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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Closing Costs
The lower levels of the X-Corp HQ, where several Madrox dupes have disarmed Nobelesse soldiers and are holding them prisoner. One of the soldiers speaks to the dupes in French, but one of the dupes tells him to shut up. 'We aren't hurting any of you, we're just not letting you hurt us' the dupe points out. The soldier continues to speak in French, to which one of the dupes exclaims 'We speak French! You boarded us and tried to kill us and you're complaining that we kept you in holding for the weekend?' while another announces that they ordered them sushi. One of the dupes looks upwards as a loud booming noise can be heard. 'Hey, I think something's happening' the dupe utters. One of the dupes motions for another to get on comms and see what Doc Madrox is up to. The dupe then tells another to call Trinary, as she will be able to monitor the whole base. 'Doc? You're not picking up. We're down in the holding area with prisoners and -' one of the dupes begins, talking into their phone, before there is a powerful shaking, and the base is shunted about, knocking the dupes and the soldiers about.
'Dupes! Beakers down, weapons up!' one of the dupes exclaims, while another dupe suggests that something has happened to Doc, as he can't feel him anymore. 'Is Doc dead? Wouldn't we be dead?' one of the dupes asks. A soldier looks at one of the other soldiers and in French asks if this is the moment. 'We're not dead. Not yet. Let's just be careful -' one of the dupes suggests, while the soldiers all begin to bite down on a vial. 'Did he just eat something?' a dupe asks, before the soldiers are suddenly mutated, their muscles straining and ripping through their shirts, they lash out and attack the dupes. 'They're enhancing themselves!' one of the dupes calls out. 'Get 'em! Get 'em for Doc!' another dupe excaims as he opens fire at the soldiers.
At the entrance level to X-Corp HQ, Warren Worthington III a.k.a. Archangel and Monet St Croix are flying down to the main entrance, where Jean-Pierre Kol and Sara St John stand over the unmoving body of Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man. The von Strucker Twins, Andreas and Andrea a.k.a. Fenris, levitate upwards to meet Archangel and Monet, holding hands, they generate energy which they blast upwards. 'Is Madrox dead?' Archangel asks. 'Yeah. He'll be upset about getting behind on work' Monet points out, while Archangel tells her that Fenris have to be touching to generate those blasts. 'So let's rip them apart' he suggests. 'From one another – or individually into chunks?' Monet asks as she drops down on Andrea, kicking her in the chest. 'If you stick to the mutants, you have my backing to decide for yourself, Madame CXO' Archangel replies. 'Why, Mr Worthington... you shouldn't talk dirty to me at the office like that' Monet jokes as she switches to her Penance form.
'I'll start with you!' Penance exclaims as she lands on Andreas's chest and runs her razor-sharp claws across him. 'Andrea!' Andreas calls out as his sister begins to plummet towards the X-Corp HQ below. 'Andreas, catch me!' Andrea pleads as she free-falls – when suddenly, 'I've got you' a voice calls out – it's Archangel, who swoops down and grabs her. 'No – let go of me, you bastard -' Andrea exclaims, to which Archangel point out that if he lets go of her, it won't be over the base. 'Thankfully, at this altitude you'll pass out or freeze before you hit the ground' he smiles. Suddenly, several dupes appear from an elevator and see Madrox's body. 'Doctor Madrox! He's dead!' one of them exclaims. 'No – you guys, stay back!' Archangel calls out, while asking Monet to warn them – but it's too late, as Jean-Pierre Kol opens fire with a machine gun, striking down the four dupes. 'Now this is a delight! Let's truly see the limitations of mutantkind. How many Dr Madroxes can I kill?' Kol asks.
Andrea re-positions herself and swings her legs up to kick Archangel in the face as she reminds him that she and her brother tried to come to him first, but he is so good that he doesn't want to get his hands dirty with humans – because they do bad things. 'As we can do bad things too' Andrea adds as she once again free-falls towards the X-Corp HQ. 'And we're even better at it than they are! Because we're mutants!' Andrea calls out, while one of Archange's deadly feather-blades strikes Andrea's side. She calls out for her brother to open his arms. 'Andreas!' she exclaims, but gets no response, as Penance is on top of Andreas, punching him over and over. 'Go on. Call for her' Penance tells him. 'Bring her right to me' Penance suggests, before Andrea can be seen above them, she tells Andreas to catch her, then they can blast Penance. Penance punches Andreas in the  face again, before leaping backwards as Andrea lands on her brother. 'Warren, they're gonna touch!' Penance calls out – too late, as there is a massive explosion when the Fenris twins connect.
When the dust settles, Sara St John heads towards the elevator in the X-Corp lobby and tells Kol that she is going in. As he shoots another dupe, Kol turns to Sara and tells her 'Good thinking. Board them'. 'If we can't be here for very long... let's be efficient' Sara suggests as she kics a Madrox dupe in the back of his head, and presses a button on the elevator. 'Did she just get down into the base?' Monet, back in her human form, asks, before telepathically reaching out to Trinary, asking her to talk to the HQ and find out where it tickles. 'I hope you're at your desk' Monet  adds. Trinary is, and red lights flash around her as she reports that she can take the elevator controls before they get moving. Trinary informs Monet that she is worried about the base, but she wants to be clear, the HQ is not an AI, so doesn't have a personality like that. 'But she's a she?' Monet asks. 'I told you, I prefer talking to women' Trinary reminds Monet.
'Hello, Sara. You can call me Trinary' Trinary calls out into the elevator, where Sara looks confused. She is plunged into darkness and shouts 'Kol? Can you still hear me?' but only gets a response from Trinary, who tells her not to panic, as she isn't like her – or hher boss. The elevator doors slide open and Trinary is waiting there to meet Sara. 'Luckily for you, I'm also not like my boss. She is scary' Trinary adds. She folds her arms and smiles as Trinary tells Sara that she can't let her sneak around the base, especially not at a time like this. 'But I'm not going to hurt you. In fact, I don't really like hurting anyone'. Trinary explains that she is non-violent, except under the most dire of circumstances. There is a loud rumbling, and Sara calls Trinary a liar. 'Who's with you? I can hear something coming!' she  exclaims – when a moment later, the muscular, enhanced, shirtless soldiers burst through. 'Je... dois... kill!' one of them exclaims, while Trinary and Sara are knocked aside.
'They're gonna rip us apart! Oh god -' Sara utters, while Trinary asks her if she can't stop them. 'Didn't they come here with you?' she adds, before instructing the HQ to seal off the south corridor elevator. A panel slides across, blocking the enhanced soldiers from reaching Trinary and Sara. 'No -!' Sara begins, while Trinary tells her to move. 'Going down. Thank you for choosing X-Corp' the HQ's computer remarks as the elevator with the soldiers moves down. Trinary takes Sara by her hand and leads her through the HQ. 'Why are you saving my life?' Sara asks. 'You said you couldn't stop those men, and they looked ready to rip both of us limb from limb' Trinary replies. Sara explains that it is a clinical effect of their Nobelesse emergency pharmaceuticals. 'We weren’t going to send humans to steal your generator without enhancements' she remarks, explaining that the enhancement increases their bodily strength but does sacrifice some critical thinking. They stop at a computer console which Trinary connects with, and Sara tells her that the soldiers merely see movement and strike out against it. 'You need to demand better from your products. They all seem to have terrible side effects' Trinary declares. A wall slides away behind Sara, and Trinary tells her that is the last advice she gives her for free. 'But you can follow me to the surface for safety. From there, you're on your own, Mss St John. Choose wisely' Trinary adds.
Back outside, Fenris glows in a ball of energy as the siblings hold hands. Monet tells Archangel that Fenris is headed for the core – the bandwidth generator. She adds that she has no idea what their plans are, but they are focussed on the IBG. She suggests that Kol and Sara are probably wearing psychic dampeners, and reports that she is sensing some scattered, angry mental presences from within the base. Monet supposes that it is the mercs, that they must have overpowered the guard dupes, and there is now no Madrox around to organize them. '$#%&. It's always everything at once' Monet complains as she and Archangel watch Fenris descend into the core of the X-Corp HQ.
'How long will it take for us to synch with the energy signature once we arrive?' Andreas asks his sister as they continue to drop down into the core. Andrea tells him that it won't be long, and that they are almost there – when suddenly, Penance and Archangel drop down in front of them, and Penance separates the Fenris twins. She tells them that they had a board meeting, and decided that even their bad sides are better than the two of them on their best days. Andrea points a gun upwards to where Archangel hovers above her and exclaims 'You idiots said it yourselves: only mutants can handle this technology!' Archangel releases some more feather-blades which drop around Andrea as she calls out 'You Krakoans think you're working together at something new – my brother and I have always known we were stronger together. And smart enough to put ourselves first!' She opens fire, at Archangel and Penance, before she and Andreas hold hands again, and glow in energy that radiates around them.
Andrea explains that they just wanted to build an empire on the bones of human companies too – just like X-Corp and Xavier did. Andreas declares that they didn't want to share with X-Corp, as they had made it very clear – not all mutants get along. 'We're happy to sell you all to the highest bidder and fiddle while you burn' Andreas boasts. 'You're going to blow up our base? Juvenile. Thuggish. What else to be expected from such -' Archangel begins, before Penance tells him that she doesn't think Fenris want to destroy it. 'Just keep them apart!' Penance exclaims as she leaps onto Andreas, and Archangel grabs Andrea, tearing her away from her brother. Trinary's voice can be heard over the comms-system, she informs the CXOs that she is getting a massive energy signature pulse from the IBG core, but it is coming and going, like something is trying to photocopy the IBG.
'Was it worth it, Strucker trash!?' Penance asks as Andreas swings his sword towards Penance – cutting off some of her spiked hair. 'As your last act alive?' Penance asks as she smashes her claws into Andreas's face. Andreas boasts that he is not afraid to die. 'When it suits me, I am Krakoan!' he exclaims. As Archangel and Andrea exchange punches, Andreas tells Penance that they will rob from her, die by her side in the base's destruction and come back by her side, as fellow Krakoans. Andreas pulls back his jacket and reveals a strange device strapped to his chest. He explains that they will synch to the IBG's exact energy signature and send all the info they need back to their base. He grins as he reveals that they made sure they timed this before Cerebro's backup, so Archangel and Monet won't remember a thing – but Fenris won't forget they did this – as simple as leaving themselves a note.
