Washington D.C. A lonely apartment:

She stood alone in her apartment, reading the opening chapter of a book written by a man whom she, or at least her template body, had learned much from. You see... the beautiful woman with the emerald green pools of vision, the pouty lips, and long wavy red hair wasn't born. She was a creation of science. A clone. A test tube genetic duplicate of a woman she'd hated for years.

Her name was Madelyne Pryor, a former X-Man that had once posed as the woman she was built to replace; Jean Elaine Grey, the mutant known as Phoenix. She herself had been created by a mad scientist named Nathanial Essex, or Sinister, so that he could manipulate the blood line of the X-Men's infamous Cyclops, Scott Summers. He wanted to create the ultimate weapon to destroy his own creator, so to speak, an ancient mutant named En Sabah Nur, Apocalypse."

Madeline had been manipulated by both these men on many occasions, and had lived, died, and been given life again by the two, as well as an alternate dimension duplicate of her own son. Which she had given bith with the unwitting lover of her template, Scott Summers. The alternate world version of her son however was born from the genes of her template, and the literally one eyed Cyclops of an alternate dimension.

Manipulated by the same man, Nathaniel Essex, Mr. Sinister, but the boy had been stronger then Sinister could ever no. That boy had survived the destruction of his own dimension and come here, where he gave life to Madelyne in the form of a new body born of living telekinetic energy.

She had manipulated the boy and eventually turned on him, her mind still some what influenced by her creator, and his before him, as she went about evil ways again. Finally though, thanks to the efforts of her template, the father of her son, and her resurrector, and eleven other mutant warriors out to set the universe right, she was freed of their control.

Now, she, like her template, believed in the dream Professor Charles Francis Xavier had begun. The dream of human mutant peace. She believed in it so much, that she had joined forces with a man who's face she never saw, Who's real voice she had never heard, and now, they were to meet to prepare their soldiers for a war that was brewing. A war between those who believed in human mutant coexistence, and those who fought against it, whether human or mutant themselves.

As she stood, the woman named Madelyne Pryor eyed a picture that sat on her mantle, a picture of herself, and the boy, Nathan Grey, who had revived her, blowing a kiss in its direction, she was soon gone, flying over the skies of the nation's capital.

End Prelude.

San Diego, Scripp's Aeronautical Museum:

A man stood alone on the grassy knoll that lead up to Scripp's Aeronautics Museum in San Diego, speaking in to a tape recorder he held in his hand. This man was an old soldier, a veteran of a war which he had recently decided he'd been fighting on the wrong side of for a long time. A war that had brought too many casualties on humanity, and mutanity, for him to stand aside and ignore any longer. He had seen mutants massacred, he had seen humans tortured, he had seen genetic experimentation, he had seen execution, he had seen many things, and done many other, but now, it would end.

"I have called Madelyne and asked her to fly and meet me at Scripp's Aeronautics, from here we are going to meet the first three recruits. I still can't tell them who I am, and I still can't say why I've accepted the position as head of the HMRD, but when the time comes, I'll be ready," he said, when from over head he could hear the oncoming sound of a figure cutting through air. As it was much to close and much to loud to be a bird, he smiled, knowing that it was his second in command at the HMRD, and the head of the Soldier-X project, Madelyne Pryor.

"Hello, Director H," the red head said to the man standing in front of her as her long straightened red locks wave to and fro in her wake as she walked. The man was dressed in a black suit, and wore a tan trench coat that hung to his ankles, his face was shaded by a shroud of shade from the oak tree he leaned upon.

He smiled, that much she could see upon his face as he gestured for her to stop, he was wearing a helmet that hid his face from view with a black plate starting above his upper mouth. Leaving it visible, it was based upon an old piece of technology developed by Magneto. The helmet was keeping her mutant gift to read the minds of others at bay, which was not surprising, as the man had always had mutant inhibiting equipment at his office when they met previously.

His name she didn't know, and he kept it that way, his face she never saw, and that too was always the same. He had either hidden in shadow, or worn a hood or shroud of some sort on each of their previous meetings.

He lifted his hand in front of himself and gestured toward the helicopter that was coming to a halt behind her, by about fifty feet. As she turned to watch the rapidly spinning blades she saw four men in black suits, similar to the other man's, step from the air craft.

The men approached them one carrying a black portable computer with a large red X emblazoned on its top, coming toward her, hand extended in greeting. "Captain Pryor," said the deep voiced gentleman with the computer, as she extended her own hand in return, her amber colored hair catching the updraft from the helicopter's propeller and flying all about.

Shaking her hand the gentleman then offered forward the computer he held in his other palm, placing it directly in front of her chest. Taking the device from the gentleman she hit the release switch on the side to allow the lap top monitor to pop to its open position. Her eyes then scanned the six files that appeared on screen.

She then looked up to see that the gentleman who had called her here to meet him had climbed in to the helicopter, and with his electronically disguised voice he called her name. "Madelyne, hurry, we only have 25 minutes before the meeting," she barely heard over the roar of the helicopter engine, and as the other gentleman stepped aside she rushed to the chopper herself.

Climbing in to the passenger's section of the craft she was followed by the four men in black suits, reading each of their mind's in turn as they climbed in after her they were giving off waves of fear. You see, she was a telepathic and telekinetic power of the highest order, and also a mutant, both of which would not have worried these men in the least if she was let us say, Jean Grey. However she was not, she was Madelyne Pryor, a clone of the aforementioned Ms. Grey who was created to destroy the X-Men. She has been an enemy of the men who now joined her in this helicopter on many an occasion, as well as an enemy of the rest of the world.

The one nearest the door was thinking whether he should place his hand on the gun he hid in his right pants pocket, just in case she pulled anything funny. Pathetic really, she thought, as these men who surrounded her were smiling to her face, and plotting her murder in the case of the event that she may attack them.

