In a world that hates and fears mutants, the X-men are determined to be a symbol of hope in order to privatize peace between humans and mutants. After having fought against Senator Kelly who was attempting to register them under government contract, the X-men continue their mission of achieving peaceful human-mutant coexistence.

Over the course of the past four months, the X-men have faced successes and failures. But their latest success was the recruitment of Cecilia Reyes and Ororo Munroe. Now, finally having an opportunity at a night off, the X-men proceed to take a break from being superheroes for one night and focus on being teenagers.

Issue 27: Captive Angel Part 1

Byrne's Diner

For the X-men, a night off was a rarity, but, the nights that they did have off, they valued highly. It reminded them that even though they were superheroes at this point, they were still kids. For Bobby Drake, this couldn't be truer.

That evening, Bobby found that he was at Byrne's Diner which was a restaurant located downtown, hanging out with Johnny, Peter, Angelica and Mary-Jane. However, he was wondering why Peter had chosen this location of all places in the city.

"So, Pete, did you pick this spot because I happen to like the place? Or did you pick it because you knew we wouldn't be bothered by Flash Thompson due to the fact that it's mutant-friendly?" Bobby asked, his cheeseburger being so big he needed a steak knife to cut into it.

"Both," Peter said with a nod of his head.

"Good because I'm done with Flash's shit . . . I really am," Bobby said, eating his burger which had bacon on it.

"Bobby, I thought you weren't allowed to eat bacon?" asked Johnny.

"Just because I'm half Jew doesn't mean I have to eat Kosher. I was raised Irish Catholic, despite the fact that my father insists I celebrate Hanukkah in addition to Christmas," Bobby said, letting out a sigh.

"But, how are things going, you know, with your mom and dad?" asked Mary-Jane, her voice sympathetic.

Bobby let out a sigh. There was nothing he hated more than talking about his issues with his parents. He knew his family hated the fact that he was a mutant, even though Jean had insisted that that wasn't the case. But, Bobby sensed it whenever he spoke with them on the phone.

Whenever he attempted to mention his training, his mom would change the subject and refuse to speak with him about it. In fact, when he'd gone to his parents' house to celebrate Hanukkah as well as Christmas with them, the atmosphere had been so thick; you could have cut the tension with an ax. Bobby's own grandparents had refused to look him in the eye, and that more than anything else hurt. He'd been more than happy to leave a couple days after Christmas to go back to his new home in X-Corporation and spend New Year's with the X-men.

"It's – It's not any better than it was when they first learned I was a mutant. That should tell you something. They know I'm a mutant, but, they want to try and deny it. We don't talk about it," Bobby said to her.

"Hey man, okay? My home life and situation with my parents wasn't any different. Now, I'm being raised by my sister and her fiancé. I get it," Johnny told him, sensing that Bobby didn't want to speak about it. "Ange, be happy babe, that your family isn't as fucked up as our families. I mean, guess who I have to live with at home? Ben Grimm, my future brother-in-law's best friend; that man needs a sense of humor or else, he'll die without it."

"I am," Angelica said as she ate her New York strip. "But at least you have your sister, and her fiancé."

"Very true, I'm an only child who lives with his aunt and uncle," Peter reminded them.

"And I have a drunk for a father, so we're all even," Mary-Jane said in a cynical tone, picking at her garden salad with grilled shrimp.

An uncomfortable silence followed. There was nothing Mary-Jane, Bobby, Peter and Johnny hated more than discussing family issues. The four of them came from not the greatest of situations, with Angelica being the exception to this. However, that was what bonded the five of them together, because they were able to escape their horrible situations just by being with each other. But, at least Peter's aunt and uncle loved him and cared about him, but that did not mean Peter didn't miss his father and felt as though his uncle was trying to replace his father.

"Okay, can we change the subject, please?" asked Johnny, feeling as though the mood had to be lightened.

"Agreed, thank you God," Bobby said, eying his coleslaw and making a face. "Why does this place put raisins in the coleslaw?"

"I don't know, nor do I care, buddy," said Peter. "But, I can say, Bobby, that I feel, personally, you're making things a hell of a lot more peaceful. Though I'm green with envy over you; in a couple years from now, you'll be working under Tony Stark!" He started speaking in a tone that sounded overly excited, like he always did whenever he talked about science.

"I know, Pete, I get it. That's like your dream to do that. And I will say this: my best friend is a geek," Bobby said.

"But hey, he's a good-looking geek," Mary-Jane said with a coy grin.

"Yeah, but, Pete here's the thing. We're living in a world where we read comics all the time, and here I am going out playing superhero, minus the jumping off rooftops," Bobby said.

"Yeah, you actually remind me a lot of Nightwing – Dick Grayson," said Johnny around a mouthful of his pastrami sandwich.

"My name's Grayson – but kids call me Dick," Peter said.

"Kids can be cruel," Johnny said. "But aside from that, remember that line in Batman Arkham Knight? I'm proud of you, Dick."

"Okay, now, Johnny, I hate you, because you're making me come up with about a dozen dick jokes right now," Bobby said, starting to laugh. "You're such a douche!"

"Hey, if anyone's the douche here, it's Peter. Pete I swear to God, you're going to be one of those guys in your thirties where you're like, "I'm just going to sit here, drink wine . . . and . . . and read"." Johnny said.

"No, here's the thing, Johnny. I buy books to actually read," Peter quipped.

"You see? That's why I'm a baller and that's what makes you a douche," Johnny said.

"I'm not a douche!" Peter said, crossing his arms defensively.

"Pete, do you want your soda chilled more?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, thank you." Peter watched as Bobby used his cryokinesis to put the soda on ice.

"Alright, can we eat now?" Angelica laughed, using her powers to warm her cup of coffee which had gone colder the more that it sat there on the table.

Everyone nodded in agreement, turning their attention back to their meal in hopes that would make the tension in the air go away, and thankfully, it did.

AMC Theaters – Two-and-a-Half Hours Later

Scott, Jean and Ororo walked out of the AMC movie theater arm in arm with each other after having finished watching the movie, heading towards Scott's car so that they could turn in for the rest of the night.

"Okay, honestly, for this movie being a comedy, for my taste, it wasn't that great," Jean said. "It's a shame, because Brie Larsen's a great actress I was surprised she took on this movie."

"Don't all Hollywood actors and actresses need to make money?" asked Scott. "I mean, I haven't been entirely out of touch with movies and music. I may have been in an orphanage for my entire life, but, that doesn't mean I've missed out. I can say that one of the good movies I've seen in my days of living there was Safehouse."

"But doesn't Ryan Reynolds play himself in every movie that he's in?" asked Jean.

"That's what makes him great," Scott insisted. "Can we agree on that?"

"I think that we can," Ororo said. "'I'm not entirely out of touch."

"Though, I do have to say that my favorite film I think I've ever watched was probably The Matrix, 1999, Keanu Reeves, oh, and Christian Bale Batman Begins," Jean said.

"You don't seem the type that would enjoy stuff like that Jean," Ororo said.

"Don't underestimate me; I've got a spot in my heart for action movies," Jean said as they approached Scott's convertible.

"Alright, so, let's get ourselves home. We've got a Danger Room session tomorrow with it being Saturday, but, at least Sunday, we're free," Scott said. "And that's a good thing, because Warren and Hank aren't working. Well, that's unless Hank's volunteering at the eye clinic, but, we all know the reason why he's volunteering there."

"Carly," Jean said with a knowing nod of her head, grinning.

X-Corporation Tower – Hank's Room

Hanging upside down from the ceiling in his bedroom, Hank McCoy found he was having a private phone conversation, but not with just anybody. For the past year, Hank had been volunteering at an eye clinic for the blind, hoping to develop a procedure to help blind people see again. The first patient that they had was a young woman by the name of Carly Anne Crocker, an attractive brunette girl who had had no luck in finding a procedure to help her see again.

Hank had been brought in by request of the doctor in charge of developing the research, Alec Bolson. And when Hank had first laid eyes on Carly, to say that he was attracted to her was an understatement. Hank being twenty-four, and Carly being nineteen, their age gap wasn't too far apart, and now, they were at the stage of being in phone conversations that lasted up to an hour.

