Doug Ramsey held back a lurch as the twisting sensation subsided. Lying still, he groaned, waiting for the dizziness to disappear as well. When he could finally open his eyes, Doug found himself lying up against the trunk of a large tree. He was surrounded by grass, bushes and flowers on all sides, and a few other trees were visible as well. The sky above was bright, with no clouds in sight, though he couldn't spot the sun anywhere. He was obviously outside, but as for where, he couldn't tell.

With a sigh, Doug scanned his surroundings for anything familiar. He was so wrapped up in his search that he didn't notice the small whirring noise next to him. When Doug turned to look to his right, he came face to face with a tiny, blinking eye at the end of a long techno-organic appendage.

"Warlock!" Doug exclaimed happily, following the strand around the tree to his alien friend, who had taken the shape of a shrub on the ground. As Doug faced the techno-organic hedge, the unmistakable face of Warlock appeared on one of the stalks, large eyes blinking.

"Query: Self-soul-friend-Cypher-Doug's status is nominal?" the face asked.

"Yeah, pal," Doug smiled back. "I'm fine. But I have no idea where Illyana sent us, or where the others are."

With a series of whirrs and clicks, 'Lock transformed to his normal humanoid form, his facial expression remaining exactly the same as his form grew larger.

"Self is scanning current location," Warlock announced as his fingers became a small rotating radar and compass. After a minute or so he announced: "Conclusion: Self and self-friend-Doug are in Northeastern region of state designate: Massachusetts."

"Northeast Massachusetts, huh? We must be near the Academy," Doug concluded. "Makes sense considering The White Queen was in Magik's mind when she 'ported us here. But me and the rest of the team spent some time here not too long ago, and I don't recognize this area at all."

Suddenly, Warlock's scanners went insane. Hundreds of extremities, all spinning and clamoring, extended from his body, and Warlock's face contorted in alarm.

"'Lock? What's wrong?" Doug asked his friend.

Instantly, all the gears and scanners stopped, and disappeared into 'Lock's techno-organic form. Only one radar, quietly spinning, remained, extended from his left shoulder. Warlock bent down quietly, and held his long finger up to his mouth to motion Doug into silence. His eyes extended like two small telescopes, as he looked first to the left, then the right.

"Cease all sound, self-soul-friend-Cypher-Doug," Warlock whispered. "Self detects another life form existing within a 15 foot diameter. Conclusion: Self and self-friend are not alone."

"Where, 'Lock?" Doug asked quietly, looking around. "Who is it? Not the White Queen, I hope, Maybe one of the others?"

To answer Doug's question, Warlock extended his hands out to another hedge about 10 feet from the duo, and spread the leaves of the bush. Staring up at Doug was a girl, at least Doug thought she was a girl. Obviously a mutant, the "girl" was covered in reddish scales, almost like living body armor, except each scale seemed to have razor sharp edges. Her hands were more like large claws, and her hair was made up of several large protrusions that resembled knives. Obviously scared, she stared up at Doug and Warlock for a moment before leaping out of the bush and running for a new hiding spot.

Warlock's limbs began to extend in pursuit of the girl, but Doug placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Let her go, 'Lock. We have more important things to worry about, like where the others are, and how to get home."

"Affirmative, Friend-Doug," Warlock agreed. "Self's scanners indicate Self-Friend-Karma-Shan and two beings designate:Hellions, approximately .92 kilometers from present location."

"Well, why didn't you say so before?" Doug asked. "C'mon, pal, lead the way!"

"Self will do better than that," Warlock transformed himself instantly into the form of a sporty motorcycle, his small face evident on the dash.

Doug smiled and jumped aboard. As the team supreme rode off down the path, neither noticed the young mutant with the scales lower herself down from a nearby tree. Watching the two ride off, the girl was positive that they did not belong in the bio-sphere. Hesitating for only an instant, Penance took off in search of help.

