Cable #62 Summary and Review

by Rainer Ho Ten Soeng, The Mighty Juggernaut

Summary of Cable #62: Howling Commandos! The Nemesis Contract Pt. 4 of 4.

Technical information:

* Publisher: Marvel Comics
* Release date: December, 1998
* Writer: Joe Casey
* Penciller: Ladronn
* Inker: Juan Vlasco
* Colorist: Gloria Vasquez
* Letters: R&S Comicraft
* Editor: Mark Powers
* Editor in Chief: Bob Harras
* Total number of pages: 32 pages with ads; 23 pages without ads.
* Subtitle of the book: Strange Agencies; The Nemesis Contract Pt. 4 of 4

Main characters in the book:

Cable:
Nathan Dayspring Summers a.k.a. Cable, uses his mutant ability of telekinesis to fight for a better tomorrow -- and seeks his own fate as a man out of time.

Irene Merryweather:
A former reporter for the muckraking Inquiring Eye, Irene dreamt of one day working for a legitimate newspaper such as The Daily Bugle. But when her investigations led to the loss of her friends and her job, Irene dedicated herself to chronicling the life and mission of the man called Cable.

Nick Fury:
A decorated hero of World War II and a man who has laid his life on the line for his nation countless times. Colonel Nick Fury is the Executive Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., America's elite espionage and peace-keeping organization. Recently returned from a monthslong deep cover mission, Fury is still in the process of re-establishing his position within the most secretive of government agencies.

G.W. Bridge:
Once a close ally of Cable, G.W. Bridge is now one of the highest ranking officers in the government espionage organization, S.H.I.E.L.D.. He has often found himself at odds with his old friend, and that conflict will soon cost him much.

Agent 18:
- His real name: Jack Truman
- His existence: highly classified, known only to a handful within the government.
- His job: S.H.I.E.L.D. manhunter, assigned to track down and capture - dead or alive - the country's most wanted fugitives.
- His abilities: deadly hand-to-hand combatant, marksman and strategist.
- His current mission: to secure the capture of the man called Cable!

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Remarkable quotes:

-1. "You see .... for every man, there is a moment. A defining moment .... a moment that separates him from the life he's known .... and propels him toward the next level of his existence. Every man has to find that moment -- discover it for himself. This is mine, Cable .... and yours." (Agent 18)

-2. "We're stuck in the middle of Naziland -- and we're gonna hit'em while they're still shakin'." ('Sarge', the leader of the four Nemesis units which survived the exposure to the techno-organic virus)

-3. "You have got to be kidding me! You waltz in here .... with your credentials and a cockamamie story ...? .... A reporter from the Inquiring Eye?! That rag?! And you expect me to take you seriously?! I don't abide conspiracy nutts in this office, missy!" (J. Jonah Jameson)

-4. "Understand something, Mr. Jameson .... I don't like the press. But things have happenend within my organization .... things that make me ashamed .... and I have a responsibility to myself .... to my commitment to what's right .... as well as an oftentimes forgotten loyalty to old friends. So far as you and your paper are concerned, the real truth will come out. What I am about to give you will ensure that. But as far as I am concerned .... you have never seen me .... I was never here." (G.W. Bridge)

-5. "Okay, men .... here's the situation. These robots were originally designed for covert espionage actions .... their basic programming is to win by attrition. Now, they have been modified using an unknown techno-organic substance .... they've achieved sentience and they've already taken out two security squads .... Onboard scanners have'em in the starboard engine room. If they take out those engines, we're toast -- and so are the four million or so inhabitants of New York City. This techno-virus is highly communicable. It is up to us to keep it contained. .... So I want you guys to follow my lead .... it ain't over till every last one of 'em is blown to bits! NO MERCY! NO PRISONERS!" (Nick Fury)

-6. "Out of the frying pan .... into the fire. Wouldn't have it any other way." (Cable)

-7. "You got an identity crisis, pal! But you ain't the only one -- I've finally remembered what it means to be in command around here -- and that means .... you can consider yourself discharged!" (Nick Fury)

