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Pawns of the White Queen
White Queen’s Study
Emma Frost welcomes the new students in her full White Queen costume. She tells them that she cares about their health and well-being as much as Charles Xavier or Magneto ever did. She tells them that Magneto chose to push aside his pride in order to have Emma help them with their current situation. She tries to put them at ease by telling them she will do her best to be worthy of his trust. They clearly couldn’t care less. She dismisses them by telling them to go try on their new uniforms and meet the other Hellions in order to get better acclimated to the Massachusetts Academy.
After they leave she thinks to herself that they are way to well-behaved and devoid of the restless energy that used to characterize the New Mutants. She wonders what has happened to them to traumatize them this badly and hopes she will be up to the task of helping them get better. She hopes her efforts do not end in their and her destruction. Emma Frost believes that the benefit of adding the new children to the ranks of the Hellions far outweighs any risk to herself or to them.
Hellions Boys Locker Room
Cannonball and Cypher stride in dressed in their New Mutants uniforms. They are greeted by name by their former archenemy Thunderbird. He introduces himself as James Proudstar, leader of the team, and Jetstream just in case they don’t remember from the first meeting between the Hellions and New Mutants so very long ago. Cypher and Cannonball introduce themselves as well. James tells them he thinks Charles Xavier is a good man and expresses sympathy that he had to leave the school. Jetstream tells Cannonball that he is looking forward to a rematch between the two of them since they have similar powers. Cannonballs voice is devoid of all emotion when he replies that a rematch sounds like fun. Proudstar wonders if the White Queen has drugged them or manipulated them to cause them to be so unanimated. Then he thinks that she would not do something that would so easily point to her tampering. James wonders if they are sick, as they are not acting anything like their normal selves that he remembers. Jetstream inquires about Cypher’s gift of languages not being as flashy as his teammates powers and he does so in his native tongue, Arabic. Cypher replies in Arabic and says a weak, or strong, or quiet power did not save them. Proudstar asks “From what?” and is given the simple answer of “Death and life”.
Hellions Girls Locker Room
Empath picks this particular moment to make his presence known as he considers himself a ladies’ man. He is very interested in trying out his power on Amara, X’ian and Rahne. Imagine his surprise when his best lines are met with absolutely no emotional response whatsoever. He stares at them as they leave in utter astonishment. From as long as he has been able to utilize his power, he has never met anyone so emotionally numb that he could not get a reaction from them, with the exception of these girls.
 Illyana suddenly appears behind him, having just returned from Limbo. One look into Magik’s eyes sends him reeling backwards onto a changing table. Roulette and Catseye pick this moment to approach a warning their own team member for trespassing in the girls locker room. Catseye changes to violet tiger form and chases him past the door and into the hall. Roulette throws a bad luck energy Frisbee that causes him to slip on a wet floor that was dry moments before. Unfortunately, Empath falls directly in front of his headmistress, the White Queen. Emma puts her hands on her hips and asks Empath if he has a good explanation for this behavior.
 Catseye greets Rahne with a friendly hug telling her that she is glad they are finally friends and on the same team where they will be happy. Tarot agrees but checks her cards and notes silently to herself that they say something quiet different.
Training Hall, Massachusetts Academy
The team of Hellions is gathered, both original and former New Mutants, for a team photograph. They are all interspersed together in Hellion costume and posed before a photographer. The White Queen explains that this class photograph is proof that the New Mutants are no more, and they are all Hellions from this moment on.
Magneto’s Study, Charles Xavier’s Mansion
It has only been a week since the children departed and Magneto sits at his desk reading a letter he has just received from Emma Frost. Included is a copy of the photograph that the students have posed for. Magneto mourns Xavier’s dream, how bright it was, and how quickly it turned to ashes.
Danger Room
Dani Moonstar is dressed in her New Mutants costume looking at herself in a mirror. She has tried her power on others, but never intentionally turned it on herself as she plans to do in a moment. The emptiness of the Danger Room closes around her. She knows that she refused the transfer and is confused why the others accepted. Dani pulls her hearts desire from deep within herself. It is a danger room training session with all her former teammates present. Amara creates a lava wall and Sam smashes it as Roberto uses his power to smash the pieces before they can hurt anyone. Doug and Warlock are training together as a fantastic team. Illyana appears with a creature she has brought with her from Limbo. Karma’s challenge is to possess him despite how creepy she finds his mind. But it is Rahne in Wolfsbane form that attacks first knowing that her fangs will not even scratch the creature. However, Karma is not far being and succeeds in her challenge. Illyana returns the demon to Limbo with a fond farewell before further mischief can be done.
 Dani is in the control center with Magneto who is critizising the team’s performance. She can tell by his hidden smile that he is proud of them even though he tells her their performance is only satisfactory. Dani returns to reality and understands that this is her heart’s desire. This is a vision of the way things might have been if they had never encountered the Beyonder.
White Queen’s Study
Emma Frost is feeling exhilarated and exhausted at the same time. Rahne is lying on the couch waiting her turn for the help the White Queen has to offer. Emma marvels at the many experiences these children have endured for their age. Even though she experiences the events second hand she needs a full days rest to recuperate and be able to continue helping them. She finds that the defenses that Charles Xavier placed in their minds have been severely weakened due to the trauma of being killed and then resurrected. When she is finished with Rahne she thinks to herself that Rahne’s chaotic, elemental passion, loneliness, and pain, place her mind closer to the Hellfire Club that any of the other mutants. She psychically leaves Rahne with the command to be happy and whole when she awakes. Emma wakes her and Rahne gives her a huge smile and hug, as well as a thank you. Rahne is once again animated and her eyes shine with life. She asks if her friends are ok too? Emma tells her to go see for herself and notes that Rahne dos not react at all to the way Emma dresses where she would have before. Rahne opens the door to another room to find her friends smiling and happy. The new Hellions promise the White Queen that they will not let her down, especially after what she has done for them.
Magneto’s Study
Dani opens the door and storms in, commenting that the study is now a pigsty. Magneto asks her to knock next time and not comment on the condition of the room. She tells Magneto that she has decided to return to Colorado, to her parents’ home. Magneto says he is sorry to hear that. Dani tells Magneto that since the school is closed she has no place and no reason to stay and that she will never join the others in their transfer. Magneto tries to convince her that he did what he thought best for the kids. She tells him that in reality he quit when they needed him most. He says that her view is not true. She tells him that if she could get through it, then they all could have if he had just tried a little harder to reach them. After all, Professor Xavier would have found a way no matter the circumstances. He apologizes for his weakness and his failure.
 Dani tells him of a time when all the New Mutants were prisoners of the White Queen except for Illyana and herself. They were accidentally transported into the future and saw the New Mutants and Hellions working together. Dani swears that neither of the girls told anyone about this incident so no one knew. Now, Magneto has helped that future come to pass. Dani runs from his study upset and in tears.
 Magneto asks her forgiveness for his weakness as he dashes an empty bottle of liquor against the far wall of the study. The bottle shatters into a million pieces as it hits the wall just below Charles Xavier’s picture.
Mansion Foyer
Dani is on her way out when Stevie opens the front door and steps in from the cold outside. Stevie greets her with a hug and asks if she is really going. Dani says yes and asks Stevie to look after Magneto because he is in such a state about everything. Stevie tells her that Magneto is not the only one who is going through emotional turmoil regarding the closure of the school and the students leaving. Stevie asks if Dani just intends to leave her friends to their fate and Dani says that she doing just that, no matter what anyone may think of her for doing so. She tells Stevie that if she fights the White Queen and loses, then she will be a pawn as she was for the Beyonder. Dani has made up her mind that she would rather die than go through that ever again. As they are talking they walk outside toward Brightwind who is packed and ready to go. Dani also tells Stevie that she has left messages for the X-Men everywhere she could think of as they are the senior team and they will know what to do. Dani tells Stevie that she feels she must go home before it is too late for her. Before she can leave, Warlock stops by and tells both her and Stevie that he has scanned the entire estate for signs of Sharon and Tom, but is unable to locate them anywhere. Dani gives Warlock a goodbye hug and says she hopes that nothing is wrong. Then she mounts Brightwind and heads for her parents’ ranch in Colorado. As Dani leaves the ground, she realizes that she feels bad about leaving, but she must go home to find herself, as she does not know who she is anymore: Valkyrie, Cheyenne, or ordinary girl. Dani knows this a necessary journey that she can only make for herself.
Massachusetts Academy, Wolfsbane and Catseye’s room
 Rahne screams “no” so loud in her sleep that she wakes herself and finds herself already transitioning into wolf form. Catseye also wakes and moves quickly to comfort her roommate only to be attacked and thrown across the room by Rahne. Rahne finally wakes from the nightmare and sees what she has done to her new friend. She leaves her bed to go to her friend’s side and make certain Catseye is ok. Catseye tells Rahne that she is fine and that she never gets mad, only even. The girls are beginning to recover when the boys come in led by Cannonball and Jetstream blasting through the window. They are relieved to find that it was just a nightmare and none of the girls have been harmed.
 Catseye convinces Rahne to transform to wolf form as she shifts to tiger so they can go play outside and work off the adrenaline rush in their own unique way.
 Empath tells Cannonball that the White Queen will not be very pleased about the broken window. Cannonball gives him a smart reply even though he realizes Empath is right. Sam thinks quietly to himself that at least he wasn’t the only one to have the nightmare. He wonders silently if they were the only two. He asks Thunderbird if someone shouldn’t follow the girls in case they run into trouble and then he realizes that Illyana is missing from the informal gathering.
 Illyana appears at the mention of her name but she is dressed as the Sorceress from Limbo. Sam thinks that she looks like she is shifting more to the dark side of her soul regardless of Emma’s help. He updates Illyana on Rahne’s nightmare and mentions that he has noticed she is spending more and more time in Limbo. She tells Sam that she likes her pets and she has not had any bad dreams. Then she tells them that she has found a solution to the problem, give up sleeping.
White Queen’s Study
The White Queen is sitting in a chair sipping a glass of wine while psychically spying on her charges. She is upset when she finds Magik’s mind closed to her as it always is. Emma is beginning to realize that something is seriously wrong and she does not have any idea how to deal with it.
Outside on Xavier’s Mansion Grounds
Two dark figures sneak stealthily through the night toward the mansion.
