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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
To Save the Savage Land (1st story)
Solace (2nd story)
First story :This story is a reprint of X-Men (1st series) #116. There is, however, one additional page.
Wolverine, Storm and Nightcrawler head to the city walls and discover a back way into the city, which Wolverine says is the best way in for them. Kurt asks if they’ve ever wondered why the best way in is, invariably, the most disgusting. Storm notices something above them and hurls Nightcrawler into the shadows, where he can barely be seen. She then leaps on top of Wolverine, who ends up face first in some standing water. She tells them to be still and silent; they have company. Above them, a group of sentries glide over them riding pterosaurs. Once they’ve gone, Storm explains that there are others, scattered at different altitudes. The air patrol is almost constant. Ororo uses her weather powers to generate a slight mist but nothing too heavy, which could alert the sentries to their presence. Wolverine says that they should face facts. This is a combat situation and they can’t let anybody see them. Anyone who does cannot be left able to sound the alarm.
Second Story: It is dawn in the village of the Fall People and the voice of Sean Cassidy interrupts the peace and quiet. He calls Ka-Zar and the other X-Men to come at once. They head for Storm’s hut and Cyclops asks Nightcrawler to teleport ahead. He arrives to find Sean, clutching a note. He tells Kurt that Storm is gone. The others arrive and Sean explains that, according to the note, she felt the need for some time off by herself. She promises to be back before they leave.
Ka-Zar explains that the Savage Land can be a treacherous place, especially for a woman, but Wolverine replies that she’s no woman; she’s Storm and she will be fine. Ka-Zar says he is lord of this land and knows what he’s talking about but Wolverine says he doesn’t know her. She’s an adult, ready to take responsibility for her actions. He asks why he can’t take her word for it and leave her in peace. “Makes sense,” adds Cyclops, “I only hope none of us live to regret it.”
Not so long ago, Ororo Munroe lived in a Sylvan East African valley and was acclaimed as a goddess. She is, in truth, a mutant whose abilities give her some control over the weather. This truth led her to join the X-Men, the band of unsung, quasi-outlaw heroes. Her new life hasn’t been easy. More and more, she finds herself coming into conflict with her most fundamental beliefs. Thus far, it has been the case of resistible force meeting immovable object. Slowly, however, with glacial inexorability, she feels that relationship begin to change; and is terrified.
She is enjoying herself, expressing her freedom by flying and swimming alone, while collecting her thoughts. She wonders whether she could have saved Garokk if she had tried harder. Now, she’ll never know. She dives into the lake and swims deep into the dark realm. She believes herself consecrated to life and has sworn never to kill. Yet, she thinks, as an X-Man, she faces certain moments when she must…
Her train of thought is broken, as she sees something beneath the water. Out of nowhere, a massive creature with teeth the size of a child approaches fast. Hanging onto it via some kind of harpoon is someone in diving gear. The creature tears past Ororo but she manages to twist to the side and she only receives a glancing blow. Its skin is as rough as stone and she’s bleeding like a pig but, thankfully, nothing is broken.
The monster returns for her and Ororo sees the person hanging on for dear life. It’s a woman and she is trapped by her harpoon line. Though Ororo is still alive, she won’t be for much longer without a breath of air. She tries to free the woman, as the saurian dives deeper. If she releases her hold and breaks for the surface, he will have another chance at her. Even assuming she survives, the woman will not.
The woman sees Ororo and motions to her to save herself. Ororo feels that, if they go, they go together, or not at all. She uses a knife to release the woman from her binds, and the woman is released from the creature’s body. Ororo sees the surface above her, and figures that she must deal with the creature while it is in her element. As soon as it surfaces and Ororo catches her breath, she desperately brings forth a lightning blast to strike down the giant beast. Unfortunately, the bolt is too powerful, and Ororo is caught in its backlash. As the dinosaur falls, so does she. She finds herself deposited on the side of the lake and she begins to dream.
(Storm’s dream)Oblivion doesn’t bring peace, far from it. To her surprise, she finds herself a child again, looking up at her mother. Yet, in that instant, even as Storm’s heart leaps with joy, the beauty of both women and moment is swept away by fire, totally consumed as if they’d never been. In their place, her mother’s skeleton metamorphoses into a skeleton of the dinosaur and she finds herself running. Her warm memory is replaced by the ashes of old, cold grief and the misery of a childhood that never was. With both her parents slain, no home save alleyways and no friends worth the name, she had no one to trust, none to cherish and comfort her. She was forced to live by her wits, always on the edge, a huntress ever conscious of those who hunted her.
With the skeletal creature closing in, her powers desert her, just as her parents did. She cannot fight nor fly or run, yet, as those terrible slavering jaws close in for the kill, a hand reaches out to offer salvation. It picks up Ororo in its fingers and she suddenly awakens.
(reality)Ororo wakes to find herself in bed, with the woman she saved sitting beside her. She calms Ororo and tells her that hers hasn’t been the gentlest of sleeps. She has naught to fear though; she is among friends. Ororo asks where she is and the woman replies that she is in The World, though not, she hazards, her own world. She introduces herself as M’rin. She is attractive and pale skinned and wears a decorative headpiece to match her gold and violet outfit. Ororo says she is Storm but her name is Ororo. When M’rin asks what it means, Ororo replies that it means beauty. “An apt choice in both counts. The healers despaired of your recovery, but I knew better,” she says.
Ororo stands and puts on a red robe. M’rin advises her that, in her state, she would not yield to the shadow and, from the moment she beheld her in the lake, she sensed that they were much alike. Ororo asks if it was she who she saved and M’rin replies that it was. Ororo doesn’t understand how she dove into the lake on Earth and wound up here. M’rin tells her that there are places in the firmament where the dimensional walls between worlds grows thin. They form a sort of junction that allows people to pass through. This evidently was one such junction. She asks if it is still open and whether she can go home but, before M’rin answers, Ororo looks up and discovers that M’rin’s ship is flying.
She looks around, and sees guards standing on the deck, with gun turrets facing outwards into the blackness of the sky. Storm immediately take off as M’rin replies that many things fly on this world. She asks what Storm is doing and she says she’d doing what comes naturally. M’rin beams a smile, as she watches Ororo effortlessly glide into the air. It’s like looking at herself, reborn. As Storm flies off the bow of the ship, she is confronted with the face of a massive dog-like animal, which welcomes her to its realm. The surprise shakes Ororo but the beast seems benevolent and asks if it frightens her. “You talk!” exclaims Ororo. It replies by asking if it is so wondrous a feat. It marvels that intelligence can manifest itself in such a small a body as hers. It introduces itself as C’jime and says Ororo has its eternal gratitude for rescuing its mistress, M’rin. Ororo sees that the beast is actually carrying the ship on its back.
M’rin leans over the deck’s ‘saddle’ and informs Ororo that it’s been an age since C’jime crooned so. She thinks she’s made a conquest. Ororo tells them that they honor her more than she deserves but C’jime says that is not possible. C’jime is hers, as it is M’rin’s, forever.
The days that follow are wild beyond Storm’s imagination, for M’rin is warlord of the skies. With C’jime, she seeks her foes with a ferocious tenacity that would shame the deadliest Earthly predator. Storm does her best to help, scouting the enemy positions, then using her winds to send their flyers crashing out of control, or striking them down with lightning. Time and time again, she proves herself as valiant as M’rin’s finest warriors. Afterwards, perhaps to atone for what was done in the heat of battle, she fights as hard to save the lives of the wounded, on both sides, comforting those beyond help.
Later, she stands by M’rin’s side, as the warlord passes judgement on the few prisoners and notes that she deals with them far more mercifully than they would were their positions reversed. After the wine-fed celebrations of the day, Storm thankfully does not always remember the actual details of the battles she has fought.
One night, she is again flying alongside C’jime, but wonders what is happening to her. Is it this world or something within herself? She’s nothing here like she is at home. There is a wildness that frightens her and, yet, which will not be denied. She goes below deck, thinking how easy it is to talk with M’rin. She finds M’rin’s apartment empty but sees a statue sitting on a table. Upon closer inspection, she determines that it is a statue of M’rin, though much younger, with a child. Ororo’s eyes widen, as she realizes it’s M’rin’s child.
She walks out onto deck and finds M’rin looking out over the edge of the ship. She is asking C’jime, rhetorically, whether it is selfish to want Ororo by her side. She has her own life and dreams but what of their dreams. Haven’t they earned this little piece of happiness? Ororo stands behind M’rin and says that she isn’t her child. M’rin turns and says that she isn’t her flesh; that ‘honor’ goes to the woman leading the pirates they fought. She says that offspring do not always follow the path parents set for them. Occasionally, though, should father fortune smile, there comes along someone who’s everything one wishes for in a child; yours in spirit, if not in blood.
She gently brushes Ororo’s cheek and tells her that all she possesses is hers for the asking. Ororo hugs M’rin and replies that she wants to, with all her heart, but she cannot. With tears welling in her eyes, she says that her place is not here. As M’rin has responsibilities which bind her, so does she. If there is a way back home to her world and her friends, then she must take it. M’rin tells her that it’s so easy and so tempting to lie and say that the way is closed.
She reaches into her purse and produces a small cameo. She tells Ororo that C’jime is bound for the junction. All she must do is dive through and she will be back where she came from. The cameo crystal is bonded to her and, with it, they will each know if the other is well or ill. Should Ororo ever wish to return, it will lead her to the junction. Until then, a place will ever be set for Ororo at her table and in her heart. They hug each other once more. “Good fortune daughter,” says M’rin. “Farewell… mother,” replies Storm.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
 Psi War! (1st story)
 Nightcrawler’s High Adventure (2nd story)
First story :This story is a reprint of X-Men (1st series) #117. There is, however, one additional page.
