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[Assistant]
Blood And Circus
At an unknown location, in a bedroom…
Cyclops desperately tries to wake a sleeping Jean up. He succeeds, and Jean immediately wants to know what happened, and where they are. Scott claims that he’s happy they are finally alone, and that the other “losers” are on their own business. Jean senses that something is wrong, and wants to know why Scott is talking like that. “Scott” doesn’t understand what Jean is talking about. Scott moves closer to kiss her, but Jean tells him to stay away.
Unfortunately, Scott doesn’t listen, and she can’t push him away, and not even her telekinetic powers seem to work. “Scott” smiles that’s because Jean wants him as much as he wants her. Jean confirms that she wants the real Scott. Her telekinetic powers might not work, but her telepathic powers work just fine, and she realizes that the Scott she is seeing isn’t the real one!
In reality, Blob is standing into a cell together with Mastermind. Mastermind reminds Blob that he told him his plan to impersonate Cyclops wouldn’t work. He confirms that his power of illusions has its limitations, and telepaths are on top of that list. It would take a long-term strategy to create an illusion in Jean’s mind that she wouldn’t be able to pierce. Blob doesn’t want to hear the lecture, and smiles that it was worth a shot, though he believes that Mastermind didn’t do his job properly. Mastermind angrily defends himself that he did just the thing Blob asked him to do. Also, he reminds Blob to keep a civil tone when he’s talking to him. After all, he was one of the first charter members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Blob slaps Mastermind into his face, shouting that he has said enough. He reminds Mastermind that it was Magneto who ran the old version of the Brotherhood, and that Mastermind was just along for the ride. Mastermind would still be hanging captured into that Sentinel base if it weren’t for him.
Jean looks at the two mutants fighting each other, and finds it to be pitiful. She thinks it’s no wonder that Professor Xavier’s dream of a utopian dream seems always so elusive. She wonders how mutants and humans can ever live together in peace when so many mutants can’t even breathe the same air without ending up at each other’s throats.
Dunfee, Illinois…
Seeing Ashley powering up her mutant powers, Xavier is starting to panic and attempts to calm her down. However, Ashley defends that she has every reason to be upset, and claims that everything was fine until Xavier came along and messed everything up. Nearby, Ashley’s mom can’t handle all this, as, ten minutes ago, she thought her daughter was just a very bright ten-year old girl. Xavier apologizes for all this, explaining that, when he and Hank came there to make contact with the new mutant they detected, they had no way of knowing Ashley had fallen into the hands of a Sentinel, which she now completely tore apart.
Ashley’s mom suddenly feels weird in her head. Xavier explains to her that the tingling she is feeling is the manifestation of Ashley’s psychokinetic powers. But he finds it odd, as her powers only work on non-living matter, so he wonders what’s going on. Beast looks up and warns the Professor to look out, as Ashley is using her powers to repair the Sentinel!
The Savage Land…
Iceman, Havok and Lorna are checking out the ship the X-Men left behind. Bobby finds it a good think Alex mentioned the ship was still there, because the Professor would have hated it if they had to come back here for it. Lorna wants to know what Bobby can do about the ship, because it has crashed upside down. Bobby jokes he can see that, and checks out the controls. He explains that the ship is build out of Sentinel technology, and that the ship is as though as it can get. Bobby presses some buttons, and manages to flip the ship over! Both Lorna and Alex are impressed.
Bobby tells Alex and Lorna to head back home into their ship, as the natives informed them that the other X-Men had already left the Savage Land more than a day ago, so they better do the same thing. As they leave, Bobby can’t help but wonder what kind of trouble the X-Men have gotten themselves into in the meantime without him.
The Brotherhood Hideout…
Cyclops, Angel and Candy are all trapped in cages. Warren explains what happened to him. He fell out of the sky, chasing after Avia, and thinks he was picked up by this fishing trawler. One of the crewmen persuaded the captain to skip sending in a report about what they had found, and instead offered to sell both Warren and Avia to a freak show. They ended up getting bought by Blob and his teammates, who paid thirty thousand dollars just to get him. However, they weren’t interested in Avia, so Warren has no idea what happened to her. Scott reveals to Warren that they found Avia aboard the Teratos freighter ship, who were the fishermen who sold Warren. As far as they know, Avia is still there, and might be in grave danger.
Warren thinks that’s an extra, added reason for them to get out of there. He also mentions, perhaps along the way, Scott can explain why Candy is with him and wearing one of Jean’s Marvel Girl costumes. Candy confirms it’s really she under that mask, but the story she has to tell can wait until the X-Men figure out how to pull out this escape. Suddenly, Blob and Unus enter the room, with Blob mentioning to Candy that escape is impossible.
To his surprise, Scott notices that Jean is standing close to the Blob, and demands to know what the villains did to her. Blob holds his arm around Jean’s shoulder, claiming that they didn’t do anything to her she didn’t want herself. Unus sarcastically jokes that Scott’s girlfriend has a bit of a wild side to her. Scott promises to make Unus pay if he has done anything to Jean to harm her. Unus laughs at that, reminding Scott that none of the X-Men’s powers work here, unless the Brotherhood want them to. And the only time they want that to happen, is during showtime!
A moment later, the X-Men appear in the center of a circus area, now released from their cages. They are surrounded by angry animals, with hundreds of people in the stands, cheering the action. Without delay, the animals attack the X-Men, and Scott orders Warren to get Candy into safety. Warren wishes that he could, but Unus wasn’t kidding: his powers are really not working and he can’t get his wings to bring them airborne! Scott thinks this is insane, knowing that the Blob and Unus are just punks. They don’t have the power to do a thing like this.
To make matter worse, circus clowns holding guns start heading to Candy and Warren, and Candy warns him about it. Warren can see that, and jokes that this is probably not the kind of thing Candy expected to do when she found out about his secret identity. They start running away and Candy mentions that, given the circumstances of that discovery, she doesn’t see how she could have expected much less. They are quickly quickly surrounded, and Warren calls Scott for help. However, Scott has his own share of problems, as more animals and clowns start attacking him as well, including the Blob.
The Blob backhands Scott in his face and, seeing it coming, the X-Man tries to roll away. However, it doesn’t work – almost seeming if the impact was coming from the other direction. He reminds himself that he has to concentrate and to find a way to strike back. He tries to fire his optic beams, but it’s no use; they just don’t work.
Grabbing the helpless X-Man, Blob hurls Scott toward Unus. Of course, Scott bounces against Unus’ force field, feeling like he’s bounced off a wall. The Blob puts his feet onto Scott’s head, thinking he always knew the X-Men were nothing but talk. He promises Scott will feel pain before he dies.
Helpless, Scott remembers that Jean could do this. She could mess with their heads using her telepathy. Suddenly, he realizes something: someone really is messing with their heads! It has to be. He wonders what if his powers were really still functioning. What if it only seems like they can’t work? Scott gets up, and… he was right. He walks right through the Blob. It just seemed like he was stuck under the Blob’s foot, but he really wasn’t. Scott realizes that Mastermind must be behind all of this, and warns Warren and Candy about it.
The illusion broken, Scott sees the Blob sitting in a crater. He realizes that his beams have been working just fine. Mastermind’s illusions just didn’t let him see. When he fired earlier, he hit the ground, instead of the Blob, creating the hole the Blob is now lying in. Climbing out, the Blob confirms Cyclops’ theory, but points out that knowing he’s up against illusions doesn’t hlp him tell what’s real and what isn’t!
Suddenly, Mastermind uses his powers to transform the animals into monsters, which press the attack. Candy panics, but now that Warren knows he can still fly, he lifts them both up into the sky, into safety. As Scott keeps fighting, he wonders where Jean is, and if that really was her standing with the Blob and Unus a while ago.
Dunfee…
Beast is impressed by Ashley’s power, seeing she is only ten years old. Ashley is manipulating the shattered hulk of the Sentinel like it’s nothing but a marionette. Climbing up the Sentinel’s arm, the Beast apologizes to the Professor below, saying that there is nothing he can do to contain all it. Is there anything he can do? Xavier replies that he can, but he dreads the consequences.
Hearing this, Ashley shouts at Xavier that she has had enough of him. He has been nothing but trouble since he got there. Lying nearly prone on the ground, without his wheelchair, Xavier thinks to himself that he’s got no choice. Ashley’s undisciplined intellect is still that of a child. If that is left unchecked, her rage can destroy the entire Earth. However, Ashley’s immaturity makes what the Professor is about to do all the more dangerous.
Xavier enters Ashley’s mind, and she freezes. Beast notices this and wants to know what the Professor is doing. Xavier tells him to be quiet, as he can’t have any distraction right now. He explains that he is reaching deep into Ashley’s brain, into the very core of her intellect and personality. But he has to concentrate for this operation, or else he could kill her. Ashley’s mom panics, but Hank holds her back, trying to calm her down.
