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spiralcass · 26 days

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NEW X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES: SEASON 3, EPISODE 11

We open at a political rally in Washington Square Park, which has drawn a massive crowd. The people in the crowd are volatile, and holding anti-Mutant signs. The press are also here, and a stage is set up.

The microphone on the stage is tapped to test it as a man begins speaking, thanking everyone for coming, and asks them to please settle down. It’s revealed that he’s a briefly seen figure from earlier in the series: Graydon Creed.

Creed thanks everyone for coming, and says that while he understands these people’s anger completely, they must be civil. They’re not animals - not like Mutants. Graydon speaks about the rising Mutant threat. Attacks on Paris, riots at the school that’s supposed to keep these freaks contained, why, he’s even heard from some friends in Washington that multiple government bases have been destroyed by Mutants over the last several months!

And yet, of the hundreds of bills moving through state legislatures to curtail these threats to all hard-working humans, those same friends in Washington are unwilling to take action nationally. And the good people of America deserve better. They deserve someone who will take action!

As he talks, men in suits pass out yellow armbands with “FOH” written on them to the crowd.

GRAYDON: “For the past two years, I have proudly served as a Represenative for the state of New York. But no matter how great the odds may be against me, I can not sit back and tolerate this political disgrace any longer.”

A hologram appears behind Graydon of his “FOH” logo.

GRAYDON: “Ladies and gentleman, it is my honor to abandon the Republican party, and to welcome you all to the only political faction that can guaruntee mankind’s future. One that will find a solution to the Mutant problem once and for all! I proudly announced my candidacy for President of the these United States, and welcome you all…” BEAT. “To the Friends of Humanity!”

The crowd all eagerly slip on their armbands and cheer Graydon’s name. Graydon happily soaks up the worship.

In a bakery, a red-headed woman in a casual yellow dress stands in line, cake in hand. As she nears the front of the line, she’s approached by a smug Pietro.

PIETRO: “That doesn’t look too appetizing.”

WOMAN, acting confused and annoyed: “Huh?”

PIETRO: “That cake is from the fridge. How long ago do you think that was made?”

WOMAN: “Do you normally go up to women and insult their confectionery purchases?”

PIETRO: “Only when they’re as stunning and deserving of better as you.”

WOMAN: “Ooooh, I see. You think you’re some kind of smooth talker. Some rich guy who thinks he can sweep me off my poor feet? I know your type.”

PIETRO: “I’m sure you do. Interested?”

The woman pushes Pietro back, getting out of line.

WOMAN: “I have less than zero interest in getting with some self-absorbed pretty boy who thinks the world of himself. I prefer my men…down to Earth.”

PIETRO, shrugging: “Just as well. I’m married. My wife would kill me if she saw this.”

WOMAN, smirking: “Oh…I don’t know about that.”

Pietro smirks back and the two kiss. The people behind the counter, as well as those in line, are a little befuddled.

PIETRO: “I’ve missed you, Crystal.”

A campaign ad for Graydon plays on a TV, narrated by him. It discusses how Mutants are not only the greatest threat to America, but the world, and no matter what differences they hold, all humans must stand together against them (he says over a clip of conventionally attractive non-white and queer people wearing FOH armbands). He mentions how he is the son of two of the most evil Mutants of all, Sabretooth and Mystique, which is why he knows how monstrous these creatures are by nature better than anyone. But it’s also why he knows how to fight them. And that’s what he’ll do as the next president of the United States.

GRAYDON: “I’m Graydon Creed, and I approve this message.”

The tv in the headmasters’ office is turned off.

SCOTT: “I liked him better when he was just trying to kill me with a spear.”

Scott is seated at his desk, with Emma at his side, while Magneto stands on the other side of the desk, along with a well-dressed and well-presented thin black woman who looks just a little familiar. A binder sits on the desk.

STEVIE HUNTER: “This starts airing in 48 hours. The notes there are what my people were able to scrounge up about his campaign.”

EMMA, mockingly: “Your people?”

STEVIE, not interested in banter: “Interns.”

SCOTT, flipping through the notes, weirdly enthusiastic: “The kids did a good job organizing these.”

STEVIE, genuine but amused: “I remembered how you liked your binders.”

ERIK, in a huff: “Graydon timed this. He made the switch from would-be hunter to politician years ago. He’s only taking this step now because of our failures.”

The metal in the room starts shaking, until Emma calm’s Erik’s mind.

STEVIE: “Riiight, if you guys are gonna kill him, please do not make me an accessory.”

SCOTT, standing up with a smile: “We’re not going to kill him.” Scott shakes her hand. “Thank you for this, Stevie.”

STEVIE: “Anything for you guys. Never forget where you come from.” Looking straight at Emma for a little banter: “No matter how weird things get there.”

Emma, trying to play it as cool as Stevie did, scoffs dismissively.

ERIK, approaching Stevie: “I apologize for my outburst, Congresswoman Hunter. As always, you are a credit to your species.”

STEVIE: “Thank you, Erik. I’ll remember you said that the next time you go crazy and try to kill us all.” Erik is left gagged. “Don’t be afraid to call my office, Scott.”

SCOTT: “Of course.”

As Stevie departs, Scott and Emma both laugh at Erik, Emma falling onto Scott’s lap.

ERIK, trying to not be embarrassed: “Oh, please. She could have just as easily said something similar about you.”

EMMA: “But she didn’t.”

Erik grumbles, as Emma snickers.

SCOTT, putting his arms around Emma: “Okay, okay. So. How do we kill Graydon?”

At the grocery store, Sooraya is helping her mother do some shopping. Mirah and Sooraya are jubilant following Ramadan, feeling renewed and refreshed. And also very, very hungry as they’ve been fasting.

The two speaking in Arabic, Mirah admits that while the last year for her has been one miracle after another, following years of pain, so much of it has been strange and foreign to her. This helped her get back in touch with what really matters.

Sooraya smiles at her mom, happy to see her so happy. She then briefly flashes back to the end of the previous episode, and the voice speaking to her.

SOORAYA, in the present, in Arabic: “I feel the same way. I love my friends, but…I had missed this.”

Mirah hesitates to respond, which concerns Sooraya. Mirah tells her she didn’t want to do anything rash after the tragedy at the school, but she was wondering if, after this semester, Sooraya might not like to complete her final year of school somewhere else. Somewhere safer.

Sooraya is upset and confused by this. Her mother was the one who told her that she had to say at the school, that it was where she was meant to be with the gifts she was given. Mirah sighs and says she knows, but she knows her “Dust” is powerful enough to defeat any villain she faces. But her little girl deserves to be safe in her own bed.

Soo understands her fears, but she and her friends are stronger together. She cannot abandon them. And “Dust” is still needed to defeat the enemies who have been tormenting them.

At the checkout, Mirah notices Sooraya becoming solemn over the discussion. To lighten things up…

MIRAH: “You said that one of the “Horsemen” was a Crusader, didn’t you?” Soo nods. “Well then…we can delay this conversation until you have separated his skin from his flesh.”

Sooraya giggles. That sounds fine.

As the two exit the store, Sooraya says if her mother did wish to pull her out of the Jean Grey School, she would obey, but wonders if she could transfer to a school in Jersey. Mirah teases her, saying she thought she didn’t enjoy the date she set her up on.

SOORAYA, amused: “It’s not that. It’s–”

MIRAH: “If you’d like another date with that nice young man, you only have to–”

Mirah stops talking part-way through her sentence, confusing Sooraya.

SOORAYA: “Mother?”

Mirah coughs up blood, as Sooraya’s eyes widen in horror; she’s been shot through the stomach.

Mirah falls over onto the ground, as Sooraya screams. She immediately uses her powers to put pressure on the wound, calling desperately for someone to help.

SOORAYA, tearing up: “No, no no.” BEAT. “Somebody! Please!”

Back at the school, Cyclops, Emma, and Magneto are working out their plan to take out Creed. They quickly agree on two things.

First, this stays between them. This is not an X-Men mission, nor will the X-Men ever be used to carry out assasinations. Creed just has too much potential to spread chaos in this climate, and has to be neurtralized, so they’ll bear the splatter of his blood themselves.

CYCLOPS: “Of course Magik wouldn’t mind helping, but I don’t want to encourage her.”

The second point is that this has to be quiet. Obviously all of them could physically kill Creed, but if it got out that they did so, that’s it, they’re done, humanity’s war on Mutants stops being cold. Even if he didn’t have mental defenses, something as easy to disguise as Emma’s telepathy could still be tracked back to them.

MAGNETO: “With civilian casualties out of the question, a large-scale “accident” cannot be initiated either.”

EMMA: “It doesn’t leave us with very many options.” Emma gets off of Scott. ‘Don’t say anything else. He’s deep in thought.”

ERIK: “Would you care to fill me in?”

EMMA: “I’m not in his head. That’s just his planning brow.”

ERIK: “You can actually tell when he’s–?”

SCOTT: “I’ve got it.” Emma gestures to him proudly. “The last time the X-Men fought Graydon, neither of you was much better than him. “He never worked directly with either of you, but he did team up with some of our other enemies. Human and Mutant alike.”

EMMA: “Where are you going with this?”

Scott smirks.

SCOTT: “If we can’t assasinate Creed using our powers, then we do it the way baselines do. One of us needs to get close enough to poison him, and make it look like any one of the other people he has bad blood with are responsible. Creed would never let his guard down around, “Magneto, Master of Magnet”--”

ERIK, embarrassed, but threatening: “I called myself that one time, Summers.”

SCOTT: “And we’re all still laughing. Point is, he’d never trust you.”

EMMA, seeing where this is going: “But The White Queen who helped fund the second generation of Sentinels….”

Scott nods. If Emma doesn’t like the plan, they can think of something else.

SCOTT: “But I know how you enjoy outplaying small men.”

Emma takes a moment to think it over.

Emma sighs.

EMMA: “Let me go make some calls and put on some gloves. I refuse to greet that cretin bare-handed.”

At a hospital, Mirah is rushed inside from an ambulence, with Sooraya running along with the medical workers, tearfully calling out to her mother, until she’s told she can’t go any further, and she has to let the doctors work.

Sooraya, extremely emotional, nearly snaps at the nurse telling her this, her hands turning to sand, but…

“Sooraya!”

Soo solidifies and is calmed down by the arrival of her friends, save Laura. Cessily runs right up to her and tightly hugs her.

CESSILY: “She’s going to be okay. After everything she’s been through, this isn’t gonna be the end, alright?”

Sooraya weakly nods as she hugs her friend back.

Nori questions what even happened, all Soo having said in her message was that her mother was shot. As Dust pulls back, she tells her she wishes she knew, but she doesn’t have any idea.

DUST: “I understand that there are many who would like to hurt women like us. But this was no act of random violence.”

Julian promises her they’re gonna figure this out, and they’ll make whoever did this wish they were never born. Roxy comes in from a softer angle, asking her if there’s anything she needs right now.

Sooraya wipes her tears and asks the two speedsters if they could get her some of her things from her room. The EMTs weren’t sure how long she’d be in surgery. She definitely needs her prayer rug. And some snacks.

JULIAN: “One dried fruit and nut bowl coming right up.”

NORIKO: “We’ve got you.”

Soo weakly smiles as thanks her friends, before the two speed off.

Sofia steps forward.

SOFIA, emotional: “Sooraya, I…I am so sorry you have to go through this. I have thought for years that there is nothing worse than the pain of losing a parent. But the fear you must feel must be even worse.”

Sooraya sniffles, but shakes her head. She will be okay. They both will. Allah would not have brought them back together, just to separate them again. Sofia tells her to hold onto that hope tightly.

SOFIA: “I can’t move as fast as Surge and Hellion, but if you’d like, I CAN try and listen for any updates from the operating room.”

Sooraya would appreciate that, so Sofia gives her a hug and tells her she’ll get right on it. As Sofia walks away, Cessily and Roxy help Soo to find seats in the waiting area.

Once she’s out of sight from her friends, Sofia’s face hardens.

In Clan Akkaba’s headquarters, Akihiro is continuing to train Laura. He’s still largely kicking her around, but they’ve become much more of an even match.

AKIHIRO, stomping down on her on the ground: “Better. Much better. But you’re still fighting like the X-Men taught you. If you’re gonna keep calling yourself a weapon, you should at least fight like one.”

Death tells her to go again as he takes his boot off of her, before his phone rings. He tells Laura to grab some water while he takes this.

AKI, answering the phone: “My lady.”

SOFIA, in voice over: “Tell me this wasn’t us.”

AKIHIRO, unsure what she’s talking about: “Only operation we have planned for today is Quicksilver. Did something else happen?”

Without the conversation being heard, Akihiro reacts as he’s told what happened, and given orders, confirming that he understands. Death hangs up.

AKIHIRO: “Class for today is over, “Sis”. That was the boss. I’ve got someone to find. And you’ve got somewhere you need to be.”

Laura is confused and worried.

In central park, Pietro has a picnic with Crystal, wine and the store bought cake included. They romantically feed each other bites of the cake, using purple prose to describe its adequacy. Pietro thinks they could use something a bit more refined to wash it down and moves up to pop open the wine. Crystal tells him to be careful he doesn’t spray them, which Pietro, moving too quickly, proceeds to do.

Crystal screeches, which makes Pietro laugh, before he apologizes and waves his hands to dry them both off.

CRYSTAL: “Idiot.”

PIETRO: “Perhaps, but you married me. So what does that make you?”

CRYSTAL: “At the time? 22.”

Crystal sighs happily and lays her head down on Pietro’s lap as he pours them each a glass of wine.

CRYSTAL: “I wish he could do this every day.”

PIETRO: “The price we pay living world’s apart. How are things on the blue side of the moon?”

CRYSTAL: “I’m the wrong girl to ask. I try to spend as little time in Attilan as I can.”

PIETRO, teasing as he hands Crystal her wine: “I’m sure the king and queen just love that.”

CRYSTAL: “My sister and brother-in-law should be grateful. If it wasn’t for everything they had to offer Luna, they wouldn’t even have their princess to show off on special occasions.”

Pietro’s expression becomes more sincere as he holds Crystal’s hand.

PIETRO: “May I see her?”

CRYSTAL: “Of course.”

Pietro grabs Crystal’s phone and turns on it, revealing her lockscreen: a nine-month old baby girl. Pietro’s heart melts as Crystal sits up and puts her arms around him from behind.

PiETRO: “She’s beautiful.”

CRYSTAL: “She is. I wish you could have been there when she was born. I’ll never forgive Medusa.”

PIETRO: “Can…can I meet her?”

CRYSTAL: “I’ve got a little apartment in Brooklyn. She’s there with a sitter right now.”

Pietro’s eyes widen with excitement. Before anything else can be said however, as a powerful wind blows away their picnic, and a blast of green energy knocks down a tree. As everyone else in the park flees, Pietro and Crystal leap to their feet.

