ISSUE SUMMARIES
XTREME XMEN #3
Story Title: Hell
to Pay !
Staff: Chris
Claremont (writer), Salvador Larroca (penciler), (uninked), Liquid! (colors),
Tom Orzechowski (letters), Frank Dunkerley (assistant editor), Matt Hicks
(editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Bill Jemas (president)
Brief Description:
Following their battle with Vargas, Psylocke is really dead and Beast mortally
wounded. The rest of the team search the city all over, but can’t find the
killer, who is neither mutant, nor superbeing, yet something more than human. To
save the Beast from dying Tessa uses a never before seen power. She can
perceive mutants' full potential and temporarily bring it forth. It strains her
a lot, but she boost Hank McCoy’s healing factor so that he is able to survive
his injuries. Later Psylocke’s coffin is brought to the airport to be flown to
England. Storm also sends the Beast back top Westchester as he is too weak and
would only be a liability. Unbeknownst to them Vargas watching them say
goodbye. Throughout the issue various flashback are made; they mention Betsy’s
days as a supermodel, her S.T.R.I.K.E. training, Tessa preventing her geeting
drawn into the Hellfire Club, Psylocke’s desire for action and battle and her
choice to enjoy every single moment of life as it might be the last. Also Storm
quotes the diary to mention a threat to the X-Men from within.
Full Synopsis:
The X-Treme X-Men find Psylocke dead in the Beast’s arms. The Guardia Civil
arrives trying to place them under arrest, needing someone to blame for the
dozens of dead scientists. Storm’s anger reflect in the weather pattern
outside, within second the perfect sky is filled with clouds and lightning. Bishop
prevents Ororo from unleashing her anger against the spanish police. On the
other side Maria Pilar Cortes, Deputy Minister of Justice, too provides a voice
of reason and keeps the Guardia’s commander Diego Sandoval from any more
actions against the mutant “terrorists“. With their differences put aside,
medical crews are allowed onto the scene, they check on the Beast and diagnose
him to be in deep shock with multiple injuries and many bone fractures. Psylocke
on the other hand is gone. Rogue, who could barely stand after Vargas’s attack
is coming around (thanks to Wolverine’s healing factor) and fills the others in
on their attackers : Vargas, the unbeatable leader and the back-up twins Thais
and Thaiis. Neal freaks out, when Psylocke is put in a body bag. He can’t
believe that this is hapopening for real. He questions the whole purpose of the
X-Men if this is what they will receive in the end; Bishop comforts him and
says that the important thing is to make ones lifespan counts and also to
prevent that this needless killing will not be repeated. Thunderbird, now
calmer, holds Betsy’s hand one last time, and Bishop notices some scrapings
under her fingernails. He takes some samples and runs an analysis on them. Tessa
receives the transmission in a safe hotel room and sorts out the data, Vargas
is neither mutant nor superbeing, genetically he registers as human though is
yet much more. Tessa remembers her first meeting with Psylocke :
(flashback)
By day, Betsy Braddock was a famous fashion model, though at night she secretly
trained to become s special AGENT FOR S.T.R.I.K.E., the british version of
S.H.I.E.L.D. One of her assignments involved the Hellfire Club in New York,
where Tessa was currently undercover for Charles Xavier. Betsy was too young
and arrogant and did not realize that she was getting entangled by the Club,
and though it meant possibly exposing her cover, Tessa confronted her when they
were alone. She ordered her to go home and when Betsy tried to use her psychic
powers on the enigmatic Tessa, she found her psi-bolt redirected against
herself. Frightened Betsy left. The flashback ends and Tessa feels sorry that
she could not have prevented Phoenix getting seduced by the Club too.
