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Part 3 of "X-Cutioner's Song"
In the Mansion's labs, Beast and Moira MacTaggert are stymied by the constantly mutating virus, which finds its way around any potential cure. The assembled X-Men and X-Factor decide to split up: half will go search for Cable, while the rest will look for Scott and Jean. Bishop and Jubilee stay with the Professor, along with Val Cooper and Stevie Hunter. In Panama, Sinister meets with members of the M.L.F., who trade an unmarked container for Scott and Jean. Over Texas, X-Force's transport crashes, but the guys are unhurt, and call the rest of their team for help. Somewhere under Egypt, the Dark Riders bring Apocalypse out of his healing chamber early, and fill him in on all that has transpired. Though not at full strength, Apocalypse realizes that his impersonator must be stopped. The X-Group following X-Force in the Blackbird trails them to the Texas crash site. Somewhere (in space), Cable returns to Graymalkin from the future, and is shocked when the Professor, his computer tells him that HE shot Xavier. Cable is confused, especially since he doesn't remember history this way. Back at the Mansion, a coffee break turns deadly when alarms sense an intruder. Bishop blasts his way to the infiltrator and finds Sinister holding Val and Stevie by their necks, and saying that he has come to bury Xavier. The Blackbird lands in Texas, and the X-Men are ambushed by X-Force, who don't want to fight, but will if forced.