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Suicide Leper: Part One
At a Friends of Humanity rally in Ames, Iowa, the young lady speaking tells the crowd that this is what is at stake – their future, their very way of life. This is what the mutant threat is. And Graydon Creed is one of the few brave enough to do anything about it. He’s one of the few who will stand up to them. He’s been targeted by mutants before, but he won’t stop fighting for you. And when he arrives, Graydon Creed will tell you about the Friends of Humanity.
As she talks, a voice remarks that this reminds them of another time. When mutants were something you only heard about on TV. Before one of them destroyed their life, burning down everything they ever cared about. They were beautiful like the speaker, once. And now she’s going to die, like the person they was died. A mutant will kill her but it won’t be the mutant’s fault. All of the people at the rally are going to die. They’re going to die at a mutant’s hands and it’s all their fault.
Just then, Beautiful Dreamer runs into the crowd glowing. While she does, she calls out for someone to help her, it’s inside of her. The voice indicates that they found the filth traveling west through St. Louis, heading to San Francisco. That’s where their kind live now. They should have killed them right then and there. They should have killed themselves with her. As Beautiful Dreamer falls to the ground, eleven hundred humans fall dead around her. All of them were murdered by the person watching from afar. Her name is the Leper Queen. She kills mutants and this… this is wrong.
In St. Louis, at Division C of the organization formerly known as S.H.I.E.L.D., now HAMMER, Agent Morales informs her fellow agents that the Purifiers rescued the Leper Queen as she was about to be executed for murdering a mutant. Pierce was abducted by them as well. And know that William Stryker has resurfaced; Matthew Risman has fallen off the grid. She adds that, for the sake of argument, say X-23 is involved in the Purifier massacres. Say it’s all connected. One of the agents mentions that their intel backs up all of the assumptions, so how does she suggest they track her? Morales replies that she’s a mutant. An assassin for hire, and is now going after a mutant hater group. They work ahead of her, find her next target.
Just then, another agent enters, apologizes for interrupting, and informs Morales that they’ve got a red flag that she should really see. There’s been an incident at a rally…
At Graymalkin Industries in Marin, Cyclops mentally queries the Stepford Cuckoos on the status. They reply that Emma Frost is sitting down for lunch in Barcelona, thinking about dessert; thinking about him. Scott then asks if there has been any luck with Wolfsbane. The Cuckoos tell him that they’ve been trying to track her for days but it is very odd. They can feel her but she does not register on Cerebra. Her signal is sketchy and they wonder if she is in wolf form. Scott tells them to keep on it and to report back.
Entering Beast’s laboratory, Scott asks Hank what he’s got. Hank informs him that he has time travel in the palm of your hand, or paw, as the case may be. Scott says he’s impressed. He thought he was having trouble replicating Forge’s work. Without turning around from his work, Hank points out that he hasn’t given him the fine print yet. Their little “science” team are some of the greatest minds on earth, but Forge is Forge. This isn’t on the same level as what he created. This device will allow someone to travel forward in time and stay there for 32-and-a-half hours. After that, the device will automatically bring the traveler home.
When Scott asks why “32,” Hank replies so they don’t die. Scott states that he doesn’t understand. Hank informs him that they’re creating tech that takes decades in a matter of weeks. The mere fact that this device will work is nothing short of a miracle but a side effect seems to be that the traveler’s biology starts to break down immediately upon entering the future. If he had more time…
At that moment, Scott cuts Hank off and asks when he can have seven of them. Looking up from his work, Hank mentions to Scott that he can’t help but notice he’s not telling him who the devices are for. Scott replies no, he’s not. Hank tells him that he knows what’s at stake. He knows how important Cable’s mission is. He knows what the baby means for them all. But if he’s planning on executing Bishop, he wants no part of this. Scott informs Hank that he has to trust him on this. Hank replies alright, he’ll have the devices for him in a few hours. Just then, Warren pops in and asks if he can borrow Scott for a minute.
Over at Alcatraz, Wolverine tells Warpath to calm down. He points out that if he doesn’t breath soon, he’s gonna have to kill him. Warpath replies that they should be out there… Wolverine says to him to wait. Once Angel arrives with Cyclops in tow, Warpath immediately asks him if he found them – Rahne, Bard, Selene? Has he found any of them? Has he done anything? Cyclops replies that the Cuckoos are working on it, he promises, but this takes priority. Warpath emphatically asks priority? What the hell is more important than…
Cyclops cuts him off and asks Wolverine where the others are. Down the hall, he sees Domino laughing, X-23 laughing hysterically, and Vanisher cursing and holding the left side of his head. Vanisher yells at Domino that it’s not funny, X-23 cut off his $*#@ing ear. As X-23 walks by Wolverine, he asks her if there was any particular reason. X-23 informs him that he attempted to bribe Elixir into removing the tumor and he had to be punished.
After Vanisher yells out that she’s psychotic, Cyclops tells them all to shut up, they have a problem – Beautiful Dreamer is dead. Vanisher proceeds to ask who the *@(# is Beautiful Dreamer. Angel informs him that she was a Morlock, not even worth killing. When Wolverine asks what happened, Cyclops tells him that it happened at a Friends of Humanity rally for Graydon Creed. She killed hundreds of people, then died. Wolverine remarks that’s bull, she wipes memories, she’s no killer. Cyclops states that everyone in range’s minds were wiped, their brains forgot to tell their hearts to beat. Her powers were out of control. They flared, and it killed her.
Considering this, Angel points out that there’s something that does that to mutants: the Legacy Virus. Wolverine says that’s not possible. The Virus doesn’t work that fast and they destroyed all the samples in Sinister’s lab. Hell, they destroyed the lab. Domino pipes in and says not to be a downer or anything, but they know Sinister had more labs. Could he have had more samples of the virus? Cyclops replies that he doesn’t know. But the Friends of Humanity are putting it out there that they’ve received threats from mutant terrorists. All of their rallies have been targeted and he wants them there. If this is Bastion and the Legacy Virus, they have to stop it. Permanently.
Sarcastically, Vanisher asks are they sure they don’t want to stop it temporarily? He then proceeds to call them all idiots and say that they sure love their drama. X-23 then asks out loud if she should cut off his other ear. Wolverine tells her to go for it.
At Graymalkin Industries in cell block X, Donald Pierce asks Dust from his cell if the Dog Boy is still dead. He knows how mutants have a nasty habit of coming back to life. Staring at him, Dust asks if he has no soul at all. Pierce replies that’s what she’s going to ask him? She’s out of her league, the others had much better questions for him. Dust then asks him what others, what is he talking about. Pierce says to her that she really doesn’t know, does she. He then adds that it looks like her fearless leader is keeping secrets – that’s funny. Dust simply tells him that he’s mad. Pierce says maybe he is. After all, he was defeated by children and now he rots there in their little jailhouse. It’s enough to drive anyone mad.
Using Pierce’s eyes as a window, Bastion uploads and receives data related to recording schematics and inhabitants of Graymalkin Industries. He then proceeds to cross-link with the Sapien League. Standing next to him, Graydon Creed says to Bastion that he doesn’t understand, why do so many humans have to die, and for what? Bastion informs him that it’s a required distraction. This will keep the X-Men occupied until it is too late, until judgment day. Creed asks so all of this, his entire existence, the others; are just a distraction? Bastion tells him “not all of them.”
In an unknown location, the Leper Queen thinks to herself that she should be glad she’s alive. But not like this. Not as something less than human, being forced to do this. She can feel it, under her skin. She can feel him, listening inside her head. Is she insane? Is her mind as scarred as her face? She doesn’t know who she is anymore. Some kind of monster… No! She knows who she is and they are the monsters. She was put on this earth to kill mutants and she will not do this. He can’t make her kill these people!
Exerting his mental powers over her, Bastion makes her change her mind which in turn has her say “let’s go.” Shortly, the Leper Queen is surrounded by members of her Sapien League. They were easy enough to re-form. Small-minded people, blaming all their problems on mutants. Lose their job, lose their girlfriend – a mutant is to blame. It’s sad but it makes them easy to use. They have no idea what the mutants are capable of. They haven’t seen the face of Apocalypse like she has.
Holding up a syringe, one of her followers ask her what is in it. The Leper Queen informs him that it makes mutants sick and makes them die. That’s all they need to know. The follower then asks if they can get more of it. The Leper Queen doesn’t reply but, in her head, she thinks to herself that Cameron Hodge is probably making it by the barrel. He’s one of them, one of his. They’re given a face and a location. They abduct the mutant, inject them and then turn them loose at a specified place and time. It’s all part of his “master plan.” As another bound and blindfolded mutant is injected, the Leper Queen says to herself that if there is a god, let her die.
In the woods outside Angel’s aerie, Wolfsbane in wolf form, talks with Hrimhari in his wolf form. She asks him if this is a dream. She had heard about Asgard appearing on Earth but she never thought h-how he can be there with her. Hrimhari replies that when Asgard fell, he fell with it. He was locked in combat with a Frost Giant war party and that the savages had hunted down and murdered his entire pack. The pelts of his loved ones, still wet with innocent blood, hung from their belts when he found them. He had little hope of killing the beasts but he could not let them escape.
But then, he felt something. A sensation more powerful than anything he has ever known. And when he turned to see what it was, he found Ragnarok. The end of all things had come as foretold and in an instant, every immortal life was extinguished. His included, but then life returned. He found himself in his own lands but looking out across Midgard. He cannot explain how he returned to the living but he does know why he was reborn on Midgard.
