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[Assistant]
For Want of a Soul
(England, the present)
The journalist, Irene Merryweather finds herself on the other side of the Atlantic. She is continuing her investigation into Sebastian Shaw and his secret Inner Circle. She reads reports of the deaths of both Professor Thornton Fieldish, who she was supposed to meet in Philadelphia, and the priest who she actually did speak to recently in Salem. She now knows that the rich will do anything to guard their secrets, anything to hide the nasty truths about themselves and the impenetrable world their dirty money buys for them. Still, she knew the rewards outweighed the risks before emerging herself in the story.
As she ambles through the streets on a typically wet English evening, a car pulls up alongside her and a gloved hand reaches out to her. “Get in,” a voice says, “Now!” She is pulled into the car, just as two female would-be assassins fire at her. As the car speeds away, Irene bangs on the partition and says that, although she appreciates the save, she wants to know just what the blazes is going on. Who were those women, and who is he? The partition slides away and the masked figure of Union Jack stares back at her from behind the steering wheel. Oh, Irene thinks, a Pulitzer in the making.
By the time they arrive at the Falsworth family estate, the rain has ceased and Lady Jacqueline Crichton greets her warmly. Lady Crichton is a former World War II heroine. She was a member of the Invaders, using the codename Spitfire. She is old enough to be Irene’s grandmother but, thanks to some weird blood transfusion, she looks sexier than any super-model.
The two women shake hands and Lady Crichton invites her inside the grand mansion. They have much to discuss. It’s amazing what money can buy, thinks Irene. They are soon seated in the library and Irene gets straight to the point. She inquires about Sebastian Shaw, but Lady Crichton knows very little about him. She explains that a man such as Shaw doesn’t publicize his affairs, personal or otherwise. She is only on the periphery of the Hellfire Club and isn’t party to much information of that kind. Irene takes a hot drink from the butler and asks about Shaw’s family. She needs information and is at the end of her rope. “All martyrs hang eventually,” says Union Jack. Lady Crichton tells him not to tease Irene; she’s under a lot of pressure. She asks Irene to forgive him. For all his heroism, Union Jack is still rough around the edges.
 “Your father, Lord Falsworth, he was the original right?” says Irene. “During World War II?” Lady Crichton reaches up and takes a large book off the shelf. She adds that he was in World War I as well; one of the crown’s top operatives consequently. She recalls him telling her as a child that he was a rather close friend to one of Shaw’s ancestors. He always spoke highly of him. She blows the long-gathered dust off the book’s cover. “Ah yes. Here we are. Sixth of December, 1915…”
(flashback, 1915)
 A group of mourners stand around the gravestone of one Brigadier-General Cornelius Shaw, 1861 to 1915. He was a great man, the best of his majesty George IV’s best, on the field and off. He was a loving father and devoted husband, the last of a dying breed. The priest concludes his sermon and the mourners, including Shaw’s widow, begin to head their separate ways.
A hirsute man named Sir Harry Manners whispers to his companion, Sir Waltham Pierce, asking if the person they have their eyes on is suitable. Pierce says the circle must be complete. A Shaw has been chosen and time will tell if he’s the right one. Pierce greets Esau Shaw and puts his arm around his shoulders. He says he’s sorry about his father and understands that he has made the rank of lieutenant. It’s a prestigious position, especially for someone so young and full of promise.
Watching from behind a tree is Lord Montgomery Falsworth, who interrupts Pierce’s cosy chat. Esau is pleased to see him, despite the somber circumstances. Pierce walks away and the two men embrace. Esau asks why Pierce gave him daggers upon his arrival and Falsworth replies that he’s just smarting after he declined their offer to join the Hellfire Club. It’s the Falsworth family fortune they’re after, and he figures they’ll have to devise a cleverer way to steal it.
As Falsworth hears it, the Hellfire Club has been in cahoots with the Kaiser since before the Archduke’s assassination. They presume that they will come out of the war on top and take over the continent at the expense of the Allies’ fighting men. He warns Esau to steer clear of them before he finds himself their next target. Too bad, replies Esau, placing his arm on Falsworth’s shoulder. They’ve just offered me membership in their Inner Circle. As they depart, Sir Waltham Pierce scowls in frustration.
Falsworth feared for his new friend, and not just because of his association with the Hellfire Club. It appeared on the surface that he had been naturally selected for greatness due to his family’s bloodline. This of course meant that someone else in the Shaw lineage had to come up stunted. Esau had a brother called Jacob. He was a weasely man whose beady eyes betrayed him. He was envious of his brother, and was prepared to deal with the devil to usurp his brother.
One night, Jacob is out walking when a stranger approaches him carrying a lantern. The stranger says that man covets most what mistress nature denies. Her whims are shackles, binding him unto death. Jacob turns and asks who he is. The stranger, wearing a long cloak and hat, steps nearer and lifts the lantern to reveal his face. It is pale, like death, and his red eyes pierce deep into Jacob’s soul. Jacob again asks who he is and the stranger replies that he is Nathaniel Essex, at his service.
Jacob knows the name from an old science text at university. He was one of Darwin’s foremost competitors in the study of genetic mutations. Some said he went mad and then mysteriously disappeared. That was decades ago and that man would be dead by now. He couldn’t possibly be Essex. Jacob, nonetheless, finds himself following the man down a winding staircase. At the bottom, the stairs open into a room where Essex removes his cloak and hat, revealing a blue costume underneath. All around the room are flasks filled with liquid, some of which contain small creatures. “Quite right,” the man replies, “Essex is dead.” Jacob asks what he is. Holding a syringe filled with liquid in his gloved hand, the man replies that he’s a visionary, savior, a madman. It doesn’t matter. “I am Sinister!”
Jacob backs against the wall, terrified of the confident stranger. Essex tells him that some people hold that the eyes are the windows to the soul. He believes it runs much deeper. The genes are the very building blocks of humanity, which reveal our true colors. The liquid in his syringe will strip away the trappings of man, and help reveal his. Jacob sinks further into the wall as Sinister grabs him and plunges the syringe into his chest. “Now Jacob Shaw, show me your soul!” he cries.
Jacob collapses to the floor, taking several test tubes with him. He holds his face in the palms of his hands as the liquid burns inside of him. Sinister helps Jacob to his feet and asks him to ignore the pain; it will pass. It will leave a gift in its wake if he is strong enough. Jacob asks what he has done. Sinister replies that he has liberated him from nature’s chains and given him the keys to claim his birthright. Though he remains Jacob Shaw in essence, in body he has become so much more. Jacob looks at himself in a mirror and sees the face of his brother staring back at him. He gasps, and asks if it is permanent. Can he become himself again? Sinister asks him if he really wants to. Jacob doesn’t need to think about that too long, and grins as he imagines the possibilities that shape-shifting can bring.
Sometime later, Esau Shaw is having a little clay pigeon target practice when Sir Waltham Pierce pulls up on his motorcycle. He congratulates him on his precision, telling him he’s quite the hawkeye, much like his father. Shaw reloads and says he wasn’t expecting him. Pierce walks over to him. He says he saw him carousing with the Zemo twins at the club the other night and asks if he’s enjoying their organization’s little indulgences so far. Shaw replies that he’s been a most gracious host. Pierce asks if he has given any further thought to their offer, but Shaw replies that he has, but to no conclusion. Pierce reminds Shaw that a soldier’s salary is a mere pittance compared to the wealth he could enjoy amongst their ranks. Along with that is the added fact that a rise in his social status would be of great benefit to his entire family. He is, after all, the head of the Shaw household now and wouldn’t want to disappoint his dear, departed father.
Shaw continues to take aim at his next pigeon and Pierce, standing behind him, pulls out a dagger. “Pull,” shouts Shaw. Another pigeon is released into the air. As he follows the pigeon with his pistol, Pierce raises the knife above Shaw’s head. The gun fires and the knife is brought down forcefully into Shaw’s back, killing him. “Tally ho brother,” says Pierce, who is revealed to be none other than the shape-shifting Jacob. He callously loads his dead brother’s body into his motorcycles sidecar and drives away.
Later, Esau’s gun is discovered by Lord Falsworth. It’s a Wembley Mark V, Esau’s most prized pistol. His father gave him the weapon when he entered the service. It’s a modern talisman to keep his son safe from harm. Insurance, Cornelius called it. He pockets the gun and rides through the snow on his motorcycle, pulling his Union Jack cowl over his face.
Sir Waltham Pierce, meanwhile, is enjoying the company of two scantily clad women in a four-poster bed. One feeds him grapes; she likes a man with an appetite. He pours another glass of wine, as unseen by him, the other woman reaches under the sheets, revealing a pistol hidden underneath. Before she can grab it, however, Union Jack comes crashing through the ceiling window, sending shards of glass flying in all directions. As he lands, he strikes Pierce.
