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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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Ice Queen (1st story)
Fear (2nd story)
It’s the Thought that Counts (3rd story)
The Sound of Music (4th story)
First story:
In a crystal palace somewhere in Antarctica, there is a small jungle with wild animals in it. Watching a hawk killing and eating a small monkey, Kristal Van Helden recites her view on evolution. While some might think that mutants are the superior race and one day will inherit the Earth, she thinks they are wrong. Natural selection recognizes only two species - winners and losers - it makes no difference between human and mutant. Turning to Emma Frost, her prisoner, who is guarded by several armed men, Kristal tells her that Emma is both a freak and a loser, since she is incapable of harming her or any of her genetically engineered pets. Winning defines the genuinely superior being, just as true breeding takes precedence over the caprices of genetic mutation. She furthers taunts Emma, saying that the freaks and losers will only inherit the Earth when the winners are done with it. As off now, Emma is disinherited and is now Kristal‘s property, a permanent fixture in the Crystal Palace.
Now it’s Emma’s turn to make some snappy remarks, starting with her mocking the name Crystal Palace, as it sounds like that garish greenhouse the Victorians built to exhibit the plunder of their rotten empire. Emma goes on that it is rather déclassé, though on second thought, Van Helden practically reeks of the bourgeois pretensions of the nouveau riche, so it fits. Kristal, rather unimpressed, tells Emma that she can mock it all the way she wants, but the place incorporates state of the art psychotronic technology and that the crystalline structure of the industrial diamonds employed in it’s construction resonate with psionic energy, thus generating a dampening field that effectively disables both of Emma’s powers. However, finding an unfamiliar pornographic image in her head, Kristal realizes that she retained a feeble residue of her telepathy. She thinks it amusing, but warns Emma not to go too far. Otherwise, she would be forced to have her arms and legs amputated. Emma shows no fear and reveals that, from what little she can read of the other woman’s thoughts, she knew she would be willing to go that far and further.
Placing her hand on a special panel, Kristal opens a door to a lab complex. The guards lead Emma inside, where she is placed on an examination table with several scientists already waiting to run their tests. Van Helden tells Emma that, without her ability to switch to diamond form, she is as vulnerable as an oyster pried from its shell and her armor of upper-class pretension hardly will protect her naked flesh. “Pretension ?“ Emma claims to have no idea what the other woman is talking about. Van Helden tells her that she knows Emma is phony, she is no real aristocrat and not even English, as she claimed. She herself, on the other hand, stems from the Van Helden Dynasty that was established in South Africa in the 19th century and she was raised by her father to be the head of his business. His Ice Princess, he used to call her. Diamonds were their lives and Kristal’s birthright and, if not for those "ungrateful Kafirs" and their "nonsense about human rights abuses,“ they would still be owning the mines and her father would not have died of the strain of fleeing the country. On the operating table, Emma shows no pity, but instead brings up the term “Electra complex“.
While Emma is strapped to the operation table and prodded with needles and other lab equipment, Kristal Van Helden continues her story. Fortunately, her father had the foresight to diversify the business. A lucrative sideline trading exotic weaponry is all that remains of the family fortune. However, she soon found out that there are vast sums to be made with the right products. Also, she accepts only diamonds as any real currency and Kristal engages in any enterprise that increase her supply of the jewels. Emma Frost holds the key to ultimate fruitation in both endeavors. Calmly listening to all of this, Emma asks if her strange plans involve her being tortured to death in some fiendish sub-Bond villain method. Kristal tells her of course not, that would mean killing the goose that lays golden eggs. She allows Emma to live on for two reasons. For one, her mutant DNA will be used to produce suits of impenetrable exoplasmic armor that she can sell for a fortune and, second, Emma will be used to cultivate an infinite supply of diamonds. To her, Emma is a livestock now; a resource to be used and exploited. Still keeping her countenance, Emma says that beneath her obvious insanity, Van Helden is nothing more than spoiled Daddy’s girl with a Tiffany’s store card. Kristal, holding a sharp lab instrument in Emma’s face, returns the compliment, “And you, Miss Frost, are no better than a freakish, white Kafir!“
(an unknown amount of time later)
In her jungle, standing next to her pet tiger, Kristal asks Dr. Klein for a progress report. The scientist says that the production of the exoplasmic armor is on schedule. The designated hosts successfully metabolized the hybrid DNA grafts cultured from Frost’s bone marrow and they are already using lasers to remove the epidermal diamond constructs from the host bodies to build the armors from them. Once the nanotech interface operating systems are installed, the suits will be fully functional. However, there is a problem with using Emma to culture diamonds in the quantity Kristal required. As Emma’s crystal transformation power is genetic, it needs a living medium to manifest successfully and human hosts just aren’t up to it. They need a viable and sustaining matrix of living tissue to proceed. Kristal looks at her jungle and has an idea.
(again later)
In the lab, Emma opens her eyes with awareness. She is alone and nobody is there to hinder her. Emma gets up and puts her coat on. She leaves the room and makes her way through the complex  until she finds Van Helden in what used to be the jungle. Everything in it, plant and animal alike, is now made of organic diamond. Getting aware of Emma, Kristal calls her arrival unexpected, though is not bothered. Instead, she gloats about the creation of her Crystal Eden and that Daddy’s Ice Princess grew up to be the ultimate Ice Queen, which even must impress Emma. However, the telepath isn’t. Quite on the other hand, she says that if she had any aesthetic sense, she would realize how utterly vulgar such conspicuous displays of wealth are. Not amused by Emma’s statement, Kristal tells her prisoner to let go of her futile charade of defiance. She should accept that she is just another of Kristal’s possessions, just like the genetically engineered fauna and flora that have been implanted with her DNA. Emma’s is now part of a diamond-producing ecology and has no more power than the lowliest insect here.
Just as she says this, a diamond dragonfly passes Kristal’s face close enough to cut her across the cheek with it’s sharp wing. The self proclaimed Ice Queen is at disbelief; how can this be happening? Nothing can hurt her, the Crystal Eden is her creation, she made it. Emma smiles, “and who do you think put the idea in your head?“ Plucking a crystallized apple from a tree, Emma explains that the Crystal Palace’s psionic dampening field may have impaired her telepathy, she still managed to exploit Kristal’s greatest weakness - her insatiable greed for diamonds. Van Helden holds her head in pain, she feels Emma’s presence growing inside, as if razors are shedding her skin. She wonders how her prisoner can be doing this. Emma reminds her that the crystalline structure of diamond focuses energy but, as these diamonds were cultured from her own DNA, they are part of her and don’t just focus her energy - they amplify it. The more diamonds Kristal grew, the stronger Emma became, until she was strong enough to deactivate her defenses. Correcting Van Helden’s earlier statement, she is not part of some diamond producing ecology, all of this is an extension of her central nervous system.
To back up her claim, Emma calls up the diamond animals, who start attacking Van Helden’s staff, who, under Emma’s telepathic control, feel like five year old children in a petting zoo and do not realize the danger until it is too late. Suddenly, pieces of crystal start raining down. Van Helden, on her knees before Emma, asks what is happening and why everything is falling apart. Emma says that both Kristal’s plans and her cultured gems are fundamentally flawed as neither can handle the energy overload her boosted telepathy generates. It’s a chain reaction and once started, nothing can stop it. Emma excuses herself as she slips into something less vulnerable, her diamond form, and announces that it’s Kristalnacht, just as everything starts coming down around them.
Walking through the snowy wastelands of Antarctica, Emma thinks to herself that her diamond form may be impervious to the cold, but she’d have one hell of a walk home, that this if she hadn’t already read the minds of the geological research team stationed some twenty miles away. It’s funny what isolation and frustration can do to men’s libidos, Emma notes. As she approaches the research station, Emma finds that she has to agree with Kristal Van Helden in one point: Human or Mutant, evolution does recognize only two species: winner and loser. Among the ruins of her Crystal Palace, Kristal Van Helden’s body is impaled by a huge chunk of crystal.
Second story:
Carrying a bag, Danielle Moonstar marches through the snow towards a ski lodge. She recalls that she is a graduate of Xavier’s Institute, a mutant and a super hero, but today she is just a woman on a date. Usually, she is not the ski lodge kind of person, she prefers nature in a more natural way, but she met Paul hiking and he invited her. Inside the cabin, there are several people Dani’s age, one of them being Paul, who welcomes her. They hesitate, but then hug, and Dani thinks to herself that it’s one of those early relationship moments. There was a time in her life when she would not have considered dating a white man, but at Xavier’s she was taught not to fear people who are different.
Suddenly, the door slams open and three robbers storm in with guns. Dani’s instincts kick in and she quickly gets Paul out of harm’s way. One of the robbers taunts the frightened teens saying that they think their money can buy them safety and that, because they are rich, they thought they would never know fear, but they were wrong. He then tells them of their plan, he wants their parents to pay a ransom for them. Cowering next to a chair, Paul wonders where security is; someone has to do something. Dani knows he is right, someone has to do something, and that someone is her. She gets up and looks the masked robbers right into the eyes. When one asks if she doesn’t know fear, she says she does and that she will show it to them.
Dani uses her powers to project spirit illusions based on her opponents greatest fears. For one of the robbers it’s his wife and child blaming him for having failed them as they got evicted. The second gangsters is arachnophobic and the third can‘t overcome an inferiority complex caused by a mother, who was never satisfied with her child. The three robbers are all scared and put up no resistance when security finally arrives and detains them.
Paul walks over to Dani, at disbelief of what he just witnessed. She asks him to give her time to explain, though she would prefer to get changed first, but Paul declines. With guns he could deal, but this? Leaving the cabin the same way she came, Dani think to herself that, at Xavier’s, she was taught not to fear people that are different. Unfortunately, the rest of the world did not attend Xavier’s school.
