Prisoner of Fire

Eyes of Fire

Summary

  There's reasons why the X-Men wear uniforms: the unstable molecules are comfortable body armor, but more importantly, it's a demarcation between normal life and combat.

  Sunspot, Skids, and Magma arrive as backup. Skids objects to Marie, but Whedon says she's on probation and works for her.

  Sam explains: Bogan is the target, but he likes to work through pawns; Lucas may have been turned and is probably amped up on Rave; he's the one person who can defeat them all by himself, having been trained to hunt mutants. Sam sends part of the team to attack Bogan's telepath, while he, Sunspot, and Skids confront Lucas. Whedon wants to help, but Sam just wants her to provide transport and then out of harm's way with Marie. Remy accompanies Sam as his secret weapon, despite his lack of powers.

  Rogue and Remy kiss, which Remy says is what the struggle is all about. Rogue warns Sam to keep him safe, or he'll answer to her.

  During WWII, the US built defensive forts along the west coast, which are useless now except as movie sets or for a moonlit date. Skids walks along the edge of one, letting Bludgeon and Cudgel ambush her, and their blows slide off; they bash into each other, and Sunspot grabs a cudgel to finish them off. Rolling Thunder attacks, but Sunspot hides behind Skid's forcefield; Sam uses his own to reflect her shots back at her. Skids is gleeful about how easy this is, but then Lucas appears. He plants a device on Skids' chest, which spins her around; her power prevents friction from stopping her. Sam punches Lucas out before he can slam Sunspot, who grabs Skids to stop her. Despite Sam's warning, he tries to remove the device, but it's booby-trapped and sucks Sunspot's energy from him, transferring it to Lucas, who revives and throws dust on Sam. He says technology here is primitive, but he's been able ot create battle nanomites; they cover Sam while he blasts, and when his power fails from lack of oxygen, worse things will happen.

  Remy sneak attacks, with only a stick, and trips him. He asks if he's talking to Lucas or Bogan, but it doesn't really matter. He tosses cards, and Lucas braces for the explosion, but Remy has no powers; he's snuck up behind him and tosses him onto Skids, reactivating the device and draining the power from Lucas.

  Remy points his fingers and says his trademarked, "Bang, you dead," but Bogan's fingers rake through his skull, felling him. He doesn't mind the sacrifice, as long as he wins in the end.

  Sage changes the plans, again, and has Whedon drop them at another location, to rendezvous with a secret weapon: Kitty, who can walk through walls and can't be mind-read. Kitty quotes the Godfather: "Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in!"

  Notes: Skids last appearance was in X-Force #78, where she decided to give up the life as a super-heroine and study at a University in Boulder, Colorado.