Painted Ladies

• Writer - Chris Claremont
• Penciler - Leinil Francis Yu
• Inker - Mark Morales
• Colorist - Liquid!
• Lettering - Richard Starkings
• Lettering - Comicraft
• Editor - Mark Powers
• Editor in Chief - Bob Harras

Summary

  Logan and Rogue crash a party at the Hong Kong Hellfire Club, taking out all the bodyguards. Jean enters with Kurt and Hank and scans the room, identifying a waitress as a spy for the slavers (UXM 383). She confronts Wo-Han, saying the Triads have allied with the Goth and the Crimson Pirates, and they are out of their league. The X-Men vanish, and Lo-Han makes a call to Beijing.

  Logan tracks the waitress while the rest crash at a friend's nearby mansion. Hank has reservations about their show of force; Rogue says if they play by the rules, the bad guys will win.

  Mystique impersonates Val Cooper and asks Kelly why he's basing his presidential campaign on anti-mutant bigotry. He says the world needs to be secure from super villains. Mystique consults Destiny's diaries and decides she must stop Kelly.

  Remy's team is captive, and Beldame feeds on them. Ororo attacks her futilely, tearing off a piece of armor and getting herself knocked toward Remy, who takes it in his mouth. When Beldame leaves, he charges it and frees himself, then the others. They wonder why alarms haven't sounded, but Remy ignores prudence and goes to get the Goth. They take guards' armor to disguise Betsy and Neal and realize they're in an ancient stronghold in a cave in China. It is full of storage containers for slaves. The Goth arrive, and Remy suggests a deal instead of a battle.

  The Crimson Pirates track down Rogue's team and demand surrender. Battle ensues, and the Pirates lose. A Hound touches Rogue, and she sees her memories: she is Kymri, formerly Capt. Britain on an alternate earth (Excalibur 16-17), which was conquered, and she was made a Hound. Killian realizes the battle was an illusion and Rogue is actually alone; she had absorbed Jean's telepathy. She quickly flies off.

  Meanwhile, the X-Men have followed the waitress to the Pirates' base in the slums and taken their transportation and backup.

  Note: continued in UXM 385.