Shan studied her surroundings and tried to figure out where they were. The outdoor surroundings just didn't feel right, and the young Vietnamese mutant could not put her finger on it. To make matters worse, the company definitely could have been better. Looking around at her companions, Karma wondered, not for the first time, if she wouldn't have been better off stranded alone. The two Hellions were like night and day. Marie-Ange with her pale skin and bright red hair, and Haroun with his dark coloring. Their personalities couldn't have been much different either. While Jetstream didn't shut up, complaining constantly about how Magik had gotten them into this mess, Tarot stood quietly to the side, paying more attention to her deck of cards than to Shan or Haroun.

"So let me get this straight, Karma," Jetstream had a sarcastic look on his face. "Getting scattered through time and space is something you guys are used to?"

"That is not what I said, Jetstream," Shan sighed in frustration. "Simply that this has happened to us before."

Haroun threw his hands up in frustration. "Tarot, do you believe this?" he asked his teammate. The red-headed French girl gave no response, and kept her eyes fixed to the cards in her hand. "Marie-Ange? Say something, girl!"

Tarot's head lifted to face Shan & Haroun. Her eyes were wide with terror. "I'm afraid things do not look good, mes amis. According to the cards, we are in serious danger."

"Why, thank you, Tarot." Jetstream answered sarcastically. "Tell us something we did not..."

Haroun was interrupted by the sound of an engine. All three mutants spun, prepared to fight, when they were greeted by the sight of Doug Ramsey on his techno-organic motorcycle. The Warlock-cycle stopped in front of the trio, and Cypher jumped off.

"Douglas!" Shan exclaimed, embracing her friend. Behind them, Warlock transformed back to his original form as the Hellions looked on.

"Self told you self could lead you to them, Friend-Doug." Warlock beamed.

"What about the others, Warlock?" Jetstream asked the alien, ignoring the New Mutants happy reunion. "Have you found anyone else?"

"He looked while we tracked you down, Haroun." Doug answered. "None of the other New Mutants or Hellions are anywhere to be found. Who knows? They may not even be in the same time as us."

"Do you have any idea where we are, Douglas? Or at least when we are?" Shan asked.

Doug shook his head, "Geographically, Shan, we're somewhere near the Massachusetts Academy, but the fact that Tarot and Jetstream don't recognize our surroundings is not a good sign as far as the when goes."

"The Academy?" Jetstream's eyes widened. "That is impossible. I've flown over the terrain for miles around and never seen anything like this."

Doug shrugged. "Say what you like, Haroun. 'Lock's sensors don't lie."

As if on cue, Warlock transformed his arm into the form of a large radar. It rotated twice, then stopped, pointing steadily behind the mutants.

"Alarm! Alarm!" Warlock cried as his eyes and mouth, contorted in an expression of terror, enlarged to triple their normal size. All four mutants spun to see what had spooked the alien.

Doug recognized the strange girl with the reddish sharp scales. She was crouching low to the ground in an animal like stance. Her eyes were fixed on their small group and never seemed to blink.

However, the strange looking girl was not the problem. Standing behind her, looking almost as startled as Doug and the others, was a group of youngsters, all of whom seemed to be within a few years of the New Mutants and Hellions present.

Doug quickly scanned the newcomers. All wore red uniforms, accented with large yellow boots and elbow pads. They wore a large "X" on their belts, but these were no X-Men Doug recognized. 'Could these be the X-Men of the future?' Doug thought, then quickly dismissed the idea. They were much too young, and besides, even if they were hundreds of years in the future the X-Men would never have a base at the Massachusetts Academy.

Individually, two of the adolescents stuck out immediately to Doug. One was the tallest member of the group who stood near the back. He wore the standard uniform, but where his mouth, neck and chest should be, was what Doug could only describe as a large, gaping hole. What made the sight even more disturbing was the bright, glowing energy that seemed to almost ooze out of the cavity.

The other was a short male who stood in front. This one's skin was an odd tinge of gray, making him look sickly. However, the strangest thing about him was not his curious color, but the fact that he seemed to have too much skin! Extra layers seemed to drip off his body, and while his hands seemed to be of normal size, his fingers were exceptionally long.