Third story:
Jean returns to the mansion from a shopping trip. Still carrying her bags, she calls out if anybody is home, but nobody answers. Jean wonders if they forgot, but cheers herself up by thinking about the new boots she bought herself today. However, passing the library, she finds evidence of a fight. Dozens of books are lying on the ground, furniture is turned over and the curtains have been torn down. Further investigating the scene, Jean finds a pool of water and footprints on the ceiling, clear signs of Iceman’s and Beast’s involvement. She deduces that someone must have attacked the mansion and her comrades have chased them out of the window. However, outside, she saw no signs of struggle, so she wonders where everybody is right now.
Suddenly, she is contacted by the Pprofessor, who tells her to come to the Danger Room immediately. Jean drops her bags and rushes through the house, as the telepathic voice sounded as if he was in great trouble. Jean hopes that Xavier isn’t hurt. Once she reaches the Danger Room, Jean finds it empty, but the door slams shut behind her and a program is activated. A set of missiles are launched at her, but Jean telekinetically stops them in mid-air. Next, a giant robot approaches her from behind with rotating saw blades instead of hands. Jean thinks fast and gets out of the way, while releasing the missiles from her mental hold. The two threats effectively dealt with other. Jean thinks that she needs to find the others, but another device is switched on. From beneath the ground, mechanical tentacles reach for her, but Jean easily deals with them by telekinetically knotting them together. Annoyed, Jean cries out to whoever her opponent is that they should release her friends.
Once more, Jean hears Xavier‘s voice inside her head, this time telling her that he is in the den. Jean again hurries to that location, trying to ask her mentor what became of the rest of the team, but the telepathic connection has broken off. Before opening the door, Jean rests a few seconds, trying to prepare herself for whatever might be waiting on the other side. Thinking of her friends, she opens the door and is greeted by a “Surprise !“
It’s the Professor, along with Bobby, Hank, Warren and Scott. They congratulate Jean on her birthday and apologize for the Danger Room ruse, but they hadn’t finished the party preparations yet as they didn't expect her to be home that early. Hank then presents his present, it‘s an X-shaped birthday cake, with a single candle in the middle. Jean thanks him and Bobby is eager to show his own present. It’s an ice sculpture, and Jean thanks him for the “most  beautiful, uhh ... goose“ she has ever seen. Devastated, Bobby explains that it is supposed to be a swan. Warren comes next and opens a small box. Jean is startled by the pair of diamond earrings in it, saying that they are too much. Hank and Bobby tell Warren that he is a show-off, using his money to outmatch them.
Scott comes over and apologizes to Jean that he didn’t have much to spend and that he is not as creative as Hank or Bobby, but he still hopes she likes his present. The redhead opens the package, revealing a framed picture of the X-Men in their first costumes, standing in front of the mansion.  Scott explains that it was taken on the day the team first received the costumes. Jean says she remembers. She was such a brat back then, whining all about fashion and style. She tells Scott that he is the best and kisses him on the cheek. The other boys get mad. They spent hours and lots of money for their presents, but it’s Scott who gets the kiss?
Finally, Xavier hands his present to Jean. He tells that Scott’s gift gave him an idea and asks Jean to try on the outfit in the box. The redhead leaves the room, promising she’ll be back in a minute, and tells the others to get the party started and to put on some music. Hank catches the hint and tells Scott that, obviously, Jean wants to dance with him. More than a minute later, Iceman is starting to get bored until Jean returns, wearing a revealing green mini-dress outfit with yellow mask, gloves, belt and boots. All the guys like the way she looks and are eager to get Jean a drink. Jean leans over to the professor and hugs him. She loves the colors of the new uniform and it perfectly matches with her new boots.
Fourth story:
Charles Xavier is at a hospital at the request of a friend named Dr. Marc Dale. He wants the professor to examine a girl. There is nothing physically wrong with her and so far she has been diagnose as autistic or catatonic, but Dale believes there is more to her. They are interrupted by a young woman approaching them, looking for Dr. Dale. The doctor tells her that she found him and asks how he can help her. The woman says that her arm hurts. She is a typist, which means it really is a problem. Marc Dale examines her wrist and concludes that it is nothing worse than carpal tunnel syndrome. He could easily help her, but first she would have to sign a prevent harassment suit. From the woman’s reaction, Dr. Dale can tell that whoever sent her to him failed to explain how his healing power works. He needs to make “physical“ contact and, for such a mild disease, a kiss should be enough. If it were a more malign matter, it would be necessary to make love. The woman does not believe him and angrily slaps him, before storming out.
Having witnessed the entire exchange, Xavier asks his friend if that happens a lot to him. Dale confirms it, but tells Xavier not to mind. Reaching the psychiatric ward, Xavier thinks that Dr. Dale is a good man and he calls him rarely, but always with good reason. Dale opens the door to the room where the girl, Tasha, is and tells Xavier he will give them some time alone. The professor wheels over to the dark-haired girl and introduces himself. Xavier thinks that he has seen cases like hers before, sometimes he was able to help, sometimes not, but whatever the case, it always feels good to enter the astral plane as he is never chair-ridden there. The professor reaches out to Tasha both physically and mentally.
(on the astral plane)
Many sheets of paper are falling down on a crowded place, lots of people are passing by, reading newspapers or talking to each other on their cell phones. None of them seems to recognize the girl that is sitting in between them, covering her head between her knees. Xavier, now one of the people in the crowd, knows that his guess was correct. Tasha is a telepath, though a passive one. She can only receive but not send. The professor calls out to Tasha and sits down next to her. Tasha mumbles “People. All the people... so many people... talking“. Xavier understands that, upon hitting puberty, the girl must have been confused by the many voices in her head, until it finally got so crowded that she completely withdrew. The professor advises Tasha not to listen to the other voices, to just concentrate on his and follow into his mind.
The two telepaths find themselves in a place that looks like an abandoned cathedral. Tasha is surprised that Xavier’s mind is so empty. He explains that it is as empty as he wants it to be as he controls his mind. He tells Tasha that she can learn this sort of control too. Xavier asks the young girl if there is anything she likes, anything that makes her happy. “Crystals,“ she answers. The professor says that they will do fine and suggests Tasha to build herself a crystal house. The girl doesn’t know how, but he encourages her to try and immediately the scenery changes into a warm place with crystal flowers and ornaments surrounding them. Tasha is happy and asks if she can stay in there forever, but the professor tells her no, as that would be no different than what she did before. He explains that this place will be her sanctuary, but she also needs to learn how to deal with people.
Tasha is shocked to hear this, “No! Not people! Not again! Never again!“. Xavier touches her by the shoulder, asking Tasha to let them in one by one, but she gives in to despair. She thinks there are too many of them and they all want in. A wall of the crystal place rips open and a crowd of people are marching towards the two telepaths. Tasha holds her head and screams in pain. The professor raises his hand, blocking out the thoughts of the approaching crowd. Xavier apologizes to Tasha, he was pushing it too fast. He wants her to try once more, this time with his guidance. Telling the girl to concentrate on his voice alone, he asks Tasha what it looks like in her mind. The girl thinks about it and is surprised by the answer she comes up with, “a note?“ The professor says that’s very good and that he would like one more note in, so that she could try to weave them together. Tasha is doing fine and Xavier lets in a third voice. She says that it’s becoming a melody and the professor agrees; that it is a very good way of looking at it. It’s a melody to which everybody contributes a note, a never ending symphony of life. The astral surroundings change again into street  with several people walking by. Tasha no longer is afraid, instead she feels like humming along.
(reality)
Back in the hospital room, Xavier and Tasha hold hands and smile at each other. The professor wheels out of the room, searching for his friend, Dr. Dale. He finds him kissing the woman who slapped him earlier on and excuses himself. A few seconds later, Dale has finished his “treatment“ and the woman leaves. Xavier wonders why she came back, but his friend says they all do once they are over the initial shock. In fact, he is even a little bit sorry that she had nothing more serious that would have required more of his treatment. Xavier and Marc Dale contemplate that it’s not easy being a healer, but at least they live vicariously through every life they mend. That’s reward enough.
Dr. Dale offers to call Xavier a cab, but he refuses. Jean will pick him up when she is done with her errands. In the meantime, he’ll just sit there and listen to some music. Xavier thinks that not only did he help Tasha, but she did help him as well with giving him a fresh pair of eyes and a chance to see the world anew.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Keepsake (1st story)
 Lockheed, the Dragon (2nd story)
First story :
Roberto daCosta, the former New Mutant Sunspot, is a very rich, young man, who seemingly needs to worry about nothing. Worry, however, he does, when an alarm goes off on his computer. A list of names of his former teammates appears and it becomes clear that something has happened to his friend, Rahne Sinclair, formerly the New Mutant Wolfsbane.
Elsewhere, in the vicinity of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, lies the reason for his concern. Two schoolgirls on a fieldtrip were mugged. One of them, Rahne, heavily injured with a skull fracture, is being rushed to the emergency room, while her friend is in shock. The police has neither witnesses nor leads.
A few hours earlier:
 Rahne and her friend Ruth are visiting the Met. Rahne gushes about the building and, even more so, about the exhibition on Scottish history: the treasures of one of Scotland’s greatest leaders - Robert the Bruce.
Ruth gently mocks Rahne’s enthusiasm as they stand before a statue of the king and claims that Mel Gibson – as Braveheart - looked ‘a lot more great.’ Rahne, seriously, answers that the Scottish people revere both William Wallace and the King. Looking at the statue, Ruth wonders about the King’s belt with its X-symbol. It doesn’t look very medieval. With a grin, Rahne tells her that she gave it to him and that, in return, he gave her the silver and emerald necklace she is wearing. Ruth calls her a liar. And that necklace is costume jewelry, isn’t it? She urges Rahne to tell her the whole story and Rahne tells her all about her trip through time with the New Mutants years ago, while they leave the museum. Hearing about her friend’s fantastic past adventures, Ruth wishes she’d been a student at Xavier’s then. The place sounds so much cooler. So how come Rahne and her friends aren’t together anymore?
