SHIELD Helicarrier, floating 1000 feet over South Carolina. Rachel Grey is on board and she closes her eyes. 'Rachel?' Someone calls out. 'Rachel?' they call again, to which Rachel replies that she is concentrating. Gathered around her are Scott “Cyclops” Summers, Wolverine a.k.a. Logan, Ororo “Storm” Munroe, Commander Maria Hill and several other SHIELD agents, while Hank McCoy a.k.a. the Beast is linked up via computer monitor. Cyclops asks Rachel if she is contacting him telepathically, to which Rachel replies 'Absolutely not' and explains that she is trying to plot a course of action that doesn't have any of them ending up like Exodus. 'Has anyone actually just gone up and talked to him? Calmly. With reason?' Storm asks. Via the computer, the Beast announces that he would advise against that. Maria Hill adds that she wouldn't recommend it, either and tells the X-Men that she has already lost a squadron to this out-of-control mutant – not to mention the civilian casualties. 'What the hell is he doing?' Wolverine wonders as he looks out the Helicarrier.
'Looks like practicing. Learning his newfound powers' someone suggests, as down below, the crater where Matthew Malloy was standing in has started to break up, with chunks of rock hovering in the air. A SHIELD agent's body floats nearby, starting to break down and decompose, while a shoeless Matthew looks at his hands and at the area around him, while a crack of energy breaks up more of the crater. 'Can't imagine that's something we want this guy to do' Wolverine points out, to which Maria announces that she is wide-open to ideas, as this is the thing the X-Men are supposedly the best at. Cyclops states that he thinks they should talk to Matthew, face-to-face with no tricks of manipulation. The Beast once again advises against it. 'Actually, go ahead, Slim. I would love to see you do that' Wolverine tells Cyclops. The Beast does not look impressed and, via the monitor, reminds the others that this mutant is coming out of an elaborate and multi-tiered mental manipulation by Charles Xavier, and on top of the fact that he is being altered, without his knowledge and against his will, mentally and physically, by a power that none of them understands and he certainly can't control.
The Beast continues, remarking that attempting to engage Matthew face-to-face and “man-to-man” is a mistake, and trying to use logic and reason with him is a mistake because he is, at the moment, most probably not capable of either. 'Then what do we do?' someone asks. Wolverine suggests that they could have Magik teleport him into orbit – quick and quiet. 'We're not going to kill him' Storm announces, to which Wolverine points out that the guy has already killed a bunch of people. 'Not consciously' Cyclops remarks. “Not consciously” Wolverine quotes. 'Am I wrong?' Cyclops asks. 'This ain't about you, Slim' Wolverine smirks, before Rachel suggests that perhaps they are coming at him too gingerly. 'What do you mean?' Storm asks her, while down below, Matthew extends his hands above his head and power glows over him. Rachel enquires as to whether there is anybody, any civilians, near him. Maria tells her that there isn't for miles, and adds that the Helicarrier is a good ten miles away from him, as it is as close as they think they can get without putting the ship and the crew in danger. 'What are you going to do?' Storm asks. Rachel remarks that they might need to take a more stern, fatherly approach, scare him into submission. 'Give me a minute' she asks, adding that this is going to take some planning, and she closes her eyes.
On the ground, Matthew reaches higher, and more energy crackles down around him, ripping up the crater and sending rocks coursing through the air around him. 'Look what I can do...' Matthew utters, when suddenly a voice calls out: 'Stop what you're doing right now! Matthew Malloy!' It is Professor X who is accompanied by the Hulk, Thor, Captain America and over a dozen other heroes. 'Your power is putting innocent people in danger. The only thing standing between the Avengers and the X-Men delcaring war on you is me! Stand down and let me help you' the Professor declares. 'holy #$%&!' Matthew exclaims. Professor X asks Matthew to allow him to replace and rebuild the psychic walls that have kept him sane and safe. Wide-eyed, Matthew asks Professor Xavier where he has been. Professor X tells Matthew that he isn't the only mutant in the world. 'Why is this happening to me?' Matthew enquires. 'Because you, as we feared, have a power that neither of us understand and that you cannot control. And the worst has happened... but we can fix it' Professor X tells the confused mutant. Matthew covers his head with his hand and exclaims that he remembers everything. 'I killed my parents. I killed' he declares.
Aboard the Helicarrier, Rachel continues to hold the illusion and speaking as Charles Xavier, tells Matthew that he need not blame himself, that this power is not something any one man could control. Matthew drops to his knees and asks if they can fix this, make it right. 'I promise we will try – if you let me' the “Professor” replies, extending his hand. 'Wait... why are we trying to stop me from being what I'm supposed to be?' Matthew asks as he suddenly looks up and turns to the Professor. 'Because people's lives are in danger. Your life is in danger' Rachel / the Professor replies. 'Uh-oh' Wolverine utters as he glances to Storm. Matthew looks around at the heroes surrounding him and suggests that maybe he is supposed to be able to do these things, and maybe it is a mortal sin to stand in the way of this power. 'Matthew...' the Professor begins, but Matthew declares that he has a power greater than any of them, and maybe he is supposed to have that. 'Maybe I'm this way for a reason and maybe you were wrong for standing in my way' Matthew suggests. The Professor tells Matthew that he needs to calm down. 'Why have you been trying to stop me from being myself all these years?' Matthew replies. 'You know that's not -' the Professor begins. 'Who are you?' Matthew declares. 'Matthew -' Charles begins, but Matthew looks at the Professor and tells him that he is not Charles Xavier.
'Matthew, please!' Rachel calls out from the Helicarrier, while Maria exclaims 'Get out of there! All stations! Pull this boat back before -' she begins, while Matthew clutches his head and declares 'This right here, you...this is all in my head, isn't it? You really shouldn't be in my head' he exclaims. 'We're just trying to help you -' the Professor begins, but Matthew goes wide-eyed as he suddenly realizes that Professor X is dead. He turns to the Helicarrier, 'Uh-oh' Rachel gasps and suddenly, Matthew's power snaps the Helicarrier in half, sending everyone aboard crashing about as the massive vessel nose-dives towards the ground below. The X-Men, Commander Hill and several of her officers start to fall from the Helicarrier, while Maria shouts 'All hands! Code black! Abandon ship! Code black! Code black crash protocol!' The agents open a pouch on their belt, and they all suddenly become surrounded by bubbles. Watching the Helcarrier drop to the ground, Matthew holds up a hand and waves. 'X-Men' he declares. 'I don't blame you for attacking me. I don't blame you for disrespecting me. The X-Men fall amongst the debris of the Helicarrier. Cyclops grabs the unconscious Storm, who has been hit in the head by some debris, and Matthew tells the X-Men that Charles Xavier lied to them as he lied to him. 'I wish you could feel how I feel... but I'm not mad at you' he adds. He continues to watch the X-Men fall, before the Helicarrier smashes into the ground.
Cyclops lands with a THWAP – straight into the snow. 'The hell... just... happened?' he wonders. 'Professor?' Phoebe Cuckoo calls out as she and the other students at the New Xavier School rush towards their mentor. 'Yo, teach – we thought you were at the Jean Grey School' Triage remarks. 'How did it go?' Benjamin Deeds enquires. Phoebe points out that something is wrong. 'Whoa!' Hijack exclaims as a disorientated Cyclops gets up, 'Where is he?' he asks. 'Guys, get away from him' Celeste Cuckoo tells the others, before Cyclops falls back into the snow. 'What's wrong with him?' Celeste wonders. 'He's having a heart attack!' Goldballs exclaims, while Benjamin tells the others to get away from him and let him breathe.
'Professor?' a voice asks. 'Is she dead?' someone else enquires. 'Poke her' someone suggests as Rachel Grey lay slumped over in the grass out the front of the Jean Grey School. Doop and several students including Oya, Quentin Quire, Broo and Glob Herman stand around her, as Rachel suddenly looks around, confused. 'You, uh, just appeared out of nowhere' a female student remarks. 'What day is it?' Rachel asks. 'We thought you were on a secret mission' the female student begins. 'Storm!' Rachel gasps.
Soon, Rachel is followed by Kitty Pryde, the Beast, Emma Frost and Bobby “Iceman” Drake as they enter Storm's quarters, to find her lying on her bed. 'Ororo!' Rachel exclaims. 'Oh no!' Kitty gasps. Rachel continues to call out to Storm, while Illyana “Magik” Rasputin peers through the group and ponts out that Storm is bleeding. Rachel declares that she can wake her up telepathically, and puts a hand to Storm's head. Suddenly, Storm opens her eyes and sits up. 'Oh, thank God' Rachel gasps. Storm asks how long she has been out. 'Believe it or not, about two minutes' Rachel reveals. 'What? How did I end up back in my room?' Storm asks. 'The new mutant. He – he put you here. He sent us home' Rachel explains. 'He destroyed a helicarrier and sent you two home?' the Beast asks, before Storm asks where Wolverine and Cyclops are. 'They're not here. Maybe he only spared us?' Rachel suggests. 'This mutant destroyed an entire helicarrier?' Kitty asks. 'With a wave of his hand' Storm informs her. Rachel hangs her head and remarks that it is her fault, that she engaged Matthew too hard, she pushed. 'It was too -' she begins, as Magik reminds her that she was set there to engage him, by Charles Xavier himself. 'He was too powerful, Magik. I failed' Rachel laments. 'And he spared you two? Fascinating' the Beast utters.
