Psyche stared out of her bedroom window into the stormy night. The face of the Brood Queen appeared and disappeared almost immediately. When Psyche thought that her own powers were turning against her the face returned as a shadowy monster which grabbed her. She stabbed it with her knife, but it continued to pursue her. She ran through the mansion and found the other New Mutants dead, as if they hadn't survived their individual origins when their own mutant powers activated.
When Psyche grabbed at the creature's face, she pulled a mask off revealing a monster bear.
She woke screaming. Everyone worried for her health, but the Professor re-assured them that she was perfectly healthy. After they left her, Psyche unsheathed her knife and found it covered in blood. She decided to show the Professor, but instead over-heard him in a telephone conversation with Moira MacTaggert in which he described Psyche as potentially psychotic. The despair from hearing the Professor's opinion of her nearly drove Psyche to plunging the knife into her own body.
In Scotland Moira slammed the phone down on Xavier, and Banshee consoled her. She admitted that it was partly fueled with her anger at the knowledge of his secret son, and how her own son had grown into a murderous mutant. Banshee went for a stroll and overheard Illyana Rasputin singing a song to the dawn. She informed him that she made a promise to an old friend to always celebrate her birthday. Banshee remembered that it was Kitty Pryde's birthday, and tried to console her saying that the X-Men had returned from the dead before. However, Illyana had been honouring Kitty's demon future self from Limbo, Cat.
Psyche went for a swim outdoors in the winter air, the next morning. She wast met at the poolside by Karma, and the two discussed her suspicions about the Professor's behaviour. Cannonball was about to start shaving when he blanked out. Karma had possessed him and written a message with shaving foam on the bathroom mirror to meet them at the boathouse. Outraged he demanded to know why she had possessed him, but the others said it had happened to them too. After Psyche explained what had happened, Cannonball doubted what she had said and went to storm out of the boathouse. However, the terrain outside had become alien.
The New Mutants used the underground tunnels to return to the mansion. However the tunnels became organic, and the Brood Queen snatched Psyche. Wolfsbane led the attack, followed by Cannonball and Sunspot. However the Brood Queen soon disappeared.
Psyche was attacked a second time and kidnapped. The Brood Queen cocooned her in the Professor's private study and revealed her plans. She had been using Psyche's mutant abilities, pushing them to their fullest capabilities to create any illusion that the alien desired. Instead of just phantom images, they were real. The Brood Queen planned to inject the New Mutants with eggs and transform them into new Brood. When the others arrived Psyche begged the others to knock her out. Karma's attempt to posses her backfired, and she was possessed by the alien. Cannonball's punch was successful, and once Psyche was unconscious the mansion and it's grounds returned to normal. The Brood Queen vanished again.
The Professor demanded to know what had happened, and after scanning the minds of his students he believed their story of an alien monster. Sunspot later joined Psyche on the porch looking out at the evening air. He reminded her that they were team-mates and friends, which cheered her up just in time for Cannonball to call them in to watch Magnum.
Note: The story with Professor Xavier & the Brood Queen was followed up in Uncanny X-Men # 167, which takes place between New Mutants issues 3 & 4.
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