You children are pathetic! Given special abilities that make you more than human -- but still shackled by the same old dreams. Peace, harmony. Never thought you'd buy into all that, Domino, from what I've heard. 
Appearing in "Human Nature"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Nga Cao Mạnh
- Leong Cao Mạnh
- Spiral (Rita Wayword)
- Clearcut (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Shinobi Shaw
- Mindmeld (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Doctor Graves and other scientists
- Shaw's guards
- Hellfire Club (Mentioned)
- Sebastian Shaw (Mentioned in narration)
- New Mutants (Mentioned)
- Karma (Xuân Cao Mạnh) (Mentioned)
- Professor X (Charles Xavier) (Mentioned in narration)
- Trân Cao Mạnh (Mentioned in narration)
- Cable (Nathan Summers) (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth
- Shinobi Shaw's research lab
Items:
- X-Uniforms
- Shatterstar's Swords
- Inhibitor collars
Synopsis for "Human Nature"
Shinobi Shaw's Research Facility
A young Nga Cao Mạnh is bound to a machine and is terrified. The doctors around her plan to test out their machine to see if it can drain her of her mutant abilities. Her brother yells to her from a nearby cell while the guards plan to kill them both at some point.
The base is run by Shinobi Shaw. He plans to use the machine to find a way to "turn off" mutant powers and use this against his father as well as control the world. He is guarded by both Mindmeld and Clearcut. They tell him to take care of the guards when this is all over. The doctors then begin the countdown on the machine and after time runs out fire it at Nga. The machine does not work and it still shows that she maintains her mutant powers. Shaw is upset and then the alarms state that a part of the building has been breached.
X-Force storms into the building and are itching for a fight against Shaw. They are met by Mindmeld and Clearcut. Shatterstar takes on Clearcut and he is surprised by Shatterstar's fighting abilities. Mindmeld controls Domino's mind and puts it into the body of Caliban, while also sending Tabitha's mind into Sunspot. The bodies of Domino and Meltdown then slump down to the ground. The guards quickly put inhibitor collars on both of their bodies.
Tabitha tries to control Sunspot's body, but is overwhelmed by his powers as well as his memories that were brought over from Cable. Domino tries to use Caliban's body to attack and Clearcut grabs Domino's body and holds a sword to her throat. She decides to surrenders and sees Clearcut put a key into her pocket. Caliban and Sunspot are thrown into a cell. Sunspot tells Nga that they will be saved and go to their sister.
Shaw then enters and tells the children that Sunspot is not telling the truth. He then offers the children to Spiral, who teleports them away. Shaw then turns to Clearcut and calls him out as a traitor. Mindmeld reacts and sends her own mind into Clearcut to control him. Unfortunately, Shaw's guards then grab Clearcut and hook him up to the machine. At this same time, Domino and Tabitha soon realize that Mindmeld's powers over them must have run out somehow and they return to their own bodies.
Domino grabs the key that Clearcut left her and they head to go free the others. Shaw then plans to turn on the machine. Mindmeld tries to warn Shaw that she is still in Clearcut's body and finally frees herself only to realize that Tabitha has put one of the inhibitor collars on her body in the meantime. X-Force attacks and Shaw's guards fight back. The doctor's machine then comes back and tells them that Clearcut is coming back with a reading that he shows no mutant ability. He then rushes to Shinobi and holds a sword to his throat.
Shaw is surprised and cannot believe that Clearcut still has powers. Shaw kills Doctor Graves and Domino knocks Shaw out. The team then blows up the building and rushes outside just as the whole complex explodes. Domino then turns to Clearcut who tells them that he was never a mutant and this is why the machine read negative. He then tells Domino to mention to Cable that his debt is now paid.
See Also
Links and References
- The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators - accessed on 06/27/2010