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

[Assistant]
World Tour:  New Universe – Conclusion
On Earth #15731, it seems that desperate times are calling for desperate measures.  A Greyhound charter bus speeds dangerously down a road with a host of unusual passengers. Behind the wheel is the large Dave Landers. Jeff tells his companions that this is something radical they have done. They actually hijacked a bus! Randy tells his friends that they didn’t do too bad, as only the door is damaged. At least no one was hurt. Dave comments on how he hasn’t driven anything this big in months. Where are they going? Randy tells Dave to just floor it. They took too long to find a vehicle and the Clinic is probably hot on their trail. He only wishes that those strangers teleported them farther away when they escaped.
Suddenly, Charlotte notices that a few of the passengers are waking up and quickly gets the attention of the elderly Lenore. Lenore, whose entire body is covered in clothing, including her face, begins to remove her mask to subject the bystanders to another exposure of her powers. Charlotte tells Lenore to hold on so she can get out of the way or else Lenore will knock her out as well. Once Charlotte is out of the way, Lenore removes her mask and a blinding white light bathes the passengers, causing them all to fall back asleep.
As Lenore puts her mask back on, Charlotte asks if she is sure that the passengers aren’t hurt. Lenore explains that she cannot explain the exact science of her parability, but she knows her light only renders people unconscious. They will be in dreamland until they ditch the bus. Stephanie turns and asks to make sure if they will leave the passengers safe. Jeff agrees, as they have to put the passengers somewhere safe where the Clinic won’t find and torture them. Suddenly, the bus lurches and goes out of control. Scuzz falls out of his seat and screams that they are flying, but Dave tells them that he isn’t doing this.
Outside, below the bus, is Kenneth Connell, also known as the Star Brand, named after the alien symbol on his palm. Thanks to the Star Brand, he effortlessly lifts the bus with his arms and flies away at high speeds. These powers are also the reason Proteus has come to this reality. Proteus has beaten the Exiles at every turn and has even killed Mimic. They have two plans now, but both are long shots.
4 minutes and 500 miles later, the paranormals reunite with the Exiles and are given the brief explanation of the situation. The Exiles want them to go where, asks the astounded Dave. Pittsburgh, replies Blink. There is a threat there and is harmful to everyone. However, they don’t need all of them. They only need Lenore Fenzl. Protectively, Dave stands in front of Lenore and tells Blink that the woman is with them.
Suspicious, Randy tells Blink that she didn’t mention anything about Lenore the first time they met. Blink explains that they did not know the paranormals then, but their mission control person informed them of Lenore’s powers. Confused, Dave asks the Exiles why they need Lenore, when Ken just flew a whole bus faster than a speeding bullet. If he cannot handle the threat what can a seventy-year old lady do?
Suddenly, a small man alongside Kenneth and the Exiles speaks up. Keith Remsen tells the Paranormals that he will be confronting Proteus. Ms. Fenzl’s powers will make him susceptible to Keith’s powers. The Paranormals look at Keith in shock. Scuzz speaks up and tells the scrawny Keith not to be offended but… “Where’s the beef?”
Meanwhile, back at the Panoptichron, Heather finishes her deal with the devil, or Mojo rather. She tells him that the video feeds are all on-line. He will continue to receive the content she promised, as long as he complies with their agreement. Mojo asks Heather why he would break such a sweet deal. He would still like it in writing, though. Heather tells Mojo that a contract with him is less than worthless. He would just trip her up in the fine print. The deal is clear. She is giving him the multiverse for his viewing pleasure. If he tries to mess or take control of the feeds, then the consequences will be immediate and painful.
Mojo tells Heather that he rules the Mojoverse. Her threats are meaningless. Sinisterly, Heather tells Mojo that she knows that Emma Frost did to him last time that he met her. She knows it left him scarred. She will make what Emma did to him feel like a love tap. Annoyed, Mojo tells Heather that she is well informed, but she will come to regret that. She should take receipt of the payment now, for she has darkened his day enough. As Mojo sends his payment to the Panoptichron, Heather thinks to herself that she just gave Mojo access to the view a thousand worlds for one man. He had better be worth it.
Back on Earth #15731, Ken’s girlfriend, Barbie, finds herself and her two children hostage of Justice, possessed by Proteus. One of Barbie’s children tells her that they need to pee. Annoyed, Proteus, who is relaxing on a recliner, tells the child to do it where they are. No body moves until Uncle Kenneth shows up. He then tells Barbara, calling her by her full name, to muzzle her children or else he will make sure they are no longer a distraction. Horrified, Barbie tells Proteus that she will quiet her children.
Suddenly, Justice feels someone approaching the house; two people actually. Do they actually think they got the drop on him?
Outside, Blink and Lenore stand outside the front door to the house. Blink asks Lenore if she is ready. I hope so, replies Lenore as she knocks on the door.
Who’s there, sings Proteus as he blasts open the door. When he hears nothing he tells his attackers that he is disappointed that he at least didn’t hear “candy-gram.” However, Proteus is surprised to find no bodies on the other side of the door!
At that moment, Blink and Lenore teleport behind Proteus. Lenore pulls off her mask and allows her light to shine on Proteus, who asks Lenore what she is doing to him. Lenore tells Proteus that she is helping him rest. He should not fight it. Confused, the tiring Proteus asks if her face puts men to sleep. Not just my face, says Lenore as she removes her robe, revealing her body that also unleashes the bio-energy. Proteus tries charging up an attack, but eventually passes out. Lenore is relieved, as no one has ever resisted her for that long.
Barbie grabs Blink and asks her who she is. Where did that man come from? How does she know him? Kenneth enters the house and tells Barbie that Blink and Lenore are with him. Confused, she tells Ken that Proteus threatened to kill her family. What does he want with Ken? Ken hugs Barbie and asks if she remembers how he has been acting strange recently. Barbie recalls the tattoo and the sneaking around, so Ken tells her that though it is too big to explain right now, he will tell her everything when this is over.
The rest of the Exiles come in with Keith, with Morph shape-shifting into a cute little kid and waving at Barbara’s children. Ken tells Barbie that right now they need a bed for this guy.
The Exiles drag Proteus up to the bedroom of the children and put him on one bed, while Keith lies down on another. Morph asks him if he wants the light off, but Keith declines, stating that he’ll just meditate to sleep. As he begins to meditate, Morph looks at Justice and asks if they can just bash in his head now. Sabretooth explains to Morph that Heather said that killing the host will just free Proteus. Plus, the host is innocent.
Meanwhile, Keith meditates and falls asleep, entering the mind of Proteus. He is a paranormal who can enter other people’s dreams. He knows of Proteus’s life story and his youth as Kevin MacTaggert and his killing spree. It is up to Remsen, or Nightmask, to use that knowledge to his advantage. Sabretooth calls Heather via the Tallus and tells her that Keith is in Proteus’ mind. Does she have the back-up ready in case?
At the Panoptichron, Heather tells Sabretooth that she has the back-up ready, but he isn’t the same as the last time they met him. Standing before Heather is Longshot, rebellion leader of the Mojoverse and former X-Man. Confused, the innocent Longshot asks Heather if they met before. Yes, replies Heather. He is Longshot. Longshot repeats his name, confusedly. Heather continues to explain that he is a genetically engineered soldier who rebelled against his leader, Mojo. Mojo, questions Longshot. Heather thinks about how last time Mojo said that he caught Longshot and wiped him. Wiped, asks the more confused Longshot. Heather explains that his mind is wiped clean except for his combat programming, and the one special power that is the reason she made the deal with Mojo to get him.
“Longshot,” says the soldier as his left eye glows brightly.
Meanwhile, in Proteus’s mind, Moira MacTaggert, his mother, is strapped own to a dirty table in a small room. She screams at Kevin to stop, as he will be damned forever if he does this. Kevin, who stands above Moira with a chainsaw, tells her that he was beyond saving when he was born and received her genetics. She should be a good girl and open her mouth wide now. Suddenly, Kevin stops and realizes that something is wrong.
A warp in dreamscape opens, and Nightmask, clad in armor, comes through. He tells Kevin that what is wrong is that none of this happened. He is re-imagining his mother’s lab as a chamber of horror, but it was much different wasn’t it?
The room then shifts and Moira is gone. She is now outside, a giant, and looking into the room through a glass window. Nightmask asks Kevin if this is closer to the truth. This is the cell his mother locked him into, because it was lethal to be with him. Kevin freaks out, as he doesn’t’ want to be in his cell again. He tries to warp reality to get out, but finds that nothing happens. Unbeknownst to him, Nightmask also has the power to control the dream world, which is one way to level the playing field against Proteus. However, Keith isn’t all powerful. He needs to shut down Proteus’ consciousness before he figures out what is going on.
As Moira leaves, saddened, Kevin asks why he cannot warp out. Nightmask explains to Kevin that he belongs there. Moira didn’t lock him here out of spite. She did it because it was necessary. Kevin feels tired and asks what is wrong with him. Nightmask takes him to bed and tells him that he is being honest with himself. He cannot roam free. It isn’t right. He must stay in his cell. He is safe here. He should sleep deeply.
The tired Kevin mumbles that he should sleep…but then suddenly he leaps up in the bed and asks Nightmask if it is true. Before Nightmask can respond, Kevin asks that if you die in your dreams that you die for real. He then shoves his first through Nightmask’s chest!
In the real world, Keith grabs his chest and moans. Morph, dressed as a doctor, asks if this is normal. Blink turns to Sabretooth and tells him to ask Heather if Remsen is okay. At that moment, Proteus wakes up and with a sadistic smile he tells them that he doesn’t know where they found Nightmask, but he almost had him… almost.
Outside, Kenneth explains to Barbie that there are others like him and Lenore who have special abilities. It all ties into the Star Brand somehow. Barbie admits that this is a lot of information to soak in, but at that moment a giant cyclone appears over her house as it contorts and warps into odd shapes. Horrified, Ken tells Barbie to run, and she doesn’t take long to gather her children and rush away.
Justice stands above the wreckage of the house with the mangled and distorted Exiles in tow. Justice, or Proteus rather, proposes a trade. He will unsnarl the Exiles and let Barbara and her kids live if he kindly surrenders his body. He promises that it won’t hurt.
Kenneth breaks the sound barrier as he crosses the street. However, Proteus is faster and blows Kenneth up into a pile of goop. Lenore takes off her mask and desperately tries to put Proteus to sleep, but the villain has none of that. He opens the ground beneath her and she is swallowed in. Victorious, Proteus tells Kenneth that he will be taking his body as soon as he puts it back together. However, what Proteus doesn’t know is that Heather Hudson is watching, and her back-up is already deployed.
There is a flash of energy as an opening in reality appears. Longshot emerges. He is a genetically engineered fighting machine, but that is not why Heather traded the multiverse for him. Longshot also can alter probabilities in his favor. He literally has his own force field of good luck. Heather hopes that this will protect him against Proteus.
Heather’s assumption proves correct, as Longshot bounds towards Proteus untouched. In fact, anything in his field is temporarily reverted to normal, though as soon as it is out of his field it succumbs back to Proteus’ warp. Longshot doesn’t know why the Exiles are fighting Proteus, or that the villain killed Mimic. He doesn’t have to. All Longshot needs to know is Proteus’ vulnerability is metal.
Longshot jumps around the reality altered house and pulls out Morph, Blink, and Sabretooth. He then throws his knives at Proteus, stabbing him several times in the back. With metal in his body, Proteus loses control and everything reverts back to normal, including Lenore and Kenneth. Longshot moves in for the kill, but Proteus tells him that he will pay for that… just not today. With that said, Justice warps out of this reality.
Lenore puts her mask back on as Morph asks her if she is okay. Blink is ecstatic to see Longshot, who begins to introduce himself. She says his name joyfully and Longshot asks if they have met each other before as well. Sabretooth calls Heather on the Tallus, and Heather replies that she did send Longshot.
In the Panoptichron, Heather tells the Exiles to stand by for extraction. Sabretooth asks if they are chasing Proteus to another reality. Yes, replies Heather, but first she needs them to report back to the Panoptichron. She might have come up with a way to keep Proteus out of their heads for goods. She only wishes she thought of it sooner.
Behind Heather, in the crystal wall of the fallen, is the withered body of the deceased Mimic.


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

[Assistant]
World Tour:  2099 – part one
The year is 2099 A.D. A top of a futuristic multimillion-dollar skyscraper, an experiment involving inter-dimensional travel will soon be underway. A man, Ridley, dressed up in a green protective suit, helps the chief scientist, Jordan Boone, equip a mechanical arm covering. Ridley asks about what happened to the cancer vaccine that Dr. Krigstein was developing. Boone replies that accounting rated it a net loss to replace seven chronic treatments with just one injection, so the board of directors killed the project. Boone warned Krigstein about pursuing that project. Now he will be lucky to find a job.
Boone looks around at the equipment around him, including a large motionless mechanical arm, sitting in front of a large metal ring. Boone boasts how his Virtual Unreality project will be a gold mine for his employers at Alchemax. Ridley wonders if the dimensional portal could reach Asgard. Annoyed, Boone tells his assistant that if he brings up that Thorite nonsense again then he will be fired. Science and fairy tales don’t mix.
He then flexes his arm, and thanks to the arm covering he is wearing he now controls the giant robotic arm, which flexes when Boone flexes. Boone sends his assistant to go watch the scanners as he thrusts the arm through the large ring, permeating with energy in the center.
However, as soon as Boone shoves the fist in, things go wrong. Reality all around Ridley and Boone begins to twist and turn as strange sounds emanate from inside the ring. Suddenly, everything returns back to normal.
What the shock was that, asks Ridley. Boone has no idea, but Ridley begs him to shut down and to pull out the arm. Boone yells that he is trying, but something seems to have his arm. Boone then is able to pull out the arm, but the arm has in its grasp a man!
The man breaks free from the grip and lands on the ground. Justice looks around and marvels at this world being 2099. Looks like a bad episode of Doctor Who to him. He then powers up his first and tells Ridley and Boon that the future isn’t what it used to be. Worried, Boone tells Ridley to call security, but Ridley falls to his knees and clasps his hands, wondering if this mysterious figure is the Prophet of Thor. Not even close, says Justice as he incinerates Ridley.
The Proteus-possessed-Justice then walks up to Boone and tells him that he isn’t here for technical help and he doesn’t want to be crowned the second coming of Thor. Is Boone a man of science? Boone pauses out of fear, and then stammers his name and that he is a PhD.
52 minutes later:
Miguel O’Hara watches the security videos of the incident in Boone’s lab. Sound from the incident cuts off 5 seconds after this strange man comes out of the Virtual Unreality interface. At least… Miguel thinks it’s a man. However, Jordan Boone and this strange man are missing and Miguel is now expected to save his biggest rival in his Alchemax department.
Miguel’s boss, Tyler Stone, exec of Alchemax who calls him Mike for some reason, asks Miguel for an explanation of what just happened here. Miguel bluntly states that it looks like Boone pulled something out of Virtual Unreality and it vaporized his tech support. After that, he does not know. Maybe they went for pizza? Frustrated, Tyler tells Miguel that this will throw off the department’s turnover rate. As Miguel looks at the burned remains of Ridley, he tells Tyler that he is sure that the turnover rate is Boone’s biggest worry at the moment.
However, Miguel is not truthful about everything he saw in the videos. Miguel thinks to himself about how Boone ran a data search before leaving. He accessed restricted files on a superhuman known as the Hulk. Miguel must figure out why.
Tyler turns to Miguel and demands answers. If he calls in Public Eye to investigate, this incident will be all over the Net by tomorrow. Miguel tells Tyler that he needs to ask a few more questions. He will text the blond-haired man as soon as he has answers. Don’t be long, says Tyler. Time is money.
Miguel leaves the building and thinks about Tyler Stone. The man was so keen on keeping Miguel working for Alchemax that he slipped a drug designed to hook Miguel for life. Miguel had to re-sequence his genes to end the addiction, but something happened thanks to a bug in the system and now he is more than human. He still works at Alchemax, letting Stone think that he is under his thumb. However, that is his day job. It is his night job that he has been doing well at recently. He is, of course, Spider-Man!
Panoptichron:
At the headquarters of the Exiles outside space and time, Heather tells her teammates that if she had come up with this idea sooner Mimic would still be alive. Or not, says Sabretooth. There is no way for them to know how Proteus will react to these implants. Heather tells Sabretooth, Morph and Blink that they know Proteus cannot stand metal, so a strip of surgical steel around their frontal cortex should keep him out. As Blink rubs her neck, she reminds Heather that Proteus transmuted Mimic’s armor from metal to flesh and blood. What if he turns the metal that Heather just stuck in her head to rubber or battery acid?
We don’t know that Proteus can do that, says Heather. We don’t know that he can’t, argues Blink. The whole problem is that the do not know Proteus’ limits, or if he even has any. He can make concrete flow like water just by thinking about it. Frustrated, Heather turns her back on Blink, and asks her what Blink wants her to do. She is wracking her brain for ways to beat Proteus but it isn’t easy. She just got the temporal scanners fully operational. If she had the repairs done earlier then she might have been able to do something.
Sabretooth steps up and tells Heather that if she blames herself for Mimic’s death one more time he will slap her. Mimic hesitated when he had a chance to kill Proteus and he paid the price. Now it is up to them not to repeat his mistake. Maybe, says Heather, but so for the only guy who has punches through Proteus’ reality warp is with them. Is he ready to kill?
Heather points to Longshot, who is perched like a bird on a table. Longshot looks at Heather and tells her that of course he is willing to kill. Lord Mojo placed him at her disposal to serve out her command. Worried, Blink looks at Longshot and wondered what happened to him since the last time she saw him. Longshot tells Blink that his memory was wiped. He doesn’t know how he behaved before. Does this jeopardize the mission? Blink becomes determined, and with tears beginning to form in her eyes she tells Longshot that it doesn’t. She just fears what they have become if they are willing to use Longshot like this.
Suddenly, one of the Timebreakers calls Exiles-Casualty-Five…
“What did I tell you about calling me that?” asks the annoyed Heather.
The Timebreaker corrects itself and tells Heather that the temporal scanners confirm that Proteus is on Earth #928. Longshot leaps off the table into a battle position and tells his comrades not to waste any more time. They have a world to defend and an enemy to destroy. Sabretooth smiles and tells Longshot that he might look light in the loafers but he has attitude. As the Exiles depart to the teleportation room, Morph takes Heather aside and asks about him. Sabretooth and Blink have metal pieces in their heads and Longshot has his luck powers, but what keeps Proteus from getting into his head.
Heather opens a pouch on her jacket and apologizes for almost forgetting. She takes out a piece of surgical metal and tells Morph that his body is basically play dough so there is no point in surgically inserting the metal. He can just push it inside his head and sort of… grip it there. If Proteus tries worming his way in, then it should do the trick. Morph presses the metal against his head and starts to shove it in. He asks Heather if she knows how uncomfortable this is feeling. Tell me, says Heather. As they walk, Morph tells her how she would feel if he asked her to walk around with a marble shoved up her…
“Got it,” says Heather quickly.
Heather apologizes to Morph, telling him that there is no exact manual for this kind of threat. She has to improvise. I know, Heather, says Morph. I know.
Earth #928:
Spider-Man swings across the dark city, thinking about the Hulk file Boone accessed. It was from a secret division of Public Eye, which catalogues every known superhuman. When this crisis is over, Spider-Man will have to see what Public Eye has about him… and delete it. In regards to this current problem, the file identified Hulk as John Eisenhart, a dealmaker for Lotusland Studios, who is in town at a dinner meeting with Stark-Fujikawa.
Just at the moment, Spider-Man is blinked right out of the air. When he reappears, he lands with a thud on a rooftop in front of the Exiles. Spider-Man thinks that these guys are out to collect the reward on his head, but Blink throws up her arms and tells him to relax, as they are not here to fight him. They are actually looking for the same person. Confused, Spider-Man asks the group who sent them. Was it D/Monix? Was it Synthia? They sure don’t look like Public Eye employees. Blink tells Spider-Man that they are not from this area, but the man who appeared in Boone’s lab is very dangerous.
Spider-Man asks Blink how she knows so much about the mysterious villain. Blink informs Spider-Man that Proteus is from a separate quantum reality. So are they. She asks him if he understands, and this does make sense to Miguel, in a weird way. Virtual Unreality is said to be able to access other dimensions after all. Spider-Man then asks Blink what she wants with him. Blink explains that he knows this world better than they do and they want to stop Proteus without altering his timeline. Spider-Man thinks to himself that this is weird, but Blink is asking nicely.
