Complete listed story — includes the ending
Uncanny X-Men #176
Scott and Maddie are flying to a remote island in the South Pacific for their honeymoon when a storm catches them and disables the engine.
In Japan, Wolverine sneaks into Mariko's chambers. He's come to return the honor blade, which was delivered to him 2 days after he last returned it. We find out that Mastermind forced Mariko to call off the wedding, and that while under his control Mariko also involved the clan in criminal pursuits again. She loves Logan, but won't allow Wolverine to be with her until she has expunged the stain upon her clan's honor.
In the South Pacific, Scott is working on the engine. He loses his balance while leaning over for a kiss, and a large shark leaps at him. He stuns it with an eye-blast. Unnoticed by either he or Maddie, the stunned shark becomes something else's meal before it can recover - something with long powerful tentacles!
Washington D.C. Henry Gyrich has arrived at a briefing that has already started - a briefing on mutants! Frank Lowell of the CIA is discussing Magneto's most recent threat, a threat that was never followed through on for unknown reasons. Following him is Valerie Cooper. She presents evidence that mutants are no longer primarily U.S. phenomena, but now a broadly global one - the U.S. must take steps to defend itself against foreign spies and assassins possessing mutant powers! Gyrich objects - he thinks to do so would be to prove Magneto right. But Dr. Cooper thinks mutants present a 'clear and present danger', and must be dealt with.
The South Pacific. The main part of the storm is starting to move over them as they try the engine, but it catches fire and Scott has Maddie turn it off. They get back to work, neither noticing the sinister tentacle reaching out of the water!
The Alley. Caliban returns to his chambers to discover Masque, Callisto, and Sunder there. He orders them out but Callisto is concerned because she hasn't seen him much. They accuse him of mooning over Kitty, and he admits to being sad because she promised to stay with him if he helped the X-Men, but she didn't. Callisto tells him she means to see Kitty keeps her promise!
The South Pacific. Scott finally has the engines working, and Maddie is pulling in the sea-anchor when she's grabbed by a monstrous tentacle! Scott jumps in after her, and blasts the squid, freeing Maddie. It grabs him, but he gives it an eyeful. However, he's lost his glasses. Getting to the surface, Maddie steers him towards the ship with her voice, but it grabs him again. Getting his bearings from the direction its pulling him, he lets the squid have it full power. They get back onto the plane, and after a few moments of panic, the second engine finally catches and they're off.
Scott decides he's not interested in going off to fight a war with his father as a member of the Starjammers.
Uncanny X-Men #177
Mystique is in a Circus when Wolverine ambushes her from behind. She dodges, but he still draws blood. After a quick but brutal fight, she slits his throat and he bleeds out. Kitty Pryde phases up out of the ground moments later, and seeing Wolverine down, rushes over to him. It's, not Wolverine - its Mystique playing dead - and she's just gutted the girl. Suddenly the building behind Mystique explodes as a huge hurled stone strikes it, sending her flying.
Colossus confronts her in a rage, and she realizes Cyclops is also there as he clips her from behind - she retreats into a funhouse hall of mirrors. The funhouse is really a carefully constructed trap, and she uses it to focus Cyclops optic beam and amplify it until it can penetrate even Colossus's armored body! Cyclops, distraught over Peter's death, doesn't notice Mystique as she comes up behind him and garotte's him.
Having changed into a combat suit, Mystique gets confronted by Storm. But the suit absorbs her lightning and lets her channel it back at Storm. Storm dodges, but Mystique wasn't aiming at Storm, but at the tank of gasoline behind her! No longer held aloft by Storm's winds, she falls through the big top, and catches the bars - only to have Rogue try to bring the house down! Mystique pulls a blaster on her, and it actually finishes Rogue. In agony over having killed her foster daughter, she's totally unprepared for Nightcrawler's attack, however, his multi-porting doesn't phase Mystique at all! She draws a dagger for the kill, but finds herself unable to follow through - and Nightcrawler knocks her out.
She comes to with Destiny looking over her. Arcade and Miss Locke come in to celebrate her performance. Mystique wants all the Brotherhood to train in Murderworld - same deal, one of the robots will be set to kill. Mystique asks which was in hers, and Arcade tells her it was Rogue. After Arcade and Miss Locke leaves, Irene tells Mystique that her vendetta against the X-Men is a mistake.
Salem Center. Kitty is about to leave her dance lessons, and she starts to talk to Stevie about Ororo's change in personality when Ororo comes to pick her up. But Kitty doesn't want to talk to Ororo right then and walks past her.
The Starjammer. Charles and Lilandra say their goodbyes, and Corsair bids his sons farewell. The Starjammers leave earth with Lilandra to reclaim her throne.
Kurt, Amanda Sefton, Kitty, and Peter go to see the Royal Ballet at Lincoln Center. Peter drops Kurt and Amanda off, then he and Kitty go to park the car. Kitty and Peter finally park the car and are walking towards Lincoln Center when they see an explosion on top of a nearby building! Colossus rushes up to save anyone he can from the fire while Kitty runs off to call help. However, Colossus finds no fire, only Blob! Blob punches Colossus through the wall where he is caught by Pyro's firebird! Pyro heats him till he's red hot, then throws him to earth in the midst of semis with liquid nitrogen tanks! Avalanche's tidal wave effect sweeps the trucks towards Colossus. Kitty rushes towards the scene at the sound of his howl of agony, only to find him a frozen statue!
Uncanny X-Men #178
Shadowcat has just stumbled upon the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants handiwork - Colossus super-heated and then flash-frozen to near-absolute zero - a condition which almost certainly means Peter's death! Desperate, she mentally calls out to Professor X for help.
At the mansion, Professor X hears, and knowing that it is the Brotherhood, is careful not to alert Rogue. In the Danger Room, Storm and Wolverine are testing Wolverine's precision - he manages to nick her cape from her as she flies by at high speed without hitting her person. Storm is talking much like Yukio. The Professor contacts them, but their telepathic discussion is cut short by a powerful psionic scan. Storm carries Wolverine to quickly cover the distance between Salem Center and New York City.
Kitty is pulling herself together where Colossus stands as a mute statue when she remembers Reed Richards had a recent device documented in Scientific American that might help. She tries calling ahead from a payphone only to discover the Fantastic Four aren't in. She hops in a cab and tells the driver to head for the Baxter Building.
Elsewhere, the Morlocks Callisto, Masque, and Sunder stand about the body of a homeless young woman in an alley. Callisto enigmatically predicts there will be one more Morlock before the night is through, and Masque goes to work on the corpse.
Outside Lincoln Center. Kurt and Amanda are making out when they realize that everyone has gone inside and the plaza is empty. They wonder what happened to Peter and Kitty when they are suddenly attacked by a great bird of fire! Kurt's quick porting saves them from Pyro's creature and Avalanche, and then Amanda counters the fire creature with sorcery. Blob, however, gets the drop on them, and only the sudden intervention of Storm prevents their deaths.
The Baxter Building. Kitty heads inside and phases through the robot secretary, disorienting it long enough to keep her ahead of the security systems.
Lincoln Center. The X-Men and the Brotherhood are fairly evenly matched - until Storm opens up the heavens and makes it rain so hard the combatants have problems standing.
Baxter Building. Kitty grabs the device and heads up to the roof. A little worried about the height, she tries to take it slow, but gets startled by something behind her as she's stepping out into oblivion!...
Lincoln Center. Nightcrawler uses Avalanche to trap Blob, and the Brotherhood surrenders?
Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Rogue brings Prof X tea, except its not Rogue! Xavier notices the psionic damper, and beats it at the last second to change what would be a fatal shot into a grazing hit. The real Rogue walks in on Mystique getting ready for the kill, and they have a confrontation. Rogue pours her heart out.
Lincoln Center. Mystique contacts the X-Men and offers to trade Xavier's life for the freedom of her Brotherhood. Storm agrees, and Blob laughs about how they still nailed Colossus. Destiny makes a dire prediction about Kitty Pryde and the Baxter Building.
On a sidewalk outside the Baxter Building, Kitty Pryde lies broken from the fall.
Uncanny X-Men #179
Continued from last issue...
The Morlocks have captured Kitty Pryde and are now preparing her for a forced marriage to Caliban. Having left the X-Men to believe that Kitty had died falling off the roof of the Baxter Building, Storm, Wolverine and Rogue go to examine the body. Wolverine tells his comrades that he girl on the morgue slab before them is not Kitty, making Storm wonder who could have captured her and why they went through such trouble to make the other X-Men think that she was dead.
Meanwhile, at the X-Mansion, Nightcrawler examines Colossus's frozen body and cannot detect a heartbeat, making he, Professor X, Illyana, and Amanda Sefton wonder if even in his armored form he could have survived being frozen. Their examination is interrupted when Storm contacts Professor X telepathically and tells him of the news surrounding "Kitty's" death. Before she can tell him whom she believes is behind the capture the Professor is struck by a powerful mental probe by some alien force of great power and passes out.
Down in the Morlock Tunnels, Kitty snaps out of her stupor to find that the Morlocks are attempting to marry her off to Caliban. When she attempts to resist, Callisto points out that when she was down in the tunnels previously, she promised to do whatever Caliban wanted if he helped her. Caliban wished to marry the girl, and Callisto is trying to bind her to her promise, even though Caliban realizes that the girl could never love him. When Kitty attempts to flee into the sewers she comes across the young Morlock named Leech who is lost and scared in the tunnels. She decides to lead the boy back and agrees to honor her promise.
Before the ceremony, Masque is brought in to alter Kitty's face so that she is deformed like all the Morlocks. However, when Masque's despisement of all things pretty makes him torment her, Callisto orders him to stop and change her back to normal. As the wedding ceremony begins, it is interrupted by the arrival of Storm, Rogue and Wolverine. A brief battle begins between the X-Men and the Morlocks before Kitty stops them and explains that she promised to Caliban and reminds them that saving Colossus is more important that fighting each other.
A solution is soon made: Taking Callisto and the Morlock known as the Healer back to the X-Mansion, the Professor has Rogue absorb Colossus's powers. When the Russian mutant reverts back to his human form the Healer then uses his powers to heal his wounds. With Peter recovering in the infirmary, Kitty leaves to return to the Morlock tunnels giving Illyana to give letters to her parents and Peter to explain what happened. When she goes down she is met by Caliban, who tells her that he realizes that it is not right to force her to marry him or stay in the Morlock tunnels against her will and releases her from her promise. Before departing, he gives the young mutant a single rose before returning to the tunnels.
Uncanny X-Men #180
After months of practice, Charles Xavier has managed to beat the psychosomatic feedback his mental powers had created that prevented him from walking in his new body. He decides to enjoy this newly acquired ability to play basketball. However, his game is ended prematurely when he's struck by yet another powerful mental scan and wonders what the alien force causing it could be. He is then visited by Storm who has come with her concerns over her lack of control over her powers, and her new more savage attitude along with it's effects on Kitty. She wonders if she is going insane. Probing her mind, the Professor reveals that there is nothing wrong with her mentally. He points out that he doesn't know what's causing her change in personality and ethically cannot bring himself to alter her mind with his powers when she asks as it could do more harm than good.
