Issue+82+-+'Savage'


 * Issue 82 - 'Savage' **




 * Plot**

Following months of conflict with his daughter, the mutant telepath William Turner (AKA “Mindworm”) used his mental powers to draw Academy X student Madison Turner to San Francisco. Realizing his powers were somehow boosted, he began drawing all mutants within a large radius to him to create a mind-controlled army in the center of Union Square. When the eXalts responded, Dagan Lightfoot (AKA “Glimmer”) collapsed while clutching her head. At the same time the hundreds of mutants summoned by Mindworm began collapsing. It soon became clear that Glimmer was drawing the shards of the psychic entity known as Alex Nova from the mutants around her. Months ago Alex had embedded shards of her psyche into the mutants in San Francisco to subtly control them. Later Alex was imprisoned in an object on Utopia. Now the shards of Alex Nova left behind were drawn into Glimmer. Glimmer rose, her eyes glowing red. She proclaimed herself not Dagan, but Xandra Nova! She was furious due to being trapped inside the minds of others for so long and sought revenge against the one who had imprisoned her “mother,” Alex. She grabbed eXalts team leader Samantha Stone (AKA “Phantasma”) and, using Glimmer’s ability to borrow mutant powers, borrowed Samantha’s telekinesis to propel herself towards Utopia.  The eXalts realize Xandra Nova is looking for Seth Walker, a human student at the school with the ability to bind spirits with magic. He was the one who had bound Alex Nova into an object while mind controlled by Quentin Quire, a former teacher at Academy X. Quentin wiped the memory of the event from both himself and Seth, so no one knew where Alex had been hidden. Xandra plans to kill Seth for binding her mother and only the eXalts can stop her in time. Phantasma quickly orders William Strange (“Mystic”) to open a portal to Academy X and then take Seth somewhere far away. Mystic quickly teleports to Utopia. Meanwhile, eXalt David Goldberg (“Mustang”) calls the Jean Grey School, the new mutant academy in Canada run by Wolverine. He knows Quentin will be Xandra’s next target after Seth. David speaks to former Academy X student Liam (a telepath who transferred to the Jean Grey School after losing his prefect position due to spying with his mutant power). Quentin takes mental control of Liam to speak to David. He’s arrogant and crass and unconcerned about Xandra Nova. He says he wants nothing to do with the powerful telepath but he’ll deal with her if she arrives. He then hangs up. Back at Academy X, Mac has no luck finding Seth. He asks Matt, the school’s security officer, to use the public address system to call Seth to the backyard. Matt tries twice, but there is still no sign of the boy. Matt tells Mac that Xandra is getting closer to the island and will be there in a few minutes. Desperate now, Mac teleports to Seth’s room and finds his roommate Kevin there. Kevin recently transferred to Academy X from Avengers Academy. He is entertaining three of his admirers and is surprised when Mac shows up. He tells Mac that Jasmine, a freshman girl and the daughter of eXalt Liam Stonecrow (“Primal”), recently came by and asked Seth for help. No one has seen Seth or Jasmine since then, however, and Xandra is now only a minute away…  In Union Square Sam contacts S.H.I.E.L.D. to retrieve Mindworm. She reaches Major Henderson, a S.H.I.E.L.D agent they’ve previously worked with. He’s had a promotion since the last time they spoke (he used to be Captain Henderson) and now he’s Director Owen’s second in command. Major Henderson tells Sam he has agents on the scene. Sam says they can come take Mindworm now. Henderson seems miffed that she told him what to do and says he’ll consider her demand and hangs up. Sam sighs at the conflict, then orders Mac to return to Union Square and retrieve the rest of the eXalts. Carom and Bailey were hit by Mindworm’s “mind wave” and suffered brain damage. Sam is hurt as well. Mac drains energy from Mindworm to heal his teammates, but now there’s not much time left. Carom teleports everyone back to the front entrance of Academy X. There’s still no sign of Seth or Jasmine. Sam mentally scans for them, but it’s like something is blocking her. She can’t pin them down but she can tell they’re close. Liam channels the spirit of a dog to try to pick up Jasmine’s scent. His face contorts into jackal-like features. He’s channeled the spirit of Anubis! He can now smell Jasmine and Seth’s trail. The eXalts follow Liam. He leads them to the farm near the school buildings. Ahead are several fallow fields and barns housing Academy X’s livestock (pigs and sheep). Then Bastienne spots a figure fast approaching from the east. Xandra Nova will be there soon! The eXalts prepare for battle.  