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WildC.A.T.S / X-Men: the Modern Age
April, sweet April. An oh, so precious time in the countryside of England. A time of buds in bloom. A time of color.
A countryside mansion of the Hellfire Club. Smoke rises from parts of the building. Clawmarks having damaged the door. An optic blast shoots an exit and Cyclops drags out the badly damaged Spartan. Don’t worry, soldier, he tells him. We’ll get out of this alive.
Yes, April, in the English countryside is a time of beauty. But February was not.
flashback:
Two months earlier, outside the same mansion, night time. Nightcrawler hangs more or less comfortably from a tree informing the X-Men via his comm.-device. It’s 21.00 hours, he complains and he’s freezing his tail off. Both figuratively and literally. In fact, in all the time he’s been watching the Cameron estate, the only thing he is now certain of is, had he known the surveillance would take this long, he would have worn thermal underwear. If this place is indeed a Hellfire Club base of operations, it’s the quietest they have. Perhaps this is where old members retire to. A Hellfire rest home. Forgive him, but he jokes to stop his teeth from chattering.
The professor said that Cerebro located a mutant in this area and then the mutant appeared to vanish almost as suddenly. This corresponded with the disappearance of a boy from the local village. A boy who upon questioning his parents Kurt learned had begin to exhibit mutant powers. Fire from his fingers.
There may indeed be a link between this disappearance and the fact that Blair Cameron, one of England’s leading Hellfire Club members, has an estate here. But at this moment, Nightcrawler doubts this. He believes it’s just as likely the boy ran away to London like many children do. His opinion is based on two things. One: that his body is freezing and he wants to go home and two: that this place is as quiet as a church. He’s been inside and it’s closed for the winter. Even the servants appear to have gone. Why, he hasn’t seen a mouse over…
Suddenly, he sees someone with hug metal claws run toward him. Wolverine? he believes for a moment, then dodges the man’s attack. It’s a young man with claw-like hands and a long green ponytail. He doesn’t know what kind of Daemonite he is, the young man shouts, but pretty soon it’s not gonna… He reaches for Nightcrawler with his fingers which turn into lengthened claws.
Kurt teleports out of his reach and onto his back. And he doesn’t know what kind of villain he.… He teleports with the young man, but instead of being disoriented, his foe grabs for his throat.
That moment, a detonation separates them. As they lie on the ground stunned, a trio of Hellfire Club guards walks towards them. A mutant and a half-breed, one of them called Nigel remarks. It’ll be a pleasure to kill them, won’t it? he asks his colleague Keel.
Keel doesn’t reply. He focuses on Nightcrawler’s foe. Kherubim scum! he suddenly shouts. That one’s mine, he announces.
The green-haired young man gets up. So it was him. He sensed his kind somewhere around… Thought it was the blue skin. But no… it was him! He jumps toward the Hellfire Club man who tries to shoot him.
Kurt wonders what he meant with his kind. One moment later, he gets his reply as during the battle Keel shifts into a reptile-like creature.
The other two guards fire at Nightcrawler. He teleports on top of them and takes them out. He turns to the green-haired man. How did he do? Kurt asks. Quite well, it would seem, at least by his friend Logan’s standards.
The young man is still standing. His eviscerated foe isn’t. He’s alive comes the curt reply, more than he can say for the Daemonite.
He doesn’t understand, Kurt states. Who is he? And what is a Daemon…?
Thunder rumbles, it begins to rain. Kurt looks away for a moment and only the Daemonite corpse is left. He holds out his hands. Rain upon snow. Only in England. Kurt teleports away.
The WildC.A.T.s’ headqarters:
Reno aka Warblade tells his teammates of that encounter. It was two months ago. He was on one of his hunts. Rumors reached him of Daemonite activity in England. He followed those rumors to the estate of Blair Cameron, a wealthy English investor and land owner. He found armed men at Cameron Hall and a Daemonite among them.
Xavier’s Mansion:
Two months, Nightcrawler tells Xavier and the team, and still no sign of the missing boy. Nor any clue of who it was he fought against and then alongside. All he can say is, he was fighting like Logan. No, nothing like him, Wolverine retorts. Proof of that is the fact Kurt is standing here.
Well, perhaps the two of them can discuss it at length some time. He’s sure they’ll both have many witty remarks to make, Kurt retorts.
The WildC.A.T.s’ HQ:
While Voodoo does some stretching exercises, Warblade tells the team leader Jacob Marlowe aka Lord Emp a powerful – if amnesiac – Kherubim – that this one Daemonite could be the only one there and if he is, he’s no longer a concern. But they can’t be certain, Marlowe decides. Reno agrees. And there was the tailed furry thing who fought by his side. He’s not sure how he fits in.
It must be a coincidence, Jacob remarks and shows them a letter. He received this invitation yesterday. From Blair Cameron himself. He has invited Jacob to England for the weekend. There’s a gathering he feels a man of his worth should be a part of. He calls it the Hellfire Club.
At Xavier’s:
Xavier interrupts the discussion, reminding them of the remaining problem: they have a mutant boy missing who was once in close proximity to the Hellfire Club. On top of that, the Hellfire Club now employs “devils.”
Devils, monsters. The thing he saw was hideous enough for both, Nightcrawler recalls. Does he think Shaw and Frost are involved? Storm, asks. Perhaps, Xavier replies, but his sources say that Blair Cameron is allowed to run the British cabal with a degree of autonomy. They’ll have to learn more. A stealth team, he decides. Scott and Jean, Logan and Kurt. The rest will remain on standby.
A gulfstream jet gets a billionaire across the Atlantic faster than it takes most people to pack for the trip. And so soon Jacob Marlowe arrives at Blair Cameron’s home.
Cameron, dressed in typical Hellfire garb, welcomes him cordially. Marlowe points out he brought his assistant – field leader Hadrian aka Spartan – and his secretary – Priscilla Kitaen aka Voddoo – with him. He hopes that was all right. It will just mean finding a couple more costumes from the wardrobe.
Cameron leads Jacob inside. Wardrobe? Jacob asks. They dress in a certain way in the Hellfire Club. It helps them to feel the part. The part? He’ll understand by the end of his trip, Cameron promises.
He brings them to a lavish suite. He hops Jacob isn’t offended by this humble garret. It’s all he has to offer. He’ll survive, Jacob replies wryly. He’s sure he wants his servants to help him unpack, Cameron remarks as he leaves. They’ll show them to their room later. Dinner in an hour.
Since when did they go from an assistant and secretary to being servants? Pris asks. Jacob tells her to watch and wait. It will be night soon. Z and W will be about. Hadrian checks the room for bugs, then tells Jacob not to say anymore.
Dusk. Outside the estate, Phoenix and Cyclops are waiting. Jean fiddles with her costume’s sash. Impatiently, she telepathically tells Scott they’ve been here for hours and so far nothing. There’s life in the mansion now, Blair Cameron has moved back in. But no sign of anything evil or worse, certainly no sign of the missing boy. She hopes they are no wasting their time.
Since when did she become so impatient? Scott asks. She guesses she’s changed of late. What can she say? Just as long as she says it psionically like this, he won’t complain. They don’t want to alert anyone.
Does he think Kurt and Logon will b e all right? He doesn’t know, but if anyone can get close to what’s going on in there, it’s them.
Wolverine and Nightcrawler try to sneak in; they are currently on the roof. Kurt remarks this is easier than he thought it would be. Maybe a little too easy, Wolverine replies, suspicious. He notices a stink. He hasn’t smelled anything like that since WW2. He hopes this isn’t… Damn! Be careful what you wish for…’cause Lady Luck is just as likely to give you the opposite. Look out!
The next moment, Hellfire guards attack them with blades (as shots would disturb the guests) and more monsters. More of those devil things! Nightcrawler calls. That’s not what they are called, Wolverine replies as he unsheathes his claws, but close enough! Get ready, this is gonna be close quarters!
As the two Daemonites come closer Nightcrawler teleports away to take care of the human guards, while Wolverine attacks the Daemonites and begins slicing. Kurt tosses a guard off the roof. Moment later both of them are done.
Kurt, sitting atop a chimney, remarks he’s glad Logan took care... “Look out!” Wolverine shouts as he sees two Daemonites appear next to the chimney. But before they can attack Kurt, both are them impaled by someone behind the chimney, Warblade’s claws, and Zealot’s sword.
Hey blue fur, Warblade greets Nightcrawler, they meet again. And if that’s who she thinks it is under the mask… Zealot remarks. Logan? Then they meet again, too. Nightcrawler hides behind Wolverine. Yo, Blondie, Logan grins. Long time no see.
A lavish dining room where Cameron is holding the dinner. He must say this dinner is barely adequate, Marlowe remarks. Much like the pitiful bedroom Cameron gave him. Please tell him he’s joking, Cameron whines. Of course he’s joking, Marlowe replies. Everything here has been amazing. Good, Cameron replies. He hopes all these pleasures further entice Jacob into joining the Hellfire Club. He’s giving it serious thought.
And they have the hunt tomorrow, Cameron adds. He knows Jacob will enjoy that. Jacob is less sure. He always though the idea of a pack of men and hounds chasing a poor, scared fox to be pretty cowardly. Cameron agrees. You hunt one fox, you’ve basically hunted them all. No, tomorrow’s prey will hopefully be more of an entertainment.
He hopes his moral lassitude isn’t unsettling him? No, Jacob replies, drinking more champagne. Great men are not governed by the laws of the commoners. Look at the great past leaders. They kept a healthy disregard for the rules of their day and the fact is that because of their greatness, most are loved by their people regardless. Even President Kennedy… his affairs were common knowledge. But do the people love him less? Of course not! He alone is proof that they must exist above and apart from the rules.
He likes what he’s hearing, Cameron agrees. He shall enjoy admitting Jacob to Hellfire. Here’s to burning merrily, Jacob toasts while Pris and Hadrian watch critically.
After dinner, Jacob is led to his chamber where two scantily dressed young women are waiting. The Hellfire Club believes in excess, Cameron remarks. Every excess. Enjoy.
In the meantime, a butler leads Hadrian and Priscilla to their room. Singular. There are two of them, Hadrian points out And the bed is big enough for both of them, comes the reply. Pris points out they are not a couple. For this weekend they are, comes the reply. Admittance within the walls of the Hellfire Club requires a price. Decadence from everyone. Look at it as strengthening their working relationship. Uh-oh, Pris remarks, looking at the bed. He couldn’t have said it better, Hadrian agrees.
His sensors switch on as he examines the room. There are “ears” and “eyes” everywhere. What is she doing? he suddenly exclaims as she is clearly getting undressed. They want to see something, Pris replies and gets rid of her corsage. Let’s give ‘em a show.
Cameron, in the meantime, is led by one of his men, the only survivor, the one who fell off the roof, to the point of the attack. He is the only survivor? Cameron asks. Carmichael explains he fell into a rosebush. This moves things along then, Cameron decides. They can’t waste time with more play-acting and pampering. Bring Marlowe and his aides to him. Use force!
Now, Sir? Carmichael asks. If it’s convenient with his schedule, comes he sardonic reply. Perhaps he has a dance he’d rather attend. Carmichael apologizes. As an afterthought Cameron adds to bring the costumes of the two with Marlowe along. Let’s see their colors.
Hellfire Club guards forcibly enter the rooms of Marlowe and Hadrian and Pris respectively who are all busied quite plenty and are therefore helpless and surprised by the electric attacks.
Only Hadrian is still standing if barely, however a moment later, he too simply falls.
Later, Marlowe is told to awake. Wake up and smell the roses… or the coffee or what the silly expression it is you Americans use. They are in a cave. Cameron stands in front of a huge red pentagram in the ground, surrounded by Hellfire Guards and Daemonites. Marlowe and a young boy are hanging chained from a stalactite, while Voodoo and Spartan are also chained down further below.
What is this? Marlowe demands. This is below, comes the reply. Underneath, downstairs. Underground cavern? Precisely. Why? Ah, well therein lies a tale, Cameron replies. Has he ever heard of Sir Harry Tanner? Born 1764. Explorer, Adventurer, Rake.
Blair Cameron’s tale:
If there was a mystery to uncover Tanner was the man to do it. He found a lost city in the mountains of Kurdistan. He found gold in South America. He uncovered a scandal in the Prussian family that could have toppeled Europe. And on arcane matters Sir Harry Tanner was no less inquiring. Did he mention that he was a member of the Hellfire Club?
Present:
Fascinating, Marlowe comments wryly. That doesn’t explain why he’s chained to a rock.
Tanner uncovered the “spell of summoning,” Cameron continues. With it the wielder could summon a creature from the netherworld that would remain in his control. Imagine the power they’d have with their own demon. We, who? Jacob asks.  We, the Hellfire Club, we, Cameron clarifies. The reason Tanner never performed the spell was because it needed two ingredients that even that great man was unable to uncover. One, a virgin with powers beyond those of man.
A virgin? Marlowe scoffs. He hates to tell him this, but he lost that title a few years ago, give or take a few millennia. No, the lad next to him, a fledgling mutant, takes the first role. He is a virgin isn’t he? Cameron asks. The crying boy begs him not to hurt him. He’s sorry he ran away from home.
As for Marlowe, the spell also calls for an immortal. He was just joking, Marlowe replies. Immortal? Him? Yes, Lord Emp, comes the reply. Does he think the Hellfire Club is without its information sources? He believes it’s even mentioned in their Club records that he met Harry Tanner. Quite possibly, Marlowe admits. He recalls he was far more of a gentleman than Cameron. Oh, he’s sure Cameron replies, but whoever told him he was a gentleman?
So the invitation was…? A ruse to get him here, knowing all along who he was. He knew that his aides were super-powered protectors, too. What silly name does he call them? WildC.A.T.s? Delightful.
He supposes some of the credit should go to his Daemonite allies. They came to him, asking to unite. Indeed, they even suggested using Marlowe as a sacrifice. Anyone might think they don’t like him.
Spartan struggles in vain with his bonds.
And what’s in it for the Daemonites? Marlowe asks. Hell on Earth, comes the reply. He’d intended to perform the spell tomorrow when the equinox was a tad more advantageous. But with all the rum doing on his grounds, the sooner he has a demon to boss around, the better. So, is he ready? No, Jacob replies. Too bad.
Blair Cameron pauses then. He clears his thoughts and asks for water, like a great tenor might before a performance. This will show them, he thinks. Shaw and Pierce and Frost. This will show them he’s a force to be reckoned with. And then the words come… easy like familiar scriptures.
Arise, Lord of all that is not. In the name if Cahrq, Molinz and Rashnogg I command this! For the wind is nameless that blows this day. The sun is called Vanutla. The moon is Gatu. The earth… the earth is Ky. Arise, Lord of all that is not. Arise and tell me the name of hell’s fine tors. What is the name of the netherworld?!
The ground begins to rumble and the demon rises. Welcome, Cameron announces.
Spartan has finally managed to break his bonds and fires at the demon.  Voodoo cries for help as one of the guards reaches for her. The other guards shoot at Hadrian. The guard with her turns off his image inducer to reveal he is Nightcrawler, assuring her he is on their side and that he has signaled for back-up.
That moment, the WildC.A.T.s and X-Men come in like a storm, like elements. Thunder and lightning. Color and Power.
Attack! Zealot orders. Way ahead of you, blondie! Wolverine retorts. Hit them hard! Storm orders. Don’t give them a chance to counter them. Grifter shoots Daemonites and orders their strongman Maul to get Jacob and the kid off the stalactite.
Maul tries, but quickly gets caught by the demon’s tentacles. As does Colossus when he tries to help.
Storm grabs Marlowe and the boy and asks Phoenix to act quickly. Zealot kills Daemonites while Spartan and Cyclops keep Cameron from escaping.
Nightcrawler carries Voodoo away from battle. Before he returns he steals a kiss for luck, then bamfs away. Voodoo is somewhat disgusted. Great kiss. Lousy aftertaste.
Cameron pleads with Spartan and Cyclops; they don’t understand …he must get away. They all…do! The demon was summoned… Yeah, he can see, Cyclops comments wryly.
Phoenix begins to glow with fiery energy. What sort of energy does it wield? she asks the demon, fire and brimstone? She doubts it can compare to this! To the power of Phoenix.
Cameron continues that they denied the demon his… sacrifice. He didn’t feast upon Emp and the boy. He can’t stay on Earth. He’ll be going … back. That’s a bad thing? Cyclops asks. When he goes… there will be a vacuum… a backdraft… explosive!
Cyclops cries out for Jean and the rest to get away ! This place is going to—
Moments later, there is an explosion.
And here they are. Back where they started in April and everything is lovely. Cyclops half carries out the damaged Spartan. Don’t worry, soldier. We’ll get out of this alive. No, he doesn’t think so, comes an announcement. More Hellfire Club guards and Daemonites. He doesn’t think living is in the cards, the Hellfire guard continues. Not for either of--
A second explosion – kind of, as the Phoenix raptor breaks from the ground and with it all the other X-Men and WildC.A.T.s, unhurt. Jean and Void saved the rest. Phoenix contained them but Void was the one who teleported them away.
Now, Wolverine growls, what have they got here?
A very short time later, only the heroes are left. Some things haven’t changed from the last, time, huh Cole? Jean asks. She’s still in a team and the two of them helped save the world again. She didn’t acknowledge him earlier, Grifter replies sheepishly, He thought maybe… They were busy, that was all, Jean replies. Well, one thing has changed, he replies. He is in a team now, too.
Yeah, and a nice body count they all managed to chalk up, Wolverine of all people points out. Man, and they call him bloodthirsty. Pretty good ending, Marlowe remarks as he lights up a cigar. The X-Men got their kid back, the CATS killed some Daemonites.…
Yes, Storm replies icily. She notices they kill quite a lot. She doesn’t approve? Vodoo asks. “No.” And she knows the man who leads them wouldn’t approve either.
They are warriors, Zalot states. They fight, their enemies die. There’s no place for mercy in war. She guesses that’s where they differ, Phoenix replies.
They’re also fighting for acceptance with humanity every day, Cyclops remarks… yet every day they also pledge to defend humanity from danger. Grifter can attest to that from the last he met him, he bets.
Yeah, well, Marlowe replies, clearly disinterested, if it works for them… A moment ago, he though how similar their teams were. Now he sees they’re not alike at all. Still, maybe they’ll all meet again someday. What do they think? What does he think? Cyclops repeats. He thinks if that ever happens, it will be a dark and terrible day…


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
WildC.A.T.S / X-Men: The Dark Age
2019.
A bullet was fired at the Earth millennia ago. In 2019 the bullet hit bone. There was a war in the air: Cherubim and demons fought across the breadth of the sky with religious hatred. But finally the sky grew too small for them and they found Earth a fine new battlefield.
Time passed. While the demons fought here, their home in the sky was made ash by the cherubim. The war was done. The angels looked around at their battlefield, seeing new humans mutated into superior forms, become the companions of the gods.
And then, in 2019, everything changed.
2019. Manhattan lies in ruins. Animal corpses are strewn around. No future and Xavier’s dead is written on the walls.
37th Street and Lexington Avenue:
An internment camp.
A robot-like being, more organic than Sentinel, expects the prisoner Savant back from her excursion. He orders the tiny blonde to halt and present herself for post-excursion examination.
An eye, half organic, half cybernetic loosens itself from the being and examines her. No infection, it announces, negligible accretion of dirt and airborne human remains. No weaponry. Savant is ordered to walk on and return to the prison.
She walks past the heroes’ graveyard, seeing such names as Nikolas Kamarov, Nigel Keane, Kurt Wagner, Carol Danvers and Logan.
She finally gets “home.” She’s made it back, and an adult Kitty Pryde greets her. Savant almost breaks down. She didn’t think she was going to make it back this time. Kitty tries to calm her. She’s so tired, Savant moans. What did they send her out for this time? Kitty asks. Some kind of factional fighting on the other side of Harlem, comes the reply. The surviving Caucasians up there have broken into tribes. She had to examine some corpses.
Like they couldn’t have sent probes to do that, Kitty replies. Not the point, Savant explains. They only made her a trustee, so they could give her these jobs. They like to try and break her with these things. Kitty doesn’t understand how they hate the Kherans. She’s getting the idea, Kitty replies wryly. Did they have a Sentinel trail her? All the way. She’ll, never get used to the stench of those things. It’s stronger than the corpse piles.
They reach their shack where Voodoo is holding a rather childlike Storm. Tell her about it, Voodoo snorts. They kicked the hell out of her again, while Savant was gone, then did it again when the smell made her puke on them. Ooh, her poor feet, Savant moans, as she sits down next to Ororo. If she ever finds the lizard who took her seven-league boots… Any news of her sister?
