Chapter Summaries

Henry checked on the displaced Mutant children, then questioned Quicksilver about why the U.S. military had not pursued them. He suspected the military was focused on a larger plan involving Cerebro, while Quicksilver revealed that Ororo and the others were regrouping to rescue the children who had been captured.

• Henry advised the senior students to learn about each child's family and decide whether they could safely return home or should remain with the group.
• Henry met Quicksilver on the rooftop and asked why the organization that forced the children from the school had made no further move.
• Quicksilver ruled out an infiltrator among the children and suggested that the military might avoid drawing attention in a major city, but Henry warned that official agencies could suppress reporters.
• Henry proposed that the military's real objective might be larger than arresting the Mutant fugitives, and privately suspected it was seeking a Cerebro component to carry out a mass killing of Mutants.
• Quicksilver said he could not reach Professor X, but Ororo and the X-Men had found Kurt and planned to meet Wolverine before attempting a rescue; several children had fallen into military hands.
• Quicksilver admitted he would not join the rescue because he disliked fighting and coordination.

Henry tracked the U.S. military’s movements after its attack on Xavier’s School and learned that William Stryker’s operation had official military backing. He weighed when to target Stryker, concluding that he needed to act before the X-Men moved, while Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force remained a major danger.

• Henry went alone to his secret base and reviewed Sparrow Drone footage of the U.S. military’s attack on Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.
• The drones tracked William Stryker’s group through a New York military base and into Canada, while another group remained behind, showing that Stryker had used a regular military unit rather than his own loyal troops.
• Henry concluded that Stryker’s operation had approval from higher up the U.S. military chain of command, though he did not know whether President George Walker Bush had personally authorized it.
• Henry learned from Quicksilver that U.S. forces had taken several Mutant children and likely captured Professor X and Cyclops, making a clash between the X-Men and Stryker’s forces imminent.
• Henry considered exploiting that clash to kill Stryker, but feared Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force could overpower him or force him out of the Boar Mech.
• Henry decided his best chance was to act before the X-Men made their move.

Henry located William Stryker and Jason Stryker at Reservoir Base, where Professor X and Cyclops were also being held, and prepared to attack in his Boar Mech. Cassandra and the two Eternals followed after him, eager to watch the confrontation.

• Henry sent Sparrow Spy Drones into Reservoir Base and confirmed that William Stryker and Jason Stryker were both there.
• Henry spotted Professor X drugged in a room and Cyclops bound and unconscious on a hospital bed.
• Henry found Jason Stryker connected to instruments that injected drugs and extracted cerebrospinal fluid, and identified him as Mastermind.
• Henry left the drones exploring the base, ran diagnostics on the Boar Mech, and flew toward Reservoir Base to settle his personal grudge.
• Cassandra and the two Eternals climbed into their Mechas and followed Henry.

Boar surveyed the Weapon X base beneath Alkali Lake Dam and planned a quiet infiltration, then assigned the arriving Skyhawk, Bullhead, and Bonnie roles in cutting off the base and covering its entrances. The team prepared to isolate the base rather than charge in, while Boar remained unsure about the sudden change in how easily he could devise tactics.

• Boar used the Sparrow Drone's map to identify a low-risk route into the underground base and noticed that tactical plans came to him more intuitively than before.
• Skyhawk, Bullhead, and Bonnie arrived, each offering an implausible excuse for being there.
• Boar assigned Bonnie to a hill overlooking the staff entrance so she could snipe and conduct electronic warfare.
• Boar ordered Bullhead to cut the base's communications and block the spillway with his heavy weapons.
• Bullhead asked why he could not join the assault, explaining that he had brought large-caliber weapons but little ammunition.

Boar assigned the mechs their roles and explained the risks of exposing their technology as they prepared to assault the base. The team took position, and Boar revealed that his mech’s colors were Deathstroke’s.

• Boar convinced Bonnie and Bullhead to avoid firing near the dam, then tasked Skyhawk with accompanying him inside and gathering combat data.
• Boar explained that the assault could expose the mechs to the U.S. military and force him to discard his suit, while the others pointed out that similar mechs could still be linked to one another.
• Boar showed the team photographs of Mutants inside the base and warned them about unknown powers, including possible telepathy.
• Bullhead and Bonnie reached their positions while Boar and Skyhawk used Distortion Fields to approach the planned entrance.
• Cassandra asked why Boar’s mech was painted black and orange, and Boar replied that the colors belonged to Deathstroke.

