Complete listed story — includes the ending
Uncanny X-Men #201
The X-Men have returned to their headquarters to find that Scott's wife Madelyne had given birth to their son Christopher while they were gone. As the X-Men fawn over the newly born child, Storm takes a moment to talk to Madelyne. Noticing that under the thin veneer of joy over her new child she is angry, Storm asks Maddy to open up. She explains that the whole time they were in France, all the X-Men called to check on her except for Cyclops. Storm tries to explain that Scott has always been private with his emotions and asks her to be patient with him.
Meanwhile, Kitty and Rachel are left alone with Christopher and Rachel is absolutely in love with her new kid brother. Kitty tells Rachel that she can't keep the truth about her origins away from Scott forever, however, the two take the moment look into young Christopher's mind with a psi-link. Rachel then promises that she will tell Scott soon about her origins and vows to her little brother that he will grow up in a better world than the one that she lived in.
While outside the Mansion, Scott thinks about the fact that he's a father now and curses Charles Xavier for not being there to share his joy. Light-years away, the Starjammer has been crippled upon its exit from the Sol system and is in poor shape. Charles feels terrible that they risked their lives to save him. The prognosis is bad, without their warp drive they are stuck and unable to return to Earth, and with their enemies hot on the trail, they may not be able to return Charles to Earth ever again. In private with Lilandra, Xavier expresses his doubts about leaving the X-Men and New Mutants in the charge of Magneto and asks her if he made the right decision. She reassures him and tells him that she did not want to lose him either.
Back on Earth, while Cannonball tries hard to write his term paper on a computer that just won't cooperate, the X-Men are outside playing a game of baseball. When Kitty notices Sam's troubles she walks away from the game and fixes his computer before heading off to take a shower. She runs into Storm who suggests that she take a shower down in the locker room because Scott and Madelyne are having a fight upstairs in her loft. Upstairs, Scott and Madelyne are arguing over the fact that he wants to stay to lead the X-Men because he doesn't trust Magneto. Madelyne does not want to give up her life for the team and calls him on his responsibility as a father. With their argument going nowhere, Storm steps in and suggests that it be decided by a duel between her and Cyclops to see who leads the X-Men, a challenge that Scott accepts.
Storm and Cyclops arrive just as the New Mutants are finishing up a training session. When the novice students hear that the two senior leaders of the X-Men are going to duel, they all go up to the observation deck to watch. While the X-Men and New Mutants watch on, Madelyne waits upstairs in Storm's loft hoping that her husband loses but is willing to go home without him.
Meanwhile, at the Grey family home, Rachel Summers returns to the home that, in her timeline at least, is where her grandparents live. She has come back to use her powers to repair the holomatrix globe she shattered earlier, and also leave a portion of her essence as well so that even though she will not be born in this world she will be remembered. As she is repairing it, a flare of energy rises from the place where Dark Phoenix died on the moon months ago and helps her repair the globe. Leaving the globe behind, she vows that while the little girl she was may never exist on this world she exists nonetheless and she will make a mark for herself. The repaired globe that she leaves behind has not only the image of Jean Grey, but that of herself.
Uncanny X-Men #202
Secret Wars II continues from...
When Rogue enters the room of Rachel Summers she is greeted by a psychic image of Phoenix telling the X-Men that she has decided to use her expanded powers to destroy the Beyonder because he is a threat to all existence. When the image fades away, Rogue rushes off to alert Storm who tells her to gather the rest of the X-Men and have them report to her loft. Soon Magneto, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine are gathered in her room and Storm appraises them of the situation. After some discussion, the X-Men decide to try and stop Rachel to avoid any sort of negative backlash from the near-omnipotent being.
Heading to the lower levels of the Mansion, Magneto uses Cerebro to try and get a lock on Rachel but finds it difficult. Wolverine goads Magneto on the fact that Cerebro worked just fine until Magneto had messed with the Earth's magnetic field some time ago. Magneto stands up for himself, prompting Shadow Cat to worry about Wolverine pushing Magneto too far as the Master of Magnetism would likely take Logan upon any challenge. Magneto finally pinpoints Rachel's location: San Francisco and the X-Men begin to mobilize.
Phoenix meanwhile manages to pinpoint the location of the Beyonder, who is pondering what to do with all existence on Alcatraz island. She attacks him head-on at full power causing a massive Phoenix bird-shaped explosion that causes no actual damage. The Beyond, unaffected by this attack remembers meeting Rachel previously. The Beyonder tells her that he did not want her to cause any damage and knows what she thinks of him and tries to convince her that she is wrong. She refuses to believe him and continues to attack him. The Beyonder tries to explain that nobody can see his perspective because individuals see only a part of existence while he sees the whole and struggles to understand what drives people. When Rachel suggests that if the Beyonder doesn't like living a self-aware life he should kill himself, he tells her that all she knows is death.
He decides to teach her lesson by transporting her to a vision of the future which she comes from. He explains that her rage and grief consume her. He then shows her the death of everyone she loved: Franklin, Storm, Colossus, Storm, and Wolverine at the hands of the Omega Sentinels, and Kate Pryde at the hands of Nimrod. This causes Rachel to collapse as she once more struggles with the fact that this reality is not her own, this is a world where Rachel Summers could never be born. The Beyonder then offers her an option, granting her sufficient power to kill him, he gives her a choice -- the chance to kill him unopposed or save her fellow X-Men.
When she notices Storm flying the Blackbird nearby and it begins to have engine problems, Rachel passes on the chance to eliminate the Beyonder to save her friend. She learns that the X-Men have been transported to San Francisco and have been scattered all over the city. As she goes to help Storm, she is attacked by an Omega Sentinel that has been plucked out of her time by the Beyonder. She blasts the Sentinel with a mind bolt and briefly considers going back to kill the Beyonder (who has resumed his thoughts) but cannot abandon her friends. Storm orders her to maintain a psi-link with all the X-Men so she can direct them while she deals with the Omega Sentinel that is still after her. When the mutant-killing robot latches onto the Blackbird, Storm flies it up into the air as quickly as possible hoping to knock it loose. She succeeds after breaking the Earth's atmosphere and the Sentinel begins to fall to Earth, burning up upon re-entry. Before Storm can turn the plane around its systems begin to fail, threatening to send her to the same doom as her attacker.
While in the city, more Omega Sentinels have appeared and are attacking the rest of the X-Men. When Magneto is caught up in the coils of one robot, Rogue attempts to save him and is blasted for her trouble. With her costume in tatters, she lands in a panicked crowd and her skin-to-skin contact begins to absorb people's stray thoughts which overwhelm her. Wolverine attacks the Sentinel but is knocked aside. Before the Sentinel can blast him, Phoenix arrives and saves him from the blast. Then using the extra power granted to her by the Beyonder she super-charges his healing factor and brings him over to free Magneto. Still weak from the attack, Magneto can only create a magnetic vortex that creates a whirlwind that freezes the super-strong Sentinel in its tracks, allowing Rogue to smash it to bits. As the vortex continues it also allows Storm to safely land the Blackbird but also causes enough cold to blanket San Francisco with snow.
Elsewhere in the city, Colossus and Shadow Cat are alone against another Sentinel. They manage to cripple it when Colossus rips out a lamp post and with Kitty's phasing power manages to impale the Sentinel with it. Phoenix arrives and uses her enhanced abilities to reconnect a live wire into the lamp post overloading the Sentinel with the entire city's power supply, overloading it. After the threat has ended and Phoenix has used the last of the power the Beyonder had given her to repair the damage done to the city she confronts the Beyonder again. When the Beyonder explains that he did what he did to expunge her of the guilt of witnessing her friends die in her own time and realize her full potential, she lashes out at him telling him that the only reason today's events happened was that he created the threat, to begin with. That such realizations cannot just be given, they must be earned. She then flies off telling him that while he may mean well, all he manages to do is cause harm.
This story is continued next issue...
Secret Wars II continues in...
Uncanny X-Men #203
Secret Wars II continues from...
Being in San Francisco again becomes a painful reminder to Rogue of what happened the last time she was in the area: Namely, she had absorbed the memories and powers of Ms. Marvel, crippling her super-hero career on Earth. As she stands on the Golden Gate Bridge, the site of the battle, Rogue realizes the repercussions of what she had done that day: She now struggles to balance her own memories wit that of Carol Danvers, and it is almost like there are two women living inside her head. Tearfully she realizes that no matter how much good she will never be able to make up for what she did those months ago.
She returns to the home of detective Jessica Drew, formally Spider-Woman and an ally of the X-Men who has been putting the team up since their arrival in San Francisco. When she arrives she finds Kitty meditating outside, Kitty reveals that half of Magik's armor and her Soul Sword has been transferred over to her. Rogue, surprisingly does not remember Illyana at all and claims that Colossus had never had a sister, to begin with. Kitty explains that the Beyonder had not only killed Illyana and the New Mutants but wiped them out of existence and the only reason she can remember is due to the mystic link between her and Illyana. Phoenix appears to Kitty, who cannot fathom how to stop someone as powerful as the Beyonder. She offers both Rogue and Shadow Cat a solution: destroying the entire universe to end the Beyonder once and for all. She rationalizes that in doing so whatever will come into existence after them will never have to worry about the Beyonder meddling in their lives. She goes on to explain that she needs the life forces of her friends to power this mission. Shadow Cat and Rogue (both her and her Carol Danvers persona) agree to give up their life forces willingly and die. Overhearing this, Jessica Drew confronts Rachel and offers her life force as well.
Rachel enters Drew's home and finds that most of the X-Men are sleeping, and assumes that Colossus, Wolverine, and Magneto would follow her and absorbs their life forces without waking them. When she enters Storm's room, she finds the X-Men's leader awake and waiting for her. She tells Rachel that she is wrong and begs her to stop. Rachel, steadfast in her mission refuses to stop this insane plan and takes Storm's life force without her permission, believing that the ends justify her means. Surging with power, Rachel abandons her humanity and flies off into the stars. Witnessing the Phoenix leave the Earth troubles the Watcher who believes that history might repeat itself with Rachel Summers as it did with Jean Grey.
In space, Rachel comes across the crippled Starjammer and establishes a link with Professor X. Learning what she intends to do, the Professor begs her to stop as well however Rachel will not listen and absorbs the life force of Xavier and the entire crew of the Starjammer. She then travels to the world where the M'kraan Crystal is kept and easily defeats it's defender Jahf.
Entering the crystal she is confronted by the souls of those who are life forces she took. She reveals to them that she intends to unleash the Neutron Universe being contained within the crystal in order to wipe out all existence and create a universe devoid of the Beyonder. Storm attempts to appeal to her one more time, but Rachel refuses to give in. However, when she connects with the M'kraan Crystal she is linked with every living being in existence and realizes all the lives that would be snuffed out of existence. Torn between doing what she thinks is right, and her inability to commit universal genocide, Rachel gives up, returning to Earth and restoring everyone to life.
Back on Earth, Rachel is convinced that her mission was a failure, however, Storm points out that not being able of slaying every living being in the universe is not a failure. The X-Men all confide in her that they couldn't bring themselves to do the same thing. Not even Magneto who once told Charles Xavier that he would be willing to go back in time to kill Hitler, or even so far as killing his grandparents to prevent the atrocities he committed during World War II. Now seeing this willingness to prevent a greater evil at the expense of innocent lives on such a massive scale has shaken his surety on if he could or not.
Then the Beyonder appears before them and expresses his disappointment in the X-Men. He explains that he was hoping that Rachel would destroy the whole universe so that they can go out with a bang, telling them that he intends to destroy the universe anyway. He offers the X-Men the chance to battle him again, even though it would be futile to stop him from destroying everything. The X-Men refuse to fight and question the Beyonder how he could possibly destroy all existence. He tells them because he feels that all existence is confusing and wrong.
Kitty then lashes out at the Beyonder chastising him for wanting to snuff out human life because he finds it inconvenient and not considering how his actions affect others. When the Beyonder retorts that humanity rejected being one with the universe, the X-Men try to explain that people do not want such power handed to them on a silver platter but to earn it their own way. Phoenix then steps forward and tells the Beyonder that he is the embodiment of death and that she, from now on, will be a defender of life and will not allow him to cause harm to the human race while she is alive. She then points out that she realizes that the Beyonder was attempting to use her to destroy the universe with a portion of his power.
When the Beyonder admits to this he asks for her to give the power back. Rachel is more than happy to oblige, however, she also gives him the amassed experience she had when she linked with the universe through the M'kraan Crystal. The Beyonder, overwhelmed by the existence of every living creature on the planet buckles over in pain and finally understands what it means to exist.
With this, the X-Men point out that every living creature struggles to make the best of their lives due to the threat of their ultimate mortality that they would eventually die. This gives the Beyonder much to ponder over, and he decides to leave the X-Men to think about it. As he teleports away, he warns the X-Men that their days may be numbered, and not to squander them. With the Beyonder gone, Colossus asks his teammates if they made a difference, to which Storm that they did, no matter what happened the tried their best to make a difference.
Secret Wars II continues in...
Uncanny X-Men #204
Nightcrawler has spent all night brooding in the rain on the balcony of his girlfriend Amanda Sefton. When he realizes it's the morning after Amanda wakes up, he teleports into the bathroom and cleans himself off. When he begins his day by having a drink, Amanda tells him that the X-Men called and that they are okay, but asks him what's wrong. He explains that since he had his pan-dimensional adventure the previous year, his life of adventure and swashbuckling and the carefree adventures with the X-Men have changed. When Amanda asks why, Nightcrawler tells her that she wouldn't understand and teleports back out onto the balcony again. She goes out there and begs him to open up to her. He explains that ever since he encountered the Beyonder, a god-like being that has rattled his faith down to the bone, he is unsure of who he is because what gave him meaning has been proving that it doesn't exist and therefore he does not know who he is anymore, either. He angrily asks her if she can actually help him with that.
