Page One
1. This panel should be shaped like a movie screen, and located at the center of an otherwise -black screen (with room above it and below it for the issue's title, credits, and indicia). In the panel, we find a CLOSEUP of two menacing eyes as they glare at the reader. This guy's pissed.

SPEAKER: My kind has been subject to racial hatred and violence for as long as I can remember.
SPEAKER: But I promise you, it ends now.

Page Two
1. Splash page of the figure, a powerful-looking man in a red-and-purple warrior's outfit, complete with a Romanesque helmet and cape. He's hovering above the ruins of a large government complex. He gestures dramatically, as if ready to unleash Hell at any second. He is MAGNETO.

CAPTION: Mutant Registration Agency.
MAGNETO: I am Magneto! I and my followers hereby declare WAR on humanity!

Page Three
1. Two military helicopters converge in Magneto, who looks up at them with mild annoyance.

MAGNETO: Here come some challengers now...

2. Magneto raises an arm toward the helicopters, and waves of magnetism emanate from his hand.

COPTER PILOT (over loudspeaker): Surrender now, or we open fire!
MAGNETO: Back, humans! To say you are not worthy to face me is a gross understatement.

3. The magnetic waves wash over the helicopters, causing them to fall apart at the seams.

MAGNETO (off-panel): Especially when the chariots on which you ride are composed of metal, which I am able to bend to my will.

Page Four
1. A small military unit approaches Magneto from behind. Everyone but the SERGEANT seems hesitant.

SARGE: Move in, people, move in!
SOLDIER: But Sarge, did you see what he just did to those choppers?
SARGE: That's an order, Soldier; now let's take out this dirtbag!

2. Closeup of Magneto, turning to them.

MAGNETO: I think not, gentlemen.

3. The soldiers' guns are levitated out of their hands. They're understandably surprised at this.

4. The guns swing around to face the soldiers.

SARGE: Fall back, men! Retreat! Ret--

5. Another closeup of Magneto. He smiles as we see reflections of gunfire on his helmet.

SFX: BRRRRT!

Page Five
1. Establishing shot of a fairly large New England mansion, situated in the country. It's daytime.

CAPTION: Westchester County, New York.
SPEAKER (from inside): I have been expecting you, Miss Lee. Welcome to the Xavier School for the Gifted.

2. Inside the mansion, we find two very different figures traversing the main hallway. One is a bald middle-aged man in a wheelchair, wearing a blue business suit. His companion is a 16-year-old Asian girl in her late teens, with short black hair and brown eyes. She carries a full backpack slung over her shoulder, and wears a yellow jacket over her loose purple tank top, tight jeans, sneakers, gloves, and a choker collar. The former is PROFESSOR CHARLES XAVIER; the latter is JUBILATION LEE (or JUBILEE for short).

XAVIER: I'm Charles Xavier.
JUBILEE: Uh...how did you know my name? And you said you were expecting me...nobody's supposed to know I'm here. Except my stepmom, who sent me here...did she call you?
XAVIER: All in good time, Miss Lee.

3. They come to a cylindrical elevator in the wall, revealed by a door sliding open. Jubilee looks oddly at it.

XAVIER: But first, allow me to introduce you to the other students, who are in a training session.

4. Inside the elevator, Jubilee is amazed by what she's seeing. The elevator looks technologically-advanced, in sharp contrast to the mansion decor. At this point she's wondering what it is she's getting into.

JUBILEE: "Training"? Uh...if you don't mind my asking, Mister Xavier, where are we going?

5. Xavier smiles as the doors open.

XAVIER: To meet the students, of course. And call me Professor.

6. Xavier leads Jubilee through a brightly-lit steel corridor, which looks nothing like the environment they were just in upstairs.

JUBILEE: Oh...kay...

7. Jubilee and Xavier enter what appears to be a control room, designed very much in keeping with the corridor's architecture. Behind the control panel is a large observation window, through which we view this scene.

JUBILEE: Those are your students?

XAVIER: Certainly. Jubilation Lee, allow me to introduce you to...