He accuses him of conspiracy to undermine the crown, sedition against its governing bodies and the murder of Esau Shaw. Grabbing Pierce by the collar, he demands that he answer the charges. Before he confesses, however, the other woman grabs her gun and fires at Union Jack, narrowly missing him. The situation has gone from strange to stranger, thinks Falsworth. The woman flees and Union Jack follows her down a corridor, which comes to a dead end. Instead of stopping, though, she crashes through the window and lands, naked, on the snow-covered ground. Union Jack looks through the shattered frame and sees her run away. Maybe, he thinks, that it’s a queer trick of the moonlit night, but it certainly looked like Jacob Shaw dashing away into the night in place of the woman.
(the present)
Lady Crichton concludes her father’s notes, by mentioning that it was probably his most peculiar encounter, whilst in the employ of his majesty’s secret service. She closes the book and says, “Bless you daddy.” She stands and hands over the book to Irene, asking her to take care of it. She thanks her and says there is nothing she possesses more important to her right now than the book. “Even your soul?” asks Union Jack. Irene finds herself unable to respond, before turning to find Union Jack has slipped away through the window. “He does that often,“ Lady Crichton says.
The two women give each other a hug, as Irene makes her way to her car. As she drives away, she wonders about the tale she has been told. A soul, she thinks, my soul. What was it really worth? A byline? A front page lead? News that’s here today, forgotten tomorrow? For want of a better soul, Jacob Shaw traded his to the devil. If she were in his shoes, she wonders if she would do the same.


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[Assistant]
Also Sprach Sebastian
(China)
Some people in this life have passion, ambition, fire. They desire to leave behind a legacy, something truly glorious. Irene Merryweather became a writer in order to leave behind something permanent, something more meaningful than just ash. An exposé about industrialist Sebastian Shaw’s secret cabal that comprise his Hellfire Club’s Inner Circle, in retrospect, may not be the brightest idea. Having visited England, researching a story on Sebastian Shaw and his involvement in the Hellfire Club, Irene Merryweather now finds herself in altogether different territory; China.
Shaw’s personal assistant, Tessa, appears and tells Irene that she’s a long way from the newsroom. She has been instructed to disclose any and all information she might require about Shaw and the Hellfire Club. Having been unconscious for some time, Irene raises her hand and calls for a time out. First, she says, she whacks two innocent men to throw her off Shaw’s trail. Then, she is kidnapped and taken half way around the world to China. Now they’re just gonna sit down for a little telepathic pillow talk about the most dubious man in the world and his deepest, darkest secrets? She isn’t buying it and asks Tessa to show her the fine print. “God is in the details, Ms. Merryweather,” replies Tessa, as she places her hand on Irene’s forehead. Suddenly, her world changes and she is taken to the past
(telepathic flashback)
(Pennsylvania)
A young Sebastian Shaw is on shovelling duties in a steel foundry. He was born with a rusted spoon in his mouth and holy fire raging in his belly. He is a blue-collar worker, through and through. Though not a religious man, he is a man of boundless faith, in his hopes, his dreams and in himself. Leaving work one day, he heads straight to the hospital. His father, Jacob, took a turn for the worse that morning. There were several anomalous complications in his blood, unlike anything the doctor has seen before. It’s as if his whole genetic make-up has been altered. They tried a transfusion, but he apologizes to Sebastian - his father is dead. Sebastian closes his eyes and the doctor leaves the room.
Sebastian kneels down besides his father’s bed and holds his hand. He tells him that he got a full scholarship. He starts his freshman year at the Stevens Institute in the fall and is finally getting out of this town. With a tear in his eye, he promises he’s going to be an engineer, just like Jacob always wanted. He’s going to make him proud. He releases his father’s hand and decides to call in at a local bar.
Inside, the barman raises a glass to Jacob and tells Sebastian that, one day, the world is going to be his oyster. “Better believe it, Sam,” he replies. Behind Sebastian, a group of local thugs are playing pool and aren’t impressed that he is going to college. They quickly drag him outside and give Sebastian a severe beating with their cues. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once posited that whatever fails to kill a man only serves to make him stronger. He dubbed this mythical survivor, the Ubermensch, an ideal personified by a poor boy from Pennsylvania. As the blows rain down on Shaw’s back, he suddenly turns and grabs one of the guy’s cues in his hand, snapping it in two. He then strikes another, sending him crashing through a nearby fence. With this display of strength, the others become frightened and flee, asking as they leave, “What the heck kinda freak are you?”
(later)
Shaw studied hard at college, his poor background serving him well. Unlike many other students, college was an expectation, not a privilege. His education was a gift, and not one to be squandered on the idle pursuits of youth. Monastic asceticism and unshakable devotion to his studies cemented his reputation as class wunderkind. By the time he graduated, his talent ensured that everyone wanted a piece of him.
In the ensuing years, Shaw’s incisive mind and ‘get-it-done’ attitude became the cornerstones upon which many a struggling corporation would depend. His expertise in fields as diverse as economics and technology was their salvation, and they were willing to pay for it, handsomely. By the age of thirty, Sebastian Shaw had made his first million. By forty, he had his first billion.
One day whilst out on site, a chauffeured limousine arrives and an elegant woman named Chantel Lourdes steps out. “Did your mother teach you no manners at all, Senor Shaw?” she asks. Shaw removes his hardhat and bows before her. He playfully replies that he is just a humble steelworker bedecked in king’s robes. He knows not the finer ways of court. She says that a private lesson is in order and takes him inside her limousine. Her chauffer smirks, as the couple embrace on the back seat. Sebastian Shaw wasn’t just living the American dream; he was the American dream.
(Sometime later, August)
Ed Buckman stands before his fellow Hellfire Club associates. Kneeling before him are four men, novitiates, about to be enrolled into the Hellfire Club. They are Warren Worthington Jr., Howard Stark, Sebastian Hiram Shaw and John Braddock. Buckman tells them that their achievements have set them all above the rank and file of common society. The time has come for them to assume their rightful place among the world’s elite, the architects of tomorrow. They each declare their undying fealty to the Hellfire Club and, with a raised glass, they are sworn in. Watching from the sidelines, Chantel Lourdes appears nervous about this new chapter in her lover’s life.
Upon his initiation to the Hellfire Club, a notorious den of cutthroat, backstabbing vipers, Shaw began to surround himself with allies. People like Harry Leland were loyal. Emma Frost had similar ambitions to Shaw. Donald Pierce was indebted to him and he felt he could trust Tessa with anything. One night, Chantel lies in his bed, as the snow falls outside her window. She tells Sebastian that he places too much faith in Edward Buckman. He is a snake and, once he sinks his fangs into him, it’ll all be over. Sebastian steps out of the bathroom and replies that either Lourdes overestimates the White King, or she underestimates him. He is full of surprises. He kneels before her and produces an engagement ring.
Lourdes is flustered at this unexpected turn of events. She grabs the bed sheet and wraps it round herself before making her way through the lightly falling snow on the patio. She asks Sebastian if he knew that she fell in love the moment she saw him. He was poor, she was rich but none of that mattered. She wanted him, more than she’d ever wanted anything before. She thought they were destined for each other. Never once did she question her feelings for him, until his name came up for induction into the club. She tried to prevent it, but Buckman respects a woman’s opinion even less than a dog’s. The Hellfire Club changes people, corrupts them, destroys them.
Shaw places a comforting hand upon her shoulder and assures her that nothing can destroy him. She replies that she’s serious. Sebastian says that there’s only one thing he prizes more than the empire he’s spent a lifetime building with his bare hands, and that is her. Lourdes is pleased, reassured even and they hug each another. It was their happiest Christmas together, but it was also their last.
(Sometime later)
Sebastian Shaw kneels beside a crumpled Sentinel, cradling Lourdes in his arms. Emma Frost and Harry Leland look on, silent. He slides the ring onto her finger and weeps at the loss of the one he loves.
Whilst the X-Men fought the Sentinels, Ed Buckman watches from the safety of his bank of monitors, with Paris Seville at his side. Project: Armageddon was to be the checkmate maneuver in a prolonged game of chess against mutantkind, waged by Buckman, the Hellfire Club’s White King. Once the more powerful members of Homo sapiens superior had been removed from the board, he was confident there would be no one left to stop his bid for absolute power. Indeed, his plans might have succeeded, if not for a poor boy from Pennsylvania. When Emma Frost and Sebastian Shaw eliminated, both Buckman and Seville, the Lords Cardinal, assumed control of the Hellfire Club. Though a part of Sebastian Shaw died, his Inner Circle was born.
Unbeknownst to the general populace, Shaw’s global influence continues to grow to this very day. Neither kings nor popes nor presidents are beyond his sphere. More than just an architect of the future, Shaw is the future.
