The Uncanny X-Men (1981)

Brief Description:

Black Tom Cassidy attacks the last two X-Men still standing, and rams one of his vines through Iceman’s chest. Nightcrawler teleports to safety and then tries to knock Black Tom out, only to discover that the captive X-Men are all linked to him and share the pain. Kurt demands that Tom let his victims go, but Black Tom just laughs. Nightcrawler comes up with a plan, and while Iceman distracts Tom, he teleports Stacy X free of the vines and throws her towards Black Tom's body. She uses her pheromones on Tom and while he is in ecstasy, Kurt tells Bobby to freeze the roots between Tom and his victims. As the villain stops draining them, life begins to return to the X-Men and Juggernaut, even Archangel who was in cardiac arrest, revives and strangely his blue skin regains it's normal flesh color. Finally Iceman tries to freeze the main root and as the ice spreads all the way to Tom, he tries to resist. However Stacy urges Tom not to fight it, and to simply let go. He does and the X-Men fall to the ground. Stacy tends to Warren, and thanks him for saving her life earlier on. She leans in for a kiss, but he asks her what she is doing, and embarrassed, she turns away. Suddenly, the ground erupts underneath the X-Men. Tom has recovered and is tearing the castle apart. The team rush outside to see Xavier’s Blackbird. Those who can fly carry those up that can’t, and Juggernaut hurls Wolverine up to the jet. Black Tom appears in front of Cain, telling him that he betrayed him. He smashes Cain into the sea. Sammy dives into the ocean and swims for Cain's sinking form. Actually Juggernaut was about to give up and just drown, but Sammy convinces the Juggernaut to take his hand and swim up. Aboard the Blackbird Charles thanks Cain for helping to save the X-Men, and offers for him to stay at his school and recover. He reluctantly accepts. Juggernaut sits down beside Sammy. A new friendship begins. At the Hospital, Annie sits with the catatonic Havok and tries to come to terms with her crush on him. Cyclops arrives and picks Alex up from his wheelchair, thanking Annie for giving him back his brother. She points out that he would still need a nurse and asks to accompany them.

Full Synopsis:

At Cassidy Keep, Black Tom is screaming in rage as Iceman tries to calm him down. Suddenly, Tom shoots a vine through Iceman's chest ! Nightcrawler teleports out of the way before one of Tom's vines stabs him, and yells at Tom to stop his madness. Tom screams back that he can't, his powers are out of control. Nightcrawler punches Tom in the face, knocking him unconscious. Kurt looks up in horror at the drained, gaunt forms of Tom's victims. Tom regains consciousness, and tells Kurt that every time Kurt hits him, he is hurting anyone who is connected to him through his vines. Kurt demands that Tom let his victims go. He is met by Black Tom Cassidy's hideous laughter.

Outside the Rosy Manor Convalescent Hospital, nurse Annie sits with Havok admiring the beautiful landscape. She is trying to say goodbye to him, as soon his brother will arrive to pick him up. Annie tells Alex that she finally realizes that he isn't just going to come out of his coma and take her away, and admits that she is stupid for "falling in love with a living dead man." Cyclops arrives and lifts Alex from his wheelchair, thanking Annie for giving him back his brother. Annie asks if Alex will need a anyone to take care of him back at the school, and Scott tells her that Alex already had a lover before the accident. Annie is not deterred, and insists that he still needs a nurse.

Meanwhile, Nightcrawler promises a weakened Iceman that he will get the X-Men out of this. He teleports up to Stacy X, who is still hanging from Tom's vines and is barely conscious. While Iceman distracts Tom, Nightcrawler tells her that part of the villain is still a man, and therefore susceptible to her pheromones. He 'ports her out of Tom's grasp, and throws her towards Black Tom's body. Stacy is now able to touch his face, and he begins to writhe in ecstasy. She licks his face, and Tom moans that he wants her. She tells him that they can be together if he lets his victims go. At the same time Kurt tells Bobby to freeze the roots between Tom and his victims. Tom stops draining them, and the life begins to return to Wolverine, M, Juggernaut and especially Archangel who's blue face regains it's normal flesh color. Bobby bursts into action, freezing the vine that is impaling him. The ice spreads all the way to Tom, who tries to resist Iceman's powers. Stacy urges Tom not to fight it, and to simply let go. The iced vines shatter, and the X-Men and Juggernaut tumble to the ground, freed.

Tom is defeated and destroyed, moaning Cain's name, who looks down on him with pity and disgust. Stacy tells Warren that he never answered her when she asked him what the X-Men do. He simply tells her that the X-Men help people, that’s all. Stacy answers that this is enough, she thanks Warren for saving her life, and leans in for a kiss. Warren asks her what she is doing. Embarrassed, Stacy backs off.

Suddenly, the ground erupts underneath the X-Men! They begin their escape, realizing that Tom has recovered and is tearing the island apart. Archangel carries Stacy out, though she keeps yelling that she could take care of herself. The team makes it outside to see a Blackbird flying overhead. Juggernaut grabs Wolverine and hurls him upwards, and Xavier pulls Logan inside, while the Beast continues to pilot the craft. Nightcrawler teleports the distance, and M flies Iceman up.

This leaves only Juggernaut unaccounted for, and while the ground is crumbling beneath him, Black Tom appears in front of his former partner, telling him that he gave him everything, but that Cain betrayed him. He goes on that "some people are just born hopeless" and smashes the Juggernaut into the sea. Logan remembers that Black Tom told them earlier that Juggernaut's powers were diminished, and he realizes that Cain will drown unless helped. Xavier thinks about who of the team has enough strength left to perform a search under such turbulent water, and the comes up with the boy Sammy, whom he and the Beast have just recruited and who is still sitting in the back of the X-Jet.

Sammy dives into the ocean and swims for Cain's sinking form, all the while in bewilderment over the sudden changes in his life. Once he reaches the Juggernaut, he understands that Cain is willing to die. Sammy tells him that he can’t give up, and that the X-Men have this special school where they can help him too. Sammy goes on that Xavier is a good guy and he doesn’t care what somebody has done before. In fact he was ready to kill some kids from his school right before the professor arrived to pick him up. Sammy reaches out to the Juggernaut once more, and the big guy takes his hand.

Somewhat later, aboard the Blackbird Charles thanks Cain for helping to save the X-Men, and offers for him to stay at his school and recover. The Juggernaut is about to turn down the offer, but seeing the shocked expressions of everyone else, he reconsiders. He accepts, but tells Charles that he still hates him. Xavier replies that he still has hope for him. Juggernaut sits down beside Sammy, and tells him not to expect a thank you from him. The leather seat makes a "Froop" noise, or at least Juggernaut claims it is the seat. The Blackbird flies off into the sky as Sammy breaks out laughing, asking Cain if his power is "blasting holes through the seat of his pants".

Brief Description:

Nurse Annie and her son arrive at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, where they are welcomes by Paige. Annie doesn’t like mutants and is concerned for her son’s safety. Right then the X-Men return from their mission and Xavier telepathically contacts Husk to meet them in the infirmary as they have wounded aboard. While Xavier tends to Iceman‘s injuries, Annie tries to deal with Warren‘s broken limbs, though suddenly Stacy becomes angry. She reveals that she is able to “see“ others’ pheromones and obviously Husk has a crush on Warren. After being humiliated in front of everyone present, Paige starts to cry and leaves the room. However when Warren accuses Stacy of jealousy, she too is shocked and leaves. Outside on the school grounds, Wolverine tells the Juggernaut that if he dares to attack his friends in their home, he will show no mercy at all. Wolverine walks away, but Sammy and Carter stay behind, gazing up at the Juggernaut in awe, they think he is cool. Xavier enters the astral plane to pull back the mind of the comatose Havok, but he finds himself almost pulled into Alex's pain and loneliness and has to turn back. Yet he promises to Annie that he will keep trying. Charles offers Annie a position at the Institute, assuring her that the fact that she is not a mutant fits with his personal philosophy of cooperation between the races. She hesitantly accepts. Later Annie walks to Husk’s room to ask if she is okay. Paige is angry: she tells Annie that it is obvious that she doesn't care about mutants, and questions why she decided to try to comfort her in the first place. Annie admits that she doesn't generally like mutants, but insists that she doesn't like to see anyone, human or mutant, in emotional pain. Paige thanks her but prefers to be left alone. Annie walks back to her room. As she enters, she thinks to herself that she must eventually get over her mutant prejudice for "obvious reasons." Annie sits down on the bed and watches as Carter telekinetically lifts his toys into the air.

Full Synopsis:

Annie and her son Carter walk through the gates of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Carter is amazed by the many mutants running around, though his mother tells him not to stare. Annie is uncomfortable: she "has her reasons" for disliking mutants. Paige meets Annie at the school's entrance and greets her. She introduces herself and explains that Scott was called away and couldn’t welcome her. As Paige tends to Carter, Annie asks Paige what her mutant power is and if it is potentially harmful to the boy. Husk assures her that her son is in no danger, just as the Blackbird roars over the school grounds. Carter and Annie are stunned, but Paige tells them that the Shi'ar warship that hovered above the school a few weeks ago was even more exciting. Husk suddenly touches her forehead as if she has a headache, and Annie asks if she is alright. However she is just receiving a telepathic message from Xavier, who tells her to ask Annie to use her nursing skills in attending to the wounded X-Men aboard the craft. Annie agrees, but refuses to let Xavier telepathically tell her the details of their injuries.

Paige, Annie and Carter enter the recovery room where Iceman and Archangel are lying on hospital beds. Wolverine, Stacy X, Nightcrawler, Juggernaut, and Sammy are also in the room. Xavier introduces himself and thanks Annie for helping. She mentions that she used to work in an emergency room and immediately inspects Bobby's chest wound, which, to her surprise, is filled with ice. Bobby explains that it is his mutant power and Annie tells him that his ice is likely the only thing keeping the wound from killing him. She offers to stitch the wound for him, but Iceman wants the professor to do it. Annie once more repeats her offer, telling that she is fully qualified for such a task but he insists that Xavier does it.

Stacy calls Annie over to take a look at Warren's broken arm and leg. The nurse inspects him and thinks that he must be in great pain, though Warren claims he is fine. Stacy however tells the truth, he is just playing the tough guy, while during the flight he nearly fainted. Also standing at his bedside, Husk notices aloud that Warren's skin has regained its natural color, though in his current condition Warren does not care that much about it. Annie asks for Stacy to get out of the way, though suddenly the young mutant becomes angry, accusing Husk of never having "heard of a bra." Paige looking rather puzzled, asks if she was talking to her. Juggernaut, Wolverine, and Sammy look on with amusement. Stacy explodes at Husk, and a vicious verbal brawl ensues. Paige claims that she is simply concerned for her friend Warren, but Stacy disagrees: she can see pheromones, and Husk's pheromones show an obvious attraction to Archangel. Paige is speechless, and runs out of the room in tears. Stacy begins to gloat, but Warren gives her a harsh admonishment for her cruelty and accuses her of being jealous. She leaves in a rage, claiming that she will go watch porn in her room.

Annie comments on her being an interesting woman, and Nightcrawler agrees that she makes his head hurt. Xavier compliments Annie on her calmness through the chaos of the situation. He suddenly remembers the recent events involving Alex being brought to the Institute. At the mention of their former teammate, the X-Men in the room react with joy and disbelief. Annie explains Alex's time in the convalescent home while Xavier finishes stitching Bobby's wound. Havok, or actually his catatonic body, is in an adjacent room, and Xavier prepares to telepathically free Alex from his comatose state. The team debates whether or not they should contact Lorna Dane to tell her that Alex has been found. Warren thinks that this should be Cyclops‘ decision, as shortly before Alex “died“, he and Lorna had broke up. Annie is amazed by what Xavier is trying to do. She asks the X-Men if Xavier can really restore Alex and Kurt comments that he hopes so.

On the school grounds, Wolverine approaches Juggernaut with Sammy and Carter at his side. He asks Cain where he thinks he is going, and the Juggernaut replies that he is an invited guest here. Logan however points out that he is against Cain being there and should he dare to attack him and his friends in their home, he will show no mercy at all. Logan reminds Juggernaut that he defeated Magneto, who was many times stronger than Cain. Wolverine walks away, and Juggernaut starts to cure at him, until he gets away of the two youngsters still gazing up at him in wonder. Cain tells them to get lost, and proceeds to steal a kid's basketball and slam dunk it. Sammy and Carter watch in awe, remarking that Juggernaut is "so cool."

On the Astral Plane, Xavier attempts to reach Alex's mind and follows a red line through a black void of nothing. At a certain point the surroundings change and the black environment seems to be torn apart, revealing a bright light. The red line enters that area, though it becomes erratic. Xavier hears screams from the area of light and yells out to Alex that he can feels his pain. He finds that Alex's pain and loneliness are so strong that he cannot come closer or he will be sucked into Alex's anguish. Xavier urges his student to reach out to him. In the physical world, a tear wells up in the Professor's eye. After three hours, he finally leaves the Astral Plane, finding that only Annie is still in the room watching him. He tells her that despite his best efforts, he cannot reach Alex, but swears to keep trying after a short rest.

The nurse asks the professor is he is alright, but he is not. He admits that it is hard for him to find himself unable to help one of his students. Surely she as a mother can relate. Charles offers Annie a position at the Institute, assuring her that the fact that she is not a mutant fits with his personal philosophy of cooperation between the races. Xavier notices that her last name, "Ghazikhanian" is Armenian, and asks her if her parents ever spoke of the Turkish massacres of the Armenians at the turn of the twentieth century. Annie replies that they did, and Xavier tells her that she, like everyone, has some experience with racial and cultural oppression, whether it be as oppressor or oppressed. He further explains that he does not believe that mankind was placed on the earth to wipe each other out, and tells her that the races of the world must learn to live together, not apart. Xavier offers his hand to her, asking her to work with him. She hesitantly shakes it.

Somewhat later, Annie is walking around the mansion, still thinking about her dislike of mutants. Yet she is also feeling guilty and ashamed about it. A wise woman once told her that “feelings are“, meaning that they have meaning and importance and to deny them or lying about them, would only mean to never understand them. Annie knocks at Husk's room and asks if she is okay. Paige is angry: she tells Annie that it is obvious that she doesn't care about mutants, and questions why she decided to try to comfort her in the first place. Annie admits that she doesn't generally like mutants, but insists that she doesn't like to see anyone, human or mutant, in emotional pain, especially such pain that Paige is going through right now. Paige thanks her, but prefers to be left alone and closes the door.

Annie walks back to her room. As she enters, she thinks to herself that she must eventually get over her mutant prejudice for "obvious reasons." Annie sits down on the bed and watches as Carter telekinetically lifts his toys into the air.

Brief Description:
Near Fort Albany, Ontario, a cruel father screams at his son, and keeps hitting him time and again to the horror of three other children. He suddenly stops as his son's eyes have begun to glow with blue energy. Next, the farmhouse explodes. In a Montreal, Xavier is meeting with Northstar. Charles tells him that recent events have left the school understaffed, and offers him a teaching position. Jean-Paul is skeptical but the Professor urges him to take the position, as he could become a role model for other gay people. He suggests that Northstar could teach Business and Economics. Northstar tells Xavier that he will at least consider it. Charles also tells him that the X-Men are in the area, but with two of them still recovering from recent injuries, they might need his help. Northstar agrees and meets Nightcrawler, Iceman, Archangel and Stacy X at the remains of farmhouse near Fort Albany. The team is slightly annoyed because of Northstar‘s usual arrogant attitude, but soon they find the dead father and all the children still alive, even little Peter, who caused the explosion. He feels that another charge is building up, so he can’t join the others in the Blackbird as he might blow it up. Northstar offers to fly him to Xavier‘s school himself, and along the way he and the kid talk. Jean Paul speaks of an argument he had with his father when he revealed he was gay. The kid freaks out and explodes again, separating them, but Northstar can catch him before he Peter hits the ground. Aboard the X-jet, the other X-men observe Northstar's flight. Stacy and Archangel have troubles dealing with them almost kissing recently, and suddenly, one of her ears falls off and her skin starts to shred. She tries to cover her face in shame. Meanwhile, Peter realizes an explosion is building and tries to warn Northstar, but it’s too late. Jean Paul wakes up in a field. Peter is lying beside him, not moving. Xavier's astral self appears, and explains that the boy’s power works automatic, it can’t be turned off, though the Avengers have a special chamber that might contain the blasts. Jean Paul tries his hardest, but realizes he can’t make it in time. Instead of staying at a safe distance, Northstar comforts the boy right before he explodes for the final time Jean-Paul awakens at Xavier's. He tells Xavier he has thought about it, and he would like to take the teaching position at the Institute.

Full Synopsis:
On a farm outside Fort Albany, Ontario, a cruel father ruthlessly beats his son in front of his other three young children. The man screams at his son, cursing him for crying over a girl. Suddenly he stops; his son's eyes have begun to glow with blue energy. The farmhouse explodes.

In a Montreal skyscraper, Charles Xavier is meeting with Jean-Paul Beaubier, the mutant also known as Northstar. Charles tells Jean-Paul that the recent Shi'ar attack and a flow of Genoshan refugees have left the school understaffed, and offers him a teaching position at the Institute. Jean-Paul is skeptical: he doesn't believe that the Institute will be able to provide the money or lifestyle that he is enjoying in his corporate life. Charles admits this, but tells Jean-Paul that it will be a chance to tell others his "unique point of view." Northstar points out that he has no urge to make mutant unity his personal mantra, but Xavier makes it clear that he isn't referring to Northstar's mutant point of view.

The professor continues that his entire life he has been trying to integrate those whose genetic differences set them apart. Actually the term “sexual preference“ is a misnomer, it should be called “sexual determination“. Xavier urges Jean-Paul to take the position, telling him that there are gay mutants who could benefit from having a role-model to guide them. With his curiosity aroused, Jean-Paul wonders what he should teach as a former Olympic athlete; surely not boy’s gym, that would be too progressive. Xavier suggests that Northstar could teach Business and Economics, one of his lesser-known talents. Northstar only tells Xavier that he will consider it, but will likely reject the offer in the end.

Charles brings up the second point of the meeting: the X-Men are investigating an energy spike that registered in Fort Albany, but may need help, as the investigating squad is overall rather weak, with several among the team not fully recovered from recent injuries. Northstar agrees, thinking that it might be fun, and Xavier rises to shake his hand. Jean-Paul is stunned; he failed to realize it when he arrived, but the professor is walking. Xavier points out that the only constant thing in life is change.

A squad of X-Men consisting of Archangel, Iceman, Nightcrawler and Stacy X arrive at the ruined Fort Albany farmhouse. Despite the team's objections, as he has still a broken arm and leg to deal with, Warren prepares to check out the inside, while he orders the others to search outside. Before he can enter the house, Northstar appears, wondering if Archangel didn’t use to have blue skin. Nightcrawler makes a joke that he got jealous and made Warren change, after all he was blue first. Iceman teases Northstar on his reasons for being there, has Alpha Flight kicked him out for good ? Jean-Paul tells the others that the Professor sent him to assist in the mission. Looking at Warren, he says that Xavier was right and tells Archangel to stay back while they other may accompany him. Following him inside the farmhouse, Iceman and Nightcrawler sarcastically thank Jean-Paul for his generosity.

Now by themselves, Stacy asks Warren who Northstar is, and he explains to her that Jean-Paul used to be a member of Alpha Flight, Canada’s own hero team like the Avengers. He then apologizes for not having introduced her, but Stacy says it’s okay. She tells Warren that she "didn't mean that kiss the other day the way you thinks I did." He cuts her off, assuring her that she doesn’t need to apologize. Stacy angrily replies that she wasn’t apologizing, but Warren asks her just forget the whole incident. They too enter the farmhouse.

Before the team begins their search, Jean-Paul can’t help but to notice the recent change in Kurt’s attitude back to his swashbuckling attitude, which he prefers over his repressed days as a priest. The team spreads out and Northstar finds the remains of someone underneath a pile of debris. His discovery is interrupted by a wail from another room. The X-Men rush in to find three children, bruised and scared, but otherwise alive. One of the girls marvel at the sight of Warren, she thinks he is a real angel. Stacy enters an adjacent room and finds Peter. He screams at her that "he didn't mean to do it" and that "it just happened."

The team brings the children outside. Peter thinks that Nightcrawler is looking cool, while Northstar is unsure how to handle the little girl he is carrying. The older girl asks Warren if he is going to take her to her mother. He asks where she is, and the girl says “Heaven“. Stacy, now holding the girl that Northstar had been carrying interrupts, and says that this angel doesn’t know heaven yet, though they are going to take them someplace fun. They prepare to board the Blackbird, however Peter becomes hysterical, warning them that he can feel a force building inside him, and that he is going to explode. Northstar has no patience with the child, and orders him aboard the plane. Archangel calls to him, telling him to get away from the boy. Jean-Paul becomes annoyed, but before he can finish his next sentence the boy explodes with blue energy.

Northstar is sent flying into a tree, which he bounces off, dazed. Jean-Paul picks himself up and runs over to the boy, enraged. He lifts the boy up by his shirt collar, yelling at him and demanding to know what he is doing. The boy tries to tell him that he meant no harm. Warren arrives and grabs Jean-Paul by the throat, ordering him to let the boy go. It’s not his fault, the boy’s powers are manifesting for the first time and has no control. Jean-Paul reluctantly lets go of Peter. Warren then offers to fly the kid back to Xavier's himself, since taking him aboard the plane would pose a risk to the other X-Men. Northstar disagrees: he believes that he is the only one strong enough to survive another one of the boy's explosions, and demands to take the boy himself. Warren is convinced, but tells Jean-Paul to be careful: his top speed could easily kill the kid.

Northstar and the boy take off into the air, watched by Warren and Stacy. She hopes that “he’ll be ...“ , but Warren interrupts her thoughts and tells her they have to get the other kids some medical attention. He turns his back on her and heads towards the jet.

As they are flying, Peter starts to tell Northstar about the events that led up to the explosion: his father had been verbally and physically abusing him when his powers manifested. Jean-Paul asks him why his father was so angry, but the boy doesn't want to say. Jean-Paul tells Peter that it couldn't be any worse than the last conversation he had with his own father, where his father had nearly killed him after learning he was a homosexual. Peter freaks out and begins struggling to get away when he learns Northstar is a "fruit", until Jean-Paul reminds him how high up they are. The kid screams "I'm not a queer and you can't make me!" Northstar becomes angry, wondering why he decided to save the kid in the first place.

Suddenly, the boy's eyes light up with blue energy again, and another explosion is issued forth, flinging the two apart. When Jean-Paul recovers, he sees the boy plummeting to his death. Using his top speed, Northstar saves the boy mere inches from the ground. The kid tells him that he isn't gay, and Northstar responds with "And I'm not into little boys. I prefer men with hair on their chests." Peter finds this hilarious.

In the X-Jet, the other X-Men observe Northstar's flight. Warren wishes that there was some other way to transport the kid, prompting Stacy to ask if Warren trusts Jean-Paul. Archangel admits that he doesn't: Jean-Paul has been unpredictable in the past. Stacy becomes angry when Warren doesn't look at her when he answers. She tells him that she already apologized for insulting Husk and insists that the earlier kiss she gave him was just to show her gratitude. Suddenly, Stacy's ear falls off! She screams for the others not to look at her and tries to cover her face with her hands.

Meanwhile, Northstar and the boy exchange names. The kid apologizes for calling Jean-Paul a "fruit", it’s just that he never met a gay person before. Jean-Paul says it's okay - he's been called much worse in the past. He promises Peter that Xavier will be able to help him contain his explosions. He then asks Peter why he fought with his father. Peter tells him that it was because he fell in love with a girl named Nikki, who didn't love him back. Peter had been crying about it, which had enraged his dad. He admits that it was a stupid thing to cry over, but Northstar tells him that matters of the heart are always important. Peter wonders why his father never said things like what Northstar said, and wonders if he should have been gay. Jean-Paul tells him that "you are what you are." Peter suddenly becomes anxious as he realizes that another explosion is building within him!

Northstar wakes up lying in a field. He is bloody and bruised, and has a black eye. Peter is lying beside him, not moving. Xavier's face appears in a massive psychic projection he tells Jean-Paul that the boy will die without immediate medical attention. Northstar wonder what triggered the last explosion as the boy was not angry like the other times. Xavier replies that unfortunately the explosions are coming automatic. Already during their trip, he has been trying to work with the boy's mutation, but his power is contained in every single cell of his body. Charles tells Jean-Paul that the Avengers have a chamber in their base which may help Peter. Jean-Paul says he can be there in thirty minutes.