Inside Xavier’s Mansion
Magneto finds himself unable to sleep and settles for a quick swim in the indoor swimming pool. After he has worked off a lot of nervous energy, he leaves the pool for a hot shower to wash off the chlorine and hopefully relax in order to get some sleep. On his way to the shower, he thinks he has heard a door open somewhere in the mansion. He stops to listen to the silence for a few minutes and hears nothing further so he continues toward his objective. Through the fogged over shower door he sees a figure emerge into the bathroom. Magneto knows that clothes don’t make the man so he opens the shower door and orders the intruders to stand where they are. After all, he is still the master of magnetism and more than capable of defending himself.
 He stops short, dripping water all over the floor, when he realizes that before him stand Tom and Sharon. Only, their clothes are literally ripped to shreds, what’s left of it seems to be some kind of fetish wear and Sharon’s skin is like ice, as if she has been frozen. They look exhausted, as if they have been walking for miles and even appear to have lost weight. Tom hands Sharon to Magneto with a request for help as he slips into unconsciousness and finds the floor. Magneto observes that they seem to be locked into the tattered clothes as if they are some sort of costumes and they are someone’s slaves.
Later in the Infirmary
Stevie tends an unconscious Tom as a now dressed Magneto converses with a conscious Sharon. She tells him that their disappearance was not their idea. She fills him in on their meeting with Empath on the mansion grounds while he was conversing with Doug Ramsey’s parents in his study. Sharon tells him that she and Tom have always cared for each other, but that feeling was magnified to a monstrous stage and overtook their conscious minds. They were addicted to this craving to the point where death would have been a relief but neither wanted to give Empath the final victory.
 Magneto suddenly screams “EMPATH” and throws his hands in the air. Stevie asks him who Empath is. He tells Stevie that Empath is the Hellion that can manipulate emotions. Such as Tom, Sharon’s, the New Mutants, and worst of all, his own. Magneto runs to the Danger Room and Stevie follows. Once there, Magneto utilizes his power to build Stevie a picture of Empath and his mentor, the White Queen. He is angry and destroys the images more violently than he created them. He vows that he will be a rat in noone’s maze. He vows to teach the White Queen the full power of the Master of Magnetism.
White Queen’s Study
From far away at the Massachusetts Academy, Emma Frost is able to detect Magneto’s anger at having been emotionally manipulated. She realizes that the coming confrontation will be a severe test of her new students’ loyalty. A test she is not sure they are up to facing. She also knows that if she summons help from her Hellfire Club channels it will cost her a loss of status. Emma does the only thing left to her. She calls the Snow Valley sheriffs department, as Headmistress of the Massachusetts Academy, and reports that she has confirmation that the international terrorist, Magneto, is planning to kidnap a number of her students. She tells the sheriff she has no idea why such a thing has been planned, but she is scared and request lawful protection for her students


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Avengers Assemble
Avengers’ Mansion
An emergency alarm summons the Avengers in the middle of the cold winter night. They all rush to the control room to view the call not bothering to change from sleeping clothes to normal clothes because their computer is programmed to generate facsimiles of each of them in costume for everyone. Wasp is the first to reach the control room followed by the others. The call is from Sheriff Beatty calling from Massachusetts state police headquarters. The Sheriff tells the Avengers about a small town in his jurisdiction called Snow Valley. Emma Frost, headmistress of the Massachusetts Academy has called informing him that Magneto was going to kidnap some of her students. Emma states she does not know why but since Magneto is a mutie and international terrorist the threat must be taken seriously. The Sheriff believes Magneto is out of the police department’s league so he has phoned the Avengers for help.
Wasp says she knows of the Academy and almost attended it herself, as it is one of the most prestigious schools in Massachusetts. She also knows that Emma is regarded as a fine businesswoman, as beautiful as she is cold as ice. Wasp tells the Sheriff that the Avengers will be glad to handle this job and thanks him for calling.
 The Knight says that he did not believe that Magneto had reformed and Captain America adds he expected something like this to happen even though he hoped things would be different. Hercules compliments Captain America’s attitude but says that some people cannot change no matter the circumstances. Captain America tells Hercules that some people can, and kidnapping has never been Magneto’s style; unless the children are mutants and he is interested in establishing a new Brotherhood. Captain America theorizes that children would be much easier to control than adults in that case.
The Avengers go to hydrobase, where their quinjets are stored. Captain Marvel and the Submariner meet them there. The two new arrivals are quickly brought up to date. Captain Marvel is puzzled by the sudden turn of events as Magneto fought by the Avengers’ side as a Hero in their battle against the Beyonder. Namor states that he still regards Magneto as the most treacherous villain on the planet no matter whose side he was on when they battled the Beyonder.
The Massachusetts Academy
As the day dawns, the Academy looks every bit the private, prestigious school Wasp talked about. Beneath that tranquil surface is another school, which only the students who are mutants know about. Emma Frost, herself a mutant, and known as the infamous telepath White Queen of the Hellfire Club, recruits special mutant pupils to the Academy to train as Hellions. Such as the former New Mutants who have been transferred to the Academy to continue their studies in both academics and the use of their mutant abilities.
The Training Hall
Magma creates hoops of lava while Jetstream and Cannonball streak through them as fast as possible. Jetstream challenges Cannonball to an agility competition. Cannonball agrees but he is also the first to crash into a lava hoop. Fortunately, Sam is invulnerable when blasting and so is unhurt for the most part. Jetstream steps toward Magma to claim his prize – a kiss -  and she asks him if he minds taking her, as she is, red hot to match the lava she controls.
The White Queen makes her presence known telepathically by asking the students what they are doing in the training hall so early in the day. She tells them that she is happy with their initiative but wishes they would conserve their energy for when it is necessary. Cannonball tells her that he was feeling edgy and wanted to work off some nervous energy. He apologizes if they broke the rules. The White Queen then asks Magma if she also feels the same way.  Magma admits she does but believes this is part of adjusting to new surroundings, new friends, and new lives. Jetstream tells Emma that none of the new arrivals have been sleeping well and he thinks something is really wrong. Magma protests that they had no wish to bother the Queen with such trivial things. The White Queen uses a mind probe, despite Magmas objection that it hurts. She explains that this is the most efficient way for her to learn what is happening to them. The White Queen quickly learns in an intimate way all of the experiences the new youngsters have ever had. She worries to herself that they are disturbed and this is affecting their physical well being, but she does not know the cause of the problem. Telepathically she tells them to return to their dormitories and to have no more unsupervised sessions in the training hall. She further orders them to inform her of any illness or problem no matter how trivial. The three Hellions head off to their separate destinations.
White Queen’s Study
The White Queen mulls over the children’s present predicament in her mind. She knew when they arrived that they were suffering from psychic shock from their battle with the Beyonder. It was a simple matter to modify those memories so the children would be able to be an asset to the Hellfire Club. On the surface, this seemed to work but the children are still not completely healed. She worries what she will do if their condition deteriorates.
South of Snow Valley
Dawn finds Warlock flying in the shape of a black bird crossed with a plane, with Magneto aboard.  Warlock tells Magneto that he has located the former New Mutants and hope his attempt to mimic the Blackbird is good enough to get them all safely home.  Magneto thanks Warlock and tells him his performance so far is considerably better than his own has been in this situation. Warlock asks Magneto if they will have to fight their former friends in order to get them back. Magneto replies that he hopes not. He does realize the former New Mutants have spent a considerable time with the White Queen. He also realizes that with her abilities she could have done anything to their minds. Magneto thinks to himself that whatever has happened to them, it is his responsibility as he was the one to transfer them to the Massachusetts Academy. Warlock tells his teacher that he looks forward to fighting the White Queen and draining her life glow. Magneto tells him sternly that this will not be allowed. Warlock questions his teacher on this point. From Warlock’s point of view, this is the fate that she justly deserves. Magneto agrees that though she might well deserve this, it is not for them to decide. He further tells Warlock that their objective is to get their friends back with the least amount of violence. He also gives Warlock a stern reminder that a being’s life-glow is never to be absorbed under any circumstances. Warlock questions his teacher further only to be told that there is never to be an exception to this rule.
South of Snow Valley, the Avengers approach. The Black Knight tells Hercules that the Quinjet’s scanner show Magneto to be in that weird plane that they can see. He states that Magneto must be getting careless, as their approach has gone unnoticed so far. The Black Knight uses his atomic power steed to transport Hercules within striking distance while maintaining the element of surprise.
Hercules tells the Knight that as a son of Zeus, he is more than capable of carrying out this job. Hercules swings his hammer-like weapon and brings it down full force onto Warlock. The jet screams, to the astonishment of both of them. As the Knight maneuvers his atomic steed to catch his crime-fighting partner, Wasp tells him that she is glad he has not forgotten the last part of that maneuver. The Knight tells her that her worries are unfounded. He also asks his teammates if any of them have ever seen a machine come apart to resemble a huge ball of yarn draped across a mountaintop. Wasp tells Captain America, who is aboard the Quinjet, that it appears that Magneto has escaped. Captain America tells his airborne teammate not to worry, as they will commence a ground search immediately.
Magneto uses his magnetic powers to bring himself down to the crash site safely while calling his student’s name. He thinks to himself that he saw a quinjet, which means the Avengers are near. He thinks that isn’t a coincidence, but they are searching for him. He regards the Avengers to be the least of his concerns, however, as Warlock is far more important. Warlock weakly calls to his mentor and states that massive systems discoporation has occurred. Magneto tells him to be brave and soon he will be well again. He realizes that if he floods Warlock with too much power, then he will permanently damage the mnemonic pathways and too little will do no good.
However, at this precise moment, the Black Knight and Hercules spot Magneto from the air and make their presence known. Magneto realizes that he must draw the Avengers away from the injured student in order to protect him. Magneto boldly asks the reason for such an unprovoked attack. Hercules lands on solid ground in front of Magneto and states that he is under arrest. Magneto assesses the situation and comes to the conclusion that the three Avengers (Black Knight, Hercules, and Wasp) he can see pose no serious threat so the others must be close. Of the three, he regards Hercules as the most threatening.
