The yell sent Captain America running into the War Room. Through the door he saw that Quicksilver was on the ground, with Karnak standing over him. The speedster’s leg was bent unnaturally, and that told Captain America everything he needed to know. The two men, Avengers and teammates though they may be, had a history.

 

“What happened here?” demanded the Avengers chairperson. He’d tried to pass the title onto another member the other day, but She-Hulk had advised against it. Recent events had lowered the team in the government’s eyes. As Captain America was the only one in the current roster that anybody had confidence in, he’d begrudgingly chosen to remain as leader. “Karnak?”

 

The Inhuman turned his head to acknowledge Captain America’s presence. “A wager was made. I won.”

 

“Only because you blindsided me!” roared Quicksilver. “Fully prepared, I could avoid any attack that you could pose!”

 

Captain America’s first thought was to remind Quicksilver that an Avenger had to be prepared for ambush at all times. Their opponents certainly wouldn’t announce their assaults. Instead he addressed Karnak. “Did that require breaking his leg?”

 

“Certainly not. That was for my cousin.”

 

It came out. Karnak’s cousin was Crystal, ex-wife of Quicksilver. Apparently there had been some infidelity, but Captain America didn’t know the particulars. From Karnak’s point of view, Quicksilver had been at fault. However it had started, Captain America was going to end it.

 

“Karnak, go relieve Espirita on monitor duty. Quicksilver, can you get to the Med-Lab on your own?”

 

“With a broken leg? Do you expect me to crawl on my hands and-”

 

“Then I’ll help you. Later, the three of us are going to discuss this and settle things once and for all. I won’t have Avengers assaulting one another.”

 

“I will be expecting you to uphold your wager,” Karnak remarked to Quicksilver as he stalked away. Quicksilver only glowered. Only when Captain America was helping him limp to his feet did Quicksilver make a quiet statement.

 

“I’ve a mind to inform him for the insurance agent in New Jersey.”

 

“What was that?” Captain America hadn’t quite heard.

 

“Nothing. Simply old history and nobody’s business.”

 

Fortunately, the Med-Lab was on the same level was the War Room, only a short distance for Quicksilver to limp towards. Once inside, Captain America settled Quicksilver onto the examination table. “Alright, sit still while I check the leg.”

 

“I’m quite capable of setting the bone on my own,” Quicksilver told his leader. “Once done, I’ll heal quickly.”

 

“All right. But don’t leave until it’s healed fully.” With that caution, Captain America turned to leave.

 

Walking out of the Med-Lab, Captain America was greeted by a very upset Warbird. At her yell that he should “hold it right there,” Captain America paused reluctantly and sighed. Somehow he had a feeling about what her problem was as well.

 

“I need to talk to you about that Nicole person.”

 

\\Sometimes Captain America hated being right. “Warbird, we’ve discussed this. Binary has proven herself capable of-”

 

“Don’t you dare use that name!” Warbird cried out.

 

“You may not like it, Warbird, but the name fits her. As far as I’m concerned, she’s earned it, along with the title of Avenger.” Captain America started walking away. “If you’re this upset over a simple name, I don’t know if I can be as certain about you.”

 

Warbird followed after him. “If you’d listened to me in the first place, we’d have saved ourselves a lot of time then. My problems are not things that I’ve been hiding, and being around somebody who not only uses my old name, but also looks exactly like I used to does not help!”

 

“Actually, it can,” Captain America said to her. “Move past this, and you’ll be a stronger person, the kind of Avenger I know you can be. The next step after that will be patching things up with Quicksilver.” His head turned back towards the Med-Lab. “Or you could go do that now. He’s in there with a broken leg.”

 

“Nice, Karnak listened to my suggestion.” Warbird took the next few steps alone, stopped and turned to see that Captain America was glaring at her. “That was a joke.”

 

“How did you know it was Karnak?”

 

“Because out of the millions of people that Quicksilver rubs the wrong way, I doubt he hurt anybody more than he did Crystal. Family share those kinds of things.” She walked right up into Captain America’s face. “And for your information, I don’t have a problem with Quicksilver. He’s the one angry with me, on account over the other woman dumping him because he wouldn’t help her kick my ass.”

 

“We’re not saying her name either?” he asked.

 

“At this point, Rogue is just another one of the many, many shitty things that have happened to me in my life. That girl, on the other hand,” Warbird raised her arm towards the ceiling, telling Captain America that Binary was up on another level. “Reminds me of a time when my life wasn’t crap. She’s able to do all the things that I used to be capable of, before my powers just decided to fade.”

 

“We both know that your powers aren’t the sum total of who you are,” Captain America reminded her. “You’re on this team because of your training and experience. Binary may have your old powers, but she doesn’t have near your expertise in using them.” He brushed past Warbird and continued on. “Let’s start teaching her.”

