X-Factor #14: The Mutant Program!

Master Mold tracks the presence of Cyclops to Anchorage. While fine tuning his scans to pin point Cyclops within a population of over 180,000, he comes to realise that every human on earth has the “x-factor” in some “unharnessed” form or another, thus he would have to categorise everyone as a mutant. This sends him on a mission to eradicate every human.

Guilt overwhelms Scott and he destroys his own house. He imagines his former mentor Xavier, reprimanding him for losing control and making a “mess” of his life. Scott is tired of fighting for Xavier’s cause at the expense of his wife and son.

The police arrive to investigate a reported explosion by the neighbour. They find Scott at the scene and arrest him. They find his visor, and in his wallet a photo of Jean, and another of Maddie. Scott tries to tell the confused officers that they are two different women who look identical. One of the officers has news of a redheaded woman found dead and wonders if she was the woman who Scott had reported missing earlier.

Back at the X-Factor complex, Rusty and Skids are practicing their powers to make popcorn. Boom Boom thinks highly of herself and shrugs off needing practice. Knowing Boom Boom has a crush on Bobby, Skids hints that Bobby’s going to train her that morning. Boom Boom quickly decides she’ll stay to train after all. But Bobby decided that morning to visit Warren with Jean. Hank steps in as Boom Boom’s trainer instead.






En route to the police station in Anchorage, Scott and the police are attacked by Master Mold. One of the officers is killed by a blast from Master Mold. Scott convinces the remaining police lieutenant to return his visor so he can fend off Master Mold.

At the hospital, a reporter named Trish Tilby barges into Warren’s room, demanding an interview about the fraud charges brought on against X-Factor. When Jean and Bobby finally get rid of the news crew, Warren’s condition takes a turn for the worse and he collapses.

Scott gains the trust of the lieutenant when he stops Master Mold and saves both their lives. The lieutenant takes Scott to the police station to confront his fears about Maddie.

With the court declaring Warren “incompetent”, and with no living relatives to consent to or reject the amputation procedure, the surgeons have taken the liberty to go ahead with the surgery to save Warren’s life.


Previous: X-Factor #13 | Next: X-Factor #15