Page Six
1. Splash Page: Five uniformed mutants are locked in combat with huge mechanical contraptions. They consist of:

-A brown-haired Caucasian who wears an odd gold visor over his eyes, apparently to regulate the crimson energy pouring from his eyes. This is CYCLOPS.
-An exotically beautiful white-haired girl of African descent with electricity issuing from her hands. This is STORM.
-A large, muscular man covered in grey fur, and gifted with raw animalistic strength and agility. He wears a similar costume as the rest, but only the bottom half, sans boots. This is BEAST.
-A red-haired Caucasian girl who seemingly projects a column of fire from her forehead to a machine, englufing it in flames. This is PHOENIX. (note: Yes, that's right, this Jean's a pyrokinetic, rather than a telekinetic. At least her codename makes sense now)
-A thin, athletic man with curly black hair, dark blue skin, featureless yellow eyes, three digits on each of his hands and feet, a pointed, prehensile tail. He is NIGHTCRAWLER.

Behind them is the wall with the observation window.

XAVIER (from inside): ...THE X-MEN.

Page Seven
1. Ideally, these six panels should be set up two-by-three, all the same size. But that's negotiable.
Anyway, the first one shows Cyclops as seen from the control room (the first five panels should have this POV), zapping away at the machines, and shouting orders to the other X-Men.

XAVIER CAPTION: "Scott Summers, called Cyclops, is the team's field leader. He has the power to emit energy beams from his eyes."
CYCLOPS: Keep moving, people! They get a clean shot, and it's "game over"!
JUBILEE CAPTION: "What's that thing on his face?"
XAVIER CAP: "A specially-made visor that allows him to control his power."

2. Nightcrawler leaps off of one machine, flips, and slams a flying kick into another machine's camera eye, while dodging lasers.

XAVIER CAP: "Aside from his more obvious physical characteristics, Kurt 'Nightcrawler' Wagner is gifted with teleportation.
NIGHTCRAWLER: Oh right, Scott. As if these things could actually hit me! This is no challenge at all!
JUBILEE CAP: "Dude, he's fast!"
XAVIER CAP: "A trifle overconfident, sadly."

3. Phoenix scorches yet another machine.

XAVIER CAP: "Jean Grey, or Phoenix, possesses the gifts of pyrokinesis and limited telepathy."
JUBILEE CAP: "'Pyro-what?"
XAVIER CAP: "She can cause objects to spontaneously combust with her mind."
PHOENIX: Careful, Kurt. Last time you said that, Cyclops raised the training level three notches.

4. Storm fries a fourth machine with a lightning bolt, while looking to her left with concern.

XAVIER CAP: "Ororo Mkende, Storm, can manipulate the meteorological phenomena in her vicinity. In other words, she can control the weather."
JUBILEE CAP: "Cool. Bet she could have a snow day whenever she wants."
STORM: Hank, do you need help?

5. Beast, who was recently grabbed by one of the mechs, holds onto it with his feet, and gets enough leverage to pull the mechanical arm from its socket.

JUBILEE CAP: "Whoa. What do they call him? Animal, or something?"
XAVIER CAP: "Beast, actually. However, beneath Henry McCoy's simian exterior beats the heart of a poet, and lies the mind of a scientist."
BEAST: Don't worry about me, Storm! This handsome devil has the gruesome situation well in hand...er, paw...

6. Xavier and Jubilee continue to watch the training sequence. Xavier sits sagely at the control panel, while Jubilee stands closer to the window, her fingers touching it. If you want, you can have this P.O.V. inside the Danger Room itself, looking up through the window at the spectators.

JUBILEE: And they're all mutants? Like me?
XAVIER: Precisely. And like them, you possess a unique gift of your own: you can generate biokinetic plasma bursts. I believe you call them "fireworks".

Page Eight
1. Jubilee turns to Xavier, clearly skeptical.

JUBILEE: Lemme guess: you're a mutant too, with the power to know everything, right?
XAVIER: Something like that. Your power's potential is locked in your mind. My telepathy can access it.

2. Tight closeup of Jubilee's hands, as they begin to glow, a little too close to the control panel.

XAVIER (off): Speaking of your power...you might want to step away from the console...
JUBILEE (off): What? Why?

3. Splash panel: Jubilee's power suddenly goes off, spraying the control panel with a shower of tiny multicolored plasma bursts. The console erupts in a hail of sparks. Jubilee reflexively covers her face with her forearms.

