Story continued from New Mutants #96
After capturing the covert team sent to plant bombs
along the citadel (in New Mutants #96), Cameron Hodge tells his new captives
that it won’t be long until the rest of the mutants have been caught as well.
He grabs the unconscious Forge, needed for the next phase of his plan, and
strikes at Jean when she asks him why he’s doing this. When Havok speaks up at
Hodge for harming the captives, Hodge makes Havok carry Forge the rest of the
way to his cell. Havok’s magistrate peers taunt him a little, seeing this as
penance for the battle he lost (in X-Factor #60). As the captives are led away,
Cable and Jean spot Wolfsbane, now turned into a mutate slave. They call out to
her to no avail, and one of the guards ends up beating Cable away from her.
Hodge taunts Cable, letting him know that Wolfsbane did not have all of her
memories wiped, so that she can feel everything that’s been done to her, and
that the same will be done to them! This gives Cable the motivation to snap his
restraints and leap at Hodge! However, Hodge is able to easily restrain Cable
with his tentacles and ends up nailing him right to the wall! As Cable wonders
if he’s really helped his students at all, he remembers that Boom-Boom and
Rictor are free, and that hopefully they can find a way to turn the tides!
Meanwhile, at the abandoned warehouse they’ve been
using as a hideout, the rest of the remaining mutants ready their plan. Cyclops
goes over the plan with everyone, and thinks about how they still have a secret
weapon that only he and Forge know about! As Beast sets up something for anyone
coming to look for them there, the group splits into two teams once more. Back
in the citadel, the captive mutants are thrown into cells, and Jean ends up
getting thrown into the same cell as Wolverine. Jean can tell that Logan isn’t
doing well without his healing factor and he ends up kissing her. Eventually,
she sheds a tear and pulls away, and can sense that Wolverine’s dying, and he
knows it! As Hodge and the Genegineer watch on the security cameras, Hodge
explains that he put them together deliberately, having learned of their
affection for each other, hoping that Jean will betray Cyclops out of love for
Wolverine, in order to more deeply hurt him! At the same time, a group of
magistrates led by Havok infiltrate the warehouse that X-Factor had been using
as their base. They find the place empty, just before the entire building
explodes!
Up in the penthouse of the citadel, Hodge, the
Genegineer, and Genosha’s president watch the assault on the warehouse.
Dissention begins to form amongst the villains, as the Genegineer objects to
Hodge’s willingness to destroy everything that Genosha has built just to see
his goal of eradicating all mutants! They see the warehouse explode and the
Genegineer notices that a storm is building, implied to be the subconscious
work of Storm, now an unblinking mutate standing in the corner. Havok then
arrives, injured, and tells Hodge that the whole magistrate squad was
decimated! While they scramble with what to do, sonic vibrations rip through
the penthouse, alerting Jean and Wolverine down in the cells that the cavalry
has arrived! A small squad comprising Archangel, Banshee, and Cannonball invade
the penthouse, and Archangel is shocked to see that Hodge is the one behind
everything! Hodge quickly traps Archangel, and in trying to free him, Banshee
knocks down a huge statue that ends up pinning Cannonball. With the three of
them now captured as well, Hodge tells them that it’s only a matter of time
until the rest are caught too!
While the fliers create their distraction up top,
Cyclops and Iceman sneak into the citadel disguised as mutates. When some
magistrates try to check under the tarp they’re wheeling in, Beast pops up from
underneath it and the three of them take out the magistrates. Beast and Iceman
try to stop a metal panel from sliding down and blocking their escape, but only
Cyclops gets through. He ends up coming face to face with Havok once more, who
blasts him once again! Cyclops fires back and his energy ends up getting
absorbed by Havok’s gun. Cyclops grabs Havok and tries to get through to him
once more, reminding him about when they were kids and had to jump from their
parents’ plane with only one parachute between them. Cyclops tells him that he
didn’t let go then and he’s not letting go now! This finally causes Havok to
remember who he is, right when Cameron Hodge shows up! Havok blasts Cyclops, in
order to not blow his cover, and Hodge promises that he’ll get to kill Cyclops
himself! While Havok can now help his teammates in secret, he thinks that if
anyone is going to die by his hand, it’s going to be Hodge! To be continued!
Story continued in Uncanny X-Men #272
Give that special marvelite a timely gift