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Protective Services part 3
(Avengers Academy)Sebastian Shaw looks down at the assembled group of academy students and the kids from Utopia. They are understandably nervous, but he assures them that he has no quarrel with them, informing them that if they don’t interfere with what is about to happen then they can keep it that way. Reptil is surprised to see him. He was locked up and under guard. “Where are our teachers?” he asks. Shaw replies that this isn’t his fight and he should walk away. Hazmat then receives a call, transmitted directly into her helmet, from Dr. Kavita Rao. She informs Jenny that campus-wide comms are down. She has Tigra. Shaw has taken down their teachers and escaped. They believe that he plans to murder the X-students, so she asks Jenny to get everyone to safety.
Seemingly unable to respond to her message, Hazmat decides to act instead. She turns and blasts Shaw with a radiation burst, shouting, “Avengers Academy assemble!” Transonic rushes towards her and orders her to leave Shaw alone. Before she can dissuade her, Transonic punches Hazmat, knocking her to the ground. It doesn’t take long for the students to start fighting each other. Mettle smashes Transonic in the jaw, whilst Reptil transforms into a giant snake in order to wrap himself around Sebastian Shaw’s body. White Tiger faces up to Primal who doesn’t know whether to fight her or mate with her. “Fight, Primal. Definitely fight,” she replies as she slashes at him. Sparks fly between Surge and Striker. She asks if he thinks he can overload her. Striker replies that her stupid-looking gloves are starting to smoke. Whatever they do - they won’t do it much longer.
Hazmat can’t believe the x-students are fighting them. Don’t they know Shaw is going to kill them? X-23 turns to Jenny and says that her instincts say otherwise. She asks Sophie if she can read his mind. Sophie says she can’t. Miss Frost placed barriers in it. She will just have to beat him senseless - for safety’s sake. As Finesse throws Prodigy over her head, X-23 tells her that she has observed Sebastian Shaw. Does she believe he is there to murder their guests? Finesse replies no. She explains that his body language, tactics and travel pattern suggest he is there to help them escape.
The fighting stops instantly and Reptil lets loose his grip on Shaw. “Kill them?” exclaims Shaw. “Was I really the kind of man who’d hurt children?” Surge asks, rhetorically, that he wasn’t just trying to get away? He stuck around to break them out? She tells him she feels bad for calling him an old perv behind his back. “Touching,” quips Striker. “Too bad jailbreaks are also frowned upon.”
At that moment, Tigra arrives along with Hercules, Dr. Rao, Madison Jeffries and Juston’s Sentinel. She tells him that Striker’s right. Maybe they misjudged him but they still can’t let him leave. Any of them. “And I cannot let you stop them,” replies X-23. Tigra is surprised by this. She realizes Laura is a mutant, but this is a complicated situation. She says the kids are at the academy for their own protection. Wolverine himself brought them. Laura replies that she is familiar with the arguments but they change nothing. Yes, she adds, they are young, but they have risked their lives fighting Sentinels, Purifiers… any threat that arose to give mutantkind a future. That future has arrived. She adds that to deny them the chance to participate in it simply because they are young is wrong, and she will not allow it.
Tigra says she is sorry Laura feels that way. They feel equally strongly that the Avengers/X-Men conflict is no place for minors. Finesse points out that it is about a minor. Hope. The girl that everyone is chasing is their age. Furthermore, she points out, it is illogical to state that the X-Men’s students are equipped to make life-or-death decisions in battle, but not to choose responsibly now. She stands with Laura. Mettle also admits that they seem like good people. He doesn’t want to be part of keeping them somewhere they don’t wanna be. Hazmat also offers her opinion. She finds them kind of obnoxious, but the truth is, there is only one reason the teachers want them out of this war and that is because they are embarrassed about the whole stupid thing.
Hercules turns to Tigra and begins to agree with them, only for Tigra to warn him not to start. If they show cracks then they’re doomed. She asks Dr. Rao and Madison Jeffries if they agree with Hercules. Jeffries admits that, frankly, the girls are right. These kids have been to war and he thinks they’ve earned the right to be part of something this big. Dr. Rao is ambivalent. She just wishes to return to her lab. Tigra groans and then turn to the assembled crowd. She reminds them that it is her job to ensure they stay on campus. And they shouldn’t think they can slip away either. There are cameras all over the grounds. She asks if they understand. There are cameras everywhere. So, they’re not leaving without a fight. Her eyes reveal what she is really trying to say.
The kids look at each other and prepare for battle. Tigra takes on X-23. Once they are at close quarters, Tigra asks if she knows they’re just pretending. Laura says she wasn’t sure, so Tigra asks her not to kill her. Striker zaps Hercules. He swings his arm to his forehead and cries, “I am undone! O cruel fates. Why have you cursed me so?” Striker tells him that he’s a horrible actor, but Herc replies that Sophocles disagreed. He should be quiet as his monologue has just begun.
Finesse takes on her own teammate Reptil. She tells him he remained on the side of the Avengers. Humberto replies that he still thinks they’re right. He cares about her, but he is not going to change what he believes for her. As she picks him up and hurls him at Striker, she tells him that perhaps there is hope for them yet. Hercules continues his overly-dramatic monologue as the giant Sentinel picks up Sebastian Shaw in its steely tendrils. Juston, sitting in the control booth on the robot’s left shoulder, tells Shaw that it’s an honor to meet him. He hears he built the Sentinels. Shaw reckons it’s more like he bankrolled them but he doesn’t remember any of it. But, the classic model before him stirs something in him. He finds it simple and elegant like a vintage car. He asks if it’s capable of self-repair. Juston replies yes. Shaw says good and then punches a hole in its chest, forcing it to release him.
Elsewhere, Dust creates a cloud in order to stop Lightspeed. Julie falls to the ground beside Striker who smiles. “Now that’s acting,” he tells her. She flashes a smile back and informs him that she just got a callback for a Lifetime movie. White Tiger finds herself pinned down by Primal. She tells the nearby Velocidad that she doesn’t believe his friend got the message. She doesn’t want to use her claws, but can he do something. “Fight,” barks Primal. “No, Teon. No fight. Sleep,” replies Velocidad. Primal looks up and repeats the word sleep before slumping on top of White Tiger, fast asleep. As he begins to snore, Ava grimaces. “Eww, his breath smells like sweaty socks,” she groans. Velocidad tells her that he’s always licking his feet. “Yes,” he adds with a wry grin. “Let’s go with feet…”
As Hercules concludes his histrionics, Tigra is zapped by Surge. It hurts a little, but she is the last to fall. With all the teachers and students of the academy down, Surge wonders what they do now. Sebastian Shaw informs her that now she charts her own course; something he’s come to realize is a rare and precious opportunity. He believes that he’s paid his debt for giving them a second chance and he would like to help Hope further if he could. However, it seems his presence causes more problems than it solves. So, he will make the most of the opportunity she’s given him. He asks Surge, if she sees Hope, to tell her he hopes that is enough.
Before they leave, Tigra grabs Shaw by the trouser leg and warns him that the school’s founder believes in second chances… and third and fourth. With her, he gets one. Make her regret it and she will go after him. Shaw understands. He doesn’t feel she is the sort of person who makes promises she won’t keep. He doesn’t want to be that either. So, he adds as he leaps from the cliff into the sea below, he will simply say that he understands the price of failure quite well.
Crosta follows him, saying that his place is in Atlantis. The Cuckoos state that they would like to find Miss Frost and the others. Madison Jeffries reckons that goes for most of them, but how? They say it’s quite easy. The security measures that prevented them from projecting their thoughts off-campus or influencing other’s minds have mysteriously failed. Pixie adds that whatever prevented her from teleporting have too. Handy, that. She supposes that she can now take them wherever they wish to go. Transonic says she wants to find Hope. With all that’s going on, she’s not sure that anyone’s bothered to ask what she wants. She owes her for some things that went on between them. Velocidad reckons that sounds good to him.
Surge tells X-23 that it looks like they’re heading off. She apologizes to Laura for going all ‘Mean Girl’ on her, especially after she stuck up for them. She’s glad Laura is back with them so she can make it up to her. Laura thanks her, but informs her that she isn’t back with them. She’s staying at the academy. Dust asks if she’s sure. “If this is about the things we said…” Laura assures her that it isn’t. Surge asks if the Avengers will be mad at her for taking their side. Hazmat reckons they won’t be any madder than they will at them. They’re the bad kids. They expect this kind of thing. Dust asks Laura if she can ask why. Laura thinks for a moment before replying that when she was uncertain what to do, Finesse helped her decide. She didn’t attempt to push her in any direction. She simply provided her with what she needed and expected nothing in return. She closes her eyes and says, “It was… nice.”
Laura hugs Dust, who tells her that if she ever needs them, they’ll be there for her, assuming the world doesn’t end, of course. Surge asks Pixie to take them out. She lights up and utters the magic words and, in a flash, they are gone. Tigra thanks God that’s over. They’re going to have some explaining to do once Cap and the others get back. Hercules asks her not to worry. He’ll do all the talking. Tigra sighs and reckons if they get lucky, the world will end. She then notices that they’ve left Loa behind. Loa turns and smiles. She explains that it was her call. She figured she’d hang out for a bit. She knows there’s a war going on and they are at a major turning point in mutant history, and tomorrow they could all die. She motions to the sea. “But have you seen those waves?”
Moments later, she and White Tiger are surfing, Mettle is chatting to Laura and Finesse has a relaxing sit down on the beach with Reptil. Tigra looks down at the having fun as Juston prepares to dive into the sea from his Sentinel’s hand. She asks Hercules if he thinks they did the right thing. Herc doesn’t know the answer to that, but he asks her to look at them. While their elders make war, they have found peace. If that is wrong, then he does not wish to be right. They head off towards the school. Tigra thinks they may have won the future of the whole Avengers versus X-Men thing. She only hopes the present lets them live to see it.


