Dr. Strange continues to watch the New Mutants’ plight as they try to figure out how to help Mirage and deal with her mysterious illness, thankfully though, she is incapacitated and frozen in ice for the time being. They manage to begin transporting the ice machine, Mirage and Brightwind to Ship, but on the way are attacked by Freedom Force, who have come to arrest Rusty Collins yet again. Destiny has a premonition about Rusty being important to mutantkind’s future, so it is very important that Freedom Force apprehend him. However, the New Mutants are not going to lose another teammate without a fight, so one begins on Liberty Island. Rictor is injured early on in the battle, and during the battle, the Blob reveals that Freedom Force have the Inferno babies, which X-Factor gave them to return to their parents, and that the government has big plans for the babies. Protecting Rusty by throwing a force field around him and herself, Skids tells the other New Mutants to get Mirage to Ship and tell X-Factor about Freedom Force and the babies, that she and Rusty will be fine until they get back. Some of Freedom Force go after the New Mutants as they don’t want X-Factor knowing, and eventually Mirage is freed from her ice prison thanks to a tidal wave that Avalanche creates. Arriving at Ship, the New Mutants are shocked when Ship is uncontrollably propelled into space, with X-Factor aboard, leaving the New Mutants with no help. Dr. Strange knows what he must do now, and teleports the New Mutants, Mirage and Brightwind to Asgard, leaving Skids and Rusty on Earth, and the other New Mutants utterly confused as to what to do next.
- Writer: Louise Simonson
- Artist: Rick Leonardi