CHAPTER SIX
The Mansion
"I am so glad to see you." Storm was the first to grab the long lost
X-Man, embracing Bishop and holding him for several seconds before she
released him.
"The same goes for all of us," Angel said, shaking Bishop's hand as Storm
stepped back to allow the other X-Men to greet their friend. "We knew you
were lost in space but without means of space travel, we couldn't make a
rescue attempt." He added with a reluctant sigh, "I see you came to your
senses and dumped Deathbird."
"Yeah, Bishop," Drake added with a sarcastic smirk. "I thought you had
better taste in women than that."
"Bobby, I do believe you should not be giving advice on a topic on which
you yourself know so little about."
"Ok, Hank, give it a rest, will ya?" Iceman sighed deeply as Corsair and
the Starjammers moved into the room, following Bishop. "Sheesh."
"Open mouth and insert foot," Hank McCoy laughed. Drake shot him a dirty
look, indicating future payback. Undaunted, the doctor grinned a toothy
grin. "Bobby, what harm you will do to me this time?"
"No idea." With a deviously smile, Bobby added, "But it's going to be fun
thinking up something." He held his finger to his lips and blew on it. Icy
vapor along with a warning escaped from his mouth. "You have been warned."
"Ah'm sure he's shakin' in his boots, Bobby," Rogue commented as the
homecoming hugs and handshakes continued.
Jean kissed her father-in-law on the cheek, but the loving gesture went
unnoticed by Christopher. Instead, Corsair's attention seemed transfixed,
staring across the room at something or someone.
Scott turned, searching for what held his father's attention. He tried
moving his head side to side as people continuously walked in his line of
sight. Heaving a defeated sigh, Scott turned his attention back to his
father. "Dad, we're thankful the Starjammers rescued Bishop but what were
you doing on this side of the galaxy when you're usually on the other side
of the universe."
"Worried about family, he was, Scott," Hepzibah said. She winked at
Cyclops, moved quietly behind her lover. With a mischievous grin, she placed
her head on his shoulder, and purred in his ear. Shocked registered on her
face when her ploy didn't work. "Losing my touch, must I be?"
"No, something else has his attention," Scott commented. He turned his
head in time to see Corsair glaring at Prism. This puzzled Scott, he didn't
think his father knew the Marauder. Ex-Marauder, Scott mentally corrected
himself. Before he had time to ask his father about the connection, he heard
Christopher gasp.
"I know you!" Corsair declared in a strong hostile voice.
Prism looked at the floor, the ceiling and then at the walls. "I don't
think we've met before." He laughed nervously, "I have one of those faces."
"No, it's you," the space pirate stated without doubt as he moved by
Scott. Corsair stared at Vertigo, and hissed, "And that woman by your side."
"I didn't bargain for this." Vertigo jumped to her feet, retreating from
the growing party staring at her and Prism. "I'd just as soon take my
chances with Sinister."
"Goin' somewhere, Sister?" Wolverine asked, unsheathing his claws and
then hissed a demand, "Sit down."
Vertigo reluctantly obeyed but kept staring at Corsair.
"Captain, you know these humans?" Ch'od asked, staring at the two
strangers.
"Dad?" Scott asked, wanting to know the answer to the same question the
reptilian alien had just asked but no answer came. Instead, his father
narrowed his eyes, and in the blink of the eye, Corsair shocked them all.
"Corsair?" Hepzibah screamed, watching the space private charge the
stranger with murder in his eyes.
Corsair yanked Prism out of the chair by his hair and slung him against
the wall. "You were in that car!" he shouted before he rammed the other
man's head against the wall.
"It was Sinister's idea, not mine!" Prism screamed. His revelation gave
him the opportunity to shove Corsair who was dazed by the unexpected
confession. He tried to run but Raza pulled out his sword and held it in his
direction. The ex-Marauder had to stop or risk running chest first into the
deadly weapon.
"If thy value thy life, be still."
