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What if Wolverine Had Married Mariko?
The Watcher recalls the X-Man called Wolverine clashing with Hand assassins in Japan. Here Wolverine and Mariko Yashida never married. She turned him away at the altar, thanks to the manipulation of Mastermind, leaving an embittered Logan more alone than he had ever been. Then the Watcher describes a reality where things went differently…
At the altar, Mariko warns Logan what marrying into her family means. He wouldn’t have it any other way, he promises her. That’s why he got her the ring he slips on her finger. It isn’t exactly Shinto tradition, but he wants her to wear it. He raises both their hands, telling his X-Men friends to take a look. They are finally looking at a happily married man and wife. Smiling, Mariko asks him to contain himself, while his friends shout their congratulations.
Later at the reception, Nightcrawler and Colossus stare doubtfully at the sushi served to them. Logan tells them to eat up. Plenty more where that came from. They make their excuses that they are full. Oh, he gets it! Saving room for the fish eyes in squid ink, he tells them. Good thinking! Now, if they’ll excuse him, he has to see a lady about a drink…
He turns to Kitty, who is trying some Sake. He tells her to lay off. It stunts growth, look at him. She apologizes, then tells him how thrilled she is for him and Mariko. So, how does he think, Mariko is going to like living in America? He tells her that it’s the other way round. He is resigning from the X-Men and staying with his wife. There is a lot of family business to attend to. But if they ever need him, he’ll come running. Kitty cries, telling him she’ll miss him. He gives her a kiss on the cheek, telling her he will miss her too.
Castle Yashida, Miyago prefecture. The next morning:
The X-Men leave and Logan feels like watching part of his life is gone. Mariko asks if he regrets the path he has chosen but he assures her she is looking at the happiest man on the planet and kisses her. Gently, she reprimands him that their love must wait. They must salvage Clan Yashda’s honor before they take time for themselves. Time enough for honor tomorrow, he tells her. Today’s just for them.
The clan’s honor had been compromised by Mariko’ father Shingen, who in an effort to expand their influence became involved with the underworld. Wolverine slew Shingen in combat, but the damage had already been done. The Yakuza profited far too much from its Yashida association to let them slip away.
The old Yakuza leadership has been ousted and a new unknown oyabun is leading the organization. So Wolverine looks for that leader, trolling the hidden dens of the Yakuza to gather information.
In a bathhouse, he grabs one Yakuza member while the others flee and demands the identity of the oyabun The man announces he’d rather die. After more threats, he admits he knows nothing. The new oyabun conceals his identity and nobody knows him. Wolverine believes him, because he hears the same story everywhere.
Logan informs Mariko that their opponent is faceless and has managed to gain complete control of the Yakuza. They can’t fight an enemy they can’t find! Mariko suggests they shall invite him. They know one of his soldiers. Kenuchio Harada aka the Silver Samurai!  He is still her half brother. If family loyalty holds any meaning to him, he will give them what they need.
And so, she summons her brother, the Silver Samurai, and asks him for information. She does not wish the clan to be enmeshed in Yazuka affairs, she tells him. They want to be free of Yakuza influence, but the new oyabun is unknown and unreachable. She asks for his name. Where to find him.
She asks much, he tells her gravely. To betray the oyabun would mean his life. But some things are worth more than his life. He has become a man without honor. If he must give her the information, she must let him return to the clan and restore his honor. He takes off his helmet and bows before his sister, asking her to let him come home. He pledges his loyalty and Mariko accepts.
She asks Logan to bow as well in acceptance. When he refuses, Harada draws his sword and Logan then unsheathes his claws. Mariko orders them to stop squabbling and save their animosity for the oyabun. Harada agrees. He does not wish to make a widow of his half-sister.
What, they just kiss and make up? Logan protests and reminds Mariko Harada turned his back on her and the whole clan. She’s nuts!
He is of Yashida blood, Mariko replies, and has given his word. It is enough. It is a thing of honor, Harada smirks. Logan wouldn’t understand. He hands him the calling card of the oyabun. No, Wolverine chokes, when he sees the name.
Sometime later in a dark office, the oyabun is informed that the one he expected is on the grounds. He calls his Hand warriors.
Logan tries to sneak into the castle to be attacked by the Hand ninjas. Unimpressed, he fights them and, when he kills them, the corpses dry up into ashes. He reins in his berserker rage and climbs up the wall to the lighted office window where he is already expected by the mysterious oyabun, the New York crimelord Wilson Fisk, known as the Kingpin of crime.
Wolverine informs him he needs a new welcoming committee. They were hardly Fingers, the Kingpin shrugs, much less Hand. Good help is hard to find. But Wolverine didn’t come here to discuss his employment practices. Let’s get down to business… He offers a cigar, which Logan accepts.
Fisk remarks he had help finding him, namely Harada whose betrayal he anticipated. A man who deserts his own family knows no loyalty. His organization is better off without him.
Shall they start with the obvious question? How did a foreigner like Fisk gain control of the Yakuza? There are two universal languages: money and violence. He controls the Yakuza because he has the power to do so. The fact he is American is moot.
Why Japan? Wolverine asks. Fisk explains that the United States is a tottering giant. Its economy will bottom out within the next decade. Japan is the future. This is where the next world power will arise. The Yakuza already commands substantial government influence. An ambitious man could cultivate that influence, strengthen it. This country is ripe for a power behind the throne. In five years, he will rule Japan.
Wolverine tells him to leave Yashida out of it. Fisk curtly refuses. Yashida is an influential family. He needs the clan’s wealth and manpower. Then they’ve got a war! Wolverine warns him. A costly one. No, Fisk informs him. A short one, like him. Now get out!
There is indeed war all over Japan. Forces loyal to Yashida, led by Wolverine, the Silver Samurai and Mariko, clash with the Kingpin-controlled Yakuza. Yashida forces resist tenaciously, but in vain. Vastly outnumbered, there can be only one outcome and, finally, the three leaders find themselves cornered and about to be eliminated by a horde of Ninja. Before they are attacked, the Ninja are burned to dust, courtesy of Shiro Yoshida aka Sunfire, Mariko’s cousin.
He explains he’s been out of the country on government assignments and only just returned. He came as soon as news of the war reached him. He offers his strength to Mariko for as long as she needs it.
Three weeks later:
The Kingpin receives a message from their forces in Tokyo. They have been defeated again. The addition of Sunfire has shifted the balance of power. The Kingpin admits that Wolverine was right. This prolonged struggle is proving costly. They could even lose this way. He must resort to the final option. He writes a note to be taken to Wolverine…
Soon, Logan announces to the others that the Kingpin is offering a chance to end the war if he meets him in combat. If Logan wins, Yashida goes free; if the Kingpin wins, he gains unopposed control of the clan. Mariko doesn’t trust the Kingpin and the Samurai agrees. Sunfire, though, does not. The Kingpin is not Logan’s equal. They can be prepared for treachery. Harada suddenly changes his tune, announcing this is their opportunity to regain the clan’s honor and sovereignty without further loss. Logan agrees and tells the messenger to tell Fisk it’s his funeral.
Soon the Kingpin arrives at Castle Yashida, dressed in Japanese battle armor and accompanied by ninja guardians. Fisk demands Sunfire leave. He will not fight with a superhuman present. The power he possesses presents too much opportunity for deceit. Wolverine protests that Shiro is honorable but Sunfire decides to leave, despite the insult.
Both combatants draw their katanas, in Logan’s case the honor sword of Clan Yashida. As they begin to trade blows, the Kingpin mocks that he knows Logan’s kind, always striving for an unattainable goal. Why bother, he will never be one of these people. He will always be a gaijin!
Logan retorts that, when he married Mariko, he married into Yashida. No matter where he came from, this is his family and he won’t let the Kingpin take it away.
He draws first blood. The Kingpin hits back, threatening he will take everything he has, one way or the other! He is about to land the killing blow, but Logan manages to disarm him. Well done, the Kingpin commends him, but the effort will gain him nothing. Now! he orders the Silver Samurai, who stabs Mariko in the back.
Wolverine hurries to her side and attacks Harada in a berserker rage. He raises the sword and makes the blade come down next to Harada’s head. Does he spare him? Harada asks. Wolverine replies he just decided the honor sword is too good for him. He kills him with his claws instead.
The Kingpin enters his limousine. A fitting end for a man with so little honor, he observes. He was useful, but he is not sorry to see such an unscrupulous sort erased. His death does however pose a minor difficulty.
Wolverine warns him he is going to have difficulty staying alive. They are not finished! Of course they are, Fisk replies. He’s already obtained what he wants. Wolverine just doesn’t realize it. The contest was immaterial. Either way, he was going to control Yashida. If the Kingpin had won, Mariko would have honored their agreement. But since Wolverine triumphed, it was necessary to eliminate Mariko. Harada was a mole, taking his orders from Fisk. With Mariko dead, he would have ascended to the clan’s leadership, and again the Kingpin wins.
Since Logan killed him, though, there is a void to be filled. Wolverine could stake a claim but a tradition-obsessed family like Yashida wouldn’t follow a gaijin – now he has to find another puppet. As he said, a minor difficulty. Make no mistake, he will rule this clan. And once he has cemented his position, his fist order of business will be Wolverine’s death. He is too dangerous to be left alive. He suggests he make the best of the time he still has as the car starts.
A moment later, the car explodes in a fiery blast as one of the ninjas reveals himself to be a disguised Sunfire. Shiro explains he was too late to prevent Mariko’s death, but not so late he could nor avenge it.
As Logan cradles Mariko’s corpse, Shiro admits he too grieves. He grieves even more for the loss Logan feels. Logan thanks him and asks what happens to the clan. With the Kingpin gone, the Yakuza will splinter. Yashida will win its freedom. What of him? Logan admits there is nothing here for him anymore. He says goodbye to Mariko, then gives Shiro the honor sword and suggests he take clan leadership.
Very soon, a sulking Kitty Pryde answers the door at Xavier’s to find Wolverine, who tells her he is home.


