Cable (3rd series) #4

Issue Date: 
October 2017
Story Title: 
Conquest, chapter 4
Staff: 

James Robinson (writer), Yildiray Cinar (artist), Jesus Aburtov & Federico Blee (colorists), Virtual Calligraphy's Cory Petit (letterer), Dale Keown & Jason Keith (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: 

In Russia in the early 1900s, Conquest meets with Rasputin, and after providing his forces with “cyber-steeds” is taken to the Tsar's Chamber of Wonders, where Conquest is given the fourth piece of the Time Sword. Rather than hopping through time to his next destination, Conquest decides to stay – and two weeks later, apprehends Cable when the heroic mutant arrives in this time period. Cable is determined to stop Conquest, as he has seen what has happened to reality thanks to Conquest providing advanced tech weapons to different groups throughout time, and if the Time Sword is assembled, there is no telling what horrors could be unleashed. Conquest boasts of how he conquered his earth's reality with strategy and blood, but doesn't want to fight Cable man to man, as he is too close to accomplishing his goal. Cable breaks free from his restraints and Conquest blasts him back when Cable attacks him. Several soldiers race after Cable on their cyber-steeds, but Cable takes them all down. Conquest pursues Cable as he makes his way towards Rasputin's palace, where he battles more soldiers, until Conquest finally engages him in combat. Conquest points out that he hasn't left a time marker to show Cable where he was headed next, but Cable reveals that he already has that information, and teleports away, although Conquest is close behind him. Cable arrives in another time period, where dinosaurs roam, and claims the fifth piece of the Time Sword.

Full Summary: 

The Winter Palace, St Petersburg, 1906, where Rasputin leads the technocrat called Conquest through the sprawling palace. 'It's through here, my Lord Conquest' Rasputin announces. 'Lead on then, Rasputin' Conquest responds, telling Rasputin that he is simply “Conquest” and that he should save “My Lord” for the god that he claims to serve. Rasputin asks Conquest to let him thank him for the amazing weapons that he has supplied him with – as with them he has won the loyalty of the Cossacks, which in turn helps cement his bond to the Tsar. 'Grigori... I don't care' Conquest replies. He frowns and declares that, furthermore, he can take away the “cyber-steeds” as easily as he gave them. 'If you want happy Cossacks... show me the relic' Conquest demands.

Conquest and Rasputin enter another chamber lined with exotic vases and other artefacts, many held in stasis tubes. 'The Tsar's Chamber of Wonders. Few have seen this place' Rasputin announces. 'And all I see are eggs' Conquest replies, asking if they are in a palace or a henhouse, he tells Rasputin that he is getting impatient. Rasputin leads Conquest through the chamber to where a strange blade is held on a podium and asks Conquest if this is what he seeks. 'It is' Conquest confirms, taking the piece of the Time Sword. Rasputin enquires as to whether this ends Conquest's time here, to which Conquest tells him that normally it would, but he is off a mind to do things differently.

Two days later, on a snow-covered field, Cable a.k.a. Nathan Summers is restrained by metal coils that have emerged from a strange object. 'It's time we talked, Cable' Conquest declares, flanked by Russian soldiers who are riding on the mechanical “cyber steeds”. 'No. It's time I took you down' Cable replies. 'Err, no' Conquest replies, admitting to Cable that he is curious as to why he is here, chasing him through time. 'Why do you care what I do?' Conquest asks. Cable grits his teeth and announces that he has seen what can happen messing with time. 'Not on my watch' he warns Conquest. “Not on my watch?” Conquest quotes. 'That's it? All right, so how did you even find out about me?' Conquest enquires. 'Are you joking? Reality's already a mess thanks to you' Cable explains, asking Conquest if he thought he wouldn't notice – history is being rewritten by all the weaponry that Conquest has scattered throughout the past. Cable literally saw New York warped as large jellyfish like pods started to tear the city up.

'If you assemble all the pieces of the Time Sword, there's no telling what horrors you'll unleash' Cable points out. 'Yes. Imagine what I could do with the Time Sword. It can literally slice through the reality of any era and recreate it to my needs' Conquest reveals, but Cable calls him a maniac and tells him that he will create havoc. 'Your havoc, my heaven' Conquest replies calmly, while Cable struggles to free himself from the coils. Conquest starts to ask Cable if he wants to know how he learned about the Time Sword, but Cable interrupts him, telling him that he doesn't care. 'Let me go. Big man, brave man, release me, we'll fight – man to man – see which of us is biggest' Cable suggests. 'That certainly sounds entertaining' Conquest admits, before revealing that he conquered his Earth's reality as much with strategy and forethought as he did with blood – certainly not by letting himself be goaded into combat. He remembers standing on a platform, overlooking a massive army and large advanced technological weapons, and tells Cable that with the Time Sword so close, and all the other worlds and realities he could conquer with it – it is all too close to do something rash, and Cable is simply too big a risk to his plans.

