Cable #65 Summary

by Rainer Ho Ten Soeng

Summary of Cable #65: Rachel Summers returns! The MARCH to ARMAGEDDON begins here! BURNED by the ACIDROID!

Technical information:
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release date: March, 1999
Writer: Joe Casey
Penciller: Ladronn
Inker: Juan Vlasco
Colorist: Gloria Vasquez
Letters: ST/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: Acid Bath

Main characters

Cable: Two thousand years from now, a dark era will dawn for mankind The achievements of generations past will be little more than dust, crushed beneath the iron heel of the ageless conqueror Apocalypse. In this future, mankind stands on the precipice of utter destruction. In the present there is one last hope for humanity -- a man who has traveled back to the twentieth century in a desperate attempt to prevent those tragedies before they occur. Now Nathan Dayspring Summers, also known as Cable, uses his mutant abilities of telepathy and 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 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.

Blaquesmith: The gnomish, misshapen enigma known as Blaquesmith has been Cable's mentor and task master, training him in the use of his great powers and following him through time to the twentieth century. Blessed with the innate ability to create all manner of high-tech gadgetry, Blaquesmith has often run afoul his pupil, as he is more than willing to deceive others, even his allies, in order to achieve his goals.

Stacey Kramer: A young waitress from New York who works in a dinner called 'Babel's'. She has come to know Nathan in time after he became a regular customer of that restaurant. Besides working as a waitress, Stacey studies medicine in the hope of becoming a doctor one day and thus improve not only the lives of others but that of herself and her little brother Kenny as well. Perhaps it was due to her knowledge of genetics or perhaps it was due to her personal feelings for him, but fact is that Stacey reacted quite cool and calm when he recently told her that he was actually a mutant. Right now she's one of the few people who Cable really trusts and who are close to him.

The Askani: Founded by Rachel Summers, also known as Mother Askani, they are a quasi-religious group of freedom fighters in the future epoch from which Cable came. It was Mother Askani who brought the infant Nathan Summers to the far-flung future in order to protect, train and nurture him as the 'Askani'Son' who could lead them to victory over the forces of evil one day.

Ozymandias: Once, before a thousand sunrises, Ozymandias stood proudly as a king among his minions. But that was before the dark one called Apocalypse felled and imprisoned him for his resistance and disobedience to the High Lord. Now Apocalypse has cursed Ozymandias in the most horrible of ways: the former king has to set his blind eyes and his stone hands to one singular task: in order to fend off the madness which would otherwise overtake him, he has to record all the images Apocalypse makes him see and etch them in stone like a sculptor.

Remarkable quotes:

1. Creation from nothingness .... an idea brought forth from the emptiness .... there is nothing sweeter. Your visage is cold and lifeless .... but only because I built you that way. My perfect Acidroid .... so simple in design and execution. (The Tinkerer)

2. Tragedy never seems to need a reason .... but that doesn't mean there's no one to blame. (Cable)

3. .... But never has this barren desert been so snowswept as you are seeing today. This event -- one of several yet to come -- has been foretold. It is a sign .... one of a series of prophecies I have carved in stone! -- .... -- As I said, ice in the desert was the first portent. The next sign is written here. -- .... -- Simply put .... the world will know darkness due to the machinations of a single, powerful being. Not Apocalypse, but nonetheless a sign of his ultimate ascendancy. And you would do well to heed these signs, for they are not mere possibilities. They are an absolute. (Ozymandias)

4. The coming of Apocalypse .... the final confrontation .... Dayspring .... by the Bright Lady, it is happening!" (Blaquesmith)

5. Wait a minute. That's not it at all. I hope you know .... I'd help him if I could. I'd do anything for him I was capable of .... but the fact is, I don't have my telepathy. Not anymore. I lost it not long after we met. Once, I was able to read minds, project my own thoughts .... but no longer. What kills me is that I might have been able to help Kenny .... somehow. I don't know .... but now I'll never know. I have to live with that. (Cable)

6. Looks like your friend's accident isn't an isolated incident .... someone's out to tear down this neighborhood, building by building. And people's lives aren't a consideration. -- .... -- I guess it's time I take a more active role in all of this. (Cable)

