Alternate X-Men #54
Michael Triggs at TRIGGS_M@bentley.edu
===================

Cover : 

Front
=====

Picture of Archangel fighting it out with the earthen being
known as TerraRota. 

Back
====

Closeup on Wolverine, battered and bruised, an intense flame reflecting
off his face, and in his eyes.

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@ STORY #1 - A Light In The Window / Sacrifices @
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Alaska : What remains of a small cabin belonging to the man called
         Mr. Sinister.. The diminished remains of the X-Men had
         searched here for Cyclops, their missing leader, on the
         tip of Threnody, one of Sinister's henchman.. It turned
         out to be a trap.. Jean Grey, Wolverine, The Beast, and Bishop
         find this out the hard way.. [*]

(* Alternate X-Men #51 - 52 )


The cellar explodes in a bright flash, as the ceiling begins to rain
down in large fragments, like some sort of hellish brimstone, on the 
unsuspecting forms of Jean and Logan..

Jean ducks for cover, her powers still not functioning.. Everything
happens in slow motion.. Logan sees the resulting fire from the explosion
heading towards a chemical tank, behind Jean, and a sacrifice is made..
Whether it be for a love of a teammate, or something more, Logan makes
a choice that will change him for the rest of his life..

Logan <seeing the tankard about to blow> : JEAN!!!!

With a leap, he pushes Jean out of the way of the exploding tank, taking
his place as it blows in a hideous mixture of sparks and flames.. The
resulting force from the explosion knocks Jean against the wall knocking 
her out.. For a split second, Logan's hand emerges from the flames, reaching
for air. Then, it collapses. Logan's body is lost by the flames, diminishing
down to nothing. 

Scene : Sinister's Factory HQ
 ============================

 From outside, on the roof, a man cries out in triumph. His brown hair
 flows in the Colorado wind. His slim body stands awkwardly on the edge
 of the rooftop. However, the in this exuberant form, exists a cold
 mind, who is quite happy with his new home.

 Mr. Sinister [in Cyclop's Body]* : I haven't felt this good in years! Even
                                    at its prime, my old body wasn't this
                                    powerful! I have outlived the legacy!
                                    And now my plans can be fulfilled.

(* This exchange of bodies happened last issue.. -Mike.)

Down Below, within the factory, the ticking of machinery.. Ruckus, one of 
Sinister's pawns-turned genetic guinea pig, lies in a stasis chamber.. 

Lights flash, Consoles beep, and a computer nearby reads :

"GENOMORPH PROCESS 75% COMPLETE.. GENOMORPH PROCESS 76% COMPLETE.."

Gradually, the entire chamber begins to glow a dull yellow, followed
by a bright white, growing stronger and stronger, until almost reaching
the illumination of the sun.

Sinister comes down from the roof, in awe, heading towards the console. From
the nearby road, the dawning of the morning sun is surpassed by a great light
coming from the window of the factory, which was long-since supposed to have
been abandoned. Sinister runs towards the stasis chamber, the intense light
bouncing off the ruby red lenses owned by the body he has possessed.

Sinister [in awe] : This is certainly an interesting development.. What's
                    happening down there, Ruckus? What tangled webs are
                    you weaving??

<zoom down to the stasis chamber>
                   
-*-
Scene : Somewhere in the Human Mind
-*-

 He is Las Vegas.. It feels like home.. He skateboards up the main road,
 past all the glitzy casino signs, down the hill.. Something feels
 nostalgic about this place.. Everything is exactly as he remembered it..
 Well, almost.. This was a time when he went by another name.. Gibbs..
 He can practically hear his mother calling for him, from around the
 bend..

 However, something is out of place.. Who is the odd kid who's been following
 him around through all the turns in bends? The trailing skateboarder's hair
 flames like a candle.. Gibbs can see him out of the corner of his eye..
 
 Instantaneously, Gibbs turns the skateboard around.. Nobody..
 
 Where'd he go? Where'd he go?

 <<Picture of a young Ruckus staring back looking dumbfounded, his
   whitish hair blowing in the breeze.>>

<fade out>

============================================================================

-*-

What seems like an eternity later, Jean recovers, lying face-up in the
snow.. She feels warm, almost as if wrapped in a blanket..

Jean <regaining consciousness> : UGHH.. 

The cordial voice of Hank McCoy, The Beast, speaks soothing words..

"Easy there, Jean.. You've been out for two hours.. You really had us
 worried.."

