You know, Ororo, you really mustn't fight my psychic probes. The harder you resist, the more this will hurt. I don't want to hurt you, my dear. I want us to be... friends. 
Appearing in "Run for Your Life!"
Featured Characters:
- X-Men (Main story and recap)
- Cyclops (Scott Summers) (Main story and recap)
- Phoenix (Jean Grey) (Main story and recap)
- Storm (Ororo Munroe) (Main story and recap)
- Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) (Main story and recap)
- Wolverine (Logan) (Main story and recap)
- Colossus (Peter Rasputin) (Main story and recap)
- Professor X (Charles Xavier)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Hellfire Club (Main story and recap)
- White Queen (Emma Frost) (Apparent death)
- Jason Wyngarde
- Hellfire Knights
Other Characters:
- Carmen Pryde
- Terri Pryde
- Phoenix (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Mutants (Main story and recap)
- Humans
- Abstract Entities
- Cyborgs
Locations:
- Earth
- North America
- United States of America
- Illinois
- Chicago
- Frost International facility (Destroyed)
- Lake Michigan (First appearance)
- O'Hare Airport (Mentioned)
- Deerfield
- Chicago
- New York State (Mentioned)
- Illinois
- United States of America
- North America
Items:
- X-Uniforms (Main story and recap)
- Cyclops' Visor, ver. 2 (Main story and recap)
- Wolverine's Suit (Only in recap)
- Mutant Sedation Cages
- Ruby-Quartz Sunglasses
- M'kraan Crystal (Referenced)
Vehicles:
- X-Men skyship
Synopsis for "Run for Your Life!"
Continued from last issue.
Kitty Pryde is being chased through the streets of Chicago by minions of the Hellfire Club. Just when it seems they have her cornered, Phoenix intervenes and demolishes their car while Nightcrawler grabs Kitty and carries her up to the roof of a warehouse. Scott is upset at the force Phoenix exerted in taking out the Club’s minions, but she counters that she was herself was upset at just how much they terrified Kitty. Dazzler, meanwhile, cannot believe she is tagging along with a bunch of real superheroes.
Phoenix then spirits all three of them to the rooftop where Nightcrawler relates how Kitty used her phasing ability to elude her. Panicking, Kitty tries to hide from the X-Men until Jean approaches her and wins her trust.
In the Hellfire Club’s hovercraft (which has been commandeered by the X-Men), Cyclops tends to Kitty’s wounds and listens to her recount how the other X-Men were taken prisoner by the White Queen. Nightcrawler silently laments that Kitty seems afraid of him. Cyclops formulates a plan to rescue the captive X-Men and asks for Kitty and Dazzler’s assistance.
Soon enough, the car used to tail Kitty pulls up to the gates of Frost Industries’ Chicago branch and the Club soldiers sent out after Kitty appear to have captured the remaining X-Men (Cyclops, Phoenix and Nightcrawler) as well as Dazzler. It’s all a trick, however, as Jean is telepathically causing the guards to see what she wants them to see. The car is allowed entrance to the base’s grounds.
Observing this on a monitor, the White Queen is suspicious but not immediately alarmed. Confidant that if it is a trick, she can easily defeat the other X-Men, she resumes her painful telepathic interrogation of Storm.
Meanwhile, Kitty uses her phasing ability to once again sneak into the room where the other X-Men are held captive. With Storm gone, she manages to free Wolverine by phasing her hand through his cage’s lock. As she helps a still-groggy Wolverine out of his cage, she is waylaid by a guard who then orders Wolverine to get back in the cage. Instead, Wolverine pops his claws and advises the guard to say his prayers.
At the same time, the free X-Men drop the facade and go on the offensive. Cyclops blasts the roof off the car with an optic beam. Dazzler quickly springs up and uses her light-show powers to overwhelm the guards’ senses, leaving them in a catatonic state. A battle erupts between the X-Men and the Hellfire Club rank & file.
The White Queen is outraged and tells Storm that as payback for the X-Men’s attack, she intends to wipe her mind clean, leaving her drooling zombie. Before she can carry out this threat, however, Phoenix confronts her and challenges her to a one-on-one duel. Colossus (carrying a dazed Kitty) and Wolverine join the others as they fight their way out of the complex while Jean and White Queen are locked in a telepathic battle. Phoenix quickly overpowers her opponent. But Storm is nevertheless unnerved by Jean's show of power.
Outside, the other X-Men have dealt with the rest of the troops and are searching for Phoenix and Storm when suddenly the complex explodes. Cyclops momentarily fears the worst, but then Phoenix emerges with Storm in tow, both of them unharmed. The White Queen, according to Phoenix, was not so lucky.
Having witnessed the battle from the sidelines, the Professor commends his X-Men for a job well done. The next day outside of the Pryde residence, Charles offers Dazzler a place with the X-Men. She politely declines, telling him that she was born to be a singer not a superhero. After she departs, Scott wonders aloud if they can trust her with their secrets. Xavier assures him they can.
Kitty's frantic parents emerge from the house. Kitty's mother is in tears, relieved that her daughter has been returned home safe and sound, while Kitty's father demands answers from Xavier about what they’ve been doing with his daughter all night. But then they quite abruptly change their tone and invite them all inside to discuss the school. Professor X appears as baffled by the about-face as everyone else. Jean confesses to Scott that she used her telepathic powers to alter the Pryde’s thinking and make them agree to let Kitty study at Xavier's school. She assures him there’s no real harm being done.
Alone with Ororo, Scott expresses his fears that Jean is using her powers far too casually. Ororo concurs and confesses that she was terrified to see the Phoenix at full force in her battle with the White Queen. As they rejoin the others, Storm opines that something, or someone, is exerting an unnatural influence on Jean and that they must do something before the power of the Phoenix consumes her.
Notes
- Nightcrawler calls Kitty "Leibchen", which is German for "camisole, bibs". He should have said "Liebchen", which is German for "sweetheart".
- Phoenix claims that the White Queen did not survive their psychic combat, but that of course turns out to not be true.
- Storm references Phoenix's actions within the M'kraan Crystal from X-Men Vol 1 108.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- This is part of the first Hellfire Club storyline, and leads directly into the Dark Phoenix Saga. The plot covers the issues X-Men #129 through #138.
Links and References
- Official Marvel Index to the X-Men #7 - See for further referencing
- Official Marvel Index to the X-Men (Vol. 2) #3 - See for further referencing