Son of M #5

The Inhumans are betrayed by one of their own. If their culture is to survive, Black Bolt must find Quicksilver. On Earth the word is out – Quicksilver is promising to restore lost powers to former mutants, and Magneto is not happy.

Genosha. Pietro remembers…

He explains the island state was once home to millions of mutants. This is where his father’s dream of power became reality, until Cassandra Nova, the evil twin sister to Professor Xavier, unleashed the Sentinels, and the dream was trampled beneath their iron feet. Pietro and Wanda gave Magneto his dream back. For a while, Genosha was the glittering jewel in the crown of their dad’s mutant empire. It was Pietro’s gift to him, and he threw it back in son’s face.

Pietro remembers how everything fell apart, and Magneto hang there in mid-air in front of him, furiously shouting at him what Pietro has done in his name. On that moment, Wanda said the magic words: “no more mutants.” Magneto ended up losing his powers, just like Pietro and Wanda themselves, and their dad finally knew despair. Today, of the sixteen million who once lived on Genosha, all that remain are a few demoralized former mutants.

Quicksilver has gathered these mutants around him, and explains to Wicked, Hub, Unus, Hack, Purge, Freakshow and Shola that he and Luna are offering them their powers back. All they have to do is say “yes.” It’s as simple as that. Wicked knows nothing is ever as simple as that. Hub wants to know why they are chosen, as there are millions of de-powered mutants all over the world. Unus asks Pietro where Magneto is, and if he knows what Pietro is doing. Hack thinks the discussion is stupid, and doesn’t see why they shouldn’t just trust Quicksilver. Freakshow reminds his friends that either way, they are running out of canned food. Shola recalls that Pietro told them those Mists restored his powers and asks for a demonstration.

Pietro agrees to give them that. He explains that before he... changing his phrase, Pietro states that, before M-Day, he was fast. Shola smiles that they all know that. But after that certain day, Pietro states, he was no faster than anyone else. Until he was exposed to the Terrigen Mists. To himself, Pietro concludes that actually, his powers are a trick of sorts. He time-jumps an hour into the future, walks a few yards and returns to the present. He demonstrates this power to the former mutants, and makes it seem like he has quickly ran behind them.

Purge is impressed at the speed. Wicked agrees to do it and inhales the Mists. Pietro explains the process will only take a few minutes. Hack asks Wicked if anything is happening. Wicked touches her head, and is thrilled when she sees her spirits are floating all around her again! Freakshow inhales the Mists next and transforms into a huge dragon. Purge gets his enhanced strength back, but Shola isn’t sure if he wants to do this. His explains his power has drawbacks. Every time he slept, he relived the death of one of the millions who died there. He thinks that, if he gets his power back, the nightmares probably return as well.

Wicked tells Shola it’s his choice to make. Personally, she would think having power to knock over tall buildings is worth a little pain. Purge tries to encourage Shola to inhale the stuff. He doesn’t know what’s in those Mists, but he never felt so pumped up before! A happy Wicked shouts this is so cool, as she has missed her spirit guys. Purge jokes to Shola that he hears Wicked admitting she digs rotting dead people. While Unus inhales the Mists next, Purge thinks this is a question of attitude. He thinks Shola just has to tell himself dead people are good and that they are his friends.

Pietro asks Luna if she sees it now. This is just the beginning. Soon as all the former mutants of the world will flock to him, he will restore them all. Luna takes off her sunglasses and her eyes glow. She thinks something is wrong. Wicked suddenly hears some spirits calling her a “wicked girl.” The scared girl turns around, and sees the spirits of... her parents?! Her dad wants to know why his daughter left them to die. Her mom states she always knew Wicked was a nasty, selfish little tramp. Wicked shouts she didn’t summon her parents and wants them to go back where they came from. Her dad doesn’t want his girl to tell them what to do. Wicked draws her parent’s spirits back inside her.

Hack asks her if she’s okay. Wicked mentions this wasn’t supposed to happen, as she doesn’t want her parents back. Pietro tries to calm Wicked down by saying she doesn’t have to worry about the few anomalies in her restored powers. Suddenly, a voice demands that Pietro tells the mutants the truth. It’s Magneto! Magneto, holding an unconscious Callisto in his arms, wants Pietro to admit that the Mists of Terrigen aren’t a cure, but instead a curse! He informs everyone that his son Pietro has poisoned them all!

Meanwhile, on Attilan, homeland of the Inhumans...

A heavily beaten up Jolen reveals to the Royal family that it was Pietro who murdered Goran and stole the Terrigen Mists. Medusa wonders how that’s possible, as Pietro went back to Earth ten days ago. How could he return there without their knowledge? Jolen says that Pietro has his powers again, but not just the speed. He can reproduce himself. He explains that, while Quicksilver was fighting him, there were three Pietro present! The three Pietro attacked without warning and beat Jolen up. Then, they vanished.

Gorgon wants to know if Pietro came for the crystals, he wonders why Pietro attacked Jolen. Crystal thinks it’s because Pietro is petty and jealous and spiteful. Gorgon doesn’t understand, but Medusa doesn’t think that’s important now. Their main concern is that Pietro can apparently teleport here from Earth at will. Videmus denies that. Pietro doesn’t teleport: he simply travels through time. He reveals Pietro was exposed to the Mists several weeks ago. They restored Pietro’s speed in a new form. He stole the crystals while he was still in Attilan, by traveling through time. Pietro took them when he left with Luna.

Gorgon becomes angry hearing that Pietro has had the crystals on Earth all this time, and that Videmus knew about it but didn’t say anything. Medusa tells Videmus that his king wishes to communicate with them. Videmus attaches his eyes on Black Bolt’s head, so they can telepathically communicate with another. Black Bolt wants to know why Videmus did this, because he thought that of all his subjects, he thought he knew Videmus best. In that case, Videmus says, Black Bolt knows he had the welfare of their people at heart. Black Bolt asks how that can be, as he doesn’t see what they are without Terrigenesis. He reminds Videmus he has endangered the very thing that makes them Inhuman!

Videmus denies that. He tells his lord that it requires more than a chemical process to make an Inhuman. Their race was forged in the heat of conflict, and that is what made them so strong. Videmus feels that here on Earth’s moon, Black Bolt has created a sanctuary. He has made everyone safe. And what, he asks, do they do in their complacency? They eat, drink and make merry! The young Inhumans know no challenge beyond the rivalry of the sports arena. Their battle skills degenerate. Videmus fears that, soon, their culture will be as barren as this dead rock on which they are squatting. He thinks he has given their people a reason to live. Now, they will experience the exhilaration of an uncertain place. Terrigenesis is not their right; it is a privilege, which should be earned through struggle and hardship.

Black Bolt asks Videmus if he thinks war is the glorious end he seeks. Videmus states he knows his lieges heart. He knows it irks him to be surrounded by pomp and opulence, that a life of ease doesn’t become him. Videmus feels he has given Black Bolt what his heart desires. Black Bolt angrily shouts at Videmus he doesn’t know him. How can he think that he would thank Videmus for this?! He demands that Videmus speaks, as he will pronounce his judgment on him.

Videmus knows that Black Bolt would have him condemned for his crimes. He promises to live out his natural life in solitary confinement. And, Videmus shall never again join his mind to that of another living soul, nor see again through another’s eyes. He accepts Black Bolt’s decree. Videmus takes his eyes back, and now can see nothing but black, cold space. Gorgon thinks Black Bolt is too merciful, and knows Videmus deserves death. Medusa tells Gorgon he is wrong about that. There is no mercy in Black Bolt’s judgment. As the guards take Videmus away, Crystal asks her cousins, if it isn’t too much trouble, if they will perhaps now help her find her daughter.

Genosha...

Luna happily runs towards her grandfather, and Pietro can’t stop her. Magneto is glad to see Luna again after all this time. When she wonders aloud what’s wrong with Callisto, Magneto explains to his granddaughter that Callisto told him that Pietro restored her mutant powers, but that it was different. Her senses became too acute. She couldn’t stand the pain, so she shut it out. Now, Callisto has gone into a deep coma. Pietro wants to take a closer look at Callisto, as she was fine when she left him.

Magneto angrily slaps Pietro in his face, demanding that he stays away from her. Pietro doesn’t take that slap as a surprise. After all, the last time they met, his dad tried to kill him. Only this time, Pietro grins, his dad isn’t Lord Magneto. He is just a man. While Pietro is so much more.

Pietro stands still, and reminds himself he has done this before with Jolen. He simply time-jumps thirty seconds into the future. Then he does it again, each time stopping at the same point in time, until two other versions of him appear to help out. All the Quicksilvers attack Magneto at once, who doesn’t understand what his son is doing. The Pietros all hit Magneto in his face, shouting at him that they owe their father this a hundred times over! Luna begs her dad to stop hurting her grandpa.

Shola agrees with the little girl. He doesn’t know what Pietro’s problem is, but he says Magneto has had enough. Pietro shouts that all he ever wanted to do was please his dad, but he barely acknowledge his existence! But he thinks that, now, Magneto has noticed him! Luna touches Magneto’s head. She can feel that he isn’t a bad person. He is just very sad. She glides her fingers through Magneto’s hair and sees lots of beautiful colors in him. Luna thinks she can help her grandpa out by taking away the sadness. Magneto wakes up and pushes Luna away from her, wanting her out of his head!

Luna says she was only trying to help. Magneto doesn’t want his ability to feel taken away from him! He knows Luna was shutting down parts of his mind. He doesn’t want her to do that to anyone. Luna wonders if that means she can’t use her powers. All of the Pietros tell Luna not to listen to Magneto. He explains she only has had her powers for a short while and is certain she will learn to use them without harming anyone. Magneto is shocked to discover Luna’s powers came from the Mists, and that Pietro used them on his own daughter. He can’t believe what kind of a monster his son has become. Quicksilver becomes furious, and doesn’t want Magneto, of all people, to tell him how to raise his child. He demands that Magneto gets out of here and crawls back into whatever rat hole he has been hiding in. He swears that if he ever sees Magneto again, he’ll kill him. Luna starts to cry and begs her dad to please not fight.

