Mutants NOW!

[Trish]

Mutants NOW!

Mutants NOW! is a pro-harmony group dedicated to mutant/human equality and the use of their powers for the good of all mankind.

They fought against mostly mutant-related threats, but would tackle any kind of problem that came their way. Mostly they spent their days screwing up the plans of the New Age every Saturday or so.


Their members all wore solid-color one-piece bodysuits, with an individual color choice and insignia on the chest. They also each wore a full-head helmet with a stylized window/visor in the front made of privacy glass and mirror glass. They generally had white gloves and boots.


Codename:
Color:
Insignia:
Visor:
Known powers:
General Description:

Codename: Ms. Universe
Color: Brown.
Insignia: A swirly galaxy with a Saturn-type ring around it and little cosmic shaped mixed in.
Visor: A black 'planet' with a silver Saturn-type ring around it.
Known powers: Ms. Universe commanded space; bending and twisting the very pathways of reality. She never seemed to throw an offensive attack, but there was almost nothing that could be thrown at her she couldn't bend back upon her assailant. She was also the group's primary transport, apparently capable of mass teleports.
General Description: The leader of the group, Ms. Universe was surprisingly well-spoken and cultured, even as she was spitting out one-liners with the rest of the group. Looking good even in brown spandex, she was calm and collected even in the deepest depths of chaos. Perhaps it was simply due to her powers, but Ms. Universe was always a reactionary force. She never instigated violence. She'd never throw the first punch or head out on a mission of attack. This may well have been her ultimate failing, but it taught countless humans that even the most powerful of mutants had the capacity for restraint and humanity.

Codename: NightGale
Color: Dark Blue
Insignia: A swooping bird with spiky wings flared out.
Visor: The visor was shaped like a bird's head from above, with the 'beak' and 'eyes' indicated by silver. The helmet also had unique protrusions along the back quarters, plastic spikes fanning out in a slow spiral.
Known powers: NightGale's power was everyone else's power. She could detect X-factors, copy them, use them in different ways - she's even been shown to take away the powers of another mutant. It's not known if this was permanent.
General Description: She started as Nightingale, named for the bird who could sing any bird's song and sing it sweeter. True, she was beautiful and silver-tongued, but she was far too dark and intimidating for the name of a songbird to stick. The papers soon renamed her NightGale, and this name was accepted. NightGale was as stunning as she was terrifying, and she used the powers of others often in ways their owners would never have dreamt. She also somehow turned everyone's powers to her signature blue.

Codename: Playback
Color: Light Blue
Insignia: The images from the buttons of a cassette player.
Visor: A black rectangle highlighted with silver here and there to vaguely resemble a cassette.
Known powers: Though Playback came off as a super-speedster, examination revealed he was actually a localized time controller. He could speed up, slow down, stop, or even reverse time for a certain person, object, or area. His powers were greatly enhanced when he had access to isolated chronitons.
General Description: Funny, witty, fact-thinking and cute, Playback would spit out one-liners and puns faster than he could throw punches. Playback could throw punches very fast, speeding up his own time so while his opponent experienced a single moment he'd experience... more moments! Too bad he could never punch very hard. Much like Ms. Universe, Playback never lost his cool - only one time did he let his anger consume him. To the last drop, Playback was light-hearted and hopeful in the face of any danger.

Codename: Cricket
Color: GREEN!
Insignia: Outline of a cricket, grasshopper face.
Visor: A big pair of bug-eyes, with the rest of the cricket face in silver. Her helmet had antennae-like projections coming out of it that seemed to move about and had grooves they could lay back into protectively.
Known powers: Cricket could command massive swarms of insects. Since these insects were in massive numbers and often non-native it seems that she was also summoning or creating them somehow. Cricket could also leap extraordinary distance and cling to walls, even with her gloves and boots on. It was suggested that she had some positive 'luck' power that affected her and those she touched.
General Description: Despite having such a creepy power, Cricket was the most lighthearted and sweet of the group. She'd engage foes many times her physical prowess, leaping around their clumsy punches like it was a game. Her one-liners were... not funny, usually. But, her ineptitude at them only made her more endearing. She was the only one who could ever get emotional response out of Baum. Wasn't good, whoops!