Telepathically, Xavier starts to talk to Ashley. He tells her not to be frightened, and to feel his thoughts as they mingle with her own. She has to feel his mind as it becomes one with hers. Now comes the delicate part. He must sever those areas of Ashley’s conscious mind, from all connection with the mutated part of her brain. But in doing so, he must avoid at all cost any alteration of the rest of her cognitive self. The strain of Xavier’s own mind is almost unbearable to himself. As fine as his telepathic control may be, this is like trying to mend a Swiss watch with a sledgehammer! Xavier succeeds, but Ashley starts to collapse, and the Sentinel breaks apart again.
The Brotherhood hideout…
As Cyclops keeps fighting, he thinks that the worst part of all of this is that he has no way of knowing what’s real and what not. He wants to know if he’s in a real circus with a real audience. The circus is real, and Mastermind uses his powers to make the audience see the X-Men as clowns, and they laugh at them. Blob mentions to Mastermind that this isn’t working, and that this whole tussle should have been done by now. Mastermind reminds the Blob that he told him his illusions can’t actually hurt anyone. He depends on hurting people himself, as a reaction to the illusions.
Angel manages to find a platform for Candy to hide on. Candy doesn’t want to be left alone, but Warren defends this is the best he can do now. He joins the battle again and hits one of the clowns, and the punch felt like he hit something real. Something that felt like flesh and blood. Scott orders Warren to see if he can sweep through the monsters, as he needs a real target for his beams. Warren does as told, but flies through the monsters instead of hitting them. Scott suspected as much. Mastermind is messing with his perceptions, making them seem like he’s blowing the heads of these things without stopping them.
Warren thinks it’s a good thing the monsters aren’t real. Scott thinks so too, but it doesn’t make their job any easier. They still have to be careful, since they still don’t know what’s real and what not. And the last thing they want to do is to kill anybody!
Meanwhile, Jean is trapped in locked room, which no longer seems palatial without Mastermind’s illusions. She also believes that, without Mastermind’s illusions at work, her powers still work, so she uses them to open the room’s locked door. Once she telekinetically picks the lock, she exits into a hallways of cold, dark brick and stone. She looks around the dungeon-like hallway and, seeing it’s so old and dirty, she thinks she can safely assume Mastermind has nothing to do with that.
Suddenly, she feels dizzy and… faints. Appearing from behind a wall, Kreuger reveals himself!
Xavier’s…
Bobby, Lorna and Alex have made it safely back home. However, to their surprise, no one is there to welcome them. They find that odd, because normally the mansion’s detectors would have noticed their return. They check the house around, and notice that not even the Professor is there. And, they also notice some scorch marks. Alex realizes there has been a fight in the mansion recently.
Hearing a beeping sound, Lorna asks what it is. Iceman recognizes the sound coming from Cerebro, so they head to the room the machine is in. Bobby thinks Cerebro must have found a new mutant, though the signals are like nothing Bobby has ever seen before. Lorna thinks they should go check it out or something. Iceman wants to go find the others first, as he informs Lorna that the signal is very powerful. Also, it is coming from the other side of the world, from the Himalayas!
Meanwhile at Centerford, Long Island. The Worthington Estate…
Burtram offers his beloved Kathryn another cup of tea. She thanks Burtram for it, and mentions she can’t tell him enough of much she appreciates his comfort. She doesn’t think it is any wonder she has fallen in love with him. Burtram confesses he feels the same way.
She reminds Kathryn that he has been in love with her since the moment Warren introduced them to another, as she knows. Kathryn doesn’t want to talk about that. When she thinks about her late husband, it all becomes too painful. She thinks they are rushing things. Burtram disagrees with that. After all, his dear brother wouldn’t want her to suffer forever. She is still a young woman, and has a lifetime ahead of her. With him. Kathryn smiles and realizes that. She only wishes that her son could be at their wedding.


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[Assistant]
Yet No More Like My Father…
The Brotherhood hideout, at an unknown location…
Cyclops, Angel and Candy are still trapped in the circus. While Scott fights their enemies, he orders Angel to get Candy to a safe location. Warren flies Candy up to a high platform. Warren is glad that Mastermind can’t make his illusions solid, so it’s a safe bet that the platform Candy is now standing on, is real and safe.
Candy doesn’t want to be left behind like this, but Warren explains to her that there’s no other choice. As she watches Warren head back into the battle, Candy mentions to herself that she sure has gotten herself into a whole lot of trouble. She only came to the X-Men to inform Warren that his mother was in trouble, and now she finds herself stuck trying to play “super-hero.” She’s certain that this isn’t what her dad had in mind when he sent her to finishing school!
Meanwhile, the Blob mentions to his teammates, Unus and Mastermind, that this isn’t what they had planned. He thought that Wyngarde’s illusions were better than this. Mastermind defends that his illusions are good enough to have satisfied Blob’s own decadent needs. Unus reminds Mastermind that his illusions don’t seem to affect the X-Men much.
As the villains try to escape, Mastermind reminds his teammates that he told them his illusions work only for as long as their targets aren’t aware that they aren’t real. And somehow, Jason adds, Cyclops managed to discover the truth. Blob wonders if Jean might have informed Cyclops about their tricks somehow. Mastermind doesn’t think Marvel Girl would have gotten the chance to use her telepathic powers, not where she was locked up.
Below the battle, Kreuger and his men triumph over a fallen Marvel Girl. Blunt asks his master if she is dead. Kreuger denies that, explaining that he merely used his powers to damp down other mutant’s powers, so that he could shut her mind down. He orders his men to pick Jean up, and they do so. Kreuger also orders his men to follow him, as the ones who cheated him are nearby, and he has planned something very special for them!
Dunfee, Illinois…
Beast holds the Professor in his arms and Xavier what did to Ashley, who is now being taken care of by her mother. Xavier explains to his student that he used his telepathy to reach deep into the mind of young Ashley. He severed her consciousness from those parts of her brain that govern her mutation. Ashley wakes up, and asks her mom what happened. Hank notices that the police have arrived, and wonders what they are going to tell them. Xavier instructs Hank to let him handle it.
The officers can’t believe their eyes. They received many calls about a giant robot attack, and they didn’t expect them to be true. Introducing himself to the officers, Xavier ask the two if they have heard about him. One of the officers has, and mentions that Xavier is that mutant expert he has seen on TV a couple of years ago, when Trask was talking about letting his Sentinel robots on the loose. The officers realize that the broken robot parts they see hanging around the yard, actually belong to a Sentinel. Xavier compliments the officers on their memories, and confirms that he, as an expert on human mutation, indeed attempted to introduce a note of sanity into what he saw as a growing hysteria. He explains that Bolivar Trask’s plan to capture and to possibly kill all mutants failed. And, he adds, the destroyed Sentinels the officers can see now is a brand new unit, created by Trask’s son, Lawrence.
The officers want to know what caused the destruction of the Sentinels. Xavier fakes that he believes a malfunction in the cybernetic systems must have been the cause. The officers think Xavier and the others got lucky, realizing that the Sentinels were bad news. They ask Ashley and her mom if they are okay. Hesitating, Ashley’s mom confirms they are.
Xavier’s…
Iceman’s finally managed to locate Scott and Warren. Lorna admits how impressed she is with the way Cerebro works. First, the machine helped her and Alex find Bobby when he was trapped in the Savage Land, and now it’s detecting another new mutant somewhere in the Himalayas. And Cyclops and Angel are in Florida, of all places.
Alex believes they better go after them, and is ready to leave. Iceman asks him to wait a minute, as they can’t possibly know if Scott and Warren are in danger or not. And, they found their home in a mess, so they should probably check that out first. Lorna agrees with Bobby that they better make sure everything is secure around the mansion first, before they go off on another chase. So, the three young X-Men split up and check out their home, hoping everything is alright in it.
Florida, at the Brotherhood’s hideout…
Mastermind’s illusions suddenly start to fade away and Scott wonders what the reason could be. Angel starts to head back to the floor, when suddenly something seems to be sapping his strenth. He can’t stay airborne! Scott can’t use his powers either, and feels that it’s the same effect he felt when they were on the Teratos ship. He realizes that Kreuger must be nearby!
Nearby, Blob, Unus and Mastermind find themselves surrounded by Kreuger and his men. Unus realizes that Kreuger must have discovered that they tricked him earlier. Kreuger confirms this, and smiles he finds it only natural that he discovered the truth. He wonders how long Unus would think before he discovered that the money he gave him was nothing more than another part of Mastermind’s illusions. Blob is ready to fight Kreuger, but the mysterious men instead uses his powers to knock Dukes down with a single push. Kreuger informs him that, with his powers, the Blob if merely one more fat man. Kreuger uses his powers on Unus, causing his force field to go off and his men capture the former untouchable man. Mastermind reminds Kreuger that, if he’s shutting down their powers, the X-Men will know he’s here as well.
With all of Mastermind’s illusions fading away, Warren and Scott discover that a few of the villains they were facing were real, and are really dressed up like circus performers. Scott thinks that the clowns are probably victims to Mastermind’s powers as well. The clowns confirm this, explaining that they thought they were working for somebody who’s bigger than Barnum and Bailey, but this place is nothing but sawdust and old canvas! Once the clowns realize they probably won’t get paid as well, they start running away, not wanting to let the X-Men capture them.
Warren thinks that this was almost too easy, and can’t help but wonder where their hosts are. Scott suddenly sees Kreuger in a door opening, and holds Jean as his hostage! Kreuger warns the X-Men not to come any closer, revealing that his power can as easily kill as it can disable.
Candy comes flying down, using the trapeze, and kicks Kreuger into his face! Kreuger is now unconscious, and Warren notices that Kreuger’s men have also knocked out the Blob and Unus. Scott notices Mastermind and wants to take him out as well, but Mastermind promises that he’ll surrender. Candy sets Jean free from her chains, and Jean thanks Candy for the help. But she notices that Kreuger’s men don’t seem too happy about how the events have turned out.
Remiped doesn’t see the reason why they should be happy, as Kreuger was the only man who ever treated them with respect. To everyone else, they were just freaks. Candy reminds the mutants that Kreuger used to call them freaks as well. Jean tries to explain to the many mutants that Kreuger isn’t their friend, and just another evil mutant looking to turn a profit on the hardship of others.
Blunt doesn’t believe that, as Kreuger treated them with dignity. Jean doesn’t really believe that. They were living on a garbage scow! They were buying and selling human misery. Kreuger tricked them, and made them hide away from the world. He played them by their fears. The mutants think that Jean is right. They realize that’s the way Kreuger treated the X-Men and Avia. Kreuger talked the talk, but he was no better than the people who mocked them. Blunt still isn’t sure about it. Jean promises Blunt that they won’t cause any more problems for them. They’ve got the bad guys. If they hand over Avia to them, the X-Men will leave them alone. They have to go find a real life for them. Blunt thinks that makes sense.
A while later, the X-Men hand over the Brotherhood members to the local police. However the authorities aren’t sure what to do about Blob and Mastermind once they wake up. Scott mentions that the officers could contact the Avengers or the Fantastic Four about that, as they are equipped for these kind of situations. Jean also reminds the officers to be careful about Mastermind’s illusion powers. One of the officers believes that they should be arresting the X-Men as well, but the sergeant doesn’t think so, because there are no current warrants on the X-Men. Still, they aren’t exactly welcome in Florida either. Scott understands and promises they’ll leave.
Later, at Kreuger’s freighter ship…
Candy and Angel walk to the ship together, with Warren holding his arm over her shoulders. Candy found all of this to be unpleasant, and wonders if the X-Men run into that kind of anti-mutant prejudice all the time. Jean confirms that. Scott can only hope that wasn’t a realistic touch. Warren just remembers something. They have no way of knowing if those cops they just faced were real, or just another trick of Mastermind. But at least they managed to hoist their strato-ship. Scott thinks that Kreuger must have kept it because he thought he could sell it to someone. Blunt confirms that, and mentions that Kreuger already got some pretty good offers as well.
He releases Avia, and she quickly hugs Warren! However, Candy isn’t so pleased with that, and Warren is speechless. Candy tells him to save it, as right now she just wants to leave. Jean agrees, and so the X-Men head back home into their ship. Warren notices how beat Avia is. Jean doesn’t think that’s a surprise, given what Avia has been through since she left the Savage Land. Warren guesses they should take her back there and better head back to Antarctica.
Candy asks Warren to wait with that. She reminds Warren that, in case had forgotten, she’s not just tagging along with the X-Men because she looks hot in green. She came there looking for Warren himself, because she has something important to tell him. Scott offers some privacy, but Candy thinks that Scott and Jean should probably hear about it, too. See, her news involves about someone who could be described as a super-villain. It’s one she and Warren faced not too long ago. And, that villain is about to marry Warren’s mother!
Later, at Xavier’s…
The X-Men are finally reunited. Warren asks Beast what he can do, because both he and Candy thought that his uncle was dead. That’s why he never mentioned any of this to the team before. Scott reminds Warren that he also didn’t inform the team about the fact that Burtram Worthington murdered his own brother, who is Warren’s father!
Iceman wonders how Warren could keep such a thing from them, because they are all his friends. Warren smiles that his family have never been the kind of people to talk about their private affairs. Warren admits that he has never even told his mother that he is secretly Angel. Beast thinks that is also part of the reason why this disaster is taking place. Warren also neglected to inform his mother that it was her own brother-in-law who killed her first husband.
Warren defends that he thought his father’s death was enough for his mother to handle. And with Burtram dead as well, Warren didn’t see the need to add anything more on the suffer plate. Scott thinks that brings them back to Hank’s original question: what are they going to do about this? Warren doesn’t understand what Scott means by “we.” Scott reminds Warren that they aren’t just his teammates. They are his family too, and they want to help him. Hank goes to prepare their strato-jet for take-off, and afterwards the X-Men head to Long Island!
However, the X-Men decide to leave Alex and Lorna at home. Bobby admits that he doesn’t like Alex much, but he thought that to be a little rude. Jean thinks Bobby is just interested in Lorna’s feelings, because she offered to help as well and they neglected it. Candy defends that, in this case, Warren gets to make the calls. If he wants only the original members of the X-Men aboard on this trip, so be it. Bobby understands. Jean thinks that there’s something else on Scott’s mind. She doesn’t mean to probe his mind without his permission, but she can feel something is wrong.
Scott explains that it was just a little too quick and easy to how Jean and Candy let Kreuger’s mutants get away with it all. He wonders if Jean “helped” the mutants make that decision. Jean guesses that she might have done something like give the mutants a telepathic nudge. It just seemed that’s how Professor X would have handled things. Scott realizes that. And he reminds the team that Professor X has stayed back in Illinois to monitor the recovery of Ashley. Scott also confesses that he finds it odd how Xavier has been acting lately, and he would prefer it if Jean didn’t act like he would do. As Warren activates the stealth mode of the plane, Beast informs everyone that they have arrived at the Worthington estate.
They land in the woods, as this will be the perfect hiding place for their plane, and they can travel the rest on foot. As the team walks out, Candy is amazed by the way Warren has folded his wings under that harness so that he can wear his street clothes. She wants to know if it hurts him. Warren mentions to Candy that he got used to it. Beast apologizes for interrupting, but thinks it’s for the best that Warren brings them all up to speed about his uncle’s situation. Warren agrees, but only wishes there was something substantial he could tell. His uncle tricked him into a diamond smuggling operation and, when Warren’s father found out about this, Burtram had him killed. When Warren tracked his uncle down, Burt had already kidnapped Candy, and during a battle with Burtram’s goons, Angel was unmasked.
Angel’s uncle had set himself up to become the super-villain known as Dazzler. When Burtram saw who Angel was under his mask, Dazzler also revealed his secret identity to his nephew. Warren has to admit that he was probably more surprised by this revelation than his uncle was. Anyway, Dazzler was embarked on some harebrained scheme to take over the world by using a giant diamond laser.
Warren scuttled his uncle’s mad plans, and only just in time managed to fly himself, Candy and Burtram into safety when his uncle’s hideout exploded. But Dazzler punched Warren into his face along the way, causing Warren to drop both his uncle and Candy. He couldn’t save the both of them, so he decided to let his villainous uncle fall and saved Candy instead.
Candy tells Warren not to beat himself up over this, because his uncle was a murderer. Warren admits that he isn’t feeling guilty about it. He’s only wishing he had make sure his uncle was dead. Iceman sees the beautiful garden of the Worthington estate, and the lovely party tables that have been installed there. Bobby jokes to Angel that his family never knew how to stop spending money. Scott reminds Bobby to stop calling Warren “Angel.” They may technically be on duty there, but no codenames. Beast agrees and explains that, even though Warren’s uncle knows who his nephew is, he doesn’t know the other secret identities of the X-Men members.
Bobby is still impressed by the estate, and thinks that their mansion looks like nothing compared to this one. Suddenly, Warren spots a familiar face: Dr. Stuart. He wants to know what he’s doing there and wonders if there’s anything wrong with his mother. Stuart smiles that Kathryn is as fine as can be expected. Stuart is glad to see Warren, and wonders if his friends are the other X-Men. Beast is surprised that Stuart knows about their identities.
Scott introduces everyone and Warren informs Scott there’s no need to be careful, as Stuart knows who they are. He reveals that Stuart delivered him when he was a baby, and spotted his enlarged shoulder blades on birth. It was Stuart who Warren went to as first when his wings sprouted out. He was the only person Warren knew he could trust, because Stuart and his family have been friends for so long.
Scott understands. He asks Stuart what he meant when he said that Warren’s mother is as well as can be expected. Stuart explains that Kathryn has never been a strong woman, and it was him who advised Warren not to reveal to her, or his father, that he was a mutant. Warren explains that Stuart wasn’t certain how his dad would react, but knew that his mother’s reaction wouldn’t be a good one.
Beast thinks it would seem that there is a most attenuated string of dominoes toppling toward this moment. Scott agrees, and notices that a lot of choices have been made in that past that seemed right back then. Warren asks Hank what that Shakespeare line is he is trying to think of. Beast explains it’s the line from Hamlet Act One, Scene 2. “Married with my uncle, my father’s brother.” Concluding the lines, Warren recites the rest. “But no more like my father, than I to Hercules.”
Warren and his friends enter the house, and meet up with Burtram. He thinks this is a pleasant surprise, thinking his about to be new wife will be so pleased her son could join them. Warren wonders how pleased his mother will be when he kills his uncle again. Hank calms Warren down, reminding him that they need to know what Burtram is planning before they do anything. Burtram refuses to take that insult, and uses his bright light powers to demonstrate his powers to the X-Men, and they feel like their brains are on fire. He explains that he has greatly improved his light-manipulating abilities since he and Warren last met each other. With only the slightest power increase, he can now literally fry the X-Men’s nervous systems!
Burtram calms down when Kathryn and Stuart enter the room. Kathryn is so glad to see her son again. But, she wants to know what that strange light was she saw before coming here. Stuart cuts in, believing it was just strong sunlight. Warren’s mother kisses him, mentioning that Burtram tried to contact him and invite him to the wedding, but failed. Warren sarcastically says he’s certain his uncle did just that. Burtram tells his “son” that he keeps insisting on being occasionally elusive.
Warren angrily shouts at Burtram that he doesn’t have the right to calm him his son. Kathryn doesn’t understand that, because she and Burtram are going to get married. And Warren will be Burtram’s step-son. Warren doesn’t think so. He wants to explain to his mother who Burtram is, but Stuart cuts in, wanting to have a word with Warren first.
Burtram thinks it’s a good idea Stuart tries to calm his nephew down. He suggests that he and Kathryn leave and is certain Warren will act more friendly the next time they meet. Kathryn agrees, thinking Warren just has to absorb a lot all at once. She mentions that Warren can join them in the garden, if he wants. Warren demands to know why Stuart stopped him from telling his mother who she’s really marrying. Stuart reminds Warren that he told him his mother isn’t a strong woman. In the months since Warren’s father died, Stuart often feared Kathryn’s grief would ultimately consume her. After all, Warren wasn’t here to comfort her. Scott defends that’s not entirely Warren’s fault, because it’s been quite a while since the X-Men had a few moments off.
Stuart understands that. But he also thinks the X-Men need to understand that Kathryn was in a very vulnerable state when Burtram approached her. He provided the stability her life needed after the loss of her husband. Hank can appreciate what the doctor is saying, but they can’t do nothing. They can’t let this wedding proceed. Stuart wishes that he wasn’t suggesting they do that. He believes that if the X-Men reveal to Kathryn now that the man she now loves is a villain, the shock might break her heart. And, in Kathryn’s current delicate condition, that could kill her!


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Death Be Not Proud
Earlier…
The X-Men are on their way from Florida back home. Cyclops reports their return to the mansion via radio, and Iceman replies, welcoming them back. Scott is surprised to hear Bobby again, which Bobby himself doesn’t understand. When Jean reminds Bobby that he stormed out of the mansion before they left, Bobby remarks that he won’t ask for the return of his club card. Lorna explains that they sort of found Bobby when they were looking for the X-Men in the Savage Land.
After the team arrives back and exits their craft, Scott asks their welcoming teammates as to what Alex and Lorna were doing in the Savage Land. Alex explains that Professor Xavier had sent them to look for the team when he lost mental contact. Iceman admits that he sort of “heard” the message as well, and decided to go after the team alone. Iceman wants to know what happened to the X-Men in between, and Scott explains that they visited Africa, Florida, outer space with the Fantastic Four and had Candy along with them and had her wear Jean’s uniform because she couldn’t be recognized.
Bobby notices that Angel is holding the unconscious Avia in his arms and asks who she is. Warren introduces Avia, and admits it’s a long story, but he met her in the Savage Land. They rush Avia to the medical room and have her attached to a medical scanner. Jean explains that, despite the degree of mutation, Avia’s physiology doesn’t seem much different than the X-Men’s. When Warren asks if they can fix her, Scott thinks only time can tell that. Candy smiles, and wants to know if she has reason to be jealous of Avia. Hesitant, Warren denies that and explains that Avia saved his life and helped them escape from the Savage Land, but he has no feelings for her.
Beast also returns, joking that Candy has reason to be concerned, given Warren’s reputation as a ladies’ man. Scott is glad to see Hank again, and wants to know where the Professor is. Hank explains that the mutant he and the Professor went to check out in Illinois required his continued observation. The Professor had sent him back home to make sure the mansion is secure. Scott is glad that Hank is back, and mentions that there is something brewing at the Worthington family estate.
Present time, the Worthington Estate…
Warren explains to the group that his uncle Burt was tough enough when he first adopted the identity of Dazzler, but with the way he seems to have boosted his powers, Warren isn’t sure if he can handle his uncle alone this time. Bobby still has a hard time understanding why Warren never told them about this before. Beast agrees, as Burtram murdered Warren’s father and is now about to marry his mother. This is the sort of thing you expect someone to share with his friends.
Stuart steps in, stating that Warren acts the same way his father would have done in this kind of situation. He explains that the senior Worthington was always inclined to keep his personal business to himself. Jean thinks that’s probably the reason of why Warren never informed his parents that he was secretly Angel as well. That would be Stuart’s suggestion. He explains that the news would have troubled Warren’s father to learn that his only son is a mutant.
Scott notices that Stuart says that like it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Warren promises Scott that he doesn’t need to worry about the doctor. Stuart delivered him into the world when he was first born, and Stuart has been a good counselor to him all his life. Beast believes that the more pressing matter is the concern of the extraction of Warren’s mother from this situation. He wants to know where they should begin.
Meanwhile, at Salem Center, New York…
Lorna, wearing a blond wig, walks alone through the city. She feels bad for leaving Alex alone at the mansion, but she felt bored listening to Alex complain about how Warren had left them out of this mission. Lorna admits she doesn’t like it either, but she can understand Warren’s motives.
As Lorna walks, she doesn’t notice that she’s being watched by several men, who recognize her despite the wig. One of the men wants to go make first contact. Moments later, Lorna suddenly trips, and the man catches her. Lorna thanks the man, and mentions she’s not usually this careless, and it almost felt like somebody tripped her.
The man smiles that these old sidewalks can be treacherous, and asks Lorna if it’s really her. Lorna confirms that, and asks the man if they met before. The man denies that, though he hopes they would have. He claims not to be a stalker, but he confesses he noticed Lorna the moment he moved into this town. He asked around and got her name. Lorna wonders who could have known her in this town, because she’s rather new in it as well.
Two men appear behind the man Lorna is talking to, and telepathically tell him to do it now. Lorna’s mood suddenly changes, and is surprised that the man really asked for her. She’s flattered and wants to know the guy’s name. The man introduces himself as Tad Carter. He asks Lorna if she wants to go somewhere quiet and have a coffee with him. The men behind Carter again tell him to do it now. Lorna agrees, and the two leave together.
The Worthington Estate…
Stuart mentions to Warren that he can’t overstress how fragile his mother’s state of mind has become. The death of Warren’s father was a terrible blow to her. And, Stuart defends, whatever Warren might think of his uncle, he has been a great comfort to her, along with faith. Warren finds that hard to believe, because his mother has never been the religious type. Stuart knows that the Worthingtons have always tended to be pragmatists. He believes it was something of an irony that Warren chose the name of “Angel” as a codename. But, his mother has now returned to the faith of her fathers. She even goes to church and reads the Bible. And that has also been very good for Kathryn’s well-being. The two of them meet up with Kathryn and Burt. Kathryn is glad to see Warren, and mentions to him that Burt has something to ask him. Burtram claims to Warren that it would mean a lot to his mother if Warren gave his blessing to this union, and that Warren would act as his best man!
A while later, Warren has informed his teammates about this unpleasant news. Bobby thinks that’s just cold, and he should know. He wants to know why they just can’t take this creep down and be done with it. Beast believes they have to listen to what Dr. Stuart tells them. Candy thinks there must be something the X-Men can do. They are super-heroes, after all. Scott defends that, even though the X-Men have a lot of experience in defeating would-be world beaters, but there isn’t anything they can do in this kind of situation.
