In a restricted area located in the sub-basement of Apex Genetics, Director Carver was escorting Dr. Vangelica to a lab known only as the 'Special Operations Department'. The geneticist behind Project Rebirth was curious as to what Carver was so excited to show him.
"What's this all about, Director?" Vangelica asked, careful to use Carver's new title. The man was very prickly about being addressed as such.
Carver placed his hand on the security panel, waiting as it was scanned. The door opened once his identity was confirmed. "You wanted to know how we were going to obtain the necessary DNA samples from the X-Men? Well, here's your answer." He made a sweeping gesture. Vangelica looked around; it was a lab, no different from the ones upstairs. He tried not to look bored.
"What is this?" Vangelica asked.
"This is where we've been creating a new cadre of Orderlies. Before, Matignon relied on humans. For what we need, we require soldiers with the skills to engage mutants as well-trained as the X-Men." Carver led the man through a second door to a training room, complete with work-out equipment and a copied version of the Danger Room. There, a dozen men were running drills using computer simulated versions of the X-Men. From behind a thick glass window, a man in a black tactical uniform was overseeing the action.
"This is Sgt. Roy Simms. He's the head of our new Orderly Cadre," Carver said. Sgt. Simms looked away briefly and nodded in acknowledgement. "How are they performing, Sergeant?"
Simms smiled. It was not a pleasant sight. "Much better than expected. Their modifications are working splendidly."
Vengelica frowned. "What do you mean?"
Carver nodded. "Each member of the Cadre has been modified with mutant DNA. Some have been fitted with both physical and cybernetic parts to boost their genetic enhancements."
"Physical enhancements?" Vangelica asked, although he suspected the truth.
"We obtained mutant body parts from...donors," Carver replied, grinning. He'd purchased the requested 'parts' from a black-market supplier of mutant bodies. Vangelica had heard rumors of such suppliers, and he suppressed a shudder. Ever since the destruction of the Society's genetics facility in Colorado, Vangelica had begun to question the idea of mutant slavery. The only reason he was involved in Carver's plan was his dedication to creating a more perfect version of homo superior, part of his personal agenda, one that Carver had no idea of.
"We've got a dozen modified Orderlies so far," Sgt. Simms explained. "Each with their own specialty."
"Are they ready to begin Phase One?" Carver asked.
Simms smiled again. "Ready on your say-so, Director. We've been drilling for the capture of Subject One."
"That would be Kapukoa - Danny Makakoa, the shapeshifter," Carver explained. "He should be fairly simple to bring in, as he's new to the X-Men, and his primary role isn't as one of their soldiers. He's just their medic." Carver waved his hand, dismissive.
Simms cleared his throat. "I wouldn't underestimate him, Director. Kapukoa can take the form and power of any animal. He's quite formidable."
"No match for our Orderlies," Carver snapped. "You have your orders, Sergeant. I want him here at Apex by tomorrow."
"Yes Sir," Simms said, giving a smart salute. He pressed a button on the danger room intercom. "All right, that's enough for today. Orderlies One, Four, and Twelve, suit up for a mission. Real world, not a drill." He looked back at Carver. "The mutie will be delivered tonight, Director."
Carver puffed out his chest. "Very good, Sergeant."
Empire State University, School of Medicine
Danny Makakoa turned up the collar of his coat as he stepped out into the dark and cold night. He'd just finished with his class on tactical emergency casualty care, part of his ongoing education as a Physician's Assistant. He'd chosen this course in particular because of his work with the X-Men. As the head of the Xavier School's on-site clinic, most of the patients he saw were for minor injuries and routine illnesses. But because of the dangerous lives the X-Men led, it wasn't unusual for them to present with some pretty serious injuries. True, he had the healer, Amadeo, to assist, but he wasn't willing to rely on him. Better to be trained to treat traumatic injuries the old fashioned way.
He took a shortcut passed the Quad to where his car was parked. A Native Hawaiian, Danny was tall, almost six and half feet, forcing him to duck under some of the branches of the trees that lined the pathway. As he rounded a corner, he heard the crack of a branch underfoot, just off the path. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and a rush of adrenaline flooded his body.
His animal sixth-sense kicked in, and he jerked sideways, narrowly missing something that had been shot at him. It pierced the grass near his feet. He immediately recognized it as a tranquilizer dart, the kind used to sedate wildlife.
"Son of a bitch!" Danny growled as four black-clad men moved out of the shadows. He immediately transformed into a cheetah, instinctively understanding that speed was his best defense, as he wasn't trained in close quarter combat. Unfortunately for him, he didn't get very far. The second dart hit its mark, plunging into his neck. Danny ran for several more yards before he collapsed, reverting back to his human form. He groaned heavily as the men surrounded him.
"That was way too easy," one of the Orderlies said, kicking Danny. He squatted down beside the shapeshifter and wound his hand in his thick black hair, dragging his head up off the ground. Danny struggled to focus on him as the ketamine took effect. "Figured you'd put up more of a fight, mutie scum."
Danny gathered the last of his strength, and just as he was slipping into unconsciousness, he spit in the man's face. The last thing he remembered was the butt of a rifle as it came crashing down on his head. Then, nothing.
