---

Bishop considered pausing at the sight of the jeeps and armed soldiers ahead of him but, after exhaling heavily, he marched on. Muscles bulged through the torn and tattered grey vest that he wore, and beads of sweat began to descend his high-rising forehead, elongated by his lack of hair. He was from the future of the world where he now stood and, many years ago, he had returned to make a difference. After that, he had remained for a variety of reasons.

He told them it was because of Shard, his sister, and that her death had affected him but there was more to the story than that.

It was a well kept secret that Bishop was afraid of what he would have to return to; all of his closest friends and allies where in the present despite being scattered across the globe in their different activities. He had nothing to return home to and so he had remained.

In the years that had passed by Bishop had become a mutant hero as a member of the X-Men and even trained as a police officer, in some of his downtime when the squad hadn’t needed him. Since that point however, in the last six months, he had broken away from the X-Men entirely. They held no more hope for him now than they ever had and what threatened mutant kind was more serious than they could have imagined. Media attention would not fix what was coming to them; he rolled his eyes at the thought.

Membership had been extended to him, of course.

Lucas Bishop was the ideal vision of what a warrior should be. His strength lay not in his powers but in his conviction and judgement of character. The bald African-American clutched tightly at the strap of the satchel on his back before pouring water from the bottle into his mouth. Simultaneously with this motion, he turned his attention to his much younger comrades.

Jamie Madrox marched beside him; his face was tiresome but bore the distinctive boyish handsomeness for which he was so well known. He was a jack of all trades and explored his numerous experiences and career choices, having been a lab technician to Moira MacTaggart, a farmhand and a hero amongst other occupations. The brown haired, blue eyed boy cast his gaze towards his comrade with a smile. It was clear that the people ahead amused him more than they alerted him.

He had seen a lot of hell in his lifetime. Madrox’s first experience with heroism hadn’t run smooth as he’d been the villain. After damage occurred to the bodysuit, which had been designed by Charles Xavier to control and regulate his powers, Jamie had lost all sense of control and sanity regarding his powers. Becoming a threat to New York’s citizens, he was beaten by the Fantastic Four and taken into the care of Xavier and the X-Men where he was trained in the use of his powers.

Madrox had almost become an X-Man there, but declined. He had never been a team player, no matter how much he cared about those he was working with. Madrox had always been better off when he worked alone.

It was a situation that had changed Madrox. He had since wondered what made a villain and what made a hero, in his eyes the definitions where not so clear-cut. His actions in those years had definitely been villainous and caused harm but they had not been intended to do so. Even since then, he had never deliberately wanted someone to suffer or to hurt another person.

It wasn’t the kind of person he was. Jamie Madrox was mellow. Casting a glance ahead thoughtfully, he spoke. “I wonder what they’re after.”

“Won’t be long until that’s answered,” replied the chipper female who trailed behind the two, almost in the middle.

Sally Blevins, the mutant known as Skids, marched leisurely behind them as she looked lazily ahead of them at the guards. There was a twinkle in her eye and she was happy for the first time since she had lost Rusty Collins; it felt good considering Sally had spent so long allowing her heart to break over his every memory. Even her force field couldn’t protect her from the emotional baggage she had been carrying around with her.

In the course of her life as a heroine she had acted as a ward to the X-Men, a New Mutant and, unlike most of her peers at the Institute, she had even acted as a member of the Morlocks, the mutant populace that lived in the sewers beneath New York City. Sally had lived her life because of his death but she had always been hesitant about putting herself in the middle of conflict. Her power could protect her but she had no way to protect the people she cared for.

She was defined by those around her.

“Looks like they mean business, whoever they are,” the young woman commented.

Opportunity had led the young blonde, clad in pigtails and hiking boots that looked comedic with the white tank-top and denim shorts, to where she was now. Affiliations couldn’t have planted her, Bishop and Madrox traipsing through the Australian outback in search of something, anything to define them, but she had enjoyed the ride. She felt freer than ever before.

