Uncanny X-Men (1963) #184

1st appearance of Forge

1st appearance of Naze

"The Past . . . of Future Days"

Dallas, Texas: Valarie Cooper and Raven Darkholme of the Department of Super-Human Affairs have arrived at the high rise home of the mutant inventor Forge. They are initially taken aback by the holographic display capabilities of his dwelling. They arrive just as Forge's old shaman is leaving; Forge refused to see the signs of some coming mystical danger. When his apathy toward his tribe’s plight prompts Naze to leave, Forge gets right down to business to show Val and Raven his latest invention. From researching the weapons of ROM the Spaceknight, Forge has been able to create a weapon that can neutralize the abilities of a super-human. However, he stresses that the weapon is a prototype and he is unsure whether the effects are permanent or what psychological effect they will have on its target. When Forge shows off his next invention, a mutant detector, Raven becomes worried that Forge might out her as a mutant, compromising her position. However, Forge tells Val the only mutant it detects is himself, however, his jest does nothing more but anger Raven.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Rachel Summers has recently arrived from the future and stops at a display window of an electronics shop. As she watches news coverage of the X-Men's recent battle in Japan, she notes that Storm looks a lot different than she did in her future time. She compares that to the fact that when she went to the X-Mansion earlier, the Illyana Rasputin that answered the door was much older than she was supposed to be. When she catches a report about the upcoming Mutant Control Act, the electricity blinks out forcing Rachel to risk using her powers to power the television. However, the report is over and as Rachel walks out in the night, she begins to wonder if this is the past of her reality or that of an alternate universe.

Rachel is not alone in the streets however; the evil Selene has detected her massive powers and seeks to make Rachel her heir. After Rachel is nearly scared to death by a passing fire truck, Selene makes her move. However, Rachel manages to fight her off and flee into a nightclub. There she is bombarded by all the thoughts of the patrons and collapses on the floor. Just before the bouncer can kick her out, Nick Damiano, the club’s owner, decides that the girl is in serious trouble and takes her upstairs to his apartment. After deflecting Nick's questions, not being able to trust a human, Rachel agrees to take a bath while he prepares a meal for her. However, when Rachel comes out to check on Nick she is horrified to find that Selene has drained his life force away, leaving him a burned-out husk.

The two women begin to battle, and the energies set off Cerebro, prompting Professor X to send Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Rogue to investigate the disturbance. As the X-Men fight through Selene’s defenses, Rogue gets close enough for hand-to-hand combat. Selene grabs Rogue's bare throat, but much to Rogue's surprise, she is the one who is having her power sapped. Rogue is saved by a mental attack by Professor X, which sends Selene fleeing. Charles orders the X-Men to save Rachel and leave the burning building and to let Selene go because she is too powerful. Storm arrives shortly thereafter and uses her powers to put out the fire.

When Rachel comes around, she is shocked to see that the Professor can walk and that Storm looks radically different from her memories and photos. Realizing she traveled back in time to the wrong past, Rachel collapses to the group when she realizes that her world is doomed.