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What the Heart Wants part 1
(Avengers Academy, south campus border)Juston Seyfert stands on the cliff top, eye-to-eye with his giant Sentinel. He has a tool box with him because his Sentinel is in a bit of a mess. He intends to fix it but the robot reminds him that it is capable of self-repair. Juston replies that he knows it is, but he makes the repairs look good. As he prepares to light the blowtorch, the Sentinel detects a hostile mutant threat. Juston assures it that they are at the academy now. The mutants are their friends. However, he hears a snikt and quickly turns around to see X-23 standing there. She tells him that they need to talk about his Sentinel.
Juston admits that things got a little weird the other day. It was a bad idea to have him guard the mutant kids as he knows what Sentinels mean to them. “They exist to exterminate us,” she replies. Juston assures her that his Sentinel isn’t like that. He reprogrammed him so he’d never hurt a mutant now. “Destroy all mutants!” states the Sentinel, right on cue. Juston covers up his face and sighs. He reckons it’s some kind of glitch; something in his AI perhaps. It’s nothing major. It’s like a parrot saying a bad word that it overheard. Laura asks the Sentinel what its prime directive is. It replies that it will not abandon Juston ever, no matter what. Juston explains that his mom left when he was little and he guesses he has issues. But, she heard it herself. He’s perfectly harmless.
Laura asks the Sentinel to continue listing all directives. It explains that it will not only protect Juston, it will preserve and protect all life. It will not harm any living being except to protect Juston, itself or other living beings. It will also apprehend or destroy all mutants. Laura glances sideways at Juston who shrugs. “I can’t erase it,” he cries. He explains that the best he can do is to make it the least important directive and establish others that override it. It’s encoded into his makeup, he adds. He can’t figure out how to shut down ‘destroy all mutants’ without erasing his mind altogether. Laura replies that erasing its mind is what he must do.
Juston is alarmed and replies that he’s his friend, but X-23 tells him that it’s a machine; a machine programmed to kill. “So are you,” replies Juston, angrily. X-23 orders him to shut it down or she will. Juston stands in front of his Sentinel and reminds her that the school is where you get the chance to do something good with your life, no matter what you were made for. It’s a place where you don’t get punished for what you might do wrong or because bad people stacked the odds against you. If Laura doesn’t like that, he adds, then she can leave!
Before X-23 can blow a fuse, the White Tiger appears and asks Laura if there’s anything between her and Juston. She’s only asking because she was thinking of asking him to a Lila Cheney concert. But, if she has digs… Laura asks if she is attracted to him. Ava removes her face mask and replies that she likes the retro-grunge look, and he’s very sweet to his robot. “A genocidal killing machine,” replies Laura. Ava says that, to Juston, the Sentinel is like a pet. She asks Laura if she ever had one. Laura informs her that when she was small, at the facility, she was given a dog. She became attached to him but then she was ordered to kill him. Ava is shocked and asks if she actually did. Laura replies that she was told that if she didn’t, he would be taken from her and slaughtered slowly and painfully while she watched. Ava asks what she did. Laura explains that she held him as long as she was allowed. She told him she was sorry and thanked him for the happiness he brought her. Then, at the last possible moment, when they came for him, she…
Laura stops talking as the memories flood back. She turns and says that the robot isn’t alive. It’s not the same thing. She tells Ava that if she wishes to pursue Juston then she can go ahead. She doesn’t want to talk anymore.
(Global communications monitoring room)X-23 makes her way to the comms room and meets Hank Pym at his request. He wishes to discuss the X-Men situation. A television news report on the screens behind him comes from Siberia where a team of X-Men has established massive domes growing crops to feed the world. Over in the Middle East, weapons have been dissolved. X-23 tells him she’s not certain what he means. Hank motions to an image of Emma Frost on the screen and explains that he was there when Cyclops and the other four absorbed the power of the Phoenix. He was afraid of what might happen but, in the days since, they’ve done nothing but good. They’ve fed the hungry, quelled violence and brought clean water and power to all corners of the planet. The X-Men are spreading their utopia around the world. He tells Laura that she used to be one of them. If she wants to join them, leave the academy, then he’ll understand.
On screen, an image shows Colossus destroying stockpiled weapons. Another shows Emma Frost destroying an entire factory of mutant-hunting Sentinels, each intended to be able to defeat hundreds of mutants. Within minutes, she melted them to slag. From the reporter’s viewpoint, it seems that if the X-Men want peace, then that’s what they’re going to get. Laura tells Hank that she will stay at the academy. There is no place for her in Utopia.
As she leaves, Hazmat walks over to her and says she heard them talking about the Phoenix Five. She was wondering just how powerful they are. X-23 replies that she isn’t certain. Hazmat reckons they can do some pretty amazing stuff. Does she think they could make her normal again? She understands that they’re mad at the Avengers for trying to stop the Phoenix Force, but Laura is a mutant. Maybe if she asked them for her? Before Laura can respond, Striker appears and tells them that the Sentinel is totally freaking out. X-23, Hazmat and Giant Man all rush outside and see the Sentinel crouched down with its hand open. It says that there is an omega-level mutant threat. It transfers all its power to its combat systems and prepares to remove Juston and his friends to a secure area.
Juston asks it to take it easy and stand down. Hank asks what’s going on, but Juston admits that he doesn’t know. He just started saying something about an omega-level mutant threat or something, whatever that… is. Juston and Hank both look up simultaneously and see Emma Frost descend towards them. Hank says, “Hello Miss Frost,” but Emma replies that she is fire and life incarnate, but he can call her Emma. The Sentinel designates her as the threat and immediately sets Juston and Reptil down, takes to the air and attacks Emma with a burst of gunfire. Emma pushes her hand out and deflects the shells and thrusts the Sentinel into the dirt, forcing Juston off his feet as the robot impacts.
She apologizes to Hank Pym for disturbing his day as she understands the importance of structure and routine in a school. She’ll be on her way as soon as she’s melted the Sentinel. Juston screams, “No!” He informs Emma that the Sentinel is his friend and isn’t like other Sentinels. She replies that it’s exactly like other Sentinels. It attacked her didn’t it? Juston reckons it’s just that he’s never seen anything as powerful as her. But, he’s around mutants all the time and he’s never hurt any of them. She can ask around. Emma lands and spots X-23, telling her that she thought she would have returned to them by now. There’s no more schism and everyone’s together again. “Not Wolverine,” replies X-23. Emma admits that he’s quite stubborn, but she mustn’t exclude herself from Pax Utopia out of some misguided loyalty.
She suddenly realizes that this isn’t the reason at all. She states that Laura feels that she is damaged and that she doesn’t belong. But, she has the power to fix that now. She can do things she never dreamed of before. She can touch her mind and let her experience the benefit of years of therapy in an instant. She could make the traumas of her past seem like distant memories. She holds her hand out and asks Laura if she would like that. Laura immediately replies no. She’s already had her mind tampered with enough. Emma thinks that stubbornness must be in the genes. Ah, well, she sighs. Back to the business at hand.
X-23 informs her that the Sentinel has hurt no one, but its mutant-hunting directive remains an immovable part of its makeup. Emma replies that they were designed for one purpose - genocide. There is no place in Pax Utopia for such an obscenity. Hank tells her that he understands her position, but Juston really is bonded with it. Surely they can arrive at some sort of compromise. Emma admits that she does have a fondness for children. She suggests that she completely erases its central processing unit and remove its mutant-hunting directive along with everything else. Dr. Pym, she adds, is a master of robotics and artificial intelligence. He can create a new persona, one entirely benign. And, she continues, an aesthetic remodel. Something a bit less ‘death to all mutants’ and more ‘Iron Giant.’ They can’t have anyone getting the idea that Sentinels are an acceptable part of the world any longer.
Hank leans down and asks Juston if he thinks that is reasonable. Juston flips out. He says it sounds horrible. She’s just going to erase his mind, take away his personality and who he is, even though he’s worked so hard to be good. “No! I won’t let you.” Emma tells him that he’s anthropomorphizing a machine. It has no more personality than a toaster. She asks Dr. Pym to take control of his student. She has tarried much longer than she planned. She picks up Juston in a forcefield, but the Sentinel says, “Protect Juston. Countermeasures working. Engaged.” It blasts Emma with a sonic blast and she screams, holding her head. It then blasts her, transferring all power to its weapons. It tells Juston to run but, despite the assault, Emma turns and sets of a series of explosions within the Sentinel’s limb joints. It crumbles as she tells Hank that she will brook no further interference. She strongly suggests that he evacuate his students. What is about to happen is not suitable for children.
The giant Hank Pym grabs Juston and apologizes to him. He explains that they’re dealing with an incalculable power and she thinks they’ve provoked Emma as much as they dare. Striker points out that his Sentinel was just trying to protect him, but Hank replies that it’s just a machine. Striker grits his teeth and replies that Jocasta is just a machine. Now he gets why she left! Hank replies that he’s responsible for their safety. That’s a Phoenix back there, an unstable Godlike force that consumes entire planets. He can think of him as he pleases but he’s not allowing him to get in its way.
Emma focuses her power on the giant Sentinel, dissembling it piece by piece. She says it might be petty of her, but it might be the last Sentinel left on Earth so she’s going to enjoy taking it apart. Juston screams even louder as he struggles to break free of Hank’s grip. As he tries to break free, Mettle asks him not to look back. “Don’t do this,” cries Juston. He bows his head as tears pour down his cheeks. “I love him.”
X-23 remembers the words spoken by herself many years ago as she cuddled her dog and becomes angry. She leaps at Emma, slashing her with her claws. Emma is shocked and she asks what she’s doing. As several students move in to back up X-23, Hank sighs, “Oh, what the hell,” and tells Emma that he thinks the meaning is clear. If she wants the Sentinel, she’ll have to go through them!


