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Gifted - part 1
In the bleak, unforgiving darkness, the voice of a little girl speaks quietly. Mommy… is screaming. “Mommy,” however, now no longer screams, her open mouth gaping mutely, just as her open but sightless eyes no longer see. Her own life’s blood has been sprayed upon her inert form, lightly coating her arm. Reviewing its handiwork, a phantom, yet monstrous form grins toothily, even as the little girl within smiles devilishly. Her screams are… yummy, the little girl continues. When the door opens, revealing a wide-eyed man, looking into the room with horror, the little girl thinks, Daddy… is next…
The little girl wakes up with a start, yelling out the name Veeda repeatedly. Rushing into the room and turning on the light, Veeda calls out to the girl, calling her Tildie and letting her know that she’s there. When Tildie announces that it came back, Veeda replies that it was just a dream. Still shaken, Tildie remarks that she doesn’t want it to come back. To this, Veeda states that it never will. It never will. Watching all of this through a one-way mirror, a shadowed form stands silently.
Nothing has changed, Kitty Pryde thinks to herself. As her taxi drives away, the young woman takes a moment to stand still, her two suitcases in hand, to take in the sight of the mansion she once called home. The place was destroyed, she thinks, and now it looks like nothing happened. No time has passed.
Walking closer to the front door, Kitty’s mind walks further back in time. She can see herself, slightly younger, speaking with Professor Xavier. He tells her that they can send her furniture after her, or home to Deerfield. The past-Kitty replies no, asking him to keep it there. She intends to visit them every chance she gets.
Her mind returning to the mansion itself, Kitty thinks that, of course, the Professor would have it rebuilt this way; give everyone a sense of stability. Continuity. Nothing has changed. Not even her.
Rather than walking to the front door, Kitty decides to phase through the wall next to it. Emerging on the other side, Kitty finds another memory of herself preparing to leave. Instead of doing so, the mid-teen Kitty turns around, exclaiming Professor Xavier is a jerk! Continuing her way into the foyer, Kitty thinks to herself that she’s a kid again, out of her depth – completely overwhelmed by everything there and it isn’t even the Sidri, or Sentinels, or the Brood that surrounds her… It’s the smaller pieces. Shards. Of her.
Leaving her bags behind, Kitty approaches the stairs, stopping long enough to treat herself to another memory. In this one, her even more youthful self surprises Piotr Rasputin at the foot of the steps, holding a piece of mistletoe over his head and saying, Merry Christmas, sexy. The ever-bashful Piotr opens his eyes in embarrassment, exclaiming her name. The Kitty of the present does not react. Instead, she turns away and continues on deeper into the mansion.
As she phases through another wall, Kitty thinks to herself that she hopes she’s not late. Arriving on the other side, on the stage of a packed auditorium with the entire assembled student body, Kitty emits a simple “hi” and states that it is possible that she’s late.
Quite so, states Emma Frost, scantily clad as ever and currently standing at the podium, flanked by the seated Cyclops and Beast. Now addressing the student body, Emma tells them that this is Kitty Pryde, who apparently feels the need to make a grand entrance. To this public insult, Kitty retorts with an apology, saying that she was busy remembering to put on all of her clothes. With a demeanor belying her words, Emma tells Kitty that she’s so gushingly glad she could join them.
As Kitty makes her way to her seat, Emma turns back to the crowd and informs them that Miss Pryde will be teaching advanced computational theory, as well as acting as a student advisor and liaison to the administrative staff. Speaking quietly under Emma’s words, Cyclops leans toward Kitty and tells her it’s great to see her. With a wry smile, Kitty apologizes for the timing and asks if she missed the Sorting Hat. Just Scott’s scintillating introduction speech, the Beast adds. Even he was bored, Cyclops admits about himself.
Still speaking, Emma tells the students that, since Professor Xavier is away on sabbatical, Mr. Summers and herself will be acting heads of school. Doctor McCoy and Miss Pryde will round out the senior staff, along with… Logan, who is… elsewhere. Catching the vagueness of this statement, Kitty asks the Beast what she means by “elsewhere.” It means, replies the Beast, they’ve narrowed it down to “else.”
Continuing, Emma informs the students that this is a place of learning, not just about their mutants gifts, but about the world. Respect for their teachers, mutant and human alike, will be expected of all of them. Control of their powers, the safety of those around them, is or paramount importance. Violence of any kind will not be tolerated.
Without warning, the ceiling to the massive hall is ripped open by two Sentinels, with a third closing from the air behind the first pair. Fulfilling its prime directive of the destruction of all mutants, the lead Sentinel reaches down for Emma Frost, preparing to crush her in its massive hand. As the assembled students react to the sight, the Beast begins to take off his suit and tie to move into action. Not needing to remove any such clothing, Cyclops opens his visor and projects his powerful optic blast. In calm contrast to all of this, however, Emma Frost simply presses a few buttons on her control pad, deactivating the Danger Room simulation labeled “Scenario 274.” The Sentinels promptly disappear from sight, revealing the wholly intact roof above.
As both students and the senior staff begin to take stock of what just happened, Emma calls out to them. So, what have we learned? Answering her own question, Emma states that they have learned the first lesson: they will always hate them. They will never live in a world of peace. Which is why control and non-violence are essential. They must prove themselves a peaceful people. They must give the ordinary humans respect, compliance and understanding. And they must never mistake that for trust.
Behind the closed doors of their bedroom, Scott tells Emma that she should have warned him she was going to do that. When she replies that he would have said no, Scott concurs that he would have, among other things. Explaining her actions, Emma states that she scanned the students. Nearly ten percent of them were more than a little excited at the prospect of a fight. She thought they should know… When Scott begins to ask which were the ones, Emma stops him. She’s not Xavier, she tells him. She’ll go through the roster and try to narrow it down. Moving closer to Scott, Emma smiles romantically, adding that she will do it… tomorrow.
The peaceful night of the mansion’s grounds gives way to a new day. As the sun shines over the building and through the window into Scott and Emma’s bedroom, it illuminates the cuddling couple. Their mid-morning slumber is ended with the gruff voice of Logan, who crouches on the railing at the foot of the bed and asks Scott to tell him what stage of grieving is this. Denial?
The only warning Logan receives is a snarled grimace, which forms on Scott’s countenance. Half a moment later, Logan is ejected out of the room, forced back through the second story window by the scarlet fury of Cyclops’ optic blasts. Although he lands violently and uncontrollably on the school’s grounds, Logan quickly recovers and leaps to his feet, his adamantium claws popped and ready for battle.
Seeing that Scott has already joined him on the lawn, Logan asks if he struck a nerve. His face returned to his trademark emotionless demeanor, Scott replies to Logan that this is good. The guy who’s tried to steal his wife since the day he met them is gonna tell him all about what’s proper. Retorting back, Logan replies that the only reason Jean and he stayed together at all is she was too strong to give into what she really wanted. And he, Scott, was too scared. To this, Scott reaches up to his visor and informs Logan that his healing power’s about to come in really handy.
Watching the fight begins anew through the demolished window of her bedroom, Emma stands next to the Beast. When he asks her what this is all about, Emma rhetorically asks what does he think? Superpowers, a scintillating wit and the best body money can buy… and she still rates below a corpse. The situation no longer being of any interest, Emma walks away.
Shortly afterward, the senior staff of the Institute is gathered in the Danger Room by the Beast. Rather than a conventional location for their gathering, Emma, Logan, Kitty and Scott find themselves sitting on the islands of the Hawaiian chain, each land mass reduced to a fraction of their normal size so that they are hardly larger than a chair. Speaking to this gathering, the Beast stands in the ocean, berating his comrades, specifically Scott and Logan.
Reminding them that they did so in front of the students, Hank tells them that if Emma’s little game the previous day didn’t wind them up enough, they have to see their administrative staff trying to kill each other. The two of them should be long past that nonsense. Where on Earth did it come from?
Sitting on the Big Island of Hawaii, his arms folded across his chest, Scott replies that it didn’t matter. He’s not apologizing to Logan and he wouldn’t accept one in return. When Hank begins to remind him that he’s the acting head of the school, Scott interrupts. It was inexcusable, he agrees. And it’s going to make what he has to say all the more absurd, but he’s going to say it anyway. They’re a team. They’re a super hero team. And he thinks it’s time they started acting like one. Sitting two islands away, on the island of Molokai, Logan stutters out a request to hold everything; is this gonna’ be about tights?
Undeterred, Scott points out to the US mainland in the distance. It’s about everything, he states. Truth, perception… They’ve saved the world – worlds even – time and again. That’s the truth. That’s what they do. But the perception is that they’re freaks, or worse, that they’re Magnetos waiting to happen. They’ve been taking it on the chin so long, just trying to keep from being wiped out, he thinks they’ve forgotten that they have a purpose. He knows the rest of the world has forgotten.
Having a cloud drift into her face, Kitty mutters a protest and asks if this is like a theme thing, them being so big. Raising the control pad and pointing to it, Hank replies that, actually, it’s him. He programmed the Danger Room to replicate Hawaii because he thought it would relax their combatants. It appears he should have been more specific about the scale. Taking this in, Kitty asks everyone if they remember when this place was just flame-throwers and rotating knives. She misses that. Seated on the isle of O’ahu, Emma offers only a glance to Kitty and asks if they can please let Scott finish. To this, Kitty notices the effect of the cloud on her scalp, announcing that she now has cloud hair.
