"This is NOT how ah wanted t' spend mah weekend!!" Rogue exclaimed, as she dodged the flame blast.

The source of the blast was a new ally of Fabian Cortez. A mutant with fire-based powers named Thunderbird.

"Your day has come, X-Men!!" Cortez exclaimed, as he directed his mutant ability at Thunderbird, boosting his powers!!

Flames began to crackle around the young mutant, rising all around him. The energy directed into his hands, and he released it at the newly-formed X-Men team!!

"GET BEHIND ME!!!" Bishop ordered, standing before the team he now led, his arms outstretched as the searing hot energy struck him.

The time-lost X-Man's mutant ability to absorb and rechannel energy took in every ounce of the flames, energy beginning to crackle in his hands as it flowed through his body. His eyes glowed brightly, the energy getting to the point where he could barely contain it.

"Shard, Blink, we don't have much time!!" Bishop ordered. "I want you to try and destroy that transmission before it reaches Genosha!!"

Shard nodded and turned to the youngest X-Man. With a blink of her eyes, Clarice teleported both herself and Shard elsewhere.

Still, Thunderbird continued the assault, not faltering for an instant.

The heat was so intense, that Bishop's blood was beginning to boil. His brow furrowed as he tried to hold his ground. The energy was collecting, and if he didn't release it soon, it would explode within him.

One chance.... Bishop thought to himself as he gritted his teeth in pain. He brought his arms forward, directly in the path of the blast. And, using all his concentration, he released the pent-up energy, pushing back Thunderbird's own energy blast.

The energy held in a stalemate, as Bishop continued to rechannel the energy he absorbed.

Suddenly, Bishop gained the upperhand, his energy blast rocketing into Thunderbird. Bishop found himself physically exhausted, his reserves drained. His hands went to the futuristic handguns he carried with him. His powers were useless right now, so it was time to turn to the other alternative.

"To me, X-Men!!" he ordered. The rest of the team quickly assembled, preparing to launch a full-out strike against the two villains.

"WE'RE--NOT--FINISHED--YET!!!" Thunderbird exclaimed, his body erupting in flames.

"Yes, you are!!"

Cortez was busy at a computer, entering commands frantically.

"While Thunderbird distracts them, this is my chance to send out the signal," he said to himself. "Magneto will shortly arrive, then."

"That's not gonna happen," Shard stated, as a portal containing herself and Blink opened.

"You don't stand a chance against my powers, fool!!" Cortez exclaimed, using his mutant gifts on Shard.

"Thanks," she said, releasing a bio-electric blast. "That felt good."

"It--it's not possible!!" Cortez exclaimed. "Your powers should be at the point where you cannot control them!!"

"That's a nice trick, Fabian," Shard stated. "One that might've worked, except for the fact that I'm a photon-based lifeform."

"It makes no difference," Cortez retorted. "The codes for the signal have already been inputted, and it is about to be sent to Genosha via satellite."

"We'll see about that..." Shard muttered, turning intangible as she stepped into the computer terminal. While altering her density, she used her mutant powers to overload the system.

"Don't move!!" Blink threatened, holding a glowing javelin in her hand. "Or you may end up somewhere extremely unpleasent."

"I don't need your threats to accomplish that..." Cortez stated. He tapped his belt buckle and began to dematerialize before Blink's eyes.

"Wait!!" she shouted. Too late. Fabian Cortez had already completed his retreat.

A sudden, strong wind began to deflect the direction of Thunderbird's flames. It was followed up by an inconceivable flood of water.

And at the center of it, was the Inhuman known as Crystal. Former Avenger and the wife of Quicksilver, Cortez kidnapped her and her daughter. And now that she's regained consciousness, her already-low opinion of Cortez has struck rock-bottom. She doesn't like her family threatened.

"Your wife's pretty powerful, Petey," Shard noted. "Does she do anything else?"

Almost in response, Crystal added the forces of earth and fire to her arsenal against Thunderbird. He couldn't keep defending himself against her.

The constant barrage of all four elements caused Thunderbird to collapse with exhaustion. Crystal stopped her attack at that time.

"CRYSTAL!!!" Pietro exclaimed, running up to her. He pulled her into an embrace

"Waitaminute..." Gambit said. "Anyone seen Cortez?"

"He's long gone," Blink stated. "He had some sort of device that let him teleport."

"Just like the coward he is..." Quicksilver muttered. "Your 'prisoner' is beginning to come to."

Thunderbird's eyes slowly fluttered open. He looked up to stare right down the barrel of some kind of futuristic weapon!!

The man holding it was a large, black man with a bald head, goatee, an M tattoo over his left eye, and a blue and yellow uniform. On his belt buckle was a prominant letter X.

