Gideon and Toad, the self-styled “Kings of Pain,” learned of Proteus’s existence and engaged in a contest to gather the Proteus energy for them selves. Their goal was to sop up the energy, then use it to create super-powered minions. Genetech and AIM were the pawns that provided the necessary hard ware and personnel. The sponge they chose for the energy was Piecemeal, a young mutant boy with energy-absorbing powers. His mother, an operative of AIM, was provided with the Harness battlesuit. The duo visited each of the various Proteus energy nexi. At each nexus, Piecemeal was forced by Harness to “eat” the energy, a painful process that soon left him hideously bloated and in constant agony.

Meanwhile, X-Force, the New Warriors, and the X-Men learned of aspects of the plan. They finally intercepted Piecemeal and Harness at the Edinburgh nexus where Proteus had died. Al though they defeated Harness, they failed to stop Piecemeal from absorbing the last of the Proteus energy. Piece meal’s psychological profile was close enough to that of Proteus to make the two a perfect match. The result was the rebirth of Proteus as a powerful gestalt being, combining the minds of both Benson and MacTaggert.

Proteus II possessed powerful reality- warping abilities, and soon converted much of Edinburgh into a geometrical abstraction, symbolic of the weird half- life as an energy being which the original Proteus-energy had experienced since its “death.” The heroes learned Proteus had found this peaceful, orderly existence far better than his painful and chaotic life, and was upset at having been reawakened. To prevent anyone bothering him again, he now intended to convert the entire world into such a state.

With Proteus II far too powerful to at tack, and too dangerous to allow to exist, the heroes reluctantly decided to manipulate him into ending his existence to spare the planet. Despite the opposition of Cable, they succeeded and Proteus II voluntarily willed himself out of existence, taking Piecemeal with him.

Harness was turned over the Scottish authorities, but AIM intended to secure her release for use in other schemes. Harness’s daughter—a seven-year old mutant of unknown capabilities—remains in AIM’s clutches.