Arakko (formerly known as Mars), where the Great Ring of Arakko is in session. Ororo Munroe a.k.a. Storm sits at the ring, alongside Lactuca the Knower, Isca the Unbeaten, Idyll the Future Seer, Xilo the First Defender, and Sobunar of the Depths, who stands nearby. Also seated with them is Tarn the Uncaring. Storm tells Tarn that he is right – she sits on the Great Ring of Arakko, but she still calls Krakoa home. 'Threaten that island and you threaten me' she warns him. Storm stands up as she assures Tarn that it is a very bad idea to threaten her. 'A thief calls Krakoa home, Ororo. The one who stole the sacrilegious blood of myself and my followers. So Krakoa has my attention which, by its nature, is a threat' Tarn explains. 'He's not listening. Anyone else?' Storm asks her companions. 'You speak as if you're on Amenth, where you do as you please. There is no fear for you here' Isca declares as she turns to Tarn. 'Oh? I think the Schools of Vile still inspire dread in some' Tarn responds.
Tarn looks at the blue-skinned woman sitting next to him and addresses her as Idyll the Future Seer as he points out that she seems stricken dumb, possibly hiding her voice so that he won't take it again. Xilo warns Tarn to test his words – test them harshly – before he speaks of the Abyssal Prisons here. Lactuca cryptically utters 'Simple simple. The Table Day will crush to dusky you before allow Amenth attack on Krakoa'. Storm looks at Tarn as she asks him if he hears them, to which Tarn confirms that he does, and that though he is a vengeful god, he will respect the Ring. 'Krakoa will remain innocent of my touch. You have the word of Tarn'. Idyll suddenly turns to Tarn, who looks at her and asks 'What?'
Later, at the Tower Vile, Tarn stands on a balcony and looks out over Planet Arakko. 'A virgin planet, bereft of scars. What a useless thing, this new Arakko' he utters. Suddenly, a small portal opens and glows yellow. Tarn turns to it as a blade is flung through the portal. Tarn catches it and recognizes the blade as Mother Rapture's blade fish. 'The vile have found the den of thieves?' Tarn asks, holding the weapon in his hand, before announcing that the fallen woman Fate has made a liar of him again – to Krakoa.
Bar Sinister, Krakoa, where the Locus Vile stand in front of the Hellions. 'We know your, plunderers of Amenth. We fed you the gift of death, and you spat it out' Mother Rapture declares, while Sick Bird tells them to come and be led to that dark pasture again. Hex Butcher, Amino Fetus and Mudgear the Recanter remain silent. 'Do you know what the hell they're talking about?' Havok asks. 'No' Kwannon tells him. 'Ooh, what will happen if all these little birdies start talking?' the Sinister clone asks, hands behind his back as he stands proud, Sinister's cape hanging from his shoulders. 'You were a mistake' Sinister snaps at his clone. 'Eat $#%&' his clone responds. Wild Child starts to growl, while Orphan Maker clenches his fists and exclaims 'I feel them in my blood, Nanny! I hate them!' and Nanny announces that she knows – and that it is intoxicating.
The Sinister clone goes over and stands with the Locus Vile as he tells the Hellions to remain polite. 'Believe me, if this escalates, it will end badly for you. I've seen it'. He announces that he has luckily earned the Vile's respect, that they listen to him and since it was that other repugnant Mr Sinister over there who truly stole from them, a deal might be able to be made. 'No. They die' Mother Rapture declares. The Sinister clone turns to Mother Rapture and remarks 'I see Tarn's not the only one with a penchant for CUTTING ME OFF AT THE KNEES' and tells her that he is trying to look cool in front of his friends. 'It was folly not to geld you' Mother Rapture responds. Wild Child continues to growl, while Orphan Maker tells Nanny that he is getting hot. 'I feel it. Napalm in my veins' Nanny utters. The Sinister clone turns to Mother Rapture and asks 'Surely you don't want to kill them again. Won't you be bored?' But Mother Rapture tells him that slaughter is a sacrament of which the holy never tire. 'Make murder, Locus Vile' Mother Rapture tells her companions. 'Priase Tarn' Mudgear the Recanter replies as he lumbers forward towards the Hellions.
