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Big Trouble at the Big Top!
‘Meine Damen und Herren...Mesdames et Messieurs...Ladies and Gentlemen...for one night only we are proud to present – the sensational – the inspirational – the teleportational – NIGHTCRAWLER!’ exclaims Kurt Wagner as he leaps from a trapeze swing, into a somersault, then his tail flicks through a ring hanging in the air, before he teleports across to the next trapeze swing, high above the Danger Room floor. ‘Und the crowd goes wild’ Kurt smiles quietly to himself. However, from the Danger Room control booth, Wolverine a.k.a. Logan appears, holding an envelope, he tells Kurt that he hates to interrupt his one-man show, but that the mail is here. ‘Anything for me, Wolverine?’ Kurt asks as he teleports into the control booth, and Logan asks his friend if he happens to know a fella named “Gunter”.
Kurt smiles as he starts to open the envelope, explaining that Gunter was a stagehand from his circus days in the old world, but the last he heard, Gunter had moved to the States to join a new troupe. ‘Nein! This... this is terrible!’ Kurt utters as he starts to read the letter. Logan grins and asks his friend what is wrong. ‘The circus’s fat lady learn how to sing?’ he jokes, but Kurt teleports away without a response. ‘What? Was it something I said?’ Logan asks, rubbing the back of his head.
Days later: ‘Man, I love this place!’ Jack Power exclaims as he and his siblings – Alex, Julie and Katie – and their parents – Jim and Margaret – walk through the crowds of people at the busy circus. Various stalls line the path on either side of the Power family, and Jack is wearing a green cowboy hat and holding some candyfloss. ‘The games! The rides! The sugary, deep-fried goodness. Life just doesn’t get any better than this!’ Jack declares. Alex and Julie smile at their younger brother, while Katie walks along beside them, forlorn, her head hanging. Jack smiles and adds that now understands why people always talk about running away to join the circus. ‘It’s never too late, you know!’ Alex jokes, while Julie puts an arm around Jack and tells him that he shouldn’t let them stop him from living his dreams. ‘Ha ha. Very funny’ Jack replies, frowning.
Alex suddenly notices that Katie does not seem very happy. ‘You never miss an opportunity to rip on Jack’ Alex points out, to which Katie just replies that she is fine. ‘Maybe she figured out we only came here to return her to the freak show we got her from!’ Jack suggests, smirking. ‘Sure, Jack. Whatever you say’ Katie replies casually. ‘That was so not the reaction I was hoping for!’ Jack utters, wide-eyed. Jim tells Katie that he thinks he will know something that will cheer her up, and takes her hand, while Margaret crouches down beside her daughter and remarks that nothing beats the blues like three-rings full of fun. ‘Ummm...that’s okay...you guys go ahead without me’ Katie tells them. Jim asks her what the matter is, while Katie looks ahead at the large clown-faced doorway, with people walking through the clown’s mouth. ‘Don’t tell me this is about your stupid fear of clowns’ Jack calls out, adding that he doesn’t get it, and asks Katie if she thinks they are going to juggle her to death or something.
Jim looks at Jack and frowns, so Jack shrinks back, while Margaret tells Katie that if she doesn’t want to go in, that is fine – they can stay out her, get a funnel cake and play some games. ‘Really?’ Katie smiles. ‘Really’ Margaret assures her. Alex announces that he and Julie were going to get some popcorn anyway and tells Katie to come with them. ‘Are you sure?’ Margaret asks. Julie tells her that they are, and asks her mother to save them some good seats, just in case. Alex asks Jack if he wants to join them, but Jack replies ‘No way!’ and declares that he is not missing the “greatest show on Earth” because his little sister is a big chicken. ‘I mean, come on! This is the circus. What could possibly be scary about the circus?’ Jack asks as he follows his parents through the clown mouth.
At that moment, Nightcrawler makes his way past some caravans at the back of the circus tent, and comes to an entrance marked “circus employees only”. He steps through it, and finds Gunter, a large man wearing overalls standing in the employee area, and calls out to him. ‘I am so glad to see you again!’ Kurt declares, adding that he came as soon as he got the letter. ‘Tell me, is what you wrote about the performers’ criminal activities really –’ Kurt begins, before finding Gunter unresponsive, motionless, his eyes in a trance-like glaze. ‘What has happened? Who did this to you?’ Kurt asks. A response comes from behind him: ‘That would be us’ a voice calls out. ‘Who - who are you?’ Kurt asks, shocked when he sees seven circus performers and a very large snake appear behind him. ‘We are the Circus of Crime!’ the Ringmaster announces, before using his hypnotic power on Kurt, tell him that he is their newest member.
Nightcrawler is unable to move, and falls under the control of the Ringmaster, just like Gunter. ‘Perfect! Nightcrawler is now under my command! And if it wasn’t for poor Gunter here, we never would have been able to lure him into our trap’ Ringmaster tells the others. The Circus of Crime member called Clown tells the Ringmaster that he still doesn’t know why he went through all that trouble to capture this super-freak. The Ringmaster replies that their little troupe is destined for so much more than hypnotizing audiences and looting their valuables. ‘With Nightcrawler as one of us, we can use his teleportation ability to go anywhere and steal anything!’ He adds that they will no longer have to wait for their prey to come to the circus, instead, they will take the circus to them. ‘Yeah, maybe you’re right…but we still got us a full house out there tonight!’ Clown points out. His frown turns to a smile as he tells Ringmaster that it would be a shame to let all those wallets leave here full of dough. ‘So how about it, boss? One last hurrah?’ Clown suggests. ‘You know what they say, old friend…the show must go on!’
And soon, inside the big top: ‘Awesome! It’s starting! The others don’t know what they’re missing!’ Jack calls out as he sits with his mother and father, amongst other circus-goers. ‘Ladieees and gentlemen! I, the Ringmaster welcome you to the Tiboldt Circus - the most unique big top experience in the world!’ the Ringmaster calls out as he stands in the middle of the circus ring. He tells the audience that in mere moments they are about to witness wonders beyond belief. He instructs them to sit back, relax and not to divert their attention from the center ring. ‘Listen to my voice…focus on my hate…feel my power over you…and bend to my will’ the Ringmaster calls out, as the circle on his hat starts to spin, and his hypnosis extends out over the audience.
Outside, Alex, Julie and Katie sit at a table amongst the food stalls. With a lollipop in her hand, Katie tells her eldest siblings that they must think she is the biggest baby in the world. ‘I mean, Jack’s right - who’s actually scared of clowns?’ she asks. Julie assures her sister that it is okay to be afraid, even if you don’t know why. ‘Seriously, everyone’s afraid of something - even super heroes’ Alex adds, quietly. ‘Yeah, right. What are you guys afraid of?’ Katie asks. ‘Failure’ Alex admits. ‘Snakes. Totally. Yuck’ Julie reveals. ‘Really? But snakes are cool’ Katie utters. Alex hands his sister some popcorn and explains that it doesn’t really matter what are scared of, but how you deal with it. ‘I…I guess so’ Katie replies, somewhat unsure. Alex asks Katie if they should head into the tent and join the fun together. ‘I…yeah, okay’ Katie smiles.
Alex carries his youngest sister on his back, as Katie asks if she can close her eyes if things get too scary. ‘You won’t have to - ‘cause if any of those jokers get too close, we’ll be right there to power up and save the day’ Julie exclaims. Katie tells Julie that she will definitely do the same for her. ‘Huh? What do you mean? Julie enquires. Katie informs Julie that one of the performers is a snake charmer lady with a 25-foot python. ‘Didn’t you see the posters?’ Alex asks. ‘For real?’ Julie replies, stopping in her tracks. Alex and Katie carry on towards the entrance to the big top, while Julie calls out to them, ‘Umm…guys? Hold on. Are we sure we really want to -’.
But Alex and Katie are already inside, crouched by one of the entrance areas, they wait, until Julie walks up to them, ‘Guys?’ she calls out. Alex tells Julie to shush, as they have trouble. ‘Bravo, my masters of menace!’ the Ringmaster calls out from the center ring. ‘A grand finale truly worthy of your talents!’ Ringmaster exclaims, as Princess Python and Human Cannonball make their way through one section of the audience, collecting their valuables The two men dressed in purple and look the same work their way through another section, while Clown rides a unicycle in the center ring, carrying a sack of stolen goods. Ringmaster declares that by the time these unsuspecting fools awaken from his trance, they will be long gone, and their brand new act will finally begin.
Julie peers out into the center ring and remarks that it is like the whole audience is out cold. Katie supposes that it has something to do with the crazy hat. ‘So pretty…and shiny…’ she utters. ‘Don’t look at it, Katie!’ Alex exclaims, covering his sister’s eyes. ‘Right. Sorry’ Katie replies. ‘Costumes on!’ Alex exclaims, and he, Julie and Katie appear with their Power Pack costumes on. Alex, who goes by the name Zero-G when in costume, tells his sisters - Lightspeed and Energizer - that it is time for Power Pack to give these losers a show they will never forget. One of the girls asks about Jack, pointing out that he will never forgive them if they do this without him - but Jack is still hypnotized along with their parents. Zero-G explains that if they draw attention to Jack, they might end up putting their Mom and Dad, and maybe the whole audience, in danger. ‘I don’t think we can risk it’ he tells them.
‘How are the three of us going to stand up against all of them?’ Energizer enquires. ‘Our best bet is to attack before they realize we’re -’ Zero-G starts, when suddenly, ‘Well, lookee here!’ Clown declares as he rides the unicycle towards the young heroes, juggling some flaming sticks, he asks ‘Is it “Kids in stupid costumes get in free” day already? Lucky us’. Energzier then screams, and runs right out into the center ring. ‘Energizer! No!’ Zero-G exclaims, while the Clown just laughs wickedly and chases Energizer on the unicycle, still juggling the flaming sticks. ‘There goes your sneak attack, Zero-G’ Lightspeed remarks. The Circus of Crime and Nightcrawler then move in to surround the young heroes, as the Clown tells Ringmaster that it looks like they have some late arrivals. Ringmaster frowns at the children and tells them that they don’t usually allow anyone in once the show has begun, but that since they are dressed up, he supposes they can make some room for them in the peanut gallery.
‘But first… listen to my voice… focus on my hat…’ the Ringmaster orders. ‘Hat? What hat?’ Lightspeed asks. ‘I don’t see any hat’ Zero-G smiles, raising his hand, he is controlling the hat to float upwards. ‘There it is. Floating up there!’ the Strongman cries. ‘I see that Bruto. Now get it back before these brats ruin everything!’ the Ringmaster orders the Circus of Crime. The two men in purple move towards Zero-G, ‘One hypno-hat coming up - well, down really! Courtesy of the Great Gambonnos!’ But, before the hat can fall when Zero-G loses control of it, Lightspeed flies up and grabs it. ‘I’ve got it!’ she cries, while the Strongman tries to reach it. ‘And the Human Cannonball has got you, girl!’ the Human Cannonball exclaims as the Clown fires him from the cannon. ‘Sorry to disappoint, “boy”…but they don’t call me Lightspeed for nothing!’ Lightspeed replies as she easily darts to one side, so the Human Cannonball flies past her, and into the tent, causing a large rip.
Suddenly:‘You may be able to move quickly, child… but I’m afraid the audience is not so lucky!’ Princess Python declares as she stands behind Dr and Mrs Power, while her very large snake has wrapped itself around Jack. The snake hisses, ‘NO!’ Lightspeed shouts, before flying forward, she grabs the snake and flies into the air, ‘EWWW! You totally owe me one when you wake up, Jack…’ Lightspeed mutters. ‘Come back here!’ Princess Python shouts. Ringmaster decides that it is time for their special guest to make his triumphant debut, and snaps his fingers. Nightcrawler instantly teleports over to Zero-G, who has trapped the Clown in a de-gravitized field. ‘About time! Get ‘im, Nightcrawler!’ Clown calls out. Zero-G looks shocked: ‘Nightcrawler? Aren’t you supposed to be one of the good guys?’ he asks. ‘The Ringmaster’s will is my will’ Nightcrawler responds, as he teleports once more kicking Zero-G. ‘So I see’ Zero-G mutters, as Nightcrawler teleports again and again, kicking and punching Zero-G with each teleport. ‘Lightspeed - quick! I need that hat!’ Zero-G calls out to his sister.
Lightspeed flies overhead, the snake still in her hold, it hisses at her and starts to wrap around her body. ‘I’m a bit wrapped up with Princess Python’s pet, Zero-G!’ Lightspeed calls back. ‘Then what happened to the -’ Zero-G begins as he runs away from Nightcrawler, as Energizer exclaims ‘I’ve got it, Alex!’ as she glows before the Ringmaster and Princess Python, the hat on her head, she fires a blast of energy at the Circus of Crime. ‘Get over here and help me even out the teams!’ Zero-G exclaims, explaining that they have to break Nightcrawler out of the Ringmaster’s control. ‘But how does this stupid hat work?’ Energizer wonders. Zero-G replies that he doesn’t know and suggests Energizer just aim it at him and say something. ‘NOW!’ he shouts as Nightcrawler looms over him.
‘Uhh…look into my… ummm…hat… you are no longer hypnotized… you do not want to beat up my big brother…’ Energizer orders. Nightcrawler clutches his head, ‘Ach! Where am I?’ he wonders. ‘It worked! He’s snapping out of it!’ Zero-G exclaims. Nightcrawler turns to Energizer and smiles: ‘Danke schoen, fraulein!’ he says, thanking Katie in German. ‘Umm… gesundheit?’ Energizer replies.
Nightcrawler frowns and announces that it is time to drop the curtain on this show once and for all. He leaps at the Great Gambonnos before banging their heads together and teleporting away. The Human Cannonball returns, and starts to apologize for his absence, before Nightcrawler re-appears beside him and kicks him over. Lightspeed flies overhead as Nightcrawler punches the Strongman, while Zero-G captures the Great Gambonnos in an anti-gravity field, and Lightspeed tangles Princess Python up in her own snake. Nightcrawler then starts to chase after the Ringmaster.
Energizer, in the  meantime, has become trapped in a corner, ‘Go - go away!’ she calls out as the Clown closes in on her. ‘No reason to be scared, kid…your friend the Clown just stopped by to teach you a new game. I promise, it’ll be a blast’ the Clown grins, while juggling live explosive balls. ‘You’d better believe it, Bozo!’ Energizer replies as she fires a blast of energy at the Clown, knocking him backwards his explosives blow up around him, knocking him out. Alex, Julie and Nightcrawler rush over: ‘Way to go, Katie! I knew you could do it!’ Julie tells her sister. Katie smiles and replies that it turns out there is something that scares her even more than clowns - the thought of getting her butt kicked by some lame-o in face paint and floppy shoes’.
Soon, Gunter has been freed from the Ringmaster’s control, and has helped Nightcrawler load the Circus of Crime into one of the circus wagons with bars. ‘This should hold all of them until the police arrive’ Gunter remarks. Nightcrawler turns to Alex and Julie and tells them that he is forever in their debt. ‘There is no telling what the Ringmaster could have made me do if you hadn’t freed me from his mind control’ Nightcrawler points out. Alex announces that it is time to do the same for the rest of the audience. ‘And give them a show they truly deserve!’ Nightcrawler exclaims. ‘Yeah, about that…anyone know where Katie rain off to with the hat?’ Julie asks. Katie pokes her head out of the tent and tells the others that she had some last minute business. ‘The hat’s all yours now’ she tells them. Julie and Alex look at each other, confused.
Soon, Gunter stands in the middle of the center ring, while Nightcrawler swings on a trapeze above. ‘And now, for one night only - my dear old friend - the Uncanny Nightcrawler!’ Gunter calls out, and the now-free audience erupts in applause. Alex, Julie and Katie are sitting with their family now, as Jack mutters ‘No way, Alex! I missed all of that?’ ‘Yeah. You should have seen Katie take down that clown, Jack. It was awesome’ Alex remarks. ‘Whatever. She’s still a just a big chicken to me’ Jack replies. ‘Oh, yeah?’ Katie asks, smiling she snaps her fingers, and Jack falls under hypnotic control. Jack suddenly leaps too his feet, starts flapping his arms and squawking like a chicken. Margaret and Jim look at each other, bewildered. Julie’s jaw drops and Alex hangs his head, ashamed, as audience members nearby start to stare at them. Katie giggles and asks ‘Who’s the “chicken” now?’


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[Assistant]
Leader of the Pack
‘…and that’s when Mr Maurer hit us with a pop quiz!’ Julie Power tells her friend Greg as they sit on the front steps to their school. Alex Power stands nearby, smiling as he talks to a girl, who starts to ask him what he get on his paper about the Great Depression, when suddenlytheir younger siblings Jack and Katie rush over to them. ‘Come quick!’ Kate exclaims, dragging Alex away from the girl, while Julie gets up and waves at Greg, telling him that she will call him later. Alex asks Katie what is going on and she tells him that he is late for dinner. ‘What? It’s only 4:00!’ Alex replies. ‘Then you’re late for lunch, okay? Just come with us already!’ Jack declares as the four siblings rush along the sidewalk, Alex tells Jack that whatever this is, it better be important. ‘You mean more important than some girl?’ Jack asks.
‘Trust me…’ Jack begins, as everyone suddenly goes wide-eyed and looks ahead, where they see Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler and the Beast going head to head in the middle of a busy street against four of the Marauders - Vertigo, Scalphunter, Riptide and Prism! ‘…It is’ Jack concludes, while Cyclops blasts Riptide with an optic blast, ‘Let’s go, X-Men!’ he shouts.
Nightcrawler teleports over Vertigo and kicks her, while the Beast leaps towards Prism and knocks him back, as Wolverine punches Scalphunter in the face. ‘Costumes on, everyone. The X-Men need our help!’ Alex tells his siblings, as their Power Pack costumes materialize. Julie a.k.a. Lightspeed tells her older brother that it looks to her like they are doing pretty well on their own. ‘Well, they’ll do even better now that Power Pack has arrived!’ Alex a.k.a. Zero-G exclaims as he rushes towards the battle. Katie a.k.a. Energizer readies a bolt of energy, while Jack a.k.a. Mass Master switches to his cloud form.
Nightcrawler and the Beast look over at the young heroes, a little confused, while Wolverine tells Mass Master that it is nice to see him again, but that the Marauders are way out of their league. ‘Hello? I went toe-to-toe with Sabretooth, remember? How bad could these freaks - beeeeee?’ Mass Master exclaims as Riptide whirls over to him and starts to separate Mass Master’s cloud form. Wolverine informs Mass Master that Sabretooth was a founding member of the Marauders, and Riptide boasts that Sabretooth, the mangy beast, was nothing compared to him. ‘Yeah, yeah…’ Wolverine mutters.
‘Geez! I bet the guys on your team love your costume!’ Lightspeed calls out to Vertigo as she flies towards her. ‘You could say I make them head over heels’ Vertigo smiles as she releases her power, causing Lightspeed to go dizzy and start to fall downwards. ‘Look out!’ she calls out, but Nightcrawler teleports up and rescues her. ‘Thanks, Nightcrawler. She really threw me off balance!’ Lightspeed exclaims. ‘They call her Vertigo for a reason, ja?’ Nightcrawler points out.
