Cyclops wants to know what’s going on. Jean, standing with him, suggests that Scott explain it to her instead. She tried to summon Scott’s most vivid memory of Lorna Dane, and this is what his memory pulled out. They are literally standing in Cyclops’ memories of his very own past. Scott and Jean look in front of them, and find the time when Scott and Lorna were dating. They see Scott using his optic blasts to make a heart-shaped figure in the sky, meant to prove his love for Lorna. Cyclops, upset, wants Jean to stay out of his past, and shoots the images away.
Jean, while using her concentrated psychic powers outside the Xavier Institute, asks Scott to remain calm. She just wants to know why he never mentioned Lorna to her before. Ashamed, Scott reveals that he and Lorna were just kids when they started dating. Lorna was the only person Scott had met who was just like him, except for his brother, of course. But, Scott was more into school at the time than girls, and Alex was pretty much the opposite. In the end, Lorna chose Alex over Scott. And Scott can’t say that he blames her.
Jean wants to know if Scott still has feelings for Lorna. Scott tells Jean that she knows how important she is to him. That’s not what Jean asked. She recalls that Scott’s first love is trapped inside a cell, maybe for a crime she didn’t commit. She was just wondering if Professor X has sent Scott to Chicago to stop Alex, or to stop Scott from breaking Lorna out of prison himself. Scott isn’t sure, and wants Jean to tell him. After all, she is the one who spends too much time with the Professor inside his head.
Getting angrier, Jean wants to know what that’s supposed to mean. Scott apologizes. He didn’t mean to say that. It’s just that he and his brother have fought before, but not like this. He’s worried they’ll end up even worse than before. Jean calms her beloved down, confident that Scott will take care of everything, like he always does. She wants Scott to come home soon, and tells him she loves him so much it hurts. Scott smiles, and tells Jean the same.
Back to reality, Wolverine, sitting with Cyclops in the X-Plane, hopes that Scott wasn’t saying that to him. If not, Logan jokes, he reminds Scott that he’s sitting in an ejector seat. The X-Plane continues its ride, and flies across the freeways.
The Triskelion, superhuman detention facility and headquarters of the Ultimates…
As Iron Man flies away from the base, Nick Fury moves to the lower levels of the magnificent headquarters. Accompanied by two SHIELD agents, he helps carry Longshot to his prison cell. Fury jokes, and asks Longshot how this place looks compared to that Podunk island people were hunting him. Longshot tells Fury to burn in hell. It isn’t because this place serves three meals a day it’s not as much a hate crime as Krakoa. Fury, with a serious look on his face, wants to know who said anything about three meals?
Anyway, Fury gives his thanks to whomever tipped them on Longshot’s last hiding place. He opens a door, extra guarded with laser beams, and suggests it’s time that he introduces Longshot to his new neighbors. They pass a cell in which Yuriko Oyama is trapped. Fury watches Yuriko shredding her prison clothes, and asks the woman how life is these days. Yuriko mocks that it’s her body, so she can change it the way she wants to, and that can’t be a crime.
Ignoring the woman, Fury moves over to the next cell. He introduces Longshot to Nathaniel Essex. He’s not quite right in his head. Either way, Essex has been on permanent suicide watch, ever since he tried to swallow his own tongue. They overhear Essex mumbling something about a child that is coming and that his master will be reborn.
Longshot wants to know what kind of place he’s in: the ghetto where the Ultimates hide all the “lowly mutants?” Fury corrects that his prisoners aren’t mutants. They are just screwed-up humans who illegally pimped their own rides. Fury and his people just figured that Longshot is no more dangerous than these genetically modified wannabes, so they decided to throw Longshot there in jail with them. Once Longshot is in his cell, Fury mentions that they keep the real monsters below the base.
Further below…
Magneto, startled, tells Lorna that she has trapped his queen. Lorna thinks that only happened because Magneto let her. Magneto corrects that he has lost his fair share of battles in the past, but never by choice. Lorna shouts that Magneto must see the world as one big game of chess. He hates humans so much, they’re just expandable pawns to him. Magneto, with an immense serious look, reveals to Lorna that he doesn’t kill humans because he hates them. No… Magneto kills humans because… he loves them.
Magneto explains that, when the Americans dropped the first atomic bombs, which are the seeds of the unique mutant race, it was not because they hated the humans. It was because they loved their brothers, and were wishing to save them from a long, costly war in the Pacific theater. Magneto explains that, when they take an “innocent” human life, they do so to spare the blood of fellow mutants. He wants Lorna to understand that they won’t surrender quietly to Sentinels the humans built to destroy them. Whether or not Lorna’s killing of those humans was an accident, he adds, Magneto can assure Lorna that doing so, she ensured long lives for her loved ones in the mutant community, who will once again be rightfully feared by everyone else.
Lorna cries, confirming that her killing really was an accident and didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She hugs Magneto. Magneto tries to cheer Lorna up, telling her that people like them make the sacrifices others can’t. It’s their gift to the future.
Downtown…
Havok and his friends are driving along the freeway, but Alex thinks they are completely lost. Roberto defends that, even though he’s from New York, he doesn’t know how to get there. Visiting Alex’ school was the very first time he even left Harlem! Sam suggests that they pull over and ask for directions. Jean-Paul thinks that Sam has no idea how men work. Suddenly, Nightcrawler teleports in front of the car! Alex can’t see anything anymore and freaks out. He loses control over his wheel, and drives against a lantern post, destroying the car. Luckily, none of the kids is unharmed.
