Major event taking place in the X-Men universe starting late 2007 and ending early 2008. The X-Men discover what may be the last hope for their race--the birth of the first new mutant since M-Day. Edit
News
- Does Cable need help with the Baby?
July 8, 2008 - G~man
Background
After suffering a psychotic break and destroying the Avengers, the Scarlet Witch created a new reality (referred to as the House of M) where Mutant ruled and humans were the downtrodden minority. When this did not work, she reverted reality back, this time eliminating over 90% of the mutant population, turning them into humans.
Trying to find a way to undo what the Scarlet Witch had done to the mutant population, Beast embarked on a quest to discover how to restore the mutant X-Gene to those who lost their powers on M-Day. He discovered that all traces of the X-Gene were eliminated from those individuals that lost their powers, including any samples of genetic material of de-powered. Adding to this failure, no mutants have been born since M-Day, making mutant kind an endangered species.
Chapter 1
Professor X locates the birth of a new Mutant in the small town of Cooperstown, Alaska. This birth marks a milestone because it is the first mutant child born since the Scarlet Witch de-powered over 90% of the worlds mutant population on M-Day. The instant loss of millions of mutants made mutant kind an endangered species, the mutant X-Gene being "erased" from those who were de-powered (including all stored samples of mutant DNA), as well as no other mutant children having been born since.
The birth of the mutant occured while Professor X was discussing the mutant crisis with Beast and searching out all current mutants with Cerebro. The psychic feedback resulting from the mutants birth overloaded both Professor X's brain as well as Cerebro, frying the powerful computer. It also caused a power surge within the mansion which caused all lights within the mansion to explode and power to be lost. An event of such importance would surely get the attention of others, and Xavier quickly gathered a small group of experienced X-Men to travel to Alaska in the Blackbird. The team consisted of Angel, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Emma Frost, and Cyclops. When they arrived in Cooperstown they found the town burning and virtually all of its inhabitants either dead or wounded.
While trying to rescue the remaining inhabitants and piece together exactly what had transpired the X-Men found the dead bodies of several Purifiers as well as the shattered body of the [[Marauder:char:40480] Prism. Emma Frost scanned the mind of one of the survivors to discover that the Purafiers had been dispatched to kill all children of the town in order to make sure that they had killed the new mutant. Sinister's Marauders, including former X-Men Gambit and Sunfire stopped the Purafiers and left to locate the new mutant. It was then that the X-Men learned that the new mutant was just born rather than a teenager. This confusion is expected as mutant powers typically manifest around puberty, not from birth. The X-Men departed Alaska to plan their next move, not knowing that the geneticaly-engineered mutant hunting monstor Predator X just arrived in Cooperstown. Predator X was created to hunt and feed upon powerful mutants, and it is hungy for the new child.
Chapter 2
Back at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Cyclops reminds Professor X who is now leading the X-Men, and puts Xavier to work with Beast to try to discover why the mutant's powers manifested at birth rather than as a teenager. Cyclops has already dispatched a small group of X-Men to locate a group of former Acolytes to try to discover the location of the Marauders and retrieve the mutant baby from them, and sent Emma Frost to retrieve Madrox, Layla Miller, and Rictor for their own missions. Having temporary erased Madrox's resentment towards the X-Men and desire not to work with them, Madrox and the others agreed to come along. Since losing his powers on M-Day, Rictor would scan as a normal human. For this reason Cyclops wants Rictor to infiltrate the Purifiers to determine their motivation. Madrox and Layla Miller are to locate Forge for details on their own mission.
Chapter 3
Rictor employs the assistance of his team X-Factor in order to make his way among the Purifier ranks. Wolfsbane attacks some members outside of one of their New York hideouts. The innocent human passerby Joaquin Murrieta (Rictor) happens upon the scene as Rahne is escaping, and fires several fake shots into her chest. Rahne escapes in the bed of Siryn's truck. Expressing a dislike of mutants, Rictor is invited in by one of the Purifiers who is impressed with how he handled himself. Inside Rictor is told to remain still at gunpoint while the guards scan him for mutant signatures. When he shows no signs of mutancy, the Purifiers invite him through a secret door, surprising Rictor with the size of one of their "smaller" weapons caches.
Meanwhile, Madrox and Layla Miller arrive at Forge's home to prepare for their mission. Forge had discovered that the problem mutants were experiencing was not limited to their own timeline, all other divergent timestreams and alternate futures that his machinery could access had shown that mutants have ceased to be. Since the birth of the new mutant two new timelines have emerged, and it was Madrox's job to create dupes to send to those futures for investigation. While Forge is sending the second dupe into the future, Layla rushes into the transport beam, sending both on a one-way trip. The original Madrox tries to fight Forge over what happened, but quickly falls unconscious.
Finally, having extracted information as to the location of Amelia Voght, the X-Men that were sent after the Acolytes traveled to the hospital that she worked at in Santa Cruz. In order to catch her by surprise, Wolverine stepped in front of a moving ambulance. With his healing factor having fixed most of his injuries by the time he got to the hospital, he catches Voght off guard and she turned into a living mist and tried to escape through a hospital vent. Storm caught her in a breeze, and prevented her from running away. The Acolytes had kept close ties with the Marauders, and of the remaining Acolytes she would know where to find them. Unhappily, Amelia provides them information on where they can find the Marauders.
Chapter 4
After sending two dupes to the future Jamie Madrox is still unconscious with brain functions working overtime. Forge explains what is happening to Cyclops, and becomes angry that Scott seems fine with sacraficing Madrox to discover what is going on. Cyclops contends that they are all dying out as mutant kind is becoming extinct.
The X-Men have traveled to Antarctica to locate the Marauders and the mutant baby. Knowing that the X-Men would soon figure out where they are, Mr. Sinister decided to step up their plans and vacate their Antarctic base. They are preparing to leave when the X-Men break into their base.
Surge discovers that the Purifiers were part of the attacks. She is angry that they have been left out of the loop and that the young team has been left out of the action. She decides that she is going to lead her team to attack the Purifiers and takes the information to them. Despite Cyclops desire to protect the team, the Purifiers have already killed many students of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, and they want to take out the Purifiers permanently. Hellion, Mercury, Rockslide, Anole, Pixie, Prodigy, X-23, and Armor agree to go along, but most decide to go primarily to help the mutant baby and not for Revenge. Dust does not wish to go because she had seen too much bloodshed lately, and Elixir says that if he goes he would kill all of them, and so he also stays behind.
In the Washington Purafier base, Rictor is let in on their operations. He discovers that there are hundreds off churches and members located all over the globe. He discovers that the purifiers don't have the mutant baby and believes his mission to be over until he learns who the Purifiers have teamed up with: Lady Deathstrike. After the New X-Men arrive Rictor runs into Anole. They both explain what is going on. The New X-Men do battle with the Purifiers before anyone knows what has happened Deathstrike stabs Hellion through the back and chest.
Chapter 5
In the future, Layla Miller and Madrox are scoping out a mutant internment camp. There are no mutants in public view, and they are trying to figure out what happened to all of them. Meanwhile in the present, the X-Men have ambushed Sinister and the marauders. Emma Frost is located at the mansion, but is with them telepathically, coordinating their actions and keeping Sinister out of their minds. As battle insues the X-Men ask sinister and Gambit where they have the baby. Sinister contends that they are trying to mislead him and Gambit is confused that they don't know where the child is.
In Washington the New X-Men continue to fight the Reavers and Lady Deathstrike. It is unknown whether Hellion is still alive. As the fight continues to get worse for the young mutants, Pixie utters a spell which teleports all of them away, scattering them between Washington and the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. The telepathic noise generated by Pixie causes Emma Frost to break her focus from the battle. Seizing this opportunity, sinister locks her out of the battle, eliminating any edge that the few X-Men had against the Marauders. The battle becomes more intense, and both Wolverine and Nightcrawler are severely injured. Nightcrawler is barely able to teleport them away from the battle, and only manages to isolate them in the vast ice.
Back at the mansion the Sentinels of Sentinel Squad ONE begin to attack the X-Men who remained behind. Their human operators have been taken over by some unknown force, causing them to lose control over the giant robots.
Lastly, Cable makes his way on foot through the icy wilderness. Until now he was presumed dead, and he now carried with him what could be the last hope of mutantkind--the only mutant born since M-Day.
Chapter 6
Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and Colossus make their way over Antarctica, rushing back to the Mansion. Wolverine's healing factor has kicked in, slowly and painfully healing his wounds. Although Storm managed to make it out relatively unscathed, both Nightcrawler and Colossus are severely injured, with Nightcrawler unconscious and bleeding out. They realize now that Cable has the mutant child, and were able to inform the others of the development before losing radio contact with the others.
Back at the mansion the remaining X-Men and New X-Men are currently battling the out of control sentinels. All of the telepaths in the mansion have been rendered unconscious. All who are capable including Cyclops, Bishop, Gentle, Warpath, Dust, and Hepzibah continue to fight the sentinels. Iceman arrives back at the mansion in one of the X-Men's jets with the wounded New X-Men, allowing X-23 to join the fight. Dust breaks into one of the sentinels, discovering that what is inside is no longer human. The Sentinel robots as well as their human drivers have been co-opted by some of Cassandra Nova's remaining nano-sentinel bots, which have been re-programmed to exterminate all mutants. X-23 manages to take out one of the robots, and both of the sentinels are decommissioned, however one of the former pilots manages to escape.
In the wake of the attack many are injured, and the mansion's lead healer Elixir was taken out by falling debris during the battle. All signs point to Cable causing the destruction of the mansion, and no-one can even guess what his motivation for kidnapping the child is. Cyclops realizes that at this point drastic measures must be taken in order to prevent their destruction. He confides in Wolverine that they need a team that will be able to get things done in ways that the X-Men do not operate. He instructs Wolverine to assemble a team which he is to lead consisting of
Hepzibah, Warpath, Caliban, X-23, and Wolfsbane. Not only are all of them willing to do what needs to be done to locate and bring in Cable, but all are expert trackers (particularly Caliban whose mutant power allows him to locate other mutants). They will become the newest generation of X-Force
Chapter 7
Cyclops and Professor Xavier talk as they walk through the rubble of the Institute, the Professor trying to make sense of why Cyclops would send killers after his own son. Cyclops replies by telling him that he taught him how to lead now let him do his job.
Cable is on the run in Canada, from Lady Deathstrike and the Purifiers, who want to kill the baby. They catch up with Cable, and she tells them that they are both going to die today.
Siryn receives a call from Peepers, who believes he’s being followed. Siryn says that she’ll be with him really quickly, but all of a sudden, a deer is thrown onto the front screen of Peepers’s car. As the car crashes, Predator X emerges, and all we see is Peepers screaming.
In the future, Jamie and Layla manage to lure guards out of the Mutant Camp, by making Layla lie on the floor. When they first get a reading from her, it says she isn’t a mutant, but suddenly it flashes, saying she is one. She opens her eyes, telling them it flickers on and off like that, and multiple Jamie’s appear and beat the guards up. Jamie tries to get information from the guards, but they refuse to talk.
Back in Alaska, X-Force sneak into the hospital where the baby was, but unlike the rest, Warpath just knocks the guard out and walks in. He and Wolverine have a little fight about how he should do what he’s told. They’re put into pairs, and after Wolverine asks Wolfsbane to keep an eye on Warpath, the two have a heart-to-heart.
Cable and Lady Deathstrike continue to battle.
The guards begin to tell Jamie and Layla what they want to know about the future, including that a mutant caused all this.
Siryn discovers Peepers corpse, wondering what could have done this.
Caliban manages to sense Cable, but blows their cover while at it, so X-Force leave Alaska, while another scene shows the Professor looking over a picture of the old X-Force.
Cable and Lady Deathstrike continue to fight.
Multiple guards discover and arrest Layla, but when they suspect Layla of being human, she tells them that she’s a mutant too, and she is arrested also.
Chapter 8
As Deathstrike is about to kill Cable and the baby, X-Force arrives to battle her and the Purifiers.
In the future, Jamie and Layla are taken into the Mutant Camp.
X-Force kill several Reavers, and Wolverine tracks Cable. Deathstrike attempts to fight Wolverine, but he makes X-23 battle her instead, and he continues to track Cable.
As Predator X continues to hunt, Surge and Emma watch over the Med Lab, as Beast and Prodigy rest after operating on Hellion. Emma explains to Surge that she chose her to lead the New X-Men because she knew she’d protect them from anything, even her. She leaves Surge, and the X-Men and X-Factor prepare to leave.
Back in Canda, X-23 and Deathstrike continue to fight. X-23 waits, and stabs Deathstrike in the shoulder, damaging her cybernetics, rendering her unable to use her arm. Wolfsbane kills a Purifier, after he says that Reverend Craig told the Purifiers about her. As the other members of X-Force continue to follow Cable, a Purifier goes to shoot Warpath, but Caliban jumps in the way, getting killed in the process. Warpath throws one of his knives at the gunman, piercing him through the head. As Warpath grieves over Caliban, Wolverine shouts at him to stay on target, but he doesn’t listen. X-23 takes down Deathstrike, and leaves her, possibly for dead. As Wolverine catches up with Cable, he jumps out of the way, realizing he was heading for the Blackbird, which he flies out over Wolverine.
Chapter 9
Jamie and Layla, are shaved and cleaned as they’re taken into the Camp.
As the X-Men approach X-Force’s location, Emma tells the X-Men and X-Factor that Cable’s gone, asking do they want the bad news now. Warpath continues to grieve over Caliban, while Wolverine briefs Cyclops in on the situation. Strong Guy and Warpath load Caliban’s body onto the Blackbird, Cyclops declaring that he died an X-Man.
Back at the Institute, several students are in Cerebra, as Prodigy fixes her.
In Texas, Cable hijacks a lorry.
Back in the future, Jamie is branded with the “M” that Bishop was branded with. He asks where Layla is and the marker tells him that she’s being processed in the female section.
Back on the Blackbird, the X-Men try to figure out where Cable’s heading. As they talk telepathically, Prodigy finishes fixing Cerebra, and the Stepford Cuckoos tell Cyclops that Cable’s in Texas, and they figure he’s heading for Forge in Eagle Plaza.
Cable drives the lorry through a wall of Eagle Plaza. As he looks around for Forge, he finds him, unconscious on the floor, and he is then shot in the back.
Back in the future, Jamie wakes up surrounded by mutants, who tell him he’ll be okay.
Back in Eagle Plaza, Bishop is revealed to be the traitor.
Chapter 10
As Cable and Forge lie unconscious on the floor of Eagle Plaza, Bishop holds the baby at gunpoint. Just before he can shoot, Gambit and the Marauders attack. Malice goes to retrieve the baby, while Vertigo, Gambit and Sunfire take on Bishop, who the manage to defeat. As Malice cradles the baby, Gambit wonders what would have made Bishop turn.
In the future, Jamie gets beaten up by guards while he’s looking for Layla. When he finds her, she takes him to meet Bishop, as a child, because he grew up in the Mutant Camp.
The X-Men arrive at Eagle Plaza, and Bishop tells them that he received the call from the Cuckoos and rushed over. Emma scans Prime Jamie for any messages from the future, but admits that he’s basically brain dead. Cyclops tells Bishop to take X-Force onto his ship, he needs them in the air if they get Cable’s location. Warpath and Hepzibah quickly squabble about her not coming, but Wolverine tells him that they need everyone they can get. The Stepford Cuckoos are unable to find the baby, but Emma guides them through what to do, and Cyclops tells them to find Cable to, saying that they need to shut him down for good.
On the outskirts of Dallas, Cable returns to the Blackbird he stole. Still injured, he manages to contact Xavier, to which Cable tells him “…and right now, you’re the only one left who can help me save the future.”
