Nathan Summers kneels upon the grass of the Memorial Cemetery and drops a white rose in front of the gravestone of Stacey Kramer. Behind him are Irene Merryweather, and Stacey's younger brother, Kenny. Soon, Cable gets up and begins walking the route back to the safehouse.

"Come on," Cable says somewhat impatiently. "It's not safe out here, even in daylight."

"Nathan, please," Irene says sternly. "Kenny needs some time." Cable has recently 'given back' Kenny's memories of watching Stacey's death, as suggested by Blaquesmith. Out of respect, Cable allows Kenny to stay awhile longer.

"Just be back at the safehouse soon, please?" Cable pleads. "There's a lot of whackos here in New York. I couldn't bear losing you two..."'

"I can take care of myself, Nathan," Irene says. "I'm a big girl now."

"Well, you're not invulnerable and don't have any means to protect yourself," Cable points out.

"True, but I've got mace in my purse," Irene says with a smirk. "A former tabloid reporter needs everything she can to ward off front page material that doesn't want to be front page material, if you catch my drift?"

Cable continues walking, "Just promise to be back." Don't die, either.

As Cable walks down the sidewalk, he bumps into all kinds of people. Some of their thoughts are heard. Cable can't help but listen:

"Man, that dude is so weird...white hair? Looks like a punk rocker slash ass kicker."

"Oh my God, get me away from my mother-in-law, please Lord!"

"Why can't they legalize marijuana? Dude...I mean...dude..."

There's just some things even Cable can't take. He blocks out the thoughts of the New York public and continues walking.

Unbeknownst to Cable, a mysterious figure watches him within the shadows. That's right, false idol, keep on walking...I'll kill you later, and that aging idiot, Blaquesmith...

"Nathan?" Irene asks from her desk while pounding away at her laptop.

"What?" Cable asks as he practices wielding the new, sleeker psimatar Blaquesmith made for him.*

(* Check last ish -- Brad)

"Why did you kill those gang members?"

Cable stops, actually dropping his psimatar. He asks, shocked, "Huh?" Cable can't believe Irene would question his actions.

"I'm just saying, you could have taken them in," Irene says. She takes a sip of coffee from her mug.

"They would have gotten the death penalty anyway," Cable says as he telekinetically attracts his psimatar to his hand. He continues to practice. "Besides," Cable says between breaths, "it's an old Askani tradition to kill your friend's killer or killers."*

(* Cable killed the thugs who murdered his girlfriend, Stacey Kramer, last issue - Russ)

"Tradition?!" Irene says, a little disbelieving. "I'd hate to see what high school reunions are like in the 40th Century. What, do you kill the principal?"

"Irene," Cable says sternly, "just accept it for now. I've got to practice, so leave me alone."

"It's not that easy, Nathan. There are laws here - in this time period. You're going to have to respect and follow them if you want to stay out of trouble. Isn't the government already on your case?"

Cable stops fighting imaginary mass-murderers with his psimatar. He presses a lever on the side of the weapon and it retracts to the size of a large knife; he puts it in a sheath on his belt. He sighs, "Yes...you're right, I guess." Cable's left eye suddenly brightens as he telepathically cloaks his uniform with the image of street clothes. "I'm going out."

"Don't get killed," Irene says as she continues to type in her journal.

Cable says nothing and exits the safehouse into Hell's Kitchen...

While walking the streets, Cable takes note of the run-down buildings and the homeless. He feels, as wicked as it sounds, at home in this kind of place. Growing up under the harsh rule of the New Canaanites may have been unbearable, but it was still something Cable was used to living and breathing everyday.

Cable sees some muggers and wastes no time putting them down. He doesn't kill them, as much as he feels they deserve to be. Once they get out of jail, they'll just do the same thing.

While walking deeper into the heart of Manhattan, Cable picks up on some stray thoughts. He can't determine where they're coming from. A sudden "whoosh" calls Cable's attention to the skies. Some weirdo in red and blue spandex is swinging with some kind of nylon material. Oath! Who the hell...? Oh, just the Spider-Kid...

Cable walks some more and comes upon a wobbly, and extremely thin body dressed in something teenagers wear - Cable suspects so anyway.

The woman extends her bony hand, "Help....me...."

"Alright lady, I'll help ya--YAOOW!" Cable shouts as the woman's hand causes an electrical shock. Only, the electric flow continues to grow stronger and stronger. Cable's left eye glows immensely as he tries to keep the techno-virus at bay.

The woman smiles as green energy cackles all around her. She inhales and exhales, sounding refreshed. "I haven't had a snack like that in ages!"

Cable tries to let go of the woman, but he finds himself to be too weak to do anything. Got to think of something, Nate! Or you're dead! She's draining you!

Cable ponders a risky move by letting down his telekinetic halting of the techno-virus. His left arm explodes into a spiky mass of robotic-looking wires and conduits. One of the said wires hits the woman in the jaw, causing her to let go of Cable.

"UNGH!" Cable shouts as he tries to regain control of the virus. His left eye is lighting up the entire alley. After a while, Cable's arm returns to its smooth, metallic form. Askani concentration techniques allow Cable to keep himself from keeling over. Stay with it, Dayspring!

