The White Hot Room:
The tied-up Mother Righteous manikin informs the three Quiet Council members, Exodus, Hope and Destiny, that there is an update from Earth: Sinister’s dead. Xavier murdered Rachel. Xavier freed the real Mother Righteous to %&$§ over Rasputin, who is also dead. But, in her time on the naughty step, she had time to think and she worked out how to dissolve this manikin safely. She begins to melt and she gloats: “Bye-bye losers.”
Suddenly another speaker greets them through her, announcing the fact that they are speaking means Mother Righteous has tried to betray them. As they lament the predictability, Destiny guesses they are speaking to Professor X. In part, comes the answer. He left a little imprint to help them. He instructs them to resurrect Rachel and give her whatever she needs to help Jean. Tell her team he is sorry they didn’t understand the road their words have led him to take.
As the body keeps on melting, Xavier laments the lobes’ structural integrity is failing. It is getting difficult to think. Destiny interjects to remind him about their deal. Hope gets suspicious and Xavier replies it is impossible to fulfil right now. He is but a fragment but, in truth, he shouldn’t do it anyway. He needs Destiny with a clear mind, the universe needs her with a clear mind, and he fears he needs a clear mind to survive Raven. Barely more than a puddle, he sends them all the remaining details, specifically the names of all the X-Men who died in Orchis purges. He asks them to bring them back. Lead them! Someone has to. His time has passed.
Later, in the new Arbor Magna, the Five have gotten to work, resurrecting all the X-Men who died against Orchis. Destiny ventures, there is one more. Absolutely not! Exodus protests. He is one of them, Destiny insists. All of this is his doing, even him suggesting they keep the fifth cradle in Atlantic Krakoa means they can actually bring back everyone. That wasn’t planned, but still his doing. Exodus acidly points out that they are hiding from a blasphemous pretender god. That is definitely his doing. Destiny suggests that, if they bring him back, Exodus can maybe kill him again down the line. Exodus has to chuckle at that and Hope takes that as a yes,” instructing the Five to resurrect the last one. Exodus points out this is against Scripture though. The least is to be last.
And soon, Mr. Sinister stands resurrected and completely surprised. Why? is all he says. Destiny reminds him that she told him they are mutants. They must be on the same side, no matter how much all the awful things inside them try to make them act otherwise.
Later:
The four members, current or former, of the Quiet Council gather in their chamber. Destiny brings Mr. Sinister (who has a cape again) up to speed: the organization Orchis is beaten, but the A.I.s have made a move and they have always been the true threat. They know that from studying the various timelines in the Moira Engine. Sinister seethes, saying he’d have known earlier if his mind hadn’t been messed with by Enigma, so he wouldn’t perceive all his data. Destiny continues that Enigma’s aid to the A.I.s is the other problem, as he is utterly unpredictable. Their only advantage is that he is currently unaware of their plans. She continues that Xavier is joining the A.I.s for two purposes: firstly to keep mutants alive, as the A.I.s are about to strike in a way that will kill them all. As he collaborates, mutants will be spared – promised a pretty cage. However, Xavier will inevitably be used to hunt and kill humans. Secondly…
Can they stick with this for a minute? a very angry newcomer asks. Exodus stiffly acknowledges Rachel Summers in the name of the Quiet Council in exile. Rachel seethes, how can they do this?
Sinister dryly replies he counts three supervillains in the room, two of whom are mutant supremacists, and he who thinks that mutants are highly desirable collectibles. Rachel turns to Hope. What about her? Hope looks down, then replies she is a soldier, not a heroine. At war there are always going to be casualties. For once, the humans will share the cost. Rachel rages that her team convinced Xavier not to throw Krakoa away by killing Moira. They did, Exodus agrees calmly. They convinced him the dream of Krakoa was too important. So Xavier’s dream is Xavier’s dream no longer. He is martyring himself for that dream, for the chance of a new Krakoa. He won’t be alone in that, Exodus adds ominously.
When Rachel wants to protest, he cuts her off and asks what she would have done to prevent her timeline where she was whipped like a dog to hunt her peers. Would she do what Xavier will do? Would she go as far as Bishop did? What are her limits, he asks, calling her “girl.”
Hope puts a hand on Rachel’s shoulder and stresses, it is done. They make the best of what they can here. Let’s fight as hard as they can. It’s all they have left. Chagrined, Rachel agrees and asks what’s next. Hope explains that they get all the X-Men they can and get them home to help Krakoa and the Earth. They are the cavalry. But Rachel has a different job. It is why Xavier put her here with a trigger. She needed to be here for the Phoenix plan, Rachel states.
After they leave with Mr. Sinister and Frenzy, Hope asks Destiny what her deal was about. To make a long story short, Destiny explains that Nightcrawler is her and Raven’s child. Hope is astonished and asks for details, as well as how Xavier was involved. Tight-lipped, Destiny replies that that is family business and she will tell Raven first.