No, Ororo replies despondently. She’s probably dead. Savant orders her to shut up. Undeterred, Ororo continues. Zealot and Jean and Majestic and Nate. All probably dead. Dead. Kitty asks her to stop it. Ororo continues her litany. Forge and Charles and… little Jubilation… Who would want to kill little Jubilation? She held Scott for so long. She pushed that piece back into his head, but he would not wake up for her. Was she bad?
Great, she’s off again, Pricilla scoffs. Call her when she’s recited the whole list of dead mutants. Kitty coldly orders Voodoo to shut her mouth before she does it for her. If she’s got nothing to contribute, she suggests Voodoo get out of her sight. Suits her, the other woman replies and leaves, only to be called by Jacob Marlowe aka Lord Emp, who is in a wheelchair now, pushed by Warblade.
Jacob asks her not to argue with their comrades in imprisonment. As if he needs to remind her: they are not all equipped for a prison yard brawl. Reno adds that Storm got trapped under a corpse pile during the Westchester purges. He asks Pris to cut her some slack. Besides, Jacob continues, they’re going to need every friend they can find soon. If they are going to leave, that is. Miss Pryde and he have been talking.
He’s lost it, Voodoo scoffs. He’s finally gone mad. Just wait until she’s heard the plan, Marlowe replies. Then she’ll be convinced he’s insane…
Reno scratches across his stomach where his implant is located and tells Pris he thought they’d both gone nuts. That thing he’s cooked up just to shut off these power-deactivation implants is probably going to get them killed on its own.
They have a first impossibility to achieve, Marlowe states and points to a house, first they have to break into the House of Ghosts!
The Daemonites had been at war with the Kherans for as long as either race could remember; since before anything in the galaxy had begun recording history. The war spread across the galaxy like pox, crawling from habitable planet to planet. In its last stages, it infected the far spiral arms. Those ageless, tired soldiers were very far from home, then. So far from home that it took hundreds of years for the Daemonite soldiers on Earth to discover that the war was over: Khera had broken Daemon.
The news drove the Daemonites on Earth mad. They went to ground insane with grief and anger… still at war.
Earth had its own wars, of course, some just as deep underground as the Daemonites themselves. The early flames of a race war burned down there. Homo sapiens were building weapons to use against Homo mutantis; huge mechanical soldier of infinite potential. The Daemonites saw this and dreamt of an evolutionary leap that might give them the edge over their Kheran enemies still on Earth. That might subjugate this world they were trapped on. And so the Daemonite soldiers stole the Sentinel technology, and fused themselves with it. And that’s when it all went wrong.
Inside the House of Ghosts, the imprisoned Jean Grey wonders if the Daemonites’ll ever let them die. It has occurred to her that they could keep them like that for decades… Cable, strung up and silenced, would probably die of old age first, perhaps forty years from now. Zealot is Kheran, with a lifespan measured in millennia. She thinks that suits the Daemonites. Millennia of torture might possibly exhaust their reservoir of hate. Might. Majestic too. The former Kheran Warlord hangs broken and beaten in chains. The Daemonites find a special joy in driving a Kheran warlord to the extent of his ability to suffer pain. But they are all soldiers. They expect that treatment at the hands of the enemy. She was never a soldier. If anyone can hear these thoughts… there is a way out of here. Find her. And if they can’t help her… then for God’s sake, kill her!
Elsewhere, outside New York, Grifter and Wolverine are walking in mutual dislike. He’ sick of walking. Grifter announces, He’s sick of him, Logan snarls back. He’s sick of the way Logan smells, Cash retorts. He’s sick of the way he talks, comes the reply. He’s sick of him, it’s Cole’s turn. He already said that, Logan points out. Cole orders him to shut up. How much further anyway? he asks a moment later. He told him to shut up, Wolverine reminds him.
Cole repeats his question with an expletive. God, but he’s a sulky little runt! Call him a runt again, he’ll spend the rest of the day picking his teeth outta his butt, Wolverine threatens. Twenty miles, maybe a bit more. Think he can handle a man’s walking tour, Grifter? Don’t call him Grifter, Cole replies.
Hell, times was you could see Manhattan from a hundred miles away. Not in that smog though. Twenty miles, huh? Call it fifteen, Logan replies. They’ll stop there and go over procedures. He got the legs for it? Why wouldn’t he ? Cole asks. They are longer than Logan’s!
Wolverine unsheathes his claws. Cole tries to calm him, they are all in t he resistance army together. Don’t make him put his gun on him….
Logan attacks someone hiding in the rubble who was about to attack.  They didn’t hear anything but he smelled him. The dead would-be-attacker is Percival Edward Chang, aka Grunge, formerly of Gen 13. Thought he was dead, Cole remarks. See the marks on his face? Logan asks. Probably wished he was.
Got some more of the walking dead here! Cole announces as he looks at a group facing them, consisting of Ivana Baueil, Dani Moonstar, Frostbite, Feral and two tigers. Hello, Ivana. The group’s leader, Ivana, the cyborg, identifies them. They must have walked from Canada. What a long strange walk it must have been for them. They can ride the rest of the way in her hounds here. The Daemonites sometimes forget to feed the border guard trustees. They know how it is. Oh yeah, he knows how it is, Cole replies and shoots Feral.
Retaliating, Frostbite attacks Wolverine who in turn slices him. Moonstar lets loose an energy arrow at him, swearing he should be dead. Though the arrow hits Logan, Cole shoots her, calling her a collaborator bitch.
Ivana, in the meantime, is radioing for help. Logan literally disarms her (cyborg parts) and Cole remarks that they didn’t want to kill anyone but they can’t have their mission compromised. If they had more time, they would have found another way. But they have to get to Manhattan and they know that, if they let Ivana live, she will find a way to screw it up. She was scum long before the Daemonites came, but he thinks she is worth an apology anyway. Logan! Wolverine strikes.
A special lunatic hatred for America evinced itself in the new metaspecies formed by the fusion of Daemonite and Sentinel. The conventional forces of the United States meant nothing to mad alien soldiers clad in the most sophisticated engines of destruction in the planet’s history.
The unconventional forces the Kheran soldiers on-planet and those enhanced by Kheran influence, stood with America’s best fighters and the first few generations of mutated humans. And it wasn’t enough. It could never have been enough.
The rest of the world stood off and waited. The Daemonite Sentinels took America, took their revenge and safe territory. And went no further. Because they were all insane.
Manhattan:
Priscilla is the last to arrive at the meeting of the former X-Men and WildCATs imprisoned in the camp. He told her to be prompt, Emp criticizes her. Pris tells him to shut up. She just took a little love tap from one of them. They think it’s funny to reach down and use one claw on her. How long do they have?
No idea, Emp replies. He doesn’t know if they’ve yet realized this powerplant creates a communication dead zone. It’s based on a Kheran design they threw up millennia ago. No wonder the Daemonites lost the war… Pity they don’t walk like losers, isn’t it? Savant remarks sarcastically.
Enough already, Kitty interrupts. They can play wordgames later. They need to confer. Emp has come up with… a possible way to defeat the inhibitor implants. The only possible way, he insists. To hell with that, Kitty retorts. And she’s yet to hear what Reno has to say about his little plan. If Emp says it’s the only way, then it’s the only way, Reno replies calmly.
Someone going to explain the only way to the rest of them or do they have to guess? Pris asks. Emp says Reno can use his powers to cut the inhibitors out of them safely, Kitty explains. But how do they kill Reno’s implant, so he can do it? Pris wonders. They’ve been through this a thousand times.
Turns out kill is the operative word, Kitty points out. Pris gets it. They are all plugged into these things. You kill the implant, you die too! She tells Reno. He states he can tough it out long enough to free them. Stuff he learned on Khera. He can turn his hands into tiny razor-flakes, surgically replumb and remove the implants. He’s been studying his for months. He can see what to do.
Pris gets in his face. He’ll die! she states bluntly. Even if he manages to force himself to stay alive long enough to free them all, he’ll die! And the alternative is what, exactly? Reno asks. Waiting for the Daemonites to get bored of him? Waking up every morning, thinking for three seconds that he’ll see his friends again? Listening to her crying in her sleep for dead boyfriends? Admitting to himself that this here, this never being in love again, never being warm again, never being not terrified again, this here is as good as his life is ever going to be again?! Find a sharp piece of metal and jam it through his stomach, for God’s sake!
Emp takes out a sharp piece of metal. Let’s get it over with, Reno decides. Emp thanks him. He always was his friend... Reno tells him to shut up. Just get it right, huh?
Emp strikes Reno in the stomach with the jagged piece of metal. Oh, Emp exclaims when the implant comes from Reno’s gut, a greenish thing seemingly alive. Quickly, he tells Reno, who replies he just got lost for a second.
Clearly in pain, he first frees Emp, then Kitty. In short breaths, he tells her to do this plan of hers right. Let him see his friends again, because they’re all he’s ever had…
Later, with them all freed, now it’s Storm’s part. Panicked, she refuses. Priscilla orders her to do this. Reno died for this, so she’ll damn well do this or she’ll kill Ororo’s crazy ass right here and now and put her in the ground. To back up her threat, she turns part Daemonite and threatens Storm with her claws. Unfortunately, a Daemonite Sentinel detects the use of power.
Storm finally acts and lightning strikes the Sentinel. Kitty Pryde finishes it off by phasing through it and shorting its systems.
Inside the house of ghosts, Jean senses all this going on. The next moment, Kitty, Storm, Voodoo and Savant enter to free their friends.
Vodoo hisses at the Daemonite guard and partially transforms herself. This is for all the beatings, she announces as she claws at it. And this is just because she wants to, Kitty adds as she phases through one.
Savant is horrified to see what’s been done to her sister, at a lack for words. They tortured her, Zannah replies, calling her stupid. Can’t believe her own sister would be that dense.
What’s the plan? Cable asks. There is a plan, right? Oh it’s great! Pris assures him with a mad grin. He’ll love it. They’re going to kill themselves.
Elsewhere in Manhattan:
When? Cole asks. When he says, Logan replies. Now? Cole asks a moment later. He’s like a kid in the back of a car, Logan snarls. Are we there yet, pop, are we there yet? His dad never took him anywhere, Cole muses. And he never met his mom, Logan adds.
Okay, this’ll do. Time to deploy the mission objective facilitator. Long word, Cole remarks. Plain old bomb would have done. Gotta say it’s been complete crap serving with him, Colonel Logan. Gotta say the same for him, Sergeant Cash, Logan replies. Let’s go nuke Manhattan, grab the world back and put their friends out of their misery, he orders.