SFX: Fweeee B-BOOM!
JUBILEE: Ack!

4. Jubilee fans her hand at the column of smoke rising from the control panel. It's fried. And FUBARed.

JUBILEE: Oh, maan...I hate it when that happens. Sorry, Professor.
XAVIER: It's all right, Jubilation. The console will be repaired, and you will learn control of your power in time.

Page Nine
1. In the foreground, the X-Men find that the power is out and all the robots have shut off in the Danger Room. Nightcrawler perches atop a freshly-defeated machine, and looks up to the control room window in the background, seeing Jubilee and Xavier. Nightcrawler is curious about the newcomer.

XAVIER: But I believe you've prematurely ended the Danger Room exercise.
CYCLOPS: What just happened?
BEAST: A power outage, apparently.
CYCLOPS: That much I gathered. Any idea what caused it?
NIGHTCRAWLER: Could be the new girl up there.

2. Closeup of Nightcrawler grinning mischeivously.

NIGHTCRAWLER: I'll have to say hello...

3. The panel is filled with a sudden cloud of smoke, at the center of which is a Nightcrawler-shaped flash of light and the sound effect:

SFX: BAMF!

Jubilee turns and screams as Nightcrawler appears in a puff of smoke behind her, holding out his hand in greeting. Jubilee sends a cascade of multicolored plasma bursts at Kurt defensively, as Xavier watches in surprise.

JUBILEE: Christ!
NIGHTCRAWLER: Welcome to Xavier's school. I'm--AGH!
SFX: Fwee B-BOOM!
XAVIER: Kurt!

5. Jubilee looks down at Kurt in amazement as Kurt sits on the floor dazed, rubbing his forehead. Jubilee is apologetic; Xavier is nonplussed.

JUBILEE: Oh, damn...I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?
NIGHTCRAWLER: I'll...ngh...let you know when the feeling in my brain returns...
JUBILEE: Uh...sorry...

Page Ten
1. Cut to an idyllic view of an island in the South Pacific Ocean. Gulls fly overhead.

CAPTION: South Pacific. An island that isn't on any maps...

2. Closer look at the island, where we see not only a lush jungle, but a large mountain at the center.

CAPTION: ...but is affectionately known by its inhabitants as "Island M".

3. The mountain contains a large natural hole in the middle of it, just big enough that a small aircraft could conceivably enter it. The mountain could easily be used as a fortress. As a matter of fact, it is.

CAPTION: The "M" stands for both "Mutants"...

MAGNETO (from inside): The first strike has been made, my brothers...

4. Inside the fortress. The corridors, resemble those of submarines, and not by accident, since the fortress was constructed in part from downed nautical craft. Follow one such corridor...

MAGNETO (off): ...and that Mutant Registration Agency has been eliminated. We now have the world governments scrambling around like frightened roaches.

5. ...until it leads to a conference room. All we see of it on this page, though, is a tight closeup of Magneto's helmet resting on a table.

CAPTION: ...and "Magneto".
MAGNETO (off): In layman's terms, gentlemen: We have them where we want them.

Page Eleven
1. Pull out to reveal Magneto addressing several more mutants. Closest to him are: his son QUICKSILVER (who looks like his father, but with a slimmer, athletic build), his daughter SCARLET (curly brown hair, green eyes, red attire, looks like a gypsy), Magneto's second-in-command the shapeshifting MYSTIQUE (red hair, blue skin, yellow eyes), the gothic illusionist MASTERMIND (all black, skinny, black leather trench coat), and ROGUE, an attractive teenage girl with brown hair and a white stripe down the middle. Each one wears unique clothing, but the one constant is the same "Brotherhood collar" Magneto wears (not around the neck, put seemingly draped ever the shoulders, with large round studs lining it. That's the Brotherhood's identifying theme. Most of the X-Men wore it to copy Magneto in the Age of Apocalypse storyline, so it seemed like a logical design element to continue here.

MAGNETO: The next target will be a group effort.
MAGNETO: Mastermind?

2. Mastermind's forehead glows, and he projects a holographic image of a maximum security prison (under construction), for the benefit of the audience.

