A Blackbird jet soars through the air on a cloudy day. 'Ugh. Supersonic jets are so slow!' complains Bobby “Iceman” Drake. He removes his headphones and tells his teammates, all displaced in time, that he misses Pickles, that having a teleporting gremlin acting as their personal chauffeur was kind of awesome. 'It's not like I have time for conventional travel. I've got a social life' he reminds the others.
Henry McCoy a.k.a. The Beast tells Bobby that he is sorry being an X-Man is cramping his style, and asks if they could get through one mission without having to listen to him complain about it. 'But... that's my signature move. That... and... you know... ice' Bobby protests. 'All I'm saying is if Scott hadn't run Pickles off, we -' Bobby begins. Scott Summers a.k.a. Cyclops interrupts him, suggesting that they try to use their codenames while they are in the field. 'Jean – Scott's still acting like he's in charge!' Bobby whines, putting his headphones back on. 'Scott – Cyclops – you're not the boss of Iceman' Jean Grey a.k.a. Marvel Girl smiles, before picking up the thoughts of Warren Worthington the Third a.k.a. Angel, who is flying outside the jet and announces that he has spotted their target. 'And allow me to say – I want one'.
The target Angel is referring to is a large yacht in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Italy. Angel swoops down closer, while Marvel Girl telekinetically lowers herself, Cyclops and the Beast from the Blackbird, and Iceman slides down on an ice-slide. Marvel Girl tells her team that Cerebro says their guy is here, but as they see the top deck of the yacht, they discover the ship looks deserted.
The Beast holds some sort of electronic device and reports that he is picking up some strange magical signatures. 'At least, I think I'm deciphering these formulae correctly' he adds. 'That's great. First day back on the job and we're already in over our heads' Marvel Girl remarks, before announcing that she will do a quick mental sweep. She concentrates hard, before reporting that their target is definitely here, and that she is picking up lots of other thoughts, frantic and scared. 'This way' she tells her team.
Angel flies low, just over the water and sees a small boat moored alongside the yacht and calls out 'Somebody alert the “party captain” - we're not the only uninvited guests on board'. Marvel Girl leads the others, and Cyclops suddenly calls out 'Barber shops'. 'Huh?' Iceman asks him. 'You said you missed Pickles. Well, I miss a lot of things. Like barber shops. The old-fashioned kind' Cyclops explains. He turns and looks at Iceman and reminds him that, back home, in their time, they were everywhere. 'Your haircuts weren't all that great back in the day' Iceman declares. 'It's weird, okay' Cyclops remarks, adding that he gets a little nostalgic when he thinks of Brylcream and straight-edged shaves. 'You've never needed a straight-edged shave' Iceman tells Cyclops, before informing him that he might have just officially become the world's oldest X-Man. Cyclops tells the others that he is just saying that you don't see any real barber shops anymore, and that if you come across a barber's pole today, chances are the place is full of hippers. ''You mean “hipsters”' Iceman corrects him. 'Whatever' Cyclops mutters, before Marvel Girl tells him that she would love to see him with an awesome hipster beard. 'Uh – really?' Cyclops asks. 'No' Marvel Girl smiles, before coming to a stop outside a door. She turns to the guys and tells them to have their game faces on. 'He's in here' she announces.
Inside, the passengers of the yacht cower as Black Tom Cassidy tells them that he will be begging their forgiveness, for this unseemly business, and that if he had his druthers, he would be sipping a bit of bubbly alongside them, but he is a wanted man these days, and a wanted man has expenses, so he has fallen back on the only thing he has ever been good at – and that is playing the role of the dashing highway man!
Suddenly, the door to the large room on the yacht bursts open as Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, Iceman and Angel burst in. 'Sorry to interrupt your little bit of high-seas piracy – but I'm gonna need you to stand down and give yourself up' Marvel Girl orders Black Tom. 'And you know we're not playing around because we use codenames!' Iceman exclaims.
The Beast tells Marvel Girl that he hates to burst her bubble, but that this guy's twirl-worthy black mustache game is on point, and he doesn't think he is the type to politely surrender. Marvel Girl agrees, and instructs Cyclops to light 'im up. 'Whatever you say, boss' Cyclops replies as he unleashes an optic blast towards Black Tom, who raises his staff and deflects the blast. 'Look at the lot of you. A bunch of wee X-Men come to run with the big dogs' Black Tom mocks.