Jean : How did I get out here? The last I remember..

Beast : Let's just say we had some help getting out of there, from
        a most unexpected source.

Beast motions over his shoulder. A young man stands in the snow, shedding
light and warmth over Jean's weakened form. His hair glimmers like a candle..

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@@END STORY #1@@
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=============================================================================
Interlude
=============================================================================

Sayville, Long Island..
=======================

Another fire burns, of a different sort.. The hollow smoking of a charred
building stands where once the Genetech Research Facility stood.. The
sound of sirens buzzes through the mid-morning air.. A lineup of various
people in uniforms surround the remains of the complex, munching on
donuts, and doing other typical things typical of uniformed officers..

.. Including getting in the way of people without uniforms of the  
   traditional kind ..

 His name is Elvin Haliday.. His friends call him Elvin..

 Police Officer <standing, blocking his path> : Hey, you can't go in there!

 With a flick of his wrist, Elvin swats him out of the way.

 Those who wouldn't classify as his friends, including those people
 who get in his way, can call him Rage..

 Trailing him are several other oddly-dressed individuals. They don't look
 very happy. As evidenced by their beating up anybody between their
 present position and what remains of Genetech, what up until recently
 had been there home. 

 Role Call 
 ========= 
 
 Night Thrasher [a loud, boisterous one in a suit of black/red body armor.]
 
 Impulse [He's dressed in a full bodysuit of purple and grey armor, with a 
          mask.]
 
 Pretty Persuasions [A black-haired beauty not wearing very much at all.]
 
 Rage [A big guy wearing a mask and a football-type getup, complete with 
       the shoulder pads.]

 Coronary [A white crystalline fellow, looking like something out of a               
           Picasso Painting.]

 ==========
 
 Night Thrasher : Okay everybody! Fan out! I want clues! Anything!
                  Whoever did this is going to pay to me!
 
 Pretty Persuasions can do things that other girls her age can't do. She
 has the power to cause men to drool like crazy when she's around. Right
 now, she's using it to keep the cops at bay.

 Pretty Persuasions : Geez, they sure threw one heck of a party while we
                      were gone. Least they could do was invite us.

 The gleam of the morning sun flashes across the visor of Night Thrasher's
 helmet.

 Night Thrasher : This was no party. Whoever did this is going to pay in
                  blood.

 <fade out>
=============================================================================
Interlude : End
============================================================================= 

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@  STORY #2 : The TerraFi/\/ @
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She feels the earth covering her body. Her clothes.. Ragged from abuse.. 
Her skin, bruised and battered.. Her body is rattled in absolute pain.. But,
then the pain diminishes, as her mind merges with her mysterious attacker,
the mysterious being known as TerraRota..

Her name is Psylocke.. She has traipsed around the heads of several people..
She has always had an infatuation with what other people are thinking.. 
However, the thoughts of TerraRota are incomprehendible mess..

She swims through shattered memories, only have of which are remotely
recognizable. Almost the way she herself was such a short time ago.

Psylocke suddenly finds an image materializing around her. A young girl
begging for food, as people pass her by. The rough voice of TerraRota
echoes through Betsy's psyche, almost overwhelmed by the imagery. 

* Translated From Spanish *

"We were ignored. We were dirt children. We were little more than the dirt 
 under people's feet. They spat on us."

Another image floods through Betsy's head, as the ground begins to crush
the life from her. She sees children protesting with rocks and things, followed
by a burial mound.

"We tried to get noticed. The government finally did notice us. In the wrong
 way. They put us in a large hole in the ground, and through the dirt in.
 I watched as all the other me's died slowly and painfully. I was the last.
 Dios cursed me, not allowing me a quick death."

[An image of a toxic landsite. Followed by an image of a field of skulls.]

"I didn't mean to kill them all. All the other me's flooded into my head. I
 wasn't thinking straight. I still can't think!!!!!"

The crushing becomes more intense, as Psylocke can here the sounds of
shoveling noises coming from the earth above, as the earth packs tighter.

Psylocke [trying to buy time] : Who did you kill?

"The whole town! THE WHOLE F*CKIN' TOWN! Vengeance was ours, yet it never
 was mine. They dragged me into it! Even in the dirt, I get stepped on."

Psylocke : They, who else is there?

"All of them! They talk to me. They never die. They just rot away. God
 forgive me for what I'm about to do. The white man said he could clear
 my head. Make me free. If I kill you. I'm sorry."