MALICE, flying down: “We honestly didn’t mean to time it like this, but frankly, Pietro? Keeping you from ever seeing your daughter sounds delicious.”

CRYSTAL: “Lorna?”

PIETRO, enraged, changing into his costume at super speed: “No. Not even close.”

In an office building floor, the Friends of Humanity are already hard at work, with dozens of employees making cold calls for the organization, designing merchandise, or completing other assignments.

Graydon works in his corner office, until his secretary informs him that “the mutant” is here. Graydon tells him not to be so dismissive of this one.

GRAYDON: “Ms. Frost is one of the good ones. At least, she used to be.”

Emma enters the office, much to the disgust of the people working there, where she’s greeted by Graydon, wearing a perfect politician’s smile.

GRAYDON: “Emma, I am so happy you called.”

EMMA: “I’m glad you were able to meet so quickly.”

The two shake hands, Emma indeed having put on gloves.

GRAYDON: “I haven’t been in politics long, but you never give a potential donor like you time to change her mind.”

EMMA: “I highly doubt you have any donors like me.” A man walks up with a power-inhibiting collar. “What is this?”

GRAYDON: “I can understand with how utterly your people have been losing lately wanting to come back to the winning team. It’s not like you ever gave a damn before you made the mistake of growing a heart. But I hope you’ll understand that, given you are still an X-Man, I feel the need to take precautions. Do you?”

Emma is perturbed, and we see in part why, as she’s psychically patched in to Scott and Erik, who are back in their office. Scott tells her to go ahead and do it. He’ll have one of the kids from her telepathy class to patch them back in. He’ll have them leave once they’re sure Emma is secure and before she does anything.

EMMA, putting on her own political smile: “Of course.”

Emma tries to not be embarrassed as she collars herself for Graydon.

GRAYDON: “Perfect. Now we can talk on more equal footing. Right this way.”

Graydon leads Emma toward his office, but swears as two kids run past them both, a young boy with dark black hair and a little blonde girl in a frilly dress chasing after him, with the boy screaming at her to not give him cooties.

EMMA: “Are you running a political campaign or a daycare service?”

GRAYDON, recomposing himself: “I apologize. They’re Carlton Kilgore and Lenore Kensington’s brats. Apparently they were just dying to see what their daddy and mommy were getting involved with. One of my staff was meant to be watching them. Penelope!”

“I’m sorry, sir!”

Emma’s practiced smile falters as she hears a familiar voice, and sees an even more familiar face, as Monet comes around a corner, saying she’ll get the kids back in order right away.

GRAYDON, sighing: “It can wait. Penelope Enduque, meet Emma Frost.”

MONET, offering her hand: “It’s an honor, ma’am. I’m a big fan of your old work.”

EMMA, hesitant, shaking her hand: “Charmed.”

In their office, Scott and Erik smack their faces. In his office on the other side of the world, Roberto smacks his own face.

In the hospital, Mirah is in surgery, with several doctors sweating as they work on her. Out in the waiting room, Julian and Noriko have returned and are noshing on snacks they brought over, while Cessily joins Sooraya in prayer on the floor.

Laura burts into the waiting room in a panic, looking for Sooraya.

LAURA: “Soo!”

Dust notices her and, without a word, shifts into sand to fly over to her best friend and hug her.

NORIKO, under her breath: “Took her long enough.”

Roxy and Julian each punch one of her arms.

LAURA: “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”

SOORAYA: “I am just glad to have you here now. Will you join Cessily and I in prayer?”

Laura nods without question.

Nearby, Sofia is on the phone again.

AKIHIRO, in voice over: “I’ve got your assassin.”

SOFIA: “Already?”

AKIHIRO: “You gave me the location where the target was hit. Of course I was able to track them from there.”

SOFIA: “I didn’t realize you possessed Warpath’s skills.”

AKIHIRO: “Yeah, well…I may have also asked Exodus for help.”

Sofia is mildly amused. Aki asks her if his lady wants all the heads of the people responsible for this, but Lady Akabba tells him to stand down.

SOFIA: “We can use this.”

As Sofia re-enters the waiting room, Sooraya, back on her mat, cringes.

The same soothing voice from the end of the last episode speaks her name in her head.

Sooraya’s eyes fill with rage as she stands up.

CESSILY: “Everything alright, Soo?”

SOORAYA, quietly furious: “They will be soon. My prayers have been answered. I know who shot my mother.” BEAT. “And I’m going to kill her.”

Everyone else looks at Sooraya with concern.

In Central Park, Pestilence taunts Quicksilver as she touches down on the ground, asking if he hasn’t told his wife about her.

MALICE: “Becuase I know all about you, Princess Crystalia Amaquelin.”

Crystal demands to know what’s going on, with a pissed Pietro explaining at super speed.

CYRSTAL: “And you didn’t tell me about this, why?”

QUICKSILVER: “Sorry, I’ve–”

MALICE: “It’s because he’s got more in common with dear old dad than he’d ever like to admit. Including poor time management. Lorna understands that well.”

QUICKSILVER: “Enough! Your tricks were enough to work once, but not again. Return my sisters to me, and you may survive the day.”

MALICE: “Return them? There’s Magneto’s possesiveness. How do you put up with this, Crystal?”

Quicksilver howls in rage as he rushes Malice, but he collides with her magnetic field and is sent flying.

CRYSTAL: “Pietro!” She turns with fury to Pestillence. “You say you know who I am. If that’s true, and you still made the choice to come for my family…” Crystal’s eyes glow yellow as the earth shakes, a powerful wind blows through the park and lifts her above the ground, fire materalizes and spins around her, and water is ripped out of the grass to do the same. “You must have a death wish.”

The two stare each other down as Pietro speeds back over, the fight about to start.

Back at the hospital, Cessily asks Sooraya what she’s talking about as everyone gathers around, Laura holding Sofia’s hand, showing that Sofia still hasn’t broken up with her.

Dust explains to her friends that, recently, Allah has been speaking to her directly during prayer. She’s known for some time that she was directly chosen by him, but this has been a wondrous, holy experience for her.

DUST, glaring at Nori and Julian: “And I can see from your expressions that you believe I’m being tricked. I promise, I know that this is real.”

SOFIA: “And he told you who shot your mother?”

Sooraya casts her head down.

SOORAYA: “Leper Queen.”

JULIAN: “What?!”

NORI: “Are you serious?!”

Hellion and Surge recall taking Leper Queen down when she attacked the school last year on Parents Day, and question how she could have gotten out of SHIELD’s prison.

Roxy facepalms, being the first to put it together.

ROXY: “Those Akabba creeps we fought were also from SHIELD’s prisons. She must have escaped while Exodus was doing his recruitment drive.”

Sofia’s eyes panic at the realization she IS indirectly responsible for this. Laura squeezes her hand to comfort her.

JULIAN: “Don’t suppose Allah was able to tell you what her problem is and why she shot her.”

SOORAYA: “He did not. But I will find out.”

CESSILY: “Right, so, I totally get wanting to do this yourself. If Julian and Nori beat her once, we can all do it together no problem.” Her face shifts with concern. “But you’re not a murderer.”

SOORAYA, without hesitation: “I have killed before.”

LAURA, letting go of Sofia and approaching Sooraya: “When you had no choice. You still have nightmares about it.”

SOORAYA: “And now my nightmares will be filled with my mother bleeding out on the ground.”

SOFIA: “Laura is right, Soo. Whether or not she deserves death, this is exactly what led Quentin down the path he went.”

Laura turns back to Sofia for a moment with confusion, unsure why her brainwashed friend would be taking her side on this.

Julian and Nori toss in their support with Sofia and Laura, calling back to their experiences at the start of the season

There’s a moment of silence as Sooraya thinks, staring at each of her friends.

DUST: “If you will not help me…then I must do this alone.”

Sooraya burts into millions of sand particles to fly away. Hellion tries to stop her by telekinetically grabbing all of them, but while he catches most, he misses just a few specs of dust, which is all Soo needs to make it outside before reforming her body and flying away.

ROXY: “Oh, this is bad. What do we –?”

Laura, without taking a moment to consult with the others, races out of the hospital.

NORI: “That. We do that. We go after her, and we stop her. Hellion and I will at least. Mercury, Bling!, start calling X-Men, and get everyone you can to come help us. Wind Dancer, I–”

SOFIA: “I will stay here and keep listening for updates on Mirah’s condition. Her survival is more likely to calm Sooraya’s rage than anything else.”

NORI: “Yeah, that works.”

JULIAN: “Alright, let’s get out of…here.”

Cessily wrapps her arms around Julian.

CESSILY: “Please don’t let her do this.”

JULIAN, hugging her back with one arm: “Don’t worry. We’re not losing anyone else.”

Julian shoots a smile at Sofia, who smiles back.

Surge and Hellion race off.

In Graydon’s office, he and Emma sit down to talk business, with Emma knowing all the pretty little words she needs to use to handle him. Her real attention is on Monet, standing behind Graydon, who reaches out to her telepathically.

MONET: “What do you think you’re doing here?”

EMMA: “I imagine the same thing as you, “Penelope”. Shouldn’t you be in school?”

MONET: “I dropped out.”

EMMA, angry and disappointed: “What?!”

MONET: “I’m still completing the work to obtain my degrees, but university itself was a waste of my time.” Still wearing a phony smile, she looks right into Emma’s eyes. “Just like high school now that I think about it.”

EMMA, frustrated: “Whatever resentments you hold toward me, you shouldn’t allow them to affect your education.”

MONET: “My resentments? I do not resent you for getting Everett and Angelo killed, Ms. Frost.” Emma’s fake smile falters just a little. “Or for what you did afterward. You just…mean nothing to me.”

Emma holds back her feelings about this as she returns her attention to Graydon, who wants to know what she’s expecting in exchange for becoming the largest donator to the Friends of Humanity.

GRAYDON: “Obviously you won’t be purged like the rest of your kind, but I know enough about you to understand you want more.”

Emma confirms his assumption. She wants to be involved with the Friends of Humanity directly, as well as leniency for a handful of her students, an assurance that her bank accounts won’t be touched, and a segregated space, similar to Genosha but without the madman in charge…

Erik rolls his eyes as Emma spins her story.

…for any surviving Mutants, including herself, to occupy.

EMMA: “Living among humanity won’t be a good fit for anyone, and you can trust me to keep them in line.”

Graydon hardens his face as he thinks over this carefully. He isn’t given the chance to come to a conclusion on his own.

MONET: “Sir, if I may speak?” Graydon turns to her with a “This better be good” look. “I wouldn’t believe a word out of this Mutant’s mouth.” Emma’s eyes turn livid at M going this far to spite her. “You remember our poker evening with Sunspot last year, don’t you? We’ve both been tricked before.” Monet smiles at Emma. “I really do hope you’ve returned to your senses, Ms. Frost, I looked up to you as a mature role-model when I was very, very young, but the stakes of what we’re attempting here are simply too high to put to chance.”

Before Graydon can speak, Emma jumps in.

EMMA: “Mr. Creed, do you typically allow your nannies to speak for you?” Monet now narrows her eyes at Emma. “However much Ms. Enduque is donating to be a part of this endeavor, I can’t imagine it’s worth being undermined in such disprectul fashion.”

BEAT

Graydon sighs. He didn’t realize these two were so similar (this comment upsetting both Emma and Monet). He’s going to make some calls from people who’s judgement he trusts, requesting Penelope to show Emma around in the meantime.

MONET, smile back on: “Of course.”

Emma and Monet shoot smug glares at each other.

In Central Park, Quicksilver and Crystal’s battle against Pestillence has commenced. Malice blasts at Crystal, but can’t hit her as Pietro is holding her and moving them both around at super speed. Crystal attempts to burn Malice with a wave of fire, but Pestillence protects herself with a shield. Malice attempts to use the metal in the Earth’s surface to swallow Crystal and Quicksilver up, but while it initially works, Crystal’s superior command over the elements frees them with ease.

Seeing that her attacks can’t penetrate Pestillence’s shield, Crystal controls the air molecules around Malice, within her shield, and crushes her with them. Malice screams in agony, prompting her shield to drop, allowing Pietro to leap right in her face and snap his fingers at super speed. The ensuing bang sends Malice flying across the city.

CRYSTAL: “Is there a plan here? Or do we just keep hitting her until she gives in?”

PIETRO: “The Horseman were each gifted an additional Mutation by Apocalypse. That’s what she used to poison Wanda. If we beat her, she loses the artificial X-gene. Apocalypse’s “survival of the fittest” nonsense and all. That may cure her.”

CRYSTAL: “Couldn’t it also leave the effects permanent?”

Pietro, streessed, seethes. Yes, that is possible. But they couldn’t force her to do anything for them without beating her.

CRYSTAL: “We could attempt negotiations. She has to want something, right?”

PIETRO: “What she wants is the extinction of humanity.” We cut away from Pietro and see Malice, where she landed, at an industrial sight. “She’s a monster.”

As Pestillence aches, struggling to stand, she flashes back.

Several years ago in Yorkshire, a fifteen year-old Alice MacAllister, dressed in a school uniform, with several facial and body piercings and punkish accessories, attends a protest against a law being put into effect prohibiting Mutants with visible Mutants from showing themselves in public.

Alice holds a sign, and joins in with the rest of the crowd’s chants. An older man with a slight facial Mutation tells her he’s not about to complain about anyone joining in to help the cause, but questions based on her outfit if she shouldn’t be somewhere else right now.

ALICE: “It’s fine, sir. School is nothing but state propaganda designed to control us. If it were actually meant to teach us anything, we wouldn’t waste so much time on fluff we’ll never need to know. It’s indoctrination, plain and simple. This? This is what’s real. This is where I can learn.”

MUTANT, putting his hands up: “Intense, but okay. Your life. Hope you don’t get in any trouble.”

ALICE: “Pssh. It’ll be fine.”

We hard cut to Alice being slapped by her mother later that evening as she’s berated for skipping school.

MOM: “You’ve made clear you don’t care about yourself with how you’ve mutilated your body, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care about your future!”

ALICE: “The only way I have a future is if things change! If your generation keeps destroying the climate and building death robots to hunt innocent people–”

MOM, dismissively: “My generation?”

ALICE: “Yes! Literally yes!”

Alice’s mom sighs. She gets it. This is how all teenagers are. But one day, she’s going to wake up and think just like her. The fire will die out, she’s going to become “boring”, and when she does, she’ll have wished she worked hard enough to have achieved a comfortable life.

MOM: “I want better for you than I have, dear.”

ALICE: “So I’m just supposed to turn a blind eye? How can I study maths when people are being genocided?”

MOM: “Do not use that language. That is not what’s happening. Besides…” She places a hand on her daughter’s face. “They’re just Mutants.”