He explains to her that, when the X-Men went off to fight the Beyonder in San Francisco, he was asked to stay behind and he was relieved. His past encounters with the Beyonder has made him wonder what is real anymore. He openly wonders if Amanda used some spell to make him love her. Insulted by this, Amanda grabs her bags and storms off for her job with the airline. Nightcrawler realizes too late that it was the wrong thing to say, but the opportunity to take it back has passed. All he can do is howl like some animal. Hearing this from below, Amanda briefly considers going back up to him, but does not want to be rejected again and catches a cab to Kennedy airport. As they drive away, the Hack makes a joke about the rain, pointing out to a jogger nearby that they are nuts to be out exercising in this weather.
The jogger in question continues on her jog, unaware that a very familiar, very sinister garbage truck has begun to follow her. Upon Amanda's balcony, Nightcrawler hears what he believes is the familiar noise of one of Arcade's rigged garbage trucks makes when it captures a mark and decides to investigate. Teleporting out to Central Park, he sees a garbage truck being driven by Arcade's aide Mr. Chambers and decides to go to the rescue of whatever poor soul managed to end up on Arcade's hit list.
Following the truck to an abandoned amusement park, Nightcrawler finds access to Arcade's Murderworld through a fake trash can and breaks his way into the facility. Meanwhile, Arcade's latest victim was the jogger who was out earlier in the evening. After being taunted by Arcade, she is launched through his usual battery of Murderworld traps: The gigantic electrified pinball machine, and simulated scenes using a combination of robots and holograms. The jogger's fitness enables her to avoid the robots disguised as British fox hunters and giant sharks.
Before she can get bitten by the mechanical shark, Nightcrawler teleports in and saves her. Taking her to safety, she finds that she thinks that he is one of Arcade's tricks and, when he tries to convince her otherwise, she doesn't believe him. He realizes the irony of the fact that she is saying almost the exact words that he said to Amanda earlier in the evening. He asks her to trust him, and without any other choice the young woman decides to follow along. Arcade, having detected Nightcrawler's presence in his Murderworld finds this new development amusing and hopes that it can make things more interesting.
He chases after the two, holographically projecting his head onto one of his robot bodies and chasing them in a dune buggy with an army of robots. Finding their own vehicle, Nightcrawler and the woman attempt to escape. Nightcrawler manages to get the advantage thanks to his superior driving skills. But when Arcade sends simulation World War I fighter planes after them, he is forced to leave the girl to teleport into the air and deal with them. Using his flying skills, he manages to shoot out the other planes and cause them to crash on the cars pursuing them.
The woman's car runs out of fuel in a Chinatown simulation and she is enticed into a "sanctuary" by Miss Locke; however this is a trap and she is surrounded by more robots with knives. Nightcrawler comes to her rescue and swears to Arcade they will get out of Murderworld alive. When Arcade balks at this, he is surprised when what appears to be the X-Men smash their way into his control room and destroy the controls allowing Nightcrawler and his companion to escape. Arcade realizes too late that these are not X-Men at all, but some of the robot duplicates of his own creation and realize that Nightcrawler must have programmed them to attack when he first broke into his facility. This turn of events gives Arcade a good laugh and he decides to let the X-Man and his companion go free.
When Nightcrawler brings the girl home, he detects someone in her apartment and crashes in. These men shock both her and Nightcrawler when they reveal that they are members of the Ruritanian government and that this young woman, Judith Rassendyll is the last of the Elfsburgs and as such has been named queen of that country.
Uncanny X-Men #205
Lady Deathstrike pays Spiral for turning her and three former Hellfire Club guards into cyborgs at her Body Shop. They want to kill Wolverine, who greviously injured them, and then have the process reversed. While Lady Deathstrike wishes to remove Wolverine's Adamantium bones as she believes that the process was stolen from her father.
The four cyborgs track down and attack Wolverine during a snowstorm during the busy Christmas shopping season. In their initial attack on the crowded streets they cause a panic separating young Katie Power from her baby sitter Miss Randolph. As the youngest member of the Power Pack attempts to find her baby sitter she instead finds the seriously wounded Wolverine. Wolverine in a near feral state frightens the girl and when the police arrive he scares her further by picking her up and running away with the police firing after him into the swirling snow storm. When Wolverine trips and falls in the snow he drops young Katie who changes into her costume and incinerates a garbage pale to generate enough power to -- well, she's not sure what she will do when Wolverine gets up, because she knows he's a hero but she doesn't know why he is acting so strangely. When she gets a closer look she realizes that Wolverine has been seriously injured and makes the connection that the men who caused the shooting were after him.
Noticing the cyborgs lights searching for Wolverine, Katie helps Logan to his feet and tries to lead him to safety. When she spots an on-duty taxi cab she manages to get it to stop and gets Logan in the back. She explains to her driver that her "uncle" has been beat up and he agrees to try and take them to a hospital. However, the cyborgs manage to find Wolverine, with Lady Deathstrike incapacitating the cab. Wolverine tosses both Katie and the cab driver out of the vehicle as Cole fires at it causing it to explode. Katie his afraid that Wolverine has been killed when suddenly the feral mutant pops out of the flames alive and relatively well.
Wolverine then grabs the girl and flees again, but the two stumble into a construction yard. With Wolverine's mind partially restored he struggles to remember who Katie is and can only speak in Japanese. Katie realizes that Wolverine is cold and gives him her winter jacket. As Wolverine begins to shake off the drugs that he has been hit with, he explains to her that his healing factor is helping heal his body and his mind and now remembers her as one of the Power children. When the cyborgs track them down again, Wolverine gets them both to cover and tells Katie to stay behind and cover her eyes because what he is about to do won't be pretty. When she wants to help, he tells her to stay hidden and that she did her part keeping him away from his enemies long enough to heal. He then leaves her to attack the cyborgs that have come to kill him.
Logan quickly dispatches Cole, Macon and Reece with relative ease leaving him in a one-on-one duel with Lady Deathstrike. As the two battle it out, Wolverine gains the upper hand and easily trounces Lady Deathstrike. Stripping away her armor and seeing how fully she had gone with the cybernetic implants shocks Wolverine. He points out that she has no humanity left, as what was done with him was forced upon him while she willingly allowed herself to be turned into an abomination for something as petty as some misplaced desire of revenge. When the defeated Lady Deathstrike begs him to kill her out of mercy, Wolverine refuses and walks away.
Checking on Katie, he finds that she is fine and when she asks if Wolverine had killed the cyborgs. Wolverine doesn't mince words, but tells her that the part of his life where he would have killed for such an attack are behind him but there is still a part of him that's as wild as ever. He asks her if she's still scared, and Katie admits that she still is a little. Wolverine tells her that it's okay and walks her away to reunite her with her family. Katie tells Wolverine that he has a friend in her, and Wolverine tells her likewise and they walk off into the winter storm together.
Uncanny X-Men #206
The X-Men are continuing their clean-up effort of the San Francisco area following their battle with the Beyonder and the Omega Sentinels. As Storm patrols the streets she comes across a mugging in the China Town area. When she steps in to stop it, she easily beats up the muggers and takes them down before the police arrive. In the aftermath of the fight, Storm meets officer Bree Morrel, who tells Storm that she doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks about mutants or the X-Men and tells her that mutants have proved their worth to the people of San Francisco in her books. When Storm returns to the home of Jessica Drew, the temporary lodging of the X-Men while they're staying in San Francisco, she finds that Kitty Pryde has dressed up punk so that she can go on a date with David Ishima to see the latest Lila Cheney show. While Ishima promises to behave, Kitty's excitement for the date makes Storm worry. As Storm settles in, Rogue checks the mail and finds a postcard from Scott and Madelyne. When she tells them that Madelyne has asked them all to come up and visit in Alaska, Rachel throws a fit tossing dishes with her telekinetic powers. She is still struggling with being in a past where her mother is dead and her father is married to another woman, and when Rogue tries to calm her down and convince her to confide in Cyclops the truth behind her origins, Rachel cannot bring herself to do it.
While aboard a TWA Flight heading to London, Amanda Sefton worries over her boyfriend Nightcrawler. It's been a week since their argument and she hasn't been able to contact him and she wonders if their relationship is over.
Back in San Francisco, Kitty and David don't make their date as they are ambushed by members of the Freedom Force right outside of Jessica Drew's home. As the other X-Men rush outside to meet their government-sanctioned foes they are caught up in the psi-webbing of their newest member the new Spider-Woman. The X-Men break free, but Phoenix is seemingly struck down by Spiral and then Pyro causes a massive blaze with his flame throwers. When he challenges Storm to fight him (unaware that she lost her powers), Storm is surprised when the heat from the flames has turned the fog surrounding the area into a freak monsoon. Storm decides to bluff him into thinking she still has her powers. She gets an assist from Rachel, who has been playing possum, who uses her telekinetic powers to lift Storm off the ground and into the air.
Blob joins the fight and holds Rogue off while Spiral figures out that Rachel is behind Storm's "flight" and knocks her out with another blast. With Storm falling to the ground, Kitty uses her phasing powers to save her from a fatal fall. Meanwhile, Colossus attempts to put out Pyro's flames by breaking a fire hydrant, but the water stream is blocked by the Blob and he is swallowed up by the ground thanks to Avalanche. Colossus manages to break free, catching Blob off guard long enough for Rogue to throw him into San Francisco Bay. When Jessica Drew notices the newest member of the Freedom Force had usurped her former costumed identity she confronts her. However, the new Spider-Woman warns Jessica that unless she stands down, as a federal agent, she can have her arrested along with the X-Men. Rogue attempts to absorb Spiral's powers, and while she gains two extra pairs of arms, she is taken control of by Spiral. When Lindsay McCabe attempts to rescue her cat from the roof of the house she shares with Jessica, she almost falls from the roof, prompting Kitty to break away from the fight and save her.
This brings the fight to an end as the Freedom Force manages to incapacitate all of the X-Men with an assist from the Spiral controlled Rogue. However, before the Freedom Force can arrest the X-Men, Lieutenant Morrel shows up and orders the Freedom Force to stand down. She points out to the group that they are out of their jurisdiction, and because the X-Men have been considered civic heroes in the city, and the Freedom Force are consisted of mostly wanted criminals she tells them that unless they can provide a warrant and proof that they have been pardoned by the government, they have no jurisdiction to take the X-Men prisoner. Conceding, the Blob warns her that the X-Men better not be in San Francisco when they come back and Spiral teleports them away.
In the aftermath of the battle, Storm agrees with Morrel to leave before the Freedom Force comes back. Inside Jessica's house, the X-Men say their goodbyes. Rachel, realizing that she could have been killed or arrested tonight decides that she is going to finally tell Cyclops who she really is so that she can finally put her past to rest. While at the San Francisco Memorial Hospital, an unidentified female patient is brought through the emergency room, having suffered multiple gunshot wounds. With no identification on her, she is listed as a Jane Doe. This woman is none other than Scott's wife Madelyne Pryor. While in New York, Nightcrawler says goodbye to the newly appointed queen of Ruritania. The encounter with the woman having renewed his faith in adventure.
Uncanny X-Men #207
Rachel is in the ruins of New York City being attacked by Wolverine who seems to be out to kill her. As she flees from him she comes across a reflective surface and is shocked to see that her Phoenix costume has been replaced with her own Hound costume that she was forced to wear when the government of her future forced her to hunt for other mutants. Running across a poster listing the fate of many of the X-Men, Rachel recounts the nightmare world she came from and how she escaped to the past to try and find a happier life after the people of her future time destroyed everything. She now wonders if the whole thing was just a dream when Wolverine catches her and lands a fatal blow. Rachel wakes up screaming and realizes it was all a dream and that she is safe in a temporary bed in the Morlock tunnels.
When she looks in the mirror she sees that the telekinetic masking of her Hound scars has dropped and she lashes out, smashing the mirror with her mind. This brings Shadowcat and Colossus rushing into Rachel's room to see if she's okay. When they determine that it was an accident, Kitty warns Rachel to have more control over her powers in the future. Left alone, Rachel realizes that Kitty is right and attempts to use her abilities to fix the broken mirror but finds that she can't.
Elsewhere in the Morlock tunnels, Wolverine, still recovering from recent injuries wakes up and wonders why Rachel has been pulling him into her dreams. When he attempts to get out of bed he collapses on the floor and passes out. Rogue and Nightcrawler rush in to check on him and he sends Rogue to seek out Storm and Callisto so that they and see if the Healer can help Wolverine. After reporting to Storm, Rogue comes across Rachel and commends her for her Morlock-esque attire. When Rachel attempts to talk to Storm, she gets the cold shoulder. When she calls her on it, Rogue points out that the X-Men are still cross with her for taking their life forces to battle the Beyonder, some without their permission.
That night when Rachel is asleep again, she finds that she has pulled Wolverine into her dreams once more, this one about Japan. Wolverine, furious with her for stealing his life force while he slept explains that this linked the two of them together. Wolverine tracks her down and she begs him not to strike, reminding him that they are friends. Wolverine tells her that friends do not betray each other's trust and strikes. Rachel wakes up in an alley, and begins to walk the streets noting how complacent people are and how ignorant they are to the fact of just how many times the X-Men have saved their lives. She fells asleep again and has another dream where she is once more in her Hound costume. This time she tears it off and when she is attacked by Wolverine she strikes him with what she thinks is a lethal psi-blast. She is woken up on the subway by a police officer. After she explains to him that she isn't on drugs and can look after herself, he offers to help her find a place to crash for the night and she flees instead. She comes out of the subway on Spring Street, where the ruins of the home owned by Nicholas Damiano was destroyed. The first night that she met the X-Men. She recalls how Damiano was killed by Selene, then vying to become the new Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. Try as she might, however, Rachel cannot remember the name of the man. Remembering how the woman so callously killed a man who was just trying to help her out, Rachel decides to go and settle the score.
