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Chapter 6: Something Must Break
Three months ago:Canterbury, Connecticut, where a “police line do not cross” barrier surrounds the ruins of a suburban home. 'I've been over the whole thing. There's no sign of him' Dani Moonstar announces as she speaks with Xi'an Coy Manh a.k.a. Karma on her cellphone. Dani passes the police line tape, and tells Shan that she was right to send her, that she can't quite put her finger on it, but something unusual happened here. 'I just don't sense your brother's involvement' Dani adds. She pauses as she listens to Shan, and tells her 'Nobody but you calls it “Valkyrie Sense” but yes, Shan. If Tran's soul was here I would have sensed him'.
Dani reports that she is done here, and tells Shan that they can grab dinner and figure out where to go next.
Suddenly, Dani stops, 'What is this?' she wonders, noticing some strange black and yellow dust amongst the dirt. She puts some of the dust onto her fingers, and sniffs it – which causes the dust to enter her nose. Dani's skin begins to turn yellow and black, she goes wide-eyed, and gasps for help, as she collapses. 'Self... friend...' Dani utters, suddenly grabbing the red ribbon around her head, and pulls it off, while Karma's voice can be heard on the phone, 'Dani? Hello?' she asks, but gets no response.
Present:Canterbury, Connecticut, where the “police line do not cross” barrier has been removed. The remains of the house lie in ruin still, and Illyana Rasputin a.k.a. Magik stands among them. She notices a red ribbon in the dirt and picks it up. 'You're not supposed to be in there, ya know' a boy on bike calls out as he and another youth pull up on the edge of the property. 'Yes, I am' Magik remarks as she turns to the youths. 'My mom says they all died because the kid who lived there was a mutie freak' the other kid remarks. 'Tell your mom to go #$%& herself' Magik retorts as she opens a stepping disc and teleports away, holding the red ribbon.
Meanwhile, at the Hatchi Corporation, headquarters of the New Mutants, where David Alleyne, sometimes known as Prodigy, looks at a computer screen and tells Shan that he doesn't know what Illyana looked at – all he can tell is that she accessed a lot of secure files last night. Shan asks how Illyana was able to do that. 'I gave her access' David reveals. 'WHAT?' Shan snaps. 'You made her team leader. I just assumed she was allowed to look at it. Is there a reason she isn't?' David replies, without looking at Shan, who mutters 'Dammit. I have to find her'.
'Where is Illyana? Shan snaps at Rahne Sinclair a.k.a Wolfsbane who is doing some knitting. Rahne replies that she hasn't seen Illyana in a couple of days. 'Why?' she adds, but gets no response from Shan.
Shan ignores her and bursts into the bedroom of Tabby Smith a.k.a. Boom-Boom. 'Go away! How many times do I have to tell you I don't work early mornings!' Tabby screams at Shan, her head buried under her pillow. 'It's noon, Tabby' Shan declares, before asking her why they went on a mission that she knows nothing about, and why did Illyana never file a field report about that mission. 'What the $#%& is a field report?' Tabby retorts.
'Where is Guido?' Shan snaps at Julio Richter a.k.a. Rictor, who is eating in the kitchen, while Shatterstar stands nearby, wearing only an apron as he cooks some food. 'Vacation?' Rictor suggests innocently. 'I know you are all covering for Illyana! I don't know what you're up to, but when I find out... and tell Shatterstar to put some damn clothes on' Karma exclaims. 'No' Rictor replies.
Illyana meanwhile is in her quarters, sitting cross-legged on the floor, candles surround her. 'Ha! Found you!' Shan exclaims as she bursts in. Illyana opens her eyes and tells Shan that she wasn't hiding from her, she was just out. Shan looks down at Illyana and asks her if she is sure, because it really feels like she is hiding something. 'Did you take the team on an unsanctioned mission?' Shan asks, hands on hips. 'I assumed you didn't want to know that your employees broke into the Sanctum Sanctorum and stole things from Doctor Strange' Illyana replies. 'Why would you do that?' Shan asks. 'Because I am not the only one not being forthcoming, Shan' Illyana points out. She  stands up so she and Shan are at the same level, and asks Shan what the Hatchi Corporation has been working on – what the mission in the Arctic was and why Shan was so interested in hurricane clean-up. 'This company has many different facets. You know this. Why are we even discussing -' Shan begins, but Illyana interrupts her: 'You were weaponizing magic, Shan. You know that's not a good idea'.
'You don't understand. Hatchi Corporation needs to keep up with companies like Rand, Stark, Richmond, Roxxon, Trask -' Shan begins, as Illyana interrupts her again: 'Trask? Are you listening to what you're saying?' 'To secure our future, it's time for a mutant-run business to -' Shan starts to say, as Illyana asks her if this is for mutants, or for herself. Shan tells Illyana not to be so naive, and declares that they are ensuring the survival of their species and their friends. 'I'm making sure that mutants have a place at the table, and out contractors -' Shan adds, to which Illyana asks 'You mean ONE? Did you forget the Office of National Emergency put Sentinels on our doorstep and you want to work with them?' 'We don't work with the Office of National Emergency?' Shan exclaims.
'You really didn't know, did you?' Illyana asks, before telling Shan that she has always worried about this: 'You've had your brother's voice in your head for most of your life now, whispering to you. But somewhere along the way, I think he started to take control. He was doing things you don't even know about' Illyana remarks. 'That's impossible' Shan replies, turning away. 'You're free of him now. Yet you're sending us running all over the place to find him. Why?' Illyana asks. 'He was attacking our company. He was hurting people' Shan replies. 'Is that it?' Illyana asks, before suggesting that they ask Tran, and she opens a stepping disc to Limbo, where Tran appears before them. 'Tran...' Shan utters. 'Hello, sister' Tran grins back, before lunging at her, roaring, until a magical barrier slams him back.
Illyana holds up the glowing green gem discovered at Dr Strange's, and asks tran if he remembers it, reminding him that it makes sure he has a physical body. Referring to the mystical symbol etched into the floor, Illyana informs Tran that is a retaining spell, because she didn't trust him, and only she can pass through the barrier. 'Now it's time we all talk' Illyana announces.
'Tran... I...' Shan begins, as Tran grins back from behind the magical barrier, and tells Magik to get his sister away from him. Magik assures him that she will, before asking him whether the idea of selling weaponized magic to the highest bidder was his idea or Shan's. 'There's no difference. I've been a part of her for as long as you've known her, Illyana. Her voice and mine are two parts of the whole. The yin and the yang' Tran responds, adding that finding new uses for magic was him, but saying it was to “save mutants” was her, and he was happy to let her take the credit. 'You can't trust him!' Shan exclaims, to which Magik asks her where Dani Moonstar is.
'What?' Shan replies. 'Where is Dani Moonstar, Shan?' Magik asks again. Shan tells her that she doesn't know, but Tran declares that she is lying. Tran slams his fist against the magical barrier and reveals that some of the early magic they discovered allowed him to finally escape his sister's body, and when that happened, Shan went a little crazy and sent her beloved Dani after him, before she hired this little team. 'AND YOU HURT HER!' Shan shouts. Tran grins and tells his sister that if he had done something to Dani, he would be gloating right now. 'Do you see now? She got Dani killed in her hunt for me. She thinks she's broken without me, but she's always been broken. She's obsessed. She wants me back' Tran declares.
Magik asks Tran what it is he wants, to which Tran announces that he wants Shan destroyed. 'I may be half of her soul... but she is my prison' Tran utters.
'You lie! You need me and I need you! You know it's true!' Shan exclaims. Illyana warns Shan that Tran has only grown more powerful since he has been out. 'He was already gaining control of you before. Even if it was morally acceptable, taking him back would be very -' Illyana begins, as Shan declares 'You won't get away. You -' and takes possession of Magik, forcing her to draw her Soulsword out. Magik, under Karma's control, remarks '- know you belong with me, brother'. 'Wait...Illy -' Tran exclaims, before Magik slices through the magical barrier, and her Soulsword strikes across Tran's chest. 'Return to me!' Karma calls out through Magik. 'Well played...sister -' Tran utters with his dying breath. Freed of Karma's control, Magik gasps, as Tran's essence returns to Karma. 'Welcome home' Karma tells her brother, as Magik watches in shock.
'WHAT DID YOU MAKE ME DO?' Magik shouts at Karma, who tells her not to act like this. 'Part of me was missing. You know what that's like' Karma replies.  'I killed him! How dare you make me do that!' Magik snaps, holding her Soulsword out towards Karma, who tells her to stop. 'You've been judging me this whole time. Acting like you're better than me. We both know what you really are. What you've always been. Your whole team... you're monsters!' Karma shouts, as Magik begins to switch to her Darkchild form.
'No! I am not a -' Magik begins, before someone blasts through the wall and knocks her away from Karma. Magik looks up and sees Techno-Organic copies of herself, Sunspot, Moonstar, Wolfsbane, Cannonball and Magma standing over her. 'Self-friend Illyana needs to calm down' the copy of Moonstar remarks.
Karma tells Magik that there are things she does not understand. 'Try me' Magik declares, to which Karma informs her that Dani was helping her track her brother before Magik did, but something went wrong and she merged with Warlock, who was very sick and needed her to survive. 'You're saying Dani Moonstar is... in there?' Magik gasps. 'Moonlock is Dani. Moonlock is Warlock' utters the transformed Moonstar/Warlock. 'RRAAAAAH!' Magik screams as she lunges towards Karma, only for the Techno-Organic Cannonball to blast straight into her, knocking her backwards. Suddenly, Wolfsbane enters the room, and asks Magik what she is looking at. Magik explains that when Karma's brother's soul left her, it fractured her psyche and she has been lying to them about everything – and even had Warlock hidden away creating replicas of them. 'Is this one me?' Rahne asks, going over to the Techno-Organic Wolfsbane. Magik tells her it is, and Rahne asks if there is a person in there. 'No. Warlock can reproduce by himself' Karma explains, adding that it is fascinating that he re-created all his friends – he made the original new Mutants.
'So it's an abomination? That's all Ah needed ta hear!' Wolfsbane exclaims as she lunges at her Techno-Organic copy, while Magik slams her Soulsword across Techno-Organic Magma. 'Goodbye, fake Magma' Illyana exclaims.
“Moonlock” goes over to Wolfsbane, who is strangling her Techno-Organic copy and tells her not to do this, that they want to help her. 'Dani? That really you?' Wolfsbane asks. 'Of course it's me, sweet-friend' “Moonlock” responds as she grabs Wolfsbane by her throat and tosses her to the ground after infecting her with the Transmode Virus.
