BIOGRAPHY - Page 6
Cypher’s exposure to the alien creature weeks before had triggered him to have nightmares about his death, and so he decided to travel to Paradise Island, where he was originally killed by the Animator. Warlock and the rest of the New Mutants tagged along for moral support but, when they landed, they discovered all biological material on the island was decomposing, including their former allies, the Ani-Mates. The group was ambushed by Bird Brain, who had gone feral, and Warlock was forced to create a cage for him until they could find help.
Warlock used his sensors and found out that everything on the island was infected with a virus, including the New Mutants. When Moonstar ordered the team to evacuate, Warlock informed her that, since she was also infected, they would have to quarantine on the island. Warlock assumed control of the mission against Moonstar’s wishes and he did his best to create an air of confidence, despite him knowing how much trouble they were in.
The group travelled across the island and found the Animator’s old lab, but by now it was overgrown and in a state of disrepair. The rest of the team was feeling the effects of the virus and so Warlock accessed the computers to find a solution. He discovered that the Animator had create the virus as a way to break down organic material and rebuild it in his form in the case of his death. As if on cue, a creature looking like a plant/Animator hybrid broke into the base and attacked the team, absorbing everyone but Cypher and Warlock into its body. Seeing the man who killed him before terrified Cypher and he begged Warlock to save him. Knowing what he needed to do, Warlock merged with his friend for the first time in years they became Douglock, battling together against the Animator. An added benefit of their merger was that Warlock was able to create a psychic space where his and Doug’s minds could exist together and come up with a plan whilst their body did the fighting. Warlock managed to inject a tiny version of himself into the Animator and analyzed the virus on a microscopic level, determining that it had been benign until the Animator tampered with it. Knowing that, it was easy for Warlock and Cypher to work in conjunction with each other to erase the commands the Animator had given the virus. The plan worked and the effects of the virus were reversed, with the rest of the New Mutants and Ani-Mates being freed from the Animator’s body. [New Mutants (3rd series) #38-40]
Not long after, the team were forced to confront future-versions of Cannonball and Karma, whose uniforms were made out of techno-organic material they referred to as Lockware. The two had travelled back in time to stop their own future from happening. However, as they were explaining this, their bodies were taken control of by “the Truefriend,” an evil version of Cypher. He had used Warlock’s TO virus and created technology that enabled him to control much of the planet, bringing about an enforced peace. Now that the New Mutants knew of the future, Truefriend needed to wipe them out, so he used the Lockware and took control of Warlock’s body. Warlock 
was forced to fight his own team, until Blink teleported him far enough away for them to deal with Truefriend alone. Truefriend, Cannonball and Karma were sent back to their future and Doug vowed not to let himself become the twisted version he had just fought.
Warlock and the team believed the threat to be over, but Doug began to notice discrepancies in their reality and realized they were now living in an altered timeline. Truefriend was more powerful than they realized and he had split the team off into an artificially created timeline so that he could deal with them properly. Travelling back from his own future, Truefriend took over Doug’s body and attacked the team. During the fight, Truefriend took control of Warlock and drained all his energy, killing him much to the shock of his teammates. Doug managed to assert control over his body for a brief moment, allowing Moonstar to kill him. The death of Truefriend caused reality to reset itself, with Warlock being brought back to life as a result. [New Mutants (3rd series) #44-49]
After some harrowing events, the team decided to relax and invited all their friends over for a barbeque. As with every other time they tried to relax, things went wrong, this time with Warlock being kidnapped by Tyro, his adoptive son. Since the two had parted ways, Tyro had been curing 
the various worlds infected by the Phalanx months before, but he had lost control of his body and his Siredam was taking over again. Existing in the same body, the two were fighting for control, so Tyro came to Warlock looking for help once more. It was Cypher who saved them, as his bond with Warlock enabled him to hack into Tyro’s systems and purge his Siredam once and for all. [New Mutants (3rd series) #50]
