At her Muir Island base, Moira MacTaggert runs some
tests to try and determine the extent of Jean Grey’s powers as the Phoenix. She
fails to find anything conclusive, as the two are secretly watched by the
possessed body of what used to be Angus MacWhirter, now something entirely
different! Jean thinks of all of the events that got her to this point,
becoming the Phoenix, facing Magneto, all the way up to her recent vacation,
and all of the wonderful people she met on the perfect getaway. Meanwhile, in Westchester,
the X-Men run through a challenge session in the Danger Room where Colossus is
tasked with keeping a hydraulic ram from crushing him. Wolverine attempts to
help by slashing through the wall to the machine’s power but is rebuked by a
jet of water for his trouble. Next up, Cyclops tries to catch Nightcrawler with
a trapdoor, but he simply teleports to the far wall. Cyclops then activates
some sonic beams to throw Nightcrawler off balance and impede his teleporting.
Cyclops has Banshee shut down the program, stating his frustration that the
team isn’t meshing as well as the old team did. Wolverine storms out and Storm
tries to talk to Cyclops, who states that they’ve been lucky recently and their
luck won’t last forever.
We then cut to Asteroid M, where Magneto is
recuperating after his last battle with the X-Men. While he refines his plans,
his computer screen suddenly displays a picture of his deceased wife Magda. He
reminisces for a bit before erasing the picture, not letting it distract from
his plans. Meanwhile, in Scotland, Jason Wyngarde plans as well. He reveals
that he was really all of the nice people Jean met on her vacation and that he
plans to use the connection he’s established to mold her until he and the Hellfire
Club can claim her. Speaking of Jean, at that moment she’s talking with Polaris
about the directions life has been taking them, showing off a little by using
her powers to change her outfit with each step. Moira, meanwhile, discovers
that Jean’s been holding her powers back subconsciously and that if they get
out of control again, she could become something akin to a god! Out in space,
Charles Xavier comes to the very same conclusions after reviewing the data of
Jean saving the universe from the M’Kraan Crystal. The potential danger this
fares makes Xavier decide that he must return to earth!
Back on Muir Island, Moira discovers a gold tooth
outside Mutant X’s cell. She opens the cell and discovers that Mutant X is
missing, to her shock and horror! Jean passes Multiple Man and Havok on her way
back to the research center, while Havok worries that Jean is acting out of
character, using her powers to show off more than she ever has. Jean then
senses Moira’s distraught thoughts and races to find her. She turns a corner
and suddenly finds herself in an 18th century setting, with period
appropriate clothes to match! Her mind tells her that it’s real, before she’s
suddenly tackled by the mysterious Mutant X, causing Havok and Multiple Man to
react to her scream.
Back in Westchester, Beast stops in on the mansion,
concerned that the alarms he set up had been disconnected. Nightcrawler pounces
on him, thinking him an intruder. The two wrestle in the dark, until lightning
flashes allowing the two to get a good look at each other. Nightcrawler
teleports and alerts the others, thinking that he’s seen a ghost! They head
upstairs where Cyclops and Beast react in surprise and delight that the other
is alive! They catch up, with Beast letting Scott know that Jean is alive as
well. Scott calls Muir Island to alert Moira of their arrival, but the phone is
answered by Polaris. Surprised to hear Scott, she tells him that there may be
something going on, after they all heard Jean scream and the alarms started
going off. Cyclops tells her that they’re on their way when Polaris suddenly
screams as well, and the line goes dead! To be continued!