X-FORCE I: Page 4 of 5

• X-Force Hero Team Entry – Part III“There’s no Cable on the Road”

  Team Appearances: X-Force (1st series) #71, Deadpool (2nd series) #12, X-Force (1st series) #72-85, X-Force / Champions Annual 1998, X-Force (1st series) #86, X-Men Unlimited (1st series) #23, Thunderbolts #25, Contest of Champions II #1, 4-5, X-Force (1st series) #87-95, X-Force Annual 1999, X-Force (1st series) #96-98, Cable (1st series) #73-74, X-Force (1st series) #99-101, X-Force (1st series) #106

   

   

  
  
  

   

   

  
  

  Before

• During their youth, John and James Proudstar, along with their friend Michael Whitecloud, covertly investigated a genetic engineering facility near their hometown that was illegally experimenting on humans. After breaking into the lab, they were ambushed by a scientist and mutate named Edwin Martynec, who transformed into a beast before destroying the facility. [X-Force #minus one]
• Doctor Segismund Joshua, of the Damocles Foundation, was employed by Gideon, who gave him Sunspot as an experimental guinea pig. Dr. Joshua believed he could isolate the mutant gene that gave Sunspot his power and reproduce them in another test subject. That theory proved to be true, as a test subject called Project Nineteen, who was placed in an oxygenated nutrient bath in order to slow an unusual physical deterioration. Nineteen was able to generate a physical body using the template provided by Sunspot’s blood. He grew into a mirror image of Sunspot, and eventually broke free of his test tube and reappeared some months later as Reignfire. [X-Force (1st series) #79, 80, 26-28]
• Christopher Aaronson rejected the White Queen’s offer to join the Hellions. However, he had a connection with the Hellion Tarot and, although she refused his offer to leave with him, she was told that Christopher would come back for her one day. [X-Force (1st series) #87]
• Most of the Hellions – Tarot, Roulette, Catseye, Bevatron, Beef and Jetstream – were slain by Trevor Fitzroy. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #281-282]
• Former New Mutants Rusty Collins was killed before Skids’ eyes when Holocaust, a refugee from the Age of Apocalypse, awoke aboard Avalon. [X-Men (2nd series) #42]
• Pete Wisdom was a member of the British-based super team, Excalibur. When Excalibur broke up, he reconnected with other former Black Air operatives, who embarked on missions to take down people and organizations of corrupt power. [Excalibur (1st series) #86-120, X-Force (1st series) #94]

Chronology
 

For the first time in a long time, it seemed that X-Force had a true purpose to their name – even if that purpose was seemingly doing nothing at all. With no one to answer to and plenty of time to kill, Siryn, Moonstar, Meltdown, Sunspot and Warpath set off to Nebraska so that Warpath could track down Michael Whitecloud, whereupon he will finally know who was responsible for the massacre of his tribe. Stuck in a small town after their car broke down, Sunspot was able to finance the team’s needs – until his card was declined, confusing him. Luckily, Moonstar had money left over from her time with the Mutant Liberation Front. When he contacted his lawyer, Sunspot learned that someone had filed a suit against his father’s estate, meaning he could not get any of his trust money until the matter was resolved. Sunspot was upset, as he wanted to use that money to make X-Force independent and set up a new headquarters. Resorting to spending the night with all five friends in a two-bedroom motel, X-Force’s quiet night was interrupted when they rescued a young man called Richie Alegria from some thugs. Richie was loaded with cash and offered X-Force a job as his bodyguards. [X-Force (1st series) #71]

Wanting to get on with finding Michael Whitecloud, Proudstar and Siryn set off on their own to Nebraska, with a quick stop at a baseball field in Iowa for Siryn to do some sight-seeing. It was there that Deadpool finally tracked Siryn down after searching for her. An altercation between Proudstar and Deadpool took place, until Siryn finally separated them. Deadpool explained to Siryn that he needed her, but Siryn told him that he needed to sort his mess out on his own, and left him. [Deadpool (2nd series) #12]

Eventually arriving in Nebraska, Proudstar and Siryn located the hotel where Sledge claimed that Michael Whitecloud had been living. Proudstar started growing distant from Siryn as he was preoccupied by the mystery of his people’s murder, but Siryn remained determined to help him. It was she who caught Michael Whitecoud trying to run from Proudstar. When they calmed down the now-alcoholic Michael, he explained to them that the Camp Verde Apache Reservation had been razed because of Michael’s investigations into an organization called Project: Stepladder that performed genetic tests on humans. Because he was in possession of incriminating documents, his life was in constant danger. He gave Proudstar the number of a locker at a bus station in Topeka where he kept the documents. As Proudstar probed Michael for information on who funded Project: Stepladder, Michael began to grow ill. He developed an acute ringing in his head, which then exploded from the mounting pressure. Proudstar remained determined to find out who was financing Project: Stepladder. He and Siryn remained unaware that Agent Martin Edwards was tracking them. [X-Force (1st series) #72]

After an altercation with local authorities, Siryn and Proudstar arrived at the bus station in Topeka, and located the storage box where Whitecloud said the files were kept. Before he could read them, however, Martin Edwards tracked them down and confronted Proudstar. Transforming into werewolf, Edwards – now revealed to be the Edwin Martynec who attacked Proudstar during his childhood – attacked them, and took them to his lab in Arkansas. Assisting Edwards was Zero, Stryfe’s robotic teleporter. Edwards revealed that it was a gift from Stryfe himself and Proudstar realized that Stryfe was responsible for the massacre at Camp Verde. Siryn and Proudstar were able to escape their restraints, and Proudstar and Edwards, in his wolf form, battled, until Edwards injected Proudstar with an amphetamine compound that gave him a heart attack. Siryn managed to defeat Edwards and attempted resuscitation on Proudstar, but it appeared that he was already dead. [X-Force (1st series) #73]

Meanwhile, Moonstar, Sunspot and Meltdown traveled to Chicago with Richie and act as his bodyguards when he confronted the man the man from whom he borrowed money. However, when X-Force learned Richie’s trouble was his own doing, they were reluctant to continue to help him. Richie explained that everything he had been doing was for the film he was making and, despite this explanation still sounding like another scam, the young mutants agreed to still help him. During her downtime, Meltdown wrote Cannonball a letter in which she expressed her desire to see him again. Unbeknownst to Cannonball, Meltdown and Sunspot were growing increasingly close to each other. [X-Force (1st series) #72-73]

Elsewhere, while Siryn continued her attempt to resuscitate Proudstar, Proudstar found himself in a sort of limbo. There he encountered demons posing as his family, and the villain himself, Stryfe, who planned to escape from this in-between realm by sacrificing Proudstar. At the same time, Moonstar, Sunspot, Meltdown and Richie were in Missouri when Moonstar was contacted by the Valkyrie Brunnhilde, who informed her that Proudstar was in danger. She transported them away, leaving Richie at the mercy of the thugs who were wanting their money back. Proudstar battled Stryfe, who was on a tight time frame to get resurrected. Siryn grew increasingly worried about Proudstar, unable to imagine life without him. Lucky for her, Moonstar, Sunspot and Meltdown arrived in the in-between, and battled Stryfe. Eventually, the young mutants defeated him, condemning Stryfe to remain in this limbo. Proudstar woke in Siryn’s arms, and Moonstar, Sunspot and Meltdown were deposited in Arkansas. Proudstar now knew who was responsible for the death of his people. [X-Force (1st series) #74]

Moonstar contacted Richie, but he apparently no longer needed X-Force’s protection, so the five friends traveled to the Colossal Man Festival. At the festival, they were reunited with their old teammate Karma, now sporting a dramatic new look. Despite possessing the knowledge he had so long yearned for, Proudstar was moody and depressed, driving a wedge between himself and Siryn. Meltdown and Sunspot, however, were growing closer, never spending any time apart while at the festival. Karma wasn’t the only person from X-Force’s past who was at the festival, as Selene was stalking them. While dancing the night away with Meltdown, she and Sunspot kissed, but their happiness was soon turned into confusion with the arrival of Cannonball – Sunspot’s best friend and Meltdown’s boyfriend. Moonstar, meanwhile, was found by Selene, who needed Moonstar’s faux-Asgardian blood to open a mysterious box containing power she desired. The magical box made the Colossal Man come to life, causing chaos at the festival. A combined effort from X-Force, Cannonball and Karma destroyed the Colossal Man and defeated Selene. Karma and Cannonball enjoyed working their friends once more, and Cannonball wondered why he ever left the team – giving Sunspot and Meltdown cause for concern. [X-Force (1st series) #75]

Cannonball continued to spend time with X-Force, and enjoyed himself so much that he considered re-joining the team. Sunspot was determined to tell Cannonball about his feelings for Meltdown indiscretion, but Meltdown didn’t agree, believing that the two of them just got caught up in the heat of the moment and that Cannonball need never know. But when they found themselves alone at the motel at which the team was staying, their inner passion got the better of them and they kissed once more – only for Cannonball to walk in and find them. Furious at the betrayal of his girlfriend and best friend, Cannonball left, cutting his ties with the two of them. So ashamed, Sunspot and Meltdown couldn’t even own up to the other members of X-Force and tell them the truth as to Cannonball’s sudden departure. [X-Force (1st series) #76]

