Alternate X-Men #58
Michael Triggs at TRIGGS_M@bentley.edu
===================

Cover : The members of the Psionex and the New Warriors stare down 
        at the broken form of Coronary, whose shattered form lies
        in some sort of stasis coffin. At the bottom of the page, in
        red letters at the bottom of the page:

        - "Red Light At The Crossing" Concludes. -

Back Cover : Streaking down from the sky, some female, dressed in black
             and gold, crashes into a pile of snow, as Wolverine, Beast,
             Bishop, and Jean Grey stare from the background, scratching
             their heads dumbfounded. In gold letters :
             "IT'S REIGNING MUTANTS!!"


-*-

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@ Story #1 : "The Morning After" @
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The Crashpad of the superhero team known as the New Warriors.. When Night
Thrasher had left them, not under the best of circumstances, they hadn't
bothered changing the locks.. Their mistake..

Image : The members of the Psionex hover around a stasis chamber. In it lies
an infinite number of small crystal shards. The various members of the New 
Warriors stand in the background [Justice and Hindsight being absent.] 
They have just responded to an alarm being tripped at the crashpad, and upon 
investigating, have found this scene awaiting them. None of them know what 
to say to their uninvited guests. One member, unshaven, with long brown 
hair, dressed in street clothing, finally has the audacity to speak up.

"Look, Taylor, you can't just keep on bargin' into our lives anytime
 you want. You gave us this place, remember? Meaning : It's not yours 
 anymore."

The redhead, Angelica Jones, known as Firestar, silently motions for
her associate to hush. She is dressed in black and red, holding her
yellow visor in her hand.

Dwayne Taylor slams his hand down against the top of the stasis chamber, 
chucking his helmet into the corner, scaring off the golden cat which
had been lurking there. He skitters off, running behind the blonde-hair
fellow known as Speedball, peering out from behind his jacket. Speedball
idly chats with Pretty Persuasions, who is still quite scantily clad, and
still quite shivering.

Taylor <angrily> : Look, Rider. I know you're still blaming me for Nita's
capture, but can we put aside our differences. Coronary was just blown
to pieces, and he's in critical condition. If it weren't for his genetic
alteration, he would be dead now. Even as it is, it will take him months
to reassemble himself.

Rider <crossing arms, leaning in the corner> : If you cared this much
about Nita, she would still be with us..

Taylor <sighing> : Well, maybe I'm learning from my mistakes..

Rider <uncrossing arms> : The only thing you ever learned from your mistakes
                          was that you made a lot of mistakes.

Dwight Hubbard, the Impulse, speaks from the corner, favoring his right
shoulder. Alex Powers, a recent addition to the New Warriors, holds his
hand against Hubbard's shoulder, as his hand glows.

Hubbard <in some pain> : Sometimes that's the biggest lesson to be learned,
                         kid. You say Thrasher gave up on you. It looks like
                         you gave up on him. 

Rich Rider <staring down Hubbard> : You prepared to back up that statement?

With a snap of his body, Hubbard, leaps into Rider's face, catching him off 
guard.

Hubbard : Anyday, anytime, buddy. Don't start fights that you can't win--

Impulse/Hubbard is cut off by Dwayne Taylor, who has connected his helmet
up to the New Warrior's computer.

Taylor <punching various buttons on console> : We don't have time for this.
My helmet-camera managed to get a close-up on the figure who pounded
Coronary into the ground. He's already critically injured one of my own, and
seems to have had some connection to the disappearances of Rosen and Mathy 
as well.. 

Taylor clicks a picture on the screen. The face of Cyclops' reflects
in computer light from the monitor, off the faces of the various 
members of the New Warriors.

Rich Rider <grinning> : It figures. You got the X-Men pissed off at you.
It was bound to happen with enough time.. You already have every other
superteam --

Firestar <in shock> : Rich, stuff it. Cyclops? It couldn't be them. They're 
                      not killers!

Speedball : Yeah, him and the X-Men are cool..

Niels, Speedball's cat, from inside Speedball's jacket on the floor, meows
in agreement.

Taylor/Thrasher : I don't know what to think about this. There never was any 
bad blood between the X-Men and New Warriors in the past, and the Psionex 
have never even met them before. All I know is me and the Psionex are going 
to pay the X-Men a little visit, and get to the bottom of this.

Night Thrasher motions for the Psionex to come with him.

Rich Rider <angrily> : Hey, we're not going to baby-sit your wounded, 
                       Taylor!

Impulse <walking off> : Ah, the words of a true hero kid. So much for
                        helping hurt people.

<The door to the Crashpad slams angrily.>

Firestar <shaking head> : This isn't good. When Dwayne pays somebody a
                          visit, we all it isn't exactly a tea party.

