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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

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(first story) Red Twilight
(First story)
A stone’s throw from the United States Capitol stands the Smith Building, secret headquarters of America’s greatest menace, the Red Skull. A few hours ago, however, it was the Skull who was menaced when a powerful intruder – Magneto – stormed the Smith Building and caused the Skull to flee. Now, with the building’s power blacked out, the Skull’s two top operatives, Crossbones and Machinesmith, search the building for some sign of their employer.
At some point, the two men come across the remains of the Skull’s robotic doppelgangers. Crossbones motions to Machinesmith: a dozen of the boss’s best robots ripped apart like they were made of straw. Machinesmith reassures him he feels their loss most egregiously. He was the one who built them after all.
The duo moves further ahead. Crossbones notices the boss’ shuttlecar isn’t here. He must’ve taken off with it. “You don’t say…!” Machinesmith exclaims. Crossbones reveals there’s a vidcam and tells him to check it out. Maybe the intruder missed it. Machinesmith complies. His synthetic tube-hand stretches upwards and checks the vidcam. “No go,” he finally reveals. The mechanisms have been mechanically messed with, same as all the others. Crossbones conjectures that if it wasn’t the mutie Magneto who waltzed in and wrecked the place, as some of the staff claim, then it was somebody who can do what Magneto can. He moves forward and urges Machinesmith to stretch these tin legs of his and follow. They’re taking a hike to the end of the line. Seeing the tracks in a sorry state, Crossbones suggestively points them at Machinesmith.
Three hundred meters later, the two men come across the Skull’s shuttlecar. Crossbones kneels down and examines it. He was afraid of this: the shuttlecar derailed… totaled. Machinesmith hesitantly asks if there a body. Crossbones replies he sees no body, but there is blood. Machinesmith is repulsed: organic fluids, euuh!
After a thorough search of the wreckage, Crossbones tells Machinesmith that this is really, really bad. The boss is missing – probably hurt – and it sure looks like that stinking mutie did it. Not only that, but the Controller’s a vegetable, the Sleeper’s a mess, and the building’s suffered several million dollars in damage at least. On the bright side, Machinesmith suggests, Captain America seems to have left the premises. Of course, were he to return, it would be ridiculously easy to get in, considering the shambles in which Magneto has left their security systems.
Crossbones angrily grabs him by the lapels of his coat and alerts him they’re in a lot of trouble. He doesn’t know about him, but Crossbones likes working for the Skull. He’s never had a gig with half the perks he gets here. If anybody finds out about the boss’ disappearance, all kinds of operations Machinesmith and Crossbones don’t even know about may be messed up. They’ve got to keep a lid on it – play the whole thing close to the vest! Machinesmith assures him he knows that as well as him. He asks him to relax; he and their esteemed employer have worked out a contingency plan to be implemented in the event of his absence. If Crossbones kindly releases his lapels, he’ll get on it right away.
At that moment, in New York City, Captain America flies with his sky-cycle above the Avengers Park. He sees that Jarvis hasn’t wasted any time contacting the landscapers. Before they can rebuild their headquarters on this site, they’re going to have the rearrange the greenery somewhat.
Steve lands down to the park. He approaches Jarvis and asks him how it goes. Quite adequately, Jarvis replies. Since Cap vanquished the Mandarin and his cronies, things have been most tranquil. Cap replies it’s good to hear. He decides to keep the sky-cycle here, while he conducts business below. Gazing at the Avengers monumental statue in the middle of the park, he wishes they find a way to retain it. The artist who sculpted it, Alicia Masters, would be crushed if they had to tuck it away somewhere. Not only is it a great work, it also makes a great secret entranceway to what’s left of their old headquarters.
Clicking on a button in his belt, Cap activates the secret passage which leads to the levels below. Descending, he thinks that once he gets through sorting out the various loose ends of the so-called “Acts of Vengeance,” he’ll have to start planning their new…
What the…?! He is suddenly taken aback by some metallic tendrils which move menacingly against him. He realizes somebody’s been tinkering with their security system while he’s been away – and he bets he knows who. Evading the tentacles, Cap shouts at Fabian Stankowicz to turn the restrain tentacle arms off now, before he’s forced to break anything!
The tentacles are instantly deactivated. That’s better! Cap thinks. Fabian appears and apologizes. He just got the blamed things operating, and he hasn’t fed in the various Avengers’s bioscans into it yet, so they’ll… Steve tells him to relax; no harm done. He needs him to help him with something. He wants him to access everything on files about Magneto. Fabian complies.
In the Smith Building, a half hour later, Rankin, the Skull’s chief of security, supervises the repairs in his boss’ office. He tells the technicians that now the power’s been restored to the top floors, they have no more excuses. One of the technicians assures him they can repair the hole in the wall, but what are they supposed to be about the floating doorway?! Rankin suggests they brick it up… do anything… just get rid of it!
Crossbones storms in and angrily slams Rankin against the wall. He accuses him of being a sorry excuse for a security chief. He let that stinking mutant breeze in here free as a bird… and what did Rankin do? “Squat!” he rages and punches Rankin. Rankin tries to defend himself: what did Crossbones expect him to do? He didn’t see him anywhere near! Crossbones retorts it isn’t his job…
“Desist, Crossbones,” a voice is heard as someone holds Crossbones’ hand, deterring him from further beating Rankin. It is the Red Skull! The Skull insists he will handle the discipline around here. Crossbones is surprised to see the Skull back with them… until he notices Machinesmith lurking at the door. He realizes it’s just an incredible simulation of the Skull. Must be part of the contingency plan Machinesmith was talking about. Crossbones tells his “boss” to call him if he needs anything, and leaves the office. “Pretty good, hmh?” Machinesmith whispers to him. “Not here,” Crossbones responds and they walk away together.
Soon, the two men are openly discussing what to do in Machinesmith’s lab, in one of Smith Building’s sub-basements – where Machinesmith has also laid the damaged Sleeper on a table. Crossbones explains that, while Machinesmith was getting his Skull robot up and running, he was doing some thinking. The way he figures it out, if they find the mutie, they find the boss. Machinesmith wonders how he proposes they go about that. Studying Machinesmith’s impressive collection of robotic duplicates of various heroes and villains, Crossbones admits he doesn’t know. He placed a few calls… offered the Serpent Society big bucks for information leading to Magpie’s whereabouts… got hold of the Scourge people…
Machinesmith has a thought: what if they were to find a way to lure Magneto into the open – create a simulation so compelling he had to risk investigating in person? Grinning deviously, Machinesmith promises he has just the means to do it, too – and points Crossbones at a Magneto duplicate body waiting to be used.
Meanwhile, at a certain Manhattan drinking establishment catering to the underworld, two members of the Serpent Society, Asp and Black Mamba, are having drinks with their former teammate, Diamonback aka Rachel Leighton. Black Mamba tells Rachel she looks good. Diamonback returns the compliment. She appreciates their meeting here for drinks. She’s really missed them since she left the team. Mamba asks her if she’s looking to come back. The Society would take her back in a minute. Trying to tempt her, Asp clarifies that the Cobra – excuse her, King Cobra – has really gotten his act together. Business is blooming. Rachel admits it’s tempting. The jewel caper she’s been working for fell through, and she’s pretty hard up for cash these days. She’s going to have to restock her arsenal, too. She’s literally all out of her throwing diamonds.
Black Mamba and Asp’s beeper suddenly buzzes off. Asp answers it. Her superior informs her that the Red Skull’s people are offering one hundred thousand for the whereabouts of Magneto. He asks her and Mamba to see what they can find.
Hearing the reference to Magneto, Diamondback thinks she’s got a lead for them. She was hanging around with the X-Men last summer and she heard someone mention that Maggie was a member of the Hellfire Club. Asp asks her if she means the billionaire’s social club. “The same,” Rachel confirms. The girls ask her if she wants to come and check it out with them.
Days later, in the secret base beneath the Avengers Park, Captain America and his allies are having a quiet day. Jarvis offers some tea on a tray. “No thanks, Jarvis,” Cap replies. One of his allies asks what’s on the agenda today. Cap admits he doesn’t know yet. He notifies Peggy Carter that he’s expecting a call from a fellow named Eric Masterson. He’s an architect Thor recommended to design the new building.
From the control panel, Peggy tells him to wait a minute. She’s getting a priority red. Magneto’s apparently shown up in a pro-mutant demonstration right in front of the Capitol. Cap notes it’s odd; it’s not like Magneto to do something so high-profile. He tells her he’ll check on it and asks her to have the rest of the team stand-by. He’s got a few questions to ask Magneto about an old enemy of his. Putting his mask on, he asks Colonel John Jameson about the flagship. John explains it’s fuelled and ready to roll on the East River launch barge. Cap suggests they haul then. He’ll fly them over in the sky-cycle. From there, it’s all John’s.
In Washington, D.C., a pro-mutant demonstration takes place outside the Capitol, with ‘Magneto’ – actually the robotic doppelganger devised by Machinesmith – floating arrogantly in the air above their heads. The protesters are clad in the costumes of the Resistants, the pro-mutant activist group. They are furious with Magneto. Why did he show up for if he’s not going to come down and join them? Is he trying to upstage them? Someone urges him to come join the Resistants! What is he waiting for? Why doesn’t he speak? One of the protesters jeers at him: “Glory hound!”
Burner, one of the veteran members of the Resistants, doesn’t like this. After getting the original five of the Resistants together years back, Magneto left them high and dry. He’s never trusted him since. Fellow member Mist Mistress urges Magneto to talk to them.
The Magneto robot believes he’s stirred up crowd interest sufficiently as well as given news crews time to get the word… time to do something very un-Magneto like! Without warning, he lashes out at the protesters, assaulting them with his blasts. The demonstrators disperse in surprise. One of them asks him to wait: this is supposed to be a peaceful demonstration! ‘Magneto’ pretends to be furious: they want him to join their miserable little protest?! They are unworthy of being called “mutant”! He, Magneto, deems them an embarrassment to Homo superior!
One of the Resistants asks him what’s wrong with him – they’re mutants like him! “Don’t make me laugh!” the fake Magneto scoffs. They are different as a man and a machine! He decides to seal this entire area so they can settle this without outside interference. Some police officers arrive and wonder what’s happening – what are those mutants fighting about? One of them realizes they’re encased in some kind of force field. Within the enclosed area, ‘Magneto’ provokes the Resistants. He challenges them to take him on – can’t any of them stand up and fight like a mutant?
Above, an Avengers jet drops off Captain America in the area. Cap notices that it sure looks like Magneto, encased in a magnetic dome… but what’s he doing fighting the Resistants? He’d have thought he’d champion their cause. Landing outside the force-field, he asks the police officers to keep back – super-powered menaces are Avengers priority. Before Cap can do anything, though, he’s going to have to breach the barrier.
