The X-Men are back from space! Well, half of them, anyway. The team is shattered, broken and separated. The group that has returned to earth is finding it much worse than how they left it-- especially underground. Attacks in the Morlock Tunnels immediately grab the X-Men’s attention. What do these attacks have to do with the future of the mutant race? Maybe special guest-star Storm can get to the bottom of all this!
In the sewers under New York, Masque, Litterbug and Bliss wait. Masque asks if the “charges” are ready, and Litterbug replies affirmative, and Masque says that they’ll both be there soon, and they both have to play a part according to the prophecy.
In a different part of the sewers, Caliban and Leech are walking through a sewer tunnel, looking for their old Morlock companions. Caliban realises something is wrong, and jumps on Leech to protect him, as an explosion goes off.
Leech tries to wake Caliban as he’s laying unconscious on the floor under some rubble. Bliss appears, and Leech tries to ask her what happened. She tells them it’s okay, and she’s sorry. She grabs him by the shoulders and uses her tongue to bite him. She cradles him in her arms, and Caliban wakes up.
Masque appears and threatens Caliban, and Caliban replies kindly, thinking the two are still friends. Masque tells him they aren’t friends, and now they never will be.
At the Institute, and Nightcrawler is looking for Professor X, who’s in Cerebra. Nightcrawler asks if the Professor’s ready to use Cerebra because of his higher level telepathy, but the Professor says he’s find and there’s work to be done. Nightcrawler continues to question him and telling the Professor that he understands that he’s worried about Lilandra and the others. The Professor simply says he worries about everything.
The Professor explains that he’s going to look for Magneto, as he heard Valerie Cooper think the name Eric, and he had to dig for the rest. Nightcrawler tries to stop the Professor, but he manages to convince Nightcrawler by telling him if they get they’re hands on him or if they try to capture him. As the Professor starts Cerebra, he finds someone, but not Magneto. He tells Nightcrawler to tell Beast to get the medical bay ready, and to find Warpath, because someone is looking for him.
Outside, Warpath and Hepzibah are training. Warpath throws his knives at her, and she does some fancy flips and catches them. After she hands them back to him, they have a heart-to-heart, Warpath telling her that the Professor could probably find a way to get her home. She says she doesn’t want to go home, and she’s tired of revenge and death. He tells her that if she wanted to talk about Corsair that Cyclops probably won’t mind, but she tells him there’s nothing to talk about because he’s dead, and she places a freshly picked flower in her hair.
She thanks Warpath for being a good friend, but the two spot a Sentinel moving, knowing that something must be wrong. Both rush over to the scene quickly, and Warpath tells Hepzibah to stay back, but she refuses. Warpath realises that he knows the scent of the mutant the Sentinels are going after, and as one goes to touch him (he’s lying on the floor), Warpath kicks the Sentinel hand away. We see that the mutant is Caliban, and he’s hurt. Warpath cradles him in his arms, and shouts at the Sentinels to stay away. Warpath goes on to tell Caliban everything will be fine.
Inside the Sentinel, the pilot talks to a governor, identifying the mutant as Caliban but with something done to him. The governor tells him to take the mutant into custody, but as the Sentinel tries, Warpath shouts at the Sentinel, threatening to cut his hand off.
Nightcrawler bamfs in behind Warpath, telling him it won’t be necessary.
Back inside the Sentinel, and the pilot reports to control that they have a situation. The wind begins to pick up and rain begins to fall, and Storm tells the Sentinel that Caliban is under her protection. And if they try something, then they’re gonna have a diplomatic situation on their hands.
Later, Valerie Cooper is shouting at Professor X, saying that mutants outside the Institute are O*NE’s problem, but he tells her that any information they learn will be passed on. He insists that they keep Caliban in the Institue, and she agrees on the terms that she gets a report by six hundred hours.
In the med bay, Storm, Beast, Warpath and Hepzibah are looking over Caliban. The Professor comes in and asks how they’re patient is. Beast still doesn’t know what happened to him, and just says that they’ll have to ask him later. The Professor knows that Masque deformed him, and he tells Storm that that’s why he called her, because the Morlocks are up to something. After a small chat, Storm tells the team that she’ll call the Black Panther, and tell him she won’t be home for a few days.
Back in the Sewers, and leech is now wearing a collar to stop the use of his powers. He tells Masque that it hurts, and asks if their going to hut him. She says no, and turns around to tell Masque that it’s cruel. Erg tells Masque to show him the book, but Masque tells him not to be stupid. After a little short argument with Skids, Masque says that he ain’t going to wait for the future, and he’s going to make it happen his way. Erg asks what do they do next, and Masque tells him they’re going to find Magneto, and Leech is going to make sure he doesn’t kill them. At that moment, Masque begins manipulating Leech’s face.
Log in to comment