When Cyclops flies solo to a tiny, western, desert community to see an old friend, his plane is blasted out of the sky. Injured and unable to use his powers, he struggles into town, only to discover his friend is missing and the town is caught in the grips of a militant, mutant-only, anti-human hate group: the Children of the Shadow.

Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Magneto are lured and captured by the High Evolutionary and his New Men. They imprison them along with Wolverine, who was spying on Magneto. The Evolutionary reveals that he wants to use their genetics & powers to create a new breed of beings, which he demonstrates by transforming Wolverine into a werewolf. He also reveals that Magneto is Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch's father. Magneto admits to the twins Quicksilver & Scarlet that he regrets abandoning their mother, his wife Magda. Beast and Professor X locate them as Magneto breaks the others free when the High Evolutionary escapes. Wolverine reverts back, and the twins walk away from Magneto despite his effort to reconcile with them.