Wolverine (2nd series) #81

Issue Date: 
May 1994
Story Title: 
Storm Warning!
Staff: 

Larry Hama (script), Adam Kubert (pencils & cover), Mike Sellers & Mark Farmer (inkers), Pat Brosseau (lettering), Marie Javins (coloring), Bob Harras (editor), Tom DeFalco (editor-in-chief)

Brief Description: 

On the dock of Muir Island, Logan has gone insane. He attempts to injure Zoe Culloden, Moira McTaggert, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler, nearly succeeding before he is subdued. As he is being examined, Moira discovers that he has been poisoned. Over on the other dock, the crashed ambulance is found, but Cyber is not in inside. Instead, he has made his way out to sea and commandeered a speedboat by killing the couple who inhabited it. He then makes his way to finish off Logan. While Moira attempts to transfer Logan to a neutralization module for detox, the power goes out, thanks to Cyber. Eventually, Logan comes out of his haze right before Cyber finds them and attacks them. The combined forces of Zoe, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler are no match for him and Cyber directs his attention towards Logan. When he tackles him into the module, Kitty rushes in, saves Logan from further damage and gets him out of the module before the door is slammed and locked trapping Cyber inside. The module is an impenetrable area and Cyber cannot escape. With the threat taken care of, Logan walks off with Kitty, as they have much to talk about.

Full Summary: 

On the docks of Muir Island, a crazed Logan is frothing at the mouth. Zoe Culloden has her arms around him trying to calm him down but Logan yells at her to let go o’ him ‘fore he rips their arms off. He knows who they are. They’re in cahoots with him, they’re all in cahoots with him. Zoe asks Logan who he is raving about, who is this mysterious “him?” As she is tossed away, Logan says Magneto. They’re all just stooges o’ Magneto. He had it planned all from the beginnin’ – they just want his adamantium.

Dr. Moira McTaggert calls out to Logan that he knows he cannae bring an uncleared stranger to Muir Island. Kitty Pryde tells Moira to lighten up, can’t she see that something’s really wrong with Wolverine? Nightcrawler agrees with her and wonders aloud who he brought with him.

At that moment, Zoe pulls out a gun and points it at Logan. She tells him that will be quite enough. Nightcrawler notices the gun and tells Kitty about it. Kitty tells him she will take care of the gun while he deals with Wolverine. Kitty then kicks the gun out of Zoe’s hand. Zoe calls her a little fool and informs her that she doesn’t understand. Logan challenges Nightcrawler, the little blue punk, if he’s gonna deal with him. He tells him to put that tail between his legs and slink away before he sends him to a world o’ hurt. Nightcrawler tells him nein, mein freund, this is not the Wolverine he knows talking. Moira yells to Kurt to hold him still, the pneumatic hypodermic will rip tissue if he moves while she injects the sedative.

As Nightcrawler has his body wrapped around Logan’s, trying to hold him still, Logan pops his bone claws. Kurt asks him what he has done to his claws. Logan asks what has he done? What have him and his buddies Magneto and Cyber done to him? They messed up his mutant healin’ factor by leachin’ the adamantium out o’ him and they snapped off the bone claws that were left. Kurt tells him that he’s babbling nonsense; they’re his friends. Logan flings him away and tells him friends don’t drag ya down. Just then, Kitty phases her arm into Logan’s side and tells Moira to sedate him quickly after her phasing disorients him. Just as fast, Moira does so and Logan collapses on the dock in a heap.

With Logan down, Kitty asks the new lady who she is and what she was doing with Logan and why did she try to shoot him. Zoe Culloden introduces herself and says that she is from Landau, Luckman and Lake. She is a friend of Mr. Logan’s. They had a bit of a row with a chap named Cyber which resulted in Mr. Logan being… umm – rather out of sorts. She adds that Cyber met a grisly fate riding a flaming ambulance off a short pier. As for her attempt to “shoot” Mr. Logan, it was a passive restraint. Kurt picks up the gun, and fires it. What comes out is rope that would have restrained Logan.

Zoe asks Kitty if she is Kitty Pryde a.k.a. Shadowcat? She has to update her files, for she’s grown. Kitty asks Zoe just what kind of friends she is with Logan. Moira tells her to forget about it. She needs her to phase Logan to a lighter mass so they can carry him up to the lab. Moira then adds that he’s been poisoned and shot full of hallucinogens.

Across the firth, the excursion has begun on the ambulance. Upon seeing it, Colonel Mack asks Inspector McCleod isn’t that the same ambulance that was hijacked in Edinburgh. McCleod admits that it is, no doubt about it. Surveying the wreckage Mack points out that nothing lived through that. McCleod points out that they said the same thing back at the bank building. One of the divers pops up out of the water and reports there’s nothing down there. If there was a corpse, the fishies ‘ad him fer tea. McCleod informs Mack that the ferry never docked at the isle o’ Tight where it was supposed to. Looking out on the water, Colonel Mack sees a speedboat and calls them fools. Don’t they know there’s a storm brewin’?

