issue summaries

Uncanny X-Men 189 Two Girls Out to Have Fun Writer: Chris Claremont Penciler: John Romita, Jr Inker: Steve Leialoha Colorist: Glynis Wein Letterer: Tom Orzechowski Editor: Ann Nocenti Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter Date: January 1985

Rachel Summers and Amara Aquilla (the New Mutants' Magma) are out sightseeing in New York City. Magma is time-displaced in a way as well, since she grew up in a lost Roman city called Nova Roma.

Amara is amazed looking out from the Statue of Liberty onto Lower Manhattan. But all Rachel sees is the Manhattan of her future - including the World Trade Center in ruins. She remembers being taken aboard a Navy hydrofoil during her days as a Hound, where she a forced to hunt down three mutants - a women and two children, trying to flee in a raft. Rachel was the best at what she did, and eagerly pointed out where mutants where so the boat could open fire on them.

Rachel starts crying, thinking of all the mutants that died because of her. Amara asks her if something's wrong, but she brushes her off.

Meanwhile, the rest of the X-Men (Professor Xavier, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Illyana, Lockheed and Colossus) are all seeing Ororo off. (Kitty and Wolverine are still off in Japan). After loosing her powers, Ororo has decided to leave the X-Men and is heading back to Africa to rebuild her life.

Rachel & Amara have some time before meeting the others for dinner, so they decide to do some shopping and Rachel wants to show Amara an exhibit at the Met (the Metropolitan Museum of Art).

Elsewhere in New York, Jaime Rodriquez decides to get rid of the strange necklace he found, knowing it must be evil.

Rachel takes Amara to the Roman exhibit at the Met, which reminds Amara of her home.

Suddenly, Rachel recognizes certain thought patterns and races off, out of the museum. Amara follows, wondering what Rachel is doing. Rachel explains that she sensed Selene nearby. (Selene had previously tried to kill Rachel). Telepathically, she learns from Amara that Selene is from Nova Roma. Amara gets upset that Rachel invaded her thoughts. Amara wants revenge on Selene just as much as Rachel does, so they follow a car several blocks to a mansion. They sneak in through the servants' entrance and disguise themselves as maids.

The butler spots them, but thinks they work there and tells them come with him.

In the secret catacombs below the mansion, Friedrich von Roehm presents Selene to Sebastian Shaw as the Hellfire Club's new Black Queen. But Shaw tells her she needs to earn the title. Selene demonstrates her abilities to Shaw, nearly killing him. Selene leaves to get a gift for Shaw.

Rachel tries to stop from laughing as she carries a tea tray out of a room. Suddenly, she's ambushed by Selene. She thinks she got her with a psi-bolt, only to discover she blasted Amara instead. As Rachel kneels down to check on Amara, Selene grabs her and takes enough of her soul to control her.

She takes Rachel and Amara down to Shaw and presents them to him as gifts. Tessa (Sage, Shaw's assistant) notes Rachel's resemblance to Jean Grey.

Rachel won't allow herself to become a slave again. She still never severed the psi-link she formed with Amara at the museum, so she enters Amara's mind. Amara attacks her, and as she uses her powers, she is able to overcome the grip Selene has on her.

Amara causes an earthquake and the whole building nearly collapses. Rachel had no idea Amara would lash out like this, and innocent people could get hurt. So she telepathically calls Xavier for help. Selene attempts to crush both of the girls.

Nightcrawler teleports in, grabs Selene and teleports her out as Amara continues to rage at Selene Rogue and Colossus soon follow, along with Xavier in astral form.

Shaw tells Xavier that it wasn't his idea to abduct Xavier's "brats" (which Rachel takes offense at the term). Xavier replies that their fight isn't with the Hellfire Club, and allows Shaw and Tessa to leave.

Rachel and Amara are still dressed as maids and the rest of the X-Men are in uniforms, so they can't exactly go outside dressed like that. Rachel tries one of her mom's favorite stunts and telekinetically rearranges the molecules in their clothes to appropriate civilian clothing, but nearly passes out from the strain.

Rachel asks if the X-Men found them due to Rachel's telepathic mayday, but Xavier tells her that wasn't exactly the case. As they look around outside, they see that Amara caused quite a bit of destruction outside.

On his way home on the Subway, Jaime Rodriquez is stabbed and the necklace is stolen. But somehow it catches on fire in the thief's hands

Notes

This is the first issue that Rachel is shown as a Hound.