Hercules tells Magneto to yield of suffer the consequences. Magneto simply says no and with a wave of his hand knocks the Black Knight and his atomic steed from the sky while wishing them a happy landing. Magneto transports himself to where they have landed, and tells the Black Knight that the atomic metal steed will make a fine weapon for the Master of Magnetism. He manipulates the atomic steed behind Hercules and smashes the metal machine into the son of Zeus. The Wasp approaches and begins to sting Magneto about the head. Magneto tells the Wasp that he was prepared for her attack.
 Suddenly Namor appears and tells Magneto the Wasp was supposed to distract him long enough for this; Namor finishes by giving Magneto a solid punch that sends him flying. As Magneto is recovering, Captain America’s shield knocks his legs out from under him. Magneto is barely conscious from Namor’s blow, so it is relatively easy for Hercules to grab him in a bear hug. Hercules tells Magneto that even the Titans could not break his grip.
 Magneto realizes he cannot afford any more mistakes so he does not struggle but takes advantage of the situation to rest and regain strength. Magneto asks the Avengers why they have attacked him, as he has done nothing.  Hercules tells him that his words only fall upon deaf ears. A full size Wasp approaches and informs Magneto that they are aware of his plan to attack the Massachusetts Academy and steal helpless children. Now the light dawns on Magneto and he is able to see the White Queen’s hand in this situation. Magneto gives her credit for stopping him without compromising the Hellfire Club or the identities of the Hellions. He also realizes that based on his past, the Avengers were more than willing to believe the worst of him. A full explanation will reveal the identity of the New Mutants and he cannot risk compromising that without being believed.
 Magneto tells the Avengers that he has no intention of kidnapping anyone and that his reasons for being here are personal. He offers his pledge of word that he will harm no one. Namor immediately voices his disbelief in such a pledge from such a man. Magneto states that he is a changed man, the Avengers accept this of Namor, then why not him? Captain America reminds Magneto that in world war II, Namor helped fight against the tyranny of the Nazis so do they do have a reason to believe him. This comment angers Magneto, which enables him to strike out successfully against Hercules while telling Captain America that he was victim of that regime and he will never let anyone be a victim ever again.
 The Black Knight asks how as Magneto flees into the sky and Hercules lies on the ground, stunned. Captain America theorizes that the cape must be laced with metal fibers to enable his mutant power to magnify and work in conjunction with his normal strength. Captain Marvel takes off after Magneto as Hercules vows to get even with the villain. Magneto causes a brilliant light from a magnetic burst to blind Captain Marvel, the Black Knight uses his sword to slice a tree in half, the tree appears to hit Magneto as it falls to the ground. Hercules goes to the downed tree but is mystified at seeing no Magneto pinned underneath it. Wasp, full size, takes to the air and tells her teammates to begin searching the forest. Captain America calls the Black Knight aside and asks him to search Magneto’s craft because he has a hunch that the situation is not as it seems. Captain America finds it odd that Magneto has bothered to talk to them at all. The Black Knight says that Magneto is a fugitive no matter how much he has changed recently. Therefore, it is the Avengers’ job to arrest him based on that alone. The Black Knight alerts Captain America to Magneto’s presence behind him, Cap turns and tosses his shield. Magneto realizes that the shield is not affected by his powers and barely dodges it. In moving, he alerts Hercules to his position.  Magneto positions himself for a fall over a cliff (knowing his powers will cushion his fall), and despite his desire to strike at the Avengers full force, he manages to restrain himself. He tells himself that such an action would be the ultimate betrayal of his own faith in himself. Magneto does not believe he is that weak morally, and chooses to utilize the iron ore in the rock around him to restrain Hercules in a cocoon of rock and hurl the Avenger toward the Ocean. Magneto knows that Hercules will not be harmed and an Avenger will follow to make sure no innocent civilians are injured even though they are far from a populated area.
Massachusetts Academy, Dining Hall
The former New Mutants are in the middle of breakfast and finally beginning to settle in. At Xavier’s they were the only students and here they are seven students out of around 1,000. They are busy speaking of normal subjects, tests, papers, and movies when Amara suddenly falls silent. Sam asks her if she is ok. She tells Sam that she thinks she just felt someone manipulate the earth’s magnetic force nearby and the resonance fells like Magneto. Illyana wants to know what her old teacher would be doing at the Academy. Empath states that they may have to fight him and Rahne says that there is no way she could do that. Sam tries to calm Rahne down by reminding her that it was Magneto who sent them there for their own good. Illyana asks Amara to point her in the right direction so she can go through Limbo to check things out and settle the matter.
The Forest, close to the Massachusetts Academy
She arrives still dressed in the Massachusetts Academy uniform to find
Warlock injured and sees the Black Knight in the distance. She calls to him and demands to know what he is doing there. The Black Knight tells her he is an Avenger and is after a dangerous criminal. He tells her to leave.
 Magneto picks this moment to attack while the Black Knight is distracted while backing up the Avengers words and not giving away his knowledge of who the young lady is. Magneto’s concern for an innocent bystander causes Captain America to remember how he fought to protect his world court judges from evil mutants when he was tried in Paris. Magneto also fought with the heroes against the being known as the Beyonder. Captain America catches the Black Knight and gives him a soft lading on the ground. The Captain notices that Magneto is going out of his way to avoid seriously harming them while taking damage himself. He throws his shield, hoping Magneto will dodge into its return path. Magik calls to Captain America telling him to leave their teacher alone, giving away the secret, as Magneto shouts don’t.  Magic dodges the shield and says she must go because her friends are waiting. As she disappears back into Limbo Captain America realizes that she is no ordinary little girl.
Massachusetts Academy, Dining Hall
Illyana tells her friends that Amara was right. The Avengers are ganging up on Magneto. Doug can’t believe what he is hearing, after all the Avenges are heroes. Amara tells Doug that she thinks the Avengers think he is still a villain. Illyana tells them that can do whatever they want, but she is going back to help Magneto out of this mess. Empath asks the former New Mutants if this is how they plan to repay the White Queen’s kindness for getting them better, by abandoning her? They tell Empath he is not being fair in his assessment of them. Sam states that they do owe her a lot, but Magneto was their teacher and he did the best he could for them, so they cannot abandon him either. Empath reminds them that the White Queen will be very angry but the former New Mutants follow Illyana from the dining hall anyway. Illyana leads them out of sight of the main body of students so they can teleport to Magneto’s side.
The Forest, close to the Massachusetts Academy
Magneto is struggling to reach Warlock and carry his student to safety. He realizes that Hercules may have broken a few ribs with the bear hug as it hurts to breathe. The Wasp lifts Magneto off the ground from behind. Magneto is surprised to see her flying at near human size. She takes Magneto into the air where Namor is waiting with a punch that sends Magneto once again to the ground. Only this time, the ground happens to be a lake where the cold temperatures will sap his strength and Namor will feel right at home. Namor follows Magneto into the water still punching on the Master of Magnetism. When Namor hauls Magneto onto the shore of the lake, the Black Knight says that they were down a long time. Namor reminds the Avengers he has given his word to abide by their rules and that means not letting Magneto drown. So the Black Knight asks what they are going to do with Magneto now. Wasp replies they will turn him over to the Federal Authorities. Warlock is barely conscious, but everyone is near enough to for him to hear they are taking Magneto away. Warlock decides to save his teacher, and his former friends, by saving magneto himself. The Avengers are shocked that Magneto’s craft is alive enough to attack them. Magneto tells Warlock to release the Avengers at once but gets no response. Fearing that Warlock will drain their energy before realizing what is happening, Magneto hits the youngster full force with his own mutant power. Magneto then tells the Avengers that they have business with him and not his companion. The Avengers remind Magneto that the companion nearly killed them all just now. Magneto tells the Avengers that his companion was just protecting someone he cares for. He asks the Avengers for a moment to restore Warlock and then says they can do whatever they please with him. Captain America asks Magneto directly why he did not finish them as victory was within his reach. Magneto simply tells him that he has learned a better way.
Suddenly the former New Mutants appear dressed in their Hellions costumes. Magma refers to the Avengers as villains, and Cannonball states that if Magneto goes with them, then no one will be hurt. Captain America thinks he recognizes the girl that vanished but Magneto forbids the kids from taking any action. Captain America realizes that Magneto is turning down a rescue attempt in order to protect the children. Magik approaches them and tells Magneto that he gets no choice, she tells the Avengers that he is one of the good guys and she vanishes with Magneto, Warlock and the rest of her teammates. The Avengers stand in shock and watch as the group vanishes on energy disks.
Wasp commands them to the quinjet to find Magneto on the scanners. She believes that he has established a baby brotherhood of evil mutants.  Captain America says it may look that way, but reminds his teammates how often they have accepted former criminals who have changed their lives for good. He tells them it would be a shame to miss such a moment based on past antagonisms.
Massachusetts Academy
Illyana transports them back only to find a stern faced Emma Frost waiting for all of them. Emma takes them all to Stormhaven Inn, neutral ground. The two teachers spend the remaining days working together in order to discover exactly what is wrong with the students. The White Queen’s attempt at psychic surgery had made their minds whole, but they still had the emotional trauma affecting their hearts and souls. With help from the two teachers, each must face their own nightmares and conquer them.
 During this process Illyana reflects on how much Magneto really does care for them. She thinks that he really did what he thought was best when he transferred them to the Academy. Rahne sits on his lap, being held in his arms and crying that she wants to go home. He tells her that she will and thinks silently to herself that she will recover the rest of the way better with the support of her own family at her side. Rahne wipes her tears away, smiles and thanks him.
 Magneto tells the White Queen that he thinks their prognosis is positive after all the grief catharsis the children have been through. He states that she could reach them on a deeper level than he could and asks her why she chose to work with him at all on this. The White Queen gives him two answers: she has no use for damage goods, or she simply wants what is best for the children. She tells him to choose the reply he likes best.
Sam approaches the two teachers interrupting their discussion. Sam tells her that they are all very thankful for what she has done for them, but they all feel they belong at Xaviers if Magneto is reopening the school. The White Queen tells Sam that she respects the kids’ decision and won’t oppose it. She reminds the New Mutants that she and the Hellions are now rivals, never enemies. She also tells them there is a place in her house if they ever need a place to go to. After leaving the inn, Emma walks through the snow and laughs softly to herself over the predicament Magneto is now in. Emma believes that Magneto will now have a harder time than ever convincing the children that she is evil.