 

After a brief hesitation, Warbird huffed and followed.

 

---

 

When Captain America left the training area half-an-hour later, the two women were still in the air, trading blasts and practicing evasive maneuvers. Binary was much faster, but enclosed spaces made the speed a hindrance and half the time she was crashing into walls. On maneuverability Warbird proved far superior, making sharp twists and turns at twice the speed Binary was able to.

 

Eventually, the young woman would learn. Until then the other Avengers would watch her back, and she’d watch theirs. It was what Captain America did his best to make the Avengers into, a team where no one member was needed to do everything, because everybody worked together. At least they would, once Captain America got them all to put personal disputes aside.

 

There were precious few members of the team who didn’t have issues to work out. When Captain America was paged via his Avengers communicard, it was from one such member. It was a shame she didn’t work in the field, Captain America thought to himself as he entered the elevator and was carried to the main floor. But She-Hulk was much more useful as liaison between the Avengers and the United States government.

 

Captain America saw her in the main foyer, talking with Stingray. When not in the armor as he was then it was just plain Walter Newell, but Captain America was in the habit of referring to all his teammates by their codenames. Spouting off real names in the heat of battle never did any good, and Stingray had a wife.

 

“Jennifer, did you get an update on Savage Steel?” Even in her She-Hulk form, Jennifer Walters was the Avengers liaison and Captain America treated her as a professional civilian.

 

The use of her real name made She-Hulk bristle a little. She considered both identities to be distinct and separate. “Sorry, Steve. The local authorities are keeping that armor and the thug inside it in a tight grip. Could have something to do with the fact that dirty cops used to operate it.”

 

Several days ago, the Avengers had defeated an armored villain known as Savage Steel, with a new person under the helmet. Darkhawk, an Avenger on the West Coast, had battled previous versions of Savage Steel and shared its history with the team. Unfortunately, the new criminals didn’t appear to have any ties to the previous Cabal that had shared the Savage Steel identity.

 

“I would appreciate it if you stayed on it,” Captain America told her. “We need to find out who he was working for.”

 

“That I don’t need to be told.” The attack had been a ruse, during which an intruder had by-passed the mansion’s security and made off with a dangerous piece of equipment. “But right now we have another situation.”

 

“What is it this time?” Captain America asked.

 

“Public relations,” She-Hulk told him. “Stingray was just telling me about a commitment he had for tomorrow, made before he rejoined our organization.”

 

“A demonstration for setting coastal charges, at Cape Citadel,” Stingray said. “And it was more of a maybe that I would participate in it. Somehow She-Hulk found out, and not only is she insisting that I go…”

 

“The whole team should be there,” She-Hulk finished. She then said defensively, “not my idea, though. A Congressman’s office gave me a call, one of the big-shots on Ways and Means. As it turns out, the day of the demonstration is on the anniversary of Magneto’s big debut.”

 

So it would be a show, thought Captain America. Business at a military base not only continued after a mutant terrorist attack, it thrived and remained cutting edge. The Avengers being there would remind the world that America had its own super-powered defenders.

 

“Quicksilver stays.” Captain America said at last. Not only would he be recovering off an injury, but as the son of Magneto he would be made a spectacle of. “I’ll go inform the others.”

 

---

 

Since before the infamous attack by Magneto, Cape Citadel had been the primary site for many of the U.S. Military’s advancements. Unfortunately, ever since that first assault, countless mutants have laid siege to the base for its symbolic value. On the anniversary of Magneto’s attack it was no different.

 

Unseen and unheard, the astral form of Scanner passed over the base. Her body remained where it had always been, lying comatose in a hospital, hooked up to life support. Ever since her identity and mutant ability had been discovered, countless doctors have searched for a means to prevent or at least track her astral projection. Fortunately for Scanner, lawyers from the ACLU have worked to prevent invasive and life threatening methods. Until the lawyers failed, Scanner remained free to act as she pleased, and on that day it meant scouting Cape Citadel.

 

On the ground the mutant Neophyte prowled, moving his body through solid mass and remaining hidden from the multiple soldiers that patrolled the base. Though he had once had doubts about his purpose, the return of Lord Magneto had set all that aside. Today would be a glorious day, and Neophyte would be part of an extraordinary act.

 

Their mission was simple, if unspectacular. Scanner was to gather information and report it back to the others. Munitions, soldier locations, heavy artillery and the like. Neophyte’s was more involved, and would initiate the assault. Nuclear materials were present on Cape Citadel, and once Neophyte found it and compromised the shielding, chaos would momentarily consume the base. All the soldiers around him would be in a panic, and easy pickings.

