The early-morning silence of Jack's quarters was shattered by a ringing telephone. It was old, using a real bell rather than a synthesized electronic tone.

Jack grumbled angrily and slowly lifted himself up out of bed. For once in more than a week, he was having a good night's sleep. This night was not riddled with nightmares as previous nights were, but now his restful slumber was stolen from him.

He groggily walked across the dark room to the desk on which the telephone was sitting. His eyes were barely opened, and he was not trying to enhance his vision in any way, but he could unintentionally sense any obstacles in his path.

"Hello?" he asked, barely aware that he'd even answered the phone. A deep-voiced man spoke to him for a while. Slowly, his sleepwalking state became one of awareness and liveliness. "Okay, I'll meet you there," he affirmed, now completely awake.

He hung up the phone and immediately dressed. He wished he had time to bathe; he was too tired to do so the night before. But the tone of Avery's voice was very urgent and somewhat demanding. Jack knew he should respond as soon as possible.

Jack met Avery outside of Mister Altman's third-floor office. The dark-skinned gentleman seemed somewhat angry that Jack wasn't present in a matter of seconds.

"Come on," Avery commanded. "Everyone's waiting for you."

They entered the office, where several people were sitting at attention, facing Altman. Paula and Ray were both present, sitting closest to the old gentleman. Warren Chase sat next to them. Quincy Thurman and the twin sisters known as "Derecha" and "Izquierda" sat in the second row of seats. Behind them sat Frank Overby and Craig Ashford, while Johnny Johnson stood away from the others, leaning against a bookshelf.

"So glad you could make it, Mister McGregor," said Altman. He gestured to a chair. "Won't you have a seat?"

Jack did as the man requested, and the he asked, "So, what's going on?"

Altman nodded, sensing both hostility and curiosity in Jack's voice. "Sorry to call you here at this hour, but we're about to undertake in something very important and are short one man."

Avery stood beside Altman, and said quickly and very matter-of-factly, "Mister McGregor, the Altman Institute for a Better Tomorrow is not just a school and charity house. It is also a training center and headquarters for an elite paramilitary task force. This task force works to liberate mutants and non-mutants living under harsh, repressive conditions. You have been chosen to join this task force. Would you like to join?"

Jack was somewhat surprised, but somehow knew that Altman had been hiding some secret from him.

"What is your decision, Mister McGregor? Would you like to join or not?"

Jack looked Avery in the eyes, grinning slyly. He tapped his head with a finger, and referring to Avery's mind-reading abilities and his power to affect people's memories, he said, "I suppose if I denied your request, you'd use your crazy voodoo to make me forget you asked me this, won't you Avery?"

Avery didn't answer, but the look in his eyes answered Jack's question.

Jack thought silently for a while. He was unsure if joining a group of action junkies was wise, but he desperately needed to get out of this house once in a while. He smirked at Altman. "Sure, why not?"

"Very good," smiled Altman.

Everyone stood, and Avery removed a small black remote control from his pocket. He pressed a button on the device, and one of the bookcases along the wall swung out to reveal a large metal door behind it. Avery entered a rather long code into a control panel next to the door, causing the door to open. Everyone stepped into a large elevator, even Jack, who was somewhat reluctant.

The lift traveled down its shaft at a slow pace. One minute later, it stopped, and its doors opened. Jack was totally amazed at what he saw.

Before him was a cavernous white room. It was stuffed full of computer consoles and television monitors, as well as other machinery and technology that Jack didn't even know existed. Three hallways branched off from this main room, each leading to laboratories, armories, and training rooms.

Jack smiled, stating breathlessly, "Very good, indeed."

Altman lifted a hand, gesturing around the room. "Impressive technology, isn't it, Mister McGregor? Just like that MASC that you wear. You know, my company developed the technology that gave birth to your wondrous accessory. But, that isn't important right now." He turned to Avery. "Why don't you explain what is important?"

Avery approached a large table, and everyone followed. He pressed a button on a console, and the table glowed, projecting a holographic building in the air.

"Three days ago, one of our agents in Denver was captured while trying to free a mutant being experimented on by a pharmaceutical company known as NeoDrug. He was expected dead, but we received a short communiqué from him less than an hour ago.

"In this message, he explained that he'd been ambushed. The security agents in the building knew he was coming. We're not sure how they knew this, but they did.

"His transmission was cut short and we haven't received any more word from him. We expect that he somehow escaped his holding area, and found a telephone or some other communication device, before being recaptured.

"Intel analysts have performed very detailed satellite scans of the building, and believe that our agent is being held on the seventh floor, in a high-security area.

"This is a search and rescue mission, and an information gathering raid, and will consist of two teams, Alpha and Bravo. Alpha will be comprised of Ashford, Chase, Derecha, and Thurman. Bravo will be comprised of Brody, Izquierda, Johnson, and McGregor. Overby will be driving Alpha team's insertion and extraction vehicle, while Mrs. Brody and I will pilot Bravo team's insertion and extraction helicopter.

"Alpha team, led by Mister Ashford, will enter the building from the ground floor and create a diversion. Simultaneously, Bravo team, led by Mister Brody, will enter from the roof, climb down an elevator shaft, and enter level eight. They will proceed undetected to Mission Point One, a ventilation shaft, which ends up in a security control room on level seven. This control room is very close to the area in which our agent is being held.

"Bravo team will disable security and proceed to the holding area. It is believed that the area in which our man is being held is the main experimentation area, so after extracting our agent, Bravo team will search for any mutant experiment subjects, remove any hardcopy files pertaining to mutant experimentation, plant EM charges to erase any computer data, and return to the roof via the emergency stairway located across the hall from the security control room. Alpha team will evacuate through a back alley, while Bravo team will be airlifted out.

"Bravo team, be sure not to alert security to your presence. The element of surprise is your greatest ally. And expect the unexpected. Any questions?"


The helicopter flight from Altman's mansion to the outskirts of Denver was rather short, only forty-five minutes, but Jack was somewhat bored and rather nervous. The large black vehicle had no windows except for those in the cockpit, and he felt somewhat claustrophobic, like a caged animal. Adding to his insecurity, he was having second thoughts about the wisdom of joining this team, and was unsure about the outcome of his first mission.

Ray noticed Jack's nervousness and decided to try to ease it by distracting him. He spent one third of the trip helping Jack memorize the team members' code names, as well as giving him some background information on each of them.

Ray was "Sarge," a nickname he'd picked up in the Marines, and Paula was "Goddess," which was derived from her healing powers. The twin sisters Derecha and Izquierda, who shared a strong telepathic link, went by their own names, as did Avery. Quincy Thurman, a mutant with superhuman athletic ability and an uncanny sense of balance, was "Acros" and Warren Chase, who possessed irrepressible mental powers, including an expansive memory and highly developed mathematical skills, was "Lost Cause." Frank Overby was "Sniper," as he had served as a sniper in the Marine Corps, and his young friend Johnny Johnson, Altman's adopted son who could produce small star-like orbs at his fingertips, was known as "Sol." Lastly, Craig Ashford, who was a retired Marine like Brody and Overby, simply went by "Ford."

"And we're going to call you 'Primal,'" Ray said, grinning at Jack.

"Primal. I like it."

The helicopter jolted softly as it touched down on the deserted road. The rear cargo door opened, and Thurman quickly drove the van carrying Alpha team out of the rear of the helicopter. As soon as the van was clear, the helicopter's cargo door closed, and the aircraft ascended.

"Going dark," Paula said over the vehicle's intercom system. The cargo area in which Bravo team was waiting temporarily went black, and then was dimly lit in green.

"That means that we're going to stealth mode," said Ray.

Jack nodded and crossed his arms nervously. He rubbed a hand against his bicep. It felt strange. He wasn't used to wearing anything like the black uniform he was in. He was used to his red button-up shirt and loose black overcoat. Instead, he was in a black skin-tight shirt and black gloves. His bottom half was clad in black cargo pants and tight combat boots.

His outfit, of course was not real, but rather projected by his MASC. Avery had modified it to emit not only Jack's normal clothing, but also the black tactical uniform worn by the rest of the task force. Jack knew it was not real, but his senses told him otherwise. It felt like real fabric. It held his body heat like real clothing. It felt odd, like he was in someone else's garments.

"Almost there," stated Ray. Jack looked at him.

He was wearing a uniform identical to Jack's, as well as a black tactical vest. In his lap was a silenced MP-5 sub-machinegun, identical to those carried by all of the non-mutant team members. Thurman, Derecha, and Izquierda, all mutants, opted to carry the weapons, too, while Johnson and Jack were going in unarmed, relying on their mutant powers instead. Paula and Avery, too, were unarmed, but would not be likely to see any action like the others.

A red light glowed to life on the bulkhead beside Jack. Ray looked up at it, and then gave his team a thumbs-up sign. They all responded by putting black ski masks on. Jack, who wouldn't be wearing one, simply closed his eyes and projected a mask in his mind, and one instantly appeared around his head.

The group stood facing the closed cargo door in a single-file line, Johnson in front, followed by Izquierda, then Ray, and lastly, Jack. They were all ready for action. The cargo door opened, and they all quickly exited onto the roof of the building they were about to raid.

The team quickly entered a small maintenance hatch located on the side of the elevator shaft, and they climbed down a small ladder inside. The descent to the eighth floor was short.

Ray held a small electronic device in his hand, pointing it at the closed metal doors. The device chirped quietly, but only once. "I'm not reading any cameras or any other security devices nearby," Ray whispered. "Izquierda, are they ready?"

Izquierda closed her eyes, probing her mind. At the same time, she was probing her sister's mind, and she quickly found the answer to Ray's question. "Yes," she responded in a thick Spanish accent.

"Are you sure?" asked Johnson.

"Of course I'm sure, you idiot. I'm a telepath!"

"Calm down, Izzy," whispered Ray. "Tell them that we're good to go."

