Plot
The Winter Soldier (#1-6)
Near the Eurasian Republic border that is close to Latveria, some soldiers are talking about Winter Soldier. They have heard rumors that he was originally a North American Union experiment gone wrong and was pieced together from the corpses of those who have died. Winter Soldier gets up and jumps out of the airplane without a parachute. He attacks a hideout of the Opposition that is run by Mystique and Nightcrawler. In flashbacks, the Winter Soldier is subjected to experiments that involve him being grievously injured and his memory wiped, with his healing factor enabling him to survive.
30 years ago in the North American Union, Professor Thorton records his latest research on how Weapon Alpha died moments after the adamantium-infusing procedure. The Maker comes in and hears of plans for a better world. After killing Thorton, Maker sees a picture of James Howlett and burns the building down. In the present, Winter Soldier attacks a group of soldiers and encounters Colossus, Magik, and Omega Red. After throwing Winter Soldier around, Colossus suggests testing him by sending some soldiers to fight him. The Winter Soldier slaughters the soldiers as the Rasputin family and Prostovich watch through surveillance cameras.
17 miles outside of Smolensk, Remy LeBeau / Gambit and Kitty Pryde meet with a woman who was sent by the Archangel. It is stated that Gambit and Kitty lost their prized possession Natasha Romanova, also known as Chyornaya Vdova, who they suspect has joined the Opposition. When the Winter Soldier attacks Vdova's truck and the mutant children onboard, Kitty recognizes him as Logan. After using her powers on Winter Soldier to restore his memories, Kitty kicks him off the truck.
After subduing the Winter Soldier, Prostovich surmises that something happened to him in the last mission. Prostovich enters a sphere beneath the Kremlin called the "Cerebellum" and has the Phoenix fix Logan's mind. A Directorate X log reveals that Charles Xavier's brain has been kept in cryogenic stasis after his death.
In Rasputingrad, a bar owner says goodbye to his patrons at closing time. While sweeping his bar, he tells Leech and Artie Maddicks that everyone is gone and that a driver from the Opposition will arrive soon. After serving the two food, the bar owner heads outside to throw out the garbage and is confronted by the Winter Soldier. A flashback reveals that the bar owner is Victor Creed as Logan has Creed promise to him that he will kill him if he becomes the Rasputin family's puppet. Back in the present, the fight is intensified as Creed rips off the mouth mask. Chyornaya Vdova shows up and hits the Winter Soldier with a dart while Creed tells Leech and Artie that their ride has arrived.
While chained up in a cell, Logan breaks free and is confronted by someone called "The One". He restrains Logan and sees how he was made a tool of the Rasputin family. After fighting through the hallucinations, Logan wakes up in the Opposition's headquarters and meets Abigail Brand, Chyornaya Vdova, Sabretooth, Beast, Leech, Artie, and Mikhail Rasputin. Beast discusses David Haller, who he had encountered in cyberspace. Beast placed David into his mainframe and eliminated his alternate personalities, causing him to become "The One". Without "The One", the opposition would have died off years ago. While Mikhail raises some questions, Beast thinks that David can be trusted.
Logan (#7-12)
Logan is visited by Kitty Pryde, who consoles him as they meet with Abigail Brand and Mikhail Rasputin. Meanwhile, Dr. Alongya Prostovich has taken notice that Winter Soldier has been gone for too long. Omega Red attacks Prostovich and drags her to join Magik in Limbo. Logan has a brief argument with Sabretooth over not fulfilling his promise on what to do if the Rasputin family caught him until Kitty breaks up the fight. In Limbo, Magik scolds Prostovich for her failure and summons her demons to swarm her. At the Opposition's headquarters, Mikhail welcomes the new recruits. Beast then enlists Gambit, Sprite, Widow, and Guardian to accompany him on the mission and even enlists Logan, who Beast has not come up with a codename for. Sabretooth comes up with "Rosomahka", which Widow translates as "Wolverine". Meanwhile, Magik and Omega Red return to Colossus with Prostovich, who states that she found a way to harness power from the Cerebellum and needs time to test it.
At Zmiiyi Island in the Black Sea, Wolverine accompanies Abigail Brand, Beast, Black Widow, Gambit, Guardian, and Sprite in raiding a mutant prison to free some guards. As Sprite phases through the wall, Wolverine tells Black Widow that there is something off, as he has not encountered any guards. Going further, the group comes across Warren Worthington III, who kills Brand and Beast before the remaining Opposition members subdue him. Wolverine hears scientist Dr. Stragatsky have a transmission with Alongya Prostovich on the status of the Angel specimen. It is then revealed that Stragatsky is dead and that Prostovich has not received a contact from anyone.