When Wolfsbane asks why, Hrimhari replies “for her.” As she turns away, Hrimhari puts his hand on Wolfsbane’s shoulder and asks her if she remembers the first time he lost her – when Loki, the god of evil, made her choose between her love and her friends. Rahne replies that she does. It is a choice she has thought about every day since she was forced to make it. Hrimhari asks her if she remembers what he said when he knew that he would lose her. Rahne replies that he said he that she was his ‘heart’, that she was his ‘life.’ Hrimhari informs her that truer words he has never spoken. In the moments before his life ended, his only thought was of her. She is his life, their fates are intertwined and not even death could keep them apart. He is and always has been hers. That is, if she will have h…
Before he can finish his sentence, Rahne turns to him and kisses him passionately.
In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, X-23 and Angel scope out the crowd at the Friends of Humanity rally. As they do, X-23 informs Angel that this is not a feasible surveillance situation. There are too many people; their senses are useless in a crowd like it. Angel tells her that he didn’t know assassins complained this much. X-23 replies that he should be in the air. His file lists his visual range at… Angel cuts her off and informs her that he can smell the death. He’s staying right there.
In Boise, Idaho, Domino and Wolverine are at a similar rally. After hearing X-23 and Angel go back and forth, he tells them both to shut up and to just get the job done.
In Providence, Rhode Island, Vanisher and Warpath are at another rally. Vanisher proceeds to point out to James that there’s a one-in-three chance a mutant bomb is going to go off there. So how about they not be? They could go someplace sunny. He knows this brothel in Portugal… James tells him to just be ready.
At that moment, the banter begins to go back and forth between the members of X-Force. One of them remarks that it’ll be Dom and Logan that finds them anyway. She’s got luck on her side. Another states that if she’s lucky, it won’t be her because whoever finds them is going to die. X-23 then tells him all to shut up.
While X-23 looks intently into the crowd, as she is being watched unbeknownst to her by an unknown being, Angel asks if she’s getting something. X-23 informs him that she does not, it’s not right. Just then, she sniffs the air and catches the scent of something burning. At that moment, a mutant rushes into the middle of the crowd and begins to burn up. Burning through the bandages that had been binding him, the mutant reveals nothing but bones and flame beneath. Still possessing a voice, he calls out that he’s burning and begs for somebody to help him. Angel immediately recognizes the mutant as the former Acolyte named Fever Pitch and warns the others via comm that if he should blow…
Wolverine orders them to kill him but X-23 replies that there’s not enough time. Realizing the situation, Wolverine yells to the Vanisher to pull them out now. No sooner has he made the call, however, Fever Pitch explodes, destroying the crowd of people as X-23 and Archangel brace for the coming onslaught of destruction.


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Suicide Leper: Part Two
Sitting at an outside table of Sugar Café located in San Francisco California, Julian Keller a.k.a. Hellion admits to a young attractive lady that he is indeed a mutant, one of the most powerful ones on the planet. The lady replies that she knew it, she can tell. When she asks him what he’s doing that night, Hellion goes to reply that he’s looking at her… but collapses in a heap.
As a van speeds up, the young lady tells him no, what he’s doing tonight is dying and calls him a genescum piece of $#!^. While members of the Sapien League load Hellion into the van, the lady tells the driver to contact the Leper Queen and inform her that they’ve got everyone on the list.
Wolverine remarks that one hour ago in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Fever Pitch blew up. In the process of doing so, for the second time in two days, a mutant has just killed a whole lot of humans. Odds are, any normal day, he’d enjoy killing humans. But what happened there isn’t his idea. Luckily, Archangel was able to save himself and X-23 from being engulfed in the blast. Theory is, both him and Beautiful Dreamer were filled to the gills with a modified version of the Legacy Virus created by Sinister. The same one they supposedly destroyed.
At Alcatraz Island, Archangels informs Cyclops what happened. Hundreds of people were killed. It was… it was… As Archangel stammers to find the words, Wolverine can tell that he wants to say that he loved it, that he loved seeing all those people dead. He knows he’s twisted up inside, but Cyke thinks he can shake it. He did too, but now he’s not so sure. Archangel composes himself and finishes that it was horrible. They barely made it out, but they say her – the Leper Queen.
When Scott replies that that changes things, Wolverine thinks to himself that Summers has been so hardcore lately, he’s starting to feel inadequate. He can see the wheels turning in his head and they both know where this is going. Question is, how bloody do his hands get stopping it? They’re X-Force, their hands are supposed to get bloody but he’s the one calling the shots. Archangel adds that the Leper Queen was gone when they landed and by that time, Vanisher had gotten the rest of the team to the site. Elixir helped everyone he could before they had to get out.
As Wolverine informs Scott that the Leper Queen is one of Bastion’s, he thinks to himself that the Cyke isn’t saying the cold truth. There’s no point, they all know it. Bastion has the Legacy Virus and they’re all *%#$ed. Just then, Domino pipes up that it seems like they’re all *%#$ed. In his mind, Wolverine sarcastically says ‘thanks Dom.’ Warpath remarks that this doesn’t make sense. So the Leper Queen is out there abducting mutants, turning them into living bombs for what? To use against humans? That’s the opposite side of who she is, so why? Archangel states hate and fear. It’ll create an anti-mutant hysteria. Between this and the leak of the Cooperstown footage, it’s the old days all over again.
Wolverine decides to make the call so Cyke doesn’t have to say the words – they track her and kill her. Scott states that’s right but that something else has come up – Cable. They’re close to finding him and the baby. When they do, he’s sending them in to help him. Wolverine recognizes that Scott still can’t bring himself to say the words – kill Bishop. Tossing a bag over to Warpath, Scott tells them that inside the bag are time devices for each of them. They’ll have 33.2 hours to complete their mission. After that, they’ll be brought back automatically. When Warpath asks why, Wolverine knows the answer.
The first mutant baby since M-Day and Bishop snaps and tries to kill it. Now, he’s chasing Cable all over the future, trying to take them out. He came back for supplies and they caught him, but it was a trick. He got whatever he needed and took the X-Men down a notch doing it. Cyke’s taking it a little personal. Scott informs them that the devices are prototypes. They didn’t have much time to put them together so there are side effects. When Warpath asks like headaches, Scott replies “death.” Warpath quips that that’s a hell of a side effect.
Vanisher emphatically asks Scott if he’s serious. He then adds that he can count him right the @#$% out. No time travel for him, no freaking way. X-23 then informs him that if they don’t come back, he dies. Vanisher quiets down and then tells X-23 that he #$%@ing hates her. Cyclops then informs X-Force that everyone goes and to wear the devices and be ready. When they find him, there won’t be much time. Staring at him, Wolverine utters ‘great.’
At Graymalkin Industries in Marin, Donald Pierce asks Dust from his cell that she knows it’s inevitable, right. When Dust asks what is, Pierce informs her that killing her is like killing the dodo. You only get to do it once, so you have to relish it. Dust tells him that his taunts are not very effective from within a cell and calls him a monster. Pierce says to her that she tells him she’s dying but he already knew she was, she just happens to know it. Dust replies that for that very reason, her threats are meaningless to her. Walking up to the glass, Pierce says to her that she doesn’t need to be worried about herself. He’d be much more concerned about her little friends because three of them are going to die long before she does.
In the room containing Cerebra, the Stepford Cuckoos tell Sooraya that it’s probably nothing. Like she said, he’s gone mad. His enhancements make his mind impossible to read. He uses very inappropriate language though. Dust asks if his threat could have any basis in reality and asks if they can track all of the students. The Cuckoos inform her that one-sixth of them are in the room. It isn’t difficult though. They then announce that they see three unconscious mutant signatures outside the city, heading toward New York. Dust asks who but, just as she does, Cyclops arrives behind her and mentally orders the Cuckoos to not tell her any names. Heeding Cyclops direction, the Cuckoos tell Dust that they can’t tell as there is interference. Cyclops then mentally tells the Cuckoos to contact Wolverine so he can gather X-Force, the Leper Queen is in New York.
Over at HAMMER Division C, Agent Morales informs her fellow agent that X-23 is in the process of going to New York. She adds that X-23 has two potential targets there – the Leper Queen and the United Nations. Stephen Lang and Bolivar Trask were both in the protection program with Creed. They’re making a presentation to the U.N. for an international mutant response division. And the Leper Queen has apparently resurfaced. A known Sapien League organizer has been setting up in the city. She adds that this is it. The death toll is still coming in from Jackson Hole. If X-23 is involved…
Her fellow agent pipes in that she is. Morales continues that they can’t afford to let her escape this time. She’s gotten away with murder for too long. The other agent informs her that he will get her two HAMMER assault squads in New York immediately.
At Angel’s aerie, located in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Hrimhari mentions to Wolfsbane that she is troubled; he can feel the pain inside her. Wolfsbane replies that so much has happened since, since they last saw each other. She’s changed so much… Passing by a window of broken glass, Hrimhari responds ‘indeed.’ With her hand over her face, Wolfsbane tells him that she is not the same. She is a monster, a demon. The things she’s done, oh god, what she’s done…
Comforting her, Hrimhari says to her that he has seen enough of her pain, he needs not her words to know her. Wolfsbane turns to him and says that nothing can be the same. Not anymore, he shouldn’t have come for her. Hrimhari tells her that she says nothing can be the same and he agrees. He asks her, Rahne Sinclair, to look at him. When she does, she sees him as a human being and not a wolf. Hrimhari says to her that as she has changed, so has he. He is no longer just the prince of wolves; he is now a part of Midgard as well. He is now part of her. Seeing him transform into his human form, Rahne does the same, replying that she doesn’t understand. Taking her in his arms, Hrimhari tells her that the gods have reunited them for a reason. And if they can forgive her, she must find it in herself to do the same.
