Cable (1st series) #14

Issue Date: 
August 1994
Story Title: 
Fear and Loathing Part 3

Glenn Herdling (writer), Steve Skroce (penciler), Mike Sellers (inker), Starkings/Comicraft (letterer), Marie Javins (colorist), Lisa Patrick (editor), Bob Harras (group editor), Tom DeFalco (editor in chief)

Brief Description: 

D’Spayre and Belasco duke it out over who gets to keep company with Cable and Lee. While the demon and the sorcerer are distracted, Cable and Lee attempt to escape, only to find themselves in strange surroundings. Belasco emerges the victor and explains to both Lee and Cable that they are in the Nexus of all Realities. Belasco tells them that the Nexus is slowly growing and will eventually swallow Earth. Cable wants to know what his part is in all of it. Belasco tells Cable about past events where his former servant S’ym and his servant, N’astirh attempted to open a portal between Earth and Limbo and how Cable and his birth mother were both involved. He assumes the same person is involved with the current problems they are facing. The trio makes their way through the Nexus where Cable finally learns his purpose, as a man of science and magic he makes the perfect weapon in the Nexus. They eventually run into the man behind it all, S’ym, who easily bests Belasco and turns his attention towards Cable. After a big brawl, Cable emerges the victor and S’ym’s body disappears. Belasco returns things back to the way they were as per his and Cable’s agreement, and then he too disappears. Cable and Lee, deciding their time together should come to an end, bodyslide out of the Everglades. During Cable’s time in the Nexus, Cannonball and Siryn attempt to locate Cable, but receive a message saying Cable could not be found, leaving both X-Force members worried.

Full Summary: 

Cable and Lee stand before the man they, up until recently, referred to as Sonny. He instead turned out to be the ancient sorcerer Belasco. Belasco tells Cable and Lee that the time for fun and games is over. He tells Cable, referring to him as the son of the Goblin Queen, that they have a mutual enemy that he may not be aware of. Cable says, “Swell.”
D’Spayre charges at Belasco demanding he give him another chance with Cable and Lee. Belasco tells him he already failed and orders him to step aside. D’Spayre cries out, “Never!” and he and Belasco begin to brawl.
Cable suggests to Lee that it would be a good time to escape. Lee agrees and the two of them take off. They find themselves on a stony winding staircase. Lee comments how it doesn’t look like the way they came in. Cable draws her attention to a light not too far away. They make their way over and find an open doorway. Cable thinks they’ve found their way out, but is shocked to see what’s on the outside.
Cable and Lee find themselves to have emerged from an archaic looking tower, not the shack they entered originally. Also, there are gases emitting from the ground and the atmosphere is comprised of a slowly swirling red vortex. Lee wants some answers from Cable. Cable tells her he’s not sure what it all means, but intends to find out.
The sounds of Belasco and D’Spayre doing battle can be heard from where Cable and Lee are standing. Lee wonders what they’re doing to each other. Cable tells her he doesn’t know, and that they shouldn’t hang around to find out. D’Spayre smashes through a window in the tower and falls to the ground not far from where Cable and Lee are standing. D’Spayre spots them and comments on how it should have been easy to overtake them, with their troubled pasts and loved ones lost. Belasco drops down and tells D’Spayre to give it up. He explains that they possessed the courage and compassion to find hope in each other, to overcome their despair. D’Spayre dissipates before them, crying out one last time. Belasco explains he thought it would have been an interesting experiment having D’Spayre and them meet beforehand, but he eventually lost his patience.
Cable demands to know what’s going on. Belasco informs him they are located in the Nexus of all Realities. He tells Cable it has been expanding lately to the point that it may end up swallowing Earth. Cable gets angry and asks what exactly he has to do with any of it. Belasco tells him his reasons are forthcoming, but first he needs to explain the whole story, as both he and Belasco are to blame for it.
Belasco recounts his tale, which began in a corner of the Nexus, known as Limbo. It was an area that Belasco once ruled until Illyana Rasputin, once his apprentice, overthrew him. She eventually left Limbo leaving Belasco’s former servant S’ym in charge. While S’ym was in power he had his servant, the demon N’astirh, steal lots of babies in order to create a portal into Earth from Limbo. Belasco tells Cable he was one of the infants.
As the story continues, the New Mutants arrived in Limbo to challenge S’ym. S’ym defeated them and tried to take possession of Illyana. N’astirh then challenged S’ym for Illyana. N’astirh ended up the victor and thought everything to be going very well. However, Illyana, in a last ditch effort to resolve everything, tossed her Soulsword back into Limbo, sending all of the demons that had arrived on Earth back from whence they came. Illyana also cast a spell, which changed her from the Darkchilde back into a young girl again.
N’astirh was all that remained on Earth from the original invasion and he was still intent on creating a portal between Earth and Limbo. He found Madelyne Pryor, Cable’s birth mother, and awakened the dormant powers within her and transformed her into the Goblin Queen. She was to sacrifice baby Cable at the top of the Empire State Building in a ritual that would permanently create a link between the two dimensions. The X-Men stopped her, but, Belasco informs them, the person responsible is still alive and trying once again to connect Limbo to Earth. Only the son of the Goblin Queen can stop him, Belasco states. Lee wonders aloud how she hooks up with these people.
Camp Verde, Arizona
Cannonball and Siryn are inside X-Force’s communications bunker. Cannonball sits at the computer console and tries to access Cable’s cross-temporal data-banks. Siryn wonders if it will work, and Cannonball assures her it will. Cannonball gains access to the system and waits as it searches. A message displays on the screen, “ERROR:>SUBJECT NOT FOUND”. Siryn asks what it means. Cannonball says it means Cable is not anywhere in the space-time continuum. Siryn asks if that means Cable’s dead. Cannonball tells her he doesn’t know, but that it doesn’t look good.
Hours later, in Limbo:

Belasco, Cable and Lee make their way through the Nexus. The harsh winds bog down Cable and Lee while Belasco remains unaffected. Cable is sick of it all and tells Belasco to stop, calling him “Lefty”. Belasco turns about, and not real happy with the nickname grabs Cable by the throat. He warns Cable that he is someone not to be messed with. Cable breaks free and elbows Belasco in the jaw knocking him to the ground. Cable asks Belasco if he’s so powerful why does he need him.
Belasco tells Cable he’s gone too far and raises his arm as if to conjure some magic, but it doesn’t work. Belasco is surprised that his transmutation spell had no effect. Cable once more demands to know what Belasco wants with them. Belasco, ever so secretive, tells Cable he needs much from him, but as for Lee, she is there for leverage. And with that Belasco transmutes Lee’s flesh to cover her mouth. Belasco demands that Cable do as told or else Lee will suffocate and die. Cable tells him to stop and that he will do as he wishes. Lee, able to speak again, tells Cable he shouldn’t have given in. Belasco smiles and tells her Cable is a noble fool who comes from a family of noble fools.
Cable bends down to check on Lee. She tells him she’s fine, but warns Cable that he is playing in to Belasco’s hands. He assures her he’s not and then asks Belasco one last time why he is needed. Belasco finally relents. He tells Cable that the Nexus is a product of both magic and science and the fact that Cable is a human afflicted with a techno-organic incursion hopefully makes him the perfect conduit between the science and magic components. As Belasco finishes this sentence the trio is transported away. At first Cable thinks it to be Belasco’s doing, but it is S’ym who now stands before them.
S’ym sarcastically apologizes for the interruption and greets his old boss as it had been a while since they saw each other. Belasco can’t believe it is S’ym as he had seen Nastirh defeat him. Belasco presses the attack, assuming S’ym to be no match for him. S’ym knocks Belasco aside with a right to the face. He grabs Belasco’s head and slams it to the ground, reminding him that they’re not in Limbo anymore and he’s not the same S’ym he used to be.
Lee mentions to Cable that an X-Man wouldn’t stand around while someone else was being beaten to death. Cable reminds her once more that he’s no X-Man.
S’ym picks Belasco up by the shirt and asks who the guy he brought with him is. Belasco tells him that the man in fact is the son of the Goblin Queen. S’ym throws Belasco behind him about 50 yards and heads over to introduce himself to Cable.
The two stand face to face, with S’ym standing almost twice as tall as Cable. S’ym comments on how funny time can be between Earth and Limbo as he didn’t expect Maddie’s baby to be so grown up already. He then tells Cable that his death will result in the destruction of the dimensional barrier between Earth and Limbo, something his mother once tried to do. Cable defends his birth mother saying she was manipulated until she no longer knew who she was. S’ym tells him not to get upset. After all, he tells Cable, Madelyne wasn’t even a real person. S’ym wonders aloud what that makes Cable.
S’ym bends down so he’s face to face with Cable. His cigar smoke blows into Cable’s face. S’ym acknowledges the fact that he put together the events that led to Cable’s mother’s death and tells Cable he’s about to join her. Cable snatches S’ym’s cigar and burns him with it causing S’ym to yell out. Cable follows up with a jab to the face, knocking out one of S’ym’s teeth. Cable continues his attack with two more punches and a kick to the face. All the while Cable explains to S’ym that he doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.
S’ym grabs Cable’s foot after it connects with his head. He then gives Cable a good ol’ fashioned beat down. He finally picks Nate up by his head and tells him to say goodbye. Lee jumps on top of S’ym’s back. S’ym drops Cable and slaps Lee away as if she were an annoying insect. S’ym turns his attention back to Cable, intent on finishing the job. Cable is prepared, however, and uses his telekinesis to jam a tree branch through S’ym’s chest.
S’ym falls to the ground. Cable comments on how he’s the second person he’s done that to recently. S’ym opens his eyes and tells Cable demons are tough to kill. Cable says he’ll keep that in mind and decks S’ym once more. Cable asks S’ym if he’s had enough. He doesn’t get an answer; S’ym’s unconscious form dissipates before him. Cable is bemused.
Belasco finally returns and tells Cable not to be too surprised. He tells Cable he had just the right touch to defeat S’ym. Belasco congratulates him on the victory. Cable tells him to cut it and live up to his end of the bargain. Belasco acquiesces.
Lee calls out to Cable as she’s suddenly being pulled into a newly opened vortex. Cable yells for her to hold on and sprints over there. Lee yells back that she can’t and loses her grip. Cable snags her just in time. He threatens Belasco to close the portal. Belasco tells Cable to stop posturing and then closes the portal. Cable and Lee fall to the ground.
Cable helps Lee up and sarcastically remarks on Belasco’s generosity. Belasco tells Cable to relax, the threat of S’ym and Limbo is over and the balance of power restored. He tells Cable, referring to him as the son of the Goblin Queen, that he will be watching him, and then disappears.
Cable and Lee find themselves back in the Everglades with everything back to the way it was. Cable asks her what’s next. Lee tells Cable she has a life to get back to. Cable agrees that he has some people waiting for him as well and tells her he’ll see her around. They bodyslide by two.

