Team X 2000

Summary by Rainer Ho Ten Soeng

Summary of Team X 2000: BISHOP and DEATHBIRD lead the REVOLUTION against the Shi'Ar Empire!

Technical information:

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release date: February, 1999
Writers: Sean Ruffner & A. Smithee
Penciller: Kevin Lau
Inkers: Sean Parsons, Marlo Alquiza & Cabin Boy
Colorists: Kevin Tinsley & Sean Ruffner
Letters: RS.Comicraft.AD
Editor: Ruben Diaz
Assistant-Editor: Zena Tsarfin
Editor in Chief: Bob Harras
Total number of pages: 48 pages
Subtitle of the book: Team X 2000: "Paradox Lost"

Main characters:

Bishop: A man from a troubled future who has travelled back in time to save the day for the idols of his youth. Bishop was in his time a valued and respected leader of an XSE-squadron and besides being an excellent leader he is also a highly skilled, trained and experienced soldier and warrior. Bishop possesses the mutant ability to absorb incredible amounts of (bio-kinetic) energy to release it in the form of powerful beams for example.

Deathbird: She is the first born of the House of Nermani, the rulers of the Shi'Ar empire. Deathbird has always been a rebel and a difficult person to deal with and her evil and relentless efforts to destroy her sister Lilandra and thus become Empress of the Shi'Ar empire herself, have caused her name to be stricken from the royal list and herself to become an unwanted and disgraced outcast of the House of Nermani.

Alanna Nermani: As the daughter of Lilandra Nermani and Charles Xavier, Alanna has inherited her aunt Deathbird's relentlessness and thirst for power and her father's incredible psionic abilities. Physically she may resemble her mother Lilandra a lot but unfortunately her personality and character don't show any of her mother's kindness, wisdom and responsibility. Alanna is a ruthless tyrant and despot who will kill if she feels that is what serves the House of Nermani best. Her psionic abilities allow her manipulate and play with people like they were toys and her servants are nothing more to her than tools which should obey her and which should be disposed of once they are of no use any longer.

Remarkable quotes:

1. "My name is Bishop and I am a mutant, like all The X-Men. Outcasts of society. Hated and feared because of our genetic differences. I have travelled across time and space to battle the forces that threaten to destroy the Dream of my mentor, Charles Xavier. And have lost my way more than once." (Bishop)

2. "Today, I'm embarking on my greatest challenge yet �. Attempting to perceive the madness that is Deathbird. At one time Deathbird was the sworn enemy of The X-Men, but presently she's an ally � and my abrasive companion. �.But, as of late, she has attacked me with innuendo. Of all her lethal attributes, her beauty is what I fear most. She wishes me to be her mate. To, as she states, "rule the galaxy at her side". But I am a soldier with no such aspirations." (Bishop)

3. "You have great wisdom, Bishop. You're a great warrior. I have declared you worthy of me. You should be honoured." (Deathbird)

4. "�. Queen Feather head may have broken Cain Marko physically, but she won't break my will. �.The unstoppable force has finally been stopped. Ironic, don't you think?" (Cain Marko)

5. "Bishop, if it is my undress that intimidates you, don't fear. Synthskin bandages cover most of my body. Or does my authority undermine your machismo?" (Deathbird)

6. "Orders are no one DIES! However, a few busted Shi'Ar Stormtroopers are well within the mission's parameters." (Cable)

7. "I got questions without answers, but I trust Cable. He's another man trapped in a temporal paradox. Of all The X-Men, he and I are most akin." (Bishop)

8. "Evil and Deathbird are old and familiar companions. She has longed to lead the Shi'Ar, and Alanna plans to make empty promises to gain her support. You (Bishop) may be the only option to sway Deathbird from their side." (Dr. Doom)