'But you'll forget. You too, Warren' Andrea smiles as she goes over and rubs her hands on Warren's chest, telling him that the miracle of resurrection is imperfect, so none of them will remember a thing about what happened here. 'Kol and Sara will die – who cares, they're humans. Those of us who matter will come back. We'll be sure to tell the Council we've changed our ways' Andrea exclaims. 'You're both fools!' Archangel shouts as he slams Andrea against a wall. 'It won't take what happened here for me to know that if you ever set foot on Krakoa again... you'll beg the Five to leave you dead!' Archangel warns Fenris as he prepares for another fight. Monet bares her claws as she tells Fenris that she and Archangel were two of the first to come back the new way – that they chose death knowing that the reward was not promised. 'But now you've provoked us into staying alive just to hurt you!'
Topside, Kol walks across several Madrox dupes, whose bodies litter the ground. He radios for Fenris, but gets no response. 'I know those simpering suits didn't defeat you. And I pray that you didn't get talked into something stupid. I don't trust any of you' kol exclaims. Suddenly, 'Jean-Pierre Kol. There you are!' a voice calls out. Kol spins around and opens fire with his machine gun, a dozen or so bullets striking Selene. 'What? Don't be stupid. That can't hurt me' Selene remarks. She explains that she was just in her office trying to get some work done when she felt the whole base rock under her feet. Selene claims that she usually likes to mind her own impressive and massive business, but then she heard two familiar voices – Andrea and Andreas Strucker. She uses her powers to pull Kol's machine gun away from him and tells him that she will be clear: 'I have been alive for a very long time. I have seen some terrible warlords. But the von Struckers and their Nazi ilk are truly some of the most repellent. They industrialized genocide' Selene declares.
Selene tells Kol that she understands he would find that aspirational, and informs him that Fenris don't care about him. 'Listen, you can hear it for yourself' she tells him as she plays a recording of Andrea saying 'Kol and Sara will die – who cares -'. Selene then grabs Kol by his throat and holds him up in the air as she tells him that he chose the side of supremacy, but didn't realize he was dead weight. 'Those Strucker $#%&! don't hate being mutants, they love it – because it makes them more powerful than you. But we don't need liars and betrayers like that' Selene declares. 'You – Gallio. People know about you – killer -' Kol begins, referring to Selene by her last name. 'Yes! You know that I am a killer! And yet... you provoke me anyway' Selene grins, moving her face closer to Kol's. 'I'm a very sick man -' Kol utters. 'You're all sick Selene tells him. 'Very sick -' Kol grins, when suddenly, Selene is surprised, and drops Kol to the ground.
'What... is in you? Draining your life... it's like poison' Selene utters, clutching her chest after collapsing to the ground. Rubbing his throat, Kol tells Selene that it isn't poison. 'Perfected. A modern alchemist who has used my work to make my body a perfect thing'. Kol boasts. He goes over to Selene and starts to drag her to the edge of where the ground has broken away  at the edge of the floating HQ. Kol claims that he never cared about the money, but that mutants were born with so many advantages. 'And I am supposed to be kind for it?' he asks. Selene struggles to get free from Kol as he reveals that he was a sick little boy, and that hard work made him sicker – but weakness made him cleverer then others. 'Let them underestimate me. Like you did' he points out. 'Let... go of me -' Selene begins, as Kol starts to push her over the edge of the broken HQ, ready to push her off into open air. Kol tells Selene to shush, and that he knows what she really is – a vampire, a taker of life. 'My life is chemical. My blood is synthetic. I am human, but not flawed' he claims.
'You can't... kill me... idiot' Selene snaps, while Kol boasts that he is a walking pharmaceutical experiment, and that Selene is too far from human. 'You forgot – we will literally poison ourselves to see you fail' Kol remarks, when suddenly, part of the ground that was cracked and raised upwards breaks apart – and falls straight down towards Selene and Kol – it lands with a massive WHAMMMM, slamming into the edge of X-Corp HQ and knocks Selene back onto safe ground, while Kol is shunted off of the floating HQ. 'Non!' he cries out as he falls to certain doom.
Inside the HQ, one of the Madrox dupes radios the CXOs. 'This is the lab crew, we've been sheltering in place' the dupe explains, adding that Miss Trinary gave them some info about the energy signature, and that they think they have a contingency for this. 'With your permission?' the dupe asks. 'Do it! Do whatever you have to. We can rebuild. We can do it all again' Monet replies, as Fenris move towards Archangel, blasting some more energies. The dupe can be heard over the comms system: 'If Miss Trinary is listening, please shut down all the fire doors except for where marked on the sent image' Trinary touches her goggles and suddenly, doors in the HQ slam closed. 'Done!' Trinary announces. Trinary reports that emergency stairs A through X are wide open for the dupes, and that everything else should be sealed off.
'Whatever it is, Madroxes, make it quick!' Monet exclaims as the Madrox dupes arrive in the core, and rush to surround Fenris, who are standing next to the core device. 'I'm ready' Andrea smiles at her brother. They clasp hands, and energy begins to glow. 'We're ready' Trinary's voice can be heard over the comms system. The dupes begin to hold hands, 'Like Doc practiced with us. Let it ride and the replication will come, gotcha' one of the dupes remarks. Energy spreads from Fenris as they attempt to “copy” the core. One of the dupes tells the others to get hit, to let another dupe come and then fade out, and they will soak up any blast this base might need to take. 'It might seem scary, but we have to trust it's going to work, because the science says so. That's the patented Madox workflow! Over and out!' The energy ripples through the Madroxes.
'You've murdered me, X-Corp! I hope the whole world turns out to fight you, Krakoa! I hope you're tried and sentenced to death, every single one of you!' Kol calls out as he continues to fall to doom – soon asking how long he must fall for. In truth, Kol is flailing about on the edge of the X-Corp HQ, the sun setting in the distance, while Selene and Mastermind stand over him. Selene tells Mastermind that it has been hours, and points out that they are going to drive Kol mad – although she does like watching him squirm. Mastermind tells Selene to go and get cleaned up, as he can do this all evening – it's nothing. 'I do always appreciate your help, Jason' Selene remarks, while Kol continues to scream. Mastermind tells Selene that of course he would come to her aid – as the two of them share an understanding about the importance of swift action and preservation of image – and that even the heels like the two of them must defend this dream.
Later, in the Hatchery, Angel states that, thankfully, they generate a truly exponential amount of power when they are in the air, so the base has enough stored power to keep communications up and running while visiting Forge for repairs. Angel admits that it was a great test of their systems, and couldn't have been better PR – despite some serial footage of the attack, no one said their service even had a blip. He adds that no other telecom company can survive a direct attack, for sure. 'That's incredible!' Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man remarks as he stands up in the egg he has just hatched from. Trinary gives him a blanket to cover his naked body, while Sofia Mantega a.k.a. Wind Dancer stands nearby. Monet stands next to Angel, while Layla Miller stands in front of Madrox, holding their son, Davey, in her arms. 'And the dupes did their part without me even there, huh? I didn't expect that. But I guess that's good to know' Madrox remarks. Angel assures Madrox that his dupes were indispensable, and that and his family can be very proud. 'Your dupes saved the base'.
'As soon as you feel ready to return to work, X-Corp would -' Angel begins, but Madrox takes his son in his arms and interrupts Angel by saying 'Yeah, yeah. Soon, promise. I'll probably send some dupes in while I rest up, though. Just for a day or two...'. Monet and the others begin to leave, with Monet telling Jamie to take as long as he wants. 'You know he didn't even want his board seat' Trinary utters. Angel smiles at her and tells her that she is right, and that it should be hers, supposing that it is better Madrox stay in the lab when he does come back, anyway. Monet addresses Trinary as “madame boardmember” and tells her that she hopes she agrees that they need her to head up the search for Fenris. Monet remarks that she doesn't know how Fenris escaped, and that she was looking forward to seeing Charles put them in the hole.
Trinary tells Monet that she is way ahead of her, and explains that there was a SWORD prototype device on board that had limited teleportation capabilities, so she will start with questioning it as a witness. Trinary adjusts her glasses and smiles as she informs Angel and Monet that Sara St John got away in the blast, too. She wonders if Sara escaped swith Fenris, although she hopes Sara wised up and got away from them. 'Even if she did, Trinary – she's shown how valuable she is. And this is business. Someone is bound to come buying...'.
Elsewhere, Sara St John sits up in a hospital bed, laptop open in front of her, she has a video-conference underway with someone who tells her that they are sorry she had to waste her time with that J.P. Kol gentleman. 'If my organization had known how impressive your work is...I would have called much sooner'. The screen comes into view, and it is revealed that Sara St John is speaking with Henry Gyrich, of Orchis....


[Assistant]
Fall Out!
San Diego, California. Marvel Girl levitates the group above the town in an effort for them to sneak on their own airplane, all because their X-Factor uniforms were destroyed in their battle with the Alliance of Evil. With the coast clear, Jean lowers them to the ground and they head for the hangar. They can’t help but overhear a news report on TV nearby, where their foe, Tower, claims they were just trying to protect their friends from the mutant hunters X-Factor. He also notices how the mutants that caught them always show up near X-Factor…
While the onlookers discuss whether mutants are humans or monsters, Beast kicks away a barrel as a diversion and the team heads for the plane. Scott tells Jean to mind-throw the access hatch. Jean doesn’t know which switch to throw. She’s never flown this kind of plane. Impatiently, Scott blurts out: “Honestly, Maddie, you …” Jean throws him an odd look. Who is Maddie? She’s someone who knows how to open a hatch, he replies and does so by breaking the window with his optic blast.
The team enters and, while Jean wonders who Maddie is, Scott silently berates himself for snapping at her like that. Keeping Madelyne from her is bad enough but, during the battle, he was sure he saw a fire display around Jean, much like the Phoenix effect. Maybe Jean is Phoenix after all. He tells himself to stop thinking like that. He’ll go crazy!
