"Stick yer damn job. Ah quit!"

"Mutant scum," whispered Michael Gow, the slamming of the door covering his words. He was the deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, as well as a supporter of the Friends of Humanity and he had just learnt that one of his members of staff was a mutant. In the same way as the communists were hounded out thirty years ago, he had made it his job to remove the threat mutants posed to his way of life.

After all, they were only mutants and public opinion was never in their favor. Too many people had made sure of that in recent years. Special Agent Marcus Raven had been outed not 24 hours ago and it offended Gow. Raven had been with them for several years on their anti-terrorism unit and he was one of their best agents and it had to be because of his powers. Gow didn't like that.

He didn't know who'd emailed him the information or how his informant had gotten it, but Raven had failed to put it on his application and failure to disclose all information was subject to suspension pending a review. It was a tenuous thing, but still possible, especially if you were the Deputy Director. By the time the affair was done, everyone would know he was a mutant and his career would have been over. However, seeing as how Raven just quit, the point was moot.

He'd be lucky if he got assigned to background checks.

Gow smiled at the thought of how the other Friends would react to this one at the next rally.

12 hours earlier...

"Welcome to SHIELD, Miss Cassidy," said Nick Fury, flanked by two other agents. Siryn stepped out of the transport vehicle as Fury escorted her in to the Helicarrier.

"Thanks for havin' me," she said, her Irish brogue coming through, reminding Fury of her father.

"Wasn't exactly given a choice," said one of the agents waiting for the two of them. "As I recall."

"Peter Wisdom?"

"Hello, Terry. How's your dad these days?"

"What the hell are ye doin' here?"

"Meet yer field leader, Agent Cassidy," said Fury, wondering what possible history there could be between the two of them, and how Banshee fit in to it. He'd have to do some digging of his own. There was a mild anger in her eyes, that was certain, and there was mild amusement in Wisdom's.

"And this," said Pete, "is Lydia Del Ruiz. She's... perfect company for you. She'll show you the ropes, show you around, yada, yada, yada."

"Thank you, sir," answered Del Ruiz, tightly and Fury could tell that the two of them had either gotten on very well or very badly. He knew Wisdom could be a jerk, but he also knew that Del Ruiz had a rep as an ice queen. Wisdom had already expressed an attraction to her, but so had several of the other SHIELD agents aboard. "We'll get you kitted out with a uniform, quarters, and then I'll show you around. If you'd like to follow me, Theresa?"

"Terry, please," said Siryn, casting a glance at Wisdom, who winked and she turned her head.

"Oh, Terry?" he said and she looked back at him. "Welcome to X-Force."

"Thanks," she said and then Del Ruiz led her to the quartermaster's stores on Deck 13.

"Wisdom..." growled Fury. "What the hell was that about?"

"Oh, just some ancient history," said Wisdom, with a grin. "Not a problem."

"Better not be," said Fury. "There's a lot ridin' on this."

"Hey, she was given to us, remember. I did not choose her."

"Still better not be a problem, Wisdom. We're headin' out in an hour or so."

"Oh, good," said Wisdom, knowing where they were headed next. "Better get my patter sorted out."

"You're worried about getting' North on side?"

"Nope," said Wisdom. "This guy'll be the practice run for when we head over to the FBI. Now that one, I am worried about."

"Don't blame ya," said Fury. "I see from the outgoin' mail, ya sent the parcel. Why to Gow?"

"Because he's a bigoted, desk bound prick, who needs a slapping in the worst possible way. He's very insecure about mutants and joined the Friends of Humanity a while back after the assassination of Creed. He did the FBI agents who were investigated for that and they were tossed out of the Bureau, and he got promoted on the strength of it. His wife had an abortion a while before that though, because the kid was a mutant. It wasn't until Creed became a legitimate political force that he could declare his allegiance to the cause."

"That ain't on any record I've seen."

"You won't find it either," said Wisdom. "Black Air found it very nice to have an FBI Assistant Director on the payroll. That he became Deputy Director was an nice bonus."

