X-FORCE #1

"Deadly Deals Part One"

"We have a problem and we need to take care of it in the way only X-Force can."

Havok had no qualms about killing anymore. Everything died and if he had to help speed a few along in that process then so be it. No one had any idea the hardships he had endured and why he had so easily resigned himself to a path laden with dead bodies and destruction. Truthfully, he wasn't even sure why he had thrown his lot in with the X-Men. Xavier's dream was finally starting to focus into reality, but it wouldn't come without a price. No luxury existed without some dark consequence being hidden behind it. X-Force was that consequence.

Emma Frost and Logan ha d charged him with protecting the interests of mutants under the radar. He had been offered the job to keep the peace and stop threats before they happened because he had worked under the radar a few times in his life. Some of the things he had done still kept him awake at night, but they had to be done. You didn't always get a good choice and a bad choice in life. Sometimes all you got was a bad choice and a worse choice.

"I trust everyone slept well," Havok said from the head of the black rectangular table that was centered in Muir Island's former scientific conference room. It now served as X-Force's briefing room.

"I don't need sleep boss," Abyss said with his feet propped up on the table. The Genoshan was telling the truth however sarcastically it was stated. His unique physiology had long ago stopped him from needing that human essential.

"I never asked for a response Abyss," Havok said as he stood up from his chair and passed manila folders to all of his team.

Picking her teeth with one of her bone daggers, Marrow said, "You're always making me read. When will we use light pictures like every other decent mutant team."

"Holographic systems are still not fully operational. Additional parts are being scrapped together for it. In the meanwhile, we use easily disposable paper briefings," Havok said knowing the source of Marrow's complaint. She couldn't read. A life spent brawling in a little hell called The Hill didn't leave much time for Socrates. Alex didn't fault her for it though. He needed warriors and not intellectuals.

Pipeline, a former Genoshan Magistrate, flipped through the pictures in the manila folder and stopped at a very familiar one. "Phalanx?"

Alex walked back to his seat and nodded. "We have a major problem on our hands. It seems that someone is trying to sell some captured Phalanx on the black market. We know of three high target mutants trying to buy them."

M immediately recognized one of the pictured mutants. "Emma use to speak of this woman. Selene I believe it was."

"My old X-Force team encountered her at one point," Shatterstar added.

"Dark Beast and Mikhail," Marrow nearly growled. To put it kindly, both mutants had played a traumatic role in her life. "I never brought that demon bull."

Havok felt the need to correct her. "Mikhail is the one I'm least concerned with. His actions in Russia, while revolutionary, don't strike me as inherently malicious. I think we can get through to him. Rasputin strikes me as reasonable."

Madrox didn't quite buy Havok's POV. "Mikhail's actions undermine Xavier's interests in that region of the world."

Blind Faith, Russian mutant and Havok's second, jumped in. "One problem with that statement comrade. Mikhail fights to destroy the Russian Mafia. Humans can't be trifled with mutant rights when they have none of their own."

Never one for too much debate, Abyss asked, "So what's the mission boss? We get to blow anything up?"

"Not as much as you might think. I want info right now, first and foremost. There's more going on here and I want in on it," Havok said more forcefully than he had intended. "Your roles are outlined in the files. Read over them, understand it, and address all issues with me."

Abyss smiled with anticipation. "So we can go?"

"Yes. You're dismissed," Blind Faith answered for a clearly annoyed Havok. Abyss had jovial tendencies that would excessively grate the nerves of anyone spending extended periods of time with him.

As the members of X-Force marched out of the room, Havok leaned back in his chair and asked, "Do you think they can handle it? We have some big hunting ahead of us."

"They're a resilient bunch and they take care of business. Even Abyss."

"I wouldn't have chosen them otherwise. They all have had hard lives. It makes them good for this kind of work, but it'll take a toll."

Blind Faith sensed his commander's worry. "Don't project so far ahead Alex. We'll deal with issues as they come. There's little point in deconstructing our team before its even had time to really get running."

=X=

"She's an immortal sorceress," Monet said as she walked to the mess hall with Pipeline. She found something intriguing about the Genoshan's attitude. After all the hardship he had experienced, he cared for little that the human world had to offer and espoused a new ideal of mutant unity. That ideal and the grit that came along with it were nothing like Everett. It was for that reason she found it attractive.

