In Washington D.C., the president asks one of his aides how long it has been since Cable’s ultimatum. The aide replies that it has been 24 hours and that nobody has evacuated Cable’s floating city, Providence, yet. A telepathic projection of Charles Xavier advises the President not to rush into it, but stays silent when asked if Cable will go through with his threat. The president takes this as a yes and orders jets to leave the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan to attack Cable.
Below Providence, Cable is floating in classic Askani-meditation position and sees all of this happening. The jets close in and fire their missiles. Just before they reach Providence, Cable telekinetically detonates them all. On the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, Nick Fury asks for a status report; it turns out that Cable has detonated all 273 missiles and is funneling the energy of the explosion out of the atmosphere. Cable’s mental projection appears to Fury and tells him that there was no need to kill any fish.
Fury tries to convince Nate to give up his plans because the military isn’t going to stop. Cable answers that they can throw anything they have at him, it will only make his work easier. Cable disappears, but Nick and Dum Dum Dugan both notice that Cable’s nose was bleeding. They conclude that all this is taking a toll on Cable, but Dugan wonders if they should tell anyone.
The X-Men notice that Cable is weakening and decide to attack. This time not only the Astonishing-team, but members of all three teams are gathered. Cyclops tells everybody to remember that they are just cannon fodder to buy Deadpool time to make his move. Wolverine wonders where Deadpool is. Beast says that Deadpool didn’t want to come unless he could wear an X-Men uniform.
Storm is annoyed by Deadpool changing his mind all the time. Beast points out that it’s a by-product of his cells being in perpetual flux, but thinks it doesn’t excuse him. Nightcrawler wants to know what it should excuse. Beast looks at Rachel and says that Deadpool requests a very specific X-Men uniform to wear. Rachel wonders why he’s looking at her.
At that moment, Deadpool enters the room, dressed in Jean Grey’s Marvel Girl-costume (with belts and buckles for all his weaponry) and tells the X-Men to come along and defeat Cable. Beast puts a hand in front of his eyes and tells Deadpool that he isn’t an X-Man. Deadpool replies that mutants should stick together and starts telling how he once met the Morlock Tar Baby in the sewers. Beast reminds him that Deadpool isn’t a mutant either. Deadpool wonders what the other X-Men are looking at: this dress is a strategic advantage because Cable will be too busy looking at his legs (interjecting that he notices Iceman is doing the same) to stop Deadpool from hitting him. Cyclops begs Beast to tell him that Deadpool will change his mind. Beast tells Scott to give it 6 seconds, but he thinks it’s an eternity right now.
On board their plane, Emma tells the others that their psionic shields are barely holding. Storm wonders if Cable is telepathically probing for them, but Emma replies that Cable’s telepathic powers are changing the entire atmosphere: he’s telepathically looking into everybody. Rachel wants to know if he’s manipulating people’s minds, but Emma thinks he’s just listening. Deadpool is shocked: how dare he listen to people.
Cyclops thinks that they seen it all before. The road is paved with goad intentions but they always lead to the same place. (Schenectady, according to Beast, who then apologizes for the bad joke and blames it on Deadpool’s influence.) Cyclops tells the team to be ready, asks Storm for a cloud cover and Nightcrawler to arm the weapons of mass distraction. Storm wishes Kurt luck and Kurt asks her for a dance when it’s over. Storm accepts gladly and warns Kurt not to teleport into walls.
Nightcrawler teleports into Providence and sets charges. He tells Cyclops that the charges are set to three minutes and they can enter. Cyclops sends in Rogue, Beast, Marvel Girl, Iceman and Storm. He tells them that Cable is not trying to hurt them, so the advantage is theirs. Beast replies it’s best not to think too much about the ethics of that statement. Rachel is still not sure that they should do this, but Iceman tells her she just feels like that because of Cable and hers complicated family relationship. Nightcrawler’s charges detonate and create a pulse that should scramble Cable’s powers for 60 seconds. Cyclops sends in the second team: Wolverine, Deadpool and Bishop.
Beast tells the people in Providence not to mind them; they are just there to distract Cable. Iceman adds that they should just see it as another reason not to have come here and asks them what they were thinking. One of the citizens replies that they were hoping to make the world a better place. Iceman replies: ‘Oh sure, go throw that back into our faces.”
