The Blue Area of the moon. Hope Summers is in agony. Wolverine assesses the situation, while five X-Men - Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Colossus and Magik, face off against give of the Avengers - Captain America, Hawkeye, the Black Widow, the Thing and the Red Hulk. ‘Let’s end this’ Cyclops calls out, as the battle begins.
At the X-Diaspora assembly point IV on Earth, the lights are out as Magneto and Psylocke make their way down a darkened flight of stairs. ‘OW! Be careful!’ Psylocke exclaims as Magneto walks into her, knocking her injured arm against the wall. Magneto tells Psylocke that he is sorry, and explains that the splint is the best he could improvise. He adds that it could have been worse, as reattaching an arm would be trickier for Psylocke than it was for Emma Frost. Psylocke just tells Magneto that she doesn’t think his powers extend to absolute master of silver linings. ‘Please. I could have left you’ he points out. ‘You wouldn’t’ Psylocke tells him. ‘No, I would. As I said, we’re on the same -’ Magneto begins as they enter a room, shrouded in darkness, they hear someone coughing.
Psylocke readies her sword, while Magneto raises various scraps of metal into the air, only to see Storm, sitting on the ground nearby, with Doctor Nemesis in her arms. ‘They have filled my science bits with Satan goo’ Dr Nemesis mutters. ‘It’s us, friends. I’m glad to see you made it’ Storm tells Magneto and Psylocke, while Dr Nemesis mutters that he wished he had a helmet - a very nice helmet. Storm explains that the Black Widow hit Dr Nemesis with a neurotoxin dart, and that he is now delirious. ‘Bunny blood hurts me think-thoughts’ the brilliant scientist remarks. ‘To be honest, Storm, I don’t really see much of a difference’ Magneto announces. Psylocke scolds him, but Magneto claims that he said that in jest, before asking what news there is from Cyclops.
Storm explains that they could not wait, and went to the moon. ‘It’s all going to happen without us’ Magneto declares, before wondering ‘Or will it? Apart from dear Magik, who else is a teleporter?’ he enquires. Psylocke points out that Pixie can teleport, only she was imprisoned at the Avengers Academy. ‘I don’t know if she can reach the moon, but…’ Psylocke begins, but Storm announces that it is no good, that the children are now scattered to the winds. ‘Goddess knows where she is now’ Storm adds.
At that moment, on Utopia, island home to some of the X-Men, Pixie teleports on to the island, along with Velocidad, Primal and Transonic. ‘We’re just going to get ourselves arrested again’ Pixie exclaims, while Transonic tells Velocidad that she isn’t sure this is a good idea. ‘Of course not!’ Velocidad responds. ‘It’s an awesomely bad idea. But what choice to do we have?’ The young mutant holds up a small piece of paper and reminds his friends that Hope ran off, that she is going to get herself killed. ‘She planted the note for a reason’ he declares, looking at the note again, it reads “Sorry. Ask Unit”. Velocidad tells his friends that they cannot let Hope down. Transonic points out that the robot is creepy, while Pixie remarks that they just broke out of jail, and are now breaking into another one. ‘You guys need to make your minds up’ she exclaims, before casting a spell, and teleporting away, down into the X-Brig, beneath Utopia.
‘Oh, hello. I wasn’t expecting company’ the enigmatic Unit states as the young mutants materialize before him. ‘…Hope told you about me’ Unit realizes. The young mutants just look up at him, before the robot asks ‘So. The Phoenix. What do you want to know?’
Back inside the X-Diaspora location IV, Storm, Magneto and Psylocke are sitting on the floor, while Dr Nemesis lies nearby. Storm explains that in Wakanda, the home territory for her husband, she hesitated one too many times, and eventually his distractions paid off, and her knocked her out. Storm tells her teammates that when she came to, she was clear of the battle, and Danger and Nemesis had evacuated her. After calling the Black Panther her “husband” she decides that she will have to start experimenting with “estranged husband”. Magneto tells Storm that every familial relationship has its ups and downs. ‘My son was in Wundagore, the little wretch’ he adds. ‘Don’t bring him up…I was concentrating on locking Quicksilver down so hard, that funny-colored Hulk managed to get up close and personal’ Psylocke exclaims, recalling her encounter with the Red Hulk.