(Epilogue 2)Wolverine is aboard the Jinguchi Maru. The storm has faded and he is relaxing whilst looking once again at the photograph he keeps of Jean Grey. He looks at the picture every day, as though the act of visualizing her will somehow bring her back to life. His teammates relax by playing tag on deck, as the ship’s crew look on. The thought of her being dead tears at Wolverine’s guts, a pain even his healing power can’t make go away. Yet, Cyclops, who is supposed to love her, acts like he doesn’t feel a thing. All that matters to him is putting the X-Men through their paces.
He drills them, hones them more and more into a team. For Cyclops the leader, Wolverine can’t deny a grudging respect. But, for Scott Summers the man, that’s another thing. On deck, Colossus grabs Nightcrawler around the chest, but he teleports just above Wolverine’s seated position. “Think fast, mein…” Wolverine immediately grabs him by the throat and pops the claws from the knuckles of his other hand. Kurt becomes nervous and asks him to relax. It’s only a training exercise and they’re only playing. Wolverine apologizes and replies that he was thinking of someone else. He retracts his claws and stands. Kurt says that, whoever that poor soul is, if this is any indication of the way he feels, heaven help him. Wolverine is looking directly at Scott. Ororo informs Scott that she has just informed the captain that she senses a storm coming, a bad one. Cyclops, still looking back at Wolverine, replies that, in some ways, it’s already here.
Second Story: (present)Nightcrawler leans against a tree on a seemingly deserted island. Paradise greets him as he wakes but, right now, he couldn’t care less. He thinks about last night and how he came to be here in the first place.
(flashback)He was aboard the Jinguchi Maru and Storm gave him a ticking of after he made the same mistake Wolverine had earlier. He mistook Ororo’s evident lack of action to mean she wasn’t doing anything to help them out, weather-wise, whereas in fact she was trying everything in her power to make their journey as comfortable as possible. He returned to his quarters, where he saw a woman fall overboard through his porthole. She screamed as she fell and Nightcrawler instinctively teleported outside to grab her. He intended to teleport straight back but a wave hit them both hard and, by the time he recovered, he had lost sight of the ship in the storm.
(present)He stands and recalls how they were together when they hit the reef, but he must have been knocked unconscious and washed ashore. He wonders if she is okay and calls her name. “Miss Shimura, Miss Shimura…Eiko!” His call brings no response and he hopes she is safe.
(much later)Nightcrawler wanders around the beach, wearing a makeshift hat made from leaves. The island is not a coral atoll, but a true island with a fair sized volcano inland. It would serve him right, he thinks, to discover King Kong wasn’t really make-believe. He discovers some oilskins on the beach and there is no sign of blood on them. Evidently, Miss Shimura reached the shore in one piece. The question is, where did she go from here? He continues walking and notices a flash of light from the hills, sunshine reflecting off a bright surface. He figures that as it’s a fairly constant glow, Miss Shimura may have also seen it and headed in that direction. She may have thought it was Kurt signalling, or a means to signal him herself.
He moves through the thick jungle by walking and swinging, Tarzan-like, from branch to branch. Soon, he comes across an old Boeing flying boat, which has crash-landed in the thick jungle. It’s old and he knows that the plane’s heyday was before World War II and so it’s been here a while. It has Pan American livery and is named ‘The Madripoor Clipper.’ He calls Eiko’s name once again, but there is still no reply. He enters the fuselage and comes across an old chest, which is sealed airtight. Inside is a white safari outfit, complete with flare gun and boots, which, after a minor adjustment, fit even his non-standard feet. The final touch is a white hat, which Kurt reckons makes him look not too shabby.
He moves slightly as he looks in the mirror and is shocked by the appearance of a skull behind him. Its owner appears to have come to a grizzly end as a spear sticks out through its mouth. He wonders if the clothes belonged to them. He then begins to think that maybe he and Eiko are not alone on the island and, worse, the natives may not be too hospitable. As he sits in front of the cockpit window, he is confronted by a strange-looking creature, carrying a sword in its right hand. It growls something at him and he stands, instinctively reaching for his newly acquired flare gun. He figures a shot should frighten it but this fails to have any impact on the creature.
It means business and, as it swings at Nightcrawler, he teleports behind it and delivers a deft kick in the small of its back, knocking it straight into a nearby tree. The beast is knocked unconscious and Kurt wonders what manner of creature it is. He also wonders who he is, with his looks, to cast aspersions. The creature is still breathing, as Kurt kneels beside it. He notices that it is sporting Miss Shimura’s life preserver and also a kind of emblazoned body armor around its waist. The engraving is of a twin-peaked mountain.
Kurt grabs a telescope, which he also found in the chest, and he looks far into the distance to see, surely enough, a mountain looking just like the one on the armor. He lays odds that this is where Miss Shimura has been taken and where he must go to rescue her. He teleports and soon arrives on the mountain. He peers into the caldera of the volcano and sees that, deep below him, molten lava bubbles away. He also notices that a temple has been built into the rock with an entrance dug into the mountain itself. On a ledge sticking out from the entrance, he sees a stone slab. He wonders how the beastmen survive any eruptions, though there are no signs of any buildings and figures that they must live underground.
He hears music playing and then a priest walks out onto the ledge, accompanied by two of the creatures and a partially clothed Miss Shimura. He is shocked, as they appear to be about to sacrifice her. She’s putting up a good struggle, but is no match for the beasts. The priest is more human in appearance than the creatures but, unseen by Kurt, his eyes glow and Eiko ceases her struggle. She placidly lies down on the slab, as the priest removes a dagger from his belt. The priest raises the dagger above his head, about to strike. Nightcrawler knows he must act and has no time to worry about the odds. Kurt teleports down to the slab, appearing just above Eiko’s recumbent body. The priest reels in surprise at Nightcrawler’s appearance. Kurt quickly punches him in the face. “Leave her be, you fiend!” he cries.
The beastmen don’t appear to take kindly to him attacking their priest and they each swing at him, using sturdy-looking clubs. As they are about to connect, he teleports once again and the two creatures end up taking each other out for the count. He then tries to rouse Eiko from her slumber and she makes the slightest sound. Kurt notices that she doesn’t appear to be physically hurt, but she’s very groggy. Before he can do anything else, the priest recovers and his glowing eyes burn into Nightcrawler’s consciousness. He finds himself unable to resist and slowly lies down beside Eiko on the slab. The drums around them begin to build to a fever pitch. Eerie chanting fills the ancient crater, as the priest continues his ceremony, as though nothing untoward had happened.
His voice is resonant, compelling, one used to the gift and exercise of power. He raises the dagger again, summoning the gods in such a casual manner that shows he is used to receiving a reply. The sacrifices perish so that he can continue to rule. Today, however, the gods are doomed to disappointment. He brings the dagger down hard but finds the slab is empty and the dagger breaks into several pieces. As the priest wonders how the gods will repay him for such an insult, high above him, near the rim of the crater, Nightcrawler clings to an overhang for dear life. He has Eiko wrapped in his tail and assures her that everything’s going to be all right.
He manages to clamber onto the ledge above him and Eiko places her arms tight around his shoulders, asking what happened. She feels so ill. Kurt apologizes. That’s just a by-product of his teleporting and will soon pass. Eiko says that she thought they were dead. He replies that they very nearly were. He should never have turned his back on the priest. He feels that, if not for his training as an X-Man, he would never have been able to resist the priest’s mental control. He was so engrossed in his swashbuckling role that he forgot that the role doesn’t always guarantee victory. Mistakes have very real consequences.
He pulls out the gun and shoots it high into the air. The flare lights up the sky and a lightning bolt shoots from the sky, an empty sky, which means that Storm has seen the flare and a rescue will be on its way. Kurt lies back and tells Eiko that now it’s only a matter of time before they’re picked up. She smiles and says she owes him her life. How can she ever possibly repay him? “Oh, I’m sure we’ll think of something,” he replies with a smirk. It’s a hard life being a hero, he thinks, but is does have its occasional compensations.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
The Submergence of Japan! (1st story)
Vacation (2nd story)
First story :This story is a reprint of X-Men (1st series) #118. There is, however, one additional page.
On the island of Kirinos, Jean Grey worries about getting home. She has come to a small police station near the shore to report her missing bag. The police chief reclines on his chair, legs crossed on his table. She tells him that he hasn’t heard a word she has said. He replies that his English is pretty good and better than she speaks Greek. She surprises him by continuing the discussion in fluent Greek. On the radio, quietly, an announcement comes in about the mystery earthquake in Japan.
She informs him that someone has stolen her bag, all her clothes, her money, her passport; everything. He replies that she was very careless. The procedure is that they notify the American embassy, banks, relatives or whoever she likes. They send replacements. Jean asks how long that takes and he casually replies, “As long as it takes.” In his thoughts, the chief is pleased that it could take quite a while. He’d like to see how long her arrogance lasts when she is forced to sleep on the street and beg for food. Jean is horrified at his lack of respect but shows no outward signs that she has read his thoughts.
She tells him that perhaps she can go to Athens, but he puts his hands behind his head and says that’s impossible. Without proper travel documents, she must stay here. “Why is that not a surprise,” she replies before thanking him and turning to leave. As she does so, she gives his chair a slight telekinetic nudge and the chief topples backwards and he lands with a thump. The radio is thrown from the table, just as the announcer is mentioning that the rescue units have been assisted by the X-Men. Unfortunately, Jean is out of earshot.
Once outside, she smiles at putting one over the chief. A handsome young man approaches her. He asks her to excuse him, but he overheard her conversation with the chief and tells her that if she is in some trouble, he should very much like to help.
Second Story: (Kirinos)When you sail the Cyclades, that chain of sun-washed islands to the south and east of Greece, scattered across the Aegean Sea, it’s a lot like stepping through a time warp. Jean Grey is here, having left the modern, madcap world behind. The world she has found, in many essential ways, is the same today as when Jason and his Argonauts sought the fabled Golden Fleece. The stark beauty appeals to Jean’s eyes. The moment she steps ashore, she knows she made the right decision in coming here.
Her relaxation lasts but a moment. As she checks out the island, standing on the harbor side, a small boy nudges her in the small of the back, which sends her over the edge and into the Mediterranean. He is with two friends and one of them picks up Jean’s travel bag, as they make a run for it. Jean lands unceremoniously with a splash.
