Cable (1st series) #104

Issue Date: 
June 2002
Story Title: 
(untitled)
Staff: 

David Tischman & Igor Kordey (writer), Igor Kordey (artist), Avalon Studios / Arsia Rozegar (colors), Randy Gentile (letterer), Lynne Yoshii (assistant editor), Andrew Lis (editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Bill Jemas (president)

Brief Description: 

In Skopje, the man named Eddie Hoyle is visited by Goldberg and killed for his loss against Cable. Somewhere in the Macedonian Mountains, General Popov and his army approach a cloning facility. Inside the facility, a clone riot breaks out, while Viktoria and Cable sneak into the computer lab. Dr. Yacoupi and his assistants, Gani and Samir, easily take care of the riot and Yacoupi introduces a new serum he has come up with just in case the clones went crazy. Demanding Samir to take the serum as well, Gani reveals that Samir was killed weeks ago in an assassination attempt. Angered, Samir takes it out on Dr. Yacoupi but, thankfully, Gani saves the doctor by knocking Samir unconscious. Just then, General Popov and his army break into the facility and attack the defending clones. In the computer lab, Viktoria is saddened by having to kill a Macedonian man to save Cable’s life. Cable tells her that he has finished deleting the experiment documents and it is time for them to leave. Elsewhere, Gani runs off to check on his sister, Ana, but is surprised to find her waiting to kill him. Cable does try to leave but fails in his bodyslide, due to interference from Goldberg. He is able to think of another way to escape, though. As Popov nears his position, Cable blows up the entire facility and whisks himself and Viktoria to safety. Outside the mountain, Viktoria questions Cable about the Askani and he questions her about if he is really doing good for the Macedonian people. Back in Skopje, the communal leader calls Goldberg to tell him if he screw up again…sacrifices can be made.

Full Summary: 

