In the future, Cable was fighting some androids that were attacking the remains of New York City. Although the future has been saved from the Sentinels, it has been left helpless against another threat.
He took cover from one blast as another soldier came over to him.
"Apocalypse's forces are too strong." She said. "We're being overrun."
"Then counterattack." Cable replied with grim determination. "We're not retreating." He charged towards the army. "It's victory or death!"
"Come on!" Another soldier encouraged the others. "Follow Cable."
As they continued to fight, Apocalypse looked on from above. "You only delay the inevitable." He said. "I, who am eternal, can never be defeated. Exterminate the vermin."
As the fighting continued, Cable noticed that the robots were starting to fade out of existence. He turned to his troops, only to find that they were also fading. Looking down at his hands, the same was happening to him.
"What's going on?" Cable was caught off guard by this mysterious phenomenon.
"What's this?" Apocalypse looked down to find himself fading away. "No! I am forever! I can't be vanquished!"
"Cable!" His comrade cried out. "Help me!"
Cable then found himself in an empty void as he looked around for anything.
"What's happening?" Cable asked himself. "What's Apocalypse doing?"
"It is not Apocalypse." In front of Cable appeared Clockwork. "Time is changing, and the time stream is being realigned."
"Who are you?" Cable tried reaching for his gun, but he found he couldn't move his arms.
"I am Clockwork." The time ghost said. "I am here because something has gone wrong. Your future is being erased from existence. I managed to save you from meeting the same fate, so you can stop it."
"What do I do?" Cable asked. "What do I have to fix in the past to preserve this future time?"
Clockwork looked at the man with pity. He knew the struggles Cable had gone through. He witnessed them all. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to act until now.
Clockwork recalled the time that Cable had traveled to the past. Although he was the master of time, others could still find a way to time travel. But unlike them, Clockwork could see all the twists and turns the timeline could take. He could prevent anyone from changing fate, but he did allow exceptions, as they did steer the timeline in a better direction.
Such as Cable did when he went back into the past to prevent Apocalypse from enslaving more mutants. He didn't know it, but Cable's interference prevented Rogue from becoming one of Apocalypse's Horsemen. If that had happened, she would've died in a battle against the X-Men, filling Danny with enough grief and turmoil that he would go back on the promise he made to his family.
Yes, Clockwork knew that would be bad, so he didn't interfere when Cable went back in time. As a result, when Cable stopped that future, he vanished along with his future from existence.
Sadly, Clockwork was now confronted with another ruined future. And another version of Cable was standing before him.
Even worse, this future was going to be replaced with another one that was more terrible.
"The past as you know it is being replaced." Clockwork said. "The disruption has started a new timeline that is currently erasing yours."
"Show me this disruption." Cable demanded. "What has changed?"
A portal appeared, showing Cable what had happened.
Clockwork gestured for Cable to watch. "It begins with a time traveler trying to save his future."
In an abandoned lab, Bishop and Forge were currently finishing up their one hope to save the future.
"We did it, Forge." Bishop said. "We finished the time machine."
"Then we can fix this." Forge replied. "We can stop the backlash of hatred and the plague virus that was genetically engineered and released." Forge then pondered on something else. "Then again, who are we to claim that we can change fate?"
"We can stop this, Forge." Bishop tried to keep his mind on the mission. "With this machine, I'll prevent the plague from ever happening."
Forge went to the controls as he set the proper date for the time machine. "The temporal coordinates are set to the time of the outbreak of the plague."
"I'll stop it, Forge." Bishop promised as he jumped into the time portal.
Bishop appeared in an alleyway. For a few minutes, he looked around and admired the peaceful past that he was in. A far cry from the hellish future that he originated from.
He went to a newspaper stand as he read the paper.
"It's started." Bishop said. He then handed the guy at the newspaper stand some money. "Here, pops."
The man looked at the strange-looking coin. "What kind of money is this?" He saw that Bishop had already started walking away. "Hey, mister!" He shouted. "You owe me three bucks."
