Bishop's hands ran over the keyboard as he registered the information. He cross-referenced the name Deus with the image Psylocke had pulled from Sabretooth's memory.* All the while, the recent battle was still fresh in his thoughts.

(* Back in issue #14--Dino)

"You thinkin' about what happened, eh pup?"

"...Why do you torment me, Witness?"

The ghostly image of the elderly Remy LeBeau appeared behind Bishop. A cloak covered his body, and the hood concealed his wrinkled face, ravaged by the effects of age. He leaned on a metal staff, using it to prop himself up. However, the glowing red eyes were plainly visible beneath his hood.

"How long you been keepin' that particular trick in yer deck?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bishop replied, trying to concentrate on the search.

"Lemme refresh yer memory, den," Witness replied. "Craze hit you, but th' blow didn't affect you. You absorbed th' kinetic energy from th' blow, an' channeled it into physical strength.* Since when could you do dat?"

(* Last issue--Dino)

"I couldn't," Bishop replied. "I don't know how I did it. I suppose I was just too... cautious."

"HAH!"

"What's so funny?"

"Dat explanation may work on yer teammates, but not on me," Witness stated. "I know you better den you know yourself, pup."

"You know nothing! You're nothing but a figment of m--"

"Bishop...?"

His chair swiveled, and Bishop turned to face the woman who had said his name. It was Rogue, one of his fellow X-Men.

"Who ya talkin' to, sugah?"

"To.... no one..." he replied.

"Sounded like you were definitely talkin' t' someone."

"I was just talking to myself, Rogue," he replied. "Reading aloud."

The young woman whose only known name is Rogue cast the X-Men's leader a suspicious eye. Something was definitely up, he had been acting odd ever since Shard's betrayal.* Of all the X-Men, she knew what it was like to feel out of your mind. She wondered if she should try and consult Bishop, talk to him about what's going on.

(* Issue #9--Dino)

No... the time wasn't right. They were in the middle of a crisis. This Deus has targeted them. First, he sent Sabretooth after them, and now Craze. What made it worse was that he was a complete enigma. He had never faced the X-Men before, and Bishop was searching through reports from other X-team leaders to see if they had known anything about it.

"How's the search goin'?" she asked.

"Not good..." Bishop replied. "I've just finished searching through any X-related files. I was just about to contact the Avengers and the Fantastic Four to see if they have anything on Deus."

"We gonna be callin' in th' other team?" Rogue asked.

"No," Bishop replied. "Even though things aren't as... strained as they were when we first left, it's not the right time. We can handle this on our own."

Bishop struck some more keys, and the image of Hawkeye appeared.

{{ Yeah? }}

"This is Bishop, from the X-Men. We need some help."

{{ Wish I could help, but we're kinda tied up ourselves. }}*

(* And how! Check out M2K's Avengers #9 to see what the A-Team is dealing with--Russ)

"Actually, I just need some help with an ID."

{{ On who? }}

"Apparently, his name's Deus," Bishop replied. "I'm sending you an image of him right now."

{{ I'll see if anythin' turns up, an' get back to you. }}

"Thank you."

{{ Hawkeye out. }}

Bishop struck some more keys, and this time, an image of Mr. Fantastic, the leader of the Fantastic Four came up.

"Well, ah'll see ya'll later," Rogue stated, walking out the door. Bishop paid no attention to her exit.

"Dr. Richards, I could use some assistance..."

Antarctica.

The man called Deus stood in front of a cowering behemoth. The creature had a grey skin color, with an odd sort of goatee. He was Craze, a mutant that had a unique ability. Once he began fighting, he wouldn't be able to make himself stop. And now, he was cowering in front of a young man dressed in a fine Armani suit, with short blond hair that was slicked back.

"You were defeated," Deus stated.

"I--I know..." Craze muttered.

"You're supposed to be the best of the best," Deus continued.

"I--I apologize..."

Deus' frown shifted into a warm smile.

"Apologize?" he asked. "For what? You did exactly what you were supposed to."

"Huh?"

"I wanted you to test out their abilities," Deus began. "You did just that. And I must say, they are everything I had hoped for... and more."

"Sir, the patch is ready."

"Ahh... thank you, Francis."

Joseph looked up at his captor.

"What do you want with them, monster?"

"It's quite simple, my friend," Deus stated. "They're going to be used for the same purpose you are."

"Which would be...?"

"To make the world a better place."

{{ I'm sorry, Bishop. But nothing in the Fantastic Four's files match up with Deus. }}

"Thank you anyway, Dr. Richards."

{{ Sorry I couldn't be of more help. }}

"Understood."

The image of Mr. Fantastic vanished, only to be replaced with one of Hawkeye.

{{ Checked up on that Deus guy. An' all that turned up was bupkiss. Sorry pal. }}

"I appreciate the effort," Bishop replied.

{{ See ya around. }}

Another image appeared, this one of Colonel Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD.

"Fury, anything?" Bishop asked.

{{ Th' image did match up with somethin'. }}

"What would that be?"

{{ This Deus guy is big on charities an' th' like, always tryin' t' help out. Doesn't really fit the M.O. fer a guy that sent Craze out. }}

"Do you have a real name?"

{{ Nope. It's been erased from our databases, an' replaced with another one. Take a wild guess as to what it is. }}

"Deus..."

{{ Bingo. There's not any known loca-- }}

The image became blurry, and the transmission was canceled, leaving only static.

"Fury?!"

Another image came up, this one of a young man with short, blond hair.

{{ Hello, Bishop. }}

"Deus?"

{{ Very good. I see the lovely Ms. Braddock was able to break through the psionic defenses in Sabretooth's mind. }}

"What do you want?"

{{ Why, to congratulate you in your victory against Craze. And I wish to extend to you an invitation. }}

"Excuse me?"

{{ It's a location in Antarctica. The coordinates are being uploaded as we speak. If you wish to discover more, then show up. }}

The image vanished, leaving a set of coordinates. Bishop activated the estate's intercom.

"We have a location. I need everyone assembled in the foyer in five minutes."

St. John Allerdyce pushed down on the wheels, propelling the wheelchair forward. The cure for the Legacy Virus had begun to take effect, and Crystal and Dr. MacTaggert had agreed it would be a good idea for him to stay off his feet for a few days.

"How is it?" Crystal asked.

"Works fine," Pyro replied. "Though I'm not too comfortable with it."

"It's only for a few days," Crystal noted. "Before you know it, you'll be back on your feet.

"Glad t'hear it," Pyro said. "At least I can get outta this blasted infirmary for now."

"Have fun exploring the--"

{{ We have a location. I need everyone assembled in the foyer in five minutes. }}

"Looks like you're on your own for now," Crystal stated. "You shouldn't have any problems here."

A hole in time and space opened up in the Antarctic wastelands. It expanded, until the X-Men stepped out onto the snow.

"I HATE the arctic!" Quicksilver exclaimed. "It's freezing! I can even feel it through my costume! Imagine what it would be like if these things WEREN'T insulated!!"

"Enough, Quicksilver," Bishop ordered. "It's not that cold."

"That's because you can absorb the cold energy," Quicksilver noted.

"Simmer down, Pietro," Crystal stated, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. She looked ahead past the snow, where a citadel stood. "I suppose that's where we need to go."

"Ah suppose so," Rogue agreed, taking flight, with the others following close behind. Before she could get any closer to the citadel, she felt herself caught in the grip of a fierce storm.

"Whoa!!" she exclaimed, being taken upwards.

"Rogue, hold on!!" Crystal exclaimed, trying to use her winds to center her teammate.

"Crystal, are you sure you can..."

"....the strain...." Crystal muttered. "I... can't... it's too strong..."

Energy began to rage around Rogue, catching her inside, trapping her.

"Don't blame yourself," Bishop noted. "Your winds won't be able to do anything. It's a magnetic storm."

"How do we get through, then?" Blink asked. "Do you want me to try and teleport?"

"No, the storm will wreak havoc on your powers," Bishop replied. "Crystal, I need you to toss me into the center with your winds. Get me as close as possible."

"Bishop, are you--"

"Do it."

Crystal sighed before concentrating on him. She lifted her hands up, and felt the cool breeze as the winds generated beneath him. It quickly built up into a whirlwind, propelling him into the air, and directly into the center of the storm.

Once he was pushed inside, Bishop felt the magnetic energy surging through him, about to rip his body apart. It was almost too much, yet he concentrated hard, trying to keep his body in check, trying to keep his power in check, prevent it from surging out of control.

The amount of energy the storm was generating was incredible. Bishop wondered how much longer he could keep it up. All he needed was a few more moments of time... Just a bit... more...

He let out a cry, as the storm began to dissipate. Exhausted, he went limp, just before Rogue caught him and lowered them both to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Blink asked.

"...never better..." Bishop replied. He regained his composure before standing tall. "Now then, I suppose this is where we'll find Deus."

"Oh mah god..." Rogue muttered.

"Warren, do you...?"

"I see it, Psylocke," Archangel replied.

"Ya mind tellin' th' rest o' us what's goin' on?" Sabretooth asked. "I kinda like t'know why I should be shittin' myself."

"This citadel..." Rogue began. "This is..."

"This is where Gambit was put on trial," Psylocke finished. "And if Deus is inside, then God only knows how long he's been manipulating us..."

"X-Men Omega, I presume?"

"Who's th' stiff?" Sabretooth asked, sniffing the air. "Don't recognize his scent.

The young man adjusted his glasses.

"I'm Francis, Mr. Deus' assistant," he stated. "Come, Mr. Deus has been expecting you."

"How long has Deus been here?" Rogue asked.

"That's irrelevant," Francis replied. As they approached the large doors, they slid open with a mechanical hiss.

Inside was a large machine, and a tall man in a business suit with short, blonde hair stood at the entrance.

"The X-Men I presume," he stated. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Deus."

Rogue's eyes grew wide once she looked inside the machine. Sitting at the bottom was a man she thought she'd never see again.

"JOSEPH!!!" she exclaimed.

"Well, that's one name to call him..." Deus stated.

"What're ya doin' t' him?!" Rogue demanded.

"He's here for the same reason you are," Deus replied. "To help me change the world."

NEXT ISSUE: "Wrath of God" continues when the return of Joseph is revealed, and Deus' plans unveiled!!