Peter Winston Wisdom walked through the halls of the Helicarrier, dressed in a white dress shirt, black slacks and a black trench coat. The collar was unbuttoned and the tie hung loosely around his neck. His face was slightly disheveled, the result of a flight from Africa to London. From there, he was quickly picked up by a SHIELD transport and brought back to the Helicarrier.

No rest for the wicked, he supposed.

There was a door labeled DIRECTOR and Wisdom walked right inside, without bothering to request permission or even knock to signal his entrance. On the other side of the door, his boss sat behind a desk, a cigar between his lips, short brown hair that was gray at the temples and a patch to make up for his missing eye.

Colonel Nicholas Fury. Veteran of World War II. Imbued with the Infinity Formula to keep him young even after all these years and now, the Director of SHIELD.

"Ever hear of knockin’?"

"Wouldn’t want to ruin my reputation, Fury old son," said Wisdom. He walked over to a cabinet where he knew Fury kept a bottle of bourbon hidden. Wisdom raised a questioning brow at his commanding officer and Fury nodded. The British-born mutant procured two glasses and the bottle, pouring a little bourbon in each and handing one to Fury.

"So, what’s the word?" asked Wisdom, taking a seat in a chair perched before Fury, wasting no time in propping his feet on the desk and making himself comfortable.

"How was your vacation?" asked Fury.

"Good times had by all," said Wisdom. "Got a chance to tie up some loose ends."

"What I like t’ hear," said Fury. "You ready to return to active duty?"

"With SHIELD?" asked Wisdom. He chuckled. "I doubt you’d have me after all the trouble I’ve caused, Nicky."

"You’re a good man, Wisdom and an even better operative. You’re someone who can do a lot of good with SHIELD, but I think we’ve been wasting yer talents."

"Oh?" asked Wisdom.

Fury gulped down the bourbon between puffs of his Cuban cigar. "I played it wrong, Wisdom. I ain’t proud to admit it, but I made a mistake. The idea of a mutant strike force? Sure, it’s good in principle. Things have gotten too public with us, though. It’s time to go back to basics."

"What’s that?"

"I spent most of my adult life in the Cold War, back when the world was a pretty scary place. You never knew who you could trust, so you trusted no one. Friends became enemies, enemies became friends. An’ it was all in the name of keeping a balance. Half the time you didn’t know if you were working for the good guys or the bad and you trusted your instincts. But after the Soviets were through, things changed. The bureaucrats and politicians took over and things just kept getting muddled with departmentalizing and compartmentalizing and whatever sort of ‘partmentalizing you can think of. All this oversight has gotten in the way of us doin’ the job we’re supposed to do."

"I didn’t come to listen to the rants of a war horse who misses the good ol’ days," said Wisdom. "Get to the point, Fury."

"My point is that the whole reason we allowed things to get so fucked was because we weren’t doin’ our jobs. Genesis, Meyer, the Byrons—all just symptoms of the same problem. That we’ve been lettin’ other people screw with us to the point that we’re runnin’ in circles and not doin’ our jobs. And meanwhile, people are dying."

Wisdom finished off his bourbon and set the glass on the desk. He produced a cigarette and lit it. "Now what does this have to do with me?"

"You worked for British intelligence, Wisdom. You may have tried the superhero thing, but let’s face it—you’re more James Bond than Captain America. Always have been. Operating in the public like you have been, causing a lot of sound an’ fury, that’s not your style. Get in, do the job, get out. All without anyone ever knowin’ you were there. That’s what you’re good at and you proved it in Genosha."

"Oh?" asked Wisdom.

Fury opened his desk drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper. He handed it to Wisdom. Pete saw it was an electronic reproduction of an article from a Genoshan newspaper. The Resistants were in the photograph and the headline read, PRISON STAFF CHARGED WITH TREASON.

Wisdom chuckled. Fury couldn’t help smiling as well. "You’re a bastard, Wisdom. You suckered these guys into helpin’ you out and then you leave ‘em behind to take the fall. See? That’s the kinda shit you’re good at and that’s what X-Force has gotta be."

"X-Force?"

"I’m bringin’ it back, but not in the same way," said Fury. "Your team will be hand-picked by you, just like before. Except this time, forget about any sort of public displays. You and yours will be operatin’ completely in the shadows. You’ll all be listed as agents of SHIELD, but aside from me no one will know you exist."

Wisdom filled his lungs with smoke as he thought about what Fury was offering him. He hated to admit it, but Fury was right. Wisdom was a spy, not a superhero. He had no business running around in spandex, fighting off supervillains. He operated in the shadows, performing the dirty jobs nobody else wanted to do. It’s what he was trained to do, what he was good at, and every time he tried to run from it, it always ended in disaster.

"I’m in," he said.

Marvel 2000 Proudly Presents

The Return of Dino Pollard to

THE NEW DEAL
Epilogue

Wisdom sat in his apartment, drinking a glass of scotch while he looked over the files scattered about his table. Countless mutants to choose from, all of them probably well qualified for the jobs Fury wanted the new X-Force to undertake. The question was, how could Wisdom narrow down his choices?

He thought about some of the existing members, now affiliated with Team X. Bishop, Shard and Siryn were all out. Those three were more suited for a strike force, not spy work. Bishop had made a career out of it. Moreover, according to Siryn’s file, she resigned from SHIELD—the mission in Iraq against the Dark Riders was her last job. Pete had no intention of trying to convince her to come back. He may have been a bastard, but he certainly wasn’t that much of one.

That left two more choices—Katherine Pryde and David North. Shadowcat and Maverick, respectfully. Wisdom looked at the file photo of Pryde. He felt a longing, to try and repair the damage they had both done to each other over the years.

"Out," said Wisdom and he flicked the photograph away from him. It flew across the room, striking the wall before it found a resting place face down on the floor. North on the other hand…

Wisdom liked North. He was a good man, a great soldier and had a lot of experience in espionage. He was a product of the Cold War and he probably understood those methods better than anyone else. Wisdom nodded, North would have to be on the team.

That made two members. There were others Wisdom needed to round out the group. And he kept thinking back to his trip in Genosha and to Mystique. There was no doubt about it, Raven Darkholme could get under any man’s skin. But there was also no doubting that she was good at her job. Raven could assume the appearance of anyone and she was a natural actress, making it even easier for her to slip in and out of places with ease. She was also of… flexible morality, and those people made the best agents.

The problem was that Mystique was currently on-assignment in Genosha, serving as a liason between SHIELD and Magneto. It wouldn’t be easy to get her on the team, but Wisdom would have to see what he could do. If anything, he had already set plans into motion to ensure that Magneto would no longer be a problem.

That was three. Not enough. Not for what Fury wanted. Wisdom yawned and stretched his arms. As he did, he glanced down and took note of an unfamiliar name. Wisdom set down the glass and pulled the agent’s file, reading over the information.

"Ex-Navy SEAL… expert martial artist… telepathic abilities…"

He may not have been the kind of high-level telepath the X-Men were used to, but for black ops work, it seemed Sean Watanabe had all the makings of a great spy. He’d gone against the Mandarin, worked with Ghost Rider and Wolverine. Earned the nickname Brass when he was in the SEALs. He also had a bit of tragedy in his life—the reason he went after the Mandarin was because his lover was killed when the Mandarin attacked the Avengers.

"Four," said Wisdom, putting Watanabe’s file in the same stack as Maverick and Mystique. Two more operatives… that’s all he needed.

He looked over the list of previous X-Force members. Not only from when the team had become affiliated with SHIELD, but before as well. Following Magneto’s acquisition of Genosha, the team had reformed briefly. Siryn was already out, Moonstar and Wolfsbane ran with Force Works so that made them too high profile, Warlock was dead and that left Siphon and Weapon X. Wisdom immediately dismissed Siphon because of her inexperience. He needed people he could trust to do the job right.