Magneto calls his son a foolish boy, but is thankful that only one of his children turned against their people in this war. ‘Though, to be entirely fair to Pietro, it was Wanda’s hand which nearly exterminated us in the first place’ Magneto remarks, before sighing ‘Not her fault. We have to forgive’. Taking a water bottle from a box, Magneto is thankful that not all mutants are as short-sighted. Storm agrees, and states that it doesn’t matter that they left Utopia with Wolverine, for when it came to it, they knew whose side they were on. ‘Iceman and…Angel. In Wundagore’ Psylocke remarks, while Storm admits that her heart leapt when she saw Rachel, for she missed her so much. ‘We all stood together. Except Logan. And Quicksilver. And Beast. Benedict Arnolds of our time’ Magneto remarks.
Storm tells Magneto that his tongue is as big a traitor to his kind, before agreeing that nothing brings mutants together like the threat of an absolute destruction. ‘And still - in the end, it’s just five on the moon’ Magneto points out. He raises a cup of water that he recently poured: ‘To Scott Summers, Emma Frost, Namor McKenzie and Peter and Illyana Rasputin. The few’ he toasts. Psylocke and Storm raise their cups, and the trio drink. ‘The waiting. I can’t stand the waiting. I wish I was there’ Magneto tells Storm and Psylocke. ‘There must be something someone could do’.
Contained by a stasis field, Unit informs the young mutants that he is a creature of science in a universe that is regularly not, which means he has to learn about annoyingly metaphysical things like the Phoenix. Unit explains that the Phoenix has always had hosts, bringing destruction and rebirth. ‘This is different. I gave Hope my best advice…’ he remarks. ‘What is happening?’ Velocidad asks. Unit announces that Phoenix is a universal constant - and that a universal constant dislikes having anything interfere with that. He adds that, as much as he hates to anthropomorphize a cosmic entity that lives beyond time and space and that it was pushed. ‘This is the Phoenix pushing back’. Unit quotes the infamous “No more mutants”, and states that is unacceptable, revealing that if Hope is able to balance the energies and merge with it, then all that changes. Transonic asks Unit how he knows this, to which Unit explains that this is just a theory, and that he only has limited information. ‘I’ve been around a while, and I’ve only seen something vaguely like it a billion or so years ago…’.
Flashback images, narrated by Unit in the presence:
Unit had come across one of those vile supernatural worlds, run by a lineage of demon prince lings, whose greatest fear was progress, that they worked a great rite to grind evolution itself to a halt - and it worked, for a while - until the messiah emerged. After that, she found five acolytes, each was tied to her with a bond beyond words, their loyalty was branded into their spirits. She called out for deliverance, and then, at last, the Phoenix came. Despite the demon king’s best efforts to stop them, the one and five went to commune with the Phoenix, and thus the Phoenix’s power was unleashed, shattering the princeling’s so-called unbreakable incantation. Change restarted and the demon lords of stasis were swept away.
Present:
‘Wait a minute - when this other messiah did all that…her lights were with her. So why didn’t you tell Hope she needs us?’ Transonic enquires. Unit smirks wickedly and reveals that this is where Hope’s mission and his diverge. ‘She wishes to save mutantkind. I gather knowledge towards my ultimate purpose of universal peace’. He adds that he knows what happens when a Phoenix messiah gets everything she needs, and explains that he is interested to know what happens when they don’t. ‘Oh, you cold-hearted…’ Transonic begins, while Velocidad asks what is going to happen. ‘Pay attention’ Unit mutters, stating that he doesn’t know what will happen, which is why he is doing this, he wants to find out. ‘Come universal utopia, her sacrifice will be remembered’ Unit declares. ‘Fight! Kill!’ Primal snarls, while Pixie calls Unit a “tosser”, and Velocidad agrees with Primal. ‘Er…honestly, sorry. I really did like her’ Unit claims.
