Synopsis / Summary / Plot
The Unseen summarises the state of play:- The team defeated Kang (the Time-Eater) and saved the multiverse. But along the way Khan died, and the remaining Exiles can never return to their own timelines. But now they are taking a break in the Bahamas on Earth-616/Prime (where none of them hail from).
While Wolvie snoozes Blink chats with her Aunt Sandra (actually the Aunt of *this* timeline's Blink, but the Aunt seems happy about this). They are staying at a place owned by a friend of Sandra's. Iron Lad and Valkyrie are helping the town with repairs after a recent hurricane. But there's plenty of time for more relaxation:- swimming, eating (Wolvie loves Johnnycakes) and sitting around on a beach at sunset.
Blink starts thinking about her teammates from an earlier Exiles:- Morph (who they met in #3), Sabretooth (#5) and Nocturne, who all appear to be scattered through the multiverse looking for each other. She's been trying to use the Tallus to locate them but it's not working at the moment. The other 3 swear to help her find her friends.
They get ready to leave, and Iron Lad says the Tallus isn't dead just dormant. When they happen to all touch it together it activates. Wolvie thinks it's because they all wanted the same thing. Whether he's right or not it takes them (and Valkyrie's flying horse Elendil) to another reality.
They find themselves in a Wild West town. Nobody seems to think them odd, and Iron Lad theorises that the Tallus is making them look like the locals to the locals. The Tallus didn't respond to their wishes in their 1st adventure, but maybe Wolvie was right and if so maybe it's brought them to her old team.
Valkyrie leads them into a saloon. Wolvie tries to break in to a poker game. The barman asks them to pay for drinks up front seeing as they are strangers in these parts. Like the blue girl who passed through. Blink immediately assumes it was Nocturne.
But before she can ask any questions she sees a bar girl being manhandled by Pete Maximoff with the very long-tongued Mr Toad cheering him on. Blink tells him to stop it and irate Maximoff whooshes over to her and tries to punch her - but she teleports out of the way. Toad leaps to join the fight but Valkyrie grabs him by the tongue and smashes him against the floor. Blink gets a kick in on Maximoff, and the pair slink off to complain to their boss.
The barman suggests our 4 leave town before the Magnus gang come looking for them, and cause trouble for the townfolk. But Moira MacTaggert the local doctor invites them to her house. She says the Magnus gang used to be ordinary bandits but lately they've been kidnapping people, mainly strangers, and taking them to the desert.
Blink says she knows Pete Maximoff by the name Quicksilver. Iron Lad claims that this isn't just an alternate reality but a 'collision', with familiar people in the wrong settings. He thinks it may be an after-effect of the Time-Eater. (Hasn't he realised that this is exactly what Marvel alternate timelines are *like*? He's seen a few in the previous issues.)
Blink asks Dr MacTaggert if 1 of the disappeared was a blue woman. Moira says she was with a bald albino (ie Morph).
But now gunshots announce the arrival of the Magnus gang, with 2 extra men and a woman. The leader suggests they throw themselves on his mercy, which Dr M says he doesn't have. And Blink recognises him as a version of Magneto. They get into a Mexican standoff:- Blink with her energy javelins and Magneto with metal bullets hovering in the air. Magneto blinks 1st and sends his bullets hurtling towards the Exiles. And he orders Pete, Mr Toad and Wanda to attack too.
Toad and Wolvie get into a scrap. Wanda takes to the air and meets Iron Lad in a battle of magic vs energy blasts. I can't decipher what happens when Magneto's bullets meet Blink's javelins, but some bullets get through. I think Valkyrie's whirling stave deflects them, and then she hits Quicksilver. Scarlet Witch (for of course it is she) sinks Val and Blink in magic quicksand which Blink can't even teleport out of, but she tells Mr Magnus she can't hold Valkyrie for long.
Magnus says they'll claim their tithe and leave - and he levitates Iron Lad in a magnetic grip. Quicksilver says something about taking him to see the Pastor. And Maestro Wyngarde (the Mastermind analogue) makes the Gang and IL disappear. (If he has the powers of the Earth-616 Mastermind then it's just an illusion, and they actually walk/ride/fly away.)
The 3 remaining Exiles plan to go after them - Wolvie can track them. Dr MacTaggert tells them no-one from town will go with them, but they could join up with the stranger called King who has been trying in vain to organise a posse. And King turns up, and says his real name is T'Challa.