“What’s this about Mutants?”

Alice and her mother are both taken aback by the sound of a gravelly voice slurring its words.

MOM: “Go to your room. I’ll handle your father.”

Alice breaths and weakly smiles.

ALICE: “Thank you, Mum.”

MOM: “This conversation isn’t finished.”

ALICE, face falling: “Yeah. I know.”

Alice stomps off to her room, bitter.

In the present, we pan across a forest. Men can be heard loudly grunting in unison. Underneath the forest is a bunker, where muscular men in military fatigues, some with actual military tattoos, are running combat drills.

As we pan across the bunker, we see other men undergoing intense workouts and marksmanship training. Still others are studying poisons and traps. And then there are those who are allowing themselves to be slashed by metal claws, blasted with ray guns, and electrocuted.

One man is sparring with an unseen opponent, before said opponent stabs him through the chest with a knife. He falls over.

The camera pans up to reveal Leper Queen.

LEPER QUEEN: “Walk if off. Mutants will do far worse.”

SOLDIER: “Y…yes, ma’am.”

As Leper Queen herself walks away and grabs a towel, a man in uniform approaches her.

OFFICER: “General, we have a problem?”

LEPER QUEEN, unworried, toweling off her sweat: “Did the beast not take the bait?”

OFFICER: “No, ma’am. Just as you calculated, shooting the mother of X-23’s closest friend is drawing her out, and measures are in place to lure her here.”

LEPER: “Then what’s the problem?”

OFFICER: “The daughter.”

In the forest, Dust travels through the thick trees furiously in sand form, inadvertently breaking off bark and knocking down branches.

OFFICER, in voice over: “She’s coming too.”

LAURA: “DUST!”

Sooraya doesn’t stop moving. Laura races across treetops until she can leap down and get in front of her.

LAURA: “I’m not going to stop you.”

Before Dust can collide with Laura, she stops and reforms her body.

DUST: “Then you are going to help me?

Laura nods.

LAURA: “You’ve always understood better than the others. You’re the only one who could. You know what death tastes like.” Laura approaches Soo. “The blood on me is too thick to ever come off. But I can keep you clean.” Laura bares her claws. “I’ll take Leper Queen out, myself.”

Soo needs a moment to think this over, not overly fond of the idea, but she accepts it.

DUST: “Thank you, Laura.” BEAT. “When I look at you, I do not see any blood.”

Laura isn’t sure what to say to that. Nor does she get the chance to figure it out. Laura shoves Sooraya to the ground as a turret fire of tranquelizers into shot into her.

DUST: “Wolverine!”

Dust begins transforming, but she’s hit by and trapped in an electric net. She briefly screams, before passing out.

Back in the city, Monet continues to put on her act touring Emma around the Friends of Humanity’s facilities. As she does so, she telepathically communicates with someone else.

BETO: “So would you like to give me the full story here?”

MONET: “No.”

BETO, getting a manicure in his office: “You mean because telepathic communication at this distance is difficult for you?”

MONET: “Shut up.”

BETO: “Come on, be honest with your boyfriend.”

MONET: “I do not recall giving you permission to use that term.”

BETO: “And I don’t recall asking for it.”

Monet sighs internally, and gives a brief overview. She never liked Emma. From the day she joined Generation X, she hated her. She hated how Emma clearly thought they were alike, and, more than that, she hated every time Emma was proven right.

MONET: “I refused to end up like her.”

BETO: “Not that I’m her biggest fan, but why?” Monet wrinkles her face, being this open extremely difficult. “You know keeping things all bottled up is a very “Emma” move”.

MONET: “Hate you.”

Beto makes kissie noises.

Monet sighs and continues. She went through a lot in the process of joining Generation X (flashes are shown to a fully red, spiky girl in all black running around with Jubilee, Chamber, Husk, Skin and Synch, and fighting against Emplate). And one thing she could never shake was how much pain she was always in, and how constantly angry she was at herself.

And then there were Everett and Angelo’s deaths (a flash is shown to Monet undigging Synch’s corpse out of rubble, crying as she holds it, Jubilee crying at her side, and Chamber beside her hugging Skin’s body tight), and what Emma did afterward (a flash is shown to the four remaining Generation X members watching as Emma vegtablizes Adrian and kills her men, horiffying them).

MONET: “I refuse to spend my life loathing myself as she does. I refuse to fail like her. And I will never do anything less than to practice what I preach.”

Beto exhales as his manicure is finished and he gives a large tip to his manicurist on her way out. As far he’s concerned, she doesn’t need to worry about any of that; he’d expect nothing less from her.

BETO: “But I do understand. My relationship with Magneto has had similar…bumps. Only if you’d like to, we can discuss this more later. For now, let’s stay focused on keeping Emma from ruining our plans.” BEAT. “M? Monet?”

MONET, outloud: *Something that needs to be censored*

In the office, Emma and Monet have been surrounded by guards and put at gunpoint.

In the past, Alice wakes up in her bed. Only, as she rubs her eyes, her spirit leaves her body. It takes Alice a moment to notice what’s happened as she floats over to her mirror, making her scream.

Alice calls out for help from her mom, but there’s no answer. She hyperventilates as she tries to go back in her body, but she can’t.

ALICE: “This can’t be happening.” She stares at herself in the mirror. “What am I?”

Alice calls out for her mom again, rushing for her door. When she can’t touch the doorknob, she whimpers and tries phasing through the door, which she succeeds at. She comes down to the kitchen in tears, her mother cooking and her father reading the news (specifically an unsubtle pastiche of The Daily Mail), and begs for their help, but neither can see or hear her, Alice’s mother just calling out for Alice to come downstairs.

Alice becomes completely hysterical as she drops to her knees, falling through the floor.

In the present, Malice forces herself to stand up as Quicksilver and Crystal arrive at the industrial sight.

QUICKSILVER: “Last chance.”

The injured Malice stares intensely at the two heroes, who glare right back. It seems like she may be nervous, but then she smirks.

MALICE: “Bad luck I landed here.”

Malice surrounds herself back in her forcefield as she flies up, while simultaneously throwing all the metal beams and heavy machinery in the area at the duo. Pietro picks Crystal back up in his arms, and with difficulty and some intricate flips, dodges everything thrown at them.

As a pissed and fearful Malice attempts to throw it all again, Crystal flies out of Quicksilver’s arms to attack Malice head on. Malice keeps Pietro busy, focusing her magnetic assault entirely on him, while growing red eyes on each of her palms to engage Crystal with the power of Pestillence.

Both moving at lightning-fast speeds, Crystal attempts to strike Malice with either her fists, her flames, or her water, while Malice blocks, dodge, and attempts to hit the princess with one of her arrows.

MALICE: “Lord Apocalypse was right about you Inhuman Royals. You’re much stronger than the last few X-Men I’ve fought.”

CRYSTAL: “Tell me something I don’t know.”

MALICE: “Well, okay. But only cause you asked, love”

Malice and Crystal both fall to the ground as their eyes glow, and the metal in the area ceases to charge Quicksilver. He’s confused, before noticing what’s happened to the two women. He speeds over them, unsure of what to do, panic written all over his face.

In her bunker, Leper Queen confidently paces back and forth in front of prison cells. She stops walking in front of one of the cells.

LEPER QUEEN: “I was hoping you would wake up first…” Laura is shown, leaning against a wall, chained and collared. “X-23.”

Laura glares back at Leper Queen silently.

LEPER QUEEN: “What? No reaction? Not even going to ask who I am or what I want?”

BEAT

LAURA: “I have been an X-Man for over a year. No answers you give will make me understand the things humans do.”

Leper Queen assumes Laura is insinuating she’s like those zealots the Purifers, or those absolute fools, the U-Men. She wants to make clear that’s not what this is.

LEPER QUEEN: “If scientists and doctors could hurry up on manufacturing an effective cure for your increasinlgy common disease, the world wouldn’t need a Leper Queen. But since a cure remains out of reach, it falls to me to purge this disease from the Earth.”

Laura rolls her eyes at Leper Queen’s monologuing, and her seeing herself as any different from the others. LQ narrows her eyes.

LEPER QUEEN: “Mock me if you wish. I have the support of our soon to be president. And with him in office, and my Sapien League enacting a purge, Mutantkind’s days are numbered.”

LAURA: “Okay. And how does shooting an innocent, baseline woman help you?”

Leper Queen steps toward the bars of Laura’s cell as she explains that shooting Mirah Qadir was a necessary evil.

LEPER QUEEN: “It wasn’t ideal, but it was the best I could do…with your bitch of a mother already dead.”

Laura growls as she leaps toward the bars, but is restrained by her chains.

Leper Queen laughs as she bangs her fist on the bars. Her face then falls.

LEPER QUEEN: “My daughter was only three years old when she was infected with a Mutation. Burned our house down, and took my face off. But I was still naive enough to believe it was just an unfortunate accident. An isolated incident.” She chokes up. “Then one day I come home. And I find her dead. Body mutilated. Covered in claw marks.”

Laura’s eyes widen in horror as she realizes what this is about.

LEPER QUEEN: “I won’t say her name. You wouldn’t remember. You were just the government’s attack dog after all. The lives you took didn’t mean anything.” BEAT. “You Mutants aren’t just threats to humanity. You’re threats to each other. And then there’s you, specifically, X-23. What I fear most. A corrupt government using your kind as weapons.”

LAURA: “I–”

LEPER QUEEN: “I wanted to make you feel the pain of losing a mother. The only thing that could compare to the pain of losing a daughter. But I had to settle for the mother of your friend. I’m sure she’s in surgery right now, but I promise you, she will not survive.”

Laura is overwhelmed with emotions. Rage, guilt, sadness, helplessness, and more she can’t even describe.

Dust can be heard groaning in the next cell over.

LEPER QUEEN: “Oh good. She’s awake. Let’s tell her who’s fault this all this. Before I make you watch me torture her.”

Laura has no idea what to do as, once again, a friend’s life is in danger because of her.

Back at the hospital waiting room, with Sofia now alone, she’s flipping through her phone, smiling sadly at selfies she forced Apocalypse to take with her, each one with her doing a different face and pose, while he wears the same annoyed expression in every photo.

A nurse enters the waiting room, looking for Sooraya. Sofia approaches her and tells her she’s Sofia’s friend. Sooraya had to go take care of an emergency, and she asked her to give her updates.

SOFIA: “Is Mirah okay?”

The nurse thinks about how to respond.

NURSE: “She’s out of surgery and she’s stable. Any other information I can only give to family. I’m sorry.”

SOFIA, passionately: “I am her family.”

NURSE, looking Sofia up and down, sarcastically: “By marriage I’m guessing?”

Sofia squints her eyes, unamused by the nurse’s joke.

We hard cut to Sofia wandering through the recovery room, looking for Mirah, with the fate of the nurse left up to the audience’s imagination.

Upon finding Mirah, Sofia pulls a piece of Celestial tech out of her pocket, and uses it to scan her.

SOFIA, pissed: “The bullet was poisoned. With something not found in any known database.”

Sofia’s expression softens as she sits down next to the comatose Mirah and takes her hand, as the heart monitor weakly beeps.

SOFIA: “Look at you. So weak and frail. So pathetic.” Sofia rolls her thumb around Mirah’s hand, bones heard cracking as she does so. “I could break you without even thinking about it.” BEAT. “And yet, even with the Hell I endured to become who I am, I do not know that I could stand as tall as you, that I could be a caretaker, after all that you have been through.”

Sofia takes her hand off of her.

SOFIA: “My father and I do not agree on everything. I believe that more humans are fit than he does. I know that my mother was. You, Mirah Qadir, live and you thrive, and you love and support your daughter, even after your years of torment. And rather than fear Dust’s strength, you encourage it. This proves to me that you are fit as well. My world will need humans like you.”

Sofia reaches into her pocket again, pulling out a different piece of Celstial tech.

SOFIA: “And even if you were weak, you mean everything to Sooraya. Pain can make you stronger, but too much at once can shatter anyone.” She looks up. “Conquest and domination are the only ways I can protect the people that are important to me. And that means my friends.”

Sofia places the device on Mirah’s forehead, with it melting into her skin.

Sofia smiles, before getting a text from Akihiro reading, “We have SEVERAL problems.” The look on Sofia’s face turns intense as she gets up and wishes Mirah a swift recovery. As Sofia races off, Mirah’s heartrate increases.

In Graydon’s offices, Emma and Monet are surrounded by armed security guards, as well as a smug Creed.

Trying to stay in character as Penelope, Monet asks Creed what he’s doing, with Emma echoing her confusion.

GRAYDON, folding his hands in front of him: “What is it about women born with silver spoons in their mouths and thinking they’re smarter than everyone else? Although I suppose in your case, Monet St. Croix, I can’t argue that you aren’t.”

MONET, squinting: “I got you the first time.”

GRAYDON: “Sunspot made for an obnoxiously obvious distraction.” Emma’s eyes widen as she becomes livid over this being how she learns who Sunspot’s partner is. “That was well played.”

EMMA, chanelling her real anger into an act: “Sunspot? You’re a Mutant?!”

GRAYDON: “Save it, Ms. Frost. That collar on you is also a remote heart monitor. We’ve got every lie you’ve told here recorded.”

Emma drops her act and glares, questioning what he intends to do with them. She doesn’t doubt his staff has been stacked with filth who wouldn’t flinch as their murders, but assures him that if they’re killed, the X-Men won’t care about the political repurcussions of what comes next.

GRAYDON: “Which is precisely why neither of you will be dying today. I’ve fought Cyclops before. So long as he has hope, he won’t make a move.” “Which is why you two will be taken to a nice little bunker I've set up downstairs. I apologize in advance about the smell. The last Mutant I had taken down there still hasn’t been cleaned up.”

BEAT

MONET: “You clearly think yourself an intelligent man yourself, Mr. Creed. And yet you neglected something simple.”

GRAYDON: “Oh. What’s that?”

MONET: “Me.”

Monet attempts to rush Graydon at super speed, but finds herself moving slowly, tripping over her feet, and getting gut punched and back-handed back into Emma’s arms. Monet immediately pushes Emma away.

GRAYDON: “Just to be safe, I had your water spiked with some Mutation dampening nanites, courtesy of Kilgore Arms. Get them out of here.”

The security guards march the pissed Emma and Monet away.

As they step down the hall, Monet nervously fidgets with her fingers, rubbing the tips together. This gives Emma an idea.

Emma begins tapping her leg with her finger randomly. With all the footsteps, none of the guards hear it. But Monet notices. And once Emma sees she has her attention, the taps become less random and more deliberate.

Monet laughs as quietly as she can.

MONET, tapping her own leg in Morse code: “I bet you’re going to take credit for teaching me Morse code.”

EMMA, in Morse code: “I taught it to all of you.”

