Disclaimer:  Tell me you've gotten the point by now?

Hey there people.  Next chapter here.  Sorry for the wait, things have been going on.

Arekanderu:  Exodus is a comic character, if you're not familiar with him, he can fly and discharge energy bolts, he also happens to be from twelfth century Paris, but that's another story.

Beannut:  It's always a great compliment to hear that I've inspired some one else to write.  I look forward to reading your work in the future.

Dan: River of Dreams is an excellent fanfic, and I'm a big fan of it.  I wouldn't want to make you think it's inferior compared to mine.  Thanks for the comment though.

Enjoy the show.    

The moment Bishop registered that a gun was pointed at his face, training kicked in.  Jerking his head to one side, he managed to remove himself from the weapon's sights, just as Cable pulled the trigger.  The bright burst of plasma streaked by his ear, taking a few strands of black hair with it.  It continued on until it smashed into another of Xavier's priceless Ming vases, shattering it.

          Bishop rolled and instinctively reached behind him for his own weapon, before remembering he no longer had a weapon, courtesy of Wolverine during their brawl at the docks. (See chapter 7)

          Bishop also knew that Cable's weapon was designed to negate his energy absorbing powers.  If Bishop tried to take a blast from the weapon in the chest, he'd be minus a heart, and maybe a lung or two.

          That left him at a distinct disadvantage against an adversary who was well trained, highly skilled, and wouldn't stop coming until he was dead.

          "Ah hell."  Bishop said again.

          Cable swiveled around to face Bishop, leveling his rifle at him and firing.  Bishop rolled to one side again and the blast went wide, burning a hole in the Oriental rug that covered the floor.

          "Just hold still and make it easier on the both of us."  Cable said as he tracked Bishop's movements.  Bishop dove through the door into the rec room just as a plasma burst from Cable's gun incinerated a small table.

          Bishop scuttled behind the couch and crouched, waiting for a chance to strike.  Cable came stalking into the room moments later, gun sweeping from side to side, left eye narrowed slightly as he searched out his victim.  Bishop waited until Cable passed his hiding spot, and then lunged.  Knocking the gun out of the surprised Cable's hand, Bishop simultaneously punched him across the jaw with his other.

          Cable stumbled backwards and Bishop was on him relentlessly.  The larger mutant landed blow after blow against the man hunting him.  Cable covered up as best he could, but Bishop's assault continued to drive him backwards into the entrance foyer.

          Bishop went for another punch, but miscalculated the distance needed to land it.  Cable saw this and grabbed Bishop's out stretched arm, twisting his hips and throwing his prey over his shoulder.  Bishop sailed through the air and landed hard on his back several feet away.  He started to get up again, but Cable tackled him down, his metallic left fist closing around Bishop's throat.  Cable raised his right hand and prepared to slam it into Bishop's nose, hopefully driving the cartilage back into his brain and ending the fight.

          A blast of scarlet energy ripped through the air and slammed into Cable, knocking him sprawling off Bishop.

          Cable looked up to see Scott standing before him, one hand on his glasses, ready to lift them.  Jean, Remy, Kurt, Amanda, Wanda, and St. John were standing behind him, having heard the commotion and come to investigate.

          "I may not be Bishop's biggest fan, but I don't very much like strangers breaking into my house and roughing up my teammates."  Scott said, his eyes glowing ominously behind partially lifted glasses.

          "Me and him got business that doesn't concern you kid, stay out of it."  Cable growled as he got to his feet.

          "By bringing your business here, you've made it ours as well."  Jean said.

          Bishop got to his feet, dusting himself off.  "Would you mind giving me a charge, Cyclops?  I'd like to blast this little bugger a few times."

          Scott frowned at Bishop.  "Why don't we try and figure out just what's going on here first, hmm?"

          "Yes, why don't we."  All heads turned as Xavier rolled into the foyer.  He took in the shattered vase, the burned carpet, and the pile of ashes that was once a hand carved 18th century redwood table.  His eye gave a funny little twitch.

          Taking a deep breath, Xavier turned to face his uninvited houseguest.  "Well, perhaps you'd like to tell us what this is all about?"

          Cable took stock of the situation.  He was outnumbered, and his firearm was still in the rec room.  Might as well start talking.

          "My name is Cable, I'm a tracker.  I've come here looking for him."  He pointed at Bishop.  "This man is a wanted criminal.  My orders are to apprehend or execute by my discretion."

