The Leopards and the Cats

• Writer - Fabian Nicieza
• Penciler - Andy Kubert
• Inker - Matt Ryan
• Lettering - Bill Oakley
• Colorist - Kevin Somers
• Colorist - Digital Chameleon
• Editor - Bob Harras
• Editor in Chief - Tom Defalco

Soul Possessions

Summary

  Spiral wants to explain things to Betsy, to absolve herself, but Betsy attacks, angry at being twisted around. Spiral says she's been hurt, too (X-Factor Ann. 7), and then Rogue, Hank, and Remy arrive and hurt her some more. She teleports away, saying she already achieved her goal on this world, and that Betsy should see with all her eyes.

  Warren shows the others the bionic eyes; Hank and Sean spend hours in the lab trying to get them to work. They project the recordings from when Betsy washed up on shore (UXM 256). Matsu'o asked the Mandarin to put Kwannon's mind into Betsy's body, and Spiral to heal Kwannon's body (a different story from last iss.). Kwannon was already a low-level telepath, so she could survive the transfer.

  Betsy goes alone to settle things. Hank runs the mansion now and has banned smoking, so Remy is on the stoop. He uncharacteristically wants to talk to Xavier about Bella Donna and Rogue (see Gambit limited series, 1993), so they go into his study.

  Betsy breaks into Nyoirin's mansion, but he has just been killed by Matsu'o, who senses part of Kwannon in Betsy and takes her to the cliff where he nearly killed her. Matsu'o relates Kwannon's final thoughts: her mind had been damaged, and Nyoirin's manipulation confused and angered her, so she projected that anger to everyone else. Nyoirin sent her to kill the X-Men (UXM 257), but she came to respect them.

  Matsu'o kisses Betsy; Kwannon gave him the ability to remove all her memories from Betsy. There is nothing left of her, so Matsu'o takes Betsy's katana and wants to end it. Betsy stops him, saying that would make Kwannon just a killer, and he should honor her life instead of her death. The next day, they go to Kwannon's grave and return her blades to her.

  Six days later in Westchester, Betsy has scanned her mind and found no trace of Kwannon. She wraps the bionic eyes in paper and throws them in the lake. Warren takes her by the hand, and they walk back together.