X-Factor #72

Title:  “Multiple Homicide”

Writer: Peter David

Penciller: Larry Stroman

Inker: Al Milgrom

Colors: Glynis Oliver

Editor: Bob Harras

Ariel O’Hare is reporting live from the scene of a homicide. She says that at 9:30 that neighbors heard shouting and gunfire in the apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Rosenfeld, both of whom are in Europe presently. She says that an unidentified friend was apartment sitting for them, and that unidentified friend is believed to be dead, victim of multiple gunshot wounds and a five story drop. A cop palms the lens of the camera and says that is enough pictures. He says that the man there is worm food now and doesn’t need a bunch of “leeches” crawling over him… even if they have press passes.

Val shouts Madrox’s name as she realizes that the Rosenfelds are the people that Madrox was watching the apartment for. Quicksilver runs over and says that he heard Val scream Madrox’s name and asks if he put a rubber snake in her coffee cup. Val says that he is dead and that it was just on the news. Quicksilver says that it must be a slow news night. Val says that is very cold. Pietro says that it is a cold world, and that no one knows it better than he. He says that Madrox was a fool, and that he doesn’t suffer fools gladly, but that he apologizes if his candor bothers her. He says that they better notify the others.

A woman walks up and down Guido’s back. Guido tells Polaris, Havok, and Rahne about how his parents were very frugal. He says that they saved green stamps, never went on vacation, and pinched every penny. He says that when they weren’t insulting him that they were telling him that he should deny himself useless luxuries and value thriftiness. Havok asks if they still feel this way. Guido says that they don’t so Alex asks what changed their minds. Guido says that nothing did, but that they were crushed by a falling satellite. He says that he settled out of court for a considerable sum. He says that he learned to appreciate the finer things and that every time he ordered the best wine or valet parked his car that he thought of his parents and laughed. He says that they really had the last laugh though and that some bad investments almost wiped him out. He says that is why he took the bone breaker job for Lila Cheney. He says that she paid real well, but that dried up and that he couldn’t stand the thought of giving up the finer things in life. He points to the woman and says that he means things like Babette and asks her to get the small of his back. Babette jumps up and down on him. He says that the check that X-Factor promised should keep him in the finer things for a good time. He tells Alex and Lorna that they can stay with him if they want and that he has plenty of room. Alex says that he appreciates the offer, but thinks he should get a place of his own. Lorna asks if he doesn’t mean a place of “their” own. Guido asks if there is trouble in paradise. Suddenly Val, Quicksilver, and Lockjaw flash into the room. Val falls on her butt and Guido says that the comedy relief has arrived. Val stammers out, “Jamie”. Alex asks what about him.

Lockjaw teleports them to the scene of the crime. A reporter tries to ask Havok a question, but he tells her to get out of his way. Polaris repeats that he said move and uses her powers to back the person up. Havok says that he could have handled that. Quicksilver asks if there is trouble in paradise, but Lorna tells him to dry up. Havok looks at the body and says that it is Jamie. The ambulance operator asks Havok if he knows him. Alex says that he doesn’t, but that he likes to walk around near dead bodies and identify them as Jamie. Lorna says that they are going to find his killer and nail him to the wall. Quicksilver says that it is more brutal than he thought and that he will help. Val says that Jamie will not go unavenged. Jamie says that the creep must pay for this. Val screams when she sees the not dead Jamie.

Professor Vic Chalker watches his television and says that mutants are all over it. He says that when he is done that there won’t be a single mutant left on the planet. He says that none of them will be a match for him… none of them.

