Shatterstar
X-Factor Investigations
After tracking Rictor and Strong Guy down to John Maddox's house in Vermont, Shatterstar surprise attacked the duo, targetting Rictor specifically. From the get go, Rictor
assumed that his friend was under mind control, and made his best efforts to ensure that he wasn't hurt too badly during the confrontation. It took a great deal of punishment
dishing from Strong Guy and a minor distraction of Cortex's psyche to break Shatterstar free of his hold. Immediately upon doing so, Rictor moved to comfort his friend and was
embraced by Shatterstar with a kiss. It was this moment that officially outed the two as more than friends.
Of course, Maddox wasn't impressed by the destruction of his property, and the happy reunion was put on hold. Strong Guy suggested they get back to Siryn before anything else
happened, so the trio embarked on a long and awkward car ride home. It was during this that Rictor explained that he and Shatterstar had been romantically involved with one another
for quite some time (only indicated as being before X-Factor Vol 3 took place). While Strong Guy wasn't entirely comfortable with the guys' relationship, both Ric and 'Star didn't
appear to be uncomfortable at all. So to cut the car ride short, 'Star offered to get Rictor home quicker by instructing him to simply 'think of home'. Ric complied, and Shatterstar
pressed a hand against his face (implying that he somehow 'read' Ric's thoughts) and revealed a new trick in his powerset: long range teleportation. The guys (and the SUV) made it
back to Detroit in a flash, only to be greeted by Val Cooper. In an odd flash of behaviour, Shatterstar surprised the O*N*E director with a kiss, much to Ric's bemusement.
Following Val's orders, the boys were lead to an ongoing fight between the rest of X-Factor and Cortex. The rogue Madrox dupe managed to take out the entire team, and they were only saved
by a time travel trap set by Madrox prime in the future. The end of the battle saw Madrox Prime return home, and X-Factor was split into two factions: Siryn's squad in Detroit, and Jamie's in
New York City. While first sticking with their old friend Theresa, Shatterstar defected to Madrox's NYC team only a month later with Rictor, Strong Guy, and Darwin.