(present day)
Tessa’s telepathic show comes to an end, just as Sebastian Shaw appears from behind a pair of curtains. Irene has her story, but Shaw says that it’s a pity she’ll never get the chance to publish it. Now released from Tessa’s grip, Irene asks if he’s gonna kill her now, as that appears to be his M.O? Shaw replies that a call to his attorney should suffice. Irene quotes freedom of the press, as she rubs her forehead, but Shaw asks what kind of freedom she can expect to have once he’s bought all the publishing houses and their printing presses. To whom will she cry wolf then?
Irene, despite being in such dangerous company, is feisty enough to offer Shaw a piece of her mind. She snaps at him, informing him that she’ll find someone to publish it. You can’t silence the truth. People deserve to know. She asks by what right does he deny them that. “By right of power,” replies Shaw, “The only thing that matters.” He tells Irene that he likes her. She is tenacious and driven, just as he was at her age. His organization could use people like her. She has fire, but he warns her not to let that be her undoing. He turns his back and tells Tessa that Irene will be leaving now. The next thing Irene knows, she is hit by a mental Mickey, and is gone.
(Two days later)
Irene wakes up from her slumber, feeling like Dorothy over the rainbow. This time, though, the all-powerful Wizard of Oz happens to be Superman and Howard Hughes rolled into one. Guys like Sebastian Shaw never lose. She notices an envelope in her hand and opens it, finding a letter inside. She glances at the first few lines before ripping it in two and tossing it into the blazing fire. She knows that Shaw is aware that no one can beat him, so he gives you everything you want to make you lay down your guns and join him. The last thing he expects is for someone to fight back; someone just that crazy and just that desperate enough to fight fire with fire. Either you have it, or you don’t. She knows the story is out there, and picks up the phone, asking to speak to Mr. Jameson. When he answers, she informs him that she’s got a page one for him.
In the flames, the letter burns. It is headed with a trident. It reads, ‘It is the grand pleasure of the Lords Cardinal to extend this invitation of membership to the Hellfire Club.’ The story is all hers.


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[Assistant]
“Once More the Savage Land”
(flashback)
 The X-Men, comprised of Cyclops, Beast, Marvel Girl, and the Angel, attack the rampaging behemoth known as the Hulk. It is the team’s hope that the Hulk’s alter ego, Dr. Bruce Banner, possesses a device which will allow their mentor, Professor X, to recover from his comatose-like state. In the midst of the battle, the Hulk smashes his fists into the ground, which in turn rips open the underground lab from beneath their feet. Luckily, the Beast is on hand to grab hold of Cyclops and Marvel Girl. Meanwhile, the Angel swoops down and finds the device they have been searching for. With their mission accomplished, the team withdraws in their stolen Sentinel craft, and heads back for their base. The Hulk, content to be left in peace, lets the X-Men leave without further incident.
Later, at the X- Mansion, the team meets up with their remaining teammates, Iceman, Lorna Dane, and Havok. Cyclops activates the small device to their bed-ridden leader unknowing if the device will actually truly help their mentor. As it turns out, the Gamma Rays which are emitted from the device help jump-start the Professor’s mind and he at last awakens. With brief congratulations over their good fortune the full team of X-Men finally is reunited at last.
(Three Days Later / the present:)
Beast, Cyclops, and Marvel Girl are stunned by Iceman’s announcement that he is quitting the team. Despite Jean’s efforts to explain that what Bobby believes about the Professor is wrong, it doesn’t persuade him from changing his mind. Feeling betrayed that the Professor didn’t trust them enough to inform them of his plan to defeat the invading Z’Nox, Bobby doesn’t think he can trust the Professor anymore, much less Jean who had been in on the deception.
 Cyclops also tries to convince Iceman that it’s not as bad as it seems, though he may have treated the situation differently, but to no avail. Bobby’s mind is made up, especially after what the Professor did to them in the hangar bay the previous day. Just then, the Professor uses his mental abilities to summon the X-Men to the library, but Iceman ignores the hail and walks off, wishing the X-Men luck as he leaves.
 Minutes later, the team, now donning their costumes, enter the school’s library where the Professor is waiting for them. When the Professor asks about Iceman’s absence, Cyclops informs him that he has quit the team. Havok proceeds to ask if he has left because of his relationship with Lorna, but the Professor interjects, stating that Marvel Girl has telepathically given him a full account of Iceman’s departure. With seemingly little concern, the Professor calmly dismisses the act, much to the dismay of Angel who voices his opinion, and is too soundly chastised. The Professor orders the X-Men to open their minds so that he may be debriefed of the team’s actions during the months that he was away.
He learns of their encounter with the Sub-Human known as Grotesk, and his own seeming death at the monster’s hands. He then witnesses the team’s first encounter with Lorna Dane and the hypnotist mutant, Mesmero. To his shock, the Professor is surprised to find that Mesmero was in the employ of Magneto, who claims that Polaris is his daughter.
 He witnesses as the team meets up with Cyclops’ long lost brother, and his subsequent capture at the hands of the Living Pharaoh, and the events that followed including the Pharaoh’s transformation into the Living Monolith. From the Monolith, the X-Men were confronted by a new generation of Sentinels who had captured Havok, as well as many other mutants.
The Professor takes mental note of Cyclops’ unique answer in defeating the Sentinels, by convincing them to destroy the primary source of all mutation, the sun itself, which surely would have destroyed them. But he then becomes disappointed that the X-Men put their faith in his former colleague, Karl Lykos. Lykos as it turns out, is a “Non-Mutant Variant”, capable of draining the powers of mutants and transforming into the horror who calls himself Sauron. After a battle with Sauron, the X-Men watched as Lykos committed suicide by hurling himself off a cliff near the Antarctic Circle.
While searching for Lykos’ body, the X-Men found themselves in the Savage Land, where once more they encountered Magneto, and his later demise by his own collapsing citadel.
 After their adventure in the Savage Land, the X-Men returned to the States and were confronted by the Japanese Mutant known as Sunfire, whom the Professor takes note to himself to investigate as a possible recruit. The X-Men return to the Mansion only to find the Professor alive and well, and their subsequent encounter with the Z’Nox aliens.
With the mental debriefing at an end, the Professor withdraws his mind. But Lorna didn’t feel at all comfortable with the Professor so casually going through their thoughts. Marvel Girl warns the Professor that he should rest, that he hasn’t complete recovered. The Professor agrees, but he still inquires Cyclops as to Magneto’s final fate, and what steps the X-Men made to ensure that he has in fact died. When he discovers that the X-Men just took Magneto’s death for granted, he becomes furious and immediately dispatches the remaining original team members back to the Savage Land to investigate.
Along the way, the Angel begins to wonder what exactly the Professor was thinking. Not only in chastising them for their actions during his absence, but for treating them as though they were still kids. Cyclops turns to Marvel Girl for answers, but she can’t exactly say for sure. She did, however, sense that something was out of phase within his mind, which makes her wonder if the “cure” they used may not have been as effective as they hoped. The team doesn’t have long to ponder, as the Beast warns them that their approach to the Savage Land is going to be met with some turbulence, at which point the craft begins to veer and spin as if out of control.
Back at the Mansion, Lorna Dane and Havok take a walk across the estate grounds. As they get to know each other better, they manage to come to the conclusion that the Professor wasn’t acting like himself. But not having been actual students under his care, they really didn’t have much to compare with. However, their chat is soon interrupted by Iceman, who tells Lorna that he’s giving her a chance to come to her senses and leave the school with him. When Havok begins to voice his opinion, Iceman shoves him to the ground. Lorna attempts to stop the impending battle, but it’s too late, as Havok begins to emanate plasma energy that pushes Iceman and Lorna back. Iceman transforms to his alternate ice-covered form and throws several dozen ice-spikes at Havok, who promptly blasts them with his own powers. Havok in turn, unleashes a massive energy blast which levels the area around them. Suddenly distraught that he may have killed Bobby, Havok begins to dig through the debris of trees that he has destroyed, only to discover an ice dome which Iceman suddenly bursts forth from.
 While doing so, a chunk of ice hits Lorna across the head. Havok berates him for being an idiot, while Iceman attempts to apologize, but Lorna won’t have any of it. She is tired of Iceman’s unwanted advances, from assuming that she was his girlfriend, and never asking what she thought of it or even if she desired his affections. Suddenly, an astral image of Professor X appears before them, and with a powerful, and painful, “yell” gets his students to stop their fighting. But Iceman, now more determined than ever to leave, simply walks away.
In the Savage Land, before anyone can stop him, the Angel jumps free of the ship. It is his hope that he can guide them through the worst of the turbulence. It seems to work, and the X-Men quickly find themselves breaking through the thick cloud layer as they descend into the Savage Land. Seemingly safe now, Cyclops locates an empty patch of ground where they can land. The only problem now, however, is that the turbulence destroyed the ship’s rudder controls. With time quickly running out, and the ship heading towards a large mountain, Cyclops orders Beast to open the dome over the ship. Reluctantly complying, Cyclops proceeds to use his optic beams to blow away the dense vegetation to make way for a make-shift runway.
