AN UNEXPECTED GUEST

                                  PART THREE

                             By Davide Briganti

DISCLAIMER: All the X-Men, and their likenesses, depicted in this story are
property of Marvel. No profits are made by posting this story, which is writ-
ten only for entertainment purposes. Sid "Renegade" Mayer, Seyla of Arborea
and Songmaster Thax are copyrights of me, so if you wanna use them, please
ask me first.

                                   * * *

All the X-Men were sitting around a large table, looking at the beautiful
young woman standing near Jean with various degrees of concern. Silence was
shrouding the briefing room as Charles Xavier slowly and cautiously scanned
her memories and then redirected the images right into the minds of his students.
After a while, he closed his eyes and rubbed them sleepishly.

"It seems you aren't able to give us any significant information about the cause
of you sudden arrival down here, young one." the telepath finally said to the
woman.

She shrugged. "I told you, Honored Sir. I don't have the slightest idea of how
and why I got here. The only thing I remember was that lightning bolt, and in
the blink of an eye I am here, stranded in this faraway land." she replied,
using the pendant-like object the bald, middle-aged magician gave her to tran
slate from their strange language to her mother tongue.

"Just great!" Sid's voice called out from the other side of the table "Five 
hours sitting there, tryin' to get a clear sight of what's this all about,
and we're back at the startin' line!"

"Well, I don't think we haven't made any progress, my friend" Beast replied
"At least, we are able to trust each other."

Storm gave him a meaningful glance but remained silent; after a short while,
she stood up and looked at her wrist watch. The LCD display showed a large
4:30.

"Since we are not likely to obtain any more useful information this night,
I suggest we all catch some sleep. It is best for us if we are in a good
shape during these days: we do not know who or what we are to clash with." she
said, yawning.

Iceman nodded wearily. "'Roro's right. We'll have another briefing tomorrow."

"Okay. Reunion's over, ladies and gents." Professor X sighed "I expect you to
be here tomorrow at 10 A.M. sharp."

As all the people in the room stood up, Seyla approached Sid with a charming
smile, looking right into his eyes. "Speaking of that, I was thinking that I
could use your...private quarters, tonight. May I?"

"Oh, but it is absolutely not necessary. We have our guest rooms here, and you
may freely make use of anyone of them." Ororo politely replied. The two women
looked in each other's eyes for only a few seconds, but it was enough for both
to understand what the other meant.....and they didn't like it at all.

Sid was looking quizzically at them, standing nearly as silent and immobile,
searching for a way to resolve the situation before it turned into a useless
argument.

Seyla let out a cold but still courteous smile. "If you please, Lady, I will
choose where to sleep, and I am not in need of your counsel."

Ororo's eyes narrowed, and the people near her made a step back, for they knew
how dangerous she could become when she was angry. For an instant, anyone expec
ted her to raise a fist and throw a lightning bolt at that spoiled girl: but
to everyone's relief, she turned to face Sid and shrugged. "You decide." she
said, calmly but with an unusually wicked spark in her eyes.

The young man gazed into those eyes, and within moments he begun to comprehend
what she had in mind: he smiled coyly and she giggled in response as both returned
to face the Arborean princess. 

"Very well then, Seyla. If you wish so, you may sleep in my room." he said.

Her smile broadened. "Thank you." she whispered in her mother tongue as she 
stepped close to him, but he turned his back and took Storm's hand, heading out
of the room.

"B...but...where are you going?" she asked with trembling voice.

"Why, I'm going to sleep, of course! Since you're using my room, I have only
one option: Ororo's attic. Good night, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Not that ya used yer room _that_ much since ya got here!" Wolverine laughed 
from a corner of the room.

"Nice joke, dwarf. Now go to sleep, or I'll send you into Morpheus' arms in a 
much more painful manner!" he replied, half smiling and faking a menaceful tone.

Sid opened the door and stepped out of the room as Seyla's enraged voice resounded 
in all the mansion: "I HATE YOU!!"

He looked back at her from over his shoulder, sighing, then shook his head and
walked away following his girlfriend, his mind drifting away towards the sands
of a dark past and an even darker future.

                                     ***

Stephen Strange, Supreme Sorcerer of the Earth Realm, raised his gaze from the
clear water basin in front of him, and stared thoughtfully at the various para
phernalia that was adorning his private quarters.

"Unbalance." he murmured "Like a year ago, when that one appeared in our dimension
without a cause or warning. But this time, the chaos field if almost ten times
bigger. Who could cause such a stain in the painting of reality?"

"Your tea, Master." his servant Wong said with a deep bow as he entered.

"Put it there, Wong." he replied absent-mindedly with a vague gesture towards
a little wooden table.

Wong stood silent for a full minute, still observing his master looking at the
water basin as if nothing else was important. Then, he cleared his throat a
couple of times and stepped forward, at Strange's side.

"You seem worried, Master. What's the source of your concern?" he asked.

The Doctor grasped firmly the Eye of Agamotto before answering. "The harmony
of the space-time continuum has been altered again, Wong. A powerful source
of chaos is walking freely on Earth, bonded to no one yet slave of himself.
And, if I have been able to retrieve all the scattered pieces of the puzzle,
he is searching for a sort of...kindred spirit. But I still don't know where
it will go, for my magic has failed to penetrate the shield of unpredictability
that shrouds this mysterious being."

"Then, how do you plan to find any clues about this entity?"

"I sensed a strong similarity between this chaos field and the power of the
young man that appeared somewhere in the U.S.A., near that native burial site,
and was able to befriend the ghost of one of the old shamans that lived here
centuries ago; maybe he could give some advice or information about what's
happening."

"If my memory doesn't fail me, you told me he moved from that place after his
house was destroyed in a battle with some kind of robots. Am I right?"

Strange nodded. "Yes, you're right. Apparently, he got involved in an anti-mutant
crusade while trying to save one of the X-Men. So, Wong....I think it's time to
pay Charles Xavier a visit."

With a fluid and graceful movement, the magician lifted into the air and disap
peared in a silent, blinding flash of white light.

                                   ***

Songmaster Thax and Mr. Sinister were standing on a balcony, looking downward
at the cages that contained what once were the strange beasts that the chaos
dancer brought in this world from his own. Both were grinning with an evil
joy as they watched the results of their work: Thax counseled Sinister about
the various improvements he could give the insectoid beings, and the geneticist
applied them at their best effects. Within the space of hours, three perfect
war machines were ready and at their orders: mindless, almost immune to pain,
fearless and with a tremendous amount of brute strength and stamina.

"Good" Thax said, patting his ally's shoulder. "I think they're ready."

"Yes" Sinister replied "Release the dogs. The hunt begins!"

Songmaster made a quick sign with the hand and both the three cages and the
main door of the hangar opened: with a loud screech, the three monsters jumped
out of the shadows and darted outside, spreading their translucent wings under
the morning sun. One after another, they launched themselves towards the clouds
and disappeared, filling the air with an almost deafening buzz.

Long after the last echoes of the noise were no more, the two turned towards
the exit door and stepped out of the hangar: the maddening laughter of the
insane monk echoed for long, bouncing on the steel walls of Sinister's haven
and making its way up the spine of every living creature in the complex, which
shuddered in fear as they would have laid their eyes on Death itself.

END OF PART THREE