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What If Wolverine had remained a captive of Alpha Flight
Somewhere in Space-Time, the Watcher announces that for many Earth years he has studied the lives of Earth’s mightiest heroes and villains. That he has seen circumstance provoke action or inaction, giving birth to many and varied possible futures. Like, on previous occasions, his attention returns to one man, his life the axis around which a multitude of alternative realities revolve. Logan - soldier, spy, X-Man, a yhbrid of mutant healing power and science gone awry, his bones laced with unbreakable adamant, his hands tipped with razor-sharp claws - he is Wolverine.
The Watcher observes a scene some years old now - Logan has left the Canadian Secret Service and joined the X-Men, a decision unpopular among his one-time superiors. The Canadian super team, Alpha Flight, under the leadership of James MacDonald Hudson, Logan’s good and trusted friend, are ordered to bring him back. The X-Men resist and the battle in Calgary sets in motion a train of events that lead to triumph and tragedy. The Watcher explains that just like in “our” reality, the rogue blizzard unwittingly unleashed by Alpha Flight’s mystic, Shaman, is finally brought under control, at no little cost to herself, by Storm, a selfless act that the tempestuous Northstar repays with his fists. The battle was set to begin again, but Wolverine himself intervenes, enough damage has been done, he offers to surrender to Alpha Flight, if his fellow X-Men are allowed safe passage from the country.
The Watcher reveals that here is where the realities diverge, as in “ours” Wolverine escapes, rejoining his fellow X-Men. ‘For you, now I pose the question…what if Wolverine had remained a captive of Alpha Flight?’
Inside a plane, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus and Nightcrawler are being flown to safety by Annie (private pilot of the X-Men’s friend Jeryn Hogarth) - until Cyclops makes the decision to change course, telling her to head for the Rockies as soon as feasible and to prop below radar cover and head north to Canada. ‘We’re going to rescues Wolverine whether he wants us to or not!’ Cyclops declares.
At Mansfield airbase, the X-Men’s plane is being monitored, and a soldier radios General Chasen, informing him that he was right, as the X-Men have turned back. In his office, ‘Blast! Why couldn’t they have just left well enough alone?’ Chasen exclaims, before calling out to a woman called Charlton, standing at his desk, he tells her to mobilize all ground and air defense and to get him Hudson at Department H.
At Department H, beneath Parliament Hill, Jean-Paul “Northstar” Beaubier is in the communications room, and receives a message from Chasen: ‘Unless Alpha Flight can convince them to turn back, we will have to treat it as a hostile invasion and take military action. Message ends. I just hope to God…you get it in time!’ Northstar looks thoughtful - before suddenly erasing the priority message!
Over the Rockies, Annie suddenly informs Cyclops that they have been noticed and that there are four incoming fighters on an intercept course. Cyclops asks if they can evade them, but sees the jet streak out in front of the X-Men’s plane. Inside one of the jets, a Canadian officer informs control that he has visual contact with the target and that they are refusing to answer their hails. ‘Awaiting further instructions…’ he announces.
At control, Chasen remains silent. ‘Sir?’ Charlton calls out to him. Chasen asks if there is any word from Hudson, to which Charlton replies that there has been nothing. ‘This is General Chasen…’ the General announces.
Back in the X-Men’s plane, Storm suggests to Cyclops that she could warn them off, with enough weather turbulence to warn them away without actively endangering their lives. Cyclops orders Storm to do it, and to hurry - but before Storm can act, the jet is struck, and the four X-Men are knocked off their feet. ‘We’re under attack!’ Annie announces, telling the X-Men to hold tight as this is where it gets bumpy. Annie does what she can to evade the missiles - but the outcome is never really in doubt, as one strikes the middle of the plane. The X-Men are all knocked out, save for Nightcrawler, who screams as the plane free-falls to the Rockies below, and explodes in a blaze.
‘DEAD? All of them?’ James MacDonald Hudson a.k.a. Vindicator asks. Chasen and Charlton are in the office with him. ‘Oh Lord…you stupid, idiotic loyal fools!’ Mac exclaims, turning to Chasen, he asks why he was not notified, as he could have at least tried to talk to the X-Men. ‘At the very least we could have stopped the X-Men without blowing them out of the sky!’ Mac adds, before informing Chasen that whatever chance they had of convincing Wolverine to stay with Alpha Flight has gone for good. Frames by sun and shadow, Mac stands silent as Chasen informs him that, for what it is worth, they logged a call to Department HG at 17:40 hours, and checked it - discovering that it was erased at Department H’s end. ‘Tell me…who exactly was on monitor duty?’ Chasen asks. Mac grits his teeth - he is not happy.
‘DEAD?’ shouts Wolverine as he unsheathes his claws within his cell at Department H. Mac stands before him and tells Logan to believe him, that they did all they could. ‘Northstar and I, we tried to convince them to turn back. They wouldn’t listen! The pilots…they had no choice!’ Mac claims, before telling Logan that none of them realized how much he meant to the X-Men.
Nearby, Northstar stands with the rest of Alpha Flight - his twin sister Jeanne-Marie a.k.a. Aurora, Dr Walter “Sasquatch” Langkowski, Dr Michael Twoyoungmen a.k.a. Shaman and the enigmatic goddess Narya a.k.a. Snowbird. Sasquatch tells his teammates that Mac is nuts going in there alone, as Wolverine will tear him apart. Shaman tells Walter to take it easy, pointing out that it is Hudson’s call, that he wished to play it this way, so they must respect his wishes. But Michael admits that he has grave misgivings, and tells his teammates that he remembers Wolverine before - wild, uncontrollable and prone to berserker rages. ‘If he’s not careful…Hudson will end up very dead!’ Shaman declares. Northstar just frowns.
Back in the cell, Vindicator tells Wolverine that he did not come after him to settle old scores, and explains that lives depend on him coming back to lead Alpha Flight. Mac supposes that he should have waited and approached Xavier though official channels - but that would have taken time he simply does not have. ‘If my approach cost the X-Men their lives…it’s a burden I’ll bear forever’ Mac announces. Wolverine still holds his claws towards Mac, who tells Logan that the way he sees it, they can do this one of tow ways. ‘Either you help me save some lives…or you kill me right here and now’. Logan stares at Mac, before turning away - then he retracts his claws, remarking that he should have known they wouldn’t - couldn’t - leave it be. ‘All right, Jimmy…if you want me that bad, I’m in. Whatever home I had with the X-Men…it’s gone’ Wolverine, slightly forlorn, announces.
Soon, deep within Department H, Mac is not in uniform, instead wears civilian clothing and a lab coat as he motions a portal behind them, while Alpha Flight - including Wolverine - stand and watch. Mac announces that this is their “problem”, as a few day ago, a dimensional rift opened between their world and a bizarre anti-matter universe called the Negative Zone. Mac reveals to Wolverine that they just about managed to beat back and advance strike force of native creatures, but the retreating invaders took hostages - the members of Beta and Gamma Flights. Wolverine replies that he doesn’t understand, and asks Mac why he needs him. ‘You could have led Alpha Flight in!’ Wolverine points out.
As Logan lights a cigar, Mac explains that the portal has become increasingly unstable, needing vast amounts of energy and constant supervision just to keep it open. Mac declares that he dare not leave this lab for more than a few hours at a time, and since they have no idea how long this rescue will take, or even if time ruins at the same rate in there - ‘Okay!’ Wolverine exclaims, interrupting Mac. He throws his cigar to the ground and tells Mac that if Alpha Flight does not make it back, he wants him to contact Professor X and tell him what happened to the X-Men. ‘I figure I owe him at least that much’ Logan remarks. Mac asks Logan if he is sure, reminding him that Xavier already believes the X-Men dead, buried when Magneto’s volcano base exploded. ‘Isn’t it better to save him more pain, not raise his hopes only to dash them again?’ Mac suggests.
Wolverine agrees, and tells Jimmy that he is a good man. ‘Okay, Alpha…let’s do it!’ Logan exclaims. Snowbird, Aurora and Northstar all fly towards the dimension portal, while Wolverine, Sasquatch and Shaman are wearing jet packs which boost them upwards. Mac begins to cry as he watches them leave.
Inside the Negative Zone, Alpha Flight engage Annihilus and his forces in battle. ‘Yes! Come to me, little man. Death awaits you…at the hands of Annihilus!’ the villain exclaims as Wolverine leaps towards him. Wolverine slices at Annihilus, but narrowly misses. ‘You - you - maniac! Get away!’ Annihilus exclaims as he pushes Wolverine off the small asteroid like object they float on. ‘The Cosmic Control Rod! You…almost -’ Annihilus exclaims, when suddenly, ‘NO!’ he shouts as Snowbird, in the form of an ookpik (an arctic owl), flies down and uses her claws to grab the Cosmic Control Rod.
Wolverine, no longer wearing his jet pack, floats through the Negative Zone, until Aurora flies after him, telling him to relax, as she grabs him. Wolverine tells Jeanne-Marie that this confirms what he suspected - that the device on Annihilus’s throat was not only the source of his power, but from the looks of it, rather vital. ‘You do no know what you have done! Return the Cosmic Control Rod to me - NOW!’ the villain demands as his form begins to change. Wolverine is dropped down in front of Annihilus and begins to bargain with him. ‘I figure now we’ve both got something the other wants…let’s talk!’ Logan declares as he unsheathes his claws.
And soon, back at Department H, ‘A deal? You cut a deal?’ Mac asks in the lab as Wolverine lights another cigar. Alpha Flight and the members of Beta Flight -Puck, Marrina, Flashback and Box - stand nearby. ‘You, the born scrapper?’ Mac asks, surprised. Wolverine tells Jimmy that it is strange, and remarks that the odds, however stacked, never used to concern him. But somehow, with others depending on him for their lives, he suddenly found himself thinking with his head instead of his fists. ‘I guess…you got yourself your leader’ Logan declares.
And, over the months that follow, Wolverine rapidly transformed Alpha Flight from a rough-edged experiment into a fighting unit second to none - taking on such menaces as the Master of the World, Wendigo, Mojo, Arcade, the Sentinels, Magneto and Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. And though for Hudson, the lie is difficult to live with, he reasons that the ends justify the means.
Until one day, when he was in the communications room, listening to a report from Beth Winters, which revealed that a battle on Muir Island left two X-Men dead and Doctor Moira MacTaggert critically wounded. Mac tells himself that this is not good at all, as he has managed to keep all X-Men related news from Wolverine. ‘But this…’ Mac tells himself, until as message comes in over the monitor - a message from Professor Charles Xavier! ‘If this message has been received at Department H, it means that we X-Men have failed in our bid to cue Jean Grey from the clutches of the Hellfire Club. Whether we ourselves are dead or alive makes no difference if the power within Jean Grey has been subverted…countless lives are at risk!’ Xavier’s message stated. ‘Blast! Now what do I do? The tangled web just keeps getting more tangled!’ Mac thinks to himself.
Elsewhere, Wolverine is engaged in a training session with Gamma Flight’s Wild Child. The physical combat ends when Wolverine calls “time” and tells the young mutant that was a big improvement. Wild Child smiles and replies that he can feel his reflexes really coming on. Wolverine remarks that Wild Child is still a little reckless and wild, and tells him the trick is to channel that fire burning energy in his gut, to use the beast, not be used by it. Mac watches from the sidelines and thinks to himself that he had almost given up on Wild Child as a lost cause, but with Logan working with him one-on-one, he has really tamed the beast. ‘So much accomplished, so much to lose…’ Mac tells himself, before calling to Wolverine, informing him he needs a word.
Sometime later, Fifth Avenue, Manhattan. To enter the legendary Hellfire Club though the front foot, one has to be either very rich or very famous. Less “esteemed” mortals use the sewer - like Wolverine and Northstar. Logan radios to the rest of Alpha Flight, informing them that he is in position and to be ready fro his mark. Wolverine unsheathes his claws and Northstar looks very nervous. Logan glances back at Jean-Paul and asks him what is going on. ‘Ever since I took over this outfit you’ve been walking on eggshells around me. I get a scent from you I don’t like, not from a teammate’ Wolverine declares, adding that the scent is fear. Northstar remains silent, before Wolverine uses his claws to slice some cable and wire. ‘Go! Hit ‘em hard, Alpha!’ Logan calls out.
Outside, Aurora flies an almost naked Walter Langkowski towards the Hellfire club, dropping her handsome lover downwards, Walter then assumes his bestial form of Sasquatch, breaking into the Hellfire Club, startling some Hellfire Club guards, Walter jokes ‘Since our invite obviously got lost in the post…I’ve come to RSVP in person!’ Walter remarks that he appears to have laid the welcoming party out, when suddenly, a meta; fish punches him. At first Sasquatch is confused, but then smiles, as his attacker, Donald Pierce, does not appear to have hurt him. ‘This should be good. Go on, squirt, take your best shot -’ Walter tells him - only to be punched back with such a forge that he falls out the window to the street below.
Meanwhile, downstairs, ‘Fools! You cannot hope to defeat Sebastian Shaw!’ Shaw exclaims as he kicks Shaman over, while holding Snowbird, who had transformed into a polar bear, over his head. Wolverine is battling some Hellfire Club guards, and tells Shaman and Snowbird to forget brute force, as this guy drinks it. Shaw drops Snowbird to the ground and tells Shaman that he absorbs kinetic energy, so the harder they hit, the stronger he gets. Shaman reaches into his medicine pouch as he runs towards Shaw, and throws some dust at Shaw, telling him he will not strike his body, but his mind. Shaw falls to the ground as Shaman remarks the dust is from the Realm of Dreams. ‘I wish you pleasant ones’ he tells Shaw. Wolverine meets up with Shaman and tells him that they need to get going before any reinforcements arrive - but suddenly, both men keel over, as they are crushed from the inside. Harry Leland stands before them, announcing that is his talent, to take the mass of an object or person and increase it geometrically until they are crushed by their own body weight.
Down below in the sewer system, Northstar shines a flashlight around and sees bodies of Hellfire Club guards, sliced and diced. Jean-Paul tells himself that he thought he was fast, but Wolverine had dealt with the guards before he realized they were even under attack. ‘Merciless, remorseless…he bore these men no malice and yet still he gutted them like dogs!’ Jean-Paul thinks to himself, while wondering if Wolverine would deal with him should he ever discover that it is he who is responsible for the deaths of the X-Men. Suddenly, Northstar’s comm-link activates, with Wolverine calling out to him. Jean-Paul realizes that it sounds like Wolverine is in agony, and speeds out of the sewer.
‘Time for the back-up to hit the front line!’ Jean-Paul exclaims as he punches Leland, causing the Hellfire Club member to hit his head as he lands on the floor. Wolverine gets to his feet and thanks Northstar, remarking that he is glad he kept Jean-Paul in reserve. Shaman also gets to his feet as Sasquatch enters the room and throws the motionless Donald Pierce down with Shaw and Leland. ‘I guess that makes a set. Pierce may have had one heck of a right - but he also had a glass jaw!’ Sasquatch exclaims. But Wolverine declares that they are not finished yet, as they still need to find Jean Grey - and the X-Men, if they are still alive. Shaman helps Snowbird up while Wolverine contacts Aurora, ‘Talk to me, darling’ he exclaims.
Upstairs, Aurora enters a room, and informs Wolverine that she has found the X-Men - Professor X, Havok, Angel, Iceman and the Beast. ‘They’re alive, but - OH!’ Aurora gasps as she turns around, confronted by someone else, Aurora’s transmissions is interrupted by a massive SKRAAA!
Wolverine hears this and exclaims ‘No! I figured Jeannie for a captive, but what if -’ There is another SKRAAA, this time directed at Wolverine, knocking him backwards, he lands with his teammates, who gaze up the stairs. ‘Wolverine?’ Northstar asks. ‘Who -?’ Sasquatch gasps, as two people stand before Alpha Flight. One is Jean Grey, although she is dressed as the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. The man introduces himself as Jason Wyngarde and welcomes Alpha Flight. He tells them it is a pity their acquaintance is to be quite so short lived, and an instant later, everything goes black.
Soon, Wolverine rouses, ‘Jean? Jeannie? Oh God. JEANNIE!’ Wolverine exclaims. ‘What have they done to you?’ he asks, as Jean hover before him, in a red and yellow costume - the Dark Phoenix! Jason Wyngarde stands at Jean’s side, while the members of Alpha Flight and the X-Men float behind Jean, in some form of suspended animation. Answering Wolverine’s question, Jean exclaims ‘Nothing, my dear Logan…that I did not wish them to!’ while Wyngarde thanks Wolverine for dealing so comprehensively with Shaw and the others, as it saved him doing it himself. Wyngarde boasts that he is now Black King of the Hellfire Club, and with his Black Queen at his side, he will soon rule this world.
Logan realizes that it is Jean, but tells himself she is not the woman he knew, that she has changed, even more than he thinks than Wyngarde realizes. ‘He thinks he controls her…he’s wrong’ Wolverine thinks to himself. Suddenly, Wyngarde declares that Jean has a little game devised for their captive audience. Jean leans towards Wolverine and strokes his face, ‘Indeed, Jason my love. And it’s one my little man-animal here will so enjoy!’ Jean replies, declaring that it is called truth and consequences. ‘I show Wolverine the truth about the death of the X-Men, and you, my sweet Northstar…take the consequences’ Jean explains as she flies over to Northstar. Suddenly - images fill Wolverine’s mind - the X-Men, Vindicator, the plane, Northstar - erasing the message.
‘No…No! You! You killed them! You killed them all! Dead!’ Logan exclaims, before unsheathing his claws and moving towards Northstar, warning him that he is dead meat. ‘Do it!’ Jean encourages Logan, as she thrusts Northstar towards him. Jean-Paul cries out in agony as Wolverine’s claws slice along side him as Jean throws the two men together. ‘Yes! Use those claws…but slowly, my love! Flay him by inches -’ Jean tells Logan, when suddenly, Wolverine spins around - and shoves his claws through Jean’s chest. ‘Jeannie?’ Logan calls out as Jean collapses in his arm. ‘Oh, God…Jeannie…what have I done?’ Logan asks.
Jean looks up at Wolverine and tells him ‘What had to be done. That moment when our minds touched, the part of me that was still Jean Grey begged you to set me free! Before the Phoenix power overwhelmed me completely and countless lives were lost!’ Jean exclaims, before telling Logan that she has saved her - from herself. And with that Jean Grey dies in Wolverine’s arms. Logan holds onto her body as the X-Men and Alpha Flight gather around their friend.
The Watcher announces that in this reality, Wolverine prevents the rise of Dark Phoenix, and the deaths of billions on the planet D’Bari. ‘But our tale is not yet over…’.
James Hudson paces in front of an office. ‘It’s been over an hour now! What are they talking about in there? What’s there to discuss? It’s a foregone conclusion he won’t stay, not after what Northstar did and I helped cover up’ Mac tells himself. Suddenly, the doors open and Wolverine and Xavier appear. ‘Talking to yourself, Jimmy? Guilt makes you do that’ Wolverine declares. James tells Logan and Professor Xavier that he does not want to hold them up. ‘Why don’t I just -’ he begins, but Xavier informs Hudson that Wolverine is staying with Alpha Flight. ‘Naturally, but - WHAT?’ Mac asks, confused. Puffing on a cigar, Wolverine announces that he is staying, although he feels that he should walk out of here and never look back, and points out that a few months ago he would have done so without hesitation. ‘Well, maybe enough hesitation to gut Northstar on the way out’ Logan adds.
Wolverine tells Mac that he was right - that leadership has given him a fresh perspective and soothed the savage beast. He exclaims that he has a job to do, and it is only partly done. Wolverine tells Mac that he sees Wild Child as a reflection of himself, what he might have become. Logan adds that he sees Northstar as arrogant and stupid, but full of potential. ‘If I give in, I give in on them. I go back to the X-Men, I lose all I have gained’ Wolverine explains, telling Mac that he wanted him, and now he has him - whether he likes it or not!
The Watcher announces that so it is that though Wolverine remains always on call should the X-Men need him, but he is first and foremost the leader of Alpha Flight - and the Watcher remarks that perhaps the world is a better place because of it.


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[Assistant]
What If Logan Battled Weapon X?
On another world…
Logan leaves a bar, holding a beer bottle, and heads to his Lotus car, but it won’t start. Agents sneak up on him, and point their guns to Logan’s head. He quickly jumps up, and snikts his claws open, destroying their guns! He shouts at them that they, whoever they are, should try a little harder next time. Logan quickly defeats them.
He celebrates by drinking up his bottle and, after managing to start the car, he leaves, mocking that he killed just another soldier. One of the soldiers survived, and reports back to base, asking if he should follow. The base denies it, realizing Logan will be wary of them now. Instead, he orders the man to move over to the next subject.
- The Watcher’s reveals -
In the world we know, the man called Logan was drunk, bitter and self-destructive, and thereby an easy pray for the soldiers, who managed to capture him. But this is another world, an alternate reality where possibility and chance saw things occur differently. One of an infinite number of such realities Uatu has witnessed so far, which is his duty. And in this reality, he continues, Logan never became Wolverine, never battled the Hulk, and never joined the X-Men. This reality holds the answer to the question: what if, instead of becoming Weapon X, Logan battled him?
- End revelation -
On another world…
Some time later, the soldiers managed to capture their next subject, Guy Desjardine, and brought him back to their base. The Program is aware that Guy is ex-mountain police and a former member of the Canadian marines. He is an excellent fighter and in perfect health, which makes him an ideal subject for experimenting. Cornelius puts a helmet on Guy’s head, puts him in a stasis tank and continues the painful experiment. A few moments later, Hines concludes that they are successful, and shuts it down.
The Professor wants to know about the adamantium build-up in Guy’s arms. Cornelius explains that they aren’t sure if that was a software glitch or a hardware failure, but they are looking into it. The Professor is confused, as Cornelius told him three days ago Guy would be ready. Cornelius defends that he said that before they got Guy out of the tank. The procedure was too much for the man, and he is in constant pain. Guy’s mind has also snapped, and the only way to keep that together is by drugs. The Professor orders to do that, then.
Cornelius explains they already have. They have fitted Guy with a “regulator” that feeds him with adrenaline or tranquilizers as needed. But there’s still one problem: Guy has gone berserk and out of control!
Guy has sniked his spikes open, and slashes all of the attacking soldiers dead. The Professor, Cornelius and Hines move over to a viewing screen, where Cornelius activates the regulator, which gives Guy a powerful shock and knocks him out. That’s the best they can do. Guy’s either a complete murderous berserker or constantly unconscious. Nothing in between.
Cornelius tries to explain Guy’s adamantium spikes, but the Professor stops him, thinking the project was a complete failure. But, he is aware that they can still observe the man learn from it. Hines is worried that they’ll let the monster live like that. The Professor corrects Hines not to be so naïve, as there’s going to be an explosion. But first, he wants to make sure it blows up in someone else’s face.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in Canada, a team of super heroes train their powers. Saint Elmo battles both Smart Alec and Snowbird, confident that they all know their powers and have developed them well. James warns Elmo not to be too confident, as Snowbird can still dodge his light-transmutation powers, and he has the forethought to bring up a mirror as protection. Elmo shouts that Alec is the braggart, and asks Hudson’s opinion. However, James doesn’t seem to have heard Elmo, and walks right by them and goes inside his house.
There, he gets approached by Chantilly, who reports that they have just gotten the final approval from the government house on his uniform design. She shows James a picture of it, but he isn’t interested now and wants to discuss it later. He enters a lab, where Sasquatch sits behind his computers. James asks him to stop whatever he’s doing and to follow him, as they’ve got a new acquisition. Walter follows James deeper to the building, and discovers they have captured Guy!
James explains that they can’t tell him where they found Guy, or won’t. They just trucked the man off and told James that his codename is Weapon X, and that they’d better make use of him. Walter explains to James that this is the creature they sent him information on yesterday. And Walter has also reviewed the guy’s tapes, and is aware that Guy is a complete psychopath! They’ve got to send him back.
Walter thinks it’s already bad enough they took in Stitch, but at least her anger is inwardly directed. But he finds keeping Weapon X is complete madness. James defends that the decision is already made, and defends that the entire program of creating a super-team, just so that Canada can be like the States, is completely madness. But James knows that there’s a man behind those restraints they see, a lost mind desperate for help. And how can James turn away from that, he asks Walter. Walter fears that James’ compassion will be his downfall some day and hopes that, when that they comes, he hopes the cost won’t be too much.
Later, at night, everyone at James’ house can hear awful loud noises! Everyone wakes up, and James asks what’s wrong. Scientists explain that they were ameliorating the narcotics of Weapon X, but he broke free, killed Sasquatch and is heading west! They open a viewing screen and see that Weapon X has also killed a lot of security guards. James warns the scientists that he doesn’t care about the procedure and safety protocols, but wants the authorities warned. James recognizes the place Weapon X is in and panics, as he’s already in Kenora. He orders to activate the Flight. A scientist warns that they’ve just received orders not to do anything, but James ignores them and orders to do as he says.
A few minutes later, a helicopter has been prepared and heads towards Kenora. They arrive in 5 minutes, and ask Hudson if he wants to land. James doesn’t want to, aware that they can’t do anything for the citizens. Instead, he wants to head west at full speed, as they’ve got a maniac to stop. Below, a man walks up to a woman, whose husband Thomas has been killed by Weapon X. The man condoles to Rose, as Thomas was a good man, who shouldn’t have gone like this. Rose wants to know what kind of horrible creature could have done this. Logan doesn’t know, but he promises Rose that he won’t stop until he has found him and promises that, after that, only one of them is going to walk away!
At the same time, Alpha Flight has found Weapon X, and have the hardest time fighting him. Elmo’s powers are useless on him, thanks to the admantium. Stitch tries to control her power over metal to shut down Weapon X’ harness. Unfortunately, Stitch gets too close, and Weapon X kills her!
Weapon X escapes, and James orders Snowbird to follow him, but the group is too devastated over Stitch’s death. Alec asks if they don’t better call in the help of the Avengers, as this isn’t like training. James explains they can’t, as the moment they ignored their orders, communication has been cut off, and they are now on their own. Besides, he wonders, it will take long before the Americans can even get there, and many people can be killed in between. James now agrees with what Sasquatch said earlier, and the cost is too high. He orders Chantilly to call Johnson, as they need the Groundhog armor. Chantilly wants to, but they don’t have a pilot. James corrects, as he’ll fly the plane by himself.
Logan is meeting the Department’s Director but he refuses to tell him anything. Logan is angry at this, because many people are already dead because of this mess. The Director reminds Logan that he resigned from the base, so he isn’t cleared for the information anymore. And, he’s an accident waiting to happen. The Director thinks this is a national security matter and suggests that Logan lets them handle it.
Later, Logan goes to a bar and meets up with a guy named Jack. Jack remembers that he and Logan go way back and that Logan saved his life like a dozen times, but the heat has turned up too far and Jack claims he can’t help Logan on this case. Logan knows that, but he shouts that there’s a twenty-year old widow in Kenora who doesn’t know that. Logan grabs Jack by his clothes, threatening that he won’t turn away of this just because he doesn’t know the new secret handshake. Jack agrees, and reminds Logan that he didn’t hear this from him, but mentions that he might want to check things out at Department H.
Meanwhile, Smart Alec prepares to attack Weapon X. The others try to warn him to wait for the others, but Alec thinks that the others will just get in the way and let Weapon X kill them. Alec has been watching Weapon X move and thinks he knows how to defeat him. While dodging a claw attack, Alec thinks that Stitch was right and that Weapon X’s harness was feeding him adrenaline to counteract the sleepy-drug. So Alec thinks he only has to do one thing, and snaps the coils out of Weapon X’s feeding tank on his back! Unfortunately, Weapon X still stands and looks angry. Alec panics and thinks that Weapon X’s own metabolism is supplying the adrenaline now. Weapon X slashes out and kills Smart Alec!
Back at Department H, Logan finds pictures of both Dr. Cornelius and the Professor, though he doesn’t recognize the Professor. He doesn’t find any official Department H connection for the both of them, but their footprints are all through the system. Logan bets that the two scientist think Logan can’t find them either.
Elsewhere at their base, The Professor, Cornelius and Hines are watching the news reports about Weapon X, mentioning that nobody in Canada knows what’s going on and that the government keeps denying their involvement. The scientists panic. Suddenly, Logan walks up to them! The scientists panic and recognize Commander Logan, as the one that escaped. Logan matches the events, and freaks out when learning that they wanted to turn him into Weapon X!
Logan walks over to the control panels, but the Professor tries to stop him, as he’s not no warrant to do this. Logan tells the Professor to shut up, as what he has done to Weapon X’s skeleton and reflexes, the Department H soldiers don’t stand a chance against him. Maybe no one does. Logan gets up and thanks the Professor for the loan of his computer. He has downloaded some records and some evidence, which is at least enough to prove the government’s trying to cover up its own involvement in creating a psychopathic killer. As Logan walks out of the lab, Smith and another boss try to stop him, but Logan ignores them and warns that he’s going out to stop Weapon X- permanently!
Meanwhile, St. Elmo and the surviving Alpha Flight trainees try their best to stop Weapon X, but he is still at full rage. Elmo ignores his friend’s warnings to stay back, and picks Weapon X up and flies him high into the sky! They fight each other, but Weapon X tosses Elmo over his back, and throws him on top of a church roof. Elmo rolls down, and the dies because of the height.
Weapon X uses his claws to glide down the church walls and aims to attack Snowbird next. Narya transforms herself into a giant bear and attacks Weapon X. He points his attention towards James now and, despite him wearing the Groundhog armor, Weapon X has no trouble slashing through the armor. With his final breath, James blames himself that they weren’t ready, but Narya, hardly alive, tells James it wasn’t his fault and that it was a good dream. They die together.
