With an Iron Fist

• Writer - Judd Winick
• Penciler - Kev Walker
• Inker - Simon Coleby
• Colorist - Transparency Digital
• Lettering - Paul Tutrone
• Ass't Editor - Nova Suma
• Editor - Mike Raicht
• Editor - Mike Marts
• Editor in Chief - Joe Quesada

Summary

  Black Bolt flies silent above Attilan; his voice can topple buildings, and he communicates through body language, and Susan strains to read every gesture. She asks him about the books he's been reading, all histories of slaughtered races. When she sees the one on Masada, she realizes his plan and is horrified.

  Crystal interrupts: the Scarlet Witch and Strange have sent word about Reed's Disruptor. Sue tells Black Bolt, "We can't…"; his face says, "We will…"

  Stark convinces Weapon X team to lead the assault, since if it fails, they'll be stuck on this crummy world. He's gathered some super-powered mercenaries to help. Attilan starts moving again, out into the water away from innocent bystanders. Black Bolt has given instructions to the Inhumans, and has even convinced his wife, but she has her own plan, too. A division of flying Inhumans deploys outside the G-barrier. Gambit leads the attack, and the troops rain on the Inhumans like hail. Colossus and Storm kill many. Karnak maims, till Vision phases his hand into his body, but Karnak finds even his weak spot, a millimeter thick, and takes his arm off.

  Colossus aims a bazooka to shoot the Disruptor into the barrier, but Gorgon throws the Thing into him, knocking him away.

  Inside, Black Bolt and all his people are prepared, Inhumans, Alpha Primitives, and those between.

  Gambit fells Gorgon, and Colossus shoots; the barrier falls, and Stark's forces move in.

  After the destruction of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE (AD), a thousand Zealots took refuge in a mountaintop fortress and withstood a siege for years. When the Roman general Flavius Silva finally breached the walls, he found the defenders had killed themselves and their families, rather than be enslaved. Gambit enters Attilan and sees that the Inhumans have followed that example. They're all dead.

  Gambit yells for the troops to retreat: it's a trap, but Weapon X is teleported away, mission complete. Flying above the city, Black Bolt removes his costume and, glowing tears in his eyes, yells the name of the fortress, Masada, and destroys Attilan.

  Weapon X's mission was to help Stark fail. Without Inhuman genetic material, he can't breed an army strong enough to conquer the universe. He broods in his garden, crushing a butterfly and turning off his holographic face. Suddenly, his throat is cut: Sue. She wants him to know Black Bolt defeated him, that he had her hide 300 Inhumans from him.

  This was Sue's secret, that she'd leave the survivors to kill Stark, and this is how time was healed in this world. Stark's guards open fire, and she dies, freeing her world from a monster.