Avengers/Thunderbolts #4

Title: “Four: Betrayal”

Writers: Kurt Busiek & Fabian Nicieza

Penciller: Tom Grummett

Inker: Gary Erskine

Colors: Brian Reber

Editor: Tom Brevoort

Hawkeye thinks to himself that the Thunderbolts deserve to take this shot as the quinjet he is in is drained of its transnormal energy.

In Nebraska, the missiles in the silo are drained of their energy.

In the Baxter Building, Sue asks what is going on. Reed says that he doesn’t know. He says that all safeguards on his labs are being bypassed. His energy emission systems are being compromised. He says that nuclear, microwave, gamma, tachyon… anything that is powered by alternative energy sources are being drained.

The President and Vice President are told that if this is an attack that it is happening world wide. The President asks who is responsible.

Zemo stands before the Liberator and says that it is all going perfect. He asks how long it will be until they can make their proclamation. Moonstone tells him to have patience. She says that this is the test. She reminds him that this was his idea and that it was a good one. Fixer says that everything is on-line. He says that storage grids are at eight percent and climbing nice and steady. Zemo compliments Fixer and the others. He tells Karla to forgive his zeal, but that he wants to share his miracle with the world. Atlas says that he can’t believe it is working. Vantage and Songbird are more concerned about what Zemo has planned for all the stolen energies. Fixer gets a proximity alert and says that an Avengers’ quinjet is in trouble.

Captain America asks Clint how the rudder controls are. Clint says that it is like trying to move the Hulk with a spatula. Cap says that they have to get the tail flumes lowered to land. Hawkeye says that he left his tail flume lowering arrow in his other quiver. Wanda, who has regained her composure, helps Jan and Hank. She figures that her chaos magic was confused for an unknown form of energy, but that she quelled it. Vision compliments her and says that she seems to be soothing Jan and Hank. Cap tells everyone to brace for crashing, but suddenly a pink net comes up in front of them. Hawkeye says that there is his girl. The quinjet is slowed, but she can’t hold it and it passes through. Vantage says that she couldn’t hold it. Atlas tells her not to worry and that he has it. Atlas catches the quinjet. He says that he can believe that Fixer said they should let them crash. He says that he would never pass up an opportunity to look good in front of the Avengers. Hawkeye says that is teamwork and says that he taught them everything they know. Cap tells everyone to get ready. Hawkeye says that the Bolts might have to save their butts again. Cap tells Wanda to stabilize Jan and Hank and then charges out and says, “Thunderbolts… stand down! Lead us to Zemo… now!” Clint thinks to himself that this is the wrong way to handle them. Atlas tells Cap that he is welcome… again.

Karla asks how everything is going. Cobalt Man says that everything is running smoothly. Fixer says that they will cut into forty-two international broadcast feeds, but then suddenly Cap’s shield bounces off the Liberator. Cap shouts out that Zemo is under arrest. Melissa says that this isn’t the way to handle this. Hawkeye says that he knows and will handle it. Zemo draws his sword and asks if he is under arrest for making the world a safer place, for giving the people security and hope, or if it is because he is upset because he is doing Cap’s job for him. Cap says that he is violating international law. Zemo hits Cap’s shield with his sword and says that he is reducing the threat to the bleating masses. Cap says to listen to himself and that he doesn’t care about the people. Atlas compliments Hawkeye for his handling it. Hawkeye tells Karla to separate them. Karla tells Hawkeye to do it and that they aren’t the ones that started this. Suddenly, Yellowjacket, Wanda, and Wasp burst through the wall. Songbird says that this isn’t going to happen and that they aren’t going to fight one another. She puts a barricade between Zemo and Cap. Zemo hits the sound wall and says to let this be settled. He says that “this fool” will rail about the ‘people’s choice’, but that the people don’t have a choice about nuclear missiles and gamma-irradiated monsters. Cap tells Vision to show Zemo the “peace” he is bringing. Blackheath says that the meat is preparing for violence. Cap says that they are all moving to seize territory or defend their borders. Zemo says that is petty politics. He says that the people will demand a peaceful status quo, and that to remove any doubts about his motivations he turns all the power in the Liberator over to the Avengers for safekeeping. Cap is confused. Vision says that is unexpected move from Zemo, but that there are no energies contained in the Liberator. Now Zemo is surprised. He says that can’t be and that Cobalt Man said it was working. Cobalt Man says that it was until Cap’s shield hit it. Zemo asks Fixer and he says to give him a minute. Zemo asks Cap if he has any idea what he has done. Cap says that this is Zemo’s scheme. Hawkeye asks where the energy went. Fixer says that there is only one way to find out. Wasp blasts Fixer and tells him not to touch anything. Cobalt Man tells them that they need to examine the machine. Cap asks if he trusts them to do that. Songbird tells them not to do this. Hawkeye says that the Bolts know the machine and to let them figure it out. Cap is silent for a minute, but then says that the Avengers will handle it. Zemo leaps at Cap and calls him a “self-righteous blowhard!” He asks if he is so petty that he can’t countenance them cleaning up the mess that he made. Cap asks if he means like the mess they had to clean up at Auschwitz. Atlas tells Yellowjacket that he is sorry, but punches him in the face.

