The Scott and Jean Archives
After rescuing Cyclops and Alex, the X-Men cruise through the pyramid on their jet. Below, they spot tents pitched by an excavation crew. They descend to the pyramid floor.
The X-Men go in search of the crew while Beast restrains the Pharaoh. Alex is reacting badly to the revelation of the damage his powers can cause. Cyclops reassures his brother that they will help train him to control his powers.
Suddenly, a huge blast comes from inside the tomb. The X-Men barely have time to take cover and are thrown off their feet by the force. The guards rush out towards them. The X-Men are caught offguard and are taken down by the guards. The Pharaoh recaptures Alex and escapes in the X-Men’s jet. Angel tries to fly after the jet but he is not fast enough and they have started shooting at him in midair.
Meanwhile inside the pyramid, Cyclops discovers that Marvel Girl “took the full brunt of the first blast”. Luckily, she is not severely injured, but Cyclops is highly concerned about her well-being. Beast reassures him that Marvel Girl will be fine, and it is more important that they locate Angel who had gone missing.
Marvel Girl summons her telepathy to make contact with Angel. Angel had tracked the jet to “another temple--identical to the first” but miles away. Angel follows the Pharaoh inside where Alex is trapped inside a device meant to activate his powers. The Pharaoh was once an archaeologist. And ever since Alex’s powers developed, the Pharaoh found his powers waning. Thinking that Alex is stealing cosmic rays from him that fuels his powers, the Pharaoh intends to absorb all of Alex’s powers and kill him.
The X-Men arrive to find the Pharaoh has transformed into a more fearsome, monolithic being. The X-Men are having a hard time bringing down the Pharaoh. Meanwhile, Alex is still trapped inside the device, and trying to figure out how to help his friends defeat the Pharaoh. He tries to summon his powers again, recalling that it manifested during a stressful situation.
Suddenly, the giant Pharaoh shrinks back to his human size and the temple collapses over Alex. Alex emerges unscathed from the debris. But he now wields all of the Pharaoh’s power and he cannot control it.
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