The metal fist of Paige Guthrie shatters the jaw of a human boy. Another student tackles her from behind. The arm of Angelo Espinosa wraps around the student's face and pulls him away from Paige. Angelo flings the student against the wall. He concentrates on the skin that extends from his fingers, and the tips shift into small balls, as his fingers extend and become more rope-like. He swings around the small bola he's fashioned and smacks an oncoming student with it.

"This was not the plan," says Monet. A student tries to swing at her with a bat from behind. Without turning to look at him, she gribs the bat and shatters it. Then she grabs the student and throws him a good twenty feet.

"Well boo-hoo," says Jubilee, a pair of sunglasses shielding her eyes. Pyrotechnics explode from her fingertips and blind many of the students in the group. "I've been waiting to hit someone ever since this mess started."

With his ability to synchronize and take on the abilities of any mutants in the immediate vicinity, Ev is possibly the most powerful of his friends. He tears the skin from his forearms to reveal stone beneath. He takes to the air, avoiding the blows of many of the students. The stone arms extend and he uses them to fend off the students, thanks to the extra reach provided by Angelo's powers.

"Y'know, this is kinda cool actually," says Ev. "I should have figured out that I could synch with more than one mutant a long time ago. Probably would have helped against Sentinels or Emplate."

"Yeah yeah, whatever," mutters Jubilee. "Show-off."

"Look who's talking," says Angelo. "You're just upset 'cuz he's stealing your spotlight."

"Blah blah blah," says Jubilee. "I can't heeeear you!"

The faculty and staff of Snow Valley High School are split. Some of them are attempting to break the rioting, but others are joining in. Some of them turn on each other, others head for the exits.

"This isn't good," says Paige.

A high-pitched noise is heard as windows shatter. Everyone present covers their ears in pain in a futile attempt to block out the sound. Sean Cassidy stands as the source of the sound, and he closes his mouth. His arms are folded across his chest, and he just smirks at the crowd.

"Come on, let's see what the lot o' yeh got," he says.

Rioters start to approach Sean, but he doesn't move. He stands his ground, and he glances over to his former students to see that they're already going for cover. He inhales deeply and braces himself as he unleashes a massive sonic blast from his mouth that causes the rioters to fall back.

"This has to stop..." one of the teachers mutters. She slinks back into a classroom and picks up the phone. She's about to dial 911, when she freezes in place. The rioters all freeze as well, and the only people left standing are Sean and his former students.

"Hardcore, Banshee," says Jubilee. "I didn't know you could paralyze people."

"Wasn't me, lass," says Sean.

"It was me."

Jonothon Starsmore stands in the doorway of the school, the bindings from his chest gone, revealing the furnace of psionic energy that composes his chest and mouth.

"Getting better with your psionic powers?" asks Sean.

"I've been practicing little by little," replies Jono.

"So what now?" asks Ev. "Does this mean we have to enroll in another school?"

"Damn, I go through schools like most people go through shoes," mutters Jubilee. "What are we gonna do?"

"Mr. Cassidy, didn't you say Ms. Frost is still around?" asks Paige.

"Aye, the superintendent."

"Maybe she can help us," says Paige.

"I like that idea," says Monet. "Let's go pay a visit to Emma."

"I know what yeh're gettin' at," says Sean. "I'll drive."

The young woman called Penance sits perched in a tree on the front lawn of Emma Frost. Through a window, she watches Emma with great intent and curiosity. She watches as Emma speaks on the phone and shuffle papers in her hands.

Penance wonders how Emma is able to go through this daily routine. She wonders how Emma can touch or hold objects without cutting them to pieces. Penance looks at the hand she holds against the tree to steady herself, and she notices the gashes in the wood.

She watches Emma again, and she begins to relax slightly, her usual high level of alert lessens as she watches. As she stares at Emma, her hair begins to soften, and fall below her shoulders. Her skintone begins to lighten, becoming a pinkish color as opposed to the usual crimson. Her fingers seen to shrink down, and her hollow, cyan eyes revert to gentle, human ones. She looks down at her fingers in surprise and examines them for a moment. She opens her mouth as if she plans to say something...

A noise suddenly startles her. Instantly, she reverts back to her diamond form as she hears a car approaching. She looks to the street and sees a van parked there. The occupants of the van exit, and she recognizes them all. All of them were with her at the Massachusettes Academy. Her eyes follow them as they knock on the front door of the house. She looks back towards Emma through the window, and sees the former White Queen staring at her.

Penance leaps from her spot in the tree, and moves over to her former teammates. She approaches them, but then... she seems to fight it. She lifts her clawed hand and moves forward slightly, then jams the claw in the ground.

"St—"

The sound that comes from her mouth alerts the students and Sean, who turn to face her.

"Penny...?" asks Jubilee.

"St—stay away..." replies Penance.

The first words her friends have ever heard her speak.

"It's okay, Penny," says Jubilee, slowly approaching. "We're not gonna hurt you."

"Step away from her, Jubilee," says Monet. "Now."

"I know you're all stone-cold bitch, M, but just chill," says Jubilee. "She's still our friend."

"Not right now she isn't," says Monet. "Emma has taken over her mind."

"Emma's controlling her?" says Jono. "Then, that means..."