"Don't move," Bishop said. "Don't even breathe. My trigger fingers are a bit twitchy."

"Where's Cortez?" Thunderbird asked.

"Flew de coop," Gambit replied. "Some savior ya got there."

"I wasn't working for him by choice..." Thunderbird said. "Please, if you would only let me explain myself...?

Bishop didn't lower his weapons. He kept them on the young mutant, his eyes glaring at him.

"Bishop, let th' man speak," Rogue said. "Ah wanna hear what's up."

Bishop said nothing, but lowered his weapons.

"Make it fast," he ordered.

"Fine..." Thunderbird said, standing up. "My name is Neal Shaara, from Calcutta in Eastern India. Awhile ago, my brother, Sanjit, disappeared. No one knew where he was. I went out to search for him. My search brought me into contact with Sanjit, who was now transformed into a Prime Sentinel by a madman named Bastion. It was all part of Bastion's Operation: ZERO Tolerance, designed to eliminate all mutants. Sanjit sacrificed himself so that I might live. I fled India to get away from Bastion's Sentinels, who were no doubt tracking me. They eventually caught up to me, and I was rescued by the intervention of Cortez. He told me that I now owed him my life, and demanded that I use my powers to work for him. I refused, and that's when he threatened to eliminate my parents if I didn't do what he asked."

"Cortez has a history of using other people to get what he wants," Pietro said. "He used my father, Magneto, to gain leadership of the Acolytes. He used my daughter Luna here to rule Genosha. And now, he used my wife, Crystal, and Luna to get me here. He's also used you to get revenge on me."

"It doesn't hafta be this way," Rogue said. "Ya can come back with us an become an X-Man."

"I appreciate the invitation..." Neal began. "But, I must deny the request for now. I need to return to India, to check up on my family. I need to get some things in order first. But, if you should ever need any assistance, remember that you have a friend in Thunderbird!!"

With that, Neal Shaara took to the skies, flying out of the facility.

"Quicksilver, are you ready to head home?" Blink asked.

"I would like to have a moment alone with my wife, Blink," Quicksilver replied. Taking Crystal in his arms, he raced out of the facility in a blur.

Once they were a few miles away from the warehouse, Pietro stopped and put Crystal down.

"We have a lot to discuss," he began.

"That's an understatement, Pietro..." Crystal replied, turning away from him, her arms hugging her chest. "You've been gone for awhile. We received no notice of where you were. I was beginning to get worried. And now, I find out that all this time, you were simply playing hero as one of the X-Men. Playing hero when your family needed you more..."

"Crystal, it's not like that at all!!" Pietro exclaimed.

"Really?" she asked, spinning around. "Then, what's it like? Why did you feel the need to abandon your family to fight for some dream?"

"Joseph's funeral is what did it for me..." he replied. "Standing at the grave of the man I would have wanted as my father, I came to a realization. He fought for Xavier's dream because it was something he strongly believed in. And I thought, at that moment, what was it that I strongly believed in? I wanted desperately to find the answer to that question. That's why I joined the team. Unfortunately, I've found myself thrust from one situation to the next. First, we had to battle the Brotherhood, then Xavier was assassinated, and after his funeral, the team became divided and split into two factions. The one you see is the one I joined. However, ever since I came to the X-Men, the only thing that has been on my mind is you and Luna. I would have contacted you, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to speak to me."

"Oh Pietro..." she said, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry about what happened between us."

"So am I..." he replied, one hand gently stroking her hair. "So am I."

He released her, and they looked deep into each other's eyes.

"So... what now?"

"I can have Blink or Psylocke teleport you home," Pietro replied.

"Home is wherever you are. Maybe, we can try to work this out...?"

"Where is Luna, anyway?"

"I left her with my relatives. I think we should probably get back now."

"So, what have you decided?" Bishop asked.

"Crystal is going to be staying with us for awhile," Pietro replied. "Crystal's elemental powers are no doubt impressive as you've seen how she took down Thunderbird. She can be a valued X-Man."

"Wait, I thought she wasn't a mutant," Shard said.

"I'm not," Crystal said. "I'm an Inhuman. But, my husband is a mutant, and he needs to be with his family. I also know his commitments as an X-Man, and I won't take those away from him. I can pull my own weight on the team if need be."

"It's your call, Bishop..." Shard said, turning to her brother. "You're the leader."

"With the team currently as factioned as it is now, I admit that we could use the extra help," Bishop said. "Therefore, if you want to join the X-Men Crystal, I have no quarrel."

NEXT ISSUE: The team returns home, but find a shocking surprise!!