Yes, it was not the first time that she had met these gentleman, nor would it be the last. The two sitting to her left were Calvin Manning, and Brian Harris. Across from her sat Daniel Papovich, and Larry Tenku, the four men, two of British decent, one Russian, and the fourth Japanese, were all assigned to this operation do to one simple fact: they could kill with the best in the business.

They were all National Security Agency representatives, who worked as assistants to her mysterious employer, and her own subordinates in the Human-Mutant Relations Division of the NSA. However they were also around to keep her in line. This special task force was responsible for not only insuring that mutant freedom and rights be upheld; but that terrorist threats to human mutant relations were dealt with using extreme prejudice. They wouldn't let even one of their own jeopardize that.

It was for this cause that her employer, and herself were found in their odd present circumstances, she a former mutant criminal. The gentleman sitting directly to her right, a mysterious government agent who was the spear head of the HMRD; side, by side.

She couldn't tell what the man to her right was thinking. She wasn't aware that he too was pondering the events that had lead to his and her own current situation. Though she had a few hunches of her own.

She returned her eyes to the computer screen on her lap. Which she had finally been able to steady from the lessening turbulence once they'd reached higher altitudes. She opened the first of the six files, each of which was marked with an identification number of some sort, and a special code name. The one she had opened was code named "Mind Games."

Now she had seen this file before, only a few short weeks ago, in the offices of her employer, Director H. The man in the helmet to her right, he hadn't worn it then, but his face had been hidden. That and his NSA head quarters was equipped with mutant power dampeners, as she'd been recalling earlier. The file read as follows, regarding a victim of recent mutant slave labor trade in the United States and many other nations world wide.

Name: Maria Villanueva Alias: Enigma(Chosen after her recruition)
Height: 5 feet, 2 inches
Weight: 115 pounds
Age: 17 presently Birth Date: October 5th, 1986
Hair: Black, streaked Burgundy using Dye(Noted since her rescue from the Slave Labor camps in New Jersey)
Eyes: Hazel
Present Situation: Recruited, ready to begin training
Present Location: Soldier-X Head Quarters, Charles Francis Xavier Memorial Complex off the shore of San Diego, moved from safe house in Washington D.C.
Nationality: Phillipino
Mutation: The X-Factor carried in this girl's genetic structure has not finished its development, but at its current capacity has exhibited the ability to grant her telepathic powers of communication, the ability to cause mental suggestions in others, the ability to read minds, as well as the capability to knock someone unconscious by thought. She is also capable of some feats of telkinesis, allowing her to move objects with her mind with proper concentration, has on one occasion of extreme stress exhibited the ability to lift her self and others, while in tandem, ripping the head from the shoulders of a Sentinel robot, modified from the second generation designs of Sebastian Shaw, however since then she has not been able to repeat these feats.
Known History:
The girl has personally accounted much of her past life which our studies have gathered, she did indeed first gain her powers four years ago during an attempted rape which was noted in the Manila Police Department's case files. Apparently causing a telepathic burst to put all three gang members attacking her in a coma before they had their way with her, she escaped to call the police, and was returned to her father, whom she has confirmed disowned her and threw her out on the streets where she learned to survive using her telepathy as an effective beggar. She has since then been kidnapped and forced to work for almost seven months as a slave labor captive by a group of Mauler's who's leader escaped our raid on their head quarters on April 28th, 2003. Since then she has been staying in the custody of S.H.I.E.L.D. and readily agreed to join our task force so that she could learn to better control her telepathic and telekinetic gifts which have recently begun to fluctuate.

Her eyes passed away from the file momentarily to look toward the man to her right. His own face staring blankly off in to space until he heard her voice, and turned to look at her with a nod of acknowledgment.

"The girl is of course aware that should she wish to leave our custody and training she will be imprisoned as such that she can't divulge the operation's secrets?" Madelyne asked, looking to the man she knew only as Director H, who sat listening closely to her speech at the right.

"Yes," said his electronic ringing tone once more, as he pointed toward the screen. "Ms. Villanueva has decided that she wishes to remain with our operation until she is no longer needed. Or we disband the program, and has accepted any and all repercussions of that choice." He said, his voice again electronically distorted, but still holding a rather commanding presence.

"Good," Madelyne said, before looking away from the Director and opening another file, this one code named "Living Cerebro." She rose one eye brow as she opened this file with a double click of the scroll button that was equipped on the lap top in place of a mouse. Reading on, she soon came to find out why this was the code name of the particular young man's file.

Name: Erin O'Hare Alias: Vector(Former Black Air code name)
Height: 5 feet, 10 inches
Weight: 175 Pounds
Age: 24 presently Birth Date: May 2nd, 1979
Hair: Black
Eyes: Amber
Present Situation: Recruited, chosen for team leadership position
Present Location: Soldier-X Headquarters, arrived from Dublin, Ireland, 4 months ago
Nationality: Irish
Mutation: Erin's X-Factor allows him a plethora of physical mutations which make him a peak human, increasing his strength, speed, stamina, agility, endurance, and intelligence as well to peak normal levels, not reaching meta human in any areas, accept possibly his strength when under the effects of adrenaline. However the most intriguing ability granted by Erin's(who has requested that the other team members refer to him only by doe name, and that superior officers do the same in the presence of others) X-Factor is the ability to track the electro magnetic signals of a living being's brain waves and nervous system signals, allowing him to see their movement's position, weight, width, height, and density in a type of radar wave that he senses in his mind. He can also tell if someone has a mutanagenic signal emanating from their body, thus being a sort of living Cerebro, although with out the telepathic enhancements that come with it.
Known History:
As a former assassin for Black Air, the British intelligence agency, Erin, or Vector, as they named him do to his radar like ability to track targets, quit working for Black Air when his partner/fiancee was murdered during a surveillance mission. After bringing in the terrorist who ended his fiancee's life he then went in to seclusion, becoming a private tracker and investigator using his powers to assist the wealthy in need of answers. When NSA representatives approached Erin with an offer to grant him leadership of a mutant anti terrorist task force he literally jumped at the chance to stop crimes like the murder of his fiancee to be repeated. Nothing regarding Erin's childhood or how his powers surfaced was available upon our research, however psychological profiling seems to show that he is quite stable.

