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Disaster Response
(Infinite Avengers Mansion)Tigra and the students are watching footage of Giant-Man and Quicksilver helping save people from an erupting volcano, Mount Etna. She says that relief work might just be the most important work that they do. It’s not as flashy as beating up cyborg gorillas but the number of lives saved can be in the tens or even hundreds of thousands. Reptil asks why, in that case, are they watching it on plasma screen instead of helping? They just beat Korvac! A cosmic God! They’re ready for this.Finesse reckons that they are there for the same reason as Tigra, who was left behind to babysit them. Their powers aren’t terribly effective against lava and ash. Tigra tells her she’s as tactful as ever, but correct. Plus, the Italians might not appreciate the using their national disaster as a teachable moment.Veil reckons she should just say it. Nobody wants the remedial Avengers flying in on the short Quinjet. Striker thinks ‘special’ Avengers is more like it. Mettle doesn’t find his comment cool and suggests Intern Avengers instead. Reptil asks what’s with them. He reckons Striker’s ego is usually in Charlie Sheen territory and they’ve just defeated Korvac. Hazmat disagrees. They defeated him but it was in their adult bodies from alternative futures. With them in the driver’s seat they managed to get most of them killed.
Jocasta appears and informs Tigra that they’ve had a request for help from the Police Nacionale in Paris. Electro’s assaulted the CNRS headquarters… their science institute. The police director is asking for Dr. Pym’s help, as he knows their dimensional doors can get them there in seconds. Tigra replies that it’ll be tough. Every Avengers squad is in the middle of something. What about Captain Britain? Reptil interrupts and asks what about them? He didn’t mean to eavesdrop but they need this. She’s heard the others. They’re wondering why they should even bother when there are bad guys like Korvac out there. He adds that, if they can get a win today against a guy who gives Spider-Man a tough time, it’ll feel like it was worth the hard stuff… like they got better for it. He reminds her that he’s a class leader and he knows they need a confidence boost.
Tigra admits she didn’t realize they felt like this. Hazmat asks what they’re whispering about and Reptil informs her he was just telling her that they’re ready to take on Electro, right? Striker asks to be let at him. He reckons the guy thinks he invented electrical powers. Tigra admits that they are used to sparring with Striker and his abilities are pretty similar. Plus, they have the advantage in numbers. She asks Jocasta what she thinks. Jocasta replies that she’s run through thirty-two simulations and all result in the successful apprehension of Electro, most with no major injuries.
Over in Italy, Giant-Man calls Tigra and tells her that Jocasta’s patched him in to their conversation. While it’s her call, he thinks it’s vital that the kids do this. Defeating a well-known criminal and freeing hostages could be the turning point where they finally feel like heroes. Tigra has to agree and tells them to be ready in one minute. But, she warns, they should take this guy seriously or they scrub the whole thing. She has Jocasta hook them in to the building’s systems. Jocasta tells her that, once she’s done that, she will scan for hostiles and facilitate civilian evacuation. “Then all that’s left to say,” she replies, “Is Avengers Assemble!
Using the dimensional doors, the team arrives in Paris instantly. Mettle asks if Pym has doors to every lab in the world. Tigra informs him it’s only the top two thousand. She asks Jocasta if she copies. Jocasta informs her that it appears Electro shorted out the door release controls as well as all fail-safes, sealing the building. Fortunately, it’s only a simple matter to reroute the systems. All exit doors are now open. And, judging from the trail of disabled security cameras, Electro is two levels down in a sector that’s isolated due to the use of hazardous materials.
Tigra reckons hazardous materials is bad but fewer hostages is good. Is she sure he’s alone? Jocasta replies that she detects no unauthorized personnel around the building. Tigra gives the go ahead. She asks Jocasta to focus on the evacuation, Mettle to take point and Striker to try and use his powers to pinpoint Electro. Striker asks if she means like a disturbance in the force? He’s never done that but he’ll try. Unfortunately, before he can even start, Tigra is zapped with a powerful electrical blast. Electro boasts that it’s easy if you practice. Striker led him there like a beacon.
He blasts Striker but the youngster responds with his own blast to render it harmless. He is, however, surprised to see Electro still standing. Electro replies that Ali called it a ‘rope-a-dope.’ He gave off a little lightshow to trick Striker into giving him everything he’s got. He absorbed that energy making him a lot more powerful. He then punches Striker in the face. “And you’re dead weight.” Mettle rushes towards him and Finesse hurls her Billy club, but it bounces off something like an unseen force field. Mettle prepares to smash it, but he is thrown backwards with force. Electro grins as a mist envelops the room. He asks if they think they invented the idea of teams. The Rhino appears, followed by Mysterio, Sandman and Dr. Octopus when the mist disperses. Reptil sees the danger and asks Jocasta for backup. It’s not just Electro. It’s all of them… the Sinister Six!
Mysterio doesn’t want any visitors and uses his power to disrupt the comms. Finesse reckons it’s the same tech he used to cloak the team from the security systems. Reptil warns them to look out as his gas can affect minds. Veil takes to the air and neutralizes any hallucinogens and Mettle smacks Mysterio with the quip, “Avengers Academy say no to drugs.” Sandman responds by forming his hand into a hammer and smashing Mettle. Mysterio orders the team to kill the Avengers but Rhino replies that he doesn’t murder children, not even to soothe his ego. Sandman laughs and says he might just let them go if they promise to smack him round again.
Doc Ock says that, dead or alive, they’re inconsequential. He asks the others to just keep them from interfering with his work. He’ll be handling hazardous materials. Hazmat powers up and replies, “Damn right you will. Start with this!” She blasts Sandman, but he swamps her with soft sand, informing her that getting zapped by radiation is how he got his powers in the first place. They don’t bother him none. Striker tells him that he happens to know Spider-Man’s favorite way to beat him is by zapping him with electricity and turning him into glass. As he approaches, the Rhino charges past and knocks him flying, reminding him that Spider-Man knows better than to announce his intentions. “Point taken,” remarks Reptil before turning into a Stegosaurus and crushing Rhino and the Sandman against the wall. “Surprise,” he adds. “I can change into full-size dinosaurs now.”
Meanwhile, Mysterio asks Veil if she thinks he’s capable of controlling gas. He surrounds her with a mist which disorientates her, and Mettle tries making a lame joke before punching him hard. Mysterio grabs his helmet and utters, “Never work with animals or kids…” Reptil calls for the Avengers to pull themselves together. If they work as a team, they can do this. He asks Finesse to get Mysterio and for Veil to knock out Electro. “Rhino’s mine,” adds Reptil as he charges Rhino in his stegosaurus form.
Striker finally gets to use his electricity against Sandman, fusing his arm. Mettle then asks to role-play. He asks Sandman to be the china shop. He’ll be the bull. Reptil has other ideas. He asks Ken and Jenny to get Dock Ock. Without him they’re just a bunch of leg-breakers. Tigra informs them that she’s just got word that the Academy teachers are back at headquarters. They need to open a dimensional door and get them over to help them. Hazmat tells her they can handle this, but Tigra cries, “Now!” Mettle informs her that he has the portal receptor but Jocasta’s going to have to activate it from the other end. Mysterio’s blocking them from talking to her, so Tigra kicks Mysterio, smashing his helmet. She says he’s not blocking it any more. He can call it in.
Hazmat asks Jocasta to activate Mettle’s doorway. Reptil gloats that the Sucky Six are about to get some Avengers Assembling, but he then notices a portal appear and asks if it’s Doc Ock’s stuff. Doc Ock then appears and uses one of his metallic arms to smack Mettle. He thanks them, but he needed a door activating before he could hijack the signal. He informs Rhino that he’s disconnected the fissile power generator, so if he would be so kind… Reptil calls for him to stop, but Electro wants to have the last word. He tells him he’s had enough out of him and blasts him at close range. Reptil goes down hard, his body spasming uncontrollably. Veil and Striker rush to his aid with Striker pointing out that his heart could stop.
Whilst this is going on, the Sinister Six continue their mission. Rhino uses his strength to push the generator as Doc Ock points out that Pym’s dimensional technology is remarkable. It’s a pity he can’t risk using it regularly but, given his familiarity with it, that would be an invitation for him to tamper with his plans. And his plans are far too important to take that risk. For today, transporting this bulky device across the world, instantly and untraceably… there’s nothing better.
Finesse can’t believe that he tricked them. She hurls her Billy club at him but he catches it with his mechanical arms. He admits that it’s hardly his finest hour, outwitting a bunch of children but, like them, he has something to prove. Some rivals of his recently abducted what they considered the ‘smartest men in the world’ Richards? he supposes. Banner in some fields perhaps, but Henry Pym over him? He reckons he could outwit Pym at every turn and he has. He gave him every opportunity to ferret out his deception. Instead, he leapt and capered like a puppet on his strings. He drew him away by orchestrating a simple volcanic eruption, distracted his idiot colleagues with similar histrionics and developed the means to override his own technology. All he needed to do was to draw them there with an ersatz distress call, ostensibly from the French police director.
Tigra then punches Finesse from behind and reveals himself to be the chameleon. “We’re the Sinister Six,” he informs her. “The Avengers need to teach you math.” Tigra pushes herself up from the floor and finds this impossible. He moved like Tigra and sounded like her. Even her microexpressions. She’s even smaller than him. Chameleon punches her again and tells her that, unlike her, he’s a professional.
With Finesse and Reptil both down, Doc Ock calls time on their humiliation. He asks Chameleon if the charges have been set. He replies that they have and the countdown has been initiated. He then helps Mysterio up and apologizes for breaking his helmet. He asks if he’s hurt, to which Mysterio replies that he was just acting. They then depart, with Sandman saying the Avengers ought to pay them as they just took the kids to school.
Once they’ve gone, Giant-Man, Quicksilver and Jocasta appear having re-established control over the dimensional doors. Jocasta informs Pietro that she’s detecting multiple explosive charges. Defusing them is too dangerous so they need the building evacuated. “Consider it done,” replies Pietro as he rushes off. He soon returns having found Tigra unconscious but breathing. She was hidden behind some machinery but the rest of the building’s empty. Hank notes that both Tigra and Reptil are both badly burned. They should get them to the med-bay. Jocasta counts down to detonation and the Avengers enter the dimensional door just a second before the entire building goes up in flames after a series of explosions.