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Way of the Warrior
Roughly 1800 miles separate Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters from Danielle Moonstar’s home in Colorado. An airliner can fly the distance in four hours. Flying on her winged steed, Brightwind, the journey has taken Dani somewhat longer. Dani’s feeling miserable. She’s frozen to the bones and developing a case of pneumonia as she rides blindly through the clouds. Brightwind isn’t bothered by the cold, but then he’s an immortal horse of Asgard.
As Dani’s mind wanders back to the events in Asgard, her power brings alive pictures of these events. She sees herself as a Valkyrie, which she became when Brightwind chose her as his rider. Odd to her, as Asgard, Valkyries and the like are white man’s totems. And she is Cheyenne. Images of Cheyenne warriors appear before her. Finally, there’s an image of herself as a New Mutant. She feels pulled in three directions at once, not sure anymore who the real Dani is. She prays to her grandfather, telling her what to do.
Suddenly, she is startled, as Brightwind’s hooves touch ground, a bit of rock jutting up though the clouds. Thankful, Dani gets off the horse and stretches her legs. The clouds break with the sunrise and she sees the Rockies around her. She is finally home.
A little while later, she arrives at her parents’ ranch, just as the snowstorm begins in earnest. She almost runs into her parents, who are running out of the house. After a rushed greeting, they have to leave, as they have to take care of their stock scattered across the range. Dani offers to help, but her mother tells her to tend to her horse first. They’ll be back as quick as they can. That’s what they said last time, Dani thinks, the night they both disappeared.
Leading Brightwind to her stable, she tells him how her parents were magically changed into the Demon Bear. At first, Dani was fostered by some friends of theirs, the Roberts, but that didn’t work out. She ran away to the mountains, where her grandfather took her in. She recalls how she was unable to save her grandfather’s life or how it wasn’t even her who freed her parents, but the New Mutants. And now they are in need; Mindshocked by the Beyonder, little more than zombies. Their teacher, Magneto, gave up and handed them over to the White Queen. Getting some hay for Brightwind, she complains that she got better. Certainly the others could have mended as well. Full of self-criminations she falls asleep.
She awakes in a bed and finds herself in her room or what’s left of it. Apparently, her parents use it as an office now. She walks through the empty house, comparing her impressions with her memories. As she takes a shower, she complains about her long hair and wonders if she should wear it short. A psychic image of how she would look convinces her otherwise.
Her mother enters the bathroom, explaining that she and her husband have to get out to work, as another storm front is moving in. Dani offers to help, but they haven’t got the time to wait. Plus, Dani has nothing to wear. Peg leaves her credit card on the table and tells her daughter to buy some clothes at the mall.
A little later on the flatlands north of Denver, Dani has her first sight of Arcadia mall. She settles on an ultra short mini, along with some other clothes, but she keeps thinking about her friends in the hands of the Hellfire Club. Suddenly, a young blond man greets her with a racial slur and asks what ill wind blew her in town. Greeting him as “Pat,” she tries to remain calm, as he and his friends surround her.
They figured she was gone for good, after her grandfather croaked. He was murdered, she corrects him. Happens, especially to redskins, Pat meanly replies. Dani mentions that she’s visiting her parents. And Pat remarks that they came back mysteriously just when his Pa was about to close a deal for their ranch. Too bad. Dani finally gets angry and Pat challenges he to a fight. Dani tells him to drop dead. Pat in return shoves her against the wall. Dani knows he wants to provoke her and remembers that they used to be best friends. But he has hates her now because of what she did to him once.
Pat grabs one of her packages, pulling out a red dress and announcing this is too nice an outfit for the likes of her. Is anyone else interested? Dani suddenly gasps, as she sees the image of a skeleton gunman behind him. A death image, meaning that sometime soon Pat is going to die. Panicked, she shoves the others aside and runs for her life. Still holding the dress, Pat shouts after her that they aren’t finished yet and threatens her, scaring even his friends. He tells them to go to hell. This has been eating him for too long. One way or the other, it’s going to get settled. Watching him from above on Brightwind, Dani silently urges him to listen to his friends.
She sees his car nearing an intersection and wonders whether that’s the moment, but nothing happens save that, without Pat noticing, his six-pack of beers falls off the seat, smashing his insulin supply.
Another dawn brings a brief respite from the winter’s fury and Dani takes care of household chores. She talks with her father on the radio and mentions her run-in with Pat Roberts. Afterwards, she confides to Brightwind that she’s partly to blame for the way Pat has turned out. They used to be best friends. When her parents disappeared, she was fostered with the Roberts. She’d been with them for a week. One day at Sunday dinner, Pat said something stupid to her. She snapped and hit him full force with the power she didn’t even know she had. She grabbed his greatest desire and fear and hauled them out for everyone to see. Instead of staying and having it out with him, Dani ran away.
Suddenly, there’s a weak emergency signal on the CB radio. It’s a call from Pat, who has had an accident. First thing Dani tries is to call the state police, but she finds that the storm’s atmospherics are disturbing the airwaves. She can’t raise anyone. The phone lines are down too. She grabs a medkit, a portable CB and blankets and saddles Brightwind, flying straight into the blizzard.
They’re having a bad time in the storm but finally find Pat in his totalled truck. She drags him out and realizes he’s hurt bad. Dani smells the stink of beer on him and silently curses him for his stupidity. She sees that he’s still holding her spoiled dress. He’s really pushing his luck, she thinks angrily. She drags Pat into a cave and tells Brightwind to fly back and bring her parents when the weather clears.
After having bandaged Pat, Dani starts a fire in the cave. Soon as it is lit, she’ intends to start calling on the CB. She worries about Pat, who hasn’t woken up yet. Her thoughts turn to the torn dress she’s holding. Once it was beautiful, like their friendship. Both turned ugly. She wonders if their friendship can be repaired. She doesn’t see Pat standing behind her. Suddenly, he swings an axe. Dani notices it and gets clear only to find it was an illusion. The real Pat has awaken and looks shocked at what he saw. Why? she wonders. It must have been his fondest wish. Her power acts up again, showing another image of her and Pat getting married.
How can he love and hate one person so much at the same time, Dani asks him. Pat admits he doesn’t know, because it’s tearing him apart inside. If he didn’t care so much, what she did probably wouldn’t have hurt so much. They were friends. Why did she betray that trust? Dani assures him it was an accident. Too late for apologies, for everything, Pat states. Dani won’t accept that. She tosses her hat at him and shouts that he’s not going to die. She’s going to save him. She calls out to the medicine powers, asking them to give her friend strength to let him live. And should he lack strength, she will hold on for him.
Her challenge is quickly answered, as everything about them rumbles. There’s thunder right overhead. Dani wants to take a look outside and Pat warns her to be careful. Dani once more challenges death, as she states that there is no one here for him. The gods of the Cheyenne have spoken. They stand beside her to bar his way. As she looks outside the cave, she sees a spooky lightshow and a circling shadow. Could it be the Thunderbird, servant to the all-father, she wonders.
Suddenly a Western style gunfighter appears, telling her to stand aside. Pat’s image of death. He’s there for the boy. Dani refuses. The gunfighter derisively tells her that he doesn’t believe in duelling with ladyfolk. But then squaws aren’t ladies. Suddenly, Dani finds pistols on her hip. Her Valkyrie nature conforming to death’s pattern. Pat urges her to stop. He doesn’t want her to sacrifice herself for him. Dani makes a joke and assures him she’s beaten death before. She’s not willing to let him go.
Dani tells the gunfighter to make his move. She’s faster and shoots him down. As the gunfighter falls, she triumphs that she has beaten death and saved Pat. Pat, suddenly unhurt, stands next to her, telling her he was thinking about what they had as kids and what a mess they made of it. Mostly her fault, Dani admits, but now they can start again. Suddenly, Pat fades away. She turns around to find the real Pat asleep. Was that one of her own spirit forms, she wonders and asks herself what it means. She still wonders when the rescue team arrives and rushes them into a hospital.
They were in the cave for more than a day. She’s been waiting longer outside Intensive Care. Suddenly, an old, Native American woman addresses Dani, telling her he was a diabetic. Dani wonders where the woman came from and remarks that she didn’t know Pat had any tribal friend. He has Dani, the woman replies. What does she mean about him being a diabetic, Dani asks. The woman explains that he was drinking and smashed his insulin supply. That was why he crashed. His body was going into insulin shock. She continues that, through the night, he was slipping ever deeper into an irreversible coma. No matter what the doctors do, he will never awaken. That’s a lie, Dani protests. How does she know these things? Who is she? The woman looks at her from hooded eyes and simply states ‘you know.’ And Dani does. She posts herself before the door to the Intensive Care unit, announcing Death won’t get past her without a fight.
Is she so horrible, Death asks. When Dani tells her she causes pain, Death replies that she also ends it and brings peace. Death isn’t a monster but part of an eternal balance. Dani still refuses to let Death in when she has the power to keep it away. Death tells her that a true warrior must realize which battles to wage and which not. She may keep Death from Pat’s side, but she cannot heal him. He will never awaken. For his sake, she should let go. With a last look inside, Dani asks Pat to forgive her and lets go. A moment later, he dies.
Back at the ranch, Dani talks to Brightwind, telling the horse that she and Pat had made their peace at the end. Or was this only her imagination? She will never truly know. As she walks to the farmhouse, clutching the red dress, she wonders what the sense of having her Valkyrie power is, if she cannot really do any good. Her concerned parents await Dani and eventually manage to comfort her somewhat.


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New Song For Old
(Cannonball’s dream)
On an alien world, Cannonball, assisted by Sunspot and Magma, struggles to defend a temple from a Vrakanin airforce. Inside the temple, Lila Cheney and her band play. However, the Vrakanin lord Charasulla sneaks up on Lila. Just in time, the New Mutants break into the temple. Wolfsbane stops Charasulla while Cannonball swoops Lila into his arms for a kiss.
 Suddenly, a yell of “SAMUEL ZACHARY GUTHRIE” breaks the reverie. It was all a daydream; Sam and Lila are actually kissing on his family’s porch. His mother is offended, asking, “Who is this person? What are you doing?… How could you have hurt me so?!” Mrs. Guthrie locks Sam out and when he turns to tell Lila this, she too is gone. However, this too is a dream.