          "What crimes has he been committed of?"

          "Let's see, try breaking and entering, larceny, assault on government employee's, shall I go on?"

          "They deserved everything they got."  Bishop said, indignation creeping into his voice.

          "They were just doing their jobs.  Protecting that time-spanner you stole is very high priority, and calls for using extreme measures."

          "Excuse me, 'time-spanner'?"  Xavier cut in, more than a little confused.

          Cable glanced at the Professor, left eye flashing once.  "Hasn't he told you?"

          Everyone turned to look at Bishop.  Bishop looked back at each one of them in turn and shrugged his shoulders.  "Oops.  Must've slipped my mind.  I'm from the future."

          Sinister stared at Magneto incredulously for a few moments, before the evil geneticist finally burst out laughing.

          "Three Acolytes?  You actually think you're going to defeat my Marauders with three Acolytes?  Have you gone quite mad, Magnus?"

          "I can assure you, Sinister, that I am of sound mind.  Allow me to demonstrate.  Exodus?"

          Exodus floated over next to Magneto, head bowed.  "Yes, my lord?"

          "Show them what you're capable of."

          "As my lord wishes."  Exodus turned to face the Marauders.  Clenching his fists, his hands began to glow with a bright orange light.  He then threw both hands forward, palms out.  Twin blasts of concussive force lanced out, streaking through the air and striking Vertigo and Mimic in their chests.

          Sinister's red eyes began to glow with savage ferocity.  "Eradicate them!"  He shouted at his Marauders.  "I want Magneto's bloody head on a pike before the sun sets!"

          Sunfire took to the air, streaking straight towards Exodus.  The two became quickly engaged in an aerial dogfight, blasts of force and intense heat shooting back and forth between them as they dodged and weaved.

          Juggernaut charged forward, lowering his head in preparation of plowing into Sabretooth.  Magneto reached out and grasped Juggernaut in his magnetic grip, the behemoth's armored costume providing a perfect target.

          Using Juggernaut as a human battering ram, Magneto swung him around, first into Black Tom, and then again into Sauron, who was attempting to fly up behind Quicksilver.  Magneto then deposited Juggernaut upside down, driving his head a few feet into the ground up to his broad chest.

          Mimic pulled himself to his feet, shaking off the effects of Exodus' blast.  Utilizing his power copying ability, he took on Sabretooth's animal senses, increased strength, and healing factor.

          Sabretooth didn't take very kindly to being imitated and leapt at Mimic.  Mimic met his attack, and the two rolled across the ground, snarling and slashing at each other.  Sabretooth rolled into a crouch, tensing the muscles in his powerful legs.  He sprung at Mimic as he came up from a roll, tackling the power-copying mutant hard.  Mimic's breath left him in a rush as Sabretooth's shoulder plowed into his gut, but his healing factor compensated quickly.  Mimic used Sabretooth's momentum to fling the large mutant backwards into a tree.  The tree snapped in half with the under the force of Sabretooth's body, knocking the feral mutant into semi-consciousness.

          Omega Red had his hands quite full with Quicksilver.  The speedy mutant was running circles around the Russian supersoilder, who couldn't manage to get his carbonadium tendrils latched onto his prey.

          "Hold still worm!"  Omega Red shouted as he sent one of his tendrils lashing out, only to have Quicksilver zip out of the way at the last second once more.

          "What's the matter, too fast for ya?"  Pietro taunted as he dashed around.  Avoiding another grasping tendril, he sped up to Omega Red and leveled a punch to the white-skinned man's gut.

          Pietro's eyes widened in pain as his fist connected with something very solid.

          "Fool!"  Red laughed.  "My armor is constructed out of carbonadium, a metal second only to adamantium in density.  You cannot hope to breach it!"  Taking advantage of Pietro's moment of stunned distraction, Omega Red wrapped a tentacle around the silver-haired boy's neck.

          Pietro's eyes widened as the thick appendage tightened around his neck.  He then felt his life force begin to be leeched out of him by Omega Red's death pheromones.

          Quicksilver's feet kicked spasmodically in the air, but could find no purchase to make his super-speed of any use.

          Omega Red laughed as he continued to strangle the life out of Pietro.  Suddenly, an invisible hand latched around his torso and jerked him off the ground.

          Startled, Omega Red dropped Pietro.  He was turned in mid-air and came face-to-face with the Master of Magnetism.

