Out of Darkness into the Light

• Writer - Larry Hama
• Inker - Edgar Tadeo
• Penciler - Leinil Francis Yu
• Lettering - Richard Starkings
• Editor - Mark Powers
• Editor in Chief - Bob Harras
• Colorist - Jason Wright
• Computer Color - Starfire

Summary

  The X-Men (Cyclops, Cannonball, and Wolverine) finds themselves face to face with Mustang, who, one minute ago was a handicapped patient, was now a fully-functioning advanced Prime Sentinel. Logan notices how Mustang had had the opportunity to destroy them immediately upon changing into a Prime Sentinel, but he had not done it. Logan reasons that just maybe, the Sentinel Mustang still had some humanity within him that was struggling for control against the Sentinel side of him. As Logan attempts to reason with Mustang's human side, Cyclops and Cannonball helps clear out the innocent bystanders within the building and brings them outside where Jean, Jubilee, and Storm were.

  Meanwhile, Logan tries to reason with Mustang by telling him that he, himself, knows what it is like to have been the subject of an experiment, and how he was still able to overcome what had been done to him (having adamantium laced to his skeleton and his memories blocked out) and tries to get Mustang to do the same. Unfortunately, the Sentinel side of Mustang was more in control, and Mustang hits Logan with an energy blast.

  Outside, the X-Men notices how there were hundreds of Sentinel Prime flying their way. Jubilee notices how Logan was missing, and after being told that Logan was still inside trying to reason with Mustang, she runs back inside the compound to aid Logan. When she gets in there, Mustang was just about to unleash another energy blast on Logan until Jubilee comes in and saves Logan by using her mutant powers to blind Mustang. Mustang suddenly realizes he was blind again, and also realizes what he had done to Logan, who he, his human side, considered to be a friend.

  Back outside, the X-Men realizes that the Sentinel Primes flying overhead weren't flying towards them, but in fact, they were retreating from S.H.I.E.L.D. aircrafts. The X-Men then realize that if S.H.I.E.L.D. was involved, that would mean that the U.S. government had pulled the plug on Operation: Zero Tolerance. As the Sentinel Prime flies overhead, one deviates from its path and heads towards Cyclops. Cyclops tries what Logan did with Mustang to reason with the Sentinel Prime with the hope that the human side of it still existed and could possibly try to override the Sentinel Prime's programming. Unfortunately for him, it did not work, and the Sentinel Prime hits him with what appears to be an energy blast. Storm disables the Sentinel Prime with her powers. Jean pulls the Sentinel's nanotechnology out of the host's body with her psionic powers.

  S.H.I.E.L.D. commander G.W. Bridge then arrives with a few of his men. The medics tends to Cyclop's wounds. Their equipment detected a type of nano-tech sub-miniature device within Cyclops which they was not able to recognize. In the meantime, Jubilee, Mustang, and Logan exists the compound with a stack of computer floppy disks that might explain how the humans were converted to Prime Sentinel, and it also might hold clues to reversing the process. He then sees that Cyclops was hurt. Jean says that they had to get back to Salem Center since that was the only place where they can help Cyclops. Logan notices an abandoned jet that Bastion had used while fleeing, and the X-Men takes that jet and heads back to Salem Center. Leaving Mustang behind with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, they "borrow" the plane and leaves. Onboard, Cyclops regains consciousness, but is in pain as he believes that the device within him might be a bomb that was spreading.