(reality)
Sam is on a bus on his way home to Cumberland, Kentucky. He is anxious about what his mother will think of his girlfriend whom he plans to introduce to her.
Sam arrives in Cumberland and thinks how small it is compared to New York, and how it hasn’t changed since he left. He stops in a phone book to call Xavier’s school to let them know he arrived, and leaves a message on the answering machine. He then calls Lila, who is in her tour bus heading north on I-85. He asks if she’s still on for dinner on Sunday. She comments that she’s nervous about meeting his parents and questions if it means their relationship is serious. She also tells him to meet her in Charlotte that night while he wonders what he’s gotten into.
After getting off the phone, Cannonball decides to blast home since it’s still early and no one is out in the streets. As he soars over the farms, he thinks about how much he has missed home. He wonders if, with all the changes the team has gone through lately, he still belongs on the New Mutants. With his grades, he could transfer to a college, with a scholarship or a loan from Professor Xavier’s trust fund. He’d get a good education at Xavier’s too, but there is the danger of injury or death that comes with being a New Mutant.
He lands on his family farm and says hello to his father’s grave. He tells his father about the recent changes at the school, such as the new headmaster, Magneto. He asks how they can trust him, even if he swears that he’s reformed. He also tells him about his girlfriend and his fears that she will not like his family, and that they will not like her.
At this point, a voice from behind Sam notes that “She must be a nice girl, Samuel, else you wouldn’t like her.” It’s Sam’s mother. She notes that if Lila is good enough for Sam, why wouldn’t she be good enough for his mother? They begin to head in to breakfast, with Mrs. Guthrie saying that she knew Sam had arrived because she heard him blasting. At first he fears he may have woken her, but she notes that this is the country and “nobody lollygags in bed”.
 She asks more about Lila; if she sings gospel or country, has she played the Grand Ole Opry? Sam, not surprisingly, believes she has not.
They arrive at the house and Sam greets his siblings: Joelle (who has made the prep squad), some unnamed ones asking if he brought any presents and complaining about the lunches their mother packed. Finally, Josh heads out the door without acknowledging Sam’s presence, despite Sam talking to him. When Sam asks, Mrs. Guthrie says that he’s been doing poorly in school and becoming very moody lately. He’s afraid of turning out to be a mutant. He does not want to have to leave his friends and family like Sam did. He hears on the radio how mutants are bad, and he has no father figure to guide him. Sam says how he also has no big brother, because he is off in New York. He decides that he will stay in Cumberland.
Later that night, he blasts into Charlotte, North Carolina to visit Lila. He arrives just as the concert is over. He sees the crew loading out and thinks how he could never live the wandering life. He runs into Alison Blaire, and comments on her dark hair color. She is in disguise, she explains. Sam thinks how he’s happy for Dazzler as she had been through some rough times before Lila brought her into the band.
He sees Lila and asks her if she’s still drinking in the applause. Upon seeing him, Lila leaps into his arms, taking both their breaths away. She says she has something to show Sam and teleports away. Sam wonders what would happen to her career if she was exposed as a mutant, like Dazzler. Lila returns with a crystal sculpture of a winged woman. She remembered how Sam mentioned that his mother likes to sing and when she does, this sculpture will provide accompaniment.
 Sam, however, becomes angry, exclaiming “All ah want to know is where you stole it from?!!” He is mad at her for given his mother something stolen, especially after she swore she would not steal anymore. Lila becomes angry herself now, asking how dare Sam judge her and saying it was a gift of love. Sam says that love is meaningless if it is built on lies. Their yelling causes the sculpture to fracture. Lila comments that what Sam says also applies to trust. She says that they’ve had a fun ride which should have lasted longer and ended better. As she says goodbye, Sam blasts off.
In the morning, Sam’s mother comments on how dreadful he looks and asks if anything is wrong, but he brushes her off. Sam offers to do some chores, but it turns out there is not much to do, thanks to Josh. Just as Sam tries to talk to him, Josh walks out the door again.
 Sam flies after Josh. Upon catching up with him, he asks why they are not pals anymore. Josh just tells him to figure it out and tries to walk away again. Sam pushes him to the ground, making Josh tell him what is bothering him. Josh is angry because he and his mother held things together while Sam was at school. Sam comments that he’s back now to help, but Josh says that he is not needed.
 Sam asks if that means he does not belong with his family, but at that point Josh pushes him off. As he walks away, Sam asks if Josh is angry because Sam is not needed, or because he’s afraid Sam will steal his thunder. Josh says maybe both, and that he needs to get to school. Sam offers a lift, but he refuses.
Sam wanders around the town, reminiscing about his time on the Cameron Cougars baseball team and his father, while also regretting what he said to Lila the night before. He thinks how he is no longer the mountain kid he once was. He’s been to space and met gods.
While he sits in a café, some of the kids from the school come in for lunch. Josh is there with many friends, and he plays his guitar for them.
Then Mrs. Guthrie arrives, and Sam tells her how the town is like an old shoe that hasn’t been worn in a while: when you put it back on, it’s not as comfortable as it once was. His mother says that he, like her, has too much of a thirst for knowledge to return from school the same as he left, whereas Josh, like his father, is content where he is. Mrs. Guthrie tells Sam that it is important he live his own life, and that right now that is not with his family.
Suddenly, Josh interrupts them, saying that there is an emergency call on the truck’s CB. It’s Ben Locklin, from Lila’s band, and Lila’s plane is missing.
Sam, Josh, and their mother head to the truck to talk to Locklin. Apparently, Lila stormed out right after her fight with Sam, Alison went with her, and they took the plane up in stormy weather.
 Sam decides to go help in the search, and Josh offers to come along. He climbs up on Sam’s back and they take off. Josh loves the feeling of flying. Sam says how moments like this, he’s glad he’s a mutant. Even if people are afraid of him, he can fly and they can’t. So, Josh asks, if he turns out to be a mutant too, it may not be that bad.
For most of the day, they keep searching, finally finding the wreck at sunset. Josh wriggles through the wreckage to look for survivors. Sam thinks this is his fault because Lila was upset due to him.
Josh sees a light, created by Dazzler. She’s okay, but Lila and fellow band member Conal Duran were hurt in the crash. Dazzler asks if he has a radio so she can generate her light power. He does not, but he sings instead. Dazzler blasts out.
Sam compliments Josh’s voice. Josh says it happened when his voice changed, and that their mother says it is his special gift, like Sam’s blasting. Josh wonders aloud what powers the other Guthries will get.
Sam asks Ali how Lila is. Alison asks if he really cares, after the cruel way he treated her earlier. It turns out, Lila made the statue; she did not steal it.
Before Sam can process this information, the cliff overhead begins to collapse. Luckily, Sam is able to blast all of them to safety, though he notices that he had a hard time taking off, despite having carried much heavier loads in the past.
Lila awakens and Sam apologizes profusely. Lila comments that he is lucky she’s the forgiving sort when it comes to the man she loves.
That Sunday, Sam is nervously waiting on the porch, thinking about returning to the New Mutants the following week, giving the younger members someone to turn to, and simultaneously keeping tabs on Magneto.
 Lila teleports in wearing the full 80’s outfit: multi-colored hair, tube-top, chains, etc. She asks Sam how she looks, and he says “Ah… love you, Lila”. However, he afraid that his mother will kill him and his siblings will laugh. She has brought the statue, which she thinks may be better flawed, since no one is perfect.
Sam asks if it is time to go in when she suddenly disappears again. Sam first thinks he said something wrong again, but then Lila reappears much more conservatively attired in a dress. She says that she needed to know he would go through with it anyway. She would never shame him, but needed to know that he would not be ashamed of her.
Sam’s mother opens the door, and Sam introduces her to Lila.


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“Getting Even”
The skies above New York state are serene as Nina DaCosta and her son Roberto near the end of a very long trip. Nina is piloting her son back to Westchester County so he can return to the Xavier School. Their conversation is light and jovial, Roberto obviously anxious to see his friends at Xavier’s. Imagine his surprise when one of them, Sam Guthrie, taps on the cockpit window and asks “How’s tricks M’man?!” Sam apologizes to Mrs. DaCosta for startling her, mentioning that Danielle Moonstar is in tow with her winged steed Brightwind. Roberto explains that Xavier's is a unique school… for unique young people. Just then Illyana Rasputin teleports into the small jet and asks permission to simply 'port Roberto up to the school. Nina agrees and Roberto and Illyana make a short jaunt through the magical realm of Limbo.
Roberto and Illyana are greeted on Xavier's campus by their friends and teammates Amara Aquila and X'ian Coy Mahn with the others following shortly. The New Mutants are jubilant over the reunion and their questions abound about 'Berto's stay in Nova Roma - the nation caught in time combining elements of Ancient Rome and the Incan civilization. X'ian mentions Sam and mutant rock singer Lila Cheney are an item which makes a somewhat jealous 'Berto start some friendly teasing. When he powers up into his Sunspot form, Magma becomes concerned the play fighting may be less than friendly, so she uses her powers to encase Roberto in rock.
Bobby easily smashes his earthen restraints and smoothes over the situation by explaining he didn't mean what he said. Of course in typical Sunspot fashion he immediately starts doling out gifts - especially sentimental among them being a letter from Magma's father who lives on Nova Roma.
 At that moment the school dance instructor and P.E. teacher Stevie Hunter comes gracefully striding across the lawn. She's very grateful to receive a gift from Bobby but grows somber at the mention of Tom Corsi and Sharon Friedlander. In the students’ absence from the school, Empath of the Hellions warped Tom and Sharon's emotions and now they are stuck in a deep depression.
Roberto, furious, claims that if headmaster Magneto won't seek vengeance for Empath's trespass, then the New Mutants should! They meet in the boathouse and after some debate decide to get a little payback.
The Massachusetts Academy:
 Manuel de la Rocha - better known as Empath - trolls the grounds, noticing to his displeasure a group of rambunctious kids at play. They run amok with a variation on Cops & Robbers by playing X-Factor vs. Muties.
