Golgotha

• Writer - Peter Milligan
• Penciler - Salvador Larroca
• Inker - Danny Miki
• Inker - Allen Martinez
• Lettering - Virtual Calligraphy
• Lettering - Cory Petit
• Colorist - Liquid!
• Ass't Editor - Sean Ryan
• Associated Editor - Nick Lowe
• Editor - Mike Marts
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Fall-Out

Summary

  NASA, Houston: O'Shea doesn't want mutants in outer space, not even to save the world from aliens. The president wants the military to handle it, and they have missiles pointed up, just for this eventuality. Emma tells him the alien mushrooms are sentient and will probably elude the missiles, land, and turn the world into a Hieronymus Bosch painting. O'Shea, after hearing that the X-Men have dealt with these aliens already, agrees to give them a week. Logan asks how they're going to get into space.

  While the Space Shuttle launches, Bobby asks Emma who Bosch is, but she's busy trying not to barf. They dock on a space station and see the swarm of mushrooms approaching: 362 of them. Lorna is bothered by being that close to madness, and Bobby tries to comfort her, saying she can stay behind if she needs to; Alex angrily tells him she's a vital part of the operation. He notes they've recently revealed things they normally wouldn't and wants to pretend none of it ever happened, and Emma agrees some things are better not to dwell on. Bobby thinks he's the picture of mental health, compared to the rest of them.

  Gazer enters; he's a mutant and is permanently stationed there, since his body metabolizes the high levels of radiation. Alex is disturbed to hear that, but Gazer assures him brief exposure won't harm them.

  The X-Men suit up for a space walk. Remy is going to use a bag of ball bearings and working with Bobby; he tells Rogue he doesn't want a cloud over them, and she asks if he's saying he's sorry. He says he didn't mean what he said (last iss.), but she says the word came from somewhere; he asks where the kiss with Logan came from, but then they need to go, so they kiss through the glass of their helmets.

  Logan wonders why Alex wanted him on this mission; he says the squad is new, and it's likely to get messy out there, and he wanted Logan's experience and cool head (kak!). Logan wonders if he's calling him a senior citizen, but he says he'll never be old: he's Wolverine.

  Alex has Rogue absorb some of his and Lorna's powers, and the three of them start blasting the aliens. Emma warns them about the monsters' telepathy, so they should keep busy and not think too much. Alex says that's second nature for Bobby, and the crack annoys Lorna.

  Alex's plan is for him, Lorna, and Rogue to cut a swathe through the aliens, while the others pick off the stragglers. Bobby thinks it's reckless and wonders if Alex is on an "If-I-cant-have-Lorna-no-one-can-have-her" trip. Lorna starts to ask about this, but Emma warns them not to think too much, or Golgotha will get them.

  Remy tries to get Bobby's attention, but he's lost track of Lorna and Alex. Rogue's lost her portion of their powers and is just a spectator now. Remy throws a charged ball bearing at an alien Bobby froze and warns them to watch out for flying splinters.

  An explosion destroys many of the aliens, and Logan wonders if Bobby is right about Alex, and this is "some sick spurned lover's suicide-thing"; Bobby says between seeing Lorna with him and trying to live up to his brother, he's likely to snap; Emma tells him to shut up. Logan goes toward the explosion, deciding this must be the reason he's on this mission.

  A bubble of energy destroys many of the aliens; they wonder if it's Alex and Lorna's doing, but Emma guesses it's an atavistic swarm instinct, that most of the aliens are dead, so the rest are committing self-annihilation; Logan guesses she's just making that up.

  They reestablish radio contact with Alex and Lorna; they heard the speculation about him having flipped, and Alex is ticked, but Logan says there's no telling for any of them: he's scared himself lately. Bobby goes to Lorna, but she's dazed, and Bobby blames Alex. She says "It looked right at me" and blasts the last alien. Bobby asks her what looked at her; she doesn't remember now, but she's glad he cares.

  On the way back on the Space Shuttle, Emma explains that Bosch was a painter of grotesque images of hell on earth, and that O'Shea only let them go to space because he thought they'd get killed, an inauspicious thought which she kept to herself.

  O'Shea calls the President, who doesn't want mutants to get credit: "I got nothing against those people personally, but that doesn't mean I want to turn them into heroes."

  Note: Our nation has real enemies and doesn't need to invent them, and the Republican Party didn't desire the attacks on our nation on Sept. 11. New Yorkers should know better. Perhaps it's an atavistic swarm instinct for self-annihilation.