Cable couldn't believe what he had to do to save the future.
"I can't help Apocalypse! I can't let millions die!" Cable cried.
"Then future billions will suffer." Clockwork replied sadly.
Cable was feeling nihilistic about this. "What's the point anyway? My future is crap anyway; who cares if it's replaced with something worse? What's the point in trying if the future is always going to end badly?"
Clockwork sighed. "Cable I can relate to your problem. As guardian of the timestream, I have often been placed between terrible choices and even more terrible choices, but one thing I've learned from all my existence is that you'd be surprised by how things can work out."
The ghost placed a time medallion on the mutant. "Sometimes you just have to give it a shot, and just like that, you may hit your mark even if you weren't expecting it to land. And just because you prevent this future doesn't mean your future will be forever bleak. I've been working on fixing yours as well. You've just got to give me some time." He chuckled at his own joke.
The portal then changed, showing Bishop back in the alley he arrived in. "Now go, Cable; the fate of your future is in your hands."
Cable saw no other choice as he decided to stop Bishop. He was about to walk through the portal when Clockwork grabbed his arm.
"Also, don't remove that time medallion." He warned. "It's what keeps you anchored to the past. If it falls off you, you will be sent back to your own time."
Cable nodded. "Got it." He then turned to the portal. "Well, here goes nothing."
He passed through reluctantly.
Clockwork watched Cable leave.
"Good luck, Cable."
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.
Suddenly, Cable appeared in front of Bishop's path. "Bishop." He said.
"I already know that part." Bishop said. "Who, or what, are you?"
"A time traveler." Cable answered. "Like you. You can't stop the plague your way." He placed his hand on Bishop's shoulder. "We've got to find a way..."
Bishop pushed his hand away. "Nobody gets in my way! I got a job to do!"
Cable aimed his gun at Bishop. "And I can't let you do it."
He fired at Bishop, making him yell at the sudden attack.
Bishop then pulled out his gun. "This one's for the future!"
He blasted Cable, sending the mutant through a wall."
Bishop placed his gun back in its holster. "I got no time for this. I got to stop this from happening." The time traveler ran off to stop the plague.
Cable burst out of the rubble he was trapped under as he spoke to his personal computer. "Computer, body slide by one to intercept Bishop."
He teleported to another alley and peeked out from the corner at Bishop. He shot at Bishop as he was running, making him trip.
Bishop dodged another shot as he pulled out his weapon. "Who is that guy?"
"I don't wanna hurt you, but I can't let you stop the plague." Cable said solemnly as he approached Bishop. "The future, my future, needs it."
"I'm not gonna stand by and let millions die!" Bishop cried indignantly.
"If you don't, my future won't exist." Cable pointed out as he used his infrared scanner to look for his opponent.
"That's not my problem!" Bishop stepped out from behind a pillar and fired another shot at Cable. "My future matters as much as yours."
Cable teleported behind Bishop and shot him in the back. "I wish there was some other way."
"Save it for somebody who cares." Bishop fired energy blasts from his hands at the other time traveler. Seeing that Cable was down, Bishop left to complete his mission.
Cable rubbed his head. "Where'd that come from?" He saw Bishop leaving the area. "Bishop, you fool." He grabbed his gun and followed after him. "Wait! You don't understand what you're doing!"
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."
"Computer, analyze for Bishop's aura residue." Cable ordered, hoping to find a way to get to Bishop.
"Analysis maximization underway." The computer scanned the area. "Aura trail confirmation."
Cable was pleased. "Good." He set his infrared scanner to pick up Bishop's aura residue.
"Question, why did you not destroy Bishop in the previous encounter?" His computer asked him.
"I've seen too much killing in my life." Cable explained. "Bishop is only trying to help people."
The computer didn't understand Cable's reasoning. "Illogical. The needs of the many prevail over the needs of the few. Destroy Bishop, and your mission is accomplished."
