We open with the preview pages. Jean is piloting the space shuttle and relieving the moment she crashed into Jamaica Bay, only to wake up passed out on a grocery store floor. The Gateway lookalike says they called her boyfriend and Dr. Reyes. But Jean rushes out in a panic, ignoring their pleas for her to wait.
In the real world, a father and son are fishing in Jamaica Bay when suddenly a bunch of dead fish float to the top of the water. The water churns violently and a pillar of flame erupts from deep below. The father and son dive into the water and swim to safety as the flame continues to rise.
Back in Jean’s world, she’s running from the grocery store (which has the name Hammer Bay) and tries to start her car, but it doesn’t work. She’s beside herself as someone who looks kinda like Darwin asks if she’s ok.
Kitty is leading a team to Cockrum Hill Cemetery in New York, consisting of teen Cyclops, Old Man Logan, Old Beast, and Dani Moonstar. Kitty laments that the strange disturbances are increasing in frequency but are still over too quickly for them to do anything about them. Cyclops asks if it’s really what they think it is then maybe they just need to sit and wait. Beast says they should not. Most of their encounters with “it” have been pretty benign, but he prefers to get ahead of the cosmic bird before it figures out what it’s doing.
Dani asks why he keeps referring to this thing as “it” instead of “her,” because they all know where this is going. Beast has doubts, saying they lack evidence to say for sure, even if this was one of his closest friends.
Kitty tells them to shush as they have reached where they were headed: the gravesite of Jean Grey-Summers. Her casket has been dug up, opened, and emptied. Kitty says if they’re going to find it…or her, they need Cerebro. Beast says he can fix it, but they’ll still need a psychic to run it. Kitty mutters that she’ll find someone.
Jean is in an auto-repair shop while someone looks at her car. The mechanic says it’s not too serious. Jean calls him Mr. Patch as he comes into view, Logan with his signature eyepatch. Mr. Patch says that it’s just an old car and everything starts to breakdown eventually.
Jean feels deflated, asking him if he’s ever felt like things are going wrong and they’re just going to keep getting worse. He says no and that she needs to relax as it’s just a car.
Patch: You want my advice?
Jean: Not really.
Patch: A stiff drink or a stiff man. That’ll cure your bad day. I can help—
Jean cries for him to stop and telekinetically throws him away, piercing him with a screwdriver in the process. Immediately she moves to help him, trying to figure out what she did. Patch says it was just an earthquake. Jean says he’s hurt, but as soon as Patch pulls the screwdriver out his wound disappears. He says everything is just fine as Jean recoils in shock.
Kitty has a new team behind her as she made her way to London. OML is still there, but now she’s recruited Laura, Colossus, and Proudstar. A figure comments that Kitty brings an interesting group to war. Kitty says this is who she brings when she doesn’t know what she’s walking into. The figure comments that Kitty used to be such a polite and delicate little girl, but has blossomed into a real [censored]. She approves of the change.
Kitty cuts to the chase: Jean Grey is back. The figure is revealed as Emma Frost, who asserts she knew that already as she’s already seen the Phoenix. She doesn’t know where it is now and makes NO comment on what happened in JG #10 or anybody who was involved. In fact, she asks Kitty if they need Phoenix help why not go to Hope or Quentin or Rachel. Kitty asks if Emma would be willing to use Cerebro. Emma says that won’t be necessary.
Jean is in New Mexico. OML ask how she knows. Emma says that sometimes when she was being…intimate…with Scott his mind would wander and he’d think about her. And he would think of the time the spent on the plateau. Kitty doesn’t know what that means, but Emma says if that place meant anything to Jean like it did to Scott, that’s where she’ll be.
Night has fallen in Jean land as she’s walking home, being tailed by a female figure. It calls her name, saying she can’t run anymore even though Jean is trying. The figure is gaining on her as she makes it to her house and locks herself inside. The figure starts pounding on her door as Jean cries for it to leave her alone. But then she turns and finds her house engulfed in flames.
A vision of Jean in the green Phoenix form says hello. It’s time they talked.
A series of X-Jets lands on the plateau in New Mexico. Practically every X-Man who’s appeared in the story so far is there, but they find nothing. Still, Old Man Logan doesn’t feel right. Laura says he might be scared. He says maybe he is.
Figuring Emma played them for fools, Kitty says it’s time to go. Magik says to hold on. She can feel something there that’s compelling them to go. She swings her Soul Sword, and it reveals I giant orange barrier just off the side of the mesa, complete with an opening Magik created.
Bobby asks what they do now. Beast says they go in.