Codename: Pyrevolt
Color: Red at the top gradienting to yellow at the bottom.
Insignia: A fireball with two lightning bolts encircling it.
Visor: Black fireball with silver edging, crossed by two gold lightning bolts.
Known powers: Pyrevolt created and controlled both fire and lightning. He could move energy around even after it left his body, and could travel by standing on an object and creating enrrgy beneath it. He was quite muscular and tall, and may have had some superhuman athletic ability.
General Description: Like an electric fireball, Pyrevolt was anything but subtle. He was loud, violent, and often appeared to be out of control. Many were amazed that a person such as him would side with Mutants NOW! instead of the New Age, and yet he chose to embrace humanity. While he was fierce and passionate, time and time again he proved he was not crazy. He was as loyal as can be, and what principles he stood for were unshakable.

Codename: Silverwolf
Color: Silver
Insignia: A wolf's face with black eyes, the eyes resembling computer screens with random green symbols,
Visor: A wolf's face all in silver with the eyes done in black.
Known powers: While Silverwolf never displayed a 'power', it can be assumed she was a mutant as she was a member of the mutant team. It can be assumed her power was intuit engineering, because she was regularly equipped with fantastic devices. Her powers may have had more to do with the devices than mere design, as generally her stuff could not be used by others. She was prone to create tools to enhance the powers of her teammates. Her signature gear was a pair of metal gauntlets and greaves with claws that could shoot out on long retractable chain, and a surprisingly advanced portable computer. She also had her 'howlers', palm mounted sonic beams.
General Description: Silverwolf was a largely normal person, for someone who ran around in a power ranger costume fighting supervillains. She went easy on the one-liners and tended to lurk in the background as more of a support member, throwing in opportunistic attacks.

Codename: Stoneskin
Color: Orange. Stoneskin's costume had no sleeves. It did, however, have gloves.
Insignia: A cluster of smooth stone shapes.
Visor: Just an oval. Maybe it was supposed to be a rock?
Known powers: In addition to mid-level superhuman strength, Stoneksin's power involved... stone skin. From his skin at least the skin on his arms, he could rapidly produce 'scales' that resembled smooth river rocks. He could keep these for defensive armor or fire them off for quick projectile attacks. Most remarkably, the 'stones' seem to have some ability to fuse with each other. Stoneskin could spray them off and quickly form cobblestone walls and other structures.
General Description: Stoneskin was not very bright. He was slow-thinking and somewhat single-minded. Still, brains do not make a hero, heart does. He would throw himself whole-heartedly into every mission. He would dive in front of attacks to save any ally. He had a bad habit of trying to do this for the light and lovely Ms. Universe, which tended to get him inadvertently launched at the enemy. Still, with what he'd accomplish once he got there some would think he did it on purpose.

Codename: Captain Explosion
Color: Black, black boots and gloves.
Insignia: A round bomb with a row of red spikes sticking out behind it.
Visor: A black round bomb shape with a silver fuse winding along the side of the helmet.
Known powers: Captain Explosion could detonate part of all of his physical mass in a tremendous burst of energy. Whenever a piece of him went up, his incorporeal energy form would be revealed until the mass rematerialized. It was pink. He could make just a fist or an arm go up in a punch, or detonate his entire body in a fury of destruction. It took him a while to rematerialize, so his attacks were few but effective. He could also do an 'explodaport' at the expense of his immediate surroundings. He displayed the ability to expand his energy being beyond his corporeal mass and detonate in an explosion of epic magnitude, but he only did that once...
General Description: Self-sacrifice lent itself to the Captain's personality. There was no burden he would not attempt to take before his teammates and no mission he'd complain about taking. Perhaps there was something driving him to this beyond honor, because he somehow seemed eager to give and give. On a side note, his title of 'captain' was legitimate for he could pilot a boat across the ocean and perform marriages at sea.

Codename: Astral Overdrive
Color: Purple. Boots come up past the knee. They have heels.
Insignia: Holographic concentric gold and silver glittering stars.
Visor: Gold shutter shades with silver spacing. The helmet has a little hole so he can smoke.
Known powers: Astral projection. He would create constructs and projections of varying states of solidity. They would range from simple objects and animals to clones of himself to strange fantastic things or twisted bizarre creatures, or even things so unrecognizable that it hurt the mind to behold them. They were purple.
General Description: Astral Overdrive was a very thin man, yet with a muscular tone visible through his spandex. He looked and moved and acted much like a big hair rockstar, taking long uneven strides and skittering about in sudden bursts. He said strange things, was extremely vain, and rarely made any sense. He was vulgar and arrogant and just the sort of man one is uncomfortable being around. He liked to smoke, but back then it wasn't bad for you. Still, while he was sometimes irritating and often delirious, he was a member of the team. When the method to his madness would come to light, he had always been fighting for the cause all along. Sometimes he wore a little cape.

