Mind The Concealed Controller Part III: Oh Goth, Not This Again!

Y'know, every so often one has to feel a bit sorry for Chris Claremont.

Just this week, as I was compiling the third and final part of the X-men's war with the Neo, Uncanny X-men.net published a fascinating piece on how Claremont got treated by Marvel. Editors casually changed year long, already okayed storylines on him which caused him to think on his feet and still make the books feel organic. That takes talent, professionalism and a lot of patience.

"The comic that inspired X-men the movie"

The same editorial meddling occured in the Neo storyline. Originally, Claremont had planned to keep Wolverine's team seperate from Storm's X-men in their own titles. But all of those plans got trashed when the first X-men movie did surprisingly well at the box office and Marvel decided to capitalise on its success.

One problem though: even though Uncanny X-men had inspired the movie, the comic and the characters looked nothing like their movie counterparts. It would take Grant Morrison's 2001 New X-men to adapt the look and feel of the team to the movie with the introduction of all purpose black leather outfits.

But for now, the editors deemed it necessary to at least reunite the two teams and have them live at Xavier's school. And that's just what Uncanny X-men # 385 set out to do, in a workmanship style tale that tried to wrap up as many plotlines as possible while still relying on an awful amount of mind control.

Let's set the scene: several factions of the Neo had been kidnapping humans and X-men alike for the interdimensional slavetrade. Storm, Gambit, Cable, Colossus, Psylocke and Thunderbird had been abducted by the Neo clan known as the Goth. Eventually freeing themselves, the X-men struck a deal with the Goth and their fellow Neo the Crimson Pirates to work together, all the while planning to betray them at the first opportunity.

Meanwhile, X-men like Rogue, Wolverine, Phoenix, Beast and others had been searching for their teammates, unaware of the deal they'd struck. That's why when the two teams finally met in Madripoor during another slave razzia, they inevitably came to blows.

Unfortunately, the Neo weren't beyond mind controlling their X-men allies...

"You're being far too gentle. Let me help."

Beldame uses her powers to override Storm's control of her own powers and forces the weather goddess to push her abilities to the limit, thereby weakening Phoenix' defenses long enough for her to fall prey to the Neo slavers who recognise an opportunity when they see one.

"And that window of vulnerability is all Bess requires to affix a slaver cowl and take her prisoner."

But the Goth-allied X-men were less free than they imagined themselves to be. For instance, when junior member Thunderbird had trouble pretending to fight his fellow X-men, it seemed the Neo had a little assurance for cooperation built in...

"Thunderbird's wearing a slaver collar! Activated by remote control!'

Mind control made easy... It does make you wonder why the X-men didn't ditch their slaver collars the minute they escaped from the Neo's prison. The previous issue made it seem as if Gambit had convinced the X-men to simply play along and when the fight started in # 385 Phoenix claimed she didn't sense any mental coercion whatsoever... but let's see what happened next...

"Whoops?!"

Before Beast has a proper chance to investigate the workings of the slave collars, Colossus seems determined to kill him. Not exactly what you'd expect from a teammate who is actually working with you undercover. The same thing occured when Rogue finally had a moment alone with her paramour Gambit. She wanted to know what kind of game the ragin' cajun was playing. And the second he managed to win her confidence, this happened.

So, how mind controlled are they? It's never made clear. But for my money, if Gambit's team was uncontrolled the whole time, there's no reason they wouldn't have switched sides the minute the other X-men showed up so that the reunited team could take out the Goth, the Crimson Pirates ánd the Neo slavers at once. 

"It has nothing to do with Gambit's caper. This is something wholly within me!"

Ah yes, the actual story... Consider Cable's musings after defeating Wolverine. It seems he is being influenced from within. This might be the Neo, but it's more likely that Stryfe is inside him causing mischief. After Cable is able to knock out even Wolverine, Gambit's team takes Rogue and the others to the Goth's secret Chinese hideout and slaver distribution center. They present their captured teammates to slaver Tullamore Voge, the Goth and Killian of the Crimson Pirates.

"Dis how you treats your friends, Goth?"

Looks like the massive Neo known as Goth had all but forgotten the deal he struck with Gambit. And look, there's Colossus clearly enthralled and ready to as Sanguine claims 'once more embrace glory'. What could he possibly mean by that?

"You will rejoin your compatriots... as slaves!"

Things sure looked bleak for the X-men, still... it's always darkest before the dawn, as this scene proved between Beldame and Tullamore Voge, the gluttonous but ever indulgence ready slavemaster. 