Spider-Man then points the heroes to the direction of the Stark-Fujikawa building and states that he thinks Proteus is looking for one of the most violent creatures on Earth there.
Inside the building, the blond-haired John Eisenhart meets with representatives of Stark-Fujikawa, an entertainment corporation, over dinner at the Jack and Lou’s. The representatives thank John for coming, who raises his wine glass and says that he always wanted to dine at this restaurant, but would have had to meet them in Hell to make it happen. Lotusland Studios has been after an account with Stark-Fujikawa for years. He then looks at the three men at the table and asks which of them buys holovids. He has a lineup up shows for the fall season.
One of the representatives clears his throat and tells John that they are not actually in the entertainment sector. They work for Stark-Fujikawa’s personnel department… acquisitions division. You’re headhunters, asks the stunned John. The representative states that this is an unfortunate term – but yes, they are headhunters. They have an opening for John in Osaka and their superiors chose John for it. Annoyed, John becomes serious and tells the men that they are in for a nasty surprise, as two armored Fujikawa employees step forward.
Outside, an employee of the corporation’s restaurant stops Boone and Proteus at the door, telling them that they are closed. Boone, confused, tells Proteus that something must be wrong. Jack and Lou’s never closes. Proteus, however, can sense that John is inside the restaurant. Boone was right. John will make a fine shell that won’t burn out for weeks.
Inside Jack and Lou’s, all the restaurant employees and diners pull out guns and aim them at John, who just realizes how deep of a set-up this is. One of the representatives tells John that he should consider this a compliment that they committed such resources to securing his services. He then takes out an employment contract and pen, asking John to sign it so they can start the relocation process. John reaches for the pen but, as he does, his body begins to grow bigger and greener. Confused, the representative says John’s name, but the monstrous creature before him tells him that John is gone. That little worm is gone to let Hulk cut the deal!
The monstrous, elongated-tongued Hulk grabs the man’s entire arm in his fist. The terrified man tells the others to fire upon the Hulk. The employees all begin to fire. From outside the glass doors, Proteus watches all of this with glee as the Hulk rips everyone apart. Two men come crashing through the glass doors. Proteus tells Boone to wait outside as he goes to slip into something green.
Inside, the Hulk goes on a rampage against the Stark-Fujikawa employees. Proteus comes by the Hulk and tells him that he is a strange one. This is the real him, isn’t it? The businessman – Eisenhart – was the real monster in hiding. Hulk hides behind John’s wheeling and dealing, but that is a necessary evil. Annoyed, Hulk asks Proteus who he is, and how he knows so much about him. Proteus smiles and tells him that his mind is an open book. Most people’s minds are open to him, but none are as grand as the Hulk’s mind. However, his story is about to hit a plot twist.
Outside, Boone watches with horror and mutters to himself over and over that Proteus will let him leave. Suddenly, Spider-Man and the Exiles blink into the building. Spider-Man grabs Boone and asks him what he has done. He then extends his razor sharp finger claws and threatens to shred off Boone’s face if he doesn’t tell him why he is here. Boone confesses that this monster that possesses people’s bodies like a parasite made him find him a durable body that wouldn’t burn out. Sabretooth then realizes that Boone led him to the most powerful body there is. Blink decides to teleport the Hulk out… if they are not too late.
The Exiles rush in and see Justice on his knees. However, when Sabretooth reaches Justice he realizes that the shriveled up husk is empty and lifeless. They are too late. That is when the Proteus-possessed Hulk steps up behind Sabretooth and Morph, punching them both into a wall.
Longshot leaps into action and throws three knives, but Proteus tells him that it will take more than that to penetrate the Hulk’s hide. However, he doesn’t even think they can lay a hand on him. He then slams his hands together, causing a deafening shockwave that sends Longshot flying out the window of the skyscraper. Spider-Man leaps out the window to catch Longshot before he dies.
Proteus towers over Blink and tells her that it is almost a shame that her teleportation arrows can’t touch him. She must long to teleport him right into the sun. Blink, weakly, tells Proteus to shut up. However, he goes on and tells her and he knows her well. He still has some of Mimic’s memories. He knows how she likes to be touched and he knows how Calvin brought joy out of her. Blink yells at him to shut up. How can he remember what love feels like and still be a monster? Sabretooth, who has recuperated, tells Blink not to let Proteus rattle her.
Proteus scoffs at this comment. While he exudes with energy, he tells the three Exiles that it is not a question of letting him do anything. If he wants to take a dump on their souls… they cannot stop him!
Outside, Spider-Man catches Longshot, wondering how this man can weight so little. Suddenly, terror overcomes him and tells him to flee, but the scientist in him makes him turn and look up at the source of fear. He is sorry he did.
Spider-Man utters that this is not possible, as the clouds warp into a swirl and the Stark-Fujikawa building defies the laws of physics and begins to contort and change shape into that of a very angry face. For a moment, Spider-Man hates the Exiles for bringing their troubles to his world.
“So much for not impacting your timeline…” says Longshot.


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

[Assistant]
World Tour:  2099 – conclusion
Earth #928 – Year 2099 A.D.:
Miguel O’Hara, better known as Spider-Man, is eighty stories up across Fifth Avenue from the Stark-Fujikawa building as reality alters and the building transforms itself into an image of an angry face ready to scream. Spider-Man asks his companion, Longshot, if this is a dream, but the man tells him that this is real enough to kill them. What did you people let loose in my city, wonders Spider-Man as he thinks about the recent encounter with Longshot and the Exiles.
Longshot points to the warped building and asks Spider-Man if he can get him back inside. Spider-Man asks Longshot if he is nuts. He has no hope against Proteus. Longshot tells Spider-Man that he must help his teammates, as they are still inside. Blink is there as well. Spider-Man asks if Blink is the teleporting girl. Miguel thinks to himself that the smart move would be to wait for Blink to teleport out, but against Proteus all bets are off.
Suddenly, the building begins to “inhale” and then just as quickly it “exhales” out Morph and Sabretooth! Spider-Man leaps off the building, telling Longshot to stay put. Spider-Man swings down to Sabretooth, one of the Exiles who claims to be from a parallel universe hunting down a scary mutant, the body-snatching Proteus. Spider-Man reaches Sabretooth and wraps his legs around his waist, telling the feral mutant to relax. Annoyed, Sabretooth tells Spider-Man that he will relax when Proteus is dead.
Spider-Man cannot see Morph, but Sabretooth smirks and tells Miguel not to worry about Morph. The two then look up to see the smiling Morph wave, as he has morphed his back into a hang glider. Morph motions to a floating camera and tells his teammates that he met a new friend.
Sabretooth asks Spider-Man what the camera is, and then learns that it is a Public Eye camera. The worse the situation gets, the more cam-bots will litter the sky. They will be on every newspaper on-line if they don’t end this. The three descend on the streets, where Sabretooth asks where Blink is. Morph replies that Proteus shot them out, not her. Spider-Man asks why she doesn’t teleport out, but Morph explains that Proteus is jamming her powers.
Inside the building, Blink threatens to kill Proteus, now in the body of the Hulk, if he hurt Sabretooth. Proteus tells Blink that Sabretooth is fine. A cat always lands on its feet. He just wanted a moment alone with her. He cannot stop thinking of her. Maybe it is just some leftover feelings from Calvin. Angered, Blink cuts off Proteus and tells him not to speak Calvin’s name. He might have stolen Mimic’s memories when he murdered him, but Proteus has none of Calvin’s humanity. Offended, Proteus then asks Blink why he gets butterflies when he sees her face. Wait… no… those aren’t butterflies. Those are actually just all the people in this building like maggots churning in his stomach.
Outside, Sabretooth announces that they need to get Blink, but Spider-Man wants to move the fight out of the city. Morph calls their attention the building, which looks like his prom date after too many jell-o-shots.
From the streets, the three heroes hear the screams of the people from in the building as they are moved to the front. Morph transforms into a giant air bag and Spider-Man creates a web safety net above it, just as the building throws up its occupants, sending thousands of people out of Stark-Fujikawa and back outside!
Inside, Proteus tells Blink that they have the place all to themselves – except for the guide to this reality, of course. Proteus looks around and calls out Boone’s name, telling him that the man better not make Proteus look for him. Boone comes out from behind an up-turned table and clears his throat. He apologizes. He was just trying to stay out of the way.
Proteus introduces Blink to Jordan Boone. He is the top researcher at Alchemax. He helped him steal his new body. Boone asks who Blink is, and Proteus replies that she is someone he did a terrible wrong to. He stole her boyfriend’s body. Bodies always come loaded with feelings and memories, but Proteus wasn’t ready for Calvin. It has been like a virus on him. Proteus, with a look of sorrow on his face, tells Blink that this is the closest he has ever gotten to a real relationship before. He doesn’t want to fight her anymore. Can’t they just… talk?
Outside, all three layers of Spider-Man’s webbing begin to break, but all the survivors land. He hears the sounds of bone breaking as some of the people fall, but at least they are alive. Morph comments that this isn’t as fun as he had hoped, while Sabretooth pulls the people off of Morph and tells them to move on out. He then looks up to see hundreds of cameras and even a ship up in the air. Sabretooth then asks where Longshot is. Spider-Man looks up and explains that he left him on the roof across the street. If Sabretooth looks closely he can see Longshot up there. Spider-Man wonders if he should let him down.
Sabretooth tells Spider-Man to just watch Longshot. He has a knack for getting out of jams. He is just waiting for the right moment. Up on the ledge, Longshot’s left eye glows, and then he jumps off the building, much to the surprise of Spider-Man, who thinks that it is suicide. As Longshot begins to jump from one camera to another, Sabretooth explains that this is what Longshot does. He has a way of making the odds line up in his favor. Sabretooth guesses that he warps probabilities or something like that. All he knows is that Longshot’s luck shield is the only think that Proteus cannot mess with.
Up in the air, Longshot leaps across the cameras to the Stark-Fujikawa building.