'You die' Conquest tells Cable. 'No' Cable replies, straining hard, he manages to tear the coils from the device they are connected to. 'NOT TODAY!' Cable shouts as he lunges at Conquest and forces him to the ground – an instant later, Conquest blasts Cable with energy emitted from his gauntlet, which knocks Cable backwards. Suddenly, 'Charge, my brothers!' one of the Russian soldiers cries out in his native Russian. 'Kill him!' another exclaims. 'Death to our enemy!' a third calls out as they move forward on their “cyber-steeds”, armed with the strange glowing technology that Conquest has been gifting to warriors throughout time. 'Come on, then!' Cable exclaims, grabbing one of the coils, he uses it to pull one of the soldiers off their steed, which comes crashing to the snow. Cable punches the warrior, before Conquest calls out 'Enough!' and fires another blast, which Cable dodges just in time. Cable looks over and sees his weapon lying in the snow. He picks the large gun up, grits his teeth and opens fire.

The soldiers are knocked from their steeds by the blasts from the weapon. One of the soldier gets close to Cable – who responds with a close-range blast, striking both the soldier and his cyber-steed. Cable turns and trudges through the snow, but several soldiers pursue him – until Conquest pulls one of the soldiers from their cyber-steed, pulling them into the snow, 'Get off! Now!' Conquest mutters as he starts to pursue Cable, who turns and opens fire at the other soldiers and their cyber steeds. Determined, Cable runs on through the snow, towards the Winter Palace, where Rasputin is waiting, and orders more soldiers to kill the intruder. 'Death to the monster!' Rasputin shouts. 'I've fought whole armies!' Cable informs Conquest, blasting him from the cyber-steed, before the next set of soldiers surround him. 'You... are... nothing!' Cable exclaims as he uses his large gun, smacking them all in their heads and taking them out with ease.

Cable turns to Rasputin, who holds his hands up and asks Cable to take it steady, suggesting they talk. 'Let's not' Cable replies as he slams his fist into Rasputin's face. 'Enough, Cable!' a voice calls out. Cable turns, but too late, as Conquest leaps from a cyber-steed, 'Fool!' he shouts, slamming into Cable and forcing him to the ground. Cable responds by punching Conquest in the face. Cable fires several blasts from his gun into the air, and Conquest holds him down, telling him that his gun is out. 'Now... I'll k-' Conquest begins, but Cable tells him that he won’t, and kicks Conquest off of him. Cable gets to his feet and Conquest looks up at him, telling Cable that he is a mystery. ''Yeah?' Cable replies. Conquest wipes his bloodied mouth, and remarks that he isn't sure what Cable was planning, running here, and adds that he hasn't left a marker to show Cable where he is headed. 'So where were you going?' Conquest enquires, adding that he already has this piece of the Time Sword.

'I wasn't running, I was testing you – seeing what kind of fighter you were' Cable explains, adding that as for the time marker, he doesn't need one – and Conquest goes wide-eyed as Cable reveals that he already knows where the last piece of the sword is. '“Conquest”...now you chase me' Cable calls out as he suddenly fades from view as a blue teleport signal engulfs him, and he disappears. 'What happened, Conquest?' Rasputin asks, rushing over. Conquest tells him not to ask stupid questions: 'He's gone, obviously, you deranged idiot!' Conquest mutters, announcing that he must act quickly – because if Cable gets the last piece of the sword before him, then it will all be for nothing. Rasputin watches as Conquest vanishes an instant later.

Cable has arrived in another time period. He knows that Conquest will come. 'Let him. I may not be able to dictate the terms of battle... but I can decide the battleground' Cable thinks to himself as he holds his large gun up and holds the fifth piece of the Time Sword as dinosaurs roam freely behind him!

 

Characters Involved: 

Cable

 

Conquest

In 1906:

Rasputin

Russian soldiers

 

Story Notes: 

Conquest’s remark about eggs refers to the Tsar’s familiy’s famous jewelled egss made by Faberge.

Written By: