The Unspoken, Part 3

From the excised history of the Inhumans

Long ago, the king now known as the Unspoken had built a Slave Engine, a device that used Xerogenesis Crystals that could transform Earth’s human population into subservient Alpha Primitives. However, before the device could be used, the former king decided that it was too dangerous to be ever used. On day, he removed the device from Attilan and hidden it someplace where it could never be found and used by his people. This was before he was deposed as leader….[1]

Now

After years of exile, the Unspoken has come to believe that his decision not to use the Slave Engine was a mistake and is now working to correct it. Now he makes his way to the device which was hidden in China. Along the way, the Chinese military intervenes to try and drive him out of the country. However, they don’t even get a chance to fire their weapons as the Unspoken crushes two Xerogenesis Crystals in his hands and blows the fragments towards them, turning them all into Alpha Primitives.

Not far away US Agent (John Walker) and Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) have come to China on a mission for GRAMPA with Agent Ban-Luck to stop the Unspoken’s schemes. They have just teamed up with the surviving members of the People’s Defense Force — Collective Man, Radioactive Man (Chen Lu), Scientific Beast, and Lady of Ten Suns — to top him. They are desperately trying to contact the rest of John and Pietro’s team, but for some reason nobody is answering their distress calls.

At the Infinite Mansion, Stature (Cassie Lang) had brought her old teammates in the Young Avengers — Patriot (Eli Bradley, Hulkling (Teddy Altman), Wiccan (Billy Kaplan), Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) and Speed (Tommy Shepherd) — to help her deal with the Scarlet Witch (who, unknown to them is Loki in disguise).[2] While removing a spell that prevented her from talking about the Witch, Cassie and the others were struck down by Loki. That’s when Ronin (aka Clint Barton of the New Avengers) arrived to confront “Wanda” himself. Barton is convinced that this is not the real Scarlet Witch and demands to know who she really is.[3]

Elsewhere in the mansion and unaware of what’s going on, the Wasp (Hank Pym) is working on his side project. With the aid of the Jarvis (the Avengers butler), Jocasta and Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four) he is preparing a device that will allow him to travel to and explore the Macroverse, the next reality above their own. Despite the risk, Hank insists on going alone and has confident that monofilament tether connecting him to Jocasta to anchor him will allow him to return home in the event of danger. Hank then grows to giant size to the point where he passes through the barrier between this reality and the Macroverse. Jarvis is concerned for Pym’s safety, but Jocasta assures him that the filament is working and she can feel Hank even though he is a dimension away.

In another part of the mansion, Amadeus Cho returns and tries to get one of Jocasta’s guidance drones to tell him where Pym is, but doesn’t get an answer. That’s when he hears the sound of battle and decides to check out the source of the trouble. He finds the Young Avengers, Stature, and Ronin fighting with the Scarlet Witch. When Cho scolds Cassie for starting a fight, she tries to explain her reasons but discovers that the spell that prevents her from doing so is still in effect.[4] Frustrated by this spell, Cassie takes the fight directly to the “Scarlet Witch” in the hopes she can end this fight in time to save Quicksilver and US Agent.

At that same time, the Unspoken has reached the location of the Slave Engine. This is just as US Agent, Quicksilver, Ban-Luck, and the PDF arrive on the scene to try and stop them. They are swarmed by the army of Alpha Primitives and they soon find some of their number wearing the remains of military fatigues. Scanning the area, Ban-Luck also detects traces of the Xerogenesis gas and deduces that the Unspoken has found a way to turn them into Alpha Primitives. This is just as the Unspoken activates the Slave Engine, spraying enough Xerongenesis mist to transform US Agent, Collective Man, and Lady of Ten Suns into Alpha Primitives as well.

Back at the Infinite Mansion, the Young Avengers and Ronin continue the fight. While Wiccan temporarily blinds the “Scarlet Witch”, Clint leaps close enough to kiss her on the lips.[5] This confirms to him that this is not Wanda at all but an impostor. That’s when Wiccan begins casting a spell to reveal who they are really fighting. With her disguise about to be blown, Loki decides to retreat rather than face having her scheme exposed. With the battle over, Cassie discovers that the spell preventing her to talk has now been lifted. She tells them all that the “Witch” is unimportant for the time being as Quicksilver and US Agent are in deep trouble and they’ll need every Avenger available to help them win the fight ahead!

Recurring Characters

Mighty Avengers (Wasp, Quicksilver, Jocasta, US Agent, Stature, Vision, Amadeus Cho), Young Avengers (Patriot, Hulkling, Wiccan, Hawkeye, Speed), Ronin, The Unspoken, Loki, Ban-Luck, People’s Defense Force (Collective Man, Radioactive Man, Scientific Beast, Lady of Ten Suns), Edwin Jarvis, Mister Fantastic, Alpha Primitives

Continuity Notes

1. The Unspoken was dethroned by Black Bolt not long after this flashback, as we saw in Mighty Avengers #28.

2. Loki has been posing as the Scarlet Witch and manipulating the Avengers since Mighty Avengers #21, as we learned in issue #23.

3. At the time of this story, the real Scarlet Witch went AWOL following the events of House of M #1-8. Clint had found her in New Avengers #26, living in Transia with no memory of her past life and decided it was best to leave her this way out of fear she might go crazy again.

4. Cassie caught the “Scarlet Witch” blocking a distress call from Quicksilver and US Agent last issue. In order to prevent Cassie from talking about it, Loki cast a spell to prevent her from doing so. Sharp eyed readers will note that this is a similar spell to the one Baron Mordo used against Stephen Strange back in Strange Tales #115.

5. Here, we get a passing mention about how Wiccan and Speed might be related to the real Scarlet Witch. The relationship between the Scarlet Witch, Wiccan and Speed is complicated. The details:

   • Years earlier, the Scarlet Witch used her magic to make herself pregnant in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #3. She gave birth to two twin boys in issue #12 of that series and named them Billy and Tommy. Tragically, the infants were erased from existence by Master Pandemonium in Avengers West Coast #52.

   • After the Young Avengers were gathered, the Vision told Billy and Tommy that they were somehow related to the Scarlet Witch, as seen in Young Avengers #11. They will later discover that they are the reincarnations of the original Billy and Tommy in Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #1-9.