Flashback:
A young Eva Bell is holding a report about the man she most admires at school. She announces that’s Captain America. Not because of the usual things. Everybody loves him because he is an awesome super hero who does awesome things and everybody loves that he is an Avenger. But she loves him because she tried to imagine herself being frozen in a block of ice for so long that all her friends and family died of old age and then someone woke her up.
She doesn’t think she would handle it well. She thinks she would freak out, and she thinks the fact that Captain America doesn’t freak out is pretty amazing.
She wishes they had a superhero that awesome that represented Australia. She wishes they had a super hero from Australia that wasn’t kangaroo themed. That seems pretty lazy. If she ever grows up and gets superpowers, she will try to be like Captain America. Except Australian. Thank you.
Present:
Oh man, the now grown Eva (aka Tempus) exclaims, as a team of Avengers are there to arrest their teachers, Cyclops and Emma Frost. Are they coming with them? Captain America demands. For questioning?
He doesn’t think that’s going to happen, Scott replies. The kids are astonished, and wonder why the Hulk is wearing armor.
Cap tells Scott he has a lot to answer for. Don’t they all? Scott replies nonchalantly. Cap clarifies that he has to answer for the murders of Charles Xavier. So do they, Scott replies. How’s that? Cap asks. He’d really like to hear this, Hawkeye adds.
Emma Frost angrily asks who was responsible for intercepting and accidentally breaking a deadly cosmic force and injecting it into the Phoenix Five? Creating an overwhelming environment where they couldn’t control themselves. Because you know who wasn’t responsible? It wasn’t Cyclops and it wasn’t her! That was Tony Stark, she states (and mentally projects at the same time).
So it’s his fault they took that power and did horrible things with it? Iron Man demands. Horrible things like feed the poor, Scott begins. Emma interrupts him, telling Stark to take responsibility.
He did, Iron Man retorts. He made a mistake and fixed it. The Phoenix is gone. They are welcome. Now it’s their turn to take responsibility.
Could they give them a minute? Scott asks and the X-Men turn around conferring. Hawkeye tells Tony he did actually break the Phoenix and— Shut up! he is ordered. Um… hello? Cap asks.
Scott whispers to Illyana to be ready. The millisecond that shield leaves his arm… Kill him? she asks. No, he orders.
Did he actually call a time out? Iron Man asks.
First of all, she couldn’t kill him, Scott whisper. She so could, Illyana insists. He wants her ready to transport them out of here the second anything gets-- So now her mutant name is Magicbus? she snaps. Fine, she agrees and uses a spell to dress him in his uniform. Go! she orders.
Eva asks her mother to get back into the house. There’s a bloody Hulk there, the woman informs her. What is being inside the house going to do?
Carol Danvers, the new Captain Marvel, tries to talk sense into Cyclops reminding him that she loves and respects the X-Men. When she was down on her luck, the X-Men took her in. All the adventures they had… Can’t they just do this calmly? Nicely? He wants to charge him with murder “nicely!?” Scott asks sarcastically.
Captain America angrily points out that, everywhere the X-Men go, they violently attack police officers and government officials who have--
Who are attacking mutant children, Emma interrupts him. He acts like they are running around looking for a fight. They are trying to help their people!
A crowd of watchers has gathered. Cyclops tells Cap he’s sure he’d like to think they’ve come far in the world from his glory days during World War II, but he’s telling him first-hand they have not. If you are a mutant in this world, you are guilty until proven innocent. If you are different, if you aren’t like them, they will send the police. They will send the Avengers. And they will do anything they can to knock you down and then decide what to do with you.
That-s just a big pile of *%§&! Hawkeye swears. Is it? Cyclops asks. He sees a man, a uniformed man, with his hands around the throat of a new mutant just coming into bloom. He sees a man with a gun pointed at the head of a child. He is not going to have his people treated that way. And shame on them for not seeing that. “Shame on you, Captain America!” For not seeing that, by not doing a thing, he is as guilty as the worst of them.
He thinks Scott’s brother and Wolverine would argue the point, Cap retorts. His brother, Scott repeats disdainfully. There is a real problem on this planet and every new mutant that pops up shines a real spotlight on it. And if they think for a second that he’s going to back down from helping his people…
Carol tries to intervene again. Scott asks her to join them. For the memory of Charles Xavier.
Eva suddenly and politely addresses Captain America, telling him who she is. Cyclops is telling the truth. The minute she got her powers, the police tried to arrest her at gun point. And him, Fabio pipes up.
Iron Man tries to explain that they live in a world where people fear things they don’t understand. And they should let them? Scott asks.
Screw this, Hawkeye says as he nocks an arrow. Scott Summer killed Xavier in front of them. And thanks for putting a big “X” on his head for him to aim at. Spider-Woman tries to stop him. He reminds her Cyclops killed Xavier. “You are under arrest, you *%$&#!”
Scott calmly tells him he doesn’t care what he thinks. He doesn’t care what they dress his brother up as. And he doesn’t care what flag Cap wraps himself in. His people need help and they need it all over the world.
