The exact words of the X-Nation kids: “You have got to be kidding me!” Startled, they look…at the cool car of the Sisters of the Howling Commandments! The Sisters are ready to go. Uproar jokingly asks them to bring back a souvenir. Sister Nicholas tries to make Uproar understand that this isn’t a game they are playing. Enemies took Willow away, and they have to get her back, no matter what. The Sisters want to leave, but a man comes running after them and orders them to wait.
He is Lucius Drayn and, while using his powers to prevent the car from moving, the lawyer says that he has the authority (given to him by Halo City’s Ministry of Bureaugracy and Deligation) and won’t allow the Sisters to leave to avoid unwanted destructions. Nicholas calls Lucius names and commands to let them through, but he won’t allow it. Lucius tells the Sisters to be nice to him. He reminds them that their service to X-Nation is allowed, but they don’t want to push their luck. December defends that the Sisters came looking for them and not otherwise. Lucius simply replies that maybe it’s time for the kids to look for someplace else to hide them, and no longer in Halo City.
Some time later, the kids have returned to their shelter. December cries over Willow’s loss and destroys the soda machine. Uproar jokes about it. Clarion tells the idiot to stop it since it’s obvious to see that December’s feelings are hurt. He reminds everyone that they are all in this mess together and, as long as the Sisters are keeping tabs on them, Clarion feels like they should take the initiative and help Willow out themselves. He asks Twilight if she’s in. She doesn’t want to, but changes her mind when Clarion reminds Twilight who helped her out during Avian’s attack: it was Willow.
Twilight uses her powers and begins the transport. As it will take a while, the gang asks December how Willow got into all this mess. December recalls how it all began at the Million Palms Center in Florida, a few years back. She led tours to familiarize the guests with the park’s facilities. It was a pretty cushy gig at the time. December earned a lot of money and had great amenities. For once, you could actually see people enjoying themselves.
She thought of the place to be so much like a storybook. Million Palms even had its own king and queen. Avian, the Falconer, was the king and his beautiful Peregine was the queen. Still, even royalty gets thrown a curve every now and again. And they were not an exception: Peregine “disappeared” one day. People searched and searched but came up empty handed until they dredged the Tunnel of Love, where they found her body. And that’s the day when Avian’s heart broke.
And from that day on, things changed in Palms Center. Everyone who visited the place had to undergo a genetic scan for anomalies, and it was only a matter of time before they came looking for December. For the next two weeks, she was perused, poked, prodded and probed. To this day, December doesn’t think that those scientists didn’t even ask her one single question during the examination.
Meanwhile, on the surface, December later on heard that business was as usual. Every day was still a “caring day” but underground there was a growing corner of hell. Having completed their “tests,” people were fitted with power inhibitors and left to rot in the park’s subterranean labyrinth when discovered. And that’s where December met Willow. She immediately saw that the scientists must have done a number on Willow, because a couple of days after her arrival Willow got a real shock. December did everything she could to help Willow, but knew that she was going to die.
Then, for some reason December didn’t know at the time, Avian had Willow taken away again. She was the only friend December ever had, and she wasn’t going to let anyone – not Avian, not even Doom himself – add further insult to her friends’ already fatal injuries. December remembers how she tried to escape from an inescapable prison, but she tried anyway. She climbed over some walls, but was busted maybe ten minutes later.
December was even surprised it took that long before Avian’s goons found her and brought her back. But it was only to put her under public execution! It was the ultimate humiliation. December was to be put to death in front of everyone, from the lowest of Million Palms’ low to its king and queen themselves. And that’s when it all hit December: she was convinced that she had gone insane and that images from her life were flashing before her very eyes - but when the queen turned to look at her way and December saw the crazy new markings on her face, she knew that she wasn’t crazy: the new queen was Willow! <{P>
All of a sudden, Willow used her powers to change into Avian, surprising the shock out of him at the same time, and began fighting him. And in mere moments, they literally flow their way to freedom. The end.
Wulff isn’t impressed by the tale. He feels that Avian can have Wilow back, if that’s what it takes to make him not lonely and stop bugging them. Clarion reminds Wulff how he felt when he was a slave, and he agrees to rescue Willow. Clarion makes everyone agree to join the trip, except for Twilight. She won’t bring them all to Avian and stops the transport, making everyone land back at the shelter.
Meanwhile, the Atlantean warrior, Attuma, prepares his guard for war. He gives them a speech, and the troops are ready to go into the battlefield!
Cerebra tries to use Cerebro to find Willow. Morphine enters and informs Shakti that the Sisters want to have a word with her, because they believe the search is a lost cause. Shakti won’t give Willow up. Morphine asks if it might be possible that Willow can also change her psi-patterns, since she can also change forms. Shakti tells Morphine not to be stupid, since even seasoned telepaths can’t do that. She leaves to see the Sisters and telepathically calls Morphine a jerk. When Shakti’s gone, Nostromo asks Morphine if she has seen Shakti. He confirms, and thinks in himself if only Nostromo knew why…
At Nicholas’ bedroom, she tells Shakti that Willow isn’t the Messiah and wants Shakti to stop try to make her one. Shakti appreciates Nicholas’ concern about the children, but… Nicholas cuts in and holds her gun, and tells Shakti she has no conception of the matter and that the kids aren’t prepared for what lies ahead. Shakti cuts in and says that if the mutant Messiah actually exists, and she suspects that Doom’s calculations are probably correct; these kids may never be ready. But Shakti wonders in herself what the kids must be ready for.
Twilight overhears them talking and thinks that they mean an experiment, and she won’t be part of it and quickly runs away, crying. Nicholas asks Shakti to stop trying, but she doesn’t want to. What if the Messiah actually lies somewhere within these children? At the shelter, Nostromo quickly tries to hotwire the Sister’s car. The others want to go, but don’t want to think what’s going to happen if Nicholas catches them sneaking out a second time. Twilight rejoins and tells the others that she simply had a change of mind about the shelter. She opens a gateway and the journey can begin!
Elsewhere in Halo City, a reunion of a sort is taking place. Shakti meets up with her former teammate from the X-Men: Xi’an Chi Xan. She tells him that the kids remind her about how they and the other X-Men were at the beginning: raw, inexperienced, but full of life and youthful optimism. Unlike now. Xi’an is mocking and cuts to the chase, asking Shakti what she wants.
Shakti hesitatingly asks Xi’an to help her with X-Nation. The way he did with the X-Men: giving them a purpose. Xi’an emotionlessly says that he isn’t an X-Man anymore. He wants Shakti to leave. Shakti can’t believe this. She tells Xi’an that she used to idolize him. She gets angry and stars to cry, and says that they’ve all got responsibilities to each other. Not because they are mutants, but because they are human beings! At least, she means, some of them used to be.
Shakti runs away and along the way wonders how she will be able to bring the kids through. She knows that she can’t do it alone. As she jumps over some rooftops, a telepathic voice calls her. Shakti senses that it’s a powerful one and tries to reach out, but it’s too painful. The voice explains that’s because he is too powerful. Shakti asks who this mystery person is.
The man steps forward, and introduces himself as… EXODUS!
Exodus touches Shakti’s shoulder, and in a heavy voice says that he’s the future of all mutant kind. That he is the resurrection of life and he has come to reclaim what is rightfully is! Shakti looks at fear at the powerful mutant, whose eyes glow with raw energy…
Deep in the heart of the Million Palm Family Fun Center, Avian is busy enduring his experiments upon another new arrival. He takes no pleasure in this, but the sooner the mutant Messiah is delivered to Herod, he will... One of his scientists reports to Avian that they are under attack. Avian commands to attack them, so it is done and missiles are launched on X-Nation’s stolen car, which is destroyed.
The kids all fall on the ground, but survive the fall. They get up but, before they get the chance to recover, goons with hover packs build onto their suits attack and throw power inhibitors on their heads.
Nostromo overrides the inhibitor on his head and fires away. But the guards are well prepared and shoot Nostromo! He falls on the ground, unconscious, and with a big hole into his stomach! Is he dead?
