Marauders (1st series) #26

Manhattan:
A horse carriage stops before the Manhattan Hellfire Club and three individuals get out: Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost and Harry Leland.

Well, that was a time to remember, Leland announces. Shaw welcomes him back. It’s good to be back, Leland agrees, although his travels are a blur. It is nice to see that Shaw and Emma have buried the hatchet. Their business plans have become more aligned recently, Shaw answers evasively, as they walk to the entrance. Emma continues that is why they asked Harry to come home. They need him.

They have lunch and Harry wants to hear more about their new business. Over drinks, Emma suggests.

Sitting at a fireside and sharing some drinks, Emma asks if Harry has heard about Krakoa. No, he replies, then adds maybe. Forgive him, he has had some dark thoughts of late, and he doesn’t sleep well. He’s had vivid nightmares of dying at the hands of a Sentinel like their friend Chantel.

He sips some whiskey, then studies it. He is not familiar with this brand. Shaw smiles that they have entered the distillery business. They call it Port Genosha. Well done, Leland replies politely and demands to know what they are hiding from him. Now or never, Emma sends to Shaw, who replies that he is not ready.

Emma walks toward a door while explaining that Harry’s dreams are memories. He suffered a heart attack fighting that dreadful robot while saving them all from certain doom.

How long was he in hospital? Leland asks. It is more complicated than that. She throws open the doors. Outside is a glowing Krakoan gate. Mutant science has preserved his life. It will be easier to show him. That is a doorway. They have much to discuss… if he is willing to walk into the future.

On the other side of the gate, they see the idyllic beach of Krakoa, mutants frolicking on the beach and in the air.

Is that real? Harry wonders. Emma explains he had a panic attack at Arbor Magna, so they decided to take it slow with him. The last several days are implanted memories of his favorite haunts in Manhattan. He never left Krakoa.

So he was dead? Harry asks. Please show him everything! He is ready. Emma transfers all necessary data into his brain.

Harry begins to laugh and cry with joy. It is a miracle! he proclaims. All of them together! Somewhat restored, he announces he doesn’t believe they have changed that much. So what is the bad news?

Shaw replies they’d like him to be Krakoa’s envoy to the United Nations. Is that all? he asks surprised. No, Emma replies grimly. Their enemies gather and Nimrod is back online.

In the meantime, the Mercury is flying back to Madripoor steered by Captain Kate. Also aboard are Callisto, Iceman, Lockheed and Christian Frost who while feeding Lockheed complains he can’t believe he is returning to Madripoor. He barely survived that place! Kate replies, they are going back, because that’s what you do when you get your boat blown up under you.

Calisto impatiently interjects, let’s just get that whiskey to their human partners and hit the casinos and fight clubs!

Suddenly, she warns them something big is coming this way. They hear a loud nose and suddenly find themselves facing an angry huge dragon – namely the alien dragon Fin Fang Foom. The dragon announces he comes from a tournament beyond the stars, where he smashed all who dared stand in his way, and now he’s come to Midgard with his insatiable thirst. He is celebrating a great victory and just drank the mountaintop distillery in Taiwan dry, and as he was flying toward Chichibu the scent of their cargo hit the wind. He’s not smelled spirits like this one before!

He grabs one of the barrels, downs the whiskey and burps. Lockheed is ready to fight but Callisto holds him back. The booze ain’t worth dying over! Abandon ship, she orders.

Kate jokes that the marketing guy can make lemonade from this: Port Genosha - the preferred whiskey of big ass dragons!

Iceman isn’t having it though. He orders the dragon to fly off and become someone else’s problem. Unimpressed, the dragon warns him to run or he will have his spirits on ice!

Fin Fang Foom bites down to where Iceman stood a moment ago. Iceman attacks him on an iceslide, but the dragon bites down on him, to the horror of the others.

Lockheed flies up to attack. While Fin Fang Foom’s attention is on him, Iceman reforms in a giant form behind him. Much to the dragon’s surprise, the giant Iceman hits him. The dragon retaliates by breathing fire at him.

Iceman melts and then reforms as a giant, who fires icespikes at him and gives him a final warning. Turning away, Fin Fang Foom curses him and claims this was because the tournament tired him. Unimpressed, Iceman throws him a casket for the road and warns him not to disrespect his omega level ass again.

He tells the others he will stick in this form for a bit and meet them on Krakoa.

On Krakoa, having downed some drinks, Leland accuses Shaw of deliberately keeping him back in the resurrection queue. Also drunk, Shaw scoffs they had millions of mutants to resurrect. Leland uses his power to increase Shaw’s mass, making a hole open beneath him. Shaw warns him he could hurt Krakoa. Harry loses his concentration and stumbles after him. Both of them break out into laughter but wonder how they will get out of the hole.

An hour later, they enter the Black Keep, making some small talk. Shaw wants to discuss something important. Said matter is already present - it is Shinobi threatening them dramatically with a katana. Shaw orders him to put the sword down, before Harry causes another sinkhole. He then reveals that Shinobi’s’ mother was… a friend to both Harry and him. She wrote to them asking for money, saying the baby belonged to one of them. He thought he was doing the right thing taking Shinobi in, but what does he know of fatherhood? It was disastrous for both of them, especially Shinobi. He tells Harry to meet his bastard, Shinobi.

Harry happily walks toward the flabbergasted Shinobi and hugs him. Shinobi has no idea what Harry is doing and orders him to stop. Shaw discreetly leaves.

Later, at the United Nations, New York:
British ambassador Ruben Brousseau again criticizes Krakoa, pointing out they do not even have an envoy at the UN. That’s the cue for Leland to enter. He announces he looks forward to fostering peace and friendship between the nations of man and Kakoa. His name is Harry Leland, and he shall be of service to them all!

Washington Square:
A darkhaired woman walks toward the Krakoan Gate.

Some young men stop her. One gets in her face and asks if she is one of them mutants. She is sorry about his back, she replies. He has no idea what she means. She then teleports behind him and kicks him in the back. As a parting shot, Lourdes Chantel warns them if any of them are seen at a Krakoan Gate again, they will all need ambulances. The she steps through the gate.