Alternate X-Men #66
-------------------
 
Cover : Caliban and Sabretooth tear at each other in New York City, as
seen upclose.. In the background, a series of metallic eyes watch the
fight, their eyes glowing red like fire..
 
Cover Caption : AS CALIBAN AND SABRETOOTH BATTLE..
               
                 @@   THE SENTRIES EMERGE   @@
 
Title : Chasing Tales
 
@@@@@@@@@@@
@ Prelude @
@@@@@@@@@@@
 
X-Factor HQ - Somewhere In The Mountains
----------------------------------------
 
An Aircraft Hangar.. Several Armoured Forms, dressed in large-suits of
robotic armor head towards an odd-looking aircraft..
 
Armoured Form #1 : Oh bother.. Why isn't the core team retrieving the dumb
  white freak? Why is it the Sentries that get stuck doing this stuff??
 
Armoured Form #2 : Troy says we lost him, so we have to retrieve him.. 
 
Armoured Form #1 : Well, Troy can kiss my a$$ for all I care.. If he had
  the Bi-Ops built with better control mechanisms, this wouldn't have 
  happened..
 
The two sentries, as they call themselves, board the aircraft, along with
several dozen others.. Little do they know, but another boards the aircraft,
someone, silent and invisible, comes shooting out of the aircraft.
 
If they could see him, he would be holding a large mess of wires in his
hands.. But they can't..
 
If they could hear him, he would be muttering a lot of random things about
local-density static beacons and energy conduits to himself.. But they
can't..
 
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@ End Prelude @
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******
 
Scene : A field somewhere
 
What a nice day for a picnic.. Jean Grey enjoys a bountiful summer feast
with her husband, Scott Summers, on the grounds of the Xavier Institute of
Higher Learning..
 
"Jean, could you pass me a piece of watermelon??" 
 
Scott waits expectantly, as Jean telekinetically lobs a piece of watermelon
at him.. Scott gets face full of it..
 
"That was not -funny-.."
 
Jean helps wipe the watermelon from his face..
 
Jean : Oh, stop being such a sore sport..  I love picnics.. I hope this day
  never ends.. Nothing could ruin a day as good as this..
 
Scott : Well, Jean, there is one thing that might.. I invited a friend to
  the picnic..
 
Jean : Any friend of yours is a friend of mine..
 
Scott <with a sinister look> : Oh, is that so?
 
Suddenly, it begins to rain, the sky grows cloudy, as millions of ants scour
across the red and white tablecloth, devouring everything..
 
Jean : What??? What's going on?
 
The ants suddenly conglomerate, merging into a humanoid form.. That of
 Mr. Sinister..
 
Mr. Sinister : Greetings, Ms. Grey.. I really could go for a leg.. A leg
  of lamb.. Sacrificial lamb that is..
 
Sinister suddenly reveals fangs, as he approaches Scott, taking a chomp
out of his leg, as it becomes bloody.. Scott doesn't seem to notice or
care, as Sinister continues to chew up his body, bite by bite..
 
Sinister : Kill the body, and only the head remains..
 
Sinister eats all of Scott, except for his head, which he tosses at Jean,
who catches it in her arms..
 
Scott <happily> : What's the matter, Jean? Is there something wrong?
 
******
 
The New Warriors' HQ : Jean Grey awakens.. In an unfamiliar environment..
It takes her a second to remember what she is doing in the warehouse
headquarters of the New Warriors.. She suddenly realizes that the
Beast is hovering over her.
 
Beast : Jean? What's wrong? You konked out again.. At a bad time.. A really
  bad time..
 
Jean : Another nightmare*.. It's Scott.. It's almost as if he's calling out to
  me..
 
[Her first was last issue. -Mike-]
 
Beast : Forgive me for my rare lack of emotional support, but we have much
  more monumental misnomers to deal with now..
 
Jean : Huh?
 
Beast : In layman's terms, they found one cat, and lost another..
 
Jean : HUH?
 
Beast : Oh, SCREW IT! Go to the communications panel in the other room, 
  and Bishop will tell you..
 
Jean runs into the other room, as several members of various groups stare
  into a monitor, depicting Bishop at the X-Mansion.. In the background,
  Wolverine is chasing after a golden colored cat, who has a pack of cigars
  hanging from his mouth. He [Wolverine, not the cat] is cursing quite 
  loudly..
 
#Wolverine : Gimme that back, you %$#, or else I'll turn you into a fur coat!!
 
Speedball : Um, how the heck did my cat get over there?
 
Firestar : What did that damn cat do with my car keys?
 
#Bishop : Jean, I regret to inform you, but Sabretooth is loose.. In all
  the confusion earlier, I forgot to check on him.. We've gotten reports
  that he's in conflict with another large behemoth, and they're both heading
  for New York City..
 
-*-
 
New York City : His name is Randy. He is a Nihilistic preacher. Up until
  recently, he has set up his preaching station next to a hot dog vendor.
  However, after a near-accident, he hasn't been preaching the end of the
  world, due to a broken leg*. Fortunately, his leg is beginning to heal.
  He limps around using a cane, as he holds an umbrella in his other
  hand. 
 
His friend, Larry, the Hot Dog Vendor, watches on..
 
Randy : Ha! If the sky is gonna fall on me again, I'll be ready for it
  this time!
 
Larry stares up to the sky, as a whistling noise can be heard plummeting
above Randy.
 
Larry : Randy, get out of the way!
 
Randy <unfolding umbrella> : Don't worry! I'm prepared this --
 
Without Warning, Sabretooth plummets atop of Randy, growling fiercly.. He
leaps away, in a savage state..
 
Randy : Mommy?
 
Randy tries to get up, holding his umbrella up, as Caliban lands next, 
creating a large hole in the ground.. As Caliban and Sabretooth proceed
to duke it out, people scatter screaming..
 
Caliban nails Sabretooth with a solid blow, sending him through an Italian
restaurant, and Sabretooth comes out the other side, covered in spaghetti..
An Italian waiter comes out, waving his hand at Sabretooth in a most
unpleasant manner..
 
"Yo dinna pay for that antipasto!"
 
Sabretooth looks dazed, as "Ouch, My Head!" tweety birds circle around
his head.. Hungrily, Sabretooth tries to eat them..
 
Sabretooth comes to his senses, and grabs the dumpster, running up to
Caliban, and slamming it over him..
 
Suddenly, two small replicas of Sabretooth appear around Sabes' head.. One of
them is
dressed like an angel, the other a devil :
 
Angel : Come now Victor, this isn't nice.. Wouldn't you rather be attacking
a Pizzaria, and getting something to eat right now?
 
The Devil Sabes socks the Angel Sabes, who disappears in a puff of smoke :
"Kill the bastard for me!!!"
 
While Sabretooth is soul-searching, Caliban breaks his way out of the
dumpster, sending shrapnels of metal and trash everywhere, as people
run in panic..
 
-*-
 
A ship suddenly lands.. Tigerstryke is seated next to a pilot, who lands
the ship atop of a skyscraper.. Tigerstryke beckons somebody over a 
two-way radio..
 
"TigerStryke to Homebase - This doesn't look pretty, chap.. Looks like our
  Bi-Op has broke its programming..
 
#Oliver <via radio> : Not to worry.. Not worry.. Get the sucker back here, and
I can
  whip up some even better programming..
 
Tigerstryke, dressed in his Tiger-armor, motions to several other people
on the ship, waving his arm to follow :
 
Several men in grey battle armor, resembling a cross between the armor used
by the The Right, and that of Stark Enterprises, follow Tigerstryke from
plane, emerging from it in mid-air..
 
Tigerstryke : Blanket the area! I want the two man-things taken out!
 
Several of the sentries begin to pulverize Caliban with concussive
laser blasts, as he shrugs them off, walking right towards the Sentries..
 
"I AM DEATH INCARNATE!! YOU WILL JOIN YOUR MAKER TODAY!!!"
 
A voice from behind Caliban rings out.. As Caliban is suddenly kicked 
forward, a few inches shy of the sentries..
 
Thr Beast : "A pretty cliched repartee, I must say.. Unfortunately, we
can't have you harming these ever-so innocents.."
 
