Story continued from Uncanny X-Men #241.
X-Factor continue to fight demons across New York,
while Jean Grey gets a mental fix on Cyclops’s son Nathan. Things go even more
crazy when the demon N’Astirh reconstitutes himself, darker and more powerful
than he was before. N’Astirh’s demon underlings bring baby Nathan to him and as
X-Factor flies up to intercept him, N’Astirh sends his demon hoard down to attack
them. N’Astirh teleports away with Nathan (bringing him to the Goblin Queen as
seen in Uncanny X-Men #241), as X-Factor starts to get overrun by the demons. Just
then, a surge of energy comes down and strikes the demons, signaling the
arrival of the Goblin Queen holding Nathan, stating that X-Factor are hers!
Cyclops is stunned to see Madelyne alive, and she accuses him of abandoning her
and Nathan. Cyclops states that he thought she was dead, but she taunts that he
only wanted that to be true, so he could be with his one, true love, Jean.
The Goblin Queen attacks Cyclops, who refuses to fight
back, as she claims that he never truly loved her! Jean reveals that she can’t
read anything from Madelyne telepathically but can reach out to try and calm
the distraught Nathan. Madelyne takes offense to Jean reaching into her son’s
mind and sends a huge blast at Jean and the rest of X-Factor. Her attack is
blocked by N’Astirh who quickly reconstitutes himself once more, and thinks to
himself how Madelyne should have been easier to mold. The demons swarm X-Factor
once more and as they fight back, Jean notices the similarities between herself
and the Goblin Queen. Madelyne attacks N’Astirh once more, claiming that he’s
the reason she’s like this. In an attempt to manipulate her, and make sure
everything goes according to his plan, N’Astirh appeals to her, saying that her
revenge may best come later when all of her enemies are together.
The Goblin Queen tosses Nathan to her demon underlings
while she heads to deal with X-Factor. They drop him, and he’s about to be
caught by Jean, when the Goblin Queen snatches him yet again. The Goblin Queen
sends her demon pets after Jean, who Jean recognizes them instantly as her
transformed parents! Madelyne sends Jean plummeting down to the rest of
X-Factor as they deal with the last of the demons. The Goblin Queen then
reveals that, in an effort to hurt both Scott and Sinister, she’s more than
willing to sacrifice her own child! Beast, Iceman, and Archangel all point out
that they may need to stop holding back, and Cyclops asks them to spare her if
they can. They fly up to attack Madelyne and she effortlessly blasts them back
down, resulting in them creating a huge crater when they land, cushioned by
Jean’s powers. When the smoke clears, Madelyne stands there, holding her baby
and seemingly herself again. Though X-Factor is confused at her sudden change
of demeanor, they don’t have long to ponder it, as the familiar gloved hand of
Wolverine reaches out to Jean, stating that he needs to confirm that she’s
real! To be continued!
Story continued in Uncanny X-Men #242.
Excelsioring your collection