Cable, otherwise known as Nathan Summers, walks throughout the emptied safehouse. Everything else has been pretty much moved into Boroh's discarded ship, tentatively named Greymalkin II. The only thing that remains are a few metal scraps and the main computer, located in the middle of the futuristic structure. Blaquesmith walks out of his quarters with a container of little bits and pieces. Hammer is punching keys on the computer and Rachel is meditating.

Blaquesmith has frequented the new Greymalkin, getting it in order, even sending it into Earth's orbit with a cloaking device he made. Hammer hacked into the NYPD files and erased all information on the alleged alien ship that was taking up space in Manhattan's south side.

Cable notices that everything is pretty much in order, except for one minor detail.

"Where's Irene?" he asks.

"She went to the Bugle, I think...something about an interview," Hammer responds.

"But that was over four hours ago, she would have checked back with us," Blaquesmith declares.

"That must have been one hefty wage they offered her," Hammer jokes.

"She wouldn't bail on us like that," Cable says. Rachel comes out of her meditation and approaches her brother.

"You should be able to trace her thoughts," she explains. "Her mind has been in close proximity with you for months -- almost to the point of forming a rapport with her."

"You're right, Rach," Cable says, closing his eyes and placing his fingertips on his temples. His forehead glows slightly as his telepathy weeds through the astral plane, searching for a mind-pattern that matches Irene's.

Cable encounters many minds, since New York is a densely populated area, but keeps his focus. Finally, he thinks he's got her...but it doesn't seem like the spot Irene would be in. "She's at... the Hellfire Club?!" Cable says, shocked.

Hammer cocks an eyebrow, stopping his typing. He swallows and turns around, "Where?"

"It is an ancient meeting place for the rich, they dress up in clothes meant for the 18th Century and drink wine," Blaquesmith snorts. "The Inner Circle, however, is made up of mutants, and isn't that dissimilar to a criminal organization."

Suddenly, one name comes up in Cable's mind, "Madelyne..." Cable's mother, a clone of Jean Grey -- and equally powerful.

"I thought she was on our side?" Rachel wonders. She sighs, "I still can't understand what happened to her...she used to be such a nice woman when you were born..."

"Sinister screwed with her mind," Cable says. "I don't know myself. But, I'm gonna have to go get Irene. From what I sensed from her, she wasn't in trouble, but she will be. She's tried this before and almost got herself killed!" *

( * It's how Irene and Cable met, ironically, in Marvel's Cable #56 -- Brad )

"Maybe she was kidnapped?" Blaquesmith suggests.

"Possibly," Cable says, "but we don't know for sure. Maybe Jameson wanted the scoop on the Inner Circle or something." Cable grabs his psimatar and grabs a knapsack, securing it on his back. "Does the bodyslide program work, or did you uninstall it?"

"I've linked it with Greymalkin. I've attuned the bodyslide program to your mind, the computer will obey your mental commands," Blaquesmith explains.

"Do you want me to go with you, Nathan?" Rachel offers.

Cable remembers what Aéulgo told him...about the traitor. *

( *See last ish -- Brad )

"No...I'll do this solo," Cable says as he proceeds to take the ladder up to the surface.

"Dayspring, the bodyslide program is operational," Blaquesmith says.

"I'm sure it is," Cable says.

"Why aren't you going to use it?"

"The Inner Circle probably expects me to just bodyslide in," Cable explains. He masks his thoughts to his mentor; Plus, how do I know I won't suddenly wind up in the vacuum of space if I bodyslide?

Cable continues up the ladder...

Cable approaches the city block which the Hellfire Club resides in, telepathically cloaking his battle gear. He walks up the stairs to meet up with the doorman, dressed in formal attire. The doorman immediately shoves his forearm in Cable's way, "Do you have a reservation or invitation...sir?"

Cable gives the snotty man a look, smirking at his thin mustache and slicked back hair. "My mother's a member, now let me in."

"Who is your mother? We don't have too many of the elderly here...they stink up the place," the doorman says arrogantly.

