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Quote1 Foolish children... save yourselves... from the energy weapon... of Harpoon! Quote2
Harpoon

Appearing in "Whose Power -- ?"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Others Characters:

  • Bulk (Appears on screen)

Locations:

Synopsis for "Whose Power -- ?"

The Power children and Franklin Richards are up later than usual watching television with James and Margaret, hoping to see a news story about the spaceship that abducted them[1], however instead the news covers yet another story about the X-Terminators attack on the X-Factor Complex the day before[2] instead. After the story, the children quietly talk amongst themselves about how rotten X-Factor is, being mutant hunters when most of their friends in the super-hero community are mutants. Alex's teasing of Jack causes the Jack to chase Alex into the other room. He uses his newly acquired gravity powers[3] on him. Alex scolds him for openly using his powers because even though his parents can not see from the living room, he warns Jack that someone else might and call someone like X-Factor, thinking they are mutants. The Power parents then take the children off to bed and tuck them in. Franklin wants his parents, however Margaret tells them that his parents might not be home until the next day.

The children are awoken from their sleep when a sudden image of their Morlock friend Leech cradling his injured comrade Caliban in his arms. When it turns out to be an illusion, Alex wakes up Jack, Franklin Julie and Katie and they all switch into their costumes and decide to sneak out of the house to go into the Morlock tunnels and investigate what's going on down there. When they fly down to the ground, Alex points out that when he had Jack's gravity powers he could fly with the wings he made for his costume. Although Jack thinks the wings are stupid, Alex forces him to take them anyway before they go down into the sewers.

There they hear the sound of screams and follow them deep into the Morlock's domain. There the Marauder known as Scalphunter is opening fire on a group of harmless Morlocks as part of their plan to wipe the weak mutants out. Some of the bullets pass through the pipes almost hitting Leech and the unconscious Caliban, whom he is trying to drag to some help. Elsewhere in the tunnels, the Power Pack start finding bodies and are horrified to learn that someone is killing the Morlocks. Before they can travel further they are attacked by Sabretooth. Despite the mutants savagery, the Power Pack manages to hold their own against them until they can flee, with Destroyer firing an energy bolt to collapse the tunnel between them. They end up running into Wolverine, who tells them that there is a massacre going on down in the sewers and that they are not safe here. When they tell them where Sabertooth is, Wolverine goes off to fight him, making the children promise that they are going to get back to the surface as soon as possible. However, they only say this to appease Wolverine, and when he's gone they continue their search for Leech. As they search the tunnels, they come across the dead bodies of Annalee and her children.[4] The children are horrified by this grisly discovery, and Jack grimly considers that X-Factor is likely behind the murders.

Jack can not be far from the truth, as unknown to him X-Factor are secretly the original X-Men posing as mutant hunters and at that moment Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast and Iceman are arriving at the complex with surviving Morlocks Ape, Erg, and Tarbaby. Their newest guest Skids is happy to see some of their friends alive. After the Morlock survivors are safely dropped off, Cyclops decides to go back into the tunnels to search for Angel and find Artie Maddicks[5], he is joined by Marvel Girl who tells him that he shouldn't go down alone.

While back in the tunnels, the Power Pack find Leech and Caliban and run into Marauders Arclight, Scrambler and Harpoon. Although the Marauders do not pull any punches, the young group of heroes still manage pretty well against them, with Jack being able to knock out the super-powerful Arclight for a moment. The battle is anyone's game until Cyclops and Marvel Girl arrive and send the Marauders into retreat. Safe for a moment, the Power Pack have to break the sad news to Leech that his adoptive mother Annalee is dead. Leech howls in sorrow, which strikes a chord with Cyclops who wonders if this is how his son feels after he abandoned Nathan and Madelyne to join X-Factor[6]. Scott comforts Leech, and cheers the boy up by telling him that he is going to reunite him with the other surviving Morlocks. Cyclops sends Leech and Caliban off with Iceman and Beast, and they recommend that the Power Pack head home themselves. Before going, Jack wants to know if X-Factor is behind the massacre, Cyclops tells him that it's being done by a group called the Marauders. Satisfied, the children return to the surface, however before heading home, Jack shows off a new ability her learned from using his new powers, and then to add insult to injury for Alex who never thought to use his old powers in such a way, Jack takes off the ruined wings given to him earlier and hands them back to Alex telling Alex that he does not need them.

Notes

  • The issue is part of the Mutant Massacre crossover.
  • This story is reprinted in other comics and books, see references for more info.[7]

Trivia


See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

References

  1. Power Pack #26
  2. X-Factor #7
  3. the Power children switched abilities in Power Pack #25
  4. They were murdered by the Marauders in Uncanny X-Men #211
  5. X-Factor has been looking for Artie in the sewers since X-Factor #9 they left Angel behind to find him in X-Factor #10
  6. back in X-Factor #1
  7. The story is reprinted in the following comics/TPB's:
    • X-Men: Mutant Massacre HC #1
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