ESSEX: "We're leaving for Washington now, Scott. I trust you all will be fine while we're gone."
SCOTT: "What are you talking about? What are you doing, Essex?"
ESSEX: "Oh, you'll find out soon enough, Scott. After tonight, everything will change."
Apocalypse enters the room, with Rogue and Warren at his sides.
APOCALYPSE: "It's time to go, Sinister. There's much to do."
Scott, Jean and Alex look at Warren and Rogue in shock.
ALEX: "Rogue? Warren? What did they do to you?"
APOCALYPSE: "They are under my command now, Alex. They don't bother to pay much attention to specks such as yourself."
SCOTT: "Warren, Rogue, listen to me! I know you're in there somewhere! Whatever they've done to you, you have to fight it! You don't want to do this!
ESSEX: "Don't waste your breath, Scott, and don't worry about them. We'll take good care of them."
Essex turns and follows the others out of the room. Essex shuts the door behind them and Scott turns to Jean. She tries to stand, but her shackles keep her down. Jean pauses a moment and then flinches in pain. She GRUNTS as she struggles to get loose.
SCOTT: "Jean, don't. If you try anything, you'll hurt yourself."
JEAN: "Scott, whatever they're doing, we can't let them get away with it. I have to try."
Jean struggles for a moment, but again she stops and flinches.
The outside of Essex's hideout is seen clearly for the first time. It is a large, wide, abandoned company that looms in the middle of an old business center in the middle of nowhere. The top of the building reads ESSEX ENTERPRISES. A large black jet rises up from the back of the center and flies up into the air, heading off forward to the north.
In the main hall of the Senate building, Beast walks down the hall, wearing a business suit, and he walks towards the approaching President, Trask and four bodyguards.
BEAST: "Mr. President, if I may, I'd like a moment of your time about tonight's hearing."
PRESIDENT: "I can't talk now, Hank. I have a lot of work to finish before we get started."
BEAST: "Just five minutes, sir. This is quite important."
TRASK: "Dr. McCoy, we are incredibly pressed for time."
PRESIDENT: "I'm sorry, Hank. I can't speak with you now. We'll talk at the hearing."
The President turns and walks off with his bodyguards and Trask. Beast looks on, watching as they walk off.
PRESIDENT: "Maybe I can make time. I should go back."
TRASK: "Don't worry about Dr. McCoy, sir. Whatever he has to say, he can say it at the hearing. We have a lot of work to do, Mr. President."
PRESIDENT: "There's something about all this that doesn't seem right to me." (beat) "By the way, have you seen Grace around? She was supposed to meet us over here."
TRASK: "I'm sorry, sir. Nobody's seen your secretary since this morning. I'm sure she'll be here soon."
The President nods and follows Trask to the right, turning to the next hall.
PRESIDENT: "Let's hope this meeting works."
TRASK: "Indeed."
The large Senate building is seen from the outside. The Senate building stands at the end of an old business center, with several parked limousines parked around it and security guards and policemen standing watch throughout the area. A news REPORTER stands before the steps of the building, with a CAMERAMAN filming her with his camera.
REPORTER: "Tonight's last-minute senate hearing has attracted quite a crowd of onlookers, curious as to what the President and the Senate are going to discuss. What is known is that several senators have been gathered specifically for tonight's hearing, including Senators Dave Hayter and Michael Kamen, Sr., as well as mutant ambassador Dr. Henry McCoy, who have all been strong supporters in the movement for mutant rights."
The Reporter turns and points at a crowd of people being kept back by police caution tape and policemen standing watch. The crowd hold up signs in their hands, such as MUTANTS GO HOME and NO MORE MUTANTS!!!
REPORTER: "Many protestors have already shown up at the news of having a known mutant participating in this top secret hearing and the number of officers is expected to double to keep the area secure here tonight."
