Avengers vol. 3 #12 continues...

Everyone there is harboring ill feelings about the fight they just went through. Hawkeye tells Captain America that he is the Thunderbolts’ leader, and that he is trying to help them redeem themselves. Hawkeye says that Cap has his guarantee that known of them will step out of line. Wanda thinks that it was a mistake to let this fight start and worse to let it continue. Cap says that Hawkeye is making a mistake. Hawkeye says that Cap did the same thing when he, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver joined the Avengers. Cap says that it isn’t the same thing. He says that Hawkeye had just been misjudged and he made a few bad decisions. Cap says that the Thunderbolts are hardened criminals and murderers. Hawkeye says that MACH-1 is the only known murderer, and that Hawkeye has already gotten MACH-1 to agree to turn himself in. Captain America is stunned. Hawkeye says that they have already made arrangements for his public surrender. Cap apologizes to Hawkeye. Wonder Man tries to bet Moonstone ten dollars that Hawkeye keeps shouting even though he made his point. Moonstone says, “No bet, Avenger. We’ve been living with him…”

Songbird notices that the ground is shaking. They notice lights coming out of the pit. Captain America tells everyone that can fly to help those that can’t. The ground starts to break up. Both Simon and Vision shout “Wanda!” Vision tells Wanda to go limp, and that Simon can get her. Dominex, a giant robot, breaks through the ground and announces itself. Wanda is sent flying, but Moonstone catches her. Firestar says that she though it was Dominus. Captain America says that it was. Dominex says that it should have awakened when the core computer fled, but that the launch damaged him and left him dormant. Dominex says that their battle has awakened him and that now he can carry out his programming. Dominex says that this world is the first to resist the power of Dominus and the Arcane, and so it must be destroyed. Dominex activates the somni-rays and leaves the Bolts and Avengers unconscious.

Firebird awakens the Avengers. She says that she is pretty inactive as an Avenger, but she says that she was with the West Coast team when they fought Dominus. Firebird says that when she heard she came to investigate and found them. Vision tells cap to look in the pit, and says that every piece of metal is now gone from the hole. Captain America asks Firebird how she heard about this. Firebird says that it is all over the news. She says that Dominex is headed for the Pacific Ocean, and that the Thunderbolts are chasing after it. Cap orders everyone into the quinjet.

The airforce is trying to fight Dominex, but their missiles are having no effect. Hawkeye flies alongside them on his atomic steed from his Dreadknight disguise. The general tells the others to fade back, and that the Avengers are there to take over. Hawkeye says that he guesses the airman hasn’t heard the news.

Captain America tells Justice to fly the quinjet. Justice is nervous to do it, but Cap says that Justice’s scores for flying the quinjet were fine. Cap says that he needs to go get in touch with Hank Pym and Tony Stark since they are going up against a robot.

Jolt bounces off Dominex’s leg and says that he has some sort of energy field protecting his outer skin. MACH-1 says that explains why they could blast into before but now they can’t. Atlas has wrapped himself around one of Dominex’s legs, but he can’t hold him back. Jolt says that maybe she should have woken the Avengers too. Hawkeye says that he will take responsibility, but when Jolt’s enhanced metabolism kept her from being effected by the somni-rays he figured that it was a chance to prove themselves. Hawkeye says that he is starting to feel like he made the wrong call. Hawkeye has Moonstone phase into Dominex’s leg and breaks a hole open from the inside. The Thunderbolts quickly get inside just before Dominex heals himself up with the energy field. Jolt says that they are trapped. Dominex says that they will remain trapped, and that they are helpless against the technology of the Arcane. Hawkeye asks Dominex what he is up to, and why he hasn’t tried the somni-rays again. Dominex says that the somni-rays were of limited success, and that he isn’t programmed for fruitless behavior. Dominex says that he is going to destroy the world. He says that he is walking out to the Murray Fracture Zone where the crust of the Earth is the thinnest, and then he will explode. The explosion will have worldwide effects that will cause a nuclear winter. Hawkeye tells the Bolts to destroy what they can from inside. Moonstone hears the humming and says that it must be preparing for the explosion.

Captain America brings Hank Pym and Tony Stark on-line. Stark says that Cap said that it was a robot, but that judging by the pictures from the news that this is a new threat. Cap says that Stark is right, and that it was a parting gift from Dominus.

