In the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center, Madelyne
Pryor and Alex Summers enjoy a wonderful night out. After getting done dancing,
they head out to the balcony before some complaining from inside interrupts
their thoughts. A group of paranormal scientists are arguing with each other,
one positing that the Empire State Building seems to be growing and the others
demand that that’s impossible! Alex tries to get involved but they insult him
before they’re kicked out by the management. Madelyne casts the scientists a
dark look and as they enter the elevator, they’re attacked and swallowed up by
demons, unseen by all else! As Alex and Madelyne finish up their date, Gateway
teleports them back to Australia. Alex tries to continue things, but Madelyne
states that she needs some time alone and heads back out through one of
Gateway’s portals. Concerned about Madelyne, Alex suddenly thinks of a way he
can help her, and runs off.
At Bard College, Madelyne, now as the Goblin Queen,
visits Jean Grey’s grave. She sees psychic images of Scott at the site, telling
Jean that he now loves Madelyne, before images of their wedding flash across
the area. The Goblin Queen declares Scott a liar and blames Jean, destroying
her headstone and savagely asking why she couldn’t have just stayed dead! When
Jean’s parents try to intervene, the Goblin Queen turns them into demons, just
as N’Astirh shows up. He tells Madelyne that everything is proceeding as
planned, along with a lead on where her baby is, and the two then teleport away
with a flourish. Back in Australia, Rogue has some fun roller-skating with
Longshot, when the two are angrily interrupted by Dazzler. Dazzler is upset
that Rogue is spending time with her boyfriend, but Rogue posits that
he’s no one’s property and can decide for himself who he spends time with.
Dazzler attacks Rogue, eventually blasting her right through a window and
completely interrupting Colossus attempting to paint Psylocke.
Down in the computer command center, Havok fiddles
with a program that he and Madelyne had set up to track the Marauders. Storm
and Wolverine surprise him there and he reveals that they’ve located where the
Marauders are currently hiding, in the very Morlock tunnels where they first
encountered each other! Meanwhile, N’Astirh takes Madelyne to an orphanage in
Nebraska, following the lead he found on Nathan. Just as at the gravesite,
Madelyne sees psychic images of her son having once been here, as well as herself
lying in a pod! When she checks the information on the pod, she’s shocked to
find her own name! Back in Manhattan, in the Morlock tunnels, the Marauders are
in the process of renovating it and making it their own. A newer addition to
the group called Blockbuster makes his way down a dark tunnel, where he’s
surprised by Wolverine and Colossus. Colossus decks him straight back into the
rest of the group and the X-Men begin to hit their enemies hard and fast!
Dazzler blinds Sabretooth and blasts Scalphunter,
while Havok deals with Prism. Longshot shocks Riptide by catching all of his
projectiles, allowing the X-Men to continue to press their attack! Meanwhile,
Blockbuster stirs where he landed, before he’s pulled through the wall by
demons! After Arclight knocks the ceiling down on Rogue and Psylocke, Psylocke
uses her abilities to trick Scrambler into shorting out Arclight’s powers,
taking out both for the price of one! Elsewhere, Colossus fares more poorly as Malice
uses Polaris’s magnetic abilities to toss him around and Storm attempts to
counteract the effect with her own wind. Eventually, Malice is able to hurl
Colossus straight through the ceiling to the surface, creating a tunnel that
the Marauders use to escape! As the X-Men follow them, both groups are stunned
to discover something strange happening to the city, unseen by the audience!
Back the orphanage, Madelyne, full of questions, is approached by the creator
of the strange place, Mr. Sinister! He introduces himself as such but tells her
that she can call him…father! To be continued!
For the special marvelite in you