Bishop
Vol. 1, No. 6
Written by: Brian Provow
"Shards of the Past"

“I am called Bishop, and once again I find myself alone. Already separated from those I love by the veil of time.. I now find myself light years from the planet Earth. And if a man's home is defined by the presence of friends, confidants, and lovers.. Then Twentieth Century Earth is a place no more home to me than this godforsaken world.”

* * *

"Where is she?" The soldier's breath came out in gasps as air struggled to move through his throat. It was clasped, nearly crushed, by the strength the mutant known only as Bishop possessed. "Where is Deathbird?"
The soldier wanted to run, to escape like his comarades had did at the site of the "X-Men". The terran had been moving through their ranks, blasting his way towards their camp. The chance to be a hero had proved to good to pass up. Now, as death patiently waited for him to expire, the foolishness of his actions were being drawn into the light. As his face began to grow blue, remarkably visible despite the natural color of the Kree race, Bishop released his hold.
His hand began to grow bright, energy absorbed from countless weapons gathering for a powerful force blast. "I shall only ask you one more time. Where are you holding Deathbird?"

* * *

As the ground beneath Shard blasted upward, she was taken with it. Her first thoughts went to Fitzroy, that this was somehow his doing. That he was stronger then she had given him credit for.
Her body skidded across the pavement and pain was the only thing she felt. Or was it the memory of pain? Either way, her senses were disoriented, her vision blurred by the throbbing in her forhead. She could make out the form of a woman . . . a woman with flowing red hair. Floating in the air, a black costume hanging loosely from her frame. The woman who she had seen with Fitzroy . . . Pryor . . .
"So it appears you were stronger then Trev' thought. Not that I'm suprised, the fool never takes his opponents seriously." Maddie's feet touched the ground, her telekinesis no longer being used to keep her body afloat. "I know from personal experience." She moved forward, a sinister grin spread across a beautiful face.
Shard struggled to move, struggled to gather some photon energy to use as a weapon against her attacker. She failed in her endeavor. A strange sense of vertigo was disorienting her senses, keeping her from thinking straight. It wasn't the pain, she had long ago trained to deal with that. It was something else.
"It's called telepathy, my dear Shard. See I'm inside your head right now, messing with your precious thoughts." Maddie knelt down beside the struggling mutant, her hand gently lifting Shard's chin. "Keeping you from putting up any fight." The look in her eyes, a flash of something unwordly. Something that could only be described . . .as evil.
Shard stared back defiantly. It was the only thing she could do. All control of her muscles had been hijacked by the telepath. Her mouth was clamped shut, her arms hung loosely at her side. Shard's thoughts briefly strayed to her brother, to the reunion at the mansion she had been looking forward to.
"They're not coming to help you, little girl."
Maddie dropped Shard's head, grinning with delight as it smacked into the broken ground. Stepping back, she raised a hand, her eyes not straying from Shard. The young mutant began to rise into the air, her actions still not her own.
Then she fell, hitting the ground with a sudden thud. The side of her head was throbbing and, by instinct, she reached up to grab it. I can move . . . Shard's attention was thrown back towards the clone, the woman once known as the Goblin Queen. Pryor lay on the ground, smoke rising from a fresh wound on her back. Standing above her . . . was the mutant known as Cable.

* * *

Bishop knelt behind the wreckage of a transport vehicle, his eyes scanning the streets before him. By now, he was deep within the so-called "Kree zone". The area that the rebels were championing as their "base of operations" against their oppressors. The area where his teammate, Deathbird, was being held as a prisoner of war.
A group of soldiers stepped by, their clothing tattered and bloodied. The day's hostilities appeared to be winding down slightly, it's participants returning to their camps. He would need to make his move before the area became infested with the enemy.
His hands glowing once more, Bishop leapt out of his hiding spot. Before the soldiers could react, they were taken out by a portion of the energy the mutant had stored within his frame.
A building exploded beside him, debris showering down upon the X-Men. He leapt clear from danger, saving himself from any permanent injuries. Turning, Bishop found himself face to face with a tank-like vehicle. It's cannon glew brightly, then released another blast of energy towards the downed hero. He stood his ground.
The energy hit and he cursed himself for being so stubborn. His body worked over time, asorbing all the energy into his skin, into his cells. He felt his skin streching, straining to hold in the power surge screaming to be released. Biting down on his lip, Bishop turned towards the tank and returned it's volley.
The tank did not fare as well.
As the mutant stepped through the wreckage, his eyes scanned over the destroyed weapon. Where were the rebels getting such technology?

