Chapter III: Time at Full Circle
Chapter IV: The Mission
Section 11: Alignment With the New Mutants and Birth of X-Force
The here and now is the main operating field for Cable. The present, this following time period, if changed, would potentially affect Cable’s future were he to interfere in current events. Cable was able to influence the world by opting to take an active role in modern-day society. By ridding this planet of the threat of its more transgressing chronal transients, Cable hearkened to the call of his destiny. Stryfe sent a message demanding that the government release the wrongly detained mutants, Rusty Collins and Skids Blevins. Every day they remained in captivity, he announced to the public, the front would strike again. Cable, who’d been keeping track of Stryfe’s activities, was too late to stop them the next time the front attacked an energy research station. Stryfe decided that the MLF kidnap Rusty and Skids from the government installation where they were held. Cable failed to prevent the kidnapping and was himself captured and detained. Freedom Force offered Cable his freedom if he would help them. Instead Cable escaped them. They pursued, but with the assistance of the New Mutants, who happened upon Cable’s departure, they were defeated. The New Mutants, consisting of Cannonball, Boom-Boom, Wolfsbane, Rictor, Warlock, and Sunspot, decided to welcome Cable as the leader of their group. The team moved into the sub-basement of the devastated X-Mansion. Cable worked to help them hone the use of their powers. The team accepted Cable’s teachings and methods, except for Rictor, who didn’t trust him. Still, Rictor found respect for him. While in Madripoor, the team prevented Stryfe from poisoning the world with a drug called Sleet. They worked with Sunfire and Wolverine and fought new minions of Stryfe; Sumo, whose obesity served him in “squishing” his opponents, Kamikaze, the flying mutant who exploded on impact, and Dragoness, the high-flying, fire-wielding mutant (CABLE AND THE NEW MUTANTS TPB).
The New Mutants had been reduced in number without members Wolfsbane or Warlock. Sunspot’s father was soon killed and the rich businessman Gideon, an External, recruited Roberto DaCosta, who left the team. Deadpool, a mercenary employed by Mr. Tolliver, attacked Cable within the New Mutants’ base. Domino, whom Cable called in to help with his team, helped to defeat the mercenary. [[[[[Another operative of Mr. Tolliver, the metamorph Vanessa posed as Domino to infiltrate the New Mutants as per her orders.]]]]] Cable released Deadpool to return to Tolliver. The New Mutants decided to make a fresh new start. They left their X-Mansion base and became the mutant militia X-Force. Somewhere in the Southwestern United States, Stryfe and his Mutant Liberation Front, which included Rusty Collins and Skids Blevins, prepared to strike again (X-FORCE MEGAZINE). Sam Guthrie, Cannonball, was killed by Sauron of one incarnation of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. He experienced an “awakening,” came back to life. This proved to Cable that Sam was, in fact, the External that he inquired about (X-FORCE #7-8). Garrison Kane, who had become Canada’s Weapon X since leaving the Six Pack, had been given bionic arms that served as offensive weapons. Still curious about the mysterious Stryfe, Kane located and fought the villain’s Mutant Liberation Front. Afterwards, Stryfe removed his mask and revealed his face to Kane. Naturally, Kane was led to believe that Stryfe was somehow Cable in disguise (X-Force #10). Cable rescued the real Domino from his old employer, Mr. Tolliver, after fighting the merc with a mouth, Deadpool (X-FORCE #15). Kane attacked Cable. Learning only through altercation, he was convinced that Cable was not Stryfe. Kane received help from Cable in finding their common foe. Once sought, Stryfe destroyed Kane’s bionic arms. Cable and Kane managed to teleport to Graymalkin before a worse fate could befall them. Cable brought Kane to the distant future [[[[[See Section 5.]]]]] where he was given brand new and improved bionic arms (the rest of CABLE: BLOOD AND METAL #1-2).