'No! Get off of her!' Magik calls out, rushing over to Rahne, asking her what she should do. 'Help me...' Rahne pleads, when suddenly, the Techno-Organic Magik appears behind the real Magik, grabbing her, she tells her that it is time to merge. Magik reaches for her Soulsword and slams it against her copy, knocking her away.
But the Techno-Organic copies are relentless, and the Techno-Organic Sunspot rushes forward and smacks his fist into Magik so hard that she is forced through a nearby wall, into the kitchen, where Tabby has joined Rictor and the still-naked Shatterstar. The trio look at Magik with shock, 'What the hell, Illyana? If this is more of your weird -' Tabby begins. Magik, battered and bruised, interrupts her: 'Run' she orders. 'What the $%&# are you talking about -' Tabby snaps, when suddenly, without looking at her teammates, Magik mutters that she doesn't have time for this, and a stepping disc rises up and engulfs Tabby, Rictor and Shatterstar.
“Moonlock” and the remaining Techno-Organic New Mutants enter the kitchen and “Moonlock” tells Magik to put the sword down, or else they will take it from her. 'I'd love to see you try' Magik replies as she opens a stepping disc above the Techno-Organic Sunspot. 'You missed?' the being asks. 'Not quite' Magik replies, looking up at the Stepping Disc, 'Come on... please...' Magik utters, when suddenly, a now bearded Guido Carosella a.k.a. Strong Guy drops from the stepping disc, straight onto the Techno-Organic Sunspot. Guido looks at Illyana and asks her if she is standing on Sunspot. 'No! Hit him!' Magik responds. 'Okay' Guido replies as he starts to hit the creature, while Magik warns him not to let them touch him. 'Things sure got weird while I was gone, huh?' Guido remarks, asking how long it was that he was gone, to which Magik tells him it was thirty-six hours as she plunges her Soulsword into Techno-Organic Cannonball who blasts towards her once again, and Guido slams the Techno-Organic Sunspot into the ceiling above.
Suddenly, Guido drops to his knees and clutches his chest. 'Oh... felt like.. years...' he remarks, before collapsing. 'Guido! No no no!' Magik exclaims, wide-eyed. She rushes over to him and kneels beside him, as “Moonlock” does the same. 'Friend is having a heart attack. I can help him' “Moonlock” announces. 'Stay back!' Magik snaps. 'He's dying, Magik. I can help him' “Moonlock” explains. Magik raises her Soulsword and tells “Moonlock” to do it. 'But if you hurt him -' she warns. “Moonlock” places their hands on Guido's face – but the Transmode Virus doesn't appear to spread, as “Moonlock” announces that they cannot hurt what is not living. Guido lies there, motionless, as Magik remarks that it didn't do anything. Guido then sits up, gasping for breath. Magik looks at him and tells him that she is sorry, and not to do that again, as he scared her.
'Don't be scared leader-friend' Guido replies as he places a hand over Magik's mouth – and spreads the Transmode Virus to her! Magik drops to the ground, clutching her neck as Karma walks into the kitchen.
The Techno-Organic Sunspot and Cannonball appear fine, and stand next to her, as do the infected Wolfsbane and Guido. Karma tells her team that they did a good job, that she knew she could count on them.
Karma then picks up her cellphone and calls General Callaghan – introducing herself as Tran Coy Mahn from the Hatchi Corporation. 'If you're still looking for some test subjects, I think I have some you'll love' she tells him.
Suddenly, the infected Magik declares 'Quiet, enemy-self' as she covers Karma's mouth with her hand, and infects her with the Transmode Virus. Karma drops to the floor, and as “Moonlock”, the infected Wolfsbane and Strong Guy, and the Techno-Organic copies of Cannonball and Sunspot gather around her, Magik welcomes Karma to the team and tells her 'We're all monsters now'.


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Sword and Claw
Kilgrave, the Purple Man, had three eggs for breakfast - and a waitress. Over easy. It was going to be a good day for him, as the characters were in place and the story set in motion. After his last…failure…he was concerned that the story controls him - but it doesn’t. Kilgrave believes that everyone dances to his tune, and at best, others can only emulate what he does. For example: What he does with a turn of phrase, Hydra did with supernatural science. They took an indestructible killing machine, dangled meat in front of his nose and let loose his leash. And they are so proud of that. The Purple Man jokes that making the killing machine a suburban housewife would have been artistry.
Agents of the fabled Hydra call to each other, warning each other to ‘look out!’ and reminding each other to defend the access corridor with their lives. Wolverine attacks them, he is a mutant born with enhanced stamina, sense, strength and he has claws sheathed in indestructible adamantium. Currently, there is a civil war ripping the Hydra terrorist organization apart. One splinter ground named The Dawn of The White Light, kidnapped Wolverine - and made him their personal assassin - an “Enemy of the State”, as it were.
One of the Hydra agents announces that the hydraulics are severed - when suddenly, Wolverine comes up to him and shoves his powerful claws into the mans hand. The agent tells Wolverine that he wont win, as the Supreme Commander will live forever - ‘cut off one limb and another shall take its place!’ He is about to “Hail Hydra” when the handsome X-Man snarls that perhaps the supreme commander cannot die - ‘but let’s see if he can be killed!’
Elsewhere, the Purple Man had suspected that the Death-Spore Virus coursing through Baron von Strucker’s veins would keep him standing - but having the new Swordsman shove his sword into Strucker was worth it just to ruin one of his two thousand dollar suits. Strucker admits that that was well played, but boasts that it will take far more than that to undo Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. ‘Prussian spigot…drowning me in boredom’ mutters the new Swordsman, who dodges just in time as Strucker wretches the sword from his stomach and takes a spear at him.
Strucker asks his opponent who he is, pointing out that the original Swordsman is long-dead. ‘So I guess I’m not him’ jokes the new Swordsman. Strucker holds up the sword, telling the new Swordsman that the original died a coward, betraying his beliefs, helping the Avengers, or, as the new Swordsman points out, a hero, embracing newfound beliefs. The new Swordsman then asks Strucker if he knows why he is here - ‘Because I want to see the Thunderbolts succeed!’ As the Swordsman leaps through a window, Strucker asks him why that would be.
Meanwhile, the Purple Man is watching the battle through a pair of binoculars not far away. He knows that control is always a fine line, and understands that Strucker thinks he is controlling the New Thunderbolts because he is secretly financing them, and the Gorgon, leader of the White Light, thinks he controls Wolverine. ‘And I…? I think I control…whatever - and whoever - I desire!’
The Swordsman shoves his second sword through Strucker’s right arm, then grabs his first sword from Strucker and shoves it into his neck. The Purple Man declares that there is a thin line between father and son, love and hate…and life and death. Strucker clutches at the sword through his neck, telling the Swordsman to, by all means, slice his head off and risk exposing all of Manhattan to the Death Spore Virus within.
The Purple Man continues to watch, thinking that control is still a deceptive mistress, ‘sword in a guy’s throat, you’d think you have the upper hand right?’ Then suddenly, Wolverine leaps out from nowhere and strikes Strucker. ‘The characters in the story I write always manage to surprise me’ remarks Kilgrave.
Elsewhere, at the Thunderbolts HQ in Brooklyn. James Sanders a.k.a. Speed Demon tells Abe Jenkins a.k.a. Mach IV, to give his work a rest, as they have only been back for an hour. Abe replies that he has to fix his flight harness, as he doesn’t have a back-up. The cocky Speed Demon boasts that they will handle it and asks Abe if he didn’t see the news - ‘We’re heroes now!’ The Purple Man thinks that former villains trying to be heroes is a contradiction, ‘Certainly…curiosities’.
Standing nearby is Dr. Chen Lu also known as the Radioactive Man, who watches as Abe tells Sanders that they are nothing yet, all they did is save the UN Building, but Songbird ended up in the hospital as a result. ‘So good enough isn’t good enough for you?’ asks Sanders, crushing his can of drink, before turning an racing out of the room, telling Abe that he liked him better as a loser than as a boy scout.
Dr. Lu tells Abe to disregard Sanders, as he is arrogant and impatient…’very American’. Abe points out that Lu’s government needs American help finding Fathom Five, and getting justice for their attack on Beijing. The Radioactive Man suggests that he might assist with the fixing of the armor.
Elsewhere, in his quarters, the handsome Donny Gill a.k.a. the Blizzard examines his damaged costume  - the costume couldn’t hold up to the demands of being a T-Bolt, and the Purple Man think that maybe neither can the Blizzard. Donny mumbles that he has to find a home depot to fix the coils, when Sanders enters his room, telling him that he is ’so low-rent’, before declaring that he is not hanging around here like some soldier, and asks Donny if he wants to go to a strip club. Donny hesitates before replying ’Sure’, to which Sanders says he will go and get Joystick, because that way he will have a reason to ignore Donny.
Speed Demon goes into Janice Yanizeski’s quarters, only to find her “Joystick” costume on the bed and her in the shower. As the Purple Man points out, Janice joined the Thunderbolts for an offer of protection against her former employers, but the Thunderbolts know very little about her, only her real name and that she has enhanced agility, stamina and reflexes and energized truncheons. Janice knows that she is hot - and she flaunts it.
Sander enters Joystick’s bathroom and standing by the shower he asks her if she needs any help with ‘those hard-to-reach places’. Janice replies that she would rather take care of herself, to which Sanders replies, still watching her, that he is okay with that too. ‘You’re pretty much an idiot, huh?’ asks Janice. Speed Demon checks out Janice as he tells her she is going to end up loving him, and informing her that they are going to get hammered. Janice replies ‘Sounds good’. Sanders tells her to be ready in ten minutes, Janice replies she will be ready in eight.
Back in the lab, Abe asks Chen if a lot of his mood swings were because of radiation surges in his body, to which Chen explains that they build up in him beyond the ability of his harness to dampen, and on occasion, resulted in irrational behavior. Abe asks him how he solved the problem, to which Dr. Lu replies that he hasn’t yet.
Sanders, Donny and Janice enter the room, and Sanders mocking that as if the green skin and the skirt weren’t enough of a reason to get out of here. Abe turns to his new recruits and asks them where they think they are going. ‘Hey, T-Bolts, you just saved hundreds of people and the United Nations, its Miller time!’ exclaims Sanders, before Donny asks if that is okay. Abe replies that it is not, reminding everyone that Donny is on parole, Speed Demon is wanted on fourteen warrants and the Great Game could come after Janice at any second. ‘Let ‘em try!’ boasts Joystick.
Abe informs the trio that it is very simple - until his parole officers greases the skids for them, ‘You’re not going anywhere!’ Sanders complains that they may as well be in jail, to which Abe tells him to try telling that to Melissa.