7. My adversary burned itself an escape route .... right through the bedrock. It used acid to disintegrate the building's foundations .... and, most of my uniform, as well. -- .... -- It wasn't enough. It's never enough. If there had been people living here .... I would have been too late to save them. And you .... you could've been hurt, too .... (Cable)

8. .... let me ask you this .... how did all this stuff you're referring to become your responsibility? I mean, you're really taking this personally, like it is pre-ordained .... does Captain America obsess like this? (Stacey Kramer)

9. Nice outfit. That's a .... new look for you, isn't it Nathan....? (Irene Merryweather)

10. Extreme measures call for extreme actions .... that's what war is all about. .... I've been spending the last few weeks figuring out a few things .... about me and what I am. A man .... a mutant ....a friend .... a soldier .... Took me a while to reconcile all these things .... and all the responsibilities that go with them. Well, I've reconciled them. Now I know .... now I am ready. (Cable)

11. NO! I won't let this happen! Not this time! Have to reach out with my telekinesis .... Haven't attempted anything this ambitious since my TK returned .... but I don't have a choice! If I can expand my telekinetic field wide enough .... I can actually hold the building together .... prevent it from collapsing! -UHNG! - It .... worked! I did it! Thank God -- ! (Cable)

12. Nice to be remembered Nate. Wish we had more time for a proper reunion, but I'm here for a specific purpose -- one I'd give anything not to burden you with. It's time for you to step up and accept a new responsibility .... this information is vital to the success of your mission here. Call it .... your destiny. -- .... -- Sorry for being so abrupt .... but time is a factor, even to the Mother Askani. Soon what I have given you will become clear .... it will seem as if you've always known .... only then will you know what to do. No matter what happens, little brother, know that I love you .... And I'll always be with you. Remember .... you're a Summers. You can do anything. (Rachel Summers)

13. The end of everything is no game .... merely an inevitably. There is but one glimmer of hope for humanity. A collection of individuals who may be able to avert this final disaster. They are known as .... The Twelve. (Ozymandias)

14. The being (Apocalypse's Harbinger) has seen many things since its awakening .... but nothing has struck such a chord within it like the industrial panorama laid out across the world directly below it. It is not a familiarity it feels .... but pure contempt. And very soon .... there will be a final reckoning. (Joe Casey)

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Summary of Cable #65: Rachel Summers returns! The MARCH to ARMAGEDDON begins here! BURNED by the ACIDROID!

A dark and messy laboratory, scarcely lit by a few lightbulbs somewhere in New York City...
One should perhaps not guess it but right here a single and lonely man just has one of his finest moments ever: he feels like he will finally overcome the doubts and mockery of others by proving that he is still someone to be reckoned with. He's called The Tinkerer and he is a creative expert in designing and inventing all kinds of new concepts and things for whomever needs his services and is willing to pay for them. And tonight he is looking at his greatest creation ever: the perfect ACIDROID, a deadly and efficient robot which is yet still so simple in design and execution.... The world will respect and admire The Tinkerer once more after he has shown them what his ACIDROID can do! The notorious criminal organization known as the 'Maggia' has ordered him to demolish an entire city block in Hell's Kitchen and The Tinkerer trusts on it that his superiors will be pleased with him once they have seen how smooth and efficient the ACIDROID has done the job. Fame, wealth and admiration will be waiting for him and he will not let that opportunity go by just like that! Sure, Maggia bosses can be very .... uncivilized when dealing with persons who have disappointed them but really, what can go wrong when his ACIDROID is at the job?

The next morning it becomes clear how effective the ACIDROID really is. Nathan is rushing through the corridors of St. Clare's Hospital while wondering why his friend Stacey asked him to come see her so urgently. What could have happened? Did either she or Kenny have an accident? The Lord forbid that!
Fortunately, things are not that bad but they are worrying and serious nonetheless: after finding Stacey in the room where Emma, an old and homeless woman, is being treated, that becomes clear to Nathan. Stacey explains that Emma has been a regular 'customer' for years now. Emma is poor and homeless and she can't pay for her meals but out of compassion and friendliness Stacey has been giving her free meals for almost as long as she can remember. And Emma gave Stacey in return that which she still could give to others: her warmth, her friendship and her thankfulness. Through the years a unique bond was thus created between Stacey and Emma and it wasn't for long before they considered each other as friends. Every morning at six o'clock Emma would come in and order breakfast, day in and day out. That's why it was so strange that Emma did not show up this morning; that was not like her at all. Why didn't she come for breakfast this morning? Had something happened to her? Stacey was worried and since she knew where Emma used to sleep at night she decided to check up on her friend after work. One can only imagine how scared Stacey was when she discovered that the building in which Emma used to sleep had collapsed during the night! Luckily Emma was still alive when she was pulled out of the debris but she was seriously hurt and had on top of that some strange acid burns on her arms. The doctors didn't understand what could have caused those burns but right now that doesn't matter. What does matter is that an innocent woman who happened to be a good and decent person and friend, is now struggling for her life. Emma did not hurt anybody, she never broke the law and she was not bothering anybody. She just lived her life and tried to survive as best as she could. What has she done to deserve this? Stacey simply can not understand it. The world is unfair and cruel sometimes and to find some peace and comfort again, Stacey called for the one man who would understand her feelings and put her at ease again: her friend Nathan.

Cable feels for Emma and he's a bit shocked and surprised to learn that an entire building collapsed without apparent reason the night before. Could it be the work of a yet unknown evil force? This thing needs to be sorted out and to best way to do that is to check up on the disaster area himself. And so, after taking a last look at the unconscious Emma, Cable and Stacey leave for the collapsed building at 57th Street.

Meanwhile in Egypt things are no less confusing. Ozymandias has transported himself and Blaquesmith to the famous ancient pyramids in the midst of the Egyptian desert. The strange thing is however that the desert seems to have been snowswept like never before! Where normally the sun is shining and the heat almost unbearable is, there is now only lots of snow in whatever direction one choses to look! Blaquesmith sure is surprised to see the Egyptian desert being snowed under like this but he can not understand why Ozymandias wanted him to see this. Sure, having snow in the Egyptian desert in the summer may be extraordinarily rare, but it is not necessarily an unnatural or impossible phenomenon. So what's the importance of all this? Why did he have to see all this? What has this snow got to do with either Blaquesmith or Cable? Has Ozymandias fooled and tricked him? Is he playing some sort of game with him? Cable's mentor is about to walk away angrily when Ozymandias starts to explain. The fact that the desert has been snowed under is not so much an interesting natural phenomenon; no, it is a sign, a prophecy of things to come! The End Times are coming and this snowfall was just the first sign to point that out to whomever would know to interpret this event correctly .... And suddenly Blaquesmith understands what Ozymandias is trying to tell him! By the Bright Lady: the coming of Apocalypse and thus the inevitable final confrontation between the High Lord Apocalypse and the 'Askani'Son' is close by! Excitement and fear race through Blaquesmith and he realizes that he has got to see all the prophecies Ozymandias carved out in stone if he wants to make sure that Cable is prepared optimally for his defining moment of truth.... And without much further ado Ozymandias transports the two of them from the desert to an enormous underground complex nearly a mile below the city of Casablanca in Morocco.
It's almost unbelievable to Blaquesmith but the whole complex seems to be covered by the images and the symbols which Ozymandias has carved out in stone. It's overwhelming and confusing at first sight but with the guidance of Ozymandias, Blaquesmith soon discovers the signs and prophecies the former king was talking about. And by the look of it things sure do not look too good for humanity: seeing the Egyptian desert being snowed under is perhaps nothing to really worry about if you wouldn't know any better but the second sign will be most definitely a lot more frightening! Soon the world will know darkness due to the machinations of a powerful being. It will not be Apocalypse himself yet but the appearance of that being will undoubtedly be a sign of the Eternal One's ultimate ascendancy ....

