Synopsis
War Machine (1994 series) #25 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Last issue Sheva Joseph died in the SHIELD hospital. Her corpse is only just starting to cool when SHIELD Agent Groom and others in Mandroid armour try to take James Rhodes into custody so SHIELD can study the alien Warwear that shares his body. Jim tells Agent Kirby Martell, his girlfriend Rae LaCoste and Worldwatch's Ranald Jeffries to stand back as he offers to 'discuss' it with the Mandroids outside where nobody else will get hurt.
Of course when they get outside Rhodey activates the Warwear armour and they fight. War Machine makes short work of the Mandroids but leaves the Agents alive.
Then Jim takes a leave of absence from Worldwatch and thanks Agent Kirby for all her help, She replies that since Nick Fury (supposedly) died (Double Edge Omega) SHIELD has got out of control. Then he and Rae drive off into the sunset and a hotel room in Los Angeles where they discuss the past and the future.
Rae still hasn't forgiven him for not talking to her since #12, but she mellows as he tells her more about what's happened since then. He covers the time-travel adventure (#15-17) which cost him his War Machine armour and made Sheva age rapidly to death. Then the Warwear armour attached itself to him (#18-19) and dragged him into the Crossover event (#20-23 plus issues of Avengers, Force Works and Iron Man) in a war against Tony Stark and Kang the Conqueror. (He still doesn't mention that their friend Tony is now dead.)
They move on to his alleged son. He still doesn't know whether his parents were telling the truth when they told Rae he had 1. Or whether it was just a way of getting rid of her. And if so whether it was because she was white or something else that made them dislike her before meeting her. But he needs to find out what the alien stuff inside him really is before he can deal with the other stuff.
So he suggests they disappear for 6 months together. And Rae agrees.
Next day Rhodey goes to his apartment to pack up what little he doesn't want to leave behind. But Groom turns up with more Mandroids so War Machine has to fight again. But 1st he releases 1 of the drones built in to the armour with instructions to take his suitcase to Rae. He and his other drones take care of business.
Then he meets up with Rae and the suitcase in her car. And they really do drive off into the sunset.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Kirby Martell, Mandroids, Rae LaCoste, Ranald Jeffries.