Synopsis & Review by CharleyX:
Synopsis: Deathbird is telling
Bishop about a recurring dream she's had,
in which she and her sister Lilandra
are at dinner together, dealing with each other as equals. A servant sets
her plate down and uncovers it to reveal a note with "Gith" on it, Gith
being the Shi'ar equivalent of rodents.
Deathbird leaves the dining room and is led to the cellar, which is full
of Gith. She slaughters them with her bare hands, enjoying the feeling
of power. When she returns to the dining room, it is empty, and Lilandra
left no messasge for her. She uncovers her cold dinner plate and finds
a dead bird, which she raises to her mouth...
Bishop wants to know if she ate the bird, but Deathbird says that's when she wakes up. The two wanderers are still on a makeshift spaceship, trying to find their way home following the Phalanx's attack on the Shi'ar. They are in the middle of a game of chess, and Deathbird asks Bishop what he thinks of her dream. He says "space dementia" but she believes her god Sharra is sending her visions. Bishop stops Deathbird's next move, as a pawn can't attack except diagonally. Deathbird is completely put off by this rule, which offends her sensibilities as a warrior. Unfortunately, Bishop checkmates her on his next move, which really gets her riled. When asks how he beat her, he claims it's because he focused on every piece as an asset, whereas she left he king undefended. She feels a king should protect himself, but he says she's missing the point. He proves this be interpreting her dream for her, saying that while she wants to view herself as royalty, she's really an exterminator with a job, which she does with no concern for her people, which perhaps is why she has a dead bird for dinner later, representing her race, who suffers due to her actions. Deathbird doesn't like the guilt dream theory, and she counters with innuendo, throwing Bishop into an even more uncomfortable position.
Deathbird pursues Bishop's affections not another game, causing him to steel himself against her advances. Suddenly, their sensors pick up a Shi'ar probe, which activates a jumpgate when it detects they have received its transmission. At the same time, a raider ship opens fire on them, forcing them to enter the jumpgate, even though they don't know where it goes.
They emerge on the far side of Earth's Moon, but before Bishop can celebrate his return home, Deathbird spots a giant Shi'ar armada in Earth space. Before Deathbird can finish questioning its presence, the small ship is sucked into one of the armada's War Galleons.
Earth, though not either one that Bishop remembers living on. This one is a newly incorporated part of the Shi'ar Empire, ruled from the new capital of New York by Alanna Nerimani, daughter of Lilandra. Today marks the unification of Earth and the Shi'ar after years of war and strife. As Royal Songstress Dazzler sings the Majestrix's praises, vassals like the Vulture bring gifts from their fiefdoms. A messenger interrupts Alanna with a message from the Grand Admiral, who reports on the capture of Bishop and Deathbird's ship, though he doesn't yet know who's inside. Alanna chides him on missing the existence of this last jumpgate, but promises to come greet the new arrivals personally. She excuses herself, and tells her husband Angel his assistance is not required, as she takes her general Sauron with her into space.
Meanwhile, inside the cargo hold of the War Galleon, Bishop tells Deathbird to remain calm, but the minute they are confronted by guards she lashes out, disabling some of them before she is put down by a stun beam. The two travelers are separate, and Deathbird is taken to a medlab, where tests confirm she is the legendary royal renegade. Alanna orders her woken, and introduces herself to her aunt. Deathbird scoffs at the youngster claiming to rule the Shi'ar and demands to see her sister. Alanna explains that Lilandra is dead, killed in the war the Shi'ar were forced to fight when the humans plotted against them, resulting in the Shi'ar conquest of Earth. Alanna assumed the throne to lead her people to peace, though she feels her mother trusted the humans too much especially her father. She telepathically tells the guards to leave... Alanna tells a skeptical Deathbird that she's in the future, 2018 to be exact, and that she was believed to have died in the battle against the Phalanx. She promises Deathbird a tour of the new empire the next day, and sends her to be ministered to by handmaidens. Deathbird asks about Bishop, and Alanna promises to return him to her shortly.
Bishop wakes up in a jail cell next to a cackling old man who believes Bishop to be an impostor, and who reveals himself to be Cain Marko, formerly the Juggernaut. Bishop explains what happened and Marko seems to know about the jumpgate, though Bishop doesn't get much more useful information out of the deranged man before guards come to bring him to Deathbird. Bishop finds Deathbird being bathed by servants. She invites him in, and he only accepts when she states that most of her body is covered with bandages. Though at first he wants to leave, Deathbird reassures him that while this is the future, she has secured their position with Alanna, and he strips down and gets in. Bishop tells her about Marko, and that they need to find Xavier, but she pushes his questions off until their imperial tour tomorrow. Bishop remains uneasy.
