Having lost her power due to the Neutralizer, the now suicidal and depressed Storm has been taken in by Forge, who tries to help her come to terms with her loss. Ororo responds with self-pity until his harsh comments, as well as the fact that he suffered a similar loss in the Vietnam War, slowly snaps her out of it. As they spend time together, they start to become interested in each other and Ororo reveals much of herself, though Forge doesn’t seem to be able to reciprocate. When she inadvertently eavesdrops on a phone conversation he has with Agent Gyrich, Ororo learns that Forge created the weapon that stole her powers. Angrily, she first tries to flee, then confronts him, considering him a monster and, when she learns he is a mutant, a traitor. She finally vows she will never become as hollow as he and leaves. In the meantime, Xavier has had no success finding Storm with Cerebro and now decides to look for Rogue, hoping she can tell the X-Men what happened to Storm. Dr. Valerie Cooper is attacked by Dire Wraiths, who mean to kill and replace her, but is saved by Rogue who wants to learn what happened to Storm. When she does, she realizes she needs the X-Men’s help to save Storm.

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