-8. "There's no love lost between Fury and me .... will he act on that?" (Cable)

-9. "As all hell breaks loose around us, I feel a strange sense of calm. You feel it too, don't you, hero? I can see it in your eyes .... you have regained a part of yourself .... remembered that you're here for a reason, a higher purpose .... You wish it had not come to this. But for men like us .... true warriors .... this is how it's meant to be .... warring to the very end." (Agent 18)

-10. "I think of you quite a bit, hero .... I am wondering if you made it out in one piece. I hope so. You haven't disappointed me yet. I don't imagine you'd start now. Your moment's coming hero .... trust me." (Agent 18)

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Summary of Cable #62: Howling Commandos!

The Nemesis Contract Pt. 4 of 4

As the story begins we see Agent 18 doing a serious and intensive workout. As one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most skilled and notorious manhunters he has to stay in peak physical condition; seeing how serious he takes this workout he is obviously determined to stay the best at what he does. While he is training Jack Truman once again relives the events of the last few days. He remembers again how he tracked down Cable, how he fought him and took him down and how Cable was shunted away into the bowels of Extechop, a shadowy subdivision of S.H.I.E.L.D.. But most of all he remembers the pain of discovering how the suits in their offices took away his defining moment, his chance to prove himself and to propel himself into the next level of his existence. Fighting Cable and capturing him should have been his greatest challenge and his sweetest victory but it turned out that Cable was in severe pain and barely able to stand on his feet when he confronted him. Everybody could have taken Cable down in the shape that he was in but his superiors didn't tell him that and made him believe that this was going to be the assignment of his life. He has been cheated and misled and Jack Truman is not the kind of man who accepts that and doesn't try to do anything about it!

Elsewhere onboard of the Hermes, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier, Dr. Horatio Belgrade is reviewing the results of the Nemesis Program so far. The techno-organic substance which was taken from Cable proved to be much too aggressive for the majority of the Nemesis units which were exposed to it. Instead of becoming the ultimate and perfect S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, most units couldn't control and handle the virus and broke down beyond repair. Out of the ten original units only four have survived the experiment; the good news is however that those four units have undergone a startling metamorphosis. Dr. Belgrade is very pleased with the way those four remaining units have developed themselves and he is very eager to diagnose those units in an effort to learn the extent of their abilities and new programming. But shortly after he has entered the room in which those units were kept suddenly everything goes wrong! The Nemesis units seem to have a will of their own and without warning Dr. Belgrade is being attacked and killed by one of his 'creations'! The TO-virus must have done something horrible and completely unexpected to these robots for it has turned them into psychotic killers! Even worse those Nemesis units somehow believe to be in 'Naziland' and they are more than ready, willing and able to start a rampage on the Helicarrier in an effort to kill all the Nazis which have surrounded them. And by the looks on their faces Hell is going to break loose!
Unfortunately that is not the only problem which is threatening S.H.I.E.L.D.

At that very same moment Irene Merryweather and commander Bridge are sitting in a cab which will take them to the offices of The Daily Bugle. George Bridge has promised Irene to reveal the truth about the things which have happenend at S.H.I.E.L.D. and to help his old friend Cable out. And using the press could do miracles in that process. But seeing him sitting so silently besides her, Irene realizes how commander Bridge must be feeling inside. It must be a big turmoil inside Cable's former friend. He's putting his entire career on the line for Cable. But what if anything goes wrong? What if he gets fired? And what about all the S.H.I.E.L.D.-regulations he once promised to uphold and which he is now about to break now that he is going to talk to the press? Doing the right thing is not always easy and George Bridge finds out how true that statement is in that little cab ....

