X-Writers is a non-profit fan-fiction group. Copyright 1996. The characters of Cable, the X-Men, etc.. are all properties of Marvel. None of them are mine at all, not that anyone would believe me if I said otherwise. I'm doing this without their approval or consent. This isn't because I have no respect for this great capitalist society that we live in. I love capitalism. Everything that's not owned by Marvel though, is naturally mine. ****** CABLE #31 "That Was Then, This is Now." Written by anonymous Edited by Andrew Wheeler Editor's note: This story takes place out of current X-Writers continuity and is set before Cable's death and rebirth. The author anonymous is our new regular writer on X-Factor. ****** The Jungles of Wakanda. Mid-Day. I don't know how long I've been in this hell-hole. It's hot, it's humid, there are bugs everywhere, and some guy's chasing me. I've been running for what seems like hours. It's funny, but I'm usually the one doing the chasing, but here, in this jungle, it's his home. He's the hunter, and I'm the prey. "Are you ready to talk, yet?" asked a voice. I answer by firing my energy rifle all around me. It's not like it matters. I don't have a clue as to where he is...I don't even know where I am. I take another look around and it all looks the same. I try my satellite tracker again. It's supposed to tell me exactly where I am on this planet. Nothing. Something's interfering with it, as well as every other form of radio communication. I could try telepathy, but I don't know if I can send a message so far. Besides, what would I say? I don't think the X-Men would understand, and X-Force? Well..it's better if they're not involved, especially Dom. It doesn't matter. I don't have a lot of time left. He's just toying with me. We both know there's no way out of here, but I'll be damned if I just give up. I decide to ditch most of my gear. The backpack, heavy weapons, all of that goes. None of it's going to help me much against him. This would be so much easier if I could just knock him out telepathically, but no go. Just my luck to be hunted by the world's greatest predator, and I can't do a thing against him. I tried touching his mind once...it's so fast...it's not human. I stand in the middle of a clearing, waiting for him. I have my arms to my side. There's no point to running any more. I'm tired and thirsty. I can't keep this up for much longer. He's here, I can feel him. I'm going to have just one shot at him, and after that, I'm gone. So come on already, I hate waiting. There! I hear a noise behind me, like a cat jumping out of the trees. I draw and fire both of my pistols, as well as a blanket field of telekinetic energy. They hit something. I run towards my target. I guess I got cocky, hey, can you blame me? I wasn't in the best of moods. Another shadow burst out from above, and someone kicked me in the head. I crumple to the ground once again. "@*#(!!!" I cried out. I'd been suckered....again. This wasn't going to be pretty..... ********** Brazil, 10 Years Ago. There was a sudden explosion. The wall to the command center was breached, allowing a small squadron to rush into it. A smoke grenade was thrown into the midst, blinding the already confused guards. "Move! Move!" cried out a voice. And in a matter of seconds, and a short storm of gunfire, all of the guards were down, but not before they set off the alarms. ..... A miniature grenade launcher easily sealed their make-shift entrance with tons of rubble. "Bridge! How long do we have?!" shouted Cable, as he dropped the grenade launcher. "Sixteen minutes, tops. Dom and Grizzly are going to delay the Skull's reinforcements as long as they can, but the reinforcements are tough, not like these losers," replied G.W. Bridge. Cable took a cursory glance at the room they were in. The command center for the Red Skull was smaller than he expected. It would be easier to defend, as a result. Most of the walls were lined with enormous computers. On the eastern face, there stood a solid titanium vault door, easily seven feet tall and several feet thick. Both of their targets were here. "Fine, Hammer, hook into their system, now! Kane, you keep a look-out for any trouble. Mac, I want you to take a look at the vault, get us in there, fast! Bridge, monitor communications with Dom and Grizzly, and tell me the instant things blow up," ordered Cable. "Right," "Right," "You got it," "Move it, people! We're not getting paid to sit around looking like idiots. We've got less than 16 minutes to sabotage the Red Skull's base and get out with those bearer bonds," said Cable. The team worked smoothly