Alison Blaire is the mutant called DAZZLER!  Possessing the power to turn Sound into concentrated laser blasts and manipulate Light, she has used her mutant powers as a popular singer, as an X-Man fighting for mutants' rights, as an empress trying to restore order to a world gone mad, and now once more as she attempts to carve out a new life for herself!

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New Marvel Presents:

DAZZLER

# 51: "Children of Light and Dark, Part Two:  Close to Conquer"

(A "Children of Light and Dark" Crossover Issue)

Written By:  Pat Donovan
Edited By:  Ben Kaine

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Can't.

Won't.

Don't want to.

Maybe shouldn't.

Wouldn't hurt.

Alison Blaire hung up the receiver of her phone before any numbers could be dialed. For the third time in just an hour, she had attempted to make an outgoing call, but fought not to do so each time.  And each time the intended number changed, from family, to old friends, to a new ally.  Ali felt lost in her own being.

Ali rose from her couch and began to pace.  Her clunky new boots made for a harsh noise against the wooden floor of her studio apartment.  The boots, capris, halter top, sunglasses, and haircut, along with the rest of the new wardrobe and look, were just a small portion of things new in Alison's life.

She was no longer a wife, nor a queen.  She was home and among friends, both close and distant, both new and old.  She was her own person.  She was independent.  She was almost whole.  It was slightly like Time had turned back and things were familiar again, yet not.  Though she was home again, things had changed.  Her friends had lived through much since then.  She had lived through much.  And the world they had lived in had lived through much.

Alison paused in her movement and looked out a window to notice something passing through the sunset.  Ripping the sunglasses from her face, she looked straight into the sun.  The glasses were never actually needed.  As a part of her mutation, Alison could see through Light, any amount of it, and its brilliance would have no effect on her retinae.  She only wore them because as far as Ali was concerned, they made up the look, and the studded heart in the corner just appealed to her.

Most would pass off this 'something' passing through the sky as a pigeon or bird of some type, but they would be wrong.  As she recognized what this 'something' truly was, it brought a slight smile to her face.  Ali ran a hand through her hair, straightened out her shirt, and then hurriedly opened the window.

A few more seconds passed until her eyes met with those of the high-flying Angel.  "You're a pleasant sight," smirked Ali.

"Ditto," said Warren Worthington III, the winged X-Man known as ANGEL.  He flapped there, caught up in the sight of Alison for a moment or two.  Finally, Warren's face turned stern face for just an instant.  "I'm not here for small talk or a reunion, though, Ali. I need your help."

"Once an X-Man, always an X-Man, I guess.  Anyway, I'm here for you.  Come in.  You'll explain.  We'll talk.  I'll change.  We'll go.  Quick question, though:  How'd you find me?"

"Caller ID.  Wolverine got your number and address after you called a few days back and gave me a ring.  He asked me to keep an eye out for you.  I wanted to stop in as soon as he told me, but things have been complicated for me," Angel said, finally folding his wings to enter the apartment.

"Makes sense.  I could have used their or your or anyone's help with some nasty Hellfire Club business, but I got by with the help of Karma and Caliban.  He's in the bedroom by the way.  Caliban, I mean," said Ali.  She gazed at the Angel, smiling.  The two were an item for a time before Dazzler joined the X-Men.  Ali had no harsh feelings for Warren, and actually continued to feel somewhat attracted to him.

"Caliban's here?" interrupted Warren.

"Yeah.  We sort of ended up together after an incident with Sinister and some of the X-Men.  Long story.  Why's that of interest? There's not something I should know about him that happened while I was away, is there?" she asked.

"No, nothing like that.  It's just that we're going to have to head into the old Morlock Tunnels.  And it's a place he knows better than anyone else," explained Warren.

"Ah. I see. So, what's the situation?"