"Ya mean they deleted the records an' kept a copy to blackmail him?"

"Yup. Thing is, he was sold out by his wife. She gave 'em the info."

"Why'd she do that? Other than bein' a woman scorned?"

"She might have been seeing a Black Air agent when he was in the States from time to time."

"Anyone we know?" said Fury, shaking his head as he knew the answer to his question.

"Quite possibly," said Pete, with a tone of noncommittal. "Better get ready to go."

David North, AKA Christoph Nord, but better known by his codename of Maverick, was hunting for a missing friend. Chris Bradley was his friend and like Maverick he was a mutant. A powerful mutant, trained in the use of his powers by the X-Men and then through his own self-discovery when he left them due to the Legacy Virus. The virus itself was now cured but that wasn't the problem.

Chris had been abducted by Apocalypse and made in to one of his Pale Riders, something he'd only found out about by a glimpse of him on a news report of the activities, and even then it had been difficult to confirm the villain as Chris. There were many beings with electricity powers and Maverick had at first refused to believe that it was his friend, in a cause against everything that he had believed in.

Now, he would find Chris, he would find Apocalypse, he would find the Horsemen and the Riders and he would get his friend back or die in the attempt - he owed him that much. Several months on he was no better in finding either of them. The X-Men weren't able to tell him too much, save that some of their own were on the same hunt, and the other hero teams were less than forthcoming, which meant that he had to do this himself.

The key to it all was Apocalypse. If he found him, he'd find the others. However with Apocalypse being brain dead and everything after the psychics erased his mind, it made it difficult, but then again he'd been thought dead before and come back to haunt the world. Plus Magneto had come back from having his mind erased as well, so why would this time be any different? Maverick didn't like the idea that he had been defeated that easily, either. It hadn't been exactly easy, but it was just too neat. He'd been in the covert ops business too long to like nice, neat pictures, especially as this one left no body in its wake.

Apocalypse had to still be out there, Maverick's instincts told him so and to find him he had to know him and he'd been working his way across America getting together as much information as he could on the seemingly immortal mutant. There were monuments to his history across the board, and it was just a case of putting the pieces back together.

He sat at home, watching the screens in front of him, his lover Elena Ivanova by his side and his friend, weapons supplier and information guru, Isabel Ferguson.

"You're sure nobody in Egypt has anything?" he asked Isabel.

"Nothing," she answered. "There's been no reports of anything over there related to Chris or to Apocalypse. I've been asking but nobody seems to have anything."

"Or they're too frightened to say," said Elena, her husky Russian accent coming through.

"Possibly," said North, as he sat back in his chair, resting a half-clenched fist just under his nose, thinking about what limited resources they had. It wasn't the days of the Weapon X project, or working with Barrington. He didn't have the information to hand at the touch of a button. He needed access, and he had to figure out a way to get it, because so far all they were doing was drawing blanks.

Then Elena sat up, her psychic abilities kicking in.

"We have guests," she said, and as she spoke Maverick pulled his gun from under the chair, as Isabel tossed him his mask.

"Get clear," he said, as he readied himself, but the knock on the door took him by surprise. "Huh?" he asked, lowering the weapon slightly. The knock came again.

"David North," came the call. "My name's Wisdom. Pete Wisdom. I want to talk to you." Maverick's first instinct was to wonder what Black Air wanted him for. He knew that Wisdom was a mutant, then he remembered something about Excalibur. Pete Wisdom had defected from Black Air to be an X-Man, or something.

"Why?" he called.

"I want you to join SHIELD." Maverick almost dropped his gun. He looked at Elena and mouthed 'Is this on the level?' and she nodded.

"Okay," he said, stashing his gun. Then he opened the door. "So you're Pete Wisdom. Funny, I always had the impression you were taller."

"I get that a lot," said Pete. "As I said, I want you to join SHIELD. Interested?"

"I'm not sure," said Maverick. "Why would they need me?"

"Because I say they do. Fury's got me in to make up a mutant taskforce for him, to help the cause. Personally, I think it's crap but it's a job and it pays well. Besides there are people who think it will make a difference. The X-Men for one."

"The X-Men?" said Elena, stiffening as she knew Sabretooth was one of their number these days. "Are they involved in this project?"

"Not directly," said Pete. "We've borrowed their team name, X-Force, because they aren't using it. Couldn't hack it without Cable or something, I dunno. The only member of the X-Men on the team is Siryn, Sean Cassidy's lass. She's not exactly the golden girl of the team. Criminal, hung out with Black Tom and the Juggernaut, X-Force were considered terrorists at one point and she's also a recovering alcoholic. Other than her looks, she's not exactly the poster child of mutant relations."

"So why me?" asked Maverick.

"Because it's going to get down and dirty. You're a player in Black Ops, same as I was, except you were more militaristic than I was. You've got a perspective on things I could use and your mutant powers are kind of cool as well. Plus you've got Ivanova over there, and she might come in handy from time to time as well."

"What's in it for me?"

"Money, resources, the ability to do what your friend Chris dreamed of. Yes, I know about your search for him and how you're at a dead end. Fancy trying it with the backing of the SHIELD resources? They might even give you a hand getting him back."

There was the hook, thought Maverick. What would he do to get Chris back, what did he have to do. He could see the cocky grin in Wisdom's eyes. Wisdom had him, and they both knew it. To get Chris back, he'd sell his soul to the devil.

"Alright," said Maverick. "I'm in."

"David..." started Isabel.

"I know what I'm doing," he said. "Plus I might be able to solve some of our other problems while I'm there. Elena, I..."

"I know," she said. "It's the right thing to do. I'll see you when you get back."

"I love you," he said and they kissed. After they'd finished he turned to Wisdom. "Let's go."

"Certainly," said Pete. "If you'd follow me to the flying car, we'll head for the Helicarrier, and on the way I'll explain about the team."

Pete Wisdom sat across the road from FBI Headquarters, waiting for Marcus Raven to emerge from the building. If everything had gone according to plan, Deputy Director Gow would have suspended him and Raven would have quit in disgust.

It was a dirty thing to do to someone, he had to admit, but he needed him and outing him was the best course of action. Not that he was going to let Gow get away with such a shabby treatment of mutants. Pete didn't much like bigots, especially American ones. It was something to do with the freedom of speech thing, that they thought it was their God-given right to abuse people they thought were lesser than themselves and they did it every way they could.

Politeness, courtesy, tolerance - meant nothing to them. Pete wondered if it came from their European descendancy, but then again maybe it was just them. He shrugged at the thoughts, as his cigarette burnt down slowly as he waited and his fingers toyed at the keys of the laptop in front of him. Then he saw Raven leave the building and he started the car.

"Mr Raven," he said, as he pulled up alongside him. "Marcus Raven."

"Do Ah know you?" asked Marcus, stopping and staring at the stranger.

"Not yet," said Pete. "Wisdom. Pete Wisdom. SHIELD." He produced his badge.

"SHIELD, huh? What do you fellas want with me?"

"We're recruiting mutants," said Pete, making a hot knife manifest from his right index finger. "Word is you're a mutant. Word is you're being persecuted out of the FBI."

"You guys are quick off the mark," said Raven, suspiciously.

"Let's just say that Mr Gow has been under a watchful eye for a while. We're getting together a task force, some people who can deal with troubles and make a positive image for mutant kind, that kind of thing. Your work in anti-terrorism gives you experience we could use."

"Not interested, but thanks anyway."

"Hear me out," said Wisdom. "This isn't the X-Men. We're not fighting to save the world, we're just trying to make it a safer place. Yes, we'll be mutant poster boys and girls, but if it does the trick, then who gives a damn? The world may hate and fear us but we've got badges, we got the backing of the law and the job needs doing."