Bishop crumbled up the newspaper. "They're just blaming mutants cause they're afraid. I got to stop this from happening." The time traveler ran off to stop the plague.
At the mall, Danny, Rogue, Storm, and Jubilee were shopping.
"I need to get my CD player fixed." Jubilee said to them sheepishly. She had ended up wrecking it once again with her mutant powers. This discouraged Jubilee, as she thought she had a hold of them.
Storm noticed Jubilee's shame at still struggling with her abilities. "Someday, you will learn to fully control your powers." She said. "I shall wait for you in the bookstore."
"Cheer up, Jubilee." Danny tried to comfort her. "These things take some time to figure out. Back when I first got my powers, I had difficulty keeping stuff from phasing through me." He then spoke in a joking tone. "You wouldn't believe the number of test tubes I dropped. The school ended up banning me from handling any fragile objects."
Jubilee chuckled. "That sounds embarrassing. Almost like that time you told me your pants were phased off when you were talking to a pretty girl."
Danny blushed in embarrassment while Rogue turned to him with a teasing expression on her face.
"How come your pants never fell off when you talked to me?" She adopted a fake-hurt look. "Am I not pretty enough?"
Danny immediately went into damage control as he tried to reassure Rogue that she was pretty. "No. I didn't mean. I just. I didn't have control back then, and now I do so..."
"I'm just pulling your leg, honey." Rogue reassured him. "I know I'm the prettiest woman you've ever come across."
Danny smiled. "You got that right."
"Jubilee, you mind if I take Danny somewhere?" Rogue asked her.
"I think I'll be good." Jubilee said, picking up that Rogue wanted to spend some alone time with Danny.
"Thanks, gal." She dragged Danny away. "Come on, sugar."
"Where are we going?" Danny asked.
Rogue smirked. "The clothing store. I was hoping you could help me pick out some underwear. I need someone to check if it looks good on me."
Danny couldn't stop blushing.
Left alone, Jubilee went to get her CD player fixed, not knowing that Creed was watching her from a distance.
"Mutant." Creed said in disgust.
Jubilee went to the store clerk, who rolled his eyes at seeing her here again. "Not again."
Jubilee handed him the CD player. "Can it be fixed?"
"I'll have to check it out in the back." He went back to look at the damage.
Creed entered the store and opened the back door as the clerk was complaining.
"What's with that girl?"
Creed placed a rag over his mouth as he pulled out a special type of gun. He fired it, releasing an airborne virus that affected the clerk. He then got away from the back door and pretended to be another customer who was browsing.
The clerk returned and handed the CD player back to Jubilee. "Your player can't be fixed."
Jubilee noticed the man was sweating. "Are you okay?"
"I..." He coughed. "I'm just not feeling very well."
He then fell unconscious on the counter as everyone else looked at him.
Creed saw that it was time to play the blame game. "Hey, you're one of those plague-carrying mutants." He accused Jubilee.
Jubilee backed away from the angry crowd. "I didn't do anything."
"The girl's a mutant." Creed rallied the crowd. "Get her!"
Danny and Rogue had just returned when they saw the commotion.
"Jubilee." Danny said in worry as he raced over to protect his foster sister.
"It's not my fault!" Jubilee's emotional distress caused a firework to combust and shatter a window.
"Plague carrier!" Creed sneered at her.
Danny went intangible and passed through the crowd. He grabbed Jubilee, and they literally went through the angry group of customers.
"It's another mutant trick!" Creed raged.
"I got her." Danny said as he met up with Rogue and Storm. "Grab on to me, and let's get out of here."
Storm and Rogue did as Danny turned the four of them invisible.
They then flew out through the roof, courtesy of Danny's intangibility, and headed back home.
Beast examined Jubilee with his medical equipment while Jean and Danny observed.
"I've run every test, but there's no sign of infection." Beast said. "Other than the fact that you need to eat more vegetables, you're perfectly healthy."
"Then why did that store clerk get sick?" Jubilee asked. "And why did everyone blame me?"
"The plague has people frightened." Jean tried to comfort her. "They're looking for someone to blame. We're an easy target."
