| Synopsis | - Colossus, Nightcrawler and Rogue are engaging in an outdoor training session, which Nightcrawler succeeds in trouncing both by tricking them into landing in a nearby lake. When they take a break, Rogue tells Colossus to focus, however his mind is stuck on Kitty Pryde, who is finally returning from Japan with Wolverine and he is still upset over hurting her after revealing his romance with Zsaji during the Secret Wars. When Rogue tries to relate to him, with her guilt over what she did to Carol Danvers, Nightcrawler begins to wonder if Rogue also absorbed Carol's seventh sense and attempts to find out by ticking her by using his teleportation powers. She gets angry that he is touching her and she hits him a little too hard and saves him from being smashed against some rocks. When Nightcrawler cheekily asks for a kiss she drops him in the water and flies away. Nightcrawler realizes that Rogue is uncomfortable with any sort of intimacy thanks to her powers. Nightcrawler and Colossus decide to go and make amends with her and notice that she flew toward an abandoned mansion nearby. Before they can go their attention is turned to a bright glow from up in the sky, some strange thing has fallen out of the sky and crash landed near the old mansion.
Meanwhile, at Kennedy Airport, Professor X, Storm, Illyana, Rachel and Lockheed wait for Wolverine and Kitty to return from Japan. As Rachel waits she picks up stray thoughts with her telepathic power and is depressed by how many anti-mutant thoughts are in the crowd around her. This causes her to recall back to her last moments in the future time she comes from. She and Kate Pryde were attempting to break into the Project Nimrod facility to destroy the newest mutant killing robot being developed by the humans. Trapped in a room that Kate could not phase out of and with Nimrod trailing on them, Kate would say the word "Dark Phoenix", causing Rachel to use her powers based on a post hypnotic suggestion and send herself back in time.
Her recollection causes her to be faint and she is righted by the modern day Kitty Pride who has just got off the plane with Wolverine. Their reunion is warm, and Kitty suddenly recognizes Rachel for who she is. Explaining that when her future self briefly possessed her body her mind was briefly in the future.
Meanwhile, back at the abandoned mansion, Colossus and Nightcrawler investigate the crash site of whatever landed nearby. To their surprise a number of the trees and a deer have been infected with the same Transmode Virus as that used by the New Mutant known as Warlock. Colossus recalls how Warlock explained that he fled his home world to escape his father and wonders if the worst has happened. Elsewhere in the ruins, Rogue, having been knocked out by the crash landing awakens to find that Warlock's father the Magus has arrived on Earth. When he attempts to assimilate Rogue, she fights him off, causing damage by ripping off one of his tendrils. Before Magus can counter attack Colossus and Nightcrawler arrive. When the Magnus attempts to attack Colossus, Nightcrawler grabs a portion of the Technarc and teleports away causing him serious damage. Rogue then flies in and attempts to use her absorption powers on Magus.
This causes Rogue to absorb the Technarc physiology and the feed back knocks her away from the battle. Colossus and Nightcrawler rush to her aid as she fights off it's effects. This allows Magus to escape, projecting a holographic image warning the X-Men to turn over his son Warlock or the Earth will suffer. Later the other X-Men arrive to help try to track the Magus down, however their search turns up nothing. When a police officer arrives the Professor is forced to use his mental powers to alter the officers perceptions to protect their double identities and because they cannot find a trace of the Magus, they leave. When the officer gets back into his squad car he is shocked when he is assimilated by the Magus. Taking close measure of humanity, a race that he has heard previously defeated Galactus he decides never to under estimate them again. He then leaves the scene to try and locat his son.
A few months later, PRofessor Xavier has begun giving lectures at Columbia University. Just as schools are closing for the Christmas break, Xavier begins to walk hom. Along the way he thinks about human mutant relations when he pauses at an anti-mutant slogan spray painted on a wall. He is suddenly attacked by an anti-mutant mob. Attempting to defend himself with his mental powers fails and he is struck with a brick and beaten nearly to death. The mob flees and leaves him to die in the street. However, someone has witnessed the beating and has dragged Xavier away into a nearby alley.
|
