Inside his mind, Logan runs. He runs while the demons laugh and burn his mind down around him. The demons are razing everything that’s him to make room for themselves. The forest where he grew a tree each time he kills. The graveyard where he buries his regrets. And here, the little wall he’s built around his heart. There is where he’ll make his stand.
Entering the building, Logan dons samurai armor and grabs a sword. He knows that, if he’s going to survive this, he can’t hold back. Not that holding back is something he’s used to doing. It hurts just to be in this place. It stinks of shame, of secrets. But to hell with that now. If he’s going to save what’s left of his mind, he’s going to have to let them out, all of them.
As the demons crash through the door and into the building, Logan tells his followers this is it. Stand together, let no demon pass. If they die, they die as one. With that, Logan in his samurai gear is flanked by a number of his doppelgangers. Variations of him through the years – Team X, Weapon X, Patch, feral, Death, and a number of others. As they all leap into battle, Logan recognizes that they are hurting the demons but they just keep coming. And then, even in the midst of the fight, he feels it – the whole ground shaking. As bad as things are in there, who the hell knows what it’s like out there.
On Earth, Magneto levitates Hellverine in the air and begins to pull his adamantium out of him. As he does, he tells him that he’s sorry. He promises him that he takes no joy from this. Hellverine remarks too bad, because we most certainly will. A moment later, Magneto falls to the ground in a heap. Barely able to speak, Magneto realizes that Hellverine is choking him, repelling his powers; how is he doing this? Hellverine asks him that he doesn’t read the bible much, does he? Calling him a sad little man, he asks him where they know him from. Where oh where? Don’t worry, it will come to them.
Using his powers, Magneto lifts up a manhole cover, shatters it into a thousand pieces and hurls the shrapnel at Hellverine. Falling to the ground, Hellverine says that he, Magneto, was much younger the last time they met, wasn’t he? Where was that though? It’s right on the tip of their tongue. There’s something about that helmet of his, isn’t there? Something keeping them out of his mind. At that moment, a demon tentacle emits from Hellverine and removes Magneto’s helmet. Once he does, Hellverine remembers where he’s seen him before. Transforming into a Nazi soldier in front of Magneto, Hellverine tells him long time no see little Jew.
As Magneto cowers on the ground, Hellverine asks him that those were grand old days, were they not? And they will come again, they assure him, even grander than before. His Hitler was merely a novice in the ways of genocide. Behold his master. He has their permission to commence weeping if he likes. Hellverine then asks Magneto where his little friend who’s meant to… Oh, never mind, here he comes. Just then, Namor arrives on the scene, crashes into Hellverine and flies him through the air and plunges him into San Francisco Bay.
As they rush towards the dock, Emma Frost telepathically informs her lover, Cyclops, that Magneto’s down. When Scott asks Emma if Namor has Logan in the water, Emma confirms that he does. He’s trying to drown him. Scott then tells Emma that if Namor even starts to falter… Emma informs him that the water is boiling, blood everywhere, Namor’s enraged, he’s… he’s… My god, he’s burning underwater. He’s burning up. She then tells him that it’s over. Looking out into the water, both Scott and Emma see Namor’s lifeless body floating in the water and Hellverine emerging and walking on top of the water towards them. Running towards the shore, Scott tells Emma to go to plan B. He’ll hold him off until they get there. Emma replies that they’ll hold him off, she’s right behind him.
Just then, Emma telepathically contacts Dr. Nemesis, who is riding inside E.V.A. with Fantomex and tells him that plan B is a go. Readying his weapon, Nemesis tells her that he hears her and to stop yelling at him in his own damn head. They’re on their way. Nemesis turns to Fantomex and tells him they’re a go and asks him if he remembers the plan. Fantomex answers that he still remembers how to kill a man, if that’s what he’s asking. Nemesis says that “killing a man” is something any Neanderthal with a chunk of wood could do. What they are about to attempt is an extermination of only the most learned and scientifically sophisticated variety. Fantomex adds that they’re going to murder one of the world’s greatest heroes. He doesn’t believe they give you a Nobel Prize for that. Nemesis quips that he’s rather naïve for a pretend Frenchman, isn’t he?
On the dock, Emma informs Scott that plan B is en route. She then tells him to wait for her and not to try to take him alo… Just then, Melita Garner approaches Emma from behind and points a gun at her head. After she tells her to stop right there, Emma tells her that she could scramble her brain faster than she could even think about doing something so sophisticated as pulling a trigger. She then tells her to put down her weapon and run away in terror like a good little girl.
