Alberta, Canada.
Scott's team was flying over the mountains, looking for Logan's team.
" Coordinates, Emma." Scott asked the woman.
" Three degrees left of arc, two thousand meters." Emma told the man. " But there's no need to hurry, Scott. The battle's over, and Cable's gone. We're too late." Emma explained to the man.
Scott sighed. That wasn't the news Scott wanted to hear, but it was no point in being upset. He still had to focus.
" Now, do you want the bad news?" Emma asked signifying that things were much worse than they already were.
A few moments later, Scott's team landed and joined the others.
" No!" James yelled. He was crouched down next to Caliban. In the midst of all the fighting Caliban had taken three rounds to the chest while defending Warpath.
" There is no pulse." Laura told the man.
" He's not dead!" James yelled.
" He is." Laura stated bluntly. She saw no point in lying to the man.
" James, it is death any of us would want." Hepzibah told the man. " In battle with friends, fighting for something that matters."
" You don't understand, Hepzibah! Cal died to save me, and I can't pay him back. I can't make it right. I can't balance it. ever- AAAAAAHHHH" James exclaimed he pounded his fists on the snow hard, in anger. Another one of his friends was dead and there was nothing he could do about it.
Logan and Scott watched the scene in front of them, stoically, but still saddened.
" Logan, bring me up to date." Scott asked the man.
" Feel like mourning the dead, Summers?" Logan asked in return.
" We'll mourn Caliban-- And honor him-- Later. Tell me what happened here." Scott asked again.
" What you see. We met the enemy. We did them harm. But Cable got away in our own damn transport. It was my fault. He played us." Logan explained.
" It was no one's fault. You had to stop the baby from being killed." Scott replied.
" That's what cable was doing, too. He was protecting the baby." Laura told Scott.
Scott sighed and rubbed his face. The exhaustion was beginning to pile up on him.
" Bobby, are you getting anything from Blackbird one?" Scott asked.
" Nothing on board, Scott. But Cable knew that jet was fitted with a locator. Makes sense that he'd deactivate it even before he strapped in." Bobby told the man.
" And he's still blinding you telepathically?" Scott turned and asked Emma.
" So far. I'm getting a faint psi-echo, but it's too weak to give me a direction." Emma explained.
" He's heading south." Logan spoke up. " Ever since he left Cooperstown, he's been moving in a straight line. South, and a little east. We follow that line. We'll find him at the end of it." Logan explained.
" Don't bother!" Scott and the others heard shouted at them.
They looked to the side of the cliff and watched as Ian pulled himself up, snow covering his body, and the slight indentation of a collar around his neck.
" Ian? What happened?" Scott asked.
" Cable... Got outsmarted." Ian told the man. " Tricked me into catching a damn power dampener. I fell for it, hook line and sinker." Ian exclaimed.
" Why did you say don't bother?" Scott asked.
" Because I know where Cable's going." Ian stated.
" You do? How?!" Scott asked.
" He's running out of weapons and his tech is broken. There's only one place left he can go." Ian exclaimed. " You better tell Forge he's gonna have some company. Soon." Ian stated.
" It's a possibility, and a good one." Scott spoke. " Okay, we'll keep following south, narrow it down if we can. I'll radio to forge just in case. Guido, warpath, put Caliban's body in the AFT storage locker." Scott told the two men. " And do it with dignity and respect. He died an X-man." Scott exclaimed.
" Narrow it down, how?" Laura asked Scott. " The last time we found Cable, it was with Caliban's powers."
" I know that." Scott replied. " I've got something else in mind." Scott stated. He then joined the others on the X-jet.
Laura was going to as well, but Ian stopped her.
" Laura, wait." Ian called out.
Laura stopped and turned to the boy, her stomach and chest nearly exposed completely to him.
Ian felt his cheeks heat up, slightly. But shook it off.
" Here. You must be cold." He told the girl. He could see she was shivering slightly, so he took his shirt off and placed it over Laura's head.
Laura was flabbergasted to say the least. She could feel her cheeks heating up herself.
" That should keep you warm. And don't worry about me, I'm like a natural heater now. Cold doesn't really bother me anymore." Ian told the girl. And then it happened. For the first time in months, Ian saw Laura smile. It was for the briefest of moments, but it spoke so many words that Laura would not.
Laura looked at Ian. Her face as stoic and emotionless as she could possibly manage, and she spoke.
" Thank you." Laura told the man.
Ian grinned from ear to ear.
" Come on, let's go put an end to this crazy mess." Ian told the girl.
Laura nodded and followed Ian on board the Jet.
It wasn't much, but it was a start. And for Ian that's all that mattered to him.
.........
Later.
" Prodigy, do you have anything for us?" Scott radioed the boy.
Back at the Mansion, Prodigy and a group of the other students were in the process of fixing Cerebra. That way, they'd be able to track Cable without a problem.
" Not yet Cyclops. But I'm really close." David replied. " Mechanically, Cerebra is ready to roll. But the mind interface has to be perfectly aligned. I don't want to put any power through the board until I'm sure, I've got it." David explained.
" Just let me know when you're back online." Scott told the boy.
" Yes sir." David replied.
Scott cut the channel and turned his attention back to flying.
" I don't get any of this, whatever Nathan's doing, I can't believe he'd just unleash the sentinels on his friends. You think there might be something we're missing?" Bobby asked Scott.
" Right now, nothing matters except that child. Everything we know points to Cable. He made his choice. I've made mine." Scott replied.
Back at Xaviers, David was putting the finishing touches on Cerebra, and with luck that would mean the X-men would be able to find Cable.
" Okay, Noriko, give us a little warm-up." David told the girl.
Noriko raised her hand and electricity flowed into the counsel.
" Sooraya, stand ready on the main switch." David spoke. After a few minutes of waiting David yelled for Sooraya to flip the switch and Cerebra powered on without a hitch.
" Nice work, David." The stepford sisters told the boy. " Cyclops, Miss frost, can you hear us?" The girls asked.
" Go ahead." Cyclops replied.
"We have a location for Cable. Dallas, Texas." The girl's told the man.
" Eagle plaza. He's heading for Forge." Scott exclaimed.
" I told you." Ian stated.
" Okay, put out an alarm. Anyone who's close. Anyone who can get there. If we don't then we'll lose him forever." Scott exclaimed. " Bishop, should be there with Forge by now." Scott stated. After a few moments of trying to reach the man and failing, Scott knew something was wrong. " I can't reach him or Forge. Damnit, Bobby put it into high gear. We need to hurry!" Scott yelled.
Bobby nodded and pushed the Jet as fast as it would go. Hopefully, they would make it in time.
.....
Meanwhile in Dallas, Texas. At Eagle Plaza, Cable had already broken into Forge's home and was frantically searching for the man.
" FORGE! I know what it looks like. But I'm not here to fight you. I'm asking for your help." Cable exclaimed. " Seriously, I need a time machine in the worst way." Cable stated. He started making his way up the stairs, still talking, as if Forge could hear him. " I know you can hear me. And thanks for not shooting me down already. I just want to borrow some components from you. I'm no threat, if you come out and talk to me, I'll explain the whole-- Oh no." As Cable arrived at the top of the stairs, he saw Forge lying in a puddle of his own blood.
Cable ran up to the man and tried to help him, only to be shot in the back three times by an unknown assailant.