Val keeps stammering that Jamie isn’t dead, but Lorna butts in and says that she will handle this. She yells at Jamie that this is the stupidest joke and that he had better not do anything like this again. Jamie asks why she is yelling at him. He says that this was no joke, He says that there was a knock at the door, but since he wasn’t expecting anyone that he made a dupe and hid. He watches his dupe blown away. When he heard footsteps running away he made a dupe to follow them and see what was going on, but the gunman was gone. He says that he has been hiding in the crowd waiting for them to show up. Alex says that Jamie wanted to wait until they were there to draw the possible fire. Jamie says that is it exactly. Jamie excuses himself so that he can “pick up after himself”, but he finds that he can’t merge with his dead dupe. Alex asks what is wrong. Jamie says that it isn’t rejoining him, but that it can’t be. He says that the dupe isn’t real and that he should just be able to reabsorb it. Jamie is asked if he ever had a dupe die before. Jamie says that Proteus stole one once and that he never got to absorb it, but that he always assumed he could. He says that it doesn’t have a life to lose and that he should just be able to absorb it. Jamie starts shaking the dupe and yells at it to snap out of it. Alex tells Jamie that there are people around and to suck it up. Jamie tells Alex to suck it up himself and says that he produced a corpse. Quicksilver says that Jamie should try to pull himself together, but Guido says that he is what he was trying to do.

Val is talking to Ariel O’Hare. She says that the people there are part of an elite government organization known as X-Factor. She says that they are a fighting and investigation team brought in on special cases. Ariel asks if they believe that this was more than just a simple murder. Val says that it was far more. Ariel asks why one of the members seemed hysterical at the sight of the dead body. Val says that he wasn’t hysterical. Ariel asks how Val would describe it. Val says, “He was beside himself.”

An evil individual watches the broadcast and says that bit about being “beside himself” was very good. Jamie’s attacker enters the room. He is told that it appears that he did not succeed as they had hoped. The man responds that appearances can be deceiving. The evil individual says that they must be thorough. He says that first it was Quicksilver and then Madrox. He says that the rest will follow, and asks if the man is willing to help for his own reasons. The man says that he is and asks what the next move is. He is told that they will wait for X-Factor to make their move and then they will respond. The man says that he doesn’t like waiting around. The evil individual tells him to have patience and that “in the words of the philosopher… don’t have a cow man.”

Val says that they are having a press conference. Guido says that is a good idea. He “conferences” that he can press 20 tons. He asks Lorna. Polaris says that she can press pants, an attack, or a point. Guido sees Quicksilver “speed reading” and says that he thought that he grew older every time he used his powers. He asks if he remembers or if he grew so old that he is senile. Quicksilver says that reading requires minimal effort and that he has to do something at an accelerated rate. He says that otherwise he would be normal and probably want to kill himself. Guido tells Quicksilver not to let them stop him. Val asks Alex what he thinks about the conference. Alex says that he was dreading having to stand up there and play the smiling government mutie. He says that count him out. Val says that he is back in and that after the debacle of Freedom Force that they have to head off any bad press. Lorna tells Guido that he has to come up with some kind of “super type code name”. Guido says that sounds stupid and asks why. Lorna says that it is expected and that they can’t be introduced as “X-Factor: Havok, Polaris, Wolfsbane, Multiple Man, and Guido” and that it doesn’t work. Quicksilver asks what about him. Lorna says that Quicksilver slipped his mind. She goes on to tell Guido to pick a name for himself and that it has to strike fear in the hearts of criminals and look good on t-shirts and Slurpee cups. Quicksilver asks what she meant that he slipped her mind. Alex says to let him think about it. Quicksilver repeats his question about what she meant that he slipped her mind. Val says that he can think about it all he wants, but that she is going to go set it up. Quicksilver repeats his question about what she meant that he slipped her mind. As Alex walks away, Lorna tells him to wait for her.

She tells him to call her crazy, but that she gets the feeling that he is trying to avoid her. Alex says that she is crazy. Lorna asks if they are going to be friends, lovers, or what. Alex says that he isn’t sure and asks how she feels about it. Lorna says that she feels like they have been through so much that they almost have to start all over learning about one another. As Lorna and Alex walk along, Rahne watches them from afar and listens. Suddenly sirens go off and Alex and Lorna rush toward them.