"Is she a mutant?" Pipeline asked.

M wanted to laugh. He obviously wasn't paying any attention in the meeting because small details were never missed by him. "Yes, and a powerful one at that. Emma never really seemed to care for her."

"Who does that woman care for?" Pipeline asked. He had never had many direct dealings with the woman since she became part of the X-Men, but her icy demeanor was gossip fodder in the mutant world. You crossed Emma Frost at your own peril.

"She would want to be here for this mission. Dark Beast and her have unfinished business," M said as she pushed open the door to the mess hall. Monet had her own memories of that monster. He had captured and experimented on her team once. She didn't really remember what his experiments entailed, but she had never felt more violated.

The only person eating in the hall was Cecelia Reyes, the team's medical officer. Upon hearing the entrance of the two mutants, she lifted her head up from her plate. "Someone mention Hank?"

"A version of him," M said.

Cecelia's face darkened. "Oh him. Guess he's gone and ticked you off."

"Not us," Pipeline corrected. "Havok."

"The man that might as well be glued to every last one of you? That's the Havok we're talking about right?"

Pipeline wasn't amused. His history with Alex ran deep and while it wasn't always pleasant he respected the man. "He's your leader too."

"What's your problem with him?" M asked. She didn't worship the ground the man walked on, but she respected the fact he was doing the work few others would want to. He was willingly getting his hands dirty to preserve the peace that the X-Men had fought so hard to create.

Wiping sauce from the corner of her mouth, Dr. Reyes sat her napkin down and said, "He's keeping things from us and I've never cared for secrets. As if we aren't drowning in them already."

"You knew that when you signed up for this," Pipeline said. "If you don't like it then leave."

"Besides," M said, "You're one to talk about secrets. Didn't you hide the fact that you were a mutant for most of your adult life?"

"Don't even go there with me honey," Cecelia said with a snap of her fingers. "What I did was for my own reasons and it sure didn't put anyone in danger. Only reason I'm even here is because Logan badgered me to high heaven about it."

"And its nice to know we'll always have an upworlder healer around to take care of all our nasty boo boos," Marrow teased as she stepped into the mess hall.

"Glad to know someone around here appreciates my work," Dr. Reyes said as she stood up from her table and took her plate to the kitchen sink.

"I appreciate your work," Pipeline replied. "Just none of the criticism. In this kind of environment too much dissent leads to lost lives."

"This isn't Genosha. We all don't have to line up and say yes sir."

=X=

"Yes sir," Pipeline said into the cell phone as he stepped into one of many cold alleys in Russia's capital.

The former Magistrate's mutant ability wasn't a world shattering one and it wouldn't spell doom for mankind, but it had many uses. In a team like X-Force he was a lynchpin and was glad to have an important mission for the first time in his life since Genosha. Looking back on what he did there, he wasn't proud of it, but there he was somebody. People respected him as a Magistrate. They spat on him as a mutant. It was a hard thing to get use to.

Pulling the electronic device away from his ear, Pipeline used his unique mutant ability. What literally looked like bits of data began to pour out of the phone. They streamed towards the ground and began to pile one on top of the other until Havok, Blind Faith, and Madrox were formed.

"Well that was quite the interesting experience," Blind Faith said. "I've never been digitized before."

Madrox took it a step further. "Have you ever put someone back together wrong before?"

"Not that I know of, but anything's possible," Pipeline casually replied.

Madrox swallowed back a hard lump. "So can we catch a flight home Alex?"

"Codenames in the field Madrox. No telling who might be out here along with us," Havok said.

Madrox had never really seen Alex this paranoid before. He had never been a hardliner for the codenames, but there was a point to what he was talking about. A mutant with super senses could be picking up on their whole conversation from a mile away. In a world of superpowers there really was no protecting your privacy. Jamie had always thought that was another large root of why humans feared mutants. Some of the things they cherished most were put in jeopardy by the presence of mutants.

"Question remains. Can we catch a ride home?"

"Pipeline has the flight. We'll be right along with him," Havok said. "Digitized and all."

Blind Faith looked down at his watch and said, "We need to get moving. I am supposed to be meeting with my contact in forty minutes."

"Let's move then," Havok said. "We let Blind Faith do all the talking. I don't want to reveal our nationalities unless absolutely necessary."

