After realizing that Erik the Red was after Professor
Xavier last issue, the X-Men rushed home to find the villain at the Institute.
The X-Men waste no time in attacking him, unaware that they are being watched
by another. Erik the Red is then saved by said other, Firelord, who attacks the
X-Men, his blasts taking out Wolverine, Colossus and Cyclops in an instant.
Nightcrawler then tries distracting the villain, but is taken out as well,
along with Banshee and Storm. With the X-Men easily defeated, Erik the Red
thanks Firelord, feigning innocence and thinks back to how this situation came
to be. In flashback we see Erik the Red preparing for the arriving X-Men, when
Firelord passes by his command base. He then enacts a plan to gain Firelord’s
trust by pretending to have been defeated by the brainwashed Havok and Polaris,
and then having them attack Firelord when he comes to investigate. Firelord
takes out Havok and Polaris easily and Erik the Red manipulates Firelord by
pretending to be a simple explorer opposing the X-Men, knowing that he’ll be
believed once the X-Men attack him on sight.
We then cut to the Shi’ar cruiser that arrived near
earth last issue. Sent to kill the arriving Princess Lilandra by her brother,
the Emperor D’Ken, the ship scans a history of earth’s encounters with
extra-terrestrial life. Once they discover that earth has managed to drive back
Galactus on four separate occasions, they make a quick exit to plan anew,
thinking they may have underestimated earth, before sending one last salvo at
Lilandra’s ship. Lilandra manages to beam out of her ship just in time, as we cut
to the apartment of Jean Grey and Misty Knight, where they are entertaining
Jean’s parents, along with Charles Xavier. Lilandra arrives via her
teleportation beam, shocking Xavier, before collapsing. They tend to Lilandra,
with Xavier feeling a connection despite never having met, when the wall to the apartment explodes, signaling Firelord’s arrival!
Jean changes to Phoenix and blasts Firelord out of the
building, as they continue a furious battle outside, with Jean demonstrating an
extreme increase in power. While Phoenix fights Firelord, Erik the Red makes a
play for the now defenseless Xavier, blasting everyone in the apartment and
taking Xavier and Lilandra prisoner. The X-Men arrive once more in a hovercraft
to find Erik the Red setting up a dimensional stargate on the roof of the
apartment building. Erik shoots down the X-Men’s hovercraft, causing yet
another vehicle they’re in to explode! Meanwhile, the battle with Phoenix and
Firelord continues, with Phoenix blasting Firelord miles away, before receiving
a mental call from Professor X. Phoenix races back to the rest of them while
worrying about what this newfound power could be doing to her, feeling almost
like a drug.
Back with the X-Men, Storm and Banshee catch the
others while Nightcrawler makes his way up to the roof the old-fashioned way.
Nightcrawler is just too late to stop Erik the Red from taking Lilandra through
the gate to who knows where. Phoenix arrives again and while her parents want
answers, time is short. Phoenix musters up an incredible amount of power to
repower the gate so that the X-Men may follow Erik the Red and rescue Lilandra.
Cyclops is shocked at Jean’s display of power but focuses on the task at hand,
as Xavier stresses that it’s imperative that the X-Men stop Erik’s plans and
save Lilandra. They head through the gate, leaving Xavier, Misty Knight, and
Jean’s parents behind, just as Firelord returns, royally ticked off, while
Xavier reveals that the fate of the universe rests on the X-Men’s shoulders! To
be continued!