HOMECOMING

Part II: Time

By Dino Pollard

“Hello, Bishop.”

Bishop.

That is my name. It is neither first nor surname. In the era I grew up in, surnames were reserved for humans and upper class mutants. I was not one of them. I grew up in a Nevada internment camp. The green-haired young upstart who stands before me, however, was one of the upper class. His name is Trevor Fitzroy, the bastard son of Richard Shaw.

He has me chained to a device of some sort. Behind him stand three beings whom I assume are aliens. Two of them are large males, one with pinkish skin and gold armor, and another with green skin and firearms strapped to his body. The third is female, with pale skin and white hair. There are also numerous other lanky male aliens running about. Their skin has a yellow hue, and they all seem exactly the same. I heard the green one refer to them as sea dogs. I hear a moan from my side. I strain my neck, and I see Deathbird chained next to me.

“What do you want, Fitzroy?” I ask.

“What I’ve always wanted, Bishop,” he replies. “Power. You see, I’ve changed a bit since our last encounter.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve evolved,” he says. “I think it’s what they call a ‘secondary mutation’. My mutant powers have increased. The portals I create can not only span time and space, but dimensions as well. I can jump from one galaxy to the next. During these jaunts, I’ve been procuring alien technology, and on one of the worlds I came to, I ran into a man named Karel. He mentioned that he was able to return to his planet thanks to the aid of a terran named Bishop. After that little piece of information, I absorbed his life energy and used it to make another jaunt. This time, I hired the Crimson Pirates, who you see before you. With their technology, we were able to pinpoint the location of your ship. It vanished from radar for a few moments, but then returned, and we’ve followed you ever since.”

“Why?” I ask. “Why did you wait until we were close to Earth before the ambush? Why not just destroy us to begin with?”

“Because I need Earth, Bishop,” he says. “You don’t understand, do you?”

“Understand what?”

“To open portals, I must absorb energy from others,” he says. “Usually, the energy I absorb from a person is enough to kill them. The further the distance to travel, the more energy I need to power the portal. For what I intend to do, there isn’t enough energy in a single person. But in you, there is.”

“What?”

“You’re a living battery, Bishop,” says Fitzroy. “You can provide me with a near-endless amount of energy. And with that energy, as well as the technology I’ve procured, I can travel to a dimension where there are no mutants. No heroes. To a dimension where I am the most powerful being. And once I locate that dimension, I can take it over and rule the people as a god.”

“You’re a coward,” says Deathbird. “Where is the conquest in defeating a race of people inferior to yourself? There is no victory in that. It’s like stealing candy from a baby.”

“Oh shut up,” says Fitzroy. “Like I care about conquest. All that matters to me is power, understand?”

“I’d sooner die than help you, young Fitzroy,” I tell him.

“I know,” he says. “But unfortunately for you, you don’t have a choice.”

The Blackbird soars across the Atlantic Ocean. The modified supersonic jet continues forward towards its destination in Australia. Inside the plane, Nightcrawler pilots the jet. Colossus sits by his side, and Wolverine leans on the back of Colossus’ chair. Sunpyre and Skin both sit behind the cockpit.

“Who is this ‘Bishop’ anyway?” asks Sunpyre.

“He’s an X-Man,” replies Wolverine. “That’s all you need to know.”

“I would prefer some specifics,” says Sunpyre.

“Just like her brother…” mutters Wolverine. “He cames from the future to capture a bunch of criminals who escaped to the past. When the X-Men were on a mission in space helping the Shi’ar, he was lost on the way home. He’s been missing ever since. Until today, that is.”

“And this Fitzroy?” asks Sunpyre.

“One of the criminals who escaped,” replies Colossus. “And the one responsible for Bishop being stranded in our era.”

“How did they come to this era?” asks Sunpyre.

“Y’know, for a chica who claims to know everything, you sure ask a lot of questions,” says Skin.

“And not a one of them was directed towards you,” says Sunpyre. “Remember your place.”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re cute when you’re angry?” asks Skin. “Your cheeks turn red an’ your eyes narrow.”

“If you would like to see true anger, then just keep pushing my buttons…” mutters Sunpyre.

“Enough, the both of you,” says Nightcrawler. “We’ve just entered Australian airspace, and Bishop’s signal is coming in strong.”

“You picking up any other X-gene posivs besides Bish an’ Fitzroy?” asks Wolverine.

“No,” replies Nightcrawler. “But… I am picking up other lifeforms. And at least one of them has Shi’ar DNA.”

“Must be Deathbird,” says Wolverine.

“How do you know?” asks Colossus.

“Hank told me that she was with Bishop when they got seperated,” replies Wolverine.

“If she has turned Bishop over to Fitzroy…”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions, Peter,” says Nightcrawler. “We have no way of knowing if Deathbird is behind Fitzroy’s appearence here or not.”

“And if she is?” asks Colossus.

“Then she won’t be around long enough to regret it,” says Wolverine.

One of the Sea Dogs rushes through the doors to Killian’s side.

“Captain, intruders!”

“What is he babbling about, Killian?” asks Fitzroy.

“Didn’t you hear him?” asks Killian. “He said we’ve got intruders.”

“Then deal with them!” exclaims Fitzroy. “What am I paying you people for?”

“Broadside, take a squad out and see what you can find,” orders Killian.

“Aye Captain,” replies Broadside. He points at three of the Sea Dogs. “You, you, and you – come with me.”

He exits the room and the Sea Dogs follow.

“You’re not going with?” asks Fitzroy.

“Why should I?” replies Killian. “There’s no evidence that these intruders will pose a threat. Broadside should be able to dispatch them on his own. Besides, once you give the order to kill Deathbird, I want to be the one who carries it out.”

“And why is that?” asks Deathbird.

“Look at my face, bitch,” replies Killian. He steps closer to Deathbird and stares her directly in the eyes. “Recognize anything?”

“No, should I?”

“I take it you don’t recognize the species you oppressed then,” says Killian. “I’m Kree.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” asks Fitzroy.

“When the Kree homeworld fell under the banner of the Shi’ar Empire, our ‘grand’ Majestrix Lilandra gave the Kree to Deathbird in order to satisfy her need for control,” explains Killian. “And Deathbird oppressed her people.”

His gaze never leaves her face for an instant. However, Deathbird remains stone-cold. Like ice. Then, she spits. It strikes Killian’s face and he wipes it off with a grimace. He draws his gun from its holster and places the barrel underneath her chin.

“Tell it to someone who cares,” she says.

“Do it, Killian!” exclaims Killian’s partner, Bloody Bess. “Paint the wall with her blood!”

“Crimson Pirates… feh,” mutters Deathbird. “Is this the best you could do, Fitzroy? Low-level mercenaries?”

“Far from it,” says Killian. “We Crimson Pirates may not stir up as much trouble as, say, the Starjammers. But we’re good at what we do. We’re known where it counts, and it’s that kind of anonymity that lets us operate beneath the radar of people like your sister.”

“KILL HER!” exclaims Bess. “KILL HER NOW!”

“She’s quite persistant,” begins Fitzroy.

“KILL HER!”

The next sound is that of a gun discharging, yet Deathbird hasn’t one scratch on her body. Bloody Bess, however, now lacks a head.

“…You just shot someone under your command…” mutters Bishop.

“So what?” asks Killian. “She was annoying.”

The Blackbird hovers over a patch of barren land in the Australian outback and the VTOL systems bring it to the ground ever so gently.

“Been awhile since we’ve been down under, eh Petey?” asks Wolverine with a slight grin. Colossus looks up at his old friend and smiles as well.

“Did I miss something?” asks Skin.

“A few years back, the X-Men operated from a base here in the Australian outback,” replies Colossus.

“Why’d you leave a comfy mansion to come out here?” asks Skin.

“Long story,” replies Wolverine. He walks to the back of the plane and opens the hatch. He descends the steps, with Colossus, Sunpyre, and Skin following behind him. Nightcrawler teleports from the pilot’s seat and reappears right before them outside the Blackbird.

“Damn it’s hot,” mutters Skin.

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll show you what hot really is,” says Sunpyre.

“Oh baby, I love it when you talk dirty,” retorts Skin. Sunpyre’s hands begin to generate superheated plasma, but Wolverine grips her wrist forcefully.

“Knock it off.”

“We have anything, Kurt?” asks Colossus.

“Yup,” replies Nightcrawler. He looks down at the small Cerebro unit in his hand. “There’s a mutant presence not far from here.”

“Shouldn’t we be able to see them, then?” asks Skin. “I mean, I look around, and all I see is desert.”

“No you don’t,” says Sunpyre.

“You telling me you don’t?” asks Skin.

“Deserts have sand, idiot,” replies Sunpyre. “This is barren land.”

“Bitch…”

“Hold up…” says Wolverine.

“What is it?” asks Nightcrawler. Wolverine’s answer comes in the form of three bone claws extending between the knuckles of each hand. The bone is stained crimson with blood.

“We’re not alone.”

“Who is it?” asks Colossus.

“Dunno,” replies Wolverine. “No one familiar, though. Scent seems… alien. And there’s more than one.”

With a thought, organic steel spreads across the body of Colossus like an infection.

“Look out!” exclaims Wolverine as Colossus takes his next step. It is too late, however, and a hidden mine explodes beneath the X-Man’s foot. Nightcrawler instantly teleports to his friend’s side.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Yeah,” replies Colossus.

