Guatemala: An almost decomposed and frail looking being is strapped to an electric chair. The guards reflect on how she deserves the sentence, as a priest reads her her last rights. She is asked her last words, and her reply is she regrets she "...will not see the other mutant die." Shrieks and gunfire are heard and we see a "Jason-type" mask being placed over her face. When the room is visible again, we see the only person to have survived is the priest, who tells the Leper Queen that she has been summoned by the lord.

Mount Everest: A plane lands and two figures clad in Purifier robes claim that the oracle will be pleased. He's here, and it's time for Mr. Hodge to come home.

Washington D.C.: More Purifiers digging in front of an angel headstone, with the name CREED. They've "...found what's left of him", and are told to move him to the van.

In an undisclosed location, Matthew Risman waxes poetically how he met Reverend Stryker for the first time. He tells Eli that Stryker saved the life of his wife and daughter, thereby owing him everything. And because of that, he will see Stryker's plans carried out. When Eli counters Bastion may have other ideas, Risman states not at the cost of Stryker's dream. He then asks the third person in the room how he felt bringing Wolfsbane to the lord. "Righteous", is the response.

East of Missoula, Montana: Warpath has an internal monologue about the $#!^load of blood about to be spilled. A large group of Purifiers in military formation, with guns drawn, are seen in a hanger. Warpath mentions that because of their taking Wolfsbane, that his promise to Caliban before his death to make them pay, is now tripled. As we see Wolverine, X-23, and Warpath infiltrating the base, and Bastion readying his troops, Warpath is reflective that this X-force is a much different group than the team of kids turned into soldiers. Warpath has come to peace with what they've done. And as he opens the hanger door with his bare hands, the same ones he's going to kill Risman with, they are greeted with a large empty bay... save for the almost lifeless body of Wolfsbane!

Chicago: In an identical hangar bay, Bastion asks his newest arrival if the girl is dead. And in Montana, as Warpath lifts the lifeless body of Wolfsbane into his arms, and Risman answers that he did indeed kill the girl, Warpath yells to Wolverine and X-23 that she's still alive, but help is needed.

As they descend into their base, Bastion informs Eli Bard that he will not be joining them. Due to Eli not having any records, past, present, or future; Bastion does not trust him, and lifting him by the neck starts to choke him. Only at Risman's insistence, does Bastion release him and leave him to watch them walk away. As Risman promises Eli that he will get him out of this situation, they enter a room with several bodies laid out before them. As Pierce yells out and recognizes Bastion, Risman is taken aback by the Techno-organic creature being suspended by a machine / forcefield. And as Bastion puts his hands on the bio controls he first declares "we are technarchy", then rights himself and regains control. But as Eli looks on through the door, tenticles from the mindless offspring of Magus reach out and inject themselves into the bodies lying before them.

Colorado, Angel's Aerie: Warpath leaps from the moving jet and lands at Angel's feet. Warpath simply comforts a heroin overdosed Wolfsbane as Angel tries to find out what happened. Surmising that the Purifiers must have known that it wasn't a lethal dose, Wolverine tells Angel to find Josh Foley, a.k.a. Elixer.

Risman demands an explanation, and Bastion is all too giving with one. A "first stage... terrestrial solution" has been created to deal with mutants. And Risman is asked to take his place at the table where the future of humanity sits. In front of a horde of Purifiers, sitting from left to right, in their new technarchy form are:

Graydon Creed: Founder of the Friends of Humanity - mutants killed: 147
Donald Pierce: Leader of the Reavers - mutants killed: 348
Stephen Lang: Head of Project Armageddon - mutants killed: 29
Reverend William Stryker: Archbishop of the Purifiers - mutants killed: 414
The Leper Queen: Leader of the Sapien League - mutants killed: 221
Cameron Hodge: Founder of the Right - mutants killed: 178
Bolivar Trask: Inventor of the Sentinels - mutants killes: 16,521,618

This is the end of mutantkind!

Review: Holy $#!^ If you weren't hooked, you are now! I have to be honest. While I was reading this, my thought was, "here's the issue I thought #1 was going to be but wasn't - Slow, developing, learning their way." My initial review for this was going to be something along the lines of "when you set the bar so high, it's hard to continue moving up". But when you get to that last page, if you know anything about the X-Men at all, you are just blown away. But even if you don't, it's still an amazing scene! The horde of Purifiers raising their fists in the air in front of the counsel members. Truly erie.

They said Messiah Complex was a war, but it wasn't anything compared to this. Can you say... Nazi's?!? Wow. They've taken every major threat the X-Men have faced and combined them into one group. And then if that wasn't enough, they've made them all lifeless zombies by way of the Technarchy. (okay, I'm a little bias, since the Phalanx Covenant is the reason I started collecting comics in the first place but still.... I'm just sayin!)

I am now a full-on fan of the artwork, and it's still getting better. This is definitely a main stream comic, with a graphic novel feel to it. Though I can't say they've really solved the Wolverine problem as they never really show him out of costume, or from the front for that matter. So the jury's still out on that one. And I'm not thrilled with the way their drawing Angel. I can't put my finger on it, but he just seems off to me. Everything else is spot on. If you've seen the preview artwork at all, (it's in the back of the issue) I think you can assume that Wolfsbane is headed for a secondary mutation. Haven't decided how I feel about that yet. I'm reserving judgement for later.

Not much X-23 or Wolverine in this issue. It's definitely a "let's set up the bad guys" type issue.

The chapter overlaying continues, as does the writing. They change scenes verbally, without changing them in the panel. It's really amazing. Even without all the action of the first two, the layout makes it seem as though the pace is fast. So much for "no splash pages", oh well. Doesn't really hinder the flow. The ending makes any negatives you might have, TOTALLY worth it!

This issue was definitely the calm before the storm!