Zero-G de-gravitizes some rocks and sends them flying towards Vertigo, while Cyclops fires an optic blast at Scalphunter, and tells Zero-G that they shouldn’t have come here. ‘Hey! We just wanted to help!’ Zero-G replies. Cyclops assures the young hero that the X-Men had everything under control. ‘But now the Marauders are -’ he begins, as Energizer shouts ‘Right behind you!’ and she blasts an energy beam at Prism who was standing behind Alex and Cyclops. ‘Good work, Energizer! He’s all yours!’ Zero-G calls out. ‘Wait! Don’t!’ Cyclops shouts. ‘Prism can absorb energy and re-’ Cyclops begins, but it’s too late, as Prism grins, ‘Thanks girlie! That’s just the charge I needed!’ He releases the energy, knocking the X-Men and Power Pack over and out.
‘What now, Scalphunter?’ Riptide asks as they stand amongst the unmoving bodies of the heroes. ‘We tell the boss to expect company…’ Scalphunter replies.
Soon, Beast and Nightcrawler walk up the stairs into the X-Men’s jet, while Power Pack stand around, somewhat dejected. Wolverine reports to Cyclops that there is no trace of the Marauders - he can’t even pick up a scent, so it looks like this is one for the loss column. He starts to suggest that they head back to the X-Mansion, when Cyclops tells Wolverine to go ahead with the others, as he is staying here. Wolverine asks Cyclops what he is talking about, to which Cyclops points out that if the Marauders are in the area, that means Mr Sinister can’t be far away. ‘I’m not about to let that madman run free on my watch’.
Zero-G approaches Cyclops somewhat hesitantly and announces that he was thinking, perhaps Power Pack could try to help him find them. ‘I mean, we know the area pretty well, and -’ Alex begins, but Cyclops sternly replies ‘No offense, son… but don’t you think you’ve already done enough?’ as he strides away. ‘I… I…’ Alex utters, hanging his head. ‘Yow! Is he always like that?’ Jack whispers. ‘Pretty much…’ Wolverine replies.
Later: ‘Alex… you in here?’ Julie asks as she enters Alex’s bedroom, to find him sitting on the edge of his bed in the dark. ‘Who cares’ Alex replies. ‘Still bummed out about today?’ Julie asks. ‘Gee, how’d you guess?’ Alex mutters. Julie sits down beside Alex and tells him to cheer up, as this is not the first time they have lost a fight, and adds that it won’t be the last. ‘Easy for you to say. You didn’t look like a complete idiot in front of one of your idols’ Alex explains, covering his face with his hands. Julie declares that no one is perfect, and tells Alex that she bets even guys like Cyclops screw up sometimes. Alex doesn’t respond, so Julie informs him that she and Greg are going out for some coffee. Alex glances at his sister and tells her that he thought she hated coffee. ‘I do… but that’s not the point. The point is, you should come with us. And bring Caitlin! It might take your mind off -’ Julie suggests, but Alex tells her ‘No thanks’ and suggests that he is better off alone. ‘Okay… I tried. Have fun moping’ Julie replies as she leaves his room.
‘Well?’ Katie asks as she and Jack are standing outside Alex’s room. ‘He’s all yours tonight’ Julie tells her younger siblings. ‘All right! Let the fun begin!’ Jack exclaims, holding a board game.
Later, at a café, Julie sits opposite Greg and tells him that she is really glad they finally got to do this. ‘It’s like every time we’ve tried to hang out, something else always ends up getting in the way’ Julie points out. Greg smiles and tells Julie that he knows what she means, remarking that there is always so much to do. ‘School…’ he begins. ‘Family…’ Julie adds. ‘Soccer practice…’ Greg points out. ‘Homework…’ Julie remarks. ‘My internship…’ Greg announces. ‘Saving the world…’ Julie declares, causing Greg to look at her a little strangely. Julie glances sideways, before asking Greg to tell her about his internship. Greg announces that it is just a bunch of boring technical junk, that it probably would not interest her. ‘If I wasn’t interested, I wouldn’t have asked’ Julie points out.
‘Really?’ Greg asks, surprised. ‘Really’ Julie assures him, adding that she wants to know everything about him. ‘I mean, you know about what you do…’ she adds. Greg stands up and starts to put his coat on, telling Julie to come on. ‘Where are we going?’ Julie asks. Greg announces that they are going to the lab. ‘If you really want to know what I’ve been doing there, I might as well show you!’ He adds that Dr Essex is probably gone for the night, but he has a key card. ‘Won’t you get in trouble?’ Julie asks. ‘That depends…do you know how to keep a secret?’ Greg replies. ‘You’d be surprised…’Julie smiles cryptically as Greg takes her hand and helps her up out of her chair.
Soon, at a warehouse laboratory in the middle of some woods. ‘Here we are. I know it’s not much, but -’ Greg begins as he and Julie walk through one of the labs. ‘Are you kidding? Look at all of this stuff! It’s so cool!’ Julie exclaims. ‘Yeah, I guess it’s not too shabby. I’ve pretty much been running this place by myself lately and -’ Greg starts to say, before Julie picks up a device and asks if it is a spectral radiometer. ‘My dad has -’ she begins, but a concerned Greg tells her to put it down. ‘If we touch anything I’m gonna be in big trouble!’ he exclaims. ‘I thought you were “pretty much running this place by yourself”…’ Julie smiles, quoting Greg, who nervously rubs the back of his head and admits that he may have exaggerated a little but. ‘You must think I’m a total dork’ he mutters quietly. Julie moves closer to Greg and tells him that she actually thinks it is kinda cute.
‘Julie, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you… I… well… I really like you. A lot. And I was - I was kinda hoping you’d maybe like to be my -’ Greg begins when suddenly, there is a loud SLAM! ‘- duck!’ Greg exclaims, pulling Julie down beside him as they hide behind one of the consoles. ‘Greg, what -?’ Julie calls out, while Greg quietly tells her that someone is coming, so they have to hide. ‘Oh, man… I shouldn’t have brought you here. I’m so gonna get fired’ Greg whispers. Julie points out that it isn’t like they are doing anything wrong. ‘I’m sure it isn’t as bad as you think’ she adds. But, glancing over the console, they see Scalphunter and Vertigo enter another room in the lab, followed by Riptide and Prism, who are dragging the motionless body of Cyclops behind them. ‘Or maybe it is… Greg utters, wide-eyed.
Seeing the Marauders, Julie asks ‘What are they doing here?’ to which Greg tells her that he doesn’t know, and that he has never seen those people before. ‘Consider yourself lucky…’ Julie tells him. They get up and walk towards the corridor that the Marauders dragged Cyclops down. ‘Secret passages? Guys in weird costumes? No one told me about any of this during my orientation’ Greg remarks. Julie tells Greg to keep calm, assuring him that they are going to figure this out. She gets out her phone, and Greg asks her who she is calling. ‘Help. I hope…’ Julie replies.
Back at the Power home, Alex, Jack and Katie are sitting on the kitchen table as they play a game of “Polopoly”. ‘Roll again! Who’s the man?’ Jack exclaims. ‘And how is getting my butt kicked supposed to cheer me up, exactly?’ Alex asks. Jack replies that he doesn’t know, but announces that it sure is cheering him up.
Suddenly, Alex’s phone rings. ‘Hello?’ he answers. ‘Alex!’ Julie exclaims. Alex greets his sister and tells her that maybe he should have gone with her. ‘Things here are worse than I ever -’ Alex begins, as Julie interrupts him, ‘Alex! Listen! The Marauders - they’re here!’ she exclaims. ‘What? Where?’ Alex asks. Julie tells him that they are at the lab where Greg interns. ‘They just came in and -’ she starts to say, but Alex frowns and tells her to get out of there. ‘You know you can’t handle them alone’ Alex points out. ‘That’s not why I’m calling. You guys need to get here as soon as -’ Julie begins, but Alex reminds her that Cyclops made it clear that he doesn’t want their help. ‘He’ll find them and then -’ Alex begins, but Julie reveals that they have captured Cyclops. ‘We need to do something! We need to help him!’ she declares.
‘We - we can’t afford to mess up again’ Alex tells Julie, who points out that they can’t afford not to try. Suddenly, ‘And what is it that you are trying to do, my dear?’ a voice calls out. A man with a goatee-beard appears standing over Julie and Greg. ‘Other than trespassing on private property after business hours, that is…’ the man adds. ‘Dr Essex!’ Greg exclaims, wide-eyed. Greg tells Dr Essex that he is glad to see him, as something really freaky is going on here. ‘I suppose you had to uncover the truth eventually, my boy. After all, this place is full of things you humans were never meant to see’ Dr Essex remarks, as Scalphunter and Prism walk out of the corridor and stand behind Greg. ‘Sinister things’ Dr Essex exclaims as he shifts to his true form - Mr Sinister! One of the kids gasps, before Sinister tells them that they have seen too much. ‘Take them downstairs’ he instructs his Marauders. Scalphunter throws Julie over his shoulder, while Prism puts Greg under his arm. ‘Hey! Let us go!’ Julie calls out, but she drops her phone.
‘JULIE!?’ Alex shouts. ‘Your move, Alex…’ Jack remarks, waiting for Alex to continue playing the game. Alex just frowns.
Soon: ‘This is it’ Alex remarks as he, Jack and Katie are dropped off by a bus, which drives away, leaving them at a driveway nestled amongst some trees. ‘We really need to get a Pack Mobile or something…’ Jack mutters as the bus drives away. The young heroes move through the woods to the warehouse laboratory, where Riptide is standing guard. ‘What do we do now, Alex?’ Katie asks. ‘I… maybe this wasn’t a good idea. We should just call the X-Men and -’ Alex begins, but Katie tells him that can’t leave Julie alone in there until they show up. ‘Even I know that’s not an option…’ her voice trails off. Jack smiles and declares that if their “fearless leader” is too scared to make a decision, perhaps it is time for someone else to call the shots. With that, he rushes out of the trees towards the warehouse. Alex frowns and Katie, before their costumes materialize and they chase after their brother. ‘Jack, wait!’ Alex calls out. ‘Not good…’ Katie mumbles.