<Shoveling Noise Increases>

Psylocke <pleading> : No! I can help you. Just give me a chance.

(A different voice (male) : So, we're as good as dead either way? If the
                            white man don't kill us, you will? No
                            way! No how! This our body now, and we're
                            going to have to share it. 

>From above, Archangel digs through the dirt, in a feeble attempt to
rescue Psylocke. The earth quakes and rumbles and flies in random
directions, almost as if it were arguing with itself.

<Back Underground>

(The female voice :) No! This is my body! You have no right taking it from me!

(Yet Another Voice :) The earth is public domain. Nobody owns the earth. I
                      taught you that myself. Who gives you the right to
                      kill all of us and hog the body for yourself?

(The female voice :) And who gave you the right to kill all those people?
                     The killing must stop now!

(The first male voice :) The villagers deserved to die! They would have
                         done no less to us. 

(The "Yet Another" Voice:) I agree the killing must stop now. For both
 of you. Let this lady go. And, as far as you go, young Ms. Equalles, there
 will be no killing off of any of us. Got it?)

(The female voice :) But you're already dead! I watched you die!

("Yet Another Voice" : Death is relative, child. Death is relative.)

(The female voice :) This isn't fair! I won't go along with it! God already
                     has places for you in Heaven. Your souls are already
                     up there! You're just memories.

("Yet Another Voice" :) Memories can sometimes be more vivid than the real
                        thing, so where does the soul know where to go?

("The female voice" :) I'm not going along with this!

("The male voice" :) You got no choice. Majority rules. 

[Hundreds of psychic voices shout their ayes and nays in Psylocke's skull.]

And then, everything is still. From above, Archangel stares in amazement as
the once wild earth calms down to virtually nothing. Psylocke's form. heavily
badgered, and barely conscious, yet alive, at least, floats to the surface,
the dirt flowing out of her way on the way up.

Warren runs over Betsy, grabbing her, hugging her frail body warmly.. 

Warren : Betsy, are you okay?

Betsy <barely conscious> : I've been better..

Warren <picking Betsy up> : Would you please explain to me what the $@#$#@
                            just happened? What did you do to TerraRota?

Betsy : I did nothing to her. She just defeated herself.

Warren and Betsy go flying off towards the sunrise, towards the nearest town.

Warren : Do you think she'll be back?

Betsy : More than likely. What she will come back as is the big question.

Warren : A problem to be worried about another day. Right now, let's
         catch up with Rogue and Gambit, and get a doctor to have 
         look at that leg.
      
Betsy : But what about Scott? If Sinister has him..

Warren : If Sinister has him, then there's nothing the two of us can do alone..
         We're going to need some help. And with the transmittor on our
         aircraft broken, we're going to have to do some long distance
         dialing.

*fade-out*

<Epilogue>
==========

A Hosptial In New Mexico
========================

She waits nervously in the waiting room. Rogue has known Gambit for a short 
amount of time, and she has found herself developing a bit of a love/hate 
relationship for him. She hates what he keeps from her on one level, yet on 
another level, she sympathizes with what he got put through. The doctors have 
been desperately at work for over 12 hours trying to correct his ribcage, which
was crushed pretty severely when an entire underground tunnel system came
crashing down on him and the others.

"So much for this just being a friendly new mutant orientation", Rogue thinks
to herself. 

"Not only is Gambit beaten up bad, but Scott's missing, Betsy and Angel
 have been missing for three days on a communications call that should have
 lasted about an hour tops, but I'm getting a busy signal from the mansion
 every time I try to call. Can things get any worse?"

<Inside The Operating Room>

An Aid, and two doctors, hovering over Gambit..

An Aid : Hm, this certainly is strange. Is body is acting odd the second
         dosage of anastesia. He's.. GLOWING???

>From outside, Rogue suddenly hears a loud explosion. People go running about
the hospital in a frenzy.. With a leap, Rogue runs down the hallway at top
soeed, her body feeling the intense heat from the flames caused by the
explosion.. 

She stands in awe, mouth hanging open, as she twists the corner..

Final Scene : Picture of Gambit, lying in a pile of rubble, glowing an
              intense pink, with the mangled bodies of three people
              burning away nearby.

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@@ End: Story #2@@
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TO BE CONTINUED
===============

Next Issue : Faces Of New, Old, Missing, Bruised, and Used.