While back down in the Morlock tunnels, the other X-Men realize that both Wolverine and Rachel are missing and head to the surface to look for them. Later, at Monarch Towers, Phoenix pays a visit to Friedrich von Roehm, the aid to Selene and uses her mental powers to take control of him. She forces him to bring her to the Hellfire Club where she appropriates a maid costume so that she can get into Selene's chambers. There she unleashes her full power on the woman, demanding that she pay penance for the man who she slew. Although Rachel can easily overpower the new Black Queen, she is shocked when Selene actually can remember Damiano's name and points out to Rachel that the man must have meant less to her as she cannot. Before she can execute Selene she is interrupted by Wolverine who has managed to walk right into the Hellfire Club and confront her.
Wolverine tells her that he has come to take her home, however, she refuses to go without killing Selene. Wolverine points out that what Rachel is about to do is murder, and being part of the X-Men, that is against the rules. He points out that while they have both killed in their lives, the fact that they are X-Men means that they have to stand for something better. When Rachel refuses to stand down she tells Logan that the only thing that will stop her from slaying Selene would be if Wolverine were to kill her. As they debate, Logan gets close enough and the last sound Rachel hears is the trademark SNIKT of Wolverine extracting his claws.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #208
Continued from last issue...
Wolverine has returned to the Morlock tunnels to explain to her fellow X-Men that he was forced to use lethal action against Phoenix to stop her from slaying Selene, the new Back Queen of the Hellfire Club. Both Shadowcat and Nightcrawler are mortified by learning that Wolverine did this, and an argument about what right he had to do so break out. It's eventually stifled by Storm who understands why Wolverine chose to do what he did, but does not condone it. She reminds the team that Rachel is still out there somewhere hurt and they need to get her help fast. The X-Men enlist the aid of the Morlocks in order to begin searching for their missing friends.
Meanwhile, in Central Park, Selene has become withered and aged due to depleted energy and comes across a mugger attacking his intended victim. She uses her powers to drain the life out of the mugger, then in turn does the same thing to the woman she had saved in order to restore her youthful vitality. Returning to the Hellfire Club, she has a meeting with the Inner Circle and reports to Sebastian Shaw of the Phoenix's attack on her. She convinces the Hellfire Club to rally together and hunt down Phoenix and destroy her before she can recover and attack the Inner Circle anew.
While elsewhere in the city, Nimrod is scanning the area by uplinking to a satellite dish. He picks up Phoenix and registers her as an omega class mutant and is about to go to attack her when he is briefly interrupted by Thomas Rodriguez the son of his friend Jamie. Nimrod changes into his human disguise when the boy asks him to check over his homework. Nimrod tells him that he can't because he has business downtown and is left alone. Nimrod reverts to his robot form and flies off to intercept Rachel with the intention of eliminating her.
While in Central Park, Rachel is still alive, in blinding agony her mind is flooded with stray thoughts of the millions of New Yorkers all around her. She has managed to survive having her lung and heart pierced by Wolverine's Adamantium claws by using her telekinetic powers to keep everything together, but she needs medical attention fast because if she slips for a single moment she will die. As she wanders through the park she comes across the remains of Selene's last victims. Furious she psi-links with Wolverine and shows him what his mercy toward Selene has a cost: the lives of two innocent victims. She uses her powers to throw Wolverine onto subway tracks in the path of an oncoming train. Wolverine is saved from being killed thanks to the split-second timing of Shadowcat who uses her phasing powers to save him. Pulling him up into Central Park, the X-Men realize that they should have not turned Rachel away earlier and this could have all been avoided, but are more determined to go looking for her. Leaving Wolverine behind in Nightcrawler's care to heal, Storm leads the X-Men and Morlocks with Caliban using his tracking abilities to try and find Rachel. Caliban tells Storm that he has found her, but there are others out hunting her down as well.
Caliban couldn't be more right, as both Nimrod and the Hellfire Club are out searching for her. As Selene unleashes her minion Von Roehm to hunt her down, Nimrod's scanning systems detects the presence of all the mutants in the area and prepares to deal with them with extreme prejudice. Von Roehm finds Rachel first, but before the feral mutant can attack her Rogue slams into him. When he claws her he causes her to absorb his powers and she becomes possessed with his personality. Before she can attack Rachel, she takes Rogue down with a psi-blast. However, before Phoenix can get away the Hellfire Club is upon her and Selene manages to encase her in animated Earth. The other X-Men arrive and a full-on fight breaks out.
During the fight, Henry Leland uses his gravitational powers to increase Colossus's mass and cause him to fall through the ground. When Rogue attempts to save him, her ripped gloves causes her to absorb his powers instead. Fearing she might rip Colossus's arms right out of their sockets she instead smashes through the ground to dig him out. Sebastian Shaw orders Storm and the X-Men to surrender in order to save their friend's life. As she is considering this, Rachel manages to crawl away, deciding that the best course of action would be to remove herself from the location so that the X-Men and the Hellfire Club have anything to fight over. As she is fleeing she is spotted by some of the Hellfire Club's mercenaries who chase after her. However, before anything else can happen Nimrod appears, telling the gathered mutants that the use of their powers are a capital offense, punishable by death.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #209
Continued from last issue...
A confrontation between the X-Men and the Hellfire Club in Central Park over Rachel Summers has been interrupted by the arrival of Nimrod who has come to terminate all the mutants as per it's programming. As both teams prepare to deal with Nimrod, Phoenix -- mortally wounded by Wolverine -- detects Nimrod's presence and in a near delirious state due to blood loss flees the scene. As the robot decides to shift it's a priority to Phoenix, Rogue smashes out of the ground disorientating Leland. With Leland's powers no longer keeping Colossus trapped underground, Storm sends Shadow Cat to collect him.
When some Hellfire Club mercenaries try to shoot Storm from behind, Callisto dives in the way, pushing her out of harm's way. Just then, Nightcrawler and Wolverine teleport onto the scene and frighten them off. As Kitty continues to search for Colossus, Rogue clashes with Sebastian Shaw. Finding him becoming too powerful to fight on her own, she throws him toward Nimrod. Nimrod uses a repulsor attack to send Shaw flying into orbit. Seeing this as a means to take over the Hellfire Club herself, Selene thanks Nimrod for the assist and then seeks to destroy the robot with her powers. However, Nimrod manages to neutralize the attack.
With it's initial threats neutralized, Nimrod begins to compute the next course of action. Storm sends Rogue to go and locate Rachel and then suggests to Leland that since neither of them can fight Nimrod alone, they should team-up. Before Leland can answer, Von Roehm, attacks Storm, only to be knocked out by Wolverine. When Friedrich attempts to counter-attack he is incinerated by Nimrod in a single blast. Rogue counter-attacks, hoping the fact that she still has Colossus's powers to protect her. However, as Kitty finds Peter buried underground the powers revert back to him, making Rogue an easier target to Nimrod and is blasted out of the sky.
Elsewhere, Rachel continues her struggle to use her powers to keep herself alive. She hears music coming from a nearby Delacorte and decides to investigate. Using her powers to open the gate, and she finds her transported to a giant building. There she is greeting by a woman who introduces the place as the Body Shoppe. The strange woman welcomes her in with open arms and offers to use the Body Shoppe's magics to heal her and remake her in the image that she has always wanted. Confused and feeling that everyone is just using her for one end of the other, but tired of fleeing, Rachel wearily follows after the woman.
While back in the battle raging in Central Park, while Leland uses his powers to root Nimrod in one spot, Nightcrawler attempts a trick that he used on Nimrod in their previous encounter by teleporting off one of his limbs. However, Nimrod has produced a countermeasure to this sort of attack and scrambles Nightcrawlers' attempt to teleport away, causing to scream in agony before he teleported away to points unknown. At the same time within the Body Shoppe, the woman who has greeted Rachel shows her that by dancing in this realm Rachel can be reformed in any way she wishes to remake herself in any image she could possibly want. Meanwhile, Leland continues to use his powers when he is suddenly stricken with a heart attack. Although Nimrod is freed from Leland's power, Colossus bursts through the ground and grabs his foot. Kitty phases through Peter and through Nimrod catching the robot off guard. With Kitty's phasing powers shorting out Nimrod, Colossus gains the upper hand and begins smashing the robot around the park, smashing it into seeming in-operation.
Selene then uses her powers to cause the electrical and telecommunications wires under Central Park to come up and coil around the damaged robot while the two teams of mutants determine what to do with the robot next. With Leland struggling with his heart attack, Tessa asks him to use his powers one last time and use them to negate the repulsor beam used against Sebastian. This causes Shaw to come falling back down to the Earth and slam into Nimrod's inert body. This impact is with sufficient force that it not only creates a massive crater in the park but smashes Nimrod into rubble. With Colossus carrying the unconscious Shaw away, Wolverine attempts to finish off Nimrod with his claws. Before he can destroy the mutant hunter once and for all, it teleports away much to Logan's frustration.
With the battle over and the authorities on their way, Tessa offers the X-Men sanctuary at the Hellfire Club so that both groups can effectively escape. As they flee into the night, within the Body Shoppe, Rachel is shown an image of the X-Men. Deciding that her time with them is done, she enters into the spotlight to be remade again and begin a new chapter in her life. As she enters the portal, she is unaware that he owner of the Body Shoppe is none other than her foe Spiral, who hopes to manipulate Rachel and the power of the Phoenix for her own twisted ends.
Uncanny X-Men #210
Los Angeles, California... Richard Salmons -- a mercenary in the hire of the Hellfire Club -- has been fleeing from mysterious attackers along with his lover, a Morlock named Tommy. As they run through a train yard, Richard is struck by a super-charged harpoon and is fatally wounded. As he dies, he tells Tommy to grab his gun and run, as it is her only chance to survive. Tommy complies, wondering why she is being hunted down and is fearful of her attackers because she does not want to die. When Tommy flees without the weapon, Richard reaches for it when his attackers catch up to him. He warns them that his employers will pay these assassins back in kind, to which their leader welcomes them to try before shooting him in the head. Hearing this, Tommy rushes for a moving train and uses her powers to slip inside a rail car, hoping that she has escaped her attackers. These Marauders, however, know where she is hiding but decide to leave her live a while longer as she will take them to where their mission needs to bring them. Their leader hopes their member Malice is having as much fun with her assignment in San Francisco.
In San Francisco, Alison Blaire -- the mutant known as Dazzler -- taken up a job as a back-up singer for Lila Cheney's band since her outing as a mutant had ruined her solo music career. After their latest gig, she turns down an offer from her bandmates to go out and party and decides instead to rest on their tour bus instead. Alone in the bathroom, Dazzler thinks about how much she hates being the back-up singer for a band and having to hide her mutant nature, and disguise herself by dying her hair black. Her thoughts are interrupted when suddenly, Malice, one of the Marauders appears to her in the mirror as an image of Alison's "true" self. She attacks Alison, however she seemingly fends off her attacker with her light powers. Not sure if the attack really happened or not, Dazzler tries to convince herself to keep her head on straight and heads off to bed, unaware that she is now wearing a choker around her neck.
While in Manhattan, Rogue continues the search for Rachel Summers who had gone missing during the X-Men's recent battle with Nimrod and the Hellfire Club in New York City. Along with her search she flies past the X-Factor compound and wreckage caused by a recent super-powered battle and wonders what he organization is all about. She decides to continue her search and has to put it off to save some window washers who's scaffolding breaks loose. After getting them safely to the ground one of them attempts to kiss Rogue. She politely declines it and flies off remembering that she has no control over her powers. Looking at her reflection in nearby office windows she realizes that her costume is in tatters and decides to go out and purchase a new outfit. She stops at Bloomingdales to get a new outfit and some make-up done. As she is being made over by a cosmetics salesperson a crowd who saw her save the window washers gathers. One of them, an anti-mutant bigot, calls her out as a mutant and threatens to call X-Factor on her. She is puzzled, and before the man can do anything else one of the window washers she saves gets in the middle and defends her. In the commotion, Rogue flies away from the scene and as she heads back toward the X-Mansion. Along the way she spies an advertisement for X-Factor on the side of the bus and is troubled to see that they are commercial mutant hunters.
At the Mansion, Colossus is forced to wear his original X-Men costume since all of his most recent ones have been wrecked. He pays a visit to his sister the New Mutant known as Magik. She is looking at his sketches and marvels at his artistic abilities. Coming across as sketch of Kitty, Illyana tells her brother that Pryde is worried about the fate of their missing teammates Phoenix and Nightcrawler and the two agree to go down and see what they can do to try and find their missing friends. They find Kitty in Xavier's former study where she has just succeeded in revamping Cerebro to allow any of the X-Men to use it to track mutants. When they discuss what happened to Rachel, Kitty expresses her displeasure with the fact that Rachel fled the battle with Nimrod when all of them could have died in the conflict. Just then, Cerebro begins to detect one of their missing comrades.
Back in Manhattan, Magneto arrives in an alleyway and uses his magnetic powers to change his costume into street clothes. As he walks through the streets he witnesses the gathered emergency and police crews that are still in the area following the X-Men's battle in Central Park. As he is walking toward the front doors of the Hellfire Club's building, he sees the members of X-Factor and is shocked to see that they comprise of the original X-Men, making him wonder if they have betrayed Xavier's ideals. X-Factor sees Magneto entering the Hellfire Club building as well but decided that there are too many innocent bystanders around to act. Inside the building, Magneto meets with the Lords Cardinal of the Hellfire Club. After discussing the current actions the Hellfire Club has taken against both the X-Men and the New Mutants. Shaw decides that in light of the current wave of anti-mutant sentiment in the United States that the two groups should consider a truce and work together for the self-preservation of mutants. To this end, Shaw offers Magneto a seat within the Inner Circle. Magneto decides that he will consider the offer.
While in a derelict warehouse off the Hudson River, Nightcrawler is being chased by an angry mob who is attacking him due to his appearance. Having tracked Kurt with Cerebro, Illyana, Kitty and Peter teleport to the location to look for him. Confronting the mob, they learn that he unintentionally scared some young children, hence creating the mob that has been chasing him and that they are concerned that Nightcrawler is as dangerous as a pair of radioactive mutants that attacked X-Factor recently. Kitty scolds them and points out to the angry mob that mutants are living beings like them and should be treated humanely. Despite being outnumbered, Kitty manages to talk the mob down and convince them to leave Nightcrawler alone. With the danger averted, Kitty asks Kurt why he didn't just teleport away from the mob. He explains to her that he tried, and for whatever reason, he has seemed to have lost his ability to teleport. While at the Delacorte Theatre, Wolverine and Storm have tracked Rachel's sent to this location. Wolverine explains that her scent just stops.
Wolverine confides in Storm and asks her if he made the right decision wounding Rachel when she attempted to slay the Black Queen. Storm tells him that it shouldn't have come to that and in the dark days ahead the X-Men must begin fighting like a team again. She asks Wolverine to pledge to follow her leadership, that they cannot afford this situation repeating itself. Wolverine swears to her that he will until the end.
While in the subway tunnels below Manhattan, the Morlock named Tommy arrives in the Morlock tunnels after traveling across America. She thinks that she has safely escaped her attackers in LA, but is shocked when she is struck down by an energy harpoon. She is confronted by the Marauders who tell her that they are the best at what they do and that they have been hired to eliminate her, but that it's nothing personal. Their leader pulls out a gun and then shoots her in the head.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #211
The Marauders have come to the Morlock Tunnels on behalf of their employer to eliminate the Morlocks. Finding their first batch of victims, Scalphunter attacks first with his specially-made gun, blasting some of the Morlocks away. When one superhumanly strong Morlock attempts to counter attack, his powers are nullified by Scrambler, who leaves him vulnerable to Riptide, and Scalphunter. The Marauders soon storm their way into the Alley, where they unleash a full-scale assault on the unprepared Morlocks. After a number of Morlocks are slain, Callisto orders the others to flee the scene. In order to cover their tracks, she has the Piper use his flute to summon the rats, alligators, and bats that populate the sewer to block their attackers.
Meanwhile at the X-Mansion, Wolverine goes out to the small barn on the property to offer aid to Colossus and Rogue, who are baling hay. When they decline and tell him he needs to let his body heal, Wolverine angrily cuts Colossus's pitchfork in two and storms off. When Wolverine storms off, Colossus notes that it's taking longer than usual for him to heal from his injuries. Inside the mansion, Kitty is caught raiding the fridge by Magneto. When Kitty explains that she's cramming to catch up with her classes, Magneto allows her to continue, and she brings her bounty up to Illyana to share. Back outside, Nightcrawler attempts to surprise Wolverine by teleporting, but finds that while he has regained the ability, it is painful for him to accomplish. The two are about to step out for a drink when suddenly one of the Morlocks digs out of the ground. On the brink of death, the mole-like Morlock tells the two X-Men that they are the Morlocks' only chance at survival before he expires. The Morlock is brought into the mansion, where his body is examined by Storm, Magneto and newcomer Betsy Braddock. They learn that someone is trying to wipe out the Morlocks. When Storm decides to take the X-Men down into the Morlock tunnels to investigate, Magneto offers to join them. Storm refuses, telling him he has a responsibility to the New Mutants, and that he should remain behind just in case the X-Men are targeted next.
The X-Men are teleported into the sewers by Colossus's sister Magik and as they travel through the sewers they come across a mound of bodies, some alive, some injured, including Callisto, who is only slightly wounded. The complete disregard of life shown sends the X-Men reeling, and so they are open to an attack by the Marauder known as Vertigo and ambushed by Riptide. As Colossus and Rogue shield the others, Nightcrawler uses his powers to get the drop on the two Marauders. Taking out Vertigo with multiple teleportations leaves Kurt weakened and open for attack by Riptide, who seriously injures him (nearly killing him) and flees the scene with his unconscious comrade. Storm orders Illyana to teleport Nightcrawler and the wounded Morlocks back to the Mansion, and tells her to stay put. Storm, the rest of the X-Men and Callisto then move forward, determined to stop the Morlocks from causing any more deaths before it's too late.
This is a faint hope, as the Marauder known as Scalphunter has tracked down Annalee. He tells her that he was the one who killed her children, before he shoots her and a few of the young Morlocks. The gunshots lead Colossus and Shadowcat to Scalphunter's location. When the two X-Men attempt to attack Scalphunter, his teammate Arclight knocks Colossus clear down the tunnel and caves it in, separating him and Kitty. When Scalphunter attempts to shoot Kitty at point-blank range, she is saved by her phasing powers. Shadowcat warns the Marauders that she could use her phasing powers to maim them horribly, but decides her teammate is more important, and flees through the rubble to check on Colossus. As the other X-Men and Callisto travel through the tunnels, Wolverine pushes Storm down before she can be struck by what appears to be one of Cyclops's optic blasts. Before they can go investigate, Colossus smashes through the wall next to them and Kitty hands over Annalee, who bravely shielded the younger Morlocks with her body. Her dying words to Callisto are that she was shot by the man responsible for killing her children.
Before the X-Men can do anything more, they are attacked by Scrambler, Riptide and Harpoon. While Wolverine and Harpoon both seriously injure each other, Scrambler attempts to scramble Storm's mutant powers. As Storm has none at the time, he leaves himself open for attack by both she and Callisto, who severely beat him. The fight is scattered when Riptide unleashes another flurry of his throwing stars at the X-Men and their allies. While Colossus is attacked by Harpoon, Scrambler attempts to use his powers on Rogue. However, their similar abilities cause feedback that causes both to be knocked out. Open to an attack by Harpoon, Rogue is saved when Shadowcat steps in the way and is struck by the harpoon. Colossus, hearing Kitty's screams, lunges for Harpoon, but Riptide blocks Peter's way and attacks him. Enraged by the Marauders' wanton violence, Colossus snaps Riptide's neck. He then turns his attention to Harpoon, but finds that he and Scrambler have fled the scene.
In the aftermath of the battle, the X-Men are horrified to find that Harpoon's attack on Kitty has injured her to the extent that she cannot unphase herself, making Rogue blame herself for the injury. Storm orders the X-Men to help bring the wounded Morlocks back to the X-Mansion. When Wolverine asks what they should do next, Storm coldly tells him that they only really need one prisoner - the rest of the Marauders can be handled as they see fit.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #212
This story is continued from...
Wolverine continues to stalk through the Morlock tunnels looking for survivors following his encounter with the Power Pack and battle against Sabretooth. As Wolverine searches through the tunnels, he finds nothing but dead bodies. When he senses rats coming to feed on the corpses of the dead, he scares them off, even though he knows that it's a futile gesture and that they will be back when he leaves. He is then contacted telepathically by Psylocke, the new telepath living at the X-Men's mansion. She asks Wolverine for a status report, and reminds him that he is to bring back at least one hostage. Wolverine tells her things look bleak, but he will follow orders and eliminate the rest of the Marauders after he has captured a hostage. He breaks off contact telling her that he has work to do.
Psylocke is a little annoyed by Wolverine's condescending attitude, but shakes it off and turns her thoughts toward the survivors of the massacre. Down below in the mansion's medical center, Moira MacTaggert, Sharon Friedlander and Magneto try in vain to save another critically wounded Morlock, but the Morlock dies in the process. Each death ways heavily on both Callisto and Storm. When Callisto confides to Storm that other than the X-Men, nobody would care about what happened to the Morlocks, Storm in turn believes that the same is true about the X-Men. She looks over her injured teammates, Nightcrawler and Shadowcat, the latter of whom is stuck in her phasing state and is rapidly becoming a living ghost. When she listens to Colossus talk about killing the Marauder named Riptide for injuring Nightcrawler, Storm considers how far the X-Men have fallen. The idea that such a noble group would resort to killing causes Storm to break down and rush out of the room in tears. She runs out across the Xavier property until she reaches the lake and dives in and swims away in order to let loose her feelings.
Colossus tries to go after Storm, but when he runs into Psylocke he passes out from his injuries. Meanwhile, below in the entrance to the Morlock Tunnels, Rogue and Tom Corsi stand guard at the tunnel ready for any Marauders who might make their way up to the Mansion. Rogue is called away when she is psychically contacted by Psylocke, who is pinned under Colossus and needs help. Rogue helps her by lifting the inert Colossus off her, and then is sent off to the lake to go looking for Storm.
Down below in the sewers, Wolverine continues to track the scents of the Marauders and look out for survivors. As he travels, he picks up the scents of the original X-Men, Cyclops, Iceman, Beast, Angel and Jean Grey, something that Wolverine cannot believe. Before he can consider the idea further, he is attacked from behind.
While back at the Mansion, Magneto and Moira MacTaggert examine Colossus's inert body. After considering that the damage done to his armored form, caused by Riptide, is the cause of the injury Magneto uses his powers in an attempt to heal the damage. However, although Magneto manages to restore Colossus to consciousness, the Russian mutant is still paralyzed, a condition that stumps the others.
Back in the sewers, Wolverine turns to see that his attacker is Sabretooth looking for a rematch. In the feral mutant's hands is the Morlock's Healer. Seeing that the healer is still alive, and could be a help in healing the others back at the Mansion, Wolverine goads Sabretooth into dropping his victim and starting the next round of their fight. Meanwhile, Rogue cannot find Storm, and so Callisto tells her to go back to the Mansion while she continues to search. Rogue hands her Storm's vest and tells her to give it back if she finds her. Callisto finds Storm on another property near the Xavier estate, where she has stolen a dress from a clothesline. When Callisto attempts to make Storm return to her responsibility, the X-Men's leader flees into the woods again. However Callisto catches up to her, and forces her to fight.
Meanwhile, down in the sewers, Wolverine and Sabretooth continue to clash. However, while Sabretooth is only interested in slaying Wolverine, Logan is only interested in saving the Healer. Managing to get close enough to the man he is trying to save, Wolverine collapses part of the tunnel, putting a barrier between him and Sabretooth. Picking up the healer, he rushes off with him in his hands to take him back to the others. Back on the surface, Callisto manages to convince Storm to stop thinking of herself and take up the responsibility she took up when she took over leadership of both the X-Men and the Morlocks. Wolverine returns to the X-Mansion, and he gets Rogue and Tom Corsi to help carry the Healer out of the tunnels. They manage to get clear just before some powerful force of lightning surges through the Morlock tunnels, scouring them clean. As Rogue looks at the state of the tunnel, she tells the others that if there was anything left alive in them before, they are now probably dead.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #213
Continued from last issue....
Following the evacuation of all the surviving Morlocks from their tunnels, Elizabeth Braddock -- the newest addition to Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters -- uses Cerebro to try and make herself useful following the Marauders' massacre of the Morlocks. Reaching out with her telepathy, she asks Rogue, who is on patrol around the mansion's grounds, if she needs any help. Rogue has nothing to report and says she's fine if not bored.
Elizabeth reaches out with her mind down to the lower levels of the mansion, where she checks on all those in the makeshift infirmary. First she checks on the wounded Nightcrawler and Colossus before going to check on Shadowcat, who despite being at risk of phasing out of existence seems to be taking it okay. This saddens Betsy greatly. Scanning around the mansion, Betsy looks around the wing of the school designated to the New Mutants. She comes across a picture of the youngest students at Xavier's, and thinks about how their member Doug Ramsey, alias Cypher loves her. She recalls how he risked his life to save her from the Mojoverse and wonders how she feels about him.
Meanwhile, down in what remains of the Morlocks' tunnels, Callisto, Storm, Wolverine, and Magneto examine the area. Some force of lightning has wiped out every dead body out of the sewers as well as eliminated any trace of the Marauders or the missing New Mutants. When Storm realizes it was lightning that wiped out everything in the sewers, Callisto is angry and both wonder if somehow Storm's seemingly lost mutant powers were responsible. Whatever the case may be, they cannot pick up the trail of either the Marauders or the New Mutants. The latter gets Magneto upset, as the younger students are his responsibility. Elizabeth contacts them telepathically and offers to use her powers to scan the planet for traces of either group. Storm tells Betsy to focus on Mansion security instead. When Wolverine asks Storm why she doesn't utilize Betsy's talents, Storm tells him that they cannot afford making any mistakes with unknown quantities.
Psylocke continues to scan the Mansion perimeter until she detects someone on the property. When she tries to scan their mind, she is overpowered by their psi-shields, as she forgets her telepathic power is being boosted by Cerebro at the time. The intruder turns out to be Sabretooth, who easily overpowers Rogue and breaks into the mansion.
At the Mansion, Sabretooth attacks Betsy, who temporarily sends him reeling with one of her "psycho-blasts", but not before Sabretooth has savaged her arm with his claws. Betsy dares him to follow her as she heads further into the mansion, leading him away from the infirmary and the patients inside. After Sabretooth follows Betsy up onto the mansion's roof, the two two of them crash through the roof of Storm's attic, where Betsy tries to fend him off with Storm's knife. Their one-on-one battle is interrupted by the arrival of Storm, Callisto, Wolverine and Magneto. As Wolverine and Sabretooth duke it out once more, their fight takes them outside of the mansion. Before Magneto can use some improvised bonds to subdue Sabretooth, Psylocke explains the psi-shields that protect Sabretooth and suggests they allow her to try and probe his mind while he's distracted by his fight against Wolverine.
This works, allowing Betsy to probe Sabretooth's mind and learn who the secret leader of the Marauders is. When she tells Wolverine this, the two combatants have made it near the lake that is at the edge of the mansion. With the other X-Men coming to help Wolverine take Sabretooth in, the feral mutant dives into the lake, with Wolverine following after him. Sabretooth however manages to escape, and Psylocke says he cannot be detected.
In the aftermath of the battle, it's decided that Callisto and the injured Morlocks and X-Men are all to be transported to Muir Island, where they will continue to be under the care of Moira MacTaggert. Wolverine then suggests to Storm that Psylocke had proven herself to be a capable member of the X-Men. Storm agrees and when they ask Betsy to join their team she gratefully accepts and is welcomed as their newest member.
