It had been a high-voltage night in Chicago. Dazzler's Neon Pulse tour was in full swing, the arena pulsing with thousands of screaming fans, walls trembling under the pressure of bass and spotlight. The show had gone off without a hitch—at least onstage. Offstage, things were more tense. After a recent string of mutant-targeted threats, she’d reluctantly agreed to a quiet security detail. Xavier sent someone she trusted.

Backstage, the roar of the crowd was still echoing as she stepped through the curtain, her jumpsuit glittering with sweat and light. Techs and assistants buzzed around, but her eyes went straight to the fellow mutant they had assigned as security.

She pulled a bottle of water from a tray, then walked up to him, a little breathless, still running on stage energy.

"So," she asked, brushing a few blonde strands from her face, "you a fan? Or isn't disco your jam?"