Far away at the other end of the world, Cable and Stacey have no idea at all yet how much the world they know will change sooner than anyone could have predicted. For now that knowledge has not yet frightened and burdened them. That doesn't mean however that they are not encountering some problems and difficulties of their own. They have almost reached the building in which so mysteriously collapsed last night; and even though Cable is curious to find out what could have caused the building to collapse, that's not the only thing on his mind. No, he also wants to explain to Stacey why he didn't do anything for Kenny when she asked him to see if he could help her little brother. (see the previous issue for more details) He has been feeling bad about this for a couple of days now and he wants to prevent at any cost that Stacey draws the wrong conclusion or that this thing comes between them. Now seems like the right time to explain since they are walking all alone together. But before Cable can start to explain that he simply could not do anything for Kenny after the recent loss of his telepathy, Stacey more or less cuts him off by interrupting him, and telling him that he shouldn't be so hard on himself. After all she strongly feels that she had no right to ask him that even if Nathan would still have had his telepathic abilities. Kenny's Down Syndrome is simply something that both her brother and herself have to live and deal with for the rest of their lives. And although Cable is happy that Stacey didn't get any wrong ideas he still feels a bit down since somewhere somehow he feels that if he would have still had his TP he could have made a difference for Kenny...
Unfortunately both of them don't get much time to rejoice and enjoy this moment of friendship and understanding. Suddenly all the lights in the entire block go out as a result of what seems to be a major blackout. [Note: in X-Men #86 it becomes clear that it was not a normal black-out, but Magneto's actions which caused the lights to go out.] That in itself is strange enough but when strange lightning bolts appear out of nowhere all over the place, Cable realizes that something very unnatural is taking place here. There's no time to explain however: without a warning the huge building they were standing in front of collapses and Cable and Stacey are threatened to be buried alive under all of the debris! It's time to move and it's time to move fast if they want to live to tell the tale afterwards! And in an ultimate effort Cable and Stacey manage to escape the collapsing building .... it was a close call but they made it out unharmed and still in one piece.
But that's in no way the end of it for Cable: someone's obvious trying to tear down several buildings in the neighborhood without paying much attention to the lives of the people who are still inside them, and Nathan is planning to put a hold on that! This madness has got to stop and to make sure that happens Cable decides to take a closer look inside the ruined building. It's too dangerous for Stacey to join him but can do a just as useful job by calling 911 and alarming the police and the paramedics in case there are any survivors trapped under the debris. Inside the collapsed building Cable soon discovers that it was indeed something unnatural which took down the building as he spots the ACIDROID in the midst of all the debris. Cable immediately attacks in the hope of thus stopping the ACIDROID in its tracks but his attack unfortunately doesn't sort much effect .... The Tinkerer's creation almost immediately counter-attacks the Askani'Son by shooting streams of powerful and biting acid in Cable's direction. Nathan is completely taken by surprise since he didn't expect this at all. The acid is burning through his uniform and his skin and it wasn't for his techno-organic arm which protected his face, Cable's face would have been burned off! It all goes too fast and the acid is too powerful for Cable to react quickly and before he knows it the ACIDROID has escaped by burning itself an escape route right through the bedrock.
Cable has not only been defeated but he was also unable to stop that mindless creation from endangering more innocent lives. It's a bitter conclusion and Cable feels angry and frustrated .... how could he have rushed in head over heels without checking who or what he was up against? How could he have made such a rookie mistake? Worse yet, how could he mock his responsibilities in such an unprofessional way? Nathan is really dissatisfied with his performance to say the least and in a flash of frustration he takes it all out on Stacey who has entered the building just to make sure that he was okay.... Why has she entered the building? Doesn't she realize how dangerous it is here? Cable has failed to stop the ACIDROID and she could have easily been hurt in the process! Did not he tell her to stay out of the building and out of harm's way before he left?
But soon Cable realizes that he has no right to talk to Stacey like that. After all she only came looking for him because she cared for him! Stacey is not his enemy but his friend and Nathan makes up with her by apologizing and by promising her that one day he will explain everything to her about his task and responsibilities here on Earth. Perhaps she will then understand why Cable can not and is not allowed to take his own failings too lightly ....