Uncanny X-Men #214
As Lila Cheney and her band perform another sold-out performance, Dazzler -- working in secret as the keyboard player after being outed as a mutant -- struggles to keep the Marauder Malice under control. Unfortunately, despite her struggles, Dazzler is influenced into using her powers on stage and stealing the show. After the show, Lila confronts Dazzler and warns her against using her powers during a performance again because not only will she be fired, she might blow her cover by revealing that she's really Dazzler. Alison wonders if Lila is perhaps jealous of her superior musical skills, and warns Lila to enjoy her fame while it lasts as she intends to take her spot at the top of the charts.
Later, at Professor Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, Storm, Rogue, and Psylocke are working at repairing Cerebro following the damage done to it by Sabretooth. Although Psylocke is hard on herself, Storm and Rogue try to convince her that it was an early mistake and she'll be better prepared next time. When Betsy asks if they will be ready should the Marauders attack the school again, Storm doesn't believe so. With that Rogue departs to get some fresh air. When Storm asks Betsy where Wolverine and Callisto are, Psylocke tells her that they are in a training session. When attempting a psi-link to contact Wolverine, Betsy is shocked to see that Wolverine and Callisto are really fighting. When she suggests doing something, Storm tells her that there is no danger.
Their session ends with Callisto just barely managing a kill shot, and she tells Logan that she intends to go looking for the Marauders and avenge those they killed to pay the debt to the survivors. Later after cleaning up, Logan checks on the status of Cerebro and when he notices Betsy is on edge tries to spook her with his claws. He gets a full-on telepathic jolt for his trouble. When Betsy scolds him, he tells her that he was only checking to see that she hadn't lost her edge after battling Sabretooth. When Betsy convinces him that she can handle herself the phone rings. Answering it, Logan learns that it is Lila who has come to report about Dazzler's recent troubles.
Wolverine, Storm, Rogue and Psylocke all travel down to Dallas and the following night they find Dazzler performing at a private club. They notice that everyone in the club is on edge and could possibly explode at any moment. While the X-Men agree that Dazzler is an adult who can take care of herself, they believe that they should warn her about the Marauders and the possibility that they are targeting those associated with the X-Men. To their surprise, Dazzler notices them and attacks, finally glad that they decided to show up. A battle erupts between the four X-Men and Dazzler, unaware that she has been possessed by the Marauder known as Malice.
When they manage to overpower Dazzler and restrain her, Malice leaves her body and takes possession of Wolverine. Not realizing what's going on, the X-Men are taken off guard as the Malice possessed Wolverine attempts to murder Dazzler. However she knocks him out with a laser blasts fired from her eyes. While outside, the battle has attracted the attention of the police SWAT team to the location. With the owner telling the officer in charge that the Dazzler is in his club wrecking the place, the officer wonders if the story is true, or if it's the product of the drugs that he is clearly high from. Back inside, Rogue is possessed by Malice next who quickly departs to the outside to greet the authorities outside. Still not realizing what's going on, Storm wonders if Dazzler's "madness" is infectious. Betsy scans Dazzler's mind and realizes the truth, that Rogue and the others were possessed by the Marauder known as Malice. The team quickly comes up with a solution to defeating Malice: Unable to effect Malice in Rogue's mind, which is psi-resistant, Psylocke believes that she can defeat Malice if she possesses someone who she has a psi-link with. Although Dazzler offers herself up, Psylocke instead decides to use Storm as bait. Storm accepts, and Wolverine tells her not to worry, that if Psylocke's plan fails, he'll finish Malice one way or the other.
Outside the Malice possessed Rogue makes short work of the SWAT team outside, and tells the media that she is with the X-Men. Before she can damage the groups reputation further, Dazzler attacks, prompting Psylocke to attack her with a powerful psi-bolt. This attack causes Malice to flee Rogue's body, and take possession of Storm as planned. However, Malice finds that Storm is not as easy to possess as the others. Through force of will, she manages to pull off the choker that is Malice when she possesses others. Telling the villain that her defeat comes at attempting to take control of others dark natures, an aspect of herself that Storm had long ago come to accept. In the aftermath of the battle, Malice seemingly dissipates.
With the battle over, the X-Men and Dazzler sneak out of the private club and witness the police efforts outside. Dazzler asks Storm why the Marauders would go after her. Storm suggests that her powers and association as a friend of the X-Men likely made her a target. Dazzler feels horrible due to the fact that her possession led to the X-Men being discredited and blamed for the damage caused, Storm assures her the X-Men will endure. Storm invites Dazzler to join the X-Men for her own protection, which she accepts. Suddenly, Logan lashes out and attempts to kill Storm, thinking that she is still possessed by Malice. When the others pull Logan off of her, he finds that he was mistaken but could have sworn that he got a whiff of Malice's scent. Psylocke puts her teammates at ease telling them that she does not detect Malice's presence in any of them, however, the group is still uneasy with the experience. Wolverine suggests that if they cannot trust each other the X-Men should split up, but Storm refuses to give up without a fight.
High above them, Malice, having possessed the leader of the SWAT team watches over the group. She muses how Storm's words are brave, but she finds Wolverine's words truer. Reveling in the fact that her influence has breached the trust the X-Men once had in themselves and that it may be the key to their eventual destruction.
Uncanny X-Men #215
Madelyne Summers remembers flying a Boeing of 387 passengers into San Francisco International Airport. It is on fire and crashes. Only she walks out of the flames. She then finds herself in an ambulance and her paramedics are Arclight and Scalphunter, Marauders, who chase her and then shoot her. It is shown to have been a dream, although with some real moments.
At the X-Mansion, the team is recovering from the recent Marauders attack. Colossus, Shadowcat, and Nightcrawler are loaded into the Blackbird to fly them and some of Callisto's Morlocks to Muir Island where their recovery can be monitored. Storm decides to split the team up so they are not all attacked by Marauders if they strike again. Rogue flies the team to Muir Island while Storm stays behind. As the Blackbird flies off, Storm finds Wolverine in the mansion's woods. Storm asks Wolverine to come with her to upstate New York as a backup.
Meanwhile, in a San Francisco hospital, Madelyne Summers is recovering from real gunshot wounds she has sustained. The doctors talk as if she should not have survived the night but have somehow pulled through. They also do not know the name of this "Jane Doe". As they walk out Madelyne suddenly wakes up and then remembers her name to be Madelyne Pryor and she announces this to the doctors.
Storm and Wolverine go to the burning home of Sara Grey, Jean Grey's sister. They find the home to still be burning and try to find the reason as to the assault. Wolverine determines it was done with dynamite and gasoline. Storm searches the burning rubble and thinks of all those she holds dear and must warn, like Forge. She wonders why her thoughts go to him since he recently "stole" her powers from her with his machines. Wolverine then picks up on ascent. He says Sara got out before the fire but there is another one who was not so fortunate. He suddenly stands up and screams, "No!". He has picked up on the scent of Jean Grey, who he thought to be dead. He goes berserk and strikes out at Storm and runs off into the forest leaving Storm unconscious.
In the Blackbird, Shadowcat, who now cannot "unphase" herself, sneaks out of her life-cell and wanders the jet. She is seen by Rogue and told to get back since she should not be wandering the ship in her condition. Before going back she sees Longshot sleeping and kisses him. He awakens and says he "saw" her future when she touched him and it was jumbled and was a void that hungered for her. He asks Rogue if this could mean death for her and she says, "Could be".
Storm wakes up in a dungeon and is chained to the wall. She picks the locks and sees another in the cell. She leaves her and goes upstairs to find she is in a hunting lodge filled with trophies and medals. She notices three shadows walking toward the lodge. She jumps upstairs and is then caught by her captors. They are talking of a hunt they have just come from and since she broke the rules, they will punish her. She tries to escape but finds they are mutants as well. They are Crimson Commando, Stonewall, and Super Sabre. They fight and Super Sabre then runs behind her and flicks his fingers quick enough to cause a micro-sonic boom that knocks her unconscious.
She awakens outside the front of the lodge. Her captors have gathered together her and her cellmate, Priscilla Morrison, a human with a very dark past. They have decided to make them a part of their hunt. They say that they go after people who cannot be captured or prosecuted for crimes they commit and then use them in a hunt as a game for them. This way they rid the world of the criminal while still hunting for sport. Their last hunt was of Priscilla's boyfriend, Tommy. As for Storm, they say that they found her with Sara Grey's possessions on her and at the scene of a crime of arson. She says she is not a criminal but knows they will not free her and she takes off her sweater and she and Priscilla run into the forest. They have till sunset before the hunt begins. The two run through the forest and Storm realizes that Wolverine is nowhere in sight and she must watch after Priscilla as the hunters begin their hunt.
This story continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #216
Continued from last issue...
Wolverine's senses have been shaken when he picked up the scent of Jean Grey at the ruins of her sister Sarah's home and is now running through the woods clinging to what is left of his humanity. That night he comes into the path of a young couple driving through the mountains and is struck by the car. Slashing it with his claws, Logan runs into the wilderness leaving the couple to wonder what they hit, and stranding them until they can make repairs to their vehicle. As Wolverine continues to run through the woods he struggles to maintain his humanity and in his frustration lets out a howl of utter anguish.
This is heard by Storm, who many miles away, is still fleeing from the old World War II heroes Crimson Commando, Super Saber, and Stonewall. Running for her life along with young drug dealer Priscilla Morrison. Storm has set up a trap for Super Saber with a spool of fishing line she managed to find. Setting a snare across the dirt road, the two hide out in the bush to wait for the super-fast hero to run by so that Storm can decapitate him as he passes. However, after she shows the trap to Priscilla, Storm notes the young girls remorselessness and realizes that what she is doing is more along the line of Wolverine's tactics than her own and wonders if she can bring herself to go that far and slay another human being for her own survival.
When dawn comes, Storm is about to pull the line up as Super Saber runs past their trap, but she loses her nerve and decides against hit. When Priscilla attempts to protest, Storm stifles her until Super Saber is out of the way. When the young girl demands to know why Storm didn't kill, Storm tells her that it's not necessary and tells the young girl that she will see her through safe and heads them toward a nearby mountain top.
Three days ago on Muir Island, Moira Mactaggart is rudely awoken by the arrival of the other X-Men, sent to Muir with their injured comrades by Storm and Wolverine. Fearing the Marauders might be waiting to ambush them, Psylocke psi-probes the island and learns that the island is safe, however some of the Morlocks they brought here have died since and one of them barely hangs onto life and is unlikely to survive the day. When they land, Moira is furious and demands to know what is going on. The X-Men explain that they were sent to Muir and they are upset and confused about what to do without their leaders, as they guide and teach them yet as Storm and Logan are alone, and nobody knows where they went they fear that they cannot be helped if they hit trouble.
Back in the States, Crimson Commando and Stonewall continue their hunt of Storm and Priscilla and come across her trap. When they marvel at the ingenuity, they wonder why Storm did not kill Super Saber when she had the chance. When Stonewall suggests they should just let Storm go, the Commando reminds him that if the authorities arrest them they cannot continue their mission to wipe out the criminal scum that are above the law. When Saber is running back while Storm's trap is still up, the Commando has Stonewall stop him before he accidentally decapitates himself and the Commando sends the shaken Saber up to the top of the mountain to try and find the two women.
Not finding them and making it to the top of the mountain, Saber believes that he beat Storm to the top but is surprised when she ambushes him. Priscella, wanting vengeance and no longer wanting Storm's protection tries to kill them both by pushing a large rock on the two of them causing an avalanche. Storm pulls Saber down part of the mountain hoping to get some clearance, however Saber cannot get enough traction to get them away at super-speed and both are buried under a pile of boulders.
While on the roadside, the young couple repair their vehicle as Wolverine watches and tries to make sense of the situation. Suddenly Priscilla rushes out of the bush and manages to pull the woman's gun out from her and shoot them both in cold blood. All Wolverine can do is watch in shock as the young girl hops into the vehicle and drives away. The senseless slaughter of the young couple snaps Logan out of his state and he wonders what possessed him to stand by and let them be killed. While not far away, Crimson Commando and Stonewall come across the rubble of the battle and finds no sign of Super Saber or Storm, only Saber's aviation goggles and Storm's vest. While not to far from there, Priscilla's escape vehicle has run into a muck hole and the young girl is now in a panic. As she tries to remain alert and ready to shoot anyone who comes her way she is attacked from behind by someone who knocks her out.
When Stonewall arrives shortly after he heads toward the girl when he is suddenly ambushed by Storm who knocks him into what she thinks is normal water. However, when Stonewall pleads for help, telling her it's quicksand, Storm just barely manages to pull the man out of the muck, saving his life. By this time Priscilla has recovered and attempts to bash their heads in with a rock when she is struck by a dagger thrown by the Commando, killing her. Before the Crimson Commando can slay Storm, Wolverine arrives and deflects a tossed dagger. Storm also recovers and dodges another one tossed by the Commando.
Storm challenges the Commando to a one-on-one duel, which she easily wins. Pinning him to the ground, she gives him an ultimatum: surrender to the authorities and confess his crimes or be killed. Realizing that Storm means it, the Commando agrees to surrender to the authorities. Surprised by Storm's show, the Commando tells her that he is impressed and that she is one of them, but she corrects him telling him that she is better.
The next day, Storm and Logan watch the media circus that has formed at the state police dispatch following the three heroes surrender to the authorities. Storm and Wolverine talk about Storm's sudden willingness to kill the Commando if required. Storm tells Logan that while the X-Men should still strive to make a world where humans and mutants live in peace, they cannot afford to be passive anymore and allowing their enemies to strike first. In this new world where they are hunted like outlaws the X-Men are going to have to be willing to strike out at their enemies first, and if needed -- kill. Coming to this realization, Storm wonders if her assertion the previous night that she was better than the Crimson Commando will have any merit anymore once she crosses that line.
