X-Force Vol 1 74

Somewhere in Arkansas
Theresa kneels over the unmoving body of her teammate, Warpath. She tries to figure out what to do and begins CPR on him. Theresa continues to refuse to believe that James is dead. The truth is, he IS dead. His body lies still while his soul has moved on to somewhere else.

Hell
James opens his eyes and is standing in a place with lava and remembers dying. He hopes that he has not ended up in Hell. He cannot believe that he was killed by the man sent by Stryfe to kill his tribe and he was unable to stop him. Then he hears the voice of his mother in this otherworld. He turns and embraces her but realizes that it is not truly her, but a demon. He is soon overwhelmed by a number of demons who plan to devour his soul. Then Stryfe appears and lays claim to James' soul. He plans to use it as a bargaining chip.

Missouri
Bobby, Dani, Tabitha and Richie are drinking at a local bar. Bobby is about to go crazy with all the country music that is playing and Tabitha is close behind. Richie says he actually enjoys it. Dani says she has a headache and walks outside and the others follow. As they walk out the door, they are met by the Valkyrie, Brunnhilde. She warns them that their friend, James Proudstar has been pulled to Hell and they must journey to save him from an unimaginable torment. They don't hesitate and tell Richie he has to stay behind. The three then are sent by Brunnhilde to Hell.

Hell
Warpath threatens Stryfe and tells him that he will die for all the things that he has done. Stryfe tells him that he made Warpath what he is today because of the anger that Warpath has held since his tribe was killed. They then fight and Stryfe knocks him first with a telepathic attack and then follows it with a beat down. He tells Warpath that he plans to use his body as a host for his soul. He will then kill all of James' teammates with James' own hands.

Missouri
Richie sits all alone waiting for his friends to return from Hell. He then comes up with an idea to make this into a movie. Suddenly, Jonas Blackshear and his thugs show up and tell Richie that he has to pay up immediately. Richie does not have the money and cannot understand why they need it sooner. They are about to beat him up when a flash and all the mobsters are fried. Richie turns to see Reignfire and cannot believe that Reignfire has returned. Reignfire then reminds Richie to not call him Bobby. Ever.

Arkansas
Theresa continues to try to revive the body of Warpath though four minutes have passed. She remembers all the good times they had together and starts to cry. She tells Warpath that she cannot lose him of she will be lost herself. Through the tears she calls out to him and in Hell he hears her.

Hell
Stryfe tells James that he is alone and his friends will not help him. Suddenly, Blackheart appears and tells Stryfe that James' has received help from the other side. He tries to rush Stryfe to deal with Warpath before the others arrive. Stryfe tells him that he is about to take care of it when he is hit by a few of Meltdown's bombs. The rescue team arrives and cannot figure why Stryfe and James are both in Hell and fighting eachother.

Stryfe knocks out Dani very quickly while Sunspot pulls Warpath away from Stryfe. Bobby tells Tabitha that James is very tired and cannot fight. Tabitha turns to see Blackheart watching them. Blackheart introduces himself to them and then shows them both what Hell is really about, the truths in their lives. He shows Tabitha that all her dirty secrets from her past are back to haunt her. Blackheart then tries to turn Sunspot into a demon. Bobby tells Tabitha that it is not real and he does not care what she did in her past and pulls her away from Blackheart.

Then, Stryfe offers up another body, Dani, along with his deal for Warpath. He tells Blackheart that he should use her body to bargain with Hela. Warpath then wakes up and has had enough. Stryfe is surprised to see James' tenacity and drops Dani. Warpath then crawls over towards Stryfe. Stryfe tries to use another telepathic attack to finish him off, but Warpath shrugs it off and is determined to defeat Stryfe. James then stands up and begins knocking Stryfe around. He then picks him up and throws Stryfe at the feet of Blackheart.

With Stryfe defeated, Blackheart opens the doorway from Hell to the land of the living. Warpath turns to his friends and tells them to come with him and he leads them out of Hell. Blackheart then looks down at Stryfe and tells him that this whole time he was testing Stryfe. He tells him that he gave him hope with Warpath and then took it away leaving Stryfe with despair.

Arkansas
Theresa hits the seven minute mark when James opens his eyes and coughs. Terry cannot believe he is alive and grabs him to sit him up. He asks her how long he was out and then he tells her it felt like an eternity without her. They are then met by his teammates and they are all reunited. James grabs the files that Martynec left behind and finally knows the truth behind his tribe's murder.

Links and References

The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators - accessed on 07/21/2010

References

X-Force Vol 1 74

Appearing in "Afterlife"

Synopsis for "Afterlife"

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