X-Force Vol. 1 #015

Crule is dispatched and X-Force stages a rescue of Sunspot. Cable and Deadpool face off and Domino is freed. Tolliver finally gets his.

Synopsis

Having broken into the newly stolen IPAC, Crule demands the life of X-Force’s Cannonball. Cannonball doesn’t miss a beat and orders Shatterstar to take the External down while he steadies the ship. Shatterstar, Feral, and Warpath all attack the blood-lusted enemy to no avail. Crule shakes the three off of him and tries to make another move on Cannonball. One problem, however, stands in his way: Rictor. Before anything rash happens, Cannonball asks Crule about Sunspot. Being told that Sunspot will soon be dead, Cannonball okays Rictor to blast Crule right out of the aircraft. Rictor has no problem with this command and Crule falls a very long way to the earth. Rictor then turns to Cannonball to ask what has happened with Sunspot. Cannonball fills him in and requests the team’s help in recovering his best friend. They, being a team (as well as runaway “terrorists”), don’t hesitate to offer their support. They then fly to Denver to confront Gideon face-to-face.

In Tolliver’s Italian home, Cable can’t believe his eyes: the Domino he came with lying on the floor – stabbed by Deadpool; a Domino chained to the wall – a prisoner of Tolliver. Deadpool explains: the Domino that Cable’s been hanging out with was his on-again off-again girlfriend Vanessa (Copycat). The real Domino has been a prisoner of Tolliver’s. And, with this last surprise, Tolliver orders Deadpool to kill Cable. The two go at it. The fight is brutal but Cable gets the upper hand. As he knocks Deadpool out, Tolliver slips out the back. Cable springs to Domino’s side and tries to free her. Deadpool, his healing factor working overtime, is back in the fight and swings a sword. It narrowly misses and cuts up one of Domino’s shackles. Deadpool then begins waxing the floor with Cable. As Deadpool is about to strike the death blow, Domino gets free and shoots him in the back. With no thought for rest, Domino and Cable run after Tolliver to end this chapter in their lives.

On their way to Denver, X-Force receives a call from Gideon. He states that Cannonball will have to be content with either Sunspot or Gideon. He explains that the two are in different places: Sunspot is being experimented on while Gideon is far away. To go after Gideon would simply mean that Sunspot dies. However, he offers the location of Sunspot in exchange for a free pass – he’ll tell where Sunspot is being experimented on if Cannonball promises to stay out of the affairs of the Externals. Seeing no other alternative, Cannonball agrees. Sunspot is in New Mexico, Gideon says, and X-Force quickly heads that way.

In the lab, Sunspot is still being tested to his limits. His body has absorbed over 3,000% of what it should normally be able to. X-Force soon arrives and rips the Genetech building apart. When they find Sunspot, Cannonball quickly scoops him up and shoots towards the sky. X-Force can only watch as Sunspot eventually explodes. The two are able to make it back down to earth (Cannonball’s blast field protecting them from any harm) and the team realizes that they don’t quite know what to do next. Find Gideon? Find Cable and Domino, if they are still alive?

Cable and Domino, very much alive, find Tolliver boarding his helicopter. The leap and grab the legs as the helicopter takes off. Cable tells Domino to let go, as she knows this helicopter is doomed. He wants her to find his X-Force kids and let them know what’s going on. Reluctantly, Domino drops to the sea below. Cable then informs Tolliver that the debt he supposedly owes is now paid off and causes the helicopter to explode. Cable drops and bodyslides to safety. All that is left of Tolliver seems to be a mask that floats atop the water.

Elsewhere, Domino pulls herself from the water and commits herself to finding Cable’s X-Force, though she has no idea where to even start.

Deadpool regains consciousness and realizes that everyone is gone, even Vanessa, whom he had supposedly killed. He teleports away.

Cable arrives in his space base, Graymalkin. He finally fixes his synthetic skin and resolves to stop being the victim and to start being the hunter.

X-Force lands at Camp Verde to establish their new home. Sunspot emerges from the IPAC and officially joins the team. The team, however, needs to figure out what to do next.