"I'm gonna kill you all!!" Victor Creed, the mutant called Sabretooth exclaimed. Once a psychopathic serial killer, he's currently being forced to work for X-Men Omega.

"We can't help it if you suck at bowling, Vic," Bobby Drake, the former X-Man known as Iceman stated.

"I honestly don't know what's stranger," Pietro began. "The fact that we're using the training room's holographic projectors to simulate a bowling alley, or the fact that you even wanted Creed to take part."

"So sue me," Clarice replied. "I just thought that we could use a break after everything that's happened lately. And I always remember how much I loved to bowl with friends when I was younger. It was a nice way to forget about troubles."

"I've never understood what you Americans find so entertaining about this game," Betsy stated as she got up for her turn. "You roll a heavy ball down a lane in the hopes of knocking down a bunch of pins. What's the point in that?"

"Now, now Betts," Bobby began. "Just because you stink doesn't mean y--"

The Iceman was cut off as Betsy knocked down all the pins.

"As I was saying, I don't understand what you people love about this game," she continued. "But that doesn't mean that I can't bowl with the best of them."

"So, where's Bishop?" Crystal asked, looking around. "I haven't seen him in awhile."

"Give 'em some time, sugah," Rogue replied. "Shard's betrayal kinda threw him f'r a loop."

"Speaking of disappearances, what happened to wings?" Bobby asked. "I mean, that's the whole reason I caught a flight from New York out to here."

"Nice t' know how appreciated ah am," Rogue noted. Bobby simply grinned at her.

"I haven't seen him since the battle with Apocalypse,"* Psylocke noted.

(* Warren Worthington III, aka the Angel, disappeared in M2K's Apocalypse: Ageless Fury #11 - Russ)

"You're not worried?" Crystal asked.

"Warren's a big boy," she replied. "He can take care of himself. You're up, Pietro."

Quicksilver took the ball in his hands, and swiftly rolled it down the lane. Instant gutterball.

"That's IT!!" he exclaimed. "I'm getting tired of this game!!"

He hovers in the night sky, admiring the Chicago skyline. He is Warren Worthington III, and recently, he has been freed from the clutches of Apocalypse yet again. He was transformed into Death once more, one of Apocalypse's Horsemen.

Ever since then, he's been cooped up in his penthouse apartment in Chicago, avoiding the world. He's taken time off from his business, he hasn't answered any of his phone calls.

His majestic wings, made of pure light, flowed about him, giving him the appearance of an angel sent from Heaven. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder about what he felt in his soul.

This power came from Apocalypse, so could it ever be used for good?

He shook the thought away and flew back to his penthouse.

"You sure this is necessary?" Mortimer Toynbee, otherwise known as the mutant terrorist, the Toad asked.

"Trust me, Mr. Toynbee," the aptly-named Dark Beast replied. "It is. This will enhance your... impressive mutant abilities. No longer will you simply be the punchline of a bad joke, but an actual force to be reckoned with."

"Then by all means, good doctor," Toad stated. "Begin."

"Of course," Dark Beast said with a devious grin.

Before he could begin however, the sound of the door being banged on was heard.

"My kingdom for an actual laboratory..." he muttered as he slid away from the Toad. He has recently spent much time away from the Brotherhood, while working for Apocalypse as the Horseman, Pestilence. Now, he wished he could have access to the laboratory and equipment Apocalypse had given him. Instead, he was forced to work with what he had.

He opened the door, and saw St. John Allerdyce standing before him, also known as the mutant terrorist Pyro. Infected with the Legacy Virus, McCoy has been repressing the virus in Pyro's bloodstream, allowing him to control his mutant powers.

"It's.... the virus..." Pyro muttered. "Startin' t' feel it... I need... somethin..."

"And so you shall have the serum shortly, my friend," McCoy stated. "But not right now. I have other matters to attend to."

"No..." Pyro commanded, weakly lifting his arm and taking aim with the flame-thrower. "Now."

"My dear boy, you must understand what you're asking," McCoy stated. "I cannot provide what you wish for--at least not right now. Unfortunately for you, your impatience has sealed your fate."

"What do yo--ARGH!!!"

Pyro fell to the floor, a bone dagger sticking out of his back, gasoline leaking out of his flame-thrower. Above him stood the young girl known only as Sarah. Now, she went by the name of Marrow.

"Thank you, my dear," McCoy said. "Now, if you would please dispose of this trash. He is no longer of any use to me."

"Fine by me," Marrow stated, pulling Pyro by the tubes of his flame-thrower.

"Now then Mr. Toynbee, where were we?"

"Sir...?"

"Please, come in, Francis."

"Thank you, sir," Francis replied.

"I hope you have good news for me."

"Not really, sir," Francis weakly stated. "You see... the X-Men... they're still alive. Sabretooth failed. Sir."

"I know. It's all part of the plan."

"Excuse me?" Francis asked.

