The Shi'ar!

Bart and Laurie sat together in the old meeting room for the lights on Utopia. Laurie simply sat in silence as Bart put his gear on and prepared himself for his first mission with the X-Men.

" Are you okay, Bart?" Laurie suddenly asked the boy.

Bart put his bracer on and sighed harshly before answering. " I don't know, Laurie. I don't. I thought that maybe the Avengers were right, and we were playing with forces well beyond our control. And then they turn around and attack us. I don't know what's right or what's wrong anymore, Laurie. All I know is, I have to speak with Hope. I need to know whether she went with the Avengers or if she was taken." Bart explained to the woman.

" If she went with them on her own free will, will you let it go?" Laurie asked.

" Of course, I will." Bart replied.

" And if they took her?" Laurie asked nervously.

Bart sighed and then hung his head before turning around to face Laurie. " Then, I'll do whatever it takes to get her back. Even if it means we have to destroy the Avengers." Bart declared.

Laurie flinched slightly at Bart's declaration and sighed. " I hope it doesn't come to that." Laurie simply stated sadly.

Bart looked at Laurie's sadden expression and felt nothing but hurt and frustration at seeing her smile taken away by people who were supposed to be heroes. Bart composed himself and walked over to Laurie and placed his hand gently under her chin and guided her face to his until their eyes met. " I promise you everything will be alright." Bart told the girl.

Laurie stared into Bart's emerald eyes and felt her heart beat harder. A feeling of safety and comfort radiated off Bart and deep inside, Laurie knew she was ready. " I believe you." Laurie replied. Laurie felt Bart's hand gently nudge her towards him and gave in. Laurie leaned up to Bart with Bart doing the same. The two's lips came close, so close Bart could feel Laurie's breath on his lips. But before either could seal the deal the door to the room shot open and Cyclops stepped inside.

Bart and Laurie both turned towards the man and separated from their close embrace.

" I'm sorry to interrupt. But it's time." Scott said to Bart before walking away.

Bart sighed and pulled his mask up over his face. And started walking towards the door but was stopped by Laurie reaching out and grabbing his hand. Bart turned and felt his heart break a little as Laurie had started crying.

" I know I've been playing around this. But." Laurie said to Bart and then without warning leaned up and kissed Bart.

Surprised by the sudden move, Bart's eyes widened, but slowly and surely Bart relaxed into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Laurie's waist, pulling her as close to him as he possibly could.

After a few moments Laurie backed down and hugged Bart tightly. " Come back to me okay?" Laurie said to the man.

Bart leaned down and guided Lauire's face back to his and smiled. " I promise, I'll always come back to you." Bart said to the girl as he wiped her tears away.

" It's time." Scott said once again but sterner than before.

Bart looked back at the man and cut him a glare that spoke more words than necessary.

" Hurry up." Scott said before walking away.

Bart looked back at Laurie and smiled once more. " I gotta go now. But I promise I'll be back before you can say flash." Bart said to the girl before walking towards the door. Before leaving Bart took one last glance back at Laurie and smiled before running out of the room towards the meeting room for the X-Men.

Laurie looked out the door where Bart had been standing and whispered. " Flash."

Bart arrived in the meeting room with rest of the X-men leaders and took his seat at the table. However, before the meeting could start, Scott got a message from Rachel, his daughter from the future, and quickly left.

" He bothered me so much about getting here. And now he runs off. Typical." Bart complained

" He's getting reports from the battlefield. Something you don't know about boy." Namor said to Bart.

" Yeah, yeah! Whatever." Bart replied

" You would do well to show me some respect you sniveling ant." Namor stated.

" Or what?" Bart asked he then ran across the room and stood beside Namor. " You'll hit me?" Bart asked. Namor reached up to grab the boy but was met with only air. " Soor, too slow." Bart joked as he ran back to his chair. He looked back at the angered and flustered man and grinned.

Namor slammed his fist down onto the table ad shot to his feet. " You pestilent rat! I'll tear your arms off!" Namor yelled to the boy. However, before the man could act the Island's alarms rang out signaling an attack.

" X-MEN!" A man's voice boomed over the skies above utopia.

The X-Men gathered in the meeting room ran to the windows to see who was besieging them. And to the surprise of the phoenix five it was Gladiator with warbird and a fleet of Shi'ar soldiers.

" YOUR HOUR IS AT HAND! THE PHOENIX DIES TODAY!" Gladiator declared.

" ALL X-MEN PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" Scott ordered as he flew to meet gladiator.

The phoenix five shattered the glass windows in the meeting room and jumped into the fight.

' Here we go.' Bart thought to himself. He took a deep breath and ran out of the room towards the beach where the soldiers were landing and attacked. Bart ran along the lines of the Shi'ar and punched each soldier in the face sending them flying until he ran right into Ava'dara the Warbird.

" What are you doing here lady?" Bart asked the woman.

" We're here to end your foolishness once and for all and to reclaim what is ours!" Warbird replied before trying to slash at Bart.

Bart sidestepped the coming blade and grabbed Warbird by her arm and chucked her.

Warbird rolled along the beach and used her sword to stop her momentum. " Grrr!" Warbird growled as she got to her feet.

" Look lady, I don't want any problems with you or the... Shi'ar? Whatever, but we're already stretched pretty thin as it is. So, how about you guys just grabbed what you're missing and go away. Okay?" Bart said to the woman in hopes to end the fighting.

" You are a valiant warrior earthman. I do not fault you for standing with your brethren despite the destruction of this world. But we will not be denied." Warbird said to the boy.

Bart prepared to run at the woman but was knocked to the side as Gladiator threw Colossus at him. " Ughhhhh!" Bart grunted as he and Colossus crashed into a nearby wall.

