Years ago:
The Sanctum Sanctorum of Dr Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme.
An out-of-time Illyana Rasputin a.k.a. Magik appears. 'Dr Strange, I – oh. You're not here' Illyana remarks as she look around at the strange objects inside the room. She starts to make her way through the house, calling out to Dr Strange. She enters a room and discovers Strange in bed – with Clea.
'Oh, good. You're here. I need your help' Illyana announces. 'By the hoary hosts of #%&$!' gasps Clea, while Strange tells Illyana that this is completely inappropriate. Illanya replies that she is sorry, but she needs his help. 'What is it now?' Strange demands. Dr Strange puts on a robe and gets out of bed, storming out of the bedroom, he tells Illyana that he assumes this is worth breaking all of the Time-Space Continuum protocols to come here. Magik reports that there is a mutant who has revealed himself to have an uncontrollable, above omega-level power. 'You're not supposed to tell me of the future' Strange reminds her. 'I'm telling you as little as I can' Magik replies, before Strange asks 'What is omega-level? What does that mean?' Magik explains that this particular mutant has power over time and space and life and death and has no ability to control it.
Magik follows Strange into another room, 'Okay. That was worth coming here' Strange remarks, asking Illyana if she went to his future self first. 'No' Illyana replies. 'And I shouldn't ask why?' Strange remarks. 'No' Illyana tells him, before Strange asks her what she wants him to do. 'You want me to fix this mutant? Put this mutant down?' he enquires.
'Someone I sometimes admire wants to save and salvage this mutant. Is there, in the Book of Vishanti, or any of these scrolls, is there a spell of series of spells that I can apply to the situation that allows this mutant to live a normal and productive life without taking away his birthright but without risking everyone else's life?' Magik asks.
Strange looks at some papers and remarks that he wishes Magik would tell him how far in the future she is from, but Magik tells him that they both know that is not a good idea. 'Do we?' Strange asks. 'You come in here in a harried hurry... about an uncontrollable mutant who is about to what? Rip the Earth in half? In the future I might only have so much time left on this planet' Strange declares. 'That is life' Magik points out. 'I guess it is' Strange mutters.
'What about a Vishanti Gusani spell cycle?' Magik offers. 'No' Strange replies, pointing out that is not a good idea even in the best of circumstances. 'A Cyttorak fire dance?' Magik suggests. 'Not unless you want a doorway from the Dark Dimension to open up in front of you' Strange tells her. 'Conjuring the mists of Ikthalon?' Magik continues. 'We couldn't find that many turtles' Strange replies. 'Omega level...' he begins before picking up a fold disc on his desk. 'Huh' he remarks. 'What' Magik asks.
Present:
Devil's Tower:
'Magneto?' the mutant known as Matthew Malloy asks as a shadow descends over him and Scott “Cyclops” Summers. Cyclops tells Matthew not to get too excited, as he can tell already that this is holier-than-thou hypocrite Magneto, about to give them an earful of holier-than-thou hypocrisy. Magneto asks Cyclops what he is doing, and Cyclops announces that he is giving one of their mutant brothers a fighting chance. 'Please tell me you don't have a problem with this'. 'You are using him' Magneto points out. Cyclops declares that he is attempting to help him, which in benefit, may help their people. Cyclops adds that, among Matthew's many fantastic gifts, he can read minds. 'So you coming here to crack the “what are my motives?” case is kind of a waste of time'. Magneto warns Cyclops that this is dangerous, that it is too much. 'Really? There are a great many things I admire about you, Eric, but lecturing is -' Cyclops begins, as Matthew announces that he can't read his mind. Cyclops tells him that it is his helmet, that it keeps people out of his head. Cyclops suggests to Matthew, as a friend, before he does anything about it, that he leaves the helmet on, because he knows about twenty percent of what is going on in that head of Magneto's. 'And you don't need that in your life right now' Cyclops remarks.
'I don't get it. Are you a good guy or a bad guy?' Matthew enquires. 'Are you talking to me or him?' Cyclops replies. 'Um...' is all Matthew can respond. Magneto announces that he is a champion for their race – whatever it takes. 'That is true' Cyclops remarks, while Magneto reports that through the years he has learned many lessons about himself, about power and responsibility, about thinking five steps ahead of oneself, lessons that Scott Summers has either never truly learned or has completely forgotten. 'I believe I taught you those lessons, Eric' Scott remarks, before asking Magneto what he really wants. 'If you really want to help this mutant... you will find a way to -' Magneto begins, before Cyclops interrupts: 'Control him?' he asks. 'To ease his suffering' Magneto concludes. Cyclops turns to Matthew and asks him if he is suffering. Matthew replies that he feels terrible about the people who died because of his powers. 'Well, that Eric can help you with. He has an honorary PhD in “feeling bad about the people who have died because of the things he has done”!' Cyclops frowns. 'You killed -?' Matthew asks. 'Only those who were threatening our people' Magneto replies. 'That's true, too' Cyclops admits, adding that he and Magneto believe in the same things, they just have tendency to have different opinions on how to go about it. 'Like you and Xavier?' Matthew asks.