Chapter 11
In the future, Layla and Jamie find young Bishop, but he runs away, and Layla is hit in the head by a guard. They continue to follow young Bishop, and ask him what happens. He tells them about the mutant messiah, and how there were no problems with mutants, until the messiah killed one million. He then admits that he wished the messiah had never been born. After young Bishop walks off, the guard who hit Layla earlier comes running up to her asking her where it is. She turns to Jamie, and throws a grenade at him, while saying “I’m sorry Jamie… But this is the only way. Trust me. I’m Layla…Madrox. I know st—”, and Jamie explodes
Back in the present, Cyclops thinks about the situation, and how something doesn’t quite add up. Emma tells him that the girls have found the Marauders through Gambit, and their heading to Muir Island. Cyclops tells Bishop (who’s in the air with X-Force) to head there. Siryn prays over Jamie’s comatosed body, and suddenly he wakes up, with the “M” on his face. He screams , and when they finally manage to calm him, he states “Where’s Bishop?”.
Professor Xavier fixes Cable’s mechanical arm in the Blackbird Cable stole.
As the X-Men and X-Factor try to contact Bishop, they all begin putting the pieces of the jigsaw together. Jamie, supported by Siryn, comes in and shouts at Cyclops saying they need to get Layla back, but Emma simply puts him to sleep. Cyclops announces to everyone to saddle up, because their going after the baby too.
Back in the stolen Blackbird, Xavier tells Cable no more secrets, and Xavier shows Cable a telepathic illusion of the Sentinels attacking the mansion. Cable admits that he didn’t do that, and tells Xavier that the only thing that matters is saving the baby, and that they need to find her. Xavier drops the illusion, showing that he has already done that, and that they’re en route to Muir Island.
As the Marauders return to Muir Island, and Mr. Sinister himself, telling the Marauders to go about they’re business, except Gambit who has the baby. Gambit hands the baby to Sinister, who drops the charade and is revealed to be Mystique, with Mr. Sinister lying dead on the floor.
Back at the Institute, Dust, Rockslide and Mercury go to visit the graves of their dead friends. But there, they find Predator X feasting on their corpses.
On Muir Island, X-Force and Bishop are unable to find anything. Wolverine makes this quick speech about how the Marauders have people who can get inside your head like Lady Mastermind, and he stabs into thin air. The illusion drops, showing Wolverine to have stabbed Lady Mastermind right through the stomach. This also shows the other Marauders, ready to attack.
Chapter 12
Sinister comes to tell Mystique that Rogue is going to die, but she grabs him and makes his face come into contact with hers, killing him, revealing she knew, she always did.
Back in the present, Gambit is in shock about the dead Sinister, and how he’s free from him.
As the battle begins, Wolverine shouts to Warpath and Wolfsbane that if they hold back, they’ll die. Wolverine is then shot in the eye by Scalphunter. As Bishop takes out Sunfire, and just after Wolfsbane bites Arclight neck, she’s attacked and taken out of the battlefield by Riptide. Back to Wolverine, Scrambler touches Wolverine’s face, leaving him unable to heal. As he torments Wolverine, X-23 cuts both his hands off and basically guts him, then telling Wolverine that he heals to slow. Just as Scalphunter is about to shoot Hepzibah, Warpath throws one of his knives at him, hitting him in the ahoulder and pinning him to the wall. As Mystique comes to pull it out, telling Scalphunter to hold the X-Men off, the other X-Men arrive to join the fight. Cyclops shouts that he wants to see Bishop.
Gambit asks Mystique how this works, asking if she hooks the baby up to a machine or something. She replies “Not exactly” and pushes the baby’s forehead against Rogue’s lips.
Back at the Institute, Predator X bites through Rockslide and head for the Institute. The animal smashes through the window where Trance, Wolf Cub and Indra are watching. Just before Predator X can eat Indra, Surge appears and zaps it in the face.
Just as Riptide is going to kill Wolfsbane, Xavier knocks him out mentally, and he checks on Wolfsbane. He and Cable continue onwards.
As light explodes from the baby, Gambit snatches the baby from Mystique, telling her how Rogue never would have wanted a baby to die for her. Gambit turns to the baby, seeing that it’s completely fine. Rogue doesn’t wake up, and Mystique breaks down. As Gambit continues to lecture to Mystique, Xavier appears behind him.
As the battle rages on, Cable knocks Tempo out, and Xavier tells him that he has the baby, and to clear a path.
The other New X-Men, including a reformed Rockslide, to take on Predator X. Predator X heads for the Med Lab, where several injured mutants are recovering. Gentle and Armor, attacking Predator X, smash through a wall of the Med Lab, where Pixie, Loa and Beast are trying to help the injured escape. Luckily, Nightcrawler is awake, and he teleports the injured out. As the New X-Men arrive, Surge shouts that X-23’s claws can hurt Predator X. Hearing this, Pixie says that she can take them to X-23, and she teleports them all to Muir Island. Predator X devours Vertigo, and the New X-Men join the battle. Xavier gives Cable the baby, and as they go to leave, Bishop and Predator X arrive, both ready to kill.
Chapter 13
Bishop shoots at Cable, and Predator X lunges for him. Cable gets out of the way, and Predator X eats Bishop’s arm.
The New X-Men join the battle, Emma battles Exodus telepathically, X-Force take on Predator X. Cyclops asks Cable to give him the baby, and Cable pulls a gun on him. Xavier appears, and tells Cable to give Cyclops the baby.
Back to Mystique, as she cries over Rogue, Rogue wakes up. Gambit and Mystique are ecstatic, but after Mystique tells Rogue about the baby, and even though it survived, Rogue is furious. Rogue slaps Mystique, and tells her that this has to be the last time.
Back to the battle, Hepzibah throws several explosives at Predator X, and it spits some sort of acid at her in return, wounding her. Malice continuously punches Pixie, and as she taunts her, Pixie turns around and stabs her with her Soul Dagger. While Emma and Exodus continue to battle mentally, it’s revealed to be a distraction, and Dust was able to take him down by entering his body through his mouth and nose. In another part of the battle, Xavier manages to convince Cable to give Cyclops the baby.
Back underneath the battle, Rogue grabs Mystique’s face.
Heqzibah is hurt even more when she is hit by Predator X’s tail. Suddenly, Wolverine gets an idea, and jumps into Predator X’s mouth. X-23 goes crazy, and as the other X-Men come to battle Predator X too, it’s dissected from the inside-out, by Wolverine.
Emma asks Cyclops to report, and he reports that he has the baby. At that instant the baby picks up the locket from around Cyclops’s neck, opening it to reveal a picture of him and Jean. After a few flashbacks, Cyclops tells Xavier that there are two possible futures, and this child is the key to them both.
As Rogue and Gambit overlook Mystique’s body, Gambit believing her to be dead, Rogue tells him that the baby cured her of Strain-88 and every other mind she’d ever adsorbed, but now, it’s only her and Mystique. Rogue walks off, telling Gambit not to follow her.
Back above, Cyclops gives the baby back to Cable. As he does, Bishop stands up and shoots at Cable, only to hit Xavier in the head. Cyclops blasts him, and as Beast gets to Xavier, he’s dead. All the X-Men and X-Factor gather round Xavier’s corpse and Cyclops declares that there are no more X-Men.
In the future, Cable tells the baby “Now comes the hard part.”
Aftermath and Consequences
The following are characters that are apparently killed during the event: Mister Sinister, Scrambler, Vertigo, Lady Mastermind, Peepers, Caliban, Predator X, and Lady Deathstrike.
Professor Xavier is believed to have been killed by Bishop. However, the very last panel shows all the X-Men looking down where Xavier’s body had been, but his body has disappeared while no one seems to notice. In X-men Legacy it is revealed that his body was taken and revived by the Acolytes.
