Ultimate X-Men: Shock and Awe, Part 2
Issue: #60
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Pencils:
Inker: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors: Justin Ponsor

In El Paso, Texas, years ago, Yuriko Oyama is approached by a man calling himself Dr. Cornelius. He tells her that at one time he worked to turn dangerous mutants into national security defenders, but was eventually considered a criminal and sent to prison for his work. He offers to use what he’s learned to give Yuri, a human, a second chance to walk and fight again, if she agrees to help him deal with Ororo Munroe and other mutants.

In the present, Ororo and Logan confront Yuri on a road in Alberta, Canada. Yuri claims she’s there to kill Ororo for the murder of Colonel Wraith of Weapon X. Ororo denies killing Wraith; she had heard that Yuri was dead. Yuri replies that Yuriko was dead, and that she is now Deathstrike. She and Logan leap into battle against each other. Logan seems to get the upper hand, until Deathstrike pierces his chest with a finger. Dr. Cornelius has told her that Logan has one fragile bone left in his body, and that breaking it will shut down his nervous system. She reminds Ororo that Cornelius is the man who turned Henry McCoy into the furry blue version of the Beast. At the mention of McCoy’s name, Ororo calls down a bolt of lightning to strike a tree; it topples over on top of Deathstrike, freeing Logan.

In the meantime, Deathstrike’s backup arrives and opens fire on Logan and Ororo. Their mission is take Logan into custody. Ororo calls up a snowstorm to blind their helicopter, then sends Logan aloft with a strong wind. He cuts his way into the helicopter. When a soldier opens fire, the bullets destroy the rotors and the helicopter drops to the ground in a fiery explosion.

Before Ororo can go to help, Deathstrike’s long fingers close around her throat. To free herself, Ororo calls down lightning, even though she knows it will hit her as well. Logan, who survived the helicopter crash, finds her lying in the snow, breathing but weak. While looking at Deathstrike lying a short distance away, he promises to fix the situation.

Ororo wakes up at the Xavier school and finds Nightcrawler sitting at the foot of her bed. Logan walks into the room and asks Nightcrawler to step outside for a while. Logan evades Ororo’s questions about what happened to Yuri. He’s about to leave again, but she asks him to stay, saying that both of them are either running to or from their pasts. Maybe, she tells him, it’s time to stop running for a while.


Submitted By: Seldes Katne