X-Force (6th series) #50

Off the coast of California: 'Wonder Man?' a version of Hank McCoy a.k.a. the Beast with a mind and personality from an earlier time period calls out. 'Yes, Beast?' Simon Williams a.k.a. Wonder Man, longtime Avenger and current pacifist responds as they speedboat they are in jets across the water, while X-Force's jet pursues them from above. 'X-Force is outfitted with a Techno-Organic ship that could outpace and outgun an F-25... and we have a 32-horsepower engine' the Beast remarks. He tells Wonder Man that he understands and respects his commitment to pacifism, but points out that these are desperate times. 'Might I request some defensive action?' the Beast declares. 'I think I can manage that' Wonder Man responds as he unleashes his powerful ionic blasts which strike down several missiles that are fired at the jetboat as Simon remarks that he insists on only firing at the artillery, not the ship. 'Just keep the boat – steady!' Simon utters as the speedboat is knocked about in the water when a missile lands nearby.

Grabbing some oxygen tanks, the Beast tells Simon that he is afraid they must abandon ship. 'The deep awaits us!' he exclaims as he and Simon jump into the water as the speedboat explodes. Beast and Wonder Man put the oxygen masks on and the Beast declares that there are enemies above and below, and tells Simon that he feels nothing but reassured with an ally like him at his side. He then thanks Simon for joining him on this adventure. 'You would have done the same for me. It's nothing' the Beast responds as he and Simon begin swimming towards a large trench in the ocean floor. 'Friendship. Loyalty. Love. These are the things that give life meaning!' the Beast calls out, before telling Simon to stay close. 'Now, if I were me – and I am – I'd have set up an alarmed perimeter'. Simon mumbles something in response, and the Beast looks over to see that Simon has been captured by the current version of the Beast, who wears a Krakoan battlesuit. 'It's lovely to see you, Simon, but if you'll excuse me... I need to catch up with myself'. The Beast then uses a laser to cut into Simon's oxygen tank, which propels Simon upwards through the water and out of the trench.

Up above, X-Force's jet shines spotlight beams down into the water, and aboard, Logan a.k.a. Wolverine asks Neena Thurman a.k.a. Domino if she is picking up any heat signatures. At the control panel, Domino reports that the sea is rough, but she has eyes on somebody. Wonder Man pops up to the water's surface, and Domino announces that her scanners have identified him, although she is surprised to learn that it is Wonder Man. 'Look like the Beast is reaching out to old allies' Domino suggests.

Back in the trench: 'You can't speak. Good. Because it's time to listen. You've no doubt heard some things. Things that are perhaps unflattering and even damning' Beast Prime tells his past self. 'But before you declare yourself an ally or an obstacle... I have something to share with you' Beast Prime announces, before swimming on into the trench, beckoning for the past Beast to follow him.

In X-Force's ship, Wonder Man has been brought aboard, although the team aren't so trusting of him, as Arkady Rossovich a.k.a. Omega Red has his deadly tendrils wrapped around Simon's neck. 'So the Beasts are together?' Logan asks, while Piotr Rasputin a.k.a. Colossus, Laura Kinney a.k.a. Wolverine and Domino gather around. 'No!' Simon quickly responds, before admitting that they are physically together, but that his Beast wants nothing to do with their Beast. 'He wants something or he wouldn't have chased his way across the continent, looking for him' Logan snarls, grabbing Simon by his shirt. 'He thinks he can convince him to change!' Simon declares.

Meanwhile, at X-Force's HQ, the Greenhouse, located in the North Pole, Logan's voice can be heard over the comm-link as he asks Quentin Quire a.k.a. Kid Omega if he is listening. Quentin is with Sage and Black Tom Cassidy in the control room, and Quentin tells Logan that he is too far away to get a good read, but Wonder Man's vocal inflections indicate that he is telling the truth. 'Unless he's a very good actor. Which we know he's not' Quentin jokes, before informing the others that according to IMDB, Simon's most notable project is Beach Volleyball Bros Part II. 'In more pressing news – your offshore firefight did not go unnoticed' Sage reports.

At that moment, X-Force are knocked about as weaponsfire strikes their jet. '$#%&!' Domino exclaims, while Sage reports that she is tracking an Orchis jet coming in hot. 'And our old friend, Jun Wei, is leading the charge' Sage adds.

Indeed, in the smaller jet that approaches X-Force's, Orchis agent Jun Wei radios control, informing them that she needs backup. 'Get me a Sentinel!' she orders, before turning to several Sentinel Zeros in the jet and tells them to get going – and she wants bodies. 'They don't have to be alive' she adds, before the Sentinel Zeros bare their claws and drop onto X-Force's jet, where they begin to slash their way inside.

'Even if he claims he's a vegan, I say we tie him up' Logan suggests. 'I said I was a pacifist!' Simon responds as he sits on a chair, a blanket wrapped around him to keep him warm. 'He's the least of our worries!' Domino snaps at Logan, before noticing he is putting on a wetsuit with some Krakoan fauna on it and asks him where he is going. 'We didn't come here to get in a scrum with Orchis. We came here for Beast' Logan responds. He tells Domino to keep things steady up top. 'I'm going down' Logan snarls as he drops from the jet and into the water below.

Colossus opens a hatch onto the top of the jet, and in doing so sends one of the Sentinel Zeros flaying backwards. He, Omega Red and Laura burst up onto the top of the jet and prepare to face off against the Sentinels. Laura contacts Domino and Sage and asks them to power up the radio scrambler on the Bluebird and shut down all satellites and radio transmissions in a ten-mile radius. 'I want Orchis confused as to whether we were here at all!' Laura exclaims as she leaps from the X-Force jet onto the smaller jet, whre she lands with her claws – both hands and feet – stuck in the jet's screen, lodging herself there so she doesn't fall. 'And I want them to know how badly we're about to $#%& them up' Laura adds.

Beneath the depths of the ocean, in an airtight biodome, where Beast Prime removes the Krakoan battle suit, and explains to his past self that he is baring himself to him. 'Because you are my equal, my reflection, a kind of brother' Beast Prime remarks as he walks over to his past self, the two barely distinguishable from each other save for the past Beast wearing glasses. He asks his present self what it is exactly that he is doing down here. 'I've been told it involves a nuclear reactor' he adds. 'Beast. Hank. Please. There is a tone of judgment to your voice I'm begging you to withhold' Beast Prime responds as he turns to face the large nuclear weapon stationed on the seabed. 'The greatest good for the greatest number of mutants, no matter the cost' Beast Prime utters, claiming that has been his code since the beginning, when he first helmed X-Force, and that he still stands by it now.

Beast Prime continues, explaining that he knows his actions seem severe, but that they are on the verge of extinction, and even now, Orchis has Mars in its crosshairs. Their plan is not only genocidal, but Orchis hopes to eventually build a worldmind with the intelligence of Homo Superior. He touches the weapon and states that with this Black Hole Gun, he is going to take the mutants off the table entirely. 'Consider this not a cosmic prison sentence, but a new Krakoa. A nation that is truly isolated, wholly safe' he boasts. The past Beast speaks up: 'You're not asking their consent and putting them at great risk and -' he begins, to which Beast Prime snaps 'Let me finish!' The past Beast frowns and folds his eyes, and continues to listen as Beast Prime claims that he has thought this through a thousand ways. 'You know I have. And – risky as it might be – this plan is the best plan'.

Beast Prime continues: 'We – you and I, the two of us, Beast and Beast – will topple Orchis before bringing Homo Superior back from their black hole banishment. We can provide the violent answers this violent world requires' he boasts, before asking his past self whether he will join him. The past Beak speaks again, telling the current Beast that he understands everything he is saying, as if the words slipped out of his own mouth. 'But with distance comes perspective, and I am separate enough from all this that I can see clearly in a way you can't... you've taken the wrong path' the past Beast tells Beast Prime, who frowns in response, before sighing. 'Oh, Hank' he utters. The past Beast tells Beast Prime that he can still come back and choose another way. 'I know this because I am you and you are me' he adds.

'You're young. You're innocent. You have my intelligence but not my wisdom' Beast Prime responds. Past Beast tells Beast Prime that he chose him – this particular Beast. 'I was the only one not wiped from the Cerebro cradles. There's a reason for that' he suggests. 'Yes – you were the best version of myself. Hopeful. Happy. A mutant rights activist. I didn't plan on bringing you back, but I honestly couldn't... extinguish you either. It would be like running out of a burning house without grabbing a treasured family photo album' Beast Prime explains, to which the past Beast, adjusting his glasses, suggests to his current self that he is acting as Magneto once did. 'Magneto?' Beast Prime asks. 'Magneto was right' he declares as he pulls a lever on the nuclear weapon. 'No!' past Beast gasps, as Beast Prime claims that, years from now, people will say the same of Beast.

The nuclear weapon lights up, and past Beast leaps at his present self, telling him to listen to him. 'Why would I take instructions from a veritable child?' Beast Prime asks as he struggles to shake the younger Beast off of him. They fall to the ground, as past Beast declares that he knows there is still some good in his current self. 'Your version of good is moral, an embarrassing construct, a simpleton's way of considering the world' Beast Prime suggests, explaining that his version of good is cold and quantitative – and thus, rational. 'Stop the gun!' past Beast exclaims, ignoring his present self's explanation about “good”. The nuclear gun rises up and passes through the biodome, while Beast Prime tells his past self to stop being ridiculous. 'I don't want to kill you – I really don't – but you're forcing my hand' he claims as he begins to strangle his past self, deciding that if he can't best him intellectually, he will have to settle for a more primitive method.

Back up above the surface, Jun Wei lays motionless on the floor of her jet, shattered glass all around her from where Laura broke through the wind shield. Laura has taken control of the jet and contacts Domino, asking her where she is. 'Out of your line of fire' Domino responds, revealing that they are at 20,000 feet and have liquidated the robo-Wolverines. 'Fight's not over' Laura announces. 'We've got company!' she calls out as a Stark Sentinel appears behind her and gives chase as Laura pilots the jet away from the Sentinel. Laura asks Sage to confirm that all local frequencies remain jammed, to which Sage's voice can be heard over the comm-link, confirming this. 'Let's make $%&* sure Orchis stays dark on what's happening here' Laura responds, before reporting that she has got the Sentinel's attention, and asks Domino to make her move.

