. He is disappointed. Cyclops is quick to shoulder the blame, vowing it won’t happen again. He believes in Sinister’s dream. Sabretooth laughs mirthlessly as he hears this.
Sinister assures Scott he does not seek to apportion blame. He trusts Scott as a father trusts in his most beloved son. But he is angry at the thought of Magneto still at large to spread fear and distrust. However, another situation has arisen that demands their attention. Should Scott feel any lingering responsibility over Magneto’s escape, this would be an opportunity to make amends. Scott jumps at that thought and Sinister tells them to prepare themselves. He keeps back Sabretooth, though, and violently makes it clear he is never to try and undermine his conditioning again. He spent years subtly blending truth and fiction to create a mindset that allows Scott freedom to think and fulfil his potential, while yet being bound to Sinister. Long ago, he discovered that he was too strong-willed and committed to be simply controlled. Like a finely tuned instrument, he needed precise maintenance. Should he be given cause to question the illusion and doubt Sinister’s motives, all this will be lost. Sabretooth is to safeguard Sinister’s investment as if his life depended on it.
Their mission takes them to Cairo. Walking through the streets, Madelyne snuggles close to Scott and tells him she wishes he’d pay her the sort of attention he is giving that tracking device. Scott apologizes but they have a job to do. She can’t tease him out of his mood and he tells her that they’ve found the target’s bios signs. She shoots him a hurt look and has every right to be, Scott thinks to himself. He’s aware of the mutual attraction between them. But there’s a gut reaction, as if something that should be beautiful has a hidden, ugly side.
Sabretooth joins them, telling them to put away their toy. He’s got her scent. The girl ducks into an alley and Sabretooth tells Havok to circle round and close her down. He’s reconnoitered the area. There’s only one way out.. If Havok doesn’t screw up, she should come running right back to them. One moment later, Ororo Munroe finds herself cornered. Malice drops the telepathic disguise and Cyclops reaches out to the girl, telling her they won’t hurt her.
Of that, he can be quite certain, a voice announces and, a moment later, he sees another group of mutants, dressed in black and gold, led by an angry redhead. Who are they? Cyclops wonders. Who cares? Sabretooth replies and jumps to grab the girl, though they’ll need something for the headstone. His attack is repelled by a sonic scream, courtesy of Banshee, which unfortunately also hits the girl.
Marvel Girl shouts at Banshee, telling him he could have killed the girl and orders Angel to move Ororo out of the way. She turns to Cyclops and suddenly wonders if they have met before. Cyclops immediately feels the same. It’s as though he’s known her all his life.
Malice doesn’t take this well and psychically attacks Jean. Havok uses his powers against Beast and Mimic, suggesting they let the ladies duke this out themselves.
Angel drops Ororo off on a roof and asks her to stay put. It isn’t safe anymore. As he takes off, not noticing Sauron lurking nearby, he thinks how true that is. The Cape Citadel incident confirmed Professor Xavier’s fear. Battle lines have been drawn and the struggle for mutant supremacy has begun. He fears that Professor Xavier waited too long. The team was assembled and yet he held back. Now, instead of presenting the image of mutants working alongside mankind, they can only provide a refuge for innocents caught in the crossfire.
Ororo shouts a warning, but it’s too late. Angel stared in Sauron-s eyes and fell prey to his hypnotic gaze.
Below, while the two redheads are still fighting, Cyclops tries to make senses of the situation. According to Sinister, these people are thrill-seekers and traitors to their race, but he senses only warmth and concern from her. He never had cause to question Sinister before, but now he wonders – could he have lied?
Sinister watches the battle and realizes that Scott’s confusion and suspicion are battling his conditioning. The true test begins now. He telepathically contacts Sabretooth and explains that, while Malice is the more experienced telepath Marvel Girl, being the original, has buried potential far in excess of her abilities. It will only take one small mistake by Malice such as allowing Marvel Girl to see the truth – that they are both in effect one and the same being – to unlock that potential. When the inevitable happens, he wants Sabretooth to kill Marvel Girl.
Jean, in the meantime, does indeed beat Malice. Sinister decides that hey need some supporting players for the final act. Since the battle at Cape Citadel, Magneto and his newly-formed Brotherhood have been looking for Sinister. He thinks it’s about time they found him.
Back in Cairo, Xavier’s X-Men struggle against their brainwashed teammate, Angel, when they hear a scream. Sauron is carrying Ororo away. Jean angrily levitates up, ordering Sauron to let her go. Sauron threatens his hostage but Jean uses her telekinesis to ensnare him with the rooftop clotheslines. She is focussing on Sauron and Ororo, while Sabretooth closes in on the kill.
Sinister telepathically contacts Cyclops and Havok, telling them to return to base immediately. Magneto and the Brotherhood are attacking. A piece of debris hits Sinister and contact breaks off. Alex tells Scott that Malice is still out of it and he doesn’t know about Sauron and Sabretooth. It sounded bad - they have to go. Cyclops agrees, but then he sees Marvel Girl at Sabretooth’s mercy and feels her pain as their minds touch.
Havok urges him to go but Cyclops tells him that he has a feeling that, if he loses that girl, his own life won’t be worth living. Before Sabretooth can gut Jean, he is taken out by an optic blast. He asks if Jean s ok and she tells him that, when their minds touched, it was as if something long buried was unearthed. Something essential and having found it she never wants to lose it.
At the base, Sinister is getting frantic. His X-Men haven’t retuned and, thanks to the Scarlet Witch’s hexes, even the Brotherhood may prove a threat to him.
Back in Cairo, Jean assures Scott that they are not the enemy. Professor Xavier wants to build a future where humans and mutants both can thrive. She asks him to accompany her and talk to him. She knows he was meant to be with their X-Men. Scott hesitates and reaches for her hand.
Back at homebase, Sinister’s psionic shield crumbles. He is attacked by Magneto and cries out ‘Scott.’ Scott feels his pain.
He turns away from Jean, accusing her of keeping him from Sinister. She clouded his mind, played with his emotions. He doesn’t listen to her protests. Angel joins Jean and she asks him to follow Scott to see where he goes. Cyclops jumps into the teleportation portal where Alex already expects him at the side of a fallen Sinister. They were gone before he could get a shot in, Alex tells him. All because Scot held him back. He hopes she was worth it.
Dying, Sinister tells them that it wasn’t Scott’s fault. It’s the way of the enemy to weaken resolve and twist loyalties. They will come soon. Scott and Alex are to go with them, join them, but only on the outside. He touches Scott’s face with a bloody hand, telling him he is like a son to him, the piece of himself he leaves as a legacy to mutantkind. He tells him to remember all he has taught him and not to let his vision die with him.
That moment, Xavier’s X-Men enter through the teleportation portal and take in the scene. Jean touches Scott’s shoulder.
(Six weeks later)
Cyclops and Havok have joined Xavier’s group and are now practicing in the Danger Room with the team. Xavier notes in his journal both have proved themselves. He wonders why Sinister chose the same name for his team but as with much about the man his motives remain shrouded in mystery. And if Scott and Alex remain a little remote and insular, that is perhaps to be expected. They are, after all, brothers and the memory of their ordeal has not yet faded.
Elsewhere, Sinister gloats. He knew that Xavier’s children were destined to become the enduring threat to his machinations. How better to cancel out that threat than by placing a wolf in the fold? The test was to see how Scott’s conditioning would hold up when being offered his heart’s desire. Now their covenant is sealed in blood…
