X-Men: Gold #28

Issue Date: 
July 2018
Story Title: 
‘Til Death Do Us Part – part 3
Staff: 

Marc Guggenheim (writer), Michele Bandini (artist), Arif Prianot (colorist), David Marquez (flashback artist), Matthew Wilson (flashback colorist), VC’s Cory Petit (letterer), Phil Noto (cover artist), Jay Bowen & Anthony Gambino (graphic designers), Chris Robinson (assistant editor), Darren Shan (editors), 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: 

Some time ago, Colossus was believed dead while he was a prisoner being experimented upon. When he was finally freed by Kitty Pryde, he thought he was in Heaven. In the present, Alpha escapes with Colossus aboard a rocket into the sky. The X-Men learn from Lydia Nance that Alpha will use Colossus’ blood to create a virus to kill all mutants and disperse it on Earth via nanites. They also learn that he has taken Colossus to the defunct Roxxon space station. Kitty orders Pyro and Iceman to stay behind. The rest are teleported from the Triskelion to the Alpha Flight Station. Alpha Flight lend them a ship and they fly to the Roxxon Station. When missiles attack and damage the ship, Kitty phases their ship right into the station. They are attacked by more Alpha clones. The others fight them, while Kitty goes search for Colossus.

Full Summary: 

Flashback:
Genetech Laboratories, years ago:
Piotr Rasputin aka Colossus believed dead by the world is held as a prisoner to be experimented upon. He is chained to a slab until a series of explosions free him. He prays that this is how it finally ends and he will be free. And then he sees her – Kitty Pryde – and allows himself to think it is true: He is finally DEAD and this is Heaven…

Now:
A rocket flies upward from a fortress in the Savage Land. It is piloted by the nano-Sentinel Alpha and, once again, Colossus is a prisoner to be experimented upon. Alpha informs him that the procedure to extract the Legacy virus from his blood will not kill him, in case he is worried about that. He isn’t! Piotr hisses. He is filled with too much rage! Alpha continues that while the procedure will not kill him, the result of it surely will.

On the ground, Storm and Iceman quell an explosion by combining their powers.

Rachel informs Kitty that Peter is on that ship. Lydia Nance flanked by an army of Sentinels announces it is over. Kitty shouts at her, demanding to know what she wants with him. Seeing no reason to lie, Nance replies that his blood contains traces of the Legacy virus. Dr. Rao harvested those traces to create Hope, her cure for mutancy. They have devised a different sort of cure. A cure for the plague that is mutantkind. Self-replicating nanites will kill everyone with an X-gene. Alpha will spread those nanites across the globe from orbit.

Rachel snarls, that’s genocide! To their species yes, is the reply. To hers, it’s survival. She is not a monster. To prove it, she is sending Alpha’s drones away. She’s going to permit them to leave this place, get back on their mutie plane and return home. Hug their loved ones. Make their peace. Say their good-byes.

She is going to permit all this? Kitty asks sarcastically. Nance shrugs. Why not? They can’t stop what is about to happen. And allowing them the opportunity for some closure is the human thing to do. They should really try it some time.

Rachel asks if Kitty wants her to switch Nance off. Instead, Kitty does the job herself by decking Nance. He wanted to do that, Nightcrawler complains. Rachel suggests she dig into her brain for some behavior modification. Nightcrawler debates the ethics of that. Rachel reminds him they are facing genocide. Kitty agrees they have bigger worries than Nance and asks for the rest of the team to call in.

The others are fine and report the mini Sentinels have vanished. Kitty asks them to gather at the jet. She‘ll explain en route. En route to where? Rogue asks.

In the jet, their prisoner Lydia Nance asks if they want to torture he information out of her. She is fully prepared to withstand all torture. Does she really think them that inhuman? Storm asks. She doesn’t think of them as human at all, is her reply.

Rachel has had enough and intends to pull the information out of Nance’s mind telepathically. However, she finds the woman has psi-shields. Nance replies with a smirk. Rachel attacks her telepathically to wipe the grin off her face. Kitty wants to hold her back. Rachel asks if she doesn’t want the information. She digs deeper and finds out Peter has been taken to an abandoned Roxxon Oil space station.

Looks like they are going to outer space, Kitty announces and asks Iceman and Pyro to be back-up and watch Nance. Rogue asks how they will get into space? The answer lies in the Triskelion, from where they are teleported to the Alpha Flight space station. Up there, Puck welcomes them.

Puck asks if they want some muscle as well as a ship. Kitty asks him instead for Alpha’s pilots to shoot down anything that might come from the Roxxon station. Puck promises that they will do that and wishes them good luck.

Nightcrawler quickly manages to pilot the ship but warns Kitty the true test will come when they face Roxxon station’s offensive capabilities. Kitty scoffs it is a defunct station that was run by an oil conglomerate. What makes him think they even have weapons? No particular reason, is the wry response as the station fires dozens of missiles at them.

Kitty orders evasive action. Now why didn’t he think of that, is the sarcastic reply.

Gambit warns that there are more to come. Rachel tries to take out the missiles telekinetically but there are too many. Storm announces that she will handle them. When they ask how, she replies ‘Stormcaster’ and outside lightning destroys all of them, leaving Kitty to marvel what the hammer has made her friend capable of.

Rachel asks if that was Lydia Nance’s anti-mutant weapon. Kitty replies that was just the anti-them missiles. That moment, Rogue shouts one missile slipped though. It hits them and Nightcrawer loses control of the ship. Kitty asks for him to try and steer the ship toward the station. Gambit points out then they’ll crash right into it. No, is Kitty’s reply as she begins to phase the whole ship right into the station.

The others are shaken but all right. Kitty asks Prestige to scan for Peter. She senses him but something else as well. Moments later, the Alpha Sentinel clones attack. Rachel shouts she found Peter four levels below them. The others assure Kitty they’ve got it handled and she phases downward, praying Peter will hang on.

Characters Involved: 

Colossus, Gambit, Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler, Prestige, Pyro II, Rogue, Storm (X-Men)
Puck (Alpha Flight)

Lydia Nance
Alpha

In flashback:
Colossus, Kitty Pryde

Story Notes: 

The flashback is from Astonishing X-Men (3rd series) #5.

Written By: