The Red Skull’s Mutant Internment Caps - the future. ‘Run, Eimin! Run!’ the young Uriel calls out to his twin sister. They trudge through the mud as the rain pours down hard. Sentinels stand watch over the basic camps where mutants sit on the doorsteps of some buildings. Lightning flashes in the darkened sky above while Kang watches the plight of the two young mutants and thinks to himself that he has invested a great deal of time seasoning his twins - their lives perfectly orchestrated to accomplish one goal - an objective he has no doubt they will see done, especially after today’s lesson. ‘They’ve sounded the alarm, Uriel!’ Eimin tells her brother, who tells her that the south gates are open for cargo shipments. ‘Stark promised!’ he adds, urging Eimin to run as he holds her hand, pulling her along after him, adding ‘Pray we are faster than the Hounds!’
The vicious Hounds are released, running through the mud on their hands and knees, chains trailing behind them. Kang decides that Eimin and Uriel are proud avatars for his family sent to remove the mutants from his home - the domain of Kang the Conqueror. ‘I-it-it’s locked! Eimin gasps as she and Uriel come to a stop at the gate. ‘Of course it is, Eimin…you trusted a human!’ Kang declares as a projection of himself appears before the twins. The rain continues to beat down as Kang tells the twins that a year now they have spent in the Red Skull’s camps - a firsthand account of mankind’s hatred of homo superior, and that they should have learned by now. ‘I’ve seen the cruelty you’ve suffered at the hands of the beast who runs the camps - Ahab, Captain of the Hounds’ Kang adds, as the mutant-hating Ahab appears, the Hounds at his feet.
‘What have you found here?’ Ahab asks his Hounds, his harpoon aimed towards the young mutants. ‘The children of mass murderer Warren Worthington, fleeing at my gracious accommodations?’ he enquires, adding that he can hardly believe it. Ahab asks the Hound Rachel if she will do the honors. Rachel attacks the twins psychically and they drop to their knees. Ahab goes over and picks Uriel up by his neck, ‘Was this your idea, boy? Don’t lie!’ Ahab shouts, warning him that it will be worse if he lies. Eimin calls out that it was her fault, claiming that she saw an opening and ran, and her brother followed. ‘You saw an opening?’ Ahab asks the girl. ‘Well then, we don’t want you seeing anything else, lest you lead the both of you to ruin, do we?’ He puts his harpoon to Eimin’s forehead. Uriel gets to his feet after Ahab dropped him to the ground, his wings open, and Ahab commands Uriel to take Eimin’s sight, otherwise, he will take her life.
Uriel looks at his sister, confused and scared. ‘Quickly. I’ve unshackled those freak wings’ Ahab points out. ‘Protect her from leading you to further unpleasant notions’ Ahab adds. ‘E-Eimin…’ Uriel utters, but Eimin does not respond. Kang folds his arms and tells Uriel that Ahab will kill her if he does not do as commanded. Eimin closes her eyes and tells Uriel that it is not her fault. ‘Just…get it over wi-’ she begins, before Uriel spins around and his razor-sharp wings slash across Eimin’s eyes, causing the girl to scream. The Hounds crawl forward, while blood pools on the wet ground around Eimin, and Uriel turns to Kang. Ahab instructs the Hounds to put the twins back in their cages. Kang tells Uriel to remember this cruelty. ‘Remember that I could have helped you and didn’t. And for one very simple reason… humans hate mutants’.
The Jean Grey School, Westchester - now. Ororo “Storm” Munroe, Hank McCoy a.k.a. the Beast and Kitty Pryde have gathered, as Hank declares ‘Someone please tell me why is it that whenever something goes terribly wrong involving Apocalypse…Wolverine goes missing?’ Kitty asks Storm about the warning Wolverine gave her last hey spoke - what did he say. As the Beast opens a security door, Storm replies that Wolverine said to be ready for war, and to keep Warren and Evan hidden. Through the security door, Warren Worthington III a.k.a. angel and the young boy called Genesis are sitting at a table. ‘What is it? What’s going on?’ Angel asks. ‘There’s a new Apocalypse’ Genesis remarks. ‘Two, actually’ the Beast replies, before asking him how he knew. ‘A feeling’ Genesis replies, while Warren asks ‘Who are they?’ Beast announces that he has his suspicions, based on physical resemblance.