Down in the laboratory, Sinister, Vertigo, Prism and Scalphunter stand in a room where Cyclops’s hands and feet are locked into a machine. Julie and Greg are captured in a cage nearby. ‘How nice of you to drop in, Mr Summers. We’ll be sure to make your stay as painful as possible’ Sinister tells him. Cyclops groans, unable to speak. Greg looks scared, ‘This is insane! How are we gonna get out of here?’ he asks. ‘Greg, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…’ Julie begins, when suddenly, Riptide is blasted through one of the walls. Sinister and the Marauders turn to him, where Mass Master steps through the hole in the wall and exclaims ‘Oh, yeah! The Pack is back, psychos!’ Energizer follows her brother’s lead: ‘Riptide’s down. What’s next?’ she asks. Alex frowns, while Jack shrugs his shoulders and remarks that he doesn’t know, as that was all he had. ‘But like any good leader, I’m always open to suggestions’ he adds. ‘Here’s one. Resign now’ Katie tells him.
‘Well, if it isn’t my favorite little distractions…’ Scalphunter smiles. ‘You know what they say - can’t have a “distraction” without the “action”!’ Mass Master replies as he switches to cloud form. ‘Marauders - capture them!’ Sinister orders. Scalphunter fires his weapon at Mass Master, but it passes through his cloud form. ‘No, they don’t’ Katie declares as she fires an energy blast at Vertigo. Back behind bars, Greg looks confused: ‘Hold on…Julie - is that your sister and your brothers out there?’ he asks. ‘Yeah…well…that’s kinda what I wanted to tell you’ Julie replies, nervously as her costume materializes. ‘I really didn’t want you to find out like this, but -’ Julie begins, while Greg smiles and tells her to fill him in later. ‘Right now…just get out there and kick some super-villain butt!’ Greg exclaims. ‘If you say so’ Julie replies as she escapes though the bars, her rainbow power effect trailing behind her.
‘Thanks for joining us, Lightspeed’ Mass Master calls out. ‘Where’s Alex?’ Julie asks. Jack tells her that he guesses Alex is still freaking out. ‘It’s okay though, I’m the leader now’ he announces. Julie turns to him and frowns. ‘What?’ Jack asks. Julie looks over to Alex, who is standing at the back of the room and tells him that she knows he is not having the best day, but points out that they could really use a hand here. ‘Zero-G? Alex?’ she shouts, while Alex looks over to Cyclops, who is hanging motionless. Alex pauses, before announcing that he is on his way. Zero-G leaps into action, de-gravitating Vertigo and Scalphunter, he slams them into the wall. ‘Now that’s more like it!’ Mass Master grins, while Riptide starts to rise. Zero-G tells Energizer to keep Riptide down, and informs Mass Master and Lightspeed that Prism is all theirs. ‘See if you can do any damage to that shell of his’ he suggests, while rushing to check on Cyclops.
Energizer blasts Riptide with a surge of energy as he starts to form a twister. ‘You heard the man! Let’s go!’ Lightspeed exclaims as she picks Mass Master up and flies him over Prism. ‘Hey! I thought I was giving the orders here!’ Mass Master declares. Julie tells Jack to trust her when she says that he would have lasted a day before they impeached him. ‘Whatever. Leadership was overrated anyway’ As Mass Master drops down towards Prism, shrinking to a super-dense form, he admits that he probably would have just ended up cracking under the pressure. ‘You know what I’m talking about, right, guy?’ Jack jokes as he strikes Prism, knocking him back and cracking his shell.
Zero-G has freed Cyclops, and Power Pack gather beside the X-Men’s leader as he rubs his head. ‘All right…this is it…’ Zero-G exclaims. ‘Couldn’t have said it better myself, brat…’ Scalphunter replies as he, Vertigo and Riptide regroup. ‘This battle is over’ Riptide exclaims. ‘Agreed!’ Zero-G shouts as he de-gravitizes Prism and raises him overhead, ‘Now, Cyclops!’ Zero-G calls out. ‘My pleasure…’ Cyclops replies as he releases an optic blast, striking Prism, ‘Oh, no…’ Prism mutters, as the optic blast is deflected off his body, and strikes his teammates, knocking them out.
‘Well played, children. It seems that victory is yours today’ Sinister declares as he stands amongst the smoke that rises from the rubble. Prism moans as he tries to stand up. ‘We’re only just getting started, pasty’ Zero-G boasts. ‘Indeed you are, my boy…and wherever life takes you next…know that Mr Sinister will be watching..’ The villain clicks a button on a device, and then vanishes.
Later: ‘…and that’s how we ended up with these powers’ Julie tells Greg. ‘Wow, I… wow’ Greg smiles. ‘Yeah, I know. I’ve never told anyone before. Our parents don’t even know!’ Julie reveals. Greg takes Julie’s hand and announces that he can keep a secret, especially when it involves his girlfriend’s super hero identity. ‘That is, I mean - you know - if you want to be my…’ Greg utters. ‘Girlfriend? Wow. I…wow’ Julie smiles.
‘…but I still think we can find them’ Zero-G tells Cyclops as they stand near the X-Men’s jet. Cyclops reports that Sinister and the Marauders are long gone from here. ‘And seeing the condition of their base, there’s no reason for them to come back’ Cyclops points out. He smiles and tells Zero-G that he thinks he has already done enough. ‘Yeah…so you’ve said…’ Alex mutters, hanging his head. Cyclops walks up the platform into the jet with Wolverine and calls back that he meant it in a good way this time. ‘You have a bright future ahead of you…you all do’ Cyclops tells the children. Mass Master waves at Wolverine, and as the children watch the X-Men’s jet take to the stars, Alex, Julie and Greg, Jack and Katie all smile.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
The Strangest Teens of All
Many years ago…On national television, Angel, Beast, Cyclops, and Marvel Girl – four members of Charles Xavier’s X-Men – engage in a no-holds barred battle with the Hulk in Las Vegas amidst the hostile armed forces of the United States National Guard. “Thanks to the timely intervention of our armed forces, there were no fatalities,” the newscaster narrates. “But the incident has once again raised the question, what is to be done about the mutant menace?”
The X-Men watch the broadcast from their living room, essentially reliving their recent encounter. Bobby Drake, the team’s youngest member, cannot believe the bias coming from the news report. It was the army who fired on the Hulk in the middle of downtown Las Vegas, he says. The X-Men were trying to lead him out of the city! Hank McCoy reminds his teammate that this particular program hardly qualifies as a beacon of journalistic integrity. This particular broadcast likely contracted its slant from its guest, The Daily Buglepublisher J. Jonah Jameson.
On air, the host apologizes for only having one guest this episode. The other intended guest, Charles Xavier, had to decline the invitation due to an illness. “Not to worry, Jackie,” J. Jonah Jameson says while chomping on his trademark cigar. “J. Jonah Jameson is all the guest you’ll ever need.” The newscaster segues into the interview with a simple, pointed question: how great of a threat are mutants to the general public?
Of all the X-Men watching at home, only Hank and Jean seem to care about the contents of the news show. The rest of them discuss trivial matters. Cyclops tells his teammate Warren he should go back to using his old Angel costume because it covered more of his face; his current outfit makes him far too easy to identify. “Relax, Scotty. As fast as I fly, the Angel’s just a blur to the cameras,” Warren says. “Besides, covering up this face would be a crime, right, Jean?” Jean playfully folds her arms and scoffs at their conversation. Jameson is on TV spouting anti-mutant propaganda to sell newspapers, yet they’re arguing about fashion? Iceman agrees with Marvel Girl’s analysis; what have mutants ever done to J. Jonah Jameson, anyway? Doesn’t he usually harass Spider-Man?
Onscreen, Jameson continues his bigoted rant. He calls each and every mutant in the world a walking, breathing, unregulated weapon. He advocates for government supervision, starting with registration, which would at least make these supposedly dangerous individuals responsible for their actions.
Spider-Man catches the latter part of this rant while peering in the funky apartment window of a New York City hipster. He breathes a sigh of relief that Jameson has his sights on someone else for a change. The X-Men certainly don’t deserve to be targeted, but admittedly, Spider-Man could use a break. He swings away from the window and continues on his way back home, his mind focused on more pressing matters, such as convincing his girlfriend Gwen Stacy that he does indeed care about her. She has a hard time believing it, though, considering how often he sneaks away for hours on end without explanation. I should just tell her I’m running off to fight psychos like Dr. Octopus and the Sandman, Spider-Man thinks. I mean, she’s trustworthy. And face it, Pete, she might just be the girl you want to spend the rest of your life with.
Spider-Man returns home and changes into his civilian clothes, reverting to his alter-ego Peter Parker, while catching the rest of the news show on his TV. He tells himself to stop stressing out about Gwen; at this rate, he will end up with an ulcer. He vows to not wallow in self-pity tonight. After all, he’s got a terrific girlfriend who, for some baffling reason, actually wants to be with a perpetually broke shlub like him. Even on his worst day, he still has Gwen Stacy.
A familiar face on the TV screen suddenly catches his eye and interrupts his train of thought. It seems the news program has a new guest for the evening – Kraven the Hunter, the world-famous adventurer! Jackie the host jumps right into to the tough questions. Kraven was only recently released from prison, wasn’t he, she asks? “Regrettably, yes,” Kraven answers. Acting out of his best intentions, he sought to capture the outlaw Spider-Man, whom he considered the most dangerous game of all. Kraven admits he went too far in his pursuit. He broke laws and made mistakes. However, he has paid for these mistakes. He does not expect absolution just yet. He wishes to now prove his good intentions by finally and lawfully apprehending Spider-Man, and by doing so, take a dangerous menace off the streets. “Not just any menace,” Kraven says, “but one who I have discovered is a mutant.”
