What has come before: The New Mutants accompanied Magneto to a party at the Hellfire Club and mingled with the Hellions. Inevitably the two teams wound up at each others throats and fought it out in the Danger Room. However, when the White Queen attempted to control Magik's mind, Illyana inadvertently sent the teams hurtling through time. In the past, One group fought off the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants before coming face to face with the Original X-Men themselves. Flung five years into the future, another crew battled it out with the current members of Generation X. As for the others...

Unlike her teammates, Dani had a few accessories to her team "uniform" that marked her distinct heritage. The boots were one. Made of the softest leather she had ever felt, Dani fondly remembered the day that her grandfather, the Cheyenne shaman, Black Eagle, had crafted them for her. They were certainly coming in handy here, as the leather was much more comfortable than the synthetic bright yellow boots the rest of the New Mutants wore. Well, at least to Dani it was.

The other token she wore was a belt, made up of bright, interlocking blue discs. The belt had been made by her grandmother, and given to Dani not a month before the old woman had passed away. Wearing it meant that Mirage was the only New Mutant, or X-Man for that matter, that didn't showcase the "X" emblem proudly on her uniform, but that didn't matter to Dani. _She_ knew what she was, and that was the important thing. She told anybody who asked that these deviations in uniform were her way of keeping her Native American heritage alive, but thinking back now, she had to wonder if it wasn't just the last, fleeting streaks of rebellion from a rapidly maturing young woman.

As Dani pushed a branch aside, she looked around at her two companions. On one side of her, a large red wolf loped along gracefully. On the other, an oversized purplish cat kept pace just as easily. Wolfsbane and Catseye were mutants with very similar powers, but radically different backgrounds and allegiances. Rahne Sinclair had been brought up by the ultra-conservative and religious Revered Craig, who taught her to fear her developing mutant ability as a curse from the devil. Sharon Smith, on the other hand, had spent most of her life in her feline form. In fact, she had embraced it, spending her days scrounging the city streets for food, and not giving a second thought to the problems of the humans around her.

Looking at both of them in turn, Dani wondered, not for the first time, how Rahne and Sharon remained friends despite all the tensions and hostility between their two teams. However, one more look at Rahne, and Dani had her answer. The two metamorphs shared an innocence that was unmatched by anyone, human or mutant, that Dani had ever met. Losing herself in her thoughts, the young Cheyenne began to think about how wonderful it would be if she, too, could ignore the politics of the oft warring mutant groups and get close with one of Sharon's teammates. After all, the particular Hellion she had in mind definitely wasn't evil...

*Dani?* Rahne's thoughts through their mind link jolted Dani back to the present. *What are we e'er goin' to do? Och! Is there no end to this wood?*

Dani sighed and glanced at her surroundings. Rahne was right, not so much as a clearing as far as the eye could see. It had been almost a full day since the three of them had materialized here via Illyana's stepping disk without a clue as to their whereabouts. Dani had figured if they walked long enough in one direction, they were bound to find the end of this woodland. Now, however, night was approaching, and the three mutants were still as lost as ever.

*Don't worry, Furtop.* Dani sent back to her youngest teammate, trying to sound positive. *We've been in worse jams.*

The three girls walked a bit further, continuing to fight their way through the thick underbrush. Dani wiped the sweat from her brow and looked up at the swiftly setting sun. Suddenly, her ears picked up a small sound, like a twig breaking, or dead leaves being stepped on. Dani looked swiftly around, but saw nothing. What was that?

A quick glance at her companions told Dani they had heard it too. Rahne's big furry ears were standing straight up, and she sniffed the air cautiously. Sharon stared silently in the direction of the noise, her keen purple eyes boring into the shadowy evening. One more quick sniff, and the Rahne-wolf was off, running at full speed toward the sound's origin point.

"Rahne!" Dani shouted in alarm. What was that girl doing?

*Dinnae worry, Dani!* Rahne's unspoken thoughts echoed into her head. The she-wolf dodged trees for about 50 yards, before stopping. At first, all Dani could see in the dusky night was a pair of eyes that seemed to be floating in the dark, not a foot in front of Wolfsbane. Then Rahne, tail wagging, transformed into her half wolf-half girl form, and threw her arms around the dark figure the eyes belonged to. Looking closer, Dani finally recognized Roberto DaCosta smiling at Rahne in his powered up jet-black Sunspot incarnation.

"Bobby!" Dani yelled in delight, thrilled to see a familiar face. She took a step in his direction to greet her teammate, and was cut off by a large man stepping out from behind a tree directly into her path.

"Don't forget me, Little Cheyenne." The man said. Startled, Dani looked up and recognized the smug face of the Hellion leader, James Proudstar.

"Thunderbird?!" Dani exclaimed in shock. James was here, too? She felt her face flush with excitement at seeing him. Quickly, though, her smile faded along with her schoolgirl giddiness and another emotion took its place. "Have you been following us along?" she demanded angrily.

"Only for the last hour or so," Bobby smiled, walking over to the group with Rahne, still in her transitional state, at his side. Roberto had released the solar energy stored within his cells, and was back to his normal, handsome self. "Jimmy wanted to see how long until you noticed us."

"Of course, we had to stay far enough away that neither Wolfsbane nor Catseye would catch out scent," James answered as Sharon, still in her feline form, curled around his leg, purring. "We could have stayed hidden longer, too, if Sunspot hadn't tripped that branch." James looked over at the other boy. "But overall, that wasn't bad at all for your first hunt, Bobby."

Sunspot smiled at the compliment, as both Rahne and Dani gave him the evil eye.

"Och, Bobby! We are lost here and yuir playin' games!" Rahne spat, looking hurt.

"We Hellions don't have a Danger Room, Wolfsbane," James retorted. "We're taught to take advantage of whatever opportunity we have to train with our abilities, and that's exactly what Sunspot and I did. This is real life, not one of your computer simulations. Deal with it."

Dani was upset, too, but more at herself than at James and 'Berto. How could she have missed them? She had been trained as a tracker herself, long before joining the New Mutants. If she hadn't been so preoccupied with finding a way through the forest, Dani was confident she would have never been taken by surprise like that.

"What about the others, Thunderbird? Have you tailed anyone else today?" Dani couldn't resist getting in one shot at her rival.

James raised at an eyebrow at her but refused to bite. "No, Mirage. As far as Sunspot and I saw, we five are the only ones lost here, wherever here is."

Dani looked around as the sound of birds chirping broke the silence of the evening. "That's the real question, isn't it?"

"We'll stop here and camp for the night." James said, stopping suddenly in a mini-clearing. Dani thought about arguing, after all, she was the New Mutants field leader. Where did Thunderbird get off making all the decisions? However, as she watched Bobby and Rahne wearily drop to the ground, she decided to hold her tongue, realizing for the first time all day how tired she really was.

"Yes, this looks good," Dani answered, not willing to give up all authority. "We'll sleep in shifts, Sunspot, you've got first watch."

Roberto glared at her, "Aww, Dani..." he began, but Mirage quickly cut him off. "Not a word, Bobby! That's what you get for pulling that stunt earlier today. Thunderbird can get away with that crap if he wants, but last time I checked you were still a New Mutant, not a Hellion, and that means you answer to me."

'Berto shook his head, but he knew better than to argue with Mirage when she put her foot down. Silently, he propped himself up against a rock, and resigned himself to at least a few more hours without sleep.

The sounds of her stomach grumbling brought Dani back to the present. They had passed a river sometime yesterday afternoon, so thirst wasn't a problem yet, but she hadn't eaten for almost a full day now. Making that her top priority, she decided it was time to wake the others. Dani sighed as she stood from the log she had been sitting on, and turned around. There, only inches from her throat, was the barrel of a large rifle.

Dani gasped as she looked at her attacker. He was a young man, not much older than she. His dress suggested he was some sort of outlaw: Leather trousers and boots, and a green vest worn over a bare chest. He was dark skinned, just a shade darker than Bobby, and wore a scowl that told Dani he didn't appreciate her presence.

The Cheyenne mutant contemplated reaching into the man's mind and finding out a bit more about him, like what he feared most in life, but decided against it when she realized he wasn't alone. There were maybe 15 of them in all, different races and ages, women too, all armed. They seemed to melt out of the morning shadows, and suddenly they were surrounding the young mutants.

Dani watched as her companions were woken up. Rahne looked terrified, Bobby downright angry, but taking their lead from her, neither raised a finger. Thunderbird's face revealed nothing, as he slowly got to his feet. Sharon looked ready to pounce, but one look from James, and she relaxed, staring curiously at their captives, her head tilted in a feline manner.

"Who are you?" Dani asked finally, as the young black man began to herd her over toward the others. "We don't mean any harm to you. What are you doing?" She asked angrily.

"You're full of questions, aren't you," her captive said gruffly. "Given the circumstances, I think its you that had better start answering."

Before Dani or any of the mutants could say anything, another man entered into the clearing. He walked with an air of confidence, and from the way the others all looked at him, Dani could tell he was important. He was young, maybe a few years older than Shan, but tall. Shirtless, his well-built shoulders and chest were obvious, but though Dani couldn't help but notice the man's muscles, they weren't what grabbed her attention.

What stuck out most about the young man was his right arm. It seemed to be entirely made out of metal! Dani had heard of people getting cybernetic implants, but this man did not move like a robot. It was almost as if the metal was alive. He even clutched a futuristic rifle in his steel hand.

The newcomer surveyed the scene, and as he turned his head, Dani noticed something else odd. His hair was brown and shaggy, but one white streak ran from his scalp all the way to his chin. As he noticed Danielle's stare, he met her gaze and looked deep into her brown eyes. As Dani watched, captivated, his right eye began to glow, giving off an eerie yellow light. 'This man is no ordinary stranger,' Dani thought.

"Nathan," The black man turned to face the newcomer. "We captured them all, without even a battle," he bragged.

"I'm afraid these aren't the intruders we've been searching for Tetherblood." Nathan answered confidently, leaving not a trace of doubt that he could be wrong. "No, Stryfe's hunters are still out there somewhere."

The man called Tetherblood looked disappointed as he studied the New Mutants and Hellions. Realizing his captives weren't as hot as he had thought, he spoke up, "But then, who are these strangers? Surely they don't belong in Ebonshire."

"That is the mystery..." Nathan began, then a strange expression came over his face, like he was listening to something that wasn't quite there. He paused for a split second, as the others watched him closely. Suddenly he whirled and raised his weapon. "Watch out! Here they come!" he screamed.

As soon as Nathan had gotten the words out, the woods came alive. Hulking figures wearing shiny, futuristic armor and carrying strange weapons burst into the clearing. The outlaws that had been guarding the New Mutants and Hellions spun with looks of terror on their faces and, though heavily overmatched, began to engage the armored warriors in battle.

Dani's first thought was that they had been saved. The armored troops must have been some sort of intergalactic policemen, rescuing the youngsters from the evil brigands of this forest. Forgotten, the mutants watched, stunned for a moment, as the melee began.

Rahne was the first to act, switching to her transitional state and running up next to Danielle. "Dani, What are we t'do?" she asked. "Who do we help?"

Dani thought Rahne was crazy for even asking, but before she could answer, their attention was drawn to a young outlaw woman. Long blond hair flying behind her, the girl, she couldn't have been older than 17, let out a loud battle cry as she attacked one of the armored troops with a crude short blade. She swung hard at the soldier's midsection, but her sword clanged harmlessly off his iridescent green armor. The large man reached down and casually grabbed the girl's thin arm in his gauntlet, lifting the squealing girl off her feet. As she chopped futilely against his armored body, he raised his large rifle and pointed it directly at her head. The girl quieted as she stared into the barrel of the gun, death inches from her face.

