synopsis:
The X-Men have been captured by Count Nefaria, who had hoped to take in the young Mutants as his allies but the X-Men denied his invitation. Despite this setback, Nefaria still launches his current plan: To steal the entire city of Washington D.C. Nefaria accomplishes this with a special device that traps the capital city under a clear and indestructible dome. Nefaria then sends out his impersonation X-Men to the Capital Building to present his ransom: One million dollars, to be paid immediately. Inside Nefaria's base, the real X-Men attempt to break free with the use of Jean’s mental powers, breaking them free of their shackles. As this is happening, the Professor gets a call from General Fredricks about what is happening and he agrees to travel to Washington at once. When attempting to contact his students, he finds that they are out of his reach. Nefaria meanwhile has been contacted by the government who agree to his terms, much to his delight. Impressing him further is the arrival of the X-Men who agree to join forces with him. Warning the group against a double-cross, Nefaria tells them of a failsafe on the device: Only he can operate the machine that controls the dome, if anyone else were to attempt it, it would cause the dome to explode, destroying Washington D.C. As Nefaria sends the X-Men go to collect his ransom, his previous minions, Porcupine, Plantman, Unicorn, Eel and the Scarecrow, all agree to turn against Nefaria to seize the million dollars for themselves.