Peter regains consciousness, and Northstar tells him that they must fly very quickly. Peter says that he is in too much pain, and that he senses another explosion building. Northstar screams to Xavier to help the boy and stop the impending explosion. With sadness, Xavier tells Northstar that he cannot do anything: he isn't a god, and neither is Jean-Paul. Northstar becomes enraged, shouting that he is a god, and that he "always wins." He offers to take Peter to the hospital that they just passed, but the boy refuses, as he would only end up killing people there. He tells Northstar to fly away while he can, but Jean-Paul refuses to leave him, tears streaming down his face. Peter asks Jean-Paul if he is really going to die this time. Seeing Xavier's anguished face, Northstar realizes that there is no hope for Peter. He tells the boy that he is going to die. Peter’s last question is if Nikki will ever think about him or wonder what happened to him, just as another explosion rips them apart.

Jean-Paul awakens in a hospital bed at Xavier's mansion. Warren is checking on a patient completely wrapped in bandages next to Jean-Paul, and Jean-Paul asks him if that is Peter's body. Warren tells him that it is not Peter, but Stacy, the woman who was with them at the farmhouse. He apologizes for not introducing them. Xavier enters the room and tells Jean-Paul that Peter is dead. Peter's siblings are with extended family, and the X-Men have requested a duplicate chamber from the Avengers in case Peter's siblings turn out to have the same powers. Northstar asks Charles if they could have saved the boy. Xavier doesn't think so, but admits that he will keep replaying the scenario over and over in his mind. Nurse Annie, who was checking Northstar’s vital signs, tells Charles that he will have to leave the patients time to recover. Jean-Paul stops him before he can leave. He has thought about it, and he would like to take the teaching position at the Institute.    

Brief Description:

At the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning, Archangel is on his mobile phone discussing and directing business. Iceman throws away his phone and gives him grief about doing business on his phone. Iceman then questions how Archangel can be healed only weeks after a recent battle. Archangel orders Iceman to see nurse Annie to check out his wounds from the same battle. Iceman obeys reluctantly. Warren is approached by Josette, an empathic mutant. She feels his loss over Psylocke and begins flirting with him. Disinterested, Archangel leaves. Iceman reluctantly agrees to let Annie examine the wound he got from Black Tom, but privately. While he walks away, Annie notices that Northstar is attracted to Bobby. Iceman shows Annie his wound: He's actually permanently mutating into ice. Back to the infirmary Annie suggests the Bobby and Northstar grab something for dinner. They both agree. Josette enters the infirmary and Iceman is all over her, ignoring the jealous Northstar. Iceman bails on Northstar to go with Josette for a walk. Outisde things heat up between them until Iceman is attacked by Josette's jealous husband Robert, a mutant himself. Robert has Iceman in his grip when Northstar arrives and splits Robert in half. Robert is then contained. Later in the infirmary Northstar tells Annie there's no chance for anything between him and Bobby, because he's straight. Annie understands too well. In a church in New York City, Nightcrawler prays to God and admits to being troubled by his faith.

Full Synopsis:

At the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning in Westchester, New York, Archangel is on his mobile phone discussing business with his company, Worthington Industries. Iceman walks up to him and inquires after Warren's missing cast. When Warren doesn't answer him, Bobby grabs his mobile phone, throws it into the nearby fountain and gives him grief about doing business on his phone, telling him "you can't phone it in" much to Warren's annoyance.

Iceman repeats his question: how can Archangel can be healed only weeks after their battle with Black Tom Cassidy? Warren replies that he doesn't know how, but Annie Ghazikhanian, the new nurse, has x-rayed him and he's completely healed. Maybe this is part of Warren actually developing an useful mutation for once, Iceman quips. What's next? Will he pop claws out of his forearms, develop a taste for beer and mousse his hair into pointy spikes? Not amused, Archangel asks Bobby why he has been avoiding his follow up-appointment with nurse Annie and orders him to let her to check out the wounds that he received when he was impaled on one of Black Tom's vines. Iceman snarls at Warren that he isn't automatically team leader, just because Nightcrawler wimps out on his responsibilities, so he'd better stop ordering him around. Angrily he stomps off.

Warren then notices Josette, a gorgeous, blue-skinned empathic mutant from the annihilated mutant nation of Genosha who has watched the argument. Still bristling over Bobby's immaturity, Warren introduces himself to her. She senses Warren's loss for his dead lover Psylocke aka Betsy Braddock. She begins flirting with him and tells him she knows about her and can ease his pain by suggesting that they having meaningless sex. Archangel claims he is needed elsewhere and quickly leaves.

Iceman stomps into the school's infirmary and asks Annie what the hell she thinks she's doing blabbing to others that he doesn't keep his appointments. Annie's checking up on Northstar who is still recovering from his injuries. Not in the least impressed by "Frost-boy", as she nick-named him derogatively, or his attitude, Annie insists on examining the chest wound Iceman got from Black Tom. Iceman snarls back, that he's not about to take off his shirt to give her a cheap thrill. Clearly used to bratty patients, Annie coolly informs him, that if she actually were interested in him, she'd be nicer. Now is he going to comply or should she involve Xavier?

The threat does its job. Iceman relents, but tells her, with an attitude that he wants to do it privately, quipping that he doesn't want Jean-Paul to get all hot and bothered. After he's gone ahead, Annie looks back at Northstar and asks him, where his acid-tongue was during this exchange? She realizes with a shock that he's attracted to Iceman. Half pleading, Jean-Paul asks her not to say anything. She promises Jean Paul that she will keep it a secret, although she quips that she'd have expected a handsome, powerful guy like Jean-Paul to show a little more taste.

At Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, Nightcrawler prays for guidance. He admits to having terrible nightmares. He tells Jesus that, indirectly, he is the cause. His death was meant as a shining example of how humans should live in loving union with each other and Christ. Nevertheless, even the most faithful fail to uphold those standards. Kurt admits to his longing for the touch of a woman. But more importantly, another so-called holy war is brewing. Soldiers are taking up arms in the name of God. How can he allow war to be waged in his name-maybe even encourage it? Does accepting God in one's heart equal fighting and killing or is it the opposite? And how can one faithful live with the idea with perhaps one day sitting beside God in Paradise and as a result forever being apart from the loved ones who failed God's tests? He expects answers to these questions the next time they meet.

Back at Xavier's a very nervous Iceman shows Annie his wound after he's made her promise to keep quiet about this. His upper body is partially covered in ice. Bobby fears this is some kind of secondary mutation that was triggered by something Black Tom did to him. He's actually mutating into ice and he can't change back.

Later Iceman and Annie return to the infirmary. Bobby quips, when is Northstar actually going to get off his lazy butt and do some work? Annie uses the opportunity: she tells them that Northstar is actually well enough to get up for meals, so why don't the two go grab something for dinner? They both agree. Iceman cheerfully needles Jean-Paul about all the training and practice that hell have to undergo - you can't just join the X-Men after all. They are joined by Josette who quickly has Iceman's complete attention. When Josette tells Bobby she's new here, Northstar can't refrain from answering cattily "Really? You look rather used to me." Iceman bails on Northstar to go with Josette for a walk.

On the grounds of the Xavier Institute Iceman and Josette sit under a gazebo. Things are getting more and more steamy between the two of them, when suddenly Iceman is attacked by Josette's husband Robert, a mutant who appears to be made entirely out of mud or slime. He attacks Iceman out of his jealousy and love for Josette, his wife, who has clearly used her powers to entrance other men before.

Robert angrily vows that if she'll keep on doing this, he'll just keep on having to rip those other men apart. He brutally hits Iceman several times, even tosses him against a tree. When Iceman actually makes a feeble joke, Robert covers his face with his mud, intent on asphyxiating him, when Northstar arrives (all decked out in his new costume). He quickly tears Iceman out of Robert's grasp, taking part of Robert's "arm" with him. Anxiously he cleans Bobby's face from the mud, urging him to breathe. He is rewarded with a cough and a mock come-on from Bobby.

Jean-Paul furiously attacks Robert who doesn't even seem to feel Northstar's blows. Eventually Jean-Paul flies straight through him and splits him down middle vertically. Robert is in shock, but still alive and put into a containment chamber in the basement.

In the infirmary, Annie and Northstar are talking near the sleeping Iceman's bed. She asks about Iceman and himself. He says there's no chance of them getting together, because Bobby's straight and that's that. Maybe he just doesn't know yet, Annie suggests. Everyone knows in their hearts, Jean-Paul replies. No, some loves simply aren't meant to be. Annie confides she knows how it feels to love someone who is meant for someone else, while she glances at the comatose Havok.

Brief Description:
Nightcrawler is walking in the halls of the X-Mansion and a couple of students see him. They're overly excited and nervous to see a real live member of the X-Men in person. Nightcrawler enters Iceman's room which is completely covered in ice. He's practicing his powers by animating two mini ice figures. Nightcrawler asks Iceman if he wants to go to the X-Ranch to get some of Stacey X's stuff, which leads Iceman to a tirade about only the original five being proper X-Men. Nightcrawler leaves, offended by his comment. In the infirmary Annie the nurse treats Stacy X. and learns some interesting personal info from Stacy. Meanwhile Professor X still can't find Havok's consciousness. He and Cyclops leave to discuss how they'll handle the Polaris/Annie situation. Nightcrawler and Stacy X go in the Blackbird to the X Ranch with Angel to get Stacy's personal stuff. Sammy and Juggernaut leave the X-Mansion for the day and go to Cain's old house. Juggernaut levels the house while reliving the ghosts of his past. He realizes he's been blaming others for mistakes just like his father blamed him for his. He wants to end that and start to appreciate things from now on.

Full Synopsis:
At the Xavier Institute Nightcrawler is walking through the halls of the X-Mansion when Glob Herman and another student see him. They're overly excited and nervous to see a real live member of the X-Men in person. One of them greets Nightcrawler with "how's it happening?" Nightcrawler politely responds both in German and English and keeps walking. With him still in earshot the two students continue to bicker at each other out of excitement.

Nightcrawler enters Iceman's room which is completely covered in ice. Bobby explains that he's practicing his powers: he's animating two mini ice figures by freezing and unfreezing adjacent molecules in rhythm. The figures look as though they were moving, but actually Bobby's creating and uncreating a whole series that give the illusion of movement.

Nightcrawler practices his newly-learned slang on Bobby and then asks him if he wants to accompany them to the X-Ranch to get some of Stacy X's stuff. Iceman says why is she a member of the X-Men? He feels the X-Men isn't some club you can join just because you're a mutant. The X-Men are the original five members, period. Too late he realizes that this comment was incredibly rude towards Nightcrawler who excuses himself and leaves the room.

Outside Sammy, the new student, catches up to Juggernaut as he's leaving the X-Mansion and asks where he's going. Juggernaut needs some time away from "freak central" or he'll go nuts. Noticing Sammy's hurt look, Cain tries to apologize in his own bumbling way, telling the boy that for him the school may be great, but for Cain it is just a freak show. He realizes that this explanation actually isn't much of an improvement and curtly states that he simply needs to get out for a bit, ok? Since Squidboy has some time to kill before he is officially enrolled, he wants to hang out with Juggernaut - the only person he knows so far - who, at first, behaves like a jerk towards him. Finally Cain - feeling soory for the boy - caves in and tells Sammy he'd like it, if the boy accompanied him. But he'd better not expect free ice cream.

In the infirmary Professor X - watched by a tense Cyclops - is once again trying to telepathically reach the comatose Havok, while Annie, the school nurse, treats Stacy X who recently shed her scale-like skin. Stacy inquires after the relationship between Cyclops and Havok - being pretty new herself, there are still things she has to learn about her fellow X-Men.

Annie and Stacy chat and Stacy keeps on raising her voice when she tells Annie some especially provocative tidbits of her past - such as being a former prostitute clearly trying to shock the nurse and get a rise out of Cyclops. Stacy tells Annie that she has scales not skin, and that her step-dad did something to her when she was young that she doesn't want to talk about. Nightcrawler enters and asks Stacy, whether she's ready to head to the X-ranch. Cyclops finally reacts to Stacy's baiting and calmly tells her to keep her voice down in an infirmary. If she has the need to perform her "tough-girl-show", she should do it outside. Nightcrawler teases Stacy about her being in "trouble" while they leave.

Meanwhile Professor X still can't find Havok's consciousness. He resolves to try again later, maybe even with the help of fellow telepaths Phoenix and the White Queen. Xavier mentions that he's also called Lorna Dane, Alex's former girlfriend, who should arrive the next morning. Cyclops notices Annie tensing up and asks the professor, whether he could speak to him on the outside for a moment.

Annie's been so engrossed following Cyclops' and Xavier's conversation on Alex that she was about to bandage Northstar's entire face, until he reminds her that his mouth isn't injured. Northstar tells Annie the fact that she has fallen in love with a coma patient - little more than a "warm corpse" - seems irrational. Annie replies is the heart ever rational? Besides, she adds, hiding her pain, maybe she's a closet necrophiliac.

Three miles outside Xavier's place Squidboy chats about his first impressions of the school, until he realizes that Cain isn't listening. Changing the subject, he asks Juggernaut what it takes to be a villain. Squidboy thinks Juggernaut is one because he tried to kill Professor X and he is one as well, because he wanted to kill kids that teased him at school. His argument angers Juggernaut. He informs Squidboy that nobody considers himself a villain. Professor X made him a villain. All he wanted was revenge for his dad's death, which he blames Professor X for. He wanted to make Xavier pay for that death and now suddenly that makes him the villain? Angrily, Juggernaut tosses a stone, which hits an old house. Given Cain's strength, it causes quite a bit of damage.

Angrily he tells Sammy that he made him do that. Squidboy denies this and asks if he always blames others for his actions. Juggernaut is enraged and raises his hand to hit him, but pauses, when he sees the letterbox with the name "Marko" on the ground. This is where he used to live.

Somewhere over the Midwest Nightcrawler and Stacy X are in the Blackbird heading for the X Ranch while Archangel flies alongside. Stacy asks Nightcrawler if Warren's avoiding her. Nightcrawler says "no," he needs to stretch his wings, because most of the time they're folded up or crammed in. Stacy asks Nightcrawler if Archangel has a girlfriend because she thinks he's been acting weird since they almost kissed. Nightcrawler tells her that he used to love a former teammate - Betsy - very much, in spite of breaking up with her. Recently she was killed. Stacy didn't know that and Nightcrawler says she shouldn't because even amongst friends Archangel is a very private person. He's been through things most can't even imagine.

At his former home Juggernaut puts on his armor, tells Sammy to stay back and starts destroying his house while reliving the ghosts of his past. He remembers his father often being out late. Eventually his father tells him they are moving out of this house to live in a mansion. Cain will have the opportunity to make new friends from a better class of people. But what's wrong with his friends, young Cain protests. His father breaks a bottle, angrily blames it on Cain and starts whipping the boy with his belt. The adult Juggernaut goes into a berserker rage and demolishes the house.

At the remains of the X-Ranch Nightcrawler asks Stacy if she found anything worth keeping. She tells him just stuff that's special to her and looks at a picture, showing her, Fat Nancy, and Madame Drache. She remembers the close friendship with the other girls, the pillow fights. The ranch was a safe haven for them. Underneath it all, Stacy muses, they were just girls - "trailer trash living in a mansion". Stacy mentions that sometimes they used to sit around naked. Clearly uncomfortable, Nightcrawler changes the subject and asks what else she found. Just some personal stuff with no meaning Stacy claims and looks into her bags that contain a few security back-up videotapes among other things.

Westchester:
After Juggernaut has completely levelled his house, Squidboy tosses him a rootbeer and asks why he did that. He tells him it's what the house represents and admits he's been blaming others for mistakes just like his father blamed him for his. He wants to end that and start appreciating things now. Because of Xavier, Squidboy and Juggernaut who have no friends, future, or hope, are going to live in a mansion now.    

Brief Description:

Annie Ghazikhanian and her son Carter talk about Havok, and the arrival of his girlfriend Polaris who is coming by later to see Alex who is still in a coma. Carter tries to use his psionic powers to reach into Havok's mind and pull him through, but somehow he gets caught in there. Annie tries to coax him out, until Polaris arrives and attacks Annie. Polaris physically injures Annie, who is only trying to help Carter. Meanwhile at LoboTech, Archangel and Husk ask Northstar to bring the injured Wolverine to safety and they fight for their lives against Maximus Lobo and his mutant werewolves, until they are both so badly injured Warren can barely fly them to safety. Upon reaching a forest, they both pass out... or die? Northstar arrives at the mansion and interrupts an argument between Iceman and Juggernaut while he tries to tell them of the situation Archangel and Husk are in.

Full Synopsis:

In the infirmary of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Westchester, New York. Carter Ghazikhanian asks his mother, Annie, who serves as the school nurse, how the comatose former X-Man, Alex "Havok" Summers, whom Annie has been nursing is doing. Annie says he has been as "mouthy" as ever, and that he should know how much of a smart-"Alex" he could be, Annie's attempt at a joke. Carter tells his mother that it was pretty funny, "To a six-year-old" Annie mumbles.

She asks her son if he had come by to listen to her reading to Alex. Carter says that he has, and that he misses visiting with Alex, even though Alex is "mostly dead". Annie corrects her son: Alex is not dead, but just in a coma.

Carter asks his mother if she had any dreams about Alex again last night. None she could remember, Annie replies, and that those dreams she had were mostly during her "frustrated" phase. Carter pipes up, asking if she means the one when no one would date her? He innocently reminds his mom that no one is dating her now either. Annie "thanks" her son for being so sweet as to remind her, and tells him that they are going to keep those dreams to themselves. She does not need anymore gossip about her at this school, especially with "the dreaded Lorna" coming by to see Alex later in the day.

Carter asks if Lorna is Alex's girlfriend, but he is confused because everyone is saying Lorna broke up with Alex before the crash. He tells his mother that he doesn't like Lorna. Looking a little sad, Annie tells Carter that he doesn?t even know Lorna and that she is probably a very nice person, and bitterly adds, with huge breasts. Alex will probably wake up when Lorna arrives and then they will live happily ever after ... and Annie adds quietly that they will probably have constant, loud sex in the room next to theirs.

Looking into Alex's eyes, Carter, in part talking to his mother, in part to Havok, says that everyone around the school say Polaris is crazy, and that she took off her clothes and walked naked in "nuke-yular" mud. Annie tells Carter that it is pronounced "nuke-lee-ar", and asks him what it means that she walked in "nuclear mud". Carter tells his mother he is just a kid, and how should he know?

Narrowing her eyes, Annie says that whatever it was Lorna was walking in probably only made her better looking. Carter tells his mom that Lorna will still never be better looking than her, and touching the scar on Alex's right eye asks his mother if she thinks it still hurts him. Annie says that she hopes not, because that would just be the worst thing in the world, if on top of everything Alex were still in pain.

Somewhat hesitantly, Carter tells his mother that she knows how he can sometime "see things", like lights around people. Annie looks worried, and knows her son is up to something. Carter puts his hand on Alex's forehead and tells his mom that there is this string of light coming from Alex's head, and it just goes back into a cloudy black thing in space. Carter says he can see Alex at the end of it. He thinks that if he can pull the string, really hard, then he can pull him out. Suddenly Carter begins to black out, Annie yells to her son, telling him to let go of Alex. Annie tries to pull Carter off Alex, and asks him to stop what he is doing. Annie begins to shout, and with a final yank, manages to pull Carter off Alex, and mother and son go flying across the room.

On the floor of the infirmary, Annie asks her now non-responsive son if he is okay, and shouts at him to wake up. Annie prays to God, to not let Carter be dead. She picks her lifeless son up, and is relieved to feel his heart still beating. She asks Carter again to wake up, and cries out that this cannot be happening. She puts him on one of the beds, tells Carter to come back to her, pulling one of his eyelids back, to be looked back upon by a blank response. Annie screams over at Alex to let her son go. Now at Alex's bead, Annie raises her voice, and calls to Havok, telling him that wherever he is, please do not drag her son down with him. She demands that Alex give Carter back ... Annie looks up, just to see several scalpels fly towards her. They surround her body, one rests just a millimeter away from her left eye. Annie's eyes are full of fear. Fear for her son, fear of the scalpel, and as she whispers "No. No, not you," the fear of Lorna, as Polaris makes her dramatic entrance ...

Back at Lobo Technologies, White Plains, Archangel, Northstar and Husk are surrounded by Maximus Lobo and his associates, while Wolverine lays injured only meters away from them.

Archangel tells Northstar that while he has seen Wolverine heal from incredible damage, he needs time and safety. Understanding what Archangel is talking about, the mutant speedster is at Wolverine's side in an instant. Warren confirms with Paige that these people surrounding them are his employees. Paige says they are, and asks the men what they want. Warren begins to tell the men they can discuss the situation when they begin repeating various words and sentences in their eerie voices, the same voices of the mutant werewolves that killed Mandy's boyfriend and the bullies.

Sitting by Wolverine, Jean-Paul comments on how these "executives" are not very cooperative. Northstar sneers at the unconscious Wolverine that he is not going to be able to help him, is he, and as he lifts Wolverine up, commenting on how heavy he is, even with half of his blood gone. Jean-Paul tells Warren that reasoning with them seems pointless, and asks if he and Paige will be all right with out him. Warren hopes so. As Jean-Paul prepares to leave, he wishes his friends well, and Warren asks him to send some of the other X-Men when he gets back to the school. The innocent Paige adds that he should send lots of X-Men.

Archangel tells Husk to transform into her densest form. She tells him that steel is the densest she can do as far as she knows, and Warren just hopes it is enough. All the while the human executives keep repeating the X-Men's words, as they begin to transform into were-creatures.

Warren thinks that he is the team leader of the X-Men, and he has gotten the team into a bad situation. Paige thinks that her greatest dream is to become an X-Man, or more specifically an X-Woman. Though as the two heroes watch the transformation of the deadly werewolves, she fears she may not live to see that dream come true.

In her steel form, Paige reminds Archangel that the creatures took out Logan in under five minutes, and asks Warren what kind of chance the two of them have. He tells her that realistically, they have none.

At Saint Michael's Church in Brooklyn, a priest sits at his desk, writing. He is suddenly startled when someone says "Bless me Father for I have sinned". The priest looks around to see Kurt Wagner, a.k.a. the X-Man Nightcrawler. Kurt apologizes for startling Father Whitney. The priest tells Nightcrawler that confession is not for another three hours, though noticing how troubled Kurt looks, he offers to "step into the box". A solemn Kurt Wagner replies that he would appreciate that greatly, because he does not think he can face him with what he has to say.

Magnetic energy lights up the infirmary at the Xavier Institute, and a determined Annie tells Polaris that she is not moving, as Havok has the life of her son somewhere inside of him. Lorna smiles strangely and says "I can make you move Annie-girl". A somewhat desperate Annie tells Lorna that she will have to, and Lorna moves one of the scalpels, cutting Annie on the cheek. Lorna tells Annie to move, to which the nurse replies "No." Annie crouches beneath the deadly scalpels and pleads with the comatose Alex, telling him that if he has her son, to let go of him. Before she can continue though, Lorna moves another scalpel, giving Annie a matching cut on her other cheek.

Lorna narrows her eyes and is about to say something, when Annie turns around and with a raised voice asks Polaris what the hell is wrong with her? She tells the Mistress of Magnetism that she is not hurting Alex, that she just wants her son back. Blood begins to flow out of Annie's nose and mouth, and she cries out in agony. Polaris asks her if she liked that, and tells her that she just reversed Annie's blood flow for a second. Lorna says that she doesn't want to kill her. Annie, who is crouching on the floor, interrupts, and tells Polaris that she is a mother fighting for her son, and that if she wants to stop her, than she will have to kill her.

Back at LoboTech, Warren and Paige have begun hand-to-hand combat with the werewolves, and the heroes' thoughts move along similar lines, though with a different angle. Both think that the X-Men are supposed to represent the pinnacle of human evolution to date. Warren thinks that the X-Men are supposed to be the best of Homo-Superior. Charles Xavier's dream as reality. In accordance with her dream of being an X-Woman Paige thinks that the closer you get to your dream, the more flaws about it you see. Paige appears to get trapped in between two of the creatures.

Warren knocks back some of the beasts, mad at himself for coming here without a strategy, and because of his stupidity... Paige thinks that no longer will the X-Men be the pinnacle of human evolution, because they are about to "dead-end" on the tree of life ?