Weapon X howls in horror. Suddenly, he stops, as he smells something. He looks forward, and notices Logan! He’s armed with tons of guns and says hi to Guy. Logan opens fire on Weapon X, but he manages to dodge all the bullets and keep on fighting each other. Neither of the two notice that they are being watched. Two agents are glad they have found both Weapon X and Commander Logan, but don’t know if they should help Logan, since he now possesses information that could harm the government. They decide to watch for a little while.
Weapon X slices Logan through his chest. Though he bleeds, Logan still stands. He notices that Weapon X doesn’t seem to like guns, which is fine to him. Instead, he chooses to go over to plain old knives. The two continue to fight each other for a while, until Weapon X slices Logan once again. Logan bleeds even heavier than before, realizing this won’t work. He notices that Guy is too far gone, and now more animal than man. And Logan himself, he’s doing what he always does: letting the animal inside him take things over. But, Logan knows that he doesn’t have to fight like an animal: he can fight like a man and use his brain.
He and Weapon X fight each other again, and Logan jumps close enough to Guy and rips his helmet off! Logan is surprised that there really is a man underneath that armor. Logan’s heart tells him to give Desjardine another chance, but his brain tells him otherwise. Logan takes out a sword he hid on his back and sticks it through Guy’s stomach. He falls down, and dies.
Logan runs away, followed by the two agents. They follow Logan for a while, and track him down to a river. They notice his footprints and it looks like the tiny man jumped into it. The agents think that, with the heavy wounds Logan had, the cold water of the river surely will kill him, so they decided to take off.
Hours later, Logan arrives at his hotel room and turns on the TV, drinking a beer. The news reports that the shadowy Department H facility has been shut down, though still nobody can confirm who the now deceased Weapon X was. And the government keeps denying their involvement in the murders. Logan cheers his drink to his absent friends, hoping they will stay that way.
- The Watcher’s conclusion -
Uatu reveals that there will be no Wolverine in this reality, nor another attempt at creating any version of Alpha Flight. But in this world and, in a few others, the man named Logan has finally found inner peace. Uatu is the Watcher, and this is what he has seen today.


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[Assistant]
-- A Fallen Angel!
A rainy night. The man once known as Warren Worthington III or the Angel crouches on a roof high above Manhattan, scanning the streets below.
In the streets, another predator stirs, about to attack a young man. The Angel cuts him down, announcing: Not fit. Not worthy! The young man thanks him but shuts up when he sees his merciless eyes.
Angel or Death (as he now calls himself) flies up.
The Watcher muses this is how Apocalypse intended it. Death brings judgment on his fellow mutants and testing their worth. What if Apocalypse had succeeded and Warren Worthington had become the angel of death?
The seeds for this were sown when the original five X-Men formed X-Factor. Posing as mutant hunters, they sought to find and educate others like them, a scheme concocted by Warren’s old college roommate Cameron Hodge. Too late they discovered Hodge was a fanatical mutant hater with a deep-rooted burning resentment of Warren’s success. The tragic result was the loss of Warren’s natural wings and his apparent suicide.
But Warren was saved by Apocalypse, given new wings, recreated as Death and turned against his old teammates.
The divergence between realities occurs when Iceman creates an ice dummy of himself that Death subsequently destroys. In one timeline, the ploy works. Believing he killed his friend, an enraged Angel turns against Apocalypse.
In another reality, shock and horror overload the Angel’s already damaged psyche. He flees, a lost soul, convinced he killed his friend. A belief that Apocalypse sees fit to cement by eliminating Iceman himself. And at last, Apocalypse’s creation is complete. The Angel’s wounded mutated mind knits in dark ugly ways. Humankind betrayed him, took his wings from him. Mutants used him, abandoned him. He is Death, now and forevermore.
He makes his home in the Hellhole, a de-sanctified church turned Heavy Rock venue.
Some hours later and some miles distant, Cyclops blasts a missile out of the sky with three still to go. The missiles adapt, making it harder and harder for him. He tries a wide optic blast, but too late.
But before the missile can hit him, it is stopped by a telekinetic forcefield. Marvel Girl asks what’s going on. The missile was armed! If not for her, he’d have been killed! She asks Ship the meaning of this. Ship explains Cyclops requested the best it could throw at him. In the jargon of its creator, Apocalypse, such a command meant the ultimate test, from which the outcome is either survival or death!
Jean muses there is so much they still don’t know about this new base of theirs. So much hidden danger.
Angrily, Cyclops tells her his best wasn’t good enough. His best got Bobby killed. He has to be better! He berates what a leader he turned out to be. Warren’s become some sort of creature of the night, Beast is getting dumber each time he uses his powers and Bobby is dead. He’s failed them all!
Jean tells him Bobby’s death wasn’t anyone’s fault. None of them could have guessed what Bobby was planning or how Apocalypse would respond. Scott has failed if he gives up and lets himself die a stupid death. They have an obligation to the living, to keep trying to cure Hank and help Warren. He needs Scott. So does she.
Scott apologizes. They have to find Warren before this destructive campaign of his extends to mutants in general or Cops or civilians… before whatever’s left of Warren is lost to them forever.
Deep beneath the Manhattan sewers, three nasty looking mutants hold a boy prisoner, asking if he is ready to die. Rockfar should be back any time now. They said they’d return him if his daddy paid but what they meant was piece by piece!
Instead of Rockfar, Angel enters. They attack and he quickly kills them with his wings.
For the next few weeks, he is everywhere, his shadow casting the city into a perpetual darkness, that breeds fear, distrust and itchy trigger fingers, and something grows and festers, until …
A woman runs for her life to a cop car. She tells the cops she is Frenzy, part of the Alliance of Evil. She’s done terrible things. Arrest her! Just don’t let him get her.
Angel orders them to leave. She has been judged and Death must pass sentence. One cop tells him this woman has rights. She wants their help, she’s got it! Very well, he replies. Mutant, human - it matters not, sooner or later they must all face judg—
Cyclops’ optic blast hits him in the back and Marvel Girl saves the cops and Frenzy. Cyclops tells Angel that Apocalypse killed Bobby. He isn’t to blame. He asks him to come back.
Angel looks at him silently, then sends some flechettes his way. He tells him they were meant to paralyze, not kill. His day of testing will come.
Beast asks why he does this. They are friends. Friends don’t hurt each other. He jumps after him and holds onto the flying Angel’s legs. Angel considers that Beast’s growing strength takes away his intelligence. In the coming world there is no place for him. He slits his throat and drops Hank.
And Jean and Scott realize that there is no Warren anymore. To stop him, they may have to kill him.
Some hours later aboard X-Factor’s Ship, Trish Tilby announces she has a better way. Cyclops cynically accuses her of only wanting a story. Warren nearly killed Hank back there. He isn’t sure there is anything left of him to save. Jean tells him to hear her out.
Trish explains Warren’s old girlfriend Candy Southern came to her with a part-formed story about Cameron Hodge, X-Factor’s traitorous co-founder, linking him to a rabid anti-mutant organization called the Right. Candy wanted to expose him, find evidence that would prove that Hodge set Warren on this destructive course. They were set to meet yesterday but Candy never showed. She thinks Candy ran into trouble. If Warren knew that, it might prompt a response. In his own mind at least, she thinks Warren has fallen from grace and needs a chance to redeem himself.
Tilby prints the story of Candy’s abduction and Warren learns of it. He realizes Hodge is behind this. He seeks answers at the offices of Worthington Enterprises. From machines, men, documents, until at last a trail emerges, one that leads to a hidden complex beneath an office building in Chicago. The headquarters of the Right. And there, quite literally, all hell breaks loose as Warren finds himself fighting demons.
Watching the battle, Hodge curses this wasn’t the deal. In return for his help, he was promised unlimited power. And yet his most hated enemy has come here to kill him and the demons are powerless to stop him.
The demon N’astirh grins that the Angel has grown mighty and promises to be a better partner than Hodge. Hodge realizes he was set up as Warren reaches him.
Angrily, Hodge reaches for the life support machine for Candy, intending to at least take her down with him. Before that can happen, Warren’s wing blades cut through his hand. Hodge fires at him. Warren asks why he harmed Candy. She loved him, that was enough! Guilty! Warren shouts and kills him. Delicious, N’astirh croons.
When Angel notices the demon, he introduces himself and thanks him for all he has done. He reminds Warren he single-handedly cast the city into a perpetual twilight of fear and loathing. A dark place where evil has full reign. He has created a perfect canvas on which to paint the demon’s designs. His campaign of terror has proven a fitting prelude to an inferno, the creation of a true hell on Earth. That will engulf first Manhattan, then the entire planet.
He opens a doorway and offers Angel a reward: Join them in Limbo. Become a part of the Inferno. It should not be difficult; he is so very nearly a demon already.
Angel realizes he is right. He understands he is damned but will not take the world with him! he shouts. He passes through the half-formed portal with N’astirh, causing it to implode.
Thus Inferno is averted before it begins. And Cyclops, Jean Grey and Candy remember him as the Angel of life.


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[Assistant]
What if Mister Sinister formed the X-Men? – Sinister Perspectives
The Cape Citadel missile base, site of the first public show of power by the mutant master of magnetism, Magneto. Magneto proclaims his superiority over all humans when, suddenly, he is hit by an optic blast. He turns around inquiring who dares – to be faced with the X-Men – Mr Sinister’s X-Men: Havok, Malice, Sabretooth, Sauron and their leader, Cyclops.
Cyclops gives the orders and Sabretooth blithely ignores them, as he attacks Magneto on his own. Of course, the master of magnetism easily tosses him away. Once more, Cyclops commands, this time like a team. They’ve all heard Mister Sinister. If they fail today, all mutantkind will pay tomorrow. Sabretooth thinks to himself that he doesn’t know what he hates more: Listening to the punk kid or plying along with this whole charade.
