X-Force (6th series) #47

(A week ago)
Upstate New York, where Logan a.k.a. Wolverine makes his way through a forest, beams of light are shone through the dense forest thanks to Stark Sentinels who pursue the resourceful mutant. Wolverine has been on the run since the Hellfire Gala, trying to fight Orchis from the shadows – but he thinks he has come to the end. He stops at the edge of a cliff face – beams of light glowing around him. He knows all of the mutants were dead or exiled and that he is about to join them. Then suddenly, a ship appears above him. 'Going our way?' Sage smiles from within the ship.

(Now)
The North Pole, where X-Force, or some version of it, has endured. The Bluebird left those Sentinels in the dust before they could so much as catch X-Force in the spotlights. But what is this team anymore. As must, as a team, alone and hunted at the edge of the world. If Krakoa was the dream, then X-Force was the guard dog at the door that allowed such peaceful sleep. Now, those who are left are just trying to survive this nightmare. Wolverine leads the way through the snow, and behind him is Sage. Wolverine turns to her and tells her that this seems about right. 'How we looking?' he asks her. Sage begins scanning the area, while the other members of X-Force gather around. They are Piotr Rasputin a.k.a. Colossus, Arkady Rossovich a.k.a. Omega Red, Quentin Quire a.k.a. Kid Omega, Neena Thurman a.k.a. Domino and another Wolverine, this one Logan's clone/daughter, Laura Kinney.

'If we're determining a hidden location based on perilously low temperatures, magnetic confusion, distance from civilization and a strategically rugged perimeter... then yes, this will do' Sage announces. 'I say we keep walking until we find coconut trees and white sand beaches' Quentin jokes, to which Laura tells him to shut up. Sage touches her earpiece and radios Black Tom Cassidy, informing him that they are ready for him. 'Coast is clear then, eh?' Black Tom asks from beneath the icy wasteland, where he is in a pod, Krakoan in nature. 'Quite the opposite. The storm should camouflage your movement' Sage reports, and a moment later, the Krakoan construct rises up through the ice and snow, until a building appears. 'I've pinged you our location' Sage adds. 'And here we come' Black Tom replies.

Wolverine turns to Quentin and asks him if he has been scanning, like he asked him to. 'We need to know how many other mutants are out there' Wolverine announces. Quentin assures that he is trying, but that ever since he came back from the future, his powers aren't quite there, as if something is off. 'Figure your $#%& out, and send out a telepathic beacon. The survivors need to know where to find refuge – and you're the only way we can reach out directly without Orchis picking up on us' Wolverine snarls, annoyed.

Suddenly: 'Here he comes' Sage announces, as the large pod with Black Tom within begins moving across the ice and  snow. 'You might want to cover your bits and pieces, because we're about to burrow in and throw up some rubbish' Black Tom tells his teammates, as the pod slams down into the ice and snow, creating a small seismic wave which unsettles the team. A large crater can be seen, and then from it, Krakoan vines writhe up and bury themselves into the landscape.

X-Force watch on in awe. They have been on the run since the Hellfire Gala. Now that they have all reconnected, they decided that it is time they dug in and took a stand. Black Tom modifies the flora of the mobile base to create something more permanent and rooted. A greenhouse keeps things alive – in cold times and dead times. That's what this will be, Wolverine decides. Their Greenhouse. 'Sure, it'll need some interior decorating and the like...but it's a start' Black Tom calls out as the others make their way into their new home. Wolverine glances back and sees that Quentin is still outside. He rushes over to Quentin and asks him what is wrong. 'Phoebe...' Quentin utters, shocked, before he collapses.

Later, in the medical bay, Black Tom stands over Quentin who lays on an examination table. 'I don't know what the hell's wrong with him. Before he fainted, he was complaining about his powers not being up to snuff' Wolverine remarks. Black Tom puts a hand on Quentin's head and remarks that they are all a bit of a blunder right now. 'Finding our way back as we are' he adds, suggesting that “Wee Pinkie” needs some rest – and a dose of the loves. But inside his mind, Quentin sees the Stepford Cuckoos under attack from Nimrod and then Moira MacTaggert.

Later, in the control room, Black Tom sits on a chair which connects him to the Greenhouse, while Sage taps away at various monitors. She swears, and then complains that decrypting the data from Beast's mobile base is going to take months. 'Going to dig deep into the Beastie's files to keep Beastie from doing more Beastie things' Black Tom jokes. Sage ignores that comment and asks Black Tom how he is doing, and whether the security perimeter is coming together. Tom tells Sage that with the screaming winds and hollering cold, they can't maintain much of a sporous radar, but that he has got a ticklish network of vines and roots spreading outward a few kilometers, and they are already registering movement. 'What kind of movement?' Sage asks. Black Tom reports that somebody is coming, or more than someone – somebodies. 'Could be military. Could be Orchis. Could be anybodies' Tom declares.

Outside, in the freezing cold, three cloaked figures move from an ice cave and trudge across the frozen wasteland, towards the Greenhouse. But as they get closer, Domino and Laura Kinney suddenly burst forth from the snow: 'Whoever you are, stand the $%&* down!' Domino calls out, aiming her weapons at the cloaked figures. 'Whoa, whoa, whoa!' one of the cloaked figures responds. 'You're not used to cold-weather hunting, are you?' they add. They remove their hoods – it's Akihiro a.k.a. Fang. 'Smelled you fifty yards back' he tells his “sister” Laura. 'Akihiro?' Laura gasps. 'You're %$#^&*!# alive?' she gasps. 'I'm %$#^&*!# alive' Fang responds. With him are his Alpha Flight teammates, Jeanne-Marie Beaubier a.k.a. Aurora, who is also his partner, and her brother Jean-Paul Beaubier a.k.a. Northstar. Akihiro and Laura embrace, and Akihiro tells her that he got hit by the telepathic beacon. 'Was hoping like hell it was real' he adds, to which Laura asks him how he got here so fast.

'Well, Canada's not so far away, and I had some help. We came in for the final slow approach... but Northstar and Aurora have got some wheels on them' Akihiro jokes, referring to the twins' enhanced speed, while Northstar and Aurora grab Domino, Akihiro and Laura, and speed towards the Greenhouse. Seconds later, at the Greenhouse, Laura and Domino look troubled. 'You look chilled. Have a hot cocoa? I just made it fresh' Northstar remarks as he hands a mug to Laura. 'Are you going to puke?' Aurora asks Laura, before telling her that a lot of people puke. 'G-force will do that to you'.

Later: 'I know you're there' Colossus calls out to Domino as he tends to a garden within the Greenhouse. 'So you might as well come out' Colossus suggests. Domino apologizes as she steps into the light, and tells Colossus that he seemed so at peace, she didn't want to interrupt him. Colossus brushes some soil from his hands, and gets to his feet, telling Domino that she isn't wrong. 'Getting my hands dirty is the only way to clean out my brain, it feels like. I don't think about anything else. Just the plants' Colossus announces. 'For someone whose brain was torn in two for several years... I can understand how that must feel like good medicine' Domino responds. 'I'm -' Colossus begins as he switches to his steel form. 'Piotr – what are you doing?' Domino asks, shocked. Colossus apologizes and quickly switches back to his human form, and explains that he is feeling so defensive around everyone. 'Especially you' he admits.

Colossus hangs his head as he asks Domino 'You still haven't decided what to do with me, have you?' to which Domino replies 'No... but we haven't really decided what to do with ourselves, either'. Colossus reaches down for a plant and tells Domino that there is no way for him to apologize enough or take back the harm that he did, so he will just do what simple thing he can. 'Grow us food to eat' he explains. 'To be frank... you're going to have to do better than that' Domino suggests. 'What else can I do?' Colossus asks as he looks over at Domino. 'I don't know – just give us some information?' she proposes. She turns and walks away, reminding Colossus that he was on the Quiet Council – he must know something that can help them.