'Different. Eric, here, was also the reason Charles Xavier lived in a wheelchair. They were friends before either of us had ever -' Cyclops begins, to which Magneto tells him not to poison Matthew against him. 'Have I said anything false?' Cyclops asks. 'No' Magneto replies. Matthew turns, and tells Magneto that he thinks he would like him not to be here. 'Not until you have heard -' Magneto begins, but Matthew's eyes glow as he glares at Magneto: 'Goodbye' he exclaims. 'NOOO!' Magneto screams as he suddenly vanishes. 'Did you -' Cyclops starts to ask. 'No. No, of course not. He is one of us. I've never been part of an “us” before. I just didn't want him here' Matthew replies. Cyclops asks Matthew where he sent Magneto, and Matthew explains that he sent him the same place he sent Cyclops when they first met. 'I sent him back to your school'.
'Oh, no...' Magneto utters as he lands with a THWAP in the snow outside the New Xavier School. 'Magneto?' one of the students calls out as Mindee, Celeste and Phoebe, Triage, Benjamin Deeds, Tempus, Goldballs and Hijack rush over to Magneto. 'Where – wow, where is the Professor?' one of them asks. 'Were you with Cyclops?' another asks. 'It's my fault' Magneto utters. 'What is?' Triage enquires. 'Cyclops' Magneto replies. He starts to get up, and explains that Cyclops had a nervous breakdown after Xavier's death, and he didn't do anything to help him. 'Because – because I was angry at him. I still am. I didn't do anything to stop him from putting himself or us in harm's way. And now? Now it is too late'.
Tempus starts to move away from the rest of the group, as Triage asks Magneto if he is hurt, if there is something he can heal. Magneto replies that he just needs a minute. 'I can help -' Triage begins, but Magneto tells him to leave him be. Celeste Cuckoo notices Tempus breaking away from the rest of the group, 'No!' she calls out. Mindee and Phoebe join Celeste as they approach Tempus, and Mindee tells her 'That is not a good idea'. Tempus tells the Stepford Sisters that they need to stop reading people's minds without their permission. 'You need to stop thinking things that crazy, that loudly' Celeste declares. 'Exactly. We weren't even thinking about you and you projected a thought that intense right over us?' Phoebe asks.
'That's not true. I was thinking. I was thinking to myself. You, particularly you, Celeste, keep poking around my brain without permission!' Tempus declares. The boys all notice the girls engaged in discussion, and Goldballs asks them what is going on. 'Nothing' Tempus shouts back. 'No. Tell them. Tell everyone' Celeste instructs her. 'What is it?' Goldballs asks as the boys walk over to the girls. 'I, well, I could go back in time and -' Tempus begins. 'Eva, no' Hijack tells her. 'I could' Tempus boasts. 'Time travel? That really is not a good idea' Hijack remarks. Tempus reveals that she could warn Charles Xavier, that she could warn him that what he is attempting to do with this new mutant does not work in the future, she could tell him he needs another solution to find the problem before it gets to this. 'That's the worst idea one of us X-Men has ever had. And I'm including the total existence of Adam-X in that!' Celeste exclaims. 'Who's Adam-X?' Goldballs asks. 'Shush, Goldballs!' Celeste snaps.
Tempus continues: 'I could go back there and warn him that what he is doing is -' but Phoebe cuts her off, asking 'So you're going to go back in time and tell one of the most powerful psychics that he should do a better job writing his will?'
'And you don't think that the most powerful psychic in the world will read your mind and find out that Scott Summers accidentally killed him or whatever happened...?' Phoebe asks. 'Wait!' Hijack calls out. 'For what?' Goldballs asks. Hijack points out that Tempus could do this – she could go back and save his life. 'Is that bad?' he asks. 'Is it bad to save Charles Xavier Is it bad to save anyone?' Goldballs looks at Tempus and asks her if she could go far back in time, just like that. 'You're that good now?' he enquires. 'Well, no, it takes some doing' Tempus replies.
Celeste scowls at Tempus and telepathically tells her that she has learned nothing, after all she has been through, everything she has lost. Celeste grabs Tempus by her jacket, but Tempus pulls away, 'Don't touch me!' she snaps. 'And don't tell me what I've learned and what I've lost!' Confused, Goldballs asks her what she lost. 'Yeah, did something happen that we don't know about?' Triage enquires. Walking away from the others, Tempus mutters that it was just an idea, that she thinks she can help here. 'What if Magneto's right? What if Professor Summers is about to make a huge mistake?' she asks, suggesting that she might be able to stop it before it happens.