Hope assures her that she is happy for her, Raven and Kurt. Hope never met her mom. She was murdered after her birth. Cable is her dad in every way that matters, but she has no idea who did the deed. Exodus pontificates that the holy spirit probably quickened the womb of… Not the #*$% time! Hope groans. As they leave the chamber, she talks about needing to concentrate on getting the X-Men home to win the fight.
They walk past some mutants harvesting and young Kafka, who hears snippets of their conversation, wonders what will happen to the rest of them, once the X-Men leave.
Rachel is with Jean who lies on a bed, muttering “now and forever” endlessly, but is still not conscious. They are joined by Prodigy, who wonders if mutilating the Phoenix was part of Enigma’s plan. These Dominions are weak against the Phoenix. Taking the Phoenix off the board while coming into existence is smart, right?
Rachel tells him she has had enough of smart. Smart isn’t enough. This needs heart, faith… She apologizes. She is Askani, protector of the timelines. This is her area, even without the Phoenix of it. But there never has been anything like this before. But Xavier is right. She has to work it out, and she can only work it out here. So, what is her great no-brain, big faith plan? he asks. Many plans, she replies, as she shoves David against the Krakoan wall and the vines grab him. The simple version is two steps, and the first needs him. He was connected to the M’kraan Crystal. He has all those dimensions inside him, some of which have the Phoenix inside them. She is taking the essence of those realities and imprinting them on Krakoa.
Krakoan letters appear on the vines. A blueprint, Rachel explains. She looks at Jean. To throw it all on a pyre. Freed again, Prodigy shouts, she is going to kill Jean? But she is dead. This is Phoenix heaven and what fire can burn Jean Grey? Rachel evasively replies. He thinks he has the answer, but it’s about what happens when they do. Phoenix is all about rebirth. But this is something more. She thinks that the Phoenix is at the end of its existence. It has to be recreated. But it needs a lot to do that. He gives a blueprint, but it needs to burn hotter than anything. Jean is dead already. They kill her. And then what happens, smart guy?
That’s a double negative, Prodigy figures. Negative to positive, Rachel agrees. Or a paradox. So… infinite life… Phoenix. That’s what she hopes. If not, step three, which is a lot. She wishes she could be here to put theory into practice. But they are going home? Prodigy asks, also referring to the rest of the resurrected X-Men waiting for them. And kick ass, Rachel agrees.
On a rock, Exodus stands watching the Krakoans carrying their harvest. Kafka shyly observes that he is intense, then offers him a tuber. Exodus takes it, bites into it and pronounces it good. Yeah, they are good, Kafka agrees, which is lucky as they are about all they’ll have to eat after Exodus and the others will abandon the nonfighters here.
Exodus bluntly agrees. If they resurrect the Phoenix, this place will change. They will not be able to return, he admits. This is not how he thought this would be. He presumed he’d sacrifice himself to let them all go home, to bring them out of the desert.
That isn’t the way it goes, Kafka replies bitterly. The heroes go home to save the world. They stay behind and try to make the best of it. Turns out they don’t really matter. No, Exodus replies. Everything they did, they did for Krakoa. They are Krakoa. They are the important ones! Kafka has to smile, as he points out that not many people will agree with that. They won’t be missed. He will remember him, Exodus promises. He will remember them all! He better! Kafka jokes.
Later, the Five have resurrected all they could, among them Rasputin IV, the Stepford Cuckoos, Hellion, Transonic, Fabian Cortez, Pixie, Cerebella, Archangel, Chamber and even poor usually overlooked Forget-Me-Not.
Mr. Sinister kneels in a Krakoan grove in front of a pond and explains his reasonings. He couldn’t do this when he was closer to reality but now he thinks he can get them out. When he is actually within the room of white hotness with a fresh dose of Doug’s genes to guide him… He wonders if Xavier was always planning to murder him to get him here. He would hope so, Exodus remarks humorlessly.
Sinister continues that Atlantic Krakoa (here) and Pacific Krakoa (there) are connected metaphysically etc. It’s the same technology he used to make No-place travel between dimensions. He drops some fluid into the pond and explains that this will suck this little oasis dry, but they can persuade Krakoa to reach across space and bud.
All the fighters, with one exception, are completely embraced by the growing flowers.
As Hope and Kafka watch, Destiny muses that she is coming home and prays Raven will give her the chance to explain.
There is a burst of light, then the plants and the mutants are gone and the ground is barren. Hope muses that she knows this isn’t great. All the work those left behind have done has gone into sending the others home. When they bring back the Phoenix, it’s going to need a lot of work to rebuild, but they’ve got this, she assures Kafka. The boy asks why she is still here. She has messiah &%$§ to do, is her blunt reply.
She walks towards the pyre made from the imprinted wood. Jean lies atop. What fire could hurt Jean? Hope asks aloud. Jean’s, she replies and copies Jean’s power to set fire to the pyre. The Phoenix Force itself screams and flees.
Jean, however, coalesces. She telepathically contacts Hope that the Phoenix is scared. It has died before. But never ended. It’s fighting it. Can Hope help it? Drawing her gun, Hope replies ‘uh-huh.’
