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Re: Ani-Mator
Doug Ramsey a.k.a. Cypher reclines on a sofa, while counselor Gus Grim sits in a chair nearby. Light shines through the large windows, lighting up the dim library. ‘Do, Doug, how have you been?’ Gus enquires. Doug replies that he has been thinking a lot about his death. ‘Your death?’ Gus enquires. ‘Yes, Mr Grim’ Doug replies, revealing that he was shot-dead by an unpleasant man known as the Ani-Mator, on an island called Paradise. ‘It was - well, as the syntax of my life goes, it was a major piece of punctuation’. Gus points out that Doug is here talking to him, so that it was not a particularly permanent death. ‘It was a genuine death’ Doug replies, adding that it felt permanent at the time, and explains that it left a mark on him, psychologically. ‘I believe I’m repressing things’ he explains. ’Such as?’ Gus asks.
Doug tells Gus that he has had difficulty building emotional connections since he died, and that his closest relationship is with a techno-organic extra-terrestrial.  Doug admits that he misses being in love, and tells Gus that he used to fall in love, occasionally, but that it is like he is afraid to do it now. ‘In case you die again?’ Gus asks. ‘Exactly’ Doug replies, revealing that he has feelings for Dani, but that he can’t express them. ‘That’s ironic, isn’t it?’ he remarks, pointing out that he is a master of all languages, and yet words fail him where Dani is concerned. ‘That’s tricky. Isn’t she spoken for?’ Gus asks. ‘But I would speak for her much more articulately’ Doug replies, sitting up.
Gus asks Doug if he thinks he should revisit his death and confront it. ‘Yes, I’d like that’ Doug replies, when suddenly, Gus declares ‘Well, let’s start now’, as he tugs at his own neck, and pulls his face off - ‘GROOOAARRGHH!’ he shouts as the Ani-Mator reveals himself underneath, lunging forward at Doug, who screams.
1128 Mission Street, San Francisco, California, 3:36 AM. Doug screams, his voice shattering the silence of the night. An instant later, his friends Dani “Mirage” Moonstar, Bobby “Sunspot” DaCosta, Amara “Magma” Aquilla and Warlock rush into his room. ‘Doug? Doug?’ they call out. Amara switches the lights on, and Doug, sitting up in bed, a panic-stricken look across his face, he tells his friends that he is sorry, and explains that he had a bad dream. ‘You screamed like a girl’ Bobby tells him as Doug gets out of bed. ‘Because of the dream’ Doug quickly replies, while Dani, baseball bat in hand, checks out the window. Amara tells Doug that he woke the whole house, and Doug clarifies that when he sys “dream” he means “nightmare”. ‘Self soul friend scared self. Self thought for nanosecond duration that the Hel-Hound was out -’ Warlock begins as he stands beside his best friend.
“Hel-Hound?” Mirage asks. ‘Uh…on Blu-Ray. The…Hellhound horror movie self was most excitedly looking forward to’ Warlock quickly replies, adding that he was afraid that Doug had got a copy and was watching it without him. ‘Okay, we’ll deal with your weird in a minute’ Mirage replies, before telling Doug that he just had a nightmare. ‘Can we -’ she begins as she touches his face, but Doug tells Dani that he needs to talk to her about it. Looking around the bedroom, Amara asks where Nate is.
Bobby and Amara make their way downstairs, where they find Nate Grey a.k.a. X-Man staring at the refrigerator. ‘What are you doing in the kitchen, Nate?’ Bobby calls out as he approaches Nate. He gets no response, so Bobby calls out to him once more. ‘What am I doing in the kitchen?’ Nate repeats. ‘Was my question’ Bobby mutters, before asking Nate if he sleepwalked in here. Amara cocks her head to look at Nate and asks him if he didn’t hear Doug scream. ‘Why am I looking at the calendar?’ Nate wonders as he continues to stare at the calendar on the fridge. Bobby sits on a chair in the kitchen while Amara remarks that Nate is still half asleep, and asks who wants hot chocolate.
‘I know what this is. You wanna know? It’s Mephisto. He’s screwing with us’ Bobby declares. As she makes the hot chocolate, Amara assures Bobby that it isn’t, and that they have an understanding with Mephisto. ‘The Devil is messing with our heads. He’s in amongst us. He’s in amongst some of us more than others -’ Bobby snaps. ‘You’re disgusting, DaCosta!’ Amara retorts. ‘I’m just saying…lot of freaky dreams going on tonight’ Bobby defends himself.
Back in his room, Doug tells Mirage that he wants to go back to Paradise Island. ‘Is that wise?’ Dani asks. ‘Yes. Shall we leave now?’ Doug replies. Mirage asks Cypher to level with her, but Cypher replies that is part of the problem. ‘Doug -’ Mirage begins, but Doug tells her that he needs to go back to where he died. ‘It’s unfinished business. And that’s what we do, isn’t it?’ he points out.
Shortly, in flight, transoceanic, the Blackbird jet that the New Mutants use steaks towards the island Paradise. ‘So…a dream told you we should all go to this Paradise place?’ X-Man asks. ‘Essentially’ Doug replies, explaining that he has been teaching himself to speak dream, adding that it is just another language. ‘Are you serious?’ Nate asks. Doug explains to Nate that everywhere he looks, there is a new code or language to be deciphered. ‘Body language. Micro-expressions. Chemical pheromones. Numeric systems…’ he announces. Glancing out the window, Doug declares that dreams are just the language of the subconscious. ‘I thought it would be rewarding to understand it’ he adds. Cypher remarks that actually it is surprisingly easy, and points out that micro-expressions, it is profoundly un-nuanced. ‘I basically dreamed that Gus Grim literally told me that I needed to go to Paradise so I could sort my head out’ he adds. ‘As simple as that?’ Nate asks. ‘After that, he turned into a monster and I woke up’ Cypher tells him. ‘What did that part mean?’ Nate asks. As the jet moves downwards to the island, Doug replies ‘Erm…the importance of confronting your fears or something?’ ‘Riiiight’ Nate mutters.
Soon, the jet has been set down on the beach, and the New Mutants trudge their way through the dense jungle. ‘Some signs of life glow, self-friends! This way!’ Warlock calls out as he leads the way through the jungle. Nate suddenly puts his bare feet into a pool of mud. ‘Paradise. Named by somebody with a sense of humor, right?’ he mutters. ‘Or maybe just somebody who owns shoes?’ Sunspot jokes. Examining her surroundings, Mirage remarks that this has changed, that it is different. ‘I don’t even remember where I died’ Cypher calls out. Sunspot adds that it is creepy, while Magma cuts her way through some of the forest with a blast of flame, and tells her teammates that it is like they are being watched.
Approaching a water fall, Nate enquires ‘This Ani-Mator guy? The one who, you know, killed - anyway, could he still be around?, to which Mirage explains that he was banished to Limbo. ‘Of course he was’ Nate mutters. Warlock flies Cypher across the waterfall to the other side. Magma follows, and Sunspot prepares to take off, while Mirage turns to X-Man and asks him if he didn’t prep for this. ‘Like, I dunno, read the file I have you on the Ani-Mator?’ she snaps. Nate quietly replies that he didn’t bother because he thought they were taking a trip to humor Doug after his little freak-out. Mirage tells Nate that she is disappointed in his lack of professionalism on this mission. ‘This isn’t a “mission”, Danielle. This is us making Doug feel better’ Nate retorts, admitting that he hasn’t known Doug long, but that he is balancing on the ledge on his heels. ‘Meaning?’ Mirage asks.
‘Meaning he is too highly strung for the kind of work we do, and I think he is a potential liability’ Nate replies. ‘Really?’ Mirage asks, before snapping that Doug’s linguistic skills are infinitely more valuable than lousy telekinesis that can barely - but she suddenly stops herself, realizing what she is saying. ‘Wow’ Nate declares. ‘I know’ Mirage replies. ‘Where did that come from?’ Nate asks her. Dani tells him that she doesn’t know, and apologizes. On the other side of the ridge, Sunspot calls out: ‘Hey! Are we on a mission here or what?’, while Magma mutters that she would love to know what they are whispering about. Doug points out that he can obviously lip-read and tells the others that Nate is questioning his performance and stability, while Dani is defending him, only she is over-compensating.
Doug adds that he thinks Dani is attracted to Nate, and is trying to disguise that fact by being overly harsh to him. ‘WHAT?’ Nate calls out as he and Dani turn to Doug and the others. ‘Of course, what do I know about body language?’ Cypher mutters, before motioning onwards and suggesting they go look for interesting things over there. As Magma cuts a path for them with another burst of flame, while Doug points out that the island looks dead, and wonders what happened to Bird-Brain and the Ani-Mates. Warlock replies that is unknown, and adds that his sensor readings are perplexing. ‘Apart from our own, there is / are other life-glow sign/s. Multiple / singular / simultaneous’ he adds. Mirage swings across the waterfall on a vine, while X-Man telekinetically lifts himself across. Doug announces that he is sorry he came to find some sort of closure to the issue of his life and death, and that he seems to have walked them all into a nightmare.
Mirage announces that she is glad they came. ‘Bird-Brain was a good and true friend. If something has happened to the Ani-Mates…’ she begins, putting her hand on Doug’s shoulder. Doug turns and looks at Dani’s hand, while Sunspot touches a tree trunk and reports that everything is all sticky, rotten, like it is decomposing, or like fungus, mold. ‘And that smell…’ Bobby adds as he sniffs the air. ‘Don’t smell it, then!’ Magma declares. Sticking his feet into the muck around them, Warlock announces that there is organic residue. ‘Creatures once life-glowing now not life-glowing, all around us’ he explains. ‘Ani-Mates?’ Mirage asks quietly. ‘Sadly de-Ani-Mated’ Warlock frowns. ‘Oh God’ Dani utters. X-Man telekinetically shoves aside some thick overhanging foliage, ‘Hey! Here!’ he calls out as he enters the hidden area.
The others follow, and looking around at the surroundings hidden behind the foliage, Nate asks if this is a next. ‘Statement: affirmative’ Warlock announces as he analyzes the area. Mirage calls out to him, and picking up some material from the next, Warlock reports that the nest structure is composed out of eighty-six percent used burger wrappers. ‘Bird-Brain’ Mirage utters. Suddenly, ‘RRAAARRRGGHH!’ Bird-Brain squawks as he emerges from behind some shrubbery, and lashes out at Warlock with his sharp talons. ‘Look out!’ Mirage calls out, before Bird-Brian’s claws slash her arm. Cypher falls to the nest, and Bird-Brain turns his attention to Magma, slashing across her stomach. ‘AMARA!’ Sunspot shouts as he leaps towards her, before firing a burst of energy at Bird Brain, frightening the creature.