A weather-worn fisherman pulls her out onto his rowing boat and asks if the ruffians did her any harm. She replies that it’ll take her a while to get over the embarrassment. All those years in New York (not to mention the X-Men), you’d think she’d have learned to be more careful. She speaks to him in his natural tongue. Standing at the front of his boat, dripping wet, with her hair bedraggled, she thinks that this is terrific. What’s the use of being Phoenix, if her telepathic power won’t warn her of any attacks and her telekinesis won’t keep her out of the drink? She didn’t even get a decent look at the little creeps and now questions her decision to come here.
(much later)Leaving the police station, Jean finds herself with no money, no clothes, no passport and having had no help from the officer. Sitting on a step, she knows that she’s stuck on this rock until replacements arrive from Athens. She has no idea how long that will be and if she has to sleep rough and go hungry until then; tough. She is annoyed at the attitudes of the police chief and thinks that maybe she could use her powers to fly her to the mainland. That would only cause more trouble though and she really doesn’t want to break any laws if she can help it.
A man behind her excuses himself, but he couldn’t help overhearing her conversation with the chief. He tells her that if she is in some trouble, then he would very much like to help. She looks up at him and asks if he would consider being robbed of everything you possess ‘some trouble.’ He replies that anywhere but Kirinos, probably so, but on this island it’s only the most minor of inconveniences. He introduces himself as Nikos. Jean offers him her name and stands. Nikos asks if she would do him the honor of joining him for lunch and, under the circumstances, how can she refuse.
They make their way to a nearby restaurant and seat themselves opposite one another at a table in the corner, overlooking the island. She asks if he makes a habit of rescuing stranded tourists and he answers by saying, “What better way of meeting lovely ladies?” She says that this, then, is part of some dark and devious plot. “Of course; however did you guess?” he replies. “Didn’t you know I can read minds?” Jean says. They banter as if they have known one another for a long time and Jean appears to relax in his company. She leans back and says she’s stuffed. Her svelte figure is lost forever. Nikos replies that it isn’t from where he’s sitting. She asks if this is what is meant by old world gallantry and adds that, as soon as she receives her money she wired for, she’ll pay him back. Confidently, he tells Jean that the pleasure of her company is more than sufficient compensation.
He then asks if she needs a place to stay. Jean frowns and says that it’s turned into a lovely day, so please don’t spoil it. He acts wounded by her suspicions, but adds that the sad truth is, too many tourists have been ripped off, so as a result - no cash, no room. While sleeping under the stars may be romantic for a night, it can get old very fast. All he offers is a room and all he asks is her friendship. Leave the rest to the fates.
(later that night)Nikos greets the three young boys who had stolen Jean’s belongings at his home. They provide him with the bag and he provides them with a reward for their efforts. He orders them to leave and says he’ll be in touch should he have need of them. They are ecstatic with their reward, a fortune to them. Now stripped of his disguise, it is not Nikos, but Jason Wyngarde, a.k.a. Mastermind, who tosses her belongings into the fire. He wants her possessions destroyed and Jean Grey to remain where she is until he is ready to let her go. She had given him quite a turn earlier when she spoke of reading minds, until he realized she was only joking.
Thanks to his power of illusion, the thoughts she perceives are as false as the face she sees. Nikos is but a façade. Smoking a cigar, he pictures her in his mind and thinks how sweet she looks. She should enjoy it while it lasts. His hook are in her and, though she doesn’t know it, before long they’ll be sunk in deep. She will never be rid of them. Then, he will play Pygmalion to her Galatea, and transform her into a Black Queen worthy of the name.
(dawn)Nikos appears at Jean’s bedside with breakfast on a tray and asks if she slept well. Magnificently, she replies. She readily tucks in and compliments him on his culinary skills. This is almost too good to be true. He asks her to allow him to make things even better. Among his many talents, he is a guide and, if she wishes, he will show her the island; the secret, hidden places where the tourists never go. Jean says that sound wonderful but she only has the one dress. Nikos, of course, has a solution and Jean says that, the way his eyes are twinkling, she bet he does.
He shows her a closet filled with enough clothes to open a boutique. Nikos tells her that ladies come and ladies go, and often things get left behind. Jean tells him that there’s only one problem; the dress isn’t quite her style, or size.
She steps from the closet wearing a very short, figure-hugging green dress. Nikos says she looks magnificent, but Jean feels like a bimbo. Nikos replies by asking whose fault is that. Is she one of those people who believe that clothes really do make the woman? Jean asks him to dress like this, and then tell her, but she says this with a laugh. Beggars can’t be choosers, she thinks, and knows that she does actually look good, and why should she be ashamed of that?
The couple head off into town and Nikos proves as good as his word. The next few days become a never-ending delight and Jean finds that Kirinos is the next best thing to paradise. The more she is with Nikos, which proves to be pretty much constantly, the more she enjoy herself. One day while they are out scuba diving, nature takes its course, and they find themselves embracing in the shallow water. Jean immediately turns away, feeling that she shouldn’t have kissed him. Nikos says that this is what they both want and begs her not to run away.
All the way home, Jean is hounded every step by ghosts. She looks silently at Kirinos by night, and Nikos informs her that the people are celebrating the Festival of Aphrodite; a night consecrated to love when all cares and woes are cast away. He asks Jean if he has offended her but she replies that he hasn’t, it’s just that she was in love. Nikos asks if he left her, but she tells him that he died. “People tell me that I shouldn’t blame myself; that I couldn’t have saved him, but deep down inside…” Nikos rests his head on her shoulders, as she adds that she should have found a way, but she failed. It hurts more than she ever dreamed possible.
Nikos assures Jean that to mourn is natural, but to shut yourself away from life and deny all feelings; where’s the sense in that? Jean looks away and replies that, if she can’t feel, she can’t be hurt. Nikos asks if the pain is so awful that she must turn her back on joy. Jean tells him that she appreciates what he is trying to do, but she would rather be left alone. He stands and tells her that there is time enough for that when she is dead. For now, she should come with him, laugh with him, live!
Reluctantly, Jean takes his hand and is led to the festivities. The night dissolves into a myriad of sparkling, swirling sensations. The music strikes a resonant chord in her blood and the strong drink of the islands ignites her blood. Nikos’ touch fans the flames white-hot. Her emotions run riot during the evening and her telepathic power touches every consciousness about her, an awareness she’s able to mute, but not shut out entirely. Tonight, she doesn’t mind though, for the thoughts she perceives are joyous ones. She wonders if the festival is more than simple tourist entertainment. Perhaps there is true magic here.
The couple heads away from the town and to a secluded area with ancient ruins. For the first time in weeks, the terrible ache in her heart begins to ease. Jean is pleased that she trusted Nikos. He tells her that he led her to this temple mount so he might lead her soul, who knows where? They stare down at the town and Nikos says that this is how the gods of old must have lived. High above the mortal world, they gazed down at humanity, knowing we existed solely by their sufferance; able to shape man’s destiny for good and ill with but a wave of the hand. They could bring life or end it, living totally for themselves without the consequences of any action; a law forever unto themselves.
Nikos stands behind Jean and holds her by the shoulders. “Imagine such power, such glory! What could you do with it. People would fear you, respect you, worship you.” Jean replies that mutants wouldn’t have to hide anymore. There’d be no more hatred; no more X-Men would have to die. Nikos asks if that would not be the most wondrous of worlds, worth any price to bring about. Jean suddenly takes flight and says yes. Nikos adds that mutants are the gods of Earth. If she would pick up the mantle…
Jean becomes overwhelmed by Nikos’ words and the Phoenix raptor lights up the evening sky. Jean revels in the power of the Phoenix. She says that he offers what she already possesses, for she is Phoenix. Now and forever, the power of creation is hers. Through her, the circle remains unbroken. From her, comes the end that it itself a new beginning. Hers is the fire that consumes, yet from its ashes brings forth new life!
However, sensing the dichotomy, Jean suddenly snaps out of it and lands, saying no; that isn’t her. It’s not what she wants. Phoenix is a name; nothing more. She is a human being. She is Jean Grey! She runs away, frightened by everything that is happening to her; the emotions, the power, the hunger and the loss. Watching her leave, Nikos, or rather, Mastermind, says to himself that her psyche is even more fragile than he imagined, which is more good fortune than he could have hoped for. With Jean Greys corruption comes his total victory over the X-Men. Make no mistake about it; she will be his, sooner that she expects, and far more easily than she dreams possible. In her heart and soul, she already is the Black Queen.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Twas the night before Christmas (1st story)
 Just don’t look in its eyes (2nd story)
First story :This story is a reprint of X-Men (1st series) #119. There are, however, three additional pages.
The first two concern a flashback featuring Moses Magnum. He recalls the last moments on Katsyu Shima, when a massive earthquake had toppled him screaming into the shaft his laser drill had bored to the center of the Earth. The whole place came crashing down around him. There were miles to fall and myriad ways to die. His shrieks were more from rage than from fear, as though he was offended that his life was over. Imagine his surprise, when he discovered it wasn’t.
He found himself shackled, with Apocalypse standing nearby behind a control panel. He welcomed Magnum and told him that he was a difficult man to get hold of. Magnum asked who he was and where he was. He introduced himself but reminded Magnum that he was in no position to make demands. Apocalypse could be considered, his benefactor.
He told Magnum that he liked his style. He wished to offer him power beyond his wildest dreams. “Out of the kindness of your heart?” replied Magnum, almost sarcastically. Apocalypse added that Magnum caused chaos and he himself thrived upon it. To paraphrase Nietzsche, whatever does not kill the race, makes it stronger, and, in his world to come, only the strong would survive and the strongest rule. He offered Magnum the chance to join them. Magnum asked what the price would be. Apocalypse smiled and replied that the price would be his freedom. He would no longer be his own man but belong to Apocalypse. Magnum asked what if he refused. Apocalypse said he would be teleported back to where he was found. Magnum said he had no choice then. “No - the ultimate choice!” replied Apocalypse. “I’m yours,” concluded Magnum. Thus, months ago, Moses Magnum’s plans for conquest were reborn.
