X-Factor #70

Title:  “Ends and Odds”

Writer: Peter David

Penciller: Kirk Jarvinen

Inker: Joe Rubenstein

Colors: Glynis Oliver/ Steve Buccellato

Editor:  Bob Harras

Xavier stands there shouting for Legion in an all white setting. As he walks it gets darker, but there is nothing else surrounding him. Finally Xavier comes to a pay phone. He picks up the receiver and presses 0 for the operator. The message tells Xavier that he has reached the brain of David Haller, but that there isn’t anyone there to take his call. He is told to leave a message. Xavier says that he knows David is there and monitoring the call. He says that it is his father and tells David to come back to him.

Xavier sits next to Legion trying to contact him telepathically. Cyclops says that he wishes the Professor wasn’t doing this after all he has been through and that it is too soon to send his psychic self out. Moira says that Xavier is doing what he feels he has to, and that if there is any chance of reaching David’s mind after what the Shadow Kind did that it had to be done immediately. Storm asks what about what the Shadow Kind did to him. She asks what if Charles can’t walk anymore. Wolverine says that Xavier is a “tough old bird” and that walking and not walking doesn’t make any difference to him. Moira says that is spoken like someone that has never been prohibited from entering a building because there was no wheelchair ramp. Moira yells at Wolverine to extinguish his cigarette immediately. Wolverine snuffs out the cigarette in his mouth after flipping it in. Jean Grey asks if that didn’t hurt. Wolverine says that it hurt like nobody’s business. Cyclops asks why he did it. Wolverine says that is nobody’s business either. Jubilee enters the room and asks if Wolverine wanted to see her. Wolverine tells her to come outside with him and that the place gives him heartburn. Cyclops says that people keep saying that Wolverine has changed, but that he seems as nuts as ever to him. Jean asks Scott if he saw the smirk Wolverine gave him. She says that he just does it to keep him off balance, and that he just does it for a measure of control. Cyclops says that is fine for enemies, but not for allies. Storm says that maybe Wolverine doesn’t see him as an ally. Moira says that maybe it is more as a rival.

Archangel flies overhead looking at the mess and thinks about the mess that all of them have become. He says that all of them have become so spread out and thinks about what Professor X started out trying to do in the first place. He looks down at the island and sees that it is now two crescents facing one another. “…the beginning and end of a cycle. Real estate as a metaphor. How lovely.” Guido and Polaris watch him fly overhead.

Colossus calls out to Archangel, but he isn’t heard. Forge and Beast stand with Colossus. Beast says, “Turning and turning in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer. Things fall apart; the center cannot hold: mere anarchy is looked upon the world. The blood-dimmed time is loosed and everywhere. The ceremony of innocence is drowned. The best lack conviction while the worst… are full of passionate intensity.” Beast looks at a broken picture of Xavier. Colossus guess that Beast was quoted Mikhail Lermontov. Beast says that it was from William Yeats’ “The Second Coming”. Colossus says that it sounded Russian and asks what it means. Beast says that it means that any team with an “X” preceding it had better get there act together fast. Colossus looks at the devastation and says that it won’t be easy. He turns to Forge and says that he is the inventor and asks if there is some device that could clean all this up. Forge hands Colossus a broom and dustbin. Forge and Beast walk away giggling.

Inside David Haller’s mindscape, Xavier comes to a brick wall, but there a few bricks missing allowing him to see stairs through hole. Xavier is walking up the stairs.

Jean talks about the first time she saw Xavier. She says that he was the most helpless and intimidating man she’d ever seen. She turns to Cyclops and asks, “Remember those days… Slim?” Cyclops and Jean hold hands.

Mystique, Nick Fury, and Val Cooper come across Rogue throwing rocks into the water. Rogue asks Mystique if she couldn’t face her on her own. Mystique says that she isn’t sure that Rogue would want to hear from her. She says that Val is a good communicator, and that Fury brought her there to survey the damage. Rogue says, “So talk, it’s a free country… somewhere.”  Val tells Rogue that a few months ago that she was under the control of the Shadow King. She says that she had been ordered to kill Mystique. She says that she was about to do it, but that Shadow King’s power must have been stretched fairly thin because she was able to fight it off. Val quickly put the gun to her own head and fired. The barrel jerked leaving her with a creased skull. She says that she woke up looking at Fury. Rogue asks if she was really going to kill herself over being forced to kill someone else. Val says, “Yeah, well… that’s why they pay me the big money.” Mystique says that when Val went down she contacted the only man in the government that she trusts. Fury says that is why they pay him the big money. Mystique says that Fury set things up immediately. She says that by the time Jacob Reisz, whom she suspected being connected to the Shadow King arrived, that Val was being loaded into an ambulance. Fury told everyone that it was Mystique that was shot and that Mystique took Val’s form. She says that a SHIELD hypnotist made her believe that she was Val, and that it was the only way to fool the Shadow King. She says that only Fury could say the word that would bring her back to herself. Rogue asks what the word was. Mystique says, “Rogue”. Rogue asks Mystique if she knows what it did to her hearing that she was dead and watching her body being loaded onto the “meat wagon”. Mystique says that it wasn’t her. Rogue says that Mystique could have found some way to tell her. Mystique says that she was afraid that if Rogue knew that she would get involved. Rogue says that she got involved anyway. She says that she is a grown woman and that she deserves more respect. Mystique reminds Rogue that the X-Men were believed to be dead, but that Rogue didn’t tell her differently. Rogue cries and says that was different. Mystique says that it always is. She says that instead of being angry about not being dead that they be happy that they are alive. Mystique and Rogue hug and cry. Mystique says to look at this Kodak moment, but Rogue tells her to shut up.

