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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Utopia Part 5
Las Vegas, Nevada. The Inferno Club…For their mutual benefit, Hela reviews the last few moments with her visitor, Dani Moonstar. Dani’s situation is apparently so dire that she’s sought out Hela, the Queen of Hel herself, to ask a boon—knowing full well it does not come free. Is Miss Moonstar sure she can shoulder this burden? Dani claims she has strong shoulders. As part of the deal, however, she’ll need a new ride home and a big, old sword.
San Francisco, California. St. Francis Hospital…Cornered by Osborn’s X-Men, Human Sentinel Simon Trask asks who among their unholy, unclean ranks could possibly kill him. “For an abomination to Jehovah is the perverted,” Trask says, quoting the Bible, “and with the upright is his secret counsel!” He continues calling the approaching X-Men unclean, inhuman and the heralds of the end of the human race. In response, Daken unsheathes his claws and tells the bionic man that he’s done—and bids him good riddance.
The newscast later that day shows Osborn’s X-Men leading the captive Simon Trask, leader of the so-called “Bio-Sentinels”, to jail. Emma Frost, the team’s leader, merely tells the cameras it’s all in a day’s work.
The next day—Wednesday—these same X-Men help the San Francisco Police Department clean up the mess the Sentinels caused. Later that day, Mimic subdues more rioting mutants, among them Rockslide and Adam-X.
On Thursday, Weapon Omega makes a brief, airborne cameo outside the skyscraping offices of San Francisco’s bustling downtown.
Friday finds Cloak and Dagger busting up a drug deal. Later that night, Daken exits the highly recommended San Francisco restaurant Chez Panisse with two beautiful women and smiles for the awaiting cameras.
The next day, Norman Osborn and his Charles Xavier impersonator, Mystique, make an appearance on a round-table talk show alongside San Francisco’s mayor, Sadie Sinclair. The pseudo-Xavier tells the mayor—with all due respect, of course—that their team of X-Men fights to protect the public, sans politics. Meanwhile, the activist militia led by Scott Summers runs completely antithetical to Xavier’s teachings and beliefs. Mayor Sinclair immediately takes issue with the term “activist militia”.
Cyclops, Colossus and Dazzler watch this debate on TV at home. Scott thinks it’s safe to say they just got the mayor unelected. If that’s the case, Dazzler asks, then what do they do next? They keep enduring it, Cyclops says—and the second Hank’s Science Team checks in, someone must let him know.
Meanwhile, Emma Frost’s team of X-Men—consisting of Mimic, Cloak, Dagger, Daken, Namor and Weapon Omega—enjoys the free reign and glory its authority in San Francisco provides.
Alcatraz…Dark Beast gives a demonstration of the Omega Machine to an assortment of mutant prisoners and the mutant members of Osborn’s X-Men. He explains the machine gently drains the mutant power source and provides a feeding mechanism for their dear Michael Pointer. The way the machine’s current subject is reacting, however, the machine doesn’t appear so gentle. Dark Beast concedes that it’s not yet completely painless—but they’re getting there. After all, even vaccines come with a prick.
In watching this demo, Dagger has a sudden realization: the machine is torture. She turns to her companion, Cloak, and tells him they cannot be a part of this; they’ve made a mistake. Ty thinks it’s a bad time to start that conversation and encourages her to stay cool. Neither of them realizes Emma Frost observes this entire exchange.
Elsewhere in the H.A.M.M.E.R. facility, Norman Osborn tells his Avengers to pack their things, as they’re returning to the East Coast the next morning. “You gotta be @%#$ kidding me,” Bullseye says. Osborn assures him he is not. He believes it is fair to say Ms. Frost’s X-Men have the city under control, and he thinks the public would view the Avengers returning home as a vote of confidence in her favor. Besides, he isn’t asking. They leave tomorrow morning, period. Bullseye, dressed in his Hawkeye outfit, clenches his teeth and shakes his fist at these orders. He isn’t done yet with the mutants. In his mind, they haven’t even gotten started.
Bay of Oakland…Madison Jeffries and Psylocke, both outfitted in scuba-diving gear, descend to the floor of the bay carrying large, handheld machines. They place their machines near the base of a large coral-covered structure. Before moving on, Psylocke asks Dr. Jeffries a question. He corrects her on the title she used—he only goes by “mister”—and asks her to call him by his first name. Psylocke asks Madison if he really thinks it’s going to work. Madison says it works on paper, and he knows the machines will do what they need them to do. So, mechanically speaking, yes, it will work. Psylocke informs him she was actually asking about the plan, not just the role his machine’s play. Madison claims to have known that all along.
They return to the X-Club’s submarine. Dr. Nemesis asks how it went, at which point Madison tells him they installed the machines and prepped them for activation. “Then let’s stop bloody talking and turn them on,” Dr. Rao snaps. She immediately regrets her outburst and apologizes; apparently exhaustion is getting the better of her. Dr. Nemesis tells her not to worry about it. While injecting himself in the neck with some sort of medical gun, he claims they’re all running on fumes—and weird science chemicals.
Outside the ship, the machines Madison and Psylocke planted suddenly activate and begin emitting a green light. Madison proudly reports that engines one through five are online and operational. With that, Dr. Nemesis reports back to Graymalkin and tells them engines are a go. The X-Club, he says, is ready.
Alcatraz…Michael Pointer, strapped into the Omega Machine, asks Dark Beast if he can really blame him; they’re on a floating prison. The place was designed for this sort of thing. Dark Beast begs to differ. Weapon Omega, not Alcatraz, was designed for this sort of this. Pointer offers a snarky comeback to this counterpoint and asks Dark Beast to hurry up and flip the switch.
The machine’s other subject, Beast, asks his alternate timeline counterpart and Weapon Omega if they actually intend to torture him, or if they instead plan to just bicker like old women until the cows come home. In response, Dark Beast activates the Omega Machine. It forcibly and painfully drains the mutant energy out of its victim, Beast, and transfers it into the power-thirsty Omega Weapon. He smiles with glee; he wants more! “I know, I know,” Dark Beast sighs. “You’re worse than a child, Michael, I swear…”
Dark Beast exits the Omega Machine chamber and continues into the containment bloc, still muttering about Pointer’s obnoxiousness. What he sees when he enters the prison, however, stops him mid-sentence. It’s impossible, he shouts! How are they all gone? He runs up and down the aisle and sees nothing but open doors. The prisoners have escaped!
Michael Pointer, meanwhile, grows restless. He needs more mutant energy to siphon, and Dark Beast is taking too long!
Elsewhere, as the withered Hank McCoy slinks slowly back to his cell accompanied by two guards, he smells a familiar scent in the air.
Dark Beast turns the corner and suddenly comes face to face with Mindee Cuckoo, Magik and X-Force. “I led them right into your little torture camp, you sickening Nazi thug,” Mindee says. “Nobody ever takes the hot little blonde seriously.” Magik teleports her away, leaving Archangel, Domino, Warpath, Wolverine and X-23 to deal with Dark Beast. They can do this quiet or loud, Wolverine says as he extends his claws. He hopes to god Dark Beast chooses loud.
To his satisfaction, Dark Beast screams out Omega’s name. Michael Pointer rips free of the Omega Machine and flies toward the source of the noise, passing Beast and his two captors along the way.
Up above, Norman Osborn ushers his team of Avengers to its awaiting transportation back to the East Coast. He explains to Bullseye along the way that it’s all part of the master plan, in which he must have faith. Bullseye thinks Osborn is crazy if he believes the mutant freaks are just going to lie down and take it. As if on cue, a H.A.M.M.E.R. agent approaches Norman and frantically informs him something happened to the mutants in the holding cells! Bullseye makes a fist; he told him so.
Deeming this a job for her team, Emma Frost leads her X-Men into battle. As she, Daken, Cloak, Dagger, Namor and Mimic head into the facility, Osborn orders his Avengers to wait; it appears his enthusiasm was premature. He wants to give Emma’s team its first shot. If necessary, the Avengers will follow them and bat cleanup.
Graymalkin Industries…Dr. Takiguchi waves down Cyclops and Nightcrawler in the hallway and informs them his associates in the X-Club succeeded. With that phase of the plan a success, Cyclops deems it time to assemble the evacuation team in the lab. He orders Kurt to gather everyone inside the chapel and keep them calm. While he would love to have him in the field for this, tending to the flock is just as important—a sentiment Nightcrawler fully understands.
Moments later, in the lab, Cyclops speaks with Madison Jeffries via video monitor while Iceman, Pixie and Dr. Takiguchi wait anxiously. Jeffries reports they are merely waiting for Scott’s command. Iceman, meanwhile, cannot help but ask if the thing he sees on the video monitor is what he thinks it is. “It is,” Scott tells him. Bobby begins to ask how he found it, but Scott asks him to save the questions for later. Right now, he just needs his people to stick to the plan and have faith in each other. If they can do that, they’ll win. If they lose that trust for a second, however, then they lose everything. With that, Cyclops gives the Science Team the order to rise.
Immediately, Pixie teleports into the chapel and brings the news to the rest of the X-Men. Cyclops has given the order! She reports that Nightcrawler, Boom-Boom and Northstar are to go first. Magma and Colossus will come next, followed by everyone else. She and Magik—whenever she’s done doing whatever it is she’s doing—will be making transport runs until everyone arrives safely. It’s time to go home, she says as begins to teleport.
Alcatraz…Weapon Omega’s powers nearly flare out of control as he assaults X-Force. He knew they’d have to ruin it for the rest of them, he claims. On the other end of things, Wolverine tells Warpath to help him take out their Beast, while the rest, he sends after Weapon Omega.