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What the Heart Wants (conclusion)
(two weeks ago)It’s nighttime and Juston is with his Sentinel, which is projecting an image of his father in front of him. He tells his father that maybe he and Chris could come over and visit for spring break. His father replies that they’ll try to, but he’s not sure he can take the time off work. He tells his son that he still doesn’t understand what he’s doing at the academy. They miss him and believe he should be there with his family. Juston replies that the people back home freaked out over his Sentinel. The only way he could keep him was to come out to Avengers Academy.
His father grimaces and tells him that he isn’t like the other kids. He doesn’t have powers and he’s afraid he will get hurt. The Sentinel is a machine. He should give it back to the government. Juston says a flat out no. He thinks they’d melt him down because he’s outdated. Worse than that, they might make him hunt mutants again. His father asks him to stop calling it a ‘he.’ It’s not alive. His brother needs him. Juston turns his back and says they can’t have this fight again. He ends the transmission and then climbs onto the robot’s chest. He feels like sleeping outdoors again. He asks the Sentinel to repeat its prime directive. “Unit will not abandon Juston. Not ever. No matter what,” it replies. Juston says that’s right, and it works both ways.
(present)Juston is kneeling on his Sentinel’s chest. It is in pieces after being attacked by Emma Frost. His fellow students and Hank Pym are backing Juston up and Hank tells Emma to go. She isn’t wanted there. Emma replies that she’s always found him one of the less objectionable Avengers but he is sorely trying her patience. She informs him that the Sentinels were created to kill mutants. Such a thing cannot be allowed to exist and, now that she has the power of the Phoenix, it won’t! She asks nicely, one last time, for them to step aside. There is no need for them to get hurt defending something designed solely to be destructive. X-23 snikts her claws and replies that there is the best reason. “He is one of us!”
Finesse contacts Quicksilver and asks him to respond. Pietro’s image appears from her Avengers card and he asks what she wants. She informs him that they are under attack from Emma Frost. She is trying to destroy Juston’s Sentinel. “What?” he asks. “Is that all? Let her,” he adds. He’s disapproved of it from the start. Finesse says he doesn’t understand. In spite of whatever faults it may have, Juston loves it and it loves him. They need his help. Pietro replies that his sister needs his help. The Avengers need his help. She has no idea what’s going on in the world. She should let Emma melt the robot and she’ll go her way. The thing is a monster, tainted from the moment of its creation.
Finesse says her parents are criminals. His father is Magneto! Does he feel the same way about them? Pietro replies that he has no time for bleeding heart rhetoric. There are many things that merit his attention and this is not one of them. The Sentinel is an emotionless machine. It is of no benefit to anyone. Let it die! He signs off leaving Finesse to sigh that he is an emotionless machine and so is she. One of them will benefit someone.
Meanwhile, the Sentinel states that there are hazardous energy levels present and that Juston must take cover. Juston says no way. He needs help to put him back together. It replies that it is capable of self-repair, but Juston reckons it’ll go faster with him guiding it. He isn’t leaving it. He then orders it to open the cockpit. Emma takes the fight to the Avengers by taking out Giant-Man and Prodigy, but seems surprised that they would risk their lives for an abomination. Striker replies that some people think that’s what being gay makes him. He knows Emma doesn’t think that but, if she did, would it be okay to use her powers to try and make him straight? Emma tells him he is being ridiculous. Sentinels were built for violence. To kill. She takes out Lightspeed and blocks Striker with a forcefield.
Reptil is at full size as a T-Rex, so X-23 leaps from the top of his head towards Emma, saying that she was created to kill. She will show her. She strikes Emma across the chest but Emma has transformed into diamond and the claws slide off her. She warns Laura that she has a mind and can make choices, but she will not have the choice to cut her gain. As Laura and Reptil fall to Emma’s blasts, Hazmat informs Emma that she is radioactive. She could kill a whole city. She doesn’t have a choice about that. Will she fix her and make her normal again, because if not she’d better kill her. She assaults Emma but she shrugs off the attack.
Emma has finally had enough. She keeps several students at bay as the Sentinel rockets towards her. The palm of its hand glows white as it seeks to destroy her. “Ah, finally,” smiles Emma, “This is what I came for.” She unleashes a massive concussive burst of energy at the Sentinel which rips most of its outer layer away and thrusts it into the ground. Giant Man gasps but Emma asks him to stop. “It’s not as if it’s… alive?” Emma looks down at the shattered Sentinel and sees Juston lying there in the cockpit, seemingly unconscious or dead. Emma is shocked. She states that she didn’t sense any thoughts within. Hank replies that she wouldn’t have. He installed campus-wide scramblers to block mind-reading and control. He’s sure she could override them but she wouldn’t have known to try.
Emma is concerned and she asks how he is. Hank picks him up and informs her that thankfully he is just stunned. The Sentinel protected him. The machine tries to get up. “P… klik. Protect…” it groans. Despite having lost part of its body and the fact that it is on fire, the Sentinel gets up. Short-circuiting as it speaks, it reiterates its duty to protect Juston as it moves in Emma’s direction. Emma holds her hand out to protect herself from its attack. Juston wakes up and warns it that Emma will kill him. He has to run and get away. The Sentinel doesn’t hear him. It flies towards Emma so Juston orders it to obey its prime directive. “Repeat prime directive!” he asks. The Sentinel appears to stop and state that its prime directive is that it will not abandon Juston. Not ever. No matter what. However, with a spark of electricity, it manages to override its prime directive and goes back to protecting him. It raises its hand which glows with power. Emma takes to the air and as Juston runs towards them screaming, she obliterates the Sentinel, sending pieces of it all over the campus.
Juston sinks to his knees in despair. He believes that if his CPU survived he can still put him back together. Emma tells him no. She holds the CPU in her hand and melts it. “It’s over,” she states. She then folds her arms and informs Juston that usually she melts Sentinels down. This one, however, she took apart so he can reconstruct its body. As she said before, Dr. Pym can craft a new CPU, one that doesn’t include a drive to slaughter people like her. She considers this eminently merciful, but she can see that Juston disagrees. That’s fine, she adds. If he wishes to vent empty threats at her she’ll give him twenty seconds. Then, he has places to be.
Hank places a comforting hand on Juston’s shoulder and replies that he has no threats. He says that the Sentinel overrode its prime directive. He is one of the foremost experts on robotics in the world and he knows that this is impossible for a machine. Emma replies that it may be for a properly-functioning machine but this one most certainly wasn’t. She tells Laura that she’s returning to Utopia and she would very much like her to accompany her. A new era for mutants is beginning and she belongs with her people. Laura snarls back at her and warns her that if she ever sees her again she will kill her. Or, Emma will kill her. She would prefer either before going anywhere with her. Emma flies away, saying you can’t save the world without upsetting someone. For Laura’s own sake, she adds, she hopes she has no further reason to return to the academy.
Once Emma has gone, Hank Pym tells Juston that he’s not the kind of man who says empty words just to make people feel better, but when he tells him this he means it. He didn’t lose a machine today. He lost his best friend. He will never forgive himself for failing to stop it. Before Juston can respond, Quicksilver appears. Everyone turns to look at him. He is holding something in his hand. “Oh, please,” he says. “I’m getting nauseated just listening to you all. Really, I had to do this for the sake of my own sanity” Juston looks at the object in his hand and rushes towards him. He recognizes it immediately. Pietro tells him it’s his Sentinel’s CPU. He explains that once he saw Emma levitating it, he switched it with a unit from one of their training robots. They’re quite similar. It was all faster than her eye could see and their defenses prevented her from sensing his mind. It’s remarkable given the splitting headache Juston’s whining has given him.
Juston is aghast. He tells Pietro that he is a mutant. He must hate Sentinels. Pietro replies that the heart wants what the heart wants. Juston’s wants the Sentinel and his wants quiet. Juston doesn’t know how to thank him, but Pietro does. He asks Juston to keep his excessive displays of emotion to himself. Finesse, however, simply throws her arms around him and gives him a big hug. Pietro grins and reckons he may be able to stay a few moments longer.
(ten minutes later)Using his super speed, Quicksilver rebuilds the Sentinel from scratch. Juston asks if it’s really him. Hank asks him to check for himself. Juston asks the machine to state its prime directive. It replies that it will not abandon Juston. Not ever. No matter what. Juston grabs its face and says that’s right. Pietro asks Hank for a word. He explains that it’s getting bad out there and it’s only going to get worse. He then turns and heads away from the academy.
(the next day)Hank and Tigra gather the students outside. Tigra tells them that no one was seriously hurt yesterday but they were incredibly lucky. Hank adds that the war between the Avengers and the X-Men is escalating. They are hearing some frightening things. Quicksilver has gone back to his sister. Hawkeye is with the other Avengers and he thinks they are taking the fight to Utopia. He suspects this will not end well. He doesn’t think that Tigra and himself can run the place themselves as they can’t be there all the time.
Tigra tells them that what Hank is saying is that they’ve already been caught up in the conflict, but it isn’t like the war against the serpent when the entire world was under attack. This is the X-Men fighting the Avengers. The only reason that they are in any danger is that they attend a school called Avengers Academy. They believe that they should go back to their families. If that isn’t an option, then enough money will be provided for them to start over wherever they like. Hank lowers his head and apologizes for having to say this, but it really is for their own good. As of this moment, there is no more Avengers Academy.
Striker can’t believe it. He asks if they can come back when the war is over. Hank tells him he would like to say that is the case but he has the feeling that when this is over, the world will be a very different place.


