Final Gambit

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

Summary

  Techno-geeks (who look like the Lone Gunmen from the X-Files) discuss Ororo's chances of surviving the harem and note a minor power fluctuation in Khan's palace. Their boss, Jellicoe, is quick to dismiss it, but Khan shows up, saying details are important. He guesses Ororo may be using her power, which may exacerbate her recent injuries (iss. 11), so he rushes back to help her.

  Ororo fights the whole seraglio, using her powers and hand-to-hand skills, bleeding from her side all the while. She wins; the harem didn't realize she really is Khan's equal.

  Sage has determined the "Storm" in detention is a fake, and Ororo is in the harem, breaking herself out. She helps stop her bleeding, and Ororo orders Lucas to take over the tower's damage control center.

  Rogue wants to postpone her fight with Vargas till the aliens have been repelled, but he's got one of Destiny's diaries, which shows her impaling him with a sword, and he wants to avoid that fate. To get away, Rogue hits him and the twins with Scott's eye beams and has Davis slipstream Vargas away. He's not fast enough, and Vargas slices him with his sword, then goes to the temple where Remy is captive and slices up the alien guards despite their ray guns. Remy uses the distraction to push a super-charged stone through the force field. Vargas prepares to kill Remy.

  Heather is becoming more like her mother and uses Shi'ar privileges to get to the damage control room, which Lucas and Neal then commandeer.

  Ororo has escaped; Khan breaks Jalene's neck and has the rest of the harem sent to Shaitan for execution. He gets reports of battles in the temple, the damage control room, and throughout the tower.

  Ororo and Sage go to the water reservoir on top of the tower, as big as an ocean, and Ororo tries to use her powers to freeze and bust the pipes. They come under attack.

  Davis promises Rogue he won't die and sends her back into the battle. He says Vargas is in the temple, but before she can get there, Remy's stone explodes, collapsing the wall and the temple onto him.