Weapon X: Days of Future Now #5

Issue Date: 
January 2006
Story Title: 
Days of Future Now: part 5
Staff: 

Frank Tieri (writer), Andy Schmidt (pencils), Mark Pennington (inks), Michael Atiyeh (colors), Dave Sharpe (letters), Sean Ryan (editor), Mike Marts (supervising editor), Joe Quesada (editor-in-chief), Dan Buckley (publisher)

Brief Description: 

In his nightmare, Wolverine has just buried his wife, Carol Danvers. He is sick of going to funerals and of the running. Suddenly, Sentinels emerge from the ground and almost kill him. Before they can, Logan is woken up by the Juggernaut, who warns that their base is under attack. They join their allies, now Fantomex and Jackson included, in yet another battle against the Sentinels near the original Weapon X facility in Canada. Lots of people get killed, though the survivors safely make it inside the facility, thanks to Jackson’s memories of it. They make it to Room X, where they free its prisoner: Rachel Summers! To the group’s surprise, the Director has had enough of people being herded like cuddle and being scanned and mistreated and chooses to join forces with Wolverine. Rachel comes up with the plan to send Logan back into the past, where he just escaped from the Weapon X facility after the admantium was bound to his skeleton and prevent himself from killing a young Director, hence preventing his hatred towards mutants. The plan works and Logan gets sent back, though it results in the death of both Jackson and the Director. While Logan does his job over there, Fantomex kills Cecilia and reveals his true identity: that of John Sublime! He sends his energy floating into Wolverine’s body, thereby traveling into the past. There, he takes over Logan’s body and starts slicing Colcord up, but Logan’s healing factor restores his body and Sublime is defeated, with Logan heading towards the woods. With everyone gone, the past’s Sublime enters and trips over Colcord’s body. Sublime’s leftovers recognizes his younger body and floats inside it, ready for yet another evil scheme.

Full Summary: 

Dream sequence…

An aged Wolverine, standing over the grave of his wife, Carol Danvers Howlett, is tired of all this. He is tired of going to funerals. Tired of burying loved ones. Tired of looking over his shoulders and tired of living a life on the run. Logan is just plain tired. But that’s the problem, because the foe Logan is facing doesn’t get tired. Logan doesn’t eat, doesn’t sleep and doesn’t give up. It just keeps on coming.

As Logan wants to walk away, Sentinels emerge from the ground and start attacking him! Logan believes that the Sentinels will keep coming until he’s dead. And lately, that doesn’t seem to be a matter of “if” but “when.” A Sentinel blasts Logan out of balance and is ready for the finishing touch.

30 years from now:

Wolverine wakes up, gasping for breath. Juggernaut calms him down and it looks like he woke his boss up just in time. Cain smiles that it looks like they have been discovered again and that their enemies are on their way. Cain had hoped that they would have cut them some slack after they executed Magneto last month, but apparently not. Logan orders Cain to alert the others and promises they’ll meet back at the rendezvous point. Cain smiles that already happened. They go outside and Logan and Cain join their other friends in the upcoming battle. Logan thinks he just woke up from one nightmare only to step into another.

Meanwhile, at New York City…

A lot of people are pushed by the Sentinels towards the Human Processing Center, which stretches out to as far as the Statue of Liberty. Nobody does anything about it, and do as they are told and get scanned.

Back at their base, the Director observes everything from his viewing screens. Mastermold asks Malcolm is something is wrong but he claims he’s fine. But Mastermold can feel that Malcolm isn’t telling the truth and wonders if the Human Directive #5342 plan upsets him. The Director sees a girl being torn away from her parents by the Sentinels, and confirms he’s feeling upset. He angrily shouts that this isn’t what they agreed upon. But Mastermold thinks what they agreed upon is irrelevant. He knows that his directive is to destroy mutants but the potential for the mutant genome is found in humans. Therefore, he believes closer examination on humans is necessary. He adds that, if humans harbor the potential for the mutant genome, they shall be exterminated.

Malcolm never wanted this. Again, Mastermold believes that’s irrelevant. He believes that mutantkind has largely been eradicated in North America, with the rest of the world soon to follow. Malcolm jokes at that statement. He knows mutants won’t be executed when certain powers can serve Mastermold’s purposes, like sucking the life out of Madison Jeffries! Mastermold mentions he’s getting tired of the conversation. He knows he fulfilled the end of their bargain, which began years ago, and they shall now fulfill his. Malcolm understands. The alarm goes off! The Sentinels warn the Director to initiate the necessary steps, as they are under attack.

Logan finds it ironic that he and his friends are finally on the battlefield, attacking the Sentinel HQ at the old Weapon X facility. They are finally making their last stand. But it’s for sure that they aren’t X-Men anymore, because they don’t exist anymore. That’s not what things are about nowadays. It goes about who’s left to fight. Logan notices Archangel being killed by a Sentinel. He remembers Warren being his best man at his wedding. Juggernaut gets also killed, whom Logan still finds it surprising was his teammate for twenty years. Banshee is also dead, and Logan was godfather to his granddaughter.

Logan watches all of his friends die before his eyes. And the worst part is that he knows everything is going exactly as planned. This was all Brent Jackson’s plan. Jackson was one of the guys who started this mess. And now, he is everyone’s final hope to set things right again. Logan knows they wouldn’t even have Jackson on the team, if it weren’t for Fantomex bringing him out of hiding. Exodus and Husk die as well. The remaining forces of Sasquatch, Cecilia, Cable, Wolverine and Fantomex climb up the hills and open a hatch, which’s tunnel can bring them deeper into the tunnel.

Jackson leads the way promising that it will lead them to where the prison cells were. Sasquatch slams a tunnel up to the cells, and Brent is happy that he was correct. He opens the lock and hopes that she’s still in there. Everyone walks into the cell and Jackson proudly presents the prisoner of Room X: Rachel Summers! Logan and Rachel hug, with Logan apologizing for being late. Rachel smiles back it’s better late than never. Sasquatch thinks it’s nice to see Rachel again but wants to know why she is the answer to their prayers. Jackson remembers the reason why they kidnapped Rachel in the first place.

He, Mesmero, Wild Child and Chamber were getting their tails handed to them during the War of the Programs, but it was only a matter of time before the Director finally won. Jackson got desperate and had to do something. And Rachel Summers was it. Keeping tabs on the X-Men finally paid off. They knew that the Rachel from the so-called “Days of Future Past” timeline had been able to send back someone’s consciousness into the past. So Mesmero hypnotized Rachel and kidnapped her. The plan was to have Rachel do the same thing she did in her timeline for one of them.

Rachel would allow one of Jackson’s team to travel into the past and prevent Wolverine’s attack on Colcord. They would remove Colcord’s reason for revenge against mutantkind so, then, there would be no re-creation of the Weapon X Program, and no renewal of the Sentinel program. They were going to change the course of history. They were going to change everything.

Suddenly, Sasquatch gets shot! The Director proudly enters, guarded by two Sentinels, joking that it sounded like a good plan. Logan wants to fight the Director, but he then presses a button which destroys the Sentinels next to him! Malcolm reveals that he wants Jackson to fulfill his plan. He knows that he stopped Logan before but won’t do that now. He wants Logan to go back in time and stop him from doing all this. Malcolm never wanted this kind of life: the destruction of New York, people being herded up like cattle to the slaughter.

Jackson tells the Director to stop whining, as they’ve got more problems: a patrol of Sentinels enters! The Director warns that they are in the most secure room of the entire facility. He tells Logan to do what he has to do while he’ll hold them off. Logan can’t believe he’s saying this but, after he sniked out his claws, Logan tells Colcord that he’s got his back. Rachel doesn’t want Logan fighting, as he will be the one being brought back. After all, who’s better to stop Logan than he himself? Chamber thinks Rachel is right and promises he’ll stay behind to help out as well, and Jackson promises to do the same.

