August 2003
Doug 'Cypher' Ramsey was brought to the school by Psylocke and Nightcrawler after tests showing he was a mutant were accidentally released and his parents began to receive threats. Scott found Angelo 'Skin' Espinosa begging on the street in LA after being directed to him by the Professor and eventually convinced him the school would be a safer place for him. They drove back to New York from California, arriving several days later.
Several old faces returned from absences. Kurt, Jubilee and Marie-Ange all returned to the school after visiting relatives.
Cyclops contacted the school at the beginning of the month. Meeting with Pete in New Orleans, he revealed that he had a source within the Brotherhood of Mutants and this source had told him Magneto was planning a 'test' for Pyro, a test he wasn't expected to survive. The X-Men returned to the school after twarting him, but believing Rogue lost. Several days later she was located wandering in a daze along a road near the complex and was retrieved by Cyclops.
Essex emailed Betsy with a date for her surgery, for September. As a partial cover for the surgery, Essex began spending more time at the Muir Island Research Centre, working with Doctor Moira MacTaggart fighting budget cuts and imminent shut-down by a paranoid British government.
Essex also continued to help Sarah, providing her with a microchip that halted the more dense and painful bone protrusions and providing her with a trainer, one Major John Greycrow, a US Army Ranger working for the US military. The training had positive results, with Sarah learning to control the growth of particular bones, such as her 'horns'. Haroun went and met with Sebastian Shaw about his cybernetics. Jono had a panic attack and lost control of his powers during music class, but Alison was able to contain the damage to just a wall. The incident scared Alex and he eventually told Lorna about the incident in Hawaii.
Kitty decrypted files given to her by Essex, uncovering a potential government proposal to control rogue mutants with giant robots. Emma attended a Hellfire Club event with Pete, Sarah and Jono and uncovered evidence that Sebastian Shaw was providing the technology for said giant robots.
Timeline
August 1 - Jamie makes Plans for his and Kitty's two month anniversary. Jono ventures outside and talks with Paige.
August 3 - Cyclops emails Dazzler, asking for the contact information she has on Pyro.
August 5 - Cyclops emails Storm and Pete letting them know something is wrong, but won't give details via electronic means. He arranges to meet Pete in New Orleans. Storm assembles a secondary team of X-Men as instructed.
August 6 - Kitty breaks the code on the files given to her by Essex and reveals to Dazzler that they are government plans to create giant mutant-hunting robots. They go to the Professor about it.
August 7 - Kurt returns to the school.
August 10 - Essex goes to Muir Island Research Centre and reports that the British government is dismantling Dr. MacTagggart's research.
August 11 - Sarah meets with Essex to discuss her mutation. He offers her help with the worst aspects and discusses further training with her. Betsy announces her Mutant Acceptance Group Project for her class. Marie-Ange returns to the school after visiting family in France.
August 13 - Flashback log: Rahne's first experience as a wolf back in May.
August 14 - Cyclops meets with Pete in New Orleans and discloses he has a mole within the Brotherhood and that Magneto is planning a 'test' for Pyro. A test he won't survive. Pete agrees to take the information back to the mansion. Betsy inadvertently links with Scott's mind.
August 15 - Kitty and Jamie's two-month anniversary. Rahne and Paige bond over oatmeal bars. Emma hosts a 'blackout soiree' for some of the students.
August 16 - Bobby and John talk over IM.
August 18 - Essex takes Sarah to meet Major John Greycrow, her new trainer.
August 19 - Kurt takes a group of students to his church to discuss mutants with the priest for the Mutant Acceptance Project.
August 21 - Essex encounters a semi-drunken Betsy in the staff lounge. Things get a bit out of hand.
August 22 - Jono has a panic attack in music class and loses control of his powers. Alison manages to control the situation. Alex is extremely disturbed by the incident. Jubilee comes back from China. Pete returns from New Orleans.
August 25 - Cypher (Doug Ramsey) arrives at the school. Scott calls Betsy and their not-relationship progresses.
August 26 - Essex emails Betsy with a date for her surgery. Alex tells Lorna about his powers accident in Hawaii where he killed 13 people. Essex proposes a field trip to Muir Island for powers training purposes. Lorna talks Alison into doing a concert. Sarah learns to control parts of her mutation. Pete investigates a group called "The Third Species".
August 27 - Scott finds Skin (Angelo Espinosa) begging in LA and offers him a place at Xavier's. Jono and Paige reach something of a truce. Doug runs into Paige in the kitchen and makes something of a fool of himself.
August 28 - Jamie, Marie-Ange and Paige enlist the munchkins to prise Doug out of his room. Jamie gets the whole Paige story later. X-Men Mission: The Rescue of Pyro - Magneto sends Pyro and Stanley to attack a military weapons research base as a diversion. Dazzler, Storm, Colossus, Angel and Rogue go to retrieve Pyro. Marie appears to be crushed under a wall. Magneto escapes with the blueprints and equipment and Pyro returns to the school.
August 29 - Moira MacTaggart emails Charles, Essex and Rahne, announcing her intention to visit. Pete raises concerns about the ethics of John not being tried for colluding with Magneto.
August 30 - Doug apologises to Paige and tries being friends again. John gives Doug an abridged history of the events in May and Magneto. Emma takes Haroun to visit Sebastian Shaw in New York. Pete, Betsy, Jono and Sarah also join them. Alison takes the weekend off to regroup.
August 31 - Scott finds Marie and brings her home - she is disoriented after absorbing Stanley as they fell into a basement level at the base. Stanley is dead and Marie now has his powers of flight, invulnerability and super-strength. Emma and her group attend a Hellfire Club function and discover Sebastian Shaw is connected with the Sentinel program and bring back schematics and files.
Plots
X-Men Mission: Pyro - Magneto sent Pyro and Stanley into a military weapons research base to provide an unknowing distraction whilst Magneto stole the blueprints and equipment he required. The X-Men (Storm, Dazzler, Collosus, Angel and Rogue) arrived and managed to subdue Pyro, however, not without stopping Magneto escaping and not without casualties. Rogue and Stanley fell beneath a collapsing wall and were apparently killed. The X-Men left, taking the unconscious Pyro with them, not realising that the collapse had taken out the floor as well, knocking Rogue and Stanley into a basement level. They fell in such a way that Stanley's skin was in prolonged contact with Rogue's and she killed him, permanently absorbing his powers and personality.