Returning to the subject at hand, Scott stands up and states that the point is this: they need to get into the world. Saving lives, helping disaster relief… they need to present themselves as a team like any other. Avengers. Fantastic Four – they don’t get chased through the streets with torches. When Logan chimes in with the worry of here come the tights, Scott apologizes; super heroes wear costumes. And, quite frankly, all the black leather is making people nervous.
Raising her hand, the Maui-seated Kitty states that she officially doesn’t know why she’s there. She’s not a fighter, not like them. Dismissing this idea, Logan reminds her that she’s been in plenty. He’d take her at his back any day. Answering Kitty’s question, Scott replies that, no, she’s not a fighter. Her power isn’t aggressive. It’s protective. That’s good to show and people like her.
The proper sequence keyed into the controls, Hank announces that there they are, even as the scenery changes to a Hawaiian beach, the former isles becoming rocks on the sand. Ignoring the change in surroundings, Scott points out that, while Hank’s as articulate as anything, what people see is mostly… well… a beast. Emma’s a former villain. Logan’s a thug. Born and bred, Wolverine interrupts. And him, Scott continues, remarking about himself, he can lead the team. But he hasn’t looked anybody in the eye since he was fifteen.
Taking this in, Kitty states that she’s what – a P.R. stunt? Yes, chimes in Emma coldly, their own poster child. Isn’t it sweet? “The non-threatening Shadowcat” or “Sprite” or “Ariel” or whatever incredibly unimpressive name she’s using nowadays. Telling Emma to shut up, Scott continues. They all may have perfectly good reasons for not wanting to do this, but they’re the team he chose. So, he finishes, think about it. Already having thought about it, Hank asks if he’s the only one who’s dying to see the outfits.
Backstage, awaiting her cue to go out before the waiting audience, Veeda suffers through a production employee putting last-minute make on her. Finally having enough, Veeda asks her to take it away; she’s not going to get any prettier. Peaking through the curtains to the waiting mass of people, one of Veeda’s associates points out that she’s about it change the world – she’s gotta look glam! When the man then points out that there has to be a hundred reporters out there, Veeda ignores him, regarding the young girl standing at her side. Asking if she is all right, Veeda then asks Tildie if she’s not scared. Replying with a question, Tildie asks if she gets to sit near her. The question goes unanswered, however, as the speaker onstage asks the crowd to join him in welcoming renowned geneticists, Doctor Kavita Rao.
Standing on the lawn of the Institute, Kitty looks off into the horizon. Walking up to her from behind, Logan asks her if she sees something. She replies that Lockheed wanted to fly on his own. She thought he’d beat her there… The dragon’ll show, Logan assures her. He did. Turning to face her new teammate, Kitty remarks at his big entrance. Apologizing, he tells her he wasn’t planning it, he just… sometimes he goes off. More, since… Replying that she knows, Kitty returns her gaze to the sky. Super heroes, Logan states chidingly. “Summers has gotta be nuts.”
Now standing behind the podium, a dozen microphones recording her every word, Dr. Rao asks her audience: What is a mutant?
In a ballroom, set in a high-rise building and filled with the well-to-do, several masked gunmen turn the event into a hostage situation. One of them, spraying his machine gun into the air to get attention, orders everyone to get onto the ground. Now! Now! Another gunman, present the muzzle of his weapon at a frightened attendee repeatedly asks if he wants a bullet in his skull.
Listening to the radio, Scott Summers hears the announcer state that there is no word yet on the hostage situation in the Chapman Building but the FBI have cordoned off a four-block radius. These words being all that he needs, Scott massages his closed eyelids and then covers them with his visor. His mind now prepared and his resolve steeled, Cyclops states that it’s now or never.
Continuing her speech, Doctor Rao answers her own question regarding mutants. They’ve been called angels and devils… They’ve committed atrocities and been victim to atrocities themselves. They’ve been labeled as monsters. And not without reasons. But, Rao continues, she will tell them what mutants are.
Standing before the assembled mass of hostages, the gunmen’s leader smiles maliciously. His green, inhuman face, marking him as being a mutant, is the only exposed skin. The rest is covered in armor, chain mesh and a blood-red hood. Speaking to the crowd’s worries, he states that they are no doubt wondering what it is they want. Their money. Their daughters. Their flesh, peeled and roasted. Maybe they’re fanatics. Or maybe they’re just bored.
Mutants, continues Doctor Rao, are people. No better or worse by nature than anybody else. Just people. People with a disease.
In various locales in the mansion, the X-Men prepare for the coming mission. While Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde change in the women’s locker room, Hank McCoy packs up his spectacles in a case and places them in his locker. Logan, popping the claws that are the trademark of his namesake, Wolverine, asks Cyclops if it’s time to make nice with the public. Finishing placing his cowl on his head without disturbing his visor, Cyclops retorts that they have to do more than that. They have to astonish them.
This said, Cyclops leads the rest of his now-suited team into the Institute’s hangar bay. Moments later, the X-plane lifts off, propelling itself and its passengers to their mission. As they climb into the night sky, the cause of their assignment, the red-hooded mutant, looks out of the window of the high-rise, scanning the skies, almost in anticipation.
Getting the point of her speech, Rao triumphantly states that mutants are not the next step in evolution. They are not the end of humankind. The mutant gene is nothing more than a disease. A corruption of healthy cellular activity. And, now at last, she says, we have found a cure.


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[Assistant]
Gifted - part 2
Looking back at the camera, the officer in the passenger seat explains the situation. They get reports from neighbors all the time, he tells the camera. Couples screaming at each other… usually they’ve had a few drinks. They need to calm down. That’s what they’re there to accomplish. But they see them and it just, you know… it can be inflammatory. The uniform. Always gotta compensate. Defuse.
Arriving at the scene of the call, the officer and his partner exit the car, followed by the camera operator. The microphone on the camera is able to pick up a scream of pain and terror from the second floor. Hearing this scream, the second officer swears to himself. The first officer quickly orders the second to check the back door… now! The footage quickly cuts to what they find inside, in a bedroom on the second floor. A ghastly red light fills the room and both officers have their guns drawn, with the horror-filled expression on their faces that it will do no good. The second officer can say nothing but “no,” over and over again.
The footage is frozen on what happens next, paused by the remote control of Doctor Kavita Rao. Explaining what she has just shown them, she tells her assembled audience that a child’s mutant power usually manifests at puberty. This was not the case for Tildie Soames. Her ability to manifest her own nightmares cost the lives of her parents, as well as Officer Hoyt. She understands well that this was not her fault.
As the room full of reporters make notes, Rao introduces the young girl in question, Tildie Soames, who walks up to Rao and begins to clutch her waist. Still speaking to the audience, Rao informs them that this brave little child offered to work with them, under the supervision of her guardians and government health agencies to test Benetech Lab’s new vaccine. In the coming months, she will make herself available to genetic teams from every nation to prove what they now conclusively know. The mutant strain can be eliminated safely and irreversibly. There is such a thing as a second chance. As these words sink in, the audience stares at the frozen image on the screen, of the sleeping Tildie floating within the nightmare creature she has created, which has killed her mother and father and whose wrath is now coming down on one of the officers.
Though she is her teammate, Kitty Pryde does not trust Emma Frost, her former enemy, and glares at her from the corner of her eye. In turn, Emma does not look back. Rather, she looks downcast, lost in thought. As this silent battle of wills is waged in the back of the cockpit, Cyclops takes charge of the rapidly approaching situation. Asking what they see, he hears the Beast replying. The scanner’s reading about thirty-five warm bodies in the penthouse, he states. Six of them are carrying something warmer.
Bombs? asks Wolverine. Or guns, opines the Beast. State-of-the-art-of-war. Wasn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. developing some kind of thermal ordinance? Staring at the readouts, Wolverine replies that these clowns aren’t S.H.I.E.L.D. Deployment’s amateur hour – right flank’s wide open. That’s their entry point. Maybe, Cyclops states warily. Their biggest question mark’s the hostages. If they’re playing hero.
Interrupting, Emma states that the hostages are flat on the ground, praying or peeing. Asked if she can read them from there, she replies that this is Walter Langford’s annual fundraiser for the preservation of Victorian architecture. It’s the first year she’s missed it.
Anyway, the Beast says, changing the subject, their biggest question isn’t the hostages or the men with the bright and beautiful weaponry. Their biggest question, Beast says, pointing to a blue dot in the middle of the screen, is him. Moments later, the entity represented by the blue dot, the green-skinned apparent mutant leading the gunmen, stands stoically in the middle of the ballroom and emits a hmm. A moth, he then says, simply. A single moth would have made more noise touching down.
Turning to his gunmen, the mutant informs them that they’ll be there soon. One of the flunkeys instructs the absent foes to bring ‘em on, while another tells their leader that they are locked and they are loaded. Adding to this, he states that they are heartbreakers and lifetakers, isn’t he right? As his associates concur, Shadowcat emerges unseen through the floor. Quickly, she places her arm around one of the hostages, while covering her mouth with the other hand. Then, as silently as she phased in, she phases the startled woman through the floor to the safety of the level below.
Without warning or apparent reason, one of the gunmen beings to fire his automatic weapon through one of the windows, screaming at the top of his lungs. His teeth gritted and his eyes flaring, he declares to his unseen target that they thought he didn’t see him, huh? Thought he’d sneak by? Calling out to his soldier, the leader asks him who is he talking to. Taking a moment to look back out the now demolished window, the gunman looks back and replies that it was his swim coach.
