(1st story)
As Logan falls into a chasm of nothingness, he recalls how he got there. He remembers a flash and now he’s falling. Wait… what just happened? Just then, a vision flashes of Logan as a young child stabbing Thomas Logan in the chest, while his mother, Elizabeth Howlett, telling him he’s not Thomas’ son. He’s a monster, an animal! Continuing his descent, Logan says to himself that he can’t think straight. Where is he? Where did those people go – Mystique and the others? What did they do? More flashes – Logan killing Mariko Yashida, a bunch of Hellfire guards, a solider during one of the wars he fought in. More falling – falling through endless darkness. What in the hell is happening to him?
At that moment, Logan bounces off of something solid that felt like rock. He tries to grab hold and hang on but it burns and it’s slick. Even in the darkness, he can tell it’s blood. If there’s one thing he knows, it’s blood. Rock and blood and darkness and silence. Stone cold silence all around. The first voice cuts him like a knife. It tells him they’re waiting for him below. When Logan asks what, the voice tells him they’re waiting. All of them. Everyone. So many. So many. He’s been a very busy boy. Logan recalls all of the Weapon X guards he killed, the men he killed while with X-Force, the Adamantium men he killed, and Xorn. The voice adds that they’re all waiting for him below. All of them. Logan should know; he’s the one who killed them.
Logan asks them where he is. How does he stop this? The voices ask him “stop the falling?” No, no, no. The falling is the good part. Enjoy the falling while it lasts. It’s once he hits bottom, that’s when the screaming starts. Once he hits bottom, he’ll be just like them. They tell him “he’s” going to break him. He breaks everyone. When Logan asks who, the voices ask him who does he think (the Devil). He will only break him, but the others… they will do far worse. The others, they’re waiting. So eager. Hit bottom. No way back up. Breaks everyone. Like them. Damned.
Logan grits his teeth, tells them no, and is able to grasp hold of the rock ledge. As he tries to pull himself back up, a young child holding a severed head tells him that he has to keep falling, brother. When Logan asks what the hell, the child tells him all the way to the bottom. They’re all waiting at the bottom. He’s waiting. He’s been waiting a very long time to see him again. A very long time.
As Logan grabs hold of the thorns, the severed head tells him that he heard the boy. He best get to fallin’, all the way to the bottom. When the severed head is revealed to be that of Sabretooth, he tells Logan that’s where they’re all waiting. Just then, Sabretooth bites his hand which causes Logan to lose his grip and fall into the dark chasm below.
(2nd story)
Sitting in a restaurant, a plain-clothes Daken thinks to himself that, some days, it takes every bit of self-control that he possesses to not just wade into them, cutting and gouging until he’s completely soaked in their blood. Other days, he just wants to grab one of them. Just to smash some face against a rock until it collapses into itself. But today? Today he’s going to make one of them his friend, a local patron at the same restaurant.
After locking one of the waitresses in a closet, Laura Kinney (X-23) says just one. All it takes is one man. The man – Detlef Metzger. He is a German-born, naturalized U.S. citizen, a bio-engineer and a former junior research scientist for the Weapon X program. Bio-enhancement is his specialty. Every government wants him. Two hours ago, he was awarded seven billion dollars from weapons contractors. It will be the old program, all over again. More girls, more boys will be caged, altered, forced to be weapons. She will not let that happen.
As she takes a bottle of Moet out to Detlef and his companions who are celebrating, Daken remarks that it’s happening. Three years ago, Detlef Metzger came into the possession of Dr. Zander Rice’s private journals. Now deceased, also late of the Weapon X program. In addition to the journals, Metzger gained something else – something Dr. Rice never had: a single vial of Wolverine’s blood.
Reaching Dr. Metzger’s table, Laura tells him good evening. After telling her good evening back, Metzger asks her if he knows her. Laura tells him in a way, yes. Perhaps she should introduce herself. She’s the person that’s about to save his life. Just then, members of the U.S. Military converge onto the restaurant and order everybody to get down. As Metzger starts to do so, the commander of the brigade tells Dr. Metzger not him. Frightened, Metzger looks up and asks the man who he is. The man introduces himself as Malcolm Colcord. Offering his hand, he tells Metzger that he’s coming with him.
Running up a flight of stairs that leads to the roof, Daken says it’s impossible. How could Colcord have… Climbing a ladder to the roof, Laura asks …recognized her. She should have assumed that if she was looking for him… Reaching the roof, Daken says …someone else could be, too. Looking out at the street and seeing Metzger being led into a government vehicle, Laura states this new security will be problematic, but… Watching the same event from another rooftop, Daken says …not impossible to overcome. He just needs to bide his time, wait for the perfect opportunity. Just then, Daken and Laura notice each other watching the same events transpire.
