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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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The Quest For Magik – Conclusion (first story)<br>Endangered Species – Chapter 8 (second story)
(first story)
In the Wastelands of Limbo, Illyana is teaching Pixie how to perform a complex teleportation spell. Pixie is hovering upside down surrounded by brilliant pink arcane energy. As the other students stand and watch, Rockslide is giving Anole a hard time as usual. He tells his reptilian friend that if his plan is to let evil Illyana turn Pixie into Dark Pixie and then teach her a magic spell so they can all go fight the devil, then Anole should replace Cyclops as leader of the X-Men right now. Victor tells him to shut up and Blindfold points out that he did save Pixie and that she will not fall.
Pixie’s incantation fails and Darkchild harshly reprimands her, telling her she should be able to cast the spell silently. Pixie tells her that this isn’t even English and it’s a lot of words. She tells Illyana that she’s mean but the Darkchild insists she try again.
Outside Belasco’s castle, Surge, Hellion and the Megaton Sentinel are fighting the demon hordes of Limbo. Lex tells the others that he’ll deal with the demons as long as he can and orders them to make their way to the castle. Surge reminds him that Amanda Sefton is their ticket out of Limbo and he urges them on.
As they arrive in the palace courtyard, Belasco is threatening Dust and Mercury. X-23 is badly hurt and Elixir is just making it to his feet after delivering a nasty attack on Belasco. Hellion pulls Dust from Belasco’s grasp as Surge lashes out with an electrical assault. She tells the ranting demon lord to shut up and die. She tells him that he’s going to die for killing David. He advances, seemingly unfazed by her electrical onslaught. As he nears her, he is driven into the ground by a telekinetic assault. Hellion lands next to Surge and tells her it’s over. She tells him not to get in her way after what Belasco did to David and Hellion asks if she’s referring to the David who is alive and well and helping the Stepford Cuckoos to their feet.
Belasco uses this momentary distraction to his benefit and unleashes a massive blast of arcane energy that knocks Surge and Hellion off their feet. He places his boot on Hellion’s head and grabs Surge by the throat. He tells them he can smell Illyana on them both and demands to know where she is. Hellion asks Belasco who she is.
 At that moment, Illyana appears in a teleportative spell cast by Pixie. Standing behind her are the remaining students from Xavier’s. Belasco turns, discarding Surge like a rag doll and turning his fury on the Darkchild. He is enraged and declares “How dare you come here!” Illyana tells him that it ends here and ignores Anole’s warning to wait. The Darkchild coats her entire body in silvery armor before leaping at Belasco.
Her attack is blocked by Rockslide who tosses her aside and tells her that Anole told her to wait. He grabs Belasco and asks if it’s okay for him to pound him. Anole tells him to just hit him. Belasco in turn orders S’ym to kill them all. S’ym merely grunts “Finally” as he leads the other demons to attack.
As a fierce battle breaks out, Pixie checks on Illyana. Anole urges Pixie to use her new “soul dagger”. The Darkchild glares hungrily at Pixie and says that she needs more power. At that moment, Belasco lashes out at Illyana, declaring that she is not fit to be in his presence. He grabs her by the face and tells her that he showed mercy and spared her life. He declares that f this is her way of repaying him than he is more than happy to correct his mistake by killing her now.
He is stopped by X-23 who slashes at him and tells him that sparing the Darkchild was not his only mistake. He calls Laura and abomination and asks how many times her has to kill her before she learns! X-23 smiles and tells him she’s learned enough and suggests that Belasco take David instead. David stands behind alongside the Stepford Cuckoos who have been freed from Belasco’s power-negating helmets. They each glow with psionic power as they tell the demon lord that they did not like his helmets. Belasco falls to his knees as the trio of telepaths mentally attacks.
The sisters ask what he wants and rip the answer from his mind. They see the innocents he has kidnapped and manipulated: Beatrice, Shanna (the She-Devil) and Illyana.  They realize that unlike the others, he had special feelings for Illyana and that her inevitable rebellion hurt him deeply. When he thought she had returned to life he became obsessed with reclaiming her. When he couldn’t locate her, he attempted to recreate her. He managed to restore her body and mind but could not instill this reassembled shell with a soul. David hears the story and realizes that Belasco didn’t do this out of a lust for power or revenge, but from a twisted kind of love!
At that moment, Belasco’s mind resists the Cuckoos and overwhelms them. He lashes out threatening to bring Earth to Limbo and burn it away if that is what it will take to find Magik.  Seeing this display of raw mystic power from afar, Lex urges Amanda Sefton to wake up. He watches in disbelief as New York City appears on the horizon as it begins to merge with Limbo. At Dr. Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, Spider-Man notices the shift as well and alerts the Sorcerer Supreme to the sudden appearance of flying demons outside. Strange declares that this is indeed bad and he is not certain if he can stop it in time.
The New X-Men unleash the full range of their powers against Belasco who stands in the center of it, unfazed by their assault. Illyana darkly tells Pixie that now is the time. Pixie admits that she is scared and doesn’t think she can do this. She asks the Darkchild “Why me?” Illyana replies that Pixie was the student with the most pure soul giving her the most power in Limbo. She tells Pixie that if she cannot do this, then each and every one of her friends will die. The battle rages and Belasco seizes Surge by the neck once more. He tells her that he will take great pleasure in killing the children of the X-Men. At that moment, Pixie strikes. She cries out “NO!” as she plunges her soul dagger into Belasco’s back. Arcane energies erupt from his mouth as he falls. The column of mystic power that holds the X-Men dissipates and the breach to Earth is instantly sealed.
Belasco looks up at the Darkchild and tells her that it was he who gave her life and begs her to come back to him. She tells him that he gave her a soulless existence filled with pain. She tells him that she has found the power to thank him for that and shows him the locket with the bloodstone she crafted from Pixie’s soul. Belasco defiantly tells the Darkchild that he will find Illyana. She tells him that he won’t and strikes with the bloodstone. Belasco vanishes leaving a crater where he just lay.
Anole asks her if she’s alright and Pixie asks if they can go home now. Illyana replies that she has to finish what she started. The demons of Limbo bow to their new mistress. The Darkchild declares Limbo to be hers and tells Pixie that with all five bloodstones forged from her soul, she can rule Limbo as a god. Anole tells Illyana that she doesn’t have to do this. The Darkchild snarls at Victor and tells him not to call her by that name.
At that moment, Colossus sees her and calls out to her with his private nickname for her “Snowflake.” The Darkchild’s eyes go wide as she sees Piotr, the joy and disbelief on his face apparent. He asks her cautiously if she has returned to him. Nearby, Kitty warns him to be careful. He touches the Darkchild’s face and asks if she is really his Illyana. She pulls away and says “No!” demanding that he not look at her. She yells at them all to go away and summons stepping discs to return them to Earth.
Wolverine curses and says that it’s her. Lex fires off a few rounds at the demons as he and the Sentinel unit disappear. One by one, they all vanish. Pixie cries out frantically at Illyana asking what will become of her soul. As the stepping disk rises he pleads with her not to do this and to let him help her.  She touches his cheek just before the circle closes. She then says sadly, “Good-bye, brother.”
Later that night at the Xavier Institute everything has been restored to its normal state… almost everything. Anole sits with Pixie telling her that Trance woke up okay and that Colossus wanted to go back to Limbo to find Darkchild. Amanda Sefton said that Limbo has been sealed off and Illyana is unreachable for the moment. He also reports that Santo is still made of Limbo-rock and that his new arm itches. Pixie looks at him and tells him that her soul itches. He tells her “touché”.
 Santo arrives and greets them by calling them nerds. Victor tells him that he’s too tired to yell at him and Rockslide says “Good”. He explains that he’s just talked to Surge and Cyclops and told them that if they couldn’t make room on the team for Pixie and Anole than he would quit to make room. He tells them that they deserve it and then adds “nerds”. Both Megan and Victor smile widely.
In Limbo, Darkchild sits on her newly reclaimed throne. N’Astirh hisses at her feet and S’ym asks “What now?” Illyana gazes at a green swirl of mystic energy that seems to hold images of Piotr and Kitty. She smiles eerily and declares “Now I get my soul back.”
(second story)
The Beast and his twisted counterpart “Doc” (AKA Dark Beast) make their way to the former laboratories of the Mutant Genome Project in Alamagordo, New Mexico. Beast tells “Doc” that he’s been her before and the place is empty. The Dark Beast replies that it is “rich with history”.  Beast notes that he is aware that it was the playground of early genetic trailblazers during the Cold War including Professor Xavier’s father and stepfather. Doc tells Hank that that is merely scratching the surface and like the human body, this place gets much more interesting once you open it up. He opens a panel door and ushers Hank into the heart of the complex, the area designate “Black Womb”.