However, not for long, as Bird-Brain gets his bearings and lashes out at Sunspot, slicing his face. ‘Wait! Wait!’ It’s Bird-Brain!’ Cypher calls out as he gets up and rushes to his friend, while Warlock follows, his hands transformed into large weapons. And gathering herself, Mirage readies her bow and arrow for an attack. Bird-Brain doesn’t react to Cypher’s appearance, instead he picks him up and slams Doug’s body into a dead tree, breaking it in two. ‘Get off him!’ Nate exclaims as he telekinetically lifts Bird-Brain up and tosses him skyward. Nate announces that he has Bird-Brain, and tells the others to hurry, as it is hard work. He looks intense as he struggles to maintain his telekinetic hold over the frantic Ani-Mate. Warlock comes to the rescue by extending his fingers into many bars which spread around Bird-Brain, effectively caging him. ‘Nice job!’ Mirage declares as she and 0the others move closer. Nate points out that he can only pick up with telekinesis what he can pick up physically, but that being able to do it at arm’s length is useful.
‘Hey cut you’ Nate remarks, as he looks at Dani’s wound. Dani replies that she is all right, while Amara looks at Bobby’s scratched face and touches it. ‘It’s nothing. Are you okay?’ Sunspot asks. ‘Hey, he scratched me also. Anyone?’ Doug calls out, while Warlock shines a light (generated by his own body) on Bird-Brain and announces that Bird-Brain is medically compromised. ‘What?’ Mirage exclaims. Warlock states that it is a virus - a plague - a virus-plague, which inhabits his blood-stream. ‘Medical parlance: he is “hot”’ Warlock adds. ‘The whole island is “hot”’ he reveals. ‘Come on…’ Mirage calls out, and Warlock tells her that the virus-plague is why he was reading singular / multiple life-glow signs, and that ever life-glow form on this island that isn’t already dead is now a viral carrier. ‘Everything’s infected?’ Bobby asks. Warlock replies that all life-glow forms are the one life-glow form, and that the virus-plague exhibits extreme virulence.
Mirage announces that they will get Bird-Brain to Utopia medical, and find a cure - but Warlock interrupts her, announcing that they cannot leave this hot zone. ‘Quarantine must be enforced’ he states. ‘I give the orders, Warlock’ Mirage points out, while Warlock states that the virus-plague is more contagious than any he can find in terrestrial databases, and that it cannot be allowed to escape the island. ‘Contagion = global health hazard class one’ Warlock adds. ‘But -’ a shocked Mirage utters, while Warlock lifts Bird-Brain up within the makeshift cage and announces ‘Self is virus protected. Self-friends are not. Self-friends have all had physical contact with Bird-Brain’. Warlmock tells his teammates that he is sorry, but his sensors are already unable to differentiate their life-glow signs from the singular virus-plague. Shocked, the New Mutants look at their wounds, while Warlock repeats ‘Sorry’ over and over, and states that they are all infected, and he cannot let them leave the island….


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Contami-Nation
‘Self is afraid’ the New Mutant called Warlock thinks to himself, while wondering what Dani Moonstar would do, what Scott Summers would do. ‘What should Self do now that Self is leader?’ Warlock asks himself. Warlock states that for the sake of his friends and for the good of planet Earth, he has been forced to take charge of the situation. He knows that he is the only one who can, as he is not infected, and is able to keep precise report of events and of his own decisions. ‘If Self makes an error, other selves may study report and learn from said error’ Warlock decides, knowing that if he dies, a report of the event may survive.
As mist envelops the mysterious island known as Paradise, Warlock recalls that his team of X-Men, also referred to as the “New Mutants”, although he has no real idea as to why they are “New”, but supposes it could be because they are younger than the “old” X-Men. He realizes that he is straying from the point, deciding that clarity is hard right now, as is being a team leader. He restarts his report, in the thick dense bush of the decaying island, Warlock states that his team came to the remote island called Paradise, the place that years ago, his soul-friend Dog was terminally life-glow impaired - killed - by the Ani-Mator. Warlock reminds himself that Doug wanted to confront the circumstances of his temporary demise, as he was informed it would be “good for him”.
However, as Warlock points out, things are not going so well, as a category one virus-plague is loose on Paradise, and everyone has been infected, except for Warlock, who has enforced quarantine. He has captured the Ani-Mate and former associate of the New Mutants, the ever-unpredictable Bird-Brain, holding him in a cage created by Warlock’s own arm, while Warlock has transformed his other arm into a gun. The wounded and infected New Mutants - Doug Ramsey a.k.a. Cypher, Dani “Mirage” Moonstar, Nate Grey a.k.a. X-Man, Amara “Magma” Aquilla and Bobby “Sunspot” DaCosta, follow him closely. ‘Stay close. Follow Self and do as Self says’ Warlock orders.
‘Who put you in charge?’ Doug asks his best friend. ‘Self did’ Warlock replies assertively. ‘Yes. Well. Yes. I know. But do you have to be so bossy?’ Doug asks him. ‘Self is in charge’ Warlock explains, while knowing that his soul-friend is very frightened, as Paradise has ended his life-glow once before. ‘A good leader would reassure him’ Warlock decides, and turns back to Doug, smiling, calls out ‘You are not going to die, Douglas Ramsey’. ‘Oh? Really?’ Doug asks. ‘Yes. Self makes this promise’ Warlock tells him. ‘How?’ Doug replies. ‘Because Self is leader. (Notice Self’s confident, reassuring smile)’ he adds.
Nate puts a hand to Dani’s forehead and tells her that she is very hot. ‘What? What? That’s so inna-’ she begins to say “inappropriate”, before realizing that Nate is talking about the fever. ‘Well, absolutely, Nate. I feel pretty rough’ Mirage tells him. A little further back, Magma uses her power to burn through some of the bush, while announcing that she is a little scared. Sunspot assures her that everything is going to be fine, pointing out that Warlock is like a machine, so he is totally virus-protected, that he will get them out of this, no doubt. Warlock overhears their concerns, and decides to use broad-spectrum reassurance on them. He turns around and tells his self-friends that everything will be all right. ‘Tra-la-la! Notice Self-s confident, reassuring smile’ he tells them.
Warlock acknowledges that it is frustrating they cannot leave the island, but tells his friends that they are infected with the virus-plague and must not communicate it to the outside world. He supposes that the virus-plague is likely to be an Ani-Mator creation, while announcing that he is leading them to the Ani-Mator’s lab, hopeful that a cure will be found there. ‘Again, Self wishes to draw self-friend’s attention to Self’s encouraging smile’ Warlock concludes, while the New Mutants listen to the take-charge Warlock.
Soon, they arrive at the co-ordinates of the Ani-Mator’s laboratory complex. ‘Stored coordinates were accurate’ Warlock states, announcing that modest celebration is now permitted. ‘That’s great, Warlock, but I’m not sure we should be making so much noise and light…’ Moonstar suggests, while Magma burns through the trees that lead to the opening of the laboratory. Warlock considers that Moonstar, the usual leader, has made a valid point and decides that the team has already encountered and been attacked by hostile virus-mutated Ani-Mates, so light and sound may attract others. He begins to scan the location and hopes that he has not made a “rookie mistake”. As he scan indicates, Warlock has made a “rookie mistake”, as several Ani-Mates suddenly burst from the bushes.
‘Beware! Scary hazard monsters!’ Warlock shouts, while telling himself that he needs a better phrase. ‘YAAAH!’ Cypher screams as he tries to run away. ‘Oh my God!’ Magma utters. Sunspot punches one of the large creatures who is wearing a leopard-print cloth around its neck and he tells his friends that either he is getting weak, or this thing is really tough. Mirage kicks a large spindly Ani-Mate into the rock face that surrounds them, and tells Bobby that it’s hard to say, but one thing is for sure, these things are seriously dangerous. Realizing that he is encumbered by the caged Bird-Brain, Warlock is not combat optimized. He tells his team not to engage the Ani-Mates, but is knocked aside by a large elephant-like creature.
Warlock falls to the ground, still maintaining his hold over Bird-Brain, while Cypher stands between Warlock and the Ani-Mate, urging Warlock to get up. ‘Ramsey! Move! It’s gonna stomp you both!’ X-Man calls out, but gets no response. He tells himself to focus, and creates a “X” of telekinetic energy, which he casts forth to the elephant-like Ani-Mate, who cries out in agony from the telekinetic sting, before X-Man does the same to several of the other Ani-Mates. ‘Move! While they’re reeling!’ Magma calls out as she creates a barrier of flame between the New Mutants and the Ani-Mates. ‘Good idea’ Warlock decides. ‘Pretend she’s leader for a moment. That’s an order!’ he adds, as they run into the entrance tunnel to the laboratory, while Magma seals the entrance with molten lava. ‘Gotta shut those things out!’ Amara declares.
‘There. They are sealed out’ Warlock announces, while the others take rest. ‘And we’re sealed in’ X-Man points out, adding that he doesn’t feel so good. Warlock deduces that the exertion may have accelerated vial process in his friends’ metabolism. He realizes that their life-glow spans may have been reduced, so time is short, they must keep moving. ‘Being leader = hard squared’ Warlock thinks to himself. Still holding Bird-Brain in a cage, Warlock and the other New Mutants make their way through the caverns, with Sunspot lighting the way. He tells his teammates that he is burning up, to which Magma points out that they are all running a fever. ‘But it’ll be okay…’ she begins, but Sunspot explains that he means his power - he doesn’t know how much solar energy he has left, and in the dark, he cannot recharge. Clenching his fist, he declares that he doesn’t know how much time they have left.
A short time later, a large metal door suddenly has a large “X” imbedded into it as Nate uses his telekinesis to bust the door open. It falls to the laboratory floor with a loud clang. ‘Easy…’ Amara tells Bobby as she helps him down the stairs that lead into the laboratory, where large glass tanks are broken, and equipment is strewn all over the floor. ‘Nice TK blast’ Dani tells Nate. ‘Funny what desperation can do’ Nate replies, while Warlock suggests that they get Bird-Brain penned, and Cypher motions to the tanks. Mirage sits at the computer console and announces that most of the lab systems are down, as if no one has been in here for a while. ’We’ve got a few basics. Nothing much’ she adds, while Warlock extends his arm with the cage attached to the top of one of the tanks that are not broken, and drops Bird-Brain into it.
‘God. This place. It’s like my nightmares come to life’ Cypher remarks. Warlock supposes that some distraction is needed, and tells Doug that activity equals good distraction. ‘Let us proceed with analysis self-soul-friend. Tra-la-la!’ Warlock exclaims as he plugs himself into one of the computers. ‘Sure. Of course’ Doug tells him. A scan of the virus appears on the monitor: ‘Oh m word….look at this cellular effect. The virus is breaking us down. It’s dismantling us at a cellular level’ Cypher tells everyone. ‘To destroy us?’ Mirage asks. ‘Or to build something new out of us’ Doug tells her, when suddenly, Bobby collapses in Magma’s arms. Mirage and X-Man place Sunspot one on of the tables in the lab, while Magma exclaims that he used to up too much energy, that he is so sick. ‘We’re all so sick!’ she declares.
Magma sits down beside Sunspot and Nate remarks that she is right. ‘I know she’s right’ Dani agrees, adding that Warlock has got to take the lead on this, as no one else is thinking straight. ‘If this virus is reordering our bodies, it could be rewriting out minds, too’ Mirage adds. ‘Which is a shame, because I like the order your body is in’ Nate tells Dani, before quickly turning to her and adding ‘I actually said that out loud, didn’t I?’, to which Dani tells him that he really is ill. Warlock knows that the situation is of maximum urgency, that he must isolate a cure and design an anti-viral, while wishing that he knew more about the way organic biology works. Warlock tells himself that he must try not to think about all the monsters out there in the dark, waiting for he and his self-friends.
Outside in the dense forest, a massive humanoid figure, hunched over, entirely green, almost plant like, lumbers through the jungle, causing Ani-Mates to flee in fright as it approaches the area where Magma has sealed off with laval. ‘Be me!’ the being cries out, but the Ani-Mates are not quick enough to flee, and the green creatures pulls them into itself, absorbing them.
Back in the laboratory, ‘Drink?’ Nate asks Dani as he holds out a glass of water. ‘Thanks. So thirsty’ Dani replies as she takes the drink. They watch Magma and Sunspot, and Nate remarks that Amara really cares about him. ‘They’ve been in love since forever. They just don’t get along’ Dani explains, adding that it is only times like this you glimpse the real feelings. ‘Tell me about it’ Nate mutters, before Dani calls out to Doug and Warlock who are still working away at the computer console, and asks them if they have anything yet. Doug replies that they are still collating, and that the transcriptomic re-spec alone is a mammoth task. An image of the Ani-Mator appears on the monitor, and Doug reports that he has managed to open the files. ‘There he is. The monster’ Doug declares, before stating that he thinks he is beginning to see what the Ani-Mator did, what this virus is.
Another image shows an Ani-Mate taking a DNA sample from him Dr Animus, while Doug reveals that he thinks Dr Animus was trying to back up his personality in the viral form, the ultimate get out of jail card. ‘If he ever…died…the virus would rebuild him from available genetic material and reload his personality’ Doug explains. ‘It’s like he’s mocking me by coming back from the dead too. And we’re all him’ Doug remarks. ‘Confident, reassuring smile, self-soul-friend. Look. Look how confident and reassuring it is. Tra-la-la!’ Warlock exclaims, grinning. Doug rubs his head and remarks that he wishes he could think clearly, but that his mind is such a mess. ‘I’ve got the seed of an idea, an idea about your techno-organic immunity, but I can’t sort it out and -’ Doug begins, when suddenly, Dani screams.
‘I was holding Nate’s hand! Our hands have fused! They’ve fused together!’ Mirage exclaims in shock as she and Nate are indeed fused together. ‘Guys! Something’s coming in! Something’s coming in here!’ Magma announces urgently, motioning upwards, where above the tank that Bird-Brain is being housed in, ‘It’s seeping through the walls!’ Magma exclaims, as the green mass from outside seeps downwards, ‘Welcome…to Paradise!’ it calls out, it’s form clearly that of Dr Animus a.k.a. the Ani-Mator. ‘Ani-Mator. You’ve really made something of yourself’ Cypher points out. ‘BE ME!’ the Ani-Mator shouts as he drops down from the ceiling and reaches out for the New Mutants, knocking Warlock, Cypher, Mirage and X-Man together.
The Ani-Mator turns his attention to Sunspot and Magma, only Magma shouts ‘Get away from me! Get away!’ as she casts forth bursts of lava, but the Ani-Mator just shouts ‘BE ME!’ and extending a tentacle, pulls both of them towards him. Magma screams, before she and Sunspot are essentially swallowed in to the Ani-Mator’s new form. The Ani-Mator next smashes open the tank where Bird-Brain, his prized creation is still housed, and does the same, pulling Bird-Brain into him. ‘This isn’t happening. It isn’t’ Doug utters. ‘No no no. Warlock? You said I wouldn’t die!’ Doug exclaims as he begins to run. ‘Self made promise. Self keeps promise!’ Warlock declares as he leaps towards the Ani-Mator and punches him in the face. But the Ani-Mator swats Warlock aside.
‘WARLOCK!’ Cypher screams as he huddles behind some rocks in the lab. ‘Please…please. He’s inside me. The virus…It’s re-making me…you promised!’ Cypher cries out. Mirage and X-Man are down on the floor, still fused together. Nate declares that he can’t focus, while Mirage points out that they cannot fight like this. Suddenly, the Ani-Mator slams his oversized hand down towards them, but Nate manages to telekinetically lift the two of them to safety - but they land several feet back, with a now unconscious Nate on top of Dani. ‘Can’t get you off me, Nate!’ Dani exclaims, while the Ani-Mator prepares to step on them, until a voice calls out ‘Leave her alone!’. The Ani-Mator turns, surprised, to see Cypher, with Warlock around him, an armor, like they used to do back in the old days. Warlock’s eyes are at Cypher’s shoulders, and his grinning mouth across Doug’s stomach. ‘Promise applies to everyone’ Warlock thinks to himself. ‘Tra-la-la’.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Share Wear
‘Self-soul-friend?’ Warlock asks Doug “Cypher” Ramsey, emptiness all around them. ‘W-Warlock?’ Doug calls out. ‘Does self-soul-friend understand what’s happened?’ Doug replies that he knows he was infected with the Ani-Mator’s virus, that he was sick, dying, and could barely think straight. ‘I…oh God…I could feel it. Un-making me. Cell from cell and -’ Doug remarks, before Warlock interrupts, asking his soul-friend if he understands what happened after that. ‘Yes. You merged with me. Your techno-organic self merged with my biological self. We became one entity. One body. One mind’ Doug adds. Warlock tells Cypher that is correct, explaining that it was the only way to arrest the progress of the virus-plague. ‘Right. You had to share your techno-organic anti-viral protection with me. I see that’ Doug replies, before asking Warlock why.
‘Because Warlock promised he would not let the Ani-Mator take self-soul-friend Doug’s Lifeglow again’ Warlock replies. Cypher points out that the Ani-Mator is dead, and yet he is still afraid of him. ‘He’s the only thing I’ve ever been truly afraid of’ the young mutant adds. Warlock explains that the Ani-Mator is trying to live again, to which Cypher mutters, ‘Ah. I came back from the dead. Why on Earth would I think that the thing that killed me couldn’t do that, too?’, before Warlock explains that the virus-plague is a back-up sentience designed to replicate the Ani-Mator in the event that his death - from any procurable genetic material.
‘Us, you mean? It was trying to make me into him?’ Cypher enquires. Warlock explains that he has stopped that from happening now, and adds that, more importantly, he has created a space for Doug to think without distraction. ‘You are smart, self-soul-friend. You are smarter than Warlock. You can figure a way to fight this virus-plague’ Warlock tells his best friend. Looking around at the nothingness, Doug asks if this isn’t real, the two of them talking. ‘We’re not actually sitting here doing this’. Warlock confirms that this is just happening in the imagination that the two of them now share. ‘What’s actually happening?’ Doug asks. Warlock grimaces and tells Doug to prepare himself, or there is a 95.6768% probability that what is actually happening will greatly distress him. ‘Okay’ Doug replies, as Warlock announces that what is actually happening is that they are Douglock, and they are battling the Ani-Mator.
‘BE ME!’ the diabolical Ani-Mator shrieks in his laboratory as he, in a hideous plant-like amalgam attacks “Douglock”. Bobby “Sunspot” DaCosta and Amara “Magma” Aquilla have already been absorbed into the Ani-Mator. Dani Moonstar a.k.a. Mirage and Nate Grey a.k.a. X-Man lie fused on the floor of the lab. ‘Douglock? Wait…Douglock?’ Mirage utters, looking at Cypher, surrounded by Warlock as armor, as they lunge towards the Ani-Mator. ‘Why won’t you be me?’ the Ani-Mator calls out as Douglock punches him. ‘Gosh. He is a monster! Actually, just seeing him terrifies me beyond the capacity for r-’ Doug begins, while Warlock interrupts, ‘Courage, self-soul-friend. Tra-la-la!’ Warlock calls out, adding that he knows it makes Doug scared, and that now they are sharing a common sentience, he can see how deeply the Ani-Mator has scarred Doug. ‘Self-friend should have told Self this’ Warlock tells Doug.
Douglock lands on the floor, and Doug tells Cypher that he didn’t want to bother Warlock with this, to which Warlock suggests Doug tell himself that this is not the Ani-Mator, that instead it is a biomass of genetic material that is trying to be the Ani-Mator, and failing at it. Doug tells Warlock that they need to target the Ani-Mator, to discourage its attack on Danielle and Nathan. Warlock points out that Sunspot and Magma have already been absorbed, so they must not cause any excess damage if they hope to recover their friends safely. ‘Oh. Okay. I see that would be important’ Doug remarks. ‘Be me!’ the Ani-Mator shouts as he fires a blast of energy at Mirage and X-Man, but Douglock extends his form, shielding from the impact.
Warlock states that the Ani-Mator mass exhibit’s the characteristics of the individuals it has absolved, and that includes their mutant powers. ‘In this case, Roberto’s powers. His solar reserves were exhausted, but it has repurposed his photonic genes as a weapon’ Cypher explains, before turning to Dani and Nate and asking them if they can withdraw to a safe hiding place. ‘Doug, what have you done? You’re Douglock again?’ Dani asks. ‘Please. This is a simple expediency’ Cypher replies, adding that it was the only way to arrest the virus long enough to devise a cure. ‘Can you reach cover?’ he asks. Holding up their fused hand, Danielle replies that they will try, but points out that there is nowhere to hide in the lab, while X-Man motions to the fused hands.
‘So noted. If Dani and Nathan cannot withdraw from the Ani-Mator -’ Doug begins, ‘- we will draw the Ani-Mator away’ Warlock concludes, as they block another burst of energy, before taking flight, and bursting through the laboratory wall, creating a exit. Warlock states that he estimates the Ani-Mator will consider them the primary opponent and pursue them without hesitation, with a probability of 93.673245%. ‘BE ME!’ the Ani-Mator booms as he emerges from the laboratory, shaking the quivering island as he does so. ‘Estimate that it will use Amara’s seismic powers to affect this pursuit. Probability 99.88888%’ Doug mutters.
