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Armageddon Now, part 2: Blood & Betrayal
In the darkened cellar of a Northern California winery, a figure lies on the floor, he stirs as consciousness returns to him. Fragmented memories surface, images of a struggle - an ambush - falling darkness. ‘Whoa - what happened to me?’ he wonders, dressed in his purple and white costume. His surroundings confuse him. They are unfamiliar. ‘Why do I feel so strange?’ he asks, looking at his hands. But they are nowhere near as unfamiliar as the face reflected in the dark wine bottle - ‘Hnnh? It can’t be - it’s not possible!’ h exclaims. Imagine the horror of finding yourself in a body that is not your own. ‘No…’ someone inside the body of Switch utters….
Elsewhere, in the vineyard’s main house, a sextet of unique late night visitors make their appearance. They are the group of young mutant heroes collectively known as X-Force. Theresa “Siryn” Rourke, Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie, James Proudstar, Danielle Moonstar, Bobby “Sunspot” DaCosta and Tabitha “Meltdown” Smith have come at the request of Jesse “Bedlam” Aaronson, an orphaned mutant who has recently insinuated himself into their group. The eighth member of X-Force, Domino, stands behind Jesse, who stands between X-Force and four other beings.
‘Okay, Jesse, you called, we came. Now, how about telling us why you dragged us all out here in the middle of the night’ Cannonball exclaims, none of his teammates looking too happy with Bedlam, or those standing before them. Aaronson tells his new teammates that he knows it is late, but that Domino and he finally tracked down his long lost brother. ‘The brother everyone told me didn’t exist - and I wanted you all to meet him. Say hello to Christopher Aaronson’ Jesse exclaims, motioning to his brother, who stands with his hands in his pockets and half-smiles at them.
Christopher reveals that he doesn’t go by Aaronson much these days, instead, he prefers to be called King Bedlam. ‘Imagine my surprise to learn by little brother’s been keeping company with the infamous X-Force!’ he exclaims, telling them that he has heard so much about X-Force from his Hellions. Standing behind King Bedlam are Marie-Ange Colbert a.k.a. Tarot and Allison Crestmere a.k.a. Magma, and King Bedlam points out that they are both known to X-Force, while the gentleman hovering behind him is known as Paradigm. Magma frowns at her former teammates, while Tarot remains as expressionless as ever.
‘Remember the “ghost” I told you I ran into on Clement Street?’ James remarks. ‘Tarot?’ Bobby exclaims. ‘I thought she was supposed to be six feet under!’ Meltdown declares, to which Siryn exclaims that Tarot is not the only surprise tonight. ‘What’s Magma doing here?’. Moonstar looks concerned, while Cannonball tells his friends that he thinks they have been set up, but Jesse exclaims that he knows Cannonball doesn’t like him, assuring him that he would never do anything to hurt them. ‘You’re the only friends I have’ he tells X-Force, adding that if they didn’t let him crash at their place he would be living on the street right now, before Domino tells X-Force to trust her when she says that these Hellions are no threat.
King Bedlam tells X-Force that he understands their apprehension, remarking that for those of them who were part of Xavier’s New Mutants, the original Hellions were more than just prep school rivals, they were the adolescent enforcers of the Hellfire Club and their lingerie-clad White Queen. ‘Let me assure you, we have no connection to that crusty old boys club or to Emma Frost for that matter. We are an autonomous collective of mutants who choose to make our own destiny’ King Bedlam announces.
‘Maybe, Bedlam, but I was one of the first Hellions. We were angry and mixed-up children whom the Hellfire Club used as pawns in their games of intrigue and destruction’ Proudstar exclaims as images of his former teammates flash through his mind. He remarks that since then, some of them have moved on with their lives, but others never had that chance because they were killed. ‘The Hellions are dead. You have no right to use that name’ he exclaims. King Bedlam replies that he is a man who understands the marquee value of a good name, and adds that Tarot was also one of the first Hellions as well, and she does not have a problem with it. ‘Do you, my dear?’ he asks. ‘Non, Christopher’ Marie-Ange replies, glancing sideways.
Cannonball approaches Magma, ‘What’s happened to you, Amara? You were one of the New Mutants? How can you be a part of any group calling itself the Hellions?’ he asks, putting a hand on her arm. ‘Don’t ever call me that again, Samuel Guthrie. My name is Allison Crestmere. Amara Aquilla was nothing but a cruel deception created by that witch Selene - when she brainwashed a group of plane crash survivors into believing that they were the descendants of a lost Roman colony!. Sam tells Allison that he knows it was tough to find out that everything she believed about herself was a lie, but even if the details of her past have changed, who she is inside has not. ‘Is this Empath’s doing?’ Sam then asks.
‘Hardly’ Magma snaps back, revealing that she left Manuel de la Rocha in Nova Roma along with the other fools too scared to return to the real world. ‘Let them waste their lives sweltering in the jungle heat. I want more from life - luxury, wealth and power. That’s why I’m with the Hellions now’ she announces. ‘Once a princess, always a princess, I guess’ Moonstar whispers to Sunspot, adding that Magma’s shift in allegiance concerns her less than the mysterious Paradigm, explaining to Sunspot that she gets no emotional reading from him at all. ‘He’s a complete blank’. Sunspot replies that he doesn’t like the way Paradigm is staring at them as if they were lab specimens under a microscope. ‘What you looking at, pal?’ Sunspot suddenly asks. Paradigm, standing in the shadows still, replies that he is recording and analysing their physical characteristics for further study. ‘I will require DNA samples for more detailed analysis’ he remarks.
‘If you ask me, this party’s turning out to be one big snooze fest. So unless I’m gonna get something to blow up soon, Theresa, I’m heading back to San Francisco’ Meltdown exclaims, but Siryn tells Meltdown to stand her ground, and agrees that this has all been surprisingly civil, but she thinks something is off here, and intends to find out what that is. Suddenly, ‘I’ll tell you what’s wrong, Red - it’s that you and the rest of X-Force are still breathing!’ snarls Maria Callasantos a.k.a. Feral as she leaps towards her former teammates. ‘What’s the matter? No hugs for your old teammate Feral?’ the feline mutant asks.
Feral tells X-Force that she knows they thought they had seen the last of her when they handed her over to the cops in New York. ‘You were wrong’ she snarls. King Bedlam remarks that another one of their absent members makes an appearance, adding that he doesn’t need to introduce Maria, as she was one of the founding members of X-Force. ‘Yeah, but I got smart and quit these losers!’ Feral snarls. Meltdown remarks that the last she heard, Feral was in the Vault doing time for the murder of her mother and boyfriend. ‘I doubt they let you out for good behavior’ she remarks.’ You got a problem with me, blondie?’ Feral asks, moving towards Meltdown. ‘Ever since you switched sides’ Tabitha tells her, to which Feral snarls that she is going to enjoy scratching her eyes out.
Sunspot intervenes, stepping in front of Feral, he tells her to back off. ‘Don’t make me singe all that pretty fur’ he exclaims. ‘Bobby -’ Meltdown begins, to which Feral exclaims ‘So you need Roberto to fight your battles now, Boomer? That’s okay, I can take a little heat’, referring to Meltdown by her former codename. King Bedlam tells Feral that X-Force are their guests and they need to treat them that way, while Meltdown tells Sunspot that she doesn’t need his help. ‘I’m not some stupid co-ed who needs her jock boyfriend to come to her rescue’ she mutters. ‘I’m sorry. I thought that -’ Sunspot begins, but Meltdown tells him to just stay out of her way from now.
‘This is because of what happened in North Beach, isn’t it?’ Bobby asks, but Meltdown tells him that now is not the time. Feral smirks and remarks to Cannonball that it sounds like a lover’s quarrel. ‘So if Tab and Bobby are shacking up these days, where does that leave you, Sammy-Boy?’ Feral asks. ‘With my friends. Which is more than I can say for you’ Sam replies sternly. Siryn tells Aaronson that she is glad he found his brother, before asking what he really knows about him. ‘I cannae help but be suspicious of anyone calling himself a Hellion’ Theresa remarks, to which Jesse tells her that she has got Christopher all wrong. ‘He and the Hellions want the same thing as X-Force - a world where mutants don’t live in fear’.
Domino tells X-Force to give Bedlam the benefit of the doubt, and that she thinks they will find his ideas absolutely visionary. King Bedlam thanks Domino, before remarking that they as mutants constitute some of the most powerful beings on the planet and yet they continue to hide in the shadows like frightened children. He declares that it is fear and self-loathing that has allowed the Government to treat them as less than human, when in fact they are much more. Christopher remarks that as the twenty-first century dawns, they can no longer let themselves be branded as pariahs or segregated as lepers.
‘We Children of the Atom are humanity’s future - and we intend to claim the respect and position that is our due. United, there is no one who can stop us’ King Bedlam boasts. ‘Nice sentiments, but how do ye means to go about all this? Sounds to me like ye’re ready to start a war’ Siryn announces. ‘War was declared on mutant-kind a long time ago. I’m simply proposing that it is time we end it!’ King Bedlam replies, while Proudstar tells him that if he thinks they are going to join him in whatever crusade he has planned, then he is wrong. Christopher replies that he did not expect them to rally to his side, before announcing he would like to propose an accord between their two groups.
King Bedlam declares that it is time mutants stopped fighting each other and turned their attention to the real menace. Suddenly, a grandfather clock chimes in at two in the morning. King Bedlam remarks that it is late, and they can talk further in the morning, before asking X-Force to stay as his guests. He reveals that he purchased this vineyard a few years ago, and they will find the rooms well furnished and the kitchen well stocked. The Hellions leave the room as King Bedlam tells Marie-Ange that it is time for bed, before he bids X-Force pleasant dreams.
A short while later, Siryn, Cannonball, Proudstar, Sunspot, Moonstar, Meltdown and Domino are gathered in a library, lit only by the fireplace. Standing by the fireplace, Siryn remarks that Bedlam’s intentions are good, of that she has no doubt, only he is so smug about it. She adds that he has nerve inviting them to stay the night. ‘He’s practically daring us to make the first move’ she exclaims. Sunspot stands near Siryn and agrees that some of what King Bedlam said made sense, as mutants shouldn’t be the ones living underground and trying to pretend they are normal when they are not. Cannonball leans on a sofa, agreeing, but pointing out that it isn’t the point. ‘The means never justify the end’.
Cannonball adds that King Bedlam’s plans are putting innocent lives at risk, then they have to take him down. Sitting on the sofa, Moonstar remarks that Domino and Jesse arrived here before the rest of them, and asks Domino what her take on all of this is. Leaning against a bookcase, Domino suggests that, for once, they should step back. ‘Why do we have to always play the hall monitor for the rest of mutant kind?’ she asks. ‘That’s not what I expected to hear from you, Dom’ Moonstar declares, while Siryn suggests they spread out and canvas the grounds to see if they can learn what Bedlam and the Hellions are up to, while Proudstar reaches into his pocket, he discovers a tarot card, with “Gazebo, later” written on it, and announces that he knows where he is going to start.
Soon, ’I’m here’ James calls out as he stands under the gazebo, in the garden. Tarot approaches him in the darkness, apologizing to her former teammate, she tells him that she hoped he would not become involved in all of this. James remarks that when Jesse called and said he found his brother, he never expected to find her with him. ’I knew the arrival of Christopher’s brother would bring you and the others to Santa Lucia. My prescience has become much more acute since my…return’ Tarot explains, while James asks her why it is she is more comfortable talking about the future than the present. ’You wouldn’t have asked me here, if you weren’t concerned about Bedlam. What is he planning?’ James asks.
But Marie-Ange replies that she cannot say. ‘C’mon, Marie, you escaped death at the hands of a Sentinel, make it count for something’ James exclaims. But Tarot tells James that he is wrong, for death did claim her that day, just as it did Roulette, Jetstream and Catseye. ‘But unlike them, I am cursed to live my life again and again until I atone for the sins of my past’ Tarot reveals cryptically, adding that to die as she did was horrifif, but to return to life was even more terrible. ‘You can’t imagine what it was like’ she exclaims. ‘Maybe I can’ James replies, referring to his recent brush with death.
Marie-Ange tells James that he has changed so very much since their time at the Massachusetts Academy. ‘The anger that once defined you is gone’ points out as she touches James’ cheek, telling him that she would hate to see him hurt when he has only recently found his true spirit. James puts his hands on Tarot’s shoulders and tells her that if Bedlam is the danger, then she must have come to San Francisco to warn him about it. ‘Help me stop him’ he tells her. ‘I cannot. I owe him my life. In the end, I am fated to stand with him, and against you’ a solemn Tarot reveals.
But Proudstar exclaims that he does not believe in predestination. ‘Whatever hold Bedlam has on you, you can break!’ he exclaims. ‘If only it were that simple. I love him’ Marie-Ange reveals, gazing to the ground. ‘Then change his mind before things get out of hand’ James exclaims. ‘You cannot halt a force of nature’ Tarot replies, before exclaiming that, once again, she has said too much, and she must go, for Christopher is waiting for her. ‘Bonne chance, mon ami. You will need it’ Tarot tells her former teammate as she leaves him, while up in a tree, Feral has been watching them. ‘Hmm…Tarot and Proudstar’ she remarks, before James tells her that he knows she has been watching them. ‘My senses have always been as keen as your own. Sop what will it be? Do you want to talk or fight?’ James asks. ‘Another time, Proudstar’ Feral snarls as she disappears into the bushes.
Meanwhile, Jesse approaches a shed, where Paradigm is hovering in front of, and tells the unusual being that he needs to see his brother, now. Paradigm tells Jesse to go back to his room, as he is not authorized to be here. ‘If you’re giving me the cold shoulder ‘cause I did a number on your funky bio-mechanical insides, get over it’ Jesse snaps back, assuring Paradigm that it wasn’t personal, he was just acting defensively. ‘I had no idea you were a…whatever it is you are’. Paradigm ignores Jesse’s apology, instead he replies by saying ‘You are not one of us’. ‘What do I have to do to talk to my brother?’ Jesse asks, before Christopher tells Paradigm that it is all right, and to send Jesse in. ‘Hah!’ Jesse exclaims.
Inside the shed, Jesse tells Christopher that Paradigm is one spooky piece of work. ‘My power scrambles machinery and electronics, so that makes him an android or cyborg, right?’ Jesse asks. Christopher is busy with some sort of large capsule, removed from a truck, that stands in the center of the shed and replies that Paradigm is an unclassifiable hybrid of man and machine, in a constant state of growth and transformation. ‘I imagine one day he’ll no longer need to maintain a human shape’ Christopher adds, before Jesse tells him that he didn’t really come here to get the specs on mister machine out there, telling his brother that they need to have a serious conversation.
‘Talk to me, baby brother’ Christopher replies, not looking at Jesse. Jesse puts a hand on his older brother’s shoulder and remarks that he is definitely not making wine, asking him what he is doing, ‘And why were you so insistent that I bring X-Force here?’ Jesse asks. ‘Concerning the latter: There’s an old military adage that advises one to keep your enemies close’ Bedlam replies, before referring to Jesse’s former question, asking him if “Alamogordo” means anything to him. ‘That was a nuclear test site way back in the ‘40’s, right?’ Jesse asks.
Christopher presses some buttons on the side of the capsule, as he tells his brother that the project’s scientists were brilliant men who understood that the nuclear age would forever alter humanity at a fundamental level. ‘And it didn’t take long until they had proof’ he adds, remarking that it took a great effort to…liberate this item from a Department of Defense warehouse in Utah. A panel on the side of the capsule slides open, revealing a window into the capsule. ‘If asked the Government will say it doesn’t exist, let alone admit that it was stolen’ Christopher remarks, adding that within the container is enough power to level mountains. ‘My God!’ Jesse gasps as he looks through the window.
‘What are you going to do with it?’ Jesse asks, stepping back from the capsule. Christopher announces that he is going to demonstrate to the world that the Hellions are a force to be reckoned with. ‘What about X-Force? What if they try to stop you?’ Jesse exclaims. ‘Then I guess you’ll have a decision to make. Your friends or your family’ Christopher tells his brother. ‘Do I have to make that choice?’ Jesse wonders pensively, while Christopher smiles as he tells his brother that he wants him on his side, after all, they are the Bedlam Brothers. ‘And I promise you, nothing will ever separate us again’.
Across the vineyard at the back of the main house, X-Force has reconvened, Proudstar tells his friends that Tarot refused to give him any detail of Bedlam’s plan, but that based on her inference, he would say it is big - cataclysmic even. ‘Then all of that talk about an accord was nothing but smoke’ Meltdown remarks, while Cannonball asks about Jesse. ‘Where does he stand in all of this?’. Moonstar tells her teammates that she saw him enter the old distillery that Paradigm was guarding, while Domino tells everyone to forget about the distillery. ‘I found Bedlam’s laboratory in the…um…basement…yeah…he’s got enough explosives to blow up the Federal Buildings in every state’ she announces. Everyone looks at Domino a little oddly, and Tabitha asks her if she is okay. ‘You’ve been acting kinda strange all evening’ she points out, while Domino claims that she is fine, and suggests they get down to the basement and fast.
Siryn tells Domino that they will follow her lead, when suddenly, a voice exclaims ‘NO!’. ‘Who?’ Siryn asks as everyone looks to the doorway, where they see Switch, clutching his head, and shaky on his feet, ‘Don’t listen to her…to me…she’s one of them…’ he exclaims. ‘Stay back, everyone! That’s Switch!’ Domino exclaims, lunging at Switch, she explains to X-Force that Devon Alomar is the Hellions’ secret weapon, that he takes over his enemies’ bodies. ‘You’re lying, I’m Domino!’ Switch exclaims. Domino pushes Switch to the floor, ‘I don’t know how you got out of the wine cellar - but I’m going to make you wish you hadn’t’ she exclaims, while a weary Switch coughs as he asks for his body back. ‘Suffer, you pathetic weasel!’ Domino shouts.
‘Geez, Dom’s gonna kill that guy!’ Meltdown declares. ‘Not on my watch!’ Siryn exclaims, before directing one of her sonic screams at Domino, who cries in pain, and stumbles, ‘Witch…can’t…concentrate…can’t maintain hold…’. Just then, Domino and Switch’s bodies convulse, and after a moment, ‘Domino…is that you?’ Siryn asks. ‘It is now. Good call, Theresa’ Domino exclaims, back in her own body, before asking her to speak up, as her ears are going to be ringing for days.
In the distillery, Tarot holds up a card and announces that the wheel signifies a disruption in plans. ‘A reminder of the capricious whims of fate’ she tells Christopher, who exclaims that he is a gambler. ‘The greater the challenge. The greater the reward’ he adds, while Tarot remarks that X-Force must have discovered Switch’s ruse, and telling Christopher that he should not have brought X-Force here. Paradigm hovers in the darkness, while Feral skulks nearby, exclaiming ‘Maybe he should have kept you on a tighter leash, Frenchie’, announcing that she saw her little rendezvous with Proudstar. ‘Consorting with the enemy, babe?’ Feral asks.
‘Is this true, Marie-Ange?’ King Bedlam asks, smirking. Tarot explains that she suggested James departed, but that he refused. ‘Nothing I didn’t expect from the Apache - and you’ Christopher remarks, adding that having learned Domino was not the woman they believed, their guests are probably on their way. ‘Call the others. Let’s go to meet them’ he orders, while Jesse sits on the ground nearby, hands behind his head, slumped over, he exclaims that this is not what he wanted. Christopher smirks, ‘C’mon, Jesse, get your butt in gear - you’re not going to want to miss the upcoming fireworks!’
Outside, Siryn, Domino, Proudstar, Cannonball, Moonstar, Sunspot and Meltdown have arrived. ‘Fan out. We’re gonna surround the place’ Siryn orders, telling Domino and DanI to watch the North end, while Sam and Bobby take the East and West sides, but not to make their entrance until Tabitha blows down the South doors. Theresa adds that she and James will be inside before the smoke clears. ‘You got it, chief!’ Meltdown exclaims, before Cannonball tells Siryn that he would scratch that order if he was her, ‘The Hellions are already here!’ he announces as King Bedlam, Tarot, Feral and Paradigm exit the distillery. Siryn informs King Bedlam that they left Switch tied up in his study. ‘Ye can understand how we wouldn’t take kindly to this kind of duplicity’ she adds, telling King Bedlam that all his talk about supporting one another was all sound and fury.
But Christopher Aaronson claims that he meant what he said. ‘I really did hope our meeting wouldn’t come to this, but since it has - Allison…if you please’ King Bedlam exclaims. ‘With pleasure!’ Magma calls out from behind X-Force. ‘The ground, it’s shaking!’ Siryn exclaims. Proudstar declares that it is Magma’s doing, as she controls molten earth. ‘MOVE!’ James suddenly yells, grabbing Tabitha and Domino as a massive burst of molten lava bursts from the ground below them. Sam, Theresa and Bobby fly to safety, while Danielle manages to leap out of the way.
Cannonball blasts towards Magma, asking her how she can do this. He begins to call her Amara, but stops himself, ‘Allison. We’ve been friends since we were fifteen!’ he calls out. ‘Get this through that thick Kentucky skull of yours, Sam. The girl you knew is gone. You don’t know anything about me!’ she snaps. ‘Ah know my force field protects me from your molten blast’ Cannonball replies as he moves closer and closer to Magma. ‘If you’d come to your senses, you see that Bedlam’s - turn-table - anti-oxidant - grape vine -’ Cannonball exclaims, before falling to the ground. ‘Turns out it’s difficult to fly when you can’t even think straight, eh, Cannonball?’ King Bedlam smirks.
King Bedlam orders Paradigm to finish this. ‘As you wish, Bedlam’ Paradigm replies, before tendril-like aspects emerge from his form, wrapping around Moonstar, Proudstar, Sunspot, Siryn, Meltdown, Domino and the unconscious Cannonball. ‘What is this blasted stuff?’ Siryn calls out, while Domino screams, and Sunspot declares that it is fusing to his body. ‘It’s everywhere. I can’t move!’ Proudstar declares, while Moonstar suggests that it is some kind of techno-organic filament. ‘Ewww. This is worse than the Phalanx!’ Meltdown mutters as their forms are overtaken. ‘Jesse, help us! You stopped Paradigm once before!’ Domino calls out with her remaining energy.
A puzzled Bedlam watches the ongoing struggle, ‘I - I - I’m not sure what to do -’ he begins, before his older brother tells him that he does not have to do anything at all. ‘Remember, family comes first’ he exclaims. Jesse hangs his head in shame as he tells Domino that he is sorry. ‘you made the right choice, little brother’ Christopher smirks, as the Bedlam Brothers, Tarot, Magma and Feral stand over the motionless bodies of X-Force. ‘So much for X-Force. Encased in Paradigm’s living circuitry, they are no longer an obstacle to our plans’ King Bedlam declares.
Feral tells King Bedlam to be smart and kill X-Force now. ‘Don’t be a fool an underestimate them’ she tells him, grinning. ‘No! You can’t kill them. I won’t let you!’ Bedlam protests, but Christopher tells him to settle down, claiming that was never his intention. King Bedlam declares that X-Force are under Paradigm’s control now, and that he believes they will make excellent drones for their transport. Paradigm floats nearby, announcing that they will also make excellent subjects for his studies into the varied permutations of the X-Factor gene. ‘There is much I can learn from their chromosomal singularities’ he declares. Making their way towards the distillery, Christopher tells Jesse that he could not have times his arrival better, ‘Now you’ll be with us as we make history’ he boasts, adding that the Summerfield Canyon nuclear power facility is a two hour drive away, and they can be there by dawn.
Nervously, Jesse asks why they are going there, and as the Bedlam Brothers, Tarot, Magma and Feral enter the distillery, Christopher motions to the capsule, glowing green, where a man is being kept inside it. ‘Why, to wake the sleeping giant, of course!’ he exclaims, answering his brother’s question. ‘Behold, the Armageddon Man - one of the first Children of the Atom - a mutant so dangerous the military has kept him in suspended animation for over forty years’ Christopher reveals. King Bedlam exclaims that with the Armageddon Man’s powers, the Hellions will bring the world to its knees.
Jesse backs up against a wall, ‘Oh…no…can’t breathe…having one of my attacks…gotta take my meds…’ he exclaims as he grabs his pills from inside his jacket. ‘That’s better…but not by much…dear Lord, what have I done?’ Jesse Aaronson wonders with fear….


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

[Assistant]
Armageddon Now, part 3: Hellions Triumphant
Flashback, 1959:
In the New Mexico Desert, the entire town of Magic Mirror lies in ruin. Three men in protective clothing walk through the devastated area, corpses lying in their wake. ‘Radiation levels are normal, Colonel Danville. We’re in no danger’ one of the scientists exclaims. Colonel Danville replies that he is sure the citizens of Magic Mirror thought the same thing six hours ago, ‘Rest their souls’. ‘Welcome to the future, Colonel. The Russians may be the least of our worries’ the other scientist remarks, adding that when man split the atom, he opened a Pandora’s Box that will change the world in unimaginable ways.
The scientists and the Colonel remove their protective clothing, and the second scientist adds that is why their work at the Alamogordo Project is so important. ‘It is important we understand how something like this could happen, so we may prevent it’ he adds. Colonel Danville replies that all he needs them, Doctor Wheeler and Doctor Woolsey, to tell him is whether that thing lying before them is dead. A man, curled up in the fetal position lies before them, and the Doctor Woolsey reminds the Colonel that his men hit him with enough firepower to level a building and he is still only stunned.
‘What do I have to do to keep that thing down?’ the Colonel asks. ‘Nuke him?’. Doctor Wheeler replies that will not be necessary, as they have designed a containment unit that will keep him drugged and docile for study. The doctor readies a large needle, while the Colonel tells him that he hopes he knows what he is doing. ‘The thought of this thing getting loose is a frightening one - and even more frightening is the possibility that there are others out there like him’.
Present:
Today, inside the Summerfield Canyon nuclear power plant, in central California, which has been inoperative for over a decade, shut down after economics proved what the anti-nuclear movement had been saying all along - that nuclear power is neither safe near cheap. Now though, inside the reactor building, the young heroes known as X-Force, currently mind-controlled, follow the direction of the techno-hybrid called Paradigm, who has conscripted them against their will in the resurrection of a being of cataclysmic power - the Armageddon Man. Danielle Moonstar, Theresa “Siryn” Rourke, Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie, Bobby “Sunspot” DaCosta, Tabitha “Meltdown” Smith, James Proudstar and Domino are currently lifting the Armageddon Man, still encased in a container, into an upright position.
Elsewhere in the nuclear facility, the eighth member of X-Force, Jesse “Bedlam” Aaronson watches the current proceedings over a monitor, with guilt in his mind. ‘This is all my fault. I betrayed X-Force…it’s not fair’ he tells himself, remembering how he finally found his long lost brother, Christopher, only to have to chose between his friends and Christopher, something he should not have had to do. ‘But I did. I stood by and did nothing while the Hellions ambushed X-Force and made them their slaves’ Jesse reminds himself.
‘Why the long face, Jesse? Everything’s falling into place just as Tarot predicted!’ Christopher Aaronson a.k.a. King Bedlam declares as he and Marie-Ange Colbert a.k.a. Tarot and Allison “Magma” Crestmere enter the office. ‘Amazing what you can do with a little stolen uranium and a non-union crew, eh?’ Magma remarks, while Tarot announces that all the elements revealed to her in the cards have converged. Bedlam tells Magma that he doesn’t know how she can be so casual about this. ‘I’m a wreck. What if something goes wrong?’ he declares.
Watching as the Armageddon Man is raised from the container, King Bedlam declares that he has planned this since he learned of the Armageddon Man’s existence three years ago from a disgruntled army intelligence officer. ‘With that magnificent creature under my control, the Hellions will be a power that no one can ignore!’ King Bedlam boasts, as his brother remarks ‘But, like you told me, the Man’s been on ice for forty years. When he comes to, his agenda may be a little different than yours. What makes you so absolutely certain he’ll go along with you?’ .
Christopher tells his younger brother to have faith in him, ‘I can be very persuasive when necessary’. Magma shakes a finger at Christopher, telling him that he better be, as he promised her a fortune for her participation. ‘And you don’t want disappoint me’ she warns him. Christopher frowns as he tells Magma not to worry, as when this is over, they will all be very wealthy. ‘This is about money? I thought this was supposed to be a strike for mutant autonomy’ Jesse remarks, while Tarot explains that each of them has a different reason for being here, some more complex than others.
King Bedlam declares that his reason is simple. ‘I want everything. Money. Power. Control’. He boasts that with the Armageddon Man, he has the means to make every one of his dreams a reality. ‘Believe me, the Government will gladly pay to prevent the West Coast from being destroyed by every natural disaster imaginable’ he exclaims. ‘And what if the Government doesn’t like being squeezed and calls out the heavy artillery instead?’ Jesse asks. ‘You think SHIELD dismantled all the Sentinels after Zero Tolerance? No way. They’re just waiting for an excuse to bring them out again!’ he declares.
Christopher tells his little brother to have faith. ‘The Government will see things out way’ he exclaims confidently, revealing that he has sent Feral and Switch out to insure that their demands will be taken very seriously. ‘Now on to more immediate matters. We’re here because waking the Armageddon Man from his forty year slumber requires a great deal of energy/ It’s time we fired up the furnace!’
Meanwhile, in Reno, Nevada, the home of retired Colonel, and current Senator Owen Danville. The aged Senator tells his associate, Fenwick, that he is getting tired of Washington. ‘It’s not like it was in the old days’ he remarks, adding that it used to be a man’s personal life was nobody’s business but his own, when suddenly, his dog begins to bark. ‘What’s the matter, Tasha? Something outside got you all riled up?’ he asks as he sits at his desk. The Senator asks Fenwick to go see what is bothering his dog. ‘It’s probably nothing - just some raccoon going through the trash’ he suggests. ‘I’ll take care of it, Senator’ the bulky Fenwick replies, while the Senator tells his dog to settle down, as her hunting days are long since over.
Suddenly, outside, Fenwick screams. ‘What’s going on out there, Fenwick?’ the Senator calls out, before collecting two guns from his desk draw, he shouts ‘All right, I’m coming out. And I’m armed!’ he announces, while whispering to himself: ‘Blast this arthritis. I’m shaking like an old maid’. But arriving outside, the Senator finds Fenwick lying in a pool of blood. ‘Oh, dear Lord, Fenwick, what could have done -’ he begins, when suddenly, Maria Callasantos, better known as Feral, leaps from a tree, growling at Senator Danville, who stumbles backwards.
‘Scared, old man? Good!’ Feral snarls. ‘You don’t know how much I’d like to hurt you’ she tells him, while Devon “Switch” Alomar tells Feral that there will be none of that, as they need the Senator intact. ‘He’s going to be our guest, remember’ Switch adds, telling the Senator that he hopes he doesn’t mind, but all his appointments have been cancelled. ‘Who are you people?’ the Senator demands. Switch makes the introductions, explaining that they are mutants. ‘And you know all about mutants, don’t you?’ he remarks. ‘You were part of the subcommittee that authorized Zero Tolerance’s witch-hunt a year ago’ Devon smirks.
‘What do you want from me?’ the Senator asks, eyes-wide. ‘Your life’ Devon tells him. ‘Then you intend to kill me?’ the Senator asks. ‘And spare you the massive coronary a man in your shape is due’ Devon adds as he grabs the Senator and announces that he was thinking that it might be nice to be him for a while. ‘So why don’t you be me for a while, and I’ll be you’ Devon exclaims as he uses his mutant ability to switch their minds into each others body.
Back at the nuclear facility, the mesmerized members of X-Force stand around Paradigm as he informs Christopher that the Armageddon Man is in place. ‘Excellent!’ Christopher responds from the observatory. He remarks that as soon as Feral and Switch return with the Senator they will initiate the final stage, before asking if there have been any difficulties with X-Force. Paradigm replies that there hasn’t, and explains that his techno-organic tendrils give him complete control of their autonomic and higher neural functions. He adds that they remain oblivious to their surroundings and their actions. ‘And so, I am free to study their unique makeup without resistance’ he adds, declaring that to survive, one must constantly evolve, and perhaps, in these seven, he may find a trait worth incorporating into the next Paradigm.
The techno-organic being begins his analysis of each member of X-Force, beginning with Domino, he learns that her nervous system is remarkably efficient, her reaction and reflex time faster than the average human. His next subject is Sunspot, whom Paradigm discovers is able to metabolize solar energy and transform it into heat and flame, while James Proudstar, in addition to exceptional strength, possesses acute sensory efficiency few humans can claim. Paradigm discovers that a mutation in Siryn’s vocal cords, larynx and throat enables her to modulate her voice into an ultrasonic weapon, while Cannonball generates explosive propulsive energy which he uses to fly, and Meltdown generates plasmic energy spheres which she can detonate at will.
Finally, Paradigm analyses Dani Moonstar, and decides that more interesting than her limited psionic ability are the traces of quantum energy he reads from her body. ‘She bears further study’ Paradigm decides, unaware that Moonstar is seeing into his own mind….
(Flashback illustrations, narrated by Moonstar from inside Paradigm’s mind)
‘I’m conscious’ Danielle realizes, understanding that somehow, as Paradigm has taken over her body, her own mind has tapped into the emotional core of his psyche. Dani finds herself experiencing the reality of Paradigm’s past as if it were her own - his childhood is spent in a laboratory in Hong Kong, his every move is watched and recorded. His only friends are the electronic toys that he can manipulate with his mind. The doctors call his ability technokinesis. Laid out on a table, with doctors wearing protective suits, Paradigm hates the constant tests that he is forced to endure - each more powerful than the next.
At thirteen, the doctors injected Paradigm with a sample of techno-organic material they till him was taken from an alien. The living metal is introduced in his body like a virus, attempting to recreate him in the image of the alien species. His techno-kinetic powers allow him to resist - but the struggle is unbearably painful, and eventually, he wins - but he is no longer human. Weak flesh has been replaced by otherworldly bone and sinew. Neither man nor machine, but something in between. His captors can no longer contain him, so he leaves in search of new biological and technological systems to integrate into his being. Only if he continues to grow will he be able to survive in a world that sees him as an abomination.
Upstairs in the control room, ‘Get your sorry mutant butts off those chairs and stand to attention, you sorry excuse for a carnival sideshow!’ the Switch-possessed Senator exclaims as he enters the room. ‘I’m a United States Senator and if I don’t get some respect around here, I’m gonna call and have the IRS audit every last one of you into extinction!’. Jesse looks confused, while Christopher smiles, ‘Ah, the Senator has arrived. Good’ he remarks, while inside Switch’s body, the Senator remarks that this must be some terrible dream. King Bedlam tells Switch that he thinks the Senator will feel slightly less disorientated if he is back in his own body. ‘Believe me, I’ll be happy to vacate this one. I was out of breath halfway up the stairs’ Switch replies, adding that you think the Senator could afford a personal trainer, or at least to go on a diet. ‘Time to be a fat, wrinkled old curmudgeon again’ Devon exclaims as he switches their minds back into the rightful bodies.
‘What did you do to me?’ Senator Danville asks, lying on the floor, back in his own body. ’You should thank me, Senator. Your time in my body was probably the closest thing you’ll ever get to regaining your lost youth!’ Devon snaps, ’Of course, you were in too much of a state of shock to enjoy it’ he adds, while Jesse remarks that he is seen Senator Owen Danville on television before. ’Great, I’m an accessory to the kidnapping of a US Senator’ he mumbles, while Christopher introduces himself as King Bedlam, and bids welcome to the Senator, explaining that they are inside the Summerfield Canyon nuclear power facility.
 King Bedlam tells the Senator that they have brought him here to witness the resurrection of an old friend of his, before telling him to turn his attention to the monitor, which shows X-Force as they go about their business with the Armageddon Man. King Bedlam tells the Senator that he must recognize the Armageddon Man, reminding him that before his political career he was an army officer assigned to the top secret Alamogordo Project, and that it was he who ordered the strike that brought this powerhouse to his knees. ‘Of course he was only a boy then, one of the first true Children of the Atomic Age’.
King Bedlam continues, remarking that the Armageddon Man was the first generation of children whose DNA had been irrevocably altered by his parents’ exposure to radioactive elements. Christopher tells the Senator that he has read the reports and that the Armageddon Man did not mean to destroy that town in New Mexico, he simply could not control his cataclysmic power. Bedlam continues, revealing that after the Alamogordo Project was shut down following the deaths of Kurt Marko and Brian Xavier, the Armageddon Man’s inert body was secreted in a Utah missile silo, that is until he learned of his location from an ex-CIA operative.
