Marauders (1st series) #11

Despite knowing that all attempts to resurrect Kate Pryde have failed, Nightcrawler nevertheless writes her letters to inform her of all the things she has been missing, in the hope that they will meet again. Iceman has distanced himself from everyone, including Christian Frost. The Marauders are continuing to bring home mutants. Young Cable is dating one of the Cuckoos and a tiki bar has opened on the island. They all consider it a soft opening, until she has had a chance to christen it when she returns.

Nightcrawler teleports to the funeral procession on the beach. The body in the boat / casket is flanked by her two closest friends, Illyana and Rachel. Marauders and other friends put roses on Kate’s body, and finally Magik creates a small flame that Pyro uses to burn the boat, giving Kate a Viking funeral.

Emma walks away from the funeral, causing Illyana and Rachel to give her the stink-eye. She holds herself together until she has entered her castle, then breaks down grieving. Suddenly, she hears a crashing noise from another room, and threatens whoever is disturbing her. She finds Lockheed crouching on a telescope after he crashed through her balcony door. She enters his mind and finds a leering Sebastian Shaw was behind the attack on Lockheed and Kate. She turns to diamond and hits the wall then vows Shaw will pay.

He will suffer! How dare he? She regains control of herself. They will do him right and proper, she promises, but not now. First, they have to get Lockheed to the healers.

In the Healing Garden, Healer examines Lockheed and tells Emma he was cared for but is dehydrated and exhausted. He believes Lockheed flew a great distance to make it home. Emma thanks him and asks him to keep Lockheed’s return a state secret. She telepathically alerts Xavier. She knows she promised not to ask again. Still at the ceremony, Xavier finishes her sentence: she wishes for them to try to resurrect Katherine one more time before they pause. Kurt has already moved him to go back on his promise to the Five that they try not to resurrect her again. They will try one more time, but he must warn them both. He will not give up on resurrecting Kate but, should they fail again, they will return to their work on other mutants.

In a subway train in Washington D.C., Storm has a secret meeting with the member of the X-desk that has been supporting them, a middle-aged woman named Delores in a wheelchair, who is suspicious about the reasons Storm called this meeting. Surprisingly, Storm thanks her for warning Kate Pryde about the poisoned Krakoan medicines. Delores asks about the outcome, to which Storm replies they managed to swap the poisoned medicines in a Madripoor warehouse for clean ones. Verendi gave away clean medicine. Delores saved many human lives and spared Krakoa a diplomatic incident, and Verendi wasted millions on the Black Market.

Delores chuckles but has to leave at the next stop. She thanks Storm as well. Her mother has returned to her, thanks to Krakoan miracle drugs of the mind. Storm tells her she is happy for her miracle. There aren’t enough in the world.

Arbor Magna:
The Five, Xavier, Emma Lockheed and Nightcrawler stand around another egg which was supposed to hatch Kate but, for some reason, her husk never breaks out. Kurt assures Emma this is not the end of Kate’s story. There is something unique about her physiology. She is out of phase, but they will guide her back. Kurt’s words spark an idea in Emma. She reaches out telepathically to the husk. Kate’s husk never stirs. They have been waiting for Kate’s husk to break into the world, but Kate doesn’t smash barriers - she ignores them. Emma reaches out with mind and hand and a hand reaches out from inside the husk’s wall phasing through it. Emma draws Kate out and Xavier quickly returns her mind.

The Five, in the meantime, are chastened as they realize all those husks were viable but they let them drown. They’ll know next time, Proteus remarks. Nightcrawler tell them it was miracle. And it only took them hundred times, Egg replies, but it was still worth it. Eighteen times, Tempus corrects. Kurt is hung up on the number but doesn’t say why.

Kate gains consciousness and is ecstatic to see Lockheed. Emma hugs her and Kate states the last thing she recalls is kissing her at the Red Keep. She does have that effect on people, Emma states wryly. Kate asks her what happened. Emma telepathically tells her they will speak privately. She is hoping they can keep it an internal matter. Kate realizes it was Shaw. No matter, whatever is broken, they will fix it together.