Genocide, the word strikes terror into the hearts of millions. Half a century ago it was a madman named Hitler and the victims were Jews, Gypsies, Pole, Serbs, homosexuals and the disabled. Now the target is mutants, those born with traits not displayed by either parent. They are called by some 'homo superious', as they thought to be the next evolutionary step for humankind, and filthy muties by those envious of their strange abilities.  Genocide has taken this prejudice and distilled it into a tight, well run organization. For years the group struggled, drifting without a strong hand at the helm.  That was,  until the Black King. A man of another age, a bigoted age, when America tolerated slavery, the Black King was once known as the superhero Sarge. Always, just below the surface, lurked a rage, an intolerance, but it took the touch of an alien artifact to strip away the thin veneer of a civilized world. Now Genocide is under the control of a strong, steady hand, a hand dedicated to the destruction of all mutants. At the top of his list of priorities is Ghost Archer and the Wild Hunt.

    On July 7, 2003, in the vast emptiness of California's Death Valley, a great battle was fought.  It was a scheme born in the mind of Ghost Archer and agreed upon by nearly ever mutant he contacted.  To lay a trap for the remaining Genocide units, Ghost Archer of the Wild Hunt, Daimon of Storm Watch, Icehawk of the Seattle Hunt, Professor X of the X-Men, Nightcrawler of Excalibur, Havok of X-Factor, Cable of X-Force, the White Queen of Generation X, Leo of Zodiac, Shamrock of SAAT, Requiem of Deathstroke, and Magneto of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants met in the middle of the desert.  Archer knew the Black King and knew there was no way he could resist such a gathering of powerful mutants.  He was right.
     For several days prior to the meeting, tiny clues 'slipped' out from wide spread points around the world.  Each was gathered by a Genocide operative and dutifully forwarded to the Genocide Court.  The Black King nearly howled in delight as the pieces began to slip into place.  Mutants were gathering for a meeting to discuss relations between the various factions.  He moved quickly, gathering his forces for one concerted strike that would decapitate the mutant population.  In his mind he could see so many of his enemies, including Archer, dead at his feet.  What an opportunity!
     Meanwhile, the mutants too plotted.  The mutants would have to stay as far from the site a possible.  To this end Archer offered his teleportation system as a means to get mutants on site quickly and was not really surprised when Leo of Zodiac revealed, she too, had access to a teleporter.  Cable of X-Force offered the services of Gateway, the strange aboriginal mutant with the power to gate people from place to place and Professor X offered his Blackbird.  Magneto would bring in his people from orbit under his power along with SAAT and Deathstroke.  The scenario was set.
     Genocide brought every Knight, Rook and Minuteman they had along with every available agent.  The mutants brought more, much more, for not just mutants fought Genocide that day, but aliens, magicians, and gods.  The battle raged for more than ten hours, followed by another twelve hours of pursuit.  Genocide was almost totally destroyed.  Almost.  The Court escaped.

The Court
The Black King: the mastermind of hatred
The Black King's Bishop: the Black King's consort
The Red Queen: the android with the human soul
The Red Queen's Bishop: the Red Queen's protector
The White King: the old guard

Genocide pre-Death Valley
Original Genocide

Genocide post-Death Valley
Neo-Genocide

Special thanks to Sean Fannon for his work on 'The Mutant File ® and my appreciation for his chess motif for the organization of Genocide.