The Second Uncanny Issue of X-Men! Making 'X2' Page #3

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Bottoms up.

- William...

- Please, Xavier, don't get up.

I call it the neural inhibitor.

It keeps you outta here.

- What have you done with Scott?

- Don't worry.

I'm just giving him a little re-education.

Of course, you know

all about that, don't you?

You wanted me to cure your son,

but mutation is not a disease.

You're lying.

You were more frightened of him than I was.

Just one year after Jason returned

from your school, my wife...

You see, he resented us.

He blamed us for his condition,

so he would toy with our minds,

projecting visions and scenarios

into our brains.

My wife, in the end,

she took a power drill to her left temple

in an attempt to bore the images out.

My boy - the great illusionist.

For someone who hates mutants,

you certainly keep some strange company.

They serve their purpose,

as long as they can be controlled.

You arranged the attack on the president.

You didn't even have to read my mind.

I've been working with mutants

as long as you have, Xavier,

but the most frustrating thing I've learned

is nobody really knows how many even exist

or how to find them.

Except you.

Unfortunately, this little potion

won't work on you, will it?

You're much too powerful for that.

Instead, we'll go right to the source.

Allow me to introduce mutant 143.

The fluid secreted by his brain

acts as a mind-controlling agent.

But that's only where it begins.

Jason?

My God, William. This is your son.

- What have you done to him?

- No, Charles.

My son is dead.

Just like the rest of you.

Mom? Dad?

Ronny? Is anybody home?

I'll try and find you some clothes.

Don't burn anything.

I found some of my mom's old clothes.

I think they're from before I was born.

Groovy.

Hello?

Jean. Where are you?

These are my grandmother's.

Thanks.

You won't hurt me.

Wow.

I'm sorry.

It's OK.

Ronny, next time you...

Who the hell are you?

- Aren't you supposed to be at school?

- Bobby, who is this guy?

This is Professor Logan.

There's something I need to tell you.

You're clear.

Have a nice sleep, Lehnsherr?

- There's something different about you.

- Yeah. I was having a good day.

It's not that.

Sit down.

- Sit your ass down.

- What could it be?

What are you doin'?

There it is.

Too much iron in your blood.

Mr Laurio, never trust a beautiful woman,

especially one who's interested in you.

When did you first know you were a...

A mutant?

Would you cut that out?

You have to understand. We thought

Bobby was going to a school for the gifted.

- Bobby is gifted.

- We know. We just didn't realise...

We still love you, Bobby.

It's just this mutant problem is a little...

What mutant problem?

...complicated.

- What exactly are you a professor of?

- Art.

You should see what Bobby can do.

I can do a lot more than that.

This is all my fault.

Actually, it's males that carry the mutant gene

and pass it on, so it's his fault.

I need the police. There are people

in our house. They won't let us leave.

It's believed a manhunt for several fugitives

from the facility is now under way.

Nobody's responding. I can't get a signal.

Why don't you take a break? I'll keep trying.

What are they?

They're angelic symbols passed on

to mankind by the archangel Gabriel.

They're beautiful.

How many do you have?

One for every sin.

So quite a few.

You and Miss Grey are schoolteachers?

Yes. At a school for people like us,

where we can be safe.

Safe from what?

Everyone else.

Outside of the circus

most people were afraid of me.

But I didn't hate them. I pitied them.

Do you know why?

Most people will never know anything

beyond what they see with their own eyes.

I gave up on pity a long time ago.

Someone so beautiful

should not be so angry.

Sometimes anger can help you survive.

So can faith.

- Storm, I found an active com device.

- Where?

Oh, God. It's for me.

Have you tried not being a mutant?

No one's left, Jean. Soldiers came.

- What about the children?

- I saw them escape. Not sure about the rest.

We can't reach the professor or Scott either.

- Where are you?

- Boston, with Bobby Drake's family.

- OK. We're on our way.

- And, Storm, make it fast.

- We have to go now.

- Why? Logan, what's wrong?

Drop the knives and put your hands in the air.

What's going on here?

- Ronny.

- I said drop the knives.

- Open the door.

- Break it.

Turn around. Up against the wall.

- This is just a misunderstanding.

- Put the knives down.

I can't.

Look.

The rest of you, on the ground now.

Kid, I said on the ground.

We don't wanna hurt you, kid.

You know all those dangerous mutants

you hear about on the news?

I'm the worst one.

Get down.

- Who the hell is this?

- Kurt Wagner.

In the circus I was known as

"The Incredible Nightcrawler".

- Save it. Storm.

- We're outta here.

Jason, stop it.

It's all right. You can come out.

Have they gone?

- Where are all the other students?

- I don't know.

We'll have to find them, won't we?

We'll use Cerebro.

Come on.

How far are we?

We're actually coming up

on the mansion now.

I've got two signals approaching.

Coming in fast.

Unidentified aircraft,

you are ordered to descend to 20,000ft.

Return with our escort to Hanscom Air Force

Base. You have ten seconds to comply.

- Wow. Somebody's angry.

- I wonder why.

We are coming up alongside you

to escort you to Hanscom Air Force Base.

Lower your altitude now.

Repeat:
Lower your altitude to 20,000ft.

This is your last warning.

They're falling back.

They're marking us.

They're gonna fire. Hang on.

I gotta shake 'em.

- Please don't do that again.

- I agree.

Don't we have any weapons in this heap?

Warning.

Everybody OK back there?

My God. There's two of 'em.

There's one more.

Jean?

Oh, God.

- Rogue!

- No!

- Jean?

- It's not me.

When will these people learn how to fly?

Thank you.

- Can you hear what they're saying?

- I could take a closer look.

His name is Colonel William Stryker, and

he invaded your mansion for one purpose.

He wanted Cerebro.

Or enough of it to build one of his own.

That doesn't make sense. Stryker

would need the professor to operate it.

Which I think is the only reason

my old friend's still alive.

My God.

What are you all so afraid of?

While Cerebro is working, Charles's mind

is connected to every person on the planet.

If he were forced to concentrate hard enough

on a particular group - mutants, for example -

he could kill us all.

Wait. How would Stryker even know

where to find Cerebro in the first place?

Because I told him.

I helped Charles build it, remember?

Mr Stryker has powerful methods

of persuasion,

even against a mutant as strong as Charles.

- So who is this Stryker anyway?

- He's a military scientist.

He spent his whole life

trying to solve the mutant problem.

If you want a more intimate perspective,

why don't you ask Wolverine?

You don't remember, do you?

William Stryker - the only other man I know

who can manipulate adamantium.

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