X-Force's jet appears above the Stark Sentinel, and Colossus and Omega Red drop down from the jet onto the top of the Sentinel, while Domino can be heard telling them to do some damage. Colossus begins punching the Stark Sentinel's face, while Domino notes that if the Sentinel confirms their presence, then innocent people will die – so they have to destroy it, otherwise it will destroy them. 'I owe you all a debt. I promise to go down swinging' Colossus declares, suggesting that if Omega Red can get his tentacles tied in to the Sentinel, then perhaps Sage can hack the mainframe and pull the plug. Omega Red does get his coils into the Sentinel, and Laura suggests that she gives the tin can a tickle as she fires the jet's weapons at the Sentinel.

Back below the waters, Beast Prime has his clone pinned to the ground and tells him that this could have been the beginning of a beautiful partnership. The clone responds by slamming his fists into Beast Prime's shoulders and then grabs him by his head and brings their heads together, cracking the clone's glasses in the process. Suddenly, Logan arrives on scene: 'Came down here to end this. That means killing you both, so be it. Or you can do the job for me. Looks like you already got a head start' Logan remarks as he pops his claws. 'Hurry, Logan! He's built a Black Hole Gun. It's ascending to the surface. He wants to take out Mars!' the past Beast quickly summarises to Wolverine. 'He's going to -' the past Beast begins, before Beast Prime kicks him backwards. Wolverine speaks into his comm-link and warns Domino that there is a bogey rising, and that she needs to destroy it as soon as it breaches. 'I repeat -' Wolverine begins, before Beast Prime lunges at him.

'To think, I used to call you a friend' Beast Prime snarls, to which Wolverine responds by slashing his claws across Beast Prime's chest. Wolverine puts his foot on the Beast's back as the Beast struggles to get up. Wolverine raises his claws to deliver another blow, before the Beast clone lunges at Wolverine: 'No one else dies! We can save him yet! I know it!' the Beast exclaims.

Inside X-Force's jet, Wolverine's voice can be heard, asking Domino if she can hear him. 'Kind of bust up here, Wolverine' Domino responds quickly as she aims the jet's weapons back at the Stark Sentinel nearby. 'Maybe I can help' Wonder Man suggests. He flies out of the jet. 'Whoever's doing it...do it now!' Wolverine exclaims. The nuclear weapon rises from the water, and Wonder Man takes flight, while an instant later, the Stark Sentinel fires a blast that tears through the rear of X-Force's jet. As Wonder Man swoops down towards the nuclear weapon, Domino reports over the comm-link that she can't maintain flight, and is going down.

'Dom? You okay?' Logan asks, but gets no response. 'You idiots' Beast Prime declares as the Krakoan battlesuit covers his body once more. 'Dom, Laura – anybody! Take out the Black Hole Gun!' Logan exclaims, while Beast Prime boasts that he is the last hope for mutantkind. 'Don't protect your weapon – protect your friends! Please don't prove me wrong...you can do better!' the past Beast pleads as Beast Prime takes flight up throuh the biodome, out of the water, and up to where the missile bobs up and down on the water, energy glowing from the weapon.

Beast Prime looks over and sees Wonder Man arriving at the weapon and asks him what he is doing. 'This is for you, Hank. This is for old friends' Simon announces as he begins to release ionic energy at the weapon as the weapon rises up out of the ocean. 'No! Stop! You don't understand!' Beast Prime declares.

'The gun is powered by a nuclear reactor!' Beast Prime calls out, while on top of the Stark Sentinel, Omega Red asks Sage if she is hacked into the Sentinel. 'Working as fast as I can' Sage's voice is heard over the comm-link. She explains that the firewall on this thing is as complicated as anything she has ever encountered. Omega Red continues to attack the Stark Sentinel with his coils, while the Stark Sentinel swats Colossus away and into the Orchis jet which Laura is piloting, causing the jet to spin out of control. 'Almost there...' Sage calls out while Omega Red pulls back on his coils attempting to strangle the Stark Sentinel, 'I'm in!' Sage announces as she disables the Stark Sentinel, while at the same time, Beast Prime grabs the weapon and pushes it back into the water: 'The blast will kill you, you fool!' he shouts at Simon, who watches in shock as the bomb explodes in the water, sending a massive blast of glowing water up into the air.

Later, at the North Pole, in X-Force's mobile base, the Greenhouse. Logan thinks about the Stark Sentinel that Sage shut down, which now collects rust at the bottom of the ocean. One Beast was atomized, while the other moved in with Wonder Man, and Quentin Quire mind-wiped the Orchis agent, who lost her last few weeks of memories, including of X-Force. Even though the future is uncertain, for now, X-Force do what they have always done. They keep evolving and keep surviving. Logan, Sage, Colossus, Black Tom, Laura, Omega Red, Quentin Quire and Domino gather around their conference table. X-Force ain't the ones you root for – but they get the dirty jobs done.