The X-Men and their comrades arrive at Gambit's funeral, a solemn occasion marked by Nightcrawler's priestly oration. He speaks about Remy's boundless faith in the potential of others, yet his apparent blindness to his own greatness. The life of crime he was born into cast a shadow over him, yet Nightcrawler believes that deep within, Gambit saw himself as a hero.
Meanwhile, Rogue is absent from the funeral, engaged in a distant battle against a military post. She dispatches the troops with ease, reaching General Ross and demanding the locations of Gyrich and Trask. When he expresses surprise, believing the X-Men to be the good guys, she solemnly reveals that they have fallen.
Cyclops attempts to negotiate with the President for increased assistance in finding survivors in Genosha, but the President's concern for optics outweighs his compassion for the mutants' plight. Frustrated by the lack of government support, Scott and the X-Men resolve to search for survivors without it.
In Genosha, mutants of all stripes strive to lend whatever aid they can. Beast is deep in conversation with Amelia Voght when Trish Tilby arrives with a cameraman, seeking his attention.
Elsewhere, Captain America throws his shield at Rogue, demanding that she stop her assault. He also uses Gyrich as a lead to track down Bolivar Trask, the prime suspect in the recent events. He informs Rogue that Gyrich is being held in a facility in Mexico City and intends to pursue him there. However, when he mentions awaiting permission, Rogue's patience snaps, and she departs alone.
Back in Genosha, Roberto confesses to Jubilee that he lied to his mother, telling her he's on a ski trip. Fearful and shaken, he views Genosha as proof of what can happen when they fail to hide. Yet, Jubilee manages to ease his fears, and they agree to approach his mother together. Beast's argument with Trish intensifies as he believes seeking the humans' tolerance was their first mistake, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
Rogue arrives at the supposed "jail" housing Gyrich, expecting a bleak and barren environment. Instead, she finds a luxurious resort-like setting, which she easily breaches, utilizing her telepathic abilities to delve into Gyrich's memories. There, she catches a fleeting glimpse of the robotic menace, Nimrod.
As Cyclops and Jean scour the wreckage for survivors, Rogue is overwhelmed by the telepathic echoes of the mutants' final moments, leaving her emotionally shattered. Suddenly, she detects a faint telepathic signal, offering Scott a glimmer of hope that Madelyne might still be alive. But their hopes are dashed when they discover Emma Frost, transformed into a diamond form, a secondary mutation triggered by the cataclysmic events.
Morph urgently summons the X-Men back to the Blackbird, as Bolivar Trask conveys a dire message. He reveals that Mr. Sinister is the mastermind behind the chaos and urges them to travel to the UN Peace Legion in Madripoor. Despite the possibility of a trap, they press onward, determined to uncover the truth.
Roberto wastes no time in confessing his mutation to his mother, expecting a reaction. However, she remains calm, revealing that she and his father had suspected his secret since he turned 16, choosing to wait for him to come to terms with it himself. But her apparent openness masks a deeper agenda. Like the President before her, she's more concerned with appearances and insists on imposing rules for Roberto.
Meanwhile, Rogue collapses, exhausted from her efforts, and the X-Men rush to her aid, transporting her to their mission base. Elsewhere, an unknown assailant sneaks into Gyrich's quarters and brutally murders him, muttering that he nearly ruined the surprise.
The X-Men stumble upon a bizarre cybernetics facility within the UN Peace Legion, guarded by members of the same organization that protected Gyrich - OZT. Bolivar Trask stands on the brink of a fatal leap from the building's roof, but before he plunges, he reveals that Sinister is plotting to create a sentinel even more menacing than the one that devastated Genosha. Rogue manages to halt his descent, but she releases him to his fate when he claims ignorance of further details.
The X-Men barely have time to digest her actions before Trask transforms into a monstrous human sentinel and unleashes a furious assault. The Prime Sentinel withstands every attack with contemptuous ease, overwhelming them with its superior strength and technology. Fortunately, Cable intervenes, incapacitating the beast with an electromagnetic cluster grenade. Jean and Scott are stunned to recognize the now-unconscious sentinel as Nathan, but their reunion is cut short as he reveals that Sinister serves a far more dangerous master.
Mr. Sinister is in league with Bastion, another iteration of the human sentinel. He is aware of Xavier's survival and plans to exploit this knowledge, but his schemes hold an even darker secret. The villain has abducted Magneto and conceals him in an undisclosed location, plotting a sinister scheme that threatens to shatter the world as they know it.