Cable notices the security camera and quickly disables it, using his techno-organic right eye to send out a weak electronic impulse, distorting the machinery.

Cable violently grabs the doorman by his sport coat collar, banging him into the wall.

"Let me in," Cable says, gritting his teeth.

"Security!" the man yelps. Armed guards storm the scene, dressed in the typical Hellfire Club guard attire, a black leather jumpsuit with red gloves and boots, with an eerie beige face plate. Except the guards don't draw their guns. The doorman is slumped over on the ground with an awkward look on his face. Drool pools from his mouth.

"Asshole...we don't pay you to get drunk," the head guard mutters. "Get him up, but him on a park bench," he orders.

"Won't someone try to steal his wallet?" a guard asks.

"Not my problem."

As two of the three guards drag the unconscious body of the doorman away, Cable lets down his illusion of invisibility and grabs the head guard from behind, covering his mouth. Cable leads him into some shrubbery and knocks him out with his techno-organic fist. Cable then telepathically converts his clothes to match that of the guard.

Cable emerges from the bushes in his guard-ware. He commands to the two guards, who've just come back, "Alright, let's go."

"Who're you? Where's Enrique?" one of the guards asks.

"I'm new, I'm Winters," Cable responds. "I'm from the Los Angeles branch of the Hellfire Club. I got transferred four days ago."

"I didn't know there was one over there..." one guard ponders.

The other guard responds, "I didn't know we could be transferred, either..."

"Well, come on, you two. I don't got all day," Cable says.

"Where's Enrique?" the guard asks again.

"How should I know? The prick's probably taking a leak somewhere, it's New York, after all. Can't you smell it?" Cable responds. Cable waves his hand in front of him, "Let's move out. Mr. Shaw wants to see us..." Cable pretends to play dumb, "Wait...where is Shaw anyway? I've only had a day to learn this place up and down. The rest of the time I was moving furniture in my new apartment."

"Alright," a guard says, walking past Cable. As the guard walks into the building, Cable and the other follow. They take a right down a long hallway. Cable witnesses rich people getting drunk in crazy ancient get-ups from the 1700s. Cable sends out a telekinetic probe to find any security cameras. Cable holds out his techno-organic hand and disables them. His telepathic illusions can't fool electronic surveillance...yet.

As the front guard leads the group into a darkened corridor, Cable spins around, pinching the vocal folds of the guard behind him and sends a psi-bolt into him, knocking the man out cold. The leader turns around, "What was that? Winters? Chub?"

"I'm alright," Cable says. "I don't know what happened to Chub, he just sort of...I dunno...."

"What?" the guard asks. Suddenly, he falls over.

Cable's left eye glows, "He didn't see it coming."

Alright...Madelyne and Tessa are telepaths, I gotta keep telepathic ability to a minimum. Cable closes his eyes as he erects a psionic shield in his mind. It's not the best, Cable is just learning to explore his true telepathic potential, but it will do for now. Cable lets down his illusion of wearing a guard's uniform. He's disabled all the cameras, and he's out of view, so he'll be okay. He has to find Irene and get her out of here.

He can't directly contact her or he'll blow his cover. Cable turns his mind into a receiver, trying to pick up on Irene's thoughts. Nothing. Cable was going to have to do this the hard way.

"What the hell? All our security cameras are fizzled," a Hellfire guard complains. He and four others are stationed in an observation area located beneath the Hellfire Club. "Bull, Benji, Joe, I want you to check it out. We may have a situation on our hands. Hoggart, I want you to stay here and back up anyone who needs it."

"Yes, sir!" the guards say as they brandish their guns, running out of the observation deck.

"Um...Jackson?"

"What, Hoggart?"

"Don't the Inner Circle have telepaths?"

"Yeah..."

"Doesn't that mean they'd know about something if it was wrong?"

"Yeah..."

"...Then why haven't they reported to us if anything was wrong?"

"Would you shut the hell up?! GOD! Why are you so frickin' paranoid?! It's just a camera malfunction, not a frickin' invasion!" Jackson yells.