"I will if I have to, but not until I have to." Cable said determinedly. He then noticed a television store that was playing a news report.
"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.
"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."
Cable glared at the ignorance. "Scum like that, and I'm on their side." He wondered if there was anything else he could do to save the future. "There's got to be some other way." He teleported out of the store.
At the quarantine site, people were hurling insults at the two unfortunate mutants.
Cable had teleported to the top of the building, ready for Bishop.
"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!"
Cable aimed his weapon at Bishop, who was moving through the crowd. He was about to pull the trigger when he realized he couldn't go through with it. Who was he to stop Bishop from saving the future? The same thing he was here for.
Cable lowered his gun. "I can't do it."
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."
"Look!" Rogue pointed to where Cable was. "On the roof! He's aiming at that mutant!"
Cable was thinking about all of his friends and how they would be erased if he didn't go through with this. Now, Cable felt like he could do this. He aimed the gun again. "I'm sorry, Bishop."
"Remember me, bright eyes?" Rogue teased as she punched Cable, preventing him from pulling the trigger.
Cable got up and realized what Rogue had told him. "I've never met you before." He said to her before he glared at the southern woman. "Stay out of this!"
He punched her off the roof, but Rogue flew back up. "You don't know us very well." She grabbed an antenna and held it like a bat. "Ok, mystery man. What you got against that guy?" She flew towards Cable, who teleported out of the way, confusing her. "Huh?"
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.
Back on the other building, Rogue was still trying to hit Cable, who kept teleporting out of her way.
"Hey!" Rogue said in annoyance. "Darn it!"
Cable grabbed the antenna Rogue was holding and threw her into a brick wall.
Cable went to the edge as he aimed at Bishop, who was fighting with Wolverine.
"I'm sorry, Bishop." He was about to pull the trigger when Danny pushed him from the side, causing the shot to miss.
"Looks like you got everybody mad at you." Wolverine said to Bishop as he looked up to see Cable and Danny fighting. "And one of them has a big gun."
Bishop narrowed his eyes at the preoccupied Cable. "It's time I lost that guy once and for all!" He fired at Cable, but he ended up missing. "Oh man!"
On the roof, Danny gave Cable a punch, knocking the mutant to the ground.
"Alright, pal. What's your deal?" Danny then noticed the time medallion. "Clockwork? How did you get that?" Danny interrogated.
"I don't need this." Cable said. He knew that he had no chance against Danny. "Computer, body slide to HQ. Now!"
He teleported away, leaving Danny stumped.
Rogue got up to look at where Cable was. "That old boy sure knows how to make an exit."
"Looks like you got yourself a powerful enemy." Wolverine said to Bishop as the X-Men came up to them.
"Why don't you fight your battles away from civilians?" Cyclops scolded. "You could've gotten a lot of people hurt!"
"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? The other guy had it."
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 ask about Cable. "By the way, what's the deal with the other guy?"
"He's here to make sure the future remains the same." Bishop answered.
Danny didn't know what to think. The other guy had a time medallion, and he only could've gotten that from Clockwork. If he's here to make sure the future remains the same, then it must've been what Clockwork wanted. And Danny knew that Clockwork always had the best interest of the timestream.
"If you say so." Danny said. "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."
Cable had finished repairing the damage that he had received from Danny. "Computer, reference the X-Men. I need to know what I'm up against. They aren't the wimps I thought they were."
The computer showed a hologram of Cyclops. "Name, Cyclops. Field commander of the X-Men. Mutant power, optic energy beams."
"I know about him and Jean Grey." Cable stated. "Continue."
The hologram changed to one of Danny in his ghost form. "Danny Phantom. Second in command of the X-Men. Abilities range from energy blasts to intangibility and invisibility." The hologram then shifted to Wolverine. "Wolverine. Possesses indestructible adamantium skeleton. Mutant power, instantaneous healing and recovery."
