Murder at the Mansion

• Writer - Grant Morrison
• Penciler - Phil Jimenez
• Inker - Andy Lanning
• Colorist - Dave McCaig
• Lettering - Chris Eliopoulos
• Ass't Editor - Nova Suma
• Ass't Editor - Mike Raicht
• Editor - Mike Marts
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Shattered

Summary

  Note: this is Murder at the Mansion part 1.

  Jean breaks into Emma's mind, where she's dressed as Dark Phoenix and in bed with Scott. Scott lamely says it's only thoughts; Jean tells him to shut up; Emma changes her costume and acts defiant. Jean manifests the Phoenix force and tosses Scott out, back to his body in the hall.

  The surviving Cuckoos assume Emma tossed him out of her mind; she's like that. He yells for Jean, but the door is telekinetically closed, and the Cuckoos tell him Jean doesn't like Emma, and there's going to be trouble. They walk away, glad school is closing for summer, because sometimes you can learn too much.

  Xavier and Hank each realize something's wrong.

  Scott yells; Jean confronts Emma, saying she had no right to exploit his confusion after Apocalypse (iss. 97, Search for Cyclops LS). Emma says he came to her with an empty marriage, and she's a qualified sex therapist.

  Jean says her change of heart when she joined the X-Men wasn't real (X-Men I:318), and she just wants to cause trouble. She telekinetically spins her around in her chair and manifests the Phoenix.

  Xavier and Xorn find Scott trying the sealed door. Xorn feels gravity bending and asks if he can help; Scott says he went to Emma for help and it became an affair, and he can't even tell right from wrong anymore; Xavier warns him not to anger the growing Phoenix force; Scott says he doesn't care, he's had enough.

  Emma finds herself at her family mansion in Boston; Jean's accessing her memories despite her protests. She wants to know why this is important to her.

  Emma reminds her Jean hospitalized her the last time she smashed into her mind (X-Men I:131), and she's just a bully. Jean tells her to shut up and promises not to hurt her but just to use the Phoenix fire to burn through her lies and self-deception.

  Emma begs her to stop, saying she's had a hard time adjusting to all the changes in her life. Jean ignores her and goes to the parlor, where the whole Frost family is arrayed. Father, imperious, is choosing an heir, and rejects each in turn except "rebellious little Emma." Jean looks closely, and Emma admits she's had plastic surgery, but Jean has noticed her mother has medicated herself, and it runs in the family; brother Christian didn't remain a user but went insane.

  Emma explains this was they day Adrienne realized she was second best, and her father was saying he cared, the only way he knew how. Young Emma told him she'd make her own way; she had $400 and started at the bottom, in New York. The Hellfire Club was auditioning dancers, and she used her telepathy to make herself seem fantastic. She made Shaw think she loved him but saw him as a father figure and became what he wanted: an Ice Queen. They took control of the Club from Buckman and Seville (X-Men Classic 7, story 2) and built an empire of mutants.

  Emma, reasserting herself, forces them back to reality and says Scott came to her because he couldn't talk to Jean, who isn't human anymore and doesn't have ordinary feelings. Jean says Emma she can't protect herself or hide, and the Phoenix fire towers over the mansion. She demands to know about Hong Kong (2001 Ann), or she'll make her relive the memories of the children she's let die (X-Men I:281, iss. 115, 137).

  Emma caves and shows her trying to seduce Scott in the hotel after their mission. Scott refuses the champagne but lets her sit on the bed with him; Emma realizes this is only a memory and breaks out.

  She's fetal on her floor and says Jean has no right to judge her. Scott blasts through the door and says Jean's out of line. If she wants to know about Hong Kong, she should read his mind.

  Scott sits on the bed with Emma, talking about Apocalypse and the awful thoughts in his head, and it's hard for him to talk to Jean or Xavier, who just shrug these things off. Emma is charmed by his innocence and ordinariness but tells him to try some wine and adultery. Scott refuses, saying it's Jean or nobody.

  In reality, Scott stalks off; Jean says they were still thinking about it; Xavier hopes this is only jet lag, and she doesn't mean to "disinfect" the earth (iss. 133); Jean says she doesn't need lectures; Xorn doesn't understand all the turmoil; Logan says Scott took his bike; Xavier: "Not the search for Cyclops again."

  Logan asks if Emma's okay; she says Jean only tosssed around the junk in her mind, but Jean's more than just a telepath, she sees right through them and gets to judge them. Emma admits she hates this awful place and these ugly, repressed people. Logan says she shouldn't have come between Jean and Scott but admits it was a nice try. Emma says he lies by her at night without touching her, and Jean sees his thoughts and despises his weakness. Emma herself is just shallow, spiteful, and manipulative, and she knows it because Jean saw right through her. Why did she let herself to be so vulnerable, to fall in love with Scott?

  Later, Hank sings opera and carries roses and a bottle to Emma's room. He knocks; she doesn't answer; he enters and finds her shattered diamond form on the floor.

  Notes: how Emma's memories fit with the rest of her past is not obvious. Confrontation with father, institutionalized by parents (Gen X 24), Dark Beast (Gen X -1), and Hellfire Club would be my guess.

Summary

  Cover name was changed to "New X-Men" for Issues 114 - 156.