Bishop stands in front of a destroyed building, but can’t remember what happened, or how he got there. The last thing Bishop remembers is fighting Mountjoy, and now he’s in a place that looks like the mansion. But what’s going on with all the smoke hanging around? An explosion takes place in the room next to him, and Bishop wonders if they are under attack. He runs to check it out, only to find the other X-Men... killed! How could this have happened?!?
He hears someone running in the hallways. It’s Jean Grey! Jean says it’s their own fault, and that they never should have trusted him. On that moment, she gets shot as well! Bishop calls out to the murderer and wants to see who it is. A man steps out of the shadows, but... this can’t be... it’s Bishop himself?! The evil “Bishop” confirms it was he who killed the X-Men and, now, he’s going to kill the real Bishop, calling him an imposter. The real Bishop screams.
Reality...
Bishop wakes up in the infirmary of the school, lying in a bed. Next to him sits... SHARD?! Shard asks Bishop what’s wrong, and if he had a nightmare. Bishop isn’t sure, as he thinks he’s still having one right now. Forge and the Professor enter the room. Forge says hello to his friends, explaining he didn’t only fixed the holographic projector, he also improved it. Shard will be totally interactive now. She’s not real, but she’s as close as a hologram can be. Forge thought it would be nice for Bishop to see a friendly face when he woke up.
Xavier notices how weird Bishop looks at him and asks if he’s alright. Bishop admits that, in his dream, he found Xavier dead. Xavier asks Bishop if he would like to talk about it, but he refuses. Xavier promises that, should Bishop ever want to talk about it, he’ll be there. When he asks if Bishop remembers anything from last night, Bishop explains that he and Storm were under attack from a renegade mutant of his own timeline. A mutant called... Mountjoy. Mountjoy absorbed Storm and he was shot, and Bishop wants to know if Ororo is okay. Xavier claims she will be with just a little rest but, right now, he wants to know more about this “Mountjoy” person.
Bishop reveals that Mountjoy is a killer. Mountjoy’s talent enables him to merge bodies with others. When he enters another’s body, he takes it over and “rides” it, having complete command over it. He also uses a basilisk field, slowing the reaction time of his victims within a five-yard radius where he exerts his will. A “hostile takeover” is when Mountjoy merges another body into his own. Then, unless forced to “divest” his victim, Mountjoy will absorb him, devouring his body and soul. Shard tells Bishop he should have killed Mountjoy when he had the chance. Xavier reminds Shard that Mountjoy was merged with Storm during the battle, and asks her if she thinks Bishop should have killed her as well. Shard believes that others are going to die now... maybe a lot more. She still believes Bishop should have gone for the trade-off and killed Mountjoy when he had a clear shot.
Xavier states that the X-Men don’t kill, and Bishop is an X-Man now. Shard corrects that Bishop is also a member of the XSE before he was anything else. And he has killed in the line of duty when he had to. Shard tells Xavier (assuming he is the legendary Professor Xavier, which she doubts), she’s heard all about him and his dream. She’s not impressed by it and never was. After all, it was the dream that got all the X-Men killed. Xavier in turn doesn’t accept Shard’s past as his future. He has seen too many conflicting futures to accept only one as inevitable. It may very well be that both Shard and Bishop aren’t from this timeline’s future, but from just a possible alternate one. But even if Shard were certain her future would be the real one, he wouldn’t do anything to alter it. Bishop hears the two talking while he’s dressing himself, but doesn’t say anything about it.
The Professor continues to say that the X-Men Shard knows, by their deaths, became legends and those legends became myths that changed the entire landscape of human-mutant relations. He believes the power of the dream became greater with those deaths. They did not invalidate the dream; they made it inevitable. Bishop, fully dressed, finally speaks his mind. Bishop confirms that Xavier’s dream fueled his own dreams but, for now, Bishop believes he must put those dreams aside. He has to go after Mountjoy.
Forge explains that’s a bad idea. He tells Bishop he lost some blood in that last battle and that poison may be lingering in his bloodstream. He doesn’t think Bishop should even be up. Bishop knows Mountjoy won’t abate his activities until he feels better. He will act, and so must Bishop. He apologizes to Xavier, but Shard is right- he was X.S.E. before he was an X-Man. He exits the room, saying that Mountjoy can’t be allowed to prey in this time. He has to put a finish to him. And if that means he cannot remain an X-Man, although it hurts him deeply, he will resign immediately.
Once Bishop is gone, Forge believes Bishop is a dangerous man to have acting as a loose cannon. He suggests they scramble an X-Men team to bring him back. Xavier denies that. He thinks Bishop’s choices should be his own, and not theirs. At stake here is the very soul of an X-Man!
New York City, the Village...
Mountjoy is in Miss Folsom’s house, and quietly looks around it. She apologizes for the mess, as she hadn’t had the time to clean it up yet, but he doesn’t care about that. Miss Folsom tells Mountjoy he can call her Annette, and flirts with him, asking if they are going to be friends. Mountjoy takes the hint and flirts back, claiming they are going to be much more than friends. They share a kiss, but then Mountjoy absorbs her! Mountjoy continues to explore the house and thinks it will make a nice playground for him. He’s glad that nobody is aware of his presence, except for Bantam and Bishop. He wonders what to do about them. Annette struggles to get out of Mountjoy’s body, but he pushes her right back in, loving it when they struggle. Mountjoy again thinks about Bishop, hating a physical confrontation, but he realizes Bishop is going to want to have one.
