SKIDS: Page 3 of 3

BIOGRAPHY - Page 3

Soon Sally and Rusty felt out of place and realized that staying at Avalon had been a bad decision. By the time they actively searched for a way to leave the station, the Acolytes found Holocaust adrift in space. Unaware of his deadly power, they took him aboard, where he showed his true colors after waking up. One by one, he killed the Acolytes, including Rusty, by draining them of their life-forces. However he found his match in Exodus, and the two fought each other to the death, damaging Avalon beyond repair. Suddenly, Jean Grey and Scott Summers appeared, having been taken there by an Acolyte with teleporting powers. They immediately took charge of the situation and tried to save as many people as possible. Skids was too far away to reach the emergency capsules, so Jean went after her, all the while Scott led the rest of the Acolytes to safety. Combining their powers, Sally and Jean both survived the re-entry, with Jean telekinetically holding together the bit of wreckage they were trapped in, and Skids’ force-field protecting them from the heat and the cosmic radiation. [X-Men (2nd series) #42-44] Skids was taken to the Xavier Institute to recuperate, but left soon thereafter to mourn for Rusty and to sort out what to do with her life.

Sally decided to no longer take part in the many mutant conflicts, and instead pursued a “normal” life. She moved to Boulder, Colorado, where she enrolled in college, majoring in bio-science and earning herself a respectable G.P.A. of 3.8. She still maintained some sort of contact with her old friends, as many months later, when X-Force were on a road-trip across the United States, Sally allowed them to stay at her place for a few days. Once again, Sally was pulled unwillingly into her friends’ troubles when the villains Reignfire and Locus tracked down and attacked X-Force. Skids was forced to reveal her mutant powers in front of her fellow college students, before being taken prisoner along with the rest of X-Force. After busting free, Sally’s energy field interacted with Locus’ teleportation powers, resulting in both of them being teleported across the world. [X-Force (1st series) #78-79]

When they woke up, the two young women found themselves on a snowy mountain in Latveria, both temporarily without access to their powers. Skids suggested that they work together to survive, but Locus only wanted to beat her up. Thus distracted, they were both put to sleep by a sorceress called Pandemonia. She took the two mutants to her castle close by, where she had been living alone for the past six centuries, as she had been magically imprisoned on the mountain. Locus’ teleporting powers provided Pandemonia with the necessary means to escape but, after she learned of the existence of more young mutants by tapping the memories of her two captives, she wanted to recruit them all to her cause. Once she magically transformed Skids and Locus into her loyal servants, the three of them surprise-attacked X-Force’s headquarters, and several of Sally’s friends were put under Pandemonia’s spell as well. Eventually, with the combined efforts of Dani Moonstar and the witch Jennifer kale, Dani Moonstar managed to overcome Pandemonia’s influence, and everyone was returned to normal as the sorceress was taken to another plane of existence. [X-Force (1st series) #80, 85]

It is not known what Sally did in the months that followed. She might have returned to Boulder to finish her college education, despite her fellow students now knowing of her being a mutant, but she could also have transferred to another college. About a year after they last met, however, Skids was approached by fellow New Mutant and X-Force member, Sunspot, who by then was leading the Los Angeles branch of the X-Corporation - a worldwide network supporting mutants. Her reasons for accepting Sunspot’s offer to join, despite her earlier decision not to get involved in the never-ending struggles of mutantkind, have yet to be revealed. When a team of X-Men had a few run-ins with the mysterious villain Elias Bogan, they asked the X-Corporation for help. Bogan managed to get several X-Men under his mental hold, including Bishop. While fighting him, Sally learned that her power left her open to a specific form of attack; her force-field keeping things slippery, she couldn’t stop, once she started moving, or in this case spinning around, due to the small generator that Bishop had attached to her. Although Sally was taken out of the fight, the assembled heroes managed to defeat Bogan in the long run. [X-Treme X-Men (1st series) #42-45]

Not long thereafter, the tragedy known as M-Day struck the world, rendering over 90% of Earth’s mutant population powerless. Although prepared and ready to live a “normal” life like no other, Sally found herself one of those whose powers were not affected. Several anti-mutant groups began taking advantage of the situation and started to hunt down the few mutants left, which is why Sally became one of the many mutants seeking refuge at the Xavier Institute. The mansion was already overcrowded with staff and students, so she was forced to sleep outside in the camp with dozens of other mutants, heroes and villains alike. These mutants had been dubbed “The 198,” after the number of mutants that the government knew to be still around. In the camp, Sally had to share a tent with Magma and Outlaw. [mentioned in X-Men: The 198 #2]

The Xavier estate was soon visited by Apocalypse, who offered salvation for those that would drink his blood - right after he had his Horseman, Famine, make them crave any sort of food or drink. Like most others, Sally was eager to accept it, though another former New Mutant, Karma, prevented her from consuming the red liquid. Skids still sided with Apocalypse when he was confronted by the X-Men, who successfully drove him away. Always offering a second chance, the X-Men gave Sally and the others the option of returning with them and being forgiven for their betrayal. [X-Men (2nd series) #183-184]

Once again, Sally departed the Xavier Institute without much fanfare. While some might have attributed this to her being embarrassed about siding with Apocalypse or regret at having gotten involved with the 198, in truth Skids had been recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. Considering her age and lack of history with law enforcement, Skids must have had a crash course in agency protocol, as she was soon thereafter assigned undercover in the Morlock Tunnels, where other former Morlocks had gathered in the wake of M-Day.

As being mutants was a defining purpose for the former mutant colony, the group lost its way… until they found another. A former mutant named Qwerty had spent her last days writing a book of prophecies that led them to believe that there was still hope for mutantkind to rule the world. Most likely, their attempts to track down Magneto to impart their discovery came to the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D., who assigned Skids to investigate. To maintain her cover, Skids participated in a terrorist attack in which they attacked a subway train and the faces of several passengers were morphed by Masque, who now led the Morlocks.

The attack soon gained media attention, especially after Masque posted a threatening video about it on social media, which resulted in separate investigations by both the X-Men and Office of National Emergency. Both X-Men and O*N*E agents converged on the Morlocks’ position, just as Skids was confronting Masque on him having altered their mission. An attack by O*N*E sentinels caused the tunnel to cave in, half-burying Skids and allowing Masque and Erg to flee. Skids was about to be arrested when she pulled out her badge and revealed herself as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Skids joined forces with the X-Men and led them to another faction of Morlocks that was following the Qwerty prophecies under a more positive interpretation than Masque was. However, Masque and his followers had followed Skids and the X-Men and surprised the group with a cave-in, allowing Masque to capture them all. Reveling in his apparent success, Masque proclaimed that his actions would bring Magneto to their cause, thereby ensuring their success. Unfortunately for him, the details of Masque’s plan were few and his attempt to keep the X-Men in chains insufficient. The X-Men escaped their shackles and, in the following battle, Skids fought Erg, tricking him into taking down Litterbug. With Masque defeated, Sally took the Morlocks’ book of prophecies, which Storm assumed she would hand into S.H.I.E.L.D.

However, despite her loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D., Skids clearly felt a greater loyalty to her people – mutants. Knowing that she could lose her whole life if anyone caught her, Skids arranged a meeting with Magneto in a graveyard at night and presented the book of prophecies to him. Part of Skids' motivation might have been her having read at least a portion of book, as she informed Magneto that the book said he was still a mutant. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #487-491]

Having kept a very low-profile for some time, Sally found herself in New Tian, the sovereign mutant nation, during Hydra's takeover of the United States. In New Tian, Sally was arrested and imprisoned along with other mutants and humans who were identified as trouble makers, and were going to be subjected to brain-washing. Thankfully, Sally and the others were rescued by the time-displaced original X-Men, and promptly encouraged to get back out there and cause more trouble. [X-Men: Blue #7]

With the fall of Hydra, Skids got back into her days of spy craft with S.H.I.E.L.D. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. itself was dismantled after the false Captain America used it for his takeover, many ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents remained as government agents, overseeing the nation's spy network. Skids was contacted by Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier when they suspected the late Black Widow was alive and conducting assassinations of known Hydra agents. Sally told them Natasha was dead, and she had even seen the body. Of course, minutes later, Black Widow kidnapped Skids and faked her death for the boys to see in order to throw them off the trail. Clint and Bucky later found Sally in Natasha's safe house and released her before the Black Widow's plan to wipe out the new Red Room was completed without them. Skids was annoyed with the duo for getting involved in an operation they clearly didn't understand. [Tales of Suspense #101-104]

Like most mutants, Skids eventually gravitated to the island nation of Krakoa. Skids found a role there as a mutant / island relations ambassador. Krakoa was sentient but unable to meaningfully speak with most residents, other than Cypher and Black Tom, leading to failures of communication. Skids tried to mediate when Gwenpool couldn't find the right gateway to take for the Caribbean and resorted to a weedwhacker. Gwen was feeling sassy that day, though, and she heckled Sally with her D-list mutant status and inconsistent character arcs. Skids apparently took the roasting to heart, and told Cyclops she quit shortly after. [M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games #3]