Mimic is led to his next match in the arena. He has won all his competitions in the weeks he has been here, and it made him quite popular, yet today’s opponent is liked even more by the crowd : the Captain. He is the human that is better than all humans and the Skrulls are proud of him, even without any real super powers Cap amanges to take out most of his opponents. The Mimic gets angry, on the world he is from and almost every other world Capt is a symbol of hope and freedom, he is not destined to be the poster child of the Skrull lapdogs. In the fights of the last weeks, Calvain has provided quite a show, holding back his different absorbed powers as long as he could. The crowd cheered with each new ability he displayed. So far he has shown them the Beast’s agility, Colossus’s strength and transformation to steel and Wolverine’s claws. Yet he has been holding back one special power as his secret trump card – Cyclops’ optic blast. As the fight starts, Mimic uses the optic beam and immediately takes Cap out. The Skrulls feel cheated, they had been hoping for an exciting show; angrily the guards lead Mimic away to his cell.
Meanwhile Blink and Morph have explained their situation to Reed Richards. They don’t know how many more realities they have to visit till they return home, and thus far this world has been the most difficult one. Reed explains that it took him years to study the Skrulls system of knowledge and once he and his friends hijacked one of their ships and got altered by cosmic rays. Blink comments that they almost made a full ”Fantastic Four”, but naturally Reed doesn’t get the analogy. Here Ben Grimm and the Torch are arena fighters as well, and the forth crewman died of the radiation. Morph wonders at Blink’s knowledge of the hero team, as they didn’t exist in the Age of Apocalypse. Clarice explained that in some spare time, Mimic gave her a tutorial. Right then Sam Wilson interrupts, one of Reed’s inventions (a communication device not much more than a radio) picks up something from the Skrull headquarter. They learn that the Skrulls have lost all communication off-planet and are panicking.
In the Skrull base, the alien oppresors receive video footage from one of the ships in earth’s orbit. The witness Terrax, the Tamer, herald of Galactus, approaching earth. Within minutes the Skrulls decide to evacuate and board their starships. Millions of opressors leave the doomed planet in a hurry and earth’s people are left behind in amazement.
In the arena’s prison, the cell doors swing open. Earth’s superhumans wonderw hat happened. Is it just a power failure ? Should they stay put ? Yet some take the lead and storm out. Outside, Terrax has arrived and is randomly shooting his energy beams. Morph and Blink fill Reed in, that Terrax is only the herald of Galactus, who will devour the entire planet. After decades of fuighting and opression earth’s superbeings run out of the prison, only to find their people terrorized by another alien. They band together and attack Terrax with all they have got. The Exiles that had been forced to fight in the arena are among them as well. Terrax is able to fend off the first waves of attackers, but then Havok and the Human Torch blast him out of the sky, and the Banner Beast and the Thing start to beat him up on the ground.Soon all heroes that are left standing join the fight and Terrax’ fate is sealed. The Exiles watch in awe as the opressed superhumans let go off all their bottled up anger. Blink and Morph come over to their friends, they haven’t seen eacjh other in over a month, and Clarice and Calvin kiss and embrace.
Somewhat later, the heroes have found the command center of the Skrulls. They departed very quickly and took little of their weapons with them. Peter Parker, the Banner Beast, Reed Richards and various others are already trying to decipher the alien technology. The Exiles are standing a little bit apart, discussing what to do. Their task is clear, the Tallus told them to save this world, but how can they defeat Galactus ? Sure, they have earth’s greatest fighters at their disposal, and after regaining their freedom, these people will do everything, even die, to help that earth remains free, still what can they do against the World Devourer, when they already had problems against Terrax. Thunderbird says that it will be different, they attacked the herald uncoordinated and without a plan. The Exiles look to Blink and Mimic, asking if they have come up with a strategy. Blink confirms : “Avengers Assemble.”