Bobby asks Jean if she can’t just read Burtram’s mind and find out what he’s up to. Jean reveals that she tried to do that, but there are parts of Burtram’s mind that are closed to her. She believes the guy must have learned some sort of discipline that allows him to shield his thoughts. Scott believes Burtram must have done that, knowing he might run into them. Iceman still defends that they can’t let Warren down.
Warren mentions to Bobby that they won’t do that at all. He’s grateful that the X-Men all wanted to help him, but he realizes that none of their powers can do any good now. Jean doesn’t like to even suggest this, but she believes that if they contact the Professor, he might be able to break through the blocks in Burtram’s mind. Warren doesn’t see what they could do afterward. He believes that anything they do against Burt, they might also hurt his mother along the way. An attack on Burt is an attack on her! Candy hugs her beloved.
Elsewhere at the estate, Burt offers Kathryn more tea. Kathryn thanks him for it, and mentions that Burt’s tea tastes fabulous. It’s almost addictive. Burt smiles he’ll take that as a compliment. Kathryn wants to know why Warren is so angry with Burt when he first saw him, and hopes there isn’t any bad blood between the two of them. Burt lies that Warren is just upset about their marriage. He explains that a son doesn’t like to see another man take his father’s place in his mother’s heart.
Stuart interrupts and wants to have a moment with Burt. Kathryn asks Stuart if something’s wrong. Stuart smiles that there isn’t, and that he just wanted to talk to her fiancé. They leave, and Burt angrily wants to know why Stuart interrupted them. Stuart reveals that he overheard what Kathryn said about the tea being addictive. He wants to know if Burt altered the dosage he informed him to use. Burt smiles that he might have increased it a little, as he wasn’t seeing any effects. Stuart calls Burt an idiot, reminding him that he told him there wouldn’t be any visual effects until a specific threshold was reached. He wonders if Stuart wants Kathryn dead before the wedding even begins. Burtram smiles he doesn’t want that, because that would spoil their plans. He agrees to reduce the dose again. But, he reminds Stuart that this plan better works and that, if Kathryn isn’t dead in three days, Stuart will be!
Xavier’s…
Lorna returns home, and an angry Alex demands to know where she has been. He asks her if she knows how long she has been gone. Lorna thinks it can’t be more than a couple of hours. Alex corrects Lorna that she has been gone for nine hours, and wants to know what she did that long in Salem Center. Lorna doesn’t think that’s possible, because she only stopped for tea. Alex thinks something else must have happened. Lorna defends there isn’t anything else, and wants to know why Alex suddenly cares what she does in her free time, because he doesn’t own her! Alex calms her down, explaining that he’s just antsy because he just got an idea, and tells her to follow him.
They walk to Cerebro, and Lorna wants to know what Alex is going to do with it. He asks Lorna if she remembers that odd signal Iceman found on Cerebro when they had just returned from the Savage Land. Lorna does, and recalls that Bobby said something about a new mutant in the Himalayas. Alex confirms that, and reveals that he has isolated the signal, and now knows within a dozen meters where the mutant is located. He thinks they should go and check it out.
Lorna believes the others would get angry if they were to do that. Alex doesn’t care, because he’s tired of being a second-stringer. He defends that with Warren cutting them out of his trip to his estate, clarifies that the others still don’t see them as full X-Men members. Lorna wants to know how they could possibly travel to the Himalayas. Alex takes Lorna to the hangar, and shows her the ship the X-Men captured from the Sentinels. He ran an auto-repair program to make sure the ship is safe, making it so sophisticated that the ship almost flies on itself. Lorna wonders if they are both crazy enough to actually do this. Alex smiles they are and tells Lorna to get into uniform, because they are off to Shangri-La!
The Worthington Estate…
The other X-Men notice how Warren sadly looks out the window of his mansion at the wedding preparations. When Scott asks his friend what’s wrong, Warren admits that he was looking at the staff of the place, but he finds it odd not to see one familiar face among them. Kathryn walks into the room, and promises his son that he doesn’t need to worry about that. She reveals that Burt decided to let all of the old staff go. She admits that she wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea, but she went along with it. Warren tries to explain to his mother that Burt wanted her alone in the house, with no one to look after her best interest. Kathryn claims that’s just silly and, suddenly, she starts to feel all dizzy and falls into her son’s arms! Quickly, Hank takes off to find Dr. Stuart.
A moment later, Stuart explains to Warren that his mother just felt a little exhausted, thanks to this busy day she had. Kathryn blushes, feeling foolish about fainting like that. Stuart promises Kathryn she’s got nothing to worry about and, as he places his arm gently around her shoulder, he promises Kathryn he’ll guide her to her room. As the two are gone, Hank tells Warren that he finds this odd. When Warren doesn’t understand, Hank asks Warren if he noticed a bluish tinge around the edges of his mother’s lips. Hank believes that she experienced a surge indicator of oxygen narcosis, yet Stuart doesn’t mention any of this. Jean wonders what that could mean.
Burtram, now wearing his Dazzler suit, proudly enters the room and promises he’ll explain what it means. It means that the time for charades is over! He and Kathryn are going to get married this afternoon, just like he planned. And he won’t allow the X-Men to attend that wedding! Dazzler powers up, and creates a very shiny bright light around the entire room! As the X-Men are now blinded, Dazzler proclaims that he isn’t so easy to defeat. He reveals that, the last time, Warren was able to upset his plans only because he didn’t anticipate something, namely that his nephew was secretly the high-flying super-hero known as Angel. Burt believes that, back then, his carefully laid contingency plans still allowed him to escape. And this time, Burt promises, he won’t make any more mistakes. At long last, the Worthington fortune will be his, as it always should have been. Once his lights have destroyed the X-Men’s nervous systems, there won’t be anything the six of them can do to stop him.
Suddenly, Dazzler notices that something’s wrong. Only five people have fallen to his might. On that very moment, Cyclops crawls from behind the coach, and fires his optic blast at Dazzler, causing him to fall through the window, as witnessed by the entire staff! When Jean wants to know how Scott managed, Scott explains that he dove behind the couch the moment he heard Worthington’s voice. He apologizes for staying behind it until now. Hank mentions it’s nothing, because now they have a chance to win this battle. Iceman powers up and wants to bring Dazzler down, but Warren holds his friend back and declares that he’ll take his uncle down. He shreds his suit apart so his wings can move freely.
As Warren flies out of the house, he sees it looks like the staff ran for cover when his uncle got blasted out of the window. However, he thinks that’s good, because he didn’t want to waste any more time putting his X-Men uniform on. Dazzler notices his nephew approaching him, and smiles that he can come and get him. Warren angrily punches his uncle, reminding him that he killed his father and tried to kill him and Candy. And Warren now also realizes that Burt is the reason why his mother acts so strangely. Warren promises Burt that his evil schemes are over now, reminding his uncle that before he hooked up with the X-Men, he called himself the avenging Angel!


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Echoes of a Lost Generation
Xavier’s…
Beast, Cyclops, Iceman and Jean have returned at the mansion and have found out that Alex and Lorna are both gone. Scott is anything but pleased. Beast asks Jean to play their video message again, thinking they might have missed something that can help them. Jean does as told, but doesn’t think there will be anything more on the message they haven’t seen the first time.
On the message, Alex greets his brother. He explains that, as the team still hasn’t returned from Warren’s home at Long Island, he and Lorna are getting tired of sitting around and doing nothing. So, they have left to locate the new mutant Cerebro tracked down in the Himalayas. He is leaving coordinates for the X-Men, in case they want to follow them. But, a confident Alex believes that he and Lorna will be back before Scott and the others return home, which isn’t the case of course. Alex closes the message.
Iceman mocks that once again Alex proves that he isn’t so bright. Scott wishes he could argue against that statement, but right now he is just too angry. Jean gets the coordinates from the message, and reads from them that Alex and Lorna left more than eight hours ago. Scott realizes that’s enough time for the Sentinel-ship to have reached the Himalayas, so they have to move! Scott knows that everyone must feel tired of all this action every day and not getting time to rest, but he wants to find Scott and Lorna before they do something even more stupid!
The Himalayas…
The Sentinel-ship has crashed landed. Lorna is some distance from the craft, face down in the snow, unconscious. As she wakes up, she remembers that she’s in the Himalayas and wonders why she ever let Alex talk her into doing this. Lorna looks around, and notices that Alex is nowhere to be found. She recalls what happened. Something hit their ship.
A short while ago…
Still in flight, Alex explains to Lorna that, according to his readout, they are practically right on top of the new mutant. Lorna looks out of the window of the ship and remarks that the Himalayas are so desolate, and jokes that the mutant must be like the abominable snowman to even survive out there. Alex doesn’t entirely agree with that, realizing that there are a lot of tribes out here who live in this ice-cold place every day.
