After the rest of the X-Men were defeated and captured
last issue, Nightcrawler was saved by some mysterious, small figures, as they
make their way through the secret corridors with him. Nightcrawler awakes with
a start and finds his saviors to be actual, honest to goodness leprechauns.
Eamon O’Donnell, the steward of the castle, informs Nightcrawler that his
friends have been captured, as well as the fact that he was being blackmailed
by Black Tom, who forced his way in charge of the castle and imprisoned the
leprechaun families. He also lets on that Black Tom and Juggernaut were taking
orders from someone in red, horned armor. Nightcrawler is sure he knows who he
means but then one of the leprechauns asks Nightcrawler why he was partly
invisible when they found him in the shadows. Confused, Nightcrawler sticks his
hand into a nearby shadow and discovers that he can become completely invisible
in the shadows!
One of the other leprechauns leads Nightcrawler to the
laboratory, where Black Tom Cassidy and Juggernaut have the other X-Men
imprisoned in specialized confinements. Black Tom dons a special glove designed
to inflict pain to torture the X-Men, in an effort to draw Xavier to them.
Hearing that they really want the Professor, Nightcrawler teleports into the
laboratory and uses his image inducer to look like Professor Xavier. Disguised
as the Professor, Nightcrawler taunts and dodges around Juggernaut, until eventually
Juggernaut punches right through a wall, causing a huge shockwave and smashing
a hole right through to the outside. Feeling the wind on her face once more,
Storm generates a huge wind which carries herself, Colossus, and Wolverine to
freedom outside, while Juggernaut grabs Banshee, to prevent him from escaping
as well.
Back inside the collapsed lab, the leprechauns make
their way to safety, coming upon an unconscious Nightcrawler buried in debris,
and are determined to rescue him. Outside, Colossus struggles to get Wolverine
free of his restraints, until Storm offers her assistance by picking the lock,
surprising the other two. With Banshee still their prisoner, Black Tom and
Juggernaut make their way to the battlements of the castle and threaten to send
Banshee down to the X-Men, piece by piece. Storm flies up to the top of the
castle but has to contend with the turrets firing lasers at her. Meanwhile,
after Wolverine called Storm a “broad” once too often for his liking, Colossus
throws Wolverine up to the roof while he attempts to climb up the wall the hard
way, hand over hand. Storm does her best to deal with the lasers, generating a
huge thunderstorm around the whole area, while Colossus tries to avoid
Juggernaut’s thrown rocks.
Meanwhile, Wolverine landed on the other side of the
castle, to be found by one of the leprechauns. The leprechaun reveals that he
knows Wolverine’s true name, Logan, and offers to guide the incredulous
Wolverine to where the action is taking place. While Juggernaut and Black Tom
are busy with the others, Nightcrawler sneakily frees Banshee from his
confinements. Banshee once again takes the fight to Black Tom, while the rest
tangle with Juggernaut. Banshee and Black Tom engage in a frantic sword duel, until
Banshee kicks Black Tom off the edge of the roof and into the ocean below. This
causes the panic-stricken Juggernaut to jump in after his only friend, as both
of them seemingly get lost in the waves below. We end by cutting to
Erik the Red, proven to have indeed been Black Tom and Juggernaut’s employer, as he in
turn checks in with his mysterious boss, promising their next plan won’t fail, with
the return of the X-Men’s oldest and deadliest foe!