Suddenly, the two girls find themselves accosted by two menacing men, one of them suggesting that they share their wealth with the underclass. Rahne tosses him to the ground with a judo move and suggests in turn that they get a job. The other man grabs Rahne from behind, belts her and grabs the necklace. While the men run off, Rahne falls and hits her head hard. Ruth holds the unconscious Rahne, shouting for help.
the present:
Rahne awakes finding not only a doctor and a cop in her room but also her best friend, Dani Moonstar, waiting at her bedside. Dani and Dr. Rusch both remark that Rahne has improved at an unusual speed. While she is no longer a werewolf, her body still heals as quickly as ever. Rahne wonders what her friend is doing here and Dani explains that, for some reason, the psychic bond between them still exists. When Rahne got clobbered, Dani felt it. Does Dani feel everything she does, Rahne asks, somewhat embarrassed, and Dani jokingly gives her an evasive answer. She urges the younger girl to rest, but Rahne refuses and demands her clothes instead. She wants to leave.
The policeman tells Dani that they may have some pretty decent description of the perps from Rahne’s classmates, but it will still take a small miracle to find them. Their best bet is to wait for the necklace to resurface as soon as it’s sold. They may get lucky. They prefer to make their own luck, Dani replies. The officer answers that he knows she is from that “mutie school” in Westchester, but this is a job for the police. If they want to make themselves useful, they should save the world or something. Dr. Rusch agrees. Rahne is in no condition to play vigilante. Rahne who has finished dressing insist that she’s fine. The necklace was a keepsake from her king and is as precious to her as her life. She won’t rest until she has it back. And how is she going to find it, Dani asks. She has the boy’s scent, Rahne surprisingly answers.
That night, downtown in a club, Carl - one of the two perps – is rather unsuccessfully trying his luck with the lady when somebody taps him on the shoulder. Impatiently, he states that he is trying to have a conversation here. Rahne drop-kicks him and tells him this’ll only take a moment. Carl runs out, panicked, shouting to his partner, Jackie, that the girl from the park has found him. Jackie asks what the problem is; she’s just a girl, after all, and draws his gun, only to get hit by one of Dani’s psychic arrows. The men try to get to their car but it gets trashed by the newest arrival – Sam Guthrie, another former New Mutant.
Sam asks what their next move is and Rahne replies that she’d like to rip out the men’s hearts. One of the men is incredulous, the other is panicking – he believes “muties” are monsters. Dani mentally grabs onto that emotion and produces fear images to scare the men out of their wits, until they talk. Rahne hugs Sam, happy that he has joined them and that Dani called him. Dani corrects her. It wasn’t her who informed him. It doesn’t matter to Rahne. They are together again and they know where to look next for their necklace.
A little later, joined by another former member - Shan Coy Manh - they extract information from the owner of a pawnshop. Slowly, the trail leads them to the current owner of the necklace, situated in a very exclusive enclave on the Connecticut shore of Long Island South. After dispatching one of the guards, the mutant bust in on what appears to be a business deal between Mister Trigorin of the Odessa Mafia and the last, original New Mutant, Roberto daCosta. Roberto was just negotiating with Trigorin for the necklace. Unfortunately, with the commotion, the others started Trigorin and his heavily armed bodyguards are spoiling for a fight. They get it, not realizing that they don’t stand a chance.
A little later, overseeing what’s left of the gangster’s mansion, Shan jokes that, just as is the case with the X-Men, you can always tell where the New Mutants have been from the destruction they leave in their wake. Sam angrily asks Roberto why he didn’t clue them in on his plan, to which the younger man answers that he didn’t think they’d get here so fast. It’s been so long since they last were together, he’d forgotten how formidable a team they make.
Later still, at their former favorite hangout, Harry’s Hideaway, Rahne shows them the necklace and what’s hidden in the secret compartment behind the emerald: a snapshot of the original New Mutants (along with the newer members Magik, Magma and Warlock). Those were the best times for her, Rahne muses. Before she joined them, she never had a family and, when they drifted apart, it broke her heart. Times change, people can’t stay the same, Roberto shrugs. Doesn’t mean one has to turn one’s back on their beliefs, Sam retorts sharply, accusing Bobby of looking “pretty chummy with that Mafia guy.” It was business, Bobby replies, defending himself. Occasionally, he does business with people like him. Is that such a problem? It is to Sam: the ethics Professor Xavier taught them apply to life as much as to their powers. Like Xavier’s the most exemplary role model there ever was, Roberto scoffs. And who is Sam to talk? Or Dani? Both of them crossed the line between ideals and reality more than once. The difference is while they did it in costumes, Roberto does it in a boardroom. Nothing turns out the way they dreamed. That’s a fact of life, he adds wistfully. That doesn’t mean they should stop trying, Rahne insists and Sam adds that, if Bobby truly believed that, he wouldn’t have called the others when Rahne got hurt. He had his plan, he didn’t need them, after all. Unless it meant something to have the five of them together again, even if only for a day.
His father had nobody, Bobby starts. Once he clawed himself out of the favelas - the slums of Rio de Janeiro - he never looked back. But he could never trust his new life or truly accept his wife’s love either. In his heart, he believed all of this was a lie, his whole life. Roberto admits his fear: that without his friends he would be the same. Knowing them as friends and family means he is worthy of anything. Miracles happen and ideals can become reality. And yet, he hesitates, he is still his father’s son. He can be his own man regardless, Dani calms him. That’s why they watch each other’s backs Sam adds. Rahne proposes a toast to all of them and to Moira MacTaggert, her foster mother who helped to shape them and gave them a legacy to be proud of.
Second story :
The North of England, months ago:
Hunters and their dogs are after the creature that has burned down Glovner’s barn, a creature they consider a monster, a creature that’s actually just a lost, little dragon named Lockheed. He became separated from his mistress, Kitty Pryde, in a battle some time ago, believing her dead, a pain that is worse than the pain of his injured wing.
Lockheed snarls at the hunters that have finally caught up with him, but refuses to kill them, because Kitty would not want him to. He tries to scare them away with a gust of flame breath, all the while knowing that it won’t be enough. The hunters shoot at him only to suddenly find that impossibly their bullets have turned into butterflies. They are accosted by two young girls, asking them if there is any trouble with their guns. “Lord help us! The Wolcroft sisters,” one of the men mutters in terror. Aye, the one girl with the black curls, Martina, amiably agrees and it’s time for the men to go home now. Anything could happen to a poor soul on the moors at night… The other sister, the brunette Regina, states that the creature is now under their protection. One of the men tries to hide his fear behind brave words, threatening that nobody would miss the girls if they were to disappear in the woods. Three are more than enough of them to handle the girls. He is unaware that his friends are already running away, until the girls tell him. In terror, he joins them.
The girls turn towards the still snarling Lockheed. Fearlessly, Martina shuts his snout and cuddles him as the girls decide to keep him and call him Dragon. Lockheed feels that, when he closes his eyes, it’s almost like being with Kitty again.
Later, at their home, the girls’ very high-strung mother asks what that is. The girls off-handedly tell her it’s a dragon and ask if they can keep it. Despite the polite question, it is very clear that they have the say in the house, not their mother. When she suggests that pets need attention and that someone may have lost him, suddenly a small storm cloud gathers over her. The girls promise that they will look after him and their mother offers that she’ll put up a bowl of water for him. The girls scoff. He’s a dragon! He must drink petrol and eat charcoals! The mother decides they should work it out in the morning and almost flees the room.
The next morning, the girls take Lockheed along to school in Martina’s knapsack. Regina wants to show him to another girl named Thorne, to make her jealous, but Martina decides to wait until the time is right.
Lockheed spends the following days hidden with the sisters, unaware that everybody lives in fear of the twins and their odd powers, from the teachers who tolerate wrong answers from them to the shop owners who give them whatever they want for free.
Lockheed does realize, though, that something is odd about the town. When a police officer scolds the twins, the next moment he is spitting maggots from his whistle. When the twins see a shop owner chiding her son, the next moment her finger turns into wood and the twins always laugh. Only in the presence of another older girl named Thorne does the twins’ joy evaporate. Thorne seems stern and unpleasant to Lockheed and he would be glad to help the twins do something about her.
One day, the girls watch one nerdy-looking boy named Andrew Frazer in the grocery. Both of them dislike him and decide to have some fun with him Before Lockheed’s eyes an apple rises and drifts into Andrew Frazer’s pockets while the boy is just greeting Martina. Lockheed comes to the conclusion that Andrew is a thief, claws open the knapsack a bit and spits fire on Andrew’s shoe. Andrew yelps and upset the apple cart. The girls take the opportunity to accuse him of theft and the shop owner intends to have a closer look at him. Andrew protests as he finds the apple: Everybody always believes the girls - he is sick of it. Suddenly, the apple in his hand and all the apples in fact turn into rats. The shop owner tells Andrew to keep a civil tongue in his head or does he think the girls can only turn apples into rats?
Something, however, does not go as expected by the girls, for suddenly all the rats coalesce into one huge rat that says “enough.” Subsequently, this rat turns into Thorne, who tells the girls to go home. Martina tells her to leave them alone and intends to blurt out that they now have a dragon, but Regina covers her mouth. She tells her sister in whispers that Thorne can turn everything they make against them, right? They didn’t make Dragon, but if Thorne thinks they did and can’t control him she’ll lose her confidence. Martina understands and commends Regina’s cleverness. Regina turns to Thorne and challenges the other girl who is not overly impressed and tells them to get it over with. She has a history paper to write. She promises not to hurt them much.
