Dawn…
The early morning sun reaches out with warming fingers, caressing an ancient castle, high in the Swiss Alps. For centuries, this tiny monastery has stood far above a world which often seems bent on its own destruction, while its inhabitants devoted themselves to God and to the safeguard of man’s accumulated knowledge. But it has been many years since Catholic monks performed services here. Today, a new invocation is whispered, a desperate prayer spoken by a desperate man.
The man lights a candle. He thinks about how beautiful this world is, which is still untouched by the end-struggle. But, he wonders, how many dawns does this world have left? Already, the first prophecy, the sacrifice of the martyr, has come to pass. He has little time remaining to find the gatherer of the Twelve. He picks up a fractured statuette from a table, which was once a pristine sculpture that captured a warrior’s power and grace in miniature. Now, it’s a relic of a time yet to come. How, like himself…
His thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a female voice, who mocks that Ch’vayre, the monk, is a relic himself. Angered by the disturbance, Ch’vayre wonders aloud if his thoughts will never be free of the woman’s profane influence. The woman, floating in mid-air in a bright light before Ch’vayre, demands he addresses her by her proper title, befitting her station as high priestess of the Askani church. She is Sanctity! And Ch’vayre’s mind, body and very soul… belong to her! She reminds him it was because of her will he journeyed here, millennia into the past. She wants to know why he still corners in this decrepit house of false worship. Sanctity demands an explanation why Ch’vayre hasn’t sought out the Askani’son yet, the man who in this time era is known as… Cable!
Ch’vayre, calling Sanctity a witch, says Cable isn’t easily approached… especially by one of the Askani. As her light grows even brighter than before, Sanctity grins Cable is a brash and impulsive child, ever unmindful of the role he was born to. But that is why Ch’vayre is there, to do what that fool Blaquesmith could not. He has to find Cable and make his path clear. Whether he desires it or not. The time has come for Cable to fulfill his destiny… or be annihilated. “So it shall be, milady,” Ch’vayre concludes as Sanctity disappears.
He puts the replica back on the table and thinks it’s good that Sanctity is gone. He now realizes he was an idiot to ever accept this mission. He’s certain Nathan Dayspring will never acquiesce to that madwoman’s will. And yet, if he does not, the world will enter a new dark age! Ch’vayre wonders where Cable is right now, and how he’ll make him see.
Elsewhere…
A heavily sweating Cable telepathically asks Storm what she has gotten them into. Cable is at a dance club, where he currently finds himself “crowd surfing” over a throng of people. In truth, both Cable and Storm came there to prevent a tragedy. An informant tipped them that there at the dance club, where Lila Cheney is performing a concert, meant to promote good will between human and mutant, would be a target for the terrorist activities of Callisto.
Nathan asks Storm if he would like to do what he’s doing right now, but Storm smiles she’s more comfortable standing near stage, where there’s a little more breathing room. Cable can’t believe this is what kids think is fun in this era. He has been in firefights less chaotic! He asks Storm if she’s okay. She claims she’s fine, but Cable recalls she’s claustrophobic. He thinks she should wait outside while he finds Callisto, but Storm refuses.
She explains to Nathan that Callisto is a Morlock, one of mutantkind’s disenfranchised who lives beneath Manhattan. Ororo took the mantle of leadership away from Callisto when she bested her in combat many months ago. She sees Callisto as her responsibility.
On that moment, both Callisto and Marrow jump through the skylight! Storm recognizes Marrow and wonders how the two could be together, as it was only weeks ago Callisto forced Storm to kill Marrow. Cable is certain they’ll get that answer shortly, but first he wants some action. He hits Marrow in her stomach. Callisto asks Cable what he’s doing there, as she never thought he would buy into the X-Men’s “pathetic” dream. She calls mutants and humans living in a peaceful harmony bull, and kicks Cable in his face.
As he rises back to his feet, Cable thinks that Marrow will be down for a few seconds, but Callisto is still up and the crowd around them is starting to freak. This is bad. Cable realizes they can’t fight the Morlocks there, as there are too many people around. And Callisto and Marrow know that. They know he and Storm won’t take a chance that someone could be injured or killed, but he also knows Callisto and Marrow don’t share the same concerns.
Marrow gets up and notices how surprised Cable looks and thinks he doesn’t recognize her. She reveals that, when she was a child, her name was Sarah. They performed the blessed ceremony of light together. She was innocent then. She believed people like him and Storm would lead the Morlocks up to the starshine. But still their people cower in tunnels, in alleys, in dark corners, feeding on the refuse of humans. Praying for a savior who will never come.
The entire crowd of the dance club begins to panic, running in all directions, seeking a safe exit. Unfortunately, they begin crushing in Storm, who’s having a hard time holding it together. Cable tries to figure out a way to lead everyone out of the club and to find a way to figure out what Marrow and Callisto are up to, but before he can do anything, he gets grabbed by one of Lila’s hulking bodyguards. Cable is a bit surprised at the guy’s height and size. However, he quickly recalls that Storm told him the guards are actually extraterrestrials from all over the galaxy, and use image-inducer to appear human. As he thinks he doesn’t have time for this, the guard says he recognizes Cable as the guy Lila said would going to be there.
Nearby, Storm can’t take the crowd anymore and unleashes a powerful lightning bolt throughout the dance club, causing the entire building to shake. Cable runs towards Storm to check if she’s okay and, as he helps her up, Ororo informs him that she’s in control once more. While Cable was helping out Storm, Callisto and Marrow see their chance to escape and do so. He telepathically asks Lila if she saw where they went, but she just wants to finish her song. But, she did saw it: they went north to the rear exit.
Cable and Storm head outside, after which Ororo flies them on top of a rooftop. She is glad to see Thornn’s information paid off, but realizes this behavior is far off Callisto’s normal actions. And she is surprised to see Marrow again too, because she held the child’s heart in her hand. Cable analyses it’s obvious the Morlocks intend to further destabilize human-mutant relations by threatening this particular event. Now that they know about it, it’s time they stop Marrow and Callisto. Storm agrees, but wonders where their opponents are.
Regrouping in an alley nearby, Callisto wonders how Cable and Storm could have known about this. The two showed up before anyone could have spotted them. Before Callisto even had the chance to place the plastique. Marrow tells Callisto to relax and believes it’s even better to see the two X-Men there. She can get back inside the dance club and place the bomb and, if they’re back inside, Cable and Storm will be blamed for it! Callisto knows both she and Marrow have a history with Ororo Munroe, but her history is longer than Marrow’s. If Storm is going to buy it, it shall be at her hand. “We’ll see,” Marrow smiles.
Callisto is okay with that. She points to the rear exit of the dance club and reminds Marrow she knows where the bomb goes. She just has to be sure to give these people a warning, one chance to get out, like they agreed. And Marrow also has to make certain she’ll be out of there before Lila gets to the end of her last song. Marrow’s mutant psychology enabled her to survive her showdown with Storm but. if she’s caught in the blast of the exploding bomb, a second heart won’t help.
Up on the rooftops…
Cable wants to split up so they’ll cover more ground. He’ll go back inside. Storm interrupts and apologes for losing it back in the dance club. Nathan gently touches Ororo’s chin, promising she doesn’t need to apologize for that. Sometimes he thinks they’ve all been doing this for so long that they forget that, despite the fact that they’re mutants, they’re also still human. They each have their own dark fears and private doubts. He calls Storm one of the strongest people he knows.
Now ready to return to action, he tells Storm that he will keep them in telepathic contact. Because, if they want to find this bomb, they’ve got to find Marrow and Callisto first. Nathan jumps down and Storm takes the skies.
Lila’s two huge bodyguards have taken guard on the exit. A drunken guy tries to enter backstage by falsely claiming he’s a friend of Lila’s. Lenny of course doesn’t buy it and mocks that, if that’s the case, he and Franky are two blue aliens using an image inducer to hide their true forms from the citizens of Earth. The drunken man doesn’t give up and keeps trying to get in. Frankie asks Lenny if he can “flash” the guy, to which Lenny smiles that that’s doable, just as Cable just arrives. As Frankie shows the drunken guy his true alien form, that of a large, green, bug-like alien with sharp teeth, claws, and yellow eyes. Meanwhile, Lenny recognizes Cable from before and allows Nathan to enjoy the rest of the show. While Frankie and Lenny laugh at the drunken guy running away, Nathan goes back inside.