The third additional page takes place at Tokyo University Hospital. The X-Men are sitting around, waiting for news on Sean’s condition. “Another death-watch,” says Cyclops. “Thunderbird, Jean, Hank and now Banshee; I wonder if it will ever end, or if we’ll all have to join ‘em. Kurt reminds him that theirs is a risky profession. Scott asks him to spare the platitudes. He looks through the window at the snow outside. He thinks that maybe times have changed. The villains are tougher and more ruthless. The stakes are higher and the consequences of failure and the price of victory are becoming too much to endure. He asks Kurt if he ever wonders if what they do is worth the effort and the pain. Kurt asks what of the millions of people who would have died if not for them. They must also be weighed in the balance.
Misty meets Colleen in the reception area. Colleen has just received the good news that Sean is well. Misty asks her about trouble brewing between her and Scott but Colleen replies that it is their business. He’s in pain and she thinks she can help. Is that so awful? She rejoins the rest of the X-Men. Colleen is Misty’s partner and Jean is her friend. She doesn’t want either of them hurt. Maybe it isn’t any of her business. She looks in and sees the X-Men in jubilant mood having been given the news. Lord knows, she thinks, that they could all do with a little uncomplicated joy in their lives, Scott more than most. She’s trusted Colleen’s instincts all her life and it’s too late to quit now. She crosses her fingers and hopes it will all end as happily as it began.
Second Story: Wolverine is moonlighting from his normal job as member of the X-Men. He is employed by persons unknown, referred to as Central. He plants some explosives outside a building but knows the fuses are too short. Central will learn just how short his fuse is when he returns to headquarters. All he knows of his prey is that they’re bigger creeps than those at Central. He lights the fuse and runs for all he is worth but, before he is more than a handful of yards away, an explosion rips the place apart, taking the men inside with it. Wolverine catches fire, as he dives for safety and rolls in the snow to douse the flames. He sits in the snow, smouldering, and almost naked. Terrific, he thinks. There’s only one thing to do and that is to start walking. Now, in this wilderness of Bears, Bobcats and Mountain Lions, the hunter has become the hunted.
As he wanders towards civilization, another hunter, wandering this wilderness, picks up his trail. The strange footsteps he finds are from no animal he knows but he’s out there; he can feel it. Wearing a large coat and carrying both a bow and a rifle with a telescopic sight, he wonders if the beast he follows is one that no man has seen before. The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, Sasquatch; they all are stuff of legend. Maybe he is chasing his own imagination, his own fear and his own shadow. Maybe it’s the monster from the Id, some childish bogeyman. He catches something in his sights and thinks that the above myths are the ones that men seem to see but never quite catch. To bag one of those beasts will be like catching your own shadow.
He focuses on the creature in his sights. He’s spectacular! The moment he glimpses him he froze. He knows he is here and the only thing to do now is to hunt it. Wolverine looks back at him through the snow, recovering from his burns and looking as feral and inhuman as ever. The hunter is startled. The beast sees him! That’s impossible; he’s much too far away. But, is there a moment when the line between hunter and hunted snaps taut? That moment when he realizes he’s got him and he realizes he’s dead?
The hunter lowers his rifle. Yes, he thinks. First there’s the game, then the dance and the slow teasing chase. Thus begins a tug of war; of spirits and of wills. A wire of tension draws tight. Like an umbilical cord, we’re bonded forever, bonded by the life and death chase. The fuse of life burns shorter bringing us closer. The hunter looks forward to the final intimacy of the kill. He wonders whether this dumb beast knows his fate. Can he guess? Can he sense his fate shadowing him, silently, invisibly? Not this time, the hunter reckons. He is far too silent, far too stealthy.
Wolverine continues walking with three of his claws extended in case of trouble. He can’t believe this idiot is being so noisy. Any louder and he’d need earplugs. All the hunter’s crashing about is attracting every slavering carnivore for miles. He can smell the sulphur stench of his gun. ‘Who does he think he’s tracking?’ thinks Logan, ‘Some blind dumb deaf beast?’ Wolverine is too cold to bother trying to lose him. His mutant healing ability can barely keep up with the frostbite covering his feet and hands. Maybe he should ambush the jerk for his warm parka and boots. Listen to him crash about; the great white hunter jerk!
Oblivious to his amateurish status, the hunter recalls his first big hunt. It was the first time he experienced the conflict between the art of the hunt and the tragedy of the kill. He remembers fishing; his father’s hands on his shoulders, the beauty of casting the line and the thrill and horror as he felt the tug. Then he reeled it in. He doesn’t know whose eyes bulged more, his or the fishes.
Then, he bagged his first deer. Those gentle doe eyes, her sad trusting look. He chastises himself for thinking about it like that. This wasn’t Bambi! The deer was just meat. You pull the trigger and you kill it. He’s a hunter and must dominate; man over nature. He looks up and sees a bird of prey hovering not far away. It’s time to reel in his prey. Wolverine sees the same bird and enjoys its beauty; so free. He loves the stark silence out here, the echoing stillness of freedom and the joy of pure survival.
He suddenly turns, having sensed something behind him. Coming towards him at speed is a large bear and it clearly has Wolverine in mind for lunch. Wolverine draws back his fist and launches his claws at the creature. The bear is big and strong, but it is no match for a powerful, agile mutant like him. Wolverine slashes the creature’s neck open and the fight is ended. The bear falls and Wolverine immediately feels sorry. Most men he kills give him no choice. They choose their fate but an animal is usually just hungry and doesn’t deserve this. He had no right. For now though, he can hear the hunter approaching and has no patience for him. He needs to be alone.
As he leaves the bear to become food for the scavengers, he senses the hunter preparing to fire an arrow. ‘Don’t do it jerk,’ he thinks but it’s too late, as the arrow leaves the bow and heads straight for Wolverine. He catches it effortlessly and, in one swift motion, throws the arrow back from where it came. It strikes the hunter in the thigh and he falls to the floor in pain. ‘What?’ he thinks. ‘How? A dumb beast… how?’ Wolverine continues his journey.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Wanted: Wolverine, Dead or Alive! (1st story)
 So much in common! (2nd story)
First Story :This is a reprint of X-Men (1st series) #120 ], however, there are three additional pages:Shortly after sending for his teammates, James Hudson looks at a bank of monitors, showing each of them in costume. He anticipates their arrival, as this will be their first mission as a team. It’s not quite what he had in mind. He looks at an image of Wolverine and recalls how, back when this all started, he was the brain-boy and Wolverine the bruiser. They would be the nucleus of a super-group, whose charter would be to protect Canada, so they wouldn’t have to depend on foreign teams like the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. National pride goeth before personal fall.
He makes a phone call to Heather, his wife, who works at Yukon Oil for Mr. Beresford. Mac asks if she’s having a nice day and she replies that she’s dealing with things in her usual scintillatingly efficient manner. Mac explains that the boss wants Logan back and won’t take no for an answer. Heather knows that, even if he succeeds, Logan will skip again the first chance he gets. Mac says he’s talked himself hoarse trying to explain that and said it is better to keep the X-Men their friends, in case they need their help someday. The boss though is adamant. Heather replies that so is Wolverine; body and soul. She tells him he could refuse; he did once before with Roxxon. Mac says this isn’t a corporation; this is country and he took an oath. Whatever happens, he has to believe it’s for the best.
Meanwhile, at Cape Wrath on the north coast of Scotland, running through the bitterly cold wilds is Jean Grey. The weather doesn’t bother her. Twenty miles of open water separate County Sutherland from Muir Isle and the weather has kept boats from making the crossing for the better part of a week. She can display her Phoenix effect as much as she like without fear of being seen. She meets up with Moira MacTaggert, sitting high up on a cliff in front of a roaring fire, thinking about Sean Cassidy. She enquires about the coldness not affecting Jean, who replies that it doesn’t matter; she’s unaffected by hail, rain nor sleet. She’d make a heckuva mailman. Moira smiles and says some have all the luck. Jean agrees but asks if it’s good or bad.
Moira hands over a hot brew and says so far so good. Jean asks if she’s ever heard the joke about the man who jumps off the Empire State Building. As he passes each floor, people hear him say, “So far, so good.” Moira thinks that’s an awfully bleak assessment but Jean replies that she’s one to talk, sitting out here - and she calls herself a doctor. She must be freezing. Moira explains that she has her reasons. Jean says they’re probably the same as why she runs all night. She adds that Moira loves Sean and she loves Scott.
She then holds her cup in front of her and says that another of the ramifications of being Phoenix is that she doesn’t actually need the drink. She doesn’t need food nor drink. She still likes the taste and the sensations but, as sustenance, they aren’t necessary. She calls herself human but there are times when she feels like she has more in common with the stars in the sky, than with other people. A glow appears around her, as she becomes emotional. Sometimes, she says, she can’t help but think that she should have died on that shuttle. “Resurrection is for gods. We humans should leave well enough alone.”
A tear forms under her eye and she asks what the point was anyway. The X-Men died a few months later anyway. She says that Scott used to say she was his window on the normal world. With her, he could try to touch feelings he’s spent a lifetime locking away to keep himself from getting hurt. But, he was her anchor too and never more so than after her change. His strength, his love, reminded her and reinforced what it meant to be human. Without him….
Jean’s speech trails away and Moira cuddles her, stroking her hair as they sit in front of the fire. She knows Jean’s pain. The hurt seems more than she can bear and the fear of the unknown, fear of the future is even worse. But she mustn’t despair. She has friends aplenty who’ll serve as her anchors and, with their help, god willing, she’ll be fine.
