Synopsis
In Akkaba City under the North Pole Pestilence gives birth to Archangel's children, the Apocalypse Twins Uriel and Eimin, watched by the other current Horsemen of Apocalypse and Apocalypse's son Genocide.
Kang is also watching from outside time. He knows/believes this is all part of a plan by the Celestials, which he has been fighting since the time of his reign as Pharaoh Rama-Tut. He wants to stop Uriel from becoming ruler of a ravaged Earth. A chronos dam of adaptable tachyons has prevented him from forestalling their birth. Apparently he has tried to kill Uriel in the future. But his place has always been taken by his sister Eimin, Apocalypse's son Genocide, or Apocalypse's clone Genesis.
Now Kang thinks he has the answer, as he takes the twins away with him. (But I'm unsure whether he means to pit the twins against each other, or to use them to prevent their own fate.)
(Of course Kang isn't the altruistic hero here. He just wants a future that *he* rules.)
Back at the more prosaic Avengers Mansion in New York City, Wasp and Wonder Man have just flown in to be the Avengers PR people. Wasp is also going to fund the Unity Team, as Iron Man bankrolls the main bunch. Wonder Man wants to support his old love Scarlet Witch. The mutants on the team distrust her after House of M and Decimation. But the old Avengers don't like Wonder Man after he publicly turned against them (culminating in 2011/2012's New Avengers and Avengers Annuals).
Havok welcomes them, visibly trying (and failing with Rogue) to keep a happy ship. Wasp unveils her PR plan to make mutants consumer-friendly with a line of clothing based on their costumes (and probably a line of toys).
The news reports that since Red Skull and the S-Men in the preceding storyline anti-mutant feelings are still rising. Scarlet Witch tells Captain America she thinks Alex Summers isn't up to the job as leader. Steve gently reminds Wanda why they can't afford to have *her* as the public face of the team.
Cap calls a team meeting. (Rogue snipes that she thought only team-leader Alex could call meetings. Havok weakly declares that from now on *anyone* can convene a meeting.) Cap reminds them that Avalanche, who figured publicy in Skull's plot, used to be a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. And so were Rogue and Scarlet Witch. So he thinks they should play down the mutant women's membership. But Havok takes a stand and says they should all be given equal prominence.
Later he admits to Rogue that he doesn't feel like a leader. But he wants to show brother Scott thet Charles Xavier's dream of human/mutant friendship isn't dead.
Wolverine isn't at the meeting because he's in Tokyo recruiting Sunfire to the team. Shiro Yoshida is now a drunk, bemoaning his time as Apocalypse's Horseman Famine. Logan reminds Sunfire that he too served a time as a Horseman, Death. And he's just killed his own son Daken. Shiro resists Logan's plea to carry on Prof X's dream. But the news of what Red Skull did to the dead Xavier changes his mind.
Wolvie and Sunfire are there with the rest as Cap publicly announces the formation of the Avengers Unity Division, led by Havok. Havok publicly unmasks as Alex Summers, brother to Cyclops. He says he wants to ban the word mutant - the Avengers are all humans. (Er, what about Thor? And Wonder Man's ionic.)
Then we have the obligatory fight. Simon Williams' brother Grim Reaper attacks Scarlet Witch for bewitching Wonder Man, but Wondy takes the brunt of the blast meant for Wanda. More than this, Eric *blames* the Witch for bringing Simon back to life. Grim Reaper himself was once dead too, and thinks they should both be left to return to the peace of the grave.
Reaper fends off Wolverine, Cap and Rogue. Sunfire tries to get Wonder Man to attack, but Simon says he's a pacifist now. His brother stabs him with his scythe, which disrupts his ionic energy, rendering the choice moot. As Reaper menaces unconscious Witch, Rogue steals Wonder Man's power and punches his brother in the jaw. Unfortunately she didn't know how powerful Simon was, and she kills Eric in full view of press and public.
Characters:
Plus: Apocalypse Twins, Archangel (
Warren Worthington III).
Enemies