Elsewhere, at the Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, after severely straining her larynx at the United Nations, Songbird passed out. Atlas brought her to the hospital and hasn’t left her bedside since. Erick “Atlas” Josten sees Melissa Gold a.k.a. Songbird come ‘round, and greets her. Melissa carefully asks how long she has been out, to which he informs her she has been out a couple of hours and that the doctors smeared some gel down her throat. Melissa declares that it hurts, before asking after Abe. Erik replies that Abe could come as he had to keep an eye on the others. ‘I understand’ replies Songbird as she sits up in the hospital bed.
Atlas reveals that the doctors left some ice chips for her to eat, before explaining that she screamed herself raw, before informing her that they did it, she pushed him and he managed to save that building. Melissa points out that while they were there, Erik go so angry, to which he replies that he think the ionic energy inside of him…’sometimes it makes me a little nuts is all’.
Melissa asks if he suddenly got his powers back when Fathom Five attacked - before asking if that was before or after Genis got dragged into the Hudson River. Atlas looks away from Songbird and claims that he couldn’t do a thing to stop what happened to Captain Marvel, and asks her to believe him. Suspicious, Songbird replies ‘Yeah, why wouldn’t I?’
Meanwhile, on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey, passes some dolphins in the water. A crowd of onlookers watches, when suddenly a child asks why all the water around the dolphins is glowing. The child’s father replies that he doesn’t know - before exclaiming that there appears to be a man inside the light. Indeed there is a man inside - Captain Marvel the third. According to the Purple Man, authors say “Characters tend to write themselves”. Kilgrave finds that contradiction vexing - those that do write themselves anger him…while those that he writes usually serve to delight.
It is that contradiction which attracted him to his delicate clay sculpture, and through him, ultimately, to his upcoming masterpiece - the Thunderbolts. The Swordsman watches Wolverine and Strucker battle it out, when suddenly he steps on something. Picking it up he thinks that the necklace looks familiar and recalls that the Berlinghof Auction six years ago had an exclusive lot for sale of Atlantean artifacts!
Strucker declares that Wolverine has been made a pawn, but claims that he can make him a king. The Swordsman suddenly interrupts their fight, announcing ‘Only one puppet allowed per team! As he strikes Wolverine’s claws, Logan is surprised that the blade didn’t shatter. The Swordsman reveals that his swords have an adamantium alloy coating. He admits that they are not indestructible by any means, but that they will hold up against Wolverine long enough for him to apply his personal additions - and suddenly Wolverine is knocked back by some shockwave from the Swordsman.
Strucker reminds the Swordsman that he previously stabbed him through the heart and asks why he now protects him. The Swordsman replies that he was sent here as a test, but that if he is going to be trapped in a Hydra civil war, then he will back the Devil he knows. ‘And you think you know me?’ asks Strucker. Logan leaps at the Swordsman and declares that he made the wrong call. The Swordsman informs Wolverine that if he exposes Strucker’s virus then it could kill everyone in Manhattan. ‘Works for me’ replies Wolverine.
The Purple Man continues to watch from his safe-point, deciding that their game is, at best, a brutish effort, ‘a gluttonous creation of death and destruction’. He thinks it primitive, and very beneath the efforts of himself. ‘I craft, where they crush. I take stained, tattered remnants and weave a warm, cozy blanket. Not much good if it gets shredded on its very first unfurling’.
The Swordsman tells Strucker that he cannot hold Wolverine back much longer, so he needs to run. Strucker declares ‘No’ and pulling the Swordsman away from Wolverine, he boasts that a man of nobility - a warrior bred - does not run from battle, and surges Wolverine with some blast.
Watching the Swordsman use his physical skills to maneuver his way towards Wolverine and Strucker, the Purple Man claims that he had some skills when he found him - but little desire, though they worked on it, and the work is his pleasure. The Swordsman finds Strucker with his hand on Wolverine’s face and tells Strucker to let Wolverine go. ‘Let him die’ replies Strucker.
Very close to the edge of the rooftop now, the Swordsman points out that Wolverine is just a puppet, and that if Strucker kills him then he is just pulling the strings. The Swordsman asks Strucker if he wants the X-Men after him whilst locked in a power struggle. ‘Very well,’ replies Strucker, before pushing Wolverine off the rooftop.
The Purple Man sees this and admits that he instigated this test for a reason - to see if his puppet would dance on his strings. The Swordsman leaps off the rooftop after Wolverine, telling Strucker that this isn’t over. Strucker remains emotionless as he states ‘But soon…it will be. It all will be’.
As the Swordsman fires his sword attached to a rope down towards Wolverine, the Purple Man recalls how his identity came to him as a whisper, and it seemed appropriate, for he liked variety; Errol Flynn meets Conan. It appeared to the dichotomy of his upbringing - for all his extra toys…they seemed required of the genre.
The Swordsman lands on a ledge as the sword is forced through Wolverine’s stomach. The Purple Man knows that the Swordsman was not a fighter by nature, nor a hero by any means, though he still had grace, skills, experience - even an agile mind. The most important ingredient to the clay  -was that he had contradictions worth exploring. ‘It puts more meat on the bones, makes the story better’.
The Swordsman attaches the rope to a ladder so that he can drop down also to aid Wolverine, and their bodies meet each other with a thump. On another rooftop now, the Swordsman informs Wolverine that Strucker is gone, and that he knows he is being forced to do this, before asking what his puppet masters say now. A helicopter flies away, carrying Strucker, as the Swordsman tells Wolverine that if the string they pull says “Find a nice restaurant and order a merlot,” that it would be fine with him. Wolverine pauses before snarling that he doesn’t like wine and has never liked him.
Grabbing the rope still attached to his sword which is still through Logan’s stomach, the Swordsman exclaims that this qualifies as the perfect exit line, and wishes Wolverine luck and that he hopes he finds his way to freedom. Swinging on the rope and letting go, boosting himself into the air just before the sword is to come out of Wolverine, the Swordsman declares ‘I hope we both do’, and leaps to another rooftop, as Wolverine pulls the sword from his chest.
The Purple Man thinks they are all so tender to the touch - the soft wet clay feels so good between your fingertips. For others, such manipulations are always done for the sake of power, but for him…it has always been about the art. The Swordsman kneels before the Purple Man, who declares ‘What do you say?’.
‘For dinner, I had steak and two waitresses. For dessert, I made a super hero clean my shoes with his tongue. Please forgive me…I wasn’t worthy of your work…’.
And to think, the Purple Man’s work had just begun…. Back at the Thunderbolts HQ, Donny reminds Sanders that Abe said they couldn’t leave, to which Sanders asks him if he is kidding, pointing out that Abe got called away to meet his parole officer. ‘Cats away, mice play’. The Radioactive Man asks him why he would risk his standing in this organization and his potential to help society for a vacuous evening of alcohol and lechery?
Speed Demon and Joystick burst into laughter and begin to walk away, Sanders calling back to Donny, asking him if he is going to come ‘pound a few beers down and stare at naked women?’ Chen mutters that he will be staying, Donny looks at him, before hesitantly rushing after Sanders and Janice, telling them to wait for him.
Back at the Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Melissa is out of bed and looks out the window, wondering what happened to Genis, ‘You always bragged about your “cosmic awareness”…why didn’t you see it coming?’
At a bar, Erik Josten sits and watches the television, where a reporter announces that Damage Control has just finished the initial stages of stabilizing the United Nations Building.
Meanwhile, on the South Street Seaport in Manhattan, Abe sits with his friend, parole officer, Homeland Security Superhuman Liaison and former long-serving Avenger, Carol “Warbird” Danvers. Abe tells Carol that he was hoping she could clear Speed Demon and Joystick on a probationary basis. The former Ms. Marvel tells Abe that this is a rather pot-luck way of putting a team together. ‘I know, Carol, but Magneto, Dr. Doom and the Red Skull turned me down’ Abe jokes.
Carol asks if Radioactive Man said yes, to which Abe admits he hasn’t technically asked him. Carol asks where an eight-hundred pound gorilla sits and suggests he could consider a name change for him. Abe replies that they are going to work on the skirt first, before reminding Carol that she said she had some questions. Carol understands, and informs Abe that the questions are specifically about the Thunderbolts financing.
Abe reminds Carol that he has already told her he met a guy in prison, but that he wants to stay low profile. Suddenly, there is a large rumbling, and the dock is ripped up as Llyron of the Fathom Five crashes through it. Carol removes her clothing, revealing her classic costume underneath and flies over to Abe who was knocked in the water, pointing out that Llyron is attacking the restaurant, she finds it odd as she thought Fathom Five were trying to make big statements.
As a large Atlantean sea creature suddenly rises from the ocean and burst through the middle of a large bridge, sending cars falling into the water, Abe declares that he thinks they are trying to make bug statements!


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[Assistant]
Call To Battle?
While Warbird fights Fathom 5 and their sea monster, the armor-less Abe Jenkins tries to prevent that people drown and rescues them. None of them have the time to notice Llyron, the leader of Fathom 5, who’s simply just observing everything from the sky. Abe tries to contact the rest of the Thunderbolts, but his cellphone is soaked wet and broken. He tries to ask for help, but none of the panicking people hear him. They just try to save themselves.
Meanwhile at the Sinai Hospital in Cedars, Atlas and Songbird hear everything on the news. Songbird wants to go help, but Atlas warns her about the fact that her voice still doesn’t work too well after the damage it took, and that she needs her rest. Atlas jumps out of the window, and after enlarging himself rushes to the crime scene. Songbird watches her friend leave, and takes the chance to contact the Thunderbolts’ headquarters in Brooklyn.
She reaches the Radioactive Man, who wants to go help but has no means of any kind for transportation. Songbird tells him to take a cab then, and asks about the others. Dr. Lu informs his teammate that they went out.
Elsewhere, Blizzard, Speed Demon and Joystick enjoy a night out at a stripper’s club. Blizzard notices the news and wants to go help, but neither Joystick nor Speed Demon are interested. They tell Blizzard to leave if he wants to, but they’ll stay. Joystick doesn’t even see why they should bother. Blizzard goes to sit down, and tells her that maybe it’s the right thing to do.
Warbird gets taken out by Manowar’s electrical shocks, and faints. Atlas arrives and angrily fights the monster. Abe goes to rescue Warbird, who has fallen into the water below him. As he dives into it, he wonders if Zemo had an ulcer too. While Atlas fights the sea monster, Dragonrider and Sea Leopard attack his legs, trying to make the hero lose his balance. They succeed. Warbird wakes up but, with an exhausted voice, asks Abe where his team is. He doesn’t know, but hopes that they’ll arrive soon. Warbird hands him her cell, and orders Abe to call 555-939, and when someone takes it to give the person the override lockdown code 4-1-3-3. While Atlas gets up again and continues his battle, Abe does as asked and calls the number.