"That sounds naughty. Like someone's breaking the rules."

Well, surprise, surprise... Beldame is actually Phoenix who used her telepathic powers to disguise herself as the Neo. The real Beldame was wearing a slave collar (even though it's never explained how  Jean was able to overcome the effects of the collar, but hey... comics). Naturally, this ruse meant Beast wasn't enslaved as well... and mama McCoy's favorite blue haired bouncing Beast used his scientific genius to do the thing everyone was expecting...

It's an interesting claim: thanks to Jean's telepathy Hank is now able to access the inventive genius of the mutant inventor Forge, which added to his own brain power, makes every task easily achievable. So unlocking a few slave collars really isn't that hard. Guess what effect that had in the Goth throne room.

"The X-men are now free!"

Talk about creating a diversion. With all of the X-men now uninhibited by mind control or slave collars alike, the Neo scrambled to defend themselves. While meanwhile in Tullamore Voge's control room, Psylocke made sure the Slaver's business would be critically crippled by destroying the operation's transmat teleportation system. Without it, they wouldn't be able to pop in all over the world and claim new victims...

But the Goth wasn't too impressed by this achievement and attempted one final, mind control heavy attempt at winning the day...

"I am darkness absolute, the avatar of iniquity! As I drain the brilliance of your lives, I shall lay waste to the landscape of your souls! Until you are but hollow vessels... aching to be filled with mine own corruption."

Gods of earth and air, that *is* an impressively verbose way of saying your evil is so intense and dominating it will eventually cause everyone to turn into a bunch of mindless vegetables willing and able to receive whatever programming you see fit.

It even makes you wonder why the Goth faction even needed other Neo or human agents for that matter. Wouldn't it have been far easier for them to simply use their transmat technology to transport the Goth into the middle of any mall in America? Just have the guy sit down at the food court, sit back and watch as his evil turns every shopper into a mindless zombie ready to be processed?

As the X-men are pelleted by the Goth's evil, Rogue kisses Gambit, takes over his mind and powers, learns of his secret plan to deal with the Goth and then proceeds to use both their mutant abilities to actually kill the big, bad Neo...

And that's the last we saw of the Neo in Uncanny X-men, the comic that inspired the movie...

Sort of.

Mind The Concealed Controller part II: Neo-thing New, Really...

When we last left the (Uncanny) X-men, the team was in Russia investigating outerdimensional slaver Tullamore Voge's motives for setting up shop in Moscow. During a routine mindscan, Phoenix was contacted by Wolverine back in New York that the Neo had assaulted his X-men team as well.

Before they could compare notes, another faction of Neo called the Crimson Pirates attacked the facility where Voge was being held. At the same time Stryfe attacked from the astral plane and mind controlled Cable, using his abilities to take out and imprison Storm and Gambit. Only Beast and Phoenix managed to escape to fight another day and they did so, showing up in Hong Kong with Wolverine's team in X-men # 104.

Y'see, the slavers in Russia were part of a larger trade system with ties to the Neo. Wolverine's team encountered the Neo in Salem Center, where they kidnapped a huge part of the local population, including Psylocke, Colossus, Archangel and Thunderbird.

There's a similar operation in Hong Kong and by making their presence known, the X-men hoped to provoke a response from either the Neo or the slavers.

They got one.

"We are the Crimson Pirates. Surrender... or die!"

The Pirates attacked the X-men in their own home, which is exactly what they'd hoped for. Rogue took over Phoenix' mental powers and fooled the Neo with mental illusions of the team. They actually were breaking into the Neo's headquarters to find out where their teammates were being held. Rogue escaped after the Neo found out, but not learning the sad fate of one of Nightcrawler's ex-girlfriends...

"And Kymri herself, bound to Killian's pirates as his own personal Hound."

Speaking of costumed heroes in chains... Let's check in on the X-men who got kidnapped by the Neo. Wonder what they're doing...

Chains? Check. Collars? Check. Gimp-esque face masks? Check. Needlessly sexual undertones? Check! For new villains, the Neo sure got the Claremont classics down... Now all we need is some mind control and...

"The cowl will steal away your very thoughts... and replace them with whatever I choose."

... Ahhh, there it is. Right on time. Good ol' mind control, you never disappoint.

Luckily, Gambit's able to use his powers just enough to break free and soon, the X-men are roaming around in the Neo's homebase, wondering where the heck they are and what to do.

"Wouldn't it be more prudent to find out where we are and establish a line of communication with the other half of the team?"

