Rachel Summers and Magma take in the New York sights
from the Statue of Liberty, both young women plucked out of their place in
time. Rachel thinks back to her past, from a terrible alternate future. She
feels deep shame, having been used as a “Hound”, forced to use her psychic
powers to track down other mutants, often with lethal results. Magma can tell
something is wrong and wants to help but decides not to press the issue.
Nearby, the X-Men gather on luxury yacht to say goodbye to Storm. She explains
to Professor Xavier that she feels deep appreciation for everything that he’s
done for her, but she feels she needs to rediscover herself and feels returning
to Africa is the best way to do that right now. The entire X-Men have a tearful
farewell with Storm, and Ororo tells Nightcrawler to say goodbye to Kitty and
Logan for her (the two off in Japan for the events of their current
miniseries).
Meanwhile, the dock worker seen at the end of last
issue, Jaime Rodriguez, stresses about the mysterious necklace he found. He
spots two coworkers going through his stuff and chases them off. The necklace
speaks to him, promising great riches if he yields to the being trapped within,
and he does his best to resist its influence. Elsewhere, Rachel and Magma are
taking in the sights at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when Rachel picks up a
familiar psychic presence, that of Selene. They spot her getting into a limo,
and decide to follow her, each having their own personal issues with her; she
attacked Rachel several issues ago, and was the one who killed Magma’s mother.
They catch up to Selene, as she enters the
headquarters of the Hellfire Club. The two sneak in, stealing a couple of maid
outfits so that they can blend in. Selene is presented before Sebastian Shaw as
a candidate for the new Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. She demonstrates her
absolute mastery over inanimate objects for him, causing the floor to reach up
and ensnare him, with Shaw only narrowly managing to escape. Though she proves
herself worthy, she unnerves Shaw at the same time, as she suddenly disappears,
with the promise to return with a gift for him. Shortly after, Rachel, still
in her disguise, seemingly comes across Selene, blasting her across the room
with her powers. It’s only when she goes to check on her that Selene’s illusion
fades, and Rachel realizes she blasted Magma instead. Selene then uses her
powers to take control of both Rachel and Magma, offering them as her gift to
Shaw.
Rachel struggles against Selene’s control, eventually
able to free just a small part of her mind, hidden from Selene’s view. She uses
this small part to enter Magma’s mind, trying to spur her on and make her
angry, so that her powers activate. Magma’s connection with the earth causes
the ground to erupt near them, setting off several mini-earthquakes, and
breaking Selene’s hold on both her and Rachel. Selene grabs the two once again,
when the X-Men suddenly arrive to help. Nightcrawler teleports in, grabs Selene,
and teleports her away, knocking her unconscious with a nerve pinch. Colossus
and Rogue break down the wall and free Rachel and Magma, and Professor X
appears in his astral form. They make a truce with Shaw, as none of this was
his idea, and leave peaceably. Meanwhile, Jaime Rodriguez waits for a train,
worrying about what to do with the mysterious necklace, when he’s suddenly
stabbed from behind by a thief. The thief takes the necklace but quickly
becomes overtaken by its power, releasing the being Kulan Gath from his
imprisonment to remake the world as he sees fit! To be continued!