Bailey uses his kinetic energy control to speed to the closest barn, but finds only pigs inside. He spots Xandra flying overhead and prepares to attack… but then his eyes glow red. Bastet’s eyes begin glowing red, as well. She suddenly attacks Carom. The mutant teleporter’s keen hearing can’t detect Bastet’s silent footsteps and he is surprised. He stumbles backward, hurt. Mystic shifts into his ruby form and tries to drain Bastet, but misses. Bailey and Bastet aren’t the only ones controlled by Xandra – Primal is also under her power! He enters his “hawkadile” form and flies straight at Phantasma. She’s barely able to deflect his attack by telekinetically pushing him away at the last moment. Phantasma ignores Primal and tries to grab Xandra out of the air before she can reach the next barn. Xandra nimbly avoids her telekinetic grasp, however. Xandra lands at the next barn and unleashes a telekinetic shock wave that destroys the building. Seth and Jasmine are inside! Seth is holding an urn from the Academy X memorial garden for some reason. Jasmine, in a calm voice, tells Xandra to leave. The young girl concentrates. The grass around Xandra grows into strangling vines to restrain her, but Xandra rips free. Mustang fires a light blast at Xandra, but Xandra uses her borrowed telekinesis to throw a piece of the destroyed barn in the way.  Bailey uses the distraction of the battle at the barn to zip over to Carom and attack him from behind. Carom hears this attack coming, however, and evades. He then teleports atop a small water tower nearby. He lies prone so he won’t cast a shadow for Bastet to teleport into. Fortunately, Bastet shakes off Xandra’s mental control. She leaps high into the air and slashes at Primal. His crocodile-like skin absorbs most of the damage. Primal then swoops down and delivers a savage crocodile bite to Mystic’s shoulder – but a portal opens in front of Primal’s elongated jaws! Carom redirects the attack to Xandra. She’s hurt! Since Bastet is free of mental control, Mystic moves to engage Bailey. He grabs onto the police chief’s arm and drains his life energy, exhausting him! Bailey slams a baton against Mystic’s head, hoping to stun him, but the ruby form absorbs the damage. Back at the barn, Xandra advances on Seth and Jasmine. Seth holds the urn before him like a shield. He yells, “Come any closer and I’ll destroy the spirit!” The group realizes the urn holds the spirit of Alex Nova, Xandra’s “mother” and Samantha’s “daughter”! Phantasma telekinetically grabs the urn and pulls it away. Jasmine looks alarmed. She tries to create vines to grab the urn before it reaches Phantasma, but she’s too slow. Xandra sees an opening and closes to Seth. She pins him from behind and prepares to snap his neck. No one can react in time. Everyone looks on in horror as the young boy is about to die… then everything goes black.  The eXalts find themselves seated in a dark room. There are hushed whispers and a sense of great anticipation. Suddenly the lights go up to reveal an auditorium. The eXalts are surrounded by rows of seated students, from elementary school aged to those that appear to be in their early twenties. On stage are ten familiar figures: Bastienne, Jessica, Samantha, Matt, Billy, Ruth, Mac, Jubilee, Cameron, and Lucius! But even from this distance they seem older, possibly in their mid-thirties. Billy even has gray hair. Then firework-like effects go off and announce the beginning of the placement – the freshmen are about to be placed into teams! A few students unfold futuristic screens to take pictures and the eXalts can see their reflections momentarily. Sam sees her blue skin, but then realizes she only has three fingers on each hand and she’s much younger. Liam realizes he’s in the body of a Hispanic girl. David is a Jewish girl, while Carom is a dark-haired Caucasian boy. Mac is in the body of an African-American boy. Bastienne is a male Asian and Bailey is a redheaded boy. And around them are dozens of other freshmen eagerly waiting to be placed on a team. Soon names are called. Each of the eXalts learn their freshman’s name as they are called (Sam is Moira, Liam is Constance, David is Rachel, Carom is Jackson, Mac is Lincoln, Bastienne is Jin, and Bailey is Craig). They all become Excelsiors. The older Excelsiors cheer as their team is announced. Jessica gives each of them a hug after they cross the stage. It’s especially uncomfortable for Bastienne as she hugs her dead wife, though she allows the hug to linger. Then Billy surprises her with a hug and she realizes she’s Jin, Billy and Ruth’s son! Due to her blue skin Sam is unsurprised to find she is her own future daughter, but it’s an odd experience nonetheless. The eXalts join the other Excelsiors after being placed. Finally all students are called. One of them is Dagan! She is sorted into the Hellions. After the ceremony, Mac welcomes everyone to the fall 2025 semester. The group realizes they’re not in the future – they are in Dagan’s mind and seeing her memory of becoming a freshman at Academy X!  There are other familiar faces in the crowd. Mac spots his son Aiden Strange. He seems a bit older than how he appeared in the Age of X, but he’s unmistakably the same boy. He’s sitting with the other college-aged kids, including Cameron’s son, Alexander “Lex” LaPrue! There’s also Ruby Summers (Scott and Emma’s daughter), Jimmy Hudson (Wolverine’s son), Peter Rasputin (Piotr’s son), and Franny Lisowski (Jessica’s kid sister)! But before the eXalts can make out any further familiar faces the assembly is over. The students gather with their teammates and prepare to leave for team meetings. Bastienne keeps an eye on Dagan. Dagan finds an Ardent in the crowd and gives him a kiss. It’s Kurt, Sam and Matt’s son! Bastienne recalls how Dagan said she had dated Kurt. Dagan also hugs a young girl that looks familiar…  The walls of the auditorium shimmer and become gray metal. They were in the Danger Room all along. The eXalts follow the rest of the students into the basement hallway. In the resulting chaos of loud conversation the eXalts figure out their mutant powers. Carom has cold powers, Liam can elongate, David controls electricity, Mac controls shadows, Bastienne creates fire, and Sam has the mutant power of adaptation. Bailey realizes he has telepathy. He reaches out among the students and finds his fellow eXalts. They discuss their situation mentally. Bastienne says they are in Dagan’s mind. Bailey wants to know how they can get out. David says Dagan is currently possessed by Xandra and asks Sam how to get free. Sam says Dagan may or may not be aware of what Xandra is doing while in control of her body. Dagan may be in the “back seat.” David wants to know how to get into the “front seat” but Sam is unsure. David says she’s their mentalist teacher and should know. Carom suggests that killing Dagan would probably work. Mac says they aren’t going to kill their friend. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">The Excelsiors head to the medical lab for a team meeting with Jessica. Lucius’ Exemplars go to the hangar while Billy’s Ardents, Cameron’s Corsairs, Sam’s Hellions, and Jubilee’s Paragons head upstairs. After Jessica warmly welcomes them to the team, there is general conversation about rules. Carom interrupts to ask about Xandra Nova. Jessica is confused. The eXalts quickly realize they won’t learn anything here. Through Bailey’s mental link they discuss what to do. They think the future Samantha might be able to help due to her mental powers. After the meeting they head to the history classroom to talk to her. The Hellions team meeting has just ended. The young girl that Dagan hugged earlier is waiting outside. Dagan scoops her up and hugs her again. “You’re supposed to be getting ready for bed, Sophie!” Dagan says. “But I wanted to see you, sissy!” the girl says in return. Bastienne realizes the young girl is Sophia, the daughter she and Jessica had in the future! As she and Jessica adopted Dagan following Dagan’s mother’s death (Meghan) and her father’s disappearance (Dane), Dagan and Sophia are sisters. And a robot impersonating David was revealed to be the killer, though David is now a member of the X-Men lead by Hisako “Armor” Ichiki… <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">The eXalts approach Samantha. She’s talking to her graduate assistant, Franny Lisowski. Soon Franny will help run the Hellions meetings on her own. The eXalts tell Sam they aren’t really freshmen – they’re the eXalts from 2012. Bastienne exclaims that she just hugged her dead wife! Sam is confused and reads their minds. Then a wraith-like figure emerges from Samantha’s shadow. It’s not Mac’s freshman’s shadow powers – it’s a monster that envelops Samantha! The professor’s body goes rigid and she drops to the floor. The eXalts quickly react. Bastienne and Carom blast the shadow with fire and ice. The shadow whips Sam’s freshman, injuring her, but she adapts and emits a flash of light, injuring the wraith. David fries the shadow with electricity while Mac tries to use his shadow control to hurt it. Bailey tries a mental blast but the shadow has already slithered away. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">Amidst the conflict Franny shouts at the freshmen. She doesn’t understand why they’re attacking while Sam is unconscious on the floor. Franny can’t see the shadow for some reason. Plus Sam isn’t breathing! Franny runs out of the room to get Jessica, the doctor. David says the wraith must be Xandra. She’s trying to destroy Dagan’s mind! Bastienne checks on Professor Samantha. She’s dead! They realize there’s something odd about the room, too. It seems almost blurry. Then the whole room seems to freeze a moment before shaking and returning to normal. It’s beginning to collapse! Carom notices that, in a few places (like inside a desk or a filing cabinet), there’s only darkness inside. They’re inside Dagan’s memory and she doesn’t remember every detail of the room. But they need to leave before the room collapses. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">There’s chaos in the hallway outside as news spreads that Sam has collapsed. The group easily makes their way past the other students and teachers. They discuss what to do through Bailey’s telepathy. They decide the key to all this is Dagan. Since they are in her memory, she must hold the secret to escaping. She may have useful knowledge or even be able to control the memory, like lucid dreaming. They know she’s headed to Bastienne and Jessica’s room to put Sophia to bed. They head to the master suite (which formerly belonged to Bastienne and Jessica but belongs to Sam and Matt in the eXalt’s timeline). On the way they pass Jubilee and Matt. Jubilee is corralling several young children. Matt warns his daughter, Sam, to stay away from the classrooms. The eXalts knock on Bastienne and Jessica’s door. Dagan appears. She says she’s putting Sophia to bed. Bastienne says there’s an emergency and they need to talk to her. Dagan lets them in. They begin to explain everything that is happening, but Dagan doesn’t believe it. Before they can convince her further, Headmistress Bastienne arrives. The headmistress tells Dagan there’s a problem outside. While it’s probably safe, she wants Dagan to stay with Sophia. Then Bastienne asks why the freshmen are in the room. They try to explain but then the wraith appears. This time it attacks Headmistress Bastienne. She, too, is killed! The freshmen drive the wraith off but it injures or psychically terrifies Bastienne, David, and Liam first. Like Franny, Dagan doesn’t see the shadow. She’s distraught at her mother’s collapse. The group tries to talk to her. Bastienne tells Dagan to wake up, but the young girl is inconsolable. And now this room is glitchy, too! Clearly Dagan can’t help. The eXalts are unsure what to do. Finally Bailey convinces them they need to leave the school. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">The group departs and finds that Academy X is in its original location of Half Moon Bay, California. But opening the front door triggered an alarm. Professor Cameron flies overhead and lands in front of them. He wants to know why they’re leaving, especially as there is an emergency at the school. David says they wanted to draw Cameron outside so a shadow demon could kill him. As soon as he says that the wraith appears and kills Cameron! The eXalts drive the shadow off yet again, but it’s been getting stronger every time they face it. Most of them are now injured or frightened by the wraith. The group realizes that conflict in Dagan’s memory seems to make Xandra stronger and draw her close. They argue about what to do. During the argument David zaps Bailey and injures him. Mac is able to calm everyone down. The group realizes they might be able to investigate and find ways to stop Xandra as long as they don’t cause conflict. Then the public address system turns on and announces a red alert. After the collapse of several professors, the Academy X staff believes they are under attack. All students must go to the Danger Room shelter. Bastienne realizes this is the perfect opportunity to get into the basement which normally requires a staff member. Bailey mentions they have Cerebra – maybe it could be used against Xandra? <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> Once in the basement Mac conceals the group with his shadow powers. They slip into the medical lab and treat their injuries. Then they search for objects that might have power against Xandra. They find psi-blockers Lucius built in the lab and one of Magneto’s helmets in the armory. They use their mutant powers to break open the door to the Cerebra room. Cerebra along with the devices they found should be effective weapons against a psychic entity. But when Bailey puts on the Cerebra helmet it sets off some sort of alarm. The rest of the professors arrive. They think the freshmen are the ones responsible for the other professors’ deaths as they were present at each scene. The professors attack the eXalts! But the conflict draws Xandra. She’s stronger now, and the wraith soon kills