Elsewhere, Emp uses his powers, beckoning the Daemonites to come. They took his legs and laughed at him, they kept him here like a pet. But he remains Lord Emp of Khera and he’s been wiping his backside on Daemonite skin since he was a child! Let him show them why Khera won the war… Energy crackles around him.
Another Damonite. Sentinel addresses him. It warmed them at night to know that an architect of the great war lies crippled in their pen. But he is no longer entertaining. Perhaps he will amuse them without arms… That moment, the thing is destroyed by the cavalry, the powerhouses the others have freed. Lord Emp, the enemy are held, Majestic informs him. Hello, Majestros, Emp replies.
Kitty explains that the enemy aren’t going to be held for long. They know them. They’ll mass up and come in a crowd. Emp points out she does the take-charge thing well, though if he’s honest, he thinks--
She doesn’t care, Kitty cuts him off. She’s held them together for years. She’s thought about this for years. He lost his teammates and his pride. She lost everyone she knew from the age of fourteen. This is hers. Clear?
This is what she’s got: Cable has knowledge of time travel in his head. Savant has the vast reserves of learning to make it work for them. Jean has the psychic ability to connect their heads and put it all to work. Emp has the raw power, and a certain set of coordinates…
They can’t save the world as it stands, she states simply. They lost that fight once. They can make sure that world never happens. They can stop it before it starts. And… they can’t be subtle about it. They can’t be clever or fiddly. This is a brute force option. If there were never any X-Men, then there’d never be Sentinel technology. If there were never any WildCATS, then there’d never be Daemonites on Earth. They get the idea.
Yeah, popular, she knows. If anyone has a better idea, she’d like to hear it before they are recaptured and re-implanted and they will be, unless they act now. The question is, which point in time do they return to?
The choice is obvious, Majestros announces. The WildCATS are and have always been soldiers. To die in battle is their choice and their place. It is the X-Men’s plan and powers. Let it be the WildCATs’ death! This is only right.
Elsewhere, Cole notes there’s something going on in there. Logan warns him they can’t pay it no mind now. Five minute switch on the device. Do they commit or not? Commit, Cole replies.
Daemonite Sentinels already show up and they begin. Jean connects the others mentally. She is in Cable’s memories, enabling total recall on the time travel system that brought him from his alternate future. Savant sees the data and thankfully understands it. She’s read things like that. She shows Jean a diagram. That’s so simple it’s frightening. They can work that diagram like a machine. Like you’ve parted the universe’s curtain and found a huge abacus being it, put in the numbers, the date they are picturing.
Over a thousand years ago, they see the spaceship. A Kheran war party arriving at Earth in advance of the Daemonite expedition. The Kherans came, the Daemonites followed.
In their link, they don’t know who is who anymore. Emp supplies the power, Cable and Savant the knowledge, Jean the way. For a moment, they fear the energy is not enough, that they are losing it. But then everything turns white. Manhattan is bombed.
But in the past, the gestalt being blows apart the Kheran ship. And the Dark Age never comes to pass. And the WildCATs never battle the Hellfire Club alongside the X-Men. And Grifter never teams up with Marvel Girl against the Brood Daemonite hybrids. And in WW II Logan never meets Zannah.
The new timeline:
Xavier’s school. It’s an idyllic day as Kitty Pryde and Logan walk home.


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[Assistant]
The Gathering
The Nuevo Sol Arcology lies abandoned in the Nevada Desert, designed to be a self-sufficient, non-polluting working and living environment. It has turned into a place of redemption for the chosen who are brave enough to travel there. A large X marks the door. A man arrives, thinking about the reasons he came here and whether he should go in or not. He inserts a small card in the lock and the door opens. A giant armoured man comes into view. The armoured man asks him, why he is here and he shows the giant a small card with an X inscribed, telling him that an Indian woman gave it to him. The giant asks him
why the Indian woman, whose name is Shakti, gave the card to him; is he a fighter ? The man tells him that he doesn't want any problems and the giant, whose name is Junkpile, tells him to go inside. The man whose name is Timothy Fitzgerald enter the building where a great party is being held. Tim is very confused: Nuevo Sol's supposed to be deserted. While he wanders around he meets a girl, who calls herself Serpentina. She immediately identifies him as Fitzgerald and that he's a mutant. Tim denies
being a mutant, but Tina tries to calm him by showing him that she is a mutant too: her arms become longer and wrap around him. Tim asks to be released and Serpentina complies. He then asks whether everybody there is a mutant. Most turn out to be nomads, fringers, corporate drop-outs and discards
and a few degens (degens are genetically manipulated humans). They have all come to Nuevo Sol to enjoy the freedom it offers. She then shows him another mutant: Eddie, who can mimic metals and is also a gifted musician. Timothy is very impressed, but Tina says that he will be even more impressed with Xi'an, who will change his life.
In the security room, Junkpile is worried about Xi'an's absence and tells Shakti so. Shakti tells him that Xi'an can take care of himself and that Junkpile should know that, since both have been members of the Lawless. Junkpile says that Xi'an has become another man since he returned from Saigon and has messianic delusions. Mutants have power and they should use those powers, Shakti shows Junkpile the limitation of his powers by using her telepathic powers against him. She then tells him to get back to work.
In Las Vegas, Xi'an confronts Noah Synge, head of the Synge syndicate and casino and warns him not kidnap nomads anymore for his amusements. Although Synge has used a lot of his money for security, his security is inadequate to detect the entrance of Xi'an who is also known as Desert Ghost. Synge tells
Xi'an that he will not obey a mutant and that Xi'an should leave before he calls his Ratpack to escort him out. Xi'an reveals his left hand, which is green and looks decayed. Xi'an then gives Synge a last warning: he turns a wall to dust with but a touch his hand.
In the casino, the execution of the mutant terrorist known as Bloodhawk has been turned into a game-show. A variation of a slotmchine is used to determine his way of execution. Bloodhawk resists and is blasted by some enforcers who activates his neural restraints. Lytton and Desdemona Synge witness the trial and Bloodhawk threatens them. Lytton injects himself with some drug called Shriek and then kicks Bloodhawk. Desdemona questions his courage and kisses Bloodhawk. Lytton asks her what she's doing and she tells him that Bloodhawk will go to the grave with her kiss on his lips. Lytton lectures her, but
Desdemona turns the tables on him by threatening to tell Noah that he deals with Alchemax, obviously an enemy of Noah's. The enforcers throw Bloodhawk into his cell, impressed by the fact that he's still struggling. When they want to close the door, something moves along with incredible speed, opening
the cell door again. When they want to take their guns, they are encased into a crystal. The mutants Krystalin and Meanstreak appear and they take Bloodhawk with them. They remove his restrains, but stop him when he wants to kill the guards. On the roof, Bloodhawk shows why he's called Bloodhawk by turning into a dragon-like creature. The two X-Men tell him that they want him to join them, but Bloodhawk refuses. Meanstreak points to his debt to them, but Bloodhawk says there is no debt.
In the Synge stables, Noah Synge arrives on his horse, but he isn't alive anymore. He seems to have decayed within several minutes. Desdemona doesn't seem to be very shocked, but Lytton accuses Xi'an and orders his death.
Shakti observes Fitzgerald and Serpentina on the monitors when Xi'an arrives. Xi'an tells Shakti that Fitzgerald doesn't know it yet, but he will make their group strong. Shakti asks Xi'an whether he has seen Synge, but Xi'an is dismissive and tells her that he has to address the gathering first. Eddie introduces Xi'an, which is the cue for a man to access the roof and disable one of the cameras. Shakti notices and asks Junkpile to check it out. Junkpile obviously sees the man, but tells Shakti that everything is in order. While Xi'an is talking to the gathering about unity and individuality, the man on the roof takes a gun. At the same time Krys and Meanstreak arrive, arguing who should tell Xi'an that Bloodhawk took off. Xi'an tells the gathering about the Great Purge during which a whole generation of mutants disappeared. He tells them about Xavier, Magnus, Del Ruin and Sao, all great men in the history of mutants, who taught them to fight for their future. At that moment Tim sees a gun on the balcony. Terrified by the idea of Xi'an's death, he powers up and discharges a bio-electrical beam unto the sniper. The sniper is hit, but manages to his Xi'an in the chest. Eddie runs over to Xi'an, when the Synge enforcers arrive to arrest everyone. Shakti has lost contact with Junkpile and tells Krys and Meanstreak to protect Xi'an. Eddie turns into adamantium and Krystallin unleashes a rain of crystal shards to keep the enforcers back. Tina takes Fitzgerald to the stage. The stage then lowers with the X-Men and Fitzgerald on it. Shakti orders them to get into the van. Eddie thanks Fitzgerald for saving Xi'an and despite his injury Xi'an asks him to join his X-Men.


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[Assistant]
Synge City Blues
In their van the X-Men escape from the Synge enforcers, while being shot at. Xi’an’s consition is critical, yet without Tim he wouldn’t be alive at all. They wonder why the enforcers are after them, but Krystalin knows the answer when she picks up the com-lines opf the enforcers. Noah Synge was murdered and the evidence points to Xi’an. Meanstreak scouts ahead and finds a route through the tunnels, but once they make their way to the surface, the X-Men’s van is surrounded by a helicopter and a tank. Unexpected help arrives in Bloodhwak, who deals with the helicopter first, making it crash and then throws a grenade to blow up the tank. Bloodhawk lands near the van and says that this is his way of repaying that Xi’an sent his operatives to save him (last issue), but now that debt is paid. Cerebra fills him in on the critical condition of their leader, and that they need a place to hide. Bloodhawk offers to take them to a secure location.
Lytton Synge inspects the Arcology, the X-Men’s former base. Junkpile tells him that his assassin screwed up. Lytton injects himself with another ampule of Shriek, a drug, and then sends Junkpile to find Xi’an. Junkpile obviously doesn’t believe that Xi’an is responsible for killing Noah Synge, but has his own reasons to see Xi’an dead.
Noah Synge’s funeral service is disturbed by his daughter, Desdemona, who is glad that the old man is dead. Lytton tries to shut her up, but she continues to voice her opinion on her father and verbally assaults the people who have come to show their respect.