One of the werewolves rips at Paige's steel form, and actually manages to cut her. Paige cries out in pain, and Warren flies over to her. As he holds her limp body the remaining wolves begin to surround them, and when he asks them why they are doing this, one of them simply says, it is because they can. Because nature demands it, and he tells Warren he will remove him from the gene pool as easily as Wolverine. Archangel tells the werewolf that Logan has not been killed, and that he has a healing factor in his blood that will save him. Warren mentions that Wolverine's ability to heal makes him overconfident sometimes, and that he expected to beat the wolves easily, but they surprised him.

One of the werewolves approaches Archangel closer. In the same frightening tone that they all use, he tells Warren that his name is Maximus Lobo, and that they are the future of the world. The Dominant Species. Lobo tells Warren he surely could not have expected Wolverine to beat him. Warren tells Maximus that he knows he would have beaten him, had he not misjudged him.

Maximus Lobo replies that maybe Logan judged him correctly, but lost to his better. Lobo says that he is Logan's superior within their same family. Warren asks Lobo if he means Homo-Superior, and asks him that why this supposed superiority gives them the right to prey on others? Maximus Lobo tells Archangel that they don?t claim it as a right, because then it would not have been as much fun. He continues, saying that they simply obey Darwin's laws - natural selection, survival of the fittest - they are just laws of nature that supersede the rights of fearful and soft Homo-Sapiens. Lobo's eyes flare up and tell Warren that these rights, according to Warren, put them in competition.

Paige and Warren both understand now. Archangel thinks that they are not Homo-Superior but only part of it. Paige remembers Annie mentioning Darwin and Wallace in the infirmary, Darwin and Wallace had theorized and predicted gradual variations in all species. Stephen Jay Gould on the other hand believed in "punctuated equilibrium", rapid change in variation - mutations.

With Husk in his arms, Archangel takes flight. The werewolves try to slow him down, and he understands that no one is guaranteed this Earth. That while mutants have aspects of advancement like gifts and enhancements, they are still human - fallible, and imperfect. They must earn the world. Paige cries out some as they take flight with a werewolf clinging onto Warren's legs.

She continues to think about Darwin, Wallace's and Gould's theories, that every species may be granted a rapid change in variation, or mutations. All of them agreed that those who were not as well-equipped to survive would be left behind in the "struggle for existence". Warren manages to shake the werewolf of his legs, and it plunges to the streets below.

Warren and Paige come to a forest, and he begins to descend. Paige thinks that not every variation in a species will survive, as they are not all meant to. It is survival of the fittest. Natural selection. Warren's landing does not go according to plan, and they crash in some bushes. Lying next to each other, Warren apologizes to Paige, telling her he is too wounded to fly. He calls himself an idiot, and Paige tells him he is not. She thanks him for trying to save her. Warren moves over so that they can speak face to face. He asks her to change to another "husk", so she can repair herself. Husk tells him that she cannot because the wounds are too deep. Warren moans and falls unconscious on top of her.

Paige lifts her head slightly to look at the man she has a crush on. She thinks that it is commonly believed that evolution is moving forward, that each successive generation is an improvement upon the last. But this is not the case, as Natural Selection has nothing to do with evolutionary direction, or species progress or even intelligence and "superiority". Evolution simply means "to adapt". If you don?t adapt, then you die. Paige puts one of her hands on his back holding onto Warren.

Back at Xavier's, outside in one of the quads spotlights light up the area begin enclosed in the coming night. Samuel Pare tells Cain Marko that it is getting past his curfew. Tossing the ball, the man also known as the Juggernaut asks him if he wants to stop playing, and tells the boy that he doesn't. Iceman approaches the Juggernaut and asks him when he is leaving. Bobby tells Cain he thinks he has been taking advantage of the Professor long enough and that he should move on. Gritting his teeth, Juggernaut tells Bobby that Charles can come and tell him that himself if that is the way he is feeling, and reminds Bobby it was Xavier's idea for him to come and stay. Bobby tells Cain that he doesn't need to come and tell him, because as he is a founding member of this place - "Hey! Iceman! I need you now!" Northstar has arrived. He tells "big guy whatever-your-name-is" to get that thing he calls a costume and come with them because they have a mission. Bobby protest and tells Jean-Paul, who is clutching Wolverine still, that "Fat boy" doesn't do missions. Juggernaut mumbles that he does if it will annoy Iceman. Iceman notices Logan, and asks why he is in such a mess?

The sun sets over the forest where Warren Worthington III and Paige Guthrie lie, possibly dying. Paige thinks that as humans, mutants in particular, we wish, and need to believe that there is something special about us. That we as humans, all races and kinds, are equal and each have their own special place in the world. Natural selection however, would argue this. That there is nothing special about any specific race of humans, that they are simply very good at differential reproductive success. Maggots begin to crawl over Paige's lifeless steelform's face without her reacting. Yet her thoughts continue. She thinks that humans are very good at differential reproductive success. At least until "punctuated equilibrium" spits out sudden unexpected variations. Variations that are meaner, faster and stronger - that will kill the rest ...

Brief Description:
At White Plains, Warren and Paige continue to battle the ferocious werewolves, and Warren finds out that Maximus was responsible for his father’s death. The injured Paige falls unconscious, and Warren tells himself that he must save her at all costs. He manages to get the werewolves off of her and they manage to escape. Though not for long as the werewolves herd them back to Lobo-Tech Industries. Warren discovers that he has a healing factor in his blood and uses it to heal Paige. The wolves return, and Warren discovers that Lobo has been selling Stark Industries products under the Lobo-Tech label. The X-Men and Juggernaut soon arrive, and a battle ensues. As Maximus Lobo releases flammable liquid into the building he then sets it alight. Juggernaut shields everyone while they all escape. Safe in the streets below, the X-Men witness the building blow up and Juggernaut walk out. Archangel’s healing factor heals his wounds, and they return home. At the Xavier Institute, Havok, Polaris and Annie try to help Professor X, who is still linked, to Annie’s son, Carter. When the two are finally separated, Xavier tells Annie that they need to have a serious talk about her son, and his father. Later, Archangel says goodbye to Psylocke, before moving on with his life, and visiting Paige.

Full Synopsis:
Near White Plains, New York. Archangel and Husk find themselves seriously outnumbered against Maximus Lobo and his mutant werewolves. As Maximus battles Warren, he tells the winged X-Man that while he doesn’t have claws and strength like Wolverine and them, he is tougher than he looks. Archangel agrees with the werewolf as he punches him. Maximus, knocked back, orders one of the others to hold Warren and the werewolf bites into Warren’s thigh. Warren spins free and Maximus Lobo orders him to stand still and die! He asks Archangel who he is, and holding onto his arm injury he received earlier, he tells the mutant werewolf that he is Archangel of the X-Men – Warren Worthington the third – the man who pays his salary! With that, two other werewolves sneak up behind Warren and bite into his shoulders, Warren lets out a loud cry of pain. Maximus tells Warren that the next generation has improved then – his father was much easier to kill!

Warren stares at Lobo in shock…though he is brought back to attention when Paige Guthrie, a.k.a. Husk, wannabe X-Woman calls for Warren’s help, as the werewolves are attacking her. Several werewolves have her surrounded and threaten to kill her and eat her bones. Pushing one of the wolves against a tree, the former Generation X member tells the werewolf to ‘Eat this!’ More keep coming at her, and Paige can only hold so many off. Two werewolves push her down to the ground, and her screams are only heard below those of Archangel’s, as he calls out to her, concerned for her safety.

Warren recalls how he found Maximus Lobo and the other werewolves running one of his subsidiaries, when he and several other of the X-Men responded to a mutant death in White Plains. Warren thinks he has to stop thinking about how he didn’t turn out to be a very good boss, and focus on rescuing Paige. And if he does get her killed, then it means that she was right all along, it is just about survival of the fittest and meanest. Warren shoves his way past some werewolves, and decides that it cannot be all about survival – that life has to mean more, because if there is a species that should be dominant – it should be Paige’s.

Werewolves begin to maul Paige and she cannot change her skin to a stronger form. Warren thinks that Paige deserves to survive, to thrive, because she will change the world for the better. Paige goes limp and her eyes shut as blood trickles down her face. If Paige doesn’t inherit the Earth, if someone as good and kind and loving as her doesn’t grow and multiply and inherit the Earth – then there is no God.

Warren appears like and angel, rays of light beaming down from behind him, and a big stick in his hand. He knocks the stick against the wolves, bashing them, and picks Husk up. He urges her to stay with him, to stay alive, and she manages a feeble ‘Warren?’ Gaining height in the air, Warren tells her not to talk, just to let him get her to safety. Paige mumbles that Psylocke says she is sorry. Archangel thinks that if there is a grander plan, then Paige must be a part of it.

Inside the X-Jet, Iceman tells Northstar and Juggernaut that Warren and Paige are moving, and the signal from Warren’s communicator is moving north. Bobby asks Jean-Paul why he doesn’t fly ahead, especially as he is faster than the plane, and then he can help Warren and Paige out. Northstar, of course for Bobby, obliges, and caustically remarks to the man he has a crush on, that because Warren is alive, he wont have to kill him now ‘-eh Chilly Willy?’

Sitting in a chair further back from the X-Men, Juggernaut tells them that it could mean Warren and Paige’s communicators are inside the stomach of one of the werewolves. Iceman and Jean-Paul just turn and glare at their not-so-welcome companion. Cain grins and as Northstar says ‘Nice Juggernaut. Real classy,’ the trio fall victim to the stench of brimstone, as Nightcrawler teleports in.

Out of breath, Kurt Wagner gasps out ‘Teleported four miles Northstar. Never write me off as useless.’ Jean-Paul smiles and as he flies out of the aircraft he tells the others to keep up - as lives depend on it!

Meanwhile, in the infirmary at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Professor Charles Xavier, founder of the institute is screaming. Recently awakened from his coma, the former X-Man Havok asks Xavier what is wrong, but Charles just keeps on screaming. Lorna Dane another former X-Man, asks Havok, her former lover, what is wrong with Xavier. Alex tells Polaris that he doesn’t know, as one minute Professor X was helping Carter, the next he – a blinding flash sends Xavier flying across the room, separated from young Carter Ghazikhanian. Annie calls to her son, and Havok to the Professor. Carter manages a feeble ‘Mommy,’ and Annie embraces her son. Alex tells Carter he is glad he is alive, and Annie dotes upon her son, telling him she was so scared, Carter says he was too.

Across the room, still on the ground, Xavier tells Annie that it is time they had a conversation about Carter…Annie turns away from those present in the room, and says nothing as Xavier finishes his sentence ‘…and about Carter’s father.’ Wordlessly she hugs her son.

Near White Plains again, Warren flies through a forest, talking to Paige, trying to keep her alive. He asks her to tell him again what Betsy said. Before Warren realizes, the werewolves have herded them back to Lobo-Tech, and Warren can barely fly. He wonders if things could get any worse, and tries to get Paige to talk some more. Warren tells Paige what Betsy had said to him when he died in Scotland. Psylocke had said that Warren was following the wrong path in his life, and that they were never meant to be together forever. Betsy was only there to guide Warren away from his playboy mentality, and anger over what Apocalypse had done to him, but perhaps most importantly of all – to help him learn to truly love someone.

Warren flies up the side of the building, and crashing through a window, takes refuge inside. He sets Husk down on the floor and asks her to tell him what Betsy said to her. Blood dribbles from Paige Guthrie’s mouth, and Archangel pleads again for her not to die. He tells her to yell at him again, that she knew the job was dangerous when she took it. Kneeling at her lifeless body, Warren thought it was he who had healed her before, that he had a healing factor of some kind, but it wasn’t…Warren looks at his arm. He notices that he has healed, or is healing anyway. The scratches are gone, and as he watches a bleeding scratch suddenly close up, realizes that his body is healing itself again.

Warren begins to put two-and-two together, and a he was bleeding the first time he healed Paige, he figures it must be his blood. Warren looks over at a packaging knife lying on a box, and guesses the healing factor is in his blood. He puts the knife up to his chest and cuts across his body. With blood trickling down his body, he lifts Husk up and tells her he is sorry, but for this to work he needs to get his blood to her wound, so he must take his shirt off her.

Warren prays to God for this to work…and Husk mumbles out that Betsy never loved him like she loved Warren…Paige continues telling Archangel what Psylocke told her. She says that Warren always kept a piece of himself hidden behind the blue, behind that reminder, a wall of anger, fear and sadness. But Betsy wanted someone to love her with his whole heart before she died. Husk says that Betsy had foreseen her death, so she returned the other man’s affections, dumped Warren and then he retreated behind the blue.

Paige looks up at Warren, she tells him he was not supposed to retreat. He was supposed to have learned how to really love from her. Quietly Paige tells Warren he is so handsome…and than quite shocked asks him if he just put his naked chest up to hers? ‘One last grope for the millionaire playboy before the end, eh Worthington’? The chilling sound of Maximus Lobo, with some harsh words. Paige clearly shows her fear, and Warren asks Lobo why he is doing this. He tells Lobo that whatever he was doing here in this plant could have gone on unnoticed by anyone for a long time if he hadn’t murdered those kids.

Lobo says that that is true, but he was tired of the world not knowing how much better he is than the rest of them. Though, Maximus says looking back on it all may not have been the best thing he did, and asks how often it is in lie that someone says that about something they truly enjoy? Archangel says he sees that by the boxes around the room – Warren suddenly realizes that many boxes in the room have the Stark label on them. He asks Lobo if he is selling Lobo-Tech products under the Stark label. Maximus tells Archangel that it is the other way round, for it is more profitable to sell Stark products under the Lobo-Tech label.

Warren presumes it is re-purposing, and asks what for – Weapons? That would go against the Stark contract. Sarcastically, Lobo tells Warren he must have missed that in the small print, though really it is not his company is it? For actually Warren is the one ultimately responsible, isn’t he?

The werewolves are startled by some noises above their heads, and suddenly, Juggernaut comes crashing through the ceiling above them, followed by Iceman and Northstar. Bobby tells Jean-Paul that they need a distraction, and obliging, Jean-Paul tells everyone to cover their eyes.

Archangel keeps Husk safe, and they are both extremely relieved to see the other X-Men have arrived. Juggernaut, Iceman and Northstar all manage to hold their own against the werewolves, and Bobby asks the former Alphan for another distraction. Jean-Paul mocks the man he has a crush on: so now he’s nice, but he does what Bobby asked anyway. As a pair of werewolves move in on the wounded Warren and Paige, Nightcrawler quickly teleports in, and grabbing them teleports back out, just in time as the blinded werewolves miss their targets.

Maximus Lobo tells the other werewolves to follow the X-Men’s scents, and Juggernaut appears, asking him if he is saying he stinks? He beats up some of the werewolves, and tells them that that was rude, and he should know. He throws one through a window, and asks for another. Iceman tells Juggernaut that he has some frozen werewolves he can use. Suddenly, someone calls out ‘Maximus, no!’ as the villain stands atop of a flammable tank, with a hammer and a small fire stick. Maximus just says ‘"No" what, X-Man?’ And as he shoves the hammer into the tank, green liquid spews out. ‘No don’t kill us all?’ Maximus says. Juggernaut holds up a wall, and tells everyone to get behind him, as he can cover them. A huge explosion follows, Northstar flies Archangel, while Nightcrawler carries Husk, and Iceman escapes on an ice-sled. On the street below, the five mutants stare back up at the flaming building, where Juggernaut was still caught inside.

Looking up at the explosion in the building, Warren thinks that Paige was right. That mutants do consider themselves the dominant specie, the "evolved" inheritors of the Earth. That we call ourselves Homo-Superior and somehow imagine that we deserve this planet above all the others. Being the superior species means being the dominant one. It is science versus the human need to believe in more than science – logic rising from the shadows of mysticism – versus emotion and spirituality. As if the two are mutually exclusive – are they? Warren Worthington would have to say no.

From the broken building the Unstoppable Juggernaut emerges, and as he says ‘Man that was cool’ collapses. Warren and Jean-Paul set him on the ground. Warren thinks that there is a need in this world for all species, a need for all. Husk doesn’t think Cain Marko will survive, as his burns are so bad. Warren thinks that nature may guide directions or relationships oh her choosing – with pheromones, jealousy, rage, pretty smiles or similarities of design. But it is our brains, our minds and our hearts that allow us to learn from life and alter those directions for the greater good of all. Warren tells Paige that Juggernaut will survive, he can survive, with his help. Moral choices in opposition to physical drive.

Later, back at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Warren flies high above the school grounds, seeing Juggernaut play baseball with his young followers, Carter and Samuel. He passes the healed Wolverine and Nightcrawler relaxing with a few cans of beer. He thinks that a moral choice in opposition to physical drive is what can make anyone a "superior species." That when he learned Elizabeth loved someone else, he held on to agonizing hope. Asking questions that echoed strangely through his mind. Like "why didn’t she want me any more?" "What had I done wrong?" "Wouldn’t I have been better off never having loved her?" 

When Archangel awoke from having died, he realized his words echoed – because they were the same words spoken to him so many times before – by women who had loved him when he couldn’t love them. Floating by some clouds, Warren tells Betsy that he knows she is near him, and that she can hear him. He thinks that he now understands before Betsy he loved casually or not at all. He thanks Betsy, calls her a gift, and says goodbye, something he never got the opportunity to do.

Warren decides that whether Psylocke came to him in spirit, or it was his own subconscious finally clueing him in, he has finally, because of Betsy, let go of his anger, moved beyond his pain and learned to grow. Warren knocks on Paige’s door. Warren decides that some would see the Karma in all of this – reaping what you sow. Paige seems surprised, yet happy to see Warren at her bedroom door. She asks him if he would like to come in. Warren hesitates at first, but then tells her he would like it very much. Smiling down at her, Warren thinks that Paige would see it differently, she would say that at last he had truly evolved. And the door shuts behind them.    

Xavier is telling the recently awaken Havok about some of the most important events that have happened in the time he was in a coma, while Nightcrawler, Juggernaut and Annie Ghazikhanian are waiting to see Xavier also. The original X-Men walk past the queue and enter to see Havok. Inside the office, Havok tells them all how much he missed them, and Polaris proposes to him, surprising the X-Men, and upsetting Annie. Juggernaut tells the Professor that he wishes to teach at the institute and join the X-Men, Xavier welcomes him, but tells him that he will have to ask Nightcrawler about joining the team, to which Nightcrawler tells Xavier he is stepping down as team leader and going on vacation with Havok and Polaris, who are taking leave before the wedding. Before he leaves, Havok goes to talk with Annie, launching Annie into a very embarrassing monologue. Ready to leave, Havok comes over to thank Annie, and tells her that he feels like he knows her somehow, before he is interrupted by Polaris telling him to go. Two days later Husk and Annie are chatting, when they are interrupted by the arrival of Alpha Flight, who order them to hand over all the children in their care…

Full Synopsis:
In Professor Xavier’s office, at his home, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning in Westchester, Charles Xavier is meeting with Alex Summers, the former X-Man known as Havok, who until recently had been in a coma after an explosion. Charles tells Alex that a lot has happened in the that time he was lost. And Xavier begins to tell Alex major events that have occured, such as the onset of secondary mutations, to which Xavier adds that Emma Frost is living in the mansion, Alex is more than a little surprised at that. However, Alex’s surprise turns somber when Charles mentions September Eleven, the death of Colossus, the arrival of Cassandra Nova and destruction of not only the Shi’ar Empire, but the destruction of Genosha and deaths of sixteen million mutants, including Magneto. As Alex’s face is covered by his hands, Charles tells him not to be too surprised to see Juggernaut wandering the halls either.

Outside the office, there is a queue of others waiting to see the Professor. Nightcrawler tells Annie Ghazikhanian that if she would like, she can go ahead of him to see the Professor. Annie thanks Kurt, and looking to the ground tells him that Xavier wants to talk about Carter, her son, and she adds that she should probably tell him what really happened between her and Lorna in the infirmary, before the rumors starts. Sitting across from his mother, Carter is playing the game "peknuckle" with Juggernaut, who asks the boy how he expects to beat him when he cannot even reach his thumb. Carter just says that he can do it!

In the adjoining hallway, six of the first ever X-Men approach Xavier’s office. Leading the way, Jean Grey tells her old friend, Lorna Dane that everyone is excited about having her and Alex back at the school again. Annie steps in front of the originals and tells them that there is a line of people waiting to see Xavier. Derogatively calling Annie ‘Florence Nightingale’, Polaris tells her that the line does not apply to them. Jean keeps the peace and tells Annie that Xavier summoned them all mentally to come into his office and welcome Alex home. As the originals enter the office, Polaris tells Annie she can go home now, as her job is done, Alex doesn’t need her to look after him anymore. Annie just stares at the Mistress of Magnetism.

In the office, Lorna makes a spectacle of things, when she runs over to Alex. In the doorway, Cyclops puts a comforting hand on Annie’s shoulder, telling her that they will only be a minute, then she can see the Professor. Scott turns his head into the office, shocked when Lorna continues her dramatic spectacle. Alex asks Lorna how she is, and Annie bites her tongue. Lorna asks Alex if that is all he has to say? He tells her he isn’t sure, as when they last saw each other – before he can continue, Polaris kisses him in front of everybody, a very passionate kiss, and bites his lip too!

The door to the office closes as Cyclops enters. Alex stares at his brother, and removes Lorna from his body as he hugs his brother, and talking about everybody, tells them all how good it is to see them again. Alex lifts Scott off the ground, and Scott jokes to watch the jacket, as it is new. Alex tells him he doesn’t care, and tells everyone how much he missed them all. He tells them all how much he loves them, and everyone gets a little nervous. Phoenix breaks the silence and sarcastically remarks that they all just heard the "L" word from a Summers brother, and that somewhere beneath them Hell must be freezing over. Iceman quips it is not him!

Alex tells them that he means it and wants them to know how important they all are. Especially as they all helped him get through the last few months in the endless darkness. Annie is listening behind the door and squints her eyes. Alex tells them all that it was their faces in his mind everyday and the love he felt for them all. Lorna wraps her arms around Alex again, and tells him she is sorry for everything, Alex tries to tell her there is nothing to apologize for, but she interrupts and tells him she was such an idiot – Alex tells her it was not her – Lorna tells him she loves him more than anything, and asks him to marry her. The room goes quiet except for the ‘Whoa’ let out by Archangel. Xavier frowns upon this sudden outburst, while Cyclops and Iceman seem equally disapproving, though for their own reasons. Phoenix seems a little unsure, possible concerned for the mental state of her friend Polaris, while Beast seems to be the only one happy for them. Warren looks at Bobby with concern, and outside the office, Annie, who has overheard everything, is shocked and upset.

Alex smiles at Lorna, but before he can say anything, Beast comes over to offer his congratulations. He tells Alex that everyone has been waiting for them to tie the knot for years. Outside, Annie grabs Carter and telling him they will see the Professor another time, she asks Nightcrawler to tell the Professor she had to leave. Cyclops looks back and sees this.

Later that day, Warren asks his best friend Bobby, if he is okay, especially as he and Lorna were an item once. Bobby tells Warren that he is fine, and to stop asking him. Bobby asks Warren if he wants to grab some lunch down at „The Robin" where it is a ‘babe-fest’ at this time of day. Warren hesitates, but tells Bobby that he is having lunch with Paige. Bobby raises his voice, kind of to see if he is hearing right, and asks Warren to tell him he is not dating ‘that twelve year old.’ Warren looks away from Bobby and tells him that Husk is older than twelve, and they are not dating, they just have a lot in common, and…Bobby tells Warren not to get him wrong, especially as he thinks he has been out of the saddle too long… Iceman tells Archangel that if he has a taste for cheerleaders, then that’s okay by him. In a mocking tone Bobby admonishes Warren to be home by ten and to remember "Sixteen’ll get you twenty." Bobby walks away from Warren, then behind his own back pulls his hands around imitating hands held by cuffs. Warren just looks away.

Back in front of Xavier’s office, Charles tells Kurt and Cain that he is sorry to have kept them waiting, but as they could imagine, it has been hectic around the institute today. They both tell the Professor it is not a worry. Xavier asks them if he can see them at the same time, but Juggernaut tells his step-brother that he needs some privacy, but only a few minutes. Kurt says he will wait outside, but Juggernaut tells him to stay, and that he needs to get out of the office, as he is feeling claustrophobic. Charles says that he could do with a walk in the grounds, and asks Cain if that would be all right with him, to which the Juggernaut agrees.