Back down in the lab, Dani and Nate look up at the gaping hole, ‘They led it away from us…’ Dani remarks. ‘How…Dani, how are they one thing?’ Nate enquires. Dani explains that it has happened before, that they have merged. ‘Doug shared his life glow to save Warlock, and Warlock has revived Doug with his transmode machine virus’. ‘He’s living tech’ Mirage adds. Mirage hangs her head, declaring that this is such a mess. ‘I think it ate Bobby and Amara and -’ she begins, while X-Man assures her that it is okay - he reaches for her face with his free hand, but Mirage pulls away, telling Nate not to touch her. ‘We’re already fused! Don’t touch me anywhere else!’ she exclaims. ‘Okay! Sorry!’ Nate replies.
Outside, Douglock rushes through the trees and bushes, and Doug asks Warlock what he meant back there when he said that he can figure it out because he is smarter. ‘Self has noticed this increasingly in recent times. Self-soul-friend was always smart. But self-soul-friend is getting smarter’ Warlock remarks. ‘Really?’ Doug asks. ‘Again, now Self is sharing self-soul-friend’s mind, Self can see it. This is not the mind Self shared with self-soul-friend before’ Warlock states.
Back inside “Douglock’s” mind, Cypher and Warlock sit opposite each other, ‘How?’ Doug asks. Warlock explains that Doug’s mind has altered since they last conjoined, that it is bigger, more developed, that Doug has a greater technical grasp. Doug replies that his power has always been to understand, and that every day seems to understand more and more, so with each understanding, more understanding becomes possible. ‘I didn’t realize it was noticeable’ Doug adds, to which Warlock tells him that it is, and that Bobby says it is just Doug being odd, but that it is just Doug becoming clever-er. Doug remarks that he has certainly felt his horizons expanding, that he thinks seeing that pierce of extra-terrestrial debris that Diskhord was carrying around in a box kick-started it.
‘It was hurt and damaged, but in helping it…I glimpsed a cosmic scale. It was wonderful’ Doug declares. Warlock announces that he feels it, too, feels Doug’s memories of that, and assures him: ‘Self can feel that self-soul-friend is smart enough to solve this problem. That’s why Self bought self-soul-friend time enough to sit here and think’. Doug announces that he thinks he can, that he doesn’t know anything about virus morphology, but that he thinks he can. ‘The Ani-Mator virus was designed to rebuild the Ani-Mator from any convenient cellular material in the event of his death’ Doug remarks, adding that infected cells inherit Ani-Mator traits and replicate them. ‘It is a sentience back-up. But it is clearly corrupted’ Warlock declares. ‘Exactly. One thing we know, no matter how much genetic matter it absorbs, it is not replicating the Ani-Mator correctly’ Doug points out.
“Douglock” continues to run through the jungle, with Warlock asking ‘A sequence variance? Its genetic instructions? Imperfection?’, to which Cypher explains that suggests it is a mutant, that the virus has mutated beyond its original genetic remit. Warlock points out that the Ani-Mator is increasing its mass, that it is absorbing genetic material from the environment. ‘Vegetation. Insect forms. Bacteria. So noted’ Cypher replies, while Warlock states that the exponential mass increase means the Ani-Mator will eventually become too large and powerful to defeat, with probability of 99.99999%. ‘Self must turn and distract it now while self-soul-friend evaluates effective countermeasure’ Warlock announces.
Cypher thinks hard, ‘Premise: The transmode virus is keeping the Ani-Mator virus in ehck inside the Douglas Ramsey biological part of us. Therefore, the transmode virus may defeat the Ani-Mator virus on a non case-specific basis, with a probability of 56.76234%. Lunging towards the Ani-Mator with one of his arms transformed into a needle, Warlock points out that the probability is significantly reduced given the Ani-Mator mass versus the available transmode resource. ‘Agreed. Unless it’s targeted’ Doug adds, but the Ani-Mator knocks “Douglock” back as Cypher and Warlock attempt their first attack. ‘BE ME!’ the Ani-Mator shouts once more, while Cypher tells Warlock that he is designing and manufacturing a miniaturized duplicate delivery system.
“Douglock” recompose themselves, and grabbing the Ani-Mator, they shove the large needle into the creature, injecting him with the transmode virus. ‘Delivery begins!’ Warlock exclaims, adding that at viral scale, the appraisal of the problems supplies new data. ‘Postulation: Why is the Ani-Mator virus-plague not simply remaking the Ani-Mator as it was tailored to do?’ Warlock enquires. As they block a surge of energy thrown at them courtesy of the An-Mator, Warlock states that he originally presumed it was a failure of the Ani-Mator’s design, a flaw, deciding that was a reasonable assumption, only his microanalysis proves it wrong. Warlock announces that the virus-plague is a mutant and that it was originally benign, adding that it absorbs the memories of every animal, plant, person and creature it has infected.
As “Douglock” is knocked aside by one of the Ani-Mator’s extended arms, Cypher declares that the Ani-Mator recognized the virus-plague’s unusual attributes and reengineered it to be his living back-up. He states that its pathogenic effect has arisen from the antigenic shift the Ani-Mator made by recoding it to reproduce himself. ‘The Ani-Mator’s intent is artificially dominating the virus, making it an aggressive and malicious plague’. Warlock agrees and points out that this is simply an artificial condition of its recoded function. The Ani-Mator blasts them with another burst of energy, and Warlock declares that some urgency is now recommended. ‘Self is restraining Self’s attack so as not to harm the biological components of Roberto, Amara and absorbed Ani-Mates’ he announces.
As the Ani-Mator punches “Douglock” backwards, Cypher points out that the Ani-Mator mass has no such motive to exhibit restraint, and Warlock summarises that it is only absorbing and killing because it is driven by the Ani-Mator’s commands. ‘Yes. And it is constantly fighting against those commands: hence the imperfection of the replication process’ Cypher explains as “Douglock” is forced to the ground. Doug has a theory, and states that if it can be freed from those commands, it would return to its original passive and benign state. ‘The Ani-Mator made the virus think it was the Ani-Mator. We must remind it that it is not. We must remind it that it is a virus’ he declares.
Doug continues, pointing out that the virus must understand the basic notion that all X-Men are taught - all mutants - all offspring in nature.  ‘You are not just what your parents say you are. You are what you choose to be’. Warlock announces that he is impressed, and tells Doug that he is re-scripting the language of genetics faster than he could, even with the finest applications of transmode. ‘Thank you. In the end, it seems…easy’ Doug tells Warlock, as the transmode virus reaches the Ani-Mator’s brain. ‘BE ME!’ the Ani-Mator screams, but Cypher replies ‘I rather think I will not’.
Doug and Warlock are no longer surrounded by whiteness, nothing. Instead, endless green encases them, as Cypher states that he has erased the Ani-Mator’s imposed commands, that the virus is no longer aggressive. Wiping his brow, he states that it is actually hard to imagine what he was ever afraid of. ‘Self-soul-friend?’ Warlock calls out. ‘Warlock?’ Doug replies, looking up, to which Warlock asks Doug if he understands what has happened. Looking around, Doug enquires as to whether this is another room in their mind. ‘No, Self-soul-friend…this is paradise’ Warlock reveals, and Cypher looks around, the island restored to its beautiful state, Mirage, Sunspot, Magma and X-Man standing nearby, free from their afflictions caused by the Ani-Mator and the virus-plague. Bird-Brain and the other Ani-Mates stand nearby.
Dani tells Doug that she doesn’t know quite what he did, to which Doug states that he first inverted the transposed hyperactive caposmeres - but as he continues to explain, Dani interrupts him, smiling ‘Again, I don’t know what you did. But you saved us. You saved everything on the island’ she declares. ‘Even the virus’ Doug smiles, announcing that it is right here with them, that he can hear it. He explains that the virus is entirely benign now, and, like him, it simply exists to share and exchange information. Mirage assures Doug that he does a little more than that, to which Doug smiles and announces that he will call it Genome. ‘Who? The virus?’ Dani asks. ‘Yes. It will look after the island, and all the Ani-Mates. Everyone’s okay, aren’t they? Everyone?’ Doug calls out, to which Dani tells him that they are.
San Francisco, later, Doug lies on a sofa while Gus Grimm sits nearby and talks to him. ‘A perfect entity. A life-form. Adapting to all the information in the world around it. Effectively running a closed system for the benefit of everything within. A benevolent godhead’ Doug declares. ‘You mean this…virus?’ Gus enquires. ‘Yes, Mr Grimm. It’s a very inventing idea, isn’t it? That of a benevolent omniscience?’ Cypher remarks. Gus frowns and replies ‘I guess’, before asking if that implies a lack of free will. ‘Inside a perfectly ordered closed system? Is that a bad thing?’ Doug points out. Gus tells Doug that he can’t say, as that is all hypothetical science fiction stuff. ‘I wanted to talk about you Your nightmares. Your issues concerning the Ani-Mator’ Gus remarks. Cypher sits up and announces that is all resolved. ‘I went to Paradise and faced down my irrational fear, and it turned out that there was something to be afraid of, actually. So I dealt with it’.
Gus points out that the team was quite shaken up. ‘It was a horrific experience, just the grotesque physical -’ he begins, but Doug stands up and states that he is very content, that his friends are safe, and he is well. ‘The fear is gone. The Ani-Mator is no longer my bogeyman’. Doug exclaims that he has found a resolution, and tells Gus that in his terms, he has dealt with his issues. Doug turns away from Gus, smiling, he heads for the door to leave. ‘Isn’t that good? Isn’t that happily ever after?’ Doug calls back, before leaving. ‘Well. Uh. Okay’ Gus remarks.


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Night on the Town
San Francisco, California, there is a BLINK, which signals the arrival of Clarice Ferguson, appropriately called “Blink”, who teleports into the living room of the young mutant heroes sometimes known as the New Mutants, where Bobby “Sunspot” DaCosta, Nate “X-Man” Grey, Amara “Magma” Aquila and Danielle “Mirage” Moonstar are relaxing.
‘Surprise! Hey, guys it’s me! I - whoa. Who harshed your buzz?’ Clarice remarks as the heroes look up at her, unimpressed. ‘It’s Blink. Look everyone. It’s Blink’ Dani mutters. ‘Hey, Blink’ Bobby calls out, while X-Man tells her that it is nice to see her again. “Nice”? Blink mutters, announcing that she came here for some fun, explaining that Westchester has so many rules. ‘Come on! You guys are the fun team!’ she tells them.
Dani gets up off the sofa and assures Blink that they still are the fun team, but that they have had a tough few days and everyone is a bit bummed. ‘Tell me about it in the kitchen where people aren’t glaring at me. Wow. I do not feel welcome’ Blink tells Dani. Dani begins to make some drinks, and tells Blink that they went to Paradise Island and that it was awful. ‘I mean creepy and horrible. We thought we were all going to die -’ she begins. Blink asks her if she is making coffee. ‘Because you make terrible coffee’ Blink declares, before teleporting herself and Mirage away.
