History
The X-Factor, still living on the Ship parked in New York City, went about their daily lives while sporting new costumes. Meanwhile, Caliban was stalking Sabretooth, the only Marauder left to kill, in revenge for the Marauders massacre of the Morlocks. Sabretooth knew that Caliban had been following him, and they battled on top of a train, before Caliban drowned Sabretooth in the sewers, before being teleported back to Apocalypse's base. Apocalypse mused on how the Fifth Host of Celestials was due to arrive, and decided that he must invade Celestials Ship to learn what it had been monitoring, he needed a distraction for the X-Factor for that. Caliban learned that Apocalypse had the remains of the Master Mold got sent to Genosha to retrieve the remains of Cameron Hodge. Caliban located the head of the demon-powered, techno-transformed madman, and returned to Apocalypse, who offered Hodge a new chance at life.[1]
Archangel collected Timmy Jones, whom he had promised to fly to school. While talking to Charlotte Jones, he revealed that before he was transformed into a living weapon he had hoped to have a son like Timmy. Iceman and Opal Tanaka finished breakfast with Opal's parents, whom she forgave for not telling her sooner that they she was adopted. The Beast met with Thrish Tilby at Newark International Airport, as Trish has just returned from reporting in India, from where brought a young orphan girl Priya who needed an operation on her heart and whom Trish was planning to adopt.[1]
X-Factor, Christopher Summers, Opal Tanaka, Trish Tilby and her adoptive daughter all join Charlotte Jones in celebrating Timmy's birthday of her son. Nearby, Apocalypse send the combined Master Mold and Cameron Hodge on a rampage in Chinatown. X-Factor took their loved ones to safety, before engaging the behemoth in battle, unaware that Apocalypse and Caliban were breaking into Ship but learning that Cameron Hodge has been merged with the Master Mold and that Apocalypse was behind it. Ship resisted Apocalypse's entry, but Apocalypse manages to find what he was searching for - data on every mutant birth on the planet. X-Factor struggled against the Hodge-Master Mold before finally immobilizing him. X-Factor reunited with their loved ones, but then noticed one of the Celestials - Gammenon the Gatherer - standing over the Ship.[2]
Manhattan began to flood, but other heroes arrived to help the civilians while X-Factor made their way to Ship to find out what was going on. They found that Ship has been broken into by Apocalypse. Caliban battled X-Factor as Apocalypse spoke of the Celestials, Eternals and Deviants, before Marvel Girl and Cyclops managed to injure him. Apocalypse unleashed a gas on X-Factor, and stole baby Christopher Summers from them. Outside the Ship, another Celestial, Arishem the Judge had arrived.[3]
From his base under Himalayas, Apocalypse spied on X-Factor, who learned from Caliban that all of this had something to do with the fact that mutant couples had few children. X-Factor fought Caliban, before he revealed that Apocalypse left him coordinates for a location in Nebraska. Ship informed X-Factor that there were enough heroes in New York to deal with the Celestials, so they departed for the co-ordinates. En route, Caliban explained that Apocalypse believed that all viable children born of mutant liaison were the result of some external intervention, and posed questions about Jean Grey, Madelyne Pryor and Cyclops’s son. X-Factor arrived at the co-ordinates, finding a decommissioned nuclear silo. Inside, they found various clones of themselves and others and Mr. Sinister, their creator. With X-Factor and Sinister distracted, Apocalypse planned to learned the secrets of baby Christopher Summers. Various clones of the X-Men and othered attacked X-Factor, with Cyclops and Jean Grey determined to win the battle against Sinister and rescue their son.[4]
X-Factor and Caliban were still battling Sinister's clones when Apocalypse appeared, holding Cyclops' son. Archangel attacked his former master, but Apocalypse returned the baby to Cyclops, informing X-Factor that they had to take the baby to the Celestials, as he was the talisman that would preserve the Earth for another thousand years. Apocalypse teleported X-Factor back to the Ship, while he battled Sinister complex exploded. Back in Manhattan, Cyclops handed baby Christopher over to Arishem the Judge, who gave the "thumbs up" signal, and the Celestials seemingly departed for space. Apocalypse left a journal in the Ship's archive, which came online after the Celestials approved of Christopher. X-Factor began to watch the journal, learning that Apocalypse set up the Celestials to destroy Genosha. X-Factor contacted the Chief Magistrate and urged her to evacuate everyone off Genosha, but the Chief Magistrate was unconvinced. Marvel Girl ordered the Ship to hack into the Genoshan media and tell everyone to get off the island. At that moment, the Celestials appeared over Genosha, and Arishem gave the "thumbs down" signal, destroying the island. Ship managed to teleport as many as it could from the island, including Havok and Wolfsbane, before the Celestials departed. Acting as an arc, Ship hovered over the Genoshan water so that X-Factor could rescue the remaining surviving Genoshans.[5]Notes
- Prior to being given an official reality number, this universe was referred as Earth-TRN237 as a part of our Temporary Reality Numbers classification system.
Trivia
- This reality continues the story of X-Factor from the point where Louise Simonson had left the series in 1991 after X-Factor #64, the same way as with Earth-161 from X-Men Forever (Vol. 2).
See Also
- 5 appearance(s) of Earth-16524
- 95 image(s) of Earth-16524
- 72 characters that originate from Earth-16524
- 7 teams that originate from Earth-16524
- 2 organizations that originate from Earth-16524