As they leave the room, Xavier tells Nightcrawler they wont be long, and thanks him for being patient. Albeit hesitantly, Kurt tells Charles that he is not in a hurry. The Professor then asks Kurt if he knows what happened to Annie. Kurt tells Xavier that she left rather abruptly after a very loud marriage proposal carried well from his office to this room. Professor Xavier frowns and says ‘Oh, dear.’

Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Paige is in the middle of telling Annie about her meeting with Warren the other night. Obviously very giddy, Paige tells Annie that she and Warren just spent, like, four hours just talking, and Warren is so funny, but not in a Kurt or Bobby way, more in a dry and gentle way. All through this, Annie is sorting medical equipment and saying ‘Mm hmm.’ Paige continues, saying that Warren has a soul that lights up the room, like an Angel – which he sort of is. Paige leans on a bed and smiling, tells Annie of all the things he has been through; Apocalypse; losing his wings; losing Betsy, and yet he is still so positive about life and people. Annie asks Paige if he walked on water for her.

Paige tells the older woman that he didn’t, but that he didn’t even try to kiss her, but that she wanted him to. She asks Annie if she has ever looked into Warren’s eyes, and describes them a powder blue, like the sky on the best day of your life. Somewhat sarcastically, Annie asks Paige if Warren can feed the hungry or house the homeless or cure the crippled. Paige suddenly becomes a lot quieter, and frowns. She says ‘Probably,’ and then her smile re-appears when she tells Annie that Warren healed her. Annie looks a little confused and a little skeptical. Paige tells Annie that his blood healed her when she was dying - or dead actually, but his blood mixed with hers and he healed her. Annie puts her hands on her hips and asks her if he can do that, then asks Paige if Warren is sexually active.

Paige loses the smile again and tells Annie not to ‘be like that.’ as it was romantic, and tells Annie that mutants cannot get AIDS anyway. Now Annie looks very surprised, and asks why they cannot. Paige suddenly hugs a pillow and says it is because of the X-Gene. Annie tells Paige that she just made that bed. Paige smiles sheepishly, and tells Annie not to be such a wet blanket, she is in heaven with her Angel, so don’t to ruin it. With a wicked grin, Paige tells Annie that she would be happy for her if they were talking about Alex this way. Both woman turn their heads in shock when they hear ‘Talking about Alex like what?’ and see Havok standing in the doorway, and smiling he says ‘Or isn’t Alex supposed to know?’

Outside, Xavier tells Juggernaut that if speaking to him is too difficult for him, he could just read his thoughts. Cain tells his step-brother to stay out of his head. ‘No offense.’ Charles is shocked at that last remark, never has the Juggernaut said those words before, let alone to Xavier! Cain looks at his brother somewhat angrily, and somewhat confused and tells him that fighting the wolves was…’kinda fun.’ Charles looks at Juggernaut a little bewildered, and Cain tells Charles not to psychoanalyze him, as he is just being honest.

Charles smiles at Cain, who tells the founder of the institute that Kicking butt, doing serious property damage, Warren healing him and coming home to a nice diner was all fun. Xavier is shocked, but pleased and asks Cain if he is aware he just said that he "came home." Juggernaut tells Xavier that he knows what he said, and that he had fun! Even better was that there were no police chasing him for a change, or no X-Men looking to beat him up either. Xavier is still smiling at Juggernaut. Cain tells him that he wants to stay at the Institute, and that maybe he could teach gym or something.

Cain asks next if he could join the X-Men, be the team muscle, and says ‘If it is not a "mutant only" thing’. Xavier says that it is not an actual rule, but he will have to talk with the team leaders about joining though, as he leaves those decisions to them. Charles tells Cain that he approves absolutely, as he is always welcome in his home. Cain smiles at his brother and says ‘Thanks.’ He asks whom he should talk to about joining, and Charles tells him that Cyclops leads one team and Nightcrawler the other, though he prefers to share the role with Archangel. Charles suggests he talk to Kurt. As they re-enter the mansion, Cain thanks Xavier again, but Charles tells Cain that the pleasure is all his.

Back in the infirmary, Alex tells Annie that Scott told him he has she to thank for keeping him clean and odor-free for the time he ‘was a vegetable.’ Annie just tells him, somewhat hesitantly, that it was her job. Alex takes Annie by the hand, and tells her that it was pretty special to him, even if a little awkward, given what she probably had to do. Annie tells Alex it was all her pleasure…but quickly adds that it is not like she gets pleasure out of…and begins a messed-up half-conversation, adding that she had to keep him clean as it was part of the job…. Paige quietly tells Havok that she is surprised Annie can talk that much with her foot in her mouth. Alex says that he thought he would be the embarrassed one, after all, he was naked during the procedure. Annie says ‘Well, yeah, but if I could have been the naked one, I would’ve been - - I mean, not the naked one, that’s not what I meant, I mean the one without clothes one- - and you’d be naked - - I mean the one with clothes on and you’d be rubbing me naked - - - - cleaning, not rubbing, cleaning, you know, sponging in a medical way - - . Alex and Husk just stare at her smiling. Annie puts her head in her hands, and says ‘Oh my dear God…. So! I hear you’re getting married!’.

Back in front of Professor Xavier’s office, Kurt folds his arms and tells Juggernaut that he will have to take his request to join the X-Men up with Warren. He tells Charles that this is what he wanted to talk about –Alex and Lorna are leaving for an archeological dig soon with one of their former teachers, as Alex said he needs to get his bearings in a calm setting before the wedding. Nightcrawler says that he invited himself along, and to the shocked expressions of Charles and Cain, tell them he is stepping down as leader of the X-Men.

Later that day. In front of the mansions, several of the X-Men are assembled outside, saying their temporary good-byes to Alex, Lorna and Kurt. Scott tells Alex he understands that he needs to adjust back to life, but is a little upset that he is leaving so soon. Alex tells him it is only for a little while. Polaris tells Xavier that they will be having the wedding at the mansion, and Xavier replies that he would be hurt if they had it elsewhere. Lorna climbs into the cab and is excited about how beautiful the trip is going to be. Paige mumbles to Annie that it should be her going to Bermuda with Alex, not ‘that psycho.’ Annie reminds Husk that they have been together for years, and she is just a lonely mother who developed a crush on a comatose patient. She asks the younger woman who the real psycho is. Alex turns to Annie and says ‘Well. I guess this is it’ Alex tells Annie he is sorry that he wont be here to get to know her better after she and her son saved his life. Annie jokes that he will be getting her bill in the mail. Alex tells Annie that while they never really met, and he was unconscious mostly, and that he doesn’t even remember anything after the accident, and was just floating in a black void…he tells Annie that he feels he knows her somehow. Their eyes meet and Annie looks as if she could just about cry.

Lorna breaks the sudden silence with a ‘ALEX, the plane isn’t going to wait for us’. She adds that Nightcrawler is already at the airport. Alex calls Lorna "dear" and says he is coming. He is about to say something else to Annie, but stops himself, and just looks at her. He turns away from her and heads to the taxi, where he asks Lorna what they should read on the way to the airport, tragedy or smut? He tells her that he even found something with a monkey boy on the front cover! Polaris tells him to spare her. And Alex says they will just read the news then. Annie stares at the cab smiling.

Two nights later, in the lounge, Annie tells Paige that those were the exact words she used to say to Alex when she bought him magazines, "Tragedy or smut?" She adds that on top of that he knew her name, as soon as he came out of the coma he was saying her name. She asks Paige how he could have known her name. Husk suggests he may have heard her in the coma somehow. Annie says she hopes not, as she said some embarrassing stuff!

Suddenly, the front doors swing open, and Guardian, Vindicator, Sasquatch, Snowbird, Puck and Earthmover, a.k.a. Alpha Flight, Canada’s premiere super-hero team are standing in the doorway. Guardian announces that by order of the Prime Minister of Canada and governor general and attorney general of the state of New York…the X-Men are ordered to relinquish custody of all the children in their care, or have them removed by force!!!    

One morning the X-Men wake up to discover one of their worst nightmares come true. They find crucified mutants on the front lawn. Among those crucified are Magma, Skin, Bedlam and Jubilee. When Wolverine realizes that Jubilee is among the crucified mutants he goes crazy. The X-Men and Nurse Annie come up with the idea of trying to resurrect the fallen X-Men by using the newfound healing properties of ’s blood. Nightcrawler tries to get out of his duties as leader of the second squad and gets into a confrontation with Cyclops. Cyclops takes him down a peg or two in the conference room with most other X-Men present. Cyclops then reprimands Nightcrawler and Havok for not letting him know about the when their squad first ran into them. The working theory is now that the Church is the responsible party for the crucifixions. Archangel becomes adamant when Annie and Wolverine refuse to take any more of his blood because they are bleeding him dry, they were lucky enough that his blood revived Magma and, to Wolverine’s relief, Jubilee. The X-Men become suspect of some sort of scheme going on when Nightcrawler lets them know that he had been fully ordained as a priest. Things become even more suspicious when he tells them that they were all at the ceremony and the X-Men start worrying about his mental health. Before seven of the X-Men head for St. Michael’s church where Nightcrawler was ordained and where he has been serving as a priest, Husk learns of the resurrection of Jubilee and the unfortunate death of her former teammate, Skin. When they arrive at the church the X-Men find no trace of anything until discovers an underground laboratory full of nightmarish experiments after ripping apart the church floor.

The X-Men help the surviving mutants in the church, while Nightcrawler learns from Father Whitney, before he dies, that his becoming a priest was a scheme for the Church of Humanity to take over the world. The X-Men head to Montana to stop the Church of Humanity. The X-Men engage in battle with the Pope, who turns out to be a nun who was raped by a priest and forced to leave her work, which she loved. The woman commits suicide, ending the Church of Humanity’s plans…for now.
 
In a subplot, Polaris is getting increasingly ruthless in enganging and killing opponents. This dialogue makes her mindset rather clear.  "Cyclops: Lorna, you can't just...you'll kill them... Polaris: Yeah. I would expect so. So what's your point?"

In this issue Annie and Havok come closer to being a couple, despite Havok’s upcoming nuptials to Polaris. Also, Juggernaut joined the X-Men. Shenanigans go on at Polaris’ bachelorette party. She spent the night with a Gambit look-alike and Annie & Iceman got into an argument about relations between humans and mutants and their respective feelings for Havok & Polaris. Meanwhile, at Havok’s bachelor party, a shapeshifting mutant who worked at the bar was in the form of Annie. Havok freaked out and grabbed her, thinking that it is actually Annie. He grew angry at Cyclops since it was his idea, which grew into an argument. Again Havok is confronted with the ideal that he might actually be in love with the woman who nursed him back to health. On the day of the wedding Havok called it off just as Polaris was walking down the aisle. Angered, Polaris' mental state deteriorated. She transformed all the silverware at the wedding into a new battle-outfit that resembled Magneto’s and proceeded to threaten Havok.

Brief Description:
Lorna switches off the powers off all the mutants at the wedding by reversing their blood flow, except for Iceman, who tells her he still cares for her before she knocks him out, and Havok, who uses his powers to blast himself, Annie and Carter to safety. Lorna follows in pursuit, and Alex tells Annie that he knows all about her, revealing that her son used his powers to link their minds while he was in the coma so they wouldn’t be lonely. He tells Annie he loves her, before Lorna finds them, and after getting mad with Alex for ruining her wedding day, she attacks him with her powers, until the Juggernaut knocks her out. Afterwards, Alex and Annie go to Paris to live out a fantasy.

Full Synopsis:
The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, the home of the X-Men, and today, celebrating what should be the wedding of Alex “Havok” Summers and Lorna “Polaris” Dane, though not everyone is celebrating. In one of the recreation lounges, Cain Mark is cursing a pinball game, venting his rage at not being able to talk to Samuel Pare. As he smashes in the game he glances out the window – and sees a wedding ceremony gone terribly wrong.

The bridal party, the X-Men and the guests are all taking cover as Polaris takes to the sky, unleashing her vast magnetic powers, and destroying the wedding area. Magnetic energy is thrust about as tables, chairs and kitchenware go flying about the grounds. Juggernaut stares out the window and being blatantly obvious, says that this doesn’t look good.

Wearing the lower half of her wedding dress, and a top half-resembling Magneto’s costume, Lorna hovers over Havok, Iceman, Annie Ghazikhanian and her son Carter. Lorna tells Annie that it is all her fault, but Annie protests and tells Lorna she had nothing to do with this, Alex tells Annie to run, and orders Bobby to ice Lorna up. Bobby just stammers ‘But, Alex – it’s Lorna –’ Holding Annie and Carter, Alex yells at Bobby to do it, adding there is no metal in water.

As Iceman unleashes his ice powers, trying to freeze Lorna, the Mistress of Magnetism tells Alex that there are trace metals in everything, and she averts the water easily with a flick of her hand. She closes in on Bobby and reminds everyone that the metals run all through the body, especially the blood. Mockingly she tells them they should know that by now. Clutching his neck, Bobby pleads with Lorna, telling her that he still loves her. His glasses fall off and blood trickles from his mouth, nose and eyes as Lorna stands over him, and asks him if he still loves her after all these years. Polaris smiles and says that that is so sweet, but tells Bobby that she cannot love him back, because she is getting married today – ‘Over Annie’s dead body!’

Meanwhile, Alex orders Annie and Carter to grab onto him, and tells them to say a prayer, as he has never done this before. Annie asks him what he means, before the three are propelled off the ground and into the air by Alex’s plasma blasts. Annie pleads with Alex to not hurt her son, and Alex tells her that they will both be fine, though the landing may be a little wet, and passing a forest near Xavier's, the three plummet into a nearby lake.

Back at the mansion, a green cloud has covered most of the grounds and Lorna stands alone in the middle of it, several unconscious bodies around her. She tells Alex, not that he can hear her, that that was new, and guesses she will have to go looking for him. She starts singing ‘Here-comes-the-bride-all-dressed-in-white- Dum dum dee dum dum dee dum dum dee dum’ ‘Great now I’ve got that stupid song stuck in my head’ Lorna says annoyed, as she takes to the skies again.

Back at the lake, Alex is pulling Annie and Carter out of the water. Carter tells him it was really cool, and Annie tells her son that any other time she would agree with him. She asks Alex what they are going to do, and guesses Lorna is going to come after them. Alex tells her that she is, and Annie asks if she is going to kill them. Alex pulls of his tux, revealing his costume on underneath. He tells Annie that he doesn’t know, maybe she will, as she did kill of some Church of Humanity cronies recently, he stresses to Annie that they were ‘bad guys’, and that Lorna has not killed anyone else that he knows of.

Annie looks at Alex a little scared and says ‘None that you know of?’ She asks him if he is afraid, and Alex says that he is, especially as Lorna is extremely powerful. He adds that his brother Scott told him Lorna studied with Magneto. Defiantly, Annie tells Alex that Lorna can take her as long as she leaves Carter alone. Her son clutches at her waist and wails that he doesn’t want her to die. Alex leans down and tells Carter that his mother is not going to die.

Alex puts one hand on Carters’ shoulder and wraps the other around Annie’s waist, adding that she is not going to die especially as now he finally understands his feelings for her – and hers for him. Annie looks up bewildered and says ‘What’? Alex lifts Carter onto his shoulders and tells him that they will explain later, but that right now they need to hide and buy themselves sometime while he thinks a way out of this mess.

Meanwhile, high above the forest…’Yoooo hoooo! Alex, Annie and Carter! Olly-olly-oxen-free!’ Sardonically, and not really talking to anyone, as they wouldn’t be able to hear her, Lorna asks them if they are not buying it, not that she blames them. ‘Dum dum dee dum dum – Ah Dammit!’

Annie is looking off vacantly, while Carter brings Alex some more wood. Annie asks Alex if he is going to have to use that wood on Lorna. He tells her that he hopes not, but reminds Annie that Lorna’s powers are magnetic and tells her that if it comes between her and Carter or Lorna…his voice trails off. Annie is wide-eyed and slightly confused, she reminds Alex that he loved Lorna.

Alex proclaims that he did, but that it was a long time ago. He tells Annie that he and Lorna were together, then broke up, were together again, before breaking up again so many times. He tells her that the last time he and Lorna broke up was before his plane crash, it was for the stupidest reason, and that somewhere during all of that, he just stopped loving her. He adds that it was not an excuse to dump someone at the altar, but reminds Annie that the last few weeks had been so chaotic – that he was busy making wedding plans, when deep down, he tells Annie, that really he wanted to be with her.

Annie’s mouth drops open and she tells him that he can't, as he doesn’t even know her! Alex tells Annie that he does, and that he has known and dated her for almost a year now. ‘Haven’t I, Carter?’ Annie’s son protests, saying that he hasn’t done anything. Alex smiles at Carter and tells him that it is all right, and that he is a very powerful mutant. Alex tells Carter that he thought he may have done it by accident, but then last night, nicely timed on the eve of his wedding, he realized that he had a more conscious hand in it. Annie is still confused and asks Alex what he is talking about.

Havok asks Annie if the place they are at looks familiar, and the school nurse tells him she doesn’t want to say, as it is embarrassing. Alex smiles trying to put her at ease, and tells her it is not embarrassing to him, that he was here too, and kissed her. He starts to recall to Annie the things that they have done together; dinner on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco; walked on a black sand beach in Hawaii; sharing their first kiss at the Eiffel Tower in Paris; that she sleeps in rolled -down socks with one leg out of the covers; that she hates seafood and loves stories about two-headed alien monkeys from Mars more than she likes the news.

All this while, Annie’s mouth has been gaping wider and wider, her body trembling slightly at the revelation that Alex knows these things. Alex tells Annie that she wants to write children’s books and has one about a magic nurse who heals sick children hidden in an envelope in her closet. He tells her she is a terrific mother, with such a loving heart and more courage than most super heroes he knows. Alex stops smiling and gets serious, telling Annie again, things she already knows – that she doesn’t like mutants, but for her sons sake she is trying to face her fears, fears she has in the first place because an old boyfriend, Carter’s father, was a mutant – with mutant friends who tried to kill her because she was pregnant with his child, and he didn’t want children.

‘Oh my God’ is all Annie can muster up and say. She clutches herself uncomfortably and asks Alex how he can know all of this. He tells her he knows it from her, as Carter put their minds together when they were asleep and dreaming, because he didn’t want his mother to be alone, and because he knew that Alex was alone, and scared in the void. He asks Carter if that is right, and Carter tells his mother that she was sad, and would cry sometimes. He tells her he didn’t want her to be sad that he could tell Alex was nice, but sad too. He reminds his mother that she told him not to use his powers and tells her he didn’t want to get in trouble.

Mother and son rush to each other and Annie tells Carter that he is not in any trouble. She hugs him and tells him that she could never be mad at him for this, she says that she thought she was going crazy having Florence Nightingale syndrome or something, that she was in love with a man in a coma who she couldn’t possibly know, and she thought she was losing her mind.

Annie looks up at Alex and tells him that all the fantasies and dreams she was having ‘– the walks on the beach, kissing here last night…you really hate cauliflower’? Alex smiles and tells her he can’t stand it. Annie starts to cry and tells Alex that he loves chocolate milkshakes with extra whipped cream and no cherries. Alex says that those ‘maraschino things are gross’. He leans down to the ground where Annie is still hugging her son and Annie announces to Alex that he loves her son, and wants to have more children. Alex tells Annie that with her he does. They gaze into each other’s eyes and Annie proclaims that she has never been to the Eiffel Tower, but that she really fell in love with Alex there.

‘Are you trying to tell me that if I had known you hate cauliflower – we’d be getting married – right now?’ Lorna is leaning against a tree, arms folded across her chest very unimpressed. Alex tells Annie to run, and she replies that she is not leaving him. Alex tells Annie that if Lorna cant se her then she will have a harder time affecting her with her powers. He reminds Annie that she has Carter to think of, to go. Annie lifts up her son and prays to God that she doesn’t lose Alex now.

Alex stops firing plasma energy at Lorna and picks up a stick. Lorna asks him if he thinks those pathetic sticks are going to help him, and he tells her he doesn’t know, before begging her not to do this. Lorna mocks him ‘Please don’t do this, please don’t do this’ She yells at him, asking him why he waited until today to cancel their wedding. She narrows her eyes and grimaces, telling him that it is bad enough for it to be done to her ever, but when she is walking down the aisle, in front of her friends and family… She raises her voice further, asking him why he had to be such a Summers brother about it!

Lorna begins to cry and asks Alex to imagine how it feels, to be cast aside on her beautiful, perfect wedding day! Before powering up and telling Alex that it wouldn’t have happened if not for her! ‘That irritating little candy-stripper!’ Alex frowns and tells Lorna that it has nothing to do with Annie.

Lorna composes herself and tells Alex that Magneto – her father – was right, but that he never went far enough. She tells Alex that the human’s presence among the mutants corrupts and lessens them. That they turn mutants against mutants. Lorna’s powers flare up again, and she cries that the humans need to go, as do those who consort with them! She lifts Alex up, and pain pulses through his body. Like Bobby earlier, blood flows from his mouth, nose and eyes. Lorna smiles and tells Alex that after he is gone, she will drop Nursey Annie from the Eiffel Tower, the place they “fell in love”, she asks him if it seems as fitting to him as it does to her.?

Suddenly, Lorna is attacked from behind, her body is slammed to the ground and she is rendered unconscious. Alex, free of Lorna’s control, falls to the ground and looks up, tears falling from his eyes, at Juggernaut. Cain tells him that Havok did say he was on his team, remember?

Later, back at the Institute, Husk and Jubilee are sitting on a couch with Carter, discussing the events that took place earlier. Paige tells Jubilee that everyone seems fine now, and that Lorna just reversed the blood-flow in anyone with powers, knocking everyone out. She adds that Polaris probably could have killed everyone, but didn’t. Jubilee tells Paige that it is scary Lorna is that powerful before asking why Lorna didn’t stop Bobby’s powers. Alex she can understand why, but Bobby?

Husk says she doesn’t know, but that maybe in spite of everything Lorna said, she does still care for Bobby. She adds that she doesn’t want to figure it out, as that is Professor Xavier’s job. Jubilee asks where Alex and Annie are now, and Paige tells her that she doesn’t know, except that they asked her to watch Carter for a day and took off in one of the X-Jets. They told her something about turning a fantasy into a reality, whatever that means.

Paris…atop of the Eiffel Tower, Alex Summers and Annie Ghazikhanian are kissing, their dream has come true.    

Brief Description:

Husk, Jubilee and Archangel are paying their last respects to Skin at a graveyard in Los Angeles when Jubilee reveals she feels bad because she denied Skin. Husk tries to cheer her up after Warren leaves to go on some personal business. Two workers arrive at the graveyard to dig Skin up because he is a mutant, which goes against the religiously backed grounds of the cemetery. At a children’s hospital, Warren offers to use his abilities to heal all the children he can, hoping also to learn the limitations of his new healing power, after a test, the senior doctor allows him to. While Jubilee goes to talk to the cemetery manager, who is having an argument with his wife over the phone, Husk gets into a fight with the workers, one of whom she accidentally outs as a mutant with the ability to transform his body into steel. As Husk and he battle, Jubilee and the manager return, Jeremy gets fired for being a mutant and the manager offers to cremate Skin for them. Later, he gives the X-Men the remains, and after they leave he gets a phone call from his wife, who reveals that their terminally ill daughter was healed by an Angel.

Full Synopsis:

Beverly Glen Cemetery, Los Angeles, where three members of the Uncanny X-Men, Warren Worthington the third, Paige Guthrie and the most recent re-addition to the team, Jubilation Lee, stand over the gravestone of Angelo “Skin” Espinoza, who was part of Generation X alongside Paige and Jubilee. Skin, alongside Jubilee and four other mutants, some also associated with the X-Men were crucified by the Church of Humanity. Jubilee and Magma survived, while Skin and the others did not. Jubilee tells Paige that she feels terrible being here, but the compassionate Paige tells Jubilee not to, as Angelo would never hold anything against her, and she knows it.

Jubilee clutches her trademark yellow trenchcoat and tells the Kentucky-born mutant called Husk that she thinks the point is Skin did want to hold something against her – literally she means – but she wouldn’t let him. Warren Worthington, somewhat older than the two girls and Paige’s current boyfriend doesn’t know much of what went on between the close-knit members of Generation X and he asks Jubilee what she is talking about. Paige tells the original X-Man, codenamed “Archangel” that Angelo asked Jubilee out before he was killed, and she said “no”, Husk adds that Jubilee is being all stupid about it now, as Jubilee answers back that she isn’t, but is wondering if perhaps she made a mistake for both her and Angelo. She looks to the ground forlorn as she says ‘If maybe I could have made his last days happy ones’.