-*-

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@ Epilogue @
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He hides himself in the shadows on the ledge of a nearby building, watching 
as the Psionex members storm off in a helicopter. He laughs silently, his laugh 
barely audible over the gentle breeze which drafts in over the city tonight, 
making everything a little colder. A winter fog obscures his form from 
onlookers, his dim red eyes just barely penetrating the fog, like some
stone gargoyle poised to strike. The laughing stops, and there is silence:

"A new game has begun. And now I have new pawns to play in the game. 
 -- Whether they realize it or not."

--\@/--
--/@\__: End Story #1

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@ Interlude @
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Scene : The Moon - A very tranquil place. Well, usually.. 

<A sudden burst of light, coming from behind the moon>

<panning camera around to the Moon's Dark Side>

Hm, was that an explosion or something?

Scene : The Watcher's residence.. Or, what's left of it..

In the middle of the ruins sit two balding creatures, their skin colored
black as soot by the resulting explosion. One seems older, the other
younger. The younger one, named Arnie, seems to be trying to sneak
away from the older one, the being known as The Watcher. The Watcher angrily
grabs Arnie by the huff of the next, holding him up to eye-level.

The Watcher <angrily> : I told you not to touch anything!!

Arnie <rationalizing> : Hey, waitaminute, you're not supposed to act. It
                        says so in your code of ethics.

The Watcher <pulling out a charred-booklet> : Paragraph 4, Sub-Set 13b.

"A Watcher may act if his abode is threatened."

The Watcher grabs Arnie by the back of the neck, parading him up the side
of a large cliff.

Arnie <pleading> : Come now, Uatu, old buddy, old pal.. Let's not
                   do anything drastic here.. I mean, it was only an
                   accident..

<A loud kicking noise>

-*-

>From the Earth below, Jimmy Bradford, an astronomer, watches the Moon
through a telescope, jotting notes in a notebook :

"10:21.00 - An apparent explosion erupted from the Moon's backside, of
 moderate intensity. I suspect it's a meteorite or something."

<Jimmy holds the telescope closer to his eye, turning his head away for
 a second, in apparent awe, rubbing his eyes. He returns to look through
 the telescope again, and quickly jots down some notes.>

"10:26.34 - Some projectile was just launched from the Darkside of the Moon.
            We might have an astronomical breakthrough here. What could it
            be?"

-*-

Arnie flies through outer space, after receiving a large boot from the
Watcher, he flies through the air, holding his hand to his chin in boredom.
His flight is stopped suddenly by a passing satellite, with the NASA
emblem on it.

Arnie <sighing> : Jesus, you stupid prick. I've supposed you've never
                  accidentally blown up somebody's house before..

<Arnie grabs hold of the satellite, as it plummets into the atmosphere
 of the planet Earth. He angrily waves his fist back towards the moon.>

Arnie : Fine.. I'll -find- the X-Men on my own.. I don't need your help!!

<The satellite shoots into the Earth's atmosphere, with Arnie riding it..>

Arnie : All aboard!!! Next destination, Earth!!!

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@ End Interlude @
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@ Story #2 : The Northern Taxi @
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Scene : Alaska -- The Outskirts. Inside the remains of the X-Men's aircraft.
        A snow storm, lasting over the night, has finally died down, and a
        cold sun has come out this morning, illuminating the remains of the
        ship's hull. Inside, the form of the mutant known as Wolverine sits
        on a medical deck, as red lasers scan up and down his body. Hank
        McCoy, the Beast, operates the controls behind the medical deck,
        observing the screen with interest. 

Beast : "This is incredible. The rate at which you regenerated is simply
         beyond words. It's almost as if your healing factor -- exploded.
         There is still signs of cell reproduction, operating at levels
         off the map. It's amazing what your healing factor is capable
         of when not being burdened down with an admantium skeleton."

Wolverine <sweating a little> : You can attribute it to what you want
          McCoy. Some things just can't be explained by science. I don't
          want die yet, so I won't. It's that simple. It's more than words
          can explain. Why not put your science towards a better use than
          probin' me, and get this ship off the ground?

Beast : "Our aircraft seems to have bit the big one.. There's no
         way we're going to get this thing airborne.."

Jean Grey stands in a corner, staring out into space. She seems distracted.

Jean : I don't care if I have to telekinetically push this damn thing there.
       Sinister has put us through the hamster maze long enough. We find
       Sinister, we get Scott back, we go home. End of story.

Beast : If life was only that simple, Jean. Even if you could propel this
        telekinetically, [which I pray you can't, since my stomach is still
        recovering from the last time you tried that stunt], we still have
        no clue where Sinister is currently hiding out.

Wolverine : What about Threnody? Any way we can retrieve the info from her?

