Disclaimer: Nope not mine.

note: Ah yes a chapter dealing with Bishop, it does little to no plot building but does provide a bit of POV from the kind and decent man called Bishop. After you agree you'll realize that he's really not that bad a guy. Enjoy.

Humanity is a Weakness

To be termed inhuman is often used as insult or in disgust of one's actions. Though I see being inhuman as meaning I more than human, a fact that rests easy for me. My 'inhumanity' is what gains me an advantage in a conflict, I am not weakened by remorse or pity. I taught myself to forgo all these feelings, my only duty is to succeed at all costs.

By success I mean, of course, gaining what I want at whatever extent. I have felt pain, though it is only physical, and it is merely a weakness leaving the body. One can forego pain, and reach a state beyond it, making oneself stronger and more effective.

If you think I sound inhumane, I thank you.

If you think I sound brainwashed into something horrible, it is because I am. Of my own means though, not by anyone or anything else.

How I became this way? That is a story unto itself. I became this way the one time I gave into pain. I was a man with a family, wife and kids. I was happy then, that is until I realized happiness is a fleeting emotion, it makes tragedy all the worse. My wife died of a brain tumor, and my daughter was raped and beaten to death at the age of 14, and finally my son, a bright 8 year old was attacked by the shadows, ending in loss of all thought and knowledge of life around him. My life could be seen as quite a tragedy, but I do not ask you to pity me.

This tragedy lead me to a determination to save my son, at first, but I soon gave up on those notions, and took it upon myself to end my son's agony. He now rests with his mother and sister. I tell you this with no remorse, for remorse is a weakness. I knew if I was to give in to this weakness that it would tear me apart inside, and that would not bode well. I seek no pity and ask for no empathy. You could never feel what I feel, for I feel nothing.

My goal from then on was to make myself more than human, able to withstand whatever came my way and use it to make me stronger. I gave up sleep, I gave up anger, I ate only to survive, I closed myself off from any and every thing. I focused all my energy into learning all I could about all that surrounded me, nothing could get by me. I became a superior strategist, and ferocious fighter, all that was left was to achieve godhood.

The only question was how.

Then the answer came my way. It all rested in a waitress at a chain restaurant, a waitress who did belong neither here nor there. A waitress known as Renet. She held in her possession an item known only as the Time Scepter, an artifact that granted the bearer the ability to hold time itself at his mercy. The first challenge was to claim it for my own. A challenge I quickly met, but the artifact in itself was destroyed, and there could only be one person who could repair it, at least in this time period. The second challenge was insuring her cooperation.

In her home there were two orphans, merely children, but they were my insurance. I took them both with no struggle, children are an easy obstacle to overcome. Knowing full well Renet would do whatever she could to keep these children, her only family here, safe. She soon fell into the trap, and I had what I needed. Of course she was difficult, but after witnessing the death of one of the children she would be more convinced to comply with my demands.

Now you think that even I would have a problem taking a child's life? You of course would be wrong, a child's life is no different than an adult's life. All life ends with death, it's just a matter of how soon it ends. And I have ways of making death last far longer than a person could even fathom. For example, do you know how much blood a person can be drained of and still live, they suffer but live. I on the other hand do.

Then my plans were all ruined, the children had escaped and they had taken the scepter with them. I of course would have to hunt them down, and bring them back. It would merely be an inconvenience if nothing else.

I took myself and several of my employees, people who were obedient to me above all else. For remember I was on my way to godhood, and many people jump at the thoughts of themselves being gods as well. They were merely fools, patsies in my service, ignorant and loyal. They did serve their purposes though. It didn't take long to track the children, and soon we were on there trail. One of my men took a shot at one of the children, piercing her side. Guns, sloppy weapons, I prefer more hands on approaches, but for some reason, normal humans find them to be useful. As I said before though, I consider myself more than human.

Yet, no sooner than things looked to be over, I ran into a myth. By myth I mean the stories of monsters in these swamps. Though I knew better, I knew these myths to be true. This monster was a creature bred by a scientific mishap, created in the sewers of New York and fled to the swamps of Florida to regain full control of what he called his humanity. He was called Leather Head.

He was a strong opponent, a normal person stood little chance of survival. My employees were casualties in this battle. Merely a price paid in my battle for my own greatness, there would be more like them. Their kind were in large demand, people can be so easily duped. He was fierce and I could have very well given into the death he would grant me, but I could not allow myself that, so I made a strategic retreat, I was no god yet. Only a fool would keep fighting a battle not on his own terms. I was not defeated merely delayed.

There were other myths in these swamps as well, one known to himself as the Rat King. A delusional man believing himself to be a monster that held control of vermin. Though he was a fool, I knew he could be used to my advantage. Though he did not possess the abilities he believed himself to have he did have a savagery to him that could be made useful to my agenda.

All I had to do was show him he was human, and promise him the monster he longed to be. He was easy enough to sway. If he did not give in he would die, and the humanity he had left in him made him fear death. What a fool. Though fools often make good bait. I granted him life and promised him powers, all he had to do was follow me. And he did so willingly.

Arriving home it was in disarray, my prisoner gone. Another inconvenience, and of course people would pay. Though my defeat was still nowhere in sight.

TBC