Back to GatefoldIssue #4 by Ben Jolly
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Baron Zemo materialized in his hidden South American base alongside his underlings: The Scorpion, Bullseye, and Techno. "Hell and damnation!" he roared. "Not only did you fools fail to kill Citizen V, you lost Klaw as well." He paced back and forth around the control room, a look of pure rage on his masked face, spouting insults and complaints. It was a long time before he settled down and got back to business.
Zemo opened a communication channel to the most recent Number 1 of the Secret Empire, one of his most loyal allies. It was static. He tried AIM, then Hydra, then a few others. It appeared that the mystery force had struck once again; it almost seemed as if they were specifically targeting Zemo's allies and contacts. He finally attempted to speak with one of his undercover operatives, the Molten Man. Again, the communication chip he should have had wasn't operational.
"What is this?" he shouted. "Every single one of my contacts cannot respond."
At this, Bullseye looked up from the computer console where he seemed to be studying throwing techniques. "Oh? Has the Molten Man been 'found'? I didn't think the boss was ready for this stage of the plan, but what the heck, better now than never."
"Wha- what are you talking about?" Scorpion asked. Bullseye's voice seemed to have changed.
"I'm talking about the future, buddy." Bullseye pulled a strange gun out of his belt and fired it at Techno. "You got any idea how much I'm getting paid for this one gig?" Techno made a gurgling sound as the bullet hit him, then blue sparks started flying all over him. He collapsed and started melting into the metal floor. Bullseye fired another round at Zemo, and a metal net surrounded the 13th Baron. "No need for this holographic mask anymore, I suppose."
Bullseye's face somehow melted away, revealing the skull-like mask of... The Taskmaster!
# # # # # # # # # #
Moonstone awoke groggily, awakened by the bright light above her. She rolled out of her bunk to see Atlas standing in her doorway. "Let's go, Karla! There's an emergency!" She looked around. She was still wearing her costume, and she remembered fighting somebody the previous day. Moonstone got up and followed her teammate down to the control room, where she saw the rest of the Thunderbolts: Songbird, Charcoal, She-Hulk, the Living Lightning, and Ogre. "Sorry for waking you, but we've gotta leave immediately for Denver."
"Wha- what?" she stammered. "Denver?"
"Time for a full debriefing, I suppose," Ogre said. "The Grey Gargoyle has laid siege to an exposition center in Denver, he is holding hostages and demanding that the Thunderbolts face them."
"I say we get over there ASAP," Atlas said. "He's already killed several civilians."
"Then off we go," She-Hulk said brightly as they raced down to the hangar. Ogre waved goodbye as they left in the old Champscraft and headed East. They arrived in Denver about ten minutes later, and landed outside a police barricade.
A man in a police uniform approached them. "Awright, you guys in the costumes get to go in there and reason with the maniac. Need anything, give a shout, we'll send in backup." The Thunderbolts agreed and walked towards the entrance. They went inside, prepared for battle, but what they found was a shock: a comic convention had been held there when the Gargoyle attacked, and now dozens of people were frozen in stone, surrounding the entrance. Atlas went in first, stepping cautiously through the victims.
"Welcome, Thunderbolts. Do you like my little menagerie?" They looked up to see the Grey Gargoyle standing on top of a giant television screen. "Well, time to get down to business."
"You expect to defeat the six of us?" Moonstone asked.
"Of course not," he replied, leaping off the TV. and down to them. "I'm not that foolish." He landed in front of them. "Allow me to introduce to you the brand-spanking new Masters of Evil!"
They were immediately surrounded. Whirlwind came at Songbird with his blades and sliced into her shoulder, while Electro jumped the Living Lightning and Molten Man went after Charcoal. Mr. Hyde ran at Atlas while the Grey Gargoyle kicked Moonstone in the stomach.
Mr. Hyde jumped up at Atlas and swung at him, hitting the giant square in the jaw. She-Hulk grabbed the collar of Hyde's undercoat and flipped him over her head. "We outnumber them, people," she said, "let's use that to our advantage."
"Actually," the Grey Gargoyle said calmly while he punched Moonstone, "we brought a little back-up for this mission." He snapped his fingers and Titania and the Absorbing Man ran out and tackled She-Hulk. She and Titania wrestled with each other, rolling away from the others while Mr. Hyde and Absorbing Man took it to Atlas.
Meanwhile, Molten Man slammed Charcoal through a large display. The two super-hot super-humans were setting small fires all over the place. Songbird knocked Whirlwind out with a sonic baseball bat while Electro attempted to shock the Living Lightning.
"You're never going to win this battle," Electro said maliciously.