Yeah, what Cable said! ... Hey, waittaminute! Wasn't he supposed to be possessed by Stryfe and working with the Neo to take down the X-men? What was he doing chained up in the basement with them? And erm... why are they still wearing their cowls? Didn't they hear the Neo lady explain it steals away independent thought? 

Still, they were free and the other X-men were on their way as well. Will the two teams reunite and fight together? The answer might surprise you in part III of Mind The Concealed Controller: Goth, Not  This Again!

Mind The Concealed Controller part I: Tullamore's Mind's A Mess

Today's entry revisits Chris Claremont's 2000 run on Uncanny X-men and the early misadventures the mutants had, fighting their mysterious new foe: The Neo.

The Neo actually consisted of quite a few subgroups. Apart from the main clan led by Domina, the team also encountered the Shockwave Riders, the Lost Souls, the Goth and in Uncanny X-men # 383... meet the Crimson Pirates.

But first, say hello to Tullamore Voge.

This rather obese blue refuge from an alternate dimension is actually a slaver, who tried to profit from trading Russian mutants all across the omniverse. The X-men had already put a stop to that business an issue earlier, but now they wanted to know just who he was working for.

Conventional interrogation methods were getting them nowhere, and and this was well before 9/11 okayed the use of 'enhanced interrogation techniques' (though if you waterboarded a blue guy, who can tell the difference)... So they figured the best way to learn what's on his mind is to, well, go inside his mind.

Despite Cable's misgivings, Phoenix volunteered for the job.

"My telepathy will allow me to do virtually anything..."

Famous last words, Jean... Because inside Voge's mind, there just might be (Tulla)more than you can handle. And the first surprise is that inside Voge's head, she encountered Wolverine, of all people.

"I hate this flamin' fishbowl! My skull feels like it just got dropped in hot oil f'r fryin'!"

Yeah, let's call it an (unfortunate) coincidence... But the second Jean used her telepathic powers to conduct her investigation into the villain's mind, she's also contacted by Wolverine via Cerebro. 

"I'm fine, darlin'... But the X-men got serious trouble."

He just 'called' to give her an update on the Neo his team of X-men had been facing back in New York. But their little reunion is cut short when Voge realises someone's been using his mind for a conference call.

"Silly little piece o'fluff, wot. Figurin' t'match wits with a master?
Been breakin' mentats like you to the harness for donkey's years now."

For those of you not fluent in what appears to be an interdimensional take on cockney English, Voge is rather unimpressed with Jean's telepathic prowess and he plans to bend her and Wolverine to his will. He figures the combination of their genetic potential (i.e: kids) could be very profitable...

All the more reason to turn them into his slaves. Heck, he'd already constructed their new identities as his mindless Hounds. If those creatures beat Wolverine and Jean, they'd be taken over permanently.

Jean wasn't having any of this and took swift action. Just as Wolverine was getting transformed into a Hound (apparently he was already pretty close to one anyway), Jean pushed Logan out of Voge's mind and back into his own body, keeping him safe.

"Which begs of course the final question, o blessed matriarch... Who's left to rescue you?"

The mysterious fanged bad guy with awful dental hygiene makes a good point. But before we go into the question who he is, let's see if Wolverine survived the trip back from the astral plane.

"I was comin' apart inside, bein' twisted inside out like taffy. Happened so fast, didn't think such a thing was possible. I saw the collar of a Hound...
and suddenly, more than anything, I wanted to wear it."

So, Wolverine narrowly escaped getting mind controlled... But back in Russia, Jean was still trapped inside Tullamore Voge's mind. Her body had collapsed, which made the X-men more than a little suspicious and convinced Cable he'd better follow her in to see what was wrong. Upon arrival, he got a pretty good clue who the mystery mind mucker is...

"When you behold the face of the Gorgon, do you ever wonder if you're looking into a mirror?"

In a clever bit of misdirection, Cable thought he was facing both Onslaught and Jean herself. But he was actually facing, of all people, Stryfe. This was never revealed in the issue itself, Claremont planned to use Cable's clone turned master villain in future storylines... Unfortunately, he was taken off the book before anything could come of this. 

But while all this was going down on the astral plane, the X-men were under attack from this new band of Neo calling themselves the Crimson Pirates. They had come to free Tullamore Voge, which was something the team simply couldn't allow. They stood ready to take them on, even Cable had returned to his own body... Or had he?

"I can't sense a trace of the virus... it's been purged from my system. And my eyes... they're both normal! My scars are gone. I've never seen my face like this."