Characters Involved: 

Lee Forrester
Cannonball, Siryn (all X-Force)
In a flashback:
Cable (as an infant)
Colossus, Storm, Wolverine (all X-Men)
(Dark) Angel, Cyclops, Iceman (all X-Factor)
Cannonball, Magik I, Mirage, Moonstar, Sunspot, Warlock, Wolfsbane (all New Mutants)

Goblyn Queen/Madelyne Pryor

Story Notes: 

In reference to the story arc title: “Fear and Loathing” was the original published title of Hunter S. Thompson’s 1971 work Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, as it first appeared in the pages of Rolling Stone.

The first page of this issue is a recap in dialogue of the last page of the previous issue.

Illyana was kidnapped by Belasco and taken to Limbo as a six-year-old in Uncanny X-Men #160, and although she was rescued by issue’s end she was seven years older due to the difference in which time passed in Limbo. The story of her journey, apprenticeship and overthrow of Belasco are depicted in the first Magik limited series.

Belasco’s flashback story shows the events that occurred during the Inferno Crossover. The events concerning the New Mutants battling S’ym who then battles N’astirh who is then bested by Illyana take place in New Mutants (1st series) #71-73 and X-Terminators #4. Madelyne’s battle with the X-Men and baby Cable’s rescue are told in Uncanny X-Men #242 and X-Factor (1st series) #38.

Wolverine is shown twice in the same panel. In the middle panel of page 8, Wolverine is drawn shadowed with his claws protruding and also at the forefront of the Goblin Queen battle.

The other individual Cable impaled via his telekinetic abilities was Senyaka and it occurred in Cable #12.

Belasco and Lee will meet again, this time on the infamous island in the Bermuda Triangle. There Belasco will attempt to recruit the N’Garai as his own personal army in a bid to conquer Earth.

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