Issue+28+-+'Storm+the+Gates'


 * Issue 28 - 'Storm the Gates' **




 * Plot**

 In the aftermath of the mutant protest march, the eXalts regroup at the van. David is last to arrive due to talking to the protestor from the Church of Humanity, James, who possessed a G-reader. David learns about the Church of Humanity in the city. He takes James’ license and tells him that if James attends another protest, he’ll pay him a visit. Before leaving, the group picks up Hugo Garcia, a recently graduated student from Academy X. They believed he was working for Xavier’s school, but he was recruited to join the X-Corporation. He’d been working for the Los Angeles branch along with Sunspot, Empath, Magma, Skids, Skitz, and Stringfellow. X-Corp LA’s mission was to work behind the scenes doing PR work to help the image of mutants, as well as fund the anti-Prop X effort.

 Back at Academy X, the protestors have grown agitated due to the death of Tammy Davis in the clash of protestors. Tammy, mother of two, has become a galvanizing force in the anti-mutant protests outside the school. When the eXalts’ van returns, the protestors cause several dents, break a window, and almost knock the vehicle over before the SHIELD team stops them. Inside the school, students are restless while watching the news footage. David assembles his combat club, now nearly three quarters of the student body, and has them work off some of their nervous energy. Meanwhile, Dane puts out a statement to the press. He then collects the video footage from the eXalts’ cameras and puts together a more positive video of their involvement in the clash between protestors. In general, the press paints a negative view of mutants in general and the eXalts in particular.

 A week passes at the school. Bastienne shares her security shifts with Gabriel. She also has another roller derby competition. Bastienne does well and the Shevil Dead defeat the KillaBytes. During the contest, Bastienne recognizes a competitor – a girl who looks a bit too young to compete. She can’t quite place the mystery girl, however, and can’t recall how she knows her. That weekend Dane creates some GPS tracking equipment. Lucius and Kavita Rao begin collaborating on finding a cure for Hope. Bastienne talks to Samantha about the roller derby girl she recognized, and Sam realizes that the girl was a Purifier who escaped. Later, Sam overhears a girl’s voice after hours in a room belonging to one of the sophomore boys. Inside are the Academy M sophomores, but no girls…

 The following weekend, Dane takes Rafé into the Tenderloin, a lower-class district in San Francisco. Rafé makes sure Dane is dressed in street-appropriate attire. They spend the evening searching for MGH dealers. Eventually they find a drug dealer who directs them to an associate of “The Chemist.” The associate, Ruben, deals in a club called Velocity. At the club Rafé is able to buy MGH called “T-Bird.” Dane also notices that Rafé has been texting a long-distance girlfriend, but he won’t reveal who she is other than that she’s a normal human. After obtaining the MGH, Dane calls Maria Hill and shares the intelligence with her. He drops off the MGH in a safety deposit box at a bank that is SHIELD’s cover location.

 Over the weekend Bastienne also searches for the former Purifier, named Janelle. She visits several shelters on the advice of one of Janelle’s teammates. She eventually finds the correct shelter and is directed to Janelle’s place of employment – a local 7-11. At the convenience store Bastienne reveals that she knows who Janelle is. Janelle watches Bastienne warily while the mutant gives her a card with her number. She tells Janelle that she can call her at any time.

 Across town, David and Mac visit the apartment belonging to James, the member of the Church of Humanity from the mutant protest. James isn’t home, but his girlfriend is. After she brushes them off, they watch from a coffee shop across the street and see her fleeing to her car. They follow her to a motel where James is waiting for his girlfriend. The two of them drive to another apartment complex and disappear inside. The two Academy X staff members return to James’ apartment and break in through a window holding an air conditioner. Inside they find a G-reader, phone bills, and check the history on the internet browser. They return to Academy X and give Lucius the G-reader to reverse engineer.

 In the middle of the next week at the school, the afternoon study period is disrupted by a gigantic melee between Academy M students (with Chelsea) and Academy X students (with Christian, Dave, and Robert). Those on the Academy M side include Christine, Vincent, Reuben, Zach, Jordan, Julian, Robin, Gerard, Pedro, Patrick, Shaun and Chelsea. Those on the Academy X side include Klaus, Maria, Darryl, Joni, Taz, Gunther, Morgan, Tierra, Carrie, Ginny, Christian, Dave, and Robert. Kevin (from Academy M) and the rest of the Academy X students either do not get involved or are not nearby. The teachers attempt to break up the brawl, but not until Dane creates a thunderclap does the fighting end.

 After the battle it becomes clear what started the fight: someone at the school defaced the Academy M memorial in the memorial garden by spray-painting epithets on the column and plaque. The students are broken into teams and questioned by their advisors in an attempt to find the perpetrator(s). Bastienne moves from team to team smelling for evidence of spray paint. Eventually she smells the paint on Christine. Meanwhile, Samantha asks Liam (the school’s best telepath, eclipsing even Samantha) to scan Chelsea, whom Cameron believes is involved. Liam immediately finds that Chelsea used her item summoning powers to grab a can of spray paint from a local store and then send it back after the crime. He also learns that there is no evidence on the security cameras because Christine can turn invisible when naked. Christine and Chelsea are summoned to the headmasters’ office for questioning.

 During questioning Christine refuses to admit her guilt, but Chelsea admits her role. Christine eventually storms out and leaves the school. David takes her on one of his light platforms into San Francisco. She promises to keep in touch with Vincent to let them know she’s okay. David says she’ll always have a home at Academy X. Meanwhile, Bastienne calms Vincent and Dane eventually coaxes him back to the school. Mac gives a talk about mutant solidarity to his team, and his words move several of his students.

 The next day, Vincent is subdued and the former Academy M students and Academy X students seem to be getting along better than in the past. The staff realizes that word about the perpetrator has spread among the student body. One outcome of this is that Chelsea is an outcast both among the former Academy M students and the Academy X students. The teachers try to intervene to help, but it has little effect. The staff then prepares for the upcoming Columbus Day weekend, which is also Parents / Family / Friends weekend at the school. Plans are made to meet the visitors off-campus and bus them in due to the protestors. The weekend goes well. Georgie visits her twin sister, Bastienne. Samantha is surprised when a number of familiar faces arrive for a surprise baby shower: her half-brother Kurt; friends from Xavier’s school Frankie, Tiberius and Jubilee; and recent Academy X graduates Adhra, Jay, Roxy, Thomas, and Tanya. Sam opens presents (including some from the Morlocks) and Jubilee is officially hired for Sam’s maternity leave. But then the festivities are interrupted when gunshots ring out and a group of protestors climb the gates to storm the mansion…

**Next:** Issue 29 - 'South of Heaven' **Previous:** Issue 27 - 'Round the Corner'