Yeah... In retrospect, it's pretty obvious Claremont was already writing Stryfe here. From his earlier comment to Jean, refering to her as 'matriarch' (after all, Stryfe's birth mother was Jean's clone Madelyne Pryor) to his comment to Cable about looking into a mirror. But clone and original were about to get even more intimately involved...

During the fight against the Crimson Pirates, 'Cable' suddenly switched teams...

"The Psimitar is a fabulous weapon and Nathan Dayspring Summers is the unchallenged master in its use. Such a shame the same cannot be said for his soul and for his body!"

Which is a rather wordy way of saying... Cable's mind has been taken over, which is something Storm and Gambit realised a bit too late. The Crimson Pirates then proceeded to free Voge and planned on capturing all the other X-men to use as their mindless pawns. However, Beast and Phoenix managed to run away to fight another day.

This conflict would be resolved a month later in Uncanny X-men 385, as we'll cover in part II of Mind The Concealed Controller: Neo-thing New, Really...

Mind Control Is Anything But X-Tinct part V: Once, But No More, Oh Green And Pleasant Land

With two more issues to go, Chris Claremont and Louise Simonson had to wrap up the late 1990 X-Tinction Agenda crossover. New Mutants # 97, penned by Simonson and drawn by Guang Yap and regular series penciller Rob Liefeld on cover art, saw most of the X-teams reunited in a final battle against Cameron Hodge...

In order to get any new readers up to speed, Simonson drove the good ol' book mobile of exposition in the opening spread.

The fight goes rather poorly at first for the X-men, but when the mutate formerly known as Storm gradually repowers her teammates, the tide begins to turn and Hodge makes a hasty, though he might argue strategic,  retreat. This allows Storm the peace and quiet she needs to give everyone else their powers back, including her on again / off again lover Forge... And, while New Mutants was still considered a kids' friendly book at the time, we get this scene...

After Hodge's handiwork left him without a leg or a hand, Forge finally catches a break when Storm returns his mutant inventive genius to him. All the restoration process needs is a mere touch, but why resort to a boring old handshake when a passionate kiss works just as well? This literally stormy peck leaves Gambit jealous, which is a little odd considering he only met Ororo after she'd been turned into a little girl.

But Storm's mutant powers had always been weather control. Just how is she able to do all this?

Surprise! 

Storm wasn't really a mindless mutate after all. The Genengineer considered her to be his secret weapon against Cameron Hodge and only changed her physical appearance. While she might appear to be a compliant accomplice, she was actually in full control and even granted an extra power that restored mutant abilities... (Storm's altered genetic makeup is never addressed after this, by the way... She just returns home, grows back her hair in between issues and that's that).

But the X-men are a bit too busy to deal with that. After all, Cameron Hodge still has to be dealt with. Not to mention rogue elements of the Genoshan Magistrates, including Cyclops' own brother Alex. Speaking of which, Cyclops finally makes a command decision regarding Alex...

"Try to reason with him... incapacitate him or go through him. Whatever it takes to get to Hodge."

Giving a team that includes a bersker rage prone adamantium clawed killer, a ruthless cyborg with big guns and a blue skinned Apocalypse approved winged Angel of death to either reason, incapacitate or go through someone... you know you just signed his death warrant, right?

Still, while all of this was going down, Alex Summers finally regained his senses and freedom somewhat...

"Finally I'm free... and fully myself" 

Who knew even the Genoshan mutant Magistrates were actually under the gun, or so to speak? Havok was still wearing a collar that kept him in check. Without it, he's truly himself once more. Which sadly enough, isn't something that can be said for Rahne Sinclaire, aka Wolfsbane, aka Mutate 490. Here's how she greets her old teammate and one time love interest Rictor...

"Number 490...cease your attack!"

Weirdly enough, the Genoshan mutate population has been confirmed to in the thousands. From healers to mineworkers, personal aides and even gardners... they're everywhere. This makes numbering Storm mutate # 20 and Rahne # 490 a little odd, to say the least.

After calling back his watchdog, the Genengineer explained to an exasperated Rictor that he wasn't able to return Rahne back to her old self. Luckily, Storm arrived with her magic touch and restored both of them anyway... Even though there was a considerable catch with Wolfsbane...

"In your human form you will always be helpless, a mutate, mindless and obedient. But as a werewolf you will be stronger... more powerful... than you ever where."

Now isn't that just sweet? Rahne Sinclaire, the 13 and a bit year old God fearing Scottish girl gets changed so she basically has a choice between living life as a docile and subservient creature or embracing her inner demon, the werewolf form she was cursed with.

