A snowy wilderness in Canada
Magik, Kitty Pryde, Lockheed and the original X-Men teleport in. The newcomers look around confused. What is he missing? Beast asks. Where are they? Kitty agrees. Is the school invisible? Iceman wonders. Magik explains this is the original Weapon X facility. They… re-appropriated it. What is Weapon X? Beast asks.
Their hosts are already waiting. Welcome to the new Xavier School! Cyclops greets them and the original Angel shouts happily they’ve finally come to their senses. Cyclops’ people lead them inside. The last place on Earth Wolverine would ever look for them, Kitty realizes. Not bad, right? Cyclops asks. That’s why he is Scott Summers, Kitty agrees and punches him playfully on the arm.
Beast repeats his question. Cyclops explains that years ago this facility was used for horrible medical experiments that caused the deaths of dozens. One of the only survivors was their “friend,” Wolverine. That’s where he got his shiny claws.
The young X-Men look horrified, though Iceman jokes weakly that he hopes they got a good deal on the rent. Young Cyclops asks how this is going to work exactly. His older counterpart tells his students to show the newcomers their living quarters. Let’s make them all feel at home.
They split up, with Goldballs leading Cyclops, Triage leading Beast and Eva Bell aka Tempus leading Iceman, who tells her he loves her Australian accent. She shows him her new room. It looks like a renovated prison cell, he complains. That’s because it’s a renovated prison cell, she agrees. But some posters, some flowers… It’ll look like he’s a prisoner with connections, he suggests. Exactly, she agrees.
He throws down on his new bed, apologizing. He’s not usually this high-strung. He just spent most of the week dealing with the fact that he grows up to be some sort of ice wizard or he grows up to be some kind of ice-hulk. And he’s not even sure how either of these could possibly happen. Or if knowing that he could end up as either one of these things makes it so he won’t. He knows they came here to the present to see the legacy of the X-Men, and they are staying here to solidify it, but everybody is trying to keep this “you don’t’ want to know too much about your future” business going. But they already know too much about their future. So he’s not exactly sure what difference it would make if they knew the rest. He can’t get the image of that ice-hulk out of his head.
He looks up to see Eva has gone. Somewhat insulted, he falls asleep.
The three Stepford Cuckoos have led Jean Grey to her room. “Here’s your castle, your highness,” Celeste tells her sarcastically, causing Irma to admonish her for her rudeness. What hasshe done to Celeste exactly, Jean asks. Let’s figure this out. Pointing her finger at Jean, Celeste snaps that there is nothing to figure out. She just doesn’t like some people. Jean is one of these people. The two girls glare at each other. Jean orders her to stay out of her head. She may not be the Jean Grey that Celeste remembers but she knows who she is and what she can do. And between the two of them… she thinks she is the only one who can say that.
Phoebe is impressed by the threat. Celeste shouts at Jean she doesn’t belong here. “Whatever, Emma Frost test tube baby fail,” Jean snaps and storms off. Ouch, Phoebe comments. It was a solid burn, she admits. Celeste points out it applied to all of them. But she was talking to Celeste, Irma rebuts and asks what her problem with Jean is. She thinks she‘d make a good redhead, Phoebe muses. Celeste groans.
Beast is in the lab, examining the comm. system while Benjamin Deeds watches an old Dazzler video. Magneto joins them, explaining he put together the communication system. If Henry has any questions… It’s nice, Hank replies politely. It’s a clean signal. It can’t be traced here, Magneto continues. Does he mind if-- Henry begins. Be his guest, Magneto replies. It’s not like he didn’t do a good job, Hank babbles. It’s cute. Nice and cute. Magneto stares at him. The thing is, Beast continues, it was not so long ago he was trying to kill them in a murderous rage. Yes, Magneto replies curtly. So it’s very strange to be standing here, talking to him like this. He understood the unspoken subtext of the conversation, Magneto remarks wryly.
He leaves as Jean enters looking for Henry. She complains about the Stepford Sisters. And that they have it in for her. She’s not sure why, because she can’t read their minds, because they are part of a psychic hive mind and she— She stops. He is mad at her, she states.
Focusing on the comm.-system, he asks her to stay out of his mind. She’s not in his mind, she replies. This is hardly subtle. He wants to do his work, he tells her. He is mad at her, she repeats. What was that kiss about? he demands. Then those fake future X-Men showed up and she went off with Summers! Angrily, she reminds him she asked him to come with her first. So he says ‘no’ and she goes off with him? he demands.
She told him something was up with those future X-Men and he didn’t want to hear! They needed to go! And she was right! Not about going with Scott. But they were bad guys. It was the two of them from the future, he points out. It was hardly a fun look in the mirror! she snaps. She’s saying she asked him to come with her first. He blew her off, but she was right to go!
With him, he repeats stubbornly. Why is he making this about that? she shouts, her powers flaring. Why can’t they just—Somebody clears his throat. It’s young Cyclops, who informs them Professor K wants them outside. As he turns around and leaves, Jean and Hank look after him in silence.