MASTERMIND: One illusion coming up.
MAGNETO: Thank you.
MAGNETO: This is The Vault, a maximum security prison built to house mutant criminals. It's scheduled for completion in two days.

3. Quicksilver and the others study the image.

QUICKSILVER: And you want us to gut the prison before it can be finished.

4. Magneto looks faintly annoyed. He explains his plan to them, which shocks them to say the least. Except Mystique.

MAGNETO: Actually, Quicksilver, we'll allow it to be built.
ALL (except Magneto and Mystique): What?
SCARLET: Are you sure, father?
MYSTIQUE: Of course he is. He wants The Vault to get nice and full of inmates before we take it over, and voila, we have a multitude of mutant followers.

5. Menacing closeup of Magneto.

MAGNETO: Precisely, Mystique. There are currently close to a thousand mutants living in the United States alone. They shall stand with us in the Brotherhood. Those who oppose us...

Page Twelve
1. Back at the mansion, Ororo and Jubilee head down the upstairs hallway. Jubilee holds her backpack in her arms. Ororo is dressed in civillian garb: a black dress decorated with white African prints.

MAGNETO CAPTION: "...will be crushed."
CAPTION: The Xavier School.
ORORO: ...and here are the upstairs living quarters. Your room is at the end of the hall.
ORORO: Did you bring any other belongings with you?

2. Jubilee holds up her backback bashfully. Ororo smiles.

JUBILEE: Uhm...no. This is pretty much it.
ORORO: We will see about getting more clothes for you.
JUBILEE: Thanks.

3. They continue walking.

JUBILEE: So...couldn't help but notice the accent. You from out of the country?
ORORO: Yes. I am from Africa. A small village in Kenya, specifically.
JUBILEE: Wow. How'd you end up here?
ORORO: My mutant power manifested, and I used it to bring rain to my people.

4. Closeup of Ororo, who sadly reveals the rest of the story.

ORORO: Unfortunately, I couldn't control by ability very well. One night I had a nightmare...
ORORO: ...and I woke up without a family or village. Only destruction and death from a storm I had created.

5. Jubilee offers her support, and they reach Jubilee's new room.

JUBILEE: Oh...harsh...
JUBILEE: This school helped you get control, right?
ORORO: Yes. As it will for you. You will be safe here.
JUBILEE: You promise?
ORORO: Yes, Jubilation. I promise.
JUBILEE: Call me Jubilee.

Page Thirteen
1. Ororo opens the door, and Jubilee peeks in, hesitant. Ororo turns on the light.

JUBILEE: So this is my room, huh? And since this is a school, I'll have to take classes, won't I?
ORORO: I'm afraid so. Where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?

2. Jubilee turns and looks at Ororo, timidly. Behind her, we can see that her new quarters looks like a hotel room, with a large made-up bed, expensive curtains and drapes, a walk-in closet, bathroom, and a desk to study on, complete with computer. All of this need not show up in this panel, but if they can be worked into the other panels, that'd work.

JUBILEE: Originally? L.A. Bounced around the country from foster home to foster home, 'cause nobody knew what to do with a mutant.

3. She looks down, tears in her eyes. Ororo puts a hand on her shoulder.

JUBILEE: With a freak.

4. Ororo reassures Jubilee, who looks at her gloved hands, angrily.

ORORO: You are not a freak, Jubilee. Your mutation makes you unique. In order for others to accept you, you must first accept yourself.
JUBILEE: Yeah...?
JUBILEE: First time my powers showed up, I blew up my parents! Nobody wants a girl who's only good for pyrotechnics, getting in trouble...
JUBILEE (small): ...or...or other things...

5. Ororo hugs Jubilee tightly, letting her cry.

ORORO: Shhh...

Page Fourteen
1. Xavier sits in his wheelchair at the center of a dark, round room. The only light source comes from directly over the prof, illuminating him and a high-tech computer console that surrounds him on three sides. he's also wearing a bizarre helmet, with a cable that connects it to the console. This is the CEREBRO ROOM.

2. Closer shot of Xavier. His eyes are closed in concentration, as if he's listening to something. We see the helmet and console in greater detail.

