Washington, D.C.

Irene Merryweather approaches a desk and takes out her press ID. "I'm Irene Merryweather, reporter for the Daily Bugle. I'm here to conduct an interview with Madelyne Pryor, one of your prisoners."

The secretary files her nails and without looking up, says, "I don't remember getting any calls about a reporter."

Irene gets a discouraged look on her face, "Didn't my boss give you the heads up? This is a maximum security penitentiary. Do you think I'm lying about being a reporter? Why else would I be here with a bunch of nut-jobs?"

The secretary blows a bubble with her pink chewing gum, which pops and sticks to her face. "Like...eww?" She picks the gum off with her fingers.

"Are you listening to me?!" Irene blasts.

"Yeah, I'm listening."

Irene spins around and sees a dark-haired woman in a brown trench coat. "Who're you?"

The woman pulls out her CIA certification, "Agent Tracy Raymond. A...friend of Cable's."

"What kind of friend?" Irene asks curiously as she and the CIA agent begin to walk down the hall leading to the cells.

Tracy smiles, "Don't worry, ma'am...I haven't slept with him."

"But you and other government gurus dub him a terrorist?"

Tracy laughs, "His name was cleared. He defeated Boroh, probably saving millions of lives; he also saved me and my partner's life." Her stare suddenly becomes emotionless. "We've had a tough time keeping track of him as of late, however. Maybe you would know...Irene?"

"How did you know my name?"

"We're the CIA, honey. We know a lot. How's that biography, by the way?"

"Comforting. I'll never go to the bathroom feeling secluded again...," Irene retorts. "Biography's fine, as far as biographies go."

"Actually, there's a lot we don't know about Cable, like where he came from, or who his parents are. Prisoner 1412, Madelyne Pryor, claims to be his mother. She was the one who rescued him when we had him in custody a few weeks ago.* We're a little apprehensive about his loyalties, since this same woman who rescued him turns out to be a psychotic killer. All of our data on him has just suddenly vanished from our databanks as well."

(* Check out issue #19 -- Brad)

Irene notices they are in front of a large sliding door. Tracy swipes a card and the door opens after she punches in a clearance code. Irene takes a deep breath. If Madelyne exposed the truth, Irene could be in major trouble.

What would Nathan do in this situation, Irene thinks to herself. Ugh, he'd just mind-wipe this tramp and hightail it. What if the CIA wants my biography of Nathan? Oh Lord...help me...

"Are you coming?" Tracy asks. "Pryor's down this corridor."

Irene runs her hand through her hair, clearing her throat. "Yeah...just a little nervous with all the whackos around here...er, in here...as in the cells."

"Oh, that's okay," Tracy says with a friendly smile. "They're harmless."

"That's easy for you to say." Then again, after helping kick Boroh's gray ass, the psychos should be cake. *

(* Irene sure did help. Check out #20 -- Brad)

"We'll be monitoring the interview," Tracy says bluntly. "We need all the information we can pending Pryor's trial."

Trial!?!?!?!? Jesus Christ, Nathan! Why did you put me in this position?! Irene hides her inner thoughts by putting on a smile, "Okay."

Irene walks with Tracy down the hall, passing by many prisoners in straight jackets, separate from the two women by bulletproof glass. Irene sees one such man drawing like crazy. Papers are all over the floor. "Have to draw.....have to draw.....have to draw.......," the man keeps muttering.

Finally, the end of the hall. Tracy points to the left side to a darkened room. Irene pulls up a chair in front of the room and takes a notebook and pen out of her purse. She nervously clicks the end of the pen as Tracy walks away. Irene watches out of the corner of her eye until the CIA agent is nowhere in sight.

"You're quite the brave one coming here, aren't ya?" a voice speaks. It can barely be heard.

Irene tries to peer into the darkness of the room, but sees nothing. "Madelyne?"

"Yes..."

Irene clears her throat. "What's your...um...position?"

"I didn't kill anyone. It was Cable. I shouldn't be here."

"But you were part of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle, which carried out a lot of criminal activities for Shaw Industries. It might have been horrible what happened to the other criminals, but you were all criminals yourselves--"

"So that makes Cable one of us, then. He should be here."

Irene lets go of her heart and turns into her professional self, "So, you witnessed Cable kill those four mutants?"

"Yes, and he left me alive for me to take the blame. I was a scapegoat."

