Black Air, as a covert, secretive Intelligence department, was mandated with the investigation into and research of supernatural and paranormal phenomena, at first alongside, and then replacing another British Intelligence department, the Weird Happenings Organization (aka W.H.O, which is an obvious homage to UK sci-fi series, Doctor Who).
The organization was introduced in Excalibur #86, and had entirely replaced the W.H.O, collecting alien technologies and specimens for use in combat and gene-splicing with human test subjects, respectively; at introduction, Black Air used the W.H.O's old links to the super-team Excalibur to send them to investigate a civil uprising in Genosha, with particular reference to anti-mutant ammunition. As an attachment to the team, field agent Peter Wisdom was sent along as Black Air's representative. However, it transpired that the entire mission had in fact been a ruse; Black Air had in fact sent the mission simply to cause a commotion, that they might use this to their advantage, accessing whatever technologies or information were revealed by the investigation.[2]
Following that mission, Wisdom took Excalibur member Kitty Pryde with him to investigate the death of an old friend, ultimately leading him to Dream Nails, a codenamed Black Air facility which had dealt with xenobiological specimens, such as a race known as the Uncreated; these creatures had been experimented on within the facility to create Blood Eagle, a psychoactive virus that would consume the flesh of the host if they experienced any stressful emotion. Ultimately, Wisdom and Pryde destroyed the Dream Nails facility.[2]