          "Your vaunted carbonadium armor will be your undoing."  Magneto said, and clenched his fist.  Omega Red felt his armor suddenly tighten uncomfortably around him.  Horrified, he quickly realized that Magneto intended to crush him to death in his own armor!

          The air itself seemed to shake as vibratory waves of seismic activity tore through it.  The waves slammed into Magneto's back, throwing him off balance.  Forgetting Omega Red, Magneto dropped him and turned to face the Marauder's field commander.

          "Try those tricks with me, bucket head!"  Rictor shouted as he projected another blast of seismic waves at Magneto.  The blasts struck home, rattling Magneto's head inside his helmet.  Losing his concentration, the Master of Magnetism fell to the ground, dazed.

          Rictor prepared to level Magneto with another blast, but a scaly, taloned hand on his shoulder stopped him.

          "Oh, let me have him Rictor."  Sauron hissed.  "His life force is great; we shall have such a feast!"

          Rictor shrugged.  "Why not?  Drain him dry will you?  I'd rather not have to deal with him anymore."

          Sauron nodded gleefully, a maniacal glint lighting his yellow eyes.

          Sinister stood idly by and watched as his Marauders battled Magneto's Acolytes.  They had been performing admirably, as he expected.  Quicksilver had yet to fully recover from his brush with death; Sabretooth had only just recovered and had rushed to re-engage Mimic.  Unfortunately for him, Juggernaut had extricated himself from the ground and was rushing to back Mimic up, Black Tom right behind him.

          This new Acolyte called Exodus, however, was proving to be a much different story.  He handily defeated Sunfire, and then turned his attention to Sauron, blasting him away before he could drain Magneto completely.  His lord safe for the time being, Exodus turned to battle Rictor and Omega Red simultaneously.

          Yes, this Exodus was proving quite a force to be reckoned with.  "Well done Magnus."  Sinister whispered to himself.  "I did not think you had any aces up your sleeve.  I must commend you for surprising me.  Still…"  Sinister glanced over his shoulder at the mansion behind him, his thoughts on his secret laboratory in the sub-levels.  "You have yet to meet my ace.  Soon though…"

          Silence had descended over the entrance foyer of the Institute.

          "I'm sorry; I don't think I heard you properly.  Did you say you were from the future?"  Xavier asked, incredulous.

          "Yup."  Bishop said, as if Xavier had just asked him if two and two equaled four.

          "How…how…"  Xavier was dumbfounded.  Of all the things he had expected from the mysterious mutant, this was not one of them.

          Further conversation was interrupted by a computerized voice that rang out over the mansion's loudspeakers.  "Attention.  Attention.  High level mutant activity detected.  Repeat: high level mutant activity detected."  The computer rattled off a set of coordinates.

          "We'll have to continue this later.  Scott, take your Blue Team to the coordinates given by Cerebro, I'll send Green Team along to help.  Hank, please find accommodations for Cable here, and try to see to it that he and Bishop remain separated.  We'll continue this conversation later."

          Everyone nodded and set about to perform their duties.

          The Blackbird streaked across the sky, with the Velocity following just behind.  Cyclops sat at the helm of the modified SR-71, Jean in the co-pilots seat next to him, and the rest of his Blue team arranged behind him.  Behind his combat visor, Scott's eyes glanced alternately between the cockpit canopy and the senor array, looking for any sign of what they had been sent to look for.

          "What d'you think it is?"  He asked quietly, directing the question to Jean.

          The redhead shrugged her shoulders.  "Could be anything, though I have an idea or two."

          "Anything on your telepathy?"

          "No, which is strange in itself."

          Scott reached over and flicked a switch on the control panel.

          "Blackbird to Velocity do you read?"

          There was a crackle of static, and then Bobby's voice came over the intercom.  "Velocity here, go ahead Cyke."

          "You guys picked anything up yet?"

          "Not a thing Cyclops."  Bobby answered.  "I'm starting to think…hold on, do you see that?"

          Scott turned his attention back out the window and saw what Bobby was referring to.  The aircraft had come up on the source of the mutant activity Cerebro had picked up on.

          Below them was a fair sized mansion, smaller than the Institute, which was set back in the woods from the main town.  There was a pitched battle going on below between Magneto, who had Sabretooth, his son, and a mutant the X-Men didn't recognize, fighting against…

          "The Marauders.  Knew it."  Scott grumbled. 

