Moira MacTaggert looked over the scans with some shock.

"I wish ye would've told me about th' change in yuir powers earlier, Bishop..." she stated. "These scans revealed that when Cortez used his powers on ye, it seriously affected yuir powers. It seems that he permanently boosted them. An' ye said ye were able t' convert kinetic energy inta strength as well...?"*

{{ Yes. }}

(* Back in issue #15--Dino)

{{ What about the cold I felt in the Antarctic? My body was able to absorb energy the cold generated. But now... }}

"But now, yuir powers have been changed," Moira replied. "An' according tae these scans, they've been shut off."

"Could you repeat that, Moira?"

{{ Yuir powers have been shut off. }}

"But how could that be possible...?"

{{ From what ye've told me, my theory is that when ye absorbed all that energy from Deus' contraption, combined with yuir unstable powers, it caused an overload within yuir system. In essence, it has shut ye down, lad. }}

St. John Allerdyce wheeled himself into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator. There were beers on the top shelf, and he attempted to reach up to get one, falling out of the chair in the process.

"Bloody hell..." he muttered, gripping the chair and pulling himself back into it.

"You all right?" Warren asked, walking into the room. "I thought I heard something."

"I'm fine, mate," John replied. "Maybe y' can help me, though."

Warren walked over to the refrigerator and John pointed at the beers on the top shelf. Warren grinned and pulled one down, handing it to the former villain.

"Thanks," John stated, opening the can. "So how was your time in Antarctica?"

"Wild," Warren replied. "How was exploring the estate?"

"Y' got a nice place here, mate," John stated. "Landscapin' must've cost you a bloody fortune. An' that entertainment center was simply beautiful."

Warren grinned.

"Top of the line, as always," he said. "As for the landscaping, it cost almost as much as the house."

John took a sip from his beer, and the two were in silence for a few moments. Warren felt a little odd talking to this man. When they first met, Pyro had been trying to kill him as a member of Mystique's Brotherhood. And now, he was reformed.

"What are you planning to do?" Warren asked.

"Haven't figured that out, yet," John replied.

"...I should probably go check on Betsy," Warren stated.

It seemed like the infirmary was being used far too frequently.

First to treat Blink from wounds inflicted by Sabretooth. Most recently to nurse Pyro back to health. And now, to care for Joseph after the return of one of their past members.

He should be dead.

And Rogue doesn't mean that in a bad way, but she saw him die with her own eyes. She was at his funeral.* His end supposedly came when he sacrificed his life in order to repair the Earth's damaged magnetosphere, which was ruptured and practically destroyed by Magneto.

Now, he's come back. His true origins revealed. Joseph is her son. Well, not her son, but the son of her alternate reality counterpart. His father? That alternate reality's Magneto.**

(* WAAAAY back in the tear-jerking Uncanny X-Men #1--Dino)
(** It was revealed last issue--Dino)

"This seems a bit familiar..." Quicksilver stated.

"Ah didn't hear ya come in, Pietro," Rogue said.

"Few do," Quicksilver replied, looking at the heart monitor.

"What'd ya mean?"

"Pardon?"

"When ya said that this seems familiar. What does?"

"You," Pietro replied. "The last time you waited by the bedside of an invalid was after Marrow attacked Gambit. Now, you're doing the same thing for Joseph."

"And...?"

"Nothing, just an observation."

"Y'know, it's strange," Rogue stated, lowering her head. "A few months ago, I couldn't accept the fact that Joseph was really gone. An' now, I can't believe he's alive. Funny how things like that work out."

Pietro walked closer, looking down at the young man whom he once thought was his father. Who he wished was his father. But now, Pietro Maximoff has discovered that this man, Charles Lehnsherr, is his brother. A disorienting experience for many.

"Ya'll have been pretty quiet," Rogue noted. "Ever since we got back, ah don't think I've heard you say much."

"That makes two of us," Pietro stated.

