X-Force #38

Fabian Nicieza - Writer
Tony Daniel - Artist

Started in X-Factor 106

Forge, Cannonball, Wolfsbane, and Douglock have arrived to the headquarters of the Phalanx which is a small town in the Italian Alps. Cannonball distrust Douglock but is putting his feeling aside for Wolfsbane who cares for Douglock. The team enters the town to find the Phalanx. What they don't know is that the town IS the Phalanx. Cuts to Mont St. Francis where the rest of the Excalibur, X-Force, X-Factor, and Charles Xavier are staying. The Monastery has some magical power that prevents the Phalanx from locating the teams. Shadowcat is being mind probed by Moria to learn more about Douglock and the Phalanx. Guido and Nightcrawler are gaurding Professor X while he searches for Forge, Sam, Rahne, and Douglock on the astral plane. Professor X finds them and enters Forge's mind to learn where they are located. The team learns that that the Phalanx are trying to reproduce. Cuts back to the Monastery where Moria as found where the Phalanx are hiding. They have found three different locations; Southern California, the Italian Alps, and Tibet. Shatterstar wants to go and hunt the Phalanx down but everybody wants to wait till Professor X returns. Cuts back to the Alps where the team has found some pods that shows that the Phalanx have procreated. The pod burst open and attacks Forge. The team defeat the Phalanx from the pod but Professor X is forced back to his physical body. Professor X tells the teams at the Monastery that the Phalanx plan to take over the universe. The team splits up and heads to the Alps to help the rest. Back at the Alps Douglock tells the team that if they want to infiltrate the Phalanx there are all going to have to be infected. Cannonball objects to this but everybody else agrees so Sam succumbs. This is when the team learns that the Phalanx are making a communication tower to contact their homeworld and the tower is powering up. Continues in Excalibur 82.

Written by Peter Enger