as one unit. Hammer plugged a small box into the Red Skull's systems and instantly began to access it. Kane ran towards the only door to the room, heavily armed and ready to fire. Bridge turned on his scanner and began to monitor communications, his hands were on his rifle, ready to back up Kane at a moment's notice. Mac began to take a handful of small gadgets off of his belt, he attached them to the enormous vault and began his efforts to open it. "Hammer..." "I'm working on it Nate...almost there.." said Hammer. He hated being questioned all of the time. Cable was always too impatient. "Mac..." "G-Give me th-three m-m-more minutes," stuttered Mac. "You've got one," said Cable. "Jerk." Cable sighed. Mac was a new recruit. Cable liked him enough, but Mac got nervous too easily. Still, he was the best when it came to opening locks and breaking into buildings. "Nate, Dom and Grizzly are pulling back. They said that the reinforcments are coming in from two different flanks, they can't hold them off," said Bridge. "All right, tell them to get the hell out of there and meet us at the pick-up point," said Cable. "Hammer...Mac, we have to go!!" screamed Cable. "I'm in Nate!" said Hammer. "S-same here!" said Mac. "Initiating a complete core dump.....sealing all security doors...got it. Their system is completely shut down, and their base is locked!! Yes!" yelled Hammer. "Mac... Are you ready?!" asked Cable. "I'm moving, I'm moving!" The lock to the vault suddenly spun open. Mac rushed inside and hurriedly began to shovel the bonds into two shoulder bags. The clock was ticking. He moved like a man posessed. "Nate! Troops!!" shouted Kane. The Red Skull's reinforcements had broken through and were now moving in force. "Mac come on!! They're here!! Bridge, Kane, hold them off as long as you can!!" screamed Cable. "D-d-dammit, Nate, I'm w-w-working as fast as I can...there..got it! G-go! Go! Go!!" Mac quickly zipped up the last of the bags and began to move out. Had Cable paid attention, he would have noticed a hesitation in Mac's movements, but there was no time for that. He was too busy blowing a door open on the face of what was the northern wall. Cable, Bridge, Hammer, Mac and Kane all rushed outside. Concern for Domino and Grizzly briefly flashed through Cable's mind, but he knew them well enough to know that they'd probably be waiting for him already...at least, he hoped they would be. There were scattered guards all over the base, but the confused, underpaid soldiers were no match for the highly trained and well-equpped pack. "Hoo-hah! All right, Nate! We got 'em on the run!!" howled Kane. He fired some rounds into the empty air. "Shut up, Garrison, and keep running!" barked Cable. The pick-up point was a clearing approximately five miles from the base. It was closer than Cable would have wanted, but they didn't have very much of a choice. The EMP grenades that he planted would hinder the Red Skull's efforts to track them down, but it wouldn't last for long. ******* Five Miles Away, at the Pick-Up Point. As Cable had hoped, the helicopter was there, waiting for them. Grizzly and Domino had already gotten inside. Domino had moved from the cockpit and let Hammer take his traditional place as team pilot. "All right folks, move! Move! Move!" cried Cable, waving his rifle. "Not bad, eh Nate? We stopped the Red Skull and got off scott-free!!" exclaimed a jubilant Kane. "Garrison, don't kid yourself if you think we did this to be heroes. It was for the money, nothing more. Now, shut up!" shouted Cable. He glanced backwards and saw the Red Skull's army heading towards them. Bridge and Kane had just gotten inside, and he was now waiting for Mac to climb aboard. "Mac, what are you waiting for?" shouted Cable. He started running towards Mac. Time was running out and he had no patience for this kind of idiocy. "I...I'm coming..." mumbled Mac. He had a panicked look upon his face. He was shuffling his feet backwards. Finally, the confusion in his face seemed to die away, as Mac came to a decision. "I mean...I'm...I'm sorry, Nate," whispered Mac. He reached into his pockets and threw one of the EMP grenades in front of Cable. "Ghyaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!" cried out Cable. Cable collapsed to the ground. His arms and legs began distorting and warping in shape. He shuddered uncontrollably and began to go into a fit. The setting on the grenade was low enough that it wouldn't kill him, but it served its purpose. Domino and Bridge rushed out and grabbed the wounded Cable. Domino looked at Mac for the briefest of moments, and then she and