Back onboard of the Hermes, Nick Fury is very upset after he found out that Agent Quartermain among others restarted the Nemesis Project without his authorization! How dare he do that? What must have been going through Quartermain's mind to act on his own in such a foolish way? But at the moment that is the least of his problems. The four Nemesis units, who consider themselves to be 'Howlers' and who are 'called' Reb, Dum-Dum, Perce and Sarge (the leader; he looks like Nick Fury BTW! :-), have wreaked some major havoc and they have already taken down two complete security squads! It's war inside the Helicarrier but if there's one thing Director Fury knowh how to do then it is how to win a war in each and every way! Fury takes the lead without hesitation and under his command a new squad is formed to take those renegade thinking robots out the hard way! However, the situation is even worse than it looks like on first sight. The Nemesis units are still convinced that they are in Nazi territory and they plan to teach those Nazis a lesson that they will never forget anymore! They are heading for the engine room of the Hermes and plan to blow the entire vehicle and everyone on it to Heaven! Things are going wrong in a surprisingly rapid pace when the four units reach the engine room after relentlessly blowing away every resistance they encountered on their way from S.H.I.E.L.D. troops. Everything seems lost and an enormous disaster is about to take place when the unit called Reb aims his rocket launcher at the engines of the Hermes .... until somebody unexpected makes his entrance! Cable has been freed from the equipment which drugged him and held him captive and in all the fuss which was caused by those four robots going on a rampage, he managed to escape the Nemesis Lab unseen and in one piece. Cable is without a doubt the right man on the right place and without a powerful TK-blast he destroys that rocket launcher moments before Reb could launch its deadly and destructive content. The Nemesis units are obviously not very pleased with Cable's unexpected interference and a showdown between Cable and four renegade and fully armed robots is in the make ....

Meanwhile Irene and commander Bridge have arrived at the office of J. Jonah Jameson, the famous, or if you wish notorious, publisher of The Daily Bugle. Irene has told him about her suspicions regarding S.H.I.E.L.D. and the strange things which have happenend in Hell's Kitchen a few days ago. But Mr. Jameson is neither convinced nor impressed by Irene's story. In his opinion Irene, a reporter from that rag called the Inquiring Eye, told him some nonsense cockamamie story! How dare she insult him and his paper that way? How in the world could she ever believe that he would take her serious? How dare she waste his valuable time with nonsense stories about some major cover-up by S.H.I.E.L.D. to hide the fact that they were in involved in the events which took place in Hell's Kitchen recently? Jameson is about to throw the two of them out of his office when suddenly George Bridge interferes. He explaines that Irene is not only telling the truth but also that he, a high-ranked S.H.I.E.L.D. officer, can back her story up with some concrete evidence. Bridge is ashamed of the things which have happenend within the organization he has served so loyal for so many years and now he simply wants the truth to come out. Not only because of his responsibility and commitment to himself and what he stands for but also because of his all too long forgotten loyalty to old friends. The truth will cleanse away the rotten smell within S.H.I.E.L.D. and to make that possible he hands a computer disk containing all the evidence he needs to Mr. Jameson. And seeing that Irene's story was not based on hot air it looks like Jonah will allow her to write her story about S.H.I.E.L.D. for his paper .... Irene finally seems to have realized her longtime dream: she will write an article for a renowned newspaper like The Daily Bugle! Finally she will become a respected journalist working for a respected newspaper! At last after all these years!

But inside the Hermes things are not as happy and joyful: after destroying that rocket launcher, Cable is attacked full force by the Nemesis units and he has to give it his very best shot to prevent being killed immediately by them. However the Askani'Son knows what it is like to fight multiple enemies all at once and with his fighting skills and abilities he manages to decapitate and destroy one of the units. That makes it one down and three to go! But before he can take matters any further, the engine room suddenly starts to shake and pitch violently. The Howlers must have damaged the main turbine with their weapons when they tried to take Cable down! Nathan realizes that he must act quickly if he wants to prevent those robots to take down the entire ship. And therefore he damages one of the remaining units to the best of his abilities with an iron bar. It is not much and the unit is not destroyed but at least they will be slowed down which will buy Cable some valuable time. But then suddenly something unexpected happens: the damaged unit transforms into a robot version of Cyclops and attacks Cable with his optic blasts proclaiming that the Professor's Dream will endure! What is this? What happenend just here? And how is it possible? Could it be that the techno-organic virus has such shocking and startling effects when it infects a non-living entity? However, how serious these questions may be, Cable doesn't have the time to try and find some answers.

