'You know the mission, X-Men. If we can end the Sentinel threat – here, now, forever – then we might just have a shot at bringing Professor X's dream to life!' Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops announces as he leads the X-Men aboard the enormous Master Mold Satellite orbiting Earth. Cyclops tells his team that their new home does not stand a chance if Trask gets his latest model online. 'I ain't dreaming anymore, Summers. I'm here for payback!' Logan a.k.a. Wolverine snarls, claws at the ready. Rogue declares that she is with Wolverine on this one – after what happened at the Mansion, she is letting her fists do the thinking. She then flies towards a Sentinel that approaches the X-Men and punches it hard. 'And wherever Rogue leads, Gambit follows, eh?' Remy LeBeau points out as he tosses a kinetically-charged playing card at another Sentinel, knocking the mutant-killing machine backwards, although Ororo Munroe a.k.a. Storm warns Gambit to be mindful of his kinetic blasts, asking him if he has forgotten that they are on an orbiting satellite, where one stray blast could fling them into the cold vacuum of space.
Outside the Master Mold Satellite, Dr Hank McCoy a.k.a. the Beast is inside the X-Men's Blackbird jet, and via the comms system announces that he is commencing his bombing run on the station's defense mechanisms. 'Though as Hemingway said, “Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime”' the Beast quotes.
Back inside the Satellite, Cyclops fires an optic blast as he fights alongside Jean Grey, and asks her if she is telepathically linked with the rest of the team. Jean uses her telekinesis against the Sentinels as she reports that the station must be equipped with psychic blockers, as she has to strain to hear the Beast in the Blackbird – before revealing that she can also just barely pick up Bolivar Trask. She tells Scott that Trask's mind is clouded, but that he is nearby.
In his office aboard the satellite, Bolivar Trask watches the X-Men fighting Sentinels aboard the Master Mold satellite, and declares that he was a fool to renounce his campaign against the mutants, and that Donald Pierce and the others were right all along. 'A living island...medicine far beyond humanity's reach... mutants will take over the world if left unchecked'
'I thought I smelled scum' Wolverine snarls as he slashes his way through a Sentinel, reducing it to scraps. 'If Trask is on this station, I'm not wasting my time with these tin cans' Wolverine adds, but Cyclops, who fires an optic blast at a Sentinel, taking its arm off, tells Wolverine that the mission comes first. 'We're all grieving, but we can't let that distract us' Cyclops adds. 'Revenge is the mission, Summers' Wolverine replies. 'The fury of the lightning surges through me – these machines will know my pain!' Storm cries out as lightning crackles around her, and strikes down three of the Sentinels. 'Ah hear that, Sugah!' Rogue calls out to her friend as she flies directly through another Sentinel, leaving a large hole in its chest – before another Sentinel slams its fist into Rogue, knocking her aside. 'Chere!' Gambit calls out as several Sentinels gather around Rogue, and one of them prepares to stand on her. 'Remy, help! There's too many of 'em!' Rogue calls out. Gambit responds by exclaiming 'You mess with Gambit's lady, you don't just get one card – you get the full deck!' and he touches one of the Sentinels, kinetically-charging it. 'Gambit, no, you're too close to the -' Storm calls out, but it's too late, as the Sentinel explodes.
A massive KA-BOOM can be heard in the dead of space, and the Beast iis distracted as he flies towards the Master Mold Satellite. 'Oh my stars and gar-' he begins, before Master Mold raises a hand and the Blackbird crashes into Master Mold's hand, where it explodes, with the Beast inside it.
The smoke begins to clear from the explosion aboard the satellite, and several Sentinels move towards them. Jean reports that she can't sense Rogue or Gambit anymore, while Cyclops points out that Gambit's kinetic charge must have blown a hole in the hull. 'The station's emergency recompression procedure kicked in, but I think they both -' Cyclops begins, before Jean utters that she cannot feel the Beast, either. A Sentinel suddenly crawls up behind them: 'JEAN, WATCH OUT!' Cyclops screams as the Sentinel fires a blast of energy from its hand, which engulfs Cyclops. 'SCOTT!' Jean screams, before Storm swoops down and grabs Jean, pulling her to safety. 'Winds protect us!' Storm exclaims, before stating that they do not have time to mourn, as they must finish the mission for their fallen friends – both those who fought by their side today and those they lost before the battle. 'Now... where is Wolverine?' Storm wonders.
