WELL... MAYBE YOU'RE
TRYING TO HARD.
OH. WHAT,
ARE YOU TURNING ZEN
MASTER ON ME NOW?
WHATEVER IT TAKES.
COME ON, WORK WITH ME.
PROMISE I WON'T HURT YOU.
REALLY?
I'M TELLING YOU, IT'S NOT
ME THAT I'M WORRIED ABOUT.
DON'T WORRY, YOU'LL GET IT.
JUST NEXT TIME,
I'M NOT PULLING MY PUNCHES.
HOW YOU FEELING?
WELL, BESIDES EMBARASSED,
FOOLISH AND HUMILIATED?
WELL, LOOK, YOU AND I ARE
GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE THE SAME
HEART TO HEART THAT
I JUST HAD WITH BRENNAN.
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO START
LOOKING AT THIS NEW THING OF
YOURS AS AN ASSET,
NOT A LIABLILITY.
DID YOU SEE IT AS AN ASSET
WHEN THE DOJO STAIRS PHASED OUT?
WELL, I DIDN'T SAY
IT WAS GOING TO BE EASY,
YOU'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE
TO GET A GRIP ON YOUR NEW POWERS
JUST THE WAY
YOU DID YOUR OLD ONES.
AH, LET'S HOPE SO.
OH, I ALMOST FORGOT.
I WAS ALL SET TO
TELL YOU ABOUT THIS
WEIRD THING THAT
HAPPENED WHEN
ALL THAT KICKED IN,
AND THEN I FORGOT.
WHAT WEIRD THING?
WELL...
MET THIS GIRL AT
THE SAFEHOUSE WHO WAS
HANDING OUT PAMPHLETS
TO SOMETHING
SHE CALLED THE STRAND.
SHE WAS CALLING IT AN
ALTERNATIVE TO MUTANT X.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
NO CLUE.
THE MORE I PUSHED
HER, THE MORE...
COSMIC SHE GOT.
YOU KNOW, IS IT JUST
ME, OR ARE THERE
A LOT OF SPACY WOMEN
AMONG THE CHILDREN
OF GENOMEX, ADAM?
COME ON.
ALRIGHT, WELL,
SHE GAVE ME ONE OF THE
FLYERS, BUT I GAVE THE
FLYER TO
EMMA JUST BEFORE EMMA
STARTED BRAIN-BLASTING.
RIGHT, WELL,
LET'S SEE THIS FLYER.
LISTEN, I WANT YOU
TO PRACTICE, AND PREFERABLY
AN EMPTY SAFEHOUSE,
OR SOMEPLACE WHERE YOU CAN DO
AS LITTLE DAMAGE AS POSSIBLE.
WELL, THANKS SO MUCH
FOR THAT VOTE OF SUPPORT.
WELL,
WE LEARN BY DOING, RIGHT?
PLUS, I DON'T
WANT ANYBODY ELSE TAKING
ANY FALLS LIKE BRENNAN DID.
COME IN.
HOW YOU DOING?
GOOD.
I'VE... I'VE CHECKED
WITH EVERYBODY ELSE, I JUST...
I'M FINE.
NO HEADACHE?
NO...
RESENTMENT OF BRENNAN
FOR SHOCKING YOU SENSELESS?
NO.
ACTUALLY,
THIS IS PRETTY COOL.
WELL, GLAD YOU
FEEL THAT WAY.
BUT YOU'RE SURPRISED.
WELL, YEAH,
I MEAN, YOU COULD ALSO BE
PRETTY DAMN FRIGHTENING.
YEAH, AND PRETTY
DAMN POWERFUL TOO.
OH, I SEE, SO
NOW YOU'RE GOING TO GO
MUSCLE THE FLANKS, HUH?
NO, NO.
NO NEW MUSCLE.
I... I FINALLY FEEL LIKE I...
I HAVE SOMETHING THAT
MAKES ME WORTHY OF THE TEAM.
NO, THAT'S...
THAT'S CRAZY.
IS IT?
OKAY.
JESSE, SHALIMAR AND BRENNAN
GET ALL THE ACTION WHILE,
YOU KNOW, I HANG AROUND
AND PLAY WITH PEOPLE'S FEELINGS.
NOW I FINALLY GET
TO KICK SOME ASS TOO.
WELL, THAT'S ONE
WAY TO LOOK AT IT.
FOR NOW ALL YOU HAVE TO DO
IS GET IT UNDER CONTROL.
BEFORE YOU GET
BACK TO PRACTICING...
JESSE TOLD
ME THAT HE GAVE YOU A
FLYER THAT SOME WOMAN
AT THE SAFEHOUSE
GAVE HIM.
YEAH.
IT'S IN HERE SOMEWHERE.
OH, HERE.
GOOD.
THE STRAND.
ADAM?
WHAT?
OHH....
WHAT IS IT?
WELL,
IT'S A GOOD THING YOU'RE
READY TO STEP UP THE PLATE
AND THROW YOUR WEIGHT AROUND.
BECAUSE IF THIS THING MEANS
WHAT I THINK IT MEANS...
WE'RE ALL IN
FOR A DOSE OF HELL.
HEY, ADAM.
...THIS
WORK CANCELLING,
WHAT'S GOING ON?
WHAT'S HAPPENING?
I'M SUPPOSED TO
BE PRACTICING, AREN'T I?
JUST GIVE
IT A REST, JESSE.
THE MINUTE HE SAW
THIS, HE WENT PALE.
THE STRAND?
SEE HERE WHERE IT SAYS 0.0?
THAT'S CODE
FOR PATIENT 0. HE WAS THE
FIRST CHILD OF GENOMEX.
A MAN CALLED
GABRIEL ASHLOCK.
HE'S POTENTIALLY THE MOST
POWERFUL NEW MUTANT ALIVE.
GABRIEL WAS BORN
WITHOUT A CONSCIENCE.
AND HE CONSIDERS HIMSELF A GOD.
DIDN'T YOU MENTION SOMETHING
ABOUT THIS WHEN WE FIRST MET?
RIGHT.
IT WAS GABRIEL
THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
HE'S A SOCIOPATH.
BEFORE WE COULD STOP HIM,
HE KILLED HIS PARENTS USING HIS
NEW MUTANT ABILITIES.
OF COURSE, WE COULD
NEVER PROVE IT IN COURT
- ANY JUDGE WOULD
HAVE THOUGHT US INSANE.
SO...
BECAUSE OF HIM I INVENTED
THE SUBDERMAL GOVERNOR.
AND THE PODS.
ANY REGRETS ABOUT
LEAVING THE GSA?
SEEMS TO ME YOU HAD A
GOOD THING UNDER ECKHART.
WHAT GOOD'S THAT COMPARED
TO THE GOOD WE CAN DO?
SAVE IT FOR THE ONES THAT