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Rainbows, Puppy Dogs & Sunshine
Japan, the village of Shirakawa-Go:Wolverine walks past a Buddha statue. He would have been here. If he’d known he existed, he tells himself, he would have fought the devil himself to find him. To bring him home. To raise him. It’ll be the eternal curse of his life that he never knew. Who he could have been- who he wishes he was… and the difference it would have made to the life of one innocent boy.
Otherworld, the Starlight Citadel:Psylocke enters her father’s former study, noting that it still smells like him. The smell paints a vivid image of his striking smile. His humble genius. His faith that she’d eventually turn her sodding life around. It’s a good smell. Smells like home.
Her brother, Brian aka Captain Britain, addresses her, noting she’s managed to keep him shut out of their psychic connection. Dare he ask--? It’s not like that, she replies. She quit X-Force. They all did. Disbanded. Which should make him happy.
If she’s come for a fight… he begins. She came to tell him he was right, she interrupts. What Fantomex did was a terrible crime! Brian and Jamie were right to put him on trial. Opal was right to convict him. She can only imagine how it must have looked from his perspective. How grotesque it must have seemed… her feelings for Fantomex…
Mollified, he explains he’s discovered things in their father’s old journals. Fantomex was a dangerous anomaly and their world is safer with him gone. But the man who shot that child and the man she fell in love with were not the same person. Fantomex was created with three different brains. One of which was a mutant-hunting Sentinel. He can only imagine the demons he was dealing with, the different directions he was pulled in. The fact that Fantomex was able to fight the conflicting voices in his head at all is a testament to his character.
So… he forgives her? she asks. He loves her! Brian assures her. Nothing will ever stand between them again. As he kisses her forehead, she smiles and tells him he may regret that when he hears the favour she is about to ask… Can she store the Shadow King and some Apocalypse armor here?
Evening at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Evan is in his room when Deadpool sneaks in through the window and asks what he is reading. Does he think sneaking up on an Apocalypse is a good idea? Evan asks. Mindful meditation is the book’s title. Logan gave him this? Wade asks. He says it helped him, Evan explains.
Wade tells him never to refer to himself as an Apocalypse. For one, even if he were, it’s third person and sounds super arrogant. No one likes that. And most important: He’s not him. After all they went through together, he knows!
He is Apocalypse, Evan replies. He has that same capability of evil inside him. He almost killed Mystique… if Nightcrawler hadn’t shown up… They all have the capability to be crappy people with bad tempers, Wade points out. Difference is, Evan didn’t quit fighting. He never stopped trying to be the man his Uncle Cluster taught him to be!
Even though it was all a lie, the boy replies. His entire life. None of them remember their childhood much anyway, Wade replies. What they learn is built into their fiber. Virtual reality or reality reality, Fantomex raised him right. He’ll never have a son but, if he did and he came out half as awesome as Evan… what he’s trying t say… he’ll always be there when he needs him. Evan hugs him. He already was. At his lowest point, Wade was the hero who showed up to save him.
Embarrassed, Wade admits that that’s the first time anyone’s ever called him that. He should go before he spoils the mood with a fart joke. As he climbs out of the window, Evan remarks that he still has his book. Meditation is for hippies, Wade replies. Or psychopaths trying to be hippies. It ain’t for hm. He left him something he’ll get more use out of. Evan looks at his night stand to find some skin mags.
Betsy Braddock enters her Manhattan apartment to find Logan and EVA waiting for her. They left one complication unresolved, Logan informs her. She doesn’t suppose she can opt out? she asks.
She can’t, and soon EVA transports them to their destination. Betsy asks Logan, when they were in the future old Logan whispered something to him before they left… Logan remembers. Old Logan told him he couldn’t kill the boy. He let Daken live. He’ll kill his students if he lets him live. Does he understand what he’s telling him? Logan turns way, not replying. They arrive at the White Sky Facility.
Deadpool is already waiting. He started the mimicking sequence without them. EVA calls him a fool. She hadn’t finished the adjustments! Well, he did… or he hit some buttons. Whatever, it’s working.
Noise and mist come from the chamber as it opens… and Fantomex steps out. “You have got to be kidding,” he announces.
His teammates look at him in disbelief, then Betsy runs to him and hugs him. He was certain he died, he mumbles. Jean-Phillipe! she utters his name. No, that would be him, another Fantomex (dressed in black) remarks who has also exited from the chamber and is pointing a gun at them. Behind him stands a third female Fantomex with a long brown ponytail.
Elizabeth, so beautiful, “Jean-Philippe” muses. Logan tells him to ease down. They aren’t here to hurt him. How could they? he asks. He was already gone. And he is.
”Anything ever simple with you, Lepew?” Wolverine asks Fantomex who reminds him that they resurrected him. Three different Fantomexes? Deadpool exclaims. He just got his head around liking one. Sort of. What are they doing about Fantomsexy here?
Fantomex asks EVA to explain. She deposited his body in the cloning hatch. All three brains were intact .The consciousness mimickers clearly misunderstood and cloned a new body for each brain.
The female Fantomex reminds them that one of their brains isn’t very nice. But she’s nice? Deadpool asks. The nicest, she replies. Is he hitting on them? Fantomex asks. He might have missed him, Deadpool admits and shakes his hand. He might have missed him as well, Fantomex admits. But he was dead and couldn’t. But he might have. If he could.
What has he missed? Fantomex asks. What dastardly plot are they caught up in? Where are they off to? They look at him silently and he realizes X-Force is done. They never should have started, Bets remarks as she touches his shoulder. Okay, well, he takes her hand. They walk ahead, followed by female Fantomex and EVA. Better left unsaid, he decides.
EVA flies them into the French Alps and lands at a certain penthouse.Where are they? Betsy asks. His home, is the reply. There’s someone he wants her to meet. His Mother awaits them with a tray of food. He pecks her on the cheeks as she states she’s been having nightmares. Not anymore, Fantomex tells her. Who’s this? she asks. Female Fantomex introduces herself as Cluster. She knows her own daughter, Mother replies. The other one. Betsy shakes her hand and introduces herself. She’s never met any of his girlfriends, Mother muses. He must like her.
Cluster and Mother head inside. Betsy and Fantomex stay outside in the snow. Is this real? she asks. Maybe, he shrugs. Is anything? What does he know? Maybe the Shadow King cooked her noodle and this is all in her head. Well if it is, then just this once she’d like to imagine a happy ending, Betsy decides and kisses him.


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[Assistant]
Child of Light and Darkness!
The Imperial Center, ruling seat of the Shi’ar Empire, located halfway across the know universe from Earth. The situation is grim.
The assembled council members witness Dark Phoenix approaching her homeworld on a screen, as Maestrix Lilandra arrives to open the emergency meeting. Lilandra quickly apprises them of the situation. The empire – the entire universe – now faces a threat that may even make Galactus pale into insignificance in comparison. To feed his hunger, he devours worlds. Phoenix may well consume all that exists.
She orders one being, called Tuoks’enhaamin, to begin the briefing. He complies, explaining to everybody what they are seeing in front of them on a hologram: Upon arriving in Imperial space Phoenix plunged into the heart of D’Bari, a main sequence, G-type star. Within seconds, the star went supernova. The resulting stellar explosion destroyed not only the sun but its inhabited worlds as well. After leaving, Phoenix was intercepted by their newest, most powerful battle cruiser. The ship attacked and was destroyed as easily as the star.
Lilandra now speaks, telling the councilors of her first meeting with Phoenix. Back then, Jean Grey was a beneficent entity. She and her fellow X-Men helped prevent Lilandra’s brother from unleashing Armageddon. Now, she is beneficent no longer and may well pick up where D’ken left off. If the universe is to survive, Lilandra concludes on a somber note, Phoenix must be destroyed.
At that moment on Earth, in the White House, President Carter learns from Dr Corbeau that the energy matrix that Starcore had monitored earlier that evening is returning to Earth and it is far more powerful. The president calls the Avengers. At Avengers Mansion, the butler, Jarvis, notices the special alert, which only the president can activate and only in times of gravest danger. He activates the intercom and the disgruntled president asks why there wasn’t an Avenger on monitor duty as there is always suppose to be. He’d been calling for some time without answer. He then explains the situation and wants the Avengers ready to deal with this threat. Jarvis stutters that he will assemble the team at once. After the transmission ends, he wonders why Master Beast isn’t here anymore. He was on monitor duty. There is no message but where could he have gone?
The answer is to his old friends in need, the X-Men. At the X-mansion, Beast is busy assembling a mnemonic scrambler. Slip this on Jean’s head, he predicts, and she shouldn’t be able to think a coherent thought, much less read minds or throw telekinetic force bolts. Cyclops commends him on his work and Storm silently worries about Scott. Soon, they will have to fight the woman he loves – perhaps to the death. Storm reaches out, but Cyclops gently rebuffs her. He knows she is trying to comfort him, but he cannot give full rein to his feelings right now or he’ll shatter. For Jean’s and the others’ sake, he has to stay strong.
Meanwhile, in the Danger Room, the rest of the team is going through a workout. They quickly dispatch of their mechanical foe, only to find the workout doesn’t really make them feel better. Jean is special to all of them. They wish to save her, but are aware that she trashed them easily before…
The woman on everyone’s mind is returning home, not to the X-mansion, though, but to her parents’ home in Annandale-on-Hudson, a little college hamlet some fifty miles northwest of the X-Mansion.
Dark Phoenix silently enters her parents’ home, taking in all the familiar sights, yet her memories now seem to belong to someone else. Suddenly, lights go on as John Grey comes downstairs, asking who’s there. ‘Would you believe the wicked witch of the west,’ his daughter jokes. John is happy to see her and calls for his wife and Jean’s older sister, Sarah, to come down.
Jean first rushes to embrace her father, but then becomes horribly aware of the fact that her telepathy has grown so sensitive she cannot block out his thoughts anymore. He’s an open book. Nothing is secret or sacred anymore. It is the same with Sarah and Elaine, who both seem happy to see Jean. Nevertheless, Jean can perceive thoughts and feelings they may not even be aware of. Her parents are worried about her but, buried beneath that, on a primal level, she scares them. Jean brushes her mother’s questions off, reacting more and more to the feelings she cannot shut out. She feels Sarah’s primal fear that her two children will be mutants like Jean. And what’s wrong with that? Phoenix decides angrily. After all, she holds the fate of the universe in her hands.
No longer able to help herself, she tells them that they have good reason to fear her. She transforms potted plant into crystal to make her point and threatens that she could do the same to them. Fear tuning to anger, John angrily asks what she is and what she wants from them. Jean cryptically replies that she is what she is and that she once was his daughter. Even while she is hurt by his outburst, Phoenix threatens him.
