In a subterranean chamber on an unnamed island in the Pacific, a warrior king waits out eternity in darkness. Sitting on a stone throne, the gray-skinned warrior, clad in golden bone-like armor, he has been called “Destroyer” in the native languages of many worlds he conquered and then razed. Only on this tiny planet did he meet with a brutal and soul-crushing defeat. Now what was once his throne room has served as his prison for over a thousand years. He has not thought of the outside world in centuries. That is, until today…. ‘We are no longer alone, Kodo’ he remarks to his pet Komodo Dragon at his feet, while skeleton bones are littered around them. He declares that, once again, some foolish travelers dare trespass on the island of his interment. ‘The will die like the others before them. Mortals are such a frail and vulnerable species’ he exclaims.
Somewhere above, five notably less frail and vulnerable mortals fight their way through the tropical jungle exterior - Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie, Danielle Moonstar, James Proudstar, Tabitha “Meltdown” Smith, Jesse “Bedlam” Aaronson - they are five members of the mutant heroes known as X-Force, and are currently engaged in battle with some giant insects. ‘Ah’m beginning to think this whole island’s against us. First the exploding fire pits, then those monstrous rodents, and now this!’ Sam exclaims, while Moonstar, in her quantum form, unleashes a blast of quantum energy at one of the insects and exclaims that nobody said this was going to be an island resort.
James smacks one of the creatures away with his enhanced strength, while Jesse struggles to grab the legs of one of them, and Meltdown reminds her friends that the last time they were this close to the Equator they were fighting Lava Men in an active volcano. ‘How about we book our next vacation less tropical - like the Arctic Circle!’ she exclaims, adding that with their luck they will probably end up face to face with a bunch of killer polar bears. Bedlam kicks one of the insects, asking his teammates how they can talk with the creatures coming at them from every direction, to which Meltdown throws her plasma time-bombs about, declaring that they have to do something to relieve the tension. ‘And if you think we’re chatty, you should meet Spider-Man. That guy never shuts up!’ Meltdown exclaims.
Proudstar rips a tree from its roots and smacks several of the insects with it, declaring that he personally thinks it is better to avoid unnecessary conversation in battle and try to stay focused on the task at hand. Jesse declares that right now he doesn’t have anything clever to say except “Help”, remarking that his power works great against anything mechanical or electronic, but out here in the wild kingdom, it is useless. ‘I’d rather face a Sentinel than any more of these Jurassic Park rejects!’ Jesse declares as he tries to hold one at bay, before Moonstar blasts it with her quantum beam. ‘Thanks, Dani, owe you!’ Jesse calls out.
Moonstar tells Cannonball that they are barely keeping the swarm at bay, and that every time she takes one out, another takes its place. ‘At this rate, we’re going to wear out before they do!’ she exclaims. Sam blasts away from more of the creatures and exclaims that he is already tired of dodging them, before announcing that he thinks he has a way of getting rid of them all, before telling his teammates that they all need to hold onto something. Sam begins blasting around and around in a circle as he explains that when he was eight, he watched a tornado pick up and throw his uncle’s combine halfway across Cameron County, so if he can create his own little twister, the updraft should suck the entire swarm into the funnel and out of their way. ‘Sounds like the best plan I’ve heard all day’ Dani exclaims as she holds onto a palm tree.
Sam looks worried as he thinks to himself that he can move like a rocket flying in a straight line, but he cannot get close to his top speed flying in this tight circle, and realizes that some of the bigger insects are strong enough to resist the pull of the whirlwind. Nearby, a voice remarks ‘The boy requires assistance’. ‘If you insist…’ another voice complies, when Sam suddenly flies upwards and out of the funnel, thinking to himself that it feels like someone just jump-started his motor. ‘Think Ah’ve got the power to finish off the whole swarm’ he tells himself, continuing to spin around and around, he sees that he has the entire swarm half a mile above the island, plus a few trees and ferns. ‘Now Ah need to figure out how to stop them from following me back down’ Sam tells himself, before there is a massive beam of energy directed at the swarm, disabling them.