“Wee X-Men?” Iceman quotes. 'Is this guy a leprechaun?' he asks, when suddenly, his ice-slide is broken in two by an optic blast, and he tells Scott to watch where he is firing those eyebeams. The blast also smashes a window above the room, so Angel swoops down and pulls two civilians to safety, while telling his teammates to check the collateral damage. 'This is the yacht of my dreams! And we don't want any of the civilians to die a very expensive death!' he adds. 'Thanks for the heads-up, Angel' Marvel Girl calls out as she telekinetically lifts a table and throws it towards Black Tom, adding that she will do her best to limit damages to this Hellfire Club reject'. Black Tom knocks the table aside with ease, and tells Marvel Girl that no one appreciates bravado more than he, but that he has been battling X-Men since before she was born. 'I kinda doubt that' Jean replies, when suddenly, the Beast leaps towards Black Tom, knocking him across the room as he tells him that if he knew anything about the X-Men, then he would know that they fight as a team. 'One distracts you... while the other kicks you in the face!'
Cyclops then fires a optic-beam at close range which slams into Black Tom as he tells him that he has read his file, and that he has fought the X-Men time and time again, and always lost. Black Tom gets to his feet and tells the young mutants that it will take better than what they have got to bring him in.
As the X-Men surround Black Tom, Cyclops asks 'Uh... didn't we just win? Why's he still gloating?' 'Uh... guys?' Iceman calls out as he notices something on the ground. Angel hovers over the civilians and tells them that it is all right, that they are safe now. 'We're the X-Men... the good guys' he assures them. An elderly woman tells him that he doesn't understand. 'He's not here alone!' she exclaims.
'GUYS!' Iceman shouts as he looks at several large footprints in the floor. 'Surprise' Black Tom smirks, as suddenly, Cain Marko a.k.a. the Juggernaut bursts into the room, 'WHO WANTS SOME?' he booms as he knocks Marvel Girl and Cyclops over. He declares that he thought this was just going to be another boring smash and grab, but lucky for him, these mutant bozos always show up when he needs to vent a little steam. 'Unlucky for you, you picked a fight with my best pal Black Tom – and that means you picked a fight with me!' Juggernaut declares.
Black Tom moves over and stands in front of the Juggernaut as he tells the young mutants to wipe the snot from their noses and the water from behind their ears, as they are about to grow up very fast. 'Ow' the Beast mutters, rubbing his head. Cyclops asks Jean if she can shut him down, to which she reports that she can't, as his mind is protected. Black Tom grins and tells Cain to go ahead and teach them a lesson – but not to kill them. 'No promises' the Juggernaut replies. Some civilians nearby look very nervous, while Black Tom points out that they are kids, they have got bleedin' hearts and ideals. 'Just rough them up and beat those principles outta -' Black Tom begins, before Angel swoops down and punches him in the back. 'Hi. And bye' Angel declares as he pushes Black Tom upwards towards the roof and slams him into it, while the civilians capture this on their phones. 'Tom?' the Juggernaut calls out, concerned for his friend.
Suddenly: 'HEY!' the Juggernaut shouts as ice forms over his feet and his face. 'Oh noes. It looks like somebody put your little rampage on ice. (Get it?)' Iceman exclaims from where he stands above Juggernaut on an ice-sled. But the Juggernaut easily breaks his way through the ice and asks 'What's with you guys? You look like kids again... like you did when I first met you'. He asks if this is another one of those de-aging situations, or maybe they are trying to get a fresh start. 'Well, there ain't no such thing as a re-do. Not after what you did. I might let some of you live – but Scottyboy gets his head pulped!' the Juggernaut booms furiously.
The Beast and Cyclops look nervous, 'Bobby just made him angrier' the Beast declares. 'What else is new?' Cyclops replies. 'Angrier at you' the Beast remarks. 'Noticed that too, did you?' Cyclops asks before the Juggernaut stomps over to them, 'You killed Xavier! Killed my brother! I'll kill you for what you've done!' he warns Cyclops, who is knocked over, and unleashes a powerful optic blast that misses the Juggernaut, while the Beast is knocked aside.
Marvel Girl uses her telekinesis to deflect some debris that is knocked towards some of the frightened civilians, and she tells her teammates that there are too many non-combatants in here, so they need to take this outside. The mutants move towards the door, with Cyclops firing an optic blast at the Juggernaut, who follows them. Cyclops tells his foe that he understands why he is angry, but that he has the wrong guy. 'That was somebody else – somebody I'll never be!' he exclaims. 'Save it for St. Peter, pal!' the Juggernaut responds.
At the same time, Black Tom wakes, and reaches for his staff. 'Now you've gone and done it, the lot of -' he begins. 'You shut up' Jean tells him, suggesting that he takes a nap, as she telepathically knocks him out.