 

Concrete and titanium made up the bunker where the nuclear materials were stored. Guards were everywhere, and surveillance was high. Within sight on the main building, Neophyte simply concentrated, and the molecules of his body passed through the molecules of the ground so that he sank into the matter. Sensors existed in the ground, but Neophyte would be undetected. Once surrounded by solid mass on all sides and effectively blind, Neophyte trudged in the direction of the bunker.

 

Slowly, inch-by-inch, the Neophyte traversed the mass, from soil to rock to concrete, until he reached the edge with open air on the other side. Carefully he leaned forward, his face and eyes just piercing the surface of what was a wall. Enough to see but hopefully not be seen. Nobody was in the room beyond, and Neophyte leaped out of the wall.

 

It came from nowhere, the sudden shock to Neophyte’s system. He fell onto his back, looked up to see three individuals in colorful costumes. A dark-haired Hispanic woman in fiery red. What seemed to be a man in red-and-white armor built for the water. And finally Captain America, in the colors of his country.

 

“Your prediction was right, Espirita,” said Captain America.

 

“It was Stingray that detected him,” she replied without conceit. Espirita stepped closer to the semi-prone Neophyte. “Only a boy.”

 

Captain America nodded. “You’ll find them in every conflict. I hope you didn’t do him too much damage, Stingray. He needs to talk for interrogation.”

 

The armored Avenger knelt over the now-twitching Neophyte. “It was a minor charge. He should be able to move in a few minutes, though it’ll be a lot longer before he’ll be able to use his power. I don’t think interrogation will be necessary though.”

 

“No, his objective was clear,” Captain America agreed. Something on his belt beeped. After a glance at what appeared to be a card, Captain America spoke. “Warbird got a sense of something floating around the base. Could be a scout of some kind. This boy couldn’t have done much damage on his own. At the most…”

 

Espirita finished the thought. “He would have created a panic. His accomplices would have had no difficulty with everybody worried about an emergency in this building.”

 

“Stingray, contact the brass. There’s about to be a situation.”

 

Neophyte closed his eyes, overwhelmed by failure. It had all gone horribly wrong.

 

---

 

Cold water splashed over Rictor’s face. He needed to remain sharp, focused. But looking into the mirror, Julio Esteban Richter stared into eyes that were anything but. Bloodshot from booze and a lack of sleep, Rictor’s eyes were simply the window into what his life had become. Ever since what happened in Genosha to him, Shatterstar, everybody.

 

Somebody knocked on the door. “Rictor, its time.” That was Lady Mastermind, one out of a number of mutants Rictor had met up with after Genosha. Except for a few, Rictor didn’t trust any of them. Lady Mastermind was one of the few.

 

The door opened. Rictor ignored Lady Mastermind’s face as he walked past, knew that she disapproved of his drinking, especially before a mission. Nobody approved, but at least they didn’t say anything to Rictor about it. Nobody except for the group’s self-proclaimed leader, a man Rictor swore he’d beat to death someday.

 

“On this day we shall know glory!” There he was, in the center of the room, preaching to his flock. Even to the people who know him as a bald-faced liar and backstabbing murderer, Fabian Cortez’s words still managed to make an impact. Rictor had to keep reminding himself of what the bastard had done in the past, that he didn’t care about the cause but only his own personal power. To prevent him from killing the man right then and there, Rictor also reminded himself that he needed Cortez, that his power was useful.

 

Assembled around the orating Cortez was their group, minus Neophyte and Scanner. Of the six mutants present, half bought into the line of bull Cortez spouted. Mellancamp, Barnacle and Vindaloo had all followed Cortez before. They were also stupid enough to do anything Cortez said and were useful in their own ways. Mellancamp with his indestructible skin and heightened physical attributes. Barnacle with that hardened carapace he could form out of moisture in the air. Finally, Vindaloo with the napalm he could secrete from his pores.

 

The other three weren’t nearly so gullible, and went along with Cortez with full knowledge about what he was full of. But they had skills Cortez needed, so he trusted in the fact that they needed him just as much. Rictor knew this was true in his case, but he wasn’t entirely sure of Lady Mastermind and Post’s motivations. The daughter of the original Mastermind was even better at casting illusions, and Post…Rictor wasn’t even sure of his powers. The large man’s skin was purple and he seemed to have some strength, as well as a bizarre sense of timing. But he had a lot of other powers and pieces of technology that floated around his body, so there was no telling where nature ended and technology began.

 

“Many years ago, our glorious lord Magneto struck a blow to humanity, declared that Homo Sapien Superior was here, and that we would dominate! Today we, the new Brotherhood of Mutants, shall remind the world of this, and herald the glorious march of our people to glory! Magneto himself will praise us for our deeds!”