3. Even closer view of Xavier, as his expression changes to frustration.

4. Long overhead shot. Xavier wheels his way toward the exit, following runway lights.

Page Fifteen
1. Xavier is almost at the exit when the huge vault door opens, revealing Scott, Jean, Ororo, Hank, and Kurt, all in civillian garb, standing in a brightly-lit corridor.

Scott wears a blue button-up shirt, black pants, and red reflective sunglasses (he has to wear them or his visor; he can't control his power otherwise); Jean wears a white "Hello Kitty" t-shirt and grey cargo pants; Ororo wears the same black dress as in the last scene; Hank wears a black muscle-shirt and shorts; Kurt wears faded jeans and a t-shirt with the words "PERFECTLY NORMAL" on it.

CAPTION: The Cerebro Room.
SCOTT: Any luck, sir?
XAVIER: I'm afraid not, Scott. Magneto has apparently found a way to shield his thoughts from me, so that I cannot get a lock on him.
JEAN: Are you all right?

2. Xavier and his students head down the corridor toward the Ready Room.

XAVIER: Just...exhausted, Jean. While the Cerebro System amplifies my telepathy to an incredible extent, it still puts a strain on me physically.
HANK: I'll have to fix that, then.

3. The group enters the Ready Room, where they sit at a round table that looks no less high-tech than the rest of the complex. This table projects 3-D holograms.

KURT: Too bad we don't have a better way to find mutants than locating their brainwaves.
ORORO: You merely do not like having your mind read, Kurt.
KURT: This is true; my brain's cluttered enough as it is.
XAVIER: If we may return to the matter at hand, X-Men...

4. Xavier presses a button on the table's control pad, and a holo image of Magneto forms above the table. The others are now seated, with Scott at Xavier's right.

XAVIER: The Mutant Registration Agency was attacked last night by Magneto. Government soldiers intervened, and were slain.
SCOTT: Oh no, not him again.
KURT: And Magneto is...?
XAVIER: My apologies, Kurt. You had not yet joined the school when he appeared, searching for mutant followers. Some background is in order, then...

Page Sixteen
1. Xavier presses another button. The image changes to that of Magneto, without his helmet.

XAVIER: His name is Erik Magnus Lehnsherr. He has the power of magnetism, enabling to shape the Earth's magnetic fields to his whim. He is an alpha-level mutant, as I am.
XAVIER: He is also the only surviving member of a Jewish family which was executed during the Holocaust.

2. Reaction shot of the X-Men as they listen to this with varying degrees of interest.

XAVIER (off): He knows all too well the effects of mankind's racial hatred.
XAVIER (off): He sees a parallel between the oppression the Jewish and Polish people endured in the forties, and the current bigotry being faced by mutants in our society.

3. Closeup of Erik's holo-image.

XAVIER (off): Erik predicts that a war is brewing between the two races, which will result in another Holocaust. His goal is to prevent this scenario...
XAVIER (off): ...by any means necessary.

4. Ororo looks skeptical. Scott attempts to explain.

ORORO: But by levelling that government building, and murdering those military troops...has he not, in effect, started that war?
SCOTT: He's not a pacifist, Ororo. He wants mutants to fight back against humans. The holocaust he wants to prevent involves the subjugation of mutants.
SCOTT: If the humans become the ones oppressed, I doubt Magneto would care.

5. Closeup of Xavier.

XAVIER: Precisely. A war between humans and mutants would only serve to exacerbate the problem, not solve it. In order to prevent any tragedy, we must stop the war before it starts.
XAVIER: The X-Men must confront Magneto directly.

6. Jean asks the next logical question. Xavier summons a holo-image of the Vault at the press of a button.

JEAN: So how do we do that? What's his next target?
XAVIER: Most likely, Jean? Vault Penitentiary.

Page Seventeen
1. Cut to the aforementioned prison, located at the base of a rather picturesque collection of mountains. The prison is understandably well-guarded, with the military out in full force.

CAPTION: The Rocky Mountains, Colorado. Two days later.
WARDEN (from inside): Welcome to The Vault. You have the distinction of being the first mutant inmates in this facility...