In the safe place, Bloodhawk tells the X-Men to not overstay their welcome. The X-Men discuss Junkpile’s betrayal. Shakti then calls them to see Xi’an. Xi’an is comatose but a protective sheath of some unknown material, according to Shakti cuticle-like, is forming around the wound and is spreading across his body. Shakti then decides that they first need to prove Xi’an’s innocence, so that she can take care of him in a genuine med-lab.
In the Las Vegas-casino, Metalhead forces an enforcer to open the doors to the mortuary. Krystallin takes out the enforcers inside with a crsytal bo staff and Meanstreak locks up another employee.
Back at the hideout, Tim, Cerebra and Tina observe that Xi’an’s body is now almost completely covered. Shakti explains to Timothy why everybody blames Xi’an for Synge’s death. Back when Xi’An rode with the Lawless, they were offered to work as his Casino Elite, but refused. This angered Noah Synge, and becasue of being huinted by his enforcers Xi’an left to Vietnam, where he sfound a new conscience and returned with a vision of post-coporate world order. He recruited people like Cerebra for his cause, and Tim was meant as their final addition. Suddenly they hear Junkpile’s vehicle.
In the mortuary, Krystallin takes a tissue sample of Synge’s body and Meanstreak analyses it. It turns out that Synge was dead before being subjected to a process that simulates Xi’an’s power signature. They are being watched by the casino’s elite enforcers, the Rat Pack, who then enter to take them in. The Dealer throws diamond cut razor disks at Meanstreak, but the speedster dodges them. The Suicide King’s bullets bounce of Metalhead’s skin, but Krystalin’s arm turns numb when she gets hit by the electrifying toch of Mr. Entertainment. Having not enough room to maneuver, Meanstreak runs into Mr. Entertzainment and is taken out, wnd Metalhead is rendered unconscious by the Chairman. Only Krystalin manages to escape, by sealing off a hallway behind her. She knows that the evidence they found won’t menat a thing if they can’t get it out of the complex.
Somewhat later, in Lytton’s office, Desdemona complains that Lytton didn’t tell her about the capture of two X-Men. Since she now owns half the casino, she is interested in casino affairs. Desdemona suspects that her brother might supress evidence in their father’s murder, and her brothers threatens her not to cross him.
Shakti tells Tim and Tina to get Xi’An to safety, while she tries to deal with Junkpile, yet her powers no longer affect him. He picked up a psionic jammer to protect himself from her. Shakti then tries to get Junkpile to leave, but he hits her. Serpentina attacks, but she is thrown of the building. Timothy blasts Junkpile’s arm of him, but his arm reattaches to his body. He then chokes Timothy till he passes out, and makes his way to Xi’an’s completely cocooned body.


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[Assistant]
Viva Las Vegas
Lytton recaps the events of last issue: Junkpile is on his way with a captive Xi’an, who is suspected of the murder of Noah Synge, Lytton’s father. At the casino, Meanstreak and Metalhead are captured, but Krystalin is still free. The other X-Men, Cerebra, Serpentina and Timothy Fitzgerald have fought Junkpile and survived, although they failed to protect Xi’an. Bloodhawk still fights again the pollution of the desert. Desdemona doubts the guilt of Xi’an and accuses Lytton in covert terms of the murder of their father. Lytton ignores her, thinking of his new and future power.
Bloodhawk enters the Casino Hotel in full flight and draws the fire of the security personnel. While he draws the attention, Shakti, Tim and ‘tina knock out several guards and steal their uniforms. Tim asks Cerebra if she can’t use her telepathic powers to take out everybody in the casino, but Tina replies that Shakti’s powers are too weak for that. Shakti then uses another aspect of her powers: her ability to sense mutants (the reason she is called Cerebra), she tells the others that she feels Xi’an’s life-force, but that he’s on the verge of death.
Junkpile stand next to the cocoon that Xi’an has formed around him after being shot by an assassin. He tells his former friend that he deserves better, but the cocoon is interesting Synge’s scientists. Desdemona Synge enters and asks Junkpile why he betrayed Xi’an, as they were friends years ago when they both rode with the same outlaw gang. They leave to talk in private.
Cerebra, Serpentina and Timothy have discovered the stasis cells where Meanstreak and Metalhead are being held and Serpentina destroys the cells. Shakti tells them what has happened and Metalhead asks them about Krystalin, who is still missing.
Meanwhile Krystalin has entered Lytton’s office and witnesses a holographic testament of Noah Synge in which he’s amending his will to cut out Lytton because Lytton dealt with his competitors. Lytton tells the hologram that he wished he could have killed him more than once. Krys becomes furious and attacks Lytton with a crystal knife, but she is then grabbed by Junkpile. Desdemona tells Lytton that she now is taking charge, having uncovered his secret of having killed Noah and framed Xi’An for it.
In a corridor the X-Men face the Ratpack and Shakti activates Timothy’s powers. His blast takes out the Rat Pack. Meanstreak searches them and finds out that they are holding Xi’an in the East Wing. While everybody is evacuating the casino to avoid the X-Men, Xi’an’s shell is beginning to crack.
When the X-Men enter the medical laboratory, they find Junkpile holding Krys. Junkpile gives the unconscious Krys to Meanstreak and tells them to leave. The X-Men tell him that they won’t leave without Xi’an and Serpentina attacks Junkpile. Junkpile knocks her away into a wall and Tina is not moving anymore. Enraged, Fitzgerald attacks, but he’s knocked out of the window. Bloodhawk catches him and then proceeds to battle Junkpile. Bloodhawk’s powers are of no use in close quarters and Junkpile catches one of his wings and breaks it. By then Krys, Meanstreak and Metalhead have recovered enough to battle Junkpile, but Xi’an enters and tells them to stop.
Junkpile attacks Xi’an, but Xi’an is way too fast for him and easily dodges his blow. Junkpile turns around to hit him, but Xi’an touches him with his destructive left hand. Junkpile falls to the floor. Junkpile whispers to Xi’an that he should kill him, now that he has the chance, but Xi’an replies that Junkpile will heal himself as always and will one day return as a friend and ally. Junkpile loses consciousness while saying: ” Never”. Bloodhawk and Tim tell Xi’an that he can’t let Junkpile go that easily, but Xi’an tells them that Junkpile is a lot like he once was and that everybody can change. He then demonstrates his transformation in the cocoon. His right hand has the appearance of gold metal and he uses his new power to heal Bloodhawk’s wing. He then tries to resurrect Serpentina, but he’s incapable to help her.
Desdemona enters with her guards and tells them that Lytton has been arrested for the murder of Noah Synge and Xi’an asks Desdemona if they can leave with Tina. Desdemona tells them to go and not return.
Latzer, the X-Men bury Serpentina in the desert and Krys creates a crystal tombstone. Bloodhawk leaves, telling Xi’an that he has a responsibility to the land. Xi’an understands and asks Timothy if he will stay. Tim isn’t sure, but Xi’an talks him into it and because Tina believed in Xi’an, Timothy agrees to stay.
Elsewhere, a masked man is filming several people being tortured in the name of art when he receives a holo-message. A devil-like creature appears who is identified by the masked man as Brimstone Love. Brimstone Love calls the masked man Thirteen and orders him to investigate the new mutant phenomenon in his district and their potential for ‘entertainment’. Thirteen obeys and calls for Luna. From the darkness, we see the face of a long-haired person with sharp teeth.


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[Assistant]
The Darkroom
In his base in the radioactive desert of New Mexico, Bloodhawk is stalked and attacked by a mysterious woman who is as strong and fast as he is. She takes him out when her touch triggers pain within his mind. At the same time a flying eye is watching the proceedings.
The X-Men are salvaging what they can from the Nuevo Sol Arcology, their former base in Nevada. Xi’an tells them that their new purpose is on the road. Timothy is trying out his new uniform that is supposed to withstand his energy blasts as it is made of unstable molecules. He keeps thinking of Serpentina, who died for Xi’an’s dream and is usure wether he should stay with the team, but Xi’an asks him for his help.
Meanstreak gets the computer system working again and is going through his messages to find one of his old roommate Jordan Boone regarding the Valhalla-project of Alchemax. Jordan says that he’s going to take a great risk and when Meanstreak tries to contact him, he discovers that Jordan’s number has been disconnected. Meanstreak asks Xi’an for a leave, but Xi’an refuses. Meanstreak leaves anyway and runs off; Xi’an tells Krystalin and Timothy to wait an hour and if he doesn’t return by himself, they should bring him back. Tim is having doubts about Xi’an’s behavior towards Meanstreak.
(partially flashback)
In the Darkroom, Bloodhawk is being tortured by the woman, whose touch activates his unpleasant memories which then are recorded by a neural feed around his head. The triggered memories reveal how Bloodhawk as a boy of fourteen years old was tortured by scientists who wanted to identify his mutant gene. Bloodhawk’s powers awakened and he manifested his dragon-form and killed both scientists, but then he saw himself in the mirror. As the memory recording ends, Bloodhawk screams out while a pesron called Controller Thirteen discuss his potential for reality discs with the woman, calling her La Lunatica.. He orders Luna to bring in more mutants to download their painful memories. Luna demands to know when he would set her her free, as she is tired of running his errands, before she is hit by an electric current through her collar.
(present)
Krys and Timothy arrive at a truckers bar to find Meanstreak. Tim wonders how they could possibly catch up with the speedster, and Krystalin explains that though Meanstreak is incredibly fast, he can’t go long distances. They find him talking to an old cowboy-trucker, who claims to have known Zhao, one of Xi’an’s inspirations while founding the X-Men. While the trucker, Beau, goes for refuelling, Krys tries to convince Meanstreak to stay with the team until Xi’an has calmed down, but he doesn’t change his mind.
Outside, Beau is attacked by Luna. Hearing him scream, the X-Men rush out. Meanstreak attacks her, but Luna hits him with incredible strength and her reflexes match his speed. Krystalin’s crystal shards don’t even scratch her and she is taken out with a ounch to her face. Timothy does his best to activate his powers, but his inability to do so ensures his fall.
They wake up in a cell, Tim in restraints, the other two wearing neural restraint collars.Timothy notices another human lying there, going through a psychotic period. Meanstreak identifies him as Bloodhawk, whom Tim hasn’t seen in human form before. The Controller and Luna enter and they tell them the purpose of the Theatre of Pain - they make reality discs of people’s most traumatic and painful memories, and he then tells Luna to choose their next subject. She finds Timothy the most intresting and uses her fear triggering touch on him.