The Boar Mech and Skyhawk Mecha infiltrated the reservoir dam after their allies disrupted outside communications, but the Boar was spotted as it approached the secret base. The Boar’s Distortion Field deflected the machine-gun fire, and Cassandra identified the distortion that had revealed it.

• Bonnie Mech jammed radio channels while Bullhead severed the reservoir’s external communication cables.
• The Boar Mech anesthetized the guard at the staff entrance, entered the dam with Skyhawk Mecha, and planted a relay to monitor internal wired communications.
• At the stairwell to the underground base, the Boar checked the guards’ positions and explained that a machine gun guarded the passage.
• The Boar descended while cloaked, and the defenders opened fire when they noticed the Distortion Field warping objects in the narrow passage.
• Cassandra reviewed the footage and concluded that the field’s distortion had exposed the Boar to the guards.

Boar infiltrated the underground base and fought his way past its soldiers while Skyhawk and the Eternals watched. With alarms raised and the soldiers’ positions changing, Boar continued searching for Stryker and his son.

• Boar dropped two guards with tranquilizer darts, then crippled or knocked out the remaining soldiers at the guard post as one raised the alarm.
• Boar reactivated the Distortion Field and continued deeper into the base, while Skyhawk followed along the ceiling and Gilgamesh and Thena watched the feed.
• The base’s alarms brought soldiers into the corridors, but Boar fought through them as Skyhawk and Boar’s electronic-warfare support blocked outside communications and monitored internal transmissions.
• The mech’s system used intercepted deployment orders to update its map, but the soldiers’ movements left Boar uncertain whether Stryker and his son had changed locations.
• Boar searched the underground corridors for his targets while the base remained cut off from external communications.

Boar Mech fought the Mutant squad sent by Colonel William Stryker while Stryker rushed to move Subject 143 and Professor X to the unfinished Cerebro chamber. Boar used Lady Deathstrike as a weapon to defeat the squad, leaving her badly dislocated but still alive.

• Base personnel reported the invaders to Colonel William Stryker, who sent Lady Deathstrike and a mind-controlled Mutant squad to kill them.
• Stryker ordered Subject 143 and Professor X taken to the unfinished Cerebro chamber and urged engineers to complete it sooner.
• Boar put away his kukri and evaded Lady Deathstrike's Adamantium claws with the Boar Mech's speed and mobility.
• Boar grabbed Lady Deathstrike by the ankle, smashed her into a plasma attack, and swung her at the other Mutants.
• Lady Deathstrike's claws wounded several Mutants as Boar continued using her as a flail, leaving her body severely dislocated and unable to recover.

The Boar Mech defeated William Stryker’s mutant squad, brutally incapacitating Lady Deathstrike and pinning her beneath debris before advancing through the dam’s base. After searching the facility, it could not find Mastermind or Professor X, leaving their whereabouts unknown.

• The Boar Mech used Lady Deathstrike as a weapon to defeat the mutant squad, then stomped her and pinned her to the ground with metal rods and heavy cabinets.
• The Skyhawk Mecha and Gilgamesh observed Lady Deathstrike regenerating, while Henry’s promise not to slaughter the soldiers remained technically intact despite one wounded soldier dying from blood loss and mishandling.
• The Boar Mech advanced deeper into the base, where the remaining U.S. military personnel had not fled and offered little resistance.
• The Boar Mech summoned two Sparrow Spy Drones to search the base but found neither Mastermind nor Professor X, prompting it to wonder whether they had escaped through a secret passage.

Boar found William Stryker, Jason Stryker, Professor X, and Mastermind inside the Cerebro hall, where Mastermind’s illusion had hidden them from view. After a flashbang broke the illusion and incapacitated everyone, Boar killed Mastermind and left the others helpless.

• Boar ruled out secret exits and suspected William Stryker and his son were hiding in the Cerebro hall.
• Boar cracked the old electronic lock and opened the massive door to Cerebro, where he spotted Jason Stryker and Professor X in wheelchairs among a crowd of people.
• Boar guessed that Mastermind’s telepathy was concealing the group from itself, while the mechs’ anti-telepathy equipment let Boar see them.
• Boar rolled a flashbang onto the skybridge, knocking down the crowd and dispelling Mastermind’s illusion.
• Boar approached Mastermind and crushed his prefrontal cortex, then tore out part of his brain and one eye.

Boar killed Mastermind and William Stryker, then tranquilized Professor X and prepared to loot the base. He explained that taking the research and supplies would also help obscure his identity and motives.