Wolverine arrives at Dark Beast first. Dark Beast kicks at him, but leaves himself vulnerable to an attack by Warpath, who stabs him in the chest and shoulder with his vibranium knives. Meanwhile, Domino fires a well-aimed shot at Weapon Omega and hits him in the head. X-23 compliments her aim. Wolverine and Warpath continue to butcher Dark Beast. The alternate-timeline version of Henry McCoy calls their assault a crime against science. Wolverine says they can arrest him. Archangel and X-23, meanwhile, plunge their razor-sharp blades into Weapon Omega’s chest and shoulder.
No sooner than X-Force takes out Pointer and Beast do Osborn’s X-Men arrive. Domino laughs; she always wanted to meet the X-Men up close and personal-like. The two teams face each other across the floor, ready for battle. Daken bears his claws and calls them morons who must not realize there are no cameras or media down there to protect them. His team is going to kill them, and no one will ever know. Wolverine doesn’t think so. However, he’d be damned if he didn’t sort of hope they would try. Growling at his father, Daken tells Logan he’ll die last—only after watching all his friends die as slowly and painfully as possible.
“Oh, do shut up,” Emma says. She slams Daken’s face into the ground. Her betrayal leaves Mimic speechless. Before he has too much time to consider it, Namor smashes his head into the wall.
Wolverine smiles; he never doubted Emma for a second. At that very moment, Magik materializes behind X-Force and reports that all the prisoners are evacuated. If anyone else wants off Alcatraz, now is the time to go!
Still in shock from Emma’s shifting allegiances, Dagger asks what the hell is happening. Emma turns to her and Cloak and extends her hand. “This is it, children, and you’ve got seconds to decide. Whose side are you on?” she asks. “This is your moment, my little runaways. I know you’re used to being hated and despised… persecuted and misunderstood… and I know you don’t want to join any club that would have you for a member. We all feel the same way.” She turns and walks toward Magik’s stepping disc. While still confused, Cloak and Dagger follow. What are they doing? Where are they going? Do they have a plan? Emma smiles at them. She doesn’t have a plan—Scott does. With that, they vanish inside Magik’s teleportation disc, leaving behind the unconscious bodies of Weapon Omega, Mimic, Dark Beast and Daken.
The remnants of Osborn’s X-Men have the unfortunate task of returning to their boss and reporting both their failure and Emma & Namor’s defection. Osborn tells them to shut up and watch what’s on the TV.
San Francisco Bay. Utopia…Helicopters from local San Francisco news stations encircle the object that just rose up from the bottom of the bay. It appears to be a large asteroid equipped with five towers and living facilities. Norman Osborn, watching this development unfold from his office, grits his teeth. He knows whom to blame: Emma Frost, Namor and Scott @%!@# Summers.
Meanwhile, on the floating rock in the bay, Cyclops greets new arrivals Emma Frost, Namor, Cloak and Dagger. He takes Emma in his arms and compliments Namor on his fantastic work. Speaking telepathically through Emma, he turns to the gathered X-Men and introduces them to their new allies: Namor, Cloak and Dagger. Contrary to appearances over the last week, they are on the side of the X-Men. He promises to explain everything once the fighting stops, but for now, he begs his allies to trust him—and to trust the plan. That trust, he says, will be rewarded soon.
Just then, Nightcrawler arrives on the rock in a cloud of purple, sulfuric smoke with a reporter and cameraman in tow. Without wasting a moment, Cyclops approaches the reporter and tells her he’s just going to start talking; they don’t have much time. Once she gives him the signal, Cyclops begins to speak.
“Don’t be scared,” he says to the live television audience. “I’m Scott Summers—and well, first off you don’t have to be scared.” He holds out his palms in a gesture of non-hostility. “We reject Norman Osborn’s pogroms against mutants. We reject the hate crimes of Trask and his ilk. It seemed to us the people of the United States wanted us gone, so we’ve left. But we won’t be pushed, prosecuted, persecuted, or punished any further. We seek peace and the ability to live peacefully. Whatever happens next,” he says, “is beyond our control.”
“Damn straight it is,” Norman Osborn interjects while watching this speech unfold on TV. After Cyclops finishes by saying the whole world is watching, Norman dons his Iron Patriot helmet and readies his Avengers. As they depart, he orders them to retrieve Namor’s head and Emma Frost’s heart—and to make sure Scott Summers sees them do it.


[Assistant]
Utopia: Part 1
When he thinks of all the things he’s accomplished, Simon Trask cannot help but smile. He’s connected, of course, so that helped, but at the end of the day his achievements are a direct outgrowth of his will and his vision—this vision: “Protecting children, protecting our schools, our towns—protecting everything and everyone from grotesque catastrophe. People protecting people.” That’s it. That’s all he wants. After all, the last time a mutant was born, an entire town was razed by chaos and violence. All they need to do to make sure it never happens again is to gently and humanely legislate when and how mutants are allowed to breed. When Trask puts it that way… who could possibly be against him?
They started marching in Sacramento with that simple message. And today, finally, Simon Trask and his ‘Humanity Now!’ coalition march on. They cross the Bay Bridge and continue onward into the Market Street district of San Francisco, a city Trask deems the home of the hippie, the freak, the misfit, and now, the mutant. They are opposed by pro-mutant protestors, but ‘Humanity Now!’ continues unabated. Trask advises his followers to ignore the humans, whom he deems small fish. When he happens upon a counter-protest of mutants, however, Trask pauses, stands his grown and clasps his hands. “Here we go, children. Face front, true believers,” he tells his followers. “It’s showtime.”
Dr. Henry McCoy—the agile, vaguely feline and compassionate X-Man known as Beast—stands at the front of the pro-mutant counter-protesters, dressed in a dapper suit and vest. He informs Trask there are multiple routes Trask and ‘Humanity Now!’ can choose to get from Market Street to City Hall—all of which will require going around Beast and his allies. Trask argues that his coalition is exercising its first amendment rights to free speech and peaceful assembly. In other words, he doesn’t believe McCoy and the mutants have any legal grounds on which to prevent their passage. McCoy sees it differently. Neither he nor his allies have any interest in stifling the rights of Mr. Trask. In fact, they came to exercise their own.
Jean-Paul Beaubier—the strong, fast, Canadian mutant called Northstar—gets in Trask’s face and tells him he can spew all the hate he wants, but his cause will find no support in San Francisco. Behind Trask, several coalition members hurl anti-mutant slurs. Trask tells them to calm down; there’s no need to get the American Civil Liberties Union involved by invoking hate-speak. They’re all adults; surely cool heads will prevail.
Back behind Beast, Megan Gwynn—also called Pixie, the teleporting mutant who is like a thing unto a pixie—expresses her uncertainty about this situation while over the heads of her fellow counter-protesters. Her teammate Julian Keller tells her to shut up. Keller, the telekinetic mutant teenager with anger issues known as Hellion, thinks they can handle the racists. Dressed in his Jumbo Carnation-designed outfit once worn by Kid Omega, Hellion moves forward and pushes back the members of ‘Humanity Now!’ “Get back to your caves, apeman!” he says. “These streets belong to the future!” Two irate protestors call him a freak-show and an abomination and ask if he wants to start something. Although Beast and Dazzler try to keep the peace by asking those on their side to calm down, Trask fuels the fire when he suggests the mutants are in on this plan together. Worse, he announces to the people that the mutants have cut them off—effectively surrounding them!
The fight seemed inevitable. The mutants and the humans immediately begin trading blows, much to the delight of Trask—and the chagrin of Beast. A protestor breaks a bottle over Jonah Graymalkin’s head while Anole watches helplessly. Beast turns around and sees another coalition member pinning Pixie’s arms behind her back while another punches her in the face.
The San Francisco Police Department dispatches a horde of patrol cars to the corner of Market and Powell. The dispatcher informs them a riot is erupting, and advises them to be careful, as the X-Men are reportedly part of the riot.
Beast grows angry as he comforts the battered Pixie. Glob Herman, the mutant whose body is comprised largely of paraffin wax, dives into the fray. As the SWAT team arrives, a medic walks the Anole out of the fight as the young mutant puts pressure on his head wound. Three policemen surround Beast and fire their tasers at him. Hellion knocks Simon Trask off his feet with a telekinetic tremor, but as he prepares to smash his face in, a quartet of police officers tackles and subdues him.
The news report later that evening recounts the unfolding of the riot. The riot shut down street, cable car and Bay Area Rapid Transit traffic, while putting the emergency room at St. Francis on alert. The announcer reports several mutants—of unknown power levels and potential for damage—were at the scene as active participants. City Hall has not yet commented. The reporter states that Simon Trask and his ‘Humanity Now!’ coalition arrived in San Francisco to complete their so-called ‘March for Humanity’ that began earlier in the week in Sacramento. The group filed the proper permits and received permission from the city. Reports of the X-Men on the scene were unconfirmed.
On an opinionated news broadcast, two commentators argue their perspectives on the issue. One commentator considered the conflict inevitable because of the racist and species-ist hate Trask’s coalition spews. The other commentator objects to this; how can this riot be pinned on Trask? He had how many thousands of people with him? How many violent outbursts happened between the start of their march and their arrival in San Francisco? None! They marched in complete and total peace for hundreds of miles and met thousands of people. Not a punch was thrown. The second they crossed the bridge, however…
Different reports continue. One commentator asks where the hell the X-Men were. Another confirms that Trask received medical treatment at St. Francis. A reporter from Channel 5 says definitively that the X-Men have not reached out to the press in any way. No one has come in or out of Graymalkin Industries, their headquarters in Marin, California. “No one is answering the buzzer at the gate,” he reports. “For all intents and purposes, Graymalkin Industries has become a fortress.”
Inside, a large assembly of X-Men crowds around a large television and watches the reports in angst. Kurt Wagner—the teleporting elfish demon and holy man known as Nightcrawler— perches on an end table and asks Scott if they’re going to get out in front of this and figure out what happened. Similarly, Hisako Ichiki—the young veteran who goes by the codename Armor, due to the psionic armor she manifests—asks Mr. Summers what happens next. The first thing Scott Summers—also known as Cyclops, the mutant with optic force blasts considered a leader of people—tells them to do is call their folks, tell them they’re safe and that they’ll call back soon. “Then brace for all hell to break loose,” he adds.