Offensive as that may be, Empath wrongfully takes his anger out on the kids using his powers to terrify the young girl’s (who is playing the mutant) friends into abandoning her-- presumably forever. Little does de la Rocha know the New Mutants are watching him from a nearby rooftop. "Nice piece of work Empath," sneers Mirage, "You're a real class act." Leaving a bemused Magik to happily announce, "I'm going to enjoy this."
As Empath sleeps sound in his bed, dreaming of bloody horrid conquests he hopes to achieve, Illyana teleports into his room and sucks him into Limbo with her. He quickly tries to ensnare her with his power but she just scoffs, "Naughty naughty boy… This is Limbo chump. My will-- my power-- reigns supreme!" With that she grows immense as demon hands clutch Empath tight to the bed. Magik smites him with her Soulsword and all Empath can do is scream.
Meanwhile at the Massachusetts Academy, Catseye has alerted the other Hellions to Empath's disappearance. Thunderbird tells her to shift into her cat-like form in which she detects the scent of Magik. Jetstream thinks aloud, "We're better off without him" yet the noble Thunderbird reminds him that abandoning him would be Empath's way - not the way of the Hellions.
 As they mount their search, Empath cowers in what seems to be an abandoned hotel somewhere nondescript.
Magma catches him off guard with a volcanic eruption from the middle of the lobby out of which appears the form of The Lord of Demons. He flees the demon's grasp only to fall face first down a flight of stairs. He's met on the landing by Sunspot who volleys him to Cannonball. Cannonball blasts himself and Empath through a wall with his biopropulsion power. Empath is unhurt (thanks to Sam's shared invulnerability field) and growing in arrogance when Magik abruptly teleports Sam away, sending Empath rocketing straight for a wall of metal spikes!
He gets up unscathed somehow. He's quickly confronted by Mirage but easily bends her heart to fall in love with him. Or does he? "Dani" unexpectedly elongates her fingers, wrapping them around his legs. She lifts her horrifically monstrous face and the real Dani is seen telling Karma she used her power to show him his heart's desire (Dani as his slave), then twist it to reflect his deepest fear. In his terror Empath backs into the spiked wall.
The spikes don't pierce his flesh but rather constrict around him - it's Warlock. The alien angrily threatens to infect Empath with the Transmode Virus, thus stripping him of the exterior humanity hiding the emptiness of his spirit. A broken Manuel de la Rocha falls from Warlock's grip into that of Cypher.
Doug recoils his fist ready to deliver the final blow while Empath begs for mercy. He suddenly drops the whimpering bully and says simply, "This is wrong." Doug is correct in asserting that in playing eye for an eye they became no better than Empath and may have pushed their desire for retribution too far.
Impeccably timed, the Hellions arrive on the scene. After putting the hotheaded Sunspot in his place, Dani tells Thunderbird, "We've no quarrel with you-- or even with Empath anymore." Thunderbird understands completely and swears to do his best to rein Empath in because, however horrible he may be, he is still a Hellion. The Hellions, like the New Mutants, look after their own. The two teams part amicably.
Empath pulls himself together enough to start brandishing threats against the New Mutants. "I said I'd keep you in line," says Thunderbird, "And you know I'm a man who takes his word and his responsibilities very seriously!" With that Thunderbird delivers the right hook Doug Ramsey refused to, straight to Empath's mouth. "Surprise us, Empath" he warns, turning his back on him, "Learn from this experience. Cause if you don't… you'll have to deal with me!"


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[Assistant]
Runaway!
On Muir Island, Wolfsbane Rahne Sinclair is visiting her adopted mother, Moira MacTaggert. Suddenly, a large chunk of machinery breaks and begins falling towards Moira. Rahne shouts out a warning, but it is too late for Moira to move.
 Rahne transforms to Wolfsbane and tries to rescue Moira, but she arrives too late. Suddenly, the falling machinery stops in midair courtesy of Legion.
The boy smarts off at the scared ladies. Wolfsbane comments that David Haller cannot use any of his mental powers. Legion reveals that David Haller is no longer in control. To access his powers, David relinquished control to the personality that controls telekinesis: the amoral Jack Wayne personality. Jack expresses his desire to remain free and flees even as the machinery catches fire and explodes.
Back in the USA, at Xavier’s mansion, Mirage  is sleeping in her bed. She wakes up in a state of confusion, shouting the very same words Rahne had shouted when the machinery fell. In her confusion, Mirage pushes herself with her feet, smacking her head against the wall. Despite the disorientation, she crawls off the bed and over to the phone.
 Even while feeling the pain of the fire that Wolfsbane feels, she dials the number for the Muir Island facility, but there is no answer. She decides that Magik can get her to Muir Island to help. Mirage stumbles through the house, still dizzy from the sensations received from Wolfsbane. She finally reaches Illyana’s room and bursts through the door.
 She finds a horrible sight: a demonized Illyana surrounded by a pair of snake beings. Mirage falls down, nearly fainting. Illyana, realizing that it is her friend, sends the demons back to Limbo and returns her image to normal. She rushes to her fallen teammate’s aid.
 After a moment to recover her wits, Mirage explains that she felt Rahne in trouble in Scotland.
Before anything else can be said, the remaining New Mutants burst in the door. Cannonball comments that they heard a scream. Mirage quickly explains what is going on. She wants Illyana to teleport them to Scotland to rescue Rahne.
 Illyana isn’t too thrilled with the risk. She tells Mirage that they could end up anywhere or anywhen. Mirage doesn’t care about the risk. All she cares about is helping Rahne. Sunspot points out that it could just be a bad dream. Rahne might not even be in trouble. Cannonball, however, mentions that they can’t take the chance. If Mirage is right, then they have to hurry. Cannonball orders everyone into costume and Cypher mentions that Magneto is gone so he will leave a note.
Sunspot again voices his opinion. They are taking a big risk because of a dream. Illyana asks if he is really bothered by traveling through Limbo. He declares that he is not afraid, but Mirage can tell from his eyes that he is terrified of returning to the demon dimension. As Magik and Mirage leave the room, Mirage mentions that if Sunspot wishes to stay behind, no one will think any less of him.
The mutants arrive at Muir Island by way of Illyana’s teleportation disc. They are all in their New Mutant costumes except for Sunspot, who as if to make a point is dressed in casual clothes. Karma points out that the time of day is dusk. They have time-shifted almost an entire day.
Warlock detects multiple lifeforms over at the facility. Sunspot continues his belief that everything is fine until they arrive at the facility. A hole is in the wall and the room is in shambles. It resembles someone punching his way out. Cypher mentions to Mirage that it resembles their last trip to Muir Island.
They find Wolfsbane and Moira on the floor. Wolfsbane awakens quickly and embraces Mirage. Sunspot offers his shirt to Wolfsbane whose top is little more than rags. Wolfsbane then tells them who caused this mess: Legion. They quickly make sure no one else is injured and Warlock transforms into a vessel and takes them to Loch Broom and the port of Ullapool.
 They exit onto the docks. Warlock begins to scan for Legion. Mirage gives them all micro-transceivers so that they can remain in contact. In the meantime, Mirage explains to Magma, Magik, Karma, and Cannonball that Legion is Professor Xavier’s son.
Wolfsbane transforms to wolf form and begins to track Legion. The mutants follow her until she leads them to a bar. They arrive just in time to see one of the patrons crash through a window. Warlock catches him but he is hurt bad. Wolfsbane peers through the broken window and sees Legion.
 Mirage decides that since Legion has never met Cannonball and Karma, they should go in and attempt to bring him out quietly. Magik uses her magic to conjure up normal clothes for both Cannonball and Karma.
The two enter the bar and see Legion, now with his hair in a ponytail, flirting with two women. Karma, in her low cut red dress, uses the mirror and flashes a smile at Legion. The invitation is accepted and Legion ditches the two women and begins to follow Karma. She immediately possesses him and begins to lead him out.
 However, one of the women Legion had been talking to slaps Karma for being “a tramp”. That breaks Karma’s hold and Legion is furious. He telekinetically holds Karma in mid air and prepares to use his pyrokinetic powers to fry a noble bystander.
 Before he can, however, Cannonball blasts into Legion’s back, forcing them through a wall. When Cannonball lands, he stops blasting and Legion kicks him in the gut.
As the two struggle, a local cop tries to intervene. Legion lights his patrol car on fire and Wolfsbane grabs the cop and leaps clear of the car seconds before it explodes. Warlock appears amidst the flames, protecting the cop’s partner who had still been in the car. While the mutants help the police to their feet, Legion strikes from behind, using his psychic powers to incapacitate everyone.
A short time later, the mutants come to their senses, but Legion is gone. Suddenly, a man cries out “Demons!” He is revealed to be Reverend Craig, the man who raised Rahne as a child. He continues his claim that Rahne is a demon and just like her mother. Although Cannonball tries to stand up for his friend, it is no use. The reverend’s mind is made up.
Cypher announces that Legion has fled to the oil storage tanks. Wolfsbane in her rage is tempted to let Legion destroy the tanks and the town.
At the refinery, Legion pleads with the mutants to leave him alone. His voice is that of Cyndi, the pyrokinetic punk girl personality of Legion. Jack will make her torch the place if the mutants don’t back off. Jack’s voice takes over and he lights one of the tanks on fire.
Magma quickly sends rocks to douse the fire. Sunspot transforms and tackles Legion. They fight, crashing through a brick wall. Sunspot holds on, but he cannot seem to make Jack relinquish control.
Mirage shouts that Jack is a coward at heart. That gives Sunspot an idea. He orders Magik to teleport them both to Limbo. Legion senses Sunspot’s fear of that place but Sunspot is willing to deal with the demons to put an end to Jack Wayne.
 In Limbo, Sunspot points out that there are now no innocents to threaten and Magik’s power is the only way in or out of Limbo. Moreover, Legion’s mental powers cannot harm her there. Jack must put David Haller back in control or Magik will kill him.
Suddenly, they are out of Limbo, back at the oil tanks. Sunspot and Legion are on the ground. Legion’s voice is now that of a small child: David Haller.
The following day on Muir Isle, the mutants are resting. Moira mentions that she will be able to smooth things over with the town. Sunspot points out that Jack’s personality is still within Legion and will eventually break out again. Moira’s reply is that they will deal with that when it happens, but as Legion ages, he should be able to control himself better. Hopefully at one point his personalities with integrate.
