X-Men #18 [Into_the_Vault]////Recap/Review////Loading Spoilers.../

[Dante Milton]

- We open with the preview pages, with the team having just entered the Vault. Darwin determines that although the city before them is large, it is sparsely populated. Synch confirms. Laura gruffly reminds them to keep quiet. There seems to be some potential romantic interest in Laura from Synch. The team proceeds into the Vault, descending in an elevator.
- Data Page: When Synch was resurrected it seems it boosted his powers. There is some speculation by Cece that may be true for all rezzed mutants.
- Serafina is being scanned and debriefed by the central intelligence of the Vault (AI?). It determines that their primary mission of occupation and subjugation of the external world has failed. It sees that the threat level of baseline humans has increased but they are still described as the secondary threat compared to the primary threat of mutants. It decides that for their mission to succeed the Children and the City must be upgraded to level three.
- The Children, Serafina, Sangre, Perro, Aguja and Fuego, briefly talk about the process of upgrading before the central intelligence alerts them to the presence of the mutants and sends them out to protect the city.
- The away team is ambushed at the elevator by a fiery blast from Fuego. They manage to avoid it. Laura attacks and mortally wounds Serafina, Fuego attacks and burns Synch, and Sangre attempts to drown Darwin. Synch uses Laura’s healing factor, Darwin grows gills. Then Synch uses Fuego’s powers to dispatch Fuego, Sangre, and Perro. Aguja is the last one standing and begins to self-detonate while threatening the mutants, who attempt to flee. TBC.
- Data Page: Force protocols have been enacted for the away team, meaning the “kill no man” law has been suspended for them.

This was a quick read. Synch’s narration mentioned time a lot, but this issue was pretty much linear, so I guess next issue will jump around more? It was nice to see Synch get some love, but we still didn’t get to see his aura . The issue also says that Synch had previously only been able to mimic the powers of mutants and treated his being able to copy Fuego’s powers as an upgrade, but I could have sworn he has copied the power of a non mutant before. Not sure about the hint of a possible thing between Synch and Laura. I kind of wish Marte Gracia had colored the issue, not just because he would give us a proper aura for Synch, but also because Gho’s colors were overall kind of dull.