Domino, meanwhile, reconnected with her old associate, Dr. Rebecca Schuyler, who conducted various tests on her and discovered that Zero Tolerance had implanted a device at the base of her neck. Removing it would leave Domino paralyzed. In Washington, Domino went to collect passports and other documents from one of her safe deposit boxes, when the bank was held up by thieves. Having a heroic conscience, Domino intervened when they attacked an old man. She took the thieves out, but her actions were caught on security camera, generating the interests of the police. Making her way to Virginia, Domino continued to plot her revenge against Zero Tolerance’s Gryaznova and, in doing so, offered her mercenary skills for dangerous missions. One such mission led Domino to be reunited with Shatterstar, who was forced to fight her in a game orchestrated by Arcade and Mojo. If Shatterstar didn’t fight Domino, Rictor would die. Domino defeated Statterstar, but Rictor was released unharmed anyway and Domino apprehended the man she had been sent to capture. [X-Force (1st series) #71-73, 76]

Continuing on their road trip, Moonstar, Siryn, Sunspot, Proudstar and Meltdown soon found themselves lost in the strange town called Almost Reno. They learned that an unusually high number of children in this town had died from mysterious circumstances. X-Force investigated, and once again got themselves into trouble with the local authorities and S.H.I.E.L.D.. Eventually, they learned that most of the children born in Almost Reno were born to parents who were exposed to government-authorized nuclear testing. After staying around to make sure the children were safe, X-Force continued on their road trip.[X-Force (1st series) #77-78]

X-Force’s adventure took them to Colorado, where they visited their former teammate from their New Mutants days, Skids. Now bitter toward life, Skids was attending college and trying to distance herself from anything mutant-related. Despite having her own problems, Meltdown tried to cheer her old pal up, but Skids was still distraught over the death of Rusty Collins. Moonstar took this time to visit her father, when she was confronted by a being calling himself Reignfire, who kidnapped her. While Meltdown and the others were hanging around the college Skids attended, Locus appeared and kidnapped Siryn, though Proudstar was able to dive into the teleportation rift just in time to follow her. Sunspot, Meltdown and Skids were soon confronted by Reignfire, and captured as well. X-Force and Skids found themselves in Las Vegas, where Reignfire had used a mutant with power-dampening abilities to render them powerless as he held them prisoner.

Because he believed Reignfire had merely been an element of his own personality, Sunspot was confused by this man’s existence, as were his teammates. Reignfire revealed to them that he had been controlling Sunspot via a telepathic link, and that when Cable severed the link, he was left dazed. He wandered as a vagrant for months until he remembered he who was, at which point he set about destroying Sunspot’s life. He seized control of Sunspot’s finances and stalked them on their road trip, killing innocent people they encountered. While Reignfire was regaling X-Force with his story, Proudstar ambushed him and Locus in order to save his friends. During the commotion, Skids’ powers returned, and she intervened in the battle, but a backlash of her power interacting with Locus’s power caused the two young women to vanish. Sunspot and the others also freed themselves, but their battle against Reignfire made its way to the streets of Las Vegas, where Dr. Joshua Segismund arrived with a weapon that could destroy Reignfire. Sunspot used the weapon on Reignfire, which caused his enemy to merge into his own body.

Moonstar, Siryn, Meltdown and Proudstar were forced to fight their friend, despite Reignfire being in control and assuring them that Sunspot was dead. X-Force were determined not to give up on their friend and pursued Reignfire across the city, where Proudstar used the weapon on Sunspot. The weapon separated Reignfire’s form from that of Sunspot, who used his power to destroy Reignfire even further. S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived in Las Vegas and took Dr. Joshua and the remains of Project Nineteen into custody, while Sunspot visited DaCosta International and received his money back after clarifying the Reignfire ordeal with him. He paid for tickets for Moonstar, Siryn, Meltdown and Proudstar to fly to San Francisco, and took them to their new home – a warehouse that DaCosta International was leasing him at a cheap cost – where he wanted to set up X-Force’s new permanent headquarters. [X-Force (1st series) #78-80]

Taking some time out before getting back into the “business” of X-Force, the young mutants traveled to Hawaii for a vacation. There, they were reunited with both Sledge and the Vanisher, who had stolen the “Heart of Pele,” a stone that the Lava Men needed. X-Force stole the stone back from the Vanisher and gave it to the Lava Men, only to learn that the Lava Men planned to use it to awaken every volcano on Earth. The Hawaiian goddess, Pele, who had been disguising herself as Proudstar’s old girlfriend, Risque, assisted X-Force in stealing the stone back. Having saved the world, X-Force returned home. [X-Force (1st series) #81]