(15 minutes later)Hank returns to Paris and is taken to task by the real police director. He tells Hank he was fooled by a criminal posing as him. How? He’s supposed to have the world’s most advanced technology. Hank explains that the Chameleon mimicked his voice well enough to fool their voiceprint recognition software. He points out that the amount of valuable, irreplaceable work destroyed and the man hours wasted, not to mention the money wasted is immense and he blames Pym for this. Deception or no, what was he thinking by sending children to help out? Hank admits that their faculty was occupied, dealing with a volcanic eruption, but the director says, in that case, he should have made his dimensional doors available to others… other adults with the necessary experience.He adds that he realizes that mocking France is a jolly pastime for Americans, but his city is not a classroom! Frankly, him sending children into combat borders on the criminally negligent. “Lives have been destroyed because of you, sir!” he barks. He asks Pym to remove himself from his country. Neither he nor his associates are welcome there.
(Infinite Avengers Mansion Med-Bay)Both Tigra and Reptil are sleeping as machines monitor their vital signs. Jocasta explains to Hank that both have third-degree burns. Reptil also experienced ventricular fibrillation but Striker was able to correct it. Hank replies that they’ll treat the burns with the University of Pittsburg’s stem cell process. He wants Reptil’s heart monitored around the clock. He can’t believe he let this happen. He knew Octavius was insane but all this to prove he’s smarter than him? The freak played them like violins and made them look like morons.Watching the news, Veil tells Striker that the Sinister Six have been around almost as long as they’ve been alive. They did their best but this isn’t their fault. Striker motions to the screen and thinks the court of public opinion disagrees. The news reporter tells her viewers that it seems clear that, had veteran Avengers been on the scene, events would have unfolded quite differently. So, the question must be asked: by sending in inexperienced trainees into the field, are the Avengers gambling with human lives? Their latest poll shows a decided drop in support for Avengers Academy.
Quicksilver is also watching and is blasé about the report. He notes that they’ve turned on them. Shocking! Next thing they’ll know the sun will rise in the morning. He says this happens constantly. One day they love you and the next they want your head. They should ignore it. Striker tells him it’s easy for him to say. Everyone’s always hated him but he’s trying to build a career. “Then perhaps you should develop a talent,” replies Pietro. Hank tells them that’s enough. He is in charge of Avengers Academy and he takes full responsibility for what happened. But, as for the media, he believes Quicksilver is right. This comes with the territory. They are there to learn to do the right thing regardless of external pressures.
He takes Tigra gently by the arm and apologizes, but she tells him to stop. It’s her fault. Reptil then says it’s not. It’s his. He’s the one who wanted this so bad. He talked Tigra into it. He thought that just because they beat Korvac it meant they were ready and they just weren’t. Their adult selves beat Korvac with the experience they’ll have in their thirties. They had no business going up against the Sinister Six. Not the way they are now, anyway.
Hank says he’s right, and that’s why this is his fault. He wishes they could stay off the front lines for years, train slowly and let things sink in. But, he’s afraid that he doesn’t have that luxury. He explains to the assembled students that there will come times when every adult hero on the planet isn’t enough, when the survival of the world, of the universe, requires every hand on deck. It’s his job to get them ready for that moment and clearly, he hasn’t. They have no idea how hard this life can get and how high the price is for simple survival. He hopes they never have to find out. But, because they have powers, because of what’s been done to them and who they are… they will.
He adds that the best he can do is try his best to give them the tools to survive and he’s failed at that. So, they’ll try harder. Combat drills before and school strategy sessions after. There’ll be weekend classes from now on as well. He says he’s sorry for not preparing them for today and hopes he can spare them tomorrow.


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No Wounded Soldiers
(The Raft penitentiary for superhuman criminals, off the coast of Manhattan)Explosions rock the high security prison after a blast from space cracks the building in half. Inmates pour out like locusts and scatter into the winds. This means there are now hundreds of superhuman criminals at large in the area.
(Infinite Avengers Mansion, home of Avengers Academy)Giant-Man speaks with Steve Rogers, whose face appears on a monitor. Steve Rogers explains that six more of the projectiles have struck around the world. Most of the Avengers have been deployed to the scenes, which leaves them undermanned. The Thunderbolts and others are responding but there are too many hostiles slipping through. He knows that Hank is familiar with the prison and its inmates. Hank asks him to say no more. He’ll scramble the faculty. He tells Steve that he’s picking up reports of Paris being turned to stone and earthquakes in Brazil. “This is serious isn’t it?”
Steve replies that Hank’s been an Avenger longer than he has. He knows it is. They’re stretched thin. He asks, if it becomes necessary, whether his students are up to it. Hank tells him he’s talking about war. These are kids of sixteen and seventeen. Steve replies that so was Bucky during WWII and he wasn’t much older. They’ve been sending eighteen year-old’s into battle throughout history. Hank closes his eyes and replies, hesitantly, “They’re ready. God help me.”
(Briefing room)Hank gathers the other teachers (Tigra, Justice, Quicksilver and Jocasta) and explains the situation. He asks Jocasta where Speedball is. She informs him that he was near New York. Maybe he’s already on the scene? Hank says they don’t have time to wait for him. He tells Quicksilver and Justice that they are going to Long Island. He needs Jocasta in the mansion coordinating troop movements as others might need their dimensional doors. He asks Tigra to stay with the students. “What?” she gasps. She takes him to one side and tells him that she’d never have started seeing him if she knew he would become all macho and protective. Hank assures her that, if he was being protective, he’d find a nicer way to say this. Her powers are the least useful for containing multiple escapees. And, he needs her to stay.
He asks if she remembers when he told the kids that there’d come a time when they’d have to go to war. Well, if things keep up the way they have, then this is it. She will have to look after them if worst comes to worst. Tigra understands and assures him that she’ll handle things there. He can focus on his mission. Hank turns and asks Jocasta to open a door to Long Island in the vicinity of Laguardia Airport. He asks her to stay in touch. “Let’s be careful out there,” he adds, “And Avengers Assemble!”
The Avengers emerge in Long Island straight into a battle. Hank grabs Flying Tiger, Quicksilver uses his super speed to punch out a couple more escapees as well as Quicksand whilst Justice uses a telekinetic forcefield to capture several more. Gorilla Man tries to break the field but it’s far too strong for him.
(Avengers Academy training room)The team is in combat with a group of training robots with Striker bemoaning the fact that they never get to go on the good missions. Mettle tells him to shut up and asks Reptil if Dr. Pym looked scared to him. As Reptil kicks one of the robots, he replies that he won’t be scared over a few escaped super villains. They call that ‘Thursday.’ Why would he be scared? Finesse informs them that he was trying to hide it but he was terrified. So was Tigra, she adds, once he spoke to her about going to war and sending them to their deaths. “Deaths?” asks Striker. Mettle grabs a robot arm and realizes she must have read their lips.
At that moment, Tigra rushes in and informs them that the capital of the United States is under attack. Veil wonders if they’re pulling Dr. Pym and the others out of New York. Tigra replies that they can’t. The Raft escapees would kill thousands. So… they’re going in. Tigra looks at her students. They look so young. Striker asks what they’re up against. Tigra explains that it’s the Red Skull’s daughter, Sin. She’s got some kind of hammer like Thor’s and it’s put her in his power league. And, there’s also a battalion of robots… mechs… whatever. She thinks about it a moment. They’re going in blind against gods and mass murderers.
She adds that Commander Rogers has Avengers on the ground and they are engaging the enemy. Their job is civilian evacuation. “Got it?” They should only fight to defend themselves or bystanders. Hazmat replies that she zaps things with radiation. How is she supposed to help evacuate anyone? Tigra hasn’t got time for these kinds of questions. She tries not to show how scared she is as Jocasta activates the dimensional doors. She tells them that their identicard communicators will lead them to them. She asks them to just get people somewhere safe. She presses a button next to the door and asks the team to get ready. The door will take them to the scene. All their training has been for this moment. Remember it and they will be fine. She knows it’s a lie, but it’s all she’s got. The door opens and the team bravely charges through it with Reptil taking lead. “Go! Go! Go!” cries Tigra.
When they arrive instantly in Washington D. C., they see a site of devastation. A giant robot with a Nazi symbol stands in the middle of the street whilst another flies overhead blasting using multiple weapons. Civilians run for their lives. ‘Oh, Hank,’ thinks Tigra. ‘What have we done?’
(Long Island)Justice contains Quicksand in a telekinetic bubble whilst Dragonfly tries to tackle Giant-Man, who has a couple of prisoners in his hand. Jocasta contacts Hank but he informs her that he’s in the middle of something. But, if Steve needs them elsewhere, they’ll be done shortly. Jocasta replies that it’s not that. She just wanted to tell him that the students have been deployed. Hank’s eyes widen with concern upon hearing the news. He splats Flying Tiger and Dragonfly against a wall and replies, “Tell them I’m coming.”
Elsewhere, Tigra sees a group of police officers pinned down by gunfire. One of them is out in the open and a sitting target. She instinctively leaps at him in order to protect him and hopes she’s in time to save him. He’s so young… still a kid.
(flashback)Tigra recalls how she and her newlywed husband were together. They were happily thinking about the rest of their lives. She wonders who that girl would have grown up to be. Not that it matters, of course. Her husband was gunned down and killed. Her younger self wouldn’t even recognize her now. The person she could have been died that day. She then changes that. She was murdered!
(present)Tigra runs with the officer and rushes him to the nearest hospital via the dimensional doors whilst her students protect a group of civilians faced with a murderous robot. Mettle uses his body to deflect gunfire as Striker zaps it with his electric powers. Tigra finds a doctor and explains that he was shot during the attack in D.C. The doctor is surprised as he is in Cleveland. She tells him that she could explain or he could save these people’s lives. She asks him not to worry. They won’t overwhelm him. Their teleportation doors shifts which hospital it opens to every minute. “Now go!” she orders.