He reaches the Commission on Superhuman Activity, where Abe gives the code. It’s valid, and they rush to the room where a costume is stashed. The scientists program the armor to reach the source of the call, but are certain that the plan will work, despite the fact that the costume hasn’t seen the light of the day for a while.
Elsewhere, the Radioactive Man fails to get a cab, thanks to his green appearance. Cars just pass him by. Cops arrive, and recognize the former villain since he fought Thor once. The Radioactive Man puts his arms in the air, but warns that there’s an attack on Manhattan, and that he needs a ride to help out. He sarcastically threatens the cops to render them both sterile if they refuse to help him. The cops, not sure what to make of the joke, decide to go for it.
At the club, Blizzard hears on the news that Atlas has torn the sea monster apart with his bare hands, and that the situation is getting bloody. Blizzard tries to convince his teammates to help, but they still aren’t interested. Speed Demon fakes going to the bathroom, where he jumps into his costume and goes to the rescue.
Atlas faces Dragonrider, who explains the reason for their attack. Their home is still being destroyed by the wastes of the upworld, and Fathom 5 won’t let someone weaker than they are ruin their home. Dragonrider believes that Atlas has no idea how that feels. Atlas once again loses his patience, and grabs the villain. Abe notices the aquatic Bloodtide attacking some civilians, and he uses an electrical wire next to him to take her down.
Llyron attacks Abe from behind, but Speed Demon arrives and quickly defeats the villain before anyone notices him. Not even Abe realizes what happened. Speed Demon returns back to the club, in his civvies, and his teammates didn’t even notice that he was gone. He talks to the Blizzard, who’s still having doubts about going to help. Speed Demon tells the guy that nobody’s stopping him.
Atlas continues his savage attack on the healed sea monster. Fathom 5 panics and tries to prevent Atlas from killing the beast. The costume lands in front of Abe, who thinks that Carol even trusts him, or is desperate. He tries to put it on, but Llyron grabs him before he can. Luckily, Abe gets rescued by the newly arrived Radioactive Man, who punches the bad guy down.
Abe puts the costume on, and is the Beetle once more! He helps defeat the sea monster, and even manages to calm the Radioactive Man down before he burns Llyron to death. Then, the situation gets worse. It’s also told on the news. Somewhere else, a doctor also watches the news, and leaves his experiment behind him. The yellow glue transforms in what looks like a hand. At the hospital, Songbird puts her costume on, despite not fully being healed. Blizzard, Speed Demon and a half loaded Joystick move over to action as well.
Abe realizes that Fathom 5 and the attack of the Wrecking Crew were just meant as a diversion. However, it’s not the Atlanteans he is talking about. Dozens of enormous carriers appear above Manhattan, and only one victory cry is heard: “Hail Hydra!” In his ship, Baron Strucker tells everyone below him to prepare to die.


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[Assistant]
City of Heroes?
Atlas stares at the many Hydra ships that overlook the city. He recalls having worked for them when he was still evil, and that in those days he never bothered to wonder why they attacked. But now, Atlas is one of the good guys, and he wonders.
Meanwhile, Abe, in his old Beetle costume, orders the Radioactive Man to find a way to boost the unconscious Warbird again, so that she can help out in the upcoming battle. Abe flies up and realizes that Strucker is in one of the ships, and wants to talk to him. Meanwhile, news reporters mention the attack on the news, and report sightings of many heroes helping defeat Hydra, heroes such as the New Warriors and the youthful Power Pack.
Meanwhile in the hospital, a man who was once dead rises up again, surprising a doctor. The man is boiled in hot lava, and claims to have gotten better.
Elsewhere in the hospital, Songbird puts her costume on and wants to go help, despite the warnings of her doctor that her voice hasn’t fully healed.
Abe finds a secure line, and locates the ship Strucker is in. He demands to know why he and Hydra are attacking. Strucker explains that he is in a contentious struggle to control his organization, and therefore chaos must rule, and the screams of the dying have to feed the beast. Strucker admits that his competition is formidable, but he has long planned this occasion. He has also used the forces of Fathom Five and the Wrecking Crew, and also planned for the heroes’ spectacle, and prepared them for a greater glory.
Abe finds that ridiculous, since the Thunderbolts have fought against all that, and wants to know why Strucker let them win. One of the Hydra agents whispers to his boss that he has targeted the transmission link, and opened it to everyone. An unsuspecting Abe continues talking, and suspects that the reason Strucker thought that because he was paying their bills.
Strucker wanted the opposition. He explains that, with the Avengers disbanded and the Fantastic Four always off somewhere else, he wanted local superhuman operatives who would fight back hard, all the better to escalate the carnage, but never enough to stop him.
Warbird is back, and rescues Abe from an attacking Hydra ship. She mentions that the military is engaged but, even if they could win, the cost of victory would be too great. Abe says that he has tapped into some of his “contacts” and believes that he knows what the big picture is there, but finds it beyond belief. And he’s certain that they can’t stop it without getting someone in Hydra’s command ship. Abe and Warbird continue their fight, trying to find a way to get someone aboard unseen. As they pass Atlas, he mentions to Abe that everyone heard what he and Strucker were discussing, but Abe doesn’t want to talk about that right now.
At the same time, the Radioactive Man uses a large amount of his powers and manages to destroy some ships. He realizes that he is defending Americans at this point, and knows how he once would have found that thought laughable. He takes another look at Llyron again, the leader of Fathom Five. Llyron is the reason why Dr. Chen Lu came to America. Now, he could just kill the unconscious man, and just leave. But he won’t.
On another part of the city, a running Speed Demon passes the Swordsman and Spider-Man, who are fighting a horde of Hydra agents. Speed Demon wishes that he was back at the strip club, where he was eight seconds ago. He is aware that he was recruited by Strucker to keep an eye on Abe. James Sanders knows that he could be a great super hero, but doesn’t know for sure if that’s what he really wants. When he passes a fighting Captain America, Sanders realizes that he can pass a bullet, but doesn’t know if one can run away from himself. He finds the Radioactive Man, and together they destroy some ships.
Elsewhere, Joystick and Blizzard are also on their way, though they have lost some time because Blizzard wanted to pick up his costume back at the base. Joystick sees this war as a game, which is something Blizzard can’t understand. Atlas destroys Blizzard’s ice-slide, and catches him, but throws Joystick towards Strucker’s ship. Abe wants her to enter the ship, and access the ship’s network to the other craft. Joystick doesn’t see the point why she should do that. Abe tells her to do it, or else he’ll pinpoint Hydra to her exact location. Not knowing if that’s a threat or promise, Joystick smiles and, with using her laserstaff, she breaks into the ship.
Warbird finds this an interesting group Abe is putting together. He is surprised himself. The Thunderbolts fighting below are surprised by an overwhelming attacking horde of Hydra agents. They want to end it, but they are all attacked by a sonic pulse scream. Speed Demon finds out that Songbird is responsible. The scream takes out most agents, but some still stand. Demon goes to catch Songbird, as he’s worried about her voice and what she’s doing here. The surviving agents are defeated by a single punch from the Radioactive Man.
Meanwhile, Joystick has found a trunk line in the ship, and is now working to patch into it. Joystick managed to successfully defeat the Hydra guards, and also doesn’t need any assistance in the patching process. Abe wants to know how Joystick knew where she was on the ship, but she simply replies that she “told them.” She transmits the codes to Abe, and stops talking to him, as some other Hydra agents open fire upon her from behind, so she has to fight them first.
Abe tells Warbird this is what he was afraid of: being in trouble during the attack. He now realizes that Strucker set everything up, so that everyone was too busy to properly deal with it. Warbird asks what he means. Suddenly, they see a low-yield nuclear bomb exploding! Carol goes to get the Radioactive Man, and throws him right in the middle of the explosion. Once there, he absorbs the radiation until he has reached his limit. However, he worries what they are going to do if there are other explosions.
Atlas gets angry at Strucker for detonating it and grabs his ship, but defensive tentacles grab him. Strucker wonders how Atlas could have gotten so strong. Abe has discovered and informs his teammates that Strucker has spread fourteen more nukes across Manhattan, and that he wants to sink the entire island into the water. Abe gives the locations of the nukes, which Joystick has transmitted to him to Speed Demon, and asks him to run there and take Blizzard with him, as he has to freeze as many nukes as possible. Speed Demon fears that he can’t run that fast. Abe threatens that he is aware that Strucker hired Demon to spy on them, and gives him the obvious choice of spending the rest of his life in jail, or otherwise save billions of lives. Speed Demon picks Blizzard up, and runs towards the nukes.
Inside the ship, Hydra agents bring Strucker to the evacuation pods. He would want to stay and fight, but is aware that a bigger struggle will wait for him within the organization itself. He respects much in the Thunderbolt’s tenacity, but believes that they are doomed nonetheless.
Meanwhile, Blizzard has managed to dismantle most of the nukes, but there are still four left. Speed Demon realizes they haven’t enough time to dismantle them one by one, so he wants Blizzard to cover up the entire city in ice so that the bombs won’t harm anyone. Blizzard thinks he’s suit can’t handle that. Speed Demon gets sick of hearing what Blizzard thinks he can or can’t do, and instead grabs the man and runs him across town, and Blizzard freezes everything in his sight.
Warbird asks Atlas to get Strucker alive, because they need him to call off the other Hydra ships. Abe notices Strucker’s escape pod and flies after him, not wanting to let the villain escape.
Blizzard has to dismantle one final bomb, but they’ve got only fifteen seconds left. Blizzard apologizes but, the Freon reserve in his suit is up and he doesn’t have any powers left. Speed Demon yells at him, but then apologizes because he knows Blizzard did his best. Demon curses Abe, because he knows what he should do now. He takes the bomb, and runs real fast out of the Lincoln Tunnel towards west on Route 3.
The nuke explodes, but… people still live! A news helicopter sees a man floating between the explosion, and notices him funneling all of the radioactive fallout! The reports can’t see who the hero is, but his body is covered in a sparkling glowing starfield. Humans start running on the streets again and cheer for the Thunderbolts, this surprising most of them. Speed Demon and Blizzard are still alive, and doctors tend their wounds. The new hero introduces himself as Genis-Vell, but the world can now call him Photon!
Later, the news reports how many people have been killed and lots of buildings have been destroyed, though many lives have been saved as well. Most of Hydra’s ships are destroyed, but leader Strucker has escaped. Also most members of Fathom Five have been arrested, but unfortunately Llyron and Sea Leopard have managed to escape. Everyone cheers for the Thunderbolts, and for the new identity of the former Captain Marvel, and that they have proven that this is a city of heroes.
Elsewhere in a hidden location, a purple man watches the news. He cheers a glass of champagne, and sees the Thunderbolts’ victory all the better for their inevitable fall.


