Avengers/Thunderbolts #3

Title: “Three: Nerves”

Writers: Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza

Penciller: Tom Grummett

Inker: Gary Erskine

Colors: Brian Reber

Editor:  Tom Brevoort

In Groton, Connecticut, the Thunderbolts find the Wizard in one of his warehouses. The crash through the wall. Wizard shouts out the Thunderbolts’ team name as he is surprised, and Zemo says that Karla was right and that Wizard is a genius. Karla thinks to herself that Zemo’s newfound sense of humor makes him even more lizardy. Wizard says that he doesn’t know what these traitors want, but that they will find him an unaccommodating host. He reaches for his helmet, but Songbird places it in a sound bubble. Karla says that he is done and tells him to give up. Wizard asks if they think if he is helpless without his helmet. Atlas says that he is unless he keeps a remote control inside his boxer shorts. Suddenly discs fly at the Thunderbolts. Atlas says that he is never going to get that image out of his head. Wizard asks how dare they invade his home, threaten him, disrespect him, and interrupt the Daily Show. Fixer says that would make him mad as well. Fixer asks Zemo if he sees the Ozone Inducer in the corner and says that it could come in handy down the road. Zemo tells him to go ahead and grab it if he likes. Vantage asks how many discs he has. Atlas says that super villains tend to go for overkill. Moonstone lets the discs pass through her and lets Songbird get them. “Cobalt Man’ looks at the spreading fungus on the ground. Blackheath says that it is mold from the bathroom. He says that there are no plants to work with, but that the “genius” doesn’t believe in cleaning his toilet very often. Wizard says that distraction served its purpose and grabs his helmet. Wizard summons his suit and says that now he can meet them as their superior. He says that he remains true to himself and tells Zemo to look at himself. He asks if Zemo is there to arrest him to appease the monkey masses. Zemo says that arresting him would be a waste of time since he would just escape as his kind always does. Wizard calls him a hypocrite and asks if he is there to kill him then. Zemo asks why he would waste a potential resource. Zemo says that Wizard is going to give them what they want willingly. Wizard asks why. Zemo says that if he doesn’t that he will tell the world that Wizard is working with him and that all his contacts will shun him and his black market contacts will evaporate. Zemo asks who would want to do business with a traitor. Wizard relents and asks Zemo what he wants. Zemo says that he just wants his gravity discs for now. Karla thinks about how they won, but that something doesn’t is bothering her. She looks at Cobalt Man as he says that this is pirated Starksoft 8.1. Fixer asks if that is even on the market yet. Stark says that he doesn’t “think” so, but that he has used it in ways that he wouldn’t have thought possible. Fixer says, “To make flying guns? Whoop-de-doo.” Wizard says that isn’t it exactly. He says that Stark’s communications software enables independent communications for military hardware radically improving deployment of remote drones for urban uprisings, hunting terrorists… among other things. Zemo tells Wizard to go on and to provide some tea as well. Moonstone watches as, for the next hour, Norbert and Helmut work with Wizard on a level that “confirms their high school A/V club memberships. She watches Cobalt Man listening curiously, but not saying much. She wonders if it is because he is new, or if it is something else.

At Avengers mansion, Cap asks Vision if there is anything on the global activity scan. Vision says that there is nothing new, and that the Bolts returned to their headquarters in the North Sea. He says that he was just monitoring Stingray’s reports on geothermal activity in the Indian Ocean. Hawkeye asks if they have found a way to pin that on the Thunderbolts as well. Cap says that they are just doing their homework. Hawkeye asks if Slorenia and North Korea are reports on the Thunderbolts as well. Jan says that nothing was made public, but that they had some field agents do some digging. Hawkeye says that they haven’t come up with anything. Cap tells Hawkeye not to blame them for being skeptical. He says that he is trusting the Bolts, but that all they are doing is keeping an eye on them. Hawkeye says, “uh-huh. Trust, but verify. I got it. And speaking of which… where’s Shellhead these days?”

Cobalt Man asks Fixer if he thinks this will really work. Fixer says that it will work. He says that the Starksoft 8.1 will link a satellite telemetry array to the Liberator unit. He says that the array will communicate internally pinpointing any transnormal energy… nuclear, cosmic, ionic… and tells the Liberator to absorb it. Cobalt Man asks if it absorbs any or all. He says that there are components in his armor and Fixer’s tech pac. Fixer says that they can filter out any signature that they want and have the Liberator bypass it. Cobalt Man says that is brilliant, but stops when he thinks he sees something. Fixer asks what it is, but Cobalt Man says that he is sure everything will be fine.

Hawkeye fires an arrow into the eye slot of the empty Iron Man armor. Wanda asks Clint if he is all right. Clint says that everything is fine. He says that he could call the Bolts and warn them. He says that he has his comm.-link right there. Wanda asks if he is going to do it. She says that she understands better than the others since both of them have been on the wrong side of the law. Clint says that he knows. He sys that they have no choice though. He says that they cross their fingers with one hand and make a fist with the other.

Fixer tells Moonstone to hit it, but Moonstone tells him to let them get there first. Fixer says that she is too far already and to back up. Moonstone tells Fixer to stop being so anal. She says that finding a specific type of satellite is hard enough, but that finding the exact orbital track is near impossible. Moonstone flies into space with Cobalt Man and Songbird. Karla notes the ease with which Cobalt Man travels in space and wonders about him even more.

Vantage says that there is so much junk up there in orbit and asks how they can be sure the satellite they’re using will work. Fixer says, “Okay, class… riddle me this: when is a link not missing?” Vantage says that it is when it is still part of a chain. Fixer says that is it. He says that they are accessing a dormant chain of satellites once used as part of the Magneto Protocols. Vantage remembers when they used that to try and keep Magneto off the earth for a while. Zemo says that it is poetic. He says that they usurp mankind’s means to stop one despot to prevent mankind the opportunity to create any more despots. Vantage asks if present company is excluded. Zemo says that one drew blood. Vantage says that if it comes to it that Zemo will know when she has drawn blood.

Songbird says that they are in position and releases the Wizard’s gravity discs. Moonstone gives them a nudge and asks if they will seek out the other satellites in the array. Cobalt Man says that if their programming works like it should they will. Karla thinks about the checking up she did on the Cobalt Man. They wait two hours until the drones lock onto the protocol satellites. They begin overriding and overwriting the old programming codes. As they head back to Earth, Karla tells Cobalt Man and Songbird that she has to break off from them. She says that she has some business near Sea Cliff, Long Island. She waits for Cobalt Man to respond, but he doesn’t.

Vision says that the Magneto Protocol array has been infiltrated. Yellowjacket asks how long until they pull the plug. Cap says that they will have to wait for Tony to make that call for now.

At Parsons Minimum Security Prison, the guards see the screens going black for a second, but they look at them now and everything seems fine. Hawkeye finishes incapacitating the guards and then goes to visit Abe. He knocks the book out of Abe’s hands with an arrow. Hawkeye says that he is looking “mighty white again”. He tells Abe that he needs his help, and that the video loops the tricked the security cameras with won’t work forever. Abe asks why he broke in since he is an Avenger. Hawkeye says that he is there on Thunderbolts business. Abe asks what now. Hawkeye asks if Abe has been in contact with Melissa. Abe says that they have been talking through coded e-mails and that she has been sending him intel on what Zemo is doing. He asks Hawkeye if Captain America didn’t tell him.

Moonstone says that Cobalt Man’s name is, or should be, Ralph Roberts. She says that he had his own company there in Glen Cove, one town over from Sea Cliff. She says that he designed his armor to be in competition with Iron Man. Moonstone tells her computer to access the address of Theodore Roberts. She flies to his house and rings the doorbell. Ted answers the door and Karla is wearing a business suit and glasses. She introduces herself and says that she needs to talk to him about his brother. She says that she has reason to believe that the man currently wearing the armor is an imposter. Karla can feel Ted’s anger, but her ‘librarian chic’ smile soothes him. She tells her that they recovered a body… or rather fingers that were shielded by his gauntlets. Karla thinks that Cobalt Man is a fake.

“Cobalt Man” asks Melissa and Dallas why they work with him when they don’t trust him. He says that he has a cure hanging over his head and asks what their excuse is. Songbird says that Zemo is kind of an unstoppable force. She says that is bad when he is up to something bad, but Dallas says that he is doing some good stuff now. She says that she isn’t sure that he has changed his mind, but Songbird says that he has and that they all have. Cobalt Man says that they were never like him. Songbird says that she has had her moments. Dallas asks if its better to call him evil when he is not being evil or to let him use all his energy for good and keep an eye on him. She says that it is like Zemo said to Wizard… why waste a potential resource. Tony says that he sees their point.