Bridge carried Cable towards the helicopter. "N..no....get....h-h..hi-huuhhhk!" stuttered Cable. "Dammit, Hammer, get us out of here! The Skull's troops are almost on top of us!!" ordered Bridge. "The money!" cried Kane. "Forget the damn money, Nate needs to get to a doctor now!!!" ******** Today... That was then, this is now. The Panther threw another kick at my face. It connected once more. Something's wrong. I'm stronger than this guy, I know I am. I've been fighting for longer than this guy's been alive, but.. "WHOOOF!" He's beating.... "HUK!" the crap... "Accckk!" out of me... "Dammit, that's it!!" I cried. I can't even see straight anymore. Avenger or no Avenger, I'm not taking this kind of beating from anyone. I reach to my side holster and whip out a small plasma pistol. I don't even bother to aim. The guy's right in front of me, there's no way he can dodge. Unfortunately, he knew it too. He twists around the first two blasts. Before I fire my third round, he's there. He grabs my arm and twists it upwards. The only thing my plasma pistol's hitting now are the clouds. I can feel my muscles shredding. Damn him! But I'm willing to bet at this range, I can try my powers on him. Telepathy won't work, but TK should.. I focus as much power as I can muster, and unleash it in one burst of force. I'm not aiming at anything. I just want this guy off of me. "Hooph!!" cried the Black Panther. I knew it, he's human. The blast throws him at least fifty feet across the jungle. I hear him land, it doesn't sound pretty. I stop for a moment to catch my breath. My eyes are swelling right now, it's getting harder to see. I wait there for five, maybe ten minutes, but I don't hear a thing. I don't think I hit him that hard.... "Oh no...." I can't have killed him. I didn't mean to. It was an accident. Damn it, Scott and Jean keep telling me that I shouldn't lash out like that, but I never listen. I run towards where his body landed as fast as my legs will let me. I can't even feel them anymore. "Panther?! Black Panther!!" I shout. But there's....nothing there. I know he didn't move. I saw him land. If he moved, I would have heard him...or would I? Unless.... "Woaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!" Suddenly, I'm being hoisted up into the air. There's a vine wrapped around my waist, and it's pulling me up into a tree faster than I can think. Damn me for being such an idiot again! "Whooof!" I hit the branches hard. For the first time, I wonder why this guy is even bothering to play around with me. If I were in his place, I would have just shot me now. The world is spinning in front of me, the only thing I can see is the Black Panther's face, leering at me. "Now...are you willing to talk?" asked the Black Panther. "I...suppose..." then I black out. ****** I'm not sure how long I was out. The first thing I realize is that I'm still in a lot of pain. I open my eyes slowly and try to focus on things. I'm still in the jungle. I don't know where though, I'm completely lost. I try to turn my head.....and regret it as pain flashes through my body. "Ahhh! Damn it to %@#&!!!" That wasn't a good move. Every part of my body hurts, but I'm not bleeding anymore. Someone's bandaged me and dressed all of my wounds. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who it was. I don't have to wait long for him to show up. The Black Panther pops out from behind some trees. He's completely silent. He walks like he's in absolute control....probably because he is. I wonder if even sweats under that costume...probably not. "Are you more comfortable now?" asked the Black Panther. "Yeah...sure, I guess." What was I supposed to say? No, I'm still hurting all over because of the beating you gave me? Please take it easy? "Why are you in my country?" asked the Black Panther. "I...." I stop for a moment. I'm not sure if I should tell him the truth. I don't know if he'll even want to know the truth. I look around for my weapons...for any weapons. "I have stripped you of all of your guns and weapons." Damn he's irritating..it's like he can read my mind. "I ask you once again, Nathan Summers," said the Black Panther. "You...know who I am?" Hmph. Why shouldn't he? He seems to know everything else. "Why are you in my country? You came here with no passport, no visa. You have illegally treaspassed upon this land. You were carrying enough weapons to start a small war," said the Black Panther. "It's not you...or your country I'm after. It's...an old partner of mine that I'm looking for." "M'ahkala? The man you know as 'Mac?'" But it's not a question. "How did you? Never mind...yeah, I