Cable (1st series) #105

Issue Date: 
July 2002
Story Title: 
The sound of the arena
Staff: 

Darko Macan (writer), Igor Kordey (art), Randy Gentile (letterer), Chris Sotomayor (colorist), Lynne Yoshii (assistant editor), Andrew Lis (editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Bill Jemas (president)

Brief Description: 

Cable finds himself in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is dreaming and in the meantime his telekinesis is running out of control, effectively thrashing the hotel room his staying in. He heads to beach after the hotel manager throws him out. He walks over to the beach to watch some kids playing soccer. During the game one of the kids uses telekinesis to score a goal, this prompts the other kids to expel from the game. In revenge, Xande (the mutant boys name) blows up the ball with his power. The other kids then proceed to beat and kick him. Cable uses his own telekinesis to save Xande. The kid then tells Nathan that he will make his name in the arena. Cable asks Xande to show him what that is. Xande takes him to a warehouse that houses a fighting ring and a crowd of people who’ve come to watch the fights between mutants. They arrive just in time to see the main fight between a boy named Thiago and the reigning champion, a girl named Juliana. Thiago uses some sort of electricity-based power and fires a bolt from his hand. Juliana easily fends it off. She uses her own telekinesis to push him to the ropes, move his own hands to burn his face and finally she blows up his head. Seeing this Cable jumps in the ring telling Juliana that she doesn’t have to do this. She waves him telling him she likes it and then uses her power on him; telling him it’s her ticket out of poverty. Cable staggers back up and uses his telepathy to wipe the center of the girl’s brain, which control her powers. However his own power goes out of control and he ends up wiping her mind clean, and the mind of everyone who was in the way of the blast. The rest of the crowd turns on Cable, he flees using only his fists because his afraid of using his powers again. As dawn comes he arrives at the beach where he tries to forget what he has just done, he knows however, that part of him won’t let him forget.

Full Summary: 

Nathan Summers is dreaming. He is swimming in the ocean with whales. He thinks of how the ocean means nothing to Cable, but how he loves it because he feels free. As he’s nearing a whale he begins to hear a thumping noise that becomes increasingly loud, to the point that Nathan wakes up.
It’s 2a.m., he is in a Holiday Inn in Rio de Janeiro. The furniture in the room is flying around, hitting the walls. The hotel manager is at the door with two orderlies, knocking and telling Cable that the guests are complaining about the noise. As Nathan wakes up, the furniture falls down and the manager enters the room simultaneously. Nathan apologizes and offers to pay for the damage. The manager says, that not only will he pay, but he will leave the hotel immediately as well.
Concerned that his powers have grown to strong since he got rid of the T.O. virus, he heads towards the one place that calms him, the ocean. He sits on the beach and watches some kids playing soccer. One of the kids, called Xande receives a very high pass, which he shouldn’t be able to reach. However he performs an amazingly high jump and scores a goal with his head. As he lands the other kids surround him, telling him he cheated because he used his “Dom”. Xande promises not to do it again, but the kids don’t believe him, apparently it’s not the first time, he’s made such a promise. Cable doesn’t intervene, because he knows the kid must learn to cope on his own. As play resumes, the ball suddenly blows-up, the kids turn around to find Xande laughing at them. He used his power to burst the ball, so the kids decide to go after him in revenge. They grab him as he starts to fly and then proceed to kick and hit him. As he’s begging for them to stop, Cable uses his power to push them away and save Xande.
A few minutes later as they’re walking down the street, Cable asks Xande if he finds it wise to attract attention. The kid answers that he is not the only one and that he really doesn’t care much for soccer anyway, his dream is to make a name for himself in the arena. Nathan asks him what the arena is. Xande is surprised by the question, since figured, that by being a mutant, Cable should already know.
They grab a taxi and Xande takes him to the arena. It’s actually a fighting ring inside a warehouse. Cable pays for their tickets and they arrive just in time to watch the main event; a match between Thiago Piranha and the reigning champion, Juliana Jararaca. Xande explains that Juliana is fifteen and that both fighters are slightly drugged to “dull the pain” and “kill the fear”. They fight using their mutant powers.
The match begins. Thiago puts his hands together and charges an electricity bolt which he then fires at Juliana. She manages to block it easily. Cable wants to intervene, but Xande won’t let him. Thiago begins to charge another bolt, but Juliana uses her telekinesis to push him back. She then moves Thiago’s charged hand to the side of his face, burning him. As he is laying on the ground, Juliana gives him the coup the grace, she makes his head explode.
Xande tells Nathan not worry about Thiago’s family, because they will be paid good money for his organs. However ha can’t hold Cable back any longer. Nathan jumps in the ring and pushes the announcer away. He tells Juliana that he can help her, he know she’s been drugged and she doesn’t have to do this. She answers that she WANTS to do it, it’s her ticket out of poverty. She uses her TK to push Cable to the floor. He decides to use his telepathy to wipe out the center of the girls brain which control her powers.
Unfortunately he loses control of his powers once more. He wipes her mind clean, as well as the minds of all those in the way of the mind blast. Blood starts pouring out their noses. The rest of the crowd attacks Nathan. He is afraid to use his powers against them now, so he decides to flee, using only his fists. Once outside he flies away.
As Xande leaves the arena, he mumbles to himself that Cable was too quick, he didn’t put on a show. Xande vows to give a better spectacle when he gets his chance.
(Dawn)

Nathan is once again on the ocean shoreline. He wants to forget the night’s events, yet he knows Cable won’t allow him to.

Characters Involved: 

Cable

Xande

Juliana Jararaca

Thiago Piranha

Marcelo, Paolo and other kids on the beach

Hotel manager and 2 orderlies

Announcer, Thiago`s parents and crowd at the arena.

Story Notes: 

This issue also contain part two of the “Jay Leno & Spider-Man: One night only! (Don’t forget to tip your waitress)” story, by Ron Zimmerman(writer), Greg Capullo(penciler), Danny Miki(inker), Avalon Studios’ Dan Kemp(colors) and RS & Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt(Letters).Cable purged himself of the techno-organic virus in issue #100

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