Inside, Boone, as he looks out the windows, tells Proteus that they really should be going. Proteus has made this place center stage for every news feed in town. Proteus tells Boone to be quiet, as he is trying to have a moment here. Worried, Boone tells Proteus that he doesn’t understand what it means to attack a mega-corp like Stark-Fujikawa. They have resources even Proteus should fear. Right now a kill-team of corporate raiders is probably en route, or perhaps they will zap them with an orbital laser platform. Proteus turns to Boone and tells him to let the mega-corps try. Nothing can touch him now.
Suddenly, Longshot comes smashing down through the glass ceiling!
Longshot lands close to Blink, causing her to fall, but he swoops and catches her in his arm, asking her is she minds if he cuts in. Enraged, Proteus tells Longshot to get his hands off of her, and then tries to warp reality. However, Longshot’s luck shield protects himself and Blink, and the yellow energy from Proteus harmlessly is battered away. Longshot tells Blink to stay close as he indeed holds her close. Surprised, Blink realizes that Longshot is shielding her too. He then smiles at her and tells her that now would be a good time to teleport. Blink obliges.
Outside, Blink hugs Sabretooth, happy that he is OK. Sabretooth is glad to see her too. Blink then asks where Spider-Man is. Morph points up and tells her that he scrambled up the building when he saw Longshot go in. He must have felt guilty about leaving him stuck on a roof.
On the side of the building, Spider-Man begins to swat away a few Public Eye cams getting in his way, telling them that no one watches this spam anyway.
Meanwhile, at Alchemax headquarters elsewhere in New York, Tyler Stone watches the live feed and states that he though Spider-Man was his personal pain in the butt. What beef does he have with Stark-Fujikawa?
At the Stark-Fujikawa headquarters in Japan, Fujikawa receives a call from his deadly assassins known as the Specialists, who tell him that they will be at the building in two minutes. Fujikawa tells his troops that the longer this goes on, the further their stock drops.
At Pixel Corp’s Airship Cicada over Spain, the leader of Pixel Corp calls for a tele-presence in New York. He senses an opportunity in the midst of this incident.
At Castle Doom, Latveria, Doom is fascinated. He returns… and then Spider-Man returns. Is this Spider-Man a pretender, or is he a genuine article like himself, but in a new set of clothes? He must override a camera and get a closer look.
Back at Stark-Fujikawa, Spider-Man hears a sound, as if supercharged hover-bikes were coming at him: military grade. Spider-Man looks across the sky to see the Specialists from Stark-Fujikawa coming in on their hover-bikes. Just one of them nearly killed him a couple of weeks ago; now four of them are here to deal with Proteus.
The four Specialists crash through the glass walls of the Stark-Fujikawa building. Spider-Man, however, doubts that four of them have a prayer against Proteus. Proteus shoves Boone behind him and tells him to stay down. The rampaging Proteus then charges into his attacks and uses his mighty fists to smash their hover-bike. He apologizes to them, for he is a bit angry at the moment. He thanks them for helping him work through it. Proteus then begins to slam the men around.
Boone tries to crawl away, but he is grabbed by Spider-Man, who whispers to him that they will get out of there. He then asks where Blink and Longshot are. Gone, replies Boone. Suddenly, Proteus notices Spider-Man and grabs the man with his massive fists. As the Public Eye cams swarm around them, Proteus notices that it is the Spider-Man wannabe again. He thought he tossed all of the heroes out. Spider-Man should know that Proteus’ reality has many Spider-Man wannabes. However, the real Spider-Man is a wrestler named Peter Parker. Is that his name? Proteus then begins to tug off Miguel’s mask, much to O’Hara’s dismay.
Proteus yanks off Spider-Man’s mask, revealing his identity not only to Boone, but to the Public Eye cameras displaying the fight to the whole world. Boone is shocked to see that Spider-Man is Miguel O’Hara, his biggest rival at Alchemax. A Public Eye camera hovers in front of Miguel and a visual of Tyler Stone appears. He smiles and calls O’Hara a naughty boy for keeping secrets. Proteus wonders who Tyler is, and Boone introduces him as the CEO of Alchemax. Stone tells Boone to tell the Hulk that he can do business with Alchemax now. Boone tells Stone that Proteus is seeking technical help. He inhabits bodies like a hermit crab. He needs to stabilize so the bodies won’t burn out. He can also suspend physics at will.
Stone is pleased to hear this and tells Proteus that he will put the world’s greatest minds on the task of fixing his problem. Once Alchemax understands his abilities, a cure for his condition will come. Suddenly, another Public Eye cam projects an image of Fujikawa, who tells Proteus that Stone is lying. Stark-Fujikawa has superior technology, and Proteus already owes them for property damage. A third camera displays the CEO of Pixel Corp, who offers to beat his rivals’ offers by ten percent.
From his office, Stone tells Proteus that the others will cheat him at the first opportunity. He already trusts Boone, so Tyler will make the man chief of Proteus’ division. Behind Stone, a technician tells his boss that someone is pirating a Public Eye cam.
A visual of Dr. Doom appears on the pirated cam and tells Proteus that all these men will betray Proteus once they glean his secrets. Doom alone knows the meaning of honor. Proteus should come to Latveria and work for him. Proteus recognizes Doom, and the Latverian ruler tells him that if he recognizes him then he knows that Doom’s genius is unrivaled.
Proteus drops Miguel, who slowly gets up and tells the villain that he is setting himself up for a failure. They will all look for a way to contain him and turn him into a lab rat for the rest of his life. Unconvinced, Proteus asks Miguel how he is so sure. Miguel explains that he works for Alchemax. Tyler Stone slipped him the world’s most addictive drug so Miguel wouldn’t leave his staff. Proteus turns to Boone looking for confirmation. Boone tells Proteus that O’Hara’s case was special. He was always a troublemaker and Stone had no choice.
Angry, Miguel turns to Jordan and tells him to stop thinking about his commission for a moment. Virtual Unreality is Boone’s meal ticket. He spent years developing that portal. Proteus jumps reality under his own power. If Stone signs him, then Virtual Unreality is a redundant project. Boone suddenly realizes the horrible truth and doesn’t want his budget to be cancelled. He then tells Proteus that it is all true. All of the men would make Proteus a guinea pig.
Disappointed, Proteus looks down at the ground and mutters that it was a mistake coming to this reality. At least this new shell will last. He then turns to Spider-Man and thanks him for cutting through the lies. He will live another day for that. Proteus then smiles and tells Miguel to enjoy the new fame. He then warps out of this reality.
Stone turns to Boone and fires him. He then asks Miguel to take a guess as to who his new guinea pig is now. At that moment, the Exiles teleport in and Blink demands to know where Proteus is. Sabretooth realizes that Proteus is gone. He probably realized he found no profit on this world and jumped to the next one. Creed then speaks into the Tallus, asking Heather to teleport them out. Spider-Man tells the group to wait. They need to take him too. Blink tells Spider-Man that this isn’t his fight. Miguel, however, disagrees. Proteus revealed his identity to the world. As soon as the Exiles leave, these mega-corporations will hunt him to the ends of the Earth. Plus, it was Miguel who convinced Proteus to jump realities. He is responsible for whomever Proteus hurts next. Miguel has to help the Exiles.
The Exiles stare at Miguel, taking in what he is saying.
Spider-Man puts his mask back on and stands with the group as Blink tells Heather to teleport Dr. O’Hara as well. The Exiles then teleport out of reality.
Annoyed, Stone tells Boone that this is his fault as it was his Virtual Unreality that brought Proteus here in the first place. The other company heads hear this and ask if it is true, and wish to know more about this project. Boone smiles and tells the men that, if Alchemax cannot see the value of his work, then the bidding for his services begins at fifteen million a year…


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

[Assistant]
World Tour:  Squadron Supreme, part one
Panoptichron:
The Exiles, along with their newest member Spider-Man from the year 2099, are teleported back to the Panoptichron and arrive at the teleportation chamber. Sabretooth, Blink and Longshot immediately stride down the corridor with determined looks on their faces. Spider-Man, however, stands stunned at the crystal walls around him, and asks where they are. Morph welcomes Spider-Man to the Crystal Palace. Now that Miguel is an Exile he will be calling this place home.
Spider-Man follows the other Exiles and notices one of the worker class Timebreakers. He asks the team if they have a bug problem, but Morph explains that the Timebreakers run the place. Miguel doesn’t think that the name Timebreakers doesn’t sound good, but Morph assures him that he will catch him up on their history later.
As the Exiles enter the Control Room, Spider-Man asks what this place looks like from the outside. Morph thinks for a moment and realizes that he never really thought about it. Heather Hudson, standing at the top of a staircase by her equipment, places her hands on her hips and tells Dr. O’Hara that the Panoptichron doesn’t have an outside. Miguel takes off his mask and deduces that since this woman knows his real name she must be the Heather the others keep on mentioning. Heather introduces herself as a fellow PhD to her new teammate. Miguel then asks what a Panoptichron is.
Heather explains that the Crystal Palace term is a just a nickname for this place, which is properly referred to as the Panoptichron. This is a trans-dimensional observatory located outside of space and time, overlooking the entire multiverse. Miguel thinks hard for a moment and realizes that since they are outside of space and time they are surrounded by nothing, so there is no vantage point from which one could see the Panoptichron’s exterior. Heather smiles and tells Miguel that he is catching on fast, but the man tells her that his head hurts thinking about it.
Suddenly, a sovereign caste Timebreaker rushes up to Heather and tells her that it is urgent that they speak. Heather guesses that Proteus is wrecking the multiverse with his travels, but much to her surprise the Timebreaker tells Heather that it isn’t Proteus that is wrecking the multiverse. She is. In fact, all of them are!
Heather is angered by the Timebreaker, since they are the ones who damaged the multiverse to being with. The Timebreaker argues what while she speaks the truth; they are working to repair the mistake. She, however, is deviating from the mission by hunting down Proteus. Sabretooth corrects the Timebreaker. By mission he means cleaning up their wreck. Annoyed, Blink tells the Timebreakers that in case they weren’t paying attention, the Exiles don’t work for them anymore. The Timebreaker picks up a device and tells the team that arguing is useless, for the damage is irrefutable. Heather takes the device and reads it, hoping that this isn’t true. The other Exiles, however, cannot understand what it means.
Heather explains that they threw off the intended course of history in the last two worlds they visited. Confused, Blink tells Heather that their missions always change history. The Timebreakers, however, explain that those changes were necessary to save the broken realities. The recent missions, unfortunately, are creating branches off of the established timelines, with impossible to determine long-term impact. Meanwhile, the already damaged worlds are closer to collapse! Angry, Blink asks the Timebreakers what they want her to do. Go back to work and let Mimic’s murderer go free? They won’t do that.