Try as he might, Cap fails to breach the force-field. He was hoping his shield might weaken it, but no such luck. There must some way through it – all he has to do is find it. Inside, the counterfeit Magneto further provokes the protesters. What audacity they have to call themselves Resistants – they cannot even resist him!
Steve comes up with an idea. He wonders if the magnetic force forms a sphere around Magneto, or if it stops where it meets the ground. One way to find out, he decides and begins battering at the ground with his shield. A few minutes later, he gets his answer. The field forms a hemisphere with a definite boundary at ground level. Bizarre, but convenient. He’s got his way in!
“Unhand him, Magneto!” Cap demands as he infiltrates the encased area and sees ‘Magneto’ brutalizing one of the Resistants. He hurls his shield against him – and the shield clinks on his opponent’s helmet, brutally jarring him, before it is ricocheted back to Cap’s hands. Steve it at loss: he didn’t expect to clock him like that. He was just trying to gauge the depth of his magnetic field. He wonders why it wasn’t up.
“You!” ‘Magneto’ howls as he turns to face him. Now that he has Magnus’ attention, Cap asks him to explain what he’s doing here. ‘Magneto’ snarls that he needs explain nothing to him and tells him to go – he’s got more important enemies to fight! Dodging one of his opponent’s blasts, Steve quips that he’s got to hand it to him – he sure know how to make a guy feel welcome! “No, let me hand it you!” ‘Magneto’ suggests and again blasts him.
Taking cover behind his shield, Steve wonders what it was Magneto shot at him – it sure didn’t feel like magnetism. Has Magneto learned new tricks since the last time they clashed? He again hurls his shield against him. “This again?!” ‘Magneto’ scornfully remarks – Cap doesn’t have very many moves, does he? Steve sees him repelling his shield back to him faster than he threw it. He avoids being hit and barely manages to grab his flying shield.
“Got you!” one of the Resistants sneaks up on ‘Magneto’ and grips his throat. “Oh, stop!” the Magneto simulacrum puffs and repels him. Cap decides that, if Magneto doesn’t have his field around him for some odd reason, this means he can do this up close and personal. Cap lunges at him, but ‘Magneto’ draws the shield to his hand. “It’s my shield now, Cappy old sport!” the fake Magneto gloats. Bemused by his manner of speech, Cap wonders since when Magneto talks like that. ‘Magneto’ ponders that he should dispatch him quickly, before the real Magneto shows up, but he just can’t resist toying with this guy. He teases Cap. Does he want his shield back? He urges him to take a shot – how he likes smacking metal.
“If you insist…” Cap replies. He doesn’t know who this guy or how he’s simulating some of Magneto’s powers, but he knows this isn’t Magneto he’s dealing with here. ‘Magneto’ urges him to come – is he afraid to bruise his knuckles on his own shield? Steve studies his adversary and calculates his own moves as he approaches him: feint to the left… feint to the right… and connect with the foot. He succeeds in kicking ‘Magneto’ hard in the head, knocking the robot’s head backwards!
Cap is at loss initially: did he only knock his helmet backwards or… Short-circuiting, ‘Magneto’ considers micro-beaming out. The robot’s hold on the shield is severed and, unstuck from the robot’s hand, Cap makes for grabbing it. Steve deduces that all the evidence adds up to one thing: robot! Without holding back now, he attacks with his shield and decapitates the robotic double. Steve boasts that when he’s right, he’s right. A Magneto robot doing a fair job simulating his powers… who built it and why?  He’s reminded of all those broken robots in the Smith Building. He didn’t find out who built them or wrecked them.
He suddenly recalls seeing a Magneto robot in Machinesmith’s lab once. He wonders if he’s in league with the guy who claims to be the Red Skull. Machinesmith was the animating force behind the revival of the Skull’s Sleeper robot. Anyway, he’s sick of fighting battles without finding out what they were about!
By nightfall, Machinesmith and Crossbones have returned to Smith Building, their plan to lure Magneto out of hiding a shambles. Meanwhile, in the Hellfire Club headquarters in Manhattan, its Black Queen, Selene, watches the news. A newscaster reports that in Washington earlier today, a man purporting to be Magneto, the militant self-appointed spokesman for the segment of population called mutants, attacked a lawful assembly of pro-mutant sympathizers. Selene is baffled at the news. The newscaster adds that the battle with the Avenger Captain America revealed Magneto to be a lifelike robot and not the mutant at all. The Captain was baffled as to who…
Selene ponders if this is an attempt to discredit Magneto. He wonders where he is, anyway. He hasn’t been here in weeks – not since all the commotion over the Super-Powers Registration Act began. She wonders how much of the resultant unrest he orchestrated. Whatever the case, Magneto seems to have forgotten about his responsibilities as their Gray King. Apparently he is unconcerned about the opportunity he is giving her to consolidate her own power base.
At that moment, high above the Southern Californian coastline, the true Magneto finally reaches his target. “Wanda…” he utters, as he approaches his catatonic daughter, the Scarlet Witch.


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
(first story) The Skeleton Crew
(first story)
Backstage, at the Pink Flamingo lounge…
Screaming upon seeing Captain America, Asp almost instinctively releases her blasts against him. Taking cover behind his shield, Cap tells her to wait and cool it! He’s not here to hassle her! Asp doesn’t know how he found her, but promises she’s going to make him wish he hadn’t unless he gets out of here this instant! Cap apologizes but he won’t – not till he gets what he came for.
Seeing him block the door, Asp makes to the window. “No, you won’t,” Cap exclaims and, before she reaches the window, throws her off-balance with his shield. Grabbing her arm, he insists he just wants to talk to her. Nothing else. The sooner she stops this ruckus, the sooner he’s out of here. Asp retorts she doesn’t believe him and tries to blast his face. Evading her attack, Cap quips that he thought his rep as a man of his word was known even to shady ladies like her!
“Okay, force it is!” Steve decides and grabs Asp by her wrists, keeping her glued to the wall. He tells her he’s looking for a friend of hers by the name of Diamondback. She wanted him to get in touch with her, but he has no way to reach her. Asp claims that she hasn’t seen her. Cap tells her that, if she does, she has her give his hotline a call; number is in the book. That’s all he came here to say. He turns around and begins to leave.
Suddenly, he pauses at the door and turns around: there is one more thing. Why does Asp degrade herself by dancing in this sort of place? Surely a woman with her talents can do better for herself. Asp angrily professes that what she does is an art form! She likes what she does; it’s fun to see men slobber! And on top of that, it’s great exercise! “Is that okay with you, Mr. High and Mighty?” she scoffs. Cap admits it’s a free country and walks out of her changing room.
Outside, Cap thinks it was worth a shot. It’s a good thing Mike – Michael O’ Brien, the Avengers’ security chief – happened to see Asp’s picture on the marquee and I.D.’d her as a Serpent Society member. He didn’t ask Mike what he was doing here in the city’s sleeze district. He sure wishes he’d had the foresight to take down Diamondback’s number when he last saw her – but with the sinking of Avengers Island and all, he had other things in his mind at the time. Walking around, he wonders where the little troublemaker’s been all these weeks.
At that moment, a mere five blocks downtown, Diamondback – Rachel Leighton – walks inside the Tinkerer’s shop. She asks aloud if he’s there. The Tinkerer instructs her to come down the stairs and bear left. Rachel finds him hard at work with something; he never stops, does he? He nods. She asks him if they are done yet. He said if she came by Tuesday… He tells her not to be so impatient. He’ll be with her as soon as he’s at a good stopping place. “There,” he says and stops assembling.
Turning to face her, he wonders, appalled, who chopped off her hair like that! Smiling, Diamondback reveals she did it. He doesn’t like it, huh? Changing the subject, she asks him how her throwing diamonds are coming along. The Tinkerer tells her to take a look for herself. Diamondback lets an “Ow!” of pleasant surprise, as she sees her throwing diamonds all perfectly shaped and neatly arrayed. The Tinkerer tells her he’s even made her some new straps to secure them on her lovely person. Rachel asks him if she can try one out… pretty please? “Live a little,” the Tinkerer scoffs.
Rachel weighs one in her hand; the balance feels right. She hurls it against a dartboard and hits center.  “Yeah!” she celebrates. Kissing Tink’s forehead, she tells him he did a good job and thanks him. The Tinkerer teases her: she’ll have to do better than that if that’s the way she intends to pay him. Diamondback nervously hands him out the money: every penny of her savings. The Tinkerer purrs greedily.
Soon, outside the shop, Rachel feels great to be armed again. She’s ready to take on the world. But first, she decides to check for messages on a pay phone – see if that star-spangled bummer called. Asp has left a message. She warns her that Captain America was by the club looking for her. He claimed she wanted him to get in touch with her. She warns her to watch her backside… the man’s dangerous.
Rachel is pleased: the man hasn’t written her off! Just for that, she’s going to pass along a juicy tip! Leaving a message at Cap’s hotline, she announces she found something that may interest him about a certain skull-faced enemy of his. She asks him to meet her on 5th and 66th in one hour to hear it. Hanging up, she grins, thinking that ought to bring the big blue hunk running.
Forty-five minutes later, Rachel is early at the date. Her stroll here wasn’t leisurely enough, apparently. Who can blame her for being anxious? Awash with anticipation, she walks by a utility truck, which unbeknownst to her, houses something other than utility workers.
Inside the truck, Crossbones, Red Skull’s henchman, discloses the details of his plan to the fellow members of the Skeleton Crew. They’ve got to get in there, scope out where they stashed the boss, and get him and themselves out of there with as little hassle as possible. Voice wonders: and if Magneto apprehends any of the rest of them along the way? Crossbones points out they’re all expendable; the boss isn’t. They get him out, he can worry about springing them! Voice articulates his concerns: “What if the Skull is not being held in the Hellfire Club building?” Crossbones remarks that the Voice is starting to get on his nerves. He asks if anyone wants to check the floor plans one last time.
Finally, they move out of the truck. Crossbones orders Voice to lead. Voice is the first to drop through the manhole into the sewers. Crossbones tells Mother Night to follow. Machinesmith, who currently possesses the robotic body of Sleeper, notes that it does not seem likely his enormous host-body is going to fit through that narrow aperture. “No foolin’, Machinesmith,” Crossbones chides him. He will drop down and then Machinesmith will figure something out, okay?
“What’s to figure?” Machinesmith scoffs and breaks through the manhole, generating a terrible bustle that even Diamondback hears, four blocks north. Crossbones grumps that was really smooth: “Wake up the dead, why don’tcha?” Machinesmith retorts they are four blocks away from the Hellfire Club facility. Even allowing for an elaborate security system, he doubts they have sensors on every manhole in a four block radius. To that, Crossbones counters one can never know about these rich guys. He suggests everyone now shuts up and keep moving. Turning on their flashlights, the foursome advances through the tunnels.
