Deadpool vs. X-Force #2

Issue Date: 
September 2014
Story Title: 
Time to Die #2
Staff: 

Duane Swizercynski (writer), Pepe Larraz (artisit), Nolan Woodard (colorist), Virtual Calligraphy's Joe Sabino (letterer), Shane Davis & Morry Hollowell (cover artists), Frankie Johnson (assistant editor), Jordan D White (editor), Mike Marts (X-Men group editor), Axel Alonso (editor in chief), Joe Quesada (chief creative officer), Dan Buckley (publisher), Alan Fine (executive producer)

 

Brief Description: 

In 1863, Deadpool and his army of confederates have surrounded Cable, Warpath and Domino and open fire on them. Deadpool recalls being warned by Talbot that mutants may attempt to interfere with his task, mutants called X-Force. Cable, Domino and Warpath hold their own against the army, until they learn that Deadpool has changed the timeline – as this army is equipped with large tanks and robots. Cable slides back to 1977 where Cannonball and Boom-Boom are keeping watch over things, and informs them that they have to make sure the rebel American army loses the Battle of Germantown. This causes some trouble for Cannonball, who doesn't want to fight against his nation's founding fathers, but Cable tells him that he has to – the future depends on it. Back in 1863, Deadpool laments losing his list, while Cable engages him in battle leaving Domino and Warpath to hold off the armies. In 1977, Cannonball and Boom-Boom take on the army, and in 1863 Deadpool starts to teleport again, battling Cable as he does, and shoving a collar on Cable, taking Cable out as they land in the year 1900.

Full Summary: 

Gettysburg, PA, July 1863:

Wade “Deadpool” Wilson sits amongst a bataillion of soldiers: 'So there I was, Deadpool, doing a little innocent mercenary work in the past, when all of a sudden... these jerks in shoulder pads show up!' Deadpool exclaims as Cable a.k.a. Nathan Summers, Domino and James “Warpath” Proudstar look up at him. 'Good thing this here confederate brigade is about to blast them to smithereens' Deadpool adds.

'General Wilson... were you speaking to us?' one of the soldiers enquires. 'Oooh, that's right, this is 1863. Recap pages haven't been invented yet, anyhoo.. .fire at will, boys!' Deadpool shouts. The soldiers fire their rifles, 'We time-traveled straight into a death trap...' Domino exclaims as she leaps behind a large rock, as Cable tells his team to take cover. 'Where?' Warpath asks. Deadpool just narrows his eyes and glares out through the smoke of the gunfire. 'They're down, General!' one of the soldiers calls out. 'Well that was easy' Deadpool remarks. 'Too easy' he adds, turning to one of the soldiers.

Deadpool instructs the soldiers to go down to the rocks and bring him back whatever is left. 'Heads, pouches, metal arms, whatever'. Deadpool remarks that Talbot warned him something like this would happen. 'Who, General?' one of the soldiers asks. 'Talbot, can't you see his ghosted-in flashback image?' Deadpool asks, recalling Talbot informing him to be careful, as the X-Men may try to interfere with his task. 'But not regular X-Men, he hold me, they'd be some kind of...oh, I don't know...heavily armed, militaristic...' Deadpool's voice trails off. '...General?' one of the soldiers calls out. '... X-FORCE!' Deadpool declares, deciding 'You know, that's not bad! Get me somebody from Marvel marketing on the line!'

Cable charges forward, Warpath lifts a large rock boulder overhead, while Domino leaps into the air. Cable raises his bionic arm to deflect the weapons fire of the soldiers, then knocks two of them aside, energy radiating around him. 'Don't kill anyone unless absolutely necessary!' Cable tells the others, explaining that they can't risk disrupting the Timestream any more than they have.

'Define necessary' Domino asks as she opens fire at the soldiers, who do the same to her. 'Because these boys don't seem to have any qualms about killing me' Domino points out. Warpath runs forward to where two soldiers are aiming a cannon at him. 'Huh?' he wonders, before slamming his fist into the cannon as it explodes, detonating it into the ground. 'If I go deaf I'm going to come back in time to kick your #%$#&$ all over again!' he warns the soldiers. Deadpool starts to move off the large rock formation he has been sitting on and decides that it is time to check off the next item on his do-list, as the boys can keep those weirdos busy. The trio have taken cover behind another large rock, and Cable alerts Domino and Warpath that Wilson has slipped away, so stopping him is their first priority. 'Can we kill him, at least, Cable?' Domino enquires. Cable tells Domino that they can't. 'We need to know exactly what kind of damage Deadpool has done in the...' Cable's voice trails off as a loud rumbling can be heard. 'Are my eardrums ruptured – or am I hearing an ominous earth-shaking sound?' Warpath asks. 'Oh, hell' a wide-eyed Cable mutters as he peers around past the large rock, 'Wade Wilson, what have you done?' Cable asks as he sees huge monstrous tanks, billowing smoke out of their tops, armored officers and large robots armed with weapons trudging across the land.

'His actions in 1777 must have sent a ripple effect through history. The United States has developed weapons that shouldn't exist yet' Cable announces. He informs the others that the original battle of Gettysburg was a bloodbath that could have swung either way. 'This time, however... the Union Army has a definite advantage!' Cable points out as he, Domino and Warpath leap clear of the large rock they are sheltering behind as one of the tanks opens fire, shattering the rock with a strange energy.

Meanwhile, in Germantown, 1777, Sam “Cannonball” Guthrie and Tabitha “Boom-Boom” Smith are inside a large mansion, with Tabby checking on one of the dead soldiers, Sam looks around and asks 'Contain the damage, he says. What is that supposed to mean?' Boom-Boom tells her teammate that the mercenary was back here trying to change the past, and she thinks he succeeded. 'Well, unless you know a way to resurrect the dead, Boom-Boom, I'm not seeing how -' Sam begins, when suddenly, the Timestream opens and Cable emerges from it. 'CABLE!' Boom-Boom exclaims as Cabe drops to his knees, wounded, energy flaring from his body. Cable tells the young mutants that there is no time to explain, but they have to make sure the rebel American Army loses the battle of Germantown – just like it did in the history books. 'Wait...you want us to fight American soldiers? As in our nation's Founding Fathers?' Sam asks, confused. Cable tells them that the rebels need to lose this battle, otherwise the ripple effects through time will be catastrophic. 'This is crazy. We can't -' Boom-Boom begins, but Cable returns to the Timestream, calling back 'You must. Everything depends on the two of -' before he vanishes.

Back in 1863, Cable has re-joined Domino and Warpath as they rush through a forest, pursued by the strange machines. Cable informs Domino and Warpath that he needs them to stop the armies from clashing, for if the Union crushes the Confederates then the ripples through the Timestream would be catastrophic. They take cover behind a rock, and Cable announces that he is going to take care of this “Deadpool” once and for all. 'Wait. You want the two of us to hold off both sides of the Civil War?' Domino asks. 'For as long as you can' Cable replies, looking at her. 'Think of it as clamping down on a severed artery until we can save the patient' he suggests. 'Nice image' Domino mutters as Cable rushes off.

Nearby, Deadpool is atop one of the strange tanks the armored soldiers and large robots around him, he exclaims 'Okay, step two, sabtage the Union Army so the Confederates win this time around... which will mean no more annoying Civil War reenactments. Like, ever'. Holding what looks to be a bomb, Deadpool remarks that he really wishes he hadn't dropped his copybook. 'So hard to keep all of this history junk straight in my -' he begins, when suddenly: 'I've got your book right here, pal' a voice calls out, followed by a bionic fist connecting with Deadpool's face. 'Why are you doing this?' Cable asks as he pins Deadpool down. 'Duh, I'm a mercenary. The pay's great, though I do have to buy my own group medical -' Deadpool begins, smacking Cable off of him, he adds 'Which means I pay more out of pocket'. Cable convulses as Deadpool shoves a knife into his side, remarking that surgery is not always covered, depending on the type. 'And if your primary care physician agrees that it's absolutely necessary...' his voice trails off as Cable pulls the knife out of his side and shoves it into Deadpool's neck. 'O. Of course, I had a better deal with the Canadian system. Too bad there won't be a Canada in the future now...' Deadpool announces.