‘Then again, maybe that’s not my problem anymore’ Sam tells himself, before seeing two figures, ‘Ah suppose you tow are responsible for that boost Ah got there’ Sam asks. The male clad in purple and gold tells Cannonball that his gratitude belongs to Astarte, for it was she who augmented his ballistic abilities. ‘I merely disposed of the annoying apocrita with an ionic charge from my mace’ he declares. ‘And here Ah thought Thor had the patent on those kind of hammers’ Sam jokes, while Electryon explains that his mace is but one of the many tools he has created over the centuries. The scantily-clad female Astarte suggests they rejoin Cannonball’s comrades, as they have wasted enough time with the trivial distractions.
As the three fly to the rest of X-Force, Astarte reveals that everything on this island is undergoing an unnatural metamorphosis and unless they reach the source of these abominable changes soon, the effect will soon spread across the globe. ’You know, you two seem more hand equipped to handle yourselves’ Dani declares, asking why it is they need any help at all. Electryon explains that they of the Eternals are neither immortal nor invincible, and though their lifespan is longer and technology superior, they are equally threatened by the chaotic transformations that plague this island. ‘And you think I’m the only person on this planet - human, mutant or Eternal - who can stop it? You know, I barely understand my new power as it is!’ Moonstar exclaims.
Astarte suggests that Moonstar consider this a trial by fire. ‘A warrior can only be truly tested when the stakes are life and death’ she exclaims, adding that she has confidence in Moonstar and her companions. ‘Ah. Shucks’ Cannonball exclaims. ‘We’ll do our best!’ Proudstar declares. ‘For you, anything!’ Bedlam remarks. ‘Is it just me, or do our boys turn into idiots around Astarte?’ Meltdown asks Moonstar, adding that she doesn’t like Astarte or Electryon, and asks Dani if she thinks they did they right thing coming here. ‘If I didn’t think the threat was real I never would have let them bring us here’ Moonstar replies, adding that she didn’t have much choice….
Flashback, four hours earlier:
‘DanI Moonstar, you will accompany us now. The fate of the planet depends on you!’ Electryon declares as he and Astarte hover above X-Force in San Francisco. ‘Do you know these guys, Dani?’ Jesse asks. Moonstar replies that she has never seen them before. ‘Did they have to fry our Frisbee to get our attention?’ Meltdown mutters. Dani asks them where they are from and what they want from her. Astarte introduces herself and Electryon, explaining that they are Eternals, while Electryon tells Moonstar that she has the power needed to combat a threat that if left unchecked will soon endanger all life on this planet.
Bedlam asks Moonstar if she buys any of this, to which Danielle replies that she cannot read minds, explaining that her telepathic powers have always been more empathetic, before announcing that the Eternals seem to be telling the truth. ‘Okay, I’m will to take a chance and go with you both’ Dani announces. Sam tells Dani that she is not going alone, reminding her that they have already lost Siryn, while Sunspot and Domino are who knows where. ‘I don’t want to risk fragmenting the team any further’ he exclaims, while Proudstar suggests that it wouldn’t hurt to have someone watching her back. ‘This kind of thing happens to you guys all the time, doesn’t it?’ Bedlam remarks to Meltdown, who raises her hand, asking if they have time to change before they go.
Two hours later, several hundred miles Southeast of Tahiti, on the Tropic of Capricorn, the five young mutants are inside the Eternals’ vessel, and Jesse exclaims that it is an amazing ride, but one thing bothers him: ‘In case of a water landing, where are the flotation devices?’ he asks. Electryon replies that he doesn’t not understand the question. ‘It was a joke. If I explain it, it’s not…never mind’ Jesse mutters, to which Astarte declares that humor is inappropriate, as they are approaching an island undergoing violent environmental mutations. She tells DanI that as they draw closer, she should be able to sense the quantum disruptions occurring more and more frequently.