Sunspot, Meltdown, Moonstar, Proudstar and Siryn adjusted to life living in San Francisco, but the return of Sunspot’s fortune made Meltdown uneasy around him. Returning to their home one evening after a night out, they found that a young man named Jesse “Bedlam” Aaronson had broken into their home. Jesse explained he had been working with Domino, and that she had been kidnapped while hunting down Gryaznova. Despite being very wary of Jesse, as he knew a surprising amount of information about everyone, the team donned their costumes for the first time since their road trip, and tracked their former teammate down. They found her being held prisoner by Gryaznova, now known as the Gryphon. With Jesse’s help, Domino was able to free herself, defeat her hated foe and destroy her entire complex. Domino and Jesse accompanied X-Force back to San Francisco, where it seemed that the neuro-implant inside Domino was now inactive. Domino was happy to be back among her friends and re-joined X-Force after revealing that she and Cable had gone their separate ways. The team agreed to help Jesse find his missing brother, provided he reveal how he knew so much about them. [X-Force (1st series) #82]

While at a nightclub one evening, Bedlam was confronted by his old associates from an organization called MUSE, which was essentially a mutant underground railway. X-Force confronted the agents of MUSE when they apprehended Jesse. Jesse explained that MUSE rescued him and his brother a long time ago, but the MUSE flatly denied this claim by stating Jesse’s brother didn’t exist. Nevertheless, Bedlam remained determined to find his brother. When he asked if he could stay with X-Force, however, they blatantly refused. Before the conversation could go any further, Meltdown, Sunspot, Proudstar, Moonstar and Siryn mysteriously vanished. [X-Force (1st series) #83-84]

Meanwhile, Cannonball had taken a leave of absence from the X-Men after the devastating revelation about Meltdown and Sunspot. He returned home to Cumberland County to spend time with his ailing mother. While there, he encountered a mysterious woman named Arcadia, who was running for her life. Cannonball followed her into a mine shaft and was attacked by her enormous reptilian bodyguard, Ulysses. Arcadia and Ulysses then fled the mine and encountered a true foe, Sword. Cannonball emerged and saved them. Upon learning about his super-powered friends in X-Force, Arcadia summoned them to help her fight off their attackers. They were instantly thrown into battle with the mysterious hunters, who came from an organization known as the Sword. Arcadia and X-Force proved victorious. After the fight, Moonstar grabbed Arcadia to prevent her from executing the agents of Sword. Their touched sparked a reaction that turned Dani the color of the cosmos, though she quickly reverted to her default form. Later, Ulysses explained to X-Force that the battle was the result of an uprising among the Deviants. Cannonball, who claimed to be over Meltdown’s infidelity, agreed to return to X-Force. The team was unaware, however, that a mysterious organization called the Damocles Foundation, whose members included Dr. Chandra, was keeping tabs on them. [X-Force (1st series) #83-84]

Although Cannonball was now back amongst his friends, and Bedlam had officially become a member, one of X-Force’s other friends was not faring so well. Seemingly forgotten about, Skids, as well as Locus, had ended up in Latveria and quickly became the prisoners of an ancient sorceresses called Pandemonia. To X-Force’s surprise, Skids suddenly materialized at X-Force’s headquarters, possessed by Pandemonia and by way of Locus’s powers. Pandemonia quickly put Meltdown, Sunspot, Siryn and Proudstar under her control. Moonstar, Cannonball and Bedlam returned to their HQ to find it transformed into some sort of ancient temple, and their friends all possessed. Enlisting the help of the sorceress named Jennifer Kale, they returned and were forced to battle their friends, during which Moonstar found herself sparkling with Arcadia’s power again. X-Force, Skids and Locus were freed from Pandemonia’s control, and the sorceress was banished to her own dimension, almost taking Locus with her. Locus quickly departed, however, leaving X-Force stunned as to Moonstar’s transformation. [X-Force (1st series) #85]

With Domino on a separate assignment, the rest of X-Force traveled to Yosemite, where they encountered a giant hand sticking out of the ground. There, they encountered Hercules, who was investigating the Cult of Hades. This led to X-Force reuniting most of the old Champions team, including Iceman, Angel, Ghost Rider and the Black Widow, who were needed to help defeat the Cult of Hades. They battled Hades and one of the Titans, whose hand it was protruding from the ground. X-Force and the Champions tricked the Titan into attacking Hades, who then departed. Sunspot, Meltdown and Cannonball took the opportunity to air their grievances with each other during this adventure. [X-Force / Champions Annual 1998]

Meanwhile, Domino’s assignment reconnected her with Dr. Schuyler, who referred her to another doctor who had information about the Aguilar Institute. This doctor revealed that one of his patients was a young girl whom he was keeping hidden from the Aguilar Institute. X-Force linked up with Domino back in Almost Reno and found the town basically deserted. Domino revealed the information about the Aguilar Institute’s experiments on the children there, which contradicted what X-Force were told by S.H.I.E.L.D. – that the mutations were caused by nuclear testing. Frustrated by what happened to the innocent children of Almost Reno, X-Force searched the town before being confronted by supposed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They turned out not to be agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at all. Things grew even more complicated when a man called Odysseus Indigo of the Damocles Foundation appeared. Odysseus revealed he was Ulysses’s brother, that he was responsible for financing Gryaznova, and that the Damocles Foundation offered to help the parents of the children of Almost Reno by using Deviant technology on them after the nuclear testing, which resulted in these children being half-Deviant, half-human. With most of the children now dead, the Damocles Foundation wanted to take the last two away with them. X-Force refused and planned to find the children help themselves. They also refused Odysseus’ offer to join the Damocles Foundation, and left the now deserted town of Almost Reno. [X-Force (1st series) #85-86]