'YOU DIE, PIG $#^&!' Nanny shrieks as she runs forward, Wild Child at her side, growling, while Orphan Maker follows them, weapon at the ready. 'Nanny?' Kwannon utters, surprised. 'WELCOME TO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE!' Nanny exclaims as she leaps into the air, dodging Mudgear's energy blast which he aims at her. 'DIE SLOW!' Nanny shouts as she yanks at the metal plate across Mudgear's face, drawing blood and causing him to scream. 'BLEED!' Wild Child snarls as his deadly claws slice Mudgear across his mid-section, severing his body. 'What's gotten into them?' Havok asks. Kwannon tells him that their thoughts are purified flame, that they were reborn for this. 'DON'T TOUCH MY FRIENDS!' Orphan Maker booms as he opens fire at the Locus Vile. 'They have found murder in their hearts' Mother Rapture points out. 'Yes, the dim one moves with violent purpose' Sick Bird agrees, dodging Orphan Maker's weapons-fire.
'Some of them came back... different' Sinister remarks. 'Thank you, professor. But the boy journeys too close to Amino Fetus. His powers are forfeit' the clone replies, watching as Orphan Maker appears behind the large Amino Fetus. 'Catch, fathead!' Orphan Maker calls out, throwing a bomb towards his opponent. 'GOR GOR?' Amino Fetus asks, before the bomb explodes against him. 'And his grenades? Are his grenades forfeit?' Sinister asks. 'Shut up' the clone snaps. Wild Child, Nanny and Orphan Maker regroup with the other Hellions, and Greycrow asks Wild Child if he is all right. 'Not while they breathe' Wild Child replies. 'Okay, then' Greycrow responds. Mother Rapture beckons the Hellions to come, boasting that the Locus Vile do not fear death, as they know Tarn. 'But Tarn isn't here' Orphan Maker points out. 'No... but soon' Mother Rapture replies.
At that moment, a portal opens next to her, glowing yellow, as the blade fish returns to her. 'This is a holy thing you see. The Blade fish despoil reality itself' Mother Rapture explains. 'This is hot' Empath utters, wide-eyed. Havok turns to him and tells him to shut up, while Mother Rapture takes the Blade Fish and tells the Hellions that their world will know the reaming touch of Tarn. 'Come, witness the birth of your uncaring god. Witness the birth of Tarn!' Mother Rapture calls out as Tarn makes his way onto Krakoa through the glowing portal. 'Where the Blade Fish go, I may follow' Tarn announces. 'Praise Tarn' Mother Rapture exclaims. '%&*! TARN!' Nanny shouts as she and Wild Child lunge towards the new arrival. 'You have died and been reborn, and yet you know me still' Tarn utters, he reaches for Nanny and swats her away into one of the crystals, shattering it. 'And so you prove my perversions transcend life and death' Tarn points out. As Wild Child is about to leap at him, Tarn reaches for Wild Child and uses some power to hold him mid-air. 'You have become my church' Tarn utters.
Havok, Kwannon, Greycrow and Empath are all forced to their knees with this power as Tarn orders them to kneel. Orphan Maker reminds standing, although his knees begin to buckle. 'Yes, Father! Break their souls!' Sick Bird calls out, clapping. Wild Child tries to resist Tarn, who comments that Wild Child has more mettle than when they last met. 'Your genes dance to the music of Amenth' Tarn utters, before raising him up higher above him, telling him that he doesn't know how he stole this tune. 'But as you took it... I TAKE IT BACK!' Tarn calls out, his eyes glowing, as Wild Child begins to howl, as Tarn takes the stolen strength from Wild Child. Wild Child drops to the ground and scampers away from Tarn. 'Return as you came to Amenth, weak and damned' Tarn declares. Wild Child cowers behind Kwannon who tells him that it is okay, as she is here.
'Let this be a tenet of your new church: That which is stolen from your god will become like boils on your soul -' Tarn begins, before Mr Sinister interrupts him: 'Excuse me...loving all the...words. But if I could grab a second -' to which Sick Bird tells Sinister to silence himself in the presence of Tarn. Sick Bird puts one of her needle-like weapons to Sinister's throat and asks 'Shall I mate my spine-spike with his sacred cord, Father? Know the whole of him before he dies at your feet?' Sick Bird asks. But Tarn tells her to get away, as Sinister interests him. 'You're the one who sent thieves to my land?' Tarn asks, looking at Sinister. 'That's a loaded way to ask that. But I suppose, after a fashion -' Sinister begins, before he lurches backwards, as Tarn places him under his control. 'Shh. I ask the hidden you' Tarn tells Sinister as he reads his mind.
Tarn grins as he learns that Sinister coveted the genetic fruits of his sadism, and spun a web of lies so his children would steal them from him. 'But do they know how you repaid them?' Tarn asks. 'Perhaps they should' Tarn declares, speaking through Greycrow, Psylocke and Havok who he puts under his control. 'Perhaps they will' Tarn adds, as suddenly, images flash through their minds – Sinister holding the genetic material stolen from Tarn. More images, of Sinister shooting Havok, Greycrow being torn to shreds and Kwannon being skewered with a blade. 'He waited for us to get back with his stuff and then...' Greycrow begins. 'Killed us?' Havok asks. 'Yes. To keep the payload secret. This is too much, Sinister' Kwannon calls out. Sinister turns to the Hellions and tells them not to be fooled by these lies. But the clone smiles and suggests that they mustn't take the literla memories of events at face value. 'I'M GONNA TAKE YOUR EYES, ESSEX!' Greycrow shouts. 'Yes. I like that idea' Tarn grins. 'Do that' he tells Greycrow.
'He could. Or you could all... and say it with me, kids... eat $#%&!' Sinister replies as he presses the button on a small device he is carrying. Suddenly, the crystal tanks that are situated around cave all open and more Sinister clones step into the room. 'Hooray' they all call out at once. 'HOORAY IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY!' they shout, before they start walking towards Tarn, asking him if he is here to celebrate. 'Sacrilege' the wide-eyed Tarn utters. 'BEAUTIFUL SACRILEGE!' Tarn booms as he blasts several of the clones backwards, while more start rushing towards him. Tarn tells his Vile to make murder, so Sick Bird and Mother Rapture attack the clones, cutting their way through them. The first Sinister clone sees the original Sinister start to run away from the battle. 'You think you can just run away? Turn around and face me!' the clone shouts. 'Do you want to see what I've been working on or not?' Sinister calls back to him. 'What could it possibly be that would make up for the pain and suffering -' the clone begins, before Sinister announces 'Chimera'. The clone stops talking, before he replies 'Okay. You got me. Let's go'. They then both run towards a Krakoan gateway, while Kwannon calls out after them. 'Sinister! Where are you going, Essex?' she shouts, the other Hellions gather around her.
Sinister looks back from the portal and reveals that he is going through a no-gate keyed solely to Essex DNA, of course, linked to a location that they would all do well to keep secret. 'Wouldn't want this Amenthian psycho to show up and start breaking things not when I've stored such precious cargo there' Sinister calls back. 'ESSEX!' Kwannon screams, clenching her fists. 'Keep them busy for us, will you?' Sinister asks as he and the clone disappear into the portal. Kwannon drops to her knees as Wild Child, Orphan Maker, Greycrow, Nanny, Empath and Havok stand behind her, and Sinister adds 'Tarn will need something to play with'.