[Trish]

* *The inside page is not the normal stuff. It is a black page with white letters, printed on that cheap tissue paper
* *It says: This will be the final issue of REAL Stories of Mutants. The events within have disinherited the staff and for our respect of our favorite heroes, we are ceasing production.
* *: However, it would be discourteous to Mutants NOW! and their many fans not to finish their story. Be warned that the events within are depicted as accurately as possible, and they are far more dark and graphic than our normal fare. The faint of heart should not read this issue. With that said, this is the final tale of Mutants NOW!. -Ed
* *The story starts out with speculation panels. Nine little glass jars with metal caps on either end, full of a white-glowing unidentifiable stuff. [Isolated Chronitons], reads a narrator box
* *Cut to the imagined headquarters of Mutants NOW! where this shelf is. Absent are the hard nipples and exaggerated poses of the ladies and airbrushed muscles of the men; the art has taken a respectful turn.
* *<Ms Universe> "My team, my friends." she says. "As you know, to mixed response, I have vowed that we will never again attempt to stop the New Age by lethal force. I have also vowed, however, that we WILL stop them."
* *<Ms Universe> "Today, I make good on that promise. After the defeat of the Immortal Vampire, it occurred to me; Vostok and his ilk are monsters today; but when we met them, they were just like us." she says, striding back and forth in front of the group.
* *<Silverwolf> "I have managed to isolate enough chronitons to fill nine of these containers. One, for each member of the New Age." she says "It took a long time for this to be accomplished, and we likely won't get a second chance."
* *<Ms Universe> "The plan is deceptively simple. We will engage the New Age, and keep them occupied. Playback will catch them one by one, and boosted by the Chronitons he will 'rewind' their memories. The intent is to return them mentally to the time before they turned on humanity, and hopefully get them to rejoin our ranks."
* *<NightGale> "Obviously, there are a lot of holes in this plan." speaks up the woman in dark blue "It is, sadly, the best and only plan we have, so we'll fill those holes as they appear. First off, security. From this point till completion; no phone calls, no outside contact, helmets on."
* *<NightGale> "We are aware that Image is regularly doing a broad-scan of the minds of the city. Our helmets will keep her out of our heads, but if the slightest thought goes into anyone's mind she will find it and they will be ready."
* *<Ms Universe> "At this time, the New Age are no longer the friends we knew. They have killed many humans, in defense as well as cold blood. Zoltan, Prime, Blood Mantis, and Gigaman have all made serious attempts to kill some of us as well. Matters are getting out of hand."
* *<NightGale> "Vostok is smart. Most of them are. It will not take them long to realize what we are doing and I cannot say how they will react. We are better equipped and better organized, but they are more powerful and ruthless. As you well know, they are always, somehow, one step ahead of us. This mission will not be 'safe'. In the chaos Ms Universe may not be able to pull you out, and Playback will be too busy to heal people."
* *<Ms Universe> "If any of your wish to back down and walk away from all this, this is the time." And she waits. A back hand goes to the middle of the table. Green. Orange. Purple. Red. Silver. Light blue. Dark blue. Brown. All in.
* *The comic moves from speculation to observation. The colorful Mutants Now! Moving through the streets. One can almost feel the drop of pressure in their hands, as the black hole opens in the air - behind them
* *And they come. Salvatore Vostok, swill working on that beard, standing on an ice floe. Image, floating in her glory next to him. Prime, in a runner's crouch with a grin. Baum, taking up more than his share of the panel with a sad, serious expression he always has. Gigman, in his thick armor.
* *Blood Mantis, in his big-sleeved man-kimono. Zoltan, hovering midair. Gem, in his crystalline green shell. And Null, coming out behind them all. His soulless eyes as always but - is that a smile, an expression on the emotionally dead man's face?
* *<Salvatore Vostok> "Looking for us?" he chortles, causing the heroes to spin around. <Ms Universe> "As a matter of fact, Salvatore. Yes." Vostok seems slightly surprised, but not concerned. <Ms Universe> "It all ends today, Vostok. Today will be the last time we meet as enemies."
* *Vostok, any reader of the comics would know, has heard this before. Virtually every issue, in fact. So, he is not taken aback - but this time, something is different. He knows it; it can be seen in his face. <Vostok> "If that is what you wish, old friend."
* *And it begins. Different this time. Captain Explosion dives not for his old enemy, Gigaman; he takes his fists at Prime. She has to be taken out quick. Baum has no such feeling; he goes straight for Cricket. Limiting his powers for speed, he chases her as she leaps about. Ms Universe redirects Zoltan's attacks at Gem, trying to break his shell
