Wolverine tries to comfort Noriko, telling her that at the Xavier Institute she will have friends who have been through exactly the same thing and can help her learn to deal with being a mutant. He also tells her that trust is a big part of being a mutant, and how she really does need people she can rely on. Later that night, Hikaru apologizes to Noriko about the whole deal over coffee, stating how it doesn't matter to him what she is, and Noriko accepts the apology whole-heartedly. Before any more can be said, though, Hikaru is alerted to the fact that Chris is leaving. Hikaru D-Smashes Thor to make his way over, and is silently observed by Ōkuma. Back at the base, Chris is begged by Captain America to stay, asking where he went wrong as a mentor. Chris cuts Captain America off, storms off, and is approached by Thor and Hikaru. Chris explains how he didn't want a mentor to stand above him, he wanted a partner to be alongside. Even Ed's attempt to give Chris a guilt trip didn't stop him from leaving. Later, as the team is discussing how they'd fight without Captain America, Iron Man once again insists on recruiting Noriko, but Hikaru stops him entirely. Pepper interrupts, showing Noriko inside. Noriko announces that she is leaving for the Institute and wanted to stop by one last time first. Before she leaves, though, she decided to try and free everyone from the DISKs once. Noriko is given the DISKs for the remaining Avengers and War Machine, and some time alone in the lab to try and free them. However, while Jessica explains how Noriko wanted Hikaru to stop her from leaving, some smoke starts trailing in from the lab. When they get there, the DISKs (both heroes and captured villains) are missing and there is a big hole in the wall. Elsewhere, Noriko gives the DISKs to Ōkuma as part of a deal, the DISKs for the removal of her powers. However, Ōkuma lied to her, since he really can't remove her powers. The team tries locating Noriko, but come up empty all across T