Kitty and Illyana are waiting outside but none of the others are coming. Cyclops explains that Iceman and Angel are asleep. Illyana suggests Kitty let them sleep. They’ve been through a lot. Kitty sighs and, calling Scott “Slim,” suggests he do the same. He asks her not to call him that, as he leaves.
Illyana tells Kitty she made the right choice bringing them here. She’s sorry she and her boyfriend broke— Let’s not call him that. Ever! Kitty interrupts. He’s just another member of the Kitty Pryde low self-esteem mistake parade. Illyana looks down grimly and Kitty notices her faux pas immediately. She doesn’t include her brother on the list, she assures llyana. She knows, is the reply. Has Kitty talked to her brother? No, she is told. Illyan hopes he’s okay. She’s sure he is, Kitty figures. Illyana explains all that went on recently reminded her she really made a mess of things with him. She did and said some terrible things. He’ll come around, Kitty tries to comfort her. Illyana doesn’t think so. She misses him a lot, she admits.
Illyana suddenly tries to hug Kitty. Startled, Kitty phases and Illyana lands in the snow. Kitty apologizes. She didn’t expect her to hug her. She is not a hugger. She holds her, apologizing. Illyana didn’t realize she was going to do this either. It’s nice that they get to hang out again, Kitty admits. And whine about her brother, Illyana adds. Just like old times, Kitty laughs. Except for everything else.
24 hours later the original X–Men have finally gathered. Kitty begins a speech but Bobby interrupts, announcing he has a question. Kitty orders him to zip it for a whole minute and she’ll give him a cookie. He knew she was going to take it out on him, he complains. He’s sorry his older self broke up with her, but that’s no reason to-- First of all she broke up with him, Kitty snaps. He finds that very hard to believe, Bobby mutters.
Kitty tells him she likes him. She’s not taking anything out on anybody. But he talks a lot. He gets nervous and talks a lot. And she needs him to listen. If she can teach him anything, sometimes it’s better to lean back and listen. Like his good friend Henry McCoy. That’s why when people think of him they think of how smart he is. Because he listens. Hank pipes up. He’s sorry. He wasn’t listening.
Illyana grins. Kitty really has her work cut out for her. Just do it, Kitty sighs. Illyana raises her Soulsword and casts a spell and the X-Men suddenly find they are wearing new individualized uniforms, each with its own color scheme. Did they need new uniforms? Jean asks skeptically. They desperately needed new uniforms Kitty retorts. Cosmetically and hygienically.
Bobby and Warren are pleased with their new looks. Hank would like to know how Illyana was able to conjure these uniforms out of thin air. Magic, is the reply. Hank tries to clarify the question until he realizes that she really does mean magic.
So what now? he asks. They train their tuchases off, Kitty orders. They have all seen the future, what may become of them. And, although she spent most of the last couple of days thinking that all this time travel mishegas was about the worst thing that could have ever happened to them, she has since decided it was the best thing that could have happened to them. Now they know.
On top of that, it seems they are stuck with each other for a while. They can’t go home to their time, which means they make the most of what’s happening right here, right now. As a team. As individuals. As mutants. As people of this world. They are going to train to make the world better than it was yesterday. They are going to teach people who hate them that they are wrong through example. They are going to reach out and help any mutant or human that needs them. And they are going to do it smart. But they are going to make mistakes and they are going to learn from them. Any questions?
What was the middle part? Bobby asks. Kitty glares. Okay, he would have broken up with himself too, he admits. A moment later, someone screams.
A few minutes before, while Kitty was giving her speech, Jean overheard Scott thinking how he didn’t understand Jean. They are destined to be together. They get married. They end up together. You don’t get more together than married. Why is she fighting this? Why can’t she see he is the best thing for her? Hank doesn’t understand her.
At the same time, Hank wonders what kind of game Jean is playing. She’ll only be with him if he agrees with everything she says? And if he doesn’t she runs right back to Scott.
They get married! Scott thinks. They have kids. Well, a kid, he thinks.
He’s smart, Hank thinks. He’s attentive. He did this to himself. He brought them here to start this cycle.
He could just leave, Scott figures.
Hank thinks there are more girls on the team now.
Scott muses the Stepford sisters are all kind of cute…
Jean finally shouts out in frustration and unwillingly levitates herself. Helpless, she asks what to do now. Kitty tells her to gently bring herself down. As if she were levitating someone else. Jean’s head goes down and she screams.
Angel flies to her rescue. The two smile at each other. Scott and Hank glare, then look at each other, frustrated.
Suddenly, there is an alert. Hank explains he created a portable Cerebro device linked to the one Magneto built. This is the emergency alert alarm. Magneto coded this to monitor police radios in the vicinity of mutant readings. There is a big problem in Florida. Playtime is over, Kitty announces. They are going to see something else they are probably not ready for…
