New Mutants Annual 4

Wolfman·Lim·Sinclair·Wright
THE HIGH EVOLUTIONARY—BLOOD DRAWN, BLOOD SPILT: 1931 Wyndham supervises the building of the Citadel of Science. Jonathan is concerned about the subterraneans (sub-human) workers and if Merriem knew about the strange things going on in the Citadel, she might take Jessica as far away as she can from there.

Outside the Citadel, Merriem is hanging laundry while Jessica is playing with her playmate Phillip (the Masters' Boy). As the children are playing in the mud making clayman, Jessica falls into the mud.

Soon, Merriem runs to Jonathan and tells him that Jessica is deathly ill. Wyndham thinks it's from radiation poisoning and ends up putting Jessica in a cryogenic unit to slow down the cell destruction. Wyndham thinks there is nothing else he can do. However, Jonathan thinks his spider serum he has been working on will counter the radiation poisoning. But after administering the serum, Jessica does not respond. Unfortunately the serum needs an incubation period and Wyndham suggests that his genetic accelerator might work. Meriem hysterically apposes that her daughter becomes a guinea pig.

Later that day, Jonathan and Merriem have an argument about how he never had enough time for her and Jessica. Merriem goes out for a walk. Six hours later Merriem isn't back and Jonathan and Wyndham goes out to look for her. After splitting up to cover more ground, Wyndham finds Merriem dead. Merriem has been mauled. And from distant Wyndam thinks he sees a beastl howling in the moonlight.

Just before sunrise, Jonathan meets up with Wyndham and he blames himself for Merriem's death. Wyndham does not mention about the mauling and the man-beast for he fears that Jonathan might blame the subterraneans workers. Wyndham also vows that he would find Merriem's killer and make him pay for the murder.