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Final Exam part 1
(Kauai, Hawaii)Mettle and Hazmat are trying to relax on the beach. Watched by curious onlookers, however, it isn’t easy. Mettle’s body is red and metallic whilst Hazmat is contained within her yellow radiation suit. Hazmat has decided that true hell is being in paradise, watching everyone else enjoy it when you can’t. Mettle adds that with people taking pictures and posting them online, 4Chan has totally let him down. Hazmat thought they’d reopen the academy in a day, maybe two, but this Avengers vs. X-Men crap just keeps dragging on. Ken says that they’re totally breaking the rules of hero fights. At some point, you put aside your differences and team up. It’s like tradition. However, since Colossus sealed off their campus, he’s not even sure that reopening is an option. He never thought he’d miss being attacked by soul-eating aliens.
Hazmat receives a call in her helmet from Jeremy Briggs, who asks if she remembers giving him a piece of her boyfriend’s skin. She immediately stands and moves away from Ken, asking Briggs if he could be any less discreet. She never told Ken about their agreement so he didn’t get his hopes up. Jeremy informs her that she hasn’t enough faith in him. She’s talking to the Alchemist. Boy genius. Billionaire with powers on top. Failure is not in his vocabulary. He informs her that it’s done as promised. Hazmat can’t believe it, but Jeremy states that he can cure Mettle, and he can cure her too. He informs her that his jet will be landing at Lihue airport in an hour. He’ll send a limo for her. As Hazmat turns to see Mettle getting sand kicked in his face courtesy of a playful dog, Jeremy says that he knows they’ve been together a while now, but now can get ready to enjoy their first kiss.
(Florida, at the secret HQ of A.R.M.O.R.)The White Tiger and Reptil are in the presence of the sorceress Jennifer Kale. She determines that they both sport ancient and powerful magical artifacts. The two Avengers students already know this. What they need to know is whether they are good or evil. Jennifer replies that it’s not always that cut and dried. Unlike electricity, for example, magic is a spiritual force. It’s alive. It can grant tremendous power, but it usually wants something in return. Only they can decide whether the burden is worth the gift. But, they should remember this - if they take too long to make the choice, magic might make the decision for them.
She asks them to excuse her as there is a dimensional break occurring. The talking ducks again… White Tiger doesn’t even want to ask what that means. Reptil’s phone rings and one the other end is Hazmat. She asks him to come over, as she doesn’t particularly trust Jeremy Briggs. Reptil replies that neither does he. They can be in New York by tonight so he asks her not to do anything until they get there.
(Miami, Florida)Striker is with Lightspeed at his mother’s house. She has a new movie for them, but advises Julie that there are a few nude scenes… though they are tasteful. Striker reads the script and exclaims, “Manphibian! This is the best we can do? We’re famous?” his mother reminds them that they have no acting experience. This is how you start a career. Brandon reckons this is how you end one. He takes a wild guess and believes that if they sign the contract, the part of ‘sexy mom’ goes to her? She replies nonchalantly that they are interested in her on her own merits.
The phone rings inside the house. Striker zaps the script into oblivion and tells his mom she’s the worst mother of all time. She replies sarcastically that she’s a horrible person… trying to find her ‘unemployed’ son a job. Lightspeed appears with the phone. It’s Veil. She presses a button and a holographic image of Veil appears before them. She apologizes for the interrupting their road to stardom but they’re having a big moment for Mettle and Hazmat in New York and wondered if they’d like to join them. Giving his mom a withering glance, Striker replies that they’ll be there. He just needs five minutes to pack.
(the Savage Land)Finesse is with X-23. Jocasta contacts her by phone. She explains that she realizes the deep distrust they feel towards Jeremy Briggs and herself, but she hopes to convince them that they are wrong. If they like, they can come to New York and think of it as being there to protect their friends if it helps. Unless they are otherwise occupied, that is. Finesse replies that they’ll be there. Since the academy closed, she and Laura have been seeking other places where they might feel at home. It hasn’t gone well so they will see her soon. She ends the call as she and X-23 prepare to do battle with Brainchild and a horde of Savage Land creatures.
(later, in Manhattan. The Briggs Building)All the students have congregated to see what’s going on. Briggs says he isn’t shocked to hear that the academy has been closed down because of yet another ridiculous hero fight. It’s a good thing the Briggs Foundation is open for business, no matter how stupid the grown-ups are being. Jocasta quips that interpersonal relations are hardly her forte, but she suspects his smugness is not winning over any doubters. Reptil agrees. He warns Briggs that if he lays a finger on their friends without some serious proof he can do what he says, he’ll be in trouble. Veil steps in and tells him she knew he’d feel that way. The proof is right there.
Veil explains that her body was slowly losing cohesion. Within a few years, she was going to be as insubstantial as a ghost. They should notice the use of past tense. She is cured! Her friends are amazed at her statement and gather around to congratulate her. X-23 assures them that she’s not lying, or at least she doesn’t believe she is. Jocasta says she has the data to hand, a full molecular analysis. Finesse takes a quick look and reckons it looks in order.
Hazmat asks Briggs how he did it. He smiles and explains that the kids he recruited from the old Initiative program told him about something called S.P.I.N. Tech, a program cooked up by the government. It involves super-power-inhibiting nanobots. They’d depower just about any superhuman but each dose costs billions. It had to be tailor-made for the target and it had a high failure rate. So, he continues, waving his hand at a monitor, he got his hands on some, fixed some flaws and now they work on anyone. He explains that they read your DNA, find the code for when you were normal and put you back that way. If you were never normal, they use a baseline human genome as a guide, the point being that, thanks to his genius and Jocasta’s way with machines, they can make people just like regular folks.
Hazmat can’t believe what she’s hearing. “C-can we… can we…” is all she can utter. Briggs holds up a small aerosol device and says that’s why everyone is there. There is no need for needles as it’s aerosolized. He calls it Clean Slate. One pull on that and Hazmat’s days as a walking Chernobyl are over. She takes the device but Reptil warns her that it could be anything. Hazmat snarls that she doesn’t give a damn. She’s trying it. Mettle informs Briggs that Hank Pym always told him that if he negated his powers he would die, because all his skin had to be peeled off to make him like he is. Briggs admits that he was a tricky one, but he thinks he can grow back his skin using stem cells. They’re gonna have to go in through his mouth to access his bone marrow, however.
Reptil asks Ken to hang on. He is there to make sure that all this is on the level but he’s not coming close to being convinced. Behind them, Hazmat takes the aerosol spray and waits a moment. She then says that she is convinced. There is a Geiger counter built into her suit. It measures toxicity and guess what? It worked. She’s normal. She is free. Tears pour from her eyes and a broad smile reaches across her face as she removes her helmet. Ken is immediately convinced. He thanks Reptil for coming but he’s totally doing this. Humberto understands. Briggs asks if Ken will go with his assistants. They have a restoration tank set up in the next room.
Finesse looks around and asks who these people are. Where are the others - Machine Teen, Rocket Racer and the Initiative graduates? Jocasta replies that they are on missions, aiding humanity in whatever manner they think best. They’re using their powers for science, medicine and things so much better and more productive than battle. They believe this is the future - a better way. While the Avengers and X-Men fight each other like children, the children are changing the world.
Everyone follows Mettle into the next room and the assistants place him in a clear capsule where he is hooked up to some breathing apparatus. They then activate the machine and Mettle slowly begins to transform. His metallic skin fades away and his real skin begins to grow again. Hazmat cannot watch as Ken looks like he’s in agony. She asks someone to tell her if he’s okay. In no time at all, a hand taps her shoulder. “He’s fine,” says Ken. Hazmat turns to see him looking like a regular human being. He tells her that she’s never seen his real face before. Is it… okay? Hazmat leaps at him and plants a kisser on the lips.
Reptil is amazed at how fast Briggs managed to pull it off. Briggs smiles again and replies that they’re not dead or zombies, either. Ava admits that she likes her powers, but she’d love to have better control over them. Does Briggs think he can help her? He points to Sylvie, his blonde assistant and says that she and Lisa are the magic experts. They’d be glad to take a look and see what they can do. It’s her call. Reptil once again expresses his concerns but, seeing Jenny and Ken look so happy, he says that he may not like Briggs, but if he’s honest, he’s done everything he said he’d do. Briggs is glad to hear that. It means a lot to him. He asks him to remember what he said about changing the world. He thinks he just did, but he still wants his help.
Briggs asks them to remember the big super-powered fight that devastated cities, killed a whole bunch of people and changed absolutely nothing. “Which one? Am I right?” he asks only half-joking. They happen about every couple of months and their teachers are in the middle of one right now. They are caused by people with too much power and no sense. Well, he has the means to make sure that never happens again. He can take away that power. He is going to deploy Clean Slate around the world, let is spread and watch as it turns heroes and villains into regular dudes.
Both Veil and Jocasta are shocked at the very thought. Jocasta tells Briggs that this isn’t what they discussed. Their plan was to make it available to properly vetted law enforcement entities in specific situations… to be used on criminals. Briggs waves her argument away. He tells her that plans change and he didn’t spend this much money and work this hard to think small. These aren’t criminals raising hell right now. It’s ‘heroes.’ Jocasta replies that what he proposes is reckless and she will not allow it. Briggs looks at her and asks, “Won’t you now?”
Without warning, Jocasta slumps to her knees and closes her eyes. Briggs tells everyone to relax. He’s just kicked her out of the building to a spare body in their China office. She’ll be stuck there a while. He explains that he was afraid this might happen. It’s tough for her generation to adapt when the crunch time comes, to see what really needs to be done. Finesse tells Lightspeed that she knew he couldn’t be trusted. Julie tells Briggs that he’s crazy if he thinks he can depower all those heroes. Who’s gonna stop all the tsunamis and tornadoes and alien invasions? “Hello,” he replies. “Us. Why do you think I brought you all here?” He admits that down the road he might restore powers to those who deserve it and who can prove themselves responsible. He’s not a fanatic. He’s got powers himself. However, he’s making having powers a privilege and one you have to earn.
