Issue+27+-+'Round+The+Corner'


 * Issue 27 - 'Round the Corner' **




 * Plot**

Following the defeat of the MGH-powered jewel thieves, SHIELD agents clean up in the aftermath of the battle. David speaks to the agent in charge and Maria Hill, then flies to an approaching news helicopter where he converses with a hostile reporter. Dane gets a call from Maria Hill who wants to unofficially share some intelligence. She says she’ll call back soon. Back at Academy X, protestors continue to ring the school. David is surprised to see Dagan appear in front of him as he returns. She says she has a warning for the staff of Academy X. David quickly calls an eXalts meeting in the War Room. Dagan warmly greets Bastienne, Jessica, and Samantha and somewhat less warmly greets Dane, David, and Cameron. She is surprised that Sam is pregnant with twins, because in her dimension she only had “Kurt.” Dagan is also shocked to see Mac. She asks for his autograph, which surprises Mac, but she claims she shouldn’t say anything about the future (even though it’s a separate dimension). Then the meeting begins. She says that “her” Ruth (from 2027) foresaw upheaval and death in their dimension. According to Ruth’s vision, the cause was an Academy X student. The only other information she had was a poem: “Night rain’s illusion: / Generous spring, evening star. / Truth, reason… the end.” The eXalts can’t make heads or tails of the information.

Cameron escorts Dagan upstairs to a room. She is a senior and will be joining the student body as a Hellion. Cameron and Dagan catch up (she’s two years older, he’s three years older due to being in Limbo). Meanwhile, in the War Room, David congratulates Mac on a good job on his first mission as an eXalt. Bastienne and Dane discuss what to do about Tatiana, a new senior who has bonded to a pet cat (which is against the pet policy). It’s decided to let her keep the animal. The group also decides to install cameras on their uniforms and the Blackbird in order to generate their own positive PR following David’s botching of the post-fight interview. It is also decided to make Dane the “face” of the eXalts.

Dane receives a phone call from Maria Hill. She asks for help in tracing the MGH created by Robitaille. She informs Dane that James Fletcher, a wealthy investor from the Silicon Valley who recently died of a heart attack, was actually a mutant. S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps files on mutants and she believes James didn’t die of a heart attack but was instead assassinated. James was a multi-billionaire who used his telepathic abilities to commit corporate espionage. In addition, two other recent deaths of influential secret mutants (Camille Lewis, an actress, and Marcus Thackery, an LA councilman) are believed to be assassinations. On top of this, three former Purifiers died in mysterious circumstances over the course of a week. Dane says he’ll try to help find out where the MGH came from. Maria says she’ll contact him soon, but the partnership must be secret.

The week passes quietly at the school. David has the first meeting of his Combat Club and half the school shows up. Christine complains about not being able to use her powers. David blasts her. She and Vincent storm off, but later David encourages them to return. Gabriel Lisowski, Jessica’s younger brother, sits with Bastienne on her security shift and asks her advice about a roommate issue. Bastienne also has her first roller derby event. She acquits herself well, but the Shevil Dead lose to the Bay City Rollers. Mac makes plans to organize a community service event for the school, but the local charities aren’t interested in associating themselves with unpopular mutants. Cameron starts a flight club. He also takes Dagan into the Danger Room. She’s learned to fly and keep her forcefield active while blasting. Other than that, she doesn’t perform very well. Dane invites his girlfriend, a human named Hannah, over to the school for a visit.

On Thursday, Mac witnesses two students necking during study time. One of them, a freshman named Adonis, has the ability to charm people. Mac speaks to him to make sure he’s not using his powers on the girl (another freshman named Ashley). Another freshman boy, Jamie, seems to have a crush on Ashley. Mac also witnesses tension between seniors Klaus and Vincent. This tension boils over a week later when Vincent and Klaus get into a brawl. The teachers quickly break up the fight. On one side are the Academy M kids (Christine, Vincent, Reuben, and Zach) plus a new Academy X sophomore, Chelsea. On the other side are Academy X kids Klaus and Maria, plus Academy M kids Christian, Dave, and Robert. Klaus and Vincent are interviewed and given a one-day suspension while the others, who attempted to join in, are given detentions.

At the staff meeting that night, the Academy X staff discusses the punishment for the students. Matt also shares a poem written by Kevin Ford. The poem contained a key word caught by the school’s filter (“exploding”). The poem is dark and seems to be about a girl. David guesses it was about his lost love, Laurie (killed by Purifiers on the east coast). Matt asks whether he should continue to monitor student and staff Internet usage. The group agrees. Matt further mentions that the new security upgrade (perimeter monitoring) is working well. It still won’t help against teleporting, like when Dagan appeared. The group discusses other issues, like what to do about the tainted MGH still on the streets. No plan is made. They also discuss the Purifier deaths, but there doesn’t seem to be much concern. There is more concern about the high profile mutant deaths, but the group is unsure about what to do. Lastly, they discuss the recent news that a holding company, Trion, has purchased Benetech, the company that made the mutant “cure” Hope. The group decides to investigate further.

That Saturday is a mutant protest march in San Francisco. The eXalts attend incognito. Dagan and Joni watch from the school van. The march begins at the city hall and ends in Union Square. The protest is especially well-attended and tension is high due to the recent news about Benetech. At Union Square the mutant protestors are met by counter-protestors and violence breaks out. The lone SHIELD team and police aren’t enough to hold back the two groups. Soon humans and mutants are trampled and people are being attacked. In the crowd is Dane’s girlfriend, Hannah, and a recent Academy X graduate, Hugo. The eXalts mostly stay out of the fray, but Dane barrels through many humans to get Hannah to safety. He then causes a ground strike and thunderclap to knock down most of the protestors on both sides. Billy saves Hugo. Bastienne and Mac take out some violent mutants. Dane calls Amanda in to teleport Hannah away, and she’s briefly surrounded by angry protestors and trigger-happy S.H.I.E.L.D. agents before she teleports to safety. David snares a human with a G-reader, though the G-reader breaks. Cameron attempts to save a downed mutant, but is trapped by the mob before being saved by Billy. Another S.H.I.E.L.D. team arrives and finally breaks up the fray, but not before many are injured on both sides and a human dies of injuries…

**Next:** Issue 28 - 'Storm the Gates' **Previous:** Issue 26 - 'Right Next Door'