Synopsis
The currently-female Loki pretended to be Scarlet Witch to help Henry Pym (currently Wasp) gather a heroic Mighty Avengers during Norman Osborn's Dark Reign. And she pops in every now and then to see how they're doing. Stature (Cassie Lang) was suspicious that 'SW' (who killed her dad Scott Lang (Ant-Man) when she was mentally disturbed during Avengers Disassembled) was up to no good, and got her suspicions confirmed when she heard her cut off a plea for help from team-member Quicksilver (SW's brother). But the witch cast a spell to stop her telling anyone. So last issue she went to her other team Young Avengers, 2 of whose members (Speed and Wiccan) suspect they are Wanda Maximoff's children, and brought them to the MAv's new extradimensional base the Infinite Avengers Mansion. She persuaded Wiccan to cast a spell bringing SW to them, and it worked. The disguised Loki angrily attacked them but the current Ronin, who had sneaked in behind them, suddenly attacked *her*.
The call from Pietro Maximoff had been for help against an extremely powerful Inhuman called the Unspoken. He and U.S. Agent along with Ban-Luck, an agent of GRAMPA, had seen him kill nearly all of the Chinese super group the People's Defence Force.
This issue begins with another flashback in the history of the Unspoken which shows him using his immense power to singlehandedly carry/drag the huge Kree-created Slave Engine from the molten core (!?) of the Earth below Attilan in the Himalayas to where he hid it. (It was doing this that got him banished from Attilan in the fb in #27.)
Now in Tibet he has come to the conclusion that he had been wrong to take the device which was the Inhumans' ultimate defence against the humans. At the time he had considered it too terrible a weapon to ever be used. But now he has seen how warlike humans are and the terrible weapons *they* have he has changed his mind. So now when the Chinese army attacks he unleashes his other weapon, the Xerogen Crystals that his Alpha Primitive followers have created for him. He crushes some crystals and blows the dust at the enemy who start to scream. High above them fly Quicksilver, US Agent and Ban-Luck with 3 survivors of the PDF - Collective Man, Lady Of Ten Suns and Radioactive Man. Pietro still can't get through to the MAv and wonders who's jamming his call.
In the Infinite Avengers Mansion Ronin attacks 'Scarlet Witch' from behind but she senses him and a spell-blast sends 1 of his swords flying. But his lunge still carries him forward to bear her to the ground, and he still has his other sword to hold across her throat. He tells her she owes the YAv some answers. She killed Scott and *him* (in Av Disassembled), but then she brought *him* back to life (after House Of M) and if she's SW he wants an explanation. But if she's *not* Wanda then who is she?
Elsewhere in the IAM, in Hank Pym's lab, Pym is working with Reed Richards by video link on a new project to travel to the Macroverse. He's going to use Pym Particles to *grow* there but he's going to need a tether to find his way back. Edwin Jarvis and 1 of Jocasta's avatars are there too, and the robot's body spins an unbreakable umbilical cord out of her navel to form the link. Jarvis is uncomfortable with the nomenclature, especially considering Henry and Jocasta's complicated relationship (as discussed in #26). Pym then grows and appears to disperse (into expanded atoms?).
Meanwhile Amadeus Cho tries to get in touch with Pym via another of Jocasta's avatars that are regularly scattered throughout the Infinite Mansion. But she can only occupy 1 at a time and he doesn't know how to get her attention. Then *his* attention is diverted by the sound of battle and he sees Scarlet Witch blasting Ronin and the YAv. He shares Cassie's suspicions about her but thought they'd agreed to take things slowly. The spell still stops her from telling him what she now knows, so giant-size Stature just breaks off a stone column to use as a weapon.
Back in Tibet the Unspoken and his Alpha Primitives have dug down to uncover the top of the Slave Engine. The heroes consider what to do, and we see that Scientific Beast of the PDF has also survived. They attack but are met by a horde of APs. Pietro notes that there are many more than there should be, and then realises that the many extras aren't wearing the standard AP clothing. They seem to be dressed in tatters of Chinese army uniforms. Ban-Luck detects a gas in the air that is something like the Terrigen Mist that gives Inhumans their powers. Unspoken helpfully informs them that it is another Kree product called Xerogen. Where Terrigen evolves Inhumans, Xerogen devolves humans into the obedient Alpha Primitives. Scientific Beast's airtight armour protects him, Radioactive Man's radiation renderers the gas around him inert, and Quicksilver whips up a wind to protect himself and Ban-Luck. But Collective Man, Lady Of Ten Suns and US Agent have no such luck.
Speed has been knocked unconscious and Scarlet Witch is holding Stature, Hulking and Vision (Jonas) off. Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) tends to Tommy Shepherd while Patriot uses his shield to protect them from SW's blasts. Ronin's mask has been blown off so they can all now see he's Clint Barton (the original Hawkeye). He tells them that even on her worst days Wanda was never as hate-filled as this. He opines that they're holding back in their attacks because of who she is, but he suspects she isn't. He gets Wiccan to distract her with a blinding flash spell and then uses Patriot and his shield as a springboard to get up to where she hovers. He grabs her ... and kisses her. And then declares that the lips don't lie - she's not Wanda.
'SW' responds with angry insults. But Vision plunges his insubstantial arm through her heart and then materialises it. Kate tells Clint that her bow arm is numb so she gives her bow to him. He fires explosive arrows at their foe which she deflects. Wiccan casts a spell to remove her disguise, and she sees the cloth on her arm turning from scarlet to Loki-green. So she hurls more insults and threats before magicking herself away.
Barton gives Bishop her bow back. And Cassie discovers that she can now tell them what she knows about the 'Witch'. In particular that she prevented them getting a distress call from Quicksilver and US Agent who face an omega level threat in Tibet. She suggests they send out the "Avengers assemble" call to every Avenger they can.