Wakanda:
A plane lands and out of it are led the prisoners, ‘Ro and the Ghost Panther, both shackled. The soldiers cheer, believing the Dora Milaje have triumphed again. However, suddenly, the Dora Milaje, as well as the agents and prisoners, turn against them. All of them are telepathically controlled by Jean Grey. With the soldier overwhelmed, the X-Men step out and stash the unconscious bodies in the plane.
Cyclops reminds everyone of the plan while Gambit and Kitty free the Panther and ‘Ro. The Ghost Panther reminds them that this is a sovereign nation. The people are not the enemy, only the queen. Try not to harm them! Mystique sees things more cynically as she takes a soldier’s identity card. In a war, people on both sides pay the price.
‘Ro wants to join the X-Men but the Ghost Panther holds her back. They have a different task.
Flashback:
Hammer Bay, Genosha, the previous night. The X-Men had just come to the Ghost Panther’s and ‘Ro’s aid and finished off the Dorja Milaje. Jean admits she has trouble reading the minds of the Dora Milaje without doing them harm. Cyclops suggests Kurt absorb their memory.
Kitty repairs the minor damages to the Ghost Panther’s armor and notes this isn’t just a skinsuit but something like what she used to wear to control her intangibility. She explains that her natural state is essentially to be a living ghost. She stays solid by act of will. Do they have that in common? Kitty apologizes. The Panther needn’t answer. The Ghost Panther replies it is a welcome sound to her ears and addresses her as “Kitten.” Kitty recalls that only Ororo ever called her that and asks if they have met before.
Before the hesitating Panther can answer and reveal her identity, Gambit and Sabretooth return and inform them that the Wakandans cloaked their shuttle, but Sabretooth tracked their scent back to their ride. Remy picked their locks and cracked the system codes. The plane is good to go!
Cyclops orders Rogue and Mystique to prep the shuttle for takeoff, then asks Jean to take control over their prisoners. Havok tells them to slow down. They are not fighting a super villain here. Storm’s ruler of Wakanda! They need to talk to Chief Magistrate Anderson and maybe try for a diplomatic solution. Do they want to start a shooting war? The Ghost Panther interjects that the first shot has already been fired… by Wakanda. It is their job to end this before it gets worse.
Cyclops decides that they do this. Anderson can label them renegades. Officially, Genosha remains innocent. If they win, everybody goes home happy. If not, their ghost status still provides Genosha with plausible deniability. The only thing they cannot do is walk away. Storm was one of them. They have to find a way to stop this before anyone else gets hurt. The Ghost Panther adds that the futures of two lands are in their hands. Make sure, they are bright ones!
present:
In Wakanda, Mystique in the form of Flight Chief T’kona gets into the palace by pretending T’kona had orders to report to the minister of state. She telepathically calls Jean Grey to announce she is inside. No games like last time, Jean warns her, calling her ‘Raven.’ To this, Mystique orders her to use her codename; her true name is for friends or family. Mystique adds to tell her team the homing beacon is active.
She finds an empty corridor with dark shadows and uses it to switch into Storm’s shape. She passes Dora Milaje guards, who bow until she reaches Minister of Defense W’Kabi at a computer console. She asks about the status of the palace security network. He is confused at her presence. Does she need her subjects’ permission to take a stroll through her own palace, she asks. She orders him to disengage the alpha grid; she wants to see how the guards cope with a direct threat. Hesitantly, he is prepared to obey but asks for her personal authorization code. She was hoping he’d enter it for her, she smirks, her mistake.
