Hell's Kitchen...

Cable and Irene Merryweather exit the taxi in front of a wrecked factory, below of which is the safehouse.

"Hey, you owe me $170.50!" the Indian cab driver squeals.

Cable growls, morphing his techno-organic hand into a blade. "Just drive away, buddy," he says coldly.

Irene yells, "Come on, Nathan!" She is already lowering herself down the chute that leads to the safehouse.

"Wait," Cable commands. "Let me go first."

"Look, just because I'm a woman--"

"I don't want you to be hurt."

"But--"

"I love you, Irene."

Irene gulps, "You...love me?"

Cable nods, grabbing Irene's hand, lifting her out of the manhole. "I can't lose you. Not like Aliya or Stacey. Yes, Stacey's alive now, but I still failed her. Hammer needs to pay for what he's done...he'll kill you if it means getting his revenge."

He kisses Irene on the lips. "Nathan...," Irene says with tears in her eyes.

Cable gently touches Irene's face, "Go somewhere safe. I'll make your mind invisible to other telepaths."

"I don't want to lose you, either...," Irene whimpers. "When you faced Deathglare...I....thought it was the last time I'd see you...."

Suddenly, a tentacle nabs Irene around her waist, pulling her into the manhole. "AHH!"

"IRENE!" Cable shouts. He dives in after her...

He falls for seems like forever, letting gravity carry him. He can't see Irene anywhere. Suddenly, he is grabbed from the side by cybernetic limbs, crushing his ribs. "ARGH!"

{{"You're done, Nathan,"}} Hammer's voice echoes over a loudspeaker.

Cable's adrenaline is pumping, increasing his telekinesis beyond their normal limits. The techno-virus doesn't flare up at all as he crushes the cybernetic limbs as if they were nothing. Cable then telekinetically lowers himself down the chute into the safehouse itself.

Irene is nowhere to be found, but Blaquesmith is chained up, dying. "Blaquesmith?"

The gnomish man looks up at his student, "Leave me......get Rachel......and.....Irene....."

Cable telekinetically snaps the chains off, promptly taking his mentor in his arms, laying him on a bed that was yet to be transferred into Boroh's ship. Blaquesmith tries to say something, but loses consciousness. Cable winces every time he breathes from his crushed ribs. He senses a strange thought pattern, but can't make it out.

Suddenly, Hammer stabs Cable with an energy blade from behind. Before Cable can react, his techno-organic arm is severed from the shoulder. "YAAARGHH!!!" Cable screams. The limb seems to shrivel and die, dissolving into dust. Techno-organic wires spin out of control where the old limb was. They will eventually reform into a new arm...but not without pain.

Cable falls on his back, wheezing from the pain of his left side and his ribs. Before him stands Hammer, with wires running from his head into the central computer. He stands! He has somehow repaired his nervous system.

Hammer laughs psychotically, "How does it feel? How does it feel to be stabbed in the back?! HOW DOES IT FEEL!?!?!"

Cable can't speak. He tries to shut Hammer down telepathically, but his mind is being blocked, but how?

Suddenly, Boroh's ship comes out of its stealth mode, revealing itself over the New York skyline. Citizens shriek in terror as the ship begins blasting away at buildings, sending debris everywhere. People are buried or crushed...

"Oh my God..."

"...everyone dive for cover!"

"We're gonna die!"

"It's the Apocalypse!"

"...mommy?! Mommy!"

"AHHH!!!!!"

"Where's a hero when you need one? Isn't New York infested with them?"

Cable gathers the strength to slide backwards, away from Hammer, who still has an energy blade.

"How did you get allied with the Hellfire Club...?" Cable asks, grimacing.

Hammer smiles. "Your mother and I had a little telepathic chat while we were walking in Washington."

"That's impossible, I didn't hear any mental conversation--"

"Oh..., but we did. X-Cutioner's little zap made her mind a little whacky, but it also rendered her mind virtually undetectable," Hammer says with a smile. *

( * See Cable #19 -- Brad )

Hammer continues, "I talked about gaining information about your safehouses. I knew from our Six Pack days you had quite a few stationed just about everywhere. I told Madelyne if she could get you killed, I'd give them the locations to your safehouses. Then I uploaded a file onto the Internet, allowing Tessa to memorize the formula to turn you into Vice again in case you weren't killed."

"Why would they want my dark side?" Cable asks.