"Are you sure this man's stable?" I ask, as I look toward H, and then to the other agents who did the field research and recruiting of Erin, and one of the other two recruits who they had already brought in.

"Yes ma'am, he was checked out by a telepathic mutant working for us," said Tenku, before the Director had even looked to the red haired commanding officer of Soldier-X to respond.

"Yes, Agent Tenku is correct, the telepath's probes went in to his mind deeper then she would tell us, as is proper with patient, psychiatrist confidentiality," the man said, looking to Madelyne as he gave her a stern look which was evident on what little bit of his face that was visible. "Which you shall practice with our recruits I hope, and the doctor did however clear the man for a field command position. With his training as an assassin by a reputable agency like Black Air, who have made some of the best in the business, he should be a great asset on the field. Regardless of his past actions after his fiancee's death, I do not believe he will go rogue again, with the offer we have given him."

That was enough for the telepathic woman, his voice, distorted by the electron scrambling field in his helmet's jaw piece so that she could still not guess at his identity was enough. For some reason she trusted this man who sat next to her. Regardless of whether or not she could see his face, though if she knew who he was, and what he had done in his past, she might not. However she might still have, considering her own past. With the next file she opened she scanned over it very quickly, having read the title "Lighting Foot" as its code name.

Name: Kevin Malik Alias: Velocity(From previous experience as a freelance "super hero" in his home country)
Ht: 5 feet, 8 inches
Weight: 145 pounds
Age: 17 on date of next birthday Birth Date: June 14th, 1986
Hair: Bald(Black when not shaved, end note)
Eyes: Brown
Present Situation: Recruited, ready to begin training
Present Location: Soldier-X Headquarters, Arrived two days ago from Cairo, Egypt
Nationality: Egyptian
Mutation: The X-gene residing in Malik's blood causes his body, mind, and reflexes, to work at many times the speed of a normal human being. He is incredibly fast, having been clocked at mach 2.3 in training simulations in only the last twenty four hours, under the watch of Vector. And his abilities also allow him to think at super speeds, processing information incredibly fast, he can learn at alarming rates, as well as react in equally fast speeds. His power as well spreads to his very atomic structure, allowing him to speed or slow his body's molecules to increase his density to metahuman levels, which however slows his speed to a normal humans, or phase in to a gas like density, which allows him to pass right through solid objects, however he can not move his gas form at super speeds, as he is not able to hold the form together when he does so. It is not yet known if he can further the effects of his field of density control.
Known History:
An Egyptian national hero since the age of 10, the teenager was once held captive along with his entire family, and many other diplomats and politicians, at an American Embassy in Egypt. His grand father who had been negotiating Peace talks between the nations of Palestine, and Israel, along with an American moderator, were all targeted for assassination by Palestinian terrorists who wished the war to continue. The bomb carrying terrorists had locked the negotiators and all other people with in the building in the conference room and set proximity bombs around it while holding them hostage. The boy panicked while backing in to a wall during the siege and fell through it, then unknowingly running at super human speeds to retrieve the military police force from their head quarters in town. As the Police arrived and disarmed the bombs the boy was named a hero, and has since mastered his ability to travel at super speed, and is still learning to control his phasing density.

"Interesting, with speed and abilities such as that this boy can be very helpful in the future with espionage. Are you sure we should use him in Soldier-X, and not speak to Forge about this?" Madelyne requested, this time raising a hand to stop the four agents from intervening in their conversation, causing Papovich to sneer.

"Yes, I am most positive," the Director said, as he gestured down toward the ground below them, as the helicopter hovered over head above the faux island head quarters of Soldier-X. "We're arriving, you can inspect the other profiles later," he said in his commanding tone. Looking over the four agents before him as he considered what she had said. He didn't like the way S.H.I.E.L.D. operated. As he was sure his four agents would agree, they would never give up a recruit to that organization.

10 minute prior, 49 miles from the Helicopter, and nearing:

"They're coming," said the voice of a some what tall young man, with black hair, and bright amber oculars. The only other people standing on the deck of the old S.H.I.E.L.D. field operations base of the coast of San Diego, looking up toward him.

The young man had climbed a tree and was watching the oncoming vehicle in the sky. Dressed in a sleeveless black leather jump suit that conformed semi-tightly to his body, the suit was rather simple in design. With cargo pockets adorning the shoulders, ribs, and hips, as well as small metal cases strapped to the belt he wore around his waist. The suit was obviously built for survival purposes. The five foot ten figure of the twenty two year old was supported nimbly by one branch, a feet not possible for most humans of his build, which was considerably muscular for the height.

"Can you see what they're wearing mister super vision?" teased a young man who sat at the bottom of the tree, looking around at the island scape that was supposedly a man made island to the world out side. Though the young man knew the truth, it was actually a metal dome that extended from atop massive pillars that reached the ocean shelf floor far below. Which then rose to just below the surface. Yes there was artificially create rock all around the bottom of the construct, but the dome itself was the important part of the feat of construction.

Designed in tandem by architects, scientists, and military engineers, the building below the sands and rock was a marvel of technology, both for practical, and military purposes. Designed as a former base for the government's chief espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D.. The dome like structure was now the head quarters of the Human-Mutant Relations Division(of the NSA)'s special task force "SOLDIER-X."

The base had recently been upgraded to include a special training center using technology designed around gravitational light construction, similar to the X-Men's danger room. The training facility could mimic any existing environment on earth, and a few off it, as it had been created for the simple purpose of teaching the mutant occupants of this base how to control their powers.