Finesse remarks that he is the one who will decide that. Briggs replies that they can take votes and do the spirit fingers like the Occupy Wall Street types. Whatever. They have more immediate problems, namely a few heavy hitters who won’t be affected by his tech. They include people like War Machine, those with natural skills such as Hawkeye and probably non-humans like Thor. They are going to be like Jocasta, offering knee-jerk reactions against him changing the status quo. He’ll need their help to stop them.
Reptil semi-transforms into a dinosaur and tells Briggs that if he needs their help that proves he’s crazy. Briggs replies that he’s already helped. He and his friends have a nice cross-section of powers from different sources and a wide variety of manifestations. That’s why he invited them all; even the ones he figured would be buzzkills. They were the perfect test cases for Clean Slate. “Oh, right,” he adds with a smirk. “I forgot to mention… you’ve been breathing it for the last five minutes.” Reptil continues his transformation and changes into a velociraptor. He tells Briggs it didn’t work on him. Finesse grabs two Billy clubs and informs him that her fighting skills are intact. X-23 snikts her claws and simply growls at him.
Briggs reminds them that he still has his powers, too. He made sure he was immune to Clean Slate. He turns her weapons into steam and asks her to note that he did it to them and not her. He is then joined by the three lab assistants who turn out to be Big Zero, Enchantress and Coat of Arms. He explains to the students that he developed an antidote, too. Anyone who proves they’re responsible enough get to keep their powers. His three assistants started out calling themselves the Young Masters after the Masters of Evil and then they tried running with the Young Avengers. In the end, he adds, it doesn’t really matter how you label yourself… hero or villain. You’re part of the problem.
Big Zero grows in size and grabs X-23 in her enormous fingers. Briggs explains that they came to him for a second chance to do something that matters. He didn’t trust them at first and he made them prove that they meant it. They let him depower them and make them earn it back. They’ve done that a dozen times over. They understand that the old model doesn’t work because they’ve been burned by it. They’re ready to be the start of something new.
Coat of Arms attacks Finesse with a dagger and Finesse only just manages to get away with a sliced uniform. Coat of Arms tells her that the hero/villain paradigm worked as art for a while but art has to evolve. When you think about it, de-powering every superhuman on Earth is a brilliant idea. As a performance piece, it beats the Civil War all hollow. The Enchantress uses her magic to levitate Reptil and she holds him up in front of Jeremy Briggs. He thanks her and then lifts Humberto’s top up revealing the glowing amulet in his chest. He informs him that Clean Slate doesn’t work on magic which means he has to get creative. Sometimes it’s just best to rip off the bandage. He grabs the amulet and yanks it from Humberto’s chest. He cries out in pain as Briggs turns his attentions to X-23.
He informs her that her healing factor’s gone and that she’s probably dying from adamantium poisoning. If she stops fighting, he’ll fix her up. He tells them all that there’s no need for any of this. He turns to see the struggling students. He knows that some of them aren’t on board. That’s fine, he says. He’s not going to kill them or put them in deathtraps. That’s not how he rolls. But, they cannot leave until after he’s released Clean Slate. It won’t be long, though, and until then he’ll keep them locked up but comfortable.
Briggs then turns to the others; Veil, Hazmat and Mettle. He informs them that he’s given them their lives back and, as for Striker, he can make him more famous that he ever dreamed of. He asks him to imagine being the last super hero on Earth. Striker is lost for words. Briggs adds that it’s over. The old ways are lost. This is their chance to write the future.
Finesse continues her fight with Coat of Arms. “Right, I’ve about had it with this dance, Audrey Hepburn,” snarls Coat of Arms. “You throw that thing and it’s all over.” Finesse tells her she’s correct and she hurls a shuriken at some cables above them. Big Zero warns everyone to look out just as the cables explode, leaving a hole in the floor. When the smoke clears, Briggs and his team sees that Finesse and her team have gone. He tells his assistants to find them. If they’re alive they should get them medical attention and then lock them up. He turns to the students and tells them it’s decision time. Are they with him or not? Veil pauses, but Striker steps up and replies, “We’re with you.” Briggs is pleased and he asks them to follow him. They have a lot to talk about.
Briggs asks Enchantress and Coat of Arms to analyze the artifacts. They’re going to need a hell of an arsenal to take on Dr. Strange and his allies. Big Zero turns to Coat of Arms and asks if Briggs is serious about giving these punks medical attention. They almost killed them all! Coat of Arms replies that she doesn’t think it matters. There’s no way they’ll make it out alive if she knows what she means. Big Zero tells her that they’re definitely on the same page.
Down below in the hole lie Lightspeed, Finesse, Reptil and White Tiger and none of them are moving.


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Final Exam, part two of four
(The Briggs Building, sub-basement)Lightspeed, Finesse and White Tiger pick themselves up after Finesse blew a hole in the floor for them to escape into. Reptil, however, is in bad shape. Julie tries to wake him up as she can hear the bad guys coming for them. With their powers gone, she can’t do this alone.
Finesse helps White Tiger to her feet and informs Julie that he should only be stunned. She caused the collapse, so the support beams would fall in such a way as to provide protection. Julie asks if she still has her powers. Finesse replies that she doesn’t. She can no longer duplicate the actions of others, but she does retain the knowledge and skill sets that she’s already acquired. As they both help X-23 to her feet, Finesse explains that Laura was able to extend her claws before Briggs stole her powers. However, without her healing factor, the special metal coating them is slowly killing her. Extending the claws has lessened the problem but it hasn’t solved it.
Laura weakly replies that she’s fine and she can still fight. Above them they hear a ‘thoom’ and Finesse reckons it must be Big Zero. They need to form a plan. White Tiger can’t believe that she’s thinking about a plan. What about Reptil? She thought she cared about him. Finesse replies that panicking will not help him. He will be fine. She says the words again to herself, as if willing him on.
Up above, Big Zero moves massive chunks of masonry with her huge hands. She didn’t sign on for this, she says, so she hopes to kill at least one of the academy students; hopefully the Mexican. Coat of Arms replies, using radio contact, that they discussed this. Jeremy doesn’t like this kind of talk. She’s supposed to be a reformed racist. She should maintain radio silence unless she finds something. She’s not even sure the boss wants them to kill them. Big Zero replies that he might be paying them but he’s not her boss. She does what she wants. Coat of Arms, currently in her mystic study, tells her in that case she should make sure they’re flattened in such a way that it could have been caused by rubble instead of her fists. She adds that she is analyzing Reptil and White Tiger’s amulets which is a little more complicated than moving rocks.
Ending radio contact, Big Zero snarls to herself, calling Coat of Arms a smug little art school snob. If she keeps talking to her like that, she’ll see if some rubble can’t fall on her. As she moves more stones, she comes across X-23’s right arm. Before she can lift anything else, X-23 slashes her ankle with her claws and Finesse leaps at Big Zero’s face, almost toppling her and the others run from their hiding places. Big Zero grins, happy that they’re all alive. Even better is that they are putting up a fight. She smashes Finesse out of the way, but X-23 slashes her again on her ankle. Big Zero brings her fists down on Laura, crushing her into the floor. Reptil, Lightspeed and White Tiger, all powerless, are making their escape but Reptil turns to see Laura get caught. He wants to do something but Julie tells him they must stick to the plan.
Meanwhile, Finesse leaps backwards as Big Zero’s fists come down towards her. She informs the giant that they’ve trained against Giant Man. An enlarged human is still human and, without an Achilles tendon, you cannot stand. “Just need one to…” replies Big Zero. “Balance?” asks Finesse. “Wrong.” She knees Big Zero in the face which topples her. Once she is down, White Tiger, Reptil and Lightspeed shove a pile of rocks down on top of her from above, knocking her out.
Reptil is concerned that they may have fractured her skull, but Finesse is not so caring. Instead she helps Laura, who is weakening every second. Reptil knows this is bad. They have to get out of there. Julie reckons that is exactly what Jeremy Briggs will expect. He’ll have security measures in place and when he releases his power-neutralizing nanobots, the whole world’s in trouble. They need to get their powers back and stop him. Reptil admits that he’s not even sure they can get them back. Julie replies that Jeremy said he took the Young Masters’ powers away then made them earn them back. He has an antidote and they just need to find it. Reptil reckons it’ll be heavily guarded and Julie agrees. She thinks that, before they fight their way in, they need to get the magic items that give her and White Tiger their powers. The bad guys think that they’re dead, so when they find out they’re not they will expect them to run. Instead… they’re gonna go Die Hard on these jerks.
(the penthouse suite)Ken and Jenny are getting to know each other by touch. She brushes his cheek and tells him that he’s soft. He jokes that it’s not what a guy wants to hear. Jeremy Briggs enters and says there’s no need to thank him. They can just help him save the world and they’ll call it even. He asks them to take a couple of hours for themselves and use them however they want. The suite is all theirs; total privacy. But, they are releasing Clean Slate that night and there is going to be a world of de-powered folks who aren’t happy and some whose powers won’t have gone away. He’ll want them around to talk to any Avengers who show up. Thor, Dr. Strange… they can explain to them that what they’re doing is right. “Until then… don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Spoiler alert; I’d do a lot.”