all the professors! With the death of each of the teachers, the memory world grows more and more unstable. Dagan’s mind is collapsing – Xandra will soon be in complete control of Dagan’s body! Carom says they can destroy Dagan in the Danger Room and stop Xandra from taking over, but Mac says no. They have to try to stop Xandra first. The eXalts attack the wraith with the equipment they’ve gathered. It works! They destroy pieces of the shadow wraith, making it weaker. But now the wraith turns its attacks on the eXalts. It wraps shadowy tentacles around them. They drop dead, one by one. Soon only Bastienne is left. She puts on Magneto’s helmet and straps on Lucius’ psi blockers. The freshmen the other eXalts were controlling are dead, but the eXalts minds are still present in the scene. They psychically empower Bastienne while she holds off Xandra. Bastienne is badly hurt. She has one final gambit. She sets Cerebra to explode… and the resulting psychic detonation kills the wraith! There is a flash of light and everything goes white… <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> Suddenly the world snaps back into focus. The eXalts are back in their own bodies at the Academy X farm. Dagan is about to kill Seth – and then she falls unconscious! Bastienne teleports to Seth and makes sure he’s okay. Liam hugs Jasmine. Sam telepathically contacts Dagan and finds no trace of Xandra. The psychic entity is dead! David turns his attention to the urn Sam is still holding. He says to turn it over. Sam says Alex is inside. Jasmine says not to break the urn – Alex has been trapped inside and Novas hate to be restrained. Look at what happened when the shards of Alex within the San Francisco mutants reunited. Plus Alex would need a body. Would she possess Sam’s daughter again and this time destroy the toddler’s mind? But Sam says it’s not right to leave her trapped. There is a tense standoff while Sam decides what to do. Finally she says they’ll hold a meeting. The eXalts and staff all attend. Sam’s husband Matt is torn – he wants to free Alex Nova. She was his daughter, too. But he doesn’t want to risk harming his real daughter, Alex Stone. In the end they reach the consensus to put the urn back in the memorial garden. It was part of the Academy M memorial and held the ashes of the students that died there. They can research how to free Alex and give her a body in the meantime. Sam reluctantly agrees. That night, after the meeting, both Carom and David replace the urn… <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> Life returns to normal at Academy X. Dagan wakes the next day. She says she witnessed everything Xandra was doing while in control of her body. And though Xandra is dead and therefore gone from her mind, Dagan somehow gained her mental powers – and they’re stronger than ever. Bastienne talks to Dagan about what they saw in her memory, specifically Sophie and Kurt. Sam is concerned about telepaths getting stronger – not only herself but Mindworm, the Novas, and others. She calls Professor X at the Jean Grey School in Canada. He confirms his own power has grown but he doesn’t know why. Sam also talks to Matt about what she saw in Dagan’s memory. In Dagan’s future, which is now an alternate timeline, she and Matt had a younger daughter named Moira. Matt is philosophical about what could have been. He mentions the Morlocks are in disarray after several were called to the surface by Mindworm. Many of them are agoraphobic. And now they are facing increased negative attention. At the student staff meeting that week the prefects and head boy and girl say the students were a bit freaked out by Mindworm’s attempt to draw them to San Francisco. Jimmy and Kevin, the Avengers Academy students, were not affected since they are humans. Prefect Melody reveals that Isabel, a freshman, came to her with news about her roommate, Madison. Since her father Mindworm’s attack, Madison has been making herself drunk (her mutant ability) every night. The staff needs to decide what to do. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> Meanwhile, in New Genosha, a blue-skinned man suddenly appears before Bailey. It’s a Kree! The man says he is a diplomat. He knows Bailey is half-Kree. He says Bailey did well on his first eXalts mission. He wants Bailey to serve as an eXalt to keep Utopia safe. Bailey learns the man is actually a projection by Plex, a Kree AI in a space station below Academy X. Plex is the one that altered everyone’s memories – including Bailey’s – to make everyone believe Bailey joined the superhero team. Plex then becomes another blue-skinned man. This one is a warrior. He offers to train Bailey in Kree martial arts as Bailey’s Kree father one did. Bailey accepts. Bailey’s constable, Barry, has news next week. While patrolling near Asiantown he noticed signs there are far more people living there than Hellfire Club: Tokyo claimed. There’s too much garbage for only one hundred people. Bailey notifies the eXalts. As Secretary of the Interior, Sam goes to New Genosha. She sees Evangeline Whedon, Utopia’s Attorney General, and Georgie, Bastienne’s sister. She also notices Heather Cameron, CEO of X-Corporation: Los Angeles, leaving the apartment of Neal Shaara, the X-Corp employee overseeing the town. Sam thought Heather had a crush on Mac but apparently Heather and Neal are an item. After meeting with Bailey, Sam mentally scans Asiantown and realizes two hundred and fifty mutants living there. And they’re powerful, too. It’s like a military base. She also feels two familiar mental presences among the mutant immigrants but doesn’t search further… <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">The next week Carom is contacted in his dream by his Hellfire Club: Tokyo contact. He updates her on the situation on Utopia. Evan tells Bastienne he’s considered her offer to adopt him. He doesn’t want to upset her, but he tells her he’d rather be adopted by Samantha and Matt. He’s been spending time with their family and feels close to them. Bastienne says she understands. Evan asks the Stone family if they’d adopt him. They say they’re interested but need to look into the legal process. Sam and Matt privately discuss their concerns about adopting such a powerful and possibly dangerous mutant. That night at team meetings the Ardents announce they have their villain for the school play: British mutant Ned. Hikaru has been hanging with the pro-Hellfire Club Paragons. The Paragons will go on their trip next weekend. The Excelsiors and Exemplars are adjusting to their new Avengers Academy students, Kevin and Jimmy. Exemplar freshman Craig is excited about the upcoming family and friends weekend. His sister, former Xavier’s student Anne “Lipid” Moore, is coming. Wendy’s brothers will also attend. The Hellions are still concerned about Evan’s withdrawn demeanor. The Corsairs are excited to begin team competitions. At Combat Club the next day they start the fights. The Corsairs take on the Excelsiors… but something goes wrong. Freshman Corsair Priya loses control of the Power Cosmic she absorbed from the Silver Surfer. Mariana is badly hurt! Fortunately, Mac is on the scene and heals her. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> At the Utopia governmental meeting that week Mac, as President of Utopia, makes plans to issue more visas for immigrants to live in New Genosha. Bastienne, as Secretary of State, says she was contacted by San Francisco Mayor Sadie Sinclair. Sadie was friendly and receptive to a more open relationship with Utopia. She mentions that there’s been some anti-Morlock sentiment since the Mindworm incident. Since Utopia is welcoming mutant immigrants now, perhaps they’d invite the Morlocks to live on the island? Samantha, as Secretary of the Interior, reports what she learned about Asiantown. Ruth, as Secretary of the Treasury, says the Utopia, eXalts, and Academy X merchandise is selling well. They’ve already almost recouped their production costs. Plus now they have the Hellfire Club: Tokyo payment for allowing the bank on Utopia. They have money to spend, though it has to last all year. She also mentions the possibility of developing aquafarming on Utopia. They have fish and possibly other seafood resources. Evangeline Whedon, as Attorney General, reports that she worked with Bailey in New Genosha. Two immigrants got into a fist fight. Both served a little jail time and the instigator owes some community service. Glob Herman and Wicked are doing well with their patrols of the island. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">That weekend the students have their first baseball games. The headmasters attend to cheer for the kids. While Bastienne and Mac are chatting on the sidelines a figure appears in a flash of light. It looks like Bastienne’s sister Georgie, but she’s holding an ornate staff and is dressed in Ancient Egyptian clothing. It’s Sekhmet, their recent foe! Sekhmet gestures towards Mac. The ruby scarab pattern glows on his chest. Suddenly a portal opens revealing a desert with a giant pyramid temple in the background. It’s Aleph, the dimension where several eXalts were trapped last semester! And lying in the sand is the real Georgie, bound and gagged. Sekhmet says, “You need to come with me.” She draws Mac and Bastienne through the portal into Aleph and then the portal winks out. What will happen next?
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 * Previous:** Issue 81 - 'Vermin'