"Carly, I can say that Alec and I, we might be coming closer to finding the cure for your eye condition," Hank was telling her.

"Oh Hank, you have got no idea just how happy that makes me. The idea of being able to see again . . . I never thought that that would happen," Carly said.

"Indeed. All I can say is that if this is successful, then I can add that to other accomplishments I've managed to achieve in my life," Hank said.

"I've got faith that one day, it's going to happen, Hank," Carly told him. "Anyway, I'm sorry but I've gotta go. My father's going to be home soon and . . ."

"Oh, of course," Hank said, feeling slightly hurt. From what he understood, Carly's father was prejudice towards mutants, and just the idea of a mutant being in charge of his daughter's treatment disgusted him. He swallowed, letting out a sigh. "Bye, Carly," he told her.

"Bye, Hank, I'll talk to you tomorrow," Carly said, before hanging up on her end. Hank jumped down from the ceiling, staring at his blue, beastly appearance in the mirror with a twinge of bitterness.

'Why . . . why did this have to happen to me, of all people?' Hank thought sadly to himself.

Outside Lee-Ditko Late Night and Spirits

Warren exited Lee-Ditko Late Night and Spirits, feeling right as rain as he breathed in the cold evening air. Being out at the bar was fun for his night off; now, all he was thinking about was going home and getting some shut-eye before needing to head into work the next morning.

As Warren walked down the streets of Manhattan, he suddenly felt the most at peace that he had felt in a long while. He smiled as he prepared to take a nice long flight around the city before heading home. Being up in the clouds seemed to make his life feel so much simpler. It was his place of solitude and comfort away from all the craziness of the world. It kept him sane.

Just as he was about to stretch his wings out to fly around the city one more time to help himself relax a little bit, he saw from the corner of his eye something that he thought that he'd never see again.

He could see just around the corner that several Morlocks were causing property damage to several apartment buildings by drawing graffiti on the brick walls, saying, "Fuck the humans." Warren shook his head, keeping his head low as he walked past. After his last experience with Morlocks, he really didn't want to deal with them ever again. He shivered as he remembered what had happened the last time he'd had a run-in with their leader, Callisto. It had been when he was sixteen years old, just having run out of money to stay in the hotel his parents had dropped him off at. It played over and over again in his nightmares.

42nd Street – Six Years Ago

Sixteen-year-old Warren Worthington III trudged along the snowy streets of New York, wearing only a thick trench coat and a pair of gloves, gripping his suitcase in his hands. He knew he didn't have enough money for food or drink, and he knew that his clothes were not going to last him long. He needed to find some shelter and fast.

'Damn, Mom and Dad . . . why? Why won't you two just accept me as I am? Why don't you want me?' he thought as he walked along, shivering from cold in the December air. Tears filled his eyes as he remembered the cold, uncaring looks in the eyes of his mother and father.

His whole life, he'd wanted nothing more than to be like his father, to please him, and now, his dad couldn't even look at him. He was considering finding Candy's house, knowing she would be more than happy to provide him her parents' guest room until he found a place to live. But, he didn't want to bother her or her family like that.

Sure, Candy was his best friend, but he would just feel guilty begging on his knees for her to provide him free room and board. He didn't want anyone's pity, especially from the likes of his best friend since he was practically in diapers.

As Warren continued to walk, he knew that he couldn't have his wings exposed. People would automatically know that he was a mutant. And not just any mutant: the disgraced son of Warren Worthington, Jr. and Katherine Worthington. He continued to keep his head low, shivering from cold. He hated that he needed to hide his wings.

Rounding around the corner to a back-alley way, he turned his head to see a couple of mutants being beaten down by a couple of thugs wearing bandanas. He could tell that they were mutants just by seeing what they looked like.

One was a little boy who looked no older than seven years old, with green skin wearing a red beanie. Another was a young woman with long, flowing red hair wearing a fur jacket and a fedora. The third one appeared to be a woman older than Warren by at least a few years, with short, spikey black hair, an eye patch and extremely pale skin. Warren shook his head. He knew that this wasn't right. He knew he couldn't just stand there and watch as three innocent people got the crap beaten out of them just because they looked different. Ripping his trench off, he ran into the fray.