Cyclops takes command as the leader of the X-Men. The Xavier Institute was destroyed during the events of Messiah Complex. He says the X-Men are no more, but it is most likely he meant this as some kind of symbolism due to the fact that they will no longer be lead by Xavier. Cyclops continues to run operations for all teams.
Cyclops reforms the X-Force black-ops team to deal with the largest threats to mutantkind by any means necessary. The team is lead by Wolverine and consists of him, Warpath, X-23, and Wolfsbane. Their first post-messiah mission is to take out the Purifiers.
Rogue is cured of the effects of Strain 88 and freed of the eight million psyches she had absorbed from the Hecatomb. Her mind is completely to herself for the first time since her powers manifested. Not knowing the extent of what had happened, Rogue attempts to kill her mother Mystique by absorbing her, but Mystique’s mind become trapped in Rogue’s.
Cable escapes into the future with the mutant baby to protect her. Bishops follows him into the future, intent on killing the baby to prevent a future where the baby grows up and kills over a million humans.
The aftermath of Messiah Complex is covered under the Divided We Stand title. The titles involved are The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, Young X-Men, [[X-Men: Legacy:vol:20691]], Wolverine, and Cable.
Quotes
"Why did you taunt him Miss Frost? I took no pleasure n his pain." - Dust
"Didn't you Sooraya? Well don't fret. I took enough for us both." - Emma Frost
"--Soul-Dagger? Yeah, I brought that." - Pixie
"You dare? None may touch Exodus!" - Exodus
"Hey, did you guys see a big-- Never mind." - Rockslide
"SIHAL NOVARUM CHINOTH!" - Pixie
"Now comes the hard part." - Cable
"I'm sorry, Jamie... But this is the only way. Trust me. I'm Layla... Madrox. I know st--" - Layla
"Where's Bishop?" - Madrox Prime
"You know what to do, X-Force." - Wolverine
Suggested Reading
The crossover event appears in the following issues:
October 2007
- Chapter 1: [[X-Men: Messiah CompleX:vol:19419]] one-shot
November 2007
Chapter 2: The Uncanny X-Men #492
Chapter 3: X-Factor #25
Chapter 4: New X-Men #44
Chapter 5: X-Men #205
December 2007
Chapter 6: The Uncanny X-Men #493
Chapter 7: X-Factor #26
Chapter 8: New X-Men #45
Chapter 9: X-Men #206
January 2008
Chapter 10: The Uncanny X-Men #494
Chapter 11: X-Factor #27
Chapter 12: New X-Men #46
Chapter 13: X-Men #207
Consequences
This ongoing crossover will have the following results:
Cable & Deadpool will be canceled
New X-Men will be relaunched as Young X-Men
X-Men will be renamed X-Men: Legacy as of #208
New Cable series starting.
New X-Force series starting.
New Deadpool series starting.
Major Parties Involved
Many share a large stake in what happens to the new mutant child, as its future may hold the key to the survival of the mutant race.
The X-Men, New X-Men and X-Factor fight Mr. Sinister and the Marauders who are allied with Exodus and the Acolytes. The third party is the Purifiers and Predator X, who are allied with Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers.
Associated Issues
Edit
Overview
Battered by Sinister, the X-Men retreat to the mansion to lick their wounds. But in the war for the future of mutantkind, the battle never ends. The school is overrun by a mysterious new player who enlists one of the X-Men’s oldest foes. And when Cyclops learns who has the baby, he’s forced to make a tough decision.
(Spoilers)
Wolverine tries flying his battered teammates back to the mansion after "getting their butts" handed to them by the Marauders. His healing factor is starting to kick back in but he is still in pain as he tries piloting the Blackbird. Nightcrawler is alive but unconscious. They wonder why Emma was cut off from them. Storm wonders if it's Cable's doings that they cannot contact anyone at the mansion.
Back at the Xavier Institute, Emma is down. Cyclops tells Beast to take her to away as he and Bishop fight off the Sentinel that is attacking the mansion. The Sentinel is joined by a second, both with new programming recently installed: "Destroy all mutants."
Warpath crashes out his bedroom window, blades in hand. He always figured it'd be a matter of time until they turned on them. Hepzibah isn't too happy to lose her bedmate. Cyclops asks Bishop if there's a way to shut down the Sentinels but he can't get a signal to them. As they try to coordinate their next move, Nezhno, all powered up, begins to attack the Sentinels. Cyclops tries ordering the "stupid kid" back but Bishop comments on the fact that Nezhno was able to knock it back a bit. Cyclops says if he continues at his enhanced size, he's bound to kill himself. Beast carries Emma down to his lab. On the way, he finds the Stepford Cuckoos unconscious in the hallway. He figures if they and Emma are down, it can't be a coincidence. Cyclops tries protecting Nezhno as Warpath and Hepzibah manage to finish off one Sentinel.
In Antarctica, Mr. Sinister and Mystique make their final checks so that they can abandon this base. Sinister states that all the data he has was automatically transferred as soon as they were attacked. Mystique wonders why he isn't bothered about the attack. Sinister says that the X-Men were there because they believed that he was in possession of the baby. This means that the baby must be unprotected. The baby is, in fact, on the run with Cable. Cable is running somewhere as the baby simply cries continuously. He tells the kid that the crying continues, they're bound to attract predators...
The fight continues at the mansion. More Sentinels are on the scene. Cyclops checks with Dust to see if she is up to entering a Sentinel to see what is going on inside. Another Sentinel is taken out as the Blackbird piloted by Iceman bringing back the "new" X-Men from D.C. flies through its head. X-23 tells Mercury to make sure Hellion gets taken to the medical bay (if it's still intact) as she jumps out of the plane. She lands on a Sentinel and begins slashing and hacking away at it.
Down in the lab, Beast sees Cannonball, who is still recovering, moving the Professor. He tells Hank that the Professor grabbed his head and screamed before passing out. Beast now knows that all their telepaths are being taken out. He just doesn't know why or by who.
Outside, Nezhno is hit by a Sentinel blast as it says, "Mutant neutralized." Bishop comes up to him and curses. Iceman freezes the head of one as Cyclops blasts and cuts it down. Dust has managed to enter one. She sees a robotic entity inside and asks what it is. The creature responds that it must terminate all mutants. Lifting its hand, it fires a blast at Dust that sends her sand form shooting out of the Sentinel. She screams out to Cyclops and tells him that they are not being piloted by humans. As she tries to explain further, it comes out and announces that their mission is a failure and initiates an escape sequence to the others. X-23 is near one as it sets to leave. She jumps on it and stabs it with her claws. There is a blast of feedback and they are both down. The remaining one looks down at the X-Men and tells them they will be terminated "in due time."
As they try to tend to the injured, the other X-Men arrive. Wolverine meets with Cyclops noticing that they too got their butts handed to them. Cyclops informs him that the O.N.E. pilots were infected somehow by the Nano-Sentinels that Cassandra Nova created. He says that everything has been destroyed. Wolverine says that not everything has been. Cyclops says that they have a bunch of injured, the telepaths have been taken out, and their only healer, Elixir, was injured by a falling wall. Wolverine wonders if Cable could have unleashed the Nano-Sentinels like a virus. Cyclops says that it is possible and he had access to samples. He has no idea what Cable is up to and has to assume the worst. He tells him that Bishop is meeting at O.N.E. headquarters to inform them what happened. No matter what they decide, Cyclops feels it is time to up the ante. He tells Wolverine that they have their backs up against the wall and need to take a more offensive position. Their entire race is threatened as their only hope, the baby, is in danger. He has decided that they need a team that will handle the dirty jobs that need to be done. These are desperate times and Wolverine is the one to handle the mission of finding Cable and taking the baby away from him, doing whatever it takes.
Wolverine assembles a new X-Force. The roster he chooses includes Warpath, Hepzibah, X-23, Wolfsbane, and Caliban.
Continued in X-Factor #26.