Elsewhere in Salem Center, Kitty Pryde is out at the arcade with her friend, Doug Ramsey. After ranking the top score, the game fries and the two are kicked out by the owner, who tells them they are not welcome back as they hog the machine for hours and hardly spend any quarters. Going for lunch, Kitty confides in Doug about her feelings towards the new Storm. She explains that with all her changes, the woman she cared for like a sister has become someone who frightens her and she doesn't know what to do. Doug pledges to be her friend, and then tells her that he has an appointment at the Massachusetts Academy. He asks Kitty about her time there, and she explains that she hated it; however, secretly she recalls that it was run by the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. She wonders if Doug is a target of the X-Men's enemy and wonders what she can do about it.
Back at Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Colossus spends time recovering from his injuries by chopping trees on the property. He is trying to come to terms with his feelings over Kitty. When Wolverine comes and forces him to talk about them, Colossus worries about their future given how she almost gave herself to the Morlocks as well as her new friendship with Doug Ramsey. He admits that he is insecure that Doug is everything Kitty could want and fears that he might lose her. Logan tells him that if he thinks that, he's lost her already.
Storm has traveled to the Bronx Botanical Garden to spend some time enjoying the plants in the greenhouse. She comes upon a group of muggers attempting to rob an old couple and confronts them. When they attempt to stab Storm with knives, she unleashes her powers on them, sending them fleeing. When she goes to help the elderly couple, they are frightened by her mutant nature. She is then called back to the X-Mansion where she and the other X-Men are briefed about Doug Ramsey's invitation to the Massachusetts Academy. With the Hellfire Club currently in disarray and the White Queen seemingly in a coma, Charles agrees to let Kitty accompany Doug to find out if he is at risk. During the conversation, Xavier reveals that Doug is really a mutant that has language translation powers, which surprises everyone.
After the meeting, Kitty is walking through the halls of the mansion when she is swept upwind into the sky by Storm. Up in the air, the two come to terms with their feelings about Storm's recent changes in personality and style. Ororo explains to Kitty that she is going through changes that frighten her and that she needs to go through them to find out who she really is. After some conversation about the changes, Kitty and Storm promise to be there for each other no matter what.
A week later, Kitty and Doug are boarding a plane to Massachusetts from LaGuardia Airport, and Kitty's mind has already gone to another worry: the aloof behavior of Peter making her wonder if there is anything wrong with him. As she boards the plane with Doug, they are greeted by the White Queen. When Kitty tries to alert the Professor telepathically, she cannot reach him; the Professor, Colossus, Wolverine, and Storm are investigating a powerful psychic presence in Central Park. There a giant construct has appeared, and as they are drawn to it they are teleported away to a far off place...
The fate of the X-Men continues in...
Uncanny X-Men #181
This story follows the events of...
Professor X, Wolverine, Colossus, Rogue, Storm, and Lockheed are all teleported back to Earth following their ordeal on Battleworld with the Beyonder. Along with them was a small dragon companion that had befriended Lockheed. Upon their arrival, the dragon would grow to a massive size and fly off, while the X-Men would fall to the ground. Learning that they have been teleported to Japan, they also learn of Lockheed's friend becoming a massive creature. Learning that they have been gone for over a week, the Professor sends Rogue to America to check on the fate of Doug Ramsey and Kitty Pryde, as well as make sure that the New Mutants and Cyclops are okay while they deal with the threat of the dragon they brought back with them.
As the dragon begins wrecking Tokyo, the Japanese mobilize their military to deal with the threat. While reports are coming in Mariko Yoshida and her cousin Sunfire learn that the X-Men, and Wolverine, are in Japan as well to combat the creature. The X-Men catch up with the monster and as Storm keeps it occupied, the others rescue any civilians that get in the way of danger. Soon, Sunfire and the military arrive to deal with the monster. However, as they battle the creature the X-Men note that their weapons have little effect on them.
Meanwhile, at the Beachcomber Hotel in Tahiti, Cyclops appears before a grief-stricken Madelyne. She is upset that he vanished out of her arms and was missing for a whole week while on their honeymoon. However, despite this, Scott manages to calm her down and the newlyweds make up.
As the battle rages on in Japan, Storm unleashes her full fury on the creature. While down below, some wreckage lands on the Professor's legs making him panic about the potential of losing his ability to walk. He is rescued by Colossus, while Wolverine goes off looking for others. He comes across a dying woman and her daughter Amiko. The woman asks Wolverine to look after her, and Logan vows to keep care of the young orphaned girl.
Meanwhile, Sunfire and Storm are knocked out by the dragon and as the creature is about to kill them, Lockheed confronts it. Blowing fire in its face wounds the giant dragon emotionally and it flies away with Lockheed following behind, yelling at it. Suddenly, the creature suddenly kills itself in a massive energy burst. In the aftermath of the battle, the X-Men realize that the creature was attempting to build a nest for itself and Lockheed to live in together and that when Lockheed rejected the creature it committed suicide.
While in Washington D.C., Senator Robert Kelly attempts to have legislation passed for his new Mutant Control Act supported by his colleagues. Meeting with Senator Phillip, Kelly pressures him to support the bill. Phillip refuses, believing that this is tantamount to legalizing slavery and vows to do everything in his power to prevent the bill from coming into law. He tells his colleague that he hopes that trying to motion this bill will not cause irreversible damage.
Uncanny X-Men #182
Rogue is flying back to the United States following the X-Men's return from Battleworld ahead of the others to check on the remaining X-Men that were left on Earth, and the New Mutants. Rogue arrives at the mansion and begins checking the answering machine. She finds a panicked call from Madelyne Pryor who was calling to tell the X-Men that her husband, Scott Summers had gone missing. Rogue knows that he was transported to Battleworld with him and presumes that he was returned to her when they were all returned home. The next message is from Colonel Rossi, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who is a colleague of Professor Xavier. Rossi has confirmed one of their suspicions, but his call is cut off when someone gets the jump on him. Rogue flies off to save him, missing an important message from Illyana Rasputin telling that the White Queen had kidnapped Kitty and Doug Ramsey and that she and the New Mutants were going to rescue her.
Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Rossi is being roughly interrogated for answers to why he was caught looking up information about the Hellfire Club. One of these interrogators, a spy working of the Inner Circle, goes back to report to Sebastian Shaw and confirms his identity. Shaw orders him to eliminate Rossi before he is visited by a mental projection of the White Queen who informs him that she has the New Mutants under her thrall and asks if he would like to see Xavier's novice students.
Meanwhile, Rogue manages to break aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier by flicking a nickel into its radar bay with her super-strength. Breaking in, she then trashes some of the security systems and closes off blast doors so that the S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives do not have an easy time stopping her. She manages to get to Rossi just before the Inner Circle spy can assassinate him. When she tries to revive the heavily beaten Rossi, she begins talking in a different voice that and in a way that speaks of a long time friendship. Rossi, barely conscious, recognizes the voice but cannot believe he is hearing it.
Rogue then manages to escape the Helicarrier and smashes a number of fighter jets that are deployed to try and stop her. Rogue brings Rossi to a home that she believes to be her parents' summer home located in Cape Cod Massachusetts. Rogue prepares Rossi a meal and when he awakens to eat, he finds that as he questions Rogue she has the memories of Carol Danvers. Rossi then calls her on it, watching as she flips from personality to personality from trying to sort out her memories; this causes her to burst out of the house and tumble down onto the beach near the home. There, she is haunted by more of Carol's memories of her childhood and adult life.
She realizes that when she absorbed Carol Danvers' powers she must have taken her memories as well as the emotions that go along with them. When Rossi goes down to check on her, she reveals to him what she did to Carol, a revalation that angers and horrifies him. When she attempts to atone for it by telling him that she is Carol in all the ways that matter, he rejects her offer of love - striking her, walking away, but telling her that he can't bring himself to kill her for what she's done.
While back aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, Nick Fury questions the Hellfire Club spy, unaware that he is a double agent. The spy tells Fury that Rogue was responsible for the attack on the helicarrier earlier. With her identity confirmed, Fury puts out a call to all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to bring in Rogue and use deadly force if necessary.
Uncanny X-Men #183
Back from his adventures on Battleworld and in Japan, Colossus confesses to Kitty Pryde that while he was gone, he fell in love with Zsaji. The revelation crushes Kitty; however, she hides the hurt from him until she returns to the room she shares with Illyana. Both Illyana and Lockheed try to comfort her when she breaks down into tears.
Meanwhile, Storm checks on Rogue down in the Danger Room and saves her from a potentially lethal training session. When Storm attempts to understand what happened between her and Michael Rossi, Rogue only says that she is a monster, then she flees the room telling her to leave her alone. Upstairs, Colossus returns to the mansion and is confronted by Logan who tells Peter that the two of them are going to have a talk about Peter's break-up with Kitty. Nightcrawler insists on coming to keep them out of trouble.
Upstairs, Kitty confides her feelings to Storm and tells her that she is taking some time to visit her parents. She is not sure if she will be coming back. In Dallas, Texas, the federal government's Raven Darkhölme and Valerie Cooper are traveling to Forge, who is said to have devices useful against mutants. While discussing Senator Robert Kelly's proposed Mutant Registration Act, Raven muses over what Valerie would think if she knew a mutant is driving her to Forge.
At a bar in Manhattan, Wolverine and Colossus argue over whether his romance with Zsaji on Battleworld was a relationship, and Peter's true feelings for Kitty. During the conversation, Logan picks up the Juggernaut's scent and realizes that their old foe is drinking at the bar and having fun with a woman. Not wishing for a fight to break out, Logan suggests that they leave. When Colossus decides to be difficult, the slightly drunk mutant stumbles and spills his drink on the Juggernaut.
Embarrassed over his defeat at the hands of Spider-Man, the Juggernaut picks a fight with Colossus. As the fight rages, they trash the bar, but ultimately the Juggernaut wins. When the fight is over, the Juggernaut asks Wolverine and Nightcrawler if they wish to fight. Logan says no, and the Juggernaut departs leaving money to pay for the damages. When they confront Colossus, he is angry with his friends for not helping. Logan points out that X-Men will help each other out for honor and sacrifice everything. Kitty was willing to marry Caliban so that the Morlocks would save his life, but Peter did not thank her for doing so.
As he walks away Nightcrawler tells Wolverine he is unforgiving. However, Logan points out that Colossus needed to be taught a hard lesson about honor. As they walk away, they are unaware of the woman who was with Juggernaut, who has now sucked the life out of a man, leaving a burnt-out husk. It is Selene, and she is glad to be walking the Earth once more after 2000 years.
Uncanny X-Men #184
Dallas, Texas: Valarie Cooper and Raven Darkhölme of the Department of Super-Human Affairs have arrived at the high rise home of the mutant inventor Forge. They are initially taken aback by the holographic display capabilities of his dwelling. They arrive just as Forge's old shaman is leaving; Forge refused to see the signs of some coming mystical danger. When his apathy toward his tribe’s plight prompts Naze to leave, Forge gets right down to business to show Val and Raven his latest invention. From researching the weapons of ROM the Spaceknight, Forge has been able to create a weapon that can neutralize the abilities of a super-human. However, he stresses that the weapon is a prototype and he is unsure whether the effects are permanent or what psychological effect they will have on its target. When Forge shows off his next invention, a mutant detector, Raven becomes worried that Forge might out her as a mutant, compromising her position. However, Forge tells Val the only mutant it detects is himself, however, his jest does nothing more but anger Raven.
Meanwhile, in New York City, Rachel Summers has recently arrived from the future and stops at a display window of an electronics shop. As she watches news coverage of the X-Men's recent battle in Japan, she notes that Storm looks a lot different than she did in her future time. She compares that to the fact that when she went to the X-Mansion earlier, the Illyana Rasputin that answered the door was much older than she was supposed to be. When she catches a report about the upcoming Mutant Control Act, the electricity blinks out forcing Rachel to risk using her powers to power the television. However, the report is over and as Rachel walks out in the night, she begins to wonder if this is the past of her reality or that of an alternate universe.