Magneto agrees to leave, but only for the child’s sake. He just wants Pietro to promise he’ll take care of Callisto. He has to bring her to the mainland, as she needs to be in a hospital.

A day later, at the Baxter Building in New York, home to the Fantastic Four...

Reed explains to his team and the Inhumans that sometime yesterday, the former mutant Callisto was taken to the Victoria Hospital on Mahé Island in the Seychelles. She was teleported into the middle of downtown traffic by the Genoshan mutant Hub. Hub later told him that Callisto lost her powers on M-Day, but regained them in an extreme form after being exposed by what Hub described as “a DNA-altering drug.” Reed’s guess is that the Inhumans will find Pietro and the stolen crystals on Genosha.

Medusa thinks Luna must be on Genosha as well. Ben recalls that they may have kind of butted heads with Quicksilver a few times in the past, but he’s confident he would never hurt Luna. Johnny tells Crystal he agrees with that. Crystal thanks Johnny for that, and hopes that he is right. Johnny smiles at her. Reed mentions he should warn the Inhumans their intel comes from communications between the Seychelles and the White House. He wouldn’t normally eavesdrop on the government, but this case is different. Medusa tells Reed Black Bolt understands and appreciates the FF’s friendship. All the Inhumans do. Reed admits that the point is that they aren’t the only ones knowing what’s going on in Genosha.

At the same time, at the Office of National Emergency, at the Pentagon in Washington DC...

General Lazer finds it hard to believe they are dealing with a DNA-altering drug. One of his co-workers confirms it’s actually that. But the guy has learned that the president is concerned. He explains they have been moving towards a position where the mutant situation was becoming controllable. The president fears that, if mutants are recovering their powers, it would be considered as a setback. The man adds that the situation in Genosha introduces an unknown factor, and the president would like that factor to be contained. Lazer totally agrees. He orders to scramble the ground troops; meaning squads Delta and Gamma. And, Lazer wants his jet prepared for takeoff. He will be leading this mission personally.

Back to Genosha, where...

Karnak reads on the scanner he received from Reed that the device is picking up two major groups and a number of solitary life forms. It discovers two individuals who appear to be teleporting, and one of them is too big to be human.

Not far away from them, Lockjaw stands alone, and howls.

Karnak continues to explain that the other person seems to be jumping randomly every few seconds, and just joined the group in the buildings they can see in front of them.

Inside one of the buildings, Hub teleports back to her teammates. She falls on the ground, and Wicked asks her if she’s alright and where she has been. When Hack asks if Hub succeeded in bringing Callisto to a hospital, Hub confirms and guesses Callisto is in good hands. But it’s taken her close to twenty-four hours to get back there. Her internal radar is definitely on the blink. She reveals that, in her last attempt to teleport back there, she ended up in the middle of the ocean, about thirty yards down. She knows if she had sunk any deeper, she would have blanked out.

Wicked calls that totally dangerous. Hub tries to dry her hair, and agrees with what Wicked just said. Hack guesses Hub’s radar will come back eventually. When Hub then asks how things are going, Wicked is ashamed to say things aren’t so good. Freakshow isn’t talking, and Hack thinks the poor guy is stuck in his monstrous form now. Shola has been acting weird as well. He woke up screaming last night, and Hack thinks Shola’s nightmares are back.

Nearby, an exhausted Shola desperately tries to stay awake, in order avoid the nightmares.

Pietro isn’t with them right now, and sometimes just disappears. He literally... disappears. And when the guy comes back, he just walks in like nothing happened. Purge is creeped out by Quicksilver. They all look at Luna, who keeps inhaling the Mists. Hack mentions that he heard Pietro talking about giving them all a second hit. He figures it will fix the glitches with their powers.

Suddenly, a large shadow appears above the youngsters. It’s an attacking Black Bolt! The Inhumans follow after their king and surround them. Crystal demands to know where her daughter, Luna, is. An angry Gorgon is eager to fight Pietro. Wicked asks her friends what they are going to do about this. Shola appears, and is certain the Inhumans will take back the Mists. Freakshow hears that and doesn’t like it, fearing that means he’ll stay trapped in his current ugly form. The kids open fire on the Inhumans, and the battle quickly rages on.

Pietro grabs Luna and tells her they need to leave. The two run away, and don’t notice they are being watched by Lazer and his troops. Lazer orders one of his agents to take Quicksilver out, and Pietro gets shot! He falls on the ground, dropping the container holding the Mists. Luna panics, but Lazer meets up with her and tells her it’s okay: they are Americans. Luna can’t believe they just hurt her father. She takes off her sunglasses and, with glowing eyes, stares at Lazer, promising he’s going to be sorry he just did that.