Dani’s appearance turns blue, and she sparkles as she announces that she is getting shivers, like someone is running their fingernails slowly down a chalkboard. ‘How did you know I could sense that? You seem to know more about me than I do about myself’ Dani asks. Electryon replies that he spent his life attempting to understand and harness energy in all its myriad forms. ‘When you use your power you give off a quantum energy signature I traced’ he explains, while Astarte reveals that they monitored DanI’s activity in secret until they became certain she could do what they wanted. She holds up a small device, explaining that it is a communicating transceiver and that it fits behind the ear. ‘Each of you will wear one so that we may remain in constant communication with one another’ she announces.
Suddenly, they arrive at the island, while Electryon announces that they unfortunately cannot reach the source of the disturbance by air, and they will have to go on foot. ‘And if we fail, Zuras help us all!’ he exclaims.
(Present)
The enigmatic Domino has never stayed anywhere long enough to consider it home. These days however, the closest thing is X-Force’s warehouse in China Basin, San Francisco. And after her exasperating encounter with the psychopathic stalker from the future, Halloween Jack, she is very happy to return to a familiar place - only to discover it is a very empty one. ‘Jesse?’ Domino calls out as she enters Bedlam’s messy room - a mattress on the floor, a television on one side of the room, a stereo on the other, with papers, rubbish and clothes scattered everywhere. ‘James?’ Domino asks as she enters Proudstar’s very tidy room - nearly made bed, plant in one corner and a tidy desk in the other, only he is nowhere to be seen. ‘Tab?’ Domino calls out as she tries Meltdown’s room. Tabitha is not in her surprisingly tidy room - bed along one wall, couch on the other with a desk in between, and posters on the wall. ‘Bobby? Finally! I was beginning to think we’d been evicted!’ Domino exclaims as she enters Sunspot’s room, where she discovers Bobby “Sunspot” DaCosta packing a suitcase, she asks him if he is going somewhere. Bobby reveals that he has to be at the airport in an hour, otherwise the INS is going to throw him in jail. ‘Immigration? You’re kidding?!’ Domino exclaims, but Sunspot reveals that he has been labelled a terrorist based on photos of Reignfire and him when Reignfire ambushed him in Colorado. Bobby explains that he cannot tell INS the truth without revealing that he is a mutant and exposing everyone in X-Force. ‘So I have a choice. Get out of the country or stand trial. That’s why I’m going back to Brazil!’.
At that moment, the ground begins to shake on the small island where X-Force are currently investigating. ‘Earthquake!’ Meltdown shouts, but Proudstar tells her that the ground is transforming below their feet, turning into razor-sharp crystals. ‘Can’t keep my balance!’ Meltdown calls out, so Cannonball blasts across and picks her up, taking them both into the air as the large crystals begin to form around them. Sam tells Tabitha that she can relax now. ‘This is some roller-coaster, huh?’ he exclaims. Meltdown replies that she would rather be spending her day at Wonder World. ‘At least, you don’t risk getting impaled on any of their rides’ she declares.
Suddenly, a large tentacle reaches around and grabs Proudstar. ‘Dani, look out! The vegetation’s turned lethal!’ James exclaims. Moonstar tells everyone that that they have to push on, as they are close to the source of the transmutation. ‘I can feel it!’ she declares. Proudstar rips the tentacle off him while exclaiming that he hopes so, because it is pretty obvious that every time they finish dealing with one threat, another equally deadly one is right there to take its place. James adds that what bothers him the most is the feeling that they are doing someone else’s grunt work. ‘Where are Eelctryon and Astarte anyway? They seem to be keeping their distance during all of this’ he points out.
