Prologue 1: X-Tenuating Circumstances - part 3
Weapon X is now in an MLF safehouse surrounded by Wildside, Sumo and Forearm. He performs the same moves on them as he did in the warehouse. He throws Sumo into Forearm and when Wildside leaps on him he grabs him and fires his hand at him, sending him flying. Forearm steps in and nails Kane. Kane fires three tasers from his fingers at Forearm and electrocutes him. Sumo steps up to the plate. Kane puts 210% efficiency into his right arm and pounds Sumo’s skull. He keeps saying that he wants Stryfe.
Stryfe calls out Kane’s name. He removes his helmet and Kane stutter’s out, “Cable”. Stryfe looks exactly like Cable.
Prologue 2: X-Ternals
Gideon’s helicopter takes him to the Swiss Alps. He enters the chalet of Nicodemus and finds the High Lords, Saul, Nicodemus, Burke and Absalom waiting for him. They all felt the Awakening of Cannonball from the previous issue. It turns out that Gideon recruited Sunspot because he believed him to be the next High Lord. Absalom is angry with Gideon for getting the wrong person.
Gideon goes on to tell Saul he knows how to capture the newest High Lord. He plans on calling up Krule, another External, and sending him to do the task. Absalom doesn’t agree with his plan because Krule is a bit of a wild card. Gideon explains that if Cable is watching over the newest External then Krule would be the best option. That way, they can remain anonymous.
Later on, we find Gideon brooding outside the dinner room. Nicodemus approaches him and tells him not to worry about Absalom. Nicodemus also wants to know what Gideon is going to do with Sunspot now that he is not the High Lord they thought he was. Gideon hints that the Roberto DaCosta won’t be around for long.
Main Story:
The team is surveying the damage from their fight with the Brotherhood. Masque and Sauron are lying on the ground, Masque in a pool of blood. Boom-Boom wants to know what just happened. Cable tells her not to worry about it right now. He wants her to go with ‘Star and Domino outside to look for Pyro and Phantazia. He tells Warpath to take Sauron and Masque’s bodies to the Morgue. He also wants Feral to take her sister Thornn to a holding cell.
Cable and Sam head to the infirmary for a talk. He checks him out on the medical scanners and everything seems fine. Cable explains to him what happened with Sauron. Sam wants to know why he is still alive. Cable tells him that he’s immortal, that he’s an External.
Sam wants to know exactly what he means. Cable tells him that Externals are a small group of mutants, some of whom have been around for centuries. They have eternal life, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be killed. He explains to Sam that he’s been looking for him most of his life. That’s why he found the New Mutants and made them into X-Force. Cable wants to train Sam because he might be the future’s last hope.
He goes on to tell him that Gideon might be an External and that he might have thought ‘Berto to be the next one. Sam’s in shock. Boom-Boom comes running in and reports that they couldn’t find Phantazia and Pyro. Also, everyone is waiting in the communications room to hear their next move. He says that tomorrow they’re going to visit the Morlocks and leave Masque’s head on a pike as a warning to never mess with X-Force again.
Inside the MLF safehouse, Weapon X is confused as to how Cable is Stryfe when he saw them fight each other. He blames Stryfe for past problems and leaps at him. Forearm snags him midair before he can lay a hand on Stryfe. Kane still wants answers. Stryfe poses a question to Kane. What if he wasn’t Cable, rather Cable was he. Then he uppercuts Kane and we see him falling off a cliff.
A few hours later at the X-Force base, Boom-Boom and Sam are having a heart to heart. Sam can’t believe he died and Boom-Boom assures him that he did. Sam is pretty bummed because he has a ton of questions and he knows he may never truly find all the answers.
Over at Department K headquarters, Kane is looking for General Clarke. He wants to contact Bridge and bring in Weapon Prime. Clarke doesn’t want to bring in Prime, but he does have one person he recruited, Rictor.
Cristina, island of Sardegna Italy, is the location of another one of Tolliver’s safehouses. Inside are Tolliver and Deadpool. Tolliver is upset that he hasn’t received an update on Cable in over two months. He tells Deadpool to remind Domino of her job. Deadpool says he’ll do it for free because he owes her one. He ‘s going to make Domino pay in blood.