MONET: “I already knew the basics. This is your fault. I had things under control.”

EMMA: “You only began drinking water here after I arrived?” Monet pouts in embarrassment. “Now, would you like to hear my plan, or would you prefer to continue to express my worthlessness as a teacher?”

DRAMATIC BEAT

MONET: “Can I not do both?”

Emma rolls her eyes.

Back at the industrial sight, Pietro shakes, unsure of what he should do as Pestillence assaults Crystal’s mind. Malice has left herself completely open to attack, but what if attacking her now causes something to happen to Crystal or Lorna? She wouldn’t have left herself this vulnerable if there wasn’t a trap, right?

Sweat drips down Pietro’s face as he decides he has to take the risk. He has to act!

Pietro vibrates his fist at super speed ready to strike Malice…but he doesn’t.

PIETRO: “But then…”

He flashes back to his impsule attack on Malice in their first encounter that enabled Wanda to get hit.

PIETRO: “Striking first is what cost me before.”

With Quicksilver completely in his own head, he’s caught off guard as Malice slips back into Lorna’s body, and blasts him and Crystal away. Crystal hits her head on a metal beam, knocking her out, but Pietro is able to barely get back up.

MALICE: “Such a dark and twisted mind she has! Do you actually know who you’re married to, hero?”

Quicksilver growls and screams with rage as he attacks, but even at super speed, he isn’t fast enough to hit her before she invades his mind.

We transition directly back into another of Alice’s flashbacks. A woman is in a coffee shop, getting her order, when, as she reaches her arm out to take her drink, her arm falls off. Everyone around her screams in horror. But she has a different response.

ALICE: “Dammit. Not already.”

Alice’s spirit abandons the body in tears, with it crumbling to dust as she leaves it behind.

Alice cries as she flies out into the night sky, as we see she’s wound up in New York. This city is filled with those who don’t wish to deal with the hardships of life anymore and are eager for a painless solution, but the bodies just keep burning up faster and faster!

As she curls up into a ball, and listens to the pain and distress of all those beneath her, a single, powerful mind stands out. One that makes Alice stop crying, and instead pant with hunger.

Alice flies as fast as she can, until reaching the horribly messy apartment of Lorna Dane. She finds Lorna curled up in a ball on her couch, surrounded by half-eaten food and finished bottles of alcohol, and countless tissues.

ALICE: “Why are your screams so much louder? And why do you look familiar?”

Her legs shaking, Alice invades Lorna’s mind. And she gets a slideshow of what she’s been through, including battling against her own father,Magneto, fighting alongside the X-Men, the genocide and destruction of Genosha.

ALICE: “Oh” Alice puts her hand to her heart. “Wow.”

Alice is punched in the back of the head in the white void she’s floating in by a pissed Lorna, who tells whoever this is that messing with her right now is only going to end one way for her.

ALICE: “You have it all wrong! I don’t want to hurt you. I want to help us. Both.”

LORNA, not buying it: “That so?”

Alice explains how her powers work. How she can take over willing bodies, and in doing so, puts their minds to rest and at ease, without killing them. She’s been doing this for a while now since she lost her own body.

ALICE: “But the bodies never last. They always burn out. But yours? You’re strong. Stronger than almost anyone! You’re the bloody daughter of Magneto! If anyone could keep me stable, it’s you.”

Lorna sighs as Alice looks at her with pleading eyes.

LORNA: “How old are you?”

ALICE: “17. 18 soon. Not that it matters much. I don’t think I actually age anymore.”

LORNA, rubbing her forehead: “Right. Okay. Sweetie, I’m gonna give you the address of a nice school that takes care of Mutants, and then you’re gonna leave me the Hell alone. They’ll know how to help you. Kapeesh?”

ALICE, flying up to her: “No! No one can help me, but me. Especially not some posh bloke running a school out of a mansion who’d probably tell me this curse makes me special.”

LORNA: “So you’ve already taken a tour for yourself.”

ALICE: “More than once.”

Alice pleads with Lorna. She can feel just how miserable and angry Lorna is. She knows she doesn’t want to go on. And she doesn’t have to!

ALICE: “I know that I’d been through what you…a whole life of fighting and confusion and pain, only to have to live with the guilt of failing to protect 16 million people from dying horrible deaths…” Alice’s intentionally specific word choice gets to Lorna. “..., and then left all alone, I definitely wouldn’t be able to take it. It’s how I know you’re so strong. I wouldn’t even still be here!”

LORNA, unable to keep up the tough act: “I…”

ALICE: “I promise, Lorna, you’ll be happier! And even if I won’t join the X-Men, I’ll still do what you did, and are clearly in no condition to return to: fighting for Mutants, and keeping them safe. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I can even bum around your family if you want. Be a better daughter and sister than you were. Please.”

Lorna cracks completely under the weight of her depression and Alice’s manipulations. She shuts her eyes as tears stream down her face. We directly fade into Pietro crying, as he’s shown all of this.

We cut from Pietro’s tears to Sooraya’s screams, as Leper Queen electrocutes her. This time, Laura doesn’t both with desperate pleas. She just calls out to Soo to hang in there. She’s going to save her, and she’s going to kill this monster, just as she promised.

LEPER QUEEN, pausing the torture: “Heh. Do you think that’s going to happen, Dust?”

SOORAYA, struggling to speak, in Arabic: “I will tear your flesh from your–”

Leper Queen cuts her off via electrocution.

LEPER QUEEN: “English, Mutant. This is America.”

Sooraya can’t respond as she writhes in pain on the ground.

LEPER QUEEN: “Okay then. Here’s what happens next. We keep at this until I get bored. Then...you get a choice.”

LAURA, not having been monologued to about any choice: “What? Dust, do not listen to a word she says.”

LEPER QUEEN: “Oh I think she’ll want to hear this.” She electrocutes Dust again, prompting more screams from Soo, and a flailing Laura to try and fail to break her chains. “I received word from one of my spies. It seems like your mother is going to make it after all.” Soo’s eyes light up. She can’t smile, but it’s a relief. “You may be heathens, but I have chosen to take this as a sign. Killing you to punish X-23 may not be necessary. The torture may suffice.” BEAT. “Provided you are willing to kill her yourself.”

Dust’s expression is difficult to read as she pushes herself to sit up, struggling through the pain. Laura’s thoughts on the matter, however, are quite clear.

LAURA: “Take it! Take the deal!”

That catches Leper Queen off guard. She wants her to kill her?

LAURA, crying: “I am just a weapon. One who does not want to hurt any more innocent people. But also one that cannot protect anyone.” Laura uncomfortably smiles at Leper Queen. “A thousand of me aren’t worth one of her.”

BEAT

Leper Queen laughs in surprise. She can’t disagree with that, but it’s nice to really see just how much X-23’s clearly already been broken before this point.

LEPER QUEEN: “Not mindless enough to just kill who you’re told. Not strong enough to stop me. And still just dangerous enough to put everyone around you in harm’s way. What do you say, Dust?”

There’s a moment of tension.

SOORAYA: “You idiot.”

LEPER QUEEN: “What did you say?!”

SOORAYA, at the top of her lungs: “I am not speaking to you!” Leper Queen is confused, while Laura just looks more hurt. “This is why you ran away. This is what Kimura put in your head at the Facility. Well…maybe she is right. You do put us in danger. And you are not as strong as you seemed when we were all new. You cannot protect us.” Laura hangs her head in shame. “But there is something you are missing.”

Laura isn’t sure what she could possibly mean

SOORAYA: “None of us care! You think we fear you? Living in that school is a sign of a death wish, but we all do it anyway! Because we can help others. And because we care about each other. We all love you, Laura. There is nothing else to it. Maybe we once needed you to protect us, but we are not just children anymore. We can protect ourselves. And you.”

Laura is choked up, unsure of what to say to Dust’s words of undeserved kindness.

Before she can figure it out, Leper Queen puts a gun to Sooraya’s head.

LEPER QUEEN: “Go ahead then. Since you aren’t in the mood to put down an animal. Protect yourself.” She cocks her gun. “Sooraya shuts her eyes and starts speeding through a prayer. “Oh, please.”

Leper Queen is about to shoot, when an explosion is heard, and the lights flicker.

LEPER QUEEN: “The Hell?”

OFFICER, over coms: “Ma’am, we have an intruder! We cannot identify them, but they’re–”

They’re cut off as they let out a final deathly wail.

Leper Queen curses the bad timing and holsters her gun, before connecting with the rest of her men, and telling them to prepare. One of the X-Men must have found them, but this is what they’ve trained for. They’re prepared for any of them.

In a dark hallway, soldiers are positioned with assault rifles, grenades, and other weapons and tools to dispatch whichever X-Man they’ve studied.

The elevator doors open, and it isn’t an X-Man that steps out. Instead, the heavy metal boots of Lady Akabba bang against the floor.

They stare each other down.

OFFICER: “Take them out!”

The second they start moving to attack, Sofia unleashes a wave of flames to fill the hallway, immolating all of them.

As she continues to make her way through the complex, Sofia doesn’t even draw her sword. Nor does she move swiftly. All of these humans can be easily dispatched by burning them, or by using the air to slice their throats, as she casually makes her way down the bunker.

Panicking, Leper Queen orders all soldiers to move to her position. They will get their prey here!

Laura and Sooraya have no idea what’s going on.

When Lady Akabba reaches the floor of the cells, she finds that Leper Queen’s remaining men are in power suits, seemingly made from old sentinel tech.

WAR, in her modulated voice: “Likely resistant to Mutant abilities.” She finally draws her sword. ‘Very well.”

They all try to blast energy at her or strike her head on, but it’s no use. Sofia cuts through all of them like butter, even bisecting one man, as she belittlies them. They’ve trained and they’ve armed themselves. And even though she is using no powers and just a blade…

SOFIA, grabbing Leper Queen by the throat: “Your inferiority cannot be changed.”

Laura and Sooraya now have another reason to be angry and terrified, as they recognize their other enemy, and see her toss Leper Queen through a wall, knocking her out.

Then, she turns to the prisoners, staring down at them. She raises her sword…but only to cut through the bars, and to break their chains.

As Laura and Sooraya continue to just grow more confused, a sigh of relief can just barely be heard under Lady Akabba’s helmet.

WAR: “Are you both okay?”

It takes a moment to break through the confusion, but Dust speaks up first.

SOORAYA: “You…you came to rescue us?”

WAR: “Protecting Mutants is my duty and my mission.” Neither Laura nor Sooraya seem satisfied with the answer. “But more importantly…” War reaches her hands behind her head, and undoes the clasps of her helmet, pulling it off, shaking her glossy brown hair out, and revealing her blue face to a mortified Laura and Sooraya with a flawless smile. “You are my best friends.”

In the basement of Graydon’s building, Creed’s guards lead Emma and Monet into a dark and filthy chamber. Both women are repulsed, but Monet forces herself to grit and hide her disgust when she notices Emma making the same expression.

GUARD: “Muties like you don’t deserve ivory towers. This is much more your level.”

Some of the other guards laugh with him.

Emma and Monet exchange annoyed glances.

MONET, shoving Emma against the guards: “I wish I had never met you!”

The guards shove Emma back, but as she does so, she grabs and yanks Monet’s wrists, shoving her against the guards.

EMMA: “How ungrateful can you be? You would still be a spiny little hedgehog without me.”

The guards are confused, but still shove Monet away. They are amused at seeing the two fighting though.

MONET: “The only man I ever loved is loved dead because of you, and now I am going to share his fate.”

EMMA: “It must be so easy to blame your problems on others. It’s far less tiresome than taking responsibility for your own actions, isn’t it? For less difficult than making the most of what you’re left with.”

MONET: “I hate you!”

EMMA: “And you think that makes you unique?”

Monet tackles Emma to the ground. One of the guards chuckles, and another man lightly punches his shoulder.

GUARD: “Much as we’d all love to watch them kill each other, I don’t think we want Magneto coming down on us.”

The others agree, and separate Emma and Monet, grabbing them. This is the opening the two were waiting for, as they flip their assaulters. The well-trained guards are quick to act and shoot, but they just end up putting bullets in their co-workers.

Emma and Monet grin as they use this opening to engage the guards. While the two may be far from master martial arts, they’re experienced. With Emma utilizing more direct strikes, while Monet fights with Aikido, they knock out their enemies.

Emma sighs and dusts her hands off.

EMMA: “It was quite silly of Graydon to believe we’d need our powers to best the likes of them.”

MONET: “I grew up around politicians. I don’t expect much from any of their minds.”

EMMA: “Too true. Impressive moves.”

MONET: “Those I will reluctantly give you credit for.”

Emma tells Monet that Graydon couldn’t figure out that she was still in contact with the school via one of their students. Cyclops says Magik and Kitty should be finding them any moment, and Danger will clear any video evidence of them ever being here, and she can wipe the minds of the riff-rff later.

Monet compliments her for a well-thought out extraction strategy. Just then, an earthquake shakes New York City, with the fire alarm and sprinklers going off shortly after.

MONET, smirking: “I have my own.” She starts walking away. “The X-Men are supposed to be superheroes, aren’t they? Leave finishing things with Graydon to us. Ciao.”

Emma beams with pride while Monet’s back is turned to her, before dropping the expression as she calls out to her. Monet turns her head.

EMMA: “I know that I failed you all. Don’t think I do not understand that. I was still learning, myself. And I am trying to do better for my new students.” Monet doesn’t seem to care. “But whether you like it or not, we are the same. Us both being here is no coincidence. You can embrace that, or you can attempt to shed who you are and change…which will still make you like me. Regardless of what you choose, if you ever need anything, if you would ever just like to talk, I am here for you. But only if you wish me to be.”

Monet’s expression softens, touched on some level, but she quickly reverts to being cold and hard.

MONET: “Save it for Jubilee. She may be stupid enough to trust you again.”

Monet leaves, with Emma smiling, not having missed the brief change.

We cut to Pietro in tears, his mindscape shifting to the graveyard of Genosha.

MALICE, looking like Alice: “It didn’t matter where she went. What she did. What she took. This is all Lorna could see. It was almost too easy to get her to give me this hot bod.”

Quicksilver punches her at super speed, but he can’t hurt her here.

MALICE: “If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at yourself. With how negligent you all were, she’d still be suffering now without me. I did exactly as I said. I gave her peace, and I’m helping her people. Young, at-risk Mutants especially.”

QUICKSILVER: “Do you actually believe “young, at-risk Mutants” would support what you're doing?”

MALICE: “I was one when I joined up, and it sounded good to me. Self-care.” Pietro scowls at her, and she grins back. “Lorna tried self-care. It wasn’t enough.”

PIETRO: “I did my best. Crystal and Luna, the entire world…they needed me. I would have been there for her if I could have, but I didn’t know what she was going through!”

