Dreamers & Demons

• Writer - Chris Claremont
• Penciler - Sean Chen
• Inker - Sandu Florea
• Colorist - Avalon Studios
• Lettering - Dave Sharpe
• Ass't Editor - Andy Schmidt
• Ass't Editor - Nicole Wiley
• Ass't Editor - Molly Lazer
• Editor - Tom Brevoort
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Summary

  A portal opens; Slipstream emerges with a Slaver Master Ghibli; he ask if it's a bad time; Sinister greets him warmly, saying he's just experimenting on the other Slaver, to see if aliens are susceptible to Terran venoms, in this case, a jellyfish from the Coral Sea. Ghibl protests, but Sinister says it's payback for selling Jean to someone else. He has Ghibli restrained and then reveals that he's really Cerise, a Shi'ar agent (UXM 387), who arranged for Jean to be sold to the Kree, so she could tip off Lilandra and have her rescued.

  Cerise fights, using solid light constructs, but his team subdues her. Shaitan, still in Ororo's form (X-Treme X-Men 12), snaps her neck. Sinister scrambles his team to harvest their prime gene-stock, before it's too late.

  Kurt suddenly yells Cerise's name (they were involved, Excalibur vol. I), wonder why he just thought of her. He sits by Nocturne, wondering if she'll be able to shake off her Hound programming. He shows her comatose form a photo of his wife, Kymri (UXM 383), whom he saved from the Slavers, which is why they took revenge on Nocturne. Their son T.J. has the same initials as Nocturne and is much like her. He hopes she can be his big sister.

  He left life as an X-Man to be an actor, because there the villains shoot blanks, and there's almost always a happy ending. Jubilee is now a Hollywood producer, lately of Kurt's James Bond-like film, "Dying is Forever." Kymri comes to her office; Jubilee says Kurt's disappearance has something to do with the Phoenix, and if anyone hurts T.J., she'll take revenge.

  Nobody knows the origin of the Starjammer; it's bigger than Manhattan, and although Aliyah grew up there, there are sections she's never explored. She's never been afraid there, but as she sleeps, a blackness creeps towards her. She sees nightmare images of her parents, wakes, and tells them to go away; they do. She goes for a jog.

  Danvers and Jean observe from the control room. Aliyah has always had these episodes, but Danvers doesn't know the source. Jean sensed a primal, malevolent sentience; Danvers is annoyed she let her remain endangered, but Jean says she wouldn't let her come to harm; Danvers reminds her she's been wrong before.

  A "Mutantes Sans Frontieres" base in Africa: Cecelia returns on an emergency airship with a mutant whose power has gone completely unstable; Hank rushes him to a life cell inside. He's still blue but more human-looking; he kisses Cecelia; they're married. They've been rescuing mutants who've been losing their powers; Hank says if it continues, mutants as they know them will become extinct.

  Neverland: the half-mythic bogeyman of mutants (Weapon X II:5). But it's real. Guards are alerted to Moonstar's sudden activity; she's been there for years, but now she's telepathically reaching out to Wolfsbane. The Director has them gas her cell and increase her meds.

  The XSE track a target in Hong Kong, but X-23 can't track her scent and Monet can't peg her telepathically. They wonder if it's a set-up; just then Sage appears, attacking X-23 and putting Malice's collar on her, apologizing, but saying it's worth it. Sage had worked for the X-Men, but when they rejected her plan to imprint every mind on the planet, she went rogue. Sage runs; she's suddenly frozen stiff: Bobby, who boasts that his plan worked.

  Cable and Irene wait for a train; Irene wishes they had a teleporter. Domino calls in, offering the next best thing: a ride on X-Force's (here called X-Factor) jet. Suddenly there's a rocket attack; the jet is destroyed.

  Note: Sinister's teammates are from Counter-Earth, created by Franklin Richards.