Apex Genetics - Department of Special Operations
Consciousness returned slowly to Danny. The first thing he noticed was how bad his head hurt. Next was how terribly thirsty he was. Then, most frightening of all, the realization that he couldn't move his arms or legs. He opened his eyes, squinting against the bright fluorescent overhead lights and took in his surroundings.
He was in some sort of medical exam room, lying on a hospital bed, wearing only a pair of surgical scrub bottoms, his wrists and ankles secured with heavy restraints. There was something around his neck, a collar of some kind. When he couldn't shift to one of his animal forms, he realized it was some sort of device that cancelled out his mutant power, similar to the Genoshan slave-collars he'd read about.
"Hello?" Danny croaked. His mouth was bone-dry, and he was desperately thirsty. "Is anyone there?"
The door to his room opened, and a man in a white coat entered. He looked at Danny with a combination of concern and wariness.
"Ah, you're awake, Mr. Makakoa. How are you feeling?"
Danny bared his teeth at the man. "How the fuck do you think I feel? I've been tranked, kidnapped and being held prisoner." He gave a hard yank on one of his wrist restraints. "Who the hell are you?"
The man cleared his throat. "My name is Dr. Vangelica. I'm the chief geneticist for the Society."
Danny felt his heart freeze. He recognized the name, and was stunned that he was still alive. It was thought that he'd perished in the explosion at the Colorado facility. Vengelica poured some water into a plastic cup, and held it to Danny's lips.
"Drink. I know the ketamine has left you dehydrated."
Reluctantly, Danny did as he was told, draining the cup. Vangelica refilled it, and waited patiently while Danny drank it, too.
"Better?" Vangelica asked, pleasant and mild. He sounded like any Doctor talking to a patient. His demeanor only served to piss Danny off even more.
"Why am I here?" Danny asked, trying to keep his voice level and calm, not betray the fear he felt at being held captive by the Society.
Vangelica gave him a sympathetic smile. "I think you know why."
"No, I don't," Danny shot back, angry now.
Vangelica patted him on the leg. "Don't be frightened. All we need is your DNA. We're not going to hurt you. Once the procedure is completed, you'll be returned to your school."
"Don't treat me like I'm stupid," Danny hissed. "There's no way I'm ever getting out of here, and you know it. Whatever it is you're doing, letting me go would endanger it. I'm a liability to you alive."
Vangelica winced. Danny was right; Carver had ordered the mutant be "euthanized" as soon as his DNA had been collected. Vangelica had argued against it, saying it was easy to wipe Danny's memory of the event, of any knowledge of Apex or Project Rebirth. For a fleeting moment, he considered helping Danny escape, but quickly dismissed the idea. His project was simply too important to risk just to save one mutant.
"Try to get some rest. A tech will be in shortly to prep you for surgery." Again, Vangelica patted Danny's leg, then left, leaving Danny to contemplate what, exactly, was going to happen to him. His thoughts turned to Miriam, the nurse who worked with him at the school's clinic, and he was filled with regret. Regret for not telling her how he felt about her, for the lost opportunity.
"I'm so sorry, ku'u ipo," he said softly, then, hating himself for it, he wept.
The Xavier School, Office of the Headmaster
"Something's wrong, Kitty," Miriam said as she sat down across the desk from Kitty's desk. Miriam was a Sufi Muslim whose family had fled Iran when she was just an infant. When she'd seen the advertisement for a nurse at the Xavier School, she'd jumped at the chance. Since then, working so closely with Danny, she'd developed more than just a passing fondness for him.
"What do you mean?" Kitty asked, confused. Miriam had burst into her office, obviously upset, blurting out that Danny was missing.
"He never showed up for work this morning. I tried calling his phone, but he didn't answer. He's not at home either. I know he attended class at Empire U. last night, so I went there. His car is still in the parking lot. And I found this along the trail he likes to take by the Quad." Miriam set the dart down on Kitty's desk. "It's a ketamine tranquilizer dart, like the kind used to sedate large animals." She stopped, fighting tears. "I just know he's in trouble!"
Kitty didn't bother to ask how Miriam knew Danny's schedule, or that he liked to walk the path by the Quad. She'd seen the way the two looked at each other. What she was concerned about right now was that one of her people was missing, probably kidnapped. By who, and for what reason, she had no idea. But whoever they were, they knew enough about Danny to be prepared to take him down with an animal tranquilizer. She stood up and walked around her desk, pulling Miriam into a warm hug.
"I know you're scared, Miriam, and I don't blame you, but we have ways of tracking him. I'll have Rachael use Cerebro to find him, okay?"
Miriam wiped her eyes and nodded. "Do you think he's still alive?"
"If whoever took him wanted him dead, they would have killed him on the spot, not tranquilized him. They obviously want him for something," Kitty reassured her.
Miriam shuddered. "But for what?"
Kitty shook her head. She didn't like to think about the reasons why anyone would be interested in Danny. What she didn't tell Miriam was that there'd been a recent string of mutant disappearances, their bodies found dumped outside the city, parts of them missing. The black market trade in mutant organs was once again a thriving business.
"I don't know," Kitty finally said. Miriam shut her eyes and bowed her head; it was obvious she suspected the same thing Kitty did.
"I should have told him," Miriam said softly. She began to cry. Kitty hugged her close again, wishing there was something she could say, knowing that there was nothing to say.