Did he kill Xavier? Fabio asks Emma, who replies Xavier died in battle.
Scott walks up to the arrow, announcing they have a choice. They can have the Hulk try and kill him… or they can get the hell out of his way.
No one is trying to kill them, Carol announces. You don’t bring a Hulk for nothing, Magik points out.
They are under arrest for the murder of Charles Xavier, Cap announces. “Captain America… Avengers…” Scott addresses them: “Go to hell!”
The battle is about to begin when Tempus’ eyes glow and she encases the Avenges in a field of frozen time. Exhausted, she sinks down. Emma commends her and tells her she gets to pick dinner. Chris and Ben are impressed.
Cyclops turns to the bystanders, telling them if they see what the Avengers are capable of. These are the best of the best. The greatest warriors of their generation. Yet even they won’t fight for mutants or let them fight for themselves. Even they.
He addresses his fellow mutants. He knows they are out there and can hear him. No one else is going to fight for them. They have to do it for themselves. If they need help, the X-Men will be there to help them.
And to their human friends, to their supporters: They feel their love and will fight for them too!
Many bystanders film his speech. But to those who would deny them their freedom, the fight is coming to them! They just took out the Avengers without lifting a finger. How do they think they will do? He crosses his arms in an X-symbol before his chest.
Are they going to be stuck like that forever? Chris asks about the Avengers. Magik tells him they will be fine once they leave.
Eva tells her mother goodbye. People are going to question her about Eva but they don’t know where she is. Did she do something wrong? her mother wails. Did she do this to Eva? Doesn’t she see how racist that sound? Eva asks her. That’s not what she meant. Maybe if she went to church… Eva groans and asks her not to say stuff like that. Cyclops promises her they will take good care of Eva. She’s very talented. Eva tells her not to sell her stuff.
Magik teleports them away and immediately are back at the new Xavier School. Cyclops commends the kids for holding everything together like pros.
What was that? Ben asks. That was the Avengers, ladies and gentlemen, Chris replies. Emma tells him not to be so impressed. He thinks he’s going to be, he replies. Magik reminds him they wanted to arrest him. No they wanted to arrest them, he retorts. Exhausted, Fabio repeats yesterday he was working at Corndog on a Stick. No mutant killing robots this time, Eva tries to comfort him.
Scott announces they knew they were coming. Unless they had the place staked out, Emma points out. Cap’s A-team? Scott scoffs. The Avengers don’t stake out. They are the response team. Magik points out they decided to go spontaneously. Someone told them they were coming, Scott announces. He did, Magneto reveals and states they should have this conversation outside, without the students. The others ignore that suggestion.
Magneto explains there is a new Sentinel program. They were the victims of it. That means the US government is once again spending every dime they have on finding ways to kill them. They say they don’t know anything about this but they are the United States government and he doesn’t believe them. He wants to know exactly who is to blame and where they are. Don’t they?
Cyclops orders him to connect the dots. Fast! He went to SHIELD and told them he desperately wants Cyclops to suffer and burn for all the bad things he’s done in his life. He told them he would give Cyclops up but that they had to do it Magneto’s way. They only half believe him. He had to give them something. So when they left he told them where they we going. Now SHIELD believes him. Now the X-Men know that they will send everything they have against them… including Avengers.
When was he going to fill them in on his little side project? Scott demands. He just did, Magneto replies.
This is so much better than Netflix! Ben mutters.
Scott calls this unacceptable, Magik orders Magneto to leave. Emma points out it’s pretty much brilliant. Magneto explains if he had told them before, the cover would have been blown. If the Avengers had a psychic with them, he needed the X-Men not to know. Now, while they are trying to get Cyclops from him, he will get things from them.
Scott insists they do things as a team. And as the leader of this school and this team, he can’t have him— Magneto calmly points out he doesn’t remember voting. Magik announces he is only coming clear because by now a child could figure this out!
Magneto reminds them of their broken powers. They have to be twice as smart and do things the Homo sapiens don’t expect. They have to surprise even themselves. He thinks, all things considered, this went very well, then commends Eva for her powers.
Eva exclaims when she sees her mother on TV. Mrs. Bell announces her daughter is a good girl. And Scott Summers made some good points. The Avengers, and all that – they seemed awfully threatened.
He wishes Emma could still read minds, Scott muses. He says that now, but come Valentine’s Day… she jokes. What does he do with Magneto? She tells him Magneto is a genius and he should go with this. Says the woman who could be teaming up with him to exact her revenge, Scott points out. Emma smirks. She doesn’t need Magneto to exact her revenge on Scott…
From the news, they learn the Avengers are still frozen. Seems like a wasted opportunity, Scott muses. They should be doing something with this, Emma suggests. Magik offers to teleport them to Avengers Tower and they can clog all the toilets and switch their underwear drawers. Scott is tempted but has a better idea. He tells the kids to settle in. The faculty is going on a field trip.
Soon, they arrive at the Jean Grey School. “To me, my X-Men!” Scott orders…