"And people are stupid." Danny added.
"Only scientific inquiry can overcome the hysteria that's gripping the country." Beast said.
Danny, Jubilee, and Jean left, leaving Beast alone with his thoughts.
Beast then got an idea about the infection. "I wonder." He looked at the name tag that was taken from the store clerk.
Beast opened the window of a hospital as he climbed into the room. "Sometimes science needs a little assistance."
He looked through a folder to see which file was on the store clerk, before he found it and took it. "The file on the store clerk."
He placed the sample of the infection under a microscope and observed it. "Interesting. But this is fascinating."
Scott stood in the War Room as the others joined him.
"What's up?" Rogue asked, wondering why they were all called in here.
"I thought you all should see this." Scott turned on one of the monitors showing a news report.
On it, two mutants were being quarantined by some people in hazmat suits. They stapled a quarantine sign on the door of the building.
"City officials have begun the quarantine of mutants in an effort to control the mysterious illness which is sweeping the country." The reporter covering the scene said.
"Those moss-brains can't do that." Rogue said hotly. "They got no proof mutants have anything to do with it."
The reporter continued. "The mayor has asked all citizens to cooperate..."
"Get rid of the mutants!" Creed shouted from the crowd that was in front of the building. "It's the only way to stop the plague!"
The reporter ignored the outburst. "So the quarantine can be conducted in an orderly manner."
Creed wouldn't let up on his hatred. "Send them back to where they came from!"
Danny recognized the angry man. "I've seen that idiot before. He was at the mall where Jubilee was attacked."
"Come on." Scott gestured for them to head out. "Let's go."
At the quarantine site, people were hurling insults at the two unfortunate mutants.
"Plague carriers." A F.O.H. member picked up a rock. "You won't infect anybody else!"
He was about to throw it when Bishop snatched it out of his hand. "Don't try it, fool!"
Bishop got to the front of the crowd and placed himself between them and the apartment complex.
"Go home!" Bishop said to the angry crowd. "The plague isn't caused by mutants."
"He's one of them." Another F.O.H. member said as he pulled out a gun. "He's a mutant."
He fired at Bishop, only for the time-traveling mutant to get back up.
"Don't make me hurt you." Bishop shot two waves of energy from his hands at the ground by the crowd's feet.
"What the?" One of the people in the hazmat suits cried in disbelief.
Above, Danny, Storm, and Rogue arrived at the scene to see Bishop fighting the mob.
Storm activated her communicator. "Cyclops, we got a mutant that is being attacked."
"We read you, Storm." Cyclops replied from the Blackbird with the others. "We're almost there."
"Do something about them!" One woman yelled as the crowd started to get hostile toward Bishop.
The Blackbird stopped above the nearby roof of a building as the X-Men dropped down.
"We've got to calm that mob down before somebody gets hurt." Cyclops said.
While the X-Men landed on the roof, Wolverine purposefully missed the landing as he dropped down towards Bishop.
"I'll take care of that guy." He used his claws to slow his descent.
Bishop was getting fed up with the crowd's refusal to listen to him. "You won't listen until somebody makes you."
Wolverine fell on top of him, and the two wrestled before Bishop threw him off.
"They're both mutants." An angry man said. "Don't let them get away!"
"Storm!" Scott said to her. "We gotta disperse that mob!"
"Rain, quench their thirst for violence." Storm ordered as a heavy storm barraged the crowd.
Everyone started running while one F.O.H. member tried to get them to stay. "Don't run from these mutant freaks!"
He pulled out his gun and fired at Storm, who fell down, only to be caught by Bishop.
"Are you alright, girl?" Rogue asked her.
"Disarm him before someone's injured." Storm said.
"With pleasure." Danny flew up to the man and grabbed him. "Time to take out the trash!" He threw the man into the dumpster, closed it, and kicked it, sending it sliding over the sidewalk.
"I wanted to do that." Rogue said in disappointment.
Danny raced down the sidewalk, brought the dumpster back, and took the man out. He handed him to Rogue. "Be my guest."