Before the Timebreaker can argue, another Timebreaker alerts Heather to Proteus’ appearance in Earth #712. Heather tells him to pull it up on the reality index so she can see who Proteus is after now. She then looks at the file on Earth #712, and is extremely troubled when she discovers where Proteus has gone.
Earth #712:
Hyperion and Power Princess of the Squadron Supreme fly three miles above Utopia Isle. Hyperion tells his companion that he will not like them coming to his rescue. Power Princess tells Hyperion that they cannot be worried about harming their friend’s pride. They need to get him and the others out alive.
Power Princess then wonders how the Global Directorate found them. Utopia Isle was hidden from the eyes of men. Hyperion tells Zarda that he doesn’t know, but from up there it looks as if the Directorate has amassed a whole lot of Blue Eagle Shock Troops. Princess recalls how Master Menace designed the weapons for the Shock Troops. They have weapons that can even hurt Hyperion.
Below on the ground, members of the Blue Eagle Shock Troops spot Hyperion and Power Princess. A trooper from inside a tank tells the two that they are under arrest for possession of unregistered para-human abilities. They should surrender or face execution. Power Princess, however, dismisses the troops and dives right at them. She plots through a whole group with her energy shield, telling them to get off her island. Hyperion rips off the hatch the tank, telling the Troops inside that he cannot let them harm his friends, even if the Blue Eagle Shock Troops are brainwashed.
However, two troops rush up to the tank and shoot Hyperion with their wrist weapons. Power Princess picks up a pillar and bats the men away, before rushing to the heavily weakened Hyperion’s aid. She realizes that they attacked him with Argonite lasers. She told him that they could hurt him. Hyperion is barely able to muster up the strength to tell Zarda not to kill the troops, but Power Princess faces her foes and tells her friend that the Troops do not play by his rules… so neither can she.
Meanwhile, at the Squadron Supreme Command Bunker, the man known as Doctor Spectrum keeps the ceiling from caving in by creating a lattice to support it. Doctor Spectrum tells Whizzer that it sounds like they are pounding the island with everything that they have. How are the others doing? Speaking fast, Whizzer tells Doctor Spectrum to hold on a minute as he is accessing the orbital camera network. He then checks up on the Skrullian Skymax, who is fighting the Air Force. More air fighters are heading in, though. Amphibian is about a mile off the coast, trying to ditch the Navy. Doctor Spectrum tells Whizzer to help Amphibian while he helps Skymax. Whizzer comments that if only Zarda’s people were still around. They could use a whole army of Power Princesses right now.
Meanwhile, up above, four members of the Blue Eagle troops spread out to find their prey, who was last seen in this area. One comments that at least this target doesn’t have powers, but is quickly reminded not to underestimate their quarry. They suddenly see their target and shoot him with blasts as he tries to escape. They corner Nighthawk against a wall and tell him that they have orders to take him alive for interrogation and re-education. So he can end up like them, scoffs the tattered Nighthawk. Not in a million years. One of the troops tells the hero that he isn’t in any position to refuse.
Suddenly, a warp in reality occurs between Nighthawk and the Blue Eagle troops. The Hulk, from the year 2099, appears with a maniacal smile on his face. Has he interrupted anything, asks Proteus. The Blue Eagle troops open fire on Proteus, who easily takes the blasts. He then tears up the troops, in a rage, as the attack hurt. Nighthawk watched Proteus massacre the Blue Eagle troops, with slight fear in his eyes. When Proteus is done using one troop to bat away the others, he asks Nighthawk if he is with them. No, says Nighthawk. Proteus then asks Nighthawk if he knows where a man named Hyperion could be found.
Elsewhere, Hyperion slowly gets up and weakly tells Zarda that his strength is returning. Power Princess, however, tells Hyperion that it is a glorious day to die, as the two look up to the sky to see hundreds of Blue Eagle troops in the air, as reinforcements arrive. Suddenly, Nighthawk and Proteus arrive, and Nighthawk tells his companions that, while she speaks the truth, she shouldn’t count any of them dead yet. He has made a new friend, whom he will introduce as soon as he clears the skies.
Proteus then goes on a rampage and pummels all the Blue Eagle troops. Eager for battle, Power Princess tells her comrades that Proteus will not fight alone, and then takes off to the sky. Nighthawk asks Hyperion if he was hit by Argonite, to which Hyperion confirms, but adds that the effects are fading. Noticing Hyperion’s suspicious look towards Proteus, Nighthawk tells his leader to take to the sky, for they will question their new friend later. Right now he has picked the right side to fight on.
Hyperion takes to the sky and helps Power Princess and Proteus. Quickly, the tide of the battle turns thanks to Proteus, which Hyperion marvels at. Doctor Spectrum and Skymax arrive and Spectrum tells Hyperion that there was never a doubt that the battle would turn. Skymax, however, reminds Spectrum that that the battle isn’t over as Whizzer and Amphibian have yet to return. Suddenly, one of the Eagles announces to his comrades that the Navy is retreating, as the Global Directorate has ordered a retreat!
20 minutes later:
After the Blue Eagle troops retreat, Proteus explains his story to the Squadron Supreme, who are not surprised that he comes from an alternate reality, as most of them have already traveled to other worlds. Nighthawk then asks Proteus why he made the trip to this reality to see Hyperion. Remorsefully, Proteus tells the group that he needs help. He was told of Hyperion’s kindness from a mutual friend named Beak. Not fully trusting Proteus, Hyperion tells the green man that if he really is Beak’s friend then he should know his real name. Barnell Bohusk, answers Proteus.
Whizzer asks Hyperion what they are talking about, and Power Princess explains that Beak is a boy who came here weeks ago seeking help against an evil Hyperion. Nighthawk adds that Beak was with the Exiles who go around altering other universes.
Whizzer, upon hearing this, asks Hyperion if he shut the Exiles down. No, says Nighthawk. Hyperion left Beak to supervise, to act as their conscience. Power Princess tells Hyperion it wasn’t his best decision. Proteus agrees with Power Princess. The Exiles ditched Beak and then when he tried to stop them they have hunted him ever since. Confused, Nighthawk asks Proteus that if he isn’t one of the Exiles, then how did he get caught up in this.
Before Proteus can concoct a good lie, there is a ripple in reality as the Exiles arrive. Blink orders the Squadron Supreme to step away from Proteus. See what I mean, says Proteus. Hyperion tells everyone to wait a minute, but Sabretooth rashly doesn’t listen and throws Longshot, with his knives ready, towards Proteus. Longshot tells the Squadron to help or get out of the way. Power Princess, however, knocks Longshot down with her shield, telling the Exiles that Proteus fought at their side. Hyperion and the others charge the Exiles, deciding to talk to them once they are in custody.
Whizzer tells the Exiles that they made a stupid mistake as he tackles Spider-Man. So did you, says O’Hara as he lifts up the bottom of his mask and sinks his fangs into the shoulder of Whizzer.
Nearby, Hyperion lifts up Sabretooth, who calls him an idiot, as the Exiles are here to save him. Angered, Hyperion swears that he will hurt him if Beak is hurt.
Amphibian charges Blink, telling her that she is out of her depth. Blink readies a teleportation arrow and tells her attacker that he is going to feel stupid; she then teleports him away into the ocean.
Morph and Skymax fight. Skymax tells Morph that his shifting is good, but his people invented shape-shifting. And you still walk around with skid marks for a chin, jokes Morph.
Nearby, Proteus smiles and tells himself that this is going better than planned. He then leaps into the sky, knowing that he would love to watch the Exiles get beaten up, but his work here is done. He then jumps realities.
Below, Power Princess punches Longshot in the face, keeping him down. Spectrum encases Spider-Man in a bubble, telling him that he better hope the unconscious Whizzer recovers from that odd bite. Hyperion then subdues Sabretooth, who is in feral mode. Blink grabs Morph and tells him that she is blinking them out of there. One problem, says Morph, as he punches Blink in the back of the head. I’m not Morph.
Skymax then shifts back to his true form and tells the unconscious Blink that Morph fought bravely but he never stood a real chance against the Skrullian Skymax!


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

[Assistant]
World Tour:  Squadron Supreme, conclusion
Earth #712:
Presiding over the judge’s seat in the Squadron Supreme’s courtroom, Nighthawk sits in front of the statue of the Lady Justice, and brings down his gavel. He addresses the Exiles, who sit at the defendant’s table, all wearing power inhibiting collars. Power Princess leads the prosecution, and Doctor Spectrum stands to the right of Nighthawk, acting as the bailiff. Whizzer, Skymax, Hyperion and Amphibian seat themselves in the back, to watch the proceedings.
Nighthawk tells the Exiles that they are accused of crimes against nature, history, and the human race. Their penalty is life imprisonment. How do they plead?
Annoyed, Blink gets up and tells the Squadron Supreme that they must be kidding. They are wasting time here, as the real criminal is running free. Whatever “Hulk” told them about the Exiles was a lie. In fact, that man is not the Hulk, but rather a body-snatching killer named Proteus.
Hyperion speaks up and tells Blink that Proteus claimed they were the problem, and, considering the circumstances he first met them under, Hyperion is inclined to believe Proteus. Nighthawk brings down his gavel to stop the bickering and announces that they are there to find the truth before the Global Directorate attacks them again. The Exiles must now enter their plea.
Blink, extremely angered now, tells Nighthawk that she refuses to play along with their games. The Squadron has no right to put these inhibitor collars on them, much less pass judgment on them. Power Princess tells Blink to show respect, as she stands in the High Judicial Temple of her people. There is no place better suited than to decide their guilt. Nighthawk reminds Zarda that no one is guilty yet but, whether the Exiles like it or not, a verdict will be reached. Doctor Spectrum speaks up and informs the Exiles that, in case they have any other friends out there waiting to crash the party, they will find that the whole temple is on lockdown thanks to a force field. Only the truth will free the Exiles.
Sabretooth asks the Squadron why they bother with this kangaroo court when it is clear that they have made up their minds. Skymax gets up and tells Sabretooth that they will give the Exiles a fair hearing. Their league exists to serve justice. Nighthawk gains the attention of everyone again, when he calls Hyperion to the stand.