(partially flashback)
Tim‘s activated memory shows how he manifested his mutant powers for the first time, accidentally destroying his apartment and killing his girlfriend Reiko in the process. Unexpected, the memory of his guilt activates Tim’s powers and he starts draining energy from the Controller’s equipment and powers up. Luna is hit by the full force of his blast and Timothy starts to tear the whole Darkroom apart. Krystalin and Meanstreak are capable of freeing themselves now the inhibitor collars are no longer working.
(present)
The Controller tries to flee, but he is met by Bloodhawk. Alas, Bloodhawk hasn’t been recovered enough yet to complete his transformation. The Controller draws a knife, but is then attacked by Luna. Tim‘s energy blast did not really harm her, but it shorted out her collar that had been keeping her under the Theatre’s influence for ten years. She rips off the Controller’s face mask and uses her powers on him. The X-Men arrive, but Luna tells them to stay back. She has more right to the Controller than they do and they don’t know anything about the real powers behind the Theatre. Meanstreak only wants to go to New York and takes the Controller’s aircruiser. Timothy agrees and promises Luna that they will meet again.
In New York, a wolf slowly transforms into a man, who is thinking about the return of Thor and also the return of himself: Loki and the game ahead.


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[Assistant]
Lightningstrike
In New York City, a transport van of the private police crashes down when their prisoner, Timothy Fitzgerald, uses his powers to escape. He decides to search for his friends in Valhalla, the giant floating base of the Aesir.
Meanwhile Meanstreak, Krystalin and Bloodhawk face Heimdall, the guardian of Valhalla. Heimdall’s strength and speed are incredible and they seem to be incapable of defeating him. Loki is watching them from the shadows, revealing in his thoughts that he and Meanstreak are old friends.
With Bloodhawk and Meanstreak down, Krystalin has to face Heimdall alone, but she is snatched away by Ravage, who uses a cable to swing over the platform in Tarzan-style. Ravage tells Krystalin that Hela, one of the Aesir who tried to kill him, in fact was an old friend of his – the Aesir are definitely fake and not the real legendary Norse gods. Ravage thinks that the Aesir’s purpose is to serve as a distraction, while the floating city’s faulty anti-grav tech does environmental damage. Touching her hammer-shaped necklace, Krys thinks of her mother who believed in Norse mythology. She is glad that her mother didn’t live to see these pretenders.
In one of New York’s parks, a guy with some kind of floating platform offers to take any Thor worshippers up to Valhalla. Fitzgerald wants onto the platform, but is told to wait in line like the other followers. He uses his powers to scare away those people and it works (he notes that he now seems to be able to control his blasts). He then forces the platform-man to take him up. Tim remembers how he, the two X-Men and Bloodhawk entered New York in search of Meanstreak’s friend, Jordan Boone.
(flashback)
All the news-screens are displaying images of the new Aesir, but the X-Men have no time to bother with them. They reach Boone’s apartment and inside Meanstreak comments that he owes Jordan, as he helped him to get out of his contract with Alchemax years ago. They find a file in which Boone explains that Alchemax shifted their resources to launch Valhalla earlier than intended, and the reports about the city causing ecological problems were buried by the Eco office of Phillip Ravage. Right then the internal security of Alchemax enters and tries to arrest the X-Men. Bloodhawk, Krystalin and Meanstreak escape, but Fitzgerald gets stuck in a gel chair and is arrested.
(present)
As it is heavily raining, the floating platform’s engine suddenly stops and the controller jumps off with the only parachute. Just before Fitzgerald falls, he’s grabbed by a hand.
A thousand feet below, the Punisher and Spider-Man are on a skysled. They have to dodge the falling platform, while they discuss the gullibility of the people who let themselves be easily blinded by false religion. They make their way to Valhalla.
At the corporate headquarters of Alchemax, Avatarr is thinking about his plans. The masses cheer at the new Aesir, and not before long the gods he created will slay the annoying superheroes that keep interrupting his plans.
On the floating city, Krystalin tries to defend Bloodhawk from Heimdall, who offers her to stay with them on Valhalla, since she has proven her courage and the small hammer around her neck proves her to be a Thorite. Krystalin then denounces the Aesir’s Thor as the real Thor and Heimdall gets angry. Meanstreak wakes up and is face to face with a wolf that shapeshifts into Loki. He tells Meanstreak that Heimdall’s powers are enhanced with neurotechnology and offers him a device that can shut those enhancements down. Meanstreak accepts knowing that it is his only chance to save Krystalin. He uses the device and Heimdall is suddenly blinded. Bloodhawk seizes the opportunity and knocks him out.
Loki then tells the X-Men his reasons to help them. He turns out to be Jordan Boone who invaded the Valhalla-project to gain his new powers (as a way to compete with Meanstreak’s mutant powers). He broke into the research banks and altered his own data to match the Loki criteria so he would be chosen for the transformation. However, unlike the other Aesir, Boone retained his sense of identity since he sabotaged the technology.
Doom then enters with Fitzgerald whom he saved from the fall. Loki claims that Doom, the X-Men, Ravage and Spider-Man are all there as he had planned. Doom refuses to believe that he is there at Loki’s direction, but Loki tells them that they are all part of his big game. Bloodhawk becomes furious at the word ‘game’, telling him that Valhalla is destroying the environment. He flies away to destroy it, but is hit by a lightning bolt. That’s when Thor makes his entrance.


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[Assistant]
Freakshow
In Kingman, Arizona, three Trackers are following Dominic, a boy who has bug like eyes and red reptilian skin. Dominic is cornered between several car wrecks and he starts to generate fire out of fear. One of the Trackers wants to shoot him, but is swept away by a dust devil. The remaining Trackers turn around and find four silhouettes that tell them to drop their weapons.
Above Southern Nevada, some of the X-Men are in a plane returning from New York. Krystalin says that he could still join them, but Bloodhawk refuses and leaves the plane, however Fitzgerald jumps after him and grabs his leg. Bloodhawk questions his sanity and in the plane, Krystalin comes to the same conclusion and blames the psychic vampire Luna (X-Men 2099 #4) for it. Bloodhawk drops Fitzgerald in the desert and tells him that he doesn’t like him and leaves him. Fitzgerald decides to walk home.
The three Trackers have been stripped of their armor and are tied up. The leader of their attackers tells them that they want revenge for what has been done to them and when one of the Trackers, Anderson, shouts at him, the leader kills Anderson with a single touch that turns his face into crystal that shatters like glass.
Xi’an is meditating in the desert when a biker races to him. Xi’an takes a defensive position and tells the biker to leave, but the biker, who has “The Lawless” written on his jacket, takes of his helmet and turns out to be a younger version of Xi’an. He tells Xi’an that his attitude as leader of the X-Men is a lie and that he, the younger version, is the true Xi’an. The X-Men don’t know anything about their leader and the younger Xi’An wonders what will happen when they find out. The older Xi’an tells the younger one to go away. Then Timothy arrives and asks who Xi’An was talking to, but Xi‘An changes the topic and takes him back to their camp.
Meanstreak is in the base, talking to Cerebra about their new plane and how he can incorporate the stealth-technology of the plane into the Experience, their van. Shakti then asks about the Theatre of Pain, when Xi’an arrives with Timothy. Xi’an asks Meanstreak if he found his missing friend and Meanstreak tells him that Boone now calls himself Loki and gives a short recap of the Fall of the Hammer event. Xi’an then shouts at Meanstreak that he shouldn’t have left. A silence falls. Shakti whispers to Xi’an that she can tell he has visions again. Xi’an then apologizes to his X-Men and tells Shakti to show them the disc. Shakti shows pirate transmissions by a woman called Mama Hurricane. During the Great Purge, a woman called Hurricane ran with the Mutant Underground Railroad to carry mutants to a safe haven. Xi’an hopes this is the same woman and that she can take them to mutant survivors of the Purge, so that they together can begin to rebuild the mutant nation. Meanstreak tells them that he is capable of tracking the transmissions. Metalhead is concerned that the woman must be very old by now and she could be senile or crazy. Krystalin says that she can’t wait to meet Hurricane, but Xi’an tells her that he has another mission for her.
The next morning Krystalin is leaving on a tricycle and Meanstreak catches up with her and asks her about her mission. Krys hasn’t got much to tell: on Xi’an’s request she’s going to Santa Fe to give a man a card with a red X on it. Meanstreak asks her if she needs company, but Krys replies that she can take care of herself. Meanstreak thinks to himself that he knows that, but that Krys hasn’t convinced herself of that.
The Experience arrives in Iron Horse, Arizona. Shakti wants to run some tests on Timothy and his change in behavior, but Meanstreak interrupts her: he has pinpointed the transmissions to within a kilometer of their current position. Shakti then tells him to wake Xi’an cause she senses another mutant nearby. The Experience is then hit by a twister that turns the van upside down. Xi’an orders them to leave the van and Metalhead turns into adamantium. Tim notices their attacker and she is introduced to them by the leader of the aggressive group as Psyclone. The group calls themselves the Freakshow and is composed of so called degens: genetically manipulated people that were discarded by bioshop laboratories and now want revenge. The leader tells them to leave this town on foot and introduces himself as Breakdown. The X-Men want to fight, but Xi’an tells them to wait, he wants to find the mutant Shakti sensed. Breakdown then asks him if he’s Xi’an, the mutant cult leader and one of the Freakshow whispers to Breakdown about the gatherings Xi’an organized to unite humans, mutants and other people.
Xi’an asks them if they know Hurricane and Breakdown becomes aggressive and orders Dominic to attack. Dominic’s fire drives the X-Men a step back, but Meanstreak hits him. Henry immediately feels sorry for Dominic who is more a kid in behavior. Psyclone takes out Cerebra and Timothy blasts Tantrum without any result. Tantrum unleashes a vocal storm which knocks Tim into Metalhead, who fails to notice that one of the Freakshow sneaked up on him from behind. Contagion touches Metalhead and infects him with a strange disease that causes Metalhead’s metal skin to blister and change. Xi’an kicks Contagion and tells Breakdown that he’s responsible. Breakdown demonstrates his power: his touch can warp the elements of what he touches. Xi’an then takes of his left glove, to reveal his own destructive touch.


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[Assistant]
Hurricane Force
The X-Men are fighting the Freakshow. Breakdown and Xi’an face off, however Xi’an takes the initiative thanks to his superior fighting skills. Cerebra telepathically takes out Tantrum, but Psyclone notices her before she can do the same to her. Timothy tries to help Metalhead who is suffering from Contagion’s disease. His metallic skin shifts and bursts into bubbles and Metalhead is in great pain. Meanstreak occupies Dominic by spinning around him.
Breakdown and Xi’an grab each other and their destructive touches create an explosion that knocks both back. The loud explosion makes everyone stop the fighting. They gaze in awe - both combatants are still standing, apparently their destructive touches negate each other. Breakdown wants to Xi‘an him again, but Mama Hurricane and Rosa arrive in a jeep to stop the fight : satellite cameras can pick up the activity too easily. Hurricane scolds Breakdown for fighting in the streets and Shakti asks Hurricane if she’s the same Hurricane that saved mutants during the Purge.
In Santa Fe, Krystalin arrives at a small building where she finds a cybernetic bulldog. She makes a crystal stick and throws it away. The bulldog runs after it to fetch it and Krys enters the building. Inside there is a cave with a lake of molten lave and fire. Krystalin screams as she is engulfed by the flames, but the fire doesn’t burn her and suddenly it disappears. It was merely a holographic illusion created by a man called Victor Ten Eagles. He wants to throw her out of his workshop, but Krys gives him a card with a red X on it and tells him Xi’an sent her.
In Iron Horse, the Freakshow and the X-Men enter an old movie theatre which is the base of the Freakshow. Under the theatre is an old army base, which functions as home to Mama Hurricane’s “children“. They are all discarded degens who were considered too dangerous by the labs that created them, and Hurricane took them in. Shakti wonders who the mutant is she sensed earlier and using her power again, she finds out that it is the unborn baby of Rosa. Shakti is surprised, as degens are actually thought to be sterile, and Rosa replies that she wished it would have as the baby’s father was a jerk.
As Eddie goes into heavy convulsions, Shakti tells Xi’an that he needs to try his new healing power on him immediately. The Freakshow are somewhat puzzled as nobody before reacted that way to Contagion’s touch. Meanstreak angrily demands that he reverses the effect of his power, but Contagion says that he is only a disease, not the antidote. Xi’an uses his healing touch on Metalhead and tries to cure his teammate, but only with partial success. He is able to stops the infection, but he can’t ease Metalhead’s pain nor can he undo the changes to Metalhead’s body. Additionally Eddie realizes that he can’t switch back to human form and he starts to panic. Hurricane asks Shakti to use her telepathic powers to knock out Metalhead for his own good.
Later, Mama Hurricane sends out another pirate message in which she reveals that addictive chemicals have been added to a special meat-product. This broadcast interrupts one of Desdemona Synge’s meetings, who is kind of annoyed by Hurricane. Desdemona’s staff say that Hurricane has cracked into the systems of Stark/Fujikawa and Alchemax. After the transmission, Meanstreak tells her that her broadcast was near untraceable. Xi’an gets back to the reason they have searched her out and asks her again if she’s the Hurricane of the mutant underground.
(flashbacks)
Mama Hurricane confirms that during the Purge she was a member of MUSE, the Mutant Underground Support Engine and that she delivered mutants to a man called the Driver who took them to a place called Avalon where they would be safe. However she has no idea where Avalon was if it existed at all.
(present)
Outside the Theatre, three Trackers and a Seeker arrive. When they enter the cellars, their sensors are jammed by Rosa’s power and Psyclone, Breakdown, Xi’an and Cerebra attack. Psyclone and Cerebra both take out one Tracker and Xi’an shoots the third. The Seeker then knocks out Cerebra and gives an electric shock to Breakdown. Xi’an shoots him, but the gun isn’t strong enough to hurt him. He only wanted his attention though and Timothy enters. Skullfire drains the power of the armor and blasts the Seeker with his own energy. Breakdown then destroys the helmet and kills the Seeker against Xi’an’s will. Xi’an tries to change Breakdown’s destructive behavior, but Breakdown leaves with Psyclone. Hurricane tells Xi’an that she heard about Xi’an’s time with the Lawless and that he recognizes too much of himself in Breakdown. Xi’an says that he left that behind him, but a shadow of his younger self whispers “liar” to him. Xi’an then tells that the X-Men will try to find Avalon.
In Santa Fe, Victor takes Krystalin to the Sangre de Christo Mountains where he hands her his binoculars. He tells her that he and Xi'an where both members of the Lawless, and that he knew Xi’an would like to see what he recently discovered. In front of the full moon, Krys sees the silhouette of winged man with sharp feathers, and she stares in disbelief. Victor asks her how much she knows about the Heroic Age (20th century).


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[Assistant]
Ghost Winds
Krystalin and Victor Ten Eagles discuss the chances of one of the original X-Men being alive after seeing a silhouette that had an uncanny resemblance to Archangel in last issue. Victor has some old SHIELD-holographic files of the first X-Men and Krys is amazed by the quality of the 3D images. Krys goes on that they know not much about Xavier‘s first students, only that they died and returned again and again, and that many reports of these times are lost or falsified. However they were the template on which Xi’an based the current X-men, like Zhao and Del Ruiz founded their X-Men groups in the past decades. To hope that about 100 years later one of the originals could still be alive is too much, but Victor came to the same conclusion when he saw the silhouette, that is why he contacted Xi’an the first place. Victor explains that he has a blood debt to Xi’an and as a Keewazi his people has ties to the heroes of the 20th century. Krys tells him that they shouldn’t jump to conclusions, they are plenty of other possible explanations and tonight they will look for them.
In Iron Horse, the secret hometown of the Freakshow, Mama Hurricane tells the captive Trackers that she’s sorry for what happened to their Seeker (Breakdown killed him last issue), but that is their own fault. The Trackers tell her that their employers will get to the Freakshow sooner or later. At the same time, Meanstreak is dismantling the Seeker-armor at superspeed, while Dominic is watching. Meanstreak finds a signal beacon in the armor that he hands over to Hurricane, telling her that she can use it as an advance warning against other Trackers. The Freakshow readies themselves to leave the town, but Breakdown and Psyclone want to fight their pursuers. Shakti argues with them that the corporate has much more resources than the Freakshow, but Meanstreak tells her it’s no use to argue with a psychopath like Breakdown. Mama Hurricane prevents another fight from erupting, and then goes outside to find Xi’an as she wants to have a word with him before they leave.
Metalhead has overcome his infection, and although there are no longer any bubbles on his skin, his head has become very bulky and his hair is gone. He keeps trying to change back to human form, but he can’t. Contagion taunts him that he should be lucky to even be alive, after all he is the first one ever to survive his disease bringing touch. Tim helps his friends to keep standing but Metalhead is too heavy, so Rosa comes over to help him. As Metalhead was too ill to recognize her before, she introduces herself once more.
Ten Eagles and Krystalin arrive at a cooperative depot in New Mexico where geneticists and agriculturists are working to create crops that can grow in the toxic soil. Victor says that one of the geneticists knows the mountains very well and should be able to help them with their Angel sighting. They notice that the farm has been attacked and Krys creates a crystal club, while they enter to investigate. Inside they find heavy equipment that has been tossed across the room and a thick metal door that has been cut open by laser beams. In the room behind, Krys and Victor find the scientists, encased in blocks of ice. Most have suffocated or froze to death, but one of them is still alive. Victor uses a small heater to thaw her out and introduces her to Krys as Gloria, the geneticist they came to see. Gloria tells them about her attackers: monsters and a flying demon, who took their DNA growth system. She then says that the attackers talked about going back to the ranch, back to Zhao. Krystalin is surprised - Zhao was the leader of the previous group of X-Men, but he hasn’t been seen in ages.
In Iron Horse, Xi’an walks along the tracks when he sees a train heading for him. Just before the train hits him, Xi’an says: “ This is not real”. The train stops and the driver is the younger version of Xi’an, the leader of the Lawless. The young Xi’an accuses his older self of lying to himself. The hallucination then disappears and Mama Hurricane approaches him. Xi’an asks Hurricane about her time in the mutant underground, an organization that saved mutants from extermination in the mid-21st century, and about their agent and her contact, the Driver. Hurricane tells him that she only has limited knowledge to reduce the risks should the authorities capture her. She hands Xi’an a disks with her old routes and meeting points with the Driver, hoping that it will help the X-Men to find Avalon.
In a street, Rosa and Metalhead are talking. She asks him about his time as a musician, but he stops talking when he notices a reflection of his new appearance in a broken window. Eddie despairs and feels that he is ugly, but Rosa comforts him, telling him about the father of her child, who despite his good looks was a monster, while Eddie still is golden inside. Tantrum helps the X-Men by righting the Experience, their van. (it was knocked over by Psyclone in #6). The X-Men and the Freakshow are ready to leave, when Metalhead tells the X-Men that in his current state he would be a liability to them and that Rosa has invited him to stay with the Freakshow. Most of the X-Men are surprised, but Xi’an respects his decision.
Back in the Sangre de Christo Mountains, Victor and Krys spy on a ranch that is surrounded by a laser-fence. Thinking of the damage they saw at the cooperative, Victor attaches an impulse cannon to his glove in case they have a run-in with the monsters and demons. Krys make a small arch of crystal that deflects the laser-beams of the fence. Victor then tells Krys to stay close, because he’s wearing a field jammer that confuses the sensors of the guard-drones, but when they take a closer look, all the drones are inactive. Inside the ranch, they trip the alarm and are attacked by the Chosen X-Men. Wingspan uses his razor-sharp wings and cuts Krys, after which Psycho-K uses her telekinesis to throw knifes at them. Krys creates a crystal shield to deflect the knifes, and she realizes that the five superpowered beings they are fighting are modeled after the original five X-Men. Ten Eagles couldn’t care less and he fires his cannon at them, as these Chosen X-Men killed several scientists without apparent reason. Frostbite creates a block of ice around his arm and cannon and One-Eyed Jack attacks them with his optic blasts. Krys and Ten Eagles are cornered until Ten Eagles notices a control panel in the wall. He pushes some buttons and suddenly a group of Sentinels burst through a wall. The Chosen regroup to fight the Sentinels, but Victor takes Krys and they walk straight through the Sentinels. He tells her that he activated the holograms without giving them any density. They discuss escape when they are hit by a psychic blast of the Chosen’s leader Zhao, who comments that they will become worthy additions to his X-Men.


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[Assistant]
Brand X
The Sangre de Christo, New Mexico
The X-Men have gotten a rather disturbing message from Krystalin. They decide to explore it further and ride to her given destinations in New Mexico. Arriving at a base, Meanstreak grows impatient and replays the message several times in the hope to learn more, but unfortunately, he doesn’t. They get out of their van. Tim wishes that Xi’an enlightened them a bit on why he has sent Krys there in the first place. The other X-Men agree with him and ask a hesitating Xi’an for more info. Xi’an has no other choice and reveals a bit more. He explains to his teammates that a reliable source has informed him of a winged man sighted in the mountains in front of them, and that the flyer could resemble one of the original X-Men.
Tim jokes that Krys only seemed to have found some broken security robots and plays with the machines. Xi’an orders Meanstreak to sweep through the ranch grounds and to scope the security layout, and, if he finds Krystalin, he should bring her to him. Meanstreak wants to, but gets stopped by Krystalin herself! She and Victor Ten Eagles walk out of the base and greet their friends happily.
Meanstreak asks who Victor is. Xi’an introduces Victor and reveals that he is a Keewazi and used to be one of the Lawless and was Krystalin’s contact in Taos. Krys walks over to Meanstreak and is so happy to see him and tells him that he has so much to show to him. Meanstreak has his doubts and tells Krys that she isn’t exactly sounding like herself. Krys laughs with that, claiming that she has never felt better.
Victor walks over to Xi’an, greeting his friend since it has been so long since they last saw each other. Victor is happy that destiny finally brought them together again. Xi’an cuts to the chase and asks Victor if he has seen the “Angel” he asked about. Victor tells Xi’an to be patient, as everything shall be revealed in due time. Victor wants Xi’an to meet someone first. Tim isn’t sure and asks Shakti if she too feels like that Krystalin seems to be acting like a zombie. Shakti agrees and for the first time wishes that her powers included telepathy.
Krystalin apologizes to Meanstreak, and wants to talk to the others about the future she has seen. Xi’an walks over to Henri, telling him that something is wrong. Xi’an informs Henri that, when the Lawless disbanded, he and Victor did not part as friends, since he is far too genius. Meanstreak understands Xi’an’s worries, realizing that his friend is acting like she has been through a serious brainwash.
Suddenly, a bright light shows up, almost blinding everyone from seeing correctly. A man steps forward and introduces himself as Master Zhao. Zhao explains that he has brought them all here to join him in the genetic crusade to come. Zhao wants them to be his holy warriors… the X-Men! “Your X-Men?” a confused Xi’an asks Zhao. Xi’an doesn’t understand it, as he thought that the Zhao whose X-Men fought during the Corporate Wars died in the Los Angeles firestorm. Zhao tells Xi’an and the others to look at him, to make them be certain that he is real. Zhao explains that he has survived these many years to lead a new generation of mutants in their rightful destiny. He is the Master of Midfire. Zhao brings forth his followers, and introduces them as the first of his chosen: Monster, Wingspan, Frostbite, Psycho K and One Eyed Jack.
Tim and his teammates don’t trust them one bit and go into defense. Victor tells them all to relax and Krys says that Zhao has nothing but good intentions for everyone: that’s why they are to be part of the chosen. A protective Xi’an doesn’t understand what “the chosen” are supposed to be. Zaho tells the powerful mutant to relax, and congratulates Xi’an for doing such a good job in gathering this “disparate” band of mutants. But, Zhao continues, they have neither the experience nor wisdom to lead others through the upcoming storm. Zhao warns Xi’an to not let his ego stand in the way of the truth. Zhao tells the mutants to acknowledge him as their leader. Xi’an gets angry at Zhao, telling him that he is crazy if he thinks he is going to surrender his friends to him after what he has done to Krystalin and Victor.
Zhao attacks Xi’an with a psychic energy beam, telling the upstart that he has buried tougher mutants than he. Zhao warns Xi’an that his attack can harm him both externally and internally. That he could kill him if he wishes to. But Zhao only gives this attack as a warning and hopes that an unconscious Xi’an has learned his lesson. Meanstreak and the others want to attack, but get knocked down by Krystalin and Ten Eagles. Tim attacks and defeats Krystalin, but Ten Eagles knocks down Tim. Shakti is left and Zhao can convince her not to attack them all, since her powers are useless against them. Shakti agrees and surrenders.
Meanwhile in Southern Nevada, a cowboy and his dog wait for their “friend” to arrive. The cowboy is certain that he’ll show up, since he owns him from their shared days in the Backlands. The cowboy remembers what hard days they were. He knows he barely escaped one step ahead of the bounty hunters, and on the same time dragging a freaked-out kid and a mangy little furball along him didn’t exactly make his life easier.
Bloodhawk lands down in front of him. Bloodhawk is in a bad mood and asks Liebowitz what he wants. Liebowitz is hurt, and thought that seeing that he has treated Bloodhawk like the brother he never had, he could a least have a friendly hello. Bloodhawk agrees and simply says “hello” and tells him to cut to the chase.
Liebowitz reveals that he has some friends down South wrestling some major league developers. Those developers are tearing up the land and strong-arming the locals. Liebowitz thought that Bloodhawk could help even the odds. Bloodhawk asks how far South. Mexico? A little further, Liebowitz says. To Antarctica. The Savage Land!
Back at Zhao’s ranch, Zhao hismelf has imprisoned the X-Men. None of them can move in any way to set themselves free. Xi’an tells Zhao that his plan won’t work, as they will resist him. Zhao isn’t impressed by that statement, and explains that Xi’an and the others aren’t there by chance, but out of fate. Zhao explains that, until Krystalin and Victor broke into his compound, he was unaware of a new group that claimed themselves with the name X-Men.
Destiny has delivered to Zhao the solution to his current problem. Zhao says that after convincing Krys and Ten Eagles, they gladly joined his case. Zhao says that they too resisted at first, so he found it expedient to use neural implants to diminish their reservations. Zhao says that he has always strongly believed in the benefits of modern technology. Shakti says that she doesn’t understand. Because when they first met, Zhao spoke of a Holy War. Shakti believes that surely Zhao of all people know that igniting genetic discord will only destroy lives needlessly. Shakti asks Zhao why, because she thought that was the core of what Zhao thaught his first group of X-Men. Zhao gets angry and shouts that his X-Men betrayed him!
Zhao remembers, and explains that the long corporate and genetic conflagrations had drained too much of his energy. Zhao says that no longer his midfire burned as powerful as it once did. Zhao secluded himself in the laboratory, attempting to synthesize a psycho-active amplifier that would restore his power. During that time, Zhao continues, outside influences corrupted his X-Men, turning them against his illuminated leadership. Zhao reveals that his X-Men didn’t attack him directly, but sought to undermine him with deception. Feigning concern that his psycho-activities had affected his reason. Zhao says that he had to neutralize his followers, though with great regret. The mutant can’t believe that Zhao actually killed his X-Men.
They call him crazy, but Zhao grows even angrier when they call him that. Xi’an knows what his friends are doing, to give him the chance to set himself free. But Xi’an hopes that they won’t make Zhao too angry. Suddenly, Monster comes running into the room, burning up! Monster begs his master for help, but Zhao only says that he had hoped he could avoid this. Zhao calls his other X-Men and commands Wingspan to explain him what happened. Wingspan says that they were in the Danger Room, like Zhao had requested, and that, in the middle of the Nimrod simulation, Monster suddenly caught on fire. One Eyed Jack says that he has tried to help Monster, but he was too hot to touch. Psycho K mentions that even Frostbite couldn’t cool Monster down.
Zhao says it is as he feared, and that Monster’s body is rejecting the accelerated mutation treatments he designed in him. Zhao attacks and kills Monster with a psychic beam, calling him yet another failed experiment. Xi’and and his X-Men can’t believe that Zhao killed Monster, who only came to him asking for help. Tim can’t understand that the other X-Men just stand there while one of their teammates has been killed. Zhao says that they won’t attack him, since he is their leader and creator. Zhao reveals that, after his first X-Men turned against him, he needed to assure mutant’s loyalty. Zhao says that he found five children whose mutant abilities were roughly analogous to Xavier’s originals.
Zhao says that, through years of hormone acceleration and neurotechnological augmentation, he has made them into his chosen. But unfortunately, the process made their molecules unstable. One Eyed Jack, panicking, asks if what happened to Monster is also going to happen to them. Most likely, Zhao answers. That’s why Zhao lured Xi’an’s team here: Zhao needs full-blooded mutants to be his elite!
Meanwhile in Huston, at the Texas Republic, a man tries to escape from prosecutors. The rich man known as Joseph Bernard Gersh gets ambushed by his enemies, who have identified him as a Homo superior. Gersh tries to buy himself out, but his plan doesn’t work. The prosecutors say that they have been hired to bring Gersh home.
Back at the ranch, Zhao prepares himself to take over Xi’an’s mind. Xi’an tries to escape, but Zhao notices and enters Xi’an’s mind. In his mind, Xi’an finds himself back at Saigon, in the amusement park that has been build there for the 2016 Olympics, right after the conservative party changed the city’s name back from Minh City. Xi’an finds it impossible to be here, because he hasn’t been in Saigon ever since the Cartel put out a contract on his life. Xi’an wonders why he has returned to the place he almost died in. Zhao attacks Xi’an and Xi’an realizes that he is trapped in his own mind.
Xi’an tries to get a grip on himself, remembering that he survived Saigon. While avoiding some of Zhao’s attacks, Xi’an concludes that he has never met such a strong telepath. Xi’an even wonders if Xavier was this strong. Xi’an doesn’t rest for a minute, but can’t change the fact that Zhao finds a way to trap him in a holding grip. Zhao blows Xi’an far away on a rooftop. Xi’an gets confronted by his former evil self, who says that Xi’an can’t run from the truth: that he is losing. The evil-self offers Xi’an his help, who denies it. Xi’an jumps away, but his evil-self follows. Zhao attacks again and Xi’an is too exhausted to fight back. The evil Xi’an offers his help again. Xi’an sadly accepts.
Evil Xi’an tells Xi’an to not act so defeated, as it was not Zhao who chose Saigon as a battlefield: it was Xi’an himself! And it was because Xi’an knew his evil-self would be there. Just as Zhao is about to attack again, Xi’an merges together with his evil self. Zhao, unknowingly what’s on what is going on, attacks Xi’an again. Xi’an powers up his deadly touch and defeats Zhao, who falls down. Shakti senses Zhao’s mindfire completely disappearing. Xi’an goes back to reality and frees himself. He kicks the unconscious Zhao, mocking that he isn’t so tough when he is brain dead, is he? Shakti asks Xi’an if he is all right. With an evil smile on his face, Xi’an answers “Oh yeah… never been better.”