And, at the New Charles Xavier School for Mutants, Scott “Cyclops” Summers, Emma Frost and Illyana Rasputin a.k.a. Magik watch a computer monitor depicting Eimin and Uriel’s recent address to mutantkind, and Emma asks ‘How could they possibly accomplish this To rapture away every single mutant…it’s quite an undertaking’ she points out. Cyclops wonders how new Apocalypse rose without them picking up any Akkaba chatter, to which Emma replies ‘Perhaps if you had more friends, Scott, we would have’, before she wonders how they could accomplish such a thing. ‘With magic’ Illyana replies, adding that aside from Dr Strange she cannot think of anyone who possesses the capability. ‘I can’ Scott declares. ‘There’s only one person with the power to do something like this… a woman who should know better’.
At that moment, ‘I’ll go alone from here’ Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch frowns as she strides down a corridor. ‘As you wish’ a strange looking mutant replies. Wanda presses a panel on the wall, and a door slides open, revealing a room where Simon Williams a.k.a. Wonder Man is held in place by powerful restraints, and his brother Eric, the Grim Reaper, stand before him. Wanda scowls at the Grim Reaper, who tells his brother that his “lollipop” comes to pay them a visit. ‘Release Simon and leave, Eric. The Twins assured me any request’ Wanda commands. ‘Fine. Good. Okay’ the Grim Reaper replies, while assuring the Scarlet Witch that she has nothing to fear from him. ‘That mess before, me trying to kill you - it’s funny really - I was just a bit suicidal is all’ he explains, adding that the constant dying and being resurrected thing makes you go crazy.
The Grim Reaper starts to release Wonder Man from the restraints and remarks that he figured turning off the Scarlet Witch’s witch magic was the only way he would stop breathing - but there was a second option. ‘A shot of my brother’s energy and Rogue clean broke my neck’. Simon drops to the ground and Wanda crouches beside him, while the Grim Reaper starts to leave the room, adding that Simon is the yin to his yang, and vice versa. ‘So, I’m probably the only one who can kill “Wonder Man”. Besides you, anyway’ the Grim Reaper adds. Simon sits up and asks Wanda what is going on and what is happening. ‘What happens is up to us, Simon. The Apocalypse Twins, they’re allowing us to choose -’ Wanda begins, to which Simon frowns at his dear friend and asks ‘What do you mean, “allowing us”?’
Wanda looks at Simon and tells him that it is complicated, but that she cannot do it without him - that she won’t do it without him. ‘Can we get to the part where you tell me what it is you can’t and won’t do without me?’ Simon asks. Wanda raises her arms, and asks Simon to just hear her out. ‘We’re faced with a dilemma’ she begins, informing Simon that the Red Skull has used Xavier’s telepathy to compile a list of mutant crimes, and an entire town was wiped out by Warren Worthington, while a child was killed by Wolverine’s X-Force squad, and Charles Xavier was murdered by his star pupil. ‘The Skull will use these secrets to rally man against mu5tant. He’s going to ignite a war’ Wanda reveals. ‘These twins murdered thousands of people. The Avengers aren’t considering working with them, Wanda’ Simon grimaces, while Wanda takes his hand.
‘We need to do something. Right now - together - we can end the conflict between man and mutant’ Wanda tells Simon, who starts to get impatient and asks Wanda to just spit it out: ‘What do they want us to do?’ Wanda looks into Simon’s eyes and replies ‘To rapture the mutants into this ark. To take them to a new world’. Simon tells her that is crazy, to which Wanda replies that if they don’t, and the Twins are right about what the Skull does to the mutants, they will have to watch it happen - because they missed their once chance to stop it.
Meanwhile, at the Akkaba Society, City of Socoira. Two guards on a rooftop of the citadel are keeping watch, and having a chat, as one of the odd-looking beings remarks that, being honest, he is not entirely excited by how many Akkaba sisters the twins killed. ‘Humans, man. They were humans’ the other replies. ‘Thanks to the Witch, but they didn’t use to be’ the first adds, remarking that he knew a couple, a pair of sisters, over in the Guatemalan chapter. ‘Sweet pots of honey’ he declares, before brushing his neck when he feels something brush past. He swats his neck, adding that the sisters were “down for the cause”. ‘Dime a dozen, man’ the first guard replies, adding that once they are in the new homeworld, it will be hot and cold mutant broads pouring from every spigot, ripe for the picking. ‘Adding yet another trial to the plight of mutant women’ Janet van Dyne a.k.a. the Wasp remarks as she increases from insect size to her regular human form, and wearing her new costume stands in front of the guards, hands on hips. ‘Huh?’ the first guard calls out.
