(Life passing before Bobby’s eyes)
There is a black void and then there is a star. Bobby remembers an old Perry Como song that he used to hear played on one of his dad’s favorite shows when Iceman was a kid. Then Bobby notices that the star is him, but he thinks if that is him how can he be watching himself fall.
Iceman is next seen still big but in a babies crib crying. His younger version of his father and mother are watching him in the crib saying how he is cute, but he cries a lot. Iceman is still able to think mature in his mind but all his words come out as goo-goo-gaa-gaa. Iceman’s mom takes him out of the crib and begins dancing with him and Iceman remembers how he used to love dancing with his mom. Although as they dance William tries to get Maddy’s attention and tell her that their baby resembles an ice cube. When Maddy notices the difference Iceman has started to take on the size and shape of a baby and he accidentally turns his mom into an ice-statue. William scolds Iceman for being such a bad boy and tells him “You had better go to school now and become an accountant… or your mother will really be upset.”
Then Iceman transforms back into Bobby but he has only grown to be a young child now and as he runs off. Bobby runs into Charles Xavier who asks if Bobby will let him ride on his back and let Bobby take him to the Xavier Institute. Which Bobby says that his parents want him to become an accountant then Xavier says “Aw, whadda they know?” Then as Bobby is carrying Xavier on his back someone shoots Xavier and Bobby wonders why someone would want to shoot a nice “bald” man.
Then, Bobby now back in his ice-form is transported to a time when he ran with the original X-Men. They talk about since all of them are freaks none of them will ever be accountants. Iceman notices Jean Grey among the team, and suddenly he finds himself as Bobby again, the adult, in his parents arms with them telling him if he stays a hero he would die like Jean Grey. So he should become an accountant but then a strange hand pulls him from his parents and Bobby looks up to notice it is the Champion Hercules’ hand.
Angel is telling Bobby that hero life is what Bobby is cut out for, but Bobby is not paying attention he is looking behind Hercules to notice Darkstar, and Bobby tells her he loves her. Then Darkstar tells Bobby she does not love him because he is an accountant. Next scene Bobby’s parents are standing over him as he sits at a college desk studying to become an accountant. Bobby wonders why he is so bored to tears and he starts to cry.
He cries so much it becomes a river and sweeps him away but the Valkyrie swoops down and saves him and as Bobby screams he is not ready for super hero life again Val drops him infront of the Defenders. Now in his ice-form Iceman finally realizes someone is playing a game with him and he screams to whomever is doing this to stop. Then the Beast kicks Iceman out of the Defenders and Bobby likes it because he says he does not want to make decisions any more if he is dead he just wants to succumb to the “Oblivion”.
(present)
Bobby finds himself lying in front of Oblivion as he welcomes Bobby to his realm and Bobby’s new home. Oblivion tells Bobby that he brought him to his realm to dissect his brain and glean some of his past memories.
(recap of last issues)
Oblivion then makes Bobby remember the past couple of days. How he felt that none of his parents understood him but the lovely Marge from next door did, and he thought things were going so good. Then the Idiot and White Light showed up and ruined everything. Then Marge left to a different time and Bobby found a bounce-box that accidentally teleported him to 1942. Then he thinks “oh no!” his father died by Kali’s hands and now that means Bobby never exists.
(present)
Oblivion explains why he keeps Bobby in his realm rather than let him go to the nothing that he is. Oblivion unlike the other Gods Love, War, Eternity, and etc. can not feel any emotion. So he created this realm and his servants to help him learn how it is like to have emotions but he says he craved for someone to be closer to himself. So he reached into himself and drew a small piece of himself to become his daughter. Though he admits that even his daughter would not listen to him and she ran away. Oblivion says he wanted to go after her but he could not because, he explains, if Oblivion ever visited the realm of mortals than cataclysmic events would occur killing a lot of people. Bobby then figures out it was Oblivion that sent all those “savages” to hunt down Marge. Oblivion then shows Bobby his greatest warrior Kali lying on the ground near death with her horns ripped off. Bobby asks Oblivion if Marge has the power to do that? Oblivion tells Bobby that Marge’s power is becoming to strong and Oblivion must find her and bring her to him before she becomes stronger then even he is, and she destroys even him.
Oblivion then transports Bobby to a world that Marge now has created for him and her to live in peacefully. Bobby walks down the streets and notices there is no prejudice, no one steals, and everyone waves and smiles so nicely. Walter Smith, Marge’s brother, finds Bobby and tells him how Marge will explain everything and how she is going to be so happy to see Bobby. Walter drags Bobby to the house they’re now living in and Marge rushes to hug Bobby. They all sit down to the kitchen table to eat and Walter says grace. Later that night Bobby and Marge sit on the porch together and Bobby tries to get her to confess about Oblivion. Marge tells Bobby not to worry about him as they are out of Oblivion’s reach. In this realm he can’t hurt them. She took care of Kali and she will take care of Oblivion also. Bobby who is so confused says he does not know whether he is still alive because he knows his father died in 1942. Bobby tells her that he thinks in his heart though that everything would be better if Marge would just go back to Oblivion. Just then Marge’s pretend family is behind her and they tell her that Bobby is right and that she should go back to Oblivion. Marge gets mad and tells them that if they want do as she says she will destroy them and fire comes from her hands and her family disappears into non existence. Marge then turns around to Bobby and tells him that she created them and this whole town from herself for him and for her, so they could be happy. She continues that if he would try to take her back to Oblivion she will make it all disappear, and then she does make it all go away.
Bobby then turns into his ice-form and tells her that she is just like her father. Which infuriates her and she tells him Oblivion is evil and she is not and if he does not like her she will make Iceman disappear to. Iceman, who at this point he thinks to himself, has had enough of Marge and Oblivion’s games. He tells her that if he has to he will stop her madness. Marge then grows taller and taller and tells Iceman “you DARE speak of power TO ME? To MIRAGE the daughter of Oblivion?!” Then Mirage tries to take Iceman out of existence but Iceman realizes since he is still flesh and blood Mirage can not do that and in the end his will beats her. Mirage shrinks to her normal size and she begs Iceman to help her because her power is trying to consume her. Yet suddenly, Mirage starts to think that it is Bobby’s fault that she is losing control of her powers and she threatens to kill Bobby. Iceman then creates an ice-tower underneath him to raise him high in the air to get away from her. Mirage destroys the tower-sending Iceman flying and while he falls he creates an ice-sphere around his body because he realizes she might not be able to unthink him, but she could kill him and not even Oblivion can bring Bobby back from death. Mirage destroys the sphere telling Iceman that he deserves the pain because he had given her hope of a life together and now he has taken it away. Iceman then thinks of his father and how if he can only get her to go to Oblivion then he might fix the damage done to the timeline and his father be alive again. Iceman shoots her with a wave of ice knocking her off her feet. Then he thinks one more strike should do it and he begs her to go freely to Oblivion. She then gets mad and summons a wave of fire and sends it at Iceman knocking him out. Mirage then comes to her senses; realizing she almost killed Bobby she drops to her knees screaming to Oblivion that it is all his fault and now it is time to test her power against her father and destroy him.
Oblivion then causes Mirage and Bobby to appear infront of him saying that her desire to come home allowed him to bring her back. Then he tells her that Oblivion will not be the one to pay but his run away daughter that will “pay the price”.