In New York City, as X-Force arrives on top of a building, Wolverine thinks to himself that the Vanisher is a giant piece of crap but he’s pretty flamin’ convenient. Once there, Vanisher tells them that what they’re doing to him is criminal. It’s way worse than anything he’s done. Warpath points out to him that he sold mutant growth hormone to kids and calls him a jackass. Vanisher replies not directly, and they loved it. Wolverine then tells them all to shut up.
Contacting Cyclops on the communicator, Wolverine asks Slim if there are any updates. Cyclops informs him that their window is shrinking, they need to get the kids out fast, and that Cable takes priority. Turning away from the rest of the team, Wolverine asks so what happens, Cyclops’ future buzzer goes off and he just lets them die, is that it? Domino pipes up that she wishes she had a future buzzer and asks Logan to tell Cyclops to get her one. Cyclops informs Logan that this isn’t a discussion. This is everything they’ve been fighting for; this is the future of mankind. Logan informs him that they’re not going anywhere until the kids are safe, does he understand? After hearing about the “kids,” Elixir asks who the Leper Queen took.
Inside the building of the Sapien League, the Leper Queen introduces her followers to their newest captives. Julian Keller is a telekinetic who can move things with his mind. Noriko Ashida is an Asian girl who creates electricity. Tabitha Smith creates some kind of energy bombs. They’re three of the most powerful mutants left on the planet and they’re dead. After injecting both Surge and Hellion with the Legacy Virus, she orders her followers to get them to the United Nations now. They can’t afford them detonating before they reach the target. When her followers ask about Boom-Boom, the Leper Queen tells them that she stays there, she’s meant for a different target.
In solitary, Cyclops sits in his office staring out the window at Graymalkin Industries, Hank McCoy contacts him and tells him that he needs him in the lab. When Cyclops tells him to give him a minute, Hank replies that they don’t have a minute – he’s found Cable.
As X-Force begins to infiltrate the building, Wolverine mentions that the Sapien League is the bottom of the mutant-hating barrel. But, with the help of Bastion, they got it together enough to tag Surge and Hellion right under their noses. He does wonder why Pierce tipped their hand. Whatever the reason, it ain’t gonna be good. No time for questions, they’ve got ***holes to kill. Dom and Warren clear the path by taking out the guards in the hallway. After they did what they did, Jimmy, X and he go in.
As they make their way inside, Wolverine silently notes that he shouldn’t have let slip who the Leper Queen nabbed. Jimmy and Dom can handle it, but Foley’s freaking out and Laura, he could smell it on her. Her whole body lit up when he said Keller’s name. With that, Wolverine asks X if she’s going to be okay and if she needs a minute. Staring at him, X tells him that he’s delaying the mission. After receiving that response, Wolverine thinks to himself fine. She’ll either keep it together or she won’t. He tried playing the “concerned leader” but there’s only one thing he’s good at.
Once inside the building, Wolverine, X, Archangel, Domino, and Warpath plow through the members of the Sapien League. Once Vanisher and Elixir teleport in, Elixir exclaims that they have to get to Nori and Julian. Continuing to tear through his foes, Wolverine yells at him to stay back. Just then, X informs Wolverine that she has their scent and that Surge and Hellion have been moved off-site but Boom-Boom is still there. Kicking down a door, Warpath reveals the Leper Queen, sans her mask, standing behind Boom-Boom with a needle pointed at her neck.
Upon seeing X-Force, the Leper Queen tells them that she was worried Pierce didn’t give them their message. Pointing her gun at her, Domino tells her to let her go. The Leper Queen replies that if they take one more step, the girl lives up to her codename. Domino says to the Leper Queen that she knows she’s dead, right. The Leper Queen says at least she dies killing them and not her own kind. When Domino tells Logan to just say the word, Cyclops informs him that they found Cable. Logan tells him to wait, they’re still down two. Cyclops replies that he’ll take care of the others but they have to do this now.
Hearing Logan talking, Warpath asks him what the hell he is doing. Logan tells Cyclops that they finish this mission. Holding the needle next to Boom-Boom’s neck, the Leper Queen wonders what’s going on and whispers come on, come on… Cyclops emphatically tells Logan no. The mission is to save mutantkind, nothing else can take priority. Not even this! Logan tells him that he’s not going to just walk away from them. Cyclops informs him that’s exactly why it’s not his call.
Frustrated, Logan orders Vanisher to take her. Teleporting over towards the Leper Queen, Vanisher knocks the needle out of her hand and in doing so tells her that she should have stuck with the mask. Leaping on top of the Leper Queen, Logan holds his bloody claws at the ready and tells her to hand over the kids or she’s dead. Not fighting back, the Leper Queen tells him to do it, kill her! Logan yells at her again to tell her where the kids are. The Leper Queen informs him that they’re dead. They’ll find their ashes at the United Nations. She then tells him to kill her! At Graymalkin Industries, Cyclops tells Hank to push the button. When Beast hesitates for a second, Cyclops does it himself. Once he does, the members of X-Force begin to disappear.
Realizing what is happening, Logan yells out NO and tells Domino to shoot. Before she can, X-Force is gone.
Standing there, the Leper Queen utters “no...” They were… they were supposed to kill her. He won’t let her kill herself – Bastion won’t let her die. Laughing, she calls out to God to please help her. Pointing her pistol at Boom-Boom’s head, she tells her that they were supposed to kill her to save her. As she pulls the trigger, shooting Boom-Boom in the head, the Leper Queen laments that they failed them both.


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Messiah War: Chapter Three
Finding Apocalypse was pure chance for Lucas Bishop. He had been pursuing Nathan Summers, the man called Cable, for years—and across centuries. Bishop was always behind by a few steps. He knew, however, that everything he was doing—everything he was forced to do—was having the desired effect. With the world in shambles, Cable was quickly running out of places to hide and running out of time.
What Bishop had not considered was who else might be hanging out in this dead-end future he had created. The men who pointed him toward the caves were some of the last humans on the planet. Bishop didn’t consider them to be real, though; he considered nothing in this future real, because once he kills the little girl, the cursed world and everything in it will go away. Anyway, when these men told Bishop of a “sleeping God”, he couldn’t ignore it.
What he found in the cave changed everything. As he entered its inner caverns, he discovered metallic sleeping chamber in the center of a high-tech room. At any other time in his life, Bishop would have taken out his gun and put a bullet in the dormant Apocalypse’s head. But right now? Bishop had thought. The end of the world is something I can use.
Westchester, New York. 2973. Former site of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning…
X-Force, Deadpool, and Cable, who hovers protectively over Hope, look up at Stryfe’s army of bladed, armored soldiers bearing down on them. After a quick assessment of the dire situation, Cable concludes he is nine steps beyond worst-case scenario. He tells Hope to get down and hide behind him as he fires his hand-cannon indiscriminately into the legions of enemies. In fighting these guys, Cable realizes something: for the better part of a decade—give or take a few thousand years—he has been so intent on protecting Hope from Bishop that he forgot he has enemies of his own.
Nearby, Wolverine tears into the armored soldiers. He tells Vanisher to evacuate Elixir and Hope, but Vanisher reminds him he cannot teleport. Wolverine reminds him he can run while the rest of them provide cover.
Cable, meanwhile, goes over their plan for Hope. He was to keep her safe and off the enemy radar: he was to raise her correctly. That was the plan. But Bishop just wouldn’t give up. And then my father sent Wolverine to help, Cable thinks. And everything goes to hell. He takes a moment to look at the other X-Men who came with Wolverine. If these are the X-Men now, things must be desperate everywhere, he thinks. He knows some of them; others, he doesn’t. Friends and lovers, long past, Cable thinks as he looks at Domino and Warpath. And Wade, of course. Our fates seem intertwined. God help me. He thinks his added support is just making them a bigger target. Worse, as Vanisher runs away with Hope in his arms, Cable realizes every fear he has ever had is playing out right in front of him.
The Celestial City…
Bishop is so close he can taste it. Even before the scout kneeling at Stryfe’s throne reports on what he has seen, he can feel Cable’s presence.
Stryfe orders his scout to report. He tells his lord the Forsaken One is with their enemies. Impulsively, Bishop asks who else is with him. Stryfe grows stern. “Who else, Lucas?” he asks. With horror, Bishop realizes his mistake. He remains silent, forcing Stryfe to ask him one more time; is he expecting someone else?
As Stryfe glares at him, Bishop thanks God for psi-shields. Without them, Stryfe would hear him screaming the girl’s name. He hopes he doesn’t blow it after all these years of hard work. “…I thought maybe Cyclops would have come,” Bishop says, recovering from his mistake. “He and I left things… unfinished.”
Stryfe stares straight ahead. After performing a psi-scan, he determines his biological father is not among the new arrivals. He does, however, sense some of the other X-Men among the trespassers.
Westchester…
Out of breath after running, Vanisher wants to die. Hope, on the other hand, wants to get back to Nathan. After asking her name, Elixir assures Hope everything will be okay. He sits her down, introduces himself and tells her she’s dehydrated, malnourished and has a few minor bone fractures—but he can heal all of that. He promises her everything is going to be okay. “Are you high, Foley?” Vanisher asks. “We’re all going to die here.”
Back in the battle, Warpath and Domino struggle to stay alive. They need a plan, Domino shouts at Wolverine. Wolverine, however, is busy getting stabbed through the torso and is in no condition to formulate a strategy. Archangel turns to Wolverine, but before he can help him, he once again hears a voice calling to him—only this time, he can clearly hear it telling him to come. Noticing his inattention, X-23 urges him to focus on the mission. Archangel asks if she can hear it. She repeats herself. Her commands have no effect, however, as Archangel flies away with a stoic look on his face. He can hear it calling…
Wolverine, pinned to the ground by one of Stryfe’s soldiers, screams at his deserter teammate. As the soldier lifts his blade to deliver the coup de grace, he is shot from behind by Cable. Cable walks over to Wolverine and aims the gun at him next. He orders Wolverine to have Vanisher bring the girl back immediately.