‘Forty years is a long time, Senator. The Armageddon Man is no longer alone. Don’t you think it’s time we wake him?’ With that, the Armageddon Man is lowered into a vat. ‘You’re out of your eve loving mind, Bedlam. That thing destroyed an entire town!’ the Senator exclaims, eyes-wide. ‘Two hundred and twelve innocent men, women and children died in an earthquake he caused!’ the Senator shouts. A smug King Bedlam asks ‘And how many lives have you taken, Senator? As an officer, you sent men into combat in Korea and Vietnam. And as a politician you cut programs that provided food and medical care to the poor and indigent’ Christopher exclaims. ‘You’ve blood on your hands, and yet, you’ve prospered. You’re in no position to argue morality with me!’ he declares.
Senator Danville spins around, exclaiming that this is not about him. ‘If we hadn’t stopped that thing, he would have destroyed the entire southwest!’ he shouts, telling Bedlam that if he read Marko and Xavier’s reports then he would know his power increases geometrically. ‘That’s why you’re here, Senator. You know exactly what’s at stake if the Armageddon Man is unleashed’ Christopher tells him. ‘Why are you doing this?’ the Senator asks. ‘To make a point. We mutants won’t be treated like second class citizens any more’ King Bedlam declares, before ordering Paradigm to begin. ‘Affirmative’ the techno-organic replies.
King Bedlam tells the Senator that all of this trouble can be avoided if he can convince his friends in Washington to meet his demands. ‘That’s blackmail!’ the Senator retorts. ‘Semantics’ Christopher tells him. ‘you’re playing games with all our lives, Bedlam’ the Senator snaps, before asking for the phone.
Meanwhile, Jesse has left the others, and leans against a wall in a hall nearby. He tells himself that his brother has got to be crazy to think he can pull this off, and knows that even if the Government pays him off, they are going to go after him, and the rest of them, for the remainder of their lives. Bedlam’s heart begins to race, his chest feels like it is going to explode. He tells himself that he cannot have another attack now and has to keep his head clear. He puts four pills into his mouth, telling himself that he has to figure out how he can get out of this mess, when suddenly, ‘Do you know about the fool, Jesse Bedlam?’ Tarot asks as she places the jester tarot card in front of Bedlam.
Marie-Ange tells Jesse that in the tarot, the fool represents lack of thought and reckless action that leads to destruction. ‘Are you saying that I’m the fool for going along with my brother?’ Jesse asks. ‘No, we both are. And we’ll both pay a great price of we continue this mad scheme’ Tarot replies, while Jesse puts his pills back in his pocket, he asks Tarot what she is doing with his brother. Marie-Ange reveals that years ago Christopher swore he would return to her when she needed him the most, and after her death at the hands of a Sentinel, his brother found her and nursed her back to health. ‘I can refuse him nothing’ she declares.
Jesse remarks that one does not have to be a fortune teller to know their future looks pretty grim right now. Tarot tells Jesse that he does not always have to play the fool, that he can stop Christopher and shut the power plan down with his powers. But Bedlam replies that no matter how wrong his brother is, he cannot take sides against his own flesh and blood. ‘I’m gonna get out of here. Come with me. Don’t be the last rat on a sinking ship’ he tells Tarot. ‘No. Escape is not in the cards for me’ Marie-Ange reveals.
On another level, Switch, Feral and Magma take watch over the Senator, who tells them that they cannot let Bedlam wake the Armageddon Man. ‘He’s not a mutant like you, he’s a mindless force of nature’. The Senator exclaims that the Armageddon Man is a lightning rod that attracts natural disasters - earthquakes, tornadoes, blizzards and tidal waves. ‘Hundreds of thousands will die!’ he shouts. ‘So what? No one said that life is fair. The strong survive. The weak die. Besides, humanity’s overrated. Maybe it’s time we thinned the herd’ Feral snarls. ‘You can’t be serious!’ the Senator tells her.
Allison smirks as she tells the Senator that whatever happens is in his hands. ‘Convince your mates in Washington to give us what we want. You and I both know a billion dollars is hardly a drop in the defense budget’ she tells him, while Devon suggests he think of it as insurance money. ‘You’re nothing but a heartless band of thugs!’ the Senator exclaims. ‘Thugs who can destroy you in any number of ways, Senator…imagine what I could do if I took over your body for a second time, Senator. I could commit a murder in front of the Washington Press Corps - and you’d be the one executed for the crime!’ Switch exclaims as he looms over the Senator. Maria declares that she would pay to see that, while the Senator tells the three of them that they are insane.
Outside, Jesse is trying to start a car. ‘Hotwiring a car always looks so easy on TV’ he tells himself, when suddenly, Christopher reaches into the car, asking his brother where he thinks he is going. ‘Chris, I was…umm..’ Jesse begins, but an angry Chris exclaims ‘Don’t tell me you’re leaving, little brother. I might take that personally’. Jesse replies that he spent thirteen years looking for his brother, thinking how great it was going to be when they were finally reunited. ‘I imagine we’d hang out, shoot some hoops, catch a movie…you know, the kind of things normal brothers do - but I’m sorry, this whole Armageddon Man resurrection is way outta my league’.
Christopher slams his brother against the car and tells him that he is a fool. ‘I give you the chance to be richer than you ever dreamed, and you want to walk away. Do you want to end up like your so-called “friends” in X-Force?’ he asks. ‘Is that a threat?’ Jesse replies, telling his brother to go ahead and take his best shot. ‘I wish I’d never found you!’ he exclaims, but Christopher lets his brother go, ‘No…I’m sorry…I was out of line…you can do what you want…maybe it was too much to hope that nothing would ever come between the Bedlam Brothers again’ he declares, before walking away. ‘Chris…wait up…’ Jesse calls out.
Inside the reactor building, Tarot stands before the room where Paradigm is working with the mind-controlled X-Force. Marie-Ange wishes that Jesse was willing to stand up against his brother so she would not have to do this. ‘I pray my next life is easier’ she tells herself, before approaching Paradigm. The techno-organic tells Tarot that she should not be here without protective attire, as exposure to this level of radiation could prove hazardous to her health. ‘Oui, je sais, but I cannot let you rouse this poor creature from his long slumber’ Tarot replies. Paradigm tells Tarot that whatever her objections are, she is too late to stop the revival. ‘You’re wrong. There is still a chance…’ Tarot remarks as she touches Paradigm in the shoulder.
Paradigm remarks that her actions confuse him. ‘Must I restrain you?’ he asks her, to which Marie-Ange replies ‘Yes’ and remarks that connection is what she requires to make him see the world as she does - through the icons of the tarot arcana, the ancient symbols by which the future can be divined, symbols that, with great effort, she can bring to life inside him. ‘What have you don to me? There is no logic to this world-view…only chaos!’ Paradigm exclaims as techno-organic versions of Death, the Jester and other tarot card representations emerge from his body. Paradigm declares that he must purge himself of all foreign elements infecting his neural network, and suddenly, Moonstar finds her head clear, so she figures something must be demanding Paradigm’s full attention. Dani tells herself hat she must take advantage of this window of opportunity before Paradigm reasserts control.
Dani reminds herself that her psionic powers are unreliable these days, but thankfully she has other energy at her command. Paradigm sees that Moonstar has broken his cybernetic link to her nervous system. ‘This should not be possible’ Paradigm states, ‘Guess there’s a first time for everything’ Dani tells him, while Paradigm declares that the quantum energy building in Moonstar’s body is disrupting his hold over her teammates. ‘Your actions prevent me from maintaining adequate radiation shielding for your companions. Surrender at once’ he announces.
‘No thanks. You got the drop on us once - you don’t get a second chance!’ Moonstar shouts as she engulfs Paradigm in a band of quantum energy. A confused Meltdown asks Moonstar what is going on, while Moonstar demands that Paradigm release her friends. Paradigm states that his body is under assault at a molecular level, so multi-tasking is no longer possible. His form begins to shift as he states that a retreat is imperative, and he reconfigures his external and internal biology. ‘Self-preservation is imperative’ he exclaims, before his form has shifted into the shape of an egg, while X-Force are free from his binds.
‘We’re free…James, are you all right?’ Siryn exclaims. James replies that he is a little dazed, before asking what happened to them, as the last thing he remembers is squaring off with the Hellions. ‘Ah’d say they won that round’ Sam remarks, before announcing that judging by their surroundings he would say they are in a nuclear reactor, and suggests they get out as fast as they can.
Up in the control room, ‘No! X-Force has escaped!’ King Bedlam shouts as he sees their departure. He exclaims that Paradigm has gone fetal and asks how this could have happened. Tarot steps forward and tells her lover to blame her, as she introduced Paradigm’s computer-like mind to the abstract imagery of the tarot arcana, and he was unable to process it. Marie-Ange declares that she could no longer stand by and let this madness continue. ‘Thank Heaven!’ the Senator exclaims, but Switch tells him to shut up.
King Bedlam spins around and grabs Tarot, asking her how she could betray him after all he has done for her. Tarot replies that she wishes she did not betray him, but that she sees the future and the Armageddon Man’s revival will not bring them wealth, only misfortune. ‘I don’t want the blood of innocents on my hand’ she declares. ‘You stupid w -’ Christopher exclaims as he raises a fist towards Marie-Ange, only for Jesse to arrive, and grabbing his brother, tells him no. ‘Can’t you see how weak she looks - she must have spent too much time in the reactor room’ Jesse exclaims, but Christopher spins around and smacks his brother in the face, telling him never to get in his way again.
Jesse rubs his bleeding mouth and tells his brother that he almost believed him when he said that he wanted to be the Bedlam Brothers together. ‘But you were just playing me, like you’re playing all your little Hellions. You don’t care about anyone but yourself!’ Jesse exclaims. Christopher tells his brother that he has worked too hard for this moment to let anyone stand in his way. ‘Even my own flesh and blood!’ he exclaims, before there is a mighty explosion, ‘What the -’ Christopher begins, while Jesse remarks that it looks like things aren’t working out like he planned, as X-Force enter the room.
‘It’s heart-warming to see such brotherly love’ Cannonball remarks, while Siryn tells the Hellions that they are shutting them down. Meltdown readies another plasma time bomb as she remarks that it is too bad Jesse is with them, as she was beginning to like him. ‘Told you we should’ve killed them when we had the chance!’ Feral snarls, while King Bedlam tells X-Force that they cannot stop him, as he will reduce them all to mindless idiots who will spend the rest of their lives being spoon-fed in a mental ward. Tarot tells Jesse that he has the power to shut the plant down and that he must do it now. But Bedlam tells Tarot to forget it, as there is no way he is getting in the middle of this. ‘I’ve done enough damage. I’m outta here - and this time I mean it!’ he exclaims.
Suddenly though, there is a loud rumble. ‘What was that?’ Cannonball wonders as he takes to the air. ‘Earthquake?’ James asks. ‘No, look at the monitor’ Tarot tells everyone, announcing that the coolant tower casing is collapsing. ‘Oh my God, it’s begun…Heaven help us all!’ Senator Danville exclaims, while King Bedlam tells X-Force that they are too late. ‘The sleeper has awakened! The Armageddon Man lives!’ he booms as the Armageddon Man breaks free of his restraints….


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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Armageddon Now, part 4: Rude Awakening
Summerfield Canyon, California, rain pours down as tonight, a young man by the name of Jesse “Bedlam” Aaronson attempts to desperately escape the ever-growing storm - and a profound sense of guilt for leaving his friends to weather the worst of that storm without him. ‘Whoo-ee! Don’t take this personal, bud, but you look like a drowned rat!’ remarks the elderly man behind the gas station counter as Jesse enters. ‘Whatever’ Bedlam replies, before asking if he can get ten bucks of gas on number one. The old man remarks that it is some night, and adds that the news says the weather has gone crazy up and down the coast, with flash floods, tornadoes and more.
The old man remarks that everybody blames El Nino, but if you ask him, it Is the Government testing the secret weather control satellite network. ‘I’m telling ya, pal, if the American people knew half of the things they shot into space they’d -’ the old man begins, before there is a massive rumbling, ‘WHOA!’ Jesse exclaims, while the old man falls off his chair and shouts ‘Duck and cover! Duck and cover!’ while various items fall of the shelves of the gas station. ‘Whew! Nothing like a little earthquake to wake up, huh?’ the old man remarks, adding that it felt like a five pointer and that he bets they are not too far from the epicenter. ‘Closer than you know’ Jesse frowns.
At that moment, in the reactor tower of the Summerfield Canyon nuclear power facility, the Armageddon Man screams in rage and the earth trembles. Years ago, after he destroyed a small New Mexico town, the United States army imprisoned him in metabolic suspension chamber, where for four decades he remained barely alive, completely unaware of the rapidly changing world outside. Newly awakened, as the turbulent energy once again builds in his body. He knows that he holds the power to destroy the world that was so long denied him. His shackles have broken and energy crackles around him.
Hundreds of yards away, in another part of the power plant, the members of X-Force - Domino, Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie, James Proudstar, Bobby “Sunspot” DaCosta, Theresa “Siryn” Rourke, Tabitha “Meltdown” Smith and Danielle Moonstar face the group responsible for the volatile creature’s revival - the mutants calling themselves the New Hellions - Christopher “King Bedlam” Aaronson, Marie-Ange “Tarot” Colbert, Maria “Feral” Callasantos, Devon “Switch” Alomar” and Allison “Magma” Crestmere, while Senator Owen Danville, a prisoner of the Hellions, stands nearby, and their other member, Paradigm, absent.
King Bedlam exclaims that in 1959, the Armageddon Man was labelled a monster because their narrow minds couldn’t see him for what he truly was - one of the first generation of post-atomic Homo Sapiens Superior, a mutant, like each of them. ‘Senator Danville excepted, of course’ Bedlam adds, before announcing that the storm outside and the tremor they just experienced are only the first of the disasters to come, and that unless his demands are met, the Armageddon Man will destroy the entire West Coast.
The Senator puts a hand on Bedlam’s shoulder, ‘Hang on, Bedlam, you assured me none of this would happen if I relayed your demands to Washington’ he exclaims, asking Bedlam why he could not wait for the White House to reply. Aaronson explains that without a demonstration, the Government would be deploying commandos to storm the power plant as they speak, so this way, they understand that his threats are extremely real. ‘B-but you can’t control that thing. It’s not like you or me. It’s an unthinking engine of absolute destruct-’ the Senator begins, before King Bedlam knocks him backwards, telling him to be quiet or else he will scramble his brain until he is a gibbering idiot.
King Bedlam calls out to Tarot, ‘If you please’ he remarks. ‘Voila, Christopher’ Marie-Ange replies as she opens a small case and presents it to her lover. Bedlam smirks as he places the device from the case on his head, announcing that it is a psionic amplifier, developed by England’s ultra-secret Black Air to enhance telepathic transmissions. Telling everyone to observe the monitor, King Bedlam announces that even though he cannot control the Armageddon Man’s movements, he can telepathically paralyze him with confusion, leaving him frozen like a deer in a car’s headlights.
Turning to the Senator, King Bedlam smirks as he remarks that he is sure the President is up, and suggests they call him to arrange for funds to be transferred into his off-shore accounts. ‘And let me remind you that this isn’t a negotiation. The United Nations gave Magneto a country’ he adds, pointing out that his own demands are a bargain in comparison.
Domino quietly asks Siryn, leader of X-Force, what the call is. Theresa replies that so long as Bedlam controls the Armageddon Man, he has to be their first target. Proudstar points out that they will have to move fast before Bedlam can turn his mental powers on them. ‘Then you need a distraction’ Cannonball declares, telling Siryn to hit Bedlam, before he blasts away, announcing that the Armageddon Man belongs to him. ‘Blast it, Sam, no…I didn’t give the order!’ Siryn calls out. ‘You know how guys are Theresa. Even the nicest ones get macho and stupid now and then’ Meltdown points out.
Switch tells King Bedlam to do something, as Cannonball could ruin everything for them. King Bedlam smirks as he tells Devon that there is a reason the army kept the Armageddon Man on ice for forty years. ‘Try as they might, they couldn’t kill him. He’s nearly invulnerable. Cannonball’s about to meet the proverbial immovable object!’ Bedlam gloats.
Mere seconds later, in the reactor building, Cannonball blasts towards the Armageddon Man and realizes that the Armageddon Man does not seem to be aware he is here. ‘Cant say Ah like sucker punching an opponent, but Ah don’t have much choice now’ Cannonball declares, but as he moves closer to the Armageddon Man, the behemoth’s arm rises, and an energy backlash causes Sam to scream in agony as he galls to the ground. Sam tells himself that his force field is supposed to protect him, before realizing that he thinks he has cracked a rib. ‘Probably deserved that for rushing in without thinking. Didn’t think he could move so fast. Guess he showed me’ Sam remarks.
Back in the control room, the others watched Sam’s encounter with the Armageddon Man on the monitors. ‘Hah! Looks like Mr Holier Than Thou got knocked off his high horse - I can’t imagine it happening to a more deserving guy!’ Feral snarls, while Meltdown asks her former teammate what made her so cold-hearted. ‘You don’t know anything about suffering, Blondie!’ the feline mutant retorts, revealing that during her stay in the Vault she learned that she has the Legacy Virus. Maria tells Tabitha not to look sad, as the last thing she wants is her sympathy. ‘So I figure, if I gotta die for no reason, I’m gonna make sure a lot of people feel my pain before I go!’
‘You might as well go home, X-boys and girls. You’ve been out-matched from the start!’ King Bedlam exclaims. And as he gloats, the members of X-Force surreptitiously watch Siryn’s right hand, with which their superhumanly vocal leader silent signals them to get ready - and strike. ‘Bedlam’s mind, people!’ Siryn announces as every moves into action, and Siryn flies towards King Bedlam, screaming, causing Aaronson to clutch his head, ‘Ahh! That sound…’ he exclaims, when suddenly, everyone looks on in horror as Feral lunges at Siryn, ‘Someone’s needed to shut you up for a long time, Irish, and I volunteer!’ Maria snarls as she slices her deadly claws across Siryn’s throat.
‘Theresa!’ Proudstar calls out to his best friend, a desperate Siryn puts her hands around her neck, ‘…throat…’ is all she can whisper. After the massacre in which his family along with everyone else on the Camp Verde Reservation were murdered, James let anger and hatred rule his life. Only recently had he finally made peace with his tragic loss, and put to rest the need for vengeance that once drove him. ‘YOU PSYCHOPATH!’ James shouts as he grabs Feral and throws her hard across the room. For seeing his best friend in the world viciously wounded by their former teammate, the anger has returned.
Sunspot goes over to Siryn and announces that she is bleeding badly. With Siryn down and Cannonball absent, Moonstar, who co-lead the New Mutants, takes command, pointing out that as Sunspot is the only one who can fly he is to get Siryn to a hospital, now. Sunspot picks Siryn up, as Moonstar exclaims ‘As for the rest of you…Domino, take Switch…Meltdown take Feral -’, Proudstar interrupts, angrily declaring that he wants Feral, but Moonstar tells him that she needs him to get Tarot and Bedlam out of the play, while she deals with Magma.
‘Running away, Maria? I thought you were the one who wanted to play rough?’ Meltdown calls out as she throws time-bombs at the aggressive mutant, who just hisses as she dodges the attack. ‘Sorry, Switch. You won’t get the opportunity to claim another body again’ Domino announces as she smacks Switch in the head. Magma causes a massive burst of lava to rise from the floor as she remarks that Dani has stepped in and taken charge of her new team. ‘But if you think I’m as easily beaten as Feral and Switch, you’re oh so mistaken’ Allison declares, reminding her former teammate that she commands the molten earth. ‘So unless you can stand the heat, back off!’
Senator Danville runs for cover while exclaiming ‘You’re all crazy!’, just as Cannonball blasts into the control room, apologizing for taking so long to get back, as he was still shaking off the Armageddon Man’s backhand. Sam collects a surprised Allison and lifts her into the air, ‘Put me down or I’ll -’ she begins, ‘Or you’ll what? Charbroil me? Don’t think so. Remember my force field makes me immune to your heat’ Sam tells his former teammate. ‘No, you and I are going to have a little talk, Amara, or Allison, or whatever you want to be called these days’ Sam tells her, adding that, as a friend, he has to tell her that she has gone way over the edge.
‘Why? Because I’ve chosen not to play the hero like you and the rest of your friends?’ Allison asks. ‘Don’t you understand? Xavier’s dream is as much a fantasy as Amara Aquilla, princess of the last Roman colony. The world gives mutants nothing but pain and grief. What’s wrong with using our power to take what we want?’ she asks.
Back down on the ground, Proudstar approaches his former teammate Tarot, now dressed in a purple cloak and wielding a scythe, while King Bedlam stands behind her. James asks Tarot why she continues to protect Christopher, ‘My God, what’s happening to you?’ he asks. Marie-Ange replies that her power has changed since her rebirth, explaining that she not only projects the imagery of the tarot arcana, but now she can assume their mantle. ‘I wield Death’s scythe. Do not make me use it’ she exclaims. Proudstar tells Marie-Ange that Bedlam does not deserve this kind of loyalty, which causes Tarot to lash out at him, though he dodges her attack, while Tarot exclaims that she owes Christopher her life.
‘Thank you, my love, but my head has cleared from Siryn’s assault’ Christopher exclaims, telling Tarot that he no longer needs her protection to take care of Proudstar and his companions. He declares that it is not without a reason that he is called King Bedlam, for he sows confusion and discord to the minds of his enemies. He suggests that he makes their confusion permanent. ‘Imagine spending the rest of your lives drooling in some mental intit -’ he begins, while X-Force begin to clutch their heads and ramble: ‘Expectorant’ Moonstar exclaims. ‘Turnstile’ says Domino, while Meltdown declares ‘Waterspout’ and Proudstar exclaims ‘Vacuum pump’.
However, King Bedlam was interrupted during his sentence, he screams and the device on his head short circuits, as Jesse arrives on scene. ‘No more, Chris!’ he exclaims, remarking that it is funny how similar their powers are. ‘You mess with people’s minds. I mess with their electronic toys. Guess that’s why we’re the Bedlam Brothers’. Jesse tells his brother that he is sorry it turned out like this, as it was great to finally find him after all these years apart. But Jesse declares that he cannot let family ties blind him anymore. ‘You’re one crazy mutant, and you have to be stopped!’ he exclaims. A furious Christopher tells his younger brother that he is a fool and a moron, for without the amplifier, he has no way of controlling the Armageddon Man. ‘You’ve doomed the entire West Coast!’ he exclaims.
As the energy inside the Armageddon Man builds exponentially, he becomes a transmission power of environmental disaster - his own inner agony mirrored and magnified in an ever expanding radius of catastrophe. In San Francisco, fifty foot waves rock the scenic city’s most famous landmark. In the Pacific Northwest, lightning storms have ignited old growth forests in a firestorm of destruction. In Southern California, tornadoes rip though downtown Los Angeles, while in Palm Springs, hotels are levelled by massive earthquakes. And this is only the beginning. As long as the Armageddon Man lives, the disasters will only escalate in intensity. He can do nothing to stop the destruction he causes. That is his curse. And now, he has burst free of the nuclear reactor and into open space while the storm continues to rage around him.
‘Yeow! This whole place is falling apart!’ Jesse exclaims as small fires begin to ripple through the complex. ‘This is your fault, Jesse. I should have let you die with our parents!’ Christopher exclaims. ‘What are you saying?’ Jesse asks. Christopher frowns as he exclaims that Jesse doesn’t remember much about the day their parents died. ‘Dad was threatening to send me away to military school, but I wasn’t going to let him’ Christopher reveals, adding that his father did not know about his power, so he made him lose control of the wheel. ‘I drove him insane - just like I’m going to do to you now!’. But Christopher touches his head and exclaims that it is not working, that the feedback from the psi-amp must have affected his power.
‘You killed our parents? You’re more of a monster than that creature outside!’ Jesse exclaims as he shoves Christopher up against a wall. ‘You don’t know how much I want to hurt you, but I need your help more’ Jesse exclaims, reminding Christopher that he said he read all the military reports on the Armageddon Man before he retrieved him. ‘I’m betting you know how to take him down’ Jesse exclaims. Christopher asks his brother what makes him think he will help him, pointing out that he has ruined years of planning and preparation, and cost him a fortune as well. ‘Suffer, little brother. Suffer!’ King Bedlam declares.
Moonstar approaches Senator Danville, who tells her to get away from him. ‘Haven’t you people done enough damage today?’ he asks. ‘Despite what you may believe, not every mutant is a terrorist, Senator’ Dani tells him as the Senator makes his way through the fire. Dani informs him that she needs to know everything he does about the Armageddon Man. ‘How did you stop his first rampage?’ she asks. The Senator replies that it was an air strike, but that the Armageddon Man was nowhere near as dangerous then as he is now. He adds that their researches concluded that his capacity for mass destruction is limitless.
Tarot approaches Moonstar and the Senator, revealing that she read the army’s files on the Armageddon Man, and explains that the creature draws its power from the Earth itself, tapping into lines of power science does not yet understand. ’As long as he is grounded, he cannot be defeated’ Tarot remarks. Suddenly, King Bedlam finds Tarot, ’Marie-Ange, after all I’ve done for you - given you a new life - given you my heart - you once again betray me to my enemies!’ he snaps.  ‘I owe you my life, not theirs!’ Tarot exclaims, telling King Bedlam that his greed has endangered the lives of millions. ‘I do not want their deaths on my conscience!’ she announces.
‘If you want to die a martyr with the rest of them, go ahead!’ King Bedlam tells Tarot, before calling the remaining Hellions to his side. ‘Right behind you, boss’ Switch exclaims. ‘Vamanos!’ Feral declares, before the three of them begin their exit, when suddenly, Tarot calls out to Christopher. ‘You know I cannot live with you’ as she walks towards him. ‘Get back here, Maria! I’m not through with you!’ Meltdown calls out after her. ‘No matter how screwed up your life is, it doesn’t excuse what you did to Theresa!’ she exclaims. ‘I’ll be sure to send her a card’ Feral snarls as she bounds away, while Jesse exclaims that they have to get out of here before the entire place comes down. ‘We have your brother to thank for that, Jesse’ Proudstar remarks as he holds up a falling beam.
Meltdown readies a plasma time-bomb and exclaims that they can save the blame for later, as right now they have to get their butts in gear: ‘We can’t let the Hellions get away!’ she exclaims. Domino stands at a monitor, which states that the reactor core has been breached, and tells Tabitha to forget about the Hellions, as they have a more immediate problem. The four heroes turn to Moonstar as Domino informs her that there is radioactive gas leaking from the coolant tower that the Armageddon Man bulldozed on his way outside. Moonstar announces that their first priority is sealing off that building before this place makes Chernobyl look like a kitchen spill.
Moonstar orders Jesse to shut down the reactor power grid, but to be careful, as they last thing they want is to cause a meltdown, before telling Proudstar, Meltdown and Domino to use whatever materials they can find and close the coolant tower. Meltdown asks Dani what she is going to do, to which Dani explains she is going to find Cannonball and see what they can do to tranquilize the Armageddon Man. Suddenly, Cannonball and Magma appear behind Dani, ‘Don’t bother, Dani. Ah’m right here - and Ah’ve brought help’ Sam exclaims. ‘If you’ll have me’ Magma frowns.
Magma exclaims that be commingling the damaged concrete exterior with the molten earth, she can create a barrier which will hold it once it cools. ‘I knew you’d come through. You’re no killer’ Sam tells his former teammate, who replies that nor is she a hero, for if they survive this, she has no intention of rejoining their holy crusade. ’I intend to use my powers for my own personal gain - and I will do so without apology’ she declares. ’Sure, y’say that now, but Ah have faith the good person I knew is still inside you’ Sam tells Allison, who frowns at him and tells him that he is insufferable.
