Decisions: Part 2
by Morrioghan
Author's Note: Everyone belongs to Marvel. I own nothing. The dialog between Cable and Dom was taken directly out of Cable #55. I just felt the need to make it make sense. :)
Special thanks to Alicia and Lynxie, my fearless beta-readers. You two are fantastic! :)
Domino took her drink from the bartender, laid her change on the bar, and walked over to the balcony railing. Below, many of the other patrons of The Violent Overthrow had merged into a mass in front of the stage, where the band played hard and fast. She briefly thought about joining that sea of humanity, of losing herself in the rhythm of the music. Instead, she turned and walked to a table along the wall.
From her vantage point, Domino could easily observe the action in the bar, and below, where the band played. As she watched the crowd below, her thoughts turned to the reason she had returned to New York.
Nathan.
*Well, Nate, you said you wanted to be a part of humanity,* she thought, watching as a mosh pit began to form in front of the stage. *Somehow I don't think that this is what you had in mind.* Below, bodies began to collide as the music increased in speed and volume. *I don't know, It'd probably do him some good to get down in that mess.* A smile played at the corner of her mouth, as she imagined Cable in that crowd. Her expression quickly changed as she remembered the last time she had seen her long time friend and partner. *Damn it, Nate! I wish I knew what the hell you think you're doing.*
Hell's Kitchen, one month earlier...
The streets of New York's Hell's Kitchen were nearly empty of people. This suited Domino just fine, as she made her way through the back alleys, towards Cable's New York safehouse. *You know, Nate, you really should speak to your real estate agent,* she thought, as she stepped over yet another unidentifiable pile of refuse. *I've been in sewers cleaner than this neighborhood.* Reaching the building, Domino quickly bypassed the security. *Nate. Nate,* she thought, shaking her head. *Isn't it about time you changed these codes?* she chuckled. After making a quick sweep of the building, Domino settled in to wait.
When she checked up on Cable and X-Force, after completing that job for the U.N., Domino had been surprised to find out that Cable had cut them loose. *Yeah, so much for that tearful reunion scene I had cooked up.* It hadn't taken her long to determine that X-Force was doing fairly well for themselves, all things considered. *I'd have loved to have been there when Bobby found out about his money. I guess I could've wired them an anonymous donation, but why spoil their fun?*
Tracking down Nate had been almost pitifully easy. Trying to figure out what he was doing was a little bit harder. *Why the hell are you cutting all your ties, Nate? The kids? Me?* Over the years, she and Cable had gotten into the habit of leaving coded messages for each other, messages only they could access. These messages ranged from insults to information, and at times were the only safety net either of them had on dangerous solo missions. When she had left for the U.N. job, she had left him a standard "On a job, be back in a few" message, along with instructions on how to find her if necessary. When she got back, she hadn't been surprised to find that he hadn't left her a message, but she had been a bit hurt to discover that he hadn't even checked hers. *Hell, Nate, you've even cut ties with the mansion, or rather, what's left of it.* With a wry grin, she thought, *Maybe I should count my blessings.* Domino tensed, as the sound of someone at the door, distracted her from her musings.
"Blaguesmith? Is that you, old friend?" Cable called hesitantly, as he entered the building.
"Not even close..." Domino stepped out from behind the corner. "After all this time, after all we've been through together, you'd think you could tell the difference." *Blaguesmith!?! What the hell are you doin' hanging out with him, Nate?* Domino thought angrily. *I've got a bad feeling about this. What the hell do they want from him now?*
"Domino?!" Cable took a half step towards her, then stopped. "It's been a while, hasn't it." He made no effort to contact her over the link, or to move completely in to the room, instead lingering in the shadow of the doorway. He seemed distant, and distracted.
"Yeah, it has." she replied. *What is going on, Nate? I haven't seen you like this in a long time,* she thought to herself, careful to keep her thoughts hidden from the man with whom she shared a psi-bond. *Yeah, like I even have to bother. He's got his end shut down so damned tight, I'd have to be the telepath to get in. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.* She watched as Cable turned towards a nearby computer terminal. *Damn it, why the hell is he shutting me out like this. I've stood by, been patient with him ever since we returned from that little trip to the future. But hell, the least he could do is ask 'How's the thing in your head, Dom?'* she thought, staring at Cable's back.
Domino began to slowly pace the parameters of the room. "Lots of things happening lately..." she began, wondering if he even heard her. "To me... Milo's death... being captured and tortured..." Her words, softly uttered in rhythm with each step she took, became a cathartic litany, somehow releasing the pain. "My mutant powers going haywire..." A discordant beep from the computer terminal pulled her attention back to the man she came here to see. Domino watched for a moment as Cable continued to work at the terminal, her expression hardening. "Handling it on my own... the usual stuff." She stopped, directly behind Cable, who seemed unaware of her presence. "So, is this where you're living now?" she asked. "In this pit?"
"Don't knock it." he answered, his hands moving rapidly across the terminal. "It serves my purposes..."
*Well, at least I got his attention for the moment,* she thought. "And what about me, Nathan?" she asked. Cable's hands stilled, but his eyes remained fixed on the computer in front of him. *Damn it, Nate! Can't you even face me?* She wanted to ask him about X-Force and his reasons for cutting them loose. She wanted to know why he was hiding here, in New York. She wanted to know why he had expected to find Blaguesmith here. *What the hell is going on?* "What purpose of yours do I serve these days?" she asked. Still no response from the man who had been her friend, her partner, and perhaps something more. "Well?" she all but shouted at his back.
"I don't know Dom..." Cable's voice was strained, almost hesitant. "Things have been... complicated lately." He turned to face her.
