The New Mutants #87

First Appearance of the mutant named Cable as an adult.

The Mutant Liberation Front is in Wyoming on a mission to bomb a government facility and on their tail is the mysterious Cable (though he is not mentioned by name). The MLF gets away but are soon back to causing mayhem when they break Rusty and Skids out of Freedom Force custody. Cable makes an attempt to stop the heist but gets his robotic arm slagged instead, leaving him an easy capture for a miffed Freedom Force.

The New Mutants prepare to leave Asgard by sundry ways since the Rainbow Bridge has been broken. Dani stays in Asgard to fulfill her role as one of the Valkyrie. The journey takes the New Mutants through bizarre dimensions but they do finally end up in New York. X-Factor returns.

Note: During the events in this story, the New Mutants have another adventure. They team up with Namorita and S.U.R.F. in New Mutants Annual # 5. That adventure seems to happen between their arrival and when they observe Ship falling into the city. Wolfsbane refers to that adventure at the start of the next issue.

Synopsis

A wall is burned through and the Mutant Liberation Front make their way into a secret energy research station. Wildside distorts reality and makes the team invisible to the guards. The guards have no choice but to trust their sensors. Firing blindly, Forearm gets hit and he asks Tempo to affect time in their favor. Unfortunately, the bomb the group brought has been damaged so Thumbalina shrinks and enters the bomb in order to fix it. The bomb fixed, the MLF teleports away, via their teammate Zero. Seconds before the bomb detonates, Cable charges through the hole in the wall and questions a fallen guard about the MLF. Not much is said before the bomb explodes.

In Asgard, the New Mutants are assembled with the Norse gods to celebrate a recent victory over the Death Goddess. Due to the Rainbow Bridge being broken, the gods are joyful at having such powerful allies remain in Asgard. The New Mutants, however, have their reservations. They have friends and responsibilities back home. An ice fairy interrupts the party and offers Karnilla a vial that enables her people who had been recently turned to stone to revive and walk again. And, for the New Mutants, the fairy offers a map of the interdemensional eddies that surround Asgard. The map could lead them home. The jubilation that comes from this announcement is dampened by Dani's determination to stay in Asgard and help the Valkyrie fix what Hela damaged.

Back on Earth, Rusty and Skids have been made the prisoners of Freedom Force. The two lie in the hospital wing after being beaten by Freedom force while attempting to stop Nitro and the Vulture from killing people. The news shows Skids that Freedom Force is framing her and Rusty for Nitro's release from jail. The two young mutants are labelled as evil. Then, the news reports on the MLF actions from Wyoming. It seems that Rusty and Skids are the next targets for the MLF. The MLF calls for the release of the two, or else they'll come and take them. Mystique asks Skids what she knows about the MLF, but Skids knows nothing. She only knows that what Freedom Force is doing is not fair.

As the New Mutants prepare to leave Asgard, Cannonball tries one last time to get Dani to come back to Earth with the team. She can't do it. She's honor-bound to stay on Asgard. With no other option, the New Mutants leave Asgard in a Warlock ship and head towards a whirlpool that leads them down their interdimensional voyage. At first, the trip is peaceful, as the team sees spectacular views. As they enter the realm of the Mindless Ones, though, they are attacked by odd creatures. They escape through a portal and Rictor wonders if going back home will mean their lives become less interesting.

Meanwhile, the MLF leader is unveiled: Stryfe. He orders his troops to bust Rusty and Skids out of the Freedom Force hold, but he holds Wildside and Thumbalina behind. The team assaults the compound while Cable watches and schemes in the shadows. Tempo twists time to put the odds in their favor. The MLF reaches a computer console and begin looking for the holding cell of Rusty and Skids. Cable pops out and shoots Tempo. Reaper hits Cable with his paralyzing scythe, but Cable is still able to get one last wallop in to take Reaper out. Strobe then melts Cable's mechanical arm. While he lies helpless, the MLF burns through the floor to get to Rusty and Skids. Seeing the mutant attack, the guards shoot a confused and drugged Rusty. Strobe talks Skids into fleeing with the MLF. Skids agrees, knowing she and Rusty will be killed if they stay.

Arriving home, the New Mutants don't see the X-Factor ship. They figure they are the last one's with Xavier's dream fresh in their minds. As they wait, however, the X-Factor ships appears and seems to be falling from the sky. The team rushes off to help.

Back at Freedom Force's holding cells, Cable is looked over by a doctor. His prosthesis are curious, though Cable acts as if they are run of the mill. As the doctors leave, Cable admits to himself that the MLF is too powerful and well-financed for just himself. He'll need some help if he wants to take Stryfe down.