We're back with another recap that will do no justice to the book itself because it was mind-boggling. I'm keeping things really general because the details need to be experienced firsthand. The art is spectacular. So much so that I'm on my way to my LCS after posting this because though I love my digital I must experience this in physical.
We open with the preview pages. It's been 10 years and the machines have just about completely won. Omega Sentinel and Nimrod talk over Emma's corpse, OS saying that they can't be too confident because the mutants have always won and may find a way this time as well. But the mutants are running out of time because tomorrow they meet with and become one with their god.
Mystique and Gambit are the only survivors of a battle at the Gyrich Detention Center. Mystique tries to reach out to Synch via her mind but she's too far underground. She obtained knowledge they were looking for and so Gambit sacrifices himself to get Raven out. When she reaches high enough she connects with Synch who is able to receive the information from her. Sentinels descend around her and she fires at them saying, "Irene. I'm coming."
"The Broken Sword" station in outer space is where Professor Synch and the other X-Men (AI Tony Stark Iron Man, Captain Kamala Krakoa, Shadowtiger who is Kitty after consuming the Death Seed, and Wolverine) are. He has received the information, a location.
On the Orchis Forge Nimrod, OS, and Moira are looking at a huge monitor at the Worldmind. OS says it took them five years to build it with the knowledge of the technology of the far future she came with when she was sent back in time. The Worldmind will attract a Dominion, which will then incorporate them all into it. Moira says she's finally safe, that after 10 lives all she wanted was to be on the winning side and now she is.
Stasis enters the chamber to tell them that the remaining X-Men have breached certain files and now know the location of "he who must not be named." OS looks nervous as she orders increased security scans on Phobos right away.
The X-Men arrive on Phobos, AI Tony quickly killed by the defense systems. As Nimrod and OS rush to Phobos Nimrod says they need to activate Worldmind now and can't risk the mutants stopping their ascension. Moira activates it and Stasis, exiting the room, wishes them luck.
Stasis teleports away and reappears in South America outside the Vault! He meets up with Cadena of the Children and tells her it's time. The Vault opens.
The X-Men battle Sentinels, Nimrod, and OS on Phobos. OS tells them to turn their attention to Mars as the Worldmind activates and attempts contact to the Dominion. It's successful in making contact and the Dominion approaches. The art is out of this world.
Back at the Vault Stasis says while the AI's (OS/Nimrod) had 10 years to build the Worldmind, he had taken their future knowledge and gave it to a supreme intelligence he constructed from humanity's greatest intellects (we see on the screen Tony, Banner, Reed, and others) and because he put it in the Vault they had a lot longer than ten years to solve for Dominion. Instead of begging to join it, he wants to kill it. The weapon is a small black orb which he sends on its way. In a nutshell the orb consumes the sun which charges it and then it blasts the Dominion. It infects the Dominion and blanks out its constituent intelligences, essentially leaving it a husk with pure processing power. There's another sequence with the X-Men finding red diamond Sinister and Wolverine kills him. Also a cool moment when Synch recalls Apocalypse' powers and smashes Nimrod's face.
Stasis zaps the Children (we learn he helped create them) and is ready to insert himself into and take over the Dominion.
Except...
Enigma reminds the reader that the roads taken by all four Sinisters led to it. Enigma watched as red diamond Sinister kept resetting the timeline with his Moira clones and Enigma ensured that Sinister would never remember the timelines where he discovered the other three Sinister's or their Dominion attempts. Because red diamond Sinister was just killed by Wolverine, the Moira clones in this timeline explode and the timeline dies. Enigma exists outside time and space and says it cannot be prevented. "You are merely watching how I came to be. You are merely watching how I won."
Now we're somewhere called "No-Place X" with Xavier, Rasputin, and Doug! Rasputin killing Stasis was an attempt to stop him from reaching Dominion but she failed. Xavier says it's okay because though they prevented him nine other times, preventing Enigma from coming into existence was near impossible and it was inevitable. They tried their best and, as Charles says, they now must walk a harder path.
Rasputin asks what must be done and Charles at first doesn't want to tell her for risk of Enigma finding her along her missions and stripping the truth from her. She says if he wants her to continue then he must tell her, that she won't follow someone blindly again. He says very well, that he was hoping to spare her the burden of knowing. He points to a screen at where they strike next.
Rasputin: Hmm. What happens then?Xavier: The whole timeline falls apart, and the Dominion ceases to be. It's cut off at the root.
The final pages are two awesome data pages.