"Trust me, Francis. Have I ever let you down in the past?"

"Well, no..."

"Then I won't let you down this time, either."

"I also came to tell you that the electro-magnetic attractor is now operational," Francis noted.

"Then activate it. We haven't time to waste, and I want him to be at full-power by the time the X-Men come looking for us."

"How can you be sure they will?" Francis asked.

"I've already insured that they will. You can leave now, Francis."

Once Francis exited, the young man looked back down on the book he was reading.

"Thy will be done..."

Warren Worthington looked down at his answering machine. Out of sheer curiosity, he pressed the play button.

"Warren, are you there?"

He recognized the voice as it played on the answering machine instantly. It was Betsy Braddock, the X-Man called Psylocke, the woman Warren was in love with.

"I want you to call me back at the estate," she continued with a sigh. "I--I need to know that you're okay... Please Warren... don't shut me out."

<< End of Message. >>

Warren pressed the rewind button and played it again.

"Betsy..."

"STEEEE-RIKE!!!" Bobby exclaimed. "Beat that, belle!!"

"Watch it, Popsicle," Rogue warned, picking up her bowling ball. "Or this ball's goin' south."

"Ah say yah wound me, fahr dhamsel," Bobby replied in a horrible southern accent.

"If yer not careful, ah just might," Rogue said with a grin.

"TODAY!!" Creed exclaimed. "Some o' us got things t'do."

"Like what, Creed?" Pietro asked. "Counting the dustballs in your cell?"

"Don't push me, Quickie," Creed barked. "Just 'cuz yer Magneto's boy doesn't mean yer all high 'n--"

Sabretooth was cut off by a sudden blaring.

"What the hell is that?!" he asked.

"Perimeter alarm," Clarice stated, forming a portal. "Come on!"

"Shard?" Bishop asked, looking around. There she was, his sister, standing in front of him. Two men came up next to her.

"Malcolm... Randall..."

The three of them turned and walked off in the opposite direction.

"Wait!!" Bishop exclaimed. "Wait for me!!"

"They gone, pup."

"Witness!!" Bishop exclaimed, upon seeing the face of the man who had raised him. "LeBeau...?"

"You seem confused, pup," Witness began. "Lost, you sound lost."

"You don't understand," Bishop replied. "I--"

"'I've been through a lot, lately,'" Witness finished. "What's your point, pup? You still ain't ready for what's t' come."

"My sister, and then Malcolm and Randall," Bishop said. "What does it all mean?"

"It means it's time to let go of de past," Witness replied. "Once y'do that, you'll be fine."

"She was my sister, though..."

"She was a fake," Witness stated. "Time f'r you t' realize that, pup. She not your sister. Your sister died before you came to the past."

"But... her memories..."

"'She had Shard's memories.' Don' mean a t'ing. She still ain't yer sister. Yer sister was flesh an' blood. Dis thing was jes' a hologram. A computer program. That's why it failed, 'cause it can't mimic de human nature."

"What does all this mean?"

"De times, dey are changin', pup," Witness said. "My job is t' prepare you for dem."

With that, the Witness slowly began to vanish.

"Witness---WAIT!!" Bishop exclaimed. "Where do I find you?!"

He awoke with a start. He was back in his bed, in the Worthington Estate in the Colorado Rockies.

"Witness...?" he asked, looking around. "Just a dream..."

Yet, it felt so real...

"Whoever you are, stay back!!" Clarice ordered, as she and the rest of the X-Men appeared out of a portal.

"Stop!!" Psylocke commanded. "Look."

She pointed a slender finger to the sky. Slowly hovering towards the ground was Warren.

"Warren..." she muttered.

"I was wondering when you'd show up!!" Iceman exclaimed, changing back to his human state. "Nice wings."

Warren gave him a far-away look, and then turned towards the rest of the team.

"I am alive," he said.

As he began to walk inside, the light from his wings seemed to vanish, leaving his back empty. What Betsy found surprising was the fact that once his wings vanished, so did his blue skin-color.

"Warren...?"

"Yeah Betts?" he asked.

She stopped for a second.

He completely changed personalities once his wings vanished. Does he know about this change? Does he know what he's become?

"N-nothing," she replied.

Lorna Dane flipped through the channels on the TV. Then, she grew tired with her search, and simply turned it off.

"Oh man..." she muttered, letting out a yawn. "I'm exhausted. Another day of job searching with nothing to show for it. Looks like I'm gonna be sticking with waitressing for no--"

She stopped when she noticed a faint glow.

Slowly, the green-haired beauty made her way over to a half-open box, where the glow was emanating from. Inside was an odd mask, with a glowing jewel on it.

"Alex...?"

NEXT ISSUE: Cry Havok!! Guest-starring everyone's favorite green-haired gal, Lorna Dane, also known as Polaris!!

Questions? Comments? Flames? Send them to X-Pressions!