Rachel is not alone in the streets however; the evil Selene has detected her massive powers and seeks to make Rachel her heir. After Rachel is nearly scared to death by a passing fire truck, Selene makes her move. However, Rachel manages to fight her off and flee into a nightclub. There she is bombarded by all the thoughts of the patrons and collapses on the floor. Just before the bouncer can kick her out, Nick Damiano, the club’s owner, decides that the girl is in serious trouble and takes her upstairs to his apartment. After deflecting Nick's questions, not being able to trust a human, Rachel agrees to take a bath while he prepares a meal for her. However, when Rachel comes out to check on Nick she is horrified to find that Selene has drained his life force away, leaving him a burned-out husk.
The two women begin to battle, and the energies set off Cerebro, prompting Professor X to send Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Rogue to investigate the disturbance. As the X-Men fight through Selene’s defenses, Rogue gets close enough for hand-to-hand combat. Selene grabs Rogue's bare throat, but much to Rogue's surprise, she is the one who is having her power sapped. Rogue is saved by a mental attack by Professor X, which sends Selene fleeing. Charles orders the X-Men to save Rachel and leave the burning building and to let Selene go because she is too powerful. Storm arrives shortly thereafter and uses her powers to put out the fire.
When Rachel comes around, she is shocked to see that the Professor can walk and that Storm looks radically different from her memories and photos. Realizing she traveled back in time to the wrong past, Rachel collapses to the group when she realizes that her world is doomed.
Uncanny X-Men #185
Government agent Henry Gyrich is having a meeting at the Pentagon where he is reporting on the mutant known as Rogue. After explaining her powers, her previous criminal history, and the recent attack on SHIELD, he tells those gathered that he has been authorized to use the neutralizer weapon invented by Forge to stop her. When Raven Darkhölme protests this move, wondering how Gyrich got a prototype when it hasn't been tested, she is shocked to hear that her co-worker Valerie Cooper supports this move and no amount of protests will stop the action from being carried out.
At the X-Mansion, Storm interrupts Professor Xavier's session with Rachel Summers to inform him that Rogue has left. The Professor leaves Rachel alone while he and Storm go downstairs to try and track Rogue using Cerebro. Left to her own devices, Rachel decides to look around the Professor's office. Finding a phone book that lists her father Cyclops living in Alaska, she decides to call and speak to him. However, when she hears his voice and the voice of Madelyne Pryor in the background, Rachel cannot bring herself to utter a single word and eventually Cyclops hangs up.
While back in Washington, Mystique returns to her room to find that Destiny is there waiting for her. Irene warns that Rogue is in trouble, however Mystique wonders if allowing Gyrich to neutralize her powers could be to the benefit of Rogue having a normal life. When she asks Irene what the future has in store for Rogue, Destiny cannot see into the immediate future as some temporal anomaly prevents her from doing so. As Gyrich approaches where they are tracking Rogue, Mystique contacts Forge and tells him that the government is using his prototype without testing it. Forge is furious and flies after them in his private jet while placing in a call to the president.
While in Caldecott Country, Mississippi, Rogue is spending time relaxing along the banks of the Mississippi River. She is found by Storm who confronts her with the truth about the phantom memories she's been living of Carol Danvers. When Rogue admits that she is struggling to find a way to control her powers and fears harming them, Storm convinces her to willingly absorb some of her power. Rogue is reluctant at first, but since Storm does is willingly offering up her powers, Rogue tries it out. The power absorption knocks Storm out, and Rogue is completely amazed by the abilities she has gained and how Storm sees the world.
After finding that mastering Storm's powers would take some work, Rogue is attacked by Gyrich and his men. As Rogue attempts to avoid getting blasted by the neutralizer, her weather-controlling ability spirals out of control, and a massive storm is created, threatening a nearby boat. Storm, having revived, comes to Rogue’s aid to control the weather and pull the boat to calmer waters. Gyrich takes this as an opportunity to get a clear shot on Rogue, however, Storm shoves her out of the way. Storm is struck by the weapon, causing her powers to flare out of control, destroying the ship and knocking Rogue far away, before being neutralized. Storm falls unconsciously to the water below where Forge, having arrived just in time to witness the event, dives into her rescue. He is furious at Gyrich for using his untested prototype and the fact that he hit an innocent woman. He points out that Storm is a member of the X-Men and Gyrich's stupidity today may have turned the X-Men from champions of humanity to their enemies.
Watching this from a mystical pool far away are the Dire Wraiths who have analyzed Forge's weapon and finds that it is similar to that which was used by ROM the Spaceknight. In order to guarantee their victory in taking over the Earth, the Wraiths have come to the decision that Forge must die.
Uncanny X-Men #186
Continued from last issue...
Storm has been taken to the Dallas, Texas home of mutant inventor Forge following an ordeal where her powers have been stripped from her by a weapon of Forge's own invention. Unaware of this fact, the former mutant has lost her will to live and has spent her time in Forge's company refusing to eat. Forge's attempts to help her fail and he becomes frustrated and acts as though he gives up on her. Watching a holographic display of the incident earlier when Henry Gyrich blasted her, Forge is surprised when Storm comes out of the guest room and tells him that he was kind, but should have let her drown.
While at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, the Professor tries to track Storm through Cerebro after he detected her pain caused by the neutralizer device. However, he tells Nightcrawler that he cannot. Whatever caused the pain has severed their psychic rapport, but he insists that she is still alive somewhere.
Storm, meanwhile, is spending time with Forge. She learns that Rogue has escaped government capture and comes to terms with the fact that she no longer has powers. She finds the holograms that make Forge's home seem to be suspended in mid-air unnerving. Later when Forge is swimming in his pool, Storm decides to join him and they race across the pool. Storm gets to the other side first and is shocked to find that Forge is a cyborg, as his artificial hand and leg have been left by the side of the pool. When Forge comes out of the pool he shows her the scars down the side of his body and tells her that his injuries were a result of his missions during the Vietnam War. He explains to her that after the accident he too lost his will to live, but with time and healing, he learned to move on with his life.
In Caldecott County, Mississippi, Val Cooper and her colleague Philip are winding down after their mission. Their search for Rogue being a dead end after Storm's depowering caused their mutant detector to short out. When Phil goes to his car to drive home, he is attacked by a Dire Wraith who quickly kills him and takes his form. The Wraith disguised as Phil then leads its fellow Wraiths to Val's hotel room. Gaining access through Val's trust in Phil, the creatures attack her with the intent of replacing her with a Dire Wraith. Before they can, Rogue enters the room, having tracked down Cooper to sort out her problems with the government. Val learns from the Wraith disguised as Phil that they intend to take over the world. Rogue kills one of the Wraiths and Val is forced to shoot the alien posing as her dead colleague in the head. As Val flees, Rogue strikes the last Wraith with her bare fist absorbing some of its memories and she is instantly, violently disgusted by the vile alien thoughts she has absorbed. This is detected by the Professor in New York, who suffers a mild psychic backlash from trying to read the alien thoughts in Rogue's mind. As Val tries to flee the scene, Rogue, under the influence of Dire Wraith's thoughts, attempts to "replace" Val, however only succeeds in absorbing some of her memories with her mutant powers before she stops herself. She ends up absorbing all the plans that the Department of Mutant Affairs has been plotting and how their neutralizer stripped Storm of her powers. Horrified, Rogue flees the scene vowing to make the government pay if Storm was badly hurt and leaves to reunite herself with her fellow X-Men.
While back at Forge's home, Storm prepares to have supper with Forge and decides to try on a dress he had delivered for her. When both become nervous over their emerging feelings, Storm changes into something more comfortable. As they are eating, Storm hears a thunderstorm outside, and Forge turns on the buildings' holographic projector to show her. She is upset by this and Forge turns it off. Storm then confides in him about her recent changes from a “weather goddess” to a darker and adventure-seeking personality and how this recent change has affected her as well. The two share a kiss, finally letting their emotions come forward. Their supper is interrupted when the phone rings. When Forge answers it he tells Storm that it's business and leaves to take the call in another room. Storm decides to take this as a moment to call the X-Men on the other line and tell them that she is okay. She accidentally picks up the line that Forge is on and overhears Henry Gyrich telling Forge about how Rogue has been sighted. She overhears them talking about the Neutralizer and Storm learns that Forge was the one who invented it.
Storm screams and tries to flee the building. Hearing her, Forge tries to follow after her to explain. Rushing through his home, the holographic projector switches to a simulation of the Vietnam conflict. Storm is disorientated and cannot find her way around and in a panic calls out to her goddess to help her. Just then a lightning bolt strikes the side of Forge's building blasting open a wall to the outside balcony. Storm rushes out there where Forge finally confronts her. He tries to explain to her that the Neutralizer was not meant to be used the way it was and that he was only doing his job. She refuses to believe him, and when he tells her that he too is a mutant, she is horrified that one of her own kind could create a device against mutants. She lashes out at him, rejecting his offers to help and cure her. She punches him in the face, knocking him down, and tells him that he's sold out of his race and that he lives in his tower alone and unaware of how his indifference affects those around him. She leaves, telling him that while her feet may never leave the ground again, she will someday fly again.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #187
Continued from the last issue...
Storm is walking away from Forge's home following the revelation that he invented the neutralizer weapon that stole her powers. As she flees, some Dire Wraiths who are seeking to destroy the weapon and its creator arrive at the huge tower and get past security by posing as FBI agents until one of their kind replicates the security guard. Hearing the racket, Storm turns and is attacked by a Dire Wraith that comes out of the huge downpour. Storm rushes back to Forge's office tower where she finds a gun among the scattered remains of the security guard and tries to use it to defend herself. Despite the shooting lessons that Wolverine previously had given her, it’s Forge's old friend Nazé who manages to kill the alien sorcerer with a shotgun. Nazé explains who he is and he and Storm attempt to contact Forge about the danger coming from above.
This is too late because when Forge answers the phone, the Dire Wraiths enter his penthouse and use their mystical powers to create Deathwings to protect the building. Without power in the building, Storm and Nazé are forced to climb the elevator shaft where they are attacked by a Hellhound. It attacks Storm, but Nazé manages to shoot it dead. They are next attacked by another Wraith, whose mystical bolt breaks one of the elevator cables. As it madly springs upwards, Storm gets her foot caught on it and finds herself being pulled up to a potentially painful death. She manages to pull herself free and uses the cable to bring her up to the level where Forge lives, leaving Nazé to traverse the other floors alone.
Storm exits onto the rooftop patio to find that the Wraith's have cast a spell to turn the rainstorm into a blizzard. Unable to resist the cold, Storm is forced back when she is attacked by another Hellhound and Wraith. As she locks them back outside, she is struck by a powerful mystical mental backlash caused, unknown to her, by Nazé being replaced by a Dire Wraith. This backlash is felt by Forge who has fled deeper into his home and activated the automated defenses.
Storm catches up to Forge and the two face off against the Wraiths together. When one of the Wraiths attempts to trick Forge by casting an illusion spell to make it look like Storm, and Storm look like a Dire Wraith, Forge taps in his long-neglected mystical talent to learn the truth and destroys the Wraith. They are reunited by "Nazé" who congratulates Forge for embracing his heritage once more. Just then, Rogue and Colossus smash through the roof and join up with Forge, Storm, and the faux Nazé in mounting a counter-attack on the Wraiths in Forge's home. As Storm, Colossus, and Rogue fight off the horde of Wraiths, Deathwings and Hellhounds, Forge rushes off to find some kind of distraction.
