Alex didn't feel like he belonged until Charles and Erik took him in with the others. The chaos with Erik however, had driven a wedge in between him and his friends. He went along with Charles's idea of a school for mutant kids, but then the war happened, and those who were old enough either volunteered or were drafted. He volunteered.
War was a hell hole. Even still, it was better than being back at the school. He saw comrades shot down, saw the landscape ravaged by the violence. Then his unit found out he was a mutant, and they shunned him. Most of them didn't know how to treat him, and followed the example of the others.
He was transferred without warning to another unit. This one was full of other mutant soldiers. His unit was kept on the back of the troops, no one really trusted them. Pretty soon they were told that they were being taken back to the U.S. for research. Alex had resigned himself to being a guinea pig. Then Mystique came and rescued them, taking them back to the U.S, but for different reasons. Once he was back on New York soil, he split off from the rest and stayed away from all the drama surrounding the White House. He saw the favor towards the mutants change slightly, but still stayed on the outskirts of society. After awhile, he found a job in the local grocery store. He enjoyed the simple work. Years passed, and he came to love the peaceful life he led. One night he locked up and started walking to his apartment close by. As he rounded the corner, he was bumped into by a couple of street kids. He shook his head at their carelessness, then discovered his wallet was missing.
He chased after the kids and caught up to them as they were blocked by a small gang of thugs. He had a calm exterior, but inside he couldn't keep from mentally rolling his eyes. Figures he would run into trouble one of these days. He briefly thought about leaving his wallet and the conflict, but try as he might, he couldn't leave the kids by themselves. So he joined the kids in defending themselves. He did a good job of holding them off, but then they started working together and he began to feel pressed against the wall with the two kids. He decided to bring out the big guns. He made sure the kids were behind him and then he pushed the energy beams from his chest. He made sure not to hurt them too bad, just enough to knock them out.
The thugs were on the ground when a man came out from the shadows. Alex was still on the defensive but the man had his hands up in a non threatening gesture.
"Need help?"
Alex shrugged. "Eh. I'm pretty sure I finished them, but sure."
The man grinned and ripped the bottom of each of the thugs' shirt, then using the fabric to tie the men together. Alex turned around to the kids and held out his hand. They shamefully gave his wallet back and then scampered away. The other guy had propped the thugs against the wall and made a call to the police. He brushed his hands together and held his hand out in a greeting gesture.
"Name's Bishop."
"Alex Summers." Alex put his hand out and shook Bishop's hand. "Do you live around here?"
"Around the corner, down a few blocks. You?"
"Down the block. You the neighborhood patrol?"
"Unofficially. You do this often?"
"Do what often?"
"Protecting kids, taking care of thugs?"
"First time."
"Well…Would you consider joining me? I'm pretty sure we could do some serious damage together."
Alex thought it over for a minute. Something inside him told Alex he could trust Bishop.
"When do we start?"
