"Always watch your back, Boomer," he scolded.

"Took ya long enough to get here boss man," she commented.

Domino was already in the fray, using her acrobatic skills and gun to keep the attackers from overwhelming X-Force by sheer number.

"Izzat me, or are there more of these guys?" said Boomer hitting the guy on Warpath’s back with another time bomb.

"It seems that more of them are teleporting in. Thanks," said Warpath.

Feral had ripped a few of the soldier scum apart, but now more were coming down on her. Even Cable seemed to be having trouble fighting the Protectorate. The battle ended suddenly when they managed to knock Shatterstar out and vanished with him. One of the bombs Boomer had been releasing singed Feral’s tail because the enemy she had targeted was suddenly gone. Feral turned to Boomer with a growl and leapt at her. Cannonball, still blasting, batted her out of the air into one of the buildings.

"Enough!" yelled Cable. "This exercise is over!"

Feral sat up and glared menacingly at her teammates.

"Whatcha gonna do ‘bout Shatterstar, boss?" asked Boomer.

"Nothing," said Cable, turning to walk away.

"What do ya mean nothin’?" asked Cannonball. Cable turned around.

"I meant exactly that. It’s not our problem."

"But we can’t abandon him! You said we’d fight his fight if he fought ours!"

"Has he fought for us yet, Guthrie? We have to worry about our war here and now before we go fighting someone else’s." He turned and walked away.

Domino followed behind him silently. She wasn’t happy, but she knew not to question Cable’s orders in front of the troops. He went back in to the HQ bunker and started fiddling with the equipment.

"You aren’t making this easy for them," she said.

"Soldiers don’t have it easy."

"I know that, but just a few weeks ago they were kids. Now they doubt following you."

"They’re all welcome to leave if they like. I’m not going to force them into this war."

"They wouldn’t leave if you didn’t push them away, Nathan."

"I’m not going to play babysitter to them. It’s best that they see how I think and operate now, instead of later when they can’t turn back."

Domino nodded. "Yes, but either way you are now short on members of your little strike team again."

Cable looked up and smiled. "I’ve already got someone coming. Invited her when the team left the remains of the X-Mansion. She wasn’t sure she wanted to join up, but I just received confirmation that she’s coming."

"Really? Which mutant is this and what’s her power level?"

Meanwhile, in the bunker that served as a mess hall for the team, Warpath, Cannonball, and Boomer sat around in the chairs looking glum and caught up in their thoughts. Feralhadn’t wanted to join them. The pussycat had slunk off to her hiding place again. Boomer and Cannonball were conversing in whispers while the young apache sat around glumly meditating his future. He now had doubts over wether Cable would be keeping his promise to find those responsible for tha massacre of his tribe.

"I juss hope we don’t have ta move again! I mean after all the work I actually had to do to get this place cleaned up in the first place!" complained Boomer.

"Ah’m more worried ‘bout the team. First everyone leaves and Cable brings in new members an we already lost one a them! Ah gotta admit Ah’m startin ta doubt Cable. Ah think Ah might leave."

"The big guy’s come through before, Guthrie. I’m not ready to give up yet."

"Ah don' wanna give up either... We are the last of the New Mutants now."

A glum silence filled the room. Boomer turned from where she sat sprawled in her chair to look at Warpath. "What cha thinkin big guy?"

James Proudstar looked up at her, "I’m thinking of Cable’s promise to me and my people, Tabitha."

Sam was sitting backwards in his chair, with his chin resting on the top rung. He looked up at the serious Apache’s words.

"If Cable don’t come through for ya, James, then X-Force will. Ah’ll add my promise to tha one Cable made. We’ll find who killed all of your people." He put an arm on James’ shoulder.

"That goes for me too," said Boomer.

For the first time since his people died, James Proudstar felt that he wasn’t alone.

"After all, this is your land, an I don' wanna get kicked off," said Boomer, hiding her feelings behind selfish reasons as usual. Sam smiled at her. He knew she was a really caring person, it was just hard for her to show it.

James also knew she was only pretending to be selfish. His heightened senses could see the lines that formed on her face that betrayed her emotions, yet no one else could see.

Feral was out in the desert at the edge of the camp. She crouched on the dry arid soil and licked her claws. The blood from those Mojoverse soldiers had a strange tang to it. The had taken the muscled hunk with the swords. It was too bad. He was probably the only worthy opponent here. The others were soft. They were sitting around in the mess, whining and complaining to each other. They didn’t understand that survivors didn’t need talk. They didn’t have what it takes to kill. She could easily defeat any of them, spilling their warm blood on her claws.

The artificial blonde with the motor-mouth was the most irritating. Boomer thought she knew better than Feral. The girl was full of false confidence. But Feral could fix that. She’d get the little peroxide blonde eventually. She’d learn that you couldn’t mess with Feral. They all would.

Boomer, Cannonball, Warpath and Feral all ran toward the HQ area when they heard a sonic pitch fill the air. Warpath had been the first to hear it and was the fastest runner, so he arrived first. Feral got their next, and Tabitha and Sam arrived in time to see a tall red-haired girl in a costume similar to the X-Men’s Banshee land in front of Cable.

"Is this the X-Force ye wanted me to come join?" she asked in a Irish accent.

"Yes it is. Theresa Rourke, meet James Proudstar, Maria Callasantos, Tabitha Smith, and Sam Guthrie. They are X-Force."

She gave them a smile, her green eyes showing warmth and comradeship to each of them. "I’m pleased to meet all o’ ye."

"Siryn is the newest addition to X-Force."

James, and Sam welcomed her. Tabitha looked her over critically, "So you any good at kicking butt, Irish?"

"I can be."

"Then I’m pleased to meet you. I’m Boomer. You can say I’m the explosive one on the team."

Feral just watched crouching on top of a box. The new girl seemed like the others. She wondered what Irish blood would taste like.

"Hey kit-cat, stop sulking and come show some manners," called out Boomer.

"They don’t exactly teach ya manners in the Morlocks, or in the Bronx, blondie," growled Feral.

"Yeesh! She’s one nasty pussy cat," said Boomer.

Feral glared at the girl. Oh yeah, she’d get her alright.

NEXT ISSUE: X-FORCE TAKES ON A MUTANT TERRORIST KNOWN AS FATAL FORCE!