Beast says that he’s aware of Project Black Womb which studied mutant infant. Doc chuckles and say that “study” is a word that is so full of possibilities. He pulls up a photo on a computer that shows some of Black Womb’s participants: Kurt Marko, Irene Adler, Nathan Milbury and Amanda Mueller. Doc notes that Irene Adler was later known as Destiny as well as “Dr. Milbury’s” resemblance to Sinister. Beast doesn’t recognize Amanda Mueller and Doc explains that she was the woman behind the curtain and was well over one hundred years old despite her youthful appearance. He adds that he wouldn’t kick her out of his bed. Dr. McCoy says that he finds these covert experiments on mutant infants unconscionable… almost as revolting as the Dark Beast’s own experiments. Doc smiles and tells his blue counterpart that he should keep watching as it only gets better.
He turns up the sound on a film clip that shows Mueller and Milbury “studying” one of their mutant subjects. The mutant baby is in some kind of incubator. Mueller explains that this child will never be able to pass for human. The mother believes it was stillborn but in reality, the father sold the child to them for research purposes. The man told them that he would have paid them to take the child. Milbury responds that they are free then to begin dissection and asks if he should use ether. Mueller simply replies that she doesn’t want any chemicals to affect their data. So she will smother it. She places her gloved hand over the infant’s mouth. Its tiny webbed hand reaches out and its eyes grow wide as it suffocates. The Beast pulls away from the screen and calls them monsters. Doc asks what he expected exactly and tells his more scrupulous self that this is how they are going to get the answers that he is seeking.
Hank grabs Doc by the jacket and tells him that he will die before he will do anything like what they’ve just seen and that he’ll ensure that they both stick to that. Doc tells him to calm down and that they have plenty of options to try before resorting to baby-killing. He adds that to save mutantkind they may have to get their hands dirty and that if he does not understand that, then there’s no point in moving forward. He asks the Beast if he’s ready to get dirty. Beast tells him that there are limits and Doc agrees that they are educated men and he just needs to be sure that he can count on him before proceeding to the “good part”.
Hank asks if Doc has been here before as well. He replies that he hasn’t but that Sinister’s descriptions of its secrets was so enticing that he stole the files on the place. In those files, he learned of Sinister’s secret lab that was sealed decades earlier. He expects they might find some valuable data there. Beast voices his suspicions that it’s not just DNA sample or gene-maps that has Doc so excited to be here.  Doc replies that the place was supposed to be under SHIELD surveillance and that he’s surprised that no one has confronted their presence there. As they approach Milbury’s lab, a pungent smell hits them. They enter to find the lab ransacked and the bodies of several SHIELD agents amongst the toppled equipment and purloined files.
Doc says it looks like they missed the fun at which point he is attacked by a robotic SHIELD drone. Beast pulls him deftly from harm’s way and the pair manage to evade the first volley of energy attacks that issue forth from the robot’s single “eye”. Doc says that the robot is a relic and Beast notes that despite its apparent age it’s still capable of killing them if they aren’t careful. Doc notes that the room looks like Sinister’s work and guesses that he left this robot intact just for them. Beast grapples with the robot to open its service hatch to disable it. The two Beasts then work in tandem to destroy the machine. Beast looks upon it and notes that it fought hard and perhaps no one likes to admit that its time is passed. Doc tells him to spare the melancholy metaphors and informs Beast that Sinister took all the valuable data and wiped the memory banks. Hank curses and realizes that this is just like what happened at Neverland. Doc admits that in that case it was he who erased everything and he’s been doing that everywhere he’s been so that no one else can use this data to put a final nail in the coffin of mutantkind. He adds that nothing he’s found so far has helped move them any closer to reversing the effects of M-Day. He had hoped Sinister’s century-long research may have helped them but realizes that that doesn’t matter now.
Beast points out that when he sought Sinister’s help, the mad geneticist seemed to think it beneath him to collaborate with the blue and furry X-Man. It occurred to him, however, that Sinister may be working on the same problem himself. Doc says that while this may be true, is McCoy really ready to leave the fate of the mutant race to Sinister? Hank sees his point. Doc says this avenue has been closed to them so now they have to get creative. Beast sighs and tells Doc that he’s seen his idea of creative and it’s exactly what he meant when he told him that there were limits to what he would do. He vows that he will harm no one in this pursuit. Again, Doc tells him to calm down and that what he has planned won’t hurt a living soul. He tells him that without Sinister’s files there are things they will need to continue their research namely an ample supply of mutant DNA samples. He smiles sinisterly and says that he has an idea of where to find them


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Children of X-Men – Part 1 of 2(first story)<br>  Endangered Species – Chapter 12 (second story)
(first story)
Several weeks earlier…
Reverend Stryker to Matthew Risman - ”God is with you, Matthew. Always remember that.”
The Xavier Institute is surrounded by flames as the Purifiers attack the school. Inside, Matthew Risman, a former assassin recruited by revered William Stryker is stalking through the corridors. He sees a handful of mutant students rounding the corner ahead of him and opens fire with his automatic weapon. He tells them “There’s no future for you, demon-spawn!” As he pursues them, he is attacked by Dust whose sandstorm form tears through him and strips the flesh from the left side of his face. Nearby, Rockslide is holding up the ceiling as Surge cradles the injured David Alleyne who was shot by Risman. Emma Frost asks David where Stryker is and he tells her that Stryker is at Cerebra. Risman looks up and sees Dust as she reforms. He says her name in shock having believed that she was already eliminated. She sees the damage she has done to the Purifier and says “please forgive me.”
Washington, DC – The Present:
Risman is now known to the Purifiers as “Father Matthew”. Brother Paul calls to him, shaking him out of his recollections of the raid at the Xavier Institute that left him scarred. Paul reports that the Ottawa branch of the Purifiers has caught the trail of Predator X. It is alive and hunting. On the view screen is the image of a horribly mangled corpse of what appears to be an emaciated mutant with greenish skin and large pointed ears.
At the Xavier Institute, the X-Men are meeting to discuss the recent activities of the junior X-Men team. Cyclops reiterates the various trials and accomplishments of the New X-Men in the months since M-Day. Wolverine jokingly suggests that the kids are so good that they should all just retire now. Maybe even shoot the youngsters into space and let them deal with Vulcan.
 Emma drolly compliments Logan on his amazing sensitivity. Cyclops is not distracted by their comments. He reminds everyone that there are now 25 students left at the Institute and that they represent roughly 1/8th of the remaining mutant population. He adds that they have failed these kids in every possible way. He points out that not only have they failed to protect them, they don’t even really know them. He decrees that starting today that ends and that protecting them is their imperative. Especially in light of the Beast’s current belief that mutantkind is at an evolutionary standstill. These could be the final generation of X-Men.
 As he says all this, Scott is holding up a picture of Rockslide in the lava-like form he assumed while trapped in Limbo. Logan says that he didn’t know they had a “lava kid”. Beast replies that that is Rockslide and he’s still trying to figure it out.
A short time later, Beast is examining Dust who dislocated her shoulder during the New X-Men’s battle against Belasco. She tells him that she does not wish to be a bother and he replies that she and her teammates saved them all from Belasco and that she has earned the right to “bother them”.
Pixie is in the infirmary as well and chimes in. She enthusiastically reminds Dr. McCoy that she and Sooraya are now teammates and adds that they are probably going to become best friends. Dust asks Megan if she is injured. She replies that she lost a piece of her soul in Limbo but that she’s been checked out by Amanda Sefton and Dr. Strange and they agreed that she had plenty of soul to spare.
 Dust cries out a bit as Hank pops her shoulder back into place. Pixie continues to ramble on about how she can now do magic and has a soul dagger and can even cast a spell allowing her to teleport! Dust seems confused and asks if this is good. She adds that Dr. Strange said that he’d take her on as a student but that she had to be eighteen and take a vow of silence. Beast says that they all hope Strange will take her early, subtly expressing his annoyance at Megan’s incessant jabbering.
Megan asks Sooraya why she still wears her burqa since everyone has seen her without it, it must be really hot and she’s so pretty. Nezhno corrects Megan by pointing out that Sooraya wears an abaya with a niqab veil, not a burqa. He tells her that she can show respect for Sooraya by learning about her.
Megan is only momentarily taken aback by this abrupt rebuke. She turns her attention to Nezhno, who is sitting in a meditative position nearby. She gushes about how he saved her in Limbo and asks why he never uses his powers and why he went into spasms when he did. He informs her that it was a seizure and that every time he uses his powers his strength increases. He shares with her that at some point his body will not be able to contain his power and he will die. Currently, the Vibranium tattoos that adorn his body help to keep his power in check but he knows they will not last. Megan is speechless (for once). At that moment, Mercury pokes her head in the door and asks them how old they are.