San Francisco, California. City Hall…Inside the mayor’s office, Sadie chews out Cyclops and Emma Frost for their non-presence earlier in the day. What the hell happened out there? Where was he? Why didn’t he control this? “Hank McCoy, Summers. In the streets,” she says for emphasis. Four or five of the kids in Scott’s care also showed up and stomped people. Live at Five has footage of Trask getting beaten up by one of Scott’s students!
“First off, I wasn’t out there because quite frankly I didn’t know, and second,” Scott says in his defense, “—I’m not president of mutantkind and I’m nobody’s king, and just because I ask ‘em to, not every mutant in the world will do what I say, Sadie!”
The mayor reminds him that when she’s yelling, she’s Mayor Sinclair—not Sadie. She tells Scott he has to get on top of this. He has to get his people—
“His people? How dare you,” Emma says. Scott asks his secret-filled, psychic powerhouse of a girlfriend to stay calm. While handing Scott a dossier, Sadie tells him to assume the responsibilities of his position. She knows he didn’t incite the day’s mess, but when night falls, he needs to be out there keeping people calm. Of course, Scott tells her. He adds they need their friend Hank back and asks if she can expedite the process. Before she can answer, however, an aide bursts into the office and informs the mayor that Trask has called a press conference.
San Francisco, California. St. Francis Hospital…Simon Trask, wearing a brace around his neck while his bandaged arm hangs from a sling, addresses a crowd of reporters. ‘Humanity Now!’ will neither be intimidated nor stopped, he says. They have the right to assemble peacefully—the right to have their voices heard. The attacks they suffered are merely the price people like them must sometimes pay when they dare to stand up for freedom and safety and other inalienable human rights that make their nation the greatest on Earth. Trask declares they will march on City Hall as their constitutional right. Despite that every living mutant with powers is like a loaded gun pointed at their heads, they refuse to live in fear.
A breaking news broadcast reports on the sudden arrival of H.A.M.M.E.R. Director Norman Osborn at SFO, fueling the rumor that law enforcement in San Francisco may soon come under federal jurisdiction. Turning away from the television, Sadie tells Scott that things are about to get ugly. Scott reaches out and takes Emma’s hand.
Meanwhile, in Wakanda, Storm sits at the bedside of the comatose Black Panther and watches with worry the reports of the day’s events in San Francisco.
In New York City, Wolverine storms out of the Avengers lounge, unsheathing his claws as he goes. Spider-Man affably tells him that if he needs to go, he can go.
At that same time, in Transdimensional Warp Vessel Quadra orbiting Sol-909, Franklin Richards listens to the reports coming in from San Francisco and asks why people hate mutants so much. Does that mean they hate him too? His parents Reed and Susan don’t listen to him; they’re busy working in the lab.
In Latveria, Dr. Doom lifts his goblet for a toast—to things finally getting interesting. Loki concurs.
San Francisco. The Castro…Night falls and tempers flare. People take to the streets. They’re not out as super heroes or super villains or super-anything. They’re out in the streets tonight because a million people showed up in their hometown demanding laws be passed that forbids them to have babies.
Pro-mutant demonstrators converge outside the Castro Theater, where they clash with several members of ‘Humanity Now!’ Karma and Bling! stand among the protesters carrying a large ‘Don’t Legislate Hate!’ banner. Some of them, however, are here to do more than just chant. Some of them are here to scream.
Joanna Cargill, the former Acolyte known as Frenzy, pushes her way through the crowd with the mutant woman Nekra in tow. Meanwhile, as Bling! trades blows with an anti-mutant protestor, a pickup truck screeches by with a man hanging out the passenger window. In his hand he holds a Molotov cocktail, which he hurls it the marquis of the Castro Theater after shouting for all muties to die. The truck, however careens out of control, hits a pedestrian and crashes headfirst into the theater’s box office.
In the end, fear is the watchword for the day. Terrified people, surrounded by the potential for violence, arm themselves in the name of protection—and then lash out as they succumb to fear. The madness of the crowd reigns supreme. The Castro Street Theater is merely the night’s first casualty.
At that moment, Angel descends from the sky and arrives on the scene, carrying the young mutant Match by the underarms. He tells Match to take care of the fires. “Y’think?” Match responds. Karma believes it’s too late; the entire city is going to erupt.
On Nob Hill, Nightcrawler and Ink quell rioters. Onyxx, Mercury and Loa struggle to achieve the same thing at Telegraph Hill, but with poor results. Where is Ms. Frost—or anyone, for that matter—to help them? In Hayes Valley, Piotr Rasputin—the colossal mutant made of organic metal, appropriately called Colossus—tries to get subdue Rockslide. Rockslide, however, refuses to submit. They’re going to be in camps next, he says!
Meanwhile, at the Embarcadero, Cyclops confronts Mortimer Toynbee, also known as Toad, the former servant of Magneto’s. Contrary to what Scott has been told his entire life, he isn’t a cop, Toad shouts. He demands he get out of his way. Cyclops doesn’t flinch; he has been beating Toad up since he was a teenager. He says he’ll only stop when Toad is ready to stop being the most useless cretin on the face of the Earth. The Stepford Cuckoos, speaking in sequence, compliment Mr. Summers on this insult.
Toad suddenly thrusts forth his tongue and wraps it around Scott’s waist. Instinctively, Cyclops fires back with an optic blast, knocking the sunglasses off Toad’s face as his head whips backward. Toad’s tongue recoils. Pointing his finger at him authoritatively, Cyclops tells Toad this is the real deal. It isn’t this stupid thing they always do. It’s the beginning of the end, yet Toad is out here throwing gasoline on the—
Cyclops is struck in the side of the head by a brick. “Shut up!” the thrower shouts. As Cyclops falls to the ground, the crowd of ‘Humanity Now!’ protesters begins to rush. The Stepford Cuckoos grow worried; they cannot keep the crowd under control.
As Cyclops picks himself up off the ground, he mutters that he always suspected that’s what people wanted to do when he started lecturing them. Fortunately, officers from the SFPD arrive and cuff the instigators. Another officer in riot gear helps Scott to his feet and asks if he’s okay; they have a medical station up the street if he needs it. Scott insists he’s fine. The officer in riot gear informs him everyone is heading to City Hall. However, there is action in almost every neighborhood, including a few outbreaks of violence, some fires and some looting. It’s not the violence they can’t handle, the officer adds; it’s the size. As he wipes the blood from his face, Cyclops—intending no disrespect—asks a pressing question: who will they bring in to restore law and order if it’s too much for the locals to handle?
San Francisco Bay: H.A.M.M.E.R. West…“This city has lost its damn mind and Scott Summers can’t seem to yank the leash,” Norman Osborn tells his team of Avengers. It’s time for them to get to work. Hawkeye— who is actually Bullseye, the world’s deadliest assassin—asks Norman why he isn’t wearing his Iron Patriot suit. Is it too heavy for him out there? Does he not want to get his cornrows mussed? Osborn glares at him. “Is it just me, or are you turning into a bigger pain in the ass every day?” He demands Hawkeye show a modicum of respect or else he’ll double his meds—and then, the only thing he’ll be killing will be the time between his diaper changes.
Gesturing toward the screens in their meeting room, Osborn informs his team of Avengers that he is assigning each of them to different hot zones in the city dynamically, as the situation on the ground evolves. The San Francisco Police Department was the first wave, stands H.A.M.M.E.R. muscle squads were next, and the Avengers are the coup de grace The standard rules of engagement apply, he adds. If they see any costumed mutant breaking the law—any law—then they take them down and restrain them until arrest. Fatalities are not allowed. He reminds them that cameras will be everywhere.
“Psht,” Hawkeye sneers. Continuing, Osborn informs Bob—the nearly omnipotent, godlike and schizophrenic man called the Sentry—that he will remain in the base with him. Frowning, Bob agrees. Norman, however, just doesn’t see the need to lead with their human hydrogen-bomb. The mission tonight is about keeping civilians safe and stopping riots. He orders his Avengers to be precise and efficient before opening the floor to questions and comments.
While examining his fingernails, Daken Akihiro—the man of wealth and taste currently masquerading as his father, Wolverine—adds that in between all the carnage, he really must recommend everyone eat at Chez Panisse before they die. He had to kill three people just to get reservations; it’s that wonderful.
The Castro…With Bling! and Armor backing her, Karma glares at Frenzy and Nekra while the Castro Theater burns in the background. Tonight, they’re not doing the cause any great favors, she says. Nekra can barely believe it; the cause?! What cause? Frenzy, meanwhile, returns Karma’s glare. The humans sold them out again, she says. Nekra adds that they were promised a Utopia. Instead, they have people telling them who can breed and when. They’ll be kicking down their doors before they know it. She doubts they’ll ever stop. Mutants will always be hunted and tormented and killed again and again! They have to rise up!
Suddenly, Nekra is hit a high-powered gravity blast and knocked off her feet. Armor, Karma and Bling! look upward and witness the arrival of Ms. Marvel, secretly Dr. Karla Sofen. “How desperately teenage you sound,” Ms. Marvel says as she descends. Nearby, Nekra struggles to her feet, restating her belief that humans will kill them all. Ms. Marvel moves in for another blast. Frenzy, however, refuses to let her friend get taken so easily, and rushes to her aid. Ms. Marvel blasts her unconscious as well.
Angel and Match arrive and check in with Karma and company. Warren says he’s been busy all night and has yet to hear a word from Graymalkin. Ignoring him, Karma asks with uncertainty if the Avengers came to save them. “Sure,” Ms. Marvel says. “Haven’t you heard? We’re the good guys.”