Hammer smiles, "So that you'd join them as a fellow member and have your reputation even more tarnished. That was part of the reason Irene was kidnapped, to lure you to them. But now that I eavesdropped on your conversation..."

"If you touch her, I'll--"

"You'll what? Talk me to death?" Hammer muses. "I'll take good care of her..."

Cable conjures the strength to reach out with his mind, "Rachel...?"

Before there is a hint of a response, hundreds of Hellfire Club guards storm the safehouse, brandishing their loaded guns.

Amongst them, are Madelyne Pryor and Sebastian Shaw, no worse for wear. "Hello, son."

"Madelyne, how could you?" Cable pleads. "You were on the road to recovery from your Goblyn Queen complex...and didn't I mindwipe the both of you?"

Madelyne laughs, "Nothing I couldn't recover from. Don't get me wrong, you did everything to my mind short of killing me. And Sebastian's mind was easy to fix as well."

"So, what's your answer, Cable? Will you join the Inner Circle?" Shaw asks.

"Hell no..."

"Nathan?!" Irene screams as Gloom absorbs her energy.

"LET HER G--*ungh*!" Cable shouts, spitting up blood from his crushed ribs.

"Join the Inner Circle, and we'll erase your terrorist status...and Ms. Merryweather will live," Shaw offers.

Cable pants, "Where's Rachel?"

"Your sister is...preoccupied at the moment," Shaw says with a smile.

"What the hell are you doing, Shaw?! We had a deal! You were supposed to kill him or turn him into Vice! His reputation is to get worse, not erased!" Hammer shouts.

"Don't raise your voice at me, feeble human."

"I am NOT feeble!" Hammer exclaims. He reaches out with his newfound control over Blaquesmith's computer and controls Boroh's ship, causing it to blow up more buildings.

Hammer continues, "He must die! I was the one who disabled the negator back in DC. Those two CIA agents Cable befriended tried to at least turn it on his powers partially, but I had the negator stuck in its depowering mode indefinitely. I wasn't expecting Madelyne's intervention!"

Madelyne shrugs innocently, "Sorry, babe."

Sebastian pats Hammer on the back, "Mr. Hammer, perhaps we can negotiate a deal..."

"I'm listening...," Hammer says angrily.

"If Cable here joins the Inner Circle, the Hellfire Club will not get all of the safehouses, only those located in North America. Think about it, you will have the rest of them to yourself. You can use the technology for your own use." Shaw has his game face on, he was determined to make Cable a member.

Hammer holds out his hand, shaking Shaw's. "Alright, deal." Hammer smirks slightly...they don't know about Boroh's ship.

Shaw approaches the wounded Cable, "Well, that's that, Nathan. Will you join us as the new White King?"

Cable keeps his eyes off Shaw and remains silent.

Shaw violently grabs Cable's collar, shouting, "YOU WILL JOIN US OR YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WILL DIE!!!!"

"Think about it, Nathan," Madelyne begins, "Domino, Stacey, Sam, Moira, little Kenny, Blaquesmith, Rachel, GW....and your love, Irene. Do you want to lose them all?"

Cable's left eye glows as he clenches his teeth. Chen Mang and Gloom drag Irene in front of Cable. A Hellfire guard aims his gun at the back of Irene's head.

Normally, Cable would be able to snap the guard's neck with a little telekinetic pressure to the vertebrae, but his internal injuries and reforming techno-organic arm are causing his powers to be concentrated elsewhere.

"Alright..."

"I'm sorry?" Shaw asks with a smile. "I didn't hear that one..."

"I'll join you," Cable says, panting. "Leave them alone..." Cable can feel his dark emotions boiling within himself. Come on....resist the urge.....please.....

"Very good," Shaw says, lifting Cable to his feet. Shaw wraps Cable's right arm over his shoulder to support him. Cable zones out, blinking very slowly. "This calls for a celebration!"

Gloom and Chen Mang drag Irene away and lock her in a cage, with energy bars. Rachel is in a similar cage next to her, still going through an advanced simulation. Blaquesmith is then rolled into another cage, still in his cot, extremely weakened.

As the Inner Circle members congregate around their newest member, Blaquesmith gives a longing look to Irene. Irene wipes her cheeks of tears, "Blaquesmith?"

"I'm dying, child.....*cough*.....there's something I need to tell Dayspring....he must know.....*coughcough*........," Blaquesmith barely manages to speak. "We are both too weak....to use our telepathy.....I need you to...." Before Blaquesmith can finish, he winces in pain, grabbing his side.

"What is it, Blaquesmith? What does Cable need to know?"

"His destiny.....awaits him.......soon......." Blaquesmith slips into unconsciousness.

Irene slumps to the floor of her cage and begins to sob. "I love you, Nathan." she says within her mind, hoping Cable heard it. But she isn't sure that he did, for the Inner Circle was now gone. All that remained were their guards and Hammer, who was still connected to the computer.

Rachel is squirming on the floor, with drool pouring from the side of her mouth. "N-no....Sentinels.....death....Hounds....kill......mutants....kill.....mutants.....death.....kill......death........."

Irene lays on the floor, hugging her knees against her body. Her journals were now in the hands of Hammer, but all she worries about now is Nathan Summers, the Askani'Son. The Chosen One. Cable. The love of her life.

It was more of a fascination of him at first, but that fascination evolved into friendship, then a lust for love. Irene never had a man respect her or her talents before. If it weren't for Cable, Irene would be dead. Killed, dubbing her a tabloid reporter for all eternity. But Cable gave her a second chance, she was made the Chronicler. Her destiny is of the utmost importance -- to make Cable's actions into words that can be interpreted by anyone. The Book Of The Askani'Son is like a Bible for people to abide by.

Irene is determined, now more than ever, that her masterpiece will not end this night -- or for years to come. She was going to bust out of her cell, and tip the scales towards the good side.

The question is...how?

Suddenly, the world around Irene stops in its place. There is no sound, for there are no vibrations or any kinetic movement. Time has been halted. A glowing man with a blue robe appears, hovering towards Irene.

"So...you're Aéulgo?" Irene deduces.

He smiles, "Your intuitiveness is impressive, Chronicler."

"Yeah, so I've heard," Irene says, slumping down in her cell. She notices a Hellfire guard is...or was...picking his nose at the time of Aéulgo's entrance. "Shouldn't you be talking with Cable?"

"The Chosen One does not need to hear this, but you must. I have been indeed influencing Cable's life -- contrary to my denial of it to him. Blaquesmith and I worked closely in his years in banishment, using my knowledge of the past, present, and future of trillions of timelines. We planned everything...even involving the Mother Askani, Rachel..."

Irene looks at Rachel, frozen, in her cell. "God, I'd think she'd be part of the planning process..."

"Rachel didn't know of my existence, even in her death. She was merely a piece of the chess board that was positioned to pave the way for the knight, her brother...the Chosen One. Through Blaquesmith, I was able to have Rachel act through me without her even knowing."

"Why is Cable called the Chosen One?" Irene asks.

"He was chosen at birth by the Sixth, the beings more powerful than me and my race of Fifth Dimensional beings, to bring an end to a terrible evil that will ensure death in many timelines. The Sixth influence all there is...all that will be."

"Like the Fates?"

"They have many names..."

"Why am I being told this?"

"You are the Chronicler, your masterpiece will be used in the far future -- translated into every sentient language in the universe. Sure, your true name will be forgotten, but you will always be known as the Chronicler...that is the only title you need...you must know what I am telling you."

Irene remains silent for a few seconds, if time really exists in this anomaly. "If the Sixth are so powerful, more powerful than you -- a god -- why can't they just stop this evil themselves?"

"That would be a display of power too vulgar for the Sixth to demonstrate, they need to maintain a sense of secrecy for the multiverse. They don't want to be worshiped as gods any more than I do. We just exist, trying to bring justice to a chaotic universe."

"Using Nathan as your pawn? He's really had to suffer because of you..."

"I know...but it had to be done...for the greater good. Remember what I have told you...you will regain consciousness approximately one-hundred and eighty minutes from now..."

Irene opens her eyes, and looks at the clock located above the main computer. It had been about three hours as Aéulgo said. She was motivated now. In the end, it would be Irene Merryweather's writing talent that would save billions of lives...she isn't taking crap from the Hellfire Club or Hammer anymore...

NEXT ISSUE: While Cable is forced to partake in the Inner Circle's schemes, Irene is busy freeing herself -- along with Blaquesmith and Rachel. Plus, the issue's final scenes will force Cable to do the unthinkable to lead him to his ultimate destiny!