Uncanny X-Men, The (1981 series) #265

In the far reaches of space, a race of proud warriors called the P!ndyr are approached by the Shi’ar with the hopes of forming an alliance. They agree to a duel, with the stipulation that if the P!ndyr win, they are to be left in peace, and if the Shi’ar win, they are to accept the alliance. Catching only the aftermath of the duel, the P!ndyr warrior is surprised to be sent plummeting to the planet below, completely overwhelmed by the psychic power of the Shi’ar’s chosen champion! He proclaims that with such a being, the mad Shi’ar empress reigns supreme! Meanwhile, in Cairo, Illinois, the young Storm has just finished stealing from a local rich aristocrat who had been acting as a banker for the cartels. As she makes it out of the house with her loot, she rises into the sky via the winds but finds her control over them shaky. She ends up plummeting down, and being blown into a nearby tree. She sits in the tree and tries to activate her lightning, with no initial luck. Eventually, the lightning shoots from her hands, hitting the electrified fence around the property and knocking her from the tree. With the alarms now sure to bring the police, Storm makes her escape, satisfied with that night’s caper.

At the same time, Storm’s whereabouts are being tracked by Nanny and Orphan-Maker. Turns out, Nanny was the one who regressed Storm into a child, and she plans to get Storm back, in order to help her save all of the mutant “children” from the dark days she’s sure are coming. Some time later, at the Mississippi Mall, Storm sits down at the food court incognito in order to eavesdrop on some nearby detectives. She overhears the detectives talking about the results of her burglary the other night. Apparently, the victim of her theft was found dead, possibly the work of the cartels whose money he lost. Storm smiles a little at the detectives calling her a modern day Robin Hood, donating her loot back to the community, before they talk about the “deadly killer kid mutant” unaware that is also Storm. The detectives are at least happy to be free of Jacob Reisz, and hope he stays in Washington where he re-located. We cut then to Washington D.C., where Reisz, revealed to be under the control of Shadow King, has put Val Cooper under his control as well. He learns all he can about Freedom Force from Val before sending her to track down and kill Mystique. He then sets his sights on the one he’s waited a lifetime to possess: Storm!

Back with Storm, she returns to the former Air Force base-turned-junkyard for old planes that she’s made her home. As she drifts off in the cockpit of one of the planes, she begins to dream about her parents. Soon enough, however, her dream turns into a nightmare when her father morphs to look like Shadow King, and her mother to look like Nanny. They begin to pull her in opposite directions until Storm awakens with a start. Lightning flashes all around and the wind begins to lift the plane into the air until Storm is able to make it stop, wondering how she did all of that. Later, Storm has trouble sleeping, haunted by her confusing memories and wondering how she can be in America when there is also a Cairo in Egypt. She also keeps having visions of herself as an adult with the X-Men but has no idea what any of it means yet. She then decides that the best antidote for her confused thoughts is to look for some action!

Elsewhere, Shadow King, as Reisz, has taken himself and Dr. Chen to the house of another rich snob that he’s sure Storm will hit next. Shadow King derides the man’s taste in both wine and art, turning the man, his wife, and their bodyguards into his hounds to hunt Storm with. He explains that long ago, Storm was promised to him, as well as planning to get revenge on Charles Xavier, the man who almost finished him for good, by striking at those he holds most dear! Outside, Storm lands atop the house, planning for this to be her last caper before she heads elsewhere. She’s then surprised by one of the hounds and knocked through the skylight, landing on a bed. She tries to escape the hound, tangling her with the bed sheet before knocking her out with a lamp! As Storm catches her breath, Shadow King appears at the door with the other hounds and tells Storm that she will soon be his forever! To be continued!