Following the tragic events of both the Genosha Massacre and the Earth nearly getting flattened by Asteroid M, everyone believes the X-Men are dead. Bishop and Forge are at odds over the team’s fate. Forge fears the X-Men are truly dead while Bishop thinks it’s less about where the X-Men are and more about when they are (in other words, they’re no longer in the 1997 timeline).
Meanwhile, Jubilee and Roberto (Sunspot) have joined Cable’s new squad called X-Force. He’s not thrilled with the new recruits and makes it very clear that this is not Xavier’s school. These two are not students or heroes, they are soldiers.
A Rough Start
To help get his point across, Cable puts Psylocke in charge of training them. She doesn’t hold back either, knocking a blindfolded Jubilee around and kicking Roberto in the face hard enough to leave a mark.
“Hey! We’re not in the danger room, you know,” Jubilee complains. “You could really hurt one of us.”
“I told Cable I’d train you, not baby you,” Psylocke says. Enemies strike to kill, so if they can’t handle a rough sparring session, then they’re not ready for X-Force.
The Hunt for War
Shortly after the training session wraps up, Cable and Archangel arrive with new tactical gear for Jubilee and Roberto. Once everyone is suited up, Cable briefs the team on their mission. One of Apocalypse’s Horsemen War (formerly Abraham Kieros) vanished when Apocalypse fell. Now he’s back setting up safe houses around the globe.
Even worse? X-Force’s intel connects his return to the Clan Akkaba, a dangerous cult dedicated to bringing Apocalypse back to power. The other Horsemen Famine and Pestilence are being monitored, but War is the primary target right now. If he stays in the shadows much longer, he will plant the seeds for Apocalypse’s full return.
To find War, they need a mutant tracker or a “hound.” Cable reveals their tracker is Caliban, which immediately saddens Jubilee. She remembers Caliban as a peaceful Morlock who was dragged into Apocalypse’s schemes against his will. Back in South America, she and Beast helped rescue him from being used as a vessel for Apocalypse. Jubilee explains Caliban just wants to be left alone, but Cable doesn’t care. As long as Caliban is willing to help, there won’t be a problem.
Jubilee pushes back, saying they can’t go around hurting innocent mutants or else they’re no better than Apocalypse. She also states that Caliban never asked to get tangled up with the mutant supervillain either.
“Maybe not. But you never turn your back on a hound,” Cable says before he lifts his shirt to reveal a nasty scar near his ribcage. “Trust me.”
Shadows of the Future
We get to see how Cable got his scar by flashing back to his childhood in the desolate year 3960 A.D.
As a young boy named Nathan, he was out in the desert befriending a small creature when a telepathic message warned him of a dangerous presence near him. As he was running away, a ruthless mutant hunter named Ahab, the master of the hounds, attacked him while his back was turned.
Fortunately, Slym and Redd (Cyclops and Jean Grey who are hiding their identities from their son Nathan) stepped in to take on Ahab and his hounds. Ahab launched a harpoon that locked onto genetic signatures straight at Cyclops, forcing Jean to strain all her power to deflect it.
Cyclops managed to drive Ahab back with an optic blast, saving Nathan. “Ye’ll be under my leash one day, yet,” Ahab threatened as he made his retreat. Sometime after his encounter with the Summers family, Ahab reported it to Ozymandias, who went back to tell a dormant Apocalypse about Nathan and the vast power hidden inside of him.
Ambush in the Sewers
Back in 1997, X-Force wade through the dark sewers beneath New York City. Jubilee is surprised to see how empty the tunnels are now. Archangel reminds her that most of the Morlocks left their underground home for Genosha, only to perish in the massacre.
Before they can search much further, they run into an elderly Morlock named Annalee. Jubilee tries to comfort the old woman, but Psylocke realizes something is fishy. Annalee is bait!
Gas fills the tunnel as Amelia Voght and her squad of Acolytes attack. Gargouille goes straight for Archangel’s wings. Barnacle’ shell-like skin protects him from Psylocke’s katana but it doesn’t shield him from her psychic powers. Projector tosses Jubilee and Sunspot into the murky water.
Cable draws his heavy “boom-cannon” on the imposing Frenzy, threatening to blow her away. But Frenzy doesn’t flinch. She says Magneto’s dream died on Genosha, Xavier’s way failed, and Apocalypse only brings doom. The Acolytes are taking in lost Morlocks to build a new movement under Exodus.
While the fight rages on, Jubilee finds a hooded figure hiding in the corner. It’s Caliban!
The two share a warm hug, and Caliban asks if Beast is with her. Jubilee has to break the news that Hank and the rest of the X-Men are gone. Jubilee asks for his help to track Apocalypse’s Horsemen, but Caliban panics out of fear of being hurt again.
Jubilee reassures him that everything will be fine, so Caliban agrees to help for her sake. Unfortunately, Cable’s team doesn’t believe in the concept of being gentle. Psylocke grabs Caliban’s head and psionically boosts his tracking powers.
Caliban screams in pain as the force of Psylocke’s power boost locks onto three targets: Famine, Pestilence and War. Jubilee is furious at Psylocke for hurting him, but Psylocke dismisses the complaint. She reminds her that Apocalypse plans in eons and they don’t have seconds to spare.
With the target coordinates secured, Cable orders X-Force to fall back so they can start crossing names off their strike list. Amelia asks Frenzy if they should pursue them, but Frenzy tells her to let them go. The sewers might be lost, but those “X-fools” might just lead the Acolytes straight to Apocalypse’s hidden base.