Suddenly, Electryon and Astarte appear overhead, with Electryon apologizing to Proudstar and claiming that they were on a mission of reconnaissance. ‘Our destination lies just beyond that ravine!’ he exclaims, motioning forwards. ‘Behold the temple of the Dying Sun!’ Electryon declares as X-Force arrive at the temple. Electryon tells them that they will find the alien engine wrecking havoc with the island within the temple. ‘That place must be thousands of years old!’ Cannonball exclaims as he and the other stand outside, before James suggests that they head inside, and he will lead the way. ‘Such reckless children, charging headlong into the unknown. I almost feel sorry that their loyalty to their friend has doomed them’ Electryon remarks as he and Astarte watch X-Force enter the temple. ‘Once we’ve finished with Moonstar, their fate no longer concerns us’ Astarte declares.
Inside, X-Force stand before a large glowing sphere. ‘Will ya look at this!’ Cannonball exclaims. Proudstar reminds everyone that Electryon called the engine alien. ‘So who built it? The Kree? The Shi’ar? The Skrulls?’ he asks. ‘You got me, James. All I can tell you is we’re only look at the tip of the iceberg. This thing extends farther down than I can see!’ Sam exclaims. Jesse moves closer to the strange device, exclaiming that if it is a machine he can shut it down, and then they can leave the schizoid island and be back in civilization in time for “Win Ben Stein’s Money”. But suddenly, the machine makes a noise, and sends out some sort of shockwave. ‘Uh-oh. My bad!’ Jesse mumbles.
‘What did you do?’ Meltdown calls out as the wave ripples across them. Jesse exclaims that he doesn’t know, and says he is sorry. This is the first time I’ve ever used my power against alien tech’ Jesse explains, before suggesting that perhaps it has some kind of defense mechanism. Moonstar announces that the device is generating ten times as much energy as it was when they entered, and suggests they get out of here now. But her teammates all begin to transform: ‘I’d like to. DanI, I really would, but my legs aren’t moving. What’s happening to me?’ Jesse asks as his entire body is covered in black lines. ‘Not just to you, Jesse. To all of us!’ Cannonball exclaims as his form turns seemingly to gold, exclaiming that he cannot stay aloft.
Meltdown seems to be covered in some sort of liquid flame, exclaiming that it is burning. ‘Make it stop. Make it stop!’ she calls out, while Proudstar’s body turns green, he exclaims that they appear to be under some kind of elemental transformation, except for Dani. Her form blue and sparkling, Dani exclaims that her body seems to be reacting defensively against the transmutational energy. ‘Help…’ James calls out. Dani looks at her friends, concerned, she swears to them that she will do everything she can. She adds that Electryon and Astarte told her over and over, she is the only one who can counter this machine’s energy.
‘Since I don’t know how to turn it off, I’m going to have to destroy it!’ Dani declares, unleashing her powers on the device, Dani soon realizes that her power is fading. ‘Now it’s gone completely!’ she exclaims, declaring that this has never happened before. ‘How is this possible?’ she asks as the quantum beam disappears. Suddenly, Astarte and Electryon appear, and Electryon reveals to Dani that they are responsible for her loss of power, adding that the transceiver she was given is actually an energy transmitter, which allowed them to leech her body’s unique energies for their own use.
Astarte tells Moonstar that they brought her here knowing that this island’s unusually dangerous nature would force her to use her power continually, and provide enough distraction to keep her from realizing their true intent. ‘You lied to me!’ Moonstar shouts as she runs towards the Eternals. ‘We are done here’ Electryon retorts as he blasts Dani, now returned to her regular form, back against the machine with a blast of energy, before Dani falls through a gap in the floor.
Back in San Francisco, Domino walks with Sunspot outside, where Agents Sanchez and Fulton are waiting to drive him to the airport. ’This really bites. I’m leaving the country and no one else even knows about it’ Bobby mutters, adding that he hopes the others are having fun, before looking at the INS agents and remarking that he supposes they will miss harassing him. Domino tells Bobby that something seems wrong with the whole deportation thing, and suggests he may like to talk to another lawyer, before telling him to forget the lawyers, that he can go underground. ’I can get you a new identity with a phone call’ she declares.
