Synopsis & Review by X-Mark. Thanks!
Synopsis: Five years from ‘now’, whenever that is: The Director lies on the ground, all slashed up Wolverine-style. He notes via caption that this was worse than the first time, more personal, and he might not survive this time.

Cut back 24 hours to see how this came about. The Director enters a holding room in the Weapon X facility, where he notes that the unseen prisoner has yet to eat their meal. The Director starts eating it as he explains the situation, noting that it’s not his fault that the person is imprisoned there, that the only person who knows why they were captured in the first place was Director Jackson, and he died in last issue’s explosion (although he’s notes that there wasn’t a body, which means he’s still alive, because bodies generally don’t disappear). However, he says that Jackson didn’t do things for no reason, so he can’t let the prisoner go until he finds out why they’re there in the first place. While looking at a picture of what looks like the Phoenix Force, Malcolm explains, “You’re not going anywhere.”

Outside, he finds the bots automating Sentinel production while Jeffries gets some much needed sleep. His robots are annoying, although they seem to be gaining a worrying level of independence. It also tells him they’ve found an intruder, who turns out to be Logan, who’s trying to free ‘that guest of yours in Room X.’ Anyway, Malcolm says Logan told him to reopen the death camps, not realizing that that was hallucination Logan, and tells the guards to let him go, at which point Wolverine mauls them all.

Six years from now: The Director has all the X-Men captured and wearing power inhibitors (although Colossus is still metallic – I’m pretty sure that isn’t right). The Sentinels distracted them while Mesmero and Sauron mind-controlled Professor X. Now Charles is pointing a gun at his own head, and the Director just wants to know where Wolverine is. Logan shows himself, despite the protests of the other X-Men, as Colcord explains that the attack had helped him regain some of his sanity and purpose. He threatens Shadowcat to get Logan to stand down, and then blows her brains out anyway, because he can. So much for sanity and purpose. Then the Sentinels start work on the helpless X-Men, killing pretty much all of them.

Just as the Director congratulates Mesmero, the Sentinels take out Mesmero too. As the Director starts to freak, they take out Wild Child. Sauron covers his hands with his eyes and reminds the Sentinels that he isn’t a mutant (although he is a cowering wimp. Weapon X really killed Sauron as a character, you know?) The Sentinels remind the Director that their orders are to kill all mutants, repeating ‘all mutants’ in a way that sounded like it had rather worrying significance. The Director tells Wolverine’s ‘corpse’ that he knows he’s still alive, and that he wants him to live with the knowledge that the X-Men died because of him.

Review: One of the biggest gripes I have with this LS so far is the way that nothing seems to be connected to anything else. I mean, the scenes are often split by a year or more, and gaping holes are being left in the plot in more ways than one. I mean, did Wolverine rescue whoever was in Room X (makes me have V for Vendetta flashback)? What happened to Chamber and Fantomex and Zero anyway? Hopefully it’ll be explained in the next issues, but it’s annoyingly disjointed.

As for the mysterious person in Room X, presumably someone to do with the Phoenix. Rachel, maybe? It would tie into the whole ‘Days of Future Now’ thing, I guess. It’s an odd mystery plot point to throw in, really. Also, I hated the art in this issue, almost as much as I hated the art in the last issue. Xavier in particular I could hardly bear to look at. Shadowcat wasn’t so bad, though.

The story itself was pretty good, with Malcolm’s unbalanced mental state finally catching up with him and then helping him get over it (although he’s survived way too many Wolverine beatings for my liking). Jackson’s definitely coming back, which is a shame, really. Killing him off was the only sensible thing to do with him at this stage. On with the next issue!

Post your comments below: