issue summaries

Uncanny X-Men 185 Public Enemy Writer: Chris Claremont Penciler: John Romita, Jr Inker: Dan Green Colorist: Glynis Wein Letterer: Tom Orzechowski Editor: Ann Nocenti Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter Date: September 1984

At a meeting in the Pentagon, Henry Gyrich tells the assembled group that they plan on targeting Rogue with the power-neutralizer Forge had shown Val Cooper and Raven Darkholme in the previous issue. Gyrich wants to bring Rogue to justice for allegedly killing a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and believes she is still working for the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

Mystique barges into the meeting as Raven Darkholme, demanding that Gyrich give her Forge's gun. Val tries to argue with Raven, telling her that Rogue is a killer that needs to be stopped.

At the mansion, Storm interrupts a session Professor Xavier is having with Rachel to tell him that Rogue has left. Xavier excuses himself, and he and Ororo discuss the situation with Rogue. They're afraid her powers are driving her insane again, and use Cerebro to find her.

Meanwhile, Rachel is left alone in Xavier's study. She hears them talking about Rogue, but doesn't remember Rogue from her timeline. She wonders exactly what else is different in this timeline. On Xavier's desk, she finds an address book and an entry for Cyclops in Alaska. She surprised that he's there. She knows she shouldn't call, but she wants to just hear his voice and know that he's alive.

Rachel calls Scott's phone number, but doesn't say anything. Scott answers, and his wife, Madelyne, asks who it is. Scott assumes it's a crank call or a wrong number and hangs up.

Rachel begins sobbing, after hearing her father and who she presumes is her mother's voices.

In Washington, Mystique returns to the Brotherhood's base to tell Irene Adler (Destiny) about the situation with Rogue. But Irene as a precog, already knows. Irene and Mystique raised Rogue as their daughter, so they question whether she might be better off without her powers.

As Cooper and Gyrich's team heads out on their mission to hunt down Rogue, Mystique calls to Forge to tell him that their using his neutralizer without his permission. Forge goes to stop them from using his weapon until it's be proven to be safe and effective.

Rogue has returned to Caldecott County, Mississippi and is relaxing on the banks of the river when Storm finds her. Rogue tells Ororo about when her powers first manifested while kissing a boy. Even though she's been at Xaviers for months, she still isn't in any more in control of her abilities then she was then. Rogue recalls that Storm was the one that wanted to quit the X-Men if the Professor was letting Rogue join. They talk about Rogue absorbing Carol Danvers, and how Rogue can't trust anyone. Ororo takes off her glove and asks Rogue to absorb her powers. Rogue takes her hand and Ororo collapses.

After Rogue has some fun playing with the weather, she's found by Gyrich's troops and is hit. She leads them away from the unconscious Storm. Ororo awakes and they 're distracted saving a boat that's caught up in the storm that Rogue has caused. Forge arrives and tries to stop Gyrich from firing the neutralizer at Rogue. Instead, Forge causes Gyrich to hit Storm instead of Rogue. She drops from the sky and into the river. Forge swims out and pulls her to shore.