The girls stand opposite each other outside on the street and Martina, clutching her bag in her arms, orders Regina to bring her some flowers. She slips the flowers into her bag, and lets Lockheed out claiming that she changed the flowers into he dragon. Original, Thorne concedes, but what they can do she can undo. She gestures at Lockheed intending to change him back into flowers and fails. Angrily, Lockheed spits fire at her to chase her away.
Surprisingly, Thorne doesn’t run, but tells him that he doesn’t really want to hurt her, does he? She asks his name, while the sisters shout that his name is Dragon and order him to fire again or they’ll hurt him. Lockheed grows bewildered. His friends have suddenly turned mean, while his alleged enemy seems to exhibit some traits of his beloved Kitty. Thorne gently touches him and takes him on her arm and states that his name is Lockheed. The sisters grow angry, threaten him further and throw a stone at him.
That’s enough. Feeling betrayed, Lockheed fires at them, burning off their hair. Shocked, the sisters run home, claiming they hear their mother calling them. Thorne takes a look at Lockheed’s injured wing and heals it. The grateful little dragon licks her face. Thorne tosses him up in the air. She knows he’d like to stay with her and she’d love him to, but he has to know that she is alive. She thought he was dead or she never would have left him. Thorne would love to keep him, but he belongs with Kitty. She shouts after him that he’ll find her in Chicago and that she’ll be ever so happy to see him. Happily, Lockheed flies towards America.


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[Assistant]
Can They Suffer?
On the grounds of Xavier’s Institute, two friends, Sammy and Carter, are swimming in the estate’s pond. Sammy is able to breath under water, while Carter is not. Carter does not seem to mind, though, because under the water the two friends seem to come closer to another civilization and his friend Sammy seems the happiest there. Sammy swims towards the fish and smiles as bright colored schools of fish float by. In Sammy’s mind, he thinks about how their day is starting out so normal.
Above the water and on land, Sammy and Carter surface to the sound of Annie, Carter’s mom, scolding him for being under to long. Just like a mother hen, Cain Marko voices his complaint to Sammy, as well about his length of time out of his sight. Kurt Wagner stands by Cain and tells his new friend about how motherly he sounds. Carter, continuing to act like he wasn’t in the wrong, tells Kurt that next time he should join them for a swim. Kurt jokingly tells Carter that he doesn’t want to swim, because of the fowl odor his fur becomes. Cain looks at the ground and asks if Kurt’s smell is what killed the fish he is now seeing. Sammy hurries to the fishes’ side and tells the others that it looks like somebody has stepped on them. Cain tells Sammy that it was probably some local kids just being young and impetuous. Cain looking at Sammy tells him that they are just… fish. Looking like he just stuck his foot in his mouth, Cain sees the glaring stare coming back from Sammy. Trying to save face, Cain tells Sammy that he didn’t mean it bad and that Sammy doesn’t look like a fish. Sammy takes his towel and begins to walk to the mansion, without saying a word to Cain or the others. Cain calls after his friend to understand that the fish in the pond have no nerve endings so they can’t be like him. After Sammy is gone, Cain states aloud about the sensitivity of kids these days. Kurt, taunting Cain, tells him that it seemed like Sammy was being incredibly constrained for not kicking him where it counts, like he should of.
Walking into Jean’s study, Sammy asks Jean for a moment of her time. Jean, her book hovering around her, tells Sammy that her door is always open for the students of the Institute. Jean, floating the books down onto her desk, turns to look at Sammy and tells him that she has heard a lot about him from the others. Sammy tells her that he has heard a lot about her and it all is great. Sammy tells Jean that he knows of her powers and wonders if she could use them to find someone for her. Jean tells Sammy that her answer depends on the reason and who it is he is looking for. Screaming out in anger, Sammy tells her that it is someone who killed a bunch of his friends.
Storming down the hallway, Sammy seems determined to go somewhere for something important. Cain, still in his swimming trunks, follows close behind. He tells Sammy that he heard he went to Jean to ask about the kids that killed the fish. Sammy tells Cain that the school seems to be a large gossip factory. Cain, getting closer to Sammy, tells him that the entire school thinks he’s… Sammy interrupts; finishing his sentence; he tells Cain that the others think him crazy! Cain tries to calm Sammy down, but he only makes him angrier. Sammy walks away from Cain, as Cain calls out to him that he needs a reality check.
Bashing into Xavier’s office, Sammy tells Xavier that he needs to talk to him. Wolverine, Scott and Bobby all are in the room and Scott tells Sammy that the four of them are having a meeting. Bobby eases Scott down and tells him to let Sammy have his say. Sammy calls Bobby “ice-head” and tells him about the fishes’ death and how he asked Jean, who told him to ask Xavier about finding the killers. Iceman urges Sammy on to talk to Xavier and it works. Sammy tells the others in the room about what Jean said about invasion of privacy. Xavier tells Sammy that if he asked her to read someone’s mind, then he knows why she said no. He explains that most telepaths find going into someone’s mind without that person’s knowledge wrong. Sammy angrily tells Xavier that they do have the right, because that someone has invaded their property and killed members of the estate. Xavier tells Sammy that his worries still don’t justify a mind-scan, because the matter isn’t that important.
Coming into the office, Carter holds onto a dead lapdog and Annie, Carter’s mother, comes in right behind him. She tells Xavier that something hideous has happened and she explains how Carter found the dog beaten near a nearby fence on their property. Jean, who suddenly appears, touches the dog and tells the others that the death was recent and the dog still has residual memories stored about the events. Touching the dog, Jean begins to feel its pain and how the three boys tortured the dog. She feels how helpless the dog was and how the only need of the dog was to get back to its guardian and sit on her lap. Feeling more of the pain, Jean begins to lose control. Scott, worried about his wife, screams at her to let go of the dog’s memories. Calling for Bobby’s help, the two friends pull Jean off the dog and, with Xavier’s coaching, Jean comes back to reality, still visually shaken from the experience. Pleading for Scott, he comes to her side and the two embrace as he tries to comfort her. She tells the others how the dog was in so much pain and how the boys seemed to get more excited as they tortured the animal. Near the door, Cain interrupts everyone, as he states about how insane they’re all acting over a stupid dog. Immediately, everyone goes silent and they stare at Cain. Feeling uncomfortable Cain asks the others why they seem to question him? Scott interrupts the silence with the revelation that Logan is no longer with them.
Elsewhere, in a tree house, three children hold down a squirrel as they try to vivisect it. Around the tree house, animals hang nailed to the wall, with a picture of a gun and empty soda cans lying near the floor. The squirrel, still alive, squirms in one of the boy’s hands. Another boy asks the others if they should really be hurting the squirrel in the tree house? They’re going to get blood everywhere. Behind them in a window, a shadowy figure pops his claws. He tells them that he was thinking the same thing, but he was thinking it would be their blood. The children scream in horror as they see Logan baring his claws before them. The one child holding the squirrel screams out in pain, as the animal frees itself from its captures and bites the boy as it departs. Logan shadows his face with his claws, telling the boys that he knows it must have hurt, being bitten by the squirrel, but they should just imagine how it will be like losing a leg! One of the children tries to jump out the window, but Logan pulls him back in, throwing him into a nearby wall. Logan tells the children that they are going to talk about manly behavior and how they’re actions are… “Hey,” Logan exclaims, as he is lifted into the air by one giant hand.
That hand is Cain Marko, also known as the Juggernaut. In their X-Uniforms, the X-men stand around the tree house. Juggernaut, in full armor, asks what the fuss is about the others wanting to talk to the children? He tells the others that it is just boys being boys and none of the X-Men belong there, meddling in the children’s lives. Xavier tells Juggernaut that he disagrees with him. Xavier tells Juggernaut that what the boys were doing is considered torture and they must be stopped. Suddenly, the children begin to float out of the tree house and Jean tells them to remain calm. Juggernaut argues with Xavier telling him that humans are the top of the food chain and that gives them the right to do whatever when it comes to animals. Jean tells Juggernaut that she can now see how once he considered Mutants in the same way.
Logan tells Jean that Juggy’s feelings have always been obvious to him. Sammy looks at Juggernaut hurt and confused. Cain tells him that the others are twisting his words and what he said wasn’t meant to be insulting. He tells Sammy that he knows he isn’t an animal. Sammy tells Cain that he is an animal and that they all are animals. Telling Cain that even that doesn’t matter, he goes on to say that it’s about empathy; how the animals feel the joy and the pain everyone brings to them. Juggernaut tells Sammy that he does just not understand the real world. With that said, Jean uses her powers to levitate Cain and the children off the ground, penetrating their thoughts and sending horrible pictures of the sins they committed throughout their minds. Cain is shocked to see that Jean can enter his thoughts even through his helmet, which up until now was impossible for any telepath to do.
(astral plane)
The experiences of every animal the children slaughtered rush through their minds as each one of them are forced to feel the pain through the animals’ mind.
(back in reality)
One of the children’s parents rushes up the hill, with his shotgun in tow. He tells the X-Men to get off his property and leave the children alone. Cain, still huddled on the ground in a fetal position along with the three delinquents, cries out that he wants his pain to end. One of the X-Men tells the father that the children were caught torturing animals. The father tells the X-Men that he doesn’t care why they are there, but he wants them to leave, NOW! The father, realizing to whom he is talking, tells them that he should have smelled the Mutie on them and he asks what they did to the children. Jean tells the father that she could show him, but Xavier places his hand on her shoulder and explains that they were just showing the children the error of their ways. The father cocks his gun and tells the X-Men that he is giving them ten seconds to leave his property before he shoots. Suddenly, the X-Men disappear and the father stands shocked at the events that have just transpired. The three boys stand to their feet and the one boy is scolded for not acting like a man. The dad tells the child that he is embarrassed of him and tells him to get back inside their house. The boy stands outside his house as his father walks in, disgusted and angered by the way the X-Men treated him.