Bobby switches on TV for another report of the Alliance and X-Factor. Beast has finally finished repairing the window and Warren can start the plane. In New York, they are in for a surprise as pro and anti-mutant demonstrations, triggered by California’s ‘mutant murder,’ are in progress outside their headquarters. The whole thing is covered by Trish Tilby of W-Arc-TV.
The members of X-Factor see that they are mobbing someone. No doubt some ‘expert’ on the mutant phenomenon, Hank scoffs, until he sees that it’s his girlfriend, Vera. Hank jumps out of the car, intending to rescue Vera, who’s busy being interviewed. Just as she is about to assure Trish Tilby of how harmless mutants are, Hank drags her away and inside where Cameron Hodge already expects them and leaves to make a statement or two. He starts discussing X-Factor’s involvement in the California “mutant murders,” while, inside, Iceman wonders whether P.R. men aren’t supposed to make their clients lookbetter?
Their charges, Rusty Collins and Artie Maddicks, join them and offer the group sandwiches. Scott curtly tells them he’ll pass. There’s a phone call he must make. Jean wonders what’s wrong with him. Why can’t he be civil to some kids who worship him?
Across the Hudson River, on a hazardous waste facility, two bizarre looking mutants - Glow Worm and Bulk sift through the waste. Bulk has found a rat and wants to keep it. Glow Worm reminds him that the animal is going to die should he do that, just like the other pets. A group of men find them. Egged on by X-Factor ads, they decide to save a few bucks and kill the muties themselves. The two mutants flee.
As they enter a tunnel and return to their hole, Glow Worm complains that that’s the fourth time this month. Always those hunters are shouting about X-Factor. He changes the subject, asking Bulk how his mouse is. Dead already, his companions realizes. But, he used to be able to keep them longer. Why do they die so fast now? Glow Worm reminds him that neither of them has been feeling too well lately. They are irradiated. He continues that he doesn’t mind dying, but their deaths should mean something. Bulk wonders why they are always running and Glow Worm takes a look at an X-Factor flier. He has just found a worthy cause…
Outside the X-Factor complex, the people are still protesting. Inside, Cyclops has made several phone calls to friends and neighbors in Anchorage. To no avail. Nobody knows where Madelyne has gone. She just disappeared. Scott knows that he is the one to blame. And he also knows that he finally has to tell Jean… to see her walk out of his life, just like Maddie did.
Below in the training room, the other four X-Factor members are gathered for a playful practice session: a game of tag to hone Jean’s senses. Jean is “it” but she tells her teammates that she has some questions for them as they start. She confronts Iceman with the statement that there is someone else in Scott’s life, isn’t there? Another woman, she insists, as she telekinetically deflects Bobby’s ice missile on Angel, who was trying to sneak up on her. Angel stalls and Jean presses the point. Is Scott still in love with Phoenix? Beast denies this vehemently and Jean telekinetically manipulates her own body to kick him in midair and takes him out.
Who is her rival then, if not Phoenix? she asks Bobby and Angel, while deflecting Bobby’s attack onto Warren. Scott called her Maddie. Who’s Maddie? Is she Scott’s girlfriend, she asks. Not exactly, Bobby stutters. Jean breaks his iceslide, causing him to fall. The penny’s finally dropped. Scott is married and they have all kept it from her! Angrily, she runs off. Hank urges Angel not to go after her but Angel ignores his advice.
Meanwhile, in the Morlock tunnels, Glow Worm and Bulk wade through the water. Even the Morlocks reject them. That’s because they are dangerous, a pretty teenage blonde tells them. They wonder if she is a Morlock, as she is pretty. Usually, Masque distorts all Morlocks’ features. The girl introduces herself as Skids and explains that she is a Morlock all right, but Masque’s power doesn’t affect her. His changes skid off her, just like their radiation. Glow Worm asks her to tell the other Morlocks to stay out of their way. They are cutting through the Alley to a rendezvous with destiny… and they are taking X-Factor with them.
Back at X-Factor’s, Rusty hesitatingly enters the training room, which is now a frozen mess. He nervously asks Hank and Bobby what would happen if those reporters found out he was there… the government is still after him for what he accidentally did to that lady. Bobby diverts his attention by pointing out all the ice. They’ll be likelier to spot him than Rusty, he jokes. Rusty melts the ice away and Iceman jokes that they ought to team up. He’ll make the messes. Rusty can melt them.
An agitated Artie suddenly joins them. The mute boy shows them a mental picture of Glow Worm and Bulk. The four of them and Warren join Scott, who is looking outside the window. As if on cue, Glow Worm and Bulk arrive outside, calling X-Factor out. If they won’t come out, they’ll rip the building down. X-Factor has to stop them, Angel decides, before someone gets hurt. But their mutant hunter equipment is a sham, Vera Cantor, who has joined them with Cameron Hodge, points out. They will have to use their powers. And intervening as X-Men might link them more closely in the public eye with X-Factor. It would be odd if mutants stepped in to save mutant hunters, so what should they do? And where’s Jean, Angel wonders. She hasn’t answered her beeper. Scott tells him to forget Jean, but Warren insists that he might have an idea, and they need Jean for that.
Below, Jean angrily sulks in the corner of an empty basement. When her beeper goes off, she smashes it.
Outside, Glow Worm and Bulk are shot at by the cops, while the crowd wonders why X-Factor isn’t doing anything. Nearby, Cyclops, Beast and Iceman, in their Superhero uniforms, have exited the building via a manhole and are now some distance away from the crowd. Neither of them is overly happy with the plan or the situation.
Inside, Artie has helped Angel locate Jean. What does he want, Jean demands. Does he have more half-lies he wants to tell her? More nasty little secrets? A few more, he guesses, Warren answers with unaccustomed honesty, but that will have to wait. Scott and the others are in trouble and it’s up to the two of them to bail them out.
Cyclops, Iceman and Beast run toward Glow Worm and Bulk, shouting pro-mutant anti-X-Factor slogans. ‘X-terminate X-Factor,’ Beast shouts. The public gets excited, recognizing the mutants from the California murders, and Trish Tilby repeats Beast’s line, dubbing them X-Terminators as she describes the situation.
Iceman, Cyclops and Beast seemingly try to help Glow Worm and Bulk, while actually keeping them from damaging the X-Factor headquarters or injuring the humans, a fact that’s not lost on the two irradiated mutants. They attack the ’X-terminators,’ telling them to leave. This is their fight alone. The humans don’t understand why the mutants are fighting each other. And where is X-Factor? Bulk tells Beast to get away. They want X-Factor to get sick like them, but not fellow mutants. Beast understands that they are radioactive and tells his teammates. Cyclops orders Iceman to freeze the street beneath them. He uses an ice column to raise the ground with them, getting them away from the humans.
Suddenly, the members of X-Factor leave the complex  - five mutant hunters to Cyclops’ surprise. Rusty, Vera and Hodge are subbing for the three other members. Glow Worm attacks with a force ball and Jean points a weapon at it, while actually containing it in a forcefield. Warren tells Rusty to hit them with his flame thrower and Rusty uses his pyrokinesis in combination with the ice, making steam appear to blind the crowd, which enables Jean to teekinetically grab them. A mutant-gravity disruption web,’ Cyclops exclaims.
X-Factor moves in after the ‘X-Terminators,’ causing Iceman to do a Wicked Witch of the West imitation until Beast tells him to stop hamming. He too shouts that their powers are fading and that they have to flee. Cyclops tells the hesitating Iceman to grab the two radioactive mutants. He hesitates and Beast tells him his children would probably be mutants anyway. So they leave on an iceslide, after exchanging some parting shots with X-Factor.
Several blocks away, the icebridge ends and Cyclops vaporizes it. They lead the others into the sewers. Iceman offers them a place where they can stay and be reintroduced into society. They can’t pass for human, Glow Worm replies. Even the Morlocks don’t want them and they are contaminated, dying. They wanted to make their deaths count for something. They’ve been constantly hounded since those X-Factor ads began. They cannot be the only ones. They wanted to strike a blow against them. All for nothing.
The members of X-Factor realize they cannot help them and do not reveal their secrets. Disappointed, the irradiated mutants leave. Wanting to at least give them something, Beast tells them to watch the papers. They are going to take care of X-Factor.
Back at the complex, Cyclops admits to Angel that this was a great idea. Now all they have to do is work on the mutant hunter angle. He turns to Jean, telling her how great she was. Wonderful teamwork, even under these circumstances. Coldly, Jean tells him to cut the baloney. The two of them have some serious talking to do.


[Assistant]
Belles of the Ball
Cyber’s recaps the events from the last issue and his demands to X-Factor : an antidote for Guido in exchange for Shrew, who wants to testify against organized crime. Strong Guy refuses and fights both him and Briquette. Briquette blows up the hotel’s boiler, but Strong Guy can warn Havok through his headset. Meanwhile Havok tells Wolfsbane to get out of the building, but the Hell’s Belles also flee, when they hear the building is going to explode. Wolfsbane rescues Shrew. Outside Havok doesn’t see Strong Guy and the building explodes with Guido inside.
In Maine, the imprisoned Rhapsody is visited by Jamie, who tells her he is going to free her. She then tells that she already could escape but was waiting for him. Quicksilver is heading for the jail, when he sees Rhapsody and Madrox leaving through the sky. Jamie talks with Rhapsody and she admits to have killed Sharpe. Jamie frees himself from Rhapsody’s spell and locks her up in jail.
In Virginia, Strong Guy emerges fully charged from the rests of the building. He releases his energy and then tells Havok he has been poisoned. Back at base, Strong Guy is being examined by Dr. Middleman, a toxicologists. Val gets a call from Cyber who repeats his threats again. Dr. Middleman thinks to have found the cortrect antidote, but Guido doesn’t trust it. To gain his trust, Havok drinks a vial with poison, isolated from Guido’s blood. Then they both drink the antidote.
