New Mutants Vol 1 #004

Professor X reveals his true motives for re-opening his School for Gifted Youngsters! And with Stevie Hunter’s life being threatened, the New Mutants are on the case!

Stevie Hunter has been receiving mysterious and threatening phone calls. Karma over heard the latest call and suggested calling the police, but Stevie said they still wouldn’t be able to do anything. Stevie then sent Karma back to Xavier’s while she saw to her next dance student, Peter Bristow.

Back at the mansion the other New Mutants were playing frisbee in the snow, when they are called inside by the Professor’s telepathic message. In his study Professor Xavier apologized for what happened with the Brood Queen inside him. He admitted that he collected them together as part of the Brood’s plan to use them as genetically superior hosts. He then stated that he would continue to teach them if they wished to stay.

Moved by his speech, Psyche spoke for the team saying that they wanted to stay. However, the Professor could see that Karma was distressed and she revealed Stevie’s problem with the crank caller. Despite Psyche continuing to challenge him, the Professor agreed that they could help if they approached the situation tactically.

Sunspot creates a phone tap and installed it in Stevie’s phone. After waiting for hours Stevie received another crank call. The phone tap provided the number and location of the phone booth used to make the calls. Out on the street Wolfsbane choked on the scent of urine in the public phone booth before she followed the caller’s scent to the local high school dance.

While watching outside Wolfsbane detects the fear in a emanating from a student and Stevie realizes that it’s her student Peter Bristow. Peter tries to run, and Wolfsbane smashes through the window chasing him causing chaos in the dance. Peter drives away, and the New Mutants give chase. Cannonball manages to save a mother and child from getting hit by Peter’s speeding car, managing to safely turn and then set them down with some telepathic coaching from Professor X.

Peter loses control and crashes his car on a site marked ‘Danger: Blasting’, and a fire ignites. Sunspot discovers a cache of stored explosives inside the build and telepathically informs the Professor who alerts the rest of the team about the need to evacuate. They then locate Peter & Wolfsbane, and Karma possesses Peter to stop him from beating Wolfsbane with a bar. Cannonball then crashes through the building, creating an escape route, and Sunspot held the crumbling roof up long enough for everyone to safely escape.

Back at Stevie’s apartment Peter refuses to talk. The Professor admitted that the boy was too frightened to telepathically probe, prompting Psyche to willingly use her powers. At first she showed an image of Peter kissing Stevie, but probing further reveals the image of his parents beating him with a leather belt.

Ashamed, Peter lunged at Psyche, but Karma restrained him. However his sweater tore in the scuffle showing the bruises and lacerations on Peter’s back. Emotionally broken down, he confessed that he was ashamed of his love for Stevie, but still wanted her to love him back. However, he grew frustrated as she hadn’t punished him like his parents had done as a sign of their love. He burst into tears and Stevie embraced the distraught young man.

Xavier telepathically wipes Peter’s mind of the New Mutants’ secret identities. An ambulance takes Peter away to receive psychiatric care, and the Professor informs everyone that Child Welfare has been called. Although the New Mutants had done a good job, the Professor still demanded a written report from each of them about what they had done right & wrong.

Notes:

• The cover is a homage to the cover of Baffling Mysteries #7.
• This follows on from events in The Uncanny X-Men #167.