Sometime during the Crusades

Bennet du Paris looked on at his squad with pride. They were to go into battle with glory on their backs and danger in their eyes. These Muslims would eventually fall and they would fall hard, surrendering the holy city to its rightful owners.

"Bennet, when will the charge begin?" Francis du Xavier asked. Francis was always anxious for battle and was always just a little reckless. He was the complete opposite of Louis Conrad who was always a steady and very cautious warrior. Both were good men to have at your side in battle.

"It'll start when you hear the horn," Bennet replied to his troops. Philip Crypt nudged his brother Wallace in the arm to show his brother how shiny his sword was. Bennet smiled at this, but he knew that the time for battle was nearing and soon many would die.

The Present

The restaurant was filled with the rich and famous of New Orleans, but two of its seats were taken by the mutants Exodus and Fontanelle. One was in search of mutants and the other was in search of a jewel.

"So Exodus tell me a little about yourself. I mean where you from and that kind of thing,"

"I don't think you want to know about my past,"

"Oh yes I do because I think if I'm going to be on your team I should know a little about you,"

"You are going to regret asking me this. Well, for starters I'm hundreds of years old and I fought in the Crusades. I happened to stumble into some machine that kept me asleep for a very long time. Well when I woke up, I did some very bad things and I really don't want to get into details on that. Eventually though I knew what I was doing was wrong so I became determined to make things right. That's when I recruited Colossus, a former X-Man into my ranks and then Domino. Now here I am,"

"Well if you were to have told me that twenty years ago I would have told you to shove a pole up your ass, but after all I've seen and done I believe you. Well, I guess being the third recruit ain't bad, but I would have preferred to be the first if you know what I mean."

"Actually you are the fourth. I sent Colossus and Domino off to New York to recruit the third member."

"Well I'm starting to feel like that ice guy."

"Don't take it personally, but I needed to get my fighters lined up first," Exodus said taking in some of his gumbo.

"Well I see you like it," Fontanelle smiled, but Exodus did not reply.

"Hey Exodus what's wrong?"

"Nothing I'm sorry my mind just started drifting," Exodus replied, but in truth something was desperately wrong. He could have just sworn on his life that he had seen Francis du Xavier walk by in a three-piece suit. Could it be that Exodus wasn't the only one of his time to survive to this era? No, it was impossible, but Exodus could never be sure. Especially not with all he had seen and done.

Fontanelle didn't have time to address the worried look in Exodus' eyes because she was involved in her own affairs. For weeks Fontanelle had been having mysterious visions and she didn't know what they meant. This one wasn't any different.

She was on a field of fire and lava. The blinding light was intense and she felt as if her skin was being burnt away by the heat. She started to walk, not knowing why, feeling as if she had no control over her body. She walked for what seemed like miles until she stopped at a spring that was shooting lava high into the sky. Then she suddenly began to hear a deep growling like it was coming from a gigantic dog. She turned around to see five dogs mauling a man to pieces. She managed to get the dogs to stop biting and tearing at the man. When she looked down she saw the face of Exodus.

"Fontanelle, are you okay?" Exodus asked and suddenly Fontanelle snapped out of her vision.

"Yeah I'm fine... I've just been experiencing an expansion in my powers and it's having some weird side effects."

"Well that's just something we'll have to deal with once we get back to my base," Exodus smiled, but in truth helping Fontanelle wasn't his top priority. He was almost sure that he saw Francis du Xavier, but it could just be some ruse created by whoever was chasing him down. Even though Domino and Colossus didn't suspect anything, Exodus knew the truth and he knew others had been made the offer like he had. He hated being in the dark because he had been in it for so long.

The Past

"Bennet I'm going to have your child,"

"Marisela I can hardly believe it! I'm going to have a baby!" Bennet exclaimed as he came to the love of his life and rubbed her stomach gently.

"If it's a boy I'm naming him after you," Marisela smiled.

"My dear Marisela, I would never curse another being with the name of Bennet." This caused Marisela to chuckle.

"Why do you have to leave me Bennet?" Marisela asked.

"Mari I have to liberate the holy city and when I come back we can take our baby there for a visit."

"That city can't be too holy if it's taking you away from me."

"It's not taking..." before Bennet could finish his sentence he was locking lips with Marisela.

"Just come back safe Bennet."

New York

"Look don't make me have to say it again! I'm not joining your team!"

"Cecilia this team is going to help other mutants that need help in controlling their abilities. Are you going to let another mutant go through what you went through?" Colossus asked. This caused Cecilia to stumble for a moment, but only a moment.

"Look Colossus I'm sure you can find some other mutant to take my spot. I'm just not suited for this hero thing. I don't want to face danger every time I go outside. I want to have a normal life and fulfill my OWN dream!"

"Sometimes dreams have to be put aside for the greater good."

"Who's greater good?! Xavier's greater good? Your greater good? Tell me because I really am struggling with this concept of greater good."

"Look honey, you're a mutant and you are going to have to face that fact and stop trying to run away from it. We're offering you a chance to be part of something special and you'll have the chance to help others fulfill their dream," Domino exclaimed.

"Look whatever-your-name-is, I'm fulfilling my dream right now and it sure as hell doesn't involve being a damn superhero,"

"That's not the..." Before Colossus could finish his sentence there was a large BOOM! that blasted through the door of Cecilia's clinic. Luckily today was her off-day and she wasn't taking any patients.

"See you guys just attract trouble!"

"Shut up and fight!" Domino yelled.

"Well looks like we have some Reaver wannabes here."

"Yeah right chica," one of the cyborgs laughed as he launched a rocket at Domino. She managed to dodge it and by doing so, caused a large hole to form in the wall.

"That's it! You guys aren't wrecking my hopes!" Cecilia yelled. She lashed out with her power, shooting spikes at her assailants causing them to back off, giving Colossus enough of an opportunity to rip off the arm of one of the cyborgs and knocking another cyborg's legs out from under him with the ripped off arm.

"That freak took my arm!"

"Deal with it!" Colossus yelled as he punched the cyborg, knocking him out. Domino meanwhile had broken the arm of one of the cyborgs and she roundhoused another cyborg who was trying to blast her from the back. Cecilia was pretty much ripping apart every cyborg that tried to approach her. Domino, watching this spectacle, didn't seem to notice the cyborg that crept up on her. She stared face to face with cyborg and he stared back. It was like they were playing chicken with each other. Eventually the cyborg made the first move by slapping Domino's breasts together. This caught Domino so off-guard that the cyborg managed to get a good blast on her with his third arm.

Colossus meanwhile found himself cornered by two cyborgs. One looked like a crab and the other like a 98 Degrees kid gone bad. Colossus smiled inside at the thought of these cyborgs thinking they can take him.

"I surrender."

"You what?" the crab-looking cyborg asked, bewildered.

"You guys are too much... I surrender."

"Well, glad to see you came to your senses," the 98 Degrees reject said nervously. Then Colossus smiled as the two heads of the cyborgs bashed together.

"I was waiting for you to do that," Colossus said to Domino as she dusted her hands off.

"Uggh... that crab thing was slimy out this world," Domino said as her hands began to stick together.

"Well then I guess I'll handle the last cyborg."

"Yeah right we'll be back," the last cyborg said as he pressed a button on his hand teleporting himself and his teammates away.

"We'll be waiting," Colossus said.