Son of Apocalypse

• Writer - Tony Bedard
• Penciler - James Calafiore
• Inker - Mark McKenna
• Colorist - JC
• Lettering - Dave Sharpe
• Ass't Editor - Sean Ryan
• Editor - Mike Marts
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Summary

  The Exiles aren't sure they trust Holocaust's offer to ally against the Timebroker, but he isn't attacking. Neither Namora nor he is willing to serve anyone, and he tells them to make up their minds before the army calls in the heavy artillery, and then they do. Holocaust is about to blast the tanks, but Calvin uses an optic blast to push his gun-arm off target. Calvin jumps him, but Holocaust knocks him into the next block; Creed tries to get everyone to stand down, but they attack. Holocaust slams Kevin into the ground, and when Namora jumps on his helmet to crack him open "like a lobster", he aims his gun-arm at her, warning them not to make him kill them.

  He explains the M'Kraan crystal is the nexus of all realities. McCoy figured out how to use it to go to another universe, and if they can match the Tallus's chronal frequency, they can take the Timebroker by surprise. Namora points out he may be listening to them now, but Holocaust still thinks it's worth trying; afterwards, they can continue fighting each other. Kevin worries that this universe may be destroyed, but Clarice says it may be the only way to rescue Heather and Beak. Creed is convinced; he's been wanting to get back at the Timebroker for 20 years. He has Clarice teleport them away.

  They go to the Yucatan, to a secret lab McCoy had in a crater lake. Namora swims down, past broken tanks full of even worse experiments than Sinister's. She fights off a mutated Tiger Shark and gets to the vault containing all the secrets of the M'Kraan crystal. The Timebroker appears to her, warning her Magneto is coming and trying to convince her to kill him. She says nothing and returns to the surface, just as Magneto and Sunfire arrive.

  Magneto's peeved to see some of his X-Men working with Holocaust and wonders where he's been hiding all year. Creed tries to explain, but Quicksilver rushes in and knocks Clarice down; Calvin pushes him into the cliffside, and Holocaust blasts Magneto, who deflects it with a force field. Sunfire blasts Namora, but she dives underwater and Calvin slams into him. Gambit arrives and attacks Kevin but hesitates when Kevin morphs into Quicksilver's form, and his card explodes in his hand. Holocaust is about to kill Magneto when Namora rushes in and cracks his helmet, knocking him out. She stands in the way so Holocaust can't kill him, saying that's what the Timebroker wants, and she has McCoy's notebook. The Timebroker appears to egg Holocaust on, but he won't give him the satisfaction. Clarice blinks the team away; Magneto asks the Timebroker why he wants him dead, but he says he couldn't care less about him and disappears.

  At the Air Force base, Holocaust left one scared scientist alive to help with the M'Kraan crystal. He gives him McCoy's notes and tells him to analyze the Tallus and lock the crystal onto its carrier signal. Calvin is worried that Clarice is abdicating her position as leader.

  All that's left is for Clarice to teleport them into the crystal, though she usually tries to avoid solid objects. They take a leap of faith and find themselves in a crystalline chamber, but nobody's home.