Meanwhile, Hazmat unleashes her radiation powers on one of the Nazi robots though it stands up to her blasts. As it smashes Mettle away, Tigra asks Striker to back up Hazmat and add his powers to hers. He hesitates, stating that he isn’t bullet-proof. Tigra was afraid of this. Striker ‘died’ fighting Korvac. It wasn’t his actual body, but he experienced it and now he’s terrified. She’s been there before and if he doesn’t face it fast, it’ll paralyze him and get him killed for real. She holds him firmly and asks him to remember what they’ve been practicing - the electromagnetic force field. Striker remembers that it repels bullets just as they are shot at by one of the robots. Striker erects the forcefield just in time.
Striker realizes that it worked. “It worked!” he exclaims. Tigra looks at his reaction. She knows that he’s scared to death but he’s trying so hard. After everything that’s happened to him, to all of them before they found them, and all the reasons they have to be angry and bitter and full of hate… they aren’t. They’ve been so concerned that they were damaged beyond repair, by their powers, by Norman Osborn… by life. They were so worried that they would become criminals that they should be ashamed of themselves. What they’re doing right now isn’t part of their training. It’s who these kids are. If anything breaks their spirit it’ll be them.
“I can do this!” exclaims Striker as he combines his powers with Hazmat’s to blast one of the enemy robots. Mettle tells Striker that was awesome. Unfortunately, another flying robot swoops in and attacks, scattering the civilians all over the place as it shoots to kill. Mettle grabs a telegraph pole and yanks it out of its concrete base. He hurls it at the robot and it hits it square in the face, ripping its head off. However, inside he sees two soldiers, one of them dead and his face drops. “Tigra…” he exclaims. “I killed him.” His teammates are equally shocked at these turn of events.
Tigra assures him that he had to. He was shooting people. Mettle replies that the gunner was. He was just the pilot. She asks him to listen, trying to calm him down. She explains that they are murderers. They chose to slaughter defenseless people who just wanted to get to work and walk their dogs. He had to kill a bad guy to save lives. The fact is, she adds, that what bothers him is what makes him different from them. She knows he is a good person and how hard this is for him, but she needs to know that he can do it again if needs must. “I… I can,” he replies, though his heart isn’t in it at the moment. Tigra thanks him. She then says she hears gunfire from the south and asks him to check it out. As he departs, tears flow from Tigra’s eyes and she damns Hank for asking her to do this and herself for doing it. And damn this world for not giving them a choice.
(Long Island)As several inmates are bundled into police trucks, Hank Pym contacts Steve Rogers. He informs him that the situation is under control and he’s going to Washington to relieve his kids. Maria Hill replies in Rogers’ place and informs him that Commander Rogers has left her in charge and she’s afraid she can’t let him do that. Hank says he’d like to see her try stop him. He asks Jocasta to open a door to the capital. Maria asks him to wait. She can’t force him, but he should look at his viewscreens. His students are doing fine. Meanwhile, the Absorbing Man and Titania are assaulting Dubai. They have boots on the ground in D.C. but they have nothing in Dubai. Hank looks at the Absorbing Man on screen and once again closes his eyes, angry at the decision he faces. She pleads with him, reminding him that he defeated the Absorbing Man not long ago and those people are defenseless.
She shows him footage of his students and he sees Reptil in a Triceratops form in battle. She explains that this is what his students signed up for… what they’ve been training for. Young people go through this every day in Afghanistan and they don’t have powers. Hank knows the argument is lost. “Ms. Hill… Shut Up.” He asks Jocasta to open a door to Dubai. They’ll deal with that as quickly as possible and then they’re relieving their students.
Maria informs him that the Absorbing Man is different to last time they fought. He’s obtained a hammer like Sin’s… like Thor’s. He absorbs the properties of anything he touches and should have been on the level of Dr. Doom. It was only his mind that held him back. That is no longer the case. They’re not exactly sure what’s going on with these ‘hammer wielders’ but they think there’s someone else in there, in their minds. She adds that Titania is possessed as well and this is the only place on Earth where two of these beings are working together. As Justice and Quicksilver head through the dimensional door, Pym says that he understands, but she should understand this. “Nothing will stop me from reaching my students.”
(Washington D. C.)Finesse uses her agility to avoid flying bullets. Hazmat pours on the power against the giant robots and Reptil uses his wings to fly civilians to safety. Veil creates a smokescreen so she can move civilians out of the way and Striker uses the forcefield to protect himself and others. Mettle uses his prodigious strength to use mangled vehicles as weapons.
Tigra watches them in action. This is what they’ve been training for and why Avengers Academy exists. If she didn’t believe they represented her best option she wouldn’t have them here, but thecombination of their powers and the traumas in their past means a normal life is not a normal option for any of them. Yes, they chose this path, but they did not understand what it meant because no one could understand who hasn’t been there. The teachers have been there and it’s their job to prepare them for moments like this, as best as you can prepare anyone. It’s their job to see they survive both the combat, and what comes after.
(Dubai)Hank arrives and grows to giant-size. Talking to himself, he says he doesn’t care how powerful the Absorbing Man’s become or who he has with him. He’s gonna put him down fast. “I’m going to put him down… oh…” He peers over the top of a building and sees Crusher Creel standing the same size as him. “Pym!” he cries, just before he smashes Hank in the face with his hammer.
‘In war, there are no wounded soldiers - Jose Narosky’


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Fear Itself, chapter 2: A God-awful small affair
(Dubai)Giant-Man and the Absorbing Man, both at giant-size, are going at it hammer and tongs. Overhead, Justice and Titania duke it out whilst Quicksilver uses his speed to try and get civilians to safety. Creel taunts Hank Pym, daring him to send him back to the dimension where gods live, because that’s where he belongs now. “I am a God!”
Titania is furious with Justice and she slams him to the ground, only for him to erect a protective forcefield to try and keep her at bay. She asks what he’s done to her lover, exclaiming that their love is epic. It began before time. Even when the false all-father Odin erased them from memory, it still burned as only a deity’s can. She hammers the forcefield which wobbles Justice’s resolve, adding that they are now reborn to spread the Serpent’s gospel of terror. Yet, the mortal within her lover rises to the fore. His speech and his manners all changed when he laid eyes on him!
Justice replies that last time he fought Giant-Man he reduced Creel to a blubbering mess. “Sacrilege!” she snaps back at him. “Fear is our weapon! Not our weakness!” Another blow actually manages to break through the forcefield, leaving Justice totally vulnerable. She raises her hammer high above her head and tells him he should have seen Greithoth eons ago. He was magnificent and he shall be again when she sanctifies their passion with his blood
Just as she is about to strike, Quicksilver arrives and runs around her in a circle incredibly quickly. He notes that she is from the same race as Thor, possessing the bodies of these criminals. He wishes to see if those bodies can breathe when he replaces her air with a vacuum. She smashes the ground beneath her, sending a shockwave out which topples Pietro. She assures him that their bodies do not need to breathe and soon, neither will his.
Meanwhile, Giant-Man tells Creel that whether he’s a god or a devil, he doesn’t care. Because of him, his students are fighting a war alone. All he is to Hank is someone he has to smash through to get to them. He lifts Creel above his head but then realizes that something’s wrong. Creel smiles. He then informs Hank that he’s absorbed his powers and will just keep on growing and Hank can’t drop him without crushing half the city. He tells him he’s not just tougher like this… he’s smarter.
He then manages to wriggle free and knocks Giant-Man off-balance. He informs him that he has a hammer like Thor’s He wraps his chain around him which pins the hammer to Hank’s chest. “Which means no one but me can hold it up.” Hank drops to the ground, helpless. Hank gets around the problem by shrinking down to Ant-Man size and slipping through the links. He then talks himself into pulling himself together. He reckons a smarter Absorbing Man is still just a notch above imbecile. He should make him focus on him and maybe he’ll forget about levelling the whole city.
His thoughts are cut short when he hears a series of massive crashes. He looks round and realizes that Creel has demolished an entire building. Hank figures the loss of life will be in the thousands. Creel gloats that just by having Hank Pym there helps him win. Hank knows that he’s right. Every second this goes on is mass murder. He needs to take him away from people, but because of his scale how can he possibly do that?
The Absorbing Man stands there with his arms outstretched looking skywards. He states that this is what it was like in the Serpent’s day - giants fighting in the sky whilst soft humans cowered in caves, feeding the Serpent with fear. Watching him, Hank gets an idea. Remembering that he saw Quicksilver evacuate a nearby skyscraper, he hopes it holds together and he can goad Creel into charging him. He yanks the top half of the burning building from the lower half and places it across two other buildings. Sure enough, the Absorbing Man charges at him as he stands on the other side.
As soon as he reaches the building, Hank calls Jocasta and asks her to activate a dimensional door. The three buildings act as a gate and a door is opened to another icy dimension. Creel realizes what’s going on and struggles against the suction created by the portal. As Titania hammers Quicksilver, Hank reckons that the power of the wind sucking him in at that altitude is like explosive decompression. He’s confident it will work. However, Creel reaches back into this dimension and asks Titania to give him some sugar. She smiles and tells him that he is still magnificent. She takes to the air as Hank wonders what’s going on. Titania flies towards Creel and smashes her hammer against his. The shockwave knocks Giant-Man and the buildings over, but as he falls he sees them both disappear through the portal. He reckons it’ll give them some time but they’ll be back. His thoughts turn to the students, but he is so weakened by his efforts that he collapses and falls into the sea, lying flat on his back unconscious.
(Washington D. C.)Meanwhile, the students are under attack by Sin and her tech legion. They are on civilian evacuation duty, trying to get people to safety whilst the senior Avengers fight the battle. Veil notices a little girl all alone standing in the line of fire. She calls her to get away from there but then sees the wall collapse behind her. She hurries over and grabs her, turning to mist as the bricks tumble down. Luckily the girl isn’t hurt. Veil materializes and assures her that she’s one of the good guys and that she has to get her out of there. She asks where her mom is. The girl points back inside the crumbling building. “Will you get her?” she asks. Veil looks at the devastation and doesn’t really know what to say. She thinks for a moment before telling her that she will try.