‘Believe me, I’ve thought about it, but if I turn fugitive, the Feds would just put all my friends under surveillance - and considering we’re all wanted, that would not be a good thing’ Bobby declares, before telling Domino that his lawyer told him he will be back in the states, free and clear, in six months tops. ‘This isn’t about Tabitha, is it? You’re not being a martyr because she broke up with you?’ Domino asks. Bobby hangs his head, ‘No…I don’t think so…I don’t know’ he replies, before one of the agents tells him to come along, as he has a plane to catch. ‘Tell everyone this is only temporary’ Sunspot asks Domino, who tells him not to give up, before the agents drive away with Sunspot.
Suddenly, a courier vehicle pulls up nearby, and as Domino thinks to herself that Sunspot’s deportation doesn’t seem right at all, she decides to investigate, while the courier calls out to her, asking her if she lives here. ‘What’s it to you?’ Domino asks suspiciously. ‘Got a package for Sam Guthrie. It kinda got misrouted all over the place. Sorry’ he tells Domino as he hands her the package, which has stickers via Paris, via New York, via Johannesburg and others on it. ‘You don’t see many packages from Genosha’ the courier exclaims.
Back on the mysterious island, a groggy DanI slowly wakes, and wonders how far she fell. She doesn’t think anything is broken, but knows she will be black and blue tomorrow. ‘I feel so incredibly stupid letting myself get played like that. Should’ve known Electryon and Astarte weren’t telling me ev-’ Dani begins, before seeing a large lizard poke it’s head out of the darkness, and flick its tongue at her. Dani screams, ‘Back off!’ she shouts and kicks the Komodo Dragon, knocking it backwards. Moonstar wonders what she is doing, telling herself that the lizard was probably just as startled as she was. ‘After all, I’m the one invading its turf’ she tells herself.
Moonstar exclaims that she has got to find a way out of here so she can reverse what that machine did to the rest of X-Force. ‘And how am I going to do that - now that those lying Eternals robbed me of me quantum power’ she wonders, before noticing a large figure approach her from out of the darkness. ‘Who dares disturb my solitude? You cannot hide the truth from me!’ the one known as the Destroyer exclaims as he picks Moonstar up be her wrists. ‘No. No. No. No. No’ Dani repeats over and over, as years of learning to guard her mind against telepathic intrusion crumble…as the alien warlord psychically devours the whole of Danielle Moonstar’s life in vivid sensory and emotional detail.
(Illustrative images of Moonstar over the years)
The alien experiences the events of Danielle’s childhood in the Medicine Bow Mountains of Colorado - the disappearance of her parents and the death of her grandfather - the alien understands the fear and elation that Moonstar felt the first time her mutant powers manifested - and she made another’s deepest fears appear before him in a telepathically projected illusion. The alien knows the joy Danielle felt upon learning that she was not alone, that there were others as unusually gifted as she - some of whom learned to control their mutant gifts alongside her as members of the New Mutants.
The alien learns of Dani’s bittersweet burden she took on when she became the only human Valkyrie and as one of the choosers of the slain, she learned the true nature of death and dying. Her time as a Valkyrie distanced her from her childhood friends, and she drifted for a time - until agreeing to go undercover in the Mutant Liberation Front for SHIELD, where she abandoned psionic illusions for psionic arrows that pierced her victim’s psyche. The alien experiences the relief that Dani felt once the deception ended, and she rejoined some of her friends in X-Force, only to have the core of her being altered once again by Arcadia DeVille’s reality altering touch - which opened up a world of power and perception she does not fully understand.
(Present)
‘None of your race possessed such power when I first came to this planet. Still, you pose no threat to me’ the alien exclaims as he lets Danielle down. Rubbing her wrists, Dani asks ‘You speak English?’, to which he reveals that his race developed the powers of the mind long before hers crawled out of the mud. ‘I became fluent the instant my mind touched yours’ he reveals. ‘Who are you?’ Danielle asks, to which he reaches for her head, ‘Open your mind to me once more, and you shall learn’ he tells her, although Dani looks concerned.
