Intifada

Detante

Summary

  Rogue holds Sunspot by the throat, while the partygoers look on in shock. Magma wonders if she's lost her mind; Sam knows she's just lost her temper and tries to calm her. She says her house was attacked again, and the villains were tracked to Sunspot's garage, so either he or X-Corp is dirty. Sunspot says he doesn't take kindly to threats; suddenly Rogue's body goes rubbery, courtesy of Sunspot's security mutant, Stringfellow. Sam approaches, angry, but Skitz attacks him telepathically, making him see various unattractive aspects of his own personality. Deranged, Sam blasts, and Rogue just manages to catch onto his neck. They get away, with help from a well-placed punch from Sunspot: he won't allow his house or his guests to be harmed. He sends security after them and then grabs Magma to help him calm the party guests. He tells her he trusts Sam and is willing to look into these accusations.

  Sam and Rogue land hard on the beach, right where Bogan happens to be. He surprised to realize he can't detect Rogue, except through the perceptions of others.

  Cutter's gang is irritated they're hiding out, till he reminds them they don't want the X-Men on them again. Bogan shows up, offering them a chance to get even: Sam is helpless, and with Kick in their systems, they'll be unbeatable.

  Sage, monitoring, takes Whedon out of town, while Lucas goes to rescue Rogue and Sam.

  In Texas, Remy and Ororo spar with staves over a waterfall. Remy says she won't always be able to rely on her powers or her looks, and although she gets some good moves in, she's lost her edge, and he throws her down. When she instinctively uses wind to break her fall, he pounces on her. If this were real, she'd be dead.

  Vazhin observes them from the edge of the pond; he asks Ororo if Remy usually wins, and she admits he's never lost. Ororo's proposal has been accepted: her team is now the X-Treme Sanctions Executive or XSE, with authority to operate worldwide. She must be a diplomat as well as a warrior, and the best at both. Ororo says she's ready, but Vazhin has a test in mind. There's a network of arenas with mutant gladiators run by Tullamore Voge (X-Men I:383-385, cf. New Mutants 29, Cable 105, Wolverine II:167). They have a lead on one in Tokyo.

  Cutter's gang has felled Stringfellow and Skitz and now approaches Rogue and Sam. Cutter cuts rubbery Rogue, but then the police arrive, called by the Freestones, who are fed up with these mutant punks terrorizing their town. Porous dehydrates and easily fells them all, but then Lucas arrives and blasts Cutter. Dervish whirls him toward Cutter, but Lucas breaks free, more than a match for them despite their Kick. He tosses Cutter toward Dervish, who is about to be impaled by his spikes, but Sam has recovered and punches Cutter into the sand. Sam checks on the fallen and says they'll be okay; Porous calls out, asking if they've forgotten him and threatening to kill Rogue. They don't consider her a threat, and Rogue rises up and punches her down.

  Magma hacks into the computers (she paid attention to Kitty and Doug) and confirms Malloy was buying up property. She and Sunspot suddenly kiss; Empath is in tears while manipulating them, but he's being paid in Kick by Bogan, who plans to erase their short-term memories and bring them all down, especially Sage.

  Sunspot holds a press conference for X-Corp: damage-control over the Valle Soleada, which he says is a model of Xavier's dream. Sage searches the net for Bogan; Rogue takes Marie to visit her parents' grave; a young member of Purity prepares a rifle.

  Note: Lucas's future police force is also XSE: Xavier's Security Enforcers.