Meanwhile, Domino desperately wards off the attacking soldiers, while behind her, Deadpool repeatedly shoots one of the fallen warriors in the face with his handgun. “Bang! You’re dead,” he repeats every time he pulls the trigger. Domino begs him to quit screwing around and help them. “But what if he’s a zombie?” Deadpool asks. Domino screams at him. “Fine!” he says, submitting to her request. He turns and fires his gun at Stryfe’s squad of soldiers. “BUUuuULLEeeetttTSS!”
The automatic gunfire from Deadpool’s pistol rips through the armored soldiers, killing each and every one of them while miraculously avoiding any of Wade’s allies. Warpath can’t believe what he just saw. X-23 looks in awe and says nothing. Deadpool, meanwhile, resumes shooting his dead soldier in the face. “Die, zombie!”
After the fighting ends, Vanisher, Hope and Elixir return. Porter declares it a miracle that the rest of X-Force survived. Elated to see Nathan again, Hope runs into her adoptive father’s arms. She tells him Josh made her feel better—her leg doesn’t hurt anymore and even though the other guy said they were going to die, she didn’t believe him. Cable hugs her close to him and tells her everything is okay; they get to leave now. Cradling Hope with his right arm, he stands up, puts the barrel of his shotgun in Vanisher’s face, and tells him if he ever touches her again, he’ll kill him. “Get in line, buddy,” Vanisher quips.
Surprisingly, Wolverine steps in and asks Cable if he has gone crazy. X-Force has only been there for five minutes and has already had to save Hope’s life! Always one to relieve tension, Domino asks everyone to ease up a bit. She asks Cable to put himself in their shoes and look at the situation from their perspective: what happened to this place? How did it get to this point?
Instead of answering, Cable simply turns his back and, as he begins walking away, insists they need to keep moving.
Betty Noir’s. Much earlier…
Bishop had no trouble finding Stryfe in the timestream. Convincing him to come with him was much harder—and deadlier. His promise to give Stryfe Apocalypse turned the conversation in his favor, however.
He didn’t have to kill the bartender before they left, Bishop had thought. Maybe Stryfe wanted to show him what would happen if he betrayed him. It’s also possible he just did it for fun. Regardless, the opportunity for Stryfe to get back at his father was too good to pass up, so he agreed to come with Bishop at the very least. After crushing the bartender in a telekinetic grip, Bishop and Stryfe departed for the cave of the sleeping god.
Stryfe had taken on Apocalypse before, Bishop recalled. Like the X-Men, he had lost. Any victory over Apocalypse seemed temporary at best. At the height of his power, Apocalypse rules the world with an iron fist. Bishop was giving him to Stryfe at his weakest—and it still took everything they had to kill him.
Westchester. 2973…
In so many words, Wolverine tells Warpath their situation is hopeless. Warpath tells him he is the worst leader ever. Logan doesn’t need to be reminded of that fact. He goes over their situation with Warpath: their time-travel devices do not work, Warren is bugging out, Vanisher’s powers were neutered and at any time now, Stryfe is coming to kill them. He just doesn’t see this having a happy ending. Proudstar hopes Logan has some kind of plan. “Yeah,” Logan says. “You. No matter what happens, you’re in charge of that kid.”
They look over at Hope, who smiles as she holds Cable’s free hand. Logan tells James that neither he nor Cable is in charge of the kid; it’s all Proudstar. His life, their lives… none of them matter. Keeping Hope alive is all that matters.
As they walk along the moors overlooking the ocean, with the sky illuminated by an energy field that looks like the Northern Lights, Hope sidles up to X-23. “You’re a girl,” a seemingly surprised Hope says to Laura. Laura tells her she knows that. “I’m a mutant,” Hope says next. Laura knows that too. From behind them, Cable grows nervous and calls for Hope, but she continues her conversation with Laura. She asks if she is a mutant also. Laura tells her that yes, she is. Hope then states that Nathan is an X-Man. She wants to know if Laura is an X-Man too.
“No, I am not,” X-23 states. While giving her a suspicious look, Hope asks why Laura and the others even came to this place. She and Cable have been trying to leave, she adds; why would anyone come there? In response, Laura asks Hope if there is a bad man chasing her. Hope says there is. Laura tells her they came to make him stop.
Nearby, Vanisher asks Elixir if it’s possible the tumor he implanted in his brain is what is adversely affecting his powers. It can’t be, Elixir tells him; he’s used his powers since acquiring the tumor. It could be getting worse, Vanisher says. He proposes that Elixir remove it—just in case. He can always put it back in later. As politely as he can, Elixir asks Vanisher to stop talking to him; he’s never time-traveled before, they’re in grave danger and his friends at home might die. Vanisher interrupts; he’s going to die! From the brain tumor that Elixir gave him! Josh furrows his brow and glares at him. Does he really not understand? If they don’t get home in twenty hours, they’ll all die—brain tumors or not. Telford asks if that means he’ll remove it. No, Josh shouts!
Bringing up the rear are Domino and her unfortunate traveling companion Deadpool. She asks him not to walk so close to her. He claims he doesn’t know what she means. Domino adds that he has been staring at her ever since New York. They all know the story he told was a load of crap. Whatever it is he is keeping from them, he can tell Domino. His pants are an open book, Wade tells her; he isn’t keeping anything from them. Yes, he is, Domino declares. He’s what, Wade asks? Domino finally snaps: what isn’t he telling them?!?
Just as a rocket fires out of the top of the tallest citadel in the Celestial city up ahead and heads their way, Deadpool finally reveals one of his secrets: that Stryfe just launched from his citadel and is flying through the sky right now and coming their way he thinks probably to kill them all. But, he adds, to be fair, he was only keeping that from Domino for a few seconds.
Stryfe lands with an enormous impact, sending Cable, Hope, Deadpool and the rest of X-Force tumbling through the air. He stands up, towering over Cable with his majestic posture, his left eye glowing with radiant energy. “Cable?” he says to his identical brother. “Stab your eyes, Nathan. You’ve ruined this. Look at you!!” Cable gestures for Hope to hide behind him. Continuing his taunts, Stryfe tells Cable he is old and weak; killing him like this would almost be meaningless. Almost.
Warpath pulls out his bowie knives while Wolverine unsheathes his claws. It doesn’t have to end like this, Wolverine tells Stryfe. Last he heard, Stryfe went out a hero. Stryfe has no idea what Wolverine means. Besides, he doesn’t think it can go down any other way. He’s been waiting there for years just so he could kill Cable. Now, on the plus side, he gets to kill some X-Men too.
“Kill him!” Wolverine commands. X-Force leaps at the armored figure, but Stryfe deflects them with a telekinetic shield. Cable and Domino’s bullets also prove useless against the force-field. Stryfe, meanwhile, grabs Logan’s face and asks if his feeble threat to kill him was supposed to be funny. It’s tantamount to mice trying to kill a cat! He slams Wolverine into the ground while punching the approaching X-23 in the face. After neutralizing Warpath with a telepathic attack, he mocks their effort to come at him with guns and knives. He’s the most powerful mutant on the planet—past, present and future!
“No,” Cable says, leaping at Stryfe and knocking him to the ground. “You’re just a mistake. A mistake that never got corrected.” Enraged, Stryfe lifts his brother off his chest with his telekinesis and binds him inside a telekinetic sphere in the air.
After elevating himself to his twin brother’s level, Stryfe tells him this is not what he wanted. “You are not the Cable I wanted,” he says. Cable asks him if he is sure about that. Suddenly, a concerned look spreads over Stryfe’s face. “Eh? What are you—no.” He spots a small, metallic sphere pinned to his abdomen suddenly glowing red.
I’m not the Cable Stryfe wants and I’m not the Cable Hope needs, Nathan thinks. But I’m what they’ve got. The bomb stuck to Stryfe detonates. The explosion sends Cable flying backward, but Stryfe manages to create enough of a shield to deflect any serious damage. The same cannot be said for the cliff overlooking the ocean, however, as it sustains several large fractures as a result. Portions of it begin sliding toward the water.
While Stryfe levitates through the air—and while Deadpool inexplicably shouts “CANNONBAAAALLLL!”—the team urges James to grab the girl. It’s a risky option, but James heard Wolverine’s orders, and he’ll die before he lets Hope fall. Nothing else matters. Without Hope, there’s nothing: no present, no future… nothing.
As Stryfe approaches Hope and Warpath, he tells them they will not get away so easily. He ensnares them in a telekinetic bind. Warpath tries his best to hold Hope tight to his chest, but Stryfe separates them using his immense power. He places them into two separate telekinetic bubbles. Cable screams as the child sworn to his custody is ripped away by his worst enemy.
The Adirondacks. New York State…
Archangel finally arrives at the source of the noise. With trepidation, he approaches the gaping entrance to the cave and peers inside—and hears the voice he never expected to hear again. “I never believed death would come for me,” it says.
Warren cannot believe it; it isn’t possible. Lying on the floor in a shriveled heap is his former master, Apocalypse. He looks up at Archangel with his beady, red eyes that tell of epochs of pain. “But I’m so pleased it is you… my last and greatest Horseman.”


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Messiah War: Chapter Five
Stryfe’s Citadel…
Stryfe smiles at Hope, whom he holds in his lap. She looks at him with such innocence and affection. He recalls he was innocent once… before Apocalypse. Now, as he looks at this girl, he knows she is going to die—because innocence is weakness.
From across the room, Warpath, still suspended in Stryfe’s torture device, screams for Stryfe to get away from Hope. She must be important to both Cable and Bishop, Stryfe realizes. He still doesn’t understand why, though. Again, Warpath screams, this time urging Hope to get away from Stryfe, who she believes is actually her protector, Cable.
Stryfe combs through her mind in search of answers. He knows Cable believes her to be a mutant, but finds this odd, because, as far as Stryfe can tell, the girl has no powers. Bishop, on the other hand, has been trying to kill her for the entirety of her life.
Meanwhile, Hope processes what Warpath is saying, but doesn’t understand. She looks at Stryfe’s face, her eyes wide with curiosity and confusion. He looks just like Nathan; therefore, he must be Nathan. Stryfe assures her that the X-Men are just lying to her. He is her father—and they will be together forever
Finally breaking free of his bonds, Warpath screams and propels himself toward Stryfe, ordering him to take his hands off the girl as he goes. He seems to fly across the room. As he pins Stryfe to the wall, Stryfe recalls their previous encounters. Proudstar is every bit as stubborn as he remembers. He’s grown stronger, though, and it almost looks like he’s flying. Still, Stryfe considers it a waste. Why his biological father decided to send some of the weakest X-Men after him is truly a mystery. Perhaps when Cable is good and dead, he’ll seek out Cyclops and ask him why.
While Hope tumbles out of Stryfe’s lap, Warpath begins pounding on his face. He can’t have the girl, Proudstar shouts! Hope, meanwhile, watches in horror as this stranger pummels the man she believes to be her father. She begs James to stop it. For Hope’s sake, James restrains himself. This act of mercy proves to be Warpath’s undoing. Taking advantage of this perceived weakness, Stryfe unleashes a telekinetic burst that repels Warpath across the room and knocks him unconscious.
Stryfe stands over Warpath’s body and recalls the meaninglessness that comprised most of his life. He was nothing while in the shadow of Apocalypse. Now, however—he feels reborn. Bishop may be a liar, he may have planned to betray me from the start, Stryfe thinks, but by Apocalypse, I finally feel alive. Hope looks up at him with tears in her eyes. Don’t cry, Stryfe gently says to her. He reaches his hand out to the child. They have a lot of work to do; he needs to find out what makes her so special.
Suddenly, Stryfe is struck from behind by a powerful force. He screams and falls face-first to the floor, the back of his neck radiating with residual energy. That same energy surrounds the fist of Bishop, who now stands triumphant. He looks down at Hope. “You’re not special, girl,” Bishop says. “You’re dead.”
The Celestial City…
Deadpool clutches his temples and asks for a breather. His head hurts; can they take five, maybe grab a frap somewhere? Vanisher asks Deadpool if he’s joking; Wolverine put his claws through his brain, and now he gets a headache? “Don’t make fun of me! I have low blood sugar,” Deadpool replies. X-23 tells them both to shut up. One more word, she tells Wade, and she’ll cut out his tongue. Keep moving, she orders. “Aw. I like my tongue,” Deadpool says.
Vanisher gives him a sincere look and tells him to heed the girl’s warnings; he knows firsthand that she’ll do what she says. Before he can finish his sentence, however, Vanisher doubles over, kneels in the street, and vomits. Domino looks at him with concern; what’s the matter with him? “Maybe he’s pregnant!” shouts Deadpool. X-23, meanwhile, looks at her temporal-displacement armband and sees they only have 28 minutes left of the time Beast allotted them. They must move faster, she says.
The Adirondacks…
Inside the mind of Warren Worthington III, a battle wages between Angel and Death. The part of his mind molded by Apocalypse urges him to return and kill his master. Warren, however, struggles to resist, going as far as to revert to his more human-looking, feather-winged form. He won’t commit murder; he’s Warren Warrington III—not Death—and he’s an X-Man. Still, Death continues tempting his bloodlust. Just when Warren believes he beat it, the Death persona overtakes his body and he becomes Archangel. He throws his head back and screams. Once the pain subsides, however, he levels his head, narrows his crimson eyes and utters the name of the one he intends to kill: Apocalypse.
Stryfe’s Citadel…
It’s easy to forget how powerful Bishop is, he so rarely uses his powers, Stryfe thinks. Apparently, he’s making an exception with me. His telekinetic field barely keeps Bishop’s blast at bay. He knows Bishop absorbs and rechannels energy, but Stryfe wonders where he’s getting so much of it. However, the answer comes to him when he takes a hard look at Bishop’s mechanical arm. The energy it produces seems to flow directly into Bishop’s left fist. Bishop is smart. Calculating. He knows he doesn’t need to kill me to get what he wants, Stryfe thinks. He just needs to keep me down long enough to reach the girl. He looks at Hope. She’s obviously young, but Stryfe can see that she isn’t scared. He can even see her thinking through different scenarios in her head. Bishop fires the pent-up energy in his fist at Hope, but she deftly leaps out of its way. Cable has taught her well, Stryfe thinks. Perhaps there is something to her after all. Unfortunately, she’s out of options. Bishop and I have made sure of that.
With no place else to turn, Hope runs over to the unconscious Warpath and tries to shake him back to the land of the waking. He doesn’t respond. Shortly, Bishop approaches, grabs Hope by her long, red hair and lifts her off the ground. He puts his glowing fist in front of her screaming face and tells her that years ago, he had the chance to end it once and for all—but he hesitated. That won’t happen again, he says as he prepares to snuff the life out of the mutant messiah.
Hope shuts her eyes and braces for the inevitable. Suddenly, a loud cracking noise reverberates through the room. Surprised to be alive, she opens her eyes and sees Bishop floating suspended in the middle of the room in a telekinetic bubble of Stryfe’s making. Bishop screams; he was so close! Nearby, Stryfe laughs in mockery. “And here I thought I was the cold-hearted killer, Lucas. You really would have done it, wouldn’t you?” Stryfe asks. “I have to say, I’m impressed.” While he holds Bishop prisoner, Stryfe decides to dismantle his pesky power source. Using his formidable telekinesis, he dismantles Bishop’s robotic arm, piece by piece. He grins deviously and asks Hope a question: which of Lucas Bishop’s organs would she like to see him crush first?
Inside the Celestial City…
Domino and X-23 crane their necks upward and look at the building that towers above the rest of the city. “Ship!” Domino says. X-23 doesn’t understand. “This is Ship,” Domino repeats. “Oh, damn… this is… Prosh, or Graymalkin… this is… $#@%, I should have listened to Blaquesmith more.” X-23 still doesn’t understand; who is Blaquesmith? Domino tells her to just forget it. It doesn’t matter. She just knows Ship once belonged to Apocalypse and that it’s bad news.
Bad or not, their objective is inside, X-23 says. They must complete their mission. As they enter the magnificent, completely smooth foyer, Deadpool shouts about how nice it looks and declares it Art Deco. X-23 tells him to be quiet. “I am being quiet!!” Deadpool responds. “Man, I liked X-29 a lot better than you.” Laura asks what he means, but Deadpool doesn’t repeat himself.
They creep silently down the hallway. Suddenly, Deadpool begins shouting Neena’s name. “Wade, will you just shut up?” Domino says.
Ignoring her order, Deadpool tells her they need to go back as soon as they kill the time trap. “You have to go back. You can’t stay here. No matter what happens, you have to go back, and I mean stat. Wait. I mean ASAP.” Domino finally snaps. She gets in Wade’s face and demand he tell them what he knows, or she swears to God she will kill him. “I only know what he knows,” Deadpool shrugs. Domino orders him to make sense!
Deadpool obliges. He tells them Stryfe is coming to kill them. He can hear him thinking it. He’s in Deadpool’s head; he’s always been in his head. He already told Stryfe that Logan, Cable and the Oscar statue kid are coming to try to rescue the little girl. Stryfe can hear what he’s thinking, but Deadpool can hear Stryfe too. He’s already eliminated Bishop and Warpath. He now intends to kill the others. When he finishes, Domino looks at him with a dumbfounded look on her face. Deadpool says he also knows what happened to the cockroach people too, if they’re interested. “Woo, those were crazy days!” he says.
“You are so @#$%ing dead, pal,” Vanisher says to him.
Stryfe’s Citadel…
Stryfe was angry before. Now that he has had some time to reflect on it, however, he’s glad. He doesn’t care that Cable is old. Hope sits in Stryfe’s lap in a daze, occasionally calling to Nathan. Stryfe continues. “I’m just glad you’re alive,” he says as Cable approaches, “so that I can kill you.”
Across the chamber, Cable—armed to the teeth with guns, grenades and ammo—lurches toward his nemesis. “Give me the girl, Stryfe,” he says.
Stryfe asks if he’s joking; does he really think that approach will work? Suddenly, a pain like fire fills Stryfe’s mind. Cable is in his head. Bishop had told him Cable’s powers had shriveled up and died. If nothing else, Cable is full of surprises, Stryfe thinks. Once he lets his guard down, Hope leaps out of his lap and darts across the room. It doesn’t matter to Stryfe; this moment with Cable is the one for which he’s been waiting. Now he dies, Stryfe thinks. Because for all Cable’s efforts… I am Stryfe.
He unleashes a supercharged telekinetic blast at Cable. Miraculously, Cable leaps out of its way, firing a barrage of bullets at Stryfe as he dives for cover. The gunfire shatters his armor. Both men hit the ground in pain. Stryfe, however, recovers first. It’s all over, Cable, he tells his genetic twin as he rises to his feet. Did he really think his weak mind would save him? Cable poses a question of his own: did Stryfe really think that all Cable was doing was attacking his mind?