As Briggs departs, Jenny asks about their friends. He replies that there is no word yet, but they will get medical attention. He’s sure that they’ll be fine, though he still can’t believe they’ve been so brainwashed that they would risk their own lives. He asks them to put it out of their minds. When he knows something he’ll let them know. This is their moment and they should make the most of it. Once he has gone, Ken and Jenny kiss passionately. Jenny soon breaks away and turns her head. She tells him she can’t stop thinking about them. Ken admits that he can’t either. Is it wrong that he’s also so damn happy? Jenny strokes his cheek again and smiles. If it is, she replies, then they’re both horrible people. They kiss once again, whilst elsewhere…
Jeremy goes to a lounge where Enchantress and Striker sit on a couch and Veil stands near the huge windows. “The others?” asks Veil. Briggs informs them that there is still no news from Big Zero. It could take a while to dig them out. He tells them that he hates to seem cold, but they need to stick to the timetable. Jocasta is secured in his China office but he wouldn’t put it past her to find a way out and warn the Avengers. Enchantress asks if he knew that Striker had an agent. He said he’d get her a meeting. And, he’s just taped a Morning-O’s commercial. “That’s great Sylvie,” he replies with little-to-no enthusiasm.
Striker asks when he’ll get his powers back, because if he’s going to be taking on Avengers he’ll need to be able to throw down with them. Briggs asks him to take it easy. Like he said, he’ll get his antidote when he’s earned it. Veil asks if she has to earn it too. Briggs replies of course not. The antidote to Clean Slate is permanent. Once your body has immunity, it’s always there. He explains that her powers would have made her insubstantial as a ghost in a few years. He’d never ask her to go back to that. He’s doing this to make the world better for people like them. For everyone!
As he leaves, he asks them to work on their statements. He wants them ready to be taped and ready for release in two hours and they should be sincere. Joe six-pack has to believe they are just like him. He tells them they’re doing great and adds that he’ll be back soon. Sylvie gets straight into her rehearsals. Veil and Striker exchange a glance as she speaks. Brandon asks if she’s on board with the whole ‘No more super heroes’ thing. Veil replies that things are getting worse. “All those people who died in the war with the Serpent…” Striker reminds her that the Serpent was Asgardian. Clean Slate wouldn’t have worked on him or his army of monsters and Nazi robots. Veil says he’s right, but then Thor and Iron Man and a few others would have been around to fight them. Striker adds that Jeremy did say he would give him powers back to those who can prove they can use them responsibly.
They both know that they are trying to talk themselves into doing this. Striker rubs the back of his neck and tells her he’s going to go run lines. As he turns, Sylvie asks if he can help her rehearse. She’s been taking classes - the Stella Artois technique. “Stella Adler,” replies Brandon. “Stella Artois is a beer.” She laughs and calls it a blonde moment. Striker smiles back at her and asks how Jeremy is going to give her power back exactly. She explains that he never actually took her powers away, because they’re magic. With Coat of Arms, he just locked up her coat but she saw how he did it with Big Zero. She then says that Jeremy told him he wasn’t ready yet. Is he thinking about going behind his back?
Striker stutters a little and then lowers his head, saying he feels stupid even saying this. He informs her that, from the time he was a little kid, he always knew he was meant to be something special. There he was, trapped in this tiny life in a tiny place full of tiny people who didn’t even know how insignificant they were. He started to think that he’d be stuck there forever… that he wasn’t special after all. He started believing the people who told him to forget his dreams.
Then, he got his powers and everything changed. It was like waking up; like his real life was finally starting. The world was realizing what he always knew. Now, he knows it’s lame, but this whole time, in the back of his mind, he’s been waiting for someone to say, “Sorry. There’s been a mistake. You weren’t meant to have this. Go back to your loser life, loser. ” Not having his powers… it’s like that finally happened. He feels like that lost kid again. Enchantress flaps her hands dramatically to cool herself down and cries, “Oh, my gosh. What you just said… It’s me. It’s my life.” Striker shrugs and asks what are the odds of that.
(elsewhere)Finesse and her companions are sneaking through the building. She uses a throwing star to disable a camera. Julie asks if disabling the camera won’t raise the alarm. She replies that it will, but at least they won’t know their exact location or how many of them there are. White Tiger can tell that her amulets are on the same floor as them. She can feel them. Julie takes charge and tells them that she and Finesse will go up a few floors and take out some more cameras. It’ll throw them off their trail. The rest of them can wait there. Ava begins to shiver and Reptil asks if she’s okay. She replies that her brother Hector talked about this. If he was separated from the tiger amulets it hurt. Reptil asks if she means like withdrawal.
Ava snaps at him and tells him he makes her sound like a drug addict. It’s not that way at all. Humberto asks her to hold on. That’s not what he’s saying. Ava sighs that it’s what Hector once said. It’s why he gave them up the first time. They were taking over his life. She says that she’s doing this, being the White Tiger, to honor his memory, but what she never tells anyone is that he wouldn’t have wanted her to. He’d be horrified if he could see her like this. So who is she doing it for, she asks. My family… or me?
Reptil says that he thinks he knows what she means. But, he doesn’t think it matters why you do something. The important thing is that you do it. He admits that he’s been wasting his power. Talking about being a hero, finding his parents, being a leader… he had all these grand plans but what has he actually done? If they get a second chance, she can do anything she wants; and she can trust him when he says that from what he knows about her, Hector couldn’t help but be proud of that. They turn when X-23 coughs. Ava chastises herself for whining when Laura is hurt and asks if she is okay. Laura replies that she is dying. She finds it interesting that she she’s thinking about things she hasn’t done that she won’t get chance to do. She wonders if this is how the people she killed felt.
Humberto leans over to her and replies that she’s going to get her powers back and she’ll be able to do all those things. Laura raises her fist with her claws still extended. She tells him that there is one thing she will do. Jeremy Briggs is using people and making rules for them that don’t apply to him. He is treating them as his lab experiments… as his property. This has been done to her before and it’s not right. She will live long enough to stop him.
Julie asks if everyone’s set to go. The way she sees it they get exactly one shot. Strike hard, strike fast and take ‘em by surprise. Moments later, they charge towards the lab, but they are surprised when Coat of Arms blasts them backwards. She tells them they are dense. As she holds out several blades in her numerous hands, she dangles the two amulets teasingly in the others. Did it not occur to them that if they could sense their amulets, the amulets could sense them? She explains that they’ve been having a heart-to-heart and it seems they’re feeling unappreciated. She can offer them so much more. Of course, she adds, the way magic works, they’re bonded to them so they shouldn’t take the fact that she’s going to kill them personally.
(meanwhile)Enchantress explains to Striker that Jeremy keeps the antidote in a vault but it has, like, super-quadruple locked retina scans and all that movie stuff. Only he can open it. It’s also blocked against teleporters, phasers and magic. She then casts a spell that goes back in time to when Jeremy opened the vault for Big Zero. With the defenses down, she takes out one vial, telling Striker that he won’t miss one vial out of a hundred. “And they all think I’m stupid,” she adds. Striker doesn’t know what to say. Sylvie asks him not to say anything, but to keep it on the low until Jeremy gives it to him himself or they get attacked. As Striker swallows the vial’s contents, she asks him not to forget how powerful she is or what she’ll do if he gets naughty.
Striker gives her a hug and thanks her, telling her that she’s a really nice kid. Sylvie thanks him back for not double-crossing her. He asks what kind of a jerk he would be if he did that. Besides, she’d have been ready for it, right? “Ha,” she laughs. “You got me.” Striker raises his hands and begins to manipulate his newly-restored power. He informs her that there is already electricity inside her brain. He can just tweak it a little and affect her vestibular system to make her dizzy. As she drops to her knees and throws up, he apologizes to her but then turns to Veil. He tells her he’s going to find the others and take Jeremy down. Does she want in? Veil puts her hand up and replies that she doesn’t want her powers back.
Jeremy Briggs then appears and zaps Striker using his own power. He reels from the attack and drops the vial. “Well, I’m glad to hear that, at least,” says briggs. He stands over Striker and tells them there is a fight coming. He needed to know whose side everyone was on, fast, and get those who aren’t with the program out of the way. He tells Striker that he really disappointed him. He thought he, of all of them, would have seen the bigger picture. He wanted his powers back? Fine. He’s got them but it’s at a cost. He will show Striker what it’s like for normal people who get caught up in his fights. He jacks up the salt content of Brandon’s sweat which helps conduct the electrical power inside him. Striker sparks wildly and cries, “Make it stop!” Briggs is hurled backwards and he asks Enchantress for a little help.
Veil dashes into the next room where Ken and Jenny are standing arm in arm. “They’re killing him,” she cries. Jenny asks if she couldn’t have knocked. Ken asks who’s killing who. Veil explains that Striker stole the cure for Clean Slate in order to give everyone their powers back and fight Jeremy, except it was a trap and Briggs is murdering him. Jenny replies that she knew there was something off about that guy. Veil holds out the vial and explains that she now has the cure. There’s only enough left for a couple of them. She’s going to take it in order to save him but she can’t do it alone. Jenny asks if she’s serious! They just got to be normal again after all this time. Veil says she knows. She doesn’t want it either but then they didn’t hear his screaming. There was smoke coming from his face and a smell… like bacon. Veil scrunches her eyes and replies that she’s not going back to that.
Veil reiterates that they’re going to kill him. Ken reaches out his hand and says he’ll do it. “No!” cries Hazmat. “Don’t you dare.” She grabs his arm but he reminds her that they’re his friends. As much as he loves to rank on them, they’re her friends, too. Veil can’t believe it. They didn’t have enough time together, she exclaims. It wasn’t enough. Ken says that it was for him. He got to kiss her and feel her skin against him. If he has to he can go the rest of his life on that memory. He can live with it, but he can’t live with letting those guys die. “I love you,” says Jenny. “I love you, too,” replies Ken. They kiss passionately for the last time and then Ken swallows half of the antidote. He hands it over to Veil, but Jenny intercepts it. “No, let me,” she says. Ken is surprised and Veil tells her she can’t do that. She was so miserable. Jenny asks them both to shut up. She’s the most powerful of them and she isn’t letting her friends die either, or the guy she loves. Ken asks her not to do this for him. He definitively couldn’t live with that. “And I couldn’t live without you,” replies Jenny as she takes the antidote.