Suddenly, she notices the fog outside that sprang out of nowhere. She flies outside, realizing that Storm is probably behind that phenomenon. Nevertheless, she cannot spot her or the other X-Men telepathically. Suddenly, Nightcrawler teleports onto her back and fastens the scrambler headband around her brow. She manages to shake him off and screams in pain a second later, as the scrambler goes active. She can barely concentrate but, nevertheless, refuses to give up. The diadem cripples her power but she is still not helpless, as Colossus has to learn when he tries to grab her-
Storm realizes that, evil though Phoenix is, she is still Jean with all her strength and courage. She will not yield. Ororo tries to appeal to Phoenix, who coldly informs her that, while Ororo may be closer to her than her sister, she still won’t hesitate to strike her down and proceeds to do so.
Beast grabs Phoenix next and holds her in place, while worrying that the Phoenix will soon burn out the scrambler. Wolverine jumps at Jean, intending to finish this the only way, he feels, it can be finished, over Beast’s protests. He asks Jean to forgive him as he unsheathes his claws. Tears in her eyes, Jean asks him to do it, to strike while her human part is still in control. Wolverine hesitates for a moment, as the real Jean’s back. The moment passes and Dark Phoenix reasserts herself, telekinetically pushing him away. She tears off the burnt-out scrambler from her brow, gloating that this was an admirable ploy but now it’s finished.
With a gesture, she telekinetically freezes all X-Men and tauntingly asks what she shall do with them. Colossus tries to appeal to her humanity. She assures them that there isn’t any left and asks if he has any last thoughts before final sentence is passed.
Suddenly, Cyclops appears, asking her to stop it. She tells him she was wondering when he would show up. With an evil grin, she adds that she hopes he has come to fight. He came to talk, he replies calmly. She won’t listen, she shoots back. Then she should kill him, he suggests. After all, he cannot stop her. He won’t even try. He urges her to be true to her malefic destiny. If she can. But, he continues, if she cannot, she should ask herself why. She is Dark Phoenix, power incarnate. Nothing can stand against her. Yet the X-Men have defied her and still live. Why?
After some hesitation Phoenix, replies that they aren’t worth killing. Scott calmly insists that there is another answer. She is Dark Phoenix. But she is still Jean Grey. She cannot exorcise that fundamental part of herself. She can’t kill them, because she loves them.
Neither of them notices that an aircraft is closing in, as Dark Phoenix protests almost defensively that she knows nothing of love. Scott comes closer, as he reminds her of all she has done in the name of love. How she died for them, resurrected herself for him, how she almost died again saving the universe. She islove. Can she deny that? Deny herself?
He has reached her and Phoenix is torn. A part of her wants to deny it, another part appeals to Scott telling him that she hungers for a rapture beyond comprehension. That need is a part of her too and it consumes her. It doesn’t have to, Scott assure her, almost touching her.
At that moment, a psibolt hits Phoenix from the back. Xavier has arrived on the scene. Scott shouts at him, while Xavier assures him there was no alternative. Quickly recovering, Phoenix telekinetically tosses Cyclops aside to turn to Xavier, angrily shouting that he has just signed his death warrant. Xavier grimly assures her that he is part responsible for what has happened to her and, though it may cost him her life, he will set it right.
Summoning her power, Phoenix mocks that he almost sounds guilty. As well he should. He unleashed her telepathic power. He set in motion a chain of events that created Phoenix and Dark Phoenix. Now pinkish red, an energy raptor rises around Jean as the telepathic battle between them begins, waged on several planes of existence. The raptor eventually wavers and fades, as Xavier manages to bind Dark Phoenix within an unbreakable network of psionic circuit breakers. As Phoenix collapses, Jean Grey once more, Xavier is aware that he only won because Jean was fighting her Phoenix self and helped him succeed.
Scott runs to Jean’s side, shouting her name. For a moment, he fears she’s dead. What, he wonders, if she is still Dark Phoenix. He’ll love her just the same, he decides. Jean, coming to, smiles and tells him those thoughts sounded a lot like a proposal. They did, Cyclops agrees. So what does she say? She says ‘yes,’ as they kiss. The X-Men and the Greys have, in the meantime, joined the scene. Just as Xavier is about to explain to a disgruntled John Grey what has been happening, there is a flash of energy and the X-Men are gone leaving the Greys with the fear that they may never see Jean again.


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Payback
In the study of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Professor Charles Xavier announces to his opponent, Forge, that his queen is in jeopardy. Forge looks at the chessboard between the two men and realizes that Xavier is correct. However, he believes he can gain the upper hand and moves his knight to his bishop, which is guarding his queen. Xavier moves his queen and declares checkmate. Forge is surprised that he lost and asks Xavier if he used his telepathy to block his awareness. Xavier tells Forge that he knows the answer to that and pushes a panel next to the chessboard, which reveals a hidden psychic dampener that Forge installed.
Forge is surprised that Xavier knew. Xavier tells him that of course he knew and he also knew that he would only need his skill to win. Forge laughs and tells Xavier that, usually, he doesn’t like to lose but, in the best of cases, he can make an exception. Xavier agrees and points out that he can always ask for a rematch. Suddenly, Xavier senses something amiss and turns around as the X-Men enter the room.
Storm uses her powers of lightning to transport a severed Sentinel head to Forge, who once again is surprised. Colossus solemnly tells the two that the Sentinel is a trophy from a battle that has cost them much. Xavier then notices that Colossus is holding the still body of Jean Grey. He asks Storm about what happened and Storm explains that they were attacked by Sentinels at the Hellfire Club. They came through one of Gateway’s portals, chasing the Reaver, Pierce. Another mutant was involved, but he was a stranger, who was not in league with Pierce. In the end, they defeated the Sentinels but the stranger fled and kidnapped the White Queen. However, Jean was killed in the final assault.
Xavier senses that there is no brain activity in Jean, but he still cannot believe that the woman is dead. He is psychically attuned to the X-Men and would have felt her die. He probes further and discovers that there is still a trace of Jean. However, her psyche is displaced. Jean is alive, but not in her body!
Late at night in New York City, Shinobi Shaw sleeps in his bed but is awakened when he hears sounds in his room. He wakes up and sees Fitzroy standing at the foot of his bed with two Sentinels, one holding a severed head. In Fitzroy’s arms is the White Queen. Shinobi cannot recognize the head, but Fitzroy tells him that it is what remains of the “old cyborg.” Shinobi realizes that it is Donald Pierce. The young man tells Fitzroy that it was not necessary to bring the head; he would have taken his word that Pierce was dead. There is no reason for his to drip motor oil on his expensive sheets. Fitzroy explains that he never does anything unnecessarily, but then he moves onto business and tells Shinobi that this means that he has won.
Fitzroy explains that not only has he terminated a member of the Inner Circle or captured a band of Hellions but he has captured the White Queen as a trophy. While Fitzroy gloats, neither he nor Shinobi notices the White Queen stir. However, things are amiss, as the White Queen cracks her eyes and Jean Grey wonders what she has gotten herself into this time! Fitzroy passes the White Queen, inhabited by Jean Grey, to a Sentinel and Fitzroy demands Shinobi’s father’s ring, which will give him leadership of the Upstarts.
Shinobi grins and tells Fitzroy that it will not be that easy. He never agreed to the green-haired man’s version of the game. He will still have to take it. Fitzroy pulls out a knife and tells Shinobi that his Sentinels defeated the X-Men tonight and wonders if Shinobi actually thinks that he has a chance. Fitzroy brings his knife closer and also wonders if the ring has gotten to snug on Shinobi’s finger. Shinobi doesn’t believe that Fitzroy would cut off his finger, but Fitzroy tells him that he would do anything. Shinobi’s scream echoes through the night.
At the mansion, the X-Men gather around Forge, who displays the information he retrieved from the Sentinel onto a monitor. Apparently, the home base is located on an iceberg floating in a field of icebergs. The Sentinels have a homing program that allows them to return to the base from anywhere in the world. However, that part of the circuit was fried when the Sentinel’s head was severed, so he cannot find the data for it. However, they do know the approximate location and they can find it, which means he is going to. Storm tells Forge that she will not interject. Xavier tells his students that he is coming also. Iceman asks the Professor if that is a good idea, but Xavier does not think so. However, he has no choice. With Cerebro, he can find Jean faster than the rest of them. If Jean really transferred her psyche to where he thinks she did, then she may be becoming more attuned to her host. They need to free her before it is too late.
In a hidden base in the Arctic Circle, Fitzroy walks with his servant, Bantam, and three armored henchmen down a corridor. Fitzroy explains to Bantam how he lied to Shinobi about how he defeated the X-Men. In truth, the X-Men only had one casualty. Bantam tells Fitzroy that there will be a next time if he tempers his ambition with patience. Annoyed, Fitzroy reminds Bantam to remember his inferior position before lecturing him.
Suddenly, a portal opens in front of Fitzroy, who is shocked since he did not open it. Two figures in the portal attempt to cross over but, as they do, they merge into one agonizing form and collapse to the floor. Bantam observes this, but Fitzroy points out that they are still alive and of use to him. He grabs the neck of one man and begins to absorb the life essences from the merged figure, noting how he can still sense their distinct life energies, though they are technically one now. Under other circumstance, he could have separated them. Too bad for them, though, that he does not feel like it. Fitzroy turns his faze to Bantam and demands and explanation, as the little man is supposed to prevent his portals from reopening like that.
Bantam apologizes, but Fitzroy grabs him and asks him how he neglected to tell him that this one portal was still open. Bantam explains that his data showed that there was insufficient energy to support the portal. The life energy he used to absorb it should have been expended by now. Fitzroy, angrier than ever, tells Bantam that his calculations are not good enough and throws the man down to the ground. Next time Fitzroy opens a portal into time, he might just use Bantam as the energy source. Bantam rubs his neck and thinks to himself how Fitzroy is a fool. He should be more frugal with his power. One day he will open a portal and who knows what will come out.
The Blackbird reaches the base and, onboard, Xavier tells the team that there is a psychic blockade around the base. He cannot even read Jean’s normal telepathic emanations, though he is certain that, to save herself, Jean transferred her psyche into the White Queen. Forge comments on how Jean wouldn’t like to be there and Xavier agrees, though Jean would not have tried it if Emma Frost were not dead herself. Oddly, though, comments Xavier, he would have felt Emma die just like he would have felt Jean die if she truly died.