In the infirmary back at the school, Cain lays on a gurney and tells Sammy that he doesn’t think he’ll ever be okay again. Cain tells Sammy that his dad used to make him feel like the way he used to treat animals, small and defenseless. Holding his eyes shut, Cain cries, stating how no one should ever have to feel that pain and he wonders what he has done? Sammy lays his and on Cain’s and tells him that he knows… he knows.
In the Recreation Area of the mansion, the students argue over what they are going to watch. Suddenly, their day is shattered when a brick, with a dead cat tied to it, comes flying through a nearby window.
At the local jail, a police officer tells Xavier that there are pretty harsh penalties these days for animal cruelty. Behind Xavier, the young child sits in a cell as his two friends stand outside the bars with their fathers. Their fathers tell them that they better be glad, because what they done was wrong and they never want to hear about them hurting animals again. Two kids tell their fathers they won’t hurt another animal and, inside the cell, the lead boy just glares back in anger.
On the grounds of the Xavier Institute, Sammy sits and stares at the pond that began their day. Behind Sammy, Cain holds a ball and glove in front of Sammy’s face and asks him if he wants to play catch. Cain tells Sammy that he is jus trying to say he was wrong, in his own way. Sammy tells Cain that he doesn’t want to play catch, because he has something better in mind.
Under the water, Cain swims with Sammy and, as a fish swims in front of Cain’s face, it stops to look at him. Cain smiles, realizing that maybe he was wrong about animals all along.


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[Assistant]
Hero
(flashbacks, over the course of Mac’s life)
James MacDonald Hudson is reflecting on the past. He sees the day he was born, and named after his mother’s father. He remembers how he never wanted to be a hero, and was more content, even as a toddler in his parents’ lounge, to build things. As he grew older he discovered his love for science, and remembers how he felt when his gifts as a scientist were recognized, even winning an award at the “Toronto Young Scientist Competition”, before later being granted funding for his dream, Department H. Mac remembers meeting Heather, his employer’s secretary, and her being the only thing Mac could love even more than science – more than his own life. He remembers how perfect his life was as a scientist, why would he ever want to become a hero? But he did. A guy in a suit – a suit that was meant for someone else to wear.
All Mac ever wanted in life was to have his work, to love his family, and be happy. Mac and his pregnant wife Heather suddenly look up from the couch they are sitting on. It hits him like a knife in the gut. Mac is not living this life, he is watching it. Because James MacDonald Hudson is dead.
(present)
Mac is laying in a crater, his Guardian costume torn and broken, his body twisted, his face showing an expression of shock, since passed, and frozen. He knows the scientific theories behind the phenomenon, that is, neural impulses which are spontaneously triggered by the shock of death. The sudden and uncontrolled flood of memories seen as “life flashing before us”…that knowledge does not make him feel any better. Standing above Hudson, a man in a lab coat, holding a very large gun, which seeps a green smoke, as if fired very recently, asks him if he is okay. He quickly adds, not that he wants him to be though. As scattered flames surround the crater, Mac watches this man asking stupid questions, no longer comprehending, he guesses that saves his life.
The man in the lab coat, who also has a mullet, says ‘Okay, you look…please be dead’. He feels Mac’s neck for a pulse, but feels nothing. He comments on how hard he is breathing, but glad that it worked. The man in the coat, who is quite mentally unstable, doesn’t believe that he beat Mac. Mac remembers testing the cybernetic suit which grants him electromagnetic powers, but wonders what happened to him…The other man stands up, and smiling wickedly, says that Heather will love him now. He decides that they will have to get rid of the baby of course. Inside of his own mind James cries ‘No’. The other man begins to walk away from Mac, and out loud decides that they cannot raise Mac’s child as it would be ‘sick or something’. He decides Heather will be fine, as he will get her pregnant again, right away even! Mac cries ‘No’ again. The other man whistles to himself as he gets into his jeep and drives away. Mac cries ‘No. No. No!’ And then screams….
His mental screams are picked up by Dr. Michael Twoyoungmen, some miles away in his medical office. Shaman asks ‘James’? As he passes something to his protégé, who tells him that his name is Chuck. Chuck Moss tells Shaman he looks shocked, and asks him what happened. Shaman looks terribly worried, and tells Chuck that he felt… Moss interrupts him and asks Shaman if wants to give him the medicine bag, but Shaman quickly runs from his office. Chuck calls to Michael, asking if this means he can go to the Canadians game?
Later, Shaman is using his power of levitation, and is followed closely by the goddess Snowbird, and they are headed for Guardian. Michael tells Narya that he should be just over the rise, and Snowbird tells him that she sees it – and Sasquatch! Holding Mac’s broken body, Sasquatch tells Snowbird and Shaman as they land that they were all too late, as Mac is long past dead. Snowbird is stunned and asks what happened. Sasquatch tells his teammates that he doesn’t know, but that something ‘kicked the hell out of him’. Sasquatch continues, saying that even if the extensive damage done to Mac’s body could be repaired, his brain would be oxygen deprived by now.
Shaman says no, that he reached through time and space to ask the air to feed him and hold him in stasis. Michael tells the others that the air agreed, and has watched over their leader until they could arrive to help him. Sasquatch looks doubtful, and asks Michael if by “ancestors” he means spirits of some kind. Shaman smiles, telling Sasquatch that he is correct, and asks him to sound a little less cynical, as one of his own ancestors is helping as well. Sasquatch tells Shaman that if one of his ancestors is actually helping, then its quite unlikely they are one of his ancestors. Sasquatch tells Shaman that if the “air” is willing, they should get Mac back to their labs, as there may be some unanswered questions as to what happened to him there.
Soon, in the lab, Sasquatch goes over scans of Mac’s broken body, while Shaman tends mystically to his wounds, and Snowbird stands at Mac’s side, concerned for her friend. Sasquatch reads his companions some of Mac’s injuries – ‘Shattered fibulas in both legs, shattered tibia in left, right arm is nearly torn away, right hand destroyed, one eye blinded, every rib cracked at least once’. Sasquatch hesitantly tells them that Mac’s skull is more fragments than anything else at the moment also, and is surprised at how the forcefield of the suit did nothing to protect Mac from whatever it was that hit him. Shaman says ‘He never even liked it. Being the hero….’
Snowbird tells the men that they cannot give up, that they must do something. Transforming into his human form, Dr. Walter Langkowski, a.k.a. Sasquatch puts a comforting hand on Narya’s shoulder and tells her that even if Mac were still alive, he wouldn’t be for much longer, and at the moment, there is not much left of him to live. Walt tells Michael that he is open to ideas, no matter how esoteric. He says ‘Tell me to burn incense, shake maracas, dance in a circle…I’ll do it. Just give me an answer’. Michael tells Walt that his offer is welcome, but will not help, as his ancestors are doing everything they can to help Mac return to the living, he is just having difficulty.
Walt folds his arms and suggests then that they call it a day and give Heather the bad news. Snowbird turns to her friend angrily and asks him how he can say that so coldly? She starts pointing her finger a lot and reminds Walt that Heather is expecting their first child any day now, that she has loved James since forever, and tells Walt that this could kill her. Uncharacteristically, Walt asks Shaman why women are so overly dramatic in these situations, and tells Snowbird that it will hurt Heather for a while, but it would not kill her. Suddenly, a clicking sound is heard within the lab. Snowbird asks what it was, and Walt tells her it was the test site video recorder turning itself off. He seems a little surprised that there was a camera recording the area where Mac was killed. Shaman suggests they look at it to see what happened. While the three Alphans watch the video recording, Mac who is still motionless, thinks that this cannot be the end, that he has to get up – suddenly he thinks of Heather.
Meanwhile, Heather is watering plants and tidying up her home, when the doorbell rings. She says ‘Just a minute!’ But the uninvited visitor bangs on the door, impatient. Heather opens the door… and smiles when she sees Dr. Jiroult, asking him what he is doing at her home. Jiroult grins and tells her he has come with good news… and tells her that James is out of the way, so there is nothing to keep them apart. As he says ‘With him dead, we’re free to be together now, you and I’. Heather looks in part confused, partly in disbelief but mostly scared.
In the lab, Walt, Narya and Michael are still watching the video recording of Mac’s death. Walt mentions how much of a huge blast it was, but adds he didn’t see what caused it, and asks if the others did. Shaman tells him he only saw a blur of motion for a frame or two. Walt suggests to Michael that he do some “magicky” thing and change the camera angle. Michael reminds Walt that he keeps telling him it is not a “magicky” thing, but science. He tells him that he just doesn’t want to understand – suddenly the viewscreen shows Jiroult. Walt tells the others he knows him, that he works with Mac and he at Department H. Recognizing the man on the screen, Walt says ‘I know why he murdered James’, just as James stands up from the bed and cries ‘Heather’. The three founding Alphans turn at the surprise of Mac rising, and with an obvious speech problem due to his injuries, he tells them to help Heather.
Back in the Hudson home, Heather backs away from Jiroult as he enters the living area. The woman asks the intruder what he is talking about and where James is. Jiroult tells her that he is still out on the proving grounds in a crater. He asks her if it matters, and she says it does to her, as he is her husband! Heather asks Jiroult what he meant when he said Mac was dead. Jiroult asks Heather if the concept is that hard to grasp, and shows her the gun he shot Mac with. Jiroult asks her why she is so upset, after all, she told him that she wished she had married him instead of Mac, and that she meant it…didn’t she? Heather looks as if the wind was just knocked out of her.
Back in the lab, Shaman and Walt are helping Mac walk the halls with Snowbird at their side. Shaman tells James that he has to lie down and rest, but his leader just says ‘No, Heather’. Walt asks what about Heather. Mac says that Jiroult is going to kill his baby. Everyone stops in their tracks, and Walt, who looks stunned, tells James that he is so sorry, as it is all his fault. Michael asks Walt what is his fault, but Mac tells them to worry about it later, and asks for the exo-suit. Walt tells James that he is being crazy, that he cannot think about putting the exo-skeletons on in his condition! Mac just gets mad and tells his friend to get the suit ‘Now’!