About five hundred feet later, they come across an armor-plated door. Crossbones whispers that this is it: the entrance to the Hellfire building’s basement. It looks like the plans were straight: the mechanism is electronic. He tells Machinesmith he’s on. “As good as opened, fearless leader,” Machinesmith gloats and shortcircuits the electronic lock, thereby unlocking the door.
Half a dozen armed soldiers of the Hellfire Club receive them. Crossbones realizes it looks like they were expecting them. “Freeze!” Voice commands – and his power of voice persuasion works on the soldiers, forcing them to remain still. “Nice goin’,” Mother Night remarks. Crossbones orders his minions to strip the soldiers of their weapons. To think he once considered enlisting in the Hellfire Club’s mercenary corps, he contemplates in disgust. Machinesmith reveals he sees a video camera he can enter. He’ll micro-beam into their central security system and see if they can determine where they’re keeping the Skull. “You do that,” Crossbones urges him.
Meanwhile, back above, Diamonback has unlocked the truck that served as a hideaway for the Skeleton Crew. She is glad to see she hasn’t lost her touch jimmying locks. She is certain something’s got to be up, what with that loud crunch, that odd hole in the street, and this Con Ed truck parked here unattended. And if it has anything to do with what she was meeting Cap about…
Suddenly, she is surprised to find a crossbow in the truck. Identical to the one Crossbones uses – could he be working for the Red Skull? Dummy, she chides herself as she figures the connection: skull and crossbones! She wonders how they hooked up. So now what? she asks herself. Go back and wait for Cap to show – if he’s going to? She realizes she can’t. Her relationship with Crossbones is one she doesn’t want Cap to know about… ever. She’s got an old score to settle with “Cross,” one that a straight arrow like Cap would never understand. Disposing of her hat and trenchcoat and ready to jump in the manhole, she mentally warns Crossbones to look out, she’s coming for him!
Below, Machinesmith has bad news: he’s looked through every video-screen on the premises. The Red Skull isn’t on any of them. Crossbones is surprised: is he sure? Machinesmith stresses that they have 67 different security cameras. If the Skull were being held here, he’s certain they’d have at least one watching him! “Rats!” Crossbones curses and announces they book. “Stinkin’ Serpent Society!” he grouches as they take the reverse route, back to the manhole. They gave him this bum tip! Mother Night insists that just because they’re not holding him in their New York facility, doesn’t mean the Hellfire Club is clean.
Hidden inside a gutter, Diamondback watches them. There he is! she thinks as she spots Crossbones – only he isn’t alone. She realizes that if she attacks him, she’ll have to take them all on – too bad.
Suddenly, the cement underneath them rises, as if imbued with life, and grasps the Skeleton Crew foursome. A panicky Voice screams that the cement is grabbing them! Machinesmith rejoins it won’t hold them for long and smashes his way out of his manacles with the super-strong fist of his host body. Hearing footsteps sloshing through the sludge, Mother Night decides she’d better turn invisible. Crossbones is surprised to see a broad suddenly standing in front of him. Selene, the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, has just charged towards them at a superhuman speed, and shows up as if being an apparition. She asks just what they think they’re doing.
“Don’t move, woman!” Voice aggressively shouts. Surprised, Selene realizes she’s rooted to the spot… just like her men! She suspects that “boombox” on her adversary’s shoulders must be the source of his power. Not for long, she contemplates with glee and animates the “boombox,” which grows a pair of hands and begins to strangle Voice! Panicked, Mother Night decides she’ll make Selene think she’s on fire, then maybe she’ll drop her stranglehold! However, no reaction comes from Selene. Mother Night realizes she must be immune to her power of mesmerism – she’s not even invisible to Selene’s eyes! Who is this woman? she wonders in awe.
Selene informs Voice that she is letting go of his throat for a moment. She commands him to restore her mobility at once, or she’ll choke the life out of him. Struggling to breathe, Voice complies. Selene thanks him with a devilish smile. However, at her command, the hands on the boombox resume their strangling of Voice and he collapses in agony. Double-crossing witch! Crossbones thinks. Machinesmith declares he’ll get her and lunges forward, only to realize she’s gone! However, from her vantage point, Diamondback can tell Selene just up and ran away at blurring speed.
Her visage visibly withered and aged, Selene realizes all her matter manipulations and sudden accelerations are draining her life-force. She must recharge quickly, she decides and resolves to take the life-force of the suffocating Voice. As she drains his life-force, Crossbones is suddenly able to see her and shoots her with his crossbow. Selene feels the crossbow bolt skewering through her heart. Fatal… were I mortal, she thinks and pulls it out of her heart with a malevolent grin. “This yours, skeleton man?” she gloats. Crossbones is shocked to see she ripped it right out of her without flinching! Selene vows she will rip his heart out, so he can see how it…
Suddenly, Machinesmith interjects and pummels her. “Not this time, toots. Got you!” he tells her and grasps her. From a distance, the soldiers of the Club discern their queen is down! One of them makes to shoot; however, another deters him from shooting; he might hit her! A third soldier suggests they move in for a clear shot!
Meanwhile, Captain America stands above the manhole through which the Skeleton Crew and Diamondback entered the sewers. He thinks that first Diamondback fails to show and now this: a huge gap on the floor where the manhole used to be. Without thinking twice, he drops his coat and hops down the sewers. As he advances through the tunnels, he hears commotion from up ahead.
Ahead, Mother Night assaults the Hellfire Club soldiers; at least, her mesmerism works on these clowns! Mesmerized by her power of hallucination, the soldiers believe they’re on fire and scream in terror! Nearby, Selene faces Machinesmith. She has control over inorganic substances, but despite this robot’s composition, she cannot exert control over it. Still grasping her, Machinesmith asks her how she would like him to crush her legs.
Approaching cautiously from behind Crossbones, Captain America views the scene of the fight and wonders what this is. Seeing him, Machinesmith tosses Selene against him. “I’ve got you, miss,” Cap tells her as she grabs her in his arms, unsuspicious of her perilous talents. “Oh, no, dear Captain,” Selene smirks and leans closer to Cap’s face. Before she has the chance to drain him dry, Diamondback releases one of her hurling diamonds against her. Hit, Selene’s head jerks and she passes out. Cap wonders what happened. Rachel makes her presence known and urges Cap to drop Selene; she’s some kind of vampire or witch! Cap is surprised to see her. “No kidding!” Rachel insists, with regard to Selene; she saw her trying to suck life from a guy! “Okay,” Cap complies and drops the unconscious Selene on the ground.
Machinesmith finally tears apart Crossbones’ makeshift manacles, freeing him in effect. Crossbones grouches it took him long enough! Machinesmith informs him they have more trouble now. Crossbones scoffs: if it isn’t Captain A and the ravishing Dime-A-Dozen! Cap demands he spill it; what’s the story here? Crossbones snaps that, from here, it doesn’t look like Cap is in much of a position to demand squat. Diamonback whispers to Steve it’s apparently some kind of gang war. There’s a woman on their side, too; she doesn’t know where she is now.
Crossbones tells Cap that fun’s fun, but a guy can’t dance all night. Cap and Rachel see the whole Skeleton Crew suddenly vanishing! Steve asks Rachel what the woman with them looked like. Rachel gives a full description: skinny, black cape, skull cap, bare legs… Cap realizes it’s Mother Night; she can hypnotically turn people invisible. “Come on,” he tells Diamonback. They must still be…
“Don’t move, hero-man!” one of the Club soldiers bellows at him and targets him with his gun. Or Cap’s going to be in more trouble than he knows what to do with, another soldier adds. Cap retorts he always knows what to do with trouble and hurls his shield against both soldiers, smashing their weapons. As he and Diamonback proceed to fight the soldiers, he grizzles they have no time to waste on henchmen; it’s Crossbone’s crew he wants! Lunging with all his might and the hardness of his shield against some soldiers, he apologizes he can’t give each of them the battle time they doubtlessly deserve, but he’s pressed for time!
Now conscious again, Selene sneaks up on Diamonback and identifies her as the filth who threw something in her head! Rachel only has a split-second to wonder how the Black Queen moved so close near her, before she gets kicked in the stomach. Leaving Rachel squirming on the floor, Selene contemplates she does not like an Avenger this close to the Hellfire Club’s headquarters. Were he to connect her and her men with the Club, it would be most inconvenient. She decides it’s time to bring this pointless altercation to a crashing end; manipulating the tunnel roof above their heads, she causes it to break down!
The roof begins crashing down, crunching several of the terrified soldiers below. Cap grabs Diamondback and covers both of them with his nigh-indestructible shield. He realizes the whole ceiling’s coming down and urges Rachel to stay close! When the dust finally settles, Captain America and Diamondback are ensnared under tons of debris. Cap quips they’ve got to stop meeting like this.


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Operation Galactic Storm, part 1: It Came From Outer Space (1st story)
first story:
Rick Jones’ Dream:A ringed planet comes into view - it’s not Saturn, but Hala, home world of those galactic goose-steppers, the Kree. He has been here before, and it is not somewhere he ever wants to go back to. Full of metal and concrete and plastic, those wacked-out warmongers covered every square foot of their mother planet with cities and roads, no vegetation anywhere - even the ocean has a plastic canopy over it.
Almost street level, there is a crowd that has gathered, mostly civilians, one soldier. ‘What are they looking at? Me? Am I really here? No - something past me’. Suddenly, whiteness engulfs everything, it can’t be an explosion, as there was no sound. Everyone is still, unmoving, like deer caught in the headlight of an oncoming car. Only, this light is the flashbulb on the Almighty’s camera.
The sudden flash fades, but people begin to drop to the ground. The wind picks up - is that dust flying through the air…or particles of death? Everyone has fallen, they’re dead, possibly the whole planet. The shockwave finally arrives, but no one is alive to hear it. Suddenly, someone emerges from the shadows, someone who survived the bomb - it’s Captain America. But what is Captain America doing here - he’s no planet-hopper, America is his stomping ground. He isn’t too fond of what he sees. He hangs his head, and covers his face, before suddenly, his face tears apart - replaced by that of the Supreme Intelligence!
Reality:‘AAAA!’ Rich Jones wakes, screaming. ‘Oh, man. A dream. Weird. It was like I knew I was dreaming, but it was still so incredibly real’ he tells himself, sitting up in bed, deciding that he never dreams so vividly, with such intense detail. He rubs his face and wonders what is going on with his subconscious, and he cannot get the image of Cap turning into the Kree Supreme Intelligence out of his mind. Putting on some jeans and a t-shirt, Rick leaves his quarters, wondering if the imagery is symbolic of something, but he can’t work out what. ‘Why do I have the feeling this dream’s important?’ Rick wonders. He knocks on the door to the quarters of Bruce Banner, ‘You in there?’ Rick calls out. ‘No! Go away!’ Bruce replies from behind closed doors.