 It all seems to work, as the ship begins to come down for a landing, but all is in vain when one of the landing gears snags and it suddenly began to spin out of control. Crashing off the runway, the Sentinel ship slams headlong into the forest until it finally comes to a stop upside down. The Angel quickly makes his way to the downed ship to help his companions, and finds Cyclops and Beast alive and well.
Marvel Girl though seems to be injured, as the two ground-bound X-Men pull her limp body from the wreckage. Cyclops explains that Jean had protected them with a telekinetic field, but the impact put a terrible strain on her own mind and knocked her unconscious.
Concerned that she may die as a result of her injuries, the X-Men are left with the concern that their only hopes lies in Professor X detecting their trouble and dispatching Havok and Lorna to help them. It all becomes moot, however, when they are suddenly confronted by a tribe of native warriors with spears. Cyclops attempts to make clear that they have come in peace, but the warriors shoot the male X-Men with poison tipped darts. Cyclops and Angel instantly fall prey to the darts, but Beast with his greater stamina, is able to partially resist the drug and counter-attacks his foes. More are were able to fell the Beast however, and the unconscious X-Men are carted away.
After some time passes, Cyclops awakens and finds his companion X-Men, Beast and Angel already awake. They are welcomed by two other members of the Savage Land tribe, who assure them that they were incapacitated until it could be determined if they posed a threat. The Beast argues that that could just as easily been accomplished by asking them, but the tribal leader states that they could have easily lied, and that their way gave them no lasting harm. Just then, Cyclops notices that Marvel Girl is not among them, and when he asks about her condition, he is told that she has already “passed on to the Land of the Dead,” at which point she shows them her empty costume laid out across a table.
Elsewhere, in a much more desolate area of the Savage Land, in a more modernized but dirty city, the Savage Land Mutate known as Amphibious makes his way deeper into one of the citadels. He has come bearing news to his master that the X-Men have returned to the Savage Land. It is then revealed that his “master” is none other than Magneto…or rather, the ghost of Magneto, who vows vengeance against the X-Men who have murdered him.


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[Assistant]
“The Ghost and the Darkness”
Deep in the jungles of the Savage Land, Cyclops wanders alone, lost in his thoughts and mourning for the loss of his fellow teammate and girlfriend, Jean Grey. He remembers the events which brought them to the Savage Land.
(flashback)
From receiving a reprimand from Professor X by not making sure that Magneto had died during the X-Men last encounter with him, to their ship being toss by the freak turbulent winds that surround the hidden land and their subsequent crash landing, at which point Jean had used her telekinetic powers to protect them. But not without a cost, as the force of the impact seemingly reflected back upon Jean and thereby killing her in the process, as explained by the natives who told them that she had “Passed into the Land of the Dead”.
(present)
 Unable to cope with her loss, Cyclops unleashes his optic blasts with full fury against the trees. However Cyclops’s fit only manages to draw attention to himself as a Tyrannosaurus Rex emerges from the trees after him.
 The X-Men’s leader barely manages to dodge out of the way of the dinosaur’s massive bite, but he only manages to back himself into a tree. Realizing he has nowhere to run, he prepares for the inevitable, only to be saved at the very last moment the Beast, who swinging from a vine snatches him out of harm’s way.
 Not unappreciative of the last minute save, Cyclops still has to wonder why the Beast is in such a happy mood, despite Jean’s death. The Angel soon arrives and explains that they have good news, Jean is alive! The Beast goes on to explain that the Chieftain has been using a cultural metaphor, that Jean is still alive.
Meanwhile, at Zelda’s, Bobby Drake’s old girlfriend, apartment, Bobby himself is asleep out on the couch, while Zelda is on the phone talking with her mother, attempting to explaining the situation. When Bobby begins to wake up, Zelda hangs up and asks him what is going on.
 After Professor X’s deception, Bobby Drake became upset, that and the fact the girl he is in love with is no seeing someone else. This, of course, doesn’t go at all well with Zelda, who suddenly blows up at Bobby for his audacity for dumping her without a word and suddenly expect her to take him in when things go sour.
 Just then, Vera Cantor enters the room, having been disturbed by the commotion. Bobby is suddenly interrupted by a telepathic message from Professor X. The message is intended for Havok and Lorna Dane, but Bobby’s long time tenure at the school allows him to make out part of it, the general gist is that he has lost contact with the other X-Men.
 Knowing he has to do something, Bobby suddenly takes off without another word. Zelda, determined to find out what is going on picks up the phone and calls someone else, the Angel’s girlfriend, Candy Southern.
 While on the other line, Candy explains that she remembers Zelda. She goes onto answer Zelda’s question if she had ever gone to Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, that she hasn`t gotten around to it yet.
 While talking on the phone Candy turns over a picture of Warren Worthington from the wall to reveal another picture behind, of Warren and Candy under more leisurely circumstances, revealing that Candy unlike Zelda does in fact know that Warren and the Xavier students are mutants.
The Savage Land:
Cyclops begins to question the Savage Land natives they have met upon their arrival. As it turns out, no one actually dies in the village, and all their sick or aged people are sent to a place of earthly paradise…a literal “Land of the Dead”.
 When Cyclops exclaims that they have no choice but to follow Jean, the natives they are questioning cry out that it is forbidden. But Cyclops is adamant, while he doesn’t want to be breaking any local taboos they don’t have a choice but to find out if Jean is all right.
Elsewhere in the Savage Land:
Jean is very much still alive, though in an unconscious state, as one of the “Land of the Dead” priests watches over her. When told that she would no longer need to slumber, the “ghost” of Magneto objects that the girl is among her greatest enemies, she is one of the people who killed him the last time they came to the Savage Land. Magneto goes on to explain that should she awaken, she will alert those others and ruin everything they have been working towards.
Meanwhile, back with Cyclops, Angel, and Beast:
The trio of X-Men soon find the point of embarkation into the Land of the Dead, a temple at the base of a river which leads into the mountain. They notice that the priests which guard the temple are very strange, and that their cloaks looked disturbingly organic. The X-Men witness a couple sick and elderly natives entering the temple and then climbing on board a boat before drifting off down the river.
While there isn’t anything untoward in the ceremony, they realize that the only way to get into the Land of the Dead is on the river through the mountain or above it, at which point Cyclops orders the Angel to find a way around the peaks. No sooner does the Angel leave than the two remaining X-Men are confronted by the tribal warriors and the Chieftain they met when they first arrive
d. The Chieftain exclaims that they have been betrayed and then orders the warriors to fire their bows at the strangers. Cyclops manages to take out the first wave of arrows with his optic blasts, at which point the Beast jumps into the battle himself. Despite their superior battle techniques, a discreet retreat would be a more viable option. Cyclops then orders the Beast to rush to the boats, but before the latter can commandeer one for them, he meets up with the priests, who reveal themselves to be much more. Their “organic” cloaks aren’t cloaks at all, but leather wings, which mean that the priests aren’t exactly human.
 Caught off guard, the two X-Men quickly climb onboard one of the boats, at which point Cyclops uses his optic blast to push the boat forward like a motor. However before they can get too far, one of the warriors fires an arrow, which catches Cyclops square in the chest.
By then, the boat is caught by the current and they are already miles deep within the mountain. The wound, however, is quite fatal, and Cyclops prepares Beast to leave him behind to find Jean once they reach the other side. The Beast begins to encourage Cyclops to hold on, and as the boat emerges from the other side of the mountain any hope of a paradise is dashed when they witness the vast technological city on the other side. All around them is a dreary cityscape, with spires that reach high into the sky, and a polluted water stream with which they are now floating through.
 Cyclops soon begins to stir, despite the Beast’s urgings to the contrary; however it is soon apparent that it is unnecessary, as Cyclops simply removes the arrow from his chest…the wound miraculously healed. Suddenly, before the two X-Men are able to contemplate it further, a cage springs from out of the water around them.
Elsewhere:
The Angel is having troubles of his own, as the cyclonic air currents are throwing the airborne X-Man back and forth. Deciding that since he can’t get over the current, he may try under them, he streaks for closer to the ground, barely gliding above sharp rocky outcroppings.
Just as he laments about the dangers of one badly timed gust, it actually happens and he is sent careening into the side of the mountain. The impact knocks him unconscious, and the Angel comes crashing to the ground, tumbling down the snow covered rocks until crashing to a rest on one of the lower outcroppings. Shortly after, another winged figure flies above him and then lands next to him.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
On Wings Of Angels
High above the frozen wastelands of the Earth’s most Southern continent, a sleek, silver craft bears Havok and Polaris on a mission of mercy. While Alex controls the craft, Lorna notices the signal they were looking for, but it’s so faint and she worries how they are going to pinpoint it. Alex thinks it’s going to be tough without triangulation, but he remembers the Professor had a good fix on the other X-Men’s course before they vanished. And, Alex mentions, they are following that course directly.
