STORY: "Life and Consequences" (20 pages)  The X-Men visit Mr Sinister's base, hoping for leads on the Legacy Virus.  He isn't in, but his sidekick Threnody is inspired to destroy his collection of DNA samples.

What you need to know:
The X-Men actually do something proactive for once!  The base they go to visit is the old Nebraska orphanage where Scott grew up.

Gambit is still sulking about his relationship with Rogue.  He also reveals that he's now got weapons built into his staff - an idea which didn't really catch on and was quietly dropped.

Threnody is looking a lot more healthy these days.  Mr Sinister is employing her to track down Legacy Virus sufferers around the world, using her empathic powers and some hi-tech set-up she's hooked into.  She's persuaded to destroy his DNA samples, but she insists on sticking around so that she can undermine Sinister from within.

We establish that Sinister has been cloning the Marauders, and that's why several of them apparently came back from the dead.

Sinister isn't in because he's fighting Havok and Polaris in X-Factor vol 1 #105.  The idea of Threnody destroying his DNA samples went nowhere; Sinister just announced that he had a spare.

Comments:
When you stop to think about it, it's pretty amazing that the X-Men never thought of dropping by at the orphage before now - after all, it's been about five years since they found out it was a front for Sinister.  But then, the X-Men were never the most proactive team in the world.  Their favoured modus operandi is to sit around the Mansion and wait for something to happen, after all.

Anyway, this is a bit of a filler story.  I suppose the idea was to set up Threnody destroying the DNA samples and her role inside Sinister's operation, but since neither plot went anywhere, it just ends up as an inconsequential issue that adds nothing of note.  In the long run, perhaps the most important thing about this issue is that it explains why some of the Marauders come back from the dead - which, let's face it, isn't all that important.  And the X-Men never really achieve anything by visiting.  It's not a very satisfying issue.

FEATURE CHARACTERS
The Beast (next in Uncanny X-Men Annual #18, then in Cable #16-17, then in Uncanny X-Men #318, then in X-Men Annual vol 2 #3)
Gambit (next in Daredevil vol 1 #330, then in Cable #16, then in Uncanny X-Men #318, then in X-Men Annual vol 2 #3)
Psylocke (last in issue #32; next in Wolverine vol 2 #85, then in Cable #16, then in Excalibur Annual #2, then in Bishop vol 1 #4, then in issue #38)
Rogue (next in Cable #16, then in X-Factor vol 1 #108, then in issue #38)

SUPPORTING CHARACTER
Threnody (last in issue #27; next in Uncanny X-Men #325)

VILLAINS
A Riptide clone and a Sabretooth clone (first and only appearance for both)

Written: 31 October 2004

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