Shortly after, Cable and Stacey leave the building after hearing the coming sirenes and after splitting up, Cable heads for his secret hide-out. In that safe house Irene is having her own set of problems: just like in the rest of the neighborhood all the electrical devices suddenly stopped working just like that! And what's even stranger is that even Irene's laptop which works on batteries is not working anymore! What could have happened? Surely this can not be a normal blackout, can it? The fact that Cable scares her with his sudden appearance in the dark and besides that looks like he has been in some kind of brawl doesn't do much to change her feelings of discomfort! What has happened to Cable? Who did that to him? In what kind of danger has he been? Unfortunately for her Cable doesn't take too much time to explain things to her: right now he has a mission to accomplish and stop that mindless creation from endangering the lives of more innocent people as if it were nothing. He's a soldier and Irene's questions and objections can not and will not stop him from doing what he has to do. Sure, he made a mistake by not being prepared for the ACIDROID and its type of attack but he's learned from that mistake and he will not fail again. He simply can't afford or allow that. No, he may have lost his first battle with the ACIDROID but there is still a war out there to be won and Cable is is determined to come out of it as victorious! He will face the ACIDROID again but this time he'll be prepared: Blaquesmith has designed him a special uniform and face mask which should be able to acid attacks of his robot opponent. Cable is ready to battle it out with the ACIDROID for the final time and if looks don't deceive us it's gonna be a showdown in Hell's Kitchen!

And Cable's help sure is needed! Shortly after the night has fallen the ACIDROID is sent out on its destructive mission again by his master and designer. It's a robot, a computer, a mindless automation and as such it doesn't question its assignment nor does it question or object against the possible loss of human lives. No, it was programmed to tear down buildings and that's exactly what it is doing when Cable enters the sight. He has managed to sneak up behind the ACIDROID but before he can actually begin to execute a surprise attack suddenly things go wrong! Somehow the ACIDROID must have sensed his presence because it suddenly turns around and starts spraying its poisonous acid at the Askani'Son! The acid which burned away his uniform and his skin is all over him again! But Cable is prepared for that this time and without any hesitation or worry about the acid he attacks the droid with his psi-mitar at its obviously most vulnerable spot: its control panel on its chest. Elephants and giants would perhaps have fallen down after this powerful attack but not the ACIDROID! No, on the contrary: Cable attack doesn't even seem to have scratched it! And much to Cable's surprise the ACIDROID ferociously reacts and counter-attacks! And this time its beams of acid are so powerful that Cable is thrown off his feet! Has it all been for nothing? Is Cable despite his experience, his skills and his determination simply unable to stop the ACIDROID? Has Cable come this far only to be proven a failure now? It sure seems like it .... Cable seems to be down and out and without his disturbance the ACIDROID continues to do that what it was ordered to: weakening the foundation of the building with his acid beams so that it will unavoidably collapse after awhile. And right now it seems like the ACIDROID has done it again: the building is coming down! Oh No! All those lives that will probably be lost as a result of this mindless destruction ....
No! Cable can't allow that to happen! He has to stop this disaster from happening even if it would be the last thing he'd ever do! And with an ultimate effort Cable does the impossible:by using his mutant abilities he creates a telekinetic field wide enough to hold the building together and thus prevent it from collapsing! It's an incredible feat and the Askani'Son proves again what he is here for: his mission is to prevent an ugly and dark future from happening by fighting evil and protecting the innocents and by the Bright Lady he will fulfill his mission even if that means that he has to tax and strain himself to the absolute max!
However the battle is not over yet. The ACIDROID may have failed to take down the building but that doesn't mean by a longshot that it is actually defeated! And to make things even worse, Cable is so exhausted after his effort to hold the building together that he is down on his hands and knees, desperately trying to catch his breath and grab his last stroke of energy. The ACIDROID uses this opportunity to the best of its abilities: it attacks Cable with everything it has and after a few seconds Cable is literally bathing in the biting acid! Is this the end then? Has Cable finally come at the end of the line?
A normal human would perhaps be lost but Cable most certainly is not an ordinary human! The uniform his mentor designed for him proves able to withstand the acid and thus provides Cable the few extra moments he needs to regain his strength. Cable really needed this little time-out but now he's back on the warpath full force again! With his telekinesis he can avoid being hit by the acid beams and with all of his strength he finally manages to pierce and destroy the ACIDROID. It's over, the danger has passed .... for now. Cable realizes that someone must have sent the ACIDROID to demolish all of the buildings in the neighborhood; and as long as that person is not stopped in his or her tracks one day this could start all over again. The battle is almost won, now it's time for the finishing move.
But before Cable can act on his intentions he suddenly feels the presence of someone standing behind him. And on top of that he suddenly hears a voice in his head as well! And much to Cable's surprise Rachel Summers, also known as Mother Askani, has arrived at the scene! Without warning, without announcement or without telling him advance that she'd come. But it's true nonetheless: right there before his eyes is Mother Askani, the woman who saved him from getting killed by the TO-Virus and who trained and prepared him for his unbelievably important mission .... And she hasn't come just for some small talk either! No, she has come to share some vitally important information, on which the success of his mission, his destiny will depend, with her 'little brother'. With a simple touch of his forehead, Rachel more or less overloads Nathan's mind with an unbelievable amount of information which is far too big to absorb at once. Cable is blown backwards in the expanse of his own mind and it feels like a dagger is being plunged into his brain. Rachel promises him that one day the info he has just received will become clear to Cable and then he will instinctively know how to act and what to do. And then, just as sudden and abruptly as she appeared, Rachel has disappeared again....
Cable is standing alone again in the damaged building next to the destroyed ACIDROID. He doesn't know what to make of Rachel's unexpected appearance yet but he does know that he has a job to finish: he has to stop the person who's behind the ACIDROID if he wants to prevent it going on a rampage ever again in the future.

The Tinkerer will probably have never been so glad before to have seen a hero like Cable: by following the ACIDROID's tracks backwards Nathan managed to find the laboratory of the Tinkerer. Cable arrives just in time to prevent two Maggia hitmen from taking it out on the Tinkerer because he disappointed their bosses. It it wasn't for Cable's intervention the Tinkerer would have surely been beaten to a pulp .... His dream of fame and wealth will not come out this time but in all likelihood he won't mind that too much: at least he survived to tell the tale afterwards!

Crime does never pay but unfortunately that wisdom doesn't seem to hold in the future if Ozymandias signs and prophecies are true: all the things Ozymandias has shown Blaquesmith inevitably point at the unavoidable coming of the end of times. Apocalypse's return is near and there's nothing or nobody which can stop or prevent the inevitably But there's one glimmer of hope for humanity. A vision has shown Ozymandias that not all hope is lost yet: there will be a small group of mutants known as The Twelve who may be able to avert this final disaster. It will not be easy and it will cost them much but they may be able to stop Apocalypse in his tracks before he can begin his reign of terror. It's just a little glimmer, a little spark but it is there nonetheless and it's all humanity can hope and pray for ....

Epilogue

New York City .... considered by some to be the center of civilization; considered by others as a place they would not want to be caught dead in. The enormous black out seemed to have struck all over in New York since the entire city is covered in darkness. And high above this crippled city Apocalypse's Harbinger wonders about the world which lies directly below it. Sadly enough it doesn't feel familiarity with the world anymore even though it was a human being itself long ago .... no, those feelings have disappeared without leaving any trace behind. Now it only feels pure contempt for this world and its citizens and very soon there will be a final reckoning! The events are set in motion and the End Times are coming closer with an unavoidable certainty... Soon ,very soon this world will change in ways nobody ever dared to dream of!