The realization dawns on Stryfe that he has been tricked—that Cable was shielding the minds of his teammates—but it is too late to act. Wolverine leaps at him from behind and slashes at the side of his face with his adamantium claws. The pain clouds everything, barring Stryfe from thinking. However, he can hear his next attacker approaching. Although Elixir remains silent, his mind screams how sorry he is for what he’s about to do: he is truly sorry he must kill Stryfe. From behind, Elixir—his entire body enveloped in the blackness of his death touch—grabs Stryfe by the head and presses his hands to Stryfe’s face. Stryfe screams as his skin bubbles. Everything starts to go black. He feels his body exploding, his mind shutting down to escape the horror. Wolverine comes in for the kill. Part of Stryfe just wants to let him do it; maybe in death he will find peace.
However, at the last second, Stryfe remembers who he is. He remembers that peace is weakness—and death is for cowards. He unleashes a pulse of raw energy, repelling both Wolverine and Elixir. Not bad, X-Men, Stryfe tells them. He didn’t think they had it in them. He turns to Josh and commands him to heal him. Although Elixir resists with all the might of his being, Stryfe’s will is just too strong. Against his will, Elixir lays his hands on Stryfe’s flesh and repairs the damage he wrought. Do not be scared, Stryfe tells him. He promises he will kill him quickly once he finishes with the others. He’s too dangerous a variable to leave alive, after all. Wolverine, on the other hand, he vows to make suffer. Logan doesn’t want to go down so easy. As his middle claws pop out, he tells Stryfe he’s going to cut off his head. Stryfe forces him to plunge his claws into his eyes. Wolverine screams in agony.
With his enemies defeated, Stryfe announces he is finished playing. He tells Cable and the X-Men they’re going to die. This is the age of Stryfe, and in this world, only the strong survive.
The Adirondacks…
Apocalypse still lies crippled in the remnants of his cave. Death comes, but not for him. He is eternal; he is immortal. “You are wrong,” Archangel says as he nears his master. “Death comes to all. Even you.” He reminds Apocalypse he created him to cull the weak: to ensure only the strong survive. Well, Apocalypse is no longer strong.
“Then become Death,” Apocalypse says. “Do what I created you to do.” In his hand, Archangel clutches a trio of his razor-sharp wing fletchettes. He holds them to Apocalypse’s neck, but yields. As much as he wants to kill him for everything he’s done to him—for everything he’s done to all of his friends—he won’t. He refuses to give Apocalypse the satisfaction. Every fiber of his poisoned being screams for him to just do it and kill Apocalypse—to kill for Apocalypse—but he won’t do it. He’s not in his control anymore. Warren shifts back into his human-looking, angelic form. No matter how twisted Apocalypse has made him, there is still mercy and humanity deep within the soul of Warren Worthington III.
He hands Apocalypse the wing fletchettes. Confused, Apocalypse examines them. He reminds Archangel he summoned him to end his life, but now, he sees he is no longer Death. The blades seem to disappear in his hand, while at the same time, a light mass of blue-hued energy begins to dissipate around his hand. As Warren leaves the cave, he assures Apocalypse he is sill Death—just not his.
“Horseman,” Apocalypse commands. Warren stops and looks at him. Apocalypse says that Archangel may have spared his life—an act he would have once considered a sign of weakness—but perhaps, one day, they will see which of them truly is the strongest. For today, however, Apocalypse commands they both go to the same place, to do the same thing. “I suggest we kill my child Stryfe together,” he says.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Messiah War: Conclusion
The year 2997. The Age of Stryfe. T minus three seconds until time jump…
What is strength? I once believed that the ability to crush one’s enemies was all that was required to prove one’s strength…to prove one’s worthiness. But I was wrong. Warpath leaps at Stryfe. There is another kind of strength, one that cannot be quantified. Strength of spirit. Of will. An inner force so powerful, it strips fear, doubt and weakness from those endowed with it, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
At T-minus two seconds until time jump, Stryfe tosses Elixir to the floor. I have seen this power in action. Watched as those with it continue to fight battles long after realizing they could not possibly survive.
At T-minus one second until the time jump, Wolverine slashes furiously at Stryfe’s telekinetic bubble. To refuse defeat in the face of certain death is an act of strength so rare, I have only witnessed it but a handful of times, Stryfe thinks, and mine is a lifetime that spans across the ages.
With T-minus zero seconds remaining, the time jump activates. Warpath, currently slashing at Stryfe’s shield with his bowie knives, feels some strange effect of their time in the future ending. Elixir feels it too. Barely alive as he crawls across the floor, he realizes they have run out of time. They’re dying. Wolverine refuses to submit just yet. He reminds them Domino and X-23 are tackling the time-blockage issue and commands Elixir to get on his feet. Warpath, he orders to move to Stryfe’s backside so they can flank him.
Stryfe tells him it is too late. He spins around and knocks everyone to the ground.
The Celestial Ship…
Wailing at the top of his lungs, the Vanisher claims he feels like something is pulling out his insides. He tries to cover his mouth as he vomits up blood. He asks Domino if she can identify the source of that strange light they just saw as well. It was the time devices, Domino explains. They must have hit zero and tried to return them to their present. “…well, that’s just %@*%ing great!! What do we do now?” Vanisher asks.
Domino turns to X-23 and tells her it has to happen; they have to execute Kiden Nixon. X-23 pays no heed to her words and instead continues staring at Kiden, who mumbles nonsensically about running and hiding. Do it, Domino shouts! Instead, X-23 reaches out to her old friend and gently strokes her skin. She remembers the time they spent together back in New York City; Laura felt happy during that era of her life. With sorrow, she speaks Kiden’s name and begins to explain herself, but when Kiden speaks in response, she simply asks Laura to kill her.
Laura cannot believe it. Before she has time to struggle with Kiden’s wishes, however, Domino makes the decision for her by putting a bullet directly through her brain. “NO!” X-23 says, whirling around to face Domino with her claws extended. Domino apologizes; there was no other way.
With the chronal net destroyed, a burst of light appears over the Celestial City and spreads outward like a shockwave.
Stryfe’s Citadel…
As he crawls across the floor, Bishop, his heart filled with dread, feels the time field vanish. Now his targets can escape. Similarly, Cable struggles to get to his feet and grab Hope so they can escape. Between fits of hacking and coughing, Josh tells Cable that Hope is in the corner. Unfortunately, between Cable and Hope stands Stryfe, who asks Hope if she is ready to fulfill her destiny.
The entire room begins to rumble. Suddenly, one of the walls comes crashing down, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris. Cable and Stryfe both turn and face the new arrival with horror. “Bright lady, no,” the terrified Cable says.
For years, I survived on the brink of death, tortured by physical pain and tormented by the failures that led to my defeat. Every day I drove back death and focused every thought on how I would rise from my own apocalypse. I contemplated that which makes one strong. What makes one worthy to survive, Apocalypse thinks. But it was not until my Horseman returned to me that I found the truths I sought. My defeat was a gift, in which my suffering revealed my imperfections. My torment exposed my failures.
Slowly, Apocalypse lumbers into the chamber with Archangel bringing up the rear. Death did not destroy but instead restored me with the same life I gave him ages ago. I am En Sabah Nur. I am the Apocalypse, now and forever. And I must return to the world as its savior. “Stryfe,” he says as he enters the room. He informs Stryfe that failed to kill him earlier and is therefore weak—and weakness must be culled.
The Celestial Ship…
The dead body of Kiden Nixon hangs from its restraints with its eyes opened wide. Laura slides them shut. Vanisher asks what they do now. If the girl who was keeping them there is now dead, why didn’t they just disappear? The conclusion he reaches is frightening: they’re going to die. Domino tells him to shut up so she can think. Going back to the time devices Beast gave them to wear around their arms, Domino recalls they were programmed to return them to their present—but couldn’t. Maybe it’s the devices that are still keeping them there. Before she can vocally suggest they may have to remove them to get home, Vanisher strips his off and disappears before Domino’s eyes.
The ruins of the Xavier Institute. Present day…
Materializing where the Xavier Institute used to stand, Vanisher looks around in awe. He made it back! He throws his head back and laughs.
Stryfe’s Citadel…
Elixir crawls across the floor toward Hope, assuring her along the way everything will be okay. Apocalypse observes this pathetic scene. Just like his Horseman, the boy is dying—but they continue to fight. In the corner, Apocalypse sees the young mutant girl. Although she is merely a child, she has survived all those who would destroy her or possess her as if strength were something that could come from without. Stryfe fires a blast of energy at Archangel and Apocalypse, but Apocalypse ducks the blast and smacks Stryfe with the hammer-shaped end of his modified hand.
Nearby, Hope screams and runs for her life, dodging yet another one of Bishop’s bullets. She falls to the floor and turns over to find herself staring down the barrel of Bishop’s shotgun. “For what it’s worth, girl,” he says, “…I’m sorry. I’m sorry you were ever born.” He aims the gun at her face. Before he can fire it, however, Cable dives at him and knocks him to the ground. As they tumble, Bishop urges Cable to just believe him! He has to let go of the girl! She has to die!
Cable counters by telling Bishop he is wrong and that he’s lost his way. He asks him to look at what he’s done, and what he continues to try to do. Bishop has gone insane; he just can’t see it.
Bishop sees it differently. He believes he is the only one who can see things clearly. After all, he was there when it happened. He’s seen Hope destroy everything. However, he understands the severity of what he’s done—the lives he’s taken and the destruction he’s caused—while trying to stop Hope. However, he can fix everything, he says.
“So can I,” Wolverine says as he cuts a gash across Bishop’s face. Bishop hadn’t noticed him sneaking up from behind.
Meanwhile, Archangel fires a barrage of wing fletchettes at Stryfe. Apocalypse observes this, noting that Death is one of his chosen. He was always destined to shape the world at his master’s side, but the strength he exhibits this day exceeds even Apocalypse’s expectations. Of him, Apocalypse is proud.
