| Synopsis
| - Continued from last issue...
With X-Factor separated on an alien world when they were teleported into the middle of a battle between the Chosen and the Rejects, Cyclops find himself alone in the evacuated battlefield as Gammenon the Celestial slowly descends on the area. Unable to stop the giant cosmic being with his optic blast, Cyclops instead decides to try to blast a hole in the ground deep enough to avoid getting crushed.
Meanwhile, the Beast has fled with the Rejects along with one of their warriors Zharkah. When Zharkah wonders what tribe Beast has come from, Hank considers that she may not be able to understand the concept that he came from another world decides to pretend that he has partial amnesia. Zharkah is easy to believes this and thinks that his mind had been partially wiped by one of the Chosen's Jammers. This allows Hank to ask questions about he conflict between the genetically pure Chosen, and the mutates known as the Rejects and the fact that the "space god" that has arrived on their world has come for yet another test of their world, one which Zharkah believes they will not pass. Arriving at the Reject village, Beast is shown that they live in tall platforms suspended over their refuse. He is shown Old Vlon, a powerful Telekinetic that was mind wiped by a Jammer. Beast also meets Zharkah's child and sees the grief of the pregnant reject Wilghe when she learns that her husband Zheops had died in the battle. As Zharkah goes to aid the grieving widow, she tells Beast to go and get some food. As Hank wanders away, he considers the parallels on this world with human mutant relations on Earth. Upon thinking about the fate of his comrades, Beast wonders how the Chosen would view his comrade Archangel who is mostly human if not for his blue skin and metallic wings.
If Beast could look upon his friends fate, he would learn that Warren is a prisoner of the Chosen and has his wings restrained in a plastic restraint as Princess Seera and Lord Rask and one of the Chosens scientists try to make sense out of why a "Reject" would save the Princess in combat. They refuse to believe Warren's stories that he had no idea what the conflict was about, or that he is from another world. When Rask intends to put Warren into the arena, Warren breaks free and attempts to flee, however Rask manages to incapacitate Warren again with his force blasts. Witnessing this display, the Princess can't help but find Warren's display magnificent. All present believe that Seera was speaking of Rask except for her robot ZZ-105. Zee-Zee points this out when they are walking away from the lab alone, and although the Princess struggles to understand it she can't help but wonder what her feelings about the encounter are. When she begins talking of the stories Zee-Zee told her as a child about how children used to be birthed the robot warns her not to tell anyone that it told her such tales and insists that they are false.
When a supply robot zips past them, Seera and Zee-Zee go into another lab where another scientist is examining Iceman with Lev watching over. Confusing him for a "Dueler", a class of the Chosen with an alternate form, and Lev is mocked for attacking one of her own in battle when she confused him for a Reject. When the scientist finds no records, they dismiss him as probably being a member of some outer colony that is bad at keeping records. When Bobby revives, they begin trying to ask him questions, but find that he has amnesia. When he attempts to reach out and touch the princess -- an act that is forbidden -- the scientist knocks him out before he can. He then turns Bobby over to Lev to try and stir his memory.
While back at the site of the battlefield, Gammenon has left leaving giant foot prints in his wake. Cyclops manages to blast his way out to the surface and finds a green skinned telepath waiting for him. The man asks Scott if he is one of the Chosen or a Reject, however Scott tells him that he is from a far away world and that his friends are missing. Helped out of the pit, Cyclops begins calling out to his friends, however the humanoid tells him it's ultimately useless as there is nobody around and invites him to follow. As Cyclops is led away, he wonders what became of his friends, and most importantly, his son Christopher.
Back at the Chosen's citadel, Seera looks over the vats of genetic material that they use to create new members of their race. She remarks over how fewer and fewer batches of these artificially created people come out pure enough to live in their society, or alive for that matter. When a sci-bot overhears Seera talking about how it must have been "better" when children are born biologically it begins demanding answers, however she threatens to send it off for repairs in order to keep it quiet and send it on it's way. She is then met by Father-Sun, the man who recovered young Christopher Summers from the battle field. Feeling an instant maternal love for the child she offers Father-Sun Zee-Zee's entire supply of mood altering drugs in exchange for the child. When get turns it over to get the bounty of narcotics, Seera uses her own jamming powers to make Father-Sun forget about the child completely. Not wanting to have to give the child up to the scientists, Seera hides young Christopher within Zee-Zee so that she can smuggle the boy back to her quarters.
Back at the home of the Rejects, Beast is joined by Zharkah whom he begins asking if anyone has seen his friends. When he begins describing Jean to Zharkah, the Reject wonders if he is referring to the "Chosen" woman they have captured after jamming and is now locked up in one of their dungeons. Finding Beast's questions suspicious she decides to keep this bit of information from him to see what else she can learn from him. Beast himself decides it's best to continue to keep up his feigned amnesia in order to get the answers he wants. Turning his attentions to a shooting star he wonders how their Ship is faring since it was captured by the Celestials. High above the planet, Ship is continuing to explain to Gammenon about it's origins that it's known about since it's come online. However, the massive Celestial doesn't seem to be satisfied with the tale and as Ship continues to probe deeper into his data banks he comes to consider that it might not have been built by Apocalypse, but by some other force all together and decides to tell it's tale again.
Scott is led to an underground cavern where he is introduced to the Beginagains, a group of Rejects and Chosen who have come to realize that unity is the only way for either of their races to survive. They explain to Scott that the arrival of the "Space God" Gammenon was ordained as the Celestials have come to their planet many times to judge it's inhabitance. In every previous encounter, they have been deemed worthy to continue, however, Zalph has had a preventative flash that suggests that this time, they might not be so lucky.
This story is continued next issue...
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