Several Mayan warriors armed with wings made of a strange technology pursue another Mayan warrior, who looks concerned, and thinks to himself that he wants to die – but as a sacrifice to their gods, not like this. He suddenly trips on a rock and falls to the ground. The Mayans swoop in and surround the one they call Kagan and tell him that it is useless, that he can't escape them. 'And nothing can save y-' one of the warriors begins, speaking in their native Mayan, but interrupted when they all turn to look at something – or someone – who has just arrived on scene. 'You!' Kagan thinks to himself. 'The one called Cable! I prayed you'd come!' Kagan recalls, as the heroic Nathan Summers a.k.a. Cable has arrived in this time period, 1121, on the Yucatan Coast, South America, in the Mayan civilization, post-classic period.
'It's him! Yes, the one foretold!' one of the Mayan warriors call out. 'The one who must die!' he adds as they Mayan warriors use their strange glowing wings to propel themselves towards Cable, who starts firing at them with his large gun, blasting them, they fall to the ground and retaliate by thrusting their strange wings against Cable, who is taken aback by the attack, so he continues to fire at the warriors, focusing on their wings, shattering them.
'Cable, beware! Another!' the Mayan called Kagan exclaims, wide-eyed, as one of the Mayan warriors remains hovering in the air above – then swoops downwards to attack Cable, who grabs the warrior by his head and slams him into the ground, sending shattered tech-feathers flying into the air.
'Now... how do you know my name?' Cable demands, turning to Kagan, who is backed up against a rockface, and reveals that he was told Cable's name – and to expect his arrival – they all were. 'He told you?' Cable asks, putting his gun back into the holster on his back. 'Yers, the one you seek. The man called Conquest' Kagan announces, adding that he can explain everything, but not here – it isn't safe – not after the noise from the fight – he is sure that others are on their way. 'Follow me' Kagan tells Cable, leading him through the jungle.
'My city' Kagan remarks as he motions to several Mayan structures and temples that are built in a clearing within the jungle. 'How long was Conquest here? This is much more advanced than -' Cable begins, but Kagan informs Cable that Conquest had nothing to do with this place – whatever wonders he see came from the gods who walked among them at a time before this. Cable and Kagan make their way into the city. 'Gods, eh? So what do I call you?' Cable asks. Kagan introduces himself. He begins to say something else, before Cable puts his arm around him and overs his mouth, pulling back – stopping Kagan from walking down a path and being spotted by a Mayan who strolls nearby. When the coast is clear, Kagan reveals that he is a priest. He shows Cable to his “temple”, and pressing his hand to a painting, he explains that it is hidden here, right under the noses of those who would harm him. The painting gives way, revealing a door which Cable and Kagan enter.
The temple is lit by flame, and they approach a platform, where Kagan tells Cable to look for himself. He refers to the calendar that stands above the platform, assuring Cable that it will help explain things, as well as answer any further questions Cable may have. Cable looks at the calendar and informs Kagan that he has seen something like this in the future - “the Mayan Calendar” he reveals, adding that he knows this one is different, but that they are very similar. Kagan places his hand on a dial and tells Cable that what he sees here, now, is but a signpost to the truth – that the past and future, now, then and tomorrow, it is all here if one knows how to look. 'It's the gods' own light that reveals all' Kagan remarks as his hand touching the dial activates a series of lights and images that are projected throughout the chamber.
'What kind of priest did you say you were, exactly?' Cable asks. Kagan explains that in his society, “priest” has many meanings – to those who pray, those who sacrifice in their gods' honor, and those like he, who seek to study and preserve the wonders given to them by those who came from the sky. 'The sky? You mean outer space?' Cable asks. Kagan tells him that they were more than men – that's all he knows, and they brought wonderful gifts. 'It's these I choose to preserve – for future generations – even as Conquest corrupts everyone with his weapons and the suggestion that we might become a nation of conquerors like him' Kagan explains. 'You mean like those “bird-men”?' Cable asks, referring to the warriors.