Soo, here's the dilemma: either be a prim and proper person without any sense of true joy... Or become the beast and and revel in its unbridled yet ever so ungodly glory... Knowing full well that these sensations are ultimately sinful?

One way or the other, she'd be doomed to a life of misery. Hey kids, comics!

But at least Rahne had her priorities in order... Cameron Hodge still had to be dealt with. In the final pages of New Mutants # 97, Hodge strikes back and critically injuries several key players like Psylocke, Rictor and the Beast, which makes for an exciting teaser... And oh yeah, Warlock's cremated remains are there too!

"See X-Factor # 62 for the dramatic conclusion of The X-Tinction Agenda"

So, finally... it's about to come to a close. Still, isn't it a bit of an odd decision to end a major X-men crossover in X-Factor? Especially considering that book's regular artist Jon Bogdanove has been catching considerable flack for his less than exciting style. If only they'd planned the story so it would climax in the Jim Lee drawn Uncanny X-men, anything that guy pencils is sure to be an instant cash grab...

Well played, Marvel editorial... well played indeed. An actual attention grabbing Jim Lee cover on a book that only one month earlier relied on this Bogdanove production to rake in the dough.

Just guess which issue sold better.

Still, Bogdanove pulled out all his stops to give the finale his all and he didn't really diappoint. The fight between Hodge and the semi armada of X-men is more than competently portrayed. But while this is still a blog that focuses on mind control, let's revisit the mutants Hodge injured back in the penultimate chapter... Beast was forced to take care of them and while he was hurt as well, he figured that turnabout is fair play and made mind control work for him...

"All right you genejoke bums.
Get over here, I have a job for you and I expect you to put your backs in it."

Beast got the others to safety, just as Cyclops finally reunited with his freed from mind control brother Havok, just in time to finally deal with the menace that is Cameron Hodge. After a fever pitched fight, it was Wolfsbane and Rictor who got to deliver the killing blow...

Agreeing that toppling an entire skycraper on top of his already shredded head was enough to finish off Hodge, the X-men declared victory and tried to deal with the aftermath of their latest Genoshan venture as best they could...

Several (yes... se-ve-ral...) days later, chief magistrate Anderson takes to the air and resolves the international incident caused by former Genoshan president Ronald Reag... Renau... Cleverly relying on several half truths, Anderson manages to explain away all of the recent transgressions... But there are still a few loose ends to tie up...

So, after several days, Rahne and Havok are still parading around in their ripped and torn outfits... An interesting development since even Wolverine, appearance wise as big a slob as the Blob, is wearing a different outfit. And don't forget Rictor, who's had plenty of opportunity to change his mutate skinsuit for something remotely more human...

Ah Louise... the art inconsistenices one creates by even adding a single caption.

Still, the X-Tinction Agenda ends where it all began... At Xavier's school for gifted youngster with Boom-Boom and Rictor honoring Wolfsbane request as she remained on Genosha with Havok (for all but 6 months or so). The X-men returned home to lay to rest one of their quirkiest recruits, Warlock... the techno organic being that started this whole crossover, 5 parts and 22 years ago.

Mind Control Is Anything But X-tinct part IV: Dramatis Personae Under The Magistrate's Sway

The X-Tinction Agenda is reaching its mind control heavy finale, so let's have a quick recap of who's under who's control at this time, courtesy of the opening page of X-Factor # 61.

So, of all the mutants running around on Genosha, only Cyclops, Archangel, Beast, Iceman, Cannonball and Banshee still have their powers. With the capture of Jean and the others, their initial plan to distract the Magistrates by setting off a series of strategically placed explosions has probably been discovered. More than enough reason to go for plan B... 'B' as in 'bald cap'.

For some reason, artist Jon Bogdanove enjoys drawing halfnaked men. In the previous issue, Cyclops and Havok were wrestling each other dressed in tatters and here we have a barely clothed Cyclops and Iceman dressing themselves up as Genoshan mutates, complete with a prosthetic 'bald cap' to make them look the part.

Minutes after leaving for the citadel, Cyclops' suspicions were proven right. Hodge had used a mutate to scan the minds of the captured X-men and learned of their location and plans. The Magistrates burst into their hideout ready to arrest them. However, their arrival triggered a big explosion that effortlessly took out the heavily armed forces. This resulted in fireworks that were visible all the way to the citadel where Cameron Hodge was showing off his latest pet mutate Storm... 

Ow look, good ol' Ronnie Reagan is wearin' Nancy's outfits again. Still, the haunting image of a glassy eyed Storm looking on as outside a vicious storm was building, mirrors a scene from Uncanny X-men # 146, in which Doctor Doom captured and coated the X-men's leader in a chromium alloy. 

But, to get back to the main story... Cyclops' strike team splits in two. While Cannonball, Banshee and Archangel execute an aerial assault on the citadel, the mocked up mutates rely on a clever ruse to get in.  

But, considering this is still part 6 of a 9 issue crossover... they soon ran into more troubles. And this time it cried Havok... Cyclops fought Alex some more, hoping to break whatever Genoshan (or so he thought) mind control he thought his brother was suffering from.

Cyclops actually thought he was getting through to Alex now, but as always the big bad showed up to even the odds. Cameron Hodge dropped by, distracting Cyclops long enough for Havok to grab a gun and shoot his sibling, immediately reaffirming his loyalty in the eyes of Hodge. But appearances are, as always, deceiving...

Let's continue with chapter 7 of the X-Tinction Agenda, better known as Uncanny X-men 272. The Genoshan government kept their promise and put the X-men on trial for their alledged acts of terrorism. But true to form, Wolverine tried to hack his way out of there... for a little while, until mutate 20 (Storm) and chief magistrate Anderson put him in his place. Unfortunately, his outburst angered the judge considerably and that meant Logan had involuntarily condemned his teammates to a far more cruel fate... and master.

Hodge had a merry old time torturing the mutants in his own private dungeon. From ripping off Forge's cybernetic limbs to cutting Cable's techno organic parts, the sadist had fun, while the Genoshan ruling body looked on in horror. Soon, they would realise what a big mistake allying themselves with Hodge had been, but until that time it was Psylocke who made the ultimate sacrifice...

"Please. No more please, not for me, I beg you! I can't bear this. Please have mercy. Forgive me Cyclops... I accept the chief magistrate's offer... and freely submit myself to the genemod process."

The newly mindcontrol free Havok used Genosha's own laws against them and took the clearly faking Psylocke from Hodge's clutches, only to stand idly by as she made her escape in an attempt to save the others. Hodge remained blissfully unaware of all this, he was a little busy enjoying a confrontation between two X-men who didn't particularly like one another...

"Wolverine... I can't control my wings! They're attacking of their own volition!"

With the Genoshan mutant Wipeout literally wiping out their powers, Warren had lost conscious control of the techno organic wings Apocalypse gave him. The metal had a life of its own, desperate and hungry for blood. Without Warren to reign those parts of himself in, Wolverine had to fight for his life. But, it wouldn't be a Claremont scene if both parties didn't have Hodge's tentacles curled around their necks to symbolise their position as slaves...

Speaking of Wipeout, Hodge was indeed aware of one particular betrayal... one inside the Genoshan government itself. Both the president and the Genengineer were less than thrilled with his outsider approach to their ever so sensitive internal affair. That's why the Genengineer was actively working on a plan to take care of Hodge, a plan Jubilee and the depowered Rictor and Boom-Boom happened to walk in on...

The same plan Hodge himself became aware of when he put his robotic form to exceptionally good use for 1991...

"As my master commands"

Accessing Genengineer Moreau's personal computer (a rarity in the early 90s), the largely mechanical Cameron Hodge learned all of the Genengineer's plans... but he also used the opportunity to get revenge on magistrate Alex Summers who only a few pages ago took away Psylocke. Hodge killed the Genoshan power-deleting mutant Wipeout with an energy weapon largely similar to Alex's cosmic blasts, hoping to pin the murder on him...

But just as Hodge called Alex to the crime scene and forced mutate Rahne to falsely accuse him, the X-men were having a breakthrough of their own. They finally managed to escape Hodge's torture chambers thanks to Gambit's lockpicking skills. Rushing in to stop the Wolverine/Archangel death match, Cyclops was surprised by the arrival of an unexpected presence...

"What's she doing... my eyes... they're BURNING!"

Accompanied by chief magistrate Anderson, kid Storm arrived on the scene and without any satisfying explanation restored Cyclops' mutant abilities just by touching him. But for some reason, the Genengineer's mutate process had another, unexpected effect on her as well...

"I am once more myself... in mind, in spirit... in body!"

Scott regained his optic blasts and made the best of 'm, especially considering Cameron Hodge was about to overrun him and the others...

More on that in the fifth and final chapter of Mind Control Is Anything But X-Tinct: Once, But No More, Oh Green And Pleasant Land