"And neither can you. Our powers don't affect each other," said the Lightning.
"True, but they affect inanimate objects. For instance, the building's roof." He flung a burst of electricity up towards the roof and it exploded in a fiery cacophony. The Lightning just looked up at the steel and concrete falling rapidly towards himself and winced. He couldn't move in time.
# # # # # # # # # #
Baron Zemo looked shocked at the appearance of the Taskmaster. "Imposter! Have you any idea whom you are meddling with?"
"Matter of fact, I do. The big guy wants you dead, and I do his bidding. For a substantial fee, of course." He pulled one of Bullseye's sai blades out of his belt and flung it at the Scorpion. He had no time to react, except after it hit him in the stomach and he felt his blood leaking into his own hands. "And after all, who better to impersonate Bullseye than someone who can exactly mimic anyone he chooses? The way they fight, for instance, or how they sneeze or eat or even how they write. I can forge anyone's signature once I see them do it. And-"
"Enough boasting, fool!" Zemo was becoming enraged under the metal net, shouting: "Where is the real Bullseye?"
"Had a nasty run in with the Punisher, I hear.* But that doesn't really matter now. The 'master' wants you dead, you die." Techno had disappeared now, and the Scorpion was silently bleeding to death. Taskmaster picked up his gun, loaded a different cartridge, and pointed it at Zemo.
(* That he did. See M2K's own Punisher #5 for details - Editorial Russ)
"I'm afraid you'll find that I am much harder to kill than those buffoons." He drew his sword and cut through the net, then leaped up at Taskmaster and knocked the gun out of his hand with the sword. It fired one shot, blowing a large hole in the floor. He thrust his blade at the Taskmaster, but his opponent raised his own blade to stop him.
"I ain't a pushover either, buddy." He hit Zemo's arm, causing him to drop his weapon. Zemo stumbled backward, then jumped through the hole.
"Fine. I've lost this base, and several of my men, but I've gained information on this mystery man. And none shall ever defeat Helmut Zemo!" His evil cackle echoed up to the Taskmaster. But instead of pursuing him, Taskmaster opened a communication line via a chip in his wristband.
"This is Zola," said a voice on the other end.
"Taskmaster speaking. Tell the boss that everything went according to plan. I recorded Zemo's bio-signature. He'll be easy to track now."
"Excellent. I hear that team Delta has attacked the Thunderbolts, and the battle goes well."
"Listen, buddy, I don't give a damn about taking over the world or killing superheroes," he said as he stepped over the mortally wounded Scorpion. "All I'm interested in is the money. Taskmaster out." He planted a large explosive device in the room, then left the base, using a remote control to detonate it after he was far enough away.
# # # # # # # # # #
Abner Jenkins woke up to a bright light shining in his eyes. He heard people murmuring about something. He looked at his surroundings once again: he was trapped under a steel I-beam, surrounded by rubble. He had been on the opposite side of the Vault complex when it blew, but he had still been trapped for days. Abe, also known as Mach-1 blinked at the SHIELD soldiers holding the light. "Medic! We've got another one!"
A man in a white uniform ran over with a strange metal pipe. He stuck it under the beam, pressed a button, and it extended, raising the I-beam and freeing Abe.
The two soldiers helped him to his feet. "Say, aren't you the Beetle?" Abe nodded, and he waved to somebody down the dark corridor. "We got him!"
"Wha?" he asked groggily.
"Yeah, Thunderbolt. The CSA* wants you for some top-secret project. You're to leave immediately." The soldiers led him out, to a helicopter, and he lifted off right away.
(* CSA=Commission for Super-human Activities - Big Brother Russ)
# # # # # # # # # #
Atlas attempted to struggle against the Masters, but it was no use. He punched the Absorbing Man away, so now all he had to deal with was Mr. Hyde and the Grey Gargoyle. The Gargoyle had knocked out Moonstone, who lay unconscious on the floor, and She-Hulk and the Living Lightning were both down for the count. Charcoal and the Molten Man continued to struggle, while the fires they had started spread quickly through the folding tables and old comic books.
While Songbird hit the Gargoyle about fifty feet, Atlas punched Mr. Hyde, his one fist almost as big as Hyde's whole body. But then the Absorbing Man struck from behind, wrapping his ball's chain around Atlas's neck. "You think you can beat me, you cheap wimp? I nearly beat Thor, not even a month ago*. And he's one of the strongest guys alive."
(* Happened in M2K's Thor #4 - Gotta-Read-'Em-All Russ)
Then the Gargoyle kicked Songbird in the stomach, and she landed on the floor. "Another one bites the dust," he said.
Meanwhile, the Molten Man tackled Charcoal, knocking him through a folding table. But he got up, and punched his opponent. "Not too long ago, you might've been able to take me on, but now I've got some of the power cosmic. I'm almost invincible!" Charcoal blasted the Molten Man fifty feet across the building. "I've got power, but I want more, I need more!" He somehow started draining heat from the Molten Man, and he cooled into his metallic form.
The Gray Gargoyle, Mr. Hyde, Titania, and the Absorbing Man continued pounding away on Atlas. But just as the Gargoyle was about to punch him again, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and was clobbered by Moonstone.
"This ends now, Masters!" she shouted. She-Hulk ran up and knocked Titania while Songbird shook Absorbing Man off of Atlas, who was now breathing shallowly. Whirlwind and the Molten Man were still unconscious, but Electro and Mr. Hyde looked ready for battle.
"Don't waste your time," the Grey Gargoyle told them. "We've already won this round."
"I wouldn't bet on it," Moonstone said as She-Hulk, Songbird, Charcoal, and the Living Lightning convened on her location.
The Gargoyle smirked. "Pfah. Remember that the media is waiting outside. And who do you suppose they're going to see leaving the burning convention hall?" He gestured towards the fire surrounding much of the center. Both Charcoal and the Molten Man and Electro and the Living Lightning's battles had set fires and destroyed much of the interior. "After all, not only did you fail to capture us, but you also allowed some 300 people to die needlessly." He tapped his belt, and the Masters began to fade away. "Ta-ta, Thunderbolts," he said casually.
The team slowly headed outside, as Songbird attempted to contain some of the fire. But it was too late, the building was a complete loss. Cameras and reporters ran past the barricades and up to them, asking questions. Moonstone mumbled something about 'no comment' as they got into the flying car called the Champscraft.
# # # # # # # # # #
Back at Mt. Charteris, Ogre flipped through several local television stations. "Thunderbolts failed to..." "Horrible tragedy in Denver..." "-argoyle and the Masters of Evil? But aren't the Thunderbolts the Masters? Leads this reporter to conclude that..." "Possibly the lack of leadership, a result of Hawkeye's long stay with the Avengers..." "This, after the Thunderbolts recently failed to stop the Living Laser, and allowed Graviton to escape less than a week ago. Are they really reformed? Or is this just another thinly-veiled scam?"
Everywhere, the message was the same: the Thunderbolts were in big trouble.
NEXT ISH: The Secret Empire! The return of the Living Laser! Plus, more on MACH-1, and a very special guest appearance by Maverick!
Zemo opened a communication channel to the most recent Number 1 of the Secret Empire, one of his most loyal allies. It was static. He tried AIM, then Hydra, then a few others. It appeared that the mystery force had struck once again; it almost seemed as if they were specifically targeting Zemo's allies and contacts. He finally attempted to speak with one of his undercover operatives, the Molten Man. Again, the communication chip he should have had wasn't operational.
"What is this?" he shouted. "Every single one of my contacts cannot respond."
At this, Bullseye looked up from the computer console where he seemed to be studying throwing techniques. "Oh? Has the Molten Man been 'found'? I didn't think the boss was ready for this stage of the plan, but what the heck, better now than never."
"Wha- what are you talking about?" Scorpion asked. Bullseye's voice seemed to have changed.
"I'm talking about the future, buddy." Bullseye pulled a strange gun out of his belt and fired it at Techno. "You got any idea how much I'm getting paid for this one gig?" Techno made a gurgling sound as the bullet hit him, then blue sparks started flying all over him. He collapsed and started melting into the metal floor. Bullseye fired another round at Zemo, and a metal net surrounded the 13th Baron. "No need for this holographic mask anymore, I suppose."
Bullseye's face somehow melted away, revealing the skull-like mask of... The Taskmaster!
# # # # # # # # # #
Moonstone awoke groggily, awakened by the bright light above her. She rolled out of her bunk to see Atlas standing in her doorway. "Let's go, Karla! There's an emergency!" She looked around. She was still wearing her costume, and she remembered fighting somebody the previous day. Moonstone got up and followed her teammate down to the control room, where she saw the rest of the Thunderbolts: Songbird, Charcoal, She-Hulk, the Living Lightning, and Ogre. "Sorry for waking you, but we've gotta leave immediately for Denver."
"Wha- what?" she stammered. "Denver?"
"Time for a full debriefing, I suppose," Ogre said. "The Grey Gargoyle has laid siege to an exposition center in Denver, he is holding hostages and demanding that the Thunderbolts face them."
"I say we get over there ASAP," Atlas said. "He's already killed several civilians."
