issue summaries

Uncanny X-Men 196 What Was That? Writer: Chris Claremont Penciler: John Romita, Jr Inker: Dan Green Colorist: Glynis Oliver Letterer: Tom Orzechowski Editor: Ann Nocenti Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter Date: August 1985

While teaching a psychology class at Columbia University, Professor Charles Xavier telepathically picks up a stray thought of a student in his lecture hall plotting to kill someone. But he can't scan the hundreds of students to see which one it was - since his powers have been weakened since he was mugged and nearly killed (see Uncanny X-Men 192).

Meanwhile, Storm has returned home to Africa to relax and reflect.

Back in New York City, Xavier has meet with the X-Men (Rogue, Shadowcat, Rachel, Wolverine, Colossus and Illyana) and Magneto at a deli restaurant to discuss the situation. Since he can't go to the police yet, the X-Men will need to find the potential murderers and protect the victim. But the X-Men are all distracted by Xavier continuing to trust Magneto, and a feeling that Xavier is hiding something from them.

Rachel notices a mysterious man coming into the deli, and realizes he's been following her. The man isn't familiar with the concept of food. Ray approaches him and asks him who he is. But he vanishes. Kitty asks what's she doing. Ray replies that something weird is going on, but not to tell the others because they will think she's going crazy. Kitty's afraid the presence Ray sensed was the Beyonder and he's followed them to New York.

Meanwhile, Kurt goes to speak to a priest at church on the Lower East Side because he's questioning his faith after meeting the Beyonder.

At Columbia University, some unknown people plant a bomb to kill a mutant.

Elsewhere, Rogue is flying, carrying Rachel, near the campus in the hopes that Rachel can pick up something. They discuss Magneto. Rachel remembers Magneto as the one who lead the X-Men after Professor Xavier's death in her timeline. But Rogue reminds her that those events haven't and may never happen. Ray interrupts getting a psiflash of a someone being attacked below. They land in an alley where a man is being attacked by a group of assailants. Rogue and Ray made quick work of his assailants, but discover that the man was being attacked since he spray painted “Nimrod #1 Muties Die” on the wall.

Ray tells Rogue that she's wrong about this world not be as horrific as her own, and that everything she endured is repeating itself. She blasts the graffitied wall to pieces and vows she won't let everyone she loves be slaughtered again.

The mysterious man from the deli watches on from the alley, mesmerized by Rachel's powers and her similarity to himself.

Elsewhere, Kitty and Wolverine are sitting on a library's steps. Kitty receives a report from Ray & Rogue that half of the list of students has now been covered, and they still haven't found the killer. They're running out of time. Kitty goes off on her own to check the next group of students on their list.

Kitty goes into the Physics Lab, interrupting a group of students working on a project. She tries to talk her way in, but they're suspicious. One of the students asks her if she attends Xavier's school. When she tells him it's common knowledge, he realizes she's a mutant. They surprise Kitty with mace and chloroform, preventing her from being able to phase, and intend to kill her and Xavier.

Meanwhile, Xavier, Magneto and Rachel enter Xavier's office at the university. Ray tells them about sensing the Beyonder's presence and the mysterious man she saw in the deli. As Xavier opens the door, Rachel senses the Beyonder inside and mindlinks all of them so they can see him. But the use of Rachel's powers triggers a booby trap that Xavier set, and it sends Rachel's psychic energy back at her, magnified 100 fold. It feels as if her blood has turned to acid. She lashes out violently, causing a huge explosion that sends Magneto and Xavier flying out of the building. Rogue catches them, and Wolverine goes up to investigate.

He finds no trace of a explosives and Ray laying on the floor crying. She picks up telepathically that Kitty is in danger, and in her hound outfit with her tattoos visible, she shouts that they're kill her, and flies off.

In the Physics lab, the anti-mutant students think the explosion means their bomb went off and killed Xavier. The leader, Phil, wants to kill Kitty as well.

Rachel blasts through a wall into the lab and demands they leave Kitty alone. The students are all knocked over. But Phil pulls out a gun and fires at Rachel as she's helping Kitty. Ray turns the bullet back on Phil, but it stops inches from his head.

Magneto is revealed, holding the bullet back as Rachel struggles to send it back on it's owner. He asks Rachel to desist. She argues that it's what they were going to do to them. Magneto replies that he once thought like her, but it cost him everything. He's now hated and feared, and his actions made it worse for the mutants he wanted to save.

Having read the would-be killers minds, Rachel sees no remorse in them. They were the ones that nearly beat Xavier to death and now were planning to finish him off. They don't see mutants as human.

Magneto argues that what Rachel is doing now justifies their hatred and fear of mutants.

She shouts back that humans were the ones that turned her into a hound, and made her hunt down and kill other mutants - including ones that she knew and even some that she loved. She didn't want any of the X-Men to know that, but these would-be murders caused her to revert into her Hound-self and she wants them to pay for that as well.

Magneto then urges Rachel to kill the anti-mutant student: to prove how superior she is and how she is no better than those that want to kill mutants, and to give those that hate mutants final victory.

The bullet drops to the floor. Rachel rearranges the molecules of her Hound outfit into her normal clothing, telling Magneto she will never forgive him for this. She's senses the police on their way, so they need to go. Even though Xavier wouldn't approve, she's erased all knowledge of the X-Men and Xavier from the anti-mutant students to help protect their indemnities. She loves them more than her own life and will do whatever it takes to protect them.

Magneto picks up Kitty and carries her out. Kitty asks him how he knew what to say to Rachel. Magneto notes how similar he is to Rachel, and Kitty thinks the Professor might be right about him after all.

The Beyonder watches on, pondering what he just saw.