On that moment, a large rock hits the ship from below! Lorna panics and asks Alex what hit them. Alex explains that the proximity detectors of the ship only spotted the things that hit them on the last moment. But, there was no thermal signature. Alex states that their ship couldn’t have been hit by a missile or another ship in this case.
Another rock hits the ship, and the craft begins losing altitude! Alex warns Lorna to hold onto something, as the landing will probably be rough. A few seconds later, the ship crashes in the hills.
Present time…
Lorna feels cold, and recalls that’s also the reason why she left the ship in the first place: the power of it is out. She spies a temple and heads there, hoping it will be warmer inside it – nice friendly monks inside, who’ll offer her a nice warm fire. She makes it to the temple and calls out for help, but nobody answers back. Lorna notices how dark the temple is, and it’s like the walls are just sucking the light right out of the sky! Lorna then spies a light around the corner and goes to investigate. A moment later, Lorna sees something horrible, and screams!
The Worthington Estate, Long Island…
Warren and Candy watch as the parademics take away the body of his now dead mother. An old friend, Officer Sam, apologizes to Warren for asking the many questions. Warren understands Sam has a job to do, adding that his father’s taxes go a long way for Sam to do his job. Sam can’t get over the situation: Warren’s mother died – so soon after his father died – and that Warren’s uncle Burtram is the culprit in both cases!
Burt defends that he didn’t do this alone this time. He admits that he engineered the death of his brother alone, but he had assistance in the removal of his sister-in-law. Barber finds that the hardest to believe. Sam reminds Stuart that he has been the Worthington’s family doctor for over twenty years. He wonders how he could have gotten mixed up in all this. Stuart claims that he felt ashamed, constable and disgusted for bringing a monster into the world. Sam doesn’t understand what Stuart means by that. Stuart shouts that he’s talking about Warren.
Warren hears Stuart shouting his name, and whispers to Candy that this is the moment of truth. Stuart tries to reveal that Warren is a mutant, but somehow he can’t. Burt doesn’t understand what’s wrong with his former partner and tries to do the same thing, but he can’t say it either! Candy smiles and whispers to Warren that Jean’s inhibition trick worked. The minds of both Stuart and Burt now prevent them from revealing that Warren is a member of the X-Men. The only question now is how long the inhibitors will work.
Xavier’s…
A lone man, wearing a long trench coat, makes it onto the grounds of the school. He walks towards the entrance, confident that, now, months of research will bear fruit. All the checking and rechecking of every report of the activities of his quarry point out that this is the house of the X-Men. The man admits that the X-Men’s alarm system is sophisticated, but he doesn’t have a hard time getting around them and easily enters the school through the front door!
The man meets up with the security robots, just like he expected he would do. He continues his move into the school, ignoring the robots, wanting to see if his preparations were any good. The man manages to walk passed the robots and states that he’s invisible to the security robots now, as well as to the rest of the mansion’s defenses.
He makes it to the sick bay and enters, hoping that there may be computerized records in it that may help him learn more about his prey. As the man enters the sick bay, he is spotted by Avia! The man apologizes to Avia, telling her that she’s just in the wrong place at the wrong place. He lands a quick chop to her in the neck, rendering Avia unconscious. The man realizes that Avia isn’t part of the X-Men, nor does she appear to be their prisoner. Perhaps, the man hopes, Avia will be the bargain chip he was hoping for! His plan is unfolding perfectly.
The Himalayas…
The X-Men are underway to find Havok and Lorna in their ship. Jean informs Scott that Alex’ coordinates are right below them. Scott thanks Jean for the info, and adds that he isn’t so impressed by the landscape. Hank explains that the Himalayas aren’t for nothing called the “roof of the world.” They are now removed from civilization as Terran topography permits. Iceman warns that something’s got Cerebro in a twist. Jean agrees and is alarmed by the unusual readouts. It’s like Cerebro is trying to process thousands of mutants at once! Beast states that something is interfering with the process.
On that moment, the X-Men’s ship is also hit by boulders! Scott believes the boulders must have been the size of a minivan! Beast believes that by the looks of the landscape below, the granite greeting them was not reserved for them alone. The other X-Men spot the Sentinel-ship Alex and Lorna took, as it is right below them. Scott tries to land the plane but, as he attempts it, another rock his the ship!
After the jet crashes, Scott quickly gets up and asks Jean if she’s okay. Jean’s inverted but otherwise okay. Bobby wants to know who’s throwing those rocks at them. Beast looks out of the window, and sees a huge, white furred monster ready to attack them again!
Dunfee, Illinois…
At her damaged house, Teri Martin meets up with the Professor at his room, asking if she can come in. The Professor deftly moves from his bed and into his wheelchair, informing Teri that he was about to join her and Ashley for breakfast. Teri apologizes to the Professor that the room isn’t better suited for someone with his particular needs. The Professor states that, now that his chair is repaired, he has no further complaints. He’s glad that they are at the ground floor though, because he doesn’t like stairs that much.
Teri worries about her daughter. She recalls that Xavier told her that Ashley is some kind of mutant and that he performed some kind of brain surgery on her. She wants to know if that means Ashley isn’t a mutant anymore. Teri means that, after what she has seen, she can’t say that she particularly likes her daughter being like the Professor and his X-Men. Xavier unfortunately can’t confirm that. He explains that, in most cases, a mutant’s powers only manifest themselves during puberty. But in Ashley’s case, the manifestation was somewhat premature.
Xavier admits that what he has done is temporarily sever the connections with Ashley’s conscious brain, and also the areas of her brain which govern her mutation. Teri wants to know if it was that mutation that let Ashley treat the now destroyed Sentinel like a puppet. Xavier confirms that. Ashley enters the house, explaining that the officers have almost finished cleaning up the pieces of the Sentinels. She asks the Professor how he’s doing this morning. The Professor smiles that he’s fine, and asks Ashley how she is doing.
Ashley is okay, though she has a bit of a headache. She asks her mom if they’ve got any aspirin. Hesitant, Teri admits they have and wants to ask the Professor something. Telepathically, Xavier tries to calm Teri down. He explains that Ashley’s headache is not a result of brain damage. Teri thanks the Professor for the explanation, but she would prefer it if he doesn’t use his powers to talk to her. She’s got enough to absorb as it is.
The Himalayas…
The X-Men have begun their battle against the monster. Iceman can’t believe what he’s seeing. Beast can’t really disagree with Bobby’s remark, but states that even though Bobby was still a little kid at the time, he must have seen the same news stories as the rest of the team did. Jean recognizes the monster as Yeti, a member of the First Line. Bobby finds that hard to believe, because he thought all of those heroes are dead. Scott thought so too, but apparently that isn’t the case. As Scott hits Yeti with an optic blast, Beast explains that nobody really knows what happened to the First Line. Jean confirms that, adding that the First Line heroes all disappeared somehow, a few years right before the Fantastic Four first showed up.
Scott recalls that there were all kinds of stories. Even in the orphanage, he heard about them. Jean remembers her father telling her about the First Line. Her dad also felt a terrible sense of betrayal. With the Yeti still standing, Beast kicks him in the face, adding that his parents said a similar thing to him. It was as if the First Line heroes simply deserted the rest of the world one day. Scott is glad that at least the First Line took most of their villains away with them. Beast believes that, whatever might have happened, here and now they have an entirely different confabulation of conundrums, such as why Yeti, a former super-hero, is behaving in such a hostile manner!
Meanwhile, Lorna, having fainted from the shock, wakes up in the dark temple. Lorna isn’t even sure if a day has passed or not. But it doesn’t feel like she has been out of it for that long. But then again, she is new to the super-hero life, so she doesn’t know for sure. She wonders how she would have any way of knowing how long she has been unconscious.
Lorna notices that Alex lays nearby her, unconscious as well. She calls out to Alex using his real name, suddenly remembering that she has to call him by his code-name when in the field. She thinks she’ll never get the hang of this. Lorna wakes Alex up, checking if he’s okay. Alex, having a bit of a headache, is okay but doesn’t know where they are. Lorna doesn’t know it either, but suddenly it turns out that they aren’t alone anymore!
And at that moment…
Yeti roars. Cyclops remarks that the Yeti is completely out of control and that his animal nature has overwhelmed him. Beast recalls that’s not an uncommon problem. That’s also one of the things that made the Yeti so unbeatable in the past. Jean states that they’ve got to find a way to stop the Yeti. She can read his mind, and there’s nothing even remotely human left in there. Bobby notices that, all of a sudden, smoke appears on the Yeti’s body. A few seconds later, the creature has completely turned into stone?!
Pixie, standing on a hill next to the X-Men, corrects that she hasn’t used her powers to turn the Yeti into stone. It’s just something that looks a lot like it. She apologizes that it took her and the Inhumans so long to get here. Pixie introduces herself, adding that’s what her codename used to be in the past. Jean remembers that Pixie was a member of the First Line as well. Beast asks Pixie if she knows what happened to those heroes. Medusa claims that the Inhumans know a little bit about the fate of the First Line.
