Cable (1st series) #103

Issue Date: 
May 2002
Story Title: 
Viktor, Viktoria
Staff: 

David Tischman (writer), Igor Kordey (artist), Chris Sotomayor (colors), Randy Gentile (letters), Lynne Yoshii (assistant Editor), Andrew Lis (editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Bill Jemas (president)

Brief Description: 

Cable lies dead on the floor, when suddenly his power flares up and the bullet in his forehead shoots through the roof. He then spasm and half the hotel is destroyed, before he lands on the floor unaware of what has just happened. Viktoria helps him get away. Goldberg meets with Samir and tells him about the Macedonian virus. Samir then has Fadili, one of his soldiers, shoot Dr. Cvetkovski who created the virus. Cable and Viktoria are eating lunch, and he is feeling a lot better. He tells her that he knows about Goldberg, and she tells him that she wants to help as there is nothing else she can do. At the cloning facility, Dr. Yacoupi tells Gani about the results he has; the clones will deteriorate and break down within two to three years. Gani leaves to find his sister. Not much later the clones atrt to show the first signs of nervous breakdown. Ana is confined to her room and remembers her past. She wants to kill Gani. General Popov believes Cable is responsible for the damage at the hotel and wants Eddie Hoyle, cable’s attacker to be kept alive for questioning. Meanwhile Cable and Viktoria search for clues as to where the facility is. They find a lead and later reach the hidden entrance to the facility holographically hidden in the mountain side.

Full Summary: 

Eddie Hoyle has just killed Cable. Suddenly Cables eye and the bullet wound in his forehead light up, before the bullet shoots through the roof of the hotel. Cable starts to glow and then starts to hover in the air. Eddie panics and fires wildly at Cable, but Nate's TK lifts him off the floor, unharmed, and power bursts from his hands, explosively tearing off the top corner of the hotel. Cable falls to the floor and is unaware of what has just happened. Viktoria helps him to his feet and they start to leave the hotel.
At Camp Able Sentry, a US military base, Goldberg is in uniform and cozily seated at Major Winchester’s desk. Samir enters, is surprised at not the major there. Goldberg asks him about the cloning project Samir is running with Dr. Yacoupi. Goldberg informs Samir about the Macedonian's virus and tells him that General Popov is in on it. Goldberg lies, telling Samir he's helping because his grandmother was an Ethnic Albanian, then steps outside so Samir can quietly disappear with this new information.
At the cloning facility, Dr. Yacoupi and Gani are discussing the new evidence that their clone project is failing. With the synaptic disintegration, and under the living conditions Dr. Yacoupi thinks they are lucky that madness hasn’t set in already. Dr. Yacoupi reminds Gani of Ana that she'll be experiencing the same effects. Mortified, he runs off, whilst Dr. Yacoupi worries about Samir's reaction when he finds out.
Cable and Viktoria are having lunch in a burger bar, he is feeling much better and they discuss Eddie Hoyle and Goldberg. They now know Eddie was working for him, and it seems Goldberg is in it for money. By inciting political turmoil he can take over work contracts and establish franchise rights when the fighting's done. Cable apologizes about the explosion but she shrugs it off, wanting to know what they plan to do next. She has nothing left and wants to help.
At the lab, the clones are playing soccer, whilst Ana is on the sidelines. Gani arrives checking up on her. As they talk, two of the clones clash heads jumping for the ball, and quickly it turns into a fight, and all the other clones join in. Gani and Ana watch on helplessly.
In a Skopje library, Cable and Viktoria are looking for any clues on where to begin searching for the cloning facility. Cable finds an article about the Russians announcing a nuclear waste disposal site. He tells Viktoria that it’s an old trick to hide a military installation. Viktoria knows the area and before they leave, Cable asks Viktoria for a phone book.
Back at the Hotel, General Popov watches on as Eddie Hoyle is loaded into an ambulance. He's in bad shape, but the general wants him alive. He believes Cable is responsible, and vows to catch him. As he smokes a cigar he gets a call from Goldberg.
Dr. Cvetkovski, the head of the virus project, no longer has a job, thanks to Cable‘s bomb. He gets a telephone call but no one is on the other end of the line, when suddenly he is shot dead by a sniper. The sniper is Fadili, and he is driven away by Samir.
Viktoria and Cable visit her 'friend', Zlatko. Cable kicks down the door and knocks Zlatko to the ground. Viktoria has found his car keys, and Cable tells him that if he reports the car stolen he’ll be back for him.
Back in the Cloning facility Ana has been confined to her room. She remembers everything about her previous life and when she ‘awoke’ she remembered how much she hated Gani and wanted to kill him. As She thinks about this she pulls a knife out from under her bed and wonders if it’s the synaptic degeneration or something else that makes her want to kill her brother.
Cable and Viktoria have climbed up the mountainside to where the base should be, except nothing is there. Thanks to his bionic eye Cable can see the hologram hiding the entrance and proves it as he puts his hand through the wall. He wants Viktoria to stay here but she wants to go on, so they hold hands and step through the hologram together.

Characters Involved: 

Cable

Viktoria, former assistant of Cvetkovski

Eddie Hoyle, photojornalist

Reuben Goldberg
Dr Cvetkovski, macedonian scientist

Zlatko

General Popov, macedonian military
Dr. Gani, Dr Yacoupi, albanian scientists

Samir, leader of the albanian rebels

Fadili, an albanian soldier

Ana, clone of Gani’s sister

several unnamed clones

Story Notes: 
Issue Information: 

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