War Machine (vol. 2) #2
At the Eaglestar International compound in occupied Aqiria, guards are stationed outside of a shipping container where they are holding Doctor Glenda Sandoval prisoner. They are arguing over the treatment of the prisoner as it is in violation of the law. However, they received word from their superiors to forego the usual protocol because she had accessed experimental technology without authorization. As they squabble with one another a fly lands on the shipping container and squeezes in through a crack.
This fly is more than just an ordinary bug. It is a tiny spy drone that was deployed by Bethany Cabe. She has done so despite her compound recently being attacked on behalf of Parnell Jacobs. Jacobs has been cosigned to help War Machine (Jim Rhodes) in going after Eaglestar to rescue Glenda, his wife. Unfortunately, he is stuck on board War Machine’s private satellite. Eager to see his wife, Parnell is horrified when the drone finds her and gives a detail medical reading of the punishment she has taken since being in captivity. Using the fly-spy’s comms system, Parnell contacts Glenda and promises her that he will get her out and that everyone who hurt her will pay.
That’s when the base is bombarded with a sonic attack. While the soldiers recoil in agony, War Machine comes charging in with weapons blazing. Inside the compound, Davis Harmon — the owner of Eaglestar — is alerted of the security breach. That’s when one of the company’s attack drones comes crashing into Harmon’s office. He also gets a call from War Machine on his cell phone. Although all communications are down, Davis warns War Machine that reinforcements will arrive in 15 minutes and he can’t possible handle that much opposition. Rhodes tells Harmon to just give him what he wants and he’ll leave without further incident. However, Davis refuses to release Glenda Sandoval and responds by firing three missiles at him.
One of the missiles explodes, but not before War Machine is able to incorporate the other two to his weapon’s payload. He then blows up the arriving tanks before being struck by more missiles. At first, Davis Harmon believes that War Machine is killed in the blast. However, nobody suspects that Rhodes is now a cyborg and that his body is already reforming after the blast, much to the shock of the soldiers on the ground.[1] Moments later, the guards at the gates of the compound hear a banging at the front gate. Seconds later, the doors are knocked open by War Machine, who has incorporated some of the destroyed tanks technology into his armor. As soldiers flee, one of them holds up a medical tablet and says that they are trying to get into the shipping container to give Doctor Sandoval medical attention. Scanning this man, War Machine’s computers inform him that this soldier is Jake Oh, a former agent of SHIELD.
While Oh and his team are trying to get into the container, Jim asks Parnell about all the other soldiers who fled. Having tagged their identities, Parnell sends their military records revealing that all of the cowards are responsible for numerous atrocities. Rhodes responds by firing his long rang Cosby 1200S missile. It lands where Davis Harmon and the soldiers have rendezvoused for evac. The missile, a non-lethal Roxxon flash pulse temporarily blinds them all. While the soldiers panic, Harmon assures them that they aren’t in any real danger. War Machine is a hero, and heroes don’t kill.
Word of War Machine’s attack reaches Avengers Tower in New York. There, National Security Director Norman Osborn is furious to learn that Rhodes is interfering with Eaglestar since he contracts out to the group.[2] Furious that he has to take matters into his own hands, Osborn orders his assistant — Victoria Hand — to initiate plan b. This plan involves deploying Ares, the Olympian god of war, who believes that he is more than qualified to destroy War Machine.
Recurring Characters
War Machine, Bethany Cabe, Parnell Jacobs, Eaglestar International (Davis Harmon), Norman Osborn, Ares, Victoria Hand, Glenda Sandoval, Jake Oh
Continuity Notes
As we saw last issue, Jim had most of his body blown up while on a military operation. He was later transformed into a cyborg. This will remain his status quo until War Machine (vol. 2) #12 when his mind is transferred into a cloned body.
At the time of this story, Norman Osborn had just recently become the head of National Security after he killed the leader of a Skrull invasion in Secret Invasion #8. He will hold this position until Siege #4.
Topical References
Davis Harmon states that the cost of his drones is 10 million dollars. This amount should be considered topical as it is relative to the date of publication. For example, adjusting for inflation these drones would be worth about 14.6 million in 2024.
Davis is also depicted as having a “flip” style cell phone. These were quite popular when this comic was published in 2009. However, they have since fallen out of common use due to the advent of the smart phone. As such, its depiction here should be considered topical.
The military equipment on display in this story was what was commonly used by militaries at the time of this story. For example, Eaglestar is depicted as using M1 Abrams tanks and Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. While these vehicles are still being used by the military as I write this, they will eventually be retired out of service as newer models/technology becomes available. As such, their depiction here should be considered topical.
