Students moved in cliques through the Institute halls, chatting idle about the things teenagers usually discussed. Bobby Drake was the center of attention, as per usual. Once upon a time Alex would have been envious. Not necessarily of the attention, but for the comparative lack of problems. Bobby had no big brother casting a shadow over him at the Xavier Institute. Bobby did not have to worry about his powers going out of control and killing everyone around him. For just a moment, Alex wished his high school experience had been so easy. The problems that came with Bobby's girlfriend, Rogue, seemed so insignificant. So what if they could not touch?

The geology textbook on the coffee table called Alex's attention. He had discovered a passion for the subject in his private studies at the Institute. The life of Bobby Drake had no bearing on the fossilization process, so Alex decided to accept that he lacked perspective on the teen's problems and turned back to the current chapter. He only made it halfway through when there was a whisper in the back of his mind.

« "X-Men, report to the War Room." » The War Room was unfortunately an apt name. It was where Professor Xavier called his team when something monumentally bad was about to happen. Usually the events never reached the newspapers, with Liberty Island as a glaring exception.

Alex was off the couch and down the hidden elevator before he realized the textbook was still in his hands. He rolled his eyes and wandered into the War Room. How Scott, Jean, and Storm had arrived first was a bit of a mystery. Hank showed up a few seconds later.

"Good, you're all here," Charles Xavier began. He accessed an interface, and the pedestal in the center of the room activated. Metal filings lifted and dropped to form a scaled model of a military base. "There was a disturbance this morning at a Government facility, somewhere in Southern Indiana. Dr. Valerie Cooper, an acquaintance of Jean's, was able to get us this security footage."

Charles entered a few more commands on the interface. A monitor on the back wall lit up to show a courtyard. Beyond was a twelve-foot chain-linked fence topped with barbwire. Some kind of alarm sounded – the video was mute, so the X-Men did not know what – and soldiers rushed around the corner and inside the base. The fence shook, then twisted beyond recognition and was thrown towards the base by an unseen force. Then they saw a silhouette in the distance and the video turned to static.

"Some kind of electromagnetic interference?" Hank wondered aloud.

Jean turned to the blue-furred doctor. "That's what Val thinks." She motioned to the screen; the footage was not yet over.

The courtyard came back into focus. Several soldiers were grouped around an unconscious woman. They secured her and brought her inside the base. Alex was about to ask the significance of the event when he noticed a shadow on the left side of the screen. Even in the poor resolution of a security camera, he could clearly make out the outline.

"Sentinels," he observed for the group.

"My stars and garters," Hank said with disbelief. "What are Sentinels doing at a Government facility? The MRA is officially listed as a criminal organization." The entire room was stunned into a measure of silence. Even those who had already scene the tape were unwilling to speak the possible ramifications aloud.

"When Val gave me this tape, it was her way of saying that this place isn't sanctioned by the Government," Jean told them. "She couldn't tell us directly, but she clearly wants us to investigate the MRA presence."

"You mean neutralize," Alex corrected. "Finding out what the MRA is up to isn't enough. We have to take out the Sentinels, and make sure the boys in Indiana learn that the MRA is bad news. I say we take the Blackbird and get ready for a fight."

Scott scowled at his brother. "Fighting isn't always the answer. We need more information before we can make any kind of decision about –"

"Fine, you fish for information. Then we can just sit on our thumbs all day and wait for the sky to turn green and the grass pink."

Professor Xavier cut in before the brotherly debate could continue. If it could be called a debate. "In this situation, Scott is correct. If you attack blindly, you might be walking into a trap. However, we must act quickly. The woman in the video was clearly a Mutant. It is our responsibility to find out why she was there and what happened to her." Everyone in the room saw the wisdom in his logic. Scott had turned smug, and Alex looked like he wanted to tear his brother a new one.

"All of us will travel to Indiana," the Professor continued. "I will use my telepathy to cloud the minds of the guards to allow you unhindered entrance. Your objectives are to find out what makes the facility so important to the Mutant Registration Agency, and to rescue that girl."

The final plan was on Alex readily accepted. It less risky than a frontal assault, and they could expect to fight their way out. Scott reviewed group tactics before the briefing was finished, but Alex paid no attention. His brother was only talking to hear his own voice.