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Alternate X-Men #40
Michael Triggs at TRIGGS_MICH@bentley.edu

<fade in>

Toronto, Canada:

The Scene

A blonde haired lady, in her early twenties, frantically running down a local 
alley, chased by some armoured forms, cloaked in shadows... She gasps for 
breath, her lungs clearly at the breaking point.. A streetlight shines on her..
By her appearance, her lungs aren't the only thing about to break... Her form,
is twisted, withered, whatever word you want to use... She ain't in good shape.
The light from the street light glares off her hunter's armoured bodies... 
Something like Mandroids... With some effort, she speaks:

"Get away from me, you stinkin's floozies! I ain't your test subject!"

The air around her gets very staticky, just like how things feel just after a
thunderstorm, with the devastation of nature herself, a charge of ions streams
from her, frying the armour of one of the closest guards, who shrieks in
pain... Unfortunately, this guard isn't the only one doing the shrieking... Her
sudden release apparently caused her considerable pain, judging by the grimace
on her face... As another armoured form helps the shock victim to his feet...

"Come Lillian, you know you're only speeding the genetic disintegration..."

Lillian, as she is called, writhes in pain, her body begins vibrating at a high
rate...

"It's gonna happen anyway... At least I'll die... free."

Lillian, now vibrating beyond the point of recognition, suddenly disintegrates,
in a puff of energy... The smell of ozone is apparent in the vicinity...
The armoured form who spoke to "Lillian" activates an antenna array, which
comes ajar from his body armour...

"Troy, we lost her... The genetic alteration didn't take.."
"Damn! We already lost her twin! Now what are we supposed to do?"

A calm voice responds:

<Ah, if the clones fail, there is always the original>

"How the hell are we supposed to get her? She's in public!! The best hiding
place of them all! If we try, every single $#@$# mutant group in the country
will be on our case... X-Men, X-Force, Power Pack, New Warriors, Avengers!!"
Do you know what those guys do to cool government robotic armor???"
The last time I got into a skirmish with one of those dratted teams, they had
to pry me out of my cool armor with a $@$#$@# can opener!"

<Oh, I assure you my limited-intellect friend, with all the villains out there
in the world, the super hero teams have more to worry about then just low-level
kidnappings... However, just to be on the safe side...>

<fade out>

<fade in>
Scene: New York, NY
Location: An isolated corner of the Morlock tunnels... A gravesite of sorts

Here lie many of the Morlocks killed in the Mutant Massacre... The government,
realizing they had the right to buried in the society they were a part of,
allowed for an exception to the usual red-tape burial laws... A corner of the
Morlock Tunnels was turned into a tomb of sorts... Sunder, an unfortunate
casualty of a Reaver attack on Muir Isle, was buried here... Moira and Company
thought that he would have wanted to be buried with his own kind... For several
years, Sunder has slept silently here... His fragile sleep is about to be
broken...

<pantering of metallic footsteps>

<shadows of robotic forms across the walls>

<fade out>

<fade in>

Location: The X-Mansion

Professor Xavier is in his restored Information Room... It will never be the
same... The Phalanx Attack forced Banshee to have to destroy a life's worth of
work that it had amassed over the years... Professor Xavier is still not sure
whether he wants to thank Banshee for his action, or kill him... His mutant
archives feel so "empty" to him now... 

<clanking of machinery>

The cybernetic form of Forge comes crawling out of a corner of the Information
Room... His voice, in a half-sigh, comments:

"Well, I think I got Cerebero back online... I did the best I could... It
is way ahead of anything I've ever seen before... For me that is saying
something... Perhaps a test would be advisable..."

Prof X: Yes, it would be good for my archives to start filling up again with
new information. I never realized how much a part of me that data was until it
all was destroy--

<Professor Xavier's face grows blank>

Prof X: "-ed"

Forge: "Charles?"

Prof X: "I apologize... I've been under a lot of stress lately... My mind is
trying to cope with it as best as I can... Moira says it's a natural reflex
when somebody is placed under such a burden..."

Forge: "I hope she's right... Have you considered getting a professional
opinion?" 

Prof X: "Expert? But..."

Forge: "Moira may be an expert geneticist, but she isn't a professional at
everything..."

Prof X: "Perhaps you're right... But it can wait... As Jubilation would put it,
"Let's stoke up this ol' baby and see what it's got...""

<grin crosses Xavier's face>

Professor Xavier switches a few panels, and the Cerebero unit suddenly comes to
life... Blips and Gleeps echo at high rates... These noises are interrupted by
an alarm-type device, which blares forth incredible noise.......

<TO BE CONTINUED in Alternate X-Men #41>

(Feel free to reply with ideas... I am not looking to write award-winning
stuff... I just want to mess around with the plot, and see what happens...)

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