This declaration elicits simultaneous gasps from both Peter Parker and the X-Men. In Westchester, Bobby Drake is the first to express his confusion. After all, they know Spider-Man isn’t a mutant; Professor X proved it. Cyclops concurs, but says it doesn’t matter right now. Regardless of its veracity, Kraven’s statement will make Spider-Man a target for mutant-haters anywhere. The X-Men have to find him and warn him immediately.Warren asks why they should bother. At the very worst, Spider-Man will just have to learn to deal with the problems mutants face everyday. Hank reminds his compassionless teammate of the severity of those threats, such as the Sentinels and Sauron. Even Magneto might attempt to recruit Spider-Man to his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Jean concurs; she can only imagine what Spider-Man must be going through right now. At least the X-Men have each other for support, she says. Warren strokes his chin in contemplation. “Hmm…yeah, you’re right,” Angel says. “The poor kid must be totally freaking out.”
Quite the contrary, Peter Parker beams as he strolls down the street, arm-in-arm with both Mary Jane Watson and his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. He wouldn’t even dream of putting on his Spider-Man outfit on a night like this, he thinks. Kraven can search for him all he wants, but he will find nothing even as helpful as a stray web! Mary Jane, meanwhile, tells Gwen to stop shooting her the evil eye; she’s only trying to keep Peter warm. Besides, if Harry Osborn sees her hanging onto another guy, it certainly wouldn’t be the end of the world. Gwen shoots an insincere smile back at her red-headed rival and agrees that no, it wouldn’t be the end of the world…but only if MJ were honest with Harry instead of constantly playing mind-games with him. Peter listens to them bickering and basks in the normalcy of it all. It’s exactly what he needs to keep his mind of off his life as Spider-Man.
The three young adults stroll into sub-street level hangout called the Coffee Bean. Unbeknownst to them, perched atop a building across the street, Kraven the Hunter examines some remnants of Spider-Man’s signature webbing. By the presence of the un-dissolved webbing, he deduces this must be Spider-Man’s neighborhood. No doubt the masked menace is somewhere nearby in his civilian clothes. For Kraven, who never forgets the scent of his prey, pinpointing Spider-Man poses no problem.
Nearby, Hank McCoy, Bobby Drake, Scott Summers, Jean Grey, and Warren Worthington III cruise in Warren’s bright-red convertible Mustang through the same neighborhood in New York City, hoping to detect a telepathic reading from Spider-Man. Unfortunately, Jean acknowledges her own telepathy in no way measures up to the professor’s, who is still too sick to help. She feels like Spider-Man is somewhere in the area, though. Good enough, Warren says. He decides to park his car. He asks Hank to get out and clear away a gas-guzzler occupying two parking spots so he can park his own car.
After parking, Warren leaps over to the passenger door and chivalrously opens the door for Jean. What is he doing, Scott angrily asks? Somewhat dismissively, Warren informs his teammate to think about their task for a moment. They know that, beneath his superhero identity, Spider-Man is a kid their age. To find him, they need to check out local hot spots for the city’s youth. Maybe Jean will pick up a stray thought that way. Jean concurs with the idea, as does Scott, albeit rather reluctantly. He reminds his team to be inconspicuous. “Inconspicuous?” Hank asks. “A rich playboy, a man with ruby-red sunglasses, a fellow built like a gorilla and a gorgeous redhead?” Bobby reminds him they’re in New York City; nobody will even look at them twice.
They X-Men enter the Coffee Bean and find it bustling with activity. Jean immediately senses Spider-Man’s presence somewhere in the room, but can’t discern exactly who he is. The X-Men survey the coffee bar. A couple of girls dressed in miniskirts, sleeveless tops and peace-sign belt-buckles dance unashamedly next to the jukebox. The barista, a beatnik-looking man with dark shades and a soul-patch, whips up a couple of chilled coffee beverages for two chatty customers. At a table near the entrance, Peter Parker, still arm-in-arm with Mary Jane and Gwen, greets his friends, Flash Thompson and Harry Osborn. “Hey, Hef,” Harry says to Peter, “why don’t you let me take one of those ladies off your hands before you get a hernia.” MJ tells her boyfriend to relax; she is only trying to make him jealous. “I’d be more relaxed if you weren’t always trying it with the same guy,” Harry says.
Flash, dressed in his finest military duds, tells his friends to fight it out amongst themselves. He just spotted another beautiful redhead walk in the door, whom he intends to greet. He gets up and waltzes amiably over to new arrival Jean Grey. He arrives in the middle of her conversation with Hank about the slow return of her suppressed telepathic abilities. Flash interrupts by telling Jean he has only two days before the Army drags him back to base. If he can share just one dance with her, he will surely go with a smile.Enraged, Scott lurches out of his seat and gets in Flash’s face. In case he hadn’t noticed, Scott says, the girl is with them. Flash, undaunted, says he’d like to hear that from the girl’s mouth. Jean asks Scott to relax. While she stands up to accept Flash’s offer, she telepathically relays to Scott that a dance might be a good way to locate Spider-Man. Twirling around the room will let allow her to discretely move through the crowd; if she gets close enough, she might detect his thoughts more accurately. Reluctantly, Scott concedes the point and allows her to go.
“I feel for you, Scotty. But the best way to take your mind off a girl is with another girl. And since soldier boy moved in on Jean,” Warren says, “turnabout’s fair play. Am I right, fellas?” Scott scowls, but Hank agrees; he tells Bobby Drake that flirting with other women will take his mind off of Lorna.
“Hey, if you get dumped by a girl like Lorna, you don’t forget just by—” Bobby begins. He stops mid-sentence when he gets a glimpse of bombshell Gwen Stacy. “—that blonde’s legs go on forever, don’t they?”
Warren proceeds over to Peter Parker’s table and addresses the two beautiful ladies sitting by themselves. He admits he can’t help noticing their dates would rather argue with each other than pay attention to them, a slight that Warren considers a crime. “Now, you can probably tell I’m fabulously wealthy, so I have the means to treat you like the queens you are. Whoever buzzes in second can have her pick of my friends,” he says, gesturing toward Hank and Bobby. “What do you say?”
The girls are surprisingly receptive. “Well, you’re right about our boyfriends acting like jackasses. But mine’s already rich, and I’m tired of it,” Mary Jane says, smiling. Gwen, on the other hand, confesses she happens to have an affinity for broke shlubs. The two gorgeous gals grab Hank and Bobby and drag them onto the dance floor, much to Warren’s dismay. “Face it, tiger – you can’t always hit the jackpot,” MJ says as she begins dancing with the X-Man known as Beast.
Meanwhile, the inconsolable Harry Osborn pleads with Peter Parker to leave his gal alone. Peter reminds Harry he is not only his roommate, but his best friend; he would never do anything behind his back. Harry disagrees. According to his father Norman, it’s those closest to him who will hurt him the worst! The two bickering boys finally snap to attention and notice their respective girlfriends dancing with other guys. Harry asks if he is hallucinating, but Peter tells him no, he isn’t. They’re having the same nightmare.
The two cuckolded teenagers storm the dance floor to reclaim their honor. “Hey bigfoot, she’s with me,” Harry says to Hank. Henry McCoy points out that Mary Jane seems to have decided otherwise. MJ concurs, claiming it’s just for one dance…unless Harry keeps acting this way. Peter tries to diffuse this situation, as well as the one escalating between Scott Summers and Flash Thompson. Scott grabs hold of Flash’s wrist and tells him to watch it. In defense, Flash says he doesn’t see a ring on Jean’s finger, and tells Scott to sit down unless he wants trouble. Jean, standing only a short distance away, finally picks up Spider-Man’s unique psychic imprint. He must be nearby, she relays to Scott!
Suddenly, Kraven, dressed in his leopard-skin pants, tiger-mane jacket, and horned belt, bursts through the front door and shouts for Spider-Man to reveal himself. He knows he is in the room somewhere – he smells the unique stench of his cowardice! He picks up a nearby beatnik and hoists him up by the collar of his shirt. If Spider-Man doesn’t reveal himself, Kraven threatens to snap the man’s neck like a twig. “Dude, not cool. You need to mellow out,” the hipster says. “How about a nice herbal tea?” Kraven orders the dolt to remain silent.
Amidst the confusion, Peter Parker slips into the bathroom and locks the door. He intends to give Kraven what he wants before anyone else gets hurt. Unfortunately, by occupying the bathroom, he puts out the entire team of X-Men, who intended to use it to don their own superhero costumes. Scott asks Jean to plant a mental suggestion in everyone’s heads to look away from the five of them for a moment. Jean doesn’t think that will be a problem; all eyes are currently on the developing hostage situation. “This is your last warning, Spider-Man!” Kraven shouts. “Identify yourself, or I’ll slaughter this fool like a pig!” The beatnik just scowls. That’s harsh, he says.
“He’s got a point, Kraven. You need to chill.” Kraven feels a blast of ice on his arm and looks over to see all five of the X-Men coming his way, with Iceman leading the charge.
“Methinks our frigid friend is thrilled to face an opponent who hasn’t already heard his repertoire of cold-related puns,” Beast says. Kraven finds the arrival of the X-Men completely unsurprising. He suspected they might emerge to help out their fellow mutant, and as such, made sure to retain the services of an ally in advance. He tells them to say hello to his large friend, the Blob! On cue, the Blob appears in the doorway, completely blocking the exit with his mounds of blubber. He hopes he can at least get a brownie at this coffee shop; he’s starving.
“Ah-ah, big boy. A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” A packet of projectile webbing suddenly hits Blob in the face, sealing his mouth shut. The X-Men turn to see Spider-Man has joined them in the fight. Spider-Man gleefully says hello, but states they can catch up later; for now, they need to take the fight outside before someone gets hurt. Cyclops agrees. While ordering his X-Men to attack, he hits the Blob with a high-powered optic blast, propelling him through the wall and into the street. Once outside, Spider-Man, Beast and Cyclops engage the Blob in battle, while Iceman, Marvel Girl and Angel make Kraven their target. Iceman tauntingly tells Kraven he’s out of his league. After calling Iceman an arrogant pup, Kraven informs his opponents of the skills he learned through hunting, and the first thing a hunter learns is to eliminate the most dangerous opponents first. He flings his bola at Marvel Girl and it connects with the side of her head. The impact even draws blood. Jean falls over, unconscious.