(flashback)
He had asked Sinister on why he bothered with the X-Men and Sinister had arrogantly told him that he only needed know that he does bother and that Cyclops in particular is very important to him. He has devoted a great deal of time and attention to Scott Summers. Some years earlier, when Scott was a resident of the orphanage above them, his only friends were a fellow orphan named Nate and a Doctor Robyn Hanover. Hanover tried to get Scott adopted by friends of hers: Trish and Rick Bogart. Sinister first considered having the Bogarts killed and Hanover broken to his will. But then he decided that this might result in distancing Scott from him irrevocably.
Instead, he let the Bogarts live and mentally influenced them to back out of the adoption a mere hour before Scott was due to leave. As a result, Scott became closer to Nate. And he wanted that? Sabretooth asks. Nate was an aspect of himself, Sinister explains. His point is that, for the last ten years, he has watched Scott like a hawk, trying to anticipate every possibility. So does he really think that creating the X-Men was a random whim on his part?
(Present)
As long as Sinister keeps paying him, he’ll keep his place in his little team. Sabretooth studies his teammates. Cyclops aka Scott Summers with his optic force blasts and his Sinister-styled rhetoric, Malice, a psychic entity inhabiting the clone body of Jean Grey and Havok, Scott’s little brother, a mutant plasma generator and a general wimp. Finally, there’s Sauron - a human variant with a taste for mutant life essences. And him, paid to keep an eye on all of them.
Malice telepathically stuns Magneto and Sauron closes in intent on feasting on Magneto’s energies. Sabretooth tells him to back off. This kill is his.
Cyclops butts in. Sinister was clear on this, he tells them. The world is on the edge of evolutionary change. A volatile time that needs careful sculpting and control. Rough edges like Magneto do not fit and must be removed. If it has to be done, he’ll do it. Quick and clean.
During their bickering, Magneto has regained his bearings. He throws up a magnetic shield to throw them off and flees, threatening that they are to tell this “Sinister” this is not over.
Later, beneath the State Home for Foundlings in Sage, Nebraska, Mr Sinister is not happy. He addresses his X-Men telling them their X-Factor separates them from the milling throngs of humanity as gods from mortals and yet they bicker and fight like dogs. He is disappointed. Cyclops is quick to shoulder the blame, vowing it won’t happen again. He believes in Sinister’s dream. Sabretooth laughs mirthlessly as he hears this.
Sinister assures Scott he does not seek to apportion blame. He trusts Scott as a father trusts in his most beloved son. But he is angry at the thought of Magneto still at large to spread fear and distrust. However, another situation has arisen that demands their attention. Should Scott feel any lingering responsibility over Magneto’s escape, this would be an opportunity to make amends. Scott jumps at that thought and Sinister tells them to prepare themselves. He keeps back Sabretooth, though, and violently makes it clear he is never to try and undermine his conditioning again. He spent years subtly blending truth and fiction to create a mindset that allows Scott freedom to think and fulfil his potential, while yet being bound to Sinister. Long ago, he discovered that he was too strong-willed and committed to be simply controlled. Like a finely tuned instrument, he needed precise maintenance. Should he be given cause to question the illusion and doubt Sinister’s motives, all this will be lost. Sabretooth is to safeguard Sinister’s investment as if his life depended on it.
Their mission takes them to Cairo. Walking through the streets, Madelyne snuggles close to Scott and tells him she wishes he’d pay her the sort of attention he is giving that tracking device. Scott apologizes but they have a job to do. She can’t tease him out of his mood and he tells her that they’ve found the target’s bios signs. She shoots him a hurt look and has every right to be, Scott thinks to himself. He’s aware of the mutual attraction between them. But there’s a gut reaction, as if something that should be beautiful has a hidden, ugly side.
Sabretooth joins them, telling them to put away their toy. He’s got her scent. The girl ducks into an alley and Sabretooth tells Havok to circle round and close her down. He’s reconnoitered the area. There’s only one way out.. If Havok doesn’t screw up, she should come running right back to them. One moment later, Ororo Munroe finds herself cornered. Malice drops the telepathic disguise and Cyclops reaches out to the girl, telling her they won’t hurt her.
Of that, he can be quite certain, a voice announces and, a moment later, he sees another group of mutants, dressed in black and gold, led by an angry redhead. Who are they? Cyclops wonders. Who cares? Sabretooth replies and jumps to grab the girl, though they’ll need something for the headstone. His attack is repelled by a sonic scream, courtesy of Banshee, which unfortunately also hits the girl.
Marvel Girl shouts at Banshee, telling him he could have killed the girl and orders Angel to move Ororo out of the way. She turns to Cyclops and suddenly wonders if they have met before. Cyclops immediately feels the same. It’s as though he’s known her all his life.
Malice doesn’t take this well and psychically attacks Jean. Havok uses his powers against Beast and Mimic, suggesting they let the ladies duke this out themselves.
Angel drops Ororo off on a roof and asks her to stay put. It isn’t safe anymore. As he takes off, not noticing Sauron lurking nearby, he thinks how true that is. The Cape Citadel incident confirmed Professor Xavier’s fear. Battle lines have been drawn and the struggle for mutant supremacy has begun. He fears that Professor Xavier waited too long. The team was assembled and yet he held back. Now, instead of presenting the image of mutants working alongside mankind, they can only provide a refuge for innocents caught in the crossfire.
Ororo shouts a warning, but it’s too late. Angel stared in Sauron-s eyes and fell prey to his hypnotic gaze.
Below, while the two redheads are still fighting, Cyclops tries to make senses of the situation. According to Sinister, these people are thrill-seekers and traitors to their race, but he senses only warmth and concern from her. He never had cause to question Sinister before, but now he wonders – could he have lied?
Sinister watches the battle and realizes that Scott’s confusion and suspicion are battling his conditioning. The true test begins now. He telepathically contacts Sabretooth and explains that, while Malice is the more experienced telepath Marvel Girl, being the original, has buried potential far in excess of her abilities. It will only take one small mistake by Malice such as allowing Marvel Girl to see the truth – that they are both in effect one and the same being – to unlock that potential. When the inevitable happens, he wants Sabretooth to kill Marvel Girl.
Jean, in the meantime, does indeed beat Malice. Sinister decides that hey need some supporting players for the final act. Since the battle at Cape Citadel, Magneto and his  newly-formed Brotherhood have been looking for Sinister. He thinks it’s about time they found him.
Back in Cairo, Xavier’s X-Men struggle against their brainwashed teammate, Angel, when they hear a scream. Sauron is carrying Ororo away. Jean angrily levitates up, ordering Sauron to let her go. Sauron threatens his hostage but Jean uses her telekinesis to ensnare him with the rooftop clotheslines. She is focussing on Sauron and Ororo, while Sabretooth closes in on the kill.
Sinister telepathically contacts Cyclops and Havok, telling them to return to base immediately. Magneto and the Brotherhood are attacking. A piece of debris hits Sinister and contact breaks off. Alex tells Scott that Malice is still out of it and he doesn’t know about Sauron and Sabretooth. It sounded bad - they have to go. Cyclops agrees, but then he sees Marvel Girl at Sabretooth’s mercy and feels her pain as their minds touch.
Havok urges him to go but Cyclops tells him that he has a feeling that, if he loses that girl, his own life won’t be worth living. Before Sabretooth can gut Jean, he is taken out by an optic blast. He asks if Jean s ok and she tells him that, when their minds touched, it was as if something long buried was unearthed. Something essential and having found it she never wants to lose it.
At the base, Sinister is getting frantic. His X-Men haven’t retuned and, thanks to the Scarlet Witch’s hexes, even the Brotherhood may prove a threat to him.
Back in Cairo, Jean assures Scott that they are not the enemy. Professor Xavier wants to build a future where humans and mutants both can thrive. She asks him to accompany her and talk to him. She knows he was meant to be with their X-Men. Scott hesitates and reaches for her hand.
Back at homebase, Sinister’s psionic shield crumbles. He is attacked by Magneto and cries out ‘Scott.’ Scott feels his pain.
He turns away from Jean, accusing her of keeping him from Sinister. She clouded his mind, played with his emotions. He doesn’t listen to her protests. Angel joins Jean and she asks him to follow Scott to see where he goes. Cyclops jumps into the teleportation portal where Alex already expects him at the side of a fallen Sinister. They were gone before he could get a shot in, Alex tells him. All because Scot held him back. He hopes she was worth it.
Dying, Sinister tells them that it wasn’t Scott’s fault. It’s the way of the enemy to weaken resolve and twist loyalties. They will come soon. Scott and Alex are to go with them, join them, but only on the outside. He touches Scott’s face with a bloody hand, telling him he is like a son to him, the piece of himself he leaves as a legacy to mutantkind. He tells him to remember all he has taught him and not to let his vision die with him.
That moment, Xavier’s X-Men enter through the teleportation portal and take in the scene. Jean touches Scott’s shoulder.
(Six weeks later)
Cyclops and Havok have joined Xavier’s group and are now practicing in the Danger Room with the team. Xavier notes in his journal both have proved themselves. He wonders why Sinister chose the same name for his team but as with much about the man his motives remain shrouded in mystery. And if Scott and Alex remain a little remote and insular, that is perhaps to be expected. They are, after all, brothers and the memory of their ordeal has not yet faded.
Elsewhere, Sinister gloats. He knew that Xavier’s children were destined to become the enduring threat to his machinations. How better to cancel out that threat than by placing a wolf in the fold? The test was to see how Scott’s conditioning would hold up when being offered his heart’s desire. Now their covenant is sealed in blood…


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[Assistant]
Variations on a Scream
Clarice Fergusson aka Blink is torn between time. She sees splinters of her own life, how she and other young mutants were captured by the Phalanx. As she is torn between time and space, she has the urge to let go but a part stubbornly resists.
She sees flashes of the X-Men’s lives. She finally remembers. How she used her teleportation powers to attack the Phalanx Harvest, willing to sacrifice her life for the others youngsters. But instead of Blink, the others died in the ship’s explosion.
flashback:Banshee reached for her hand before she became trapped by her own powers. Blink rematerializes and figures Banshee pulled her free. Instead, as she gets a look around, she realizes she is in a strange place that is certainly not Earth as it is distorted, though it seem to be constructed of her memories. She soon realizes the distortion comes from the floating bubbles.