Hayes Valley…Cipher cannot believe Colossus beat up Rockslide like that. Colossus certainly can; the boy attacked him. Surge can’t believe Rockslide got so into the fight. Colossus promises to apologize to him when he regains consciousness.
As the three mutants look out toward the city, Colossus notices that the riots continue, despite their best efforts, which included patrolling the perimeter, isolating the ringleaders and helping with arrests. Suddenly, Colossus grows quiet and holds out his arms as a gesture for his female companions to halt. He asks for a moment; something’s there.
He turns around, only to see Mac Gargan—the crazy, symbiote-infected former criminal currently masquerading as Spider-Man—perched atop a nearby ledge. Gargan reads out their laundry list of supposed infractions: assault and battery, destruction of public property and probably even some child endangerment. Colossus orders the girls to run—and to not look back. Gargan, meanwhile, leaps off the roof, tackles Colossus and orders him to stop in the name of the law.
The Embarcadero…As a group of mutants and protestors boldly approaches a blockade of police officers in riot gear, the blockade leader urges his men to be ready—and stay cool. They don’t need to make this mess any bigger.
Adam-X, Lorelei, Litterbug, Leech and Erg, along with their fellow protestors, march up to the line. Leech shouts at the officers. Erg tells them they cannot impede their march, as it is their constitutional right! Adam-X calls them “@$@%in’ fascists” and “@#!@in’ pigs”. Unfortunately for the mutants, the blockade leader informs them the Embarcadero Center is on private property. They can take the surface streets and go around, but any further progress will qualify as trespassing. Someone throws a bottle at the ranking officer’s face. Although his facemask protects him from injury, the act instigates yet another riot.
Before the fight escalates to an uncontrollable level, a loud voice cuts through the crowd. “Go around, hippies,” Hawkeye tells them. They run away in terror as he pulls an arrow from his quiver. “So many dumbass punks. So little time,” he says as they flee. One of the riot officers approaches Hawkeye and thanks him; two more seconds and he was going to start tasering everything in a T-shirt and a dumb little goatee. “Nice work? You should see how good I am when they let me shoot. I dunno how you guys do it,” Hawkeye says as eyes widen. “Because not killing them sucks.”
Telegraph Hill…“This sucks,” Mercury says. She leans against the headless statue of Christopher Columbus, at the base of which sits Onyxx with his hands clasped. Also with them is Loa, who examines the head of Columbus to sooth her boredom.
To their relief, Cyclops arrives on his motorcycle. In his excitement, Onyxx calls out to him, but refers to him as Mr. Summers. Cyclops corrects him; in the field, they use code-names. He asks the kids for a sit-rep. Mercury informs him they encountered people at this location a few hours earlier, but the people mainly just broke windows and screamed and stuff. Onyxx adds he heard a rumor that everyone was heading to City Hall. Loa asks why Ms. Frost isn’t there; isn’t she, like, their supervisor or something? Cyclops, letting a thin sliver of his optic blast eke from his visor, admits he doesn’t know where Emma is. However, if the action is at City Hall, then they’re going to City Hall.
City Hall…Fires burn and picketers scream outside the mayor’s office. Sadie doesn’t like it—at all. Speaking on the phone to Norman Osborn, she tells him that, while there have been incidents, she thinks the SFPD is doing a tremendous job. Osborn hangs up on her. When Sadie’s aide asks what he had to say, she informs him that, aside from speaking as though he’s the final word on law and order in San Francisco, Osborn informed her that he would dispatch a H.A.M.M.E.R. agent to their location to keep it quiet. Her aide asks for clarification: an agent, or agents? “Agent,” Mayor Sinclair says. “Singular.”
Up above, a H.A.M.M.E.R. jet opens its door and lets the singular agent in question: Ares, the literal God of War. His impact on the street creates a small crater. Not wasting any time, Ares stands up, points his axe at the crowd and tells them that because he is not a man in the business of repeating himself, he suggests they pay attention. There is a line before him that demarcates where they stop being treated as citizens and start being treated as soldiers. It is a line only he can see and he swears unto all of them that once they cross it, they have declared war against their city, their government, and—most importantly—Ares himself. He advises them to make no mistake: he loves to fight wars.
Northstar, Dazzler, Graymalkin, Anole and Pixie stare at with apprehension. On a nearby hillside, Cyclops watches this scene unfold along with Loa, Trance, Mercury and Onyxx. “The terrifying thing?” Scott says. “Someday soon? Someone’ll have to figure out a way to bring that monster down.”
H.A.M.M.E.R. West…Norman stares out his window while wearing his Iron Patriot armor. His appointment arrives and reminds him she is not a fan of being kept waiting. With his back still turned, Norman greets Emma Frost and apologizes for the delay, but says the mayor needed to be put in her place. He adds that Emma looks fantastic. As he turns to face her, he hands her a dossier with a large X across its cover and mentions that it just isn’t Scott’s night, is it? “Scott doesn’t get to control all mutant behavior by mandate or fiat,” Emma replies. Norman tells her that’s too bad, because that’s the kind of leader mutants need. Emma asks about the dossier. Osborn tells her it’s the plan—the new plan.
Their deal, he reminds her, was that she would keep mutants quiet and he would stay out of their business. However, it seems Scott couldn’t manage that. Now, Osborne needs a team of mutants as the face of law and order, and that means Emma’s people—and he asks her to pardon his expression—need a leader who can actually lead. They need a leader not just with the skill, but with the will.
Emma opens the file. She doesn’t understand what it means. Sure she does, Osborn says. She just needs to use her imagination and think big—very big. Something dark in the corner of the room catches Emma’s eye. The ends of her lips curl upward into a smile. “Oh, my…” she says.
Later…The Iron Patriot arrives on a dock for an impromptu press conference. He thanks the press for making it out, especially considering how difficult travel must have been for them tonight. He assures them he would not have summoned them were it not important. First things first, he informs them martial law has been declared in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley. As of that moment, peacekeeping in the Bay Area falls under H.A.M.M.E.R. jurisdiction.
Elsewhere still, Cyclops and the Stepford Cuckoos watch HAMMER agents descend from a jet. Scott wants his people there as well to help cops keep tempers low.
Emma, meanwhile, undresses as she reads the dossier. She cannot help but smile.
Osborn continues, stating that mutant ringleaders are being detained and kept of the streets.
Beast sits in a prison cell. A voice in his head breaks the silence. Someone is calling out to him, so he calls back.
The Iron Patriot informs reporters that Scott Summers of the X-Men has been classified as a person of interest in the evening’s riots. HAMMER intends to bring him in, ask him a few questions, and most importantly, ask why he, as the self-appointed leader of the mutant race, let his people destroy San Francisco. The Iron Patriot reveals he has someone else with tonight who has the same questions.
Elsewhere, HAMMER agents arrest Cyclops and the Stepford Cuckoos.
Back in Osborn’s office, Emma, having shed her White Queen outfit, dons a new look.
In his prison cell, Beast presses his ear to the wall and tells the speaker in the adjacent cell he can barely hear him—unless he’s actually speaking inside his head…
On the dock, the Iron Patriot introduces the members of the media to Professor X. “My name is Professor Charles Xavier,” he says, “and I would like to publicly distance myself, and the work of my school, the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters in any of its permutations, from this quite frankly insane course of action Mr. Summers has taken. And Scott—if you’re listening,” Xavier adds, “—turn yourself in. You’re only causing more harm to our kind by running.”
At that moment, Cyclops breaks free from his detainers and runs for it amidst a flurry of gunfire.
Emma Frost, meanwhile, assesses her new outfit: black leather pants, a revealing black top and a fur-lined black cape. It isn’t her usual color, she says, but it will have to do.
Somewhere else entirely, a battered, bloody Charles Xavier leans against the wall of his prison cell and continues communicating telepathically with Hank McCoy. He tells Hank it’s him, Professor X, and that they’ve done something to his mind. They’re doing something to all of them in this prison: they’re taking away their powers.


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Utopia, part 6, conclusion
7 days ago, inside the quarters of Cyclops and the White Queen, at the home of the Uncanny X-Men, Marin, San Francisco. ‘Secrets, Scott. Secrets, Emma. In these times - these awful, fractious times - we…are all we have left’, the Beast says to Cyclops and the White Queen in the dead of the night. Thr senior X-Men don’t look at each other, in fact they sit as far apart in their bed as possible. The Beast informs them that he is taking the X-Club on a mission come daylight, and that he expects they will be gone some time. ‘But when I get back, we’re having it all out, do you hear me? The secrets will kill us. And I won’t stick around to watch that happen’ the Beast declares as he storms out of Cyclops and the White Queen’s room.
Cyclops and the White Queen don’t look at each other, sitting in silence until the White Queen remarks that she supposes Henry is quitting, then. ‘This isn’t funny. We have to talk’ Cyclops replies. Cyclops adds that he made some choices, some tough calls to protect what very little they have left. ‘Stop. Don’t do this. Don’t let Henry force you to destroy what we have’ the White Queen exclaims. They turn and face each other as Cyclops declares ‘What we have is a lie’. Emma replies that what they have are secrets, and that she can live with them. ‘I can’t. Not any more. People have died, Emma’ Cyclops replies.
‘Do you think I don’t know that? Do you think you’re alone in this?’ the White Queen asks. ‘We are alone in this, Emma. Until we talk’ Cyclops tells her, turning over in bed. ‘I can’t. Not tonight’ the White Queen replies, to which Cyclops tells her that they are not leaving their room until they do. ‘I can’t do this alone’ he exclaims as they roll away from each other.
Now, 1.2 miles off the coast of San Francisco lies the island haven, Utopia. Home to the Uncanny X-Men and their myriad fellow mutants. Some of whom - Cyclops, Wolverine, the White Queen, Angel, Colossus, Namor and X-23 - stand on a balcony, watching the fast-approaching jet. Cyclops tells Wolverine to have his team take the rescued and wounded inside until they are evaluated for combat status. ‘Already squared away. We’re getting in this fight’ Wolverine replies. ‘Good. We’ll need you’ Cyclops remarks, before ordering everyone else to battle stations. He tells the White Queen to keep everyone in psychic contact at all times, and adds that it is time to see if he is as smart as he thinks he is.
