Epilogue:
The mood in the meeting room at the X-mansion was one of utter dejection. To have lost not only the fight, but their strongest member, not to mention the future of the human race, was too devastating a blow to handle. Shock and Rogue were in tears as each of them struggled to come to terms with it. Wolverine was angry, but it was a hopeless, powerless anger, in the knowledge that there was nothing he could do to change the situation.
"This is my fault. Everything that has happened is my fault."
It was Oculus who spoke. He sat at the table with his head bowed, his eyes closed, and his spirit crushed, "I always knew there would be those who would try to undo what we work for, who try to kill human life. Never, not in my worst nightmares, did I imagine that my own son would become one of them, or that he would be the final instrument of our destruction. If I hadn't brought Gary here – none of this would have happened. I should never have become involved. I should never have brought them here."
Cyclops interrupted him, "No. If you hadn't brought Annie and Gary here, there would have been nobody to fight off the Horsemen from the school."
"He's gone, that kid," Wolverine argued. "He's as much a pupil of Magneto as anyone I've seen."
"It isn't him," said Storm. "It's Pyro. All of it is Pyro. He's using Gary, using his anger and his misunderstanding to manipulate him. Pyro knows he doesn't have the strength to defeat us, so he's using a child who does."
"What does it matter now?" said Shapeshifter morosely. "The cure is destroyed. Oculus, can you make another one in time?"
Oculus sighed heavily, "I can synthesise the cure again, but it will take at least two weeks. By that time – it would be a waste of time. There wouldn't be enough humans left to benefit from it."
"So there is no hope," said Nightcrawler.
Nobody replied. Suddenly Gaia said, "Wait a minute."
The others looked at her, "What?"
"I've just remembered something."
Oculus read his wife's mind, and his eyes widened with both surprise and hope at what he found.
"There may be a sample of cure still intact," said Gaia.
"Where?"
"Annie had some. Annie took enough of it to fill a small test tube. I didn't ask her why at the time, but maybe she was planning just for this eventuality. I don't know what she did with that sample, but if she's still alive, it may still be intact."
"Gary took her with them. They captured her."
"Then it may still exist."
Cyclops said, "So…maybe we do have a hope."
"Pretty slim," said Wolverine.
"Yes – but it's the only one we have."
"So what we do?" asked Iceman.
The leader of the X-Men sighed, "We can't do anything. We can't fight against Gary. The only one who can do anything is Annie. The fate of the human race lies in her hands."