Marauders (1st series) #16

Storm meets Bishop at a secluded place on Krakoa. He wanted to talk with her privately. He kept plucking away on a mystery that was bothering him, regarding the Red Queen’s murder. He shows her some vines he recovered near Kate’s body. Want to guess where the only place in the world they seem to grow is? On Krakoa, near a sleepy knoll in walking distance of Hellfire Bay, Storm replies. They grow as fast as quicksilver. Bishop commends her, he should have guessed she already knew. So what? Because he is on the Quiet Council the Black King just gets away with it? Storm promises him he will not.

Hellfire Bay, Krakoa:
The confrontation was pushed to the back, given the tournament. But now it’s time. Kate and Emma ride toward the Black Keep.

Shaw sits inside enjoying a fireplace and a drink, when he hears a knocking noise at the door. He is annoyed but, when the knocks continue, he walks to the door shouting out who it is. A fist phases through the door and hits him in the face.

A moment later Kate, phases herself and Emma through the door. Emma states they need to discuss his contract. Wiping away the blood, he informs them they have blundered the beginning of this negotiation. Do they not recall his mutant gift? He masters kinetic energy!

Emma shoots him with the power-dampening gun she recently acquired. Kate follows up with a kick to the groin to show how vulnerable he has become. Master that kinetic energy! she tells him then asks what he is serving tonight.

While he still struggles with his new reality, Kate enjoys herself by destroying some of his priceless whiskeys. Emma announces they will speak for a short time, then judgment will pass. They know he undermined Krakoa with Verendi in Madripoor. Luring the Red Queen into a trap. They know the Krakoan medicines were part of the quid pro quo.

Shaw claims he did not know Verendi were going to poison the medicines to undermine Krakoa. She should think not, otherwise he would already be in the Hole, Emma informs him.

Shaw gets up and interrupts her. He asks “Kitty” to stop. That’s a bottle of Port Ellen, bottled to celebrate the Queen’s visit to the distillery in 1980. It’s priceless!

Wow, Kate comments. She’s been working on an impression. Who is she? She downs a gulp of the whiskey, then spits it into the fire. She’s Lockheed! she shouts. Shaw asks her please not to. She throws the bottle into the fire. He can beg better than that. Shaw shouts ‘No’ and runs to stop her. Better, Kate observes, but not as good as the pleading she did when she asked him to spare Lockheed.

He tries to save the bottle. She tells him he has bigger problems. It was a gift from Ichiro himself, he shouts as his jacket starts burning.

Maybe men are too emotional, Kate comments to Emma, who pours some drinks and orders Shaw to sit. They need to discuss the consequences. Shaw gets rid of the jacket. They can talk but he won’t be manhandled like this. They think he needs his mutant gift to protect himself? He enters a boxer stance. Kate effortlessly hits his Adam’s apple with a martial arts move, forcing him to his knees again.

Emma orders him to compose himself. This is what’s going to happen. His various treacheries will be revealed to the Quiet Council. They will deliberate his fate for less time than they discuss their meal orders from Saucier. Then he’ll be exiled beside Sabretooth for eternity. Or… Kate has sat down next to her… he may wish to entreat Kate and Emma to make his transgressions a private Hellfire affair on the Spring side of the Quiet Council. What say he? A public adjudication or a private matter?

Neither! he shouts and flees. Emma sighs and asks Kate to collect him.

Shaw jumps from a second-floor window and lands hard outside. Glob Herman asks if he is okay. Kate comes outside, says ‘hi’ to Glob and drags Shaw back inside. Glob wisely continues on his way.

Kate pushes Shaw in front of Emma and they repeat their offer. Shaw hisses that they should both be thanking him. While Kate pours some drinks, Emma announces she suddenly enjoys imagining him as nothing more than a pillow for Victor. Kate suggests they hear him out.

Shaw defends himself. Emma asked him to help form a nation for mutants. Then she offers a chair at Hellfire and council seat to a woman who might not even have been a mutant. They didn’t know who Kitty really was. Emma slaps him and orders him to call her Kate. Shaw apologies. Kate.

Kate tells him to go on. Shaw explains now she knows she is a real mutant. The only thing he robbed from her is doubt. He freed her. She is better than before. Apocalypse may be gone, but his philosophy remains. He hopes she understands why he did what he did and he humbly asks her… to forgive him.

Kate points out that she is not the only aggrieved party. Storm enters with Lockheed. Storm announces that Lockheed demanded blood and she demanded to see this.

Emma announces good news. The work of Blackstone is far too important to carelessly topple all the pieces on the board. She negotiated on his behalf a settlement where the young lad will only acquire a taste of what he wanted.

Back! Shaw shouts, as Lockheed attacks tearing out Shaw’s eye, which he then spits into the fireplace.

Kate hands Shaw a drink. Still on his knees, Shaw seethes that hew have had their debaucherous times at the Hellfire Club, but don’t they think his punishment was a tad excessive? Emma informs him of a switch in roles. The Black Bishop will now service the countries that recognize their sovereignty. The Red Queen will serve the Black Market, and the dragon taking his eye was not his punishment.

Before he can understand, Kate informs him he drank a dram laced with the Verendi poison. Storm warns him if he flees and goes into the Resurrection Protocols, she will make sure he stays there for a long time. Emma promises Krakoa will see her sister Cordelia returned before he comes back.

Shaw breaks down in agony. The three women inform him, should he survive the poison, he will live in a broken body until such time the three of them agree he should be healed or put through resurrection. Kate gives him an eye-patch.

Emma informs him he can give them his decision at the Council meeting the next morning. She will fetch him with one of Charles’ old wheelchairs.

In the morning at the council meeting, Xavier announces that, once the spring side arrives, their priority should be finding successors for Jean and Apocalypse. Nightcrawler observes the Spring side seems to be missing a chair.

The answer to that comes when Emma. Storm and Kate come with a jaundiced looking wheelchair-bound Shaw. They act as if everything is normal. Magneto asks if the council shouldn’t discuss what has append to Sebastian. Nope, Kate replies, unless he wants to put it to a vote. He would. Xavier agrees. Hell, yes, Sinister grins. Exodus agrees. Mystique chuckles and votes no. Storm’s vote is a curt no. Er, yes? Kurt suggests. All three Spring members vote no.

They are deadlocked, Shaw points out. Obviously his body has been hurt, but his spirit has not dimmed. Fear not, in any case he remains Krakoa’s humble servant, he promises with a wicked grin.