issue summaries

Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix 1 Wish You Were Here Writer: Scott Lobdell Penciler: Gene Ha Inker: Al Vey Colorist: Kevin Somers Letterer: Richard Starkings / Comicraft Editor: Bob Harras Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco Date: May 1994

One moment Jean Grey Summers was standing on a beach in St. Barts (in the Caribbean), enjoying her honeymoon, the next she finds herself in a different body chained over an inferno and a pitched battle. She frees herself and spots a man she doesn't recognized hanging precariously that needs her help. After realizing her powers aren't working, she jumps over to him. As she grabs him, she realizes that it's Scott. He asks her what they are doing in here.

The narrative explains that everyone knew Apocalypse wouldn't tolerate a challenge to his despotic rule for ever. Apocalypse decided that this would be the day that the Askani Sisterhood came to an end with an assault on the Askani Cloisters.

Although neither Scott or Jean's powers are working, their psionic bond still does, so they are able to communicate telepathically.

As they enter the Cloisters, they find Apocalypse's prelate, Ch'vayre, standing over a bunch of dead bodies, ordering his troops to massacre anyone left inside to send a message to the human who have drawn strength from the Askani.

The troops scan for survivors, locate two "flatscans" (humans) and spot Jean and Scott hiding nearby. As they are about to be blasted, an old woman (Mother Askani) comes to their rescue. She calls Apocalypse a fool and tells his troops to leave if they want to live.

Apocalypse's troops are surprised that Mother Askani is still alive, since they heard she was killed in the first wave of the assault. She takes out a handful of her attackers.

Shocked, Jean tells Scott telepathically that their rescuer is Rachel. Telepathically, Rachel replies for them to be quiet and she will explain everything when they are safe.

While Mother Askani is distracted, Apocalypse's troops trap her in a psionic cocoon. Everything that has happened has severely weakened her and she can't escape. She telepathically tells Jean and Scott to stay out of it.

Ch'vayre advances on Mother Askani, saying for years the Askani have catered to the needs of humans, mutant and even androids, teaching them to accept the way the world is. He says now she and the Askani have become extinct.

Jean tells Scott to cover her. She comes up behind Ch'vayre and tells him that Rachel is under her protection. He chastises her for her allegiance to the Askani. Jean tries to hit Ch'vayre, but without any powers, all she can do is distract him.

Ch'vayre is surprised that a human would be willing to sacrifice herself for a mutant. Jean is shocked that the body she is in is human.

Ch'vayre punches Jean. Scott rams into him and is sent flying. He finds a gun and fires it at Ch'vayre. He apologizes for the sucker punch, but says Ch'vayre didn't go out of his way to be polite when he ambushed his daughter.

Ch'vayre questions how Mother Askani can be Scott’s daughter, then collapses.

Jean checks on Rachel, who tells them they must leave quickly. But Jean argues that Rachel is in no shape to move. Rachel weakly replies that many people risked everything to bring them 2000 years in the future, so they must make sure their sacrifice wasn't in vain.

Jean is shocked to learn how many years in the future they are. Rachel explains that she would have asked first, but since they are her parents, she assumed they wouldn't mind.

Rachel leads them to an exit. They drop down over a mile into a cavern, where rivers of blood from those slaughtered in the Cloisters above run down the walls.

Scott picks up Rachel and tells her to rest. She can explain everything later. Weakly, Rachel replies that there will be no later for her, nor for the rest of the world if they keep interrupting her.

Rachel explains that 2000 years in the future, Apocalypse is triumphant. She also tells them that the Phoenix Force left her nearly 80s years ago, but her residual Phoenix Force is still impressive.

Scott questions how Rachel got there. She explains that following Jean & Scott’s wedding, she learned that she was the key to saving her Excalibur teammate, Captain Britain, who was trapped in the time stream. Since she was so happy her parents finally got married, she joyfully exchanged places with him and ever regretted that decision.

She arrived nearly a hundred years ago, and found Apocalypse's Dark Age of Homo Superior, where murdering sects of mutants terrorizes humans.

Rachel formed the Clan Askani (which means Family of Outsiders, the closes thing she could come up with that sounded like X-Men) to try to stop him.

She thought she had found Apocalypse's weakness when she noticed that every few years, Apocalypse needed to take a new vessel, and was burning them out an increasing rate.

Apocalypse was looking for the perfect vessel, and discovered baby Nathan Christopher Summers. Rachel arranged for the Askani to grab the baby first. Rachel was able to halt the progress of baby Nathan's techno-organic virus, but not cure him. Since time was running out, the Askani created a clone of Nathan Christopher.

Mother Askani's hope was that an adult, cured Nathan and herself would have the power to overthrow Apocalypse. But now that can't happen

That's why Rachel sent for her parents. They are their last hope.

Rachel explains that their bodies were created by cloning the DNA of their descendents. She then replicates their powers the best that she can, since their own powers wouldn't have survived the time jump.

Scott asks where Nathan is. Mother Askani replies that he was taken away from the massacre by her friend to a safe house.

Jean says to Rachel that she must be in great pain and to let her help her. But Rachel declines the offer, saying her time on this plane of existence is growing near.

As she tells them to go quick, she yells out in pain and collapses.

Jean is surprised by her maternal feeling towards Rachel. As she hold Rachel's comatose body, she tells Scott that it has barely been a week since they reconciled. Now she is knee deep in blood holding her nearly dead body. She tells him it can't end like this. Scott promises her it won't.

Scott carries Rachel and they look out of an opening in the cavern onto a bizarre world that is unrecognizable as Earth.

They realize that all of their follow X-Men are gone. But some things haven't changed - their love for one and other and fighting for a world that fears them.

As they make their way out, Ch'vayre and his troops find them. After a long speech, Ch'vayre reveals that he has Nathan Christopher. He says they killed the Askani who was carrying the baby and purposes a trade - Mother Askani for the baby.

Scott tells Jean to take Rachel and find a way out, while he goes to save Nathan.

Jean telekinetically throws Scott at Ch'vayre, who is unaware that either of them are mutants or have powers. That gives Scott the element of surprise and he is able to grab Nathan, who immediately recognizes him as “Daa”.

Scott tells his son that his daddy is there and Jean telepathically reminds him to get moving.

Scott tells Jean to open the drainage pipes and flood the cavern. Jean replies that she knew that there was a reason she agreed to obey him.

As they are all swept down stream, Scott telepathically corrects her that she had the part where she agreed to obey him written out of their marriage vows. Jean replies that that was for an entirely different reason. Scott tells her to not "talk" about that in front of the kids.

They agree to meet down below and go off a huge waterfall.

Ch'vayre votes to find them - whoever they are.

Scott (with Nathan) pulls himself onto the bank. Jean swims up behind him with Rachel. Their psi-bond kept them tethered.

Scott pulls Jean and Rachel to shore and asks how Rachel is. Jean replies that, as far as she can tell, Rachel is in a coma and she can't detect any activity in her mind.

So, it’s going to be up to them to raise Nathan, overthrow Apocalypse and liberate the enslaved races.

Scott replies that if they can do all of that, they'll have had a fairly productive honeymoon.