Cyclops gasps when Jean falls. He completely ignores Spider-Man’s current entanglement with the Blob. Iceman tells Scott not to worry; Jean will be fine, which is more than he can say for Kraven. He creates an icy cocoon over Jean to keep her out of harm’s way. Kraven, meanwhile, leaps up onto a nearby canopy and activates two powerful heat rays that emanate from the eyes of his lion’s head-vest and fries Iceman. The quick change in temperature puts Iceman’s body into shock, and he reverts to his human form. Kraven leaps down and slices into his arm with his hunting knife.
Coming to Iceman’s rescue, Angel dive-bombs toward Kraven at an impressive speed. Kraven watches with anticipation. Calmly, he unsheathes a collapsible spear from behind his back and hurls it at Angel, hitting him in mid-air. The spear cuts a swath across his torso. Kraven then turns to the attacking Beast and slices him across the chest with his sharpened talons. Angered, Cyclops decides the time has come to put a definitive end to the fight. He knocks Kraven to the ground with a powerful optic blast.
The Blob sneaks up on Cyclops from behind and clobbers him over the back of the head. Spider-Man, meanwhile, checks in on Iceman. Bobby reports he’s getting better; at least now, he can ice up again. Good thing, Spider-Man tells him, because the Blob is much too hard to injure. The Blob laughs. Of course he can’t be hurt; he can’t even be moved! Spider-Man tells his flabby foe they have no intention of moving him. In fact, they want him to stay right where he is. Iceman, picking up on his cue, encases the Blob with a thick, rocky layer of ice, but graciously leaves his head exposed. The Blob complains the ice is making his shorts wet. Iceman, meanwhile, folds his arms and admires his work. He does wonder what the police will do with him once the ice melts. “That’s their problem,” Spider-Man says. “Ours is Kraven.”
Spider-Man looks around for their remaining foe but sees him nowhere in sight. “He’s chosen the better part of valor, Spider-Man. With his corpulent comrade out of the fight, he doesn’t seem to care for the odds,” Beast says as Kraven climbs to the rooftop. Angel tries to follow him, but can barely lift his own head due to blood loss. Cyclops says they can let Kraven go; they’re all injured and should worry about themselves first. Spider-Man shrugs and says he can certainly catch Kraven later, if the cops don’t. Speaking of cops, Spider-Man hears sirens in the distances and suggests everyone leave immediately.
Before he goes, Cyclops extends him an offer to join the X-Men, even though they know he isn’t really a mutant. He should be around people his age, with similar powers, who know what he’s going through. Spider-Man shrugs and tells him not to worry about it. The perception of being a mutant certainly can’t make him any more hated than he already is, and besides, he has never been much of a joiner. Could they really imagine him on a team? As he swings away, he prepares his excuse for Gwen in advance. “Sorry we got separated, Gwen. When the trouble started, those weird kids you were dancing with trampled me, running for their lives,” he thinks. Heh. Ain’t I a stinker?
Meanwhile, Jean regains consciousness and sees Scott tending to her injuries. She notices a cut on the back of his hand. He tells her not to worry about it. In fact, he didn’t even notice he had it. He is far more worried about Jean.
Later…In a dark alleyway, a shadowy figure holding the morning newspaper approaches Kraven from behind and jokes about his eventful evening. Kraven gasps. He is not used to being caught by surprise. “How did you find me?” he asks. The tall, cloaked figure admits he is not an expert tracker like Kraven, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his own, equally effective methods.
He tells Kraven he read all about his exploits in the paper; the news of his failure is everywhere. “Yes…my ‘failure’,” Kraven says, holding out glowing test tubes. “As per our agreement – blood samples or skin scrapings from all five of the X-Men. My plan to lure them into my hunting ground worked perfectly.” Excellent, the dark figure says. He assures Kraven the agreed-upon sum will be deposited into his Swiss bank account immediately.
Out of curiosity, Kraven asks the man what he intends to do with this DNA. “I’m sure I’ll think of something,” Mr. Sinister says. In the meantime, he admits Kraven’s performance impressed him very much, and offers him yet another lucrative proposition, this one involving Kraven’s DNA.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Last Hunts
Many years ago…
It was Kraven the Hunter, Spider-Man says. He remembers the night Kraven ambushed him, drugged him with a poison-tipped dart, and defeated him in melee combat. It was raining, and the sky was as black as Spider-Man’s costume. He drugged me. Buried me alive. Impersonated me. Made me fight a psychotic killer called Vermin. Then he let me go…and shot himself. The whole thing was some crazy, elaborate suicide plan.
I snuck into his place and searched it. It felt kind of sleazy, going through a dead guy’s stuff, but I had no choice. Kraven had seen my face, he could’ve known my name, where I live…everything. If he’d left records, I had to destroy them.
I didn’t find anything personal about me. But I did find something…
“…about you,” Spider-Man says to the X-Men – Wolverine, Dazzler, Rogue, and Storm – while leaning in their kitchen window. “Well, the original X-Men, actually.” He asks Storm if any of them are still around. Dazzler and Rogue both stare at their visitor, expressionless. Wolverine, meanwhile, leans over a kitchen counter and hangs his head in frustration.
 Answering Spider-Man’s question, Storm and tells him the original X-Men are otherwise occupied, and frankly, so are the members of the current team. Wolverine explains why. A group of nut-jobs called the Marauders just declared war on mutants, and have already put a lot of folks in the infirmary…and even more in the ground. Between healing their sick, burying their dead, and nailing the scum who perpetuated this mutant massacre, the X-Men have their hands full, Wolverine says. He advises Spider-Man to say what he needs to say and let them get back to their work.
“Hey, I’ve got things I’d rather be doing too, Wolverine. And people with better hair to do them with.” Cutting to the chase, he tells Storm, Wolverine, Rogue and Dazzler that, several years ago, he teamed up with the original X-Men and fought Kraven and the Blob. At the time, he thought nothing of the encounter; it just seemed like a case of good guys fighting bad guys. As it turns out, however, Kraven kept detailed files on all of his prey, and the one about the X-Men contains some startling information.
 The black-suited Spider-Man, now crouched on the X-Men’s kitchen counter, holds up the thick file in his hand. Alison Blaire comments on how big it is and asks for the condensed version. Somewhat annoyed at her impatience, Spider-Man informs them that although he and the X-Men seemed to win that battle years ago, according to this file, it turns out Kraven got exactly what he wanted. He collected DNA samples from each of the original X-Men – Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Marvel Girl – and delivered them to his employer.
 Rogue, directing him to the door, thanks Spider-Man for the info and promises to tell Cyclops and the others. For now, she and her teammates need to get back to stuff that happened after the discovery of electricity. “Fine, Rogue, I can take a hint,” Spider-Man says. “Tell Cyclops to look me up if he needs help with this Sinister guy.”
Wolverine suddenly perks up and puts his arm in the way of the exit. What did he just say? he asks. “That’s what Kraven calls the man who hired him – ‘Mr. Sinister’,” Spider-Man says. The X-Men look at him but say nothing. Their silence, however, speaks volumes. “I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess you’ve heard of him.” Wolverine informs him that ‘Mr. Sinister’ is the name the Marauders use when referring to their boss. Because he doubts it’s a common name, Wolverine figures Spider-Man and the X-Men may be fighting the same battle without realizing it.
While examining the file, Dazzler notices that Kraven wrote down the location where he met with Mr. Sinister. The X-Men decide to investigate. After apologizing for trying to give Spider-Man the bum’s rush, Wolverine asks if he feels like tagging along. “Are you kidding? I just spent two weeks getting shot, buried alive, and crawling through sewers,” Spider-Man answers. “You bet your adamantium tuchus I feel like it.”
Soon, in Manhattan…
Spider-Man and the X-Men ransack Mr. Sinister and Kraven’s old meeting place, but find absolutely nothing of interest. The place must have been thoroughly cleaned out long ago. Storm asks Wolverine if he detects any useful scents. Although he has a hard time smelling anything over the overwhelming odor of various chemicals and antiseptics, Wolverine does detect a hint of Sabretooth’s familiar smell. He tracks the source to a small access hatch in the floor. After he slices it open, Spider-Man cautiously asks if they might want to call for the rest of the X-Men before they investigate any further. “This is the full team, honey,” Rogue says. “Everyone who’s home and fit to fight.” As Wolverine, Storm and Dazzler descend into the hatch, Rogue asks Spider-Man if he still wants to come. He sighs; he has seen enough of sewers lately to last a lifetime. Why don’t bad guys ever hide out in Hawaii? he asks.
Upon examining their surroundings, Storm realizes they are in no ordinary sewer. They are in fact in one of the Morlock tunnel. “The whozy-whatsis?” Spider-Man asks. Rogue explains who the Morlocks are, and reiterates the tragedy that befell them recently at the hands of the Marauders. Wolverine now understands why the Marauders had such an easy time with their prey; they were apparently already familiar with the area. Storm, commenting on the unfamiliarity of this section of the tunnels, admits she never once saw this place during her time as leader of the Morlocks.
The X-Men examine the eerie tunnel with suspicion. Wolverine suddenly picks up a familiar scent in the air. Is it Sabretooth, Storm asks? Not quite, Wolverine says. He smells Sabretooth, but he also smells something else – something he can’t quite peg.
The unfamiliar smells turn out to be those of the rest of the Marauders, who burst in on the X-Men greet them menacingly. “Let me guess…them’s the Marauders?” Spider-Man asks. Rogue tells him he got it in one try. Arclight, meanwhile, jokes about the persistence of the X-Men. If she didn’t know any better, she would think they were after something. Logan unsheathes his claws. They’re after something all right: the heads of the Marauders! Spider-Man and the X-Men leap into battle.