Elsewhere in the Institute, Anole, Rockslide and X-23 are playing pool. Victor tells them for the last time that he will not let them cut off his other arm. Rockslide reminds him that Beast said it was part of his power and it would grow back just like the arm he lost in Limbo. This new arm is stronger and spiked. Santo says that they should do his legs too and then he’d be an “awesome dragon guy”. X-23 has agreed to do it and says it won’t even hurt. She tells Victor that she would make the cut at the glenohumeral joint and it would be over quickly. She extends her claws and slices through the pool ball to illustrate her point. Victor tells them both to back off. He likes his arm the way it was and wants to keep the one normal arm he has left. Santo calls him a “big sissy”. Victor glares angrily at him and says “What did you call me?” At that moment, Cessily enters and tells them she has a quick question.
Josh Foley sits alone in his room in the dark. There is a knock on the door and Cessily enters. She asks what he’s doing and he tells her he’s thinking. She asks him how old he is and he replies eerily that he can feel his cells aging and knows everything there is to know about the process. The real question, he tells her, is can he stop it? Mercury is clearly weirded out by Josh’s esoteric response and tells him that she’ll just ask David about it. She leaves them room quickly wishing him “good thinking”.
A few minutes later, Mercury is knocking on Hellion’s door and telling him that she thinks that Elixir has flipped out again. There is no answer but a huge explosion rips forth from Julian’s room and sends Cessily flying. Julian emerges form the room cursing Dr. McCoy and his paper clip! Julian admits that he can’t control his power and that anything smaller than a refrigerator is hard for him to handle because he now lacks fine motor control. He says that he may be the last telekinetic on the planet other than some guy called “Justice” who works for the Initiative. She tells him that he’ll work it out and then asks if he knows how old the Cuckoos are. He replies “Old enough” and Cessily calls him a “perv” and asks for a real answer. He tells her that they’re really only two years old but were artificially aged to fifteen. He asks why she’s so curious about it. Cessily replies “Matt Landru”.
A short time later, Mercury is in the Cerebra chamber with the Stepford Cuckoos and Julian. She explains that the death of Matt Landru made her realize that with no new mutants manifesting powers or being born, somewhere out there is a mutant who is the youngest surviving mutant on the planet. Given how many young mutants are at the Institute, one of them is likely the youngest. Julian asks about the young mutant member of the Runaways who he thinks is only about five. The Cuckoos report that she is not registering on Cerebra and add that Angel and Beak’s child Tito is technically the youngest mutant. Julian says that that’s just gross and asks that they not remind him of all that.
 Mercury asks about Franklin Richards and wonders if he retained his mutant powers. Hellion says that he hardly counts since no one is going to go after the child of the Fantastic Four. At that moment Ms. Frost enters and chides them subtly for being in the Cerebra chamber. She announces that the senior staff is conducting interviews with the student body and she would like to see both Julian and Cessily in her office.
Outside, Colossus and Beast are waiting for Rockslide. Piotr is getting impatient and asks McCoy if he is sure the boy can even tell time. Beast replies “Not entirely”. A crash is heard from above followed by shouting. Rockslide yells at Victor to stop hitting him. The two young mutants come crashing down in front of the two senior X-Men. Anole is using his newly enlarged and stronger arm to pummel Santo who is trying to get him to stop his assault. He tells Victor “I swear I didn’t know! Don’t be so sensitive!” Anole tells him to shut up as they slam forcefully into the ground.
A few minutes later, Dr. McCoy has asked Santo to blow himself up again as he did in Limbo to test the true nature of his powers and his seeming ability to reform himself. He theorizes that Santo is now a psychic entity with the ability to form and control a stone golem form around himself. He suspects that his former ability to project his limbs from his body has given way to a more powerful ability to explode and reform his rock-form. This is why he wants Santo to detonate his new “rockslide” explosive power and reform himself. Santo refuses and declares that he’ll never use that power again. Victor smiles smugly and calls Rockslide a sissy. Santo tells him that he’s going to take him down and explodes his body.
Anole ducks behind Colossus organic steel form and Beast thanks him. Victor says “No problem” and Piotr asks if that’s they only reason he was asked to be present. Beast speaks to Santo , asking him to concentrate and pull himself together . The ground where Rockslide exploded begins to rumble and a moment later, his rock-form is fully restored. It resembles the form he possessed prior to his adventure in Limbo since it is no longer composed of rock from Limbo’s fiery wastelands. He initially wants to pound on Victor but is then simply amazed that he managed to reconstitute his rock-form on command. Beast drolly congratulates him and says that next he’d like to see if he can reform after someone else has shattered his golem form. Santo can’t believe what he’s hearing. Anole enthusiastically raises his hand and says “Ooo! Ooo! Me!!” with a broad smile on his face.
Surge makes the rounds, asking the others for details about what Belasco did to David while they were in Limbo. Trance says she just saw him fall and knew he was hurt. She suggests that others might know more. Dust thinks that he broke a rib, perhaps but Josh healed it. Mercury tells Nori that he broke his wrist when he fell but it was no big deal. Josh himself lies and says that nothing happened beyond a few scratches. X-23 provides the full story. Belasco ripped David’s heart out with his bare hands doing massive damage to David’s chest and cardiovascular system. Elixir healed him fast enough that there was no brain damage from his instantaneous death. Nori thanks Laura for being 100% truthful.
Surge stalks down the hall, oblivious to Pixie’s attempts to get her attention. She finally stops and asks what her new teammate wants. Pixie tells Nori that she thinks that she and David make a cute couple. At that moment, Cyclops appears and tells the two that they need to talk about the planned student/teacher conferences. Nori tells Scott that she’s busy and Pixie jumps in and volunteers to meet with him. Logan tells Pixie that she’s coming with him. Megan asks where they’re going and Logan smiles and pops his claws as he says “Danger Room”. Pixie’s smile fades as she gulps.
Emma meets with Mercury and Hellion and asks how they and the team are doing. Mercury lays into Emma right away and says that if this is how this meeting is going to be then she’s got a question: Where is Wither? She accuses Emma of losing him and asks if maybe he’s dead too and Emma is just keeping it from them. Julian informs Emma that Sooraya told them all about the bizarre discussion about “trust” that the two recently had. He says “You’ve lost it, haven’t you?” He then points out that since the Purifiers attack she’s completely ignored them all and thinks that she’s doing it to put some emotional distance there in case they don’t survive either. He then asks if the only reason she’s meeting with them now is because Cyclops forced her to. Cessily adds that they all think it’s pretty sad and the two exit the office, slamming the door on the way out. Emma sits at her desk, her face like stone and simply says “Dismissed”.
Elixir is still sitting in the dark on his bedroom floor when Kitty Pryde knocks on his door. She announces herself and tells him it’s time for their student/teacher conference. When he doesn’t answer, she phases through the wall. She asks what he’s doing alone, on the floor in the dark. He tells her he’s thinking and she asks what he’s thinking about. He tells her, “Life. Death. Taking it, and giving it. I give life. I take it.” He asks her what it is he can’t do given his powers. Kitty is clearly overwhelmed by the gravity of his comments and simply says “Oooookay”, declares it a “good meeting” and says that she’ll get back to him.
In the kitchen, Wolf Cub and Loa are eating ice cream and talking about the youngest mutant issue that Mercury has raised. Alani thinks that Pixie is probably the youngest and points out hesitantly that everyone thinks it’s probably her… or Wolf Cub himself. He says “Great” and Alani tries to change the subject by asking him what he thinks of Josh. Nicholas replies that Josh is definitely older and then adds that he hopes he isn’t the youngest because everyone knows what that means. At that instant, Pixie flies through the kitchen screaming. A cloud of glittery pink “pixie dust” trails behind her like exhaust from a jet engine. Wolverine is close behind slashing his way through the pink clouds shouting “$#%^ing unicorns!” Wolf Cub slumps down on the table and says “I hate this place”.
That evening a majority of the student body gather in the mansion’s living room to determine once and for all who among them is the youngest mutant. Indra is doing the calculations and is surprised to see that the Stepford Cuckoos are technically only two years old.
As they all wait anxiously, Hellions says that it has to be Pixie. David enters and asks Nori how her meeting with Cyclops went. He notes that he hasn’t seen her all day. She tells him she doesn’t want to talk about it. Nicholas urges Indra to hurry up and tells him that being the youngest mutant on the planet is a one-way ticket to death. He adds that being a student there is one kind of target on your back and being the youngest is like having two! David asks Surge what’s wrong and shy she won’t talk to him. Indra comes to the conclusion that Wolf Cub is the youngest mutant.
