Rogue and Havok enter X-Force’s former headquarters under the plane cemetery in Nebraska. Rogue admits this feels weird to her. Being an Avenger? Havok asks. No, she replies. Yeah, that too. She’s talking about them hunting Cable. And Forge. And especially Petey. They were teammates. Friends. Havok reminds her so were Magneto, Archangel, Emma Frost, Juggernaut and Bishop. So was Scott. They’ve all jumped the fence at some point from one side of the law to the other. So did Rogue. Just once. And for the better, she admonishes him.
He sighs, sometimes he thinks somebody should give them a scorecard, so they can keep track of who to hit and who not to.
Captain America joins them. Neither of them has found anything. Cap admits they are good. Rogue guesses you don’t become the number one most wants terrorists in the world by being sloppy. Still, she can hardly believe it. Terrorists!
A lot to get used to, Havok agrees. At least until they pin them down and get some real answers. And while he agrees with Cap, by the look of things this “Cable plays Captain Kirk” episode of Star Trek didn’t exactly go as planned. He suggests a perimeter search of the—
Cap interrupts. Word came in that they have something more immediate that needs their attention… It’s Hope.
Hope is in a car with her foster parents, who seem to be in a trance. She thanks them for driving her around today. For everything, really. She knows she’s been kind of a pain and it doesn’t seem like she appreciated them taking her in, but she did. You’re welcome, they reply automatically. In another life, maybe this all wouldn’t have been so bad, Hope muses. High school and picnics and white picket fences and apple pie and all that good stuff. Everything everyone else seems to want. But this isn’t everyone else’s life. This is her life. And in her life those things are for somebody other than her.
She leaves the car and tells them to take care. She adds: These aren’t the droids you’re looking for. Obediently they repeat. Sorry, she couldn’t resist, Hope laughs.
What have they here? Rogue asks. Going someplace? Hope looks up to see that it’s Rogue, Captain America and Havok. Alex asks why she even tries. She must have known they were watching her. Rogue tells her they can’t let her go to join Cable.
Hope replies she isn’t going to join Cable but to help him. But they are probably happy to hear that Cable doesn’t want her with him either.
Alex and Cap assure her none of this makes them happy. Cap asks if her foster parents are the problem. They are fine, Hope sighs. What is this about? he asks. Hope explains that Cable is just doing what they might refuse to: saving the world by any means necessary. People don’t even know they are in danger.
The Avengers insist they can handle it, or one of the countless other super heroes. Just not her. Not a sixteen-year old girl who should start trying to live a regular life, for a change.
Hope reminds them that everyone else thinks Cable is a criminal. She knows he’s not. She wants to find out what’s going on.
Cap forbids it. More diplomatically, Rogue reminds her they only want to do what’s best for Hope. She tells her they are much alike. Neither had much of a childhood. Getting scooped up by intense larger than life parent figures – Cable for Hope, Mystique for Rogue – and got thrown into this craziness. She wants something better for Hope.
Hope thanks her, but this is her life.There is no such thing as a normal life. Just life! And if they all excuse her, she’s going to live hers.
Alex asks her not to make them do this. Cap realizes Hope knew they would turn up. And she took precautions, didn’t she? At 1900, she shook the trail of SHIELD agents following her. They lost track of her for about an hour. Where did she go? Hope smirks. Like he said, she took precautions…
Flashback:
Hope enters prison to visit Kara Killgrave. Is she the Purple Girl? she asks the young purple-skinned woman. She’s joking, right? Kara scoffs. More importantly, who the hell is she and what does she want? Please tell her she’s not another half-sister. She learns about a new one like once a month! Guess that’s what happens when your dad can make women do whatever he wants. You end up related to more people that the population of Pittsburgh.
Hope replies she need not worry her pretty purple head about who she is. This is the first and last time they’ll see each other. As for what she wants from her… Thank you. Kara’s already given her what she needs.
Hope leaves the surprised Purple Girl in the visiting room. Next to her, a brunette is talking to her lawyer.
End of flashback
She took lots of precautions. Hope‘s eyes begin to glow. She asks Alex how he feels about Cap taking charge like this. She thought he was supposed to be the leader.
Angrily, Alex accuses Cap of undermining him every chance he gets. Cap orders him to snap out of it.
Hope tells Cap it must be hard for a living legend to take orders from some snot-nosed punk when everybody knows he should be leading the Avengers.
Rogue tries to get between the two angry men. Havok tries to blast Cap, who covers himself with his shield.
Hope uses the opportunity to run. Rogue slams into her.
Havok apologizes and Cap tells him they’ll work it out.
Rogue tells Hope it’s over. That depends, Hope smiles. As luck would have it, Purple Girl wasn’t the only super-powered inmate Hope ran into earlier. Martinique Wyngarde happened to be sitting next to her. They probably know her better as Mastermind…
Hope create a huge illusion of the Red Skrull dressed as Galactus threatening them. The Avengers react on instinct and fight back, providing Hope with the time she needed to disappear.
Cap orders they notify SHIELD, then realizes he’s taking command again. Alex tells him they’ll work it out. And find Hope. If they didn’t have enough reasons to find Cable and X-Force as it is, Hope just gave them another.
Hope sits in a coach leaving the city, deciding Cable will get her help, whether he wants it or not.