Overview
The Marauders are back on the hunt for the messiah baby. They’re a step ahead of the X-Men, but how will they fare against the new X-Force? Also, the traitor reveals his (or her) plan for the baby and alters the landscape of the battle dramatically. Who benefits from the actions of this wildcard, if anyone?
Spoilers!!
Cable and Forge lie on the floor at Eagle Plaza. Bishop stands over the crying baby with his gun pointed at it. He tells her to stop crying, he has to do this. Just as he is about to pull the triger, the Marauders show up, including Gambit and Sunfire. They fight as Bishop yells at Gambit that the baby needs to die. Bishop is just one man and while he puts up a good fight against them, he is unable to beat them. Gambit leaves him buried under rubble. Sunfire is wants to kill him but Gambit says no. Since the X-Men will soon arrive there, he figures if they have to deal with the "traitor," it'll slow them down. Gambit does wonder what could have changed Bishop so.
In the future, the Madrox dupe is finding things are not so pleasant in the Relocation Camp. He is finally able to locate Lyla and sees she has also been shaved and tattooed. She tells him she's okay and that she will survive this. Madrox asks her if she gets them out of there. She says she thinks she does but she knows why they are there. They have to meet a little boy named...Lucas Bishop.
Back in the present, Bishop comes too moments before the X-Men arrive. He comes up with a story that when he got there, Cable had taken out Forge and was going through his equipment. He tells Cyclops that he shot him a few times and should have had him. He also tells him that the Marauders came and he was knocked out so he doesn't know what happened after that. They try checking on Jamie but Emma says his body is basically brain dead. Cyclops orders everyone that is able to stand to gather to go after Cable. The Cuckooos are told to try to track the baby but it seems as if the baby is blocking them. Emma then tells them to try to track the mutants that kidnapped her instead. Cyclops also tells them to try to find Cable. He says he's done enough damage and has to be taken down for good.
Cable is kicking himself for losing the baby. He uncovers the Blackbird he took from X-Force in Alberta and knows that this is too big for him to handle on his own. He has a plan B that involves contacting the Professor. He tells him he's the only one that can help him save the future.
To be continued in X-Factor #27.
Overview
The biggest mutant event in a decade continues here! Following the Messiah Complex one-shot, the X-Men scramble to search for the missing mutant newborn. But they’ll need to tackle the Acolytes before they get any answers.
Spoilers
This issue confirms that Neophyte, Vindaloo, Projector, and Gargouille were all not affected by M-Day.
Also included:
Fury's Files. A list of little known facts that Nick Fury kept on the X-Men.
Portfolio Review for New Exiles #1, and "Look Who's Talking!" with Matt Fraction.
Spoilers
Chapter 2
Back at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning Cyclops reminds Professor X who is now leading the X-Men, and puts Xavier to work with Beast to try to discover why the mutant's powers manifested at birth rather than as a teenager. Cyclops has already dispatched a small group of X-Men to locate a group of former Acolytes to try to discover the location of the Marauders and retrieve the mutant baby from them, and sent Emma Frost to retrieve Madrox, Layla Miller, and Rictor for their own missions. Having temporary erased Madrox's resentment towards the X-Men and desire not to work with them, Madrox and the others agreed to come along. Since losing his powers on M-Day, Rictor would scan as a normal human. For this reason Cyclops wants Rictor to infiltrate the Purifiers to determine their motivation. Madrox and Layla Miller are to locate Forge for details on their own mission.
Overview
The stunning conclusion to Messiah CompleX. Everyone has an agenda, but do any trump the child’s destiny? Mutant savior or mutant destroyer, the combatants may come to regret their roles in this fight.
And what becomes of the X-Men in the wake of the biggest fight of their lives?
SPOILERS!!
Cable is stuck in between a gun-toting Bishop and a drooling Predator X. He fakes a move and Bishop fires at Predator X as Cable ducks out of the way. Predator X then moves in on Bishop and seems to rip off one of his arms.
Up above, the X-Men are still fighting the Marauders and Acolytes. Cyclops tells Wolverine to take his X-Force team to deal with Predator X. He suggests to Emma that the students be used to fight the Marauders. She is trying to get them out of harm's way but Cyclops suggests the fact that the Marauders aren't familiar with their powers and abilities, they'll have a chance against them. Sinister and the Marauders know all about the X-Men's abilities.
Warpath tries his blades on Predator X. He sees the wounds heal up and is thrown to the side as if he was nothing. Cyclops confronts Cable and demands he hands over the baby. Cable insists that she will save them. He says that everyone that is after her has their own agenda. It's too dangerous for her. Cable holds a gun to Cyclops but Scott says he won't pull the trigger. Cable pleads with his father not to make him do this. Then Professor X comes and tells Cable he should do as Scott says.
In the infirmary, Rogue awakens from her coma. Mystique is overjoyed and tells Rogue that Destiny had known about it all. Rogue is interested when Mystique mentions the price to cure her. Mystique tells her they had to use a baby but it was unharmed. Rogue is simply disgusted. She tells her she's tired of people getting hurt or killed when the two of them try to sort things out. She tells her this was the last time and removes her glove. Mystique tells her she won't be able to live with herself if she goes through with this. Rogue says she does love her and won't forgive herself but she will always remember her. Mystique goes down as Rogue clamps her hand over her face. As Mystique lies on the floor, Rogue asks Gambit if he has anything to say. Gambit tells her that they all have their demons. None of them are pure. Rogue notices that Mystique isn't dead. It turns out that the baby's touch cleaned her of the death touch and all the minds she had absorbed. She was finally free of all the voices until she absorbed Mystique. She needs time to think. She tells Gambit that if he still cares for her, to just leave her alone.
X-Force continues to try to stop Predator X. Unseen by them, Bishop is still alive. Malice/Omega Sentinel can't believe they are fighting the X-Men's "kindergarten class" now. She soon sees how wrong she was when she is stabbed by Pixie's Soul Dagger. Emma distracts Exodus while Dust slices up his insides. The tables are beginning to turn. Wolverine decides to try to finish the fight. Climbing up high, he jumps down towards Predator X only to be swallowed whole. X-Force and some X-Men rush to hit and slash at Predator X to try to save Wolverine. Suddenly Wolverine's claws slice out and Predator X is left as a big bloody mess.
Professor X tells Cable that Scott is the leader of the X-Men. He must make the decision for all of them. Seeing he has no chose, Cable hands over the baby. Scott contacts Emma and finds out they're winning. He tells her that he has the baby when she grabs at a locket around his neck. The locket contains a picture of Jean and himself. He is reminded of when Nathan was an infant and had to be taken away by the Askani. He remembers Jean dying in his arm telling him to live. Professor X tells him that he can't control the future and has to allow it to happen. Scott sees that there are two possible futures the baby could set in motion.
Scott gives it some thought and decides to hand the baby back over to Cable. He tells him to get her out of there so that she can choose her own future. Wolverine and Beast are about to object but Scott tells them it's decided. Cable is about to say something to Scott but he tells him to save it. They'll see each other again. As Cable begins to teleport out of there, Bishop yells out and shoots at the spot where Cable and the baby stood at least seven times. With Cable teleporting out of there, the person standing behind him ends up being the target of the shots. Cyclops hits Bishop with a full blast. He asks how the Professor is. Wolverine mentions it was a head shot and he's not breathing. Beast tells everyone to back off as he checks his vitals. It doesn't look good. Iceman asks what should they do now. Scott tells them to pray. He says hopefully the baby's birth will mean something. With Professor X out of the picture, the X-Men are no more.
In the future, Cable and the baby watch the sun rise.
Note: the synopsis for X-Men Legacy #208 says, "What becomes of the world's most powerful telepath after his mind has been shattered by a bullet?"
Overview
The X-Men versus the Marauders and Acolytes! A rematch of the unforgettable fight from X-Men #200. But will the battle turn in favor of the X-Men this time? Not if Sinister can help it. Meanwhile the New X-Men fight Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers.