* *NightGale is on Image. Seconds in command, but the most dangerous people on the field. NightGale takes a little bit of everyone’s powers and throws them at Image, causing her to flit about - she has no offense against NightGale with those helmets. Keep her busy, so she cannot steal anyone's soul
* *Astral Overdrive summons a massive hydra beast, each head wearing an elongated version of his helmet. Its many heads strike out at Gigaman as he breaks apart into an army
* *Playback makes his choice. Why does he do it? Is he afraid of hurting these people, still friends deep inside? He opens a small vial and appears in front of Gem. Gem, the bastard adoptee. Never a friend, merely a replacement for the lovely Aether whom he steered away from this life. A handful of solidified time and he grabs Gem's armored shoulder
* *Like a cowardly lizard, Gem sheds the body part and it turns to sand in Playback's hand. Gem, the coward, the outsider - panics. He starts indiscriminately hurling shards, but soon matures into actively launching emerald javelins at the Mutants NOW! members that fight for their friends
* *A Javelin pierces Pyrevolt's abdomen, a shower of sparks jetting from the wound. Pyrevolt falls, but keeps moving. He sits right back up and pulls the weapon from the flesh wound. It is clear to all, though, that a flesh wound was not the intent
* *Stoneskin, the stupid one. Loyal and stupid like a big dog, he had dove face-first at Vostok himself - and fighting like a boxer, he was actually pushing the god of ice back. But this attempt is too much for him; he abandons Vostok and heads for Gem
* *A quickly built staircase of cobblestone takes the sleeveless hero to the flying foe and he tackles the bastard out of midair. As they hit ground, arms armor with rock and he begins to punch and punch until Gem's phenomenal crystal armor begins to yield.
* *Again, different this time. As Gem lays there, gathering his wits, Stoneskin raises both hands over his had. Fists grip each other and around them forms a boulder the size of a kitchen stove. He brings it down on Gem's head. The artists spared no detail on the gout of blood that spatters across the street. Jake was warned on the front page.
* *The New Age realizes this is different. This is not another pointless Saturday morning scrimmage. Vostok is no leader; he is a king, a god, a father. The dog has downed one of his people and he turns on it. Glaciers form in the air, but drop and shatter as a flaming lighting bolt rips across Vostok's body
* *Pyrevolt, flying around on a flaming manhole cover; there's always been the question if he is hotter that Vostok is cold. Deep down, neither of them wanted to find out. Still, he can only handle Vostok, and is powerless when Baum approaches
* *Baum turns into the horrid green-veined tree man, 15 feet tall with thick wooden fingers. He grabs Stoneskin from the ground and strikes him against a wall. Again, Again. He throws him in a street. A rustling sound, and walking threes march from the alleys of the street.
* *We’ve seen this before. Before Stoneskin can get up, a treant grabs each limb. Cricket sends a black cloud of locusts to devour the plants, but wood is too hard to chew. Roots dig into the ground and till up the asphalt. They descend, and Stoneskin goes with them. Soon, nothing is left but a few bloody river rocks as Stoneskin is buried alive
* *The trees should never be messed with. Baum is endlessly loyal to his team, but he truly loves his plants. The insect, his nemesis. His freakish bark-covered arm launches a dumpster at her; they meet midair and a jagged sound effect block announces the snapping of her femur. The locusts descend on Baum, dining on his strange mixture of flesh and plant
* *As Cricket drags herself out of harm's way, image finds a moments peace. The insects die, and Baum's devoured flesh and eyeballs are restored. A shadow falls over the group and both teams scatter as the giant armored boot of a hundred foot tall Gigaman smashes into the alley, destroying the hydra and making Astral tumble and grip his head.
* *Captain Explosion sees this, and detonates his forearm in Primes fist, sending her away. She lies in the street. As his arm rematerializes around the flowing pink phantom one, he uses it to set the timer on his chest. 10 seconds.
* *He runs to Pyrevolt, pushing him off his manhole cover. He steps aboard it. "UP!" he commands, Stunned, his teammate, his brother, simply obeys. Up he goes, leaping off and clinging to Gigaman's chest
* *What is this? A full-body detonation has at best only ever stunned Gigaman, and Gigaman has never been this big before. Not even noticing the captain, Gigaman continues to stomp the ground and kick over buildings, trying to kill his enemy and threatening countless innocents.