In New York a ship with Genoshan refugees arrive and they refuse to leave. Their leader rusts the weapons of the policemen who guard the ship.
At a subway station X-Factor has a meeting with Cyber and the Hell’s Belles. Guido suddenly drops over in pain. The a train arrives, inside the train are an army of Multiple Men. They attack the Hell’s Belles, who are quickly overwhelmed. Guido then knocks into Cyber, saying that he only acted that the anti-toxin didn’t work. Shrew attacks Cyber who had Havok in his hands. Shrew and Cyber land in front of a speeding subway train, but Shrew is rescued by Quicksilver. Havok tells Quicksilver that he didn’t really drank the poison, but filled the vial with water. Quicksilver is mightily impressed that Havok deceived his teammates but only to gain their trust and loyalty.


[Assistant]
A Green and Tender Place
‘Leave me be, Lorna Dane! Leave me be - or so help me, I’ll tear yuir throat out and hand it back t’ye!’ Rahne “Wolfsbane” Sinclair screams at Polaris from where she scowls in the shadows. The Mistress of Magnetism flies nearby and points out that Rahne is only sixteen years old, so she cannot let her take X-Factor’s jet and attempt to pilot it across the Atlantic all by herself. Rahne tells Lorna that if she truly cared about her, then she would not have made he return to this hateful, horrible place. Polaris replies that they all knew coming back to Genosha would be hard for her, as the former government was responsible for nearly destroying Rahne’s mind and altering her body forever.
Polaris reminds Wolfsbane that Doc Samson thought it was better for her to confront her past. ‘There’s no way he - any of us - could have known what we just learned about your connection to Havok’ Lorna assures Rahne. ‘Muh, “connection”?’ Rahne snarls. ‘That’s a fine way to put it! Until half an hour ago, I thought I was in love with Alex Summers. Now I find out I never had a choice in the matter!’ she declares. Polaris tells Rahne that she is hurt and confused, that she must feel like no one understands what she is going through. ‘But instead of talking about it, you want to get away…hoping you can get far enough that -’ she begins, before Rahne lashes out at Polaris, shrieking ‘Stop telling me how I FEEL!’
Polaris brings a magnetic shield up to deflect Wolfsbane’s attack. ‘Don’t you see - from the moment I first left this place…muh every thought - every dream - every desire is suspect!’ Rahne exclaims. Polaris hates seeing Rahne like this, but supposes that it is good she is venting. ‘If I can magnetically protect myself with my metal costume long enough to survive - we might have a breakthrough here!’ Lorna tells herself, while Wolfsbane exclaims that the original Genegineer bonded her mind when he changed her into a mutate. ‘I was bound - in every way - to Alex! I’ve no way of knowing what’s real anymore. Muh entire life might as well be a lie!’ Rahne exclaims, declaring that she doesn’t need Polaris, or anyone, telling her what she feels when she doesn’t even know herself.
Suddenly, Rahne’s deadly claws strike Polaris’ bare upper arm, causing three bloody scratches to appear. Lorna looks surprised, before muttering ‘Fine. We’ll play it your way. I’ll speak for myself’. Rahne apologizes to Lorna, but Polaris traps Wolfsbane in some metal cables and wiring. ‘You think you’re the only one who’s ever been through this? Where would you like me to start?!’ Lorna exclaims, before declaring ‘How about Mesmero, who had a robot convince me I was Magneto’s daughter? Or “Eric the Red” who made me think I was a warrior of the Shi’ar Empire? Malice didn’t even leave me use of my personality, just suppressed my mind completely so she could use my body as she saw fit!’
Polaris tells Rahne that they both know what it is like to have their heart and soul violated. ‘Starting today you’re going to learn what it means to fight back’ Lorna declares. ‘To make your life your own again. I know this, because - I’m going to teach you!’ Polaris exclaims, dropping Wolfsbane to the ground. Wolfsbane replies that Polaris has always been so together. ‘I never knew ye carried around so much hurt in yer heart’. ‘Yeah, well…’ Lorna mutters. ‘Cut me and I bleed’ she exclaims, touching her wounds. Rahne shifts her form to a less feral version, ‘Ach - what have I done?’ she asks, telling Polaris that she did not mean to harm her.
‘Any more than I meant to hurt you, Rahne - by ignoring all the signs for help’ Lorna replies. ‘The obsessive “crush” on Alex…the wild flirtations with Jamie…your reluctance to assume human form…’ she remarks, before suggesting they try something real radical for once. ‘Let’s worry about you for the moment’ Polaris suggests as she sits down on a chair, and hugs Rahne, who sits at her feet. ‘Has…has anyone told Alex yet?’ Rahne asks, crying. ‘Yes…’Polaris replies, also crying. ‘…he didn’t take it very well’.
‘LIARS!’ the handsome Alex “Havok” Summers shouts as he uses his powers to cause damage in the gardens of the Genoshan parliament. ‘For months I worked with the new administration - tried to rebuild this country and the people of Genosha! I sold the mutates a bill of goods - even convinced the X-Patriots to return…and now I learn the government still doesn’t care!’. Guido Carosella a.k.a. Strong Guy tells James Madrox the Multiple Man that he has never seen Havok so upset. ‘I’ve never seen anyone beat up a garden. Such…’ Jamie begins. ‘Enthusiasm?’ Guido suggests. ‘I was going to say vim’ Jamie remarks. ‘Or is it vigor?’
‘You’re not looking at the bigger picture, Mister Summers!’ Madame President of Genosha exclaims as she shields herself from Alex’s attack. ‘At the moment, there are more pressing concerns than the rehabilitation of a few unfortunates’ she exclaims. Alex grits his teeth as he tells the President to save her euphemisms for CNN, and declares that “unfortunate” implies that the mutates were the victims of a random act of fate. ‘The truth is, your government turned these people into slaves - and I see little evidence you’re doing all you can to free them!’ Havok declares, as he uses his power to shred large bushes away, revealing strange devices.
‘Are you going to tell me these monitoring devices weaved into your garden of “earthly delights…” are here for any other reason than to provide your scientists with information needed to create a new strain of mutates?’ Havok demands. Madrox suggests to Strong Guy that they should try to calm Alex down just a little. ‘Fine, little buddy. You first’ Strong Guy replies. Havok narrows his eyes and continues to grit his teeth as he exclaims ‘As a former Magistrate - mind control notwithstanding - I have a responsibility to the mutates’. Havok uses his powers to destroy the monitoring devices, telling the President that if she thinks he is going to leave Genosha - what’s more, leave it standing - then she has got him confused with another Summers.
Suddenly, from the rubble of the monitoring devices, a shape begins to form - a mutate, number 416 - who exclaims ‘You mean there are more at home like you?’. The mutate with black, white and pink hair smirks as he reveals that there are some mutates who enjoy the new administration. ‘We don’t need some PC Geecee acting in his version of our own best interests!’ Mutate 416 declares. Havok replies that not every mutate is lucky enough to land a gig as a presidential bodyguard. ‘Your own people are being oppressed while you -’ Alex begins, but the mutate lunges at him: ‘While I do my job!’ he exclaims, telling Havok to save the “holier than thou” line. ‘We’re both government schleps just trying to make a living’ he exclaims.
Havok defends himself by unleashing his power against the mutate - splitting his liquid-like form in two. ‘Speak for yourself! The only reason I work for my government - the only reason - is to serve and protect - to be a voice for mutants who are victims of a society that fears and hates them!’ Alex explains, adding that he did not agree to lead X-Factor because he wanted to do it, but because he has to. Alex hangs his head, while Mutate 416 reforms behind him. Grinning, the mutate announces that he forget to introduce himself in all the excitement. ‘You reformed!?’ Alex exclaims, turning around.
The mutate reveals that he is code-named Piecemeal, and that as an energy-based mutant, he can use Havok’s plasma burst to his shape-shifting advantage. Piecemeal boasts that he can absorb all the technological refuse that Havok created with his tantrum, and bio-sonically command the refuse to crush Havok’s lackies to a mutant pulp. Multiple Man and Strong Guy are bound inside the rubble, while Madrox asks ‘Who are you calling “lackies”?’, to which Guido remarks ‘Since he was speaking in the plural…it’s fairly obvious he was referring to you’.
Piecemeal’s form shifts as he spins around and exclaims that he had nothing before he took this job, of his own free will. ‘Why should I care if every other mutate on this island falls off into the ocean and drowns like the mindless lemmings they are?’ he asks Alex. ‘You shouldn’t’ Alex tells him. ‘Fortunately for you…I care enough for both of us!’ Alex exclaims as he punches Piecemeal in the face, which solidifies and shatters him, the resulting action releasing Guido and Madrox from their prison.
‘I don’t get it. Your plasma burst didn’t do zip - but you managed to take the guy out in one punch?’ Guido exclaims. ‘You weren’t paying attention as per usual’ Havok replies, explaining that Piecemeal said his power was energy-based, so he assumed that meant the mutate was still impact sensitive. ‘I knew there was a reason Uncle Sam tapped you to be team leader’ Madrox remarks. ‘I mean -’ he begins, to which Alex replies, as he stands over Piecemeal, ‘No problem, Multiple Man. Sometimes I wonder myself’ Suddenly, a voice booms ‘All right, mutants - cease and desist!’. ‘Lookee here. The cavalry’ Guido remarks. ‘You’re kidding, right?’ Madrox exclaims. ‘We’ll show - who’s kidding!’ one of the magistrates exclaims. ‘No. We owe them the truth’ the President declares as the magistrates flank her. ‘Even if it means the end of our great nation!’ she exclaims.
Elsewhere, in the President’s home, ‘You’re sure?’ Pietro “Quicksilver” Maximoff asks over a video-monitor. ‘Positive’ Dr Valerie Cooper, X-Factor’s Government Liaison tells him. ‘It’s obvious that your “getaway” didn’t go very well’ Val points out. Valerie smiles oddly as she tells Quicksilver that there is no shame in taking a little downtime. ‘Believe me, everything in Genosha is fine - a virtual island paradise’ Valerie tells Quicksilver that the truth of the matter is he would only get in the way over here. ‘It seems I’m as little use to my “teammates” as I am to my wife and daughter’ Pietro mutters.