• Boar burned Mastermind’s remains with white phosphorus, then approached the crawling William Stryker as Professor X tried to stop him.
• Boar brutally tore out William Stryker’s organs and killed him, destroying his brain while leaving the body as evidence of his death.
• Boar tranquilized Professor X and left Cerebro’s chamber after confirming his helmet had partly resisted telepathy.
• Cassandra asked whether they were leaving, and Boar said they would loot the base to gather valuable supplies and misdirect anyone investigating them.

Boar raided Alkali Lake Base, preserving evidence of mutant experiments for Professor X while destroying only that day’s surveillance footage. He stole the vat of liquid True Adamantium and left the base with it, but Gilgamesh questioned how they would transport it safely.

• Boar copied the electronic mutant research files and photographed some paper records, leaving the evidence for Professor X while destroying surveillance footage that could reveal him or the Skyhawk Mecha.
• Boar entered Wolverine’s modification room and decided to take the vat of liquid True Adamantium rather than damage the equipment tied to Wolverine’s past.
• Boar modified the heating tank, connected it to a portable battery, and fitted it with a lid so the metal would stay hot and contained during transport.
• The Boar Mech carried the tank out through the flood channel, and the U.S. military did not attempt to stop him.
• Boar and the Skyhawk Mecha emerged from the dam and met Bullhead and Bonnie, while Gilgamesh asked how Boar planned to get the tank back safely.

Boar tested Dog Squad Saint Bernard, a mechanical support dog designed to carry cargo and retrieve disabled mechs while remaining operational during electronic warfare. After loading the True Adamantium tank onto its sled, he sent the overloaded prototype flying home and admitted he was worried it might not make it back safely.

• Boar introduced Dog Squad Saint Bernard, a mechanical support unit that had arrived towing a floating sled.
• Boar secured the True Adamantium heating tank to the sled and explained how the support system could transport cargo and retrieve disabled mechs.
• Boar explained that he designed the unit to operate independently under signal jamming, hacking, or EMP attacks, prioritizing reliability over advanced behavior.
• Boar completed the inspection and ordered Saint Bernard to return with the tank, but Thena questioned whether it could manage the load.
• Boar admitted the load exceeded the prototype's design because he had not accounted for Adamantium's weight.

The returning Mecha delivered the stolen vat of True Adamantium to Dog Squad Saint Bernard, while Mystique’s nighttime encounter with Wolverine led her to discover Jean Grey suffering from a nightmare. Mystique realized Jean knew nothing about the Phoenix Force and suspected Professor Charles had hidden part of Jean’s mind.

• The four Mecha returned to New York and entrusted the True Adamantium to Dog Squad Saint Bernard, which flew back alone under stealth protection.
• Boar Mech returned early so the person inside could leave the Mecha after taking revenge on the Strykers.
• Mystique entered Wolverine’s tent disguised as Jean Grey, but Wolverine recognized the deception and sent her away.
• Mystique found Jean Grey unconscious and sweating in a nightmare, then comforted her when she woke.
• Jean Grey did not recognize Mystique’s references to the Phoenix Force, so Mystique suspected Professor Charles had altered Jean’s mind.

The X-Men, Magneto, and Mystique reached the Alkali Lake Dam to rescue Professor X and the captured students, but Cyclops reported that William Stryker was already dead and the hostilities had stopped. The chapter ended with the group learning that an unknown intruder had killed Stryker and his son, Jason.

• Mystique brooded over her complicated history with Rogue and her decision to leave Magneto imprisoned for three years.
• Storm, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Magneto, and their allies flew to the Alkali Lake Dam after learning that William Stryker had captured Professor X and students there.
• Cyclops radioed the Blackbird and said he, Professor X, and the students were safe inside the base, which needed medical supplies for the wounded.
• Magneto questioned whether Cyclops's call was a trap, and Mystique asked to speak with Professor X.
• Professor X told Mystique that an unknown intruder had killed William Stryker and his son Jason, while the remaining soldiers had agreed to cease hostilities.

The X-Men and Magneto’s Brotherhood entered the dam base after Professor X asked Magneto to help rescue their people. Inside, Professor X gave Wolverine a file containing clues to his past, then said the people they needed to save were much like him.

