Collision Course

• Writer - Terry Kavanagh
• Writer - Alan Davis
• Penciler - Adam Kubert
• Inker - Tim Townsend
• Lettering - Richard Starkings
• Lettering - Comicraft
• Lettering - Saida Temofonte
• Colorist - Liquid!
• Editor - Mark Powers
• Editor in Chief - Bob Harras

Summary

  Note: this occurs after X-Men II:88.

  Ororo's young self can't explain but leads Ororo across the plains, points her across the desert, says to look to the ground instead of the sky all the time, shows her she (elder) casts no shadow, then disappears, but her (younger) shadow remains and crawls away as dark creatures. Ororo, nonplussed, starts across the desert.

  Logan doesn't like Xavier in his head and won't let him take control. Kurt uses his power to open a large dimensional rift, letting a large monster catch the large Juggernaut.

  Ororo sees three beings masked as fish, cat and bird; or water, earth and air; and they pull dark creatures from their own chests.

  Logan jumps into Juggernaut's mouth; inside the helmet Xavier can attack his mind. They find themselves in an astral plane version of the mansion, and Marko goads Logan into striking him. Xavier realizes it is really Cytorrak, and he feeds on the aggression. They find the real Marko, terrified under the stairs.

  Ororo unmasks the Trion and refuses to be caged. They battle, with Ororo's powers acting unpredictably.

  Xavier gets Marko to realize it's all an illusion to keep him scared, and he is still the Juggernaut. He stands his ground as Cytorrak punches him to no effect.

  Ororo beats the Trion while Marko beats Cytorrak. The giant Juggernaut explodes, making a rift in the universe. Ororo wakes, calmly taps primal forces, and heals the rift. She says the Trion pretended to transcend evil when they actually just hid it in a sphere, achieving not purity but sterility, and using the Oktid as pets. The collected evil reached out and summoned Cytorrak, so they got the X-Men to help rather than dirty their own hands. She could destroy them or release the evil, but she knows they will never learn.

  Xavier asks Ejulp to send them back to Westchester, and he tries. They wind up in a fake New York, located on one of two moons. Marrow is still unconscious.

  Note: continued in X-Men II:89.