The woman, no longer a withered shell, is actually a babe. Unless the pink hair and bleach-white skin are a turnoff. Cable's jaw actually drops. The woman laughs, "My, you're a fighter. You can call me Gloom!"

Cable tries to probe Gloom's mind, but gets a psychic whiplash. "ARGH!" he screams.

Gloom laughs. "I wouldn't try that again. My mind is...what do you call it? Unreachable? I've drained so many living things, it's impossible to probe my mind. Everyone else's psionic signature forms a barrier of sorts."

"Well, whatever you are, you must be stopped!" Cable yells as he takes out his psimatar, extending it to lance mode. He charges it with his telekinesis, making both ends spew yellow energy. "And you will be stopped."

"How flattering," Gloom says with a smile. "I'm truly touched...but what of your loved ones? Kenny, Irene, and Blaquesmith? Do you want harm to come to them?"

Cable's left eye lights up like a nova. "You stay away from them!" he commands.

"No problem, if you can fight me off, I won't be able to snack on them. I've been in your head, remember? I know all that you know...," Gloom says. "It's your call."

Cable answers that call with a precision blast to Gloom's abdomen with his psimatar. Gloom goes flying into the side of a garbage dumpster. Gloom gets up and wipes blood from her lower lip, "Hey! No fair! You wanna play that way? FINE!" Gloom suddenly becomes invisible.

Cable tries locating her using his telepathy, but he can't detect her. He swings his psimatar in every direction, trying to ward her off. "Where are you?!"

"Hahaha! Afraid of a little girl, Cable?" Gloom's voice says.

"I'm over here--"

"--No, here, silly!"

By now, Cable is furious. He usually has the upper hand in these kinds of situations. "Stop the games and fight me," Cable growls. Cable can actually see Gloom through the infrared spectrum with his techno-organic right eye. There's no doubt Gloom already suspects this.

Gloom smiles, "As you wish..."

Cable grins as he telekinetically activates a street lamp, causing Gloom's now-transparent eyelids to be useless against the blinding light. Gloom is forced to revert back to visibility.

Gloom gets furious, "I'm gonna kill your friends, Cable!"

Cable looks at her and snorts. "No you won't."

"YES I WILL!!!!" Gloom screams as she lunges for Cable. She spears him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him, causing him to fall over. Gloom then proceeds to absorb more energy from Cable by grabbing his right arm. "Feel that?! That's your heart slowing down!" Gloom laughs, "I'll bet you felt this helpless when Aliya died in your arms!"*

(* 'Aliya' was Cable's wife in the future he was raised in - Russ)

Cable doesn't know what he hates more: mass-murderers or people who love to rip on his personal life. Gloom suddenly stops laughing. Not because she'd like to, but because her windpipe is being pinched - Cable is choking her with his telekinesis. "Laugh, you dumb bitch! LAUGH!" Cable yells through gritted teeth. His vision is becoming blurred, but he keeps on pushing. Gloom eventually lets go of Cable's arm and backs away in agony, trying desperately to inhale one precious molecule of oxygen.

Cable, severely weakened, slumps to the ground. His telekinetic grip around Gloom's throat is halted. Gloom gasps for air. "You.....bastard......."

Cable opens his eyes, trying to see what has become of his opponent. He has no strength left in himself, he's finished.

As Gloom staggers up to Cable's weakened body, Cable knows that another absorption from her would kill him. Subconscious meditation techniques keep the techno-virus at bay, even with such a low supply of energy.

"Don't give up, Nathan!"

Cable doesn't know who called out to him with telepathy, but he listens to that voice and concentrates. His techno-organic arm begins to gurgle. Gloom continues to inch closer and closer to Cable, reaching out with her fingertips.

Without warning, the techno-virus, acting as a self-defense system, shoots out a 3-inch diameter wire through Gloom's sternum. Gloom didn't even gasp. As the wire was drawn out of her body, Gloom stood up for several more seconds. Blood dripped like a faucet from her mouth, which hung wide open from the shock. Ultimately, Gloom fell to her knees, then face-first into the street.

Cable rolls onto his back and breathes heavily. Using his techno-arm, he drags himself over to the sidewalk and stands up. "Move over, Buffy...," Cable says between breaths.

"Holy--!" Irene screams as she sees Cable stumble into the safehouse's entrance. She runs up to him just as he was about to fall. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine...I just need to rest..."

"Are you sure? You look like you're gonna die!" Irene says, worried. "You look pale."

"Here," Blaquesmith says as he shoves a tablet into Cable's mouth. "Swallow," the gnomish man commands. Cable's too weakened to care what it tastes like, so he swallows it. "It's an ultra vitamin. My own special ingredients."

Before long, Cable is snoring. Irene puts a blanket over him and kisses him on the forehead. Oh my God, Irene thinks. I feel like my own mother! Irene shakes off that... peculiar thought and retires to her room, where she slumps on her bed.

NEXT ISH: Cable makes a startling discovery about the era he grew up in! Plus, discover where has Cable been the whole time from the end of the Magneto War to the final battle with Apocalypse!