She changes to her true form. He trains his gun at her. That moment, Rogue and Nightcrawler teleport in, thanks to the coordinates they got from Mystique. Rogue takes W’kabi in a lockhold and Kurt reluctantly absorbs W’kabi’s memories. He tells them to alert the others. He is about to disengage the security net. He explains that he has shut down both the central and internal security network and makes it seem like a network loop. They can roam as they wish. He stops when he sees their confused faces. He’s speaking perfect Wakandan, Mystique tells him. Rogue didn’t understand a word while Mystique, of course, did. Kurt apologizes, he hadn’t even noticed. Rogue nudges him, welcome to her world. Mystique chides both of them to behave. They have work today. “Yes, mother,” they chorus and walk ahead. Mystique is happy to have her children together and happy, at last.
Above Tokyo, aboard a SHIELD heli-carrier, a video conference continues between Everett Ross, representing the White House, Chief Magistrate Anderson, representing Genosha, and SHIELD director Sigrid Trask. Ross states that the president is becoming increasingly concerned regarding the situation in East Africa, after which Anderson points out that there are reports of a significant Wakandan incursion into Hammer Bay itself, led by the Dora Milaje. Is Queen Storm bent on starting a war? Trask starts she is sure there is a perfectly good explanation… If there is, the president wants it yesterday, Ross replies. He wants this mess resolved! It will be, Ziggy promises and finishes the conference.
It had better, Mariko Yashida, her superior in the Consortium warns her. Now that the X-Men are involved, the situation is spinning rapidly out of control. The Consortium casts Sigrid in her role. Do not fail them! Is that a threat? Sigrid asks. Simply a warning, Mariko replies.
Deep inside the Wakandan Royal Palace, Sabretooth has taken out all the guards and gripes at Gambit, who still hasn’t managed to open the lock. Kitty joins them, telling them what’s behind those doors is totally worth the wait. He knew Pryde was in there? Sabretooth accuses him. They walk inside to see a huge collection of all sorts of weapons from simple to state of the art.
In another section of the palace command center, Polaris has taken out guards while the Summers brothers are trying to handle the computer system with to the access codes Nightcrawler passed them. Alex finds lots of data, Storm’s private files but encrypted. He sends the files to the SHIELD agents at Xavier’s, who immediately get to work.
Lt. Dugan tells Fury that the Helicarrier is on the move towards Africa. And in addition, the X-Men aren’t the only superteam currently visiting Wakanda.
Fury warns Cyclops that it’s time to go. They are about to get some company. Understood, Cyclops replies. They’ll be out long before SHIELD arrives. Negative, Fury retorts. They are talking about other contacts, operating on the X-Men’s power levels.
Scott had incorrectly assumed that Storm was too proud to ask for help. He tells Jean to sweep the palace and tell him about anything that doesn’t feel right. Havok announces he’ll gather the rest of the team. It’s too late! Jean announces surprised. They’ve already been discovered! She telepathically alerts the others and berates herself for not sensing this sooner. They must have deliberately shielded themselves, which means this is all a trap. She’s sorry; they are already here.
A moment later, Polaris is slammed through the door way. Havok runs to her side. Perfect Storm announces she isn’t dead… yet. They should never have crawled back from the grave. This resurrection will cost them everything. It will be worth it, Cyclops shouts, to bring her madness to an end. With a sneer, she tells him that, if it were only the two of them fighting, he might have a chance for vengeance. Unfortunately, for them she brought some experts on the matter. She refers to the Avengers, who stand behind her and are not amused.
Elsewhere the Ghost Panther, ‘Ro, Callisto and Masque wander through the jungle until they have reached a small hut. The Panther asks the two Morlocks to wait here. The two Ororos must go in alone. As they stand at the entrance, ‘Ro observes Callisto seems shifty. Taking off the Ghost panther helmet, Ororo answers her she’s mellowed. She should have known Callisto before. She nearly killed her. It was a fair fight. She was trying as hard to kill Ororo. Sometimes friends are found in the strangest of places.
‘Ro gasps at the man in the colorful costume levitating in front of them. He wishes ‘Ro a good evening and introduces himself as Steven Strange, both doctor and master of the mystic arts. He’s here to see if a lost body and a lost soul can find their way back home.
