Thunderbolts #38
Thunderbolts #38
Title: "Targeted for Death!”
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciller: Mark Bagely
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colors: Joe Rosas
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Hawkeye had told Moonstone that he was fighting himself. He said that he thought he did it when he was leading the West Coast Avengers too. He said that because of responsibilities that he gets away from his strengths: cockiness, arrogance, and the attitude that he will always land on his feet. He said that he starts to act like Captain America. Moonstone asked him now that he has recognized the problem what will he do about it. Hawkeye said that he would work out his frustrations, but Karla said that was too safe.
Clint Barton is climbing up the side of the mountain. Clint thinks back about how he committed the team to catching the Hulk and that it almost worked. He thinks about how everything started falling apart after that. He thinks about how Jolt was murdered by a sniper’s bullet and that it is weeks later and that they aren’t any closer to finding the killer. He thinks about the new Beetle showing up. He thinks about how that one worked out well enough except that they made4 even greater enemies of the Commission on Superhuman Activities. He thinks that at least they got Abe back. Clint smiles as his muscles ache. He wonders why Gayle Rogers was killed. It was ruled to be no car accident and that her “Thunderwatch” van was hit by a severe electrical charge before going off the road. He wonders if it was connected somehow to Jolt’s murder. He wonders if his failure to save Bobbi’s soul came from his unwillingness to force the issue, but he decides that he did all that he could by going and fighting against Hell itself. He thinks how you can’t push the envelope much more than that. He realizes that Mockingbird’s original warning months ago had nothing to do with saving her, but that it was intended to save Patsy Walker and that Hawkeye was manipulated by Daimon Hellstrom. He wonders if all his conflicted feelings are coming from his feelings for Moonstone. Moonstone phases through the mountain and kisses Hawkeye on the lips. Hawkeye freaks and starts falling off the mountain. Karla says, “Whoops”. Moonstone doesn’t move to save Clint. She understands that he wouldn’t want her help, and that Clint doesn’t really need it. Clint grabs the rope and stops his fall. He asks her if “whoops” is all she has to say. She says that she was going to mention that his lips were chapped, but thought that it would kill the mood. Clint asks if it wasn’t as he was plunging towards his horrible death. Karla asks if her suggestion to go rock climbing was helpful. Clint says that it was fun, but that it didn’t really help him sort anything out. He says that it just churned things around in his gut a bit. She says that rumbling in his stomach is a sure sign of needing a picnic lunch. Clint sees the wine and bread in her hands and says that he is more of a beer and pretzels guy. Karla takes out a bag of pretzels and a six pack and says that explains why she brought these. Clint wonders if he is betraying Bobbi’s memory becoming involved with Moonstone. He decides not to worry about it right now and relax.
Techno is in his robotic form and watching Karla and Clint having their lunch. Techno wonders why is watching everyone. He is reveling in his new robotic form, but he still seems interested in human interaction. He wonders if he is trying to figure out how to manipulate and control his teammates, or if he is watching them because it is his only connection to his diminishing humanity. He decides to forget about it and concentrate on his other concerns. Techno is watching monitor after monitor of energy beings. He thinks about all the potential since the containment chamber content revived itself. Atlas walks into Ogre’s room. Techno transforms his robotic body into that of Ogre’s so he can go see Atlas. Erik thinks nothing of Ogre’s monitors being concerned with so many energy beings. Ogre emerges and tells Atlas that he was checking power conduits. Atlas tells Ogre to call him Erik and asks what his real name is. Techno says that it has been so long that he just prefers to be called Ogre. Ogre offers Erik a coffee or beer. Erik says that he would like some coffee and that he just wanted someone to talk to. Ogre says that he understands with Clint and Karla having lunch, Charlie at school, and Melissa and Abe in town. Atlas jokes, “Spyin’ on everyone, eh?” Techno nervously says that he just saw the clearance signal, but Erik says that he was only kidding. Techno asks Erik if he wanted to talk about Hallie’s death. Erik says that it has been eating at him, and that the team isn’t the type that talks about things. Techno suggests that Hawkeye and Abe have turned to women for comfort and that perhaps he needs a companion. Erik says that he has someone in his life, but that it isn’t exactly a normal relationship. Erik thinks about Man-Killer at the Downslope Bar and how he hasn’t told anyone about her. He says that he thinks that he has only really loved one woman his whole life. Techno asks what happened to her. Erik says that she turned out to be the Crimson Cowl. Techno is surprised and Erik says that there are lots of pieces of the puzzle that don’t fit. He says that he went to her prison to talk to her about it, but that she was sprung by some armored guys. He wonders why there would be guys to spring her if she wasn’t the Cowl. He says that they didn’t look like the Masters of Evil, but that they did look familiar somehow. Erik says that now he is wondering if the woman he loves is one of their biggest enemies and if she is what is she going to do next to make their lives miserable.
At Denver International Airport, Dallas Riordan is coming from the International Airport in France. She knows why she is going there, but that it hasn’t made it any easier to do. She knows that she made a decision, and that in her heart she knows that it was the right one. She says that she is not going to back down now. Dallas asks a rental car representative if they have a drop-off location in Burton Canyon. As Dallas walks out, a man communicates into a bug, “She’s here. She chose tack-two. We can lift the surveillance of her father in Phoenix and her former associates in Manhattan. This is high priority. We know where she is going… which means we have to prepare for war.”
In the jungles of a small Central American country, a hidden man is being guided by one of the natives. The native tells the man that there is nothing there and that the castle was destroyed by Captain America and Citizen V. The man says that he just wanted them to think that, and that he has managed to conceal it even if you’re looking right at it. He says that a satellite network has been bathing the entire area with jamming equipment so that the charade of hiding his headquarters is over.
Hawkeye crushes a can and asks why he can’t figure this out. Karla says that the cans are wondering the same thing. Clint says that he will clean it up. Karla says that she could care less, but that she is wondering why he thinks he is missing the big picture. Clint counts off reasons on his fingers as he says that Hallie was shot, the autopsy was sealed, and that a bullet was never recovered. He says that Abe was stealing something called Omega-32 from Roxxon, and that Justin Hammer was interested in it too. He says that a Roxxon employee who was neck deep in Omega-32 was found dead. She was killed, according to the security camera, by her boss Samuel Higgins who had a good alibi considering he was having dinner with the chief of police and the Mayor of Boulder. He says that Gayle Rogers was also killed and that the only story she worked on for six months was about the Thunderbolts. Karla says that there is a finger that she would like to show him for ruining the mood. Clint says that he is serious and that he thinks Hallie was killed as part of a huge cover-up. Moonstone says that Clint forgot to ask who would want to kill Hallie. Clint says that there is no one that he would think of that would want to kill Hallie, but that there is a line for people that would want to get back at the Bolts by killing Jolt. Karla thinks to herself that if someone is trying to kill the Thunderbolts that maybe she should get away while she can, but then she chides herself for thinking that. She gets angry at herself for bringing a picnic basket like some Nebraska farm girl. She wonder what is wrong with her that makes her keep acting so decently. Karla finds it nauseating. She thinks of the blue-skinned, blonde-haired woman from her dreams and wonders if something inside her is trying to get out. Before she can stop herself from saying it Karla says, “Let’s start getting some answers, then!” She says that they have been thinking as civilians, but that if Jolt was the target that the T-Bolts should be investigating. Karla transforms into her Moonstone outfit. Clint reminds her that they are wanted criminals. Karla tells him to change into his costume and go flash his Avengers I.D that he is so proud of to the Burton Canyon Police. Suddenly, Citizen V appears on a glider and says, “Thunderbolts… I need your help!”
At Burton Canyon High School, Charlie is walking along when he bumps into Mick. Mick says that Charlie and his friends have a bad habit of running into him. Charlie grimaces at Mick and Mick backs down. Charlie spots Abe and Melissa walking together and says that it is good to see that they are dealing with the changes Abe has gone through.
Abe asks Melissa if she is noticing anything. Melissa asks if he means besides the fact that he is black now. Charlie mentions how everyone is looking at them. Melissa says that she is trying not to notice. Abe notices that a store has the new TC-2 Processing Chip in. Melissa says that she couldn’t wait either. Abe reminds her that Ogre needs one to make the MACH-2 sensor array process telemetry even faster. They walk in the store and Abe asks to see the chip. The man says that it is very expensive. Abe says that he will decide after he sees it. The store owner says that he meant that “it might just be too expensive… for you to affoard.” Abe storms out angry. Melissa runs out after Abe and says that she is sorry for the way the guy acted. Abe saya that it is exactly how she has been reacting to him. He says that it has been two days and that she hasn’t kissed him or held his hand. Songbird says that they were busy going to hell, but realizes that isn’t it. She says that he just has to understand how weird this is. Abe hols her and says that he knows. He apologizes for snapping and says that he has to get used to it too. Abe and Melissa spot Charcoal flying and realize that he wouldn’t have left school unless there was trouble. Songbird says that their gear is in the jet-steeds.