Yeti was one of the first Inhumans to venture into the world outside their great refugee. It was his wild nature that drove Yeti to leave the other Inhumans, and it’s that same nature that made him so dangerous even to his teammates. There was a tragedy. Medusa doesn’t know the full details of it, except that it involves a green-skinned woman known as Rapunzel. After facing her, Yeti tried to find his way back to the Inhumans, but got lost in the impassable mountains. That was also where he met his beloved.
The X-Men make it to the temple where Lorna and Alex are in. They also find the dead body of a Skrull woman. Beast recognizes the woman as an alien, and it looks like she has been dead for quite some time. Karnak reveals that Rapunzel was a Skrull. It was in battle with an invading armada that the ones called the First Line perished. Jean wants to know if that means that all of the First Line members are dead. Pixie denies that, because both she and Yeti are still alive. She is still alive because her special nature allows her to be. Medusa adds that Yeti also managed to escape death, taking the corpse of his dead… friend with him. Yeti has remained in the temple since her death, refusing to be parted from her.
Alex asks Pixie, if the First Line saved the world, why has she never told anyone about it? Pixie doesn’t know what she would tell the world – that it was nearly invaded, and that the entire human race almost got enslaved? And that their chief line of defense is now gone, should the invaders ever chose to come back? Beast understands, though doesn’t like the fact that the memories of the brave men and women in the First Line aren’t honored as they should be. Scott realizes that, if the world knows about this, they’ll all live in fear. Medusa is glad that the X-Men understand. She adds that, sometimes, the fates can be most unkind to those who deserve it the least.
Later, both the X-Men and Alex and Lorna take both of their ships back home. Bobby and Beast really don’t like how this adventure went. Jean agrees that it does seem cruel that the First Line died and that hardly anyone seems to remember them. Scott cheers up that they remember the First Line now, and also know what really happened. But, he adds, since the world is declined to trust anything mutants have to say, it wouldn’t do much good if they revealed what really happened. He believes that like the others who are aware of the Skrull menace, they’ll just have to be vigilant.
As the team makes it back to the mansion’s hangar, Scott says that, in any case, it was most altruistic of the Inhumans to offer a refurbishment of their ships. Even they seemed to be impressed by the Sentinel technology! Lorna believes that it must have been their great refugee Cerebro detected at that close range. Jean agrees with that, explaining that Cerebro’s circuits were confused because the Inhumans aren’t mutants. They’re just something close to it. Bobby wonders who that Pixie girl was, because she said she wasn’t an Inhuman.
Lorna smiles that it was all kinds of romantic in a way. That big monster in love with a Skrull woman. He was risking his life to protect her, even though the woman had died for a very long time. Bobby thinks that it would appear there is a very small line between love and being a dope. Lorna angrily defends that this is the reason why Bobby was never able to win her heart. It’s when he talks about stuff like that.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice shouts “enough!” Beast recognizes the villain… it’s Kraven the Hunter! Kraven smirks that it’s a good thing the X-Men recognize him, because that will save him some time. And, time is of the essence now. He claims that he has tracked the mutants down for a reason. And, Kraven proclaims, if the X-Men don’t want to see his prisoner Avia die, he’ll help them in the most dangerous hunt of all!


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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Hunter & Hunted
In the forest behind Xavier’s…
Beast makes his way through a brush of trees and knows he is being watched. He can almost feel his watcher’s eyes on him. He must be watching, waiting and biding his time like the hunter he is. Waiting for Hank to show one fatal weakness. However, Hank is determined not to show that weakness.
He swings across some tree branches, and along the way recalls that he has already made too many mistakes today. He could blame fatigue, both physical and mental, but he knows that the fact the X-Men have been kept busy without respite for more than a week now, actually from since the moment Professor X returned to the team, doesn’t serve him well. Hank remembers that Kraven said he wants the most dangerous hunt of his career. Then, it behooves the brutal Beast to give Kraven just that!
A while ago, Xavier’s, the sick bay…
Iceman is worried and wants to do something, because Hank is out there alone with Kraven the Hunter, who will probably kill him. Scott reminds Bobby that they can’t go out there, because Kraven has them over a barrel right now. He looks over at an unconscious Avia and asks Jean how she’s doing. Jean explains that there’s no change in Avia’s condition, and wishes if she knew that was a good or bad thing. The auto-doc’s scanners don’t reveal too much of anything. They show all of Avia’s life functions at a very low ebb. Scott notices how… alien Avia looks. It’s impossible to know what would be normal for her. Bobby recalls that Kraven said he gave Avia some kind of slow poison.
(flashback)
Kraven promises that he’ll provide the X-Men for the antidote, once they have provided him with what he seeks. When Hank asks what that might be, Kraven replies that he wants Hank to be the centerpiece of his hunt! Kraven admits that he has wasted too much time and efforts on fruitless pursuits on Spider-Man. He let his skills grow dull and he wants the Beast to be the stone that will sharpen his skills once again. Iceman wants to know what’s going to happen if Hank refuses to play along with Kraven’s little game. Hank realizes that if he refuses, Avia will die. But Hank recalls that, in his own sick way, Kraven is a man of honor. He wants to have Kraven’s word that Avia is going to be okay afterward. Kraven promises he’ll keep his word, and that the antidote will work.
(Present time…)
Beast doesn’t see what other choice he and the X-Men had but to believe Kraven. Though, he must confess, if only to himself, a certain nagging doubt that Kraven is quite the noble hunter he would have them believe. Beast believes that Kraven spend some time around the estate before he attacked, because the villain has spend some traps around the forest. Hank already managed, even though just barely, to escape three of those traps. Spikes come out of the tree, trying to kill Beast, but he safely jumps over them and continues to sling across the trees.
Hank notices that his familiarity with these grounds now seem to work against him. He has spent many happy hours in these treetops, unleashing through strenuous activity the tensions engendered by his life as a senior X-Man. It is difficult for him, even now, to convince himself that part of these once sheltering groves might harbor a sudden termination for mother McCoy’s only son. On that moment, as he lands on the ground, Hank gets caught by a spring-loaded net, which hurls him against a tree!
Elsewhere, at a base in an unknown location…
The Messenger asks Tad Carter if it’s time. Carter replies that it’s more than twenty-four hours now since he first made the contact. He believes that they should have already made their move. The Messenger reminds Carter to have patience. After all, he has only been with this group for a short while and he must learn that they move slowly until the moment is exact. Another member of the group reveals that it’s just like the way they moved slowly with Tad. Tad remembers that and asks the Messenger for forgiveness. But he does worry a bit about the X-Men.
A female member doesn’t understand why Carter is so worried about the X-Men. Or, should that be, one X-Woman in particular? Simon recalls that Tad did spend more time with Lorna Dane than their plan allowed. When he asks Tad if he is falling for Lorna, Tad smiles that question is a bit out of the young kid’s expertise. The Messenger reminds Carter that, just like the rest of the members of the group, Simon has aged only one week since he joined their group. Still, the Messenger adds, whatever feelings Tad might have for Lorna, they can’t affect their plans they have for her in no way.
Xavier’s…
Lorna, thinking in herself, believes this is a bad situation. She knows that Hank is good at what he does, but Kraven has come close to killing Spider-Man on more than one occasion. Suddenly, a voice calls out to her. Lorna apologizes to Scott and Alex, who are standing nearby her, as she was a little distracted. She wants to know which of the two of them just spoke to her. Scott claims that nobody of the team spoke to her, as they are just trying to figure out a way to help Hank.
Alex asks his girlfriend if she’s okay. Hesitant, Lorna admits that she isn’t sure about that. She was certain that she heard somebody calling out her name. Scott wants Lorna to worry about that later. He asks Jean if she still has a fix on Hank. She has. Scott is glad to hear that. He opines that they’ve played along with Kraven’s game quite long enough now and, though they gave their word not to help Hank out directly, that doesn’t mean that they’ll make sure Kraven keeps his word.
Elsewhere, Beast, trying to get out of the net, notices how unpleasant and stupid that ride was. After getting out of the net, he starts running again. He notices that it seems that his thinking is becoming more and more befuddled as this hunt progresses! Hank finds that most disturbing. He thinks that if Kraven can so easily frazzle one who prides himself on maintaining his intellectual focus.
Meanwhile in a treetop, Kraven reads off of a hand-held device that Beast’s pulse rate has altered erratically. He knows that the steady flow of blood to Hank’s brain is being disrupted by the various venoms which he charged each of his traps, which the Beast believes he so easily eluded. The venoms are now beginning to have their desired cumulative effect. Now, Kraven is ready to hunt!
