X-Factor (5th series) #5

Civilians going about their business suddenly stop on a street as a large screen shows an image of a reporter, who announces that the nation is on full alert as Darkstar threatens to attack an unnamed target on U.S. soil. A recording of Darkstar a.k.a. Laynia Petrovna appears, clenching her fist, she looks angry and declares that only Americans are surprised when someone returns fire. 'After your imperialist attack on Kunashir Island, our response was only a matter of time. And today, the time has come!'

Elsewhere, a recording states that this moment of decontextualized terror is brought by Fartech smart-refrigerators – powered by Paperclip A.I. Technology! 'Ordering five dozen eggs...now!' a smart-refrigerator states.

Meanwhile, at the Nevermor secret military base, X-Factor's jet descends above the secret base, and inside the jet, St. John Allerdyce a.k.a. Pyro is at the controls, complaining that Havok was told the location of the base, but he wouldn't Pyro. 'I'm hurt, mate!' 'They just programmed the coordinates into the jet. I'm not even flying this thing' Alex Summers a.k.a. Havok responds, matter-of-factly, before the jet lands. Havok steps out of the jet with Joanna Cargill a.k.a. Frenzy at his side, who asks him if he thinks this is about the X-Term threat. 'All signs point to yes' Havok frowns, while Pyro smirks as he walks behind them. Further back is Dr. Cecilia Reyes and Oskar a.k.a. Wintergeist, walking closely, Cecilia looks into Oskar's eyes and tells him that this is their first mission as a couple.

Once inside, Havok greets General Mills, who tells the others that she needs to speak with Havok alone, and suggests that they wait in the Fun Room. 'Fun room? Hell yeah!' Pyro exclaims as he enters the room, followed by Frenzy and then Wintergeist and Cecilia. 'I love you, Cecilia' Wintergeist gushes. But inside the Fun Room, Pyro discovers that it is just a locker room with a foosball table in the middle of it. 'Oi! This is the fun room? Can we wait somewhere else? The fun room is giving everyone the creepy-crawlies' Pyro complains to a soldier who doesn't acknowledge him. 'Well, I wouldn't say everyone' Frenzy points out as she motions to the corner, where Cecilia and Wintergeist are making out.

In a meeting room, Havok sits across from X-Factor's administrator, Rodger Broderick, while General Mills announces that X-Term has threatened an attack on American soil. 'Yeah, it's all over the news' Havok tells her, while Rodger informs Havok that congress is debating an emergency law to monitor disloyal mutants. 'Disloyal meaning who, exactly, Rodger?' Havok asks. 'Oh, you know...extremist groups...like the Mutant Underground' Rodger responds, glancing sideways. The stern General Mills reports that it is called the Mutant Surveillance Act, and tells Havok that she wants him to support it – to encourage the cooperation of good mutants so they can keep track of the bad. Havok gets to his feet and walks over to General Mills: 'Good? Bad? What are we...dogs?' he snaps, asking General Mills if she wants him to be one of the “good ones” and to betray Polaris and everything she stands for. 'You mean you haven't already?' General Mills responds.

Wearing a hood over his lion-like face, the mutant called Bruin makes his way down a busy street, past several civilians who are looking up at large monitors which report that the nation's capital is under siege. An image of Darkstar is on another monitor, and a third monitor suggests that congress has passed the Mutant Surveillance Act. Bruin tells himself that this is a story they have seen before – even if they never arrest a single mutant, the law does its job simply by making it impossible for mutants to trust each other. Divided and subdued, mutants turn on each other – and blame each other for the pain they have caused. He looks at his phone, and sees that he has an incoming message.

Back at the secret military facility: 'They want us to what?' one of the other members of X-Factor asks as Havok and General Mills join them in the not-Fun Room. 'Make Clikclok videos promoting the new Mutant Surveillance Act' Havok explains. 'For a start' General Mills adds. Cecilia and Oskar look surprised, while Pyro and Frenzy both look unhappy. General Mills tells X-Factor that they need to stop X-term, but knows they can't do that while there is still an informant inside the team. General Mills reports that Granny Smite and Xyber have already been cleared, but as for the rest of them, she needs their communication devices and passwords. Frenzy scowls as she taps away at her phone. General Mills states that if there is a traitor in this room, they need to know how. 'So your phones and passwords, please' she declares, holding our her hand.