MALICE, taking the form of Magneto: “How familiar.”

Pietro dashes back, panic in his eyes.

MALICE, keeping Magneto’s form: “But were you really too busy? Or were you scared?”

PIETRO, trembling: “I am not scared of anything.”

MALICE: “Not even of being as poor a father as your own? Were you thinking more about your wife or him when Luna was born?”

PIETRO: “Do not analyze me. Get out!”

MALICE: “All that worry, all that desire to be there for her, and you still haven’t met the girl. Shameful.” Pietro, knowing his attacks won’t do anything, still punches Malice millions of times in a rage. “It obviously isn’t all your fault. Magneto was a failure. It is only natural you’d be just as pathetic.” Pietro ceases his attack, panting. Malice shifts into the form of Lorna. “But may I’m wrong. Maybe you were just struggling with your grief in your own way. Genosha burning was your fault too after all. Or maybe, just maybe, you’re afraid your new father is just like your old one.” For just a moment, she takes on the form of King Blackagar Boltagon. She then shifts into Wanda. “He is just as ashamed of you.”

PIETRO: “Take…take her face off.”

MALICE, holding back laughter: “Brother…” She hugs him. Pietro doesn’t struggle. “Have the X-Men even told you we already killed her?”

Pietro’s rage bubbles over, and his psychic defenses are finally able to remove Malice from his mind and, back in reality, he doesn’t hesitate to race forward and attack.

PIETRO: “Guh…”

Pietro lunges himself right onto Muramasa, Death having arrived, moved Malice’s body, and positioned himself right in front of Pietro.

Quicksilver can barely breathe as he looks down and sees how he’s been skewered. Death grins as he pulls his blade out, and Pietro collapses, unconscious.

PESTILLENCE: “That was more difficult than it should have been. Sorry about that.”

DEATH, sheathing his blade: “No need to apologize. The houses of M and Amaquelian are strong. Exodus didn’t think you’d pull it off.”

PESTILLENCE: “He’s old, he thinks a lot of dumb things.” Akihiro picks up Pietro and throws him over his shoulder. “Mind if I kill the princess?”

DEATH: “Don’t be stupid. We’re in no position for a war with the Inhumans. Not yet anyway.”

PESTILLENCE: “Aww. Lame.”

Malice flies the three of them off, leaving the unconscious Crystal behind.

In the Sapien League’s bunker, Laura and Sooraya are too frozen to speak. Until…

SOORAYA: “You’re lying.” Dust turns her hands to sand, ready to attack. “This is a trick!”

SOFIA, remaining calm: “No. No more tricks. It is time for you to know the truth. When I was lost and broken, Apocalypse found and rebuilt me. He became the father I never had. Since his defeat, everything I have done has been to bring about his vision for the world. Not only for us, but for you.”

SOORAYA: “For us?! You have been attacking us for months! Brian and Sophie are dead because of you.”

SOFIA, hanging her head: “I have had to tell countless lies since returning to the school. My entire life has been an act.” She looks back at Soo with genuine sadness. “But my mourning was real. I did not want them to die. They were my friends too. Using Quentin was a mistake. I should have–”

LAURA, cutting her off and drawing her claws: “You should have done a lot, but you couldn’t! They’re controlling you.”

Sofia looks to Laura with wry amusement, glad she’s speaking up. She was being even quieter than usual.

SOFIA: “I assure you, Laura. I am not under anyone’s control. I stand above all.”

LAURA: “Telepathy, possession, and pheremones. Any of them could be doing it, and you wouldn’t know.”

BEAT

SOFIA: “Do you think I didn’t know that is what you have been thinking?” Laura is startled, as Sofia turns back to Dust. “Soo, did you know that Laura has been training with Death for the past several weeks?”

Sooraya is quickly outraged, but Laura explains quickly and bluntly. She went undercover among the Horsemen because she knew the Horsemen had gotten to Sofia.

LAURA: “I just didn’t know what they had made her into.”

SOFIA: “And I allowed you to follow your suspicion for the same reason as much of what I have done. To make you strong.” Sofia stares her friends down, before walking away. “You aren’t going to fight me. You would have attacked by now if you were going to be impulsive, and you know you cannot beat me.”

Sofia walks through the hole she put Leper Queen through, picks her up, and throws her at Dust’s feet.

SOFIA: “This is humanity. Hating us for our superiority, while blaming us for their own society. Laura, you did not kill her daughter. Humans did. The same cruel humans who abused you so horribly. Who hurt Cessily and Roxy. You should be happy to know I had Akihiro burn The Facility down.” Laura doesn’t look happy. “They do not deserve this world. Their rule took my mother’s life. They are responsible for what happened to you and your mother, Sooraya. Just as she is responsible for attempting to take your mother from you forever.” PAUSE. “Within one month, I will be the queen of a better world. And I would like you both among my ladies.”

While Dust’s eyes are filled with hate as she glares down at Leper Queen, she’s stalwart that she could never join her. However noble…even understandable…her motivations may be, she knows that her mother survived. She will not let Sofia hurt her.

SOFIA: “Hurt her? Soo, who do you think saved her?” Dust’s eyes widen. “Human medical science. Yet another area where they fall short.” Sofia holds Sooraya’s arms. “I still miss my mother everyday. Do not think for a second I intend to harm yours.”

Laura, realizing where this is going, jumps in to tell Dust not to listen to a word she says. She’s manipulating her. This isn’t Sofia!

SOFIA: “Oh, Laura. You poor, lovesick dog.” BEAT. Laura is thrown up against the ceiling by the wind, and is forced to remain there. Sofia looks up at her. “I offered you a place as a lady for a reason. Because at my side will not be a queen, but a king.” It's like a knife through Laura’s heart. “We are done.”

Laura can’t even speak up enough to scream. She can only seethe through her teeth.

SOFIA, looking back at Sooraya: “Take her worthless life, Dust. This is the mission God gave you. To protect your people. Whatever you think of me, is keeping her alive what he would want?”

The speed of sand flowing out of Sooraya’s sleeves increases. Laura is able to find her voice just enough to beg Dust not to do this. She pleads with her.

LAURA: “Don’t become like me.”

Soo looks at each of her friends, and then back at Leper Queen. She’s hesitant, but then the warm, soothing whispers of “Allah” pass through her mind.

Soo shuts her eyes. Before opening them, and unleashing her power, disintegrating every trace of Leper Queen. Laura shuts her eyes, unable to watch.

Dust is shocked and horrified at what she’s done, but before she can think about it too much, Lady Akabba hugs her.

SOFIA: “I know that was not easy. I am proud of you.”

Sofia lets go, and Sooraya is able to compose herself, before kneeling.

SOORAYA: “Thank you, Lady Akabba.”

Sofia is pleased, but, looking up at Laura, she doesn’t think she’s quite ready to join them yet. She drops Laura from the ceiling and kicks her in the face, knocking her out.

Sooraya cringes.

SOFIA: “Do not worry. Soon, you will never have to worry about one of our friends being hurt again. Are you ready to leave this awful place?”

Soo nods. Sofia tells her she’ll get her teleporter right here.

SOFIA: “I really am so happy you can see things as they are. I knew you would.”

DUST, quietly: “Thank you.”

Lila Cheyney pops in and Sofia introduces her to her court’s very own musician. She will get time to know everyone later though.

Before they can leave, however, there’s an explosion.

HELLION: “Wolverine! Dust!”

SURGE: “Are you here?!”

Julian and Noriko burst in, having finally caught up with the others. Their faces both fall, and they’re both left speechless, as they see Sofia in the Lady Akabba armor, with the same sword she used against them.

JULIAN, barely audible: “no.”

SOFIA, more annoyed than anything: “Oh. This is not how I wanted this to go. I apologize for this.”

Sofia throws her two closest friends against the walls, head first, and with Julian too shocked to put up forcefields in time, they’re both knocked out.

Back at the school, Cyclops, Emma, and Magneto sit in their office.

MAGNETO: “While it is nice that it sounds like you and your old student were able to bond, Creed continues to live.”

EMMA: “But with the measures we took to cover our tracks, there is nothing he can try to pin on us. We are back at square one, but not any worse off. And election day remains a long way off.”

MANGETO: “That does not mitigate the harm him spreading his rhetoric through his campaign will cause.”

EMMA: “And we will still deal with him eventually.”

Emma continues to speak in voice over as we pan across Graydon’s office, lights off, where everyone has gone home for the night.

EMMA, as the camera reveals Graydon at his desk, dead, with his lifeless face in a puddle of cold coffee: “Better than if we had compromised ourselves by squishing the worm more openly.”

In the office, Magneto questions whether they should even continue this mission themselves, or if they should entrust it to Monet and her “friends”.

Emma and Erik both look to Scott, who’s been deep in thought. He presses on his com.

SCOTT: “Sunspot, you can come in now.”

Roberto enters, with his usual confidence in his step, greets the headmasters, hoping everything is going well, even if he will be mildly annoyed they called him away from his work without needing him.

The three stare at him, unamused.

SCOTT: “We know about M, Sunspot.”

EMMA: “She’s the smartest woman I know, but not the best with her words.”

MAGNETO: “We imagine she’s also the silent partner you chose to not inform us of.”

ROBERTO, pissed, but not dropping his fake smile: “Ah. That…well that sucks.” He laughs.

Beto apologizes for not coordinating better with them, but, given Monet’s history with Emma, she didn’t want her to know she was involved.

CYCLOPS: “Right. And did Rictor make a similar request?” Beto’s smile curls. “There aren’t too many Mutants who can make earthquakes, and you spent years with one of them.”

EMMA: “What is it that you’re keeping from us? A new X-Force? If we dig a little further, will we be finding Domino or Boom Boom?”

MAGNETO: “Does Samuel know?”

Beto drops his act entirely, continuing to stand tall, but firmly instead of playfully.

BETO: “Sam doesn’t know about anything. And there is no X-Force active, I promise.”

MAGNETO: “Then what are you doing?”

Beto cringes. Erik floats over to him, and tells him they’re trying here, but this game has gone on long enough. He needs to be honest with them. Now.

Beto, thinking fast, rolls his tongue around anxiously.

BETO: “I am doing what I have to to protect Mutantkind. Because that job cannot be entrusted to you three.”

Scott and Emma glare at him, already displeased. Beto doesn’t think they have any reason to blame him though.

BETO: “Day after day, you three continue to fail. Mutants die, the schools fall apart, the world decays. Things keep getting worse, and yet you hold onto your entitlement that you are the only ones who can lead us. How often do you question where things would stand right now if you had been the ones to leave, and Storm was leading us?”

SCOTT: “Everyday.”

BETO: “I’m sure. Just as you’re sure that without her around, you’re the only ones who can do this job. Why? Kitty and I are just as capable of leading this team, and we’re far more likely to appeal to the masses. Is it because you’re the ones strong enough to put down Apocalypse? Because that sounds like his logic. Not to mention we had Iceman for that, before you allowed him to slip away.”

Emma is irritated by Beto’s self-righteousness. They have failed, yes. But they also do their best. They are here. Always.

EMMA: “Which is far more than can be said for you.”

ERIK: “When last we discussed this, you said that you still trusted me. That was a lie?”

BETO: “That was before you didn’t make any difference.”

Sunspot assures them that he is not doing anything supervllanous, he isn’t being like his father.He’s just building a shield to protect Mutantkind for when they fail, and the world comes crashing down on them.

SCOTT: “And you know best because you’re so much smarter than us.”

BETO, cheeky: “And in the meantime, I remain happy to work alongside you in the capacity you see fit.”

BEAT

ERIK: “I understand.” Beto boyishly smiles with relief. “But if this is how you see us, as risks more than anything else, then you cannot stay here.”

BETO: “What?! Headmaster, no. You cannot fire me.”

SCOTT: “No one is firing you, Roberto. Not in the middle of our current mess.”

EMMA: “But the onus of opening of and being a team player is on you. If you cannot do this, you should extend your next trip indefinitely.”

BETO, cringing and struggling to compose himself: “Understood.”

Beto walks away, turning his head before he leaves to Magneto, who turns his face away. Pained, Beto exits.

The episode ends in Clan Akabba’s headquarters, as Sofia delivers a speech to her cultists and her small army of Mutants in her throneroom, Exodus, Akihiro, Malice, and a guilty-looking Dust at her side.

She speaks of how three months ago, the world should have been theirs. Lord Apocalypse should have conquered the Earth. He failed. But they carry on his will!

Lady Akabba tells her followers that the X-Men are in shambles, as we see not just Julian, Noriko, and Laura in chains, but Cessily and Roxy as well (the two taken off-screen), as well as Sunspot ordering a drink in a bar, Magneto alone in his office regretting everything about how the day played out, and the largely empty hallways of the school.

She tells them that Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are their prisoners, and with them, their path to ultimate victory is clear. And with how fierce the hate toward them is right now from humanity, all of their brothers and sisters will soon be joining them.

SOFIA: “Lord Apocalypse will be restored! Mutantkind will dominate the Earth! Humanity will worship at our feet! And the world will become strong!”

We close out as all of Lady Akabba’s followers cheer her name, Sofia grinning like her father underneath her helmet.

#New X-Men: The Animated Series #New X-Men #Academy X #Scott Summers #Emma Frost #Magneto #Kitty Pryde #Roberto Da Costa #Illyana Rasputin #Laura Kinney #Sofia Mantega #Julian Keller #Noriko Ashida #Sooraya Qadir #Cessily Kincaid #Roxanne Washington #The Stepford Cuckoos

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spiralcass · 6 months

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NEW X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES - SEASON 3, EPISODE 4

We open in the past in The Facility, where a four year-old Laura is being cattle prodded. The woman doing this to her, her handler, Kimura is cackling as she does this to her. Laura is cringing with grit teeth.

KIMURA, pulling the prod away: “This isn’t a punishment, X-23. This is just training. But if you do make a sound or shed a tear, then I will have to punish you. And we don’t want that, do we?”

Laura clearly wants to cry and scream, but she holds herself together. Kimura calls her a good girl, and says she actually has a present for her for all her hard work.

RUFF!

Laura’s eyes widen as a Facility agent walks in a puppy. It leaps into Laura’s arms. The toddler is shocked by its warmth and affection as it licks her, and she can’t help but hug it.

KIMURA: “Meet your new best friend X-23. We care about him as we do you. So let’s not let anything happen to him.”

Laura, body shaking, nods as she continues to hold the puppy. Kimura grins evily.

12 years later, a much older Kimura is sneering, still in the Facility, as she watches news footage of Wolverine, Surge, and Hellion fighting against Sauron and a small army of dinosaurs in the streets of New York. Among the dinosaurs are clearly the adult members of the X-Men who’ve been transformed. There’s an ice pachycephalosaurus, a partially transparent velociraptor, and a black triceratops surrounded by sun particles.