The rest of the group was relatively normal looking: A pretty girl with straight, long blond hair that reached to her waist, A well-built, young black male with a shaved head, A smaller oriental girl with short, dark hair, and a beautiful dark skinned young woman with long, lavish black hair.

"Yo, hombres," called the one with the skin, "You mind telling us who you are and what you're doin' here?"

The oriental girl folded her arms and looked the group up and down. "Looks like everyone thinks they can be X-Men nowadays." She quipped, obviously remarking on Shan and Doug's uniforms.

Doug breathed a sigh of relief at her remark. Despite the tension, these kids had obviously heard of the X-Men, and Doug figured that since they wore big X's on their uniforms, they at least had something in common.

Unfortunately, Jetstream didn't quite see it that way. "And who exactly are you?" The Arab mutant called back, obviously irritated by this new bunch of youngsters. Suddenly, Doug could see this whole situation was heading quickly out of control. He nudged the Hellion, "Haroun," he whispered, "Don't start anything. They could be..."

Doug was cut off by Gray-skin's reply, "Oh, you're a big tough guy in that purple uniform, huh?" That did it.

Jetstream ignited his mutant power and took off into the air. He was headed straight for the group of youngsters, all of whom stood frozen staring at the oncoming Arab. It was Shan who reacted the quickest, jumping to the front.

"Do not worry, Douglas, I will possess him," she said, but before she could concentrate enough to activate her mutant ability to take over another's mind, the young Chinese girl was in front of her.

"You'll possess nobody, bimbo!" She called, and suddenly brilliant sparks of all different colors exploded from her fingertips, taking Karma totally by surprise. The force of her attack knocked Shan hard to the ground.

That was all Warlock had to see. His teammate had been felled, and he was ready to retaliate. In a split second the techno-organic shapeshifter had taken the form of a huge 18-wheeler, easily 30 feet long. 'Lock's engines revved, as his face, twisted in an upset scowl, appeared on the windshield. Doug shook his head in disbelief as he thought back to the episode of "Transformers" he and Warlock had watched a few afternoons ago. 'Lock's current truck form was the spitting image of the "Autobot" leader, Optimus Prime.

"Self-friends, Roll out!" Warlock yelled, then accelerated towards the red-clad youngsters. Amazed, the members of this new group of mutants scattered in all directions.

Doug ran to Shan's side, realizing this was now a full fledged fight. The Vietnamese girl was lying still on the ground where she had fallen.

"Karma? Karma!?" Doug shook her. "Shan, you okay?"

In response, Shan groaned, and tried to blink. Still blinded and stunned by the girl's attack, she raised a hand to rub her forehead.

Doug breathed a sigh of relief, 'At least she's okay.' Looking around he saw full fledged mayhem. Tarot was furiously pulling image after image from her cards, but as fast as she could bring the creatures to life, they were being dispatched by the dark skinned girl (who was flying) and the weird looking fellow with half a chest.

Doug looked up to see Jetstream fly by overhead. He and the one with the skin were tangled up in an all out brawl. The gray-skinned teen was doing his best impersonation of the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards, as he had his large fingers stretched out and wrapped around Haroun several times. The Hellion was struggling mightily just to stay in the air, and the fact that Gray-Skin had Haroun's face almost completely covered was not making it any easier for him.

After a few seconds, Jetstream managed to pull his arm free. Twisting a bit in mid-air, the Hellion was able to situate himself so that his cybernetic jet-pack, implanted by the Hellfire Club to enhance the young Arab's mutant ability, was positioned right above Gray-Skin's face. Speeding upward, Jetstream caused a blast of burning air and smoke to bombard the mutant. With a yelp of pain, Gray-Skin released his hold on Haroun and plummeted to the ground. With a loud thud the red-clad mutant landed on the hard earth, only a few feet from where his black teammate with the shaved head had been watching.

