In the crowded streets of New York, the Mojoverse exiles known as the X-Babies are running amok. The pint-sized Archangel soars overhead, a worried look on his face. The young Gambit maneuvers himself off the hood of a car, while asking their fearless leader what the current strategy is. Bishop chimes in, affirming his confusion as he accidentally steps on a taxi driver’s head while making his way over the vehicle. “Thimple,” Cyclops replies from the head of the pack, “run!” A miniature Rogue, closely tailing him, marvels that he achieved leadership by coming up with that kind of a plan. Eventually, they come to a dead end and Archangel wonders what happens when they run out of room. Cyclops volunteers to panic for everyone, but recommends that the group stay close, since they don’t know what happened to Iceman and Storm.
A kindly priest named Father Anthony approaches the children, albeit cautiously. Upon offering his services, the animated young group eagerly gives him a recap of their situation. They were initially from the Mojoverse, but fled to their current dimension after being attacked by “two really ugly monster guys.” They hoped the X-Men, Gambit and Bishop, could have helped them, but they were defeated by their attackers. Not believing a word of their story, the priest kneels down to their level, attempting to quiet them down. He suggests that they give him their parents’ phone numbers, but is interrupted by the arrival of the gigantic Gog and MaGog. The two giants explain that the X-Babies are merely technicolor entities scheduled for termination after the collapse of Mojo’s entertainarchy. Cyclops directs his team to return to Plan A and run for it. Gambit wryly remarks that it seems like Cyclops only has one plan.
In the rubble of a club in SohHo, the real Gambit and Bishop emerge, their clothes tattered. Hands still glowing with energy, Bishop wonders whether the management will be grateful that all of their patrons manage to escape before the fight between the X-Men and their extradimensional assailants brought the roof down. Gambit brushes it off, guessing that they were probably insured. He then thanks Bishop for using his bio-blast to help them escape from the rubble. Slightly uncomfortable, his teammate merely remarks that it was Gambit’s mutant ability which created space for them when the building collapsed in the first place. “Admit it, mon ami,” Remy says, “we actu’ly make a pretty good team when we ain’t tryin’ to’kill each other.” The air between them grows still before Bishop suggests that they go find the X-Babies.
Before he can finish, Gambit grabs what remains of Bishop’s shirt, demanding to continue the conversation they had begun earlier. He wants his teammate to know that he would never betray the X-Men. “I am sure you believe that, LeBeau,” Bishop says. They stare at each other in silence for a moment, when suddenly a crowd rushes by, fleeing from mutants. Immediately, the two X-Men charge off in the opposite direction, though Gambit warns Bishop that their conversation is far from over.
At the same time, the X-Babies Storm and Iceman continue to argue. Phoenix tries to convince them to stop the name-calling long enough to calm down, but she is met with little success. The older Iceman has transformed to his ice form, grabbing Storm by her cape and holding the other Iceman’s neck by seemingly merging his hand into it. He muses that he has become little more than a super-powered baby-sitter. Phoenix reprimands the two youngsters, citing that the only reason the store is not in a panic is her psionic powers masking their presence. They practically ignore her, continuing to squabble over which of them the two older X-Men like better. Bobby has finally had enough, holding them apart and loudly calling for a time out. Crossing their arms and pouting, the two X-Babies consent.
As he sets them down on the ground, Iceman asks the two kids to clarify the snippets of information that they have been shouting out. Eyes wide and hands clasped together, the little Iceman reports that Gog and MaGog want to kill them. “Pwease, Iceman and Phoenix… we don’t want to be kilded,” Storm pleads. Bobby Drake tries to comfort them, but concedes that they can’t be killed since they aren’t real. Telepathically, Phoenix tells him otherwise, while the children start to bicker again. She informs him that she’s picking up psionic imprints; thus, even if they were artificial life forms at one point, they have become very real.
Back on the other side of town, the small-scale Archangel worriedly exclaims that he is too young to die. Bishop quickly clasps his hand over his mouth, telling the blue boy to shut up. The five X-Babies are hiding amongst rows of multi-colored stuffed animals displayed in a street game’s booth. Bishop continues on, telling his friends that they should be fine if they don’t call any attention to themselves. Sarcastically, Rogue replies that Gog and MaGog will probably get tired and leave in a few years. The two beasts are angrily tearing up the city outside, calling out threats to their targets as they go. Very perturbed at this point, MaGog shouts that the excessive amount of time they are spending trying to kill the X-Babies will make them look incompetent to the new Mojoverse regime.
Just then, two separate bursts of crimson energy blast Gog and MaGog backward. From atop a nearby roof, Bishop muses that it will look even worse if they are wheeled home in a body cast. Gambit, charged cards still in hand, announces that they are ready for a rematch. The five excited X-Babies tumble out of their hiding place, glad to see that reinforcements have arrived. MaGog angrily tells the two X-Men to mind their own business and heaves the remnants of a carousel at them. They jump down from their perch, obliterating the debris as they go. Bishop calmly tells his partner that he recants his earlier opinion, acknowledging that they do make a formidable team. “Y’pick a heckuva time to offer a compliment,” Gambit says. They land safely on the ground, MaGog telling them that they should be no more concerned for the fate of the X-Babies than for paperwork about to be shredded. Charging at their two huge enemies, Bishop and Gambit proclaim that they are forbidden to harm the children while the X-Men are still alive.
