Dazzler #3
"Round 2: This Time It's Personal"
By Pat Donovan

"ARGH! I wanted to get AWAY from you spineless ... or sometimes spined... people on Mojoworld! GEEZE! Can't you take a hint!?!"

"I suppose not, but that is considering that your husband awaits your return at that very dreadful place you speak of," smirks the Spiral from above, as her body begins to swirl to a stop, all the while glimmering high above our mutant herione.

Alison Blaire, the Dazzler, thought her last role in life was over. The role of earthling wife to an alien humanoid in another dimension had ceased to exist upon her return to Earth just days ago. With a native of that other dimension before her once more, and the mention of her estranged husband, she can't help but feel all those feelings come back to her. Ali takes it all in stride though, using this frustration and anger inside of her, she's determined to lay waste to this villainess.

"Don't think I'll be returning. I left for a reason. I'm done with that life, wench. Now either leave or force me to light you up," shouts the Dazzler, her hands coming together as orbs of light gather within them, while eyes glow vicariously with the same energy.

"I have my task, and I will see it through," replies Spiral, with hint of pleasure in her tone, her six-armed body with each limb containing a weapon. The witch's eyes go aglow, as she begins to spin lower, and faster, heading on the path of Alison.

With no words, Dazzler lets loose, as a flood of light-orbs begin to swarm Spiral. Within seconds at least thirty have surrounded Spiral, and before she can react they all reach their peak of brilliance. Dizzied, blinded, Spiral falls to the ground, disoriented.

"Not if I can't stop you, first," declares the liberated mutant, as she rushes for Spiral's downed body. "I won't go back there!"

As Alison charges her, Spiral shakes the attack off, and raises an arm towards Dazzler. Magic flows from her hand, and soon spins about Dazzler with intense speed and results. "Later. For now, I bring you home."

And the two are gone just like that, but nearby another being from the Dazzler's past lowly growls at their disappearance. He had his task as well, one similar to that of Spiral's, but for now he will have to wait to make his own attempt.

******

"WHO IS IT THAT WANTS ME? COMEON! I'M READY FOR ANYBODY WHO'S GONNA THROW THEMSELVES AT ME!" Alison Blaire shouts, finding herself in an empty arena. "IS IT YOU MOJO? IT'S GOTTA BE! I KNOW HOW YOU ENJOY KEEPING ME AND MY EX ALL TIED UP WITH YOUR DAMNED NETWORK!"

"No," speaks a voice from above. "It'd be me." With pure ease he springs from nowhere, flipping about just once, and landing purely on the ground after a fifty foot fall. Longshot now stands before the Dazzler.

Dazzler closes her eyes, and shakes her head. The man ... or subhuman before her has caused too much hurt before. Not again, he wouldn't. The problem presented by the man before her is no physical threat, though, but one of pain and agony. "I'm done with you, Longshot. You need me to list the reasons?" questions Alison, with a sharp glare.

Longshot's eye flickers, as he crosses his arms and grins, a boyish-like charm presented in his language that is hard for any woman to truly resist. "I brought you here for that very reason. For you to explain to me, why you think this all can't work, Ali."

She lets out a heavy breath and begins, holding back none. "Let's start off with the basics. That being me and you ... we are two different kind of things. I'm a human from Earth and your some kind of humanoid-construction from here on Mojoworld. I've learned the two can't mix. First major hint was learning that we couldn't produce a child. Second would be that me and you have two different goals. You want to rule all of Mojoworld and I just want to live and enjoy life... a HUMAN life. I don't want to be involved in this constant fight for freedom that I don't truly understand and never will! Let's not forget that you also think you can somehow just keep on disappearing on these strange, far-off adventures without notice. MOST IMPORTANTLY, you can't just disappear to my HOME... EARTH ... where you befriend some guy dressed in a moo-moo and curlers and a buncha other freaks. I don't tolerate this. I don't live like this. I refuse to!!!" Her entire dialogue goes interrupted, surprisingly, as her voice continuously raises through the entire speech.

"That all?" questions Longshot, with a smirk, his eye twinkling.

"You good for nothin," she mumbles at first, then blares her voice. ".... THAT ALL?!?!?!'"

"I only kid, *honey*, for I know you've spewed all your emotions and are currently distracted enough for... this," smiles Longshot, as the floor begins to tremble. It some parts the arena rises, while other parts fall, the ground being severed all about Alison.

"Should've known this wasn't going to be so simple," Ali grovels. Dazzler is prepared however, as she absorbs as much sound caused by the shifting of the ground around her in preparation for whatever awaits her.

Longshot flips backwards and resides on an overhead ledge, filled with many others Alison dreadfully recognizes. They are the X-Men, but not the team that fills the roster currently, but a team that will forever be held dear in Ali's heart.

"Alison, friend, your emotions have gotten the better of you. Please, heed our words and find that your husband is every bit a part of you as he is now," speaks Storm, mistress of the elements as she rises into the air.

"O, I've made up my mind," retorts Ali. "Don't make this harder than it is by having the good ole team takes sides with my former hubby."

"We only look to make sure your mind is on the right track and that your mind is not being controlled by another. We look to make sure that this is the decision you want to make," responds Psylocke, as she leaps from the platform within the arms of Colossus.

