Bishop

Someone has just taken a very deep cheap shot on me. The Hellfire Club has kidnapped a friend of mine and is holding her hostage in these docks all because of me. Whatever game Shinobi is playing I’m going to put it to a stop even if I have to pull another Madylene. Of course I’ll do it a great deal slower and have more pain involved. Usually I take out my foes with a quick and clean kill, but if this time has taught me anything it’s that doing it slow can be loads more fun. If there were one word that totally escaped me that word would be fun. I haven’t had fun since the day I was born.

I enter the foggy clock with my gun pulled and I check the perimeter making sure I wasn’t going to have any sudden surprises hit me out of the blue. The utter silence throughout the dock might have been nerve-wracking for some, but I knew exactly what it was. It was the silence of evil. The silence that came before a struggle took place. The X.S.E. taught its pupils to recognize that silence.

“Well, look who decided to crash in out little party,” Trevor Fitzroy said as I came out into the open. He was holding Pamela by her hair and her mouth was gagged. A rope kept her arms tied behind her back. The woman’s eyes begged for me to help her and help her I would.

Scanning the situation I see two guards with Fitzroy along with someone else I was very familiar with. The psychotic murder, Mountjoy, was with Fitzroy. The two of them working together made my blood boil. I was going to end this and quickly. A couple of shots and I could take the guards down quickly. They were pretty much cannon fodder anyway.

Fitzroy

“Don’t worry lady. Bishop will show up. He’s too noble not to show up. Probably why I can’t stand the prick,” I said looking down at the struggling woman. I could hardly believe this beautiful piece of woman had fallen for Bishop. The X.S.E. wasn’t the loving type. That was something I knew just by looking at the guy. The stick up his butt was the size of the Empire State Building. Probably bigger but no one’s ever managed to look that far. Who would want to though?

“You know from what I use to hear in prison Bishop is still wet behind the ears. He was too busy shooting people to get him some. Probably couldn’t treat you right anyway,” Mountjoy said licking Pamela in the ear. The sight disgusted me, but even Mountjoy had to sooth his raging hormones once in a while. There was a rumor he had even almost got shot by and X.S.E. while raping an old mutant woman. Even I wasn’t that low!

Getting tired of Mountjoy I pushed him away from Pamela and said harshly, “I don’t know why Shinobi even put you on the Hellfire Club! You’re one sick puppy! You know that? Huh?”

Mount joy laughed hysterically at my outburst and then said in a low creepy tone, “Me and you are more alike than you care to admit Fitzroy. Though I think you’ll find out one day soon.”

I was about to respond to Mountjoy, but suddenly Bishop came out of the shadows. He looked terribly mad and so I was terribly pleased. Even though Bishop was not someone to reckon with. When he was angry because anger fueled who Bishop was.

“Well, look who decided to crash in our little party,” I said catching Bishop’s attention. My man didn’t look at all happy to see me. Perfect.

Bishop

I keep my eyes focused on Fitzroy and Mountjoy making sure they don’t make any sudden moves. This battle was going to e short to spare Pamela from seeing too many gory details. I refused to let her have to suffer anymore than she already has.

“We can either make it short and sweet or long and hard. Your choice Fitzroy. You feel lucky,” I said hoping to make Trevor buckle. The man has always been a coward and could never stand the heat. I was hoping the same would apply now.

Fitzroy smiled as he tossed Pamela in front of me. She didn’t look hurt for the most part beside for a few cuts and scrapes. It was the emotional stuff I was worried about mostly.

“Oh believe me Bishop I’m plenty lucky. It’s your luck that is about to run out. This is only a tiny taste of what kinda power the Hellfire club will posses over you and everyone else. Give us a little more time and we’ll be ready to hit the global stage,” Fitzroy said snapping his fingers together as the guards and Mountjoy feel into the shadows. I hated to do it, but I had to give those two a clean getaway. Besides I wanted to deal with the Hellfire Club as a whole.

