Thunderbolts #73

Title: "Becoming Heroes 5: No Lose”

Writer: Fabian Nicieza

Penciller: Manuel Garcia

Inker: Scott Hanna

Colors: Hi-Fi Design

Editor: Andrew Lis

Hawkeye looks up at Citizen V and says that he doesn’t think he even wants to hear this. Citizen V says that considering their history that he should know that it would take a lot to get him to ask the Thunderbolts for help. Citizen V says that the V-Battalion’s ship, the Vanguard, is spewing radiation and have begun sucking matter into a white hole. He says that they have lost half the V-Battalion trying to stop it. Hawkeye says that they aren’t a science team and that V should try the Fantastic Four or Damage Control. V says that Reed Richards asks too many questions, that he hears Damage Control pads their bill, and that they only have two hours before half the northern hemisphere gets fused into glass. He says that they need muscle and that if he doesn’t believe him to believe an old friend. V shows Hawkeye a hologram of Jim Hammond. Hawkeye asks if he is hooked in with these guys. Jim says that a guy has to work, and that V isn’t lying. Hawkeye asks the others if they want to save the world. Skein says, “Before lunch? Again? If we have to…” Dugan asks if they are going to take off and make CNN by bedtime. Hawkeye says that it works for him. Dugan says that Hawkeye’s crew doesn’t have what it takes, but Songbird points out that Dugan is saying that alone. Amazon says that if it is a muscle job that they can handle that. Cyclone says that they could head south of the equator. Songbird tells him to shut up. Silver Sable walks into the room. She says that they remember Crimson Cowl imprisoned her. She says that it took her a long time to free herself, and sarcastically thanks them for their help. Hawkeye says, “Uhm… we were… busy?” Songbird says that and that they forgot her, but that they did make sure that Cowl is helpless and captive.

Crimson Cowl sits alone and naked in the dark.

Silver Sable holds the Cowl’s cloak and says that they could teleport mass into the white hole if Skein can stitch together what her powers ripped apart. Skein says that she can do it, but that Sable shouldn’t worry about the migraine that it will give her. Harrier says that he doesn’t know. Blackheath asks what other options there are. Cyclone says again that they could go south. Blackheath tells him not to be naïve and that the biosphere is all linked. Cyclone says that they should at least get paid. Sable holds up a check and says that she has no problem with that. Hawkeye shoots an arrow through the check and says that this has to be done because someone has to do it. He says that they all have a lot of wrongs to make up for, and that if anyone wants out to walk now. Cyclone starts to leave, but Hawkeye electrifies him and he drops. Hawkeye says that he forgot to mention that if they say no that they are all still wanted by the law, or in Cyclone’s case, under arrest in SHIELD custody. Hawkeye tells the others to make their call.

Twenty-two minutes later, under the Vanguard, Hawkeye asks V if it is too late for them to change their minds. Jim Hammond thanks them for coming and says that he knows that they have little reason to trust the V-Battalion. Hawkeye says that it works both ways and that they have little reason to trust the Thunderbolts as well. Jim says that twelve hours ago that the ship’s engines began distorting. Elizabeth says that they sent in science and engineering teams, but that both were lost to a growing void. She says that most of the ship’s interior has vanished. Sable asks if they need them to move mass into the void to act as a plug. Songbird says that they have plenty of muscle for that. Elizabeth says that their superhuman operatives were lost in the void as well. She says that they are running out of time and that the void grows exponentially. She gives them neurological plugs that will give them the ship’s schematics and history.

Inside, V says that he knows now why Zemo positively enjoyed this. Hawkeye tells V and Sable to surround the engine room on deck six. He tells Blackheath and Songbird to go to the hydroponics lab on deck 3, and that the rest of them will go to deck one. He says that the plan is to stuff the void top, middle, and bottom at the same time.

V tells Sable that Hawkeye is a regular Rommel. Sable says that nothing they did worked.