Taking some time out for themselves, the young heroes of X-Force remained unaware that Professor Xavier mentally “spied” on them at their San Francisco home for a brief moment while he was taking stock of the various X-teams. But when the Crimson Cowl’s new Masters of Evil launched an around-the-world attack. X-Force was back into action, helping the people of a flood-stricken San Francisco. [X-Men Unlimited (1st series) #23, Thunderbolts #25] X-Force, like many heroes of the United States, soon found themselves in a series of battles against each other, orchestrated by a race of aliens offering advanced technology to the winners. During this Contest of Champions, X-Force found itself battling Iron Man, and their combined teamwork defeated him. Domino also went up in a solo battle against Spider-Man, but lost. The whole event, it turned out, was a ruse created by the Brood to gain the powers of the most powerful heroes. Domino was among the heroes who stopped the Brood’s plan before it was completed. [Contest of Champions II #1, 4-5]

Back in San Francisco, Proudstar was out shopping with Siryn when he saw his former teammate Tarot – or at least her ghost. Tarot gave him a cryptic clue, warning him that he and his friends were in danger. Other members of X-Force were having less cryptic problems of their own: Cannonball was feeling guilty that he wasn’t back in Cumberland to help look after his mother, while Sunspot became increasingly aware that Meltdown was brushing him off every time he tried to get close to her. Following her after she turned him down, he saw Meltdown reunited with her father, who had apparently turned his life around and was now a member of the Triune Understanding. When Meltdown realized that Sunspot had followed him, she was furious. Moonstar met up with her new friend Jennifer Kale, who assessed Moonstar’s newfound power since the clash with Arcadia, and surmised that Moonstar was tapping into some kind of cosmic force. [X-Force (1st series) #87]

True to her word, Domino began helping Jesse Aaronson track down his missing brother, although she was unaware that he had begun taking some strange drugs. Their quest led them to an affluent community in Santa Lucia, California, where they broke into a large estate, only to be confronted by the a group known as the New Hellions: former New Mutant Magma, Tarot (who was indeed alive), their old teammate Feral, a strange alien called Paradigm, a brash mutant called Switch, and Jesse’s brother, now going by the name King Bedlam. King Bedlam explained that, after being separated from his brother following their parents’ death, he was kept as a “lab rat” for several years before escaping and getting to where he is today. King Bedlam proposed that X-Force start working with his New Hellions, and allowed them to stay at his home and think about it. X-Force agreed. The young heroes decided to do some snooping to find out what King Bedlam was up to, unaware that Domino had been “switched” with the mutant Switch, who now inhabited her body. [X-Force (1st series) #87-88]

Proudstar learned from Tarot that she did indeed die with the other Hellions but had been resurrected by King Bedlam. Jesse, meanwhile, learned that his brother had acquired an artifact from the old nuclear facility Alamagordo, and told his younger brother that he wanted him at his side as he demonstrated his power to the world. When the real Domino returned, a full-scale battle between X-Force and the New Hellions broke out, which ended when Paradigm encased the heroes in living circuitry – all except Jesse, who did not even try to help his friends. When King Bedlam revealed to his team that he had the Armageddon Man, who he planned to use to bring the world to its knees, Jesse took some more drugs (which were in fact medication), realizing he had made a mistake in aligning himself with his brother. Under Paradigm’ control, X-Force was forced to assist King Bedlam in the preparation for waking the Armageddon Man. King Bedlam kidnapped a local senator, blackmailing him for one billion dollars, while Jesse took this opportunity chance to escape, that is until his brother confronted him and stopped him. Moonstar was the first to break free of Paradigm’s hold, and her teammates soon followed. Tarot warned King Bedlam that the Armageddon Man’s revival would only bring them misfortune, and Jesse tried to stop his brother, who was only furious that Jesse had betrayed him. The two teams of young mutants confronted each other, only for the Armageddon Man to wake. [X-Force (1st series) #88-89]