"Then off we go," She-Hulk said brightly as they raced down to the hangar. Ogre waved goodbye as they left in the old Champscraft and headed East. They arrived in Denver about ten minutes later, and landed outside a police barricade.
A man in a police uniform approached them. "Awright, you guys in the costumes get to go in there and reason with the maniac. Need anything, give a shout, we'll send in backup." The Thunderbolts agreed and walked towards the entrance. They went inside, prepared for battle, but what they found was a shock: a comic convention had been held there when the Gargoyle attacked, and now dozens of people were frozen in stone, surrounding the entrance. Atlas went in first, stepping cautiously through the victims.
"Welcome, Thunderbolts. Do you like my little menagerie?" They looked up to see the Grey Gargoyle standing on top of a giant television screen. "Well, time to get down to business."
"You expect to defeat the six of us?" Moonstone asked.
"Of course not," he replied, leaping off the TV. and down to them. "I'm not that foolish." He landed in front of them. "Allow me to introduce to you the brand-spanking new Masters of Evil!"
They were immediately surrounded. Whirlwind came at Songbird with his blades and sliced into her shoulder, while Electro jumped the Living Lightning and Molten Man went after Charcoal. Mr. Hyde ran at Atlas while the Grey Gargoyle kicked Moonstone in the stomach.
Mr. Hyde jumped up at Atlas and swung at him, hitting the giant square in the jaw. She-Hulk grabbed the collar of Hyde's undercoat and flipped him over her head. "We outnumber them, people," she said, "let's use that to our advantage."
"Actually," the Grey Gargoyle said calmly while he punched Moonstone, "we brought a little back-up for this mission." He snapped his fingers and Titania and the Absorbing Man ran out and tackled She-Hulk. She and Titania wrestled with each other, rolling away from the others while Mr. Hyde and Absorbing Man took it to Atlas.
Meanwhile, Molten Man slammed Charcoal through a large display. The two super-hot super-humans were setting small fires all over the place. Songbird knocked Whirlwind out with a sonic baseball bat while Electro attempted to shock the Living Lightning.
"You're never going to win this battle," Electro said maliciously.
"And neither can you. Our powers don't affect each other," said the Lightning.
"True, but they affect inanimate objects. For instance, the building's roof." He flung a burst of electricity up towards the roof and it exploded in a fiery cacophony. The Lightning just looked up at the steel and concrete falling rapidly towards himself and winced. He couldn't move in time.
# # # # # # # # # #
Baron Zemo looked shocked at the appearance of the Taskmaster. "Imposter! Have you any idea whom you are meddling with?"
"Matter of fact, I do. The big guy wants you dead, and I do his bidding. For a substantial fee, of course." He pulled one of Bullseye's sai blades out of his belt and flung it at the Scorpion. He had no time to react, except after it hit him in the stomach and he felt his blood leaking into his own hands. "And after all, who better to impersonate Bullseye than someone who can exactly mimic anyone he chooses? The way they fight, for instance, or how they sneeze or eat or even how they write. I can forge anyone's signature once I see them do it. And-"
"Enough boasting, fool!" Zemo was becoming enraged under the metal net, shouting: "Where is the real Bullseye?"
"Had a nasty run in with the Punisher, I hear.* But that doesn't really matter now. The 'master' wants you dead, you die." Techno had disappeared now, and the Scorpion was silently bleeding to death. Taskmaster picked up his gun, loaded a different cartridge, and pointed it at Zemo.
(* That he did. See M2K's own Punisher #5 for details - Editorial Russ)
"I'm afraid you'll find that I am much harder to kill than those buffoons." He drew his sword and cut through the net, then leaped up at Taskmaster and knocked the gun out of his hand with the sword. It fired one shot, blowing a large hole in the floor. He thrust his blade at the Taskmaster, but his opponent raised his own blade to stop him.
"I ain't a pushover either, buddy." He hit Zemo's arm, causing him to drop his weapon. Zemo stumbled backward, then jumped through the hole.
"Fine. I've lost this base, and several of my men, but I've gained information on this mystery man. And none shall ever defeat Helmut Zemo!" His evil cackle echoed up to the Taskmaster. But instead of pursuing him, Taskmaster opened a communication line via a chip in his wristband.
"This is Zola," said a voice on the other end.
"Taskmaster speaking. Tell the boss that everything went according to plan. I recorded Zemo's bio-signature. He'll be easy to track now."
"Excellent. I hear that team Delta has attacked the Thunderbolts, and the battle goes well."
"Listen, buddy, I don't give a damn about taking over the world or killing superheroes," he said as he stepped over the mortally wounded Scorpion. "All I'm interested in is the money. Taskmaster out." He planted a large explosive device in the room, then left the base, using a remote control to detonate it after he was far enough away.
