Divide and Conquer

His name is Piotr Nikoleivitch Rasputin. Until recently he called himself Colossus. After spending a major part of his life with th X-Men, his allegiance now belongs to the followers of Magnus. A group known only as the Acolytes.
Not a bad kid really, just a lost lamb trying to find a shepherd to guide him. Unfortunately, the flock he has chosen to follow is actually a pack of wolves in sheep's clothing. He stands here in front of me alongside Milan, Amelia Vought, Unuscione, Javitz, the Kleinstock Brothers, Scanner, Cargill, Skids Blevins and Rusty Collins.
The Acolytes led me on a scavenger hunt, in search of Omega Red. Red himself was searching for a cure to his life draining vampiric lust, even if it meant destroying the human race to do so.
Seems the Acolytes knew his destination would ultimately be here at Magneto's Arctic base, so they ambushed him. The same fate awaits me unless I apply what little I've earned about this base towards my own survival.
"Lights off." Cable says calmly.
Ah, that's more like it. In the darkness my enhanced eye gives me a slight edge which I plan to exploit to the fullest.

Cable decks the Kleinstock Brothers and makes his exit.
"After him, NOW! Lights on! LIGHTS ON!!" Amelia Vought screams, but to no effect. "He knows."

Moments ago, I learned that this facility was voice activated. Walls effortlessy unfurl before me. Clearing my path, taking me to the very heart of the complex. Corridors seem to welcome me to this strange, new world. Never allowing me to break my stride. And it's not long before I realize...I haven't uttered one blessed word.
Finally, some uncanny sixth sense assures me that I have reached my goal. The very soul of this living edifice. And before me lies the doorway to that soul. It's eyes. A huge monitor that I'm sure allows total surveillance of this base. Now, if I can just get the blasted thing to work. Of course...
"Monitor on." Cable orders.
A flash of light and I'm plugged into everything the base sees and hears.
"He cannot elude us forever. And his escape route outside is blocked by Katu, who is holding down the perimeter field." Unuscione says to the Kleinstock Brothers on the monitor.
"Don't worry, Unuscione. He'll never make it that far." One of the brothers replies.
Oh ye of little faith. They've fallen for the most basic of all strategic ploys. Divide and conquer.
"Milan, you pickin' up any sign of him yet?" Javitz asks Milan, on another screen.
"I told you, Javitz, this fortress somehow jams my power to convert psionic impulses." Milan replies.
"So you're even more useless than usual." Javitz tells him, just before Cable switches screens again.
Perfect. They've placed my two biggest worries on the same team.
"I do not like his, Amelia. Our mission was to persuade Cable to join us. Not antagonize him." Colossus tells her.
"Unfortunately, Cable is too bull-headed to be persuaded by any other means. But I don't care who he is, he's just one man against all of us. And there's no way he can be everywhere at once." Amelia replies, as Cable watches the exchange on screen.
This could prove to be rather fun. I think I'll show Ms. Vought just how many things I can do at once.

"We'll take it one layer at a time, Cargill. As soon as we're close enough, this blasted unit should be able to pick up Cable's psi-patterns." Milan tells her, as he constantly watches his monitor.
"You still haven't convinced me that your 'unit' is anything more than a converted Gameboy, Milan." The super-strong Cargill replies.
"Hey, just because my mutant ability isn't as easily defined as say super-strength doesn't give everyone the right to--Wait a minute! I'm getting a picture from a very recent memory trace. It's...me? Upside down?" Milan says, puzzled.
"BOO." Cable says, hanging upside down, suspended by tentacles from the ceiling.
Milan has time to scream as Cable grabs him and disappears back into the ceiling with him.
"Milan! Milan?" Cargill yells, as she finds herself alone in the hallway.

"Did you just hear a scream?" One of the Kleinstock Brothers asks Unuscione.
"It was probably just the wind blowing through these tunnels." The beautiful young girl replies.
"Relax, Brother. Our quarry is but one man. Whereas we are three. Unless, of course you'd feel safer if we performed the merge." The other brother tells him. But the second brother has disappeared.
"Brother? BROTHER!" He yells, as he charges back down the hallway.
"No, you moron! Don't go back for him! Don't you see it's just what he wants us to do." But Unuscione now finds herself all alone.
Suddenly she senses someone behind her and forms a giant fist from her psionic force field and swings at Cable.
"Don't be a fool, Cable! You didn't really expect to sneak up on someone whose psionic exo-skeleton can pick up the subtlest change in air pressure, did you?" She asks him.
"Thought I'd give it a try! Just like I thought I'd give this a try!" Cable tells her, as he has the very walls form into a giant fist and smash against her force field.
"What madness? The very walls obey your every gesture. Just as my force field obeys mine." She says, amazed.
"Imagine that: and I owe it all to your friend, Vought. When that locked door blocked our path earlier, she told me that I could open it just by asking. So, I asked myself, 'Why didn't she ask it to open?' The answer? She can't! That's why your little troop wanted me, right? You figured that if I can psychically manipulate the techno-organics of my own body, how hard could it be for me to control an entire base composed of the same substance?" Cable explains, as he continues to have the giant fist attack her force field.
"Impossible! It's grabbed my force field! Squeezing...causing psychic..feedback..UNNHH!" Unuscione falls to the floor unconscious.
"Now, I'd better get back to Omega Red to see where he fits into all of this." Cable says, as he steps through the wall into another hallway only to find the other Kleinstock Brother and Cargill waiting for him.
"He is already gone! As will you be unless you tell me where you've hidden my brother and Milan!" He says.
"You first. What did you do with Omega Red?" Cable asks.
"You are in no position to barter, Dog! Since Omega Red can't get to space to cure his affliction, he's going to set himself off down here! In other words, in a few minutes, Red's gonna unleash his death spore across the planet. Now then, tell us where to find our missing comrades so that we can take them back to the safety of Avalon." Cargill says.
"And what? To blazes with the rest of the world? No dice, Cargill! You have a stake in this too, and I'm not gonna make it easy for you to just walk away!" Cable tells her.
"He may have a point. And besides, there's no time for argument." Amelia Vought says, as she approaches and turns herself and Cable to vapor and they disappear together.