As soon as the falling teen landed, Doug noticed a strange reaction in the young black man. An aura seemed to surround him, made up of all the colors of the rainbow. As the brilliant waves of color swirled around him, the teen's appearance changed as well. Within a few seconds, his skin had grown too large for his body! Doug blinked in confusion as he looked at the two members of the opposing team, and realized the one had seemed to imitate the power of the other.

Not noticing what had happened, Haroun swooped down from the sky and grabbed the black teen, carrying him into the air. He didn't get far, however, as the aura surrounded the newcomer once again. One minute later, the unidentified mutant blasted his way out of Haroun's grip, flying through the air with the aid of Jetstream's own mutant power. Doug actually had to stifle a smile as noticed the look of stunned disbelief on the Arab's face.

A loud yelp caused Doug to spin to his left, where he noticed that Warlock had "transformed" into a large robot, and was alternately chasing and being chased by the oriental girl who had blasted Shan, and an eerie looking feminine figure that seemed to be made out of rock. Doug took a split second to wonder where the rock girl had come from, then, realizing that Warlock had the situation under control, turned back to tend to Shan.

The eldest of the New Mutants was sitting up, still rubbing her head. She still seemed a bit dazed, but Doug knew that he was not going to be able to stop this fight without Karma's aid.

"Shan? Wake up, will ya?" Doug urged.

The sound of someone landing beside him caused Doug to turn. There was the young power duplicator, standing about 10 feet from the New Mutants and looking confident.

'He must have taken out Jetstream already,' Doug thought, 'and Shan's still out of it.' Doug glanced around looking for the cavalry, but saw nobody. He gulped loudly. 'Nice knowing you, world.'

Everett Thomas felt the flying power begin to drain from his body. 'Too bad' he thought. 'That was awesome! Mutants who can fly never realize how lucky they really are.' He had had little problem defeating the Arab once he had "Synched" with his power. When the flying kid had seen Everett using his own power against him, he had been too stunned to do much at all.

Now Everett stood facing the blond boy. He was obviously a mutant too, because Ev could feel his own power begin to kick in. As "Synch" Ev had the power to pretty much copy any mutant ability he ran across. It was only temporary, but it was an amazing feeling. Ev had soared through the air on Banshee's sonic scream, seen into another's mind with the power of the White Queen, even stepped out of his own skin like his teammate, Husk. Plus, he could be your normal, everyday teenager when he was alone. Ev wouldn't trade his power for anything in the world.

It took only a matter of seconds, usually for his body to get in "synch" with another mutant's abilities. He felt his own aura appear and alter itself around him. Soon, he would defeat this intruder by using his own mutant power against him. Ev smiled, wondering what great new ability he would gain this time. Maybe blasts of energy from his hands? Or maybe super-powerful telekinesis?

After a moment or two, Ev began to worry. Nothing about his body or mind had changed. This had never happened to him before. Was his power failing? What a time for this to happen! 'Not now,' he thought. 'Please, not now.'

Doug watched the black teen in front of him. As Cypher, Doug had the ability to intuitively translate any language or code he ran up against. One of the more interesting aspects of that power was the way Doug could "read" another's body language. By watching someone's actions, Doug could tell pretty accurately what they were thinking or feeling at that particular moment.

He didn't need that power to tell that the young man facing him was scared stiff.

When the teen had first landed, Doug had sensed nothing but confidence oozing from him. He had been sure he had Doug and Shan beaten. However, now that wasn't so. The teen's expression had gone from confident, to downright panicked.

"Your power's to copy someone else's mutant ability, right?" Doug asked the boy, trying to buy some more time for Shan to recover.

The black teen looked at him, and hesitated before he answered. "Yes, I...You are a mutant, aren't you?"

Doug looked confused for a second, then smiled a bit as realization dawned on him. The teen had copied Doug's power, but couldn't understand why nothing had happened to him. 'Wow,' Doug thought. 'What do you know? My quiet power just saved my butt!'