Warren smiles, and trying to cheer Jubilee up, he tells her that she shouldn’t waste time making herself feel guilty in a situation like this, that it is just a destructive waste of energy. Husk and Jubilee both look at Archangel a little crossly as he quickly apologizes, realizing that his words came across more as commands, than advice. Paige rolls her eyes as he adds that it is a hard habit for him to break. Warren spreads his feathery wings telling the girls he feels like he is intruding somewhat, before announcing that there is something he wanted to do anyway. Jubilee laughs as Warren calls them “ladies” when he leaves.

As Paige watches her boyfriend leave, Jubilee tells her that she thinks Warren is really sweet and handsome, and she can tell that he likes her a lot. She asks Paige what her problem is, and almost whining, Paige tells Jubilee that it isn’t her, but Warren, and adds that he has been giving her the cold shoulder ever since Chamber arrived back at the Institute a couple of weeks ago. Paige announces that Warren thinks she is still in love with Jono, and so he is “trying to give me space” she mocks, before calling Warren an idiot and telling Jubilee that she doesn’t want space, but the complete opposite – to get naked with him!

Standing over his grave, Jubilee announces that she wishes she could get naked with Angelo, before wondering if she missed her chance at happiness. Husk asks Jubilee if this is why she is all upset, because she thinks she lost her chance? Jubilee admits to Husk that she misses Skin more than she ever thought she would, remembering how irritating he could be sometimes. She wonders if she did love him, but didn’t know it. Husk puts her arms on Jubilee’s shoulders and tells her that there is no question about that, ‘you absolutely did love him’. Husk smiles, and tickling Jubilee’s check she tells her that if she ever calls her “Paigey” again she will be buried down with Angelo.

Jubilee turns around and hugs Husk, burying her face into her for comfort, and Husk tries to console her, hugging back, she tells Jubilee that she is here for her – before looking up and seeing two men dressed in overalls with shovels and a tractor standing nearby. The shorter man waves at the girls and tells them not to mind them that they can wait until the girls are finished and dig Angelo up later. Jubilee turns to the men and as both girls look shocked, she says ‘You can do what?’

Soon, at a children’s hospital in Los Angeles, Warren walks through the reception area, much to the amusement of children and shock of parents. As he approaches a desk, the woman behind it asks Warren if she can help him with anything, leaning on the desk Warren tells her that he would like to see whomever is in charge of the facility, that he has a unique proposition for them.

Back at the cemetery, Jubilee and Paige walk over to the workers and ask them what they mean, “you can dig him up when we’re done?” The shorter man asks the girls if the knew their friend was a mutant, and that some of the other tenants have complained about this, so they have been ordered to dig him up and remove him. ‘Cremate him’ the taller man tells the girls. Furious, Jubilation raises her voice and announces to the men that Angelo is buried next to his mother and grandparents, with an equally raised voice Paige tells the men that they are not going to cremate him, or dig him up at all.

The taller man looks a little nervous as his friend tells the girls that they are wrong, the girls just fold their arms and stand their ground. The men smile wickedly as they tell the girls that they don’t make the rules, and so if they don’t like them they should go talk to the manager, and they tell them he is down in the main office by the gate. Husk tells Jubilee to go talk to the manager while she holds the fort here. Jubilee asks Husk if she is sending her because her powers are ‘wimpier than yours’? Husk tells her that it right, and Jubilee replies ‘Okay, just clarifying’.

Back at the hospital, Warren stands before the senior doctor in charge of the hospital and several other staff, the main doctor asks Warren if what he is saying is that his blood actually has the power to heal, which is part of his mutation, and that he would like to learn it’s limitations? Warren confirms that with the doctor, who tells his assistant, Ramona, that they will take a sample of Warren’s blood and run tests for viruses like hepatitis and AIDS – Warren cuts the doctor off and tells him the mutants cannot acquire AIDS. The doctor agrees with Warren, before telling him that for all he knows, Warren is just a crazy person with a glue gun and dead plucked chickens taped to his back. Warren laughs and tells the doctor that he could be right, before telling them he is sure they would agree that a glue gun and feathers ‘wouldn’t allow me to do this’ and he stretches his wings out full length displaying them in all their might. The doctor tells Ramona to get him a scalpel.

Back at the cemetery, Jubilee approaches that main office, where inside, the manager is on the phone, talking to his wife, where the two are having a heated conversation about how something is causing them both to be very exhausted. Jubilee barges in and angrily, she says ‘You the manager?’ The manager tells his wife he will have to call her back He tells his wife he is not being insensitive, but someone is in his office. Jubilee slams her fist down on his desk and asks him what he thinks he is doing digging up Angelo Espinoza’s body? The manager tells his wife that he knows she needs him, as Jubilee starts raving again, telling the manger Angelo has a right to be buried where he is, as he wanted to be near his family and the have paid for that plot.

Jubilee presses the hang-up button on the phone telling the manager he can talk to his ‘little chickee’ later, the manger raises his voice now too, mad that Jubilee hung up on his wife. Jubilee tells him that his wife can wait, as there are goons outside right now trying to dig up her friend. The manager is annoyed that this is all about Angelo Espinoza, and he reveals to Jubilee that he and Angelo’s family had an agreement, a legal contract, on which they lied by saying that no member of their family was affected by the X-gene. Pointing his finger around the place, he tells Jubilee that as a religiously backed institution they are within their legal rights to deny anyone for any reason at all, a burial plot if it is within conflict with their other internees. ‘And mutancy conflicts with our religious beliefs’ he yells at her.

Jubilee lowers her voice as she tells the manager that Angelo’s family was poor, that they barely had enough money to pay for the common plots, that it should be their right – the manager tells Jubilee that they have no rights, that the dead have no rights before reminding her that as Angelo has no family members left to pay for his reburial, it means that his remains must be cremated at their expenses. He adds that if Jubilee doesn’t want the remains just disposed of, she can take them with her. Jubilee just looks helplessly to the ground.

Back at the hospital, the doctor cuts into his own arm, before doing the same to Warren, as Warren tells the doctor to make his cut deeper and longer than his so that it will not have time to heal. The doctor is astonished that Warren’s wound has already started to heal around the knife, before they quickly press their arm wounds together, and when Warren tells the doctor it should only take a couple of seconds, which it does, the separate their arms, and the doctor stares in amazement at his completely healed and scarless arm. Warren looks down rather sheepishly as the doctor and Ramona stare at him, before the doctor grabs Warrens arm and pulls him out of the room, and rushing him elsewhere.

Back at the cemetery, the larger worker leans on his spade and tells Paige that he could make her move. ‘You could try’ Husk snaps back at him, before he asks her if she is challenging him, that she thinks she could really stand up to him. Husk corrects him and tells him she knows she could stand up to him before smirking and trying to get him worked up, she tells him that he is the only one here who thinks he can do things he cant. The large man walks over to Paige as he tells her ‘you got stones’ Paige corrects him as she rips off her skin, telling him that she is stone! ‘Wanna wrestle?’ she asks.

The graveyard worker realizes she is a mutant and lashes out at her with a punch, but Husk catches it and tells the man he is stupid, before attempting to lift him up He grabs Paige’s head within his own hand and tries to knee her in the stomach, until they all hear a loud ‘crack’. Paige clutches her stomach as she asks him if he did not hear the part when she said she was stone? The older man calls out to his co-worker – whose name is Jeremy – as he clutches his knee. As a strange clanging sound starts, Jeremy raises his voice and proclaims that ‘it’ is going to start.

Husk looks around a little worried and asks what the noise is, before Jeremy’s flesh is replaced by a steel skin. ‘Whoa, another Colossus’ Paige gasps as she realizes Jeremy is a mutant also. As he rips his shirt off, Jeremy tells Paige she has outed him, so he is now going to flatten her.

Back at the hospital, the doctor and Warren walk over to a bed-ridden girl whose blood type is the same as Warren’s, but because this is an unorthodox treatment, the doctor has to check with the girl’s mother. The doctor explains this to Mrs. Mendozza who, with tears in her eyes tells the doctor that she doesn’t care what it is, and just wants something to stop her daughter’s pain. She tells the doctor that he can do it.

Back at the graveyard, Jeremy rips a tree from the ground as his older friend and co-worker, Larry, asks Jeremy why he never told him. As Jeremy swipes the tree and hits Paige with it, he tells Larry to shut up. Larry shouts up to Jeremy that he will get fired now and Jeremy replies that that is why he never told him. Looking down at the ground, Jeremy wonders where Husk went, before he feels her stone body drop onto his shoulders causing him to fall over and drop the tree.

Paige tells Jeremy to get up before revealing that she is familiar with Colossus’ strength level and figuring Jeremy’s is the same, she knows he barely felt the last hit she gave him. Jeremy gets up and punches Husk clear across the graveyard, through a tree and she lands on top of a car, destroying it in the process.

Later, Jubilee, the manager, Larry and several police officers walk up the hill to where Jeremy is standing. Larry tells the manager everything that he saw, until the manager cuts Larry off, telling him that what is important is that Jeremy is a mutant, which goes against their policy of hiring mutants. Jubilee asks the manager to give her a few minutes so she can contact her teacher, Charles Xavier – but the manager tells her it will all be sorted out now. Jubilee protests, saying that they can relocate Angelo and his whole family. ‘No’ says the manager again, as Jeremy tells him that he can explain. The manager tells Jeremy to pack up his things and that he will get his final check once he and Larry have dug up Angelo.

As the sunsets over Beverly Glen, Warren, Paige and Jubilee stand in the manager’s office, he hands Jubilee a vase with Angelo’s remains in them, at his expense. ‘I’ll send you a check’ Jubilee snarls at him. The three X-Men leave the office, and Paige asks Warren how many children he healed. He tells her he healed twelve, and that the limitations of his healing factor have to do with blood type and Rhesus factor, before telling Husk he is more worried about her. He asks her if she is all right and she tells him to take his arm off her and that she is fine, just feeling stupid. ‘Which would be a new experience for you – and you like new experiences’ Jubilee mocks.

Inside his office, the manager of the cemetery stares out at the X-Men before saying that the world would be a much better place without them. The phone rings and it is his wife, who tells him that he will not believe what happened. In a hospital, a children’s hospital, where she is surrounded by happy children, she tells him that ‘An Angel came down from heaven itself and cured our little Reyna!’

Brief Description:
After playing a deadly game of seduction with the hired help around the castle, Baroness Raven Wagner and her husband Christian Wagner discuss their situation of him being infertile, where Raven assures him that it does not matter, as he has already given her so much in life. At a banquet, Raven is introduced to the ruler of the island nation known as La Isla des Demonas, Herr Azazel, and the two are instantly taken with one another. Azazel woos Raven by making her realize there is more to her as a person than what she and others may think, and they later meet at a church, where at Azazel’s request, Raven reveals her true blue form to him, and they have sex. Raven proclaims she is in love with Azazel, who does not feel the same, and tells the pregnant Raven that she will raise the baby as if it were Christian’s. Months later, the heavily pregnant Raven kills Christian after he demands a paternity test done, and after Raven’s baby is born, very obviously different – blue skin and a tail Raven uncontrollably reveals herself to be blue as well. She is proclaimed a demoness and chased from the castle, where she decides to start life over with nothing. She curses Azazel and drops her baby from the top of a waterfall – it disappears mid-fall with a "bamf" noise.

Full Synopsis:
Presumably twenty-seven to twenty-eight years ago, a castle near Winzeldorf, Germany, where the serene and beautiful backdrop of Baron Wagner’s home in truth holds many secrets, deceptions and lies.

An attractive man and a pretty young blonde are getting dressed after having sex, the man rather surprised that it happened at all, but he is certainly not complaining. He tells the girl, whose name is Katsche that it was incredible, but that he is just curious as to what bought it on, as ever since she was hired to be a maid here she has been completely shutting him out. Katsche cuts the handsome man off and just tells him that she changed her mind, and that he should just enjoy it without asking so many questions. The man pulls Katsche over to him and tells her he does enjoy it, and apologizes telling her they shouldn’t ruin it after such an incredible start.

Katsche tells him that they ‘couldn’t possibly’ before he asks her if it really was that incredible. As they kiss, Katsche asks him if he is fishing for compliments and the man smiles telling Katsche that she complemented him enough every step of the way… Turning away from him, Katsche tells him to come by her room tonight and she will compliment him even more. As she runs out the door, he shouts after her that it would be safer if she came to him, reminding her that he is not supposed to be in the house after hours. Katsche reminds him that he is not supposed to be sleeping with a maid either – ‘but if you want more…’ she teases. He smiles and tells Katsche that he will be there, but that she best be prepared to work tired tomorrow. Katsche turns to him and tells him he better be ready to work hard tonight. ‘Wow’ he says as Katsche enters the main castle.

Katsche hums as she walks through the kitchen, before she starts laughing cruelly and uncontrollably as she suddenly changes form. Her fair skin is replaced with a deep blue tone and her curly blond hair is gone, rich red sits in its place, and her eyes go from blue, to pupilless yellow, adding to the unusual appearance, a wicked smile. Suddenly, a blond-haired woman, who looks remarkably, like Katsche enters the ktichen! The woman is stunned as she walks in on the blue woman and apologizes quickly, but as she starts shouting, the blue woman is gone, replaced by a fairly attractive slightly older woman with brown hair.

The brown-haired woman asks the blonde – Katsche – what is wrong. Katsche, the real Katsche, looks nervously to one side as she tells the brunette, ‘milady Wagner’ that she thought she was blue. Raven Wagner tells Katsche that she was running and was slightly out of breath. Katsche thinks hard and suddenly realizes that Raven Wagner is wearing a maid uniform! Katsche is shocked, and Raven tries to cover up what she was doing, by telling the real Katsche that it is a surprise for her husband, ‘if you know what I mean?’ Katsche tells Raven that she supposes so, before Raven asks her if she is going to be in her room this evening? Katsche replies that she had planned to be, before asking Raven if she will need her? Raven smiles wickedly again and tells Katsche that she was just curious. ‘Enjoy your evening, Katsche’ Raven says to Katsche as she leaves the kitchen.

Later that evening, in the bedroom suite of Christian and Raven Wagner, Raven sits on the enormous four-poster bed as her husband stares out the window. Matter-of-factly he tells Raven that the doctor called him today with the test results. He announces to Raven that she is not barren, and can have children. ‘I can,’ Raven says. Christian turns to his wife and tells her that she is as surprised as he is, and frowning, he tells her the problem then, must lie with him.

Christian Wagner gets down on one knee and kneeling before his wife he takes her hands in his, telling her he knows this must be disappointing to her, and that he must seem only half a man to her now that he cannot have the children they both want. Raven says ‘no’ over and over again, trying to reassure her husband she tells him that he could never be half a man to her, that he is worth ten men – a hundred men – a thousand men – Staring up at his wife, Christian tells her he loves her, then hugging her, he tells Raven that he will find other ways to bring her joy. Raven tells Christian that he has bought her so much joy already…before she smiles that wicked smile and her eyes flash yellow.

Raven and Christian lay in bed together, not touching, and Raven stares at the ceiling, eyes wide open. She hears a "thump, thump" and then she smiles at the sound of a woman’s scream. Christian leaps up out of bed and wonders what the noise was before Katsche can be heard, asking someone what they are doing in her room. The man tells her that she told him – Katsche cuts the handsome man off and cries for help after another crash. With Christian gone to help her, he tells the man to get out, as Katsche says that he tried to climb into bed with her and grab her, all the while, Raven Wagner howls with laughter.

Raven lies on a bed wearing a green medical gown, as the doctor prepares a needle injection and tells her that he knows in-vitro-fertilization has not worked before, but that it can be done several times – Raven tells him not to talk as she remembers another time, as a woman called "Helga" she slept with a handsome blond man, the doctor rubs Raven’s shoulders and tells her that the egg seems to have taken. Raven is thinking about that blond man and how he reminded her to take precautions for fear that they would have another child, again she says for him not to say anything. The doctor tells Raven that it is in God’s hands now, and she smiles her wicked smile.

Another day, Raven sits on a chair, Christian stares out the window and tells her that they can try again. Raven tells him that they will never stop trying. Later that night, a party is being held at the Wagner castle, a glamorous and formal event, everyone looking their best. As Raven walks down the stairs in an elegant black and yellow gown, Christian beckons her over to where he is standing with a handsome man. Wagner introduces him as Herr Azazel, and Wagner asks him if his wife is lovely. Azazel tells Christian that ‘Lovely is a woefully inadequate word’.

Azazel kisses Raven’s hand as Christian announces he is the ruler of the Island nation off the coast of Bermuda called La Isla des Demonas. He goes on to talk about the politics they were speaking of when Azazel cuts him off, asking him if he thinks his wife is interested in a business transaction that can barely hold his attention? Wagner proclaims that his wife is interested in the machinations of all kinds of business, and that she is a woman who will constantly surprise you. ‘Lord knows I love surprises’ says Azazel smirking.

Another day still, and Raven and Azazel are horseback riding, when Raven mentions to Azazel that her and Christian are trying for a child, that they have been for some time. Bluntly, Azazel tells Raven that it will not happen for her, and taken aback she replies that it was a cruel thing to say. Azazel smiles and tells her that the truth is often cruel, which is why so many lies are told to keep the truth hidden. He proclaims that the Baron cannot give her a child and that the Baron is the past, while she is the future. Raven narrows her eyes suspiciously and tells Azazel that he speaks about her as if she were something she cannot quite place. ‘Something never seen before on this world’ Azazel says, telling Raven that she has an air about her, magnificence and power and beauty beyond anything he has ever seen. ‘Such is your mystique’ he adds ‘in fact, you personify the term – you are mystique – in every sense of the word’. Raven Wagner stares at him, half-scared, half free.

The sun sets as Raven walks through a graveyard and up to the church. Opening the door she calls for Azazel who standing in front of the church altar tells Raven that there is no need for such formality between them, before telling her he is glad she came. Slowly, Raven walks up to him and proclaims that she couldn’t stay away from him, even though she tried. Taking her hand, Azazel asks Raven why, and she tells him that he scares her.

Hugging close to Azazel, Raven tells him that she has never felt so ‘much’. Looking deep into her eyes, Azazel asks Raven if she wants to be with him, her reply is that she does so much she aches from it. She announces she does not want to wait, but wonders where they could go. Azazel smiles and tells her they don’t have to wait, and tells her to undress. Raven pulls away from Azazel astonished at his suggestion of having sex in a church, she tells him that even she could not be that bold.

Azazel tells Raven that she is already that bold, and that she knows the sanctimonious morals and religious hypocrisies of the world are beneath her, and alludes her to a space-traveler among monkeys, a winged angel among pigs. Azazel continues, telling Raven that her mind, spirit and body are more magnificent that any totemic icon in this room, before asking her to again remove her clothes ‘and let me worship you’. Raven’s eyes all this while have been staring at Azazel intensely, wide-eyed with the realization of what he tells her.

She takes off her dress and Azazel smiles as Raven walks over to him. He takes her in his arms and asks her to remove ‘the other "garment"’ the false Raven. Suspiciously, Raven asks Azazel what he is talking about, and he answers that he can see around her, a haze which is the less real, less attractive façade she wears. He asks her to stand naked before him, in all ways. Raven looks to the left and her form changes, the blue eyes, brown hair and fair skin, are replaced by pure yellow eyes, striking red hair and blue skin. Azazel stares at her again, ‘Unique, unequaled, extraordinary, magnificent’. And so in the church, Raven Wagner and Azazel make love at the altar.

An unspcified amount of time later Raven, in her blue form, stands at the top of a waterfall, where she smiles and calls out that she is in love. A bamf startles her and she turns around, seeing Azazel she tells him he startled her. ‘Fortunately you didn’t fall’ he replies. Raven looks at him, somewhat nervous she tells him she is pregnant. From under the tree, Azazel’s skin can be seen as red, and he has a tail too. He tells Raven that it is wonderful for her, before asking what the Baron thinks.

Raven’s happy mood becomes solemn as she tells Azazel that it doesn’t matter as she does not want the Baron and has never loved him anyway. She tells Azazel that it is he whom she wants. Azazel tells Raven this is fascinating as he thought her incapable of such emotion. Raven walks over to Azazel and asks him why he is being so cold before telling him she would have thought – hoped – he would be pleased. Azazel tells Raven that he is, but not for the reasons she might want him to be.

Azazel tells a disheartened Raven that "it" was just simple science, and worked as he hoped it to, before adding that it is hardly an excuse for such an outpouring of emotion. Raven looks sad and brings up all the things Azazel said to her, before reminding him he told her he loved her. ‘Never confuse physical passion for a condition of the heart’ Azazel tells her, before stating that since the dawn of mankind the two have rarely gone hand in hand. Azazel tells Raven to go back to the Baron, to stay safe in the comfortable and protected world she married into and raise his child, as the Baron’s. Azazel disappears the same way he arrived, and Mystique stands, holding her hands to her broken heart.

Several months later.
Laying in bed, Christian Wagner holds the sheets close up to his neck, looking slightly scared at his wife, who lay with one hand on her stomach and another under her pillow, Raven tells her husband that it hurts her he had to ask such a thing, but to press it over and over again – Christian cuts Raven off and tells her he is ashamed of himself for doing so, and reminds Raven that there was such chemistry between her and Herr Azazel, then becoming pregnant and Azazel leaving very abruptly. Christian’s voice trails off as he tells Raven that his father is suggesting a blood test to verify „you know", before adding that he feels horrible for agreeing – Raven switches to her blue form as her husband tells her he will make it up to her for the rest of their lives if he is wrong. Raven draws a knife from beneath her pillow, and ‘But if I am right’ are the last words Christian Wagner ever spoke.

A very pregnant Raven drags her husband in the bloody bed sheets out of the castle, and out into the rain, where she digs him a grave. Raven scrubs the bloodstained floors of the castle before returning to bed, and crying.

A painful scream echoes around the castle, as Raven Wagner is in labor, the doctor tells her to keep pushing as the baby is almost out. Katsche is also present, assisting the doctor, she proclaims that the baby is blue. Raven screams out asking what is wrong with her baby, before the doctor gives Katsche a stern look and reassures Raven that the baby will be fine, but it just needs air. He smiles as the baby is out of Raven, and Katsche screams in shock at the sight of a demonic looking blue baby boy with a tail and pure yellow eyes - apart from the blue skin inherited from his mother, he is the spitting image of Azazel.

Katsche cries ‘Child of Satan’ over and over again as the doctor tells her to calm herself. Holding the newborn child an arm length away, he tells it that that will be a typical reaction in his life, if he survives it, before adding that the humane thing to do would be to suffocate it now and send it back to God. Raven calls out to the doctor and asks him what is wrong with her baby. Raven looks desperate as the doctor and Katsche look at her – ‘She is blue! Like the child’! Cries Katsche, before the doctor proclaims her as a demoness.

At nighttime, Raven, holding her baby in her arms, rushes from the castle, as a group of people carrying fire on sticks rush after her. Raven damns Azazel as she approaches the waterfall where she proclaims she had everything in life she could want until he came into her life, ‘happy, rich, powerful’. Raven wonders how she could have been so stupid to let him do this to her. Raven holds her baby away from her and decides that she will change her appearance and escape, though with nothing, no money, clothes or anything of value.

‘Nothing. Why couldn’t you love me Azazel? Why?’ Raven lets the baby go, and it plunges from the top of the waterfall down below, but as Raven looks up, she doesn’t see the bamf below.    

Brief Description:

Nightcrawler steals an X-Jet early in the morning and heads for the Isla Des Demonas. Before the X-Men go after him, Iceman’s secret of having a secondary mutation is revealed when one of the school staff finds him in the freezer. The X-Men prepare to go search for Kurt, Xavier revealing that Kurt may not be the only teleporter to go missing recently. As Havok and Annie say their good-byes, Xavier brings Polaris to the infirmary where he is going to conduct a probe to see if anything is wrong with her mentally. Lorna teases Annie until Juggernaut arrives and requests to talk to Xavier. The brothers get into an argument over whether or not Cain can go to Canada to see Squidboy, which turns into a big fight about their past and what Cain’s father did to them both, and how they both reacted wrong. After much discussion, Charles grants Cain permission to go, but only with Northstar. On the Isla Des Demonas, several of the X-Men have an argument, and as the see Kurt, they also get the attention of several deadly looking mutants.