Back in the storage room, Jean shuts her eyes and flinches in agony, writhing against her chains. Scott looks at Jean, as she throws her head back and grits her teeth. She GRUNTS at the pain as she tries unsuccessfully to tug against her bonds.
SCOTT: "Jean, don't."
JEAN: "I have to try, Scott."
Jean stops and looks over at Scott. Scott looks over at Jean and notices her chains. Scott looks in realization.
SCOTT: "Wait a minute. Can you move aside?"
Jean looks up at Scott and nods.
JEAN: "I think so. Why?"
SCOTT: "Go as far to your left as you can."
Jean nods and moves over to her left about a foot or two away, before her chains go taut and reach their limit. Jean flinches, as her neck collar tugs tight against her.
SCOTT: "I know this hurts, but I want you to stay like that for a minute. Lean to your left and as far away from me as you can."
ALEX: "What are you doing?"
Scott lifts up his head and quickly shakes it around, tossing it around frantically side to side.
SCOTT: "Exactly what I don't want to do."
Jean flinches and looks at Scott as best she can as he suddenly bucks his head and his glasses are knocked off of his face, his eyes shut tight.
ALEX: "What are you doing?"
SCOTT: "Jean, lean forward. I need to get this just right."
Jean leans against her chains and winces, shutting her eyes and mouth tight. The chains rattle as they go taut and Scott turns towards them. Scott opens his eyes and fires a deep red beam from his pupils. The beam narrowly misses Jean as it blasts through her chains, as well as the wall.
BOOM!!! The blast punctures through to the next room and into a large study. The blast continues to fire forward and punches through a bookcase. Scott shuts his eyes tight and he GRUNTS as he turns his head aside. Jean sits up and moves her arms forward, pulling the headband device off of her forehead. Jean turns to Scott's fallen glasses and they twitch. The glasses slowly float up off the ground and towards Scott's table.
JEAN: "Scott, open your eyes."
Scott complies, as the ruby-quartz glasses slide over his pupils. Jean turns to Scott and holds her right hand up, making his shackles unlock. Jean turns to Alex and holds up her hand, making his restraints unlock and open on their own. Alex steps forward and rubs his hands, and then he looks up at Jean. Scott sits up on the table and smiles.
ALEX: "I take it that was your telekinetic capability. It's quite cool."
JEAN: "Thanks."
Scott gets off the table and Alex turns to him.
ALEX: "That's some girl you have there."
JEAN: "Go ahead. I know you've been wanting to since you got here."
ALEX: "What does she mean?"
Scott smiles and hugs Alex. Alex is caught off-guard by the hug, but he smiles and hugs Scott back.
ALEX: "Oh."
Jean lets out a soft smile, as the collar and shackles telekinetically unlock off of her and fall to the floor. Alex ends the hug and Scott turns to Jean. Jean walks to Scott and stands before him. Jean holds out her hands and Scott smiles, gently taking them.
JEAN: "This is real, isn't it?" (beat) "You're really here."
SCOTT: "It's really me, Jean."
Jean smiles, wiping the tears from her eyes, and she hugs Scott.
JEAN: (whispers) "I'm so sorry."
SCOTT: "It'll be all right, Jean. I promise."
Alex taps Scott's shoulder and points at the doorway behind him.
ALEX: "You do realize, of course, that we are free. We can get out of here."
SCOTT: "Not quite yet, Alex. There's something that we need to do before we go."
Scott walks through the hole in the wall and into the study, with Jean and Alex following him in.
ALEX: "This your idea of a short cut?"
Scott walks over to a phone set on a desk and picks it up. He hears the dial tone.
SCOTT: "Bingo."
Scott pushes buttons, dialing a phone number.
ALEX: "What're you doing?"
SCOTT: "Getting back-up."
In Xavier's office in the X-Mansion, Moira stands next to Xavier, as he sits behind his desk writing. Xavier pauses and looks on in shock. He twitches a moment, a bit stunned. Xavier looks away, as Moira eyes him in concern.