2. Inside the prison, a dozen shackled PRISONERS stand assembled before a detail of security guards, and the WARDEN, who calls the roll on a clipboard. The guards and the warden are all badasses, as are some of the prisoners. However, other prisoners look as if they have no business here, and probably wouldn't be near a prison if they didn't carry the mutant gene. Unjust persecution at work.

WARDEN: ...but I can guarantee you won't be the last.
WARDEN: When I call your name, I would like you to respond, so I'll know that each and every one of you is accounted for.

3. Closer look at the prisoners as the warden walks by them, shouting off names from his list. Among the more recognizable mutants: FRED "BLOB" DUKES, REMY "GAMBIT" LEBEAU, JOHN "THUNDERBIRD" PROUDSTAR, CALVIN "MIMIC" RANKIN, MORTIMER "TOAD" TOYNBEE, LOGAN aka WOLVERINE, and IAN "NULL" TYCHO (made-up character; bald with gold skin). They're pretty much open to visual interpretation, as long as they're recognizable. Remy and Logan should look the most like the versions we're used to seeing, since they'll be prominent characters of the course of the next six issues. However, Blob, Toad, Mimic, and Null should have obvious physical mutations. Make 'em look cool.
Oh, and if you're wondering, Null has the ability to neutralize any mutant powers in a six-foot radius.

WARDEN: Dukes, Fred.
BLOB: Here.
WARDEN: Rankin, Calvin.
MIMIC: Here.
WARDEN: LeBeau, Remy.
GAMBIT: Here.
WARDEN: Proudstar, John.
THUNDERBIRD: Here.
WARDEN: Tycho, Ian.
NULL: Here.
WARDEN: Toynbee, Mortimer.
TOAD: Here...mumble, mumble, mumble...
WARDEN: What's this...? We have a "Logan" here, with no last name.

4. Closeup of Logan as the warden approaches him, a bit annoyed, and looking to establish dominance. Unfortunately, that's kind of a bad idea with this particular inmate, who's tougher than he looks. But at the moment, Logan thinks it's funny.

WARDEN: Unless that is his last name.
LOGAN: That's me.
WARDEN: You, huh? What's your name?
LOGAN: Logan.
WARDEN: Full name, smartass.
LOGAN: Logan.
LOGAN: But you can call me "sir."

5. Warden gets pissed, and grabs Logan by the collar with both hands. Logan's mood abruptly changes from amused to snarly.

WARDEN: Now listen here, you insolent little beady-eyed son of a--
LOGAN: Grrr...

Page Eighteen
1. Logan uppercuts the warden in the chin with both fists, causing the warden to let go, and sending him backward off his feet.

SFX: KLUDD!

2. Warden lands on his back on the floor, Logan's foot planted firmly on his chest.

LOGAN: No, you listen, bub: Nobody male gets that close without permission, or full medical insurance! Got it?

3. The guards surround Logan, heavy pulse guns at the ready. Logan stands defiantly, daring them to make a move.

LOGAN: C'mon, boys, don't be shy. Who's next?

4. Money shot: Logan springs three long metallic blades from between the knuckles of each hand.

SFX: SNIKT!

5. But before Logan can use them, the other guards open fire on him, striking him on all sides with stun blasts, sending him forward as if he'd been kicked by a horse. Looks painful.

SFX: FZAAM!
LOGAN: Uunh!

6. Logan lies face-down on the floor. The other prisoners watch as the soldiers move to haul his unconscious body off. The warden sits up, holding his bleeding mouth. He bit his tongue.

WARDEN: Ged da' worthleth piethe of thid oudda here, an' pud 'im tholidary where he belongth!
WARDEN: Led da' be a lethon do alla you. Don'd pith uth off!
WARDEN: Thdupid mudie...wend an' made me bide my tongue...

Page Nineteen
1. A large black jet soars through the sky at top speed, miles of land visible beneath it. This is the X-JET, the X-Men's modified blackbird jet with a big gold stylized "X" insignia on it. Make it look supremely cool.

CAPTION: Somewhere over America's heartland. Hours later.
NIGHTCRAWLER (from inside): Are we there yet?
CYCLOPS (from inside): Funny, Nightcrawler.

2. Inside the cockpit. Cyclops is in the pilot's seat, with Phoenix as co-pilot, and Beast in charge of the scanning equipment. Storm and Nightcrawler are also present, with Kurt making a nuisance of himself. Storm gets slightly annoyed with him.