Outside, Cyclops runs along the deck as Juggernaut chases him. 'C'MERE!' the Juggernaut calls out, while Angel blasts energy from his wings at the behemoth. 'Iceman! Angel! Beast! Somebody! Get this guy away from me!' the frightened Cyclops calls out. Iceman zooms alongside on an ice-sled and tells Cyclops to keep running and not to look back. 'This is how I die... crushed by a giant with Bobby's voice ringing in my ears' Cyclops mutters, when suddenly, Juggernaut starts to slip on some ice that has formed on the deck.
Angel swoops towards Cyclops and tells him to jump, that he will catch him. So Cyclops leaps over the railing and plummets towards the water below, while the Juggernaut suddenly falls forward through the barrier, 'You little -' he calls out as he splashes into the water, while Angel flies Cyclops up to safety. The young mutants gather on the deck, 'Yeah, that's right! Sink like a stone, pal!' Iceman exclaims, while Jean asks her teammates if they think the Juggernaut can swim.
Suddenly, there is a rumbling, and the mutants are knocked off their feet, before the Juggernaut's fist smashes through the yacht deck, and the armored villain pulls himself back onto the deck, telling the young X-Men that they are really shaking his monkey tree! 'You've done made me mad!' Juggernaut warns the X-Men, and Bobby asks them if anyone has a plan B. 'C'mere, Frosty' Juggernaut tells Iceman as he grabs him by his head and tells him to take a hike as he throws him skyward. Angel flies after Bobby, while Jean realizes that the yacht is taking on water fast. She starts to use her telekinesis to slow it down, but Juggernaut tells her that the boat is going down – and that she is doing down with it. He slams a foot onto the deck, and the shockwaves tear the floorboards up and knock Jean over. 'You okay?' Cyclops asks as he rushes over to Jean, who rubs her head and tells him that she thinks she is fine, before reminding him that the ship is sinking, and there are still people on board.
The Beast offers to try something, remarking that the Juggernaut might remember the X-Men, but that he doesn't remember them. Magical symbols appear before the Beast as he moves his fingers about, and suddenly, a portal opens, with tentacles reaching out of it, they wrap around the Juggernaut. 'What the – hey! No! Not this! NO!' he shouts as the tentacles pull him down into the portal, 'NOOOOOO' he cries as he plummets downwards. An instant later, the portal closes. 'Beast... what... did you do?' Cyclops asks as he and Jean look at their friend, confused. 'Saved the day' the Beast smirks. 'Not like that! You just... you sent someone to... did you just send him to Hell?' Cyclops asks, annoyed. 'We couldn't handle him so I sent him away' the Beast replies, casually. Angel and Iceman return, and Iceman points out that Hank and Scott are fighting again. Codenames, Iceman' Angel scowls. 'Don't you start with me' Iceman mutters.
'We're X-Men! We don't do things like that! What if someone saw?' Cyclops asks, declaring that it would spoil everything they have accomplished so far. The Beast reminds Cyclops that this isn't just some PR stunt, and tells him that he wasn't going to let the Juggernaut endanger the people on this boat – including Cyclops. He then reveals that he didn't send the Juggernaut to Hell, but to Siberia – with a short detour through Hell.
'Thank you!' one of the civilians calls out as they gather around. 'The X-Men – wow!' another exclaims. 'You saved my money!' a woman tells them. 'You saved us!' another declares, putting her arm around Iceman, they pose for a selfie. 'See? Looks like they don't care so much about out methods...just the results' the Beast points out. 'Aren't you Kitty Pryde?' an elderly man asks Marvel Girl. 'Of course not. She's the Scarlet Witch!' an elderly woman corrects him. Marvel Girl ignores them as she repairs the hole in the ship by telekinetically patching it up with broken floorboards. 'Thank you so much!' another man tells her. Jean tells him it was no problem, and asks if they could give her some breathing room and keep it down, as it takes a little concentration to keep this thing afloat.
Later, the Blackbird descends over Madripoor. Although it is night, the city shines bright. The Blackbird passes over the high-rises and eventually lands outside an old building surrounded by forest. The young mutants enter their new home, and Scott calls out to Jean, who asks him 'What's up?' Scott tells her that he wants to know if they are doing the right thing here. 'Yes. Maybe. I dunno' Jean replies. They come to a stop outside some large doors, and Scott announces that mutantkind has been given another chance – they are out there, doing something good. 'We should be ecstatic' he adds, revealing that he can't shake the feeling that they are dropping the ball. 'Do your other super hero pals love your pessimism as much as we do? Or is it an acquired taste?' Jean smiles. She puts a hand on Scott's shoulder and tells him not to go changing on them, and suggests that if he let himself relax a little, they might think some sort of pod person has taken his place.