She asks how long it’ll be before her powers kick in, but she doesn’t have to wait long. Power returns to her hands with a green glow. She turns to Ken with tears in her eyes and tells him she wanted one last kiss. Looks like she doesn’t even get that. Ken looks at his body and wonders why he’s still normal. Veil admits that she doesn’t know. Hazmat’s now glowing pretty bright so maybe they should get some distance. Jenny opens the door to leave and asks them to find her containment suit. She’ll go pay Jeremy a visit. He’s got some things to answer for!”


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Final Exam, part three of four
(The Briggs Building)Jeremy Briggs has attacked Striker, leaving him on his knees and in a great deal of pain. Enchantress uses a containment spell to keep him there but she is genuinely shocked when she sees what has happened to his face. Briggs guesses he got a little carried away, but justifies it by saying Striker betrayed him.
Hazmat, on the warpath, enters the room and blasts them both. “You mean he said he said he’d help you, then used you?” she cries, adding that they’re right. People like that don’t deserve to live. Enchantress tells Briggs that she could zap her away if she gets a chance to focus, but Briggs reckons they should get out of there before she gives them cancer. They need to prioritize. The plan is still on, only it’s now moved up. They need to release Clean Slate as soon as possible. Enchantress puts up magical defenses as they flee, leaving Jenny alone with Striker.
She tells him that she doesn’t want to get too close to him, even with the forcefield. When she asks if he’s okay, Striker turns and looks up at her. His skin has burned away leaving him with marked lines reaching out from the centre of his face. “Do I look okay?” he cries. Veil and Mettle then arrive having found Jenny’s containment suit. They see Brandon and Veil is clearly shocked by his appearance, but he tells her he’s okay. He can fight. She adds that the containment suit is locked away, but if Striker could short the electronic lock then they could retrieve it. He replies that Enchantress’ magic bubble is finally dissipating so she can lead the way.
Mettle says he wishes he’d been there to see her spank that slimeball. Jenny asks him not to come any closer. He might want to leave the room, actually. Ken replies that he’s figured out what happened; why he didn’t change. His powers only manifested the first time he got hurt real bad. Norman Osborn spread it all over his body by cutting off his skin. Jenny thinks that’s good. It means he can stay normal and she can handle Briggs. “Nah,” he replies. “You’re gonna need me.” He walks towards her and she asks what the hell he’s doing. He keeps coming and she puts her arms up to try keep him away. She reminds him that he’s got a second chance. He can go live a normal life and be happy. Ken holds out his hand and tells her that that’s the plan.
Jenny reluctantly takes his hand and closes her eyes. “We had so little time,” she sighs. They kiss each other and Ken tells her she’s wrong. They have the rest of their lives. And, she was wrong about something else, too. They do get one last kiss. His skin then begins to peel away and it leaves him back as he was, a red, metallic Avenger. Meanwhile, Veil and Striker go grab the suit and return to find Ken in his previous state. Hazmat asks her to toss the suit over and Ken adds that they have some spoiled rich kid ass to kick.
(Coat of Arms’ mystic study)The rest of the students are in battle with Coat of Arms, who defends herself well using her extra arms. Reptil and White Tiger try to grab their amulets off her, but she uses the objects against them, informing them that they don’t want them anymore. Reptil’s amulet turns into a dinosaur’s head and it snaps at him with its large teeth. White Tiger’s amulet glows green and knocks the wind from her with its mystical energy. Coat of Arms explains that they didn’t do right by the amulets. They didn’t give them what they wanted and now they’ve found someone who will. It’s like a relationship, she adds. It’s about compromise. She went through it with her coat. Does it influence her? Sure. She’s different to how she was when she found it. But, they are better together. That’s what magic is all about. It’s a two-way street and they are roadkill.
Reptil can’t believe his amulet attacked him. White Tiger too is shocked that her tiger amulets rejected her. Reptil figures they should run. They can’t win this. Lightspeed asks if they were even listening. She explains that Coat of Arms controls the amulets because she wants them more. If they want them they are going to have to fight for them. “We tried,” replies White Tiger, but Julie tells her she didn’t try hard enough. Ava asks her to look at Coat of Arms, currently fighting X-23 and Finesse. She’s an addict. She has all this magic and she wants more. She doesn’t want to be like that. She’s already going through withdrawal.
Reptil agrees. He says he’s already hearing that he’s some kind of ‘chosen one’ and that he has a destiny. He’s not sure he wants it. Besides, he and Ava have both lost control and gone feral… hurt people. She doesn’t know what that’s like. Julie accepts that, but what she does know is that it’s easy to go through life taking what comes your way, doing what other people expect you to. Going with the flow. They both talk about wanting to be in control of their lives. Well, guess what? “You’re not!” She clenches her fists passionately and says they won’t until they choose the path they take, knowing the advantages and sacrifices that go with it. Not until they own who they are.
Julie turns and picks up a small gas burning torch. She says that she is finally doing that with her life; being who she wants to be. It was a long time coming and she’s not giving it up without a fight. They don’t want their artifacts? Fine. Then they can make that choice and do what they have to do without them. But, she adds, “Do something.” She re-joins the fight and burns Coat of Arms’ hand, but she shrugs off the attack and stabs Julie in the left arm, telling that there’s nothing sadder than a washed-up super hero. She advises Julie that her best career move is to die.
Julie groans in pain and falls backwards into Reptil’s arms. She tells them that it hurts, but it’s not bad and now she has a dagger. “No,” replies White Tiger taking hold of the weapon. “I do.” She asks Reptil if they’re gonna let that poser steal their gimmicks. “Not without a fight,” he snarls. The pair of them attack with Reptil using the war cry ‘Avengers Academy Assemble!’ Coat of Arms, already fending off Finesse and X-23 loves the catchphrase but doesn’t appreciate the added attention of two more people to fight. She defends herself against White Tiger’s knife attack, but the she and Reptil grab their respective amulets and a burst of magical energy envelopes the room.
Ava finds herself in an empty white space with nothing but her and a strange, green tiger. Licking his paw, he tells her that he doesn’t know why she is there. He didn’t think they had anything left to talk about. Ava looks at the creature and asks, “You’re… the amulets?” He replies that he isn’t, but he is the power behind them. He asks why she is bothering him. Ava replies that she wants the power back. The tiger stands and walks around. He replies that he thinks she means his power, and as he recalls, she considered him a burden. A curse. Ava cries no! Only when she lost control. Only when…
The tiger turns to her and asks if she means only when he had a moment of freedom? Did she think he would bestow his power without a price? He asks her to leave. He now has a host who appreciates him. Ava informs him that he’s just a part of Coat of Arms’ collection; one of her many toys in her endless pockets. What does he want in order to return to her. What would it take? He replies that he would like just one day in each cycle of her moon to himself. The rest are hers. Ava says that is fine, but the tiger adds that it’s not enough. It asks why she wants her power. Ava replies that it’s to stop her enemies and save her friends. “Not enough,” replies the tiger. She says it’s because it hurts without them. The tiger replies that it’s an even worse excuse and also a lie. Ava snaps at him that it’s because it is her legacy! Because it’s hers. Because she is the White Tiger! The tiger leaps at her and replies, “Yes.”
(meanwhile)Reptil has been taken to his own magical place by touching the amulet. He finds himself in a prehistoric land beside the sea. Standing there is a strange woman with long white hair and wearing a black fur over her body. She holds a wooden staff. “Chosen one,” he says. “You disappoint me.” Reptil looks around at the dinosaurs and replies that he’s been disappointing himself lately. He asks who she is. He’s seen her before in his visions. The woman replies that she is the Hag of the Pits. She created the amulet so that one day Reptil may one day save his world. But, she adds, a champion cannot be forced to be a champion. He must choose it.
Humberto gets the reference. Joseph Campbell, the Hero’s Journey. He asks if he can really boil down someone’s life to a neat little formula. The Hag slaps him across the face and tells him to stop talking. She offers him the power he once had but he should take it with full knowledge of the price in that he must one day fight for the creatures whose strength he possesses; with the knowledge that he may well die in so doing. Is that what he wants? “More than anything,” replies Humberto.
(meanwhile)Coat of Arms lies on the floor, wondering what just happened. Standing over her are Reptil, who transforms into a Triceratops, and White Tiger, whose amulets dangle around her neck glowing proudly. Reptil reminds her that she said magic is a two-way street. Well… she’s about to get run over. Coat of Arms stands and readies her daggers, asking if they think that this changes anything. She has an endless supply of magic items and six arms to use them with. Do they think this makes a damn bit of difference? X-23 and White Tiger both leap towards her and slash her across the stomach with their own knives. Reptil then uses his massive head as a battering ram and puts her down for the count. “Yeah,” quips White Tiger. “I’d say it does.”
Hazmat, Mettle, Veil and Striker then appear. Jenny tells them it was easy to find them. They just followed the sound of the mayhem. Striker asks what’s happened. They were… cured? Julie sees his face and is shocked to see the marks that have burned across it. Striker tells her it’s an occupational hazard. He’ll give her the gory details later. For now, they have to stop Jeremy before he takes away every hero Earth’s got. Finesse holds up X-23 and says that first they must restore Laura’s powers. She will not survive much longer. Weakly and bravely, Laura replies that she’ll be fine. Reptil believes they should split up but Striker reckons it’s a bad idea. The antidote is under heavy security and it’ll take them all to reach it. Hazmat points out that Jeremy’s releasing Clean Slate now! “Then I guess we have a choice to make,” replies Striker.