As some soldiers are overseeing the Sentinel operations, one member is informed that Alongya Prostovich has arrived to inspect the X-S units. When they go towards the Carrier Sentinel, they find it defaced with an X. After taking a Carrier Sentinel for their use that was modified by Daniel's F.O.R.G.E. group, Wolverine, Black Widow, Sabretooth, and Mikhail Rasputin attack Lysenko and Prostovich's facility. As the facility is compromised, Lysenko and Prostovich escape with X-S Unit One.
At the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Sabretooth tells Wolverine that he is leaving to take Artie Maddicks and Leech across the border. At the Kremlin, the Rasputin family learn that Mikhail is still alive, with Colossus killing one of his top soldiers over this discovery. Alongya Prostovich informs Colossus about the three Sentinels that survey the western border; they are unable to see where Chernobyl used to be as it is being shielded by someone who can control cyberspace. Later that night, Sabretooth leads Artie and Leech away from the headquarters. Upon getting to his feet, Wolverine sees Omega Red leading the Sentinels and other soldiers. Wolverine breaks free from Omega Red's tentacles, slashes Omega Red, and grabs the Muramasa Blade as the rest of the Opposition shows up to fight. Sometime later, Colossus receives a letter from Mikhail and Omega Red's head.
Amidst protests against the Rasputin family, Alongya Prostovich and the rest of Directorate X work on the Phoenix and the brain of Charles Xavier. Directorate X's Sentinels prepares the Cerebomb, an anti-mutant weapon, utilizing Xavier's brain. Meanwhile, Sabretooth is laying low with Artie Maddicks and Leech and contacts Wolverine, stating that the Rasputin family will not be pleased with what happened to Omega Red. The Cerebomb attacks and takes out Mikhail, Gambit, Sprite, Widow, Guardian, Angel, Iceman, and everyone in the blast radius.
Piloting Sentinel One, Wolverine arrives at the Eurasian Republic's capital in Moscow. Meanwhile, Dr. Lysenko informs Alongya Prostovich that the Phoenix specimen is rejecting the protocol without Xavier and that they cannot dissect the Phoenix early. Just then, Wolverine comes in through the window and kills Lysenko. Prostovich calls the X-S Units to protect her, but X-S Unit One is beheaded by Wolverine. Begging for mercy, Prostovich takes Wolverine to the Phoenix specimen. After the Phoenix specimen is freed, Colossus and Magik appear. Magik kills Prostovich while accusing her of helping the enemy. The Phoenix specimen gets up to help Wolverine and melts Colossus' body, while Magik flees. Wolverine evacuates the Phoenix as they are picked up by Sentinel One.
Issues #13-16
Protests are occurring on the outskirts of Red Square, Moscow. While underground, Wolverine talks to Sentinel One about their next course of action. Sentinel One states that Jean Grey needs medicine as her body is failing and that they will need medicine from above. While traveling through the sewers, Wolverine encounters Ursa Major eating Crimson Dynamo's corpse. He figures out that Alongya Prostovich had manipulated Ursa Major's brain and decides to kill him. Wolverine makes his way out of the sewers and gets the medicine he needs.
In flashbacks, Magik met the ruler of Limbo and later gained control of the dimension. 40 miles outside of Luga, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Sentinel One try and fail to find Magik. Wolverine goes into town to get some supplies and learns that a platoon of Eurasian Republic loyalists may be operating nearby. Wolverine finds the camp and takes out the loyalists. After subduing Lady Deathstrike, Grey gets into her mind and uncovers twenty possible locations where Magik may be.
On the outskirts of E.R., Chudei, near the Latverian border, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Sentinel-One come across the aftermath of a massacre caused by a brainwashed soldier, who Wolverine ends up euthanizing. Just then, Wolverine starts losing control. Sentinel-One restrains Wolverine as Grey uses her Phoenix abilities to burn him back to normal. After regenerating, Logan tells them that he saw Magik in Limbo and knows how to get there.
In a flashback, Colossus finds his way into Limbo and reunites with Magik. At Balga Castle in the Eurasian Republic, Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Sentinel-One meet with a magic user who helps them get to Limbo. Wolverine and Grey enter Limbo and find the captive prisoners. As Grey frees the prisoners, Wolverine confronts Magik and impales her with his claws. Wolverine barely escapes Limbo along with Grey. Grey flies Wolverine away, with both knowing that they still have to deal with Maker.
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