"No!" It was Roberto, leaping onto the guard in his powered up solar form. Taken by surprise, the soldier dropped the girl and tried to raise his rifle to get a good shot at Sunspot. However, before he could pull the trigger, 'Berto ripped the gun from the man's hand and flung it deep into the forest. The super strong teen then effortlessly lifted the man, armor and all, and threw him hard against a large oak tree. The man's armor broke with an audible crack, and he lay, groaning, at the base of the tree.

*Dani*' Rahne sent to her through their psychic link, *That man was goin' to shoot her! Right there in cold blood!* The young werewolf was amazed by what she had seen. Despite her amazing powers, she was still barely thirteen, and the thought of murdering someone, even an enemy, was something she couldn't fathom.

*Guess they made our decision easy, Wolfsbane.* Dani sent back.

As the young scots girl leapt into the fray, growling like a mad dog, Dani heard James, screaming above the ruckus of the battle. "The outlaws! Help the outlaws!" the Apache yelled. Dani glanced over and met his gaze for a slpit second. She nodded silently to say she agreed with his decision. Jimmy flashed her a smile, then had to dodge quickly to avoid being hit by a laser blast.

Dani didn't have much time to reflect on Thunderbird, however, because as she turned, one of the large armored figures was upon her. Only her Danger Room training and her instincts saved her from being squashed by the soldier, who wielded some sort of energy axe.

Tumbling to one side, Mirage rolled, then sprang to her feet. As the soldier approached her, she reached out with her mutant power, entering the man's mind. 'Let's see what it is you guys want more than anything in life.' she thought, as she silently extracted the image of the trooper's greatest desire and projected it in front of him.

There, in between mutant Cheyenne and stormtrooper, appeared an image of the strange man, Nathan. The fact that the Outlaw leader figured so prominently in the soldier's mind didn't shock Dani, what did take her by surprise, however, was the brutality of the image. The man's greatest desire wasn't just Nathan; it was Nathan bound, gagged, bloodied, and generally beat to a pulp. 'What kind of monsters are these people?' Dani thought to herself.

The soldier was taken aback by the image, and before he could recover, Rahne and Sharon were on him. The two mutants, one feral, the other feline, tore armor with claws, and sunk sharp teeth into the open grooves. Dani watched without saying a word. Normally she wouldn't approve of the violence being used by the two girls, but after seeing this man's desire, she couldn't bring herself to stop it. Besides, Wolfsbane and Catseye would _never_ kill him, but Dani thought the soldier deserved a small taste of his own medicine.

Turning to watch the rest of the battle, the Dani noticed that the small outlaws were faring better than she had thought they would. A few of their number were down, and they were still greatly overmatched, but they fought fiercely and valiantly. The one called Nathan was battling three of the larger soldiers all by himself, and it looked to Dani like he was winning.

'I've got to stop this if I can,' Mirage thought to herself.

Concentrating, she tried to remember Xavier's training. With great focus, she could extend her power into the mind of more than one individual. Reaching out, she entered the heads of three of the nearest soldiers, this time looking for their greatest fear.

In the past when she'd used her power on more than one person at a time, each individual's separate fear would manifest as an independent illusion. This time she was surprised when the three soldier's greatest fears turned out to be identical. One large apparition appeared in the middle of the clearing.

When Dani first glanced at the illusion, she could have sworn that it was an image of Nathan, but as she looked closer, she realized that the man in the mirage had no metal arm. He also looked much angrier than Nathan had, but the resemblance was uncanny. 'Who is this?' Dani thought, watching the mirage. Even in an illusion, she could see the raw psychic power that surrounded him like a fire.

"You have failed me!" The image was screaming, "You have all failed me!"