Hawkeye asks Cap how he could do it. Cap asks what he means. Hawkeye says that he isn’t an idiot and that he figured out that they have been spying on the Thunderbolts for months. Cap says that Songbird went to Abe, that Abe went to Warbird, and that she came to them. He says that he doesn’t know if that qualifies as spying. Clint says that before he left that he and Songbird decided that she should stay behind. Cap says that was smart and courageous on her part. He asks Clint if he is mad that they didn’t tell Clint or because they were using his mole. Hawkeye says both. Cap says that he is sorry they kept it from him. Clint asks if they can’t trust him. Cap says that they can’t afford to trust the Bolts, and that Hawkeye can’t afford not to. Hawkeye says that he guesses so, but that at the end of the day if the Thunderbolts deserved their trust and didn’t get it… Vision says that based on their information that they have been running simulations on Project: Liberator. Vision says that they thought it was a dampening field, but that it drains energy and stores it. He says that Stark discovered a glitch in the system that allows the person accessing it complete control over the stored power. Yellowjacket says that it is called Protocol X. Hawkeye says, “Aw, nuts! Adhesive X, Formula X, Compound X, Chemical X. Nuts!” Cap says that it does fit the pattern. Hawkeye says that he hates being wrong.

Zemo tells his friends to savor the moment. He says that months of hard work is about to be rewarded. Moonstone says that she has CNN, Fox, Skynews, and Al Jazera waiting for a live feed. Zemo says not until they have an exhaustive test. He says that he won’t make the same mistakes of the past with pontificating and blustering. He says to let the people see that they are being helped first. Zemo asks if Fixer is ready. Fixer sets up a camera and says that he is just trying to find Zemo’s good side. Vantage says that they all are, but Erik quiets her. Moonstone starts the countdown for the taping of the experiment, but then suddenly Cobalt Man blasts at Zemo. Moonstone says that she knew it. She tells Atlas to stop Cobalt Man. Atlas palms Cobalt Man. Cobalt Man says that it wasn’t going to work. He says that there is a flaw in the Starksoft system. He says that it gets confused if it is linked with anything earlier than Stark 6.0. Zemo realizes that the Magneto Protocol was built with 5.0. Fixer says that the walking Buick is right. He wonders why he didn’t see that coming and wonders why Cobalt Man did. Stark says that he used to work for Stark, and has a thing for him. He says that he knows a guy in their programming and that he threatens him to keep him updated. Karla thinks to herself that is a good answer. Fixer says that would have fried the relays and that the satellite array would have been toast. Zemo asks if he can fix it. Fixer says that he can fix anything. Karla thinks to himself that he is an imposter, but thinks that he is helping them for some reason.

As they fly in a quinjet to the scene, Hawkeye asks if Stark is giving them a live feed now. Yellowjacket says that they are within his secure transmission radius now. Wasp says that what she doesn’t understand is why Tony is letting this go on as long as he has to. Cap says that maybe the equipment is a hazard to dismantle or that he wants to avoid a full scale confrontation. Hawkeye says that isn’t it. He says that he isn’t sure anymore. He says that he is on the inside now, spent some time with the team, and that they have a way of crawling inside your head and heart. Wanda asks Clint what he thinks. Hawkeye says that he doesn’t know and that he is on the outside. He says that he thinks that he gave them enough rope to make a choice and that they have. Hawkeye hands Wanda his Bolts comm.-link.

Karla waits for someone to betray them or for something to go wrong. She thinks to herself that this would be the time for Zemo to reveal his true plans, but that he doesn’t. Zemo says that the Liberator has been activated, and hopes in the name of justice that it works.

Nova falls from the sky as the Liberator starts working.

Zemo shouts that it is working and Karla wonders if it is from fervor or just to be heard. She says that it is funny that it was easier to read him when he had a pink sock on his face.

Yellowjacket, Wasp, Vision, and Scarlet Witch reel as the Liberator works.

Fixer says that everything is holding. Blackheath asks how much longer the test will go on for. Zemo says that it will be long enough to let them know that everything has changed. Long enough for them to see the brighter future. Long enough for them to know that they have been liberated by Baron Helmut Zemo and the Thunderbolts!

Traitor’s rating: 8 out of 10

Review and picture by the Leader

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