"Begin recording. Date stamp, Top Secret clearance. Copies to be forwarded to POTUS, SECDEF, and the Joint Chiefs. Present are myself, Henry Gyrich, Orville Sanderson, George Mathers, General Hayworth, Adrian Sammish, Avengers liaison Raymond Sikorsky, Martin Farrow, and Wesley Warner. Representing the Grey Division of SUPERINTare Robin Ferguson and Ruzena Carolea.

"This meeting of the Commission On Superhuman Activities is called to order. The subject for discussion is Mister Will Riley, who has recently been operating under the alias of Archetype. Mister Riley is currently associated with the superhuman group known as the X-Men."

"That was at your suggestion, wasn't it, Val?"

"Yes, Mister Sanderson. Riley made it clear to me at our initial contact that he had no interest in serving any government agency. The X-Men have proven to be one of the most stable of the independent superhuman groups, and we can contact them quickly, should the need arise, through X-Factor.

"Riley could best be described as a cross between a telepath, an omnipath, and a mage. He claims to be able to perceive the collective consciousness through a phenomenon which he calls 'The Chorus'. Study of this 'Chorus' has enabled him to develop teleportational abilities, martial arts skills, and an intuitive awareness of the dynamics of magical forces. At higher levels, this combination of traits can cause disruptions in advanced technology."

"You seem to have skipped over a major aspect of his powers, Val."

"I was just about to touch on that, Mister Farrow. Riley also appears to be effectively immortal, capable of recovering from any degree of injury or trauma."

"Is he an External?"

"No, nor is he a mutant. His powers appear to be wholly magical in nature."

"What are his political leanings?"

"All over the map. He's a strong supporter of both the military and gun rights, but opposes the draft, and is in favor of decriminalization of recreational drugs. He has extensive business interests in the technology sector, but has spent millions on environmental restoration of his land holdings. He's an intensely private man, and dislikes having attention drawn to himself.

"Ms. Carolea will give us a review of Mister Riley's magical background."

"Thank you, Doctor Cooper. After Riley acquired a net worth of about ten million U.S. dollars through investments, he began traveling to various locations which have historical and mystical significance. He would spend a few days at each spot, then move on. We believe that he underwent experiences at these places which enabled him to access the mystical energies associated with them. This theory is supported by the fact that most of the dwellings that he owns are located on ley lines or close to other centers of mystical power."

"What level of psi is he?"

"I can't give you an exact answer on that, Mister Gyrich. Riley doesn't channel energy the same way a mutant psi does, so measurement is a bit of a problem. Depending on how much power he's channeling at any given time, I'd rank him at anywhere from high Beta to mid-Alpha class, with the potential of eventually becoming an Omega class psi. It's the fact that he combines psionics with magic that makes him so powerful."

"Let's move on to more recent events. Mister Ferguson?"

"Yes, Dr. Cooper. After several minor encounters with various opponents, Riley and four other X-Men – Wolverine, Bishop, Iceman, and Rogue – prevented an attack of San Francisco by two members of the Horsemen of Apocalypse. According to witnesses, it was revealed that Apocalypse was aware of Riley's existence, and was 'waiting' for him."

"Wait a minute. How could Apocalypse have known about him? From what I've read, most of his power is based on, or augmented by, technology."

"True, General Hayworth, but that doesn't mean that he can't use magic. It may also be that his knowledge of Riley pre-dates his current state. In any case, one Riley became aware of Apocalypse's interest in him, he employed a series of methods which increased the extent and range of his abilities.

"Unfortunately, that turned out to be counterproductive. Once events were set into motion, the pieces fell into place very quickly. Adjusting to increases in magical power takes time... a commodity Riley was very short on. By the time his confrontation with Apocalypse took place, he was too caught up in maintaining control to be able to mount an effective defense. Apocalypse defeated him easily."

"What about the other X-Men?"

"They were captured. Given Apocalypse's usual modus operandi, I think it's safe to guess that they were to be executed.

"About ten hours later, however, Riley reappeared, just as powerful as before, but now both fully healed, and seemingly in complete control of his powers. About an hour before this, our sensitives detected a massive surge of magical energies on the western coast of Ireland, where Riley owns a house. I think that we're safe in concluding that it was those energies that restored him. He teleported to Apocalypse's location, eliminating most of the security that was stationed there and disrupting the technology which had been installed in the complex."

"What about Apocalypse himself?"

"My sources are a bit sketchy on that. Riley hit him with a combination of dimensional manipulation and devastating psionic attacks. The combination was enough to temporarily take Apocalypse down. During their battle, the X-Men escaped from the complex. From what we can tell, Riley then opened up a dimensional portal large enough to swallow the plateau in which Apocalypse's complex was housed."

"... Is he normally that powerful?"

"No. It appears that what occurred was that Riley was temporarily 'supercharged', so to speak. This is indicated by the fact that he took several weeks to recover from the experience, and has not displayed a comparable degree of power since that time."

"What does the magical community think about him?"

"To be quite frank, they're terrified of him. He can do intuitively what takes most mages years of study to accomplish. He's receiving training from Stephen Strange, which should tell you something about his potential. The last magician who tried attacking him is now a babbling idiot. Say the words 'Riley' of 'magic' within earshot of him, and he needs to be sedated."

"Which brings us to the million-dollar question: is Riley a threat to national security?"

"My judgement says no, Mister Gyrich. Riley has shown no interest in politics. The few causes which he supports financially are concerned with environmental and historical preservation. He has a quiet, withdrawn personality... not the type who would look to make waves. His priority seems to be protecting those whom he views as his 'family'... namely, the X-Men and their associated groups."

"That in itself should be something to make us reconsider our official stance on mutants, Mister Gyrich."

"I don't quite get your meaning, Ms. Carolea."

"Our official policy on mutants has, from the beginning, been one of confrontation... us versus them. That sort of thinking creates a division between mutants and baseline humans... a division tailor-made for Apocalypse's needs. We're doing his work for him, setting up a climate where he just has to wait for the dust to settle, then stomp on whoever's left.

"Now someone is here who's offering an alternative... someone who's fighting for continuity, for the preservation of humanity... all humanity, which tells you just what the 'Mutant Question' means in the larger scheme of things. He's been given the power of the human mind and spirit... diverse cultures and creeds working as one... and our most powerful precogs say that it's still even money on how this thing's going to turn out.

"We shouldn't be thinking about how to stop him, Mister Gyrich. We should be looking into how we can help him... for all our sakes."

"Thank you, Ms. Carolea, gentlemen. I believe that I have sufficient information to brief the administration at this time. You will be informed once a decision is reached.

"Dismissed. End recording."