Inside the jet, Norman Osborn, wearing his Iron Patriot armor, tells Mystique to stick around and stay in character for the cameras. ‘And believe me, there will be cameras’ he boasts, before turning to his group of “Avengers” and “X-Men” - Ares, Ms Marvel (actually Moonstone), Spider-Man (actually Venom), Hawkeye (actually Bullseye), Daken, Mimic and Michael “Weapon Omega” Pointer and tells them to ‘Do what you do’.
On the balcony, Cyclops tells Wolverine and X-23 to take out Weapon Omega and Daken. ‘On it!’ Wolverine exclaims. ‘As you wish’ X-23 remarks as the two of them leap from the balcony the moment Osborn’s team drop from their plane. ‘Everyone else…scramble!’ Cyclops orders telepathically through the White Queen.
Bullseye is the first to land, and he somersaults about, before firing a myriad of explosive arrows at a group of mutants including Anole, Rockslide and Armor. ‘My God…Osborn’s dressed Bullseye up as a hero!’ Cyclops exclaims, while Moonstone begins blasting the group of mutants with her powers also. Cyclops turns to Angel and explains that “Hawkeye” is actually Bullseye. ‘I need you to take him off the board’ Cyclops declares. ‘You don’t mean me’ Angel replies. ‘No. No I don’t’ Cyclops tells him as he begins firing optic blasts, while Angel takes flight - and grabs Bullseye, pulling him into the air.
Moonstone suddenly finds herself overwhelmed by the X-student Bling, the villainess Nekra, and the former Acolyte Frenzy. ‘Remember us? Remember the Castro?’ Nekra asks as she kicks Moonstone in the head, while Bling smacks her in the side, and Frenzy goes for her legs. ‘Because we remember you!’ Frenzy exclaims.
“Spider-Man” swings across the battlefield, while the former New Mutant Magma and the X-student Match try to engulf him in fire. ‘Setting me on fire is just gonna go and get me all riled up, ya mutie freaks -’ Venom snarls, only for one of the heroes to hit him, enabling Colossus to rush over to him, ‘You. We have unfinished business’ he exclaims. ‘Bring it!’ Venom declares, transformed into his larger form, he lashes out at Colossus, who prepares to punch him in the mouth.
Wolverine and X-23 rush towards Daken, who exclaims ‘Really, Logan? The girl? You’re siccing the girl on me?’. X-23 replies that she is no one’s attack dog as she lashes out at Daken. ‘Woof woof’ Daken jokes. Wolverine moves towards Weapon Omega, who us unleashing massive amounts of energy. ‘What thing can kill me? What thing can stop my wraith?’ Weapon Omega boasts. ‘Hey!’ Wolverine exclaims, before growling as he shoves his claws through Weapon Omega’s stomach. ‘You killed a mess of my pals up North, bub. You don’t get to walk away from that’ Wolverine snarls, referring to the late Alpha Flight.
Elsewhere, in Marin County, ‘Son of a -’ Bullseye mutters as he is dropped on his head in some woods. ‘Bird-man? Where’d you go? You ain’t gonna get out of what you got coming’ Bullseye exclaims, readying his arrows. ‘Where the hell did -’ he snaps, when suddenly Angel exclaims ‘I’m right here, you murderous bastard!’, appearing now in his metal-winged look. ‘Neat trick’ Bullseye remarks before firing his arrows at Angel, who blocks them with his metal wings.
Back at Utopia, ‘Big guns. Open fire’ Iron Patriot orders as he, Ares and Sentry drop from the jet. ‘Namor -’ the White Queen begins. ‘I’ll stop the Sentry’ Namor declares as he flies towards him. ‘My word’ the White Queen gasps as the two men clash. ‘War! This is war!’ the handsome Ares booms as he lands, cracking the concrete under his godly weight. ‘You heard the man, Scotty-boy. Let’s not let him down!’ Iron Patriot exclaims as he flies towards Cyclops, blasting the area around him, while Cyclops retaliates with a powerful optic blast.
Over Marin, Namor has pushed Sentry towards the city, though Sentry exclaims ‘You think you can stop me, little man?’. Namor replies that he shall try, and calls the Sentry a “gibbering schizoid”, before the Sentry forces the two of them through the middle of two sky-scrapers.
Back on Utopia, Cyclops blasts Iron Patriot with a powerful optic blast, knocking Osborn backwards. ‘This is your war, Osborn. Not ours!’ Cyclops exclaims. ‘You people had to go and make me look stupid. You might not have wanted a war but you damn well got one!’ Osborn snaps back as he blasts Cyclops, who screams out in pain. Ares begins hacking away with his huge axe at some of the infrastructure on the island, while Iron Patriot holds Cyclops’ body over his head. ‘Stand down, Scott. There is no victory for you here’ Osborn declares, telling Scott that he will lose. ‘Not just your team - your kind will lose’.
Back in the city, Namor throws a yellow bus at Sentry, who blocks it, while civilians run for their lives.
‘Oh, Norman. If only you could see things the way I do…you’d have another perspective entirely’ Cyclops remarks, hanging upside down, he sees hope flying towards Utopia in the form of the former New Mutants - Danielle Moonstar, Cannonball, Sunspot, Magik, Magma and Karma. Moonstar lunges from her flying horse, Brightwind, ‘YIELD!’ she orders Ares, pushing him backwards. ‘NEVER!’ Ares booms, axe raised high. Cannonball, Sunspot and Magma hover around the edge. ‘I will kill you!’ Ares declares, looking up at Moonstar. ‘I will snap your bones with my bare hands and -’ he begins, while Moonstar interrupts him. Flanked by her teammates, she holds a powerful sword and declares that if you want to stop a god, you cut a deal with a god. ‘I borrowed power from Mistress Hela herself to make sure you stay the hell down!’.
Nearby, Dark Beast, one of Osborn’s “X-Men” takes down Northstar and Dazzler at the same time. ‘Well I don’t know about you but I’m having an amazing time’ he remarks, unaware that Psylocke is rushing towards him with X-Club members Madison Jeffries and Doctor Nemesis. The Dark Beast cries out in agony as the three attack him at once - Doctor Nemesis blasts him with energy, while Psylocke shoves a psychic blade through his chest, and Madison Jeffries causes metal cables to rise from the ground and wrap around the Dark Beast’s feet.
‘Stupid son of a -’ Venom shouts while Colossus attempts to rip Venom’s jaw apart, while Venom wraps his tongue around Colossus’ neck. Up in the air, Iceman slides around on an ice-sled, dodging his former teammate, Mimic, who flies alongside him while blasting him with a combination of optic blasts and ice bolts, singing “Anything you can do I can do better…I can do anything better than you”. ‘No. You. Can’t!’ Iceman exclaims as he freezes Mimic and causes him to fall to the ground, near several of the X-students including Surge, Mercury, Prodigy, Rockslide, Onyx, Bling, Loa and Graymalkin. ‘You might be able to copy some of us, Mimic’ Rockslide begins. ‘But you can’t stop all of us!’ Graymalkin exclaims as the X-students dog-pile on Mimic.
Pixie teleports in beside X-23 ‘You all right?’ she asks her, while Daken lunges at X-23, ‘I swear, women who think they can fight never cease to amuse me!’ Daken exclaims, when suddenly, Pixie teleports herself and X-23 out of his way, and Armor approaches him. ‘Hey, jerk. Girl power!’ Armor exclaims, standing beside her friends.
Inside, the White Queen rushes into a room where Professor Charles Xavier is recuperating after recent injuries. ‘Charles!’ she exclaims. ‘Emma…Emma, dear girl’ Charles replies. ‘I’m so sorry we couldn’t - that you were tortured for so long and I -’ Emma begins, but Charles interrupts her, telling her that she did her best, ‘Which is never less than brilliant’. Xavier tells the White Queen that all they can do now is make them pay and stop them from ever doing it again. The White Queen tells Charles that she needs his help. ‘It’s the last part of Scott’s plan and it’s big’. The White Queen explains that Sentry is big - godlike in his powers, and that the last time Sentry went off his meds, she built a white hot room in his head. The White Queen asks Charles to help her get back to the white room. ‘From there I can lobotomize god’ she boasts.
Moments later, the White Queen finds herself - or at least her psychic self - on the outside of the white room. She is wearing a version of her classic white costume, as opposed to her current white ensemble. She walks towards the white room, and peers through the one open panel. ‘Ahh - Bob?’ she calls out as she sees the Sentry inside. ‘I’m not going to make it’ the Sentry remarks casually, hands in his jean pockets, he turns and looks at the White Queen, telling her that he thought she would help him. ‘Why did this happen?’ he asks. ‘Do you know where you are? Do you know who I am?’ the White Queen replies. ‘Of course. You’re Emma Frost. I didn’t think you remembered me’ the Sentry responds, staring through the open panel at the White Queen.
‘We all remember you, Bob. Bob, I - we - we need you to come back to us. Just for a second. Do you think you can do that?’ the White Queen asks. The Sentry replies that he doesn’t know, as it has been so long that he doesn’t know how. ‘Here, darling. Let your friends help you’ the White Queen declares as she reaches through the open panel, telling him to trust her, and they will have him out in no time, as she begins to pull him through to her side. ‘I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know’ the Sentry mutters, before the White Queen manages to pull him all the way through. ‘There we go!’ she exclaims as they fall over, before the White Queen asks him if he remembers this place. ‘We built it, you and I. In case something…’ she begins. ‘In case something went wrong. Like now. And we needed to talk’ the Sentry replies. ‘Because here, Bob…in this place we built…you can take control. I can help you take control. I can hold the void long enough for you to be you again, Bob. And that’s what I need you to do right now’.