 

Some cheers. It took everything in Rictor not to roll his eyes. He hated that name, as it implied they represented all of mutantkind. That meant the world would blame all mutants for the actions of a few. Magneto had been right, creating a distinction by calling his team the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. As for being praised…very likely Magneto would kill them all on sight. Forgiven and forgotten were two very different things, and Rictor had no illusions about returning to that man’s good graces.

 

“Minutes ago I have learned that our brother the Neophyte was successful in his mission! A nuclear meltdown at Cape Citadel is imminent, and in the confusion we shall-”

 

Minutes ago? “Then what the hell are we waiting here for?” asked Rictor angrily. They needed to get there, take advantage of the panic before it died down and some actual resistance could be built. Not waiting for Cortez to respond, Rictor turned toward Post. “Get onto that base and to their main terminals now.” Natural or no, the man could teleport, and his immunity to radiation made him an ideal scout in a potential meltdown. “Barnacle, crust up and Vindaloo, carry him with you. Mellancamp, get running. I’ll start the car Cortez, so you can join me when you’ve finished ranting. Let’s go kill flatscans!”

 

Rictor yelled the last part to push the three idiots into action. The look of pure rage on the face of Cortez was one of the sweetest sights Rictor had ever seen, but he didn’t stop to savor it. Post had already disappeared and everybody was moving. He started for the door to the outside, and found Lady Mastermind walking beside him.

 

“He’ll kill you for that,” she muttered to him. “Unless you kill him first.”

 

“Not today,” replied Rictor in a low tone. “Not so long as he needs me to do the big damage, and I need him to help me do the big damage. But tomorrow, oh yeah, I’m going to turn him inside out.”

 

---

 

Vindaloo and Barnacle had just been observed flying over the boundary into Cape Citadel when Scanner appeared a short distance away. A state of near-panic was evident on her opaque face, and her mouth was screaming wordlessly. The two approaching Acolytes were too far away to hear the words, “Turn back! It’s a trap!”

 

First her hands appeared, reaching through the astral form of Scanner. Then the Acolyte was torn apart and Warbird appeared amidst the scattered signal. Bursts of powerful energy coalesced around Warbird’s fists as she flew at the two Acolytes.

 

“An ambush, actually. But as you were about to massacre!” Warbird roared as she blazed. Barnacle took the brunt of Warbird’s blast, most of his crust armor breaking away. The sheer force of Warbird’s attack expelled Barnacle from Vindaloo’s arms, and the mutant fell helplessly at the ground. “Perfectly acceptable.”

 

Vindaloo’s skin began to steam as napalm began to secrete from his pores. “Die flatscan!”

 

“What did you just call me!” Napalm splashed over Warbird but she paid it no mind. She flew at Vindaloo and grabbed him, further exposing herself to his napalm. Skin was sizzling.

 

One blow to Vindaloo’s head was enough to knock him out, but Warbird delivered two. The mutant terrorist went limp in Warbird’s hand. She remained floating in the air, breathing heavily. The bastard had called Warbird helpless, and she’d been about to kill him for it.

 

That Barnacle had continued to crush his body while in free-fall had saved his life. The impact would have reduced him to so much mush, but as it was he only suffered a number of broken bones. Mellancamp paid no mind however when his teammate crashed nearby. The indestructible mutant had an opponent of his own.

 

Karnak chopped again at Mellancamp’s scaly hide, struggling to find a weakness. Unharmed by the blow, Mellancamp slashed out with his long, razor-sharp claws. Moving deftly, Karnak ducked and grabbed Mellancamp’s arm. Where brute force would not suffice, he’d use finesse instead and flipped Mellancamp over him.

 

“Rrraggh!” Crashing into a nearby wall, Mellancamp lashed out wildly. But rather than back away to avoid the attack, Karnak moved in. Deflecting an arm with one hand, Karnak struck forward with the other, jabbing his fingers into Mellancamp’s eyes. This spurred a further maelstrom of chaos from the indestructible mutant, and at last Karnak back away. Falling backwards, he rolled away from the deadly foe.

 

“Hmmm. Your weakness isn’t one that I can exploit.” Karnak pressed down on his communicard. In the near distance, a stream of flame suddenly veered in the air towards Karnak. “At least not without difficulty and risk.”

 

The stream of flame came near, and was seen to be Espirita. “Karnak, do you require my assistance?”

 

“I more prefer it,” Karnak responded. “External threats hold no fear for this criminal. But inside it still needs to breathe.”

 

“Understood.” Espirita raised a hand and gouts of flame appeared around Mellancamp. Howling more with rage than pain, he leapt up at Espirita. But she easily flew up and away, avoiding the attack while still keeping Mellancamp engulfed. “One would think it ironic, that a demon would be thwarted by fire. But my flames are holy, granted by God to do His will.”