Elsewhere, Caliban, War, and Famine of the Four Horsemen kidnaped Cyclops and Phoenix. They were delivered to Mr. Sinister, who was disguised as their lord and master, Apocalypse. Sinister traded Scott and Jean to Stryfe in exchange for a sample of his genetic material. He informed the X-Men that Apocalypse was the key to what was occurring. While trying to locate Cable, members of the X-Men and X-Factor attacked his students, X-Force. The offshoot teams of Xavier’s X-Men were at each other’s throats because of Stryfe’s grand deception. In response to current events taking place, the Dark Riders awakened Apocalypse from his rejuvenation pod. He wasn’t near full strength yet, but he’d survived his encounter with X-Factor on the moon. Stryfe attacked Apocalypse and very nearly killed him. Seeing firsthand how powerful and fit to survive Stryfe was, the Dark Riders followed him and forsook Apocalypse. Apocalypse escaped and sought to ally himself with the X-Men. He saved Charles Xavier’s life by using his technology to expel the technovirus from his system. Stryfe blamed Scott and Jean for his having grown up under Apocalypse. Believing Cable to be the clone, he thought that Scott and Jean were his parents. Stryfe accused them of abandoning him to Apocalypse in the dark future that Askani had taken Nathan, not caring for what would become of him once he was out of their sight, and out of their minds. On Graymalkin, Cable returned to the present from the future, not aware of what was occurring among the mutants. He learned quickly, and along with Wolverine and Bishop, fought the Dark Riders while attempting to find Scott and Jean where Stryfe took them—the moon. The three X-Groups joined them shortly after they’d cleared things away on Earth.. Back on Earth, Sinister discovered that he had not gained Stryfe’s genetic material, but had instead received a seemingly empty canister. In opening it, Sinister’s assistant unknowingly unleashed the pestilence of the Legacy Virus upon mutantkind. After the commotion was ended, Bishop gave a recuperating Charles Xavier a disk, one that he had found in Stryfe’s installation on the moon. The disk contained information that Stryfe had discovered about a number of mutants and humans. Finding what the information said about his students unsettling, Xavier deleted it (X-MEN #s 14-16, UNCANNY X-MEN #s 294-296, X-FACTOR #s 84-86, X-FORCE #s 16-18, STRYFE’S STRIKE FILE). In his absence, X-Force dumped all the valuable technology on Graymalkin, including the time displacement core, was onto Earth when the station was in danger of being destroyed. The core was jettisoned into the ocean (X-FORCE #21).
Upon returning to X-Force’s Adirondack base, Cable, Kane, and Bridge ran into Grizzly, Domino, and Hammer, who were also in search of X-Force. Hammer attacked Cable as a means of revenge, but he backed off when he heard Cable’s offer to use future technology to help him walk again. Unwilling to lose his humanity to become a machine, Hammer declined. And Cable, unwilling to come clean, to fess up to the Six Pack the truth behind his actions and agendas, was left behind by them (CABLE #s 3-4.).
Following the battle on the moon, Mister Sinister informed Cyclops that it was he who inadvertently unleashed the Legacy Virus. In addition, for the first and only time, Sinister alluded to a third Summers brother. Before their chat could lead to further revelation, the Dark Riders attacked to test their strength, believing it their duty to carry on Apocalypse’s doctrine of the survival of the fittest. For Cyclops’s sake, Sinister repelled them (X-MEN #23). Cable met up with X-Force again. Together, they traveled to Avalon after a skirmish with Magneto’s Acolyte Exodus. They discovered that Avalon was Graymalkin, overtaken by Magneto. They escaped with the Professor, removed from the station’s systems (X-FORCE #25). Following the death of Infectia in the clutches of the Legacy Virus, Mister Sinister recruited the mutant Threnody against the efforts of Rogue, Beast, and Iceman. Apparently, Sinister wanted her as a possible lead in seeking a cure for the virus. It was Threnody’s ability to absorb the pain of those in the grip of the Legacy Virus (X-MEN #27). Cable came face to face with Phoenix, the young Rachel Summers, on Muir Island. Though she couldn’t know it, their meeting was a reunion of sorts, since she was not only of the Askani order that delivered him as an infant to the future, but also because she was his brother (EXCALIBUR #71). Cable fought Sinsear, sent back by Tribune Haight, in the time displacement core located at the bottom of the ocean. Sinsear teleported away, informing Cable that the mysterious Mr. Tolliver was also a time traveler (CABLE #5). Mr. Tolliver told Zero of his past. [[[[[He also revealed that Apocalypse did survive after Slym, Redd, and Nathan “killed” him. He led the Canaanites beside General Haight.]]]]] Mr. Sinister visited Cable and Domino. He revealed to Cable Tolliver’s identity as Cable’s adopted son Tyler Dayspring from the future. He confirmed suspicions that Stryfe was the clone, not Cable. Sinister told Cable to “let the monster out now. Let him out willingly, and it will be the final step in losing him forever!” Essex hit Cable with a blast of energy, unleashing something in Cable’s mind that Cable didn’t even know was there—the Stryfe persona. It survived their battle within his mind, and now it had control over his body. Stryfe was back from the grave within Cable. “Cable” attacked Siryn and Rictor of X-Force. Domino revealed to Scott and Jean that Cable was their son. Domino, Phoenix, Cyclops, Xavier, Siryn, and Rictor boarded the Blackbird jet to uncover “Cable.” Zero teleported within the Blackbird. “Cable” went after Tyler and destroyed the Askani he held captive. It was revealed that Tyler’s power was to affix him with others’ memories and to visually display them. With great difficulty in acceptance, “Cable” then learned that he was the clone. Once the Blackbird group set down with “Cable” and Tyler, the psi-talents were able to exorcise the Stryfe persona. In the meantime, Tyler made his escape. Stryfe’s information on the Legacy Virus was lost with him, it would seem (CABLE #s 6-8). Cable and Rachel Summers came to terms with their relationship. Later, Phoenix was lost to the time stream and ended up 2000 years in the future where she became the Mother Askani (CABLE #9 & EXCALIBUR #75). Cable and Cyclops reconciled their past on the night of Scott’s bachelor party. Cable would be coming to their wedding (UNCANNY X-MEN #310). Scott Summers and Jean Grey were wedded. On their honeymoon, they were drowned at sea, having had their respective consciousnesses removed from their bodies while on the beach. Their minds were sent to the future to raise their son, Nathan [[[[[See Section 3.]]]]]. Their consiousnesses were returned to their bodies at the moment they were first removed, once their task in the future was completed (X-MEN #30 & THE ADVENTURES OF CYCLOPS AND PHOENIX #1). Robotic agents of Stryfe attacked Zero, who fled and refused to submit to them. While repairing himself in Maine of damaged sustained by the robots, Zero came upon the being that would soon be called Douglock. They joined with Excalibur to uncover an underground layer belonging to Stryfe. There Zero was granted full awareness and sentience. Cruelly, the installation self-destructed with him inside shortly afterwards. He transmitted data that might lead to a cure for the Legacy Virus into Douglock before he met his demise (EXCALIBUR #77, 79-80).
Belasco and the rebellious S’ym of the demon plane Limbo came face-to-face with Cable, who as an infant was a key component in their bid for power and scheme to open a portal allowing Limbo’s hordes to invade Earth. This all related back to the demon N’Astirh’s meddling with Madelyne Pryor, Nathan’s mother and, at the time of her death, the Goblin Queen. Now, Cable put S’ym in his place (CABLE #14).
Cable and Domino led Storm to the location of the scant few Morlocks that remained alive. This was necessary because Storm owes a duty to these misfits, as their leader. They ran into Caliban, who was on the run from the Dark Riders, out to execute him for being unworthy of their dark master, Apocalypse, then thought dead on the moon. The Riders’s teleporter, Hardrive, interrupted the ensuing battle to remind them of orders given not to attack Cable; then he teleported them from the sewer that the Morlocks made their home. Cable questioned who could give such an order in Apocalypse’s absence. He needed to further investigate, and so he used Caliban’s mutant tracking ability to lead him, Domino, and Storm to hunt down the Dark Riders…in Akkaba.
After crossing the desert on camels to arrive there, at the birthplace of Apocalypse, they found the village ablaze, ransacked, the inhabitants all dead. Cable recalled a time from his days of youth in the future when the Clan Chosen resided in Akkaba, not aware of its historical significance. Then, in the future, Apocalypse attacked the rebel Clan, leaving the village in a similar state of disaster. Cable reasoned that the present perpetrater of the annihilation must have been someone privy to the knowledge of the battle in the future—someone who was there.
It proved to be Nathan’s son, Tyler, now calling himself Genesis and serving as leader of the Dark Riders, anticipating the day when Apocalypse would rise again. Cable was taken prisoner and the others were left to storm the fortress of Apocalypse that Genesis used for his base. Evidently Genesis had slaughtered the inhabitants of Akkaba in order to prevent the slaughter of the village in the future; to change history. Cable told him that he was deluding himself, that it didn’t work that way. Genesis sought to siphon energy from Cable, to increase his own power. The resulting battle leveled the fortress. Inside the crumbling wreckage, Genesis used Hardrive to teleport himself and the Dark Riders to safety. Cable, Storm, and Domino survived with the help of Storm’s mutant powers (CABLE #s 17-19).
Scott and Jean admitted to Cable that it was they who raised him as Slym and Redd; Cable admitted to them that he’d known for some time (CABLE #20).