Back in the real world though, ‘My God. What have I done?’ the White Queen gasps, eyes-wide, while in the city, Namor stands by demolished buildings, while the Sentry takes to the skies. Unable to contain the Sentry on the psychic plane, the White Queen keels backwards in agony. ‘Charles. Can’t hold it!’ she cries out. ‘Good Lord, child -’ Xavier begins, while the White Queen calls out for Cyclops - and the Void is freed from inside Sentry’s mind - and begins to chase Sentry high into the atmosphere.
Charles tries to reach the White Queen telepathically, but in her diamond form, the White Queen is confused. ‘Where…how…?’ she asks, while Charles tells her to stay in her diamond state no matter what, revealing to her that there is still a sliver of the Void inside of her, seen as a small black icon on her forehead.
Outside, ‘Heh’ Cyclops smirks as he sees the Void chasing after Sentry, and while Iron Patriot continues to pummel him, mutters ’Guess who’s off the board, genius?’ Osborn tells Cyclops to stop smiling. ‘Stop laughing! This isn’t a game!’ he declares, before boasting that they still have Ares. ‘Do you? Because that’s not a bet I’d care to make…’ Cyclops replies.
Nearby, Moonstar once again lunges towards Ares, her teammates flanking her, while Ares exclaims ‘Woman! Thou art surely spirited!’, before smashing Danielle with his axe. Dani is knocked backwards, but gathers herself quickly, and shoves her sword through his stomach. ‘You. Your power…I didn’t plan on fighting a Valkyrie!’ he mumbles, before Danielle retracts her weapon and kicks Ares backwards. ‘I’m not just a Valkyrie - I was made to stop gods. So, Ares - stop!’ Dani exclaims, while the God of War- dripping with blood - kneels before her.
Norman Osborn has seen this: ‘No no no no no!’ he shouts, pushing Cyclops backwards. At the same moment, Weapon Omega continues to pour power out against Wolverine - who continues to step towards Pointer, despite most of his costume being torn by Pointer’s power. ‘That the best you can do? Gonna need to bring a whole lot more!’ Wolverine snarls, before unsheathing his claws. And speaking of claws, X-23 shoves her claws through Daken the moment he stabs his into her - fortunately for X-23, she has Armor and Pixie also attacking Daken at the same time. The Sentry looks back nervously as the Void follows him into space: ‘No escape now, Bob. Not ever!’ the Void calls out, while back on Utopia, Mimic finds himself overwhelmed by the X-students, ‘Too - too many of them!’ he calls out as they continue their multi-angle attack on him.
‘Damn you, Summers -’ Osborn shouts as he strikes Cyclops down with a powerful blast of energy. With Cyclops unmoving, Osborn stands over his body, ‘I don’t lose - we don’t lose!’ Osborn boasts, when suddenly, Moonstone drops down beside him. ‘Norman -’ she begins, but he ignores her. ‘And you - you, you uppity little -’ Osborn says to Cyclops, before Moonstone calls out to him again, and grabs him by his wrist. ‘Karla! What do you want?’ Osborn snaps, shoving her back. ‘Norman, we - we have to - there are too many of them, Norman. We have to kill them all if we’re going to win!’ Moonstone explains. ‘So kill the bastards. I don’t care!’ the deranged Osborn responds, before Moonstone motions in another direction, ‘Look’ she tells Osborn.
‘Mr Osborne. We’re all X-Men now’ Pixie exclaims as she stands alongside many of the X-Men and other mutants who have been involved in the battle - Moonstar, Iceman, Angel, Wolverine, Cannonball, Colossus, Magik, Namor and so on. But also standing with them are several camera crews. ‘I gave you a chance, Osborn. I told you to surrender’ Cyclops exclaims, smiling as he looks up at Osborn and Moonstone. Osborn, for a change, is speechless, but Moonstone tells him that the whole world is watching. ‘And if we kill one of them we have to kill them all. Nobody comes back from committing genocide on the nightly news…’ Moonstone remarks.
With that, Osborn orders his “Avengers” and “X-Men” to fall back - and so he, Moonstone, Ares, Weapon Omega, Daken, Bullseye, Venom and Mimic take to the skies. ‘That looks like check and mate, boss’ Iceman remarks as he goes over to Cyclops and helps his long time friend up from the ground. ‘Almost. One more weapon to fire’ Cyclops replies. ‘One more bomb to drop…’, while the X-Men and other mutants throw their arms up in the air, pleased with their victory. Cyclops then turns to the cameras: ‘Hello again. My name is Scott Summers and I’ve been an X-Man since I was fifteen. And like everyone else here, I’ve been a mutant all my life’ he announces. ‘This ground - this city we live in, just off your shores - this fortress we occupy - this ground is sacred’ he begins.
Professor X and the White Queen watch Cyclops on a monitor in the infirmary as they watch over the injured Beast. ‘No mutant or their family will be harmed here. No mutant blood will be spilled here’ Cyclops declares. One of the camera shows a close up shot of Anole and Pixie, Trance and Elixir and Gentle, as Cyclops declares that their children shall not be hunted or harmed. ‘They shall not be prejudiced against, legislated against, or ever go to sleep for a single unsafe moment’. The White Queen joins Psylocke and Kavita Rao now as they continue to listen to Cyclops, who tells the cameras that they may have paid the ultimate price for their safety tonight. ‘But I am here to promise you, unequivocally, we mean you no harm. In spite of the decades of harm inflicted upon us personally, privately, or as a matter of law’. Hands on his hips, Cyclops matter-of-factly announces ‘We have been, and always shall be, sworn to protect a world that hates and despises us. Only now…we shall all be free’.
Meanwhile, Norman Osborn stands on a stage, “A Safer Tomorrow” displayed on a banner behind him, camera crews and reporters in front of him. To his left - his “X-Men” - Daken, Mimic, Dark Beast, Weapon Omega and Mystique, disguised as Professor X. To his right, his “Avengers” - “Hawkeye”, “Ms Marvel”, “Spider-Man”, Ares and Sentry. ‘My fellow Americans. I stand before you to declares that we are free, at long last, of the militant mutant menace that has threatened our safety and well-being for so long!’ Osborn declares, boasting that his X-Men, assisted by his Avengers, have won. ‘All curfews and martial law orders are herby rescinded’ he adds.
Motioning to his “Avengers”, Osborn exclaims that they have so tirelessly and flawlessly restored law and order to the East Coast in the wake of countless calamities and catastrophes. Motioning to his “X-Men”, he declares that the Avengers assisted them, in spite of defections, betrayals and a relative newness to battle on this scale, and managed to fight the mutant menace courageously. ‘I am proud to stand with them today’ he claims. Holding his hands up In peace signs, Osborn exclaims that the mutant menace, as led by the militant hate-monger Scott Summers, has evacuated American soil once and for all. ‘What they call Utopia, I call a prison. Let them stay there. Because as so long as they do…we have won!’
‘Ozzie…just between us girls…you actually believe the crap you’re shovelling?’ Bullseye asks, whispering quietly in Osborn’s ear. ‘Believe it? Hawkeye, I not only believe it but I’m living it. This is only the beginning. What’s coming next is going to change the world’ Osborn replies, smirking.
Back on Utopia, the repair and rebuilding of Utopia is underway, while Cyclops stand on a balcony overlooking his world. ‘Summers? Summers?’ Doctor Nemesis calls out as he, the White Queen and Elixir approach him. ‘Sorry. Million miles away’ Cyclops replies. ‘Well, snap out of it, man. We have a city to rebuild!’ Doctor Nemesis points out, before the White Queen announces that the teleporters are bringing in stragglers and families. ‘People are coming seeking amnesty. Dozens at a time’ she adds. ‘Yeah’ Cyclops mumbles. Elixir announces that the medic bay is full up, and the healers are working on getting folks up and on their feet, but there is so many of them.
‘Been up three minutes, guys. Somebody get me a cup of coffee and we’ll start dealing with the problems one at a time’ Cyclops declares, before telling Doctor Nemesis and Elixir that they are dismissed. Neither of them move, but when the White Queen - still wearing black - looks at them she mutters ‘You heard him’, and they leave. ‘Well. You did it’ the White Queen tells Cyclops as she goes over to him. ‘We did it, Emma. You, me - all of us’ Cyclops replies as the sun begins to rise. The White Queen remarks that they have a homeland now. ‘Again. I can’t be the first to remind you that the last time we lived on an island it didn’t work out so well’. Cyclops replies that this time it will be different, to which the White Queen asks him ‘How can you be so sure?’ ‘The same way we beat Osborn. I have faith. And I know I’m not alone’ Cyclops replies as he and the White Queen stand side-by-side and watch the rising sun together.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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Through a Glass Darkly
Ignoring the gunfire raining down on him, the Dark Claw says “Black and white and red all over…” It doesn’t take a detective to figure out where your clue was pointing to Hyena. He then asks how the Gotham Gazette printing plant fits into his nefarious scheme. Hyena responds that’s for him to know and him to find out. Isn’t he curious as to why he dropped him a hint about where he was going to strike next?
Slashing the Hyena across the face with his claws, Dark Claw says not much. He doesn’t expect he’s going to hell him, anyway. Taking Dark Claw’s strikes in stride, Hyena remarks that it’s no fun if he just tells him. After Claw states that this isn’t twenty questions, Hyena says he was always such a humorless stick-in-the-mud. Just then, the two combatants fall from their catwalk perch to the ground below. Once they land on the ground, Hyena is able to recover first and proceeds to toss Claw into a nearby fixture, burying him underneath. As he runs off, Hyena begins to cackle and says that Claw has always been so inflexible. He never wants to play.
