Irene Merryweather stands over the defeated Cable with a glass of wine in her hand. She takes a sip, then seductively walking over to Shaw's chair, rubbing his chest. Sebastian smiles with pleasure.

Cable looks at Shaw with enraged eyes.

Shaw laughs, "Don't worry, Cable. Irene isn't really here under her own will. Tessa and Ms. Pryor here have tweaked a couple neurons to make her loyal to the Hellfire Club. Don't take it too personally..."

"Too late," Cable says, preparing to attack. Madelyne zaps him with another psi-bolt.

"Not so fast, naughty boy!" Madelyne teases, waving her finger.

Cable grits his teeth in utter anger, but calms himself, channels his fury. Okay...so Irene isn't here under her own free will. Does that count as really betraying me? That must mean either Rachel, Blaquesmith, or Hammer are the traitors.

Let's see....Rachel, as hard as it is to accept my own sister, might be betraying me, used to be a Hound. Maybe there's some darkness left within her. Blaquesmith...he's never shown any signs of defection...but even I don't know everything about him, and I've known him for years. Aéulgo must have reawakened memories long forgotten within me. I remember seeing Blaquesmith and he talk. Could it be my growing telepathy allowed my mind to pick up on those thoughts? Every time Aéulgo communicates with someone in our dimension, he freezes time...he must have frozen time when I saw him talk with Blaquesmith in Ebonshire *...only my mind is now sensitive enough to remember seeing it.....

( * Cable first realized these memories in Cable #20 - Brad )

Cable's left eye sputters yellow energy. Hammer...he has good reason to hate me....although he said he was happy with his paralysis.....didn't even flinch when I told him I could cure him...but time can't heal all wounds.

"What do you want?" Cable asks the Inner Circle finally.

"That's for us to know, Cable!" Chen Mang shouts. "I'm looking for a rematch."

"As am I," Gloom says with a smirk.

Suddenly, Cable's eyes land on his mother. Could....she be the traitor? Aéulgo said there was a traitor in my midst...Madelyne's been in my midst frequently lately...there's no telling what that neural shock device of X-Cutioner's did to her...*

( * Check Cable #19 -- Brad )

"Let Irene go, then maybe we can discuss something," Cable growls, standing up.

"You're welcome to try, Cable," Shaw says. "Although, I wouldn't advise it." Irene kisses Shaw on the cheek, then on the mouth.

Cable shouts, whipping out his psimatar, charging the end of it and firing a blast in Shaw's direction. He let's the blast hit him. He rolls his eyes, "Now look what you've done. You've made my bulk increase. Put an end to this, my friends."

Irene whimpers, "Poor baby's shirt is all ripped." She tears off the silky shirt and begins kissing his chest.

Cable's left eye beams when he sees this. Chen Mang uses the distraction to perform a roundhouse kick to Cable's jaw. He then generates a ball of fire and throws it at Cable, who blocks it with his techno-organic arm. The metallic flesh is partially burned. He telekinetically shoves Mang into a wall.

Gloom quickly grabs onto Cable's forearm, partially draining him. He shouts in pain and gives her a stiff elbow to the side of the head, knocking her over.

Mang takes a running leap and flips onto Cable's shoulders, crossing his legs around his arm pits, and begins punching him across the face with burning hot fists.

Cable's left eye lights up like a camera flash. Cable speaks casually, "Stop." The hypnotic Mang simply jumps to the ground and sits on the floor with his legs crossed.

Gloom charges towards Cable in retaliation of her friend, but Cable closelines her with his psimatar. He holds out his hand and telepathically activates every one of Gloom's pain receptors. Gloom collapses on the floor, appearing to go into a seizure.

Madelyne delivers a powerful telekinetic blast to her son's body, sending him through a bookcase. Cable tries to get up, but keeps getting blasted. Madelyne's eyes are glowing with fiery telekinetic energy.

"You're out of your league, Nathan," she says.

Cable's hands rush to his throat as his windpipe is pinched shut. Concentrating, he increases the internal pressure of his windpipe using his telekinesis. He then slices Madelyne in the arm with his psimatar. Madelyne shrieks in pain, then telekinetically attracts a stoker from the fireplace, jabbing it into her son's leg.