 Cannonball compliments Sunspot on handling Legion, but Sunspot reveals that his strategy worked only because he believed everything he told Legion. He is afraid of Magik, whom he believes to be a demon. Cannonball says “That’s partly what the New Mutants are all about, pal. They fight for kids’ futures.”
Rahne, meanwhile, sits alone atop a cliff. Mirage joins her. She tries to say that Reverend Craig does not matter. Mirage mentions what Rahne said about the town deserving to die. Wolfsbane says that she was upset. Mirage then asks “Would you have let Jack carry out that threat?” Rahne does not reply.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Why do we do these things we do?
Last Year:
Chambeaux Switzerland. A woman skis down the slopes. She elegantly finishes before the hotel where she is greeted by other people. Elizabeth Braddock was a hero. Not so long, she took up her brother’s mantle as Captain Britain. It cost her dear.
Betsy touches the carousel inside the hotel, wishing she could ride it again with the joy and innocence of a child. She strips off her skiing mask, as she silently mocks her self for her self-pity. Her eye-sockets are empty - She was blinded by a foe when she tried to take her brother’s place. Fortunately, though, she is a telepath and does not need eyes to see. Her powers are formidable, but they did not save her from being blinded. They do not save her now.
She senses a presence, but too late. Her mind literally shatters, as Spiral and Mojo appear in her room. Mojo gather up the pieces of her soul, twisting them until she looks like him – a grinning Spineless One. Carelessly dangling her body, Spiral scoffs that the toy is broken. With a mad grin, Mojo informs her that he knows that. The challenge comes in putting it back together again.
Last month:
Why do we do these things we do? Doug Ramsey writes on a sheet full of doodles, before frustrated with his lack of answers, he tosses it at the dustbin and misses. A terrific metaphor for his life, he whines as Dani enters the room. She asks him if he wants to talk. He doesn’t know but finally confides that being a mutant is driving him crazy. He’s got this life, been to Asgard, to the stars, helped save the world! And he can’t tell anyone about it, not even his parents. When he’s in town, hanging out, he no longer fits in with kids who were his pals before. The stuff they talk about doesn’t have much meaning for him anymore, so they figure he’s become a snob. It’s like the only person he can trust as friends – is allowed to know even – are at this school. He feels like an outcast or convict.
Does he think he’s alone in that, Dani asks. A while ago, she asked herself who she is: Cheyenne, Mutant, Valkyrie, or an ordinary girl. She still hasn’t figured out the answer. Her powers as a Valkyrie allow her to see who’s about to die. She can battle death to save them, but even when she wins, she’s only delaying the inevitable. Each morning, she’s afraid of waking up and seeing the reaper’s shadow in the face of someone she cares for and she’s so scared she wants to run away. But she’s co-leader of the New Mutants. She bears a responsibility. They are all outcasts. They can either give up or make the best of things.
Last week:
Across the world, a new animated television series makes its debut. Entitled Wildways and starring gentler cartoon versions of Mojo and Spiral, as well as Psylocke, it’s an instant success. Among the youngsters entranced are Rahne Sinclair on Muir Isle, Darla, Butch and Alfie, Roberto DaCosta at Xavier’s school and Leong and Nga Coy Manh in Salem Center.
In Great Britain, where Brian Braddock aka Captain Britain and his lover, Meggan, are watching the show, Brian suddenly becomes agitated, shouting that that Psylocke character is his sister, Betsy!
Last night: a rough New York neighborhood named Alphabet City, an abandoned school.  Captain Britain smashes the door, shouting for his sister, Betsy. It’s taken him months to track her down, but he knows she’s here. If she’s been harmed in any way, he’ll make her kidnapper wish they’d never been born. He flies to the upper story causing some destruction along the way.
Brian, suddenly a voice calls out, chiding him for causing such a mess. The voices treat him like a stern parent would address a wayward child and, surprisingly, Captain Britain responds in kind, begging “mummy” and “daddy” to forgive him. He’ll be a good boy.
Last night at Xavier’s school:
Roberto calls a number, only to be asked if he wants to walk the Wildways. Roberto enthusiastically answer ‘yes’ and, in a lightshow, Spiral and Mojo appear and invite the happy boy, teleporting away with him.
Now - the Danger Room:
Cannonball tests his maneuverability and his results are abysmal. He used to be better than that. Dani points out that all New Mutants who encountered the Beyonder have suffered a marked deterioration in their skills. Except for Sunspot, they’ve regressed to the performance level they established when they first entered the school.
Meanwhile upstairs, it’s Illyana’s turn to clean the breakfast table. Disgusted with her chore, she decides to teleport the entire mess to Limbo and let her demons do the work. A moment later, the table reappears, clean but now set as though for a satanic mess. Angrily, she teleports to Limbo to have a word or two with her demons.
Upstairs, Amara composes a letter to her father and waves at Doug, Warlock and what seems to be Sunspot, who are about to clear away some dead trees. Warlock surrounds Doug as a worksuit and Doug asks if he’s imagining that Bobby’s unusually nice to everybody. Warlock announces that there are anomalies in Bobby’ physiology.
Doug and Warlock grabs the crown of a tree, while Sunspot is to take the roots. Is he sick, Doug asks his teammate. Bobby replies that he’s fine. Doug counts to three and he and Warlock heave. A moment later, there is a cry of agony, as Sunspot is crushed by the tree.
The others join them, taking in the sight of their dead teammate and Doug desperately shouting that he said he was ready.
Later, the mutants are gathered in a room. So far, they couldn’t track down their headmaster, Magneto, and are hesitant to notify Roberto’s parents themselves. Doug lashes out, asking Dani why her Valkyrie powers didn’t warn her of any danger to Bobby. Dani doesn’t know. The power’s never failed her before. It picked a heckuva time to start! Doug shouts as he runs out of the room. Warlock follows.
Hesitant, Doug enters the infirmary, where Bobby’s corpse is stashed. Crying, he apologizes until Warlock shows up, informing him that there are anomalies relating to “selfriendbobby.” Doug explains that his “lifeglow” has gone out – Warlockspeak for “he is dead.” Warlock corrects him: Sunspot didn’t have a proper lifeglow before. The radiance was similar but different. He asks Doug for help to perform an analysis.
Warlock covers Doug in part and they perform an autopsy. They have to probe down to the subatomic level but find that Warlock is right – the corpse is a fake- a sophisticated android that couldn’t mimic mutant powers. That’s what tripped him. Otherwise, they’d never have known – especially if the android had resigned from school. Doug wonders who pulled the switch as they are joined by a very surprised Sam and Dani.
Another time, another place. Mojo gives new eyes to his blind pet, Psylocke, who he has now made over in his own image, such as fastening wires to her eyes and mouth that force her eyes permanently open and lock her mouth in a rigid smile. She’s thrilled, Spiral states sarcastically. Just as she was, Mojo reminds her, when he made her what she is. What she is is not what she was, Spiral thinks to herself, nor what she will be, when she dances him off his throne and makes it hers. So what’s next? she asks. Does he intend to stand watch until his toys rot? Rot? he asks. Agitated, he grabs Spiral and has both her and Psylocke decay. Nobody rots until he says so. And anyone who tries will die to regret it.
He restores both women and prattles on that an artiste cannot create epics without the proper tools. He’s bored with the ones at home. These spineful babes will serve him better. He tells Spiral to give him the names of the youngsters she has collected for him. Spiral explains that most of them are connected with the X-Men they have come to hate. Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Leong and Nga McCoy, the siblings of another of Xavier’s protégés. The other three kids – Darla, Butch and Alfie are the Bratpack, whose transgression was to befriend their greatest foe, the accursed lucky one, Longshot.
On Mojo’s order, Psylocke mentally blasts the twins, stealing the others’ soul, as Mojo did hers. While their bodies are shaped from flawed individuals to those of perfect adults. And, when the entire process is finished, Mojo announces that all that will be left of his Bratpack in flesh and spirit is what he’s placed there. Now the fun begins, he announces, while his toys all smile identically.
Later, the Mutants all teleport to an abandoned school in Alphabet City, where Warlocks’s sensors have located Sunspot. Dani looks at her portable Cerebro unit. It confirms Warlock’s scan. Sunspot’s in there and not alone. ‘Yo kiddies, looking for trouble?’ a voice suddenly announces. It’s the grown-up Butch, standing in a doorway and lazily filing his fingers. As Dani asks him who he is, Sam uncharacteristically shoves her, telling her he’s oldest. He’ll ask. Besides, he’s going to be in charge from now on. Butch smiles. He really loves friends acting like enemies. They can call him Snitch and they are probably never going guess his power.
The mutants ignore him, as they argue over who should be leader. All save Illyana, who thinks they are all pathetic. She is the only one noticing Sunspot coming and teleports to safety, as Sunspot hits the ground, causing it to shake. Sam grabs Magma to keep her from dropping into the fissure. She burns his hand, warning him not to lay his hand on the daughter of the first Senator of Nova Roma. Suddenly, Wolfsbane physically attacks them. Before they can get their bearings, Darla, now called Jubilee, attacks them and blinds them with fireworks.
Some of the mutants realize they are behaving strangely, but can’t stop themselves. Suddenly, stern voices order them to stop this at once. Leong and Nga, now Template, order them to act like good little boys and girls and the Mutants obey like children would their parents. Only Warlock shouts alarm and grabs Doug and flies away with him.
Template orders the mutants to come inside. Class is about to begin. Magma struggles and refuses. Since she insists on behaving like a child, then a child she will become, Template tell her and transform her into a preteen before she manifested powers. They take the helpless Amara inside with them.
What is he doing, Doug asks Warlock, who flies them high above the roofs. Warlock makes it clear that he fears their “parents” will kill them, and Doug remembers that that’s what happens on Warlock’s world. He is so panicked that he drops Doug. At the last moment, he catches him again, apologizing profusely as Doug tells him they have to return and save their friends. They land on the school’s roof and Warlock hides them from detection while he searches for the others with a spyeye. He shows his findings to Doug via TV screen.