(Flashback, narrated by Ry’lor)
The alien introduces himself as Ry’lor, revealing that he is the last of the Vyr’lgm’sh Dynasty, and that he was a warrior, a king and a tyrant. He explains that for far too long he glorified in war and destruction until the thrill of conquest became empty and meaningless to him. But fate intervened when his spacecraft’s warp engine malfunctioned and stranded him halfway across the galaxy, on this primitive planet. It was here that he discovered two tribes warring on this island, and in a surprising revelation, understood for the first time the folly of such conflict.
He abandoned his role as conqueror and chose to become a peacemaker, assuming a human form to end the war of stones and spears. Instead of destroying their primitive culture, he set out to uplift it, and used the technology from his downed ship to create a utopian city. He did not want to be worshipped like a god, but his vanity was greater than his reason, and, for a time, he reveled in their adulation, as they worshipped him. Blinded by his own ego, he failed to see their reverence turn to resentment. He shared with them the secrets of his science, and then, believing they no longer needed him, they turned on him, attempting to kill him with a radioactive ore from his home-world.
In his rage at their betrayal, Ry’lor lost control, the Destroyer returned, as he laid waste to everything he had given them, and then killed every last man, woman and child. He had hoped to help these poor souls transcend their baser nature, and instead he succumbed to his own.
(Present)
Ry’lor has his back turned to Moonstar as he explains that when his rage finally subsided and he looked upon the atrocity he had committed, he swore he would spend the rest of his life in penance. He explains that he reprogrammed the subatomic transformer of his ship’s warp engine to make this island inhospitable to any future visitors. He commends Moonstar for getting this far, before asking her to leave. ‘No. I can’t. Your warp engine is doing more than keeping people away. It’s transmutational properties are killing my friends’ Dani explains, telling Ry’lor that he has to shut it down.
But Ry’lor reveals that age and despair prevent him from doing that, as they have damaged the engine’s control mechanism. He motions to the control and tells Moonstar that he cannot repair it in time to save her friends. He tells Moonstar that she however possess the necessary energy to neutralize the core power. Danielle tells him that is impossible though, as Electryon and Astarte stole her quantum power, and her psionic arrows only affect people. Ry’lor raises his hands above his head, ‘So much power, Danielle Moonstar, and so little understanding’ he declares. Ry’lor remarks that the quantum energy that she wields is infinite, for it is primal force that binds all things together in this universe. He explains that the girl Arcadia made Moonstar a conduit for that energy. ‘You need only open yourself up to it and it will flow through you like a mighty river!’ he exclaims.
‘Mighty river, uh-huh, sure’ Dani exclaims, closing her eyes, she exclaims that she feels silly, as nothing is happening. Ry’lor tells Moonstar to stop thinking of herself as separate from the universe around her. ‘Let yourself go’ he tells her. ‘Wow’ Danielle exclaims as she opens her eyes, her skin turns blue, and quantum energy flows around her. She smiles as she exclaims that for the first time she feels like she might actually have more than a little control of this. Ry’lor tells Moonstar that the warp engine’s power core bends time and space to make interstellar travel possible. ‘Here on Earth, it is restructuring the biology and geology of all within its range. You will need only match his quantum frequency so that the core will believe it is experiencing feedback and shut down’ Ry’lor explains.
The quantum energy flows from Danielle into the machine, and Dani exclaims that she is getting a lot of resistance, so has to match everything that is coming at her. ‘Can’t let my friends down’ she declares, before announcing that she thinks it is working. Ry’lor tells Moonstar that once the core powers down, all that it has changed will return to its original state.
Up above them, that is exactly what happens, as Proudstar, Meltdown, Cannonball and Bedlam all return to normal. ‘I seem to be back to normal…is everyone else okay?’ James asks. ‘…I think…no burns, anyway…’ Tabitha replies. ‘Ungh - what happened to us?’ Sam asks. ‘Next time, I’m staying at home’ Jesse mutters.