'If Magneto is right, I'll make us all t-shirts that say “Magneto is -”' Celeste begins, before Phoebe interrupts, asking Tempus where the line is, as she is playing with maybe everyone's lives. 'Yeah, this sounds like – I don't know, you might make it worse' Benjamin points out. 'Or I might save everyone' Tempus suggests. 'I might make everything better' she proclaims. 'You've learned nothing!' Celeste snaps. She and Tempus frown at each other, before Tempus walks away back inside.
Meanwhile, at the Jean Grey School, Doop glances sideways, 'They stuck us here, Emma' Alison “Dazzler” Blaire mutters. 'I was just thinking that' Kitty Pryde agrees as they and Emma stand around Doop's reception desk. Emma points out that there is no way back to their school, no plane, no teleporter. 'Should we call a cab?' Dazzler suggests. Kitty remarks that she thinks something bad has happened, to which Emma tells her she only thinks that because she always thinks that. 'And I'm always right, Emma' Kitty mutters. 'True' Emma admits, to which Dazzler asks the others what they should do. Emma assures Dazzler that Mystique is not going to come here – it is not going to happen. 'I thought your psychic powers were broken, Emma?' Dazzler asks. 'They are. You're an open book, darling. One damaged, open book' Emma points out. 'And, wow, you should talk, Ms Frost' Dazzler replies. Emma tells her not to be catty, 'We're all $#%&ed, we're the X-Men' Emma declares, kissing Dazzler on the cheek.
'You're still here. Good' a voice calls out, and the women look up to see Hank McCoy a.k.a. the Beast, Bobby “Iceman” Drake, Ororo Munroe a.k.a. Storm and Rachel Grey walking towards them. 'What happened now, Beast?' Kitty asks. The Beast announces that he made a huge mistake. 'No kidding?' Emma mutters. 'Easy' Storm tells her, while the Beast reports that he reached out to the human authorities and Avengers about this new mutant situation. 'Why?' Emma enquires. 'Because it is beyond us and I thought they would help' the Beast explains. 'Why?' Emma asks again. 'A momentary flash of hope for the world' the Beast suggests. 'I told you about having those' Dazzler remarks, before Kitty asks if the Avengers are coming. 'No' Hank reports. 'Anyone?' Kitty asks. 'Nope' Bobby tells her. 'Well, ain't that great' Kitty declares, to which Bobby remarks that Hank is not done yet. Hank reveals that he was poking around some of his hack work into the government and Avengers secure servers. 'They are going to attack. They might already be doing it' he announces. 'They're going to attack the mutant that already crashed a Helicarrier?' Emma asks. 'And where is Scott Summers in all this?' Emma adds. 'Right where he shouldn't be' Hank tells her.
Back at Devil's Tower:
'Matthew?' Cyclops asks. 'I appreciate what you're doing, Scott. I do. I just – I don't think I was meant to be here' Matthew remarks. 'Here?' Cyclops asks. 'On this planet' Matthew tells him. 'Like, you want to leave the planet?' Cyclops asks. 'No. What? No. I am clearly a danger to everyone and everything. Clearly' Matthew points out. 'Xavier tried to stop it, but all he did was delay it' Cyclops remarks. He assures Matthew that he can help him, but Matthew tells Cyclops that he will never help him get over the fact that people have died because of him. 'You'll make it up. You'll save so many' Cyclops assures him. 'I know that's what you do. You convince yourself that it balances out, but it doesn't. You kill... you are a killer. The end. I killed. I can kill again by accident. If I stub my toe' Matthew babbles, stating again that he doesn't belong here. 'You don't know that' Cyclops remarks. 'No, Scott. You don't' Matthew tells him. 'I do. I... I...' Cyclops's voice trails off, as Magik returns, announcing that there is a way to find out. She holds the gold disc that Strange gave her and explains that it is the Eye of Agamotto and it belongs to Dr Strange, but he trained her how to use it. 'This will see into you. It will reveal you. It will let us all know exactly who you are. What you are capable of. We'll see if you are what we hope you are, or if you are what we fear' Magik reports.
'If you want, Matthew' Cyclops tells him, as Matthew looks at the Eye. 'Will it -? Wait – is that real?' Matthew asks, looking up. Magik and Cyclops turn to look at what Matthew sees – a SHIELD Helicarrier and several jets hovering towards Devil's Tower. The mutants look panicked, and suddenly, the Helicarrier opens fire, engulfing the trio in flames.
Years ago:
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Professor Charles Xavier sits in his wheelchair beside the pool, reading a book and sipping a cup of tea, when suddenly, he turns his head ever so slightly, and calls out 'My name is Charles Xavier. Can I help you?' as Tempus stands at the back door!