"His life is over," Corsair declared. The pirate moved to attack Prism
but found he couldn't move his feet. He shot an angry glare at the
professor, realizing who had interfered. "Blast it, Xavier, release me!"
"I am sorry, Christopher, but until you calm down," Charles replied, "you
will remain where you are."
"You can't hold me here forever, Charles," Corsair vowed. Turning to
Prism, he shot him a venomous glare, wishing he could strike out at him
instead of merely staring, instilling him with as much pain as he'd give him
so many years ago. Then he bore a hole into the man with his eyes and swore.
"If it takes me the rest of my life, I'm going to make sure you rue the day
you were ever born for what you did to me and my family!"
"I was only following orders." Prism repeated desperately. "It was
Sinister's idea, not mine."
Scott yanked Prism towards him by his shirt, pulling him close. "What was
Sinister's idea?"
Prism started stuttering, "I, uh. I--"
Cyclops tightened his grip, his hands full of Prism's shirt and shouted,
"Answer me, damn it!"
"Scott, he was in that car that deliberately hit us over twenty years
ago. The one that almost took the life of your brother and mother." Corsair
glared at the man. "You haven't aged one bit. That is how I easily
recognized you. Your face and those of your comrades are burned into my
memory. I'll never forget them. You and your friends stood on top of that
hill and did nothing, watching as I pulled my family out from under our
overturned car."
"I was almost five, but I remember," Cyclops spoke softly, recalling the
car crash his father had mentioned. "You begged them to help us."
He glared at Prism as several methods of revenge filled his mind. All
that would be necessary to end the Marauder's life was for him was to lift
his visor, take a quick look at the man and it would be over, but Scott knew
it wouldn't happen. He had a conscience. Its presence, either a blessing or
a curse, was beyond his ability to determine right then. "I remember one of
them laughing at us before they drove off."
"That was Ravage, our so-called leader. Sinister later killed him for
endangering Katherine Summers' life. Two others met the same fate for not
immediately alerting Sinister to the seriousness of the situation. Only
Arclight and myself escaped Sinister's wrath that day because Arclight
slaughtered the ambulance driver and then drove it to the hospital. I rode
shotgun." Prism sensed a deteriorating situation and tried to move but
Scott's hold tightened, forcing him to remain where he stood. In a panic
filled voice, he continued, "The plan was to force the car off the road,
shoot several pellets of sleeping gas into the vehicle and render the
occupants unconscious and then take Katherine Summers to an undisclosed
location. Sinister only wanted the baby, no one else."
"Do you expect me to believe that Sinister had his lackeys run my family
off the road, so he could get his hands on my mother, but he really wanted
Alex? That makes no sense!" Cyclops pulled the man closer, demanding answers
to the unbelievable story Prism had been telling. "Sinister's never showed
an interest in Alex and even if he did, why would he want my mother?"
Prism lowered his head, unable to make eye contact. "He wasn't after
Havok."
Scott's mouth dropped opened. "Wha..."
"William," Corsair spoke apathetically. "He wanted William, didn't he?"
"Who's William?" Cyclops asked, turning to his father for an answer.
"Dad, who is.."
"He would have been your brother, Scott." Corsair interrupted and without
pausing, launched right into an explanation. "Your mother was eight and half
months pregnant when the accident happened. Her doctor was called in and had
to introduce labor or Kate would have died on the operating table. The baby
didn't live long. Your mother named him William."
"Why wasn't I told?" Scott asked, shocked at the revelation.
"Scott, you and Alex were so young. Your mother and I felt it was best
not to upset the two of you anymore than necessary." The pirate turned back
to Prism, and with a sneered stare, added, "At least, I have the privilege
of knowing your precious Sinister failed. He never got his hands on
William."
Prism glanced briefly at Cyclops, caught his breath in his throat when
Scott stared back at him suspiciously. Prism quickly dropped his gaze, and
nervously stared at the floor, and remained silent.
"Oh, my God, no." Scott uttered with a sick realization, knowing what
Prism had just revealed by his uncomfortable silence. "Prism, tell us the
truth! What really happened?"