Layla and Madrox continue their mission to uncover the truth of mutant extinction, friends become foes to the X-Men at the worst time possible, and whereabouts of the baby are revealed at last.
Spoilers
In the future, Layla Miller and Madrox are scoping out a mutant internment camp. There are no mutants in public view, and they are trying to figure out what happened to all of them. Meanwhile in the present, the X-Men have ambushed Sinister and the marauders. Emma Frost is located at the mansion, but is with them telepathically, coordinating their actions and keeping Sinister out of their minds. As battle insues the X-Men ask sinister and Gambit where they have the baby. Sinister contends that they are trying to mislead him and Gambit is confused that they don't know where the child is.
In Washington the New X-Men continue to fight the Reavers and Lady Deathstrike. It is unknown whether Hellion is still alive. As the fight continues to get worse for the young mutants, Pixie utters a spell which teleports all of them away, scattering them between Washington and the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. The telepathic noise generated by Pixie causes Emma Frost to break her focus from the battle. Seizing this opportunity, sinister locks her out of the battle, eliminating any edge that the few X-Men had against the Marauders. The battle becomes more intense, and both Wolverine and Nightcrawler are severely injured. Nightcrawler is barely able to teleport them away from the battle, and only manages to isolate them in the vast ice.
Back at the mansion the Sentinels of Sentinel Squad ONE begin to attack the X-Men who remained behind. Their human operators have been taken over by some unknown force, causing them to lose control over the giant robots.
Lastly, Cable makes his way on foot through the icy wilderness. Until now he was presumed dead, and he now carried with him what could be the last hope of mutantkind--the only mutant born since M-Day.
Overview
Layla Miller and Madrox make a startling discovery but their chances of escape appear bleak. The hunt for the baby continues as the casualties mount and a shocking turn of events reveals a traitor!
Spoilers!!!
In the future, the Madrox dupe and Layla are processed in the mutant relocation camp. Their heads are shaved and Layla is taken to another section. Madrox is painfully tattooed with an M over his eye. He's told that the pigment is alive and is a virus. The tattoo will be written onto his DNA so that he will have the mark forever.
In Alberta, Canada, the X-teams gather and mourn the death of Caliban. Warpath is most distraught as Caliban sacrificed himself to save him. Cable was able to get away and has blocked himself electronically and telepathically. Wolverine is able to figure out that he's headed south. Since Cooperstown, Cable has pretty much been heading in a straight direction. Cyclops says they need to narrow down their search as Caliban's body is loaded onto the Blackbird. He tells Guido and Warpath to do it with respect as Caliban died an "X-Man."
Back at the mansion, Parodigy ics trying to fixe Cerebrra. The Stepford Cuckoos have helped David recall all his memories as Prodigy. The Blackbird takes off as Cable is now in Texas. Finally, Prodigy is able to get Cerebra up and running. The Cuckoos test it out after Surge powers it up. After getting their bearings, they detect Cable in Texas. As soon as they report this to Cyclops, he knows that Cable is headed to Forge's place at Eagle Plaza. Cyclops orders anyone in the area to get over there as soon as possible. He believes he knows what Cable is looking for and they need to stop him.
Cable smashes the semi he "borrowed" into the front of Eagle Plaza. He yells out to Forge that he's not there to fight. He says he needs a time machine really bad. Cable figures since he hasn't been shot by any defense systems that Forge can hear him. Arriving at Forge's main lab, Cable is surprised to find a bloody Forge lying on the ground. Checking to see if he's okay, Cable is immediately shot several times in the back.
Back in the future, Jamie is dragged out into the main section of the camp. The guards just dump him there not wanting to take the time to see if he's okay. Other mutants being held approach him to see how he's doing. Jamie is surprised to see their faces are marked with M's. He is unaware that he is in the same situation.
At Eagle Plaza, more blood is on the floor. Cable lies next to Forge. Bishop is seen standing over the baby holding his gun out, taking aim...
Continued in Uncanny X-Men #494
Overview
The New X-Men have been ordered to remain at the mansion while the more experienced teams search for the abducted mutant baby. But the last generation of mutants isn’t content on the sidelines, launching a sneak attack on the Purifiers instead. But have they confronted an enemy that’s out of their league?
(Spoilers)
In the Canadian Rockies, Predator X comes across and feasts on another (unnamed) mutant.
At the Xavier Institute, the Surge is fuming over not being involved in the current events. She has just discovered that the Purifiers were involved in the massacre in Alaska and is venting to Prodigy and Hellion. Professor X overhears her rants and tells her that Cyclops had his reasons not to tell them. He then says that he has trained mutants in the past and would like to help train them. Nori goes off on him asking where was he when they were getting killed. She storms off saying that there isn't anything he can teach them. They already know how to die.
In Dallas, Texas, Forge tells Scott that Jamie is still unconscious but his brain functions are working overtime. He asks if perhaps Emma could come and find out what's going on in Jamie's head. Scott hesitates and says that she is unavailable. Scott seems ready to sacrifice Jamie's life for the possible information they can gather. When Forge calls him on this, Scott simply says that mutants are about to become extinct. All their lives are at risk.
Back at the mansion, Nori is talking to the rest of her team about her plans to go after the Purifiers. She says she doesn't care what Cyclops says. It was their friends that were killed and they were the ones that took down the Purifiers. If they have the infant mutant, they will simply kill it. She wants to take out the Purifiers, permanently. She asks who is with her. Hellion, Mercury, Rockslide, Anole, and Pixie all agree, but most simply want to save the baby, not kill anyone. Dust says they've seen too much blood lately. Elixir says if he goes, he'll kill every single one of them so he'll stay behind. Armor walks in and says that she'll go with them.
In Antarctica, the X-Men are about to enter the Marauders' base. Nightcrawler has reported that they are indeed inside.
In Washington, Rictor (under the disguise of a mutant hating human called Jake) is taken to the Purifiers' church. He finds out that there are hundreds of churches with members all over the world. He is able to overhear that they do not have the baby in their possession. It is referred to as the Antichrist. They have men in every town within a hundred mile radius of where it was born searching for it. Rictor is pleased to hear that they do not have it. His mission can be over now. Then he sees their newest allies.
In the future, eighty years from now, Jamie's dupe and Layla Miller finally arrive in New York City. When they arrived in the future, they were in Texas (where they left the present). There has been no signs of mutants. Layla's powers don't work but she says she still has her common sense powers. They go to a library to find out what is going on with the mutants. To their shock, they find out that there is a mutant relocation camp, heavily guarded in Brooklyn.
Back in the present, the kids arrive in Washington. They work their way in, taking out Purifiers as they go. At the mansion, Elixir tries comforting Prodigy and Dust, saying that Nori will have things under control.
In Antarctica, Sinister prepares the Marauders and Acolytes to move out. He says that Cyclops will have figured out where they are soon. He wants to take on the X-Men on his terms. Scalphunter notices that Harpoon is missing. When he asks about him, Harpoon is sent smashing through the wall at them. The X-Men are there. Wolverine tells them they are there for the baby and Rogue. He asks how many of them have to die before they get them.
In Washington, Rictor comes across Anole. He asks what are they doing there and tells them that the baby isn't there. The rest are fighting the Purifiers. Things seem to be going well until Hellion is stabbed multiple times from behind. Lady Deathstrike and the Reavers are there joining the side of the Purifiers.
Overview
MESSIAH COMPLEX Part 8
A three way melee erupts over the baby! Some want to kill it, some want to save it, and when the dust settles, not everyone is left standing. Meanwhile, Layla Miller and Madrox gather clues while Madrox Prime slips deeper into his coma.
Plus another mutant dies!
Spoilers
In Alberta, Canada, Cable and the baby stand before Lady Deathstrike and her Reavers. Cable asks her why she even cares about the baby or the Purifiers plans. She tells him that William Stryker told her he would need here twice, once while he was alive and once after his death. He told her about a mutant antichrist after his death and asked her to kill it. She simply wants to fulfill her vow to him. Before she can strike at Cable, the new X-Force arrives and begins attacking the Reavers.
