First Appearance: Dazzler, Hellfire goon Rodi

Villain: Sebastian Shaw, Jason Wyngarde, Emma Frost, Hellfire Club Armored Goons

Guest Appearance: Kitty Pryde, Dazzler

Cameo: Carmen and Terri Pryde (in flashback)

Innovation: Nightcrawler stops using his Image Inducer

Letters Page: Page One

Scott, Jean and Nightcrawler pull up to a seedy nightclub in lower Manhattan, the location where CEREBRO has led them to a powerful mutant. Nightcrawler stays in the car while Jean and Scott go into the club to investigate. Meanwhile, the Hellfire goons are monitoring from a nearby van. Scouring the dancefloor of the club, Jean and Scott search high and low for the mutant, and at the Hellfire Club, Jason Wyngarde and Sebastian Shaw check in on Emma Frost, who has Wolverine, Colossus and Storm imprisoned in energy-inhibiting cells. As well, she has taken Professor Xavier captive.

Kitty Pryde phases into the room to check on things and gets the courage to try and rouse Storm from her stupor. She is dazed, but is alert enough to hand Kitty the phone number to the X-Men, and tells her to run away and call them immediately. The Hellfire goons see Kitty and chase after her, but she phases away from them in escape.

While Jean peruses the dancefloor, Jason Wyngarde steps up to her and reintroduces himself. Suddenly, Jean finds herself as the bride in a wedding ceremony in the 18th century. She walks up to meet the groom, Jason Wyngarde. After she gleefully says "yes" to marriage, Jason strips her wedding gown off to reveal the outfit of the Black Queen. Back in the current timestream at the club, she finds herself kissing Wyngarde. Scott sees this, and she tears herself from Wyngarde but can't explain her erratic behavior to Scott. There is no time for further discussion, as the mutant they have been searching for reveals herself onstage- it is the night's performer: Dazzler! While the music plays, Dazzler produces amazing and entrancing lightshows with the use of her mutant powers, causing the crowd to go wild.

Outside, Nightcrawler gets a call from Kitty, who tells him the X-Men are in trouble. He's unsure if this is a prank, but at that very moment, the Hellfire goons make their move, as an armored unit rips off the door to the car and chase after him. Their fight eventually tumbles onto the stage, stopping the performance. Jean turns into Phoenix and she and Cyclops fight off the armored Hellfire goons, but each one seems geared to the individual X-Men's powers. Dazzler flies into a rage at the goon that has debilitated Phoenix, unknowingly unleashing her great powers at him and knocking him off balance. This frees Phoenix up to stop the other goons from attacking Nightcrawler and Cyclops.

The X-Men explain what is happening to a bewildered Dazzler, and suggest she accompany them for the time being to stay safe. As they leave the vicinity, the Hellfire Club detonates bombs in the uniforms of the unsuccessful goons, blowing them up. And as they drive down the street to get back to the school, the car rolls by Jason Wyngarde, who stands in the shadows laughing....

(continued in XMEN #131)

--synopsis and panel images by Gormuu