In Skopje, Macedonia, the man named Goldberg talks to one of his men, named Eddie Hoyle. Eddie lies on a gurney in the Skopje Hospital, watching the IKN television news about the Twin Towers collapse two hundred days ago in America. Goldberg talks to Eddie about acceptable losses and the fact that he survived the battle against Cable. Goldberg moves as he talks, first turning the blood drip off to Eddie’s body, then the monitors that watch his heart beat. Finally, he turns off the oxygen that is being supplied to his body and tells Eddie that he’s sure he agrees with his solution. With that said, Goldberg turns off the television and watches as Eddie passes out and dies.
Goldberg receives a call from General Popov of the Macedonian army regarding the Albanian cloning facility. The Second Division of the Macedonian army is searching the Black Hills Mountains of Macedonia but can find no trace of the installation. Goldberg assures them that it is there and answers another incoming call from a spy station in Antarctica. They have discovered Cable's teleportation frequency and Goldberg orders them to jam it to prevent further bodysliding. The scientists tell him that his request has to be approved by their top official. Goldberg warns them, if they do not go through with his request, he can have a orbital laser pointed at their posterior in fifteen minutes. The scientists do as he asks.
In the Albanian cloning facility, the clones of Sali have gone mad and are running rampant through the facility. Outside of their knowledge, two figures sneak through the shadows; these figures are Viktoria and Cable. Elsewhere in the facility, Dr. Yacoupi and his assistants, Gani and Samir, are forced to gas the clones to keep them sedated. Ordering the sane soldiers to segregate the rebellious soldiers, the three rebel leaders go off to Yacoupi’s lab. Samir removes his gas mask and demands to know why his Sali clones have gone crazy. Yacoupi answers that the cloning must have not been successful and, sadly, the Kachar clones are sure to be next. Yacoupi has developed a serum that should, at least temporarily, stop the synaptic degeneration. As they prepare the serum for the clones, it's revealed that Samir was assassinated in Prishtina and that the current rebel leader is actually a clone of the original. Turning in remembrance, Samir tells the other two that he now remembers his death.
Cable and Viktoria make their way to the computer room to delete all records of the experiments. Viktoria asks Cable what she should do, while he erases the data. Cable tells her to make herself useful and guard the door. She jokingly asks what she should guard the door with, a pen?
In another area of the facility, Popov’s army that has finally arrived to take on the rebel clone army is attacking the guards. One of the guards calls on Samir but to no avail, as Samir is busy elsewhere.
Samir doesn't take the news too well of his death and ends up strangling Dr. Yacoupi with his own scarf, until Gani strikes him on the back of the head with a nearby chair.
An explosion is heard elsewhere and Samir is seen running with other clones, as he demands the others to arm all clones, because he does not care who they shoot. Above the oncoming Macedonian soldiers, the Sali soldiers grin and jump from the rafters atop the ill-prepared soldiers.
Back in the computer lab, a soldier rushes in and tells Cable to raise his hands to the air. Suddenly, the soldiers screams and falls to the ground, as a feminine hand grass a pen and lunges it into the soldiers neck. The pen and the hand belong to Viktoria and she topples the soldier to the ground, stabbing him until Cable has to force her to stop. Stuttering, she tells Cable that he is not Albanian; he is Macedonian. Viktoria turns to Cable and asks him what she has done? He tells her that she saved his life and he’ll get her out of this trouble. The two stand to their feet and Viktoria holds close to Cable’s body, as he tries to command his bodyslide technology. Nothing happens and Cable grimaces, as he realizes Goldberg has silently attacked him. Cable looks over to his side and tells Viktoria to not worry; he’ll try something else.
In his tank, General Popov commands his soldiers to kill all the clones. Sadly for his soldiers, they comment on killing the same soldier over and over again and, while they fear death, the clones do not have the same fear.
In the barracks of the facility, Gani rushes in to see if his sister, Ana, is okay but is surprised to see that the clone insanity has already started to take over her too. He tells her that he has a shot to give her that will hopefully make her feel better. Ana resists his pull and he questions if she thinks he has been a bad brother. Ana tells him that she remembers him killing her and he is shocked to feel the cold steel of a knife sink into his chest. She drops him to the floor and asks if it feels good to play God. Seeing a piece of cloth under his clothing, she realizes that it is her shawl; he must have been mourning her death. Tears welling up in Ana’s eyes, she collapses over the dead body of her brother and embraces him.
Outside of the computer lab, Popov and his men prepare to enter the room. Opening the door, Popov states, “you again,” as a flash of blue light appears.
Outside the complex on another mountain, Cable and Viktoria watch, as the entire mountain they were in explodes. She tells him that he did, he saved them! He tells her that he did nothing; he’s not good at creating, he’s good at destroying. Viktoria holds onto Cable and she asks if he thought he could just walk into the Balkans and change it overnight. The two of them sit atop the mountain and she tells him that he saved her life, what else would an “Askari do?” Cable tells her that it is Askani and she asks him to tell her more about them.
Inside what’s left of the cloning facility, Ana walks from the wreckage and meets one of the Salis, kicking a soccer ball into the air. Sali is bleeding profusely and Ana tells him that she will take him to a hospital and she won’t leave him alone. The two clones walk from the building, as Ana props him on her shoulder.
Back in Skopje and at two in the morning, the leader of the communal calls on Goldberg, to complain. He tells a groggy Goldberg that he has overstepped his boundaries and placed his personal interests before that of the communal’s. He goes on to say that, since it is his first offense, he’s willing to let it slide, but it won’t happen again. He finishes by telling Goldberg that he knows “every loss of life is regrettable, but some is acceptable.”

Characters Involved: 

Cable

Viktoria

Dr. Yacoupi and his assistants Gani and Samir

Sali and Ana clones

Rebel soldiers and unnamed clones

Antarctic Engineers

Communal Leader

Eddie Hoyle

General Poplov

Goldberg

Macedonian Second Division Soldiers

Story Notes: 

Skopje is the capital of Macedonia.

In case you’re wandering, IKN is not a known news network in Skopje.

Issue Information: 

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