Uncanny Avengers (3rd series) #23

'Deadpool? What happened?' Rogue asks as she slowly opens an eye, to find Wade Wilson a.k.a. Deadpool standing over her bed, pulling his mask down over his disfigured facce. 'Well, Rogue, evidently it was surprise date night and you went to sleep early' Deadpool jokes. 'Me and you -' Rogue begins, 'And Wonder Man! What an entrance you missed!' Deadpool exclaims as he motions to Simon Williams a.k.a. Wonder Man, who is standing nearby. 'Heya' Simon smiles. 'Oh, Lord' Rogue utters, when suddenly, 'SIMON WILLIAMS!' a voice exclaims – it's Hank McCoy a.k.a. the Beast, who leaps into the room, 'So great to see you again, my friend!' the Beast grins as he high-fives Simon with one of his feet. 'Likewise, Beast. Great to be seen' Simon replies. The Beast announces that he thinks he knows exactly what happened. 'I bet you think you do' Simon tells his old friend.

Looking at some notes he had written, the Beast reports that Rogue is essentially a battery, and Deadpool's regenerative ability acted like a circuit breaker, momentarily allowing Rogue's body to expel Simon from her super-charged cells. 'Like when the FBI cut the power to Nakatomi Plaza, opening the Vault. Amirite?' Deadpool remarks. The Beast smiles and comments that it is so obvious now, but it is the one thing they didn't try when they attempted to free Simon months agp, before remarking that the only question is whether Rogue will still be flying and lifting mountains. 'Take a look, Beast' Deadpool suggests, as the Beast looks over to Rogue, who is now hovering cross-legged above her bed. 'Oh, my. I'll have to run some tests and -' the Beast begins, but Rogue tells him that she is sick of tests and reminds him that she was a lab rat for the High Evolutionary when they lost Simon, and then again when she got home and the Terrigen Mist was in the air. 'No more tests!' Rogue declares, adding that she feels better than she has in a long time.

'And this should make you feel better, Rogue – I don't remember anything after the High Evolutionary' Wonder Man reports. 'Got it. You were Rip Van Winkling, not creeping' Deadpool remarks, before the Beast declares that it is amazing that it took this long for Rogue to slap Deadpool, and that skin-on-skin contact made it all possible. 'I'd give every dollar I own to remember it like that' Wonder Man mumbles. 'Huh?' the Beast asks him. 'Simon, now is probably a great time to tell you – you already gave every dollar you own' Deadpool announces. 'Excuse me?' Simon asks, lowering his shades.

Deadpool looks away and rubs the back of his head as he claims that it is all really Tony Stark's fault – Tony is the one who ran out of money to fund the Avengers. Then, for the first time in his own life when he has money, Steve Rogers came to him and convinced him to bankroll the Unity Squad. 'Anyway, 25 Ultron attacks later, I'm not moving the needle anymore, and suddenly I'm taking down scores to fund the team. I knocked over a racetrack, and then I remembered that you were very rich and kind of dead and -' Deadpool shuts up when Simon narrows his glowing red eyes and declares 'Stop talking. How broke am I?' Deadpool informs Simon that he is kind of like “OJ robbing a motel room” broke. He adds that he can tell Simon is angry, but suggests they try to remember they all have Cable's long-term care to think about – and that can be really pricey.

'This is all Steve Rogers' fault. My being an Avenger, I mean' Emily Guerrero a.k.a. Synapse thinks to herself as she stands in the shadows of the hospital room where Nathan Summers a.k.a. Cable lies in a bed, hooked up to life support equipment. A nurse checks Cable's vitals, then leaves the room. Synapse tells herself that the nicer pundits asked the hard-hitting questions like “Is Synapse the token Inhuman” and as she steps out of the shadows, recalls that it was Captain America who asked her to be an Avenger, but it was Cable who convinced her that she earned the spot. Synapse jams a chair up against the door to prevent anyone from outside opening and stepping into the room, while reminding herself that the X-Men have sent a parade of their telepaths through the room, trying to repair Cable's broken mind – and now it is her turn.

