[miketime]

X-Force # 12 July 1992
"Traitors to the Cause" (When Externals Clash!) Pg 12
Pencil & Inks on Marvel Bristol Board
Pencils: Mark Pacella
Inks: Dan Panosian
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos

After a brief battle, Gideon sends Crule to attack X-Force and bring in the newest External, Cannonball. Weapon Prime prepares to battle X-Force. Cable plans to use the fake Domino to infiltrate Tolliver's base and take him out for good.

In Madripoor, a huge, purple brute takes out a cantina when he suspects cheating in a card game. He is Crule. He is also who Gideon has come to see. The two have a strained relationship, at best, and begin a knock-down, drag-out fight. Gideon, however, is able to mimic the powers of other mutants and soon gets the upper hand due to his technique. Once Crule has settled down he asks what is needed. Gideon states that a man needs to be stopped - Cable.

In the X-Force base, the team surrounds who they think is Domino and ask how she could betray them (they having found her pretty battered after their excursion to the Morlock Tunnels, coupled with the supposed accounts of Shatterstar and Siryn about Deadpool's infiltration). She simply states that she is a mercenary and the money from Tolliver was good. Besides, after how Cable left his former team, the money would help to pay for certain operations. Shatterstar wants to kill her immediately; Cable has other plans.

Weapon: PRIME is about ready to be placed in action, they just need one more component. Grizzly gladly joins the ranks. G.W. Bridge then lays out the plan: everyone fights until they can't, then the SHIELD ship they travel dishes out all it can. The goal is to take Cable down one way or another. The team is told to rest up for a very eventful day.

"Domino" places a call to Tolliver. She informs him that Deadpool's visit has reminded her of her true mission and she plans on blowing up the X-Force base while the team is in a scheduled practice session. Tolliver is pleased and promises a pardon for her past behavior if all goes to plan. After the call is over, Cable expounds the rest of his plan. Now that Tolliver knows that the base is going to explode he won't expect an attack by the X-Force team that he thinks will be dead. Cable moves out to prepare his team for evacuation.

On the Weapon: PRIME ship, Kane runs into Rictor. Rictor is far from sleep and tells Kane that he is also more than ready to take on Cable. Years ago, he states, he watched Cable kill his father. Kane's resolve to get Cable deepens.

Gideon and Crule land at Gideon's corporate offices. Sunspot is surprised that such a brutal looking mutant would be brought in as an associate. Gideon begins to act short with Sunspot now that he knows that Sunspot is not the ascending High Lord that he had originally thought (that supposedly being Cannonball). Sunspot asks one too many questions and Gideon unloads on the boy, pummeling him into unconsciousness. Gideon then tells Crule that there are plans for Sunspot.

In the X-Force base, Cable breaks the news that the team must vacate. The base will be allowed to be destroyed so that no one can have access to information about the team. Also, he has grown tired of the looming Tolliver threat and plans to use X-Force to end it once and for all. The team preps to leave.

Just outside the base, Weapon: PRIME prepares to strike.