have an old score to settle with him...." "He is one of my subjects. I cannot let you harm him." All emotion in his voice suddenly disappeared. I could probably guess what was going through his mind. Still, I wasn't going to back down, not after all of this. "He's mine, Panther. You might be able to beat me in physical combat, but it won't stop me. I'll keep coming back. The only way you'll stop me is to kill me." I'm hoping he won't take me literally. "Don't think I won't kill an outsider to save one of my subjects.." We both tensed up. It was broken by the arrival of a third person. "No, my king. It is over," said the intruder. A figure steps out from behind the Black Panther. He's dressed in a traditional Wankandan robe. It's hard to see him at first, but I know who he is right away. All of the anger and hate explodes through my mind again. "Mac...." Most people say that my eye glows, but this time, it's burning. "I did not ask my liege to protect me, Nathan, you must believe me. He felt that..." I'm not in the mood for this. I couldn't give the Black Panther any more time to think. My head hurts like hell, but I'm able to focus my TK enough for to grab my plasma pistol from the pile. There's enough charge in there for one more blast, so I have to make it count. The Panther tries to bolt, but we both know that I'll be able to fire before he can move. He's fast, but he's not that fast. "Please, T'Challa It is for me to confront this man, not you," said Mac. He sounds believable too. I could almost believe that he was being sincere, but I know him too well. He's nothing more than a thief, one who'd easily lie to save himself. "Damn straight it is. You're going to pay for what you did to me... to us, you bastard!!" I cock the pistol and aim. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle the Black Panther though. I could hit one of them, but not both of them... It's just too hard to think straight. "Cable. I warn you. If you hurt him..." growled the Black Panther. "Look, 'my liege,', shut up. We both know there's nothing you can do to stop me. I don't have a quarrel with you. If you leave, I won't have to hurt you." That was possibly the boldest bluff of my life. If he doesn't leave, then *I'D* be the one getting hurt. "I'm sorry, Nate," said M'ahkala. "You're SORRY?! You stole more than 5 million that belonged to us. You nearly got me killed and the entire team captured. WHY? Dammit, we were a team, we all agreed to the risks and the rewards!! I TRUSTED YOU!!!!" I scream. "Because...because I wanted the money. I didn't need to pay for my mother's operation. I wasn't in debt or anything. It was the biggest amount of money I had ever seen...and I just wanted it for myself," said M'hakala. That's it? That was the reason? I must be getting spoiled. I was expecting that he was a double agent, or that he wanted to take the money and build an empire. But.....because he just wanted it? "What...what did you do with it?" I stammer out. "Do with it? I spent it. Here and there. I gambled a lot. I bought some nice houses. I made some money, and then I lost it. What I had left, I spent on m-my family," said M'ahkala. I can't help noticing how he choked for a moment.....when he mentioned his family. "How the hell do you spend 5 million dollars in 10 years? You lost all of that money?!! FIVE MILLION!?!?" "I didn't have all of it. I had to pay off a lot of the Red Skull's guards to let me alone. I lost some of the money trying to cross the border back to America. Some of it just fell out of the bag..... I was..wrong, Nathan. I came here f-for...a...absolution.." said Mac. I just can't believe this was happening. He doesn't seem at all embarrased. He says it so matter-of-factly that it was infuriating. "Cable. Is it really worth it to kill him? Look at him. Is this what you were expecting? You were expecting a wealthy man, completely unrepentant, or something else, no doubt. The man you see is not a thief, nor a wealthy man. He is simply a man, nothing more..." said the Black Panther. "I want the money back. I want him to pay for what he did." "Cable, M'ahkala has not had a job in over a year. He cannot pay you anything. Whatever skills he may have had, he never used them after his encounter with you," said T'Challa. "You want me to feel sorry for him because he screwed up? So that makes it okay?" I ask, incredulous. "No, however, he is my subject and under my protection. I realize that you have an appropriate grievance with him. Keep in mind, Cable, that the money that you so desperately want is illegal gain in the first place. Still, I offer you this, I give