| Synopsis | - Manhattan, Iceman and Beast are on location when a construction vehicle and a tanker truck suddenly come to life and start trying to kill people in the area. Once they have frozen up the animated vehicles, Iceman puts ice about the place to cool people off from the heatwave that continues to pound New York City. As they head off, they wonder what's causing all the weird occurrences that have been happening in the city of late.
Meanwhile, Scott and Jean arrive at the orphanage in Nabraska where Scott grew up as a child. Going into the facility through the attic, Scott begins to have memories of his past unsurface -- ones that conflict with the ones that he has -- where his powers manifested at an earlier age, how he was taunted and teased by his fellow orphans and how there were tests and experiments, but he can't recall who is behind them. Going down to the main floor, they find that all the orphanage staff and orphans on site cannot see them. Jean makes a connection with a young telepath who is frightened of the basement of the orphanage, prompting them to go and investigate. While above, Nanny's ship arrives over the orphanage to collect the infant mutants below that are targeted by the demon N'Astirh and selects some of her Lost Boys to accompany her and Orphan Maker on the rescue operation to protect the children.
While below, Scott and Jean find a secret elevator shaft that leads them down to a secret high tech complex run by more mindless staff members. They enter a main room where a number of mutant children have been placed in strange observation tanks. They manage to find Scott's son Christopher, and Jean picks up the sense of some coming danger from the child and tells Scott that they must get him out of the orphanage right away.
This proves to be true as N'Astirh's demons have arrived now that the guardians of this Orphanage are gone to take the infant mutants located before. Blow, as Scott and Jean try to free Christopher from his tank, Nanny, Orphan Maker and the Lost Boys come to take the children, leading to a clash between them and Cyclops and Marvel Girl. As they battle, they learn that Nanny and Orphan Maker take mutant children in a misguided attempt to rescue them, and as they fight to keep them and their charges from taking Christopher, the demons swoop down to take the boy as well.
However, in the struggle, the demons make it away with young Christopher, teleporting away, and Jean is shocked when she unmasks Shatter-Box #2 and learns that she is her sisters daughter Gailyn. Nanny and her minions manage to escape, as Jean comes to terms with the fact that her sisters children are now the slaves of Nanny and Orphan Maker.
However, despite her family members in peril, she is still psi-linked with young Christopher and he screams out to her telepathically to save her. She is horrified and tells Scott that the demons mean to kill him.
This story is continued next issue....
|
