Disclaimers: X-Men is owned by Marvel and others.
Echoes of the Future
By Eugena
Rating: T
Storm is taken and Wolverine and Bishop must save her before the future is beyond repair.
Chapter One: For My Future Self
No one would have disturbed that Adamanthium man while he slept. Through his dreams, his super senses picked up a faint smell.
"Storm," he muttered in his sleep.
His senses continued to awaken him. He realized this was not a memory.
He sat up cautiously and quietly passed down the hall. In a once-solitary room, a man cried into his palms. The man stopped, smelling a scent like his own. As the man looked up into his own eyes, he said, "I couldn't stop it then; why did I think I could stop it now?"
"There was no sign of forced entry," said Xavier as he examined the room.
"Who would have taken her?" asked Cyclops.
"I can answer that question," said a masculine voice coming towards them.
"Bishop," greeted Xavier, "you're not alone?"
"Huh?"
"I sense there is someone here looking for you, but he is not here yet."
Jean, who was behind the Professor tried to read the thoughts that he was reading.
"Always confusion when it comes to people from the future, right, Professor?" added Scott.
To Xavier, for a moment it seemed like Bishop was fading.
"Are you alright, Bishop?"
"Yes. Besides, I am the one who should be answering your questions."
"Do you know who took Storm?" asked Jean.
"Reports from the Future indicated it was Sinister, or one of his Allies."
"Why would he take her?" Scott asked.
"I don't know if I should tell you. It might alter the future."
"You are altering the future by coming here," Scott rationalized, "what is the difference by telling us?"
"There is someone he can not tell," answered Xavier.
Bishop looked at him, wondering if he had seen too much.
"You don't have to guard your mind from me. I want to help you," Xavier told him in his mind. He then told Jean not to read Bishop's thoughts and informed Bishop of that.
Bishop let go of the barriers he had learned to construct. The first image in his mind were he and Shard in childhood. He began to focus his memories so that he would come along the time when Xavier had been killed and he brought Wolverine and Storm from the future to prevent it. Xavier had wondered why he had chosen them, and knew that after the mission was successful, Wolverine and Storm had no memories of the alternative life. It was then that Xavier realized that at least part of the reason they were chosen was that someone would be able to remember them together.
"Jean, Scott," he spoke aloud, "have you heard from Logan since he left?"
"No, Professor," answered Jean.
"Perhaps with his sense of smell he could help us find her."
The Professor left for Cerebro to find Logan. Bishop remained with Jean and Scott but would not answer further questions.
In Cerebro, the Professor searched for Logan. He wondered about his earlier comment of someone looking for Bishop, not knowing whose thoughts he picked up on. When he located him, he noted that Logan was already heading back there to meet with them. He assembled a team of X-Men to pick him up in the X-jet.
When Logan came into her room, he could still smell her scent, and her sweat from fear. The feral force within him raged.
"Why did this happen?" he asked Bishop, the only person besides he and the Professor that was in the room.
"To do more damage than he had done before. You see, he had taken her, but now he has altered the future to take her sooner than he did before."
"I could not stop it then. I did not stop it now," Logan repeated the voice from within his mind.
"The phrase set an alarm in Bishop's and Xavier's minds."
"You knew this happened?" asked Xavier.
"I had a dream the other night. I looked at myself. I said it."
"I would not say it was a dream at all," said Bishop, "but another you. One from the future."
"That may be the man I said was looking for you," said Xavier.
"There is two of me?" repeated Logan.
"You're going to need two of you if you want to save 'Ro," said a voice materializing from beside him. Looking into his eyes, Logan saw a slightly older self.
"You called her 'Ro," younger Logan commented.
"Yeah, wouldn't you call – " the future Logan stopped, "never mind, I suppose you don't know."
Everyone but younger Logan knew the truth.
Xavier looked into future Logan's mind. At first, he could not. Logan had figured out to stealth his appearance and his mind. Then Logan allowed him in. Xavier saw the memory of Logan being shown his alternate life with Storm as his bride.
"Is that why you love her?" he asked mentally.
"I loved her before you showed me that," he answered in his head.
"Enough of this mind talk," said the younger Logan, "I want answers."
"I come from a different future than Bishop," began future Logan, "Storm was killed. Time travel was invented earlier. I want to keep the future Bishop has. And by the end of this, Bishop, I hope there is also a way to get Shard back."