Rick puts his hands in his pockets and carries on through the halls of the Pantheon facility, deciding that Bruce may have his mental faculties back, but he is still the Hulk, the last person you want to wake from his beauty sleep, and wonders who else in the crazy Pantheon place he can talk to, and decides on Delphi, understanding that she is supposed to be a soothsayer or something. ‘If this dream means anything - she ought to be able to tell me!’ Rick decides, approaching the sparse chamber where Delphi sits by a small pool of water. ‘Richard Jones’ Delphi calls out. Rick asks her if she knew he was coming, to which Delphi ignores the question, stating ‘You had a dream’. ‘Hmmm? Yeah’ Rick replies, telling himself ‘Not too annoying when somebody’s always a jump ahead of your conversation’.
‘I’m not psychic or anything, but -’ Rick begins as he kneels down beside the pool, to which Delphi tells him that the dream seems like more than a dream to him. ‘Right’ Rick replies, before informing Delphi that he has been in a lot of exotic places in his day - other worlds, even other galaxies. ‘You can stop me if you know all this’ he adds, but the attractive blonde tells him that it will be therapeutic for him to verbalize it. Rick reveals to Delphi that once he even had an omnipotent ruler of a galactic empire, a cross between the Wizard of Oz and a head of lettuce, enter his mind and stimulate mental powers he never had before or since.
Rick tells Delphi that the dream took place on this supreme ruler’s world, and had him in or, or kind of. ‘And your friend?’ Delphi enquires. ‘You mean Cap…he’s something of an ex-friend’ Rick explains. Delphi suggests to Rick that he speak to Captain America about this dream, but Rick tells her that there is a problem with this, for he and Captain America haven’t spoken much in the past few years. ‘I was his partner for a few weeks and…it just didn’t work out, and -’ Rick begins, but Delphi interrupts, telling Rick to call Captain America, as he will know what to do.
Meantime, Avengers Headquarters, New York City, ‘You’re up mighty early, Mademoiselle’ Captain America a.k.a. Steve Rogers tells Peggy Carter as he enters the communications room. Steve reminds his friend that he told her she couldn’t work 18 hour days anymore. Tapping away at a keyboard with one hand, holding a clipboard with the other, and not taking her eyes off the monitor ahead of her, Peggy replies that when she can’t sleep, she comes here. Cap tells her that she has to stop taking her responsibilities here to bed with her. ‘Who else is there?’ Peggy smiles. ‘Ahem’ Cap remarks, while Peggy changes the subject, remarking that she is worried that Cap’s friend Rachel hasn’t returned from her computer class yet.
‘She hasn’t? It’s five in the morning! I thought she was in bed by now!’ Cap replies, while Peggy asks if Rachel took her ID card with her, but Cap just says that it is unlike Rachel to stay out all night, and asks if she said anything to anybody before she left. Peggy informs Cap that John Jameson drove Rachel, and Cap wonders why he didn’t pick her up, before telling Peggy to call him when John gets up. Cap then starts to leave the room, when Rick’s image appears on a series of monitors. ‘Rick Jones calling the Avengers. Come in, somebody!’ he exclaims. Cap is surprised, and tells Peggy to patch him in. He greets Rick, and remarks that this is a surprise, especially at this time of night. He asks Rick where he is, to which Rick replies ‘Two time zones earlier than you’, before querying whether Cap is busy, or whether he has time to hear something a bit wacky. ‘Shoot’ Cap tells his former side-kick.
And, once the story has been relayed, ‘Hmmm, the file we have on the Supreme Intelligence says he’s been known to affect people’s dreams from a galaxy away’, Cap remarks, telling Rick that this is serious, and asks where he can meet him. Cap turns back to Peggy and asks her to wake up John and have him meet at the launch site in an hour. ‘Also, notify me the moment you hear anything from Rachel’ he adds. ‘Got you, Steve’ Peggy responds.
An hour later, Captain America and John Jameson are inside a Quinjet. ‘Where to?’ John asks as he straps himself in. ‘Benson, Arizona’ Cap replies. The jet takes off, and Cap asks John if Rachel said anything to him about where she was going after class. ‘Uh…not really’ John replies. ‘You dropped her off. She didn’t tell you why she didn’t want to be picked up?’ Cap enquires. John quickly replies that he didn’t ask. ‘I’m not as close to her as you are’ he adds, before asking Cap if he doesn’t think he is showing nepotism by hiring his girlfriend as his secretary. ‘If you need a secretary, fine. But are you trying to tell me she’s the most qualified person for the job?’ John asks. ‘What’s next? You going to use your position to get all your out-of-work friends a job?’ John remarks.
Cap pauses and asks John if something is bugging him. ‘There’s nothing wrong with me! You’re the one who can’t take a little criticism!’ John retorts. Cap realizes something is wrong and tells John that he is serious: ‘Tell me what’s up with you. I don’t want personal matters getting in the way of -’ Cap begins, but John interrupts: ‘You’re my boss, not my shrink, Captain. I’m a professional. Personal matters don’t affect my performance one bit’ he declares.
An hour later, the Quinjet hovers over the desert, while Cap drops from the vessel on a sky-cycle. He radios up to Jameson, telling him to find the nearest airport and wait for him there. Jameson replies that he knows the procedure, and takes off. Cap tells himself that something big is eating John, that he resisted all of his efforts to find out what it is. ‘Does he have some sort of problem with me I don’t know about? He’s been so solid an dependable. This is so unlike him’ Cap tells himself. Landing the sky-cycle by a diner, Cap knows the problem with John will have to wait, as right now he has to mend fences with Rick. Cap has the feeling that Rick is not over the misunderstanding the two of them had when Rick was a teenager.
Cap puts a trench coat on to obscure his costume, and notices that the diner is quite busy, considering the early hour, but supposes that it is the only truck stop in fifty miles. Looking around, he wonders if Rick isn’t here yet. Two men at the counter notice Captain America, ‘Hey, Fred - check this out’ one of them remarks, but Cap sees Rick and goes over to the booth where he is sitting. ‘Hello, Rick. Great to see you’ Cap remarks. ‘Likewise’ Rick replies, to which Cap asks him what he has been up to, aside from having weird dreams. ‘Bit of this and that’ Rick replies casually. Cap informs Rick that he bought his book, but hasn’t had time to do more than skim. A waitress goes over to them and what it will be. ‘A late supper or an early breakfast?’ she enquires. Cap requests black coffee and two orders of scrambled eggs, toast and orange juice. ‘Coming right up, doll’ the waitress replies.
Outside the diner, something large and green approaches, while inside, Cap asks Rick if he is back with the Hulk. ‘Yeah. That’s me. Rick Jones, professional sidekick’ Rick replies. Cap asks how Bruce is these days, and Rick replies that he is better than ever. Rick points out that they both have a lot to do, so he should cut to the chase. ‘If this dream I had is a message from the Supreme Intelligence, I did my bit by telling you about it. I want out of it from here on’ Rick announces, adding that he has had his fill of being a cosmic puppet, and his book is not exactly hurting for a sequel. ‘I can appreciate that, Rick, and I certainly don’t want to get -’ Cap begins, interrupted by the waitress who returns with the breakfast, only she screams when she looks up at the window. ‘What?’ Cap asks, before a large green fists punches through the window.
The waitress falls backwards, while Cap dodges the fist - only the large green hand picks Rick up and pulls him outside. ‘Some sort of giant robot! Is this a new Kree sentry?’ Cap wonders, deciding that it looks like Rick’s dream was a premonition of something. A smaller green robot is seen on the back of the larger, unbeknownst to Captain America they are B’nee and C’cil, collectively known as Warstar of the Imperial Guard. ‘Do not struggle, terran. It merely forces us to increase the force of our grip’ the smaller B’nee exclaims, as the larger, C’cil, continues to hold on to the struggling Rick. ‘Release him, mister - of you’re going to be one sorry tinker toy!’ Cap declares as he leaps through the broken window.
Cap rushes forward and slams his shield into C’cil’s arm, while B’nee points out that their quarry has an ally, and that Oracle should have warned them. ‘No big deal, in the terran vernacular’ the smaller robot decides, while Cap tells Rick to hang on. ‘I’d - uh - rather let go!’ Rick replies. Cap realizes that there are no pressure points on a robot, so he will have to go straight to its intelligence center - but as he prepares to strike C’cil’s head, B’nee shouts ‘Surprise, terran!’ and lunges forward, pushing Cap to the ground. Cap roles backwards, and kicks B’nee into a vehicle. ‘Hey, that’s my -’ one of the truckers at the diner exclaims. ‘Wiry little guy - but he’s no Terminator 2!’ Cap jokes, while Rick still struggles in C’cil’s arms. He calls out to Cap, ‘My ribs!’ he exclaims, asking for help with the big guy. ‘Soon as I take down his little buddy!’ Cap replies.
Cap propels himself through the air, ready to kick B’nee - but the small robot grabs Cab by his ankle, ‘Foot-fighting. What is it called on your planet? Box-kicking, was it?’ the small robot enquires. ‘On my planet, this is called -’ he begins, before stating what it is called in his indecipherable language, and releasing a current of energy into Cap’s body, shocking the hero. Cap knows he has to break free, and by kicking B’nee’s arm with his free foot, does so. Thinking he is fighting a Kree robot still, Cap exclaims ‘Okay, Kree-tin - feel my shield!’ as he slams his trusty shield against the small robot. ‘Indeed’ B’nee remarks as he is knocked backwards.
‘Oh my!’ the waitress gasps. ‘Give it to him, Cap’n!’ one of the truckers calls out, while another exclaims that this is so incredible. With B’nee down for the moment, Cap turns his attention back to C’cil, knowing he has to get it to let go of Rick, while Rick continues to thrust about, hoping to gain some leverage. Cap sees an opening, literally, and jumps into the cavity where B’nee rides on C’cil. It is a tight fight, but Cap is in a perfect position to work Warstar’s shoulder join, banging away at it with his shield. Cap thinks he is doing damage, but C’cil bucks about like a bronco, only the large robot isn’t flexible enough to reach Cap with his right arm.
Warstar’s grip on Rick loosens, and Rick is able to twist himself out of his coat, falling to the ground. Cap sees that Rick is free, but B’nee leaps towards Captain America, ‘You’ve usurped my perch long enough, terran!’ the small alien exclaims. ‘Cap! Look out!’ Rick shouts, while B’nee wraps his arms around Cap, who throws Rick his Avengers communi-card, ‘You’re their target, not me! You must get away!’ Cap tells him, explaining that the communi-card is the ignition key. ‘But -’ Rick begins to protest, before running towards the sky-cycle. He hates running out on Cap, but judging by how much help he has been so far, he decides to do what Cap says. He finds the ignition slot, and instantly has to hold on for his klife, as the sky-cycle takes off.
