Disclaimer:  All Marvel characters featured in this story are trademarks
of Marvel Comics Group. This is an unauthorized work and no profit is
being made on this work.  This story is copyright Tim Frankovich 1995. 

Shattered Perceptions, Chapter Six

     "Explain something to me," Sam asked, pulling on the robe the old man
offered him.  "The X-Men overthrew the first Mojo.  The current Mojo is
number five, right? What happened in the last hundred years?"
     The old man sighed and looked away.  "My people were foolish," he said at
last.  "When Mojo fell, we trusted his clone, Mojo II, The Sequel.  He had
helped in Mojo's downfall, after all.  But it was not long before he
showed his true colors and the 'status quo' was restored.  It took a few
years, but Mojo II was eventually assassinated.  Of course, Mojo III,
another spineless one, was waiting in the wings to take his place.  And so
it went.  We now have the fifth Mojo, who is more like the first Mojo than
any of his predecessors.  The more things change, the more they stay the
same."
     "And ya think Shatterstar is the key to ending the cycle?"  Sam had
cautiously told his hosts what little he knew about Shatterstar.
     "Spiral foretold it one hundred years ago," the old man explained.  "She
said that the child of a Earth-human and Arize-spawn would break the cycle
of slavery and lead Mojoworld.  His name would be Shatterstar.  And now he
has returned.  This could be the time."
     "How has Spiral survived all these years? She didn't look that old."
     "Who can say how old Spiral is?  Who can say that she is not now serving
Mojo V BEFORE she even served Mojo I?" the old man queried.  "She has
danced through time and space, back and forth and there and back so many
times that it is impossible to know whether she is coming or going.  Her
age is a question that simply cannot be answered."
     The old man turned away and Sam thought he saw a brief flash of light, as
if a camera's flashbulb had gone off.
     "Are we going to rescue Shatterstar now, or what?" Lepton demanded,
entering the main room again.
     "Yes," the old man answered.  "We have delayed long enough.  Let us go." 
He turned to the outer door and walked out.  Lepton motioned for Sam to
follow him.  Sam did so somewhat stiffly.  Although he had no wound from
Spiral's attack, he did feel somewhat bruised in places, apparently from
his landing.
     As Sam stepped outside, he suddenly felt very glad for his bruises.  From
the look of the crater he had created on impact, he certainly could have
been in much worse shape.  Apparently, his blast field had still been
kicking on and off as he hit the ground.
     "Where are we going?" he asked his escorts.
     Lepton pointed upward.  "There."  Sam turned and looked.  The scenery was
quite different from the ground view.  As he had guessed, they were in the
lowest ring of the city, composed mainly of small shacks like the one they
had just left.  It was not as ramshackle-looking as some of the villages
Sam had seen in Central America, but these shacks, with their uniform
shape and building materials, gave an air of utter hopelessness.  These
people did not live here simply because they could not afford to move up;
they lived here because they were forced to.
     Far above them, the massive arena towered.  Sam stared in awe.  He could
see much of the structure due to the slope of the hill.  It was monstrous.
 Sam's friend Bobby had taken him to Yankee Stadium a couple of times
during their New Mutants days, but he knew that no sports arena on Earth
could even come close to reaching half the size of this one.
     "When a building is constantly being rebuilt and improved for over a
hundred years, it can get pretty impressive, can't it?" the Rebel asked,
laying a hand on Sam's shoulder.  Sam nodded grimly.
     "Come on.  Let's find Shatterstar."