‘Forgiving a few walrus-face fetishists’ the Wasp smirks. ‘Intruder!’ the second guard exclaims, but before they can both fire their weapons, the Wasp tells them that those imaginary girls will be in Heaven when the two of them come calling, and fires her wasp’s sting at them, knocking them out. ‘First time I’ve ever heard of henchmen working towards a villain’s diabolical plot for the promise of a better dating poll’ Alex “Havok” Summers remarks as the Wasp flies over to he and Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America, announcing that those Hellfire Club folks have pretty frisky costumers, not that she has been there - more than a couple of times. Cap and Alex run along the rooftop, while the Wasp flies alongside them, explaining that she and Hank Pym were looking to spice things up, back when they were married, but it got weird. ‘Forget I mentioned it’ she asks them. ‘Thank you for the image, Janet’ Cap replies, before telling his teammates to have their eyes on the prize, as once they find it, taking down that tachyon transmitter is job one.
Havok agrees, and adds that if Immortus has an army ready to deal with the Twins, he thinks they should take him up on the offer and bring down the tachyon field that is keeping them out. ‘Provided we’re all agreeing to trust Immortus’ he adds. The Wasp points out that Immortus would never - ever - lower himself to plead for the Avengers’ help unless the situation was dire. ‘And if he’s right - something the Twins do changes the course of history, leading to a catastrophic event’ Cap adds as they leap from one rooftop to another. ‘I buy it’ Havok remarks as they land safely on the second rooftop, pointing out that they grabbed two heavy hitters - Wanda and Simon - without even leaving home. Cap reminds Alex and the Wasp that they are yet to meet all of the Horsemen, too. ‘The stakes are high - we get it, Cap’.
The Wasp tells the others to shush, as she sees more guards on the rooftop ahead. ‘I’ll take them’ she whispers as she starts to fly forward, but Havok tells her that they are his. ‘I haven’t punched anyone out this entire caper’ he adds as he strikes one of the guards from behind, knocking him off the rooftop. ‘You strike quite a nice “hero punching” form’ the Wasp comments as she zaps the other with her wasp’s sting, sending him tumbling off the rooftop as well. Havok smiles at the Wasp and replies that he can’t keep his team together, but he is still good to stomp a few goons. ‘None of that. You’ll get your people back and stop these bad guys. I have faith in you’ the Wasp replies as she hovers close to Alex’s face. ‘You know, if this weren’t a mission to stop genocidal twins from performing a rapture…with the mon and everything…’ Alex begins as the moon shines down on them. ‘It would be a bit romantic’ the Wasp concludes.
‘More so if it wasn’t here. Or I’d hope’ Captain America tells them, adding that he is sorry to spoil the fun, but that they should go, but, before they can leave. ‘You’ve gone far enough’ a voice alls out, as Sean Cassidy a.k.a. the Banshee, one of the Four Horsemen of Death, flies towards them, and unleashes a sonic scream, knocking his former teammate Havok and the Wasp back, while Cap protects himself with his shield. Cap then tosses his shield towards Banshee, but it rebounds against the sonic scream, and slams into Cap’s stomach, knocking him off the edge of the rooftop, Cap falls to the ground below. Banshee drops down beside him and remarks that he read somewhere that Cap’s parents were from the motherland, and he changed his last name when he got to America. As Cap tries to sit up, Banshee kicks his shield away, remarking that Irish immigrants had a bad time of it back then, so he doesn’t blame Cap’s folks. ‘Ye lived though that prejudice’ he adds.
Banshee picks Cap up by his neck and tells him that he always wondered how an Irish boy grew up suffering such bigotry, how he could grow up to do so little for mutants. ‘How would yuir folks feel about that, Steve?’ he enquires, while wondering if without his hearing or equilibrium, if he will be more tone deaf than he already is. At close range, Banshee unleashes a sonic scream, and Cap begins bleeding from his mouth and nose. Just then, Havok drops down and lands on Banshee, knocking him off balance, he releases Cap. ‘Captain America was busy saving the world and trusted the X-Men to deal with their own, Banshee’ Havok declares. ‘Just like we asked him to time and time again’ Havok points out. ‘Good on ye, lad. Some fire in ye still - even after selling yuir people out!’ Banshee snarls, before releasing a sonic scream at Havok, who replies with a powerful burst of plasma energy.