‘They just don’t appreciate you the way -’ Valerie begins, before Multiple Man enters the room. ‘Quicksilver? This is great! We could really -’ Jamie exclaims, before Valerie shoves her hand against his mouth, preventing him from talking.  The slap against Madrox’s face creates a dupe, as Valerie exclaims ‘Multiple Man - Quicksilver is just signing off’. ‘But -’, ‘But -’ Multiple Man and the dupe exclaim. ‘Say “good night”, Jamie!’ Valerie exclaims. ‘Good night, Jamie’ Pietro remarks, before the monitor turns off.
‘Why didn’t you tell him?’ Madrox and his dupe ask. ‘I told him everything he needed to know…the exception being that you’re an idiot!’ Valerie shouts, before grabbing Madrox and the dupe by the collars of their jackets and shaking them, shouting ‘A clown! A complete waste of a mutated gene!’. Madrox begins to reply ‘In some cultures, clowns are considered -’, but Valerie interrupts him, declaring that the only reason he is on this team is to prevent him from doing more damage to human / mutant relations than he already does just by breathing!
Valerie begins bashing Madrox against the ground, while Jamie asks her iof this is a caffeine thing. Valerie spins around and begins to storm away, leaving Multiple Man and several dupes wondering what was going on. ‘Was it something we said?’ one of them asks. ‘Shh’ another exclaims. ‘Quiet’ another of them remarks. ‘Don’t call attention to ourselves!’ another declares. ‘Contradict me again - question my authority - mock me in front of another member of X-Factor - you’re HISTORY!’ she shouts.
Later, Havok, Polaris Multiple Man, Strong Guy, Wolfsbane, and Valerie meet the President and Dr Sasha Ryan. ‘This is the best olive branch you could find? Another closed door meeting to discuss another problem that directly affects the mutates?’ Strong Guy asks. ‘It’s clear you people don’t have this “democracy” riff down pat yet’ Madrox declares. Havok agrees and asks why the X-Patriots have not been invited. ‘Or do you intend to let all your genetically altered citizens continue to think they’re acting of their own free will?’ Havok asks.
Dr Ryan announces that the more immediate problems, which by necessity demand all their resources, is a matter of national security. ‘Personally, I’m against discussing the matter with you - but this isn’t my decision’ ‘ she exclaims. ‘I get it - good diplomat / bad diplomat’ Guido remarks. Havok exclaims that this is not about politics, but respecting the civil rights of the people of Genosha, regardless of race, creed or DNA structure. ‘I can’t believe I just said that, but you know what I mean’ Havok adds. The President tells Havok that these are trying times for all of them. ‘Believe me when I say we want nothing more than to continue dedicating all our time and energy to fulfilling our responsibilities…as drafted by the UN Council at the end of the X-Tinction Agenda’.
The President continues, pointing out that if they do not resolve the more prominent threat to the mutate population. ‘The possibility exists that their mental conditioning, the so far irreparable “bonding” process, will become a non-issue’ she explains. Guido exclaims ‘”Mutate population”?’, ”non-issue”? can you be a little more vauge - for a fraction of a second it sounded like you were talking about real people!’. This annoys Sasha who shouts ‘I’m not going to stand here and by judged by a group of…of “mutants” - and foreigners at that!’. The President addresses Dr Ryan as “Genegineer” as she tries to calm her down.
‘You want to pass judgment?’ Dr Ryan asks, pressing a button, which results in a circular barrier appear out of the floor, as a series of panels separate, revealing the workspace beneath. ‘Whoa!’ Guido exclaims. ‘At least find out what it is your condemning’ Dr Ryan declares, explaining that, right now, they are standing in the observation theatre overlooking the intensive care quarantine unit at Genosha Mercy Hospital. Havok points out that according to Genoshan news broadcasts, this hospital was shut down due to budget cuts. ‘It’s supposed to be abandoned’ he exclaims. Dr Ryan replies that, officially, it is.
Madame President explains that for reasons they are about to reveal, it was important no one outside of the immediate medical personnel, led jointly by Sasha Ryan and Moira MacTaggert, knew of the horrors which necessitated such an extreme deception. ‘Welcome to our nightmare, X-Factor. Twenty-four hours a day. Every day for the past three weeks. We’ve had three teams of our most brilliant scientists working on a single problem. How to keep the mutates alive!’ the President exclaims as Alex, Lorna, Jamie, Guido, Rahne and Valerie look down into the hospital below, where scientists scurry about as mutates are hooked up to life-support machines.
‘You’re saying those people down there are dying? How? Why?’ Alex asks. The President replies that she wished they knew. ‘We’ve lost five mutates in as many weeks’ she reveals, adding that what started as little more than a ‘flu’ epidemic seems not to be a rapidly deteriorating genetic disorder targeting mutates. ‘Please - don’t let me die -’ one of the mutates below pleads. ‘We’re doing all we can, son. Try to get some rest’ one of the scientists exclaims. Guido turns away from the viewing platform: ‘Puh-leaze and a half! We’re supposed to believe Genosha has turned into some great humanitarian state! You think we’re not gonna realize you’re only concerned with the impact this news would have on the country’s economy and tourist industry?’
Suddenly, ‘Speaking for muhself, Mister Carosella, I’m not half as interested in their motives as in their commitment to finding a cure!’ a voice exclaims. Everyone turns to the sound of the new arrival. ‘Well, if they’ve managed to make a believer out of you…who am I to argue with my old boss?’ Multiple Man asks as someone in a quarantine suit emerges from the hospital. ‘That was a long time ago, Jamie Madrox - but I don’t doubt I could make use of yuir old skills as muh lab assistant’. She adds that their current theory is that the disorder is unique to mutates because of their accelerated DNA structures - a deadly side-effect of the process which turned them into slaves in the first place. ‘The only thing we know for sure is that, whatever is happening to these poor people - it is, at this point, untreatable!’ Dr Moira MacTaggert exclaims, removing the quarantine suit helmet.
Strong Guy asks if it affects mutates what will happen to Wolfsbane and to Pirouette. Moira replies that she cannot answer that, as they have no idea why it is affecting some people and not others. ‘There have yet to be any solid clues as to how this “disease” is transmitted’ Moira explains. Moira remarks that the technology here in Genosha is without par, she is leaving Genosha tonight to confer with an expert on genetics - Professor Charles Xavier. X-Factor play coy as Havok replies ‘Yes, we’re familiar with his work’, while thinking to himself that Moira knows the general public does not know about the Professor’s ties to the X-Men.
‘Are you telling me you’re flying back to the United States just to bat around ideas with Xavier?’ Valerie exclaims. ‘Not that ye need be concerned with muh travel arrangements, Doctor Cooper…but if ye must know, the Professor will be in France on related business’ Moira reveals. Moira begins to leave the room, announcing that she will be meeting Xavier in Paris in the morning. ‘Wish me Godspeed, X-Factor. I’ll need it!’ Moira tells them.
As Moira makes her way down a corridor, Wolfsbane runs after her. ‘I cannae believe what I’m seeing!’ Rahne exclaims. ‘I don’t expect ye to understand, child’ Moira replies. ‘Understand WHAT?’ Wolfsbane shouts. ‘That yuir leaving me - turning yuir back on me - again?’ Rahne asks. Moira turns and tells Rahne that she has to look at the bigger picture. ‘Acchh! What about ME!’ Wolfsbane exclaims. ‘I need someone to tell me muh life is not the mess it seems!’ Rahne declares. ‘I need a muther who’s supposed to love me!’ she shouts. Moira places a hand on Rahne’s forehead and replies ‘This isnae about muh love for ye. It’s about muh responsibilities as a scientist. I have to -’, but Rahne interrupts: ‘Ye dinnae have to do anything!’ she shouts, knocking Moira’s hand away.
‘Yuir choosing to leave me at a time I need ye most of all!’ Wolfsbane exclaims, adding that she has her own need of Moira’s “services” as a scientist. ‘Muh mind has been turned inside out, and silly me - I was hoping ye could help me make it right!’ Wolfsbane exclaims, deciding that she should have known better, after the mess that Moira made out of Proteus’s and Magneto’s minds. ’Ye finally realized ye are as bad a scientist as ye are a PARENT!’  Wolfsbane shouts. Rahne declares that if Moira could not help her own flesh and blood, Proteus, ‘Why should I expect you t’help an adopted waif like me?’
Silence falls, and Moira and Wolfsbane just look at each other for a time, before Moira turns around. ‘I have to get going’ she whispers as she leaves Wolfsbane behind. Rahne hangs her head and growls.
At that moment, in the intensive care unit, the scientists go about their business, as a frightened, lonely, dying mutate makes a desperate decision. Mutate 24601 looks at the life support system his withered body is hooked up to, and tells himself that he does not want to die here, even if the scientists are trying to help him, they are still the same people who turned him into a mutate originally. The mutate sits up while the scientists are changing shifts. He tells himself that he can escape, for if these are his last few hours, he would rather die as a man - he would rather die free, and he rips the wires from his body.
Madrox sees this, and exclaims that he doesn’t know what time “check-out” is around this place, but that it looks like one of the patients has opted for a room with a better view. The mutate has no delusions about escape. As he leaps into the disposal unit, he knows it leads to a series of tunnels below Genosha, and that those tunnels lead out to the sea. An alarm sounds, and Dr Ryan tells X-Factor that there is no need to be concerned, as a squad of magistrates has already mobilized to terminate the threat - to prevent the mutate from infecting others.
‘No one is “terminating” anyone - not while we’re here!’ Havok exclaims. ‘That’s a human being down in those tunnels - and we’re not going to let you track him down and kill him like some wild animal!’ Alex declares. With Lorna, Jamie, Guido and Rahne at his side, Alex leads his team into action: ‘X-Factor is going to bring him back…and to blazes with anyone who gets in our way!’ he boasts. ‘“Blazes”?’ Lorna whispers. ‘You know what I mean’ Alex tells her.


