Written by Warren Ellis, art by Trevor Hairsine and Steve Epting
In 2004 all across the planet people begin to witness a strange alien transmission on their televisions, on large video screens in major cities and other communication devices. The pictures being transmitted show the destruction of planets and the death of alien life forms. People begin to react to these messages by taking their own lives. Some alone, while others decide to end their lives with friends in suicide pacts.
The transmission made it’s way into the psychic connections of nearly every telepath on earth, most notably Professor Charles Xavier and Jean Grey – two of the planet’s most powerful. Professor X uses Cerebro to locate the source of the signal and assembles a team to go investigate.
Meanwhile Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. has also located the source coming
from Russia and is assembling a small team of his own. He has to keep the
team small at the request of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Fury’s team
consists of himself, Captain America, Black Widow and a new addition to
the Ultimates payroll, Sam Wilson: The Falcon.