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[Assistant]
House Of M
The Valhalla Mountain Research Facility, Colorado…
Private Genis-Vell is in full action against Von Strucker’s resistance. The interdiction unit comes down in tight formation. Renowned throughout the galaxy for their fighting skills, Genis sees it is an honor to be a part of them. Though many have questioned if it’s an honor Genis serves, he strives to do the best he can. It’s hard enough to be him, but when Genis sees her in action, his insecurities get worse.
“Her” is Carol Danvers. She is the Earth woman who gained super-powers from long-hidden Kree machinery. She gained powers saving Genis’ father’s life and defeating the renegade Kree Colonel, Yon-Rogg. Carol eventually went on to become the current Captain Marvel and is now the world’s greatest hero.
Carol herself is busy fighting the Radioactive Man. She doesn’t understand his motives. She asks Dr. Chen why he has joined Strucker’s cause and why he’s wasting the potential he has performing criminal acts as the Radioactive Man. Chen laughs when he hears Carol speaking about potential. He asks her what to do about the potential of the human race as a species; Carol’s status quo will doom to extinction! While striking out with a power blast at some troops, Strucker calls Carol a traitor to her own race. He promises to crush her with his Satan’s Claw as easily as he brushed the aliens away from him.
Genis notices that it’s only Strucker’s zeal that makes him and his followers an actual threat. He mentions that though their planet is on an evolutionary cusp and, rather than to embrace it, some segments of the human race, like Strucker, seem willing to risk planetary annihilation over obsolescence.
Andrea fears that there might be too many aliens for them to defeat, but Andrea tells his sister to keep fighting, as they can’t let their father down.
Genis recognizes Strucker’s children. They are supremacists, whose original vision of Aryan superiority has been refocused by the struggle for human survival. But these two children are mutants themselves, so Genis has to wonder why they are fighting against their own kind. Genis knows that he could take them both down easily, yet he hesitates. Why? He takes out his gun, but then gets attacked by none other than… Flashback!
Flashback tells Genis he just made a wrong move, and that one second is all he’s going to get when the Private is going to face an opponent who can cut time apart. Genis recognizes Flashback. He can pull additional versions of himself from the timestream. As they spiral, Genis feels at first two hands on him, then four, then eight… and so on. But, through the pummeling, beyond the pain (and embarrassment), Genis also feels something else. Something that scares him. Genis can feel time and space. He doesn’t just see it; he can feel it as well. With a tangible smell and taste, Genis sees a glimpse of heroes, yet they live somewhere… somewhen… else.
Flashback gets literally pulled apart: something is happening! He knows his powers don’t work this way and angrily calls out to Genis, demanding to know what he’s doing to him! Genis recalls that Flashback is a river of time and he is a rock lodged in his current. Ripples flow around the Private, washing over him. Ripples of Flashback’s flesh and soul, as the villain himself dissipates into nothingness (and everything). Then, Genis sees another world, which is so different that the one he knows, yet for some reason… it feels so… right.
Genis, though it pains him, sees the world… as it should be? (As it will be again?) And worst of all (or is it best of all?) Genis can see himself in that world… he sees himself as someone powerful and important… someone who’s very existence will determine the fate of a universe! And, he’s part of a special team of people. Genis screams from the onslaught, the surge, the cosmic awareness. But more, the overwhelming sense of dread that, in this vision, he was not saving the universe, but… destroying it? He collapses.
Carol worries and asks him what happened, and to where Flashback disappeared. Captain Atlas takes charge, and kills Baron Strucker! Andrea and Andreas panic, and hold hands. The alien troops form a defensive circle around them, but the twins won’t surrender and keep on fighting for their birthright, no matter what. Suddenly, Andrea gets shot in her head, and a few seconds later so gets Andreas!
The culprit is none other than Major Erik Josten. And he thinks that the Strucker twins were nothing more than idiots. Genis wakes up to see a human above him, who is surrounded by other human soldiers and looming like a giant, carved in granite. Genis recognizes Josten as the leader of the near mythical human fighting force, the Howling Commandos.
In the ten minutes that it takes Kree medics to examine Genis, Josten and Captain Marvel have already cleared the battlefield. Josten takes some distance from Genis and takes Carol with him. He wants to know what happened to the Private. Carol doesn’t know yet, but something happened when Flashback attacked him. She reminds Josten that Genis is Mar-Vell’s son. Josten doesn’t care much. He tells Carol that in case she hadn’t noticed, Mar-Vell never would have never let himself get ambushed like that.
Genis can hear Josten’s disdain. He knows he should have gotten used to it by now but, now, it’s different. Genis actually feels it, like an emotional punch. Josten goes back to the Kree doctors, and asks for a status report. They suspect that unknown photonic energies course through Genis’ body. As the doctors continue to talk, Genis can barely hear their words. He doesn’t need them to tell him something bad has happened to him. He wants to know what he really saw. Genis wants to know how that one strange vision suddenly changes the way he sees everything. He wants to know why none of this seems real to him now.
He overhears Carol talking to Josten that Strucker claimed he was with the human underground resistance. Josten doesn’t believe that, as Strucker didn’t care one bit about the H.U.R. He was just another terrorist. Carol corrects that some might think it’s a fine line between a terrorist and a freedom fighter. Josten mentions to Carol that she doesn’t want anyone hearing what she just said. She is just trying to be objective. Josten wonders about the answer.
While starting to fly away, Carol remembers how much the world changed for the last few decades, though it was for the best. But, it would be foolish to deny that baseline humans have a justified fear of becoming extinct. Carol doesn’t know what the answer is: she guesses they’ll just keep fighting for what’s right.
Josten agrees, but wonders who’s going to define what’s right. Genis notices that Carol leaves without saying goodbye to him. He doesn’t think she’s comfortable around him. But he doesn’t know if it’s because he reminds Carol of his father, or because he doesn’t. Genis recalls all the rumors that swirled around Carold and his dad. His father had told Genis’ mother that nothing ever had happened between him and Carol. But Genis thinks about it, and he feels himself in, that moment, in their moment. He feels their lips pressing together, his protestations, her longing as he flew away. It’s a passion nearly consummated, clinging to Carol’s very being like thick tar.
It happened years ago, but Carol’s taste is on Genis’ lips, his father longing his gut. How can he seem to know everything, or reach out to hear the thoughts of everyone around him? How they control so much power and still have no control over his own life?
Later…
Ronan thinks that “innocent until proven guilty” sounds a little excessively lenient. Killgrave reminds the Judge Advocate there are ways to… manipulate that statement. They pass a guard, Sunder, who asks them both for their security passes. They are approved, and Sunder lets them enter through a formerly locked door. Ronan asks Killgrave if what he sees is really Zebediah’s greatest collection of scientific minds. Killgrave corrects that it’s actually just a few of them.
Zebediah Killgrave is some kind of politician called lobbyist. He serves as a puppet, pulled between the whims of governments and corporations, consisting out of both humans and mutants. His words were meant to impress Ronan. Though it didn’t quite work, apparently.
Ronan takes a good look at the working crew below him, and recognizes Abe Jenkins, Forge, Orgre, the Mole Man, Thinkerer and Wendell Vaughn. Forge informs Wendell and Abe that they have been registering absurd amounts of tetaspatial energies over the last fifteen minutes. He wants to know if their sensors are working properly. Wendell thinks they appear to be. Abe, while clicking on a pen, explains that the photonic surges are now being scanned. Wendell reveals that this new energy signal seems to be odd, as the photonic energy should be ambient and not isolated into such a self-contained area.
Wendell asks Abe if he could stop clicking on the pen. He apologizes, as it’s a nervous habit. Wendell continues to explain that the readings almost seem to emulate a quasar pulse. He’s finding a locus point for the activity and reports it back to Forge. And it seems to be coming from inside the base! Abe starts clicking his pen again, and wants to know what Killgrave and the alien are doing there. Wendell mentions that word is they’re going to sign a new treaty with the Kree to include a military alliance against the Shi’Ar Empire. From what Wendell heard, the Kree need them, because the Shi’Ar have been advancing into their territory for years.
Meanwhile, Dum-Dum meets up with Josten. He thinks they can’t scuttle the delegations meeting with Forge, as it would draw too much attention on them. Erik knows that, but he doesn’t want the mutants do this, as it will crush the last of their hope. Dum-Dum warns Josten to be quiet, as they’re passing some guards. They salute each other, and walk through a door. Dum-Dum asks Josten if he didn’t taught him patience back in the day. Erik confirms, and jokes that the lesson coming from Dum-Dum, it was pretty ironic. Dum-Dum takes out a pen from his jacket… and also starts clicking it! An unseen person tells him to stop it, as they’re secure in there.
Erik tells the person to show General Dugan some respect. The person refuses, and wants to know if Josten got the thing. Josten did, and shows a experimental tube, which holds some Kree blood he got from the Private. He warns Sanders that he’ll better be able to do this. Sanders quickly runs towards Josten, and takes out a drink. He reminds Erik that he has hidden him and his super-speed from plain sight for a good reason. Sanders knows that his major wants him to find a bio-agent that will kill every Kree on this planet, and he will get the job done. But he has got to tell Josten that, based on the Intel Jenkins just passed along through the intercom morse-code system, it might be a moot point because something the Kree brought along with them looks like it could tear all of reality apart!
The Valhalla Mountain Research Facility, Colorado…
In the aftermath of the battle, common to soldiers on all worlds, comes bonding. The relief to be alive and the sense of camaraderie that transcends nationalities, or even species. Genis is not a part of this. His heritage has made it hard for him to be “one of the guys.” And, as usual, he turns inwards, and once again, he can see… a strange combination of what once was… what is… and what might be? Genis can see his father. When he was on Earth, when he found the Nega-Bands, and a strange uniform, which Genis thinks his father never wore. And suddenly, his father’s hair changes from grey into… blonde?
Genis can also see himself, carrying on some kind of… legacy… but… HE NEVER DID THAT! What is going on here? Genis freaks out and flies away!
The base…
Ronan takes a look on the big viewing screens and recognizes Genis flying away. But he leaves a strange light trail behind, something he never did before. Forge explains that the energy readings they detect are coming from Genis! He’s not using his propulsion boots to fly and, somehow, he’s folding photons around him. Folding space, to propel himself! Ronan sends out his troops to follow Genis.
Throughout the confusion, Genis can feel the troops have started following him. There are so many random thoughts, like jealousy and fear, but why does he feel support, too? Someone, a Terran, a friend of his father’s? At his bedside when he died? (But Mar-Vell died in battle). And, Genis wonders, this person was a friend of him as well? They were… conjoined… he can feel this person’s thoughts inside him, almost as if they were his own.