As Captain America speaks with Pym and Stark, Wanda confronts Vision. She says that she wants to know what he meant when he mentioned Rurutu. Vision starts to object, but Wanda says that she knows him too well. She guesses that Vision has back all his memories and the emotions that went with them. Wanda says that she thought it was a change from Onslaught, but now she thinks that he possessed them all along. Vision admits that he did. He says that he had just caused her so much pain over the years that he couldn’t bear to hurt her anymore. Wanda says that she didn’t know it, and that he shouldn’t have done it. Vision says that Wanda is with Simon now, and that he is a good man. Vision says that Simon is more her kind. Vision says that she should go to Simon and forget him. Wanda is about to respond, but the quinjet has reached Dominex.

All the Avengers are trying to attack Dominex, but all of them have no success. Even the Vision finds that he can’t get through Dominex’s variable-frequency energy field. Inside Dominex, the Thunderbolts are jarred from the Avengers attacks as they try to break Dominex apart from inside. Each time they break something the machinery just rebuilds itself. Atlas suggests they try to find the self-repair circuits and shut them down. Hawkeye looks out of Dominex and see the quinjet flying around. Hawkeye contacts the Avengers with his communicard and brings Captain America up to date with Dominex’s plan. Firebird uses her uniform-radio and suggests that Dominus must have had a way to shut it down in the event of a malfunction. Hawkeye says that unfortunately Dominus isn’t here right now. Hawkeye looks at Moonstone and gets an idea. Cap tells Hawkeye to hurry. Moonstone alters her costume to look like Dominus. She shouts, “Hear me, Dominex! I, Dominus, have returned from space… have possessed the body of the human Moonstone! The Arcane plan a new assault on this world… and thus I order you to cease all activity… now!” Dominex pauses and scans his databanks for authorization parameters. Hawkeye says that he bought some time, but that he needs help to figure out how to take it down. Justice says that Hawkeye should have thought of that in Arizona. Cap tells Justice to focus on the present. MACH-1 uses his armor to take a scan of the inside of Dominex for Stark and Pym to see. Cap says that he is getting something, but that it is distorted. Vision attaches himself to the top of the quinjet and uses his newly improved communications circuitry to scan for MACH-1’s signal. Vision is shaking and the transmission is still blurry. Simon says that Vision can’t keep this up, and that it will tear him apart. Vision tells Simon to stay back. He focuses and the data becomes clear for Stark and Pym. Stark and Pym identify the command module and say that if they destroy it that Dominex should stop. Pym interrupts and tells Cap that if they don’t destroy it that they could take control of it and Dominex themselves. Dominex reaches the Murray Fracture, and they decide that they have to trust the Bolts. Hawkeye tells the Bolts where it is and they all destroy it. Dominex screams and falls over.

Later standing on the fallen Dominex, Captain America thanks Hawkeye and the Thunderbolts for their good work. Cap says that he admits that he still has reservations about Hawkeye leading the team, but that the Avengers aren’t policemen and they aren’t compelled to act on police warrants. Cap says that they won’t stand in their way, for today at least. Cap says that if they hear about the Bolt breaking the law that they will have to take them down. Hawkeye says that they can try, but that they did pretty well against them earlier. Wanda yells at Hawkeye. Hawkeye says that it won’t matter because they won’t be breaking any crimes. Hawkeye says that he knows that he is sticking his neck out, and that he isn’t asking the Avengers to take the heat with him. Hawkeye takes his communicard and breaks it in half. Cap says that he didn’t mean to drive Hawkeye from the team. Hawkeye tells him not to worry about it, and that this is his kind of game. MACH-1 can’t believe that the Avengers are letting them go. As Hawkeye flies away he says that the next time the Zodiac pops up that they’ll have a contest to see who can take them down first. Justice says that he can’t believe Hawkeye quit the Avengers to join the Thunderbolts. Firebird suggests that perhaps the Lord is working through Hawkeye to help the Thunderbolts.

Avengers Files rating: 10 out of 10.

What more can I say about this issue that isn’t included in the issue itself? Great tension between the Avengers and the Thunderbolts. Perez shines in this issue as he usually does trying to cram a ton of characters onto one page. This issue is one for the ages.

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