Picking himself up off the ground, Dark Claw remarks that it’s a good thing he has a mutant healing factor. Just then, his sidekick, Sparrow, calls him over his earpiece and proceeds to inform him that his life-function readings are looking kinda spooky. Rushing off, Claw tells her to keep her eyes on the horizon and check her six. The Hyena is heading for the roof, so be prepared to cover him. Sparrow confirms and asks him to save a piece of that giggling geek for her.
As Dark Claw begins to rush up the stairs that lead to the roof, Hyena tosses some “frolic frags” down at his pursuer. Dodging them, Claw mentions to him that he thought he wanted to play. Reaching the top floor, in front of a large window, Hyena answers “Oh, I do. I do!” Claw asks his choice – how about tag? With that, Claw tackles Hyena and they crash through the large window behind them. When Hyena asks if he’s it, Claw tells him that he’s about to be “a was.” Hyena tells him oh my. How uncharacteristically droll. He then asks Claw if he’s been staying up late and watching the comedy channel.
Holding Hyena over the ledge, Claw tells him this is the end of his stand-up routine. Give him one good reason why he shouldn’t just cut his throat and drop him into traffic. Hyena says no alternate side of the street body-dumping on weekdays? After Claw tells him that was weak, Hyena says he’s got a good one. Howsabout his Pack shows up and blows him away. From a nearby rooftop, the members of Hyena’s Pack open up fire on the Dark Claw. As Claw begins to deftly dodge all of the gunfire, he eventually runs out of rooftop. Once he does, he leaps into the air. Hyena interjects that the Dawk Cwaw gonna fall down, go boom.
Grabbing hold of the nearby Claw-copter, Claw remarks that he’s no “puddy tat.” Piloting the chopper, Sparrow tells him that he can say that again, old man. When Claw tells her not to call him that, Sparrow reminds him that he stuck her with Sparrow when she wanted to call herself Death Urge Overdrive. Entering the chopper, Claw tells her that Sparrow is a perfectly good name and then asks her what she’s doing. Sparrow tells him that she’s comin’ around for a strafing run. Grabbing the controls, Claw informs her that those thugs have missiles.
As they begin to fly off, Sparrow points out that they were heat-seekers and begins to ask him how he knew. Before she can finish her thought, the duo narrowly misses a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier zooming by them. When Sparrow asks where it’s heading, Claw replies that’s a good question.
Meanwhile, in the artsy-trendy section of Gotham, the Huntress deftly breaks into a building. Upon entering, she records her thoughts. At 11:45 p.m. she has disabled the alarm system and she is now entering the penthouse loft of one Logan, techno-wizard, painter, sportsman and walking enigma. She is in what appears to be his studio. A profusion of large, bold canvasses in his distinctive style; said by some critics to “possess the fury of feral slashes.” There are stairs that lead up to the master bedroom. According to what little there is in his dossier, Logan was an orphan, raised in an institution in Edmonton, Alberta.
Looking at the pictures on his dresser, she wonders why he has photos of himself as a child with what appears to be his parents, standing in front of a luxury apartment building in Gotham. He was in the RCAF? There are no records. And what was he doing in southeast Asia? And… the other man in this photo is Creed. That means he knew the mysterious Mr. Creed H. Quinn before the Project. Opening up a closet, she is shocked at what she discovers. Logan is the Dark Claw!
At that very moment, Dark Claw appears behind Huntress and says she’s the Huntress, a.k.a. Carol Danvers. Huntress says to him a secret passage and elevator behind the closet wall, that’s how he gets in and out. But how did he know who she was? Claw replies that he’s a detective, remember? He then asks what else her impertinent snooping has uncovered. Huntress answers not much. When she accessed his ultra-ultra file in the top secret archives, it turned out to be an elaborate fiction.
As she asks Logan just how deep his cover is, he leaps at her and tells her as deep as her own, if she knows that much about him. Pinning her to the ground, Logan remarks that he knows she used to run ops for some no-name, no-visible budget, federal puzzle-palace directorate. Word was she went rogue. She’s out in the cold right? Running on a long leash? Dropping her weapon, Huntress asks that he expects her to tell him the truth?
Letting Huntress up, Logan asks what he does with her. He’s blown if he lets her walk out of there. He then asks her how she tumbled on to him, anyhow. Huntress tells him that he wasn’t out to track down Dark Claw, he was after the Hyena and the Hyena’s tracks have a way of crossing Logan’s. Logan, Creed, and four others went into a secret Canadian project back when there was still an evil empire to battle. All the records of that project have been conveniently destroyed except for a few fragments of notes by a Professor Carter Nichols which mentions two scientists named Cornelius and Hines. She takes it that something went terribly wrong at the project.
Remembering back to when he and Creed were next to each other in large tubes and being observed by scientists, he states that actually, the program was a resounding success. It produced exactly what it set out to produce – a remorseless killing machine devoid of all human compassion, a perfect weapon – Creed. They forgot one important thing about weapons. They are usually inert objects that can’t get up off a table and do harm by themselves. Their mistake was in creating a weapon with an imagination.
When Huntress asks if that was him, Logan tells her no. He was the failure, useless to them as a weapon, because he was possessed of a conscience. After he asks her if she wants to know the whole story, Huntress excitedly says of course. With that, Logan grabs hold of her hand as they leap into the elevator shaft. As the Huntress shrieks, Logan tells Ms. Danvers not to panic on him. This is a pneumatic tube with an air-cushion at the bottom. They are going deep below the bed-rock of Gotham, down to a lair that only two other people have ever seen or heard of. Once they reach the bottom, Logan welcomes her to the barrow.
Upon entering the barrow, Danvers notices a large portrait. It’s the same one as in his bedroom. Are they his parents? Logan informs her that he was five years old when they were shot down in front of him by an armed robber. He was sent to live with his uncle in Alberta, up near Buffalo Wood. He was a Mountie. Some poachers ambushed him and left him in the snow. The RCMP sent him to a home run by nuns. As soon as he was old enough, he signed up for the Air Force. Danvers exclaims Royal Canadian Air Force security. Creed was in the same outfit. That was the link. That’s where they…
Before she can finish her thought, Sparrow cuts her off and angrily asks what the damaged bimbo is doing down there. Logan informs her that she called in her markers at Langley and used her push at D.O.D. to access the banks of super crays under Maryland. She was sniffing for Creed and came up with Logan. Sparrow remarks that this is totally uncool and unacceptable. They can’t let her walk out of here knowing all about this. Logan asks her what he wants him to do, take her out in the woods and lose her. When Sparrow says well, yeah, Logan tells her to get real. He then asks her if she tied down the helicopter in the roof hangar. Sparrow tells him that it’s tied down and secured.
Looking at his computer, Logan mentions that he sees she already hacked her way into the typesetting computer at the Gotham Gazette. Sparrow says it was a piece of cake. The access code turned out to be “Gutenberg.” Giving her a playful punch in the arm, Logan says to her “You did good, darling.” Holding her arm, Sparrow flashes a large smile.
With all three of them huddled around the monitor, Danvers asks what they are looking for in the Gazette computer. Logan states that when he tangled with the Hyena at the printing plant, he noticed that Creed was wearing a static electricity discharge wire on his wrist. He wasn’t there to plant a bomb at all. He was there to go inside the guts of a computer. The discharge wire is to prevent damage to the memory. So, why go to all that trouble to interfere with the typography of the newspaper? Sparrow says he’s a real joker, maybe he was messing with the headlines for the morning paper. Logan tells her to punch it up. Sparrow tells him it’s already punched up and then asks what is it, a rebus?
On the monitor, are the letters “AF1+NaCN=.” With a shocked look on her face, Danvers remarks that “AF1” is Air Force 1, the President’s plane. Logan adds that “NaCN” is sodium cyanide, a deadly poison. He then adds that the president is in Gotham and due to fly back to Washington in twenty minutes.
Twenty minutes later, at Gotham International airport, the control tower informs Air Force 1 (AF1) that they have priority clearance to take off from runway 2. When AF1 asks if they have a green light from security, the tower replies negative. They have an unidentified helicopter over the field on an intercept with AF1. Another person in the control room interjects that it didn’t show up on radar. It must be running a third generation ECM suite.
Just then, aboard AF1, a member of the Secret Service rushes into the cockpit and informs the pilots that they have a bogey intercept and to abort the takeoff. One of the pilots states that they can’t. Too much velocity and not enough runway. They’re committed. Upon hearing that, the Secret Service agent yells out “Situation red! Secure the quarterback!”
As they fly near AF1, Dark Claw tells Sparrow to pull alongside it and match speed. Sparrow tells him it’s gonna be rough. That thing is putting out turbulence like a spastic whale. Sparrow then tells Claw to tell the slut to take her shot. Claw turns to Huntress and tells her to go for it. Huntress answers that she will as soon as his juvenile assistant gets them in the correct alignment. Maneuvering the chopper, Sparrow tells her that this is as good as it gets Wilhemina Tell. After Huntress asks Sparrow if she’s been reading her cliff notes, Sparrow tells her to just shoot.
After a successful shot that attached to AF1’s landing gear, Claw grabs hold and takes off. As he does, he tells Sparrow to bank away. He needs to clear the rotors. Aboard AF1, the agents remark that the bogey looked like the Claw-Copter. Another agent says anybody can go bad or psycho and Dark Claw wasn’t wound too tight to begin with.
Continuing to scale the cord, Dark Claw notices that the gear is retracting and that he has to get up into the well before the covers close and lock. Reaching the landing gear, Claw remarks that it’s a good thing aircraft aluminum is no match for adamantium. Inside AF1, one of the agents sees Claw climbing up the nose wheel and immediately orders the quarterback to be locked down tight in the tail of the plane. He then orders Sanderson to check out all the lavatories.
