Still recovering from an attack on it and the city earlier that year, San Francisco’s harbor remained a site to see for all who visited her. However, no longer was it such a site because of the beauty and romance that it resonated, but because of the reconstruction and clean-up effort that some believed would take years to complete. Once known as one of the city’s richest sources of revenue due to the immense, year-around tourist activity, San Francisco’s harbor was now - to some - a virtual construction site and waste yard.

Despite this, it was in that harbor that the U.S.S. Avenger was docked and prepared for a celebration that would last well into the evening. The U.S.S. Avenger was a military tanker set for retirement and decommissioning after its final stint in the middle east. Its namesake warranted The Mayor of San Francisco, as well as the various city officials involved, to pull some strings and have it dedicated to the heroes who have saved, protected, and aided in the city’s reconstruction efforts.

“To the Avengers!” The Mayor shouted as he raised the first bottle of champagne to be open and removed its cork, a resounding pop and a rush of foam following.

The various partygoers - mostly made up of city officials, reporters and journalists, businesspeople, National Guardsmen, and most importantly the five guests of honor who surrounded The Mayor - raised their empty glasses and reiterated The Mayor’s toast with a festive cheer.

“To the Avengers!”

“Woo! That’d be us, guys and gals,“ Hawkeye, leader of the Avengers West Coast, said with a cheesy grin as he reached his empty glass out to The Mayor of San Francisco. The Wasp rolled her eyes and stifled a giggle as The Mayor poured Hawkeye his first drink for the evening, and subsequently a drink for each of the Avengers.

Before any of them could take a drink, various photographers surrounded the six heroes of the city and beckoned for photos. They were more than happy to oblige, lining up around with The Mayor with him in the center of the photo. The Mayor rose the still foaming bottle up triumphantly while the various photos would depict Hawkeye cheering to himself, The Wasp smiling politely and standing plainly, Iron Man studying his glass of champagne as if pondering how he would drink it through his helmet, Darkhawk putting bunny ears on the armored hero, and Spider-Woman posing seductively.

Though they were the only Avengers garnering the party’s attention on the main deck, they were not the only Avengers at the celebration. On the upper aft deck overlooking the main deck, Doctor Henry McCoy, otherwise known as Hank or “Beast” to the Avengers and X-Men alike, clapped with the other partygoers as his friends were honored that late afternoon. Ororo Munroe, his teammate with the X-Men known as Storm, joined him at the railing of the aft deck, clapping as well.

"I thought that he was going to be here in person?" she yelled over the applause as she leaned into Hank’s side. Hank nodded, equally confused as they had yet to see the person that had invited them to meet with him there, and then turned to look around the upper aft deck curiously.

The upper aft deck wasn’t particularly reserved for any group of guests, but a number of businesspeople and city officials wishing to break away from the media exposure and bustling environment found themselves migrating there in doves. It was for this reason that Hank found, without surprise, that his and Ororo’s contact had similarly done so.

Across the deck, sitting at the finest patio furniture that the city of San Francisco could assemble for such a celebration with a large table umbrella shading him from the late afternoon’s setting sun, Hank spotted a familiar backside. Jet black hair, check. Olive complexion, check. Stylish and tailor made dress-wear, check. It had to have been him.

“I think I found him,” Hank said to Ororo as the applause died down. She turned away from the railing and looked about the aft deck until he pointed toward its corner. She looked to Hank and nodded, agreeing in his assessment, and they began to casually make their way through the partygoers towards their contact that evening.

When they approached him from behind, they noticed that he seemed to be staring off into the pacific ocean dreamily, as if lost in thought. It would make Hank’s next words all the more amusing to him as a greeting.

"Anyone ever tell you, kind sir, that you would give David Copperfield a run for his money?”

At first uncertain and taken aback, Tony Stark snapped out of his daydream at the sound of the familiar voice and turned to face his longtime friend, pleasantly surprised. His eyes looked from Hank to Ororo, up and down the curves accentuated by her summer dress, and then back to Hank as he realized that his guests had arrived. It was then a crafty smirk crept up on his face and he hunched his eyebrows at the two.

“Nice little trick, huh?” Tony remarked. Hank allowed for a look of mock-uncertainty, to which Tony motioned his champagne glass toward the end of the upper aft deck from where the two X-Men had just crossed from.

Hank and Ororo looked back toward railing, where a hovering Iron Man was now speaking to and dazzling the partygoers with its features. The two then looked back to Tony, Hank speaking up. “Oh, that? No, that‘s child‘s play,” he waved his hand dismissively, then grinned a toothy grin. “I meant that you’re rich and creative despite vast family and love life related tragedies.”