While the others do crowd control on the dinos, Wolverine fights Sauron head on, as he shouts that this is only the beginning, and soon all of humanity will be turned into dinosaurs. The dinosaur man puts up a fight, but Laura soon puts him down for the count. With their victory secured and the rest of the dinosaurs KOd and restored to normal thanks to a compound developed by Danger, the kids celebrate among themselves. Hellion high-fives Wolverine before making out with Surge. Laura shakes her head at them both, while they both flip her off. Laura can’t help but laugh.

KIMURA, her sneer becoming a grin: “X-23, you are more impressive than ever. I think it’s time for you to come home.”

Sometime later, we cut to the indoor set of a music video, where dancers are rehearsing to the Washingtons’ latest single. Among the dancers, and in not entirely age-appropriate costumes, are Mercury and Bling!. They’re both doing just as well as the adult dancers and looking like they’re having a great time.

Among all the personnel involved in production, Laura stands by watching this. She’s stoic, only tapping her foot. A man comes up to her, assuming she’s a PA, and asks her to go fetch something for him. Laura growls and scares him off.

The song finishes, the director calls cut, and tells the girls to all take two before they run it again.

Cessily squeals as she bounces over to Roxy to take her hand. She can NOT believe this is just her life now.

ROXY, kissing Cessily’s neck: “Believe it, girl. This is it for as long as you want it to be.”

Cessily squeals even louder as she makes out with Roxy, briefly, before the two walk up to Laura, who has water bottles waiting for them. Cess and Roxy thank Laura.

LAURA: “Based on the choreography the director showed, I noticed seven errors between the two of you. Would you like me to list them?”

Cessily, used to this kind of thing from Laura by now, laughs it off and says they’ll leave that to the director himself.

LAURA: “OK. So…why am I here?”

Cessily explains that there’s no ulterior motive; she just wanted to hang out! It’s been a while since they did so without the rest of the group, she wanted to fix that, and she thought this would be fun.

Laura’s not sure this is her idea of fun. All these people, all these lights…it’s giving her a headache.

Roxy’s sorry about that, she thought she’d spent enough time in the real world to be able to handle it. Unlike Cess, she actually did have another motive here: she kinda thought she might wanna try showing off HER moves.

LAURA, surprised: “What?”

Roxy laughs and points out that Laura’s got the physique and finesse most dancers would kill for, not to mention how quickly she picks things up. She figured she might want to try joining them here. There’s only a year and a half left till graduation; does she still JUST want to be an X-Man?

ROXY, seeing Laura get flustered: “Hey, hey, don’t worry about it. I was just thinking, that all that pain you went through…could be to make something beautiful. That’s what art is.”

Laura is unsure what to make of this, but Cess tells her she has plenty of time to think. She has to get back to work, but Laura should really go check out the craft services table.

The director calls the girls back over, Cess and Roxy leaving Laura alone. Laura turns to the craft services tables.

LAURA: “Mmm. Shrimp.”

At the school, Brian and Quentin are playing video games together in the latter's room. Along with them is Sooraya, who looks extremely bored as the two boys play their game, sitting awkwardly in between them.

Sooraya questions if they maybe can't do something, anything, else. She has no work left to do for the day, and everyone else is busy.

BRIAN: "I'm still not sure how Nori thinks it's a good idea to join Julian in his Sofia hunt. I mean, they're dating now!"

QUENTIN AND SOO: "Disgusting."

BRIAN: "Exactly! And if they do find her, do they think she won't be pissed?"

Sooraya isn't worried there. Sofia has a temper, but she's still one of the sweetest people she's ever met; it's been over eight months and she'd understand.

Quentin's thoughts are far less positive. With his "Magneto was Right" poster in frame, he says that however sweet she may be, she's still the girl who spent two months pushing the narrative to millions that their supremacy was something to be cured and not respected. Brian jumps in to defend her, but Quentin isn't interested in debating this with biased parties.

Pausing the game, Quentin turns to Soo and tells her that, in regards to her original question, he actually could use her help with something. Soo tells him she may be willing to make a deal, and asks him what he needs.

Quentin scratches his neck, admitting he knows how this will sound based on…everything, but he means it: He has a crush on Sophie.

BRIAN AND SOORAYA: “WHAT?!”

And yes, yes, like he said, he knows. The Cuckoos have only ever been mean-spirited rivals or bullies, but he’s been seeing a therapist Iceman recommended to him, and, for a baseline, he’s really quite good. Dr. Garrison believes that he’s always pushed people away, not out of ego, but out of fear of being lied to; he suspects that Quentin’s telepathy may have always let him know that he was adopted, and he’s been carrying that anxiety with him. He said he’d seen that kind of thing before.

BRIAN: “And how does this tie back to you crushing on the girl who’d pour on gasoline if you were on fire?”

Quentin explains that he figured, if Garrison is right, perhaps that is the root cause of his less favorable views on women rather than what he believed to be intellectualism. So, last night, he performed telepathic surgery on himself, cutting those views out of his brain.

Brian and Soo are shocked and concerned by this, but Quentin assures them it’s fine; he’s a genius and it was totally safe. Even kind of fun. And by doing so, he’s realized that he doesn’t hate Sophie; he really, really likes her.

QUENTIN: “Hot, well-educated, my equal in telepathy…”

Quentin thinks that, among the girls in the group, Dust has the most common sense. The others may have more experience with romance, but he’d appreciate her help asking Sophie out since, well, he’s never even been close friends with a girl, let alone asked one out.

Dust isn’t sure this is a good idea. Brian also seems uneasy about this, but when Soo asks him what he thinks, Tag says, with a forced smile and Quentin looking eagerly at him, that friends help friends.

BRIAN: “But also, man, I trust you, but we need to stay close and make sure you didn’t break your brain.”

Quentin snort laughs and admits that’s fair.

Sooraya reluctantly agrees, swearing under her breath in Arabic; she knows this is going to backfire, but it beats more video games.

Outside the studio, Cessily and Roxy go out the back, on another break and making out.

ROXY, pressing Cess against a wall: “Have I ever told you I loved it when I’d get sick as a kid and everything would taste metallic?”

CESSILY, giggling: “No way.”

ROXY: “Can’t prove I’m lying.”

The two refocus on making out, Cess’s body becoming more liquid and Roxy sticking her hands inside.

CESSILY: “What did I do to deserve you?”

ROXY: “Be yourself.” Roxy boops Cessily’s nose. “My future X-Man.”

CESSILY: “You’re on the X-Men track too, now.”

ROXY: “But I’m nowhere near ready for, like, an actual fight. You so are.”

Cessily smiles with excitement. She’d love a real chance at that.

Suddenly, Mercury and Bling! are shot with tazer rounds. The girls are knocked out, as inconspicuous men in suits approach.

Not long later, Laura comes out, looking to find her friends.

LAURA: “The director is shouting like he’s going to kill someone. Based on his smell, he just might.”

However, there’s no sign of Cess or Roxy. Instead, all that’s left is a burner phone. It rings. Laura, suspicious, but needing to play along, picks it up and answers.

LAURA: “If you have hurt my friends, you are already dead.”

“X-23!”

The voice of Kimura makes Laura freeze and her eyes fill with terror.

KIMURA: “So nice to hear you still have that killer instinct. Everyone at the Facility was worried sick the X-Men had declawed you. Perhaps all the lies they’ve told you about being a person haven’t made you a less effective weapon. A pity. I was looking forward to re-training you from scratch.”

Laura cringes, as she thinks back to horrific moments from her childhood.

LAURA, composing herself the best she can: “Where are they?”

KIMURA: “Where they can be is safe back home at school…if you hand yourself back over to us.”

Laura, sounding terrified, tells Kimura she isn’t the little girl she used to torture anymore. She has friends. A team. Emma Frost, Magneto, or Iceman alone could bring the whole Facility down. Kimura is sure they could. But that’s what hostages are for! Not to mention the extra firepower they’ve received from their newest partner.

KIMURA: “I believe you know her as…War.”

Laura cringes, mumbling as she questions why the Horsemen are involved here. Kimura doesn’t love working with Mutants, but they sure are powerful. Famine has a mental lock on X-23; if she tries contacting the X-Men, or anyone, before coming to the meetup spot, Mercury and Bling! are dead.

Laura seethes, but she’s left with no choice.

LAURA: “Where?”

At the school, Emma is teaching the Cuckoos how to operate Cerebro, with Sophie presently sitting in the chair and wearing the helmet.

Emma gives a refresher on Cerebro, explaining how it's the X-Men's most valuable tool. Designed by Xavier, it's how they keep track of the Mutant population, find new ones in need or who could be potential allies, and stay alert of potential threats. And it can only be operated by exceptionally powerful telepaths. And with Xavier and Jean gone, and Betsy, Rachel, and Cable never around, she's presently the only X-Man trained to use it. In the unfortunate event anything ever happens to her, they need a backup.

Esme questions if this doesn't just make her expendable.

ESME: "If Mr. Summers ever cheats on you like all his other girlfriends and dumps you, the rest of the team will have no reason to keep you around."

Sophie tells her to not be so disrespectful, but Emma assures her it's fine; a little bite back isn't an issue. And yes, the team has wished her ousted multiple times, with Cerebro being a major reason she hasn't been, but look at the team now: Besides Ms. Pryde, all those who hated her are gone.

MINDEE, counting on her fingers, mumbling Warpath, Jean, and Storm's names: "Didn't you have something to do with all three of those departures?"

Emma smugly shrugs.

PHOEBE, smirking: "I guess Ms. Pryde should be afraid."

Sophie: "Phoebe, shut up. I need to focus."

Sophie closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as she's prompted by Emma to find her old student, Husk.

Her face squirms as she struggles to find her. She sees lots of grass. She can feel the sun of the heat. There's corn. So much corn. Why is there so much corn?!

Sophie: "Wait. I think I've got her. I think she's –"

QUENTIN, telepathically: "Hey Sophie!"

Sophie shrieks.

SOPHIE: "What are you doing in my head, geek?!"

The other Cuckoos' eyes glow as their lips curl in disgust. "Quentin."

QUENTIN, sounding casual and unusually upbeat: “I thought we were trying to be friends. And I’m not in your head; this is how telepaths should communicate, the way others wish they could.”

While the other Cuckoos mime vomiting or are otherwise grossed out, Sophie is mildly amused and she can’t deny he has a point. What does he want? Quentin explains that, now that they aren’t enemies, he’s come to appreciate Sophie, not just for her magnificent telepathic ability, but the confidence with which she leads her sisters, and, of course, her beauty. He knows he has steps he needs to take, but surely she can see some of his own greatness.

QUENTIN, as a telepathic projection in front of Sophie: “Would you want to go out with me sometime?”

Sophie appears stunned. The other Cuckoos slowly but surely break out into laughter, with Sophie eventually joining them. Quentin’s projection is heartbroken and, as it fades away, we transition to the real Quentin, who’s tearing up in his room, Brian and Soo at his side.

QUENTIN: “They’re laughing. They’re all laughing at me.”

SOORAYA: “I told you not to praise yourself.”

QUENTIN: “As if that was it! It doesn’t matter what I say, what I do, or what I can do. As long as I’m…this, girls like Sophie will never take me seriously.”

Brian tells him to try and calm down. It was just one rejection from one girl. And it’s Sophie. No one should want to date a Cuckoo unless they enjoy being walked on. Quentin snaps at Brian that he can’t be so dumb as to think this is the first time this has happened. The first time a hot girl has laughed at him. This is just the first time he got far enough to actually ask before it happened!

QUENTIN: “Thanks for nothing, Dust.”

SOORAYA, pissed and not about to take this: “I was helping you for nothing! Attempting to connect with her as a fellow telepath was your best bet.”

QUENTIN, eyes growing more intense “And what do you know? I don’t know why I even asked for your help when you’re barely a girl!”

Soo is about snap on him, her hands turning to sand, but Brian steps in to defend her first, shoving him and telling him to take that back and apologize immediately. And then they’re going to see Emma and the Cuckoos in person. Whatever he did to his brain, he is clearly so not okay.

Quentin insists he’s fine. He just clearly needs to figure things out on his own. Like always.

Quentin angrily storms out and slams the door. Checking to see if no one is looking, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bottle of pills. He downs several of them before stuffing the bottle away.

Laura races through the studio, shoving and parkouring around everyone in her way. They’re freaked out and shriek.

Laura arrives in the dancers’ dressing room, where Laura grabs her duffel bag. She may not be able to contact the others, but she can still get her gear. Inside the bag is her Wolverine costume. Laura stares at it intently.

LAURA: “I am not X-23.”

Laura zips the bag back up and gets ready to go, but freezes as she sees who’s standing in the doorway: the Washingtons.

Roy appears mad, while Angel is worried.

ROY: “Something happened Roxanne, didn’t it? Cessily too?”

LAURA: “How did you know?”

ROY: “I have eyes. Roxanne never runs off without telling us. And if she did, she’d answer her phone.”

Further, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

ANGEL: “She was…kidnapped once when she was little. For ransom.”

ROY: “Only I know my baby girl can more than defend herself now from some two-bit thug.” He gets even more mad. “Do you know who took them? Is this an “X-Man” thing?”

LAURA, hanging her head: “I’m sorry. I’ll bring them back safe. I promise.”

Laura starts to walk out, but Roy gets in her way, sneering at her.

ROY: “If you don’t, I’ll do everything in my power to see that damn school shut down. You got that?!”

Angel holds him as he seethes in her soothing arms. It calms him a little. Laura doesn’t have anything else to say, only blankly staring at the married couple before dashing away.

At the school, Brian and Sooraya head to the cafeteria together. Soo is frustrated. She’s trying here, she doesn’t want to be mean, but Quentin is not making a good case for himself. He may not deserve to be picked on, but that doesn’t mean he fits as part of the gang. Brian counters that they used to be enemies with the Cuckoos; they just need to give him time.

Sooraya just doesn’t get it though. Why does Brian like him so much? She’s seen the softer side of the Cuckoos. She hasn’t seen that in Quentin.

SOORAYA: “What is he like in private?”

BRIAN: “Pretty much the same. Smiles more, I guess.”

SOORAYA: “I see. Not to be rude, but…why do you like him then?”

BRIAN: “I dunno. He’s cool. And he really is smart. We like a lot of the same stuff and…”

Brian trails as he smiles into the distance. Sooraya cringes in annoyance. The two get their food and sit down.

SOORAYA: “You like him.”

Brian stammers in denial, but he can’t hide it long. He laughs and admits that, yeah, he thinks Quentin is pretty damn cute.

BRIAN: “I know “I can fix him” isn’t something you should say about a guy you wanna hook up with but…” He shrugs.

SOORAYA, with judgmental eyes: “I must ask, Brian: Why do you keep falling for obnoxious rich white boys with psychic powers?”