'I got the world's greatest face tattoo removed for you lot! That's as far as I go!' Pyro exclaims, pointing at his now tattoo-less face. Havok announces that he agrees – about Pyro's position, not the tattoo. 'It's a no from me, boss' Frenzy agrees, looking at a poster which encourages people to report suspicious characters. 'It's a no from all of us' Havok informs General Mills, arms folded. General Mils scowls and narrows her eyes as she responds ' Very well. But before you give me your final answer, there's something you need to understand – nobody leaves this base until you agree'. Suddenly, 'Oh, Oskar...' Cecilia moans, and General Mills turns to where Cecilia and Oskar continue to kiss, and ignore her. 'I'm sorry. Do you think I could have your attention for a minute?' Mills declares.

Suddenly, 'Actually, I believe we'll be leaving now, love!' Pyro suggests as he steps towards General Mills and ignites a flame which lights up the locker room. 'This whole base is fireproof, Crocodile Dundee' General Mills responds. 'Maybe. But are you?' Pyro responds. Soldiers in the room raise their guns, while Havok steps between Pyro and General Mills and suggests that everybody calm down – when suddenly, everyone is knocked off their feet as a violent booming noise can be heard. 'We're under attack!' General Mills exclaims.

Indeed, part of the secret base has been blown apart, as a chopper holds its position alongside the building, Darkstar flies down into the base, accompanied by several unnamed teammates, all wearing green costumes. One of them blasts a soldier with a furious flame, as the soldier begins to announce over a communicator that they have been breached. A member of X-Term who appears to be partially transparent drops down next to Darkstar. Darkstar addresses them as Phantasm and tells him to come with her. 'This base holds a powerful mutant. He will make an excellent addition to X-Term' Darkstar snaps.

Back in the not-Fun Room, 'X-Term!' Wintergeist utters, frightened, while Rodger Broderick rushes into the room and announces that they are inside the base. 'How did they know where this base is? I didn't even know' Havok exclaims. 'Yes. I wonder' General Mills frowns, while looking at Frenzy. 'Uh, I'll be hiding in this locker' Rodger mutters as he climbs into a locker. Havok turns to Frenzy and Pyro and tells him to come with him, while Wintergeist tells Havok not to, and reminds him that he knows how X-Term works – they're setting up an ambush. Suddenly, the Fartech 3000 smart refrigerator in the locker room speaks: 'Would you like to await your capture with a cold beverage?' Everyone stops talking and looks over at the refrigerator, to which General Mills explains that Ethan Farthing equipped the whole base with these things. 'Actually, I could go for a beer' Pyro announces.

Darkstar strides down a corridor with Phantasm and several others behind her. She reports that, among other things, this base is home to a secret mutant prison. Darkstar and the others stop at a large set of doors with a sign that says “Do not enter” printed on the doors. 'Phantasm, if you would' Darkstar asks. Phantasm's costume falls away, and the transparent being steps through the doors. 'Whoever's on the othere side of that door is in for a surprise' one of Darkstar's soldiers remarks. The door suddenly opens, and Darkstar tells Phantasm 'Well done' – and to put his clothes back on. Darkstar's soldier with white hair motions to a door up ahead with a sign that reads “Top secret” on it and asks if the all-powerful mutant they came for is behind the top secret door. 'No, not that one' Darkstar responds, before motioning to the cell where McCloud is being housed. The strange cloud-like mutant looks surprised and stares back out the cell window. 'Hurry and break him out, yes? We have unfinished business elsewhere' Darkstar declares.

Soon: 'They're cowering like rats. Knock it down!' Darkstar orders two of her soldiers as they smash the not-Fun Room door with a large battering ram. McCloud stands near Darkstar, and swallows a some pills.

Inside the not-Fun Room, Wintergeist reminds X-Factor that he is a fugitive from X-Term, that he knows them, and whatever comes through that door, they have to stop it. 'If they take us alive...we won't be for long!' he exclaims nervously. 'Luckily, I happen to be... a plasma donor!' Havok exclaims as he begins to glow with energy, when suddenly, the door is knocked open. 'We're in!' one of the X-Term soldiers exclaims. Havok prepares to release a surge of energy, when he stops, and looks confused. 'Huh?' he asks. 'Who the hell are you?' he enquires as McCloud appears in the doorway. McCloud introduces himself and announces that he has had a dozen sleeping pills. 'No! Stop him before -' General Mills begins, before McCloud suddenly billows out into the room, causing the everyone in the room to pass out and collapse. 'Load them onto the X-copter' Darkstar orders. 'We'll put their executions on Clikclok' she announces ominously.

Shortly, the X-copter rises up above the secret military base, and inside the copter, X-Factor and General Mills are all bound with ropes. Darkstar informs them that the ride will ast ten hours, and  recommends to them that they use the time to think about what they will say to convince her to let them live. 'I won't give you the satisfaction. You might as well kill me now. But as a courtesy, one general to another...tell me who on my team gave you the location of our base. Tell me who my traitor was' General Mills declares. 'Traitor?' Darkstar smirks, leaning towards General Mills. 'I have had an informant inside your base this whole time. But it wasn't any of your people' Darkstar reveals. 'Then who?' General Mills asks. 'It was McCloud... obviously' Darkstar reveals as she turns and walks away. 'How is that even possible? His cell was hermetically sealed!' General Mills remarks. 'This McCloud...he didn't happen to have a smart refrigerator, did he?' Frenzy asks, to which Darkstar reports that McCloud first contacted X-Term to warn about the attack on their base.

(flashback)

In his cell, McCloud stands next to the smart refrigerator and asks it to order a glazed ham for the X-Factor jet. 'Sure thing! Sending ham to.. Kunashir Island!' the refrigerator responds.

(now)

'You realize you can email people from those things, right?' Frenzy asks. 'You can?' the surprised General Mills gasps, before she hangs her head and announces that she blames herself. 'Yeah, I blame you too' Frenzy agrees. Suddenly, Wintergeist begins to stir and one of Darkstar's soldiers warns her that the teleporter is coming to. Darkstar turns to Wintergeist and tells General Mills that while she may have been betrayed by a smart refrigerator, she actually does have a traitor on board. 'I told you when I hired you Wintergeist... nobody leaves X-Term!' With that, Darkstar cruelly kicks Wintergeist out of the helicopter. 'OSKAR!' Cecilia screams in shock.

'To be fair, you weren't totally wrong. I also gave away our location' Frenzy remarks casually to General Mills. 'What? To who?' the angry General snarls, while Darkstar asks the chopper pilot why they are suddenly turning around. 'I don't know! I'm not in control!' the pilot responds. Indeed, the X-copter is pulled through the air by a powerful magnetic force – courtesy of Polaris, who hovers above the Nevermor military base's heli-pad. Bruin is with her, and he recalls how everyone expected Darkstar to hit the capital, or the stock exchange – but instead, she gambled her life to break a single mutant out of prison. 'As horrible as she is, perhaps she realized something we'd all forgotten' Bruin decides. The lion-like mutant clings to a railing as he tells Polaris that magnetism is such an underrated power, and asks her what he would do without her. 'Bruin...you'd be dead without me!' Polaris responds.

At that moment, back in the not-Fun Room, 'Hello? Are the bad men gone?' a nervous Rodger Broderick asks as he slowly opens the locker that he is hiding in.

The copter slams down onto the heli-pad, and X-Factor emerge from it. Pyro comforts Cecilia as she crouches near Oskar's body, which is surrounded by blood. 'Oh no...Oskar' she gasps, while Pyro tells her that he is sorry. 'Polaris?' Havok asks as he exits the copter and is reunited with his girlfriend. 'I'm so happy. I can't believe -' Havok begins as he wraps his arms around Polaris. But Polaris pulls back from Havok. He tells her that he is so sorry, and Polaris tells him that she knows – but isn't sure it is enough, as she hangs her head, while Bruin thinks that in a world that would just as soon see mutants dead – the only thing of any real value – is each other.