Second Story: (Calgary, Albert, Canada, twenty years ago)Logan is in the Hotel St. Cecil, arm-wrestling a guy named Vance, while a crowd of locals look on. They seem to think Vance can take him but Cracklin’ Rose, the proprietress, gives a wide smile as she says that the house says Logan will beat them all. Logan wins the contest and a big goon called Lefty, a shaven headed muscle-bound bruiser, says, “Waitta minute! We’re being taken.” Logan leans back and finishes off another short, grinning.
(present)Logan is in Harry’s Bar, a pub near Xavier’s school which has become a haven for the X-Men. It’s a place to chew the fat and share some memories. Tonight, it’s the boy’s night out and he shares a table with Nightcrawler, who is using an image inducer, and Banshee. He tells them that, being in Calgary, reminded him of the way things were twenty years back. It was a different time of life, before he met Jamie Hudson or got into the hero business. Canadian Intelligence had Logan working the odd job, but they knew how he felt about his free time, so they didn’t ask questions. They never knew about him and Cracklin’ Rosa! Kurt grins. “A mystery woman!”
Logan chews on a cigar. He tells him that she was a one. She ran the bar at the Hotel St. Cecil until it burned down a while back. In its day it ran the cheapest rooms and most watered-down drinks in town. Banshee gathers that the laddies there were cheap and watered-down to match. Logan tells them that Rosa didn’t know what he could really do, but she was quick to see the possibilities in a guy who could win any fight and drink anyone under the table. “She knew what to do with a manly man, eh?” asks Nightcrawler. Logan replies that she knew how to sell booze and keep the wagers moving anyway.
(twenty years ago)Logan’s next fight centers around Lefty, who Logan describes as a lump of hired muscle, as dumb as it gets. He must have seen his show before though. The two men lock wrists across the table and Lefty says that no man can drink that much, keep his wits and win every match. He sweats ,as his muscles push against Logan’s, and reckons that Rosa must have been serving him soda pop. Logan smirks, as Lefty is oblivious to his healing factor neutralizing the alcohol. Logan asks if he smells like he’s been drinking sodas, as he touches Lefty’s wrist to the table, winning the contest. His secret is safe and he has another drink to prove the point. At this point, some fool in the back sics Lefty’s pal, Turk, on him. He eggs Lefty on and it all breaks loose.
(present)Banshee suddenly recalls the names. He tells Logan that he once arrested their boss, Borelli. Logan says that they didn’t work for him, ‘cept that one time. He suddenly twigs. “Aw, blazes Irish. Don’t tell me you were behind that! Y’idiot. That left me sore for days!” Before Banshee can reply, Scott Summers arrives, but asks Sean not to let him interrupt his tale. Banshee explains that life was less merry for him back then.
(twenty years ago)He buries himself in his work, trying to forget Maeve, his poor dead bride. He has discreet hearing to balance his Banshee screaming and it’s a handy talent for an Interpol man, such as he is. Some bragging by a jewel thief’s young son about his father’s travels lead him to Canada for a rodeo. The Calgary Stampede draws big spenders from all around and Arsene, the jewel thief, is there too. He is a second-generation felon; proud of his heritage and used to well-oiled situations. To his annoyance, the local ‘middlemen’ aren’t properly impressed.
Finally, Sean gets wind that a meeting is arranged and of the thugs who will keep an eye over it. Turk and Lefty are well known to the Mounties. The classy Frenchman isn’t too happy about conducting business in such as place as Cecil’s Bar, but it makes Sean’s job easier. It’s a rough place but, with so many out-of-towners in the area, no one pays much attention to one more stranger. Sean takes a seat not far from his targets and sets to tightening the net.
Lefty and the Turk, a tall wiry man sporting a red fez, stand guard, as Arsene meets with Borelli. Sean can’t believe the noise in the bar and sees a large crowd at the far side, betting on something as Cracklin’ Rosa takes their money. Arsene’s European French accent rises above the French-Canadian accents. He is quick to anger, as his international reputation isn’t worth much so far from home. Borelli, a distinguished looking man, tells Arsene that he isn’t sure about the deal. Everyone is bringing him gold chains of late and the pearls Arsene carries aren’t so well matched. Arsene moves his pearls out of Borelli’s reach and tells Lefty to get them something to drink. He and his pal Lefty can relax later.
The two men continue their conversation and can’t see what Sean can see. He sees Lefty bypass the bar, drawn to the shouting around the house favorite. Sean makes a mental note about them being pals. In the present, Wolverine then takes over the story.
From where he sits, locking fingers with the best the bar has to offer, it is a night out of a dream. There are plenty of cowboys and posers in town for the stampede, with nothing better to do than try to put the local champ, him, in his place. He and Rosa are cleaning up.
Logan remembers to play at being drunk when lefty shows up and calls him over. Rosa takes bets, which grow larger as the money goes on the big guy. Logan is having fun and beats Lefty fairly easily. Maybe the booze is finally accumulating and he forgets to struggle a while as the bets increased.
(present)Banshee listens with interest to this part of the tale and can’t believe that it was Logan who gave him the diversion he needed back then. He tells Logan that he started the tension with Lefty, just as his targets were settlin’ down to compromise. Distracting Turk was a snap then.
(twenty years ago)Sean calls the Turk over and asks him if that’s his pal getting punched out. Turk sees Logan and Lefty fighting and heads off in their direction. Borelli and Arsene continue their negotiations, oblivious to the fact that their lookouts have gone. Borelli says he has the cash but they have to be careful. Arsene is happy with the way things have gone and asks to count the cash. Outside the bar, peering in through the window, the Mounties get the signal from Sean to enter and they nab Borelli with his hands on the stolen goods.
(present)“Without working up a sweat?” adds Logan. “Real slick, Irish.”
(twenty years ago)As the two men are hustled out of Cecil’s by the Mounties, Logan and Lefty continue to fight, with the customers taking bets on who will win. Sean watches the melee and grins. Their timing had been perfect. Turk had barely left the area and the pigeons hadn’t noticed it yet. It was a perfect piece of police work and the Canadian boyos had everything wrapped up before anyone was the wiser.
(present)  Logan says that it’s funny Sean should talk about cooperation.
(twenty years ago)He remembers what Rosa has told him and strings Lefty along a bit to raise the stakes. He avoids most of Lefty’s hardest punches until, finally, when he realizes Lefty is getting sloppy, he takes him out with a huge uppercut. After that it’s mostly over, save for the mopping up. There is, however, more to winning a fight. He always wins the fights. This one is special because it‘s a partnership between him and Rosa. The Turk just plods along, thinking Lefty did pretty good, considering. He returns to his bodyguard duties to find Borelli and Arsene have vanished. Who’s gonna pay them now?
(present)Logan reckons the Turk still drops in to where Cecil’s was out of habit. Some guys never learn. He learned, though. His instincts said plow through the fight but Rosa’s way gave everyone a good show and upped the odds to boot. As for Banshee, he used to have a pretty low opinion of that kind of sneaking around. Then, after a while, his extra-sharp senses made government work a logical step for him too. Sean says that they both learned some lessons about teamwork that night, it seems. His undercover work often saw him alone and at risk. He says Logan can imagine his relief at having the Mounties come to the rescue. Much as he still mourned Maeve, he knew then that he only had to seek help, teammates to find it.
The glasses and bottles have mounted up on the X-Men’s table and Nightcrawler and Cyke seem happy to listen to the old-timers chat. Sean admits that, in those days, he thought screaming braggarts like him deserved a bad end but, indeed, sometimes a bit of bravado can get the job done, as he does while calling himself Banshee. Scott says he’s glad to see that a couple of guys who were such temperamental loners could grow into people he’s proud to call teammates. Logan grins. “Then I’d say there’s hope for you too, junior.” They laugh and, for now, everything is just sweet.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Shoot-Out at the Stampede! (1st story)
 Backlash! (2nd story)
First Story :This is a reprint of X-Men (1st series) #121, however, there are three additional pages:The first page takes place in Ottawa, Canada, the country’s federal capital. Jeryn Hogarth has arrived with his pilots, Annie and Jill, to complain about Alpha Flight’s destruction of his aircraft. Keats, the foreign minister’s secretary, says he is well aware of his credentials and his reputation as an attorney. The fact remains that he isn’t about to wake the prime-minister, no matter how much he threatens. He reminds Hogarth that Alpha Flight are duly authorized parahuman government agents who were in pursuit of a fugitive. If he wishes to make a complaint, then the appropriate offices will open for business at nine a.m. If that’s all, the hour is exceedingly late and he has a full schedule tomorrow.
Outside, a limousine arrives through the snow and its occupant, Japanese ambassador Serazawa, steps out and soon bursts into the room, wishing to speak with the foreign minister, now! Respectfully, he is shown into the minister’s office and informs him that he has just been telephoned by the emperor, personally. He is most perturbed. He and his government would like to know why the Canadian government is wantonly attacking the band of super heroes recently responsible for single-handedly saving Japan from total destruction at the hands of an international terrorist. The minister stands and replies that he is at a disadvantage. He asks what the devil he’s talking about. Keats whispers that he refers to the Weapon X situation. The cabinet was briefed earlier today. The minister, Henri, turns to Keats and angrily snaps at him. He had assured them that everything was under control.
In the second additional page, the American ambassador also arrives. Jeryn Hogarth asks the foreign minister just what the devil his people are playing at. He replies that this is a purely internal matter - the apprehension of a fugitive, nothing more. Ambassador Serazawa informs him that, in Japan, Wolverine and the X-Men are national heroes. Their fate is a matter of their strongest concern. The American ambassador asks if he’s looked outside his window. She points at the blizzard which has taken over the country and asks if he calls that a normal winter snowstorm. Even ‘exceptional’ doesn’t even cover it. She adds that its effects are not confined to Calgary, or Alberta, or Canada. It is making its presence felt across the entire Great Plains. According to their meterological experts, if its current growth curve continues, there’ll be snow in the Caribbean by morning. She says that she’s sorry, but if this is the cost of reclaiming his precious Weapon X, then it is too high, and may be too late already. Henri gets on the phone and makes a call to the prime-minister, apologizing for waking him, but he informs him that they have a serious situation here.
The third additional page is an epilogue to the issue. The RCMP are on the scene of Wolverine’s escape. They free the guards who were bound by Wolverine and Garson explains that, when the transport didn’t arrive, they put out an all points. What with the blizzard an’ all, it was past sunrise before they could mount a proper search. Sasquatch is furious and wraps Garson up in some of the mangled metal that Wolverine tore up when he carved his way out of the truck. He tells Garson that it’s amazing how quickly a million years pass. He was right though; Wolverine was too dumb. He was too dumb to know escape was impossible, just like this truck’s designers were too dumb to realize that no matter how hard they try, no cage can hold him. Vindicator explains to Langowski that they had to try. They’ll just have to try again.
He tells Alpha Flight that he has checked with air traffic control. Hogarth’s plane is already out of their jurisdiction. To capture Wolverine this time will require a covert operation and the X-Men will be expecting them. A communications officer calls over to Vindicator, informing him that the prime-minister is on the line. He enters the comms truck and Pierre Trudeau’s face appears on a monitor. He says that the incident has been an unmitigated disaster; politically, diplomatically and economically. Mac replies that he warned him that it wouldn’t be easy. They’ve the X-Men to thank for it not being much worse. They’ll do better next time. Trudeau asks at what cost. The ‘capture’ order on Weapon X is rescinded. If Wolverine wants to go so badly, then let him. As far as Alpha Flight is concerned, he suggests Mac consider the ramifications of the incident very seriously. If having a national super-team means absorbing such potentially catastrophic fiscal liabilities, he and his compatriots may become a luxury Canada cannot afford.
Second Story: An elderly janitor has been mopping the floor while singing an old blues song to himself. He pours some drain cleaner down a plughole and a strange sound emanates from it. Suddenly, the janitor screams as a strange creature with a long row of teeth shoots out from the darkness.
Nearby, Scott Summers is chatting to a guy flipping burgers at Big Burger. “Business is slow?” asks Scott. The guy explains that all they get now are wrong turns. His pa built the joint to feed the factory workers. His one big brilliant idea! Hard times hit and the factory closed down. All he’s flipping now is air. He warns Scott that if he ever gets one of those get-rich-quick ideas, then he should forget it. It just ain’t worth it.
He points to the factory and informs Scott that it used to be a big-time chemical plant. It’s been shut down since the fifties but a few of the upper warehouse floors now provide homes for some poor artist types. They live there, even though the place stinks of rotting chemicals. Unfortunately, artists won’t eat his burgers; won’t kill their fellow cows. His attention is then grabbed by a beautiful woman outside his window. “Hey wow, whatta looker,” he gasps. He asks if she’s his gal and Scott replies that she is.
Outside, Jean is talking to Logan. He insists that there’s a current running between them; a two-way current. He corners her and says that she may love Scott, but she wants him. Jean is adamant that this is not the case. Logan adds that she can’t just suppress things. She can’t shove her desires into the dark corners of her mind and expect them to just lie there and behave. She has to deal with it or there’ll be a backlash. Okay, she replies, she will deal with it. She offers Logan an ultimatum. One of them has got to leave the team; leave the X-Men.
Scott interrupts them, as their order is ready. They just stare at him and he prompts them to come eat. Jean, however, suddenly has more pressing concerns. She picks up a psychic lash of fear coming from the factory, a powerful one. Without hesitation, she takes to the air and uses her telekinesis to pull the two X-Men along behind her. As they approach the factory, the janitor is seen running out the door, screaming that he knew it, repeatedly. Jean lands everyone safely and Scott calms the man down, asking him what he knew. His eyes are wide open. He says he told ‘em they shoulda cleaned up the chemicals. There’s a maze of pipes and machines and old chemicals down there. They’ve been busting and brewing and belching for years and now it’s gone and grown some horrible monster.
Logan feels the whole place vibrating and asks Jean if she’s scanned for thoughts. Jean replies that there are some people upstairs but, below them, she senses a vague, primitive nervous system, but no consciousness. The shaking gets worse and the floor opens up, swallowing both Jean and Logan. As they fall, Jean orders Scott to evacuate the people upstairs while she deals with the creature. Scott has no choice but to comply with her request.
As he dashes upstairs, Logan and Jean trawl through the factory’s underbelly in semi-darkness. Passing a sign that reads Highly Flammable, Logan feels something soft. “That’s my leg,” replies Jean. He apologizes with a knowing grin. Although Jean tries to focus her thoughts on the task at hand, Logan has something else on his mind. It’s dark and Jean can’t see very well, but Logan can see just fine. He follows her as they crawl through the grime and comments that the view’s fine from where he is. She asks him not to do that. “Do what?” he asks, innocently. “Touch me,” adds Jean. Unfortunately, Logan isn’t, and he strikes a match to reveal a strange creature wrapping itself around Jean’s arm. Logan pops his claws and swiftly slices the creature into four parts.
To Jean’s surprise, the pieces themselves remain alive and form little heads. Wolverine slashes at them’ - he’ll rip the little buggers to shreds. Jean warns him not to, as they’ll only multiply. She turns to see scores of them emerging from the shadows. She erects a telekinetic force field to shove them back and, for now, they are safe.
They continue crawling and Wolverine remains happy at the view he’s got. Jean tells him they have to deal with this creature but Logan just makes jokes. He thinks maybe it’s the monster from the ID, from the old fifties flick. He tries to explain. “It’s about this guy who suppressed his anger and it created a…” Jean interrupts and tersely tells him to shut up. Unseen above them, another creature like the one that Jean held circles in on them. They come to a junction amongst the cables and Jean orders him to hold still, as she can sense them nearby. Logan moves in a little closer, saying he can smell them. They’re sneaky little snakes, moving in for the kill.
A few creatures emerge and Jean holds her hand up, stopping them from getting any closer. She creates a telekinetic bubble around them both and remarks that they’re horrid things. Logan adds that they’re tough, determined buggers, pushing on her TK shield. They’re gonna bust their way in. Logan knows that these creatures are no match for Jean and plays the situation for all it’s worth. “Looks like we’re gonna be smashed together here. Getting hot an’ close, inevitable…” Jean isn’t impressed and reminds him that this isn’t a game. They could suffocate or die. “Ah, what a way to go,” replies Logan.
Jean says he’s impossible. Logan puts his arms around her shoulder and asks her to relax. There’s nowhere to go, not that he minds her wiggling around. They begin to sweat, as the TK bubble becomes tighter and tighter and they become closer and closer. Jean points out that they have to find a way to kill it. Logan replies that he likes it; he likes the danger, so why don’t they go with it. Their faces are inches apart as she asks him to move his knee. He smiles as Jean continues trying to avoid the almost inevitable. She considers using a blanket TK force blast to shove them all away but, with all the chemicals down here, the whole building would blow. It could save them, but…
Wolverine is loving it. He suggests they just curl up together and let it happen. Why resist fate? Sweating, Jean says Scott’s name. Logan asks what this is. A little telepathic cry for help? “Don’t call on your conscience Jean. It’s no help.” She asks him to be quiet, as she is scanning for thoughts. Everyone has left the building and Scott is giving her the go ahead. “So let’s do it,” adds Logan. The creatures grow ever tighter, almost covering them completely. She asks if he’s ready. He is. Their lips almost brush against each other. “Come on Jean. Come here. Deal with me.” Jean can only let out a gasp, as they disappear from sight under a mountain of mutated creatures.
Suddenly, a massive explosion rips the place apart, taking the creatures with it, incinerating everything in sight. The fire appears to take on the shape of a phoenix as it settles. In the epicentre sit Jean and Logan. Scott leaves the students and runs over to Jean, asking if she’s okay. “Was it horrible?” Jean looks over at Logan and doesn’t reply. Wolverine stands and turns. “Best time I’ve had in months.”


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[Assistant]
Cry for the Children (1st story)
Who am I? (2nd story)
First Story :This is a reprint of X-Men (1st series) #122.
Second Story: A trio of party guests, each in macabre costumes, appears at the doorway to great the most recent arrival, Nightcrawler. Kurt is dressed as the devil himself and he thanks them by asking if they would like to sell him their souls. He will give them all they desire. One of them laughs, apologizing for selling his soul years ago; cheap. Kurt shakes his host’s hand and tells him he looks well. His host, sporting a sling and a variety of bandages over covering his head, jokingly replies that he has a bit of a headache and leads him into the room.
The host places his arm around Kurt’s shoulder and says he looks great. If the other guests knew that the devilish face was real, they’d scream! However, he’s glad Kurt has come, as he has a slight problem. He asks Kurt to help himself to some food and then to meet him under the balloon.
Kurt wanders around the room in the hopes of mingling. He wonders who the X-Men might be in a room full of costumed people. He thinks it was a clever idea of Jean’s to have them come separately, and see if they could recognize each other. He pours himself some punch but declines to eat from the assortment of candy fingers and eyeballs that sit on the table. Now, he thinks, it’s time for some fun. It should be easy picking out the X-Men. They may be great heroes but they sure are stiffs at parties.
He checks out the room and reckons the tall guy chatting to a masked woman could be Colossus. Then again, maybe not. He’d be too shy talking to a girl. His eyes focus on a guy dressed as a pirate, surrounded by three giggling girls. He reckons that must be Wolverine; only he knows how to have fun like that. He downs his punch and gulps when he sees a couple of bloodshot eyeballs at the base of the cup. Suddenly, his attention is pleasantly diverted.
“Here’s looking at you kid.” A slender young woman wearing an all-in-one leopard-skin outfit places her hand on his shoulder, and Kurt turns. “Well, meeeeow!” he replies. She smiles and glances at the food next to them. She tells him not to be squeamish; it’s all edible and she takes a finger to prove her point. She compliments Kurt on his make-up, saying it’s quite satanic, and makes her want to sin. She grabs his tail and can’t believe it’s so lifelike. It’s even warm! Kurt tells the pussycat that he’s in heaven and that’s why he must be going. He turns and says it was nice meeting her, before swishing his prehensile tail away from her. She gasps at the effect.