* *Different this time. Captain Explosion's pink incorporeal form extends out behind his flesh, encompassing his entire body. He has never done this before, he's inside out. 3... 2... 1...
* *The frame pulls back a few blocks to show it. The detonation blinds the city, and when the flash is over a roaring rainbow of flame arches over the block, passing through Gigaman's chest. The smoke clears, revealing a gaping hole in the giant torso, and the man falls back. This time, there is no pink ghost.
* *The explosion is devastating to normal people, but to the mind of a psychopath it is a welcome distraction. Four feet of bony scythe erupts through Ms Universe's stomach, ripping its way up to her chest. It yanks out, and in a blur Blood Mantis is standing over the downed Cricket. He's waited for this, for so long. His scythes swing past each other and tear her into three pieces.
* *Prime. Back on her feet like nothing happened. Silverwolf - running out of people to stand behind. The perfect woman comes at her from behind and leaps on her, gripping that helmet, pulling and twisting. However, before she can literally rip the woman's head off, a brilliant blue aura of dark glory washes over the alley.
* *NightGale. Vostok watches on with a horror of blasphemy as NightGale floats in the air with the powers of his angel. An unseen force yanks Prime from Silverwolf's back. She spasms on the ground and her flesh shrinks away, drying her up like a worm in the sun. NightGale turns to Ms Universe, and the wound heals, knitting back together. Brown fabric gaping open, she sits up, and coughs
* *But Playback does not see this. The calm, cool, collected joker; his muscles are clenched, his hands shaking, as he scans around for that shadow blur. Three vials are grabbed from his bandolier, and he crushes the glass in his hand.
* *Time stops, heroes and monsters and blood and rubble hover in midair. Only Playback moves, searching. There! Frozen in midair, Blood Mantis leaping
* *Time stops, and Blood Mantis leaps facefirst into Playback's palm. Glowing white stuff oozes on his face and between gloved fingers, and the hero grips. Waves of blue wash over the man's body. His hair grows, his skin pales, his costume fades. His struggles get slower and slower as his blades turn grey and dull, his flesh dry and withered.
* *The hand pulls away after far too long, revealing wrinkled and toothless face, with a bald head and long white beard. The hundred year old man raises his cracked claw in vengeance - and his heart gives out from the effort. He collapses, his huge claws crumbling
* *This is worse than the dog. Vostok has tolerated Playback as a fool for too long, but he's always know time is too powerful in any hands. His hand pushes out and a very different kind of ice - clear, smooth - encases Pyrevolt, dropping him to the ground, one of his fireballs frozen inside it. Ice forms under the feet of his remaining allies and up they go
* *Glaciers form, as big as they alley. Ms Universe raises a weak hand to send them away, push them off course - but she doesn't have it in her. Playback - does he even notice? He is exhausted from his bloodlust
* *In a moment, he lifts his head, turns it. An iceberg is reflected in his visor. WHAM! The icebergs crash into each other like freight trains, and drop to the ground. A booted foot juts out from between them, three little bottles of time roll away
* *Electricity sparks across the ice cube as Pyrevolt fights it. Flames roar around his face. NightGale forms flaming mantis claws and slashes at the strange substance - but it's to no avail. Pyrevolt burns up his own air supply and his flames go out, and he is suspended unmoving in his crystal coffin
* *Desperation. Astral Overdrive picks up a rock.
* *He takes it, and he smashes it against the side of his head. Plastic cracks and his visor shatters. For the only time of any of them, a hero's eyes are revealed. Long lashes, large eyes. He's wearing eye shadow. Why would he do that? NightGale said the helmets keep Image out. If they keep one psychic out, do they keep another one in?
* *The release is almost immediate. Violet energy pours from his faceplate, forming the artist's best interpretation of the horror born in Astrals' subconscious. Big as Gigaman, a scaly sluglike body with many wings and flailing tentacles and random clawed limbs; Astral's helmet for a head with a gaping fanged mouth full of snakes. Orifices on its body birth out smaller monsters
* *It moves forward. It slashed and strangles and claws and slams at the enemy, replicating horrors. It slams Baum on the wall, yanks on Prime's head, and encases Vostok. But, these are not its target. It heads for the glory, the heroic demon advancing on the unholy angel
* *The tentacles and fangs and stingers are, largely, illusion. When it reaches Image, it becomes a battle of wills. As it pushes toward her, her aura dims. It glows brighter and she pushes back; the monster shrinks and a few of its babies vanish. This goes back and forth as Zoltan flies around, seeking something instead of aiding his fellows.