A giant ship, surrounded by several smaller ships, and a few soldiers on gliders similar to Citizen V’s attack. Hawkeye says that next time they could use more than ten seconds notice. Citizen V apologizes and says that the V-Battalion ambushed her a few miles away. Moonstone says, “V-Battalion? You’re being attacked by your own organization? Hawkeye, this is ridiculous… why are we even…” Hawkeye tells her to breathe and count to ten. Moonstone says, “One. Ten. Hawkeye, this is ridiculous… why are we even helping her?” Hawkeye says that this is what they do. He says to stop the fight and then they will worry about white and black hats. Hawkeye throws his climbing rope and ties up a member of the V-Battalion. Citizen V says that everyone here just has a gray hat. A soldier says that is just her rationalizing her betrayal. Moonstone asks again if Hawkeye thinks they should be involved. Hawkeye says that he heard her and that his answer is still yes. Moonstone says that it is getting ugly and that he better stay out of the way. Hawkeye says that he can still do plenty without his arrows. Suddenly Hawkeye’s bow and arrows drop to him as Atlas arrives. Atlas shoves the big ship and says that he is just going to move this out of his way. Citizen V says, “Atlas?” Moonstone tells Hawkeye that this is “becoming a strategically untenable situation”. Hawkeye says that he knows and radios to Ogre. He asks him if he can use an elecrtromagnetic pulse.
Techno says that they beat him to it and that their helicarrier is scrambling their systems. Techno thinks to himself that he would like to add that it is all he can do to keep the content of chamber three breathing. He tells Hawkeye that he will keep trying.
Moonstone tells him to do more than that and that they need another hand… or fifty. Charcoal asks if they need two really big ones as he smashes through a smaller ship. He says that Songbird and MACH-2 are about two minutes behind him. Hawkeye says that a full roster might not be a good thing right now. Citizen V says that it will only escalate the fight. Hawkeye says that they’re going to get crushed. Citizen V says that she won’t surrender and that they don’t know why she is doing this. Moonstone says that is part of the problem. Giant holographic faces appear in the sky. They tell the Bolts that they are needlessly risking their lives and that Citizen V is their property. They say that she has disobeyed a direct order and that she must either do it or give up the mantle of Citizen V to someone worthy. Atlas asks who they are. Citizen V says that they are the Penance Council, the leaders of the V-Battalion. Atlas asks if they are about to die because she got fired. Citizen V says that it is more complicated than that. One giant face says that it is and that it is none of their business. MACH-2 says that since this is their mountain that they are making it their business. Citizen V says that they don’t want the Bolts to know the truth. She says that they have been operating in secrecy for so long that they have lost all sense of human decency. Hawkeye says that they need more of a reason to fight. Moonstone says, “That she needs us is reason enough, Hawkeye!” Both Hawkeye and Moonstone are stunned by what she said. Citizen V shouts that they owe her. Atlas says that he heard Zemo talking about the V-Battalion and that they are good guys tracking war criminals. He says that Zemo chose to be Citizen V to mock them for all the trouble they gave his father. Atlas says that she is just a grunt and that they don’t owe her anything. Citizen V says that Erik owes her most of all. Citizen V removes her mask to reveal that she is Dallas Riordan and says, “It’s because of you that I became Citizen V to begin with!” Atlas is stunned.
In Central
America, an invisible figure walks through Zemo’s hidden
headquarters. He lets off three blasts from his staff and starts
to wreck the place. Zemo steps forward and asks who is there. The
figure drops his invisibility and says, “Call me the man
responsible for killing you, Helmut Zemo! Or call me…
Scourge!”
Traitor’s rating: 8 of 10
I’m really enjoying Hawkeye and Moonstone being an item. The Dallas Riordan revelation wasn’t much of a revelation really, but it is nice to finally have it out there. Bagely does another extraordinary job, except of course for the cross-eyed “revelation” face on Dallas Riordan. Oh well, everyone has their moments.