Colossus stared in awe at the beautiful beaches of the San Francisco coast. The lapping waves, the large white crests and clear water all added to the beauty of this coast. Peter figured he was going to have to come back here one day and capture the beauty of this coast on a canvas. All should enjoy beauty like this, but the person Peter wanted to share this beauty with most was the love of his life, Kitty Pryde. He wished that she was here sitting right next to him, but instead she was hard at work for S.H.I.E.L.D. doing who knew what. Peter was always awed at Kitty's resilience. They both had just gone through a horrible ordeal with Apocalypse and before they barely had time to spend time with each other, he was gone. Peter wished he had been a little more persistent with Exodus so he could have stayed with her longer.

"Colossus I have a question for you," Exodus said.

"What is it?" Colossus asked since he rarely heard Exodus ask questions.

"If I hadn't showed up, what X-Men team do you think you would be on; Omega or Alpha?"

"Well, to be quite honest I would have to say Alpha. They seem to be honoring the memory of Xavier more than the Omega team does. Anyway I don't think I could stand being on the same team with Sabretooth. Bishop had to have been out of his mind! Though he had always been a little on the edge to start off with," Colossus laughed.

"Well being in a foreign place sometimes does that to you,"

"Exodus I have always wondered what it must be like for you to know that you lived centuries past all your friends and family,"

"The fate that was passed onto me, Peter, was one I earned. My lust for power drove me to my fate. That lust drives many to doom and pain. Now to answer your question, when I first arrived in this time I hated it. Everything seemed like magic to me and I didn't know how to use a bit of it. I wanted power even after all those years and when I woke up I was worse off than when I fell asleep. Then it finally dawned on me that everything I knew was gone and that everyone I knew was gone. I was the last true knight and there was pain in my heart that no one should ever have to deal with,"

"Now I think I finally understand you and Bishop. You two have more in common than I thought,"

"No! Bishop came to this time in search of justice. I came to this time in search of power. Remember that Peter, because if you don't know the past you are doomed to repeat it. It's funny how so many say that, but so few listen. I remember how the knights would talk about there being no war, disease, and pain within a thousand years. If they only knew the worst was yet to come. I want you to know though that worse is still coming and it's coming soon,"

"What are you talking about Exodus?"

"Peter I know things I shouldn't know and I probably shouldn't tell, but I want you to know the time is coming when things will rise to a boiling point and many lives will be lost,"

"Is this why you are forming this team?"

"That and some other more stressing reasons,"

"Like what?"

"Peter, believe me when I say you don't want to know,"

"Fine Exodus, I trust you. I wonder what the other X-Men would say if they heard me say that,"

"Colossus I think they trust your judgment, but I know for a fact they still don't trust me. I think I would have to call upon the power of Heaven itself before they saw my cause as the good thing it is. I think some of the younger X-Men might work alongside me like you have, but I'm not sure about the others,"

"Can you really blame them? I mean you nearly killed a whole lot of them and kidnapped one X-Man's child!* I know you have changed now, but that doesn't just erase the past from their minds!" Colossus exclaimed.

(* Exodus kidnapped Quicksilver's daughter, Luna, in Marvel's Blood Ties crossover -- Russ)

"Yes I understand your point of view but some of them, to be quite frank, are hypocrites. They house Pyro and Sabretooth, but they can't stand the fact that I might have changed! And if I remember correctly, Quicksilver once went insane, Rogue was once a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants, and Archangel was a Horsemen. I don't claim to be perfect, but neither should the X-Men,"

"Everyone makes mistakes..."

"EXACTLY! I've made mine, but your friends can't seem to get over that! How can they ever hope that humans will trust them if they can't trust other mutants? I'm sorry Peter, but your friends have turned into a bunch of squabbling brats. I know Xavier must be rolling over in his grave right now,"

"I know the X-Men have their problems right now, but those comments were uncalled for. The X-Men are honorable warriors and have saved the world on numerous occasions!"

"I'm sorry Peter, it's just that I've been a little anxious as of late because I want to get this team on a roll," Exodus sighed.

"It's alright. I understand, believe me... I know I've been waiting on pins and needles to get this show on the road."

"Do you think she will join us?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know too much about the woman, but I'm sure she has common sense and she knows a good thing when she sees it,"

"Well, then let's leave this place," Exodus said as he lifted Colossus and himself into the air. Peter always loved the feeling of flying and it was all the more fun with Exodus. Of course he wasn't going to let Exodus know that...

The Rosco Club

Domino had come to this club every night since she'd started living with an old friend of hers. She didn't know what attracted her to this place. It sure wasn't the horrible music they played and it wasn't the fact that this was one of the few clubs that let mutants in. She was almost sure beyond a doubt it was because of the bartender that looked just like Sam Guthrie. Boy did she miss the good ol' days of X-Force! It seemed like it was those days that flew by the fastest. Now that the team was disbanded, it didn't seem like those days were going to come back anytime soon. Of course she could call up her Black Air ties, get some dirt on Pete Wisdom, and force him to let her join the new team. Naw... she couldn't let Fury and G.W. know that she had so many contacts in the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization that allowed her to know about the new X-Force. Of course, it wasn't like Fury could fire all those people, because then they would be seriously undermanned.