S.H.I.E.L.D. troops under Nick Fury's command have forced their way into the engine room and they immediately start to unload their weapons on their targets. Fury obviously wants these robots to be obliterated and Cable literally has to jump for his life to prevent being hit by one of the bullets being fired by both sides. Nathan realizes that he has got to help Fury to end the threat those psychotic robots present. And even though he is still worried about the effects of the techno-organic virus on those robots or the crew of the Hermes, he puts all of that aside and attacks the units with the full use of his telekinetic abilities. Two units are destroyed immediately but unfortunately their leader manages to escape. And although his 'mates' have been destroyed his fighting spirit is still unbroken. He confronts Fury and threatens to kill him with his bare hands but at that moment the warrior and soldier within Fury awakens and the Excutive Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. personally takes down the last remaining unit by blasting him to pieces with a huge shoulder cannon.

The units are destroyed, the danger is over but the tension is not out of the air when Nick Fury suddenly spots Cable in the remains of the former starboard engine room. There is no love lost between Cable and Nick Fury so Nathan anxiously awaits what Fury will do. Will he take him captive again? Fury doesn't seem able to make up his mind but then suddenly the decision is being taken for him: the damaged turbine is almost overloading itself and the engine room viciously trembles and shakes. Things are way out of control and the engines are about to blow themselves up. It seems like one crises has ended only for another crisis to start! Fury realizes that he and his men need to get out of there immediately and he decides to give the Askani'Son the benefit of the doubt: after all he did help to destroy those rogue Nemesis units and he has earned his freedom since he was only captured to 'participate' in a project Fury never authorized or ordered. But it is every man for himself and Cable will have to find a way out of that engine room by himself. And exactly that may not be that easy after all: Agent 18, after seeing all the reports about a showdown in the turbine chamber, counted on it that Cable would be where the action is. And again his hunch proved to be right. He finds Cable and confronts him once again. Cable has got his mutant abilities back in working order so there will be no more cheap victories this time. Truman's defining moment and his moment of truth has finally arrived! This is it; it's time to put up or shut up! Cable realizes that he will have to go through Agent 18 on his way out, there is simply no escaping it. And without further ado the fight begins between these two warriors. The fight is vicious and intense and Jack Truman is indeed just as good as his reputation promised he would be. But Cable is definitely a different man then the man Agent 18 faced a couple of days ago: his combat technique is calmer and more assured, he is quicker than before and most importantly his mutant abilities are not only back online but it's also clear that he is not holding back when he uses them!

It's not for long before Agent 18 is sitting at the receiving end of the table; he is going down and there's nothing which he can do about it! It seems like he has finally bumped into someone who outclasses him in every way! Suddenly the room starts to shake violently again and Cable realizes that both of them have to get out of there ASAP if they want to live to tell the tale. But being a true warrior Agent 18 simply can not accept Cable's offer to stop the fight and escape together while they still can. Truman is a true warrior, this is how it's meant to be and true warriors should be warring to the very end. And while he faces Cable for the final round of their fight the thing which Cable was so afraid of happens in all its ugliness and unavoidability: the engine room, being severely damaged already, collapses and a huge wall of fire lands on Agent 18! He is surrounded by the fire and the explosions and all hope seems to be lost for him. Cable regrets that things had to end that way but he realizes as the fire closes in on him that he can't stay there feeling sorry for Jack Truman. He has to get out of there and he has to get out of there quickly. Fortunately the Hermes has lost height after the engines at its starboard side blew up and after breaking a window Cable manages to jump safely and unharmed into the water of the East River. The nightmare is over and the darkness of the night has disappeared.