Nicholas quickly reminds them about Franklin Richards and beak’s son, Tito but is told they don’t count. Nick begins to panic and speculate on how he’s going to die, suggesting the Purifiers or maybe the Sentinels. Pixie gives a sigh of relief that it wasn’t her after all. Mercury then notices that Indra didn’t include his own birth date on the list and asks when it is. He then realizes that he was wrong before and that he is the youngest!
 Prodigy asks Nori to look at him but she refuses. Instead she rushes over to Julian and kisses him fiercely, to everyone surprise. X-23 sees this and instinctively pops her claws, glaring at the electrifying kiss between Surge and Hellion.  To break the tension, Rockslide says “Dude, Indra… You’re dead.”
Elsewhere, Father Matthew and one of his Purifiers have carefully placed one of Dust’s burqas in such a manner that Predator X will find it. Their plan is simple: turn Predator X’s genetically engineered drive to feast on mutant DNA against a specific target! The Purifiers watch from afar until Predator X arrives. It devours the burqa and the Purifier says to Father Matthew “Whoever wore that burqa… they’re dead.” Matthew Risman simply replies “ Praise be to God.”
(second story)
Dr. Hank McCoy and his evil counterpart from the Age of Apocalypse, the Dark Beast AKA “Doc” pay a visit to the Guthrie homestead in Kentucky. Lucinda Guthrie is overwhelmed at the sight of the two, despite having twins of her own. Henry thanks her for seeing them and acknowledges the hard times she and her family have had to deal with lately. He knows that this must bring up painful memories for them all.
Lucinda tells him that they are no strangers to pain but she’s still surprised to see them. She tells her children to go and work on their chores and homework. Beast gets straight to the point and tells Lucinda that they’ve come to request some cell samples from her. She reminds him that she isn’t a mutant and asks why they want her genes. Hank explains that half of her children manifested powers at puberty. He tells her this is not only unusual but miraculous and they’ve come seeking a miracle. He explains to her about the events that led to M-Day.
As he’s speaking, Lucinda’s youngest boy Lewis heads out to the yard. “Doc” follows him to a spot where he has set up a test range for practicing his mutant powers which have yet to manifest. Doc asks if he is playing superhero and Lewis insists that this is no game, he’s practicing. Doc asks if he comes here so that he’ll know when his own powers kick in and then he’ll practice until he’s good enough to be an X-Man.
Lewis says “yes” and the Dark Beast informs him that it’s never going to happen for him. Lewis still clings to some hope that he may turn out to be a mutant, but Doc tells him it isn’t possible. “No more mutants”, he adds. He lists off all of Lewis’ siblings who got a taste of being a mutant and tells Lewis that he won’t get the chance to experience the glory and adventures like they did. He then holds out a vial and says that’s the reality for him unless he’d like to try approaching the problem from a different angle. Lewis’ eyes grow wide at the offer.
Inside, Lucinda clarifies what Hank is asking for here. Basically, he wants her to help him restart the mutant race. He tells her that is essentially what he’s asking. He unexpressed X-gene could prove the missing piece needed to continue their search for a way of reigniting the X-gene in humanity. She asks what they’ use it for. He tells her that they’d offer it to depowered mutants in the event it might restore their powers. Hank says that that alone may be enough. She replies that it’s more than enough for her. He assumes this to mean that she’ll help and asks her if that’s what she means. She replies “Not on your life, Dr. McCoy. Not for a heartbeat.”
Doc continues his discussion with Lewis, telling him that mutant powers aren’t just fun and adventure but come with responsibilities. He tells Lewis he’d have to promise to use them for good. Lewis eagerly promises saying that he wants to save the world like Sam, Paige and Josh. He vows to use his powers to find the people who killed Josh and take them to jail. Doc tells him that there’s no way to know what powers he might get and that this serum hasn’t been tested. Lewis says he doesn’t care and offers to let them test it on him. Doc smiles and tells Lewis to roll up his sleeve so they can see what kind of mood God is in today.
Lucinda explains to Henry that Xavier has sent one of her children home in a body bag and another heartbroken after losing her powers. She points out that her daughter Joelle was devastated at not being a mutant like her siblings and it nearly ruined her life. She reveals that when Jeb’s powers manifested she prayed to God to take this burden from her because she didn’t think she could bear it any longer. She explains that it’s like waiting for your child to be drafted into a war that never ends. For her, the Decimation was an end to all this. She tells him not to ask her to start that cycle up all over again.
He tries to explain his perspective but she cuts him off. She says she sorry for what he’s lost but she can’t give him what he’s asking for. Desperate to win her cooperation, Beast offers to keep whatever cure or solution he develops a secret from her children if that’s what it takes. She asks him if he expects her to lie to her own kids.
 At that moment, Cissie rushes in and tells her mother to come quick. When Lucinda asks what’s happened, Cissie tells her that Lewis is sick and the grey man did it!
Lucinda accuses Henry of planning all this and keeping her busy while the Dark Beast went after her kids. Beast assures her there was no plan and begs her to believe him. Doc verifies that Hank is telling the truth and says that this was all his plan. He is holding Lewis who has turned pink. His eyes are black and his skin appears to be bubbling. He appears to be foaming at the mouth. Doc tells Hank that he warned him that there would be sacrifices involved and asks him coldly if they should try one of the girls next.


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Children of X-Men – Part 2 of 2
Cyclops is training in the Danger room with Surge watching nearby. He commends her on the job she’s being doing as leader of the New X-Men. He tells her that she took charge and got her people out alive. He tells her he’d like to discuss some strategies but she cuts him off and says “What’s the point? We won on pure luck.”
He tells her that she just described half of the X-Men’s wins. Scott admits that he’s concerned about her temper and that leading through anger will only get her so far. He begins to tell her that she needs to keep her emotions under control but again she interrupts him. She asks him how he felt when Jean Grey died. He is taken aback and she asks how he could do it. How he could put her in danger and how he felt when she died and he couldn’t protect her. She asks how he can love anyone after that. He explains that he couldn’t have stopped her and couldn’t help loving her for it. He tells Nori that she didn’t know Jean Grey but if she had she’d understand that. He adds that you can’t make choices for people and that being an X-Man is their choice. You love them because of it. Nori tells him that he’s wrong. She asks him if he had had the chance to save her but she’d hate him as a result, wouldn’t it have been worth it?
A short time later, Surge finds David in the common room and kisses Hellion right in front of him. Julian is surprised and resists. David storms out of the room. Julian pushes Nori away and asks what she’s doing. He looks over at Laura, who also runs out of the room. Mercury calls after her. Hellion is ticked off and flies out of the room as well with Nori watching as he leaves.
 Pixie interrupts and abruptly asks Nori what they should do about Paras. Surge asks what she means and Megan explains that Indra thinks he’s going to die because he’s the youngest mutant on the planet, more or less. She asks what they should do. Surge tells them simply “Don’t let him.” as she stalks away. The other students are stunned. Loa says “Drama.” And Indra tells the others he’s really scared and asks if they’ll stay with him tonight. Rockslide calls the first shift and Indra nervously asks if someone else will stay with him tonight.
Elsewhere, Predator X is on the hunt following the scent of Dust. He is moving quickly and has already made it to the New York state border.
Back at the Institute, Prodigy is packing his things. He picks up a photo of the New Mutants training squad. The Stepford Cuckoos enter his room and bid him a cold, emotionless “hello”. He asks what they want and tells them he’s busy. They explain that they know what happened and why Nori did what she did. They want to help as thanks for David saving their lives when the Purifiers attacked.
 They tell him they can help him remember everything he has forgotten. He asks what they think he’s forgotten. They explain that the human mind remembers everything but that the connections to those memories fail. They offer to restore those connections which would enable him to remember all the skills he ever absorbed with his former mutant powers. They clarify to David that he would only have the skills he learned while still a mutant but would not be able to learn anything new.
 He says “No… I’ve been down this path before… it’s too much.” The Cuckoos tell him that they think his mind is strong enough or they would not have offered. They tell him they understand though and that if they could still feel emotions, they think they would miss him when he’s gone. David looks down at the photo of his old squad. He sees Nori in happier times. He asks the Cuckoos to stop and tells them to “Do it.”
In the common room, Rockslide is playing video games with Indra. Paras thanks him for staying with him. He comments on how quiet it is and says that maybe he’s just worried over nothing. At that moment, Rockslide explodes his rock form. Indra immediately activates his mutant armored form and cries out in surprise. Santo reforms his body and laughs at Indra’s reaction. He tells Paras that he should have seen his face and that he’s never seen anyone so scared before. Indra deadpans and says he’s going to bed.
Mercury goes looking for X-23 after the incident with Nori kissing Julian. She finds her in a girls’ bathroom. The room is trashed and Laura sits slumped against the wall, covered in gashes. Cessily is shocked at the state Laura’s in. Laura tells her that she doesn’t understand what is happening to her or what she is feeling. She confesses that she is scared that she’s going to hurt someone. Mercury hugs her and tells her it’s going to be okay and that she’s not alone anymore.
Outside, Julian is sitting atop a destroyed Sentinel head thinking about what has just happened. Dust arrives and asks if he is well. He tells her that he really isn’t. His best friend is dead, the girl he thought he loved is gone, his mentor has flipped out and he can’t stop thinking about a girl who scares him. This business with Nori is just too much for him to handle. He tells Sooraya that it’s too hard and he used to be so sure about things.  Now he isn’t and he has no one to show him what to do now. She tells him that she is sorry and isn’t sure what to say. She assumed he would just be angry about what happened. He asks if Cessily sent her to check on him. She admits that she did. Julian smiles and puts his arm around Dust’s shoulder and gives her a half-hug. He tells her thanks and she is a bit surprised by the gesture but replies “You’re welcome.”
Josh Foley sits alone in his room, in the dark. He is brooding and as his thoughts linger in dark places, the black portion of his body migrates to his face.
A small group of students have gathered in the living room. Match is sitting on the floor in the center of them and Rockslide is roasting a marshmallow over his head. Ben glares at him and says “I hate you, Santo.” His reply is a dumbfounded “What!? Everyone loves a campfire.” Match reminds them that the last time they all gathered like this they got sucked into hell. He adds that if they just sit there it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens, like a snarling monster leaping through the window to kill them all. “This is what our lives are now”, he says.
 Indra buries his head in his hands. Rockslide pipes up and tells them that if they want to lie down and die then go for it but he isn’t going to do that. He says it doesn’t matter what age they are, they’re all mutants and that means that someone is going to come gunning for them. He says that when that happens, he’s going down fighting because he’s an X-Man and that’s what X-Men do. He says that at the very least, they go down together. This causes Victor to smile at Rockslide, for a change.
Santo tells them all to shut up now and “let’s start bonding!” He volunteers to go first and announces to the entire group that “Anole’s gay!” This wipes the smile off Victor’s face as he fumes at Santo. Alani responds “Please…everybody knows that.” Victor is seething and telling Santo that he hates him. Santo simply says that if they’re all going to die, they should get it out in the open. He adds that he’s cool with it because it means more chicks for him.
Just then, Beast arrives with a large box filled with new uniforms for the students. He asks is he smells s’mores. Loa explains that they’re having a campfire and he commends them on their innovation. He tells them he has new uniforms for all of them and Loa asks if they have to as he displays the yellow and black togs. He adds that they’re bullet-proof and suddenly the group lights up. Megan asks if she can have two.
Nori sits in her room, clearly distraught by her current feelings. David enters wearing one of the new uniforms and announces that he’s staying. She looks up at him and he tells her that his name is Prodigy and that he stands with the Institute whether she likes it or not. He tells her that this is home and she doesn’t get to decide his future for him. She gets angry and tells him that he’s going to die and she can’t let that happen. She pushes him in the chest and asks what she has to do to get him to leave. She lies and says that she doesn’t love him and doesn’t want him there. She calls him useless and powerless. She screams that she loves Julian as she powers up her gauntlet with electricity. She demands to know what it will take to make him understand.
 She swings at David who blocks her attack by simply raising his hand. He twists her around into a wrestling hold and tells her that he understands more than she knows.
At that moment, Hellion walks in and thinks that David has attacked Nori. He unleashes his telekinesis, slamming David into the ceiling as he orders him “Get away from her!” Julian asks Nori if he hurt her and she begins to tell him that David would never do that. David moves in from behind and strikes Julian three times in quick succession. Julian falls and David coldly explains that he just struck him with the three parts of the body that cannot break using Israeli special forces training that he absorbed from Wolverine and Shadowcat. Julian tells David that he didn’t kiss Nori. David says that he knows that and tells Julian that he should go talk to Josh about healing his cracked ribs. As Prodigy leaves the room he says calmly “By the way, Nori… we’re through.”
At that same moment, the senior faculty are holding a “staff meeting” on the astral plane courtesy of Emma Frost’s telepathy. Kitty shares that she’s worried about Elixir who has been acting strange since their return from Limbo. Beast adds that the rumor is that he reconstructed Prodigy’s entire heart which would indicate a vast increase in his powers. Hank adds that this is well beyond anything he’s taught him since M-Day.
 Logan adds that they should be worried about Pixie because he plans to kill her if she ever uses her pixie dust on him again. Piotr comments on the students’ current fear that the youngest among them, Indra is destined to die. He asks if there’s any reason for them to think this. Emma points out that more than half of these kids have serious emotional trauma from the events of the last few months. M-Day, the Purifiers attack and their recent ordeal in Limbo has had a profound effect. Given this, it’s no wonder they all think they may die. Kitty glibly says “Yay, school spirit.” Colossus asks if this is what life has come to…they measure a good day by whether or not someone has died, been tortured or lost a piece of their soul.
Despite their concerns, some of the students are coping. Most of the students in the common room have binged on junk food and fallen asleep. Cessily, Laura and Sooraya are having a sleepover and supporting each other as friends. Nori is still brooding, however and Prodigy is uncharacteristically grim. Kitty tells the others that she thinks Elixir is a real problem and that if they don’t think of something soon, they could be teaching the next Magneto. She asks what you do to stop a teenager from “being all dark and twisty”. At that moment, Loa knocks on Josh’s door. She finds him dark and sullen on the floor and says hi. She tells him that she’s been doing a lot of thinking lately about what they’ve been through and that she thinks it’s going to get worse. She says she was wondering if he’d want to make out. He’s taken aback at first but then the blackness drains from his face. He smiles and says tentatively “Sure?”
The next day, Cyclops addresses the students. He tells them that they may well be the last generation of X-Men and that they may die tomorrow. Or live forever like Wolverine. Either way, the Institute is still a school and they still have a lot to learn. He informs them that they will resume both team and individual training. Whenever a senior staff member is unavailable, Prodigy will serve as their instructor. Cyclops asks Surge if she’s okay with this and she reluctantly tells him that she’s fine and that they should just get to work.
Nearby, an assault helicopter piloted by the Purifiers tracks the movements of Predator X.  One of the Purifiers notes that Predator X is moving at 100 miles per hour for over 19 hours! Predator X stops within view of the Xavier Institute. It stops and sniffs. It then turns around and begins running away! The Purifiers on the helicopter report this to their leader, Father Matthew. He is enraged and does not understand why it would leave like it did. Dr. Jack Abrams is with Father Matthew and tells him that perhaps it has found its intended target. Risman’s eyes grow wide and he says “God have mercy. It is as the Reverend Stryker foretold.” He looks out over his assembled Purifiers and tells them “Come… we have much to do.”


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Messiah Complex – Chapter Four
Deep in the Canadian Rockies, a young man builds a campfire. Once it’s set, he opens his mouth and breathes a column of fire at it. The wood ignites and the young man smiles and hums happily. He hears a twig snap and turns just in time to see Predator X lunging at him. The man screams as Predator X drives him to the ground. Predator X proceeds to devour the unknown mutant and then pauses to sniff at the air. Something has caught its attention.
At the Xavier Institute, Prodigy tells Surge that she shouldn’t be in the War Room. Julian is with him and offers to leave in case the two of them need some time alone. David says they don’t need any time and Nori tells them both to shut up and look at the view screen. CNN is broadcasting a report about the incident in Cooperstown. The footage shows the bodies of a pair of Purifiers among the carnage.
David and Julian see this and Nori tells them that this is why Cyclops told them to stay put at the school. She tells them the Purifiers may have the baby. Prodigy tells her that Cyclops must have had a good reason for not telling them and that she shouldn’t do anything stupid. Nori gets angry and tells him that he knows as well as she did what the Purifiers did.
 Professor Xavier enters and tells them that David is right and that Cyclops is right as well… “to a point.” He agrees that Cyclops withheld this information to protect them but he also says that there are other ways to solve a problem than to charge headfirst into danger. He adds that he knows a thing or two about training mutants and would like to talk to the three of them about a different approach.
 As he begins to explain, Surge yells at him to shut up. David tries to stop her but she refuses to listen. She asks Xavier where he was when they were getting killed, when their friends were being blown up, shot in the head and having their hearts ripped out! She gets right in his face and asks where he was when the Purifiers came to his mansion to kill them. She storms away as she tells him “There’s nothing you can teach us, “Prof”… we already know how to die. Prodigy watches as she storms out and tells Xavier that it’s been a rough year.
At Forge’s Aerie in Dallas, Texas, Jamie Madrox is still comatose after sending two of his dupes into the future. Forge is talking with Cyclops via computer and asks if Emma might be able to find out what’s going on in Jamie’s mind. Cyclops replies that Emma is unavailable for the moment. Forge is clearly frustrated but assures Scott that he’ll continue monitoring the future timelines Jamie’s dupes have traveled to. He expresses his concern that Madrox may never wake up and Scott tells him that the risks are worth taking given what’s at stake. Forge tells Scott to listen to himself and asks point-blank if he’s really willing to sacrifice Jamie and Layla’s lives! Scott interrupts him and reminds him that their species is dying out and if they don’t find a way to control it, all of their lives end here.
Back at the Institute, Surge has called together the New X-Men team. She tells them that she thought she and Cyclops had come to an understanding after all they’d been through and accomplished as a team in the past few months. But now that she knows the Purifiers are involved, it’s personal considering that they were responsible for the deaths of 45 of their friends. She reminds the others that the Purifiers didn’t come after the X-Men or X-Factor, they came after them! She points out that they were the ones who took the Purifiers on before and she’s going after them. She knows that if they have this baby they will kill it. She says that if they don’t have the child, she still plans to take them out permanently. She asks who’s in.
  Hellion and Mercury agree but Dust says this is wrong, they have seen too much blood already and that is what Surge is after. Rockslide says he is in but refuses to hold the baby since they creep him out. Anole agrees to go but just to rescue the baby. He suggests they use the Cuckoos to see if they have any information on where the X-Men were heading. He also thinks that the O*N*E might have records on the Purifiers. Pixie volunteers to teleport them there but says she doesn’t want to kill anyone. She asks if she’ll have to if she goes along. David tells Nori not to do this but she ignores him. She asks Josh if he’s coming. He tells her that after what the Purifiers did to Laurie, he’d kill all of them if he came along and he doesn’t want to do that. He says he’ll be here if they need healing though. As Elixir refuses to go, Armor enters and asks if the team has room for one more.
In Antarctica, Angel, Storm, Wolverine, and Colossus are aboard the Blackbird waiting anxiously. Angel says “Something’s gone wrong” and Wolverine tells him to relax, Nightcrawler knows what he’s doing. A moment later, Kurt Wagner appears in a burst of smoke and tells the others “Ja….they’re here.”
Simultaneously in Washington DC, Rictor is undercover amongst the Purifiers and being given a tour of their church there. The cathedral style building is impressive and Rictor suggests that it must have taken a lot of tithing to build. Rictor’s Purifier contact Taylor explains that this is just one of hundreds of churches that are part of the Purifiers’ operations. He informs Rictor that the heads of all the eastern branches are converging on Washington DC to meet. Rictor lies and tells Taylor that he has prayed all his life to find people like him and he never thought there’d be so many or that they’d have so many guns. Taylor tells him that he hasn’t seen anything yet as he pushes open a side door.
 Inside, Brother Jack is briefing a group of Purifiers on their next move. He asks Rictor to wait there and he replies “I’m here to serve.” He overhears Brother Jack telling his forces that they are reviewing Reverend Stryker’s records and they are not clear what went wrong. He restates that their priority is locating “the infant antichrist” and that they are searching the area around Cooperstown. Rictor smiles as he secures the knowledge he came there seeking. He knows that the Purifiers don’t have the mutant baby. Rictor’s smile fades quickly as Brother Jack introduces the Purifiers to their new allies who will assist them in securing the child.
New York City – Eighty Years in the Future
Layla Miller and one of Jamie Madrox’s dupes have traveled into the future to try and learn the truth about the mutant race’s fate and what it has to do with the recent birth of a mutant child. The pair makes their way through a crowd as Madrox grouses that spending five days traveling from Texas to New York with Layla in tow was not part of the plan. She points out that she is a great travel companion and that she found them snacks. He urges her to keep moving and comments that “the future blows”.
 He points out that there are no mutants and no one is even talking about them. He asks where they’re going and points out that Layla seems to have lost her much vaunted ability to “know things” now that they are in the future. She simply replies that she has kept her “amazing common sense powers”. She has lead them to the New York Public Library… or what remains of it.
 The building is derelict and its once invaluable resources discarded in this age of technology. Jamie is surprised and asks if they’ll be checking the internet next. Layla tells him no and reminds him of how distracted he gets on the internet. She reminds him that no one is talking about mutants and assumes that what happened must have been horrible. She states that no one ever goes to libraries but that they know “all the good stuff”. She finds a book that reveals where they put all the mutants. It contains a large map of the USA covered in red Xes. Jamie says “Oh God” as he realizes what this means. A short time later, he and Layla are overlooking the Mutant Relocation Camp in Brooklyn. Concrete barricades, barbed wire and heavily armed armored troops keep the “residents” in check.
Washington, DC – The Present
The New X-Men have made their way to the Purifiers headquarters. X-23 confirms that she can smell their guns and the devices they have used in the past to block telepaths. Rockslide is relieved as this is the eighth church they’ve checked. Hellion notes that they narrowed their search to DC using information gleaned from a Sentinel pilot. Surge tells Anole that once they’re inside, his job is to find out what he can about the mutant baby while they run interference. She asks Laura what she sees. She reports that there are seven armed Purifiers patrolling the perimeter, a pair of unarmed guards on the upper level and a side entrance that is even more heavily guarded. She tells them that this is the entrance they want. Armor is impressed and says “Wow”. Santo tells her “You ain’t seen nothing yet, Armor-All.”
Back at the Institute, Dust is second-guessing her decision not to accompany the others on their mission of vengeance. She wonders how she will live with herself if anything bad happens to her friends as a result of her absence. Prodigy assures her that she did the right thing by following her conscience. She asks David what his conscience tells him. He replies that he feels he should find Cyclops and tell him what’s happening but that he can’t. Like Sooraya, he can’t help but wonder how he’ll feel if anything happens to the others. Josh assures him that Nori will take care of the others and get them through this. At that moment in DC, Hellion and Mercury each take down a guard in their own inimitable fashion. The New X-men descend into the church.
In Antarctica, a Marauder is surprised to learn that they are running from the X-Men. Sinister explains that Cyclops is not a fool and knows the stakes in this game. He states simply that a conflict with the X-Men at this time is not in line with their goals and they will deal with the X-Men on his terms. Scalphunter looks around and asks where Harpoon is. At that precise moment, Harpoon comes crashing through the outer wall of the team’s arctic base. The X-Men (Storm, Angel, Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Colossus) stand in the gaping hole that Harpoon’s “entrance” created. Vertigo utters “Oh, hell” as the coalition of Acolytes and Marauders are confronted by the squad of X-Men. Wolverine says coolly, “We’re here for Rogue and the baby. Only question is, how many of you have to die before we get them?”
At the Purifiers’ church, a pair of guards radio Brother Paul who is unconscious following the New X-Men’s infiltration of the base. They pass by Anole who has used his chameleon abilities to blend in with the stone wall. Once they have passed, he emerges and leaps to the rafters. He crawls along the ceiling unnoticed until he reaches a room filled with computers. He accesses their systems and quickly learns that they do not have the baby. He is taken by surprise when a Purifier grabs him and places a hand over his mouth. The Purifier demands to know what he’s doing there. Victor grabs his arm and flips him over him with one super-strong yank. He looks down and immediately recognizes the Purifier as Rictor. He is surprised to see him there and asks “…aren’t you with X-Factor?” Rictor tells Anole that he has to get out of here and Victor says that even though the baby isn’t there, they can still shut down the Purifiers. Rictor realizes that the entire New X-Men team is there and explains to Anole that they now have a much bigger problem than the Purifiers to deal with.
Elsewhere, the remaining New X-Men have engaged a contingent of armed Purifiers. Surge is letting loose mercilessly with her electrical powers and Hellion tries to get her to ease up. He tells her that she doesn’t want to be like them. Father Matthew arrives and shoots at them. Hellion narrowly manages to throw Surge clear of the gunfire. He then decks Father Matthew. He recognizes the Purifiers’ new leader and that he was at the mansion during the Purifier attack. Risman confirms this and adds that he was also responsible for killing the busload of former mutant students and the execution of Laurie Collins. He tells Julian that today he will send the rest of them back to Satan.
 At that moment, the Purifiers’ new allies reveal themselves as Lady Deathstrike and her new Reavers join the fight. Deathstrike attacks Julian from behind, her claws passing through his telekinetic field and piercing his chest. She lifts him off the ground as the other New X-Men see their friend fatally skewered. She grimly says “Come to me, children. Come to Deathstrike.”


