Issue 4

 

Cover: berserker wolverine

 

Genosha: The x-factor are out in the field investigating explosions in the most populated zoned of the island. There’s no sign of explosives and they learn that the detonations are created by a corrupted negasonic teenage warhead. They are attacked by mind controlled mutants, mainly former acolytes like amelia, unuscione, rusty and skids. During the battle rachel and monet engages in mental fights and are taken out by the same force that hit charles and the cuckoos.

 

NYC

It’s late night in the mansion and betsy won’t leave the surveillance room. She calls tony for updates and he tells they should be able to track and deactivate all missiles remotely but it seems that the weapons have been re engineered, a task he considers unachievable by human standards considering the advanced complexity of stark tech.

 

Rogue tells betsy to get some rest and offers to replace her in the surveillance. Betsy admits she is really bugged by the fact their are failing to get the big picture of the crisis. It’s all intertwined and yet she is unable to tell the real threat from any possible distractions. What if kitty is right and the terrorism is just a decoy when a bigger plot is taking place behind their backs. It s rather frustrating to remain shut down from her telepathy, not being able to probe for the answers.

 

In chinatown, Logan is being tortured by moira and her evil brotherhood. They all seems corrupted by the same evil force. Logan learns he was lured to their bunker and moira plans to use him in her plan. Forge tells moira he is ready with the missiles and she tells him it’s almost time.

 

In the war room, the x-board is discussing the evidences. They learn that Rachel and monet have also been mentally attacked in Genosha, and emma locked herself in diamond state to protect her mind. The attack on telepaths  seems to be a preventive action. Someone wants them out of commission. Betsy remembers the team that their villain is clearly also a telepath, and with no other psychic to track his/her plans, nor to engage in battle, the astral plane is a blue ocean for him/her to navigate. Kitty asks about the mutant healers. Kwannon say without healers their villain might certificate that a certain death, or deaths, are irreversible. Magneto looks terribly tormented by kwannon’s point.

 

In the infirmary colossus is watching xavier in his intensive care unit as the TV news reports even more terrorism throughout the globe. The news tells that world leaders are gathering for an urgent meeting to discuss the course of pro mutant agenda worldwide in the wake of new attacks.  Colossus wonders how stupid the x-men are to believe, even for a short time, that xavier’s dream of mutant and human peaceful co-existence was finally happening.

 

Magneto walks by colossus and tells him to meet the board members in war room for debrief. As peter leaves, magneto authenticates himself in a security checkpoint granting himself access to a heavily guarded chamber. Inside it we see Moira’s comatose body, being kept alive by advanced medical technology.

 

***flashback

Trough flash back we see xavier and magneto rescuing moira from her no-place during the attacks in krakoa. Moira stays behind to save the cerebro backup and is shot to death by a nimrod. She apparently died in magneto’s arms.

***End of flashback

 

In china town dark moira tells wolverine to stop resisting her mind controlling. It’s useless since not even xavier can match her powers now. Logan asks her since when she is a mutant, more precisely since when she is a telepath.

 

Moira tells him, that her being a mutant is another one of the endless parade of secrets their leaders xavier and magneto keep from their x-men.

 

She quickly explains all the truth behind krakoa and how her mutants powers figure in the story of the mutant kind. She says even with all chances to rewrite the mutant story, the x-men always fail and hate always finds its way. Now she wants to write her ultimate story and no human nor the x-men will be part of it.

 

Logan recalls moira that no word has been said regarding her omega level telepathy and she replies that he is right: moira mactargett is not a telepath.... She mind blast wolverine completely taking over his psyche, as seen in the dark glow in his eyes, and reveals her true identity by finishing her sentence: .... telepathy is the mastery of the SHADOW KING.

 

End of issue 4