9. "There was a planetary war on the Shi'Ar throneworld, and Lilandra's forces were on the losing end. Lilandra fled for Earth in search for sympathizers to help her retain the Shi'Ar throne. Negotiations were held in Xavier's mansion between the humans and the Shi'Ar. With several of the Earth's mightiest heroes under one roof, traitors among the Shi'Ar saw an opportunity to get rid of those that stood between them and interstellar domination. Cloaked Shi'Ar ships orbiting the planet locked on Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning and reduced it to rubble! All inside were slaughtered. Without a unified front of Earth's heroes, a global invasion went virtually untested. Word leaked out that Alanna, Lilandra's daughter, was behind the betrayal. She'd been secretly studying Deathbird's journals. Alanna despised her mother, and used tactics straight out of Deathbird's playbook to usurp command. Pure patricide, as it turned out. Those of us who survived joined together to preserve what's left of the human and mutant race. As always, to preserve Xavier's Dream we carry his name � Team X." (Cable)

10. "Without her mutant companion around to cloud her judgment my dear aunt will side with us�. Or be remembered as a martyr!" (Alanna Nermani)

11. "You say that you have studied my views and beliefs � that you know me. Then you know I would never accept this. -- �. � I am Deathbird, first born of the House of Nermani! You won't buy my support, child. Your mother failed to reign me or define me. What made you believe you would succeed? I reject your boon and all I would sacrifice to accept it." (Deathbird)

12. "This is as good a time to die as any. Goodbye, Deathbird. May this world treat you better than the last." (Bishop)

13. "How do you defeat yourself? How do you fight someone who could have been your own daughter? Caught in a conflict of conscience, Alanna moves in to capitalize on Deathbird's distraction. But the woman who stands before her embraces everything Deathbird used to be. Action without responsibility. Ferocity unchecked. Fear and intimidation are her sword. Stranded in space with Bishop has Deathbird many things. Chiefly, that every action has a consequence no matter how indirect. And some lie in wait to haunt you at your weakest moment." (Sean Ruffner)

14. "I �.I was prepared to slay my future niece. Then something overcame me. Her death would solve nothing. It would only justify the vile reputation my people have garnered. Let her live with the knowledge that she's far from my equal. Know that Deathbird has shown her rare mercy." (Deathbird)

15. "Compassion is not a sign of weakness, Deathbird. Quite the opposite. It shows honor. I am proud of you. There may be hope for you yet." (Bishop)

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Summary of Team X 2000 #1: BISHOP and DEATHBIRD lead the REVOLUTION against the Shi'Ar Empire!

The story begins in an unchartered region of space, where Bishop and Deathbird aimlessly wander the stars in search of a way home in their makeshift craft. They were separated from their teammates and friends, The X-Men, while fighting the Phalanx, a species that threatened both the Shi'Ar homeworld as well as the Earth. But that seems like a lifetime ago �.a lifetime spent with just floating around in space�. Bishop and Deathbird are playing chess and while doing so, Deathbird tells her companion about a dream she has had. In that dream she felt equal to her sister Lilandra and had to fight vermin to punish her for that feeling. On top of that she was served a dead bird to eat�. Deathbird believes her dream to be a vision send to her by Sharra, a Shi'Ar goddess, of times to come. Bishop can't argue with that but he starts to explain Deathbird's dream to the best of his abilities nonetheless: could it be that the dream was meant to show Deathbird that she is not so much as leader but more of an exterminator who performs her duties without regard for the people she is supposed to protect? Could it be that the dead bird symbolizes the Shi'Ar race and the price they had to pay for Deathbird's thrill to answer whatever challenge?

But before any of them can ponder some more about those thoughts, they are suddenly interrupted by an alarm going off. The ship's sensors have registered a probe which is not only sending out some sort of distress signal but which also opens a transdimensional jumpgate! This could be their ticket home! Finally they seem to have found a way out! Before they can rejoice their good luck however they are all of a sudden being attacked by Freebooters! Deathbird is infuriated that those Freebooters have the audacity to fire at the regent of the Shi'Ar empire and she wants to fight it out with those stupid fools. Bishop knows better than that however and since they are seriously being outnumbered he does the only sensible thing: he steers their ship right through the jumpgate. And it seems to have worked! Not only did the jumpgate close down before their pursuers got the chance to follow them but they also seem to be on the far side of Earth's moon! That means that they are almost home! Unfortunately things are not what they seem like: Bishop and Deathbird have jumped right in the middle of a huge armada of Shi'Ar war ships. Something must be terribly wrong here because Lilandra would otherwise have never sent such a tremendous fleet away from the homeworld. And what's even worse: the Shi'Ar war fleet not only doesn't respond to their hail but in fact has started to tow their ship in�. What could be waiting for them inside that huge Shi'Ar vessel?

Meanwhile on Earth it becomes clear that a lot of things are indeed terribly wrong. Somehow the jumpgate has caused Bishop and Deathbird to make a jump in time as well and they seem to have arrived in the year 2018. New York City has been significantly wrecked and destroyed, but despite that a big celebration is taking place in town. Thousands of people have gathered to commemorate the union, established by the new Shi'Ar Majestrix Alanna Nermani, between Earth's nations and the Shi'Ar empire. Alanna Nermani, the daughter of Lilandra Nermani and Charles Xavier, has done something few would have thought possible but by the look of things the price the humans had to pay was terribly high �. As soon as Alanna learns that the Shi'Ar fleet has captured an old Shi'Ar class shuttle which entered this dimension through a jumpgate, she leaves the festivities however to personally take a look who might be onboard of that vessel�.

Onboard of the huge Shi'Ar cruiser which towed them in, Bishop and Deathbird are anxiously waiting what's next to come for them. When the air-lock opens they see much to their surprise that their reception committee consists of armed soldiers who want to detain both of them until their Queen has arrived! And that's just the wrong thing to say to Deathbird: the proud and independent young woman will never be anybody's prisoner! And without much further ado she impulsively attacks those soldiers with swift ferocity and a chilling effectiveness. But there are simply too many soldiers to take down and before Bishop can do anything to help her, Deathbird is being taken down by a stun ray. And with his companion down and multiple soldiers taking aim at him, Bishop understands that it is best to co-operate and comply with them. Before he can show them his good will however he loses consciousness due to an injection with some sort of sedative.

And unknown to both of them, Bishop and Deathbird are separated from each other: whereas Bishop is locked up in a dirty, stinking cell, Deathbird is brought to a med-lab where lots of tests are being done on her to determine whether or not she really is the legendary Deathbird. The tests show of course what we already know: the unconscious young woman who is lying in that lab is indeed none other than Deathbird, the first born of the House of Nermani and sister of Lilandra, the late Majestrix of the Shi'Ar empire! After waking up Deathbird immediately demands to see her sister Lilandra as soon as possible. But much to her surprise she is welcomed by her niece, Alanna Nermani, who informs her that her sister Lilandra has died not too long ago and that she, Alanna, is the new Majestrix of the Shi'Ar. According to Alanna her mother was killed in a war with the terrans who feared that the Shi'Ar wanted to conquer Earth. And being Lilandra's daughter and believing that Deathbird had died after saving her people from The Phalanx, it was not more than logical that Alanna assumed the throne to lead the Shi'Ar to prominence once more. Alanna is pleased to see that her aunt is still alive but she must understand that a lot has changed during the time of her absence. And to give both of them the time to digest everything that has happened today, Alanna leaves Deathbird after assuring her that her companion Bishop is doing fine, so that she can take a rest and enjoy her the royal treatment.

But Alanna is lying: although Bishop is still alive, he is far from doing fine actually. Instead he is cuffed and locked up in an old and dirty cell. And to make things even more confusing Bishop discovers that in the cell next to him none other then Cain Marko, also known as The Juggernaut, is being contained! What on Earth has happened to him? What force could have captured The Juggernaut? It's hard for Bishop to get any answers though since Cain at first believes that Bishop is an imposter and a spy of the Shi'Ar government who will try to make Cain give up the location of the secret base of the rebellious Morlocks. Bishop explains to Cain however how he has gotten here and after finding out that that the jumpgates really worked, a sparkle of hope appears in Cain's eyes. Cain warns Bishop of Alanna and her evil schemes and he urges him to escape as soon as possible. Before they can talk some more however, guards arrive at Bishop's cell and take him away to another wing of the complex. And much to Bishop's surprise he's being brought to Deathbird's apartment only to find her enjoying a relaxing bath. Bishop urges Deathbird to put on her clothes immediately and leave with him while they still can. Somehow they seem to have been displaced in time and something is obviously very wrong here. Deathbird convinces him however that there's little both of them can do right now except enjoying a long-earned rest; and Bishop finally gives in to her.

Meanwhile in yet another part of the complex Warren Worthington, also known as the Angel, asks his wife Alanna (!) what took her from the celebration that afternoon. But Alanna refuses to tell him saying that those matters are far beyond his concern �. and his role! After Warren's fallen asleep, Alanna slips away to get some advice from an old truth-seer called T'Loh. And he tells her that it is of the utmost importance to convince Deathbird to choose her side because if that doesn't happen, Deathbird will destroy everything Alanna has ever achieved �. And with that warning in mind Alanna leaves T'Loh and disappears into the night.

The next morning Alanna takes Deathbird and Bishop out for a ride to show them the Shi'Ar's latest conquest: planet Earth! And on their little tour Bishop notices that the humans all look malnourished, deprived, desperate and weakened. It becomes clear what high a price the terrans had to pay for the 'honour' of being allowed to be part of the Shi'Ar empire: Alanna plans to starve them to death as long as nobody is willing to tell her the secret location of the Morlock base. But Deathbird and Alanna who are riding in a separate vessel don't seem to notice the things which are so obviously and painfully clear to Bishop. No, instead the ladies seem to busy talking to each other to really notice their environment. To show her respect and admiration for her aunt, Alanna offers Deathbird Earth to rule over in the name of the Shi'Ar. After T'Loh's warning Alanna is determined to get Deathbird on her side and knowing full well how much her aunt likes to rule, she believes this offer is simply too good for Deathbird to refuse.

Meanwhile in the other vessel Bishop has to deal with a whole other set of problems when he is suddenly being touched by a man whose eyes and touch seem to probe his soul�. And before that mysterious man is being knocked away by Sauron he has just enough time to confirm and make sure that the man he touched is not only really Bishop but also that Bishop has not turned into a traitor. After the royal vessels have disappeared that mysterious man who was none other then Longshot, informs his comrades about his findings�.

A few blocks further down the road the royal vessels are suddenly being stopped by angry protesters. These people are mad at Alanna for putting up such a show like the big celebration the other day while at the same time they are starving and have to live in misery. On that moment Alanna shows her true colors: instead of caring for her servants, instead of acting like a good, compassionate and responsible Majestrix, Alanna sends out a psionic blow which tortures the poor people who had the audacity to insult her in public just like that! Deathbird, while shocked on discovering that her niece is a mutant with great psionic abilities, doesn't seem to disapprove of Alanna's treatment of those who dare to stand up against members of the House of Nermani�. Bishop however is more than shocked about what happened and he realizes that he has to do something to stop this madness. Before he can turn his thoughts into action however he is surprised by a sudden attack of a group of Morlock rebels on the royal vessels!

Cable, Falcon, Longshot and Vertigo (Jubilee) have entered the scene and judging by the ferocity of their attack they really do mean business! Their goal is to retrieve Bishop and they seem to succeed in that with the element of surprise working so heavily in their advantage. But things take a turn for the worse when Vertigo seems to forget the mission's objective and starts attacking Sauron all alone without apparent reason to settle an old score. Cable manages to retrieve Bishop but Vertigo is neglecting the mission plan and that mistake is going to cost her and her teammates a lot! Sauron proves to be too strong for Vertigo and before she knows it he is holding her in her claws draining her life-force from her. And no matter how hard Vertigo struggles and fights and resists, she simply is not able to shake Sauron off her tail. She is going down and there is not much she can do to prevent that�. But not all is lost yet for Vertigo: both the Falcon and Longshot have noticed that their teammate is in trouble and both of them come to her rescue. But Sauron sees them coming and with one sudden blow of his razor sharp claws he tears Falcon's chest open and kills him right there and then. The Falcon has paid the price for Vertigo's mistake �. There is however no time to chew too much on that thought and seeing that Sauron is distracted for a moment, Longshot tries to escape with his teammate. But unluckily he has not taken Deathbird's presence into account. In her eyes Longshot and his comrades are nothing more than disgraceful rebels who spit on the righteous tradition of the Nermani rule. And with a vicious attack from behind, Deathbird knocks Longshot unconscious. Vertigo can escape however and report that the rebel's mission was a success after all but what terrible price had to be paid for that success�. ?