Harrier says that his scanner say that there should be some answers around this corner. Harrier buzzes around and disappears into the white void. Hawkeye hands Amazon an arrow with a reel on it. He tells her not to let go and leaps into the void. Amazon says that he is nuts. Skein tells Amazon not to let go, but Amazon says that something is pulling hard. Skein says that Hawkeye told her not to let go. Amazon says that she knows what he said. Skein says to keep pulling, and that she will weave more threads to strengthen the line. Amazon pulls Hawkeye and Harrier out. Harrier says that Hawkeye came in after him. He says that Hawkeye didn’t know what was in there. Hawkeye says that he knew Harrier was in there and that was all he needed to know. Amazon says that it is almost enough to make you want to switch sides. Harrier says, “Yeah… almost”. Hawkeye says to talk about how wonderful he is later over beers and to get moving.

Blackheath says that the Green is scared. He says that they know that he has come to betray them. Songbird says that he is saving the planet, and that isn’t a betrayal. Blackheath says that he knows, but that they give him so much, and that he gives so little in return. Blackheath says that to the Green this lab is like a concentration camp. Songbird asks if he can use it to plug the white hole. Blackheath says that he can accelerate their growth, and that they sing for release, but that he can still feel their pain, each of their dying breaths.

Sable sees the hole and says that this is not good. V asks if she can work the cloak. Sable starts teleporting matter in and says that apparently she can. Sable says that the plugs tells her some interesting facts about the ship that the Battalion had kept from her. She says that the Vanguard was reverse-engineered from alien technology found or stolen by the Battalion over the years. She says that the drive engines came from an alien craft that was found partially phased underground in Siberia. V asks her so what. Sable says that she is curious as to where the hole came from, and where the matter they are forcing in is going.

Harrier says that the majority of the activity is happening behind the doors leading to the bridge. Hawkeye tells Amazon to rip open the wall. He tells Skein to manipulate the insulation. Skein says that she never thought of that. Hawkeye tells Harrier to blast the door and to get ready for everything to suck. Harrier blasts the walls down and everyone feels the pull. Hawkeye sees Songbird and Blackheath. He asks her over the comm-link what’s happening. Songbird says that Blackheath has exhausted himself. She says that Sable and V aren’t responding. Hawkeye says that Harrier tells them that they are still breathing. Skein asks what now. Hawkeye says to collapse the decks into the hole. Harrier says that it won’t work. He says that his armor just cleaned up the data from when he was inside the void. He sends it to everyone. He says that they are never going to fill this thing because it is a bottomless pit, and that it is about to burp.

Songbird erects a sonic wall to protect her and Blackheath from the burp. Amazon punches a hole through the floor for her and the others to climb up into. Hawkeye says that if they can’t fill the hole that they have to find out where it is leading to so that maybe they can cut it off at the source. Songbird says that they don’t have much time and have lost contact with V and Sable. Harrier says that he could send a probe, but that even if it came back that it would take time to clean up. Hawkeye says that they don’t have that kind of time. He says that the only way to see what is in there is to see what’s in there. He fires an arrow into the void. Songbird says that Hawkeye doesn’t have armor or super strength. Hawkeye says that is why he is most expendable. He says that they could be the difference out there if the thing erupts. Hawkeye leaps in. Songbird says that she is going in after him. Harrier says that he is too. Skein says, “Menage a trios. At least I can keep us linked together.” Skein creates a line between them. Blackheath says that he can use his veins to extend the line. Amazon says that she gets to be the anchor, but asks what if the hole gets bigger. Songbird says that she would be sucked in too, but that the only way they are going to get through this is if they stick together. Amazon says that she could run. Songbird says, “That’s right, Amazon. You could.” Everyone but Amazon leaps in. Amazon holds the rope and roots. She starts getting pulled in, but she pulls back and starts pulling the team out. She says that she did it, and that she can’t believe it. Amazon suddenly falls back and asks what happened to the void. Harrier asks if they saw when they were in there that there was someone on the other side. Songbird asks if they followed them there. Hawkeye pulls his arrow on someone while a black gloved hand holds a gun to his head. He says, “Yup…”

Traitor’s rating: 5 out of 10

Review by the Leader

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