X-Factor #45 - Marvel

We still don't know who this Cortex is, but . . we get a little more information as to where he came from. It appears that he can inhabit a person's psych and control them. Kind of like a puppet. So we ended last issue, when Rictor and Guido went to visit John Madrox, the pastor, with an attack by Shatterstar. Although it wasn't really him. Well, it was, but . . he was being controlled by Cortex. Meanwhile, in the future, Jaime is trying to help Scott and Ruby by trying to figure out where, and why, the X-Men keep disappearing. So they decide to go and talk to Doctor Doom, whom is still alive, since he's proficient with time-travel. Now here's where it gets a little confusing. We see that Sebastian and Falcone are monitoring Doctor Doom's residence, and they see Jaime there. But it looks like they're watching him from the present. I could be wrong, but that's how it appears. They are also in charge of Cortex and are controlling him. Not the way he controls others, but through some kind of electro-shock thingy. Now, if they're not in the present, then that means they're in contact with him, and prodding him from the future. But, if they're not in the future, then that means that they're monitoring Doctor Doom, and seem to know everything about the future . . the camps and the rebellion, from the present. Either way, it's all a little confusing. And why couldn't Scott and Ruby go talk to Victor on thier own? It's not like he poses any real threat. He's a decrepit old man, who's got one foot in the grave, and what looks like a severe case of tuberculosis. Why did they need Jamie for that? And . . how come, in the present, Monet and her group of girls are in the same hotel that Victor has taken up residency in the future? And, when Sebastian and Falcone force Cortex to break his connection with Shatterstar, just before he delivers the killing blow to Guido . . when he recovers, he and Rictor soon embrace in a lip-lock? As Guido says, "Uh, kay! Didn't see that comin'." Well we got a little more of the picture this issue, but we still don't know all the identities or players. Peter's trying to leave us with some cliff-hanger endings, and some shockers, but I wasn't expecting this issue to end like this. It doesn't matter to me either way, but . . it's just something that came out of left-field. There's nothing in either of these 2 character's histories that would suggest that they were romantically involved . . or gay. Is it just thrown in there for shock value? We get a few answers this issue, but . .we're left with even more questions. I did enjoy Marco Santucci and Valentine DeLandro's art. It moved the story along at a good pace. Now we just have to hope we get some more answers next issue.