Tigerstryke flies above the ongoing battle, as several of the X-Men, Psionex 
  and New Warriors come onto the scene..
 
Role-Call : [X-Men] Jean Grey, The Beast [Psionex] Rage, Night Thrasher,
  Pretty Persuasions, Impulse [New Warriors] Firestar, Speedball..
 
Tigerstryke : Ah, the bounty gets meatier by the minute.. Sentries, take
  them all out.. DOUBLE-OVERTIME for anybody who can capture the redhead!!
 
The Beast is surprised as the Sentries suddenly begin to plug away at him 
with laser blasts.. One of them creates an energy lasso, binding the Beast
with it..
 
Beast : Hm.. Perhaps these innocent civillians aren't so innocent afterall..
 
>From behind, one of the sentries attacking the Beast is hammered by an 
energy weapon created Pretty Persuasions, who mutters :
 
"I don't trust people hiding behind masks.."
 
@@@@@@@@@
Interlude
@@@@@@@@@
 
The X-Mansion.. Or rather, the trees above it.. A golden-haired cat
runs along a limb, its body bubbling multi-colored bubbles. In its mouth
is a box of cigars. There is a sudden rustling from the branches above.
The cat, named Niels, turns its head in curiosity.. And, of course, 
curiosity killed the cat..
 
Niels : "MRROW?"
 
With lightning speed, Logan comes flying from the upper regions of the
tree, grabbing Niels, pulling him to the ground..
 
Logan : I don't care IF Speedball owns you, furball! Yu'r dead! Heck, even if
yur
owner was the Hulk, that won't save yur fate, bub!
 
Logan's thoughts are suddenly distracted, as he sniffs with his nose..
 
"THAT smell.. Sort of like OZONE.. I've smelt that before.."
 
Suddenly, without warning, a dimensional portal opens above Logan, as 
something heavy, and moving drops on his back.. A second loud thud, hits
Logan, and finally a third..
 
In all the confusion, Niels makes off, grabbing Logan's cigar box..
 
Logan growls, with his head in the dirt..
 
"ARRGGHH!! I'VE BEEN TRACKING THAT $#@$ CAT FOR THE LAST TWO HOURS! 
 SOMEBODY IS GOING TO DIE!!!"
 
Logan stares up, only to see Locus, the masked blonde, dressed in black
and gold, staring back, with a ponytail coming out from under her mask,
blowing in the wind..
 
"YOU AGAIN???"
 
Logan turns his head, and suddenly realizes that Locus isn't alone..
 
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
End : INTERLUDE
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Scene : New York City.. An alleyway..
 
Jean Grey heads down an abandoned alleyway, searching for something.. Or
someone rather.. His distorted thoughts echo in her mind, and for a moment, 
she almost feels sorry for him..
 
"Victor, are you here?"
 
A voice calls out : You wish this were Victor, miss. But, alas, I'm a lot
more cultured than Mr. Creed, and a lot more deadly..
 
>From amidst the shadows, the fellow known as Tigerstryke soars out at
Jean Grey, sending her flying against the wall..
 
"Don't bother trying that psychic stuff on me either.. This suit is
 protected.."
 
Jean cringes, as her jaw impacts against the red brick, sending an
intense pain pulsing right to the roots of her teeth. In the background, an
entire legion of 
sentries loom, ready to leap at Tigerstryke's command.. 
 
"How does it feel, Ms. Grey? Do you feel helpless? Now you know what you
make the entire human race feel like every time you flex your mutant muscle.
I regret to inform you, but that ends today."
 
Tigerstryke <to the Sentries> : Tie the babe up, and teleport her 
to home-base..
 
One Sentry : Something's interfering with our teleportation device.. It's
  all scrambled..
 
Tigerstryke : Dammit! Well, get her in the plane, at least! 
 
One Of The Sentries : What about the escaped Bi-Op??
 
Tigerstryke : Not To Worry.. Even as we speak, I'm taking care of that
  situation.. What better way to gnab a Bi-op then with another?
 