Hawkeye tells Vision to back away from Karla and tells Karla not to make him use the arrows. Karla says, “Those? What difference would it make, Clint? I was impressive with one moonstone powering me. Now I’ve got two, so what difference do your little arrows make? I’ll tell you. No difference at all!” Karla uses a gravimetric wave and deflects his shot. She then makes the Vision, who was intangible, weigh “like a jillion pounds. Hawkeye thinks that she could probably tear them apart, but that she just protects herself. Songbird tries to break up Pym and Atlas while caging Wasp in a sound bubble.

Fixer says that this is going to turn into one of those. Cobalt Man asks if it hasn’t already. Fixer says that it isn’t until little chips of his teeth are flying in the air, but that he isn’t going to let that happen. Fixer looks away and sends them inside the machine… a neuro-net link to the hard drive. Inside, Stark is revealed as himself, but has time to suit himself as the Cobalt Man because Fixer is looking away. Fixer says that they have to find the glitch that diverted the energy flow. Cobalt Man says that this is a digital maze. Fixer says that everything was fine until the machine got banged up, and that the failsafe should stick out like a sore thumb. Cobalt Man says that it should tell them where the energy is being diverted to. Fixer says to handle one problem at a time.

Karla is disrupting the flow of Wanda’s chaos magic, but then Hawkeye tackles her from behind. Cap punches Zemo and says that this is all a pretense and a sham. Zemo says that he made up his mind long before. Hawkeye asks Karla if she is okay. Karla says, “Clint… I… I can’t… can’t…” Light pours out of her mouth and eyes.

Cobalt Man asks Fixer if the virus protectors have kicked on. Fixer says that he was expecting them too, but that they seem to busy with that. A gnarled tangle of code is before them. Fixer says that they need to find out who.

Vantage tells Cap tat she was a cop and is all about law and order, but asks why super humans shouldn’t make life easier for regular people. Cap says that they don’t try to run the world. He says that they hold back the dangers so that people can choose for themselves. Songbird asks when they stopped being people. Cap says that she is missing the point. Zemo shouts, “Enough! You are wrong, Captain America. Wrong! Here…” He slams his sword to the ground and says, “… I surrender! Go ahead, America beat me to a pulp. Jail me. What will it change? People have to have these problems taken out of their hands. If we fail to fulfill our obligations, then why even have the abilities and powers we do?”

Fixer says that he didn’t put any of this stuff into the system. Cobalt Man says that it is an alien algorithm! Fixer says, “alien?”

Zemo tells Cap that his time is up, but Hawkeye shouts for everyone to shut up. He says that something is wrong with Moonstone. Zemo pushes Hawkeye off her and says, “Karla!”

Cobalt Man says that he knows where the energy is going. He says that they thought that Zemo created Protocol X, but that the programming code is in Kree.

Back in the real world, Fixer asks how the heck he can read Kree. Cap says that it is Moonstone and that she is stealing the transnormal energy. He says that they can’t even trust one another. Karla bursts with power and knocks everyone away from her. She shouts, “Enough! You and your prattling egos! Trust! Control! Fear! The protocol wouldn’t even have been activated if the Avengers hadn’t butted in! It was a fail-safe, that’s all! A backup! It was only there in case Zemo tried to betray us!” Atlas says that makes sense. Stark says that she introduced alien software into an experimental machine and that there is no telling what it might have done. “Cobalt Man” says that the plan had its merits, but that he doesn’t think the Avengers had any choice. Karla tells him to shut up and blasts him. She says that he is a fraud and doesn’t have a say in the matter. She says that she knows that he isn’t Ralph Roberts under the armor and that he is a fake and a spy! She asks if he is working for Thinker, Hydra, or AIM. She lifts his helmet to reveal Tony Stark. Songbird is stunned and turns to Hawkeye. Hawkeye says to listen, but Karla asks if they should hear more lies. She asks if he wants to tell her that he loves her again. Hawkeye says that he knows it looks bad. Moonstone says that he doesn’t trust them, and that he never trusted them. Hawkeye thinks to himself that isn’t true, but that he betrayed them and failed them. He thinks that he failed to convince people that the Thunderbolts were sincere and that for that people are going to die. Karla says that if they want the energy she stole from the Liberator returned to take it. Power explodes from the Bolts headquarters.

Traitor's rating: 10 out of 10

Review and picture by the Leader

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