He finds his host once more and tells him that his party is a blast. The anonymity of a mask allows one to act in ways one normally wouldn’t dare to. Shameless, he replies as he cracks open a can of beer. He and Kurt are seated and he informs him of the problem he mentioned earlier. His dear friend, Tiffany, has this absolute monster of an ex-husband. He is an unstable man with violent passions. He used to beat her. Now, he has scared her by calling to say he’d see her tonight. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t see him but, with all these costumes, he could be anyone. Tiffany’s dressed as a ghost. Kurt replies that he’ll keep an eye out for trouble and wishes he could warn the other X-Men. If only he could figure out who they are!
Elsewhere at the party, Scott Summers is dressed as a medieval jester, his visor hidden by a white mask. He takes a drink, but notices a beautiful woman looking at him. He’s never even seen come-hither eyes before. She is dressed in a semi-transparent pair of loose pants, a purple top and with a veil covering her face, leaving only her beautiful eyes peering out towards Scott. She looks like she comes from a middle-eastern harem. She turns away from him but offers a knowing look, almost daring Scott to follow her down the hallway. Scott is torn. He already has a beautiful woman, but he finds her allure irresistible.
Kurt, meanwhile, tries to attract Logan’s attention. He leans over and interrupts his conversation. He needs to use Logan’s senses to track Jean, as he has need of her telepathy. The guy turns and asks what he’s babbling about. “Get lost and find our own girls” Clearly, this isn’t Logan.
Scott, meanwhile, has caught up with the mystery woman at the end of the hallway. In the shadows, he leans over and moves her veil enough to allow himself to kiss her. He realizes that the lower half of her face is simply a mask, which she removes to reveal a badly scarred chin. Scott is taken aback and she asks what the matter is. She thought he liked her…
Before Scott can respond, their attention is caught by a scream emanating from the main room. Kurt runs in, thinking he’s too late. He closes the door behind him and warns everyone that no one is to leave the room. In the corner is a ghost with a dagger sticking into its neck. A witch holds her chest from the shock this caused her. It looked so real, she remarks. It frightened her, but it’s just a dummy…right? Another man lifts the bottom of the ghost outfit to reveal a woman’s leg wearing pink shoes. “I don’t know about that,” he adds.
A clown rushes past Kurt in a hurry, pushing him out of the way as he heads for the doorway. He opens it but finds a mummy standing before him, blocking the exit. He warns him to move it but, as he pulls on the bandages, the giant metallic form of Colossus suddenly stares back at him. The clown turns but a heavily disguised Wolverine tells him, “Not this way either, bub.” The clown aggressively asks who’s gonna stop him; this pile o’ dirty laundry? With a snikt, Wolverine replies that it’s clean laundry and his claws give the clown cause for concern.
Kurt commands him to give up but the clown quickly grabs the witch and removes the dagger from the ghost, threatening to harm the witch with it. He’s killed once, he cries, and he’ll kill again. What’s the difference? He backs them both into a corner. He tells them that they’re all dressed like ghouls and demons, but asks rhetorically if they can play the parts? No. Next time they’ll know to put on a mask and be prepared to play the role.
“My wife dressed as a ghost! Hahahah! Now she is one,” he cackles. He’s a clown and he’ll make them laugh. He asks them to think back to when they were little. Did anyone ever really find clowns funny? He is clearly deranged and prepares to kill the witch, but a voice calls an abrupt halt to his actions. “Johnny, don’t!” His face drops, as he sees another ghost approaching him. You’re dead, he says. I killed you. Tiffany removes her cowl and replies that he only stabbed a dummy, asking him to stop before anyone gets hurt. Johnny smiles maniacally but then finds his dagger lifted free of his hand by an unseen force. Colossus then takes the opportunity to grab him; he won’t be wriggling free from those arms.
The dagger floats across the room, past Scott Summers and into the hands of the mystery woman. Scott turns and looks not only surprised but also a little anxious. The mystery woman, it turns out, is Jean after all. She takes the knife and looks right back at Scott. He quickly apologizes to her and asks her not to hate him. In this costume and behind this mask, he feels like another person. It wasn’t him. “Wasn’t it?” she replies. She removes her veil and slowly peels away a layer of prosthetic scars, revealing her true face underneath. She says he doesn’t recognize his own girl. He doesn’t know her very well at all. Scott asks that she leave the scars on, so that he may kiss her, scars and all.
As they kiss, Nightcrawler comforts the witch. He says she was very brave and she thanks him. She double-takes for an instant and tells Kurt that, looking at him, she finally knows what the phrase, ‘handsome devil,’ means. “Why thank you. You truly are brave,” he replies with a smile. Eyeball punch? She asks. Let’s, replies Kurt.


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[Assistant]
 Listen - Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but this one will kill you! (1st story)
Motherland (2nd story)
First Story :This is a reprint of X-Men (1st series) #123.Second Story: (Russia, early morning)Storm has brought her teammate, Colossus, home. She flew over the pole, following the Jetstream south and east across the continental heart of the Soviet Union. Their presence was too small to alert the north guard radar stations, standing ever vigilant against a nuclear strike from the Americans, as the DEW line and NORAD watch for a similar attack from the Russians. At the moment of touch down, the intricacies of geopolitics are the last thing on Piotr’s mind. He is almost home; the last leg on a journey that is as long-anticipated as it is long-overdue.
Piotr asks Ororo how she managed such a long journey with someone of his weight. She tells him that she had the winds do all the work, but asks why he wished to land so far from his farm when she could have landed closer. Piotr appreciates the offer, but he has been away from the motherland for so long, he wants to regain his feel for it, before reaching home. Ororo understands. She gives him a peck on the cheek and tells him that, when he wants to rejoin the X-Men, he should transmit the signal as arranged. She takes to the skies and Piotr waves her away. He knows that she truly understands that the signal may never come.
It is light by the time Piotr reaches his village. Small buildings scatter across the fields and a church takes center stage, watching over the livestock. Piotr loves his friends in the X-Men and marvels at all he has seen and done, but he was never really happy in their world. Here, in the Ust-Ordynski collective; here is where he belongs.
The first person he comes across is picking flowers. “Who have we here?” he asks. “Could this possibly be…Illyana Nikolovna Rasputina, the loveliest snowflake of them all?” Illyana turns and leaps on her brother. He grabs her and tells her she’s sprouting like a weed. Before long, she’ll be taller than him and a young pioneer as well. He’s impressed. Illyana tells him not to tease. It’s been so long and he hardly ever wrote. She wrote lots of letters and she asks if he got them. She calls for their mother and father, and their mother rushes from the house with open arms. Their mother asks her to take a moment for a breath and give her brother a chance to answer. Piotr tells her that they both look well.
Later, the family is having dinner, and Alexandra has put on a spread for her son. They catch up on things, such as how the crop is doing. Alexandra says he is all skin and bones, asking if there isn’t enough for a growing boy to eat in America. Piotr replies that there is plenty and he is the same to look at as when he left.
Illyana sifts through a collection of pictures that her brother has drawn, asking if he drew them. Yes, he replies, informing her that they are of his comrades in the X-Men. He confesses that nothing he’s tasted anywhere comes close to equalling the food on her table. He also admits he has never been comfortable with words and, instead, prefers to make sketches of his travels and adventures. It’s no excuse, he knows that, and he should have written more. That’s past, says his mother. There’s no need to worry about it now. He’s back, safe and sound.
His father, Nicolai, looks at the drawings, including one depiction of the Savage Land. He tells his son that, although he says he is the same, these pictures would prove he is not. They are fantastic beyond belief. This life he leads is like something out of the stories he used to tell him and his brother, Mikhail, when they were Illyana’s age. Piotr eats his food. His father just thinks his life is one big story. Perhaps it was a mistake to show them, and yet, Illyana can’t seem to get enough. “No matter how fantastic my life, papa, my thoughts were never far from you, or home, or the Rodina.”
Nicolai is glad of that. Professor Xavier was a mighty persuasive man when he made the case for letting Piotr go with him. He can’t help but confess that, ever since, he has had his doubts about the rightness of it. Piotr hugs his mother and tells them that he’s going for a stroll about the collective look up his old friends, especially Sasha. Nicolai lowers his head. Alexandra tells Illyana that it is probably best that she take Piotr to him. Piotr wonders what he said that was wrong. Why won’t they come right out and tell him?
Illyana leads him to a field, where stands a wooden cross beside a Russian flag. Piotr kneels in front of the grave and lowers his own head. Illyana hugs him. He reads the epitaph. Stefan Dimitrovich Goroviev - Age 19 - Killed in action in Afghanistan. “So many crosses, by the Rodina. So many friends,” cries Piotr. Illyana asks him not to cry. He doesn’t ever have to be afraid, because she’ll always be there to protect him and to make him laugh. Piotr asks when did his little snowflake turn herself into a Siberian Tigress. Piotr wonders for a moment about Illyana coming from the same genetic stock as he. Could she also be a mutant? What form will her powers take if she is? Will she be like him?
Piotr’s thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a crashing noise. A tanker driver runs for the village, his truck filled with propane in flames. Colossus knows that, if the flames ignite the gas, the explosion will devastate the entire collective. He changes to his armored form and runs towards it. He must get it away from here. Illyana follows behind him. Some of the locals use a hosepipe to try and douse the flames, and recognize the Rasputin boy. Piotr carefully maneuvers the truck, knowing that even the smallest crack in its tank will be devastating. He carries the burning truck far enough away from the village so that, if it does blow, it will do no real damage. It’s a pity Storm isn’t here, he thinks. Her rains could drown the flames in an instant.
A little later, Piotr returns to the village a hero. The locals cheer him, but he warns them to keep their distance until he has cooled. His metal skin is red hot from the flames. His father throws a bucket of water over him, which makes him hiss like a tea kettle. Once he has cooled sufficiently, Illyana hugs him again and says she can’t wait until she is big and shiny like he is. Piotr thinks that she actually sounds eager to manifest a mutant power. Somehow, he must find a way to help her, but how? Especially since Professor Xavier has seemingly abandoned the X-Men.