Beast : Well, the circuitry she was residing in on the Blackbird was scorched
        and scrambled. It would take me days to piece her back together, and
        even then, I doubt I could bring her back to anything resembling life.
        The best thing we can do now is go home. And, unfortunately, there
        has been absolute radio silence from the X-Mansion for the last
        48 hours. I'm going to try to get a signal through to Muir Isle. 
        Hopefully, somebody out there can give us a lift home.

Wolverine is apparently still shaking off the effects of his mass-healing.
Apparently dizzy, he holds his hand to his head.

Wolverine : Damn, never a mutant teleporter around when you need one.

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

Scene : Almost on the other side of the planet. A spherical orb, breaming
        with light, appears over Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in
        Massachusetts. A female form, wearing a black and gold crash helmet 
        with a red visor, suddenly shoots out of the orb, at high speeds, 
        her blondish hair blowing all over the place.

<on the ground below, two people are arguing>
=============================================
Sean Cassidy : Okay, that's it! You've been swandering about on campus
               to niy'a end, and ye still haven't told us hide ne hair
               what ye're doing here! I want some flamin answers!

GateWay      : --

Before even hitting the ground, the female form, covered in a black, grey,
and gold uniform, begins yapping, her red visor reflecting sun..

Female : Gateway, I'm glad I've found you! He's gone nuts man! We gotta
         stop him before it's too late!!

GateWay, remaining total free of any sort of emotion, suddenly begins to
twirl his bullwhip, creating a portal underneath the female. As she
plummets towards the ground, she falls into it.

Female : Hey! What're you doin- <falling through portal>

Banshee, <staring at GateWay> : Hey, that was Locus. Xavier has files on the 
                                lass about a mile thick. Would yeh mind
                                explaining what just happened?

GateWay : <shrugging shoulders>

*fade out*

=============================================================================        
Scene : Back To Alaska

Well, about a minute ago, Wolverine made the comment:

"Damn, never a mutant teleporter around when you need one."

A second later, shouts from Bishop can be heard coming from outside the
ship. 

"Um, guys? You might want to come out here. We have a security breach, sort
 of."

Jean Grey and Beast come running out of the ship, followed by Logan, who
seems to be limping a little bit. Bishop points to a portal opening up
in the sky, shimmering an odd white color.

Jean Grey : I don't like the looks of this..

Suddenly, a female form emerges from the portal, fully masked, and dressed
in black and gold. 

Locus <shouting as she plummets> : INCOMING!!!! (gateway, i'm goin' to kill
                                   you.)

She goes crashing into a pile of snow, bouncing up and down, slowing down
on each successive THUD, saying plenty of words that can't be heard and/or
shouldn't be repeated.

Jean Grey grabs Locus in a telekinetic bubble quickly, before she has
a chance to respond.

Logan : Well what do you know. There is a Santa Claus. One mutant teleporter
        made to order. Her name's Locus. Cable has a record on her a mile
        thick. 

Bishop : Do you think we can use her to get back to the Mansion?

Logan <extending claws> : With a little coaxing.. =)

Suddenly, Locus disappears from Jean's TK bubble in a flash of light,
reappearing through a disk above the ship.

Locus <muttering to herself> : It figures. The world is close to ending, 
                               and that aboriginal bastard has me running 
                               errands.

Logan <retracting claws, confused> : Wait a minute - You're supposed to be
                                     a villain. Why aren't you doing 
                                     villainy things?

Beast <leaping atop the ship with a bound> : Not that we're complaining, of
                                             course..

Locus creates another portal, teleporting herself to the ground.

Locus <raising eyebrows> : Oh -come on-. This whole villain/good-guy thing
                           is so overrated. I don't have the time to 
                           explain now. I have more important things to be
                           doing.

Jean Grey <cynically to Locus> : Why should we trust you? Would you let me
                                 read your mind to make sure that --

Locus suddenly appears behind Jean Grey via portal, pulling her in.

Locus : Sorry.. No time..

Logan, apparently concerned, extends his claws again. Locus suddenly appears
behind him, pulling him into the portal as well.

Locus : Just trust me..

The Beast quickly somersaults off the ship. As he does so, a portal develops
underneath him, Locus popping her head out for a second.

Locus : Geez, you people are paranoid..

Bishop loads his gun, spinning around keeping his eyes out for Locus.

Bishop <shouting> : What have you done with the others?

Bishop suddenly feels the snow disappear from under his feet, he realizes
that the ground him is glowing brightly, and instantaneously he goes
plummetting into black nothingness.. The portal closes, leaving nothing
but silence..

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@ End : Story 2 @
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 Next Issue
============

@@@The Killing Hand@@@ 

[The final fate of Gambit!]

A Picture : A Girl with Blonde, shoulder-length hair, dressed in red armor.
            She holds a large gun, as several mirrors rotate around her
            head. The caption reads : "Who might this be? Find out next
            issue."






