Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 186

Storm has been taken to the Dallas, Texas home of mutant inventor Forge following an ordeal where her powers have been stripped from her by a weapon of Forge's own invention. Unaware of this fact, the former mutant has lost her will to live and has spent her time in Forge's company refusing to eat. Forge's attempts to help her fail and he becomes frustrated and acts as though he gives up on her. Watching a holographic display of the incident earlier when Henry Gyrich blasted her, Forge is surprised when Storm comes out of the guest room and tells him that he was kind, but should have let her drown.

While at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, the Professor tries to track Storm through Cerebro after he detected her pain caused by the neutralizer device. However, he tells Nightcrawler that he cannot. Whatever caused the pain has severed their psychic rapport, but he insists that she is still alive somewhere.

Storm, meanwhile, is spending time with Forge. She learns that Rogue has escaped government capture and comes to terms with the fact that she no longer has powers. She finds the holograms that make Forge's home seem to be suspended in mid-air unnerving. Later when Forge is swimming in his pool, Storm decides to join him and they race across the pool. Storm gets to the other side first and is shocked to find that Forge is a cyborg, as his artificial hand and leg have been left by the side of the pool. When Forge comes out of the pool he shows her the scars down the side of his body and tells her that his injuries were a result of his missions during the Vietnam War. He explains to her that after the accident he too lost his will to live, but with time and healing, he learned to move on with his life.

In Caldecott County, Mississippi, Val Cooper and her colleague Philip are winding down after their mission. Their search for Rogue being a dead end after Storm's depowering caused their mutant detector to short out. When Phil goes to his car to drive home, he is attacked by a Dire Wraith who quickly kills him and takes his form. The Wraith disguised as Phil then leads its fellow Wraiths to Val's hotel room. Gaining access through Val's trust in Phil, the creatures attack her with the intent of replacing her with a Dire Wraith. Before they can, Rogue enters the room, having tracked down Cooper to sort out her problems with the government. Val learns from the Wraith disguised as Phil that they intend to take over the world. Rogue kills one of the Wraiths and Val is forced to shoot the alien posing as her dead colleague in the head. As Val flees, Rogue strikes the last Wraith with her bare fist absorbing some of its memories and she is instantly, violently disgusted by the vile alien thoughts she has absorbed. This is detected by the Professor in New York, who suffers a mild psychic backlash from trying to read the alien thoughts in Rogue's mind. As Val tries to flee the scene, Rogue, under the influence of Dire Wraith's thoughts, attempts to "replace" Val, however only succeeds in absorbing some of her memories with her mutant powers before she stops herself. She ends up absorbing all the plans that the Department of Mutant Affairs has been plotting and how their neutralizer stripped Storm of her powers. Horrified, Rogue flees the scene vowing to make the government pay if Storm was badly hurt and leaves to reunite herself with her fellow X-Men.

While back at Forge's home, Storm prepares to have supper with Forge and decides to try on a dress he had delivered for her. When both become nervous over their emerging feelings, Storm changes into something more comfortable. As they are eating, Storm hears a thunderstorm outside, and Forge turns on the buildings' holographic projector to show her. She is upset by this and Forge turns it off. Storm then confides in him about her recent changes from a “weather goddess” to a darker and adventure-seeking personality and how this recent change has affected her as well. The two share a kiss, finally letting their emotions come forward. Their supper is interrupted when the phone rings. When Forge answers it he tells Storm that it's business and leaves to take the call in another room. Storm decides to take this as a moment to call the X-Men on the other line and tell them that she is okay. She accidentally picks up the line that Forge is on and overhears Henry Gyrich telling Forge about how Rogue has been sighted. She overhears them talking about the Neutralizer and Storm learns that Forge was the one who invented it.

Storm screams and tries to flee the building. Hearing her, Forge tries to follow after her to explain. Rushing through his home, the holographic projector switches to a simulation of the Vietnam conflict. Storm is disorientated and cannot find her way around and in a panic calls out to her goddess to help her. Just then a lightning bolt strikes the side of Forge's building blasting open a wall to the outside balcony. Storm rushes out there where Forge finally confronts her. He tries to explain to her that the Neutralizer was not meant to be used the way it was and that he was only doing his job. She refuses to believe him, and when he tells her that he too is a mutant, she is horrified that one of her own kind could create a device against mutants. She lashes out at him, rejecting his offers to help and cure her. She punches him in the face, knocking him down, and tells him that he's sold out of his race and that he lives in his tower alone and unaware of how his indifference affects those around him. She leaves, telling him that while her feet may never leave the ground again, she will someday fly again.

This story is continued next issue...

Solicit Synopsis

Double sized issue! Storm as you have never seen her before - facing the greatest challenge of her - or anybody's - life! All in the midst of the repercussions of last issue's extravaganza!

Notes

Plot by Claremont and Windsor-Smith, script by Claremont.
References to Forge serving the US military during the Vietnam conflict should be considered topical in light of Earth-616's sliding timescale.

Links and References

Official Marvel Index to the X-Men (Vol. 2) #4 - See for further referencing

References

Marvel Database

Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 186

Appearing in "Lifedeath"

Synopsis for "Lifedeath"

Solicit Synopsis

Notes

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References

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