Thunderbolts #70

Title: "Becoming Villains 3: Souls in the Balance”

Writer: Fabian Nicieza

Penciller: Stefano Caselli

Inker: Rich Perrota

Colors: Hi-Fi Design

Editor: Andrew Lis

MACH-3 and Jolt are flying about a maelstrom around the city that used to be Paris. Jolt asks if that is Paris. MACH-3 explains that sixteen months ago that it was destroyed by some kind of meteor strike. Jolt asks what is with the radiation haze all around it. MACH-3 says that is what he meant by “some kind”, and that no one knows what kind of meteor it was. Jolt asks if everyone died. MACH-3 says that they did, but that they are there to check out the radiation surge. He says that the energy matches the ones they encountered in Tokyo weeks ago. Jolt says that Fixer said that the energy was coming from inside the planet. MACH-3 says that it is like a cancer eating its own body. Jolt says that as if all the other problems this world had wasn’t bad enough. She says that it is tough saving a world. MACH-3 says that he doesn’t want to talk about it. He launches probes into the “void energy”. MACH-3 says that he is tracking movement down there. Jolt says that she thought that there was nothing alive. MACH-3 says that according to his readings that they may have to revive their thinking. He says that people are alive down there. Jolt says that there is nothing down there. MACH-3 says that he can see and hear them. He says that maybe they are out of phase with reality, but that they are alive and that he has to go help them. Jolt says that maybe they should wait for Zemo, Fixer, and the others. MACH-3 says “to hell with them…”, but then changes what he is saying to “we can’t wait”. MACH-3 tells Jolt to stay there and that the energy would rip apart her bioelectric form, but that his armor should protect him. Jolt tries to tell him that he has nothing to prove, but MACH-3 dives right in.

Inside the haze over the city, MACH-3 tries to contact Jolt, but he is breaking up. MACH-3 tells Jolt that the people and the city are all there. Jolt says that isn’t possible, and that she is looking at a wasteland. MACH-3 tries to speak French, and then wonders if they will hate him less if he speaks English or bad French. He descends among the people, but then they start to swarm him. MACH-3 tells them to come one at a time, but the people start shouting for help, to be saved, or that they are in pain. MACH-3 says that there are too many of them. He tells them to get out of his head, and that he can’t save everyone. The people continue swarming and rip off his wing. MACH-3 says that they couldn’t be strong enough to do that. MACH-3 falls to the ground and the people swarm over him.

Jolt tells Zemo and the others that it took them long enough. She says that she lost contact with MACH-3, three hours ago. Atlas asks if she couldn’t go in after him. Jolt says that Abe told her the radiation would kill him. She asks if it would hurt him. Fixer says that the MACH-3 armor could withstand a low-yield nuke. He says that he is probably fine. Jolt says that before they lost contact that Abe says that he saw people and buildings. Fixer says that is impossible, and that there is no solid matter or life there. Zemo asks if it could be a warp hole, a portal, or spatial anomaly of some kind. Atlas says that the energy from Tokyo is the same as it is here and wonders if it is coming from somewhere. Fixer says that he is sure that it is coming from inside the planet, but what they have to worry about right now is MACH-3. He says that he found him with a motion detector scanner, but that since he is the only one alive down there he is the only one moving. Jolt says that he saw people, but Fixer says that he saw what they wanted him to see. Fixer says that the area is boiling with alpha rhythms… or brainwaves. He says that there are no people in Paris, but their minds are still there. Fixer says that his comm-link is off-line, but that he has an EEG on him and they can track him.

Abe is running down the street when a phone booth starts ringing. Abe picks it up and Fixer starts talking to him. Fixer asks where he is. Abe says that he is in Paris. Abe says that would work, but that there is no Paris and the people are all dead. Abe says to tell that to the people chasing him. Fixer tries to tell him that it is just a mind-link, but Abe is running again. As Abe runs, Fixer, Zemo, Jolt, and Atlas appear on television screens in store windows. Zemo tells Abe to prove his mettle and rise above this. Jolt tells him that the people can’t let go, and that they are trying to use him as an anchor to reality. Atlas says that he knows it is hard, but that he has to stop believing their lie. Abe says that if it is all in his mind then why does he see his reflection as that of a black man. He says that he hasn’t had the face long enough to accept this is really him. Zemo says that it doesn’t matter. He tells Abe that the radiation cloud retained traces of encephalographic energy. He says that there are no people there… only memories of being there. He says that all he has to do is, but Abe interrupts and asks if he has to convince an entire city that it is dead. Zemo says that is it. A loud booming voice shouts, “NO! THAT CAN NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN!” An enormous dark male figure and a light blue female figure appear and fill the sky. They say that they are the Rip. They are the living manifestations of order and chaos. They say that they have been created to oversee the balance of right and wrong on that planet. Jolt says that she has heard of them, and that they are supposed to judge counter-Earth. One of the Rip says that if they pursue this that the judgment will come far sooner than originally planned. Zemo says that there are millions of people below them in agony. He says that admittedly they are French. Atlas says that maybe they deserve an explanation at least. The Rip says that they are the cause of this, and that their arrival on this world caused the devastation of Paris. It was unplanned and unfortunate. They were embryonic at the time, and the energy released combined with the sentient anguish caused a buffer that has kept the spatial anomaly that is ravaging this world at bay. Abe says that the people are suffering. He says that all they know is this lie, and that there has to be another way. Rip says that they have been sacrificed for the greater good. MACH-3 flies out of the cloud. He says that they never had a choice and tells the Rip not to clean up the mess that they made. Rip tells MACH-3 to be careful what he demands. They say that granting his request would release a torrent of seething energy that would rupture the planet at its very core.

Fixer asks what if they are right. Zemo says that they have to reason to assume they would lie, but Fixer says that they have no reason to believe they would tell the truth either. Jolt says that whatever happens they will deal with it, but that if they are going to save people’s lives that it includes saving their souls. MACH-3 sends an idea to Fixer. Fixer says, “Got it, yeah… actually I didn’t think of that… did I just say that out loud?” Fixer says that he wouldn’t expect it from Abe, but that it could work. The Rip says that is enough and blast the Bolts’ ship. Fixer asks Zemo the call. Zemo says to occupy the creature and give MACH-3 the time he needs. Atlas and Jolt take off. Atlas says that it is done. Jolt tells Zemo that he is making the right call. Zemo says, “Yes, and your validation is so important…”

The “people” of Paris say that they don’t want to be responsible for destroying the world, but that they can’t live like this. MACH-3 says that he is sorry, but that they are all dead and deserve to rest in peace. MACH-3 launches an electro-magnetic pulse. The Rip says that the humans have made their choice and that for the sake of a few souls that they are willing to destroy an entire world. The illusion of Paris disappears. MACH-3 is blown clear and says that he is sorry. Fixer asks him for what as he catches him. He says that he freed them from their prison. He says that the pulse destroyed the mind-link, but that it also fritzed his armor. The haze finally clears and leaves the nothing that is now Paris behind. The Rip calls them arrogant humans and says that the “nothing” is everything that places this world in danger. It says that the void cannot be stopped, and that eventually it will consume the entire planet. Suddenly the Rip are torn apart and fade away. A voice says, “Mother… father…? I am still with you.” The Anomaly shows up where the Rip had been and says that he has come to claim this world and to save it.

Traitor’s rating: 5 out of 10

Review by the Leader

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