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

[Assistant]
untitled
In a barn, Jamie Madrox and Layla Miller find themselves on the business end of a single barreled shotgun, the owner of which demands to know who they are, where they came from and what they are doing there.
Good questions, the startled Madrox thinks to himself. The oldest ones pondered by mankind’s greatest philosophers and thinkers for as long as there’s been a mankind. Though Socrates, instead of a shotgun pointed at him, was forced to drink poison because he was accused of corrupting young people. People were oversensitive about their kid’s welfare, but nowadays… kids are pretty capable of taking care of themselves. “Put your hands in the air! Now!” the young man with the shotgun exclaims.
Seeming unconcerned, Madrox folds his arms across his chest. Calling him “kid,” Madrox tells him they’re not a threat. He swears. They were just… “Sightseeing,” Layla offers. He doesn’t care, the kid proclaims. Put their hands up! Still unmoved, Madrox calls the kid “son” and tells him, first, to put the gun down. His hands are shaking. He wouldn’t want it to go off accidentally. He’s not his son! the kid counters. Does he think he’s an idiot, he then asks. He knows how to use it! No way it could accident…
Suddenly, the kid is thrown backward off his feet when the shotgun goes off.
A short distance away in the main house, a woman is at the sink doing dishes when she hears the shot. Yelling the name of the child, “Terry,” she grabs a knife and races out the door and toward the barn. As she spans the distance to the barn, the woman prays for him to be all right. She’ll kill him if he’s not all right.
Appearing at the barn door, she finds Terry lying on the ground and races to his side. She asks him what happened, but Terry only manages to complain about his shoulder. The woman is confused but Madrox announces his presence by explaining that the recoil probably sprained it. The surprised woman immediately raises her kitchen knife at the sight of the two strangers: a man and a blonde woman, both of whom are enveloped in a sphere of light generated by the woman’s gauntlet. His arms still folded, Madrox informs her that this is all just a misunderstanding. He didn’t even realize anyone was living here. The “for sale” sign was out there and he didn’t see any vehicles…
Stopping in mid-thought, Madrox asks the woman about the cutlery in her hands, to which the woman asks back if the man with a force field is asking her about a knife. Fair point, he agrees. Trying a different tact, Madrox notes that saying they got off on the wrong foot is understating it. He is Jamie Madrox and his companion is Layla Miller. As Layla collapses the forcefield, Terry asks if they are with a gang. Receiving a confused reply, Terry points out the tattoos on their faces. He figures they were part of a gang. Uneasy at the question, Madrox sidesteps it, replying that that’s a… different thing. Returning to an earlier question, the woman asks Madrox why he’s there. Actually, he replies, he used to live here.
In short order, the four return to main house where Madrox relates his story, being careful to pick and choose which detail to leave out. He doesn’t see much point in telling her that his parents were murdered by an artificially created tornado… manufactured by one Mr. Tryp, who wanted to isolate him and observe the development of his mutant powers. So instead…
Placing her cup onto the table, the woman takes in Madrox’s story – that a tornado killed his parents and he just lived in the barn for… Years, Madrox replies. People just assumed he’d been killed, the body never found. When Terry asks how he ate, Madrox quips “with his mouth,” but the boy explains he meant where’d he find food to eat. To this, his Madrox explains that his dad built a fallout shelter He was, uh, kind of paranoid about nuclear accidents. It’s actually in the barn, under a trap door. There were enough canned goods in there to last years.
When the woman then suggests to Terry that they should check that out, Madrox notes that her boy’s named Terry. The woman confirms, adding that her name is Sally. Why? Is that funny? No, Madrox replies, he just knows another Terry; a woman. She works for him, actually. Sally then asks what sort of work, as he hasn’t said. Although that energy field thing they were waving about certainly caught her interest.
It’s a detective agency, Madrox replies. They look into… unusual cases. That’s why he happened to be in this neck of the woods. Someone in town contacted them. Asked if there’s something dangerous, Madrox replies no, not at all. Chances are it’s probably nothing. Their client is a young guy – a conspiracy theorist, near as he can tell – who’s convinced there’s something wrong with an old woman living in an apartment over the hardware store.
Asked if he means she’s sick, Madrox replies in the negative; nothing like that. Basically, he swears that this woman sits at her window and just starts out, twenty-four/seven. Never budges, never eats, never goes to the bathroom… Anyway, their client’s gone to the cops, talked to them about it… and obviously they haven’t done anything because it’s not illegal to stare out a window. And no other detective agency wanted the case because there doesn’t seem to be done, plus the client is kinda poor. So, he found them because, honestly, people like him always find them. They’re who people go to over stuff that nobody else understands… or, for that matter, wants to understand.
As Madrox explains, a portion of the team – consisting of Rictor, Monet, Longshot, Wolfsbane and Banshee – sits in a stretched vehicle a short distance from the location in question. While Strong Guy eyes the building with the hardware store from the shadows of an all across the street, Shatterstar surveys the entire location via binoculars on the elevated position of a roof down the street. Through the lenses, he spies the old woman in question, sitting at the window, just as described. However, as Shatterstar continues to observe, he sees the old woman looking back at him, at which point her eyes begin to grow green and her lips drawn back to reveal curved, pointed teeth. Looking up from his binoculars, Shatterstar calls the others over the radio and, a moment later, the team leaps forth from its vehicle and races down the street to the hardware store building.
Back at the farm, Sally tells Madrox that it all sounds exciting. It can be, Madrox admits, though most of the time it turns out to be routine stuff. And, if it’s not, his people can handle it. He wouldn’t be chatting with her if he didn’t have faith in them. Madrox then tries to change the subject away from him, but Sally is genuinely interested. He’s super hero investigators and she’s just a single mom with an ordinary ten year old. He’s so interesting and they’re so… not.
Interested himself, Terry asks Madrox if he’s super… what are his powers? Like, do the two of them join hands and turn into a bag of M&Ms? To this, Layla replies that she knows stuff. Told that’s not a power, Layla counters that it depends on what you know. Unconvinced, Terry asks Layla what does she know about him? Looking over her cup, Layla replies that he should have hid better. Taken aback, Terry asks what’s that supposed to mean. Instead of answering, however, Layla simply sips from her cup.
Silently considering this, Madrox thinks to himself that that’s not her only power. There’s the one that she doesn’t talk about. That she can restore the dead to life, but at the cost of their souls. Not long ago, their teammate, Guido, was shot, killed, then “miraculously” came back to life. He didn’t see Layla anywhere around there but, what is she was? What if she did it? What if she saved Guido’s life, but at the risk of him being an immoral… thing? And worst of all, what if she knows what he’s… thinking…? Madrox’s train of thought ends as Layla suddenly glances his direction.
At this point, Terry has given up and turns to Madrox, asking about his power. Funny he should ask, Madrox replies, punctuating it with a stomp of a foot. Half a moment later, a duplicate Madrox appears, startling Sally into dropping her stirring spoon. Declaring it “awesome!,” Terry asks how he does that. It just happens from enough of an impact, he replies. Terry then asks how it works. He means, a clone he gets but where does his clothes come from. He doesn’t really know, honestly, he admits. He’s afraid someday he’ll find out and won’t like the answer. When Terry then asks if he’s just like him, Madrox confirms… kind of…
Nearby, the dupe has recovered the dropped spoon and is washing it off. Sally tells him that he doesn’t have to do that, but the dupe snobbishly replies that he’s cleaning it to use it. Someone has to save the soup. Sally begs his pardon, only for the dupe to press. He saw the ingredients. If he acts quickly, he can salvage it… Growing more offended, Sally points out to “Ratatouille” that the recipe was her mother’s. To this, Madrox asks if “mommy” was Lucrezia Borgia. No? Then she should grab the tarragon and marjoram and they can get to work.
Back at the table, Madrox face-palms and tells Terry that it’s hard to explain. Like the clothes, Terry asks? Just like, Layla grins. Now thinking of the rest of the team, Terry asks what their powers are. Starting with the “other” Terry, Madrox explains that she goes by the name of Banshee. She’s been through a lot. Lost her dad, lost her… lost a lot. She doesn’t take crap from anybody and has a real mind of her own. Regarding her power, she has a sonic blast that hits you like a hundred anvils.
Back in town, the rest of X-Factor runs toward the hardware store. In the apartment above, the old woman’s eyes glow green, an action which is mirrored by Banshee’s. Seeming to lose control, Banshee lets loose a sonic scream, which is aimed toward Longshot. Luckily, Longshot leaps out of the way and into a bin filled with mattresses.
Longshot, Madrox continues explaining to Terry, throws knives with hyperaccuracy, can get psychic reads off objects… and also has incredible luck. Then there’s Wolfsbane, who’s kind of like a werewolf, but totally in control of the changes. And Rictor, who used to be able to create earthquakes, now has no powers, which he hates… but it also makes people underestimate him.
Back in town, Wolfsbane leaps into the air, drawing the attention of the psychically-controlled Banshee. Now distracted, Rictor approaches her from behind and clasps his hand over her mouth.
Then there’s Strong Guy, Madrox continues. Told that’s a stupid name, Madrox replies that that’s not something you argue with a guy who can shotput a tank. Then there’s Shatterstar. And, yeah, he knows, that’s also a stupid name. No, Terry replies. That’s kinda cool. Oh, okay, Madrox replies. He’s a warrior, who’s having a love affair with… swords. And last but not least… there’s M. Interrupting, Terry asks if he means the old lady from the James Bond movies, which Madrox denies. Her powers are basically pretty much do whatever she sets her mind to.
Back in town, Strong Guy lifts Shatterstar and prepares to toss him “fastball special” through the window of the old lady’s room. However, just before Strong Guy throws him, Shatterstar is grabbed by Monet, who flies him toward the window and throws him through it at point-blank range. As Shatterstar crashes through the window above, Strong Guy crashes through the front door of the hardware store.
That’s a lot of people on his team, Terry opines. Compared to a basketball team maybe, Madrox counters. But, when you put them all together… there’s really no challenge they can’t handle.