Inside the classroom, Template reshapes the New Muants in body and mind to adult perfection as they have done with the others. This is way out of their league, Doug realizes. They need the X-Men. Warlock suddenly warns him of an intruder. He is registering a young male parahuman atop a neighboring structure. They find a naked, crying blond boy clutching the Captain Britain helmet. Doug walks to the boy and the kid hits him with superhuman strength before trying to fly away. However, Warlock catches him.
Later, after Doug has given the boy part of his costume to cover himself, the kid introduces himself as Brian Braddock. He used to be bigger, but his parents yelled at him and said he was a naughty boy. They punished him and made him little. So he ran away. Doug figures out what he means. He must be a superhuman but apparently not a mutant or he’d have lost his power when he passed through puberty. He sounds English. What brought him to New York?
Doug once again decides to contact the X-Men but Brian insists there’s no time. The Wildways is in another dimension and the Bratpack is going there tonight. If Doug doesn’t act now, it’ll be too late. How does he know so much about this? Doug asks. Is he keeping something back?  Brian admits that the person responsible is his sister Betsy. He came here to rescue her from the villains who’d abducted her months ago only to discover she’d become one of them.
Warlock points to his screen. There is commotion below as Magma is acting up. She refuses to be a slave, she shouts as her powers go wild. Template regresses her to a young child once more. Amara appeals to her fellow New Mutants, telling them to reach into their souls. They can be free. But this is what they want, Illyana and Dani reply. Shouting that she’d rather die, Amara flees through a hole in the wall. That may yet be arranged Leong shouts and Nga orders the Bratpack to folow her and bring her back quickly. Time grows short.
Doug tells Brian to help Amara while he and Warlock will tackle Brian’s sister. Brian is full of doubt. Suppose he fails and they catch him again? Doug tells him to remember what Amara said. Remember who he was! If he abandons her, he won’t need Template to make him part of the Bratpack, because where it counts he already is one of them. His choice, what will it be?
As Amara runs, she keeps on falling over her boots, as her costume didn’t shrink with her. She wonders where to run, as arrows suddenly land to the left and the right of her. Straightarrow, another member of the Bratpack, tells her not to be scared. A glorious destiny awaits her on the Wildways. They are joined by the other members of the Bratpack and Amara shouts that she wants no part of it. Suddenly, Brian, now wearing the Captain Britain helmet, rams into Straightarrow’s back and grabs Amara. He flies away with her wobblily, finding that that his strength and flight abilities have been reduced. Who is he, Amara asks. A knight in borrowed armor, fighting with borrowed courage, he replies.
Meanwhile, Doug, now wearing Warlock-like a suit, sneaks into the school’s principal’s office, where according to Brian his sister is. Warlock raises shields and they see Betsy who in turn turns to see them. Betsy has been transformed into a monstrosity, resembling a Spineless One, like Mojo, who sits before several screens. Despite having looked directly at them Psylocke doesn’t react to their presence.
Warlock explains that the shields’ performance is at maximum meaning they are cloaked from eletronic sensors. What about her eyes, Doug wonders. She looked at them. Warlock explains that her optical sensors are non-organic – artificial. He suggests that he transform Betsy into a technoorganic being and drain her lifeglow. It would end the conflict the fastest. Makes sense, Doug agrees, but Brian said she’d been kidnapped. Suppose she is also a victim? They have to be sure. He reaches out with a part of Warlock to tap into her brainwire. He reaches out and is overwhelmed by a tumble of images from Betsy’s past: being Captain Britain, being blinded, Spiral, Mojo, but most of all pain and eyes.
Meanwhile, Brian and Amara have to resort to running. Brian no longer has the strength to fly both of them above or around the buildings. They see that the alley crosses a main street. Reach that and they’ll be safe. But before they can do that, the Bratpack appears before them forcing them to run into another direction. Amara points out that Rahne can always find their scents and Brian replies that they have to buy Doug and Warlock time.
Doug and Warlock are still recovering from the jolt they received when they tried to mindprobe Psylocke. Doug realizes that Betsy is a victim as well, manipulated like a puppet, being remade in Mojo’s image. His powers control her and hers the Bratpack. To free her, they have to disconnect those brainwires, but they can’t just yank them loose. This is basically a software problem, he decides. They have to block the negative input from Wildways and restore Betsy’s natural programming and that’s right up his alley. If he can get inside her head somehow.
It’s possible, Warlock ventures, but dangerous. If the two of them merge and form a gestalt. But there’s a high probability that this process might infect Doug with the transmode virus. Doug decides to take the risk and they merge into a fantastic synthesis. Through Warlock’s senses he perceives the world in a totally different way. Warlock suggests they hurry. The longer they stay that way the greater the risk. Doug refines their vision so they can scan the energy patterns of the brainwires. Betsy suddenly addresses them and grabs Douglock with the artificial spine behind her.
(Astral plane / Psylocke’s mind)
Another flash: DougLock wonders where he is now, switching between Doug’s and Warlock’s thought patterns. Before him, he sees a gate with the letters’ Wildways.’ Behind that, there’s a carousel, where all the New Mutants and Bratpack members are, happily riding, half human, half horses. Atop the carousel stands Betsy, dressed in black and announcing that their wish has been granted. They are within Betsy’s brain. She tells them to join, after all they are the only ones left out. DougLock points out that there’s still Amara and Brian but, even as he speaks, they are caught as well and appear on the spinning carousel.
Betsy attacks Douglock and he too changes into a grinning centaur. Betsy tells him to come aboard the carousel. There, he can truly play the hero instead of being the New Mutants’ weakest link.
Douglock tears at himself, a more normal self, appearing behind the grin. He refuses to be controlled by her. Has he considered the alternative, Betsy asks. His corporeal form lies catatonic in her office. A simple thing for the Bratpack to slay it. Not if he gets her first, Doug shouts. He reaches out, stretches his arm, touches Betsy and tries to infect her with the transmode virus. Instead, Betsy snaps off his arm and changes to her true form, that of Spiral.
Atop the swirling carousel, she points at the wasteland around her – Betsy’s consciousness, held in thrall by Mojo, just as her telepathic power enslaves the Bratpack. Every facet of Psylocke’s being will be torn from its roots by Spiral’s chaos waltz. The moment they touch the vortex Spiral creates, they’ll be destroyed and those psychically linked to her will share her fate. Mojo sought to make them stars, but the Wildways is Spiral’s to dance upon alone! As she talks, it happens and pieces of Betsy’s psyche fly towards the vortex.
Douglock analyzes what to do and then decides that Betsy can be freed if they save the pieces of her psyche and then replace them to their proper position. Douglock reaches out with lots of little Warlock-headed tentacles, forming a giant net completely enclosing Spiral’s carousel.
So linked are the two boys now that Doug uses Warlock’s speech patterns and Warlock uses Doug’s. Warlock worries about their psychemerge. This seems too natural for both of them.
While Warlock holds onto the pieces of Betsy’s psyche, Doug now reaches out to the spinning carousel, hoping to save his friends. He worries about the danger, but then decides that in a psychic environment it is merely a matter of will power. He grabs for a hand and is nearly pulled apart. Determined, he pulls and the hand he’s holding turns from that of a child to that of an adult, as Captain Britain is restored and free.
Spiral swears, as now Doug and Cap work together to save the others. The more they are, the quicker they can work in spite of the danger. The vortex finally passes and Warlock triumphantly puts the last piece in its proper place. A moment later, the others fear he has done something wrong, as an earthquake starts.
Quite the contrary is the case, however, as Elizabeth Braddock’s psiform appears before them, finally free and herself once more and angry as hell. She confronts Spiral, who seeks to trick a way out by reminding Betsy of the price of freedom. A slave has no worries. Freedom can mean hunger, homelessness, pain, blindness.
Douglock shouts at Spiral to leave Betsy alone. She didn’t choose her slavery. Spiral and Mojo forced it on her and the others. With a wicked grin, Spiral tells them to let her and everyone choose. The Wildways offers wonders, adventure and the fulfillment of every heart’s desire. Betsy agrees that she has been hungry, homeless, hunted and hurt. Things she swore she’d never be again. Spiral offers salvation. She prefers to make her own. With those words she psychically blasts the carousel apart. Spiral leaves calling her a fool. Betsy turns to the others, apologizing and thanking them and sends them to their bodies.
(reality)
Doug awakes in the abandoned principal’s office, first talking like Warlock, but then quickly returning to his normal speech patterns. He is not alone as Betsy awakes next to him. Is she ok, he asks, calling her Miss Braddock. She is herself at last, she replies. She’ll settle for that. She asks him to call her Betsy As she muses how dull their world looks next to the Wildways, she suddenly gasps with horror. She can see again. Doug explains that the eyes are bionic. Mojo’s gift to his favorite slave, she realizes. She should destroy those eyes, she states. Nothing good can come from them. But she finds that she can’t do it.
Dani suddenly comes in and switches on the light and the others join them. Betsy and Doug suddenly find themselves embarrassed, as it turns out that Betsy is completely naked. It’s Warlock to the rescue, as he covers Betsy, in essence creating a bodysuit. Brian finally joins them and the twins happily greet each other. After that, Cap effusively thanks and commends Doug.
Later, on the grounds of Xavier’s mansion, the twins have another talk under more normal circumstances. Betsy informs Brian of her decision to stay at Xavier’s School. She’s been a victim too often. She wants to learn how to use her psi-talents better to protect herself and help others. Brian tells her she need only call if she needs something and leaves.
Betsy doesn’t know how  to tell him about her new eyes and decides to keep it a secret between herself, Doug and Warlock for the time being. She notices Douglas watching from a window above and waves at him. Doug blushes aware that Betsy can read his mind.
Dani joins him, asking how he is and he tells her that there seem to be no aftereffects from their merge. According to the mediscanners, he’s clean. Dani warns him about pulling that stunt again. Doug reminds her of the talk they had a month ago. He might have found some answers. Mojo and Spiral reached through a TV program to ensnare the souls of innocent kids. If not for the New Mutants, they’d have been stolen away forever. In Scotland, when they fought Legion, Sam had said that their job as New Mutants was to protect kids. Because they are the future and represent hope. He’s right. Somebody has to stick up for them and Doug guesses that’s them.
The other mutants have, in the meantime, joined Betsy and call for Doug and Dani to comes as well. They are going to teach Betsy baseball. Dani agrees with Doug, telling him there are worse jobs and worse people to do them. They might just pull it off.