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Messiah Complex – Chapter Eight
Alberta, Canada – The Present:
Cable stands in a snowy field of ice, blood dripping from as he clutches the mutant infant protectively. Lady Deathstrike and her new Reavers face him. Her claws are covered in blood as she tells him that this is his end, along with the child’s. She commends him on how well he has fought and offers to make their deaths quick He gets in her face and asks her what she cares about this or the Purifiers.
 Yuriko replies that the child’s birth was foretold by Rev. Stryker and that Stryker said he would have need of her twice: once when he was alive and again when he was dead. He told her of the mutant antichrist and asked her to kill it. As Deathstrike raises her claws to Cable’s face he smiles and says, “I guess he didn’t mention to look behind you.” The newly formed X-Force arrives and attacks Deathstrike and her Reavers.
Sheepshead Bay Mutant Concentration Camp – The Future:
Layla Miller and Madrox the Multiple Man are bound by high-tech manacles that suppress their mutant abilities. As they are led into the camp by armored soldiers, Layla says to Jamie that he does have to admit that this is where they wanted to go. Jamie dryly replies that he wanted to “check it out…not die inside it.” A soldier prods them along. Layla tells Jamie that he won’t die there and that eventually he’ll forget the pain.
 He asks her what she knows and she replies that she knows they haven’t seen a single mutant there yet. Jamie asks the guard where everyone is and where they are being taken. The guard hits Jamie in the back of the neck with the butt of his gun and tells him to shut up. He explains that they are about to be processed like all mutants. Layla responds with her typical sarcasm “See? We’re not going to die, we’re going to get processed. And then we’ll die.”
Alberta, Canada – The Present:
Wolverine orders his team to get to Cable as they plow through the Reavers. Deathstrike orders her troops to kill them all. One of the Reavers fires at Cable as he makes a break for it. Cable grabs a gun and returns fire. Warpath cries out as he sees Cable attacked but Hepzibah warns him to focus on his current opponent.
 A Reaver fires on Caliban and X-23 dives at him and rolls him out of harm’s way. Wolfsbane bounds across the snow and attacks, incensed that the Reavers would claim to serve God while killing children and babies.
 Wolverine makes a beeline for Cable, grumbling that he moves to well for an old man. His path is blocked by Lady Deathstrike who slashes him with her claws and screams “Die!” She tells him that he had longer to live before she would come for him but now he will die here with the mutant child. Logan tells her that he doesn’t have the time for this. He says “You’re still pissed at me? Fine. But I know someone who’s pissed at you.” He steps aside to reveal X-23 who is seething with anger. Logan moves on and tells her “Knock yourself out, X.” X-23 makes the first move at Yuriko. She tells her coldly “You call yourself Deathstrike. Show me.” She then slices Yuriko across the face with her claws.
New York – The Present:
Predator X is on the move once more. It has fed and grown but with growth comes a renewed hunger. It can sense the mutant child and hungers for it but needs to feed now. It changes its direction, heading towards the nearest mutants available to satisfy its gnawing need to feed. Those at the Xavier Institute will suffice for now.
At the Xavier Institute, the Beast slumps to the floor after dealing with an onslaught of casualties. He announces that Hellion has two punctured lungs, a nicked aorta, a shredded diaphragm, a severed rib and has lost his spleen but he’s alive for the moment. Mercury and Prodigy are nearby and Cessily asks what happens now. Dr. McCoy replies that they take a breath, check on Nightcrawler who is in about the same shape as Julian and they pray that Elixir wakes up soon to heal the others.
 Surge looks down on the infirmary from an observation window above and says to Emma, “This is all my fault.” She tells Emma that she was so angry and wanted to hurt the Purifiers but they weren’t ready. She says that because of her they almost died.
 Emma points out that Julian is alive and they all survived. She points out that they may have died at the Institute when the Sentinels attacked. Emma looks down at Julian and confesses that he was her favorite but she pushed him away, she pushed all of them away. Yet, they survived without her. She tells Surge that they were all blindsided by what’s happened and they need to get over it and not let it happen again. Surge asks Emma why she did this to her, why she picked her to lead them. Emma tells her it’s because she knew that she would protect them no matter what, even from her if need be. She tells Surge to do that now.
Emma joins the rest of the X-Men and their allies as Cyclops briefs them on their mission. They are going to back Wolverine’s X-Force as they try to take possession of the mutant baby. Cyclops asks Emma if she’s up for this and that Monet could cover things. Emma tells him not to insult her and gives a brief update on Nightcrawler and Hellion. She adds that she spoke with Surge. Scott asks if Surge can cover the students and Emma replies that she has no doubt as Noir is very motivated at the moment.
Back in Canada, Deathstrike lashes out at X-23 while claiming that Logan is trying to insult and shame her by sending a child to attack her. She begins to tear into Laura, telling her that she is nothing compared to her. X-23 does not answer as Yuriko slices through her. X-23 is driven to the ground and just lies there. Deathstrike looks down at her and asks if she can hear her. She looks disgusted and says “You are not even fighting.” X-23 answers “No… I’m listening.” She kicks up, slicing through Deathstrike’s cybernetic arm with the claw on her foot. Yuriko calls her pathetic and points out that her blow barely drew blood. X-23 tells her that she wasn’t aiming for her blood. At that moment, Deathstrike realizes that she cannot move her arm. X-23 launches herself at Lady Deathstrike as she tells her “Now you will see me fight.”
Rahne attacks one of the Reavers and declares that they deserve to burn in hell for what they’ve done but that that isn’t up to her. The Reaver tells her that she is right to be a God-fearing woman and that they know of her from the Reverend Craig. Wolfsbane is taken aback to hear this and the Reaver uses this opening to fire upon her. Rahne dodges and kicks the man, who goes flying off the side of the snowy cliff. As he falls to his death he says “I fear no evil.” Rahne watches him fall, her emotions unclear.
Cable tries to escape with the child but Warpath and Wolverine pursue him. Caliban moves to follow them, leaving Hepzibah to face a pair of Reavers. She calls for him to wait but he doesn’t listen. Warpath asks Cable not to make them do this.
 Hepzibah is finishing one of the Reavers but the other takes aim at Warpath. He says “All mutants burn” as he fires at James’ back. Caliban cries out “Nooo!” and leaps into the line of fire, taking three bullets in the chest. He falls in a bloody heap as Warpath turns around.
The Reaver is about to fire again when Warpath’s blade flies through his face! Warpath runs to Caliban’s side. Wolverine tells him that Caliban is gone and he needs to stay on Cable but James doesn’t listen. He falls to his knees over Caliban’s lifeless body and begs him “…don’t do this” over and over.
Lady Deathstrike staggers. X-23 tells her that she has wounded her and she will die faster than she is able to heal or her mechanics can repair themselves. “You are dead and do not even know it yet.” Despite this, Yuriko tries to attack X-23. Laura leaps behind her and shoves her claws through her back, eviscerating her in the same way that she did to Hellion. As Deathstrike falls, X-23 tells her “You were dead the second you touched Julian Keller.”
Wolverine nearly catches up to Cable and calls out to him across the snowy field. Logan realizes that Cable is back-tracking and heading to where they came from. He realizes too late that Nathan is heading to the Blackbird. Wolverine dives into the snow just as the X-Men’s jet launches into the sky. Wolvie looks up from the snow as Cable and the infant speed away. He asks “What’s your game, Cable?” and wonders how many more will die before it’s over.


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Messiah Complex – Chapter Twelve
Muir Island:
Mystique hovers over the unconscious Rogue, caressing her face in a motherly fashion. She talks to Rogue and tells her that this island has brought her nothing but pain. Her life has been altered in dramatic ways on this island: she lost her life partner Destiny here, she killed Moira MacTaggert here and now she fears she will lose her daughter here as well.
Sinister arrives and Raven says to him that he’s there to tell her that Rogue is going to die and there is no hope for her survival. Sinister replies in the affirmative and adds that if he had more time, perhaps he could have saved her, but right now he has no cure for her. He urges Mystique to take a moment now to grieve because when Gambit returns with the mutant child he will have need of her services.
Mystique replies simply “I know.” She then grabs Sinister in a choke hold and forces his face down towards Rogue. When Sinister’s skin touches Rogue’s it cracks. His eyes go wide and he slumps to the floor, apparently killed by Rogue’s hyper-charged “death touch”. Raven sits huddled in the corner of the room and simply says, “I’ve always known.”
 Gambit arrives three hours later to find Sinister sitting in a pool of his own blood. He realizes that Mystique used Rogue to take Sinister out as he hands the mutant infant to Raven. She tells Remy “Sinister got careless. That carelessness killed him. You knew it had to happen.” She reminds Remy that Sinister would have never let this child go once he had control of her. “And I need it”, she adds.
