Dubai, inside one of the top floors of a very high building which a cloud rolls towards:
'A toast, my friends... to the Terrigen Cloud that, even now, rolls toward out city' a man in a suit calls out to several other well-dressed people in the room. He adds that he is told the cloud is considered holy by the Inhumans of Attilan, that it gives them their strength, their power. 'It is life' he declares. 'But to mutants like us... the cloud is death. The vapors will kill us. Well... some of us'. A woman smiles while another with an obvious mutation raises her glass as the man in the suit who informs them that these chambers are sealed. 'We will watch as death washes over us... and we will know how it feels to be immortal' he smiles. He tells his fellow Children of the Atom to enjoy themselves.
'Enjoy what might have been your final moments, but are instead -' he begins, when suddenly, a computer recording announces that the hermetic seals have been deactivated. 'What is this? What do you think you're doing?' one of the other mutants in the room gasps as Magneto, the Master of Magnetism suddenly bursts through a set of doors, to the shock of the mutants gathered inside.
'My apologies, ladies and gentlemen. I hate that I've interrupted your gathering. But I would have words with you' Magneto declares. The man in the suit looks angry, as he tells Magneto that they know who he is, and that he is a terrorist and a fool. 'The men and women at this party are mutants... and we only seek to save ourselves!' he explains, adding that the Terrigen Cloud will be here any moment. 'And if those doors aren't sealed -' he begins, as Magneto interrupts, announcing that he will seal the doors again once it pleases him to do so. 'It would seem that you left a few names off your guest list' Magneto remarks. Elizabeth “Betsy” Braddock a.k.a. Psylocke, Monet St Croix and Victor Creed a.k.a. Sabretooth enter the room. Magneto calls out to Elizabeth, who reports that all are present and accounted for – and in the nick of time. Several other mutants can be seen behind the X-Men, and they enter the room, as Betsy declares 'Every other mutant in the city... at least all of them we could locate'.
The man in the suit looks confused, 'What are you doing? Who are they? Are they -?' he begins, as Magneto interrupts him again: 'Mutants. They may not be wealthy, but their lives are worth as much as yours. Maybe more, depending on whether or not you insist on arguing with me' Magneto adds. He explains that there is no time to evacuate them from the city, and points out that it is a good thing that this safe room is large enough to accommodate all of them. He presses a panel on the wall, and the computer states that the hermetic seal integrity has been restored. As the Terrigen Cloud wafts towards windows, Monet stares out at it: 'Let's hope those seals are enough' she adds that based on the current wind speeds, the mists will be on top of them in less than three minutes.
Suddenly, the servants in the room drop their trays of food and drink, and one of them announces 'These chambers will not protect you. The mists come to purge this city of mutants. The will of the mists shall be served!' The waiters suddenly transform into Sentinels. 'The mutant gene must be eradicated!' one of them cries out.
The mutants who were brought to the chamber by the X-Men look scared. 'Sentinels!' Monet exclaims. 'Disguised as servants... waiting for the right moment to -' Magneto begins as he and his team prepare to face them. 'Core command needs the mists. The Terrigen Sentinel comes for you, vermin' one of the Sentinels states. 'There is nowhere to run' another declares as the mists roll in towards the building.
The Sentinels open fire at the mutants, but Magneto throws a force field around them. 'Abominations! Mankind hates mutants so much... that they would turn their own kind into monsters to hunt us!' Magneto exclaims. Monet rips the head off one of the Sentinels and points out that they are Prime Sentinels – humans outfitted with cyber technology. Betsy blocks one of the Sentinels' blasting her with a psi-blade, and remarks that they were created to serve as sleeper agents, hiding until this very moment.
'Since when do Sentinels of any make or model spout pseudo-religious hate lingo?' Sabretooth asks. Suddenly, one of the Prime Sentinels rushes to a window. 'Somebody stop that thing!' Creed shouts as the Prime Sentinel aims a weapon at the window: 'The sacred undertaking... of the Sentinel Mists...' the Prime Sentinel utters as it fires the weapon, shattering the windows as the cloud edges closer. 'There's nothing to hold the cloud back! Bastards hit us at the worst possible moment!' Sabretooth points out as he lunges at the Prime Sentinel responsible.
Magneto looks over at a mutant who has fallen, blood trickles from her mouth. 'This room is a killing field! Get the mutants out of here! Each of you take as many as you can! We'll take the chance -' Magneto orders as they all leap from the building, holding the mutants however they can. But from the flaming building, the Prime Sentinels emerge, with one of them stating that it is unlikely the mutants will escape the Sentinel Mists. 'But core command will be greatly pleased to see them die by our hands' the Sentinel adds.
'Accept your fate, mutant. The very air has turned against your kind' one of the Sentinels states as Sabretooth slams into it. 'Maybe so... but I'm betting I can take you and a few of your friends with me before I check out. And you never know... us X-Men are miracle magnets!' Sabretooth replies, as out in the open air, the mist suddenly comes to a halt, inches from Magneto, Betsy, Monet and the mutants.
'Excellent work, Psylocke. Hold the cloud as long as you can' Magneto urges her. But Betsy tells Magneto that she isn't doing this. 'It's the wind – look!' Psylocke exclaims as Ororo “Storm” Munroe appears. 'I thought you could use a hand' she announces, keeping the mist at bay, as her teammates Bobby “Iceman” Drake, Kurt “Nightcrawler” Wagner, Old Man Logan, Illyana “Magik” Rasputin, the Sentinel called Cerebra and Jean Grey from the past are with her. Storm tells her team that she can redirect the Terrigen Mists, but Magneto's team needs backup. 'Take out those Sentinels and get the innocents to safety!'
'We're on it, Ororo!' Logan calls out as he leaps at one of the Prime Sentinels, while the young Jean Grey announces that she will take care of the survivors. She holds them telekinetically, while remarking that these fancy new Sentinels have metal components, and suggests to Magneto that he go and does what is best for him.
Monet has landed on the ground, and some of the mutants start to run as the cloud spills around them. 'Get the bystanders to me! I'll take them somewhere safe!' Magik calls out as she materializes near Monet. 'Safe like your little hell dimension?' Monet snarks.
Nightcrawler teleports over to Betsy and tells her that it is good to see her again, adding that this feels like old times. 'Doesn't it, though? Sorry about that' Betsy replies. Kurt smiles at her and asks if she cares for a lift. Betsy looks at his hand which he extends to her and asks if he is going to give her a sermon about how she is disgracing Xavier's memory by siding with the likes of Magneto and Sabretooth. 'Nonsense. We're all here for the same reason – to help mutants. Charles would have approved' Nightcrawler replies as he takes Betsy's hand and they teleport back up into the air, where Betsy drops down on one of the Prime Sentinels and shoves two psi-blades into it. 'And he always got a kick out of watching us beat up on Sentinels' Nightcrawler reminds Betsy.
Nearby, Marvel Girl has joined up with Magik and Monet as they protect several mutants. 'These things... they're cyborgs, right? They're part human? Are we doing the right thing by -' she begins, before Magik interrupts her: 'Think about what we were told about the future... and then ask yourself that question'. Monet listens to this comment and appears interested.
'Dammit... too slow!' Old Man Logan snarls as he shoves his claws into one of the Prime Sentinels, while another flies towards him. 'You will be made to sacrifice -' the Sentinel begins, before Logan destroys it. 'Look at you, Logan. All wrinkly and pruney. You stay in the bath too long?' Sabretooth asks as he takes down the other Sentinel. 'From the stink of it, Creed... you ain't never even seen a bath' Old Man Logan replies as he turns to Sabretooth. He tells Creed that he and his X-Force buddies should be happy they showed up when they did. 'We're not X-Force' Creed replies. 'That's your gig' he reminds Logan. 'Not any more' Old Man Logan replies. 'That's ancient history' he declares. 'You would know, Old Man River' Creed grins.
Two Prime Sentinels are still in the air, 'Target the weather manipulator' one of them commands. 'Watch out, Stormy! They're coming for you -' Iceman warns Storm, before one of the Prime Sentinels fires at the ice-sled he was on, causing him to start to free-fall. 'Once she has fallen, the mists will do the rest' one of the Sentinels states as they approach Storm from behind, while she continues to keep the mists in check – the Sentinel opens fire at her, striking her in the back. Storm screams, but Magneto comes to her aid, ripping the Sentinels apart with his magnetic powers, he tells them that he thinks they will find that the mutants who remain have a little fight left in them. Storm smiles and thanks Magneto, to which Magneto tells her that there is no need to thank him. 'We are, all of us, in this struggle... together'.
The Terrigen Mists are purged from Dubai, and both teams of X-Men regroup as Storm announces that she has moved the T-cloud away from land where it can do no harm to mutants – at least for now. 'I guess you were right, Wolverine -' Sabretooth begins. 'Don't call me that' Old Man Logan tells him. 'Either way, you were right. We were lucky you turned up when you did' Sabretooth admits. 'Luck had nothing to do with it. They had some sort of advance warning. They knew this was going to happen' Monet declares, revealing that the Inhumans helped them, she picked it up from their surface thoughts during the fight. 'The Inhumans?' Magneto asks. 'Erik... you need to understand -' Storm begins, but Magneto cuts her off: 'Don't tell me what I need to understand' he tells her, reminding Storm that he has been on the front lines, fighting a war for their people since before she was born. 'Listen to yourself. These were Sentinels we were fighting – Sentinels who almost killed you. We're not at war with the Inhumans' Storm replies.
