X-Men # 185 - The Blood of Apocalypse Part 4: Love and Death / Riddles of the Sphinx Part 4

Whew boy! Apocalypse has never hurt the X-Men like this before! The team is shattered, losing members to Apocalypse’s grasp. Can they pull themselves up and stop Apocalypse before he kills 90% of the world’s human population!? This issue will leave you stunned as we approach finale to one of the biggest X-Stories in years!! PLUS, an extra 5-page back-up story spotlighting one of the new HORSEMEN! Part 4 (of 5)

Havok, Iceman, Rogue, Mystique, Pulse and Bling contend with Apocalypse and Gambit who is now the new Death. Rogue reminds Gambit of their love for one another, but Apocalypse tells Death to ignore her. Havok and Apocalypse battle, resulting in the vat of Apocalypse’s blood - the antidote for Pestilence’s meta-plague - being shattered, and the cure all lost. War, formerly Gazer, attacks the White Queen to try and retrieve Sunfire a.k.a. Famine, but Sunfire comes to Emma’s aid, before passing out, and Emma informs Cyclops and Colossus that it is too early to tell how much of Sunfire still exists, adding that he may not survive. Apocalypse sets the sphinx’s control panel to take him somewhere else, so the X-Men make a quick exit, though Rogue thinks she should have stayed with Remy. Ozymandias also remains onboard the sphinx, despite Havok’s suggestion that he comes with them. Apocalypse and Death crash a United Nations meeting and reveal Apocalypse’s original plan to wipe out the human race with the meta-plague, before declaring that the new menacing plan is for the humans to wipe ninety percent of themselves off the planet so ten percent will survive to compete with the remaining ten percent of mutants, and they have one week to comply, or else he will release the meta plague. Val Cooper takes Havok and Cyclops to New Mexico where she introduces them to two new kind of Sentinels which are badly needed to stop Apocalypse before the deadline is up, as there are already world leaders that want to accept his offer. Apocalypse meets with Pestilence, to make sure she knows who she is no longer and she is revealed to be…Polaris!

Polaris and the Leper Queen are separated from Doop, and Lorna awakes to find herself the prisoner of Apocalypse. Apocalypse reveals to Lorna that he has chosen her over the eager Leper Queen to become his new Horseman - Pestilence. Lorna protests, but Apocalypse reminds her she has lost her powers, and is once more fearing that she has lost her mind again. Apocalypse reveals he is keeping the Leper Queen prisoner for use at a later date, and explains that the Leper Queen wanted too badly to become Pestilence, whereas Lorna is perfect