Astonishing X-Men

Torn, Episode 2 (3x2)

Air date: Aug 14, 2012

In the past, Scott Summers and Phoenix are concluding a romantic getaway at a remote desert location. As they prepare to return, Phoenix realizes the gift she his given Scott, in that using her telekinesis to hold back his optic blasts has given him a chance to see the world without his ruby-quartz lenses. It has also temporarily given him a chance to relinquish the control he so carefully monitors every moment. In the present, the current Scott Summers looks upon the visage of Phoenix again, though he knows that it is only a mental projection of Emma’s. Emma turns Scott’s anger at this around, using it to demonstrate his obsession with self-control, which comes from a seminal moment as a boy, who swore to never lose control. Through a mental trip through his own past and through a nightmarish place called the Bug Room, Emma allows Scott to relinquish control and disables his powers, though leaving him in a catatonic state in the process. Elsewhere in the Institute, Kitty and Piotr finally consummate their relationship, though not without incident, as Kitty accidentally phases though the floor of her room and into the living room below. The next morning, they are greeted by Logan in the kitchen, who immediately senses their awkwardness and tells them that it’s “’Bout time.” Below them in his lab, the Beast greets whom he believes to be Emma – though to his astonishment, it is not. It is his nightmare, Cassandra Nova. Meanwhile, in orbit, Special Agent Brandt and her comrades at SWORD have received notification from the Breakworld that they have determined exactly which X-Man is supposed to lead to their destruction.