Magneto reminds Storm that the Terrigen Cloud is of Inhuman origin, and that it has proven virulent to mutants. He declares that it crawls across the Earth, wherever the winds may take it. 'And if it happens to sweep over a few helpless mutants – as it almost did here... as it did in Genosha... as it did in -' Magneto stops himself, as Monet hangs her head and closes her eyes. 'As it has done time and again... it sterilizes and terminates them. And what have the Inhumans done to curtail this eve of destruction?' Magneto asks. He gets no response and points out that they have done nothing, because as much as the Terrigen Mists mean death for mutants, it means life for the Inhumans. 'Without the mists, no new Inhumans can be born' Magneto points out, telling Storm that the survival of their peoples is diametrically opposed. 'That sounds like the makings of a war to me' he concludes.
Old Man Logan reminds Magneto that nothing is ever that simple. 'And now I learn that you have allied with the Inhumans -' Magneto begins. Storm tells him that is not what this is. 'The landscape is changing' she declares, before Monet walks over to her and asks 'Who's Ulysses?' Storm looks shocked and gives no response.
'What aren't you saying, Ororo?' Betsy asks her friend, before declaring that she doesn't think any of them have time for delicacy. Betsy uses her telepathy to invade the minds of the other X-Men. She sees images flash before her, of a new Inhuman, someone with vast prophetic powers. She explains that it isn't the future he can see, but he can mentally run some sort of probability analysis. 'He can – my God – profile the future' Betsy reveals. She sees a Celestial as she informs her team that Ulysses is being used to prevent tragedies around the world, and that the Inhumans told Storm's team what was going to happen here. 'This boy – Ulysses – saw it. They knew exactly where they needed to be to prevent our deaths. We were supposed to die today... but Storm and her team... they changed the future' Betsy announces. She sees Medusa, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, She-Hulk, the Black Panther, the Human Torch, Kamala Khan and War Machine. 'The Inhumans have the power -' Psylocke begins, before Marvel Girl shouts 'That's enough! We didn't invite you to read our minds, Psylocke – so kindly – get out!' she declares, forcing Betsy out with a telepathic pulse.
Betsy groans and wipes some blood from her mouth. Magneto calls out to her, but she tells him that she is all right and admits that she should have asked before she went poking around where she wasn't wanted. 'This is all so new. Even to the Inhumans' Storm remarks. 'Magneto... Erik... you know me. You know I'm telling the truth' Storm calls out to him, adding that the Inhumans and mutants can help each other – if he will let them. Magneto spins around and glares at Storm.
Old Man Logan remarks that it is going to get messy before they are done. 'Have faith, Logan. We can talk -' Nightcrawler begins, but Logan tells him that the time for talking is done. With that, Magneto, Sabretooth, Psylocke and Monet stride away from the other team of X-Men.
'So... what? Magneto's mad at us?' Iceman asks. 'Oh, man. He's not gonna start chucking asteroids at the Earth again, is he?' he adds, muttering that he knows Magneto never really did that, but that it sounds like something he might do.
Marvel Girl tells the others that she is sorry, and supposes that she could have done a better job of protecting their thoughts. Storm tells the younger woman that it is not her fault. Old Man Logan remarks that the cat is out of the bag now, and asks if they are going to warn the Inhumans. 'Warn them about what?' Nightcrawler asks, pointing out that, at this point, Magneto has done nothing wrong. 'You're assuming he will -' Nightcrawler begins. Storm tells her team not to jump to any conclusions, and that for now, she thinks their best course of action is to give Mangeto time to process what he has learned, and pray he walks a measured, tempered path.
Later, night has fallen over War Room X in the Savage Land. Magneto and Psylocke sit at a table. Monet stands nearby, while Creed looks out a window. 'So... the Inhumans have added yet another weapon to their arsenal' But Psylocke tells Magneto that this person is not a weapon – he is just a kid. Magneto reminds her that the Inhumans are responsible for the plight that has befallen their people. 'Their Terrigen Cloud... the very mist that gives them their powers is killing us. And they worship it!' Magneto frowns. He adds that now they can see the future – they can prevent the future. Magneto tells his team to make no mistake, that the Inhumans will use that power against them when the time comes. “When the time comes”? Psylocke quotes. 'What are you talking about? You don't think we're -' she begins, interrupted by the sudden teleport into the meeting room by Nightcrawler.
'What is this? What are you doing here?' Magneto asks. 'A moment please, Magneto, before you... ah... do anything rash like turn me inside out' Kurt asks, announcing that he didn't feel right about the way they left things. Magneto tells Nightcrawler that if he is here as Storm's emissary, to tell him why he shouldn't be concerned about this Inhuman, then he is wasting his time. 'Like it or not, a conflict between mutants and Inhumans is already playing out. Mutants are losing. This boy... Ulysses... with his abilities... could be the final nail in our coffin' Magneto declares. Kurt stares back at Magneto and tells him that he misunderstands. 'Storm didn't send me. I'm here of oy own free will... because I think you're right!'
