Night came quickly in Hammer Bay, and soon Nathan Summers and Sam Guthrie found themselves back on the docks of Genosha's capital city. Both men carried traveling packs and all-too-recent memories of teary-eyed farewells. Nathan had to twice more convince his mother not to send a battalion along with them.

            "I still don't feel comfortable with this," said Sam.

            "Which part?"

            "Take your pick. Sneaking out in the middle of the night, putting our lives in the hands of a crime lord, plus you invited HER along!" Sam threw one hand in the air, while the other fiddled nervously with a small crystal.

            "You know we might need a little extra muscle, Sam," Nathan replied, "are you still mad about that skirmish on Muir?"

            "No," he replied quickly. Then, begrudgingly, "Maybe a little bit. She probably won't show anyway."

            "She'll be here. Just like you'd be if she'd have called, recent history or not." Nathan noticed the crystal in the younger man's palm. "What's that?"

            "Xavier gave it to me. He enchanted it so that it'll vibrate around skrulls."

            "Sounds like a fun toy, Sammy boy." The voice came from the darkness. A unique woman emerged from the shadows. She was dressed in black from head to toe, topped off with a full head of ebony hair. It's what wasn't black that was unique however. The woman was an albino, completely lacking skin color. She was visibly armed to the teeth, and both men knew she had at least as many weapons hidden somewhere on her athletic frame. She cracked a big smile at the prince and his friend. "How's it going Sammy? Still mad about Muir?" She laughed and turned to Nathan. The prince pulled her into a deep hug.

            "How've you been Dom?"

            "Alright. Just got back into town a few days ago. I was visiting Ike down south. He still hates you by the way."

            "I saved his life, Domino."

            "Well, he sees it a bit differently. You might too if you lost both legs."

            "And the rest of the Pack?"

            "Last I heard, Grizzly was still up north, searching for his parents, Kane is still missing, and Bridge is working for Nicholas Fury of all people. He still hates you too, I hear."

            "Fury?"

            "No, Bridge."

            "Oh," said Nathan, "That one probably makes sense."

            A new voice rang from the darkness, "Awful young to be having so many enemies, eh milord?" It was Lebeau. The thiefmaster glanced at the albino woman. "Beatrice."

            "Lebeau." She replied with a glint of steel in her voice. Sam looked at the female warrior, intrigued. He had never imagined her birth name was Domino - it was just a nickname: she painted a black dot over her left eye before going into battle; but it was the only name he had ever known the woman by. Lebeau picked up on the young man's internal considerations.

            "Don't worry, boy. T'aint her real name, just another guise she likes to wear before she steals a man's heart."

            "Oh grow up, you overgrown pickpocket!" Domino replied, exasperated.

            "Is this going to be a problem?" Nathan asked hurriedly, "You two obviously have history."

            Lebeau laughed a low, smoky laugh. It sounded as though there was a furnace burning inside of him. "Problem? Course not. I figure, fourth most dangerous woman on earth - might as well be on our side."

            "Third." Lebeau looked inquisitive, so she continued. "Typhoid Mary went crazy."

            "Wasn't she always crazy?" he asked.

            "Homicidal crazy? Yeah. Nearly catatonic, talking to air, chained up in an asylum crazy? Not until recently."

            Nathan had had enough. "Alright, enough thief-mercenary shoptalk. We have a ship to catch and a long journey ahead of us. Lebeau, if you'd please?" Lebeau grandly waved his hand to beckon the trio to follow. Xavier was right, Nathan thought, the thief seemed truly excited about the upcoming adventure. The prince wouldn't admit it to a living soul, but he too was excited to get off the island, despite the dire situation. It had been almost two years since he, Sam, and Domino had returned from Muir Island with the rest of his brigade, known affectionately as the Wild Pack.

            The mission had been fairly simple - help the small island nation fend off a routine invasion by the Crimson Pirates of Cytorrak. Their leader, Black Tom Cassidy, had a distant claim to the throne and every few months he and his men would have too much to drink and bombard Muir's citadel for a few days before being chased back to sea. Muir was a neighboring island to Genosha and a close diplomatic ally. Nathan and his troops had been itching for fight, so when they got word the pirates were in local waters, the Wild Pack moved with lightning speed. This was no typical attack, and this time the brigands were sober and expecting them. A bloody battle ensued, and Nathan lost two soldiers: Ike "The Hammer" Canty was severely injured and Garrison Kane disappeared in the heat of the fight. The pirates were eventually driven back, but hot tempers and accusations took their toll on the group. They split to the four winds and neither Nathan nor Sam had seen any of them since that day.

            "What's that humming noise?" asked Domino. Sam almost realized too late. The crystal in his hand had begun to vibrate and glow sullenly. "Skrulls!" the word rang out like a battle cry. Nathan and Domino both drew their blades instinctively. There was a snarl from the shadows surrounding them.

            "Death to the Kaluachi!" roared several reptilian voices in unison. The creatures emerged from the darkness. They appeared to be in the midst of transformation; their faces a mishmash of human and skrull features. There were eight of them, and they stood between the quartet and their destination.

            "And here I thought this was going to be a quick jaunt up north," noted Domino wryly. The pale warrior brandished twin short blades and leapt into combat, slicing a skrull head from its shoulders before the men could join the battle. Nathan and Sam charged into the fray; the prince's blade Graymalkin tasting skrull blood for the first time. Lebeau, not a trained soldier, held his ground from afar, throwing short knives with deadly accuracy. The four adventurers made quick work of their foes.

            "Hurry, there's bound to be more," Nathan said. The prince's heart was pumping hard, his mind racing as he tried to shake the thrill of battle and regain his senses. The ship was right in front of them. They boarded hastily. A half dozen of Lebeau's "colleagues" had prepared the ship for sail, and now Nathan watched the dock as they pulled away; his island nation quickly disappeared into the night. The day had begun and ended in blood; Nathan wondered how much more blood would spill before the adventure was over.