Inside, a Sentinel warns Fitzroy, who stands in front of the chained Hellions, that the Blackbird is approaching. Fitzroy disregards it and does not believe that the Hellions would be rescued by anyone, so that shouldn’t interrupt breakfast. The assassin sent after Frost earlier asks him not to refer to humans as breakfast. Fitzroy tells the mysterious woman that attitudes like that are why she will never rise to the top of the Upstarts, like he has. He then grabs Tarot by the neck and begins to absorb her life force. Tarot begs for him to stop, because he is killing her. However, the vampiric Fitzroy tells her that her essence will continue to live inside of him, until he uses the energy to open another portal into time. He then uses her energy with the forces of the two he absorbed earlier to open a portal into time. Three men step out of the portal.
Fitzroy welcomes Kroeger, Stylles and Burke and hopes that they had a pleasant trip. Kroeger tells him that the ride was not pleasant at all, but Burke tells him to be quiet, because now they are free. Fitzroy reminds them of the pact they entered into in exchange for their freedom. Kroeger refuses and tells Fitzroy that he is too much of a child. Kroeger is now free and in charge of himself. If Fitzroy tries to stop him, then he will beat him down like he did last time. Fitzroy grins and tells Kroeger that he has him at a disadvantage and tells him to go through the portal, since it has shifted its point of origin. Kroeger goes through but, as he does, his body is ripped to shreds by temporal energy. Fitzroy explains to Burke and Stylles that his portals are one way. Any attempt to pass through again and the portal will extract the necessary life force to support it.
Fitzroy excuses himself and goes over to the unconscious Emma Frost to “refresh” himself. However, before he can touch her, the woman awakens and tells him that he will not feed on her today. She then uses her telekinesis to escape from the two guards holding her, who are surprised at the telekinetic manifestation. Fitzroy is also confused, as Emma is only a telepath. Fitzroy has not time to wait for answers and decides to discover Frost’s secrets on the autopsy table.
In the Blackbird, Xavier senses Jean and realizes that she is under attack. Storm, Archangel, Colossus and Iceman exit the jet. Storm orders the three men to fall back, since she will need to unleash the fury of nature’s powers to breach the base’s shield. Storm unleashes her lightning and tells Colossus to be ready.
Inside, Jean easily uses her telekinesis to block her attackers, but wonders how long she can keep this up. Fitzroy is still in disbelief over the new power manifestation, but is caught off guard by a tremor. The Sentinel who warned Fitzroy earlier tells him that the jet it mentioned earlier has deployed mutants to attack the facility. Colossus crashes through the ceiling and Fitzroy realizes that the X-Men are here. Archangel grabs Emma and tells Jean that he has her. Jean is relieved that the X-Men know what happened. Iceman and Colossus battle against Fitzroy’s henchmen and Colossus tells Jean that her real body is in cryogenic storage on board the Blackbird.
Fitzroy is terrified and cannot understand how his handpicked mercenaries could be losing. Behind him, Bantam reminds Fitzroy that the Sentinels did try to warn him. Annoyed by the irreverence, Fitzroy kills Bantam by absorbing his life energy as Forge enters the base in a hovercraft. Archangel places Emma Frost into a containment pod aboard the craft for safety purposes, in case it is not the real Jean after all. Archangel reminds Forge that the Professor senses Jean’s psyche in Frost, so they must protect her at all cost.
Elsewhere, Colossus tells Iceman that it was information from a Sentinel which led them to the Arctic Circle base, but he wonders where the other Sentinels are. Iceman looks to his side and tells Colossus that they are joining them now. Fitzroy arrives with his Sentinels and orders them to destroy the X-Men. Forge escapes as Storm arrives. The four X-Men attack the Sentinels and easily destroy them. Again, Fitzroy is shocked, this time to see his advanced Sentinels being destroyed.
The Sentinels may be a failure, but Fitzroy refuses to give up. He returns to the Hellions and drain the life forces from all his captives, while the X-Men are occupied by the Sentinels. As Fitzroy absorbs his last two Hellions, he is amazed at the power inside of him. With all the energy he needs, Fitzroy opens a massive temporal portal. From the portal, an army of mutants from the future emerges and Fitzroy reminds them all about the oath they swore to him. Against the X-Men, there is no hope of survival.
The X-Men battle the mutants. Storm scares some with her lightning, as she tells Fitzroy that it is the second time this day that he has set himself against them. Just as before, he shall not be successful. Archangel is confused, however, and wonders what Fitzroy meant when he called the army “denizens of the future.” Colossus lifts one mutant and throws him. He tells Archangel that there will be time in the future to ask their questions. Right now, they need to lower the number of villains before the X-Men are overwhelmed. Iceman tells Colossus that it won’t be a problem, because, even though the bad guys look tough, they are weak against his ice.
Fitzroy grins once again and tells Iceman that the night is full of surprises. Before he can continue, though, something catches his eye. From the portal behind him, gunfire comes out and destroys the two Sentinels guarding the portal. Three men, all wearing blue and gold uniforms with Xs on them, emerge from the portal, one of whom orders the others to grab the young Fitzroy, because he wants him alive. A large man lifts Fitzroy into the air. Fitzroy does not believe that Bishop is truly there, but the man tells him that it is so and, in case it has slipped his attention, he reminds the man that his game just got a whole lot deadlier.


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[Assistant]
The Boy Who Saw Tomorrow!
Shi’Ar Space:
The uncanny team of X-Men find themselves in dire straights as their ship is attacked! As explosions rock the ship debris begins to fall everywhere.
The “Real” World:
Dressed as Uatu the Watcher, Stan “the Man” Lee watches the events in space unfold through his giant futuristic telescope, situated on top of the Marvel Comics offices in New York City. Stan exclaims to the readers that he loves explosions, mostly because no dialogue is needed. Stan looks back into his telescope and thinks he has found Zenn-La, the lost home of the Silver Surfer, but realizes that it was just a speck of dust on the lens. Stan gets off his telescope and tells the fans to follow him inside, as he has a real treat for them inside the “hallowed halls of Marvel.”
Stan enters a room filled with giant monuments to various Marvel heroes, including Black Bolt, Hulk, Namor, Vision, Captain America, Spider-Woman, Spider-Man, Daredevil and the Black Cat. As he walks by the Hall of Statues, he hopes the fans recognize every last one of them, or else he’ll have to send them to the Competition. As he looks at the massive Hulk statue, he thinks that the sculptor was a bit carried away. He then passes by some men working on redesigning the Fantastic Four statues, though it is hard as they are always changing. Then again, even Superman changes his costume now and then.
Stan then arrives at the statue for Professor Charles Xavier, who started this all alongside him and Jack Kirby of course. This guy proved that being bald can be beautiful. Stan then reveals statues of the original X-Men of the 1960s, and then Havok and Polaris of the late 60’s. Stan then passes by Nightcrawler, Colossus, Longshot, Storm, Bishop, Rogue and Gambit and comments that the hardest part is remembering all the names. Stan then proposes a pop quiz, asking who can tell him when Xavier first got his new hovering wheelchair, as he has missed a few issues and needs to catch up! However, if fans think they know the true origin of the X-Men, then he has a few surprises for them.
The Past; Annandale-on-Hudson, New York:
In a quiet house in a college town, a happy family lives and recalls the troubles of the last few months that finally came to an end. Professor John Grey checks up on his daughter, Jean, a vibrant 11-year old that is still awake. Jean smile and tells her dad that he caught her. She was saying prayers and was a bit carried away about Professor Xavier. After the problems with her head and Annie’s death, she feels that Xavier helped a lot.
John begins to tuck Jean in bed and doesn’t argue with that, but suddenly Jean points to the window and sees a shooting star. She takes it as a signal that she was right about Xavier making her better. John says that it is hard to say because, to him, Jean was always perfect. Jean laughs and points out that her father always says that. John says that he does that because it is true, and then tells Jean to sleep because tomorrow she is going back to school for the first time in a while.
As Jean falls asleep, John thinks to himself that, after Jean witnessed the death of her best friend Annie, it was as if Jean’s heart died as well. All the specialists said that it was hopeless, but Xavier didn’t agree. It was as if Xavier literally pulled Jean out of her own mind and brought her back, but whatever Xavier did it is something John can never repay him with. John then turns off the light and leaves.
The Past; South Dakota:
Meanwhile, the “shooting star” that Jean saw lands in a large barn full of machinery and gizmos. It is far from the sign of hope that Jean thought it was. The anomaly, which made its way through space and time, is actually a human. It opens up and a woman falls through, who exclaims how the one thing she hates about time traveling is the landing. There was a time this woman belonged in the twentieth century and she had a family, but those days haven’t happened yet, though they are a past for her. Now she is at home two thousand years in the future. Rachel Summers, however, cannot help but feel that this is home. However, she is not happy about being here.
Rachel pulls down the hood from her cloak and examines the area. When she followed whoever she was following through time, she had no clue where they were going, but judging from the structure and condition of the wood it seems that she is in the latter half of the twentieth century. She then calls upon the power of the Phoenix to illuminate the room, but immediately regrets the decision. Light fills up the room and Rachel is witness to a giant machine that in the future will be known as Master Mold! Horrified, everything makes sense to Rachel. She knows why her target came to this place and time and she knows more than ever that the target must be stopped!
Nearby:
A young man has horrible visions of the future and relates them to an unknown companion. The young man sees a dark and threatening future with people different from them. They are deadly. He sees visions of the X-Men, though he does not know who they are, and realizes that they are trying to help them all, but then he sees another group who wishes to destroy. He sees a woman in a golden mask holding a human, a politician of some sort, hostage and wishes to kill him. This human can make a difference.
As his visions fade, the man falls asleep on the cot he is strapped to by his father, Bolivar Trask. Trask speaks to his son, who he knows can hear him and tells him that he needs to calm as it is only a vision and not real. He asks Lawrence to follow his voice him. As the boy begins to calm, Bolivar thinks to himself that while it is a vision to him, to Lawrence it is real. Right now the only thing that stops the constant barrage of chronal fragments in his mind is an amulet on his neck. He knows Lawrence will wake up with no memory of his incident, which means Bolivar alone will carry the burden of his son’s mutation. After what happened to his wife and daughter, Bolivar wonders if he is to blame. If only he believed Lawrence when he predicted his mother’s death, then she might still be alive.
Bolivar carries Lawrence to a chair and thinks about how since his children expressed that they were different he has been trying to protect them, but from what? Despite his efforts, he failed his wife, and his daughter, Tanya, too. He looks a photograph of his family and laments about the past.
As Rachel sneaks in and watches, Bolivar wonders about mankind’s fate. All his studies, and Lawrence’s visions, have shown that people with abilities are the next step in evolution. Lawrence wakes up, but Bolivar tells his son he should rest. Lawrence realizes that he passed out again. Bolivar helps his son up and admits that he did pass out again, probably from all the hard work. He then thinks to himself about how he hates lying to Lawrence about his condition and what really happens when he passes out. Bolivar then asks his son where he is going as he needs rest, but Lawrence replies that he needs to pull his weight around there, since he is a burden and is always pulling his dad away from his work.