"I'm getting tired of putting up with garbage like you." Rogue threw him back in the dumpster and repeated the same action Danny took.
Jean used her powers to lower her and Scott to the ground.
"You turned this situation into a riot." Cyclops scolded.
"I was trying to save your lives." Bishop snapped. "Yours and millions in my future."
"Future?" Danny asked. "Are you saying you're from the future?"
"Yes." Bishop answered.
"Another one?" Wolverine said in disbelief.
"Ok, what have you come back to stop?" Danny asked Bishop who was in the War Room with all the others.
"You mean you really believe I'm from the future?" Bishop was surprised at how quickly they believed him.
"You're not the first time traveler we've come across." Danny told him. "But where's your time medallion?"
Bishop raised an eyebrow. "Time medallion? I don't have one. I got here through a portal a friend of mine built."
"Well, that one's a first." Danny muttered before deciding to figure out why Bishop was here. "Now spill. What did you come back to stop?"
"A plague." Bishop replied. "Mutants will get the blame, but somebody else cooked up this virus in a laboratory. We've gotta stop whoever's behind it before it's too late."
Beast walked in with a disc in his hand. "Our new friend is correct. The virus was genetically engineered. It doesn't appear to be lethal now, but it is dangerously unstable." He placed the disc into a console. A hologram of the virus appeared on the table. "But once the virus spreads to the mutant population and combines with mutant DNA, it theoretically could become incredibly deadly for everyone."
"It's no theory." Bishop stated.
"We'll find who's responsible, but until then, we need to calm the plague hysteria." Cyclops said. "Maybe President Kelly can help with that."
At the headquarters of the Friends of Humanity, Creed was watching the news in his lab.
"A spokesman for President Kelly has announced that noted mutant scientist Henry McCoy will take part in the Senate Committee hearings on the public health emergency scheduled for tomorrow in Washington." The newscaster said.
Creed turned it off. "This fits our plans perfectly." He said to his new ally. A scientist who had developed the virus. "Your plague scheme has worked well."
"I only hope to serve the cause," The scientist said in a humble voice, "but we must act quickly. In a few months, those humans we've infected will begin to recover."
Creed rubbed his hands together in joy. "Yes, it's time for stage two, to begin the infection of mutants. When they see this McCoy freak infected on television, everyone will be convinced mutants are responsible for this disease." He went into the elevator. "Prepare the vitals for shipment to our agents." He ordered the scientist as the doors closed.
The scientist smirked. "How fitting." His eyes glowed purple. "A disease to cleanse the Earth of the plague of mutants and humans."
In Washington, Creed was speaking before the committee.
"Mutant rights are a threat to humanity and to the survival of this great republic." He said as the X-Men were in the audience watching Creed's speech of hate.
Creed pulled out a piece of paper. "There is indisputable evidence that mutants are the cause of this plague. I have here the names of five thousand people who have been infected through contact with mutants."
"Mr. Creed." Senator Goode spoke up. "According to information I received today from the president, there have been no reported cases of infected mutants."
"That ought to put that peckerwood in his place." Rogue said.
"Somebody should." Bishop said bitterly.
"I don't think that idiot's going to give up that easily." Danny said.
"It's a government cover-up!" Creed shouted. "Everybody knows Kelly's a mutant lover."
The audience started shouting, prompting Senator Goode to bang his gavel. "Order! Order! We've heard enough from this witness. The chair now calls Dr. Henry McCoy."
Beast walked up to the stand as Creed backed away, pretending that he was scared of getting infected.
"Thank you, Senator Goode and members of the committee." Beast said graciously.
Creed was about to pull something from his pocket when Bishop noticed him.
"Beast! Look out!" Bishop tackled Creed as everyone started shouting again.
Senator Goode tried to restore order by banging his gavel again. "Order! Order!"
The audience tried to attack the X-Men, who defended themselves.
Rogue threw one man over her shoulder. "Don't you rednecks know how to treat a lady?"
"Order! Order!" Senator Goode demanded. "Security, clear the chamber."
A security guard was about to break it up, only to be attacked by a F.O.H. member.
The bigot fired his gun at Wolverine, but it was shot out of his hand by Cyclops.
Wolverine pulled Bishop off of Creed. "You've caused enough trouble for one day."
"Ah!" The green spots appeared on Creed. "See what they've done? Let the world see that mutants carry the plague."
Danny threw his head back in exasperation. "Oh, this is just great."
"But you don't understand!" Bishop yelled at the X-Men.
"Get him to the Blackbird before he starts another riot." Cyclops ordered as Creed fell unconscious as two F.O.H. members carried him out.
Danny started escorting Bishop out of the building. "Come on, Kyle Reese, let's get you out of here."
The X-Men returned to the Blackbird and flew back home.
"If you can't keep your head, then you're no good to the team." Cyclops said, angry at what Bishop's reckless actions have caused. "What did you think you were doing, attacking Creed on national television?"
"Saving Beast's life." Bishop said with no regret. "Creed had some kind of weapon. I heard it go off when we were fighting, and then he got sick."
"A viral weapon could be easily concealed." Beast pointed out. He started typing on the computer. "I set the computer to record the broadcast from the committee hearing. Computer, image scan mode."
The computer stopped at the part where Bishop was attacking Creed.
"Closer." Beast said as the computer zoomed in. "Stop. Scan left. Closer." It had zoomed in on Creed's pocket, showing the viral weapon he had. "Diabolically clever. An ingenious delivery system for an airborne virus."
"Let's try not to praise the bad guy's efforts." Danny said.
"Thanks to Bishop, he infected himself trying to get to you." Cyclops said. "They'll take Creed for treatment. Let's follow them."
The X-Men were walking up towards the Friends of Humanity's headquarters.
"Jean, see if you can locate Creed in the mansion." Cyclops whispered.
Jean closed her eyes in concentration as she tried to sense Creed's presence. She could feel him in the elevator taking him to his lab.
"Not in the mansion." Jean told them. "Beneath it. A secret laboratory." Jean then felt the presence of something else. "And something else is in there, something with incredible power."
The telepath cried in pain as she fell into Scott's arms.
"Jean!" Cyclops was concerned. "What is it?"
"Hurry, Scott, before it's too late." Jean said urgently.
"Don't worry, we'll stop them." Cyclops assured her.
Wolverine started running towards the entrance. "Let's stop all the yapping and get to it!"
The others followed his lead as guards started to shoot at them, but Gambit threw a card at them, scaring them away.
Jean threw another two back with her powers, while everyone else took care of the others in their own way.
"How do we get down to the lab?" Bishop asked.
"Leave that to me." Danny's eyes glowed green.
Back in the lab, Creed went up to the maker of the plague. "I'm sick. I need help."
The X-Men all passed through the wall thanks to Danny as they confronted Creed.
"Your game's up, Creed." Cyclops informed him. "We're here to put an end to your plague."
"You led the X-Men here." The scientist said to Creed in a displeased tone. "You deserve to suffer for your mistake."
Creed was infuriated at this disrespect. "You can't talk to me that way. I am your leader."
The scientist laughed as he revealed his true form, that of Apocalypse. "Fool!"
The X-Men were shocked to see him again.
"Apocalypse!" Cyclops cried.
"Him again?" Danny said.
"You dare to claim dominion over me?" Apocalypse berated Creed as he grew in size.
"A mutant." Creed said wide-eyed, realizing that he had been assisted by a mutant all this time. He fainted from the shock.
"I am as far beyond mutants as they are beyond you." Apocalypse boasted pridefully. "I am eternal."
He threw a blast at the X-Men as they started to engage him.
"Your powers are useless against me." Apocalypse taunted them before he was punched by Danny.
"What about mine, asshole?" Danny blasted him with his ghost ray as Apocalypse groaned in pain.
"Annoying insect!" Apocalypse extended his arm and knocked Danny aside. "Nothing can stop the Apocalypse." He battered away the other X-Men who tried to fight him. "I cannot be harmed."
Apocalypse aimed a blast at Danny. "Watch me and tremble, for I bring the purity of oblivion to your world." He blasted Danny, causing him to turn back into his human form.
"You weren't this strong last time." Danny gasped.
"Oh, my dear adversary, it is the destiny of the strong to adapt or die as they are crushed under the weight of power." Apocalypse sent another blast at Wolverine and Bishop.
"Look out!" Wolverine pushed Bishop out of the way.
"We'll stop this plague or die trying!" Bishop threw a grenade, causing a fire to break out.
"Get out of here before the whole thing blows!" Scott ushered everyone out.
Danny tried to get up but was too weak.
Rogue picked him up. "Don't worry, sugar, I got you."
They started to leave, with Beast throwing Creed over his shoulder.
"Put me down." Creed protested, hating having a mutant's hands touch him.
"Remember, Mr. Creed, a mutant saved your life." Beast told him as he carried him out.
"My beautiful virus!" Apocalypse was furious with the destruction of his virus. "The mutant filth have destroyed everything!"
Wanting revenge, he grew into his giant form, destroying the building with his massive size.
The X-Men turned around to see Apocalypse towering over them.
"X-Men." He fired his blasts at all of them.
When it was over, Danny turned to see that they were all on the ground, lifeless.
"No!" He coughed up blood as he slowly processed the inevitable truth.
The X-Men were dead.
"Danny?" Danny turned to see that Rogue was barely alive.
"Rogue!" Danny pulled her up. "Rogue, stay with me! Please!"
Rogue rasped as she tried to breathe. She looked at the man who stole her heart with love in her eyes. "I... I love you, Danny. You're the best thing that ever happened to me." She stopped, as she felt too weak to speak.
"Rogue, don't say that! It's going to be okay! You're going to live!" Danny shouted, tears pouring out of his eyes. He tried to give Rogue CPR, but his efforts were futile.
This couldn't happen. Not again.
"Do you hear me?" Danny cried. "You're going to live!"
Rogue gave her lover one last smile.
"I love you, Danny Fenton." With her last words said, Rogue's eyes closed. Never to open again. Forever.
Danny just sat there, unable to grasp what he saw. With a cry of pain, he gripped her corpse as he felt his entire world crumble.
It was over. His friends. His family. His love.
Never to return.
"A pity, that you survived." Apocalypse said irritated. "But not expected given your strength. I suppose I will have to put more effort into killing you than your weakling friends."
Apocalypse saw his opponent glaring daggers at him. Despite his confidence in his superiority, he couldn't help but feel a shiver go down his spine at the way Danny looked at him.
Danny turned into his ghost form as his green eyes slowly turned a fiery red as he got up to stand. He let out a howl as his aura started to brighten in power, his skin became pale, and the ends of his hair started to catch fire.
Claws erupted from his fingertips, and fangs grew in his mouth.
Apocalypse could feel the power in Danny grow to unmeasurable levels.
"What is this?" He muttered. "How can you have this power?"
Danny fired his most powerful ghost ray at Apocalypse. The ancient mutant begged for mercy but was soon disintegrated at the molecular level.
With Apocalypse defeated, Danny let loose a roar.
A roar of rage, sorrow, shame, guilt, frustration, despair, and hatred all rolled into one powerful emotion.
"No!" Cable cried as he finished watching. "Not Apocalypse!"
"Because of Bishop, the plague never infected mutants. Millions were spared." Clockwork said. "At the cost of some brave heroes. And now humanity is left to the mercy of a grieving Daniel."
"So in order to keep the future from getting worse, I have to stop him?" Cable asked.
Clockwork shook his head. "Even if you did, it wouldn't do much. Because of the destruction of the plague, antibodies key to the future stabilization of the mutant genetic code will never be created. Over time, uncontrolled mutations will develop, destroying the mutant race. If your future is to survive, the mutant plague must occur."
"What do I do?" Cable asked Clockwork. "To save my world, I have to help Apocalypse destroy a past one."