Genis hurtles through the skies, dragged as much as anything, feeling a pull, being subconsciously drawn to this spot, where Genis knows he’ll be able to find this mysterious Terran. And with a welcome sarcastic edge, he’ll be able to tell Genis what he needs to know, help him to understand all of this.
Genis lands in a graveyard, in front of the grave of… Rick Jones! Genis wonders who Rick was. Genis unleashes an awful amount of energy into the open sky, demanding to know why this all feels so wrong?!
Outside the base…
Dum-Dum wants to know what that was. It felt like everything just… stopped! Forge is working on it. It seems as if, for one second, everything kind of collapsed, like an accordion. Josten doesn’t think that even Magnus is powerful enough to do that. Ronan confirms that it was his private. According to their healer’s examination, Private Vell has become a kind of spatial conduit. He thinks they must find him soon. Josten wants to know what will happen if they fail at that. Ronan claims that or else, this entire universe might disappear in the blink of an eye!
While Ronan and his troops depart, Josten thinks they need to scramble some cover out of Andrews. They can’t depend on aliens to save them. Forge thinks that the major is correct, as, after all, he mocks, that would almost be as bad as depending on mutants, wouldn’t it? Forge suggests that he’ll contact the Council to determine who’s available for help. Killgrave quotes that, after all this world has gone through, the mutants still walk around with a giant chip on their shoulder. He mocks that perhaps Dugan and Josten shouldn’t think of Private Vell as a threat, but rather… an opportunity? He takes out a pen from his pocket and starts clicking it.
A few moments later, Josten and Dugan have reported the events to Sanders. He confirms that of course he did it, as the solution accelerates their metabolism, dehydration, organ failure, heart attack… the works. He explains that the second can slow them down to a near state of hibernation. Coming up with the poisons was easy. The hard part is, Sanders asks Josten, how he plans to deliver them. Erik and Dum-Dum look at each other with a serious look on their faces.
Again, a few moments later, Josten, Abe and Dugan are driving at full speed in Josten’s jeep towards action. Abe doesn’t like it, and tries to make Josten understand that their experiment hasn’t even been tested yet. Abe still has so much work to do on the cybernetic interfaces, repairs on the gyroscopes… Josten could fly it into a mountain! Josten corrects Abe that if the experiment works, he’ll be able to fly it through a mountain.
They stop in front of a cave. Abe takes out a device, which allows him to do a remote reboot, but he warns the major it’s a dirty upload. Abe wasn’t ready. He didn’t think any of them were ready for tipping their hand on this kind of scale. Erik doesn’t think they’ve got much choice, so they enter the cave. He mentions that the only hope for human survival is to start fighting back!
Meanwhile…
Genis can feel them coming for him. Mutants, humans and Kree combined. As always, they are mutually assured destruction brings all races together. Genis is aware that they come to destroy him. He doesn’t know it for sure, but maybe the soldiers are right to do that. He doesn’t know anything. That’s funny, since Genis always thought he knew everything.
While floating in mid-air, Genis experiences more visions, and sees him in alternate forms. Ronan arrives, and calls out to his private, begging that he lets them help him. He warns that he’s bisecting time and space for five hundred kilometers around him! But, Genis can even see Ronan in another version of himself. He can’t stop it. Their world, everything they know, it’s all so… wrong. Every fiber of Genis’ being is trying to turn it back the way it should be. He is sorry.
Suddenly, Genis explodes! The shock of the attack bounces most troops back. Genis turns to Rick’s grave again, and wants the guy to talk to him. He wants to know if this is so wrong why it feels so right. Genis wants to know if the alternate forms he saw of himself are the way his life should be? He wants to know what if this reality is worse for the planet Earth, but better for him?
On that very moment, an energy beam strikes! Luckily, Genis manages to dodge it just in time. It’s Josten, and he’s controlling a flying Sentinel! Genis knows that humans used to built these mechanical machines to hunt down and destroy mutants. However, Magneto stopped them long ago and saved the entire world from annihilation, thereby changing the evolutionary course of this planet. The human rebellion had found and secreted the prototype of an Atlas-class Sentinel mutant-hunter.
Josten calls out to Genis, telling him that the only hope he has of saving his fellow Kree people is by joining the Human Underground Resistance! Genis doesn’t think so, and tells Josten that his plans are useless. He was going to kill the Kree to initiate an alliance with the Shi’Ar, so that they would come to eradicate the mutants. But, Genis thinks that even if Homo sapiens do destroy Homo mutants, Josten surely can’t stop evolution. It’s a natural process.
The Sentinel blasts upon Genis and he gets hit. Josten shouts at Genis that he isn’t a part of this. He won’t let Genis come between humans and mutants and screw this up. His plan is too important to ruin. Suddenly, Josten starts changing in his former Atlas self, and he freaks out! What is happening to him?! Genis attacks the Sentinel, and explains to Josten that he is divided between what was, what is and what could be. On this world, Josten matters: he is a man of honor and conviction. Though on the other world, Josten exists in a worse situation. Which one would he prefer?
Genis really wonders who Josten would prefer to be: a good man on a world doomed to extinction or a bad man on a world filled with potential? Josten feels Genis’ attacks and gets a headache. He jokes that, if he survives this, he and Abe will have to figure out a way to cut that pain-receptor link. Genis flies closer to the Sentinel. He knows that Major Josten has the means to kill him. But in doing so, he might accelerate the powers he is manifesting where all of this reality will cease to exist. On the other hand, if Josten uses the bioagent that slows down Genis’ metabolic rate, Josten’s plot against the Kree will be exposed, he will be executed for treason and his entire Human Underground Resistance will collapse. On a world restored to its proper place, Genis tells Josten, he would live on as a deeply flawed man of weak and wavering principles. Though on the Earth they are currently on, Josten would die a man of honor and a hero to billions, even as they lose all hope.
Josten takes out some blasters out of the Sentinel’s armor. Genis concludes that the choice lies with Erik. Josten wants to know why Genis can’t decide, if he has so much power. Genis doesn’t know for sure, but thinks it’s because his decisions have always been wrong. Genis thinks that maybe, he chose this reality for himself so he wouldn’t have to live with so much responsibility. Genis waits for Josten’s response.
He is furious and thinks that Genis is just another weak alien. Life is responsibility! And he isn’t going to risk every single life on this planet just to advance his cause, but he also isn’t going to stop trying to do what’s right either. That’s something Genis’ old man would have understood.
Genis knows that he could stop Josten, but what are his options? Live and risk destroying this world, or die and risk destroying this world. Neither option guaranteed a return to both Genis and Josten’s real world, which was in the hands of others. Josten didn’t know, how hard a choice it was for Genis to do nothing. Ensuring he would live on a world where Genis gladly accepts being less, rather than returning to this world, where he has failed trying to be more. Josten fires the cannon.
Later…
Genis’ body has survived the attack, but a healer reports that his body is in a comatose state. His photonic fluctuations have subsided. But, they can minimize Genis’ R.E.M. state to avoid simulation during his dreaming. Ronan thinks it’s ironic. If Forge had not developed a biotoxin against the Kree, Private Vell might have destroyed this world. Forge explains that, if they didn’t develop that toxin, the humans would have! Ronan sarcastically smiles, and mentions to Forge that, to “them aliens,” the habitants of Earth are all humans. Killgrave smiles, and watches as Ronan and his troops march away.
Forge mentions to Dugan that Josten was just found driving a stolen vehicle outside of Phoenix. He asks Dugan if he has any idea how Josten might have gotten there. Dum-Dum hasn’t, as Josten has been AWOL for hours now. Forge also wants to know if Dugan knows anything about an explosion fifty miles away that consumed a damaged Sentinel. Much less how a lone Sentinel arm was found at this scene? Forge wants to know that, as they have found no records of Sentinels being build at this place. Dum-Dum, while looking at a partly destroyed Sentinel arm lying nearby, claims that he has no idea.
Killgrave mentions that it is rumored the Human Underground Resistance had been trying to attain abandoned Sentinel technology to use against them. Forge wants to know what Killgrave means with “them.” Killgrav explains that he has always likened himself to being a mutant, with the gift for purple prose and the power of persuasion. Forge thinks that would be a very dangerous power. He orders General Dugan that he has to find out everything he can about Major Erik Josten. It would be a shame if he would come out as a traitor, but an even greater shame should be if Josten took Dugan along with him.
As Forge takes off, Dum-Dum tells Killgrave he didn’t have to sell Josten out. He should have…! Killgrave finishes the sentence, thinking that Dugan should have watched a network they worked very long and hard to develop and come undone. Dum-Dum wants to know what Killgrave means with “we.” Killgrave walks away, telling the general ,that sometimes, the best way to pull the strings, is to play the part of the puppet. He takes off, and starts clicking a pen again.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Ditch
Commission on Super-Hero Activity, Washington DC. This morning, 2:43 AM…
The Commission, consisting out of Henry Peter Gyrich, Carol Danvers, Hank Pym and Dallas Riordan, eavesdrop on a call to help from Spider-Woman, wanting to hear from Luke Cage what happened. Luke explains to her that they were ambushed and taken down hard. Jessica reveals that they had an intruder at Avengers Tower, but she already took care of it. She wants to know why anyone would do such a thing.
Yesterday morning, Manhattan. 11:15 AM…
Dr. Spectrum holds Atlas in her grip, causing him to ask Photon for help. Photon notices that Spectrum’s Power Prism has shifted its wavelength attention from the last time they met. Songbird doesn’t want to hear about it and just defeat their adversary. Radioactive Man rescues Joystick from Spectrum’s Prism attack, explaining he can dissipate the construct Spectrum attacked by irradiating its atomic cohesion. Speed Demon jokes that’s great, but wonders what they are going to do about the other fifty things Spectrum is pumping out.
Songbird explains that Spectrum has been keeping them distracted, thinking it’s about time they returned the favor. Joystick is glad to see Songbird is finally showing she uses her brain too besides her good looks. She breaks a steam pipe and the steam floats towards Spectrum, but she uses her powers to hold it off, remaining unimpressed. Atlas breaks free from her holding grip, and knocks Spectrum in her face! Photon jokes he always avoided hitting people in their faces because eventually, you end up getting hit back. Songbird mentions that floating around waiting for the television cameras to show up doesn’t work for her.
Photon claims that he was trying to access the wavelength, but Songbird doesn’t want to hear about it. Photon asks Songbird if she seriously hasn’t noticed that the whole “public relations redemption” thing isn’t so public for him anymore. Songbird is surprised that Photon is finally showing some emotion. Spectrum gets back up after Atlas’ strike, shattering Songbird’s hard sound wings! Photon quickly catches her into his arms asking Atlas to finish it off. But he doesn’t know what to do and asks Radioactive Man if he has a solution.