Jean opens the doors and the young X-Men walk into a large room, as Jean tells them 'Speaking of weirdness and acquired tastes... let's report to the boss'. They walk towards a monitor station and Jean reports that it is done, that Black Tom Cassidy has been brought to heel, and that they turned him over to authorities in Italy. 'He's off the table' Cyclops state, adding that they brought him down publicly. 'Just like you wanted'.
'Excellent. That's one... but there are so many more to go. We must be ever-vigilant, X-Men' Magneto tells the young X-Men. Threats against mutantkind. Comrades who have lost their way. Mutants who capitalize on the fears of the populace' Magneto remarks, before telling the X-Men that they have been chosen – they, the earliest representation of Charles Xavier's dream – to ensure that this dream becomes reality – and he, Magneto, will guide them!
Meanwhile, in a small, snow-covered town, someone in a green hooded jumper skulks through a dense forest, while several men have gathered outside the Sheriff's station, and they are told that at this point, all they know is not much, other than something – some sort of predator – has settled in the area and has found itself fertile hunting grounds. The Sheriff announces that their foe is not going anywhere, unless they convince it to do so. 'We all saw what it did to Wayne Huxley and his son' she adds, telling the men that she doesn't want to see it happen to any of them. 'Watch each other's backs' she adds, instructing them not to take any unnecessary risks, and that going off by themselves, whether it is to play hero or to take a leak, is an unnecessary risk. 'The last thing I want is for one of us to be caught alone with this thing' she tells them, while the man who is skulking through the forest sniffs the air.
'Am I making myself clear?' the Sheriff asks, hands on hips. 'We hear ya, Kira!' one of them declares. The Sheriff looks at the men, all carrying rifles, and tells them that for tonight, she is “Sheriff Lee”, and reminds them that some of them even voted for her. 'This isn't some trophy hunt'. The man in the forest starts to run as he hears dogs barking behind him, and flashlights start to shine into the forest. 'We're not tromping off into the woods looking for a good time. We're looking for the exact opposite, in point of fact' Sheriff Lee tells the men. 'They got something! They got a scent!' one of the men calls out as they follow the barking dogs. Sheriff Lee reminds everyone to stay together and watch their backs. The dogs continue to bark loudly, and the men pass a tree, where they don't see the man in the green hooded jumper, sitting on one of the branches above them.
Sheriff Kira Lee and one of the men come to a stop at a carcass of large deer. 'We may not be gunning for deer, but something is!' the man tells the Sheriff, who asks 'Are those claw marks or bite marks?' The man tells her that he would bet his life it was a grizzly, but Kira reminds him that there haven't been any confirmed grizzly sightings in these parts since she was a little girl. 'No reason to think this is -' Kira begins, when suddenly, the man in the green jumper drops to the ground, startling Kira, who spins around and asks him what he is doing out here and where he came from. He doesn't answer, and as the men raise their weapons, Kira tells the men to take their fingers off the triggers and to stay calm. Kira asks the mystery man if he is all right, or if he is in some sort of trouble. She notices that he is bleeding and asks him whose blood it is. The man narrows his eyes, and someone calls out '...Wen...' to which Kira turns to the men and tells them to hush up and let her figure this out. 'That wasn't us -' one of the men replies, as the voice is heard once again. '...Wen...' it calls out.
'Wen-di-go!' a large white creature known as a Wendigo roars as it suddenly leaps towards the men. 'Holy...' one of them utters, while Kira looks on in horror. 'WEN-DI-GO!' the creature howls as it starts to tear through the men – and in the confusion, one of the men fires their rifle, which strikes the mystery man in the head, knocking him to the snow-covered ground. The dogs are knocked against a tree, and the Wendigo howls its name again through blood-stained teeth and lips. The mysterious man suddenly gets to his feet, clenches his fists, and then there is a loud SNIKT! As three claws pop from his hands, he growls as he runs towards the Wendigo, and shoves one set of his claws through the creature's arm, splattering blood across his own face, while Sheriff Lee looks on in shock.
The mystery man tells the Sheriff to run as he continues to battle the Wendigo. Sheriff Lee looks at him, before getting to her feet and running through the forest, she catches her breath by pausing behind a tree. She hears a horrible screaming noise, then waits some time, before walking slowly back to where she came from. When she reaches the blood-soaked battle site, fear floods her eyes. Her men and the dogs lie in pools of blood, but the Wendigo and the mystery man are nowhere to be seen. 'Where the hell did they go?' wonders Sheriff Lee.