In 1777, the large mansion is under fire, with Sam and Tabby taking cover behind a wall. 'Are we really going to do this?' Sam asks as the window next to them is shot apart. 'Fight the very people who laid down their lives for our freedom?' Boom-Boom asks, pointing out that they are soldiers under Cable's command, and that being soldiers means you follow orders, no matter how insane they sound. 'No, I can't...' Sam replies, hesitantly. Boom-Boom tells him that they don't have to kill, they just have to tilt the odds in the other direction. 'I need to know – are you with me?' she asks. 'Yeah, I'm with you' Sam replies as he starts to blast, creating the “Bbasting effect” around him as he steps out from behind the wall, followed by Boom-Boom who is ready with some of her plasma time-bombs.

1863 again, and Domino and Warpath stare down at the two approaching armies from a ridge. 'Okay, so you'll take the blue and I'll take the gray?' Warpath asks. 'Don't you even want to flip for it?' Domino replies. 'Yeah, right. We only just met, but I've heard about you and your freakish luck...' Warpath grins. Domino smiles, she has the uncanny ability to tilt the odds in her favor, be it on a gaming table or the battlefield. Warpath, meanwhile, is a one-man battalion, with superiot strength, reflexes and stamina. They leap into the middle of the two approaching armies and as Domino fires her weapons, Warpath uses his massive strength. But even with these skills, they won't be able to hold off the armies for more than a few minutes. Cable knows he has to end this now, and as he pushes Deadpool to the ground, both of them bloodied and battered, Deadpool informs Cable that he just stuck a bomb inside one of his pouches. Cable looks conerned, and starts to look at his many pouches. 'Getting warmer... oooh, you're getting hot now...red hot!' Deadpool shouts, as the bomb explodes and Cable is knocked backwards in the explosion. 'Okay, I'm history' Deadpool exclaims, as he starts to disappear in the Timestream.

'Yeah. You are' Cable agrees as he emerges from the explosion and leaps at Deadpool, grabbing him as the Timestream consumes them both. 'Wait! Don't do tha-' Deadpool begins, but it's too late, and both of them re soon floating through the Timestream. 'Dagnabit! Didn't anyone tell you that you shouldn't mess around with somebody hile they're traveling through time?' Deadpool asks. 'Our fates could be intertwined forever – or at least until they cancel our ongoing team-up title' Deadpool jokes. 'Not likely' Cable declares, aiming his weapon at Deadpool's face. 'You know, my employer warned me some guy with a metal arm might show up' Deadpool remarks, holding out a collar, he adds that he was told to slap it on, andf so he does, sending a surge of energy coursing through Cable's body.

Suddenly, the Timestream opens over the Hebei Province, China in the year 1900. Both men fall out of the air and land in a swampy field. The collar around Cable's neck has hijacked his brain stem and nervous system, meaning whatever Deadpool says, Cable will be compelled to do. 'Ever make a chimichanga? No?' Deadpool asks, standing over Cable. 'Don't worry, big guy, I'll walk you through it step by step' he adds, his sword gleaning in the sunlight.

Characters Involved: 

Boom-Boom, Cable, Cannonball, Domino, Warpath

Deadpool

 

In 1777

Soldiers

 

In 1863

Soldiers

Story Notes: 

This mini-series takes place before New Mutants (1st series) #98.

Deadpool makes a comment about canceling his and Cable's ongoing team-up title, a reference to the Cable & Deadpool series which lasted for fifty issues.

 

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