XAVIER: (whispers) "It can't be."
MOIRA: "Charles? What is it?"
The phone rings and Xavier turns to it.
XAVIER: "I'll get it, Moira."
Back in the study, Scott holds the phone to his ear, pausing.
XAVIER: (on the phone) "Hello?"
SCOTT: "Professor, this is Cyclops. We have a situation here, sir."
Logan, Storm, Bobby, Kitty, Gambit and Piotr stand in the Danger Room, dressed in their own X-uniforms. Lorna and Carol stand with them, also in their own X-uniforms. Carol's suit, like Piotr's, has the sleeves removed, showing her muscular arms.
STORM: "All right, everyone. We need to get to work on the next session. Miss Danvers and Miss Dane will be assisting us in today's exercise."
XAVIER: "No, they aren't."
The eight X-Men turn around and face Xavier, as he wheels into the room with Moira beside him.
XAVIER: "They're going with you to Washington."
STORM: "What's happened?"
XAVIER: "There's an attack going to happen in Washington."
LOGAN: "How do you know that?"
XAVIER: "Scott told me."
The X-Men exchange stunned looks and then turn to Xavier.
STORM: "You found Scott?"
XAVIER: "He called me. I'm going to pick him up and take him down to Washington assist you. Storm, I want you and Wolverine to leave immediately. They're going to attack the Senate hearing."
Minutes later, the assembled X-Men are in the X-Jet. Logan sits in the passenger seat of the cockpit, while Storm sits at the pilot seat, holding onto the controls. Carol and Lorna sit on chairs behind them, while Gambit, Bobby, Kitty and Piotr sit on chairs in the jet behind them. Gambit adjusts the collar of his trench coat, while Logan looks at Carol, noticing the mask tied over the upper half of her face.
LOGAN: "You shy about showing your face in public, Danvers?"
CAROL: "That's Miss Marvel. While we're at the fight, I tend to try and keep my identity a secret."
Storm looks out of the windshield, as she flies the jet over the city.
STORM: "We should be arriving at the Senate building in about ten minutes. And remember, we need to work together as a team, just like we've been training."
Gambit looks at Bobby a moment and he nods.
GAMBIT: "So you and me actually get to play nice for a change?" (A beat. Gambit smiles.) "S'cool."
Scott, Jean and Alex stand in front of Essex's hideout, waiting, and Alex folds his arms over his chest.
ALEX: "How much longer do we have to wait until the Professor gets here?"
As if in answer, a black jet with a red windshield flies overhead and towards the building. The jet lowers and parks before the building.
JEAN: "Not long."
A compartment on the bottom of the jet opens up and a stairway extends down to the ground. Scott, Alex and Jean hurry to the staircase and step up into the jet.
Within the jet, Xavier is at the controls, with Moira seated as co- pilot. Moira turns around and notices that Jean is the first to enter. Moira looks at her, stunned, as Xavier looks at Jean.
MOIRA: (whispers) "My God."
Scott follows Jean into the jet and sits on a chair beside her.
SCOTT: "It's all right, Moira. She's all right now."
XAVIER: "I take it she filled you in on what happened."
Alex is the last to enter and the stairway retreats back into the jet.
ALEX: "Yes, she did. Jean filled us in on every last detail."
Xavier looks at Scott, noticing his stern look. Xavier nods at Scott.
XAVIER: "I understand, Scott. I can only imagine what you must be feeling towards me after what I've done."
SCOTT: "Forgive me for saying so, Professor, but you can't exactly blame me for saying our reunion is bittersweet."
XAVIER: "I know. I did what I thought was right. I only hope you know that." (beat) "But this isn't the time to get into questioning my choices. We still have to help the other X-Men at the Senate building. Thankfully, it's not too far from here thanks to this jet's speed."
Xavier turns back and holds onto the controls. The jet revs up and takes off. Scott turns to Jean and holds her hand. Jean turns to Scott and lets out a sad smile.