Meanwhile, Heather tells Jiroult that she was joking, as Mac made her mad, and he said something nice – Jiroult cuts her off telling her that Mac always makes her mad, and he makes her happy! Heather starts to cry and tells Jiroult she actually told him he made her laugh, that he was nice and she appreciated it. She tells him that that doesn’t give him the right to… she asks Jiroult if he really killed her husband. Jiroult looks mad and tells Heather he cannot tell her that, and she starts crying some more, and the fear overwhelms her as her body shakes. Holding up the weapon, Jiroult tells Heather that Mac thought they were going to test the new neural interface in the Guardian suit, but that he surprised him with the weapon. Proudly, Jiroult tells Heather that it is the Zero gun they have been developing. Heather says ‘You miserable son of a –‘ Jiroult asks her if she is saying that she never loved him. Heather tells him he is crazy, that he is an insane idiot, and that if he has killed her husband, she tells him she will see him dead. Jiroult tells her she won’t, and aiming the Zero gun at her, tells her she will never see anything ever again…
In Alpha Flight’s jet, Mac is assembled in one of the prototype designs of his suit. Piloting the jet as Sasquatch, Walt tells Shaman that Jiroult was a junior scientist they had hired a few months ago, but Jiroult was a little odd, and James did not want to employ him, until Walt changed his mind. Michael grumbles that he should have flown on ahead with Narya. Sasquatch tells him to stop complaining and to listen, that Jiroult turned out to be a little unstable, but relatively harmless. Shaman points and tells Walt to watch out for the Metro building. Sasquatch tells Shaman he sees it, and to relax, and continuing with his story, says that Jiroult had an obsession with Mac – about how good looking he was, how smart and heroic…but more than James, he was obsessed with Heather. James tried to get Jiroult fired, but Walt objected saying that James thought it was silly to think that Jiroult was too unstable, maybe even dangerous. Solemnly, Sasquatch tells Shaman that eventually, he too came to see Jiroult for his frightening behavior, and that James was right, Jiroult was deeply envious of him. Walt regrets that he did not see it sooner.
At the Hudson home, a window smashes, as the Alphan Puck jumps through it, and uses his acrobatic skills to knock Jiroult over, and the blast from the Zero gun narrowly misses the diminutive Alphan. Jiroult manages to reclaim the upper hand when he pushes Judd to the floor and aims the gun at him, telling him he never liked him. Judd says ‘Breaks my heart’ before telling Heather to run, and a loud blast goes off in her home as she runs out of it crying. She runs into Shaman, who takes her hand and they enter the yard where Snowbird meets them. Heather tells Shaman Jiroult killed Puck, and that he said he killed James. She asks Michael if Jiroult was lying, and if Mac is okay. Shaman turns to his old friend and tells her he hopes so. Clinging onto him for support, Heather asks him what he means by “hopes so”, but before he can reply, she tells him her waters have broken, that she is going into labor.
Back inside the house, Guardian has grabbed the Zero gun, and tells Walt and Eugene, who didn’t die, to get out, as Jiroult has locked the weapon into overload. Jiroult just cries that he cannot let Mac have Heather, as she is his! Sasquatch reaches out to Mac and understanding what he intends to do, tells him he can’t. Guardian tells Walt he even said so himself that he is a dead man, but as long as he has one good arm, and a suit holding him together…he tells Walt that he knows he never wanted to be a hero, but he is going to die anyway, for his wife and baby. Guardian continues to absorb the energies from the gun, and tells Sasquatch to get out. Turning to Jiroult, who is also holding the gun, he is about to say something, but Jiroult cuts him off and tells him that he is going to stay and watch him die. Mac tells the demented scientist he was hoping he would say that, before the Hudson home explodes, with Walt and Puck leaping out in time, and Snowbird standing over Shaman, who is acting as midwife for Heather, already laying on the ground in birthing position.
As Heather, Shaman, Snowbird, Walt and Puck look on at the raging fire, Mac thinks that no one ever sets out to be a hero, you just become one. As he emerges from the flames, the Alphans look on shocked and relieved, after all, Mac has returned from the dead many times, why should this time be any different? Mac thinks that when you have everything you want in life, you want to live to enjoy it. He approaches his wife and teammates – his friends, and asks if it that is his baby? He thinks that ‘when something comes along that means more than everything you ever wanted in life, that’s when you find it within you, quite unexpectedly, to be more than you are. To be the hero’.
Shaman holds the newborn out to him, and tells Mac it is a girl. His friends all smile, and James says ‘Look how beautiful she is’. Heather is obviously relieved to see her husband. Mac asks everyone if they have ever seen anything so perfect…then he collapses. Everyone leans forward and Heather cries out to him. Mac thinks that then you suddenly are. With fire raging in the background, and the Alphans looking on stunned, Heather screams and kneels beside her husband crying.
(days later)
Mac wakes up in a hospital bed, surrounded by his friends. Puck comments on how lucky they are because of the mutant x-gene. Mac tells everyone he thought he was dead, and Michael tells him they all did. Walt tells him he should, but thanks to the X-Men’s Archangel, who is present along with Wolverine, and his friend and fellow X-Men member Phoenix, and the recently discovered healing factor in his blood, Mac could be restored. Heather passes the baby to Mac, who joyfully comments on how he can move his arms and hands again. Heather tells Mac that their daughter has been waiting a long time for him to wake up. Mac looks on at his daughter, and cuddles her in his arm. He tells her she is pretty, they most precious thing in the world.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Weapon of Choice (1st story)<br>Upon Reflection (2nd story)
1st story:
Join the X-Men — see the world, Wolverine thinks, remembering the team’s old sales-pitch. His current situation brings these words to mind, as he fights a fierce-looking, four-armed mutant monster wearing a leather mask. Meet strange, interesting new people — an' beat seven shades of snot outta them! Works for me. He brings up his knee, connecting with the mutant's face, and follows it with a swift kick to the chin. His opponent falls over in defeat.
He looks up from the battle arena. All around him in the stands, gamblers exchange handfuls of money, as well as grumblings of disappointment over how the fight ended. It has been a while since Wolverine did any pit fighting, but as the saying goes, old habits die hard. All it took was a whiff of the four basic elements of pit fighting — whiskey, sweat, blood, and money — to reel him back into the scene. Especially the money.
With the fight over, he walks over to the bar to find his manager, a short little guy named Nome, whom Logan describes as six feet of mean packed into four feet of ugly. Logan doesn't know if Nome is a mutant or not. No matter; Logan likes the tough little biker. He never shies away from buying a round of drinks, and tells jokes that would make a longshoreman blush. That makes him one of the handful of people in the world Logan calls a friend.
Logan asks how much money they earned from the fights. Nine fights and nine wins, Nome says, putting their total haul at sixteen grand. He advises Logan to let the next match last longer than a minute, however. Why, Logan asks? Because his victories have ticked off some of the local color, Nome explains, gesturing toward a group of angry gamblers. Logan doesn't care. If they wanna play, they gotta pay, he says.
Nome wonders what Logan's mentor, Charles Xavier, would think if he saw this place, the flip-side of his dream of mutant integration. "If you're MTV eye candy like that Storm or Jean Grey, Joe Human ain't gonna care if you can move mountains with your mind or not," Nome says. "If you look like a bulldog chewin' a wasp though, you ain't even gonna make it as busboy. They'll come after you with pitchforks and burning torches." He has been around the pit fights long enough to know that, for some mutants, the only way to make it in the world is to pound on other mutants. They have little choice in the matter.
"Yer breakin' my heart," Wolverine tells him. He turns to the bartender, an attractive, young, blonde woman in a skimpy dress, and asks for a round of beers before his friend begins to cry or something. Sure thing, she says, leaning over to grab the drinks. Nome asks Logan what he intends to do now. "I dunno 'bout you," Logan says while gazing at the bent-over bartender, "but I figure on swillin' some suds and admirin' the view." The girl stands back up and asks if he wants anything else. How about a phone number? Logan asks.
Suddenly, a hulking, purple mutant approaches Logan and Nome. It grabs Logan’s dwarfish friend by the cranium and hurls him aside, before getting in Logan's face. That's his girl Logan is ogling, the mutant snarls. Now, he intends to show Logan the price he pays for messing with another man's property. Logan stares at him with his arms folded, clearly unfazed. Is that so, he asks? He asks the imposing mutant if it hurts. If what hurts, the mutant asks? That busted leg, Logan says, kicking back a beer. Before the purple mutant has a chance to process the threat, his right knee gives out and he falls to the ground in agony. Nome emerges from behind and readies his fists. Logan just watches contently as Nome pummels the mutant in the face. Once the fight ends, Logan compliments his friend on his Chuck Norris-inspired martial arts moves, and asks him to ready the bets for the next brawl.
I was wrong before — this ain’t like old times. It's worse, Wolverine thinks to himself during the ensuing fights. In the past, he would fight regular guys for money or booze, and always with his claws sheathed. As time wore on, however, the fight organizers began putting more mutants into the fights. Usually these mutants were drifters, nomads, and losers, people who had no place else to turn. For them, fighting represented their only future, their only hope. People, after all, pay good money to see mutants tear each other apart. Logan intends to beat the exploiters at their own game.
After finishing his next series of brawls, Logan asks his manager for an income update. Nome, practically rolling in cash, tells his prize fighter they have enough money to keep them in booze, bikes, and broads for the rest of their lives. He takes back what he said about angering the gamblers. It seems the more they detest Logan, the more they want to see him fail. The more they want to see him fail, the more they lose betting against him. "You're learning, grasshopper," Wolverine says. "Now comes the tricky part." He asks Nome to watch his back while he makes his next move.
