In the mutant-controlled country of New Tian, King Kuan-Yin Xorn broadcasts a message proclaiming that humans and mutants live peacefully under his domain. Under one of the screens carrying the broadcast, however, a mutant beats up a human and yells that mutants are in charge. Police arrive, but the mutant says the human said anti-mutant slurs to him and then attacked him. The police believe the mutant despite the human's denials and arrest the human on the spot.
A truck approaches a border checkpoint between New Tian and the HYDRA-controlled America. The people in the truck are asked if any of them are mutants or have family who are, as mutants are not allowed in America without permission from Rogers himself. The guards, however, are surprised when three mutants jump out of the truck and begin attacking them: Shiro "Sunfire" Yoshida, Marshall "Random" Stone III, and Joanna "Frenzy" Cargill. They scream anti-HYDRA slogans and beat up the border security guards until Otto Octavius arrives with reinforcements. He beats down Yoshida and has him arrested, while Stone and Cargill retreat back into New Tian. One of the guards asks if they should pursue, but Octavian says they've completed their job by securing the border.
At a meeting of the HYDRA High Council consisting of Arnim Zola, The Hive, Daniel "Kraken" Whitehall, Johann "Doctor Faustus" Fennhoff, Ophelia "Viper" Sarkissian, Elisa "Madame HDYRA" Sinclair, Helmut Zemo, and Steve Rogers himself, Zola insists that the border is not secure and they need to attack New Tian in revenge for the attempted border incursion. He says he went to New Tian to negotiate treaties and can personally confirm the mutants are readying for war. Sinclair tells Zola to be respectful towards Rogers, though Rogers says he won't stop Zola from voicing his opinion. Zemo says that he agrees with Zola, noting that Yoshida gave a statement after his arrest in which he screamed that mutants would destroy HDYRA and slaughter humans en masse. Sarkissian asks if the New Tian government has said anything, and Whitehall says they're claiming not to be responsible but also aren't condemning it. Fennhoff says that whether the attack was sanctioned or really was the work of renegade terrorists, they have to respond. Rogers, however, refuses to attack New Tian directly. He orders Zemo to bolster border security, then says they can use Yoshida's public trial as an opportunity to show footage of him attacking hapless HDYRA guards in order to discredit him and make the mutants look like terrorists. Zola still wants a military response, but Rogers says he won't jeopardize the peace they fought so hard for over one minor failed incursion. He notes, however, that he can only hope New Tian's government agrees.
Xorn talks with his advisors: Sebastian Shaw, Hank "Beast" McCoy, and Warren "Archangel" Worthington III. McCoy is very worried that HYDRA will use Yoshida's trial to instigate more anti-mutant hate, and Worthington notes that there has already been an increase in violence between humans and mutants on the streets of New Tian. Shaw says people are naturally angry because of their alliance with the tyrannical Rogers, and he advocates going to war with HDYRA. McCoy gets things back on track by noting that the incursion made no sense, even for the short-tempered Yoshida. Shaw asks what Stone and Cargill have to say, but nobody can find them. McCoy continues to muse that if Yoshida goes into an anti-HYDRA rant on the stand the situation will worsen, and there's nothing the New Tian government can directly do without looking culpable. Xorn says they can't let HYDRA control the narrative and need to send in a team to recover him. However, since McCoy is correct that the New Tian government can't look involved, Xorn directs Shaw to assemble a team of obscure and expendable mutants to get Yoshida back so that Xorn can interrogate, and possibly execute, him personally.
Shaw assembles his team: Illyana "Magik" Rasputina, Tabitha "Boom-Boom" Smith, Guido "Strong Guy" Carosella, and Sarah "Marrow". He tells them that they're to extract Yoshida without being seen. Smith is skeptical that someone as huge as Carosella can be stealthy, but Rasputina says that, even though the shield surrounding Earth has disabled her teleportation spells, she can still use magic to make them essentially invisible. She casts her spell, making the others transparent and able to blend into their surrounding, at which point the team departs.
Shaw's team sneaks into a HYDRA detention facility and reaches Yoshida's cell before Rasputina's spell is suddenly broken. The team turns to see some of the HDYRA Avengers: Tony "Taskmaster" Masters, Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff (now possessed by the god of evil Chthon), Vision, and Wade "Deadpool" Wilson. The teams fight, and initially the Avengers overwhelm Shaw's team. Masters mocks and beats up the weaponless Shaw, Maximoff pins down Rasputina with magic, Smith fires bomb blasts at Vision but finds she can't his him because he can render himself intangible, and Wilson easily outfences Marrow while mocking her use of bone blades as being a relic from the 90s. Shaw manages to throw off Masters and orders his team to switch up their opponents, at which point the mutants take the advantage. Rasputina is able to stab Vision with her magical soulsword despite his intangibility, Smith is able to pull down Wilson's pants and use her bombs on him before he can recover, and by the time Maximoff tries to fight back, Carosella is able to free Yoshida and he blasts her with fire. Masters, seeing that he is the only one of his team still standing, surrenders and says the others can go.
Back at the HYDRA High Council, Rogers is furious that a bunch of C-list mutants were able to successfully free a prisoner from a secure detention facility. Sarkissian acknowledges this and says that the HYDRA Avengers are all either healing or back on duty already, but Zola then cuts her off and again demands an assault on New Tian. Rogers says he agrees, to Zola's relief, and further adds that he'll be going to speak with Hank McCoy in person.
Rogers and McCoy take a limousine to meet Xorn. McCoy notes that Rogers seems to want a fight, then wonders how things fell apart so badly. Rogers tells McCoy that he picked the wrong side and that HYDRA is the better world they're fighting for. McCoy has no response.
At Xorn's palace, McCoy brings Rogers in and tells Xorn that Rogers insisted on meeting him alone. Xorn agrees, dismissing McCoy, but once he's gone Rogers smiles and tells someone they can come out. Xorn's body sags as Emma Frost reveals herself; she is the real ruler of New Tian and has been controlling Xorn with her telepathy. Rogers notes that Frost promised him she could keep the mutants in line by controlling Xorn and demands an explanation for the attack. Frost cops to the jailbreak, saying she felt it necessary to examine Yoshida's mind and see why he launched the assault on the border in the first place. She did so, and she shows Rogers Yoshida's thoughts, which are of Fennhoff hypnotizing him to attack the border and shout anti-HYDRA slogans while Zola looks on. Rogers acknowledges this and says he will deal with the problem. The two leaders pledge to continue working together and Rogers leaves. Frost, however, muses to herself that Rogers can't keep the mutants segregated away and deny them their 'inheritance' forever. She reveals that she is holding a cosmic cube shard and notes that she'll surprise Rogers soon enough.
A news reporter declares that relations between HYDRA and New Tian have stabilized, surprising the High Council. Rogers unexpectedly appears at the Council and Zemo admonishes him, saying that while things turned out well Rogers was still putting himself in danger by visiting New Tian alone. Rogers says that he had a duty to HYDRA to do what he could to find a peaceful resolution. He then pointedly says they all must do their duties to HYDRA or be destroyed as Zola looks angry and Fennhoff looks nervous.
Tropes:
- False Flag Attack: Fennhoff and Zola trigger one to instigate a war with New Tian.
- Man Behind the Man: Emma Frost has been controlling Xorn all along to maintain control of the mutants for HYDRA.