Out on the speedboat, Daphne tells Reg that it’s a bit of a chop. Reg tells Daphne that he can’t hear a word. Merlin twelve-banger, she knows – awful din. He then asks her if they have any more Dom Perignon left. He adds that there’s only two things the froggies can do right – bottle champers and surrender to the Boche. Just then, a loud noise is heard from the water. Daphne points out to Reg that he’s hit something or somebody. Reg rises from his seat armed with a bottle of champagne. As he and Daphne go over to the edge of the boat, he says that it’s probably some lower-class, no doubt. If he’s holed his hull, he’ll have his solicitor eat him for breakfast.

At that moment, Cyber pops out from the water and grabs both of them by the necks. He tells them both that he just might be too well done for his taste and asks them s’matter. Does his burned up mug offend their delicate sensibilities? Cyber tells them that he can fix that, he can fix that permanently!

In the lab at Muir Island, Logan is strapped down so he can be analyzed. Moira informs those present that there are toxic alkaloids, a dozen different organic poisons and traces of hallucinogenic alkaloids. She then notices lophophora williamsii and exclaims that his blood scan is nae good. Moira informs Kurt that they need to run him through dialysis; they need to flush out his whole system. Kurt inquires if his claws are all related. While they are talking, Zoe tells Kitty that her dossier is quite an entertaining read if one’s taste runs towards pulp. Kitty replies by pointing to her face and tells her to see this; that’s how much she cares what she thinks. Moira proceeds to tell Kurt that she cannae work with them snapping at each other. Kurt goes over to them and escorts them out of the lab. He tells them that they are short handed with Rachel gone and Brian still recovering. He then asks them if they could both see to the storm shutters.

When Kurt heads back to Moira, she asks him what came over Kitty. She’s usually much more sensible. Kurt informs her that Kitty and Logan were close. It is hard to… Just then, Kurt stops mid-sentence and asks what is happening to Logan’s face. Moira tells him that it’s some sort of tissue regeneration. In the control room, Zoe mentions the names Kitty Pryde and Jubilation Lee and asks why Logan keeps forming interdependent relationships with adolescent girls. Kitty shoots back that maybe he needs some female friends who aren’t just interested in ripping his heart out.

In the water, Cyber continues to commandeer the speedboat towards Muir Island. As he does, he laughs I say bit of a chop, wot? He gave her a chop all right. Finishing up the alcohol he calls out to Wolverine and tells him that he’s coming’ ta get him.

Back inside the lab at Muir Island, Kitty and Zoe rush back in. Kitty tells Kurt and Moira that the storm shutters are all secured and what else can… She then asks why they are strapping Logan onto a security gurney. Moira informs her that they need to scrub Wolvie’s system to get rid of the life-threatening poisons first and they have to leave the hallucinogens for last. In his present state, he is a danger to himself. They dinnae ha’e any choice but to put him into a neutralization module. Kitty tells her that she can’t throw Logan in one of the “meat lockers” – they’re for criminally dangerous mutants. Moira tells her that it’s the only way to save him.

Just then, Logan wakes up and snaps his restraints. Kurt calls out for the auxiliary restraints. Zoe is able to restrain him, while Moira reminds them not to hurt him. Kitty exclaims that he almost slashed her throat. Kurt tells her that he didn’t mean it. In Logan’s mind, he hears them saying hurt him, hurt him. Slash his throat. Cut him. Gut him. He calls out and asks what they are saying, why are they all turning on him. As they rush him down the hall, they tell him that they’ll take care of him but all Logan can see are four Magnetos rushing him down the hall telling him that they’ll take care of him.

Outside the neutralization module, Moira completes a hand-print recognition and numeric code. When she does, an alarm suddenly goes off. Kurt exclaims that it’s the intruder alarm. They have an uninvited guest… again. Zoe looks at the door and recognizes that it’s a hydraulic-locking moly-steel vault door. She mentions that it’s not too secure, is it. Moira informs her that there’s also an internal stasis field generator and two layers of psi-shielding. She then tells Kurt to run a security check. When he does, Kurt mentions that external cameras show a speedboat on the rocks and the infrared sensors indicate an intruder in the power plant. He adds that the amperage is fluctuating. Upon hearing that, Moira tells the others to hurry. They ha’e to get Logan locked inside before…

Before Moira can finish her thought, a large explosion occurs and the power goes out. As Moira and Kitty hold Logan up, Moira says that’s done it now. They cannae lock the module withoot electrical power. Aloud, she wonders ware the bloody back-up generator is.

In the area of the facility that houses the back-up generator, Cyber has destroyed it with his bare hands. When he’s finished he says lights out and begins to laugh. To nobody in particular he tells them that they better send somebody out to change the fuse. He tells them to send out the little hair-ball runt. When nobody comes, he decides that he has to go in there an’ get him himself.