“Fine,” MaGog says and subsequently pounds Bishop into the ground. The X-Babies urge them to keep going. “Go, me! Go!” the little Bishop shouts. Gog similarly bashes Gambit, and the X-Babies cover their eyes, afraid to watch. Suddenly, Cyclops decides that they have to make a stand to protect the guys that are risking their lives for them. “I mean, are we X-Men or X-Mithe?” The little Gambit peeks out through his fingers, saying, “Technically, we’re X-Babies.” Meanwhile, Gog is about to deliver a crushing final blow to the prone form of Gambit’s real-life counterpart. He considers how unlucky it was for the X-Men to get involved, because the only choice left for them is to die.
Before he can finish, he is distracted by three bursts of water aimed at his mouth. Cyclops, Bishop and Gambit all hold water pistols from the carnival game where they were once hiding. They tell Gog not to mess with any X-Men, even the little ones. Soon, Gambit is back on his feet, hitting Gog across the face with his bo-staff. MaGog tells his son that he will come help him, as soon as he severs Bishop’s head from his shoulders. Unbeknownst to him, Rogue and Archangel have taken to the air, lifting a large pole with all their might. On the count of three, they let go and it plummets down into MaGog’s unsuspecting head. He releases Bishop, but quickly recovers and corrals all seven of his opponents together. He proclaims that they have probably gone a little easy on them since they were enjoying their duty away from their home dimension. Gog agrees, stating, “We have more than enough power to obliterate you all.”
From the sky, two Icemen appear, and Phoenix telepathically rebukes that they bet they have more than enough power to stop them. The four recent arrivals soar down to the ground and Iceman encases the two huge monsters in ice. He can feel them struggling inside, but Phoenix telekinetically holds their prison together. Approaching the others, she hopes that they will have enough time to figure a way out of the situation. As the ice begins to shatter, Cyclops sordidly announces that they appear to have run out of time. MaGog lashes out at the X-Men, telling them that any good will they engendered by getting rid of Mojo does not excuse interference in their affairs. Phoenix urgently replies that the X-Men cannot stand by while they terminate the lives of innocent children. Grabbing the X-Babies, Gog retorts that they never were children. He is about to drop them into his open mouth when a new voice calls out, “Stop!”
Gog and MaGog immediately drop to their knees as a woman emerges from the darkness of a nearby alley. Gog tosses the X-Babies behind him, telling “her majesty” that they kneel before her as humble servants. Gambit smugly remarks that the cavalry has arrived. The woman, still draped in shadows, angrily tells the father and son pair that she did not follow them to watch them kneel. Once she heard they had been dispatched, she realized they would zealously overstep their boundaries. MaGog begins to apologize, but is blinded by an intense light as the woman tells him to save it for someone who cares. Smiling, Iceman asks Phoenix if he is the only that recognizes that particular mutant power. “Not by a longshot, Bobby. Literally.”
MaGog begins to apologize to “her majesty” again, but the woman, now fully in the light, cuts him off. “The name is Dazzler!” She berates them for calling her anything else, telling them to save it for her “husband,” Longshot. Dazzler herself is not involved in any of the new political structure. “As you wish, your majesty!” Gog replies. Sighing, she snaps her fingers and the two giants disappear in a flash of light. The X-Babies cower in fear as Dazzler approaches them, asking the X-Men to keep her away. Phoenix assures them that Alison is a friend; she would never hurt them. “I’d die first,” she affirms. She crouches down to their level, looking them in the eye as she speaks. Dazzler knows that they are all old enough to understand the changes that are going on in the new world order being created. There is no place for them in the entertainment-free regime, so a lot of people would like to see them destroyed as a symbol of the old life under Mojo’s rule. At this point, Bishop powers up, a little wary of her intentions, but Phoenix assures him their friend has the children’s best interest at heart. Dazzler continues on, telling the X-Babies that the only way she can assure their safety until Longshot is elected as the new world leader is for them to come live with her.
The X-Babies rejoice. Smirking, Remy reports that he loves a happy ending. Bobby wonders if he sees a tear in the Cajun’s eye, but Gambit replies, “Please, mon ami – what do y’take me for?” The children surround Dazzler in one giant hug as she thanks the X-Men for their help. Iceman begins to say something about all the mouths she has to feed, but Phoenix gives him a quick nudge in the stomach. She then hugs Dazzler goodbye, telling the former X-Man that she and Longshot are always welcome to come home. As the light around her and the X-Babies warps and fades, Dazzler muses that someday, after their world is free, they may be back. Then, after the children shout a few more good-byes, they disappear. “Thanks again!” As soon as they are gone, Iceman asks Phoenix why she cut him off when he was only going to ask Alison about her baby. Jean solemnly replies that she didn’t sense another life within her. Bishop notes that she was obviously distressed, wondering if they owed it to her to bring her back to their own world. “What we owe her is the same thing we all want, Bishop,” Jean replies, “To be free to find our own way.”
Back at the mansion, the night is dark and the wind blows the leaves across the lawn. Xavier sits in the dark of his office, the only light from the crackling fireplace. There is a knock on the door, and the Professor bids his visitor to enter. Boomer appears in the doorway, questioning that he sent for her. Xavier tells her that he has made a final decision regarding Sabretooth and felt he owed her an explanation since she has taken a special interest in the man during his stay at the mansion. “Close the door, Boomer.”