Melita defiantly answers no. Logan is still in there, fighting for control. They’re not giving up on him. They’re going to help him. Emma is going to help her. She has to. Turning around, Emma tells her that she knows this is difficult for her, but they don’t have time to… Cutting her off, Rogue, flanked by Jubilee, Storm, and Kitty Pryde tells Emma that Melita is right. She’s going to help save Logan, they all are. Rushing towards Scott, Emma remarks “help.” What a novel idea. They hadn’t thought of that one. She then calls the ladies blithering idiots and tells them to follow her.
Emma telepathically calls out to Scott and asks him if he’s still alive. Scott proceeds to tell her that he’s kinda busy. Once Hellverine gets close enough, Scott shoots him with his visor beam. Blocking it with his arm, Hellverine says to Scott that they can feel his fear. It’s not them he’s afraid of though, is it? Not dying either. Failure, that’s what frightens him. That’s the only thing. In which case, this is going to hurt. Once Hellverine reaches the beach, Scott has fallen to his knees, exhausted.
Before Hellverine can attack Scott, however, Rogue appears on the scene and punches Hellverine out. Grabbing hold of him with the winds, Storm indicates that she has him and that she will transport him across the bay to Angel Island. Rogue says let them be there when he lands. Helping Scott up, Emma informs him that they are going in for one last desperate brain raid. Scott begins to ask that she said… Emma tells him that she said her mind could have its guts ripped out, yes. But they wouldn’t be very good super heroes if they didn’t try something completely insane, now would they? If she does come back as a brain-dead invalid, promise her he’ll pull the plug before her looks start to go. As the women take off, Scott calls out to them to not to go. Kitty tells him that they’re not giving up on him. God knows he’d never give up on one of them. Storm adds to just stay out of their way.
As the ladies make their way towards the island, Emma tells them all that what they are about to do could potentially leave their brains leaking out of their ears like runny oatmeal while their bodies are employed as playground equipment for all the denizens of the underworld. She wants them all to understand that. Unfazed, Rogue and Melita just tell her to take them in.
Once they land, Emma informs Storm that Logan will have to be kept close. If he strays too far, she could lose the connection. Storm replies that he will not leave the beach. She will see to that. Melita then asks if they should all joint hands or… With a perturbed look on her face, Emma says that if she’d like them to start a pagan commune then yes, by all means, let’s hold hands and sing songs and vow to never shave their armpits. Or if she’d like to try and save her boyfriend, all she needs to do is close her eyes and clear her mind. And try not to scream any more than is absolutely necessary.
Inside his mind, some of the variations of Logan are being taken out by the demons. Logan, himself, recognizes that he is dying. One rotten chunk at a time. His mind is burning. His soul is melting like hot tar. Every thought he’d ever had is turning to ash. Drifting away. Disappearing like ash on the breeze. Continuing to fight, he clings to his last remaining ounces of rage. And desperation. And somewhere deep down inside, his one last little ember of hope. Just then, Logan turns around when he hears Emma saying “what a surprise.” The inside of Logan’s head smells like a burned out strip club. If ever there was a place in desperate need of a woman’s touch, she does believe they’re looking at it. She then tells her fellow compatriots that it’s time to get to work. Joining her, donning armor and weapons are Jubilee, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, and Melita.
From inside Logan’s head, a voice states that it’s not enough. Even with his allies by his side, it won’t be enough to save him. They’re going to lose. They’re going to suffer. And Logan… Logan is going to die. Logan will die and hell will conquer all and everything they see around them. It will all just cease to exist. Unless… Unless they open one last door.
As the source of the voice, a long coat wearing man clad in shadows, continues on his way, he passes a post of direction signs pointing in different directions. They read “the one that got away,” “what to do about Daken,” “the beer garden,” “memories of Mariko,” and “things that bug me about Scott.” Continuing his musings on the last door, the man states that it is the door that Logan’s buried deepest underground. The one he hoped never to open again. He’s sorry but this is for his own good. Reaching the door with a Phoenix symbol above it, Nightcrawler steps out of the shadows and places his hands on it. He muses that this is the only way to save Logan from hell. They’ve got to burn the demons out with some fire of their own.