The man raised his head, stared tensely at Corsair, and said, "Sinister
knew the child was going to be a powerful mutant and he wanted the baby for
himself. In order to do that, he killed your wife's doctor, took on his
likeness to monitor Katherine during her pregnancy to guarantee he would
know the exact delivery date. When he learned you had taken a family
vacation, he took desperate means to keep her within his reach." Prism
paused, and then added, "Sinister stole your son and claimed him as his
own."
"William is Remy, isn't he?" Xavier asked, speaking in a very low tone.
When Prism nodded, understanding rippled through his next words. "This
explains Sinister's hold on Gambit."
"Not anymore!" Scott released Prism with a violent shove and walked over
to his father. He placed a comforting hand on Corsair's shoulder. "Dad,
Sinister--"
"Destroyed our family, Scott." Corsair interrupted despondently, and with
a deep anguished sigh, told his son the long hidden truth of what happened
that day. "I wasn't with your mother when the baby was born because Alex was
under going emergency surgery the same time at another hospital. By the time
I got back to Kate, they told me the baby had died. Your mother kept
screaming that William was alive until they were forced to sedate her."
Corsair's eyes begin to mist. "For almost two years, she would cry herself
to sleep every night, still grieving for our baby. Four years after the
accident, we took that ill-fated plane trip that forever separated our
family."
Scott lowered his head, remembering the one incident that had changed his
life forever.
"Though that trip was a scheduled family outing, it held special meaning
to your mother. It would have been William's fourth birthday that day. She
even carried four birthday candles inside the picnic basket to celebrate,"
Corsair continued, "No matter what I told her, she refused to believe our
youngest child was dead. I only wished that.."
"Dad, you had no way of knowing the truth," Scott said, trying to console
his father. "You can't blame yourself for this." Scott turned, hoping to
find someone who could help but everyone seemed to be in a state of shock.
Xavier released the telekinetic hold he had on Corsair, allowing the pirate
the freedom to move.
"Say the word, Captain." Ch'od finally broke the silence. "The
Starjammers stand ready."
"Mr. Sinister was in Florida, but that's no guarantee he's still there.
He has bases all over the world. He could be at any of them." Prism turned
to Scott. "I'll allow Phoenix to link with my mind in order for you to learn
the locations of the bases. I think this covers our agreement."
"Yeah, more than I hoped," Cyclops admitted halfheartedly. Turning to
Xavier, he suggested, "Professor, I think our best bet would be to split the
team up into several groups to scout Sinister's bases. The team that finds
him or Gambit signals the rest of us, then we can regroup and go in together
as a single force."
Jean approached Prism, slipping into in the chair across from him. "I
promise this will not hurt if you don't fight me. You must open your mind
and allow me access to your memories."
"I'll also allow you to have the secret codes to his computer files, and
anything else you may need." He glanced at the other X-Men. "I think you
should all be prepared for an attack by the Marauders. Sinister was making
plans, even calling in Sabretooth."
"Creed!" Wolverine hissed.
While Jean entered Prism's mind, Charles told the others his plan.
"There's no way we can afford to split the team and still have enough people
here to provide an adequate defense."
Scott opened his mouth to protest. "Without the entire team, it could
take days, perhaps weeks to find the right base. We don't have that much
time, Remy's already been in Sinister's clutches for two weeks. There's no
telling what he's done to..." his voice caught in his throat, unable to
continue.
Memories came flooding back to him of his own painful experiences while
trapped at Sinister's mercy. Exhaling in anger, he shot a glare at Xavier.
"We've got to get him out now! To hell with the mansion!"
"Scott, I know what you are feeling," Xavier said, keeping his voice as
calm as possible, "but we must prepare ourselves for the worse. If the
Marauders over take the mansion, it would give Sinister the foothold he
needs to destroy the human race. Do you want to take that risk?"