Uncanny X-Men #217
Muir Island: The X-Men are in the middle of a training exercise to hone their powers. Although they are required to keep a low profile, Dazzler blatantly ignores this letting loose with her light powers. This attracts the attention of a nearby ship that is passing by. The captain of the ship tells his crew to ignore it, as strange things happen on Muir Island all the time. However, one of the crew -- a man named Wullis -- is interested in the goings on that are happening on the island as he is secretly an argent of Dr. Doom. The goal of the training session is for the other X-Men to capture Psylocke. While they try their best, the telepath manages to knock out Rogue, and take control of Dazzler and use her to try and take out Longshot. However, Longshot's luck plays out for him as he manages to snare up both Dazzler and Psylocke long enough for Rogue to recover and grab Psylocke and make her surrender. Their session is called off by former X-Man Sean Cassidy, who tells the X-Men to return to the facility for breakfast and a report on how well they did.
As they sit down for breakfast, the X-Men learn that Wolverine and Storm had a strap in upstate New York but are okay and will call for them when needed. This upsets them as they should be a team, however Sean reminds them that Storm and Logan sent them to Muir to seek training from him in the meantime. As Sean points out the flaws of their strategy, the X-Men learn that in this business they have to stop relying entirely on their individual powers and focus on working as a team. Rogue takes it the hardest, knowing that she screwed up however they all accept his advice.
Elsewhere on the compound, Moira reports to Callisto about the status of the Morlocks who are still healing following their encounter with the Marauders. She reports that there were no deaths in the night, but there are still a number that are on the critical list. Callisto tells them it's better that they should die as their spirits are dead. Moira worries about how Logan and Storm are enduring and wonders how the X-Men will cope if their leaders cannot pull it together. Callisto offers a fatal response: they won't.
Later as the X-Men are training alongside Callisto, Callisto begins poking at Dazzler. Calling her on her looks and telling her that she won't get by on those alone. This leads to a brief scuffle which Dazzler manages to fight off Callisto. Angered by Dazzler storms out with Callisto warning her that running will serve her nothing, she should learn to fight or die. Dazzler walks to the shore of the island, trying to come to terms with the life she has walked into since joining with the X-Men. She is upset because she knows that she is not a fighter, she's been a musician all her life and misses the life it used to bring. She hates her situation an decides to run away, hopping onto a motorboat she begins to ride out to the mainland. Along the way, she is met by Rogue who thought to bring her a jacket, telling her it's her choice if she decides to stay on with the X-Men or not before departing.
Later, Dazzler happens upon a Scottish pub called Black Ned's. Inside she is taken away by the sites and that atmosphere of the small place as it reminds her of the early days of her career. Partaking in song and dance, Dazzler has a good night and at the end of the evening she is about to depart when she spots Cain Marko speeding by in a car. Recognizing him as the X-Men's old foe the Juggernaut, Dazzler wonders what he is up to and, taking a motorcycle, speeds off after him.
The Juggernaut realizes that he's being followed and stops, changing into his costume to see who is foolish enough to do so. Dazzler doesn't stop fast enough and ends up slamming into the side of Cain's car. Furious, Cain tosses her bike away, and is about to attack when he realizes who she is. Juggernaut admits that he is a big fan of her music and promises to make up damaging her bike once he's finished his current job. Dazzler attacks him instead leading to a battle between the two. Despite the Juggernaut's superior strength, the crook doesn't wish to harm her too badly.
Dazzler however, wishing to prove herself, unleashes her full power on him until she finally collapses. The Juggernaut is impressed by her show of power, but remarks how it's futile to try and stop him as he is unstoppable. However, before Juggernaut can act, Dazzler collapses suddenly. Inspecting her body, the Juggernaut is horrified when he believes that Dazzler is dead.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #218
This story is continued from last issue...
In the Rio Diablo mountains in New Mexico, Alex Summers and his lover Lorna Dane are heading back to their home with groceries before the first big storm of the winter. Along the way they are forced off the road by a VW van and tumble down the side of a cliff. Before they can get free, a tumbling rock threatens their lives forcing Alex to use his plasma powers to blast it to dust. Recovering from the crash and picking up their supplies, Lorna uses her magnetic powers to pull up their jeep so they can make it back to town to resupply and see the doctor, and drive off.
While in Scotland, Dazzler awakens to find herself buried alive after her battle with the Juggernaut. Recalling how she pushed her powers to the limit causing herself to pass out, she realizes the Juggernaut must have thought she was dead and buried her. Picking up faint sounds from outside, she absorbs the sound energy to increase her strength and is contacted by Psylocke who is searching for her telepathically. Dazzler uses the last of her light power to make a signal flare to bring her comrades to her and dig her out. Dug out by Psylocke, Rogue and Longshot she explains what happened. When Alison begins being hard on herself for failing at stopping the Juggernaut and saying she isn't cracked out to be a hero, Rogue finds it a crock telling Dazzler that when they fought in the past she was more than a match. The group agrees to work as a team going forward and soon hear over the radio that the Juggernaut is on a rampage through the town of Edinburgh.
Scanning the town with her psi-powers, Psylocke gives Rogue an idea of Juggernaut's location and she goes ahead of the others and lays into him first. She strikes him as hard as she can, but finds that it has no effect and the Juggernaut easily knocks her miles away. Psylocke, having caught up tries to ram a vehicle into him, but fails to stop him. When he grabs for her, Betsy is able to stun him with a psi-blast even that is so strong that Cain feels it through his psi-shielded helmet. Before he can strike Betsy for this attack, Longshot strikes his helmet with a number of his daggers. When the Juggernaut attempts to strike Longshot, he manages to evade all the blows until the Juggernaut gets fed up and drops a building on him and leaves. Worried about Longshot's fate, the three female X-Men begin to dig him out and find that his luck powers kicked in and prevented him from any serious harm.
Rogue catches up to the Juggernaut, kissing him to absorb some of his powers, and while he is weakened pulls him up into the air and rips off his helmet. She then tosses him onto some nearby railroad tracks and then flies down to him pummeling him so hard they create a crater in the ground. When Longshot points out that a train is coming, Rogue grabs him and goes to stop the train, leaving Dazzler and Psylocke to deal with Juggernaut, who has now regains his full strength. Rogue tosses Longshot inside the train hoping his luck powers will prevent anyone from getting hurt and then tries to stop it from driving over the ruined track.
While down in the crater, Dazzler uses her light powers to blast off the skull-cap that protects the Juggernaut from psi-attacks leaving him easy prey for Psylocke who fells him in one psi-blast. As the Juggernaut is felled, the two X-Men look up to find that Rogue has succeeded in stopping the speeding train in the nick of time. With the Juggernaut defeated, he is handed over to the authorities while the X-Men repair the damage to the train tracks. In order to protect their identities Dazzler and Psylocke insure that nobody remembers their faces and all photographs and videos are scrambled. They soon learn that while they were battling the Juggernaut, his partner Black Tom managed to loot the Bank of Scotland. Realizing the Juggernaut was a ruse to keep the authorities busy Rogue curses themselves for falling for such an amateur trick. Psylocke however tells her teammates that they should learn from this victory as the succeeded in working as a team.
While back in New Mexico, Alex recalls that some campers that stopped by their home the previous week were driving a VW van like the one that almost ran them off the road. Deciding to check out their camp, they arrive and see that all the tents had been torn apart. Also seeing that something crashed nearby recently, the uncover it with blasts of their mutant powers. What the find area bunch of slaughtered campers as well as one of the Brood's Starsark crafts. Alex, remembering what he learned about the Brood from being at Xavier's school realizes the threat they pose, especially if one of them was a Brood Queen, telling Lorna if that is the case, the Earth is doomed.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #219
Continued from last issue...
It's the same dream as before: Alex Summers resumes his guise of Havok and returns to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, even though he doesn't want to he has important information to share with the X-Men. He finds the facility deserted, with no sign of life and no sign of struggle except for the fact that Cerebro has been seriously damaged. However when he goes to leave he is confronted by the X-Men who are now led by their age old nemesis Magneto. Suddenly he is attacked by Rogue who absorbs his power and he passes out as he is being surrounded by the various X-Men making him believe that they have been made evil by their old foe.
Waking up from his dream, Alex loses control of his powers and runs out of the home he shares with Lorna Dane. Once safely outside he lets loose a powerful plasma blast into the sky so powerful that it fuses the dirt under him to glass. Worried about her lover, Lorna brings him back inside and begins making him some tea. She asks him what's wrong and he says that even though when he went to Xavier's Mansion days earlier and everything seemed all right, he still can't shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong. He decides to go back to Xavier's school and find out the truth, and when Lorna tries to convince him to let her come along, he tells her to stay behind. He however cannot talk him out of letting her take him to the airport and uses her magnetic powers to carry their jeep there. As they leave they are unaware that their home is being staked out by the Marauders Sabretooth, Scalphunter and Arclight.
Some hours later, Alex arrives at Xavier's school and finds the place deserted, checking Magneto's scheduler he finds that he has an appointment with the Hellfire Club. Not understanding what Magneto would be doing meeting with some of the X-Men's deadliest enemies, Alex decides to go and investigate. While back in New Mexico, Lorna tries to focus on her studies but cannot take her mind off Alex, when suddenly she is attacked by the three Marauders. With Scalphunter and Arclight trashing the house, Sabretooth rushes in to go and collect and kill her.
In New York, Alex is allowed entrance into the Hellfire Club where he is surprised to see Magneto in a meeting with the White Queen. When Alex demands answers, he is shocked to learn that the X-Men have forged an alliance with the Hellfire Club in light of a war being waged between mutants. Alex finds it hard to believe and demands answers, however Magneto tells him to leave. When Alex is gone, Magneto once more curses his checkered past in preventing him from moving forward in his life. Alex meanwhile decides to try to find help elsewhere. He first tries to seek the help of the Avengers but finds their mansion in ruins. Running to a pay phone he calls Muir Island. There Callisto answers the phone and tells him the X-Men are in the states and to contact them through Magneto. When Alex asks where his brother Scott is, she tells him to check the phone book and hangs up on him. With nowhere else to turn, Alex feels very much alone and wishes that Lorna had come with him after all.
Lorna has troubles of her own, having fled the ruins of her home she realizes that without shelter or proper clothing there is no way she can survive in the winter weather. Worse, Sabretooth manages to track her with his enhanced senses. However, Lorna is far from helpless, as she soon demonstrates to Sabretooth: Using her magnetic powers to manipulate the iron ore in the area to bind Sabretooth, she tells him that her and Alex picked this location due to it's high iron content so that she could better utilize her powers. Sabretooth manages to break free and as Lorna tries to fly away he manages to clip her with his claws, leaving her open to be blasted by Scalphunter sending her crashing to the ground.
Back in New York, Alex has changed into his Havok costume and has been staking out the Hellfire Club waiting for Magneto to leave. When the Master of Magnetism does, Havok follows him down into the subway tunnels and through an emergency exit that leads him into the Morlock Tunnels. Seeing that the place was recently razzed with powerful energies leaving Havok to wonder what happened to the many Morlocks that used to live down in these sewers.
He instead finds the X-Men, who are hiding down in the sewers. He overhears as Storm tells her teammates that in order to deal with the threat of the Marauders they cannot worry over those that they have associated with over the years and strike back at the Marauders at full force. In order to facilitate this, Storm suggests that the X-Men fake their down deaths so that the Marauders will leave the X-Men's allies alone. Over hearing this Alex finds it hard to believe and he is distracted when Rogue sneaks up behind him that he lashes out without thinking. Realizing what he's done and in an utter panic, Havok flees the scene while the other X-Men chase after him.
In New Mexico, Scalphunter and Arclight try to find Lorna in the dust raised by their battle and are shocked when Sabretooth is tossed back at them. Lorna's magnetic powers then fell Arclight, trapping her in the ground and Scalphunter is beat into submission with the pieces of his own weapons. While in New York, the X-Men easily subdue Havok before he can harm anyone. Alex learns to his shock that when he first came to the X-Mansion, Psylocke had altered his memories, however due to the extensive psi-shielding taught to him by Professor Xavier he was not fully effected by them. With no means of doing so again without permanently harming Alex, the X-Men have to decide what to do with him. Unable to kill one of their own, Havok instead offers to join up with the X-Men instead, and when Magneto reminds him of the war going on between mutants, he still joins up, taking Magneto's hand in doing so.
While back in New Mexico, the three Marauders are surprised to find that Malice has possessed Lorna Dane, as per the orders of their leader Mr. Sinister. Malice explains that she had possessed Lorna just after Havok left for New York and wanted to test and see if she had what it took to go up against the Marauders. With the test a complete success, Malice uses Lorna's powers to create a new costume and forces her to join the Marauders as Polaris.
Uncanny X-Men #220
A vision: a beautiful blue-eyed hawk with a white plume of feathers finds its perfect mate in the mountains. The two lock in love and pull away in joy before hitting the ground. However, the female hawk's joy is soon ended when her lover becomes a metal mockery of the beauty it once held and attacks her, and cripples her sending her falling to the ground to die.
In the mountains, Wolverine has come to find solitude in the seclusion, having come to doubt his own senses. When Storm manages to track him down, he demands to know what she wants. She tells him that she is going to go back to Forge and demand that he restore her lost powers, telling him that she is more use to the X-Men now if her mutant abilities were restored. In her absence, she wants him to lead the X-Men. Logan tells her that he doesn't have it in him and suggests one of the other X-Men. She tells him the fact that she is here with him must tell her opinion of choosing one of the others, and Logan decides to agree with her wishes -- for better or for worse.
Four days later, Storm finds herself standing in the pouring rain outside Eagle Plaza in Dallas Texas. The scene reminds her so much of when she first left. Going inside however she is surprised to find the power out and the security down and the building utterly deserted. Searching the security desk she finds a condemnation notice and the phone dead. Unable to walk away without satisfying her curiosity about the state of the place, Storm begins travelling the stairs to the penthouse where Forge used to live. High above, the strange being posing as Forge's old shaman Naze detects Storm's presence in the building, having known she would come. He begins preparing his welcome for her.
