Pietro Maximoff races across the barren, war-torn lands of Genosha. Until recently, Genosha was a nation torn about by civil war following the revelations that its rich economy and technological advancements were built on the backs of mutant slaves. The UN recently ceded control of Genosha to the self-styled mutant savior Magneto, providing him with the opportunity to create a mutant homeland. They had hoped that the internal strife in Genosha would consume the time and energies of the notorious mutant terrorist. His estranged son, Pietro AKA Quicksilver agreed to join Magneto’s newly-formed Genoshan Cabinet to serve as a moral compass of sorts and temper his father’s more aggressive tendencies.
After several months under Magneto’s rule, Genosha is slowly being rebuilt and restored to its former glory only this time under mutant rule. During this time, Magneto has managed to fully exert his control over Genosha and restore a semblance of order where there was once insurgency and chaos. Quicksilver worries about what Magneto will do once this goal is fully accomplished.
He is also concerned about Magneto’s methods, despite their apparent success. As he passes the Hammer Bay dockyards he encounters a team of Magistrates arresting a family of humans. Humans and mutants have been segregated and Pietro is concerned that this will not serve to heal the rift between these populations but lead to apartheid. The magistrates tell Pietro that the “flatscans” were trying to leave Genosha and were violating their curfew. Quicksilver reprimands them for using racial epithets. The soldiers remind Pietro that unauthorized emigration is outlawed and that he as a Cabinet member knows this. Pietro orders them to allow the humans to return to their homes and tells the humans to file the appropriate paperwork to leave the country.
They tell Pietro that the request will simply be denied just as all emigration requests have been since Magneto assumed control. He tells the man that if he has any say in the matter, this policy will change soon. Despite this vow, Pietro realizes that the talents and skills of the human population are essential to the rebuilding of the nation. He believes they should be free to leave of their own free will and worries what will become of them when Magneto decides they are no longer useful.
Quicksilver returns to the central ministry’s headquarters and seeks an audience with his father. Instead, he finds Fabian Cortez waiting in the conference room in Magneto’s seat. Pietro orders Cortez to vacate the spot and Cortex snidely tells him that he was keeping it warm for him and calls him “Magnusson”. Pietro corrects him and tells him his name is Maximoff. Cortez informs Pietro that there is once again trouble at the plant.
At the fusion processing complex, Pipeline, Jenny Ransome and Phillip Moreau are overseeing the needed repairs. Pipeline and Phillip Moreau are bickering and the tensions between them are apparent. Pipeline says to Jenny Ransome that her “human” friend irritates him the way he acts like his kind and family are still in charge of things.
Repairs are underway by a work crew that Pipeline has digitally transported into the damaged section of the machinery. Pietro arrives and asks for an update. Ransome tells him that they are still having problems with their energy buffers and Pipeline adds that if it isn’t fixed they’ll be out of power supply within the week. Quicksilver mentions that it could be less if things don’t change on the battlefront in Carrion Cove.
As they are speaking, an alarm sounds and a huge piece of equipment falls towards them. As Pietro barks orders to the others to protect the workers, the column of machinery stops in midair and chains begin to secure it. The assembled Genoshans look up to see Magneto with Polaris hovering behind him. Her “hair” is like a luminous green cloud of smoke that bubbles around her and the Master of Magnetism.
Magneto takes immediate command of the situation, ordering the others to insure that all are safe and to investigate the cause of the accident. He notes that resources are precious now and they cannot afford to lode a single life or piece of equipment.
Those present are still awed by Magneto’s presence and power. Pietro, however, is more concerned with the fact that Polaris is now constantly at his father’s side and wonders what is going on between them.
With the crisis under control, Magneto asks for the morning report from Carrion Cove and hopes that it is good news for a change. Pietro tells him that they are still at a stalemate with the rebel forces and neither side has given any ground in the battle. Magneto expresses his dismay that one small fishing port could stand in the way of his consolidation of the nation and wonders what the source of their power might be. He labels the rebels as terrorists and Phillip suggests that some might call them “freedom fighters”.
Magneto notes that Moreau still doubts him though he just saved a handful of humans as well as mutates. Magneto tells the group that he should have responded with greater force initially but was swayed by Alda Huxley’s advice that such a move may invite unwanted international scrutiny. He vows to obliterate the rebellion completely if Huxley fails in her current task. Pietro wonders how he will be able to stop this should it come to that.
At the UN, Dr. Huxley is angered to learn that the advisory council who assigned her to Genosha is now installing an “advisor on mutant protocol” in Genosha. She feels that she has managed Magneto’s every move brilliantly and that every concession was justified in the grander scheme of things. The committee is comprised of Gabrielle Haller, Michelle Devereaux and Admiral Gregori Suvurov, all humans who have had extensive dealings with Magneto. She demands an explanation and the council informs her that they no longer trust that she is impartial where Genosha is concerned. She asks who besides her could fill this role and they tell her they have someone in mind.
In Genosha, a concerned Quicksilver pays a visit to Polaris. He finds her reading in her quarters, which feature an anti-gravity effect generated by her expanding magnetic powers. Pietro comments on this and she tells him it is part of her training to learn to control her power rather than allow it to control her. She sums it up as “We don’ need no steenkin’ gravity.”
Pietro enters and asks if he may speak bluntly. She replies that she’s never known him not to. He says that as a long-time friend who cares about her, he is curious to know her reasons for staying in Genosha. He acknowledges that there is some kind of connection between her and Magneto and wants to be sure she understands that in the end, it will ultimately benefit only Magnus in some fashion. He tells her that it seems she is addicted to his power and asks how far she is willing to let their “relationship” go.