 Gambit leans down close to Sinister’s dead body and says that he can’t believe he’s finally free of him. He asks Mystique what they do now. Their dialogue is halted by a scream from above. Mystique recognizes it as Lady Mastermind’s scream. Gambit realizes “The X-Men are here.”
Wolverine’s new X-Force along with Bishop is surrounded by the combined forces of the Marauders, Exodus’ Acolytes and their allies. Lady Mastermind has been sliced through by Wolverine and is bleeding at his feet. Exodus commands them “Kill them all.”
 Wolverine dives headlong into the battle, slicing at the Malice-possessed Omega Sentinel. He warns Warpath and Wolfsbane that if they hold back here they’ll die.
 Scalphunter targets Logan and shoots him through the eye. Logan falls hard and Bishop orders the others to keep moving and locate the child. Arclight taunts Wolfsbane who slashes the Marauder’s face and tells her fiercely that this “is nae a game”. Sunfire attacks Rahne from behind before being taken out by Bishop. Rahne is then swooped up by Riptide who declares “Time to die, girlie.”
Logan begins to recover from the shot to the head but is not even to his knees before Scrambler moves in. He grabs Logan’s head in his hands and uses his mutant power to cancel out Wolverine’s healing factor. The effect does not last long as X-23 impales Scrambler from behind, seemingly killing the Marauder. She tells Logan “You heal to slow” as she moves on to her next target. Logan replies “So you keep telling me.”
Elsewhere on the field of battle, Scalphunter shifts his sights to Hepzibah. He is about to kill her when Warpath catches sight of him and throws his Vibranium knife through the Marauder’s shoulder. This pins Scalphunter to a wall.
Mystique emerges and tells Scalphunter that Sinister needs more time with the child and they are to do whatever it takes to hold the X-Men off. She pulls the knife from his shoulder but as she turns, she sees the ceiling above them collapse as the rest of the X-Men as well as X-Factor come crashing through. She curses as Cyclops orders the others to take them all down and bring Bishop to him. She tells Scalphunter again to do whatever it takes to buy the time they need with the infant.
She descends the stairs to where Gambit is waiting with the child. She tells him they don’t have much time before one of the X-Men finds them. Remy asks if she’s sure about this. He tells her that he’s only stayed with Sinister and the Marauders because he trusted in her devotion to Rogue. He hands Mystique the baby and asks if she really believes in her. Raven replies that she doesn’t need to believe, she knows. She tells Gambit that Destiny saw them in this room with Rogue and the baby. “Everything I’ve done, it’s been to bring us to this moment.”
 Mystique steps callously over Sinister’s body towards Rogue. She tells Gambit that this child will save Rogue and that he’ll never know what it’s like knowing what lies ahead and having to leave her life left to fate. He asks what happens now and how exactly this child will help Rogue. “Does it have some kind of power? Do you hook it up to a machine?” he asks. Mystique says “not exactly.” And gently touches the baby’s forehead to Rogue’s lips.
At the Xavier Institute, Predator X has attacked Rockslide, Mercury and Dust. Rockslide warns his two teammates to move as Predator X attacks! The silvery beast bites Santo in half with its powerful jaws. It then moves towards Dust and Mercury who are still reeling from the fact that they found Predator X feasting on the corpses of their dead friends.
 As Predator X reaches Sooraya she transforms into her dust form. Seeing it up close, Cessily realizes that it is one of the creatures created by the Facility using her mercury-like skin. Santo calls for Predator X to come back and fight him but the creature merely stops and sniffs the air.
 Indra, Trance and Wolf Cub have noticed the scuffle outside and ask what that thing is. They get a better look at Predator X as it dives through the window to attack them. The three scatter and Indra falls in front of Predator X. He says “I don’t want to-- ” as the murderous monster roars in his faces and edges closer to eat him. Predator X is suddenly thrown back by a blast of electricity. Surge steps between the creature and Indra and tells him to get out of there and join the others in the infirmary with the Beast. Indra asks what she’s going to do and Nori replies “Not let you die” as she takes Predator X on single-handedly.
Meanwhile, Riptide has flown away from the pitched battle on Muir Island and is about to kill Wolfsbane, who has lost consciousness and reverted to her human form. He tells her that Colossus broke his neck once and it hurt. He says she should be thankful that she’s asleep. But before the Marauder can make good on his threat, he is psionically subdued by Professor X. Cable asks the professor if he killed him and Charles replies “Of course not.” Cable suggests that he rethink that decision and Xavier simply replies that Rahne will recover as her wounds are mostly superficial. The two agree to split up as things are about to get messy.
As Mystique touches the mutant infant to Rogue there is a blinding flash of light. Gambit cries out “No!” and snatches the child away from Mystique. She calls him a fool and tells him that it’s too late. He curses at her and is enraged that she didn’t tell him that she planned to kill the child to save Rogue. He points out that Rogue would never allow an innocent newborn to die, even to save herself.
 He then realizes that the baby is fine. He is shocked, especially given that the strain of contact with Rogue killed Sinister. Mystique tells him that “It’s destiny” and turns her attention to Rogue. She tells her to wake up and begins to lose it when Rogue does not. Mystique falls to her knees, saying that this was all foretold in Destiny’s diaries and that Rogue was supposed to wake up. Mystique was convinced that if she saved Rogue as Destiny foretold, that she would love her again as she once did. Remy tells her that Rogue wouldn’t and that she would die trying to stop her from harming a child. He adds “And so would I.” Professor X enters and says to Gambit that he’s glad to hear him say that.
Outside, the battle rages on. Storm and Siryn are in pitched combat with Exodus who is incensed that they would dare touch him. Colossus deals with Cargill and asks why no one can find the child. Emma reports that Exodus is putting out telepathic interference but she can sense another telepath. Bishop takes down Unuscione as he desperately tries to find the baby himself. Tempo says that it’s time to end this and is about to use her time-warping abilities when Cable takes her down by clocking her with the butt of his rifle. He telepathically checks in with Xavier who confirms that he has the child. He asks Nathan to clear a path and says that he will meet him upstairs. Charles asks Remy what he will do now and Gambit says “Stay where I belong. At Rogue’s side.”
Back at the Institute, Surge faces Predator X on her own unleashing a barrage of electrical attacks on it. As she pours it on, she tells it to go to hell. Predator X is only momentarily delayed in its attack and lunges towards Nori. He is stopped by a strong right hook from Anole using his newly empowered arm. Prodigy dives at Surge, knocking her out of Predator X’s path. Predator X sniffs the air and glares at the New X-Men who have come to save their leader. Mercury asks if Nori is okay. She then asks where Predator X is going. Anole points out that they are right there and wonders why it isn’t trying to eat them. Prodigy suggests that it’s a predator and predators always go after the weakest prey.
In the infirmary, Pixie and Beast are catching Nightcrawler up on all that has transpired while he was unconscious. Hank admits that they’ve just been reacting as things have unfolded. Suddenly, Predator X comes crashing through the wall and straight towards Hellion who is still unconscious. Nightcrawler reaches him first and teleports him out of harm’s way.
 Pixie calls to Nezhno to hit it, which he does. Armor activates her psionic armor and joins Gentle in containing it but calls out for some back-up. Beast tells Pixie to stay back and Kurt notes that he cannot teleport everyone to safety. The rest of the new X-Men arrive. Surge orders Mercury to see what she can do to hurt it. Prodigy orders Anole, Dust and Rockslide to keep it busy and away from Josh and Julian. Pixie has an idea. X-23 killed one of the other Predator X creatures and she decides to take this one to X-23 to deal with. She casts her teleportation spell with the words “Sihal novarum chinoth!” The entire room is filled with mystic energy which transports them all to Muir Island where X-23 and the X-Men are in the middle of their battle against Sinister’s Marauders, the Acolytes and their allies.
 Just before they arrive, Cyclops orders Wolverine to break off and find the baby and kill anyone who gets in his way. Predator X and the entire group from the infirmary arrive to everyone’s surprise. Predator X recovers his wits a second faster and attacks Vertigo, literally biting her in half! Wolverine asks “what the #%$# that things is” as it devours Vertigo.
Nearby, Xavier brings the infant to Cable and tells him to take her to the future where she can be safe. He is going to go and help his X-Men. Cable understands and thanks Charles. Nathan smiles at the baby and says “Just you and me again, kid.” Bishop arrives and declares that they are not going anywhere and that it ends here with the child death! Cable pulls out his gun and tells the kid that there’s one more bad guy to deal with and he’ll get her to safety. As he says this, Predator X approaches him from the opposite direction, growling hungrily as it finally finds the mutant infant it has been genetically created to hunt.