# # # # # # # # # #
Abner Jenkins woke up to a bright light shining in his eyes. He heard people murmuring about something. He looked at his surroundings once again: he was trapped under a steel I-beam, surrounded by rubble. He had been on the opposite side of the Vault complex when it blew, but he had still been trapped for days. Abe, also known as Mach-1 blinked at the SHIELD soldiers holding the light. "Medic! We've got another one!"
A man in a white uniform ran over with a strange metal pipe. He stuck it under the beam, pressed a button, and it extended, raising the I-beam and freeing Abe.
The two soldiers helped him to his feet. "Say, aren't you the Beetle?" Abe nodded, and he waved to somebody down the dark corridor. "We got him!"
"Wha?" he asked groggily.
"Yeah, Thunderbolt. The CSA* wants you for some top-secret project. You're to leave immediately." The soldiers led him out, to a helicopter, and he lifted off right away.
(* CSA=Commission for Super-human Activities - Big Brother Russ)
# # # # # # # # # #
Atlas attempted to struggle against the Masters, but it was no use. He punched the Absorbing Man away, so now all he had to deal with was Mr. Hyde and the Grey Gargoyle. The Gargoyle had knocked out Moonstone, who lay unconscious on the floor, and She-Hulk and the Living Lightning were both down for the count. Charcoal and the Molten Man continued to struggle, while the fires they had started spread quickly through the folding tables and old comic books.
While Songbird hit the Gargoyle about fifty feet, Atlas punched Mr. Hyde, his one fist almost as big as Hyde's whole body. But then the Absorbing Man struck from behind, wrapping his ball's chain around Atlas's neck. "You think you can beat me, you cheap wimp? I nearly beat Thor, not even a month ago*. And he's one of the strongest guys alive."
(* Happened in M2K's Thor #4 - Gotta-Read-'Em-All Russ)
Then the Gargoyle kicked Songbird in the stomach, and she landed on the floor. "Another one bites the dust," he said.
Meanwhile, the Molten Man tackled Charcoal, knocking him through a folding table. But he got up, and punched his opponent. "Not too long ago, you might've been able to take me on, but now I've got some of the power cosmic. I'm almost invincible!" Charcoal blasted the Molten Man fifty feet across the building. "I've got power, but I want more, I need more!" He somehow started draining heat from the Molten Man, and he cooled into his metallic form.
The Gray Gargoyle, Mr. Hyde, Titania, and the Absorbing Man continued pounding away on Atlas. But just as the Gargoyle was about to punch him again, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and was clobbered by Moonstone.
"This ends now, Masters!" she shouted. She-Hulk ran up and knocked Titania while Songbird shook Absorbing Man off of Atlas, who was now breathing shallowly. Whirlwind and the Molten Man were still unconscious, but Electro and Mr. Hyde looked ready for battle.
"Don't waste your time," the Grey Gargoyle told them. "We've already won this round."
"I wouldn't bet on it," Moonstone said as She-Hulk, Songbird, Charcoal, and the Living Lightning convened on her location.
The Gargoyle smirked. "Pfah. Remember that the media is waiting outside. And who do you suppose they're going to see leaving the burning convention hall?" He gestured towards the fire surrounding much of the center. Both Charcoal and the Molten Man and Electro and the Living Lightning's battles had set fires and destroyed much of the interior. "After all, not only did you fail to capture us, but you also allowed some 300 people to die needlessly." He tapped his belt, and the Masters began to fade away. "Ta-ta, Thunderbolts," he said casually.
The team slowly headed outside, as Songbird attempted to contain some of the fire. But it was too late, the building was a complete loss. Cameras and reporters ran past the barricades and up to them, asking questions. Moonstone mumbled something about 'no comment' as they got into the flying car called the Champscraft.
# # # # # # # # # #
Back at Mt. Charteris, Ogre flipped through several local television stations. "Thunderbolts failed to..." "Horrible tragedy in Denver..." "-argoyle and the Masters of Evil? But aren't the Thunderbolts the Masters? Leads this reporter to conclude that..." "Possibly the lack of leadership, a result of Hawkeye's long stay with the Avengers..." "This, after the Thunderbolts recently failed to stop the Living Laser, and allowed Graviton to escape less than a week ago. Are they really reformed? Or is this just another thinly-veiled scam?"
Everywhere, the message was the same: the Thunderbolts were in big trouble.
NEXT ISH: The Secret Empire! The return of the Living Laser! Plus, more on MACH-1, and a very special guest appearance by Maverick!