>From the aircraft that Tigerstryke and the Sentries emerged from, now
emerges the Bi-Op formerly known as Sunder.. He plummets to the ground
with a thud, as he faces Caliban, who up until now has been kept busy
by Speedball and Firestar, whose combined attacks hardly phased him..
 
On any other world, these two would have been friends.. Years ago, they
roamed in the underground realm of the Morlocks.. Now, they brawl with
each other, one fighting for freedom, the other fighting for somebody
else.. Sunder throws the first punch, as Caliban moves out of the way,
the punch from Sunder taking out a nearby building, as rubble begins
to fall on the crowd.. Speedball, the bouncing New Warrior, leaps for a 
crying baby, dropped by a mother who put up more of an effort to save the 
purse than to save the child. As he leaps, he is sent flying face first
into the rubble by a blast from a Sentry. Speedball lands inches from the 
child, about to be hit by oncoming rubble.
 
Firestar streaks through, with a tough decision of her own.. Should she save 
the baby or Speedball? The decision is made almost instantaneously, as she 
takes the baby out of the path of the rubble, as Speedball is hit with it..
 
FireStar : Speedball? Quick! We have to dig him out!
 
As FireStar, Beast, Rage, and Pretty Persuasions are attempting
to unearth Speedball.. 
 
-*-
 
Caliban goes to strike Sunder back, yet .. he can't. Something inside
him snaps.. Years ago, he was programmed by Apocalypse to become the
ultimate killing machine.. However, the friendship him and Sunder once
shared transcends this programming, as he relaxes his fist..
 
..
 
Unfortunately, the cold machinery controlling Sunder's mind still operates,
as Caliban is hit with a punch that would down an elephant..
 
.. which incidentally OBLITERATES Caliban..
 
Sunder has a cold look on his face.. There is no emotion.. Any emotion there
is blanketed by the machinery within him.. Somewhere deep inside, one can 
almost see a look of remorse, as sentries immediately come and grab the 
unconscious Caliban, carting him away..
 
-*-
 
Meanwhile, Jean Grey has been bound in metal, a strip going across her 
forehead, interfering with her mutant powers, and going across her mouth, 
preventing speech.. She is being carried by a Sentry, as a legion of 
Sentries escort this one Sentry back to their aircraft.. Little do they
know they are being watched.. The shadow of somebody or something is 
lurking above on the fire-escape of one of the Skyscrapers.. Thinking..
 
Sabretooth edges out to the side of the building, as the voices in his
head continue to ramble on :
 
The Good Sabretooth : Victor, are you going to let Red go out like this?
Think of all the good things she's done for you!! You owe it to her!
 
The Bad Sabretooth : Kill them! Kill them! Kill them! Blood! Gore!
 
Ultimately, which one wins out, do you think? The mind of Victor Creed is
a divided fractured realm.. Yet, for this one decision, all the factions of
his shattered brain come together, resulting in one pivotal action.
 
With a leap, he tears at one of the Sentries guarding Jean Grey, as
an intense scream comes from behind the Sentry's armor.. Jean Grey stares
at the image of Creed, as he tears into another Sentry, Jean making a muzzled
noise from under her metallic gag, as the blood from the Sentry splatters
across her.. The Sentry holding Jean leaps into the air, soaring upwards..
 
Sentry : Ha! Let's see you catch me up here, you feline freak!
 
The Sentry shoots towards the plane, which has been parked atop of a 
skyscraper.. As heads up the side of the building, the Psionex member named
Impulse, with lightning-fast reflexes, comes flying out through one of the 
windows, knocking Jean out of the Sentry's hands, as she falls, with muzzled 
screams..
 
She is suddenly caught by Tigerstryke..
 
Tigerstryke : Dammit! You Sentries can't do ANYTHING right!!! I'll have to
take her to the plane myself..
 
Unfortunately, Tigerstryke didn't realize how low to the ground he was 
when he caught the dropping Ms. Grey. The Claw of Sabretooth against his
back reminds him, as both himself and Jean go plummeting further..  With
a bound, Victor leaps up, grabbing Jean, as Tigerstryke hits the ground with
a loud, thunderous impact, as a blood-curdling scream erupts from his lungs..
 
The voices inside Sabretooth's head continue to haunt him, as Tigerstryke
uses the oppurtunity to slip away, as he calls :
 
"Retreat <nuf> ! We've fulfilled our mission! <nuf>"
 
He flies away to the plane, as the other Sentries make a hasty retreat..
 
The Good Sabretooth : I'm hungry. I want pizza. Get me pizza. I want
  pizza.
 
The Bad Sabretooth : Kill The Redhead! The Killing must continue! It
can never stop! You need the real glow! You need blood! You want blood!
THE KILLING MUST NEVER STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
***
 
The two voices echo inside Sabretooth's mind, as Jean is powerless to do
anything about it.. Sabretooth screams against the oncoming moonlight, as
ultimately one voice prevails..
 
He begins to walk with Jean, taking her out from the alley, as he speaks
in a low growl :
 
"You owe me a pizza for this, Red.. Consider youself lucky, babe.. For any
 of Xavier's other goons working for Xavier, I would have demanded more than
 just Tomato Sauce.."
 
Overhead, an aircraft passes by, streaking across the sky in a fraction 
of a second..
 
-*-
 
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@ Epilogue The First  @                  
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
 
Scene : New York City
 
He sits on a stairwell, taking notes on a laptop computer.. Underneath
a baseball cap lies an alien head, as he types away with blazing speed..
His name is Arnie.. He is a Watcher.. He looks quite happy..
 
"Yippee! My report is almost done! My report is almost done!"
 
Suddenly, the smile on his face turns to a frown, as he looks at the people 
on the streets below..
 
Repair crews have already started to repair the damage caused by 
the Mutant/Sentry blowout on the New York streets below..
 
Several protest groups wave their signs around, gunning for camera-time,
as the newscasters idly report the scene to the viewing audience, across
the world..
 
-*-
 
Scene : Somewhere in the Midwest.. An obese man sits with a large bowl of
popcorn, as a well-dressed fellow with golden blond hair spouts forth, as
the scenes from the previous violence in New York City play over and over
again..
 
Greydon Creed <Over The Television> : It's time we've put these freaks in
their place! Or do you want to keep living in fear? It happened in New
York, it can also happen where you live. No corner of the world is
safe from the MUTANT MENACE..
 
-*-
 
Elsewhere.. In Washington.. Trevor Faulkman slyly banters, as the same
footage is being played over and over again--> Sabretooth and Caliban
beating each other to a bloody pulp..
 
"This Gentleman, is why we need a secure governmental unit.. Conventional
 police simply will NOT do the job.."
 
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@ Epilogue The Second @  
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
 
The New Warriors HQ :
 
Role Call : [X-Men] The Beast, Jean Grey [Psionex] Impulse, Night Thrasher, 
Rage, Pretty Persuasions [New Warriors] Speedball, Firestar
 
The Beast : Thanks for your help, today.. I only hope that we can provide
  the utilities necessary to recompensate you for your benevolence..
 
Speedball : Um, what did he say?
 
Rage : Beats me.
 
Impulse : Um.. <scratching head>
 
Jean Grey : He said he wanted to do something to pay back the favor..
 
Night Thrasher : Well, since you're arranging to have Coronary transported
to Muir Isle to be re-assembled, you've already paid us back..
 
Pretty Persuasions : Although, a cash reward wouldn't hurt..
 
[Night Thrasher kicking PP under the table..]
 
Beast : I'm sorry we couldn't do anything to bring Mathemaniac back..
 
Night Thrasher : Well, we still have our hopes up.. They haven't found
a carcass, or any genetic residue yet.. Which means the bugger might
still be alive, so we hope.. Although, the way things have been going
lately, hope seems like something pretty distant..
 
Jean remembers a tale her mother told her when she was little. The story
of Pandora's box. After everything corrupt and wicked had been left out,
only hope remained.
 
Jean : There's always room for hope.
 
END.
 
Pinup : Sabretooth sitting in the middle of a room, chomping on a piece of
pizza, as several pizzas are scattered about the floor, the crates apparently
clawed open.
 
Next Issue :
 
The remains of the X-Men band together, in a last-ditch effort to save
the dream of Xavier from total annihilation. Plus, a chase begins..



