Cable (3rd series) #5

Issue Date: 
November 2017
Story Title: 
Conquest, conclusion
Staff: 

James Robinson (writer), Yildiray Cinar (artist), Jesus Aburtov (colorist), Virtual Calligraphy's Cory Petit & Joe Sabino (letterers), Dale Keown & Jason Keith (cover artists), Rob Liefeld (variant cover artists), Jay Bowen & Anthony Gambino (graphic designers), Chris Robinson (assistant editor), Mark Basso (associate editor), Mark Panicca (editor), Axel Alonso (editor-in-chief), Joe Quesada (chief creative officer), Dan Buckley (publisher), Alan Fine (executive producer)

X-Men created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby

Brief Description: 

72 million years BC Cable sets up strange devices in the prehistoric land, before Conquest arrives in this time period – along with an army gathered from across time. They fight, and Conquest attacks Cable, who presses a button on his glove, which activates the devices he had been setting up – beacons, which activate something in the cortex of the dinosaurs and sends them stampeding towards the battle, giving Cable some unexpected allies against Conquest's army. But even though the arm is defeated, Conquest is not, and he taps a button on his gauntlet, activating a portal, which brings forth another army. Cable is forced to battle the army, while one of Conquest's soldiers brings him the final piece of the Time Sword. Conquest puts the Time Sword together and open a rift in time – but to his surprise, discovers that this piece was a fake. Cable remembers devising this plan with his ally Kagan back in the Mayan time period, and Conquest is seemingly swept up in the portal and thrust through time. Cable turns to the remainder of Conquest's army and they surrender to him. Cable returns to the Mayan time period and meets with Kagan, thanking him for his help. Kagan asks Cable how he will know for sure that nothing is amiss with time, and returning to the present day, Cable announces that he will stay on guard.

Full Summary: 

Time / location determined at 98.9% to be North Africa in 72 Million BC, the late Cretaceous Era. Nathan Summers a.k.a. Cable the time-traveling mutant hero carries a bag in one hand as he trudges through a field, winged dinosaurs soaring above him. A dinosaur with spiky plates across its back walks past Cable, who puts his large weapon down against a rock, then carries on across the field. Several long-neck dinosaurs can be seen grazing from the tops of trees, while Cable places some strange circular devices into the ground. He does this at several locations, and suddenly, turns around as a voice calls out 'Took me a while to find you, Cable. I hope you spent the time well... because I did'.

Cable sees that his enemy, Conquest, has arrived – and with him, a large army, pulled from various nations and numerous time periods, all armed with the glowing energy weapons that Conquest has been leaving throughout history.

'Really? You sure you brought enough men?' Cable asks, picking up his large guns and pointing them towards Conquest, who point out that a wise strategist doesn't underestimate the enemy, and certainly not to the degree Cable has underestimated Conquest. 'Look at you...all you have are a load of guns. You're beaten before we've even started' Conquest points out, before demanding the last piece of the Time Sword. 'Come get it...or send one of your men to get it...seeing as you dont seem able to do it yourself! LET'S GO!' Cable exclaims, preparing for action, his weapons glow, ready to release the energy within – but as he fires, Conquest leaps into the air, dodging the blast. 'You think I need all this to beat you?' Conquest asks, holding the Time Sword, he drops down on top of Cable and boasts that he has slaughtered hundreds of men with his bare hands – all stronger than Cable. He slams the Time Sword into Cable's face, knocking Cable backwards.

'Think I believe that? Men like you – all talk – always need an army around you...so you brought one!' Cable exclaims as they tumble backwards, Cable loses both of his guns, then reaches out and grabs one, quickly turning around and aiming it at Conquest who leaps at him again, striking him at close range. As two viking-like members of Conquest's army rush towards Cable, he turns and aims his weapon at them, striking them both down. Cable then taps a button on his wrist-control pad, which activate the circular devices he had planted in various nearby locations. Cable explains that they are beacons, frequency encoded to correspond to the cortex and hypothalamus – in any animal. Dinosaurs from all around the area suddenly stop what they are doing, and rush in the same direction as Cable declares 'Means I didn't just bring guns...I brought dinosaurs' The huge creatures trample through Conquest's army, while Cable shoots one of the warriors and shouts 'Conquest! Come on, show yourself!'