Things are are getting back to their normal routine in the next few days when Nick Fury seriously starts dismissing all the rotten elements within S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents Quartermain and Waters are fired and brought to justice together with a lawyer from Shaw Industries (!) who also played a role in all this. And alarmed by a shocking front page article by Irene Merryweather in the Daily Bugle, Senate hearings are being held in which the guilty are being exposed and unmasked to the public. Fury does a great job in controlling the damage for S.H.I.E.L.D. itself in this whole process and with a few tactical and slick remarks he manages to restore the public's faith in the government most secretive espionage organization.

But there is still one surprise left: Agent 18 has survived the fire bath! Even though the flames have 'eaten' away the biggest part of his body he is still alive. Who would have guessed that? The irony of it is that now he is the one who is being 'treated' in the Extechop division with the same kind of equipment he helped Cable escape from. His body may be demolished and burnt but his spirit is still unbroken and the book ends with a promise Agent 18 makes: somehow, someday he will confront Cable again. Cable's defining moment is coming and Jack Truman will personally make that moment come true for the Askani'Son!

The Good

Well, I am starting to fear that I am becoming repetitive here but the truth is that this issue again has a lot of good things to offer to its readers. The art and the story itself are both topnotch and both of them are being characterised by being exciting and dynamic. You will never get bored when reading this issue and IMHO that is always a good sign. The whole Nemesis Contract-storyline has been a very interesting and fascinating one and it has resulted in some rather radical changes for Cable: he has lost his telepathy for good, he has lost a substantial amount of the techno-organic virus which was rampaging his body, he seems to have found a 'new' old friend in the person of commander Bridge but he also seems to have made a new and dangerous enemy: Agent 18. Cable is definitely making some progress in life and I am glad to see that he has outgrown the period in which he was just a big, gun-toting guy with impressive mutant abilities. No, now we see a lot more of the human, the man himself and the people that surround him. We see him almost dying as a result of the techno-organic virus, we see him struggling, we see him suffering but we also see him overcome his problems and find his way out of whatever problem he might have gotten into. Interesting was also the active role of the people around Cable in this saga. They were concerned about him, they worried about him and they went to great extent just to help him and save him when he needed them most. No one can do it alone in this world and just like all of us Cable needs people on whom he can rely, whom he can trust and who will be there for him when he needs them. It can't say anything else besides that I am very satisfied with Casey and Ladronn's work; they really outdid themselves in this wonderful storyline!

The Bad

Ha! Shall I just leave this column empty? Just for once and just to make a statement? :-)

There really was not a lot which was bad in this issue IMHO and I am starting to wonder if it is even possible for Casey and Ladronn to put something bad into one of the issues they have worked on! But just like with the other issues I do have some questions which I would have liked to see answered:

- What happenend to the techno-organic virus which 'contaminated' the four Nemesis units when they were destroyed? Was the virus destroyed too or is the virus now on the loose in the Helicarrier?

- Didn't Agent 18's fate remind you of what happenend to Victor von Doom? Doom was also maimed seriously. And what about Truman's motives? I can understand that he wants to prove himself but he almost seems to be obsessed by Cable! And what will happen now that he has lost a great part of his humanity? Will he develop a blind hatred for Cable? And what will happen when they meet again? Will they fight again only to determine which of them is the strongest or will they fight on life and death?

- How come that TO-virus had such unexpected and malicious effects on those Nemesis robots? Does it have an evil effect on Cable too? And will Cable therefore start to change for the better now that he has lost a substantial part of it?

- And what about the Nemesis unit who spontaneously transformed into 'Cyclops'? How was that possible? And what it mean when it said that the Professor's Dream would endure?

- Last but not least: what interests does Shaw industries have in the TO-virus? If Shaw wanted that virus then why did not he try to take it from Cable himself?

But those are just minor points which don't change the conclusion that this was altogether a great and exciting issue and a monumental closure of an interesting storyline!

See you all in thirty!
Excelsior!

Rainer Ho Ten Soeng

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