Danielle Moonstar is sent to recruit Kevin Ford. He's a kid with a terrible gift of decaying any organic material that he touches. Kevin is hidding at a yunkyard when a dog attacks him. The dog dies victim to his powers. A couple of men find Kevin and after seeing what he did to the dog, they attack him. Moonstar arrives just in time to save him. We learn that Kevin killed his own father by accident when his powers manifested. Moonstar takes him to Xavier's. We also find out that Magma is in a coma.
Synopsis
Danielle Moonstar is ready to leave to recruit a kid from Atlanta. Professor X emphasizes to Dani that she must use discretion in outing the mutant even though the school is now public. Professor X looks at a photograph of the original New Mutants. The two old friends reflect over their losses in a close-up to Cypher and Illyana Rasputin.
*Danielle Moonstar: "By the way, I heard Allison came back to the school, but I haven't seen her yet."*
*Professor X: "She's...away."*
*Danielle Moonstar: "If she gets back before I do, tell her I said hi. I've got to catch a flight."*
The next page shows a comatose Magma and Professor X by her side relaying Danielle's message telepathically.
Cut to Beast teaching Algebra in his own special way, standing one one hand while asking the students a math problem. Sofia is called to approach the board when the bell rings.
Sofia meets with Julian outside her class. Julian offers to be Sofia's guide around the place and Sofia asks if there's any place to dance. Laurie walks by and Sofia offers her to have lunch but Julian rudely remarks her roommate is a freak.
*Julian Keller: "She's weird. She doesn't fit in here. And that's a challenge. To be a freak among freaks."*
Sofia flirts with Julian, caressing his hair and his ear with her hand.
*Sofia Mantega: "Yes. I love to dance...*
To enjoy the rhythm of the music...
*But you could not keep up with me"*
Julian loses his balance and Sofia reveals she made "the wind [rattle] in his ear".
Meanwhile, Moonstar arrives at the Ford home in Atlanta. No one is home and everything seems normal except for a worn shirt and a pile of ash.
Elswhere in Atlanta, a young boy walks in a park draped in a green cloth. People stare as he goes to a junk yard to be alone. He watches the sunset, seemingly reflective, until a vicious dog attacks him. The dog bites his arm and drops dead on the ground.
Danielle visits the Ford boy's school. Kevin's teacher vouches that Kevin is a good kid raised by a single father, but records show he had missed the last couple of days of school. Turns out Kevin Ford is an artistic prodigy who can "bring life to scraps of metal".
*Teacher: "While most kids his age are hanging out at the mall, Kevin's sneaking into that old junk yard to gather material."*
Back at the junkyard, two workers discover their dead dog and begin to attack Kevin. Not willing to kill, he gets kicked in the stomach and beat with a pipe until Danielle arrives and defends the lost and confused young mutant.
Kevin explains his mutant power to decay matter and Danielle pieces together what happened to Kevin's father. Kevin explains that when he first discovered his mutant ability, he began experimenting on flowers and other items around the house. His father came home as Kevin began to panic and tried to comfort his son, but the skin-to-skin contact ended fatally.
They return to his home to get him some clothes (polyester as apparently he only decays organic matter). Kevin is afraid Danielle will take him to jail, but his worry turns into enthusiasm when he finds out she's taking him to the XAVIER INSTITUTE!
Back at the mansion, Nurse Annie checks on Kevin who is excited to one day become an X-Man. Professor Xavier reveals to Danielle that Magma was crucified on the lawn of the Institute by the Church of Humanity (--see Chuck Austen's Uncanny X-Men). The professor admits it was wrong of him to send her off recruiting children when he's not even sure its safe at the school.
*Danielle Moonstar: "Safe? When I found Kevin, they were beating him with a lead pipe! The world isn't safe."*
Danielle encourages the Professor that the dream is still alive and that the school is a save haven for mutants.
*Danielle Moonstar: "You're not perfect, Charles. And I know that. I'm not a child anymore."*
*Professor X: "So I'm learning".*
END.
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