Of Stryfe, he is not. Stryfe claims to be his heir? No heir of Apocalypse could ever be such a coward, En Sabah Nur says. He thrusts Stryfe into the wall. Such weakness! Apocalypse has spent many years of suffering reflecting upon the mistakes of his past, and Stryfe’s mere existence has warned him of the mistakes he has yet to make. Now that he knows what is to come, he will ensure those failures never occur. Never again will he allow this world and its destiny to be stolen by a creature as unworthy as Stryfe! Stryfe, he says, no longer has a place in this life; he is truly nothing.
Leaning against the wall, Stryfe coughs up a few words before swiveling around and unleashing a full-scale energy attack on his former master. “No! I am Stryfe!” he shouts. “And you are dead!”
Apocalypse stands in awe of this display of power. However, it isn’t backed by any strength. He tells Stryfe he must mistake him for what he once was. He must not realize Apocalypse has been born anew, recreated from the DNA of his greatest Horseman and fueled by the hate for what he had let himself become—hate for what allowed him to create Stryfe.
Stryfe looks up at him with the frightened eyes of a ten-year old. “I am sorry, father,” he says. “I did not mean to… I did not mean to disobey,” he begs. Apocalypse corrects him as he smashes him into the ground. He is not Stryfe’s father; he is his executioner—and the Age of Stryfe ends now!
Hope, meanwhile, crawls out from under a pile of rubble in search of Cable. Across the room, a blood-spattered Bishop levels his gun at her, assuring himself once again that none of this is real and that it’s finally almost over. Nearby, Cable—resting alongside an injured Wolverine—picks himself up off the ground as well. They have to get Hope, he says. Wolverine asks where Bishop went.
At that moment, Bishop has Hope right in his sights. He’s going to save everyone, he says as he steadies his aim on the side of her head. He pauses. With a simple “no”, he decides not to take the shot.
Apocalypse observes this scene and once again declares that only the strong survive—and Bishop’s strength has failed him.
Hope stands up and leans against a concrete wall for support. Behind a veil of energy, she sees a large, hulking figure who she assumes is Nathan. She calls out to him. However, it is Apocalypse who emerges from the veil, and he gently scoops up Hope into his hand. He tells her she is indeed special; he can feel her strength. In fact, she would be a worthy host of Apocalypse. “But you,” he says, turning toward Bishop, “you are just sad. Frail creature trying to destroy the future of your species.” He nails Bishop with a surge of slate-colored matter. Bishop chokes and gasps but refuses to die at the hands of Apocalypse. In a last-ditch effort to stay alive, he activates his time-device and leaps into the timestream.
His disappearance stuns the members of X-Force, but Cable explains he merely leapt into the timestream. Keeping his mind on matters at hand, Wolverine orders his team to spread out and prepare to battle Apocalypse. Apocalypse asks if they truly wish to test themselves against him. The X-Men have defeated him before, Wolverine reminds him; surely they can do it again. “I see no X-Men here. Your band of children can barely stand, much less fight,” Apocalypse says. Wolverine turns to Warren and tells him he has three seconds to choose a side. As backup, he asks if X-23 and Domino have a lock on him. They assure him they do. Cable too levels his gun at Apocalypse, despite that his target holds Hope in his hands. As he lines up his shot, Cable asks Hope to close her eyes and always remember that he—
“Stop,” Archangel says from behind Apocalypse. En Sabah Nur asks if Death can feel what approaches. “I can,” Archangel says, “but I won’t let it happen.” Apocalypse asks if he believes he can stop it. Shifting back to his more human-looking form, Warren tells his former master the girl is strong, but so is everyone else present. They don’t ask for mercy—unlike Apocalypse. Instead, Warren lays claim to the girl. Apocalypse owes him for saving his life, and in return, he wants to take responsibility for Hope’s. Apocalypse begins to argue, but Warren snaps at him and demands he give him the girl immediately.
X-Force watches anxiously. It’s going to be bad, Warpath says. Wolverine asks him to wait and see what happens.
Surprisingly, Apocalypse hands the girl over to his Horseman without any further argument, conceding her as payment. Warren immediately carries her over to Cable, who embraces her like a parent reunited with a lost child. He assures her he will keep her safe in his arms. Apocalypse watches this joyful reunion, but neither his face nor voice betrays any emotion. “Take the girl. I have time. I am infinite. But know this,” Apocalypse says, “…we will meet again, when the girl is ready.” He reminds Cable emotion is weakness. If he does not teach this to the girl before he returns for her, it will be her undoing.
Meanwhile, until they meet again, his essence will survive. He gestures toward the battered Stryfe. Although Apocalypse’s once-future self was weak, today, he intends to erase his life’s greatest failure and restore the course of his destiny. He drags Stryfe away kicking and screaming. He calls him a pathetic wretch who is always searching for a purpose in life. Well, now he has one, the greatest any being could ever have: to be the vessel of Apocalypse! Stryfe screams at this, his agonized wail reverberating throughout the Celestial City.
X-Force, Cable and Hope watch as Apocalypse drags Stryfe away. “Okay. How about we get the $#%& out of here?” Wolverine says. Cable agrees.
Later, on the moors outside the city, Logan gives Cable the go-ahead to depart into the timestream with Hope. Cable initially resists abandoning his friends in their current state, but Wolverine insists. Not one to linger around pointlessly, Cable tells Hope to prepare herself for another time-slide. He finds her surprisingly resistant. She doesn’t want to leave Laura and James and Josh! They’re all sick, and they were the ones who saved her! They can’t just leave them!
Josh assures Hope that Cable is right; they need to leave. “You have to… have to go, Hope. You’re…” Josh pauses, “…oh, God. I know. I know what she is!” Just as Josh uncovers Hope’s true nature, she and Cable jump away into the timestream. Hope screams as she is sucked away from her friends, the first she’s ever had in her life.
With little time to spare, X-Force tries to return to their starting position so they can arrive in the past in position to save their friends. Archangel carries Elixir in one hand and Wolverine in the other, who shouts out orders and encouragement to his team. He tells Warpath, Domino and X-23 to rescue Boom Boom while the rest of them head for the United Nations building.
Archangel’s strength finally runs out in mid-air, however, and he crashes to the remnants of the New York City streets. As they land, Wolverine, Elixir and Archangel rip off their armbands and disappear into the timestream.
Behind them, Warpath carries X-23 and Domino as he flies toward their starting position. His strength gives out as well, and the three of them go crashing to the ground. Domino picks herself up and begins staggering to the source. However, her nose bleeds profusely, her skins rots, and her eyes turn white as she begins losing her eyesight. She doesn’t have long. Laura makes the decision for her and slices off Domino’s armband. She couldn’t help Kiden, but Domino did, Laura says. In return, she vows to save Domino’s friend. Domino yells at her to stop as she slices the band off her arm, but it’s too late; Domino disappears from the timeline and travels back to her present.
The only one of her team remaining, X-23 staggers like a zombie toward the “x” she carved in the metal plate upon her arrival. Her progress is slow. The will to live is in us all, but it is the will to live with purpose that separates the strong from the weak, the worthy from the worthless, and the past from the future. Mere meters from her starting position, X-23 falls flat on her face, nearly dead from exhaustion. Refusing to give up, however, she slowly drags herself toward her mark, reminding herself she must complete her mission. And it is this purpose that fuels the courage needed to fight on even in the face of certain death—for that which does not kill us, simply makes us stronger. Laura arrives at the mark, sits upright, draws her handgun, and cuts the time-travel band off her arm. She vanishes, and the armband falls to the ground—landing right in the middle of the crudely drawn X.
Epilogue. The near future…
They still don’t understand, Bishop says as he arrives back at Betty’ Noir’s, the bar where he met Stryfe. The more the X-Men fight and resist, the worse Hope becomes. He was born into the Hell-on-Earth that she created; God only knows what kind of monster she might become now. However, he refuses to let himself dwell on that. He has seen it through this far and therefore must see it through until the end. He found her once; he can find her again.


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

[Assistant]
Not Forgotten: Part One
The Sapien League warehouse. 1.3 seconds after chronal extraction…
 “No… they were… they were supposed to kill me,” a voice says from the other end of a temporal tunnel. “He won’t let me kill myself… Bastion won’t let me die!” The image at the end of the tunnel slowly becomes clearer as the traveler approaches. The Leper Queen—a burn-scarred, bald-headed woman in military fatigues—holds a gun to the head of a blonde-haired girl in a red dress kneeling on the ground: Boom-Boom. “Oh, god… please help me!” the Leper Queen laughs. “They were supposed to kill me…” Before the Leper Queen can pull the trigger, she senses something approaching from behind. She turns and, to her surprise, beholds a battered X-23 emerging from a tunnel running through the fabric of time.
X-23 fires her handgun in rapid succession. Two of her shots hit the Leper Queen in the chest, while another bores a hole through the middle of her head. With her dying breath, the Leper Queen thanks X-23 and collapses to the ground.
“Thass… messed up,” the drug-addled Boom-Boom says. X-23, meanwhile, collapses from exhaustion. Although she needs to get to the United Nations building to rescue Julian, she doesn’t have the energy even to stay conscious.
Mere moments after X-23 passes out, a swarm of agents from H.A.M.M.E.R. crash through the warehouse windows and blow the doors off their hinges. The agents surround her and X-23. Once they secure the room and verify the incapacitation of their targets, they signal their commanding officers to enter. In walk Agents Young and Morales. Young congratulates his soldiers on their good work, but Morales wonders why they deserve the praise. As far as she can tell, H.A.M.M.E.R. didn’t do anything. She wonders what the hell happened, though. What happened is they captured two high-priority targets, Agent Young answers. He doesn’t care how it went down.
Morales approaches the barely-conscious Boom-Boom and checks on her condition. Is she all right? What is her name? When Boom-Boom doesn’t answer, Morales introduces herself. “I’m with S.H…” She hesitates for a brief moment. “I’m with H.A.M.M.E.R. Can you tell us what happened here?”