B’nee wraps his arms around Cap’s neck and tells C’cil to strike him, but Cap manages to twist just in time, so C’cil strikes his smaller companion. Cap picks the little robot up, B’nee’s head has been smashed in. Cap wonders what the big one’s reaction is going to be, and as C’cil lays B’nee down on the ground, C’cil kneels beside him. ‘As I’d hoped - docility! The little one must do most of the thinking for the two of them’ Cap decides. He looks around and sees that the sky-cycle is gone, so hopes that Rick got away, but he has not way to call him without the communi-card.
Above, Rick is starting to get the hang of steering the sky-cycle, and decides that he has to get back to Pantheon headquarters and send the Hulk to help Captain America. Suddenly, Rick hears a voice in his head, calling to him. ‘Your will is no longer your own’ the voice declares, ordering Rick to fly his quaint contraption toward the cloud bank overhead. He does so, and is then captured in a tractor beam. ‘There. He is ours’ a voice remarks from inside an alien vessel. ‘Well done, Oracle!’ someone congratulates the telepath, before another asks what they should do about Warstar. ‘He’s expendable. Let’s interrogate Jones at once and learn the location of our next target from him’ someone suggests, adding that after they have acquired the component, they can decide if rescuing the twin automations is worth the effort at this juncture.
Meanwhile, on Hala, the fourth planet in the Pama star system, in a galaxy astronomers have labeled the Greater Magellanic Cloud. Harafax is the largest industrial city-state on Hala, approximately a thousand miles (Earth measure) from the outskirts of the capital city, Kree-Lar. Hecnic Valt is Harafax’s precious metals salvaging center. On level seven, another green automaton lie, green form with purple and orange clothing. Despite the efficiency for which the center is renowned, this particular inert repository of metals and plastics has lain here undiscovered for seeral solar-cycles now, and has thus been spared the dismantling and melting process that is the ultimate fate of non-functional mechanics such as this.
It is as if this particular automaton had someone - or something - watching over it. Someone, like the Supreme Intelligence, now-deposed emperor of the star-flung Kree Empire. A blur of light signals the Supreme Intelligence’s appearance, and the automaton sits upright. ‘Rise, my robotic surrogate, the time has come again when I require a physical repository for my matchless intellect. This I impart to you, a fraction of my near-infinite life-force!’ the Supreme Intelligence states. The floating head addresses the automaton as Supremor, and announces that it shall be the first member of the Kree Starforce, a battalion of the Empire’s mightiest champions, and declares that the Empire has need of champions as it never has before. ‘For we shall soon be caught up in a conflagration that will decide the fate of our proud races forever!’


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First Story: Operation Galactic Storm part 8, Twenty Million Light Years From Earth
1st storyHala, homeworld of the star-spanning Kree Empire, where a Kree starship has landed, and from it, march seven of Earth's Mightiest Heroes – the Avengers. They have their arms behind their heads, and look very unhappy. 'Hands atop your heads, Avengers!' the Kree warrior, Shatterax, calls out as several Kree guards aim their weapons at the Avengers. Captain America a.k.a. Steve Rogers leads the way, and he asks Tony “Iron Man” Stark if he still thinks it is a good idea to surrender to the Kree. 'Now instead of a squadron of soldiers against us, we have a whole planet!' 'Hey, it did the trick, didn't it? It got s to the right world all in one piece' Iron Man mutters. 'Yes, but with our Quinjet confiscated, we don't even have a way to -' Cap begins, before one of the Kree soldiers shouts at him: 'You in the front – no talking!' Behind the Star-Spangled and armored Avengers are: Sersi, Hercules, Crystal, Black Knight and Hawkeye – in his Goliath form.
Cap looks around the industrial looking city around him and thinks: 'My God, look at the size of this place! The architecture is so... imposing. If this is just the spaceport, what must the inner cities look like here?' he wonders, deciding that he can't rubberneck too much, or the others will know how awestruck he is by this, and Cap knows that it wouldn't help their situation any to shake the others' confidence in him. Cap reminds himself that he is the leader of this little fact-finding expedition after all, even if Iron Man seems to have difficulty dealing with that. Cap wonders if perhaps Iron Man did the right thing surrendering, as apparently this planet has incredible defense systems. 'Our souped-up Quinjet may never have made it through' Cap realizes, wishing that Iron Man could have consulted with him first so they could have planned what they were going to do once they got here. Cap recalls that their Kree captor wouldn't even listen when he attempted to explain that their only reason for coming here was to speak to his Emperor, whoever that may be. 'That means we're going to have to find a means of escape' Cap decides.
Suddenly, on a platform overlooking where the Avengers are being held, figures march towards Shatterax, and one of them shouts: 'You – Shatterax!' Cap looks up and sees the figure on the parapet, and realizes that he recognizes him. Cap tries to get Iron Man's attention: 'Up there – the person approaching Shatterax – isn't that Ronan the Accuser?' Cap asks. 'I haven't -' Iron Man starts to reply, until one of the Kree soldiers shouts 'Terran! Utter another word and I'll shoot!' Shatterax turns to Ronan and calls out his name. 'Obvously. And you are?' Ronan asks. 'Special Agent Shatterax. Exo-weapons division' the armored warrior replies. Ronan informs Shatterax that he can relinquish custody of the prisoners to him. 'Now that they are on home soil, this has become a civil matter, not a military one. You are dismissed!' But Shatterax isn't happy about this:? 'If it's all the same to you, Accuser, my battalion and I will remain until -' Shatterax begins, but Ronan cuts him off: 'Are you insinuating that the Prime Accuser of the entire empire is incapable of handling Earth-scum such as -' , to which Shatterax backs off, 'no, Sir! I... I'll leave at once' he announces, while glancing at his soldiers, below, and ordering them to return to the ship and prepare for take-off, as the Accusers have jurisdiction.
Several other Accusers move towards the Avengers as Ronan instructs them to restrain the prisoners. Cap realizes the Accusers have some form of manacles, and knows that if the Avengers don't make their move now, it may be too late. Cap knows that Sersi is behind him, and hopes that she is watching for his hand-signals. 'Plan 5-2-1, Sersi' Cap thinks to himself, as Sersi smiles, and an instant later, the seven Avengers find themselves transformed – disguised as Kree Accusers! 'Eh -? My raiment -!' Hercules thinks to himself, while Cap's thoughts are more excited: 'Yes! Way to go, lady!' The transformation took place under a blinding light.
'What is that brilliant light?' Ronan asks, before calling out to Shatterax, asking him what has happened to the Earthscum. 'They teleported away – exchanged places with us!' the disguised Sersi responds. This surprises Cap, who recognizes Sersi's voice, and is confused as to how she knows the Kree language, and wonders if it is by telepathy. 'Search the area!' Ronan booms, and on cue, the Avengers, posing as Accusers, rush away, while the real Accusers begin their search, too.
Soon, at the Accusers' Municipal Headquarters, Ronan appears on a monitor and informs all Accusers level two and above that seven escaped terran criminals in their midst, that they are armed, genetically enhanced and dangerous. Ronan declares that all officers will assist in the search and apprehension, and that all due force is sanctioned. Ronan announces that the perpetrators' descriptions will be beamed to all datacombs, and reminds his Accusers that the terrans must be apprehended at all costs. The Accusers then depart the ir headquarters on sky-cycles to assist in the search.
Ten minutes from the city space port, the Accuser-disguised Avengers rush into an area filled with civilian Kree, as Crystal tells Sersi that the disguises are great, and points out that the crowds are parting when they see them coming. 'The Accusers must really be feared by the general populace' Sersi replies. 'The Gestapo is more like it!' someone declares, to which someone else confesses to Cap that they weren't even aware there were any other Accusers apart from Ronan. 'Everyone keep your eyes open for a place where we can confer in private' someone suggests. Sersi notices a door with a symbol on it, and tells Cap that unless she is is bad at comparative anthropology, she would bet those doors lead to comfort facilities. She adds that she wonders which are the men’s and which are the women’s. 'We'll see' Cap replies, before the seven disguised Avengers march into one of the restrooms, 'OUT!' Cap shouts to the surprised men inside, realizing that they may not understand his word, but that his meaning is pretty clear.
When the room has been emptied, Cap instructs Hercules to guard the door, and for Clint, Dane and Crystal to scour the place for bug devices. Suddenly, 'Sersi, change me back...NOW!' Iron Man demands. Sersi looks to Cap for guidance, and Cap frowns, before giving her permission to change Iron Man back. 'Voila' Sersi mutters as she uses her transmutation to revert Iron Man's armor back to its regular form. 'Let me tell you something, lady – don't you ever touch my armor again!' Iron Man snaps. 'Do I make myself clear?' he asks. 'What? I was just -' Sersi begins, before Iron Man interrupts her, warning Sersi that if her infernal sorcery has messed up so much as a single microchip... his voice trails off, before the annoyed Sersi informs Iron Man that it is not sorcery, but molecular transmutation, and that in time, everything snaps back to its original configuration. 'If I can reconstitute living organisms, your inorganic circuitry are child's play' Sersi declares. Iron Man turns away from her, and tells her that, all the same, he is doing a complete systems check. One of the others informs Cap that the room seems clear, so Cap tells everyone to listen up, and reports that their objective is to find the heads of state here so they can tell them they would be wise to get their space warp-hole out of Earth's solar system.
Cap tells the others that he assumes they are in the capital city, but points out that there is still a lot of area to cover, and suggests that they exchange these disguises for something a little less conspicuous. 'No more disguises for me. I don't want my armor messed with anymore' Iron Man declares. 'But you'll be compromising the rest of us' Cap points out, so Iron Man offers to travel alone and fly reconnaissance. Cap puts a hand on Iron Man's shoulder and tells him that it is not a good idea for them to split up. 'We're on a hostile world, we have no maps, and if anyone were to get lost -' Cap begins, to which Iron Man points out that they have their communicards. 'Look, Iron Man, as field leader, I insist we -' Cap begins, to which Iron Man brushes Cap's hand off his shoulder: 'I'm a founding member of the Avengers, Captain. The only one here. I figure that gives me the right to supersede your authority over my actions' Iron Man declares, announcing that he will fly reconnaissance and let them know what he finds.
As Iron Man starts to leave, Goliath asks him to wait a second while he talks something over with Cap. Hercules watches Iron Man and thinks to himself that this dissension in their ranks bodes ill. Iron Man waits as Goliath asks Cap if he can go with Iron Man and keep an eye on him. 'Go' Cap tells Clint, who asks Sersi to be so kind. Sersi waves a finger, and returns Goliath to his regular appearance. Clint starts to follow Iron Man, telling him to wait up, and that the West Coasters have to look out for each other. He adds that he brought with him a few capsules of Pym's reducing gas, so he can ride on Iron Man's back ant-sized.