"They already know."

"Good. Let's move, people." Ray reached into a pocket on his vest and removed a T-shaped device, part of which he slipped into the seam between the two metal elevator doors. He pressed a button, and the device slowly opened the doors. Ray was then able to make the opening wider with his own hands.

The team quickly exited the elevator shaft, entering the main area of the eighth floor. No one was on this level; it was used mainly for storage. Bravo team easily found the room that they were looking for, and slipped inside.

Before them was a tall metal blower, to which was connected a long ventilation shaft. They were supposed to get inside the shaft and make their way to the security station on the floor below, but there was no apparent way to enter the boxy metal duct.

"Sol, make an opening," ordered Ray.

"Yes, Sarge." Johnson stepped toward their intended route to the lower floor, removing his gloves. A small orb possessing the heat and brightness of a tiny star formed at his fingertips. The ball of energy moved toward the duct and melted away an opening just large enough for a human being to fit through. Johnson closed his hands into tight fists, and the orb disappeared.

Ray stepped forward, removing a small spray can from his vest. He pointed its nozzle at the hot glowing metal, and sprayed its contents out. A fine liquid mist flew out, cooling the untouchably hot metal.

Jack was amazed at Sol's and Sarge's resourcefulness. These people were prepared for anything. His confidence in the team grew, but he was still considerably nervous.

Johnson climbed into the shaft and carefully lowered himself without making any noise. By the time that Ray followed him in, Johnson was already making his way toward his objective, moving about through the eighth level's floor, and the seventh floor's ceiling.

Izquierda and Jack entered the duct and followed the two men. They soon reached their destination.

Johnson looked down trough a vent, and then looked back at Sarge. He gave Ray a thumbs-up sign. Ray nodded to him, and Johnson opened his hand, creating another orb, this one much dimmer than the previous one. The orb exploded, blowing the vent out, and Johnson quickly lowered himself into the room. Before the security officer seated at a console of video screens even knew what was going on, Sol wrapped an arm around the man's neck and rendered him unconscious.

The rest of the team jumped out of the vent, each examining Sol's handiwork.

"Nice job," said Ray. "I hope no one heard that little explosion, though."

"Don't worry, Sarge." Johnson seemed somewhat annoyed by Ray's comment.

The team examined the video screens on the console. Ray pointed to one. "There's our guy." He pointed to another screen, which showed a long hallway with two guards posted near a large doorway. "That's the hallway just outside of this room. We need to disable those guards, then gain access to that door."

"How we gonna do that, Sarge?" asked Izquierda.

Examining the screen closely, Ray noticed a small vent on the wall of the hallway. He looked up at the wall of the room in which Bravo team was standing, and found an identical vent. He pointed to it, saying, "That's how. Primal, can you do it?"

Jack looked up at the vent. It was much smaller than the one they'd just been in, but if anyone could crawl through such a tight space, he could. "Just give me a screwdriver."

Ray handed him the tool he asked for, and Jack transformed himself into a small monkey. He quickly scurried up the security console and began removing the screws holding the vent cover in place.

"Jack, take this." Ray handed him the spray can that he'd previously used to cool the melted ventilation shaft. "Since you can't unscrew it from the inside, freeze the vent and break through."

Jack took the canister and quickly climbed into the vent.

The rest of the team watched the monitor that showed the hallway. A small white cloud came through the vent behind the guards, and a second later, a small, but very strong hand punched through the frozen metal. Jack, still in the form of a monkey, jumped out into the hallway.

The two guards had heard the shattering metal, and when they turned to investigate, they were surprised to find that a small primate had somehow appeared behind them. One of the men tilted his head in surprise, then stepped back a bit as the monkey turned into a black-clad human figure.

Jack quickly reached for the two guards, grabbing their heads and bashing them together. The men fell into an unconscious mass in the floor. Jack looked up at the camera, flashing it a thumbs-up sign.

A door down the hall from Jack opened, and out stepped his teammates. They silently approached him, and Sol removed an access card from one of the guards' pockets. He ran it through the reader by the door.

Jack turned to Ray, saying quietly, "That was too easy. There's something wrong."

"You're just nervous, Jack," replied Ray.

The four commandos walked through the doorway, entering a large laboratory. Across the room were three small cells, two of which held prisoners.

"Primal, Sol, you two free those prisoners. Izquierda and I will search for files and plant EM charges," ordered Sarge.

Jack and Johnson approached one of the cells. Johnson melted its lock with another one of his orbs, and the two entered the cage. Only feet away, sat a man in a straightjacket, a look of senselessness on his face.

"Don't worry, Zeno," Sol said to the man. He knew him to be the captured agent they were sent to free. "We're here for ya."

A feeling of dread swallowed Jack as Johnson began to unfasten Zeno's straightjacket. His instincts were telling him this man was dangerous, and should not be freed. "Sol, no, don't!"

But it was too late. The restraining straightjacket fell off of Zeno, revealing that he was holding a gun in each hand. Smiling, he pointed them at Jack, and squeezed their triggers.