In the future, the Madrox dupe and Layla are brought inside the Mutant Relocation Camp. They are about to be "processed."
In Alberta, it's a vicious battle as X-Force does not hold back. Cable uses the battle as an opportunity to escape. Wolverine tries chasing after him only to be interrupted by Lady Deathstrike. She blathers on that he is now going to die because he chose to get involved in this. He dismisses her, saying he doesn't have time for her. He hands her over to X-23. X-23 introduces herself with a pair of claws.
In New York, Predator X can sense more mutants are nearby...
At the Xavier Institute, the X-people are recovering from the Sentinel attack. Surge is being hard on herself for trying to attack the Purifiers. Emma tells her that if they stayed at the mansion, they might have all died. She says the main thing is they survived. She tells her you survive an incident the first time and make sure it does not happen a second time. She also tells Surge that she was chosen to lead them because she would protect them from anything no matter what. Now it's time for her to that.
Scott is assembling more X-members to back up Wolverine when he gets the baby from Cable. They are to leave immediately.
Lady Deathstrike is not happy that Wolverine left her with a "child" to fight. She is insulted and is simply ripping away at Laura. She notices that she is not even fighting back. X-23 tells her that she was just listening and delivers a kick to the back of her shoulder. Lady Deathstrike tells her it was pathetic since she didn't even draw blood. She soon sees that the attack was on her cybernetics. She can no longer mover her right arm. Now X-23 will show her just what she can do.
Wolverine and Warpath are still trying to chase after Cable. A Reaver gets Warpath in his sites and shoots at his back. Caliban jumps in and takes three shots to the chest. Shocked and outraged, Warpath throws one of his blades right in the middle of the Reavers face. Wolverine yells at Warpath to stay on Cable but he goes to see how Caliban is doing.
Lady Deathstrike isn't doing so well either. When she is finally down, X-23 tells her she was dead the second that she touched Hellion.
Wolverine is almost on top of Cable but then notices that he had backtracked for some reason. Taking possession of their Blackbird, Cable and the baby escape.
To be continued in X-Men#206
Overview
Showdown. The X-Men vs. The Marauders vs. X-Force vs. The Acolytes vs. New X-Men vs. Predator X. Will the victor get the spoils and claim the baby? Whatever the outcome, the future of mutantkind begins here!
Spoilers!!
Three hours before the events in X-Factor 27 on Muir Island, Mystique and Mr. Sinister look over Rogue's comatose body. Mystique is saddened that Rogue is dying and nothing can be done to prevent that. Sinister confirms this. Mystique does the unthinkable. She grabs Sinister from behind and pushes his face against Rogue's. Her death touch is instant. Sinister's face begins to crack and he collapses to the floor. Gambit arrives with the baby mutant and is surprised to see Sinister lying on the floor. He can't believe that he is finally free from the debt he owes him. That is when the X-Men (and "X-Force") arrive.
The battle is fierce. Wolverine gets shot in the eye. As he starts to get up, Scrambler grabs him and begins to use his powers on him. Before he can get far, X-23 jumps in, chastises Wolverine for healing too slow, and slices off Scrambler's hands. Sunspot hits Wolfsbane with fire. Scalphunter sets his sites on Hepzibah only to get a blade thrown into his shoulder, courtesy of Warpath. Mystique pulls the knife out and tells him that Sinister needs more time with the baby. They have to do whatever it takes to hold off the X-Men. Just then, more X-Men arrive.
Back inside, Mystique and Gambit prepare to try to save Rogue. Gambit tells her that the only reason he's stayed with Sinister and the Marauders is because he believes in Mystique's love for Rogue. Mystique tells him she knows the baby will save Rogue. Destiny saw them in that room with the baby in a vision. Everything Mystique has done has lead up to this moment. Not really sure what she's supposed to do, Mystique touches the baby's forehead to Rogue's lips.
Meanwhile back at the Xavier Institute, Predator X is preparing to feast on the "new" X-Men. Rockslide tries to hold it off while the other younger students watch from inside. Predator X smashes through the window and is about to eat Indra when Surge jumps in and hits it with her powers. She tells him to get everyone to the infirmary.
On Muir Island, Riptide is about the snap (an unconscious) Wolfsbane's neck. He is taken care of by Professor X. They prepare to find the baby. Down below, there is a huge flash of light from the baby's touch on Rogue. Gambit can't sit back and let the baby die so he pulls them away from Rogue. He knows Rogue wouldn't want to be saved at the cost of the life of an infant. Expecting to see the same thing happen to the baby that happened to Sinister, Gambit is surprised to see that the baby is fine. Mystique looks at Rogue but she is still in a coma. She falls to her knees, not understanding since Destiny's diaries said this would help. She thought saving her would make Rogue love her again. Gambit says she'd rather die than allow her to harm a baby. Gambit said he'd do the same. Professor X walks in just at that moment and is happy to hear Gambit say that.
The fight continues up top. Professor X tells Cable he has the baby. He asks Gambit what he's going to do now. Gambit says he's going to stay where he belongs, by Rogue's side.
The fight for survival at the Xavier Institute doesn't look to be going well. It is soon brought to the infirmary. Nightcrawler is finally awake to see the kids fighting Predator X. He says he can't teleport everyone away. Pixie mentions that X-23 killed one of these Predators before and she can teleport it to her. Before anyone can stop her, she takes them all to Muir Island. Vertigo is the unlucky one to get chomped by Predator X.
Professor X hands off the baby to Cable and tells him to escape into the future while he helps the X-Men. Before Cable gets far, Bishop shows up saying the child will die right there, right now. Cable is ready for Bishop this time but seeing a hungry Predator X waiting for them is another story...
To be CONCLUDED in X-Men#207!
Overview
X-Factor Investigations joins the search for the missing mutant baby! Rictor infiltrates the Purifiers’ church in hopes of learning what they know about the kidnapping, but the secrets he uncovers surpass his wildest nightmares.
Meanwhile, Madrox and Layla visit Forge and learn the terrible truth about the future of mutantkind.
(Spoilers)
In Chelsea,New York, the Purifiers gather in their church to discuss the events in Alaska. They have decided that they have to step things up now that the X-Men have become aware of the mutant infant and are conducting their own search.
From above comes a low growl. Wolfsbane is sitting in the rafters looking down at them. She lunges and attacks one. The rest of the men in the room draw their guns but the man attack pleads for them not to shoot out of fear of getting shot. Wolfsbane throws the man at them and tries to escape. They chase her on the streets with their guns out. Walking down the street is man minding his own business. The Purifiers try to warn him to get out of the way. He responds by pulling out a gun of his own and shooting Wolfsbane, point blank, a few times. A pick-up truck pulls up and yells for Wolfsbane to get in. The man that shot her asks the Purifiers if that was what he thinks it was. They tell him that, yeah, it was a mutant. They tell him that the streets a crawling with them and they've been looking for men like him. They ask his name and he says it's Joaqauin Murrieta, but his friends call him Jake.
The truck is being driven by Siryn. She tells Cyclops that Rictor has managed to convince the Purifiers and that he's "in." Rahne is okay. She wasn't shot with real bullets. As Scott receives word on this, X-23 and Rockslide decide they need to speak with him.
In Dallas, Texas, Madrox and Layla pay a visit to Forge's place. When he introduces her to Forge, he tells him that "she knows stuff." Layla comments how it's funny that she doesn't have to say that anymore. People say it for her. As Madrox asks Forge if he's going to let them in out of the rain, she walks right through what is a hologram of him. Forge asks if this is part of the "stuff" she knows. She tells him simply that he didn't have a shadow. Half of the stuff she knows if just from paying attention.
Inside, Forge complains that Jamie is dripping on his floor. Layla tells him he could have shared her Hello Kitty umbrella. He says he has an image to protect. Forge asks Jamie how much has Scott told him about their plan. Not much. Forge has basically built a sort of time machine. He calls it a Chronal Tracer. He tells them that time branches off in infinite directions. Since M-Day, it's only branched out in two directions for mutants. They need Jamie to investigate them.
