GeNext United #4

Issue Date: 
October 2009
Story Title: 
Family Reunions (Passage to India?) Part 4
Staff: 

Chris Claremont (writer), Jonboy Meyers (artist), Jim Charalampidis (colorist), Ed Dukeshire (letterer), Jordan D. White (editor), Mark Paniccia ( supervising editor), Joe Quesada (editor-in-chief), Dan Buckley (publisher), Alan Fine (Exec. Publisher)

Brief Description: 

While Beast, Skanda and Sati are Kalima’s prisoners and are being tortured by the evil goddess, her Ravarati search in vain for the members of GeNext. Thanks to Sati’s powers, the young heroes have been recast in the lives of young Indians with no memories of their past. Oli is a delivery boy who is accosted by two strangers – strangers who force him to remember his true identity, as they are his father, Gambit, and his sister, Ray. While Oli regains his memory and powers his form stays the same. He asks the two of them to find Kalima while he goes to find the rest of the team. He confronts them and they join him, one after the other. The only exception is No Name, who is starting to make a name for herself as a Bollywood dancer but ultimately she too comes. Finally, they find Megan, who is an Untouchable beggar girl and beat a Ravarati that found them. Now all together, they decide to go confront Kalima.

Full Summary: 

Kalima, the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, beat the Beast and the Indian heroes Sati and Skanda. To protect his teammates and himself, Oli Raven absorbed Sati’s powers and unconsciously used it turn GenNext into Indian youngsters with whole different lives. Having no idea what happened to her young foes, Kalima sends her demons, the Ravarati, to hunt them.

Oli has been recast as the life of Gadram Bhutra, a Mumbai youth who works as a bike deliverer.

Becka Munroe lives as a single young orphan woman in a village in the Nilgiri hills called Daria. As she loses a bag she’s been carrying, another young man Charin comes to her help. The two of them flirt and he asks her to come to the dance that night. Shyly, she agrees.

Pavel now works all day in a Delhi call center for a credit card company.

Whereas No-Name has been recast as a gifted and ambitious Bollywood dancer named Raina, who is just about to have a chance at a big break.

In the troubled region of Kashmir, Rico has been recast as Ramisad, Singh, a young train worker, who makes sure the trains work and dreams of being an engineer.

In Kolkata (Caluctta), Megan Frost-Summers now lives as a beggar girl, surviving by stealing.

Beast, in the meantime, has woken up in a kind of fort to find himself face to face with Kalima and her Ravarati. The goddess draws his soul out of him, turning it inot a kind of rodent that tries to run away. Without his soul, however, in charge he becomes a wild beast, attacking the Ravarati. But Kalima finds a way to stop him by putting his soul back where it belongs. He is returned to the prison where Skanda is waiting. They both hear Sati scream.

In Mumbai Gadram Bhutra (Oli) is almost finished with his day’s work when suddenly he notices he’s being followed by a hooded young woman. Feeling scared, he gets on his bike and decides to drive off. Instead, the girl drags him off the bike. It’s a young teenage Rogue lookalike in a bare midriff version of her costume. She tries to calm Gadram, telling him they mean no harm. Does he recognize the name Gambit? No reaction. He doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Oh mon pere, what were you thinking about, she sighs, sending her after the boy.

Gadram tries to run away and she flies after him, wondering if they have made a mistake. There is nothing in that boy that reads as her brother.

Amused, Gambit chides his daughter Ray. That boy just knocked her flat on her back. When’s the last time that happened? He tells her not to believe what she sees. Just follow his lead and trust her instincts.

He cuts of Gadram’s way and Ray does so from behind. Panicked, Gadram tries a doorway, finally confronting them. Who are they and what do they want from him? He’s looking for his boy, Gambit replies and he thinks he can help. He tosses a charged card at him. Gadram just reacts scared.

What are they supposed to do? Ray protests, just beat him to a pulp? Works for him, Gambit replies smiling. That’s not a joke, Ray protests.

Suddenly, Gadram knocks aside Gambit’s staff straight into Ray and hits Gambit. With a grin Gambit asks his daughter if she recognizes the moves. Addressing the boy as “son”, he tells him to stop this foOlishness.

Dad? Oli begins to recognize him. Welcome back, Olivier, Gambit replies. See? he asks his daughter. Catalyzing the powers restored his memory. Worked with Oli, should work with the others.

