Mutant X #4

Issue Date: 
January 1999
Story Title: 
Secrets and Lies
Staff: 

Howard Mackie (writer), Andrew Pepoy (artist), Chris Eliopoulos (letters), Gina Going (colors), Frank Pitaresse (editor), Bob Harras (editor-in-chief)

Brief Description: 

Scotty has a weird dream that something bad is about to happen. Alex and he go check it out and get attacked by several weird demons. Meanwhile, Maddie gets drawn into a weird landscape and another demon succesfully transforms Maddie into his Goblin Queen. Alex and Scotty are on their own in their fight, because the demons have already taken out the rest of the Six. Almost at their defeat, Maddie shows up transformed into the Goblin Queen and uses her powers to make the demons go away. Scotty is too scared of his mom now, and Maddie doesn't understand and starts transforming back into herself, as Alex and Scotty watch in fear. While these things happen, Bloodstorm has wandered off from the Six to her castle, and meets her servant Kitty and lover and sole foodsource, Forge.

Full Summary: 

(Madelyne’s dream)

Maddie has transformed into the demonic Goblin Queen and laughs about it. Alex and Scotty are scared and try to reach out for Maddie, but she doesn't listen to them. Scotty yells for his mommy and exclaims they're hurting him. Havok tries to reach her again and attempts to explain to Maddie that Bloodstorm has already fallen and he doesn't know how much longer he, Ice-Man and Brute can keep the Demons away. Scotty tries to reach his mommy again and Maddie wakes up, finding it was all just a dream.

(reality)

Alex asks what's wrong and why she can't hear Scotty crying for her from his room. He says he'll go see to it, she needs to go to bed again and rest because she's been looking tired lately. Maddie agrees and does so and Alex goes check on Scotty. On his way, Alex thinks to himself how he's suddenly playing the concerned father and husband. He can't believe he's fitting in into this strange world, after he got stranded here after the battle with Greystone on his homeworld.
Alex’s thoughts turn to the Six, a team of heroes which he always would have wanted to lead, in a way. He passes their rooms, and Bloodstorm comes out of her room. She's surprised because she didn't expect anyone at this hour and asks if it's okay if she leaves, because she has business to attend to elsewhere. Alex gives his okay but before he can finish his sentence, Bloodstorm's already gone.
Alex finally makes it to Scotty's room. He finds Scotty all freaked out, because he had a dream that predicts something really bad is going to happen tonight, and he just knows it's true!

Meanwhile, Maddie has yet another weird dream of some sort, and she enters a dark reality. An evil voice tells "his queen" to follow the path. Maddie does so.

At the same moment, Bloodstorm flies over the city in her mist form and enters a castle. A servant opens the door and greats Bloodstorm, and Bloodstorm thanks Kitty Pryde, for her loyal services. Bloodstorm wanders the castle and is greeted by a man, who says he could feel it in his blood that she had arrived. The man, Forge, says it's been too long between meals and Bloodstorm is risking a lot for making it so late. She’s making herself suffer. Bloodstorm jokes whether he’d like her to drain him dry, but Forge suggests she could maybe feast on the opponents the Six take on as well. Bloodstorm says she would never do such a thing. Forge explains he just doesn't want to see his love suffer, but Bloodstorm tells him the suffering will come to an end, for now, as she moves closer to him.

Back at the Six's castle. There's been a blackout and Alex has taken Scotty with him to check it out. Scotty still thinks a bad thing is about to happen, but Alex denies it. He knows Scotty can "see" things other people can't, but Alex things he just had a bad dream. Scotty then remembers that Ice-Man told him that Hank McCoy made the castle's own power-generator, from before he became the Brute and was really smart. Hank made sure it would never break. Suddenly the "bad thing" Scotty was talking about starts attacking them! Alex uses his powers against it and the thing drops back and Alex and Scotty make a run for it, back to Maddie.

Meanwhile, Maddie is still in the weird landscape and asks what they want from her. The evil voice tells her about the power which can be hers, but she must covet it. The voice says the desire which rest in her soul must be nurtured, so she can fully become the Goblin Queen. Maddie doesn't want to. The voice begins to turn into a demon and tries to convince Maddie but still fails, and then simply says she must give into the power… and Maddie does! The demon is happy and begins planning.

At the same time, Alex and Scotty are still running. Alex wants to find the Six, but Scotty says it's too late because they've been swallowed by the mist. Alex tries to switch a light on, but electricity is still off and he notices more demons. They make it to Ice-Man's room, but he's all covered with weird red things and not moving. Alex tells Scotty to look away, they'll keep moving. Alex asks if Scotty knows what these things are, but he just knows they are bad things and they need to find his mom.

The red things grab Scotty, but Alex blasts Scotty free and they make it to Maddie's room. Then a hard noise starts bouncing, and Maddie is nowhere to be found. Scotty warns Alex he knows the thing's after him!

Alex asks if Scotty knows where the noise is coming from, and Scotty points to a closet a demon comes out from, saying Scotty belongs to them now. Alex fires his blasts, not hurting the demon and a second demon comes out as well. Alex asks Scotty to run away to safety while he holds them back. Alex prepares another blast, but then Maddie shows up, transformed into the Goblin Queen and yells at the demons for daring to lay a hand upon her son! Maddie uses her powers against the demons and they disappear. Maddie tells Scotty it's okay now and to come to her, but Scotty's too scared and wants Alex to take him to his room. Maddie doesn't know why Scotty and Alex are so scared of her and she starts transforming back to her normal self, and Scotty and Alex watch in fear.

Characters Involved: 

Bloodstorm, Havok, Ice-Man, Marvel Woman/Goblin Queen (the Six)

Scotty Summers

Kitty Pryde (Bloodstorm's servant)

Forge (Bloodstorm's lover)

Story Notes: 

Havok fought Greystone in X-Factor #149, where Havok stopped the maniac by almost sacrificing his life had he not landed in this world, as happened in Mutant X #1.
This issue’s revelation that Forge is Bloodstorm’s only foodsource doesn’t gell with issue #2 where Storm entered an apartment where she was expected by two men who were clearly meant to be her food sources.

Maddie has also transformed into the Goblin Queen in the real universe during the Inferno saga,but went insane and started attacking the X-Men and X-Factor. She was eventually defeated and apparently killed.

Kitty Pryde operates under the code-name of Shadowcat in the real universe and there she is Storm's best friend.

Forge and Storm were lovers in the real universe as well, but Storm often questioned her feelings for him and they had a more on-off relationship then anything else.
The story how Kitty and Forge came to be Ororo’s servants is told in Mutant X #13.

Issue Information: 
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