The seventeen year old Egyptian youth who had been sitting in the sand by the large tree was startled to his feet. Suddenly, as his team mate, whom he at this time had only known as Vector, back flipped down form his perch in the tree. The man in the leather jump suit offered a hand down to the boy, and hefted him all the way up, as he was still sitting on the back of his feet, and straightened him out, the helicopter descending toward the sand.

The other figure who was with them, a girl, with tan skin, and medium length black hair which waved ever so slightly along its tresses, streaked burgundy by dye, off setting the tannish yellow color of her hazel eyes, had finally come waltzing forward herself. She had been standing off to one side concentration her own mind on something far away, her father, a man she had not seen in nearly five years. "What's going on now?" She asked, having just come out of a telepathic trance that took much of her physical strength to enter, and even more to escape from, once she had found her father's mind.

"Seems like they're finally here, our new employers," Vector said, pointing up toward the helicopter that was now hovering above the three of them.

The girl, and boy, also dressed in leather uniforms, although not both identical to their companion's, looked up as well, all three lifting a hand to shield their eyes from the sand. The dark skinned Egyptian wearing a baby blue costume leather vest, which was tightly fit to his muscularly tone frame, and designed with a white X print upon the center of the chest that passed over it and down his arms along his darker blue sleeves, and did the same along his legs, had a goofy smile upon his face. "I hope our boss is a hot chick," he said with a grin, looking over to the girl with a teasing sort of glare, though she wasn't ugly at all, she simply had an attitude about her that rubbed allot of people off.

As she too looked toward the skies she concentrated on the minds of those inside, finding five distinct personalities. Only searching the minds of those she hadn't met yet, as the two NSA agents piloting the vessel had been the ones to drop her off three days earlier.

However the girl came to an odd void of telepathic communication when she attempted to concentrate on this sixth figure, whom she could see through the mind of one of the other five was wearing a helmet, and then she heard a voice in her head. ~"His mind can not be read, you will find that some have ways of making your powers useless."~ the voice said, its tone causing the girl to smile, so a woman was amongst them.

Madelyne stood now, kneeling low enough to climb down behind the four armed agents. They had informed her that the three members of our operation who had willingly come to the island in the last week were waiting. The black helmeted man in the tan trench coat stepped out after her as she waved a hand through her hair. Her bright green eyes catching a glance at the three young people in front of her.

Far off in the distance behind them, up an un beaten path the six figures who had just stepped from the already departing helicopter could hear a humming noise. Each one of them then glanced toward the three young people to their right. The man in the trench coat stepped forward first and that same electronically disguised timbre spoke again, to each of them in turn, as his disguised eyes passed judgment on them.

"As you have been informed, myself and Ms. Pryor here will be running the Soldier X operation that each of you have volunteered to join. I would like to remind each of you that this choice is irreversible before we continue, and that failure to cooperate with our training will lead to imprisonment," the figure said quickly, and methodically, even with the electronic modifications certain words were very emphasized.

"Understood," said Vector, the tallest of the three figures who stood before the NSA agents and the former criminal. His eyes passed over her in response before he saluted. The young man's real name, which he kept to himself with the others chosen for the operation was Erin O'Hare. He was in fact a mutant. A mutant who had the physical ability to read electro magnetic signals given off by people's brain waves and nervous systems. As well as mutanagenic energies in the cases of other mutants. In addition to that he was a peak human. Which one could see in his well toned physique, especially his large biceps, which swelled with even the slightest movement.

Enigma, or so the girl to his left had decided to call her self, as her own powers puzzled her, and could be used to telepathically fog the minds of others, stepped forward next. "Anything is better then going back to those sweat shops, or Manila," she said, speaking of the mutant labor facility she was forced to work at as a slave only weeks before. She had been rescued by the X-Man Cyclops.

"I'm with de gurl..." spoke up the slightly accented voice of the Egyptian. Who's mutant power allowed him to move, think, and react at super human speeds. As well as control his body's particle density to allow him to phase from just slightly above peak human muscular density, to a ghost like state. It was not yet known to the people who had recruited him if his power to phase matter could extend to others. "This is much better then living in my country, my parents died three years ago from a plague, which I survived because my body metabolized it at super speed," he said, speaking of an out break of some disease or another that his Egyptian government had tried to cover up.

"I'm glad you all feel that way," Madelyne said from behind the Director as she walked forward, offering her hand to each of the three in turn, causing an eye brow to raise on Erin O'Hare's face.

"Aye, It is a pleasure to meet you Captain Pryor, I've heard allot about yeh from these blokes her'," spoke the Irish assassin, his hand extending down to hers and shaking heartily.

"As it is you..." Madeline said, recalling the file she'd just looked over about the team's leader, who was built for a fight, she could plainly see, and tell that he'd been in quite a few with his red scar laden arms. "...Vector," she said, remembering not to call him by his real name in front of the others. Not bothering to probe his mind to find out why quite yet.

From there she moved on to Enigma who stood to Vector's right, the girl who's real name was Maria Villanueva, the one she had spoken to only moments earlier with her telepathy. The young pacific islander girl was beaming up at her, and it didn't take a psychic to realize why. As she had probably been with out a commanding woman's presence in her life since her mother's death, which was denoted in her profile.

"Nice to meet you as well, Ms. Villanueva," she said, offering a hand, to which she got a sturdy business person's two pump return shake, and a wink. "Ma'am, call me Mare, or Mari'... just not Maria, or Ms. Villanueva and we'll be fine," the girl said with a smile.

After this came the young Egyptian boy, who's beaming smile hid something that Madeline could easily have prodded in to. Though she decided against it, believing that it was probably simple paranoia. "And Mr. Malik I believe?" she asked, offering her hand, which he took with an even larger grin and kissed. Falling all over himself in the figurative sense as he bowed in an attempt to be a gentleman.

"My what a beautiful woman to be in a place like this," the soon to be seventeen year old said with a grin. As he gestured toward the ground with his hand, sure that she was aware of the base below, and probably had been long before he arrived there.