Elsewhere on the roads...
Bishop, driving a motorcycle, is unexpectedly accompanied by Shard. She asks Bishop where he got the bike. Standing on his shoulder, Bishop wonders who switched her on, telling Shard she can’t ride like that. Shard claims she can because she is a hologram, and cybernetically linked to Bishop’s brainwaves now. He was thinking of her and now, here she is. She repeats her question. Bishop mentions the bike was a gift from Forge and Wolverine. He tells her to sit normally, as she’s attracting attention, as he can see other drivers staring at them.
Reluctantly, Shard goes to sit behind Bishop, and asks where he expects to find Mountjoy as it’s a big city. Bishop admits he has a plan, and it involves her. Shard mopes that she usually hates Bishop’s plans. Bishop explains Mountjoy must have had a “ride” when he sneaked up on him and Storm before, and couldn’t have just missed him, as he always scans crowds when on linknown turf. Shard is glad to see Bishop hasn’t forgotten everything of his X.S.E. training.
So, it’s a given: Mountjoy had a ride. She doesn’t get the point. Bishop wants to find that ride and see where it leads them. Shard isn’t impressed by the plan. Bishop believes the “ride” is most likely to have gone to the police and/or a hospital. They’ll start with the precinct closest to where Mountjoy’s attack occurred. Knowing him, Bishop believes Mountjoy will want to cover his tracks, and make sure his former “ride” did not give away too many information about him.
Soon afterwards, the two arrive in front of the police station, and Bishop put Shard in cuffs. She really hates the manacles and also really dislikes Bishop’s plan. Bishop asks Shard if she has another one, but she hasn’t. In that case, Bishop states, they’ll do this, and he doesn’t want Shard to improvise! Bishop enters the station and shouts that he demands to see the watch commander. When Captain Eagleson appears and asks what’s going on, Bishop explains to him that he is with the X.S.E. and has just caught a dangerous mutant. He fakes that he needs Eagleson to keep Shard in a holding cell while he follows up on a report of another dangerous mutant recently signed in this area. When Eagleson says he never heard of the X.S.E., Bishop further explains that his agency is responsible for rounding up and neutralizing rogue mutants. Hearing this, Eagleson panics, as they aren’t equipped to deal with mutants.
While the two further discuss, they don’t notice that one of the cops has been taken over by Mountjoy. He admits that Bishop knows him so well, but unfortunately Mountjoy knows Bishop as well. And there they meet, as he planned.
Bishop tells the captain he’s aware of the demands of his job. All he needs to know is if any civilians have come to him to report having being taken over by someone. Eagleson confirms they had a freak claiming such a story about being possessed. They took the guy’s name and address and sent him out of there. They just thought he was just another crazy guy and now he wants Bishop out of there, as he already hates the fact he has to babysit a mutant freak.
Bishop says he also wants to get out of there, so he just wants the captain to give him that address so he can leave. Two other officers take Shard away. Bishop warns them not to touch her or put her in a cell with others. He explains that those manacles around her should neutralize her powers, but warns the cops not to take her eyes off her for a second. He promises to be back later for her. The cops tell Shard to get moving, as the sooner she’s gone, the sooner Bishop will be back to take her with him. Shard smiles and obeys.
Just around the corner, Shard attacks the cops and escapes! They warn their captain about it. Hearing this, the captain quickly hands over to Bishop the address of the earlier possessed guy, and tells him just to go after the mutant and leave. Bishop does as told, and thanks Eagleson for the address. Outside, Mountjoy sees everything and congratulates Bishop on putting up a nice scene, as he commandeers more cops on the so-called chase after Shard. While Bishop continues his act, Mountjoy sneaks up on Bishop and attacks him! The two fight and Bishop is knocked out. The cops see it happening and panic, identifying Mountjoy as a shape shifter and that he’s got the “X.S.E.” guy down. Mountjoy tries to escape and thinks this is getting ridiculous.
As Mountjoy makes big leaps to get away, Bishop gets back on his bike and warns Eagleson to get his men out of the way, because they have no idea how dangerous Mountjoy is. Eagleson claims he doesn’t understand much of everything that happened since Bishop got there. Mountjoy jumps on a police car and hijacks it, punching the driving officer out of it. He starts driving and Bishop chases him, but doesn’t want to start shooting, as he could hurt innocent bystanders. They driver further on the freeways, until Bishop finally opens fire on Mountjoy. When Bishop hits Mountjoy’s vehicle, the villain loses control over and the car explodes! Mountjoy claims Bishop has doomed them all now.
Some time later...
A shaken Bishop wakes up. At his side, Shard helps her big brother up, surprising him. Bishop takes Shard’s hand, and is shocked to see her... alive and no longer as a hologram! Shard jokes she won’t be alive much longer if Bishop doesn’t snap out of it. They have to move. Bishop looks around, and is shocked at what he finds. They’re back... in his future!? Finding some destroyed buildings around him, Bishop wonders if he never really left it, and if all his time with the X-Men was just a dream. Shard doesn’t know what Bishop is babbling about. She explains the last firefight knocked him unconscious for a few minutes, but otherwise he has been right there! Bishop is stunned...