Tony chuckled and rubbed his forehead, just then getting the reference. “Right.” He pushed his chair out from underneath himself and stood up, first facing Ororo with one hand in his pocket and the other outstretched to her. “It’s very nice to see you again, Miss Munroe.”

“You as well, Tony,” Ororo smiled as she took his hand and softly shook it. Tony’s hand lingered in hers for a moment, mild flirtation at best, before he released it turned to Hank.

"It’s good to see you too, friend“ Hank said as the two shook hands. He eyed the glass on the table Tony had been sitting at and then looked back up to the former alcoholic, cocking his head to the side. "Sparkling Sierra Mist, I trust?"

Tony looked down to the glass, broke the handshake, and picked it up. "Freshly carbonated in 2007. Only the finest of years,” he quipped in response, raising his glass as if to toast the year before he downed the remains of the glass. “Now that you’re here, why don’t you take a seat? We‘ve got a lot to talk about.”

Hank nodded and moved to take a seat, while Tony pulled one out for Ororo and gestured to it. She eyed him for a moment and nodded kindly before taking it, and then Tony himself settled in.

"Alright, Tony,” Hank began. “Let’s hear everything you know about the Byron Agency.”

“You both know about the Byron Agency’s public front, right?” Tony asked, to which Hank and Ororo nodded quietly to themselves. “Well, on top of being a security firm and private military contractor, it’s also the umbrella company of numerous weapons manufacturing companies. Between you and I, the Department of Defense has been known to make more… ambiguous weapons requests… from time to time.“

“Ambiguous?“ Ororo’s eyes narrowed. “How so?”

Tony shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “Well, the Sentinels are an example,” he began, not wanting to unnerve either two of the X-Men, “But for a long time they’ve been on the prowl for super-humans, genetically engineered soldiers, artificial intelligence, and similar living weapons to take the place of conventional soldiers. My companies typically don’t dabble in those sort of ventures…”

Hank raised a brow and Ororo narrowed her eyes, this time on Tony instead of his choice of words. An annoyed look appeared on Tony’s face and he sat upright, making a rolling gesture with his hands to emphasize his point.

“For moral reasons, of course, and because the legality of some of these ventures ranged from questionable to downright non-existent,” he explained himself with a sort of disclaimer to his own statement, much to his own chagrin, then continued. “Whenever I would pass on a government contract, the Byron Agency or a sister company of theirs would be more than eager to swoop in and take the Department of Defense up on their deal. Shrewd, immoral, and willing to take bids many other arms companies would never admit to considering. That’s how I would describe them.

“The Byron Agency has since dissolved, their assets and the assets of associated firms frozen or ceased, but a couple of their sister companies remain active. They’re in severe financial trouble and are treading water at best, but are active nonetheless.”

Hank leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face as Tony‘s words sank in. “So, I suppose that explains how they have managed to utilize spare mercenaries and weapons and continue their operations…”

“We assumed as much,“ Ororo interjected, figuring that Hank‘s assessment was a moot point. “The question is what does any of that have to do with their recent activities? The government manipulations and espionage? The kidnapping and torture of Secretary Kelly? The recent attacks on Scott, Jean, and Hank?”

Tony leaned back into his chair and crossed his legs. A frown was forming on his face as he considered his next words, as he considered his answer to Ororo’s question, and he knew that this would be the most difficult part of their conversation.

“The Byron Agency’s infiltration of the federal government is still a secret from the general public, and even I can’t verify that everything your saying is true. If it means anything, though, I believe you, and I think that it has to do with a recent mutant neutralization weapons contract that the Department of Defense has recently made with one of the only sister companies the Byron Agency has left.”

Ororo’s eyes widened at the prospect and Hank suddenly became uneasy, shifting his weight in his chair and furrowing his broad, blue furred brow.

“You don’t possibly mean…” he trailed off. Tony nodded before Hank could finish his sentence, already confirming what the X-Man suspected.

“Goddess, no,” Ororo whispered, closing his eyes with a sigh.

“And do you see this tanker we’re all standing on?” Tony asked, looking and gesturing about the deck before he brought his attention back to Ororo and Hank. “Well… its cargo contains those very weapons…”

Several hours later, Scott and Jean had returned to the mansion. The trip back was quiet between the two, but Scott had received word from Ororo and Hank regarding their visit to San Francisco. Tony Stark, the Avenger better known to the super-hero community as Iron Man, had filled them in on what he had known about the securities firm known as the Byron Agency and even dropped a bombshell on them. It was a clue as to their final endgame and how it would effect not only the X-Men, but the world at large.