One by one the soldiers caught sight of the image, and one by one each of them froze in terror. The outlaws looked on in stunned disbelief, some rising their weapons to fight this unexpected enemy, some just eyeing it curiously. Finally it was the troop's leader, halting his battle with Tetherblood, that acted first. The man who had led the soldiers into the battle, who had fought and massacred several of the stronger outlaws on this day, turned and ran from the image of this man. His hasty retreat into the woods was soon followed by his entire brigade, until Dani and the others were alone again with the surviving outlaws.

It was Tetherblood that broke the eerie silence, running over to his leader. "Nathan, what did you do?" he asked. "I've never seen you..."

"It wasn't me, Tetherblood." Nathan answered, turning his glance to Dani. Slowly the outlaw leader walked toward her.

"It was you that brought forth the image of the Chaos-Bringer, and drove them off." Nathan said. It was a statement, not a question.

Dani nodded. "They were cruel and vicious." She answered. There was silence for a moment. "So, what now?" Dani finally asked. "Are you planning on pointing your guns at us again?"

To her surprise, Nathan smiled. "I guess I should apologize for earlier. Although now that you have fought even a small sample of Stryfe's army you can understand our caution, and distrust of strangers."

"I guess." Dani agreed. "Do you mind telling us who you are, and for that matter _where_ we are?"

Nathan looked confused at Dani's second question. "You are in the fabled Ebonshire Forest. I am Nathan, also called the Askani-Son, and this is the Clan Chosen." He motioned to his surviving companions. "We are in your debt."

Dani nodded again, the words not meaning much to her other than they were _really_ lost. Silently she looked around to take stock of her companions. Rahne sat on a rock, back in human form. The young Scots girl wasn't paying much attention to Nathan's words. She silently looked around, absently petting Catseye, who sat in full feline form curled up by Rahne's feet. The Hellion purred happily. Either she was unaware of their predicament, or she just didn't care.

James stood next to Dani taking in the entire conversation. He had been amazing in the battle, taking on soldier after soldier. Dani spent an extra second looking at him. He wasn't even sweating.

Then there was Sunspot. Dani was proud of him. If it hadn't been for 'Berto's quick actions, that young rebel girl would have lost her life that day. Usually 'Berto's habit of leaping before he looked was a detriment to the team, but today it had saved a life. There was the girl he had saved. Breathing heavily and bruised, she sat against a tree as an older woman bandaged her wounds. She was hurt, but she was alive, thanks to Sunspot. And as for Bobby...

"Wait a minute," Dani said aloud. She stood up, looking frantically in every direction. 'No, It can't be,' she told herself. Finally, frustration mounting, she screamed aloud, "WHERE IS BOBBY?!"

New Mutants, Hellions and the Clan Chosen all got to their feet and searched the entire clearing. Tense seconds turned into minutes. Eventually they had to admit the truth. Roberto was missing.

He had just dispatched with the one trooper, when he had spotted another moving toward him. In a battle rage he had hurled his solar-powered body through the air. The soldier had swung his bulky rifle hard, catching 'Berto in the chest, and sending him flying into a large rock. He remembered hitting his head, hard, and then, nothing but blackness. How could he have been that stupid? As Sunspot, he was super strong, but not invulnerable. Dani was going to give him an earful.

But where was he now? It was dark, and his head hurt something awful.

Wait, what was that? Voices?

"...was a disaster!" Yes! Definitely voices.

"True, but we can turn it to our advantage. You must trust me." That one was an elderly woman. What was she talking about?

"Trust you?!" a male, young and strong by the sound of his voice. The same one that had spoken before. "Sanctity, I've trusted you too many times already..."

"You will not be disappointed this time," the one called Sanctity answered. "That one has far more power than he knows. His potential is infinite, and his mind is weak."

Roberto listened intently. Who were they talking about? Surely not him.

The other one sighed. "Do what you will with him, Sanctity. I only want Cable and the Clan Chosen captured, and put to death before my very eyes."

"It will happen, My Lord." Sanctity answered. "This one will be my greatest success."

Somehow Roberto got the feeling he was in trouble.

To Be Continued...

Archiver's Note: The HTML work in this chapter was done by Belle.