Uncanny X-Men (2012 series) #15

In Avengers Vs X-Men #5 5 X-Men and Hope Summers met the Phoenix Force on the Moon, but instead of giving the Phoenix power to Hope it split it between Colossus, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Magik and Sub-Mariner. In AvX#6 the Phoenix 5 set about making the world a utopia, but the Avengers with Scarlet Witch spirited Hope away. Now in AvX#7 the Ph5 are trying to get her back, but in the middle of that they have time to deal with other problems.

But this issue begins with the X-Men's PR person Kate Kildare wondering if her job is redundant because with the Phoenix power the 5 could just send any message they wanted directly into the brains of everyone on Earth. And the obvious good they have done in the world in the past week speaks for itself.

1 of the things the X-Men have done is build themselves a bigger, better Utopia base. But the original Utopia Island is held levitating above it as a reminder of their past. Magneto and Psylocke contemplate it as they prepare for a council meeting with the 5, and they too wonder if their roles are now unnecessary. They're joined by Danger, the robot avatar of the Danger Room, who still has her job guarding the X-Brig in the Island. But she's mentally controlled by 1 of its prisoners the alien robot Unit who suggests she try to act more human by cracking a joke - but it falls flat.

Meanwhile Colossus has been transported by his younger sister Magik to the Crimson Cosmos. He wants to petition Cyttorak to take the Juggernaut power from him. Now that he also has the Phoenix power he's an agent of creation whereas Cyttorak feeds on destruction. But the extradimensional god refuses. The previous incumbent Cain Marko only used his power briefly, but Peter Rasputin always seems to be fighting other superheroes. And after all the Phoenix is a spirit of destruction as well as rebirth. So Colossus tries to use the Phoenix power to force Cyttorak, but finds that the demon is unbeatable in his own realm - and he and Illyana get dismissed back to Earth.

They join the rest of the Ph5 in the council meeting along with the 3 X-folk we met earlier plus Storm. There is an empty seat for Hope, and Magneto asks if they're going to continue chasing the outlawed Avengers. But Emma Frost brings up a related topic. She has learned that it was Mr Sinister who told Hope about the Phoenix. Storm accuses her of reading Hope's mind but she replies that the Phoenix knows everything. 

The 5 take time out to meet privately within the Phoenix. They agree that Sinister is a threat that must be destroyed and Emma mentally seeks him out.

In his version of Victorian London (but with many futuristic additions) deep below Anchorage Alaska, populated by clones of himself as we saw last issue, Sinister is told that his psychic battalions have detected the probes of the Phoenix-hosts. He orders the psychics disconnected from the clones' hive mind, but Frost detects his base ...

... and the 5 return their attention to the Council meeting where they've hardly been missed. Emma announces their success and Cyclops decides that they'll go immediately to the site via the Siege Courageous. He tells the other 4 to stay behind as they won't be needed.

They appear outside Anchorage and Emma senses Sinister and his clones deep below. Scott Summers thinks the villain is mocking him because this is where MrS watched him grow up. He guesses that this is all part of the foe's plan but he underestimates the power they now have. Peter thinks that Cyttorak is going to feed well today. And they use the Phoenix power to dig down into the ground.

Sinister exults in the coming battle and switches all his clones from living their peaceful lives into war mode. He orders the creation engines to churn out more clones at top speed. He's reminded that it will mean they won't be built to last, but he says he only needs them to die. The X-Men breach the cavern and Sinister orders the menagerie (of feral clones of various mutants) to be let free, and his Marauder battalions to engage the enemy. But he tells his Madelynne Pryor clones to bide their time.

We see battle joined.