NOTE: This takes place after Hawkeye #2 and before Thunderbolts #1

What the hell is going on here?! Clint Barton, the marksman, Hawkeye thought.

The Avengers, specifically Captain America, had asked Hawkeye to accompany them on this mission to this military base--against the Masters of Evil. He suspiciously eyed the three Avengers who were present--Cap, Thor, and Iron Man. There was something odd the archer known as Hawkeye noticed in their speech--particularly in Thor's. For a moment, Hawkeye could've sworn he detected a German accent in Thor's speech.*

(* Okay, that's not exactly what happened, but it's a brief recap of M2K's short-lived Hawkeye series--Dino)

Zemo...? Is it... are the Masters impersonating the Avengers?!

He briefly wondered about the other two Avengers--Vision and the Scarlet Witch who were currently in another section of the base. Were they part of this ploy too? Or did the faux Cap separate the team in order to increase the Masters' chances?

"What's the story?" Hawkeye asked. "How come they aren't expecting us?"

"I... wish I knew, Hawkeye," Captain America replied. "It doesn't make much sense, does it?"

"...?"

As he brushed by Cap's arm, he felt something. A blade?

"What was that, Hawkeye?" Cap asked.

"Nothin', Cap," Clint replied. "Just a little nervous."

"Aye," Thor stated. "The Masters of Evil art worthy opponents."

"Bingo, big guy!!" Hawkeye exclaimed, punching 'Thor' across the face. "That's all the proof I need ta know you're NOT the Avengers!! Your ego's way too large to pass up an opportunity to praise yourself, Zemo!!"

He reached into his quiver, releasing an arrow at the ground. Smoke filled the room.

"Drop the image inducers!!" Zemo ordered. "The time has come to take out this 'Avenger.'"

From the shadows, Hawkeye watched as Captain America became Whirlwind, Iron Man became Klaw, and Thor became Baron Zemo.

This is nuts! he thought to himself. If the Masters are impersonating the team, then where the hell are the real Avengers?

He ducked away from the room, releasing another smoke arrow to cover his escape.

Running through the complex, he came to a ventilation shaft. Quickly, he climbed into it, and took out his ID card, calling Avengers' Mansion. The face of Edwin Jarvis, the Avengers' elderly butler, appeared on the small vid-screen.

"Jarvis!" he whispered, trying to keep his voice as low as possible. "I got a bit of a problem here. Namely the Masters of Evil impersonating the Avengers! I need the help of the REAL Avengers!"

"I--I wish I could help, Master Hawkeye," Jarvis replied over the comm-link. "But, the Avengers are currently on a mission in Asgard."*

(* See M2K's Avengers #1 for details--Dino)

"Damn!" Hawkeye muttered under his breath. "All right, thanks anyway, Jarvis. I guess I'll hafta handle this on my own. Gotta run, they're gonna be looking for me."

"Techno!!" Zemo shouted into his comm-link. "How goes the progress?"

"We're moving as fast as we can, Baron," Techno replied, still disguised as the Vision. "..eh?"

"What happened?!" Zemo demanded.

"I detected an outgoing communication," Techno replied. "But, it ended before I could intercept it."

"It must have been the marksman," Zemo stated. "Trying to contact the Avengers or his team. We must have that sonic ray up and running within the hour. Keep an eye out for him."

"Will do. Techno out."

"What are you waiting for?!" Zemo shouted, turning to Whirlwind and Klaw. "Begin searching for him!!"

Hawkeye moved through the ventilation shaft, peering through each vent he passed by. Jarvis had said that all the Avengers were in Asgard, which included the Vision and Scarlet Witch. So, that meant the Vision and Scarlet Witch that were in the complex were also part of the Masters of Evil.

Speak of the devil... he thought, as he peered through a vent. There were Vision and the Scarlet Witch, working with some type of machinery. There were a lot of wires protruding from the Vision's arm, something Hawkeye didn't recall the Avenger as being able to do.

He reached into his quiver, pulling out an arrow and loading it in his bow. Releasing the string, he let it fly into the chamber, striking "Vision" in the chest.

"ARGH!!!" Techno shouted, as his body became charged with electricity, the image of the Vision fading.

"Hey Techno!!" Hawkeye shouted, leaping from the vent. "Sorry 'bout the taser arrow, but I couldn't take the chance of dealing with your cyborg body."

"Stay back, you fool!!" the 'Scarlet Witch' ordered.

"An' who might you be?" Clint asked.

"You can call me the Archer," she replied, the image fading to reveal a stunning young woman, dressed in a black uniform, and armed with a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

"Lady, you're facing up against the WRONG guy!!" Hawkeye stated. "You think you can stop me?"

"I don't need to stop you," Archer replied. "Just occupy you until either Techno recovers or the rest of the Masters get here."

Hawkeye leapt into the air, firing a few, regular arrows at the Archer, one after another. Archer easily avoided each of them, firing her own in return.

Damn! he thought. She's good. We're too evenly matched. How can I--ARGH!!!

"Sorry about that sucker-punch, Hawkeye," Techno stated, standing up. "Well, actually I'm not, but an eye for an eye. Archer, activate the sonic ray."

"Yes sir," Archer replied, glancing at Hawkeye for a few moments before following Techno's orders.

"Good work, Techno," Zemo stated as he entered the room, followed by Whirlwind and Klaw. "Now, we have the--what is that?"

"It's... some sort of seismic activity?" Techno stated. "But... I don't detect any tectonic movements... My sensors are also picking up some sort of high-pitched frequency, and I detect extreme energy levels..."

"No..." Zemo muttered. "Not now..."

Suddenly, some sort of energy blast rocked through the room, leaving a gaping hole in the wall. Above them, the ceiling seemed to rip open.

"It's good to see you, too, Baron," Moonstone stated. At her side were Jolt and Charcoal. Above them was Atlas and Songbird. The five of them, along with Hawkeye, comprised the Thunderbolts. Moonstone, Atlas, and Songbird were all former villains, while Jolt and Charcoal were young heroes.

"Masters, take them!!" Zemo shouted. Klaw immediately generated a sound construct in the form of a large blade. Songbird countered it with her own powers.

"Sorry about that," she said. "But, it looks like the carapace Techno designed for me is just a bit more powerful than yours."

"It matters not, traitor," Klaw stated. "I still have more experience than you!!"

"Hit 'em hard, T-Bolts!!" Hawkeye ordered. "Moonstone, I need your help!!"

Whirlwind began spinning around at high speeds, whipping about Atlas and Charcoal, causing them to strike each other.

"THESE guys are supposed to be equal to the Avengers?!" he stated. "Don't make me laugh!!"

"I'd watch it if I were you," Jolt exclaimed, unleashing an energy blast at Whirlwind.

"Take your own advice, kid," Archer said, slamming into the young heroine. "And watch your back."

"Hawkeye, we don't have time for this!!" Moonstone stated. "The team is in danger, we need to stop Zemo before h--"

"Do me a favor, Moonie," Hawkeye began. "And shut up for a sec. See that big weapon over there? It's some sort of sonic ray. I'm not sure exactly what it's for, but it probably involves Klaw in some form. Whatever it is, we can't let it happen. I'll try and hold off Techno and Zemo, an' I want you to use your phasing powers to dismantle it."

"I see your point," Moonstone stated. "All right."

As she moved towards the device, Moonstone had one thought in her mind:

Once this is over with, Hawkeye, you and I are going to have words.

"Hey Zemo!! Above ya!!"

"Meddling fool!!" Zemo exclaimed. "You've gotten in my way for the last time!! Your only purpose was to gain us access into the base!!"

"Well, nice to know I'm so wanted," Hawkeye said, unleashing a smoke arrow.

"You think smoke can stand up to me?" Techno asked as his arm shifted into a large gun.

"That's not good..." Hawkeye muttered, leaping away from the blasts that followed. Suddenly, they stopped.

"No..." Techno stated. "The sonic ray---NO!!!!"

"My apologies, Techno," Moonstone stated, phasing through it. "Give my regards to SHIELD."

She unleashed an energy blast at the armored man, severing him in two. Hawkeye turned to see Charcoal holding Klaw, his sonic weapons crushed. Whirlwind lay on the ground, unconscious. Jolt slowly got to her feet, bracing herself against Atlas.

"What happened to Zemo?" he asked. "And Archer?"

"After she sucker-punched me, she ran off," Jolt muttered. "I dunno about Zemo... but it looks like he's flown the coop."

"And by the looks of things, we should probably get going as well," Songbird said.

"Agreed," Moonstone stated. "Leave the Masters here. SHIELD can take over."

The rest of the team ran out the exit, but Moonstone blocked Hawkeye's path.

"Not you," she said.

"What're you talking about?" Hawkeye asked.

"You left Mt. Chateris without letting us know where you were," she replied. "It was a good thing we knew the frequency of your ID card, otherwise we wouldn't have known where you were. When the false Avengers asked for your help, you came running. You abandoned the team, and ended up aiding our enemies. What you did was disrespectful, and--"

"Now hold on just a blasted minute!!" Hawkeye shouted. "When I got a call from the fake Cap, it sounded like an emergency!! What did we hafta worry about at the time? Nothing!! I didn't tell the rest of you, because I knew you would've tried to stop me!!"

"What gives you the right to just waltz in and take over like this?!" Moonstone demanded. "We're not Avengers, we're Thunderbolts. It's time you stopped treating us as if that's what we were. This isn't 'your' team. You're not a Thunderbolt, you're an Avenger. Go back to them, it's where you belong. You no longer have any place with us. And heaven help you if we ever meet again."

With those final words, Moonstone took to the air, following the rest of the Thunderbolts. And Clint Barton--the marksman Hawkeye, was left wondering where he had gone wrong--and what he would do next.

He stood silent over the fallen Masters as SHIELD agents stormed the complex.

"Well, well, look who it is," Colonel Nick Fury, director of SHIELD said. "You decided to stop babysittin' crooks an' actually start apprehending them again, Hawkeye?"

"Save it, Fury," Clint barked. "I'm not in the mood. You can take over from here."

With that, he headed out of the complex, making his way in the direction of Avengers Mansion.

The Beginning...