* *Soon, the glory shins like a sunrise and the monster shrinks. Image advances steadily, the beast blurring and shrinking and backing up. With a final raise of her arms, the beast retreats back into Astral Overdrive's mind. His eyes roll back in his head and he collapses. The New Age rises and dusts itself off, ready to square off with Ms Universe and NightGale and- where is Silverwolf?
* *Down the alley, on the other side of Gigaman's body. Was she retreating? Regrouping? Coming up with a brilliant new plan to save the day? Or, fleeing for her life?
* *Zoltan appears before her, descending from above. For the first time in this fight since it started, someone speaks. <Zoltan> "It's been a fun run, Moon." The comic makes no explanation why he calls her this, but she reacts to it. <Zoltan> "I have to admit - we've been cheating." What could this mean? Was there a double agent? Did Image find a way through their helmets?
* *Could Cricket have been a traitor, hence Mantis striving so hard to kill her? Was one of them not who they said they were all along, but the supposedly vanished shapeshifter Aether in disguise? Was Baum listening in through the houseplants? Has their whole world been an illusion created by Image?
* *Silverwolf is smart. She's never been one to sit still for a monologue. She fires her chain-mounted gauntlet claws, stabbing into his side. A flesh wound; he winces, and laughs it off.
* *<Zoltan> "Ugnh. Nice. Honey, I'm Zoltan - the microwave man! You think you're so smart, and so much better than us with your fancy tools and toys"
* *<Zoltan> "'Knowledge and data will defeat raw power'. You said that to me, remember? When you said my abilities were 'simple' and buried your nose in your machines?"
* *<Zoltan> "Like that stupid computer on your back. Carry it everywhere, right? Shaped like a wolf's head, adorable. Even links up to your big one at the home base."
* *Somehow, even with the helmet, one can tell Silverwolf has paled She shrinks, shivering. Zoltan moves in, getting in her face. <Zoltan> "That signal it shoots back to the home base? It's like a fucking boat flare to me, you dumb bitch! I ALWAYS know where you guys, I ALWAYS know when you're coming, and YOU led us to this beautiful little ambush." he laugh, and laughs, rising back up.
* *And then he smirks at her, for the last time. A white beam of energy fires down from his chest, hitting her abdomen. She writes around in what appears to be unimaginable agony, faster and faster, getting up and falling down - until she stops altogether. Lying in the alley, not a mark on her
* *He rejoins his team, what's left of them, as they close in on Ms Universe and NightGale. The two ladies are backed up to a wall, stepping over the remains of Cricket. Prime rises from the ground like a zombie, and in moments her body once again restores - like nothing happened.
* *In a subtle change, NightGale's muscles tense up, taking on the tone of the perfect woman. She reaches down and quickly slips off Cricket’s helmet. She leaps like a jaguar and grabs Image midair, and slams the helmet on the faceless woman's head. The scent of death inside is nothing compared to the psychic energies that echo back and ricochet inside the psion-proof helmet.
* *Cut off from the minds around her, left to herself, Image is blind and mute. She thrashes in complete silence, NightGale clings to her like a bronco. The to move too fast for the New Age to get a grip on, and after a few torturous moments the helmet is ripped back off
* *The psychic scream rips through the area. Even people a block away are seen grabbing their heads an falling to the ground as Image releases a thousand nightmares she'd eaten, a million memories of pain and terror and the anguish of souls she has ripped from their bodies. The New Age is affected, fighting for their sanity as they roll around on the ground. Should have worn helmets.
* *Null maintains his mind the best of all, and he creates a black hole that sucks up then psychotic psion, sensing her away. As their minds clear, they look to their enemies, but they are gone. Only the remainder of a ripple of bent reality, with a faint blue tint to it
* *The remaining pages of illustration show the cleanup. Cricket carted away; turns out those antennae were real all along. A backhoe digging at that little pile of river rocks, and ambulance taking astral away, men in suits bagging Silverwolf's gear. A crane is brought in to move the icebergs- when heaved apart only a bloodstain is in there. Was Playback hit so hard that he was obliterated?
* *It goes on to say that this issue was released several months after the incident. In that time, Mutants NOW! and the New Age had not resurfaced. No report was made of what happened to the fallen, no funeral was held, no speeches made about them. Mutant activity in the city was at an all-time low, and mutant legislation was beginning to be discussed.
* *The last image in the book, is of a little brown card lying in the street. 'Call for help' it says, but the number on it is smeared out by blood