* * *

Maddie floated above the older man who, biologically, was her son. She fought back against the weak memories that flooded her mind, visions of young Nathan as a child. Of a time when she and the child still lived with the boy's father, Scott Summers. The mutant known as Cyclops, leader of the X-Men. Times before she had been corrupted by demons . . . before she had attempted to murder her only child. Before she learned that she was nothing more than a clone, a copy of the woman known as Jean Grey.
That was in the past, this was the present. Her son was preventing her from achieving an objective. Shard was to be destroyed or captured, as ordered by the Hellfire club inner circle. After her disastorous loss against Cyclops and the X-Men [[See X-Men # 72 for details :) ]] she couldn't afford to fail again. Even if it meant plowing through her own time-displaced child.
A car flew through the air, hurteling towards the hero. With a wave of his psimiter, the weapon that collected his psi energy, he easily dispatched with the projectile. Cable returned with a blast of his own, only to watch as it deflected of his opponent's shield. His mother's shield.
Shard watched from the side, her body still recovering from her battle against Fitzroy. She barely recognied the mutant before her, mostly from news stories that she had caught on the television. His name was Cable, the sometime leader of the rogue X-Force. Though she had been expecting a Cyclops . . . a Wolverine . . . or even her brother to arrive for back-up, the Dayspring was still a welcomed guest.
"So we've resorted to using a simple bo-staff now. Good, I never enjoyed watching you trapise around with all those guns tied to your body."
"I didn't know that you cared mother. Last I heard, I was nothing more than demon fodder to you."
Cable fired three more blasts at his mother, focusing momentarilly on piece of concrete before him. His telekinesis ripped the slab free from the ground, leaving it to hurtle freely towards the floating Pryor.
Though her shield took the blunt of the assualt, Maddie Pyror was still knocked from the air. Rising from the ground, she was thrown forward once more, only this time it was a blast of pure photon energy.
"Sorry to interrupt Pryor, but we still have some unfinished business as well." Shard raises her glowing fists, eyes locked on the bleeding mind-witch. "Besides, you interrupted my family reunion . . . and payback's a real bitch." She fired two more shots, only one blocked by the wounded telepath.
Maddie stumbled back, struggling to find a way to regain an advantage in a battle that was decidedly going against her. A telekinetic blast found it's way into her back and she went down. Psimiter still glowing, Cable stepped forward.

* * *

Shiva's eyes slowly opened, taking in the world around her. How long had she been asleep? She rose from her position on the bed, immediatly feeling the sharp pain in her shoulder. A bullet wound, received during the heat of battle. A reminder that everything around her was real, that this war was actually happening.
That she had taken a life with her own hands. The thought actually brought bile to the back of her mouth. What was coming over her? She thought back to the battle earlier today, tried to remember events. But it was all a haze. A dark red haze, mixed with one feeling: hatred.
Shiva rose from the bed, glancing around the room. All the confidence she had felt earlier was drawn away by the sight before her. Her people lay on beds, wounded . . . dieing. Tears rose up into her eyes and Shiva looked away. Was it all worth it? How many more would they lose before they won. If they won . . .

* * *

It appears the fools have forgotten me for the moment.
Deathbird's mouth twisted into a sinister smile. There had yet to be built a cage that could hold her captive. With ease, she had broken free of her shackles, biding her time until the appropriate moment. The moment that their backs would be turned.
Her warcry was stiffled by the liquid surrounding her, but that mattered little. With the unnatural strength in her limbs, Deathbird slammed against the sides of her container. The glass cracked, then shattered, spilling it's contents unto the floor.
The scientists turned, stunned . . . to frightened to move or act. She flew forward, talons outstreched, anger driving her hands. She caught the first scientist by the throat and carried him into the air. His neck broke like a twig and Deathbird hurled the lifeless body at his colleagues. Deep inside her mind, she heard a voice argueing for her to escape. To not gamble this chance at freedom.
She ignored that voice.
Swooping down like a bird of prey, Deathbird slammed into a fleeing Kreeman. Her talons drove lascerations down his back, but it was the impact that killed him. She brought her hand to her mouth, licking the blood. She turned around . . . and grinned at the three remaning men.

* * *

"Deathbird has escaped."
"As we predicted she would. Put into motion the next phase of our plan."
"Sir . . . it's still highly unstable . . . it's never been tested in battle."
"Then now would be the time to perform those exams. So says the Supreme Intelligence!"

* * *

The sudden earthquake meant little to Bishop.
His concern rested with the montrosity rising from the ground.
Hands glowing, Bishop stepped forward.

Next Issue: Cable and Shard begin the search for Bishop, not knowing that her brother is in the middle of the battle of his life; Plus, Deathbird comes face to face with the Supreme Intelligence . . . while the Starjammers discover the true secret behind this new war!