The other X-Men arrive, and Cyclops orders Alex to stay where he is. He’s outmanned. And out-wommaned, Shadowcat jokes. Storm agrees with that statement, but wants to know why they had to smack Alex’ ride then. Kurt mentions it’s because they are facing dangerous mutants, and next to Cyclops’ brother is Roberto really something, meaning a headstrong fighter who Kurt and Marvel Girl have faced before. Kurt also introduces Jean-Paul Beaubier to his teammates, a Level Six speed demon who survived a brutal attack from Sinister. Wolverine wants to know who the other goofy kid is, in the back seat.
Sam Guthrie proudly steps out of the car, and informs the X-Men that they can call him Cannonball! He quickly attacks Wolverine with his powers, making the tiny mutant understand how he earned his codename. While Nightcrawler goes to pick up whatever’s left from Wolverine, Cyclops orders Shadowcat to make the other passengers intangible before they come too. Kitty goes over to do it, but warns Scott that, after this mission, she’s going to change her codename, as it sounds so Neopets. Before Kitty can reach the car, she gets knocked out by Northstar! He apologizes, but just can’t let Kitty keep them away from Lorna.
Storm congratulates Northstar on his great speed, but she doubts that he’s faster than lightning, and is ready to strike if necessary. Northstar doesn’t know if he’s faster than lightning, but mentions that his new hot pal is hotter than a sunspot! Roberto angrily gets out of the car, and always knew that the X-Men were just tools of the man. He powers up and, with full solar power, attacks Storm! Cyclops has had enough, and defends Storm by attacking Roberto with his optic beam and knocking the guy out.
Alex finally gets out as well. He notices that his Baby Brother is still putting on the alpha male routine for the ladies. Scott, dead serious, warns Alex to give up now. If he’s going to attack, it’ll be a fight for them until death. Alex thinks that sounds like a plan, and powers up.
Meanwhile…
Angel and Dazzler are flying high up in the sky, but Warren thinks this is stupid, since Professor X specifically told them not to get involved with the Lorna Dane situation. Alison corrects that Xavier just told them to stay out of trouble, and they can’t help it if trouble happens to find them while they are out on a perfectly normal date. Alison also mentions to Warren that they have been both on Xavier’s ignoring list for months now and perhaps, when they tackle Alex Summers, he’ll treat them with the proper respect once more. Warren mentions that Cyclops is already on the mission.
Alison quotes that you don’t send a shepherd to catch a black sheep. She thinks that a teacher’s pet like Cyke is never going to able to predict how a bad boy like his older brother thinks. And she thinks she and Warren can. Warren just doesn’t know. He still has this terrible feeling something awful is going to happen tonight. Alison doesn’t care. She mentions that, should Xavier kick them out of the Institute because of this, they’ll simply hit the road. She’ll put her Dazzler band back together, and maybe Warren can join them.
Warren smiles that he doesn’t know how to play an instrument. Alison jokes that all angels know how to play trumpets. She suggests that Warren just puts his lips together. Warren does. He moves Alison closer to him, and they kiss in mid-air. Alison makes it beautiful by creating lights around them using her mutant powers.
Downtown…
Havok attacks Cyclops, but he is unharmed. He thinks that Alex has forgotten that their powers don’t do jack against one another, and reminds Alex about all those battles they used to fight over Lorna. Alex hasn’t forgotten at all, and wonders if Scott remembers he always used to win those battles. He thinks he’s going to again. He takes out a crowbar, and hits Scott!
Northstar doesn’t know what to think. Alex corrects that he didn’t do anything, and that Scott let him win. That Scott had to put up a good show for his teacher. Alex knows that Scott wants to rescue Lorna as much as they do. Jean-Paul mentions that either way, they should leave now they’ve got the chance. Alex doesn’t feel well about leaving Sam and Roberto behind. Jean-Paul corrects that they’ve already done enough. Lorna may be their classmate as well, but she’s also their friend in need. Jean-Paul picks Alex up, and starts running away.
A few moments later, Nightcrawler, together with Wolverine and a defeated Cannonball, teleport in front of the X-Jet. They notice the battle damages, and with their other adversaries gone.
Further away…
While sitting in a police car behind a “Fenris Casino” billboard, Mystique notices that only two mutant kids are left. Forge suggests they waste them before the kids ruin Magneto’s plan. Mystique mentions Forge that has to be the world’s slowest genius. After all… Havok and Northstar are Magneto’s plan!
Outside the Triskelion…
Cyclops sadly reports his defeat telepathically to Jean, but mentions that at least they’ve got prisoners and will transport to her and the others as soon as possible. Jean tells Scott he can relax, and thinks it’s unlikely that Alex and Jean-Paul can pass through her. If even, Colossus and Iceman will surely defeat them before they reach the base. Bobby mentions to Colossus that the speedster he visited at the hospital a few months back is part of Alex’ party.
Colossus, surprised to hear it, asks for a confirmation that Jean-Paul’s coming there. Jean corrects Peter that this isn’t the prom. Right now, they need to focus all of their attention on keeping Havok and company away from the Ultimates’ clubhouse. Suddenly, a confident voice tells Jean that won’t be necessary: the club itself will take it from here.
Jean, Peter and Bobby look straight forward, and are surprised to see that they are joined by none other than Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, Captain America, the Wasp, Iron Man and the Black Widow!