One of the Sea Dogs slinks across the hull of the Blackbird, remaining hidden within the shadows. He watches Wolverine move, and coils his legs. He springs forth from his hiding place and falls towards Wolverine with a dagger gripped in his hand. At the last second, Wolverine turns and drives his claws into the Sea Dog’s chest.

“Nice try,” says Wolverine. He pulls the dead Sea Dog from his claws and drops him on the ground.

“Whoa… cool,” says Skin.

“They know we’re here,” says Wolverine.

The ground begins to rumble and shake. Part of it seems to rise up slightly at an angle, and standing there is Broadside with two large gun turrets held in his hands, alongwith the two remaining Sea Dogs.

“Hiya,” says Broadside. He opens fire on the X-Men, and they scatter immediately. Save for Colossus, who stands his ground and simply walks through the hail of bullets.

“GO DOWN!” exclaims Broadside.

Colossus approaches Broadside calmly and his hands grip the gun turrets. He tears them away from Broadside’s grip easily and tosses them to the ground.

“I think not,” says Colossus. His fist connects with Broadside with such impact that it shatters the alien pirate’s jaw.

The two remaining Sea Dogs circle around Skin and Sunpyre. Skin’s fingers extend and the tips become almost like bolas. He swings the bola in the air and uses it to knock the Sea Dog back. Sunpyre continues to work on the one facing her by trying to nail it with a plasma blast, yet he moves too quickly.

“We have to get to Bishop,” says Nightcrawler, appearing beside Colossus.

“What about them?” asks Colossus.

“I think they can handle it,” replies Nightcrawler. “Besides, don’t you notice that we’re missing someone?”

“Wolverine…” mutters Colossus. He and Nightcrawler run down the ramp into the compound below ground.

Bishop hangs limp in his chains, and two Sea Dogs each hold sparking wires in their hands. Fitzroy stands before Bishop with his hands cupped behind his back.

“Do it,” he orders. The Sea Dogs connect the cables to Bishop, and his mutant ability automatically begins to absorb the energy.

“Don’t worry, Bishop – Australia’s providing the power,” says Fitzroy. He moves his hands to Bishop’s face and grips it. He begins to absorb the excess energy from Bishop’s body, supercharging his own ability to open portals.

Killian keeps his gun trained on Deathbird while watching the display of energy before him. He fails to notice the form of Wolverine who comes up behind him and drives three bone claws into Killian’s back. The pirate’s armor, however, is stronger and the claws snap. Killian notices the attack and turns and slams the butt of his gun against Wolverine’s head.

“Shit…” mutters Wolverine. Killian takes aim with his gun, but before his finger pulls the trigger, a sudden weight is placed upon his shoulders.

“Guten tag,” says Nightcrawler. His foot pushes against Killian’s head, while his hand reaches out and grabs the gun. Then, he vanishes once more in a cloud of smoke. Wolverine rushes forward and bodyslams into Killian, throwing him to the ground. Nightcrawler appears at Killian’s head and slams the gun against it.

“Didn’t ask for your help,” says Wolverine.

“A simple thanks would suffice,” says Nightcrawler. Wolverine looks at Deathbird and sees Colossus pulling her free from her bonds.

“What are you waiting for, imbeciles?” demands Deathbird. “Can’t you see that your teammate needs your assistance?”

“You’re welcome,” says Colossus.

Nightcrawler teleports from his spot, and when he reappears, it is right beside Fitzroy with his foot striking the mutant’s head. The connection between Fitzroy and Bishop is broken, and Wolverine and Colossus make short work of the two Sea Dogs. Colossus removes Bishop’s restraints, and the man falls limp for a minute.

“You’re not well, my friend,” says Colossus.

“No, Colossus,” says Bishop. “Just need a minute…”

He pushes against Colossus’s body for leverage, and then stands up straight. His eyes crackle with energy as he approaches Fitzroy and Nightcrawler.

“Bishop wait,” says Nightcrawler. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

“I won’t regret it,” says Bishop, the energy beginning to appear around his hands. He extends them forward and discharges. However, the energy doesn’t strike Fitzroy, instead it strikes the ground around him.

“You missed?” asks Fitzroy.

“No,” replies Bishop. “You’re not worth it.”

Fitzroy begins to sit upright and glares at Bishop.

“You just don’t have the guts,” he says. “Xavier took all the bite out of you.”

“Perhaps,” says Bishop. “Or perhaps he helped me find a better path.”

“Oh please,” says Fitzroy. “Better path my a-”

*BLAM*

The X-Men are all shocked to see Fitzroy’s head explode and his body fall limp. They then see Deathbird holding Killian’s discarded weapon, and Killian with a hole in his chest.

“What?” asks Deathbird. “He was annoying.”