New Mutants #5 (1983)

Charles Xavier stumbles in pain at his School for Gifted Youngsters after trying to walk for a short distance. He is frustrated at his lack of progress in trying to walk since he received his cloned body. Lilandra rushes to aid the professor when he realizes that his telepathic link with the New Mutants has been lost. Lilandra reassures him that the students will be fine since Stevie Hunter is with them. The students and Hunter are attending a local fair for some recreation. Roberto Da Costa spots three members of Team America: R. U. Reddy, Cowboy, and Wolf preparing their motorcycles for a charity exhibition. He is surprised to see them since they have recently disbanded, and approaches the trio to get autographs for his sister, who is a big fan. Wolf brusquely refuses to sign for Da Costa since he is focusing on getting ready for the show. The show starts with Hunter and the students watching from the grandstand, but it is soon interrupted by an explosion and a group of armed men attacking Team America in order to flush out and capture the mysterious Dark Rider. The spectators flee the scene, but the New Mutants remain to battle the instigators. Cannonball, Karma, Wolfsbane, and Sunspot all enter the fray, while the Team America members join them. as the Dark Rider]]The Silver Samurai makes an appearance at the direction of Viper to take out the interfering students. He defeats both Karma and Cannonball before taking out Wolf when the Dark Rider suddenly appears to battle the Samurai, but is also defeated and unmasked to reveal Danielle Moonstar to be the enigmatic rider. The Samurai leaves with the unconscious Moonstar along with the rest of the aggressors, having met their objective. Moonstar recovers in Viper's headquarters where Silver Samurai tests her abilities as the Dark Rider. Realizing that she is not the accomplished motorcycle rider that she appeared to be as the Dark Rider, Viper and the Samurai ask her about the events at the fair grounds, where she expertly rode a motorcycle. Moonstar doesn't remember those events and lashes out at Viper, projecting an image of the villain's distressing memory where she was wandering alone in post-war Europe. Viper is shocked by the vision, and strikes Moonstar and threatens retribution for such a personal attack. The remainder of the students and Hunter return to Xavier's school to meet with the professor, Lilandra, and Colonel Rossi to devise a plan to free Moonstar. Xavier still does not have a telepathic link with her and cannot locate her, even with the assistance of Cerebro. They discuss the events at the fair where Moonstar appeared as the Dark Rider and Xavier uses Cerebro to find a clue to the mystery. Viper and Silver Samurai approach James McDonald at his Washington, D.C. residence to have him reassemble Team America to steal a Cavorite crystal for them in exchange for the life of their hostage, Moonstar. Within an hour, the villains have left and the rest of Team America arrives, including Leonard Hebb and Georgianna Castleberry, and they discuss whether to agree to Viper's demands. Soon, Professor Xavier arrives with the four remaining New Mutants and explains the power of the Dark Rider to the group. He persuades the Team America members to allow him to teach them how to use their power to help them to steal the crystal in order to buy time to summon the X-Men. Xavier asks the New Mutants to stay on the sidelines as he focuses on efforts with Team America, but the Mạnh suggests to her fellow students that they disobey Xavier's wishes and formulate their own rescue plan without the professor.