And, nearby…
As she lands on a rooftop, Storm agrees with Cable when he calls the world primed to blame mutants for any eventuality after the Graydon Creed assassination. And an act of terrorism caused by a mutant would only fuel up the hatred. On the roof is also Callisto, who shows up from the shadows and smiles she loves to see the windrider suffer. She jokes it must be so frustrating for Ororo to know that precious human lives are in jeopardy, and Callisto thinks those humans lives mean much more than their own to Ororo, but she can’t do a single thing about it!
Storm wants Callisto to understand that terrorism is the tool of the weak. Attempting to send a message with scores of needless deaths is simply an act of cowardice! Callisto angrily disagrees with this. She asks Storm if she has seen the news lately. If she has any idea what the humans have planned for them. Genocide, pure and simple! Callisto hopes bombing this club will be a wake-up call for all mutants to rise… and wise up! She doesn’t get any enjoyments from this. It’s just the world they live in. But she tells Storm she doesn’t have to worry. Those pretty little human faces will have one chance to get safely outside but. if they don’t make it, Callisto exclaims, they have brought it on themselves.
Inside the club…
Cable looks around. Though he can still see a crowd of people dancing and enjoying the show, there is no sign of either Callisto or Marrow. But if he lightly scans the crowd telepathically he might be able to find them. And, after doing a quick search… he finds something!
Cable has found Thornn in the club and is disturbed to find her there. After all, she was supposed to be keeping tabs on the other Morlocks that were left in the tunnels. Thornn defends that she knows Cable told her not to, but she just wanted to help. She followed Callisto and Marrow and they left before, but Marrow came back. And she’s in the club. On that moment, Marrow jumps at both Cable, bones blades ready in her hands.
Outside…
Callisto attacks Storm, yelling that it’s over… and Ororo loses! Storm replies that she disagrees. She has bested Callisto before and will do so again if necessary, though it will be painful. This she promises and, by the bright lady, if that the bomb detonates, Callisto will pay dearly. She hits Callisto in her face with her elbow and demands to know where the bombs are.
Inside the club…
Cable throws Marrow over his shoulders, and she claims Cable will never be able to stop them. He’ll never be able to stop the bomb in time, as it’s set to an audio-sensitive remote. Callisto had it rigged to blow when Lila hits the high note at the end of her encore, and that’s in the song she is singing right now! Marrow knows she was supposed to warn the crowd but deliberately forgot to do it. Still silent as she continues, Cable takes out two knives out of his shoulder harness and uses them against Marrow’s bone blades. Still continuing, Marrow remarks that she is certain Cable won’t get to Lila now but, as he fights her, Cable thinks someone forgot to mention to Marrow that he’s telepathic.
Finally speaking, he tells Marrow she doesn’t have to live like this: underground, in the shadows, full of hate. There are people who will accept her, despite her appearance, no matter her past sins. He tries to make Marrow understand not to be an enemy, because she’ll regret it. With that, he shatters one of her bones with his knife. While Marrow lies on the ground, Cable telepathically contacts Thornn and asks her to see if she can use her heightened senses to sniff out that bomb. He also telepathically warns Lila not to sing the end of her song. When she doesn’t understand, Cable explains to her what will happen otherwise.
Outside, Storm is confident Cable must have stopped Marrow by now, but Callisto corrects the plastique will still go off ten seconds after the music stops. Storm flies up in the sky and telepathically warns Cable about the bomb’s secondary pulse. In the crowd, Thornn has managed to find the bomb and shows it to Cable. Storm also warns about what Callisto just told her. Cable is still certain they can do this. He also informs Lila about what’s going on, and that they need transportation for the bomb ASAP. Someplace, far, far away.
Lila knows what to do and Cable throws the bomb to her. She grabs it and tells all her bodyguards to huddle. They gather in a group and while Lila stands in the middle, she teleports away to another galaxy… with the bomb. A bright light from Lila’s teleportation effect but the watching crowd just thinks of it as a light show and are impressed.
A few moments later, Cable and Storm have regrouped, while the bodyguards tend to Thornn. Cable is upset that Callisto and Marrow got away, but what counts is that they averted a terrible tragedy. Suddenly, Lila teleports herself back home and says the bomb exploded on the other side of the galaxy. Cable smiles at the victory, but can’t help but feel Storm is right when she said they only delayed the inevitable. He remembers his “history lessons” all too well. Genetic war looms just over the horizon and, if he can’t prevent it, the conflagration could last for a long, long time.