She nodded in confirmation, reading this thought in particular form his mind, but not delving further below to find the secret which she seemed to think he was hiding, even with his attempt at charm.

"Why thank you," she said, before gesturing toward the Director, and then toward his agents.

"Director H must return to Washington D.C. to handle matters with the HMRD. We will be going with Agents: Tenku, Papovich, Harris, and Manning to retrieve the other recruits from the air port." Madeline said, pointing a hand toward the entry to the under ground base which had burrowed itself out from the side of the sands about 20 yards away, having created the humming sound from earlier.

The three recruits each followed the agents and their new commanding officer up the hill, the younger two chattering amongst themselves as Vector ran to catch up with the others.

"As the team's chosen leader, I would like to review the profiles on the team's members and our other recruits. That is if you don't mind," Erin spoke, following Madelyne who lead the group down a ramp towards the under ground launch platform for a hover-transport that could also take to the skies as a full blown jet. Which awaited them on a side platform amongst the descending escalator lift. Upon which they rode. A large piece of circular steel that could descend to the base three stories below, the training levels even lower, or stop at the transport deck which they had just reached which resembled a circular version of an aircraft carrier's deck.

"Yes of course," Madelyne responded, handing the computer over to him as she did so. "Very astute of you to think of that."

"And by the way, Vector, Children," Madelyne said looking over her shoulder to insure that she had the attention of the two younger members of their group. Especially young Kevin, who almost seemed to be ignoring her since she'd shot down his attempts at wooing the much older woman. "You may call me Maddy, as long as we are not on duty, or training, is that under stood?" she asked, with a peaked eye brow, looking at all of them with a smile.

"Yes," the three said in unison, Vector being the only one of the three who found it necessary to answer with a Ma'am. "Maddy, that's nice, I like that," said Maria, or Mari as she had asked them to call her, as she walked up to trot along side Madelyne. "So you're a telepath and telekicke... ...oh whatever they're called too huh?" Maria asked with interest.

Madelyne smiled at the enthusiasm of the young Asian islander girl, who stood next to her, rather short but very attractive, and not oddly short for her age considering her nationality, the Irish descended clone smiled. "Telekinetic. And yes, I am," said Maddy as she liked to be called since she had begun her rehabilitation, reminding her of the man who had given her life again.

"Awesome," Maria responded with her own smile, and on they went, climbing aboard the massive jet as the four suited men staffed its controls at the front of the ship. Vector followed them holding the computer which Maddy had handed him allowing him to see the files, she'd skimmed them as they walked along the platform to this vessel. Which sat amongst some ten different vehicles at their disposal, this however would be their chief transport.

"The X-Tractor," Papovich said, petting the controls as he hit the ignition for the mighty jets, causing the unbuckled Kevin to flail around for his belt straps to hold him in place. "You kids stick around long enough, we'll show you how to fly this baby," Harris said, looking over his shoulder with a smile, the brown haired gentleman of six feet and two inches in height being the youngest of the four agents. Maria smiled toward him, as he was quite attractive for a man in his later twenties. Which to the young girl was kind of old, at least to date, as she usually thought guys about Justin Timberlake's age were her limit on years of seniority.

Just ahead of her sat Kevin, who was interested in watching the pilots operate the machines, as the team's now official leader Vector came walking back in to the main chamber of the flight deck. He sat next to Kevin just in front of Maria, and as she looked over his shoulder he smiled, telling her to sit down before ever looking her way. The jet having stabilized enough to stand. "The artificial gravity enhancement on the plane will keep you steady, but you never no when turbulence might get wild in here," he said with a smile, before returning to reading the team profiles on the screen in front of him.

Name: Lance Wilkins Alias: Whisper(Decided upon recruition)
Height: 6 feet, 1 inch
Weight: 215 pounds
Hair: Auburn Brown
Eyes: Blue
Age: 18 on next Birthday Birth Date: August 10th, 1985
Present Situation: Recruited, awaiting pick up by Agency representatives
Present Location: San Diego, Air Port arrived 2:00 p.m. Today, from Sacramento, California, United States
Nationality: Caucasian American
Mutation: The X-factor code in Lance's genetics allows him to create gravitational pressure, and warp existing gravity fields for the potential following effects: creating anti gravity fields around himself and others for flight, increased speed, or increased strength, the ability to create concussive waves of force, or flatten objects by thought, the maximum extent of his powers is not known. In all cases of his powers surfacing Lance has exhibited an eerie cobalt glow from his eyes, and projects blue energy around anything he affects with his powers, this energy is thus far thought to be a visible extension of his powers by the bonding of his mutanagenic energy, and gravity, and not have any other effect. Lance has on one occasion, used his powers to create a force field, which appeared as well as a glowing blue dome, around himself, defending against Sentinel attack.
Known History:
Only recently gaining knowledge of his powers, Lance Wilkins, who was raised by his great aunt since both his parent's deaths in a plane crash 9 years ago, first learned of his mutant powers during a recent Sentinel attack, that left two of his friends, whom also possessed X-Factor gene encoding, dead. Lance's powers surfaced in the form of a force field which protected him from the Sentinel's eye laser beams, and a powerful crushing force that flattened the sentinels, appearing as a giant blue disc above the three attacking units. Lance has since been very cautious around other people, and gained some measure of power control, though not having demonstrated that level of power since.

"Sounds like this kid can do some damage, we'll have to insure that his training is primary during his involvement with the operation," Vector said. Which caused Harris to look at him in response with an agreeing nod.

"Yeah, the last two don't seem much better according to the boss, but Director-H locked the sixth file, only the second girl's file can be accessed." The agent said, pointing to the last two files next to Lance's "Maximum G" coded file. One read "Stone Cold Knock Out" and the other, which Vector assumed was the male candidate who Harris spoke of, "Hurricane of Potential."