• Mystique questioned Professor X about the armored attacker, and he admitted he could not read the person’s mind.
• Storm landed the X-Jet near the dam, and Professor X persuaded Magneto to help rescue the Mutants inside.
• The X-Men and Brotherhood entered the base, where they found bedraggled soldiers and learned that medical staff were treating the injured.
• Professor X sent Qin Grey and the students to help at the infirmary, then asked Wolverine to join him.
• Cyclops handed Wolverine a file detailing part of his past, including his service in the Vietnam War.
• Magneto demanded a reason for his help, and Professor X invited him and Wolverine to see the people they needed to rescue.

Cyclops brought Professor X and the others to the battle site, where they rescued the trapped Yuriko Oyama and discovered that she had been under the control of drugs developed by Colonel William Stryker. Professor X led Magneto and Scott away to investigate the drug and explain further.

• Cyclops escorted Professor X, Storm, and the Brotherhood of Mutants through the damaged base to the battle site, where they learned that three Mutants had died and six were badly wounded.
• Professor X asked Magneto to clear the metal wreckage trapping Yuriko Oyama, and Magneto removed the debris and the metal embedded in her body.
• Yuriko Oyama's wounds healed rapidly, and Storm gave her a jacket while Cyclops warned Professor X that she might be dangerous.
• Yuriko Oyama stopped Wolverine with her Adamantium claws and reminded him that they had unfinished business, while Mystique urged him to recover his forgotten memories.
• Professor X revealed that Colonel William Stryker had developed a mind-controlling drug for Mutants, and Magneto asked about its formula and an antidote.
• Professor X invited Magneto and Scott to accompany him elsewhere so he could explain more about the drug.

Professor X and Magneto examined the aftermath at Alkali Base and learned that Jason Stryker’s spinal fluid had been used in a control drug. Professor X argued for persuading the president that William Stryker had staged the attack, while Magneto rejected appealing to human authorities; the group then moved on to learn what else the invader had done.

• Professor X explained that Jason Stryker had been a powerful former student whose spinal fluid formed the core ingredient of the control drug.
• Professor X identified Jason’s ashes and William Stryker’s mutilated remains in the Cerebro chamber, and Magneto questioned how William had died.
• Professor X urged Magneto and the others to convince the president that William Stryker had staged Kurt’s assassination attempt, but Magneto argued that humans would never trust Mutants without being forced to respect their power.
• Magneto asked how many people the metal boar had killed, and Cyclops said most soldiers had been incapacitated by tranquilizer darts or wounded, while only two were killed on the spot.
• Professor X showed Magneto a tranquilizer dart that had struck him and said the invader had done more than kill the Strykers, then led the group onward.

Professor X and Magneto investigated the aftermath of the attack on Stryker’s base and uncovered a plot to assassinate the President and use Professor X to kill Mutants worldwide. Magneto recognized Henry Brown’s name on the assassination list and realized the attacker had targeted Stryker for a reason.

• Professor X showed the group the damaged tank room and explained that the intruder had stolen the Adamantium, unsettling Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike.
• Magneto questioned whether the attacker had wanted the Adamantium or the Strykers, and Professor X concluded that the Strykers had been the main target.
• Professor X explained that the intruder had left important files among the scattered records, prompting Magneto to wonder whether the attacker had been guiding them.
• Mystique drew a pistol on Professor X when Magneto questioned whether he was truly himself, and Professor X denied being disguised or controlled.
• Professor X gave Magneto a proposal outlining a plan to assassinate the President and use the military to target Mutants; Magneto learned that the real plan involved Cerebro and Professor X.
• Magneto read that Henry Brown was the first assassination candidate marked “Failed” and understood why Stryker had been killed.

Professor X and Magneto separated over their different plans for protecting Mutants, while Lady Deathstrike chose to join Magneto. Mystique confronted Professor X about Jean Grey’s sealed memories and learned that the Phoenix Force had caused dangerous episodes since around 1999.

• Professor X planned to give the president evidence that Mutants had been victims, while Magneto refused to join him and said they each had different duties.
• Magneto invited Lady Deathstrike to join him, and she accepted after he promised she could defend herself against his followers.
• Mystique grabbed Professor X by the tie and demanded to know what he had done to Qin’s mind, while Cyclops explained that Qin had agreed to have memories of the Phoenix Force sealed away.
• Professor X said Qin’s destructive Phoenix personality had emerged around 1999, sometimes affecting reality and harming people, and that hiding her memories had reduced the episodes.
• Magneto urged Mystique to leave and respect Qin’s choice, and she went with him as Professor X let them depart.