Hyperion takes a seat at the stand and begins his story. He first knew of the Exiles when Beak appeared out of thin air and asked him to save them. Morph gets up and angrily asks Nighthawk if he isn’t going to swear Hyperion in first. Doctor Spectrum tells Morph that the man is Hyperion. He doesn’t lie. At all. Secondly, if anyone lies on stand his Power Prism will find out.
Hyperion continues and explains that Beak had teleported him to the headquarters of the dimension-hopping team he was forced to join. He said that their missions changed the course of history in each universe they visit. However, the Exiles lost control of their headquarters to an evil, twisted Hyperion. It took him and another good Hyperion to defeat the evil one. Power Princess then calls for the record to show that the Exiles recklessly endangered the entire multiverse by giving access to every reality to a tyrant. Noted, says Nighthawk.
While the proceedings continue, Sabretooth whispers into the Tallus for Heather to beam them out of this place.
Panoptichron:
Heather hears Sabretooth’s call and tells him that she is trying to get them out of there, but the building’s shield is quite effective. She can see them, but she can’t get a teleporter lock on them.
Earth #712:
Nighthawk turns to Hyperion and clarifies that Hyperion was in the Exiles’ headquarters and had the power to shut them down after seeing the threat they posed. Instead, he trusted Beak, a high school student, to remain as the Exiles’ “moral compass.” Hyperion looks at Nighthawk and tells him that he knows it looks bad, but he sensed a rare strength of character in Beak. Maybe that is why they forced him out, suggests Nighthawk. Angry, Morph calls out that Beak wasn’t forced to do anything.
Panoptichron:
Heather watches as Nighthawk tells Morph to quiet down until it is his turn to testify. He then tells Hyperion to step down. Annoyed, Heather tells the Timebreakers that this is ridiculous and that they have to punch through the shields. One of the Timebreakers tells her that the shield is powered by the Power Prism, and no known counter-measure is known. Heather then asks for more information on the Squadron Supreme. There must be something they can use.
Earth #712:
Morph is called to the stand, and is immediately asked if there was no coercion amongst the Exiles. Nobody was forced, replies Morph. Doctor Spectrum then announces that Morph is lying, as the Power Prism indicates. Angry, Nighthawk warns Morph that if he lies again he will be found guilty on the spot. Morph then admits that they were pushed into this whole operation at the very beginning. A man named the Timebroker took them from their homes and told them that they could not return until they fixed a bunch of broken realities.
Curious, Nighthawk asks Morph if the residents of these realities asked for the help of the Exiles. Morph tells the court that they didn’t. Most of them were not aware of the threat against them. Nighthawk then asks if the same group of Exiles gathered in the beginning is the same group here today. Morph looks at his current teammates and admits that the line-up has changed a lot.
Continuing, Nighthawk asks if the Exiles have always had a positive effect on the worlds they have visited. I’d like to think so, says Morph at first, but then he thinks about his encounter with Mojo, and the recent adventure where they killed Ego, the Living Planet; Morph then lowly replies that they probably have not had a positive effect on all realities.
Sabretooth slams his fist on the table and yells for someone to take Morph off the stand, as he is getting it all wrong. What the Exiles do isn’t fun or pretty but he won’t let them be smeared. Nighthawk orders Sabretooth to quiet down, but the mutant refuses to quiet down and refuses to apologize for saving worlds. Nighthawk then asks his bailiff, Doctor Spectrum, to muzzle Sabretooth. Using his Power Prism, Spectrum does just that, and creates a muzzle made of light around Sabretooth. Blink angrily tells Spectrum to remove the muzzle. Spider-Man then reminds the Squadron that Sabretooth wouldn’t have had to speak out if they had a lawyer.
Panoptichron:
Heather and the Timebreakers watch the live feed as Blink tries to calm down Sabretooth, whose muzzle is causing him to go into feral mode. She listens as Spider-Man asks what kind of trial is this if they don’t have a lawyer. Hearing this comment, Heather mentions that this statement is especially true when it is combined with the dirt she found on the Squadron Supreme. If only she could get down there.
One of the Timebreakers tells Heather to consider an alternative. Such as? questions Hudson. Recruit new Exiles, explains the brilliant Timebreaker. Heather explains to the Timebreaker that she just wants to talk to the Squadron, not launch another attack. Understanding, the Timebreaker than suggests she uses the interface they used with her. Heather reminds the bugs that only Sabretooth can hear the Tallus and he can’t exactly pass on information right now. Not the Tallus, says the bug, the other interface. Of course, says Heather, hitting herself in the head.
Earth #712:
Sabretooth leaps onto the table and knocks Spider-Man off his perch on the railing. Angry, Blink tells the Squadron that, if they take off his muzzle, Sabretooth will calm down. Before the Squadron can respond, Sabretooth leaps at Nighthawk, but Whizzer speeds by and grabs Creed by his ankle, slamming him down to the ground. Nighthawk leaps up and tells the Exiles that he has seen enough. He handcuffs Sabretooth and tells them that if this is how they solve problems, then he has no problem finding them guilty. At that moment, Spectrum announces that he is sensing energy readings.
Blink is surprised to see the Timebroker materialize in the courtroom. The Timebroker apologizes to Nighthawk for being late, but he is the legal counsel. Doctor Spectrum states that no one could have gotten through his energy dome. If it’s any consolation, replies the Timebroker, he isn’t really here. The Timebroker then turns to Blink and tells her that it is Heather, for she couldn’t come down in person. Power Princess tells Heather that she objects to the intrusion, but the tiny Timebroker tells the giant Power Princess that she objects to her hypocrisy. How dare the Squadron accuse the Exiles when they are guilty of much worse!
Blink asks Heather to explain what the Squadron has done, but Heather has a better idea – she will show them. Heather then accesses the Tallus, which releases whips of energy that streak into the eyes of the Exiles and into their minds! Worried, Power Princess demands to know what is happening. Heather calms the Princess down and explains that she is not hurting the Exiles, for the device on Sabretooth is a communications device. Right now they are seeing the deeds of the past that the Squadron are covering up.
The Exiles learn of how the Squadron swore to protect a world that was then devastated by the power of the Serpent Crown. Society collapsed, so the Squadron imposed order and had a plan for a utopia. They used a behavior modification device to turn bad guys into good guys. Swapping freedom for security seemed like a good idea at the time. They sold their ideals.
The original Nighthawk did not sell out, though. He died trying to stop them, which forced the Squadron to face what they had become. They left the world and when they returned they found it under martial law. The new government, the Global Directorate, doesn’t want the Squadron back. Now they are hunted by a regime that used their behavior modification devices to brainwash people into Blue Eagle soldiers. If the Squadron tries to depose the government, they only prove what a bunch of power-grabbing super-jerks they are.
Defending his team, Hyperion explains that the people voted for the Global Directorate. Power Princess explains that they cannot just overthrow them by force. They must show the public the wrongdoings of the Directorate and regain public support. Having enough of this, Blink tells Heather that she has seen enough. Now it is time for the Squadron to see who they are.
Heather then programs the Tallus to show the Squadron images of the Exiles. She tells the team to calm down, as this isn’t brainwashing. These are just images. The Squadron then sees images of Thunderbird battling Galactus, Mimic versus Namor, Sunfire and Blink versus techno-organic monsters, Morph battling the Impossible Man, and Nocturne and Mimic squaring off against vampire versions of Captain America and Hawkeye.
Heather explains that the team can decide for themselves what they think, but they should know that the Exiles have sacrificed everything to save each reality. They didn’t ask for this job, nor have they been gentle all the time, but the Squadron cannot argue with the results. So far they have saved more than fifty flawed universes from collapse. She doesn’t know how many billions of lives have been saved, but she would be damned to have the Squadron come around and claim that it was nothing.
In disbelief, Spectrum tells the others that this cannot be true. No, says Nighthawk. This was real. He felt it in his bones. Amphibian agrees. Power Princess notices distress in Hyperion, and asks Mark if he is ok. No, admits Hyperion. The Exiles save world after world, but the Squadron cannot even save their world. Heather tells Hyperion that she did not show him this to belittle them. She has an unfair advantage. Her master computer can tell her things about his world that he couldn’t possibly know – like how the Global Directorate engineered worldwide voter fraud and stole the last election.
At the Global Directorate World Headquarters, the rulers of this world discuss the Hulk, who recently aided the Squadron Supreme. One wonders why there is not record of the green monster in their registry. Another explains that Blue Eagle intelligence indicates he is from a parallel world that the Squadron has discovered. Suddenly, the Exiles and Squadron Supreme teleport in!
Hyperion tells the Directorate to switch those monitors they are viewing to the news. Right now every major network is broadcasting the data they sent them about how the Directorate rigged the last election! The Squadron detains the Directorate, and Power Princess berates them for accusing the Squadron of the same crimes that the Directorate was committing! You can’t prove that, argues one of the Directorate. Nighthawk explains that they already have, as their sources have access to all of the Directorates’ secrets. The people will get a real election this time around.
Seeing that their duty is done, Blink tells her team that it is time to go. Hearing this, Hyperion tells them not to leave so fast. Someone from the Squadron needs to accompany them. Proteus is too great a threat to fight alone. He is going with them. The rest of the Squadron are shocked, but Power Princess tells Hyperion no. Hyperion explains that he has to go. The Exiles need someone to look over their shoulders. He can ensure that they defeat Proteus the right way. Zarda, however, argues that his duty is to the people of this world. They need Hyperion more than ever. However, they can do without her for a while.
Blink crosses her arms, and tells the Squadron that they might want to ask the Exiles if they are looking for a new member. The answer, by the way, is “no.”
Power Princess approaches Blink and explains that she does not age and has five centuries of combat experience and she is stronger than all the Exiles combined. The sooner she helps them catch Proteus, the sooner the Exiles can go back to saving worlds. Also, it will be sooner for her to punish Proteus for setting them against one another.
Unimpressed with Power Princess, and still upset at the delay to chase Proteus, Blink tells her new teammate not to make her regret this. The Exiles are then teleported out of this reality.
Hyperion then turns to the others and tells them that they have to make sure Power Princess has a world worth coming back to.


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

[Assistant]
World Tour:  Future Imperfect, part one
Past:
He had missed the war – the one that killed all this friends. He doesn’t even know how it started, as most information he learned about it he received from second-hand. That doesn’t really make a difference though. The bottom line is that everyone he loved died. Take the female Captain Marvel for example. He shared a bond with her more intimate than with his wife. He was in her head when she died – technically the Negaverse. However, he still felt those last few thoughts fade as she took her last steps.
Her left arm was ripped off and was with the bodies of Spider-Man, Ant-Man and Captain America’s shield, among ruins. She barely reached her arm and fell right atop of it. She knew she was gone – half her face was burned away, exposing her brain. However, she wasn’t going down without bringing him back home. When she fell, she raised her right arm to bang the golden wristbands on her arms together.
Rick Jones has spent every night wishing she hadn’t.
Present:
Today, Rick Jones sits upon a slab in a radiation suit, speaking to a stranger. He tells his companion that he and Captain Marvel had this time-share arrangement. He had the same job with two Captain Marvel’s before her. He would bang his wristbands together and Captain Marvel would take his place. He would chill in the Negaverse while she saved the day; then she’d bang her bands and he’d be back. He never thought he’d return to this world. Most of his friends died when the nuclear weapons hit – his wife, Marlo, included. However, one guy actually prospered, and Rick is responsible for his creation.
While most people died from the nuclear fallout, his friend just soaked up the radiation and became stronger. The extra power brought out the worst in him. He has terrorized the world since and nothing can stop him. They should face the truth – the only thing that could ever stop the Hulk, is the Hulk.
Proteus, in the body of the Hulk from the year 2099, tells Rick Jones that this is his lucky day, since he happened along. He then mentions how Rick didn’t bat an eye when Proteus mentioned that he was from an alternate reality. Rick gets up and reminds Proteus that universe-hopping is an old hat for him. Proteus remembers, and then guesses Rick wants him to find this bad Hulk and take him down. Maestro, says Rick. He calls himself the Maestro. People are too scared to tell him how dumb the name is. Proteus asks Rick if he is afraid of the Maestro, but Rick responds that he stopped being afraid when he held his wife in a dust pan.
Right, says Proteus. He will be off to pick a fight then. Not without a weapon, says Rick sternly. To be clear, Rick isn’t asking Proteus to beat up Maestro. He wants Maestro dead. Proteus bears his dangerously long nails and tells Rick that nothing will be left of the Maestro when he is done.
Panoptichron:
First thing is first, orders Power Princess as she surveys her new headquarters. This dreadful lighting has to go!
Annoyed and unimpressed, Heather Hudson walks over to Power Princess and tells her to guess again. Their first priority is to get her and Spider-Man into the infirmary. Zarda tells Heather that she is not ill, but Heather explains that Proteus cannot take their bodies if there is metal in it, so she is going to put a strip of steel into their heads like she did for Blink, Morph and Sabretooth already.
Not really paying Heather much mind, Zarda pushes the woman away by her face and then announces that this light gives her a headache. She points to a sovereign caste worker and tells it to fix the problem. Scared, the worker complies. It reduces the intensity to a more human friendly level – much to the surprise of Heather. Frustrated, Heather yells at the Timebreaker and claims that it never told her it could do that. You never asked, replies to Timebreaker, who raises its arms to protect itself.
Zarda then turns to the Exiles and explains that she will now plan out a strategy to catch Proteus, whom the Exiles let loose. Morph shifts into a general’s outfit and tells Power Princess that she needs to learn a thing or two about their chain of command. Angry, Power Princess points her finger roughly into Morph’s chest and tells him that she is there as a courtesy to the Exiles. How many times has Proteus eluded them and how many has he killed along the way? They will finally defeat Proteus because they follow her lead now – understood? She doesn’t care how they used to run things, as it was obviously a flat out disaster.
Sabretooth tells Blink that he has had enough with Power Princess. Won’t Blink remind her of who really leads the team? Actually, replies Blink, no. Zarda is right. They have made a mess and she couldn’t even save her own boyfriend. If Zarda wants the job, then it is hers. Shocked, Morph tells Blink that he doesn’t believe reverse psychology will work. However, Heather tells Morph that Blink is serious. Blink walks out of the room and tells the group that if Power Princess thinks she can do better then they should let her try. She honestly hopes Zarda succeeds. Zarda smiles and is happy to hear Blink’s words. Admitting one’s limitations is the first step to overcoming them.
Spider-Man takes off his mask and tells Zarda that he doesn’t care who leads this team, as long as they are all on the same page. However, maybe the Exiles would be more willing to play along if she came off as a bit less severe. Perhaps she should take off her helmet once in a while. Zarda complies, but doesn’t understand how this will motivate their compliance. Upon seeing Zarda’s face, Miguel and Longshot fall in love and Miguel tells her that she probably hasn’t heard the one about “the face that launched a thousand ships.”
In a snippy tone, Heather takes a remote control and tells Zarda that this is what she is so keen on leading her troops into. The Exiles then see images of a post-nuclear holocaust world. The principal population is in North America in a rebuilt city called Dystopia. Anti-magnetic generators underground keep the radiation levels tolerable, but the wasteland glows in the dark. The people of Dystopia barely make enough to survive, and half of what they make goes to the man that rules them. In all of the multi-verse there is no more powerful, intelligent, or corrupt version of the Hulk than this one – the Maestro.
Scanners show that, eighty years from now, a younger version of him will come to the future and take him down. It will all work out if Proteus doesn’t interfere. Unfortunately, Heather is sure Proteus loves his Hulk body and won’t mind upgrading. Morph shifts his face into that of the Hulk’s and realizes that they must duke it out with Hulk-Proteus and watch their backs for an even stronger Hulk.
Zarda, however, smiles and puts her helmet back on. She knows exactly how they will pull this off.
Dystopia:
Proteus and Rick reach Rick’s underground hideout, full of memorabilia of fallen heroes. He looks at a silver surfboard and notes that it had to have been some shark that bit a huge chunk of it out. You could say that, replies Rick, who takes off his helmet. Is there a Silver Surfer from where Proteus comes from? The name isn’t familiar, says Proteus, as he looks at some old Iron Man armors, but it looks like this realities Iron Man was cracked open like a lobster.
Rick tells Proteus that he warned Tony Stark not to fight Proteus one-on-one, but he never listened. As he walks past some old belongings of Magneto, Dr. Strange, Thor and the Black Knight, Rick tells Proteus that he did not bring him here to look at these old things. He brought him there to give him this weapon. He then unveils a rather large metallic rifle, which Rick explains was made by the mutant Forge. It was designed specifically to kill the Maestro, but the Gravity Cops captured Forge before he could use it. How would Proteus like to go Lee Harvey Oswald on Maestro?
Proteus, however, is a bit uneasy and explains to Rick that he has a small problem with metal – as in he cannot touch the stuff. Confused, Rick asks Proteus what kind of Hulk is he. You have no idea, responds Proteus. However, he has a trick or two up his sleeve that the Maestro has never seen. If Rick could just wrap the gun up in a cloth and leave a hole near the trigger it will do. Ok, says Rick, as he begins to adjust the grip to fit Proteus’ hand.
As Proteus looks at a display case containing Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton, Rick explains that he has a schematic of Maestro’s new fortress. This device will lead Proteus right to the main reception hall. Today is the day the Maestro gives all the sycophants and sell-outs their weekly audience. He then gives Proteus a large cloak. If he puts his over his head he should be able to walk in. Really, says the surprised Proteus. That is good, because stealth is not his forte.
Rick explains to Proteus that he doesn’t have to be sneaky. Big and green means only one thing in these parts. People will get out of his way. Proteus puts on the cloak over his head and back, but asks if his claws will not be a dead giveaway. Rick points out that he really must not understand how scared people are of the Maestro. They won’t notice the fine details. Rick then leads Proteus to an elevator, which will take him to the market square. As Proteus is lifted up to the street level, Rick somberly tells him to put Bruce out of his misery…and everyone else’s.
Above, Proteus enters the market place. He thinks about how clueless Rick is, but realizes that he was useful. Proteus will have to thank him properly when he takes over this world. However, looking upon the wreck that is Dystopia, he might have to change his name from Maestro to Master-Blaster. Proteus then walks through the crowded, dirty streets, full of people that quickly get out of his way and bow down to him. His destination is the emerald fortress up ahead.
Proteus reaches the main stairway and finds no resistance from the guards; people around the area cheer for him and clap. He then reaches the main reception area, where he sees the grey-bearded Maestro sitting in his throne, wearing his battle armor. Before him are five figures in monk robes, bowing. Maestro’s vizier, however, stops Proteus and tells him to wait his turn. Proteus, however, tells the Maestro that he should really get rid of his guards. He rips off his cloak and tells the Maestro that he thought he’d have to fight his way in, but no one even questioned him!
The Maestro smiles and addresses Proteus by name, telling Proteus that this is because he ordered his men to let him in. Proteus is dismayed and confused as to how Maestro knows who he is.
The five monks before Maestro turn around and pull down their hoods, revealing that they are Power Princess, Blink, Spider-Man, Sabretooth and Longshot. Zarda smiles and tells Proteus that the Exiles were always a step behind, so she suggested that they skip ahead. Shocked, Proteus tells Zarda that she and the Squadron Supreme were to stop the Exiles. Why is she cozy with them?
As the vizier shifts back into Morph, Maestro explains that the Exiles found a better business with him. He is a reasonable man after all – whereas Proteus was crazy enough to charge into here thinking her could steal his body!
Having enough of this, Proteus reveals his weapon and tells Maestro that Forge sends his regards. He then unleashes a blast from the weapon, which blows Maestro away and through the back wall. Power Princess deflects part of the blast with her shield and covers Spider-Man. She tells her team to take cover, but Blink has a better idea and teleports the weapon away.
Proteus asks Blink if she thinks she has really disarmed him, and then claps his hands together, causing a concussive force that knocks the Exiles down. Proteus then leaps after the Maestro, as they have a transaction to complete. Proteus gets the Maestro’s endless strength, and the Maestro gets sweet oblivion. The Exiles watch and worry as Proteus leaves Hulk’s body for the Maestro’s, but before he can enter, the Maestro reels in pain! The Maestro chuckles, and then shifts back into Morph, telling Proteus that the pain is the piece of metal in his head! He fell for the old bait-and-switch.
Proteus is taken aback by this trickery, giving Spider-Man time to web up his face. However, this causes Proteus to lose control, as he starts attacking wildly, causing the roof and pillars to collapse. As the Exiles scramble, Zarda grabs one of Longshot’s knives and tells the group that this will finish now. Longshot explains that his blades will not penetrate Hulk’s hide, but a determined Zarda explains that it will with her arm.
Morph gets out of the rubble and weakly asks if they got Proteus. Behind Morph emerges a large green form, which Zarda quickly throws the knife at. The knife hits the monster’s back and penetrates, causing the green giant to scream in pain. Longshot and Morph are happy and impressed, but Sabretooth begins to sniff the air and realizes that they have made a mistake.
As the dust clears, the Exiles see Proteus lying under rubble, while Maestro stands before him with Longshot’s knife in his back!
“That thing I said about being a reasonable man…?” tells an angry Maestro, “FORGET IT!”


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

[Assistant]
World Tour:  Future Imperfect, conclusion
Morph’s Memories:
“Congratulations,” Morph imagines the doctor saying, “It’s a blob.”
Morph was born an obvious mutant. He was eight pounds of white goop that cried like a baby and flowed like mercury. When he was a toddler, he realized that his parents were happier if he kept a normal human shape, and of course he was eager to please. By the time he started school, he had perfected the all-American boy next-door look. However, home with his parents, he would just relax and be him. He wasn’t a phony or ashamed. He just felt it would be less awkward if he looked more human.
He had the luck of being everything everyone wanted. He was good at school, sports, and making friends. Then his mom died when he was thirteen of lung cancer and there was nothing easy about that. His dad was heart-broken and withdrew. Morph tried cheering him up, but his jokes wound him up at a boarding school. Years later, he graduated from that school with masters in computer engineering. Sometimes people forget Xavier’s is a real school.
He earned the codename Morph and a uniform. He was the leader of the New Mutants. Those were kids who knew how to laugh. He then graduated to the X-Men and even became a beloved Avenger, receiving more mail than Captain America. All of this was easy until he was drafted into the reality-hopping team known as the Exiles.
Dystopia:
Morph watches in horror as the Maestro, a more intelligent, stronger, ruthless version of the Hulk, plows into Power Princess, who stabbed him with a knife thinking he was Proteus. Power Princess is easily knocked aside. Spider-Man leaps at Maestro, but he is caught midair by the jade giant and tossed aside like a rag doll, though thankfully saved by Morph, who stretches his body out to stop the thrown Spider-Man.
The Exiles warned the Maestro about Proteus, who wanted his body. Naturally, in the end, Maestro would try to kill them all. Spider-Man was picked up a couple of universes ago. Morph hardly knows him, but wouldn’t want him to go Jackson Pollock all over the walls. To Morph, it feels like they are always fighting the wrong people.
A good example is their recent problem. In their attempts to reunite a family, they ended up meeting the body snatching Proteus. He is a serial killer who degrades the bodies he possesses, and his only weakness is metal. Proteus ripped out the heart of the Exiles when he possessed and withered away Mimic. After that, Heather Hudson came up with the idea of putting surgical steel in their heads. Of course, Morph doesn’t have a skull, so he is gripping his piece in his head using his goop body. They have chased Proteus across five realities. His latest host is the Hulk from the year 2099. This is his longest lasting body so far. However, now he wants to trade it in for the Maestro’s body and the Exiles can’t let that happen. Power Princess was the genius who wanted to team up with the Maestro.
Sabretooth leaps at Maestro and tries slashing him with his claws, but Maestro picks up Sabretooth and asks him if he really thought that it would work. Blink whips out a teleportation arrow and throws it at Maestro, but he uses Sabretooth as a shield. When Sabretooth disappears, Maestro is confused and taunts Blink, asking her if she just vaporized her friend.
Morph, however, knows that Blink teleported Sabretooth, but the thing is that it was meant for the Maestro, which means where Sabretooth went cannot be good.
Blink helplessly looks at Power Princess. Knowing she has given up her role as leader to Zarda, Blink tells her that she will be right back. She then teleports to outer space, in order to retrieve Creed before he dies.
The Maestro squares off against Power Princess and Longshot, as Proteus begins to rise from the rubble. Morph checks up on Spider-Man, who is having trouble breathing. Morph realizes that Miguel has internal injuries and orders him to stay put. Morph then recalls to himself how Miguel actually volunteered for the team. Perhaps they should have informed him that the only luck they have is bad luck. However, at that moment, Morph notices Proteus rise from the rubble, but it seems the battle has worn out his body, which now shows signs of massive deterioration.
Morph then looks back at Maestro, who attacks Power Princess and Longshot. Longshot’s luck powers allow him to dodge the blow, but his powers only work on others who are really close to him, so Power Princess is slammed into a pillar.
At that moment, Blink returns with Sabretooth, both of whom are freezing thanks to the subzero temperature of space. The worn Blink stammers to Creed and asks if he can hear her. However, the dying Sabretooth can only make sounds, not words, as the freezing temperatures get to him. Maestro tells Blink that the scene is sweet, and then literally flicks her away.
Suddenly, Proteus attacks the Maestro in a rage, telling him to get his hands off his girl. It takes a minute for Morph to recall why Proteus would say that. He still has the stolen memories of Mimic. Mimic is dead, but his love for Blink lives on. Proteus tackles the Maestro, but the Maestro recalls Proteus’ weakness, which he learned from the Exiles. He then slams Proteus with his metal gauntlets and then claims that he will be the first man the Maestro ever killed with his elbows. Longshot is about to enter the battle, but Morph stops him, as they should let Maestro kill Proteus, or at least have the two wear one another out. Just as the Maestro is about to hit Proteus, the man leaps out of the way.
Proteus gets around the Maestro, who struggles and demands to know what Proteus is doing. The lunatic responds that he isn’t going to do anything the Maestro won’t be able to eventually recover from. He then snaps the Maestro’s neck!
The stunned Exiles watch as the Maestro falls. The tyrant lies on the ground with his neck in a very awkward position, gasping that he cannot move. Proteus tells Maestro that his spine will heal, but unfortunately he will be in his skin by the time that happens. However, these metal gauntlets he wears must go. Suddenly, Proteus is shot several times in the back by energy weapons.
Proteus turns to see the castle guard, whom he had completely forgotten about. The guard leader tells his men to keep firing, as they must get Proteus away from Maestro. Morph almost feels sorry for the guards as the laws of physics turn against them. The ground erupts beneath the men and they are each encased in circular globs of earth, crushing them.
Proteus then turns back to the Maestro, who cannot believe that this is happening to him, and uses his reality warping powers to turn the metal gauntlets into liquid that flows right off. As Longshot runs after Proteus, Morph thinks about how he is the only plan they have against the monster, and it is a doozy.
Longshot leaps over Proteus’ back, lading atop the Maestro’s massive chest. Crouching before Proteus, Longshot announces that he cannot let the madman do this. Proteus then lifts his massive arms into the air and asks Longshot what is preventing him from smashing the genetically engineered soldier.
“That’d be me,” screams Morph, as he uses his shape shifting powers to exponentially grow in muscular size. In a massive, “Hulk”-like state, Morph pummels the withering Proteus away from Longshot and the Maestro. Morph hopes that Proteus has used up most of his energy, or else this will be a very short fight. Proteus looks at Morph and tells him that he looks tough enough, but it is all probably for show. He then uses his reality warping powers to turn Morph inside out and twist and contort his body. If Morph had veins, he thinks, they’d feel as if maggots were crawling in them.
Longshot, despite weighing only eighty pounds, attacks Proteus anyway fearlessly. He pulls Proteus down and gets close enough to Morph so his luck field cancels out the reality warp and the Exile returns back to normal. Proteus, however, decides that, if he cannot defeat Longshot’s luck powers, then he will just steal them. He then begins to leave the Hulk’s body, but finds himself in pain when he tries entering Longshot. Do all these Exiles have those metal implants, screams Proteus. Longshot simply smiles and touches his forehead.
Morph doesn’t waste any time and shifts his hands into two large cement blocks, ready to pummel Proteus while he is weakened. However, Proteus returns back to the Hulk, just in time to counter Morph’s Hulk attack. Proteus slams his fist into Morph’s malleable face… with such a force that Morph loses grip of the metal piece Heather gave him for protection.
The tiny metal plate flies out and bounces off of the stone wall, falling to the ground.
Morph looks at Proteus, scared, and realizes that he must think fast. Proteus smiles sadistically and begins to leave his body. Morph knows that he must put distance between himself and the killer…
Blink weakly approaches the battle area, just in time to see the withered and dead Hulk from the year 2099 fall to the ground. As the dust settles, the Exiles see Morph standing tall, though shrouded in shadows. At first, Morph simply stands there, but then he looks down at his hands. Blink, weary from battle, asks Morph if that is he. Suddenly, Morph, who seems to be considering his own body, begins to wear a sadistic smile, and then laughs maniacally.
Proteus, now in Morph’s body, tells Blink that this is better than what he came for. Most bodies begin to wither when he possesses them, but this one is different. He then shifts into his true form of Kevin MacTaggert. He hasn’t seen his face in years, he states. Morph is the glass slipper he has been searching for so long. He can be anyone, says Proteus as he shifts into Ms. Marvel. As he turns into Jack the Ripper, he claims he can prey on anyone. After turning into an innocent little girl, he boasts that he can never get caught.
Enraged, Longshot tells Proteus to get out of Morph as he throws a barrage of knives. Proteus, however, uses his shape shifting powers to allow the knives to pass through him harmlessly. He tells Longshot that he thinks not. This body is a keeper. He then tells the Maestro that this is his lucky day, as Proteus won’t need his body. Proteus then jumps to the next reality!
Power Princess stands in confusion. This plan should have worked. They had a strong ally and the element of surprise. Sabretooth doesn’t pay Zarda any mind and simply tells her that they are Exiles and nothing goes to plan. Still unable to move, Maestro tells the Exiles to get out of his house and pray that they never meet again.
Bitterly, Blink tells Maestro to shut up before she blinks his family jewels to the moon. Maestro does not speak, but doesn’t look pleased either.
Sabretooth looks at Blink, concerned, and tells her that she sounded like she meant that. Why wouldn’t she, Victor asks Blink, calling her mentor by his first name for the first time.
“Proteus has taken two of us now!” exclaims the war-hardened woman, “I swear to you, next time it’s him or me.”