It had been the first interaction of the threesome, ironic in itself as they had cohabited together for so much of their lives. It brought smiles to the faces of all involved to remember the journeys that had occurred on their exploration of who they where as individuals and the foes they had faced. Friendships and bonds had been born in those short weeks but there was a sense of foreboding amongst the three as they came to a stop before the welcoming committee who waited for them.

Backpacks where removed and eye contact was made.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” Wisdom greeted them, dismissing the armed guards with a wave of his arm. This caused the men to retreat back to the vehicles lined behind the secret agent and his comrade, Rahne Sinclair.

Sally retorted, eyeing the man’s tall and domineering stance as he fully approached them. “Because that doesn’t sound like some cheesy B-List horror movie.”

Bishop and Madrox withdrew air from around them heavily, trying not to laugh in the face of the agent who stood before them. Bishop, the eldest of the threesome, couldn’t help notice his overdressed attire and the shocked expression on his face when he noticed the petite blonde with them. In the past, he’d had sporadic run-ins with the man known as Peter Wisdom but there had been nothing serious. In the eyes of the time-traveller, he was little more than the ex-boyfriend of the X-Men’s Kitty Pryde and yet another British agent sticking his nose in across Pacific.

“Let me introduce myself, I’m Lucas Bishop,” said the African-American hero before indicating to his companions. “This is Jamie Madrox and Sally Blevins.”

Wisdom nodded, acknowledging those around him. “Peter Wisdom,” he said as he held out his hand. “I’m sure you all ready know Rahne Sinclair.”

As formalities where exchanged Bishop took the Brit’s hand in his own forcefully, almost triggering a reflexive release of the ability harnessed by Wisdom himself. Sally daintily waved at her former teammate Rahne, who replied with a quick flash of a smile, all teeth and little emotion.

Jamie turned to them hastily. “We have a lot more to track, fellas. What’s say we wrap this up?”

“I’m hoping this’ll be the end of your journey,” the dark-haired agent informed them, lighting a cigarette as he did so. “I have an offer that I would like you to consider.”

Madrox arched his brow. “I’m out of the superhero game, Wisdom. I have no intention of going back to that.”

“Not even for the X-Gene Security Enforcers initiative?” Wisdom’s eyes where firmly on Bishop at this point.

Bishop may have walked away from the world of superheroism but he hadn’t forgotten the contacts he held within the government, particularly those in the Pentagon. X-Gene Security Enforcement was designed as a means to an end, utilising the mutants who wanted to protect their country and making them more than the vigilantes they had previously posed as. It worked by giving them the governing powers of high-ranking officials, glorifying them as superheroic federal agents. When the rumblings of the initiative had first sounded his interest had been piqued but now he knew where Wisdom’s proposal was going and his mind was in conflict.

Shooting a sideways glance at Jamie and Sally, he noticed the marked confusion on their face.

Wisdom continued. “The X.S.E is designed to act as a police force as opposed to a team of superhumans. We govern those who threaten the law regardless of who they are but the one snag is that the focus lies on those who are a mutant. Obama wants this done right; he wants mutants looking after the interests of mutants because he sees it as the only fair system worth having.”

“It gives us the opportunity to make what we want from the world. We cannae decide on what is important,” Rahne took over from the agent, her Scottish twang slipping into her speech. “We’ve been offered this opportunity and I strongly recommend we take it. Superhuman teams have been the go-to task force for long enough. They haven’t worked and we think it’s time to move onto something more proactive.”

“Whilst being within the arms of the law,” Madrox thought out loud.

Rahne nodded. “Exactly.”

Wisdom pulled the cigarette from his mouth, eyeing the mutants before him. “You know what we’re offering and we await a response. I know you broke away from everything that you’ve done beforehand, I spent time at the school but I encourage you to take this chance.” He took another drag. “Bishop and Madrox were who I was sent here to retrieve but you’re more than welcome to hope on for the ride, Ms Blevins.”

“Let me guess, one can never have enough shields around.”

He nodded curtly. “My sentiments to the tee.”

“I guess it could work,” Jamie mused. “I hate that it’ll take me away from all of this but I feel like, when given this sort of chance, I shouldn’t turn it down.”