Wolverine approaches the owner of the joint and asks to buy it outright. The sleazy owner laughs at his proposal; his place is not for sale. Is that so, Logan asks? What if he keeps coming back, night after night, and continues winning fights? How much money can the owner lose before it starts hurting? The owner laughs; he isn't going to be the one hurting in a moment, he says. Wolverine looks him in the eye, unsheathes his claws, and asks if he is sure about that. The owner's eyes widen. He caves, and asks how much Logan is offering. "I trade you this place for everything on that table and a bottle of Jack D," Logan says, gesturing toward the pile of money he earned that night. "The dwarf you get fer free." All that? the owner asks. What's the catch? Logan tells him there is no catch. So, do they have a deal, or what?
Three minutes later, the place belongs to Logan. He hunches over the bar with Nome and the two kick back a round of drinks. Nome admits he is impressed; Logan followed through. He fought the joint to a standstill, and bought out the place to boot… even though that wasn’t their deal. "Hold yer water, munchkin," Logan says, while slicing the top of a bottle of liquor. "I remember what I promised ya."
The bar's former owners smile gleefully as they push their wheelbarrows full of cash out the door. It's been a pleasure doing business, the scumbags say. Logan says nothing. Instead, he flips open his lighter, and ignites the alcohol-soaked rag sticking out of his bottle of liquor. He nonchalantly tosses it over his shoulder. It lands in the wheelbarrow full of money and explodes, spraying both the money and the men with liquid flame.
Later, Logan and Nome stand outside the blazing bar and watch it burn to the ground. Nome, the light from the flames reflecting off his mirrored sunglasses, thanks his friend for coming through and destroying the place. He wasted too many years of his life in joints like this hellhole, knowing nothing but pain. No one should have to live like that, Logan says. No one should have to die each day to make a living, simply because they are different. Nome agrees. These men may set up their operation someplace else, but not for a while.
Logan grows bored of watching the screaming men try to escape from the burning building. He asks Nome if he wants to grab a drink. How, Nome asks? All their money went up in flames! Logan, picking up some charred dollar bills from the smoldering rubble, tells Nome not to sweat it; this round is on the house.
2nd story:
Wolverine rides his motorcycle through the pouring rain. His pocket radio broadcasts a severe weather warning for Johnson County, warning motorists to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Logan slows to a stop and parks his across the street from a billboard bearing a message against drunk-driving. He approaches his destination, a dark, monolithic building locked behind a chain-link fence. Before he enters, he double-checks a note in his pocket. It's from Nick Fury. Check this place out — you owe me one, the note reads.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning strikes the drunk-driving billboard, completely obliterating it. Logan decides he does not want to spend any more time in the storm. He runs toward the facility, pries open its door, and slips inside. The building is silent, except for the sounds from Logan's pocket radio. He silences it. The door abruptly slams shut. Logan looks around, but sees no one.
He hears an electrical zapping sound emanating from down the hallway. He follows it to its source, a laboratory room completely empty except for a lone, human corpse lying on the floor. Wolverine treads very carefully. He detects a strange scent in the air.
An instant later, a ferocious, howling beast leaps at him from an unseen corner of the lab and knocks him into a row of glass tubes. Wolverine picks himself up, unsheathes his claws, and charges at the beast. It effortlessly slaps him away. He crashes into some computers. The beast takes advantage of the lull in the fighting and runs in the other direction.
Logan, taking a moment to recover from the rather serious blows he received, inspects the corpse for clues. He notices the deceased scientist holding some portable electronic device in his outstretch hand. Picking it up, Logan sees that it is a journal of sorts. He turns it on, and it begins broadcasting a recorded video message to a nearby monitor.
"June 8th — something’s gone terribly wrong!" the manic scientist in the recording says. "Checked the circuitry twice but can't trace the source of the breakdown. Can't comprehend how the creature materialized. Something vaguely familiar about it... certain now it means to kill me!" Wolverine watches the recording intently. After it ends, it displays a message telling him he can initiate the next entry.
SNIKT! Wolverine unsheathes his claws once more and checks for signs of the monster. Nothing. He senses something peculiar about a nearby door and swipes at it, before noticing the TV screen positioned above its header. He decides to watch the next journal entry before proceeding. After turning it on, he is treated to yet another recording from the now-dead scientist.
"June 10th — success!" the elated scientist says. "Overcame the thing by sheer chance! Even a small surge of electricity appears to reverse the polarity of the—"
Logan suddenly gets a whiff of the beast's scent. He turns around and once again sees the hulking, hairy beast, this time with its curved, metal claws outstretched. It growls and takes a swipe at him. Logan ducks under the blow, which inadvertently severs a cluster of pipes on the wall behind him. The loose pipes douse the floor with a slippery liquid. Logan slips and falls down, luckily missing another deadly swipe from the monster in the process. Before he can fully recover, the monster lunges in his direction. Logan springs directly upward and grabs a hold of a dangling chain. The monster's momentum carries it uncontrollably forward and into the group of loose electrical wires, sending a surge of power through its body. The electrified beast screams as it dissipates into the ether.
With his attacker dead, Logan limps back into the lab to watch the remainder of the video diary. The next entry bears unsettling news. "June 12th — my initial elation was premature. Electrifying the beast only dissipates it momentarily... the procedure actually feeds it!" the scientist reports. "The computers have created a self-generating field of plasma somehow... drawing energy from a source within the lab I can't account for! Attempts to reverse the polarity have proved useless, and — God help me — the regenerated creature is twice the size — twice as powerful — as its predecessor!" Wolverine winces at what this revelation portends. Suddenly, as if on cue, a crackling ball of energy materializes in the corner of the room, announcing the monster's return. This time, it is indeed twice as large as earlier.
The crazy-eyed monster bares its teeth at Logan and presents its jagged claws. After a tense moment, it roars, at which point Logan turns and runs for his life. He tears down the hallway, once again reaching for the chain so he can climb to safety. The beast does not allow it. It somehow materializes in front of Wolverine and hits him, sending him soaring. Realizing he has no idea how to defeat the creature, he turns back to the video diary and plays the next entry.
"June 13th — I'm finished," the bloodied scientist speaks. "The source of the creature's energy is me!" The scientist reveals the beast has apparently been feeding off the electrical field contained in his body, like a vampire. He could no longer fight it once it took control of the lab's computers. The ultimate irony, the scientist says, is that the entire system can be shut down with a single, AA battery, the one thing his lab does not possess!
This news delights Wolverine. Grinning, he pulls his miniature radio out of his pocket. After temporarily disabling the beast by slashing at its knees, he takes off running down the hallway, in the process readying the single AA battery found in his radio. He charges to the main computer terminal at full speed with the monster following closely behind him. It roars at Logan and claws at him, shaving several strands of hair off the top of his head. Undeterred, Logan flips open the computer's emergency override, inserts the battery, and powers down the entire console. The monster screams in agony as its power supplies vanishes. Once again, it dissipates into the ether, this time never to return.
Sometime later, Wolverine digs a hole in the ground outside the facility. He places a makeshift wooden cross in the ground, and after admiring his work, gets back on his motorcycle and leaves. The cross bears nothing but three simple words that serve as both a monument and a warning: “KNOW YOUR LIMITS”.


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

[Assistant]
Bloody ‘ell (First story)
Strange Harvest (Second story)
First story:
(the recent past)
Wolverine recalls the times he spent hitting the bars with his old friend, Betsy Braddock, better known as Psylocke. They’d trade war stories and the like over a few beers; or a lot of beers. She may have had the body of an amazing Asian hottie, but underneath there was always the classic pint-swillin’ “bloody ‘ell” Brit chick. She used to give Wolverine crap for drinking beer with a moose on the label. He told her not to be profanin’ his religion. Anyway, this one time Betsy regaled Logan with a story about one of her hush-hush “covert oops” missions. She always liked the ‘covert oops’ line for some reason. The mission sounded like they typical wackiness. Blades flashin’, blood sprayin’, thugs screamin’ like little girls. And stuff blowing up good, of course.
(the story)
Psylocke is being chased and crashes through a window carrying her katana. As she lands, the building behind her blows up and, when she stands, debris rains down around her. She casually wipes the blood off her katana with a tissue and looks around. Out of nowhere, a crazy guy leaps towards her enveloped in flames. He smashes her katana in two and she drops it. “Final command: Get the girl,” he says, his eyes widened as if high on drugs.
(the recent past)
Betsy explains that she was tussling with one of those cyber-enhanced, jacked-up, wired to hell an’ back kinda goofballs. It turns out the sucker had emergency backup neuro-software wired into his backbrain. So, instead of passing out from shock or forebrain trauma, he could keep on fighting on programmed autopilot.
(the story)
The thug tries kicking Psylocke and then takes a backwards swipe at her, forcing Betsy to keep on her toes.
(the recent past)
Betsy says that ol’ propane hair actually seemed to fight better with his body being run by backup software, though his conversation left a bit to be desired.
(the story)
“Final command: get the girl,” he repeats, as he goes toe to toe with Psylocke on a van roof. Flames continue to burn both him and his clothes but he seems oblivious to the extreme pain this causes. Betsy parries his blows and lands some of her own.
(the recent past)
Wolverine points out the obvious to her. Doing Chi Sao moves, the old ‘sticky hands’ with a fella whose arms are on fire might not be a brilliant idea. Sadly, she didn’t seem to appreciate his helpful insight.
(the story)
The thug fails to land a right cross and this allows Betsy the opportunity to summon her psychic blade from her left hand.
(the recent past)
Wolverine tells her that the real badasses use adamantium blades, of course. She tells Logan to sod off. He says, “Blimey! You’re a cheeky bird, ey wot?” Ridiculing her British accent only gets him more crap from Betsy.