That was when Scott called an emergency mission briefing in the War Room of the X-Mansion, set to begin the moment he returned. When they did return, Scott had asked Jean if she would assist in the mission in a support role and she agreed to it, but that was they had said to each other before she went upstairs. Scott would be able to fill her in on the specifics pretty quickly, so he got dressed in his uniform and made his way to the War Room as planned. There, five other X-Men - similarly dressed - were waiting for him in their seats around the briefing table.

Domino, Iceman, Rogue, Cannonball, and Wolverine.

"Thanks for coming so quickly, everyone," Cyclops said as he reached the end of the briefing table and stood before his team. Slung around his shoulder was a duffel bag.

"You say come running, I say can I take my ice slide instead," Iceman quipped. "What's the haps, bossman?"

"I know it's short notice, but I've spoken with Ororo and Hank, and we've got word on the Byron Agency's next move,“ Cyclops began. “We're going to have to act fast, before it's too late, so I need everyone to pay close attention."

"Wait a sec,“ Rogue spoke up in her Southern accent, looking around the table. "Is this it? Are we the only ones you got lined up for this mission?

Cyclops nodded. "Ororo will be joining us in the field when she returns to the mansion with Hank, and Hank's still on light duty while he recovers from his injuries. He'll be acting in a support role along with Jean here at the mansion."

That was everybody. Radius, Magma, and Jubilee hadn't been with the team since Wolverine's team had escaped the Byron Agency's clutches. Nightcrawler and Polaris had decided not to return, and left the mansion when everyone was agreed that the Byron Agency would have little motive and resources to seek them out. M had tentatively left the team, unsure of her future with them, and was at the moment home with her family. With Beast injured from The Constrictor's attack and Phoenix's powers too unreliable, that left seven active members of the team and they were it.

“Good enough for me, Slim,” Wolverine said as he looked to Cannonball and the two nodded to each other, before he looked back to Cyclops. “What are we up to?”

“I’m glad you asked, Logan.” Cyclops said. He looked down to the console before him on briefing table and typed in a few commands. In a moment’s time, a three-dimensional image of the military tanker that went into retirement earlier that day appeared at the center of the briefing table. “This is the U.S.S. Avenger.”

The X-Men situated around the briefing table turned their attention to the ship, then back to Cyclops, who had paused for effect. He then reached hoisted the duffel bag that had been resting on his shoulder off of his arm and onto the table, which he then unzipped and opened for his team to see. It was full of plastic explosives.

“And this is what we’re going to use to blow it out of the water.”

NEXT ISSUE: You heard the man! Cyclops leads a team of X-Men on a mission to hi-jack the U.S.S. Avenger on its final voyage and sink it before it reaches its final destination! We know that the Byron Agency have a hand in this one, but where is the tanker going? What is its cargo? And most importantly, how does it all tie in to the Byron Agency’s final endgame?! Find out in “LAND OF CONFUSION,” Part Two!

Well, this is it folks. The beginning of the end for “The Byron Agency Saga” that David Wheatley, Brad Horton, and I started sometime back in 2005. It’s been a long, strange trip and sadly I’ve had to take the last leg of it alone. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to just get it over with it, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try to give it the attention that it deserves and wrap up all of the lingering plots left over in this title and from X-Force. Hopefully you’ll all enjoy what I have in store!

No letters or reviews in from last issue, which is a bit of a bummer, but hopefully this issue warrants more attention. I’d hate to sound like an attention whore, but this is the last leg of a couple of years worth of stories, folks! I’d love to hear what you think of it all, even if it’s negative criticism or a brief “hey, not bad” pat on the back. Just let me know you’re reading, eh?

Just so that this letter column isn’t so bear, though, I just thought I’d reply to a review of X-Men Unlimited #41 - which ties directly into the stories found in this series - that Brent Lambert wrote a while back. Take her away, Brent!

I’m glad that you enjoyed my handling of most of the characters here, especially Doctor Reyes! In my opinion, she’s a criminally underused supporting character in the X-mythos, one who Brad and I intended on using much more until our collaboration had to end when real life attacked and mauled Brad’s free time. Hopefully this isn’t the last we’ll see of Doctor Reyes for a while.

THE BAD: The scene with Cannonball felt lacking to me. It didn’t have that emotional bite to it that some of the other scenes had, particularly Jubilee and Magma’s. Everyone else seemed to have serious issues to deal with while Sam was just homesick. That’s not to belittle homesickness, but in the context of the story it came off more as whining to me.

OVERALL: A good, tight compact story dealing with a character who never really got her fair deal in canon Marvel.

Thanks for the review, Brent! Again, I’m glad you enjoyed my characterization of Doctor Reyes and stories behind most of the X-Men here.

See you all in two weeks! *fingers crossed*

- Cory Wiegel
  January 14^th, 2008