"Stop." Cable told the computer. "Go back." He looked at the hologram of Wolverine as he thought of a plan. "Computer, you've just given me an idea. And saved the future for everybody."
In Washington, Beast was answering the questions of some reporters.
"You claim to have proof that mutants don't carry this disease?" One reported asked.
"Indisputably." Beast answered. "Scientific analysis shows that the virus which carries this plague was created in a laboratory."
"How does that prove mutants aren't carrying it?" Another reported challenged.
"It shows no sign of contact with mutant DNA." Beast responded.
A third reporter had another question. "But, Dr. McCoy, what do you think about the way..."
Beast interrupted the questioning. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I must testify." He headed off to the hearing room with the rest of the X-Men. "Excuse me."
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.
Rogue noticed that Danny seemed a bit tense. "Are you alright, Danny?"
"I'm just worried about that other time traveler." Danny said. "If he came back because of Clockwork, then he must have a good reason to come here."
"Don't worry, sugar." Rogue tried to cheer him up. "We'll figure this out."
They returned their attention to the front, where Creed was arguing about the plague.
"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.
A reporter was in a phone booth, speaking to his superior. "Something big's gonna come out on this plague story today. A mutant scientist says he has proof it's not their fault. The Friends of Humanity say he's lying."
As he was talking, he didn't notice Cable teleporting into one of the phone booths.
Cable headed toward the hearing room. "Time to reach out and touch someone."
At the doors, he could hear Bishop's voice.
"Beast! Look out!"
"Looks like the party's already started." Cable observed.
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."
Cable burst through the doors to see Bishop attacking Creed.
"Hey!" A F.O.H. member noticed Cable and tried to attack him.
Cable threw him aside. "Next time, try stealing candy from a baby."
Wolverine then noticed Cable. "Look who's back. I wanted another crack at that guy!"
"No, Wolverine!" Cyclops told him as he kept fighting off more F.O.H. members. "Focus on protecting Bishop."
Wolverine didn't listen to Cyclops. "You protect him your way; I'll protect him mine." He confronted Cable. "How about a game of one-on-one? Just you and me, pal!"
"Whatever you say, Wolverine, but you'll lose." Cable responded.
"Wanna bet?" Wolverine tried to attack him, but Cable teleported out of the way.
Cable threw his gun aside so he could take Wolverine on in hand-to-hand combat. "You're pretty fast, but a bit outdated."
Wolverine took offense to that. "Outdated!" He charged at Cable.
Beast lifted up some F.O.H. members that were attacking Cyclops.
"Put me down, you freak!" One demanded.
"You lousy mutant!" The other insulted.
"You cannot reason with closed minds." Beast said as he threw them away.
"Get Bishop!" Cyclops ordered Beast. "We've gotta get him out of here!"
"Enough, Bishop!" Beast said to Bishop. "Desist!" He pulled Bishop off Creed. "You have generated enough excitement 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."
Meanwhile, Cable had his arm around Wolverine's neck. He had what he came here for. Now it was time to leave. "Computer, body slide by two to HQ. Now!"
"No, wait!" Jean tried to stop Cable by entering his mind.
In his mind, Jean saw Cable, Apocalypse, her and Scott, and the plague.
Jean left his mind as she tried to process the information. "No, it can't be!"
Cable then teleported away with Wolverine.
Cyclops saw that Bishop had been apprehended.
"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."
"What about Wolverine?" Gambit asked.
"We've got a plague to stop." Cyclops didn't want to abandon Wolverine, but the mission held more priority. Plus, Cyclops knew that Wolverine could handle tough situations on his own.
Cable teleported Wolverine back to his motel room.
"Don't you guys ever use cars?" Wolverine asked sarcastically.
Cable let him go, as Wolverine was ready to continue their fight.
"Let's just finish it here." Wolverine showed his claws.
Cable wasn't interested in continuing this stupid fight. "I'd love to, but right now I need your help."
"My help?" Wolverine said incredulously. "Now why should I help you?"
"Because Apocalypse is behind the techno-virus." Cable said.
"Apocalypse!" Wolverine scoffed. "Yeah, right. Teamed up with the Tooth Fairy."
Wolverine went to the door, only to find it locked.
"I can't let you do that." Cable said ominously. He fired at Wolverine.
"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.
Cyclops noticed that Jean looked troubled. "What is it, Jean? Are you worried about Wolverine?"
"I touched Cable's mind." Jean replied.
This caught Scott's attention. "Who is he? What's he really up to?"
Jean stared at Cyclops. "He's more important for the future, our future, than you can ever imagine."
"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."
"Time to wake up, sleeping beauty!" Cable poured a glass of water on Wolverine's face.
Wolverine coughed. "What are you trying to do, drown me?"
Cable kept his weapon trained on Wolverine in case he tried something. "I've got more important things in mind. Computer, access primitive power grid, and affect electro-transport to coordinates outside Creed's Virginia headquarters."
"Access completed." The computer said.
Wolverine sighed. "Not again!"
The two teleported out of the motel room.
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.
They started to head towards the entrance 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."
Wolverine and Cable teleported into the lab.
"And I'm here to help them!" Cable proclaimed. He fired at the scientist. "The name's Cable. Remember it, Apocalypse!"
Apocalypse got up as he glared at Cable. "Your puny weapons can never prevail against Apocalypse." He turned into his true form.
Cable adjusted his gun before firing again. "Why don't we find out?"
"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 would've hit Danny if Cable hadn't pushed him out of the way.
Danny appreciated the save. "Thanks." He turned to Apocalypse. "It seems like you've gotten stronger."
"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, only for Cable to push Wolverine back in the path of the blast.
"No!" Bishop cried as Wolverine collided with the tank containing the plague, infecting him with it. "Wolverine!"
Cable held Bishop back from helping him. "It must be! It's the only way!"
Green spots started appearing on Wolverine.
"You've let Apocalypse kill him!" Bishop blamed Cable.
Cable shook his head. "No. I've saved us all." He threw a grenade-looking device at Apocalypse, trapping the villain in a shield. "Wolverine's special mutant immune system is curing him. And by doing so, he's creating the antibodies that all mutants will need to survive."
The green spots on Wolverine disappeared as Apocalypse banged on the shield.
"We have the cure now, Apocalypse!" Cable said. "Your virus is useless!"
Cable started firing at the lab equipment while Bishop threw a grenade, causing a fire to break out.
"Remember it, Apocalypse." Cable said to his foe. "The name's Cable."
"I shall not forget this impudence!" Apocalypse vowed.
Bishop vanished from existence, now that history had been altered.
"Guess it's my turn to leave." Cable took off his time medallion and vanished.
"Get out of here before the whole thing blows!" Scott ushered everyone out.
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!" He would've gone after the X-Men, but the shield prevented him from interacting with anyone.
With nothing else to do, Apocalypse fled the burning building.
In the infirmary, Beast was looking at a sample of Wolverine's blood through a microscope.
"Well, do I get a clean bill of health?" Wolverine asked, wanting to be done with this.
"As usual, Wolverine's mutant powers have cured him." Beast said. "But the antibodies they created to cure the plague are like none I've ever seen before. Curious. Who knows what a study of them could lead to in the future?"
"I think I've had enough thinking about the future for one day, Beast." Danny said as he gazed at Rogue lovingly. "Right now, I just want to focus on the present."
"Come here, sugar." Rogue said as the two kissed.
As Danny made out with Rogue, he had a feeling that something awful had been prevented. Something worse than the plague, but Danny paid it no further mind as he continued to kiss his girlfriend.
Clockwork watched as Cable's future continued, no longer threatened by the lack of antibodies.
Still, there was more work to be done to truly make sure the future was safe.
But Clockwork had confidence in Danny and the X-Men.