Age of X-Man: Apocalypse and the X-Tracts #3

Issue Date: 
July 2019
Story Title: 
untitled
Staff: 

Tim Seeley (writer), Salva Espin (artist), Israel Silva (colorist), VC’s Travis Lanham (letterer), Gerardo Sandoval & Israel Silva (cover artists), Inhuyk Lee; Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz & Nolan Woodard (variant cover artists), Annalise Bissa (assistant editor), Jordan D. White (editor), C.B. Cebulski (editor-in-chief), Joe Quesada (chief creative officer), Dan Buckley (publisher), Alan Fine (executive producer)
X-Men created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby

Brief Description: 

In Kazakhstan, Dazzler and Unveil fight Omega Red, while Genesis takes care of the badly injured Eye-Boy nearby. He tries to use the cosmic energy he shares with his father to heal Eye-Boy but fails. In the process, the two come clear with their problems with each other. When Genesis senses that Dazzler and Unveil are being overwhelmed, he joins the battle. In New York, Colossus visits his gallery to find he has a guest – Kitty Pryde. As the two wonder about their connection and attraction, they are joined by a furious En Sabah Nur, who accuses Colossus of manipulating Kitty. He drags her back and warns her that she can trust only him.

Full Summary: 

Russia. The Light Riders have sought refuge in an abandoned house. Eye-Boy is badly hurt and they are aware that Omega Red, the mutant they sought to rescue, is out there killing as he killed an X-Squad for them.

While outside, Omega Red kills a shepherd, Dazzler stresses that she cannot accept the deaths of innocents. They join in Unveil’s mists and decide. Evan is to stay with Eye Boy, while Unveil and Dazzler will confront Omega Red.

In the meantime, an X-Men jet lands on Times Square. The pilot X-23 asks Colossus if he is alright. He’s been kinda spacey since the rally by En Sabah Nur. He explains that she knows how artists can be when they are inspired. And he’s been inspired enough to produce much new work for his gallery.

Inspired by that touchy-feely nutcase? she asks. Quickly, he replies he has been inspired by his revulsion to what he said. X-23 doesn’t think much of art. But it’s a good excuse for being alone.

He agrees and muses about being alone as he enters his gallery. He tells himself that this ideology is like a wildfire that must be contained to this room, where he keeps certain pictures. To his surprise, inside he sees Kitty Pryde looking at abstract images that still are about her, as she quickly realizes.

In an abandoned home in Kazakhstan, Genesis explains to Eye Boy that his father gave him a part of his energy. With it, he can even regenerate lost limbs. He tells him to close his eyes and hits him with a blast, but Eye Boy cries out in pain and orders him to stop. Evan apologizes that he lacks experience. Trevor tells him he tried. He always tries. Evan agrees but the fact is he came to his father’s favor by birth and that is why Trevor doesn’t like him.

Trevor asks him to no make this more uncomfortable. It’s not that he doesn’t like him, it’s… He breaks off. Look, he’s got all these eyes and they help him see better than anyone else. He sees dust mites and microwaves and the twitch on someone’s face before the punch. But the X-Men had the wool tied around his eyes. He was so wrapped up in their world that he didn’t notice that something was fundamentally wrong. When he finally saw the truth, it hurt like looking at the sun after spending time in the dark. It hurt so much he almost died. But Evan didn’t suffer to be free. Not like Kitty or Alison or Sharesse. And especially not like Murshid. He admits to being jealous of him. He was born free and faithful.

After some silence, Evan replies that is not true. The Celestial power he shares with his father flows between them like in a circuit. It connects them. Sometimes deeply. And sometimes he sees things. Maybe of his past or dreams. Glimpses into the universes. Recently, he has seen frightening things. Things that could not be true but seemed too real to be false. And he is overcome by terrible guilt. Because if he can doubt someone as beloved as En Sabah Nur, maybe he is not worthy of his father’s faith in him.

Trevor has sunk down.

Elsewhere, Dazzler and Unveil tag-team Omega Red. Unveil tries to distract him with her mists, while Dazzler attacks. Unfortunately, Omega Red doesn’t breathe in the mists.

Unveil realize he is some sort of vampire, using his tendrils to suck up life energy. Dazzler creates a mallet out of solid light and strikes.

In Colossus’ gallery, an agitated Piotr warns Kitty to leave. The X-Men monitor his interactions. Jean or Nathan will find her. Self-assured, Kitty replies in the negative and shows him a small object. As long as she carries Unveil, she is a ghost to them. A ghost, he agrees, meaning something else.

Kitty asks him if they knew each other. He admits he doesn’t know. But, when he saw her at the rally, it felt like a piece he didn’t know was missing, was returned to its proper place. It frightens him, he admits calling her Katherine. She admits it’s the same for her. But him using her full name sounds weird. Friends call her… Katya he finishes her sentence. No, but she likes it.

A moment later, a furious En Sabah Nur steps through a teleportation gate. He orders Colossus to stay where he is and Shadowcat to his side. Colossus gets up and seriously asks if he can help with their feelings. Instead, En Sabah Nur hits him with a large mallet he forms out of his arm. Furiously, he keeps on hitting while Colossus stays in his human form and tries to reason. He rants finally hat he won’t let the X-Men take his prophets away from him. Colossus finally turns metal.

Kitty tries to hold En Sabah Nur back, telling him she came here. He asks if she believes she did this out of her free will. She is still plagued by the aftereffects of the X-Men’s cruel programming. She had an episode earlier today. She can’t know what she truly wants because she can’t be sure what’s truly her. And she certainly can’t be sure of her feelings about the X-Men… the very beings who tries to strip her of her.

He stresses she can trust only him. She turns away and agrees. En Sabah Nur warns Colossus never to come close to her again and teleports the two of them away, while Colossus pleads he just wanted to hold her…

In Kazhakstan, Unveil keeps Omega Red dazzled, while Dazzler hits him with solid light weapons. He calls them idiots and claims they don’t realize that they are prisoners.

He is on the ground but Dazzler hesitates. Unveil asks if she should help her, dull her inhibition. Dazzler replies she can do it. Suddenly, they realize there is something strange in the air and being to cough.

In the house Genesis senses their distress.

Omega Red speaks that his masters did not give him those tongues to help him kill his enemies. They gave them to him in hope of focusing the death factor that spreads from his veins. They tried to contain him. But nothing can hold him. His tentacles grab the two women.

Evan covers Trevor with a blanket, then races outside. He attacks, having transformed into a bulked-up Captain America style version of himself.

Characters Involved: 

En Sabah Nur
Dazzler, Eye-Boy, Shadowcat, Unveil (Light Riders)
Genesis II

Colossus. X-23 (X-Men)

Omega Red

Written By: