Synopsis
Last issue Reptil, secretly with the mind of future-Reptil, was feeding other Avengers Academy students, and 2 teachers, to Hybrid. He knew about Hybrid's rampage but wanted to ensure that the 'right' chars were sacrificed to ensure that his future would come about. But he belatedly grew a conscience and raised the alarm. The issue ended with Giant-Man and Hawkeye answering the alarm to find Hazmat facing Hybrid and a mind-controlled army of Reptil, White Tiger and X-23.
This issue opens with the heroes joined by Finesse and Mettle fighting their 3 comrades, and Hybrid telekinetically holding other unconscious victims Butterball, Lightspeed, Quicksilver, She-Hulk (Lyra), Striker and Tigra. 'Invulnerable' Mettle doesn't fear X-23's claws until the adamantium pierces his metal skin. His girlfriend Hazmat, fueled also by suspicious jealousy, fires a radioactive blast which burns Laura Kinney's skin (but her healing factor will allow her to survive). Giant Henry Pym can't shrink giant Reptil because Humberto Lopez can also use Pym Particles to grow. So he tries to get through to the boy inside the dinosaur, but even future Lopez can't shake off Hybrid's mind-control. However he remembers (from last issue) that Hybrid didn't like contact with WT's magic amulets, so he forces his dino-tail to slam Ava Ayala into Hybrid. And the resulting magic flash frees Ava from his control, and also Reptil who reverts to human. But their success would only be brief ...
... except Juston Seyfert in his giant Sentinel arrives. Like all Sentinels it was created to fight mutants, so it blasts the mutant human/Wraith hybrid. (It seems that Hybrid's problems have allowed Juston to remember what the foe is.) But Hybrid telekinetically tears the robot to pieces. Finesse prepares to attack but 'Berto stops her and confesses that he's actually a future him possessing current Reptil's body, and adds that their future relationship is what he's come back here to save. Jeanne Foucault believes him because it explains lots of differences she's observed in him. But she still intends to fight Hybrid to protect their friends, and if his future thinks that's wrong then she rejects it.
Lopez knows they have no chance against the Wraith telekinetic sorcerer so he runs away to the Comms room and contacts someone for help in the present who is very surprised to hear from them. And after he that he contacts future-Striker who says the timeline's in flux so they're going to bring him home. We now see the future with Finesse, Hazmat and Veil plus future-Reptil with present-Humberto's mind shut in a containment tube with a hi-tech blindfold and ear-mufflers. Also present is 'Berto and Jeanne's young daughter Maria who doesn't understand why her father is in there and she turns her hands into blades and breaks him out, and with pincer-hands removes his headset. He's totally confused when she calls him daddy, and she's confused when he doesn't recognise her because it's only mommy Jeanne who has memory problems.
'Berto realises that these are the future team who they allowed to take over their bodies (#12), and this means he's in the future. Veil explains that future-'Berto is back in his younger body but that things have gone bad and they need his help to save their timeline, and his daughter. He doesn't trust that they're not evil in this future, but he agrees for the sake of Maria. While Striker and Veil do some techy stuff Humberto and Jeanne have a chat. She tells him they were married but are now divorced. She knew that she'd develop memory loss like her father (Taskmaster in #9) and that made her not want to have kids. But 'Berto desperately did want a child and persuaded her it would be OK. But it wasn't and now she usually can't remember who their daughter is, which Maria can't understand. But Jeanne is grateful for another chance to be with young, innocent 'Berto and she kisses him. He can't believe that he's changed *that* much but she says they all have. He points out that future 'Berto will be seeing young Jeanne now, so maybe when he gets back the 2 of them might rekindle their romance. But Veil tells them everything's ready.
Back in the present everyone's free of Hybrid's control. Giant-Man is trying to shrink Hybrid but a forcefield prevents him touching the foe who mentally shuts down Hank Pym's powers. Then really-giant Reptil picks the Dire Wraith up in its jaws. Hybrid tries to control his mind but is shocked to find 2 personas in there, future *and* present. However he just doubles his effort and the dinosaur falls and becomes human. White Tiger runs to his side and future-Humberto apologises for giving her to Hybrid. He says he thought he was protecting something important but she and Jeanne reminded him of how he used to be. And then he goes catatonic.
Most of the chars are now attacking Hybrid but Pym holds WT back to tell her and Lightspeed that he's found in the X-Men's databank a way Hybrid was defeated before. The Spaceknight Rom had a weapon that disintegrated him and sent him to Limbo, but unfortunately he's dead. However he can recreate the weapon so he sends Lightspeed and Quicksilver to get a list of components from his dimensional door tech (used in the Infinite Avengers Mansion that used to be home to the Academy). Meanwhile he reminds Ava that her amulets seem to be the only things that hurt the foe so he needs her to use them to keep Hybrid busy. Finesse is mourning Reptil but he tells her he needs her help too. Meanwhile he swears to do whatever he can for Humberto ... who suddenly awakes with his current mind.
In the future Reptil is still comatose and Maria is distraught. Veil tells Mettle to take the body to the med-bay and offers to look after the little girl. But Finesse comforts her daughter and says this is what Humberto would want.
In the present LS and QS are speed-building a huge arch while Finesse fiddles with the remains of the Sentinel. Hank Pym directs the other attackers to herd Hybrid to the gate but he knows what they're trying to do and easily stops them. But then he's surrounded by a gas and cries out that he can't move. And the Sentinel's hand come to life and blasts him through the arch to Limbo, which collapses after he's gone. But despite it being his plan Pym can't figure out why it worked, and Juston can't understand how his Sentinel functioned without a head.
But then the thought-dead Jocasta appears, and the ex-Academy member Veil coalesces from the gas. V took over Hybrid's body, and J made the Sentinel work with a remote hand that now reattaches itself to her robot body. Jocasta explains that she faked her 'murder' (while leaving the Academy in 1 of her many bodies) because she had things to do that Pym would have tried to stop. Veil says Reptil called them for help, and Humberto puts off explaining how he knew J was alive until next issue. Henry P is angry about J making him suspect his students to be murderers. She explains that the Hybrid incident is just 1 more fact that convinced her that the Avengers Academy was endangering its students. And she and Veil are here to shut it down.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Butterball (
Emery Schaub), Juston Seyfert, Lightspeed (
Julie Power), She-Hulk (
Lyra), White Tiger (
Ava Ayala), X-23 (
Laura Kinney).
Enemies
Hybrid.