Wolverine asks Deadpool if he’s sure that this is where Cable is. Deadpool replies that it’s the penthouse view; nothing but the best for “Jesus Patton.” Bishop notes that they have 20 seconds left. The three run up to Cable, who doesn’t seem to have notice them yet and Wolverine asks Deadpool if he’s ready. Deadpool says yes and then shoots Wolverine and Bishop in the back and warns Cable of the whole plan: Beast’s team tries to take out the gravity generators so that Deadpool can use their special device against Nathan. Nathan turns around and says that he knows.
Back at the helicarrier, Nick Fury and Dugan notice that the X-Men haven’t contacted them yet. Fury orders Dugan to contact Reed Richards: “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
(another Irene Merryweather Cable-interview)
Irene asks Cable if setting up that deadline was a good idea. Now he’s rushing people into making their minds up about him. Cable reminds her that he already can hear the opinions of every single human on the planet and that they have made their minds up. Irene still wonders why he’s forcing the issue. Cable tries to explain it as him being a time-traveler, but it makes little sense to Irene. He simplifies it: he’s trying to find a use for his power. And his value is saving the world from those who would take it over.
Irene wonders if throwing weapons into the sun will solve anything. Cable replies that it’s only a start and he knows that humanity will make new ones, but that limiting access to weaponry will be just one step to change humanity’s behavior. Irene isn’t convinced; the superheroes are living weapons and they will come to stop him. Cable hopes that they will. If he gets them out of the way now things will be easier down the road. Irene asks if he is going to kill them, but Cable only wants to convert them or detain them. Irene is amazed that none of them worry him. Cable replies after a short sidetrack that he’s powerful enough to handle them all. Irene asks in turn if all that power then doesn’t worry him. Cable says it doesn’t because he doesn’t want all that power, he just wants to enjoy his life.
Irene asks what happens if the governments don’t accede to his deadline. Cable describes how they would decide to attack, which will fail. Then they will sent superheroes, probably the X-Men first, because of the message mutants stopping a mutant will sent and because they know him. Irene thinks that it sounds like he has figured it all out. Cable reminds her that he’s from the future, it’s possible that all this is just history to him.
Irene is confused and wonders if Cable really does know the outcome of these events already. Cable replies that he certainly wants her to think so. Irene doesn’t think that’s an answer, but changes the subject to the X-Men. She wonders how Cable will deal with the X-Men emotionally, especially Cyclops. Cable seems to avoid the issue, but in the end he states that it doesn’t make a difference.
(present)
Rachel tells her team-members that Cable has arrived. Storm orders the others to spread out and complicate his targeting, but Cable replies that it won’t make a difference. He asks them to talk to him and allow him to convince them. He’s then attacked by Nightcrawler, who teleports in and tells the others that Cable has locked the Six Pack into stasis: keeping them sleeping and immobile. Cable answers that Kurt only found Hammer and Bridge. Rogue wants to know where the others are then. Cable answers that they are right behind them.
Iceman’s iceslide is destroyed by the Constrictor’s tentacles. Iceman wants to know why they are on Cable’s side now. Cable says they follow him because of loyalty, faith and a bigger paycheck. Constrictor clarifies that only Domino follows Cable out of loyalty and faith, the other three are only in it for the money. Cable leaves them, muttering, “As if money will matter in a few years.”
Cable lands near Deadpool, who is telekinetically disarmed and floating in the air. He wants to know why Deadpool attacked Bishop and Wolverine and why he knocked them out instead of trying to kill them. Wade tries to evade the question, saying that maybe he got a better offer. Cable thinks the X-Men were the best offer he ever had. Cable then thinks that Deadpool believes in him but Deadpool desperately tries to deny it. A short round of yes/no follows.
Cable lets Deadpool go and tells him that he is surprised by Deadpool’s actions, but then tells a surprised Deadpool that he actually wanted Deadpool to succeed. Cable explains to Deadpool that this was his plan ever since his techno-organic virus returned: to unite the people of earth against one common hope and one common enemy and knowing that it would kill him. Deadpool is confused, but their discussion is interrupted by Cyclops blasting Cable from behind.
Cyclops calls Cable an idiot and wants to know if destroying the world is his testament and legacy. Cable replies that he’s uniting it and it is the best legacy a son could leave his father. Cyclops thinks it will never work. Cable points out that he knows the future. When Cyclops doesn’t buy it because Cable’s future was erased when Apocalypse died, Cable says that he’s still there, possibly meaning that Apocalypse didn’t die. Cyclops starts to doubt.