Understanding the situation, the mutant announces that Miss Frost is there and that they are to turn up their scramblers and keep her out of their heads. They are also to go hot on weapons. This will happen fast. As the rest of the gunmen continue to scan the area outside the tower, the do not see Shadowcat once again phasing through the floor and rescuing another hostage, this time a startled man. Still staring out the window he obliterated, the gunman mutters to himself that he swore if he ever saw him… and he did... he went flying right back through the window… just like he imagined…
In a fluid motion too swift to react to, the furred form of the Beast swings from the top of the window, through the hole, and kicks the gunman off of his feet. Simultaneously, one wall of the ballroom is pulverized by Cyclops’ optic blast, which bowls over two more gunmen. While another gunman has just begun to react to the attack, he becomes the target of Wolverine, who falls from the hole he has just made through the ceiling. Nearby, while he continues to press the attack, Cyclops is joined by Emma Frost in her diamond form, which helps he easily dispatch a gunman with a blow to his neck. Elsewhere, Beast and Shadowcat continue the fight, using their training and strength in hand-to-hand combat.
Now alone, all of his soldiers defeated, the mutant leader once again emits a hmm. Addressing the group simply as X-Men, he tells them that they do not disappoint. Told by Cyclops that it doesn’t have to go any further, the mutant retorts that he wasn’t aware that it had begun. Whatever it is he wants from these people… Cyclops begins. His words are cut shot by Wolverine, who stares down their foe, sizing his intentions up as much as his threat. He already has it, Wolverine surmises. This was a test.
Not a difficult one, it’s true, the mutant replies. But they still performed admirably. Now turning to Emma, the mutant instructs her to not mess with his mind. She could not hope to decipher his thinkings. Now displaying his weapon, a circular piece with spiraling blades, he adds that her thinkings are acutely transparent.
Having no need for further warnings, the X-Men strike. As Wolverine launches himself at the mutant, Cyclops fires a scarlet optic blast. Ready for this move, the mutant raises his arm, deftly deflecting the blow with his gauntlet and redirecting it to impact on Shadowcat. Half a moment later, Wolverine’s leap has taken him into the mutant’s arm’s reach, which he uses to knock him back with blow to the chin. The Beast manages to jump on the mutant’s back but is unable to stop, as he uses his circular weapon to slash Wolverine across the abdomen, causing him to fall and curl up in pain in a fetal position.
One foe now dispatched, the green-skinned mutant launches himself backwards toward Cyclops, causing the Beast, still on his back, to cushion his impact against the X-Men’s leader. A right cross from Emma Frost does little to slow the mutant’s rampage, as he simply reaches out and grabs Emma by her throat. Taking a moment to notice her diamond form, he lifts her above his head and tells her that he is Ord, of the Breakworld. They stuff their pillows with diamonds. This said, he throws her toward the floor, which breaks beneath the impact, causing Emma to fall to the level below.
The X-Men defeated, at least for the moment, Ord takes a moment to gloat. Gazing upon the still-downed Wolverine, who is clutching his open wound, Ord states that he was wrong. He is disappointed. The mighty X-Men, and not one of them strong enough to… Noticing something out of the corner of his eye, Ord turns to see a small, light purple dragon, which immediately breathes fire into his face. Reeling from the attack, his entire head now aflame, Ord begins to stutter No! I can’t… I… Without anything further to say, Ord launches himself out of the window, ever and ever higher into the night sky.
Her arms open in joyous reunion, Kitty calls out to Lockheed, telling him that he found her. To this, she adds that he is the best dragon, ever. Still unable to stand, Wolverine opines that they should make him team leader. Nearby, staring out of the window and searching for their former foe, Cyclops notes that it looks like their friend’s gone. Scanning the skies with his friend, the Beast adds that he did so without so much as a “this isn’t over.” There’s simply no etiquette nowadays, he then adds. Turning back to the team inside, Cyclops notes that there were zero casualties, which is good. But any way they slice it, they just got trashed. So now, they have to do the hard part.
Addressing the gathered reporters outside, Cyclops announces that they came because people were in trouble. They X-Men have always felt it is their duty to help not just their own community but…
Cyclops words begin to trail, as he and the team are barraged by dozens of questions. Who flew away? Was that Storm? Answering this, Kitty mutters a “oh, please” and then asks if it looked like Storm. Nearby, Emma Frost calls out to one of the departing guests, calling to him by name; Mister Langford…. Seeing that the whole situation is degenerating into chaos, the Beast begins to playfully sing You can seeee by our outfits… that we’re all he-eeroes…
Answering another of the questions, Cyclops states that they don’t yet know who attacked… Ignoring the rest of the answer, another reporter states that they heard shooting. Did they start the shooting? Growing irate at stupid questions, Kitty asks in return why don’t they ask the people they saved what happened. When asked what she is called, Kitty replies that, mostly, Shadowcat is what she used to… Another reporter, noticing Lockheed perched on her shoulder, asks he if she has a license for that bat. Before she can answer, another reporter asks what is her relationship with the bat. To this, Kitty retorts that she doesn’t even know what that means.
Nearby, Emma Frost has continued her discussion with Mister Langford. She points out to him her family’s extremely generous support for generations and the very year it becomes public knowledge that she is a mutant she is for the first time off the guest list. Now leaning closely so that he will understand her meaning, she asks him to tell her, her dear Walter, if he would like to spend the rest of his life obsessed with the works of Leroy Neiman. Sexually, she means.
Speaking to the Beast, Wolverine states being hated and feared by a world that doesn’t understand them beats this circus any day. To this, the Beast playfully remarks that he’s always so grouchy when he gets cut in half. The two’s conversation is cut short when a reporter addresses the Beast specifically, asking him if he has any comment on this so-called “mutant cure.” Turning to the reporter in confusion, the Beast apologizes… cure?
As the student from the Institute react in different manners to the news they see on the television, Kitty sums up the situation, telling the group that the kids are freaking out. They’re terrified, confused… some of them are ecstatic. They don’t know how to deal with this. Standing nearby and rubbing the bridge of her nose in pain, Emma notes that they are also giving her a sodding migraine. The psychic tension, she says, is unbearable. Giving his own opinion, Cyclops surmises that they first have to find out if this is some kind of hoax, find out who this woman…
Interrupting Scott, Hank simply states the name of Dr. Kavita Rao. She’s one of the greatest geneticists alive and not prone to pranks. He doesn’t know this corporation, “Benetech,” but if Dr. Rao says she can reverse mutation, he concludes, there’s a very good chance that she can.
Speaking her own mind, with as cold a demeanor as possible, Emma states plainly that she guesses she’ll have to kill her. When Kitty immediately mocks her, stating that, “there’s a thoughtful plan,” Logan chimes in, stating that he says “Amen” to it. Seeing Kitty shoot him a look, Logan continues, his claws popped in punctuation. Woman called me a disease, he explains. You know how that feels to me? I can’t even sheathe. My claws won’t go back. When reminded by Kitty that Rao said that the mutant strain was a disease, he asks her if she knows the difference.
Chiming in, Emma asks Kitty if she thinks the government will. If this mutant “cure” does exist, then they will get hold of it. And they will line them up… doesn’t she see where this is heading? Undeterred, Kitty says that she does. Murder. The Professor would be so proud. As usual, Emma spits back at Kitty, her naiveté is neither cute nor useful. Speaking differently, she asks Kitty to suppose it’s not the government that gets it; suppose it’s some anti-mutant extremist. Or their new buddy from another world, Wolverine adds.
Speaking back up, Cyclops repeats the name of their latest foe. Ord. They need to know about this guy. He drew them all out for a reason. Yeah, concurs Logan. Right before the nice doctor lady went public. Are they thinkin’ that’s a coincidence? Trying to answer but unable to do so, Cyclops replies that he doesn’t know… he doesn’t know what to… Looking away, he finally states that the Professor would have been ready for this.
Defending her teammate, Kitty retorts that no one could have been ready for… Kitty’s defense is interrupted by Emma’s, who tells Scott that he’s tired… and tomorrow’s likely to be unpleasant. After asking him why he doesn’t get some rest, Emma speaks to the rest of the “fine men” there that they should try to relax. That means claws in, she tells Logan. Tomorrow they’ll have to talk to the press. God help them. Kitty and she will figure out how to keep the students together tonight.
As Scott tries to protest, Hank suggests that maybe he and Logan could fight on the lawn again. The kids love that. Uninterested, Logan walks away, replying that he ain’t up for anything that doesn’t have the world “beer” in it. To this, Hank suggests that they could fight for beers… Even as the three men leave, Logan remarks that that doesn’t sound too bad.
As Kitty begins to leave, Emma stops her, wishing to have a private conversation. Telling Kitty she will be brief, Emma says that things are about to get very ugly for them, so she wants to… Cutting Emma off, Kitty retorts asking if there’s a part that’s not ugly. Scott Summers, she continues, has been a leader all his life. She sees him questioning himself, taking order from her… When Emma begins to defend herself, Kitty stops her, pointing out that she talks about murder and he doesn’t say a word. Why doesn’t anybody see…
Having worked up enough to stop Kitty’s tirade, Emma interrupts, asking her if she knows why she’s there. Before Kitty can answer, Emma does so herself: it’s because she asked that she come. She’s in love with Scott Summers, Emma admits, and she’s very grateful to Professor Xavier for his trust. Turning away, Emma states that being an X-Man means a lot to her… but it doesn’t always agree with her. She doesn’t have a family famous for moral fiber. She likes to think she’s evolved… but she wanted someone on the team that she hadn’t really fought alongside. Someone who would be inclined to watch her, if she… Emma’s words trail off, not wanting to actual verbalize her full meaning.