"If worse comes to worse I can just do some memory wiping, but Havok's ways would preserve us any headaches."

Madrox smirked. "I figure Pipeline's tan would just scream Genoshan."

"Anyone asks I'll just be Afrikaan."

"Works for me," Havok said. "Lets get going."

=X=

"I think we got the better end of the mission stick," Monet said as she kicked in the door. "It's been some time since I've been to Paris."

Marrow walked in behind Monet smacking her teeth. "Too many pretty pretties here for me. Need some beautiful ugly in my life."

"Whatever that means," Monet said as she began to flip over couches and furniture looking for anything that may have been of value.

Shatterstar walked past Marrow and said, "I think she means people who look like her. Fellow mutants. Am I right Marrow?"

"Something like that. I'll find us something to eat," Marrow said as she headed in the direction of the kitchen.

Shatterstar unsheathed his swords. "I'll find any electronic storage devices and try to see if I can procure any information for us."

"Just be careful," Monet said. "If this really was a place Selene called home then there's a chance for magical booby traps."

Keeping guard at the door, Abyss said, "You could stand to take some of your own advice love. The way you're tossing crap around I'm surprised you haven't waked up the whole apartment complex."

Nils was more nervous about being here than he cared to share. Selene had drained mutants dry according to the file of her Havok had given them. Then there was her picture. Something about those eyes was pure hunger. It matched up perfectly with her personality. She'd consume everything in her path until she was the only one left. He could only imagine the battle they would have on their hands if she just happened to show up. They would have to fall back. Havok had sent them here on a fact finding mission and nothing more, but with Monet going to town Selene would know she was being watched.

"Speed is just as important as finesse Nils," Monet said as she started emptying drawers next to large plasma screen TV. A tiny black book fell to the ground and M picked it up. "See what I mean."

Abyss shrugged. "I guess so."

Shatterstar walked into the living room with a tiny silver ring in his hand. "I do believe I've found some sort of data core."

Marrow walked in a bottle of wine in each hand. "I think we should take these. Give Havok a reason to loosen up."

Abyss laughed. "If there was ever a quicker way to get him to tighten up show him that! He'd blow a few circuits."

"That's nice and all, but I could use some help," Monet said with the black book firmly held in her hand.

Shatterstar picked up on the distress in her voice. "What's wrong M?"

"I can't move."

Marrow laughed. "Weren't you just talking about traps?"

"When I get out of this I'm going to trap you right back under a manhole."

The Morlock's laughter continued. "You're welcomed to try. That's if you get unstuck."

"Silence!" Shatterstar said. "We need to move her and figure out how to help her back on Muir Island."

Marrow look disgusted. "I'm not touching her. What if what she has makes me unable to move as well?"

"Love has got a point there. Can't exactly move her when we don't know exactly what she's done to herself."

Shatterstar was struck with an idea. "We can wrap her in a blanket and move her."

"Aww ain't that sweet. Just like a pretty pretty statue," Marrow said.

Monet was in a completely helpless position and had only herself to blame for it. She still intended to take that blame out on Marrow as soon as they figured out what was wrong with her. At least she had been actually doing what Havok assigned them to do and not digging through Selene's fridge. She could only hope that the immortal witch didn't decide to come by for a quick visit. With herself being out of the fight, her teammates would stand little chance against Emma's old foe.

As if reading her thoughts, Shatterstar said, "Don't worry. I don't think we'll have to worry about Selene showing up. According to the intel, she hasn't been seen in this area in almost a month."

Abyss felt the need to point out, "That's if M didn't set off some sort of alarm system."

Moving into the woman's bedroom, Shatterstar came back with a black bed sheet in his hands. As he approached Monet, she said, "I hope that's Egyptian cotton. If I'm going to be wrapped up like some doll it should at least be with a high thread count."

Shatterstar looked at the fabric in his hands and shrugged. "I know nothing of this Egyptian cotton."

"Can we hurry up already? This wine is starting to get cold," Marrow said.

Monet's eyes went wide. "Run—

"I would strongly suggest you put my wine down," Selene said as she held Abyss in the air by his throat. "Or we're going to have more than a few problems."

NEXT ISSUE: Things get hairy for the guys and gals in grand ole Paris!