The debate was heated that night. Xavier's work with Sabretooth and Mystique had made little progress so far, and Logan and Scott wanted the whole "experiment" stopped before someone got hurt. Jean, who was helping the Professor in his attempts to reach out, wanted to keep trying, and Kurt thought it was the pious thing to do try to "save their souls." Ororo herself was divided. She didn't want to believe that anyone could truly be beyond rehabilition, but when she interacted with their two "guests" - the Professor insisted on using the word - she couldn't help but wonder if the effort was futile.

One thing the others seemed to agree on, however, was that Ororo should no longer stand watch over Sabretooth. Ororo had protested, not wanting to cow out, but they were insistent. Kurt didn't think it was seemly that either she or Jean guarded Sabretooth, especially at night. As quaint as Kurt's sentiment was, she and Jean politely ignored it.

Logan was concerned because Victor had seemingly tried to kill her twice. She reminded him that Sabretooth had been wholly unsuccessful, but Logan was unconvinced. "Ro, you don't having a healing factor like he does. It would only take one slip up on your part for him to get it right."

Scott was concerned because he had witnessed Victor's outburst. Ororo laughed and asked him if he really believed she was so frail as to be intimidated by some rough talk. She was hardly a child, she told him. But Scott shook his head 'no' over and over again. "Ororo, the way he was staring at you, there was something not right about it."

"There are a lot of things not right about him!" Ororo replied, exasperated with everyone's coddling. "And I'm sure he harassed Jean same way." But when she looked to Jean for agreement, she found Jean shaking her head somewhat ominously.

It was Jean's and Xavier's appraisal that finally gave her chills and convinced her to yield the task of watchstanding to her teammates. "Ororo," Xavier said seriously, "Victor is not telepathic, but he blocks my probing better than anyone I have ever encountered."

"What do you mean? You see blankness?"

"Unfortunately, no."

Jean spoke up. "It's rage. Pure rage. It's the most incredible thing." The group fell silent for a moment, lost in their own in thoughts about the murderous half-man they had a few feet below them. "But Ro, how can I put this?" She took a breath as if preparing to broach a sensitive topic. "We probed him gently about a variety of things, each time meeting a wall of fury. No. An engulfing fire of fury. But when I...you see I too felt that there was something about you he was fixated upon, and when I probed him about you, it was like the fire increased tenfold."

Ororo felt like someone had injected icewater into her veins. "But," she choked, "why?"

"We do not know, Ororo," Xavier said gently. "But perhaps it would be better if you kept yourself separate from him."