At that moment, in his office, Trask tells himself 'That blast took out half of sector 114. if only we had wiped them all out at that accursed mansion!' The wall behind Trask begins to get sliced apart, but Trask doesn't notice, too busy watching the monitors as he declares that the next stage of the Sentinels must be brought online before it is too late to prevent mutant ascendancy. 'We have to enact the Orch-' Trask begins, before he is interrupted by Wolverine, who has sliced his way through the wall, leaving a large “X” carved behind him. Wolverine grabs Trask by his collar and holds him overhead: 'Thought you got out of the Sentinel game, but here you were, building a bigger toy out in space where we couldn't find you' he snarls, before remarking that he has lost too many friends to Trask's machines, and that after what the robots did to “the kid” this is now personal. 'That...is where you're wrong' Trask replies as he reaches for a large red button on the console nearby.
Trask claims that this is not personal, that it is all about the survival of a species. 'Yours made a dangerous move on the chessboard of life...' Trask utters, while Jean Grey telepathically reaches out to Wolverine, warning him that he has to stop Trask before he can transmit his research to another station – but it's too late, as Trask presses the large red button. Wolverine holds his claws to Trask's face, as Trask announces that now his species, humanity, is responding in kind. 'We will persevere, even if I don't live to see it' he remarks. 'Bub, you ain't gonna live long enough to count my claws' Wolverine snarlls.
Meantime, Storm and Jean Grey find themselves surrounded by Sentinels. Jean announces that she can sense Trask's relief, and realizes that Wolverine was too late – meaning Trask sent the signal. 'Then we must hope that the destruction of this station buys us enough time to prepare' Storm remarks, before instructing Jean to call him and tell him the mission is in his hands now.
A moment later, Magneto, the Master of Magnetism is seen hovering in open space, near the Master Mold space station. 'You have my word, Ms Grey. Magneto shall end this!' Magneto boasts as he suddenly uses his vast control over metal to cause part of the Master Mold space station to explode – resulting in the entire space station and surrounding area exploding in spectacular display, with Magneto caught up in the explosion, too.
Back on Earth, at the Krakoan Embassy in New York City, where Psylocke is giving a tour to several ambassadors, who follow her through the Embassy. 'And that, Ambassadors, is just a preview of what our new medicines and technology can accomplish...if your nations agree to recognize mutant independence and the newly found nation-state of Krakoa' Psylocke announces. Three men in a suits, a woman in the traditional clothing of her nation and Canada's Vindicator follow Psylocke, who reminds them that Krakoa was established without displacing anyone or colonizing any pre-existing lands. She states that they have violated no treaties and declares no wars – they simply wish to exist, to thrive and to astonish.
'As I'm sure you can probably understand, Ms...err, Psylocke, after what transpired on Genosha – not to mention Asteroid M – even counties inclined to support the mutant cause are...cautious about this sudden news' President Kelly explains. Psylocke touches a smiling wide-eyed Krakoan flower as she passes several of the strange flowers and tells the President that they did not expect to convince the world overnight. She reveals that at this very moment the X-Men are risking everything to make sure that Krakoa doesn't meet the same fate as those prior attempts at establishing a mutant homeland.
Henry Peter Gyrich is among the ambassadors, and as he looks out the window and sees people wearing dark clothing surrounding the Embassy, he asks 'If the X-Men are off gallivanting around, who's going to protect us from the angry men and woman rushing toward your doorstep with laser cannons?' Outside, the group identifiy themselves as the Friends of Humanity, and one of them boasts that they are here to cleanse New York City of the mutant menace. Vindicator looks annoyed, and clenches a fist as he offers to handle the zealots, but Psylocke puts a hand on his chest to stop him as she remarks that Canada is lucky to have such a gallant protector, but, as she is sure Mr Gyrich is aware, the X-Men are not Krakoa's only line of defense. Psylocke adds that now mutants have stopped fighting each other, they can handle outside threats much more easily. She telepathically reaches out to Cable, and tells him that she needs an X-Force strike team at the New York Embassy to tend to some unwelcome guests.
One of the Krakoan flowers suddenly grows into a large gateway, which glows, a portal to enable the mutants of Krakoa to move quickly from one location to another. Cable telepathically informs Psylocke that three of X-Force's finest should be with her now. 'Happy to be of service, Ma'am!' Cannonball calls out as he blasts his way through the portal, accompanied by Pyro and Darkstar. 'Da, ne za chto!' Darkstar exclaims in her native Russian. Cannonball and Darkstar fly behind Pyro who slams the Embassy doors open and declares 'Crikey, it's a party – time to throw a few more flatscans on the barbie!' Pyro then unleashes a powerful flame towards the Friends of Humanity, while Cannonball blasts towards them, and Darkstar lashes out with her energy powers.
Psylocke and the ambassadors follow X-Force outside, and Psylocke tells the ambassadors that she is aware Krakoa's amnesty policy for former criminals has been controversial, but that they have learned that they have more to fear from the human world than any Brotherhood of “Evil” Mutants, and suggests that, perhaps, they will be able to quiet some of those fears once their nations agree to formally recognize Krakoa. Vindicator tells Psylocke that he will have to speak with the Prime Minister to be sure, but that he suspects Canada will stand with Krakoa. 'And I can answer on behalf of America. We will -' President Kelly begins to say, while Gyrich frowns at him, when suddenly, everyone is distracted by a blinding light in the sky. They all look upwards, and Psylocke shields her eyes, while telepathically contacting Professor X and asking him if that explosion means that the X-Men succeeded in stopping the new Sentinel development. Professor Xavier's voice responds, instructing Psylocke to thank the ambassadors for their time and consideration, and then to return to the island as soon as she can. And at that moment, Gyrich looks down at his watch, a strange symbol flashing on it.
'Welcome back' a telepathic voice cries out in the darkness. It's Professor Charles Xavier, who sits in his yellow hover-chair, a Cerebro helmet covering his face, as eight eggs have hatched open before him. 'Did we do it, Professor? Did we complete the mission?' someone calls out. 'Of course you did, my X-Men. Thank you, Scott. Thank all of you' Xavier declares as Magneto, Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Gambit, Rogue and Beast, newly resurrected, stand before him. Jean Grey and Cyclops embrace, and smile, while Jean points out that this means the Resurrection Protocols work – and they have truly found a way to beat death. 'Yes we have, Jean. Thanks to the combined work of The Five' Xavier declared while flanked by five mutants – Fabian Cortez, Karma, Healer, Tempo and Proteus. Xavier adds that they are just the first of many mutant circuits that will change life as they all know it on Krakoa.
'Tell that to the mutants who ain't alive to see it!' Wolverine snarls as he removes his mask and starts to trudge away. 'We all miss her, Wolverine. But that doesn't mean you can spit in the face of Professor X and everyone else fighting to make this island a safe haven for the rest of us' Cyclops calls out after Wolverine. Magneto tells Cyclops to let Wolverine grieve the girl in his own way, and adds that they have all had to adjust to drastic changes in the last few months. 'Not long ago, you and I were the bitterest of enemies' Magneto reminds Cyclops. 'And now we fight for a common cause...KRAKOA!' Cyclops exclaims as he and Magneto clasp hands, then stand on a ledge that overlooks the strange island they now call home. Large trees protrude from various buildings on the island. Mutants go about their business across the land. Nightcrawler and Iceman can be seen with Mystique, Sabretooth and Destiny, while Boom-Boom, Colossus and Wiz-Kid are on hand to welcome new arrivals to the island, and through another portal, Bishop and Cable arrie with a captive Deadpool.
