Keys Of The Kingdom

• Writer - Chris Claremont
• Penciler - Salvador Larroca
• Lettering - Tom Orzechowski
• Colorist - Liquid!
• Ass't Editor - Lynne Yoshii
• Editor - Mark Powers
• Editor - Matt Hicks
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Summary

  Davis is now a teleporter, using a surfboard to create a "warp wave." It's second-nature to him, but the X-Men land clumsily.

  Flashback: Remy visits the team in Sydney, asking for Ororo's ruby from her choker. It's a family heirloom from her mother, which can open portals (Classic X-Men 22, X-Men II:Ann. 12). Sage says it's part of the Madripoor set, powerful enough to sink Atlantis. The Thieves Guild wants to prevent the set from being reassembled.

  Sage looks at an entry in Destiny's diary: "Earth shall be her home, the stars her destination. Mothered by War, her Father's her salvation. The price of Xavier's Dream shall be the Ancient Aerie's Fall." This evidently relates to the Shi'ar (cf. X-Men I:122ff).

  Shaitan attacks, grabbing Ororo and Remy by their throats. Lightning, plasma bolts, and old-fashioned fists back him off, and Ororo has Heather fly Remy and the ruby to safety. But then Shaitan recovers, jumps through the wall, catches them, and teleports away.

  Desperate, Sage suggests she activates Davis's latent mutant genes, and Ororo agrees. Neal is against such manipulation, but Davis says it's his decision. Lucas belatedly thinks he should have stood up to Ororo; Rogue wonders if Sage can deactivate genes, as well. Davis immediately sees what to do and teleports everyone to Madripoor.

  Viper is there (Wolverine 128), checking on doings at the temple, which is suddenly engulfed in red energy.

  Meanwhile, Shaitan has assembled the stones on Remy (mimicking the five wounds of Christ, iss. 4) and activated his power, forming a giant tower of red energy, which envelops the island.

  The X-Men attack, and Rogue kicks Shaitan into the atmosphere. Ororo and Lucas can't get through the force field to free Remy; he wants them to kill him to stop the portal. Alien forces invade; the X-Men fight and take the first one prisoner (the leader, Khan); Ororo wants Rogue to absorb his knowledge.

  Remy tells the X-Men to get clear; the portal is opening again. Aliens attack, vowing to rescue Khan.