 

Karnak said nothing, for he had nothing nice to say. Fully aware that the Kree were responsible for their existence, the Inhumans had little regard for religion beyond their Terrigan Mists. His big concern was avoiding Mellancamp, made more necessary now that the mutant was surrounded by fire. Fortunately, Mellencamp hadn’t realized he’d become a living weapon and was mainly running about in a mad panic.

 

“This feels disturbingly…good,” Espirita remarked as she kept the flames up. “Fire is so destructive most of the time, I’m always fearful of using it around other living beings. I must be careful not to revel. Even this small feeling I have will need to be confessed.”

 

Again, Karnak didn’t respond to what Espirita was saying. Instead, when Mellancamp fell over, he said, “Don’t stop. He may be faking.’

 

However, Espirita did stop. More than that, she lowered to the ground, a horrified expression on her face. “We should put this man in restraints and give him medical attention as quickly as possible.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous. All you did was deprive him of some oxygen.”

 

But Espirita shook her head. “No. I’ve just realized, as hard as his scales may be the internal organs could still be vulnerable. I may have just roasted them.” Espirta moved forward and knelt beside the unmoving Mellancamp. “I may have just killed this man.”

 

---

 

Two armed soldiers of the United States Army were thrown back against the wall by an invisible force. Another was held high in the air, the life being slowly squeezed out of him by something unseen. Running down the corridor toward the melee, Stingray didn’t need to see anything. His armor generated sonar that bounced off everything solid and gave Stingray a complete image of his surroundings. It was the reason his helmet wasn’t see-through.

 

What Stingray “saw” was this: a large man with purple skin and unusual strength knocking around helpless soldiers. Surrounding the large man were pieces of technology that hovered in place, high-tech armor that wasn’t right up against the skin. Counting on the man’s confidence in his invisibility, Stingray slammed right into him.

 

As strong as the mutant called Post was, Stingray’s armor made him about as strong. And while the plasma bursts Post fired from his armor weren’t of much use in close combat, Stingray electrical charges were very useful up close. Sparks traveled from Stingray’s armor all through Post and his armor, shorting out the technology. Those soldiers still conscious were amazed at the sudden sight of a large purple mutant battling an Avenger.

 

“Somehow I don’t think you’d armor yourself if you were bulletproof,” Stingray told Post. Electricity had stunned the large mutant, and a one-two punch by the Avenger sent him staggering to the floor. Those soldiers that still had guns raised them and prepared to shoot.

 

“Hold your fire!” Stingray commanded. “Give him a chance to surrender.”

 

“Like hell,” snarled one officer as he opened fire.

 

Bullets spattered against a bare floor. Sparking as his equipment had been, Post had still managed to activate his teleporter. Stingray walked over the spot and tapped the side of his neck, where communi-card technology had been incorporated into his armor.

 

“Captain America, I encountered one of them down here. He escaped, teleported.” Stingray was silent a moment while he seemed to listen then said, “Understood. I’ll be out to assist.” Stingray turned to the soldiers. “We’ve head off the attacks so far, but more are expected. You men are to remain here on guard until relief is sent. Anybody who needs immediate medical attention I’ll take out with me. The rest will need to wait-”

 

In the middle of his sentence, Stingray paused. His image of the area was flickering, an effect he recognized. “Wait. Nobody move.” Stingray himself remained very still, and allowed his sonar to work. The distant, faint vibrations that could neither be seen nor felt were detected. “We all have to get out of here. Now.”

 

---

 

When Rictor’s mutant power had first manifested, the earthquake he caused had devastated Mexico City. Years later, Rictor had learned to control his terrifying ability that he was now able to direct the shockwaves he created. Though Cape Citadel was some distance away, it was within Rictor’s sight, and his shockwaves were focused in that direction.

 

“Pump me up, Cortez,” Rictor urged. “Right now I’m not doing more than buckling their foundations.”

 

“Oh, soon you’ll do so much more than that,” Fabian Cortez said in a gleeful, high voice. Energy rippled out of his hands and into Rictor. Almost immediately, Rictor was visibly vibrating with power. “Topple the buildings to rubble! Crush the flatscans beneath their own fortifications!” And die by your own power from the inside out! Cortez thought to himself.

 

In the distance, the effects of Rictor’s attack could be seen. Already the walls that encircled Cape Citadel were cracking. There was no telling what damage was beginning to occur within, but soon enough the two mutants would be able to see. Cortez envisioned fiery explosions and flatscans dying in agony, while Rictor…

 

“Ahh!” Rictor cried out in pain as Captain America’s shield smashed into his knee. His leg bent at an unnatural angle, Rictor collapsed to the ground. The power still flowed, Rictor still vibrated, and through the pain he remained focused on Cape Citadel.

