Between a Deathlok and a Hard Case

Human rights activist Vincent Cetewayo has been captured and imprisoned in his homeland of Imaya by its dictator, President Eda Arul. War Machine, aka Jim Rhodes, has ventured into the country to rescue him when the rest of the world stands by and does nothing. Upon arriving in the country, Jim is confronted by the mutant mercenary known as Cable. Cable wants to stop War Machine from freeing Cetewayo as it could have brave repercussions on world history. The two then fought until they were both interrupted by the cyborg known as Deathlok who has also come to Imaya to rescue Cetewayo.

When War Machine and Cable want to debate the situation, Deathlok decides to go it alone. That’s when Cable shoots the cyborg in the back. War Machine then gets between the two men and forces them to stop fighting. Jim tells Deathlok that he also wants to free Cetewayo and tells Cable that if he doesn’t want to join them to get lost. Cable is still unmoved, but before he can attack, they are ambushed by Arul’s military forces. Cable takes the opportunity to teleport away, leaving War Machine and Deathlok to deal with the soldiers and tanks alone. Seeing this as a waste of time, Deathlok leds War Machine to his Dragonfly helicopter. The two then hide as Deathlok remotely pilots the ship out of the region, tricking Arul’s forces into thinking they are on board. As the military forces turn to follow after the ship, Deathlok and War Machine ambush the transport at the end of the convoy and commandeer it. War Machine then strips off his armor and disguises himself as one of Arul’s soldiers so they can sneak themselves behind enemy lines.

Meanwhile, Vincent Cetewayo has been locked in a tiny cell since his capture. He is soon visited by Eda Arul and his assistant a man known only as the Advisor. Vincent thinks he recognizes the Advisor but he is quickly assaulted by Arul before he can put a name to the face.[1] After Arul beats Vincent he tells him that he will suffer a thousand times more before he is put to death. As the Advisor leaves Vincent remembers seeing him at an incident in Johannesburg. The Advisor admits he was there and then lists off another bunch of violent incidents all over the globe that he was involved in. Before leaving, the Advisor points a finger at a candle he brought into the cell, causing the wick to spark up in flame. He then leaves the room, telling Vincent to sleep well.

Meanwhile, Jim Rhodes is still driving to Arul’s compound and along the way he decides to ask Deathlok why he is interested in freeing Cetewayo. The cyborg explains that when he was in college he heard Cetewayo give a speech and what he said meant a lot to him. They soon pass by a village that has been left in ruins with people dead and dying. They are clearly victims of the soldiers that rule with an iron fist. It is a horrific sight to behold and both Jim and Deathlok understand when the locals start throwing rocks at them as they pass by.

Back at the compound, Arul sends one of his torture experts into Vincent’s cell to being his torment. However, before he can begin, the torturer is knocked out from behind by Cable.

At that same time, Jim hits a checkpoint where his cover is blown because he doesn’t have a regulation haircut. Deathlok jumps out and provides a distraction so Jim can change back into War Machine. Luckily, Rhodes is able to get into his suit just before a rocket is fired at his transport, blowing to pieces. War Machine comes charging out of the flaming wreck with guns blazing. As they fight their way through the front gates, Eda Arul orders his men to stop fooling around and kill the intruders. That’s when the Advisor suggests that Arul get to cover and promises to handle the intruders himself.

When War Machine and Deathlok get to the front door they are greeted by the Advisor who offers no struggle and agrees to take them to Vincent Cetewayo. He assures them that he isn’t leading them into an ambush and takes them down to the cell where Vincent has been held prisoner. However, once they open the door they are surprised to see the cell is empty. When they turn around the Advisor has disappeared. That’s when Sheva Joseph and a team of SHIELD agents appear and order War Machine and Deathlok to stand down and surrender.

Recurring Characters

War Machine, Cable, Deathlok, Vincent Cetewayo, Eda Arul, the Advisor, SHIELD (Sheva Joseph)

Continuity Notes

1. As of this writing (November, 2022), the true identity of the Advisor and his motivations have yet to be revealed.

Topical References

• The Advisor mentions a number of violent political conflicts that he has been involved in. These are all references to recent events relative to the date of publication. The specific instances he is inferring to should be considered topical. They are:

  • Johannesburg: This is likely a reference to the conflicts that occurred in pre-apartheid South Africa. This saw the Blacks that lived in the region being treated as second class citizens until a referendum put an end to apartheid in 1992.

  • Cambodia: Gee, kind of hard to narrow it down since so much shit happened in Cambodia dating back to the Vietnam War. There was Pol Pot and his Khamer Rouge in the late 70s, and the Vietnamese occupation until 1992 when the country was given back its independence.

  • Zaire: This region was under the tyranny of its leader Mobutu Sese Seko who ruled from 1965 until 1997 when he was forced into exile. Zaire as a country collapsed in the 1990s and the region is now considered part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

  • Iraq: Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August of 1990, which led to the Gulf War.

  • Waco, Texas: This is a reference to the Waco siege. This happened as a result of a standoff between various branches of the United States government and a religious group called the Branch Dividans between February and April of 1993. Their leader David Koresh and his followers were believed to be in violation of various weapons laws. The siege on the complex was a complete SNAFU and led to the death of 4 ATF agents and 82 Brand Davidians.