Wolverine heads right for Sabretooth. Spider-Man targets Scalphunter and incapacitates his hunting rifle with a shot of adhesive webbing. Storm, meanwhile, marks up with Scrambler takes a flying kick at his chin. Rogue focuses on dodging Harpoon’s projectile energy weapons, while Dazzler tries to neutralize the Marauders’ two heavy-hitting women – Vertigo and Arclight – with bursts of light.
Not amused, Arclight claps her hands together, unleashing a shockwave that repels all the opposing heroes save Wolverine. Vertigo then steps in and hits them with her waves of disorientation. The vortices of swirling energy disrupt the internal equilibriums of Spider-Man, Dazzler, Rogue, and Storm, all of whom quickly grow nauseous. Spider-Man tells the ladies not to worry; between his spider-sense and fighting Mysterio every other Thursday, this is just a day at the office for him. He fires some webbing at Vertigo and succeeds blinding her. With her off-guard, Rogue surges forth and kicks her in the stomach, removing her from the fight. Spider-Man takes Rogue’s cue and fires another shot of webbing at Arclight’s hands in order to prevent her from creating any more shockwaves.
Spider-Man turns to Storm and kindly asks her to whip up a quick hurricane to clear out the tunnel before someone gets hurt. Storm would do so if she hadn’t lost her powers. Spider-Man pauses for a second; does she mean she lost them as in totally lost them? Somewhat defensively, Storm informs him she can still handle herself. Besides, having no powers comes with certain advantages. She charges at Scrambler. Normally he can turn off superhuman abilities with a touch, thereby removing the most powerful players from the battle. Against the powerless Storm, however, Scrambler’s ability is useless. She dodges his punch and counters with a devastating crack to his jaw.
Arclight, her hands still bound together, sneers at the X-Men and calls them arrogant punks. She claims her power is in no way confined to her hands. She stomps on the ground, sending a shockwave that scatters the four heroes. Rogue takes flight and charges toward Arclight with her arms outstretched. Unless Arclight can channel her power through her jaw, she can say goodnight, Rogue declares! However, Harpoon hits her with one of his trademark throwing weapons and electrifies her. Rogue falls to the ground. Arclight laughs.
After finally getting her hands free, Arclight levels the three X-Women with blast after blast of compressed, sonic energy. Behind her, Scalphunter finally finishes assembling a new gun from the various parts hanging from his uniform. He aims his new weapon at Dazzler, Storm and Rogue, all of whom lie helpless on the ground, and tells them their time is up.
Sabretooth suddenly crashes into the wall only a meter away from Scalphunter. The marksman turns his attention to the two people fighting Sabretooth, Wolverine and Spider-Man, the latter of whom declares Scalphunter his next target. Sabretooth emerges from the rubble and tells his opponents that if they want to take a shot at his partners, they will need to go through him first. “Okay,” Wolverine says. He lunges at Sabretooth, claws extended, and punches a hole right through his torso. With his claw through the Marauder’s stomach, Wolverine takes a swipe at Scalphunter and effectively destroys his newly made gun…as well as the upper portion of his arm. Scalphunter screams. Sabretooth merely smiles. This, he says, is what he calls a brawl.
Sabretooth bites down on the immobile Wolverine’s neck while Spider-Man watches in disgust. “Okay, seriously – you people are crazy,” he says. Nearby, Arclight checks on Scalphunter’s wounds, but he insists he will be fine. His body can regenerate, after all. Instead, he asks her to focus her attention on the X-Men. Arclight, Scalphunter, and Harpoon turn and face the three X-Women and Spider-Man, all of whom they have cornered. “Hey, what am I, invisible?” Spider-Man asks, referring to their omission of his name. No, Harpoon tells him; he’s dead. He hurls an energy harpoon at the four heroes. Unexpectedly, Dazzler deflects it with a solid-light shield.
While Wolverine and Sabretooth continue their no-holds-barred brawl, Spider-Man and the X-Men close in on the remaining Marauders. Scalphunter realizes his team is quickly losing. He instructs Arclight to “give them what they’re after”. Is he sure, she asks? What about Sabretooth? Scalphunter insists Sabretooth will be just fine and orders her to do her thing! Without any further hesitation, Arclight slaps the palms of her hands together, this time harder than before, and creates a massive shockwave that not only repels the X-Men, but rips open a gaping hole in the tunnel floor.
Dazzler, Rogue, Storm, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Sabretooth all tumble into the chasm – along with tons of debris – and wind up in a hidden laboratory. Wolverine ceases fighting. His nose detects several familiar scents that he now realizes he smelled much earlier. “By the Bright Lady,” Storm says as she glimpses the horrors around her. In various glass containment chambers scattered around the room, horribly deformed human beings hang in suspension, contorted, abandoned, and clearly mistreated. Devastatingly, Spider-Man recognizes all of the subjects: they are the original X-Men. Not quite, Logan says. These are clones of the original X-Men, but they are in some ways different. That’s why their smell was unfamiliar. Knowing this makes the sight no easier to bear, Storm says, shielding her eyes. Likewise, Dazzler looks away. Sinister just left them here like lab rats, she says. When he didn’t need them anymore, he just abandoned them. She feels sick.
Up above, Arclight, Scalphunter, and Harpoon peer into the hole and summon Sabretooth. Begrudgingly, he scales the walls of the chasm, hating to leave just as the battle gets good. “Be seeing you, runt,” he says to Wolverine. “You know this doesn’t end ‘til one of us is dead.” Perhaps, Harpoon says, that day is today. He rears back and hurls a hyper-charged energy harpoon into the hole. Spider-Man watches as it sails toward the lab’s power supply. After telling the X-Men to get down, he quickly whips up a protective cocoon of webbing, which thankfully spares them from the resulting explosion.
Moments later, amidst the smoke and flame, the X-Men emerge from their protective shell and retreat. Rogue notices the Marauders seem to have left, but Wolverine doubts they have seen the last of them. Spider-Man’s mind keeps returning to the atrocities he saw in the lab. “What kind of nut is this Sinister guy?” he asks.
“The worst kind, it appears,” Storm answers. “One whose genius is the equal of his madness.” At least they know what he did with the DNA he obtained via Kraven, Spider-Man says. He wonders if any of the clones are still alive. “If they were, Spider-Man, I daresay the explosion was a mercy.”
“It just gives me the heebie-jeebies,” Spider-Man now says to the X-Men. “Can you imagine a clone of yourself running around loose? I mean, how freaky is that?” Wolverine tells his teammates they need to take their fight to directly to this Mr. Sinister as soon as they can. It’s been far too long already. Storm tells him not to worry; the way things are going, she wagers they will have their chance quite soon.
Elsewhere…
On a stormy night, Mr. Sinister steps on the grave of Sergei Kravinoff, the man known as Kraven the Hunter. Sinister tells his old ally he heard of his recent suicide, but admits he does not understand it at all. How could one tire of life when there is so much to do?
More importantly, how could one tire of life when there are so many plans to see to fruition? Perhaps that informed Kraven’s decision, he says. Perhaps Kraven took comfort in the knowledge that, thanks to Sinister, a part of him would live on forever. He tells Kraven to rest well, and know that his legacy is in good hands.


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

[Assistant]
Clone Sagas
A few years ago, somewhere under New Jersey…
“The X-Men. Again,” Mr. Sinister sneers. “You’ve become quite annoying. Kindly die.” He fires energy beams at the ceiling above Archangel, Storm, Iceman, Cyclops, and Wolverine, and it begins to collapse. Mr. Sinister, encased in a telekinetic bubble, escapes to the surface. He disappears into the thick surrounding woods before the X-Men have a chance to follow. Moments later, a beam of ruby-red energy penetrates the surface, but doesn’t hit its target.
Down below, the X-Men rest within the protective cocoon of ice their teammate Bobby Drake constructed. Wolverine scoffs at Mr. Sinister’s insinuation that they are annoying. Sinister is the creep who keeps running out on all of their fights! he says. Archangel tells him not to worry about it too much. Cyclops, meanwhile, tells his team to hang tight. Wolverine is absolutely correct; the X-Men are always two steps behind Mr. Sinister. Now, they have the chance to raid his laboratory and get their hands on some information that might grant them the initiative. He instructs his team to begin searching. “Sure, don’t mind me,” Iceman says. “I can just hold this up all day…”
Soon, Archangel reports back that although the computers are unsalvageable, he did find a promising locked box. Wolverine asks him to hold still while he pops the lock with one of his claws. Wait, Storm says. She doesn’t want him to damage his claws, which, as she reminds him, are no longer coated with adamantium. Resentful of her patronizing tone, Wolverine reminds her he drinks a glass of milk everyone now and then between beers.
“Then humor me. When I was a child, I picked locks to survive. I may have given up the life of a thief,” Storm says while removing her lock-picking tools, “but there are certain skills I’d like to keep sharp.” In mere moments, she bypasses the lock, and its lid swings open. After peering inside, Cyclops tells the X-Men to get moving. For once, they might have a chance to get ahead of Sinister.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Spider-Man swings after a slippery bank robber in a grey bodysuit. He fires a shot of webbing at him. It ricochets off the thief. “You’re even dumber than the Daily Bugle says. You should know by now your webs can’t stick to Slyde!” the robber says.
“Oh yeah? Well,” Spider-Man says, “…maybe you’re just so lame I forgot about you!” Slyde skates around the corner and into an alley. He stops abruptly. Instantly, he turns around, drops to his knees, places his hands on his head, and surrenders. Spider-Man, admittedly confused, just chalks up the sudden surrender to his fearsome reputation. It isn’t until Slyde becomes encased in ice that he realizes the X-Men are the cause of the thief’s terror. After trapping Slyde in ice, Iceman laughs and tells Spider-Man not to worry. He left enough air in Slyde’s shell for him to breathe until the cops arrive.