BRIAN: “Guess I’ve got a type. That so wrong?”

Sooraya supposes not. And she is happy he’s over Julian. But then why is he helping Quentin with Sophie? Brian answers that he doesn’t think he’s got a shot; Quentin is definitely straight.

Brian asks Soo to keep his secret. He knows pretty much everyone but her would laugh at him for this. Soo agrees, but does encourage him to tell Quentin how he feels. Brian shakes his head at that, but thanks her anyway.

BRIAN: “I’ll find someone. One of these days, we need to find you a nice Muslim guy.”

SOORAYA: “That isn’t necessary.”

BRIAN: “Oh come on. You really don’t want a boyfriend?”

Soo flicks her wrist and coats Brian’s food in sand.

BRIAN: “Message received.”

Flying over New York City surrounded in a purple aura, Quentin is on the phone with his therapist, Dr. Garrison. He aggressively tells the doctor he’s sorry for calling without notice, but he just needs to talk right now. Fortunately, Dr. Garrison doesn’t mind.

DR. GARRISON: “I’m always available to my patients. Especially for my young, Mutant patients.” He takes on a more jovial tone. “Especially, especially, my young Mutant patients paying out of pocket.”

He gets a laugh out of Quentin.

We get our first look at Garrison during this exchange, the doctor a well-groomed Caucasian man in a suit, in the middle of pruning some flowers in his office.

Shaking, Quentin vents to Garrison that he’s just so angry…and scared. The pills he gave him sometimes do what he said they would - boosting confidence and lowering inhibitions - but it isn’t consistent, he’s still an annoying, ugly dork who lashes out, and his head feels so weird.

QUENTIN: “Please, Doctor. Help me.”

As Garrison sits down at his desk, he tells Quentin to try and breathe. Everything is okay. He told him these pills are still experimental. It may take some time for the effects to stabalize, but if he feels or thinks anything especially out of the ordinary, he should come to him immediately.

GARRISON: “To confirm, you haven’t told anyone else about Kick yet, right?”

QUENTIN: “No, sir. I made up some story about psychic surgery. My friends brought it.” Quentin weakly smiles. “Well, I think Dust and I are friends now.”

Garrison is happy to hear that. As for Quentin’s other concern, he recommends more than medication. He sees himself as an “ugly dork”? Quentin has the money and means to look and be and do whoevever and whatever he wants, “for the next year, at least”.

GARRISON: “If you wish to win the fair Cuckoo’s heart, become the man she wants.”

Quentin is not just put at ease, but excited by this recommendation. He thanks Dr. Garrison, who of course assures him it’s his pleasure, and wishes Quentin luck. They hang up.

Quentin grins as he stares down at his phone…until his face falls.

QUENTIN: “No.”

Quentin flies off at super speed.

QUENTIN: “NO!”

Wolverine, now in costume, races up the steps of a skyscraper. She stops only to sniff a familiar scent. She’s shaken and momentarily freezes up, but she can’t be afraid.

WOLVERINE: “She’s just a woman. You are Wolverine. Not a weapon.”

Laura races up the remaining steps and reaches the sunset lit rooftop, where Kimura is waiting, along with multiple armed soldiers. A helicopter is in the air above them.

KIMURA: “X-23! So glad you came without any fuss. You always were good at following orders.”

Laura snarls.

LAURA: “Where are they?”

Kimura gestures with her head up at the helicopter. If X-23 wants them freed, she’ll surrender without a fight. Wolverine demands Kimura let her friends go first, but Kimura sees no reason why she should.

KIMURA: “Even if you could beat me, Famine can crush your brain at any moment.”

Laura questions what the facility is even doing working with the Horsemen; they want to kill ALL baselines. The thing is, Kimura doesn’t really care if they do. Especially not when she and Lady Akkaba have something in common.

KIMURA: “I don’t know what you did to earn her wrath, but she wants you to suffer as much as I do.”

Kimura cackles. Why is she so tense? She should be thrilled to be going home so she can come get back to doing what she does best.

Laura takes note of all her enemies and surroundings. She breathes.

WOLVERINE: “I am not your weapon. I am Wolverine.”

Wolverine dashes around the rooftop, effortlessly disabling all of Kimura’s men with precise stabbing before dashing toward Kimura. Kimura grins with excitement and takes Laura on, glad she’s resisting.

KIMURA: “Do you really think the Halloween costume makes you seem like more of a person? It only shows how desperate you are to be something you never can be.”

Kimura actually proves to be something of a match for the snarling, non-vocal Laura, with Kimura asking X-23 if she likes the enhancements she’s gotten, granting her super strength to complement her martial ability and shield her from harm.

Wolverine answers by slashing her across the face, leaving bloody marks.

WOLVERINE: “Not a great shield.”

Kimura angrily kicks Laura away, pulling a gun on her with one hand, and raising her hand to her earpiece with her other, her manic grin not fading.

KIMURA: “One more move and the girls die!”

WOLVERINE: “Coward.”

KIMURA: “No. Just above this.”

Laura narrows her eyes.

WOLVERINE, retracting her claws: “Let them go.”

Kimura shoots a net at Laura, ensnaring and electrocuting her.

KIMURA: “No. I think I’d rather torture all of you.”

Kimura laughs as Laura screams.

In Cerebro, Mindee is getting her turn on the device and not doing such a good job, as she keeps getting distracted by other minds near her targets that she finds interesting. Emma sighs in disappointment, as while Esme has yet to get her turn, Celeste and Phoebe also failed to impress. So far, barring some initial difficulty, only Sophie has excelled.

Sophie smugly pumps her shoulders. Esme rolls her eyes at her.

ESME: “Mindee, get up! It’s my turn!”

MINDEE: “Not yet! I still need to locate–”

“MS. FROST!”

Quentin bursts in, covered in sweat. The Cuckoos wrinkle their noses in disgust. Emma, less rudely, questions Quentin if everything is alright.

QUENTIN: “Of…of course it isn’t. I tried finding Magneto and Cyclops, but they’re not here!” Quentin holds up his phone. “Look!”

Emma and the Cuckoos all appear distraught as they see what he shows them: Mutant fashion designer Jumbo Carnation has been found murdered.

Emma offers genuine condolences, a fan of the man’s work herself and aware that Quentin was as well, and promises that the X-Men will get justice for him, but Quentin slaps her hand away as she reaches out to him. He doesn’t want condolences!

QUENTIN: “This keeps happening! Over and over again! What is “justice”? Getting Purifiers and U-Men safely locked away so they can get out and put more little girls’ brains in jars? Storm humiliating another pig? How is it justice if it never ends?!”

Emma, sensing how sensitive this moment has become, takes on a more stoic demeanor. The Cuckoos, meanwhile, now actually appear intrigued by and interested in Quentin’s shift in attitude.

Emma tells Quentin that they’re aware the climate remains horrid, but she and the other headmasters are doing everything in their power to change that.

QUENTIN: “Everything in your power? Spare me.I know what Apocalypse was doing a few weeks ago, and I know it was you three who stopped him.” With heavy breath, he hangs his head. Emma squints her eyes at Quentin citing knowledge he shouldn’t have. “Magneto wouldn’t have done that before coming here.”

EMMA: “Nor would I have. But we are better than we were.”

QUENTIN: “Better at failing Mutants! Would you have made the same choice if it was all monkeys who were going to die?!”

Emma tells him that’s enough. She understands his grief, but this type of language is unacceptable. She knows Dr. Garrison and respects his work, but clearly that isn’t enough. And from the way he’s sweating, she’d also like him to see Danger for a medical examination.

QUENTIN: “You mean the machine that murdered one of my classmates?”

EMMA: “Danger did not kill Wind Dancer.”

QUENTIN: “If she’d had her powers, she wouldn’t have been picked off by War!” Emma and the Cuckoos react with shock and horror. Quentin laughs. “You didn’t know, did you?” He shoots a dirty look at Sophie. “Whatever.” Her turns around and walks off with a sneer on his face. “I see who the problem is here.”

Emma is concerned, but the Cuckoos are entranced.

In the past, four year-old Laura is in her room, playing with her puppy. Petting him, getting licked by him, and wrestling a little.

Suddenly, her eyes sharpen.

Kimura is sure to be walking by as Laura screams in horror. Arriving on the scene, Kimura and the audience see that Laura’s claws are out, tears are running down her face, and the puppy has been gruesomely torn apart.

KIMURA: “Now look at the mess you’ve made, X-23. I ordered you to take good care of him.” She draws a gun and shoots Laura repeatedly. “I suppose I should blame myself. A beast cannot be trusted with friends.”

Laura lies on the ground, riddled with bullets, crying over what a monster she is.

In the present, Laura wakes up…stripped of her costume and back in her old cell. She rages out and claws at the walls, but it’s no use. Over a speaker Kimura laughs at her. She tells X-23 she should relax. She’s home safe, and she’s never letting her out of her sight again.

LAURA: “Let them go! Let me go!”

Kimura isn’t about to go against what’s best for her weapon, but, as a consolation, she will let her see Mercury and Bling.

A screen on the wall turns on, and shows Mercury and Bling! in tubes. The girls are being tortured, as Cessily is being streteched out and torn apart, and Roxy is having her diamond skin forcibly ripped and peeled off.

Laura, hysterically, demands that Kimura stop this. This has nothing to do with them. If she doesn’t let them go, she’ll kill her and everyone else here!

KIMURA: “I’m afraid it’s your own fault for trying to be something you aren’t, X-23. If these poor girls must suffer to make you understand your place, then so be it.”

Laura continued to claw away at the walls, but to no effect.

Over a guardrail, Kimura grins down at the laboratory where men in labcoats are torturing the girls, and collecting their mercury and diamonds. In the corner, Death idly stands by, uninterestied in the proceedings as he sharpens his katana.

Back in his room, Quentin’s sweating and heavy breathing have only gotten worse. He’s jittering and bikning rapidly as he looks all around him.

He pulls out his bottle of Kick from his pocket and downs more pills. When he hears Brian knocking, he it back in his jacket’s pocket.

From the other side of the door, Brian asks Quentin if he’s okay.

BRIAN: “You stormed off earlier, and some of the guys said they saw you not looking too good. Do you want to talk?” Brian waits for an answer as Quentin buries his head in his knees. “I heard about Jumbo too. I’m sorry.”

Still no response from Quentin.

BRIAN: Listen, man…I know today’s pretty bad. Things aren’t going your way. But I wanna help you. If you just open up, everyone will want to help you. You gotta let us in though. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” No response. Brian bangs his fist on the wall. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Brian slumps away. Quentin screams and destroys half his room with a telekinetic wave.

In the Facility, Laura refuses to relent, even as escape from her room seems impossible, so no matter how she claws at the walls around her.

The screen turns off.

Laura freaks out, ceasing her attack and demanding to know what’s happening. A trapdoor opens underneath her, dropping Laura into a pit in the laboratory. Laura immediately attempts to leap out, but hits her head on a one-way invisible forcefield. The uncaring and amused scientists stare down at her.

Laura demands to know if the others are still alive. Kimura confirms to her that they are…and thanks to them, they have some fun new toys they’d like X-23 to play with.

Laura stands alert, unsure of what’s happening as a whole pens up in the wall of the other side of the pit, and she hears a loud rumbling. From the hole emerges a massive, artificial beast covered in mercury and purple diamond.

KIMURA: “Allow me to introduce, the Predator X. Made from Mutants to kill Mutants.”

Along with its metal skin and diamond projectiles, it also possesses Laura’s stregnth, durability, and healing factor. They had oodles of her DNA they didn’t want to go to waste.

KIMURA: “I’d like you to test my new pet. If it kills you, then you’ve been rendered obsolete. If you kill it, then maybe, just maybe, I’ll be sporting and let your friends go home.”

Laura silently nods, turning to face the Predator and clanging her claws. There’s no fear in her eyes, only determination.

The sub five foot tall girl and the several ton behemoth race toward each other and clash.

In a bathroom at the school, Quentin looks himself in the mirror, a complete mess. Garrison’s words about him having the means to be whoever and whatever he wants ring in his head. He’s ready.

In a montage, Quentin shaves his head, toss in some purple dye, trades out his glasses for less dorky ones, and goes on a shopping spree to switch up his wardrobe, drawing his button down, sweater vest, slacks, and ugly shoes. In the end, looking at himself in a mirror at an expensive clothing store, he now sports a purple mohawk, an oversized graphic t, a blazer, shorts, exposed socks, and doc martens. He’s exceedingly proud of himself.

Out on the streets of New York in the middle of the night, a group of men exit a bar, laughing a little drunk, and talking about the movie they saw earlier. Their eyes flash purple as they’re compelled to walk into a nearby alley. They regain alertness as they’re greeted by the young man who brought them here.

QUENTIN: “It must be nice. To be able to wash the blood off your hands, catch a flick, and a drink with the boys. It’s satisfying, itsn’t it? Knowing you’ll never be punished.”

The men laugh at him. Who is this dork? One of the others’ heads feels weird. Is this dork some mutie messing with them?!

QUENTIN: “I am not a dork. Not anymore. I am Mutant. And proud.”

The men’s noses all start bleeding. They freak out, questioning what Quentin is doing.

QUENTIN: “Although you’ll find I’m not like the Mutant you brutally murdererd. The police may not care to look into this, but I can see inside the heads of this entire city.” The men fall to their knees and cough up blood. “Jumbo Carnation had four arms and plastic skin. He couldn’t hurt anyone. I could hurt all those heads with a thought.” The men’s necks begin to twist as they beg for mercy. “He was a lover. An artist.” The three necks are snapped and the men killed. “I’m gonna be an X-Man.”

Quentin stands over the dead bodies. For a moment, everything is quiet.

Quentin vomits, collapsing to ground. His eyes panic, his body shakes, all his confidence abandons him, and all he can think is…

QUENTIN: “What have I done?”

Back in the Facilty, Laura fights the Predator X. Despite its size, the beast is equally as fast as Laura, putting her on the run, dodging not only its claws and giant teeth, but projectile diamond shards.

KIMURA: “Since when do you run away, X-23? Have the X-Men taught you that’s something you’re allowed to do?”

Laura keeps leaping around the pit until she finds her opening, gouging out the monster’s eyes with her claws, and pulling herself up to kick her foot-claws through its nostrils. She leaps off and, not wasting a second, stabs its ears.

Jumping back, all of the Predator’s senses temporarily disabled, Laura smirks up Kimura.

LAURA: “Should have gone for adamantium.”

Laura jumps back at the Predator at tears it apart until regeneration isn’t an option for it.

Laura pants, covered in blood, gust, and mercury.

LAURA: “Nothing you say can hurt me. Nothing you throw at me can beat me. I was the best you were ever getting. Now…let them go.”