Weapon X however, he was an interesting case. Served as an assassin for Donald Pierce, low-level telepath equipped with a body suit that could generate a forcefield which Weapon X used in a variety of fashions. When last seen, he was with the Mutant Underground. Wisdom supposed he could get the man to come work for him at SHIELD.

But as much as Wisdom hated to admit it, there was one thing this new X-Force lacked. The ease of getting into placed that Shadowcat had provided them. With her phasing abilities, no complex was impenetrable. Peter lit a cigarette and searched through the files. There were thousands of psychic mutants, surely there had to be at least one more mutant who could phase.

It wasn’t whom he expected, and he was sure Fury would have plenty of objections, but she seemed like the perfect choice for the team. And more importantly, she wasn’t Kitty Pryde.

The next day found Wisdom once again sitting in Fury’s office, complete with Wisdom’s picks for his new team. Fury read over the members Wisdom had submitted, but his face was unreadable. Wisdom realized at that moment he would hate to play the Colonel in poker.

"Watanabe and North are in," said Fury.

"What about the others?"

"I’ve no objections to Weapon X, but you gotta get in touch with him yourself," said Fury. "Darkholme’s doin’ good work where she’s at now, I don’t wanna pull her away. She and Forge are our eyes an’ ears in Genosha."

"Keep her on file, I’ve some ideas of my own about Lehnsherr," said Wisdom.

Fury leaned forward. "You better not be talkin’ about overthrowing a U.N.-appointed leader of a sovereign nation."

"Perish the thought," said Wisdom with a grin. "What about the other one I’ve got on that list?"

"Definitely not."

"Any reason?"

"Aside from the whole terrorist part?"

"Says the man who trusts Mystique," said Wisdom. "The girl’s had a rough life, Fury. The things she’s had to do… If we talk to her, show her that things can be different, I’m sure we could work something out. Allow her to work for us in exchange for a pardon."

"I don’t trust her, she’s an assassin and terrorist, she’s too dangerous," said Fury. "An’ worse than Darkholme, she’s a believer. A fanatic. We can’t have someone like her on our side."

"We can if we’re using her as a weapon against mutual enemies," said Wisdom. "Cold War tactics, Nicky, remember?"

Fury grunted a response. Wisdom was right, he knew it. It was the kind of thing they used to do all the time during the Cold War. The enemy of your enemy is your friend.

"Don’t screw this up, Wisdom."

Wisdom smirked as he raised his class. "Happy days are here again, Nicky."

Wisdom’s next stop was the cabins on the Helicarrier, where he knew he would find Maverick. Following the job in Iraq, all of the Team X operatives save for Siryn had remained onboard the Helicarrier. Wisdom didn’t care about any of them, particularly Kitty. He just needed to speak to North.

"Come in," was North’s gruff reply once Wisdom knocked on the door. Pete entered to find North lying on his cot reading. He was dressed in a standard SHIELD uniform as opposed to the familiar gold armor Wisdom was so accustomed to.

"David old son, how’ve you been?" he asked.

"Pete," said Maverick. He closed his book and sat up. "What are you doing here? Thought you were on leave."

"I was, just got back," he said. "I hear the same about you, mate."

"For now," said David. "Haven’t decided what my next move is. Whether or not I’ll stay on or leave SHIELD."

"C’mon David, we both know this is the life you were meant to lead," said Wisdom. "You, me, Fury… we can’t survive out there in the real world. We’re not meant to be part of it. We’re meant to live in the shadows."

"And if I don’t want to be part of that world?" asked David.

"Man can’t fight what he really is, you know that," said Wisdom.

"X-Force was a mistake, Wisdom."

"I know, we went about it the wrong way, tripped over ourselves and we lost some good people," said Wisdom. "But that doesn’t mean we’re going to roll over. Fury wants to restructure the team, but not the way it was. The way it should have been. Mutant spooks, striking from the shadows. We’ll take on the dangers to mutantkind in ways the X-Men never could, do the jobs they’re too afraid to tackle."