Professor X telepathically intervenes, correcting Alex that he’s almost precisely over the spot he had in mind. Lorna panics when she notices the Professor in his astral form, not thinking she’s ever going to get used to that. Xavier reminds Lorna that she’ll have no choice but to get used to it, if she is going to become an X-Man someday! He warns Alex to be careful, reminding him that, the last contact he had with the other X-Men, he found out they had some serious trouble with turbulence. And so, as the craft moves closer to that spot, Alex and Lorna’s plane also gets caught in the same turbulent weather!
Elsewhere…
Angel wakes up after being struck down, but his head still feels a bit dizzy. As he tries to get up, Warren feels pain, too. A man tries to calm him down, explaining to Warren that he ran into some severe injuries, and claims that, in the house he’s in now, there is no miracle that can make him whole again. Angel doesn’t understand a word the man is saying. He wants to know who the man and his friend are, and where he is and how he got there. The last thing Warren remembers is Professor X sending him and his teammates to the Savage Land to make sure Magneto really died there during their last confrontation.
Their jet crashed on landing, and the natives who found them claimed Jean had died, and only her uniform was left. But the X-Men soon discovered that the natives were just talking about some kind of cultural metaphor. They learned that the aged and infirm were sent by ferry to some paradise beyond the mountains. While Cyclops and Beast tried to follow Jean that way, Warren tried to fly over the mountains. It was like trying to fly through a hundred hurricanes at once, and the heavy winds that ruled there smashed Warren against some rocks. And that’s when the lights went out for him. Yet, Warren feels like something else was there, too. It was just a brief impression, before he lost consciousness, but he can’t pinpoint what that was.
The other man hesitates, and claims that Warren must be mistaken. He claims that nobody ever goes to the High Mountains, because everyone knows that means certain death. And yet, as busted up as Warren is, he realizes there’s no way he could have traveled this far without help. The man again hesitates, claiming that Warren shouldn’t involve himself in such matters. They want him to save his energy for the journey that lies ahead. Warren doesn’t understand what journey the man is talking about.
Nearby the High Mountains…
Beast and Cyclops have been captured and locked into a giant cage. Still, Beast mentions that if this is a trap, someone had better drop a lid on it, because he has no trouble of jumping out of it, since the cage isn’t closed down on top. Cyclops warns him to be careful, realizing that so far, nothing about this place turned out what they expected it to be. He believes that a good case in point might be this cage springing up out of the canal around their boat. Hank agrees with that. He jumps up the cage anyway, and notices more winged creatures attacking them.
Scott recognizes them from before as well and fires his optic blast at them, but misses. Hank states that they look like the priests did back at the native village, and they look like they want to be enemies as well. Scott keeps firing his optic blasts at the creatures, but misses at every turn. Hank has a better idea. He picks Scott up, and jumps on some bricks and towards a bridge of a nearby city! Scott does hope they will find Jean soon.
In the city’s citadel…
Jean is still unconscious. Weird-looking creatures in white dresses are pleased Jean is still asleep, and don’t think she is as dangerous as he made her out to be. But, another creature does dislike the fact that they haven’t put Jean to work yet. Still, they realize they’d best follow their master’s instructions if they want the plan to work. They close the door of Jean’s cell, and leave her alone.
Jean quickly wakes up, as this is the moment she has been waiting for ever since she arrived in this place. She was only faking her being unconscious, in the hope to be better able to escape. She uses her telekinetic powers to lift up the nearby hanging keys to her door, and succeeds. She opens the door and walks out, happy about being able to use her powers like this. She first rips of the bottom of her ceremonial dress so she can run faster. Jean thinks she’d better finds out where she is, where the other X-Men are, and what that dead spot is she can feel all over the place.
Not much further, people like Jean’s captors meet up with the ghost form of… Magneto! He’s furious that the other X-Men escaped, and doesn’t think his followers understand how dangerous the young mutants are. He reminds them that they are the people who killed him. The poor followers beg for mercy, defending that they were unprepared for the X-Men’s strange powers. Magneto shouts that preparation is the key to this entire operation. He explains that like his followers have been preparing their escape for generations, he wants to prepare the same way in order to have his enemies defeated. A panicking Amphibius jumps in, warning his master about the fact that Cyclops and Beast have been spotted inside!
Beast and Cyclops sneak around the citadel, and notice several slaves working. Scott doesn’t think this place is as much a paradise as they first thought it to be. However, Hank also notices that Scott’s wounds seem to have been completely healed. He was hit in the middle of his chest by an arrow, and now only a small rip in his costume remains. Scott feels as good as new, and thinks there’s something about this place that causes immediately healing, even wounds that threaten an entire life. He wonders why Ka-Zar never mentioned this place existed. Hank suspects that, since the Savage Land is huge, it’s possible that not even Ka-Zar, the Lord of this Jungle, knows about this place’s existence. Scott agrees, or Ka-Zar might be keeping it a secret, in the hopes strangers won’t exploit it.
Elsewhere in the Savage Land…
Ka-Zar and Zabu stand in a tree, and having noticed Havok’s and Lorna’s craft crashing nearby. Ka-Zar recognizes the smell of the other X-Men on the craft, but can’t help but wonder what has them return there so soon after their last meeting, which wasn’t such a long time ago. He goes to take a closer look at Lorna and Havok, but doesn’t recognize them.
Lorna congratulates Alex for the nice landing, as their craft is still intact despite the heavy turbulence it went through. Alex thanks Lorna, but thinks he might have gotten themselves out of it even without Professor X telling them what to do. Lorna spots the other X-Men’s jet. It’s still intact but there is no sign of the others.
Ka-Zar intervenes, wanting to ask some questions and demands to know who the two new visitors are. Alex stands in front of Lorna, protecting her, and introduces himself as Havok. Lorna introduces herself as… Magnetrix, of the X-Men! Ka-Zar claims he doesn’t know where the other X-Men are, since he hasn’t been in this part of the Savage Land before. But about two weeks ago, he began hearing whispers of a new evil rising up in his home, so he and Zabu began investigating it. He invites them to tag along on his journey. The two young mutants agree, and along the way, Alex jokes about Lorna’s new codename. Lorna tells “Havok” to come up with something better, if he can. Alex gets the point and they move on, following Ka-Zar and Zabu.
The citadel…
Standing on a balcony above them, Jean can see Magneto’s ghost, but can’t detect him telepathically for some reason. Amphibius reports that Beast and Cyclops are missing again, so a furious Magneto demands them to be found again. Jean is glad that the other X-Men are here to rescue her. She also realizes that it’s not so much that she can’t detect Magneto’s ghost telepathically, it’s more like it’s displaced somehow.
Elsewhere…
Warren already feels better, but the natives warn him to keep the blanket wrapped around the wings just to be sure. Linak and Sakaa open a giant door. The guard, Nhu’abdar, is angry to see a stranger in their home. Linak and Sakaa normally would follow the rules, but since Angel’s wounds healed much faster than they anticipated, they had to make an exception. Warren enters the door, and finds a huge place. He wants to know where they are. Nhu’abdar reveals that they are in a haven, a place of momentary peace in a world of pain.
Nhu’abdar warns that the story is he is about to tell is one of cruelty and betrayal. One hundred generations ago, his ancestors discovered this part of the Savage Land, and also its wondrous secret. There is a magic in the very rocks there. An enchantment that heals all ills, and staves off the icy hand of death. But there was a price. Over many generations, Nhu’abdar’s people were changed by the magic. They became like he is now, a slender winged creature without the strength of limb needed to maintain their civilization. And so was conceived a great deception.
Passing back over the mountains from whose other face their own ancestors had come five hundred years ago, Nhu’abdar’s people appeared to the local Savage Land natives as priests and prophets. They spun for the natives the lie of a paradise to be had beyond the mountains, encouraging these natives to send their old and sick out their lives in happiness there. But instead of the promised prosperity, the new arrivals found themselves enslaved by Nhu’abdar’s people.
The magic that made the old and sick natives whole again, kept them alive for as long as Nhu’abdar’s people needed them. But it also stripped the strongest minds of any will to resist. Angel is angry that this has been going on for a hundred years. Linak claims that some of the Nhu’ghari have come to realize the evil of their ways. They created places like this haven where the slaves could come and hide, before being taken out of the city, where they can at last find the peace of death.
Angel tries to understand why people willingly go up to those dangerous mountains. But suddenly, a gorgeous, female Nhu’ghari appears. Warren’s voice trails off to silence and his eyes grow wide. He realizes that his own brief vision on the mountainside was not hallucinatory, and that even in a race where mutation has become the norm, there can be those who are different.
Meanwhile…
Beast climbs up some walls, carrying Cyclops with his feet. He eventually makes it on top, and Scott decides to search through the place. As they begin their search, they can immediately hear the sound of machines and raised voices. Beast suspects it’s slaves at work they can hear. They make it to a corner, which unfortunately gets guarded by a Nhu’ghari. Beast quickly takes it out, but Scott warns him about another danger: a gigantic weapon, but neither Scott nor Hank has a clue what it actually is!
Not far away…
Jean is not really sure if Magneto is still alive or not, but somehow he’s away from this place, and shielded from her telepathic probes. In fact, something’s not right physically about this entire place. It’s as if there is some kind of scrambling effect. She has to concentrate to be able to read even the most superficial thoughts. But on that moment, Magneto’s ghost sticks his hand through Jean’s head, and she faints!
Magneto calls her foolish, claiming that she is quite right that there is more to him than just being a ghostly phantasm! He wonders if Jean has forgotten that his is rightly called the second most powerful mutant mind on Earth, and that the power of that mind is more than enough to destroy her and her fellow interlopers!


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[Assistant]
Escape To Oblivion
Somewhere in the hidden peeks of the Savage Land…
Magneto and his followers have tied Jean up. He proudly declares that he has finally found a way to gain immortality, and it’s within his grasp! Jean reminds Magneto that he isn’t immortal yet, and asks him if he really told the Nhu’ghari that the X-Men killed him. Magneto admits that, and reveals that only a select few Nhu’ghari creatures are aware of the truth. He decides to reveal to Jean what happened to him after his last confrontation with the X-Men.
He reveals that, after he created his own breed of artificial Mutates from several Savage Land primates, from which he is the most proud of Lorelei, he had succeeded in capturing the male X-Men, including their ally, Ka-Zar. Even Magneto was enchanted by Lorelei’s song. Magneto’s plan was foiled by the smallest of miscalculations, as the power of Lorelei had no effect on others of her own, female sex. Jean used her telekinetic powers to unleash the terrible force of Cyclops’ optic blast, which took Lorelei out and brought everyone back to normal.
Due to the blast, the rest of Magneto’s equipment also shattered. An electrical shock from the explosions hit Magneto, and what happened to him afterwards, remained a mystery to the X-Men. The weight of the tumbling mechanisms smashed the floor beneath him, revealing a hitherto unsuspected river-flowing swiftly some hundred feet below. It was a current that carried Magneto deep into the Savage Land. Deeper, perhaps, than even Ka-Zar himself has ventured. Until he found some rocks to hold onto, Magneto climbed his way into safety. He found himself in a cave, and in that cave discovered this metropolis like citadel, and also its even more strange habitants.
Jean admits that story explains why Magneto wasn’t all crushed like they hoped he would have been. But she still doesn’t know why he pretends to be a ghost. Magneto reveals that, after quickly discovering how the winged masters of this city treated those whom they considered to be inferior, he utilized a talent for which he had not use for in recent years. He used the power of his mutant brain to send forth his astral form, and in that spectral form confronted the lords of this citadel, and bent them to his own purpose. Jean wants to know what that purpose is. Magneto believes it’s enough when he says it will see the culmination goal which has driven him since the day he discovered mutant nature: the destruction of the entire human race!
Meanwhile…
Angel recognizes the female Nhu’ghari, as she is the woman who found him injured and dying in the mountains. Linak confirms that, and also that Avia is responsible for bringing Warren to their hiding place, with her thinking that Warren was one of her people. Warren doesn’t think so, as Avia looks much more than a bird than he does. But he does thank her for saving his life.
When Avia doesn’t respond, Sakaa claims that Avia cannot, as she isn’t gifted with the ability of speech. Warren feels sorry for her. Not only is Avia a freak among her own people, but also a mute. This makes him feel not too bad about his own situation – for a while. Another Nhu’ghari comes to inform Nhu’abdar that there are other strangers in their city! Warren believes that have to be Cyclops and Beast. Nhu’abdar confirms that Warren’s friends were reported in the vicinity of the hangar. He reveals that the protectorate fears they may have entered it, and if so, seen that which lies within.
In the hangar…
Beast has no idea what the huge thing he and Cyclops are looking at, but he is impressed by it. Scott recognizes the device as gigantic balloons, and it looks like they form some kind of giant airship! Beast thinks that’s obvious, but he is more concerned what it’s for. Scott agrees, realizing they were just attacked by flying creatures. So, why would they need a spaceship for?
Elsewhere…
Jean doesn’t understand it when Magneto reveals he found a volcano. Magneto confirms he did. He explains that what the Nhu’ghari saw as magic is actually radiation from deep within the Earth. Radiation which finds its way near to the surface beneath this city, through a vast network of volcanic vents. Jean asks if it’s that’s the same radiation that works all of the other miracles around here as well. Magneto confirms that, explaining that the radiation stimulates higher brain functions. The body becomes able to heal itself from even the most dire wounds. As a lesser effect, all within a hundred mile radius become mildly telepathic. That’s also how everyone got to speak English around these parts.
Jean was already wondering about that. She also believes that explains the background noise that’s scrambling her own telepathic powers. Magneto believes that this is all inconsequential, however, as the priests have made an even more important discovery. Some thirty years ago, they realized the volcanic pressures were changing. A deep subterranean earthquake had closed some of the vents. At any moment, perhaps within a matter of days, those pressures will be unleashed in an eruption such as the world has never seen! It will be an eruption, which will annihilate this city and all those who live in it. All that is, except for the select few Magneto will allow to escape.
At the same time, in the Tierra Del Fuego airport…
Iceman is trying to reach the Savage Land, but the plane he paid for to bring him there won’t leave because of a stormy weather. Bobby is angry and protests against the pilot. The pilot knows he has been paid, and doesn’t wish to cheat on Bobby. But he reminds him about the dangerous weather, and that the whole South Atlantic is covered by a massive storm system. Bobby realizes that stretches from here to the East Coast of Africa. But he remembers the pilot saying himself that reports must be wrong, as no single storm could be that big. The pilot admits he thought that, but that was before said storm actually began! Bobby is desperate to reach Antarctica, as the lives of his friends may depend on it.
The Savage Land…
Cyclops feels something moving, and Beast feels it too. It’s like the faintest tickle has reached the underside of his mind. Scott believes that must be Jean trying to reach them. He is confident, since he knows the touch of her thoughts on his like nothing else, no matter how small they may be. Hank realizes that, but warns Scott that running off to Jean’s rescue without a plan isn’t such a good idea. Meanwhile, Jean realizes that her psychic probing has reached her teammates. However, the scrambling effect is making it difficult for them to get a clear message.
Magneto asks Jean if she’s listening to him. She lies she is and jokes that she wishes she could says she was surprised that Magneto plans to save himself and nobody else. Magneto doesn’t want to listen to Jean’s whining. He realizes that she and the other X-Men have all been corrupted by Charles Xavier’s “narrow vision.” Magneto believes that humans and mutants can never live side by side, while Xavier wants to believe they can.
Amphibius comes to inform his master that “it” has been brought in. Magneto is glad that finally happened, and walks back towards his real, but unconscious body! It’s not a moment too soon his body has been brought back to him. He explains that even with his diminished magnetic powers, he can detect the rapid changes in the electro-magnetic waves in the crust beneath them. He dives back into his body, but not before admitting to Jean that the eruption is imminent, just like his time of departure is right now.
Jean quickly telepathically contacts Scott and Hank, who can now finally hear her good. She warns them there isn’t much time, so she has to use her powers to enter their minds and have them learn everything she knows. Scott and Hank are as ready for this as they’ll ever be, and tell Jean to go for it.
Meanwhile…
Avia has been ordered to lead Angel to the hangar place, but he can hardly keep up with her fast speed and warns her to go slower. Warren notice some Nhu’ghari guards, and hides against a nearby wall with Avia. On that moment, a volcanic eruption takes place! Warren panics, warning Avia that they’ve got to find his friends, and fast.
Not far away…
Magneto, happy to finally be back in his body again, notices that Jean is unusually quiet and thinks she’s panicking. Jean doesn’t think so. Cyclops fires an optic blast, and creates an entrance for him and Hank to go through. Magneto becomes angry and recognizes the two X-Men, and attacks them with the energy zapper built inside his suit. Luckily, Hank dodges it just in time, as he remembered Jean telling him about it when they last faced Magneto.
Scott unties Jean lose, and she admits she could have used her powers to release herself, but needed all of her strength to warn Scott and Hank about her whereabouts. Beast punches Magneto with a knock-out, and Scott tells Hank to rip Magneto’s jet-pack off his back, while Jean’s former ropes that tied her up to use on Magneto.
Elsewhere, Warren and Avia have to use their skills to rescue as many slaves as they can, as the entire place is about to blow up. Warren is startled, as below them, the slaves are actually fighting back against their former Nhu’ghari jailors!
While Beast carries an unconscious Magneto on his back, he, Scott and Jean try to escape, as the entire place starts to collapse around them as well. Jean sends out a telepathic warning call to all the slaves and Nhu’ghari around them to escape as well, or else they’ll die. They get the message and follow the X-Men. As they move on, lots of rocks impede their way out of the citadel. Scott decides to use the full power of his optic beams to make a path through the rocks. Eventually, he manages to do so, but he has used too much of his strength and will-power, and collapses. Jean tends to him, but panics, as she can also feel Warren’s presence in the caves right now.
Beast picks Scott up and carries him on his other arm, believing their only chance of escaping now is by that huge ship the Nhu’ghari planned on using. Jean agrees and they run over there, but a big rock blocks their way. Beast notices a wall he can hop and jump on in order to get to the ship, and Jean realizes she can use her own telekinetic powers to lift herself up. They do, but have to hurry, as the standard the shuttle is standing on is starting to break apart, too. Warren suddenly notices his teammates, and is surprised to see Magneto as well. Hank promises to explain later, but they have to rescue themselves right now.
Warren understands, and gently helps Jean into the shuttle so she doesn’t have to use her powers anymore. Jean thanks him for the gesture. Avia follows the group as well. Once on board, Beast is stopped by Nhu’ghari, but he doesn’t have time for this and quickly knocks them down. Beast panics, as even with his high intelligence, he can’t even begin to understand how this ship works!
Jean notices the heavy turbulence outside, and believes it’s more than a huge storm blowing out there! Jean thinks they’ve only got one chance left: she’ll have to use her telekinetic powers to help them escape, and hold the ship together. Beast doesn’t think that’s such a good idea, but Jean refuses to debate about it. Warren panics, and warns everyone to hold onto something, as the ship is starting to fall apart!


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[Assistant]
Riders On The Storm
The pleasant countryside beyond the town limits of Salem Center, New York…
A car stops by the Xavier Institute. The driver jokes that the mansion looks just like her dad’s place in Darien. Candy Southern steps out of her car, smiling that one would never guess that this is the secret headquarters of the X-Men. She certainly wouldn’t have guessed it, if Warren hadn’t told her.
She rings the bell, but nobody answers it. She thinks that makes sense, remembering Warren telling her that Xavier doesn’t have a house staff, despite him being attached to a wheelchair. Candy does realize that the place must be filled with “detection devices,” which is fine by her, as she wants to be caught.
Candy walks towards the yard behind the mansion, and doesn’t notice a security camera, which has spotted her. On that moment, a giant security robot appears, and is in battle mode! Candy panics, as this sure wasn’t what she had in mind. Candy tries to make a run for it, remembering she just wanted to confront the professor about this and nothing more. The security robot G-3 captures Candy in a huge net, but Xavier arrives, and telepathically orders the robot to stop the battle. Candy introduces herself to the professor, but he already knew who she is, and why she’s there. But that doesn’t mean he tolerates her presence!
Meanwhile, in Tierra Del Feugo…
Iceman stands alone on a rock, with the stormy weather still taking place. He thinks this is nuts. He recalls hiring a charter to fly him to the Atlantic, but he won’t take him any further than Tierra Del Fuego due to this storm, which might be the biggest one in human history, as it stretches all the way from South America to the East Coast of Africa! But Bobby refuses to let this stop him from going to the Savage Land. He rips his jacket off, and transforms into his ice form. He remembers that there exists some tunnel that connects the tip of South America to that hidden jungle. However the last time Bobby was there was when the X-Men only found it by accident.
And he doesn’t have the time to search for it now, which means he’ll have to make his own way across the ocean he’s facing, which is seven hundred miles to the closest part of the Antarctic continent. As Bobby thinks about this, he creates an iceslide with an igloo above him, which protects him from the storm. So protected, he starts heading towards the Savage Land! Still, he also sadly realizes that, once he gets there, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll find a single clue about the X-Men’s whereabouts, since the jungle is so big.
At the Savage Land…
The X-Men panic, as the gigantic ship they are in is starting to completely fall apart now. Beast jokes that perhaps choosing this ship as an escape pod wasn’t such a bright idea as they first thought. Jean tries to calm everyone down, mentioning that the storm is at least giving them one favor. When Warren doesn’t understand, Jean reminds everyone that she said she was going to hold this ship together with her telekinetic powers. Hank remembers that, as he protested against it, fearing she won’t be able to handle the strain. Now, he realizes that, with the total mass of the vessel so much being reduced, there may be a chance Jean can save them all.
Magneto wakes up, calling everyone fools. Angel becomes angry at Hank, since he told everyone Magneto would be out of it for a while. Hank defends he just assumed that, since most other people he knocks out stay out of it longer than Magneto has. Magneto smiles that, once again, the X-Men have underestimated him. And, he claims, just like the X-Men underestimate themselves, he doesn’t think they have any chance of surviving this mad flight. He believes that this entire ship is doomed, and hence also his global conquest plans.
He reveals that the big bags which held this vessel aloft are filled with radioactive steam, charged with the same radiation which stimulated the higher brain functions and granted immortality to the Nhu’ghari. When Beast voices his theory that the bags drained the will-power from the former slaves, Magneto confirms that, believing that all human minds are weak compared to those of the Homo superiors. Angel believes that Magneto figured he’d make himself immortal, and everyone else too befuddled to stop his plans. Magneto confirms that, believing his plan was pure brilliant. Jean doesn’t think so, as the X-Men were there to stop him, just like they always have been there.
Suddenly, the ship starts to bounce heavily. Everyone loses balance and falls down on another. Hank mentions it would seem that the surrounding storm has abated not a jot while they were discussing things. Jean notices that there are only a few gas bags and a small compartment left, while Warren fears they won’t last long in this weather. Magneto believes that the end is upon them all, and thinks everyone should make peace with whatever gods they praise. However, he swears that, if he is to die today, it will be because of his own choosing. He walks towards the open door of the ship, and jumps through it, falling straight into the ocean!
Avia panics and flies after Magneto in an attempt to rescue him. Warren panics and wants to go after her, but Beast holds his friend back, believing he won’t survive in that storm. Warren defends that won’t change his situation much. He knows he has only known the bird-girl for just a few hours, but she did save his life and he believes that, if Avia’s training compels her to help someone like Magneto, he won’t let her die because he didn’t try to rescue her. He breaks lose from Hank’s holding grip and flies after her.
Elsewhere in the Savage Land…
While in their plane, both Havok and Lorna are impressed about the vast speed Ka-Zar seems to move over the treetops around them. Lorna guesses that’s the reason why people call him the lord of the Savage Land, and jokes it’s a good thing they don’t have to follow the guy on foot, as they wouldn’t be able to keep up with him at that speed. Ka-Zar suddenly lands on the ground, and signals to the two X-Men to join him. Lorna and Havok land the ship down, and ask Ka-Zar what’s wrong.
Ka-Zar touches the ground, and feels that an earthquake is coming up. Havok believes there mustn’t be many earthquakes in the Savage Land. Ka-Zar admits that the part of the Savage Land they are currently in is even strange to him, as his usual range is far to the north. He thinks they’ll have to head towards the mountains, which the trio can now see in front of them. When Lorna notices a lot of smoke coming from the mountains, Ka-Zar tells Zabu to stay put, and suggests to Havok and Magnetrix that they’ll get to the mountains faster in their ship. Lorna agrees, but thinks that she better sticks with people calling her by her first name instead of “Magnetrix.”
In the heavy weather…
Jean tends to the still unconscious Cyclops. She notices Hank putting some ropes onto his uniform, and asks what he’s going to do. Hank thinks he’s going to do the only thing he can do. He sympathizes with the feelings Warren has for his newfound friend, but he believes that not even Angel can last long in this dangerous weather. He hatches the rope onto the ship, and jumps down, hoping he’ll survive the storm himself and find Warren rather sooner than later. Luck is in Hank’s favor, and he finds Warren and quickly grabs his foot. Angel orders Hank to let go, but Hank refuses and pulls them up back to the ship, or rather what’s left of it.
They make it safely back into the ship, but Warren feels upset because he couldn’t go after Avia, confident he could rescue her. As Jean tries to calm Warren down, Hank notices something. There are only four of the gas bags left and, by the poor looks of them, they will soon tear free. Still, he thinks that, while the cabinet they are all in still clings to what is left of the rigging, they do have one chance to pluck advantage from adversity. Jean doesn’t understand what Hank means by that. Hank picks up Scott, explaining that the winged Nhu’ghari can fend for themselves, just like Warren can. But, seeing that Scott is in no condition to do anything by himself, he believes he’ll have to take care of him. Hank believes that their only hope is to lash themselves to the balloons, and let the winds carry them where they may!
Jean admits that’s the craziest plan she ever heard. However, she can’t think of anything better right now, so they go hang outside the cabinet against the balloons. Warren mentions he’ll catch a ride on the things as well, as by doing that they’ll at least stand a better chance at being swept away along the same course. Hank ties Scott up to the balloon, in the hope this will keep him a bit safer. The Nhu’ghari fall out of the cabinet, but use their wings to bring themselves into safety. Hank wishes he could find it in his heart to wish them luck, but knowing what they did, he just can’t.