 

Assembled, the Avengers rushed at the two dangerous mutants. Captain America was in the lead, his ready hand accepting the returned shield. Alongside Captain America ran Karnak, while above Binary, Espirita and Warbird flew high and fast. A distance behind them was Stingray, not so much flying but gliding.

 

“Binary, grab him!” Captain America ordered.

 

Binary did as she was told, swooping down and taking Rictor in her arms before either he or Cortez could react. Immediately, Rictor’s vibrations swept over Binary, but her strength and invulnerability were on the cosmic level and she endured. Withstanding the pain, she flew higher and higher into the air. Maybe when he lost consciousness from lack of oxygen, Rictor’s power would cease.

 

“Yes, Avengers, come and die!” exclaimed Cortez. Energy was billowing in his hands, waiting to be released.

 

Karnak did not slow in the least as he ran at Cortez. “Leave him to me.” The other Avengers slowed and allowed Karnak to approach alone. Cortez faced the oncoming Inhuman with glee.

 

“Often I have wondered how my power affects flatscans,” the mutant zealot stated. “Now, at last, you and I will find out together!”

 

Cortez’s power to enhance and detract mutant abilities swept over the Inhuman Karnak. The Avenger ran past the wave of energy, appearing unfazed in the slightest. Cortez’s eyes widened as Karnak raised an arm back to strike.

 

“Your bluff has been called.” Karnak drove his arm forward, smashing the heel of his palm against the side of Cortez’s face. “But whether an empty bluff or not, you threatened my niece’s life.” Karnak dropped his second arm down to chop at the back of Cortez’s head. “For that I should kill you.” Finally, Karnak drove his knee up into Cortez’s face, and the terrorist dropped to the ground with blood gushing. “But I think imprisonment, with humans your power is useless against, will be so much more fitting.”

 

Stingray had landed and was walking forward beside Captain America towards Karnak. The Avengers chairperson placed a hand on Karnak’s soldier in respect. “Nicely done Avenger. For this man, it was a long time coming.”

 

Karnak nodded. “Yes, though I think we shouldn’t tell him that I’m an Inhuman, and that as yet his power still hasn’t been tried against humans.”

 

High above, Binary was flying down with an unconscious Rictor in her arms. “Hey, he’s stopped! So is that it? We’ve beaten the bad-hey!”

 

Warbird was suddenly flying up at Binary, her fists awash with energy and hatred on her face. “I knew it! There just had to be something wrong with you!”

 

What Warbird saw, and nobody else, was that Binary now had the scaly features of a Brook alien. Not aware of this, Binary was surprised at Warbird’s assault, and took two blasts of energy to the face. Stunned, Binary dropped Rictor and was helpless when Warbird slammed into her.

 

“No!” Captain America cried out. Rictor was falling from nearly two stories high and was too far away for any Avenger to catch. That didn’t stop Captain America from trying, as he rushed forward and shouted to Espirita, “Go help Binary calm Warbird down!”

 

Espirita did fly up towards the battling pair, although it didn’t appear that Binary needed any assistance. Warbird was far more skilled at aerial combat, but the sight of an alien from the species that tortured her, in the form of an identity she’d once held, had driven Warbird to a near berserker rage. She was fighting in close, battering at Binary with blows that the cosmic-powered woman could easily withstand.

 

“Gah! Get away from me!” Binary screamed. A blast of energy from her hand struck Warbird’s chest at point-blank range. She was propelled away from Binary, and Espirita rapidly shifted her course after her.

 

Near the ground, Rictor’s descent had suddenly stopped a few feet short, caught by a shape that Captain America could just barely make out. Post had managed to get his cloaking technology working, but it flickered in and out. At the strange sight Captain America stopped, as had Stingray just behind him.

 

“That’s the man I faced earlier,” Stingray said.

 

“Post.” Captain America had encountered the mutant before, during Onslaught’s invasion of New York City. “Stand down. You’re beaten.”

 

It wasn’t Post who responded, but rather the slight young woman that suddenly appeared next to him. One of her arms was supporting the young Neophyte, and she smiled at Captain America. “You should jump out of the way.”

 

“What do you-” Stingray began, but Captain America had pushed him aside. From files loaned by the X-Men, he recognized the woman was Mastermind. In the spot they’d been standing, a blast of power from Binary had just struck. She was flying down at them, a rage to mirror Warbird’s on her face.

 

“You have a lot of nerve showing yourself here, Diablo!” she cried along with a flurry of energy blasts. As Captain America deflected with his shield and dodged, he heard the young illusionist speaking.

 

“Just be glad I’m covering a retreat. Otherwise you’d be ripping out your eyes.”

 

---

 

“Again, guys. I’m so sorry.”

 

The six Avengers were just disembarking from the Quinjet. Captain America, Binary and Warbird were the last to step into the hanger of the Avengers Mansion. At Binary’s third apology, Captain America turned to address her.