"Looks like you've been doin' some research," said Raven. "Ah said no to Xavier, Ah'm saying no to you. Why should Ah say yes?"

"Because you've nothing to lose by not saying yes. At the moment, you're out of work, and the FBI won't give you references if they're on a mutant witch-hunt. You'll be lucky if you can get a job at McDonalds. With us, you get work, protection, a chance to do your job on a global playing field, and nobody gives a damn you're a mutant because we're all mutants. And we can make Deputy Director Gow's life hell, as well."

Raven stood there, weighing the man up, gently probing his mind with his telepathy. He was hiding something, certainly, and without doing a deeper probe he wouldn't find out what. However he believed in this, and he knew he wasn't a hero. He was a bastard doing a job that needed doing the only way he knew how. He wasn't like Xavier, with his idyllic stance on how mutants should live with humans and everything would be sweetness and light.

Wisdom was a realist. If attitudes changed, so much the better, but he wasn't going to preach to the converted. Raven shook his head.

"Ah don't have much of a choice, do Ah?"

"Nope," said Wisdom. "You don't. Join my X-Force. It's the smart thing to do."

"Guess Ah'm in," he said.

"Good," said Pete, as he flicked his burnt down cigarette out of the window. "Oh and watch this." He opened the door and showed him the laptop, and Raven could clearly see a picture of Michael Gow.

"What is that file?"

"A security dossier on your former boss. All sorts of nasty secrets." Pete then hit a key. "Oops, I just mailed it to J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle. Guess that won't do his career any good. Bad me. Bad, bad, bad me."

"That wasn't nice," said Raven, as he looked up toward Gow's office and wondered if he was looking down at them, pondering what the mutant he'd just forced to quit was talking about and whom he was talking to.

"Neither's firing someone because they're a mutant," said Pete, his eyes narrowing and his tone deadly serious. "People want to play dirty fine, but they'd better be prepared to get the same back." Pete slung the laptop on the back seat and opened the other door. "Get in. I'll take you to the Helicarrier."

"A'right," said Raven and moved around the back and got in to the car. Pete smiled and put out his hand, which Rave accepted.

"Welcome to SHIELD."

Several hours later, Nick Fury looked down on the latest strike team in the SHIELD arsenal from the privacy of the watch room. Below was the training facility of the Helicarrier, a fully functional holographic battle room, based on the Danger Room of the X-Men. Designed by Forge and using technology from Stark, it wasn't as advanced as the X-Men's facility but it was ultra high tech.

The five members of the team were all waiting for the training session to start, all of them dressed in SHIELD combat uniform. Cassidy and Del Ruiz looked as if they'd be in them all their lives and it was no skin off their nose as to whether or not they wore them. Wisdom, he mused didn't really look right in it, but then again the 'man in black' look had seemingly been his trademark and while he looked comfortable wearing it, Fury suspected it would be a while before people got used to it.

Marcus Raven seemed a little uncomfortable wearing it, but this was a man who didn't want to be a target, and now he was on the front lines. Yes, he'd been an active agent for counter terrorism, but that had an element of stealth and secrecy to it. You were either undercover or doing research work, with actual raids and such at the end of the sting. Fury wondered if he'd actually stick with the group and then his thoughts turned to Agent North.

He looked the most wary of the five, being separated from the armour that he had used to wear. He'd worn variations of the body armour since being a member of Team X, and now for him to go in to the field without it - you could see the psychological discomfort from here. However he was keeping the mask and Fury suspected it was to cover up his missing eye. Some people seemed to be less powerful if they were distinctly wounded, though Fury had never thought like that.

It gave him the edge if people underestimated him because of a missing eye, and in this game you needed every edge you could get. He nodded, thinking that this would either be a huge success or a major league mistake.

X-Force.

It would be some time before they had an actual mission to go on, because he wanted the team to get to know each other as a fighting unit first.

"Okay, people," he said in to the speaker. "Time to see how good you yahoos are."

The simulation began, and so did X-Force.