In the Royal Bedchamber, Angel wants to know where Alanna went that day. She gently reminds him that he need not concern himself with affairs of state, and telepathically tells him to go to sleep. She slips out to see her seer, T'Loh, who tells her that if she can win Deathbird's support, the rebels will follow, but if not, she could destroy everything Alanna's built. Alanna vows to convert Deathbird to her side, through offers of power or through force, if necessary.
The next day, Alanna and Deathbird ride in a hovercar through New York, while Bishop and Sauron trail in a second car, and human subject cry out for food. Alanna apologizes for all the precautions she took to determine her aunt's identity, and promises she will have whatever she wants - she is an outast no longer. In fact, Alanna offers to give Deathbird the rulership of Earth, as she plans to return to the Imperium proper shortly. Deathbird is still skeptical of her niece's identity, and claim to power. Behind them, Bishop is distrubed by the way humans have been so obviously mistreated. Suddenly, he is approached and touched by a hooded man, who makes Bishop aware of the danger the people are in, and of his confidence in him. Sauron kicks the man away, and Bishop chides him, though Sauron pays no mind. The hooded man returns to his comrades and confirms that it is indeed the long-lost Bishop. Longshot's psychometry is good enough for the leader, who contacts a masked colleague and reports in.
Nearby, some humans protest the cutting of food rations. Alanna replies that food supplies will continue to decrease until the location of the Morlock resistance is revealed. One human attempts to attack the Majestrix, but she strikes him down with a psi-blast, making Deathbird very curious as to who her niece's father was... Bishop can do nothing, thought he itches to take action.
Suddenly Cable, Falcon, Vertigo and Longshot burst out of the crowd and attack. Sauron gets in front of Alanna, but he's the one Vertigo's after anyway, though her light beams have little effect. Cable takes out some Shi'ar soldiers and calls ojut to Bishop, and then Vertigo gets into trouble as Sauron takes flight and lands on her, depleting her strength with his energy-draining powers. Cable sets off a bomb, cutting reinforcements off from the battle, and Bishop off from Deathbird. Vertigo slashes Sauron's foot off her shoulder with a hard light spike, but her recovers quickly. Longshot refuses to leave her, but it's Falcon who ends up taking a heavy blow as he pushes Vertigo out of the way. Alanna mindspeaks to Deathbird, noting how the humans desecreate her own teachings, which brought the Shi'ar to their prominence in the galaxy. Deathbird is inspired and vows not to let them continue.
Sauron gloats over Falcon's death, as Longshot picks up Vertigo, who is very distraught over his loss. Longshot tries to beat back Sauron with some throwing knives, but is blindsided by Deathbird, who paralyzes him with the toxins secreted from her nails. Alanna applauds her aunt's handiwork, and Vertigo flees the scene.
Cable leads the remaining rebels through a network of tunnels. Bishop hasn't gotten any concrete answers yet, but he trusts Cable, since he is also a time-traveler and his situation is similar to Bishop's. Finally they get to the leader of the resistance - Wolverine, sporting a real eyepatch and his trademark cigar. He chews out Vertigo for going after Sauron, especially given the cost. Vertigo removes her goggles, revealing Jubilation Lee, who it seems was trying to avenge the loss of Logan's eye at the hands of Sauron. Wolverine tells her to stand down, and explains to Bishop that they knew of his arrival through the network of Falcon's birds, which unfortunately they can no longer use. He tells Bishop that Alanna is trying to convert Deathbird to her cause. Bishop doesn't think that Deathbird would risk a temporal paradox, but then a metallic voice intrudes and corrects him. Doctor Doom states that Deathbird will be lured by the power Alanna can offer, and Bishop is their only hope of preventing her conversion.
Bishop questions von Doom's alliance with the mutants, but strange times make for strange bedfellows. He then asks about Xavier, and is told that the founder of the X-Men is dead. He was killed along with most of Earth's heroes, when the Shi'ar bombed the X-Mansion dring a critical strategy session called by Lilandra, who had fled the Empire after losing a civil war. Alanna was behind the attack, and therfore also behind the assassination of her mother and her father, which is not surprising, since she was secretly studying Deathbird's tactics. Earth fell shortly afterwards, and the remaining superbeings banded together as Team X. At this point, Bishop realizes that Alanna was Xavier's daughter, with all of his vast mental abilities. Doom admires her superior mind and obvious success, but refuses to be ruled over, hence his joining Team X.s
They further explain to Bishop that the heroes has launched jumpgates like the one Bishop came through outside Shi'ar space, hoping to attract extra galactic help. However, before the coordinates could be set, Sauron attacked Doom's lab, killed Beast and Ant-Man (who had designed the probes), and maimed Wolverine. Doom escaped, but had thought all the probes were destroyed. They ask for Bishop's help and of course, he agrees. The plan is to sabotage the defense grid at the upcoming celebration honoring Deathbird. Bishop wonders how they will get inside, and Cable says he knows someone who can be convinced to help...
