When the Foolkiller awoke seven months ago, no elder marked his rebirth with ceremony and invocation. Those who were to be the Foolkiller’s fellow soldiers lay rotting in their tubes, untransformed. The city above the Foolkiller had been burned to the ground, skeletons littered across the streets. The Foolkiller was alone, and the Lawless were responsible for that.
Four years ago, the Lawless came to the town known as New Hope. The town elders offered the Lawless the chance to renounce their wicked ways, but instead they killed every god-fearing man, woman and child. Had the Foolkiller not been deep in the long sleep of the Revival Chamber, he too might have died that day. Thankfully, the Foolkiller says, the Lord has spared him so that he might become the Angel of Vengeance and carry out judgment upon those who slaughtered his people.
Mongrel asks the Foolkiller why he didn’t kill him yet then, if he is supposed to do it. Because the Foolkiller knows that Mongrel’s friends will come after him. Mongrel taunts the Foolkiller that he can shut up for a few moments then, because he can’t stand hearing to his gibberish anymore. Mongrel says that he doesn’t question the Foolkiller’s motives, but he does inform the Foolkiller that New Hope was a town consisting out of nothing but psychopaths.
The Foolkiller angrily denies that and says that he knows that New Hope were the last group of people who truly believed in God and Family. They were good people who were free of the mega-corporations and their associates. Mongrel calls those people crazy, this upsetting the Foolkiller even more. The Foolkiller wants to kill Mongrel, but just in time the other former Lawless members crash in!
While riding on their bikes, Xi’an and the others bring the Foolkiller down and take Mongrel with them. Mongrel thanks them but tells them to go easy because his chains hurt him. Xi’an quickly deals with that and destroys the chains using his powers.
Ten Eagles wants to make the Foolkiller pay for making him lose his arm and the deaths of the Reverend. The Foolkiller takes out a flamethrower and puts Victor’s bike on flames, but he gets off from the machine just in time before burning up.
The Foolkiller wants to try it again, but gets attacked from behind by Auntie Maim and her Josephine hammer! The Foolkiller takes out another gun and shoots Auntie Maim! Victor Ten Eagles can’t believe that he used to enjoy this kind of action and tries to think of a plan. Krystalin shows up and helps Victor get up. Victor tells Krystalin to go away as this is none of her business, but Krystalin refuses to do that and says that she’s here to help.
Mongrel is still in pain after the heavy shocks the Foolkiller gave him during their fight. Xi’an informs Mongrel that he now has healing powers, something he didn’t have during his Lawless days. Mongrel tells Xi’an to stop whining and just do his part. The Foolkiller wants to finish Auntie Maim off, but Xi’an comes to the rescue and kicks the Foolkiller away from her. The Foolkiller is surprised to see how much Xi’an has changed since his days as the Lawless’ leader.
Meanwhile in Halo City, Sham plays a little bit with Rosa’s baby before he goes to sleep. She playfully creates some cute illusions to keep the boy occupied. Rosa is impressed by them and thanks Sham for the help. Metalhead enters the room and says he wants to give Joachim everything they as mutants were denied to have: a safe home and a family. Something like Halo City.
Sham agrees that Halo City indeed is a dream came true. Sometimes, she even worries that it won’t lass. Eddie admits that’s why he came here in the first place: to make sure that’s never going to happen. Rosa jokes that Eddie just missed his friends. Eddie admits that was a part of it too.
Suddenly the entire room starts to shake and a portal opens. The mutants prepare to defend themselves, and two hellhounds stampede out of the portal and go out for the attack!
Victor argues with Krystalin about her being there, but she tells him to stop whining and to just let her help. Meanwhile, the battle between Xi’an and the Foolkiller goes on. Xi’an tries to use his powers upon the Foolkiller, but he throws Xi’an away.
Xi’an informs the Foolkiller that he doesn’t know the full story and claims that the Lawless hadn’t asked for that certain showdown. Xi’an explains that the Lawless were just crossing the streets of New Hope and had no idea that the Fathers had mined them. Before they knew what was going on, the Lawless were ambushed by the town inquisition, whose executioners were fundamentalist super soldiers called the Foolkillers, who were named after some twentieth century zealot.
The head Foolkiller made it clear that they would kill anyone who didn’t fall in with their twisted faith. “Repent or die,” that Foolkiller said while he attacked the Lawless and defeated them. For two days, Xi’an remembers, they were subjected to a variety of subtle and unsubtle tortures, which were designed to convert them. The Foolkillers had no idea that the Lawless wouldn’t die that easily. Haiku hacked into their computers and shut off the tranquilizer feed that was keeping them locked up. The Lawless fought their way through the Foolkillers and thought to be home free, but the rest of the town had some kamikaze death wish. Xi’an admits that it was a massacre, but the Lawless weren’t given any other options. Xi’an takes no pride on what he did in New Hope.
The Foolkiller tells Xi’an that he isn’t excused and is going to kill the mutant anyway. As he wants to take out his gun, his arm is stabbed by several crystal-made spikes! Krystalin tells Xi’an that he should have asked the X-Men’s help. The Foolkiller has had enough of the futile fighting and wants to put an end to it. He opens his coat, and reveals that he has a bomb taped on his chest, which he plans to let off!
Meanwhile in the Halo City Archive, La Lunática has entered Book’s room and wants him to clarify her relationship with Brimstone Love, which both Brimstone and Book claimed that she has. Book first wants to get to know Luna better, but she has no time for that and threatens Book not to play games with her. The computer warns that someone is in danger and Luna recognizes Krystalin’s back-up request signal. She decides to go help out, but warns Book that she will come back to finish the conversation.
Book understands, and promises that he will tell Luna all about her long-lost family. At the same time, Meanstreak is working out at the gym and finishes all courses within two minutes. Dayton and Delia are watching him and are impressed. Delia even tries to hit on Henri, but he hears Krystalin’s back-up call and runs to the rescue.
As he runs, Meanstreak is once more bothered by the Zoomers. He tries to outrun them, but gets caught and the world around him spins around, and Henri gets trapped!
Metalhead commands Sham to get Rosa and the baby out of the room, but one of the hellhounds jumps at Eddie and pushes him through the window! Sham tries to fight the other one using her illusions, but the hellhound sees through it and slams Sham down. Vulcann arrives, and tells Rosa that he wants her baby. Vulcann tells Rosa to give him… the future dark messiah!
The Foolkiller wants to activate his bomb. Xi’an offers the Foolkiller to kill him if he has to, but begs to let the others go. Victor and the others don’t think that will be enough, because if the Foolkiller activates the bomb, the radiation will most likely destroy the entire city around them.
Tim and Luna show up on the rooftops and try to figure out a quick solution. Tim notices one of the bikes and uses his powers on it and activates the bike’s engines to distract the Foolkiller. The plan works and Luna jumps down onto the Foolkiller’s back.
She touches his head and wants to use her powers to find out the Foolkiller’s inner pains. She watches one of the Foolkillers making one of his followers, a young boy, murder his parents because they don’t believe.
Xi’an tells Luna to stop the absorbing and orders that she and the others leave him alone with the Foolkiller. They do as told and go out. Xi’an offers the Foolkiller a second chance in life, like he was given.
The Foolkiller doesn’t believe that change is possible, and activates his bomb! The explosion is loud and terrible…