In one bubble, she sees the past when she was captured by the Phalanx and, horrified, she sees how her powers made the ship detonate and tore apart the other youngsters in the water. She swore she wouldn’t use her powers again, and now…
She hears Banshee in the ocean weakly crying her name. She realizes he is drowning because he tried to save her. She cries out his name.
Banshee, exhausted, goes down, thinking of Moira MacTaggert.
Blink figures she can’t make matters worse. She uses her power to blink the bubble apart and reform it differently. Suddenly the ship still exists, allowing Banshee to grab for it and stay afloat. He decides not to waste this miracle.  The second he finds Moira, he’s going to propose.
Blink is happy about her miracle until she remembers the deaths of the other kids which she caused.  She decides to study every bubble in this place until she can undo this tragedy. She walks off on the yellow brick road unaware of the black and white figure behind her that studies her intently.
Earth:When Banshee returns to Westchester, he finds Colossus hugging a miraculously recovered Illyana Rasputin. She explains that Professor X found a cure for the Legacy virus and a treatment for AIDS as well. Xavier admits it’s been as stunning 12 hours. Apart from his discoveries, Forge removed the threat of the Phalanx with a simple mech-virus.
Sean doesn’t want to intrude on their happiness, so he doesn’t tell them he remembers Illyana’s funeral.
Elsewhere:Blink manipulates more and more time-bubbles, feeling like a guardian angel. Banshee and Moira get married. Storm and Forge patch things up. She changes more and more about the time line but she cannot touch the moment when her friends died. Why? she wonders aloud.
A voice announces the event that brought her here cannot be altered by her. To do so would create an irreparable paradox. The ground shakes as the terrain comes alive. The voice continues it thought at first she was a refraction. But given the damage she has done she is not. Perhaps she is from the shadow world come here to upset the balance. The ground strikes her down.
Wait a minute! she protests. The use of that term betrays her as a creature of the finite linear world, he muses. How can this be? Whatever error brought her here must be corrected immediately.
Does this mean she is going home? Blink asks hopefully. The In-Betweener bursts from the ground and angrily tells her it means she is going to die! He is the In-Betweener. Servant of chaos and order, protector of the time stream. With her petty manipulations, she has disturbed the balance of this realm. She must be expunged.
Dodging his blows, she protests she did it to save some good people a lot of pain. What does she know of good? he scoffs. Save one child here, and elsewhere a hundred die. So he lets people die when he could save them? Blink bursts out. That’s insane! He is neither sane nor insane the In-Betweener replies. He is a manifestation of the principle of balance. She could not begin to understand what ill she has done. Those that were meant to die are now alive.
He tells her not to struggle. Upon ending her essence will once again become one with the all that birthed her. She shall become the stuff of stars and insects. If she is lucky perhaps for a moment she will even understand death is not an ending.
Clarice is not convinced. She attacks with her teleportation power and blinks him apart. He’s gone and she realizes she just destroyed a godlike being. Is there anything she can’t do?
Earth:The X-Men continue leading charmed lives. After some years, Banshee, Moira and their two sons visit the Xavier Institute for a reunion, to find Professor X can walk with implants he and Magnus designed. Beast and Forge greet Sean. Has it really been three year since the X-Men disbanded? Hank muses. Forge tells Sean Hank has his hands full reforesting the Brazilian rain forests. It’s certainly easier now that the tension between mutants and humans has vanished. Ever miss the old days? Forge asks. Nah, is the reply. Sean is puzzled.
Next he runs into Jean and Scott Summers without his red glasses. Ruby quartz contact lenses, Scott explains. Jean asks if he has seen their boy running around. He’s always getting into some mischief or other.
Later, Sean talks to Logan who explains they still have a long way to go. It will be five years before all of Ethiopia is fertile again. As the others celebrate Sean tells himself no crime, no disease, no war, no hate and the children, his children are growing happy and fast. Seems like only yesterday the whole world was on the verge of mutual destruction. He sinks down. Problem is, he thinks it was yesterday.
Moira sits down next to him and asks if he can’t even take some joy in watching their children play. He apologizes but what eats him won’t fit into words. It’s a gnawing sense at the back of his head that things aren’t right. Moira explains she had another reason for bringing him here. Forge has invented a neurotransmitter that will allow her to feel what he feels. Maybe she can help.
Later, she shares his memories and is horrified. She expected the guilt over the loss of the children… but the rest of the world, full of crime, pollution, hatred… Make it stop! she shouts. She wonders if this is a psychosis or real. Suddenly the alarm goes off.
Sean and Moira join Forge and Storm in the comm-center where they are extinguishing a small fire. Storm explains they were reprogramming Cerebro to use historical data to make some future projections. But every model of the future collapsed. A first they though there were programming glitches. Then Forge realized that maybe they were the problem. Time’s linear quality may be a quirk of human perception. Cerebro not being human accessed a different perspective and uncovered some anomalies. They traced them to the death of the mutant children - Generation X - and isolated a tachyon signature surrounding the event. Cerebro recognized the pattern as Blink. She survived and she is somehow manipulating time. There is no telling what she has done and what they may owe to her. They could try to each her but she’s become so enmeshed in the time stream he is not sure there is any way they could stop her short of killing her. And no certainty they should.
That moment, the two couples’ kids come in crying because of the noise and darkness and the heroes are distracted.
Elsewhere:Blink is pleased to get some credit for her deeds. She wonders what Forge meant about her identity getting enmeshed with the place. She admits she does feels stronger and now looks more like the In-Betweener as well. She is confident enough to tackle what has been bugging her: the deaths of the other kids. The In-Betweener said she couldn’t change it but he probably didn’t think she could destroy him either. What if he was wrong on both counts? After all, she has more experience now and more power.
She tries to manipulate the time bubble and feels it starting to give. However, suddenly tendrils from the ground grab her and the ground is beginning to shake.
Earth:The X-Men have gathered and Xavier explains that after a decade of peace and progress a thousand disasters at once are happening. It’s as if time is folding on itself, with hundreds of temporal incongruences rocking the world. Why now and why are they so unaffected? Earthquakes, super-villains, rifts in time. What single entity could cause this?
Banshee announces they know who it is. He explains how years ago Cerebro discovered Blink was transported into a simultaneity. He’s theorized that ever since she’s been manipulating time, bringing them this golden age. But now something has gone wrong, time itself is deteriorating and Clarice is the source of the problem. They have one hope. According to Cerebro, they can use the temporal distortion device left here by the Fantastic Four to access the simultaneity, find Clarice and destroy her.
Storm and Forge protest. Apart from the fact it’s murder if they do that, everything may return to the way it was. On a global level, that means pollution, disease and hatred of mutants. On a personal level, it may mean that for some of them their children were never born, for others it may mean death!
Has she become insane? Sean shouts at Storm. There is no alternative! While they are talking two Galactuses are preparing to eat the world! Dinosaurs are wandering Wall Street! The bleeding world is falling apart! Clarice must die! If necessary, he’ll kill her himself!
He finds the other X-Men turning against him. Even Moira sides with them, refusing to let him endanger their children.
Elsewhere:Blink finds the aborted timelines are fighting back and now are forcing their way back all at once. She is overwhelmed and for the X-Men reality goes crazy as suddenly both Napoleonic soldiers and Sentinels attack them.
Banshee takes off. He is linked to Blink and can sense her. He flies to the lab and presses the button. “Goodbye, Moira. Hello, Clarice. Your killer is here.”
He finds himself in another realm. ”You poor child!” he exclaims when he sees her attacked by the very landscape itself. He tells her to let go, to stop fighting events. Blink replies if she stops it will all return to the way it was. And she will have killed Generation X forever. He tells her it was an accident and he knows what it will mean, what he will lose, but it’s the only way.
Blink realizes he is right. She lets the old go. She is ready not to be. From the nothingness the In-Betweener speaks  to her. She has managed to detach from the corruption she engendered, allowing him to manifest again. Will he kill her now? she asks. No, he decides.
Earth:The old timeline is restored.The X-Men, Banshee among them, are at the funeral of Generation X.Banshee mourns for them, wishing he could have done something. He wanted to tell Moira how much she means to him. Maybe another time, he decides.
Two hooded figures watch. The smaller one remarks she swore an oath of non-interference in exchange for survival but it hurts so much to watch time without being able to help. With patience, she will see how things work, the In-Betweener tells her She is but a child and he has so much to show her.


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What if the New Fantastic Four had Remained a Team? – 4 Against the Darkness!
It was the saddest day anyone could remember. Gathered in front of a large monument dedicated to the Fantastic Four, the preacher states the names Reed Richards, Susan Richards, Johnny Storm, Benjamin Grimm and Sharon Ventura. The world will never see their like again. And the boys were taking it hard. After the funeral, Spider-Man mentions to Hulk and Wolverine that he wishes he knew what to say. Lighting a cigar, Wolverine asks what else is there to say. They screwed up. Hulk adds some heroes they turned out to be.
They fought monsters and Skrulls and those skeevy Moleguys by the bushel-full. They’d defused a bomb that could’ve killed them all. Then that Skrull chippie aims that dingus at the Four. Richards was a second too slow and that’s all she wrote. That thing scrambled their molecules. Couldn’t even have an open casket ceremony. Spider-Man remarks that he just wishes there was something they could have done. As they walk by Agatha Harkness and Franklin Richards, Wolverine tells Spidey that he can’t let regrets eat him up. Spidey replies sure. It’s just that he feels like life handed him more than his share. Wolverine says he can relate to that.
Just then, Ghost Rider appears and tells them that the time for regrets is over. The time for retribution is at hand. When the Hulk asks what he’s talking about, Wolverine answers he doesn’t know but he’s just in time to re-light his cheroot. Ghost Rider tells them that the deaths of the Fantastic Four leave a void in their world. They were often the first line of defense against extraterrestrial evil. Hulk remarks that he’s impressed. That’s the most words he ever heard him string together. Spidey tells Hulk to hear the man out. Ghost Rider continues that they must fill that void. In that way they might redeem themselves for their error. Turning to Hulk and Wolverine, Spidey asks well, guys? Sounds like they have a responsibility.