"Ya'd think we'd have gotten used t' this sorta thing now," Rogue muttered. "We've seen so much death, but why doesn't it ever get any easier?"

Pietro stepped up behind Rogue, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's because we're human, Rogue," he said. "No matter how many times we see this happen, it'll never get any easier. It's a flaw that makes us who we are. If anything, it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that mutants are just as human as the rest of mankind."

"Ah never thought I'd hafta see my son like this..." she muttered, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Ah never thought I'd HAVE a son..."

Pietro lifted his arm, slowly placing it around Rogue's shoulders. She leaned into him as he comforted her.

Despite the fact that it was just a moment, a moment was all that was needed for a woman standing in the doorway to doubt her husband.

Crystal quickly ran out of the room, before Pietro or Rogue even knew she was there.

"I'm worried about you, Betsy."

"Ahh, the gallant, white knight coming to save the damsel in distress," Betsy Braddock stated with a grin. "You are a charmer, Mr. Worthington."

"I know you're joking," Warren noted.

"What tipped you off, luv?"

"Seriously Betts, something's going on," Warren stated. "I saw what you did to Mesmero.* I saw the shadows practically warp to your every thought in Antarctica.** So do you want to tell me what's the deal?"

(* Issue #12--Dino)
(** In the 2001 Annual--Dino)

"You want me to come clean, Warren?" Betsy asked. "Very well, but I expect the same, bloody courtesy from you!!"

"Excuse me?"

"You want to talk about mysterious powers? What about your new powers? What about how they've changed you?"

"I don't know what you're talking abo--"

"Bullocks!" Betsy spat. "You practically become a different person every time you use your powers!! Whenever those wings of yours appear, whenever your skin turns blue, whenever your hair glows, you change! You act as if you're above the rest of us."

"I suppose you'd be the expert on that, Betts," Warren muttered under his breath.

"Pardon? Would you care to repeat that, Warren?"

"No," Warren replied as those very same wings protruded from his back. He took to the sky with them, leaving Psylocke alone on the estate's grounds.

Bishop opened the door to his room to find an elderly man sitting in a chair.

"Not you again..." he muttered.

"Somethin' wrong, pup?" the Witness asked. "Y' seem disoriented."

"Indeed," Bishop replied. "Having a breakdown will do that to you."

"How would you know? Y'r not havin' one."

"Seeing a future version of a former teammate doesn't constitute a breakdown?"

"Why th' suitcase?"

"I don't have much of a purpose on the team anymore," Bishop replied. "Without my powers, there's no point in me leading. Plus, my recent hallucinations make me realize that I may need some time alone for a bit."

"Y'can't keep runnin' away from your destiny, pup."

"I'm through with hearing your cryptic phrases, Witness!!" Bishop exclaimed. "Now you either come clean and give me full disclosure, or you can get the hell--"

Bishop turned his head to find that Witness was gone.

"Out of here?"

Bishop looked around the room, then walked out.

The X-Men gathered in the foyer, and Bishop stepped forward.

"I've just spoken with Dr. MacTaggert," he stated. "And she has confirmed what I had already suspected. My powers have been shut down, and we're not sure if the situation is temporary or permanent. This matter, and some personal problems, have made me question my own decisions. Therefore, I've decided to leave the X-Men."

"What?" Warren asked.

"Y' can't leave, now," Rogue stated. "Ah mean, so soon after th' battle with Deus and the Brotherhood..."

"Which means this is the perfect time," Bishop said. "The team currently has seven active members, not counting Pyro and Joseph. There are no immediate threats present. In my absence though, I'd like to appoint Quicksilver as the new leader."

"Come again?" Pietro asked.

"As a former Avenger and member of X-Factor, you have experience," Bishop stated. "You also led your own team for a brief period. I believe that you can take the team just as far, if not farther, than I could have."

"Where are you going, then?" Blink asked.

"I'll contact you once I find out," Bishop replied, walking out the door.

NEXT ISSUE: A new era begins as Pyro and Joseph come aboard, and more on the Witness!!