We open in the prison of the External Stronghold in Nova Roma. Cerebra is trying to divide the rations for the mutant children as they need them more than the adults do. We see that Tulkas is one of the prisoners as well (Orlando original character from Marauders) and wishes he could access his powers to help everyone escape. He's talking with Somnus when the cell door opens and some zombie Orchis troops toss Jamie Madrox into the cell.
Somnus recognizes him and Jamie smiles. He's a dupe.
We get a flashback to the recent past. Dani asks Jamie Madrox if he's sure about what they're about to do. One of his dupes is in a reclining chair. She says between what Betsy lifted from Absalom's mind and the info Gambit flirted out of Candra they have most of the puzzle figured out. Jamie Prime agrees but says to stop Selene's ritual they need the whole puzzle figured out. Jamie Prime approaches his dupe with a long needle and syringe, asking Betsy to implement "psychic sleeping time" before the injection. The dupe's eyes are open wide as he looks at the syringe.
Standing nearby Layla tells Dani that between Selene and Saul, the Externals have strong psychic and magical defenses. But technology might be an angle they can play, especially...
Taki says anything the dupe sees will be beamed to them instantly on the wall of monitors. Jamie Prime says they will duplicate the dupe a dozen more times and disperse them until hopefully one of them gets picked up by Selene's Orchis goons and not the real Orchis troops. We see that the plan worked as two zombies capture a dupe.
Back to the present. Jamie dupe tells Somnus and Cerebra to smile for the camera as they have an audience back home. He's looking at Somnus and Cerebra who now appear on the monitors at X-Corps headquarters. The team is watching and Thunderbird is happy to see that the Camp Gozhoo children are still alive and praises them for being tough, raising his arms in excitement. He says let's bring 'em home and that he'll bury the Externals on the way out.
Somnus and Cerebra update Jamie/X-Corps and confirm the Externals' plan of collecting mutants for Selene's ritual. Cerebra says there are many more cells besides theirs. Mutants are sent to Selene and they never return. Jamie dupe plans to get himself chosen to be next to be served to Selene and, off-panel, he succeeds as we see him being carried away by Orchis goons. We can assume he caused a ruckus and was talking a lot of smack to get himself chosen. He's becoming scared as they get closer to Selene's chamber but reminds himself that he's doing this for Layla and Davey. Aw.
The zombie Orchis goons bring him into Selene's chamber where we see her in the middle of big room standing on a circular platform. Two faceless mutants are dead near her as she tosses a third one down after killing them. Looks like the platform is surrounded by a lake of blood. Gross. She turns and is delighted to see Madrox, "one of those delectably self-righteous Krakoans." She lifts him with one hand by the shirt and X-Corps watches as she's about to feed. However something else catches their air, a figure tied to the ceiling above Selene.
They rewind the footage and it's Tempo! She's being held to the ceiling and she's either unconscious or simply exhausted.
Taki says he's glad they've figured that part out but they now have a big problem. Trinary becomes alarmed as the camera feed starts being corrupted. She says it shouldn't be possible, that they took every security measure and they're all still in place. A voice says, "Please. The first of us was old long before the wheel."
Betsy, looking up at the monitor with brow furrowed: Gideon.
Gideon, on the monitor and smiling: Indeed, Captain. We Externals toasted the abacus. We bet on Edison... did you really think we couldn't raid your systems? This is an immortal's game, children. Try to keep up.
Next: Enter the Matr-X!