Today at Project Pegasus:
Susan Storm announces that the Watcher would like to speak to all of them through her. And it’s asking her if it’s okay? Reed asks. Yes, Sue agrees. She can hear it in her head. Carol Danvers calls SHIELD. Sue continues that it says it won’t harm her or any of them. Does she want to do this? Reed asks. She thinks it’ll be okay, she replies. Well, it’s her call, he guesses. And as her brother, may he says he doesn’t like any part of this, Johnny remarks.
The Watcher begins. Its name is Uatu. It is a Watcher. How long has it been watching them? Reed asks. For many years, comes the reply. That is their species’ design. Why is it making itself known to them now? Why here?
They have made themselves known to them before, Uatu replies. Humans seemed to lack the capabilities to understand their true meaning. Many Watchers have been destroyed by their species. But they understand the concept of fear. They are not offended. That is not their design. This place represents everything they have observed and it is time for them to rediscover this history.
It spoke of devastation that is coming to Earth, Reed asks. Yes, Uatu agrees. In what form, it cannot say. Cannot or will not? Reed presses. They would tell him if they knew, Uatu replies. Then how do they know it’s coming?
They have observed many critical moments in their recent history, Uatu replies. Moments whose true meaning are about to converge with one another. What moments? Reed asks. The birth of heroes. The birth of a new species, comes the reply. Their species just now taking responsibility for the science it has discovered. All these things plus so many more. Their wars, their passions, their plagues, their emotions. Understanding, misunderstanding. They have observed all of it. From afar and up to close. They have witnessed this on not only their world, but countless other worlds of similar design and model. And now they know that their devastation is coming.
So it is guessing, they don’t know for sure… Johnny ventures. It is their design to know, comes the reply. Could he please stop arguing with an advanced lifeform? Reed asks Johnny. He is embarrassing him.
What will they do with this information? Yeah, Ben asks. Are the Watchers just gonna stand around and watch them destroy themselves? No, Uatu replies. They will now pick a herald to help them with their new world order. A herald of what? Reed asks. One who will harness the power needed for such a task, Uatu replies. Who will this herald be? Reed asks. They will choose now, Uatu repeats.
Weapon X, Alberta, Canada. Years ago:
Logan stands outside the complex in the snowy landscape, then walks away. Fury’s team gets ready. He tells his men this is Weapon X. Assassin training camp and all around illegal bit of Canadian business. Weapons up and get ready for a firefight. The intel on this joint is these are the nastiest of the nasty, so this is a “shoot first” situation.
Canadians? Dugan complains, really? Kicking a Canadian in the tush don’t seem all that professional. He’s sure Dugan will get over it, Fury replies and fires.
There’s panic inside the complex as the scientists and their prisoners are overwhelmed. The SHIELD men are in for a surprise. Seeing the experiments, they realize this is no training camp. An old scientist runs t towards them agitated. Who the hell are they?
Fury hits him with the butt of his rifle. Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. They are under arrest! Under what authority? the scientist asks. His, Fury replies and orders them all on the ground. The scientist mocks he should enjoy his moment. Who the hell is he supposed to be? Fury asks. Doctor Malcolm Colcord, comes the reply.
Dugan looks inside a cell, wondering what to do with these things. Is it human? He wouldn’t touch that! Colcord shouts. He’d kill Dugan as soon as look at him. They have no right, a woman protests. They are scientists. They made them this way? Fury asks. They did this?
They created new life. What have you done? Colcord asks Fury. He’s going to enjoy watching Fury try to figure out what has happened to his career as Colcord is embraced by Fury’s government’s science community. Deluded, Fury mutters. He helped create a new species Colcord insists. New species of what? Fury asks. Homo superior, comes the reply. Mutants, they created them. Right here they did it. And it’s all here. And when he shows the community what they’ve done, and what they are on the cusp of discovering now… If Fury thinks they are going to toss Colcord in a prison then he doesn’t know his history.
Fury looks around at the experiments. Man created mutants? he repeats. And what have you done? Colcord repeats. Fury turns around and shoots him. As the rest of the staff panics he gives the order to burn it. Everything and everyone.
He sure? Dugan asks. If the world ever finds out what went on in this place… if mutants ever find out… if the world ever finds out that man invented mutants, the entire Earth will burn, Fury prophesies.
The SHIELD men follow the orders, destroying everything and killing everyone. Fury turns to a black man, tied to an operating table. What’s your name, son? he asks. Chart says T’Challa Udaku. What does he want to do? Dugan asks. T’Challa looks at Fury and Fury recalls being experimented upon. Expecting to be shot, T’Challa begins to cry silently. Fury touches the trigger.
A little later, followed by the other SHIELD agents, he carries T’Challa out of the burning complex. You’re coming with me now, he tells him.
The Savage Land, years ago:
Charles Xavier screams in agony as he is pierced though the back and stomach by a piece of metal. I love you, Charles, Magneto mentally tells him.
I am your friend and your brother, he tells Xavier who is lying still on the ground. And Charles is the greatest mutant he has eve met. The greatest. His teachings opened Magneto’s eyes. None of what he has accomplished would have happened without Charles’ vision.
They are at war with the humans. He takes no joy in that. But do understand they were put in a war the day Charles was born. And they are the ones who put him there. Not Magneto. So you either choose to win this war and live free, or you choose to let them enslave you. Torture you. Kill you. Education? Charles though the answer was education? Did he use education to defy Magneto? To challenge him? He was willing to wait for as long as it took for Charles to see things the way he does, the way they all do. But instead he gets Charles, the hypocrite. Using his powers to attack him inside his head. Attacking him in his home. What would he have done next? Charles begins to cry silently.
He’ll send them here? The humans? And they’d kill the humans. All he’d have done is give them a reason to come round the mutants up. He’d plant another seed of hate and he’ll see exactly how they react and he’ll see no matter what his feelings on the subject are, he’ll see that Magneto is right. That humans and mutants cannot live together in peace. God has selected the mutants as the dominant species on the planet. God did this!! It’s his will!! And who is Charles to defy it!!??
Magneto sinks to his knees: God created him. And his will be done. No matter what the cost.
Today, Project Pegasus:
The three male members of the FF wonder what to do now and the Watcher announces the herald has been chosen. Who is it? Reed asks. The light of the Watcher monolith goes off and Sue awakes, not knowing what happened. Danvers learns that the other Watchers just up and disappeared. So who did they pick? they wonder.
Midwestern US.
In a normal house, a woman calls her son Rick to dinner. However, he isn’t in his room. She asks her daughter in the living room where Rick is. Backyard, comes the reply. She looks outside to see a smoking crater in the backyard. Both of them run outside to find a teenage boy in the centre of the crater, glowing and naked.