Opening the file entitled Stone Cold Knock Out as the plane slowly began a descent toward the ground, Erin continued his reading.

Name: Kelly LeStraude Alias: Galatea(Decided upon recruition)
Height: 5 feet, 4 inches
Weight: 119 pounds
Hair: Red w/natural blonde streaks
Eyes: Teal/Greenish-blue
Age: 20 Birth Date: March 12th, 1983
Present Situation: Recruited, en route to pick up point
Present Position: 5 miles away from San Diego International Air Port, arriving from Paris, France
Nationality: French
Mutation: The ability to transform her skin in to a living form of stone that has been found stronger then any form of pure substance on the elemental charts, however, the alloy known as Adamantium has been proven stronger then her skin/body as it has been used to cut strands of her also transformed hair when she was in this form, during her pre-transport physical, her incredible tough skin makes her ultra resistant to injury, many times stronger then even a peak human, and also seems to remove requirements for water and food during her transformed state, allowing her increased stamina and endurance.
Known History:
Kelly LeStraude is the daughter of a rich industrialist from Paris who's family descends from Royalty, however her powers are of much more interest in such a situation, and they first surfaced at the age of fifteen, during a skiing trip with two cousins and her mother in the Andes Mountains. Her powers triggered when she and her cousins were trapped in a cave in an avalanche, allowing them to escape to freedom, she has since used her powers to foil many attempted robberies and murders in her double life as a vigilante in Paris.

"The rich girl sounds li' she cou' be effective, hope she isn't too much of a snobby little prat 'eh?" Erin spoke in his Irish accent, none to sure if the agents or his fellow members of Soldier-X could understand. But Madeline, who had implanted memories of her template Jean Grey's grand father's own Irish accent, nodded her agreement, as the plane's landing struts reached the ground below.

San Diego International Air Port, 10 minutes prior:

The handsome young man who was standing on the restricted government transport air strip at the San Diego International Air Port was standing off to one side of the long black path. As he then saw the oncoming burgundy and dark gray vessel he'd been told to wait for. He was tall, and had illumination holding deep blue eyes that sparkled as the wind past over head. Lance Wilkins, eighteen year old high school senior from Sacramento was waiting to become a member of the government's newest super-human task force, a mutant group called "Soldier-X."

He almost hadn't believed the men who came to his Great Aunt's home up North two weeks ago claiming to be National Security Agents there to recruit him for a special project. That was when they pulled their identification and informed he and his aunt that his powers were a danger to the world if left unchecked, and that if he didn't go with them, he would be forced to go to jail otherwise.

Informing him that the knowledge he had of their operation was too dangerous to leave in the hands of a possible threat, which he'd actually agreed with, and so he chose to go with them. He had a time of telling his Great Aunt that he would be fine, and that he would write every month, and when he insured her that they were not arresting him, he left. Since then he'd been contacted and flown to San Diego, and he'd been waiting here ever since then, for three hours now, for this gigantic futuristic aero-craft to appear. The vessel which was based on the combination of Stark technology's old Force Works Hex Jets, and the SR-77 model S.H.I.E.L.D. custom Black Birds, one of which had been used by the X-Men for years, came hovering to a stop.

He watched as the landing struts reached slowly down to caress the ground, and to the far left saw another oncoming transport, this one much smaller, and not half as advanced in design. The simpler of the two transports came to a rolling stop using landing gear, before it's side door opened to fold out in to a long flight of steps to the ground. A woman stepped down from the platform, not too much older then Lance. Before he could offer to help the beautiful girl with her bags, she had suddenly turned away from him, turning to a stone like substance, and grabbed the ten parcels up easily on her own.

At the bottom of the steps, the girl met Lance with a smile, and a brief, "Bonjour, mon ami," before turning her attention toward the nearby transport belonging to Soldier-X. She walked toward the lowering ramp as the four agents and the team appeared to greet her, offering her hand toward Madelyne who lead the procession. Lance was just behind the girl, marveling at how easily she could carry all that weight, simply by having transformed in to some sort of stone, which he assumed was why she was there.

"Lance, Kelly, may I introduce Agents: Tenku, Harris, Papovich, and Manning, as well as Vector, Mari', and Kevin, I am Captain Pryor, and its a pleasure to finally meet you." Madelyne finished before shaking all of their hands, and with that, they were back on the plane.

New Orleans, The French Quarter Loft of Long Ho Wufei, two hours later:

The forty seven year old Chinese native, and recently naturalized American, Long Ho Wufei(first name Wufei) lay motionless on his back, a gaping hole in his chest. Men were buzzing around the room in black suits, with strange silver metal tendrils extending from their left arms, with biosensory devices and small glowing red lights upon their tips. The men, each of which wore a black mandarin tuxedo, with a white shirt below it, and a patch of a Torch upon their sleeve, were chattering aimlessly to themselves.

One man stood amongst them however, smiling as he looked about at the chaos, and found that which he and his minions had come in search of. Crouching from his considerable height, the mutant known as the Tsar placed his power emanating hands upon the file for which he'd been searching.

You see, this man, this Chinese native, Long Ho Wufei, had avoided the Illuminati now for far too long. He had been an enemy of theirs years ago when he helped his best friend form the corporation Bourne Enterprises in Hong Kong, years before the Tsar had taken leadership. At that time, the Illuminati's ally Sebastian Shaw had also been a partner in business with the Chinese man and his British comrade, and before his demise he had revealed something to the Tsar. The former Black King of the Hellfire Club, who had at that time held the title, as well as still held air with in his lungs, before his untimely death, had granted Tsar the key to finding a nano-technology design that could repair a damaged human cell.

Now in the hands of a doctor, such as Marcus Allen Bourne, the nanotechnology that had been designed by Bourne, Shaw, and Long Ho, could be a great source of healing, and happiness. However when Bourne and Long Ho had learned of Shaw's plans to sell the designs for use as a military weapon, they had bought him out, a mistake that Bourne and his wife, Long Ho's cousin Chou Xin'ai soon paid for.