Between them, Reptil (in his Triceratops form) and Mettle smash open a solid metal door. Julie points to a panel and asks Striker to hit it with an electromagnetic pulse. It should disable all remaining security measures. However, Julie sees a problem and so does Finesse. She points out that there is not nearly enough of the cure to counteract a worldwide spread of Clean Slate. Veil, holding Laura as she takes some of the antidote, reckons that Briggs obviously planned on doing a lot less re-powering than de-powering. Reptil adds that even if they can make more, most of the world’s heroes will be powerless for who knows how long. What if there’s an alien invasion, he asks, or some kind of cosmic crisis? The whole planet will be pretty much defenseless. X-23 gets a little renewed strength and says they will make sure that does not happen.
The team makes its way to the roof as Lightspeed figured out that that’s where Briggs would be. Sure enough they find him standing there with his arms folded. He tells them that he is in awe of their detective skills, but not so much of their timing. The weapon carrying Clean Slate is deployed with several rockets being fired skywards. “Clean Slate is already deployed,” he exclaims. “Welcome to the future.”


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Final Exam, part four
(The Briggs Foundation, Manhattan)Rockets carrying a weapon called Clean Slate take to the air as the Avengers Academy students look on. Reptil points them out to Lightspeed, who takes off in pursuit. Briggs asks Enchantress to intervene so she blasts Lightspeed with a spell that stops her in her tracks. Briggs tells the kids that they are stupid. He can give them all seizures by changing the chemistry in their brains and Sylvie could turn them into toads with a thought. He explains that Clean Slate is deployed and by tomorrow the only people who will have powers are the ones he says will. They are beaten but don’t even get it.
As he speaks, Mettle brings his giant fists onto the ground, smashing everyone off-balance. This allows X-23 to have a go at slashing Briggs, but unfortunately she only just slices his stomach. Hazmat also takes the opportunity to blast Enchantress and then Striker zaps them both with a powerful electric strike. “That, was a mistake,” says Mettle as he stands over Briggs. Lightspeed manages to pick up where she left off and she races after the rockets. She contacts Veil by radio and asks if she’s tracking the missiles. Veil monitors them on a screen and informs Julie that she is, but they are starting to separate. If even one gets through…
She asks Julie just how fast she is. “Fast enough,” she replies as she flies above one of the rockets and pulls apart the wiring inside it. As long as she knows where the missiles are, she can handle this. Veil tells her she’s with her and Julie replies that, in that case, they have a chance and should make it count.
Back on the rooftop, Briggs can’t believe that they actually hurt him. Not much can and he’s not a fan. He turns to Mettle and tells him to try breathing chlorine gas. Green gas pours out of Ken’s mouth, but he simply grabs Briggs by his shirt and explains that he doesn’t breathe anymore… because of him! He smashes his fist into Briggs’ stomach, winding him and he tells him to feel what it’s like. Enchantress uses a spell to trap the others in the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak but combining their powers, White Tiger and Reptil manage to destroy it. Sylvie is amazed. They shouldn’t be able to break the bands. They’re magic! “So are we,” replies Ava as Reptil turns into an Ankylosaurus. He swings his tail at her and the distraction allows White Tiger to get in close and use her claws to scratch several lines down her face.
Sylvie cries out and says she shouldn’t even be there. As she touches the blood seeping from her wounds, she tells them she doesn’t care what they do. She doesn’t care who has powers and who doesn’t. She came because she was tired of super hero fights. She wanted more out of life, but it’s all the same old drama. “And this is totally going to scar!” She informs Briggs that he lied to her and she’s going home. As he begs her not to leave him, she disappears in a puff of smoke.
Reptil doesn’t give Briggs a chance to think and orders the others to charge him. As they rush towards him, Briggs snarls at them and says this is what he meant. He’s trying to save the world and they think they know better because they’re the ’good guys.’ Fine, he adds, they want him to be the bad guy then they can say hello to the bad guy. Bursts of fire shoot from the roof.
(meanwhile)Lightspeed takes out another rocket which explodes in mid-air. She asks Veil where the next one is. Veil informs her that they’re nearing the edge of the atmosphere and she’ll never reach them all. Julie says she has to try and again asks where the next one is. Veil reckons they can’t do this alone, so she concocts a plan. She calls the Briggs Chemical office in China and tells two scientists that she needs them to unlock Vault Theta. One of them replies that he can’t do that without direct orders from Briggs himself. She shows them video footage of the fight occurring on Briggs’ rooftop and tells them that he’s under attack. What is in the vault is the only thing that can help him. The scientist begins to stutter, uncertain what to do. Veil says she doesn’t have time to explain. He should look in the vault and see for himself. There must be cameras inside there. He should activate them.
The scientist decides he has little option but to activate the camera in Vault Theta. He says he doesn’t understand. It’s just a robot! Inside the vault, Jocasta wakes up and immediately extends her hands to scare off the two scientists. “Not just a robot,” she tells them.” I am Jocasta. You should run.” A moment later and the Jocasta body in the Briggs Building awakens and she tears her way through the door to where Veil is at the controls. She thanks Madeline, adding that she was trapped in a cell sealed against all electronic transmissions. “Until they turned on the camera,” replies Veil. “That’s what I was going for.” Jocasta says they were wrong about Jeremy and asks what he’s done now. Veil explains that he’s launched the Clean Slate missiles and that Lightspeed is trying her best, but she can’t get to them all. Jocasta remarks that Julie is a brave and resourceful young woman, but she is only human.
Veil contacts Julie, who replies that she’s been calling her for two minutes. She needs to know where the missiles are, now! She then looks up and sees all the missiles heading her way. Veil tells her they should all be where she steered her. “Take ‘em out!” Jocasta smiles and tells Veil that it’s all about how you talk to them. Back at the fight, Briggs understands that the students are trying to overwhelm him with numbers, but it’s too bad for them that explosions are easy for him. X-23 charges at him and tells him it’s not the best tactic. He is scared and lashing out blindly. He is not a fighter. She plunges her claws into his left shoulder and he cries out as blood is drawn. “You have no stomach for this,” she warns him. Furious, Briggs replies that she has no stomach. He then causes an explosion inside it and X-23 falls to the floor, severely injured.
Seeing Laura’s skin start to smoke, Finesse tells him to stop. What is he doing? Briggs informs her that he’s turning her sweat to acid. She doesn’t get to do this to him. No one does! He gave them every chance and they betrayed him and tried to ruin everything he’s worked so hard to accomplish. Now, they’re out of chances. There’ll be no more playing. He’ll burn her to nothing and then do the same to them. Finesse finds that she has little choice. She grabs Laura’s arm and shoves her left-handed claws into Briggs’ left thigh and her right-handed claws into Briggs’ left forearm. “Y-you stabbed me,” he gasps. Finesse informs him she stabbed him in the radial and femoral arteries. He is bleeding to death. Briggs drops to the floor and looks up, helpless. Finesse tells him that she can see that he is trying to clot the blood but the wounds are too large. He is getting dizzy and unable to focus. Unless she ties off his limbs and get some medical attention, she can promise him that he is going to die.
Briggs smiles at her and says he surrenders. He won anyway. Clean Slate has been deployed. Finesse ties off his arm and points out that he underestimates her teammates. Briggs asks her to say that he did. Let’s say they stopped it and distributed the cure. Does she really think it’ll make a damn bit of difference? The government’s been watching the X-Men and Avengers put the entire world at risk. Does she think they’re going to let him rot in jail when he’s the solution to their problem? They’ll give him a lab and anything he wants to come up with a new strain of Clean Slate… maybe one that can’t be cured. He’s going to be the most popular guy in America and, at the end of the day, he’ll get exactly what he wanted.
Finesse looks at him and realizes that he’s right. She then removes the tourniquet and stands back up. Briggs manages to stand up and he tells her that she can’t do this. This isn’t right! She’s supposed to be a hero - an Avenger! He drops to his knees again and, weakly, says that she can’t let him die. Finesse asks him to remember why they were recruited to Avengers Academy in the first place. It wasn’t because they were the best or the most heroic. Quite the opposite. It’s because they were at most risk of becoming criminals. “Say hello to the bad guy.” Briggs lies down and dies in a pool of blood.
Lightspeed returns and informs Jocasta that she got them all. She’s amazing. Jocasta replies that they all are. Mettle reckons they should take a victory lap later. They have to stop Briggs. He turns and wonders where he is. He then notices his body lying on the ground. Finesse informs Ken that Briggs lost too much blood. He is dead. Laura, now conscious thanks to her healing factor asks, “I did this?” Finesse pauses a moment and then replies that he would have killed them all. There was no acceptable alternative. Mettle mentions that he killed a guy in the war with the Serpent. It bothered him a lot. This… not even a little.”
(Briggs Foundation lobby, hours later)The police are on hand and talking to Jocasta. She informs them that the Enchantress may have spirited her friends away, though they had ample time to escape on their own. As Striker receives some medical attention, she asks him if he remembers when Reptil got those burns fighting Electro. They used that University of Pittsburgh treatment on him. Striker thinks maybe that will work, but this has been a disaster. They came there so Mettle and Hazmat could get their lives back and all they got was a taste before it was snatched away. That’s worse than nothing. Veil reckons it’s not for all of them. She is cured and still normal. However, she does feel bad for Ken and Jenny. Striker asks her not to. She’s a friend and even if there is nothing they can do for his face and, even after all the crap they’ve been through today, if it got her a future and the chance to get old, fall in love and be happy, it was totally worth it. Veil hugs him and says he is a friend, the best friend she ever had.
The officer speaking to Jocasta informs her that crime scene is done and they can all go. They will be in touch as they’ll need statements but, from what he saw, it’s what they call a righteous shoot. Self defense. As far as he is concerned the kids can go back to their lives. Jocasta thanks him but feels that he is mistaken. After today, for good or ill, she would venture to say none of them can.