"ARGH!" Cable yells. Unleashing a portion of his unchecked power, Cable levitates his mother, stretching her legs and arms in opposite directions.

Madelyne heaves in pain, but enjoys it in a twisted way.

Cable pulls the sharp stoker from his thigh, telekinetically fusing the wound. Without looking, Cable throws the stoker, pinning the approaching Gloom to the opposite wall through her shirt.

As Madelyne is slowly ripped apart, Cable is rammed from behind by a charging bull -- or at least he thinks. It's really an empowered Sebastian Shaw. Before Cable can react to predict Shaw's next move, Cable receives one right hand after another. Shaw then lazily delivers a massive left hook, sending Cable through the wooden entrance doors.

Members of the Hellfire Club scream and scurry out of the area, dropping wine glasses and small plates of caviar on the elegant carpeting.

Cable tries to catch his breath, but is grabbed by Shaw and thrown back into the Inner Circle's meeting room, crashing through Shaw's desk. As Shaw approaches him, Cable punches him in the stomach with his metal fist.

Shaw bellows, "Who left the window open?" Shaw grabs Cable by the ears and headbutts him, causing Cable's nose to gush blood.

Cable's left eye lights up like a nova as the psionic energy envelops Shaw. Cable's astral form emerges from his body, jabbing his fist into Shaw's forehead. Shaw gasps suddenly, as if he was struck with a bullet. Cable, back in his body, tosses the body to the side.

"Anyone else?" Cable asks, his adrenaline pumping. He kicks the comatose Shaw in the side.

Out of nowhere, the world around Cable vanishes, turning into a pale blue environment. The Astral Plane.

"Actually, since you like to play dirty by mind-wiping poor Sebastian over there...I decided to escalate the battle to a realm you're not entirely used to,". Madelyne says, dressed in psionic armor that resembles a knight.

Twirling his "psimatar" behind him, Cable transforms his clothing into Askani-fashioned armor. "Are you sure you want to challenge me on this one...mother? I'll let you back down...I promise."

"I think I'll just let my sheer skill go to work," Madelyne says as thousands of javelins suddenly rain above Cable. Cable skillfully dodges many of them, but many of them cut his astral form. There's no doubt his physical form will be harmed. The pain my not hurt as much in astral form, but he'll regret it later.

Madelyne increases her size to giant proportions and squeezes her hands around Cable. She shakes him like a rag doll. "You're grounded, mister!" Madelyne throws Cable into an asteroid field. Cable crashes into one of the large rocks.

"HAHAHA! This was easier than I thought!" Madelyne boasts. She flies over to the crushed asteroid to examine Cable, only he isn't there. Madelyne can't sense him anywhere.

"I'm truly sorry for this, Madelyne..." Cable's telepathic voice echoes.

Back in the physical world, Cable picks up his unconscious mother and lays her gently on a couch. Blood has dripped slightly from her nose.

Cable turns around and sees the only Inner Circle member left -- the mysterious Tessa. Perhaps the smarter of all of them, she's got her hands raised as a surrender.

"Do you have something to tell me?" Cable barks coldly.

Tessa sighs. After a slight pause, she comes clean, "Your friend, Hammer, fed me information over the Internet."

HAMMER....

"What kind of information?!"

"He gave us a read out of all your secret safehouses around the world. If the Hellfire Club would've killed you, Hammer would have given us all of your safehouses and the technology inside. He also sent something which was like a back up plan of sorts to get you to turn into something called Vice--"

"That's enough outta you!" Irene shouts, slugging Tessa across the face, knocking her out. Irene looks down at herself. "What did they dress me in!?"

"That's quite an arm you got there," Cable says with a smile.

"I've been hanging around you for too long," Irene says, elbowing Cable in the stomach.

"What did they do to you?" Cable asks.

"I don't know, I was coming back from my Bugle interview--"

"Did you get the job?" Cable interrupts.