During the fracas, Siryn was attacked by Feral, who slashed at her throat and severed her vocal chords. In her absence, Moonstar took command of X-Force. Sunspot took Siryn to a hospital, reducing X-Force’s number even further. The battle between the two teams was personal, with Cannonball battling Magma and Proudstar confronting Tarot, who was still not able to bring herself to betray King Bedlam. She didn’t need to do so, however, as Jesse found the courage to confront his brother, disabling the device he was using to cause trouble for X-Force. The Armageddon Man continued to cause all sorts of destruction worldwide, including storms, fires, floods and cyclones. Jesse also learned that his brother was responsible for their parents’ deaths. Realizing his plan was failing, King Bedlam escaped with Tarot, Feral and Switch. At this point, Magma allied herself with X-Force and assisted them in defeating the Armageddon Man. After the battle, X-Force found Jesse and invited him officially to join the team. They then visited Siryn in the hospital and learned that she might never speak again. [X-Force (1st series) #90]

In the fallout of the battle against the New Hellions and the Armageddon Man, Cannonball returned home to Cumberland, while Siryn began spending a lot of time away from X-Force, trying to make sense of being unable to speak or use her mutant power. She bought some alcohol, and later attended a meeting for recovering alcoholics. Her father Banshee arrived in San Francisco to be with her, only to learn she was missing. X-Force ventured out to look for their missing friend. During the search, Sunspot and Meltdown had yet another argument, this time resulting in Meltdown dumping him. They went their separate ways, only for Sunspot to be picked up by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Meanwhile, Domino was approached by a special crimes detective from Washington who saw footage of her stopping the bank robbery some time ago. However, before he could take her in for questioning, she mysteriously vanished. Banshee departed before Siryn ever returned home. When Meltdown reunited with her teammates, she told them Sunspot probably wouldn’t be back for a while, as she broke up with him. Siryn returned to X-Force’s warehouse late that night and left Proudstar a letter, after which she left again in the middle of the night to go stay with a distant aunt. [X-Force (1st series) #91]

Domino’s mysterious disappearing act took her to a strange reality, where she encountered the mysterious villain called Halloween Jack, whom she easily defeated. Sunspot, however, did not have as much luck with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which, believing he and Reignfire to be one and the same, showed him photographs of Reignfire’s recent acts of terrorism. They offered him two choices: stay in the United States and face criminal charges, or leave the country voluntarily. Domino retuned to X-Force’s warehouse to find Sunspot packing, as he decided to leave the country, not wanting to risk exposing X-Force. Although Domino believed this was a set-up, Sunspot left anyway without saying goodbye to his friends. As he departed, a mysterious package from Genosha arrived for Cannonball that activated a latent memory of his upon opening. [X-Force (1st series) #92-93]

With Cannonball back from Cumberland, he, Moonstar, Proudstar, Meltdown and Bedlam were worried about their missing teammates while out enjoying a sunny afternoon. They didn’t have long to enjoy themselves, however, as they then accompanied two Eternals, Astare and Electryon, to a Pacific island. These Eternals claimed there were quantum disruptions occurring that could affect the world, and that only Moonstar’s newfound cosmic powers could resolve them. However, this was all a ruse so they could steal Moonstar’s power for Odysseus Indigo. An encounter with a dying sun god revealed to Moonstar that her newfound quantum power was seemingly limitless and, together with X-Force, the Eternals were defeated. [X-Force (1st series) #92-93]

Cannonball, Moonstar, Meltdown, Proudstar, Domino and Bedlam traveled to Genosha after receiving a request for help from Pete Wisdom. In exchange for their assistance, Wisdom promised to reveal to Cannonball more about the strange memory he received that was in the package. The purpose of Wisdom’s mission was for X-Force to help him liberate the Faraway, a satellite that had crashed into Genosha some months before Magneto took control. The Faraway had the computer codes to the secret of sub-space travel, and Wisdom did not want that information to be used by Magneto. Quicksilver learned that X-Force was on Genosha and, though he warned them away, they proceeded to break into the secure facility and steal the literal brain that held the information about sub-space travel. When they were then confronted by Magneto, a battle ensued but Moonstar’s new quantum power proved an easy match against Magneto, at least for a time. The young heroes forced Magneto’s hand by using the conflict within Genosha against him, which he had to leave to attend to, enabling them to complete their mission for Wisdom. Pete kept his promise and gave Cannonball information about his past. During the mission, Domino saw Bedlam taking his medication and, assuming they were drugs, demanded an explanation. Bedlam revealed that he was taking electro-neural inhibitors, which kept his power under control. [X-Force (1st series) #94-95]

Moonstar, Cannonball and Proudstar were briefly reunited with former teammates Rictor and Shatterstar, who were still in Mexico trying to bring about an end to the illegal weapons sale with which Rictor’s family was involved. Rictor and Shatterstar had gotten themselves caught up in dealings with a villain who was experimenting on children. Although some of these children were killed, X-Force managed to defeat the villain. [X-Force Annual 1999]

After unlocking his latent memories, Cannonball delved into the unanswered questions of his past and even broke an uncle out of prison to learn more about his father. He learned about his father’s encounter with the Deviants, which Cannonball had witnessed as a child, and also discovered that Sledge was involved in this as well. Meltdown was unaware that the Triune Understanding had begun spying on her, while Moonstar began to see what she thought was the Demon Bear. [X-Force (1st series) #96]

In Brazil, Sunspot was living the life of luxury, despite missing his friends in X-Force. To his surprise, he encountered his old enemy, Selene. Sunspot soon found that Selene was keeping prisoner the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent from the Reignfire incident in Las Vegas – only he wasn’t a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent at all, but an employee of the Damocles Foundation. Together, Sunspot and Selene learned that Odysseus Indigo was in possession of the remains of Reignfire. They followed Odysseus and the Damocles Foundation scientists to the Amazon Rainforest, where they were planning to use Reignfire to reanimate a Celestial Gatherer, which would give Odysseus the means to jumpstart the next evolutionary step. Sunspot and Selene were apprehended by the Damocles agents known as the Sword and imprisoned. While in captivity, Selene revealed to Sunspot that she was in control of the Hellfire Club now, and offered him membership. [X-Force (1st series) #94, 96-97]

Cannonball, Moonstar, Meltdown, Proudstar and Bedlam confronted Sledge and, in doing so, Moonstar was reunited with Arcadia. Sledge and Ulyssues Dragonblood revealed the story about the Deviants and Ulysseus’ splinter group and desire to jumpstart the next stage in evolution. Using Deviant technology, they traveled to the Amazon Rainforest, where they were reunited with Sunspot and, much to their chagrin, Selene. X-Force attempted to battle Odysseus, but he proved not to be a threat when Selene wrested control of the now re-animated Celestial Gatherer. Reignfire was alive for only a short time, as Moonstar and Arcadia combined their powers, and destroyed both Reignfire and the Gatherer. [X-Force (1st series) #97]

Furious, Selene trapped the members of X-Force within illusory realities that tortured them, save for Sunspot, whom Selene bestowed with a glimpse of what life could be like for him as a member of the Hellfire Club. Moonstar was also kept prisoner of Blackheart, a new member of Selene’s Hellfire Club. Sunspot managed to free his friends, but Selene’s attempt to seduce him into the Hellfire Club was relentless, and she promised to return to life his long-dead first love, Juliana Sandoval. With his friends in danger as well, Sunspot agreed to Selene’s terms. [X-Force (1st series) #98]

Before departing with Selene, Sunspot spent some time back in San Francisco with X-Force, when they were reunited briefly with Cable, with whom Domino had linked up while X-Force were dealing with the Damocles Foundation. Cable spent time reconnecting with some of his former charges and revealed to them that there was a good chance that, in the very immediate future, he would die. Before long, they were attacked by Caliban, who had been further transformed by Apocalypse, this time into the new Pestilence. Caliban was able to capture Cable, as part of Apocalypse’s plan regarding the mysterious “Twelve.” [Cable (1st series) #73-74]

Cannonball, Moonstar, Domino, Meltdown, Proudstar and Bedlam soon found San Francisco in chaos, thanks to the return of Moonstar’s foe, the Demon Bear. Complicating matters further was that the Demon Bear had been chasing Arcadia, who, upon finding Moonstar, explained that the Demon Bear was after the two of them. The others did what they could to fight the Demon Bear, but it soon caught Moonstar and Arcadia and swallowed them. The rest of X-Force did what they could to stop the Demon Bear’s rampage, unaware that the Triune Understanding was still keeping tabs on Meltdown. Proudstar’s absent lover, Risque, also appeared and assisted X-Force in their time of need. Using their combined quantum powers against the Demon Bear, Moonstar and Arcadia seemingly tore the bear apart – resulting in Moonstar splitting into four beings, all representing a former version of herself. [X-Force (1st series) #99]

Complicating matters, it turned out that Arcadia had created the Demon Bear, unable to handle the power that she had developed since her interaction with Moonstar in Cumberland. With Moonstar split into four beings, Arcadia also took on a new persona, the Queen of the Star Swords, who was a character from a story that Arcadia used to tell herself as a child while a prisoner of the Damocles Foundation. X-Force and Risque, who was sent by Sledge to keep an eye on Arcadia, set about trying to track down the three past versions of Moonstar. Ulysses Dragonblood assisted X-Force in locating his charge, sending them into various warped realities, where they encountered versions of themselves and other members of the New Mutants and X-Force. Eventually, the fragments of Moonstar were located. Once the true Moonstar was reunited with her fragments, she was able, with a little help from Jennifer Kale and the Man-Thing, to defeat the Queen of the Star Swords, thus restoring reality. In the process however, Moonstar lost her quantum powers. [X-Force (1st series) #100]

When the world’s mutant population had their powers temporarily robbed by the High Evolutionary, Cannonball happened to be in mid-flight and crashed, predictably enough, and required hospitalization. X-Force’s powers, like those of every other mutant, soon returned. [X-Force (1st series) #101] During a training session in which Domino wanted to teach the rest of X-Force not to rely on using their powers, X-Force were reunited with Pete Wisdom, who had come to make the team an offer to join up with him after their joint mission in Genosha. As it happened, Cannonball and Bedlam were responsible for suggesting the idea to Wisdom, thinking that X-Force was lacking purpose. Cannonball and Bedlam were all for joining up with Wisdom and going into the black-ops side of things. Proudstar and Meltdown, although indifferent, sided with them, while Domino outright refused, warning Wisdom that she would come for him if any of the team got hurt. Moonstar took the news the worst, feeling betrayed by Wisdom and her friends, for the X-Force she knew had now fallen apart. [X-Force (1st series) #106]

Afterwards

• Sunspot arrived in New York City and was inducted into the Hellfire Club. Although Selene kept her part of the bargain and resurrected Juliana, she did so by placing her mind into the body of a vegetative young woman, and eventually Juliana’s own identity and memories would fade from her mind. However, Sunspot couldn’t resist the urge to keep an eye on the girl housing Juliana’s mind and followed her around for a while. [X-Force (1st series) #99-100] He later became the leader of X-Corporation Los Angeles. [X-Treme X-Men (1st series) #32]
• Siryn indeed went to stay with her aunt and appeared to be coping well with the loss of her voice. Shopping in an antique store, Siryn was drawn to a strange necklace. Not long after putting the necklace on, her voice returned, but she was clearly possessed. However, when she next appeared, Siryn had been somehow freed of the possession and was voiceless once more. Her voice and power were restored by Wolverine. [X-Force (1st series) #99-100, Wolverine (2nd series) #154-155]
• Moonstar began attending college and started working with the X-Men on a part-time basis. She later took up a more active role in schooling the next generation of young mutants to go through the Xavier Institute, and was reunited with several other former New Mutants and X-Force members who joined her. [X-Men (2nd series) #102, New Mutants (2nd series)]
• Rictor and Shatterstar apparently parted company at some point. It has yet to be revealed if they shut down the Richter family’s criminal weapons dealings. Rictor showed up as a member of the X-Corporation Paris branch, while Shatterstar got involved with several missions involving some other former X-Force members. [New X-Men (1st series) #128-130, X-Force (2nd series), #1-6, X-Force: Shatterstar #1-4, Civil War X-Men #1-4] They are reunited sometime later, and are both members of X-Factor Investigations, while also in a relationship together. [X-Factor (3rd series) #45]
• Karma moved to Chicago to start a stable life for her younger siblings. She returned to her more conservative look, became a librarian and developed romantic feelings for Kitty Pryde. [Mekanix #1-6]
• Skids’ whereabouts after her misadventures with X-Force remain unknown. It is possible she could have returned to the same college or transferred to another. At any rate, her desire for a normal life took an unexpected turn when, for reasons unknown, she agreed to join Sunspot’s X-Corporation Los Angeles. During her time with the team, she aided Storm’s X-Men on a mission. [X-Treme X-Men (1st series) #42-45]
• Risque later joined X-Corporation Hong Kong along with Domino, although she was killed on a mission. She was later resurrected briefly during Necrosha. [New X-Men Annual 2001, Necrosha crossover]
• Magma resurfaced as a prisoner of the Church of Humanity, who crucified her on the lawn of the Xavier Institute. Luckily for her, she survived the ordeal. She later reunited with her fellow New Mutants to form a strike team for the X-Men. [Uncanny X-Men #423, New Mutants (3rd series)]
• Locus kept a low profile after warning X-Force to stay away from her and was later identified as a prospective recruit for the Weapon X program, but was murdered by Sabretooth. [Weapon X (2nd series) #1]
• Tarot was identified as one of the mutants who lost their powers on M-Day. [New Avengers (1st series) #18] Her status remained unknown following that issue, but she recently re-appeared alongside the other deceased Hellions as members of Selene’s army of dead mutants in Necrosha. [Necrosha crossover]
• Feral next appeared as a member of X-Corporation Mumbai, surprisingly alongside Proudstar, her hated sister Thornn, and Sunfire. [New X-Men (1st series) #133]
• Paradigm would later re-appear, albeit dead. [Astonishing X-Men (3rd series) #33]
• Switch has yet to reappear.
• King Bedlam was depowered on M-Day. [New Avengers (1st series) #18]
• Someone placed a file regarding the New Hellions on the White Queen’s desk at the Massachusetts Academy. Though she was furious someone was using the name of her favorite students, she never followed up on the lead. [Generation X #60]