Meanwhile at the secret base of the Morlocks, Bishop is being led to Wolverine, the apparent leader of this mutant insurrection. After chastising Jubilee for her irresponsible and rash behaviour, Wolverine welcomes Bishop to their little rebel base. And he explains to Bishop how important it is that Deathbird doesn't join Alanna in her reign of tyranny and fear. It's already a hard battle to stay alive these days but if Deathbird would join forces with Alanna, then the odds of a revolution ever taking place would take a significant turn for the worse. And after, much to Bishop's surprise, none other than Dr. Doom has joined the conversation, Bishop is informed, by Cable, about what has happened during the time of his absence:

Xavier and almost every other hero on Earth, have been killed as a result of Alanna's treason. When all the heroes were assembled in Xavier's mansion to start negotiations between the humans and the Shi'Ar, Alanna, who despised her mother and who had been secretly studying Deathbird's journals, ordered cloaked Shi'Ar ships orbiting the planet to destroy Xavier's mansion and all that were in it! Everybody inside was slaughtered including Alanna's own mother Lilandra. And without her mother and Earth's heroes around anymore nothing stood in Alanna's way to become Majestrix of the Shi'Ar, to conquer the Earth and to rule the Universe. Fortunately though not every hero on Earth was killed and those who survived banded together to fight for a better tomorrow and the preservation of Xavier's Dream. And to show their dedication they decided to carry Xavier's name and call themselves Team X. But that's not the end of the story yet: as Doom explains the remaining heroes were desperate to find a way to stop the invading Shi'Ar and so they seeded transdimensional jump gates outside of their patrol zone. That way they hoped to attract allies from every corner of the galaxy. But before the heroes were able to properly set the coordinates of the jump gates and the probes which should sent out a distress signal, their base was raided by Shi'Ar troops under Sauron's command . And in that raid Beast and Dr. Pym were killed, Wolverine lost an eye and The Juggernaut was captured. Only Dr. Doom barely managed to escape after launching the probes and initiating the jump gates�.

Bishop is dazzled and shocked to learn all this and when asked by Dr. Doom he joins the rebel forces without any hesitation. And he couldn't have done so at a better time: the rebels are planning to infiltrate Alanna's palace and take down the defense network of the Shi'Ar. And tomorrow seems to be the perfect time for that since there will be a big celebration commemorating Deathbird's renewed title in the Shi'Ar hierarchy.

The next day things look to go smoothly: after forcing him to do so, the Vulture manages to smuggle Cable, Bishop and their comrades inside Alanna's palace. So far so good but they should have known better. With people like Alanna around trouble is never far away. With her ability to read people's minds, she quickly discovers that the Vulture has co-operated with the rebels and thus betrayed her. The Vulture is immediately sentenced to death and the security in and around the palace is being increased in response to the rebel threat. And that's probably why Cable and his team are unable to enter that part of the security wing where the perimeter shield is being controlled. But they simply can't give up now, not now Wolvy and his team are relying on them to de-activate that shield!

But Cable and his team are not the only ones having problems. Inside the ball room of the palace, Alanna gets the surprise of her life when she finds out that Deathbird is rejecting her offer and her boon to become an honoured member of the House of Nermani again! Deathbird's support can't be bought and she refuses to be reigned or defined by Alanna! It's going to be a showdown between Deathbird and Alanna to find out which of them is worthy to rule the Shi'Ar empire and the universe!

Meanwhile Vertigo has managed to destroy the barricades and reach the shield's power core. Cable's team is ready to take the shield down and it's Bishop's task to put the explosive charges in place. But then again trouble arises: Shi'Ar troops have discovered where the rebels are they have opened fire on them! What looked like a relatively simple task is all of a sudden complicated by a significant factor�.

