The New Mutants #80

This is it! The New Mutants fateful throw down with Hela for the fate of Asgard! Will Mirage and the Valkyrior be free of Hel’s seductive grasp?

The burning Valkyrior towered above the dwarves & New Mutants. The New Mutants led the attack, but Boom-Boom was still ti freaked out and couldn't fight until Rictor goaded her into it. The dwarves then followed her example and fought back. As she watched from the safety of Hel, Hela was pleased to see that the dwarves were willing to fight. She commanded Moonstar to kill her former team-mates. However, the possessed spirit informed her mistress that Moonstar was still fighting her control & therefore would not let her do that. Not to be defeated, Hela gave Moonstar a pouch full of powder that would help ensure the safe capture of the New Mutants and the dwarf forgers.

Back on Earth, Blob continued to pound against Skids' force-field. Rusty & Skids stood defiant of Freedom Force and threatened to reveal their plans to the world media when they arrived. Not willing to take that risk, Mystique commanded Freedom Force to step back. Crimson Commando then used a helicopter to destroy the ground form beneath Skid's shield and Bolb then carried them away.

Back in the underground tunnels of Asgard, Moonstar arrived at the fight and defeated the New Mutants by sprinkling them with Hela's mystical dust. They were thrown into another prison cell, but this time they were frozen like statues. Boom-Boom continued to complain, and Sunspot wished that her mouth had been frozen too. Boom-Boom then blamed Cannonball for working with the dwarves, but Wolfsbane rebuked her defending Cannonball's actions & reasons. She taunted Boom-Boom by saying she didn't have to join the New Mutants and was free to leave the team at any time. In her anger, Boom-Boom accidentally created a time-bomb. However, as she couldn't throw it, the bomb landed underneath her and blew a hole in the floor. Boom-Boom fell down into the room below and landed on some old boxes and barrels. She soon discovered that she could move again as she rubbed her aching head.

Guards ran into the cell and realised that one of the New Mutants was missing. Boom-Boom was tempted to run for it and leave the others behind, especially Wolfsbane whom she thought was a goody two-shoes. However, she climbed back up to the hole she'd fallen through and through up a large bomb to destroy the guards as they peered down. Boom-Boom then destroyed the rest of the ceiling with a series of smaller bombs, causing the other New Mutants to come crashing down on top of her. They were free to move once more, and yet again more guards came to investigate the noise. As they charged into battle, the others mimicked Boom-Boom as she complained of how much she hated it. After the fight, they used the surplus cloaks, capes & hate to disguise themselves. Boom-Boom bragged about how she'd saved them and therefore she should be the team leader, but the others made smelly gestures to say her idea stank.

Out in the corridor they immediately saw troll throwing a wolf into a prison cell. Wolfsbane recognised Hrimhari and begged Sunspot to break him free. Sunspot demolished the door and Wolfsbane rushed to her wolf-prince's side. He explained that the wolves had been targeted to become Hela's tracking hounds. Hrimhari and Wolfsbane embraced before the others dragged them back out to escape. They found themselves outside, but on a balcony several hundred feet above the forests of Asgard.

Meanwhile, Hela was pleased that she had Eitri to forge armour & weapons for her army, but she had observed the New Mutants escape. She was concerned that the New Mutants shouldn't leave and reveal her plans. Therefore Hela ordered the Valkyrior to quietly contain the New Mutants while she began to cast a spell to separate Valhalla from the rest of Asgard.

From their balcony above, the New Mutants could see enslaved dwarf captives being herded into the courtyard when a hole appeared in the air. Hrimhari recognised the portal spell that led into Hel. He was shocked by Hela's audacity and the strength of her power. Sunspot wanted to fight to free the dwarves, but Boom-Boom wanted to follow prince Hrimhari in alerting Odin. Cannonball was concerned that this team didn't yet work as well as the old team of New Mutants, and therefore decided to err on the side of caution. When Hela's portal began to envelop the whole of the fortress Warlock grabbed the team and flew for an opening in the air. However, he wasn't quick enough and the spell closed in around him.

The New Mutants were separated into two teams; Cannonball caught Rictor, Sunspot & Wolfsbane as they fell back towards the fortress, while Warlock was trapped holding Prince Hrimhari and Boom-Boom on the other side. Hela laughed as Cannonball's team of New Mutants realised that they were in Hel. They were caught off guard by the appearance of Mist; the Valkyrie who had previously welcomed Mirage into the Valkyrior (see New Mutants Special # 1). Like Moonstar, Mist was possessed, gaunt, and crackling with a perpetual mystic fire. Mist had her sword drawn and pointed at the New Mutants.

Note: The following issue is a fill-in story featuring Magma. The Asgard story continues in New Mutants # 82.