Bolivar motions to the many robotic pieces around the room and claims that it is their work together. These “Sentinels” may be humanity’s last stand against a natural corruption of the gene pool. Can Lawrence imagine a world where people with abilities couldn’t control their powers? While the rest of the world sleeps, they are preparing for the day when the government acknowledges the need for Sentinels. Lawrence tells his father that soon the world will understand. Rachel thinks to herself that the time will be sooner than they think. Bolivar tells his son that this is why he needs a good nights sleep. They are meeting with Special Agent Gyrich the next day, which will take them one step closer to getting the official support they need to win this genetic civil war.
Lawrence leaves and heads back to the main house. Rachel watches him go, using her powers to make herself unnoticed by the man who walks right past her. Rachel knows why her target came there and understands it, for Bolivar and Lawrence will cause untold suffering to both mutants and humans. She ponders how easily she could use the Phoenix Force to rearrange Lawrence’s thoughts to make him less eager to stop mutant kind, which would prevent a thousand unrealized tragedies. However, no one knows better than her the damage that is done when time is altered. The past is not a canvas to be repainted.
Suddenly, a voice in Rachel’s head asks her if this is her reasoning to explain her coward nature. Rachel realizes that she was correct in thinking her target was there, but is suddenly attacked by another woman, who unleashes raw psionic energy at her. Rachel is thrown back, as the other woman asks Rachel to admit why she doesn’t take destiny into her own hands. It is because she is weak!
The enraged woman tells Rachel that she shouldn’t have followed her here. Then again, from the moment Rachel found her near-mindless body in the time stream, after spending years there when her untrained mutant powers went out of control, Rachel knew this would ultimately happen. However, she cannot sit and watch these two great men destroy a world through their genius and zeal. This is why she has returned to the eve of destruction so she can stop them from unleashing a fire which will destroy them all.
Rachel, calling her companion Sanctity, reminds her that they have gone over this before. She knows what kind of damage can happen when one time. When they found each other in the time stream and bonded, she was all but insane. She knows how wrong this is. Sanctity uses her powers to uplift the earth beneath Rachel and restrains her with it. She tells Rachel not to tell her about being wrong. What Apocalypse is doing in their future is wrong. The fact that humanity waited so long for The Twelve, and was disappointed by them, was wrong. Even now in their time Rachel is gathering a sisterhood to prepare for the coming of a mythological being called the Askani’son! That is wrong!
Rachel displays the Phoenix raptor and breaks free. She tells Sanctity that she understands her pain, just as much as Sanctity must understand that Rachel cannot let her do this. Rachel attacks Sanctity, but discovers that the woman before her was nothing more than a psionic ghost, while the real Sanctity was moving closer to her target.
Trask’s Lab:
Bolivar examines his machinery as Sanctity watches him from the shadows quietly. However, Bolivar realizes she is there and tells her to come out of the shadows. He has spent every waking hour in his lab for years, and he knows when someone is in it. He knew it was only a matter of time before mutants would learn of his work and try to stop him. He asks Sanctity to step into the light and she complies, but he is shocked to see who she is. Sanctity says hello to her father as she begins to cry. Bolivar, shocked, asks Tanya how this is possible. The father and daughter embrace and Tanya asks her father to remember when she first started manifesting her power and would phase out of synch with time. Each time it happened, it was longer and longer. Eventually, a friend, another mutant, pulled her to “shore” in the far future. Bolivar tells Tanya that she is home now and that is most important. “Home?” questions Tanya.
Tanya pulls away from her father and tells him that her time there is short, for the strain on time traveling is taking a toll on her. She came to convince him and Lawrence not to go through with their Sentinel plan. She knows they are trying to do the right thing, but he must believe her when she says that this will only end in madness and death. Suddenly, Tanya notices that her father is non-responsive and distant.
Rachel arrives and tells Sanctity that her father cannot hear her, just as Rachel will ensure that he will have no memory of any of this. Tanya tells Rachel that everything she learned about her psionic and chronal powers she learned from Rachel. Rachel knows that Sanctity cannot beat her in a fair fight. She supposes a ‘please’ won’t help. Rachel asks Sanctity what she was thinking. She must have known Rachel would follow her in the time stream? What was she hoping to gain? Sanctity is not sure – perhaps peace of mind knowing that she at least tried? Maybe she wanted to see her family one last time.
Outside:
In the courtyard, Lawrence heads back to his father’s lab, but stumbles upon the remains of the battle that Rachel and Sanctity had. Even though Rachel used her powers to hide their battle from his senses, she had no time to clean up the physical aftermath. Angered, Lawrence realizes his father was correct about mutated humans.
Trask’s Lab:
Rachel puts Trask to sleep and then tells Sanctity that they have to go, for they don’t know how much damage has been done to the time stream yet. Tanya realizes that Rachel is right, but asks for a moment to say goodbye. Even if he doesn’t remember? asks Rachel. Perhaps not in his mind, says Tanya, but in his heart. Tanya bends down by her father and tells him that no matter what happens, somewhere and some-when, his daughter loves him.
Rachel begins to use her powers to bring them back to the future, but she hides her thoughts from Sanctity. She is relieved that she was able to avert today’s tragedy, but the first daughter of the X-Men, who will eventually become the Mother Askani and ultimately betrayed by her friend, Mother Sanctity, cannot help but think that she missed something today in Tanya’s actions.
Lawrence rushes in and sees his father on the ground waking up. Bolivar realizes that he must have passed out, but he is fine. Lawrence tends to his father and tells him that they are a long way from fine. In the courtyard is proof of his theory of the unseen threat. Something strange has happened of enormous importance.
As the two recoup, no one realizes that Sanctity was successful this day. Somewhere in the deep darkness, she has planted the seeds of hope, for Bolivar and Lawrence don’t realize that their computers are installing a new program into Master Mold, called “The XII” and then immediately deletes all reference to it, leaving the data lost in the mind of the mighty Sentinel.
The “Real” World:
Stan Lee calls a wrap for the story and hopes that the readers paid attention to all the details. There might be a surprise quiz. They didn’t do all this research for their health. He has to go now, as there are more flashback issues for him to mess up. If people wonder why he has been working hard lately, it is mostly because the pay isn’t great, but the perks are. Where else can he dress up like the Watcher? Now he must go, for mutants are born every day and he has to sign them up before the Distinguished Competition gets to them first!


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Thresholds
The New York City branch of Stark-Fujikawa, where inside one lab, Doctor Beynon goes about his work. A small flying robot approaches him and asks ‘How goes it?’ Dr Beynon replies ‘Hadley, my friend…  you may just be a robot, but since I built you myself, I’m more than confident that you can see for yourself the glee on my face… after months and months of hard work… my miniaturizer is almost complete’. Hadley agrees that it has been months, to which Dr Beynon asks what difference it makes - for as soon as they take this public, it will all be worth it. ‘All the pain, all the ridicule from my fellow scientists… it truly is a thing of beauty, isn’t it?’ he declares, looking at the large construction he has built.
Suddenly: ‘Hey, Bradley -’ a voice calls out, and as a hand touches Dr Beynon’s shoulder, he shouts in fright. ‘Whoa… hey, take it easy… no harm, no foul… it’s just me… need to be so jumpy’ another man tells Dr Beynon. ‘Oh… Fred… what do you want?’ Dr Beynon asks. Fred informs Bradley that a few of them are headed down to Pier Four to check out the Richards press conference, and asks Bradley if he is interested in joining them. Bradley Beynon scowls, and thinks to himself, ‘Reed Richards… that hack? What a freakin’ joke! Another self-serving photo op with the darling of the scientific community… while real scientists like me toil away in obscurity. Mighty as well see what the delicate genius will “honor” us with this week’, and he tells Fred that he will go.
Shortly, at Pier Four, Reed Richards a.k.a. Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four stands on a podium, while Sue Storm-Richards a.k.a. the Invisible Woman sits alongside some military official and others in suits. Bradley and Fred sit a few rows back from the podium, while reporters and camera crews are positioned strategically in the area. An object sits on a small able, covered by a cloth.
Reed greets the audience, and the members of the press, thanking them for joining him on this beautiful summer day. ‘I don’t think we could’ve asked for better weather’ he remarks, before introducing himself and claiming that normally he would not abide all this pomp and circumstance, but that he feels it is important to demonstrate to the youth of this world that science is an integral part of a healthy and ever-growing society. Reed continues, stating that they need to do everything possible to encourage the next generation of scientists, and explains that it is in that spirit that he is here to make what ha hopes will be a worthwhile contribution to their country’s space program.
Dr Beynon looks at Fred and frowns, while mocking Reed, ‘Like we don’t know who he is! What a blowhard -’ Dr Beynon whispers, before Fred asks ‘What are you mumbling about, Bradley?’ Bradley tells Fred to look around at all this fanfare: ‘For what? So he can grace us with his “brilliance”?’ Fred points out that Professor Richards is one of the top scientific minds on Earth. ‘When he unveils a new invention… it’s news!’
But Bradley tells Fred not to make him laugh, before Reed smiles and removes the cloth, revealing his newest invention: ‘Something I came up with one afternoon while I was experimenting with random particles…a portable hand-held miniaturizer!’ ‘Wha -? Did he say… “miniaturizer”…?’ Dr Beynon gasps.
Reed holds the miniaturizer towards a cameraman’s camera and explains that unlike Dr Henry Pym’s breakthrough in size-changing molecules, this device only works in inanimate, non-organic objects. He reveals that the benefits of carrying oversized cargo during space travel by miniaturizing it seemed obvious. ’Hey! My camera!’ the cameraman exclaims as the miniaturizer’s rays strike it. ’Don’t worry. This device can reverse the process as well’ Reed announces.
The crowd claps, while Dr Beynon shakes his fist and wonders why he never thought of reversing the process. ’Professor Richards! Care to explain where you stole the idea for your “invention”?’ Dr Beynon shouts.
The cameraman looks at his shrunken camera, while a military general shakes Reed’s hand and thanks him on behalf of NASA and the US government. ‘I accept your generous donation to the space program… and I thank you’ he adds. Reed tells the general that it is his pleasure - anything to keep the program on track. ‘Just watch out for those cosmic rays’ the Invisible Woman jokes.
‘I know you hear me, Richards! ‘Fess up!’ Dr Beynon shouts, while police officers move in behind him. ‘You’ve got a spy at Stark-Fujikaka, don’tcha!?’ he calls out, while the officers drag him away for making a scene. ‘Time to go, pal’ one of them mutters. ‘This isn’t over, Richards!’ Dr Beynon shouts. ‘By the time I’m done with you, you’ll wish you’d never heard of Doctor Bradley Beynon’. ‘Him and me both, fella’ one of the officers mutters.
