X-amining Uncanny X-Men #198

"Lifedeath: From the Heart of Darkness"
October 1985

In a Nutshell
Storm heals and comes to term with her power loss in a small African village.

Produced by: Chris Claremont & Barry Windsor-Smith
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Ann Nocenti
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
In East Africa, a wounded and delirious Storm is caught in a sandstorm. Finding shelter in a cave, she hallucinates being joined by her fellow X-Men, who force her to choose between life and death. She chooses life, and when the storm clears, emerges to discover a bus crash caused by the storm. The only survivor is a very pregnant young woman named Shani, who is returning to her village after leaving to experience the city. She and Storm travel there together, and as they near the village, Storm is struck by the broken down farming equipment and once-fertile land that has been rendered dry and arid. When they arrive, Storm's wounds are tended to by the village elder, Mjnari, who remembers Storm from her previous time in Africa. Days later, Shani goes into labor, and lacking access to a hospital, asks Storm for help. Despite her lack of training, Storm is able to hep Shani with the difficult delivery, but the child isn't breathing when he emerges.

X-amining Uncanny X-Men #186

"LifeDeath"
October 1984

In a Nutshell 
Storm and Forge grow closer as Storm deals with her power loss. 

Story, Script: Chris Claremont
Story, Pencils: Barry Windsor-Smith  
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorists: Wein & Scheele
Letterer: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Ann Nocenti
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Plot
In Dallas, Forge tries to help Storm recover from the loss of her powers, but she is largely unresponsive, much to Forge's frustration. Back at the mansion, Professor X searches for Storm using Cerebro, but is unable to locate her since experiencing a burst of extreme psychic pain from Storm through the rapport he shares with all the X-Men. Nightcrawler worries that this may mean Storm has died, but Professor X forges ahead, switching tactics to try scanning for Rogue. Back in Dallas, Storm emerges from her room and discusses her situation with Forge, asking about Rogue, who is still missing, and mourning the loss of her powers. The pair go for a swim, and Storm learns the extent of the injuries Forge suffered in Vietnam, realizing they share a sense of physical loss. Meanwhile, in Mississippi, Val Cooper continues to search for Rogue when she's attacked by a group of Dire Wraiths. She's rescued by Rogue, who is after Val for information on Storm's whereabouts.