Down below, Ry’lor motions to a staircase and tells Danielle that she can return to her friends now. He suggests that they find their way off the island as soon as possible, as he intends to repair the engine so that he is not disturbed again. Moonstar tells Ry’lor that if he really wants to atone for his past, then he shouldn’t be spending the rest of eternity in the dark. ‘Maybe you can find something more constructive to do than brooding’ she tells him. ‘You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it and move forward…something to think about. For both of us’ Dani declares as she makes her way up the stairs. Ry’lor sits back down on his throne, and appears to smile.
Elsewhere on the island, Electryon and Astarte are in their vessel, speaking to someone over a monitor. Electryon declares that they have done as requested, that all the energy siphoned from Danielle Moonstar is now theirs to study. Astarte remarks that she doesn’t understand why these mutants have been a problem for the organization, as they were easily manipulated. Electryon reveals that they shall remain on the island, as he is interested in the alien transmutation technology in the temple.
The being that the Eternals are communicating with is revealed to be Odysseus Indigo of the Damocles Foundation. The Deviant exclaims ‘Later, E. Right now, the only thing I care about is using Moonstar’s power to capture Arcadia DeVille. She and my half-brother Ulysses continue to evade capture. Curse the day he betrayed the Damocles -’ suddenly, the transmission ends, and Indigo is cut off. ‘By the Celestial host, we’ve lost power. All systems are down - even the backup. How is this possible?’ Electryon wonders. ‘Outside’ Astarte declares, and the two Eternals exit their vessel, to find X-Force standing outside. ‘For such beautiful people, your hearts are as twisted as this island!’ Moonstar declares.
‘Moonstar! You did this!’ Elecrtyon exclaims. ‘Actually, I pulled the plug on your ship, but it was Dani’s idea’ Jesse announces, while Cannonball declares that they do not take kindly to being played for fools. ‘Pathetic children, do you think yourself a match for an Eternal?’ Electryon asks as he unleashes a blast of energy from his hammer. ‘As a matter of fact, yes!’ Moonstar declares as she blocks the power with her own, telling him that he made a big mistake thinking her quantum energy was limited. ‘I have a universe of power to draw upon - and it’s more than enough to render your ionic charge harmless’ she exclaims, telling Electryon to be thankful she has switched gears to take him out with a psionic arrow, instead of tearing him apart at a sub-atomic level. Electryon slams into the vessel and falls to the ground.
‘Are you willing to fight your own teammates, Moonstar? I assure you, they’ll kill you if you don’t. They’re so impressionable’ Astarte declares as she puts Sam, James and Jesse under a spell. ‘Must protect Astarte…’ they all utter in a trance. ‘Sorry, grandma, you don’t get to use my friends as your pawns’ Meltdown exclaims as she throws a plasma time-bomb at Astarte, who complains that she has broken her hold on the men. ‘Tough break’ Dani exclaims as she punches Astarte, knocking her over. ‘You under-estimated us. With or without powers, we keep fighting. See, we don’t have your centuries long lifespan. Our time is short. So we intend to make it count!’ Moonstar declares.
‘What are we supposed to do with them now?’ Bedlam asks. ‘I think the question that we need to ask is who’s driving us home? Anyone know how to pilot an Eternals airship?’ Meltdown asks. James points out that the ground is starting to shake again, before remarking that he thought Dani took out the warp engine. ‘Something else is happening. Look’ Dani declares, motioning to where the citadel of Ry’lor has risen above the trees. Moonstar explains that the temple was built on top of Ry’lor’s downed spacecraft, and it dint take him long to repair the engine.
Ry’lor and his Komodo Dragon, both glowing brightly, loom over X-Force as they stand on the temple edge. Ry’lor tells Moonstar that he has considered her words, and has decided that she is correct. ‘I must atone for my past with action not isolation. It is time I returned to the worlds I once ravaged and find a way to make amends’ he announces, before wishing Moonstar good fortune in her struggles, and bidding her farewell. DanI watches him leave and calls out ‘Hey, wait a second! Look, I don’t know which way you’re headed, but do you think you can give us a list to San Francisco?’….