Back at the New Xavier School, all of the students have gathered around Cyclops in a circle and look down at him. 'Professor?' one of them calls out. 'I'm all right' Cyclops tells them. 'You don't look all right. You want me to do some healing on you?' Triage offers. Cyclops tells the student that he just needs a minute. Celeste instructs everyone to back off, but Cyclops assures her that he is okay, and he rubs his head as he sits up. 'Yeah, you are now. And you're welcome' Celeste mutters as she, Tempus and Triage stand around him. Mindee Cuckoo informs Cyclops that the Stepford Sisters have him in their hivemind, and that he is calm because they are calming him down. 'You were having some sort of anxiety attack' Phoebe exclaims. 'I don't get those' Cyclops replies. 'If what we're reading from your mind is true... if what happened just happened... you are well within your rights to be freaking the $#%& out' Celeste tells Cyclops, while Benjamin Deeds asks 'What happened?' He suddenly gets a fright as Magik appears behind him 'Scott, good, you're okay. You're alive' Magik remarks. Cyclops asks Magik how she knew to come back to the school. 'Just hoping' Magik replies, adding that Storm and Rachel are back at the Jean Grey School, and that she hoped this new mutant was kind enough to send Cyclops home as well. 'Seems he was...and Wolverine?' Cyclops enquires. Magik reports that they haven't found him yet, and asks Cyclops if he is okay.
Cyclops declares that he just experienced something he has never experienced before. 'And you've been around' Magik points out. 'Yeah. Xavier was right. This mutant is – is – I've never -' Cyclops utters, before Magik tells him that she will take him back to the Jean Grey School. She informs him that the X-Men are gathering from all corners and the Beast is reaching out to the mutant-friendly world governments, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and he is trying to come up with a plan B. 'Okay' Cyclops responds, before backtracking: 'No... no. Wait' he declares. 'No to which part?' Magik asks. 'You are not thinking what we see you're thinking...' Celeste utters. 'That's -' a wide-eyed Mindee begins. 'That's wow. That is a crazy plan, Professor Summers' Phoebe remarks as she stands with the other students. Cyclops smirks, and Magik looks at him.
Back in South Carolina, Maria Hill and her officers emerge from the rubble, some still in their bubbles. 'This is Maria Hill. Helicarrier 9 has suffered a catastrophic crash. We are in the direct line of fire of the omega level mutant' she reports over communicator. Maria orders whoever is listening to continue evacuation programs for fifty miles in direct radius of her signal. 'Do not, I repeat, do not send military forces to the site' she orders. She turns her bubble force field off, and looks over at Matthew Malloy as he hovers nearby. 'Do not send the Avengers. All agencies stand down' Maria instructs, before telling her agents to lower their weapons and stand down. Maria gets to her feet and approaches Matthew, introducing herself, she reminds him that they spoke before. 'I must ask you to vacate this planet immediately' she tells him. Matthew then turns from her, as Magik teleports in with Cyclops.
Cyclops introduces himself to Matthew, and assures him that he has nothing to fear from him. Cyclops tells Matthew that he understands he has some psychic ability, so has his full permission to read his mind and see that the two of them have a lot in common. 'You and I are both former prodigies of Charles Xavier' he points out, adding that he knows Matthew today is having a very confusing and unsettling day. 'I have had many similar in my life' he reveals, while telling Matthew that if he can read his mind, he knows that he has very strong feelings about mutants and their place in this world. 'When it comes to you...I don't think Charles Xavier was right' Cyclops announces, adding that he doesn't think Matthew is the worst case scenario for mutantkind. 'I think you are a true, one-of-a-kind blessing. I think your existence proves a lot of things to a lot of people. I think it proves things that this world may not be ready for' he adds, before informing Matthew that he was wondering if he could buy him breakfast, as they have a lot to talk about. 'You and I have a lot we could accomplish... together' Cyclops remarks. Matthew listens, before agreeing. 'Yeah, okay...' he replies, while Maria Hill looks on.