Doug was struggling with the possibility that he might turn into Truefriend whether he wanted to or not, and he began to sink into depression. He left the New Mutants so he could be alone, which prompted Warlock to covertly place a piece of his own systems inside Doug’s body, next to his heart. That way, Warlock could track Doug and his vital stats at all times, just in case something bad happened. Not long after, Warlock was contacted by his own father looking to make amends. Warlock was naturally cautious, given his species’ compulsion to destroy their own children. However, upon meeting with the Magus, he discovered that his species had been devastated by a virus and only ten percent of the population remained. Going against his own programming, Magus knew that he needed Warlock’s help in saving their race and asked his son to join him. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, Warlock left the New Mutants and established a base on Earth with his father. [All-New X-Factor #6]
Warlock and Magus created a tech company that quickly took off, and they soon came to the attention of Serval Industries. During a meeting with Serval and their own X-Factor team, the Magus’ human disguise was destroyed and his true identity was revealed. X-Factor attacked Magus, causing Warlock to enter the fight and save his father, before the two teleported away. Confused by the situation, X-Factor contacted Cypher to see if he had any clue as to why Warlock would be working with his father. During the interrogation, the robotic Danger sensed Warlock’s technology within Doug and extracted it. Doug was shocked to find a piece of his friend within him and decided to join X-Factor in figuring out the mystery.
They found Warlock and Magus’s base and discovered an enormous building with hundreds of human employees within. Warlock explained the situation with his species and the fact he kept track of Doug because he was worried his friend might hurt himself in his depression. Upon seeing Doug, Warlock realized how much he missed his friend and decided he wanted to join X-Factor with him. After having a mini-meltdown, Magus allowed Warlock to leave and to follow his own path again. [All-New X-Factor #5-6]
It soon became obvious to all those around him that Warlock had a crush on Danger, whose cold analytical mind didn’t quite pick up on such social cues. When he referred to himself as “self,” she directly asked him about it in a very dismissive way, causing Warlock to feel a bit embarrassed. During a mission to save a young mutant girl, Cypher had all the moisture drained out his body by her. Warlock was outraged and threatened the girl unless she saved him. With Warlock’s help, she was able to get enough water to rehydrate Cypher again, bringing him back from the brink of death. [All-New X-Factor #7-8]
Danger’s comments about Warlock’s speech pattern weighed on his mind and he began 
practicing referring to himself in the first person. When he dropped it in a conversation with Danger, she immediately picked up on it and questioned him about why he would change. The two flirted a little and she gave him a kiss on the cheek in reciprocation, making the lovestruck Warlock very happy. He plucked up the courage to ask he on a date but was taken aback by how matter-of-fact she was about things, especially when she brought up the concept of having sex with each other. Embarrassed by the thought of it, Warlock made a quick getaway so he could think about his next step. [All-New X-Factor #12-13]
Even though she had been flirting with Warlock, Danger was on a journey to explore all aspects of humanity, and she decided to have sex with Doug to see what it was like. Doug tried to get Danger to keep it a secret, but word quickly got out and Warlock was devastated to hear his best friend had slept with his crush. In a rage, he attacked Doug and had to be separated by Danger, who explained that Warlock ran away when she brought of the concept of sex with him. Afterwards, he was much more subdued and hurt by what the two had done together, often throwing himself into unnecessary danger just to distract himself. [All-New X-Factor #18]
After Doug begged for forgiveness, Warlock eventually relented but not before smacking him around the head as compensation. The team went on a particularly difficult mission that ended up 
with the revelation that Danger didn’t have a soul. In spite of her cold attitude, this began to weigh on her mind and Polaris asked Warlock to step in and talk to her. Even though he was still mad at her, Warlock attempted to show her that she did not need to have a soul to matter. She still wasn’t convinced, and so he linked his systems with her to share a piece of his own soul. As they connected things became more… intimate, and the two ended up having their own version of sex, whilst the rest of the team awkwardly looked on. Not long after, X-Factor disbanded, with Warlock and Danger going their separate ways as well. [All-New X-Factor #20]