‘Two coffees!’ Blink calls out to a waitress at a diner as she and Mirage teleport into a booth. ‘Ribstickers? Okay’ Dani mutters, before Blink asks her to continue. Dani sighs and tells Blink that it is nothing, they just got back from a mission that totally blew. ‘It was the Ani-Mator. And there was this disgusting virus. And, at one point, Nate and I got fused together -’ Dani reveals. ‘In an interesting way?’ Blink asks her. ‘No’ Dani replies. ‘Because I know there is some talk of -’ Blink begins. ‘NO!’ Dani shouts. ‘Ooo-kay’ Blink replies, unconvinced. ‘It just sucked. Everything about it. And since we got back, the mood has been lousy. Everyone’s so low’ Dani explains, hanging her head. Clarice throws her hands into the air and shouts ;Then you need cheering up! A night on the town! Yeeeaah!’
Mirage tells Blink to calm down, and that no one is going to be up for a night out. ‘Besides, Warlock is rebooting -’ Mirage begins. ‘He’s what?’ Blink enquires. Mirage explains that every twenty-three months Warlock reboots - or defrags his system. She tells Blink that this is the anniversary of the day he was assembled on Kvch, so it marks the start of a new life cycle. ‘It’s Warlock’s birthday! We’ve got to go out!’ Blink tells Mirage that she is accepting no arguments, and exclaims that they are honor-bound to celebrate Warlock’s Birthday “like a boss”. Mirage tells Blink that it is too late to organize anything. Clarice smirks and replies ‘Dani Moonstar, have I taught you nothing? It’s never too late to organize anything when you can teleport’.
‘Let’s get this party started!’ Blink shouts, and with a teleport, Mirage, Sunspot, Magma, X-Man, Warlock and Cypher find themselves in the midst of a busy street party. ‘Oh. My. Lord’ Magma utters. ‘Just humor her’ Sunspot suggests. ‘This? This is your idea? I thought you meant bayside San Fran’ Mirage tells Blink. ‘Girlfriends and boyfriends, welcome to the best party in the world. The Chingay Carnival in Low Town, Madripoor!’ Blink announces cheerfully and adds that it is a full-on Mardi Gras meets Burning Man Festival mash-up. ‘Let’s go, New Mutants! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!’ she urges them. Police officers wave their beer bottles around, civilians in colourful costumes dance, while a Chinese Dragon winds its way through the party.
The New Mutants are still amazed at what has just happened, and Blink grabs Magma and Dani, ‘Let’s go!’ she tells them. ‘Well, since we’re here…’ Magma remarks. ‘I’m about to have a really bad attack of “what the hell”’ Mirage mutters. X-Man turns to Warlock and tells him to stay close and not to get lost. Warlock asks Nate to define “lost”. ‘I dunno. Wander off and start dancing like a crazy person’ Nate replies. ‘Like the girls are, you mean?’ Warlock points out, observing Dani, Amara and Clarice dancing amongst the partygoers. Sunspot and Cypher watch the girls, and Sunspot remarks that they get in the mood real quick. Cypher points out that Blink is a very enthusiastic influence, and remarks that the Chingay Carnival is a very exuberant event.
Cypher continues, explaining that Chingay is Chinese New Year, but in characteristically unconventional Madripoor style, it gets celebrated a little later over here. ‘I believe the earliest records of the carnival date back to 1791 when Dutch merchantmen - merchantmen…’ his voice trails off as he continues to watch the girls dancing. ‘Gosh. They really are dancing vigorously, aren’t they? The girls? I mean they really seem to have got over their post-mission depression with great alacrity thanks to Blink’s infectious gusto’ Cypher states. Sunspot frowns and replies ‘Yes, Doug. They have. They are having soooo much fun. Without us’. Cypher tells Bobby that he is sure Amara will dance with him, but Sunspot interrupts, announcing that he needs a drink. ‘Do you want a drink? I need a drink’.
Bobby goes over to a bar, and Cypher follows him, telling Bobby that he mustn’t be so glum, as this is a party. ‘The party according to Clarice. The definite article party’. Sunspot just mutters that Amara looks happy without him, and that he is never going to get her back. Bobby tells Doug that he thought maybe that crazy date might shake some sense into her, but no, Amara is happy, like she’s seeing someone. ‘Mephisto?’ Doug asks. ‘She wouldn’t be that insane’ Bobby replies. Doug tells Bobby that he has to get over Amara. ‘Y’right’ Sunspot replies. ‘No, you do. You have to put what’s past behind you and reinvent yourself. I could help you. I could coach you’ Doug offers, enthusiastically. Sunspot just bursts into laughter. ‘You? You coach me? About dates? About girls?’.
Sunspot tells Doug that he doesn’t need any coaching, and motioning to a girl dancing nearby, Sunspot asks ‘You’re going to help me land a hottie like…that for instance?’ Cypher frowns and tells Bobby that he finds his lack of faith disturbing. Cypher reminds Sunspot that he is a master of language, that it is his super power. ‘You think I can’t teach you a few simple words that will help you score with any girl you choose?’. This intrigues Bobby, who tells Doug to show him what he has got.
Warlock informs Nate that he is going to find Doug and Bobby. Nate tells him that is a good idea, and that he will be there in a second, but he can’t stop looking at Mirage, who, along with Magma and Blink, is now sitting around a table, when several locals approach them. ‘Hey, sugar - you and your sweet friends want to dance?’ one of them asks. ‘No’ Blink replies quickly. ‘You want to drink?’ the local asks. ‘No. We’re fine’ Blink tells him. ‘Don’t be like that…’ the man tells her, but Blink just smiles and uses her teleport power on the men, sending them to an even larger man. ‘…we’ll show you a good time’ the local finishes his sentence. ‘Are you talking to me?’ the large man asks, turning around, frowning.
Blink remarks that there must be some yummy guys in this town. Dani replies that there are, as she looks past Blink, to where Nate is walking. ‘There are? What did you see?’ Blink asks her. ‘Hi’ Nate exclaims, blushing. ‘Nate? Danielle, do you like Nate?’ Blink asks. ‘She so does. You can tell’ Amara declares. ‘I do not’ Mirage replies quickly, while blushing. ‘Oh my God. You do! You’re blushing!’ Clarice exclaims. Magma begins to laugh, and jokes that there is so much chemistry between them that they need lab coats and goggles. ‘Shut up!’ Mirage declares, and trying to deflect the subject of attention, suggests to Blink that she asks Amara about her new boyfriend. ‘Who is this new boyfriend you speak of?’ Blink asks. ‘No, really! There’s isn’t! Da-ni!’ Amara exclaims, but Dani’s attention has turned back to Nate, who has turned away from the girls and is walking towards an alleyway.
‘Self-friends? Where are you?’ Warlock calls out as he makes his way up some stairs to a rooftop, when suddenly, he collides with a woman wearing a metallic outfit, who drops her drink against Warlock. ‘Oops! I’m so sorry!’ she exclaims. ‘Pardon me!’ Warlock declares, before asking the woman if she is all right, and remarking that he should have been looking where he was going. ‘No, I should have been looking where I was going’ the woman replies. ‘No, Self is certain Self should have been looking where you were going, too’ Warlock smiles, adding that comparative trajectory plotting is not difficult, so collisions can be avoided. ‘You’re funny’ the woman smiles, before Warlock introduces himself. The woman introduces herself as Trois, and Warlock tells her that he likes her costume. Trois thanks him and explains that she is from High Town, so she really shouldn’t be here tonight. ‘My mother will kill me. Can you believe I snuck out?’ she exclaims. Warlock replies that he cannot believe it, because Trois has told it to him in a phrasing that suggests it is unlikely. ‘You’re really funny’ Trois replies, asking Warlock if he wants to get a drink.
Meanwhile, Sunspot approaches the woman he was eyeing up earlier. ‘Hey, good looking -’ he begins, smiling. ‘Too much confidence’ Cypher remarks, and indeed, the woman throws her green drink in Sunspot’s face. ‘Creep!’ she calls him. Another drink, another woman, and Sunspot tells the second woman that he kind of likes it here. ‘It’s okay, I suppose’ he adds. ‘Too aloof’ Cypher frowns. ‘So, do you kinda like it here?’ Sunspot asks the second woman, who edges away, ‘No…I kinda like it over there’ she tells him. ‘Hello!’ a wide-eyed Sunspot calls out to a third woman, who replies in a language Sunspot does not speak. ‘Too much…language barrier’ Cypher mutters, before going over to his teammate and asking if he would like him to translate. ‘No. I want you to go away. Then I want to die’ Sunspot replies, while the woman continues to speak to them in her own language.
With a big smile, Bobby approaches another woman, asking her if she comes here often. ‘Too much big angry boyfriend!’ Doug calls out urgently, but too late, as the boyfriend punches Bobby in the face. Bobby retaliates, by spinning around and punching the big angry boyfriend, knocking him back. Doug tries to stop his teammate, but Bobby just shouts ‘Yeah? Who wants some, eh?’ as others nearby begin to start fighting, too.
Up on the rooftop, a monkey sits on the edge of the barrier, and with a confused look, watches Warlock and Trois. ‘So, you reside in the High Town urban area?’ Warlock enquires. Trois replies that she does, up the hill, and that her family is big in technology. She reveals that her mother is a little old-fashioned. ‘A good girl like me coming to Low Town? Disgrace!’ Trois declares, adding that her mother can be overbearing. ‘Self has high-level familiarity with that social dynamic’ Warlock replies. ‘Your parents too?’ Trois asks. ‘My father’ Warlock tells her. ‘Ah. It’s all about old money in High Town. Tradition. Duties and responsibilities’ Trois remarks.
Trois tells Warlock that she doesn’t want to break with tradition or disappoint her family, but that she really wants to experience a little of the real world herself. ‘Self moved out of home, and moved in with friends. That was our precise motivation, too: to interface more with the real world. Real life’ Warlock states, adding that it can be alarming, but the compensation is that it can be rewarding. ‘You get to meet a lot of new people’ Warlock adds, leaning against the barrier and smiling. ‘Exactly’ Trois replies as she smiles back. The monkey still looks at them both and, confused, rubs its head.
Mirage, Magma and Blink are dancing once again, when Mirage exclaims that she is exhausted, but Blink replies ‘No, you’re not! You’re loving it! I told you this would be fun!’, before turning to Magma and remarking ‘Now about this dating the Devil thing…?’, Magma tells her that it is not what she thinks. Magma smiles and remarks ‘He’s not what you think. No one really gets it. When he’s with me, he’s not…the Devil, you know’. Blink goes wide-eyed and asks Magma if she has seen him since. Magma confides that she has, and asks Blink not to tell anybody. ‘Don’t spoil this for me!’ she tells her.