(3rd story)
Flying above northern Arizona, E.V.A. informs her inhabitants, Wolverine and Fantomex, that their E.T.A. to Cavern X is two minutes. Wolverine proceeds to ask Fantomex that if E.V.A.’s a part of him, why is she always yappin’? Fantomex replies by asking how uncouth would it be if they were to carry on private conversations in the company of others. Wolverine tells him that fake mom taught him good manners. Fantomex states that the best liars are always exceedingly courteous people. Wolverine says the best liars probably don’t brag about being the best liars. Fantomex adds unless it is to misdirect with duplicitous forthrightness. Wolverine says yeah, he reckons that Fantomex lies pretty good. Fantomex tells him given his nature.
Continuing, Fantomex states he was puzzled as to why Wolverine requested his presence within his bloody little illuminati. After Wolverine tells him that it’s because he fit the profile, Fantomex says yes. He was created to be the devil-may-care, international, super-spy with a worldly distingue that the ladies love. He was literally made for the work. Wolverine tells him yeah, he’s a real dandy of an assassin, but that ain’t the main thing. When Fantomex asks pray tell, Wolverine says he’s a man without purpose. Opening a beer, Fantomex tells Wolverine that he has a purpose. Wolverine says he’s hunting for a purpose.
Fantomex remarks that’s still a purpose. Wolverine points out to him that Weapon Plus let him escape, programmed him to read “Fantomas,” rob museums, watch “Danger: Diabolik” and kill. All preordained. He knows what it’s like to have his history tampered with. That’s why he wanted to help him find the truth about his past. Fantomex says altruism is counter to his nature, he’s a mercenary. Wolverine points out that if he was a mercenary, he’d have sold what he knows about him. Fantomex answers yes… so in not attempting to kill him by selling his personal secrets to Doctor Doom, he earned his trust. He then quips that the X-Men have a skewed sense of things.
Wolverine then asks Fantomex why he spends so much time stealing. Fantomex tells him that he steals for adventure, for adrenaline, for sex, for sport… Wolverine tells him no, he steals to keep his mind off of what they made him for – killing. But he is what they made him to be. Ain’t no man can fight against who he is forever. Trust him. They made Fantomex to kill mutants, the kid-friendly super hero face of a new band of Sentinels. He has killin’ in that nanoblood of his. He asks that it’s a constant struggle to ignore them tiny little cybernetic sirens, ain’t it? That’s what X-Force is for. Good people who got that same ugly in ‘em. Can’t get the ugly out. So they point it at the kind of places it’ll do the world some good.
At that moment, E.V.A. lands and Angel and Psylocke welcome them to Cavern-X, a headquarters that has a large Sentinel head looking over them. Upon seeing Psylocke, Fantomex proceeds to tell Miss Braddock that she looks spectacular. Betsy tells him to save it, Jean-Phillipe. Fantomex replies that he’s afraid it’s hardwired in. He’s the devil-may-care, international, super-spy with a worldly distingue that the ladies love. When he sees Angel putting his arm around Betsy, Fantomex mutters just not the good ones.
At that moment, Angel invites them to have sandwiches he just made. As they sit down and begin to eat the sandwiches, Fantomex tells them that he’s a vegetarian and asks if they have any meatless options. Wolverine says speakin’ of meatless, where’s the degenerate? Angel tells him he’s been keeping him busy till they need him. He’s in Egypt, chasing ghosts.
In Egypt, Deadpool, in a black and white costume, stands in the desert heat. As he does, he says note to self, add Gold Bond medicated powder to pouch assortment. Okay, so… according to the creepy homeless dude whacked out on poppies who was playing air keyboard for the imaginary alleyway “Wham!” reunion, this is the spot. He seemed reliable enough.
Just then, three individuals appear. One of them is a lady with a headdress on and the other two are males with bird heads. The lady calls Deadpool a fool and tells him he seeks his own demise. Deadpool says that doesn’t sound right and then proceeds to ask them if any of them freaks know if this is the hidden entrance to the big super villain hideout. Leaping into action, Deadpool makes short work of his three foes. While he does, he asks the pigeon lady what happened to the love they shared. This breakup is probably for the best though; mom always said pigeons carry diseases. Once he has the ladies staff, Deadpool exclaims Jimmy-Jim-Jam-Shimmy-Da-Doo! There’s the entrance. Guess he just needed a magic cane to see it – classic mistake.
Back at Cavern-X, Fantomex tells Angel that this is a gigantic monument to his own life he built there. Must be nice to be rich. Warren asks him isn’t he rich? Doesn’t he have his own museum? Fantomex tells him it’s different when he does it. He then asks if this is what X-Force does. Eats delicious sandwiches in a world that hates and fears them? Much edgier than he imagined. Seriously, what do they do now? Wolverine tells him nothin’. They go about their lives, keep their eyes open, and wait till they find a threat nasty enough to require them. At that moment, Deadpool enters the cave in Egypt.