"Of course," Irene says, rolling her eyes as if it was a difficult question. "Anyway, they had those guards of theirs track me down and they kidnapped me. Then your mom and this bitch started screwing with my mind...did I mention this sleazy thing they got me wearing?"

Cable catches himself looking at Irene's cleavage. "Ahem...you were the bait to get the Hellfire Club to kill me off...and if that didn't work, they were going to try and bring out my dark side again."

"Tessa said Hammer gave her the printout of all of your safehouses...how many are there?" Irene asks.

Cable wavers, but Irene deserves to know. "There's at least six on every continent, two in Antarctica. And all of them are full of Blaquesmith's weapons and other 40th century technologies...as well as my merc money."

"There's no doubt Shaw let every one of the sister Clubs know about this," Irene says.

"You're right," Cable says. "They'd also eventually find out about....Boroh's ship! That thing's got weapons that could take out a small country!"

"I thought Hammer was the one uploading all those hacker programs into the ship's computers...?" Irene asks.

"Oath," Cable mutters. He speaks into his wrist watch, "Computer, bodyslide by two to the Hell's Kitchen safehouse."

{{ Command belayed. }}

Irene speaks into her wrist watch, "Computer--"

{{ Get a clue, lady. }}

"Don't you start, you overgrown computer chip!" Irene shouts.

{{ Try me. }}

Irene throws her watch on the floor and stomps on it.

"Damn it!" Cable shouts, smashing his watch to bits. "Hammer's screwed with all the programs. He's got control of Blaquesmith's technology...and Boroh's ship!"

"Oh God...what about Rachel and Blaquesmith???" Irene yelps.

Cable's face turns to a look of alarm. He grabs Irene, "Let's go...and put some clothes on."

As Irene and Cable rush out of the building, onlookers give Irene overzealous whistles. "Bite me!" Irene shouts. As Cable darts in one direction, Irene approaches the curb.

"Irene! Come on! We don't have time--!"

Irene holds out her hand as at least twenty taxis try and pick her up. Irene opens the back door to the closest one and motions for Cable to hop in. Cable swears under his breath and dives into the taxi.

"Drive!" Irene commands.

"Yes ma'am! Be gentle!" the Indian-native says with an eager smile as the tires squeal...

The Safehouse.

Blaquesmith is dying. His body is much too frail these days. He invented a machine which revitalizes nutrients in his system so he can stay alive. But now Hammer has direct control over the safehouse. Blaquesmith is bound by thick metal shackles, unable to move.

"Hammer..... please...." Blaquesmith wheezes.

Hammer, in his wheelchair, swivels around to face the Askani master. Wires are connected to his bald head. He is in direct mental control of the safehouse. Granted, most of the stuff was moved to Boroh's ship, the computer still controlled a multitude of the safehouse's basic systems. Blaquesmith's regeneration chamber was like a bathroom, it was a necessity. But now that privilege is gone.

"It's too late, freak. The Hellfire Club has already failed, I can sense Cable coming here now," Hammer growls.

Rachel Summers, on the other hand, is combating her own demons. Hammer has managed to place a holographic simulator, which fits over the wearer's head, on Cable's sister. Rachel is running from deadly Sentinels of her native reality. The simulation is so real, Rachel's heart rate is three times higher than normal. She is twitching while laying on the ground like a dreaming dog.

"Why...?" Blaquesmith asks, his voice strained, his breathing labored. His lungs felt like they were massive weights.

"Why?" Hammer asks humorously. "Your precious Askani student violated your actions for peaceful solutions code. He shot me in the fucking back! He ruined my life! I'm returning the favor!"

Blaquesmith pants, "If he had....good...reason to...do what he...did...then no Askani honor was.....besmirched......paralysis is easy to treat...with our technology....."

"Don't entertain me with your stories!" Hammer shouts. He turns to face the computer screen and smiles as the faint glow provides light on his crooked face. "Soon...I won't need to worry about my body..."

NEXT ISSUE: Hammer has been revealed as the traitor Aéulgo pointed out, and now Cable's gonna have to make the decision to take out his former teammate. While that's going on, the Hellfire Club seems to recover from their ass-whoopin'. By issue's end, Cable will make a move none would expect.