In Sinister’s hideout, Malice discovers that she’s permanently bonded to Polaris. The X-Men find out that Jean Grey is still alive. Carol and Rogue start to share the body; Carol proves to be capable of mastering the girl’s mutant powers. Madelyne and Alex begin to fall in love, and Madelyne bargains with the demon N‘astirh about finding her son.
Synopsis
A family waits to board an elevator at the Empire State Building. Their guidebook states that the building is 102 stories. One of the children asks why the building is numbered to the 113th floor. Without answers, the family boards the elevator. The outside takes on the form of a demon mouth, and the family inside begins crying out in pain. The voices stop and blood exits the elevator. An oblivious janitor mops up the blood without a second thought.
In his chambers, Mr. Sinister considers the recently deceased X-Men. He relishes that their formidability speaks volumes of his own worth. Malice approaches and takes him out of his reverie. She is infuriated that she is now trapped in Polaris's body. Sinister assures her that she is his most trusted asset and that the compatibility of Polaris's body with Malice's essence was too good to pass up. Malice leaves contented, though Sinister sneers at how gullible she is.
Mr. Sinister ponders the strengths of each "dead" X-Man as each of their stories are told.
Dazzler walks into the Outback Pub, an incredibly rowdy bar, and immediately silences the place with her commanding demeanor and looks. She climbs aboard the stage and commandeers the band into a performance. She lights up the room. Longshot enjoys the show. The two leave on Longshot's motorcycle. They pass Havok, who is out on a jog.
Havok is torn by what his past actions have caused. He second-guesses himself, but then must second-guess those thoughts. He is in mental turmoil until it seems that Madelyne Pryor arrives out of thin air. She mentions that she has been watching Havok, because she cares. The two walk along, hand-in-hand.
Storm tries to learn about the Reavers, but can't seem to hit the right buttons on the computer. She sees a video feed of Cyclops and Jean Grey. She immediately exits the building in a rage in search of Wolverine. She blasts him and nearly drops him onto a rock before he can explain that he knew, or at least thought he knew, that Jean could be alive. He was in denial, though, because he loved her. Storm calms down.
Elsewhere, Psylocke, Rogue, and Colossus spar. Psylocke has the upper hand, but deals too confidently. She is hurled by Colossus and caught by Rogue. Rogue gloats, and Psylocke knocks out Rogue telepathically. Psylocke immediately regrets her actions. Rogue, however, quickly comes to, her psyche being controlled by Carol Danvers. Psylocke takes a swim to cool off while Carol enjoys a conversation.
Havok lounges in the sun and begins to dream. He sees Polaris fade into Malice. His dream has him bump into a bridal Madelyne, who is all alone. The two begin to dance. Havok wakes up to hear the song "Devil With a Blue Dress On" with Madelyne standing in front of him (wearing a blue dress). The two flirt extensively, and Havok has to stop himself from furthering the situation. Madelyne retires to a room and Havok follows, wishing to clear things up between them. Things, however, heat up, and Havok is convinced that the two are kindred souls that need their pain eased.
Mr. Sinister muses to himself that he will ultimately prevail, especially since he has the son of Cyclops. Unbeknownst to him, however, N'astirh watches.
Madelyne paces after her night with Havok. N'astirh contacts her and assures her that all is going well. Madelyne explains that it better be. The two have a deal, and she won't rest until the Marauders are found and Madelyne has her son back.