Spider-Man thanks the X-Men for their assistance. He then abruptly excuses himself and begins to leave. Storm asks him to wait a moment; they need a word with him. He returns to the ground and gives them his attention. Storm begins, first reminding him of the time, years back, when he came to their home because he had found mention of their enemy, Mr. Sinister, in Kraven’s personal files. “Uh…sure, I remember it like it was yesterday,” Spider-Man says. Wolverine senses doubt in his voice. He approaches him with claws extended and asks why he is lying. “Wait!” Spider-Man says, lifting his hands in a gesture of peace. “Look, I’m not the same Spider-Man you guys are used to.”
Wolverine shoves his bone claws up under Spider-Man’s chin and calls him a liar again. “The new costume don’t fool me, kid. You smell the same,” Logan says. “What’s the deal – mind control? Memory wipe? You on dope?” Stuttering, Spider-Man spits out that the Spider-Man they know is a clone. Cyclops grimaces; a clone would explain a lot, actually. What does that mean? Spider-Man asks.
Annoyed, Wolverine gets back in Spidey’s face and demands his full attention. Maybe this is the real Spider-Man, and maybe this isn’t, he says. Either way, he wants to know what happened to the other version. Spider-Man assures him that the supposed clone – Peter Parker – is fine. He just lost his powers. Spider-Man explains how, a few years ago, a scientist named Miles Warren cloned him. They fought, and the other Spidey thought he was dead. But he wasn’t. He left town, started a new life, and gave himself a new name – Ben Reilly. Now he’s back, and he’s the only Spider-Man left. Sensing they are in for a long and complicated discussion, Storm whisks Spider-Man and the X-Men away in a cyclone so they can continue elsewhere.
They arrive on a secluded rooftop and straighten out their stories. Based on what he’s hearing, Cyclops assumes this Spider-Man must have never met them before. “You, I know. Angel and Iceman too. We fought Kraven and the Blob together,” Spider-Man says. Warren informs him his new codename is actually Archangel. “Yeah, whatever,” Spider-Man says. “Are you going to keep me in suspense all night, or tell me why you’re here?”
Storm produces the files they obtained from Mr. Sinister’s laboratory in New Jersey. These files refer to a data exchange with Miles Warren, as well as cloning experiments concerning Spider-Man. Astounded, Spider-Man asks to see it. Cyclops tells him he can relax; Sinister has played with most of their lives. Spider-Man is in good company. Spider-Man says he doesn’t care about that, as he already knows what Miles Warren did to him. Of more interest to him are the references in the notes to Cletus Kasady, the psychopathic mass-murderer known as Carnage. After a quick perusal of the notes, Spider-Man learns that Sinister isn’t after Kasady, per se, but the alien symbiote that grants him his powers. According to the notes, Sinister thinks this symbiote might help him stabilize and enhance his own clones. He asks the X-Men to imagine the nightmare scenario of Mr. Sinister in possession of an army of killer, alien monsters. They need to put a stop to him immediately. Cyclops agrees. He asks if Spider-Man knows where they can find Carnage.
The Ravencroft Institute…
A pair of security guards stares at Carnage through a wall of one-way glass. One of the guards asks if the captive can see them. No, the other says. If that’s the case, the first guard asks, then why does he feel like Carnage is starting at him? The other guard, the senior of the two, reminds his protégé he should not even be looking at this particular patient. That makes it even worse, the protégé says. When he’s not looking, he can still feel Carnage staring at him. The mentor sighs. His trainee clearly needs a break from monitoring Kasady. Maybe he can transfer somewhere else, he says.
Suddenly, the eyes of both men widen, and go vacant. They decide it would be fun to lock themselves in the cafeteria instead. Like zombies, they amble down to the institute’s cafeteria, joining the rest of the institute’s entranced staff. Mr. Sinister stands in the center of the room and smiles. “Much better,” he says. “I cannot abide the stench of the middle class.”
Mr. Sinister walks to Carnage’s containment chamber and opens the door. He asks for a word with Mr. Kasady. Carnage leaps at him, mouth agape and claws outstretched, and shouts for him to die. Sinister doesn’t even flinch. With a simple mental command, he seizes Carnage’s sprawling, fluid body and holds him in place. Mr. Kasady cannot hurt him, Sinister says. In the end, Sinister will get what he wants, with or without Mr. Kasady’s cooperation. He would prefer, however, for things to progress smoothly. He can even help Mr. Kasady is necessary.
“Help me get out? Help me eat the doctors?” Carnage asks. If he likes, then yes, Sinister says. He even tells Mr. Kasady that, appropriately enough, the doctors all happen to be locked up in the cafeteria. In exchange, he requests a small sample of Carnage’s alien body. “Deal,” Carnage says. He severs off the tip of a finger and gives it to Mr. Sinister.
“I hate to rain on your little psycho love-parade,” an unexpected third-party says, “…but we talked. And we think everyone’s had enough of clones for a while.” Sinister and Carnage turn and see Spider-Man enter with his friends, the X-Men.
Mr. Sinister sneers at these new arrivals. “Wolverine. I understand you’ve been eager for a fight,” Sinister says. “You have one!” The X-Men and Spider-Man attack in full force. Cyclops fires an optic blast at Sinister, whose body conforms around its trajectory. At the same time, Archangel fires his wing fletchettes and Spider-Man fires his webbing, but Sinister effortlessly slaps away these projectiles. He then shatters Iceman’s barricade with an energy blast from his hand, and somehow rechannels Storm’s powerful winds back toward her teammates.
Wolverine, meanwhile, lunges at Carnage. He slashes at the crimson liquid that composes Carnage’s body. Carnage merely laughs. He grabs Logan’s hand, holds it in place, and bites off his three bone claws, simply to demonstrate how pitiful his attacks are. Logan screams, and Carnage turns to him and grins. “Tasty,” he says. “More.”
Mr. Sinister continues to repel the attacks of the various X-Men while simultaneously mocking their efforts. Do they really think the minimal training in psi-shields Professor Xavier gave them will truly keep Sinister out of their minds for long? In response, Storm asks if he truly thinks she conjured up a thunderstorm purely for the atmospheric effect. She strikes him with a lightning bolt. While he’s off-balance, Bobby encases him in a block of ice. “Huh. Kind of anticlimactic,” Iceman says. He approaches his frozen captive to get a look at him up close.
Suddenly, Mr. Sinister shatters the frozen prison, breaking free and spraying the X-Men with shrapnel. He has had enough of their interference, he says, before telepathically removing their free will. As the X-Men fall to their knees, clutching their heads in agony, Mr. Sinister brainstorms how exactly he will finish them. Perhaps he will have them murder each other, or perhaps, he will simply render them mindless drones. He notices Spider-Man has not fallen, however, and turns to heckle him. He admires Spider-Man’s resistance, but ultimately, insists it is pointless. “Stop fighting me, little spider,” he laughs.
Resisting his mental pull with all his might, Spider-Man asks Sinister if he enjoys manipulating the lives of innocent people, as if he is some deranged god. He invites Sinister into his mind so he can see how it truly feels. With the mental resistance gone, Mr. Sinister gets pulled into Spider-Man’s psyche, and suddenly experiences all his past horrors. He sees Ben Reilly trapped in a growing tube, pounding on the glass to be free. He sees the hideous Jackal smiling and leering at his proud experiments. He sees Dr. Miles Warren leaning over Ben Reilly on a restraining table, holding the threat of an impossibly large syringe over his head. He sees all this and screams. “How dare you subject me to that, you,” Sinister says, pausing, “…mockery of life!” He slaps Spider-Man away from his vicinity and runs toward the window. He got what he came for, and sees no point in continuing this nonsense. Carnage angrily watches him fly away and reminds him they had a deal. Sinister said he would set him free! “And free you are,” Sinister says. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”
Wolverine sneaks up on Carnage from behind and pierces his shoulder with his claws. Carnage merely looks at them in confusion; he thought he ate those. Smiling deviously, Wolverine says they grew back. Unsheathing his other set of claws, he says he’d like to see what parts Carnage can re-grow. Before he has a chance to find out, Iceman encases Carnage in ice, and tells Logan there is no sense in getting his claws dirty. “Yeah, sure, treat me like a kid again. I have got to get my adamantium back,” Wolverine says.
The X-Men shove the frozen Carnage back into his holding cell before he has a chance to break loose, while Archangel reactivates the security measures. Spider-Man’s thoughts linger on something Sinister said. Sinister called him a “mockery of life” just as he left. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Spider-Man asks? “I’m the real thing!” Cyclops advises he not let it get to him. Mr. Sinister specializes in messing with people’s heads.
The inconsolable Spider-Man turns to Wolverine and asks if he can use his enhanced smelling to put his suspicions to rest. Unfortunately, to Wolverine, both this Spider-Man and his supposed clone smell exactly the same. “But I’ll tell ya this. We wouldn’t have survived this scrap without you. For my money,” Wolverine tells him, “you’re Spider-Man in every way that matters. I know that probably don’t count for much…”
“Actually, it does. Knowing someone out there knows the truth about me, and accepts me anyway,” Spider-Man says, “…believe me, Wolverine. It counts for a lot.”
Elsewhere…
Mr. Sinister smiles as he begins dictating the results of his experiment. Holding in his hand a test tube, he reports success at distilling Mr. Kasady’s symbiote to a point at which it no longer has any sentience, while retaining its genetic adaptability. This new substance will allow him to not only create a clone that duplicates the abilities of its genetic donors, but surpasses them as well. This clone, he says, will be far superior to the clone of Spider-Man he encountered this evening. This clone, he says, will be fully capable of defeating the X-Men.
“Myopic children,” Sinister calls them. “They claim to fight for the future of our race, while disrupting my plans like bulls lumbering through a china shop.” He turns to his work-in-progress, suspended in an aqueous containment chamber, and caresses the glass “Little do they realize that one day…you may be mankind’s only hope for survival.”