“Welcome aboard, Jamie Madrox,” said Wisdom, slapping a leather wallet into his pale hands.

Madrox opened the wallet and watched as his credentials, name and photo shimmered into the pouch. The badge marked ‘X.S.E’ glistened in the sunlight, flicking the gold with his fingers he looked on proudly. It was the easiest initiation he’d ever face, he assumed it been harder. Hell, a fraternity would be harder, though the twenty-five year old farm boy from New Mexico as he pocketed the badge picked up his luggage and moved towards the jeep.

Bishop repeated the motion and joined Jamie and Rahne, his eyes turning to focus on the last remaining member of the troupe.

She appeared to blush as she took a few steps away. “No,” she decided, pasting a smile on her dimpled cheeks. “I lost so much when it came to heroics. I’m not going back. At least, not yet. There’s so much more I can explore here.”

Wisdom nodded.

“My answer is no,” she informed her two comrades as they approached and embraced the youngest of their group. “Give me a call though, let me know how it’s going.”

“It was good, kid,” Bishop replied, letting go of her.

Sally walked away from the heroes, casting a glance over her shoulder to watch as they disappeared into the clouds of dust.

Slowly, she walked on.

---

Cumberland, Kentucky

It was difficult to imagine the bustling farmyard had been the home she wanted to abandon in the not-so-distant past; the nineteen year old had come to know better since her return. Standing on the porch, overlooking the vastness of the green and mountainous land in the dimming sunlight, her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the life she had left behind.

Paige Guthrie was a Southern belle and she had learned to act like one.

Blonde wisps of hair, which had fallen from the young mutant’s messy chignon, flickered around her porcelain cheeks. Her beauty was indescribable but she had never come to notice this which was why she was so endearing. Paige had never known why men flocked to her like bees to honey but they had. The boys in her high school, Tristan Brawn and, of course, Jonothan Starsmore, had all become putty in her hands before she had even noticed.

Jono and Paige had gone their separate ways but she hadn’t stopped thinking or hearing about him. As Chamber, Jono now worked alongside her eldest brother, Sam, in the X-Men.

Pacing her breaths at the sound of her name, the young woman shivered. Night continued to close in around her, as Lucinda Guthrie appeared in doorway. In the oncoming misty twilight, Paige was reminded of the fateful night that led to in ingratiation into the world of mutant kind. She had prayed to the heavens for God to make her something unique and when he had answered, she had mixed feelings about the situation. Although she’d never told anyone that truth...

“Hey there, momma,” whispered the Southern belle.

As she looked back on her siblings, specifically those who remained human, she noticed that they were more consistently happy than the mutant Guthrie’s. Perhaps it was because they didn’t have to face the same trials but there very essence of being a mutant, which had once excited her, had become another common nuisance in her life. Elizabeth, the eldest of the Guthrie girls, was studying Pre-Law at Berkeley in California and was living in her life the fullest. She wrote Paige only the other day to talk about the guy of her dreams.

Joelle was as moody as ever, but she had accepted who she was after the Church of Humanity incident and had decided to pursue her religious beliefs as a career. The Twins, Lewis and Gracie, where too young to even understand.

“Y’ okay out here, darlin’?” her mother enquired in that soothing, comforting voice that could only resonate from a mother.

Paige pouted, blinking to clear her eyes, as she allowed the sweet Southern drawl to slip from her ruby lips. “Ah look back and ah miss it, mom.” She pausing, biting her lip and looked over her shoulder. “Ah know ah shouldn’t but ah do.”

Lucinda nodded her greying head. She was a portly woman, as she had given birth to and reared nine children, and everything about her screamed mother. It also echoed the ideals that could only be found in a woman who had reared on the farm her entire life. There was immensity, an expansive ocean, in the glaze of her sapphire eyes as she watched her third eldest child. Paige had worried her most after her powers were revealed, and she had worked so hard to forget everything a Southern girl stood for, including her accent.

It was like a stab wound to Lucinda, but she recovered and so had her daughter.

“That’s only natural honey.” Lucinda smiled, moving into her daughter’s reach. “It’s gonna take time before you’re used ta normal life on the farm.”

She shuffled around fully, pushing herself into an embrace with her mother. The young heroine struggled with her emotions; she’d been dazed and confused. Paige had finally found somewhere where she had fitted and once again, the complexities of her relationship and her family had pulled her back to Guthrie Farm. It was like the yo-yo with the two eldest Guthrie mutants, either Sam or Paige always returned to help their mother care for the younger members of the brood. The Guthrie’s had no father; he’d died in a mine collapse shortly after the birth of the twins.

“Y’ could always go back?” Lucinda offered the unthinkable in the eyes of her daughter, who immediately bolted upright.

“Ah can’t go back,” she confirmed. “Ah wont.”

Shuffling down the steps of the porch, Paige felt the grass rustle around her exposed legs as she moved through it. Headlights flashed ahead of her as both of the Guthrie women shielded their eyes, hesitating at the sign of an intruder. There had been recent threats on the family and Lucinda contemplated reaching for Bessie, her prized rifle, as her nineteen year old daughter assumed a defensive posture. It was a stance that allowed Paige a quick change if necessary.

Known as a ‘perpetual metamorph’, Xavier had once informed the Kentuckian that she was an anomaly. He explained that this meant she was the only current living creature with the ability she possessed; it was an off-shoot of generalized bodily morphing and slightly reminiscent of snake’s habitual tendencies. Paige could change the composition of her body to rock, metal or steel amongst other things via the shedding of her outer layer of human epidermis. It was a largely unexplored talent but, as her body was in constant evolution, she had always been a somewhat irksome medical patient.

“Paige Guthrie,” called the voice in a distinctly British accent as a man approached them from the end of the driveway. He moved by foot and introduced himself as he drew near. “My name is Peter Wisdom of the X.S.E and Interpol.”

Wisdom approached the young woman in his standard black and white suit, dress that had not often been seen on the farm except for special occasions and when they had been attending mass. His dark hair waved messily, almost as if it appeared in greasy curls and he was flanked by three individuals, all in identical black cat suits. Two of the armed flunkies were male and the other was female yet Paige recognized none of the four that graced her acres.

“Speaking,” she identified herself.

His smirked as he came into full view. “I have an offer for you, Ms. Guthrie.”

Before Paige could answer, a voice called from the porch. “Then ah guess y’all should come in and take a seat.”

Entering the small kitchen, Wisdom took the seat that was indicated to him. It was a simple oaken wooden chair beside the round table that accompanied it, scarred through the years of use in the small kitchen. It could be the hub of the Guthrie family for all he knew. Wisdom was only aware that the Guthrie’s had their fair share of mutants but it had been Sean Cassidy who had recommended the young Kentuckian for the X.S.E initiative.

He saw her as an asset for more than simply her unique ability when he read her brief. Wisdom saw potential in the young woman’s extensive skills with computers; an analyst was always welcome on any of his teams.

“I’m here to extend an invitation to you. We would like you onside with the X.S.E,” Wisdom announced to the kitchen which included his wingman that stood at his side. “It’s a mutant policing mutant governmental system.”

Staring at him with her blue, doe-eyed expression she sighed. “Ah’m honored...and slightly confused but ah won’t be able ta join y’all in this venture. Ah have a family to look after.”

Silence entered the kitchen until it was broken.

“What’s that, Paigey?”

Paige lifted her downtrodden gaze to meet her mother’s. “Ah was jus’ saying that ah have a family ta look after.”

Wisdom looked amazed at the teenager’s confession. “You’re definitely an individual I would love to have on the books.”

“Honey,” Lucinda addressed her daughter, stepping away from the teapot. “Ah’m not stopping y’. Y’ should go before y’ die here.”

“Momma...”

“Paige, ah raised nine children on mah own when your papa died and now there’s three left, ah can certainly handle that. Y’ wanted to break away from the X-Men that don’t mean you can’t be a hero, mah sweet.”

Hesitating, the blonde made her way to the exit as her mother halted her once again.

“Ah hope you’re going to pack your case,” Lucinda informed her.

Paige prepared to argue back before she stopped herself. During her tenure as a student at the Massachusetts Academy, the blonde had dreamt of being the greatest heroine the mutant world had had. Breezily allowing a smile to spread across her pale lips, the blonde nodded as she turned to face the unannounced guest only to catch the glare of the red haired soldier in the black bodysuit.

It was clear she didn’t meet his approval.

“Ah’ll just be a moment, Mr Wisdom,” she replied sweetly. “Ah have some things ta pack.”

She was stopped in her tracks by what was growled at her by the soldier. “You’re not a soldier. You’re just some hick off the farm.”

Wisdom was too his feet like a bullet, groping the man by his neck and thrusting him onto the porch. They spoke in hushed, angry whispers, leaving the two women to contemplate the discussion with their imagination. After two minutes the suit returned by himself, apologetically gazing towards his young recruit.

“Never mind him, Ms Guthrie,” he urged her. “He’s just a foot soldier who doesn’t know his place.”

Paige nodded, making her exit and leaving a livid Lucinda to deal with the federal agent. He braced himself as he moved towards her.

“Ah have one condition for sending mah daughter out ta y’,” she informed him, speaking her words clearly through gritted teeth. “She’s leavin’ this house a decent and idealistic Southern girl, like how ah raised her. She had better return like one.”

Wisdom nodded but was cut off before he could speak.

“Another thing, she’d better not return in a casket or I’ll put y’ in one,” Lucinda continued as she too walked from the kitchen. “We take our feuds very seriously round these parts.”

---

Bayou Choupique
Louisiana

“All systems are online.”

“Good, finally.”

“Better progress now than not at all.”

“Shut up, Cord.”

“You think you’d be happier that...”

“Shut it, Cord!”

“Yikes...”

Arguments erupted spontaneously between the pair, illuminated only by the flashes released from the sparks of metal on metal. It was a darkened, abandoned warehouse that they on the end of a bayou, which was both entrancing and dangerous. During the daylight hours, crocodiles could be witnessed scurrying on the embankments and beneath the gentle waves. It was what Christian Cord loved most about residing in the abandoned warehouse.

Blaquesmith was his biggest issue.

Christian, and the threesome of young soldiers he had arrived with, kept their past close to their chests. United States officials had brought them to the attention of the presidency after a search and recover found them all battered and abandoned in a base in northern Canada. Blaquesmith was from the future and that unsettled them a little, which had made tensions high.

All that was known was that prior to whatever had brought the foursome together, Christian Cord had been adept in the ways of mechanical engineering. His teammates, including his twin sister, continued to parade as the soldiers they had been trained as but he now preferred to stay behind the scenes and off the beaten track. The African-American had been scarred more than the others; it was a weakness in him that was not present in the others. Wisdom did not trust vulnerability and he had happily obliged in removing him from active duty.

“Are we almost done here?”

Luminous eyes searched the room for him. It was a small, yellowed skinned creature that moved through the darkness. Blaquesmith had been the mentor and travelling partner of Cable in his past but he now worked for the government, seeking sanctuary in their world through his gift with mechanics. He had been called upon by the X.S.E initiative in the reparation of one of the world’s fiercest weapons; it was a weapon that they hoped to utilize in the months and years to come. Wisdom had been adamant on a speedy recovery of the system’s core programming.

Albert was no doubt an asset.

“We should be...”

The young man finished his thought. “But we still have no life. Damn it! Where is Elsie?”

“You know what she’s like,” whispered the creature known as Blaquesmith, tapping the lifeless body of the android Albert.

Albert was an exact, mechanical replica of the mutant Wolverine. It was the image of a petite but burly Canadian that hovered on suspension before them but it was nothing more than an illusion. Blaquesmith was never eager to divulge information about the time from which he came but he had knowledge of this being and that worried him. In his eyes, it was doubtful that the government could utilize the cyborg as they wanted too. Despite the modifications the two mechanics struggled to make, he was still a killer by instinct.

Databanks had informed Blaquesmith that Albert was the creation of Donald Pierce and had been part of a scheme to kill Wolverine until Elsie-Dee, the living bomb, had a change of heart in the matter and the two rebelled, spending the next few years living the nomadic lifestyle and they travelled until the found a purpose. When they had been relocated they had been living in Nebraska as a father/daughter duo in the small-town.

Dropping his gaze to the man on the floor, he continued. “She’s flighty. I’m sure she’s around.”

“Watch it, gentleman,” squeaked the small-frame of Elsie-Dee, robotic master of Albert. “Albert only wakes under my command. You’re just here to cross some wires.”

It was hard to imagine that the little girl who stood before them was an android, never mind that she was programmed as a bomb. In her cybernetic eyes, Blaquesmith saw innocence and docility but she spoke and acted with the authority of someone far older than who she masqueraded as. Christian nodded as he moved jauntily to his feet, eyes fixated on the living doll before him.

Yet another disadvantage of the Louisiana base: Elsie-Dee.

---

X.S.E. Headquarters
Miami, Florida

“I know this is straight into business but you’ll all discover that there is no transition period within the federal system.”

Alisande Morales stood before a group that where infinitely more powerful than she could ever become, and the New Mexican tilted her head and allowed the length of raven hair to frame her stern but delicate features. Uniformed from head to toe in her S.H.I.E.L.D bodysuit, they were reminded where her allegiances lay. Ali, as she preferred to be known, flicked through the dossier of information she had received.

Her role was unclear to all but Pete Wisdom.

In the line-up proposed to Obama, the government had felt unrepresented by the number of superhumans to be collected on one team, both powered and those aided by technology. S.H.I.E.L.D had offered one of their own and Ali was the finalization of that. Her responsibilities within the team was Intel; she briefed their missions as well as overseeing the general administration of the team, but was virtually a non-member as she stood just on the outside of everything that happened with the X.S.E. Wisdom didn’t like the role she was offered.

Ali simply signed the dotted line.

“Designation: Shiva has created havoc in the country of Korea. We have reason to believe that the Korean government is planning to create and release a weapon on the general society,” she informed them. “There have been recent incidents in which Korean civilians have been found heavily mutilated.”

“Sounds like it could be a simple case of murder,” called the red haired Barnell Bohusk from the back of the room, the soldier that had earlier accompanied Wisdom to Kentucky. “Why send in the big guns for something so trivial?”

Arching her brow, Morales curtly responded, “Perhaps if it where a few civilians but entire towns at a time cannot be the work of one person. Two days ago, an entire city became a ghost town and there was no word of this. Korean government has refused to respond to the phenomena but upon further investigation we have found that there was in deed a clean-up operation of the city.”

“So y’all are jus’ assuming it’s a weapon?” spoke the Southern belle from where she sat, leaning back on the leather seat closest to the woman.

Hesitantly, Morales nodded. “We have reason to believe that beyond assumptions. As it may or may not be superhuman, we have chosen to use this specific faction of our resources. I’m aware that we may be throwing you in at the deep end but we have to break you in sooner or later.”

Responding to the silence the federal agent continued. “We have chosen,” she flicked to the last page before looking around the room again. “Codenames: Bishop, Multiple Man, Wolfsbane, Blackwing and Husk to carry out this mission.”

The room’s reactions branched from polite nods to mouths falling ajar to the furious Wisdom as he rose to his feet.

“What am I? Some sort of desk jockey?”

She snapped the dossier shut and began her way towards the door, motioning the others in the room to follow her. “We’ll talk when I set the team on their way, Wisdom. You’ve been kept back for a reason.”

Alisande Morales led the team to their transport, visually it was similar to the Blackbird some of the team had been used to but there were other aspects of it that differed. Particularly the intertwined emblems from Interpol, S.H.I.E.L.D and the large ‘X’ for their own group.

“You know what you have to do. I suggest you get it done.” Morales left her team, the one-line of defence to deal with whatever Korea could throw at them.

---

---

To Be Continued...

---

Previous Issue | Next Issue