Left to his own devices, the Wraith-Nazé goes to the Eagle's Nest inner sanctum and begins preparing a spell of evil intent. As the X-Men continue to fight against the Wraiths, Forge provides ample distraction by having his home's holographic simulator create virtual constructs of the Spaceknights ROM and Starshine, striking fear in the Wraiths. This allows the X-Men to easily wipe out the rest of the Dire Wraiths. However, before they can consider the battle over they are suddenly attacked by a manifestation of Shadowbeings that have been summoned by the Wraiths.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #188
Continued from last issue...
Following their supposed victory against the Dire Wraiths, the X-Men and Forge find themselves besieged by a manifestation of Shadowbeings that threaten to swallow them up. As they struggle to free themselves from being assimilated, Storm uses the gun that Forge gave her to shoot off his mechanical leg so he can get away and find some help. As Forge calls out to Nazé, he is unaware that his tribe's shaman has been replaced by a Dire Wraith who now is casting an evil spell in the inner sanctum of Forge's penthouse. The Wraith-Nazé calls for a mystical being to aid the Dire Wraiths and offers the entire Earth in exchange. This powerful neither being scans "Nazé's" body and learns the truth and mystically strikes him down dead, finding that killing this pretender suits his purposes better.
Meanwhile, just above the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, Amanda Sefton is working her job as an airplane stewardess when suddenly Nightcrawler appears and teleports her away onto the Blackbird. He explains to her the X-Men's dilemma that the X-Men need her aid. They quickly teleport into Forge's Eagles Next and Amanda goes to work. With one mystical blast, she frees the X-Men but fails to destroy the Shadowbeings. Rogue transforms into a Dire Wraith due to her mutant absorbing powers and battles with Colossus. Just then, Colossus's sister Magik appears and uses her Soul Sword to change Rogue back to normal while Amanda unleashes her full power to mystically snare the Shadowbeings so that Illyana can destroy them with her Soul Sword. However, they prove too powerful. Realizing that a Wraith must still be alive, Storm remembers the one she locked up on the roof. Forge and Nightcrawler teleport there and Forge finds and terminates the last Wraith, ending the threat of the Shadow beings inside.
With the X-Men recover from the battle, Forge goes looking for Nazé and finds what he believes to be his old friend’s unconscious body. Storm enters the room and tells him that the X-Men are leaving. Forge tries to stop her and she threatens to shoot him. She tells him that he should not worry, as they will meet again, however she tells him he might regret it, and she leaves.
Meanwhile, out in deep-sea near the Bermuda Triangle, Lee Forester's fish crew is at work when they spot a man in the water being attacked by sharks. Lee manages to fend the creatures off with a rifle and pull the man aboard the ship. Getting a better look at the man she saved, she is shocked to see that it is Magneto. The master of magnetism remembers her from their previous encounter and tells her that he is indebted to her.
While at the X-Mansion, Storm and the other X-Men have returned to the mansion from Dallas. Storm is coming out of the pool after a swim and is met by Nightcrawler. Kurt comes to tell her that the Professor has called a meeting for the X-Men. Storm tells Kurt that since she is no longer a mutant she doesn't feel like she is part of the X-Men and declines to join. However, Kurt manages to convince her to join.
As the X-Men are having their meeting, outside Rachel, Illyana and Sunspot try to listen in to what's going on. The Professor detects their presence and tells his young students to go to bed. Rachel declines to accompany the younger students and decides to stay up a while longer. Inside the Professor's study, the X-Men vent their frustrations over the United States government is responsible for stripping Storm of her powers and discuss what they should do about the coming Mutant Control Act that is being pushed through Congress.
Nightcrawler airs his frustrations about the current state of human and mutant affairs and points out that anti-mutant sentiments were the reason Jean Grey died. Hearing this from outside, Rachel lashes out telepathically, not willing to believe that her mother had died years before she was born in the future. The Professor manages to calm her down and Rachel explains the story about her past, which may or may not be the X-Men's future. She explains how when she was a young girl, anti-mutant forces gunned down most of the students and blew up the mansion and that she witnessed Charles Xavier being shot herself. How as an adult she was locked in a concentration camp for mutants and how the X-Men tried to save their future while Kate Pryde was sent back in time to prevent their future from happening and how all the X-Men had died.
This vision from the future shocks all of the X-Men and the Professor is the most visibly shaken of them all. Rachel explains that when the X-Men failed to stop the Sentinels in her time she attempted to travel back in time, but found herself in the past that she does not remember. She pleads to Nightcrawler not to give up their struggle and to continue to fight for human mutant peace. Nightcrawler takes this to heart and agrees to keep on fighting.
At a New York shipping yard, Jaime Rodriguez is hard at work hauling crates of fish when one crate accidentally falls to the ground and breaks open. Examining the spilled fish he notices that one of them has a strange golden amulet stuffed inside it. Removing it, Rodriquez marvels at how much money he could get selling it when the amulet suddenly speaks, telling him that if he dons the amulet he will have the power to rule the world.
Uncanny X-Men #189
Rachel Summers and the New Mutant known as Magma take some time together to bond and see the sights that New York City has to offer. As they visit that Statue of Liberty, all Rachel can recall is the apocalyptic future she comes from where mutants are hunted down and where she spent a brief time as a "Hound", mutants forced to hunt other mutants by the repressive and anti-mutant government that runs her world. She recalls how one time she was brought out into the bay to track down mutants who were gunned down. When the memory makes her begin to cry, Amara asks her what's wrong and Rachel shrugs it off as being "something" in her eye.
Meanwhile, aboard the sailing ship Norway, Storm is bidding farewell to her fellow X-Men as she takes a leave of absence to return to her native Africa to determine what to do with her life now that her powers have been taken away. As the group enjoys champaign, they all have a tearful good-bye, Storm tells Nightcrawler to send her love to Kitty.
As Rachel and Amara continue their sightseeing, Miguel Rodriguez continues his daily labors, hauling fish on a dock. When he walks past the changing room, he spots some of his coworkers snooping in his locker. Miguel swats them away to see that the amulet he found earlier is still there. When it begins talking once more, offering him untold power, he rejects it, feeling that it is evil, and slams his locker door shut.
As Rachel and Amara exit the New York Metropolitan Museum, Amara spots her old foe from Nova Roma, Selene. At first, she is upset when Rachel plucks the thought out of her mind, but she agrees to let her newfound friend join her in tracking her down. The two-track their mutual enemy to the gates of the Hellfire Club. The two sneak in and put on some maids outfits so that they can snoop around. As it turns out, Selene has come to the Hellfire Club to petition for membership as the new Black Queen. Sebastian Shaw is hardly impressed and tells her that it is a position that must be earned. Selene gives him a show of her powers, animating the ground around him and almost crushing him. Deciding that she will prove to him her worth, even though Shaw realizes that she would likely seize control of the Hellfire Club from him, she teleports away to bring him a present. Left alone, Tessa asks Shaw if he will admit her to the club. Shaw tells her that, given the circumstances, he may have little choice in the matter.
Upstairs, Rachel continues to pose as a maid when she is approached by who she thinks is Selene and lashes out with a psi-blast. It turns out to be an illusion and that she had really attacked Amara. She is then caught from behind by Selene, who uses her powers to enslave both Rachel and Amara and bring them to Sebastian Shaw. Upon doing so, Tessa silently remarks on how Rachel has a striking resemblance to Jean Grey.
Deep inside Rachel's mind, she struggles to free herself, not wishing to become someone's slave, and manages to break Selene's hold on her. Establishing a psi-link with Amara, she struggles with her to free her from Selene's control as well. Forcing her to use her powers in the psychic plane that has been created causes Amara to snap free from Selene's control. The two X-Men then battle Selene, however are easily overpowered. Before things can escalate further, Colossus, Rogue, and Nightcrawler arrive. Nightcrawler teleports Selene away, and the mental projection of Professor X appears and demands to know what's going on. When Amara insists on getting revenge on Selene, Xavier tells her to stand down. When Shaw tells the X-Men that he has no quarrel with them and that kidnapping Rachel and Amara was not his idea, the X-Men decide to depart without further incident. When Rachel asks if her psychic SOS helped the X-Men locate her, Xavier points her attention to the outside, where the damage caused by Magma's powers was visibly evident.
Elsewhere, Jamie Rodriguez waits for a subway train after his busy day at work, listening to the latest news broadcast regarding Dazzler's outing as a mutant and the continued debate over the Mutant Control Act that is working its way through Congress. As he listens, he doesn't notice a mugger sneak up being him and stab him with a knife from behind. As Jamie collapses to the ground, the thief grabs the amulet that has dropped out of his pockets. Upon doing so, it releases the forces trapped inside and begins engulfing the entire subway platform with Eldridge fire, the start of a terrible transformation.
Uncanny X-Men #190
Continued from last issue...
The military has come to New York in full force after a strange mystical barrier has erected itself around the island of Manhattan, transforming the teeming metropolis into a Hyborean realm of barbarians and magic. In Washington DC, there is an emergency meeting with National Security at the White House. There, Valerie Cooper briefs those gathered of the situation going on in New York. She explains that anyone who crosses the mystical barrier into the city is transformed into a barbarian from a bygone era with no memory of their previous life. However, those who stumble out of the area are restored to normal. Intelligence has gathered that an evil sorcerer named Kulan Gath is responsible for the spell. Attempts to contact the Avengers and the Fantastic Four have failed, however Val confirms that a number of the Avengers, X-Men and Spider-Man have been spotted active in the city. All of them, with the exception of Spider-Man, had been transformed.
When the talk focuses on members of the X-Men, a bunch of anti-mutant rhetoric gets passed around until a commanding military officer speaks up about how this is exactly the sort of bigotry that America fought against when they battled the Nazi's during World War II. Val breaks up the debate and tells them that she hopes the super-human community trapped within the mystical barrier can resolve their problem.
Within the barrier, Storm of the X-Men has been transformed into a warrior woman aboard a passenger ship. She is awoken when her sleeping quarters is broken into by the Vizier's Guard, Morlocks led by their captain Callisto who now are enforcers for Kulan Gath. They arrest her because her existence displeases their master and they are about to brand her with a hot iron collar, but Storm manages to break free, knocking over the hot coals. As the other Morlocks attempt to avoid the flames, Storm climbs up to the mast head, but Callisto follows after her. Unarmed, Storm is defenseless when Callisto slashes her stomach open with a knife. This causes her to briefly remember her previous identity. With the boat burning up quickly, Storm grabs Callisto and swings out to the water. Being sure that Callisto takes the brunt of the impact, Storm swims away from the blaze and passes out of the mystical barrier. She and Callisto are restored back to normal and Storm retains all her memories. Swimming toward a military vessel, Storm wonders what Kulan Gath has done to her other friends.
At that very moment, Kulan Gath is doing everything in his power to convert those who would stop him into his loyal slaves. To this end, he magically merges Professor X and Caliban into a single entity to better hunt his foes and has Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange, mystically warped so that he cannot utter a magic spell or cast any with his fingers, rending him harmless. With these threats neutralized, Gath orders prisoners to be brought to them. The most recent prisoners are members of the New Mutants. However, while he is capable of transforming Wolfsbane, Cannonball, Sunspot, and Mirage into his loyal slaves, his spell has no effect on Warlock who manages to escape. When it is explained that Warlock does not come from Earth and is immune to the Master Spell, Kulan uses his magical might to force Caliban/Xavier to deal with the Technarc. Gath is unaware that he is being spied upon by Selene who also has not been affected by the spell and has decided to overthrow him. Selene teleports into the city where she kills a number of Kulan Gath's minions in an attempt to recruit Rachel Summers and Magma to her side.