" Disengage Warbird. Remember the plan." Gladiator said to the woman

" My emperor, please. You must let me." Warbird was arguing.

" I'll handle the X-Men, Warbird. You just find my son." Gladiator ordered before flying off to engage Scott and the others once again.

Rachel, Namor, Magik, and Emma easily tore through the many ships that Gladiator brought with him. While Scott himself engaged the big man.

Down on the beach Colossus and Bart were recovering from their earlier collision when a shi'ar soldier tried to attack them. Before Bart could do anything.

" Die, filth!" The man yelled as he thrusted his spear towards Bart.

" Not today." Colossus stated. He grabbed the spear and crushed it in his hands he then reached up and crushed the man's head in his palm.

" No!" Bart yelled. " What did you do?" Bart turned to colossus and asked in disbelief.

" I saved your life. Now, go after that woman. We will handle gladiator and his pawns." Colossus coldly said to the boy.

Bart looked up into the man's cold steel eyes and nodded, before running off. ' This is insanity. Madness. I thought we didn't kill.' Bart said to himself. Bart searched the Island halls and eventually came to find the woman beating on an alien kid who looked just like gladiator. Bart ran up to the woman and shoulder bashed her away from the teen.

" Ughhhh!" Warbird grunted as she rolled along the ground. She quickly got to her feet and faced her attacker once again. " You will not stop me from returning my lord to his empire." Warbird stated.

Bart turned and looked at the boy beside him in surprise. " You mean you're here for him? Then why attack him?" Bart asked.

" He would not listen to reason and refused to come along. I was given a mission to bring him back and I will not fail even if I have to hurt him to do so." Warbird stated defiantly.

" But I can't just leave. My dad needs help!" Kid Gladiator exclaimed. " I've seen my dad crack moons with his punches. felt his eye beams burn hotter than a sun. I've seen him tear apart Black Holes with his bare hands." Kid gladiator explained to the woman. He then turned and looked out the window. " But look at him now. He's going to lose. Unless we help him. If you're too much of a coward, just don't get in my way." Kid Gladiator exclaimed defiantly.

" I was given an order. And a Warbird always follows orders." warbird said to the boy.

As those two bickered and fought Bart looked out onto the beach and watched as the Phoenix five ruthlessly killed the Shi'ar soldiers and completely decimated gladiator. It was nothing short of brutal. The scene before him made a feeling build up in Bart's stomach, in his heart. Bart knew this feeling all too well. It was disgust. Disgust at the lengths the men and women would go too to eradicate an enemy that had already lost.

' I didn't agree to this when I stayed here. I didn't want this. I knew there would struggles that there would be difficulty and pain. But not this. Not an unnecessary slaughter. I'm glad you aren't in this Laurie. Because no one should ever witness a slaughter this horrific. You said you'd stand by me and that all that mattered was if I was doing what I believed in. Well, forgive me Laurie. But I don't believe in this. Not anymore. And I won't sit by while another man dies. I might not be able to save them all. But I can save the big guy.' Bart thought to himself he tightened his visor and ran out the building and back onto the beach. And just before Scott could finish off the broken and defeated gladiator for good, Bart ran by and scooped the man up and took him.

" What happened? Where did he go?" Namor asked.

Scott looked around and saw a trail in the sand. " Bart." Scott said to the man.

" What about him?" Illyana asked.

" He took Gladiator and ran." Scott stated.

" Then we must chase the boy. And finish them both." Namor exclaimed.

" No. We've made our message loud and clear. We're done here. Clean up the bodies and let's go." Scott said to the man before walking away.

Back with Bart, he was currently carrying the wounded gladiator and ran right back to the others.

" My lord!" Warbird yelled as she saw the sorry state Gladiator was in.

But her reaction was a pale comparison to the near mental breakdown Kid Gladiator had when he saw his dad. He ran up to the man and hugged him as he cried into his bloody chest.

" He's still alive, man. But I don't know for how long. We need to get him help." Bart said to Kid Gladiator.

" Why would you help us? We attacked you." Warbird asked.

" Yeah, well. I'm no killer. And well, I just don't think this was right. Even if you attacked us, I don't think killing you all was the answer here." Bart replied as he handed the wounded man over to Warbird.

" I... I thank you earthman." Warbird said to Bart.

" Just call me Impulse." Bart said to the woman. " Do you know where you can take him? If not I have a suggestion. A place I've been thinking about for a while now." Bart explained to the woman. " There is another mutant school in Manchester. I believe it's called the Jean grey school now. They should have facilities that can help the gladiator." Bart explained to the woman.

" I am familiar with the place. I was a resident there along with my lord, Kubark." Warbird replied. " I will remember this debt and I will repay it in any way you ask, even if you wish to bed me." Warbird said to the man.

" No, debts. No payment. Just consider this me doing the right thing." Bart said to the woman.

" What will you do? You betrayed your people. Surely they'll want to take revenge against you. Where will you go?" Warbird asked the man.

" I don't think they will. Not all of them anyway, Namor on the other hand just might. But I'll cross that bridge when I get there. For now, I think I'm done fighting for these X-men. And this Island. I think I'll head east and see what the Jean Grey School can offer me. But first I have to get Laurie. I'm not leaving her or any of the others here." Bart said to the two Shi'ar.

" Thanks, man. For saving my dad. For this I am in your debt. If you ever come to space, then please visit Shi'ar and I will make sure you are treated like a king. By my name as Kubark you will always be a welcomed guest amongst my family." Kid gladiator said to Bart. Thanking him gratefully for saving his dad.

" Take care man." Bart said to the teen before running off. " I'm coming, Laurie. Just hold on." Bart said a loud as he ran towards the bunker for the students.