At that moment, some five kilometers beneath Hala's surface, at the site of a subterranean power station abandoned several hundred solar cycles ago, a figure flies through the darkened area, and looking below, near some large plant machinery, sees two who he believes are the one he seeks. He thinks to himself that if they are not, then he will quit this dismal sphere, ignore the voice that entices him with knowledge of his ancient beginnings, and wander the starlanes once more. 'Who goes there?' one of the figures below, Shatterax, asks as the new arrival drops down towards him. 'I do. I, Ultimus!' the Kree warrior declares, before asking the other two who they are. Shatterax introduces himself as the first of a new breed of Kree techno-warrior. The other warrior introduces himself as Korath the Pursuer, prototype of the cybernetic soldier the shortsighted current regime has refused to fund. Ultimus tells them that neither of them sound like the one who summoned him here. 'They are not. I summoned you!' a voice calls out as a large figure emerges from the shadows. The large green being with tentacles waving behind him introduces himself as Supremor, corporal host of the matchless intellect that once ruled the Kree Empire. 'And with your help shall rule again!' Supremor exclaims.
Above, Sersi has transformed herself, Cap, Crystal, the Black Knight and Hercules into Kree civilians. As they examine their surroundings, walking through the Kree city, the Black Knight points out that it looks like the mighty Kree capital city has a seamy underbelly. 'Looks that way' Cap agrees, remarking that every level they have descended, the working conditions have become worse. Crystal tells her teammates that she is reminded of the way the Alpha Primitives used to live in the subcity beneath Attilan. 'There can surely be no grimmer a place than here, fair Crystal' Hercules remarks. The Black Knight points upwards to a large billboard-type device floating over the city, displaying images of Captain America. 'Hey, check that out, Cap! Looks like you're the man of the hour!' the Black Knight remarks. 'The Kree version of a wanted poster, Dane' Cap replies. Iron Man pulls out his communicard when it starts to beep, and wonders if Iron Man is in trouble. Iron Man reports that he and Hawk have located the central government building, but the problem is it is difficult to give directions. 'If you can get enough altitude, you'll see it' Iron Man remarks, explaining that it has a spire with a sphere that has a ring around it, like Saturn. Cap asks Iron Man not to go in, to wait until they get there. 'I'll give you an hour. At that time we're going in, with or without you. Iron Man out' the abrupt Avenger replies.
Cap turns to Sersi and tells her that they are going to need transportation – something that flies. Sersi suggests that wanted poster blimp, but Cap asks how they can get up there. Sersi points out that she can levitate them all if they join hands. 'But we'd be seen!' Cap declares. Crystal offers to create a distraction. 'Watch!' she exclaims as she uses her elemental power to create a geyser that erupts in the busy area nearby. Kree civilians gather around to watch the geyser. The Avengers link hands, and Sersi levitates them towards the floating billboard wanted poster. 'Hang tight, Hercules – we're almost there!' Sersi calls out as Hercules holds her hand. 'Milady, I shall cling to thy fair hand as thy raiment clings to your exquisite form!' Hercules replies. Sersi tells him that she appreciates the thought, 'But not now' she declares. The Black Knight looks over to the geyser and decides that it is a much greater spectacle than they are, and before long, the five Avengers land on the floating wanted poster, which now depicts Crystal. Sersi tells the others that there appears to be a cockpit beneath the hovercraft, and takes them there.
And, Sersi has a hand on the pilot's face. 'Congratulations, pilot. You've just been hijacked by the most wanted people on all Hala!' she tells him, while Cap notices the building Iron Man was talking about, and instructs Sersi to have the pilot take them there. Dane looks out the window and informs Cap that there is an unidentified bogey coming up behind them – that it looks like a guy with bootjets. Indeed, it is Korath, who thinks to himself that Supremor would have them assist the all-but-ineffectual Accusers in their search for the Earth fugitives, as he claims the Supreme Intelligence would like to assimilate their intellects. Korath boasts that pinpointing anomalous brain patterns is child's play for one endowed with cyberpsionic scanners. He thinks that at the very least this should provide him with an opportunity to see how well his arsenal performs in a combat situation. With that, Korath butsts into the cockpit, and scanning the Avengers, he detects that Sersi is the most powerful of the group, so decides to incapacitate her first. He slams her with a weapon, and Sersi falls backwards, unconscious, her disguises protecting the other Avengers fails, and their true forms are revealed.
'Offworlders! You have eluded the Accusers withh your feeble disguises but not Korath the Pursuer!' Korath boasts as he strikes Crystal, taking her out next. The Black Knight realizes that having reverted to their uniforms, means he has his photon sword back, but it's too late to help Crystal. 'Craven jackal! Attacking our womenfolk!' Hercules shouts as he and the Black Knight push Korath out of the cockpit, 'When I get my hands on thee!' Hercules calls out, but the Black Knight tells him to be careful, as those sticks of his stunned an Eternal. 'Your females were the only ones with true power among you. You males scan as mere strong men or athletes!' Korath declares, while Cap leaps out the other side of the floating billboard in an attempt to try and surprise Korath. 'One of you has fled!' Korath declares, floating around the other side of the craft, 'It is he I will pursue first, lest he escape and I do not have the full set of out-worlders to turn over to Supremor'. But Korath gets a surprise when Cap flips backwards and his feet connect with the Pursuer. 'Gotcha!' Cap exclaims.
Cap runs along the top of the billboard as Korath tells him that if that was the best he can do, then he would do well to flee. 'That didn't stagger him as much as I'd hoped. I hate it when these guys wear full body armor' Cap thinks to himself, realizing that Korath's major offensive weapons appear to be those two stun-rods, so they are the first things to go. Cap's shield slams into Korath's arm and he drops one of the stun rods. 'That'll teach him to tail-gate me!' Cap thinks to himself. The Beta-Baton, as Korath calls it, plummets downwards, 'That annoys me!' Korath tells Cap, who, while Korath's attention is focussed on the fallen weapon, leaps at Korath, even If that means taking it to the sky. The impact of Cap leaping at Korath pushes Korath off balance, and they start to tumble downwards through the air.
Cap knows that he has to cling on with his legs, stay with Korath, but he can't tell if Korath is flying badly to shake him, or if his weight is throwing Korath off. Cap tries to keep an eye on Korath's baton, he wants to wrest it out of Korath's hand. Korath tells Cap that he is a suicidal manaic. 'I could survive a fall from this height – you could not'. 'Thanks for the safety tip, mister!' Cap replies as he slams his shield into Korath's face. They tumble through the air again, the coupel of back-hands to Korath's helmet seem to have rattled him. Cap tries to force Korath's baton to touch his bootjet – 'Pama!' Korath calls out when the baton strikes his bootjet, causing them to go off balance again. 'It worked! It killed his right jet!' Cap thinks to himself, as he manages to grab the baton, and pushes it against the other bootjet. 'You stupid oaf – you did that deliberately! Now – we fall!' Korath shouts, wide-eyed.
Korath starts to free-fall, as does Cap, who knows that he beat Korath, but that unless he catches a lucky air current, he is going to miss the dirigible. Cap looks over to the floating billboard and sees the Black Knight on top of the screen, waving frantically at him, as if he thinks Cap doesn't know where to land. 'My God, I don't think Cap's gonna make it!' Dane thinks to himself, knowing that there must be something he can do. 'Blast, he'll probably only miss by a hair!' Dane tells himself, before realizing that he can detach the screen from its moorings, it will stick out just far enough. The screen falls down, creating extra space on the platform, and with Cap putting his shield under him to absorb the impact, he lands on the screen an instant later. 'Thanks for the assist, Avenger' Cap tells Dane as they shake hands. 'Whew! You scared me out of a year's growth, Cap!' Dane tells his friend. Cap doubts that they have seen the last of Korath, and tells Dane that they have to make it to the rendezvous point before Iron Man goes off half-cocked....


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After the Storm
Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America leans over a meeting room table at Avengers HQ. He frowns, before announcing ‘All in favor of having me step down as the Chief Executive and Commanding Officer of the two branches of Avengers - signify by saying “aye”!’ The meeting room is full of Avengers from the East and West Coast branches, as well as several inactive Avengers who have recently been assisting the teams. Most of the female Avengers are seated around the table - Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. the Black Widow; Sersi; Monica “Captain Marvel” Rambeau, Janet van Dyne a.k.a. the Wasp, Crystal, Bobbi “Mockingbird” Morse Barton, Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch and Jennifer “She-Hulk” Walters. Only Spider-Woman a.k.a. Julia Carpenter, relatively new to the Avengers, stands at the back of the room, alongside fellow new-recruit, Miguel Santos the Living Lightning.
Quasar a.k.a. Wendell Vaughn, Dr Hank Pym, Dane Whitman the Black Knight, Starfox, Gilgamesh, Hercules, Tony “Iron Man” Stark, the Vision, Clint “Hawkeye” Barton in his Goliath guise, Eric Masterton the new Thor and Simon “Wonder Man” Williams round at the assembled Avengers. Dane tells Cap to come on, as none of them will vote for that. Iron Man remarks that Cap thinks the contingent of Avengers responsible for terminating the Supreme Intelligence, who, he reminds Cap, is responsible for the deaths of untold billions of Kree, ought to have some disciplinary action brought against them. ‘The majority of us have voted against that’ Iron Man points out, assuring Cap that does not mean they want to take his job away - it just means that many of them disagree with him as far as what constitutes appropriate conduct in a time of war.
Hawkeye states that this “Galactic Storm” has left a lot of them really stressed out. ‘All of us - the two space teams, as well as the home team - busted our humps the past few weeks’ he adds, suggesting that they adjourn this meeting debriefing, as they can always follow up if need be after they have had a little rest and relaxation. ‘Very well’ Cap agrees, before informing the others that he has one last item - tonight at 19:30 he will be giving a seminar on superhuman ethics. He urges them all to attend. The new Thor raises his hand and asks him if it is mandatory, while thinking to himself that he has to go see his son before he forgets he even has a father. Cap explains that the seminar is voluntary. ‘Just asking’ Thor mumbles, before Cap adjourns the meeting. Cap is the first to leave, turning and striding out of the meeting room. ‘Whew! I’ve never seen Cap so…tense!’ She-Hulk remarks, while the Black Widow thinks to herself ‘Poor Steve’. ‘Excuse me, everybody!’ Quasar shouts as he flies past everyone to follow Cap. Hawkeye tells the young Avenger to stop being a show-off.