Outside, as the Armageddon Man continues to grow in stature, his hold on his own humanity weakens. The rain pours down as he walks through a large set of power lines, while memories of his life he led before his transformation fade, becoming distant echoes in the turbulent landscape of his mind: Davy Crockett. Mickey Mantle. That’ll Be The Day. Gene Autry. Leave it to Beaver. Yo-Yos. Mom. J Fred Muggs. Eisenhower. Sputnik. Irish McCalla. Gunsmoke. Sick Sick Sick. Father Knows Best.
X-Force arrive outside, the rain beats down on them as Dani exclaims that the Armageddon Man is in pain, that his destructive rampage is tearing him apart. Meltdown asks Dani how she knows this, remarking that she thought her psionic powers had gone. Dani, eyes glazed over, replies that since her encounter with Arcadia, she has seen the world in a broader spectrum of light and energy.  ‘Man, when that girl spaces out, she goes full tilt’ Bedlam remarks, while Dani exclaims that the energy building inside the Armageddon Man is approaching critical mass, so they must act quickly, before asking Sam if he can get her close to the Armageddon Man.
Cannonball picks up his good friend and blasts towards the Armageddon Man, telling Dani that he hopes she knows what she is doing, pointing out that it is not like she has mastered this new power of hers. Danielle unleashes her power, telling Sam that her mistake was fighting the changes that have occurred in her, instead of embracing them. Sam tells Dani that the Armageddon Man is a good example of someone consumed by an uncontrollable power, and tells Dani that he would hate to see that happen to her.
Moonstar tells Cannonball not to worry, assuring him that she is in control, and exclaims that her quantum blasts are disrupting the air around him and distracting him so that the concussive blasts of Tabitha’s time-bombs can knock him off balance, which will give James a chance to get under him and lift him into the air. The Armageddon Man looks cross as Moonstar’s quantum powers dart around him, before Meltdown throws several plasma time-bombs at him, rendering him unstable, as Proudstar uses his incredible strength to lift the Armageddon Man up - and throws him into the air. ‘He did it, Sam!’ Dani exclaims, before telling him to let her down quickly, as the last part depends on him.
Cannonball puts Moonstar down before blasting straight up - into the path of the falling Armageddon Man. Sam remarks that the Armageddon Man has reached the zenith of the arc and is going to becoming down fast now, so he has to hit him with everything he has while the Armageddon Man is still in the air and vulnerable. ‘Ah hope this works’ Sam remarks, before impact with the falling Armageddon Man, resulting in a massive explosion in the air. An instant later, Sam and the regular-sized Armageddon Man fall from the sky, with Sam just managing to recover so he can blast upwards before he impacts with the ground.
Cannonball drops back down, asking if it worked, if the Armageddon Man is down for the count. ’My teeth are still rattling from the impact’ he exclaims. ’TKO, Sam. You’re still the champ!’ Meltdown exclaims, to which Sam exclaims that the collision worked as he hoped, causing the Armageddon Man to expend all his destructive energy without consequence. Proudstar points out that this is only a temporary victory, for once the Armageddon Man wakes up, the storms and earthquakes are going to begin again.
At that moment, the rain subsides, while Domino arrives in a truck, telling James not to worry, as she has that covered, motioning to the carbon rods that she found, explaining they should absorb their large friend’s excess radiation, for a little while anyway. ’Nice save, Domino’ Moonstar exclaims, before asking James if he would do the honors. ’I’m on it’ James exclaims, while the Senator approaches them, telling them that it is amazing they actually stopped the menace, before asking someone get him a phone so he can get a clean up team here to put that monster back on ice.  As he wraps the carbon around the Armageddon Man, James asks the Senator what makes him think they are going to give the Armageddon Man back to him, remarking that he is not a mad dog that should be put down, he is a human being whose unfortunate genetics made him an instrument of destruction. ‘He deserves to be somewhere where people will try to cure him, not thrown in cold storage for another forty years’.
‘I don’t have to defend my actions to you, son. You’re too young to understand what it was like during the cold war’ the Senator exclaims. ‘That’s what they all say’ Meltdown mutters, when suddenly, Moonstar alerts everyone to the approaching Paradigm, remarking that they haven’t seen the last of the Hellions. The techno-organic being hovers beside X-Force, announcing that he has repaired the damage done to him by Moonstar’s quantum energy, announcing that his reconfiguration makes him one hundred and ten percent more functional than his previous incarnation.
Proudstar reminds his teammates that Paradigm turned them into his puppets last time they fought. ‘One time too many’ Sam remarks, while Tabitha readies a time-bomb, exclaiming that there is nothing she hates more than someone messing with her mind. ‘I say we give him everything we’ve got’ she remarks, while Moonstar tells Paradigm that if he is looking to join the fight he is too late, as the other Hellions have fled and the Armageddon Man is contained. Paradigm replies that he has no intention of engaging in combat with them a second time, as he learned much during their last encounter.
Moonstar tells Paradigm that she knows a little about him, and remarks that she doesn’t think being part of the Hellions will help him reach his next stage of existence. Paradigm agrees, and announces that he leaves in search of new biology and technology to synthesize and incorporate into his own being. ‘I hope we meet again, Dani Moonstar. I find your own transformation most intriguing’, Paradigm declares, before taking to the skies. ‘Well, on that enigmatic note, I’d say it’s time we find a truck to load the Armageddon Man on and head out of here’ Moonstar remarks, but Senator Danville tells her to hold on, pointing out that she does not have the facilities to safely contain the Armageddon Man. ‘This is a matter best left to the proper authorities’ he declares.
Domino declares that although she hates to say this, the Senator is right. ‘We can’t take him to a safe house like we did with Mary. He’ll never pass for normal’ she exclaims. Meltdown asks how they can ensure that the Armageddon Man is treated humanely. The Senator tells X-Force that they have his word he will see the Armageddon Man gets the best possible care. ‘All I ask in exchange is your silence. There are some things the public still isn’t ready to know’ he remarks. ‘Right. Like us’ Domino remarks, before telling the Senator that they will be watching what he does with the Armageddon Man this time. ‘If we don’t like it, we’ll be back. And if you think the Hellions were trouble, wait until you get us mad’ Domino warns him, and as she, Dani, James, Sam and Tabitha walk away, Meltdown tells him to remember who saved his butt the next time he is voting on an anti-mutant bill.
Soon, X-Force are driving away from the power plant, and Moonstar tells her friends that once they reach the hospital she will make a few calls to the people she trusts at SHIELD, as they will keep the Senator honest. Suddenly, Domino motions up ahead and asks if that if Jesse. Tabitha remarks that Jesse slipped away while the were dealing with the Armageddon Man, while Danielle asks what they are doing to do about him. ‘He did set us up for his brother’ she reminds her friends. Sam replies that he thinks it is more complicated than that, as Jesse was torn between his conscience and his loyalty to his brother, adding that he never got along too well with Jesse, but that in the end, he did stand up against his brother.
‘It’s a long walk back to San Francisco. Get in the car’ Cannonball tells Bedlam as he pulls up beside him. ‘After everything I’ve done?’ Jesse asks, surprised. James tells him that they all make mistakes, and that this is his second chance. ‘Don’t blow it’ he tells him. ‘I don’t know what to say. Thanks’ Jesse exclaims, smiling, before X-Force drive off into the night.
Meanwhile, at the nearby hospital, ‘It appears the worst is over. Weather conditions across the Pacific Coast have returned to normal - leaving dazed Californians to survey the damage done in one very frightening night’ a news announcer reports over the television, which Bobby watches, hunched over a chair in the waiting room. The announcer remarks that the casualties of this grim period have been remarkably far less than expected, given the damage, and that both meteorologists at the National Weather Institute and seismologists at Cal Tech have been unable to explain the freak weather and seismic activity. ‘Our own weather doctor, Burton Kronkheit, will have more on the storm watch later - but now we go to Summerfield Canyon where Hannah Calderon is live’.
At that moment, Sam, DanI, James, Tabitha, Domino and Jesse enter the waiting room, and Domino asks if there is any news on Theresa. Bobby replies that there isn’t yet, and that the doctor said he would tell him when Theresa got out of the operating room. ‘I told them she was attacked by a mountain lion’ he explains, while, on the television screen, reporter Hannah Calderon thanks Dolores, as she announces that she is at the Summerfield Canyon nuclear power facility, where army hazmat teams have been called to contain a fire at the long closed nuclear facility. She explains that officials have confirmed that there was an attempt to restart the plant’s dormant reactor by a group of terrorists, but that group was stopped. ‘Typical. We never get the credit’ Meltdown mutters, while the reporter reveals that unnamed sources have informed her that the terrorists may be connected with the mutant revolutionary group called X-Force. ‘But we always get the blame’ James frowns.
Suddenly, the doctor enters the waiting room, ‘Oh, I see there are more of you in your colourful outfits. Are you all family?’ he asks. ‘Closest thing to it’ James declares, before Meltdown asks the doctor how Theresa is doing. The doctor replies that she is doing as well as can be expected and informs them that they can see her now, as she is in recovery, however he wants them to keep their visit brief as she needs her rest. ‘You look pretty good for a girl who’s just had surgery, Red. How do you do it?’ Tabitha asks as she puts a hand on Theresa’s shoulder.
Siryn smiles at Meltdown, but the doctor remarks that she cannot answer. ‘What do you mean?’ Domino asks, while everyone looks concerned. The doctor explains that fortunately the animal that attacked Theresa missed her jugular, but severed her vocal chords. ‘We did the best we could, but the damage may be permanent. If that is the case, Ms Rourke will never speak again’. And with those shocking words, a look of terror falls across Siryn….