Uncanny X-Men, The (1981 series) #215

In an extremely lifelike dream, Madelyne Pryor relives her fateful plane crash that left her the only survivor. She stumbles from the wreckage, the flames taking the form of the Phoenix behind her! She’s loaded into an ambulance and it’s all of a sudden not too long ago. She remembers the Marauders attempting to capture her, as well as the fact that her baby is missing. She tries to escape her captors but Arclight stuns her allowing Scalphunter to seemingly finish the job in killing her! Meanwhile, at the Xavier Institute, the X-Men prepare to move all those injured in the Morlock Massacre to Muir Isle where they will be safer and receive proper attention. Storm orders that all save herself and Wolverine go to Muir Isle, Callisto to be with her remaining Morlocks, Psylocke to psychically detect any possible threats, and Rogue to be able to fight off any attacks. She also feels unsure sending newcomers Longshot and Dazzler as neither has gotten the chance to prove themselves, but is left with no other options.

The others take off for Muir Isle, while Storm asks Wolverine to investigate something with her upstate. That same moment, in San Francisco, Madelyne awakens from her coma, her dream/memory from before snapping her out of it, and she’s able to tell her doctors who she is. On the drive upstate, Storm and Wolverine debate the trust issues facing the team after last issue’s run-in with Malice. Storm feels it’s something they all need to work out if they’re to continue as a team, but Wolverine is still shaken up, feeling that if he can’t trust his senses, he can’t trust anything, or anyone! The two reach their destination, finding the home of Sara Grey, Jean Grey’s sister, burned to the ground! Sara and her two children are missing, and Wolverine can’t detect any traces indicating they’re dead, but can confirm the place was deliberately torched. Wolverine then detects two more scents that apparently didn’t escape the blast: Cyclops and Jean Grey! This causes Logan to freak out, accidentally knocking Storm out in a blind rage and running off!

On the way to Muir Isle, Kitty leaves her containment cell, growing more and more intangible by the day. She mourns her situation, feeling quite hopeless and attempts to kiss Longshot in a moment of grief. Alarmingly, he actually feels it, as well as a strange feeling emanating from her that he hopes isn’t her impending death! Sometime later, Storm awakens to find herself chained up in a dungeon cell. She easily picks her locks and makes her way through the place, coming upon another cell with a young woman in it. Storm decides she needs more information on where they are before she can help the girl, and makes her way upstairs to find that this seems to be a regular fancy hunting lodge, decorated with tons of ornaments and trophies.

Before she can learn much more, the occupants of the house return, three costumed individuals. The leader of the bunch, named Crimson Commando, quickly finds her and she retaliates by flipping him over the railing to the floor below. Storm attempts to fight back against the other two and escape but finds it difficult against the super-durable Stonewall and the super-fast Super Sabre. Super Sabre ends up knocking her out and later Storm and the other girl are taken outside. Crimson Commando explains that they used to fight the good fight against the nazis in World War II but when they came home, they were forced to retire. Feeling that the United States has been heading in the wrong direction, they decide to do something about it their own way. They find criminals, such as the other girl with Storm, or anyone they feel is contributing to the downturn of American society and set them free into the forest area near their home to hunt them down. Mistaking Storm for a looter since they found her near the burned down home, they release Storm and the girl into the woods in order to begin their most dangerous game! To be continued!