Ashley and her boyfriend Eric are on the runner from a bounty hunter, Cross. Ashley is an "elemental" who absorbs energy: in this case, electrical. She escapes although Eric is captured. Mutant X detects the power outage and goes after her. She goes to recover Eric from Cross, who has made a deal with Eckhart to capture her. Eckhart tries to double-cross Cross, and Mutant X grab Ashley, although Eric remains a prisoner of Cross. Back at Sanctuary, Ashley and Brennan are electromagnetically "attracted" to each other, and the group figures out that Eric is in cahoots with Cross to get hold of Ashley. Ashley literally absorbs Brennan, making herself potentially very dangerous and liable to explode the next time she draws energy. Cross shoots Eric once he has succeeded in luring Ashley back in, cuts a new deal with Eckhart, then goes to charge up Ashley at a power plant. The team manages to interfere, restoring Brennan to physical corporeality, and they get away with Ashley, who goes into the Mutant Underground