In a hospital in Santa Cruz, a man is brought into the emergency room after seemingly walking in front of an ambulance. The man turns out to Wolverine looking for Amelia Voght (who is working at the hospital). When she recognizes him, she turns to mist and escapes into the air ducts. Outside, Storm manages to suck Amelia out. She and Nightcrawler tell her they want to know were the Marauders are since the Acolytes used to have close ties to them. Storm tells her she can't protect them. Amelia tells them that she wasn't protecting the Marauders but rather them. She says fine, she'll tell them where they are but it won't be on her conscience.
Jamie asks Forge if the plan is to send two of his dupes into the the time streams and have them return with information. Forge says that's basically it. Jamie is a little hesitant since his dupes haven't been too stable lately. The two produced seem fine. The first is off with no problem. When the second is to be sent out, Layla runs into the Chronal Tracer, grabbing the dupe just as it activates. Jamie yells to Forge to reverse the machine. Forge tells him he can't. Both of the trips were one-way. Jamie is ticked off now. He asks how are his dupes supposed to come back. Forge tells him they're not. A message had been sent to them psionically into their brain cells. When they got the information, they would kill themselves and the information would be absorbed into Jamie. He grabs Forge and is about to hit him for leaving Layla stuck. Before he can hit him, his eyes roll back and he passes out.
The "new" X-Men are having words with Cyclops. They're not too happy that there's a "war" going on and they aren't able to do anything. When Rockslide stands in front of Scott challenging him about whether they have what it takes, Scott simply sends him flying back with an optic blast to put him in his place. He tells them they will help when they are told where and when the time comes. If they don't like it, they can just leave. Hellion asks if he's serious about just letting them walk out the door. Scott says yes. Then they will go after them and drag them back to chew them out for deserting their species in this time of need.
At the Purifiers' church, Rictor, or Jake as he's now known, is scanned and revealed to be a human. When he asks where they got the technology, they just tell him they recently acquired it. There is more to their operations than a simple church. A hidden room reveals an arsenal of weapons. As Rictor/Jake stands in surprise, they tell him this is nothing. This is just one of their smaller bases. He should see the one they have in Washington.
Overview
The death of an X-Man reveals answers to some of the mysteries surrounding the new mutant, and creates a host of questions. The baby falls into the hands of a major player in the conflict, but things aren’t always as they seem. And it’s high noon for X-Force, the Marauders and the X-Men.
And another mutant is killed...sort of.
Spoilers!!
In the future at the Mutant Relocation Camp, the Madrox dupe and Layla try to talk to young Lucas Bishop. He leaves as soon as they start talking. When they finally catch up to him he yells at them for trying to talk to him in front of the guards. They tell him they need to know who cause this horrible world. Thinking, Lucas asks them if they are Destiny Freaks. He tells them of the group of mutants that thought they were special and could lead the humans into a peaceful world. About eighty years ago, most of them vanished. The few remaining kept going until a mutant messiah was born. Things looked good until the messiah kills a million humans. Madrox tries telling him that if it wasn't for the messiah, he would have never been born. Lucas says so what. He lives in a horrible world and had to watch his parents die. He says he wishes someone would have killed the baby when it was born. He would've if he could. After Lucas leaves them a guard that Layla bumped into comes running up to them. He demands to know where his missing grenade went. It had to be her that took it. She hugs Madrox and says sorry, she knows this is the only way. The Madrox dupe dies in the explosion.
In the present, the Stepford Cuckoos tell Emma and Scott that there were able to track Gambit. He is on what's left of Muir Island. Scott sends Bishop there along with X-Force.
Siryn is still standing over Jamie's comatose body. With the world in turmoil, Caliban dead, and Jamie lying helpless, Theresa begins to pray. She says they need him back. She needs him back. To her surprise, Jamie's eyes snap open at that moment. She calls in the others and they are shocked as an M tattoo suddenly appears on his face. He simply asks where Bishop is.
Now the pieces are falling into place. They were attacked by the Sentinels after they found out Cable was involved. Bishop worked with ONE and had access to the Sentinels. Jamie couldn't care less about all of Cable or Bishop. He says they need to go back and get Layla.
Professor X is patching up Cable. He says he has a lot to explain. Cable tells him that he knows what the future holds. He knows the baby saves everyone. He couldn't say anything to anyone because half the X-Men on his squad ended up being Marauders. There's no time to go into all the details. They need to save the baby now.
On Muir Island, Gambit is about to hand the baby over to Mr. Sinister. He tells the others to prepare for the X-Men. When Gambit and Sinister are away from the others, Sinister is revealed to be Mystique. The real Sinister is lying on the floor. He chances of being alive don't look too good.
At the Xavier Institute, Dust is taking more flowers to the graves as Rockslide and Mercury follow. Santos is still upset they there are stuck sitting around missing all the action when stumble across a hungry Predator X.
Back at Muir Island, the X-Force and Bishop arrive and there doesn't seem to be any sign of the Marauders. Even Bishop's high tech scanners don't pick up any signs of life. Wolverine isn't buying it. He knows that there are members of the Marauders like Lady Mastermind that can
make you think everything is not what really is. Sticking out his claws in front of him, he nails Lady Mastermind in the gut. The Marauders are revealed and the fun is about to start.
To be continued in New X-Men #46!
Overview
A squad of X-Men track the mutant baby and its captor. But they’re not alone in the hunt. Layla Miller and Madrox explore the future and learn the terrible fate of mutants. And Predator X claims another victim. And who is that woman with the finger claws?!
Spoilers
At the Xavier Institute, everyone is working on cleaning the place up and rebuilding after the O*NE attack. Xavier is questioning Scott's decision over the formation of the new X-Force. Scott isn't exactly thrilled that Charles chose the moment he was in front of several students to begin questioning his judgment. Scott tells him that he's been trained to lead the X-Men and that is exactly what he is doing in these critical times. Xavier says he understands that Scott is now in charge but feels it is necessary for himself to step in. Scott tells him he doesn't want or need him. He tells him to back off and let him do his job.
Somewhere in Canada, Cable is still on the run with the mutant baby. Suddenly he finds himself standing before Lady Deathstrike and her deadly soldiers.
Elsewhere, the mutant, Peepers, phones X-Factor. He says he thinks he is being followed and needs some help. Siryn asks where he is and they will send help. Peeper is driving down the highway when a deer is thrown at his windshield. Peepers' car crashes off the road into the woods. Barely conscious, he soon finds himself peeping the jaws of Predator X.
In Brooklyn, 80 years in the future, the Madrox dupe and Layla set up a plan to ambush a couple soldiers outside the mutant relocation camp. Cautious that it might be a trap, the two soldiers do a scan on Layla's body as she lies on the ground. At first the readings say she is "clean." As they go to check on her, her powers suddenly kick in. In their surprise, she tells them that it comes and goes. Jamie's dupe creates more dupes to take them out. Trying to question one, they do not get much cooperation.
In Cooperstown, Wolverine, X-23, Wolfsbane, Warpath, Hepzibah, and Caliban sneak into the hospital where the mutant baby was born. Now that the smoke has cleared, they should be able to to track Cable, who is currently fighting Lady Deathstrike.
In the future, Jamie and Layla are told that it was mutant that brought about the mutant relocation camp. It was their own fault. They also find out that as soon as they said the word, "mutants," more soldiers were brought in. Jamie is given a power dampener and his dupes are absorbed back into him. Layla doesn't show any signs of being a mutant (again) and they assume she is an innocent human being held hostage. She quickly tells them that she is working with him and is taken into custody along with Jamie.
Siryn finds the remains of poor Peepers. Xavier contemplates what may happen to Cable because of Scott's decision. A bloody Cable (and baby) are surrounded as he has to figure out how to save themselves.
To be continued in X-Men #45