Kimura and Laura stare each other down. Until…

KIMURA: “Very well. Your friends, as well as you, are free to go.”

Laura is deeply confused. Kimura tells Laura to at least try to use that animal brain of hers. She never planned on keeping her! That’d be ridiculous! Laura had it right; Magneto could kill her and all her associates without breaking a sweat, and holding his students it just asking for it.

KIMURA: “I just wanted to advance and test my little project, and see you again for old time’s sake. I hope you had as much fun as I did.”

Laura squints her eyes, not trusting this for a second, but without other options but to play along.

We cut to outside the fence of this normal looking government building in the middle of nowhere. Laura, Cessily, and Roxy are all walking away, the latter two shaken to their core. The girlfriends are clinging to each other with haunted looks in their eyes, pieces of Roxy missing and Cessily unable to go fully solid. They walk in silence for a bit.

CESSILY: “Thank you, Laura. For saving us. Again.”

ROXY: “Yeah. I wasn’t fully conscious for all that, but you killed that thing like it was nothing.

Laura tells them not to worry about it. She’s an X-Man. Keeping them safe if her job. She’s just relieved that they–

Laura is cut off as a visible to the audience aroma surrounds Laura’s nose. She sniffs.

We cut back to the past, and see that this same aroma surrounded Laura’s nose before she killed her puppy.

In the present, Laura freezes and her eyes sharpen.

CESSILY: “Laura? Are you okay?”

Laura spins around and slashes through Cessily. Cessily screams and Roxy panics, as Laura pops out her claws, ready to kill.

Inside the building, Kimura laughs at what’s happening that’s being livestreamed to her on a screen.

KIMURA: “Poor X-23. Forgot her old trigger scent.”

In the alley, Quentin in on his knees as rain has started pouring down. On his phone, leaves a voice message for Dr. Garrison. He did something bad, something he knows he shouldn’t have done, but he had to take his advice, and be who he wanted to be. He couldn’t pretend to be powerless anymore. He couldn’t spend his whole life a victim. He’s sorry.

Sitting at his desk with the lights off, Dr. Garrison listens to the voice message as it’s coming in, but he doesn’t pick up. He curls his lip and taps his finger on his desk.

Back in the alley, Quentin tosses his phone away, and apologizes to the dead bodies. Off in the distance, someone calls his name. Quentin tries and fails to put himself together as the voice becomes clearly Brian and, moments later, Tag arrives on the scene.

TAG: “I got your message! What’s going on?! Are you–?”

Brian freezes as he arrives in the alley, horrified by the sight in front of him.

BRIAN: “What did you do?”

Quentin uses telekinesis to help him stand.

QUENTIN, still hysterical: “I…I found the men who killed Jumbo. I…oh god, Brian, please help me.”

Brian is still in shock, but he’s been trained for this kind of thing. He promises Quentin it’s gonna be okay and reaches out a hand to him. Quentin takes it. Brian assures him he isn’t mad. These racist murderers deserved it. He just didn’t expect this. But it’s okay. Two of their headmasters have killed people. Soo and Laura have killed people.

BRIAN: “This doesn’t make you bad or a monster or whatever you’re thinking. Okay?”

Quentin nods furiously and quietly thanks him. Brian assures him it’s gonna be okay. They just need to call Ms. Frost and–

QUENTIN: “No!’ He pulls away. “No one can know about this. They all already hate me. This…this is all I have left.” He grips Brian by the collar of his raincoat. “I’ve been blocking the minds of everyone around us. We’re invisible. But I don’t…I don’t trust myself right now. Make everyone run away. And keep making them run until we find a place get rid of the bodies.”

BRIAN: “I can’t do that, man. We have to tell the teachers and let them sort this out.”

QUENTIN, sneering: “You said you want to help me. So help me. Aren’t you supposed to be my friend?”

There’s a dramatic pause as Brian thinks. And he decides that he can’t say no.

BRIAN: “Yeah.” He hugs Quentin.”I’m your friend.”

Quentin hugs him back.

Outside the Facility, base, Cessily and Roxy are terrified as Laura stares them down with an animalistic look in her eyes. Roxy holds the further injured Cessily.

CESSILY: “Laura…Laura, whatever they did to you…you don’t need to–”

Laura silently moves to attack again, but Bling! And Mercury leap out of her way. Laura jumps at them again, but Cessily grows a shield out of herself around them, one which self-regenerates and which the frenzied Laura isn’t capable of thinking a way around.

Roxy is panicking. She can barely move or think straight right now. How is she supposed to fight? Even if she could, this is LAURA. They can’t stop her!

ROXY: “I don’t want to die! I don’t wanna die, I don’t want my parents to bury me. But I can’t do this!”

Cessily is just as scared, she’s still incapable of going solid, and she’s only bring hurt more and more by Laura’s attacks. But Laura needs help, Roxy needs to be kept safe, and she’s the only one here.

CESSILY: “Don’t worry, baby.” Cessily’s face fills with determination. “I can.”

Laura’s assault on the girls is finally halted as a spike thrusts out of Mercury’s shield and skewers her. And before Laura can recover, Cessily, screaming with tears in her eyes, takes down her shield and uppercuts Laura with her fist shapeshifted into an anvil, sending her back flying.

Mercury stands.

MERCURY: “I’m finishing what you started, Laura. I’m getting us all home. Even if I have to get through you to do it.”

In the common area of the school, Brian sits alone, jittering and drinking hot chocolate. He’s silently mortified by what he’s done, and the possibility of people finding out.

“It’s past curfew, Mr. Cruz.”

Emma, in her nightgown, gets the attention of Brian, who jumps in shock.

BRIAN, still shaken: “You scared me, Ms. Frost. Sorry. I lost track of time.”

Emma looks at him curiously as she sits down next to him.

EMMA: “It’s rare to see you without one of your squadmates. Is something bothering you?”

BRIAN, smiling: “You know one advantage of not having a power to train?” He taps his head. “Plenty of time to train up here. Can’t make myself smarter than I am, but I bet I could keep even you from getting in without a fight.”

Emma takes a moment to think over that response. She tells him that they’ve never really spent any time outside of class together, and that’s fine, they don’t have a thing in common and Iceman suits him as a role model, but he’s still her advisee; she’d like to help if she can.

EMMA: “Did something happen with Quentin?”

Brian hangs his head and twiddles his thumbs.

BRIAN: “How do you know when a bad thing is worth doing?”

EMMA, after a moment to think: “Not an encouraging question. Nor one Iceman would have been suited to answer.”

Emma tells him that the line between good and evil is not a steady nor clear one. Even now, Cyclops would probably disagree there, but to her, the line is faded and ever-moving, and holding yourself to it in a single spot and pretending you can see it clearly is an easy way to drive yourself mad. And each person also has their own line.

EMMA: “If you feel what you did was right, if you can lay in your bed and fall asleep with ease, and if you haven’t harmed those who are innocent…you shouldn’t worry yourself.”

BRIAN: “Even if it’s against school rules?”

EMMA: “Even if it’s against the law.”

Emma rests a hand on his shoulder before standing up.

EMMA: “You were wrong by the way. It wasn’t hard to get inside your head.” Brian bangs his fist against his forehead. Emma smiles. “But you’re getting there.” Brian smiles. “Loyalty is a valuable asset, Tag. Do not undersell that part of you. Mum’s the word on your inappropriate heroism, provided it doesn’t happen again. I may not disagree with it, but it’s still a mess I have to clean up. And in the morning, let Quentin know he will no longer be seeing Dr. Garrison. It was a good idea on Robert’s part, but clearly, he needs a…Mutant touch.”

Brian, still confused, manages to widen his smile.

BRIAN: “Thank you, Ms. Frost.”

Emma orders him to his room, wishes him good night, and tells him, if this does ever happen again, to please find an incinerator.

Brian laughs…but as she exits the room, he sneers and backhands his mug off the table, shattering it.

Back at the facility, Mercury fights Laura with blades for arms. Mercury’s movements are sloppy, but against a foe in a berzerker rage, that isn’t an automatic death sentence. Still, in speed, she’s just barely able to keep up with her.

Mercury juts a pillar out of her chest to send Laura flying back and immediately stretches out her arms to grab her, pick her up high into the air, and slam her back down into the ground.

Bling! Is in awe of what her girlfriend is managing to do. Cessily giggles, proud of herself, before grunting in deep pain as she jiggles, her form still unstable.

CESSILY: “Ahh!”

Laura rushes her once more, with Cessily embracing her instability and turning into a puddle for Laura to slip on. With Laura lying on top of her, Cessily locks her down with metal restraints.

ROXY, in disbelief: “Babe! You know I always believed in you, but when did you learn to do this?!”

CESSILY, as a face in the puddle: “You think I wasn’t training while you were busy over break?”

They can’t celebrate yet though. They have to figure out a way to fix Laura. Cessily can’t hold her for much longer, and she doesn’t think she can knock her out.

Roxy, still in pain, tries to figure out what could have been done to her. Maybe some implant in her brain, or brainwashing or…

ROXY: “Do you smell that?”

Cessily isn’t sure what she’s talking about. She doesn’t smell anything. Roxy points out that’s just it. Cess has drawn blood from Laura. She should be able to smell that. But she can’t.

ROXY: “Dr. McCoy taught me all about different kinds of mind control. All theoretical, of course. He mentioned once that people could hypothetically be conditioned to be controlled by certain scents.”

CESSILY, Laura breaking free: “Worth checking! Oh this is gonna be gross.”

Cessily shapeshifts her entire body into liquid and goes right up Laura’s nostrils to clog her nose.

Laura is disoriented, but with Cessily in her nose, she turns her attention toward Roxy. Laura rushes her, unphased as a terrified Bling! riddles her with diamond shares. Roxy can only shield her face with her arms as Laura comes in for the kill…but Laura passes out before she can make a move.

Cessily exits Laura’s nostrils and, repeating “Eww” on repeat takes the most humanoid form she can. Roxy breathes heavily with relief as she holds Cessily.

CESSILY, weakly: “We…We did it.”

ROXY: “Damn right we did.”

CESSILY: “Is it wrong if I say that going up her nose was worse than the torture?”

ROXY: “Oh, baby girl. Yes.”

In his room, Quentin is fast asleep in bed. He’s awoken by a quintet of identical voices.

“Quentin, wake up.”

“We want to talk.”

“Come on.”

“Get up.”

“Now!”

Quentin jolts awake. He sneers. What do the Cuckoos want now? For him to not even have peace in his sleep?

The Cuckoos giggle and tell him to meet them in Cerebro.

Although skeptical of the girls, Quentin goes to the desired location, where the Cuckoos are waiting for him. Apart from Sophie, the Cuckoos appear either excited by his new look, or downright horny, biting their fingers and undressing him with their eyes.

Quentin demands they tell him what’s going on.

SOPHIE: “We heard what you said.”

PHOEBE: “We know what you did.”

ESME: “And we like it.”

The Cuckoos aren’t sure what’s gotten into Quentin, but this is a version of him they’d definitely like to get to know better.

Quentin snorts. He supposes he should be grateful they’re not going to rat him out, but still, what, get to know him better as a friend.

SOPHIE: “The five date as one. And our guru has us all working on ourselves.”

CELESTE: “So the five aren’t dating any one.”

MINDEE: “But we are interested.”

SOPHIE: “And we do support what you did. Even if the rest of our friends may not, we want you to know…”

ESME: “...you aren’t alone.”

Quentin turns around to see a group of other Mutants filing into Cerebro. There are three familiar characters, Glob, Martha, and Ernst, and three background characters comic fans will recognize: Radian, Tattoo, and Redneck.

Quentin smirks and menacingly adjusts his glasses.

Outside the front door of Roxy’s penthouse, Roy and Angel hold Roxy and Cessily tight, so relieved the girls are okay.

ROY: “You stay strong?”

ROXY, grunting in pain a little: “Of course, dad.”

ANGEL, kissing Cessily’s forehead: “Thank you for protecting our baby, Cessily. You are family. You know that, right?”

ROY, with a smirk: “She will be when she puts a ring on it.”

ROXY, embarrassed: “Dad! 16!”

Everyone laughs, as Cessily blushes.

The Washingtons try to get the girls inside for some tea, but they have to take care of one more thing; they’ll be right back.

Outside the building, Laura is standing in the rain. Cessily and Roxy come out, telling her to come inside; they can all head back to the institute tomorrow.

Laura glares at the two.

LAURA: “You were kidnapped because of me. You were tortured because of me. And I almost killed you both…because that’s all I can do.”

Cess steps forward telling her that’s not true, but Laura shouts at Cess to not take another step. She’s sorry, but Kimura was right. She’s not a person. And she’ll only ever hurt the people she gets close.

LAURA: “Julian…Sofia…and now you.”

She tells them to tell Soo and the others she’s sorry she isn’t saying goodbye, but she can’t go back to the X-Men; she quits.

They both shout at her to stop, running after her as she walks away, but Laura shuts them both down.

LAURA: “Don’t follow me. You won’t get lucky again while I’m in control.”

Cessily and Roxy can’t do anything but hold each other as Laura runs off into the night, tears in her eyes.

In the Facility laboratory, Kimura is pleased with how things have turned out. She was hoping using the trigger scent to make X-23 kill her friends would break her emotionally, make the X-Men turn on her, and make her easy to take back for good, but even if she does wish the other Mutie girls were dead, she still got valuable material and data for improving the Predator X, and X-23 has still broken herself off from the X-Men.

KIMURA: “There’s nothing stopping me now from retrieving her and keeping her here forever. Then, I will make her regret the day she ever crossed me. I’ll scratch her eyeballs out as many times as I need to until she begs to be blinded, and then I’ll–”

Kimura is cut off. She gasps as blood spits out of her mouth. Looking down, she sees she’s been run through with a katana. All around her, she sees the scientists have all either been cut down in an instant, or reduced to piles of ash.

Death leans in next to Kimura’s shocked face.

DEATH: “Lady Akabba sends her regards.”

Death rips his sword out of her and kicks her to the floor.

DEATH: “She thanks you for your efforts, but she has her own plans for Wolverine. For what it’s worth, I enjoyed watching her squirm.”

Death sheathes his katana and pulls out his lighter. Lighting it up, he tosses it at the computers to set them aflame. If Kimura is truly stronger than most humans, she shouldn’t have a problem escaping a burning building with a hold in her esophagus.

Kimura swears at him that this isn’t over, that he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with, and that the horsemen will all pay. Death pays her no mind.

Instead, Death takes out his phone and sends a text to Lady Akabba, informing her the job is done.

On her throne in Egypt, Lady Akabba is pleased with his report.

LADY AKABBA: “Apologies. I was dealing with another matter.”

“No apologies necessary…” Knelt before her, we see Dr. Garrison in one of the cult robes. “...my lady.”

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