Still floating upside down while reading, she simply replies that she will go just as far as he is willing to go to do what he knows is right. She apologizes if that was unfair of her, but admits that since Havok disappeared she’s felt out of control and that since connecting with Magneto while being coerced by Apocalypse, she has felt a surge of strength and power. She admits that it’s intoxicating and she may be close to falling off a proverbial cliff but feels it’s her best chance of finding a way to bring Alex home.
Pietro tells her he understands and assures her that it is not her that he distrusts. She seems surprised that he does not trust Magnus after all he has accomplished in Genosha. Pietro notes some of Lord Magneto’s accomplishments: the separation of the human and mutate populations and the quarantine of those suffering from the Legacy Virus. He notes that he had hoped to take Magneto down before he could take full control but now he remains to be a spokesperson for those that Magneto chooses to separate from the rest of them. Lorna hugs Pietro and tells him “Damned if we do, damned if we don’t”. He assures her that if she does fall off that cliff, he will be there to catch her.
On the coastline of Carrion Cove, Scanner is on patrol. The once gorgeous beach is now littered with bodies and the tide is red with blood. In her bioelectric form, she surveys the damage wondering why she returned to Magneto and opted to serve in the Genoshan military. She flies away and lands in a camp in the foothills around Carrion Cove.
She meets inside with Voght and Cargill to review telemetry she received from the fallen soldiers. The tape shows the rapid slaughter of twenty-five troops. In one frame, an energized whip can be seen. This leads the three former Acolytes to conclude that the Carrion Cove Rebellion has superhuman assistance. This explains their tactical superiority over the non-powered Genoshan militia. As they argue whether this justifies the mutant soldiers entering the fray, a transport from the capitol arrives.
They are soon joined by Moreau, Ransome and Pipeline. Together, they review the footage of the battle and Pipeline concludes that the energy signature did not belong to a mutate, meaning that the Rebellion has brought in support from outside Genosha. Voght notes that this means they’re hiding something worth fighting for. Pipeline snidely asks whether freedom alone isn’t enough and Cargill notes that freedom isn’t enough to pay mercenary forces. Voght suggests that they may be paying with a promise and teleports away to determine what it is the rebels have to offer.
At the United Nations, Dr. Alda Huxley shares the progress made by Magneto and his new government in Genosha and makes it clear that they can not move forward in rebuilding the nation without the UN’s support. She appeals to the member nations to lift the economic sanctions against Genosha and welcome them back into the community of nations. She makes it clear that Genosha needs free trade and international monetary support.
Ambassador Patel asks why she still wears a combat uniform if things are so wonderful in Genosha. He also reminds her that aiding Magneto was not a part of the original bargain they struck with the Master of Magnetism. She urges them to work with Magneto instead of dismissing him. Gabrielle Haller says that while Dr. Huxley may be right in this matter, they believe she has become too personally involved with the situation and the players involved to serve as an impartial advisor on Genoshan matters. Therefore, they have selected an outside party to review the Genoshan situation and have just received word that she has accepted their offer.
In Carrion Cove, Mayor Boerke personally oversees the arrival of a shipment of equipment to the Rebellion. She notes to her men that the cost of working with their supplier is a piece of their souls but it is worthwhile to keep Carrion Cove’s birthright from Magneto’s hands. She turns to a group of shadowed figures and asks how long they will be able to hold out should Magneto unleash superhuman combatants. One of the figures replies that they will last long enough to get a shot at Magneto himself. As he says this, Voght appears in mist form and asks if they are feeling suicidal. She goes on to say they have little chance at success unless they convince her to join their cause.
The next morning, a deadly attack is launched by the Rebellion on the Genoshan forces holding the foothills outside Carrion Cove. Cargill is present alongside Scanner and Pipeline. She notes that Voght was right; the Rebellion has drafted the help of several former Acolytes! Among them are Static, Spoor, Senyaka, the Kleinstocks, Barnacle, Rem-Ram and Projector.
Cargill attacks while Scanner questions why they would fight against Magneto. She confronts Static whose amped up powers are sufficient to disrupt Scanner’s bioelectric form. Meanwhile, Senyaka destroys Pipeline transmit interface before he can summon reinforcements. Quicksilver approaches to help noting that it is odd to see the Acolytes against each other and wonders what could convince the others to oppose Magneto. He thinks to himself that Carrion Cove was one of the few areas that did not rely on mutate slave labor before the fall of the old regime and wonders what their true motivations for rebelling might be. Pietro disarms most of the soldiers but Jenny Ransome notes that the renegade Acolytes are a lot more powerful than they’ve ever been before. Pietro zooms off to find what Carrion Cove is hiding.
He finds the most heavily guarded area and easily subdues the many guards there. He finds Mayor Boerke standing alongside a shipment from Roxxon Industries. He believes that it is corporate interests that fuel the rebellion. As he approaches Boerke, he is stopped by Voght who subdues him using her mist powers. She tells him that Magneto cannot be allowed to possess the secret of Carrion Cove.
In Hammer Bay, Magnus is awaiting the arrival of the new UN advisor who is arriving with Dr. Huxley. While waiting, he converse with an unseen person via telepathy. The telepathic presence asks if he is truly prepared for this and Magnus replies that he relishes the opportunity. The unseen “voice” wonders if he means to rub her nose in his apparent successes as well. Magnus replies that if that is what his “friend” believes than all his efforts have been for naught. The voice replies that his opinions will matter less than that of the newly arriving UN liaison. Lorna interrupts the conversation to ask if Magneto is alright. He replies that he was just thinking. Dr. Huxley emerges and begins a pseudo-speech. Magnus tells her there is no press on hand and to skip the sound byte. She therefore proceeds to present the new UN liaison officer, Magneto’s daughter…the Scarlet Witch!