So we moved into a new address. A tad roomier than our place in Brooklyn. Entering the lab of Four Freedoms plaza, Mary Jane asks Peter if he’s in there. When she asks him what he thinks, Peter tells her he’s a little busy right now. Turning around to take a look at her, Peter is shocked to see Mary Jane wearing one of the Invisible Woman’s old skin-tight costumes. Peter nervously asks her that she’s not planning on going out in that. Mary Jane replies that she’ll leave the grandstanding to him and the boys.
Moving over towards Peter, Mary Jane asks him what’s the haps. He looks like he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders. Peter tells her that things were a lot simpler when he was a solo webslinger. Reed Richards left a lot of debts. How’d they ever hang onto this place? Mary Jane proceeds to tell Peter that he worries too much. Has he thought more about letting his Aunt May in on his little secret? Peter answers that he guesses it would be easier to take now. That’d be an upside of this gig. No more secret identity hassles. Sitting on Peter’s lap, Mary Jane tells him that they need to discuss something important. How does he like her costume? Peter smiles and says at least she’s willing to wear a costume.
In another section of the building, Logan tells Hulk to shake a leg. He’s not gonna hold this door all day. Carrying a large piece of equipment, Hulk asks Logan how he’d like that fancy steel skeleton of his hung out to dry. Logan tells him to just haul that hunk of junk to the freight elevator. As he does, Hulk states that he doesn’t get it. If they’re just gonna rent these floors out like bugboy says, then why don’t they just scrap this stuff steada haulin’ it upstairs? Logan tells him ‘cause they don’t know what these dealies do. That’s his day job. He only knows that thing he’s carrying ain’t an icemaker. Hulk says tell him about it. Then tell him when they’re gonna see some action. And some cold cash. He doesn’t do the hero thing unless it pays.
The boys had their work cut out for them. New challenges. New dangers. New bad guys (Paibok the Power Skrull, Lyja, Devos the Devastator). But they hung tough and came up aces every time. And the whole world took notice (including Doctor Doom).
There was also some old business to take care of. One night, in a dark alley, Spider-Man is confronted by the Sinister Six – Mysterio, Sand-Man, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Hobglobin and the Vulture. Doctor Octopus points out to Spidey that he’s narrowly defeated them each singly, by luck and by pluck, but he doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance against all of them at once. Electro adds that, once they strip that mask off him, everyone he ever cared about is dead. Spidey replies well then, maybe they won’t mind if he invited a few friends. With ease the new Fantastic Four defeated the Sinister Six. Again and again the boys kicked butt.
I was so glad Peter had some friends with a common interest. Did I say “friends?” More like a family. And I played the little homemaker. Which was really weird. Because I wasn’t even allowed in most of the rooms. Petey and Bruce said they were dangerous. And that was weird, too. Bruce being Bruce all day and the Hulk at night. Still, I kept busy at my new job as the Four’s business manager. Petey and Bruce helped repair an old robot stuck in storage to help me record inventory and check out some of the weirder material. Reed Richards was into some seriously wild stuff.
Entering a room, Mary Jane discovers H.E.R.B.I.E. laying on the floor and on fire. Just then, two shadowy figures – Paibok the Power Skrull and Devos the Devastator corner her. Devos remarks that this one is not known to him. Paibok adds that his scanners reveal she possesses no extraordinary abilities. Smacking her across the face, Devos says she’s a human female, she must die. Paibok tells him not until they have found the Four, then they can die together.
Inside another room, the members of the new Fantastic Four are gathered. Peter informs them that they rented the empty floors out and that puts them in the black for a few months anyway. Dan Ketch adds that he thinks they could shave some costs if they stopped heating the sealed rooms. Logan says good idea. No use maintaining room temperature in the Negative Zone.
Just then, the Hulk interjects and says they’re s’posed to be worldbeaters and they’re sittin’ there goin’ over paperwork. Logan deadpans that he hates to agree with “shoulders” there but this is a stone drag. Peter states that he thinks this stuff is boring too. But it’s got to be done. The FF succeeded where other groups failed because they sweated the details. They were a family. Getting in Peter’s face, Hulk says lemme get this straight… Richards and them kept guys like Galactus and Doom in line ‘cause they were like a super-powered Waltons? When Peter tells him “well… yeah,” the Hulk starts laughing out loud. Logan tells him that it’s not that funny, doofus. The X-Men are like family. They stick together. When the Hulk asks him why he left then, Logan tells him that’s his business.
At that moment, Peter’s spider-sense begins to tingle and the tells everyone that trouble’s coming. Just then an explosion occurs. As the team readies themselves for action, Hulk asks why every psycho has to look up this address. Logan tells him he wanted action, bigfoot, he got it.
Emerging through the newly formed hole in the wall, Lady Deathstrike asks Logan that he thought to hide from her there. He should know that he is destined to die by the hand of Lady Deathstrike. The Abomination tells the Hulk what she says does double for him. When Deathstrike slashes her claws against Hulk’s chest, she reminds Abomination that they are to exchange opponents until the last. Turning his attention to Wolverine, Abomination tells him that means them, “shorty.”
Rushing towards Deathstrike, Hulk tells her that she’s gonna pay for that pain and she’s gonna pay for this shirt. Does she know what these things cost him? Picking Wolverine up, Abomination states that he’d laugh if he remembered how. Look at this shrimp. Slashing Abomination across the face, Wolverine tells him ‘least he doesn’t look like two tons of guacamole. Just then, Spider-Man tells Danny to go do his thing. They’re gonna need everything they’ve got. After Abomination slams Logan to the floor, he tells him that he’s gonna squish him into a grease spot. At that moment, Spider-Man swings in, kicks Abomination in the face and tells him to back off.
Reaching a nearby room, Danny stops in his tracks when he sees Paibok and Devos. Holding Mary Jane under his arm, Paibok remarks that he does not recognize this one. Devos states that he is a friend of the Four and so he dies. Paibok says with pleasure and proceeds to blast Danny with a fire blast. Flying through the air backwards, Danny remarks that he’s not going to do anybody any good if he can’t reach the bike in time. Once Danny reaches the bike, in a flash of fire, what was Danny Ketch melts to make way for Ghost Rider.
As she kicks Hulk in the chest, Deathstrike states that he is an undisciplined monster. He cannot stand before her despite his superior bulk. Hulk tells her to hold on. Now she’s insultin’ him, you… Nearby, Abomination charges towards Hulk with Spider-Man clinging to his back. Upon reaching the Hulk, he punches him and knocks him through a nearby wall and out of the building. Continuing to punch Abomination, Spider-Man asks what it takes to stop him. Slamming Spider-Man into the wall, Abomination answers more ‘n any of them four have.
After the Hulk lands on the street below with a loud thud, he exclaims “ow, that hurt” and that the “walking wastedump” is gonna feel it. Scaling the building with his barehands, Hulk says for every stinkin’ floor he fell… him and all his little playmates.
Back inside the building, Paibok tells Devos that they should finish the powerless human. Devos says it’s better to allow it to live. The weak boy might lead them to the others. Paibok concedes very well, then they leave him a finger to poin… Just then, Ghost Rider rides through them, exclaiming justice will be served. Flinging flame at his enemies, Ghost Rider states that they have spilled innocent blood. And they will pay in kind. Getting blasted with fire, Paibok points out that the boy is gone but he’s called forth the Rider. Devos says that the time for holding back is past, let the war begin. With that, he blasts Ghost Rider and knocks him backwards.
As Deathstrike and Abomination corner Wolverine, Deathstrike tells him that he should never have abandoned his mutant allies for these incompetents. Logan asks that she’s lecturing him on the company he keeps? They might not be too fantastic, but they’re the only four there and they’re more ‘n enough for their like. Just then, Ghost Rider lands in a heap on the ground after getting blasted by Devos. Holding Mary Jane hostage, Paibok says so… they are not the only ones who seek to destroy these imposters. Let the festivities continue.
Standing back to back, Logan tells Petey to cool his pipes. They all hang together or they’re… Peter cuts him off and says that creep has his wife. He turned his back once before and someone he loved paid for it. Not this time! With that, Peter leaps over and punches Paibok, which causes him to release Mary Jane from his grasp. With incredible speed, Paibok counters Peter’s punch with a punch of his own that slams Peter hard up against a wall. Simultaneously, Devos blasts Logan, knocking him to the ground as well. As Mary Jane holds Peter in her arms, the villain’s state now they die. Just then, Hulk reappears on the scene and promptly gets blasted by the combined might of the villains, knocking him out of the building again. When Deathstrike remarks that he cannot have survived this time, Paibok says then they are the victors. Holding Peter in her arms, Mary Jane calls them murderers. Paibok says she’s right. They are murderers. And the “heroes” in this room are only the beginning.
Just then, a voice defiantly says no and proceeds to incinerate them Paibok, Devos, Abomination and Lady Deathstrike. Hovering in the air, Doctor Doom states that no one may destroy the Fantastic Four, any Fantastic Four. No one may claim victory over his enemies. No one save him. His work done, Doom flies off.
Awakening, a bloody Peter Parker asks a Mary Jane if she’s there. Crying, Mary Jane tells him that she’s right there. She’s always right there. Picking himself up off the ground, Dan Ketch asks Logan if he’s okay. Logan answers that he will be. Looking at the charred remains of their foes, Logan says better than these losers, anyhow. Turning to the others, he mentions not much left of the clubhouse, huh? Peter says that figures. They weren’t much of a club. It took Doom to save them. Lighting up a cigar, Logan tells him not to beat himself up over it. There can only be one Fantastic Four and they ain’t it. When he asks if anyone has seen Banner, down on the street, a massive hole has been created. From inside, Hulk says that hurt.
So that was the end of the coolest apartment I’d ever lived in. Four Freedoms Plaza was demolished a year later. They put a hotel up in its place. And everyone went their separate ways. Peters says that maybe they weren’t cut out to save the world, at least not as a team. Well, he’s the big hero in her story. And he always will be.