Cypher pushes Sunspot away from the fight, despite Sunspot boasting that he could have taken them all. ‘And I could have taken you to the hospital’ Cypher replies, suggesting that his teammate cool down. ‘Let’s go somewhere quiet and -’ Cypher begins, but Sunspot stops walking and exclaims ‘Uh-uh-uh. I am back in the game, Douglas. Do you see that? That is the girl for me and -’ Bobby begins as he looks at Trois - when suddenly, his jaw drops as he sees Warlock walk up to Trois, who puts her arm around him. ‘Well, I did not expect “too much Warlock” to be making the strike-out list tonight’ Doug smiles. ‘How -? How did he -? When I can’t -? The shame! THE SHAME!’ Sunspot shouts, dropping to his knees.
‘Hey, Doug!’ Blink exclaims as she teleports Doug over to where she and Amara are still dancing. ‘It’s time for dancing, Doug!’ Amara exclaims. ‘It is?’ Doug asks as he joins them. ‘Yes, come on! You boys have been so boring all night!’ Amara declares. ‘Lead on, then’ Doug replies, while Amara sees Sunspot staggering down an alleyway, and asks ‘What’s up with Roberto?’, to which Doug explains that he just needs to sit down and be quiet for a bit, that he got himself overexcited. Smiling, Doug then asks where Dani got to.
Rounding the corner of another alleyway, Dani is smiling as she approaches Nate, who is sit on a box, beer in hand, telekinetically lifting the broken glass of another beer bottle in front of him. ‘Hey! Come on. We’re all dancing’ Dani calls out to him. Nate looks up and replies that he is not really a dancer, adding that he is not sure how this works - partying and everything. ‘We didn’t have you know, disco in the Age of Apocalypse’ Nate points out. “Disco”? Dani replies, telling Nate that is the worst excuse she has ever heard, and grabbing his hands, pulls him towards her, telling him that he is dancing, end of. ‘Whoa! Whoa! I’m not even dressed for it! I don’t have any shoes!’ Nate points out. ‘True’ Dani remarks, looking down at Nate’s feet. She holds one of his hands up, and puts his other hand on her lower back, assuring him that she won’t step on his toes. ‘See? See? There you go. Hip action. You can do it’ she tells him as they begin moving.
Dani tells Nate that he hasn’t said much since the island, and Nate replies that he knows, ‘Before we went, I thought I’d worked out what I wanted to say to you. Then…then we got all fused together…and we both freaked out a little…well, a lot’ he explains, adding that by the time they got home, he wasn’t sure if the thing he wanted to say was the right thing anymore. ‘Shut up and say it anyway’ Dani tells him as their faces move closer together, and they kiss.
Trois looks at her watch and announces that it is so late, that she has to go or she will be missed. Trois tells Warlock that this was really great, and that she hates to leave, before writing her cell phone number on his arm in red lipstick, and kisses him on the cheek. Warlock looks as goofy as ever, and staggers about a little bit, while Trois runs off, telling ‘by the way, I really love your costume, too!’
Warlock goes over to where his friends are regrouping. ‘Bobby?’ Clarice calls out as she approaches Bobby, who is slumped over in an alleyway. ‘I don’t feel so good…’ Bobby mutters, while Clarice helps him to his feet. She tells him that he doesn’t look - or smell - so good, either. Bobby tells her that he is sorry, to which Clarice tells him to snap out of it, as there are plenty more fish in the sea. ‘You’ll find a girl. A great girl’ she assures him. Bobby smiles at her, to which Blink frowns and replies ‘Yeah, but not me’. Everyone gathers together as a photographer approaches them. ‘Hey! You want photo! I take photo for a dollar!’, and everyone smiles.


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Exiled – part 3: Cannibal Time Bomb
Loki’s story:
Heed the tale of Loki, fairest and finest of Asgard’s sons! In ancient realms with too many consonants in their names, he came to the aid of the warrior Sigurd who had got himself into a state of extreme fail with the sexy-dangerous Valkyries of death!
“Save me from the temptress-cannibals, mischievous one!” Sigurd cried. So hither came Loki, the mackable. Forsooth, he was smoking! Indeed, so studly was he that the dire death maidens forgot Sigurd and did beset Loki majorly.
With great magicks, he drove back their keen attentions but great magicks were not enough, for their make-out fu was strong.
By holy Odin’s battle trousers! Loki cried as he wove a spell like a boss that—
Present:
“Wove an imprecise and ragged scrap of sorcery that Sigurd misused—“Doug Ramsey aka Cypher translates. Hello? Butt out! Loki cries, this is his saga.
“And thus all Asgardians caught in the spell forgot their heritage and became mortal,” Doug continues in a trance. Hey fellow, Loki protests, “my saga, my saga!”
Why is everyone looking at him? What was he doing? Doug asks surprised. He was Bogarting his saga and was telling it in a way that made him look really bad, Loki or Lucas, as he is known in his mortal identity sulks. Is it possible to “Bogart a saga?” Doug muses. He supposes to. It just felt like the truth to him. They are in this terrible situation because Loki gave Sigurd a spell. A very bad spell. Loki started to talk and words started to seep into Cypher’s head. It’s the spell. The spell that’s taken Asgard out of everything. Sigurd cast the spell to protect himself from the – you know, the cannibal death valkyries they are not supposed to mention by name. And the spell is wearing thin. It’s being stretched. It’s going to tear.
X-Man, who is something of an expert when it comes to alternate realities, agrees. Reality’s been overwritten. Repurposed. He must be picking up echoes of the way things should be, Cypher agrees. Its true language is more subtle. A faint trace of it underlies everything. It vibrates more vitally than the dull normality that has been imposed ion it. If it reasserts itself and snaps back too suddenly, well, look out!
Bobby daCosta announces he hates Asgardian stuff. And reality twistiness. And he hates having his saga script-doctored to make him look like a sneaking thief, Loki sulks. Doug points out that Loki was always the sneaking thief.
Dani interrupts them; they have to get the situation under control. Bobby suggests calling the X-Men. Nate Grey disagrees. Reality is thin. Things are fragile, Doug agrees. They must tread very carefully or everything will break. As in? Dani asks. All of the Asgardians would suffer irrevocable harm and perish, Doug translates.
Okay, they are not cool with that, Dani decides. Nor does she want to risk deposing a horde of rampaging cannibal demigods in downtown San Fran. By the same token, they can’t do their regular hero routine of kicking ass and punching things in the face. They have to find another viable way of ending up the heroes here. So they stick with the original plan. The guy responsible for the whole mess is right here after all. Loki created the spell, he is going to uncreate it. He is going to weave the best freaking counter-spell that was ever woven ever! she stresses.
Loki agrees. Still figuring out how exactly he’s going to do that. Lots of things to consider. But of course he can - totally! They are talking a powerful counterspell. Serious, if they want to stop the Disir. Don’t say that! Dani orders. Say what? He asks. She spells the name. He said it and they didn’t appear, he points out. He think Mr. Pecs and Captain Smartass are underestimating how strong Sigurd’s spell is. By which he means his spell. His spells don’t undo easily. But he is aware of the looks on their faces so they’d better get on gathering some ingredients…
So the quest for ingredients begins. First the hammer of Thor… Arthur, the guy who runs he the repair shop (Warlock steals it while Amara and Doug talk to Arthur).
Next the spittle of Volstagg… the fat dude in the café where Doug and Roberto steal his sandwich while he is serving Sigurd who looks after them suspiciously, wondering what the mutants are up to.
Next up is a lock of hair from Fandral – the guy who runs the bar and really fancies himself, which Loki and Dani get from Hogun the hairdresser, whose blood they also get when he cuts himself with his scissors.
Not to mention the “grave goods” of Hela, goddess of death the crazy recycling woman who collects garbage. That’s Hela? Dani mutters in astonishment when she sees the recycling lady with the lopsided face.
Nate and Loki try to get the oath of Tyr the homeless vet who sleeps in the alley. When they wake him with Nate’s telekinesis he swears at them and they copy the “oath” with a smartphone.
Left is the sweat of Sif the babe Bobby sees on the street sometimes when she’s on her way to self-defense class at the church hall. Amara raises the ground temperature and Bobby hands Tiff a new towel and takes it back afterwards. Amara accuses him of having way too much fun. Better the devil you know, he retorts.
Not long after, also in the church, the D.I.S.I.R. (support group for disordered eaters in recovery) is meeting. In the circle, Gondul gets up and announces she has been fighting food allergies since what seems forever. Another woman agrees. It’s awful, the hunger, the need to eat. And the fear that eating will hurt, Gondul agrees. It’s a curse.
Brun appears, her face smeared with blood. This is going to sound crazy, she announces, but something changed today. She discovered today she can eat. Properly eat without the allergies kicking in. It’s as if something has… interfered with the allergy patterns. She doesn’t know… But she has suffered for years. For years, just like all of them. Now she found she can eat again. It’s amazing! The hunger used to be bad… but the thought of eating was even worse. Knowing what would happen when the allergies started up. She holds up a paper bag. Her hunger hasn’t gone away, but the stranglehold of the allergies has. She believes they can finally beat their illness by defying it. She drops the food on the ground and urges them to try. The other women pounce on the food…
On the street, Doug announces it’s getting thinner. He can hear the language of reality trying to reassert itself. So he’s saying they got to hurry? Dani asks. Hurry a lot, he agrees. They’ve got to cast the spell and replace the old one before it breaks. It’s coming under a lot of pressure. X-Man who has just joined them also issues a warning about reality. Doug just said, Dani cuts him off. Just for once she’d love the problem to be “pizza’s late” or “I’ve lost my shoe.” Not “reality is about to have spasms and die.”
She turns to Loki, announcing the spell he gave to Sigurd is about to go ping and collapse. Is he ready with the new one? He’s got all the bits and ingredients. Dani warns him to get it right. Okay, okay, Loki sighs, seriousness of situation understood.
Inside, Dani stresses he has to reset everything and reassert the bonds restraining the D-I-S-IR. He’s totally with the program, Loki assures her.
Meanwhile, all around the neighborhood, the true nature of things begins to squirm out from under the bonds of the enchantment. When Arthur, the mechanic, hits his thumb with his hammer he swears “By the All-Father!” The homeless bum mutters he served in the wars. … The battle of Fenris…
In the New Mutants’ apartment, Loki brews the ingredients. For the next step, all females present must take their tops off, he announces. Cast the damn spell already! Dani orders before Amara can lynch him.
Arthur and the jogging Tiff hear a scream coming from the church. The Warriors Three also run out of Andy’s bar. Tyr, his puppy and the homeless pup that loves chasing Loki are also alert.
Oh, please, don’t tell him, Sigurd begs, as the Disir roam free on the streets… free and ravenous.
What the Hel? Tiff exclaims while Arthur wonders why these things seem familiar. The monstrous Disir begin attacking everybody and everything. What did those crazy mutants do? a shocked Sigurd mutters.
Holding his wrench like a hammer, Arthur shouts this will not stand. Gods! the baker exclaims, ordering his friends to drive the beasts back before they hurt someone. Back! he says and attacks one of them, as do his friends.