Reaching Forge's "Eagle's Nest" she finds the shattered window from her last encounter here has not been repaired and the place is also deserted. Hearing a voice outside, she goes out and finds that it's nothing more than a holographic recreation of her confrontation with Forge when she learned that he invented the weapon that stole her powers. Returning back into the Eagle's Nest she is shocked when the holographic simulators recreate another scene from Vietnam. However this time Storm is surprised to see demons in this simulation and wonders if she can remember seeing them the last time she saw this simulation or if they are a new addition. Suddenly the simulation disappears and the platforms turn invisible. The security system is activated and using her keen memory to remember where the various platforms where located, Storm manages to slip away momentarily. As she is distracted by recreations of the events surrounding her recent de-powering she is suddenly struck by a stun beam, but manages to slip into the safety of the kitchen.
There, she is presented with another recreation of the night she and Forge shared a romantic dinner and notes that the kitchen is a complete mess. Continuing on through the house, she finds more of these recreations as well as images of her in all her incarnations with the X-Men and a mishmash of reality and Forge's deepest fantasies of her. Disgusted by this display, Storm turns off the projection and is startled by someone's scream. Turning she sees what she believes is Forge, hooked into a large machine, however when she approaches him she finds that he is yet another hologram. It is then that she is confronted by "Naze". The old shaman tells Storm that Forge turned his back on the Cheyenne people and his duty to battle the Adversary, an ancient evil that plots to take over universe and fill it with utter chaos. However, Naze intends to stop the Adversary and has been waiting for Storm to come so that he might recruit her to his cause.
Storm is hostile at first and does not wish to save Forge's life or get involved in his madness, however Naze does not let up. When she asks about the holograms and defenses, Naze tells her that it was all his doing, as he wanted to be sure she still had fight in her. Continuing to refuse Naze she rushes outside into the storm which buffets her and tries to force her back inside. However as she resists the storm suddenly stops. Finally Naze manages to convince her to join him on his quest to save, or destroy Forge -- whom he claims is under the Adversary's thrall. When Storm agrees to follow him until the end, he tells her that she made the right choice and Forge does not stand a chance. As Storm walks away, Naze puts on a sinister grin.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #221
Mister Sinister, the leader of the Marauders, is furious at his mercenaries over their failure to eliminate Madelyne Pryor, who survived their assassination attempt, jeopardizing his attempts to eliminate all traces of her existence. When Sabretooth tries to lash out at his master, he learns that Sinister is not so easily defeated. Sinister then sends Scrambler, Arclight, Sabretooth, Polaris, Scalphunter, Vertigo, and Harpoon to San Francisco to the hospital where Madelyne has been recovering to kill her.
While at Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, the X-Men have returned home. Dazzler is spending time honing her skills in the Danger Room, where she uses it's holographic system to create Rogue as her opponent. When Rogue learns of this she is upset that Dazzler cannot look past her criminal past and their previous clashes and demands to know what it takes to make her new teammate trust her. The two women almost come to blows when Psylocke telepathically interrupts and tells them that Wolverine is calling an emergency.
While in the Grand Canyon, the being posing as Naze has brought Storm here to the site of a recent battle between Dr. Strange and Dormammu. Here he hopes to use both Storm and Forge as his pawns to do his bidding and muses how easily he will trick Storm into destroying her only savior and truest love. Returning to Storm who is waiting by their jeep, "Naze" tells her that he was making prayers for their journey and tells her that they must begin their quest on foot, telling them that that they are taking a Spiritpath. He tells her that it is her last chance to back out, however Storm decides to continue along. When Naze flirts with her telling her that Forge was a fool for losing her, she is visibly flattered -- further playing into this impostors sinister plans.
In San Francisco, the X-Men have gathered on the rooftop across the street of the Memorial Hospital. There Logan explains that Madelyne Pryor gave them a call frightened and angry that her entire identity has seemingly been erased and she's been trying to find trace of her husband Scott and her son. While Alex balks at the idea that Scott ran off with his nephew, Wolverine tells him it's a moot point as her attackers were the Marauders. Betsy has detected them around the hospital, making her their target still and warns the X-Men that two have already entered the hospital. Wolverine orders Rogue to go in first and she easily knocks out Sabretooth. Entering Maddy's roomshe finds that Scalphunter is about to shoot her but turns his gun on Rogue instead. This gives Madelyne enough time to grab a food tray and smash him in the face with it to get free. When Scalphunter tries to go after her he is taken out by a laser blast from Dazzler fired from across the street. She is still on the roof top with Psylocke and Longshot when they are attacked by Vertigo, who uses her powers to disorientate them. Longshot grabs the two women and dives off the building, his luck powers landing them safely into the back of a dump truck. However before the vehicle can drive away, Psylock is struck by one of Harpoon's energy weapons, her pain being transmitted to the other X-Men -- including Wolverine and Havok who have entered the hospital. While they are disorientated, Scramble manages to sneak up and use his powers on Havok causing his abilities to flare out of control causing massive structural damage to the building and stunning Wolverine. Believing Wolverine dead, Scrambler then tries to throw Havok down a hole in the floor to his death, but he only falls a few floor. Before he can go down and kill him, Madelyne gets the drop on him knocking. However, when Arclight causes the building to shake up, he manages to escape from her.
When Rogue arrives, Wolverine tells her to take Madelyne away from the scene so that the Marauders don't damage the hospital anymore. As she flies Maddy away, she asks Rogue why the Marauders are targeting her, other than her association with the X-Men, Rogue isn't sure. As they fly by a nearby construction site they are attacked by Polaris who uses her powers to bind the two women in it's exposed steel girders. Rogue is shocked to see a former X-Man leading the Marauders, but before she can get any answers, Polaris uses her powers to pull the girders out of their foundation and throw it into San Francisco Bay. Before she can do so, Dazzler grabs Longshot's grappling hook and uses it to grab hold, holding on for dear life. In the water below, Dazzler frees Madelyne first and she swims to freedom, and despite Rogue's urging to leave her behind, Dazzler risks drowning to save her life. Bringing Dazzler to the surface, Rogue is touched to learn that Dazzler has dropped her grudge against Rogue upon realizing how important it is they act as a team. This moment is interrupted however when Polaris arrives to make sure that she kills them this time.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #222
Continued from last issue...
While coming to the rescue of Madelyne Pryor in San Francisco, the X-Men have been ambushed by the Marauders who are seeking to kill Madelyne. During the course of the battle, Rogue and Dazzler have been dumped into the San Francisco Bay where they are confronted by the Marauders leader, Polaris -- whom they do not know has been possessed by Malice. Before she can attack the two she is blasted from behind by Havok. Rogue recovers her body and flies it back to shore, wondering what Havok will think when he finds out his girlfriend is a member of their worst enemies. However, Rogue is still weak after Dazzler saved her from the bottom of the bay and the best she can do is skip across the water crashing all three women on the beach.
Meanwhile, Havok and Psylocke have been picked up by the X-Men's ally SFPD detective Bree Morrell, who the two new X-Men thank for assisting in their battle with the Marauders. When Bree wants to know why the Marauders want to kill Madelyne, Psylocke doesn't know and telepathically contacts Rogue to find out. Rogue tells Psylocke that she has one of the Marauders prisoner and leaves Dazzler with Polaris while she goes to look for Madelyne in the Bay. Dazzler deciding to not be caught off guard uses her powers to absorb all the sound in the area to convert into light, and leeches out all the sound, causing a panic on the beach until Havok and Psylocke arrive to stop her. When Alex turns over the Marauder to see who it is, he is shocked to see that it's Lorna. Polaris has revived by this point and blasts Havok with her magnetic powers.
Meanwhile, in the Rockies, Storm and Naze continue their trek to find Forge, whom Naze says has been manipulated into working for the Adversary an ancient god that seeks to unleash chaos throughout the universe. As they take a pause on their vision quest to camp for the night and cook a meal they are interrupted by a woman who comes running for her life. When Storm tries to bring her close to the fire, the woman is hesitant and when she asks who is after her they get their answer in the form of a large boulder being hurled at them. While Storm is distracted, the woman suddenly grabs her and lifts her off her feet, and tosses Storm away. As Storm rolls with the throw to avoid injury, she is told that the "attacker" is her brother. Storm meets the "woman's" "brother" who manifests the ability to fire black lightning bolts from his eyes, which Ororo barely manages to dodge. The woman meanwhile has grabbed Naze and began draining his life force. However, deducing the woman's weakness Storm pushes her into the fire, forcing the creature to reveal it's true form: The owl-headed reptilian form of one of the demonic Eye Killers. With an assist from Naze, Storm manages to force the two into their fire until the two Eye Killers are engulfed with flames and killed. Although they are victorious, both are injured and have the Eye Killer's poison running in their veins. Gathering up and leaving camp, Naze tells her that the gates that keep these demons off Earth is wearing thing and when Storm considers the idea that Forge might be responsible tells Naze that she will do whatever it takes to stop him, a response that pleases the old shaman.
Back in San Francisco, Havok is taken off guard by being attacked by his lover. When Psylocke scans Lorna's mind she learns that she has been possessed by Malice allowing Lorna to be temporarily free. This momentary freedom ends when Alex, Alison, and Betsy are attacked by Harpoon and Vertigo, allowing Malice to reassert control. A brief battle breaks out between the three X-Men and three Marauders until Arclight arrives to shake things up a little, causing the beach to sink in. As Polaris attempts to escape, Alex jumps up and grabs her leg, refusing to let her go begging her to fight Malice's control. While out on the Bay, Rogue continues her search for Madelyne unaware that Scalphunter his hiding out on the Golden Gate Bridge and has her lined in his sights. His shot is ruined by the arrival of Longshot and Wolverine. When Scalphunter fires at both of them, Longshot drops down to the water below, leaving Wolverine alone. Wolverine believes he is more than a match for Scalphunter, however, Scrambler gets the drop on him and nullifies his healing factor and enhanced senses. Sabretooth takes this moment to dive into the fight, however he does not account for Wolverine's Adamantium laced bones and claws, and Logan makes short work of him by impaling him through the heart and tossing him at his fellow Marauders. When Scalphunter begins firing again, Logan jumps off the bridge on a hunch and is right when Rogue manages to rescue him before he hits the water.
The Marauders, deciding that Madelyne must be dead consider their mission accomplished and retreat, so when Rogue and Logan get back on the bridge they are nowhere to be found. Rushing back down to the water to see if Longshot is okay, Logan is surprised to see that Longshot's luck power not only saved him, but also allowed him to find and rescue Madelyne as well. While over Alcatraz, Havok continues to try and convince Lorna to fight Malices control when she sees the signal from Scalphunter. She kicks him loose, however uses her magnetic powers to allow him a safe landing on the ground, finding his continued living with the fact his lover is enslaved by the enemy to torment him. As she flees she goads him into firing at her, telling him that if he lets her go he will be partially responsible for anyone whom she might kill in the future. Realizing that she is right, Alex unleashes the best plasma blast he can muster, however Polaris manages to block it, mocking him as she flees the scene.
Uncanny X-Men #223
Following their convictions, the former World War II super-heroes Crimson Commando and Stonewall have been drafted into the government controlled Freedom Force, much to the chagrin of Mystique who is still weary of Valerie Cooper's selection following the troubles the team had with the new Spider-Woman. Mystique warns the two veteran heroes not to step out of line as she will kill them if they ruin her chances at a government pardon. Pyro and Blob are smug about the new recruits, and when Blob tries to put his might up against Stonewall, he ends up toppling himself over. The introductions are suddenly interrupted when Spiral detects a coming intruder and teleports out of the room. This intruder turns out to be the Commando and Stonewall's ally Super Sabre, having survived their encounter with Storm he has come looking to either rescue or join his comrades. He slips past Avalanche who is doing yard work outside, but is easily tripped up by the teleporting Spiral who threatens to kill him until Commando confirms who he is. When Mystique tries to refuse him membership in the Freedom Force, they are all alerted to the sound of Destiny screaming. Rushing back inside, Mystique is told by Destiny that while checking on her step-daughter Rogue's future she sees nothing but death for her and the X-Men.
While in the Rocky Mountains, Storm continues her vision quest with Naze, and the two have stopped to go fishing. However, after Storm catches a fish, Naze suddenly passes out. Taking him back to the line shack they found in their travels she learns that he is still weak from the Eye Killer's poison and that despite his efforts to use his magic to fight them out of his system, he fears that Forge might be affecting his magical abilities. He tells Storm that from here on out, she must travel alone.
In New York City, a reporter named Mr. B listens to the opinions of some regular laborers opinions on mutants. One man, who stresses that he isn't racist because he has African-American friends says mutants are different because they don't look human or have powers that might put a hard working man out of work. He expresses the rage he would feel if he ever knew of his children associating with mutants, or worse -- having a child that is a mutant -- which he tells the reporter he would unquestionably kill the child.
While back in San Francisco, Rogue is returning to Alcatraz -- the X-Men's temporary headquarters on the west coast following an unsuccessful run to find a sign of the Marauders. She arrives just as Dazzler and Longshot are in a training session in which Dazzler narrowly avoids getting fatally hit by one of Longshot's daggers. Logan warns her about showing off and make up her mind if she's an X-Man or a singer because it could mean life or death to her, telling her to always be ready. With that, Logan springs and attack, but Rogue easily subdues him, he manages to reverse the tables when she lets her guard down and she wisely calls uncle. When Rogue expresses her desire to tackle the Marauders again, she wonders where Alex and Madelyne are. Madylne is standing on one of the cliff sides that rings Alcatraz and thinks about where her life has gone. She went from an idealistic wedding with her husband Scott Summers to having a child. Then things went downhill, starting with Scott walking out on her. Then she was attacked by the Marauders who took her child and left her for dead until she was rescued by the X-Men. Left with nothing, not even her wedding ring, she begins to contemplate committing suicide. Down below, Alex is jogging thinking about if he and Lorna Dane will ever be reunited to live happily ever after again. Seeing Madelyne standing over the cliff edge above, he rushes to stop her.
