Everything felt strange. Everything felt…different. Eerie. Her eyelids fluttered open. She groaned and saw that the floor was parrell to herself. Frowning, she slowly lifted herself up, only then just realizing that she had been lying on the floor. Her head hurt and she closed her eyes, believing she was dreaming, or in a dream state. Upon opening her eyes once more, she squinted when the room became too bright for her delicate eyes to handle. Rubbing them, her frown remaining on her face, she looked around.

"You have failed."

Jean flinched, rising to her feet suddenly, her senses on alert. Where did that voice come from?

"You have failed…yet again and now another world shall perish."

"What?" Jean called out, looking around. "Who are? Where are you?"

As Jean looked around, she suddenly felt cold, and froze, feeling a presence behind her. Turning stridently, her breath caught as she looked down upon a little girl, not more than nine years old. Her hair was as red as Jean's and her eyes sparkled brown in the white room. "You failed," the little girl repeated.

Jean wasn't sure what it was, but she felt a strong connection to the little girl at the same time that she distrusted her. "Who are you?"

"Who I am is of no importance. You are here because you have failed."

"I have failed what?"

"You have ceased to save the world."

"You've got to be kidding me," Jean muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay…so what am I doing here?" Jean looked around. Wherever she was, it seemed endless.

"You are to be recycled."

Jean's eyebrows rose. "Recycled?" she repeated. The little girl nodded. "Okay then…where am I?"

"You are in the place you belong."

Jean shook her head. "Enough with the cryptic shit," she snapped.

The little girl didn't even shy away. Instead, the corner of her mouth curled into a smirk. "And that's what makes you so much more diverse."

Jean frowned. What was with this girl? Before Jean could rejoinder, the room suddenly became filled. Filled with other women that looked…just like Jean. Her breath caught as her pulse quickened. Just like with the little girl, she felt a connection to each one of…her. But yet, they were all different within their rights.

Jean took a step back. "What the hell is this place?"

"This is what we call the White Hot Room," the little girl answered. "This is where Phoenix comes to convalesce."

Jean's eyes looked down at the girl. "I'm dead?" she asked in a small voice. The girl nodded. A sob caught Jean's throat as she looked around. "I can't," she whispered. "Apocalypse," she looked back at the little girl. "He'll kill them all!"

"We know."

Jean frowned. "Then you have to let me go back!"

The girl shook her head. "We can't."

"Why not?" Jean asked, losing her temper.

"It is not in the order."

"Not in the…" As Jean looked at each one of clones, out of the thousands that had to be standing there, an idea came to her. "Is…" she began. "Are they all Phoenix?"

The girl turned around, looking at the gathering crowd of the other Jeans', and then turned back to the red head. "They are all versions of you and Phoenix…yes."

Jean swallowed. "So…they all have the power of Phoenix?"

"Yes." As Jean grinned, the little girl frowned, her eyes clouded in confusion. "I do not understand where you are going with this."

Jean knelt down to the girl to make eye contact with her. "I need to go back," she told the girl.

"It is not possible and it defies all logic."

Jean chuckled. "My…rebirth, so to speak, defied all logic."

The little girl was taken aback. "That is true. You were not meant to return."

"If I don't go back, a very evil, evil person will destroy the world," Jean explained.

"It is our duty to keep the balance."

"What balance?"

"It is the job of Phoenix to maintain balance within itself and the universe."

Jean frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Another Jean stepped forward. "She is saying that if you return to your world, you cannot stay."

Jean looked at the girl and saw her nod. "If we break the balance, and you return to your world, we must retain the balance within a certain time…or all will be lost."

"So…I'm dead either way?"

The second Jean nodded. "Even if you were able to fix the reality in which you died and stop Apocalypse…you will be transported back to your own time and you will die at the hands of Apocalypse in that world."

Jean nodded. "I figured that might happen," she whispered. "What happens to Logan?"

"The mutant is not the concern of this order."

"He's my concern," Jean retorted, earning a look from the second Jean.

"He will live," a third Jean answered. "In both worlds."

Jean nodded and as she stood up the little girl said, "This is a mistake."

Jean raised a brow. "You said I was different from the rest. What did you mean?"

"You are different because you and Phoenix have strong emotional ties to the world and all its realities," the girl explained. "It makes you the most dangerous."

Jean smirked. "I guess it does."

"I must confess," the girl started. "I do not understand the logic of your plan."

"No?" Jean looked around the room filled with others like her. Looking down at the little girl, she shrugged. "Then I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

"Hmmm." Emma rubbed her chin, keeping her eyes downcast. Slowly, she put her plan into action, and with glee cheered, "Checkmate!"

Jubilee rolled her eyes as Moira jolted awake. "This is so stupid…"

"What in good heavens are you two doing?" Charles asked as Moira yawned.

"Well, since we're all gonna die, I figured I'll make a few extra dollars," Emma said, taking some singles from Jubilee as the young girl rolled her eyes.

As Moira walked over to their small window from their hideout, Jubilee stood up and stretched. "Emma's right. If we're all gonna die it doesn't matter who win or loses."

Emma's mouth fell. "Of course it does!" she protested. "And I'm the winner."

"I'm sure you'll be saying that in the end too," Jubilee retorted, causing Emma to frown.

"Oh, hey," Moira called out. "Look. It's a meter shower."

Emma and Jubilee joined Moira at the window and watched as flaming stars fell to the earth. As Emma watched, however, her heart began to race. "That's not a meter shower," she commented, turning towards Charles and seeing his worried expression.

"Emma…grab Forge," Charles demanded.

As Emma acted quickly Jubilee frowned. "What is it?" she asked.

Charles frowned. "It's the beginning of the end," he said softly.