“And by the freezing winter ice of the ancient fjord, whimmy whammy!” Loki finishes his spell. Behold! he shouts. Nothing happens. What are they beholding exactly? Amara asks.
Well, that was fun, Loki announces. It’s getting late. He has to be home for supper. Dani shouts at him to wait. Nothing happened! Walking outside, Loki replies, of course, nothing happened. What did they expect? They really have to lighten up and--- he trails off as he sees the chaos outside.
Dani orders him to do something. The boy is confused. What is she talking about. He is Loki! she shouts. Yeah, when they are pretending, he replies. Because they were playing… it was fun. They are crazy, this is all crazy!
Dani realizes that “Loki” had been Luke all the time. He was pretending. He was lying when he said he realized he was Loki. Which, of course, ironically is a very Loki thing to do, Doug points out.
Dani announces they have to do something fast. Sigurd comes running. What did they do? he shouts. Dani tells him this is his fault. Powering up, Sunspot asks if they can please hit something in the face now? Dani apologizes. They should have done that in the first place. She orders the team to act before somebody dies. Don’t let them eat him! Sigurd pleads while Luke asks them not to leave him with Sigurd. He started it!


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Exiled – part 5: Unhappily Ever After
Dressed in pseudo-Asgardian garb, Cypher announces there shall be an ending to this grim tale of wanton Sigurd, the most ancient and yet slutty of all the legendary heroes. And the fatal Disir, the ravening she-warriors who were stricken by a curse because of Sigurd to roam the world, slaying men and eating their flesh. About which, you know, eww. Forsooth, he continues, for that is a word, the coils of fate have finally bound both together, where the simple ritual of a wedding will end their curse and set both Sigurd and the Disir free from their eternal torment. In the community church hall, Mission Street, San Francisco where they lay their scene…
Loki interrupts, chiding him to stop pinching his saga gig. Plus, come on! The ceremony is starting. Here come the brides!
Standing at the front is the officiating Bor, flanked by Cypher and Sunspot the unhappy groom Sigurd. Meanwhile, Hela’s handmaiden Leah leads the brides, the Disir, through the aisles. Hela watches everything from behind while Mephisto tries to get Magma’s attention. Apart from the mutants, the amnesiac and very confused Asgardians are also present and wonder why they are there.
Sigurd whispers to Sunspot that this is a bad idea. Roberto points out nobody has come up with anything better. Dani doesn’t like it for other reasons. The Disir are the victims here, trapped by the half-baked values of a patriarchal--
Loki interrupts her because she is dull. He reminds her that the Disir are trapped between Sigurd’s curse and their own monstrous natures. Bor is the only one who can break the spell. Even if the old goat does look like he‘s relishing the misery a bit too much…
Arthur wonders why Bor keeps glaring at him. And did he just say he was the father of the gods or something? Tiff points out that’s not the weirdest thing that happened today. He admits the weirdest thing is he feels he should know what’s going on…
Bor orders the Disir to form into a rank and make their pledge. Man will take dominion over these chattel women, he booms, as is his right! No more will they stray! With iron, he will bind them…
Dani whispers to Brun they don’t have to do this. What choice do they have? Brun asks. It’s the only way to escape Bor’s curse.
Everything will be fine, babe, Sigurd assures her grinning while Bor continues they will be his handmaidens and servants, his help-meets and his slaves forever. To bear his children and to raise them. To toil in the home and--
This is wrong! Dani interrupts. There’s got to be another way. Sometimes you’ve got to fight for what you believe in! That’s enough!  she shouts and threatens Bor with her sword.
Fighting is her way? Loki scoffs. Fighting isn’t a way! Dani shouts she’s had it with Bor’s chauvinistic swill and orders him to end the curse. Dani then demands Loki do something about this. Now that she’s gotten into Bor’s face? he protests.
Hela too is displeased. Bor shoves Dani back with an energy blast. One of the Disir helps Dani up, while the others announce they will have no more of this. Their liberty counts for nothing. They’d rather see Bor suffer! Not good, Sigurd mutters and gets to run while the mutants get ready for battle against Bor.
Angrily, Bor orders the Disir to kneel. The mutants are thrown back by his energy. Warlock tries to protect them while the Disir attack Bor. Dani orders her team to counterstrike. Is she sure? Nate wonders. Amara points out that Bor called Dani a wench. What does he think?
Loki suggests to Hela they get out of here and they teleport away.
Kneel before Bor! the angry god repeats as he begins to strangle one Disir. Dani orders the team to take him down
Amara makes lava appear beneath him, while Sunspot saves the Disir woman. Dani cuts Bor. As he bleeds, the Disir go into full attack-mode, driven by bloodlust. Enough of this! Bor shouts and teleports away to Hel. The Disir and Dani give chase while the portal is open, leaving the others behind to wonder what happened.
Mephisto uses the chance to sidle up to Magma, joking those Norsemen are worse than Italians, and he hung out with Dante. Is she okay? Angrily, she tells him Dani is gone. She leapt into the portal. And now it is closed, Cypher agrees, but it was definitely a route to Hel. Amara asks Mephisto for help. He reminds her Hel is not his jurisdiction. He got them there before, Amara points out. Angrily, he tells her he’s invested a lot of time and effort into those Disir and he’s very annoyed they’ve escaped from his clutches before he could see any return on that investment.
Outside the gates of Hel, Bor shouts for them to be opened, as the Disir are on his heels.
Sitting atop the battlement is Loki, who informs him that Hela put him on guard  duty and he’s shut up shop for the day. Furious, Bor orders his “grandson” to open the gates. Loki points out the irony of him being hoisted on his own cruel petard.
Dani tries to calm the Disir. They’ll be damned for all eternity if they kill Bor! Only he can break the curse. They are damned anyway! Brun snarls.
What is he playing at? Dani shouts at Loki, who informs her this is Plan B. This is the other way. Loki suggests to Bor there is one way out. If he cancels his curse and takes away the Disir’s soul hunger.
Bor curses him but then complies and frees the Disir.  A light engulfs them and the Disir are returned to their state of warriors maidens. See, that wasn’t so hard, Loki beams, while Bor vows revenge on him for making him an oathbreaker.
Hela intervenes. She tells the Disir their curse is lifted but they are many centuries beyond their mortal state. They must choose their fate: go to their eternal rest or will they serve as Hela’s Valkyries? The Disir gladly accept her job offer. Pleased, Hela orders them to return Bor to her palace.
Hela then returns Loki and Dani to San Francisco, where all the Asgardians are restored again. Thor thanks Dani and the other mutants. Volstagg even admits that they owe Loki. Dani thanks Thor, then asks if the car is ready. Joke! she adds.
Thor muses that the spell made them a part of this community. He had forgotten how curiously contented mortal life can be. They must clear away and rebuild before they depart.
Loki apparently tries to shirk work duty when he runs into Mephisto, who informs him that he owes him big. Loki took his handmaidens from him. What’s more, he ruined his chances with that Amara girl. Now that she knows Mephisto owned the Disir for a while, she won’t have anything to do with him. And he had such plans for her.
Loki tries to talk but Mephisto stops him. He has made an enemy of him today and he will not forget it. They will soon have their reckoning, he promises and disappears.
Who was he talking to? Dani asks. No one! Loki claims. Dani wonders what became of Sigurd in all the confusion.
Zig, it turns out, has gone to Texas and joined a firefighting crew there. In a bar he flirts again. When he hits the restroom, the Disir appear behind him. What do they want? he asks nervously.
If it were up to Hlökk, he’d be singing falsetto now, Brun informs him. But they took a vote and decided to let him live. They waited for their vengeance so long, centuries. Now they realize he is not even worth it. They are Hela’s Valkyries now. They have the foreknowledge of Hel. They know the hour, place and manner of his death. So they will come to him then and he will enjoy their cold embrace. It’s something for him to look forward to. After so many years, they can wait a little longer…
With those words they leave him alone…


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Fear the Future, part 1: Out of Season
‘Okay, this isn’t funny anymore!’ Dani Moonstar snarls as she and her team, the New Mutants, are swarmed by a horde of flying demons at Queensport in Maine. Lightning crackles in the sky and rain pours down hard as the team of young mutant heroes fight for their lives. On the boardwalk outside the amusement park. Bobby “Sunspot” DaCosta takes to the air to battle some demons, while Amara “Magma” Aquilla fires flaming lava at her foes. Doug Ramsey a.k.a. Cypher tries to stay out of danger, while Nate Grey a.k.a. X-Man and Warlock fight on. ‘I mean it! A little leftover infestation from the Inferno incursion? Sure. A handful of goblins left behind? Hey, we specialize in mutant problem cleanups. But this?’ Dani exclaims, annoyed, while X-Man keeps a demon at bay with a telekinetic throw.
‘I hear you. Also, Maine? At this time of year? It is not beach weather!’ Sunspot complains as he fires energy blasts at some demons. Magma causes flames to burst up from under the boardwalk and declares that this won’t hold them back, as these things thrive on fire and brimstone. ‘God, how many of these things are there?’ she asks. ‘Self / Friend?’ Warlock calls out to Cypher, who announces that there are ninety-six-thousand eight hundred and forty-one. ‘Or was that a rhetorical question?’ he inquires. He asks his teammates to let him concentrate, as he is trying to deconstruct the magical grammar so he can reverse the sorcery that is summoning these imps to Earth. ‘Try deconstructing the magical grammar and watching your back, Doug!’ Moonstar recommends as she leaps into the air, kicking away a demon that was flying around Cypher.
‘I understood that was the point of being a team. Specialisms. You look after me and I look after you’ Cypher replies. Cypher then tells his teammates to follow him, as he has found a trail of arcane formulations that are emanating from behind a stage curtain. But as he draws the curtain back, he finds a very large demon, who breathes fire from its nose. ‘Where’s Illyana when you really need her?’ Cypher mutters.
Suddenly, something fast and silvery slides past the demon. ‘Oh, my!’ Cypher gasps. ‘Please…allow us!’ Dr Strange declares as he and his teammates in the Defenders appear - Iron Fist and Silver Surfer. ‘Duck, Self / Friends!’ Warlock calls out as the large demons falls down onto the boardwalk thanks to Silver Surfer pushing it down. Iron Fist leaps into action and starts taking down some of the imps. ‘Scram!’ he calls out, before asking Magma if she is okay. ‘Y-yeah’ Magma replies. Silver Surfer fires cosmic energy towards the demons that start to overwhelm Sunspot.
