Continued from X-Force #33. The New Warriors and X-Force meet up and plan an all-out assault on the Gamesmaster. The Gamesmaster, however, has decided to take matters into his own hands by using his captives against their teammates. In the end, Paige Guthrie is the one who ends the conflict by proposing a new game to the Gamesmaster.
Note: The game Paige thought up never comes to fruition and is never explained away.
Synopsis
X-Force bodyslides to the Swiss chalet of Shinobi Shaw, the purported location of the Gamemaster and his hostages. They find the New Warriors inexplicably already there and the teams agree to fight alongside each other to get their friends back. The leaders figure that Gamemaster, as an omnipath, already knows the teams are there and that they plan on an attack so the best course is to charge in with brute force. The teams split into three groups and begin their assault. Gamemaster co-opts the minds of his hostages and sends them out to defend the chalet.
Gamemaster's first move is to used Karma and Empath to further co-opt Shatterstar and Rictor into attacking Nova and Kymaera. They fight back, but only until Moonstar shoots her psionic arrows into each member of the group.
Gamemaster's second move is to send Siena Blaze to take down Warpath, Siryn, Rage, and Speedball. Her electro-magnetic energy is released with incredible fury and the Gamemaster is curious as to how the group could still be alive (albeit unconscious) after such an attack. He then notices Speedball still standing and realizes that the boy must have used his powers to take the brunt of the attack. Speedball passes out.
Gamemaster's third move is to send Firestar, Boomer, Justice, and Cannonball after Cable, Domino, and Night Thrasher. Silhouette emerges from a shadow and tazes Boomer easily enough. Night Thrasher handily takes out Firestar while Domino "get's lucky" taking Justice down. Cable leaps onto the back of Cannonball and almost gets shaken to pieces. In desperation he yells for Cannonball to stop - which he does. Domino is shocked. She knew Cable was a telekinetic, but not a telepath.
Gamemaster's last move is to somehow render everyone unconscious so that he can move in for the kill. Before he can, however, Paige Guthrie emerges from the shadows and offers a new game to play. Intrigued, the Gamemaster listens. She proposes that the new game be based on the next generation of mutants. The game is based on who will ultimately shape the next generation. Somehow this sounds good enough to the Gamemaster and he withdraws. The teams awaken to find that they've won, but they wonder what the ultimate cost will be.
Later, Rictor calls former New Mutant Wolfsbane to warn her about the Younghunt. Wolfsbane informs Rictor that X-Factor has already accounted for the last members of the Upstarts and has the Fenris twins in custody.
Elsewhere, the Gamemaster, an ordinary looking man with a family, looks forward to the new game.
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