Meanwhile, Wanda and Simon walk across a small bridge over a stream in an exotic garden. ‘I cast a spell. You power it. We bring them all into this ark. There are cryogenic sleep chambers prepared for each mutant’s journey’ Wanda explains to Simon, adding that they take them to Jupiter, and with their help, the mutants terraform it into a blue planet where they can build a mutant home world. ‘It’s insane. You know that’ Simon replies, adding that they will find another way. ‘Get out of here, get every Avenger we can and take down Red Skull. Stop it before it happens’ he suggests. Wanda leans on the bridge railing and tells Simon that the Skull is a bubbling cauldron, far more powerful than they realized. ‘He dominates the world using a weapon he takes control of…me’ she trembles. Wanda tells Simon that if she stays on Earth, the Red Skull takes control of her, and uses her to start the war. ‘He’s already tried it once’ she reminds him.
Wanda adds that the Red Skull will not stop until he has her. ‘He told me so’. Simon tells Wanda that there is another way, they just need time to think. ‘We don’t have time!’ Wanda shouts, exclaiming that the Skull is going to stir humanity into a frothing mob, and they will be out for blood like never before. ‘And it’s my fault’ Wanda decides. ‘From every direction I look’. But Simon tells her that is crazy. ‘Is it?’ Wanda asks, reminding him that she decimated the mutants’ ranks, led them all into hiding, and they were forced to abandon Xavier’s dream just to survive. ‘You were a puppet -’ Simon starts to say, while Wanda gets agitated and shouts ‘Or I just wasn’t strong enough to fight Doom’s influence!’, to which Simon assures her that she was manipulated. Simon takes Wanda in his strong arms as Wanda reminds him that it was still her power that wiped them out - her responsibility.
‘Don’t let the Red Skull use me, Simon. Promise me’ Wanda utters. ‘I promise’ Simon replies, while Wanda asks how many have died in this war already, how many more until they do something drastic to stop it? Wanda and Simon remain embraced, as Wanda tells Simon that she needs him to choose for her - because she can’t tell if this is her last chance to earn redemption…or the choice that will make her the most reviled woman in history.
‘Will they do it?’ Uriel asks Eimin from where they observe the Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man. ‘She knows we’ve been honest with her’ Eimin points out. ‘She knows this is the only way to save the mutants. But Wonder Man, his choice wasn’t always certain’ she remarks, before Uriel asks if now he has decided. ‘Yes, before we activated the tachyon damn, I saw this future. He’ll give her the power she needs’ Eimin replies, continuing to watch Simon and Wanda embraced on the bridge, Eimin states that he will do it to save Wanda, to ensure she is not used as a weapon, that she has her chance to redeem herself. ‘He’ll do it for her. For the love of this one woman. And though he doesn’t know it now, in trusting her, at this dark moment… he earns her heart forever’.
And, in the year 4145 AD, the Kang Dynasty:‘
FATHER!’ the Scarlet Centurion calls out as he rushes into a chamber where Kang the Conqueror is sitting observing several battle scenes from the past. ‘The Apocalypse Twins - they’ve escaped!’ the Scarlet Centurion exclaims urgently, adding that they have traveled back to the Heroic Age. ‘Of course they have, Marcus. It is as I willed it’ Kang replies calmly, not looking at his son. Kang adds that soon they will scoop the mutants up, removing the rodents from his home. ‘Then we -’ he starts to say, before a loud rumbling knocks him off his seat. Marcus rushes over to his father and helps him up, ‘You don’t understand! They didn’t just leave - they took it, Father’ he declares, revealing that they took Jarnbjorn. Kang looks shocked, when suddenly, projections of Eimin and Uriel appear. ‘And we have used it to great purpose’ Eimin begins, adding ‘All of this blood, pain and death - for what?’ she asks.
‘For ownership of a fraction of a pinpoint of a mote of cosmic dust’ Eimin adds, while Uriel congratulates Kang on being king for a day. Eimin tells Kang that if this recording is playing, it means their schemes have worked perfectly, that the time storm has begun. ‘Your world is being erased’ Uriel adds, while one of them points out that Kang taught them better than he knew, as by the time he receives this message, it will be done - the past reset. ‘No…’ Kang utters as he races to a large set of doors, and passes through them onto a balcony, while one of the twins tells him that he is a child with simple materialistic desires, and that such trophies are easily taken away, and Kang looks up to the sky, where a black hole has formed, sucking his reality into it….