Happily, Oli finally remembers, but is then shocked to see that while his mind is back to normal; his body is still that of an Indian youth. How does this work? he wonders. Sati passed her power to him. He used it to get the team to “safety.” But that absorption was temporary. The powers must have reverted to Sati. He’s got to get it back from her to set things right. First step is to find the others.

Does he have any idea where to start? Ray asks. Actually, yes, comes the reply. He’ll use the Blackbird to get to them. Gambit suggests he better realign the security locks first. They won’t accept Oli they way he is now. Oli thanks him and asks for another fafor. While he gathers the team, could Gambit and Ray try to find Kalima’s base? He figures she’s using a human host. They should be able to track Sophie, maybe even Uncle Hank. Consider it done, Gambit promises. The three of them hug as Oli thanks them for comign to his rescue. Oli’s his son, Gambit reminds him. Was there ever any doubt?

What if anything has happened to this Sati person? Ray asks. Then what they see is who he is, Oli replies. So, say a few prayers and keep their fingers crossed, he suggests.

In Kashmir:

Ramisad tells Oli (now in his uniform) this area is off-limits. He’s looking for his friend, Rico, Oli addresses him. The next moment Rico recognizes him. Oli jokes shoveling coals built a whole new him. So not comfortable! comes the reply.

In the Nigiri hills, young Daria has dressed for her date. Oli apologizes for having to do this but it’s time for Becka to wake up from her dream. She recognizes the boys. She apologizes to Charin, telling him she doesn’t belong and her friends need her.

In Delhi, they recruit Pavel from his phone company.

In Bollywood, Raina the dancer is happy to have gotten a part with lines. Oli addresses her as No-Name but Raina refuses to listen. That’s not her life, he insists. Pavel tells her she cannot hide from who she is. Even if this is who she wants to be? she asks. She cries. Oli asks if they can leave her. Pavel hugs her. No, they can’t No-Name replies. Her memory is back. She won’t walk out on them or Pavel. Even for her dream to come true.

Later, the Blackbird approaches Kolkata. Is Oli sure about this? the others ask. For the daughter of Emma Frost, who would ever think of looking for her in a hothouse slum? He has a sense of her as he did for all of them, Oli explains. If they can draw her into the open…

Hold it, he announces. They’ve got trouble! A Ravarati nearby! Can’t they just kill it? Becka asks. Isn’t she bloodthirsty, No-Name jokes. Just being practical, Becka defends herself. They don’t want to give themselves away, Rico warns them. No-Name announces she has a solution. She’s gonna need Becka’s stuff and she needs Rico and his sitar.

Dressed up on the street, No-Name dances to Rico’s sitar playing. They gather a crowd. Whatever happened to the shy gal he used to know? Rico jokes. Right now, that girl doesn’t exist, she replies. Her place was given to someone who loves the spotlight. He didn’t know she could dance, Pavel marvels. New body, new talents, she replies, she loves every minute of it.

Oli, in the meantime, watches the crowd, figuring it will attract thieves. And he finds a pickpocket. He addresss her as Meg, reminding her he said he’d always find her. Happily, she hugs him.

While they embrace and kiss, a Ravarati recognizes them. Becka instantly fries him, then tumbles it into a building.

Later aboard the Blackbird, the kids are happy. The team is complete again with the bad guys none the wiser. What now? Rico asks. Simple, Oli replies, they find the bad guys, they defeat the bad guys. They save their fgiends and take back their true bodies. What could he have been thinking, Rico mocks.

How are they going to find them? No-Name asks. That’s what dads are for, to give a hand when things get rough. Looks like Gambit got them a serious lead. And they are just gonna save the day, just like that? No-Name asks doubtfully. They are heroes, Oli replies. They are Genext. This is what they do!

Characters Involved: 

Pavel Rasputin / Colossus III, Becka Munroe, Megan Frost, Anne-Marie / No-Name, Oli Raven, Rico (all GeNext)

Beast

Gambit

Rebecca “Ray” LeBeau

Sati, Skanda (Indian superheroes)

Kalima

Ravarati

Story Notes: 

Ray was named Rebecca in X-Men – the End. She is nicknamed “Ray” here to avoid confusion with Becka Munroe.

Charin or Sagid – what is the name of Becka’s would-be suitor?

Rico got the sitar from Sati’s uncle in issue #2.

Issue Information: 
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