Back at the X-Diaspora, ‘No. it may be over by the time we get there, but we should damn well try’ Psylocke declares. ‘With your arm -’ Storm begins, but Psylocke replies that she is still psychic and is an X-Man. ‘She’s right. A spaceship. Who has a spaceship?’ Magneto enquires. ‘There’s that alien boy at Logan’s school…’ Psylocke remarks, while Storm suggests Agent Brand, as she owes the X-Men after clearing up the mess with the prisoners. ‘Oh, I know…Danger!’ Magneto smiles. ‘She’s a technomorpher. Why not a spaceship? She could manage it’ Magneto states. Storm agrees that it is possible, as Danger is capable of wonderful things. ‘She was in your team. She dragged you clear - where is she now?’ Magneto asks, but Storm admits that she doesn’t know.
‘We go. Quickly. We get Idie and go!’ Velocidad exclaims. Transonic points out that Zero is dead, so what if they need all five? ‘I don’t know! We have to try!’ Velocidad exclaims, while Pixie informs her friends that she is not even sure she can teleport them to the moon. Suddenly, there is a blast of energy, and Pixie is knocked backwards. Transonic, Velocidad and Primal turn to the direction the blast was fired from, and find Danger standing there. ‘Ah, Danger. Finally. I was running low on distracting anecdotes’ Unit smirks. ‘Run!’ Transonic shouts, so Velocidad speeds towards the exit, only to find it blocked by solid light. ‘You sold us out!’ he shouts at Danger, who fires a blast of energy at him, knocking him over. ‘This…not my choice. He controls me’ Danger reveals.
‘No submit! Fight!’ Primal shouts as he lunges at Danger, who simply spins around and smacks Primal in the face, stating that she can’t fight it. ‘I’m sorry’ she tells Primal, before knocking him out. Transonic backs away, but comes up against another wall of solid light. Unit apologizes to her for this distress. ‘I did tell Hope to keep it a secret’ he explains. ‘Please, you don’t -’ Transonic begins, before the solid light wall transforms into a box around her head. She falls to the floor, and is rendered unconscious. ‘She should have known better. Sadly, I worked very hard on acquiring this cover’ Unit states, before telling Danger that this is a dirty job, and that it is time to tidy up. Danger just looks forlorn.
Back at the X-Diaspora, Magneto, Storm and Psylocke are preparing to leave, with Magneto announcing that if they can’t get Danger, they will to go Brand. ‘And Goddess help her if she refuses’ Storm exclaims. ‘Ri-’ Psylocke begins, before she suddenly screams in pain.
On the moon, the Phoenix Force has arrived, and looms over the Blue Area, while Iron Man, in a transformed armor, flies towards it, and attacks the Phoenix Force with a new weapon, resulting in a spectacular display.
Magneto tells Storm that Psylocke will bite her tongue, and as she places Psylocke’s sword in the telepath’s mouth, enabling her to bite down on it, Storm tells Magneto that she knows what she is doing, but Psylocke convulses backwards, before a short time later, recovering, and informing Storm and Magneto that it is over. ‘Whatever happened…we’re too late’.
On the shore of Utopia, Pixie, Velocidad, Transonic and Primal have been laid on the beach, while in the air above, a Danger-like spaceship takes off. ‘I left them were you told me. It’s done’ Danger states. ‘Excellent. They were good kids. They deserved better’ Unit replies. Danger tells him that she doesn’t understand, to which Unit tells her that of course she doesn’t, and explains that he believes in necessary evil for a higher cause. ‘I had time to kill. I had no need to kill them’ he states. Unit assures Danger that their memory implants will hold, and that note that led them here has been destroyed. ‘They’ll believe they received their injuries while escaping their previous captivity. And whatever world comes next, they’ll get to live in it’ Unit explains. ‘At least, for as long as it lasts’ he adds.
As the young mutants rouse, Velocidad points to the sky: ‘Hey look! Shooting stars!’ he exclaims. ‘Hurt’ Primal mutters, rubbing his face. Transonic tells Velocidad that she doesn’t think it is shooting stars, an eclipse, perhaps. ‘Aw, play along. Make a wish!’ Pixie tells her. ‘Okay…I hope this all ends well’ Transonic replies.
While, up on the moon, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus and Magik all possess the power of the Phoenix!