Maddie turns into mist again and wonders why Giant-Man never taught them what to say in situations like this. Also, she wonders, why isn’t he there? She heads into the building, floating around in the darkness and thanks goodness when she finds the girl’s mother lying injured in the rubble. She asks if she can talk to her. The woman struggles to speak so Veil informs her that she has some ammonium carbonate, otherwise known as smelling salts. She apologizes but says she can’t get her out of there alone. Taking a whiff of the salts the woman sits up and shouts her daughter’s name. “Katie! My daughter… she was… I tried to throw her out…”
Veil tries to calm her down and informs her that her daughter is outside. The woman crosses her arms over her chest and says it hurts when she breathes. Veil tells her she’s probably broken some ribs. She asks her not to speak. The place isn’t stable. She explains that she was going to go for help but there’s no time. She has to get her out right now. The woman holds her arms, struggling as they move. Veil tells her that she knows it hurts but she has to do it… for Katie.
They soon come to the edge of the building and Veil offers reassuring words to keep Katie’s mom moving forward. She finds a large slab of concrete and thinks they’re almost there. Unfortunately, she needs to see what’s on the other side first. As she turns into mist, the mom asks her not to leave her, but Maddie tells her she’ll just be a second. After a quick recon she floats back inside and materializes. She informs the mom that it’s okay but they have to move fast. The support beam and the doorway are holding each other up but they’re starting to slip. She’s sorry, but she needs her.
The mom places her hands against the slab but she is frightened and says that she can’t do it. Veil tells her that she can. She should think of her daughter waiting on the other side for her. The mom renews her efforts and between them they manage to push the slab out of the way creating a small gap. The mom crawls through but as soon as she’s on the other side the whole thing crumbles. Luckily, Veil transforms and slots out safely as Katie is reunited with her mom.
Their joy is cut short, however, when one of the Nazi robots approaches and shoots the mom several times through the torso and hip. She falls and Katie is shocked. “Mommy?” she asks. Veil is equally shocked but her surprise turns quickly to anger. She transforms into mist and attacks the robot’s pilot. She gets inside his lungs, which causes him to gasp for breath, and stays there long enough until his heart stops beating. She then transforms back into her human form and lands next to Katie. The little girl looks up at her and Maddie is lost for words.
A medic then rushes towards them asking if the mom is hurt and if Maddie needs him to take Katie. Veil turns away and asks him to take her away, explaining that her mom is dead and she is in shock. “Get her somewhere safe.” As Katie is carried away, she looks back at Maddie who can only say, “I’m sorry,” before bursting into tears.


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[Assistant]
Things Fall Apart
(Infinite Avengers Mansion, Headquarters of Avengers Academy)A door opens and Hazmat almost falls through it. “What the hell is that?” she exclaims as she looks behind her into a strange environment. As she manages to run back inside, Finesse explains that it’s the Microverse - a subatomic dimension located above Underspace where their Infinite Mansion used to exist. She tries to explain further but Hazmat isn’t interested.
Looking out through the door at some inhabitants of the Microverse, Striker tells Finesse that he doesn’t understand. They’re growing bigger ever second. Why aren’t they squashing all these tiny little planets like ants? Finesse explains that it’s because they’re in a state of flux, not matching their vibrational frequency. Basically they’re just ‘passing through.’ “So we’re okay,” says Striker. “Not even a little bit,” she replies. She explains that the Absorbing Man or whatever he’s become has absorbed the properties of the mansion’s Pym Particle Generator - the technologies that allow Giant-Man to change size. He’s forcing the mansion and everything inside it to grow, and clearly his ultimate goal is to end that journey on Earth! She adds that the Infinite Mansion is the size of a city. When they materialize, they will kill thousands of civilians.
Meanwhile, the Absorbing Man and his companion, Titania, are now inside the mansion. Titania revels in feeling the terror of an entire plane of existence. Of all the Serpent’s children, she feels that none serve him as well as they do. Creel smashes his way through a wall with ease and agrees with her, adding that, although the realm is distant and small, the fear they sow upon Earth will be their crowning glory. The device’s power is now his. When Pym sees them emerge from the wreckage of this place, he wants his hammer’s chain adorned with the heads of his students. He holds the glowing chain before him and grins, his eyes glowing brightly with the power within him.
(The USS Harry S. Truman, the Persian Gulf)Giant Man is laid out on the deck, stuck at giant-size. He dwarves the planes that are assembled in the center of the ship. Quicksilver, Justice and Tigra are beside him. Tigra is concerned that he might not be stable, but Justice asks what she means, asking her to look at the size of him. He knows that she’s worried, but Hank’s life signs are strong. He wouldn’t have moved him otherwise. Tigra asks, in that case, why he won’t wake up? Quicksilver reckons that, due to his metabolism, he heals at an accelerated rate. It’s probably the reverse for Hank. He simply needs time. At that moment, Hank’s eyes pop open and he shrinks to normal size. He informs them that something’s wrong at the Infinite Mansion. They need to move now!
(Infinite Mansion)Finesse is checking out the computers and she exclaims that she knew Hank would have something for a situation like this. Hazmat asks if she means a way to stop the mansion from growing. Finesse replies that she means a way to destroy it. She explains that she can activate a destruct function that will atomize the entire structure. If she times it right, the civilians should be spared. Striker tells her that’s great, but how do they get out? She tells him that there’s a risk, but simply exiting the mansion as it materializes on Earth should enable some of them to get clear in time. “Hold up,” replies Striker. “Some of us?” Finesse informs him that, if they can catch the Absorbing Man and Titania in the mansion when it detonates, there’s a chance of killing them. If not, they’ll simply continue their path of murder and destruction. Someone has to stay and keep them there. Whoever that is will die.
Striker suggests using the training robots but Finesse says they won’t last a second. They’d swat them aside and ignore them. It has to be someone they want to fight and want to kill. Reptil steps up and states that as class leader it’s his responsibility. Mettle then walks in and Hazmat asks if he’s okay. He informs her that it was weird, like his body just shut down but he’s good now. Finesse asks Reptil not to be ridiculous. The Absorbing Man beat him easily. It only makes sense for two of them to stay. She will run the computer. Reptil tells her she can’t, but she replies that she is the only one who can use the computer. No one else is familiar with the systems. Reptil says they’ll try something else. She doesn’t want to die, does she? Finesse turns away and replies that she doesn’t, of course, but this way some of them will live. She explains that the other person has to delay their enemies; enemies who nearly killed them with minimum effort. Hazmat is the only one who even slowed them down.
Finesse taps away at the computer controls and informs them that if they wait by the door when they enter Earthspace, she calculates that they have a three second window for them to exit. Reptil approaches her and tells her that he doesn’t care who her parents are or what anyone says about her. He’s grown up idolizing heroes his whole life and he knows when he’s looking at one. With that, he moves in and kisses her. Finesse is momentarily shocked, but she soon reciprocates and kisses him tenderly. She then breaks off the says that time is running out. “Stations everyone.”
As Mettle and Hazmat remain inside, Reptil, Striker and Veil stand by the door. Veil can’t help herself. “Mettle, Hazmat. Just, thanks. It’s been…” Mettle looks back and says, “Yeah, same here brah.” Veil wants to try the robots but Striker assures her that they wouldn’t work. This is the only way. They going. She shouldn’t make him shock her senseless and carry her. Mettle turns to Hazmat, hand in hand and asks if she’s ready. She says no, but they should go anyway. Veil sheds a tear as she sees her friends disappear.
Jenny tells Ken that if she’d known this was going to happen and if they’d had more time… well, there are things she wants to say to him. He tells her that he does too but they don’t have the time. Jenny removes her helmet. “Well, we have a little,” she replies. They kiss each other, only for their embrace to be cut short as the Absorbing Man and Titania appear. “Ah, young lovers,” smiles Titania. “I do so love killing them.”
Hazmat puts her helmet back on and in a determined fashion tells Mettle that she’s gonna make this hurt. “Come on!” she cries as she gives Titania everything she has. Mettle smashes Creel as they try to take the fight to the powerful duo. The others can only wait whilst Finesse keeps them informed. She tells them they’re almost there. As Creel smashes Mettle through a wall, Hazmat manages to avoid Titania’s strikes and continues to blast her with radiation. Finesse says, “On my mark, go!”
As the mansion hovers above Chicago, suddenly a massive pair of hands crashes through another wall and swats Titania away from Hazmat. Quicksilver appears next to Finesse and tells her to join her classmates. Finesse points out that someone has to activate the self-destruct manually. It was meant for Jocasta. Pietro understands that she would have projected her consciousness into another body in the second it takes the mansion to blow, but as she’s not there, he will do it.
As Giant-Man crushes the Absorbing Man into the floor, Finesse tells Pietro that, after all he’s done for her, she can’t let him die. Pietro reminds her that one second is an eternity for him. He asks her to be a good girl and mind her teacher. Meanwhile, Hank opens his hands out wide and asks Mettle and Hazmat to jump on. Pietro tells the rest to leave right away. They don’t need telling twice.
Giant-Man reaches up to the descending mansion and grabs Hazmat and Mettle. Justice uses his telekinetic power to grab Striker, Finesse, Reptil and Veil as they exit through the door. As the mansion detonates, Hank shields his eyes. Smoke swirls around them and Mettle, standing on Hank’s shoulder, asks if they’re dead. Unfortunately, the answer comes as a resounding “no” as the Absorbing Man and Titania swing down through the smoke. Creel laughs. He finds it intoxicating; the terror of an entire city convinced it’s about to die.
Titania says that they’ve served the Serpent well. They should now serve themselves. She knows that he hates Pym with the fires of Hel and he has so many unshattered bones. Creel asks if she can’t feel it. Now that they are returned to Earth the all-father summons his children for the final conflict. Their loyalty to him can be no less than these mortals for each other. He tells Hank that he leaves him and his whelps alive, for he knows that this world is theirs and he can return to kill him at his leisure. He invites him to the coming battle. He would love to carve the serpents throne from his skull! He and Titania then disappear, leaving Chicago, for the time being, peaceful.
As Mettle and Hazmat jump to a nearby building, he asks Hank what all that ‘final conflict’ stuff was about. Hank admits that he’s not sure but he’ll check in with Commander Rogers and see if they’re needed. It’s nothing to concern themselves with, though. They’ve earned a rest. Striker asks where? He reckons he’s currently inhaling his bedroom. Hazmat realizes that all her vintage Dazzler posters will have been destroyed. Striker tells her that she shouldn’t keep valuable stuff in a super hero headquarters. Besides, she should look on the bright side. Five minutes ago she was about to die!
Striker suddenly remembers Speedball’s cat. He forgot all about Niels. He was in there. Quicksilver appears behind him carrying Niels and assures Brandon that he has him. He was bouncing around Lincoln Park. Apparently he survives explosions as easily as his master. Tigra tells the kids to get themselves to a hotel and clean themselves up. They have a few things to figure out. They should remember that they faced enemies with the power of Thor and survived. They conducted themselves like heroes in the face of disaster. They should be proud of themselves. They did everything they were trained for and more. They acted like Avengers!
Veil asks if she’s crazy. This is what they were trained for? They sent them to war and they killed people. She turns to her friends and tells them that they were put in a position where they had to choose which of them would commit suicide! She’s got things in her head… smells, sounds, things she’s done that will never go away. She feels that this is all wrong. They’re sick. If this is what an Avenger is all about she wants nothing to do with it. Removing her mask she says, “I quit.”


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[Assistant]
Endings
(The Drake Hotel, Chicago)Veil watches footage of the final battle between the Avengers and the Serpent, which threatened to destroy the Earth. She learns that Thor is dead, having sacrificed himself for ‘the noblest cause.’ Justice and Reptil call on her to chat about what she said about quitting, but Maddie changes into her mist form, wafts under the door and barks at them that she’s all right before heading back into her room. Justice decides to leave it for the moment.
(Broxton, Oklahoma)Hank Pym and Tigra ask Hawkeye what they can do. He replies that the danger is over but he’d wondered where they were when he saw Quicksilver. He thought his dimensional doors could go anywhere in no time? Hank face drops as he informs him that the Infinite Mansion has been destroyed. Tigra adds that Avengers Academy isn’t doing much better.
(Avengers Mansion, the next day)The Avengers are enjoying some food and discussing recent event, in particular Jewel, who wants a safer place to live after her daughter was almost killed. Luke wonders where they could go. Kids were threatened in Queens, Connecticut, Missouri… No place is safe. Veil overhears their conversation and makes a phone call. As she speaks, Hazmat appears and startles her. Maddie calls her Hazmat, but she tells her she can call her Jenny. After all, she was the first person she met at Avengers Academy. Maddie remembers that day well. Their first meeting wasn’t particularly friendly. Even now they’re not exactly the best of friends.
Hazmat, despite that, tells Maddie that she knows things are pretty grim. Thor is dead. The fake Captain America is dead. Maddie misses her old life when the worst thing she had to worry about was zits and mean girls and what to wear at homecoming. She knows full well herself that the life she knew is gone. Even the happy memories are gonna seem like lies. Maddie replies that her old life wasn’t like Hazmat’s. She didn’t have boyfriends or friends or much of anything. Her dad left her when she was two and he’d only visit when the cops made him pay his child support. It was like he was paying for her so he might as well see her.
She continues to mention that her mom popped pills for a back injury that healed years ago and spent all day watching TV and getting fatter. She did all the housework herself and paid some of the bills. She could have gone anywhere to get away from that, but this place might be worse. She killed people. Yes, they were evil Nazi mech pilots, but she killed them. The worse thing? She doesn’t even feel bad about it. She doesn’t feel much of anything at all. The Avengers were her heroes. Her ideal, and now she’s finding out that they’re every bit as screwed up as she is. More, probably. She wants to help people and do something good with her life. But, she doesn’t want to destroy herself in the process.
Hazmat replies that Veil has powers. She’s gonna be a ghost by her mid-twenties. Norman Osborn tortured her and she’s a stone cold killer. It seems to her like it might be too late. Besides, what else is Maddie going to do? She then twigs as to who the phone call may have been made to. “No,” she gasps. “You’re not seriously thinking about…”
They are interrupted when Reptil tells them that Speedball’s back. Outside, Robbie thanks Quicksilver for saving his cat. Reptil tells him they saw him on TV. He’s a massive hero, thanks to all those viral videos he posted turning the tide. Robbie admits that he was only a small part of that, but Hank reckons what he did was phenomenal. He’d like him to talk to Veil as she’s thinking about leaving. Robbie says he’d love to, but explains that he has had his eyes opened up by all that’s occurred and would love to go back out there again. What he’s saying is… he is leaving Avengers Academy.
This elicits a feeling of widespread surprise. Pietro wonders if there’s something in the water. Hank tries to talk Robbie out of it, but Justice cuts him off, saying he wasn’t there after the Stamford disaster. He didn’t see Robbie blaming himself and draw himself away from everyone and everything. If he’s ready for this, then they should let him go. Hank apologizes for being selfish and thanks Robbie for everything. They’ll miss him. Robbie says likewise, but he’s not leaving this minute. There are some bad guys who escaped who kicked his butt that he wants to track down. Anyone up for one last ride?
(the next day)Everyone decides to join Speedball on his quest and it doesn’t take them long to track down Icemaster, Ember and Aftershock. Robbie asks Veil if she’s really quitting, but Maddie reminds him that he’s quitting too. Robbie asks if she’s ready to do that, but Veil replies that she doesn’t know. She just knows that she’s ready to be done with this. Down below, the students and teachers have the three villains trapped, but they are surprisingly defeated with ease by Jeremy Briggs who arrives by helicopter.
Reptil flies up to meet him, but Jeremy simply gloats about how he took down the villains with no major injuries. Reptil warns him that after what he did to them he’s been dying for an excuse to take him down. Briggs replies that he wasn’t expecting hugs, but he just took out three violent fugitives. A thank you would have been good manners. Hank asks Humberto to take it easy. Briggs hasn’t made a hostile move. He then turns to Briggs and warns him that he’s watching him. His students briefed him about their encounter and the second he finds evidence he’s committed a crime…
Briggs interjects, telling him that he won’t because he hasn’t. His students are kinda loopy and see conspiracies everywhere. All except one. She has seen the light and he just wanted to deliver his message personally. “Veil… the offer is most definitely still open,” he shouts. “Any time you’re ready, there’s a six-figure position waiting for you at the Briggs Foundation.” The helicopter turns around and departs, with Briggs adding they could do great things together. “Hope to see you soon.” The students look at Maddie, amazed by what just happened.
(two hours later)Everyone has an opinion on this subject, and they’re not shy in sharing that opinion with Maddie, one by one. Tigra doesn’t even wish to speak to Maddie and Humberto reminds her that Briggs as good as killed that kid. Maddie replies that he didn’t, but Humberto says he’s lying. She can ask Finesse. She always gets this stuff right. Finesse explains that his microexpressions indicated deception, of course. He’d spent the entire week deceiving them in various ways. Can she say without doubt that he was responsible for the boy’s death? No, she can’t.
Pietro tells her that what Briggs did was calculated manipulation. He put her on the spot in front of everyone, forcing her to choose whether she’s ready or not. The boy is a weasel. That said, he adds, the pay is quite good and no one offers dental these days. Mettle is more sympathetic. He knows Maddie has around ten years before she gets ghost-like so she should enjoy it. If he knew this was gonna happen to him, he would have spent a lot less time in school and a lot more on the beach!
Once outside, Hank Pym apologizes to Maddie for not finding a cure for her condition, but Maddie tells him he did the best he could. Without Pym, she’d probably be on drugs, in jail or just a useless mess like her mom. Maybe being an Avenger isn’t for everyone. Hank agrees, but tells her that Briggs is a sociopath. Maddie reckons most billionaires are but he helps kids in Haiti and Russia and Japan, cleans up oil spills. He may be a bad person but he does good things. And he doesn’t fight psychos who kill innocent kids or alien gods whose minds feel like maggots dripping acid. She just… she just wants to try something else. She has to.
(an hour later)Maddie is in her room when Justice appears at her window. She opens it and he says he’d like to talk. She tells him that was rude. What if she’d been naked? Vance replies in that case, she’d have closed the curtains or the guys at the office across the street would be fighting for window space. Plus, the last time he tried knocking it didn’t go so well. Maddie continues packing her bags, informing him that she isn’t really in the mood for a lecture. Vance replies that he isn’t there to give one. He says he was curious as to why she made the choice she did. He hopes it doesn’t have anything to do with him. Maddie replies it has nothing to do with the schoolgirl crush she had on him.
She sits down and explains that, basically, this life isn’t what she expected. It’s hard doing what they do, and if you do it one more day, you’ll end up hating everything you used to love, starting with yourself. Vance admits he doesn’t know that feeling. He grew up worshipping Captain America, wanting to be a hero. Then, he was and it was wonderful. Sure, he admits, there were hard times, but when he put on the suit, all the problems at home went away. He saved people, saved the world, and he had friends - really good friends. He has some serious concerns about Jeremy Briggs and advises her to watch him closely. But, if being in Avengers Academy makes her feel the way she says she feels, she should quit. He pauses a moment, before adding, “I think I’m going to quit, too.”
(the next night)Robbie asks Vance what all this is about him leaving. Vance quips that he guesses Robbie is a bad influence on him. He explains that, after college, he thought he’d take some time off, just get in a car and go see America. Stuff got in the way, however. Robbie tells him that he had the same idea. That’s kinda what their reality show was supposed to be about. Go places that didn’t have heroes and show how they could help. It all went out the window when they switched on the cameras. “So,” replies Vance, “No cameras. You and me. For real this time. What do you say?” A broad smile works its way across Robbie’s face.
As the two heroes make for the gate, Maddie too is on her way. Striker asks if she’s sneaking out the back. She stops and tells Brandon that everyone’s either mad at her or confused or just sad. She didn’t want to make it worse with some drawn-out goodbyes. Anyway, he adds, everybody already told her what they think except him. She guesses he’s her best friend at the Academy, so he’s earned his right. Brandon admits that he’s too messed up to offer anyone advice. He just wanted to say that just because she’s a traitor super villain now doesn’t mean they can’t hang. “So good luck, and don’t be a stranger, okay?” Veil gives him a big hug and smiles.
Watching from a window, Hank Pym tells Tigra that they failed her, but Tigra says they gave her everything she needed and she has to accept it. Hank tells her she was pretty hard on Mattie, but Tigra says she isn’t going to pretend what she’s doing is right or even good for her. They still have five students which is more than she thought they’d have. They should forget Veil. They have to rebuild the Infinite Mansion and start over with the rest. Hank replies that the Infinite Mansion has been destroyed and it should stay that way. He thinks their problem is that they kept their students away from the world; away from kids who weren’t tortured by Osborn. Plus, between Dr. Octopus and the Absorbing Man, his dimensional door tech is too compromised to continue using it. They need a new headquarters, one rooted in the real world. Tigra asks if he’s got one in mind. Hank just happens to have a place they’re both familiar with that’s just sitting empty, waiting for a second chance.
(Briggs Chemical, Manhattan)Maddie arrives at her new work place. Briggs hopes she likes the office. He will have an apartment for her by tonight and her expense account is active, so she should go nuts. Maddie can’t believe it and she thanks him. She then asks what it is that she’ll do. Briggs opens his arms wide and says, “What do we do? Anything we want.”
(Palos Verdes, California, former HQ of the West Coast Avengers, later)Pym and Tigra arrive at the former headquarters of the West Coast Avengers. Pym says it kinds of makes one nostalgic for the old days doesn’t it. Tigra replies, with a hint of sarcasm, that it does. Her cat side was taking over and she cheated on him with anything with pants. Then she went feral and Pym shrunk her down and put her in a cage. They shouldn’t forget that he put a gun to his head. “Good times.” Hank laughs and tells Greer that she never lets him avoid reality. That’s one of the things he loves most about her. Tigra pauses. “Did… you just say…” Hank turns to her and tells her he loves her. He realizes that may be more than she’s looking for right now, but…
Tigra lays a kiss on his lips and Hank responds eagerly. Quicksilver appears carrying some timber. He tells them it wasn’t demeaning enough being treated like a groundskeeper. Now he’s being subjected to the two of them behaving like animals on heat! Hank asks how the place looks. Pietro reckons it’s like the House of Usher. But, he’s made sure it won’t fall down before they can have it refurbished. It’s a bit big for just five students, though, doesn’t he think? Hank reckons it is, which is why he’s opening up the facilities to any young superhuman who wants instruction. Jocasta’s been busy recruiting and this is just the start. Their full-time students will continue to be their focus, but why limit themselves? Why limit them? This is a new era for Avengers Academy.
Pietro looks over to a quincarrier which has a bunch of new students getting out to explore their new home: Batwing, Butterball, Lightspeed, Juston Seyfert and his Sentinel, She-Hulk II, Thunderstrike II and the White Tiger.


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

[Assistant]
Welcome, Students
(Avengers Academy)Hank Pym is in the hallway with Captain America, Luke Cage and Hawkeye. They are looking at a photograph of the original members of Avengers Academy: Finesse, Hazmat, Mettle, Reptil, Striker and Veil. Hank tells them that it was all about them. Osborn found them. They were innocent kids with powers at the mercy of a psychotic murderer with delusions of grandeur. He saw them as living weapons which he could mold. He augmented their abilities and then tormented them physically and mentally. He turns to his friends and says that they are the Avengers. They shouldn’t have let this happen. But, they did, so it was their duty to save them.
He adds that he thought it was going well. Then, their very first student, Veil, left to join another of Osborn’s victims, who is now an amoral sociopath! He admits that he’s failed again, which he guesses is why they are there. Captain America says they don’t blame him. Those kids had the odds stacked against them from the start. Cage says it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have tried. Clint applauds his efforts. He reckons the idea of Avengers Academy is a winner, and what he’s done to their old WCA compound is a thing of beauty. So, why doesn’t he quit beating himself up and they can get out there and meet the new class?
They head outside into the California sunshine and find the new recruits, plus a few more that have arrived, training with Quicksilver and Tigra. Machine Teen plays basketball with Juston Seyfert and Spider-Girl, while Power Man indulges in a little tug of war against the new She-Hulk, helped by Ricochet, Turbo and Hollow. White Tiger practices combat with Tigra and Rocket Racer uses the place to practice his skills. Meanwhile, Whiz Kid flies around as Lightspeed chases after him.
The original students are training nearby, and Hazmat for one isn’t impressed that the school has been opened to other guests. She wonders who they think they are. “’New students’ my radioactive butt,” she sighs. “We’re Avengers Academy.” Striker asks her to wake up as he blasts at Finesse who is trying to capture their flag. Hazmat asks him to unclench. She’s on it. She points her finger at Finesse and fires a non-lethal dose of radiation which floors her opponent. She explains that it’s just like the government’s active denial system. It heats the water in your skin and does no lasting damage. She’d like to see “double rainbow Barbie” (Lightspeed) learn to control her powers like she has.
Mettle replies that, since he doesn’t have skin, their flag is his. Reptil, though, has other ideas. He transforms into a mini Triceratops and butts Mettle out of the way. Hazmat asks if this doesn’t bother them. First they get desperate and recruit anyone with acne and a cape. Then, the big shot Avengers pay a visit. Her dad says that then the home office shows up… they bring pink slips.
Mettle asks her to chill. They just moved into the West Coast Avengers compound which means the Academy is legit. They must believe in them. Finesse looks across the compound and spots Captain America and the others. Reptil takes to the air and asks if she can read their lips. She admits that she can’t from that distance. Not much, anyway. She can tells that Dr. Pym is praising the new students and saying the Academy is now open to any young superhuman who wants training. He also mentions that most students are part-time to accommodate their schedules. They’re setting up new class tiers.
She concentrates hard on what Hank is saying. Now he’s saying ‘as for the old class’ but he turns away. She can see from Captain America, Cage and Hawkeye that they are tense and Dr. Pym seems sad. The kids stop their training and Mettle, who now has his opponent’s flag, rubs his head and reckons Jenny must be right. They’re gonna shut them down! Reptil doesn’t believe so. They spent millions fixing up the campus and brought in all these new kids. It just doesn’t make sense for them to pull the plug now. Mettel explains that he didn’t mean Avengers Academy. Just the part that’s not working. Them!
Striker says he’s right. They’re replacing them with newer models. “Welcome to L.A.” They are George on Grey’s Anatomy. They ran out of ideas for them so they brought in fresh faces. And now, here comes the speeding truck! Mettle can’t believe he watches Grey’s Anatomy, but he smiles and tells Ken to shut up. “My mom likes it.” Jocasta wanders over and says she couldn’t help overhearing, but they are mistaken. Henry values them highly. Finesse replies that the problem is he’s not himself. She’s been studying psychology and she sees this as a reflection of Pym’s fear of failure. He blames himself for Veil’s defection and, to overcompensate, he adds new students… ones more likely to succeed. Now he’ll push them away before they can leave him.
As Jocasta uses her eye beams to weld a frame together, Finesse adds that Jocasta’s personality is based on Hank’s late wife’s. She knows him better than anyone. Is she right? Jocasta feels it’s inappropriate to discuss Hank’s feelings, but Finesse points out that Captain America is a military tactician. From a strategic standpoint, continuing to teach Avengers’ secrets to potential traitors is suicidal! Hazmat adds that if they were being kicked out, does Jocasta think they’d tell them? “Come on, Jocasta. They treat you like a combo maid and tech support.” Jocasta tells her that this speculation is unproductive, and then she receives a message. It’s from Pym and Captain America. They’d like to see them. Reptil asks if she means all the students. She informs him that they mean just them.
They head over and find Hank ready to talk to them. However, Striker’s hot-headedness gets in the way first. He asks Hank if he thinks he’s gonna stand there and let a wife-beating, killer-robot-building nutcase judge him, he’s crazier than he thought. Hank is shocked at this outburst, but Cap asks him to let Striker talk. From his previous experience, it seems Striker cares more about fame than about being an Avenger. Striker gets into Cap’s face and says that’s right. He’s a troublemaker. He doesn’t want to take orders from the ‘living legend’. Maybe it’s because he managed to get his sidekick Bucky killed… twice!
That comment is a step too far for Luke Cage. He stands before Striker and reminds him that the man fought the Nazis, so he’d have the freedom to be a spoiled little punk. “What have you ever done besides your hair?” he asks. “What gives you the right to even talk to him?”
Mettle backs up his friend and smacks Luke Cage in the jaw before leaping on him, asking him what gives him the right. He says he has no idea where they’ve been or what they’ve done. Hank calls for them to stop, but Striker and Hazmat both go on the offensive. It takes a powerful outburst from Jocasta to bring a halt to the fight. She tells them that they are behaving irrationally. She feels that Hank and Cap are showing no sensitivity to what the students have recently experienced. They have fought in a war, lost a friend and now they believe they are to be removed from Avengers Academy.
“They what?” gasps Hank. Cap informs them that if that’s what they believe then they’re wrong. With the departure of two teachers and an increase in part-time enrolment they want to be sure they get extra tuition. They wanted to discuss one-on-one mentoring, but after what just happened, he’s not sure there’s any point. He asks them to go to their quarters. They’ll let them know when they’re ready for them. Striker is still furious, but he leaves with the rest, with Finesse helping Reptil to his feet.
Once they’ve gone, Hank admits he didn’t realize they were so on edge. Jocasta replies that it’s because he doesn’t pay any attention. Hank asks her for her input. As she leaves, she tells him that she will gather data on the children’s experiences and compare them to developmental psychiatry texts. She will then provide him with a report. “And you,” she adds, “Will always do as you wish… as always.”
Luke finds her departure strange. He didn’t want to say anything because he figures Hank is on it already, but Ultron’s back and he’s got a history with mind control. Last he heard, Jocasta was married to him. Hank explains that it’s strictly for convenience to create a truce and keep him in check. Jocasta claims she hasn’t heard from him in months. Plus, she’s proved herself a dozen times and he doesn’t wish to insult her by asking to scan her systems.
Cap tells Clint that he’s been uncharacteristically quiet. He’d like to hear his thoughts. Hawkeye thinks back to when he was a hothead and had his own run-ins with Cap. He smiles and replies that he’s thinking that karma is a funny thing. He turns to Hank and says he’s heard there’s an opening for a teacher.
(the student lounge)Hazmat asks Striker what the hell his problem is. Striker says he thought she hated the place. And anyway, it was her boyfriend who threw the first punch. Mettle admits that he doesn’t know why he did that. Finesse reminds Hazmat that it was she who convinced them that they were going to be thrown out in the first place. She can quote her exactly. Hazmat replies that she can go quote herself. She grabs Ken by the hand and leads him to her room where she’s free to remove her helmet.
Once there, she asks Ken if he’s okay, but he reckons he hasn’t been okay in a while. She asks if he remembers when they thought they were going to die and she said there were things she wished she’d done. Well, she adds, they might send her back to San Francisco and him back to Hawaii. She doesn’t want to feel that way again. Ken asks what it is she’s saying. Jenny starts pulling at her zipper and says she’s saying… it’s time she got out of the suit.
Moments later, she pulls her helmet back on and rushes for the door. She apologizes, but she thought she was ready. Ken replies that he gets it, but Jenny says he doesn’t really. She explains that it’s all to do with what happened to her old boyfriend, Greg. They were all set to go when he started choking. Ken assures her that she can’t hurt him like she hurt Greg, but Jenny tells him she keeps seeing it in her head. That’s what started everything. Her parents, the suit… her whole life going to hell. She turns with a tear in her eye and says she just needs some time, but it’s really not him. As she leaves, Ken looks at his reflection in the mirror and wonders if that’s true.
Jocasta witnesses the exchange, unseen. She feels that there is so much to these people. She thought she was built to be complex, the bride of an artificial intelligence in love with the man who created her creator. Her personality and mind patterned on his ex-wife. She has often felt she was given no choices. The times she sacrificed her happiness and her life were all based on a persona forced upon her. But, she now feels that she has as much choice as any human born to parents not of their choosing. It’s just a chaotic swirl of genetics, nurture and environment. Her statement to Hank was not a sudden whim. Since Veil left them, she has been studying the children attempting to determine what they require and she has learned a great deal. The secrets, the things Hank does not know… the things the students themselves are ignorant of. She feels that there will be difficult times and pain, but at long last she believes she has found the answer. She knows how to save them. She sits herself at her computer and plugs herself in.
(some time later)The Avengers call for the students, Mettle is the first to hold his hands up and admit that what happened before was his fault. He was way out of line and everyone else was just backing his play. Hank replies that what happened was unfortunate but they all agree that they can put it behind them. Cap adds that Hank told him about their experiences during the battle against Dark Asgard and he wasn’t aware. He tells Mettle that he’s killed people in combat and understands what he’s going through. Ken replies that, with all due respect, he doesn’t think he does. Cap says he might be right, but he knows that, in war, ideologies and borders lose their meaning. Ultimately, you’re fighting for the people next to you; your friends. And, he agrees that the best place for them is right there. He apologizes for being too harsh with him earlier.
Luke tells Ken that he got an apology from Captain America. He’d best appreciate that. Hawkeye adds that it’s Luke’s way of telling him not to expect an apology from him. As for himself, he plans to work out any lingering aggression on the training field. Hank informs them that Hawkeye is joining their full-time faculty. He explains that Clint faced issues early on in his career as well and he thinks his presence will be of great benefit to them. And, he’s not the only new face.
He turns and motions to Quicksilver and Tigra who arrive with two new full-time students - Lightspeed and the White Tiger. He tells them that they’ve been working closely with the two students. Hazmat turns away and quips that she just barfed into her helmet. Pietro informs them that Julie is barely older than them but she has years of experience with Power Pack. They can learn a great deal from her and he knows she’ll make a fine teaching assistant. Finesse is surprised and asks rhetorically, “You’ve been working with her, too?”
Julie tells them that she knows the guys have a history and she doesn’t want to mess up their feng shui. She hopes she won’t be too much of a pain. She admits that she never had formal training like them. In fact, for a while she was trying to live like a normal person, which was a total disaster. Anyway, her brother really loves being with the FF and she thinks this could be good for her. She hopes they’ll give her a chance. Striker smiles and says he’ll give her more than one. In fact, he’d like to sign up for private tutoring. Tigra asks him to behave and introduces the White Tiger. They may have heard the name but she’s new to it.
White Tiger explains that it’s a family legacy. She turns to Reptil and says she’s been meaning to ask him why he’s not more active in the community. “The what?” he replies. She informs him that her brother Hector was the first high-profile Latino super hero. He sacrificed everything to open doors for them and it would be nice to see him trying to pay it forward. Tigra adds that Ava a little intense but she’s talented and very disciplined. She thinks the group could use a little of that. They don’t want to force anything on them but she hopes they’ll accept her.
The original members have a group huddle. Finesse reckons that tactically, they’re a good fit although they know nothing about them. Mettle says that after their Avengers foul they kinda owe them one. Reptil wonders what Ava’s problem is. He’s proud of his heritage but he doesn’t see why a Hispanic super hero has to be a ‘Hispanic’ super hero. Hazmat just thinks what the hell. They were getting too testosterone heavy anyway.
Hank is pleased with the response and knew that they could work it out if they talked like adults as Jocasta said. He looks around and notices she’s missing. He asks if anyone’s seen her. “Just a minute,” replies Quicksilver before dashing away. A moment later he returns with a look of shock on his face. “To the nerve center. Quickly!”
Everyone hurries to the nerve center and there they find Jocasta still seated but with her eye socket damaged and sparks flicking from her chest. Hank can’t believe it. He mentions that she can project her consciousness into other bodies, but Pietro explains that he’s checked them already and run a complete systems check. Her mind is nowhere to be found in the complex or any Avengers databank. Someone murdered her.
Many of the part-time students appear to see what the commotion is and Luke asks them to back up. Hawkeye asks if Jocasta can be killed. Cap reckons that, if anyone can help Jocasta, it’s Hank. Their immediate concern is who did this to her and are they still there. Pietro replies that he’s checked the security systems and found that they were shut off from the inside. Whoever did this to Jocasta… it was one of them.
Standing at the back, Reptil speaks in whisper on a hidden communication device. He explains that he can’t talk long but they were right. This was the perfect time. The idiots are in a panic and have no idea what has happened. It’s not exactly as he remembers but it’s close enough and will have to do. This is definitely the tipping point. From this moment, anything could happen. He’s in a perfect position to make sure the future belongs to them.
(somewhere in time)An older Reptil is trapped inside a large clear tube. Standing before him are older versions of Hazmat, Veil, Finesse, Striker and Mettle. Reptil cries out, “Hey! Can anyone hear me? I’m with the Avengers. My code name is Reptil! You’ve got to let me out. Something really bad has happened!”


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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Disappointments
(Palo Verdes, former home of the West Coast Avengers, California)Hank Pym is in his laboratory and feeling pretty distraught about what’s happened to Jocasta. She lies on the operating table, unconscious and the worse for wear after a recent attack that has debilitated her. Tigra and Quicksilver enter the lab. Tigra tells Hank that she loves him and realizes he’s been up to his neck in weird pretty much his entire adult life, but doesn’t he think dissecting his dead ex-girlfriend is crossing a line?Hank appreciates her concern, but he rejects the premise of her question. Dissection is performed on biological organisms. Jocasta is a machine intelligence. He’s not sure she can actually die at all. He intends to find a way to restore her. And, he adds, it’s imperative that he learns who attacked her. They either have a traitor or an infiltrator. All their students are in danger.Pietro agrees. But, what Tigra is too tactful to say is that they feel Hank’s emotions may be clouding his judgment. He’s too close to the situation to be objective. Hank’s been at this for days. Has he found anything? Hank leans back and rubs his forehead, slightly exasperated. He replies that he’s only found traces of electromagnetic energy and it’s a form he cannot identify, even after searching alien databanks. He reckons Pietro’s right. He does need help and he is too close to this. He should have realized sooner. But, to do that, he says Pietro needs to put aside his feelings. With the mention of electromagnetic energy, Pietro suddenly realizes what Hank may be asking.
Outside in the basketball court, the original team is playing with the new students, boys versus girls. Reptil, Finesse, Mettle, Hazmat, Striker, the White Tiger, Lightspeed, Wiz Kid and Batwing enjoy pitting their strengths against one another. As Finesse passes to White Tiger, Lightspeed gets caught up in the moment. “Go White Tiger. Go team girls!” she cries. Reptil resorts to cheating and gets a ticking off from Julie Power.
The White Tiger tells Reptil that she doesn’t mind playing hard but, from the first minute they arrived, he’s been hating on her. Why doesn’t he man up and tell her to her face what his problem is? Humberto replies bluntly that they shouldn’t be there. Her brother, the original White Tiger was a hero who he looked up to. For him, he’s the White Tiger. He reckons she has a long way to go before she deserves the name. She replies nonchalantly that his comments are fair enough. She can prove herself to him all day long.
Before their bickering can continue, Batwing and Wiz Kid fly over and Batwing asks them to follow. As they head off, Hazmat asks Whiz Kid, or ‘Asian stereotype boy’ as she calls him, what’s got him so worked up. A new Scientific American? “The name’s Wiz Kid, sullen teen stereotype,” he replies, “And if you haven’t heard…” Batwing interjects. “Magneto’s coming, Hazmat! Magneto’s coming here.” Finesse’s face lights up.
(elsewhere)Magneto has arrived in Palo Verdes along with the leader of the Uncanny X-Men Cyclops and Scott’s girlfriend Emma Frost. Hank Pym thanks Scott for coming. He shakes Hank’s hand and thanks him for putting up with the news copters. Given recent events, it only helps them to be seen cooperating with the Avengers. And, adds Magneto, since Hank wasn’t among the Avengers who plotted to murder his daughter, he’s glad to help. “Ah, right,” says Cyclops nervously. He turns and looks up at Juston Seyfert and his Sentinel who dominate the skyline. He asks Hank if that’s a Sentinel. “Destroy all mutants,” says the Sentinel. Juston bangs it with his elbow. “Fzzatt… welcome honored guests.” Hank thinks it best they go inside.Meanwhile, Magneto and his son Quicksilver greet each other and Magneto asks if he’s well. Pietro replies that he’s not insane, if that’s what he’s implying. Magneto assures him that he didn’t mean anything by the remark, but Pietro asks how his plans to destroy the X-Men from within are proceeding. Magneto isn’t pleased with the comment, and asks Hank to let them be about their business.