After a moment of contemplation of Emma’s admission, Kitty looks back up at her. With stern, cold eyes, she reminds Emma that the first time she ever met the X-Men, the first day… they were ambushed. And captured. And caged. By her. She learned more about good and evil in that one day than she ever has before or since. She was thirteen. When she thinks about evil, whenever she thinks about the concept of evil, Emma’s is the face she sees. Now walking away, leaving the stoic Emma Frost, Kitty tells her that she doesn’t have to “watch her.” She can smell her. Even after Kitty has left the room, phased through the wall, Emma Frost remains, standing alone in the darkness.
The fences and guards protecting the Benetech Laboratories are formidable, but prove useless to the Beast, who uses his cat-like abilities to leap over towering fences and unsuspecting guards, who would never think to look up. Using his claws, the Beast deftly climbs the sheer wall of the building until he reaches the chosen window. Using a device, which cuts a perfect, circular hole in a window, the Beast quickly gains entry and, using his innate agility, easily bypasses the security lasers, which would normally detect any type of movement. An electronic security lock is likewise easily circumvented, opening the door to the lab itself. Silently, the Beast hugs the ceiling, crawling deeper into the complex… until the lights are turned on by Dr. Kavita Rao, who is standing below him.
Saying hello, by calling her name, the Beast is likewise greeted by Kavita, addressing him as Doctor McCoy. Dropping to the floor, Hank tells her that it’s been a long time. Berlin, wasn’t it? The cloning seminar… Cutting through the niceties, Rao informs Hank that there are armed guards waiting outside the door, and enough gas to put Galactus to sleep. Did he really think he could break in there? Speaking as forthrightly as she, Hank asks Rao if she thought he wouldn’t try.
Getting to the subject at hand, Hank tells Rao that she’s thrown a bomb in the room. People will die because of what she’s done today. And innocent people, she counters, will live decent, normal lives. Yes, Hank says, he saw her trundling out her poster child. Nice piece of publicity Tildie’s buying her. Well played.
Spitting back her response, Doctor Rao tells Hank that she’s not playing. There are people whose lives have been destroyed by unwanted mutation and she will give her life to help them. Whatever he and his X-Men plan to do she won’t… Asking the doctor to stop, Hank becomes more somber. He’s not there to discuss the ethics of her “mutant cure,” he tells her, his eyes downcast. He just wants to know if it works.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
untitled (Gifted - part 3)
It is a bright, clear day at the Xavier Institute, perfect for sitting on a bench on the school grounds. Having chosen this medium as the place for a conversation, a youth sits on one side, staring off into space, while telling his teacher, Kitty Pryde, who sits on the other end, about his problem.
First time he landed, the youth tells her, he broke both his legs. He just kinda assumed if he was flying, he was invulnerable too. Which is, he stutters in admission as he turns to Kitty, not actually that bright. Continuing, he recalls that he was freaked out for a while by the whole concept. It was just unnatural. But when he got good at it, flying he means, he felt like… God.
Returning his gaze forward, the youth notes that, when you’re flying, in a very literal sense, the world goes away. It makes everything else… smaller. And sort of okay, too. It’s the most important feeling. He can’t lose that.
Finally chiming in, Kitty replies that that’s not going to happen. When he questions that it will not, Kitty, addressing the youth as Wing, replies that just because someone goes on TV and says they have a “cure for mutation” that doesn’t mean that it’s even true. And if it is… nobody’s going to force it on him. Mutants, she continues, are a community. They’re a people and there’s no way anybody can make them be what they want. They stick together and don’t panic or overreact… he’ll see. They’re stronger than that.
Narrowing his eyes, in slight confusion at her statement, Wing bluntly asks Miss Pryde if she is a #&$%ing retard.
While footage of the scene outside of Benetech Laboratories, where hundreds of mutants are waiting in line, is flashed across the screen, the news anchor states that over sixteen hundred alleged mutants are lined up outside, demanding the “cure,” and that a Benetech spokesman says it will be weeks before they can even begin a federal approval process for the serum.
Walking into the kitchen where this is being watched by Logan and Emma, Kitty, still smarting from her conversation with Wing, asks how much detention are they allowed to give. What’s the maximum amount of detention the human body can withstand? Asked by the sarcastic Emma if counseling is going well, Kitty dryly replies great. Pouring herself a cup of coffee, Emma then asks that she be allowed to guess. “The mutants are a community” line didn’t quite fly.
Turning to Kitty, Emma continues, stating that mutants aren’t a community. They’re pathetic sheep, begging to be shorn. Three students, she states, went missing from her ethics class. Seventeen overall. Logan had to break up two fistfights and a mystical swordfight. And that dreadful crab-boy is at Benetech, telling reporters that this is every mutant’s only chance to avoid burning in everlasting Hellfire. This is eating them, inside out, she concludes. Taking all of this in, Kitty swears to herself in realization and asks Emma if she really teaches ethics.
Narrowing her eyes, Emma snipes back, suggesting mockingly that they should make jokes. Unflinchingly, Kitty rejoins that she’s not joking. She has a very large problem with that concept. When Emma then counters with the fact that their students are fleeing the school, calling Kitty a half-wit, Kitty suggests that maybe it’s time for another peppy “they will always hate us” speech. She’s sure that helped. Forced to listen to this as he tries to continue watching the news, Logan gripes to himself that he thought he was the one with claws.
Entering the room, as he rubs his eyes, the Beast asks, pleadingly, for the group just to tell him that there’s coffee. Watching McCoy approach the coffee pot, Emma asks him if he’s been up all night. Speaking uncharacteristically in incomplete sentences, McCoy replies Lab. Checking out a sample of Dr. Rao’s mutant cure serum. Pouring Hank a cup, Kitty asks in realization how did he… She gave it to him, McCoy states simply, interrupting her.
After taking a sip from his mug, McCoy analyzes the taste. Peruvian Blonde, first beans of the season, Emma. Her tastes never fails to impress. Rather than respond to his compliment, Emma stares at Hank, nearly transfixed in her gaze. As he turns to leave, he states that he went to see Kavita and she agreed he should verify her results and gave him a sample. He’ll be a day at most. Having no more to say, McCoy exits the kitchen into a darkened hallway, leaving behind startled teammates. Their teammate now departed, the trio remains in silence, taking in this information.
Are you insane, Ord demands with a snarl. Standing in defiant calm to the towering figure of Ord of the Breakworld, Dr. Kavita Rao replies that the casual observer would perhaps not look to her as the unbalanced one. When Ord retorts that she gave the X-Men the serum, Rao replies that she gave an old colleague a sample. They were bound to get hold of it sooner or later, anyhow, she points out.
Watching Rao return to her lab, Ord reminds her that she knows what the X-Men are to him. Besides an excuse to go around, behaving like a super-villain? she rejoins. She saw his “diversion” on the news. Mercenaries. Hired thugs in a room full of innocent people. It’s inexcusable. Following her and calling her Earthspawn, Ord tells Rao that she should show respect. Without his technologies, she would have no cure. The technologies are of his people, Rao fires back. His own contributions have been a great deal more ambiguous. His “contributions” is yet to come, he states.
In the meantime, he continues, the mutants will pay for what they did to his face. The dragon did it to his face, Rao reminds Ord. The dragon isn’t a mutant. He’s an alien, like him. He should try to keep it straight. His anger, she tells him, is a liability. He should keep it in check. Placing his hand in Rao’s shoulder menacingly, Ord tells her that, one day, she will see his anger. Now walking away, Ord adds that she is a pawn, in a grand scheme. She could not comprehend its scope. Replying that she won’t try, then, Rao tells Ord to play his games. She has more important concerns. Now left alone, Rao gazes through the one-way mirror and into the room of Tildie Soames.
Stating plainly, Nick Fury announces that someone is gonna die. How does he know this? ‘Cause he is gonna kill them. Taking this statement to mean that he recognizes the weapon that he just handed him, Cyclops rhetorically asks Fury if it is one of his. The casings been modified, Fury replies, but the package is definitely S.H.I.E.L.D. design. Experimental. Very new. Placing the rifle back onto a table, Fury adds that if one of those clowns had gotten a round off near a civilian once it went hot… Interrupting the thought, Cyclops states that they made sure they didn’t.
Changing the subject to the larger issue, Cyclops asks Fury what a bunch of second-rate mercs were doing with S.H.I.E.L.D. weaponry that isn’t even in the field yet. Sitting down next to the table, Fury replies that, if he knew that, he’d be killing somebody already.
Well, then, Cyclops states, what are a bunch of second-rate mercs doing with a psychotic alien warrior? “Ord of the Breakworld.” Ring any bells? Glancing back up to Cyclops, Fury asks if he’s sure this guy’s an E.T. When the X-Man replies that, right now, he doesn’t know much, Fury adds that he could be anything. Could even be a mutant. Leaning forward over the table, Cyclops asks Fury if he’s missing anything. Leaning forward himself, Fury rejoins that he just doesn’t have a lot of go on, is all.
Shifting the conversation a little, Cyclops asks Fury if he knows about this “cure” thing. “Mutants are a disease?” The monster shows up right when all that comes out, running a crew carrying Fury’s ordnance, and the best he can do is accuse him of being one of them? Squinting his one good eye and calling the X-Man a boy, Fury orders Cyclops to not get in his face. It’s a right he hasn’t earned.