"Professor, you have no idea what Sinister can do to a person who's at
their lowest. He's the master of manipulation." Scott shook his head,
shuddering as he recalled the incident of reliving Jean's supposed death and
then dealing with the evil scientist. "He's gotten his hooks into Remy
before and look what happened."
"Remy might not wanna leave Sinister," Rogue said, regretfully.
"Especially after what Ah did to him."
"Rogue, stop blaming yourself. There's enough blame to go around, myself
included." Hank turned to Cyclops. "But I fear Rogue might have a point.
What if Remy doesn't want to come back with us?"
"Then the decision won't be his to make, will it?"
"Scott, we can't force Gambit to come home with us," Xavier stated
sighing again. "None of us can do that."
"Then the Starjammers and their captain, you know not." Hepzibah joined
her friends, urging the space travelers to accept the impossible mission.
"Rescue Corsair's son first, aftermath we deal with later."
"I'm with you, Sister." Wolverine unsheathed a claw and used it to
scratch the side of his face. "Sides, I gotta personal stake in this thing.
Kinda itchin' t' get in some serious payback." He glanced at everyone and
asked, "Who's goin' wit' me?"
"Ah'm goin' with ya, Logan," Rogue answered, barely giving Wolverine time
to get the request out of his mouth. "Ah was tha one who got Remy in this
mess an' Ah'm gonna be tha one ta get him outta it."
"Count me in as well," Angel replied. Several gave him a shocked
expression; surprised he would volunteer to rescue someone he claimed to
hate. With an arched brow, he shrugged his shoulders. "What?"
"Hey, I'm going too." Bobby piped in with a smug look on his face. "I
want to be there when Remy finds out he and Scott are brothers." He laughed
at his own joke. "Hey, Scott, does this mean you and Remy are going to be
best buds now?"
"Shut up, Bobby!" Rogue shouted, "We ain't got tha' time for your
foolishness right now."
Jean turned to the group, and took a deep breath, said, "With Prism's
cooperation, I was able to get the location of seven of Sinister's bases. I
know there's more but this is a start." She approached her husband, took his
hands into hers, and then hugged him. "I know this is bringing back horrible
memories for you, but you must stay strong. If you find Sinister, he will
feed off your fears and use it as a weapon against you."
"Yeah, well, I'll deal with Sinister when the time comes. The important
thing is to separate him from Remy," Scott said as he motioned everyone
closer. "Listen up, people. Jean's going to tell us where those bases are
located."
"There's a base in Greenland and another in Norway. Three are in Europe:
Paris, Scotland and London," Jean revealed, watching as Prism rubbed his
temples with his fingers. The headache was a side effect from her mind
probe. "The rest are here in America: Seattle, New York and Florida. Prism
isn't sure but there might be a base in Maine."
"The Starjammers will travel to Europe and search the bases there," Ch'od
said, glancing at his captain, who briefly nodded his approval. "With our
technology, the Starjammer can remain hidden from radar and our adversaries
as well. We could be in and out of those bases before the enemy even knows
we were there."
"Scott, choose three members for your team. The rest must remain here
until you complete your mission," Xavier said. "Remember, I must be in
Washington for an important interview. If I miss it, it will give our
critics a chance to attack us in the media, thus creating more anti-mutant
hysteria."
"I understand Professor." Cyclops acknowledged his mentor's instructions.
"Rogue, Wolverine and Bobby will go with me to Greenland." He spoke to his
named team members, "We leave in five minutes in the Blackbird."
"WAIT JUST ONE DAMN MINUTE!" Bishop angrily yelled. He gave each X-Man a
glare as if he were interrogating them. "How the hell did Remy end up with
Sinister? I want to know why he isn't here with the rest of you."
"Uh Bishop, can we talk about this later." Bobby nervously pulled at his
shirt collar. He shot Cyclops' a pleading look, sending an unspoken request
for Scott to answer Bishop's questions, but Scott remained silent. Drake
cleared his throat. "Look, we will bring him...hey!"
"I want answers!" Bishop yanked Bobby up by his shirt, lifted him up in
the air, and shook him violently. "I am not in the mood for your little
games, Drake. Why is Gambit with Sinister?"
"Somebody want to answer the man?" Bobby begged. "Jump in, anybody,
please!"
"Put him down, Bishop," Warren barked behind the former mutant police
officer of the future. "We just went through this with Storm. I don't need
this...Ugh"
"Ouch," Bobby moaned loudly at the pain, resulting from being used as a
human dart. Rubbing the back of his head, he had no idea what he had hit,
only that it hurt.
"Drake, get off me," Angel shouted, answering Bobby's question.
"I said I want answers!" Bishop pointed his finger at Bobby and then at
Warren. "You want to tell me what is going on, Worthington, or do I have to
get physical?"
"Come, my friend," Storm urged, gently pulling at Bishop's arm. "I have
something to tell you." She turned in Rogue's direction and glared at her.
"No, Rogue has something to tell you. I will accompany you as she tells you
the truth."
Rogue reluctantly followed and the three disappeared into another room.
"ANTARCTICA?" Bishop's booming voice vibrated through the mansion.
"Houston, we have a problem!" Bobby said in a sing-song voice.
"Can it, Drake, before I carve ya into tiny ice cubes," Wolverine warned,
shooting a threatening glare in Iceman's direction, illustrating the
significance of the matter at hand. He turned his attention back to the
closed door. "Bishop's gonna hit th' roof when Storm tells him what happened
in Antarctica."
"Not to mention the fact the X-Men..." Jean stopped, took a deep breath
before she continued, "I said such horrible things, and I wasn't even at the
trial. I made my judgment on hearsay and not trusting my own..."
"Don't say it, Jean. I'm surprised we haven't turned on each other. I
have thought of nothing but the behavior patterns of those who were at the
trial, myself included." Beast shook his head in confusion. "I am an expert
in law and yet I just sat there at that trial, doing nothing even when I
knew an injustice was being carried out."
Hank removed his glasses, pulled out a handkerchief, and started wiping
the lens. "And the actions of the others at the trial...Warren, the lawyer
for the defense, quits in the middle of the thing. The so-called witness,
Betsy, suddenly remembers things that she had forgotten. Rogue, who has a
deep affection for Gambit, leaves him behind to die. Most puzzling,
indeed..."
Jean added, "What about Eric the Red? How did he know about the Morlock
Massacre? He wasn't there."
"I am tempted to believe we were all set up." Beast inhaled deeply. "Why?
I have no explanation."
Something crashed, causing everyone to turn towards the closed door. The
door flew opened, and Bishop exited, wearing an angry expression on his face
that promised pain to anyone who dared to cross his path.
"Bishop, come back." Rogue chased after the huge man. "Ah think ya need
ta calm down a mite." She yelled at Wolverine, the only man who could stop
the angry X-Man, "Logan, stop him 'fore he gets outta th' mansion."
Wolverine nodded, reached out, and snagged the big man.
"Get out of my way, Logan." Bishop glared down at the X-Man who refused
to release his arm. "Either you release me or we'll see how fast your
healing factor kicks in, after I blow a hole through you."
"Bishop." Wolverine held his grip on Bishop's arm firmly, ignoring the
threat. "Ya ain't th' only one hurtin' over this. Storm, Rogue, Scott, and
what about Corsair over there?" He nodded in Christopher's direction. "He
just found out his son's still alive. Ya think yer anger can top his?"
"No," Bishop admitted, but unfazed. He glared down at Wolverine and added
harshly, "But don't think for one moment I'm going to forget this." He
yanked his arm free and glared at everyone staring at him. "In the world I
lived, the X-Men's legacy demanded respect and honor. A name that meant
there was hope in a world gone mad. Now, all I feel is shame because I
believed the lies. Betrayed by those I honored as childhood heroes."
A few lowered their heads in remorse, others stood gaping with their
mouths open, and one or two just stared but nobody dared contradict Bishop's
angry words.
The ex-cop gave one final glare and then walked across the room to join
the conversation between Scott and Corsair.