Synapse removes the mask that she wears over her face, before taking off one of her gloves. She puts her hand on Cable's head and tries to use her psionic powers – but she finds nothing. Synapse pulls her hand away and realizes that Cable knew the Red Skull was going to win. She wonders if Cable made the Skull kill him, or whether he did something unexpected. Synapse looks at Cable's bionic arm and moves around to the other side of the bed so she is closer to it. As she puts a finger to Cable's bionic arm, Synapse realizes that she has never tried to connect to anything other than a living brain before. 'We're all just electricity' she utters, before she is plunged into darkness.

in dream sequence:

'H-hello?' Synapse calls out, before a powerful light is shone at her – from a Sentinel! 'Inhuman target Synapse. Terminate!' another Sentinel states, turning its attention to Synapse, who stands on some rubble in a demolished city, skeletons lying nearby. 'Welcome to the dreams of an X-Man. Hope I survive the experience' Synapse jokes to herself, before she is knocked through the air by one of the Sentinels who stomps a foot down near her. Synapse decides that at least she knows something of Cable is still alive, and runs into a nearby building, thinking that whenever she feels sorry for herself, it is always good to have a mutant around – they have had it worse. Synapse looks nervous as she takes cover behind a broken door as a Hound – Rachel Summers – enters the room.  When she can escape, Synapse leaves and runs past a row of grave markings. The names of Ben Grimm and Charles Xavier can be seen on two of the graves.

'CableI It's me – Emily. Can you hear me?' Synapse calls out, when suddenly, a voice responds 'Here'. Synapse turns and sees a figure several feet away. 'Cable!' Synapse calls out. 'In a manner of speaking...but not exactly, Synapse' the figure replies. He turns around, and although he looks like Cable, wearng a silver suit of armor, he grins at Synapse and announces that his name is Stryfe, and he bets Synapse is wondering who he is, but Synapse tells him that she isn't really, and that he must be someone Cable is afraid of becoming. 'I took basic psych' Synapse declares. Stryfe stands up and aims a gun at Synapse, he admits that it is true he wouldn't exist without Cable, but that he doesn't need Cable anymore. 'And I don't need your mind intruding on our time together' Stryfe adds. Synapse puts her fingers to her head and tells Stryfe that she would love to stay and chat, but she doesn't know how long she can maintain this connection – and he is just slowing her down.

Stryfe looks concerned when he turns his own gun towards his face. 'My arm!' he calls out, unable to control his own actions. 'What are you doing?' Stryfe asks as he tries to force the gun away from his face. Synapse points a finger at Stryfe and informs him that she is hijacking his nervous system, that she has been working on manipulating fine motor control, and while she isn't good enough to play the piano through someone, she can pull a trigger. 'Now I know what Cable sees in you' Stryfe utters, before he is forced to pull the trigger as the gun rests under his chin. Synapse turns away and goes over to Cable's motionless body which lies nearby. She puts her hands to his head, but her attention is drawn away when a voice calls out 'Hello, granddaughter... I have a bone to pick with you!' Synapse looks up at a man in a ragged cloak who stands nearby, with trees starting to grow over the demolished buildings, and strange dogs lurking in the shadows. 'Right. What do you want me to call you? Ivan? Grandfather? The Shredded Man?' Synapse asks.

'You've got a really messed-up way of thanking me for the rescue, Cable' Synapse utters as she turns back to the motionless hero. Synapse glances back at Ivan and tells him to get out of here, and that he isn't real. Ivan points at his granddaughter and tells her that he was trying to save Inhumanity from this hostile planet, but Synapse turned on her family. Ivan tells Synapse that he didn't do what he did for himself – he did it for her – and there was a time in the future that she was very grateful. Synapse begins to run towards the Shredded Man, an angry look across her face as she shouts 'That's not true! I would never condone what you did!' She begins to punch the Shredded Man's stomach, 'You murdered civilians!' she exclaims, before telling her grandfather that she is ashamed of him as she slams her fist into his face, knocking what appears to be a mask off his face, 'I'm ashamed of you!' Synapse declares, before she gasps and pulls back away from the figure before her.