In the medical bay, Logan looks over at the motionless Quentin and tells him that he did not mean to come down so hard on him before. 'Anyway... if you could wake up, that'd be great' Logan remarks, before turning and walking away, adding 'We need you.' Quentin appears to smile, while his mind rages with an image of Moira attacking the Stepford Cuckoos once more, and suddenly, he gasps as he wakes up. 'I'm coming' Quentin declares as he makes his way out of the med bay.

Outside the Greenhouse, night has fallen. Omega Red sits beside a firee in the snow, keeping watch. Suddenly, Quentin flies out of the Greenhouse in a telekinetic fury. Omega Red looks up as Quentin disappears into the night, while Sage contacts him and asks 'What the hell was that' to wich Omega Red replies 'It was the little #$%&. He's awake and in a hurry'.

Sage contacts Quentin, who flies over the icy wasteland. 'Please report. What are you doing?' she asks him. 'Gotta go check on something' Quentin responds. Sage asks him if he is aware how dangerous it is for him to simply fly off like this. 'If you get picked up by any radar or satellite feeds, you could compromise all of us' Sage warns him. Quentin just smirks and tells Sage to relax. 'You're talking to an Omega' he boasts, explaining that he has sent out a temporary jamming singal. 'Orchis is using tech we don't -' Sage begins, before Quentin cuts her off, 'Blah, blah, blah. Going silent' he mutters as he continues on his journey.

Soon, Quentin arrives at Mykines, the site of the deadly Hellfire Gala. 'I'm the Omega. I'm the Omega. I'm the Omega' Quentin tells himself over and over again, while he sees visions of the Stepford Cuckoo, Phoebe, under attack. 'I'm the Omega!' Quentin shouts as he easily moves some rubble from the ruined island with his telekinesis, and under the rubble – he finds Phoebe, in her diamond form. 'I'm here. I heard you. I felt you' Quentin calls out as he grabs Phoebe and picks her up. He tells her that he knows she is a long way from okay, but assures her he will bring her home. 'Everything's going to be -' Quentin begins, when suddenly, 'Oh, $#%&' he utters as a Stark Sentinel descends from above.

'Aren't you going to say something?' Akihiro asks Wolverine as they start to walk out of the Greenhouse. 'Like what?' Wolverine responds. 'Like “I'm glad you're okay”?' Akihiro suggests. Wolverine looks over at his son and tells him 'I'm glad you're okay. I am'. He explains that he is a little distracted right now, and that he thinks there is a part of him that knew Akihiro would be okay. 'You tough $#%&' Logan adds. Akihiro smiles, before he and his father arrive outside and see some twenty mutants gathered in the snow. Some huddle around a fire where Omega Red and Laura stand with them. 'What are we going to do with them all?' Akihiro asks. 'Protect them' Wolverine responds. 'Everybody – get your asses into a single-file line. We're going to -' Wolverine begins, before Colossus calls out to him, informing him that he needs to talk to him. 'Not now' Wolverine responds. 'It's about Sabretooth' Colossus frowns.

'I don't know what this %$&^*#! guy's going on about, but take care of this, would you? We need a record of everyone showing up at our doorstep' Wolverine tells Akihiro. 'Case you didn't notice, I'm a little busy, and -' Wolverine begins to tell Colossus, when suddenly, Quentin Quire crashes into snow. 'Kid?' Wolverine asks. 'Kid, what happened?' Wolverine exclaims as he helps Quentin to his feet, while Phoebe is still in her diamond form. 'It's...not safe out there' Quentin utters. 'No. No, it ain't. That's why we got to look after each other' Logan declares as he, Akihiro, Laura and Quentin hug, unaware that they are being watched through a target – some distance away, Dr. Henry McCoy a.k.a. the Beast aims his weapon towards the mutants while remarking to himself 'It's good to see you're all alive. For now'.