Radioactive Man believes he can destabilize Spectrum’s constructs, but not disrupt the flow of energy from her Prism, as its emanations are unknown to him. Speed Demon noticed the Prism is actually a combination of alien energy and alchemical energy, mentioning that he and that Prism go way back. Spectrum overheard that statement and is surprised Speed Demon knows about it, and wonders who he truly is. She reveals that she woke up one morning with this rock stuck on the palm of her hand, made a costume for herself, figures out how to use the Prism, robs a bank, and that’s actually it. She demands that if Speed Demon knows anything about the Prism he shares it with her. Suddenly, the Prism’s power goes off and Dr. Spectrum falls down!
Joystick wants to know what happened. Dr. Chen noticed the Prism just… shut off. Joystick wonders if she can hit Spectrum anyway. Songbird denies that at first, but jokes that Joystick can hit Spectrum, but just the one time.
One minutes and two punches later…
The police arrive on the scene and apprehend Spectrum. The TV also shows up, and reporter Brie Larmer of the Action News Network interviews Songbird, interested to know what happened to Mach IV and Blizzard, as they were absent during the battle. Songbird claims that the team had a rough time during the whole Purple Man affair, explaining that Mach IV got injured during the battle and is now recovering. She claims that Blizzard needed some improvements on his suit so it would hold up better. Brie wants to know if they are coming back to the team. Mel believes that the two will come back once they are ready for it.
Elsewhere, at his base…
Mach IV, while listening on his battle suit, listens to Songbird’s interview. He thinks it’s smooth of her to tell him the truth but to avoid the question at the same time. At least she got one thing right: Mach IV is getting ready for action again.
CSA Headquarters, yesterday afternoon. 1:47 AM…
The group is watching TV and Gyrich is surprised that they are showing Songbird’s interview again. Carol explains that the new Thunderbolts have been on heavy rotation across all news channels since they first showed up. She asks Dallas’ opinion if she thinks that makes the team bulletproof from a PR standpoint. Dallas explains that every poll says that the Thunderbolts can ride negative publicity better than any other super-hero team out there right now.
Carol dislikes this plan of theirs and is surprised that either Gyrich or Dallas does like it. She knows that Gyrich hates the Thunderbolts. Gyrich defends that he hates the thought of an unsupervised group of Avengers even more. He believes they are only sending out a message. Carol knows that, but they are using a baseball bat to do it. Dallas defends that their division of homeland security is chartered to safeguard civilians from any potential superhuman threats. Carol is aware of that as she wrote the charter.
Gyrich is aware of that fact, but mentions that Carol is also Warbird of the Avengers and knows better than anyone that, as things currently stand, the Avengers should be considered potential threats. Carol thinks there have to be at least fifty other and better ways to deal with this mess. She’s regretting this already, but asks Dallas to catch a shuttle up to New York. As she says that, Carol remembers that there is only one way that gives the CSA control over both the Avengers and the Thunderbolts and that only she is aware of that way. However, she also knows that the experience Gyrich and Dallas have with both groups makes them very sound architects for this plan.
Later, at the Thunderbolts HQ in Brooklyn…
Songbird and Dallas are having a meeting, and Melissa isn’t pleased at what she gets to hear. She thinks it’s crazy, even: the United States wants the Thunderbolts to fight the Avengers. They are THE AVENGERS, for God’s sake. Dallas corrects that they WERE the Avengers. Now, she believes that they are something different. Something they can’t understand. Melissa believes that’s the reason why Dallas and her friends can’t control the team and that’s why they are being ordered to fight them.
Dallas mentions that the battle will take place somewhere isolated as by doing that there will be no civilian or material casualties. And Carol asked Dallas to ask Songbird to tell Photon not to tip off any news stations or else she’ll personally kick him back to Titan. Dallas tells Eric he can come out of the shadows, because she knows he’s eavesdropping.
Eric does as told, and also apologizes to Dallas for being stuck in her wheelchair again. He remembers that, when they were merged together, sharing the same body, Eric thought that was the best thing to have ever happened to him. Dallas admits that the relationship she had with Eric was one of the most intimate she ever had, but she also left because of him because she couldn’t handle the situation: it’s just not who she is. Dallas admits that, when they split up, she kept a share of ionic energy and asks Eric if he wants to take it back. Atlas doesn’t. It’s just when they were fighting Fathom Five he just wished he had his powers back so he could help. And if he wants them back he just asked Dr. Chen to look into it. Dallas hopes that something works out. But she warns Eric to be careful as long as he has the ionic energy, because she doesn’t think it has ever been a good fit for him. She leaves.
Joystick comes from the showers, admitting to Eric this is the reason why she doesn’t play the love game, because you can never win. Eric corrects Olivia that that’s a good way to start the life of a loser. Joystick doesn’t care and wants to go attend the briefing with Songbird. She just hopes it’s a chance to get some action.
Manhattan, yesterday evening, 10:21 PM…
Abe Jenkins, while flying through the city in his improved Mach IV suit, grimaces. His stomach still hurts. Figures. Photon got his throat slit by the Swordsman and healed himself through some “reality fold,” while Abe gets six weeks of surgery and rehab. Still, the hum of the flight harness feels good. It feels free and right. Abe feels like he can do this jig solo now. At their base, Songbird explains to her teammates that the Avengers will be drawn as to a response to an emergency distress call. P>
The Sentry and Iron Man fly out of their Tower, with Iron Man asking Sentry to just follow him. The Sentry is confident he can find Sandy Hook easily from the skies by his own. Suddenly, the Avenger’s plane hits Mach accidentally and pushes him out of balance, but gets caught in a giant web. Abe thinks he must be dealing with Spider-Man. But, a voice tells him otherwise, because Spider-Man would be inside the jet that knocked out Abe’s gyros thinking they need to be recalibrated. But the man claims he can fix that.
Abe recognizes the voice: it’s the Fixer! Fixer steps forward and reveals himself. Abe remembers it has been months since they last saw the Fixer and wants to know what he has been up to. Fixer claims he has been around, wandering places, saving Abe’s butt like today. But today, he’s here to make Abe an offer he simply cannot refuse.
Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Yesterday, 10:26 AM…
Iron Man reports to his teammates that their target has been sighted. At their base, Radioactive Man asks Songbird and the others, who are spying on the Avengers using their monitors, if they will be given a violent super-human to use as a lure. Songbird corrects that the statement is not entirely correct. At their plane, Cap notices their target and asks Iron Man if he can tell it’s being run by external remote or internal controls. Iron Man can’t because he doesn’t even know if their target is moving or not. Luke is surprised they are supposed to fight that thing. Spider-Man says it’s only the right thing to do, because as Avengers they are supposed to fight big things, and they don’t come much bigger than… Red Ronin!
Iron Man and the Sentry fly towards Red Ronin, who just seems to stand quietly on the grass. Sentry notices that the Ronin is enveloped in particles of energy and not electromagnetic. Iron Man wants to know why it isn’t moving. But on that very moment, Red Ronin vanishes! Tony asks Sentry if he’s responsible for it, but he noticed that the particles seemed to have shifted somehow. Iron Man asks Cap to check the Quinjet’s sensors, as he’s failing to pick up any readings of Red Ronin anymore. Tony’s systems inside his armor warn him about incoming danger, so Tony asks Cap to pull back their plane.
Radioactive Man isn’t pleased with the battle thinking it’s dishonorable. Photon smiles that that’s the whole point. Songbird knows how Dr. Chen feels, but if they have to do this, she wants to do it by the smartest way they possibly can. Spider-Man’s warning sense also discovers danger. He quickly asks Cap to pull back, but the warning comes too late: the Quinjet gets blown up into pieces!
The Avengers luckily survive, but Cap and Luke fall down. Tony manages to grab Cap, but Luke keeps falling, until being grabbed by Atlas. Spidey jokes that he takes back what he said about they don’t come back bigger than Red Ronin: Atlas has corrected his mistake. But he realizes that, if Atlas is there, the other Thunderbolts mustn’t be far away. And Spidey is correct: Songbird, Radioactive Man, Photon and Speed Demon rush into action!
Songbird’s hard sound construct separate Cap and Iron Man. Cap manages to safely land on the ground, suspecting that the plan of the Thunderbolts must be to divide and conquer. Cap wants to know why Songbird is attacking them, since she was offered membership at the team, thinking that mustn’t mean anything to her. Songbird remarks that would mean she would have killed along with Hawkeye and the others, should she have accepted the offer. Spidey, while facing Speed Demon, thinks Songbird made a fair point there.
Eric grabs Luke, asking if he remembers they used to fight over a codename neither of them is using anymore. Luke does and recalls he won the battle. Eric tells Luke he kicked his butt fair and square, and asks the guy if he knows how to swim. Luke thinks that must be some sort of racist crack. Eric is serious, making Luke wondering why. Eric tells Luke he can figure that out while swimming in the ocean, and tosses the super-hero far away into it!
Iron Man faces Radioactive Man, telling him that they don’t have to fight since they both know how it always turns out. Photon faces the Sentry, but he doesn’t want to fight his adversary because they don’t know each other. Photon jokes that Sentry doesn’t even know himself, though he knows he shouldn’t talk about that. Spider-Man, facing Speed Demon, tells him he knew he shouldn’t buy into what Jenkins what saying on TV all this time. Speed Demon defends that Abe doesn’t have anything to do with this. Cap wants Songbird to talk to him, confident she doesn’t really want to fight him. Melissa defends that’s true, but they are going to do it anyway.
Most members of both the Thunderbolts and the Avengers know and have fought each other in the past. A part of every Avenger had wished that the Thunderbolts were for real. For every villain that had reformed, that was one less they had to fight. And other superhuman villains would see their example and some of them would choose to follow it. It was that admittedly idealistic version that allowed the Avengers to tolerate the Thunderbolts’ very existence for many months. Even through conflicts and dubious roster changes, they hoped, but with the Thunderbolts ambushing them here and now, any faith they had evaporated. Fists meets flesh, metal meets irradiated skin with neither side knowing they are all thinking the same thing: “Why did it all have to happen?”
Avengers Tower, Manhattan. Yesterday evening, 11:42 PM…
Joystick tries to break into the Tower and remembers what she is supposed to do, finding it totally stupid. Songbird saw her as the best one suited for the hardest job of all. And if Olivia does it, the CSA will grant her a provisional pardon and make her an offer she won’t want to refuse. Joystick that breaking even into Avengers Tower is totally lame. P>
She manages to break through a glass and makes it into the large living room. There’s nobody at home, surprising her that there doesn’t even seem to be a security system around, like some sort of giant killer robot or something. She is totally disappointed in the Avengers. Suddenly, a voice calls out to her and Joystick realizes she isn’t alone. She turns around, and recognizes Spider-Woman, ready for action!
CSA Headquarters. This morning, 12:06 AM…
The vice-president asks if there have been any civilian casualties yet. There haven’t been any and everything is going exactly as planned. The vice-president understands that there exist personal relationships with the Avengers, but wants to know if this is going to work. Hank Pym defends that it will. He can know this for certain, as he has been with the team since the very beginning.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
Made Perfect
Sandy Hook, New Jersey, 10:34 PM yesterday…
The Thunderbolts and Avengers are still fighting each other. Sentry’s unfathomable energies escalate, all safely dissipated into a pocket universe by Photon. Radioactive Man extends his glowing aura to search for atomic energies in Iron Man’s near-impenetrable armor. Having flung Luke Cage several miles into the ocean, Atlas looks for someone to step on. Spider-Man barely evades Speed Demon, realizing his old opponent is now much faster. Songbird throws hard-sound constructs at Captain America, keeping him off-balance, knowing that they will keep the Avengers out of synch. And she silently prays he’ll keep his mouth shut. Not question her. Not make her defend their indefensible actions. Not make her feel any worse than she already does.
But Cap does talk, wanting to know why Songbird and her team are doing this. Melissa jokes that that didn’t take long. Cap doesn’t understand the remark, but Melissa doesn’t want to go any deeper into it. Her abilities, her tactics, they are all so improved. While they seem to grab him, Cap silently condemns his old friend Hawkeye for training many of them, while being secretly proud of what he has accomplished.
While fighting in the skies, Sentry seems to find Photon’s powers feeling familiar to him, thinking he knew his father. Photon jokes that would at least make one of them. Sentry remembers that Captain Mar-Vell was a great and noble man, unlike his son apparently. Photon heard it all before. Sentry mentions to Photon that his father would never jeopardize the entire planet over some grudge match! Photon wants to know who said anything about fighting on Earth. While Photon uses his powers and dust clouds appear into the sky, Spider-Man continues to face Speed Demon.
Spidey shoots some of his webs. Speed Demon wonders what he’s up to since they are on a beach, and what could Spidey possibly trying to snag? Spidey snags onto Atlas’ finger, wanting to know if perhaps the Thunderbolts want to tell them why they are fighting each other. Atlas doesn’t like being used like a building, so he shrinks back down to normal size, causing Spidey to fall. Speed Demon uses Spidey’s confusion to his advantage and knocks him several times, rather hard.
Iron Man has noticed that Speed Demon is faster than ever, Atlas more confident, Photon in control of his powers, but he doesn’t think his adversary, Dr. Chen, has any new tricks to show him. Chen admits that he doesn’t have any new powers, but does admit that Tony’s new armor is much improved, but remarks that, in his arrogance, Tony failed to take one vital into account. Tony wonders what that might be.
earlier…
Radioactive Man remembers angrily telling Songbird that he doesn’t need any help handling Iron Man. Songbird tried to explain to Dr. Chen that he’s missing the point, namely that this isn’t about them winning the fight: the Avengers need to be shown why they are losing!
now…
Dr. Chen tightly grabs Iron Man, smiling that he’s now part of a team. On that very moment, Atlas’ giant foot steps on Iron Man, knocking him out!
Cap wants to know from Songbird how they could have planned this so well, know exactly which members of the Avengers would be available currently, and received access to Red Ronin so he could be used as bait.
earlier…
Songbird explains to the team that, once the Avengers see their strategy, they’ll just try to switch opponents. So the Thunderbolts will plan for that as well.
now…
Cap shouts at his teammates that they have to take the advantage of the Thunderbolt’s hands and suggests they switch opponents right now. Photon jokes that he could have set his watch on that, and snaps himself away from the Sentry towards Cap’s direction. He attacks Cap, worrying Iron Man.
Atlas is surprised Tony can even still get up. Chen remembers that Tony has always been incredibly tenacious. Tony gets up but his armor is almost out of fuel. Spider-Man hopes they’ve got the Hulk as a secret weapon somewhere, because they could surely use some help.
earlier…
Speed Demon dares betting that Iron Man tries buying them off. Joystick wonders how much the guy would offer. But Atlas believes Stark will show them more respect than that.
now…
The Thunderbolts have Spider-Man and Iron Man cornered. Speed Demon jokes that Eric doesn’t have to pay up, as the looks in his eyes are payment enough for him. Chen believes that this is exactly why his foes must be shown hubris. Atlas wonders what Joystick is doing right now.
Avengers Tower, Manhattan. Last night, 11:52 AM…
Joystick tries to hit Spider-Woman using her powers, but Jessica easily dodges all of her blast using her great speed. Olivia recalls that Jessica got her powers from Hydra but doesn’t really care that she’s playing the holier-than-though act. But actually, Jessica likes it dirty just fine. She quickly jumps towards Joystick and causes her sticks to hit a wall. She uses Olivia’s confusion to hit her. Joystick wonders what the difference is between her and Spider-Woman. What makes her better? Jessica jokes probably no difference at all, except for the actions and choices she makes in life.
CSA, Washington DC. This morning, 12:01 AM…
While eavesdropping on Joystick’s battle against Spider-Woman, Hank believes that flies are on the wall. Carol doesn’t understand, as the vision and sound from their viewing monitors are perfectly clear. Hank corrects that’s because Nugent Technologies built the screens to be perfect. Gyrich believes that they dodged a bullet because Hank’s miniaturized surveillance microbes seem to be working. Carol adds that they didn’t plan for Spider-Woman to be at the Tower. Hank believes that if Joystick can survive another thirty minutes or so in the battle, and keep releasing the probes through her Truncheon weapons, they will be close to maximum saturation.
Avengers Tower, Manhattan. Last night, 12:01 AM…
Jessice realizes that this can’t be a solo operation, thinking that not even Joystick can be that stupid. Olivia smiles that she could be. Jessica wonders if her foe came to steal something, or if it’s a grudge-thing against Spider-Man. Joystick jokes that she just made a bet with Speed Demon to see if she could break inside the Tower and pulled it off. Hearing this statement coming from Joystick, Jessica actually believes that and punches her in the face! Jessica warns Olivia not to get up again, but she explains that she has to.
Interlude. Brooklyn, earlier yesterday night…
Abe and Norbert arrive at a nightclub, looking for Blizzard. Abe mentions that Donny has been hanging and drinking at this club almost every night since Songbird fired him off the team. They find Donny drinking at the bar, and he is surprised to see them both. Norbert warns Blizzard to be nice to them, as he’ll even upgrade Donny’s Freon suit if he stays that way, because they need him to help save the world!
The Microverse. This morning, 1:43 AM (relative time)…
Photon sends both himself, Captain America and the Sentry to this sub-atomic dimension that exists between the folds of all matter. Sentry is disoriented at first, but regains his equilibrium. Now, an irresistible force meets an immovable object. Sentry can draw energy from anywhere and everywhere, while Photon can shunt it anywhere and everywhere. And though the power both men spit out is enough to shred entire worlds, below them, a trying-to-find-some-cover Captain America knows that they are both actually holding back!
An entire mesa collapses towards Cap. Luckily, his shield can absorb the kinetic impact. But he’d still be buried beneath the rubble. Photon notices Cap in danger and panics, making Sentry wonder why. Photon teleports Cap into safety using his powers, explaining that the Thunderbolts don’t want any of the Avengers dead. Sentry gets upset and wants to know where Cap has been send to this time. Photon claims that the Sentry will find out later, while Cap is putting ice over all his bruises, and will be wishing that he had him on the team instead of Sentry. The two powerhouses continue to battle each other.
Sandy Hook…
Iron Man and Spider-Man are still fighting their opponents, glad that they are still alive. Tony decides to fire off one of his blasts, but as he fires he accidentally hits a materializing Cap! Spidey realizes they made a mistake and tries to help Cap, but Speed Demon runs towards the webslinger and hits him again, making Spidey wonder when Demon got so fast. Dr. Chen thinks that maybe the abilities were always there in Speed Demon’s body and he just didn’t use them. For example, Chen continues, he himself only needs time to isolate the wavelength of Spider-Man’s irradiated blood so he can now start drain his powers.
Tony refuses to believe that the Thunderbolts are fighting them just to show off their powers. He suspects that perhaps they are being mind-controlled again by Purple Man, or perhaps blackmailed? He demands an explanation so they can help each other out. Cap, almost without breath, agrees with Tony telling Melissa he won’t make the same mistakes with the Thunderbolts he used to make. If it’s blackmail they are dealing with, Cap mentions they’ve got sources who can help them out. Iron Man realizes something: he now believes that it’s the government who’s doing the blackmailing!
On that very moment, Photon emerges again hitting all of the Avengers with a huge blast and dropping the Sentry down. Sentry refuses to hold back anymore. Photon heard that and sends him back to the Microverse, thinking that, by the time Sentry finds his way out of it, they will be long gone. Speed Demon thinks that Photon would sure make a good super-villain. All of the Avengers are unconscious. The Thunderbolts feel great, though Atlas had suspected another feeling. He notices that Luke finally made it back to shore. He wants to continue the battle, but Melissa corrects that it’s over. He wants Luke to warn Cap that this was all just a warning and that they can do it over any time they want. The Thunderbolts teleport away, leaving the Avengers behind.
Avengers Tower. This morning, 2:32 AM…
Jessica and Joystick are still fighting each other, though Olivia is badly injured and even bleeds, but refusing to give up. Jessica thinks she’s dealing with a true nut-job. She doesn’t want to hit Joystick again unless she has no other choice. Joystick gets up and laughs, joking that she has won the battle. She walks towards the balcony and jumps off the building! Jessica follows her down, but notices the other Thunderbolts having arrived and taking Joystick with them, mentioning that they’ve all won their side of the battle. Spider-Woman reports back to her Avenger teammates, wondering what just happened.
CSA, this morning, same time…
Hank noticed that Joystick really hung in there, and thinks that with his visit to the Baxter Building and Dallas meeting the Thunderbolts the other day, they are in good shape. Carol notices that Hank still doesn’t feel good about this, seeing that as Ant-Man he is a founding member of the Avengers. Carol admits she dislikes the plan as well but knows it had to be done, if the story they heard is a true one.
On that very moment, Baron Zemo steps out of the shadows! Zemo realizes that admitting him is a difficult matter, but mentions that the CSA’s decision to enact the Guardian Protocols will be vindicated. Gyrich warns that, if they aren’t, Zemo better not underestimate what they can do to him. Zemo explains to Gyrich that mutually assured destruction is the very reason why they are all gathered here. He thinks it’s in their own best interests that he can proceed without interference. Given continued resources, they all know that… Zemo is going to save the world!