Exiles #93

While Sabretooth and Slaymaster try to finish each other off in a deadly battle, Psylocke goes head-to-head with Reed Richards. Her mission, to kill this world’s last hero. But will the power-crazed Sue Storm beat her to the punch?

Wolverine and Sue Storm, Madame Hydra, are making their way to Reed Richards base. As they walk underneath Manhattan, Wolverine says that Reed has to know that they're coming. Wolverine says he'll probably throw all his flunkies at them. Sue says she hopes so otherwise it wouldn't be fun.

Inside Reed's base, he's talking to Psylocke. He says he's assumes she's using her telekinesis to change her molecular structure so she can't be seen. He seems impressed by this. He also tells her that his wife was the Invisible Woman so he knows a thing or two about invisibility. He asks what side is she on.

In Bryant Park, Slaymaster is ready to fight the Exiles. He gives them a choice, either surrender and join Hydra or die. Sabretooth manages to get in a punch but he quickly recovers and puts Sabretooth on the ropes. Morph is busy fighting the Hand and asks Sabretooth if he needs help. He says "That'll be the day." Despite throwing Slaymaster towards a building, he is still able to turn himself around and land safely on his feet. Sabretooth admits to himself that Slaymaster is good.

Surrounded by a pile of dead Hand members, or at least their clothes and weapons, Sabretooth comes up with a new strategy. He knows he can't let Slaymaster get close to him. He picks up a handful of swords, blades, maces, etc. that lie at his feet and throw them at Slaymaster all at once. This catches him off guard. He tries to block them all with his swords. He does a decent job but does get cut and hit a few times. He returns the surprise by throwing a sword back at Sabretooth, stabbing him in the chest. As Sabretooth kneels to start healing, Slaymaster plans on using this time to his advantage. He raises his sword for a killing blow as Morph and Longshot look on.

Psylocke explains the plan to Reed. In order to save this world, he has to die. The bigger danger is Sue and her followers escaping using his technology. He thinks killing him is just taking the easy way out. He says there's more at stake than there appears to be. Then he notices that Sabretooth is about to get killed by Slaymaster. When she sees Slaymaster, her mind is flooded with memories of the Slaymaster from her dimension. The Slaymaster that she had thought were buried of herself being hurt and abused and having her eyes taken out. Psylocke passes out and Reed took the liberty to send her to her friends. He says enough innocents have died and she needs to save them.

In the Crystal Palace, Heather is becoming frustrated because she has lost contact with the Exiles. The computer can tell her that they are alive, except for Psylocke. For some reason, she doesn't exist according to their sensors.

Back on Earth-1720, Elektra is about to complete her mission. She has come across Reed's daughter, Valeria, encased in a crystal formation. Reed asked her to find his daughter and set her free. Taking her sword, she smashes the crystal. She had been placed in suspended animation to prevent her from being mind controlled but as she wakes up, she lunges for Elektra's throat.

In Manhattan, Sabretooth is able to pull out the sword in his chest and use it to surprise Slaymaster again. Sabretooth takes another swing at him with the sword but Slaymaster jumps up and reveals he has two retractable blades in the tips of his boots. He uses one to slice Sabretooth's throat. Seeing this, Morph finally takes action to try to help Sabretooth. Taking a combination of the forms of Wendigo and Thing he heads towards Slaymaster. As Slaymaster begins to punch him in the stomache, Morph creates a mouth there and chomps down on his wrist. He bluffs that he'll bit it off but Slaymaster slams him against the wall and then on top of Sabretooth.

Turning his attention back on Sabretooth, Slaymaster slices his stomache, his triceps, and his achilles heels. He knows Sabretooth will heal given time. Until then, he is unable to raise his arms or walk. He contimplates placing him in a pit filled with army ants to have them eat the flesh off his unbreakable bones.

Longshot joins the fight as he throws the unconscious body of Blink at Slaymaster. Slaymaster is surprised he was able to resist the mind control of Madame Hydra. Longshot says he must've been lucky. Morph tries getting up to tell Slaymaster that the two of them are a match for him. As he tries to attack him again, Morph throws a sword to Longshot. Longshot asks why he's giving him a sword and Morph says so the "bad guy" can't use it. Longshot decides to kick the sword away just because it felt like the right thing to do. The sword ricochets around several times until it comes back and stabs Slaymaster in his bicep. Morph turns himself into a giant mallet to lay down the hammer on him. Slaymaster is not impressed. He squishes Morph's head and throws him at Longshot.

As they try to regain their wits, Heather has managed to send a transmission down. She's making an emergency broadcast to them (except for Psylocke, whom she cannot contact) saying that their time has run out. The entire dimension is doomed. They can no longer save it. She's giving them a half an hour until she pulls them back. Slaymaster is outraged that they are being perceived as mere toys to them. He heads off for other parts telling them they better pray they do not cross paths again.

Sabretooth tells Longshot and Morph to get ready to go. Morph says they can't leave without Psylocke. Sabretooth says there's no time and Morph says they still have thirty minutes.

At Reed's place, he is fighting against Sue (Wolverine seems trapped in a force field of Reed's). Sue tells Reed that she's learned to use her powers in new ways. She has placed a globe around his head and another one around his heart. Reed says that if it were that easy to kill him, he should be dead already. He says that for every way she has to kill him, he has a way to defend against it. Then he offers her and Wolverine a way to win. He asks her why would she want to rule a world with no people when she can rule the omniverse. Sue is intrigued.