X-Factor#19(1987)

Continued from last issue.... In the aftermath of Cameron Hodge's attempt to break X-Factor apart, Cyclops blames himself for going over the edge and almost killing Jean with his powers. Jean tries to explain to him that it was Cameron Hodge who is responsible, as she uses her powers to clear the area of rubble. When Leech comes up and his powers nullify hers, she is buried under debris, fortunately, however, not enough to cause serious harm. Leech is upset, but Jean tells the young Morlock that his powers are a blessing, before she sends him off with Rusty and Skids. Jean then continues her attempts to console Scott over his current bout of blaming himself for everything. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Manhattan, Iceman, Beast and Caliban are searching high and low for Boom Boom to see where they can find her. Their search for her and yet another discussion about the effects their X-Factor ruse is having on human/mutant relations causes Bobby's powers to flare out of control again, leading him to ice up an entire building with a giant advertisement for X-Factor. When the crowd below mocks him and calls him a menace, he tells them that if they don't like him to call X-Factor. When Hank questions the benefit of doing that, Iceman tells him that it will discredit X-Factor and hopefully at least do some good for mutants. Their activities however alert the police, who have a warrant out for them following their supposed attack on the city of San Francisco, causing Bobby to have to flee. Unknown to them, they are being watched by Apocalypse and three of his Horsemen: War, Pestilence and Famine, amused by the turn of events. War and Famine begin to bicker amongst themselves, prompting Apocalypse to order Pestilence to incapacitate them with an illness to force them into obedience and make them work as a team despite their differences. Apocalypse relishes their desire to see who is fittest, and orders the team to go out and attack X-Factor. He then goes to check on the progress of his newest agent, Death, who notes that Apocalypse has been manipulating their minds to his own ends, Apocalypse does not deny it and tells Death flat out that he intends to do the same with him. As Hank, Bobby and Caliban continue to flee the police, they soon see the coming of three of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse and realize that they're in for a heap of trouble. At X-Factor headquarters, Jean and Scott put Leech through a training session to control his powers. Suspending a bowl of candy with her telepathic powers, Jean attempts to get Leech to control his inhibitor field. When this fails, Jean encourages him to keep trying. Just then, Rusty and Skids burst into the room telling them about the fight happening between Beast, Iceman and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, prompting Scott and Jean to rush to their teammates aid. As Apocalypse checks on his new warriors wing growth, his other Horsemen chase Beast, Iceman and Caliban to Central Park where their battle explodes. When Cyclops and Marvel Girl arrive, they try to counter attack and find that somehow, the Horsemen are able to deflect their attacks. When a news camera happens by, War uses his powers to attack it, forcing Scott and Jean to break off their attack to save it. When Pestilence uses her powers against Beast, Cyclops orders Iceman to put an ice barrier between them and the Horsemen so that they can regroup. Despite their best efforts to stop the evil mutants, Cyclops realizes that they are too powerful and orders Iceman to freeze everything around them, despite Jean's warnings that they might not be able to free him after. Iceman covers the Horsemen in ice, however this is not a defeat, only an amusement for Apocalypse who teleports his minions away. With the battle over, X-Factor realizes that a crowd has gathered to see how they were saved by the "X-Terminators", and hope this helps to derail Cameron Hodge's PR campaign against mutants. With the battle over, Cyclops blasts through the dome and Jean telekinetically carries them away. Cyclops remarks that a complete neurotic wasn't the one who led X-Factor into battle, but a true student of Charles Xavier and observes that perhaps he is cut out for the job as team head.