Bending down I begin to un-gag and untie Pamela. Looking at her I cant ell she’s been changed forever. There was no going back for her and as if I didn’t have enough problems to deal with. Why did anyone I ever try to get close to get pulled into this mess? Maybe I was just better off being alone. That way I couldn’t hurt anyone and no one could hurt me. I’ve tried that before and it never worked out. Even those who worked with me and who I tried to stay impersonal with pulled into the web.

Shinobi

“Sir, Trevor and Mountjoy have completed their task and are headed back her even as I speak,” a Hellfire guard said to me entering my meeting rather rudely. I would have to deal with him later because of that. I don’t like those who possess no manners. Where oh where did my father get these slobs from anyway? Probably the same place where Guthrie hailed.

I stand up from my chair a champagne glass in my left hand as I say, “Ladies and gentlemen I don’t believe will be bothering us for some time. Trevor and Mountjoy kindly saw to that. I surmised those two would be the best one to handle our little problem.”

“Shaw wouldn’t have considered Bishop a blip on his radar. You’re sad.”

Vanisher

I couldn’t help but to giggle a little at what Mystique just said to Shinobi. The woman definitely had some spunk to her. That was definite and that spunk had Shaw’s face as read as fire. Often I wonder if Shinobi is capable of handling this assemblage of power that is the new Hellfire Club. He was most definitely not his father and these were some powerful characters. Too many of them were possible loose cannons, he included. Was Shinobi so arrogant to believe himself able to lord over us?

“Well, my dear Raven my father’s dead and I’m not. His sheer arrogance and his overwhelming belief in himself caused him to be killed by Madylene Pryor. I simply will not make the same mistakes,” Shaw said sipping at his glass of champagne.

Mystique

I tested Shinobi and he maintained his cool. He truly is not like his father though he still has a long way to go. He was not wrong for considering Bishop a threat, but I don’t find myself liking Shinobi’s way of going about it. Bishop is one of the toughest X-men alive. He’s not to be underestimated.

To soothe the tension in the room I figured I’d say something, “Perhaps you aren’t like your father Shinobi. A toast to the Hellfire Club.”

Everyone in the room lifted up their champagne glasses in the air. Shinobi nodded slightly as if to acknowledge that what I had said was pleasing to him. Like I cared what Shinobi approved of anyway. While he may not be like his father he was still not strong enough to face what was coming.

New York

“Do you think Shinobi will find out?”

“I doubt it seriously. He’s incompetent and he’s made a mistake by stepping into my territory. He’ll have to be taught a lesson.”

“What do you mean sir? I don’t remember us having any operations in Chicago.”

“I’m talking about Bishop you fool! Shaw has his own designs for the mutant, but he is the centerpiece to my plans and I’m not going to allow him to interfere with that. I’ll leave his little Club intact, but I’m going to make sure Bishop stays under my thumb.”

“How will our mole, Mystique, keep Shinobi from Bishop?”

“Too many questions. Wait for answers my friend.”

Bishop (Two Days Later)

Today had been pretty much a boring day, but I’ve been keeping myself busy by digging up as much information as I could about the Hellfire Club and its members. Knowledge is power and going up against a foe like the Hellfire Club would require it.

Just then a twenty-something year old man walked in through the door and my attention peaked a little as the man’s brown eyes turned to a shade of yellow. In that instant I knew exactly who had come to pay me a visit.

“Explain yourself quick Raven before I shoot you in the head.”

“Oh come now Bishop. You’re ruthless, but you’re no Mountjoy. And besides you’ve never been one to turn down information,” Mystique smiled. I didn’t like her grin one bit. It meant that her information was going to come at a price.

“What are you going to want for it?”

“For you Bishop I’ll give you a bargain. When the Hellfire Club finds out I’m not so aligned to their cause I want your protection.”

I laughed, “You want protection from me Mystique. I find that funny. Well, it all depends on what the information is like. If I don’t like it then…you can go back to the rock you crawled out under from.”