"Why?" Cable asks once they rematerialize elsewhere.
"Let's just say that as Leader of this expedition, I feel it's gotten way out of hand. Yes, we originally sough Omega Red because we knew his threat would enlist your aid. And you now realize you role in all this. But I had nothing to do with the sabotage of Red's access to space. That was done by the others without my knowledge. You may not believe this, Cable, but some of the Acolytes have no wish to see humanity destroyed. We just want it forever sealed away from our affairs." Amelia tells him.
"Are you telling me everything?" Cable asks.
"No. But there is no time to--Uh-oh. We have company." Amelia says, as Colossus approaches them.
"Colossus. I'd wondered where he'd gotten to. Vought, you teleport on ahead. I'm going to find out if the Tin Man really has a heart." Cable tells her. And a moment later, Cable stands alone before Colossus.

"I don't have time for this Colossus, or Rasputin, or whatever you're calling yourself these days. So I'll make it short and sweet." Cable tells him. "Boishe Moi!!" Colossus exclaims, as tentacles from the ceiling drop down and ensnare him.
Cable makes to run past him, but Colossus reaches out and trips Cable as he goes past and tears the tentacles loose from the ceiling, freeing himself.
"Not so fast, Comrade Cable. You have no right to judge me after what I have recently endured!" Colossus tells him.
"You arrogant son of a bitch!" Cable yells.
"Do not be so quick to label me arrogant until you understand. The Acolytes have need of you, Tovarisch." Colossus says.
"Yeah? Well, you have a funny way of showing it!" Cable tells him, as he forms a giant fist from the walls to smash Colossus down.
Colossus grabs the giant fist and crushes it in his arms.
"Inside this techno-organic fortress, your telekinetic abilities are almost as formidable as those of your gene-brother Stryfe! Join us and perfect those abilities to protect mutantkind from his sort of treachery!" Colossus tells him.
"Is that what this is really about, Peter? Or do you want me close by in case I start becoming more like Stryfe? Maybe there's a part of you that blames me for your sister's death?" Cable asks.
"SILENCE! Do not bring my sister into this! She has nothing to do with my motivation!" Colossus screams.
"She has everything to do with it! Your resignation from the X-Men and their dream of harmony, your decision to hide your humanity inside that metal shell and your blind obedience to these lunatics as they plot the destruction of all humanity!" Cable tells him.

"NO!!"

Precious seconds later, after telepathically tracking them down. Cable bursts in to find Amelia helpless in the clutches of Omega Red.
"Ah, the little warrior! Rushing to save the damsel in distress?" Red asks.
"No rushing to kick your tail back to the cesspool that spawned you! You played me for a patsy during our first round, Killer! But now you'll find out why the third round's the kicker!" Cable tells him, as he first tackles Red forcing him to drop Amelia and then lands a blow which knocks Red into the far wall.
"You wiped the floor with me when I was anesthetized, Red. This time the boot's on the other foot!" Cable yells, as he knocks several of Red's teeth down his throat.
"Enjoy the moment while you can, little warrior. Time is the one thing you have precious little of!" Red tells him through bloody lips.
Cable turns to see a timer with the read out on twenty-nine seconds and descending.
"Fear not, Friend Cable! Once, I was powerless to stop this madman from butchering my people, but I will not allow it to happen today! I will mentally engage the base's teleportation matrix to transport us to space!" Katu tells him, as he scoops up Omega Red and makes to transport them both to deep space. "What? Nothing is happening! Someone is overriding the matrix! Cable!"
"I can't let you do it, Katu. This is not the answer." Cable tells the huge Inuit.
"Very well. You never would have made a good Acolyte, My Friend. You're too willful!" Katu tells him with a huge smile.

SHWAMM

Our Journey Continues With
The Ties That Bind

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