"HEY LEAVE THEM ALONE!" he yelled out. "GIVE THEM A BREAK!"

"Oh God . . . it's another mutie freak!" shouted one of the gang members in a panic.

"Let's get outta here, Paulie!" another cried, and they proceeded to run away as Warren came closer to the three mutants who had needed help.

"You guys okay?" he asked them as he approached them.

"Yeah, yeah, we're alright, thank you," the woman with red hair said. "Wait, you're Warren Worthington III, right?"

"Yeah . . . well, I'm disgraced from the family name." Warren noticed that these three mutants had a feature unique about them. They had the letter 'M' branded on their faces.

"I'm Sonya . . . or better known as Beautiful Dreamer. These are my friends, Callisto and Adam Leech. We um . . . let's say, our circumstances are pretty shitty," said the woman known as Beautiful Dreamer.

Callisto cast Warren a look. The fact that this mutant had willingly gone out of his way to try and save them from getting beaten, it said a lot to her.

"Well, I should probably be on my way; I've gotta find a place to lay low for a while," Warren explained.

"You can come with us," said the little boy, Leech, with a smile that seemed very warm.

"Yes, we have some shelter down below, if you wish," Callisto said. She seemed to be flashing him a rather flirtatious smile, something Warren was surprised by considering he'd just met these people.

"Um, no, I'm fairly fine on my own, thank you," Warren said. "I'll just get going, but thanks for the offer."

"Why do you say that? Why try hiding your gift?" Callisto asked, reaching a hand forward to touch one of Warren's wings.

"It doesn't feel like much of a gift," Warren whispered.

"Believe me, it never does at first. But, we must rise above the humans. I mean, aren't you tired of being bullied, or being harassed because you're different? You should be flaunting a power as beautiful as this," Callisto said quietly.

Warren swallowed. "You mean my wings?"

"Yes, you have the ability to fly! That's what everyone practically dreams about. Why cover that? Why hide something so beautiful? Who cares if you're feared? It's the humans who clearly have a problem." Callisto was sounding quite persuasive.

"Look, I truly am flattered, but, I can't," Warren said.

"Why? What's there to be afraid of?" asked Beautiful Dreamer.

"It's just . . . look I'd just run out of money to stay in a hotel. I'd just gotten kicked out of my home. It happened all at once I just need time," Warren said.

"Well, with us, you wouldn't have to worry about that. We don't abandon our own," Callisto said.

52nd Street – Present Day

The memory of his time with the Morlocks burned in the back of Warren's mind as he continued to walk, intending on keeping his head low. He knew that if he saw Callisto again, she was going to be beyond pissed off. It was so obvious how she had felt towards Warren before he'd left; it was part of why he'd left to live on the streets in the first place, because he couldn't deal with the idea of an older woman lusting after him like that.

He hoped and prayed that the Morlocks didn't notice him. He could see that they were Caliban, Ray Crisp, Thornn and her sister Feral. He remembered Ray to have quite the temper on him for a thirteen-year-old boy at the time. Now, Ray was grown, a couple years younger than Warren, but, all grown up at this point.

As he walked on by, he could feel and sense Caliban's presence following him closely. However, what he wasn't expected was to get hit with a shock of electricity from Ray Crisp – Berserker, which knocked him off his feet as it hit his wings. Falling to the ground, he groaned in pain.

"Well, look at who is passing by. A mutant who had at one point very well could have been one of our own," spat Caliban in his thick British accent.

"Caliban . . . c'mon I don't want any trouble," groaned Warren.

"Clearly, you do. You're passing on our turf!" snapped Feral around a wild growl, her and her sister, Thornn, both having cat-like appearances.

"You know, since you'd abandoned us last time, Callisto has had a bone to pick with you for choosing to live life on the surface with the humans rather than us! We could have very well been your new family, Warren, and yet you left and look at where you are now! Living the good life working for Tony Stark!" spat Ray around a harsh glare and a disgusted tone.

"Berserker, c'mon kid, you're better than this," Warren pled as he felt Feral and Thornn grabbing a tight hold on him and forcing him to his feet.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Warren," spat Ray. "Now come on, the boss wants to have a word with you!"

Up next: Captive Angel Part 2