Meanwhile, on the Hudson River on the other side of the barrier, Storm and Callisto are aboard a military ship trying to figure out what to do, now that they are locked up. They are contacted by Selene telepathically through Rachel to warn them that Kulan Gath intends to not only make his Master Spell permanent, but also to make it encompass the entire Earth. She tells Storm and Callisto that while she cannot prevent another transformation when they cross the barrier, she can at least make them remember their mission. Agreeing to do something, Storm picks the lock to the room that they were locked in and they jump ship, heading toward the barrier.
Back on the other side, Spider-Man, one of the only people unchanged by the Master Spell, flees for his life. Hunted by the New Mutants, Spider-Man ducks into a tavern and tries to fight them off. Inside are the transformed Avengers, Captain America, Starfox and Wasp, as well as the X-Men Nightcrawler and Rogue. The New Mutants succeed in capturing Spider-Man when Mirage notices young Illyana and recognizes her as a foe of her master. Before she can take Magik prisoner, the Avengers step in and a fight breaks out. Nightcrawler and Rogue decide to join the fight and help the Avengers. As the battle rages, Colossus and Sunder enter the fray, turning the battle in a massive free for all.
Back on the other side, Storm and Callisto travel the Morlock Tunnels to the edge of the barrier. Without hesitation the two pass through, once more being transformed into warriors and are instantly ambushed. While above, the battle rages on until Magik begins using her magic. She realizes that her Soul Sword frees those from Kulan Gath's control when she strikes her brother Colossus with the sword. She is soon overwhelmed by attackers until Selene steps in and uses her powers to slay most of the warriors, forcing the New Mutants to retreat from the battle.
With the fight over, Selene makes her presence known to the heroes and offers an alliance with them. She is attacked by an astral image of Kulan Gath who swallows her up, transporting her off to be his prisoner. He warns the gathered rebels to cease their quest to overthrow him, offering them pleasure beyond their wildest dreams and teleports away, warning them not to cross his path again. As Kulan Gath disappears, Storm and Callisto arrive and they and the others flee before the forces of Kulan Gath can storm the tavern. When Gath learns that his enemies have fled, Selene mocks him. This causes her to be tortured. Gath then tells his minions that he wants all the rebels taken prisoner by sunrise and sends them back out into the city.
Meanwhile in the Morlock tunnels, the gathered rebels camp out for the night and begin comparing notes. They all realize that Kulan Gath is their primary concern but worry that Selene's brand of evil is something to be dealt with when Kulan Gath is defeated. Deciding to work together, the heroes all call out "Avengers Assemble!" Although most are gathered together in this rallied cry, standing off to the side are Rachel and Magma.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #191
Continued from last issue...
With the island of Manhattan transformed into a hyborian era reality by Kulan Gath, the evil sorcerer who has Spider-Man strung up and tortured. He explains to the wall-crawler that he intends to use him as a sacrifice to make his Master Spell expand the entire globe and become irreversible in repayment for his previous humiliation at the hands of Spider-Man. When Spider-Man continues to joke despite his condition, Gath tortures him some more so that his screams echo across his castle. Kulan Gath then goes and checks on his other prisoners, and tortures Selene for daring to oppose him by mutating her beaten body so that she, like Dr. Strange, cannot cast or chant any magic spells.
When Mirage and Sunder report back saying that they have been unable to find the rebels, he angrily turns them into stone until Caliban/Xavier also tells them that they also cannot detect their enemies. Restoring Sunder and Mirage to normal, Sunder suggests that the rebels must be hiding in the Morlock tunnels - the only place where magic cannot search for them.
While in the ruins of what used to be the New York Public Library, the gathered Avengers and X-Men wander through the wreckage of Kulan Gath's most recent slaughter. They are attacked by a woman named Arilynn, the sole survivor of the massacre, who attacks them believing them to be the enemy as they include Callisto as one of their number.
Before they can explain further, they are attacked by Kulan Gath's forces, led by the Scarlet Witch. As the battle rages, Rogue loses her invulnerable diamond form, leaving her vulnerable to attack and she is killed when she is stabbed in the back with an enemy sword. Furious to see her comrade die in battle, Storm enters the fray like a woman possessed.
She is almost over powered when suddenly Warlock smashes through the wall and carries her away. Unfortunately for Warlock, he cannot communicate to Storm due to the Master Spell making them speak two different languages.
The battle ends with with the rebels fleeing with Starfox and the Wasp captured by the enemy. They are taken to Kulan Gath, who uses his powers to transform them into powerful magical creatures to use against his enemies. Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the building, Warlock attempts to communicate with Storm with visual imagery showing her her previous self before the magical transformation. Storm cannot full understand what the creature is telling her, but the sight of the old world allows her to begin to see through the illusion cast by the Master Spell.
Meanwhile, the rebels decide to try and sneak into Kulan Gath's palace. The next day, with Captain America and Colossus posing as soldiers, they pretend to be taking Magma and Rachel as prisoners to Kulan Gath. However, Gath is waiting for them and sends his New Mutant and Morlock subbordinates against them. As the battle rages on, Magik uses her Soul Sword to free her fellow New Mutants from Kulan Gath's control.
In the heat of the battle, Callisto is forced to slit Sunder's throat but vows to him that his death will be avenged. Their fight spills into Kulan Gath's throne room where Spider-Man has been mystically crucified onto a cross for the final sacrifice that would finalize the Master Spell.
As Kulan Gath watches on, the Vision then attempts to solidify himself in Colossus's body, causing both men to explode, seriously wounding Captain America. Nightcrawler, Callisto, Illyana and Arilynn attempt to storm Gath, but are then turned into stone by the Scarlet Witch.
Having seen enough, Spider-Man uses the last of his strength to break free from his bonds despite the pain. Spider-Man attempts to attack Kulan Gath directly, but is mystically struck down. Watching from above, Storm and Warlock dive down to attack Kulan Gath, managing to remove the amulet from around his neck. However before Storm can destroy it, Magma manages to steal it away and use it to restore Selene to normal she then uses her power to strike down Warlock. However, before Selene can use the power of the amulet to her own ends, Storm allows the dying Warlock to infect her with the Transmode Virus. This causes Storm to regain her full memories and in turn infect Selene with the Transmode Virus. With Selene under he control, Storm forces her to use her magics to free Dr. Strange.
Freed from his bondage, Dr. Strange deduces that the only way to undo the damage caused by Kulan Gath would be to prevent him from casting his Master Spell to begin with. As such, Strange combines his magic with Illyana's mutant teleporting power to alter history so that Kulan Gath never rose to power. Appearing in Dr. Strange's sanctum, the only ones who remember the battle are Strange, Magik, Professor X, Storm, Callisto, Caliban, Captain America, and Arilynn. He tells those gathered that they will be the only ones who will remember the battle. Because nobody knew how Kulan Gath gained his dominance, they all wonder how history might have been effected in order to prevent events from unfolding.
At that moment, in the subway station where Jamie Rodriguez was supposed to be stabbed by a mugger, Nimrod, a mutant hunting super-sentinel from the future appears in the train station. Seeing a human being in jeopardy, Nimrod blasts the mugger, incinerating him. The blast also knocks Jamie off-balance, making the amulet fall out of his pocket and sink into the mud next to the subway tracks. Helping Jamie up, Nimrod scans the area and notes an anti-mutant epitaph spray painted on a Dazzler movie poster. The android realizes that mutants are considered a threat in this time, and that it must carry out its prime directive to obliterate all mutants.
Uncanny X-Men #192
Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Rogue are engaging in an outdoor training session, which Nightcrawler succeeds in trouncing both by tricking them into landing in a nearby lake. When they take a break, Rogue tells Colossus to focus, however, his mind is stuck on Kitty Pryde, who is finally returning from Japan with Wolverine and he is still upset over hurting her after revealing his romance with Zsaji during the Secret Wars. When Rogue tries to relate to him, with her guilt over what she did to Carol Danvers, Nightcrawler begins to wonder if Rogue also absorbed Carol's seventh sense and attempts to find out by tricking her by using his teleportation powers. She gets angry that he is touching her and she hits him a little too hard and saves him from being smashed against some rocks. When Nightcrawler cheekily asks for a kiss she drops him in the water and flies away. Nightcrawler realizes that Rogue is uncomfortable with any sort of intimacy thanks to her powers. Nightcrawler and Colossus decide to go and make amends with her and notice that she flew toward an abandoned mansion nearby. Before they can go their attention is turned to a bright glow from up in the sky, some strange thing has fallen out of the sky and crash-landed near the old mansion.
Meanwhile, at Kennedy Airport, Professor X, Storm, Illyana, Rachel, and Lockheed wait for Wolverine and Kitty to return from Japan. As Rachel waits she picks up stray thoughts with her telepathic power and is depressed by how many anti-mutant thoughts are in the crowd around her. This causes her to recall back to her last moments in the future time she comes from. She and Kate Pryde were attempting to break into the Project Nimrod facility to destroy the newest mutant killing robot being developed by the humans. Trapped in a room that Kate could not phase out of and with Nimrod trailing on them, Kate would say the word "Dark Phoenix", causing Rachel to use her powers based on a post-hypnotic suggestion and send herself back in time.
Her recollection causes her to be faint and she is righted by the modern-day Kitty Pride who has just got off the plane with Wolverine. Their reunion is warm, and Kitty suddenly recognizes Rachel for who she is. Explaining that when her future self briefly possessed her body her mind was briefly in the future.
Meanwhile, back at the abandoned mansion, Colossus and Nightcrawler investigate the crash site of whatever landed nearby. To their surprise, a number of the trees and a deer have been infected with the same Transmode Virus as that used by the New Mutant known as Warlock. Colossus recalls how Warlock explained that he fled his homeworld to escape his father and wonders if the worst has happened. Elsewhere in the ruins, Rogue, having been knocked out by the crash landing awakens to find that Warlock's father the Magus has arrived on Earth. When he attempts to assimilate Rogue, she fights him off, causing damage by ripping off one of his tendrils. Before Magus can counter-attack Colossus and Nightcrawler arrive. When the Magnus attempts to attack Colossus, Nightcrawler grabs a portion of the Technarch and teleports away causing him serious damage. Rogue then flies in and attempts to use her absorption powers on Magus.
This causes Rogue to absorb the Technarch physiology and the feedback knocks her away from the battle. Colossus and Nightcrawler rush to her aid as she fights off its effects. This allows Magus to escape, projecting a holographic image warning the X-Men to turn over his son Warlock or the Earth will suffer. Later the other X-Men arrive to help try to track the Magus down, however, their search turns up nothing. When a police officer arrives the Professor is forced to use his mental powers to alter the officers' perceptions to protect their double identities and because they cannot find a trace of the Magus, they leave. When the officer gets back into his squad car he is shocked when he is assimilated by the Magus. Taking close measures of humanity, a race that he has heard previously defeated Galactus he decides never to underestimate them again. He then leaves the scene to try and locate his son.