Full Synopsis:

Early morning hours at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, home of the mutants collectively known as the X-Men, who have dedicated their lives to protecting those who hate and fear them. Scott Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops, whistles as he walks down one of the lower-level corridors. He doesn’t notice as his teammate Kurt Wagner, a.k.a. Nightcrawler suddenly appears via his teleportation powers outside the hangar bay. Kurt enters his authorization code and the doors open. For some reason, Kurt is naked and seems slightly incoherent. He stares up at the X-Jet and suddenly he doesn’t act like himself, almost like he is trying to resist something, he clutches at his head and struggles with his own actions.

The X-Jet rises up from beneath the basketball court, and startles Wolverine, a.k.a. Logan, (or James Howlett, depending on who you ask and when) who is sitting on top of the roof drinking beer – as one does in the early hours of the morning -. Logan notices Kurt is in the X-jet alone and not that Nightcrawler could hear him, Logan shouts out for him to come back.

In the kitchen, two of the staff are preparing the food for the day. Sanji, a mutant with an animal appearance, asks Hannah, a large overweight woman with four arms, where she is going, reminding her that Xavier wanted ‘some of those puff-pastries’ with the school lunch today, the ones they get from the vendor in Vermont. Hannah tells Sanji that she knows, but is just getting her coat on because she is going to the back of the freezer, reminding Sanji that it is very cold in there. Sanji calls out to Hannah, asking her to bring out two twenty-pound bags of hamburger while she is in there. ‘What am I, your slave? Hannah shouts back at him. Opening the door to the freezer, Hannah gets a shock when she sees Bobby Drake, a.k.a. the attractive young X-Man known as Iceman, suspended in the deep-freeze, which is now filled up with ice he created.

Later, in the office of Charles Xavier, the founder of the X-Men and sometime-headmaster of the Institute, Xavier sits at his desk, surrounded by Warren Worthington the third, also known as the high-flying Archangel, Alex Summers, the recently returned X-Man Havok, Carter Ghazikhanian and Alex’s girlfriend, and Iceman himself. Charles tells Bobby that he should have mentioned his condition to someone sooner, especially as it is a secondary mutation, which is converting his entire body into ice. Bobby protests that he did not want anyone to know, and Warren suggests that nurse Annie should have said something, if she was aware of it.

Bobby tells his best friend to ‘back-off’ as he has a right to privacy. Arms folded across his chest, Warren points out that this is not a “right-to-privacy” issue, which causes Alex to but in and tell Warren it is, as Bobby has a right to decide who knows what about his body. Warren tries to put up a defense, but cannot find anything decent to say. He then tells Bobby that he is sorry, before mentioning that he has gotten a little too used to telling other people what to do. Iceman accepts Archangel’s apology, before quietly adding with a small smile that sometime he needs to be told. With that, Wolverine bursts into the room, and loudly asks if anyone sent Nightcrawler on a mission. Charles Xavier is as shocked as the rest of the X-Men.

Joined by the two “X-girls” Jubilation “Jubilee” Lee and Paige Guthrie, a.k.a. Husk, the X-Men march down a hallway as Charles explains he had been trying to find and assist Nils Steiger, the young mutant who calls himself “Abyss” after he disappeared with Mystique inside him sometime ago. Charles adds that he had been hoping to offer Nils assistance. Getting to the point of his story, Xavier announces that while searching for Nils he discovered several mutant trails from around the globe, all converging on a single point.

Running alongside the X-Men is young Carter Ghazikhanian, Nurse Annie’s mutant son. Havok tells him to go back to the infirmary and be with his mother. Carter protests that it is boring in the infirmary, and Alex insists again that he go to be with his mother. Continuing with his story, Charles explains that the unusual thing about many of the trails is that they are discontinuous, broken lines, which indicates ‘teleporters’ Logan asks. Charles tells him he is correct, and Alex adds that if they find Kurt and the direction he was heading in, then the chances are that there is a connection and that all the mutants are being summoned.

The X-Men all enter a room, and stand on a flat map of the world, large enough for them to walk all over. Logan explains to Alex that this is something new Professor X had been working on while he was “away”, and that they are actually in a sort of conference room in Xavier’s head. Charles apologizes to Alex in case it disorientated him, and adds that he felt it was urgent enough to use instead of wasting time orientating everyone. Alex replies that he will get used to it.

Standing on the map, covered with dotted lines, Charles directs the team’s attention to a yellow triangle on the map, within the triangle is Isla Des Demonas, also where everyone seems to be converging upon. Alex reminds everyone that that is where his old professor, Doctor Havass had an archeological dig where he, Lorna and Kurt visited a few weeks ago. He tells them also that it is where Havass had discovered evidence of an advanced civilization, pre-dating all known civilizations – a mutant civilization.

Meanwhile, near the Isla Des Demonas, off the coast of Florida, a blue-skinned mutant, one that almost looks like a younger noseless version of Kurt Wagner, walks across a beach full of people, playing and bathing in the sun. Blood trickles from the young mutant’s mouth as the humans stare at him and murmur among themselves. A loud noise causes the people on the beach to look up to the sky before scattering, as the X-Jet lands almost on top of them. The ramp opens, and a naked Kurt Wagner stands at the top of it, staring down at the young mutant on the beach.

Back at the Institute, Alex is saying goodbye to Annie in the infirmary. Annie asks him how long he is going to be, and he replies that he will be as long as it takes to find Kurt. Annie looks up longingly at Alex and asks him to be careful and Alex tells her that he will. Annie smiles and tells him that when he gets back he can wear his costume just for her. Alex grins excitedly and asks her what she is going to be wearing. ‘Some of what I have one,’ she smiles back. They stare into each other’s eyes lovingly when the door to the infirmary opens, and through it walks the beautiful Lorna Dane, codenamed “Polaris” wearing a costume which apparently includes power inhibitors, and with Xavier following her she cries out to Alex, her former fiancee, and Annie ‘God, make me puke why don’t you’.

Alex and Annie separate quickly and Havok explains that he and Annie were just saying goodbye. Lorna smiles and mockingly asks if Annie is leaving them. Xavier, somewhat frustrated with one of his earliest students, explains to Lorna that Alex is going to search for Kurt with the others. ‘Wow, that sounds like real important X-Man business. Can I come? I promise I will be good – in-oh-so-many ways’ Lorna remarks viciously. Alex tells Annie he should go, and again, she asks him to be careful.

‘Bye dear! Have a nice day at the office’ Lorna calls back to Alex as Charles wishes him luck. Sternly and annoyed Annie looks at Polaris and Xavier and asks them what she can do for them. Charles proclaims to Annie that Lorna has agreed to let him probe her mind in an effort to understand her emotional problems of late. He tells Annie that he would prefer to do it in the infirmary, adding ‘if you don’t mind Annie’. Innocently, Lorna asks Charles why Annie would mind, before reminding Charles and Annie that all she did was try to kill her and her son. Lorna leers at Annie and tells her that she needs to get used to “that sort of thing” if she is going to continue hanging around at Xavier’s, adding that there is a super-villain around every corner.

Speaking of super-villains, Juggernaut enters the infirmary, telling Charles, his stepbrother, that he needs to speak with him alone. Xavier tells Cain that he is in the middle of something and asks if it can wait. Cain frowns and tells Xavier that it cannot. Xavier tells his brother that he would prefer not to leave Lorna alone with Annie, who comes to her own defense, saying that she will be fine. Lorna just stares, smirking at Annie, as Charles tells the nurse Lorna’s inhibitor devices will not allow her to harm her. Annie says again that she will be fine, telling Charles to go. Charles assures her that he will be just outside in the hall if she needs her, and Lorna, still glaring at Annie tells Charles to take his time, as ‘Annie and I will just be rekindling the embers of our chilling friendship. Wont we Annie?’ Annie Ghazikhanian says nothing.

Standing at least two heads taller than his younger brother, Cain tells him that he wants an X-plane so he can go and see Sammy. Charles tells Cain that he thought this might be the case, and tells him firstly that he is not a registered pilot so that’s why he cannot have a plane, and secondly, and more importantly, Charles reminds Cain that he is forbidden to see Sammy as per his parents wishes. ‘So? Who cares what they want?’ Cain asks. Slightly frustrated, Charles replies that the law does, and adds that he knows following the law is a new experience for his brother, and Cain gets mad.

Raising his voice and clenching his fists, Cain asks Xavier what this is all about, and Charles reminds his brother that he is a wanted criminal. Juggernaut asks Xavier if he is going to bust him on that account, and Charles tells him he is wanted by the law. Keeping his voice raised, Cain asks Charles if he is going to get “holier than thou” on him and start searching his mind to find out what he may or may not do that is “against the law?” Eyes narrowed, Charles tells Cain bluntly that he does not do that anymore, as he considers it a violation of personal space.

Cain tells Charles that it never stopped him when they were kids, just wondering through his head as if it were another room in his mansion, looking at all his thoughts as if it was a diary. Charles raises his voice to match Cain’s and reminds him that the first thing he ever did to him was punch him in the face and adds that he was within reason to use his telepathy to protect himself.

The stepbrothers get very emotional and Cain tells Charles that he just cheated at everything, using his telepathy and mind-tricks to beat everyone else in unfair competition, and then beat him. Charles defends himself by reminding Cain that all he ever did was use his strength and height against him and anyone else unfortunate enough to be smaller than him – Cain cuts Charles off and raising not only his voice but a fist, shouts at Charles, reminding him that he left him to die.

Cain’s fist goes through the wall, and Charles just stares at him. Juggernaut reminds Charles that he touched the Cyttorak gem before the mountain collapsed around them, but did not fall on Charles. Cain spits the words out of his mouth, reminding Xavier that he left him there under an entire mountain, for years, knowing he was still alive, knowing the gem had transformed him. ‘Yes I did’ says Charles before admitting to his brother that he was afraid of him, and angry with him, that he wanted him gone.

Xavier reminds Cain that they were still in their teens and both used to use their gifts to beat one another down, when really they should have been using them to help each other up, to support one another against the man who mistreated then – Cain’s father. Cain tells Charles that he knew what his father was doing to him when he read his mind, that he knew how ashamed he was, especially to think that his brother – of all people – knew about it, because his father loved Charles, Juggernaut’s father loved his stepson more than his real son. Xavier tells Cain that he may have, but reminds him that he beat him too.

Cain looms above Charles again, but before he can say anything in reply, Charles tells Cain that that is the real reason that he wants to go to see Sammy, because Sammy’s father is probably doing the same thing to him as their father did to them, right now as they speak. Cain just answers ‘Yes’ before Charles tells him Northstar is a licensed pilot and can fly him to Vancouver. Cain starts to walk away. And then turns back to his brother, telling him that he could have stopped the beating with his psychic powers. Charles folds his arms and tells Cain that he too could have stopped it with his strength. Before adding that he thought it was his fault their father loved Charles more than Cain and he thought he deserved it. Cain agrees, before walking away and saying they were both wrong.

Several hours later, and a world away, at Isla Des Demonas. Wolverine, Archangel, Iceman, Havok, Jubilee and Husk walk through the exotic forests as Alex tells them that the dig was just through the clearing at the base of the temple. Archangel asks Alex why he thinks Kurt would come back, and Alex replies that he doesn’t know. All six X-Men stare in shock at the sight before them, mutants surrounding a fire in some kind of ritual. Bobby announces that he is glad he still has hair so it can stand on end.

Warren asks the others if they have any idea as to what is going on down there, and Bobby snaps back that he keeps on asking all these questions, expecting answers that no one can give. He tells him to stop asking as Alex cuts them off, seeing Kurt amongst the group of mutants. He asks if they should get him out, when someone else alerts him to a more pressing matter than rescuing Kurt – several deadly almost prehistoric looking mutants walking from the ritual, looking very unfriendly and heading towards the X-Men!

On Isla des Demonas, the X-Men discover that Carter Ghazikhanian has snuck along for the ride, once Alex asks the dig site professor to get him to safety they engage the situation, trying to free Nightcrawler from the circle he seems stuck in and before the hordes reach them from out of the dimensional rift. They engage the circle, but not before Iceman is struck with an arrow and seemingly killed, his body turning to ice and shattering. Archangel mourns his friend until his girlfriend, Husk is in danger and he tries to save her, when suddenly, the rift seems to explode and leaves a huge hole in the middle of the jungle. At the Institute, Xorn suggests to Nurse Annie that her son attend his special class, an idea that makes Annie discomfortable. After taunts from Polaris, she agrees to enter Lorna’s mind with Xavier where they learn that on Genosha, Lorna began to seek the truth about whether or not she was Magneto’s daughter. Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Squidboy is abused by his father and runs away.

Full Synopsis:

Vancouver, Canada. Samuel Pare, a former student of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning in Westchester, New York, receives a hard blow from his father, who shouts at the frightened Sammy. The boy’s mother tries to reason with her husband, who then starts to turn his violent outrage onto his wife. Sammy runs out of the house, his father can be heard ordering his wife not to protect Sammy while he is disciplining him. Sammy’s mother asks her husband how he can hit his son like that, and Claude Pare asks if he is really his son. His wife asks him how he can suggests such a thing. Sammy overhears these harsh comments and tells his father, not that he can hear him, that he is his son, and should be so lucky to be someone else’s. Claude proclaims that his "fish-face-freak" son didn’t come from him, and suggests that his wife was sleeping with Will, a man she works with. She protests, saying that she never did such a thing, and starts to leave the house to look for Sammy. Claude stops her and forces her to sit down, adding that if they are lucky, he will never come back.

Meanwhile, in the infirmary at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Professor Charles Xavier and Nurse Annie Ghazikhanian are preparing to mentally exam Lorna "Polaris" Dane, one of the most powerful mutants in existence, who has had a very abrupt attitude change. Lying on the bed, the restrained Lorna mockingly suggests to Charles that Annie should join them on the „mind-walk" they are about to embark, adding that as Annie is a healer, it would prove most informative. Sternly, Charles asks Lorna not to taunt Annie.

Lorna smiles and tells Xavier that she isn't taunting, but offering a unique opportunity, what with him going into her head to learn why she has changed, and what led to her „occasionally violent" behavior. Lorna adds that this is a chance for someone who doesn’t like mutants, yet who heals them, to understand them better. A voice from behind the groups asks Annie why she doesn’t like mutants. Annie turns around and Charles looks up as Xorn makes his presence known, and stating that Annie’s fear of mutants would explain her sons distant behavior with him, adding that racism is usually handed down from parent to child.

Annie does not deny that she has had racist beliefs, but adds that she has tried not to impart them to her son. ‘Of course you haven’t’ Lorna snaps as Xavier asks Xorn if he is here to help with Lorna. Xorn cuts Charles off before he can go on any further, simply saying that there is some healing that he prefers not to attempt, as he finds it futile and personally draining.

Xorn’s eyes flare as he informs the trio that he is here to ask Annie if Carter can be included in his special class, after all he is a powerful mutant, and Xorn believes that the experience will prove beneficial. Nervously, Annie’s mouth gapes as she stutters before saying that she will talk to her son about it, believing the choice should be his. Xorn asks if the choice should be Carter’s while Charles points out that Carter is not one of the problem children. ‘He is with Annie as his mother’ smiles Lorna on the bed. ‘Shut up!’ whines Annie.

As Xorn begins to leave the infirmary, he reminds Charles and Annie that Carter is a powerful mutant who needs guidance. Sternly, Charles informs Xorn that Carter will get the guidance, which he will deal with later, but for now he has something very important that needs to be dealt with presently. Xorn tells Charles that he understands, and apologizes for his intrusion after bluntly stating that a mutant with a disregard for human life is in need of modification, while a human with disregard for mutant life is assisting.

Annie snaps back that she does not have "disregard" for any life, before turning to Lorna and tells her that if she really wants her inside her head to understand why she has become a killer, then she will do it, and adds that when they are done, Lorna can come inside her head and have a look at the flip side of mutant-human-relations. Annie’s eyes go wide and her brow furrows as she tells Polaris that then she will be able to see how someone can go through Hell and still come out to this school to help save lives, not take them. Polaris just smiles and her eyes narrow as she states she is looking forward to it.

Back in Vancouver, a cold and lonely Sammy Pare is suddenly visited by his friend Carter Ghazikhanian, Nurse Annie’s son, who is projecting his image mentally to Sammy. Sammy asks Carter how he can do it, but the image of Carter replies that he doesn’t know, but it seems to have something to do with the way he went into Alex’s head, it is just part of his mutant powers. Carter asks Sammy to guess where he is, but before Sammy can answer, the excited Carter tells him he is in a jungle, on a mission with the X-Men. Sammy asks Carter if his mother knows he is there, adding that she will be seriously mad.

Carter proclaims to Sammy that it is all right as he is with Alex, who is almost like his dad now, and that Havok is down with the X-Men and „a bunch of glowing people". Sammy looks skeptical and asks Carter if Alex even knows he is there. Suddenly, a disturbance cuts the two friends off and Carter looks behind himself to see a man standing over him, who asks Carter who he is and what he is doing at his dig site.

Back at Xavier’s, Charles’ fingers rest on Lorna’s temples as he announces he has prepared her mind, and he asks Annie if she is ready. Nervously, Annie replies that she is, as Lorna tells her to relax, and smiling wickedly she adds that it is going to be fun. Annie asks Xavier what she is supposed to do, to which the world’s greatest telepath tells her just to relax, to let go of her mind, and let him do the work. Eyes closed, Annie proclaims that she can see what appears to be a room, and suddenly, they are in the room. Scared and puzzled, Annie asks where she is. Xavier announces that they are in Lorna’s mindscape, "memories viewed through personal interpretation and emotion".

Annie is surprised at just how real this all is, unemotional, Xavier supposes that it must be for someone who has never been here before. Annie asks Xavier if he means this is like therapists using hypnosis, before asking how reliable the "memories" are. Charles informs her that the memories are very reliable, that he can cut through most of the falsehood and reach the actual stored information. Both Annie and Xavier turn their heads in unison, shocked, they see Polaris in bed with the attractive Alex „Havok" Summers, her former long-time boyfriend. ‘Oops’ is all that Lorna can say, and as "Alex" kisses her, the green-haired beauty asks Charles if this isn't the memory he was looking for, getting cozy with Annie’s new boyfriend.

Meanwhile, back on La Isla des Demonas, Wolverine, Archangel, Havok, Iceman, Jubilee and Husk, all stand in shock or awe at the indescribable mass of what seems to be mutants or demons, all surrounded by a powerful surge of energy. Bobby "Iceman" Drake asks what they should do, to which Paige "Husk" Guthrie, the newest member of the team suggests they stop it. Warren "Archangel" Worthington, Paige’s older boyfriend and one of the founding members of the X-Men, proclaims that it appears to be a dimensional rift, and that the people within it do not look friendly. Alex Summers crosses his arms and looks uncertain, while Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine announces he is with Husk, proclaiming they should get Nightcrawler out of the rift and leave before things take a turn for the worse.

The six X-Men break out of the row-formation they were in, as Havok holds Logan back, informing him he is not disagreeing with him, but suggests that Kurt is not here of his own free will, and that something probably manipulated him into being here. Alex suggests that whatever this "call" was had probably been calling him here for some time, making Alex believe that that is why Kurt invited himself along when Lorna and he first came to the island several weeks ago.

Havok informs his teammates that they do not know what kind of effect pulling Kurt from the group may have on him, adding that it may even kill him. Logan, concerned for one of his closest friends, states that they cannot just leave Nightcrawler there. Havok assures Logan that they will not, but they need to think of a way to ensure his safety first. A voice calls Alex’s name and the team turn around to see two men holding up Carter Ghazikhanian. The man who found Carter sees that it is Alex, and proclaims that he isn't sure what they are all doing here, but he has found something that belongs to them.

Back in the infirmary at the Institute, Polaris, Xavier and Annie have exited Lorna’s mindscape and Lorna taunts Annie again, asking her if she has a problem seeing that Alex did love her once. Trying to be brave, Annie says that she doesn’t, before asking Lorna if she has a problem seeing that Alex prefers she now, and that that was just a memory. Lorna smiles and tells Annie that she isn't any fun as Xavier informs Lorna he is taking control of the situation. Slightly forlorn Lorna tells him to just get on with it.

Again, Xavier places his fingers on Lorna’s temples and she informs him that she always had to prove "it" to herself, so that is why she went to Genosha. Once there, Lorna says that she actually began to believe in Magneto’s dream, and it all happened after that, because once she began to believe, she had to know. They appear in Lorna’s mindscape again, this time in a laboratory on the Island nation of Genosha. Lorna appears garbed in the green costume she was wearing at the time, and stands next to a table stacked with test tubes and beakers.

With her back turned to Xavier and Nurse Annie, Lorna announces that she had always wondered, how could she not? After all, her powers are the same as Magneto’s, and her parents died under mysterious circumstances. She states that it was supposedly proven that Magneto was not her father, but that the person who provided the information was not trustworthy, and what if the proof was a lie?

Polaris holds up a test tube of blood, it was all she needed, as she was already in Genosha and had Magneto’s trust. Lorna informs Charles that there was so much available because Magneto had been doing a lot of testing, studying medicines and possible cures to the paralysis caused when Wolverine severed his spinal cord, she didn’t think anyone would notice. All she needed was a little blood, and an independent test done by someone without possible hidden agendas, and Lorna Dane would know once and for all, if she were Magneto’s daughter!

Back on La Isla des Demonas, Alex is shocked to see Carter and asks him what he is doing there. Carter replies that he wanted to be with him, and grabbing the boy, Alex tells him that it isn't safe, not to mention his mother will be worried sick. Professor Dibble asks Alex what they are all doing at his dig site. Havok informs him that they are trying to save a teammate in danger, but they stumbled across this strange ritual – Wolverine cuts Havok off, telling him that they have to make their move. Iceman adds that the strange others are almost through the dimensional rift, and arming up.

With no warning, Iceman is struck in the chest with an arrow. The young mutant starts to pull the arrow out of his chest, mentioning how if he were anyone else he would have died, when suddenly, he shatters, turning to ice and spreading everywhere. Warren is stunned at his best friends’ apparent demise and the others look on shocked. Warren races towards Bobby’s remains, as Havok orders Wolverine into the dimensional rift, and for Jubilee to use her powers to provide a distraction, while Husk tries and breaks up the circle.

Warren holds up the decapitated head of Iceman while Havok asks Professor Dibble to get Carter to safety. Arrows are fired at Alex, but he manages to use his powers to stop them, while Dibble runs away with Carter. Husk made her way to Nightcrawler, who is linked, to several other beings, but she cannot seem to pull him free. She realizes that they are all melting together and Alex orders her to change form whatever it takes. Someone creeps up behind Husk with a club, Warren calls to warn her, but the assailant knocks her down.

Havok has several arrows stuck in him now and informs Warren that he may explode with them, but they need to break the circle. Still holding Bobby’s head, Warren announces he will do it, and with Bobby’s head under one arm he rushes towards his girlfriend. Paige seems to be okay, when a loud "Vwweeeeen" noise is heard and the dimensional rift seems to explode, catching everyone inside of it, and leaving a huge gaping hole in the middle of the jungle.

Brief Description:

Wherever the rest of the X-Men have been sucked to, Nightcrawler is free from his trance, and as Warren uses his healing blood on him, Kurt gets burned. Several of the demons on Azazel’s side attack the X-Men, which leads to the X-Men being seriously outnumbered. Things take an interesting turn when Abyss tries to use his powers to teleport some demons, when instead Mystique, among other things emerge from the teleport hole. In Polaris’ mindscape, she reveals that she is the daughter of Magneto! Xavier and Annie join Lorna in a flashback of the events occurring at the time Genosha was being destroyed, shortly after Lorna was greeted in Genosha as a princess. The trio is helpless as they live, and in Lorna’s case re-live through the Sentinel massacre, which caused Lorna to loose control and after escaping the Sentinels she retreated within herself, blocking everyone from getting in and so Havok could just love her again. In the infirmary, Lorna promises she will be good. In Vancouver, Squidboy lashes back at bullies, and possibly kills one of them, as Northstar and Juggernaut have an interesting discussion aboard the X-plane en route to see Squidboy.

Full Synopsis:

The mindscape of Polaris:

‘Genetically, Magneto was my father’. Lorna “Polaris” Dane, an extremely powerful mutant just reveals to her former mentor Professor Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men, and her current nemesis, Nurse Annie Ghazikhanian that one of the worlds deadliest mutants and the X-Men’s first and foremost foe is her father. Lorna reveals that upon looking into her birth mother’s plane crash, the FAA investigators found an unusual anomaly in the wreckage of the plane – that every scrap of metal was highly magnetized.