Conquest returns, with several soldiers at his side, he holds the Time Sword and tells Cable that he is still ready, and to come on, as they are not done. 'No. You are!' Cable shouts as he fires his weapon, the blast striking a large tank nearby, and wiping out a dozen of Conquest's men. 'That's it? That's all? You'll never win, Cable, don't you see?' Conquest declares, walking over the bodies of his fallen army. 'I see plenty' Cable replies, telling Conquest that his army is done, and that it is now just the two of them, after all. '“Hundreds of men,” you said, right? “Bare hands”? Come on then...prove it' Cable remarks, standing only several feet from Conquest. Conquest smirks, 'You think that's it? You think you won? You planned for a skirmish...I prepared for war!' Conquest exclaims, tapping a button on his glove, a portal opens above Cable, and more soldiers drop from the glowing blue portal, one of them strikes Cable's face, forcing him to the ground as they pile on him.

More and more of Conquest's army, drawn from across various times and lands join the mass pile of soldiers attacking Cable – when suddenly, beams of energy are blasted from Cable's weapon as Cable tries to free himself from the warriors, but they are relentless and continue their assault, until Conquest smirks 'That's enough'. The warriors bring the captured Cable to Conquest, who tells him 'What a waste of time, Cable. A stupid waste. Delaying the inevitable. I've been a step ahead of you every second, every moment – apart from here, now, when you could have had the upper hand -  ut even then I out-maneuvered you'.

Conquest asks for the final piece, and a soldier brings him the remaining piece of the Time Sword, revealing that Cable had it on him all along. Cable frowns, and blood trickles from his nose as he watches Conquest put the Time Sword back together, boasting that it is now complete.

Conquest raises the Time Sword overhead and energy is released from it, creating what appears to be a tear in time. 'Let's test it, shall we? Send the dinosaurs of this world to conquer the future of the Deathloks – by combining the two eras with one single swipe of -' Conquest begins, before going wide-eyed, as Cable smirks and declares that five pieces of the Time Sword were needed – not three, not four, and certainly not one that is a replica! Cable remembers another time period he was recently in, where he asked the Mayan called Kagan if he could duplicate one of the pieces of the Time Sword, using the knowledge of the Eternals science that he possessed. Kagan confirmed that he could, but that it would only look the same – it wouldn't work, to which Cable replied 'I know... that's the point'.

'You -' the wide-eyed Conquest utters. 'Me? The guy you out-maneuvered?' Cable replies, as Conquest is suddenly pulled into the tear in time. He tumbles through the ages, witnessing Fin Fang Foom, the Sub-Mariner, the Vision, Two-Gun Kid, the original X-Men, Captain America and the original Human Torch battling Nazis, the Days of Future Past timeline, the Phoenix, Spider-Man in his black costume, Galactus, the birth of the Hulk and Thanos with the Infinity Stones.

Cable watches as the portal closes. Conquest's army stand ready to continue their fight, but Cable tells them that they have a simple choice – resist him, and stay here, hungry with the dinosaurs, but if they play nice, he will get them home. The entire army then kneel before Cable.

Time / Location determined at 98.9% to the Yucatan Coast, South America in 1121, the Maya civilization, post-classic. As the sun rises, Cable stands atop a temple with his ally, Kagan, who assumes that Cable was successful. 'Yes, thanks to you and the counterfeit sword piece you shaped for me' Cable replies, adding that Conquest is now lost, adrift in time. 'Forever?' Kagan asks. 'Hopefully' Cable tells him. 'And you came all the way here to tell me that?' Kagan asks. Cable tells Kagan that, the way he helped him, he deserved to know, and adds that he is here to do some clean-up. 'The weaponry Conquest left in his wake?' Kagan asks. Cable confirms this, and explains that the only way he can make sure the present day that he calls home is truly back the way it was. 'How will you know – I mean, know for sure?' Kagan asks. 'That I didn't miss something? That time is safe? I don't' Cable replies. 'That's why I stay on guard' he announces.

And, returning to the present day, Cable stands atop a skyscraper in New York City, watching out over the sprawling city below as the sun sets in the distance.

 

Characters Involved: 

Cable

 

Kagan

Conquest

Conquest's army

 

In images through time:

Sub-Mariner

Vision

Fing Fang Foom

Two-Gun Kid

Captain America, Human Torch I

Nazi soldiers

Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, Marvel Girl, Proessor X

Phoenix

Wolverine

Sentinel

Galactus

Spider-Man

Bruce Banner

Thanos

Story Notes: 

As part of Marvel's “Legacy” theme, Cable (3rd series) will be replaced by Cable (1st series) re-numbering at #150.

Written By: