God Loves, Man Kills II

• Writer - Chris Claremont
• Penciler - Igor Kordey
• Inker - Scott Hanna
• Colorist - Liquid!
• Lettering - Tom Orzechowski
• Ass't Editor - Mike Raicht
• Editor - Mike Marts
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Summary

  "Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, who have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates… and shalt stone them with stones, till they die" (Deut. 17:5)

  A Purifier holds a gun to Sage's head and gets blasted away by Lucas's energy gun. Ororo reminds him the X-Men are the good guys, and she wants them alive for questioning. Lucas points out they took down Logan, and they can't take chances. The Purifiers shoot hunter-seeker missiles at Ororo, the greater threat, she sends a tornado to destroy some, but others chase her, so she goes high, trying to run them out of fuel. That doesn't work, so she destroys some with freezing rain and yet more with lightning. The Purifiers have hardware to spare, and a missile explodes behind her, and she plummets.

  Lucas absorbs energy blasts from the Purifiers' guns and shoots it back at them. They try to net him, but he has a knife, and when they shoot a tar ball, he uses a Purifier as a shield.

  Sage doesn't have a knife, so she turns Sam toward tar-covered Logan, has him extend his claws and has Sam blast and then cut power, slicing the net: a close shave. He blasts off and catches Ororo. The Purifiers adapt to Lucas's abilities, so Ororo uses lightning to fry their technology. End of battle.

  Kitty sits in a steel box, trying to remember; suddenly her skin bubbles; the bubbles turn into her dreams of herself: teenager, mother, ballerina, astronaut, teacher. She never expected to become an X-Man, and her selves yell at her that the life she chose isn't what she wanted, and her parents divorced and her dad died because of her. Kitty denies it and begs them to stop.

  A shining man appears, quoting Psalms and the gospels, and offers his hand. It's Stryker, but she thinks it's her father; a young Illyana appears, sneering at her for forgetting he tried to kill her and now wants her for his puppet. Piotr is there and agrees they won't allow it; Kitty says they're dead, but they say they're memories. Stryker says the X-Men's efforts just make the world worse; Kitty quotes the Wisdom of Solomon (uncanonical in Judaism), and phases her hand through him, which knocks her unconscious.

  Deathstrike watches from a control room, observing Kitty is stubborn; Stryker says she's a Cubs fan. They're having trouble influencing her or getting a brain scan, because her natural state is to be phased, and some of her psyche may exist in other dimensions. Stryker is determined to convert and use her, the perfect tool to attack mutants and blame Xavier. "My cause is righteous."

  Deathstrike morphs her hand to an I/O plug and hooks into the internet to visit her surveillance team in Mt. Haven. She finds the guards dead in their truck and armors herself, but there's just a shining blond man there, who extends a hand and offer of salvation. She slashes at him, but he's just an image; he says she has no choice; she realizes she's defenseless and disconnects from the internet. Their target is hunting them now.

  The X-Men have the Purifiers out of the armor and tied up; Logan shows his claws, but says he leaves the interrogations to a professional: Sage. She intimidates them telepathically and learns all: Stryker's organization is intact and some cells have been sent on a mission, even though that will jeapordize Stryker's parole and his ministry.

  Deathstrike tries to warn Stryker, but her body is out of control; her claws extend and decapitate a guard; the others scramble, and Stryker leaves them to their doom while he escapes with Kitty, encasing them both in head-to-toe armor. Deathstrike apologizes for being under Mt. Haven's control, while Stryker activates Kitty's phasing power, and they disappear through the wall.