Disclaimer: The X-Men, associated characters and likenesses are the property of the Marvel Company. This is a work of fan fiction and no profit is being made from it.
Broken Cable
Cable considered himself a patient man. He had endured endless time travel and the loss of his wife and adopted son. This was certainly no surprise considering he lived in a comic book and such things were regular occurrences. The fact he hadn't been killed off was a godsend indeed. But at this very moment, Cable's concerns were with saving the fate of the remaining mutants. He had been standing at the controls on the island of Providence for some hours asking his computer, aptly named the Professor, the meaning of a cryptic phrase. Suddenly, from behind him came a familiar voice and the telltale scent of cheap aftershave.
"Gambit," said Cable.
"Aww, come on mon ami. You're not supposed to notice me until the next panel where I make my grand re-entrance," replied the gorgeous Cajun.
"My bad. And since when don't you have an accent? Cable remarked getting a good look at him. "And you're not all black anymore."
"Uhh...let's not mention dat."
"Whatever. I'll go back to what I was doing and you go make your grand entrance."
Both men resumed their previous places and Gambit, in a graceful maneuver, leaped over the scattered debris charged cards in hand for his glorious, full-panel entrance. The sighs of thousands of fan girls could be heard in the distance.
"Showoff," said Cable.
"And now for my glorious line: 'pick a card, my friend, for old times' sake' (X-Men #200)," said Gambit.
"My friend? Are you actually Gambit or some Skrull shape shifter?"
"That plot ain't gonna happen f'r another year." Cable stared at him impatiently. "Ok, ok. I wan' ask your computer a 'lil question: 'one minute before dawn' (X-Men #200)."
"That was the same question I was asking, you idiot," replied Cable.
"You're not supposed to know."
"What part of newly re-instated telepathic powers do you not understand?"
"Don' get testy now."
"Get off of my island you pink pansy!"
"If you wan' it dat way," Gambit said with his trademark smirk.
Both men started fighting. Cable retrieved his guns from underneath the computer and began firing on Gambit who easily avoided every shot. Gambit retaliated with some well-placed charged cards. They pursued each other throughout the vicinity neither making much headway. Much of the already decimated island was further destroyed. Cable quickly realized that the computer was in danger and ran to save it. He had gathered that Gambit was working for Mr. Sinister once again from his inter-dimensional contact Sage, and with that knowledge knew that he had to keep the computer, with its complex database on different dimensions, genetic research, and other interesting stuff, safe from Sinister's cronies. Cable ran to the computer and entered the self-destruct code, knowing that it might cost him his life. So much for character immunity.
Gambit seeing this knew that he had to rapidly get off the island so he radioed his friend and fellow horseman of Apocalypse, Sunfire, who was stationed nearby. Sunfire flew Gambit and himself out just before the island blew.
Half a world away in Antarctica, Rogue awoke on a cold, steel pallet. Looking around her she saw several large machines, one of which appeared to a giant MRI. There were also tanks filled with green fluid and strange humanoid life forms. Rogue knew from the look of the place that she was in Sinister's lab. She had no idea how she had gotten there but she knew it had something to do with Mystique. One thing was certain: that if she didn't find a bathroom soon someone was gonna die. Rogue tried to get up but she could hardly do so considering her chest hurt like hell.
Oh well, she thought, it's not like Ah haven't had worse.
Yes, you have, said another voice in her head.
"Didn't Ah tell y'all to shut up!" she yelled.
"Temper, temper," said a strange voice behind her.
"Oh, let meh guess. It's tha boogey man."
"How did you know, my dear?" Sinister sneered as he appeared from the shadows.
"Yoah just so clever, you sneaky bastard. Ah was just gonna ask where tha bathroom was, before the psyches come back and Ah lose consciousness again."
"We have some proper means of taking care of such matters. Now back to sleep with you," he said as he raised his hand, causing Rogue to fall back asleep.
"Yoah gonna be toast when Ah wake up," she said as she drifted off.
Mystique promptly walked in at that moment to find her foster daughter asleep as before. In some ways she still thought of Rogue as that willful 10-year-old she had found in the woods of Mississippi. Of course those terrible X-Men took her talented protégée away from her and she had tried ever since to get her back. But now of course she had to save her Anna from the terrible Strain 88 and those 8 billion alien minds plaguing her sanity.
Mystique resumed her place by Rogue's bedside, or rather her steel gurney, awaiting the arrival of the child who would heal her daughter. That would not happen for some issues to come so she had a great deal of time on her hands. And besides, the fans weren't supposed to know about the mutant baby as of yet. There was a long silence before she said anything to Sinister.
"Will she make it?" pleaded Mystique.
"No. Your daughter is going to die," he replied.
"Is that all you think about? Even I, a heartless bitch, sometimes think about nice things. You should try it sometime."
"I'll pass, thank you."
"Y'all are so boring," said a familiar voice.
"Rogue, you're supposed to be unconscious," said Mystique.
There had moments before been some great excitement in Sinister's lair when the Marauders dispatched Cannonball and Iceman. They had come to find Destiny's Diaries that foretold of the birth of the first mutant baby since M-Day. They were greatly outnumbered and had barely made it out with their lives. Sinister used a neural scrambler on Cannonball and ordered Gambit and Scalphunter to deal the killing blow. However, Gambit missed on purpose and destroyed the Diaries while also deflecting Scalphunter's bullet. This thus proved that Remy had not in fact become evil.
Fortunately, Iceman quickly planned their escape with the timely help of Emma Frost and the two had made it back to the Xavier Institute. Cannonball had also suffered several broken bones and some internal bleeding. It would be some weeks before he recovered from his injuries, just in time for the next story arc.
For the time being Mystique would just have to wait. Her greatest concern at the moment, however, was how to get a 150-year-old immortal mad scientist to stop breathing down her neck. She had never really like men; they always seemed to her to be amazingly tedious.
Thousands of miles away, Cable stood on a snowy cliff high above the forests of Alaska holding a tiny bundle. This was the long-awaited mutant baby whose name, unbeknownst to Cable, was Rebecca. The little sweetie was fast asleep in his arms quietly snoring.
He said to Rebecca quietly, "'One minute before dawn.' Looks like we've made it, kid (adapted from X-Men #204.)"
Cable swore to himself that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. She would not have to endure ret-cons, cloning, or alternate selves. And it wouldn't take 40 or so years for her to marry her true love. Cable was determined that Rebecca would have the good life.