The rain continues to pound down on the New Mutants, while Moonstar alerts everyone to the fact that the demons are scattering. ‘They know they’re beat!’ she exclaims. Dr Strange announces that they cannot permit any to remain on the mortal plane, and starts to cast a spell of expulsion and purgation. ‘And a little conjuration of abolition will resolve that matter!’ Strange adds. The demons all vanish, and the New Mutants look around, slightly dazed as the rain continues to pour down on them. ‘Nice…magicalness’ X-Man mutters. Cypher motions to the roof of the funhouse, while Dr Strange remarks that the root of the problem is up there, a rune scratched on the funhouse wall. Cypher adds that it is a sigil of entry into this dimension from Limbo, a door basically. ‘You can read it. I’m impressed’ Dr Strange tells him.  ‘Let’s make sure it can’t be read again’ he decides as he casts another spell. Moonstar goes over to him and thanks him for his timely help. Dr Strange replies ‘That was…coincidental. We didn’t come for them. We came for you’.
One hour later, at 1128 Mission Street, San Francisco, California, a pizza delivery boy looks back at Warlock strangely after Warlock collects the pizzas that have just been delivered. Inside, the New Mutants and the Defenders are gathered in the kitchen. Cypher examines the Silver Surfer’s board, while X-Man and Iron Fist look in the refrigerator. Magma gets some drinks ready, and Moonstar and Sunspot listen to Dr Strange. As Warlock enters the kitchen, Moonstar apologizes for the food just being pizza. ‘If we’d known we were having…guests, we would have…cooked’ she claims. Dr Strange tells Dani that her hospitality is appreciated, but unnecessary. ‘We have rather more pressing issues to consider’ he announces.
Dr Strange reveals that today his associates each detected a ripple in their respective areas of speciality. ‘Uh-huh’ Dani replies. ‘I mean, Dani, a ripple in the cohesive binding structure of the metaverse. The universal order of magic is being disturbed, suggesting that some vast and reality-changing event is approaching’. With a mouthful of pizza, the Silver Surfer states that of greater concern is that this disturbance is also being registered in the fundamental energies of the cosmos. ‘Magic and space / time alike are reacting’ he explains, before revealing that the focus is this mutant team. ‘Well…okay. That’s…that’s big’ Dani replies. ‘Especially coming from heavy hitters like you’ she adds. ‘WHAT? These guys come in and say they’re sensing a great disturbance in the force and we’re supposed to jump -’ Sunspot protests. ‘BOBBY!’ Dani scolds him.
Suddenly, the door opens and an elderly woman appears. ‘Hello? Door was beink open. You guests are havink?’ she calls out. Magma realizes that it is Mrs Livitz from downstairs. Everyone looks frantic as Dani exclaims that their neighbor can’t see them in costume like this. ‘She’ doesn’t know you’re X-Men?’ Iron Fist asks. ‘It didn’t actually come up at the last tenants’ meeting’ Dani mutters, as Mrs Livitz announces that she has brought food for the guests. ‘That’s so kind of you, Mrs Livitz’ Magma replies as she rushes over to her. Mrs Livitz looks around the kitchen and announces that it is bigos doomorschi, which is very popular in Latveria. ‘Get spoons!’ she calls out, before going slightly wide-eyed and remarking ‘Oh your guests, veeery beink unusual’. ‘Mrs Livitz, is it?’ Dr Strange calls out as he approaches the elderly woman and casts a spell - Bartomol’s Guise of Everyday.
New Mutants and Defenders alike suddenly appear in civilian clothing, as Dr Strange tells Mrs Livitz that it is a pleasure to meet her, and introduces himself as Stephen. ‘Oh, nice to be meet’ Mrs Livitz replies. Stephen puts a hand on her shoulder as the very human looking Silver Surfer takes the pot of food. ‘Doomorsch, you say? “Doom’s stew”? A favorite. Do you use charnushka?’ Stephen asks. Mrs Livitz smiles, ‘You know Latveria, heh? Tuvox prorr kak?’ she asks. Stephen replies in Latverian and reveals that he has spent a little time there over the years, before casting another spell, Zanathora’s Capitulation of Will, and he leads Mrs Livitz to the door, telling her that it was a delight to meet her. ‘I will be goink downstairs now. You bang on floor you need more stew’ Mrs Livizt tells him. The door closes and everyone’s appearance returns to normal. ‘Strange is pretty good at making people see what they need to see’ Iron Fist remarks.
However, Iron Fist notices that Sunspot is staring blankly ahead. ‘You in there? I said -’ Iron Fist begins, only for Sunspot to fire a blast of concussive energy at him, blasting him backwards. ‘Bobby? What the hell -!’ Dani exclaims. But, as Iron Fist falls to the floor, Sunspot quickly turns his attention to the Silver Surfer, and blasts him clear across the room. Silver Surfer drops his drink, sending water spilling to the floor. ‘Bobby! Stop it!’ Dani calls out. The blast against the Silver Surfer was so powerful that it sends the cosmic defender crashing through the outer wall of the New Mutants’ home. ‘Da Costa! Quit it!’ X-Man orders ‘Self / Friend!’ Warlock declares, while Dani asks Bobby if he has gone nuts. Suddenly, Iron Fist gets up and takes Sunspot from behind, slamming him to the floor. ‘I got it!’ Iron Fist declares.
In the apartment below, Mrs Livitz can hear all the thumping and bumping, and smiles as she looks at her ceiling. ‘Okay, okay! I bring more stew!’ she calls out.
Everyone looks at Sunspot, and Dani apologizes to the Defenders, while the Silver Surfer climbs through the gaping hole in the wall and explains that this is what they were warning them about.
Shortly, Magma sits with Sunspot on the sofa, holding a compress to his head. ‘I’, sorry, man…Mr Surfer, I didn’t mean to - thing is, I don’t remember anything’ Sunspot declares. The Silver Surfer uses his powers to repair the damaged wall, while Moonstar tells Dr Strange that she thinks Sunspot is telling the truth. Strange agrees. Iron Fist and X-Man pick up the bar stools that were knocked over in the melee, while Moonstar asks if the huge mystical / cosmic threat they have detected is Bobby. ‘Of course not. Your friend is simply being affected by it’ Strange explains. Dani tells him that they appreciate the warning that he and his allies have brought them. ‘We will deal with this. But you’ve got to give us some time. And a chance to deal with it’ she assures him.
Dr Strange casts another spell - Vandular’s Detection of Veracity, and tells Dani that he knows she means that, but that there simply isn’t much time. ‘Even so, it’s our problem. We deserve the chance to settle it ourselves’ Dani points out. Iron Fist and the Silver Surfer gather beside Dr Strange who replies ‘I think you do. And I now sense this is a problem that must first be approached by your team’. Strange tells Dani that he doesn’t wish to interfere, but that this must be handled effectively. He explains that one strand of reality suggests they will end this in 72 hours. The Silver Surfer tells the New Mutants that if they can’t resolve the crisis in that time, the Defenders will return and resolve it for them. ‘Good luck my friends’ Dr Strange tells the young heroes as he, Iron Fist and Silver Surfer teleport away.
‘Well, it’s nice to have visitors’ Cypher remarks. Dani tells her friends that they have a problem, to which X-Man exclaims that the problem is they don’t know what the problem is, except that it is huge and they have three days to fix it. Sunspot tells his teammates that he might be able to help, as he announces that he kept something back. ‘Bobby?’ Amara calls out. Bobby reveals that when he lost it, it was like he was possessed. ‘I’ve felt that way before. Like I had a presence in me. No mistaking it. It was Karma’ Bobby announces.
Soon, at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning in Westchester, New York. The Beast is outside playing baseball with several students including Kid Gladiator, Quentin Quire, Anole, Oya and a Bamf. Inside one of the buildings, the New Mutants meet with their former teammates and current teachers here at the Jean Grey School - Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie and Xi’an Coy Manh a.k.a. Karma, who sits on a sofa with her companion, Face. ‘I haven’t done anything’ Karma exclaims. ‘We haven’t seen you guys for months, and now you come here and accuse me of so -’ Karma begins, but Sunspot assures her that he isn’t accusing her. ‘But I know what your power effect feels like. I know what I felt…’ Sunspot points out.
Karma declares that the junior position here is pretty intense, and that since she has got here, she has had her hands full with the students and with Face. She adds that before she left Utopia, there was this one time, something weird happened to her. ‘Sort of…out of body’ Karma explains. ‘Nate said he had an experience like that, too’ Dani points out. Nate announces that he suddenly found himself staring at a calendar, like he woke up. ‘I had that. Only for me, it was a diary. Dates. Records of time. Could that be significant?’ Cannonball remarks. He adds that it also happened to him before he left Utopia. ‘I put it down to stress’ Sam tells everyone, before asking Dani if he can have a word.
Cannonball and Moonstar go into a library, and Sam tells Dani that it seemed awkward in there. He points out that Karma was right - they were all so close, and then they don’t speak for months. ‘We’re still close, Sam…’ Dani replies, her voice drifting off, before telling him that life here seems to be suiting him. Sam looks at Dani as he tells her that he was wondering about Nate - about her and Nate. ‘Wondering what, exactly?’ Dani asks. ‘Come on. There’s a chemistry coming off you two. Dani, it’s okay…’ Sam begins. They look outside to where the kids are playing baseball still, and Sam points out that it is not like he and Dani made a promise or anything. ‘I left to come here. I didn’t expect to you to wait’ he tells her.
‘God, Sam, it’s not like that. You were ill. You had to rest. I was running the team. I built relationships…’it’s not anything else!’ Dani claims.
Outside: ‘What team are they on?’ Kid Gladiator demands as a Bamf leaps into the air and catches the baseball. ‘You’re out!’ the Beast shouts.
Sam and Dani both rub their heads. ‘Well, I - whoa. I feel really weird suddenly, What was I talking about?’ Sam asks. ‘I don’t know. I have the worst déjà vu’ Dani replies, before she shouts ‘…it’s not anything else’ a she looks out the window.
Outside: ‘What team are they on?’ Kid Gladiator demands as a Bamf leaps into the air and catches the baseball. ‘You’re out!’ the Beast shouts.
Dani and Sam look at each other, and Dani announces that she can’t move. ‘Sam? Say something!’ Dani calls out, before looking at the desk. She sees the flowers have wilted and a goldfish floats upside down. ‘Oh, God! Ssssammm…’ Dani utters, while the hands on a nearby clock spin around out of control.
Suddenly, a brilliant white light engulfs the library, and Sam is pulled into the air. ‘SAAAM!’ Dani screams, before an instant later, he vanishes. ‘NOOOO!’ Moonstar screams. ‘Oh dear God no! SAM!’ she calls out, before being able to move again, she rushes out of the library and back down a corridor. ‘Someone! Someone help me! Someone!’ Dani calls out urgently. She suddenly struggles to move again. ‘Let me go!’ she calls out, ‘Pllleeeaaasseeee…’, before suddenly, another blinding white light can be seen from the nearby room.
An instant later, Moonstar is free and rushes towards the room, ‘It was like time got stuck!’ Dani exclaims, before shouting ‘Guys! Guys! Sam has -’, but as she enters the room, she finds Magma, Sunspot and X-Man tending to Face, who is motionless on the sofa. There are ripples in the air around them, and Cypher announces that Karma just vanished….