Synopsis
Various stuff happened last issue. 1 thing was that a long-banished King of the Inhumans (called the Unspoken because no-one's allowed to say his name) resurfaced in Tibet where he defeated China's new superhero group The People's Defence Force.
This issue begins with another flashback to his history. A few years ago 2 young Tibetan boys enter a forbidden cave that folklore says is home to a crazy hermit and his army of monsters. Rinzen ventures in and sees the Unspoken overseeing his Alpha Primitives at work. He was banished from Attilan by Black Bolt and other young Royals because he hid away the Slave Engine which the Inhumans relied on to keep them safe from the savages outside. At the time he claimed he did it because the Engine was too powerful to be entrusted to anyone, but now he claims to have realised his error. We learn that the Slave Engine uses(?) Xerogen Crystals to make Xerogen Mists. His APs have over the years grown a large quantity of them which he intends to gift to the Inhumans, hoping they'll rescind his banishment.
He detects the presence of Rinzen and tries to warn him away, but the Xerogen Mists kill(?) him. At the same time there appears to be an earthquake which he recognises as the sound of Black Bolt's voice. The other boy runs in to save his friend from the 'earthquake' but Unspoken warns him off before the Mists can get him. He follows the boy outside in time to see Attilan rising into the air and heading towards the Moon. He deduces that without the Slave Engine BB has deemed the humans too great a threat and has taken them where no-one (including the Unspoken) can reach them. He's too late to be reconciled with his people.
Now Unspoken and his Alpha Primitives are on the surface in Tibet where he believes the Inhumans are mocking him from the Moon. He's devised a new plan to win their favour by unleashing the Slave Machine on humanity. (We learn that it was created by the Kree, as were of course the Inhumans.) His conflict with the PDF has been witnessed by Quicksilver, U.S. Agent and the Agent of GRAMPA Ban-Luck. When Unspoken leaves they rush to the aid of the defeated Chinese heroes. Ban-Luck finds Collective Man still alive. Pietro Maximoff tries to contact their team the Mighty Avengers ...
... but in their new base, the Infinite Avengers Mansion (see last issue), Scarlet Witch cuts off her brother's call as we hear sounds of renewed conflict, and she hopes he dies in battle. Suspicious Stature, currently in giant form, overhears and finally has the proof that Wanda Maximoff is (still) evil. She tries to tell 1 of the avatars of Jocasta (who is now the AI of the Mansion) about it but SW casts a spell which stops her from talking about it.
In Asgard we see that Scarlet Witch is really the currently-female Loki in disguise (which we already knew but the Avengers don't). She reminds us that she was instrumental in the forming of this team (#21), and that she only let Stature in to pacify Vision (Jonas). She now thinks he wasn't worth it. And then her 'brother' Quicksilver foisted himself on the team (#24). Cassie Lang and Pietro Maximoff have such strong but different emotions regarding Wanda Maximoff that it makes the disguise spell difficult to maintain. She decides she'll have to get rid of Stature permanently.
The MAv are having a breakfast meeting in dining room #386. Vision points out that they were only recruited to defeat Chthon (#21-23) and he asks why they are still together. Their leader Henry Pym (currently Wasp) says someone has to oppose Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers, and since Chthon they've also dealt with lots of menaces (in #24) which Scarlet Witch led them to. They even beat the Fantastic Four (#25-26). Stature is still trying to figure out a way to tell them about SW and that Quicksilver and USA need help, when Scarlet Loki herself appears. She reminds Pym that Cassie betrayed them to the FF and that maybe he should get rid of her, but Hank dismisses that because the FF are like family to her. However he asks Stature if she *wants* to stay and she replies that she wants to go back to the Young Avengers. Wasp implants subatomic keys in everyone's palms to give them free access to the place and mentions that he hasn't got the security system fully working yet. Cassie tells Jonas to accompany her and he complies. SL returns to Asgard.
In Tibet only 4 of The People's Defence Force have survived (Collective Man, Lady Of Ten Suns, Radioactive Man and Scientific Beast) and they've all recovered and are attacking our 3 as invaders. Collective Man summons the power of China's billions to punch a big dent in US Agent's shield. Scientific Beast records the event for the news but Quicksilver pounds him with what he calls a billion blows. USA discards his shield and decks CM with 1 blow. Ban-Luck reminds them all that they should join forces against the Unspoken.
The Young Avengers (Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Hulkling, Patriot, Speed and Wiccan) have returned to their meeting place (the ruins of Avengers Mansion) in response to a call from Stature and Vision. The group who've refused to sign the Superhero Registration Act don't realise that they are being watched by 2 Agents of Norman Osborn's SHIELD replacement HAMMER. But *they* also are being watched by a mystery man who knocks them both unconscious, but unfortunately not before they'e reported in. The YAv are greeted by their 2 compatriots and Cassie ushers them through a secret door to the Infinite Mansion. But a throwing star stops it from closing.
Vision explains about the place. Patriot says they've seen the pair on the news with Pym's new Avengers team and he figures that Cassie wants to tell them she and Vizh have moved on to better things. But she really tells them that Scarlet Witch is on the team too. Speed and Wiccan believe that she's their mother and are dying to meet her. Cassie says she's here somewhere and suggests Wiccan casts a spell to bring her to them. He does, and it even reaches Asgard where it turns Loki back to SW and transports her to the YAv. Billy Kaplan ignores the fact that she's very angry and tries to introduce himself and Tommy Shepherd. But SW ignores him and concentrates on Cassie who goes giant. Loki casts a spell to kill them all.
But the mystery man Clint Barton (currently Ronin) wants answers from her too. But for now he leaps towards her with drawn swords.