Experimental Living

• Writer - John Francis Moore
• Lettering - Comicraft
• Lettering - Richard Starkings
• Colorist - Marie Javins
• Editor - Bobbie Chase
• Editor in Chief - Bob Harras
• Penciler - Jim Cheung
• Inker - Mark Morales
• Inker - Rob Stull
• Inker - Harry Candelario
• Lettering - Emerson Miranda

Summary

  Domino leads the team to Almost Reno. Johnny is now a human torch, and he attacks, blaming them for his condition. Jimmy throws him off, accidentally killing him. Domino says it wasn't his fault; the children in this town are part of a eugenics experiment by the Aguilar Institute.

  The search the deserted town and find the telepath Mary playing a jukebox, and Zak, who is made of stone. Theresa enters, pretending to be a waitress, and keeps everything calm. Mary explains that one child started glowing, then men came and took everyone away.

  Briggs shows up; X-Force refuses to let him take the children and easily defeat them. But Zak's insides are starting to turn to stone, and he is dying. Dani tries to psychically calm him, but instead finds herself able to heal him.

  Mary hears Briggs' thought about the Damocles Foundation (iss. 79), and just then Indigo shows up representing them. He explains that Damocles funds Aguilar, and he is the deviant Ulysses Dragonblood's brother (iss. 83). Mary tries to attack him, but he neutralizes her power, and then Tabitha gets the same treatment.

  He wants a truce. He explains that A-bomb testing had made everyone in Almost Reno sterile. The Damocles Foundation let them have children, but with X-factor and deviant genes. This started killing the children, so the foundation quarantined them to try to find out what went wrong.

  X-Force still refuses to give him Mary and Zak, and Indigo goes away.