In town, erupting from what was once a hardware store, the old lady reveals herself to be a gigantic blob of writhing, green tentacles, in the center of which is a massive, toothy face. Together, the assembled team fights it with ever weapon and power at their disposal.
Swearing aloud, Sally informs the culinary dupe that she hates him. She means it. Serious hatred. The soup’s that good, he asks. Yes, she answers. It’s that good, damn him. He’s amazing. Still sitting at the table, Madrox tells Sally not to say that. It just encourages them… With that, he absorbs the dupe from across the kitchen, sucking the translucent dupe into his own body. Amazed, Terry asks Madrox how he did that, but receives a non-specific “little hazy on the mechanics” answer. Terry then asks if it hurts to absorb the dupe and, at first Madrox replies that it doesn’t, but then realizes that, actually, once. One time it hurt.
Suddenly, there is a knock at the door, with the voice on the other end yells within, asking if Madrox is there. He said this is where he would be! A few moments later, Madrox opens the door and begins to ask how’d it go, but quickly finds the scene before him not to be what he expected. As she and the rest of the group are dripping with green bodily fluids, with Shatterstar holding the severed head of the old lady, Banshee remarks, “Same old, same old. Pretty routine, actually.” To this, Guido adds that Madrox is lucky he missed it. He’d have been bored. Grinning at this, Longshot remarks that he missed it too. Lucky him. Just so he knows, a visibly annoyed Monet informs Madrox that, just so he knows, she’s spending the next week in a spa and sending him the bill.
Later, back at X-Factor HQ in New York City, Rictor remarks that they wind up fighting some kind of creature for half an hour while he’s chatting it up with a single mom. Dismissing the accusation, Madrox counters that he wasn’t chatting her guy. Mostly, he talked about all of them, actually. Speaking of “some kind of creature,” what kind was it? What did it want? Theresa answers, stating that it wasn’t exactly forthcoming with its goals. However, when it took over her mind, she could sense… it was old. Really old, and it was waiting for something. Asked what kind of something, Theresa is forced to reply no idea.
Entering the room in a bath robe while toweling her hair, Monet pronounces the upstairs shower to be free. Took long enough Rictor complains. As Rictor goes for his turn, Guido asks Madrox about the single mom… did he do her? Incredulous, Madrox replies that the most intimate it got was he gave her his business card. Asked how come, Madrox replies that she seemed nice and he figured you never know when she might need X-Factor.
At that moment, back in the kitchen of the farm house, Sally lies in a pool of her own blood. The kitchen itself is in shambles and, on its wall, is written words in blood: BB SEZ U SHOULD HAVE HID BETTER.


[Assistant]
X-Factor
Rictor stands on the snow-covered ledge of the building in Mutant Town that houses X-Factor Investigations. His breath hangs visibly on the air as he ponders his next decision.
Jamie Madrox AKA The Multiple Man provides the narration for this tension-filled scene. He explains that “X-Factor” refers to that unpredictable something. That unforeseen occurrence that changes everything in an instant. The things in life that you just don’t see coming. When that time comes and you don’t know how to handle it, that’s when you call X-Factor Investigations.
Jamie watches Rictor from a neighboring rooftop and wonders aloud what his old friend is up to. He wonders if this is a “cry for help” moment but decides that he doesn’t really believe in that and just finds this annoying. Still, since Rictor is a pal he can’t just stand around and do nothing. So Jamie does what Jamie does. He creates some dupes of himself to weigh his options. One particularly fatalistic dupe says it doesn’t really matter if he offs himself now since he’ll die in the upcoming nuclear holocaust anyway. Another thinks it should be Rictor’s choice and they shouldn’t interfere. Another insists that it’s too beautiful a night to die and that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Jamie decides that the last dupe has the right perspective to deal with the problem effectively. The dupe is enthusiastic about being chosen and rattles on about how appreciative he is.
Jamie orders the other dupes to toss the other across to the roof where Rictor is poised to jump. They toss the dupe who lands with a skillful roll. The real Jamie and the remaining dupes watch as the chosen dupe goes to talk down Rictor.
The real Jamie notes that the true problem with being a “multiple man” is that he can’t make up his mind on anything of importance since he can always choose every option by creating a new dupe to pursue each one that arises. No choice or direction is any more enticing since he never really has to choose just one.
The chosen dupe climbs down to where Rictor is contemplating his fate. He cheerfully says hello to Ric who asks what he’s doing there. The Jamie dupe says he’s there to keep him from doing anything stupid. Ric insists he not get too close and asks who sent him. The dupe replies that Rictor has made the nightly news. Ric looks down on the emergency crews and gathering onlookers and wonders if this is his fifteen minutes of fame. The dupe tells him that whatever it is, they can deal with it. Rictor explains that he’s not a mutant anymore and that that’s the one thing he can’t deal with.
Meanwhile at the Power Plant bar, Siryn is meeting with a young woman named Victoria. At Theresa’s request, Victoria has secured some information to help in taking down her boss, Mr. Manetta. Manetta was a con man whose schemes caused a lot of misery for the mutants in Mutant Town. Siryn tells Victoria that she’s done a great thing by taking this risk and that the lives of lots of people will be improved once Manetta is brought to justice.
 Victoria reaches across the table and places her hand on Siryn’s as she confesses that she did it because of her love for the red-haired mutant. Theresa looks down in shock and gently removes her hand from under Victoria’s. She begins to say that Victoria will be joining the witness protection program and Victoria interrupts and asks if Theresa will be going with her. Siryn says that she never promised that. Victoria says she just assumed they’d be together given their feelings for each other. Siryn is thrown for a loop by this and tries to explain to Victoria that her feelings have to do with her voice. Victoria interrupts and gushes about how much she loves Terry’s voice. It’s then that Siryn notices that the pages Victoria brought her are blank. Victoria says this is impossible as Siryn realizes that it may mean someone may have switched them. Victoria panics as she realizes someone may be on to her.
At that moment, the windows shatter as a rain of machine-gun fires mows down Victoria. Siryn moves to Victoria’s side and tells her they’ll get an ambulance and she’ll be fine. She tells Victoria to stay with her but it’s no use. She dies in Siryn’s arms. In anguish, Theresa lets out a sonic scream of “NO!” that shatters all the glass in the area.
Back on the rooftop, Jamie’s dupe is surprised to hear that Rictor is now powerless and himself exclaims “No!”. Ric explains that 90% of the mutant population are now mere “saps”, homo sapiens. Jamie replies that he thought the popular term was “norms” and Rictor explains that he hates that terms because it implies that being human is “normal”. For him, normal was being a mutant and in perfect tune with the planet itself. He explains to the dupe that most thought he could just make the ground shake. In reality, he was linked to the planet and could sense every shift and movement in the earth around him. He could feel the planet’s power and now he feels like someone has stuffed his head in a bag. He confesses that before losing his powers, he pitied everyone a little bit because they didn’t experience the world like he did. Now, he’s no different than those he once felt sorry for except he knows exactly what he’s lacking in a way they never did. He ends by telling “Jamie” that he has no idea what it’s like to feel alone in a crowd. “Jamie” replies “You’d be surprised.”
At that moment, Strong Guy yells “Surprise!” as he leaps in front of the getaway car of the woman who shot up the Power Plant and killed Victoria. She manages to swerve out of the way but Guido grabs ahold of her bumper, which pops off as she speeds away. Siryn arrives and Guido expresses his relief to see that she’s okay since he saw the bar getting shot up. Siryn is clearly angry and tells Guido he was supposed to be providing back-up. He says that he was coming and that she had said show up at eight and that it’s only a quarter of. Siryn is still angry and tells him he could have known she’d get there early. Guido retorts that he’s Strong Guy not “Psychic Guy” and starts to ask why Terry’s so upset. She beats him to it and exclaims that Victoria is dead and that it’s all his fault. He tells her flat-out to go to hell and she says she’ll meet him there as soon as she’s cleaned up his mess. He twists the bumper angrily in his hands as she flies off.
Jamie watches his dupe talking with Rictor and says into his radio communicator that “he seems to have things in hand.” Jamie explains to his unseen ally that his dupe is keeping Rictor talking and no one jumps to their death in the middle of a sentence. He urges whoever he’s talking to to get there quickly nevertheless. Jamie notes that he himself has a perverse side that probably would commit suicide in the middle of a sentence just to be funny. Recently, his dupes have been manifesting as aspects of his own personality. This new aspect of his powers has him questioning the worth of “Jamie Prime” now that he’s providing himself with competition.
On the rooftop, Jamie’s dupe is explaining the dynamics of X-Factor Investigations to Rictor. He notes that he started out small with Strong Guy and Wolfsbane helping out part-time. Rictor is surprised to hear that Rahne is involved. “Jamie” goes on to explain that he recently got a million dollars and increased the size and scope of the operation. He won the million on a game show. When asked to “phone a friend” he called his dupes who were busily researching the right answers to the question. Rictor asks what the million dollar question was. “Jamie” tells him it was “Who wrote ‘Mefisto in Onyx’ and that he knew right away it was Harlan Ellison.
He goes on to explain how he’s been sending his dupes out to learn new things and how he’s amassed an array of knowledge and skills as a result. He tells Rictor he used the money to buy the building where X-Factor Investigations was set up. He also set up bigger offices and some apartments for himself and the new operatives he’s hired on. He admits that they aren’t up to code, but the authorities steer clear of Mutant Town or what’s left of it. Rictor jokingly refers to it as the “Great Power Outage of 2005” and asks why they aren’t investigating that. “Jamie” replies “Who says we’re not?!?” and divulges that they got tons of calls from ex-mutants and it’s one of the cases they’re working on. Rictor asks who exactly “we” consists of.
“Jamie” provides a quick roll call: Siryn, who has recently discovered she can use her voice to enthrall others to adore her when she is completely calm. He notes that it only works on humans but that they’ll gladly sacrifice themselves just like with the sirens of myth.
 At that moment, Siryn catches up with the escaping shooter and uses her scream to drive her car into a light post. The woman gets out of the car, gun in hand. Siryn taunts her and begs her to try to shoot her. The woman refuses and turns the gun on herself to Siryn’s horror.