The two, and their son, William, had been traveling in the Sea of China on their house boat, during some much needed vacation time, when a bomb placed on William's parents boat exploded, killing them both. However in that instant, William's mutant power triggered, and sent him flying through the skies surrounded by a powerful energy wave that had protected him from the heat and shrapnel of the explosion. The bomb, which had been placed by assassins hired by Shaw, had left no evidence of foul play, and the police who later found William's unconscious body on the beach during their investigation, assumed it had been an accident, and that the boy had washed ashore.

However William's god father, Long Ho, had assumed the truth, though not realizing the link between the Illuminati and the Hellfire Club and taking William in and raising him those next eight years, since the day of his twelfth birthday, when the bombing took place, Wufei had sworn to bring Shaw in. Spending all his efforts for eight years on finding Shaw, and making him pay for his crimes, Wufei eventually brought William and himself to the United States where they became citizens, as an ex Interpol agent before his days in business he had tracked Shaw to Manhattan's Hellfire club. Though, recent events involving Cable finally lead Wufei to find peace, as Shaw had paid, one way or another, for what he did to Marcus and Xin'ai, and so Wufei moved with his god-son, here, to New Orleans.

Sebastian had left information regarding the nanotechnology in a safe, the key to which was sent to the Tsar's safe house in Russia upon his death, since then, it was only a matter of time to track down Long Ho Wufei.

The Tsar believed that using the nanotechnology he could not only make his Illuminati army invincible, but he could also increase his own Gravity manipulating mutant power a thousand fold. He smiled, as he levitated himself and his men out of the door, pulling them along like play things on a string, as he left behind a small memento of their attack, a large X painted on the walls with Wufei's blood. If his sources were correct, and they seldom weren't, the god son of Long Ho was a powerful mutant named William Bourne, and also a prime candidate for a supposedly "secret" US government special ops team known as Soldier-X. If the Soldier-X team's purposes were what he had been informed, then his own operation would fall under their watchful eyes very soon, and that was not something he could allow.

The man called Tsar gestured to one of his metallic limbed men, holding his hand up to his hear in the semi-imitated shape of a cell phone. The man to whom he was pointing pulled out his own cell phone and dialed a number in to its touch pad swiftly, holding the phone to his employer's face.

"Hello," The man on the other side of the phone asked, in a tone that seemed rather agitated to be receiving a call at work at this hour. "Hello, how can I help you?" The man asked indignantly, before the deep toned voice of the Illuminati gun man began to speak in return. "Good evening, if your organization still wishes to recruit William Bourne for their special Soldier-X task force, I suggest you send a messenger to the young man's home. I am sending you this message for William's god father Wufei, the man seems to be incapacitated at the moment, good day." The man said, before hanging up on the other man's voice as he attempted to stall him. "Wai..." was all that the Tsar heard from the other end of the line before his agent hung up, and walking toward his car, he smiled.

Now with the seeds planted for William to discover his God father murdered supposedly by Soldier-X's agents, who were currently on their way here, if all was going according to plan.

Soldier-X's X-Tractor Transport:

As her team prepared themselves in the back section of the plane, the woman named Madelyne Pryor stood praying in the center of the command deck of the X-Tractor. She wore her self a black leather costume, which had a top resembling a front lacing corset, and two long evening gown leather gloves which reached to just below her shoulders in length. Her hair was pulled back in to a pony tail, its fiery color catching the light form the equipment in the flight control room with a subtle flare, her eyes were burning with an eerie glare.

"Something horrible has happened," she said, as she stood reading over the file on her sixth candidate for recruitioin, William Bourne.

Name: William Bourne Alias: *Undecided*
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 205 pounds
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Age: 20 on next birthday Birth Date: September 1st, 1983
Present Situation: In New Orleans, not recruited
Present Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Nationality: Chinese, English, Americanized Citizen
Mutation: William's genetic X-Factor allows his body to metabolize any form of energy, whether on the sub atomic, molecular, or atomic levels. This allows him various types of powers, most of which involve processing energy in some way, such as creating blasts of heat or force form his hands, super heating air to allow himself flight, and creating defensive energy fields around his body. William's powers can be a veritable Hurricane of Potential, thus the name for this file, and they first surfaces in a powerful force field which launched William from the explosion of his parent's power off the shores of Hong Kong.
Known History:
Orphaned at the age of 12 when his parents died in a boat explosion during a vacation, he has since inherited his father's fortune, and his father's half of Bourne Enterprises, which he co-owns with his God-Father and guardian Long Ho Wufei, cousin of his mother Xin'ai. His powers allowed him to survive the explosion of his parents boat, and rocketed him to safety, as he told the police, "I was sent flying and was surrounded by blue fire." The local authorities believed the boy was hallucinating and waved him off. However, when his powers again surfaced during the Zero Tolerance operation a few years ago, he used them to save himself, and other mutants held at a Shepherd's camp from death, by defeating the Shepherds, Maulers, and Prime Sentinels who lived there, escaping, he then returned to his college studies to become a graphic designer. Graduating from college when he was 18, William was forced to learn at an incredible rate by his business-minded god father, and has since become a valuable member of his trade.

Only an hour ago she had been given the pass word for the file she just read by Director-H, who had been given a call from a man who had claimed to be a friend of William's god-father saying that they should act immediately if they wished to recruit the young man. What they weren't aware of was that the man was on board the X-Traction, and the man had a telepathic barrier behind his thoughts that protected him from the probes of both Madeline, and Mari' if they should suspect him of foul play.

Manning held the gun inside his chest pocket with a smile, no longer wearing a suit but more of a swat team's uniform, he was waiting for the moment when he would be allowed to waste each of these heathens in the name of his lord, The Tsar. For now, he waited, his trigger finger petting the cold steel of his Desert Eagle .50 semi-automatic with the care one might caress their child's wounded knee. "For the cause," he said with a smile, as no one, no one other then Vector, heard him speak.

