New Mutants (4th series) #21

The moon, outside the Summer House:
Warpath has taken a group of youngsters to the moon. All wearing spacesuits, the youngsters experiment with the lower gravity and look around until Warpath tells them all to focus. Space is new to them, and he needs them all to work together in this environment. He shows them brightly colored, space mudbranches which are mostly harmless, except that their slime is mildly corrosive. They are attracted to the biodomes and last time there were a bunch of them, they caused a breach that almost depressurized the whole thing. So today they are going to gently remove and relocate them.

One of the kids asks why not just squish them. They aren’t doing any harm and space is their home, is the reply. As Warpath speaks to the group, Leo follows a sluglike being into a crater. Suddenly, an angry Brood jumps out at him and Leo screams.

Krakoa, Arbor Magna:
The Lost Club has just been busted breaking into the chamber with the husks and are now supposed to explain themselves to an exasperated Wolfsbane and Tempus. The kids burst out that Scout died, they don’t know how, they figure nobody cares, and as she is a clone, she wouldn’t be resurrected, and No Girl took over the body.

One at a time, Wolfsbane asks. Anole angrily states nobody is giving them straight answers, when it comes to resurrection for clones. Better to make sure she comes back. And face their punishment afterward, No-Girl grimly adds.

Tempus is shocked that they think that about the Five. Wolfsbane adds that Scout is a mutant and Krakoan, and, even if she weren’t living here, they wouldn’t leave her to die. Of course, they would! Cosmar snaps. It’s already happened before! She refers to Havok, who was denied the resurrection of Madlyne Pryor by the Quiet Council. And do they think they haven’t noticed that no clones have been resurrected? When Gabby tried to address this, she was waved away!

Rahne admits they have a point. They have been assuming resurrection would be equitable, but there are more questions than answers about these situations. She powers down, turning to her human form as Cosmar snaps that Gabby isn’t a situation, she is a person! Rahne agrees. She spoke carelessly but Cosmar must know she is here for them. Why didn’t they come to her?

The kids look at each other, then No-Girl bursts out Rahne was the last person to see Gabby alive!

That can’t be right, Rahne protests, then begins to stammer when trying to recall the last time she saw Gabby. Anole explains right before the Gala Gabby confronted them about some of the experiments they’d been doing. She was scared for them because they were spending time with Shadow King. Then Rahne came and promised her she would help her figure things out.

Rahne can’t remember. The kids stress it was true. They found Gabby after the Gala – dead. She looked like she died scared and sad.

Tempus gets between them, announcing everyone – Gabby included – was backed up before the Gala. She suggests they wake her up and see what she remembers. Seeing as Gabby was near invincible, that could mean there were two murders at the Gala. But there is only one way to find out. The kids thank her profusely while Rahne is lost in thought.

Elsewhere, Mirage is training her marksmanship with her bow and arrow when Karma joins her and announces they need to talk about Rahne. As she hits the target’s bullseye, Dani asks what about her. Did something happen? Karma narrates how she saw her in the bar, seeming out of it, and she spoke with the Shadow King. She was so angry with her afterwards. Dani defends Rahne automatically, pointing out her situation with her missing son Tier, leaving her angry and disconnected. She believes Rahne needs space until she comes to them.

Karma clarifies that is not what she is talking about. She has noticed Rahne acting differently for some time now, and she knows the signs of the Shadow King’s tampering. She admits to feeling guilty. She made sure Tran got a second chance but denies someone else theirs just on a gut feeling. Dani admits she feels something is different through her connection with Rahne. Firing a second arrow that hits the bullseye, she announces she trusts Karma’s instincts. They need to look into this.

On the moon, Leo runs chased by a Brood. Warpath tries to calm him, reminding him they have a truce with the Brood. Doesn’t look like it, Brutha Nature doubts. Warpath reminds them Broo controls the Brood via the King Egg. The kids run though and turn out be right, as more Brood attack James slashing at his space suit. The kids want to help but before they can do anything, Warpath tears off the Brood’s stinger and stabs it.

Working together, the kids beat the Brood, but their triumph is short-lived as a whole group of Brood descends on them.

Krakoa, Arbor Magna:
Gabby awakes, gasping. Hope telepathically puts back her mind. Gabby asks how she got here, and the other kids greet her effusively. Then she sees Rahne and hurls herself at her with a cry of rage, intending to kill her.

Rahne assures her; she doesn’t remember hurting Gabby. Proteus separates the two of them and asks Scout what the last thing she remembers is. Her! She points at Rahne. She remembers her and pain and shadows, then nothing!

Rahne repeats, she can’t remember. She feels for the kids’ pain and wishes she could spare them from it. She would never have hurt her willingly. She admits, the only explanation that makes sense is the Shadow King. He came to her when she was vulnerable and told her the kids needed her help. She thinks she took Scout right to him. She tells Gabby she has a right to her anger. She hopes Scout will give her another chance to help her. Whatever happened, she believes Gabby. Please tell her, so it doesn’t happen again!

Gabby remembers arguing with Anole and Cosmar, and Rahne appearing to smooth it all over. She said something about facing feelings head on. They were walking. She was angry, scared… then she felt pain, which isn’t a thing, then she was here. Rahne promises to get to the bottom of this.

The Lost Club ask if they are going to get into trouble for Gabby’s resurrection. Hope replies that resurrection is the Five’s thing. They are smoothing over all the wrinkles that the bigwigs didn’t think about. Gabby, like many others who started out as copies, registers as an individual to Cerebro. They are their own people. It entitles them to resurrection. If the Council doesn’t like it, the Five will deal with it. Let them worry about ruffled feathers.

The kids leave with Gabby.

On the moon, the kids work together successfully to fight the Brood, with Leo fixing every punctured spacesuit. When Monica gets hurt, Warpath shouts this is enough.

The others gather around him. Leo carries Monica. Suddenly, they are joined by Broo, who enthusiastically congratulates them on their performance. Warpath asks him for a word in private. Angrily, he reminds Broo that this was about getting the kids comfortable with spacewalks, not run through alien attack scenarios. Sheepishly, Broo explains that wasn’t him. These Brood were rebelling. Warpath asks how long this has been going on. Not for long, Broo assures him, and it was only the groups the mutants just killed. And one other but loyal warriors dispatched them. He was actually on his way to suggest they save the lesson for another day. Unbelievable, Warpath mutters disgusted. As they walk to the gate, he warns he is going to tell the Council about this. He is choosing to believe Broo is still an ally. He suggests he move the hives further back into space.

The Sextant:
Karma and Mirage are sitting at the table, asking if Illyana (who is gulping down a gallon of coffee) has heard what they said. Wolf’s acting weird. Karma’s bitterest nemesis is probably causing it. They circle the wagons and confront him, Magik summarizes. Got it. She reminds them she is a war captain and has the full authority to wreck him.

Mirage reminds her that they cannot simply attack without proof he has hurt someone. Nor should they be able to. About that, comes a sheepish voice. Rahne joins them and admits she has reason to believe he manipulated her mind to hurt people. But that’s not the worst of it. Dani reaches out but Rahne brushes her off. She needs to say this: he made her do something horrible or help him do that. He made her kill another mutant. She has promised not to reveal their identity. And she can’t trust her own mind enough to confront him on her own.

Dani and Xi’an assure her she isn’t alone. Enough with the soft touch! Magik snarls. Time to go hunting!

In his cave, Farouk leers, looking forward to their arrival…