After Cyclops complies, straightening up, though crossing his arms in displeasure, Fury informs the X-Man that he let him up there cause Xavier’s got some cred with the powers and he says he’s in charge. He’ll run this name down, this Ord, and he’ll share whatever he finds. But, Fury adds, rising to his feet, if Ord’s got some beef with his X-teams, that problem’s not his. And if he thinks anybody there is losing sleep over whether or not mutants might all suddenly lose their powers… then he hasn’t been to Manhattan lately.
Pointing his finger back to Fury, Cyclops retorts that the X-Men saved Manhattan. After their boy, Magneto, turned it into a pretzel, Fury replies. Repeating “our boy,” Cyclops asks what makes Magneto their boy. In response, Fury reminds Cyclops that he taught at their damn school… Years ago, Cyclops interrupts. And just recently? Fury asks. He was in disguise, the X-Man states. What makes him think they would knowingly harbor a dangerous criminal? To this, Fury asks the flummoxed Cyclops how Miss Frost is.
Pressing his point, Fury tells Cyclops that they’re watching. Very close. That’s their job. Any further threat from their camp, they’re gonna know about it ahead of time. Scowling at the statement, Cyclops asks Fury if they were watching when Genosha was destroyed. ‘Cause he doesn’t remember S.H.I.E.L.D. stepping in to stop the Sentinels from committing genocide. When Fury retorts that that ain’t American soil, Cyclops rejoins that the administration must love him. Even for a guy with one eye, Cyclops tells Fury, his vision’s incredibly narrow.
Taking a moment to consider this, Fury finally informs Cyclops that, if he hears about this “Ord,” he’ll give him a call. To this, he adds that Cyclops knows the way out. A short time later, Cyclops pilots the X-Men’s Blackbird jet off of the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. Watching the X-Man’s craft fly off, Fury is approached by a woman, who asks him what he thinks Cyclops knows.
Staring through the microscope, McCoy announces that it’s not conclusive. But the sample looks good, Logan asks. So far it holds up, McCoy answers. Hearing what he needs, Logan suddenly orders McCoy to get rid of it. Get rid of it now, or he’ll go through him to do it. His mind racing at Wolverine’s words and their meaning, McCoy looks at Logan with astonishment, stating Emma. She had no right to….
Defending her, Logan tells Hank that she said she couldn’t help it. She said he was like a billboard. Like neon. Big neon sign, flashing: “I wanna get off. I wanna get out.” Is that how it goes, Logan asks him. He’s had enough? He wants to see how the other half lives their half-lives? The truth, McCoy finally says in response, is that he doesn’t know what he wants. And that it is none of his damn business. Wrong answer, Logan replies, narrowing his eyes.
Nothing further to be said, Logan leaps upon the Beast, who deftly positions himself on his back, allowing him to use his powerful legs to deflect Logan, and propel him violently against the ceiling. Landing upon a counter, Logan jokingly calls McCoy a beast.
Once more upon his feet, McCoy tells Logan to not push this. Hearing his response that he isn’t going to let him…, McCoy interrupts, spitting out that he doesn’t know what he is. Staring down at his hands, McCoy states that he used to have fingers. He used to have a mouth one could kiss. He would walk down the street and… Trailing off for a moment, McCoy finally continues, stating that maybe this is the secondary stage of his mutation, or maybe Cassandra Nova was right – maybe he’s devolving. His mind is still sharp, but his instincts, his emotions…
Now speaking directly to Logan, McCoy tells him that he knows what it’s like to be out of control. What is he supposed to do? Wait until he’s lying in front of the students, playing with a ball of string? He is a human being. Wrong, Logan retorts. He’s an X-Man.
Now speaking from his own heart, Logan tells McCoy that, if some weak sister in this freshman dorm wants to drop his powers, he could care less. But an X-Man… one of them caves and it’s over. It’s an endorsement stamp for every single mutant to be lined up and neutered. And he knows that. He knows that! So, he continues, either flush that junk down the John right now… or he’s gona turn him into a throw-rug. Punctuating his point, Logan unsheathes his claws with an audible snikt. Hearing this, McCoy bares his own claws. Calling Logan a little man, the Beast leaps into the air, telling enough!
As McCoy takes to the air, so does Logan. The two meet in mid-leap, clawing at each other, even as they impact and fall to the ground. The Beast positions himself so that his prodigious weight is atop Logan, causing Logan’s body to absorb the impact on the floor. Hardly stunned, Logan kicks McCoy off of him, causing him to go flying though through the lab’s wall and into the hallway outside. As most of the children walking by scatter to avoid the fight, one student asks another if he has this correct: the teachers spend all their time there trying to kill each other? Not receiving a negative response, the youth promptly announces that the place is so cool.
Nearby, even as the Beast’s feral teeth near Logan’s neck and Logan’s adamantium claws begin to pierce the Beast’s face, the fight is halted by a chilling voice, which orders them to break. Promptly, the two X-Men comply, rising to their feet. When the voice orders them to bow, they obey, as if they were simply sparring. Seeing that the two are now fully compliant, the voice, generated elsewhere in the mansion by Emma Frost, instructs them to now get into the Danger Room before she makes them bloody tango.
Taking in their surroundings, an extremely pink, little girl’s room, which is enormous in size, as if the X-Men have shrunk, Logan tells Emma and the rest of the X-Men that this is really pushing it. Standing resolutely, Emma replies that she didn’t program it, but she happened to find it perfectly appropriate. She is clearly the only adult on this team. Hearing this, Kitty, standing next to Cyclops, reminds everyone that Emma’s a teacher. Ethics and all.
Finally speaking up, Cyclops addresses McCoy, asking him if he thinks his sample of the serum’s still viable. Hearing that he thinks so, Cyclops states that, when they’re done, he’s to finish his analysis. They should not be tearing each other apart over a fake. Hearing Logan then ask what happens if it works, Cyclops replies that he’s trusting him not to do anything till he’s spoken to him. Now speaking to McCoy, Cyclops announces that he has to say that he’s with Logan on this - but it’s his life. He’s just asking that they talk. Is that fair?
Changing the subject, rather than answering, McCoy asks Cyclops what Fury said. Taking the new direction of the conversation in stride, Cyclops replies that they’re on their own. Either Nick Fury has joined the ranks of the mutant-hating masses since the attack on Manhattan… or he’s hiding an agenda. Either way, they shouldn’t expect any real help from the government. Lounging in the lab of a giant, purple Teddy bear, Logan remarks that there’s a big change.
Ignoring Logan, Kitty asks Cyclops what about the Professor. Does he think he knows what’s happening? Sitting nearby on a giant doll’s chair, Emma replies that the Professor isn’t running this team. And they’re not about to go whimpering at the first sign or a crisis. Turning to Cyclops for verification with an inquisitive Scott, Emma receives a belated yes, that he agrees.
Now turning his attention back to Kitty, Scott orders her, as their computer whiz, to start running down Benetech. He wants to know exactly who’s funding this research. Hank’s in the lab. Emma’s to check the students – and he’s going to contact some of the other teams, see how far this is reaching. Still sitting in the Teddy bear’s lap, Logan asks what about him. Subsequently ordered to have a beer and stay away from Hank, Logan promptly replies that it’s a plan.
As the two follow Hank out of the Danger Room, Kitty asks Logan if he’s going to fight everyone. She just wants to know if she’s next. Nah, he replies. She’d go ninja on him – he can’t take that kind of hurt. Watching their teammates depart, Cyclops tells Emma that they’re getting nowhere. Patience, she replies, calling him darling. He’s doing fine. Of course, she continues, Kitty thinks she’s mentally controlling everything he says. Taking a moment to consider this, Scott turns to Emma and asks that she’s not, right? A scowl emerging on her face, Emma replies through puckered lips that he will never see her naked again.
(later)
As the full moon shines down upon the Xavier Institute in the middle of the night, the Beast continues to study the data displayed on his computer screen. Seeing something in particular that catches his eye, McCoy states to himself that it is odd. A few keystrokes later and the computer displays Cross-reference DNA sample, archive 002. Understanding what this means, McCoy leaps from his chair, his eyes still fixated on the data before him. Oh, no, he states aloud. Kavita, no. You monster… you ghoul…
Standing before Cyclops and Emma in their room, McCoy tells them that they have to go to Benetech. Now. Tonight. Trying to understand the urgency, Cyclops asks the Beast if this is about the cure. It’s what… dangerous? Replying that it’s not about that, McCoy explains that it’s about the body they’re running their tests on. Unable to finish his explanation, McCoy turns his head, looking down. Why does nothing ever stay buried? he asks. Filling in the information gap with his own worst fear, Scott quietly mutters a single name: Jean?


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

[Assistant]
untitled (Gifted - part 4)
(flashback)
He stands triumphant. Victorious. Covered in the blood of the foes he has slain, Ord of the Breakworld gazes upon the throngs of spectators in the multi-tiered stadium. I have come so far…
(present)
Returning his thoughts to the present, Ord stands in darkness, his eyes downcast. He ponders how he has worked for decades to reach his plan. Nothing could stop him. There were great warriors… and friends… left bloodied in the killing ground, so that he could fulfill his destiny… to be chosen for the great mission… to come there.
Moving through the darkness, Ord comes upon a locked cabinet. Staring at it briefly, he continues his thoughts. He came to this small stinking world… to work on for years without blood on his fists. Without release. Without respect. It is time all of that changed. Now reaching out, Ord opens the locker, not bothering with the bolted lock, but tearing the metal door effortlessly with one hand, revealing shelves, filled with vials stacked upon other vials. Taking one, Ord places it on a device on his wrist, locking it into place. Smiling as he does so, Ord thinks to himself that it’s time the X-Men paid for his patience.
Walking from the aircraft, Cyclops informs the rest of the team that the jet’s prepped. Standing next to Emma, who is still placing on her gloves, the Beast replies that the others are coming. When prompted by Cyclops as to whether he said anything, the Beast denies with an of course not. Benetech, he states, might be using a mutant for tissue samples, that’s all. He didn’t specify. Pleased at this, Cyclops adds that they probably won’t find anything conclusive. Like a warm body, Emma asks, snidely.
Before Cyclops can respond, Wolverine enters the hangar, flanked by Kitty, with Lockheed perched on her shoulder. Stating that he’s good to go, Wolverine tells his teammates to bring on the hurt. Placing his cowl into place, Cyclops reminds Wolverine that it’s a recon. Until they know what they’re dealing with, they’re just looking. In response to this idea, Wolverine replies that they know what they’re dealing with: animals.
As the X-plane flies silently over the heavily guarded Benetech facility, Cyclops give his orders. Kitty’s on point; they’ve got the deluxe detection package in there, so they’ll want to start from below. Reporting on his own intel, the Beast adds that the security mainframe should be housed in the basement, and asks Kitty if she thinks she can disable it without tripping anything. Replying simply, Kitty simply states that it’s done. Getting a little anxious from his seat in the back, Wolverine asks aloud when does he get to disable something. To this, Emma scornfully tells him to sheathe it, pointing out that, inspiring costumes notwithstanding, they’re not heroes tonight. The should try to be subtle for once.
As Kitty phases Emma into the facility, joining the waiting Cyclops, Beast and Lockheed, the Beast informs Cyclops that the place is a bit of a maze, but the main research center is definitely up top. Having finished the phased entrance, Emma shrugs off Kitty’s touch, which was necessary for the experience. Cursing aloud, Emma announces that it is unnerving. Sniping back, Kitty tells Emma that, if she wriggles like that next time, she’ll lose her grip in the middle of a wall and she’ll fuse molecules. As deaths go, she states, it’s not the funnest.
The point man of the team, Wolverine returns to the chamber, having scouted ahead. Reporting, Wolverine states that there are three guards on the floor. They came over all sleepy just now. Having heard what he needs, Cyclops addresses the group, now broken into teams, instructing them to work the floor.
Walking along the corridors of the Xavier Institute, Hisako is aghast at what her classmate called their teacher. No wonder, she states to Wing, he got detention. Miss Pryde’s a teacher! Just ‘cause he’s got the hots for her doesn’t make them equals. Floating beside and above Hisako, Wing replies in complaint that she got him so mad. That patronizing line that the mutants are all gonna stick together… she’s fought some of the… what does she mean “hots?”
Rolling her eyes until she reaches his, Hisako is incredulous. Like there’s five guys on campus who aren’t crushing on her, she states. “Oh, I’m a real X-Man only I’m young and cool and I know all about computers and maybe a cute senior would have a shot with me if he seemed really sensitive and superpowered…” Sniping back, Wing sarcastically tells Hisako that she’s a mind-reader. No, she retorts, but Blindfold is. Taken aback, Wing replies that that’s so against the by-laws… Interrupting her classmate, Hisako adds that she also says that the only reason he came there was he wants to make X-Man. When Wing reacts more shocked, Hisako tells him to join the club. Apart from the losers lining up for that bogus cure, who doesn’t wanna make the list?
Finally descending to the floor, Wing laments their classmate, Blindfold – no eyes, big mouth. Agreeing that she’s a blabber, Hisako adds that she’s okay. She just thinks that she’s really lonely. Think about it for a minute… Hisako suddenly stops in mid sentence. Standing before her and Wing is the towering form of Ord, who lurks in the shadows of the corridor. Speaking to Hisako’s now halted line of thought, Ord tells her that her minute’s up.
As they search through the company’s records, Emma asks Scott what he wants her to do. Pretend she doesn’t feel his heart race when he thinks of Jean? She’s a part of him, he informs Emma. Comes with the package, which she knows. Glancing back at her lover as she continues, Emma states simply that the woman was no good for him. As Scott begins to counter, replying that attacking her is never going to…, Emma interrupts. Right, right, she states. Base defilement. Jean Grey is a sacred cow. Now speaking lowly, to herself, Emma adds that at least they agree on half of that.
Elsewhere in the facility, Kitty begins her descent through the levels of the facility, by phasing straight down. Phased only to the waist, she turns to Lockheed, who is futilely trying to scratch his way through the floor, and tells him that this is weird. It’s metal, she informs her miniature dragon, but she can’t find the end. There’s no basement… it just goes down. Resolving herself to solving this mystery, she instructs Lockheed to stay there and to not eat anyone. She’s gonna check it out. With this, she phases the rest of the way into the metal floor, disappearing from sight.
Hope, Wolverine spits out to the Beast, as they continue their own exploration. That’s what they’re calling the cure now. “Hope.” It was on the news. Catchy, eh? Speaking to his teammate, as he follows close behind, Wolverine asks what he is hoping for. Lose the fur… nice girl. Couple of kids and a teaching job somewhere that doesn’t get blown up too often.
Replying coldly, Hank informs Wolverine that he’s not exactly talking him out of it. Undeterred, Wolverine asks Hank if he thinks he doesn’t get it. He’d be married today, if things had gone his way. Nothing wrong with that. It’s the part where he sits on the couch with the family and watch every mutant on the face of the Earth get lined up… get a little “hope” or get a lot dead. Tell his kids how proud he is to have helped start that off… assuming they’re not muties themsel… Wolverine’s words are cut short by the Beast, who asks his teammate if he caught that scent. Female, Wolverine states emotionlessly. Dead.
Okay, Kitty states, continuing her way downward into the darkness of solid metal. Definitely weird.
Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Ord asks the two students if they are sure they’re not there. Replying that it is so, Wing adds that he saw the x-plane take off, like two hours ago. When asked by Ord if he knows where they went, Wing replies one a mission – they don’t really tell them stuff like that. Upon hearing Ord state his frustration at this, Hisako asks if he wants to leave a message or… Oh, God, she states. That’s so stupid. Chiming in, Wing tells Ord that they’re not the X-Men. They’re just kids and… um… he could come back…
Now gazing down at the two teens, Ord looks at them with new understanding. The two of them are mutants, he states more factually than inquisitively. A little concerned at this, Wing retorts that they’re not, like, cool ones or anything… As Hisako begins to chastise her classmate, Ord announces to the two that they’ve helped him. They have his thanks for that. Now brandishing a devilish smile and wrist weapon containing the serum, he tells the two youths that, yes, he will leave the X-Men a message.
Closing her eyes tightly, Hisako calls out to Wing, telling him to get out. In punctuation to her words, Hisako manifests spectral energy, which wraps itself around her like armor. With an unexpected right cross, her armored fist impacts against Ord’s body, punching him backwards and off of his feet. Not giving the intruder time to get to his feet, Hisako presses her attack, lifting both armored hands above her for a double-fisted blow. Ord, however, having regained his composure, merely congratulates the teen for having startled him. Using his powerful legs, Ord kicks Hisako, thrusting her violently against the wall before he could deliver her blow.
Now rising to his feet, Ord directs his attention to Wing, who stakes but a moment to eye the skylight above before launching himself upward and through it, rising into the night sky like a rocket. Having achieved a safe distance, Wing looks down at the mansion below and says aloud the name of his classmate – Hisako. Speaking to himself, he asks what he is doing. He can’t just leave her there.
Without warning, Wing finds that he is no longer alone, the mysterious intruder appearing behind him. Glibly informing the youth that he was talking to him, Ord uses his wrist device to inject some of the serum within into the teen’s back. After a cry of pain from Wing, Ord turns him around, bringing his face close to his own. Now you will give them my message, he tells the teen. That the mutant abomination will never be a threat to the Breakworld. That man was not meant to fly. His message given, Ord releases the boy, who promptly begins to fall uncontrollably to the mansion below.
Entering the room, Cyclops asks who it is. Gazing down upon the female on the autopsy table, Wolverine replies that they don’t know her. Examining the female, who is yellow in color with swirls of blue about her body and possessing butterfly-like wings, the Beast reports that the striations on her wrist would seem to indicate that she took her own life. Or, Wolverine chimes in, someone made it look like she did. Frankly, the Beast states, he doesn’t care. Whether or not they had anything to do with her death… this is sickening.
Stone-faced as ever, Wolverine spits out that it’s all happening there. The cure. These little experiments. One well-armed missile from the jet and they all sleep easy. Still staring down at the corpse, Cyclops replies that they can’t torch Benetech. They still don’t know everything. This can’t be the only body. Taking this in, Wolverine asks why not. Pressing further, he asks Cyclops what are they after. The two of them had better tell him what’s going on. As in now.
Entering the room at that moment, Emma announces that she can’t reach Kitty. She doesn’t think she’s in the building. As Cyclops begins to ask where she would go, Emma doubles over in pain, almost collapsing to the floor. Caught by her lover before she can do so, Emma reports that her girls… the Stepford Cuckoos… they’re calling out to her… It’s so loud she can’t make it out… Suddenly turning to Scott, fear in her eyes, she tells him that they have to get back.
Without warning, the room erupts in gunfire, forcing the X-Men to scatter. Though they move quickly, both Cyclops and Wolverine are hit. Trying his best to remain a leader, Cyclops tell Emma that he’s just tagged and, with his voice failing, orders the X-Men to sound… sound off…
Taking less than an instance to transform into her diamond form, Emma looks upon the new arrivals with a snarl. The new arrivals are all clad in jumpsuits, with metallic chest plates, which support the enormous rotating machine guns attached to their limbs. Confident that they have swiftly gained control of the situation, the lead trooper tells Emma to make a move. Make just one move.
Appearing through the ceiling of a chamber, Kitty thinks to herself finally. As soon as she emerges, however, gravity take ahold of her, causing her to unceremoniously and violently fall to the chamber’s floor. The chamber is bathed in eerie red light and the floor, walls and ceiling are sloping in a surreal, alien fashion. Regaining her composure, Kitty thinks to herself that the floor must have been a hundred feet solid… and it felt… wrong…
Now rising to her feet, she begins her exploration, telling herself that she has a job to do. She’s got to keep it together. As she continues, Kitty realizes to herself that, whatever she phased through, it’s not from this planet. Or any she’s been to. The molecular structure is… she just hopes it didn’t do some permanent damage going through the… Before she can go further through that line of thought, she tells herself to drop it. She has a job to do.
Peering around a corner, she sees several armed guards, these with automatic rifles. One of the men tells the other three that the Alpha Team has the hostiles contained upstairs. No sign of breach, but they’re on red, just in case. No one gets near the subject.
As the small cadre continue their conversion, Kitty sneaks past them, going further down another corridor. Reaching a door, she phases her right hand into the lock, mentally reminding herself that, alien or no, there’s not a lock she can’t pop. And, if the “contained hostiles” means the rest of the X-Men… it’s up to her to find the truth about this place. Even though she’s not sure she wants to.
Kitty quickly finds success at her task and the massive door begins to open, sliding into a recess in the wall. The movement of the entrance, however, brings the attention of the nearby guards, who open fire. Nevertheless, their bullets miss their mark in Kitty, sailing unimpeded through her phased body, only to ricochet against a metallic form standing just inside the doorway. Turning to see what the bullet bounced off of, Kitty beholds the stoic visage of a towering man, clad only in underpants, leaving the rest of his silver, metallic skin exposed. Defying every ounce of logic in her, Colossus stands before Kitty.
As Kitty stands dumbfounded, her mind disbelieving what her eyes are telling her, the bullets continue to fly through her inert form. Colossus, however, is hardly inert, launching himself through Kitty’s still immobile self and at the gunmen behind her. Moving only slightly, Kitty touches herself where her former friend phased through, just a moment before.
Finally turning around, she beholds Colossus tearing through the guards, mercilessly, his anger uncontained in both his countenance and actions. Kitty’s pleas, however, finally stem the tide of Piotr’s rage, as he turns to her, transforming back to his body of flesh and bone. Katya, he says, questioningly, almost in disbelief.
His rage spent, Piotr collapses to his knees before Kitty, reaching out through his tears to her waist. Finally, he states, bringing his face to her stomach. God… am I… God, please… am I finally dead? Comforting her friend as much as she can, Kitty places her hands around his back and the back of his head, almost in an act of cradling him.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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untitled (Gifted - part 5)
He lies on his back, face up, staring through the ruby quartz of his visor. Though immobile, trying to reassess his team through their latest crisis, Cyclops calls out to his X-Men, telling them to sound off. On command, the shadowy, surreal forms of the X-Men appear just within Cyclops’ vision. First, Iceman sounds off, followed by Fireman, then Clothing-Man and Ability-to-Hop-Man. Sensing something amiss with this, Cyclops asks them all to wait a minute… aren’t they all the same person?
In response, a flame flickers before the still-immobile X-Man, followed by a sweet voice, calling Cyclops by his true name, Scott. The source of the soothing voice quickly appears within Cyclops’ line of sight, floating majestically, yet fiery, above him. It is the Dark Phoenix, ablaze with her power and fury. Addressing her fallen teammate, the Phoenix proceeds to call him darling, then lamenting what a failure he is.
No, Scott denies. He has this wired. He’s putting in storm windows… Phoenix’s interruption of his statement causes him concern, asking her if they have to do this in front of everyone. Ignoring his protestations, Phoenix lowers herself, floating just above Scott, her face inches from his. In curt words, she tells him to stop faking it… she did. Still unable to move, Cyclops simply looks back, stone-faced with seriousness and pleads with her to just tell him… does she at least like his costume? The costume itself, no longer the simple black, skin-tight outfit, harkens back to an earlier, blue version – though this one possesses a multitude of accessories; flared boots and gloves, belts, bandoliers, various Xs and even a tutu along his waist.
Cyclops reality is returned by the stark impact of Emma’s slap across his face, made harsher by the fact that she is in her diamond form. Yelling at him to stay awake, Emma tells declares aloud that Cyclops is bleeding out and that he needs medical attention. Now! Still pointing his Gatling guns at Emma, Scott and Wolverine – and flanked by his like-wise gun-wielding partner - one of the Benetech guards tells Emma that he guesses he’s glad that he’s not him then.
As her classmate, the New Mutant known as Elixir, looks over the unconscious body of her friend, Wing, Hisako asks if he is going to die. Still in the process of using his healing power, Elixir replies that the breaks are bad, but he’s working on it. Her armor, he tells her, is not exactly fluffy. When these words cause her pause, making her lament that it was all too fast, Elixir changes tone, informing her that, if she hadn’t caught him, he’d’ve been a fruit smoothie, falling from that height. She did great. Her eyes staring off into space, Hisako replies that she doesn’t feel great.
Nearby, in the same room, one of the Stepford Cuckoos reports that Miss Frost has broken contact. Something is happening where she is. Something about Mister Summers, a second voices. She’s horribly in love with him, the third points out. Following this line of thought, the third declares that love is the stupidest thing she’s ever heard of. Look what it did to Esme, the first points out. Miss Frost should be setting an example. Chiming in herself, the second announces that Miss Frost’s thoughts about him during class are often sweaty and inappropriate.
Having heard enough, Hisako turns to the triplets and sarcastically asks if they want to stay with them. To this she then asks if they can reach anyone else. Not at this distance. They have a special bond with… What about Blindfold, Hisako interrupts. Doesn’t she read…?
Hisako’s words halt in mid-sentence with the arrival of a new sound, a groan from Wing. As Elixir begins to prop up his classmate, he informs the others that he should be cool. Jumping to her Wing’s side, Hisako asks him if he’s hurt, reminding her apparently disoriented friend that that Ord guy knocked him out. Quickly, Wing’s orientation returns, as well as a horrific revelation that only he can detect. Swearing to himself, he stares far off, tears coming to his eyes. My powers, he begins to sob, I’m cured.
In the glaring redness of the chamber, Kitty sits on one side, with Piotr Rasputin sitting on the other. The silence is as deafening as the redness. Finally speaking up, Kitty tells Piotr that she’s going to need a minute… before she can get them out. She’s going to rest. Now almost babbling, she adds that it’s hard getting through this metal, and taking him along… it’s gonna be a little…
You look different, he interrupts. When she replies that, well, yeah, she is, Piotr then asks if it has been long then. Thrown off by the tone of the conversation, Kitty apologizes, then tells her companion that he has to know that if he’s a clone or a robot or, yeah, a ghost or an alternate universe thingie, she can deal… but if he’s some shapeshifter or illusionist who’s just watching her twist, she will kill him and will kill him with an axe so right away just prove it, say something show her something, she can’t…
Piotr’s attempt at calming the nearly incoherent young woman, simply saying her name, causes a reflexive shout: You DIED! Leaping back to her feet, Kitty points to the world outside, telling Piotr that Peter Rasputin died and she knows this because she carried his ashes to Russia and scattered them herself! Still sitting, Piotr looks at Kitty with such empathy, asking rhetorically if she really did. Taking a moment for himself, as he glances to the floor, Piotr raises his head, his demeanor more composed, and thanks her.
Turning around, clutching her own head in her hand, she apologizes again. He needs her help, she tells Piotr, and she… she feels so weak. Rising to his own feet, Piotr places his hand on her shoulder. They switched his body with someone else, he thinks, he tells her. They revived him and, and brought him there. He doesn’t know whose ashes… he is not a trick. Turning back to her friend, Kitty replies that she knows. She means… she thinks that she… Rubbing the back of her hand against the towering man’s cheek, Kitty tells her that she knows. Taking Kitty’s hand in his own, continuing to hold it against his cheek, he tells her that he can feel her hand. And he becomes certain… He is also not a ghost.
The declaration made, Kitty regains her composure. Okay, she tells him. So, rescue. Turning to the still comatose guards, she asks Piotr if he knows any other way out besides up. She doesn’t think these guys came down through a hundred feet of metal. Replying that he does not know, Piotr lowers his head ever-so-slightly, almost lost in thought. He only knows the room, he tells her.
Thinking back, Piotr’s mind’s eye sees himself bound, stripped to his undergarment and his hands bound above his head. Elsewhere in the room is a reclined table, with manacles attached and devices of malevolent natures hanging from the ceiling above it. Always dark inside. Cold. They kept him strong. Healthy… He pounded the walls every day, every minute, for years… Was it years?
Bringing Piotr back to the present, Kitty begins to ask him what they did, but he interrupts. Tests, he answers. They did tests. Every few days, the gas would come. And he would wake on the table. They would cut at him. Inject… things… all he saw were their masks. And him. The one who brought him back.
(flashback)
Though he is restrained in a reclined position, Piotr cannot even see the ceiling, as the light is too bright. Still, he can make out the face of the hooded, green-skinned creature as he leans over. His features are darkened, due to the bright light nearly haloed behind his head, but his grin can still be seen. Congratulations, Peter Rasputin, Ord of the Breakworld says toothily. Your death has saved mutantkind from the Legacy virus. And you will pay for that with your life.
(present)
Turning to Kitty, Piotr asks if that is true… the Legacy virus? Gone, she responds. He did save them. From that.
Entering the room, Dr. Rao stares daggers at the heavily armed guards, asks what is going on, and to let her through. Responding to their superior, one guard reminds the doctor that it is a hostile zone, and asks her if her scrambler… Is on, she spits back, then ordering him to move. Brushing by, Dr. Rao assesses the obvious in a moment. Seeing Wolverine lying in a fetal position on the floor, while Cyclops lies inert and the Beast on his knees, she asks rhetorically asks the guards if they fired on them. Managing to speak through his pain, Wolverine declares that the lady is sharp.
Kneeling next to the injured Cyclops, Emma informs Rao that she needs to get him home. Not responding directly, Rao makes her way to a medicine cabinet, ordering the guards, as she goes through the cabinet for supplies, to call in their med team. Seeing Rao’s actions, Emma remarks snidely that a band-aid is going to do sweet F.A. When Rao responds that they have a qualified surgeon not two buildings down, Emma retorts that they have a healer at home. Ignoring the scantily clad X-Man, Rao kneels next to Cyclops, and begins to apply her bandages.
As Rao works, she tells Emma that she promises that she has no intention of hurting them. Long as she’s got that scrambler device in her left ear, Emma replies, she can’t know what she intends. Well, Dr. Rao counters, it’s not to let her control her mind either. After instructing Emma to put pressure on the dressing, Rao turns to the Beast, calling him by his salutation, Dr. McCoy. Interrupting the doctor before she can continue, Emma reminds her that McCoy has a disease, if she recalls… an inexplicably adverse reaction to being shot at.
A little disturbed at this, Rao informs Emma that she never authorized this kind of force. She doesn’t want anyone hurt. That’s the point. Nothing but noble intentions, Emma snipes. Yes, she’s a veritable Oppenheimer. What’s next? Eliminating the gay gene? In response, Rao states that homosexuality doesn’t represent a threat to human existence. To this, Emma replies that they’re clearly watching different televangelists.
Now shifting the subject, Emma asks aloud where the hell that med team is. Still on the previous subject, Rao states into Emma’s eyes. The world needs this cure, she tells her. Nothing she says or does is going to change that fact.
Without warning, the Beast, in full fury, appears next to Dr. Rao, his fangs bared in rage and his clawed hand grasping Rao’s neck. Even the guards are surprised, as they impotently yell commands, instructing him to put her down. Now!
Not listening, McCoy takes Rao to the nearby table, where the corpse of the mutant lies. With his free hand, McCoy rips the sheet covering her, revealing the totality of her naked form. Did she need it? he asks Rao. Did this girl need her cure? Through her glasses, sitting askew on the bridge of her nose, Rao tells Hank that the girl was dead… she killed herself. Releasing Rao from his clawed hand, McCoy asks Rao who else. He needs to hear it from her. Who else has she been cutting up? Adjusting her glasses to properly on her face, Dr. Rao innocently states that she doesn’t know what he means.
As McCoy continues, asking Rao if she thought that he wouldn’t have had it on file, Cyclops reaches out to Emma’s arm, grabbing her attention while no one is looking. Her attention gained, Emma responds with her telepathy, telling Scott to not try to talk. Returning to his inert state, lying on his back, Cyclops tells Emma that she got really scared. He can feel it when she thinks at him. Smiling, he tells her that it’s very sweet. His smile now fading, Cyclops returns to business, instructing Emma to patch him in to the others.
Oblivious of Cyclops’ actions, Dr. Rao continues to defend her actions. She tells McCoy that he knows the only way to help further research is to work on the dead. She’s trying to create a world where this girl would never think of taking her own life. But, while she has… Rao’s words are summarily interrupted by McCoy’s inexplicably confusing responds of I gotcha. Good. Struggling to understand what he means by this, Rao begins to stammer in confusion.
Nearby, still on the floor in a fetal position, a less confused Wolverine thinks to the rest of the team that he’s healed enough; just waiting on him, slowpoke. His visor, beginning to flare brighter red from his eyes’ fury beneath, Cyclops “the slowpoke” suggests that they show these battlebots rejects who they’re dealing with. Barely having to move his head, Cyclops unleashes scarlet fury upon the heavily armed guards, bowling them over with his concussive optic blasts.
Recovering, the leader of the guards shouts his orders: mutant targets only. Unsure about their success at this, the Beast leaps at Rao, pulling her down to the relative safety of the ground by his sheer weight. Meanwhile, Wolverine, claws bared, jumps at one guard, asking him if this is big enough for him. With skilled fury, Wolverine uses his claws to slice up the guard’s Gatling guns, rendering them inoperable. As the other two guards begin to take up the place of their fallen comrade, Wolverine hears Cyclops’ words in his head, courtesy of Emma. Their leader’s words are of no interest to the feral X-Man, who replies that Emma already gave him his marching orders a minute ago: left ear. One swipe of Wolverine’s claws slices through the left side of each guard, tearing through both machinery and flesh.
As the two guards recoil from the pain, Emma stands before them in confidence. Remarking at the scramblers, once buried in their ears but now deactivated, Emma tells them that there’s some good news. They feel no pain. Hearing this, the two guards go rigid – now thralls of Emma’s telepathic powers. Feeding them instructions, she tells them that they will go straight to a hospital, remembering nothing of this place. And, she adds, every time they hear the words “parsley,” “intractable” or “longitude,” they will vomit uncontrollably for forty-eight hours. As the two guards leave, Cyclops begins to sit up, congratulating his X-Men on their good work – and then admitting quietly to them that his girlfriend is very weird.
Announcing that he is not going to argue that point, the Beast moves on, asking what they are going to do now. Taking a moment to kick the first, still-down guard in the face, Wolverine replies that Emma takes Scott back to the Institute, while he and Hank find Kitty… and then burn this place to the ground. First off, Emma replies, Scott and she give the orders. Second: good plan.
Finally speaking up, Dr. Rao informs the group that it won’t help. She’s already given samples and all her data to hundreds of teams around the world. “Hope” can’t be crushed now. Not even by them. Smiling devilishly, Wolverine compliments Rao on her nice bluff; but he calls.
The metaphorical impending hand of poker is rendered moot, however, by the arrival of Ord of the Breakworld, who crashes through the wall, bowling both Wolverine and the Beast over. Grinning malevolently, Ord chuckles, more to him himself, that he actually went looking for them. Seeing Emma instinctively stand before the doctor, shielding her with her diamond form, Ord regards the circular blade in his hand and informs her that there is nothing on Earth that his blade cannot cut through. Replying that that is good to know, Emma switches places with Dr. Rao, placing the doctor in front of her, as a human shield.
A moment later, Emma changes her mind, pushing the doctor to Ord, as she regroups with the team. His eyes never leaving the X-Men, Ord takes Rao and shoves her out of the way. With nothing now standing between Ord and them, the X-Men try to assess their options. When Beast asks if there’s a plan, Wolverine points out that the man’s got eyeballs. And, Emma adds, if he’s a man by their definition, that’s not the only soft…
The X-Men all stop, both in movement and words, their countenances changing to that of complete bewilderment. Interpreting this reaction as fear, Ord smiles in his apparent victory, taunting the mutants by asking them if they’re too scared for stratagems. If so, then maybe it’s time they finished up.
It is not fear, however, that has caused this reaction, but the sight of what appears behind Ord, phasing up through the ground. It is the hulking, metallic form of Colossus, being helped through the building’s structure by the exhausted, phasing Kitty Pryde.
Speaking to Ord, while still trying to comprehend what he is seeing, Wolverine states, wide-eyed, okay. Yeah. Why don’t they do that? Finally sensing that something is amiss from their reactions, Ord squints his eyes in contemplation, asking them what they are all looking at. Suddenly guessing, he closes his eyes in frustration, asking them if that “dragon thing” is behind him.
Ord’s world is suddenly rendered into crushing pain, as the steel fist of Colossus impacts on his back, with powerhouse fury. Turning quickly to see his new foe, Ord views Colossus with a snarl and a dismissive you! Striking back with a punch, though it is deftly deflected by the former X-Man, Ord tells Colossus that it matters nothing that he’s escaped. Does he think because he is made of mere steel that he can stand against him?
Shrugging off a blow, which does manage to connect with his jaw, Colossus grimaces back in righteous anger. He is not made of steel, he tells Ord. Moving with a swiftness that Ord cannot match, Colossus grabs Ord by the wrists, before he can attack with his circular blade. Rage, Colossus says. Using his grip, the metal man flips Ord over, onto his back, and then against the wall. I… am made… of RAGE. In punctuation to this sentiment, Colossus brings down the full wrath of his fists upon Ord’s body, shattering the armor protecting him. Seeing their foe helpless, Wolverine scowls in finality. Finish it, Pete, he says.
Voicing his apologies, Nick Fury enters the ruined lab with a cadre of over two dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers, all of them with rifles at the ready. Addressing the X-Men now directly, he informs the startled mutants that they ain’t gonna win this day.