"*I am a mutant,*" Doug spoke Latin. "*But my power's not too flashy.*"

The black teen nodded and let out a sigh of relief. The boy had definitely understood what Cypher had said.

Doug smiled at him. Maybe this wasn't going to turn into World War III after all. This guy didn't seem like the cold blooded killer type. 'Heck,' Doug thought. 'These future X-Folks might even be able to help us get home!'

Doug was about to open his mouth and ask just that when he was interrupted by the sound of Warlock, in the form of a small rocket ship, landing loudly by Doug and Shan's side.

"Apprehension!Trepidation!" Warlock said as he landed. "Friend-Doug and Friend-Shan are in danger. Self must protect Self's Teammate-Friends!"

The black teen stared in disbelief as Warlock shifted forms from a rocket ship to a thick brick wall placed strategically in front of the New Mutants.

"Warlock, Its okay," Doug tried to calm the alien. "We were just talking."

Before Warlock could answer, the two girls he had been battling ran up to join their teammate. Both females, the short Chinese girl who had blasted Karma and the blond girl with the rock skin, were bickering loudly.

"I would have had him if you hadn't gotten in the way, Husk!" The Chinese girl was saying.

"Jubilee, y'all blasted me right in the back!" Husk shot back.

The two continued to argue as Doug tried to soothe Warlock out of his latest panic. After he had gotten the alien calmed down, Doug reached down to help Shan to her feet.

"You feeling better, Shan?" Doug asked.

"Oui, Douglas," Shan answered. "Merci."

Shan started to brush herself off as "Husk" and "Jubilee" continued to argue. Suddenly, Jubilee raised her voice and shouted at her teammate.

"Look, Guthrie, drop it, already!"

Doug and Shan stared at her as their faces went white. The two New Mutants looked to each other, then back to the blond girl, who had regained her human form. Did they call her Guthrie?

"What...?" The one called Husk said quietly as the two newcomers stared at her.

"Your name is Guthrie?" Shan asked. "As in Samuel Guthrie?"

Now it was the blonde girl's turn to stare. "How do you guys know my brother?" Husk asked warily.

Doug was floored. Sam was her brother? He had seen pictures of Sam's family and heard tons of stories about all of them. This girl had to be 15 or 16 years old, much to old to be any of Sam's sisters.

'So its true,' Doug realized. 'We are in the future.'

He looked again at the girl and tried to remember the names of Sam's siblings. "JoBeth?" He tried.

At the mention of her sister, the blonde's face paled. "No...I'm Paige." She said quietly.

'Paige?!' Doug thought. From Sam's stories, Doug knew Paige was no older than 10 years old. That meant Illyana had tossed them a good 5 years forward in time! These kids weren't some X-Men of the distant future, they were more like the next generation of New Mutants!

"Well, so you guys know the Guthrie clan," Jubilee snapped. "You still haven't told us who you are."

Shan swallowed hard, obviously realizing the same thing Doug had. "We are the New Mutants, surely you recognize us?"

Before anyone could answer, another voice cut into the conversation. "What is going on out here?" asked the stern voice of Emma Frost, the White Queen.

All the children turned to see Frost standing there, hands upon hips, staring at them. The first thing Doug noticed was that she was dressed a bit more conservatively than he remembered.

Paige, obviously disturbed by the day's events, broke into a run toward the White Queen. She reached Frost's side at exactly the same time as another girl who had appeared out of the trees.

"Miss Frost!" Paige cried, at the same time that Marie-Ange shouted, "Headmistress!"

"You'll never believe..." "Thank goodness you are here!" The girls words jumbled together until they paused and stared at each other.

Frost just looked back and forth at the two girls, a look of complete astonishment on her face.

"Headmistress, Are you okay?" Jetstream asked cautiously, walking up from behind her.

Frost spun to face Haroun, and stared into his eyes for a moment without answering. Then, Emma Frost, White Queen of the prestigious Hellfire Club, mutant telepath, and owner of one of the strongest minds on the planet, fainted dead away. To be continued....