As they walk away, Pietro tells Finesse that Magneto‘s there in the flesh. The man she blackmailed him into teaching her his methods. How does he strike her now that she’s seen him in person? She looks at Magneto leave and replies, “Old. Old and sad.” Pietro heads to the Academy and tells her that he fooled her and she has disappointed him. She’s disappointed him greatly.
As the group enters the building, Hawkeye grabs Hank and tells him that he’s with Pietro on this. Magneto and the White Queen? It looks like the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to him. He mentions that Wolverine took all the X-Men he trusts and split from these guys. Some kind of philosophical disagreement, Wolverine said, but he smells a rat. Does Hank remember when Magneto brain-zapped the X-Men into fighting them? Hank appreciates Clint’s concern, but he explains that he consulted Wolverine on this and he vouches for them both. They, of all people, surely cannot begrudge someone a second chance.
“Second chance,” replies Clint. Magneto’s had like thirty! How many more times are they gonna get burned before they stop cooking naked? Hank reckons that if he can tell him who attacked Jocasta, he’ll take his chances. She asks Clint to stay and supervise the students. Things are tense enough with Pietro in there. Clint turns his back and shouts to anyone who’s listening that they’re gonna work on resisting mind control today, for no particular reason. Watching from a distance, Reptil knows that Finesse wants to know what the teachers are talking about. Well, so does he. With her lip-reading and his ability to morph his ears into a pterosaur’s, they should go find out.
Inside, Emma Frost suggests a mind scan of everyone on campus to see if the perpetrator is among them. Pietro tells her they don’t violate their student’s privacy. Hank admits that he hoped Emma could do a surface scan for hostile thoughts. Emma does as he wishes and immediately senses a fair amount of mystical energy, notably from Reptil, White Tiger and Tigra. She tells Tigra that she adores her outfit. She shouldn’t let anyone ever tell her it’s inappropriate for a teacher. She adds that the magic creates interference and makes it tricky to skim thoughts. She’ll need to probe people one by one, in depth. Hank says that’s more invasive than he’d hoped, but necessary if there’s a traitor among them.
He decides to assemble the students and asks Magneto to analyze the trace energy that remains. “Certainly,” replies Magneto, “After we discuss terms.” Cyclops is surprised by this, but Magneto explains that, in return for his aid, his son must agree to no longer involve himself in mutant affairs. He’s sorry, but he feels Pietro has done enough damage. Pietro snaps back, pointing out that mutants are his people. Magneto’s the one who damaged their cause, not him! Magneto replies that it’s clear they don’t teach history at the school. It was Pietro who coerced his sister into warping reality to create an entirely new world, and when it collapsed in her despair, she nearly exterminated mutantkind altogether.
Pietro stutters as he replies that he was trying to save her. Magneto was the one who gave her up. He would have let Wolverine kill her. Magneto says he doesn’t dispute Pietro’s intentions, but he does dispute his judgment and mental stability. He tried to fix his mistakes and restore mutant’s powers with the Inhuman’s Terrigen Mists and failed, causing war between them and Earth. “That wasn’t me,” replies Pietro. “It was a Skrull.” Magneto thinks not. A shape-changing alien masquerading as him was responsible for all his misdeeds? He thinks not. A child could see through his lies. Indeed, one did, or is there some other reason Luna won’t speak to him? Tigra is surprised and asks if this is true. Pietro lowers his head and doesn’t respond.
The conversation is watched and listened to by Reptil and Finesse, who is shocked by the revelation. Acting instinctively, Finesse smashes through the observation booth window and hurls her Billy club at Magneto, striking him in the face. Magneto responds by using electric cables to grab her and hold her tight. She shouts down at him that Pietro learned everything he taught him and tried to be exactly what Magneto wanted. Magneto asks his son if he knows her but Pietro strikes him in his anger, sending him crashing into another window. “Don’t you touch her!” he snaps. “You poison everything you touch. Wanda! Me! I won’t let you corrupt her too!”
Hank tries to grab Pietro but Magneto pins him against the wall with a large machine and tells him it’s a family affair so he shouldn’t interfere. Cyclops asks Emma to put a stop to this, but Emma jokes that she thinks she could get them a show on Bravo. “Emma!” replies Scott, unimpressed with her timing. Emma says all right, but before she can use her mental abilities, she is struck from behind by Reptil who uses his tail like a club in his dinosaur form. He tells the others that they attacked Finesse so they should take them down.
Cyclops blasts Reptil, but the commotion is heard outside and Hawkeye acts quickly. He grabs an explosive arrow from his quiver and fires it inside. The X-Men and Avengers are blown off the ground as Hawkeye yells “Avengers Assemble.” The kids look on, wondering what’s going on. Whiz Kid is torn as he’s not only a student but he’s also a mutant. Hazmat tells him to pick a side, but Lightspeed reminds them that they’re supposed to be on the same side.
“Big shock, you can’t decide which team to play for,” Hazmat quips. Julie starts to ask what that’s supposed to mean, but Hazmat reckons she knows full well. Her ‘Go, Team Girls’ line, her rainbow trail. No boyfriends in the twenty-first century! She admits she isn’t phobic but Julie should accept who she is.
Magneto finds the student’s charging towards him arrogant, telling any teacher listening that the X-Men prepare their students for war whilst they play dress-up. He uses his abilities to hurl training equipment in their way. Finesse kicks him from behind, asking him why, if he‘s such a great teacher, are his kids so damaged? She tells him he tried to destroy Pietro but he won’t give up. He’s a better teacher than he ever was. Magneto cracks open a pipeline and a gaseous cloud pushes Finesse to the floor, but Quicksilver recovers from the explosion and rushes towards his father. Magneto tells Finesse that maybe he is a great teacher to inspire such loyalty. Perhaps he underestimates him.
Pietro begins to run around his father quickly in order to create a vacuum whilst Cyclops destroys one of Hawkeye’s arrows in mid-air and asks him to listen, but Clint asks him to snap out of it. Emma’s mind-controlling him. He knew someone who dresses like that couldn’t stop being a bad guy. Bikini-wearing Tigra steps in and barks, “Oh, really? What does that make me then. Dr. Doom?” She adds that no one’s controlling anyone. This is all just testosterone-fuelled nonsense. Emma agrees, and now that her headache is down to moderate hangover level, she’ll freeze everyone in their tracks.
She turns to Magneto and tells him she can’t stop him thanks to the helmet he pretends he wears to block mind control rather than to hide his grey hair. But, surely he perceives the drawbacks of a former mutant terrorist being seen fighting the All-American Avengers. Magneto replies that public opinion means nothing to him, but Emma asks if the same goes for his son.
With everyone except Emma, Magneto, Tigra and Hank frozen in their tracks, Magneto asks if she wants him to admit that he was a poor parent. Emma replies that Medea was a poor parent. She killed her children. He seems intent on torturing his for eternity. Emma brings everyone out of her control and Magneto removes his helmet and says they have both made mistakes but he is attempting to atone for his. He tells Pietro that he cannot help him. He is a grown man and will not let him. Perhaps he has forfeited the right to try. But, he adds, he must do what he can to prevent the damage he did to him from hurting others.
Pietro asks if he really thinks so little of him, but Magneto replies, “No. Of myself.” Pietro then suggests that in future, before involving himself in mutant affairs, he will consult with a fellow mutant they both trust. Storm perhaps, or Beast. But it will never be him. Take it or leave it.” Magneto turns his head away and tells Pym that they should get this over with.
They head inside and Magneto stand over Jocasta with his fingers extended, manipulating the energies radiating from her robotic body. He finds it interesting. The energy, he explains, is not simply electromagnetic. It’s also rife with tachyons and a variety of antiparticles. He would hypothesize that energy of this nature could be used to create portals across great distances, between dimensions or even through time. Hank reckons that Jocasta’s attacker likely wasn’t one of them. It could have been someone from another era or plane. Kang, perhaps. Even Ultron. Given that, he tells Emma to hold off the mind-probing. He can’t justify that kind of invasion of privacy, especially towards minors, without an imminent threat.
Magneto can see he’s provided no answers and far more questions and he apologizes for that. Hank assures him that he did what he was asked to do. “Did I?” he replies, looking at Pietro. He guesses there is no reason to linger, so they make their way outside. As they head to the Blackbird, Tigra stands Reptil and Finesse in Magneto’s way and tells him they have something to say. She explains that they’re not usually ones to start a fight, especially Reptil. He knows better. They will be disciplined for what they did. “Sorry,” says Reptil, a little sheepishly.
Magneto says he would prefer they not be disciplined. They were protecting their own kind from outsiders, and he finds that an admirable quality. He tells Finesse that she has an intense stare. Is there something she would like to say to him? She asks outright if he really hired assassins to attack his son and his sister in their sleep. Magneto leans in towards her and whisper in her ear. “They were under orders not to injure them. But don’t tell him that.”
Hank speaks with Scott and he wonders if, given what happened, if they are fostering isolation – an ‘us vs. them’ mentality. Maybe they should promote more fraternization between their schools. Basketball games, say, like the East and West Coast Avengers used to have. Scott replies no offense, but he’s not running a school. He’s preparing his kids to survive genocide. They don’t have time for baseball. However, Wolverine feels differently. He took half the kids and reopened their old school in Westchester. He may wish to call him. He might think it’s a good idea.
Later, Quicksilver hits the tennis court and plays a game against himself, running from end to end. Finesse arrives, but Pietro says that while he appreciates her coming to his defense earlier, he’d prefer to be alone. She replies that his father is intimidating, but he defied him and stood up to him when he was just a kid. Pietro informs her that it was Wanda who gave him the courage to do that. He knew he had to do it for them. For her. Finesse grabs a racket and replies that she always did what her parents wanted. It didn’t change anything. It just made them want more. Pietro replies that they are criminals like his father. He feels it’s best to put any thought of having a normal relationship with them out of her mind... as for as that is possible.
Finesse strikes the ball and Pietro sprints after it. She tells him she’s been thinking. She doesn’t want him to teach her to be like Magneto anymore. “Hallelujah,” he replies, returning the ball. She then tells him she’d like him to teach her to be more like him. He says all right then, but she’ll have to work on her serve for one thing. She has all the grace of a construction worker with a sledgehammer!