X-Men Issue 17 - ...And None Shall Survive

Seems like the X-Men might have finally met their match...right after they almost met their match...which happened right after they met their match...




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The X-Men lay injured as military and EMTs surround them.  Some rushing to the aid of the X-Men,  others rushing to storm the Sentinel's hidden fortress.  Everyone is proud of the X-Men and is ready to give them credit for their good deeds, much to Professor X's surprise.  Iceman and Beast are fairly severely injured and are rushed to the hospital with Cyclops, while Marvel Girl and Angel escort Professor X to the hospital to check up on everyone.

Now is the time for Professor X's most challenging, and most overly expressed task - to make sure the X-Men don't reveal their true identities as well as make sure the X-Men don't acknowledge him as their leader.  Professor X really only wants people to see him as a concerned citizen and friend of the X-Men.

Did I say Ice man wasn't seriously injured?  I meant Ice Man is very seriously injured.  He blacked out in the ambulance on the way to the hospital and has fallen into a coma.  Due to Professor X advising him not to melt his ice, he's put the doctor's into a pickle as they cannot treat him due to his hard icy exterior.  So they watch as he talks aloud about helping the team as he sleeps fast.

Professor X also helps Cyclops show an optometrist that he is beyond help, by having him use his optic blast.  He also helps Beast not over explain their relationship to the doctors.

As his micromanaging session comes to and end, Angel calls the answering service (remember, this was before answering machines were invented) and gathers his messages.  GASP!  Angels parents are coming for a visit to the mansion!  Professor X calls them back quickly and tries to dissuade them, but Angel's parents are firm in their resolve to see their son.

Upset that he wasn't able to turn Angel's parents away from their visit, he asks Angel to fly back to the school and check everything out - as he feel an odd sense of danger coming from the school.  When Angel arrives at the school he is concerned when he finds the front door unlocked.  Those concerns come to a head when a battle ax flies off a suit of armor straight for him.  Angel dodges the ax and flies at full speed down the hallway, hoping to catch his assailant red handed, but instead flies into a glass wall, knocking him out cold.

Back at the hospital Professor X is concerned for Angel's safety since he has lost communication with him.  He and Cyclops drive back to the school as fast as they can, and upon entering hear Cerebro screaming as it has detected a mutant threat.  Professor X is then attacked from behind by a mental wave distorter (apparently it's the only thing that Professor X cannot escape from), and is placed behind an invisible barrier.

Cyclops blasts the barrier with his optic ray, but it is reflected back at him.  He regains his balance and sets off down the hallway, in full pursuit of his attacker, when he is plunged into darkness.  His attacker taunts him in the dark as his optic blasts miss.  Fed up with his attacker's jokes, he runs for the light switch, when he is hit with a cane and knocked out cold.

Beast is back to normal, and before they leave the hospital to head back to the mansion they check on Ice Man, who is not doing well at all.  Knowing there is nothing they can do they rush to the mansion.  Beast enters the mansion first, hoping to spare Marvel Girl any danger.  As Beast rushes in he realizes he made a mistake when the walls, floor, and ceiling are all made of glass.  Beast hurled himself in and now is moving so fast he can't stop himself.  He slides down the hallway then disappears behind some sliding metal doors.

Marvel Girl enters shortly after, hoping to help Beast, but the room is then filled with sleeping gas and Marvel Girl is knocked out cold.

The X-Men, minus Ice Man, are then seen loaded into a steel block with a large balloon tied to it.  Their assailant tells them that they are about to be launched 100,000ft into the air (into a place called "near space" also known as the upper atmosphere), where they will die once they consume all the oxygen in their container.  The container door shuts and we see them lift off into the sky.  The assailant enters the mansion just as Angel's parents pull into the driveway.  They ring the doorbell and they are met by someone who they have never encountered before...but we have.

They are greeted at the front door of the mansion by MAGNETO!!!!!!