The Good

Hmmm... where shall I begin to avoid sounding too much like a fanboy? :-) I have become a big fan of Cable in time and this issue only confirmed that I have made a good choice in the past when I decided to buy this book on a regular basis! This issue had again a lot of goodies in it. To begin with it was good to see that we are finally moving towards the end of times. It has been Cable's mission and more yet, his destiny to face Apocalypse and defeat him and thus prevent a very dark and grim future from happening and I am glad to see that the moment of truth slowly but surely seems to arrive for the Askani'Son. The upcoming issues will be crucially important for Nathan and this world: will Nathan succeed? Will he defeat Apocalypse for once and for all? Or will the world know a darkness it has never known before? I just can't wait to see what's going to happen! Another good point was the second sign Ozymandias told us about: the world will know darkness due to the machinations of a single, powerful being ....
I have thought long about this and I must say this is a fascinating and interesting fact. Could Ozymandias have meant Magneto when he spoke over that powerful being that would put the world into darkness? In X-Men #86 it becomes clear that Magneto's EMP-wave disabled all electrical devices so the darkness Ozymandias was speaking about could mean the darkness caused by the master of magnetism since he made sure the lights no where on Earth worked anymore.... If this would be the case then it would be a beautiful cross-reference to the events which take place in the other X-Books.
But even if Ozymandias would not have meant Magneto but Apocalypse's Harbinger as the being which would put the world in darkness it still would be an interesting situation. It is said that the Harbinger only feels contempt for this world.... how will he act to that? Will he threaten the world to destroy it? Will he threaten to kill all off the weak with no mercy? And how will Earth's heroes and defenders react to that? This could lead to some interesting cross-over stories as well! Can you imagine Cable teaming up with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers in order to defeat the Harbinger? I mean... WOW! Talk about some dynamite stories! :-)
Besides that it was good to see that despite the loss of his telepathy Cable is still a powerful force to be reckoned with. The way in which he held that collapsing building together with his telekinesis was really impressive. But even more impressive was his determination to fulfill his mission by fighting evil and protecting the innocent. That ACIDROID had to go down and Cable did not let anything to stop him from achieving that.. He is a true hero not only because of his powers but much, much more because of his character and the content of his heart.
Interesting to see was furthermore the fact that Ozymandias seems to have chosen to oppose the High Lord once again. He seems to be sincere in his attempts to warn Blaquesmith of the coming dangers and I find it hard to believe that this all was according to the plan of Apocalypse as well. I don't think it's a trap, but for now I believe that Ozymandias wants to settle the score with that monster who cursed and humiliated him, a former king, in such a horrible way. The fact that Ozymandias freely speaks of The Twelve can be prove of this: after all The Twelve are the only ones who will have a chance of defeating Apocalypse and therefore I don't think that Apocalypse would have wanted his slave to tell Blaquesmith about them and thus create hope in the hearts of the people....
Will Cable be one of The Twelve? It sure seems like that way since Mother Askani gave him so much information. The info will be necessary for his destiny and mission as she said and I think that The Twelve will play an important role in the fulfilling of Cable's destiny.
Last but not least I have to compliment Ladronn with his exciting, beautiful and touching art once again: the scene in which Cable and Stacey had to run for their lives to prevent being buried under the debris of the collapsing building, the scene in which Cable hurt Stacey's feelings by taking his frustrations out on her and the scene in which we see Cable for the first time in his new uniform are all powerful and expressive. A job well done IMHO.

The Bad

In general I was quite pleased with this issue but there were some things nonetheless which you could question IMHO. For starters I didn't like the fact that the bad guys who hired the services of The Tinkerer were described as 'Maggia' bosses.... I mean I guess Joe Casey meant Maffia here, right? And if he did so then why not simply use the word Maffia? That would the issue more realistic and lifelike in my opinion. But why did he had to make up a word like 'Maggia'? It makes little sense IMHO and it sounds a bit .... 'childish' in my ears. Besides that you can ask yourself why the 'Maggia' wants all the buildings to be destroyed in the neighborhood? That is not explained properly in this issue. And why did they choose to use such a cumbersome way to achieve their goal? It would be more direct and effective if they would have intimidated those people out of there houses or if they would simply have blown up the buildings if they wanted to possess that piece of land they were built on. But why rely on an ACIDROID, a creation by an eccentric man like The Tinkerer?
A whole other thing was the fact that Stacey gave up her hopes so easily for Cable being able to somehow make her brother 'normal' again. Sure, the fact that she is a medicine student and that she is a sensible and smart young woman will have played a role in this but I feel that it would have been interesting if Stacey would have hoped for a 'miracle' a little bit more intense.
My other worry is about Irene Merryweather. Right now she is nothing more than Cable's chronicler and as such she can easily become a very one-dimensional character. I mean what do we really know about Irene? What do we know about her life, her wishes, her fears, her mistakes and her successes? It would be neat if Joe Casey would address those questions even if Irene is 'only' a supporting character.
But these are just some minor points my friends! Overall I liked this issue very much and I am already looking forward to the next issue. The Askani'Son fascinates me very much and I just can't wait to see how he and 'Pocy will finally face each other man to man in the defining moments of his life! I have the feeling we all be in for the ride of our lives very soon! So hold on tight and hopefully we will see each other again in thirty! :-)

Excelsior!

Rainer Ho Ten Soeng