"Hey Danny, pass me another one will ya!" Domino shouted at the bartender that looked like Sam.

"Domino, this is your tenth glass... don't you think you should quit and head on home?" Danny said as he poured her glass.

"Look, I know my limit and ten isn't anywhere near it. Anyway as long as I'm paying you I think you should be happy,"

"Not exactly because I do want you to be able to come back some other time and not get hit by a car. You know these drivers are crazy and you have to be alert! Being drunk doesn't exactly help that," Danny sighed as he gave Domino the glass.

"Well, Danny I'm glad to know that you aren't like all the other slimeball bartenders around here," Domino said as she handed Danny the money.

"Naw, I could never let myself get that fat and hairy. It's a shame too because the bartenders here are mostly women!"

"Ughh! Now I'm going to have sick thoughts for a while," Domino sighed.

"You want me to help you get some good thoughts," Danny said with lust in his eyes.

"Kid, you give me a time and a place," Domino said licking her lips. She hadn't been in a relationship for months. Contrary to popular belief mutants need to get some, too.

"How about right here, right now?" Danny asked smiling.

"Whoa! Kid you are just a little too wild for me! I think I might have to school you on how I work it," Domino said grabbing Danny's shirt and pulling him forward for a passionate kiss.

The Next Day

Domino was watching the "Thundercats" when she got a knock on her door. She didn't really want to answer it because she was worn out from Danny last night and she had a headache that felt like an elephant was doing some salsa dancing on her head. She got up anyway and answered the door because she really hated leaving people hanging. When she answered the door she saw two people that she never thought would cross her path or each other's path in a million years.

"Well to what do I owe the honor?" Domino asked rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Domino let me get straight to.."

"Hold on! Let me get some clothes on! I really don't want to talk to you two guys in my underwear. So you guys make yourselves at home and have a seat till I get done," Domino said walking off to her room. Exodus and Peter looked at the shaggy couch that Domino had and then they looked at each other. Their facial expressions said it all.

"Hey, I thought I told you guys to sit down! What do you think my couch is too shabby or something?" Domino asked, insulted, but understanding of Colossus's and Exodus's attitude.

"Your couch is fine Domino, but I really don't want to get too comfortable. We came here for a reason and I wish to address it quickly,"

"Okay Exodus, I'm listening,"

"I wish for you to be part of my team, the Exiles. Our team's mission is to help young mutants learn to cope with their powers and to provide them with a stable area to live in," Exodus explained.

"Sounds a lot like the X-Men to me, so why don't you just join them?"

"Well, besides the fact that I have tried to kill most of them and they wouldn't let me near that mansion without a power inhibitor strapped around my neck..."

"Okay I get you... but why you Colossus? I mean wouldn't it have been easier to stay with the X-Men?"

"To be honest, the X-Men have fallen apart since the passing of Charles Xavier. I believe that Exodus could very well be the next Xavier that this world needs,"

"Well you must be mind-controlling me or something. I'm in! This isn't X-Force, but hey it's close! Let me just go get my things, leave a note for my friend, and we'll get out of here," Domino said.

In a few minutes Domino came out with her old X-Force suit and two suitcases in her hands. Peter and Exodus both smiled, but Exodus's smile went away quicker than Peter's. He had to be a hard leader and showing emotion wasn't going to help do that.

When they got out of Domino's apartment building, Exodus was about to lift up the two mutants and fly away when he was blindsided by a flying hammer. Domino dropped her suitcases and pulled out two guns from her back pockets. Colossus turned his mind into battle mode. He looked around for where the hammer came from when the area became littered with bullets.

"Get down!" Domino said, pushing Colossus down. As soon as she hit the concrete her gun accidentally went off and hit one of the people firing at them in the head.

"Well the good ol' luck powers kick in on time for once," Domino laughed. She loved the thrill of battle. Her whole life was filled with battle, at least the whole life that she knew of. Her childhood and early years were like a blank slate to her.

Exodus woke up from the injury he received with an aching jaw. He looked around and saw that one of the creeps was already taken out. He used his psychic powers to detect where the other ones were at and he then fed this information to Domino. She took them all down with deadly accuracy. Exodus was glad to have her on his team. She wasn't afraid to kill and that was something that was going to be needed down the line. Especially with the battles that were to come.

"These guys were probably some mercenaries with not too much of a liking for me," Domino said.

"Does this happen often?" Colossus asked, bewildered.

"Actually it does, which I know doesn't reflect on me too well," Domino said.

"That was the whole reason I chose you to be on my team. You've got experience and skill," Exodus said explaining his reasoning for choosing Domino as part of his Exiles team.

China

"I can't believe you idiots weren't wearing psi-armor! These people have to be some of the stupidest mercenaries ever! This is why I loathe dealing with humans! It looks like I might eventually have to deal with the Exiles myself."

" I suggest you hire that cyborg group of mercenaries,"

"Do you mean the Reavers?"

"No, I mean this new group of mercenaries. Here, look at this picture of them. I got it by hacking into the FBI mainframe,"

"Well they do look interesting! Give them a call and tell them to meet me in Bosnia. I can't afford to be running into the Omega team again. Of course if I had better help this wouldn't be a problem!" Deus said, walking out of his observatory room.