A few months later, Professor Xavier has begun giving lectures at Columbia University. Just as schools are closed for the Christmas break, Xavier begins to walk home. Along the way, he thinks about human-mutant relations when he pauses at an anti-mutant slogan spray-painted on a wall. He is suddenly attacked by an anti-mutant mob. Attempting to defend himself with his mental powers fails and he is struck with a brick and beaten nearly to death. The mob flees and leaves him to die in the street. However, someone has witnessed the beating and has dragged Xavier away into a nearby alley.
Uncanny X-Men #193
Muir Island: Retired X-Man Sean Cassidy is out for his regular jog that he's been going on since he lost the use of his mutant powers. On this night, however, Thunderbird has come to the island and knocks him out. Thunderbird blames Sean for the death of his brother John, the original Thunderbird and knocks the former Banshee out.
Meanwhile, in the United States, Charles Xavier wakes up to find himself in the private quarters of Callisto following a beating at the hands of an anti-mutant mob. Xavier has difficulty remembering the events leading up to his attack and has no recollection of his attackers. He is disturbed by the change of clothing that Callisto has provided for him but is grateful that her minion the Healer was able to save his life even though he was on the brink of death. Xavier is surprised at the sheer size of the Alley where the Morlocks call home and learns that it stretches all over Manhattan and even reaches as far as his own school. When discussing the leadership of the Morlocks, Callisto explains that while Storm has no powers she maintains leadership of the Morlocks and Callisto cannot challenge her until her powers return. Xavier tries to convince Callisto to bring the Morlocks out from hiding; however, the conversation is cut short when Sunder arrives with the dead children of the Morlock known as Annalee. Furious, Callisto points out that this is why the Morlocks do not live on the surface and warns that if the humans want a race war then the Morlocks are willing to give them one.
Later, nearby the Cheyenne Mountain close to the NORAD missile command center, Thunderbird is going over the remaining wreckage where his brother died many months earlier and vows to make Xavier pay for sending his brother to his death. He is joined by his fellow Hellions, Empath, and Roulette. Thunderbird is upset that they have come as he wishes to deal with the X-Men by himself. However, they are not without reinforcements as Empath has brought along the newest Hellion, Angelica Jones, known as Firestar, whom he has been keeping enthralled with his empathic abilities much to Roulette's chagrin.
At the X-Mansion, the X-Men and the New Mutants are in a training session. After playing a game of tag, they recreate a simulation of the New Mutants recent episode on the Dyson Sphere owned by Lila Cheney. Their training session ends when Professor Xavier returns with Callisto. Seeing Xavier in the tattered clothing of a Morlock gives the X-Men and the junior New Mutants a good laugh, especially Cannonball who was given grief from the Professor for purposely dressing in a similar fashion.
While on a cruise ship in the mid-Atlantic, Storm is well on her way back to her native Africa so that she can sort out where to go next in her life now that she is without her mutant abilities. She is visited by an apparent vision of her mother and wonders if she really saw it or not and if she is following her destiny.
Back at the Xavier estate, the Professor tries to relax in the bath after his ordeal and finds that even after being healed by the Morlocks healer, he is still very sore after his beating. He is called down to the War Room of the mansion where the X-Men are receiving a video call from Thunderbird who tells them that he has taken Banshee prisoner and he intends to kill him in 24 hours in revenge. He explains to them that he has hidden Sean somewhere in Cheyenne Mountain and for the X-Men to try and find them.
The X-Men quickly mobilize and Xavier attempts to establish a psychic rapport, he finds that he has difficulty and gets Rachel to form one for them. When Shadowcat uses her phasing powers to get herself inside the NORAD facility, it allows Nightcrawler the telepathic "view" needed to teleport in there without hurting himself. Nightcrawler then smuggles Colossus, Rogue, Rachel and Wolverine into the facility, however, it wears him out. He goes one more time to report back to the Professor. Returning back to his friends, the Professor is left alone to monitor things with the Blackbird's portable Cerebro unit. Discovered by the Hellions, the Professor is caught off guard when Roulette tosses one of her discs into the cockpit causing electrical damage that causes feedback into Xavier's brain. In enters Empath who uses his powers to send Lockheed fleeing in terror and then he matches his empathic power against Xavier's telepathy. When Empath bites off more than he can chew, Roulette knocks Xavier out with knockout gas.
This is immediately detected by Rachel who tells the others. Shadowcat goes back to the Blackbird and finds the Professor knocked out and the equipment trashed. When Nightcrawler asks Rachel to use her telepathic powers to track Sean down, she cannot bring herself to do it as it brings back horrifying memories as her time as a hound and collapses into a ball. Instead, Shadowcat uses her phasing powers so that she and Wolverine can search the facility to try and find Sean. Meanwhile, Nightcrawler teleports Rogue out of the facility to look after the Professor while he, Colossus and Rachel try to move on.
In the War Room of NORAD, Empath has used his powers to gain access and he, Firestar, and Roulette have grown bored with the lack of action. Empath uses his powers to tip security off to the X-Men's presence and has them send out their SecBots to neutralize all intruders. While Empath brags to Firestar, Roulette walks off to try to do something herself to make the White Queen proud of her.
Wolverine and Shadowcat manage to find Sean chained to one of the shock absorbers that protects the secret facility. There Wolverine is attacked by Thunderbird, who is at first no match for Wolverine's superior fighting skills. However, Thunderbird has prepared for this and the room begins pumping with gas. Shadowcat quickly gets Sean to safety, however, when she goes back to help Wolverine the gas knocks her out and she falls through to floor in her solid state knocking her out. With Wolverine distracted over Kitty's well-being, Thunderbird takes advantage of the situation by landing a powerful punch. Leaving the room before the gas can affect him; Thunderbird is shocked to see Wolverine go back for Shadowcat when he expected him to abandon his comrade like he believed was done with his brother John. Thunderbird realizes that he cannot leave the two X-Men behind to die in such a dishonorable way and drags them out of the room to safety. Placing gas masks on their faces, Thunderbird rushes off hoping to get revenge against Xavier.
Elsewhere in the complex, the SecBots find Colossus, Rachel, and Nightcrawler, prompting Nightcrawler to bring Rogue back to join the fight. As Nightcrawler, Colossus and Rogue fight off the robots, Rachel is still in an emotional breakdown, unable to break out of her fetal position to fight back. As they are distracted, Firestar smashes through the room, pulling Colossus outside with her. The SecBots capture Nightcrawler and down Rogue. The two mutants are about to be executed when Nightcrawler teleports free and knocks out the commanding officers who have arrived on the scene.
With Colossus high in the air and succumbing to Firestar's microwave powers, Rogue comes to his rescue as the girl struggles with the waning effects of Empath's powers. Rogue knocks the girl out with ease and carries her and Colossus back down to the ground. Meanwhile, Nightcrawler is fighting off those under Empath's thrall when Thunderbird appears and gives Empath trouble for interfering in his revenge plot. Shadowcat sneaks in and pulls Empath through the floor and he passes out when Wolverine threatens him with his claws. This causes everyone to snap out of it and attack Nightcrawler whom they shoot at with extreme prejudice as he is trying to capture Roulette. He manages to avoid injury by slipping into a heating duct.
Meanwhile, Thunderbird continues to make his way out of the facility to get back at Professor X and manages to avoid getting caught by Shadowcat. Before Kitty and Wolverine can go after him, they are found by guards and another SecBot. While elsewhere, Rogue and Colossus attempt to convince Rachel to fight with them, but she cannot bring herself to use her powers. Rogue, getting sick of Rachel's weakness in a dangerous situation tells her to touch her bare hands so that she can absorb Rachel's telepathic powers and use them instead. Nightcrawler arrives and convinces Rachel to use her powers to locate Wolverine and Shadowcat so he can teleport to their location. Rogue then leaves with the unconscious Firestar to bring her back to the Professor.
Professor X, meanwhile, has revived from being knocked out to find Thunderbird standing over him. The Native American warrior accuses Xavier of being responsible for his brother’s death. However, Xavier explains that his brother’s death was an accident and that he was telepathically linked with his brother at the time of his death. Unwilling to believe Xavier, Thunderbird raises his knife to stab Xavier to death but falters and gives up, finding that he cannot bring himself to kill a man that he is not entirely sure was responsible for his brother’s death.
With the battle over, the X-Men take the Hellions back to their headquarters where they learn from their news that the X-Men were being blamed for the "attack" on NORAD. Rogue surprises Kitty by finding Lockheed and bringing him back, and Thunderbird decides to go back to his teammates in the Massachusetts Academy, duty bound to stay by his comrade’s side. Xavier asks what Angelica wants to do; Angelica explains that she too must return to the White Queen. Xavier departs and wishes the two young mutants the very best.
While later at the Rodriguez household in New York City, the Rodriguez family is preparing dinner for their new tenant, a "man" named Nimrod, in reality, a super powerful Sentinel from the future sent back in time. Using the computer belonging to Jamie's son, Nimrod accesses Federal defense and law enforcement databases. Overhearing a news broadcast about the Juggernaut being sighted and that the X-Men are now wanted felons, Nimrod decides to make the destruction of both threats its primary objective.
Uncanny X-Men #194
New York City is in a state of panic with news that the Juggernaut is back in town. When the news reaches Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters early in the morning, the X-Men are less than receptive of the news. Nightcrawler cowers, while Kitty fries her clock radio to sleep in. Colossus, awake and aching from the X-Men's previous battle at Cheyenne Mountain, hears the news and is ready for action as he wants to prove that he is better than the Juggernaut in battle since their last clash. Rachel is awake in her room mourning the loss of everyone special in the future she comes from and feels even more alone in this reality because her mother Jean Grey is dead and her father is married to another woman. When Wolverine enters the mansion from his morning jog, he rouses Nightcrawler and suggests that they deal with the Juggernaut before he causes any serious damage. Nightcrawler reluctantly and begrudgingly agrees.
Meanwhile, Storm has arrived in her native Kenya after a long journey. She stops at a local diner and comes across Andreas von Strucker trying to force the woman working the bar to have sex with him. When Storm attempts to intervene, a fight breaks out, and Storm easily defeats Andreas, his twin sister Andrea and their hired men and orders them to go at gunpoint. After they leave, the woman working the bar realizes that it is Ororo, and begins to bow at her feet thanking her "weather goddess" for her return. Storm accepts this wearily, knowing that she was never a goddess but a mutant, but is now stripped of her powers.
Back in New York, the X-Men are staking out the First United National Bank where the Juggernaut has been spotted. Kitty and Rachel scope things out inside and find that the Juggernaut is actually conducting a legitimate business transaction. They report back to Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Rogue who are standing watch outside. The X-Men are not the only ones seeking out the Juggernaut. Nimrod has arrived to eliminate the villain as per its programming. It smashes into the bank and its scanners immediately pick up Juggernaut, Rachel, and Kitty and attacks. Its initial blast strips away the Juggernaut's street clothes, while Rachel shields herself and Kitty with a telekinetic shield. As the Juggernaut and Nimrod duke it out in the bank, Rachel and Kitty help the people in the bank escape and try to keep their panic down.
When conventional weapons fail against the Juggernaut, Nimrod blasts him out of the bank and sends him smashing through a construction site nearby. As the two continue to fight there, the X-Men join the battle, and Wolverine orders the X-Men to take down Nimrod as he attacked their own. Wolverine does a fastball special and is easily repulsed by Nimrod. As the battle rages, Nimrod knocks off the Juggernaut's initial helmet and bombards him with an ultra-high frequency sonic blast. When Kitty tries to phase through Nimrod, she too is repulsed. With most of the X-Men down but Rogue, she purportedly touches Kitty to absorb some of her powers. Realizing that Nimrod might not be able to handle someone who has all the X-Men's powers, she also absorbs Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler’s powers and tries to attack Nimrod head-on. Sure enough, she is able to keep the robot off guard and attacks it with enough power and ferocity that she smashes the robot to bits. However, much to her surprise, Nimrod rebuilds itself and teleports away as it expended too much energy. With the battle over, Rogue allows the Juggernaut to leave peacefully. The X-Men realize too late that a news crew filmed the whole battle and the public will only see that the wanted X-Men helped a criminal like the Juggernaut and allowed him to escape.