The young mutant task force leader's eyes fell upon the NSA agent sitting directly to his left with a sort of quizzical expression, before dismissing it, as the plane went on.

Back in New Orleans:

A handsome young blonde man brushed a hand forward through his straight slicked short crop of locks, and down over his icy blue hued eyes, his other hand opening the door to he and his God Father's loft home. Reaching to the side to switch on a light, the young man found that the bulbs had either burned out, or his uncle had forgot to pay the electricity bill, which was very odd for the young man to imagine. As he then lifted his right palm to the air, creating a ball of intense heat above it with some degree of concentration, forming sweat to pour over his fore head, he looked to the ground in front of him as his foot collided with something.

As the light from the ball of flame landed upon his god father, William Bourne cringed back in horror, a dead body laying before him, their were lacerations and burn marks all across the man's chest... and the front of his skull was flattened. Looking down upon the image, he looked closely toward the facial features of the dead man, and then turned away, tears beginning to boil over from his eyes, as the realization hit him.

William walked toward the wall where the trail of blood had lead from, and his eyes widened in horror, the words "SOLDIER-X" Sprawled across the white washed surface in crimson. Clenching his fist, William looked back to his uncle's fallen body, he had lost his parents to murder eight years ago, and no the man who had taken him in upon their deaths? He wasn't going to stand aside and let the police handle things this time, he would wait, until he was calm, yes, wait here and the apartment, and then, then he would hunt down any information his formidable fortune could pay for regarding this "Soldier-X."

Next Issue: As the Soldier-X team races to find William Bourne and verify his safety, but will the mutant discover the lies waiting for him at his God Father's home before the Soldier-X team have a chance to investigate the horrible psychic emanations that Maddy is receiving? The Illuminati now holding the secret to a possible super weapon in the form of Marcus Bourne's nanotechnology plans, the Soldier-X operation may be shut down before they ever have a chance to complete their roster. We also learn more about the Soldier-X operation, and the mysterious Director-H. Find out what happens in the next issue, Frank!

Author's Notes:
Madeline Pryor: The Captain of the Soldier-X operation, and second in command of the Human-Mutant Relations Division of the National Security Agency, Madeline Pryor is the ex-criminal known formerly as Phoenix II, and the Black Queen. She is also a clone of one of the original X-Men, Jean Elaine Grey.
Director-H: A former enemy of the dream that is human-mutant peace, he has now dedicated his life to the cause, and formed the Soldier-X program under the HMRD branch of the NSA.
HMRD: Human Mutant Relations Division, a special branch of the National Security Agency, created to insure peace between Humans and Mutants through any means necessary, the parent organization of Operation: SOLDIER-X.
SOLDIER-X: A cooperative creation of the NSA's HMRD branch, and many engineering specialists and trained black ops intent on creating a safe world for Humans and Mutants to live in harmoniously, no matter what the means/costs.
Tenku, Papovich, Harris, and Manning: Check their first names and then look at some of M2K's staff to see the little play on names I used to create the four NSA agents, under the command of Papovich, these guys mean business, especially the traitor Manning, and no offense to this writer, I chose the traitor using eenie meenie miney moe. Sorry man.
Velocity: First M2K appearance, check out next issue for a flash back origin scene for him, and all the other team members, keep watching to find out more in regards to the speedster's deep dark buried secrets... ;)
Vector: The living radar himself, another first appearance, for his origin, check back next issue, as well as to see if he can live up to the hype he was given by Director-H.
Enigma: See the X-branch's X-Men Unlimited issue 25 for Ms. Villanueva's first appearance, as she gives Cyclops a hand with some racist pigs, or were they really racists?
Whisper: Thanks to Cory for inspiring this character, big ups bro-man, and btw, dig it suckas, Whisper is so gonna own all ass next issue, check it out, another first appearance.
Galatea: Named for the mythical statue of Greek Legend that came to life when it's creator fell in love with it (or in a different ending the creator became stone himself, ah well), this rich biotch could give M a run for her money on the rude scale. However as issues continue we'll break down her facade to find a heart of gold, another first appearance.
Director-H and Maddy meeting earlier at M2K?: Check out the end of X-Men Unlimited number 25, Frank.

Protocol-H:

We here at the Human-Mutant Relations Department would like to welcome you to the first issue of Soldier-X.

This series is meant to create a working mutant task force who are not limited by the codes of the X-Men. The Soldier-X are not simply mutants out for peace, they're anti-terrorrist troops employed by the NSA who are meant to leave nothing but defeated targets in their path.

This issue sets up the premise of the story, which began in X-Men Unlimited Number 25 starring Cyclops, and the team's Director-H, Madelyne Pryor, and their first recruit, the telepath/telkinetic Enigma, AKA Maria "Mari" Villanueva.

Protocol-H is the place where you, the readers, which the H in HMRD and Protocol-H and Director-H stands for can contact me, Frank Paul Bigoski, IV, with any comments on the issues that are released each week(or bi-weekly, at the least monthly depending on my release schedule at MRev and Marvel Visions as well as my Ghost Rider title here at M2K).

Until next issue, I am, Frank Paul Bigoski, IV. Good day sirs, good day.

PS: I would like to thank Dino for single handedly bringing me an excellent source of character information for this title regarding all marvel characters. As well as Cory for assistance with the premise. Thanks also to the guys in the X and Knights section who have checked out the title and helped me at least with fixing the errors in my writing they could catch, I didn't catch them all, and I'm sure neither did they, but I'm still growing in my writing. Thanks to everyone, and until Magneto opens up a new clothing company called "Genosha Bay" make mine Marvel 2000.

Special thanks to David Wheatley for allowing me to continue with this title even after recent events that shall remain unmentioned. I appreciate it David.