 

“That’s not necessary. You were influenced by a powerful illusionist.”

 

Warbird shook her head and chimed in. “No. According to her files, this second Mastermind is also a telepath.” Her eyes shifted toward Binary. “I saw you as a Brood because a part of me wanted to. Mastermind was able to use that, just as she used your previous affiliation with Diablo.”

 

“How can we defend against somebody like that?” Binary asked.

 

“Psi-dampeners can help, but mainly it’s just a matter of training your mind against that kind of intrusion.” Captain America walked into the elevator, followed by the two women. Karnak, Stingray and Espirita had just used it. “I’ll have sessions scheduled later this week, as soon as I’ve contacted an appropriate expert.”

 

The elevator carried them into the second sub-basement and its doors opened. Along with the other members that had been present at Cape Citadel, Quicksilver and Jennifer Walters were waiting. It was one of the few times that Captain America couldn’t sense any tension between Karnak and Quicksilver. Delivering a beating to a man that’d hurt somebody they both cared about could do that.

 

At sight of Captain America, Jennifer moved forward. In her hand was a sheet of paper. “Steve, I have news.”

 

“I’ve already heard the news reports about what happened,” Captain America told the Avengers liaison.  “And while I’m as glad as everybody else the attack was averted, I would have preferred to capture all of those involved.”

 

“Half the terrorists, including their leader, is more than enough to celebrate,” Jennifer told him. She then held the sheet of paper out for him. “I managed to find out what was learned in the interrogation.”

 

“So soon?”

 

Jennifer sighed. “No, the guy in the Savage Steel armor.” She shook the sheet of paper. “He finally admitted who he was working for.”

 

Captain America took the sheet of paper and scanned his eyes over it. He then looked up to address the assembled Avengers. “Team, we have the name of our enemy. As soon as possible, we need to track down Phillipe Bazin. And we’d better do it before what he stole ends up killing him.”

 

---

 

Alas, Captain America’s words would turn out to be ironic. At nearly that precise moment, Phillipe Bazin lay dead in a warehouse. Surrounding him were the charred bodies of his men and the machines that killed them. Each of the robotic creatures was designed in the image of their maker, and the one who’d done the deed of killing Bazin herself.

 

Alkema reached into the box and extracted that which Bazin had acquired at her command. He’d expected money as payment, but instead got what Alkema intended for all living things. Their deaths would all come soon, she believed as she looked into the empty eyes of the robotic head.

 

“Ultron,” Alkema spoke in a cold voice of no emotion. “You will live again.”

 

Elsewhere in time and space, a figure sat on his throne and observed the events through a technology far beyond the modern. Beneath his purple mask, Kang smiled. Soon, the glorious battle would begin.

 

---

 

Next Issue: What else was taken from the Avengers? And who’s that former teammate who suddenly appeared in Times Square? Don’t miss the prelude to the most time-bending event in M2K history: The Kang/Ultron War!

 

---

 

Author’s Notes

 

Okay, I have to admit to some cheating here. Half this issue was written way before my run began. There had been talk about my Avengers possibly doing a crossover with another title, maybe mutant-related, and I was so excited I wrote up some scenes for the crossover’s opening. That initial plan peetered out, but there have been rumblings of possibly something similar. So we’ll wait and see if perhaps that big fight happens to lead to something more.

 

At any rate, I’m very excited about the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants I put together here. Rictor had never been better than he was in Fallen Angels, and I’m glad to continue his story. Eventually you’ll see these characters again, as well as perhaps a few others because I just love to perpetuate mutant drama!

 

This time around I have three (count ‘em, three) letters to respond to. First up is one-third of our illustrious editors and X-Men author, Cory Wiegel.

 

Hey Steve,

 

I wanted to tell you that I dug your second issue of Avengers just as much as I dug your first, but come to think of it, I actually think I dug this issue a little more. While Avengers #51 was a solid read, Avengers #52 had much more interaction between the new line-up of heroes and began the foundations for some very interesting relationships. The spotlight on your supporting characters - She-Hulk, Jarvis, and Diane - was a nice touch and I hope to see more of the two. I was also happy to see Karnak step up to the plate when needed, and hey-ey, Quicksilver definitely felt more on key this ish than last. My favorite characters of yours so far, though? Aside from Cap, Warbird and Binary definitely stood out. Great work with them.

 

Hmm, now for the criticisms, just so I can make this letter a bit more constructive. ;)

 

On the character front, Stingray kind of fell to the background after his introduction last issue. I don't know much about the character, but I think it'd be important to give him significant spotlight soon. I was also a little confused and disappointed that we didn't see the team's battle with the At'La'Tique. I actually thought that they'd make really cool first-opponents for this team of Avengers, but that idea sort of sunk (heh, get it?). Maybe a flashback or two would have satisfied my urge for bloodshed here. But to be fair, that disappointment faded pretty quickly as I was immediately caught up in the story. Way to misdirect!