"Old school espionage, huh?" asked North.

"Exactly," said Wisdom.

North leaned down and pulled out a metal box from under his cot. He opened it and inside was the gold mask Wisdom was so used to seeing him with.

Wisdom’s next stop were the holding cells on the Helicarrier. One of his future operatives was waiting, and he knew this one would take some convincing to do. He approached the holding cell and Wisdom placed his palm on the touchpad. It scanned his hand and then the door opened.

In the center of the room was a container, in which SHIELD had been holding the prisoner. Wisdom lifted it and looked down. "Listen to me very carefully, Sooraya. I know you can hear me and I know you can see through the glass. So watch this."

He lifted a finger, which extended into a long, bright white claw.

"This is what I like to call a hot knife. It’s about as hot as the sun and as you know, when exposed to enough heat, sand will turn to glass. So imagine what that would do to you in your sand form, just in case you had any ideas. Now, if you’re willing to behave yourself, I’ll let you out and we can chat like adults, okay?"

Wisdom opened the container and emptied it, pouring the sand from the container onto the ground. He moved one of his hot knives over the sand and the sand instantly avoided his touch.

"Be a good girl now," he said.

The sand rose into a slender form and slowly the sand transformed into the dark skin of the young woman named Sooraya Qadir, completely naked. Wisdom removed his trench coat and offered it to her. Sooraya studied it carefully before she accepted it and used it to cover her body.

Wisdom lit a cigarette and leaned against the wall. "Now, shall we have that little discussion of ours?"

"About what?" asked Dust. "How your government plans to execute me?"

Wisdom grinned as he dragged on the cigarette. "I work for SHIELD, love. We don’t answer to any government, only to the UN. Our interest is keeping the entire world safe."

"UN, US, they’re all the same," said Dust.

"And what about your life, Sooraya?" asked Wisdom. "I know all about your past. Abducted by the Taliban, conditioned to be one of their assassins. Once your mutant powers emerged, they found even more uses for you. Even after their collapse, you found yourself taking more and more assignments, going so far as to make a deal with Sinister and his Dark Riders."

"What’s your point?"

"Gets to you after awhile, don’t it? All the killing, the bloodshed. Doing it all for a cause you’re not even sure you believe in. Yet still doing it anyway, because you think it’s the only thing you’re good at," said Wisdom. "Stop me when this sounds familiar."

Sooraya looked away from him. "What would you know?"

"Been there, done that," said Wisdom. "I know what it’s like, living on the outskirts, performing all the secret assassinations. I massacred entire villages on my government’s say-so. All in the name of Queen and Country. And for what?"

Wisdom came up behind her, his lips right by her ear. "Not a bloody thing."

"Yet you work for SHIELD?" asked Dust.

"Sure I do," said Wisdom. He circled back to one of the walls and sat down, leaning back against it. "Because I know that while SHIELD may have its problems, I’m not a nine-to-five bloke. And I’m done working for governments that don’t represent my interests. With SHIELD, I answer only to Fury, a man who I know I can trust. And with him backing me, I’ve got the authority to protect the people I should be protecting—mutants."

Sooraya sat across from Wisdom, leaning against the opposite wall and watching him with curiosity.

"You think what happened to you was isolated, love? I’ve news for you, it wasn’t. Governments all over the world are doing the same thing to their own. Kidnapping mutant children from their families, forcing them into reeducation programs, turning them into weapons of the state. There are even reports of scientists using gene therapy to increase the chances that a child’s x-gene will manifest. The science behind it is crude and as such, other mutations are occurring. Children whose only mutant power is looking like something out of a Lovecraft book. And they’re being slaughtered when they prove useless.

"It’s a dark world out there, Sooraya. We’re talking about a whole new kind of arms race. It’s not about nuclear arms anymore. No, the future is all about persons of mass destruction. There’s only one thing standing between these kids and the bastards controlling them—us."

"What do you mean by us?" asked Dust.

Wisdom smiled. "I want you on my team, love. So what do you say, are you in or out?"