While at Dzerzhinsky Plaza in Moscow, news of the X-Men's clash with Nimrod reaches Russian agent Alexi Vazhin. Vazhin realizes that the arrival of yet another super-human in America would tip the power scale between the two countries and that balance must be maintained between the two super-powers or these two nations could end up in a war that will bring about Armageddon.
Uncanny X-Men #195
It is a dark and stormy night and the Power children are spending the evening sharing their parents bed. The children are suddenly awoken by a sudden crash of thunder, frightening the young Power children. To the children's shock and dismay, their parents do not remember who they are. When the children realize their parents are serious, they try to convince them that they are their children by taking their parents to their bedrooms. However, they find that all traces of their childhood presence in the Power home -- even down to their favorite dishes have been removed from the house.
Realizing something is amiss, the Power Pack makes a quick exit, which worries their father even though he can't remember who they are. Going down to the basement they attempt to see if their landlord Mr. Ortiz remembers them, to their dismay he does not. When he suggests they go inside while he calls the police the four children flee the scene. Running into the rain and ducking into an alley to avoid being taken in by the police, the Power children switch to their Power Pack costumes and decide to investigate things further.
When inspecting their uniforms, Julie realizes that their internal radios must have shorted out after she washed their costume during their last encounter with the Morlocks. This makes Alex realize that since the Morlock named Beautiful Dreamer has the power to alter peoples minds that the Morlocks might be responsible for their current predicament. Going into the sewers, the Power Pack are overwhelmed by the Morlock who attempt to subdue them. Katherine manages to break free and escape, but not before Masque manages to alter her face. Running through a subway tunnel, she runs into a security guard who attempts to help her but she blasts him away. However, she does manage to be captured.
Eventually when the story hits the television news, Kitty Pryde picks up the story on her television and recognizes Energizer as a member of the Power Pack even though her facial features have been altered. Kitty gathers Wolverine, Rachel and Rogue to go to Bellevue Hospital where Shadowcat smuggles Katie out of her room and has her explain to the X-Men what happened. When Katie is scared of Wolverine, Rachel manages to cheer her up and convince her to probe her mind telepathically and they learn their answer. The X-Men agree to help Katie try and save her siblings and restore her parents back to normal.
Searching the Morlock tunnels, Katie is shocked to find that all their furniture and toys have been moved into the Morlock's quarters. They are spotted by Annalee who has brainwashed the other Power children to act like her loyal children. When she demands that Katie join her, she refuses prompting the Morlocks to attack. Even the enthralled Power children enter the fight. As the battle progresses, Leech attempts to nullify Rogue's powers and both cancel each other out, knocking out Leech and leaving Rogue powerless against an army of Morlocks. However, despite this, Rogue is able to beat them with her superior fighting skill.
In the course of the fight, Katie is dragged away from the X-Men and Wolverine and Shadowcat follow after her. Coming across an army of Morlocks, Wolverine sends Shadowcat ahead to find the children while he deals with them. Shadowcat finds Katie and the other power children just as Katie is once more refusing Annalee's attempt to be their surrogate mother. Over hearing this, Kitty asks Annalee if this is how she wishes to honor the memory of her murdered children. When Masque attempts to make things worse, Callisto enters the room and puts a stop to it.
Once everything is sorted out and the Power children are returned to normal, Annalee attempts to challenge Callisto to a rite of combat, because death would be better than living without her children. However, Katie manages to convince Annalee that there is plenty to live for and promises that she and her siblings will come back and visit her regularly.
With everything sorted out, Rachel tells Kitty that they are being summoned back to the X-Mansion: By Magneto.
This story is continued in...
Uncanny X-Men #196
This story takes place after the events of
Professor Xavier is once more resuming his lectures at Columbia University when he overhears one of the students who beat him months earlier suggest to his friends that hey should kill Xavier as he can identify them. Unfortunately, due to his injuries the Professor cannot, and due to the limitations on his mental powers and the amount of minds in the room he is unable to pinpoint who is plotting to murder him and decides to get the X-Men involved to try and prevent the attack.
Meanwhile, in the African Serengeti, Storm is enjoying the wilderness when she is approached by a lion. Seeing this as a sign she is horrified when the creature is shot dead. When she rushes to it she is grazed by a bullet. This is a shot fired by Andreas von Strucker, who is paying Ororo back for beating her and her brother up earlier and they decide to leave her for dead in the wilderness.
Back in New York City, Professor X meets with his fellow X-Men and Magneto at a deli where he explains the plot against him by the students who beat him earlier. As they begin planning, Rachel becomes distracted when she notices a strange man suddenly entering the deli and asking strange questions about "manners" and satisfying his curiosity about food. Rachel approaches the man and realizes that it's the Beyonder. But when Kitty goes up to see who she is talking to and Rachel tries to point him out the Beyonder has vanished just as mysteriously as he entered, leaving both wondering what the Beyonder wanted. Nightcrawler is paying a visit to his priest father Bowen at St. Anne's church. He explains his encounter with the Beyonder, a being that has shaken his faith in God. Breaking down into tears before the troubled priest, Nightcrawler admits that he has lost.
That night at Columbia University, the students plotting to kill Xavier plants a special device on Xavier's desk that will kill him the moment he sits down at it. While nearby, the X-Men stake out the area looking for clues. As Rogue carries Rachel over the campus she talks about how she can trust Magneto to work with the X-Men considering that in her reality, Magneto was a trusted ally of the surviving X-Men. The conversation ends when Rachel picks up trouble in an alley and the two help stop a mugging. However, it proves to be a bitter victory as the man they saved was jumped while writing an anti-mutant epitaph on the wall. Angry that this sort of anti-mutant sentiment is being allowed, Rachel angrily psi-blasts the wall and vows never to let her apocalyptic future to happen again. As she and Rogue walk away, neither are aware that they were being watched by the Beyonder who has found Rachel's actions very interesting and decide to observe her farther.
Elsewhere, Kitty and Wolverine go over reports back from the others when Kitty's curiosity in Wolverine's cigar makes her yank it out of his mouth and give it a puff. She finds the smoke incredibly harsh and proceeds to have a coughing fit. Wolverine finds this amusing and tells he that the only reason he can handle the cigars without any irritation is because of his mutant healing factor. They then begin talking about if they should be able to trust Magneto, to which Logan suggests that Magneto deserves a chance at redemption.
Kitty then decides to check out their next list of suspects and uses her phasing powers to gain access to a dormitory, unaware that the Beyonder is secretly watching her. She enters a physics lab where she comes across her classmate Roger and some other students working on something in secret. She decides to butt in and start asking questions. Roger, knowing that Kitty attends Xavier's school, asks her if she is a Mutie. When she retorts by asking him if he identifies as a racial slur, he becomes angry and she points out that calling a mutant a Mutie is no different or any less hurtful. When she decides to leave she is maced and chloroformed and Roger decides that she has to die as well. Her attempts to contact Rachel or the Professor telepathically but it's too late. While the other X-Men are waiting for Kitty, Rachel accompanies Xavier and Magneto back to Charles' office. She is expressing her concerns over the Beyonder when she detects his presence when they enter the office. Using her psi-powers to try and get them to see him to, Rachel inadvertently activates the weapon left behind by the students, a psi scrambler device that bombards her mind and threatens to overload it. The resulting blast sends Charles and Magnus flying out of the building.
While the other X-Men rescue them, Wolverine goes up to check on Rachel. Rachel, so furious about being attacked in such a horrible way manifests her hound costume and facial tattoos and races off to find the men responsible. She crashes in on Roger as he is attempting to choke Kitty to death. She knocks all the students aside and when Roger attempts to shoot her with a gun, she uses her telekinetic powers to turn the bullet back. It almost strikes Roger if not for Magneto's timely arrival.
He argues with her that this is not the way to deal with those whose ignorance and hate lead them to treat mutants as they do. He explains that the way of violence has done nothing for him over the years. Rachel counter argues that in the future she came from humans made her into a slave-hound and killed all those she loved. When she expresses that they need to pay for the pain and the suffering they have caused, Magneto decides to let her make up her mind. Telling her that she should slaughter them as mercilessly and callously as they would her. Rachel finds that she cannot take a human life and spares Roger, telling Magneto that she may never be able to forgive him for this and suggests that they leave. As they walk away, Kitty thanks Rachel for her help.
In the aftermath of the battle, the Beyonder finds the whole tableau that happened before him strange and confusing. Wondering why beings of such power would act in the fashion that they did. Finding the X-Men puzzling indeed, the Beyonder decides to turn his attention to others and teleports away.
Secret Wars II continues in...
Uncanny X-Men #197
Colossus is plagued by a nightmare where he crashes in on himself and Kitty aboard the Starjammer. Battling himself, his opponent is sucked out through a hole burst in the hull of the ship, but Peter manages to save Kitty. However to his shock and dismay she transforms into a Brood warrior. Fleeing he runs into Zsaji, who turns into a grim specter of death. Fleeing her as well he finds himself on the family farm on the day that he saved his sister from an out of control tractor. Saving her, he is shocked to see that his sister is some demonic creature. The three women gang up on him and tell him that he failed to save them, cutting him with acidic touches which causes him to wake up in a scream. Colossus soon realizes that he is not in his room at the X-Mansion, and that Kitty is in the next bed just waking up from sleep as well. To their surprise they have been captured by their old foe Arcade.
While in Anchorage Alaska, Scott Summers answers an important phone call from Moira MacTaggert about Professor Xavier. He fails to leave quietly enough and wakes his wife Madelyne. Even though she understands why Scott needs to go because he owes Xavier so much, she reminds him that he is not only a X-man anymore but also a husband to her. She wishes her husband safe travels and tells him to be careful and come back soon.
Back in Murderworld, Arcade has Shadow Cat and Colossus sit down for a meal when suddenly they are attacked by a hunter-seeker missile. The two mutants disarm it, but Colossus's costume gets torn to tatters. Arcade brings them to a room where he keeps his robot duplicates of all the X-Men. There he explains to them that someone has put a contract out on his head and he had captured both X-Men to protect him and stop the killer before it's too late.
Meanwhile, in Lower Manhattan, Nimrod (in his human disguise) goes out for coffee with Jamie Rodriguez, the man who has put him up since he had appeared in this time. Their outing is interrupted by some thugs who attempt to rob the place. Nimrod simply changes into his true form and incinerates the two crooks on the spot. As the two leave the diner, Nimrod is hailed as a hero.
Back at Murderworld, Colossus and Shadow Cat enter a part of the amusement park of death modeled after New York City circa World War II. When they are attacked by a subway train that transforms into a robot, Arcade lends the two mutants a hand by sending in an army of X-Men robots to help destroy the device. They are strafed by a craft seemingly carrying Dr. Doom, the apparent attacker. Colossus incapacitates the ship and then tosses Kitty at it so that she can phase inside as it crashes. It unfortunately crashes through the Arcade's control room. When Colossus gets there it appears as though Doom has killed Kitty; however it turns out to be only a robot duplicate of her and the real Shadow Cat shorts out "Doom's" armor. With their foe defeated it turns out to be Arcade's assistant Miss Locke. Arcade explains that every year on his birthday he allows Miss Locke the opportunity to try and kill him over the course of 24 hours and he must do whatever he can to prevent it.
Having cheated death for another year, Arcade allows the two confused X-Men to leave. As they walk home, Kitty and Colossus realize that even though their relationship ended months ago they are at the beginning of a brand new friendship.
Lastly, in Africa, vultures land near Storm's body. However she is far from dead. She suddenly bolts up and swats at the birds and dares them to come back and claim her while she's still alive.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #198
Continued from last issue...
Following being grazed by a bullet on the African Serengeti, Storm continues her long trek, but now is becoming more delirious due to her injuries. When she is struck by a sandstorm she calls for it to go away, and when it does she mistakenly believes that her powers have returned and attempts to fly. She ends up falling down a hill, injuring herself some more.
She is visited by a vision of Forge, the man she could have loved if it had not been for his invention stripping her mutant powers away. He tries to convince her to find cover while the sandstorm continues to blow, but she refuses and pushes on. She ends up tripping over her feet and falling down in front of a viper. She quickly grabs the poisonous creature and tosses it away before crawling away into a cave, wondering if this will be the death of her.
In the cave she is visited by visions of her fellow X-Men. She bows to them in shame, feeling that without her mutant gifts she is nothing to them. When Phoenix tries to comfort Storm, telling her that no matter what she still loves her and all the other X-Men. Wolverine comes next and tells her that if she wants to give up he is willing to impale her with his claws to put her out of her misery. When the Professor gives advice that she can stay in this cave and live safely until she perishes, she lashes out, making the illusions go away.
When she comes around she finds that another viper has made it's way near her. She doesn't panic and the snake eventually leaves her alone without biting. Storm is determined to get up and keep moving and as she treps onwards she finds that an overturned bus. The only survivor of the vehicle is a lone pregnant woman who surprisingly has not been badly injured. Storm feels that she is a poor candidate to save this woman, however she feels duty bound to bring her back to her village. Providing the woman cove and helping her make her way home provides Storm with a new motivation to keep going in life. Along the way they come across the many abandoned farming machines that have been left disused when attempts to cultivate the land had failed.
When Storm and her new friend Shani arrive at the village, She is worried how her family will react to the idea of her being pregnant. When they get close enough to the village, she is welcomed home byt the tribe lawspeaker the elder Mjnari. Having completed the task of getting this pregnant woman home safe to her family, Ororo collapses. She is awaken some days later by Mjnari who tells her that Shani needs assistance giving birth to her child. Storm goes to the hut where she has lain and helps Shani with the complicated birth. When the child comes out and is not breathing, Storm administers CPR and manages to save the child's life.
With the baby born, Mjnari tells Storm that he has a final task to perform and she is shocked to see him strip himself of most of his clothing and leave the village. Storm is shocked by this she follows after him. She learns that their poor village can only feed so many people, and that with a new born child, the most eldest person in the tribe must now go. He explains that this is the way they live after the attempts to use technology to stimulate crop growth failed after years of neglect and wars caused their once lush land to turn to mostly ruins. Storm is saddened by this, but Mjnari explains the precarious balance of the village and she spends his final moments listening to his wisdom before he wills himself to die. After his death, Storm prepares a grave for him and finally realizes that she has renewed hope to keep on living and promises to keep on fighting on, in honor of her new friend who made the ultimate sacrifice for his people.
Uncanny X-Men #199
Cyclops has returned to the X-Men at the request of Moira MacTaggert and is now testing his skills in the Danger Room. The test shows that despite being on vacation since his marriage to Madelyne Pryor, Cyclops is still at the peak of his abilities. With the session over, both Wolverine and Moira congratulate Cyclops on a job well done. They are interrupted by Rachel, who has come to try and tell Cyclops that in her time he and Jean Grey are her parents but chokes up. Moira then impatiently calls Cyclops up to the control room to discuss what she had asked him to return to the X-Men for. Cyclops and Wolverine discuss Rachel's past and before Wolverine can explain why Rachel seems to be so transfixed on Scott, Moira cuts in. She explains that Charles Xavier has not fully recovered from his recent beating and is in fact dying. Cyclops is shocked by this and refuses to believe that the Professor will die and expresses the fact that he doesn't believe Magneto would have reformed. When he asks how long Charles has, Moira tells him that he may live long enough to see Scott and Madelyne's child be born. Overhearing this telepathically causes Rachel to burst into tears.
Meanwhile, in Washington DC, Valerie Cooper returns home to the shock of her life: A woman in her house who looks exactly like her. It actually turns out to be Mystique, and she reveals her true form. She explains that due to the growing anti-mutant sentiment in America she wishes to give up the services of her Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to the government for full amnesty and protection from any mutant control laws that have been passed. She offers that the group could change its name to Freedom Force and it would be under the full control of the government, unlike the Avengers or Fantastic Four. Valarie likes the idea, however, she tells Mystique that this "Freedom Force" is going to have to show its good faith and prove their intentions to the President. She challenges Mystique to take down the Brotherhood's original leader, Magneto.
Meanwhile, Rachel Summers has traveled to Annandale-On-Hudson to visit the grave of her mother Jean Grey to pay her respects. When she goes to the Grey family home she waits for John and Elaine -- her grandparents in her home reality --to leave their home so she can look around. Inside she begins being haunted by the psychic imprints of the Dark Phoenix confronting her parents and her own early childhood memories, visiting the home with her parents when she was only an infant. Going up into the Grey's bedroom, Rachel comes across the holo-matrix globe given to them by Lilandra. Peering into it, Rachel unleashes the full fury of her powers, creating a Phoenix effect. Rachel decides that she will live up to her mother's ideals, and prove that Phoenix is not a force of evil, but one for good. That she vows to use her full abilities to defend humans and mutants alike, in her name. The sudden flare of powers causes Rachel to blackout and as she collapses on the floor, the globe falls out of her hands and smashes on the floor.
At the Washington National Holocaust Memorial, Magneto and Kitty Pryde both go to an annual gathering of Holocaust survivors. Magneto because he himself lived through and survived the Holocaust, while Kitty's great-aunt went missing during the war and she is trying to find the connection for her late grandfather Samuel Prydeman who died the last year. Through talking to other survivors, Kitty learns that her great-aunt Chava Rosanoff was arrested and sent to Auschwitz, where she was murdered. After Magneto meets with some of the other survivors he himself knew in Auschwitz, he is reminded how important it is for human/mutant peace to endure as history could repeat itself for the mutant race.
The gathering is interrupted when Mystique gets close enough to Magneto by posing as Lee Forester. Revealing her true form she calls Magneto to take accountability for his past terrorist actions, pointing out that in the past he acted no worse than Hitler himself. Magneto uses his powers to bind Mystique in steel girders. Then the other members of the new Freedom Force arrive: Blob, Pyro, Avalanche, Destiny, and Spiral (who has joined the group while she searches for Longshot on Earth). While Magneto uses his powers to gently coax the innocent bystanders out of the building, he sends Kitty to get the rest of the X-Men.
Magneto holds the former Brotherhood at bay until the other X-Men arrive to defend their unlikely ally. Shadowcat takes out Destiny, while Colossus takes out Pyro. Nightcrawler teleports the Blob onto the top of the Washington Monument, while Rogue knocks out Avalanche. However, the battle ends when Spiral casts a spell that locks Magneto into place and Mystique puts a gun to his head. Spiral is then knocked out by Cyclops and there is a Mexican stand-off between Freedom Force and the X-Men when Wolverine manages to sneak up behind Mystique, close enough to get his claws near her head. When Cyclops tells the X-Men to retreat and leave the "Brotherhood" for the police, Mystique explains Freedom Force's new law-abiding stance and tells them that they have come to arrest Magneto.
Before the X-Men can do anything, Magneto decides that if he is to truly reform then he must stand accountable for his crimes and stand trial and therefore allows himself to be arrested.
Uncanny X-Men #200
Magneto is escorted in handcuffs to his trial. A reporter retells what has brought us to this point and how Freedom Force captured the "Master of Magnetism". Sir James Jaspers, the English Attorney General is the prosecution in the trial while Israeli Ambassador Gabrielle Haller and Professor X head up the defense. Meanwhile, on a boat in the Mediterranean, the Von Strucker twins toast as they watch the trial begin on television.
That night in Paris, the X-Men and New Mutants are suddenly teleported from Asgard where they left moments ago. They find out that they were brought to France and decide to look for Professor X. They begin to be seen and Phoenix hides them with a blinding light and telepathic block from the onlookers. In Poland, someone suddenly attacks a Red Army base and sets it ablaze. They leave the mark of "Free Magneto - X-Men". The report on the news of the incident awakens Professor X who suddenly cannot breathe. Cyclops enters and asks if the Professor is okay. He realizes that he is sick and possibly dying.
The trial for Magneto begins the next day. As the prosecution begins its opening statement, the unknown terrorists strike again, in West Germany. Gabrielle begins her opening statement. Meanwhile, the X-Men try to find who is doing these acts in their name. They decide to split up and wait for an attack and then catch their terrorists. It turns out that they don't have to wait long. The terrorists attack a hospital and Nightcrawler and Colossus are first on the scene. They save the patients of the hospital and Colossus puts out the flames. They are still blamed for the attack and the police try to stop them. They escape.
At the X-Mansion, Madelyne Pryor talks to her unborn baby about how Cyclops has not called her to check on her. Suddenly Corsair and Lilandra appear and they are looking for Professor X. Madelyne tells them he is in Paris and they go back to the stargate to transport there. As they leave Madelyne begins to go into labor. They appear at the stargate and Hepzibah radios them that the Starjammer is under attack by Shi'ar ships. Corsair and Lilandra decide to go into the stargate to go to France and tell Binary to run if the gate collapses.
In France, the trial goes on and the Soviet admiral that fired nukes on Magneto's island testifies against Magneto. The X-Men use Phoenix's power to track down the terrorists to a boat on the Seine River. Magneto tries to defend himself against the prosecution's accusations. The X-Men find the terrorists and attack them. They realize that the "terrorists" they are fighting are a diversion.
In the courtroom, the Von Strucker twins, Andrea and Andreas, attack to avenge their father. They destroy the courtroom and the battle goes into the basement. The Professor breaks the twins bond and they are powerless. Sir James Jaspers starts to attack Andrea Strucker with a brick and Magneto saves her. The judge sees Magneto's humanity. Charles begins to have a heart attack. The twins break free and break the wall and the river floods in. Magneto saves Charles from death and gets him above the ground. There Professor X tells him to take over his school and teach the New Mutants and look after the X-Men. Magneto wearily says he'll try. Lilandra and Corsair arrive to take him to be saved. The judge says the court of public opinion is going to judge the X-Men and Magneto now. Phoenix says Professor X is "gone" and that she cannot "find" him when she tries to locate him telepathically. Magneto, crying, finally tells himself he will follow Xavier's dream and take over his school.
Sources and content license
Source and revision history · Exact listed stories combined in catalog order. Sources retain their stated license; formatting and headings adjusted. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 176. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 177. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 178. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 179. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 180. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 181. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 182. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 183. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 184. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 185. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 186. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 187. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 188. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 189. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 190. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 191. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 192. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 193. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 194. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 195. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 196. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 197. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 198. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 199. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 200. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. · Content license