Xavier remarks that for years he dreamt of peace between mutants and mankind, but that his mistake was not working toward peace between mutants first. He explains that on Krakoa there are no “heroes” and “villains” as they all strive for the common good of the species and for the world they share with others. 'Krakoa is and will always be a refuge for any mutant who seeks a life here, no matter their past deeds or country of origin'. Xavier adds that while he hopes they will not always need to fight for the right to peacefully exist, he knows his X-Men will safeguard this land from any who would cause to harm it.
'Didn't Gambit hear something about a “make more mutants rule”?' Gambit asks Rogue as he leans in to kiss her. 'Remy, you river rat – you know Ah can't touch ya. Mah powers!' Rogue exclaims. But Gambit tells her that if they have beaten death, the he has nothing to fear seom her. 'Love is supposed to hurt a li'l, eh?' he adds. Tears fall down her face as Rogue tells Gambit that he has really killed the mood, and that she is reminded of some friends they can't bring back. Storm turns to Rogue and tells her that Jubilee would have wanted her to be happy. 'Even hearing her name hurts' Rogue utters. Xavier turns to Rogue and tells her that Storm is right, and that he would give anything to have Jubilee here with them – but the devastating Sentinel attack that took her life happened before they figured out how to back up mutant minds using Cerebro. Magneto then states that it was the child's loss that unified them all – her death was the spark that lit the fires of Krakoa. 'Now let mutantkind's strength burn as an inferno forevermore in her memory' Magneto declares.
The mutants of Krakoa celebrate to a concert performed by Dazzler. However, Magneto and Xavier do not attend the festivities, instead, they make their way through a dark forrest, unaware that they are being followed by Wolverine, who watches them from the shadows of the trees. Magneto uses his powers to move part of a rockface, revealing a secret hidden door built into the side of a small mountain. They enter some sort of bunker, where someone is waiting for them. Xavier announces that he and Magneto believe the mission was a failure, as the Cerebro logs were backed up before the team landed on the Master Mold station, so they don't know for sure. He adds that Magneto's orders were to step in only if Cyclops and the others weren't able to stop Trask from enacting the protocol. Xavier then reveals that Cable and X-Force are pursuing leads on Trask's allies now, as it looks like the Orchis organization runs deeper than they expected.
'At the very least, we've bought ourselves crucial time with the destruction of the Master Mold satellite' Xavier points out. 'I know I don't look my age, but take it from someone who's lived ten lifetimes and counting...the good old days never last' Jubilee exclaims as she sits cross-legged on a couch, large tub of popcorn to one side, she sips a soda while playing a hand-held video game. Jubilee doesn't look impressed, and asks Xavier and Magneto if they think she likes hiding down here, letting Wolverine and the other X-Men think she is dead. 'I've already beaten my high score on every game in existence!' she exclaims. Jubilee adds that she feels like the hugest jerk in the solar system pulling that trick getaway with the teleporter during the Sentinel attack. 'But if I die, all of this goes bang and resets again – if I even have any lives left!' Jubilee scowls, pointing a finger at Xavier and Magneto. 'That's why I told you dinosaurs that you had just one job...whatever you do, don't let the Orchis Protocols come online. In all of my lives, that was always when the sparks hit the fan' she snaps, recalling a battle she had with a Nimrod. 'So we better hope that dorkwad loser Trask didn't contact his bogus buddies in time. It's all tropical fun and rad Dazzler concerts right now, but if Orchis gets up and running...our little mutant paradise is, like, totally doomed!' Jubilee exclaims.
Outside the bunker, Wolverine sniffs the air: 'Can't be...' he utters.
At the concert, Cyclops and Jean look at each other, smiling, while Storm, Gambit and Beast are enjoying the festivities nearby.
And, elsewhere, aboard another space station, Trask's image can be seen on the computer panel screen on a small Sentinel's front. The Sentinel stands between Lady Deathstrike and Donald Pierce, while Henry Gyrich looks out of a window down towards Earth. He announces that the loss of the Master Mold station – and Trask's body – were unfortunate setbacks. 'But with the full Orchis alliance now activated, the mutants are living on borrowed time...'.