At that moment, Claw slashes his way into the cockpit. Once he enters, he tells them he’s there to warn them. They Hyena is making an attempt on the president’s life. Pointing their weapons at him, the agents tells him that the only costume wacko he sees around there is him. Claw calls them fools. Hyena is probably already on the plane. They don’t know how… As the agents open fire on him, Claw tells them that he’s not the threat. They have to search…
As Sanderson begins to check the lavatories, he is ambushed by Hyena, who tells him that this is no way to get a head. He then adds that this would probably put his career in the toilet; that is, if he wasn’t already dead. Leaping out into the hallway, Hyena tosses a grenade near President Clinton and his Secret Service agents. As he does, he tells them it’s a little campaign contribution. He hopes it doesn’t exceed the guidelines. When the gas grenade explodes, Claw tells the agents to get the president down on the deck and strap him down. He’ll deal with the Hyena.
As he tackles him, the Hyena asks that the old mutant healing factor is still going strong, eh? Claw answers and that he is still as crazed as ever. Hyena says crazy is as crazy does. He won. There’s no way he can vent all the poison gas out of the place in time to save the president. Claw tells him that he loses, he forgot about the adamantium. With that, Claw slashes the door off the side of the plane. Once he does, they both fly out of the plane. Claw points out that the explosive decompression blew them both out of the plane and sucked out most of the poison. The president is saved. Hyena says but he’s not because he didn’t bring a parachute and he did. Deploying his parachute, Hyena tells Logan that he better start flapping his arms and begins to laugh hysterically.
Nearby, Huntress points out to Sparrow that Dark Claw is falling. Sparrow states that he sees him and hopes the old man’s got his timing down. Simultaneously, Claw hopes the kid has her timing down. At that moment, Claw manages to grab hold of the Claw-Copter’s wheel and is safe. Claw proceeds to tell Sparrow that she did aces and to circle back and let him get another crack at the Hyena.


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

[Assistant]
Face to Face
At Lenny’s Bar and Grill, there’s a poker game every night of the year. Stakes are low, tempers run high. Logan tries to make the game once a week. He can put his ear to the street there. Punks and lowlifes come to brag about what bad boys they are. He comes to listen and wait. He’s waiting for the man who shot his parents. This is the sort of joint he’d come to. So far he’s never come in on a night he’s been there. But so many other bad boys do.
In the middle of the poker game, two large men walk up and ask the man wearing a patch over his left eye if he’s the one they call Patches Malone. Tossing his cards across the table, Logan replies just his flamin’ luck. Cyber-ninja assassins and he’s holding a king-high straight.
Just then, one of the assassins remarks that the voice matches to 99% of the sample, target is confirmed. After slamming his body backwards into one of the assassins, Logan remarks he did it again. He opened his mouth and talked his way into something. Just then, one of the assassins shoots him with pure electricity. Recovering quickly, Logan determines that makes him his main concern. Lunging after him, he is shot in the shoulder by the other one. Picking himself up off the ground, Logan snarls that he hates getting shot. It always makes him killing mad. Only he doesn’t do that anymore. Then he remembers that he’s throwing down with cyborgs. Artificial limbs, no need to completely restrain himself.
Popping his claws, Logan proceeds to slice of the left arm of the gun-toting assassin. Kicking them both into the kitchen, Logan continues his attack on the wounded assassin. As he does, he notices that he’s nothing but replacement parts. His partner is nothing.
Walking out of the restaurant, Logan hears Sparrow singing “na-na-na-na-na-na Dark Claw.” The Clawmobile speeds to the rescue. After dangling the cyber-assassins from a nearby fire escape, Logan gets into the car and tells Sparrow not to call it that. When he gets into the car, Sparrow mentions to him that he looks beat up. Was he cheating at cards again? Speeding off, Logan answers no, real trouble – a pair of cyber-ninja assassins. They knew right where to find him too. Someone had to give him that kind of information. That means Lady Talia is back.
Inside her lair, Lady Talia observes one of the monitors and recognizes Logan, her beloved. Stepping away from the monitors, she remarks that he has grown careless. He forgets how many of his secrets are known to her. It happens tonight, then. After two horrible years, she pays Logan back for the murder of her father – Ra’s-A-Pocalypse.
Thinking back, she asks has it been two years. Since father’s virus? They were evenly matched that day. But they always were. As they battled, a scorpion came between them. Ra’s-A-Pocalypse immediately stops fighting and states that once again, the desert chooses his destiny. Calling his assistant, Ubuwong to follow him, Ra’s-A-Pocalypse tells him that they are going to go reshape a better world. As they make their way towards a nearby plane, Logan yells out no, turns to Talia and asks her what his game is. Noticing the nearby stinger missiles, Logan grabs hold of one of them and fires it at the departing plane. When it crashed, Talia remembers that she should have feared the flames, felt the heat. Instead it burned off 90% of her skin without ever finding his body. No matter, her new adamantium limbs and long sharp fingers are more than up to the task she has dedicated the reset of her life to – the killing of the Dark Claw!
As they arrive at Dark Claw’s secret lair, Sparrow tells Logan that he’s lucky she’s there. He always falls to pieces whenever that girl’s around. After Logan tells her not to exaggerate, Sparrow replies as if. Look at him. He’s so careless, he got himself shot. Logan says so, with his mutant healing factor he won’t even have a scar in ten minutes. Sparrow asks what they are doing there. Someone’s hunting for him and he comes back to the burrow? That’s literally crawling underground. That’s not like him. Logan replies that she’s right. He was careless before. To face Talia, he needs to be his best. He’s got to work some kinks out and he’s not in the mood to paint.
Donning his Dark Claw costume, Logan tells Sparrow to set up the Danger Cave, a strenuous program. As he begins to walk away, Sparrow asks him he’s serious? They’re hanging around there? They’re not going after her? Logan tells her this isn’t a democracy, kid. Go set up the programs. Watching him walk away, Sparrow remarks there he goes, falling all to pieces.
Walking the streets of Gotham, Talia informs one of her cyber-assassins THX 1138 that the bio-tracker implemented in Logan’s shoulder functions well. And his mutant senses have yet to detect it. THX 1138 proceeds to inform Talia that the subject has stopped travelling and asks her they could send a squad of… Talia tells him no, she does this alone.
Standing inside the Danger Cave, Sparrow asks Dark Claw if he has her in his headphones. Claw simply tells her yup, stop chewin’ gum. Sparrow replies allll-rightie then. All he has to do is make it to the exit while a roomful of life-model-decoy robots try to rip off his head. He has five minutes – enjoy.
Just then, Dark Claw gets attacked by Harvey Osborn, the Two-Faced Goblin and Cybercroc. No problem and he takes them out with ease. Bloodcrow appears behind him and after taking him out, Hyena, Spiral Harley, and the Omega Beast attack him. Claw remarks that they’re coming at him in threes now, good. At that moment, the lights go off. Claw says nice touch. Calling Sparrow on his headphone, Claw asks her if she thinks he’s afraid of the dark. When he gets no answer, he realizes something’s wrong and quickly heads down the hallway. As he does, he tests the air and hunts for the scent that shouldn’t be there. All he’s getting is metal and electricity. Must be all the L.M.D.’s…
Just then, Lady Talia drops on top of him and takes a swipe at Dark Claw’s chest. Deftly dodging her attack, Claw says to her “My God. Your arms!” Maintaining her focus, Talia tells Claw that it was so pitifully easy to break in there. His defense systems, his code words, all follow his private obsessions so closely. She knows his secrets, her love. Defending himself against her attacks, Logan tells Talia to stop, he doesn’t want to hurt her. Talia asks like he didn’t want to hurt her father. Logan tells her Ra’s gave him no choice. That virus would have slaughtered all the mutants on Earth. All of them, even her. Her father was willing to sacrifice her for his insane dream.
Talia asks him that he can’t stop his lies, can he. But she will stop them, she will stop him. Blocking Talia’s attack again, Logan tells her that she doesn’t want this, they loved each other once. Talia asks love?!? Is that what he feels for the one who murdered his father? Smacking her away, Logan tells her enough.
He then tells her he understands what she needs even if she doesn’t. She’s not facing him, tonight. She’s facing herself, she’s finding out what’s truly inside her. Darkness or light. Love or hate. Holding his hands to his side, Logan tells her to go on. Whatever she decides, he won’t try to stop her. He tells her to choose who she is, choose. With tears in her eyes, Talia jams her sharp claws through Logan’s chest while a shocked Sparrow looks on. Grimacing, Logan tells Talia that she surprised him there. He didn’t really think she had a deathstrike in her. With that, Logan collapses in a heap on the ground. Standing over him with a tear in her eyes, Talia tells her love good-bye.
Making her way over to Sparrow, Talia cuts the bonds from around her mouth. With tears in her eyes, Sparrow asks her now what. Is she going to kill her now? Talia tells her no, she’s an innocent. She still has that much honor. Her father is dead, now Logan is dead. There is nothing left to do but remove the last part of her still truly human, her heart. Snapping off her claws, Talia holds them out in front of her and prepares to jam them into her chest. Before she does, she states that she would give anything to change the last two years. To bring them back.
Just then, Logan asks her anything? Rushing over towards him, Talia asks that he’s alive? Logan says maybe… but they’re still… negotiating… She said she’d give anything…? Talia remarks that she sliced him through his heart, she felt it. Logan says tell him about it… it’s gonna… sting like crazy… for a week. But his… healing factor… makes it harder’n blazes… to take him… all the way out…
He always figured he and her were the same. And if he was ever face to face with the one who shot his parents, it could only go one of two ways. Either he wouldn’t kill him or he’d regret for the rest of his life that he had. His mind was nothing but fire and pain ‘til he sorted at least that much out. She needed to learn. He then tells Talia congratulations, darlin’. Now she’s ready for the rest of her life.
With tears in her eyes, Talia says to her beloved that her father still lies dead. Logan says he knows, he’d give anything to change that himself. As Talia continues to hold her love in her arms, Sparrow calls out and asks if someone can untie her.