Romp

• Writer - Scott Lobdell
• Penciler - Joe Madureira
• Inker - Dan Green
• Inker - Harry Candelario
• Lettering - Chris Eliopoulos
• Colorist - Steve Buccellato
• Editor - Kevin Somers
• Editor in Chief - Tom Defalco

Summary

  Ororo and Yukio, unlikely friends butkindred spirits, flee the Phalanx. They are after Yukio because she is part of Xavier's Mutant Underground, she says to fulfill her social conscience and get a danger rush, as she leaps off a building. Ororo catches her, astonished at her recklessness. She flies them north, toward the mansion and away from nightclub.

  Remy is on his motorcycle on his way to the club, and he asks a beautiful woman for directions. He notices Ororo's lightning: she has caught a Phalanx between her and the big billboard in Times Square. Yukio pokes at the remains, trying to figure out what it is; it reassembles and blasts her; Ororo blasts it and douses Yukio with rain to put out the fire. Yukio says she came to the states because she was afraid for Ororo.

  A New Yorker with a baseball bat beats the remains of the Phalanx; it grabs and assimilates him, and Ororo and a cop are unable to free him. The Phalanx grabs Ororo, saying it has adapted to her powers, so she sends lightning to the sidewalk under it, instead. It adapts and grabs her again, wanting to assimilate her and all the X-Men's secrets. Remy arrives, and Yukio and the Phalanx both recognize him. Ororo freezes the Phalanx around her, shattering it. Remy crashes his bike into it, but it just laughs and incorporates it. Remy points out it just assimilated gasoline; he throws a card and ignites it. Ororo directs the blast away from bystanders and flies Remy and Yukio away from harm and to the USS Intrepid's dock.

  Yukio pulls a knife on Remy; they once had conflicting contracts in Milan, and she warns him not to harm Ororo. The woman Remy hit on shows up: she is an agent from the National Security Council, investigating the Phalanx since it appeared in Montclair (iss. 303) and Colorado (iss. 306). Remy realizes no one knows about Colorado; she transforms into Phalanx.

  In the mansion, Hank does CPR on Bobby; he breathes and babbles about Pierce (see iss. 281). Bishop has Sabretooth in restraints, and he starts insulting them all, so Xavier telepathically shuts him up. He is unable to probe Bobby's mind, because Frost, still comatose, is causing interference.