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Shadowcat

Appearing in "The Singer & Her Song"

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  • Lila Cheney's Convertible

Synopsis for "The Singer & Her Song"

Story continued from last issue and Secret Wars II #1...

Following her encounter with the Beyonder, in which he unleashed her Dark-Chylde form, Magik has teleported herself and her comrades Cannonball, Dazzler, Shadowcat and Rachel Summers to Limbo[1]. In an out of control rage, she unleashes the full fury of her black magic powers on everything around her. Noticing that Illyana's Soul Sword has turned pitch-black, Shadowcat jumps her and tries to wrest it free. Upon grabbing it, it turns silver once more and Kitty is partially armored by it. She strikes Illyana with the sword and it's eldritch powers restore her back to normal. With everything back to normal, Kitty wonders if her connection to the sword has tainted her soul along with Illyana. She is angry that this is yet another thing that the Beyonder has done to her and vows to make him pay.

Teleporting back to Los Angeles in the closest location from their battle with the Beyonder, Cannonball tries to call the Avengers hotline to check on the fate of the battle the X-Men and Captain America had with the Beyonder but gets the runaround from the operator. When deciding what to do, they decide that it's best to try and find the location of their missing friends who are still prisoners of Alexander Flynn's mutant arena. Hotwiring one of Lila Cheney's cars, the quartet of mutants find a man who purchased a ticket to the arena and Rachel mind probes him to learn the location of the seller. As they speed off, they hope to eventually track down the location of the Gladiator Arena and rescue their friend Sunspot and Magma. Dazzler offers to infiltrate the Arena to locate their friends for them however Kitty declines the idea telling her that without any training it's too dangerous for her.

While back in the Arena, Sunspot fights against two warriors and easily wins yet another bout. Returning backstage, he deactivates his powers and Amara points out that he has been wounded. They are confronted by a hologram of Alexander Flynn who tells him that the wound is a badge of honor. When Sunspot mocks him, Flynn reminds them that he has children hostage that he will kill if they do not comply with him.

While outside, the other New Mutants and their allies have managed to find the location of the Arena. As they stake out the area they notice that Dazzler has slipped away and is heading toward the main gates. Kitty is unimpressed and as Rachel is contacting Dazzler telepathically, the Beyonder invisibly appears behind them. Rachel tries to get Dazzler to come back, however Dazzler -- still troubled when Lila Cheney called her a junkie -- is determined to go in and prove that she is not addicted to the arena. Before Rachel can stop her from going further Dazzler passes a psi-screen that blocks Rachel's ability to maintain contact. Cannonball is not happy that Dazzler has gone in, and asks Kitty to go after her, however, Kitty tells him that it was her choice. Rachel meanwhile detects some strange presence in their midst.

Inside the mansion, Dazzler is welcomed by her old Gladiator comrades Ivich and Max. She comes telling them that she couldn't stay away from her friends and her old life and they test her loyalty by making her drink a stronger version of the drug that they had forced her to take the first time she was in the Arena[2]. Monitoring from a private room the secret leader of the Gladiator Arena is happy to see that the Dazzler has returned to the arena and demands champagne to drink. However, with things going well this figure decides to prepare for possible disaster and puts in a call to General Nguyen Ngoc Coy in San Francisco.

Later, learning that the Arena is looking for technicians, Kitty disguises herself and calling herself "Cat" applies for a job. Max and Ivitch conduct the interview and test her by making her fix a walkie-talkie for them. As Kitty works on the device, Dazzler starts her first performance in the Arena since her return. Using her light powers and singing voice she manages to take out an entire arena full of warriors to powerful applause. Once more being adored and recognized Dazzler realizes that this is where she belongs, that she is home. She is unaware that she is being watched by the Beyonder who finds the who spectacle interest. As the battle concludes, Kitty turns back over the device and impressed by her work, Max hires her. Backstage, Dazzler revives Sunspot and Magma, who was knocked out by her light show. When she tells them that she has come with Cannonball and the others to save them, they want nothing to do with her, telling her that they saw her on that stage and she enjoyed what she was doing. Dazzler denies it, but deep down she wonders if they are right. Amara tells Dazzler that they can't escape so long as Flynn has children to threaten them with. This is overheard by Kitty, who used the opportunity to "repair" Max's communicator to slip a bug that allows her and the others to listen in. Informing Cannonball on what's going on, she decides that they are going to act during the next match and tells him the plan.

The next morning, the Gladiators go through a training session. During the staged battle, both Magma and Sunspot play rough with her spurring her anger. Dazzler, fed up with getting the third degree from the two New Mutants tells them that she is not going to help them anymore and only looks out for herself. This is overheard by the Arena's mysterious leader who finds this turn of events playing into their hands allowing them to bind.

While outside, Rachel is trying to make a connection to the presence she felt earlier while Cannonball and Magik wait for Kitty's signal. While inside, Kitty has checked and determined that Flynn is not holding prisoners hostage and uses her phasing powers to short circuit the electricity in the Arena. She then finds Roberto and Amara and tells them the truth and they all agree to work together to smash the Arena's operation. While outside, the Beyonder makes his presence known to Rachel and the others. Illyana immediately attempts to attack him with her Soul Sword, whoever Rachel pulls her back. Rachel decides that a better approach is to try to establish a psi-link with him in order to understand who they are. However in letting the Beyonder into her mind, his curiosity is overwhelming, and when Cannonball notices that Rachel cannot stand anymore he pulls her free, upon doing so the Beyonder vanishes once more.

While back inside, Kitty sends Sunspot and Magma off to the next battle telling them to wait for her signal while she goes off to find Dazzler. Finding Dazzler sleeping in her quarters, Kitty comes across her diary and finds an entry where Dazzler has come to terms with her addiction and realizes that she doesn't want fame at the cost of her soul. Proud of her, Kitty wakes Alison up and they try to get away when Dazzler suddenly unleashes her powers on Kitty. Before Shadowcat can do anything, she finds herself in the grips of the Arena's mysterious leader. When Kitty turns to see who it is, she is shocked by who the leader is and finds it impossible to believe.

Out in the Arena, Sunspot and Magma prepare for battle when Dazzler comes on stage signaling the main event. They are shocked when a giant creature comes out to battle them. As they prepare to fight, the mysterious leader of the Arena cackles madly from their secret screening room, as the giant warrior is really a robotic shell with Shadowcat hidden inside.

This story is continued next issue...

Secret Wars II continues in Captain America #308...

Secret Wars II
Secret Wars II #1 New Mutants #30 Captain America #308 Uncanny X-Men #196 Iron Man #197 Secret Wars II #2 Web of Spider-Man #6
Amazing Spider-Man #268 Fantastic Four #282 Secret Wars II #3 Daredevil #223 Incredible Hulk #312 Avengers #260 Secret Wars II #4
Dazzler #40 Alpha Flight #28 Rom #72 Avengers #261 Secret Wars II #5 Thing #30 Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #74
Fantastic Four #285 Secret Wars II #6 Cloak and Dagger (Vol. 2) #4 Power Pack #18 Micronauts (Vol. 2) #16 Thor #363 Power Man and Iron Fist #121
Secret Wars II #7 New Mutants #36 Amazing Spider-Man #273 Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #111 Uncanny X-Men #202 New Defenders #152 Secret Wars II #8
New Mutants #37 Amazing Spider-Man #274 Avengers #265 Uncanny X-Men #203 Fantastic Four #288 Secret Wars II #9 Avengers #266

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