BIOGRAPHY - Page 2
Later, while pursuing Fitzroy’s mass prison break from the Pool, Bishop followed his target backwards in time with Omega Squad to the days of the legendary X-Men. Malcolm and Randall 
were killed by the numerous escaped felons, and Bishop ended up joining the X-Men himself. Cut off from everyone he had ever known, Lucas began reminiscing about his sister from time to time. He was drawn into a comprehensive illusion scenario by Mastermind, and was only able to escape it by admitting Shard was dead and couldn’t be fighting by his side. [Uncanny X-Men Annual #17] The Stark-Fujikawa projector had acquired a glitch he could not solve, and so Bishop hesitantly installed an interactive program of his sister’s personality into the Danger Room. This was only a substitute to a substitute of the real thing, though. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #314] Eventually, Bishop became comfortable enough among the X-Men to reach out for help. He presented the holo-projector to Forge and asked if the mutant innovator could fix it. Sure enough, Forge was able to repair and improve upon the projector, allowing Shard’s memory program to manifest as a fully interactive entity. [Bishop #1-2]
Shard could now materialize anywhere within the wristband projector’s broadcast radius, operating as an intangible light projection or a solidogram form virtually indistinguishable from the 
real thing. Shard came on-line just as Bishop discovered the last of the escaped criminals from the Pool, Mountjoy, was active in New York City. Bishop had reached a turning point where he needed to decide if he was truly going to embrace the X-Men and their ways, or remain loyal to his duties as an X.S.E. officer, particularly regarding lethal force. Even standing among the legends themselves, Shard had little use for Xavier or his dream, believing it was an outdated philosophy which got his people killed. For the time being, at least, Bishop agreed with Shard that Mountjoy was a responsibility he still owed to the X.S.E., and he chose to seek out the criminal alone, without the X-Men.
Bishop and Shard went to a local police precinct in Manhattan to seek clues regarding any “passengers” Mountjoy may have abandoned. Indeed, they ran into Mountjoy himself looking to eliminate loose ends. Mountjoy managed to weaken Bishop and “rode” him back to the X-Mansion, looking to kill the X-Men. Bishop broke free, but Mountjoy was able to assimilate Psylocke, Gambit and Archangel, slowly consuming them. Shard again counseled Bishop to execute his target, even at the cost of his own teammates, the same X.S.E. protocol Lucas ignored when he tried to save Shard. Bishop refused to be as cold as Shard, and he did everything in his power to preserve the lives of the X-Men. After trapping Mountjoy in the Danger Room, they tricked him into trying to absorb Shard, unaware that she was a hologram. Shard encouraged Bishop to unleash all of his bio-energy storages at them while she had Mountjoy pinned. Bishop was reluctant, fearing the feedback would permanently damage Shard’s holo-projection, but he ultimately did as his commanding officer ordered. Mountjoy was captured alive and the X-Men were saved, but Shard’s holographic matrix de-rezzed, leaving her future uncertain. [Bishop #2-4]
Forge’s duties took him away from regular contact with the X-Mansion to operate as part of the government-funded team X-Factor. However, he continued to tinker with the holomatrix projector as a favor to Bishop in an effort to restore Shard on a more permanent basis. By the time X-Factor moved to a remote wilderness complex in Falls Edge, Virginia, Forge was successful in getting Shard to materialize for short periods of time, though her holomatrix was not wholly stable. Shard had to settle for intermittent bouts of existence in Forge’s lab, which didn’t entirely suit her. Her mnemonic program was intricate enough to experience boredom and isolation in her downtime, so she was entertained when X-Factor’s newest member Wild Child crashed into Forge’s lab during a training session. Shard and Kyle had a brief encounter before she de-materialized once more. Forge was actually surprised to hear about this when Wild Child rejoined the others, as he didn't think Shard was capable of spontaneously manifesting like that. [X-Factor (1st series) #116-117]
Forge became preoccupied with the return of his arch-nemesis the Adversary, and so Shard determined how to manifest on her own. With Bishop, Shard always remained a combination of 
stern commanding officer and over-compensating little sister. In his absence, though, she was still human and curious enough to show interest in exploring the fabled past she had found herself in. She began materializing for Wild Child, flirting with Kyle in the hopes of relaxing and having fun together. They took a day trip out to a concert and “mush pit” so Shard could enjoy what this time period had to offer. However, her fritz-ing holomatrix marked her as a mutant, drawing the attention of Friends of Humanity. Wild Child and Shard fought their assailants, with Shard learning how to express her holomatrix as a photonic plasma blast, similar to her original mutant power. After the date, they returned to Falls Edge, but Shard de-rezzed again right before Kyle kissed her good night. [X-Factor (1st series) #119]
Shard was interested in becoming a fully active member of X-Factor, but her intermittent presence hampered that goal. When the Adversary arrived, he taunted Forge by killing his teammates and claiming their souls as their bodies turned to ash. Forge mastered the “spirit spell” of his people to bring Polaris, Wild Child and Mystique back in his final battle with the Adversary. However, Shard had no “soul” for the Adversary to claim, and she simply disappeared during the initial attack. [X-Factor (1st series) #120-121] The next time her holomatrix materialized, Shard happened to catch some government agents infiltrating Falls Edge while X-Factor was absent. She proved to be an effective anti-burglary system, but the encounter showed X-Factor’s relationship with some aspects of the government was growing increasingly strained. [X-Factor (1st series) #123]
As Forge stabilized Shard’s holomatrix program (again), he took her warning to heart. With Mystique and now Sabretooth added to X-Factor’s roster, it was clear the government was trying to change the direction of the group. Shard counseled Forge that she recognized the early signs of the Hound program, a collaboration from her future where mutants hunted down other mutants for their human masters. In order to have an ace in the hole, Forge convinced X-Factor’s friend and government liaison Val Cooper to reluctantly avoid reporting Shard’s presence among X-Factor to her superiors. Even Sabretooth and Mystique kept quiet about Shard when under interrogation by their handlers. Shard began serving with X-Factor as an active but unofficial member during the Onslaught crisis and their encounter with McCoy and his Dark Descendants. [X-Factor (1st series) #124-127]
Shard could materialize freely in Falls Edge due to the holo-emitters running through the complex, but her utility beyond the grounds was limited to Bishop’s original holomatrix projector wristband. As she established herself with X-Factor, Shard decided it was time to reach out to Bishop again 
and reconnect with her brother. Bishop had been distant even after learning Forge had finished repairing the projector, and Shard was concerned about their relationship. In fact, ever since she “died” in front of him again while fighting Mountjoy, Bishop had hardened himself against the idea of caring for Shard like a sister. In order to avoid the pain of losing her again, Lucas fought to convince himself that the hologram was merely a copy, a computer program designed to emulate his dead sister, and wasn’t really her. Wild Child and Storm helped set up a reunion between the siblings in Las Vegas, as Shard tried to convince Lucas she was as real as ever.
When Shard interrupted the burglars at Falls Edge, she came to the attention of Operation: Zero Tolerance and Humanity’s Last Stand. The future technology behind her holomatrix intrigued 
Bastion, and he ordered her projector captured by the Hound prototype. Bishop was ambushed and the holoprojector taken back to Groom Lake for study. Bastion’s scientists worked to break down Shard’s data of the future, depixelating her in the process. Bishop, Storm and Wild Child tracked the Hound and fought to free Shard from her captors. Shard broke free from her containment unit and devoted her energies to a photonic blast which destroyed the projector, depriving O:ZT of her data but leaving her photons without a home. Too little, too late, this personal sacrifice in the name of the mission convinced Bishop that Shard really was his sister, in every way that mattered.
Shard’s holo-field seemingly dispersed, leading Bishop and the others to destroy the Groom Lake facility as they fled. On the Blackbird home, however, Shard miraculously appeared among them. This time, Bishop did accept his sister and they were joyously reunited. Somehow, severing her holomatrix from the projector gave the Shard mnemonic program independence as a self-
sustaining photonic lifeform, a living hologram untethered to any physical emission or storage system. [Uncanny X-Men Annual ‘96] Of course, once Bishop recognized Shard as his sister again, his old instincts to protect her kicked in. Bishop tried to convince Shard to leave X-Factor and join him on the X-Men. They had a long talk about their relationship, and Shard reiterated her intent to stand outside of his shadow. As much as she loved her brother, she needed space to grow with her own team. [X.S.E. #1-4]