(present)
The team searches Valencia for Vargas, they use a scanner keyed to his unique
bio-signature, but even though they manage to capture some local gangsters,
they find no trace on the murderer. The gangster‘s leader is called Gomez and
since he might hold some clues, Rogue interrogates him by threatening to pop
her claws through him. The man willingly starts to talk to the Guardia, but
Rogue’s teammates are not so happy. They wonder what she would have done, if he
would not cooperate, and her reply is that she would have kissed him. Finding
Betsy’s killer would have been worth the price of having one more psyche inside
her head. Again reminded about the slain teammate, Bishop states that he wished
to have known her better, in the jhistory text that survived till his era,
Psylocke was hardly mentioned. Neal is really annoyed by that remark, as if it
was important, who would make it into the history books some generations down
the line, yet he falls quiet when Bishop replies that Thunderbird himself did
make it into the history charts. They remember training in the Danger Room,
shortly before leaving the mansion :
(flashback)
Rogue and Psylocke were training in the Danger Room, and Betsy easily defeated
Rogue by enforcing her ninja material arts with telekinetic energy and later
keeping Rogue stuck in a wall of bricks. She then trained with Neal, who easily
falls for the old playing-possum trick. Being defeated Neal can only admire the
beauty and elegance of Psylocke.
(present)
Gomez tolf the Guardia Civil everything he knew, but has no knowledge about
Vargas‘ location. He had the X-Men fooled again, making them follow a false
trail. Storm angrily blasts in the skies and Thunderbird pessimistically states
that if they will find Vargas, it will only be because he wants to kill another
one of them.
The Beast is being cared for in a
nearby hospital. His condition is fatal, they have already called a priest, but
Sage sends him away, claiming that her services are needed now. She takes of
her glove and uses a never before seen power on Hank. She is able to perceive
the full potential of mutant powers and also can temporarily boost / awaken
them though it is very straining for her. The Beast glows in Tessa’s energy, a
ghostly image of his final mutation (ressembling him in current issues of New
X-Men) appears and also his healing factor is augmented to such a degree that
his condition stabilizes and he starts to recover. During the process Tessa
thinks about Xavier, who found both Hank and her at the same time, yet chose
one to become an X-man and the other his spy, and wonder why he made that
decision. Storm enters, she seems to have seen the whole event. After checking
on Hank, Sage pulls Ororo aside to alert her to some findings in her database,
or actually lack of findings. She has been unable to locate any information on
Vargas, yet she thinks that there are certain parallels between the Xavier
Protocols (information how to kill each and every X-Man, should they turn bad)
and Vargas, as if he was the protocols made flesh.
(flashback)
The X-Treme X-Men came to Valencia to start their quest. Destiny, the author of
the diaries, has a house in the town, and so they think it’s a good place to
start. It’s the evening before the team get‘s ambushed (X-Treme X-Men #1) and
while Storm and Rogue discuss a quote from the diary about a threat to the
X-Men from within, Neal admires Betsy, who dressed herself in indian garments
for him. She explains that her take on life is to live for the moment, because
as a warrior she might not see tomorrow.
(present)
Brian and Meggan Braddock arrive in a private jet to pick up Psylocke‘s coffin.
Neal puts a rose inside to bid his love farewell. Also the Beast will leave, he
is still too weak and sitting in a wheelchair. Storm says that he will only be
a liability to the team like this and sends him back to Xavier’s mansion in
Westchester. From a tower at the airport Vargas watches them say goodbye.
Characters:
Beast, Bishop, Rogue, Sage, Storm, Thunderbird III (all X-Treme X-Men)
Psylocke’s body
Diego Sandival, commander of the Guardia Civil’s action force
Maria Pilar Cortes, Deputy Minister of State for Justice
Brian and Meggan Braddock, brother and sister-inlaw of Psylocke
Vargas
Thais and Thaiis, Vargas’ servants
Gomez, a local gangster
Flashbacks :
Beast, Bishop, Psylocke, Rogue, Sage, Storm, Thunderbird III
Sebastian Shaw, Tessa (both Hellfire Club I)
Notes:
Though not known by many readers, Betsy’s time as a supermodel and her
activities for S.T.R.I.K.E.‘s psi division were already established history. All
of this happened in various Captain Britain titles released by Marvel UK.
Issue Summary written by:
Peter Luzifer, uncannyxmen.net
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