In the Rockies, Storm has put Naze in his bed and prepared a medicine for him to counteract the poison. He tells her to drink it as well just in case the poison effects her later on. Suddenly the hut they are in is ripped open and she is attacked by a demonic bear, although the creature manages to slash her badly, she gets away when she falls out of the hut. She is shocked to find that despite the fact it's the middle of summer, there is a full blown blizzard going on outside. Breaking through a frozen lake, she struggles to get out when she is attacked by a demonic snake. Stabbing the creature in the eye she pulls herself out of the water and has to climb up a steep slope. When the wounded snake recovers and comes after her it is suddenly felled by an explosion. Looking over her shoulder, Storm is surprised to see that the Rockies have given way to the jungles of Vietnam where she sees that Forge has summoned demons to slay a number of the Viet Cong army. Realizing that this must be what weakened the barriers to allow the Adversary access to Earth, Storm confronts Forge and asks him what he is doing. He tells her that he is remaking the world and reaches out to her. As he does, his mechanical hand transforms into a claw which starts transforming Storm upon a touch. As he pushes her close for a kiss, Storm does not hesitate to pull out her knife and fatally stab him.
With Forge seemingly dead the battle ground disappears and Storm realizes she was in the hut the whole time and her ordeal was nothing more than a vision. Explaining to Naze what happened, she confides in the old man that although she truly does love Forge, she must destroy him. In saying this, she doesn't see the devilish grin that crosses Naze's face or the evil glint in his eyes, while outside the freak snowstorm continues to rage.
Back in Alcatraz, Alex manages to convince Madelyne not to jump, if not for herself but for the sake of her son Nathan whom is still out there somewhere. Alex tells her of the struggle he had to deal when learning Lorna was a member of the Marauders, but also having to deal with her taunting him to attack. Telling her the X-Men are her family he tells her that no matter what they will win. This convinces her to walk away from the edge and return back to base with him. When she asks him if he's sure they'll win, Alex best his life on it, and Madelyne decides to match him on that promise.
Uncanny X-Men #224
Continued from last issue...
In the unseasonal cold weather near Yellowstone, Wyoming, Storm has been given some traditional Cheyenne clothing to combat the cold. When Storm asks how there could be snow in the middle of the summer, Naze points out that it's the doing of the Adversary. When she asks why the Adversary seeks to cause utter chaos, Naze can only say that the creature thrives on causing the entire universe to fall apart all at once, causing universal entropy so that it can recreate all existence and start his game all over again. When Ororo asks why, Naze cannot answer for the gods, and admits he admires the Adversary's "brass", much like he does that of Storm. When he tries to liken the Adversary to a weaver who pulls apart it's threading, Storm considers this abominable due to the fact that the "strands" that the Adversary is playing with are people's lives. They finally reach the point where they must part as they approach the summit of the mountain that Forge is at the top of. Naze says Storm has to go alone, as Forge has undoubtedly set up traps for him, and she could slip by undetected and take him off guard due to Forge's feelings for her. Storm thanks Naze for his help and hugs him and he gives her a kiss in return, one that Storm warmly accepts. She tells him that she will cherish that kiss until she returns. When Storm is out of earshot, Naze doubts she will and remarks that no matter what Ororo's fate, he will win one way or the other.
While in San Francisco, Valerie Cooper is holding a press conference with Freedom Force members Crimson Commando and Destiny. She calls for an end to mutant violence and applauds the up soon to be tabled Mutant Special Powers Registration Act. This act, she explains, will require all superhumans to register with the government. When the press asks about the civil liberties of those who would be forced to register, Valerie points out that the rights of the many outweigh the needs of the few. However, one reporter finds that discriminating the minority to "protect" the majority goes against the ideals of a democracy and criticizes her selecting former criminals to be members of the Freedom Force. Cooper, however, states that in order to catch a fox, you get other foxes.
While at a local gym, Rogue practices with a special weight lifting machine that the owner purchased off the Fantastic Four during a period they were short on money hoping to use it as a marketing gimmick when she is approached by Mystique. Rogue is happy to see her adopted mother again, however the happy reunion shifts in tone when Mystique warns Rogue about Destiny's vision that the X-Men -- Rogue included -- are fated to die in Dallas, Texas in the near future. She begs Rogue to leave the X-Men and come back to her where it's safe. However, Rogue refuses to tell her that the X-Men are family and she can't abandon them. Mystique is hurt by this, seeing that she will stick by the X-Men but not the woman who saved her and leaves in tears.
While at Club DV8, Dazzler puts on an impromptu show, thanks to a connection made by Lila Cheney. However, when a drunk knocks out the lights, Dazzler uses her mutant powers to illuminate the bar, and the audience eats it up. Walking off stage, she finds Logan waiting who tells her that he liked the show. However, he cautions her about using her powers so openly because it will make her a potential target. Upset that she screwed up again Dazzler apologizes, but Logan tells her to think harder in the future. Rogue arrives to tell Logan that the X-Men may not have a future at all. While, near Union Square, Alex and Longshot are getting out of the theater after seeing Raiders of the Lost Temple, with Longshot not remembering that he had acted in that movie himself. When they see some thugs shoot some cops and kidnap a girl, speeding off in their car, Longshot springs into action. His luck powers and daggers incapacitate the car allowing him to rescue the girl -- who is instantly smitten by Longshot -- leaving Alex to deal with the thugs. Using his mutant powers to turn their car into slag, Alex warns them about continuing their criminal careers. When Detective Morelli arrives the gang is eager to allow themselves to be arrested. Morelli warns Alex that the Freedom Force is back in town and will be gunning for the X-Men if they are not careful, Alex thanks her for the warning.
When the X-Men reunite at their temporary headquarters within Alcatraz, Rogue tells her teammates about the warning Mystique gave her. Logan, knowing that Destiny has been wrong before, still thinks they can't afford to take the chance. Since Ororo is unreachable due to her private mission Logan decides that the safe bet is to stay away from Dallas, however, he has no intention of staying away. He tells the X-Men that hey do not have to accompany him, however, the team is united in going, and Madelyne also offers to tag along. Logan initially refuses, however when she points out she may be killed at the hands of the Marauders if they leave her alone, so why bother staying behind if her fate is the same, Logan agrees to let her go. As the X-Men board the Blackbird to go and investigate, Psylocke decides to try and call Storm telepathically.
In Wyoming, Storm faintly hears Betsy's call but dismisses it as the wind as she scales the mountain side. Suddenly, she is ambushed by a horde of demons, however they prove to be immaterial. As a powerful storm hurling black lightning bolts fills the sky, Storm reaches the top and finds Forge at the mountains apex which has a huge mystical portal open in the very fabric of reality and within: nothing but darkness. Before Ororo can run to Forge she is attacked by a demon whom she easily kills. More appear and tell her to surrender to their master and he will restore her powers however Storm -- thinking they mean Forge -- denies this offer and fights her way through the demon horde. She is soon overwhelmed, however remembering everything Naze told her and everything that is at stake she refuses to give up and miraculously manages to slay all the demons and reach Forge.
When Forge notices her presence he is surprised to see her and before he can get any answers from her she stabs him. When she tells him she had to stop him from opening the gate, he tells her that he was really trying to close the gate and prevent the destruction of the world. Seeing the truth in his eyes, Storm realizes that she was tricked, and as a demon horde swarms up the top of the mountain, Storm embraces Forge and they both jump off the ledge. However before they can fall to their deaths they suddenly turn into energy and flair up into the void above. Watching this, "Naze" laughs at his victory, using his eldrich powers to destroy the Aerie that Forge used as a base for closing the spell. He remarks at a job well done and that when all is said and done the entire world will be his.
This story is continued next issue...
Uncanny X-Men #225
Edinburgh, Scotland: Colossus has mostly recovered from his injuries battling the Marauders and has taken the time to come to the village where the X-Men most recently fought the Juggernaut to relax and spend some time sketching. When his artwork attracts the attention of some children they begin play-acting in front of him. When they ask why he is sweating he tells them that he hasn't fully recovered from his injuries. When the children complain about the X-Men being mostly girls now, Peter draws a picture of his Colossus form which impresses the children until one named Lewis makes fun of them. Saying the X-Men are just muties and that X-Factor are the real heroes. When a fight almost breaks out, Piotr breaks it up and tells the children that they should live peacefully, however half their number are not sold after the damage done by the X-Men's battle previously that year.
When the children are gone, Peter is visited by a young woman who asks to commission a sketch of herself in exchange for reading his fortune. Peter is more than happy to oblige and she tells him that he is a being of courage and that he has a choice to make soon and that the fate of everything will depend on it. Surprised by these words Peter demands some answers and is shocked to find the woman is no longer there and in her place a statue of himself in his Colossus form. When he looks at the sketch of the girl she looks radically different on paper than she did in person. As Peter's thoughts are distracted when some of the children try to startle him with a firecracker. It succeeds, and he loses control of his concentration, transforming to his organic steel form. Seeing one of the boys who idolized the X-Men earlier visibly frightened by Colossus, he tries to appeal to the boy that he is no monster. However when he sees that when confronted with a mutant in real life the boy is scared, Colossus decides to leave the scene.
Meanwhile, in a place beyond the reaches of existence -- the Adversary (the being who has for months been wearing the form of Naze, Forge's teacher) appears in the court of the omniversal guardian Roma, who is trapped now that the Adversary is free to do as he pleases. He gloats over how he has removed both Storm and Forge from the board and thus ensured his victory and that the universe will soon be destroyed by total chaos. Roma, the woman who had visited Colossus earlier, smiles to herself, hoping that the events she has put in motion will be the final jest on the Adversary.
Back in Scotland, among the ruins of the X-Men's battle with the Juggernaut, Colossus finds a "wanted" poster of the X-Men put up by a group called the Human Rights League. Seeing how, despite the fact the X-Men have saved the world countless times, they are still hounded he lets his anger get the better of him, smashing the dilapidated wall the poster hangs on while demanding to know why people still fear them. When considering the sacrifices he himself made, he recalls the injuries he sustained protecting the Morlocks. Realizing he is still in his organic metal form he tries to change back to flesh and blood and despite his effort he finds that he is trapped in his alternate form. Looking at the statue of himself, he recalls how life was so simple when he first joined the X-Men, but now everyone, even other superheroes, look at them with mistrust. Deciding that he must still fight to make the world a better place, he goes to a payphone and accidentally wrecks its booth while trying to squeeze in. He places a call to Xavier's school in the United States and asks to speak to his sister. Happy to hear from her brother, Illyana teleports to his location. She tells him that she is glad to see he's recovered but can't stay long as the New Mutants are going on a mission and asks how she can help. Peter tells his sister that he would like to be reunited with his fellow X-Men, a request his sister is more than happy to comply with and teleports the two of them away.
The X-Men are in Dallas, Texas, to determine why Destiny's visions of their future are of their deaths in this city. They first decide to check out Eagle Plaza, the former home of Forge. After Rogue does a flyby and reports to Wolverine that the place looks deserted, Logan decides to go inside and investigate. As soon as he does, the security systems go off and begin firing lasers at him, mowing him down. The other X-Men come to his rescue, with Longshot going to recover Logan, but his luck powers don't make him totally immune as one of the lasers strikes him before Havok blasts the cannons away and Rogue pulls her two teammates out of the room before debris can fall on them.
Flying them back outside, Rogue flies directly into Stonewall and bounces back, and the X-Men soon find that the Freedom Force are now before them. The Blob is quickly launched in the air by Avalanche and he lands on the incapacitated Wolverine to take him out of the fight. When Longshot sees Spiral among their number, he finds the woman familiar but can't remember from where -- this vague recollection troubles Spiral. Mystique orders the X-Men to stand down and be taken into custody. However Rogue refuses, even though Mystique warns her that staying in Dallas will mean her and the X-Men's death. When Havok calls Mystique on her support of the Mutant Registration Act, she defends it, but Alex isn't sold so easily by the woman who once led the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
When Psylocke orders Dazzler to blind them with a light blast, this surprise attack is spoiled by Destiny who warns the others and Dazzler is soon knocked out by Super Saber. This leads to a full out battle between the X-Men and Freedom Force. In the ensuing chaos, Mystique asks Destiny for guidance, however, the elderly precog -- tossing off her mask -- tells her long time friend that she sees nothing but death for all those who remain here. Meanwhile, Psylocke is attempting to use her mental powers to force the Blob to move. This doesn't work and when Super Saber attempts to take her down, she redirects him into Stonewall causing him to bounce off his comrade and take out Avalanche. However, she is left open for attack by the Crimson Commando who takes her down with a single blow. The Blob gloats however, this is short lived when the fat mutant is not so easily moved until Wolverine extracts his claws, poking him in the ass hard enough to make him leap into the air. As he begins to land, Colossus materializes and lands a powerful blow sending the Blob smashing into Eagle Plaza.
Mystique attempts to trick the X-Men into ceasing their battle by assuming the form of Storm, but Rogue sees through it and attempts to tackle her when they are both blasted by Spiral. The X-Men regroup and Wolverine orders that them into Eagle Plaza for cover. Destiny warns the Freedom Force to not let the X-Men do this because it will spell doom for them all. However they are too late and, as the X-Men cross into the building, a giant rift in the fabric of existence opens in the sky, flooding downtown Dallas with light. As the Freedom Force wonder what this powerful light could be, Destiny tells them that this could be the beginning of the end for the entire world.
This story is continued next issue...
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 1 201. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 202. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 203. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 204. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 205. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 206. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 207. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 208. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 209. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 210. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 211. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 212. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 213. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 214. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 215. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 216. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 217. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 218. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 219. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 220. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 221. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 222. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 223. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 224. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. Adapted from Marvel Database contributors, Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 225. Illustrations and reference markup removed; synopsis paragraphs combined. · Content license