In her mindscape, Lorna, Xavier and Annie return to Genosha, Lorna informing Annie that Genosha was Magneto’s island nation. ‘I know what Genosha was’ Annie snaps back. The unlikely trio land in Genosha, Lorna proclaiming that she had no plan, only fury – except that upon her arrival she was greeted as a celebrity. Lorna believes that Magneto learned of her investigation and revealed to the Genoshans that she was his daughter. ‘They greeted me as a sovereign princess when I arrived… and were still worshipping me when they died’. Sentinels attack from all angles, killing everyone in their way.

The Real World

Somewhere else…possibly near La Isla Des Demonas, most of the Uncanny X-Men get to their feet and try and work out where they are. Alex “Havok” Summers assumes command, as he has been doing frequently as of late, checking his teammates. Most of them are okay, but Archangel reminds everyone that all he has of Iceman is a head, though despite his body been shattered into a thousand ice fragments, yet his eyes and mouth are moving. The reason the X-Men are even here in the first place, Kurt “Nightcrawler” Wagner informs his teammates that his hand is melted to another person, who is rather dead. Currently naked, Kurt also asks for some spare clothes.

Warren “Archangel” Worthington tells Kurt that he will cut him free with his sword. Kurt thanks him before saying that the last thing he remembers was lying in his bed at the institute. The sword cuts Kurt free from the other person as Warren tells him he was sleep walking. Wolverine a.k.a. Logan says that it was more like “sleep flying” and that the followed here in an X-plane.

A voice gets the attention of the X-Men and they all turn to face the mysterious demon known as Azazel and his cohorts. Azazel guesses he should have thought about the rest of the X-Men before summoning Kurt, that he should have anticipated that Kurt might have been seen by one of the X-Men as he left. A winged person next to Azazel points out that Warren is a Cheyarafirm, but Azazel tells the mutant that is called Yidrazil that he is only a newborn, no more than three decades ago, reminding him he has already talked to him about him. Yidrazil insists that he wears the “tunic of the Angels”, but Azazel points out that it is only a disturbing coincidence that was recently acquired.

Despite his hand being rather disfigured, Kurt is free from the person he was connected to and he asks Warren what the demons are talking about, Warren replies that he doesn’t know and besides, he is more concerned about Kurt. He offers to drip some of his blood onto the wound, as hopefully it should heal it. ‘Now there’s a question I thought no one would ever ask me, sure go ahead’ Kurt says.

Professor Dibble, one of the archaeologists on the island raises his voice to the demons and starts to make demands, until the handsome Havok cuts him off, asking Azazel who he and his people are and ‘what the hell is going on here?’ Azazel informs Alex that he asked an apt question considering where they are actually are, but everyone’s attention turns to Nightcrawler who finds his wound burning after Warren dripped some of his healing blood on it.

Yidrazil alerts Azazel to the Neyaphem’s burning hand, and as Azazel tells Yidrazil he knows what he is thinking a winged female demon, who looks remarkably like Nightcrawler, flies forward calling ‘Death to all angels’, but Azazel calls the demon, Jillian, off.

Meanwhile in Vancouver, Canada, three boys circle around their friend who is punching Samuel “Squidboy” Pare. The boy, Tommy, asks Squidboy where he has been as he hasn’t been able to get his “exercise” without him here. A mixture of blood and tears streaming down his broken face, Sammy snaps back ‘I been at your house Tommy, doing it with your mom’. ‘Wouldn't surprise me’ says Tommy as he punches Sammy again. That last punch proved too much, and Squidboy lashes back, punching Tommy over and over again, before leaping on top of the scared boy as he cries out for Sammy to stop. His friends stand and do nothing, but when Sammy calls himself “the Juggernaut” he says he stops for nothing, punches Tommy again and the other boys run away.

Not quite Vancouver, but in one of the X-Jets headed for Canada, piloting the craft is former Olympic skier, the handsome Jean-Paul Beaubier, also known as Northstar and a former member of Alpha Flight until joining the X-Men And teaching staff at the Xavier Institute. In another seat is Cain “Juggernaut” Marko, stepbrother to Charles Xavier and the reason Jean-Paul is returning to Canada. Northstar tells Juggernaut that he thinks an explanation as to why he was pulled out of class to fly him to Vancouver is needed.

Jean-Paul tells Cain that he knows he likes ‘the little goldfish’ but he believes this is taking it too far. Northstar asks Cain if he is doing anything untoward with the boy, to which Juggernaut says ‘Come on Northstar, I like girls – present company excluded of course’. Northstar smirks and says ‘Did you just call me a girl?’ Juggernaut reminds Jean-Paul that he likes boys. ‘No, I like men. Present company excluded’ the savvy French-Canadian shoots back. Juggernaut mocks that he may never fully recover from being rejected by a guy, to which Northstar tells him he wouldn't be the first.

Cain Marko frowns and asks Jean-Paul why he couldn’t just like girls, as it would make things easier in the long run. Northstar doesn’t rise to the bait, instead he asks Cain what his deal is and why he just cannot be nice to people and get along with someone over the age of fifteen. Cain grimaces and asks Northstar if he is going to fly the plane or just hassle him all day. Northstar smiles and replies that he is just going to give him crap all day as the auto-pilot is engaged and he has plenty of time to spare.

Juggernaut informs Northstar that a lot of women find him attractive, to which Jean-Paul says that he has better taste than most women and asks Cain if he is having a difficult time recovering from the painful shock of being rejected by a guy. Cain tells Jean-Paul that is not what he is trying to say, and what he is trying to say is that he “cleans-up” good. Northstar tells Cain that even though he isn't interested in men, this sounds like he wants Jean-Paul to find him attractive. ‘Its an odd sort of catch-22, isn't it?’ Jean-Paul adds before Cain asks him to shut-up.

Semi-Flashback, depicting the Genoshan Slaughter and what Polaris did during it

Back in Lorna’s mindscape, Sentinels kill everyone around them, all of them saying ‘Non-human entity determined. Execute’. Lorna fights back, but there were so many Sentinels, she sees people she knew killed in the most horrific ways right in front of her. So many killers, so much screaming and so many dying, the beautiful Lorna Dane became overwhelmed, she didn’t know who to help first, which Sentinel to destroy first. She adds that with the accusations of human judgment screaming in her ears, all she could think of was that ‘Magneto had been right all along’ and she screams the words out defiantly.

Dozens of Sentinels turn their attention to Polaris who shields herself in a magnetic bubble, and flies through the wailing mothers and dying children. The blood and bones couldn’t touch her – but the screams could. Lorna reveals to Xavier that she was no longer the X-Man heroine and just running, tears pouring from her eyes and running away from the horrors of the dying to find safety for herself, there had to be someplace she could hide – hadn’t there?

Reality:

Lying on the bed, a calm expression on her face, Lorna promises Xavier that she will be all right, tears smudged in her eyes, she says she doesn’t want to hurt anyone anymore, that she was so overwhelmed by it all and doesn’t want to hurt anyone anymore. She adds that she just wanted to be happy, that she wanted Alex to love her like he used to, she just wanted someone to love her and make her forget it all. Xavier tells her he knows, tears dripping from his eyes too, while the human Annie Ghazikhanian sits cowering under a table, clutching her face as tears stream from it.

Back in an unknown place, the Jillian demon lunges towards Archangel, the “angel” whom death has been sworn at. Suddenly, Warrens’ girlfriend, fellow X-Man, Paige “Husk” Guthrie, in a super-durable steel form jumps between Warren and Jillian, knocking the demon back, but then Jillian strikes at Paige with her sword. Husk lashes back, and punches Jillian, sending her careening into Nightcrawler. As more of his demon servants start moving towards the X-Men, Azazel orders everyone – X-Men included, to stop.

Jubilee asks a young Nightcrawler look-alike – Abyss – what he can do powers wise, and the boy replies that he can open a hole in space and suck things in. Using her “fireworks” powers on the demons, who obviously didn’t listen to their master and are still rushing forward, she asks the boy where things go to, to which he replies he doesn’t know. Jubilee asks him if wherever it is they go to is far away from here, and he tells her he doesn’t know, though he has never gotten anything back.

Jubilee tells the blue mutant that that sounds good enough to her and as they are horrible outnumbered, he should give it a shot sucking some of the demons into his dimensional hole. The boy starts to open a portal, however no demons go through it, instead things start to come from it, like is skateboard, the neighbors pet dog and –Mystique…. The boy looks a little nervous, and the mutant vixen smiles and tells the boy he doesn’t sound too happy to see her.

Brief Description:

After Azazel stops the fight between the X-Men and his followers, several of the X-Men and Mystique join him at his dinning table, where he reveals that not only is he Satan, but he is the father of Nightcrawler! Mystique confirms this, and Azazel informs Kurt that his stepmother, Margali is a very good friend of his. When Professor Dibble reveals that despite the historical evidence he found he does not believe Azazel to be Satan, he is killed. Meanwhile in Canada, Mrs. Pare wishes she left Sammy with the Juggernaut, though when Juggernaut and Northstar show up, she panics and calls for help. Sammy shows up, and upon seeing what his father has done to him, Cain attacks Claude Pare, breaking his arm and tossing him through the house. Just then three of Alpha Flight arrive, wearing armor, surprised to see Northstar, and ready to fight Juggernaut.

Full Synopsis:

In Azazel’s dimension, the X-Men engage in battle with his demon hordes, while Azazel himself orders everyone to stop; though no one listens. One of the mysterious demons, a blue winged woman called Jillian approaches Nightcrawler and tells him that she likes her men handsome and naked, like he is. Kurt asks her to put her knife somewhere else. Fed up with no one listening to him, Azazel unleashes a powerful blast, shocking both the X-Men and his followers. Stunned and separated from their opponents the X-Men turn to Azazel as he asks the blind woman at his feet to read their truths to find out whether they are rendered passive. Ginniyeh confirms that they are.

Azazel orders everyone, especially his follower Yidrazil, to gather themselves together. Yidrazil protests that the Angel still lives, but Azazel tells him that he will exist for a while longer before informing everyone that the portal back to Earth is destroyed and that he is exhausted from trying to hold it open. Azazel informs his followers that he will firstly need some time to recover, and that when he has he wants several of these people brought to his dining hall. Kiwi Black, Mystique, Archangel, Wolverine, whom Azazel calls ‘the Animal’, to which Wolverine tells him to kiss his ass. Azazel also wants Professor Dibble, the archaeologist and the one called “Abyss” but in particular the one Margali called Nightcrawler!

Azazel orders the others to be thrown into the tombs, or to be done with whatever his followers want to do to them. As Husk is led away, her boyfriend Warren Worthington a.k.a. Archangel, clutching the head of his best friend Iceman who was recently shattered into thousands of ice shards, rushes over to her, but Yidrazil strikes him down. Azazel frowns at Yidrazil, who smirks back and tells his master not to glare at him like that, adding that he hit Archangel with the flat.

Meanwhile in Vancouver, Canada the quaint home of the Pare family, where Mrs. Pare tells her husband Claude that he cannot keep hitting their son as he is just a little boy. Claude replies that he can do whatever he wants to him, as he is his son. Claude’s wife gets mad and remembering earlier when her husband told her that Sammy is not his son, she mocks that Sammy is only their son when he wants to beat him. When there is a knock at the door, Claude tells his wife that his name is on the birth certificate and orders her to get the door.

Walking over to the door, she shouts back that she never cheated on him, but perhaps she should have she says quietly to herself. She calls back that she should have left Claude a long time ago, instead of letting him treat their son as he does. She pauses before thinking she should have left him at the mutant school, adding that he was probably safer with that “Juggernaut” monster than with his own father. She shouts back to Claude and tells him that one-day someone is going to come and take Sammy away from both of them – opening the door, Mrs. Pare gasps when she sees who is there – Juggernaut and Northstar!

Juggernaut greets Mrs. Pare before informing her that he is here to see Sammy. Northstar’s attention is elsewhere as he hangs in the background, while Mrs. Pare just gasps. Claude gets up from what he is doing, obviously scared at the sight of Cain Marko the Juggernaut. Cain asks the Pares if they heard him, repeating that he is here to see Sammy. Mrs. Pare gets all huffy and tells Cain that he is not supposed to be here. Cain informs them that he is not here to cause trouble and that he just wants to see Sammy to make sure he is all right.

Mrs. Pare rushes from the room, repeating that Cain is not supposed to come here. Northstar asks Cain what she is talking about, to which Claude informs the two X-Men that there is a restraining order on Juggernaut. Searching through a draw, Mrs. Pare tries to find something, while Cain calmly states that he has come to see Sammy, to make sure he is all right. Jean-Paul asks Cain if what the Pares say is true, that there is a restraining order to prevent him from coming here. Mrs. Pare smiles when she finds what she was looking for, a device with a Maple leaf imprint on it, and she beings pressing the button furiously.

Cain asks her what the device is and what she just did, and Claude gets very defensive and raises his voice when Cain steps into the house as the handsome Northstar tries to pull him back. Cain asks Jean-Paul what the thing Mrs. Pare is pushing is, but Jean-Paul suggests they go. Suddenly, a meek ‘Cain?’ is heard from the doorway. Cain and Jean-Paul turn around, and Cain tells Sammy he is glad to see him – but his words are cut off, and his expression goes from joy to fury at seeing what is wrong with Sammy. His face is battered and bruised, but Sammy is so happy that Cain actually came.

Sammy “Squidboy” Pare rushes up to Cain and hugs him, asking if he can stay for dinner and how long he is going to be here for. Cain puts a hand on Sammy and turns to the parents. Sammy tells Cain he spoke to Carter – Cain steps forward to Claude, calling him a ‘son of a bitch’, but Claude protests, saying that he didn’t do that to Sammy, that the boy just fell is all. Cain literally screams at Claude, telling him he is a dead man!

Back in Azazel’s dimension, Azazel, Wolverine, Archangel, Nightcrawler, Mystique, Abyss, Professor Dibble, Jillian, Yidrazil, Ginniyeh and Kiwi Black sit around a large, but empty, dinning table, surrounded by hundreds of Azazel’s minions. Azazel tells the present X-Men that they have all destroyed some rather laborious long-range plans. Wolverine asks so what, to which Azazel frowns and tells Logan that he is obviously the surly, temperamental one who investigates, and therefore cannot be the leader.

Azazel asks who then is the leader, to which Kurt looks at Warren as he asks why there always has to be a leader and why cannot all be equals. Warren asks Azazel what business of his it is anyway, before asking where Paige is, what are they doing here, ‘And who the hell are you?’ Azazel smiles and tells Warren that he phrased that question appropriately, before informing everyone that he is Kurt’s father! Gasps all around, before Logan tells Azazel that he is ‘full of it’, though Mystique smiles and tells not as much as he may think.

Abyss states that in truth he is the parent of many of those here today, including Abyss. ‘No way’ the young mutant protests, before Kiwi Black is also said to be Azazel’s son. Azazel claims that many people not here today are his children also. Motioning to Ginniyeh, Azazel states that she has sewn her eyes shut so that her telepathic abilities to discern the truth might be more focused without distraction. Azazel informs the X-Men that there is no manipulation of truth in this room, and no need for it, ever. ‘Lies waste time…and destroy trust’ says an attendant standing next to Azazel.

Frowning, Kurt turns to Raven Darkholme and asks her if she is his real mother then, as she has hinted at it often enough. Mystique does not answer, but Azazel does for her, informing Kurt that Raven is his mother, at least genetically, however she has little claim to him after throwing him off that cliff. ‘Not very nurturing of her’ Azazel remarks, to which Mystique replies ‘Nor very effective obviously’. Azazel takes a drink as he adds that fortunately he was nearby at the time, and a good friend of his was willing to care for Kurt during his formative years.

Kurt is shocked by this startling revelation, ‘A friend…a friend of yours? You mean my stepmother Margali? She knew you?’ Kurt informs everyone that Margali told him she found him washed up on a riverbed! Azazel says that Margali’s story was rather effective as it took him out of the equation entirely. Azazel adds that it makes sense, as Margali was with gypsies who might have feared his intervention, given Kurt’s physical and who Azazel truly is.

Archangel asks Azazel again who he truly is. Azazel responds again that Warren’s question is appropriate, because he is Azazel, otherwise known as Semihazah, Duma, Keriel, Mastema, Beliar, Gadreel, Beelzebub and most commonly – Satan! Kurt looks as if he could cry at this revelation. ‘Lord knows I’ve thought of you as that a time or two’ says Mystique. Warren tells Azazel that he cannot expect them to believe all this, and Professor Dibble the archaeologist proclaims that he certainly doesn’t believe it.

Azazel asks Ginniyeh what the truth is, and the blind woman replies that Dibble lies, for he fears the truth, but he believes it – because of the historical evidence he has recently discovered. Dibble calls Ginniyeh a liar adding that he doesn’t believe any of it, stating that there is no historical evidence to suggest that “Satan” is anything more than myth and folklore. He tells Azazel that he doesn’t know what his game is, but he is a liar for sure.

With that, Yidrazil cracks his whip at Dibble, throwing the archaeologist off his chair and onto the floor, where Yidrazil stands over him, and kills him for insulting his lord. Kurt and the other X-Men stand aghast while Wolverine unsheathes his claws, as Azazel tells them he would not recommend calling him a liar in his own house.

Back in Vancouver, Cain lifts Claude Pare up and breaks his arm, and while Claude cries over his broken arm, Cain mocks him and tells him to shut-up about it. Jean-Paul tells Cain to let go, while Mrs. Pare presses the button some more asking where someone is. Cain asks Claude if he wants something to really cry about and he throws him through the wall onto the grass outside. Jean-Paul uses his super speed to rush from Cain to the injured human, and as he tends over the abusive man, three very good friends suddenly arrive – Vindicator, Sasquatch and Guardian!

Heather Hudson asks Jean-Paul what he is doing here and where Juggernaut is. Looking up at his former teammates, Heather and the handsome Guardian wearing re-designs of their cybernetic suits and Sasquatch covered in armor the witty French-Canadian says ‘Well, well…look at you three. Alpha Flight. All dressed up and ready to rumble in new designer armor. How chic’. From inside the house, Cain looks out, smashes his fists together and says ‘now we’re talking!’

Brief Description:

In Canada, members of Alpha Flight attack Juggernaut, while Northstar tries to reason with his former teammates and help Squidboy and his family. Meanwhile, Polaris, Xavier and Annie return from Lorna’s mindscape only to learn that Annie’s son, Carter stowed aboard the X-plane with Havok and the rest of the X-Men when they were tracking Nightcrawler. Captured, Husk and Jubilee realize their powers cannot help them escape, while Havok learns that Iceman (whose head is all that remains) blames him for stealing away Lorna and Annie from him. Nightcrawler, Wolverine and Archangel learn of Azazel’s origin – that he was a mutant from biblical times, and was sent to this dimension in exile and uses teleporting mutants to escape so he can return to Earth. With his plan foiled by the X-Men, he is seemingly trapped here – unless someone can open the portal from the other side, while a teleporter opens it from this side. At that moment, Polaris, Xavier and Annie arrive, and Lorna stretches open a recent rip in the fabric of space – the gateway they all need to escape!

Full Synopsis:

The Infirmary of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, where Charles Xavier has just been on a little adventure with one of his most powerful former students, Lorna Dane a.k.a. Polaris, the Mistress of Magnetism. Joining them was nurse Annie Ghazikhanian, who after witnessing the destruction of Genosha, is cowering under a table. Charles helps Lorna up off the bed as the green-haired mutant jibes Annie, asking her if she lost something under the table – like her mind perhaps. Charles goes over to Annie, who repeats over and over again that she is sorry. Lorna smiles wickedly and asks Annie to narrow it down, as she has so many things to be sorry for.

Xavier sternly tells Polaris to be sympathetic to someone who has experienced astral residue for the first time, as a young mutant enters the infirmary, asking Nurse Annie if she knows where Carter is, as he hasn’t been in any of his classes nor has anyone seen him all day. Tears continue to weep out of Annie and in between her blubbering she manages to reveal that Carter left for classes this morning – with her lover – Havok!

Who, at this very moment is being held prisoner with two of his three of his teammates – Husk, Jubilee and Iceman – well at least Iceman’s head, and, of course, Carter, who are in a cell filled with the skeletons of those that were there before them. Paige asks Jubilee where she thinks they are, to which the sassy young mutant reminds Paige that it is she who is the brains if the team, and that all she knows is that they are somewhere where their powers cannot work.

As Alex Summers holds up the head of Iceman, who was recently shattered by an arrow, Carter informs his mother’s boyfriend that he can hear Bobby thinking in his head, and he wants to know if Alex has tried to blast through the door. Havok tells Bobby that they have tried everything, and it seems that this cell is affected by a magic spell and none of their powers can affect it. Carter tells Alex that Bobby cannot make himself whole again because there is no water in the air – and he is scared, Carter adds that he is scared too.

Alex tells Carter that they are all scared, before Carter, who looks at Bobby’s head a little surprised, tells Alex that that Bobby is thinking a lot of bad words right now because Alex stole crazy Lorna and his mom away from him. Alex is taken aback at this, and clutching Iceman’s head with both hands he gets mad, telling Bobby that he was always blaming other people for his own mistakes. Alex informs Bobby that he would be quite happy to provide him with enough water so he can re-form himself into a whole person so they can discuss this situation man to Iceman.

‘I had an awful lot of water to drink right before we got off the X-plane, and I’m sure I could produce about a body’s worth’ Alex says, smiling, as Bobby’s head just gasps in horror.

Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Canada, Alpha Flight’s Sasquatch, wearing armor to protect his body from Juggernaut, smashes Cain Marko through the Pare home, as his former teammate, current X-Man the handsome Northstar, calls out for him to stop. Sasquatch continues to pound Cain as Northstar tells the two other Alphans present – James and Heather Hudson, a.k.a. Guardian and Vindicator respectively – that he will look after Sammy’s injured father, while they deal with Langkowski.

Holding onto Sammy’s father, Jean-Paul approaches the young mutant who is with his mother, and tells him that he needs to be strong and get his mother to safety. Looking up at the powerful X-Man, Squidboy tells him that they will be fine, as Cain would never hurt them. Jean-Paul tells him to look after his father, and somewhat saddened, Sammy asks if his dad is okay. Jean-Paul informs the young mutant that his father is broken, but he will fly him to a hospital later and they will be able to fix him. Sammy repeats that Cain won’t hurt them, to which Northstar tells him he wishes he had his confidence in Juggernaut.

Meanwhile, in Azazel’s castle, Azazel asks his henchman, Ydrazil, if he had to cut up the professor they just killed right now. Archangel asks Azazel who he and the others here really are and what right they have to murder an innocent man like they did, for he didn’t do anything to them. Azazel tells Warren that he owns the Earth, every rock, plant and human on it – at least it was until it was taken away from him, which gives him every right, after all, Professor Dibble insulted him in his own home!

Jillian, another of Azazel’s affiliates moves in on Nightcrawler as Azazel reminds the X-Men he has told them who he is, but it is they who do not grasp what he has said. Kurt Wagner asks the blue-skinned demon what she is doing, and Jillian admits to Kurt that she finds him attractive and she asks him if he is interested in her. Azazel asks if it was Arthur C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov who said, “Any science sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic”? ‘I think that was the Scarlet Witch’ Kurt jokes back, to Azazel, who is furious at this remark.

Nightcrawler turns to Azazel and asks him to clear up what he is saying, for first he was saying he was Satan and now he is not – suddenly, Kurt realizes that Azazel is actually a mutant from biblical times. Azazel proclaims that mutation is the core of evolution and that it is as old and necessary for life as life itself (as if the X-Men didn’t know this already), adding that change brought on by human civilization often becomes dangerous to the very planet, upon which something new is required for survival.

Azazel asks Kurt if he has seen satellite photos of his Earth from space, informing him that the large cities on coastal waters in particular are dead and diseased against the brilliance of the planet. That anyone can see what a cancer humanity has become to the very planet which supports it, eating with concrete, steel and asphalt into the green and vibrancy of the world around it. Azazel reveals that he is an advanced human, or like Kurt said, a “mutant from biblical times”.

Azazel continues, revealing that he challenged “God” by imposing rule and dominion and enslaving or removing the toxicity of humans, it was by those acts that Azazel was cast out of the “kingdom of Heaven”. Which were the remnants of the archaeological site known as Isla Des Demonas, where he was cast out by “Angels”. These “Angels” were another group of mutated humans, so far apart from his own world – from all worlds.