(the story)
She plunges the psychic blade into the thug’s left temple, but he continues to repeat this mantra. “Final command: Get the girl.” Betsy realizes, not for the first time, that her blade has failed to stop an opponent.
(the recent past)
Poor Bets, thinks Wolverine. She hadn’t clued in that a fella with a software-run backbrain might not be especially vulnerable to psychic disruption of his frontal lobes. He tries not to laugh, but fails.
(the story)
The thug connects with Psylocke and sends her crashing helplessly to the ground. She hits it hard and sees the guy leaping towards her, once again repeating the same old sentence.
(the recent past)
Betsy says that it only lasts for a fraction of a second but that moment where you clearly see the opening for a fight-ending strike, that’s some sweet stuff. It’s relief and triumphant anticipation, all wrapped up into a tiny slice o’ time. Logan likes her poetical waxing.
(the story)
Before he lands, Betsy recovers her composure, stands and lets loose with a bone-crunching kick to the face.
(the recent past)
She nailed him good, right in the sweet spot. She felt the cartilage mashing under her foot, like stepping on a bag of potato chips. Of course, Betsy had to say bag of crisps, needless to say.
(the story)
The thug rocks backwards and his head breaks one of the van’s windows. She accentuates the break by kneeing him in the face and following up with a hard left into the same spot.
(the recent past)
“Yeah, a good takedown’s always a thing of beauty,” says Betsy. Finishing moves, on the other hand, are as fulfilling as chopping wood. Wolverine says she should try using goons and thugs in a woodstove sometime. They burn even worse than the greenest wood. She replies with a crack about uncivilized, backward Canadians for that line.
(the story)
A few more hits and Psylocke reckons he’s down for the count. She walks to the front of the van, with blood trickling down her chin, rubbing her head after a tough battle. Although she’s begun to relax, noises behind her cause her to turn around. The guy is still coming. “Final command…”
(the recent past)
Betsy says that there’s nothing more annoying than overly durable wankers, who just won’t stay down. Fellas who are just too dumb to know when they’re supposed to be dead. She says this with a twinkle in her eye and a smirk, as it’s aimed squarely at her drinking buddy. Wolverine grabs a pretzel and replies that it’s better to have a body with an annoying healing factor than to be transplanted into a body with a genetic and enzymatic inability to hold her liquor. She replies, “Well, that helps make me a cheap date, don’t you think?” Then, Betsy burps, making a sound like she’s strangling a toad. Very demure and ladylike.
(the story)
The thug by now is flailing a little and his body appears much less responsive than it was before the beating he’s taken. However, his software just tells him to keep on going and he approaches Psylocke once again, his teeth smashed and his left eye closed over like a boxer’s.
(the recent past)
Betsy shows Logan a move she used. The situation called for a very abstruse and rarefied martial arts technique. The technique is known as ‘omotai mono de kare no atama wo nagaru’ and was taught her by her sensei. Translated, it means, ‘beat his head in with the heaviest object you can find.’ Betsy giggles and picks up her glass. That’s what she always liked about the martial arts; the spirituality. She did exactly that, twice, and this time there’d be no coming back. She tells Logan that she signed up for all the cool badass stuff, like strutting around bare-legged, trash-talking with aliens and cutting bad guys down before disappearing into the night. All the stylin’ stuff. She didn’t expect to end up playing cranial hockey with some cyber-enhanced jerk with a palm pilot in place of his medulla oblongata.
Logan is shocked, as she doesn’t use the word ‘jerk.’ Logan asks what became of him. She explains that she was sitting there, all “Bloody ‘ell, thank goodness that’s over.” It was at this point that the other two wired-up goons, also on autopilot, came stumbling from the wreckage. Wackiness ensued. Betsy says her story wasn’t funny at the time, but it got a lot funnier in retrospect.
Well, Logan thinks that what isn’t funny is that there’ll be no more cheap dates. No bad jokes or getting crap about moose on his beer labels. There’ll be no more Betsy. All he has left of her are stories about war stories. Bloody ‘ell!
Second story:
An ageing ophthalmologist fiddles with his optical equipment, preparing to carry out some work on Scott Summers. He adjusts the left lens and asks Scott to read the bottom line on the chart. He reads them perfectly and the ophthalmologist says he did very well, but then he already knew he had good vision from his file. He says that Scott has powerful vision, in addition to powerful eyes. It’s funny, the doc thinks, he’s been trained for nearly everything regarding or relating to the eye, but he’s never had to operate on a Cyclops.
This is no ordinary eye-doctor. He uses a cybernetic glove and adjusts some of the gadgets on it as Scott sits beside him. A strange ruby quartz helmet keeps his optic blasts in check, while clasps keep him locked tight to the chair. He is helpless and the doc has some gruesome-looking equipment at the ready. Scott asks if the comment was supposed to be a joke and if that’s what passes for a bedside manner these days among organ-harvesters.
The doc replies that he is just masking his nervousness with a little levity. He’s never operated on anyone with his…abilities. His employer is a very thorough man. He is very rich and is used to getting his way. He feels that Scott’s abilities should be his abilities and so he wants Scott’s eyes. The doc says he should never have stopped at that grocery store. Scott replies that super-powered mutants have to buy groceries too. The doc adds that they needn’t be so predictable, however. He makes it a point to stock up at the same time, every Wednesday.
(flashback)
A casually dressed Scott Summers enters a Fast Mart, watched from outside by a burly man in a Greans Market Co. truck. He informs his comrade by radio that the subject is heading inside. Scott wheels a trolley along and an elderly woman helps him find the canned vegetables. When he turns around, she speaks into her watch to the guy on the checkout that the subject is approaching the contact area. He confirms visual and says that, when he’s in position, take him. He then serves a customer. As Scott checks out a jar of pickles, three people appear wearing black military-style suits and he spots their reflection in the glass jar.
Instinctively, he leaps for cover as the three open fire. The pickles go everywhere as Scott flicks a switch on his sunglasses which allows his optic blast to go through them. “I don’t suppose anybody feels like telling me what this is about?” he asks. He finds that surprisingly, his blast is deflected away from the trio and one of them informs Scott that their boss has requested an audience with him. He is the apple of their boss’s eye. She adds that they’re wearing a synthetic polymer, simulated ruby quartz, filled with a simulated ruby quartz gel for further protection. They were specially designed by their employer; all patents pending.
Her colleague says that Scott’s optic blasts can’t touch them and asks what he thinks of that. Scott touches his glasses again and replies that he thinks that perhaps, he shouldn’t aim at them. He unleashes another thumping barrage which smashes the roof above them. As the shop’s customers flee for their lives, masonry falls on his three assailants. Scott adds that there are a few things that his boss didn’t know about both ruby quartz, and himself. He fires again but the target scorns him for missing. His aim’s off. Scott replies that the first thing he should know is that his aim is never off. The pinpoint blast pierces a canister behind them which spills out all over his target. The second thing, he continues, is how hard ruby quartz is to synthesize and exactly what it is resistant to. The guy’s outfit begins to disintegrate as the flammable liquid eats through it.
Cyclops proceeds to use small blasts to rip away the rest of his outfit. “Note I say resistant,” he says. He then tells his assailant that the third thing to know is that there is a world of difference between resistant, and impervious. Suddenly, from behind him, several more members of this strike team appear and one targets him with a laser. He thanks Cyclops for the tip and says it’s a good thing that their boss came up with a Plan B. “If you can’t beat ‘em, outnumber ‘em.” The leader orders his team to fire and Cyclops finds that he is, indeed, outnumbered and everything goes black.
(present)
The doc flicks a syringe filled with a green liquid. He grins, as he finishes his tale by asking Scott to lie back. He is going to administer the anesthetic. Once he wakes up, he’ll never see the world in the same way. In fact, he’ll never see at all. Scott warns the doc that he’d better kill him after he’s finished. He replies that this was never part of the agreement. He’s no killer. Besides, he assures Scott, he’d be surprised how many people lead rich full lives without the benefit of a sense of sight. Scott smirks. He says that he wasn’t worried about himself. The thing is, he’s memorized the serial number of his machine. It’s a phoroptor, model number WK5; manufactured in New Jersey, if he’s not mistaken. One doesn’t have a power like his without knowing a thing or two about eyes. This is a pretty expensive piece of hardware and will be pretty easy to trace.
The doc now looks anxious. Things aren’t exactly going according to plan. Scott says that, indeed, the smart thing to do would be to kill him. Of course, then he’d have to deal with his teammates. He asks if his file has anything on the X-Men. Professor X is their leader and the world’s most powerful telepath. He uses a machine called Cerebro that can track mutants all over the world. It probably won’t be too hard to recalibrate it to find the mysterious recipient of his eyes, drop into his brain and extract information on him. Then, there is Jean Grey. She is another unbelievably powerful telepath who is also telekinetic. She’s also his wife. Between them, they could turn his brain to vegetable stir-fry without even leaving the house. She’s probably wondering why he’s not home yet. “Oh, and have I mentioned Wolverine?” Scott asks. “Mutant healing factor, enhanced senses, indestructible adamantium skeleton; razor-sharp retractable claws. Homicidal tendencies!”
The doc gulps, and realizes that this plan has gone all to pot. He fumbles with the arm restraints and removes the quartz helmet that kept his blast in check. He nervously informs Scott that there are a few guards outside the door but they shouldn’t give him any trouble. He’d also be appreciative if he could work him over on his way out. Scott says he doesn’t think that’s a good idea. The doc pleads that he has to. He must rough him up a bit; hit him or something so it looks like he put up a fight while he managed some daring surprise escape. Scott takes his glasses and puts them on. He reaches up to the switch on the side. “Well, since you asked for it…here’s looking at ya, doc.” He unleashes a final blast.