Sean utters a low growl before opening his mouth wide and blasting the door to splinters with his sonic scream. He steps into the house, fury in his eyes.

"She's behind this," he says, reaching inside his coat for his handgun. "How could I be so daft?"

A gunshot rings out.

The young mutants crowd around the door to see a person lying on the floor.

Sean Cassidy.

Shot in the ribs.

"I can't move..." says Paige.

"Me neither," says Jubilee. "What's going on?"

Emma Frost steps into view, a gun in her hand.

"I hope you're happy, you ungrateful little urchins," she says. "You've ruined everything."

"What are you talking about?" asks Ev. "What's this all about?"

"I was doing it for the school," replies Emma. "With you children enrolled there, I knew I would have to get you out somehow. I took control of Penance and had her eliminate certain anti-mutant principals. This would stir things up and parents would worry for the safety of their children. I was going to manipulate the schoolboard into raising tuition, for increased security. The money would have gone to me, and before long, I would have enough to rebuild Frost Enterprises and reopen the Academy."

"That's such crap!" exclaims Jubilee. "You used us! You manipulated people, you toyed with our lives!"

"Right you are, Jubilation," says Emma. "But it was for your own good. Your reputations may be ruined here, but I've grown tired of Snow Valley. The Academy will be able to flourish elsewhere. Perhaps somewhere tropical?"

"And you convinced Cassidy that you had nothing to do with this," says Monet.

"A subtle psionic suggestion, combined with having Penance stage a faux attack on my home," says Emma. "I hadn't counted on Sean gaining a government position. Either way, he outlived his usefulness."

"You didn't count on one thing, Miss Frost," says Ev.

"And what would that be, Mr. Thomas?" asks Emma.

"Me," he replies. "While you've been running off at the mouth, I've been slowly expanding my aura."

"Expand all you like, child," says Emma. "Unless you are able to synchronize with Xavier from beyond the grave, you won't be able to overpower me with my own abilities."

"Who says I was just using your abilities, Emma?" asks Ev. "I found out how to synch with more than one mutant. That means your talents, combined with Jono's, Monet's, and Jubilee's latent ones."

"Oh dear..." mutters Emma, as a psionic backlash washes over her, causing her to lose control over her former students.

"Game over, teach," says Ev. "Monet, grab Sean. Fly him to the nearest hospital."

"Won't you need my help?" asks Monet.

"We'll make due," replies Ev.

Monet nods and rushes to Sean's side. She lifts him off and takes to the air. Emma looks at her former charges, and then she glances to Penance. The diamond mutant tries to stop herself, then moves towards the students with her claws bared.

"You guys grab Emma," says Paige. She tears her skin off, revealing a diamond form beneath. "I'll deal with Penance."

Penance lunges at Paige, but her claws fail to cut into Paige's skin. Penance is shocked when no blood comes out, and tries for another shot. This time, Paige slams her fist against Penance's face, sending the mute girl reeling in pain. Paige moves in for another strike, this time slamming into Penance with all the force she can muster. Penance tries once more to claw at Paige, but Paige blocks, and Penance's finger scrapes against it.

Emma watches the two, and decides to end this. She attempts to enter their minds, but finds that she is blocked out for some strange reason. She reaches inside her pocket and pulls out a shining bullet, one which she loads into the gun. A failsafe should Penance get out of hand.

"What's she doing?" asks Angelo.

"Stop her!" exclaims Jono.

Before any of them can make a move, Emma pulls the trigger. The bullet cuts through the air, yet Paige kicks Penance off her and stands. Instead of the intended target, the bullet strikes Paige in her chest.

She gasps.

Her eyes go wide with shock.

Her hand goes to her chest as she falls to her knees.

Then, her body falls limp against the ground.

"PAIGE!" exclaims Jono. He rushes to her side and performs a psi-scan. "C'mon luv, stay with me..."

He tries to use his psionic powers to keep her brain alive, but instead, he feels her slip away. Out of his grip.

"No..."

He clenches his eyes and fears tears begin to well up in them, and then he looks at Penance. His bio-furnace seems to flare up slightly, and Penance finds her thoughts clear once more. She looks down at Paige, and recalls what happens, and then she looks at Emma.

Penance leaps over Jono and the fallen Paige and darts past Jubilee, Ev, and Angelo. She knocks the gun from Emma's hand, and then drives her claws inside Emma's abdomen. The scrape Penance received earlier from Paige left her DNA exposed. That DNA mixes with Emma's, and a change occurs. Once Penance removes her claws from Emma, Emma falls to her knees and gasps for breath. She feels herself becoming colder, and she notices the sunlight shining off her body.

Her diamond body.

"What?" she asks. She attempts to use her telepathy but finds she cannot. She tries to revert back to flesh and blood, but still, nothing.

"Now we can finally see what she's like on the inside..." mutters Angelo.

Jono walks past them, Paige's body laying limp in his arms. He looks down at Emma, and she looks up at him.

"Congratulations, Emma," he says. "Was it worth it?"

Jono turns away from her in disgust and walks back towards the van. The others don't even give Emma a second glance as they follow. Not even Penance.

Therefore, not one of them witnesses a tear fall from her eyes.