Azazel smirks as he tells the X-Men present – Nightcrawler, Archangel and Wolverine, as well as Mystique, his former lover – that all of this information is in historical record. Adding that if one knows where to look for it and how to interpret it, hopefully with it, the means to return, which is why, he reveals he wanted the archaeologist alive. Ydrazil apologizes and Azazel tells the X-Men that he has answered enough of their questions and now they can answer some of his.

He starts with Archangel and asks Warren what he knows of his lineage. Warren grits his teeth and proclaims that he will tell nothing. Azazel’s blind prophet, Ginniyeh reveals that Warren is telling the truth, and Ydrazil asks if he can kill him after he tortures him, for he hasn’t heard an angel scream in thousands of years. Azazel reminds Ydrazil that he hasn’t heard anyone scream, other than he, in a thousand years, and tells him to enjoy torturing Archangel as if he will not talk there is no point in keeping him.

Nightcrawler tries to reason with Azazel, but as Warren is pulled away by warriors, he calls to Kurt asking him to look after Paige for him. Kurt is struck down so he cannot help Warren, and even the unstoppable Wolverine is restrained by dozens of warriors. With Mystique at his side, Azazel smiles when a spear is driven into Logan’s back, though it won’t do much so he orders Logan’s arms to be removed at the shoulder. Adding for it to be done quickly as they will no doubt grow back quickly, which is why his shoulders need to be cauterized.

Ydrazil asks if he is allowed to skin Logan, but Azazel cautions him against having all this fun in such short amount of time, as he may want to spread it out and make the victims last. He reminds Ydrazil he may get bored over the next twenty years while he births a new batch of children with powers to open them a dimensional gateway, unless he can find a way back to Earth sooner.

In Vancouver, Guardian and Vindicator try to get Sasquatch to stop, but Sasquatch reminds them that Alpha Flight already gave the Juggernaut a chance to surrender and that this is payback. Mac tells Walt that this is exactly what his point is – that this is not supposed to be personal. Heather alerts Walter who has his back turned to Cain who is starting to get up – and he does, smashing Sasquatch in the gut and sending him flying back through the house.

This destruction causes the roof to fall down on top of Squidboy and his mother. Vindicator unleashes molten lava blasts on Cain who picks up a car and tries to throw it at her. Squidboy searches through the rubble to find his mother, and he does, but she is badly injured, blood streaming from her head, she lies still.

Azazel, accompanied by Kurt and several others have left the dinning room, and have met up with Kiwi Black, greeting him in the traditional Maori greeting of ‘Kia Ora’. Azazel informs Kiwi Black that he learnt it from his mother, Kiwi Black just frowns and glares back at Azazel. Azazel tells Kiwi Black that he would have thought he learned from the encounter with Archangel – either answer his questions and live, or refuse and die. Kiwi Black stops frowning and looks at Azazel, who informs Kiwi Black that he has failed in his role as guardian of the portal, and he tells Ginniyeh to remove him.

Ginniyeh does as she is told, and Azazel turns to his two surviving sons – Kurt and Abyss, both teleporters. Azazel announces that the real question is whether or not the can teleport back to Earth, or fail him as Kiwi Black did. Kurt asks Azazel what he is talking about, and of how Kiwi Black failed him, for he doesn’t even seem to know him. Azazel raises his hands and proclaims that no one knows him, for he was controlling their minds from this place, through their genetic connection. Azazel reveals that Kiwi Black was bred to be a defender of the portal, but he fought the mind control, and failed to kill the approaching X-Men who can be seen in one of the portals and allow Azazel the time he needs.

Azazel smirks as he reminds Kurt how the X-Men destroyed the dimensional gateway in which he intended to return to Earth through, for it was the only gateway out of where they are now. This dimension Kurt teleports to when he teleports is the same dimension that Abyss shunts things into. Azazel, Kurt, Mystique and Abyss look up, and they see various parts of the world, Kurt realizes that he can smell the sulphur – the brimstone. Azazel reveals that this place connects to all points across the Earth, as well as a few others, for it is their divine mutant gift that their thoughts can manipulate the energies, which form this unique juncture in space-time and open small holes – or together, very large ones.

Looking up, Azazel informs those around him that it was a cruel joke of the Angels to put him in here, so close that he can see his own world, yet to far to reach it without assistance from the other side. Turning to Kurt, he asks him if it is not true that they all want to find a way home, for none of them want to remain here forever, not even the seemingly endless years it would take until Azazel can breed a new set of teleporters, even if it means surrendering the word back to him.

Nightcrawler agrees that he too would rather be home but he is beginning to feel his body tremble, as if it was telling him where to go. Azazel remains emotionless as he tells Kurt that he knows the feeling well.

On Isla des Demonas proper, the X-plane carrying Xavier, Lorna and Nurse Annie has landed, and as the three examine the crater where the X-Men were sucked into, Lorna jibes Annie, telling her that she didn’t need to come along. Annie snaps back, reminding Polaris that Carter is her son and life, and once she saw him sneaking onto the X-jet on the security camera, there was no stopping her coming along. She tells Lorna to back off and give up the intimidation game, as she has already played her best hand.

Polaris ignores Annie and stands at Charles’ side as he reports that there is a lot of mental residue consisting of fear and anxiety around. Lorna asks if he is saying everyone is dead – to which Annie whines some more about Carter – but Charles comforts the nurse by telling her that Carter and the others are not dead, just beyond his reach. Annie asks what that means, as Lorna strides away, sensing something, she uses her incredible powers to pull apart the air. This reveals a recent rip in the spatial fabric and she can see the magnetic lines of force spread apart and broken – and she thinks she can open them!

Annie asks Lorna what she means by “I think I can open them”, and as the powerful mutant starts to do so she says ‘I don’t know how to dumb it down any more for the technically challenged, Annie’. She says simply that there is a hole in space between here and somewhere else – and she is widening it!

Vague shapes can be made out in the hole Lorna is widening, Kurt and Azazel are talking, and Kurt asks Azazel if the hole has to be opened from both sides of each dimension. Azazel confirms this, adding that Kurt’s stepmother, Margali Szardos, used to open it from one side, while he opened it from the other. He reveals that they did it by accident the first time, and she had believed she summoned a demon. Azazel proclaims that he encouraged that belief by offering to help Margali with her magick and that they became allies – and eventually much more! ‘You’re a real Casanova’ jokes Kurt before he asks Azazel what makes him think that any of them can open another portal themselves. Azazel reveals that it was done once before, for the leader of Angels accomplished it alone when he cast Azazel and his followers here, and Azazel was hoping that the archaeologist might give him some clue from Earth’s historical record. He comes to the realization that Kurt may be right, for none of them are powerful enough to open it alone – without someone to do it from the other side. At that moment, Abyss’ powers flare up, and through him, Polaris extends a hand to Kurt, asking him what is going on?!

Brief Description:
In Azazel’s dimension, Kiwi Black kills Archangel’s torturer, and the two men start to flee. In the dungeon, the captured X-Men are planning to let Iceman take water from their bodies so he can reform his own when they are attacked by Ginniyeh. Ginniyeh displays a new power, the ability to alter her physical state of being, until Iceman absorbs all the water from her body, thus defeating her and restoring his own body. Nightcrawler and Abyss are planning to escape somehow when Polaris sticks her head through Abyss’ portal before she uses her powers to rip apart the castle, sending everything flying through Abyss into the real world. Wolverine escapes from his captor, and when Iceman and the others return to Earth, Annie Ghazikhanian kisses Iceman for rescuing her son, despite her romantic involvement with Havok. Nightcrawler teleports back in to confront his father, who attacks Kurt before being sucked away somewhere. Wolverine, Mystique, Kiwi Black and Archangel escape back to Earth and the team returns to the mansion, where after spending time with his two new brothers, Nightcrawler declares that Professor X has always been a true father to him. Alpha Flight’s battle with Juggernaut comes to an end after Sasquatch beats Cain to the point he cannot fight back.

Full Synopsis:
La Isla Des Demonas, where the founder of the X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier, stands with one of his most powerful X-Men, the tempestuous Polaris, and the school nurse, Annie Ghazikhanian. They look through the stomach of young Nils Steiger, a.k.a. Abyss, who is trapped in another dimension with many of the X-Men, and their captor Azazel. Azazel’s former consort, the mother of the X-Men’s Nightcrawler, Mystique, asks Azazel what’s going on with Abyss’ stomach as she can see Xavier. The temptress crosses her arms and scowls when the biblical mutant offers no answer, instead he rushes over to his son, as another of his sons, Kurt Wagner – Nightcrawler – teleports, and grabs Abyss before Azazel can, and teleports away again. Azazel looks at Mystique, annoyed that Kurt somehow knew Ginniyeh was not here to read the truth, and that his son lied to him. ‘I wonder which side of the family he gets that from?’ Raven Darkholme remarks dryly.

Meanwhile, in the land of the Great White Cloud, Vancouver, Canada more specifically, two more X-Men are in somewhat of a predicament. Samuel Pare tries to wake his mother who was wounded by their home collapsing during the battle between Alpha Flight, and Squidboy’s friend, the X-Man Juggernaut. Heather McNeil Hudson, the geothermal-powered Alphan known as Vindicator is suddenly thrown past Sammy, as his idol, Juggernaut, taunts Heather’s husband, James MacDonald Hudson, Alpha Flight’s leader, Guardian. Cain Marko jibes that Alpha Flight is supposed to be Canada’s “best”.

Wearing “super-armor”, Mac gets up and informs Cain Marko that that was his wife he just threw across the yard and starts to punch him. Cain takes the punches before taking hold of the metal collar on Mac’s armor, he pulls it up and rips it off before sending Man flying across the yard too. Cain smiles before saying ‘So much for these Canadian Hulk-buster designs, eh?’ Cain mocks that he was even saying “eh” like a Canadian when he sees Dr. Walter Langkowski a.k.a. the super-strong Sasquatch fast approaching. Squidboy pleads with Juggernaut not to hurt anyone anymore and Cain stops for a moment - until Sasquatch pummels into him.

Wearing armor also, Sasquatch asks Cain what the matter is, as if he didn’t have anymore “funny Canadian” jokes left. Walt pounds against Cain’s skull, and asks Cain if he is just going to lie there, while Sammy looks on. Cain doesn’t blink, and Sasquatch’s fists continue to hit his face – until Vindicator grabs Walt and tells him to get off Juggernaut. Northstar arrives back after taking Sammy’s father to the hospital, the speedster is confused as to what is going on, as he was only gone one minute. Heather calls to Walt to stop again, and he does, as Heather suggests Walt actually look at Cain, declaring that he is not even fighting back anymore.

Deep within Azazel’s castle, Azazel and Raven come across the blind psychic known as Ginniyeh. Azazel rushes over to her and asks her if she is all right. Ginniyeh mumbles something and Azazel asks her if it was Kiwi Black who did this to her and how he did it, adding that she should have been able to read his thoughts and predict his attacks. Ginniyeh replies that Kiwi’s thoughts are shielded from her and that he had an additional power they did not anticipate. She adds that she will be all right and encourages Azazel to go find Kurt and Abyss. Azazel asks her if she can read his thoughts on the rest, but Ginniyeh simply smiles and replies that she doesn’t need to, for they must kill them all.

In a torture chamber within the castle, the handsome Warren Worthington III, the founding X-Man known as Archangel is suspended against a wall and tells his captor that he will not scream for him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. The winged captor informs Archangel that he will give him more than he can imagine, for in the thousand years he has been trapped in this dimension by Warren’s “kind”, they have all managed to develop more gifts than just the initial ones that manifest in adolescence.

The captor walks up to Warren and uses some kind of charger on him, sending a pain surge through Warren’s body. The evil mutant informs Warren that he has a small amount of telepathy, enough to pick up an important message from Warrens’ mind – an image of a young blond woman who means something to him – the one who is down in the pits right now. Furious, Warren begins to threaten the captor if he lays a hand on Paige, but the captor smiles and declares that he will lay more than a finger on her, adding that they will both scream for him. Kiwi Black sneaks up behind the villain with a sword….

Meanwhile, in the pits, the young psychic mutant Carter Ghazikhanian, Nurse Annie’s son, informs his mother’s lover, Havok, Husk and Jubilee that Iceman, whose head he is holding in his hand, that he is ready to take some water out of their bodies to reform his own shattered body. Alex Summers apologizes to Bobby about the comment he made earlier, but that if he can get enough water from them all to become whole again, he is willing. Paige Guthrie adds that she is game and he can take whatever he needs from her too. Jubilee tells Bobby that he can take whatever he needs from Paige, until she gets stern looks, she agrees to him taking water from her too.

Jubilee turns around, suddenly as Ginniyeh enters the room and stands ominously behind her. Jubes leaps up and uses her mutant fireworks against Ginniyeh, who grabs Jubes at the throat and tells her not to waste her light powers, as they are useless on a woman with no eyes. Husk transforms her body into steel and lunges towards the blind woman, who pushes Jubilee to the ground. Ginniyeh traps Husk, as Havok charges up his solar powers before calling for Paige to move. However something knocks Havok over before he can act – Ginniyeh has an unseen power, the ability to extend her limbs.

Ginniyeh dodges Husk’s punch by extending her neck downwards. She reaches over with one hand and picks up Carter, who drops Iceman’s head in the process. Carter calls to Alex that Ginniyeh is hurting his head when suddenly, Ginniyeh’s head drops to the ground and a new one pops up. Her body begins to change shape repeatedly, limbs distorted and changing, she starts sprouting eyes and begins to clamp down harder on Husk, and continues to crush Carter’s head – until she is stopped. She screams, and ice forms in the air – all the water from Ginniyeh’s body begins to be sucked away until nothing but skin and bone remains, she falls to the ground.

Havok, Jubilee, Paige and Carter look on – at the reformed body of Iceman! He smiles, thanking his teammates for the offer, but that he got the water he needed from somewhere else. He adds that he will probably put it to better use than she would have!

Elsewhere in the castle, Kurt runs through a corridor with his half-brother, Nils, aka Abyss who tells Kurt that he knew he was lying when he said he couldn’t teleport in this dimension, that he thinks because they are brothers they have a connection. Kurt mumbles a feeble agreement as Nils informs him that is why he too lied to Azazel, so their father wouldn't know he could use his powers still. He tells Kurt that he likes him and thought his jokes at the dinner table were funny and not Azazel. Nils quickly adds that he knows who the Scarlet Witch is, so he understands the joke he made. Kurt mumbles again before putting his hands on the young mutant’s shoulders telling him that they are trying to be stealthy, so they should keep the noise level down.

Suddenly, the lovely Lorna Dane shoves her head through Abyss’ stomach and asks Kurt if he wants to come back to her side of the dimensional rip. Nightcrawler tells Polaris that he does, but that the X-Men are all separated and he doesn’t know how to find the others, for Warren and Logan are both separate somewhere and the others are all in a dungeon somewhere in the castle. Lorna starts to look around asking where exactly they are before noticing a little blue boy staring down at her.

Lorna smiles wickedly before greeting Abyss and saying ‘The dimensional rip is in your stomach? Man, what a lame power!’ Crushed at this comment, Abyss stutters with his words before making a comeback by telling Polaris that she should see it when the rip grows bigger and everything starts flying in! Another wicked smile from Lorna, and the Mistress of Magnetism gets an idea…

… Suddenly, the castle shakes, and Abyss cries out as bricks start to fly inside of him at a rapid pace. Back on the real world, Nightcrawler, who had already come back through the portal, tells Polaris, who is using her incredible powers to rip the place apart, to be careful as she may hurt Nils while destroying the castle. ‘He looked tough enough to handle it’ Lorna states as Xavier and Nurse Annie stand back from the bombardment of bricks.

In another part of the castle, the mutant torturing Wolverine wonders what is happening. Logan replies that he doesn’t know, but whatever it is got his arm free, and he uses it to claw his captor and get himself free. Archangel follows the Maori mutant, Kiwi Black, apparently another of Azazel’s sons, through the broken castle and thanks him for freeing him before asking if he really had to cut the other mutant’s head off. Kiwi doesn’t answer, instead he declares that they will not be able to reach Warren’s feral friend. Archangel just tells Kiwi to grab his hand.

Back on Earth, Lorna asks Charles whether or not she is hurting ‘the kid’, Xavier replies that she isn't physically, but that he is terrified. ‘He’ll get over it’ Lorna shouts back before alerting them to the return of Iceman, who has created an ice sled and is carrying Havok, Husk, Jubilee and Carter with him. Bobby declares that he knew there was a portal open because there was so much moisture in the air. Nightcrawler teleports off somewhere as Iceman hands Carter over to his mother, the young boy telling his mom that it was ‘so cool’. Annie kisses Bobby in his ice-form and thanks him for rescuing her son. Bobby tells her ‘not to mention it’ as Jubilee points out the obvious – that the whole castle is collapsing around them – while Havok watches Annie and Bobby in dismay.

Back in Azazel’s realm, Kurt teleports in, where his father is standing amongst the collapsing citadel, he informs Kurt that he always liked him the best, and that of all his children all over the world, there was something special about him. Nightcrawler teleports them both away as the bricks they were standing on disappear and Azazel declares that he knows the currents of this particular dimensional rift like he knows his own tail, informing Kurt that he cannot teleport out a particular way and asking why he would even want to.

Azazel lunges forward with two swords, telling his son to rule beside him, that all he has to do is bring Nils back and the world could be theirs. Kurt grabs a sword and replies that he is not interested, as Azazel lunges at Kurt and proclaims he will then find Abyss without him – and then he will burn Kurt’s body beneath his throne for betraying him – for turning on his own father. Swords clash together as Kurt defiantly informs Azazel that he is not his father, but just a Lothario with regrets.

Kurt stumbles back during the fight, and on the ground he declares that it saddens him to know he shares genetics with a man whose heart is so black he sees no other options, not for love or compassion. Azazel wonders how he could have sired a son who looks like him, but harbors the foolish notions of angels. As he raises his sword above the fallen Nightcrawler, when the bricks around him give way. Kurt calls out to Azazel, who simply laughs as he starts to drift off. In the traditional Maori greeting ‘Kia Ora’ Kiwi Black, flown by Archangel, suggests to Kurt that they get out of this place and find a pub. Azazel’s devilish laugh is still heard as he flows through the portal, and Kurt looks on, almost saddened. With that, Wolverine, Mystique, Archangel, Kiwi Black and Kurt make their way out too.

After getting together with his brothers – Kiwi Black and Abyss – Kurt returns to the institute, where he informs Professor X that he will never remember how it began, but that he will never forget how it ended. For he learned at long last who his parents were, despite the answers leaving some confusion he now also has two brothers – more strangers than relatives – but more friends than he ever hoped they would be. Charles asks Kurt how he feels about losing the father, something he knows he has always wondered about and secretly hoped for. Nightcrawler smiles and declares that Azazel may have provided the genetic material, which makes him up physically, but his “father” has always been the man who has always been there whenever he needed him. Provided him with food, money, support and family, but most importantly, love, understanding and kindness. Charles smiles at this, and Kurt thanks him for being a true father to him all these years.    

The She-Hulk and Jack White meet with Xavier and several of the X-Men in Vancouver to discuss the Juggernaut and his sentencing. Jack berates Xavier for all of the nonsense with Cain, before stating that he will try to get Cain extradited. In his holding cell, Juggernaut is freed when another inmate of the holding facility, the Rhino, escapes. Cain and the disorientated Rhino battle, until Cain defeats him. He has an opportunity to leave through an opening in the building that the Rhino made, but surrenders. Jack White decides that this could strengthen Cain’s case, and informs a Canadian official. She-Hulk and Cain get to know each other better before sleeping together, though they are about to be interrupted by a person approaching them – wearing Juggernaut’s armor.    

Juggernaut and She-Hulk are interrupted by someone wearing Juggernaut armor, who engages Cain in battle. Cain and She-Hulk both realize they are no match for the new Juggernaut, as Cain’s powers have gone, but Cain does not walk away from a fight, so continues to fight the new Juggernaut, which takes the battle to a residential area, and the two men injure and destroy much of the area. She-Hulk tries to reason with Cain, she now believes he can not change that he will always be a violent man. Cain and Jennifer come up with a plan, and the new Juggernaut’s helmet is removed, and his powers seem to leave him, for he returns to the size of his real body – a boy. Cain remembers him as a boy who had an awful father and lived next door to Xavier. Xavier and his lawyer Jack White meet with Miss Ishikawa, who informs the men that this trial is seen as very prestigious for Canada and that she will not bend easily to their requests, especially the extradition to the States, for she doesn’t not believe that the Juggernaut will ever change. As the discussion is about to come to an end, Squidboy and his mother arrive, and Mrs. Pare gives a touching speech about how nothing was done for she and her son by the law enforcement, but by a super villain. Miss Ishikawa is faced with a crisis of faith in her legal system and agrees to the Juggernaut being extradited to the States.    

Overview

A special tale of the heart revolves around two young star-crossed lovers, caught between the forces of their families’ opposing views on the human/mutant race situation. Will love prevail? Or will tragedy strike?

Spoilers

When Abraham comes over to respond, Jeb talks back and the two get invovled in a small fight, causing the sheriff to wake up. Once Jeb is throw on the floor, he clutches his mouth as if in pain, and then shoots a beam of blue energy at Abraham, which causes his shirt and whole body to be enveloped in a blue flame. The sheriff comes over to try and stop it, as Abraham's friends try to extinguish it.

Another man comes from behind Jeb and strikes him with a crowbar, and a chuge fight erupts, with Ray throwing one of Abrham's friends over his shoulders and onto the man with the crowbar. The man gets up and tries to throw the crowbar at Jeb, and when he tries to stop it with his powers, he accidentally hits a car, causing it to explode.

Angry, Jeb starts to yell the people. When the sheriff, Pete tries and calms him down, threatening to shoot him, Jeb tries to state his case. When he will not shut down his powers, Pete has now choice but to shoot the boy.

Back at the Xavier Institute, Paige Guthrie (Husk),approaches Warren Worthington III, also known as the Angel, wanting to talk with him. Paige confronts him about how he came to her, seeming to want a relationship, and Warren is somewhat confused as Paige rambles on, talking about Brad Pitt.

Finally she asks if she should stop looking his direction, and Warren hesitates. He finally responds with a yes, walking away. Jubilee then walks up with the phone in her hands, and tells her that her brother Jebediah's been shot.

Back at the Guthrie household, it is shown that Warren and Paige already arrived at the house, and that Warren healed Jeb's shoulder. Lucinda guthrie is lecturing Jebediah, and he says that words don't hurt anyone, but Ray's father thinks differently. Lucinda lectures him some more, and he says that he's been practicing with his powers.

Ray, Jr. says that's why they planned this, as everyone looks on. The sheriff, standing in the room says he must report this, and then says they all may get kicked out of the county for Jeb and Ray's actions. Paige asks where Jay is, and they all reveal he's at a show, performing, and that's he's seeing a girl named Rosalinda Aguilar.

At The View, where Rosalinda works, her and Julia Cabot are waiting tables when Jay's show begins. Jay begins to sing, his voice pure and clear. Rosalinda starts bragging about how he is singing to her, and why he's staring at her. But Julia is really the one he's staring at, and she really hopes that he likes her.

Overview

A special tale of the heart revolves around two young star-crossed lovers, caught between the forces of their families’ opposing views on the human/mutant race situation. Will love prevail? Or will tragedy strike?

Spoilers

Chester Cabot and some of his clan arrive and confront Lucinda Guthrie, who won’t back down, though while Sheriff Pete tries to mediate, until he asks Lucinda out to dinner, Cabot punches him and a fight breaks out. With Archangel and Husk present, the Guthries come out on top, and the Cabots are taken back to their mansion after Lucinda scolds Pete for having the nerve to ask her out. This issue could be seen as a parody of Romeo and Juliet. The rivalling families are called 'Cabot' and 'Manuelo'.

Note: On one of the band members' lockers is a poster showing Sage from the cover of X-Treme X-Men #4

Archangel reveals to Lucinda Guthrie that he does still love Husk, but was too afraid of losing her, which is why he pushed her away. Husk overhears this and berates Archangel for telling all of this to her mother instead of her, until they make up when Warren admits his feelings to Paige, and the two fly into the air to make love. W

olverine hears what sounded like a weapon discharge and follows Polaris as she flies to the woods, where Chester Cabot had just possibly killed Josh Guthrie.

Meanwhile, Elisabeth Guthrie sees the armored Cabots descending into the Guthries' property.