"Those tunnels are now inhabited by a group called the Dwellers. One explained to me that he was escaping from 'a creature of shadows'.  So, I managed to conjure up an idea that the greatest weapon against a creature of darkness would be the 'Queen of Light'.  And here I am.  Will you help?" said the Angel, but as he spoke, something nagged at the back of his mind.  In his explanation, he failed to honor the 'woman with the tattoo' that the Dweller Donovan had mentioned.  Warren fought with the idea of mentioning the remark as much as he fought with the idea that the woman was his lover, Psylocke.

"Sure. Not just for that butt-kissing remark, but just because you asked.  I'm always here for you, Beast, Cyke, Rogue, Storm, and all the rest.  You wake Caliban, and I'll change," replied Dazzler, turning for the bathroom.  A slight smile developed to Ali's face.  More and more, she reveled in the idea of battling Evil, and of these reunions with old friends.  More specifically, though, Angel excited her, as did the thoughts of moving past her past and onto another man.  And hey, it was an opportunity to reveal another extension of her new spin on Life:  In the form of a new costume!

Minutes later, DAZZLER appeared in the doorway, to find both Caliban and Angel in awe of her presence.

"So... I guess you like?" she smirked, winking while a twinkle lit her other eye.  It was, admittedly, an eye-scorcher design.  She wore a toga-style halter, laced up the sides, with her star ensignia cut off at her mid-driff.  Skin-tight capri's in the same bright, powder blue that had become signature to Dazzler's look matched the top, and her strappy new heels completed her new guise.  Perhaps only DAZZLER could so easily be able to carry on to battle with whatever footgear she chose.

New look!  A new life!  With new friends and new feelings.  Alison was excited, anxious really, but still in the back of her head she couldn't help but wonder if or when things might start going downhill... again.

******

"Watch it!"

Xi'an Coy Manh, 'Shan' for short, struggled to regain her composure, loosing her footing as she walked, finally coming to lean against a parking meter.  Shan shook her head slightly and straightened her thoughts out.  She was a mutant, like Dazzler, but instead of the ability to manipulate Light, she was gifted with telepathic power. While attempting to grab control of a meter-maid's thoughts for directions, she felt a rush through her head and her body went limp for an instant.

"Something's not right," Shan thought,looking around.  Instinctively, Shan checked the scene around here for any imminent signs of danger.  She found nothing, save a few odd looks from the passing crowd.  Quickly, Shan turned her thoughts out to her brother and sister to make sure they were all right.  Her abilities were strained, her powers difficult to use, but she successfully made a connection and was relieved to find them safe.

'Overuse from my recent run-ins with Mystique and the Hellfire could have caused this.  Migraines are often the only side-effects of overactivity, though.  Something's not right- and it's something familiar!' Karma thought. She looked around once more and then began to walk again, continuing to check the crowd around her.  'Gotta trace whatever this is that's interfering with my powers, follow it to it's strongest point.'

Suddenly, she felt it:  Weak telepathic energy all about her.  And the face and mental reading of a member of the crowd stuck out too clearly to Shan.  An old friend emerged from the masses.

"Rahne?" thought Shan, picking up her pace and heading to cross the street. The young woman who caught her eye was Rahne Sinclair, a former teammate who served as the mutant 'Wolfsbane' alongside Shan, when she herself was 'Karma' with the New Mutants.  Last Shan had heard, the red-headed young woman was a part of Excalibur, based on Muir Isle, but since then things had changed for Rahne.  Her foster mother, Moira MacTaggart, had passed away, and Karma suspected it was a painful time.

The light on the corner changed to green, something which didn't help Shan's situation a bit.  Shan attempted to extend her telepathic powers to fool the drivers into still thinking they were witnessing a red light, but the attempt had no result.

"Rahne!" she shouted, before the traffic resumed, and she had lost her friend in the action.  Shan reached out with her mind, finding the currents that seemed to block off her telepathic powers.  The energies were all too familiar, yet though she tried to fight through them, she could not contact Wolfsbane.

The light changed and the traffic ceased.  She could only sigh and begin to cross the street.

"Where did you go, Rahne?" she muttered, shaking her head.