His train of thought is broken by a voice behind him. “So, Piotr Nikolievitch, you figure a few cheap heroics for the homefolks can atone for your crimes?” He turns and sees Aloysha approaching him, his right leg and an arm missing. “No such luck, traitor,” he adds. The villagers try to calm Aloysha down, telling him that this isn’t the place for such talk. Aloysha swings his crutch to keep them at bay, but is acting irrationally. He says that now the truth comes out. They hold men like him, of the Afganyi in such contempt, but they’ll welcome back this running dog coward with open arms, as though he’d never deserted the Rodina.
With no support, he falls to the ground. Piotr reaches to him to help him up, but he warns Piotr to take his hand away. He can manage on his own, and especially without help from the likes of him. Illyana tells Aloysha that isn’t fair. What Piotr just did with the truck wasn’t the act of a coward! Aloysha says it’s her duty as his sister to defend him, just as it is his to demand to know where he was when the Rodina needed him. All of those who were called to serve did their duty; they fought, and many of them died. But, their comrade Colossus was nowhere to be found. Piotr remains silent, as Aloysha continues to say that they could have used his strength; taken shelter behind his armored form. With Piotr behind them, they might have come home - alive and whole!
A fellow soldier places handcuffs on Piotr’s wrists, branding him a deserter and denouncing him as a traitor to the state and people of the U.S.S.R. He could easily snap the cuffs, but he decides against it. Aloysha orders the militia to do their duty and take him away. Illyana and her father can only watch, as Piotr is taken to an army camp.
There, Piotr is back in human form and sitting behind bars. Aloysha informs Piotr that a KGB officer is coming to deal with him. Piotr enquires to why Aloysha hates him so much. “Are you surprised?” he replies, “You should have been there by our sides, when we, your friends, needed you!” Piotr says he didn’t know. What convenient ignorance, says Aloysha, asking whether there are no reports on Afghanistan in the West. He thought it was all President Reagan cared about; along with his pet Contras. He then mentions his visit to Sasha’s grave. Aloysha is angry that the accursed Mujaheddin didn’t leave enough of Sasha to have anything to bury. Remember how he loved to laugh? he asks; “I’ll go to my grave remembering how they made him scream before he died.”
A calming hand from a fellow soldier does nothing to slow Aloysha’s rant. He tells Piotr that, if he’d been there, they might have had a decent chance. He could have made a difference. The Gulag is too good for him; no punishment can fit this crime, but Aloysha hopes the KGB tries its very best to find one. Piotr doesn’t wish to antagonize him further and remains silent.
Later, Piotr is brought before Colonel Vazhin and one of the guards asking if he needs an escort. Vazhin replies that it’s not necessary. He’s sure the young man will prove no trouble at all. Before long, Vazhin is driving Colossus, alone, through the countryside. He pulls the car over in a quiet area of farmland, telling Piotr that he stirred up some righteous passions back there. Piotr wishes him not to mock their feelings, but Colonel Vazhin reminds him that he is an enemy of the state, so it is he that has no rights.
They exit his car and Vazhin removes Piotr’s cuffs. He knows Piotr could easily break the handcuffs, but then he’d really become when he is accused of. Piotr asks what is to become of him. “Sixty-four ruble question,” says Vazhin, “Answer’s up to you.” If he stays, they’ll have to take official action. He can’t go into the army of course, as the use of enhanced power beings in the armed forces is strictly forbidden by treaty with the Americans. Piotr didn’t know this. Vazhin tells him that they don’t exactly broadcast the fact to the whole world.
He lights a cigarette and leans against his car. He adds that, surprisingly, it is one of those rarest of international treaties in that it is scrupulously adhered to by all parties concerned. This means that Piotr would have to work for covert operations; for him or someone like him - or, he can go back to the X-Men. Piotr is surprised he is aware of them. Vazhin informs Piotr that he commands the 13th Directorate at Moscow Center. His brief is people like him, groups like his; who they are, what they are capable of and to ultimately determine whether or not they’re a threat to the Rodina.
“I am a Russian,” replies Colossus. “If my country needs me…” Vazhin says they all do; but occasionally, a man can best serve his motherland by serving the whole world. Colossus is a human being and, in that context, the whole Earth is his Rodina. Piotr doesn’t know what’s right. Vazhin doesn’t deal with what’s right; that’s God’s prerogative (and, of course, the chairman’s). He admits he hasn’t the competence. He confines himself to what is necessary. Vazhin motions towards the collective, and says that the world is evolving, and quickly. He admires Piotr’s love for his country, but asks if his home truly the collection of buildings in the distance? Home is where the heart is, he continues. It is the memories, the feeling we have for our country, as it is, and as we dream of it becoming, carried forever in our soul.
He climbs back into his car, leaving Piotr standing, shirtless, by the side of the road. He is sorry, but he will see that his letters reach his family; but he himself cannot. Officially, he tells Piotr that he must remain as his friends denounced him. Piotr says that his parents will think him a traitor. Most likely, Vazhin admits. By all means, he can tell them the truth and, perhaps, someday they will even come to believe him, but so long as he remains Colossus, Piotr Nikolievitch Rasputin can never return to this place. “Bid farewell to the farmboy, sonny,” is Vazhin’s as his parting sentiment. “You’re a hero now, the hardest life of all. You’d best get used to it. Go back to the X-Men, Colossus, that’s where you’re needed, where you can best serve your true Rodina. Lad, that’s where you belong.”


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[Assistant]
He Only Laughs When I Hurt (1st story)
Play With Me (2nd story)
First Story :This is a reprint of X-Men (1st series) #124.
Second Story: The mad assassin Arcade is sleeping… and his dreams are not pleasant. He dreams of himself as a young boy, being chased by, amongst other things, a grotesque clown and a carnivorous car. He screams.
Arcade awakens with a jolt. “No!! I don’t wanna play with you,” he cries. He realizes he is alone in his bedroom and that his pursuers are only figments of his imagination. He sees forked lightning strike outside his window, and the warped reflection of a rocking horse leering at him. He’s seeing things and needs to relax. A beeping noise attracts his attention. It’s his computer, which means someone is operating Murderworld. He storms off towards the control center. No one runs Murderworld except him!
He arrives in his pyjamas, asking all kinds of questions. Who’s being chased through Murderworld? Who programmed the computer? Who designed the program? Who’s being murdered tonight? This isn’t fair. It’s his toy and, when he finds the rotten egg who did this, he’ll smash him.
He fiddles with the controls, but finds he is locked out of the program. This infuriates him and he has a childish tantrum. He peers into the entrance to Murderworld and figures that he’ll find the culprit himself, in person. Dressing in his trademark white suit and bowtie, he enters Murderworld, armed with a rifle. Normally, he gets paid a million bucks for this kind of thing. This he’ll do for free.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a gigantic walking axe falls, missing him by several feet. It raises itself again, so Arcade uses this opportunity to scamper through its legs. Unfortunately, a second creation appears with an electric saw in place of a nose. He ducks and realizes that Murderworld is one dangerous place. Luckily for him, the buzz saw cuts the axe in half and he blasts the saw with his rifle, totalling it beyond repair.
He continues into Murderworld, now aware of the inherent dangers in his mission. He notices strange shadows, and nervously asks who’s there, as a missile flies past him. Not realizing he is standing behind a fairground duck shoot, he turns to see three large cuddly toys; a dog, a rabbit and a panda, all aiming weapons at him. The panda recognizes him. This is the brat who used to try and twist his head off. The rabbit agrees. He used to pull half his stuffing out. The dog adds angrily that he used to have a tail until Arcade yanked it out.
Arcade looks at them. They’re his old toys! He pleads with them not to shoot. “Remember - we used to play together,” he adds. The response is a hail of gunfire, peppering the duck shoot with dozens of holes. Arcade runs for his life, taking cover in a corridor behind the shoot. He catches his breath, and now knows who’s programmed to be murdered; him!
He hears a strange nose down the corridor and asks who it is. No one replies, so he opens the door slightly and sees a small red-haired boy playing with his toys. The child turns, and Arcade realizes that it is himself, only much younger. He picks up a toy clown and rubs the child’s hair. How sweet, he says, so sweet. Look at the happy clown, he says, but the child simply grabs the clowns red nose and rips it from its face. This infuriates Arcade, who calls him a mean little brat. He raises the clown above his head and proceeds to beat the child with it. “You rotten kid. You ungrateful brat. You horrible snot-nosed horror-show!”
The young Arcade cries and asks him to stop. Arcade remembers that this is him. He was such a rotten child, and now he’s terrorizing himself. Behind him, the door opens again and his father enters the room. “You rotten kid. Always wasting my money!” He crosses the room towards them but doesn’t even see Arcade. His anger is aimed towards the younger version and he picks up a model airplane, telling the child that he told him to put away his toys and do something productive. He then proceeds to show the child what these toys are good for. He raises the plane, ready to strike, but the adult Arcade smashes him over the back of the skull with a model train.
His father lies on the floor, blood oozing from his scalp, which is revealed to be full of robot parts. The child says Daddy’s dead, and Arcade picks him up to comfort him. He assures the boy that everything’s okay and he won’t hurt him anymore. They hug each other and Arcade promises to protect him. He wishes he could go back in time to protect him.
A thunk surprises Arcade, and he notices that the boy’s right leg has fallen off. The child then disintegrates and ends up lying on the floor next to his father. The nightmare dissolves into a faded memory and Arcade returns to the control center to see just who programmed this appalling scenario.
He taps away at the buttons, breaking the codes. Which of his enemies created this brilliant sick joke? The code is unlocked and he looks at the monitor. The program was created at two ‘o clock in the morning; while he was sleeping. He taps away further asking who wrote the program. The answer turns out to be Arcade. He had written the program himself, in his sleep. He did this to himself. “Why?” he asks, confused, “Why?”