The fighting is however not limited to the security wing of the palace alone. In the royal hall the challenge, the deadly struggle for honour and control of the Shi'Ar empire, between Deathbird and Alanna has begun. Deathbird is a fierce and highly skilled warrior but Alanna has studied her aunt's techniques extensively. Besides that she is able to anticipate Deathbird's every move before its execution thanks her psionic abilities. The battle is intense and hard and things are not looking too well for Deathbird�.

At the security wing things are not looking good either: Sauron has come to the aid of the Shi'Ar troops and he attacks the rebel forces relentlessly and without mercy. He comes down at Cable full force and although the Askani'Son manages to avoid being hit he can't stop Sauron from crashing into the room in which Bishop is placing the explosive charges onto the power core of the perimeter shield. Vertigo recognizes the danger and she tries to stop Sauron from disrupting Bishop but in all the confusion she is being hit by Shi'Ar troops. Inside the power core Sauron immediately attacks Bishop after destroying the detonator which would be used to set off the explosive charges. Bishop is thrown off his feet as a result of Sauron's attack and he can't seem to reach his gun to shake Sauron off. He has to improvise and he does so by stabbing Sauron in the eye with a piece of rubble. Sauron is distracted for a moment and Bishop seizes the opportunity to do what he has to do: now that the detonator is destroyed there is only one way to destroy the power core and Bishop unloads his gun at the hull of the power core. And he succeeds: the hull ruptures and cracks and billions of volts of thermo-electric energy surge into the power core. The plan is to overload the power core with all that energy but in order to survive Bishop will have to absorb all the energy which is released. Sauron tries to stop him by grabbing Bishop and start feeding on his bio-energy but Bishop has way too much energy in his body to be stopped by Sauron that easily. The core is about to blow and Bishop urges Cable to telekinetically seal off the room so that no innocent bystanders will get killed as a result of the explosion. Bishop meanwhile keeps on feeding Sauron until the he can't take no more! Sauron has been pushed over his limits in his greed for power and in his loyalty to Alanna, and the enormous feedback of all the energy inside him knocks him down. He can't escape the exploding power core anymore but Bishop can and he survives the blow by absorbing whatever kinetic energy was left. The defensive network is down and the time has come for a revolution to take place on Earth! To make things even better Angel decides to break free from being Alanna's lap-dog in this moment of truth and he escapes the damaged palace while holding the wounded Longshot in his arms.

In the royal hall the battle rages on and by the look of things Deathbird is getting quite a beating. But then again how do you defeat yourself? How do you fight someone who could have been your very own daughter? How can Deathbird ever come out victorious? Deathbird is however not the same woman she used to be before: she has learned a lot from Bishop during their stay in space and with a sudden and unexpected move she was taught by Bishop, she paralyzes Alanna and knocks her out cold. For one moment Deathbird is tempted to hit Alanna with a killing blow but she realizes just in time that killing her niece would solve nothing. It's better to let Alanna live with the knowledge that she is by no means her aunt's equal than to kill her. Sometimes it's better to show mercy and compassion than to be ruthless and this is just one of those times.

Now that the terror of Alanna's reign is over and a peace treaty between the Shi'Ar and the humans is signed, it's time for Deathbird and Bishop to leave again and continue their journey home. After they will have made it through the jumpgate it will be destroyed so that nobody can ever come through it again and endanger the peace between the Shi'Ar and the terrans for which so many people fought and died. After saying goodbye Bishop and Deathbird enter their ship again and successfully make it through the jumpgate. They are on their own again and their long journey home has started again...

As soon as Bishop and Deathbird are safely through, Cable orders the jumpgate destroyed and then turns towards Doom,
"Doom, the worst of this war is over. Your aid's been a tremendous advantage. Can we count on your continued allegiance?"
"My role in this game is complete." Doom replies. "I have a new destiny to forge. Perhaps the future will put us on the same side again. You, of all people, understand the fluid possibilities of time."
"Very well then." Cable tells him. "May the next battle we fight be a good one."
"I'd expect no less." Doom says, as he turns to leave. "I'll take my leave now. There is a planet below in need of a monarch."

End.

Excelsior!