Outside the module, Zoe asks Moira if there is a manual override. Moira says tat there is and it activates the emergency battery to power the magnetic locking… Hearing what he thought was the name of Magneto, Logan goes into an absolute frenzy. He tosses Kitty and Moira away like they were rag dolls. In the process, Moira smacks her head on a piece of machinery. Logan pops his claws and accuses them all of being traitors – toadies o’ Magneto. He tells them that they can tear the adamantium out o’ him, they can nearly burn out his mutant healin’ factor, but he’s still the best at what he does.

In another section of the facility, Cyber continues to plow his way towards his prey. As he does, he calls out to Wolverine that this is gonna be choice. He’s gonna rip the meat right off his non-adamantium bones and gonna make him a world o’ rottin’ meat outta him. A jillion flies are gonna lay maggots all over… When a bee lands on his shoulder and begins to buzz, Cyber stops mid-sentence and asks the bee what he said – Wolverine is upstairs waitin’ on him? He tells the bee well heck, he knew that.

Back outside the module, Kitty stands before Logan and tells him that it’s her. Both Zoe and Kurt protest but Kitty continues to plead with him. When Logan looks at her all he can see is Magneto baring down on him. He lashes out at Kitty and goes to kill her. When he does, he sees the images of Mariko, Kitty, Silver Fox, Jubilee and Jean Grey. Realizing what he has done, he calls out no – what has he done? He killed her, he… Kitty appears before him in full form and tells him that she’s all right, she phased out at the last second. Logan puts his hand to his forehead and ponders phased – k – k… kitten and comes to his senses.

Before anymore can be said, a loud sound is heard and Cyber appears. He tells them that the time has come the walrus said to twist off Logan’s head, to yank his brains out through his nose and hang it in the shed. But first, he’s gonna claw him up and fill him full of bad dreams and poison.

At that moment, Kitty, Kurt, and Zoe leap into action. Kitty tells Cyber that he’ll have to get past them first. Kurt backs her up and tells Cyber that Shadowcat and he don’t abandon their friends. Zoe jumps in as well and tells him that Landau, Luckman and Lake doesn’t abandon their clients. With one punch, Cyber punches them away, calls them a buncha’ chumps and small potatoes, and tells them to bring on the main event. Across the room, Logan tells Cyber that he’s right there and challenges him to come on so he can gouge out his other eye and even up his ugly mug. Cyber replies “hoo-ha” and tells Logan that he sure does know how to punch all the right buttons, don’t he?

With no further action, Cyber leaps at Logan and tackles him into the neutralization module. As Logan tries to keep Cyber’s claws away from him, Cyber tells him that he’s gonna make earrings outta his eyeballs. Logan responds by telling him to not look now but he ain’t got no ears.

Once she has recovered, Kitty rushes into the module to the chagrin of Kurt. There, she tells Logan to grab her hand just as Cyber brings his claws down onto Logan’s head. Using Kitty’s power, Cyber’s attempted attack has no effect. Kitty is then able to get Logan up and they make their way towards the door of the neutralization module. Kitty yells to Zoe to shut the door. Zoe works on it but says they’re still in there. She then says “incredible” and realizes Kitty is going to phase through the door. At that point, Zoe is able to get the door slammed shut.

As Kitty makes her way through the door, Zoe asks her about… Kitty says Wolverine’s name and tells her that she can alter the atomic vibrations of whomever she’s touching too. Once Wolverine makes his way through the door, Moira activates the lock and traps Cyber inside.

On the other side of the door, they can see that Cyber is yelling at them and going nuts. Moira tells the others that they cannae hear him until they get their power back on. Zoe tells her that it’s no great loss. As they walk away, Logan tells Kitty to give him a shoulder to lean on. The ol’ canuckle-head’s a bit unsteady today. He then tells her that she and him have got a lotta talkin’ to do and asks her if she knows that. Logan then says that he guesses that she does.

Characters Involved: 

Wolverine/Logan

Moira McTaggert, Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde, and Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner (all members of Excalibur)

Zoe Culloden

Cyber

Inspector McCleod, Colonel Mack (members of the Scottish police)

Various members of the Scottish police (all unnamed)

Reg and Daphne (victims of Cyber)

In Wolverine’s warped mind:

Magneto

Mariko Yashida, Silver Fox, Jubilee, and Jean Grey

Story Notes: 

Wolverine had the adamantium ripped out of him by Magneto in X-Men (2nd series) #25. He was poisoned by Cyber in Wolverine (2nd series) #79.

Rachel leaving Excalibur and Brian Braddock (Captain Britain) being injured occurred in Excalibur (1st series) #75.

Dom Perignon is a very famous and expensive type of champagne.

Lophophora williamsii is better known by its common name Peyote. It comes from a small, spineless cactus well known for its psychoactive alkaloids. It is used world wide mainly as a recreational drug, causing the user to experience visual hallucinations and radically altered states of consciousness. These hallucinations are often experienced as pleasurable and illuminating but on occasion are accompanied by feelings of anxiety or revulsion. Peyote is also used as a supplement to various transcendence practices.

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