CYCLOPS: E.T.A. in two hours.
NIGHTCRAWLER: Wonderful. Good thing I brought a book.
STORM: Must you complain so much, Kurt?
PHOENIX: Yeah, flying in this jet beats walking, and you can't teleport all the way there.

3. Closeup of a very worried Nightcrawler. His light-hearted facade has dropped.

NIGHTCRAWLER: It's not the flight that bothers me, Jean; it's the thought of what we're flying into.
BEAST (off): He has a point, actually...

4. Beast elaborates while watching the radar monitor.

BEAST: Confronting Magneto is difficult enough, as is stemming a prison revolt consisting of metahuman inmates...
BEAST: ...but we are in the unenviable position of doing both simultaneously.

5. Back to Nightcrawler.

NIGHTCRAWLER: Not only that, Hank, but also the thought that a mutant prison even exists.
NIGHTCRAWLER: People are being rounded up and jailed there, simply because they carry the wrong kind of genes. For not being a "real human". Sound familiar?

6. Closeups of Phoenix and Cyclops, as they pick up Kurt's train of thought with concern.

PHOENIX: It does. The same thing happened to Jews during World War II...and to the Japanese shorty thereafter.
CYCLOPS: And to Native Americans over a hundred years ago...to a different extent. This kind of thing has occurred all throughout human history.
PHOENIX: Is it any wonder Magneto is pissed at the human race?

Page Twenty
1. Establishing shot of the Vault at night.

CAPTION: The Vault.
WARDEN (from inside, splash): LIGHTS OUT!
CAPTION: It's end of the inmates' first day here, and already they hate the place.

2. Cut to a corridor inside, lined with prison cells. Instead of standard steel bars, the cells are given vault doors with small observation windows and slots for food trays.

CAPTION: That's the point. They're supposed to.

3. Looking through one of the observation windows, we see one of the prisoners (Toad, Blob, Proudstar, Mimic, or Tycho) lying on the mattress, staring at the spartan walls. Behind him is a window, through which moonlight shines, and we see the rest of the complex.

CAPTION: But at least their new rooms have a view.

4. Cut to solitary confinement. Logan sits in the dark, brooding and staring at his knuckles. His hands are encased in steel cylinders, which are supposed to keep him from springing his claws.

CAPTION: Except one.
CAPTION: Solitary has a distinct lack of windows.

5. The encasings turn out to be inneffective, as Logan's claws emerge, splitting the cyclinders apart.

SFX: SNIKT!
CAPTION: Logan intends to fix that.

6. Cut to the guard tower outside, where a few guards pass spotlights along the complex, and banter back and forth.

CAPTION: However, events on a larger scale are amiss...
GUARD 1: Hear that?
GUARD 2: No. Your imagination, I keep telling you.
GUARD 1: And I keep telling you that I -- see? There's that sound again.
GUARD 2: God, you're paranoid. Like anybody'd be stupid enough to--

7. Same shot as before, but all the lights are out. The guards panic.

GUARD 2: Oh shit....

Page Twenty-One
1. In the hallway, a security detail rushes through, weapons drawn. The Warden is at the head of the pack, barking orders as usual.

WARDEN: Listen up, people! We got a situation! Namely some smear's tryin' to take this place over! This ain't a drill, so be ready for anything, and treat this like my boot treats roaches!

2. They reach the outside entrance, and are now standing on the roof near the helipad (complete with military helicopter), guns pointed at Magneto, whose hovering boots and cape are the only part showing in the panel.

WARDEN: It's that Magneto clown! Take him!
WARDEN: Well, don't just stand there! Our weapons systems are shielded against magnetism!
MAGNETO: Hmm...it seems as though you're right; I can't get a lock on them.

3. The helicopter suddenly fires rounds from its gatling guns into the guards. The warden is spared.

SFX: CHRRRRRRRRRT!

MAGNETO: So I change tactics.

4. Magneto looks at Magneto, wide-eyed while standing near a pile of bullet-ridden soldiers. It's entirely possible he wet himself. He raises his gun at Magneto, but without much conviction.

WARDEN (small): St...stand down, Magneto...we don't want things to get out of hand...

5. Magneto alights on the roof, advancing toward the warden in his usual regal fashion.

MAGNETO: You're certainly in the wrong line of work for that. Perhaps you should have become a doctor, like Mother wanted.
MAGNETO: But you have my word that I will spare your life.

6. Magneto continues walking toward the roof entrance, past the warden. However, behind the warden are several shadowy members of the Brotherhood. One of them snaps his neck.

MAGNETO: However, I make no such promises about Quicksilver.
MAGNETO: Come, brothers. We have mutants to liberate.

Page Twenty-Two
1. Very savage shot of Logan clawing the hell out of the heavy vault door in solitary.

LOGAN: HRAAAARGH!
LOGAN: Let me out of here, bastards!

2. Logan steps back from the door, catching his breath. We see a multitude of deep gashes in the door, caused by the claws.

LOGAN: Ahuh...hhh...huh...
LOGAN (thought): This is nuts. It'd take me all night to carve through this thing. Least the guards're busy with whatever-that-is on the roof.
LOGAN (t): Wait...footsteps. Someone's coming.

3. To Logan's surprise, the door is pulled forcefully out into the hallway, but with no visible cause. Yet. Logan holds his ready stance, growling.

SFX: WREEEEUNK!
LOGAN: Grrr....

Page Twenty-Three
1. Magneto strides into the room, looking superior. Logan is less than impressed.

MAGNETO: Is that any way to greet the man who freed you?
LOGAN: Who the hell are you supposed to be?
MAGNETO: I am Magneto. Leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants.
MAGNETO: Join us. Our cause could use someone of your obvious talent.

2. Closeup of Logan, whose guard is up.

LOGAN: Do I look like a joiner to you?

3. Magneto continues his sales pitch, unabated.

MAGNETO: Perhaps not, but I'm certain it's preferable to living amonst the humans, who lock you in here the first chance they get.
MAGNETO: You strike me as a man who values his freedom.

4. Logan sneers, pondering this.

Page Twenty-Four
1. By now, the prison is thoroughly trashed. Seems The Brotherhood and the former prisoners had fun redecorating. Columns of smoke rise, and fires burn brightly. Amid it all, predictably, is Magneto's hand gesturing toward the ruins.

CAPTION: One hour later.
MAGNETO (off): Look around you, my brothers...

2. Magneto stands at the center of the prison's courtyard, holding an impromptu rally for the assembled mutants, pumping them up sufficiently like an emcee at a self-improvement seminar, so they can go forth and kick humanity's collective ass. The ex-prisoners no longer wear prison garb, but Brotherhood cloaks.

MAGNETO: This prison is a symbol, a testament, to mankind's oppressive ways!
MAGNETO: Its destruction signifies our ascension...our insurrection against the Homo Sapiens!

3. Closeup of Logan, Remy, and Calvin, wearing cloaks and listening to the speech.

MAGNETO (off): You, my brethren, each and every one of you...are mutants.
MAGNETO (off): Each born with a gift which sets you apart from society, and above all, makes you superior.

4. The prison uniforms are tossed into a bonfire.

MAGNETO (off): The humans try to enslave and incarcerate us because they fear us...because they are fearful and jealous of our birthright.

5. Closeup of Magneto's eyes.

MAGNETO: And they have every right to be.
MAGNETO: The time to strike is now. The Age of Mutants is upon us.
MAGNETO: Hm?

6. Magneto looks up at a tiny light in the sky.

MAGNETO: It appears we have a visitor or two.

7. Closer look at the object: The X-Jet, making a beeline for the prison.

MAGNETO CAPTION: "And who is this?
MAGNETO CAP: "Hmmm...an 'X' insignia...
MAGNETO CAP: "Could that stand for...Xavier?"

8. Magneto points a hand at the jet, and releases a massive electromagnetic pulse.

MAGNETO: One way to find out.

Page Twenty-Five
1. Splash page: the EMP strikes the X-Jet's engine intake, and causes the jet to spin out of control. Make this page look as spectacular as possible.

SFX: FZAAAASH!
CYCLOPS (from inside): We're hit! Systems failing! Brace for impact, people!
CAPTION: TO BE CONTINUED...