Jubilee shouts no over and over. She says that they are a team and that Wolverine should drop it. She storms off and Wolverine says that she took that better than he thought she would.

Polaris levitates a large hunk of metal. Guido says that it is impressive. She thanks him. She says that it is good to have her magnetic powers back, but that the way it happened left her feeling clumsy. She says that it has been so long that she isn’t sure how she used to be. She says that she feels stiff as if her muscles have been unused. Guido says, “Stiff, huh? Tell ya what… put your arms straight over your head. That’s it. Now take a real deep breath while thrusting your hips back.” Polaris does it, but asks what this is supposed to do for her. Guido says, “You? Nothin’. Doin’ wonders for me though.” Polaris smacks him. She says Muir Island seemed like such a safe place… a haven. She says that it was a place of solutions, not problems and to look at it now. Polaris says that it was all at the disposal of the Destroyers. She says that sometimes she wants fighting evil to be someone else’s problem. Val walks over and says that it never seems to go Lorna’s way. She asks if she has given any thought to her next move. Polaris says that she doesn’t know beyond cleaning up. Guido says that he has the feeling Val has something specific in mind. Val says that she does. She says that she has spoken to Jamie Madrox about reforming Freedom Force. Polaris says that she isn’t joining a group that had Blob and the others as members. Val says that the name isn’t important, but that the concept is. Polaris looks up at the building. She says that there is only one person she listens to when it comes to concepts of mutant groups, and that she should be with him right now.

Xavier continues waking up the stairs. He says that it is all madness. The stairs end and a house is off a bit in the distance. The lights are on. Xavier leaps to the house. He says that comes back from space to find Jean mysteriously alive, Warren mutated, Scott in morning for a son that he didn’t know he even had and a wife that he apparently never did. Inside the house, Xavier sees dozens of lamps on. Jean appears in the window of the house. She says that she might be able to help unless he is too upset that she is back from the dead. Xavier says that she is joking and that her loss was almost more than he could bear. Jean says that they always said that X-Men are hard to kill. Xavier says that it seems that in mutant heaven that there aren’t pearly gates, but a revolving door. She says that she if glad to see his sense of humor intact, but that she is there to tell him that this search his hopeless. Xavier says that he doesn’t believe that. He walks out of the house, leaps to the stairs that then disappear. Jean tells him to think of the imagery. “A few bricks shy. Staircase not going all the way to the top. The lights being on, but nobody being home.” Xavier says that David’s mind is creating them and calling out to him. Jean tells him that it is Xavier creating the imagery, and that his subconscious is trying to tell him what his consciousness refuses to accept. She says that there is nothing there and that Xavier can’t work with nothing. Xavier says that David needs him. Archangel, Beast, Cyclops, and Iceman arrive. Archangel says that he doesn’t need him because he isn’t there. Beast says that the center can’t hold without Xavier providing the vision. Cyclops says that things are blurred. Xavier starts to ask why it always has to be him. Iceman starts to answer, but Xavier tells him that it was rhetorical. Jean starts to tell Xavier how to stop falling, but Xavier asks if she is really giving him instructions on astral physics. He says that she forgets herself, but Jean says that she is just concerned. Cyclops tells Xavier that he went to help David so quickly that they didn’t get a chance to tell him that the x-rays show that he will never walk again. Xavier says that he doesn’t believe in never and that he never has.

Xavier lies in bed. He looks at the original X-Men and says that he never thought that he would get to see this again. Moira says that they are concerned with his condition. Xavier assures her that he is fine.

Moira tells Storm. Storm tells Colossus. Colossus tells Gambit. Gambit tells Polaris. Polaris tells Guido that “he” is all right. Guido asks who. Polaris says that he is all right. Guido tells Multiple Man who then tells a bunch of his duplicates. The duplicates tell Rogue that “he” is all right. Rogue tells Jubilee, but she asks who cares as she storms off. Wolverine tells Rogue that Jubilee is just having a rough day. Rogue tells Wolverine that “he” is all right. Wolverine asks if she means Xavier or Legion. Rogue says that she forgot to ask.

Xavier says goodbye to his son and closes his eyes. He asks Beast to bring him over to the window. Xavier looks out at the mutants and says that Beast is right about the center not holding, but asks what he is going to do with fourteen X-Men. Beast says, “Eh. Bag’em”

Mutant Scum rating: 6 out of 10

 Review and picture by The Leader

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