(Ten Minutes Ago)
Cupertino Organic Life Form Containment Facility and Research Center. Display cage of Kurt Waggoner, last boy on Earth
A depressed and near-naked Kurt sits behind metal bars. Wearing only a loin cloth and a power-inhibitor collar, he is being stared at by two passing robots. The first, a dark red female-designed robot, feels sorry for him and comments on how horrible the situation is. The second robot, a larger, grey, battle damaged one, is surprised by his partner’s comments and asks when she came online. She replies the fifth wave and he says her she has no idea what she’s talking about. He tells her to download the history files and learn something. He conjures up a holographic projection in his hand of a human destroying a robot. He continues and says that humans are monsters and that if they are given two rocks to bang together and room to breed then they will enslave everything in their path.
The female robot also conjures up a projection in her hands but this one shows a robot standing over the body of a human. She tells him that she has processed the files and he just described their own species. He protests and says they were defending themselves but she interrupts and says asks if what they are doing to the child is self defense. They’ve become what they overthrew and some day they will pay for it. Tiring of the conversation, the male robot ushers her to another exhibit down the hall.
Unbeknownst to them Kurt has found a robotic bug and is dismantling it. After a little work, a transmission suddenly comes out of it. A voice congratulates him by name and commends him for opening a communication link using the bug. A holographic screen is projected from the device and on it Kurt’s parents appear. A surprised Kurt starts to speak but his parents tell him to keep his voice down as he is being monitored. Still in shock, he says he thought they were dead. They tell him they helped create the robots so they know how they think and that helped keep a few steps ahead of them. They tell him they are going to get him out but he says he can’t teleport. They say that is because the robots have built inhibitors into the collar. They tell him to be brave and patient; it’s killing them every second he is in the cage but the robots control everything and the situation is dangerous. They start to say that the last thing they want to do is rush but they are interrupted by a huge explosion in Kurt’s cell.
Kurt is thrown across the cell as the wall explodes with a huge burst of light. Dazzler and Howlett enter and apologize for taking so long. Howlett, with his claws impaled through a robot’s head, says to tell them next time he decides to hop across realities without them.
S.W.O.R.D. Truth and Reconciliation Commission Headquarters
On a ship in Earth’s atmosphere one of Sage’s subordinates informs her of an incoming report but she tells him she is already aware of it. Standing in a room with holographic displays around her, Sage is watching a video feed of Howlett and Dazzler breaking Kurt out of prison. She tells the man that this triples the number of organic sentient life forms on the planet. She then tells him to get a transport ready.
A voice suddenly tells her to wait. She looks up to see a large alien-looking face appear on one of her holographic displays. The creature tells her that S.W.O.R.D. command is not authorized to interfere in this matter. Sage informs her commander that the treaty compels them to protect any organic sentient life on the planet, but he replies and says that it only applies to native humans. Sage mentions Kurt and the man says that he was indeed born there and his case is under appeal. But the other two are exo-planetary invaders.
The other holographic displays in the room show close up images of Dazzler. Sage immediately recognizes her and is stunned by it. The commander asks if she knows Dazzler and Sage replies that they have worked together before but she doesn’t recognize the Wolverine she is with. The commander immediately tells her she is compromised and revokes her data privileges and confines her to her quarters until further notice… much to Sage’s annoyance.
Back on the planet, Dazzler and Howlett are running from two large tanks as explosions go off around them. Howlett is carrying Kurt and Dazzler yells to him to get Kurt’s collar off so they can teleport away. Kurt screams for them to wait and that they have to go back for his parents. Howlett tells him to calm down but Kurt says he saw them. Howlett informs him that he was drugged as he can smell it on him. He breaks the collar off Kurt and shows him three needless imbedded in the collar. He says it was a hallucinogen and he saw whatever he wanted to see. With three needle-like holes on his neck and tears in his eyes Kurt goes silent. However, before Dazzler and Howlett can react, he teleports away.
As a giant robot looms ahead of them, Dazzler asks Howlett where Kurt went, but he doesn’t know. Howlett leaps at the robot and starts slashing away at it but is blasted off it by its guns. Resigning herself to her fate, Dazzler starts bursting with light as the tanks and robots surround them. Suddenly, a ship piloted by Sage appears overhead. Referring to herself as Tessa, she yells for them to get in. Dazzler asks how she knows it’s really her but Howlett says she smells human. Sage opens a hatch and the two jump into the ship. It takes off into the sky as explosions rain down on the ground behind it.
On the ship, Dazzler immediately turns to Sage and tells her they have a teammate down there still. Sage tells her not to worry as he is her responsibility too and they’re not leaving without him.
Elsewhere, in a dark tunnel, Kurt is calling for his parents over the comms device. As his parent’s image materializes from the device, they ask if he is okay. He said his friends came for him but they told him he was hallucinating. They tell him to stay away from them but he says they were just trying to help. He asks where they are but his mother tells him that as a native of the planet he is protected by the S.W.O.R.D. treaty. She then says for him to go back to the robots, as he will be safer with them for the time being. Kurt protests and says that Howlett cut off his collar so now he can come to them. His father becomes exasperated and tells him he is just a little boy and then orders him to do what they tell him to.
Kurt remembers the last things his parents said to him. He remembers them locking him in a cupboard and telling him to use his gift to stay in the shadows. He also remembers trying to go with them but them not allowing it. He decides that that won’t happen this time. His mother pleads with him and says that everything they are doing is for him. The device suddenly announces that the transmission has been traced as a robot appears behind him. Just as the robot fires, Kurt teleports away to save his parents.
On Sage’s ship, they are being hailed by the main S.W.O.R.D. ship. The main ship says she is in violation of interstellar law and demands she stand down. A dismayed Dazzler realizes Sage is in bigger trouble than they were. When Dazzler asks what she did, Sage just tells her it’s a long story and then points out that the main ship won’t shoot them down, as it would endanger thousands of civilians on the ground. Confused by what she said, Howlett says that he thought Kurt was the last human. Sage tells him she was talking about the robots. She says that the robots on this planet are sentient individuals and the vast majority of them are innocent bystanders. She then sternly asks if they killed any, to which Dazzler awkwardly tells her they just broke a few. Howlett says no-one in his family has ever apologized for fighting back.
Just then, a beeping sound is heard and sage brings up a holographic display in front of her. It shows a map of the area with a red mark on it. Sage says she has a trace on Kurt but Dazzler tells her that so does everyone else. Down below them, they look to see Kurt teleporting his way around a street as tanks give chase.
Sage opens the hatch on the ship so Dazzler and Howlett can get closer to Kurt. Howlett questions the plan but Dazzler tells him that Sage’s brain works like a billion supercomputers and if anyone can plot the trajectories it’s her. However, before she can finish, a surprised Kurt suddenly teleports right next to them and is grabbed by Howlett. As Kurt starts to mention his parents, Howlett asks if he knows where they are. Kurt says he does, so Howlett tells him they might as well go save them.
Kurt teleports the entire ship across the city until it nears a skyscraper. Inside the skyscraper, two shadowed figures comment on what a good boy he is. The ship appears right next to the window on the skyscraper and promptly crashes through it. The shadowed figures reel away as glass and debris is thrown around. Kurt teleports into the room, much to the delight of his parents. He leaps towards them but, as he reaches them, he passes straight through. Kurt becomes confused as the holograms start repeating his name again and again. Sage walks over to a consol and simply starts that they are holograms. Dazzler tells her to shut it off.
Howlett tries to console a heartbroken Kurt, who is on the verge of tears. He tells Howlett they talked like his parents and knew things only they would know. He says his parents are here somewhere… they have to be. A stunned Sage looks across the room and tells him that they are there… but it’s their grave. They all look where she is looking and see thinly sliced sections of his parents housed in sheets of glass. On the various segments are notes and pictures.
Turning back to the console Sage says they were studied and dissected. Their memories were scanned and then dumped into a program that allowed for interaction. Kurt goes over to the remains of his parents and puts his hand on one of the glass sheets. He asks why and a voice replies from behind him. He turns to see Danger. She tells him that they helped make them and who wouldn’t want the chance to explore the mind of their creator. Sage points a gun at Danger and says Kurt is under her protection. Danger tells her that no-one is going to hurt him. She pulls out a paper file with Kurt’s picture on it and says that the interstellar court ruled that he is protected as he is a native of this world.
She then says she respects the decision and is even going to let his friends go. Kurt asks why and Howlett tells him that she doesn’t want to lose her head. Dazzler says that’s not what Kurt meant. Danger knew she was going to lose all along so why all the drama with the holograms. Danger asks if it’s really that hard to figure out. With her eyes glowing red, she tells them that their people murdered millions of theirs… she hates them. Realpolitik stops her from killing him so the least they can do is to maximize the misery he will carry with him till his death. As she turns to leave she makes one correction… his parents weren’t dissected… they were vivisected.
In orbit around the planet, the main S.W.O.R.D. ship lingers in close proximity to the team’s smaller ship. A transmission from the main ship announces that Sage’s discharge has been accepted and she is free to go. On board their ship, Dazzler approaches a depressed Kurt and asks if he wants to talk but Howlett tells her to leave him alone and he’ll come to them when he’s ready. With his back to them they cannot see that Kurt is reconfiguring some of the electrics onboard the ship. He mutters that he can take care of himself.
Suddenly one of the consoles starts bleeping much to Sage’s alarm. She investigates and realizes Kurt is responsible. She yells for him to wait but an announcement rings out stating that the missiles have been overridden. The main S.W.O.R.D. ship suddenly launches all of its missiles down towards the planet. On the planet’s surface, the robots look up to see numerous missiles heading for them.
Watching from her building, Danger observes the robots rain down on her city. Kurt speaks to her through a comms device and simply says he hates her too. With that the building, along with much of the city, is destroyed by a series of huge explosions. On board the ship, a stunned Sage asks what he just did. But Danger interrupts her and says she has kept a few secrets from them. She informs them that every robot is backed up in three different bodies scattered across the globe. They may be confused for a few seconds but no-one has died. Dazzler turns to Kurt and asks if he knew that. Over the intercom Danger dryly says “ha.” This is the final straw for Kurt and he breaks down in tears. Howlett hugs him and tells him it’s alright as Kurt cries. Kurt says that it isn’t.
Back on the Savage-Land world, Xavier’s attention is suddenly caught. A voice asks him what’s troubling him and he tells them that his first team might be ready to rejoin the fight. The voice scoffs and says to tell them he has new friends now. The voice belongs to an alternate version of Dazzler. She, along with her two new teammates, Hercules and an African-American Cyclops, stand amongst the bodies of numerous dinosaurs.
