issue summaries

X-Treme X-Men 45 Prisoner of Fire Part 6 Writer: Chris Claremont Penciler: Igor Kordey Inkers: Adams, Rapmund & Pepoy Colorist: Liquid! Letterer: Rus Wooton Assistant Editor: Stephanie Moore & Cory Sedlmeier Editor: Mike Marts Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada Date: June 2004

Continuing from the previous issue, Kitty comforts a crying Rachel after freeing her from her imprisonment.

Some time later, at Rogue’s beach house in Valle Soleada, California, Marie D’Ancanto (a former anti-mutant activist who has become friends with the X-Men) questions Evangeline Whedon (a lawyer/shapeshifter) if things are always this crazy.

But things get even crazier as Callisto (who’s arms have been transformed into tentacles by Masque) enters and grabs Marie. Storm follows Callisto, yelling at her for terrorizing Marie. Vange comes to defend Marie, causing a large ruckus.

Kitty phases through the wall, yelling at them for starting a fighting, since Rachel has finally fallen asleep.

Kitty notices Storm and they comment on each other’s new looks. Storm inquires about Rachel. Kitty explains that Rachel was Bogan’s pet telepath. Bogan kidnapped her months ago without anyone noticing.

(Note: Not explained in this issue is the fact that when Apocalypse was defeated, the Askani timeline ceased to exist. Rachel was swept to the end of time, where the Phoenix Force left her and she was taken prisoner by a tyrant called Gaunt. Cable eventually freed her, but she needed time away from everything to recover. She tried to live a normal life and attended college, occasionally helping her brother. Shortly after Cable 95, Rachel was abducted by Bogan. Only Cable was aware that Rachel was back.)

Storm and Kitty look in on Rachel, who’s asleep. Kitty continues that Rachel is tough and it seems like she had come through all of this okay.

Callisto’s tentacles continue to annoy people and Kitty accidentally wanders into Lila Cheney’s bizarre room only to be grabbed by Callisto, who wants Kitty to bring them all up to speed on what has happened.

Kitty explains that Sage brought her back to the X-Men as her wildcard, perhaps because Sage had already figured out that the telepath was Rachel. Storm comments that she always thought that Bogan’s telepath was Psylocke. Kitty replies that it couldn't have been, since Psylocke always had either telepathy or telekinesis, never both.

Marie asks if Bogan is finally gone and if they are safe now. Kitty tells her that the others are searching Bogan’s catacombs to make sure he is really gone.

In the catacombs, Sunspot, Bishop, and Magma search Bogan’s library while Gambit and Sage check his throne room. Sage is looking for something that is as deadly as Bogan himself, but won't tell Gambit what it is.

Bogan speaks through a mannequin wearing Roman armor and attacks the X-Men in the catacombs.

Rachel suddenly wakes up with the Phoenix symbol glowing over her eye. She yells at Bogan that she won't let him get her friends. She telekinetically grabs all of the X-Men in Rogue’s beach house and throw them into Lila’s room. Storm wonder if Rachel is still working for Bogan, but Kitty explains that it is an attack by Bogan, only Rachel is trying to protect them.

Rachel apologizes, but says there is no time for explanations. But Bogan can't reach them in there. Kitty asks her about the X-Men in the catacombs.

Bogan’s masks cover the faces of the X-Men in the catacombs and they experience a delusion. Magma faces Selene, Sunspot has become the Hellfire Club’s Lord Imperial, Rogue finds herself facing Vargas. Bishop is able to simply pull his mask off. Hallucinating, Sage shoots Gambit, but he able to snap her out of it since Bogan doesn't affect him. Rogue comes out of her hallucinating, telling Vargas that she is an X-Man and will remain one until the end. Sunspot crush his Hellfire Club scepter, freeing himself.

But Magma believes she is being burned by Selene and lashes out by erupting a volcano beneath the catacombs. Bishop blasts a whole up through the building above the catacombs, which allows them to escape.

They all get to the surface, but the X-Corps headquarter building, along with Bogan’s catacombs, is totally destroyed by lava.