Nice little issue to wrap things up.
We open with the preview pages, Kate and Forge discussing her issue with the gates. He's still trying to figure it out while Kate leaves, apologizing and saying she'll stop bugging him about it.
Emma is reminiscing through flashbacks of her accepting her role on Krakoa and Hellfire, recruiting Kate, watching the Cuckoos being resurrected, the Gala, the opening of the hospital in Madripoor. She feels a lot was asked of her including helping to run the government. Cut to the present and she's horseback riding with Lourdes, expressing that she feels she's not performing her tasks as well as she could as she feels spread too thin. We get some history on Lourdes and how she worked up the corporate ladder in finance in NYC.
Emma then asks if Lourdes would take her place at Hellfire Trading.
Bishop and Pyro are meeting with the Verendi kids, pretending to be arms dealers, Mr. Nobody and Mr. Blade. Apparently Verendi had a meeting with the real Nobody and Blade to purchase used SHIELD helicarriers. Bishop and Pyro arrived before the real arms dealers did and make the deal, getting Verendi to transfer 8 billion dollars in crypto to the mutants. The dumb kids don't realize they are not the real arms dealers, until the real arm dealers show up. Realizing they've been had, they all attack Bishop and Pyro. It's a fun scene and I like them as a duo. Kate shows up to assist them.
Data page, letter from the X Desk. Dolores has been tracking the helicarriers and the global arms race. She's just making observations of what's happening and is aware Hellfire just swindled billions from Verendi. (Did she tip off the mutants about this helicarrier deal so they could swoop in and intercept it? I dunno.)
She also talks about an invitation that went out from Feilong to visit his Martian outpost, and discusses how there are very powerful people on Earth that are not happy with the mutants taking Mars.
"We have no official desk tracking the threat that human supremacists may present, so for the time being, I'd like to put my tired eyes on anything on interest in that department."
Wilhelmina is in Madripoor trying to take money out of an ATM only to learn that Verendi cleared out her bank account as punishment for her leaving them. They also sent a Reaver assassin after her but Callisto saves her and kills the assassin. She's watching over Wilhelmina at the request of the Cuckoos. Wilhelmina helps Callisto toss the Reaver in the river and says she wishes she could change her face and disappear. Callisto says, "You know... I might just know a guy."
Cut to the hospital and Masque uses his powers to transform Wilhelmina. We don't see what she looks like as she walks out of the hospital.
Emma and Lourdes are meeting with Shaw, this being the first time he's seen Lourdes. Emma thinks they're about to tell him that Lourdes is taking Emma's seat but Lourdes says she wants Shaw's seat and he, wanting to make right by her, says yes and asks her to keep Shinobi onboard. She agrees. Lourdes is the new Black Queen of Hellfire.
Emma and Lourdes join the other marauders fighting Verendi and we learn that Pyro is leaving for a book tour. We also learn that Iceman is out and about exploring his powers (he's currently in Niffleheim fighting frost giants), and Christian tells Emma and Kate that once Iceman is done exploring, they're going to Ibiza together to take a long break, leaving the team. Kate asks Bishop if he'll be leaving the team too but he says, "Nah, this is too much fun."
Emma leaves to meet with the Cuckoos and tells them that she's ready to take them up on their offer to take her chair at Hellfire. The Cuckoos are now the White Queen of Hellfire. Emma is now free to focus on her role on the Quiet Council.
Data page of Shaw announcing his departure from Hellfire. He also sends a private message to Shinobi, basically telling him to take over Hellfire when he gets the chance. But he also sends a private message to Lourdes, warning her to watch out for Shinobi. LOL! He's a mess.
Final scene: We're at the Baxter Building in NYC. Reed is tinkering with stuff when Kate appears in his lab. I'll let the final page speak for itself.
End of this era's Marauders. Relaunch coming soon to a comic store near you.