The purple-skinned woman with long dark hair grins as she tells Synapse that at a certain point, she stopped resisting her grandfather and came around to his way of thinking. 'You helped make the future that your friend Cable went back in time to stop!' she reveals. 'NO!' Synapse shouts, slamming her hands together, she makes her future self shatter, and dozens of insects fly up from the destroyed body. 'Hey, youb found me' Cable calls out as he tries to sit up. Synapse runs back over to Cable, who asks her what happened, and that the last thing he remembers is being attacked by the Red Skull.

'Belle was the first clue' Synapse tells Cable as she stands on a large bug while helping him to walk down past some ruined buildings covered in trees. 'You erased the AI in your cybernetic arm to make room for your mind, didn't you?' Synapse asks. Cable explains that it seemed like a good idea at the time, and that he couldn't let the Skull have access to his time-jumping abilities. Synapse informs Cable that right now she is trying to bridge the gap between the hard drive in his arm and his empty head, before asking why he never told her she was complicit in 2087. Cable explains to Synapse that the old woman she was in 2087 doesn't exist anymore, as she never had him to train her. 'This isn't how I planned on telling you' he adds. Cable smiles at Synapse as he remarks that her grandfather walked a dark path, but that she is her own woman. 'You're going to write your own future' he assures, before telling Synapse that he and she are a lot alike – they each have a shadow following them around.

Sunlight shines through the hospital window as Cable sits up in bed, smiling, he takes Synapse's hand as Synapse asks him 'Who's your evil twin in the cape and steak knives?' Cable tells her that he doesn't have time to explain Styfe, and apologizes for his head not being in a very nice place. Synapse tells Cable that she never thought he stuck around on the Unity Squad because of her – she thought it was because he was friends with Deadpool. 'No, I became a time traveler to get away from Deadpool!' Cable replies. Cable then tells Synapse that she would have been one of Charles Xavier's most exceptional students, and that he would have loved to help her understand her powers. 'I hope I was a good enough substitute teacher' Cable adds, before remarking that he owes Synapse for the save. 'No, you don't' Synapse replies as she goes over to the door and opens it, asking a doctor to come in here. 'I'll see you again, kid. Thank  you' Cable declares, before he suddenly vanishes. 'Cable?' Synapse asks, turning back to the bed, where there is a blur of energy. The doctor tells Synapse that visiting hours are over, and that he will have to ask her to leave. 'Wait – what? Where did the patient go?' the doctor asks. 'He heard what you said. Visiting hours are over' Synapse grins as she walks out of the room and down the corridor.

Outside Deadpool's theater, a bearded man in a suit stands near a black car and talks to Deadpool and Wonder Man, who leans against a fire hydrant. Deadpool tells Wonder Man not to worry, and that he will get him his money. 'This guy's the best real estate agent in Manhattan, and the Schaefer Theater is prime real estate!' Deadpool exclaims. 'Yeah, I can't help you. In fact, no one can' the bearded man replies. 'Wait – WHAT?' Deadpool shouts. 'Here we go' Wonder man mumbles, rubbing the side of his face. The bearded man folds his arms as he tells Deadpool that he agrees it was a beautiful historic theater that was worth a lot of money – until Deadpool came along. 'I am not used to being disrespected like this!' Deadpool exclaims. The bearded man adjusts his glasses and explains that this is what they in the real estate business call a “death trap”. He points out that these Avenger-types operate out of a building, and when they leave, they don't exactly send forwarding addresses. Then, later, their enemies come looking for them, and the new owners get killed, or kidnapped, or turned into monsters.

