Day of the Atom

• Penciler - Salvador Larroca
• Inker - Danny Miki
• Colorist - Udon Studios
• Lettering - Virtual Calligraphy
• Lettering - Rus Wooton
• Associated Editor - Sean Ryan
• Associated Editor - Stephannie Moore
• Editor - Mike Marts
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada
• Writer - Chuck Austen

conclusion: Forces of Nature

Summary

  Alex is busy containing Xorn's power, so Cain and Bobby have to fight without his help. Cain gets Bobby to blast him with ice like he just did (last iss.), but this time toward the Chinese army. Alex panics when Bobby gets shot, but "fortunately, China is humid!" He just generates a large ice shield for Alex and then attacks, flash-freezing all their foes and bragging to Cain that he's stronger. Collective Man, under ice, starts merging bodies and burst out as a grotesque giant.

  At the base, Lorna and Logan fight more Collective Man and soldiers, while Rogue keeps Remy safe. Logan gets tackled by three Collective Men at once but quickly defeats them; Lorna tells him to let her handle it, and he does, gratefully. She levitates their foes, rendering them helpless.

  Giant Collective Man grabs bobby and (with very little foresight) tries to drown him in a nearby river. Bobby freezes his arm, which burns him, and then Cain punches his leg. Bobby rises from the water in his own giant form and punches Collective Man, felling him. Even Cain admits Bobby is more powerful; Bobby just walks away, leaving him trapped under Collective Man.

  Lorna uses her power to sense all the metal on the base and draws the helmet to her. Logan is impressed.

  Cain gets back to Alex and notes he felt a surge of gravity. Alex realizes his power is fading and tells them to get to safety, but they point out nowhere's safe from a black hole. Lorna and the others arrive on the wing of a military jet she's levitating, helmet in hand. Cain wonders why Alex ever let her go.

  That night at Xavier's, Annie checks on Alex, who says he's fine, physically. She tries to continue their conversation (iss. 157), but he recently faced death and realizes he doesn't want to know about her and Bobby. As they hug, Bobby sits alone in his room, looking at pictures of old girlfriends (Lorna and Annie, but poor Opal and Zelda are forgotten). Outside, Sammy takes Cain to see the Black-Tom-shaped tree. Cain tells him it's just a weird-looking tree, but when Sammy goes inside, he calls into the woods to see if Tom is really there (cf. X-Men I:412).