Schism

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

The X-Treme Files

Summary

  In Rogue's mansion, Sage and Lucas prepare dinner and debate Jean's offer of returning to Xavier's (last iss.), now that Destiny's diaries are moot. Sage doesn't trust Xavier since Nova snuck past him, Jean, and Emma, three great telepaths. Xavier has changed, but Lucas says he's just adapted to new situations. Sage says he's promoting mutant rights, but others need protection, as well.

  They hear a noise upstairs: Ororo fell and is bleeding; Sage says she's overdoing it and putting herself at risk; Logan tells her to slow down, but she's frustrated her recuperation is taking so long (since iss. 11).

  Logan agrees with Sage that things at Xavier's are moving too fast, and either they ride the wave or drown.

  Sage gets a police report on a mutant murderer: seven people naked and frozen on McKenna Glacier near Anchorage. Sage and Lucas show up impersonating federal agents. The sherriff doesn't want their interference, but Sage points out he can't handle mutants. The victims are friends and servants of a local millionaire, who wasn't home when it happened. The lodge was soaked with gas and set on fire. Lucas and Sage investigate the darkened basement and find bloody sets of shackles; since the victims had no wounds, there were other captives here, released before the fire. The victims' empty clothes were left behind, and they were dunked in the pool before put on the glacier, to make sure they died.

  Later, they marvel at the aurora borealis. They know the murderer is a teleporter, and they find his energy signature at a cabin. Fresh graves are in the yard; Lucas blasts the dirt, and Sage is shocked at the remains, and it takes a cup of coffee before she can put aside her human reaction and act as Sage. Lucas reburies the bodies.

  Sage says these people were latent mutatns, tortured to catalyze their abilities. She suspects a sibling put them out of their misery, and then killed their torturers on the glacier. The biggest problem is the lodge's owner is Elias Bogan, who takes things personally. Sage knew him well, long ago.

  They go to Xavier's, where a mutant fugitive would go, but security won't let them in. Lucas thinks Emma is playing games, so he blasts the gates, and they walk into the mansion unopposed. Then they realize they're outside the gate again; they retry and find themselves on the road; then they are surrounded by darkness and blinded.

  In the bushes, some of Xavier's students congratulate themselves on making Emma proud. Elephant-shaped Tantra attacks next, making Lucas fall in love with a tree; Zach releases his pet rat, which grows monstrous and overlays Sage, making her act like a rat.

  The kids celebrate: "We rock! We rule! We own Xavier's school!" Lucas and Sage are faking, however, to better judge their adversaries and blocking out Emma's mental scans till she bores of this.

  Emma tells the kids to send Sage and Lucas away; a girl wraps her rubbery body around Lucas, but he catches her, instead, and ties her around a tree. Sage grabs two kids; Silicon bashes into Sage, but Lucas just catches her with his coat. He tells the kids to stop misbehaving, or he'll get mad, and Sage locates the teleporter: a boy named Jeffrey Garrett. When Lucas mentions McKenna Glacier, he disappears them, saying Emma gave him sanctuary and we won't let them take him.