The bearded man continues, stating that most New Yorkers would prefer to live under a bridge than live or work in a place that has been “Spandexed”. As he climbs into his car, the bearded man tells Deadpool that he must know what happened at the old Avengers Mansion. 'Yeah, I think I heard something about that' Deadpool mumbles, rubbing his head. The man pokes his head out the car window and asks Deadpool how many times he has almost died in this theater. 'Well, there was that time Ultron attacked and – never mind! What am I supposed to do with a theater and no Avengers team?' Deadpool exclaims. 'Put up a show?' the bearded man suggests, before telling Deadpool to break a leg, before he drives away. Wonder Man starts to take flight and remarks that he can't believe Captain America made him an Avenger. 'I'm worried something's wrong with him' Wonder Man adds. Deadpool looks up at Wonder Man and tells him that he is sorry, and suggests he tries to breathe deeply and remember that he is a pacifist.

Wonder Man offers no response as he flies away, so Deadpool decides that he has to remember to steal from more pacifists. Suddenly, another car drives along and pulls up next to Deadpool. The backseat door opens, and Deadpool sees Captain America sitting there. 'Ready to serve your country, soldier?' Cap asks. Deadpool greets Cap and informs him that he only gets into cars when they offer free candy. Deadpool then climbs into the back of the car and remarks that he was talking to Rogue about the Unity Squad and that he thinks even though they have money problems, they did a lot of good, and they want to keep working together. Cap tells Deadpool that he is sorry, but that is off the table for now. He instructs his driver to take them to the helipad, and remarks that they are on the clock. 'You're going to do more good with me than with that group' Cap remarks. 'And Wade?' Cap asks. 'Yeah?' Deadpool asks. 'Rogue has not  been a friend to our cause lately... trust me' Cap exclaims.

Elsewhere, Jan van Dyne a.k.a. the Wasp and Jericho Drumm a.k.a. Doctor Voodoo walk side by side down a street, carrying some coffees. 'Really? Deadpool and Rogue?' Jericho asks. 'I don't think it's really a thing, Jericho. Right?' Jan asks, smiling. 'Why not? I'm not surprised that two of the loneliest people in the world found each other' Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver exclaims as he speeds over to join his teammates, taking one of the coffees from Jan. 'News travels fast' Jericho remarks, before greeting Quicksilver. The trio enters the theater, and Quicksilver asks the others where they will go. Voodoo reports that he has unfinished business with his brother and the Hand, while Jan explains that she is just here to collect a few things, and then she is moving on. 'But you know where to find me when you need me' she adds.

As the trio walk past Rogue's quarters, Rogue is sitting on her bed, looking at a photo, while a half-packed suitcase is sprawled open on the floor, and a box sits nearby. Rogue continues to look down at the photo which is of herself along with Captain America, Deadpool, Cable, Synapse, Quicksilver, the Human Torch, Wasp and Doctor Voodoo. 'Rogue, you here?' Jan calls out. Rogue replies that she is just packing up, to which the Wasp asks her if she saw the wall in here. 'No. What now?' Rogue calls back, while out in the living area, Quicksilver, the Wasp and Synapse turn to a glowing circle that appears in the wall. Doctor Voodoo tells everyone to hang on, and that this call is for him. 'Hello, Prixat. Got news for me?' he asks the skeleton wearing a top hat, with a snake wrapped around them who emerges from the glowing energy on the wall.

'Damn right I do, Voodoo. Guess who just walked back into New Orleans like he owns the place?' Prixat asks. 'Daniel' Voodoo utters. 'Yeah, and your brother is with his new Japanese friends. They're digging up graves, looking for something or someone buried in Orleans Parish' Prixat explains, before warning Voodoo not to forget what he owes him. Prixat vanishes, while Doctor Voodoo turns to the others and tells them that he has to go. 'Want some company?' Synapse asks. Vodooo tells her that he doesn't want to impose. Jan announces that her day is free, while Quicksilver smiles and jokes that he is looking for a reason to put off returning Magneto's helmet. Synapse smiles at Rogue and asks her if she is up for it. 'Y'all ain't going anywhere without me, Sugah' Rogue replies.