Dunfee, Illinois…
Professor Xavier has a discussion with his old friend, FBI agent Fred Duncan. Fred honestly believes that the FBI should seal the Martin’s house as tight as possible. Xavier defends that, in the end, it wouldn’t accomplish anything. He reminds Duncan that the remains of the Sentinel have been duly removed and impounded by the local authorities. Fred knows that, and also believes that Xavier wants to be left alone so he can study the young mutant he has found there. Fred understands that and promises that he’ll yield to Xavier this one, even though he is still having trouble dealing with his return from the dead! But, Fred adds, Xavier knows that any Sentinel activity falls under the mandate of his department.
Teri enters the room, apologizing to agent Duncan for interrupting, but tells Fred that his men are having coffee and doughnuts in the kitchen, and she was wondering if both he and the Professor wanted to have something as well. Fred thanks Teri for the offer, but he’s about done here. Xavier mentions that he’s fine as well, but thanks Mrs. Martin for the offer. Teri smiles that she has to keep telling the Professor he can call her by her first name. Xavier promises they’ll be out in a minute. Fred notices the happy look on both Charles’ and Teri’s faces, smiling at their mutual flirtations.
In the forests nearby Xavier’s…
Scott tests the telepathic connection Jean shares with the rest of the team, and she can hear them all perfectly. Alex believes that he’s never going to get used to “hearing” Jean’s voice in his head like that. Bobby mocks that’s the first reason why Alex will never be a full member of the X-Men. Alex angrily defends that Bobby wouldn’t know anything about that, because he quit the team not too long ago and now all of a sudden, he’s back? Bobby corrects that he’s only around for as long as his friends need him. But, Bobby angrily states, for as long as he’s there, he might take some time to punch Alex’s silly headdress around his ankles!
Scott warns the two to stop fighting. Iceman tells Scott to stay out of it, not caring that Alex is his baby brother. Jean has had enough of it, and gives her two teammates a powerful psi-blast, causing their heads enormous pain. Scott warns that the psi-blast will be nothing compared with what Jean can do to them both if they don’t stop squabbling. Scott teaches Alex that he hasn’t been long enough with the X-Men to learn discipline, but he’s ashamed about the way Bobby is acting. He should have learned more than this in almost three years. Bobby agrees to calm down, realizing he can deal with Scott’s sibling later. He wants Jean to tell him where Hank is this instant.
Jean notices how distressed Lorna looks and asks her what’s wrong. Scott reminds Lorna that she can’t afford to be distracted now. He tells Lorna that, if she isn’t feeling well, maybe it would be best that she goes back to the mansion. Alex angrily shouts at Scott to leave Lorna alone, claiming that Lorna has handled herself quite fine ever since she joined the team, and she doesn’t need Scott playing tin god with her. Scott promises to stop lecturing, but warns Alex to keep it quiet and that Lorna has to stay alert. After all, the last thing Hank needs today is another liability.
Meanwhile, Kraven is busy following Hank through the treetops. Kraven silently remarks how gracefully Hank runs over the grounds below. But he does see clear signs of uncertainty in the Beast, which weren’t visible in the videotapes he studied about the X-Man. Kraven quickly jumps down and kicks Beast in his back! He then lifts Hank up into the air, admitting that he heard Hank has the strength of many men inside his body. But, Kraven claims, he himself is the strength of the true rulers of the animal kingdom! And that is only one of his skills. In demonstration, he tosses the Beast effortlessly.
However, acting quickly, Hank grabs another tree branch, swinging himself around with his momentum. In mid-flight, the Beast states that perhaps he and Kraven are equally matched, since he too has more than just strength to command. As he impacts onto the hunter, he adds that he also dares say that Spider-Man never battered Kraven with such profound perfection as his kicks. Kraven quickly gets up again and elbows the Beast in at the base of his neck, stating that he hears the Beast claiming that he is capable of more than just brute force, yet his earlier assault was based on nothing more. Hank starts to feel dizzy, believing that Kraven must have hit some kind of a nerve. His whole arm has gone numb!
Kraven tries to hit the Beast again, but the X-Man manages to gracefully roll into safety. Beast realizes that he mustn’t let Kraven notice about his current condition. He quickly grabs mass of vines and traps Kraven in them! Kraven remains unimpressed, as he quickly takes out a knife and cuts himself loose.
Elsewhere in the forest, Alex suddenly notices that Lorna is missing! He wonders where she could have gone, because she was right in his sight not ten seconds ago. Alex calls out to her but doesn’t a response back. He didn’t hear any sounds of a scuffle, finding it hard to believe that Kraven attacked her in a matter of mere seconds. Alex freaks out when he can’t find Lorna anywhere, and unleashes a raw amount of his powers into the open air!
Meanwhile, Jean telepathically informs the running Scott and Bobby to turn left, as Hank is only five hundred yards away from them. Scott compliments Jean on the good work. Bobby asks Jean if Hank is okay, but she isn’t certain about that. Hank’s thought patterns are unusually sharp as cut glass, but right now he almost seems out of focus.
Kraven has taken out two of his knives now and is ready to finish Beast off. He jumps in front of the Beast, admitting that they are equally matched. He believes that he was wise to select the Beast as the quarry for this hunt. However, he believes, there is one area in which he will always be better than him.
Hank believes that area must be the field in which Kraven keeps referring to himself in the third person. Kraven has had enough and slices through Hank’s uniform, causing him pain. Kraven claims that his advantage is that he won’t hesitate to gain his ends. As Hank collapses to all four, Kraven admits that Hank’s resistance to his venoms are greater than he anticipated. He proclaims that the time for subtlety is over!
Beast overhears the fact that Kraven put venom into his traps. That must be the reason of this mounting miasma surrounding his brain. Beast states that he can’t know if the venom is lethal or not, and also that he can’t trust Kraven’s word anymore, meaning that he also can’t know for certain if Avia is going to live through this, like Kraven promised. So, that is no longer enough for him to hold back, and he states that the consequences of this battle are going to be either on his or Kraven’s head!
Jean meets up with Bobby and Scott. Scott asks Jean why she isn’t using her telepathy anymore, fearing that Kraven might have heard them now. Jean grabs his hand and quickly states that there is no time for subtlety now. She has learned that Kraven has done something to Hank and, if they don’t bust up to that fight immediately, she’s afraid that one of Hank’s greatest fears might be realized soon!
Beast is completely out of control and keeps punching Kraven like a maniac. Kraven realizes this, and states to himself that he didn’t anticipate this reaction to his venoms. He fires the lasers from the eyes in his vest at Hank, and believes that he has to escape from this place before Hank’s fury overwhelms him. Hank quickly recovers and sees that Kraven is trying to escape. He grabs Kraven’s head and reminds him that they had a deal, which requires Kraven to stay there. Hank starts beating Kraven again, and shouts that he doesn’t care if Kraven is going to stay around in pieces!
The other X-Men arrive and Scott fires an optic blast at Hank, which throws him away from Kraven. Kraven shouts that Hank has to be kept away from him. As Bobby ices Kraven up, Scott calls out to Hank asking him to stop fighting his beam. Hank wants Scott to let him go, because he wants to stop Kraven so he can get the antidote back to Avia. On that moment, Hank faints and Jean tends to him.
A little later, inside the school’s med-lab…
Jean can’t believe that Scott is meaning what he’s saying. Scott, looking at the chained Kraven, claims that he doesn’t see what other choice they have. If they turn Kraven over to the authorities, they are going to want to know what he was doing at their school. Iceman defends that they can’t just let Kraven go like this. Kraven doesn’t see why not, because he has kept his part of the bargain. Jean understands but tells Kraven that, before he waltz out of here, she’s going to borrow a part of Professor Xavier’s book and wipes any memory Kraven has about the X-Men out of his mind!
After Kraven is left in a blank state, Scott compliments Jean on her fine work. Now, they can just dump Kraven somewhere on the highway on the other end of Salem Center. It will be Kraven’s own luck if the police find him there. Hank takes off his mask, and asks Jean if she can do the same thing to him. Jean doesn’t understand. Hank shamefully explains that Kraven kept his word. He provided the antidote for Avia and himself, but there is no antidote for the memories Hank has about this encounter. He reveals that all of his life, he has been afraid something like this would happen. He has known intellectually that he wasn’t the brute who looked back at him in the mirror, but always it seemed as if a darker nature might lie but a hair’s breadth below his careful veneer of gentility. It was so easy for Kraven to unleash the beast inside him.
Scott asks Hank to let it go. None of this was his fault. Jean agrees with that, reminding Hank that he was prepared to sacrifice himself for Avia. That’s all he needs to remember. Bobby agrees with this too and tells his buddy not to beat himself up over this.
On that very moment, a freaked out Havok rushes into the room! When Scott asks his brother what’s wrong, Alex states that Lorna… is gone! Bobby asks Alex what he means. Alex claims that Lorna floated up into the air, and just… drifted away!