Kagan explains that they are ceremonial dancers, that their garb is supposed to honor Kukulkan, a god even still, but with their feathers glowing and deadly, they honor Conquest instead. 'And in return, he sought the location of a certain relic, right?' Cable asks. 'You mean the Time Sword. Well, part of it, anyway' Kagan replies. 'You know it?' Cable enquires as they look at a projection of the sword. 'Of course' Kagan responds, explaining thaty long before Kagan came here, he knew of the sword – how it was created and then broken into five pieces – after all, it was created long ago by the very same gods who gave them their powers, during the legendary War of Eterninhuma. As they stare at the projections of the five broken pieces of the Time Sword, Cable reveals that it was known as the Eternals / Inhumans War – when the Eternals created the Time Sword and the Inhumans destroyed it.
Kagan reports that the power of the sword itself then scattered those pieces throughout history. 'You see? It's all here if you know how to look' Kagan adds as they look at the symbols and images projected before them. Kagan reveals that Conquest seeks to reassemble the sword, and tells Cable that, as he already knows, Conquest sought the piece of the sword that was here, and it was the weapons he brought, how Kagan's people's eyes went wide at the sight of them. Kagan adds that he knew no good could come of Conquest having something that powerful. 'He has three sword pieces. If he's already moved on from here...' Cable begins, to which Kagan tells him that he has. 'I wouldn't tell him what I knew, but enough of the others did...that was why I was being attacked when you made your appearance – their revenge for my actions' Kagan explains.
Cable continues to look at the symbols and tells Kagan that he wishes he could study all this – the Time Sword, the calendar – it is clearly all linked, even how the Eternals were here among these people at one point in the past. Cable adds that, first, he needs to find out where Conquest has gone, and Kagan reports that he might be able to help him. Motioning to the symbols, Kagan informs Cable that he has long studied the Time Sword's history, even re-created parts of it in effigy so that he might better understand it. 'And this is what the five fragments look like? You're certain?' Cable asks, looking at the give projections. Kagan assures Cable that he is sure, they are almost exactly the same, so Cable announces that he has an idea for another way Kagan can help him.
Shortly, they make their way through the city again, and crouched at the edge of a building, they look up at a tall temple that is lit up with dozens of small fires. Cable tells Kagan that there are two locations that Conquest could have jumped to, and he needs to get to one of them before him – either way, he is in need of the location of Conquest's departure. Kagan informs Cable that the sword piece was hidden in one of their greater temples – few knew or cared about it, before Conquest came – now, on Conquest's instruction, it is better guarded than anywhere. Kagan tells Cable that this is as far as he dare go. 'Call me Nathan' Cable replies, before telling Kagan that it has been an honor. Kagan thanks Nathan. He tells him that all he wanted to do was sacrifice himself, but now it seems that he must stay alive and hopefully steer his people away from the path they are on. 'Then I guess we both have a tough road ahead' Cable replies as he turns and makes his way to the large temple, adding that it is the path they have to take.
Cable starts to scale the temple, but the Mayans that guard it see him. They attack him with their time-displaced weapons, but he continues on his mission, making his way through the Mayan forces as he climbs to an opening in the temple. Making his way through the temple, Cable soon comes to several more Mayan warriors, each armed with the technologically advanced weapons that Conquest gave them. Cable is determined, and charges through them, knocking them backwards down a large flight of stairs – but Cable falls down with them, all the way to the bottom – where he is then set upon by nearly two dozen more warriors, each armed with the high-tech weaponry. Cable holds his ground, and knocks them all over with his large weapon as they lunge towards him.
Cable soon arrives at the top of the temple, where a strange marking has been imprinted into the temple rooftop. Cable hangs his head and tells himself that he has a 50/50 chance of beating Conquest to a piece of the sword. He slides into the Timestream, and eventually, re-appears on another strange symbol. Snow falls around him, and Cable takes a quick look around – when suddenly, he cries out in pain as he is struck in the back at close range. 'It appears it's that time, Cable. Finally... we meet' declares Conquest as he stands over Cable's body. Conquest carries a large gun of his own, and his red cloak blows in the howling wind, while soldiers on mechanical horses are grouped behind him in the Moscow area of Russia, in 1908.