"Your psychological profile suggests that you are mentally unstable. Even if you claim you saw these things, it's very possible they didn't really happen," Irene comments, who is still surprised Madelyne hasn't addressed the fact they know each other.

"Mentally unstable? Have you read the descriptions of what happened to the four that died?" Madelyne shivers. "One had her neck snapped, rotated 100 degrees to the left. One was stabbed with a spear-like weapon. One literally had his head blown off. And Shaw...it was as if he was just completely shut down..."

"What are you implying?"

"I don't use weapons. I'm a mutant. I am my own weapon. Meaning I didn't kill them." Madelyne approaches the glass and presses her hands against it. All Irene can see are Maddie's red tresses. "You and I both know who did this..."

"Cable," Irene sighs.

China

Cable sits cross-legged in front of a small fire that seems to be burning from nothing. Nothing is keeping the fire alive. He's in a strange shrine of some sort. Candles are everywhere. The smell of sweetly scented wax is everywhere. It was like being in a friggin' Bath And Body Works store. Cable's eyes follow the perimeter of the shrine, catching a glimpse of ancient texts and weapons, as well as mystical herbs and potions.

["You have it all here, huh?"] Cable asks in Cantonese.

Liu Shan, a mystic warrior descended from many before her, smiles slightly. Her purpose in life was to watch over the orb which contained the evil force known as the Ahm-Zuin. But recently, even after defeating the Zealots of the Ahm-Zuin, the orb was stolen by robots belonging to the industrialist, Drake Lee.

["I am sorry, Cable...I am a bit depressed...,"] Liu responds.

["Don't let this get you down. We'll get the orb back."]

["It's the principle of the thing. I've failed!"] Liu shouts. ["The one thing in my life I was born to do..."]

Cable gently puts his hand on Liu's shoulder, awkwardly trying to console her. ["It's not as bad as you think. I'll help in whatever way I--"]

["You don't get it, Nathan! This is my destiny. Whatever yours is, it does not happen here in China!"]

["How do you know?"]

["How do you know?"] Liu asks.

["I've been called the Chosen One on more than one occasion...uncomfortably too many times."]

["So have I,"] Liu says. ["It's a pretty generic term that's used loosely. Check the ancient scrolls if you want. Five different people are referred to as the Chosen One!"] Liu bangs her fist through a wooden table, sending bottled herbs everywhere. ["No living being knows how to beat the Ahm-Zuin...if we are too late..."]

["We'll just have to go down fighting...like always. We might be different on the outside, Liu...but I think we are more alike than it seems."]

Liu clenches her fists and tries to fight the stinging behind her eyes. ["I'd always hoped I would be the one to play the hero and save the world...but now I don't think I want that burden..."]

["No one else does, either. That's why people like you and I have to."]

Liu laughs, despite her tears, ["I am no Iron Man or Captain America...I work as a part-time gymnastics teacher doing anthropology on the side...this family tradition was not what I woke up to every morning. Yes, I checked on the orb every chance I got--"]

["But you got lazy. Sloppy."]

["You dare--?"]

["We all make mistakes, Liu. My destiny was to kill a madman named Apocalypse. Seems that destiny was a little unclear. I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do, or what my purpose is. But I fight every adversary I come into contact with...as if it will be my last. As if...maybe - just maybe - my destiny will be fulfilled...and I can...rest. I've been fighting for almost forty years straight...but I never gave up."]

["I have not been fighting that long, but my family tradition has survived many centuries. I may have not been the most enthusiastic about being forced into this, but I still did it."]

Cable smiles, ["See? You're a natural at this. You can bounce back."]

Liu unsheathes her sword. With a slight gesture, a similar sword unsheathes itself and flies to Cable's hand. ["And you'll help me. But only until you train in the art of the Tao-Chi..."]

["Tao-Chi?"]

["A martial art form with a high-concentration of the cerebral cortex..."]

Cable smirks. ["Alright..."]

Washington

Irene somberly walks out of the cell area, escorted by Agent Raymond. "You did the right thing, Irene."

"Am I going to have to testify or something?"

"Well, we now know Cable is the murderer, but we're keeping Pryor here since she's obviously a few stars short of the galaxy."

"Well, you're not getting your hands on his biography. That's mine."

Tracy sighs, "You can't withhold evidence from the authorities...you should know that."

"Why are you doing this? I thought Cable saved your lives?"

"Yes, but my partner and I soon realized he was sucking up to us."

