Continued from Uncanny X-Men #294. This issue: X-Factor hunts down Cable for the shooting of Xavier, and an explosive battle erupts between X-Factor and X-Force! Meanwhile, the X-Men also arrive on the scene -- but whose side do they choose? Plus: The search for Jean and Scott continues! Story continues in X-Men #14.
Note: This issue came with a Stryfe's Strike File card featuring Caliban.
Synopsis
X-Force is stunned, but that doesn't mean they don't have a plan. Having just seen news coverage of the assassination attempt of Professor Charles Xavier, and having seen a man that looks like Cable be the main suspect, it is proposed that a team heads to New York to try and find out the truth of the recently transpired events. The mission may be suicide, but that's why Cannonball only sends a small force instead of the whole team. Sunspot for sure stays, as he's still too weak to do anything. Also staying behind is Warpath and Siryn. Shatterstar is also chosen to stay behind, but he opts to accompany Cannonball, Rictor, Boom-Boom, and Feral to the cite of the concert. If the mission fails, those left behind are to act as backup.
In New York, Xavier has been rushed to a hospital and taken into the Emergency Room. Val Cooper and X-Facter try to gain official access but get stonewalled by some nurse brutes. With a little intimidation from Wolfsbane, the team is finally allowed into the waiting room to see Storm and Bishop. With nothing else to do, the mutants wait.
Upstairs, Polaris, Madrox, and Quicksilver talk to the X-Patriots, Genoshan refugees. One, Taylor, had been brutally beaten the day prior. Prodigal, the leader of the X-Patriots, is furious that a free country would do this to a person. Back downstairs, Strong Guy finally shows up - having just heard the news. It seems that he was a little preoccupied with his lady to be on alert for any messages from Havok. Havok immediately sends Strong Guy out to the concert site with Wolfsbane to see if any clues can be found.
Elsewhere, Archangel curses his wings for failing him in saving Xavier. He vows that he'll never trust to Apocalypse's technology again. In fact, he swears to take Apocalypse down himself.
At the concert site, Wolfsbane has some trouble sorting out Cable's smell. She smells something similar, but she isn't able to sort it out because an aircraft is coming in for a landing. She and Strong Guy hide while X-Force exists their IPAC unit. Feral begins her own search for Cable's scent. From the shadows, Strong Guy calls Havok and informs him of the presence of X-Force. Havok relates that they are not to engage X-Force. The rest of X-Factor will head to the park to help out. Despite Havok's instructions, Wolfsbane rushes out when she sees her old friend Cannonball. The reunion with her old friends (especially Rictor) is sweet, albeit short-lived. Strong Guy attempts to arrest X-Force on his own. He gets a fight instead. Feral takes on Wolfsbane while Strong Guy tries to keep up with Shatterstar. Shatterstar gets the upper hand and tries to stab Strong Guy in the heart, but Quicksilver is able to arrive in time to swipe the sword first. Cannonball sees that things are getting out of hand and so he zooms around the battle field to try and stop it all. Just then, Havok and Polaris arrive to join the fray. This is where the tide turns.
Back at the hospital, the doctors operating on Professor X stumble upon the real harm - and they have no idea what it is or how to go about fixing it.
As Havok and Polaris come in for a landing, Rictor vibes their ship out of the sky. He then turns to use his powers on Strong Guy. He gets the crap knocked out of him instead. Polaris holds Cannonball in mid-air and Boom-Boom throws a time bomb to free him. Madrox then rushes her. Cannonball begins blasting through the park to break up the individual fights and orders the team to retreat. X-Force retreats in their IPAC unit, but Havok is able to blast off a part of the ship. A trail is left that shouldn't be too hard to follow. Just then, Wolverine, Psylocke, Gambit, Rogue, and Beast arrive to help find Cable and the X-Force. Havok asks about Cyclops.
The Horsemen of Apocalypse drop the bodies of Cyclops and Jean Grey at the feet of Apocalypse. They leave and Apocalypse changes. It is really Mr. Sinister that is ordering the Horsemen around.
Finally, at the hospital, the Professor's condition is diagnosed. It's not, however, done by a doctor. Placed in a stasis tank, the Professor's wound is easy to see. Madrox informs everyone that they are dealing with a techno-organic virus.
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