When the mutant Legion travelled to the past and killed Charles Xavier, Apocalypse, in the present, interpreted these events, which would precipitate a rupture in time and reality, as a sign of the coming of his ascension. He foresaw the arrival of the X-Man [[[[[Note: The X-Man is a younger version of Cable from an alternate reality ruled by Apocalypse—the same reality that Holocaust, the Dark Beast, and the Sugar Man hail from. The latter two arrived in this reality some twenty years ago, while the former were only recently stranded here. While the Dark Beast (another mad scientist) is an alternate version of Hank McCoy, there are as of yet no known correlating versions of Holocaust and Sugar Man from this reality. This site will not focus on the exploits of this alternate Nathan “Grey” where his story doesn’t overlap with Cable’s (and Sinister’s, for Sinister has an interest in the X-Man due largely to his biological potential as a weapon against our reality’s Apocalypse). It need be said that the X-Man does not suffer from the techno-organic virus that Cable suffers from. This might make him more powerful, but for the fact that he’s young, brash, and inexperienced in the use of his powers. These characters will surface in these pages from time to time, but keep in mind that they, because they are “strangers” to the Cable/Apocalypse conflict in this reality, do not hold as much bearing on this narrative.]]]]] (X-MEN #41). Cable, Domino, and Caliban visited Blaquesmith, who’d taken shelter in a freighter on the docks in this era. Moira discovered that Cable had some connection with the Legacy Virus (CABLE #21). Domino was forced to kill Grizzly, who was being controlled by Tyler to murder people. Tyler had adopted the name Genesis. Cable found a time-displaced Jenskot in Tyler’s old base, and she convinced him to return to the future with him in order to save his past self from dying. [[[[[See Section 5.]]]]] Also accompanied by Domino, Blaquesmith propelled them through time (CABLE #23-24). Sinister visited Gambit to follow up on his trouble with Rogue, relating to her coming closer to discovering the truth of his hand in the slaughter of the Morlocks [[[[[Gambit and Rogue had previously shared a kiss, leaving Gambit in a coma and granting Rogue a fraction of his memories.]]]]] (X-MEN #45). Genesis and the Dark Riders—Gauntlet, Hurricane, Lifeforce, Deadbolt, and Spyne—confronted Sinister. Jean Grey and Beast interfered (X-MEN ’95). McCoy and Sugarman planned to assassinate Bishop before Sinister could piece together that he was the answer to questions that have bothered him for decades. McCoy then aborted the assassination, instead preferring to infiltrate the X-Men by posing as the Beast (X-MEN #s 48-49). Cable and Domino returned to the present, arriving on the tumultuous island-nation of Genosha. There they encountered the Sugar Man, a malignant geneticist who served under Apocalypse in an alternate reality. They discovered that he was in part responsible for creating the mutate process that subordinated an entire subculture to an oppressive ruling class. Mister Sinister assisted Cable in taking Sugar Man, who was his adversarial competitor, down a peg. Also, Sinister warned him of the existence of the X-Man in this reality (EXCALIBUR #s 86-87 & CABLE #s 26-28). The Dark Riders sprung Wolverine’s adamantium-encased foe Cyber from where he was being held. They brought him with them to Genesis’ current base. Genesis tested Cyber’s adamantium, then used mutant death watch beetles to separated him from his adamantium augmentations. Cyber did not survive the experience. Zoe Culloden transported Wolverine to Genesis’s base where he was subdued and captured. Genesis attempted to transform Wolverine into Apocalypse’s Horseman of War. He tried to make Wolverine more powerful by bonding Cyber’s adamantium to his bones. He failed in this, as did he fail in his attempt to reawaken Apocalypse. Hurricane, Deadbolt, Spyne, Gauntlet, and Lifeforce of the Dark Riders were killed, some by a laboratory accident, others by Wolverine himself. Wolverine killed Genesis in an animalistic fury. Cannonball, who’d joined his fellow X-Man, discovered that Apocalypse’s sarcophagus was empty (WOLVERINE #s 93-96, 99-100). Cable forgave Wolverine for killing Tyler, his son (WOLVERINE #1/2). An animal-like Wolverine was drawn to Ozymandias. The X-Men battled his stone creations (UNCANNY X-MEN #332 & WOLVERINE #102).
Blaquesmith arrived at the X-Mansion to discuss with Cable, Xavier, Storm, Scott, Jean, and Moira MacTaggart the threat posed by the X-Man and his awesome power. When the X-Men offered to assist Cable in locating the young mutant, Blaquesmith altered the memories of all those present beside himself and Cable to forget the discussion. Blaquesmith wished for Cable to combat the X-Man alone, for it was the Askani’son’s responsibility alone to do so.
Exodus, still licking his wounds from his defeat while leading Magneto’s Acolytes, emerged from his ancient prison when the stray X-Man was drawn to the area. As Cable also approached, he was overcome with a severe psionic backlash due to his proximity to the X-Man. The X-Man suffered a similar static episode. Threnody, the mutant sent by Sinister to keep an eye on him, comforted the X-Man. At the same time, Blaquesmith caught up with Cable. X-Man arrived at Cable’s safe-house in the Swiss Alps, not knowing what force had led him there. Cable and Blaquesmith arrived afterward, Cable set on helping the X-Man, Blaquesmith on ensuring his death. The X-Man, on the other hand, lashed out at everyone, confused and seeking escape. The battle was joined by Exodus, hungry for power. It ended in Exodus’s defeat and Cable saving X-Man’s life. But the cost of their meeting was Cable’s control over the techno-organic virus, a direct result of the psionic backlash (CABLE #s 29-31, X-MAN #14).
