Deep in the caverns the Morlocks call home, Callisto
and several others get the captured Kitty Pryde ready for an impromptu wedding
ceremony. Meanwhile, Storm, Rogue, and Wolverine head to the hospital to
identify the dead body found last issue that they think is Kitty. Wolverine
suggests that the coroner leave them alone for a few minutes, before telling
the others that this isn’t Kitty. Though she looks like Kitty, right down to
fingerprints and retinal scans, Wolverine can tell that her scent is wrong. They
realize that someone means to make them think Kitty is dead and determine to
find out who! At the Xavier Mansion, Nightcrawler and Professor X work to see
if they can save Colossus, still frozen in agony from the Brotherhood’s attack.
Their scans yield no signs of life but neither are sure if he typically even
exhibits any when he’s armored anyway.
Nightcrawler worries about Illyana, noting how she
might have lost both her best friend and brother in the same night. Illyana
thinks of her time in limbo, as chronicled in her limited series, and how she’s
more intimate with death than Kurt realizes. Storm mentally relays to Xavier
that the dead girl in the morgue isn’t Kitty, when Xavier suddenly suffers a
severe mental attack, causing his powers to lash out. Amanda Sefton shields
Illyana, while Nightcrawler teleports to the fainted Xavier, unsure what to do.
Elsewhere, Kitty marches down the isle to her awaiting prince, before the
mind-spell put up by one of the Morlocks fades, and she sees clearly the man
waiting for her is Caliban. Kitty freaks out and attempts to run, before she’s
grabbed by one of the Morlocks, Sunder, unable to phase for some reason she
can’t pinpoint.
Callisto reminds Kitty of her promise she made to
Caliban, that she would stay with him if he helped the X-Men last time they
encountered the Morlocks. Kitty suddenly remembers Colossus’ predicament and
asks the Morlocks to help him if she agrees to stay once more. Even still,
Kitty attempts to run, fearing the gravity of having to stay there. She runs
aimlessly through the corridors before tripping, feeling ashamed of herself
that she would so brazenly ignore her promise. She’s found by a young mutant named
Leech, who she realizes is the reason she can’t phase, who leads her back to
the others. Callisto confirms they’ll help Colossus if Kitty stays and they get
her ready once more for her wedding to Caliban.
Some time later, just as the ceremony is getting
underway, it’s interrupted by the arrival of Storm, Rogue, and Wolverine. Storm
attacks Callisto, but Leech jumps down near the X-Men, depowering them due to
his proximity. Before a real fight can break out between the X-Men and the
Morlocks, Kitty breaks the whole thing up, stating that she’s just trying to
honor her promise and that helping Colossus is what’s really important. Later,
at the mansion, they bring the Morlock Healer to help. Rogue absorbs Colossus’
powers, and Healer heals Colossus when he turns back to normal, saving his
life. The next day, Kitty says a somber farewell to Illyana and gives her
letters to give to Peter and her parents. Kitty heads back down into the
Morlock tunnels, trying to make peace with her new future. However, Caliban
calls off the wedding and releases her from her vow. He realizes that though he
loves her, forcing her to stay would be wrong. He sets Kitty free, hoping that
one day she’ll return of her own free will, and gives her a rose, asking her to
remember him not as the Morlock monster, but as a prince.