******

"You're sure this is the right way, Caliban?" asked DAZZLER.  Again.

"This is-was-my home. Caliban knows his home," growled Caliban.

Warren spoke.  "I trust him, Ali. Caliban knows these tunnels probably better than anyone else."

Caliban, mutant-tracker and former Morlock inhabitant of these tunnels place, led the small party of mutants through the underground of New York City.  Angel, unable to take flight in such a confined area, moved along on foot with Dazzler, following the swift Caliban as best he could.

Alison had remained mostly silent through the course of their, mostly because she was too unsure of what to say.  Both of her companions had, in the past, gone through much in the sewers they now wandered.  Caliban had lost his own family and friends there.  They had been slaughtered by the Marauders, evil mutants who's goal had been to 'cleanse' the genetic pool.  As for Warren, he had lost his very wings once while defending them.  It had led to a dark future for Warren, in which he was subjected to the manipulation of a madman.

"Warren?"

"Yes, Ali?"

"Are you alright?"

"Not until this is over."

"Oh."

"I appreciate the concern, though," noted Angel, a slight smile perking up to his face.  "These tunnels bring bad some bad memories, ones that are too often refreshed for me."

"How so?" asked Ali. "I've kind of been in another dimension for a while:  You could say I'm out of the loop."

"I'm sure you've noticed my wings are back.  A little while ago, the original feathers just- returned!"

"Was kinda wondering how they got back, but I wasn't sure if I'd in my place asking."

"No.  Not at all.  Anyway, just a short while ago, I learned that Gambit, one of the X-Men and my teammate, had a hand in what went down here*.  It just keeps churning up old feelings, but I'm fi--"

"Gambit had something to do with the Mauraders' massacre?"

"'Had something to do with it'?  He led the Marauders here, Ali!  But supposedly, he ended his involvement at that.  He used to work for Sinister himself."

"The nerve he had!  To recruit me into his little interim group of X-Men, knowing what Sinister's done to me in the past-  Ugh!  I feel sick!"

"As you should. As should we all for ever letting him-"

"Caliban would like much for you both to not talk of that day again," interrupted their guide, turning a corner and rushing ahead.

"I didn't even think-" started Ali.  Angel put a finger to his mouth to signal they should hush and picked up his pace.  Turning the corner, the two mutants found Caliban stopped in his tracks.

"What is it, Caliban?"

"Mutants ahead.  Many mutants ahead.  And further up there is another- or two others.  Caliban is confused by them."

Caliban has always had the natural ability to sense and track his fellow mutants.  Only through the misguided ideas and manipulation of others had he become, too, a behemoth of muscular power.

"How many are around us, Caliban?" asked Angel, unfurling his wings and taking to the air as much as he could. The portion of the sewers they had now entered had a higher ceiling, but the tangled pipes above presented a hazard.

"Twenty-three are in circle all 'round us. Some Caliban know!"

All three of the mutants in the room needed no help in seeing through the dark, murky tunnels.  Dazzler could see through darkness as an after-affect of her abilities.  One of the myriad gifts Caliban had received in his time were heightened senses.  As for Angel, his wings were not the only attributes he had in common with birds:  He had amazing vision.

Suddenly, from the pipes above, a gooey substance dropped onto the head of Angel and immediately splashed across his entire face.  Angel strained for a moment to keep his flight pattern steady, managing to rescue himself from crashing.

Dazzler looked up to Angel and bit her lip, but then screamed to Caliban:  "Cover, Cal!"

Caliban complied, hurling himself to the ground.  Raising her arms, Dazzler concentrated and calling upon her mutant power, emitted a powerful blast of light.  The light raged for nearly the entirety of a minute, a controlled dazzle-burst, aimed and used as a way to take out an opponent (or in this particular case, twenty-three).  The constant light succeeded in its task:  It shocked each of their enemies' brains into a submissive coma.

Several of the attacking mutants fell from the pipes above, while Angel lowered himself to the ground, tearing the ooze from his face.  "Good idea, Ali!  You used their attack against me as a way for me to prevent me from being vulnerable to your dazzle-burst."

"Thanks," smirked Dazzler. "We still need to know what's going on here, though."

"Caliban- recognizes some of these mutants.  Some were Morlocks- like Caliban was," sighed the massive mutant, kneeling down next to one.  "Tar-Baby!"

"Tar-Baby?  Been awhile since we saw this guy's face," added Angel.  He leaned down and shook the body of the sticky mutant to bring him back around.  "What's going on here, Tar-Baby?"

"You-  I know you!  You're Angel!  And I'm Tar-Baby!  But this- What is this?  Caliban?  What happened to the rest of the Dwellers?" blinked the mutant outcast.  He seemed almost dazed.

"The 'Dwellers' were trying to attack us, you included," said Dazzler.  "That burst must've done more damage than I intended."

"All I can remember was the Darkness that surrounded me- from nowhere!  Then-  I wake to find you!" said Tar-Baby.

"The same darkness that I was warned about before, I'm betting.  The same darkness that must be overtaking Betsy.  Your powers must have cleared his head and helped him overcome whatever this 'darkness' is," said Angel.

"Betsy?  'Psylocke', you mean?" asked Ali, surprised at the mention of her former teammates name.  "You didn't mention anything about her before."

"I-  We'll talk about it.  Later.  Right now, we've got to continue to move before more of these 'dark' people find us," said Angel, taking off in flight.  "Caliban, lead the way to the rest of the mutants you detected before!"

Caliban complied, scurrying ahead, Angel following.  Dazzler looked around for a second at the downed Dwellers and Tar-Baby.  Tar-Baby's eyes met Ali's.  Suddenly, she saw them change, darkening as he continued to stare-

"No!" Ali cried, turning to rush after her companions.  But a glob of goo attached itself to her leg, stopping her!

"Join the Dark, Creature of Light!" hissed a voice around Dazzler, resounding from everywhere without any source.

"No- No no-  Get- Get out of my head!"  Dazzler screamed.  She couldn't keep her composure, couldn't understand what this new attack was.  So overwhelmed and unsure of her situation, she instinctively lashed out.  Intense light spewed from her body, blasts of lasers ripping forth from Dazzler's hands.  Several hit Tar-Baby.

Dazzler shook her head, finding herself knelt on the ground.  Lifting her body up, she took off to find Angel and Caliban, leaving behind the beaten Tar-Baby and the rest of the possessed Dwellers.  She could hear a rat squeaking as she ran by, caught a glance of it scurrying about.  After a few minutes, she could hear her friends up ahead.

Making one last turn, she found Angel and Caliban together and not at all alone.  As Dazzler came to a stop, she felt a chill climb up her spine, as if the Tunnels had turned wintry.  The slight amount of light that managed to penetrate the depths of those tunnels blinked out and dissippated, becoming a room of complete darkness.

Dazzler summoned her own powers, letting out a slight glow about her body.  Squinting, she caught glimpse of a person in front of them, atop some sort of throne, against the backdrop of a massive, crimson 'X'.  Caliban was still, unmoving.  She looked at Angel's face.  It had suddenly become stern.  Dazzler stepped closer, peering in the black at the figure sitting on the throne.  And she said:  "Psylocke?!"

Since last they met, Dazzler was sure that Betsy Braddock, the mutant called 'Psylocke', had gone through many more changes, but never did suspect Elizabeth to be in this state.  Her eyes were cold, dark, while her posture was too relaxed among the darkness, and her position in this chaos all too comfortable."Angel-  This isn't right.  What's going on?  You've gotta cue me in on what's going on here!" demanded Dazzler.

Angel's eyes met Dazzler's for just an instant, before focusing on Psylocke once again.  Similarly, Caliban seemed almost in awe of the woman.

"Do not worry, Dear," grinned Psylocke.  "Soon, you'll feel and know all!"

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NEXT:  "Children of the Light and Dark" continues!
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