After attacking a Sentinel facility while investigating Onslaught, where he was being observed by Post, Cable came into direct contact with and battled Post outside Blaquesmith’s pier headquarters (CABLE #s 32-33).
Apocalypse awoke in the presence of his servant Ozymandias. He prepared to witness the birth of the Age of Apocalypse when Onslaught made his ascent to power. The Watcher, Uatu, also met Apocalypse to discuss Earth’s future (UNCANNY X-MEN #335). Sinister visited Genesis’s former base to discover that Apocalypse was not resting in the sarcophagus. He directly attempted to take X-Man from X-Force’s protection. Onslaught was in need of the powerful mutant to increase his own might, and Sinister was prepared to shield X-Man from him (X-MAN #18). Apocalypse offerd his help to Cable and the Invisible Woman in retrieving Franklin Richards, her son taken by Onslaught, to play a part in his defeat. Cable, for the first time, was willing to work side-by-side with his archnemesis. At the climax of their combined effort, Apocalypse prepared to kill Franklin to prevent Onslaught from ascending. His hand was halted and Franklin remained with his captor. Apocalypse teleported away (CABLE #35). After Onslaught’s defeat, Cable recovered his hold over the techno-organic virus, first compromised during his battle with the X-Man (CABLE #36).
Angel’s feathered wings reappeared. This, as Ozymandias told him, was somehow part of Apocalypse’s long-term plan (UNCANNY X-MEN #338). Cable battled Sinsear one final time within the time-displacement core at the bottom of the ocean, this time accompanied by Bishop (CABLE #41). Ch’Vayre gathered and trained young warriors in the ways of the Askani to eventually be led by Cable (CABLE #43). Cable was visited by his birth mother, Madelyne Pryor, while Ch’Vayre decided to go about his mission differently. He did this by contacting and allying himself with Sebastion Shaw of the Hellfire Club. (CABLE #44) Ozymandias took Caliban from X-Force, and from Cable’s guidance (X-FORCE #67). Cable and Cyclops traveled to Genesis’ former base to talk. They became more familiar with each other before they left the base undisturbed (X-FORCE AND CABLE ’96: Backup Story). Cable rescued tabloid reporter Irene Merryweather from the Hellfire Club. She was destined to chronicle his adventures (CABLE #48). X-Force left Cable’s leadership to forge a new path for themselves (X-FORCE #69-70). Someone by the name of Dr. Martyneck revealed to James Proudstar that he, under Stryfe, had been responsible for the Camp Verde Massacre that killed his friends and family. Zero was somehow present at the time of the revelation [[[[[I chalk this up to an inconsistency with continuity, especially since his presence was never clarified. X-Fore recognized it to be another Zero unit, yet only the one android was ever shown making its way to the present.]]]]]. James experienced induced cardiovascular problems and…died. James and X-Force battled Stryfe in Hell. James “came back to life” (X-FORCE #s 73-74).
Sebastion Shaw, Donald Pierce, and Ch’Vayre stirred Apocalypse’s long-hidden Harbinger from its deep sleep. They intended to use it to track down Apocalypse for the Hellfire Club’s exploitation. It battled Cable and then left to see the world and to judge it (CABLE #50). Cable followed Shaw to a base that Apocalypse was thought to inhabit. Ch’Vayre was trapped in a pod of some sort within the base. The base, which was abandoned after all, destroyed itself. Cable, Shaw, and Pierce were able to walk away. Meanwhile, Apocalypse released Caliban and Ozymandias from his possession, to fend for themselves, if they were to survive. Apocalypse planned to once again, in the near future, make Caliban a Horseman [[[[[It is to be assumed that Ch’Vayre will awaken from the pod 2000 years later as an enhanced warrior.]]]]] (CABLE #53). Cable found, and of course battled, the warriors that had been trained by Ch’Vayre. Not one to include strangers in his quest, Cable disbanded them. He took from their holding an aforementioned psimitar, which channeled and focused one’s psi-powers (CABLE #58). Stryfe, alive again and suddenly on the moon, descended upon Latveria inside a pyramond. Along with several Dark Riders, some of whom should also have been dead, Stryfe planned to rule Latveria in Doctor Doom’s late absence. [[[[[How did he return?]]]]] Cable, X-Man, Madelyne Pryor, and a non-mutant, soon-to-be-dead character named Ness defeated him. They would think they killed him, but then they’d be wrong (X-MAN #45, 46, CABLE #63, and X-MAN #47). Gambit prevented the organization Elysian Enterprises from securing artifacts that may have been linked to Apocalypse. The dream-haunting Fontanel visited the dreams of archaeologist Sekmeht Conoway to discover a possible connection to Apocalypse (GAMBIT #s 1 &3). En Sabah Nur prepared to cull the weak from the strong (CABLE #64). Ozymandias showed Blaquesmith signs of the coming of Apocalypse and made a foretelling of a confrontation with his Harbinger in New York City. He warned that only if NYC was destroyed, Apocalypse’s ascension might have been avoided. An astral form of the Mother Askani visited Cable and hid the identities of the Twelve within his mind. The Harbinger approached NYC, prepared pass final judgment (CABLE #65). Cable and the Avengers saved NYC from the Harbinger, who was destroyed (CABLE #66-68). Cable convinced “time cops” to release the imprisoned “time criminal” Madame Sanctity. They were holding her on allegations of tampering with the continuum (CABLE #69). His final battle with Apocalypse coming ever closer, Cable was visited by Sinister (CABLE ’99). Apocalypse traveled to Genosha, where he was pleased with what he found (MAGNETO REX #3).
The mysterious Death attacked the Hulkbuster Base, one-time headquarters of Operation: Zero Tolerance. Death was pursuing the Mannites for an as-yet-undisclosed reason. Cyclops, Phoenix, Wolverine, Angel, Cable, and X-Man arrived to help save them. A skrull impostor of Wolverine was killed by Death (ASTONISHING X-MEN #s 1-3). Gambit and Courier discovered Sabretooth had been attacked and that his adamantium skeleton was removed. With Creed among them, they visited Sinister. He hinted that Apocalypse was somehow involved with Creed’s loss of the adamantium (GAMBIT #s 8-9). Apocalypse prepared to convert Deathbird into a Horseman after he manipulated her into retrieving the Living Monolith from space for his hidden plans (UNCANNY X-MEN #374). Shadowcat found a diary belonging to the deceased clairvoyant mutant Destiny. It warned of an upcoming event with Apocalypse and the Twelve (X-MEN #94). Rachel showed Cable the “Days of Future Past” (CABLE #71). Following his battle with X-51 when he lost his armada, Post confronted Cable, who gave him a second chance to fix his life (CABLE #72 [[[[[the X-51 issues are from #1-2 of his own series.]]]]]). Apocalypse kindled a war between human and Deviant to determine whicwas more fit to survive. The immortal Eternals intervened. They banded together to defend humanity as the “New Breed” (THE NEW ETERNALS: APOCALYPSE NOW one-shot). Caliban appeared in San Francisco as the new Pestilence. He confronted X-Force while Cable visited them. War appeared as well, along with men garbed in ancient Egyptian attire that appeared to be made of sand. They distracted X-Force while Pestilence incapacitateed Cable with psi-powers. Cable was kidnaped and taken to Egypt, where he was held by Apocalypse. Cable managed to break free, confront both both Apocalypse and Death, but was eventually recaptured (CABLE #s 73-75). The dead body of the skrull impostor Wolverine was returned to Xavier’s Mansion. The X-Men discovered that it was indeed a skrull impostor, and they confirmed that it was the only such impostor on the team (UNCANNY X-MEN #375). The X-Men infiltrated the skrull training facility where they confronted Death once again. He was unmasked and revealed to be the genuine Wolverine. Death eluded them (X-MEN #95). The X-Men analyzed all available information, such as that from Destiny’s diary, and concluded that Apocalypse had been behind the skrull deception and that the legendary Twelve destined to defeat him consisted of: Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Phoenix, Storm, Iceman, Sunfire, Polaris, Cable, Bishop, Mikhail Rasputin, the Monolith, and Magneto. The Living Monolith gained immense power (UNCANNY X-MEN #376). When Death attacked the X-Men at the mansion, the Twelve were being gathered from all around the world. The Twelve approached Egypt, where Apocalypse laid in wait (X-Men #96). Jubilee, Nightcrawler, Angel, Shadowcat, and Psylocke battled Death. Wolverine was purged of the Horseman persona. A great force swept over Angel, and he fled to a hospital where Abraham Kieros, the original Horseman of War, layed broken. Angel healed Abraham’s injuries, and the veteran recovered. They reconciled their dark pasts under Apocalypse (WOLVERINE #s 146-147). Apocalypse defeated and captured the Twelve, and to them revealed that their reason for being assembled was actually to give him ultimate power, via the “Twelve Circuit” (UNCANNY X-MEN #377). On the eve of what could very well have been the final showdown with his captor, Apocalypse, Cable resolved his bond with Cyclops, his father, and Madelyne Pryor, his mother, through his telepathy (CABLE #76). Apocalypse planned to transplant his consciousness into the X-Man’s most powerful body, which he had also secured through Pestilence’s task of overtaking him. With power of his level and the power produced by the Twelve Circuit stacked on top of it, Apocalypse would have had the means to begin his ascension to power without significant opposition. While the transfer of energies was in motion, various X-Men fought skrulls outside the pyramid that housed the Twelve. Within, the Twelve broke free of the circuit. They were at once distracted with the threat of the raging Monolith, who had prior to the disruption conducted the energies produced by the Twelve. Cyclops, Jean, Cable, and Professor Xavier slipped away to locate Apocalypse. War, Pestilence, and Famine appeared to challenge them, but Mikhail Rasputin selflessly used his reality-based powers to shunt the enemies off to another dimension along with himself. When they found Apocalypse, his energy field erupted as Cable attempted to penetrate it. Cable was violently jolted a dozen feet away. Jean Grey pierced Apocalypse’s armor with her telekinetic powers, leaving him relatively vulnerable to attack. He blasted Jean down. Drained of the power to use his optic blasts, Cyclops stepped up to push X-Man out of Apocalypse’s reach, thereby placing himself amid the consuming energies. Cyclops merged with Apocalypse instead of X-Man. Without a sufficient vessel, Apocalypse was denied omnipotent power. According to the professor’s telepathy, Scott’s mind no longer existed. There was only Apocalypse (X-MEN #97).
Cyclops’s body could not contain the energies of the Twelve, so Apocalypse attempted to assemble the Twelve once again in this past he’d engineered. Cyclops nonetheless managed to place himself in the version of reality and alerted the other members of the Twelve to what Apocalypse was trying to do. The Twelve assaulted Apocalypse, and they seemed to defeat him. Suddenly, they were back in the present, back in Egypt (UNCANNY X-MEN #378).
Apocalypse created another version of the past, in ancient Egypt, to recreate the Twelve Circuit. Led by Cable, the Twelve revolted against the Living Monolith, who was made out to be some sort of dark pharaoh in this particular scenario. When his charade was compromised again, Apocalypse abandoned this scenario as he had the first (CABLE #77). A future version of the X-Men was created by Apocalypse. They fought a warped version of the Four Horsemen and won (X-MEN UNLIMITED #26). Apocalypse created yet another version of the Twelve, this time set in the far future on a distant planet. Charles Xavier was dying in this reality. The only way to save his life was to place him within a rejuvenation pod. The Twelve attempted to save him by powering the pod using their mutant abilities. The pod was shockingly revealed to contain the Monolith and Apocalypse, who’d been feeding on the power that the Twelve produced. Cyclops sabotaged Apocalypse’s plan from within, directing the energy back to the Twelve, leaving Apocalypse almost powerless. They appeared back in the present. Apocalypse was weakened and utterly defeated. Cable attempted to finish him off, but Jean stopped him from doing so, knowing that a part of her husband still existed within Apocalypse. With the last of his energy, Apocalypse and the Monolith teleported away to parts unknown (X-MEN #98).
The battle ended, Cable returned to his hideout in Hell’s Kitchen, where he found Blaquesmith, Irene Merryweather, and his on-again off-again girlfriend, Stacey. A party who wished to obtain information regarding the techno-organic virus that ailed Cable had assaulted the hideout in his absence, apparently. From a possible timeline 2000 years in the future, warriors of the conquering Ranshi Empire traveled to the present with the intention of combating members of an opposing future timeline, the utopian Harmony. Cable erased his girlfriend Stacey’s memory of him and left her so that she wouldn’t become involved in his life. Due to the High Evolutionary’s worldwide eradication of the mutant genome, Cable and all other mutants suddenly lost their mutant abilities. [[[[[Sinister was pulling the Evolutionary’s strings.]]]]] Without his telekinesis to hold it in check, the techno-organic virus ravaged his body like never before. Cable was dying (CABLE #78 & X-MEN #99).
Section 12: Defeat at the Hands of Stryfe
Section 13: Remnants from the Future
Section 14: The Birth of Onslaught
Section 15: The Resumed War on Apocalypse
Section 16: The Twelve Circuit
Section 17: Apocalypse’s Distortion of Reality
Section 18: The Aftermath of the Twelve
Section 11: Alignment With the New Mutants and Birth of X-Force
In the year 1990, Stryfe created his own band of operatives. Under the false cause of trying to help mutants rise against humans, Stryfe’s Mutant Liberation Front helped him in his efforts to seize power in the world. Consisting of mutants Reaper, who emitted paralyzing neural disrupters, Strobe, who could burn or melt through almost anything, Wildside, who could distort reality, Forearm, who had four capable arms, Tempo, who could distort time within a short range, Thumbelina, who could shrink to smaller sizes, and Zero, Stryfe’s personal teleporting android unit, the Mutant Liberation Front first stole dangerous components from a major federal energy research facility near Dark Hole, Wyoming. 
Rictor ran away from the team shortly thereafter. James Proudstar, with heightened senses and superhuman strength, decided to join them after his family was killed. Filled with vengeance, he took the codename Warpath. The New Mutants experienced the other-dimensional Shatterstar in their Danger Room. After helping him defeat assailants, he too joined the team. The Morlock known as Feral joined once they defeated her own assailants, the Morlock Masque and his followers. Feral became an agile and ferocious asset to their forces.
Section 12: Defeat at the Hands of Stryfe
Stryfe, while disguised as Cable, shot Professor Charles Xavier and fled. When he was brought to a hospital, scattered members of the X-teams discovered that Xavier had been shot with a potentially deadly technovirus that would kill him. 
Apocalypse battled his Dark Riders, almost dying again, but proving his strength in the end by surviving. Cable and Stryfe were seemingly killed during a final battle on the moon. [[[[[Cable had been temporally displaced during his fight with Stryfe. Stryfe, however, was not so lucky. See Section 5.]]]]] Section 13: Remnants from the Future
[[[[[See Section 5 for specifics on Cable’s return to the present day.]]]]] Phasing into the time displacement core with Garrison Kane from the future, Cable was fated to die there beneath the ocean in a watery grave. Since the Professor could not be accessed to enable a bodyslide out of the core, the two men would have little choice but to suffocate inside it. That is, until Cable powered a transporter using his own internal energy. The two then teleported to Cable’s safe-house in the Swiss Alps, where they found G.W. Bridge, who’d broken in looking for answers only to meet the Professor, who in addition to piloting Graymalkin could also re-route his systems to oversee the safe-house’s security. Cable fought his old friend for a time in recompnse for Bridge’s attacks on X-Force over the year prior to Cable’s defeat on the moon. They agreed on a truce on the conditions that Bridge help Cable locate X-Force and Cable right his wrongs to help Hammer walk once again.
Mother Askani, from a point before her death in the future, sent another Askani back in time to protect Cyclops, Phoenix, and Xavier from upcoming confrontations. Tyler had Zero teleport them to the Askani, and he kidnaped her. Section 14: The Birth of Onslaught
Tremain, now called Post, and serving as the Emissary of Onslaught, attacked the X-Men to pave the way for his master’s coming. Onslaught was an immensely powerful psionic mutant that aspired to control the world. He was birthed of the combined dispositions of both Charles Xavier and Magneto on the subject of the mutant plight. From his connection to Xavier, Onslaught gained an upper hand in manipulating Tremain, who had been swayed to the father of the X-Men prior to Onslaught’s creation (X-MEN #50). Section 15: The Resumed War on Apocalypse
Mister Sinister used the Mutate Virus on humans in order to acquire genetic guinea pigs. By chance, he captured Bishop when he and Iceman interfered. By dissecting Bishop’s mind, he came close to discovering the existence of McCoy and his reality, which Bishop once visited (X-MEN #s 51-52).
Cable rescued Blaquesmith from Rama Tut in Egypt. During the battle, he lost his telepathy due to a disturbance on the psionic plane [[[[[Rama Tut supposedly arrived in this time following his stint as pharaoh 5,000 years before when Apocalypse was born.]]]]] (CABLE #57).Section 16: The Twelve Circuit
A kidnaped Wolverine was pitted against Sabretooth by Apocalypse. Wolverine defeated his opponent. The winner decided, Apocalypse removeed Sabretooth’s recently acquired adamantium skeleton and bonded it to Wolverine’s bones. Apocalypse conditioned Wolverine’s mind to serve as his Horseman, Death (WOLVERINE #145).Section 17: Apocalypse’s Distortion of Reality
Using the chronal energy acquired from the Twelve Circuit, Apocalypse manipulated time, creating a warped version of the past in which Cyclops was never a member of the X-Men. Section 18: The Aftermath of the Twelve
Gambit traveled to the 19th Century, where he encountered Mister Sinister and Ozymandias [[[[[See Section 7.]]]]] (GAMBIT #12).
In Egypt, Ozymandias contemplated a future free of Apocalypse’s oppression.