Suddenly, Beast’s balloon breaks away from the others! Jean quickly moves over to Scott’s balloon, not being able to see him land somewhere alone, in his condition. Warren now realizes that Hank was right about Avia, and that he couldn’t possibly reach her. Hank accepts the apology, and wishes his friends good luck, hoping they’ll meet again soon. He gets carried away in the heavy weather, and notices the jungle below him. Strangely enough, the sun shines down there! Hank believes he’s got a better chance in the jungle than up there in the storm, but the balloon won’t let him go down. So, he realizes he has no other choice but to jump down!
Hank does, but he lands on some trees. The high landing causes Hank to bounce against the trees, which rip his uniform apart and cause his head to hurt. Finally, Hank lands on the ground, but he is too much in pain to hold himself together, and faints. On that very moment, a beautiful woman approaches Hank, and looks at him with the smile of a goddess…


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

[Assistant]
Behold A Goddess Rising..!
Iceman’s voyage towards the Savage Land has exhausted him, and he now lies unconscious in front of the Savage Land jungle, just outside of the ocean. A wild pterodactyl notices the young boy, and sees in him the perfect prey! The dinosaur attacks but, suddenly, a man starts fighting it with just a stick, and chases it away, wanting to eat Bobby by himself! Karl Lykos moves closer to the fallen X-Man, and recognizes him from their earlier battles. He can sense Bobby’s great mutant energy, and wants to absorb it, but hesitates. A moment later, Karl quickly withdraws, realizing he mustn’t let madness consume himself again, remembering what happens if he allows that to happen.
Elsewhere, in Westchester, New York…
Candy, sitting inside Xavier’s study room, smiles that the Professor can’t do anything about her presence, unless he’s going to reach into her mind with his telepathic powers. She knows he can do that, since Xavier has done it to several other people, like for instance the evil mutant known as Blob. However, Candy is confident Charles won’t do that to her, because, if he does, he’ll have to explain himself to Warren. Unless, of course, Xavier mind wipes his student as well.
The Professor doesn’t want to debate about that right now. Instead, he wants to know why Candy is there. When She is surprised he hasn’t already read that from her mind, Xavier admits that he can do that if he wants, but for some reason he can’t determine the veracity of the thoughts he feels in Candy’s head. He also can’t tell if her thoughts are true, only that she believes them they are. Candy realizes that, in other words, the Professor can’t possibly know if her thoughts are real, or fantasies implanted by some kind of enemy. Candy smiles that the Professor is a little bit paranoia and that, with him setting himself up as the savior of the entire human kind gives him little opportunities to trust people.
At an unknown location in the Savage Land…
Hank wakes up in a hut, though still with an aching head. He finds himself surrounded by a beautiful woman and some natives, who claim that he’s safe, at least as safe as he can be for as long as the storm continues to go on above their heads. Hank remembers the storm, and the heavy landing he took. The woman admits that she was impressed by that heavy landing and, when she saw Hank fainting, she immediately flew him to her hut to investigate. Hank believes the woman has a power of her own to use, and wants to know who she is.
The woman introduces herself as Ororo, and confirms that she flew here on the wings of the wind. A wind which rose at her calling, and obeys at her every command. She demonstrates her power to Hank and makes a wind to demonstrate her point. M’Kumba, one of the natives, warns the goddess to be careful about showing her powers to a stranger. Ororo agrees, but admits it’s hard to her not to use what to her feels like a second nature.
Hank thinks about it when he hears M’Kumba calling Ororo a goddess, hoping he didn’t imagine that word due to his concussion. He finds something strange about all this, about the way he and Ororo are able to speak to each other so readily. He wants to take a few moments to clear his thoughts. He recalls how Professor X sent him and the team away to the Savage Land to make sure that Magneto had really died there during their last confrontation.
Once there, the team discovered a hidden city, which, as it turned out, a surviving Magneto had conquered. Hank also remembers the radioactive lava and how it exploded, which brings him up to this point. Beast now realizes that the radiation also imparted a limited telepathy, making communication possible even between those who spoke different languages. Hank thinks that, since the balloon on which he rode was filled with gases energized by that radiation, it must be some residual effect which allows him to understand things and be understood as well.
Ororo notices Hank being lost in his thoughts, and asks if he’s alright. Hank confirms that he is, but wants to know if Ororo controls the weather, the massive storm is her doing as well. Ororo confirms that the storm started because of her, but currently it has somehow been taken away from her. And she fears what’s going to happen if she doesn’t regain control about the heavy some time soon, because the whole planet might turn up doomed!
Elsewhere in the Savage Land…
A lone Jean tries to call out for Scott, but realizes he can’t answer her because he was still unconscious before they were separated. She decides to try and use her telepathic powers to find him, and luckily succeeds: Scott is not far away from her, only a few hundred meters. But, she also senses that Scott isn’t alone…
A costumed man stands triumphant over a fallen Cyclops, and can feel the great energy that lies within him. However, the man has to admit the energy is different than the one he felt in Ororo. The man realizes that Scott takes his energy directly from the sun itself. Even through the heavy cloud cover, the man can feel the energy stirring within Scott’s cells. He also notices the visor Scott wears, but doesn’t understand what it’s for. He decides to take it off, and immediately Scott realizes a powerful optic blast into the sky!
At that moment…
While Hank tries to explain what he and the other X-Men are all about to Ororo, she iswarned by the other villagers about the optic beams. Hank follows Ororo outside, and realizes that the beams must come from Scott’s eyes, and travels to the location using the trees as a faster way to get there.
Not far away in the skies, Havok, Lorna and Ka-Zar continue their search. Alex continues to tease Lorna about her Magnetrix codename, but she has had about enough of it. They all realize it was a stupid name to begin with, but that doesn’t mean she has to hear about it every two seconds. The plane continues its flight, and they notice a sea of molten lava below them. Also, there are houses down there, or at least something that’s left of them, and people who survived the holocaust. Ka-Zar tells Havok to land the plane so they can go investigate the matter.
As the heroes step out of the plane, they notice that the survivors don’t look too friendly, as they hold clubs ready to defend themselves. Ka-Zar decides to handle things from now on. He mentions that he is the Lord of the Savage Land, and demands to know what has happened. The villages ignore Ka-Zar and even throw a stone against his head! Havok has had enough, and unleashes the powerful amount of his power on the villagers!
Elsewhere in the Savage Land…
The man is impressed by the power Scott has and wants to take advantage of it. Suddenly, Jean shows herself and orders the man to step away from Scott this instant, or else she’ll use her powers. The man is impressed by the power Jean has, but doesn’t think it’ll do much harm to him, thanks to the armor he wears. Jean decides to try it out anyway, but the man was right and knocks Jean out. Beast arrives and quickly joins the battle, hitting the man several times. However, the mn remains unharmed and releases a powerful amount of energy against Beast, which takes him out.
The man laughs, stating that no power is as strong as the elemental forces which he can control. Ororo proudly flies in, correcting that she too controls the elements and that, even though the man has stolen the storm away from her, he has yet himself to face her, a true goddess. The man laughs, not believing that Ororo is a true goddess and claims there isn’t anything supernatural about her powers. He believes that she is just a freak of nature, just like he is. Ororo defends differently. The man remains unimpressed, and releases all of the energy he has against Ororo, which knocks her out. The man triumphs, stating that, if people really believe Ororo is a goddess, they are in for a crisis of faith.
A few moments later…
Ororo wakes up, and finds herself, Jean, Hank and a still unconscious Scott tied up. The evil man stands besides them, and shouts that they are all going to die! Ororo recognizes the place they are trapped in. The man claims that Ororo should know it, as the current dry river bed they are all in was where she stood when she summoned forth the huge storm he seized from her.
He explains that, for long months, the local natives have labored to build a dam, so that the waters Ororo meant to bring them would fill this hollow and create a life-giving reservoir. The man finds it ironic that those same waters will now serve as the instrument of Ororo’s own death, and the world shall begin to learn why he has chosen the name of… Deluge! Deluge flies upwards and uses his powers to make the storm even stronger than it was. The water coming from it fills the lungs of the trapped X-Men, including Ororo, and the entire dam gets filled with water as well. It looks like the X-Men are history…
Meanwhile, in the South Atlantic Ocean...
The trawler guard Jarlson faces the worst storm she has weathered in all her sixty years at the sea. The captain is unsure how to handle the heavy situation, and is informed that sailor Arnstrong has found something. They have fished an unconscious Warren out of the sea! The captain can’t believe it: it’s another angel! He orders the sailors to throw Warren in the lower deck for now, at least until they know what to do about him. The sailors do, and throw him in a cell, together with Avia!