"Betts, look who's talking here. Your in somebody's else's body and you're going to question if I'm not being controlled by somebody?" Alison replies, a blast of light gathering in her hand from the anger.

"Well, sugah, if you don't want me, I'll have him. He'll be bettah than that sad-@$$ swamprat Gambit anyday," smirks Rogue as she swoops past Dazzler.

"Whatever, Rogue."

Wolverine takes a leap off the ledge, soon followed by Havok's lowering to the ground. "We're just concerned, Ali, s'all. We know things happen when you travel on your own. We're just checking things out. Making sure things are OK," encourages Logan.

"Are you sure nothing's up, Dazzler? We're here for you and you know that."

"I'M FINE!!! I've made these decisions on my own and I'm happy with them. For once in a long time, I'm happy with them. I'm off to a good start in putting back my Earth life together, too. I've even got a loft lined up for some housing and my money's almost accessible. Just go, guys. Please beat up Magneto or kill Sinister again or something, just let me do this on my own without you questioning," sighs Allison, in a plea.

Storm, Psylocke, Rogue, Colossus, Havok, and Wolverine are X-Men who are unlike any other to her. At the time she became part of a real team, these people were the ones who helped her, each in different ways, to understand what being an X-Man was. Now, she finds they might oppose her, and its breaks her heart.

"We are sorry, Allison, but we want so bad to believe and understand you, yet we can't," simply replies Storm as large gust of win throws Dazzler off her feet.

One after another, Rogue then Colossus take a striking blow to Dazzler as she attempts to rise up. "Stay down sugah, for all our sakes," suggests Rogue.

Before she can even can respond with light or words, she finds the ground beneath her being ripped apart by Havok's plasma-blasts. "This is for your own good."

Psylocke then leaps atop her, Alison still stunned. A psychic knife lifts into the air, but before such a move can be attempted, lasers shoot from Alison's eyes, knocking Psylocke for a loop. "Betts, always liked you alot better when you were British and nice," sighs Dazz.

Wolverine proceeds next, his claws drawn, and all Alison can do is gulp. "I still don't understand much of this, but if you really are the X-Men you would SO not be trying to beat the %#&@ out of me. So I'm guessing you're not really the people I've come to consider like a second family. Not after the bruises that're gonna be developing on me. So, guess what? Here's Dazzler... FULL FORCE!" proclaims our heroine, putting her words into action.

A strobe effect blasts from her body, catching whoever she can a little off guard as she puts her own acrobatic skills to use. Flipping thrice in the air and now residing behind a large majority of these so-called X-Men. She takes a heavy breath, concentrates and tries her best to ready a skill she hope will occupy them so that she can have a few moments for some strategizing.

"Now, you guys will be having a problem of sorts, because, I've been fine-tuning a skill while I was away. So have fun trying to figure out which is the REAL Dazzler," smirks Alison, as light streams all about the area. Soon, exactly seven holographic images of Alison Blaire appear around the 'X-Men'. "Usually, Betts could just find out through telepathy who's the real deal, or Wolvie could sniff 'em out, but guess what. You're not the X-Men. I know my friends and you are not them. So, deal," smiles each one of the Dazzler's, it being a bit hard to tell which of the Dazzler's is actually speaking as their movements are all unison.

"Problem for you DESIGNATE: DAZZLER is that our sensors can see through such facades," smiles Colossus, oddly, his voice becoming mechanical. [[CAPTURE OF MUTANT DESIGNATE DAZZLER HAS ONCE AGAIN RESUMED]]

Images change, the X-Men morphing into something Dazzler has become to heavily loathe: Prime-Sentinels. Dazzler shakes her head, and tries hard to keep her composure. The holographic images about Allison are dissipated, as she hopes to save at least a bit of energy. "Guess my life never does get easier," Ali groans.

This clash does not go unwatched though, above on the ledge where the X-Men originated one of her former teammates goes unchanged. Longshot or at least someone in the guise of Alison's ex watches silently. Alison catches a glimpse and only finds this battle harder to fight as she begins to question: Could that be her husband? Could he be so hurt to watch her die at the hands of Sentinels? And does she deserve it?

"Just breathe Ali," she thinks. "These things weren't too hard to beat last time*[[See last issue -Pat :D]]. Well, actually they were and if Shan didn't show up, I'd probably would have died, but who knows. This could be a bootleg brand of Prime-Sentinels. Just hope it is and hope that he's not who he looks like he is."

"SO BRING IT, GUYS! I'M WAITING! I'VE ONLY GOT A SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME TO BEAT YOU SO THAT I CAN ACTUALLY GET SOMETHING SETUP ON EARTH. SO, LET'S GO!" growls Dazzler. She puts on a front, though, unsure if she can make it out of another battle with these Sentinels.

*****

Through a view screen, someone watches, quite amused by the scenario has been playing out. He can't help but chuckle, his eyes fixated on the screen as Alison makes her grandstanding remarks. "Talk is nothing, Ali, my dear. For you know that such threats cannot be so easily defeated. Hehehehe."

****

NEXT ISSUE: Can Ali really defeat these Sentinels by herself? Who's watching her on this view screen? And can she handle the fact that Longshot might just let her die?