X-Men: The Hidden Years #7: Power Play

The water level in the river bed rises rapidly as the storm pours down on Scott, Hank, Jean and Ororo and submerges them. After Deluge’s departure, Jean decides that her telekinetic powers are the only thing that can save them and quickly plans a course of action. Carefully, she lifts (the still unconscious) Scott’s head with her telekinesis and opens his eyes using her telepathy to control his “motor functions”, and uses his optic blast to destroy the rocks damming the river, causing the water to gush downstream.

After the “electric jolt” that Deluge gave Hank, causing his muscles to spasm, wore off, he used his strength to free himself of the ropes. He frees the others, and Jean uses her telekinesis to lift Scott out of the water and onto dry land. Meanwhile, the storm grows more violent. Ororo tells Hank that Deluge stole her powers to take revenge on the world who he believes has “wronged” him.

Bobby awakens in the shelter of a failed “German exploratory expedition” in the Savage Land as informed by his saviour. Bobby feels physically weak and unable to remember who or where he is.






Elsewhere in the Savage Land, Havok’s blast of concussive force has taken down the entire group of people and drawn their attention. An elderly woman steps forth and tells Havok, Magnetrix and Ka-Zar that some of the people have had heard of Ka-Zar, or Kevin Plunder as she had addressed him. They were enslaved by the Nhu-Ghari long before Ka-Zar came to the Savage Land, and most of them have lived for hundreds of years.

Back in Africa, Ororo explains that Deluge “draws energy directly from his surroundings”. He had taken control of what seems to be a mere few days of rain “to fill up the local reservoir” and turned it into a disastrous storm. Hank has a plan to stop Deluge.

Deluge offers insight into his unfortunate life. He was born an albino, and became the outcast of his village. Tired of being picked on, he wandered away from his village and stumbles upon an expedition site that had been set up to study their isolated village. The expedition team kept him for fear of him leaking their research and Deluge learned to speak their language. Secretly, he harboured hatred towards his own village for abandoning him, and the expedition team who had reduced his people to subjects for study. He was flown to the western world to treat his appendicitis months later. He met an African man who had grown up in a tribe like his, and he was the man who had initiated the study of Deluge’s village. His rage had peaked and he developed his mutant abilities. After he had developed control over his powers, he “harnessed” Ororo’s storm and planned revenge.






After Ororo, Hank, Scott and Jean had found Deluge, they quickly put their plan into order. Ororo faced Deluge head on to distract him while Hank and Jean lay Scott on the ground to prepare for their next course of action. Hank instructs Ororo to shape the water droplets in the clouds into a lens so it would focus “the proper wavelength of sunlight into Scott’s body”. After boosting Scott back to full power, Jean focused his optic blasts directly at Deluge. He was soon consumed by too much power and obliterated.

With the defeat of Deluge, Ororo thanks them and takes her leave. Scott finally regains consciousness. The trio make their way home and Scott is brought up to date on what had happened.

Meanwhile, onboard the vessel that holds Angel and Avia captive, one of the shipmates convinces the captain that he knows of a circus that would pay a “king’s ransom” for them. The two decide to keep their plan a secret and the money to themselves.

Back at the mansion, Hank, Scott and Jean find nobody home, and the power in the mansion out. They discover intruders, who turn out to be the Fantastic Four.


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