‘Say, Cap… wait up!’ Quasar calls out as he lands in the corridor. Wendell tells Cap that he didn’t want to bring it up back there and waste everyone else’s time, before nervously announcing that he was thinking of taking a leave of absence from the team. ‘Oh?’ Cap replies. Wendell reminds Cap that he told him during his membership interview that the cosmic entity responsible for his Quantum-Bands appointed him “Protector of the Universe”, and he doesn’t think he has been doing such a hot job of that staying Earthbound as much as he has. ‘Who knows? If I’d found a way to be a better protector, I might have learned about the Kree-Shi’ar War sooner…and been able to save some lives’ Wendell laments. Cap asks him if he is thinking of leaving immediately, and, in the nearby kitchen, Edwin Jarvis checks some food he is cooking, while Quasar tells Cap that he knows this is short notice, but he wants to check on the Kree Empire and see if there is anything he can do for the survivors.
Wendell informs Cap that he does want to attend the seminar tonight, though, but Cap tells him not to worry about it, as he is not one of the Avengers he feels he needs to lecture on ethics. Wendell thanks Cap, and they make their way out to the front of Avengers HQ, as Cap tells Wendell that he will be a hard man to replace, but the Kree, the universe, undoubtedly needs him more than the Avengers do. Cap asks Wendell to keep him posted on his activities, and as they shake hands, Wendell assures him that he will. ‘And whenever you’re in the vicinity, you’ll always be welcome here. Once an Avenger…’ Cap tells the young hero. Quasar takes to the air, ‘Thanks… Cap. It means a lot ot me! You’re the greatest!’ he calls back. Cap waves goodbye, and thinks to himself ‘Yeah. But the greatest what?’
Cap makes his way back inside, and goes to the communications center, where Peggy Carter is surprised to see him. She embraces her old friend, and tells him that it is good to see him back. ‘Were you in outer space all this time? I was so worried…’ her voice trails off, before she clears her throat and apologizes. ‘You should slap me when I start acting like a mother hen’ she tells him, but Cap assures her that it is all right, and points out that USAgent and the Falcon were not at the debriefing, so he asks for their mission status.
Peggy informs Cap that they received a call three days ago from his old enemy Flag-Smasher, that it had something to do with a friend of his whom she never met - Demolition Man, so USAgent and Falcon went to investigate. ‘D-MAN?’ Cap gasps, before instructing Peggy to put a tracer on that Quinjet and to call John Jameson, as he wants to follow up on it at once. Peggy reveals to Cap that his pilot hasn’t reported in since Cap left for space, and she thinks he may be looking for Diamondback. ‘You mean she -’ Cap begins, forlorn. ‘Haven’t heard a peep from her in almost three weeks’ Peggy informs Cap, who hangs his head and utters ‘I go away and the whole world falls apart’.
Riverside Avenue, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where the villain called Crossbones, wearing a trench coat and wide-brimmed hat, leads Rachel “Diamondback” Leighton along the sidewalk. ‘Whatsa matter, Ratsel? For weeks now, you’ve been begging me to let you outta our abandoned subway station hideaway - and now that I finally give in to yer whining, yer embarrassing me by walking like a feeb!’ he exclaims. Diamondback tells her captor that he knows very well why she is too weak to walk straight - she is starving, as he hasn’t given her a decent meal in weeks. Crossbones admits that he has been a little bit stingy in the food department. ‘But ya gotta admit, it did the trick - took the fighting spirit right outta - what’d you used to call yerself - Diamondbutt?’ he jokes.
‘Anyway, toots, you and me are going on a field trip. I’m sick of the Big Rotten Apple’ Crossbones announces, before smashing a window on a car which he declares that he will hotwire. They get into the car, and shortly, speed away. ‘Ah, feels great to go mobile, don’t it?’ Crossbones remarks, while Diamondback asks him where he is taking her. ‘I told you, babe. A field trip’ Crossbones replies, promising Diamondback that she will like it much better than the subway, and that he has a nice peaceful place in mind for her - real peaceful, no one around but earthworms. ‘You’re going to bury me alive…?’ Diamondback asks. ‘Mmm… not exactly’ Crossbones replies.
Meanwhile, Cap is sitting at the desk in his office at Avengers HQ. He thinks to himself that the organization is a mess - but if it’s not one thing it is another. He decides that the reserves are particularly in a shambles - Spider-Man and the Sub-Mariner didn’t respond to the emergency summons at the onset of “Operation Galactic Storm”, so he knows he can’t count on them as back-ups. He looks at the list of names on the monitor before him -Beast, Hellcat, She-Hulk, Falcon, Sub-Mariner, Quicksilver, Ant-Man, Rage and Moondragon are all listed as “inactive” while Jocasta is listed as “deceased”. ‘Oh, what’s the use? Maybe I should throw the towel in. Maybe somebody with newer, fresher ideas could keep this rag-tag group running better than me’ Steve thinks to himself.
He rubs his nose and decides that it seems his style of professional behavior is out of fashion, at odds with this increasingly violent society. He wonders if guys like Punisher, Cable and Wolverine are the answer to the kinds of threats America faces today - perhaps bad attitudes and lax moral codes are the only way to make headway. ‘The values I’ve striven for my entire career seem s…untenable in this present clime. But without them, what am I?’ Cap asks himself. There is a knock at Caps’ door, as a voice calls out ‘Yo, Cap! You in there? It’s me. Hawkeye. Or Goliath. Or just plain Clint. Whatever’ Cap’s old friend exclaims, but gets no response. Clint explains that he needs some advice deciding which costumed identity he should go with. ‘Cap?’ he calls out when he gets no response. Clint reminds himself that Peggy said Cap’s computer was online, so was probably here. But supposes that Cap left it on and slipped out.
That evening, in the auditorium, many chairs are set out in anticipation of a large audience for Cap’s seminar - but only the Black Widow, Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch are present. Natasha tells Clint and Wanda that she has never seen Steve so tense, so withdrawn, adding that she asked him to work out with her, but he flat turned her down. ‘You at least got him to speak to you. I think he’s been avoiding me all day’ Clint reveals. Wanda tells her friends that she hopes some of the others show up soon, as Steve is going to be awfully disappointed when he sees this poor turn out for his seminar. ‘Yeah, well, a lot of the guys had to - uh-oh. Here he comes’ Clint remarks as Cap approaches the podium on the stage.
Captain America stares down at the near-empty auditorium, he appears shaky. Clint breaks the silence by announcing that Wonder Man, Iron Man and most of the West Coast team had to get back to their business, and asked him to pass on their regrets. Natasha informs Cap that Hercules and the Black Knight went to fly Gilgamesh back to Europe, while Crystal is with her baby, and the Vision is looking into getting his skin fixed. ‘I get the picture, Natasha. You three are it’ Cap replies, while remarking that the ones who really need to hear his seminar are not here. He pauses, before deciding that this is pointless, and turns to leave. ‘Sorry I wasted all your time’ he tells his friends.
Clint, Wanda and Natasha look horrified. ‘Whoa!’ Clint exclaims, when suddenly, the front doors burst open. ‘Sorry I’m late! Did I miss anything?’ the new Thor enquires. ‘Oh, brother’ Wanda mutters. Soon, Wanda, Clint and Natasha go into the kitchen and have coffee sitting at the table. Natasha tells the others that they have to do something for Cap, as he is heading for a breakdown. ‘Like what can we do?’ Clint asks. Natasha suggests that, for starters, Clint take Cap for a night on the town. ‘Ya mean get him drunk? Ya gotta be -’ Clint exclaims, but Natasha tells him that she means he should talk to him man to man, try and dispel the gloom he is in. ‘You are one of his oldest friends here’ Natasha points out. ‘Yeah, but… cheering up depressed living legends ain’t one of my specialities’ Clint points out, muttering that he wishes the Falcon would get back.
Shortly, in Cap’s private quarters, where Cap is lying on his bed, arms behind his head, Clint suddenly, enters, ‘Okay, old timer. Enough moping around. You and me are going out!’ Clint exclaims. Cap replies that he can’t, as he needs to stay here, for he is waiting for word about some missing Avengers and missing support personnel, and wants to be here. ‘Get outta here! Peggy can beep you on your card wherever you are. Now come on, I ain’t taking no for an answer!’ Clint declares. Clint starts searching through Captain America’s chest of drawers, and throws some clothes at Cap, telling him to take off the Union Suit and to put these on. ‘Clint, I -’ Steve begins, but Clint leaps onto Cap’s bed and starts bouncing up and down. ‘I intend ta use yer bed as a trampoline till you get off that flabby red, white and blue backside of yers - think I care if jumping on the bed’s against the by-laws?’ Clint declares. Smiling, Cap tells Clint that he wins.
Somewhere in New Jersey, Crossbones and Diamondback are still in the car, as Diamondback assures Crossbones that she has told him everything she knows about Captain America already - his shoe size, what he likes to eat for breakfast, his unlisted extension, the kind of music he listens to. ’What more do you want from me?’ she asks him. ‘Heh heh, plenty more, Ratsel. Plenty more’ Crossbones replies. They pull into a gas station, as Crossbones tells Rachel that the junk she has told him would be great if he was writing a profile for people magazine, but it is nothing that is going to get him back in tight with the Red Skull. Rachel then asks him why they are at the gas station, and leading her out of the car, Crossbones leads her towards a payphone, instructing her to make a phone call to Captain America and tell him that she is spending a few weeks skiing with an old friend.
‘You say exactly that, with no mess-ups and I promise I’ll rustle you up some chow’ Crossbones tells her, warning Rachel that if she acts up, he will see her starve. ‘Okay’ Rachel replies, and in the Avengers HQ communications room, Peggy is on duty as always, when the call comes in: ‘This is Rachel Leighton. I’m skiing with an old friend of mine. Tell Cap he shouldn’t worry…’ is all she says. ‘Rachel? This is Peggy! Don’t hang up - Rachel?’ Peggy calls out, while a computer has signalled that it is tracing the call. Peggy Carter turns to the Black Widow and remarks that she should call Cap, as he has been waiting for word on Rachel, but Natasha instructs Peggy not to, as he needs one night away from all his problems. ‘But he -’ Peggy begins.
Natasha tells Peggy that she knows Cap is concerned about Rachel, but points out that the message she would be able to pass on is so sparse that it would only serve to agitate him further. Natasha then offers to get on a sky-cycle and check out the number, to see if Diamondback is okay. She then asks Peggy to off calling Cap until she reports back in. ‘Cap respects your judgment enough to have appointed you deputy leader, Natasha. All right’ Peggy replies.