you my word that M'akhala will be punished appropriately," said the Black Panther. "Your word's not going to give me the satisfaction of putting a hole through his head," I growled....but I have to admit that it didn't sound too bad. "It'll have to do, Cable. I can offer you nothing more. You cannot get the money back. If you kill him, you'll destroy his wife and children.. innocent lives who had nothing to do with your anger. Innocents who do not even know you. The only thing that'll be assuaged is your anger, and I guarantee you that you will not have very long to be content," said the Black Panther. It wasn't a threat, it was a statement. His words made sense, but I can't help feeling the anger I have, the hatred I have for...him. If I give up now, it'll mean letting this traitor go. He turned on me, twisted the friendship I had with him. "Let it go Cable. Do you truly want to kill this man? Or do you simply want to feel that you are in control?" I don't know what he's babbling about. I just want to get Mac back or what he did to me...I mean us. It's because... then it dawns on me. The Black Panther's words finally hit. I don't have a reason for being here anymore. Stab his eyes, but that masked freak has a point. "Fine, you can have him." The gun drops from my limp hand. I don't care about it anymore, I don't care if they don't believe me. I just want to sleep. "I will arrange for your transport back to your home," said the Black Panther. He began to fade out from my vision. That's the last thing I hear before I go back into unconsciousness. ********** Somewhere over the borders of Wakanda...... On the plane back home, I start thinking. I wonder if the Panther's wondering why I let Mac go. He was right, the Black Panther. I wasn't here for justice, I came here for vengeance...for my pride. I came to Wakanda because I thought I was finally delivering justice. But, I'm starting to realize that I also came to prove something to myself....to prove that I'm still tough, that I'm not fallible. Mac betrayed me the last time we met. I didn't want to believe that a man who led a nation in rebellion was humiliated by a common thief. I told myself that it was because he betrayed my friendship and my trust, but that's a lie. I was never friends with the Six Pack or Mac. It was just an excuse I came up with. I liked to think that I was their friend, but I did nothing to deserve their respect. I know that now. They all hate me, and for good reason. I'm the one who betrayed their faith, not Mac....he's a saint compared to me. Bridge was my best friend, and I left without saing a word. Garrison was like a son to me, and I left him to die. And....Dom? I probably should have told Dom I was coming here. I know she was upset about Brazil too, but she never spent any time looking for Mac. I always thought it was because she was afraid of her anger. I was wrong, again. She just didn't care about it anymore. She found something better to believe in than revenge. Just two years ago, I wouldn't have believed this. I would have just killed Mac and felt no regret. But two years ago, I don't think I truly had a soul. I want to change. Scott was right, there has to be more to my life than constant fighting and revenge. Maybe it was enough when I was younger, when I was still sure I was invincible. Now though, I want something more. I think about Mac. I think he realized the same thing. The man I saw today wasn't the same person I saw 10 years ago. He had changed, the nervousness, the anger wasn't there anymore. I could see it in his eyes, the way he talked, the words he used. He had found something that meant the world to him...he had a family. I don't hate him anymore, in fact I'm envious. I don't think I'll ever be able to enjoy that kind of relationship anymore...but maybe, it's time that I tried. ************************************************************************ THE END ************************************************************************ \\ \\ | "I don't believe in cute quotes in .sigs" | \\-\\ | "Quip _IS_ a valid word in newsriting!" | ( X-X) | Liberator of Andrew Wheeler's Couches! Viva La Jem!! | {_^_} | E-Mail: holee@syr.edu WWW: http://web.syr.edu/~holee/ | -- Amethyst BSc -- Keeper of the Labyrinth Flame | "Beg, borrow or steal Amethyst's Excalibur and Editor of X-Writers | #98. It's better than mine." Warren Ellis http://www.eskimo.com/~ash/ | "Never try to explain Warren Ellis to http:/minuteman.com/x-writers | your mother. Ever." Elizabeth Celeste "I'm a Guiness slut." Wheeler | http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~hawk/fanfic.html