          The two X-craft banked in mid air and searched for a place to land.  Eventually they were able to find an open clearing in the woods to accommodate them, and disembarked.

          Sinister took notice of the two aircraft that flew over his stolen property moments before, and a deep scowl crossed his face.  He did not need this.  He couldn't risk damage to the house, not while his greatest project was inside.

          "Marauders!  We must end this quickly.  We are about to receive a visit from our friends the X-Men!"

          "We're trying boss!"  Rictor called back.  And indeed they were, very hard.  Whoever this newcomer Exodus was, he was extremely skilled in combat, as if he had been bred for nothing else.

          A crashing sound from the trees announced the X-Men's arrival.  Juggernaut looked up as the Blue and Green Teams emerged from the foliage.

          "Alright, my dear brother's mutant toddlers!"  The goliath promptly abandoned his pursuit of Magneto and turned, charging the group of mutants.

          The X-Men scattered, all except for Blob, who planted his feet and prepared to meet Juggernaut's charge head on.  The proverbial unstoppable slammed into the immovable.  Blob's feet dug deep trenches in the ground as he was driven backwards, but he never lost his footing.

          Juggernaut ceased his forward momentum and disengaged from his lock with Blob.  The two began to trade blows, Juggernaut's armor prevented Blob from doing too much damage, but at the same time, Fred's girth absorbed many of the crimson behemoth's blows.

          The rest of the Marauders broke off from their skirmishes, giving the winded Acolyte's a few moments to recuperate.

          Black Tom pointed his gnarled walking stick at Scott and attempted to blast him.  Cyclops dove to the side, at the same time reaching up to the firing stud on the side of his visor and firing off an optic blast.  Black Tom intercepted the ruby beam with another shot of concussive force.

          Sunspot and Sunfire faced each other in mid-air, each one staring the other down.  Sunfire finally grew tired of the contest and shot a blast of intense heat at his Brazilian counterpart.  Sunspot countered a firey projectile of his own, and so began a tense battle that made the air around the two combatants unapproachable from the heat being given off.

          Rictor faced off with Psylocke, the two former teammates glared daggers at each other.

          "Well traitor, I must admit I'm surprised you dared to show your face here again.  I thought you'd be long gone."

          Psylocke sneered, her psychic knife flaring to life.  "I always knew you were a jerk Julio, but I never figured you for a murderer.  How could you have done what you did to the Morlocks?"

          "Just following orders, Betts."

          "Is that all you can do?  Crawl around at Sinister's beck and call?  Damning yourself just to please him?"

          "Hey, unlike some of us, I didn't forget where I cam from, and where I'd be today if it wasn't for Sinister."

          "Not much of an excuse in my opinion."  Forgoing further conversation, Betsy leapt forward, psychic knife directed at Rictor's head.  The Marauder's field commander dodged to the side, and then proceeded to break up the ground under Psylocke, making for a very rough landing.  The purple-haired beauty applied a burst of telekinesis to make her landing a little smoother, but her shoulder still banged painfully against a chunk or rock.  Rictor continued to hassle her with blasts of seismic energy, forcing her to use all the skills in her repertoire to keep from getting smushed, at the same time keeping her from getting close enough to land a decisive strike.

          Sauron flapped around the battlefield, until he caught sight of Iceman and Berserker.  He grinned evilly and dove towards the pair.  "I've got a score to settle with you brats!"  He screeched.

          "So, you want more of what we gave you at the docks ugly?"  Ray called as he charged his fists with electrical energy.  He fired a jolt at the reptilian monster, who barrel rolled nimbly to one side.  He then swooped low and slammed his shoulder into Berserker's stomach, knocking him backwards into his icy companion.  The two boys fell in a tangle of limbs.

          Sauron flapped over, and began to leech the life force off his prey.  Bobby felt himself growing weaker and desperately aimed a shot at Sauron.  The icy blast went wide, however, and did not deter the monster from his feast.

          Suddenly, two small hands covered Sauron's eyes from behind.  The reptilian energy vampire could hardly register surprise when bright light exploded in his vision, momentarily blinding him.  Sauron screeched indignantly, holding his hands to his eyes as he staggered away, forgetting his feeding.

          Jubilee giggled as she watched him stumble around.  "That was sooo cool."

          Gambit assessed Vertigo with a critical eye, two playing cards held in one hand, ready to be charged at a moments notice.  The woman didn't look very threatening, but Remy knew better than to make any assumptions.

          "So cher, what kind of challenge you provide Gambit wit', hmm?"

          Vertigo smiled.  "Allow me to show you, my handsome friend."  She raised both arms in the air.  Gambit waited for him to be lifted off his feet, or for the ground to shake, or something, but nothing happened.

          "Uh, you sure your powers not broken or somet'in'?"  Even as he spoke, Gambit felt a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach.  The feeling quickly grew to a general feeling of nausea, and then the world began to spin.

          "Whoa…Gambit not feelin' so good."  He stated as he began to sway on his feet.  "Maybe shoulda laid off de gumbo dis mornin'."  He groaned and doubled over as the sensation grew worse, the playing cards forgotten in his hand.

          "Hmmm, I think maybe I could have some fun with you."  Vertigo purred as Gambit squirmed in front of her, fighting to keep from throwing up.

          "Ah highly doubt that, sugah."

          Vertigo turned her head, only to come into contact with Rogue's bare hand.  Vertigo gave a small cry, and then collapsed.

          Gambit took a few deep breaths as his stomach stopped flipping over itself.  He gave Rogue one of his grins, though it didn't come off so well with the sickly green tint his skin had taken.

          "Didn' t'ink you were de jealous type, petite."

          Rogue favored him with a small smile of her own.  "Don' look into it too much swamp rat, yer ego doesn't need ta be any bigger."

          "Ah, no worries dere Rogue. Ol' Remy's ego plenty big enough for everyone."

          Rogue rolled her eyes.  "Yer impossible."

          "Remy knows."

          Mimic and Omega Red faced off with the combined forces of the Scarlet Witch, Pyro, Wolfsbane, and Multiple.  The Marauders knew the two New Mutants were the less experienced, and immediately focused their attention on them.  Omega Red's deadly tentacles lashed out, shooting for Rahne.

          The animorphic Scottish mutant shifted into her four-legged form, ducking out of the way of the appendages.  She circled around behind him and jumped at him, her body flowing into it's werewolf form in mid-flight.  She landed on the Russians back, clawing and biting at anything she could reach.  His carbonadium armor blunted most of her attacks, but a few reached the exposed skin around his neck.

          "Get off…get off of me you little wench!"  Omega Red shouted, tendrils lashing violently behind him, trying to dislodge Wolfsbane.

          Rahne jumped clear from his back, just as a scarlet hex bolt surrounded him, making his own tendrils turn against him.  Omega Red shouted as the metallic tendrils tried to strangle their owner.

          Mimic saw what was happening and copied Wanda's powers, before hexing the hex out of existence.  Omega Red was saved, but Mimic suddenly had his hands full dodging a stream of fire.

          "Come an' play with me a bit, mate!"  Pyro shouted, currently in full maniac mode, and attempted to fry Mimic again.  Mimic copied St. John's powers and tried to force the flames back on their creator.  The two quickly became caught up in a struggle over the flames.

          Multiple waved Wolfsbane over.  "Hey Rahne, give me a bump."

          Rahne shrugged.  "Alrigh'."  She leaned over and smacked Jamie in the back of the head.  Instantly, five more sprung out.

          "Thanks!"  They called simultaneously, then dogpiled Mimic.

          Mimic called out in surprise and lost control over the flames.  Pyro immediately pulled them up and away, so they wouldn't burn Jamie, but he then twisted them into a ring, surrounding the combatants.

          Mimic copied Jamie's power, but was forced to let go of Pyro's fire control, as he could only hold so many powers at one time.  Soon there was a small army of Multiples and Mimics wrestling each other across the ground.

          The Marauders and the X-Men battled back and forth for some time, neither side truly gaining advantage over the other.  Sinister watched on through it all.  The X-Men were functioning far better as a unit far better than the first time they had tangled with the Marauders.  He had to give credit to Charles Xavier.  It would not save them in the end though.  Sinister always had a plan.

          He became slightly disheartened though, as Magneto and his Acolyte's suddenly rejoined the battle, shifting the favor away from the Marauders.

          For the first time, Sinister was concerned he might actually lose a battle.

          "Unacceptable."  He growled to himself.

Hey everyone.  Sorry this took so long.  I must say I am not entirely pleased with how this chapter turned out, but I've currently got a lot on my mind.  I'll explain why in a memo that will accompany this chapter when I post it.  Make sure to read it.  Thanks.