On the Lower West Side, ‘Are we almost there yet? Or are you lost?’ Cao asks Clint, who replies that it has been a few years since he called this burg home, so cut him a little slack, before motioning to the Laughing Horse Bar in front of them and pointing out that they have arrived. ‘This…is your idea of a - a -’ Cap begins, ‘Of a bar. Year. Let’s go in. I’ll tell ya my theory’ Clint explains. Entering the bar, he points out that there are three kinds of bars - yuppie bars, lowlife bars and old men bars. ‘And what’s this?’ Steve asks. ‘A lowlife bar, of course! They’re the most fun!’ Clint exclaims. Hands in his jacket pocket, Cap tells Clint that he doesn’t know about this, as it is not really his kind of scene. ‘What’re you talking about, man? You used to always lecture me about training myself to adapt to any situation I happen to find myself in. Well? Were you just blowing smoke?’ Clint reminds Cap, who looks at him and asks where they should sit.
They find a table in the middle of the room, as a woman approaches them and asks ‘What’ll it be?’ Clint asks her for a pitcher of tap and two frosty mugs. ‘Come on, Clint. You know I don’t drink. I’m a role model for -’ Cap begins, but Clint interrupts him, ‘Not tonight you aren’t. Tonight you’re just a regular joe’ Clint declares. Men go about drinking and playing pool while the women watch them, as Cap tells Clint ‘But I’m not. I can’t even bring myself to pretend to be anymore, Clint’ and reveals that he realized some time ago that every time he has tried to put together a regular life for himself, it soon fell apart, until finally he realized that he had a choice to be a good Captain America or a lousy Steve Rogers. ‘Guess which I chose’.
Clint asks Cap if he doesn’t have any civilian friends anymore, to which Cap admits that they have mostly fallen by the wayside, that the Avengers and the HQ crew are the only people in his life right now. ‘And even they’re slipping away. The Avengers may not have voted me out this morning, but…as tonight’s seminar proved, I’ve lost the ability to inspire them’ Cap exclaims. Frowning, Clint slams his jug on the table, ‘If that’s what you think, then you oughtta quit, Steve! You’ll see how much they need you then!’ he shouts. Clint then suggests that he will quit too, and then the two of them can form their own team, and they will only let guys who have strong ethical principles like themselves join. ‘No, Clint. That’s…nuts. I’m not about to compete with the Avengers for criminals to fight and emergencies to handle’ Cap replies, so Clint suggests that Cap should take a leave of absence.
‘No, the Avengers need me - “Galactic Storm” has left our ranks very unstable’ he decides. Clint asks Cap why he doesn’t just put his own needs in front of others for once. ‘Listen to me, as your friend, I’m telling you, you need some time off from the grind. You’re heading for job burn-out’ Clint remarks. ‘If that happens, you’re gonna be no good to the Avengers or yourself’ he adds. Cap replies that he doesn’t know, to which Clint asks ‘There must be something you need to do, Steve. Just for yourself. Just to get back on an even keel’. Cap replies that actually there is - he was in this relationship with a woman, but he took things too slowly, never once let her know how he felt about her. ‘Then do something about it! Take her in your arms and tell her, man!’ Clint replies as he pours himself another beer. Cap explains that he can’t, as she is one of the missing people he mentioned earlier. ‘Oh’ Clint replies, while deciding that he is a fine one to give advice about relationships when his own marriage is on the rocks. ‘I oughtta practice what I preach’ he realizes.
‘If I could just -’ Cap begins, when suddenly, ‘STEVE!’ a voice calls out. Cap turns and sees a man in a suit enter the bar - it’s Tony Stark. ‘Here?’ Cap wonders, confused. Tony announces that Peggy told him where they were, and asks if he can join them. Tony sits down at the table and apologizes for missing the seminar, explaining that he had a lot of Star Enterprises business to attend to in LA, and he has just returned. Cap tells Tony that he was not expecting him anyway. ‘Right’ Tony replies, before telling Clint that he needs to speak to Steve alone, and asks him if he minds making himself scarce for a bit. ‘WHAT?’ Clint exclaims, before taking the pitcher of beer and his mug, and muttering that he feels like shooting some pool anyway. He gets up and goes over to one of the pool tables.
Tony tells Steve that their relationship has been on the rocks for much too long, and that, if possible, he would like to clear the air. Cap asks Tony if he wants a drink, and Tony replies that he would like a diet coke, before suggesting they start where it went sour - his “Armor Wars”. ‘Where you broke into a government penitentiary…caused a jailbreak…we fought…you sucker-punched me and ran…promising me an explanation for the necessity of your actions when it was all over’ Cap reminds Tony, pointing out that instead, he publicly blamed his outrageous behavior on a renegade Iron Man. Cap reminds Tony that when he sent word he wanted to see him, he didn’t try to explain one blessed thing. ‘You just aid that we were likely to play on the same team at some point in the future, so we’d better call a truce to our differences’.
‘You didn’t even try to justify your criminal actions! I was so stunned, I couldn’t even press you on it’ Cap reminds Tony as he recalls the encounter. Tony calmly explains that things got out of hand, that once he started trying to confiscate all of his stolen technology, he just became so obsessed he had to pursue it to its logical end. ‘I knew you could never understand that - you don’t believe that the ends justify the means - so I didn’t even bother’ Tony remarks, adding that, in retrospect, he should have at least tried. ‘That begins us to the events of the past few weeks’ Cap announces, reminding Tony that he surrendered their team of Avengers to the Kree Militia, without consulting him, the team leader. ‘The decision to gamble with our lives was not one you should have made unilaterally’ Cap tells Tony.
‘Yes I know it happened to work out in our favor’ Cap agrees, before reminding Tony that Sersi pulled their far out of the fire, then Tony got angry with the way she did it, he decided to go his separate way, the heck with the rest of them. Tony explains that he could not have Sersi mess with his armor again, as it is not only his source of power, but his life support. Head hanging, Steve tells Tony that, finally, Iron Man was one of the ringleaders of the Avengers “execution squad”, who stormed off to terminate the Supreme Intelligence. Tony tells Cap that he truly believes that conventional standards of morality are inapplicable in times of war, but Cap replies that it was not their decision to make, and points out that the Supreme Intelligence should have been put on trial like the war criminals after World War II. ‘You left out that I abandoned you on the Kree homeworld to go after the Nega-Bomb’ Tony points out. Cap replies that he can understand that decision, for he would have made the same one.
Elsewhere, the Black Widow has arrived at the gas station, and picks up the phone that Diamondback called Avengers HQ from - but there is no sign of Diamondback. Natasha decides to ask the station attendant if he saw anything.
Twenty miles away, Crossbones has parked the stolen car and leads Diamondback into some woods. ‘Cross - I did what you said! What are you doing? Where are you taking me?’ Rachel asks him. ‘Right here, toots’ Crossbones replies as he opens the trap-door, built into the ground, explaining that it is a former fall-out shelter where Magneto imprisoned the Red Skull some months back. Crossbones tells Rachel that he doesn’t know how Magneto found it, but that she can bet her bottom that Magneto figured it was a good place to stick somebody he didn’t want disturbed. Crossbones picks up the rope he left here last time, and instructs Rachel to climb down. Rachel tells him that she doesn’t think she is strong enough to, so Crossbones tells her to climb down, or fall down.
Shortly, Rachel is lying on the floor of the shelter, ‘Hah! A mere ten foot drop. Nothing to it, huh?’ Crossbones calls out as he climbs down the rope and shines a torch down on Rachel. When he lands on the floor, he shines the torch into a corner, and tells Rachel to look around, explaining that this is their new home. ‘We’re going to be sending a lot of time down here, you and me…down here in our hidey-hole, I’m going to become your best friend…I’m going to teach you how to be exactly like me…I’m gonna teach you the toughness you need to survive’ he explains. ‘No…’ Rachel utters. Crossbones remarks that it is funny, after all these years, she finally gets what she wants - he is finally going to let her join his gang.
Back in Manhattan, Tony explains that after the bomb exploded and they were revived from that weird thing Sersi did to them, he looked around in a daze, and thought “Where’s Cap?”, before recalling that he was still on Hala - probably dead. ‘You may choose to disbelieve this if you want, but that thought made me…I…look, I’m not the crying kind, Steve. I didn’t even cry at my own father’s funeral’ Tony states, before telling him that right then and there, he realized then and there that in this crazy business they are in, there is no one he would miss more than Cap. ‘And I …well…you’re an inspiration to me, Steve. To a lot of us. We may not think like you or act like you - but we still respect you and appreciate what you do and the way you do it’ he assures him.
Tony continues, stating that Cap is an idealist in a world that is far from ideal. ‘I don’t know how you can do it, Steve…how you can keep all the ugliness from getting to you… hardening you… I can’t. I’m not as perfect as you…forgive me’ Tony asks. ‘Tony… I’m not perfect either. I’m sometimes to quick to judge…to slow to forgive’ Cap admits, telling Tony that he appreciates how much courage it took to come here - in a bar of all places - and to level with him just like he did. He adds that he is sorry their ideological differences bent their friendship out of shape. ‘I miss having you as my friend’ he tells him. Cap and Tony shake hands as Cap tells Tony that hr would like them to let bygones be bygones. ‘So would I’ Tony replies as he gets up to leave. Cap goes over to Clint who has finished a game of pool and tells him that Tony left, so he is going back to the Mansion. ‘Hold on, I’ll go with you… soon as Fats here pays up’ Clint replies as a man in a suit hands over some money.
Shortly, at Avengers HQ, Cap and Clint return, and Cap shouts ‘USAgent!’ as he sees John Walker up ahead. ‘About time you came crawling in, Rogers’ Walker mutters. Cap then asks ‘Where’s the Falcon? Where’s -?’, as Walker tells him that they are around the corner. Sam Wilson a.k.a. the Falcon and Dennis “D-Man” Dunphy enter the room, ‘Steve!’ the Falcon calls out to his friend. ‘Dennis!’ Steve exclaims, as he sees D-Man, now in a tall, muscular form. ‘What’s happened to you? I thought you’d - to heck with what I thought! It’s really great to see you, man!’ Cap smiles. Clint smiles seeing Cap so happy, and decides that if this doesn’t yank Cap out of his funk, nothing will. Clint turns to Walker and tells him that he did good for once, before asking what took so long, as he thought they were missing in action.
‘Hey, Barton, we had a lot of Ultimatum agents to take into custody, then we developed engine trouble - aah, why am explaining it to you?’ Walker frowns. Sam tells Steve that his friend is really out of it, that whatever happened to him in the arctic must have traumatized him. Steve announces that he will get Dennis the best medical attention available, before turning to Walker: ‘Agent…?’ he calls out. ‘Yeah?’ Walker replies. ‘Thanks. I owe you, pal’ Cap tells USAgent, shaking his hand. ‘Him - calling me “pal”?’ Walker thinks to himself, surprised. Cap smiles, and wonders if things will work out for him yet. ‘Maybe in the words of Lennon / McCartney… I’ll get by with a little help from my friends’.