Can the X-Men escape the planet of Brood?
Originally Published November 1982
Wolverine has returned to the Brood Parliament Building only to find the "Sleazoid's" scientists experimenting away on our friend Carol. They've got her hooked up to the ole Evolutionary Manipulator to see what she would look like as a demon monkey creature.
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| Side Effects May Include Kirby Krackle |
The Brood - like everyone - are impressed by Carol as a physical and mental specimen, capable of mentally withstanding their bizarre physical punishment, even as they transmogrify her into something so (admittedly by my personal pro-humanoid beautfy standards) hideous.
Wolverine - still in narrator mode from last issue - smashes his way through the lab, killing a few Brood scientists, and rescuing Carol, letting her revert to the form of a statuesque blonde human bombshell.
As so often, happens the Brood's experiments have clearly changed Carol, although in what way, we don't yet know.
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| I'm sure it's nothing major |
As Carol joins Wolverine on his chase through the labyrinthine tunnels of the Brood Head Office, she remarks that while she would have expected to be worn out by all that transformation, she feels like she is "literally bursting with energy." (Don't you just hate when people use "literally" like that?)
Back on Earth, Charles Xavier's Mansion is being rebuilt after having been destroyed by the Sidri some weeks ago. I suppose Charles is keen to move back to Westchester after finding out that his adoptive island paradise is home to random portals into a demonic limbo where time has no meaning.
Havok and Corsair arrive to tell Lorna - whom I suppose is serving a site supervisor? - that the X-Men have been taken by Deathbird and the Brood and there's nothing they can do about it.
Corsair resolves to rally the Starjammers to mount a rescue and/or revenge mission. He opts to leave Alex behind because it will likely involve murder, something Alex has never yet developed a taste for.
Back on Broodworld, Cyclops is tormented by uneasy dreams where he is being assaulted by Brood Queens dressed as the X-Men. While the dream-Brood taunt Cyclops that there is nothing that can stop his impending metamorphosis, he has a vision of Charles Xavier, who assures him that his salvation can be found within - whatever that means.
Cyclops awakens and encounters Storm, who is in the midst of a full blown panic attack, feeling at war with herself and not knowing why.
They rendezvous with Wolverine, who pitches a plan to steal back Lilandra's Yacht - currently tethered to the rib of a deceased Space Whale whose bones reach into the upper atmosphere (sure). They collect the other X-Men and split into two parties - one to steal the ship and one to rescue Lilandra, whom I would assume is the only person who knows how to fly the thing.
they penetrate deep into the Brood Stronghold, to where Wolverine suggests they just take the whole project to its logical conclusion and kill the Brood Queen. Cyclops admonishes him against doing so, however, having gotten back on that always-inconvenient "X-Men don't kill" thing.
Of course, what Cyclops doesn't know is that there are Brood Eggs inside of him and all the other X-Men, and while killing the Brood Queen won't solve that, it will definitely feel good, which is just as important as doing what's right, in my book.
On the "Retake the ship" mission, Kitty phases into the craft, only to encounter a Brood Hunter before she can open the hatch and let Nightcrawler - who is running low on body heat and breathable air - in.
Kitty, who is no stranger to facing down monstrous inhuman beasts all by herself, manages to blow the alien warrior out the airlock (surprising him by the use of her phasing ability) thus putting her in the same "Killing is okay at least some of the time" camp as Wolverine.
The Ship crew beams the others aboard and they make their getaway, but are unable to enter Warp Speed due to being too deep within the gravity well of a star system.
Which gives the Brood just enough time to aim their weapons...
To be continued!
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