Cable #3

Your name is Nathan Summers. You’ve just met a nice Jersey girl. She’s blonde, soft-spoken, and she doesn’t mind the fact that you have a kid…or a bullet in your chest…or a big scary guy with a robot arm that wants to kill you. But you can’t stay here. The future of mutantkind is resting on your shoulders and the longer you stick around, playing house, the bigger the risk. Especially when an old friend comes blasting out of the past...

The issue begins with the lorry falling from the sky at Cable and the Baby, while Cable inner-monologues re-caping about what happened in the past two issues. The truck plunges into the road and destroys the front of the car Cable and the Baby were hiding behind.

Back to Bishop, and he's praying that this is the end. He then throws-up, apparantly because his "Stomach's a wreck from jumping". He tries pulling it together but he's hit on the head with the back of a gun by one of the gang members. The gang members talk about what Bishop did (levitating the lorry), and they realise that he is a mutant, and another member says that there hasn't been a mutant around since he was a kid. The leader realises if he is a mutant, that they'll get a lot of money for him, and they drag him off.

As the gang drag Bishop away, the waitress Bishop met last issue (Sophie Pettis) panics about the two who'd been supposedly crushed. Luckily, Cable's forcefield protected the two (Cable and the Baby), and he stumbles out from underneath the lorry carrying the child. Sophie grabs Cable's arm, trying to help him stand, and she tells him to come with her, she can take them somewhere safe.

He later lies, presumambly sleeping, on the floor of her apartment with the Mutant Baby clutched closely. Sophie tries to touch her but he opens his eyes and tells her no. Sophie tells him he passed out and she didn't mean anything by it. He tells her that nobabdy holds her but him, and she says fine. She then insists on getting him to a doctor because he's hurt so badly. Cable says there's no time for that, and tries to sit up but it causes pain. Sophie says that if she can't get him to a doctor, can she at least clean his wounds?

He asks if she's ever pulled a bullt out of a person, and she says she's held a gun before, and Cable replies saying that's close enough. He reminds her that he's the only one allowed to touch the baby, and she asks if he's going to stay awake through this? He tells her it's the only way to walk her through it.

Back with Bishop, and he's strapped and chained to a wall, and he inner-monologues. He realies that he's in one hell of a mess, and if he'd waited a few more seconds at the scene and he would've known if they were dead. He is being watched by several members of the gang. He also realises that he's followed Cable into a future that is possibly worse than his own, and that he needs to recharge, and there's only one way to do this. He begins to shout at the members, calling one "mullet-head" to begin, and talling him it must be tough patrolling the streets as a "cop" in those "cute little ponchos". The mullet-man tells him to shut up, but Bishop keeps going, asking if the bosses pick the outfits and do they come in pink? The mullet-man pounds him in the face with the gun, telling him to shout up again. Bishop asks another man if his wife loves a man in uniform? And then replying by saying that he probably loves a man in uniform. The all begin to beat him, and in his monologue, Bishop says for them to give him all they've got.

Back with Cable, and his wounds have been covered with bandages, and Sophie tells him that he should get some rest, but he insists that he has to get out of there. In his monologue, he realises that he'll have to go by foot until he fixes his time machine. But Sophie tells him that he has to rest, and he says fine, but only for a minute. He asks her about what happened, while the baby plays with a remote next to him. She tells him that the Turnpike Authority are suppsoed to keep them "safe". She tells him that when the big flood happened, the rich were prepared, and that they'd been stockpiling for years, and that they had secuity to keep others away, especially the hungry. Cable asks about the goverment, but she tells him that the rich became the govermentcalling themselves the "New State Assembly", and now the Turnpike Authority are free to do what they want. Cable asks what they want, and she tells him the usual such as taxes, complience and fear, and in exchange they let them have electricity and water and stuff, most of thetime. She tells him that there isn't much difference to what it wa like before, except now they kill, steak and rape.

As she continues to talk, we see a flashback where a man stands up the Turnpikes, and in return he gets shot in the head in front of his daughter. She tells Cable that there aren't many good men left, except for him.

Back with Bishop, and some fancy dressed men have come to seehim, the man telling him that he knows that he can do something, so why doesn't he show them? Bishop spits blood in his face, but it's whiped off by an accosiate and one of the gang members punches Bishop. Another fancy dressed man explains that they've taken time out to get there, and if he doesn't impress them they'll put bullets in his head. Bishop insults him, and the man gives instructions for the gang to beat him up, which they do. The man talks to him as a gang member strangles him, and after the man finishes, he asks if he's ready to co-operate? Bishop tells him that the man convinced him, and says that he'll show them what he can do, and at that moment a blue aura of energy begins to glow around him.

Back with Cable, and he says that normally he'd beat the crap out of these guys, but at this moment, the baby is his priority. Sophie understands, and says he should stay and rest, but he tells her that he isn't the man for the job. She says that he's a good father, a good man, and good men don't run, and he says that sometimes, running is the only option. She says he doesn't understand, the only reason she has the job as a waitress is because her brother used to be one of them, and that people are starving. The baby suddenly begins to cry. CAble says she needs milk, but Sophie says that you don't feed a baby cow's milk, but luckily she has "vitamin-fortified protein water", something she snuck home from the diner. They introduce themselves to each other (Cable calling himself Nathan not Cable) and he says that he's trying to prevent all of this, but she tells him that he's a bit to late.

Bishop breaks free of his bonds, and using the metal tentcles (see #2) he breaks one of the gang members neck's and grabs his gun and shoots at another. A man tries to hit him from behind, but using his robotic arm he slams him into a wall. He monologues about how none of this future will exist after the baby's gone. He believes he should bandage his wounds, but there's no time for that, not if Cable and the baby are still alive.

Cable and Sophie hear a craft flying overhead, and Cable asks if the Turnpike Authority have any aircrafts? She tells him no, and he hides the baby behind him, but Sophie tells him not to jump to concluions. He pulls a gun out, and as Sophie approaches the window she hears a large noise. Cable, believing it's Bishop, aims his gun for the door, knowing that Bishop is very resourceful. Cable coughs up blood, and drops his gun, and realises that hell has come knocking. Suddenly, the door is blown off it's hinges, and an older Cannonball enters, holding a gigantic gun, saying "Damn, Cable. You look like $@%&."