“Drrrugssssss…” Boom-Boom replies.
Agent Young, meanwhile, levels his pistol at X-23 and issues orders to his men. Morales interjects that the girl in the red dress needs medical attention. The Leper Queen, on the other hand, does not, as she is clearly dead. Boom-Boom tries to inform Agent Morales about the threat the other kidnapped mutants pose to the United Nations building, but Morales, possibly presuming she’s delirious, assures her they will get her to a hospital right away.
The H.A.M.M.E.R. agents slap a pair of handcuffs on X-23. Agent Young watches, satisfied he finally got his target. Morales lifts Boom-Boom off the ground and requests a medical evacuation from Agent Young; she wants their best people waiting for the girl when she arrives at the hospital. Because she is their only witness, no one is to get near her without Morales’s authorization. She finds, however, that her request falls on deaf ears, as Agent Young only cares about taking X-23 into custody. As soon as his men haul her away, he compliments Agent Morales on a perfect operation and invites her to come along to prep their prisoner for interrogation. With uncertainty, she consents.
Angel’s Aerie. Colorado…
Snow falls on Warren Worthington III’s Colorado residence. Inside, Rahne Sinclair lies on a fur-skinned rug in front of a roaring fireplace with her companion, the Wolf Prince Hrimhari. “What are you thinking about?” she asks him.
“You,” he answers. If that’s the case, he’d better stop, Rahne says. She can feel his heart beating so fast it might burst. Hrimhari says that would be the second occasion in which death claimed him. First it was Ragnarok, now it’s Rahne Sinclair. How much can the fragile heart of an immortal endure? Rahne, stroking his chin, tells him his heart doesn’t feel fragile. She feels a light tremor. It might be best if they take a small break, she suggests. His entire body is shaking.
Hrimhari sits up. That wasn’t him, he says. Rahne asks what he means. The rumbling grows louder, culminating in a loud BOOOM!! Rahne and Hrimhari stand up, shift into their transitional, lupine forms and try to maintain their balance as the tremors shake the home’s very foundation. Suddenly, the roof lifts off the house, and the moonlight creates the shadow of a large, horned creature over Rahne and Hrimhari. Rahne asks her god for help, while Hrimhari looks up at the three towering, malicious figures in disbelief. “Time to die, little prince,” the Frost Giants say.
The United Nations. New York City…
Steven Lang, addressing the general assembly of the United Nations, speaks of the looming mutant threat. Although this threat has loomed over the world for years, in recent months it seemed to subside. With the destruction of Genosha and the supposed ‘depowering’ of mutants on M-Day, some even believed the threat was over. They were wrong, Lang states. The hospital massacre in Alaska and the bombings in Iowa and Wyoming are all the evidence one needs to see that. What was once a war has evolved into terrorism. Mutants do not answer to any laws or government, American or otherwise. Lang asserts that they must unite and fight the mutant threat before it engulfs the world. If not, surely they will all die alone.
“With all due respect, Mister Lang, Mister Trask—let’s cut to the chase,” says Israeli Delegate Gabrielle Haller. They intend to restart the Sentinel program, don’t they? To seek global support for a program that has proven to be as much of a threat to humans as the actions of a few radical extremists is folly, and she declares Israel will not support it.
Bolivar Trask begins to speak, but halts abruptly as Bastion remotely overrides his body. Bastion asserts that the failures of previous Sentinel programs were the result of human error and corruption. Trask speaks these words for his master, adding—as per Bastion’s orders—that this is not the purpose of the day’s assembly.
Outside the United Nations building, in a van parked by the curb, members of the Sapien League prepare their living bombs for detonation. “Time to die, genescum,” one of the men in the van says to Noriko Ashida, a.k.a. Surge. His colleague tells him to be careful around the girl; she’ll singe the hair right off his head. A third Sapien League terrorist holds a gun to the head of Julian Keller and tells his colleagues to open the doors. “I’ve got prettyboy,” he says.
“You’ve got nothing… you redneck… flatscan… pieces of #!?@,” Julian says. He unleashes a full-body, telekinetic shockwave. The force of his attack knocks all three terrorists off their feet. Hellion breaks the chain on his handcuffs prepares to do the same for Nori. When he finally looks at her, however, he clearly sees her powers starting to flare out of control. With electricity pouring out of her eyes and through the pores of her body, Surge warns Hellion to get away; she can’t control her powers!
The driver of the van, meanwhile, sees the situation escalating in the back of the vehicle and radios in for backup.
Inside the United Nations, Lang continues his speech. He asks the delegates to make no mistake about the very real threat mutantkind poses. “And any one of them that remain could have the power to destroy us all. Every single one of us in this building, we live our lives at the whim of these creatures,” Lang says. “No more, we say.” He proposes an agency created with the sole purpose of monitoring and dealing with the mutant threat on a global level.
Outside, a crowd of anti-mutant protestors holds up signs in support of Lang and Trask’s anti-mutant legislation. In the van behind the protestors, however, an eruption of eerie green energy and electricity blows open the vehicle’s back doors.
“Today is about humanity standing united in the face of terror—mutant terror,” Lang continues. The screen behind him flashes the image of armored men saluting the American flag while fighter jets fly overhead. “We present… the Mutant Response Division.”
Meanwhile, Hellion tumbles out of the back of the van, his body aglow with telekinetic energy and surging with electricity.
Inside, Lang states the Mutant Response Division combines the next generation of Sentinel technology with the best soldiers humanity has to offer. It will police mutantkind all across the world. With support and funding from the United Nations, the M.R.D. can take the fight to mutant terrorists wherever they are, in any nation. With their technology, mutants will not be able to hide.
Outside, a new group of Sapien League terrorists grabs and restrains Hellion. They hurry to get him up the stairs to the U.N. building, as they do not have much time. Hellion, meanwhile, calls for Nori.
Surge, her body exuding electricity, lunges out of the back of the van. This is what our enemy can do, Lang tells the U.N. delegates. “They do not care if we are American, Russian, Israeli, Arab, Black or White. They only care that we are human. And all they want is to replace us as the dominant species on the planet by any means necessary.”
Overwhelmed by her powers, Surge screams. The members of the Sapien League struggle to restrain her. However, they find they cannot even approach her, as she sends electrical pulses through their bodies.
Lang states they must not let this happen. For every day they wait, the mutant threat grows. Every single mutant that walks the planet is a bomb waiting to explode. He advises they not live in fear, and instead take action. They must stop the mutant threat before it’s too late.
Outside, the anti-mutant terrorist restraining Hellion orders his men to tranquilize Surge so they can transport her to the target. Before they can respond, something severs off the top halves of their heads. The man restraining Hellion asks what happened. Julian tells him that he’s dead—he just doesn’t know it yet.
At that precise moment, Wolverine approaches from Hellion’s left side and obliterates both the man’s head and torso with a swift swipe of his adamantium claws. While Wolverine tears the men on the streets to shreds, up above, Archangel picks off those who remain with projectile fletchettes fired from his metal wings.
Surge, meanwhile, grows frantic as her powers flare out of control. Elixir arrives and calls out to her, urging her to hold on for as long as she can. Surge lets out an agonized scream.
Wolverine notices Surge’s attempted escape and orders Warren to retrieve her. Because of his bloodlust, however, Warren doesn’t hear Wolverine’s orders. Instead, he continues slicing body parts off of the members of the Sapien League.
Elixir hurries over to Hellion and grabs him by the hands. Julian asks how he got there. As Josh purges the Legacy Virus from his friend’s body, he tells him it’s a long story and asks him to hang on.
Wolverine grabs Archangel from behind and restrains him. He needs to stop what he’s doing and go after Ashida! “If she is strong, she will survive,” Archangel coldly states. Even while restrained, he continues butchering their enemies with his wings.
Surge begins to run. Elixir watches in horror as she goes; they will not catch up with her unless they hurry. He calls for Wolverine, who once again asks Warren to snap out of it. This time, though, he stabs him through the clavicle for emphasis. It has its intended effect; Warren regains control of himself and stares at the wound in his shoulder. Did Logan just stab him?! “Get the girl!!” Logan answers.
While tearing through the streets at a fantastic speed, Surge inadvertently shocks each civilian she passes. Tears stream down her face as she urges everyone to get away. Before long, however, Archangel swoops in behind her and picks her up off the ground. “Letmegoletmegoletmego! I have to get away!” Surge shouts at him. Archangel refuses. Through clenched teeth, he asks the girl not to make him kill her.
Wolverine watches as Archangel circles around in the air with the flaring Surge in his arms. “Are you ready for this, Foley?” he asks Josh. Although his body language says otherwise, Elixir says he thinks he’s ready. “You better be. ‘Cuz if she dies, we go up with her,” Wolverine says as the focused hub of electrical energy approaches.
Archangel hits the ground with Surge held safely in his arms. Nevertheless, she screams in pain as her powers flare out of control. “Sorrysosorrypleasegoddontletmedie,” she cries. Elixir presses forward into the locus of electricity and reaches for Nori. He tells her everything is going to be okay and reaches out to grab her gauntlet-encased hand.
2.6 miles north of the United Nations…
Domino wakes up from her stupor. “Uhhh… hate… time-travel,” she mutters. She looks around and realizes she is in the center of a street. Seeing no signs of Tabitha, she fears the worst. Domino calls Laura on her radio but gets no response. She gets no response from any of her teammates, for that matter. Finally, Warpath answers her call, and the relieved Domino asks where he is. Before she can give him her orders, however, something in the distance catches her attention. Her eyes widen and her jaw drops as an enormous electrical storm erupts over the skyline of New York City.