The Director finds it ironic that he and Brent are fighting side-by-side. Jackson tells the Director to shut up and simply shoot. Jono has a faster solution. He takes off his helmet, and an energy blast takes down half of the patrol! The Director asks Jackson if he recruited Jonothan after he got bounced. While taking down what’s left, Jackson conirms and the Director thinks Brent made a great choice there.

In a separate room, Fantomex observes Rachel and Cecilia preparing Wolverine for his trip in time. Logan wants to know what he’s supposed to be doing but Rachel tells him to just relax. Logan doesn’t think that’s going to be easy, as he hears both Colcord and Jackson screaming, meaning they have been killed. Cecilia warns Fantomex to go help Jono, but Fantomex refuses, as he rather stays right here.

Canada, the past…

Wolverine has just escaped from the Weapon X facility after the adamantium bonding process. He slices his way through the many guards, until he realizes something: Rachel’s plan worked! Logan sees more guards approaching him and thinks he better stays away from them. But then, a gun gets pointed to his back. Logan quickly snikts out his claws, and recognizes the face of the young soldier: it’s Colcord! Logan sees the kid crying and thinks he better just walks away, and does so. He walks away to make a better tomorrow.

The present…

Fantomex has just shot Cecilia and Rachel demands to know why. Fantomex refuses to be called any longer by that ridiculous name, as he believes he endured it long enough. Although, three decades is not really that long for one who lives… eternal! He responds that Fantomex hasn’t been driving this body for a long time now. He takes off his mask and reveals his true face, though Rachel doesn’t know the guy.

Fantomex… is John Sublime! He wonders when the mutants are finally going to realize that he can’t be killed. Sublime reveals that, thirty years ago, he entered Fantomex’ body and bided his time ever since. He was busy allowing the Sentinels cripple mutantkind, waiting until the time was right to strike. And that time is now. Fantomex moves closer to Logan’s mouth and Sublime’s bacteria begin floating into his body!

Canada, the past…

Logan feels that something is happening. Suddenly, his eyes turn black. Sublime has entered Logan’s body! He roars and jumps back to Colcord and slices him up apart! Sublime can’t believe that the mutants actually thought their little scheme was going to work. But then, he starts screaming. He thinks it must be Logan’s healing factor jumping up, attempting to expel him.

Wolverine spits Sublime out of his body, and only a trail of black goo is left. Logan heads towards the woods. Some time later, another man appears and refuses to be told what to do. It’s a younger Sublime himself! He trips over Colcord’s body and falls down. The goo recognizes the body and starts floating inside his mouth, too. Soldiers arrive and recognize Colcord and call a medic. The soldiers ask Sublime if he’s feeling alright, and he claims he is. With his eyes pitch black and an evil grin, Sublime sarcastically wonders why he shouldn’t be.

Characters Involved: 

30 years from now…

Juggernaut, Wolverine (all X-Men)

Archangel, Avalanche, Banshee, Cable, Cannonball, Cecilia Reyes, Chamber, Domino, Exodus, Husk, Quicksilver, Sasquatch, Scalphunter, Siryn (Weapon X attack team)

Rachel Summers

Director, Madison Jeffries (all the Director’s Weapon X team)

Brent Jackson

Fantomex/John Sublime

Sentinels

Mastermold

various mutants and humans (all unnamed)

in flashback:

Brent Jackson, Mesmero, Wild Child (all Jackson’s Weapon X team)

Marrow

Kate Pryde, Rachel Summers (of the original ‘Days of Future Past’ timeline)

Story Notes: 

This issue also takes place in only one possible future, namely that of over 30 years from now.

Brent Jackson initiating the attack was hinted upon in Weapon X (2nd series) #23-25. He was located by Fantomex last issue.

Whilst Magneto was still alive last issue, this issue reveals that the Sentinels executed him off-panel.

The “Prisoner of Room X” had been a mystery since Weapon X: Days of Future Now #2 and gets this issue finally revealed to be Rachel Summers.

The original story behind the Days of Future Past can be found in Uncanny X-Men #141-142.

Wolverine being responsible for the Director’s hatred by running his face when he escaped from the first Weapon X Program had been revealed in Wolverine (2nd series) #166.

Issue Information: 

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