Meanwhile, at the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning, Salem Center, New York, where two of the X-Men - Dr Cecilia Reyes and Dr Henry McCoy a.k.a. the Beast, are playing a game of chess. ‘Well, bless my stars and garters… look at that… checkmate’ the Beast exclaims as he moves a piece on the chessboard. When Reyes doesn’t respond, he calls out ‘Hello? Anybody home?’ Cecilia looks up, ‘Huh? You say something?’ she asks. Hank tells her that he did, and informs her that she has been summarily trounced, when he said “checkmate” - despite this being part of chess etiquette, he is, in a sense, rubbing her nose in his victory. Hank adds that the Cecilia Reyes he knows would not let that go without some kind of reactionary retort. ‘So, what’s up, Doc? I’m the only one who’s supposed to be blue around here’ Hank points out.
Glancing out the window, Reyes replies that she is not in the mood for verbal sparring. ‘Don’t tell me that…’ the Beast begins, to which Cecilia explains that she is bored. She adds that she doesn’t mind downtime, before asking if this is what they do when they are not out protecting a world that hates and fears them? ‘Being cooped up all the time -’ she begins, to which the Beast smiles and holds up two tickets, ‘Nice summation, Doc. But have no fear… there’s more to this Beast than his mutant gift of bounding brilliance’. He explains that the tickets are for this Friday’s performance of “LA Bludgeon” at the MET. Reyes smiles and tells Hank that she is and enquires as to whether he is asking her out. Hank whistles and looks away, ‘Huh? You say something?’ he jokes. ‘Just admit it… you’re asking me out…’ Cecilia insists, but Hank replies that he admits nothing. ‘If you’ve seen this particular opera -’ he starts, but Cecilia tells him that she just wants to hear him say it.
They are unaware that their teammate Ororo “Storm” Munroe is watching them. ‘Apparently, the dance continues’ she thinks to herself, deciding against interfering. She walks into another recreation area, where Wolverine a.k.a. Logan smokes a cigar and sits on a sofa, as Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie exclaims ‘Ah just don’t know about this, Logan’. ‘What’s ta know, farm boy? Yer going. End of story’ Wolverine declares. Sam replies that, to put it bluntly, he is not exactly a card shark.
‘What is going on here?’ Storm enquires. Wolverine tells Ororo that Cannonball has cold feet. ‘About to kick him up into the major leagues… and he’s dragging his heels’ Wolverine explains. ‘Ororo… thank goodness, a voice of reason!’ Sam smiles. ‘Logan’s trying to rope me in as a fourth for some poker game Friday night’. Ororo replies that it sounds innocent enough, and asks what the argument is about. ‘Ain’t no argument at all, darling. He’s going’ Wolverine remarks. Sam throws his hands into the air and declares that he isn’t any good at poker, and that he doesn’t feel like embarrassing himself in front of strangers. Wolverine tells him that these guys aren’t strangers, that Sam has known ‘em for years, but that one of them cheats. ‘You’re gonna be a pair of honest eyeballs’.
Storm remarks that this definitely sounds like something she does not want to involve herself in, and turns to leave. ‘But you’re team leader! Can’t you just ground me or something?’ Sam pleads. Ororo offers an ancient African mantra, instead: “You’ve got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them”. ‘Hey! That’s a song!’ Sam exclaims.
Later, at Stark-Fujikawa, Dr Beynon is in his lab. Hadley the robot hovers beside him as he prepares to demonstrate the miniaturizer. He tells the officials standing nearby that this is the demonstration they have been waiting for. ‘Get your microscopes ready. As promised, my miniaturizer will now shrink down an object to a probable sub-atomic size. The object in question? This plastic toy truck’. Hadley asks why it was not a real truck, to which Dr Beynon mutters ‘Budgetary concerns”, before one of the officials tells him that is enough. ‘Pardon me?’ Dr Beynon asks. ‘How dare you, Sir? We have a distinguished reputation here at Stark-Fujikawa… and we didn’t earn that reputation by resorting to chicanery…or outright theft!’ the official declares. ‘Theft?’ Dr Beynon asks, wide-eyed. The official points out that Reed Richards just patented a miniaturizer very much like this one. ‘You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?’ he asks. ‘Y-you’re not suggesting…’ Dr Beynon utters. ‘Uh-oh’ Hadley remarks. ‘You have got to be kidding me! My idea… stolen from that bum, Richards? ARGH!’ he shouts. ‘Tantrum alert pardon me…’ Hadley utters as he flies away from Dr Beynon.
The official looks unimpressed and tells Bradley to get a grip on himself, and announces that he should consider his employment here officially terminated. ‘Sell your stolen ideas to a corporation more gullible than Stark-Fujikawa!’ he suggests, before turning to leave with the other officials and bidding Bradley a good day. ‘Oh, you can count on that, you short-sighted pencil-pushers! All of you - Richards included - are gonna pay for this!’ Bradley shouts, shaking his fist.
Later that night: ‘What floor are we on?’ Hadley asks deep inside Stark-Fujikawa. Bradley tells his robot to shush, before realizing that this is not the right floor, that they are lost. ‘Very observant’ the robot remarks, while Bradley shines his torch about, and remarks that he has never seen this part of the building. His torch shines over a sign that says “no admittance”, and decides ‘We’ll see about that’ as he picks the computerized lock, and the door swings open. ‘Whoa!’ Bradley exclaims when he sees some sort of storage room filled with equipment, weapons and armor. Hadley suggests to Bradley that they just retrieve his miniaturizer before they are found sneaking around. ‘I have a suspicion that you would hate prison’ Hadley adds. ‘In a minute’ Bradley declares, he tells his robot to calm down, pointing out that he bypassed the building’s security. ‘Lotta stuff in here…weird stuff’ Bradley announces. Searching through the storage room, Bradley comments on the dust, and supposes that Stark had this stuff in storage for years before Fujikawa took over the company. ‘Y’know…i f we’re seriously going to take on Richards - Mister Fantastic himself - some of this stuff may prove useful’ he decides, as he shines his torch on some strange armor and announces that he has come up with a brilliant plan.
Pier Four, West Side Highway, a few days later - Friday night, to be exact. ‘Doing a little redecorating, guys?’ Johnny Storm a.k.a. the Human Torch asks as he flies into a lab, where Ben Grimm a.k.a. the Thing is holding up a very large piece of equipment, while Reed, dressed in a suit, has extended one arm under it, tinkering with part of the equipment. Susan is dressed in an evening gown and holds her son, Franklin, up on an invisible field. ‘Careful now, Ben’ Reed tells his friend, reminding him that the ceilings in here are lower than they were at the Baxter Building. He asks him not to bump that power core module as he moves it. ‘And remember to place it upright in its housing. You’ll hear a click when it’s in place -’ Reed begins, before the Thing interrupts him: ‘Hey, who’s doing who a favor here? I’m the ever-lovin’ Thing, not yer ever-lovin’ house-keeper!’ He knows where it goes, and how it goes there. ‘You’re not making me babysit tonight, are ya? Not that I don’t love the little terror, but I got some plans of my own… and they don’t involve wearing a monkey suit to the MET!’ Ben declares.
‘Yeah! Higher, Mommy!’ Franklin exclaims. Susan tells Reed that they need to get going, as she doesn’t want to miss the first act of “LA Bludgeon”. ‘Of course, Sue’ Reed replies, before assuring Ben that he is off the hook tonight. ‘That’s right, Uncle Grumpy’ Sue adds, announcing that they are taking Franklin to a friend’s house on the way to the opera. ‘So you can breathe easy… this time’. Franklin quotes his mother, “Uncle Grumpy”, and tells her that she is funny. ‘Yeah… yer hysterical, Mom’ Ben mutters, before telling Reed and Sue to have fun at their little shindig. ‘Me and Johnny are gonna have us a swell time…’ he grins.
‘We are? What’s this “we” business?’ Johnny asks as Reed and Sue leave. Seeing Ben put the power core module on the ground, he asks him if he isn’t supposed to put that in the other room. ‘Shuddup’ the Thing mutters. ‘Like I said, I got plans. And you happen to be a major component… and turn down the thermostat, wouldja? Yer bakin’ me’. Johnny switches back to human form, as the Thing tells him ‘Poker, kid… I’m talking about poker. A game that separates the men from the boys’. ‘Oh yeah? Which one are you?’ Johnny asks. ‘Watch it, kid! The mouth on you -’ Ben begins, to which Johnny tells him ‘Peace, brother. Let’s not get agitated’. Ben declares that this is important. ‘So’s my date tonight, Uncle Grumpy’ Johnny announces. ‘And I’m gonna cancel it for you? Forget it! Find yourself another chump -’ Johnny begins, until Ben points a finger at his teammate and tells him to call his chippie and tell her “sorry, babe, can’t make it tonight”. ‘Because tonight… you are the chump’. Johnny sighs, and folds his arms ‘I guess I’m the chump’ he mutters. ‘you betcha. Now, c’mon… we gotta get ready… he’s gonna be here any minute now’ the Thing declares, as a motorcycle pulls up outside on Pier Four.
Soon, Ben sits it a round table, blue, poker chips stacked up before him as he shuffles a deck of playing cards. ‘Nothing like the sound of a deck shuffling… now where is that yancy-lovin’ yo-yo?’ Ben remarks. ‘Right here, Rocky…’ a voice calls out. ‘Ahoy, land-lubbers… look what just washed in…?’ Ben remarks as Wolverine and Cannonball stand in the doorway to the room. ‘You been duckin’ me, Grimm’ Logan smiles, reminding him that they were supposed to get this over with a year ago. ‘And you got the nerve to skip town on me?’ Logan points out. ‘Blame yer buddy, Onslaught, pally…’ Ben replies. He states that the past is the past, and the time is now. ‘The game is five-card stud. And Logan’s brought a friend’.
‘Eloquent as ever…’ Johnny remarks as he enters the room. Logan tells Ben that he will need another chair, before telling Johnny and Sam to get their introductions out of the way so they can get on with this. ‘Hey, Johnny, good to see you…’ Sam says as he shakes Johnny’s hand. ‘You, too… Guthrie, right?’ Johnny replies. ‘You got it. Call me Sam’ Sam smiles.