"Actually, it is."

Both Jackson and Hoggart whip around to see a hulking man with white hair and a glowing eye. They try to call for help, but Cable has already bashed the two men's heads together. Cable holds out his left hand and a techno-organic conduit plugs itself into the main computer, disabling the security system and the guards' comm-links. While his techno-virus is plugged into the computer, Cable gets an idea of how many guards are on duty. He's already taken out five, which leaves about thirty more. But he doesn't get any idea of where Irene is.

Cable can feel that she's here, but it's too subtle to know the exact location. Cable takes his compacted psimatar in his hand. The Askani weapon is capable of focusing his telekinesis and his telepathy, but Cable can't risk blowing his telepathic cover...

The Safehouse...

Blaquesmith gets a worried look on his face, "He's cutting himself off from all telepathic contact again."

"Nathan?" Rachel asks. Blaquesmith nods.

"I fear his dark emotions will get the best of him again...," Blaquesmith says, remembering what Vice was capable of doing to Los Angeles. *

[ *Check Cable #16-17 -- Brad ]

Hammer wheels in front of the two Askani founders, "When are we going to move into the new base?"

"In due time, Mr. Hammer, be patient," Blaquesmith snaps. "We're not moving in until Irene and Nathan are safe..."

"Very well, I'll just beam up myself, then," Hammer insists.

"Mr. Hammer, regardless of what Nathan may have put you through in the past, I suggest you sit down and learn what he actually experienced growing up," Rachel says sternly, her eyes glowing as she telepathically gives Eisenhower Hammer a crash coarse in Cable's biography.

Hammer patiently waits. "Well?"

"Sorry, I appear to be tired," Rachel says, going off to her quarters to meditate. Why was his mind blocked?

Cable has managed to pick off twenty or so guards. With their comm-links disabled, they can't communicate with each other. Cable planned his attack with skill and delicacy.

He still hasn't found Irene. She must be with the Inner Circle. Cable can't find her anywhere else. Cable takes an image inducer from his belt and programs it to mimic a guard's uniform. Cable devotes all remaining telepathic energy to cloaking his mind. He grabs a guard's gun from an unconscious body and walks down the main corridor to the end of the hall, where large, intricate wooden doors await.

The Inner Circle was on the other side...

Cable knocks on the door, which is immediately opened by a woman, tall and dark. It was Tessa. Cable taps his ear, "There seems to be a communications malfunction."

"How strange," Tessa says, motioning for the man to come in.

Shaw stands up from his plush chair, "What is the matter, my dear?"

"Communications malfunction..."

"Strange," Gloom says.

"It was in top condition this morning," Chen Mang adds.

Cable's eyes bulge when he sees Gloom, the associate of Deathglare he killed months ago! Chen Mang surprises him as well. With Nathan's mind unfocused, Madelyne gets a telepathic warning in her mind. She stares at the guard and blasts him with a telekinetic bolt. She teleports behind him and puts her hands on Cable's temples, delivering a massive psionic blow.

"ARGH!!!!" Cable shouts, slumping to the ground. Madelyne takes the image inducer and crushes it with her telekinesis.

"It seems we have a visitor," Madelyne says.

"Indeed," Shaw says with a smile. "Just the man we were looking for...isn't that right....Irene?"

Cable struggles to get rid of the stinging pain in his mind, but ignores it when he sees Irene approach him, dressed in a slinky white lingerie get-up. "I-Irene??"

"No, I am the White Queen...of the Inner Circle...," Irene says with a smile. She pulls on Cable's hair, "I am most displeased with your progress, Nathan. I think you'll find that I think the Hellfire Club is much more interesting. As a Bugle reporter, I can document more history on his place and get paid for it. Sorry, you've lost your chronicler...."

Irene violently bashes Cable's head onto the floor. Cable closes his eyes. Irene's the traitor?????!!!!!

NEXT ISSUE: Irene Merryweather, the new White Queen? Is that even possible? As far as Cable's concerned, the Hellfire Club's goin' down...hard!