"He isn't like that--"

"He was getting on our good side. It almost worked, too. We were ready to clear his name, even after what he pulled on the West Coast. We're having some trouble creating a new electronic file, so we've started a new one the old fashioned way."

"You can't catch him, believe me. He's more than a step ahead of you."

"Doesn't that scare you, Irene?"

"Not really. I know Cable on a personal level. He isn't like that at all--"

"Would it scare you if he decided to unleash his power on New York? Tokyo? Moscow? Every major city you can think of? If he's got access to high-tech or alien equipment, you never know..."

"You don't have proof that he's a terrorist."

"The Avengers have been alerted to keep their eyes open. I want the biography sent to me immediately, or I'll put out a warrant for your arrest. The United States government doesn't mess around."

"Ever ask the Avengers what they think about Cable? They've teamed up before. They trust him."

Tracy looks at Irene emotionlessly, "That will be all, Ms. Merryweather. I pray you'll meet with our demands. I don't think your job as a reporter can afford to be jeopardized by an incident like this."

Irene sighs, "No...I'll cooperate..."

There is a clash of thunder, or what sounds like it, and a flash of light. Soon, a tear in space opens, taking the form of a giant white sphere. Cable and Liu jump out. The sphere seems to instantly disperse.

["How did you do that? Where are we?"] Liu asks. She draws her sword.

["I'm not sure where we are, but my UFO friend picked up the disturbance here,"] Cable responds. He draws his sword as well, examining the rough terrain. He looks up and finds a temple of sorts sitting on top of a steep mountain. ["There."]

Before Liu can peer into the distance, there is a stray blast that gets cut off by her quick reflex of the sword. Battle robots suddenly crawl from all directions, like ants ready to devour a carcass. ["Everywhere,"] Liu says wittily.

Cable grabs Liu's arm. ["I'll fend off these things, you go in there and get the orb back,"] he says, pointing back at the temple in the distance. Liu hesitates. ["GO!"] Cable shouts.

Liu takes off running, swiping at any droid she can with her sword. Cable brandishes his mystic sword. He presses his index finger to his temple, mentally attuning himself to Prosh. "I need my psi-blasters, ion cannons, viper rays, psimatar, impact grenades..."

{{Anything else?}}

"Yeah," Cable grunts as he begins slashing at the metallic drones. "Would it hurt you to make me something to eat?"

{{I will see what I can do...}}

Another flash of lighting as a long staff with a strange blade on the end of it literally materializes in Cable's hand. The robots do not seem to be alarmed. Cable sheathes his sword and twirls his psimatar around, charging it with telekinetic energy. He fires blasts in all directions, taking down one robot after another.

The robots begin to claw their way onto Cable, smothering his body. With a quick swell of adrenaline and a telekinetic pulse, the robots are flung off of him. He wipes blood from his nose. "Might need some sinus treatment later, Prosh."

{{How about aspirin?}}

"I guess. Arm your blasters, fire on locations based on my visual synapses!" Cable shouts.

{{Locked on.}}

"Deploy."

Fire from the sky falls to the Earth as Prosh unleashes a deadly photonic ray upon the approaching robots. The shockwave of the blasts hitting the mountainous region alone are enough to demolish the rest of the robots. Cable catches a glimpse of Liu climbing up the steep mountain to reach the temple. She turns around briefly in response to the explosions, but keeps on pushing. Once she reaches the top, Cable takes a running leap, telekinetically propelling himself to her location.

["Ready?"] Cable asks.

["Are you trying to make fun of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or something?"]

["Um...never saw it."]

["Hmph. Westerners..."]

Cable and Liu both kick open the wooden doors and walk into the temple. Sitting there in his chair, is Drake Lee, or rather, the Ahm-Zuin's current host.

["Welcome to me...for I am death and destruction...I am Ahm-Zuin!"] the reptilian creature cackles.

["Oh no...the Ahm-Zuin has been released from its prison!"] Liu shouts. She gets into the attack position. The Ahm-Zuin hovers out of the chair, pushing it out of the way. Its touch burns the chair into ashes.

Cable drops his psimatar on the floor and takes out his sword.

["Remember what I have taught you, Cable,"] Liu says.

Cable takes a glance at the creature, ["Uh...sure...no problem..."]

NEXT ISSUE: Liu and Cable must square off against the Ahm-Zuin, or all hell could break loose. Meanwhile, Irene is in a dilemma -- will she turn her biography of Cable over to the authorities, or be arrested?