 

Now, a few tough questions, just to be annoying...

 

1.) Where'd Photon go after the invasion of the At'La'Tique? For that matter, when do you think we'll see her again? I know she's going to be a reserve member of the Avengers for the foreseeable future.

 

2.) You've mentioned that Andromeda could be a possible candidate for the second reserve slot on the Avengers. Aside from her, do you have any other candidates lined up that you can share with us?

 

3.) I liked the villains, their tactics, and their shady motives this ish, but it doesn't look like we'll see much more from them too soon given the "next issue" blurb at the end of the issue. Are you working in a bit of a serial format with this series, or are you going to connect all of these loose plot threads together somewhere further down the line?

 

Keep up the great work, Steve! I can't wait for your next issue and the debut of the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Should be interesting seeing Quicksilver's interaction with them, no?

 

- Cory

 

Thanks for the kind words Cory. Hopefully I got more bite out of all the characters this issue. Team title, so much space, all that. As for your questions…

 

Photon lives in New Orleans, so I’d imagine she just went home after the invasion. You will see her again.

 

I have candidates in mind, to be seen when a big disaster warrants his or her assistance. Maybe an upcoming epic crossover event…

 

Hopefully you’ll think I tied up those villains okay this issue. Going serial, but some things will carry over from issue to issue. Sorry you didn’t get to see Quicksilver’s interaction, but maybe down the line.

 

 

Next up are some kind words from my predecessor, former Avengers writer Brent Lambert!

 

Hey Steve,

 

Wassup man?  Glad to see that your Avengers run is up and running.  I know that you've been waiting a while for it to happen.  I must commend you on your use of Binary as I don't feel like she's ever left the hands of her creator and that is definitely a good thing.  I was hoping to see the actual fight between the Avengers and Llyron, even if we readers already knew the Avengers were going to win it.  It would have made for some great action and leaving it out kinda hindered these first two issues a bit.  Also, Karnak and Quicksilver just aren't reading right to me yet.  I'm not sure why, but their conflict seems reminiscent of my old Wanda/Crystal conflict from my first Avengers run and that didn't exactly sit well with the readers either.  It got a lil better in issue 52, but it needs to be fleshed out some more I think.

 

Now on to to some questions.

 

1) What made you want to keep the characters that you did from my previous run (Quicksilver, Karnak, Binary, etc.)?

 

2) I saw some coordination with The Vault in this recent ish.  Do you plan on including elements from any other titles?

 

3) Is Cap going to go after Red Skull for having Bucky and his "daughter"?

 

4) I see the Brotherhood showing up?  Any other X-foes coming in?

 

 

Again, I hope some of your concerns were addressed here. Crystal’s family never really liked Quicksilver, did they? I know the Inhumans don’t like divorce, so I’m just playing on that and the fact both Quicksilver and Karnak and unlikable personalities.

 

To me, Binary is one of those characters created specifically to be an Avenger, in the vein of Vision and the like. She’s a fresh-faced perspective, and her conflict with Warbird is just too good to pass up.

 

Other title elements will be included, as you just saw here with my use of Rictor and an allusion to Binary’s first appearance in Fantastic Four.

 

Anything major with Captain America I plan to address in his title.

 

Another big X-Foe may appear again. Though I believe Spidey fought him first.

 

 

Finally, thoughts on the previous issue from Mr. Christopher Oliva.

 

Hey! Chris Oliva here, writer of Eye-Scream. Just thought I'd give ya some thoughts on your newest Avengers issue.

 

I think I'm in love with a piece of fiction. Is that legal? In all seriousness, what a fantastic issue. I'm really loving the interactions between all the cast members here. My only beef is what Stingray and Espirita will be doing? We have seen them the least out of everyone and I'm curious as to what's planned?

 

I'm really digging what you're doing to Brent's Binary. Always been a fan, and I like your treatment of her thus far. It's interesting to see her with all those icons. With her levels of power, she could totally take them down, but her skill with them is another story. And I totally called Warbird hating her...it fits in so well. Here's to a Binary vs. Warbird smackdown.

 

Karnak's total badassness shown brightly in that fight scene. The fact that even a cosmic blast, electricity, or even the might of Captain America wasn't as mighty as a can of mace was a touch of humor in the issue that I loved.

 

Regardless, I'm hooked, I'm here to stay and grats! I'm loving your direction so far and I'm here to the end. Keep up the great work!

 

-Chris

 

Wow, people really want me to do more with Espirita and Stingray. I’ll do my best not to disappoint. Thanks for the kind words, Chris.

 

Everybody keep reading. And if you get the urge, keep writing.