Domino had to forcibly school her features, to prevent her shock from showing, as she got her first good look at her friend and partner. *Good God! Nate! What's happened to you!?* Haggard did not begin to describe Cable's expression. Deep lines of fatigue were etched in his face. Eyes that usually shone with energy, were haunted and hollow. His shoulders were slumped, as if he bore the weight of the world upon them. Domino resisted the urge to reach out to him, long experience warning her that such a gesture would be rejected. *Nate. Please, talk to me. Tell me what is going on here.* Only her eyes showed her concern, eyes that Cable seemed determined to avoid.
Cable scanned the room looking everywhere except at Domino. His voice become stronger as he continued. "Some things are becoming crystal clear to me..." he paused, as if searching for something. "While other things get more and more confusing." Cable began to pace the floor, unknowingly following the same path Domino had taken, only minutes before. "I don't know if I can explain this, exactly..." He stopped, turned, and looked at Domino, as if willing her to understand what he couldn't put into words. "I think I need to be here. I need the space..."
"I see." Domino interrupted him. *So this is why he sent the kids off on their own. Well, Nate, you aren't the only one around here who's confused.* "Space from me, too?" she asked. For a moment they simply stared at each other, as if searching for something. Both careful to keep their ends of the link tightly sealed.
"Not necessarily" Cable began.
As Domino watched, she could almost see his internal battle, as he struggled between what he wanted, and what he thought he should do. She had watched him do this to himself a thousand times over the years they had been together. It had only been recently, when she learned of Apocalypse, the Askani, and their plans for him, that she began to understand what it all meant. *Nathan Christopher Summers. Cable. Dayspring. Askani'son. Hell, Nate, I wish I knew who you think you have to be today. Why the hell, do you let them to this to you? And why do you think that you have to go through this alone?*
"Don't get caught up in your own melodrama." she began angrily, turning away. *Calm down, Dom. This isn't helping.* "We've got enough of that in our normal lives..." she finished more gently. *Nate, why can't you see you don't need this Askani bullshit making things worse?*
"Now look..." Cable reached for her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not telling you anything you don't already know!" He moved closer, until he stood only inches away from her. "Our lives aren't normal! That's obvious!" he continued, his voice softer, yet still urgent, almost desperate. Gently, as if seeking permission, Cable turned Domino to face him. "But have you ever stopped to consider that it's within our power to change that..."
Domino looked up at him with disbelief. For a moment she simply stared at him, her thoughts churning. *What're you talking about, Nate? What the hell do you think we have been doing, sitting on our asses doin' needlework?* She pulled away from him, and turned to walk away, needing to get some distance, to collect her thoughts, and figure out what was going on. Cable took a hold of her arm, turning her back towards him. "I'm warning you, Nate..."
"No. I want you to listen to me, Dom. It's important." His grip on her arm loosened, but his expression remained urgent. "The lives we've led together and as part of X-Force..." Cable seemed to search for the words, his grip on her arm tightening, almost painfully. "We've been cutting ourselves off from those we've sworn to protect. We were too busy being soldiers, that we forgot we were still human." He finished. There was a frantic, desperate quality to his voice that upset Domino far more than his words.
Domino pulled away angrily "Hey, I haven't forgotten anything!" she shouted, as she strode away, putting distance between herself and Cable. *Nate. Do you hear what you are saying?* "This revelation you've had, this grand epiphany..." she started angrily. *Damn him! she thought. So this is why he's hiding here. So now that he's created his newest band of soldiers, he's ready to leave.* Domino stood staring at the wall, unwilling, for the moment to face Cable. *Don't you dare try to tell me these last years with X-Force meant nothing. If they didn't, you wouldn't be quite so eager to get away.* "Those kids you taught always knew who they were and what they were!" *I wonder if you did, Nate?* she finished silently.
"Maybe," Cable answered. "But they're on their own now. As it should be."
She heard him behind her, not moving, waiting for a response. Domino wasn't sure what response to give. *Hell, Nate. Maybe you're right, maybe it is time for X-Force to make their own way. But from what I hear, you made that decision for them, when it should have been theirs to make. Makes me wonder what decision he's got planned for me.*
"What about you?"
Cable's question pulled Domino from her thoughts. She took another step away from him and asked quietly, "What about me?"
"Look, I'll admit I'm struggling to find my way." Cable's voice was quiet, uncertain. "Here in Hell's Kitchen, I think I've found a starting point. I may still be searching, but at least I know what I'm looking for now..." Cable moved closer to her. "... A home worth fighting for."
Domino stood still, knowing that he was waiting for a response, but unable to make one. *A home,* she thought. *Is that really what you are looking for? Why don't I believe you?*
"Can you say the same?"
Cable's question cut through Domino like a knife. "I... I thought I could..." she began, hesitantly.
*Home.* The word echoed through her thoughts. In her mind she saw a young girl kneeling by a tombstone. *Home.* Then another memory came to mind. This time of a gruff man who rescued that same girl from the streets of Madripoor. *Home.* The image of five men, each holding a gun larger than the next, flashed in her mind. *Home.* Then her mind focused on one of those men in particular, the one standing behind her now. *Home.* But that image was replaced by another. Her thoughts turned to a group of young adults, all talented, often infuriating, yet always forefront in her mind.
Domino looked back at Cable. *I'm looking for a home worth fighting for,* he had said. The words seemed to echo in her thoughts, as did the image of that group of kids. *No, Nate. You're running away from it, and I wonder if you know it.* For a moment her gaze locked with Cable's. *Please, Nate. Let me in,* she pleaded silently, not caring if he heard her through the link. She waited a moment, but his thoughts and expression remained closed to her. Domino shook her head sadly. "...but I guess I was wrong!" she finished.
Domino reached for her coat, not looking at Cable, not really looking anywhere. "Whatever it is I am looking for..." Domino started moving towards the door, stopping she finished. "... I'm sure to blazes not gonna find it here."