Synopsis / Summary / Plot
It's Central Park with a large light show panel as a connection to Mother's dimension. Billy Kaplan (Wiccan)'s parents have come from there to talk to him and his friend Kate Bishop (Hawkeye). Captain America is there to 'chair' the meeting. The parents convey a message from Mother. She's got his boyfriend Teddy Altman (Hulkling) and this gives her free and total access to this dimension. She's coming for Wiccan but she's also sending the evil Young Avenger alternates from the lesser dimensions (which the Young Avengers sent against *her* in #9) to ravage the Earth. Because of Mother's spell the adults will continue to fail to see what's really happening, and just think it's the rebellious younger generation gone bad. As an example of this Cap thinks that the Kaplan parents have just been talking reasonably with their son. The 2 young heroes leave to where a load of other teen heroes have assembled.
In Mother's dimension where Hulkling is imprisoned in/as a tangle of pseudopods, Leah and the fake Patriot are playing a game with tarot cards while Noh-Varr (Marvel Boy)'s 3 ex-girlfriends snipe at each other and Ultimate Nullifier strikes martial arts poses.
On Earth Noh-Varr and his current girlfriend Kate psych themselves up for the coming battle. Wiccan sits in a protective pentagram circle as not-so-Kid Loki psychs *him* up. Billy's going to take on the mantle of his destined future self the Demiurge. With that power he will hold off Mother and possibly destroy her spell while the YA rescue Teddy. They all then return to Earth. If Billy hasn't broken the spell then without any of the YA in her grasp Mother won't be able to extend her influence outside New York. Then they join the other teens defeating the invasion.
Loki adds that if it doesn't work then Mother wins and the universe dies. If it works *too* well and Billy loses control of the Demiurge power then the universe dies. As David Alleyne (Prodigy) leads Wiccan away America Chavez tells Loki she wishes they could stop lying to him. Apparently when Loki said last issue that Billy committing suicide wouldn't solve the problem, it wasn't true. But Loki sees a better end for Billy than that. However America warns him about trying (again) to manipulate that ending.
In her dimension Mother is sitting on the writhing chair that is Billy and/or his prison. She orders the ending to begin. Mr and Mrs Kaplan use keys to unlock the psychedelic portal, and the evil alternates pour through to Central Park. To be met by the teen army. Meanwhile the YA break into Mother's dimension and attack her minions while Wiccan goes Demiurge and Mother rises in power to meet him. Prodigy fights Patriot who just keeps dodging his blows saying his favourite words "Tic-tock" and "Denial". Kate and Noh-Varr battle his 3 exes as Oubliette offers to switch sides again if they can be doomed lovers at the end of the world. Ultimate Nullifier fires his nullifying bullets at America who he thinks is *his* ex, but she dodges the bullets by saying they just used to be on a *team* (the Teen Brigade).
Mother is beating Wiccan/Demiurge. The YA aren't getting past their exes to get to Hulking. And Leah is magically blasting Loki, who since he upgraded his body to 20-ish last issue has found most of his power missing. She and his conscience the good Kid Loki drop hints as to where his power has gone but he's not going to suss it out until next issue.