“Jamie” continues his roll call and mentions that M joined too. Rictor thinks he means the character from the Bond movies. “Jamie” clarifies that he means Monet St. Croix AKA M. Rictor seems put off by this, referring to her as “Supergirl-meets-Veronica Lodge” and notes that she looks down her nose at everybody. “Jamie” replies that it’s a really cute nose though. Rictor wonders if this is a sales pitch to try and get him to join. “Jamie” replies that they’d love to have him. Rictor reminds “Jamie” that he’s not a mutant anymore to which “Jamie” replies that 99% of detectives in the world aren’t mutants. Rictor says that he’s not a detective either.
 As “Jamie” begins to reply, an amplified voice from below calls up to Rictor and calls him a “flaming idjit”. Rictor looks down and says a weak hello to Rahne Sinclair, who is standing down below with a megaphone. She is angry and asks him if he knows what’ll happen to him if he commits suicide. She heatedly explains (in exhaustive and gory detail) that it’s a mortal sin and he’ll spend eternity in hell being tortured endlessly by demons if he goes through with it. He meekly retorts that in Japan it’s regarded as an honorable death. Rahne does not let up a bit and asks him if this looks like Japan to him. She asks if he sees any Shinto shrines or if there’s a Toshiro Mifune film fest up the street. He admits that he doesn’t. She affirms that it’s because they aren’t in “Bleedin’ Japan!” She ends her tirade by asking if he knows where he is?
This same question is echoed by Siryn who is asking the same question of young Layla Miller who has just shown up at X-Factor Investigations. Siryn is sitting with her feet on the table staring at a shot of liquor she’s poured for herself. She asks what the girl wants and Layla introduces herself. Siryn bitterly says that she answered “who” not “what” and Layla asks the Irish mutant if she’s going to drink that. Siryn says no. She explains that she’s an alcoholic and only gets to stare longingly at it and dwell on the fact that a young woman is dead because of her. Guido chimes in and says that he thought it was his fault. Siryn apologizes for how she unloaded on Strong Guy, who says he’s been called worse (by her on occasion). He begins to explain that he has some info on the shooter, but Layla interrupts and finishes his sentence. She explains that the woman was an operative from Singularity Investigations, a security agency for the rich and famous. Guido asks who Layla is and how she knew this. Layla introduces herself again and announces that she’s joining the group.
Outside, Rahne continues to provide detailed descriptions of hellish torture via her megaphone until Rictor gives in. “Jamie” helps him to his feet and asks if he’s okay. Rictor says he guesses he is and asks if “Jamie” is the real thing or a dupe. He confesses to being a dupe and how Jamie Prime thought it best to send a more optimistic aspect of his personality to talk Rictor down. Ric doesn’t fully get it and the dupe goes on to explain that he’s not really the optimistic side of Jamie Madrox. Rictor seems surprised as the dupe explains that he just tricked Jamie Prime into thinking that. The dupe smiles widely and explains that he’s really the perverse side of Jamie’s psyche, the part that compels Jamie to do the unexpected. He draws Rictor in close and whispers to him that he’s the unpredictable side of Jamie’s nature, the fly in the ointment… the x-factor. With that explained, the dupe shoves Rictor off the rooftop.


[Assistant]
Captive Audience
Rictor enters a café in the wee hours of the morning in search of Theresa Cassidy AKA Siryn. The waitress tells him to sit anywhere and Rictor clarifies that he was just looking for a friend. The waitress asks how friendly he’s thinking since her divorce was just finalized.
He stammers a bit and explains that he’s looking for his friend who frequents the café for breakfast. He had passed on an invite earlier and changed his mind. He mentions Theresa’s name and the waitress immediately recognizes her as Siryn, the girl with the lovely voice. She shares how a cockroach once jumped out of her omelet and her startled scream shattered every glass in the place.
The waitress, Candy, tells Rictor that she hasn’t seen Theresa at all that morning and that she’d been there the whole time. Candy asks if Rictor thinks something bad may have happened to her and he assures her that Theresa is probably fine. Candy asks him to tell her “hi” when he sees her.
Rictor walks out into the morning rain and notes that it’s a straight walk from the X-Factor offices to the café and he would have seen Siryn had she headed back there. As he walks back, he wonders if she could have gone somewhere else and notes that he’ll find her cell phone number at the office and if that doesn’t help, he can use the x-shaped tracers that the entire X-Factor staff wears. As he walks past an alleyway, he fails to notice Siryn’s discarded X-tracer or the trickle of blood that flows into the gutter from the alleyway.
This same trail of blood leads to the back door of an abandoned theater in Mutant Town. Inside, a bespectacled and disheveled man sits on the edge of the stage threading a needle as he explains that it’s lucky he happened by when he did. He relates his story of how he was a doctor before his mutant powers emerged and his life was completed derailed and was ruined. This left him with nothing unlike many mutants with flashier mutations and now he doesn’t even have his mutant power anymore. What he does have is his medical kit, wits and now someone to talk to. As he says this, Theresa Cassidy, beaten and bloodied, sits in a front row center seat bound by cords and gagged with a fetishistic ball gag.
Siryn’s captor introduces himself as Doctor Leery and notes that he’s heard all the obvious jokes about his name.  As he chats about these jokes, he gets closer to Theresa. She responds by kicking him square in the chest the moment he’s within range. Enraged, her kidnapper slaps her twice and calls her ungrateful for attacking him. He notes that she would be dead if it weren’t for him and that he reset the leg she just kicked him with. He says that he holds her life in his hands and is clearly intoxicated by the power that gives him. He grabs her forcefully and asks if she gets that. She looks up at him, her face bruised and the ball gag still in place. The look in her eyes speaks for her.
 Dr. Leery apologizes and casually notes that he has anger management issues. He explains that that’s how his life became so filled with trouble. His mutant power only kicked in when he was angry and he lost it one night in the ER and things got bloody. Siryn strains against her bonds to no avail.
Dr. Leery notes how funny it is that he finally has someone here to talk with and he’s not in the mood. He steps down from the stage and removes the ball gag from Siryn’s mouth. She tries to speak but cannot. He notes that the wounds on her neck suggest someone paralyzed her vocal cords through a drugged dart. He shows her a scalpel and warns her that if she kicks him again, he’ll sever her vocal cords permanently. To drive his point home, he plunges the scalpel into her leg.
 His point made, Dr. Leery spoon-feeds Theresa some vegetables from a can. He tells her he hated to do that since a doctor’s oath is to “first do no harm”. He asks her if she wants to live and she indicates that she does. He tells her that she can live there with him. He tells her that he finds the abandoned theater a great metaphor for the mutant race. Once thriving and magnificent, a thing of beauty, a work of art. But then the curtain fell and the drama was over. Despite great reviews, the show was over for mutantkind.
He tells her that he thinks X-Factor and the X-Men had something to do with all this. Siryn weakly tells him that he’s wrong and he disagrees. He says that he could survive as a mutant and now he doesn’t even have that! He places the scalpel on her neck and breaks the surface as he tells her that he wants to know who is responsible. He asks if it was her and she swears it wasn’t. He tells her that he once had great plans and now has nothing and that someone is going to pay for all he’s lost.
 The doctor says that he bets she thinks he’s vermin but that he’s a person who once had dreams that have been squashed right and left. He needs something to hold onto and he’s picked her. He says that when a group suddenly loses power, you’ve got to look to those who still have it and wonder why and what’s in it for them. He says that kidnapping her might give her team some incentive to look into the source of the M-Day depowering. He says that a mere note asking them to investigate things might not get their attentions but one with a lock of her hair or a more significant body part might get them to do something.
In the alley where Siryn was attacked, Rictor finds her X-Factor communicator. He picks it up and looks around the alleyway. He finds a lock of Theresa’s hair on a chain-link fence. He looks concerned as he passes the stage door. Some instinct tells him to turn back rather than exit the alleyway.
Inside, Theresa swears that X-Factor doesn’t need incentive and they’ll find out what caused the power outage. She tries to convince him that they are there to help. He tries to get her to promise to restore things to the way they were and she says she can’t do that since there’s no way she can know how things will turn out. He says she’ll have to make the leap of faith with him and tells her to swear it on her faith and soul and all she holds dear.
 As he says this, the scalpel gets closer and closer to her eye. Through a hoarse whisper, she tells him to go to hell and refuses to swear on holy things to make him think that she’s afraid of him. He tells her that she is afraid and she replies that he has no idea who he’s messing with. He says all he wanted was a little hope but if she won’t give him that he’ll take her tongue instead.
 As he leans forward menacingly, Rictor calls out for Terry to see if she’s inside. Leery replaces the ball gag as Rictor enters the stage wings.
As he enters the backstage area, Rictor realizes that calling out like that may not have been the smartest move. As he makes his way onto the stage, Leery sneaks up behind him. Rictor can hear Siryn who is bouncing up and down in her chair in an attempt to make some noise. As Rictor struggles to get through the heavy stage curtain, Dr. Leery raises his scalpel to stab Ric in the back. Rictor decides to simply crawl under the curtains.
 In the theater, Siryn manages to get her hands loose and quickly removes the ball gag. She lets out a sonic scream which shatters Leery’s glasses and drives the fragments into his eyes. Rictor spins around and grabs Leery’s wrist. The two struggle for a moment for control of the scalpel as Leery threatens to kill them both.
 He is ranting about how they stole his powers and life and how he wants them back. As they tussle, Leery gets tangled up in the ropes that control the curtains. They wrap around his neck.
Seizing the scalpel, Rictor cuts the rope and Leery is hoisted into the air as the sandbag hits the floor. Rictor finally gets the curtains open and sees Terry. He quickly leaps down to help her and asks if Leery did all this to her. She replies that she isn’t sure. Her voice is hoarse form the strain of the single sonic scream. Ric commends her on her timing. She tells him she hates playing the damsel in distress but that she can’t walk. He picks her up and carries her towards the door. Siryn thanks him and tells him weakly that she wasn’t afraid of Leery or of dying. Ric says that makes one of them. As he takes her out of the theater he tells her that “Candy says hi”.