The Vulture is entertaining two ladies when Cable pulls him away and stuffs a gun in his mouth. Inside, Alanna tells her aunt that the Morlocks don't understand their place in the new order and Deathbird agrees that they must learn to serve the Shi'ar. Alanna leaves, and Sauron questions Deathbird's loyalty. Alanna says her aunt will join her or die.
Outside the palace, the Vulture bribes a guard wuth a Wu-Tand CD to keep him from inspecting his car full of goods," which is actually carrying Team X. It's not long before Team X is granted access to the palace. Soon, the Vulture gives Alanna his a gift and lies about the reason he was late, but she sees right through it with her powers. She asks Deathbird what the punishment shoulkd be and her aunt replies "death." Alanna agrees and has Sauron take the Vulture away as she orders the guards to find the Morlock rebels.
Having disabled the guards in the security wing, Team X fails to gain access to the shielf room and realize that the Vulture didn't fulfill his part of the plan (they assume betrayal). Cable wants to abort, but Vertigo won't hear of it and powers up...
In the ballroom, in front of all her subjects, Alanna offers Deathbird her birth name back, which was stricken from Shi'ar records years ago. Deathbird realizes it's a bribe, however, and rejects Alanna's offer. The Majestrix is shocked, and challenges Deathbird to combat.
In the shield room, Vertigo blast the door with photonic energy and opens it, though it trips the alarm. She, Cable and Bishop run in, and Cable tells Bishop to set the charge to detonate the power core. Sauron's men open fire from above, and Cable shoots back to provide cover for Bishop.
The fight with Alanna goes badly for Deathbird, as she's fighting not only someone who's studied her every move, but a telepath who mentally can read her actions before she takes them. Still, Deathbird draws first blood. Alanna wonders why her aunt denied her heritage, but Deathbird answers that she is always Shi'ar, but must be so on her own terms. Alanna gets angrier and attacks again with a vicious face rake.
Outside, Sauron buzzes Cable and crashes through the barrier Bishop has erected around himself. Vertigo warns Bishop, but takes a hit from a guard's gun. Bishop confronts Sauron, who smashes the detonator for the bomb Bishop set. They fight, and Bishop can't reach his gun, so he stabs Sauron in the eye with a piece of debris, avenging Logan's wound. He hefts his gun and shoots the power core, causing it to begin to expel energy. As Bishop tries to absorb the energy pounding at him, Sauron grabs him from behind and begins to drain Bishop, hoping to ingest enough energy to let him withstand the imminent explosion. Bishop lets his power flow freely, filling Sauron to the bursting point, and tells Cable to seal the room. Cable promises to remember his friend and telekinetically reassembles the door. Inside, Sauron in enraptured by he increase in his energy, his muscles exanding to incredible proportions. Unfortunately, he can't handle the strain and explodes, taking the room down.s :
Outsaide, Cable is surprised and relieved to se Bishop emerge from the rubbke. Bisaop explains his tactic and goes to find Dewathbird.
In the ballroom, the fight rages on, providing enough of a distraction for Angel to break his allegiance to Alanna and free Longshot. Deathbird and Alanna rush at each other, and Deathbird ends the fight with a kick that snaps a critical nerve in Alanna's neck, leaving the Majestrix paralyzed. Deathbird is about to finish her niece off for good when Bishop arrives and dissuades her from doing so. She backs off and he kisses her, proud that she has learned mercy.
Soon after, Bishop and Deathbird (now considered the Majestrix by the Shi'ar) prepare to leave. Peace has been declared, and Angel has been appointed interim ruler of Earth to oversee the merging of cultures in an equitable manner. The jumpgate has been reactivaterd, but unfortuantely, it can't send the time travelers back to Earth in their past, only to the time and place they came from. Bishop understands, and they both wish Team X and the Shi'ar well. Their ship passes through the gate after which a Shi'ar weapon destroys it..
Cable thanks Doom for his assistance in the rebellion, and asks him if he'll cotinue to work with them. Doom declines, as he now wants to make a bid for power, but leaves on amicable terms, though both men know there will likely be conflicts in the future.
Fin.