Val finds Jamie sitting in a dark room. She asks him if he is okay. Jamie says that people think of soldiers as “numbers” or “acceptable losses” instead of “casualties” because when you hear about slaughters and deaths that you don’t have to think about the lives that are lost. He says that he never thought of his dupes as anything more than foot soldiers, but that maybe he never understood their nature. He says that the dead dupe was a separate individual and that he wasn’t part of him anymore. He asks what if he never was and what if they have their own souls. Val says that this is getting a little metaphysical and says that she thought that they were just extensions of him. Jamie says that he thought so too, but that if they are separate what if they have their own world view… even if they are only slightly off. He says that what if he is creating them just to die on his behalf without thinking. Val says that he didn’t know. Jamie says that now he does and asks what he does about it.

Alex and Lorna find a building on fire. The fire fighters say that their ladders can’t reach a woman in trouble. Alex rides up on Lorna’s back as she uses a ladder to fly up to the window. Alex sees the size of the woman and says that it is a good thing that they aren’t trying to get her down without Lorna’s powers. As the woman is being taken down she tells Alex that her kids are still inside. Alex says, “Yeah, they would be”. He tells Lorna to take the woman down and come back for him. Alex blasts down a door and finds the kids. The ceiling starts to collapse. Alex tells the kids to grab hold. He says that they are going through the wall and hope that their ride is on the other side. As Alex leaps through the wall he thinks about how Val will love how this looks on the news. He hopes Lorna sees them, and that if she doesn’t that he will catch up with her in the next life. On the ground the fire fighters are struggling to get a placing on the net. Lorna just grabs the net with her powers and places it in the right spot. Alex kisses Lorna. He says that he knew he wasn’t going to die because he was waiting for his life to flash before his eyes and all he saw was re-runs of “Mr. Belvedere”. Polaris says that he sounds so cool and calm that they will ignore that he is shaking like a leaf. Lorna says that took a lot of confidence in her. Alex says, “Leap of faith, lover.” Off in the distance, Rahne says coldly, “Lover. Hmph.”

Val welcomes the media to the press conference. She announces that Freedom Force has been disbanded. She says that the group’s goals were laudable, but that they were too unstable to function. She says that the government still feels that a special task force is still needed to deal with mutant situations and capable of dealing with emergencies like last night’s fire. She says that the president approved group is called X-Factor. She says that she will introduce the members of the group using their code names to protect their friends and relatives: “Multiple Man, Polaris, Havok, Wolfsbane, Quicksilver, and… uh…” She stalls at Guido and asks where he is. Guido says that he isn’t coming out and that he looks ridiculous. Havok says that he does not. Polaris says that she thinks that he looks sexy. Guido says, “Y’think so?” and comes out. A reporter sees Guido and says that he must be the super group’s strong guy. Val says that is right. She starts to introduce him, but realizes that she doesn’t know his name. Guido says that his code name is “Strong Guy”. Alex says that he can’t call himself that and that it’s stupid. Guido looks at Alex and asks “Shorty” if he has a problem with that. Alex says no. Val says that she will open it up to questions. A reporter asks why Quicksilver isn’t wearing an X-Factor costume. Quicksilver asks the reporter why his jacket is so ugly. Val says that uniforms are optional, and Strong Guy says that now she tells him. One reporter asks for their reasons for getting involved. Guido says that he is doing it for the money. Alex steps forward and says that it fills a need to let the public know what while there are anti-social mutants that there are also mutants that are trying to achieve positive goals. He says that it is just the same way that there are good and bad people. One reporter says that some say that mutants are freaks and that they call themselves “homo superior” to mask their own security. He asks how they respond. Rahne asks if they don’t have senses, affections, and passions. She asks if they prick them do they not bleed. She asks if they poison him if they don’t die. One reporter says that they don’t seem to, and that they keep coming back. Rahne gets right in the man’s face and says that her first love is lying in the ground and not to talk to her about death not being real. Val asks if there are any more questions. Jamie Madrox steps forward and says that his question is for the Multiple Man. He says that he happens to be the Multiple Man and that he wants to know who the imposter is.

Mutant Scum rating: 7.5 out of 10

 Review and picture by The Leader

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