Uncanny X-Men, The (1981 series) #239

In New York, strange things are afoot. A tourist family visits the Empire State Building as the city goes through an intense heat wave. As they enter the elevator, it’s enveloped by a strange demonic face, and the entire family meets a gruesome end within the elevator! Blood seeps out from under the doors and goes unnoticed, getting mopped up by the distracted, passing janitor! Another time, another place, Mr. Sinister sits in his command post and muses about how he was expecting to face off against the X-Men soon in his quest of conquering humans. But now, as far as he knows, the X-Men are dead, and he can’t help but feel rather cheated and disappointed. Malice, still possessing Polaris’s body, then interrupts him, angrily spouting about how the bond between her and Polaris seems to be permanent now, and how he knew that would be the case! He’s able to placate her after she lashes out, assuring her that she is the one he can depend on most to complete his plans, playing on her vanities. Sinister then muses on the nature of human vanities, those emotions and flaws that make it easy to manipulate and truly know his enemies, all the better to destroy them!

As Sinister observes his crystal statuettes representing the X-Men, he grabs the Dazzler one, and at the same time, the real Dazzler steps foot inside a grungy Australian saloon. She makes her way to the stage and begins to put on a show for the appreciative crowd, as Longshot watches her from said crowd. The show dazzles and wows everyone there, and Dazzler ends it by kissing Longshot, never wanting this moment to end! Sinister breaks his Dazzler statuette and then ponders about Havok, saying he saw potential in him from long before he ever heard the word “mutant”! At the same time, Havok goes on a run, unable to get the guilt of his recent killing of a couple of Brood out of his head. Dazzler and Longshot ride past him, their show having finished, before Madelyne steps out of the lightshow Dazzler left behind. Madelyne admits she came to check on Alex, as the two admit to starting to care quite a bit about each other.

Sinister observes his Storm figure, as the real Storm fiddles with the giant computers in the sub-basement of their base. She comes across the news footage Madelyne saw, and sees with her own eyes that Jean Grey is alive! In shock, she zooms over to find Wolverine and he admits he’s known Jean was alive for a while. Storm is angry that he never told her, but Wolverine admits that he was scared. He wasn’t sure if what he sensed was real or just what he wanted to believe, and can’t wrestle with the fact that the woman he once loved could be alive again. Sinister considers his Psylocke figure, stating how she was one he never really knew and wanted to see what she had in her. At the same time, Psylocke, Rogue, and Colossus engage in a training exercise. Psylocke keeps ahead of her two physically stronger opponents until she eventually gets pinned by Rogue. When Rogue is unwilling to accept her surrender, Psylocke mind-blasts her, causing the Carol Danvers psyche to come to the forefront again. The two admit that these weren’t quite the roles they ever imagined for themselves.

With all of his statuettes in pieces at his feet, Sinister finally regards his Madelyne statue, lamenting her as his first and greatest success, that he now feels has gone to waste! Back in Australia, Havok has a nightmare while relaxing, showing Polaris possessed by Malice, and Scott vanishing, leaving he and Madelyne alone before they find each other. He awakens to find the real Madelyne, who flirts with him. When he reminds her that she’s his brother’s wife, she points out that things have gone all topsy-turvy for everyone. Just wanting a bit of an escape, the two find solace in each other. Back at his lair, Sinister mourns his failed plans but regards the captured baby Nathan Summers as the key to accomplishing his new plans, all the while being observed by the demon Nastirh! Later, back in Australia, Madelyne watches Alex sleep, innocent and unassuming. She then heads down into the subbasement where she’s visited by Nastirh on the computer screen. He tells her that things are progressing well but she reminds him of their deal. She wants him to find the Marauders so the X-Men can pay them back in kind, but most importantly, she wants her son found, or she’ll show everyone the true meaning of Inferno! To be continued!