‘You don’t trust me?’ Ben asks Logan quietly. ‘Where’d you get that? Just figured I’d even the odds’ Logan replies. ‘Hey! You didn’t know I was bringing the hotshot -’ Ben points out. Logan smiles and asks his old friend who he is trying to kid. ‘I know you…’ he reminds him. ‘So, be honest. The hayseed’s a ringer?’ Ben asks. ‘Guess you’ll just have to find out. Scared?’ Logan asks. ’Who, me? You ain’t exactly Galactus, y’know’ Ben points out.
Johnny and Sam eye each other up. ’Oh, brother. First time?’ Johnny asks Sam, who replies ’Uhh…yeah’. Johnny assures him that it is his, too, and adds that he thinks they are just here to make the other two look good. ’Really? Oh, boy’ Sam utters. Logan lights a cigar and tells the kids to stop gabbing and to deal the cards.
Meanwhile, at the Metropolitan Opera House: ‘Some turnout, eh, Doc?’ the Beast tells Reyes, who is dressed up in a red dress, while the Beast wears a suit. Reyes replies that it feels weird, like everyone is looking at her. ‘Ummm… I think they’re looking at me’ the Beast points out. ‘No, I’m serious, it’s been awhile since I’ve been out like this. I feel like everybody’s staring at me… like they know what I am…’ Reyes explains, asking Hank if he feels this way every time he goes out, she asks him how he can stand it. ‘You get used to it’ Hank smiles. ‘Whatever’ Reyes mutters, before Hank suggests dinner after the show - ‘Perhaps the Rainbow Room -’ he begins, before Reyes tells him to keep on his best behavior. ‘Moi? Always’ Hank declares, when suddenly, someone in the crowd announces that a limo has just pulled up.
‘Quit shoving!’ someone exclaims as everyone tries to get a look at the limousine. ’Huh… what’s all the commotion about?’ the Beast wonders. ‘Well, I never!’ someone declares. ‘Get a picture!’ someone else shouts. ‘Omigod, McCoy, do you see who that is?’ Cecilia remarks, staring that it is Reed and Sue Richards in person.
‘Look this way, Professor Richards!’ a photographer calls out. ‘Sue! Over here!’ another shouts, while a third asks ‘Let’s see that dress’. As the camera flashes flutter around them, Reed smiles and remarks that this isn’t exactly turning out to be a quiet night at the opera. ‘Just keep smiling, dear. You know how this works’ Sue smiles back. ‘True’ Reed admits, adding that he supposes it is safe to say this is probably the worst they will have to deal with tonight.
Backstage, opera performers are getting into costume, having their makeup done and warming up their voices. ‘Places, people! Places! We’ve only got five till curtain!’ a man holding a clipboard calls out as he walks around. ‘Quit squirming! Lemme get this thing on your head’ a costumer tells one of the actresses.
‘Perfect…’ Dr Beynon thinks to himself as he enters through one of the backdoors. ‘No one’s even looking in this direction’. He looks around for a nice, secluded spot, and sees a broom closet. “LA Bludgeon” he thinks to himself. ‘Feh! What an innocuous opera! These half-wit performers make me sick!’
Bradley turns the light in the broom closet on, and puts his equipment down. ‘Richards is out there, innocently thinking he’s about to enjoy a pleasant evening! Wait until he gets a load of the surprise I’ve brought for him!’
Back at Pier Four, Ben and Logan have cigars hanging out of their mouths, and each man holds his cards close. ‘Surprise, surprise, surprise. Gomer here can hold his cards… knows how to bet… knows not to call… I’m impressed’ Ben declares, looking at Sam. ‘Man… those cigars, fellas. I’m the Human Torch and you’re smoking me out’ Johnny remarks, while Sam reveals that he did play “Go Fish” with his dad. ‘But, be that as it may… ummm… Ah’m not exactly sure what I’ve got here’ he admits. Ben tells Sam not to sweat it, ‘Yer just filling space here, anyway’ he adds, while Johnny looks at his cards intently. ‘Oh’ I’m not even gonna touch that one…’ he remarks, while Logan tells Ben to leave Sam alone. ‘I told ya…he’s just here to make sure you ain’t hiding an ace in yer cracks…and since no one’s pulled ahead in this game… I might as well get serious’ Logan announces, smiling, he tells Ben that he will raise him. ‘Yer playing my song, “Bub”…’ Ben replies as more poker chips are tossed into the center.
At the Met, the performers are on stage singing, while up in the balcony seating, Cecilia informs Hank that the Richardses are sitting right across from them. ‘Okay, okay… I see them! I know Reed, alright?’ the Beast replies, assuring Cecilia that he will introduce her during the intermission. He asks her to shush, as he is trying to listen to the lyrics. ‘But they’re not even singing in English’ Cecilia points out.
Reed and Sue smile as they listen to the operate below them.
While, back in the closet: ‘Oh, I know you’re sitting out there with your beautiful wife and your beautiful life… but tonight, all of that’ll be a distant memory! The only thing you will remember…is that the better scientist came out on top!’ He removes his jacket, sweat pours down his face, as he uncovers the equipment he brought with him - a machine with “fear”, “doubt” and “hate” written on it. He examines the machine and thinks that once he figures out what the knobs do, then they will see some action. ‘That’s right…let’s try this one’ he tells himself, while fiddling with a button.
On stage, one of the female performers suddenly marches towards one of the men, ‘God, I hate this passage!’ she exclaims. ‘You shut it, fatso!’ she declares, shoving her elbow into the man’s back, causing him to stop singing and fall forward. ‘What in the world?’ Reed wonders, standing up on the balcony. ‘Hey!’ someone calls out, rushing from behind the curtain on stage. ‘Shut your piehole!’ the female performer snaps as she continues to punch the male performer. ‘Reed…what’s happening to them?’ Sue asks.
Across the theater room, the Beast and Reyes look equally shocked, and Beast declares that he doesn’t think this is part of the performance. ‘Sure it is… if you’re watching the Jerry Springer show!’ Reyes jokes, while more of the performers start punching each other.
Backstage, Dr Beynon sighs, and starts to press other buttons on the machine, unsure if it is working or not. ‘Ah well, no matter…I’ve got plenty of time’ he decides, before recalling that his prearranged diversion at Pier Four should be happening right about now.
‘Awww, no!’ the Thing complains. ‘You gotta be kidding me!’ he mutters, as he stares wide-eyed across the poker table. Wolverine is equally surprised: ‘I’m seeing the same thing you are, Bub… and I don’t believe it, either’. Johnny smirks, and Sam sits, puzzled, ‘Huh? Oh… Ah guess I do have all of the chips, don’t I?’ he remarks, casually, before asking ‘How’d that happen?’ Wolverine asks Sam why he gets the feeling that he just hustled them, to which the Thing exclaims ‘Oh, right, like you guys didn’t have this planned from the start?’ Sam smiles and assures them all that he didn’t hustle anyone. ‘Guess it just goes to show ya…never underestimate a Kentucky native’, before asking if it is his turn to deal. ‘The Hayseed’s getting cocky now’ the Thing mumbles, while Johnny lights a cigar using his finger, and remarks ‘Guess it’s not always age before beauty, is it?’
The Thing complains that this is the greatest example of beginner’s luck he has ever seen, to which Sam says that he can’t disagree there, before announcing that he is feeling luckier by the minute. Suddenly, though, a figure looms up behind the table, ‘Deal me in!’ a large green and silver armored being declares as he smashes his fist down on the table, splitting it in two. ‘Hey!’ the Thing exclaims. ‘What the flamin’ -’ Wolverine begins, as the new arrival excuses himself and announces that he will get right to maiming. He grabs Wolverine and Cannonball and knocks them aside.
Wolverine pops his claws and remarks ‘Pretty polite for a party crasher’, while Johnny recognizes the intruder as the Psycho-Man. ‘Oh, you wanna see psycho? Watch this!’ Wolverine snarls as he starts slicing the intruder with his claws. Johnny wonders how the Psycho-Man escaped from the Microverse, to which the Psycho-Man replies ‘Err… none of your business’. ‘Well, in that case… flame on!’ Johnny shouts, switching to his Human Torch form. He tales flight, hovering over the others, he tells the Thing that something is fishy about this Psycho-Man. The Thing agrees, and wonders what the story is here.
‘HA!’ Wolverine shouts as his fist strikes the Psycho-Man’s face. ‘Didn’t hurt! Didn’t hurt!’ the robotic-sounding voice of the Psycho-Man calls back. ‘Oh yeah? C’mon over here and say that!’ the Thing calls out. ‘you want him, Mister Grimm? You got him!’ Cannonball shouts as he blasts straight into the Psycho-Man, dropping him off in front of the Thing. ‘Nice trajectory change, Guthrie’ the Thing remarks as Cannonball suddenly turns in his flight, while the Thing raises an arm and declares ‘As for you - do I have to say it? It’s clobberin’ time!’ and his fist connects with the Psycho-Man, sending him flailing through the air.
Back at the MET, Dr Beynon shakes the device and wonders what the matter with it is, as he is pressed every button, and still nothing. ‘Is it even working at all?’ he asks, while the chaos on the stage has spread to the audience, who start attacking each other - throwing chairs and pulling curtains.
Reed looks down at the drama and remarks that it has turned into a full-fledged riot. ‘It’s time for us to act!’ he tells Sue, who rubs her head and tells her husband that she is feeling a little strange.
Across the theater, Reyes is also clutching her head, ‘I can’t believe… this is my life now…’ she mumbles. The Beast is slumped against the balcony and tells Cecilia that he can’t put a coherent thought together. ‘Not smart enough…I can’t even recall Einstein’s theory…’.
Reed pulls something out of his jacket pocket and announces that he is getting Ben and Johnny down here to help. ‘Luckily, I always come prepared for this type of eventuality’ he points out, as he extends an arm, reaching out of the theater, past the lobby and outdoors, where he fires the device into the air.
At Pier Four, the strange Psycho-Man lies motionless on the floor with the men standing over him. ‘Huh. Whaddaya know? Blasted thing’s a robot’ Ben remarks, rubbing the back of his head, he adds that he knew that this was not the genuine article. ‘Now the only question is…why?’ Wolverine asks.
The Human Torch motions out a window where a large number 4 can be seen in the sky. ‘I think we may find the answer, check it out…the Fantastic Four signal flare! Coincidence? I think not…’. Cannonball suggests that they get over there, and blasts out an open window. ‘I like the way you think, Sam’ the Human Torch calls out.
The Thing tells the younger men to go ahead, and he and Wolverine will catch up in the Fantasti-Car. As they rush out to the vehicle, Wolverine tells the Thing to take his fancy flying car, as he has his own transportation. ‘Suit yourself, shorty…we’ll see who gets there first!’ the Thing calls back. ‘Is that another wager?’ Logan asks. ‘By the way, you guys don’t have your own signal flare, do ya?’ the Thing enquires. ‘No…and we’re really hurting because of it…’ Wolverine replies sarcastically.
Back at the MET, Reed cries out in agony as Sue latches an invisible jagged-toothed clamp onto her husband’s shoulder. ‘Oh, yes! Scream, “darling”! Your constant analysing never did this family any good’ Sue mutters, boasting that she was ten times the leader Reed was. Reed cries out once again, as Sue instructs him to get on his knees. Reed collapses to his knees and clutches his shoulder, while Sue stands over him: ‘My God, you are so weak! You make me sick!’ Sue declares. ‘You’re right - what’s happening to me?’ Reed asks.
At the same time, back in the broom closet, ‘Blast it! Is this thing ever going to work?’ Dr Beynon asks himself, frustrated, he slams the device onto the ground. Reed suddenly looks shocked, and clutches his head, wondering what has happened - why has he done this to himself? ‘It’s all wrong! I’ve been too free with my own emotions! Too warm to those I love! It’s just wrong!’ he announces, adding that he has lost his scientific objectivity - the basis of his life is slipping away.
At the same time across on the other balcony, Cecilia also clutches her head and declares that she will never have a normal life again. ‘Being a mutant - a freak - has ruined everything’ she decides. The Beast is in anguish, deciding that all he has set out to do - the cure for the Legacy Virus - still eludes him. ‘I’m a failure…’ he decides, when suddenly, Reyes punches him from behind: ‘Quit whining, you blue-furred idiot! I hate you! I hate this life you’ve dragged me into!’
At the same time, ‘Get up! Get up so I can put you down like a dog again!’ the Invisible Woman shouts at Reed, asking him what kind of leader he is - what kind of husband, and what kind of father? Slumped over, Reed replies that he has lost it all - everything is gone. Sue starts swinging an invisible mace, ‘Fine…you won’t get your face off the floor… no problem! Just hold still, “dear”…I want to get a clear shot!’ she tells him.
And, in the broom closet, the device makes a hissing sound, and Dr Beynon throws his hands to his head, ‘This thing must be broken!’ he shouts, adding that he can’t believe his bad luck.
The Beast falls from the balcony, but clutches onto the edge of it, thinking that he is not smart enough to do anything - that he is just a complete failure, at everything he has ever tried. ‘Why go on living?’ he wonders. Cecilia starts smashing a chair and complains that she is trapped in this life, and that she can’t stand it. ‘I want out!’ she adds, before shouting ‘I HATE MYSELF!’
Back in the closet, Dr Beynon notices that the box is smoking, and wonders how.
At Pier Four, the Thing stands in front of the Fantasti-Car, ‘Fer the luvva - Reed’s not gonna like this…’ he mumbles, looking at the destroyed car, before supposing that Reed will love making improvements when he rebuilds it. Suddenly, ‘Grimm! Yer a terrible host, ya know that, don’tcha? That rust-bucket wrecked my chopper!’ Wolverine declares, referring to his motorcycle, as he approaches the Thing. The Thing tells Wolverine to calm himself, not to go berserk on him. ‘While you’re sitting here finger-wagging, Junior Flame and Kid Blast-Off are out having all the fun’ the Thing points out. ‘Fine! But our rides are trashed! How’re we gonna get there now?’ Wolverine asks.
Shortly, ‘Taxi! Hey, right here! YO!’ the Thing calls out as a cab drives past he and Wolverine as they stand on a corner nearby Pier Four. ‘Oh, brother! You think a cab’s gonna stop for us?’ Wolverine asks. He sighs as the cab drives on past. ‘Well, I’ll be - nice manners!’ the Thing shouts out. ‘Ya blasted ingrate! How many times have we saved this city? Sonnuva -’ he complains, unaware that back inside Pier Four, the robot Psycho-Man’s eyes light up.
Outside the MET, opera-attendees that have been able to leave the building are doing so, as Sam and Johnny arrive on scene. ‘Johnny, take a look! All these people…high-tailing it outta there like there’s no tomorrow!’ Cannonball exclaims. ‘So I see… can’t say I blame them…I can’t stand opera, either’ Johnny replies.
On the balcony inside the theater, Sue asks Reed what has happened to them, ‘I feel so…’ she begins, as Reed replies that it might have been some kind of mind control, and declares that he will find out.
The Beast has dropped down to ground level, ‘It’s over…whatever I was in the grip of - it’s released its hold on me’. He hopes it lasts, while Reed stretches his body down from the balcony, thinking that with the benefit of hindsight, there was something very familiar about the way their minds, their emotions were being manipulated. The Beast sees Reed and bounds towards him, ‘Are you and the missus unharmed?’ he asks. Reed greets Henry and assures him that they are both fine for the moment. ‘Any idea what happened to us?’ the Beast asks. ‘Perhaps. But whatever it is, I think we may find what we’re looking for backstage…’ Reed suggests. ‘Lead the way!’ the Beast tells him.
‘My God… I never thought this would happen to me again… not like this… I thought I’d made sure of it! But if he’s back -’ Susan thinks to herself, before Cecilia approaches her, ‘Mrs Richards?’ she calls out. Sue spins around, ‘Who?’ she asks, as Cecilia explains that she is a doctor and an X-Man. ‘And if you went through anything like I just did, you could probably use a hand’ Cecilia remarks, adding ‘Ummm…by the way, when this is all over… can I get your autograph?’
In the back of a cab, Wolverine and the Thing scowl. ‘See? I toldja someone would stop for us’ the Thing mutters. ‘Just try not to speak, Grimm…the way you jumped in front of this cab and begged for a ride -’ Wolverine begins, but the cab driver assures them he has seen a lot worse. ‘Some guys’ll do anything for a ride! When they’re desperate, they’ll do whatever it takes to get in my cab!’ the driver boasts. ‘Yeah, that’s great’ Ben mutters, asking the driver if he can step on it, as they really gotta be there now. ‘Hey! You wanna get to the MET, I’ll take ya to the MET! But Don’t you back-seat drive this taxi!’ the driver warns them, glancing backwards. ‘I don’t care how many times you’ve saved the world, buster -’ the driver begins, while Wolverine tells Grimm to pipe down, when, suddenly, a fist rips through the roof of the cab.
‘What the -? Awww, no!’ the Thing mutters, as he realizes the robotic Pscyho-Man is on the roof. ‘Shame on you for not checking to make sure I was completely disabled’ the Psycho-Man calls out. ‘Now it’s my turn to disable you!’ he boasts. ‘Well, I’ll be - this robot doesn’t give up easy!’ the Thing remarks as he reaches an arm out of the window, but the cab driver brings the taxi to a screeching halt. ‘You two! Get that thing off my taxi!’ he exclaims, as the Psycho-Man robot goes careening backwards through the air. ‘I mean it! You get that -’ the driver begins, before crashing into a newsstand on the side-walk.
At the MET: ‘Uh-oh’ the Human Torch exclaims. ‘Johnny… this don’t look so good…’ Cannonball declares as the two young heroes arrive the theater proper, and see that it has been torn apart. ‘Nice place. Who’s the decorator? Annihilus?’ Johnny jokes, while Cannonball announces that he doesn’t sees the Richardses, or Hank and Cecilia. ‘Yeah, and where are Ben and Wolverine? Shouldn’t they be here by now?’ Johnny adds.
But they are still dealing with the robot Psycho-Man. ‘Grimm! Quit messing around over there’ Wolverine calls out, as the Thing rips the cab roof open and pulls the driver out. ‘We gotta spike this tin can before it gets its bearings’ Wolverine points out. ‘My taxi!’ the driver declares, to which the Thing tells him to shut up, and points out that he is alive.
‘Aw, cripes’ Wolverine mutters as the Psycho-Man bursts upwards from the dumpster it fell into. ‘Get off!’ it tells Wolverine. ‘Here we go…round three…ding!’ the Thing exclaims, while the cab driver runs for his life. ‘Let’s get this over with so’s we can get outta here’ the Thing declares, while the Psycho-Man throws Wolverine into the cab. ‘You two aren’t going anywhere! I’ll see to that!’ it boasts. ‘I’m going for the extra point, baby!’ the Thing calls out as he slams a hand into the back of the robot. Wolverine sees the Psycho-Man reach for the cab, ‘This is gonna get messy…’ Wolverine points out. ‘Awww geez… first, the Kentucky Fried Kid smokes me at poker… now this’ the Thing mutters as he sees a shadow loom over him - and the Psych-Man slams the cab down on the Thing. ‘Huh. That’s gotta hurt’ Wolverine remarks, before he slices the robot from behind. ‘I’m going to feel that in the morning’ the Psycho-Man declares, before the Thing bursts forth, holding the cab overhead, ‘Detroit’s finest can’t dim these baby blues -’ the Thing begins, while Wolverine dodges the Psycho-Man who lunges forward, ‘Hot potato! Hot potato!’ the robot calls out.
Wolverine tells the Thing that he is sick of this nonsense and asks him to give him a lift. ‘Huh?’ the Thing asks. ‘Just do it’ Wolverine snaps, before adding ‘Now, I want you to make like Hideo Nomo before he got traded - it’s called a Fastball Special!’ and with that, the Thing launches Wolverine through the air, and the mutant hero lands against the Psycho-Man, shoving his claws into the robot, who falls to the ground, split in two. ‘And another one bites the dust… don’t think it’s gonna get up this time, do you?’ Wolverine asks, while the Thing announces that he doesn’t get it. ‘This thing breaks up our game…Stretcho sends up a flare from the MET, this has gotta be some creepo’s hair-brained scheme…but to do what? And why?’ What a revolting development this is’.
Suddenly, the robot starts to speak: ‘Richards…that hack…revenge is sweet…you’re the greatest, Doctor Beynon…whoops! You weren’t supposed to hear that!’ The Thing wonders who Beynon is, while Wolverine replies ‘Who cares? Let’s just get to the MET…start begging for another cab, bub’.
And, shortly, Wolverine and the Thing are dropped off at the MET in another cab, ‘Lookit this place…it’s trashed!’ the Thing remarks, as they arrive backstage, ‘What’d you find back here, Shorty?’ the Thing calls out to Wolverine. ‘What do you think I found? The end of the road’ Wolverine replies, as he sees the Beast holding De Beynon captive, and Reed examining the device, while Cannonball and the Human Torch stand nearby, Cecilia stands back with the Invisible Woman, who is still clutching her head. ‘Hey, guys…Ah think we’ve just about wrapped things up here…‘ Cannonball begins. ‘…And this gentleman appears to be the one responsible’ the Beast concludes.
The Human Torch is going through the captive’s wallet, ‘Bradley Beynon…guy’s got a Stark-Fujikawa ID…’ Johnny tells everyone. ‘What’d you do…pick the guy’s pocket? Classy…’ the Thing jokes. Mister Fantastic tells Johnny to put it away, as it is not necessary to invade the man’s privacy. Reed reports that it is all over, that the mechanism is broken beyond repair. ‘I’m guessing the psychic feedback…the extreme emotional feedback of the entire audience - us included - shorted it out completely’. Reed suspects that the mechanism itself is an emotion-stimulator box, the weapon of their old adversary, the Psycho-Man. ‘Ya don’t say…’ Wolverine remarks. ‘The Psycho-Man?’ the Invisible Woman snaps, angrily. She leans over Beynon and wonders how this man got his hands on something that belongs to the lunatic Psycho-Man. ‘I swore to myself that I would never let myself be manipulated like that ever again - and you - you did this to me?’ she shouts. ‘Sue… please… I told you it’s over now…’ Reed tells his wife, while the Beast announces that he is not familiar with this instrument, or the Psycho-Man. ‘This box can control our emotions?’ he asks. Reed explains that it has the ability to regulate the duration and intensity of those controlled emotions, and that he suspects Mr Beynon didn’t have the knowledge to operate it properly.
‘Ah guess all’s well that ends well, huh, Doc?’ Sam remarks to Cecilia. ‘What?’ she asks. ‘Ah’m just saying…the good guys win again, right?’ but Cecilia looks annoyed, ‘What’s the matter with you people? I’m with Mrs Richards on this one…I wanna tear this guy apart for what he did to my mind -’. The others all gather around Cecilia as Wolverine tells her to calm down. ‘Are you crazy? Get outta my way, man! I’m telling you I want a piece of that guy!’ ‘Sorry, sister…we don’t do things that way…do we…?’ the Thing asks. ‘No, Ben…we don’t’ Reed replies, as he goes over to his wife and asks her how she is.
The Beast looks puzzled and tells everyone that he hates to break up the festivities, but that the good doctor Beynon has flown the coop - and he has taken the psycho control box with him. Everyone turns to where Dr Beynon was supposed to be sitting, and sees that he has vanished.
But, nearby, Bradley Beynon is running down a corridor, ‘Richards…you sap! Thanks to your long-winded explanations, I know what this thing can do now…and I know I can repair it’. He just needs to make it back to his lab.
And, soon, back at Stark-Fujikawa, ‘Whew! You’re a slippery one, Bradley…I wasn’t even followed’ Beynon thinks to himself as the door to his laboratory opens. He tells himself that he has to get the box working again, before noticing someone in the shadows of his office. Seeing that it is the Psycho Man, he calls out to his robot, ‘Hadley! It’s you! Some distraction you turned out to be! Richards’ partners showed up at the MET!’ Bradley complains. ‘What happened? Lost your nerve? I thought I programmed you better than that -’ he begins, when suddenly, ‘You…foolish…human…!’ a voice booms. Bradley goes wide-eyed and looks scared. ‘W-w-w-’ he begins. ‘SILENCE!’ the real Psycho-Man booms as he moves out of the shadows. ‘You dare assume that you may take what is mine and wield it as your own?’ he asks, before announcing that he has travelled to this world to reclaim what has been stolen. ‘And as a bitter consequence of your actions… you will now face the unholy wrath of the Psycho-Man!’
The Psycho-Man grabs Beynon and pulls him close, as the doctor replies ‘Psycho Man? Never heard of you -’, to which the Psycho-Man offers to remedy that - slowly and painfully. He suggests that he will exploit Beynon’s greatest fear, causing him to experience it over and over again. But then offers to simply kill him now.
Suddenly, there is a rumbling sound, and both the Psycho-Man and Beynon turn to the wall, which is busted open by the arrival of the Fantastic Four, Wolverine, Cannonball, the Beast and Reyes. ‘Talk about timing!’ the Thing exclaims. ‘Getting here just in time to save this meddler from the real Psycho-Man…ya gotta love the irony!’ The Psycho Man tosses Beynon aside and holds up his device, ‘The inevitable occurs…no matter. Away with you, human…I shall simply activate my -’ he begins, but discovers that he cannot, as it is not functioning, damaged beyond repair. ‘How?’ he wonders, before Wolverine and the Thing slam into him, knocking him into the air.
Reed and Sue go over to Beynon, and Reed asks him if he has any idea what he has wrought. ‘Get away from me, Richards!’ Dr Beynon exclaims. ‘C;mon! Let’s take him down quick, fellas!’ Cannonball calls out as he blasts into the Psycho-Man. The Thing remarks that he is liking this boy more and more, that he has got spunk. ‘Nice one, kid!’ Wolverine exclaims. Johnny agrees with Sam, ‘Let’s finish this creep!’ he declares as he unleashes a blast of flame at the villain. ‘Do your worst, young Torch. The final victory will be mine! I will twist each of your deepest horrors - like putty in my hands - purely for my amusement!’ the Psycho-Man boasts. ‘Keep away! Get back!’ Beynon shouts holding up a metal pole to use as a weapon, he lunges at Reed, who simply stretches his body backwards, and Sue throws an invisible force field up around herself. ‘You’re just making it harder for yourself’ Reed tells Beynon, while Sue suggests he give it up, as he doesn’t have the Psycho-Man’s technology to help him now.
The Psycho-Man has taken hold of Cannonball, while the Thing and Wolverine attack him. ‘I mean it! Stay away from me! All of you -’ Dr Beynon declares, holding the metal pole up, when the Beast approaches him from behind. ‘Pardonez-moi’ the Beast remarks. Beynon swings around, the Beast ducks, while Reed calls out to Dr Reyes, telling her to look out - but the metal pole just slams into her/ Reyes tells Reed not to worry about her, as her mutant force field can keep her safe from this loser. ‘Whoop! Careful, folks! He’s swinging wildly…out of control’ the Beast declares, before leaping out of the way, as Dr Beynon swings his pole down on another piece of equipment - and is devastated to discover that he has broken his miniaturizer.
‘No more messing around!’ Wolverine exclaims as he shoves his claws into the Psycho-Man’s back. He declares that it is time to send this monstrosity back to where he crawled from Dr Beynon is devastated that he has broken his minitaurizer, while Reed notices that Beynon has caused some sort of core leakage. ‘If he tries to activate it now -’ Reed thinks to himself, while Beynon spins around, ‘You! Richards! This is all your fault! You’ve spent your life belittling every other scientist alive - including me! Well no more! I’ll shrink you down to the nothing you are!’ He then picks up the miniaturizer and aims it at Reed. ‘Stop! You don’t know what you’re doing -’ Reed calls out, while Sue tells her husband to be careful. ‘Oh my stars -’ the Beast begins.
‘Your attempts to fell me are amusing at best!’ the Psycho-Man tells Wolverine, who holds the villain up high, still skewered on his claws. ‘What you do not realize is that I am as ever lasting as the eternal fears that you will never escape’ the Psycho-Man boasts. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah…heard it all before, bub! Magneto you ain’t!’ Wolverine replies before he flings the Psycho-Man off his claws, ‘Heads up, Grimm!’ Wolverine calls out as the Psycho-Man careens towards him.
‘This is it, Richards! You’re finished! Prepare to see the world from a whole new sub-atomic perspective -’ Beynon grins as he presses a button on his broken miniaturizer.
‘I think I catch yer drift, Shorty! Batter up!’ the Thing declares, as the Psycho-Man connects with the Thing’s fist, and is sent once more careening through the air, this time towards Dr Beynon and his busted miniaturizer. ‘Wha -? NO!’ Dr Beynon exclaims.
‘I was afraid of this…’ Reed begins as everyone shields their eyes from the glare that he been brought forth from the energy leaking from the miniaturizer. ‘Due to the damage to the power core, Beynon’s machine was already unstable - but now, with the damage done by the Psycho-Man’s impact…’ his voice trails off.
‘Reed…look! Susan calls out, as energy pours up around the Psycho-Man and Beynon. ‘What is happening!’ the Psycho-Man shouts, while Beynon screams ‘NOOOO!’, and an instant later, they both vanish. ‘Good Lord…’ Cecilia utters. ‘Well, that was certainly fortuitous…and quite interesting’ the Beast remarks.
Reed agrees, and explains that the Psycho-Man’s impact resulted in a localized effect of the miniaturizer’s function, and he suspects that both Beynon and the Psycho-Man are finding themselves in the Microverse as they speak. ‘The implications of which are thoroughly -’ he begins, before the Thing shouts ‘Oh, boy…gangway! Egghead alert! And two sure ain’t better than oner! Somebody shut ‘em up!’
Wolverine tells the Thing that somebody needs to shut him up, and adds that he still has a poker game to win tonight. ‘Why - ? You’re kidding, right?’ Cannonball asks. ‘Do I ever kid, boy?’ Wolverine replies.
And so, back at Pier Four, in one of the living areas, Ben, Logan, Sam and Johnny are seated around a table playing poker, while Reed and Sue stand near Hank and Cecilia who are seated on a sofa. Reed points out that they never did get to view the ending of the opera, to which Hank reveals that the Viking princess perishes, of course - ‘High cholesterol, I believe is the cause…’ he claims. ‘Cute, McCoy…is this sofa real leather? Sweet…’ Reyes replies, before Hank asks Reed what his thoughts are on Beynon’s fate. Reed replies that they reap what the sow, and what some see as a random act, others see as simple karma. ‘Perhaps Dr Beynon will thrive in the Microverse, perhaps not. In any case - Am I rambling again, dear?’ he suddenly asks Sue, who is yawning. ‘Of course not, Reed. I’m just tired. It’s late’ Sue points out.
The Beast asks Reyes if she is okay, and she replies that she guesses so, but that she can’t forget what she went through tonight. ‘My fears exposed…things that aren’t easy to admit, even to myself…some cure for boredom, eh?’ Susan smiles and tells Cecilia that she knows what she has been through, and to believe her when she says that in their life, in their occupation, what doesn’t kill you only serves to make you stronger. ‘Trust me’ she smiles. ‘Well, said, Susan’ the Beast agrees, as he stands up and shakes hands with Reed, who also agrees, and thanks Hank for is assistance, adding that all things considered, it was almost pleasurable. ‘Call me old-fashioned, but perhaps we should work together more often’ Hank suggests.
The four of them turn to the table where Sam and Johnny have both fallen asleep. A cloud of cigar smoke billowing above the Thing and Logan. ‘Hey, hot-head…it’s your turn to bet…let’s just see what you’ve got here’ the Thing declares, before he grabs the sleeping Johnny’s hand and checks his cards. ‘Hey! I see what yer doing there, bub! Cheaters never win, y’know…’ Logan snarls. ‘Then again…’ the Beast smiles.