West Coast Avengers 117

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! - And there came a day … Hawkeye! Quicksilver! Crystal! Lady Merveille! Wonder Man! Tigra! Siryn! Earth's Mightiest! These are the WEST COAST AVENGERS!!!

THE WEST COAST AVENGERS GATEFOLD

Previously ... Siryn has joined the ranks of the WCA as Beta Ray Bill departed for parts unknown. Crystal told Pietro that they were going to have a second child. Wonder Man's acting career has kicked into gear, with a small role playing Pluto,the Greek God of the Uncerworld, but he's continued to be plagued by fainting spells. Merveille's family faces financial ruin as their boating business is close to bankruptcy.

AVENGERS ROSTER

HAWKEYE - Clint Barton is an expert marksman, sporting a large supply of trick arrows; a former outlaw, he's the WCA's founding Chairman and tied to the WCA more than any other person.

QUICKSILVER - Pietro Maximoff is the twin brother of the Scarlet Witch, son of Magneto, husband to Crystal and father to Luna. He is a mutant possessing the power of acceleration.

LADY MERVEILLE - Monica Rambeau is a former Avengers Chairman, possesses the power to turn her body into any part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

WONDER MAN - Simon Williams became Wonder Man when the Enchantress had his body infused with ionic energy; a strong man with human failings, he struggles to live up to his power

TIGRA - Greer Nelson is a former biologst, changed by the Cat People into a modern version of their greatest warrior of legend

CRYSTAL - a member of the Royal Family of Attilan, wife of Quicksilver and mother of Luna; can command the elemental forces - RESERVE

SIRYN - Theresa Cassidy, daughter of Banshee, recently joined the WCA following her father's recovery from a coma; powers are similar to Banshee's; former leader of X-Force

NON ROSTER CAST OF CHARACTERS

JOCASTA - twisted and tortured by Ultron into becoming the Super-Adaptoid, then forced to face the Avengers who bruised and battered her, Jocasta has come to the WCA in hopes that they can help her regain her form and her sanity

BOVA - the first evolved creature of the High Evolutionary, Bova is an evolved cow that brought Quicksilver into the world; serves as a nanny to Luna

LUNA - the young daughter of the mutant Quicksilver and the Inhuman Crystal, Luna is, as far as anyone can tell, simply human

MASTERS OF EVIL ROLL CALL

BARON ZEMO'S MoE: Baron Zemo, Techno, Eidolon, Kreature, Vespid, Suicide Selia

CRIMSON COWL's MoE: Crimson Cowl, Cyclone, Flying Tiger, Tiger Shark, Mankiller, War Toy

NORTHERN BEAR PRODUCTIONS

* Continuity Note - this story takes place after the first two parts of the Masters of Evil War, in Champions 36 and Hawkeye 19 - you don't need to read them to understand this issue, but if you don't you're missing the first half of the MOE War! Check them out at the Avengers Branch.

Hawkeye tried to convince himself that what he just lived through was a dream of some kind. Not the pounding he took at the hands of Crimson Cowl's Masters of Evil, the pain in his ribs made certain he knew that was real, but … but what the hell did War Toy just do?*

He'd been being beat to death by Mankiller and Tiger Shark, trying to lip off as much as possible to give him every extra second, when War Toy came in, rescued him and then brought him to this room to rest in peace.

'Not to mention cleaning me up and wrapping this bandage around my ribs,' Hawkeye thought, wondering when the punch-line would hit him. 'The roof's probably booby-trapped, or the floor. Yeah, most likely the floor.'

He could hear the sound of battle outside, but he couldn't yet move to go see what was going on. But he could guess - the West Coast Avengers had arrived.

'Ugh,' Clint groaned, fearing a rib was broken. 'Let's hope the day starts getting better right now.'

The day started simply enough for the mutant hero and long-time Avenger known as Quicksilver.

He rose, early, as he always did, and completed the day's errands before his wife, his daughter or their nanny had risen from bed, leaving to Bova certain chores that he knew she'd be disappointed if he didn't allow her to complete. One of the difficult things, he'd learned, about having super speed was the compulsion to do everything for everyone.

Luckily, Pietro Maximoff compensated for this by being egotistical, brooding and self-centered.

But for the three people he loved most in his life, his wife Crystal, his daughter Luna and Bova, the evolved cow who not only brought Pietro and his sister Wanda into the world, but also helped raise Luna, he would do anything. And now, there'd be a fourth member of this travelling family because Crystal was once again pregnant.*

He had spent most of the time since Crystal had informed him of her condition thinking about it. Another child wasn't something he was expecting, but it wasn't something that he was displeased with, either. Since being reunited with Crystal following her time in the universe created by Franklin Richards,* things had been better than they ever had between them.

His hands rapidly cracked eighteen eggs and deposited the innards into a large bowl, where he proceeded to stir them together with a helping of milk in seconds. Bova liked to cook the morning's breakfast, as well, but with her large hands it could take her an unbearable amount of time to make a meal big enough to satiate Pietro's rapid metabolism. And heaven forbid she dropped part of an egg shell into the concoction …

It was better to make the meal himself and then eat a few simply prepared slices of toast with the rest of his family.

He poured the obscene amount of stirred egg and milk onto a specially made large skillet, pleased with the sounds of the batter crackling as it hit the hot surface. He placed the bowl back down on the counter and sighed. Now came the excruciating part, waiting the few minutes it took to cook the scrambled eggs.

Pietro sighed. Again. He could only do his activities as fast as the rest of the world let him. No matter how fast he could stir the eggs and milk, he still had to wait for the oven to do the cooking. It was one of the reasons he favored scrambled eggs for breakfast, however, as the cooking time was considerably less than most any other morning meals. Oatmeal was fine when it was cold out, but Pietro couldn't stomach it in hot weather.

Sighing again - a sound so common that to Crystal it never even registered anymore - Pietro flipped on the small television that sat on the counter. He didn't like having television in the house, but Luna did and Crystal agreed with her, so they had it. At least having it he could control some of what she watched and teach her the trappings of it's programming. Even Bova, Pietro found to much surprise, was rather found of the device, with an almost morbid fascination with something called the Home and Garden Network. Pietro thought television's entertainment often childish and it's so-called news so slanted that he couldn't watch it without leaving the room in anger.

This morning, however, he was glad they had one in the house. He had no favorite channel, so he simply let whatever channel the television was set to greet him. Bova, who often watched the television in the kitchen late at night as she enjoyed a late snack of lettuce or spinach, had been watching something called the Super Channel Network. 'Those insufferable buffoons that treat us as entertainment,' Pietro scoffed, stirring the batter in the skillet.

"-- no reaction from the White House as of yet this morning, but the grounds are buzzing with activity and rumor. SCN has learned from a source deep inside the White House that they were taken completely by surprise by this treaty. Once again, for those just joining us, the Canadian government has signed a treaty with the controversial mutant Magneto-"

"What?!?" Pietro exploded, all thoughts of scrambled eggs vanishing from his mind.

"-- that has sent shockwaves across the world similar to the Electro Magnetic Pulse he once used to disrupt the world's electronics.* The Magnus Accord is shockingly simple and we turn to SCN's expert on superhuman affairs, Raymond Sikorsky. Raymond?"

"Thank you, Trish," Raymond Sikorsky nodded, fixing his glasses. "The Magnus Accord, from what we've been told, is a one-for-one trade-off between the two parties. Magneto receives a large plot of land in northern Quebec known as the Valley of Chance in exchange for offering his services to protect Canada from international threats. Inside the Valley of Chance, which will be renamed the Magneto Territories, Magneto will create a haven for mutants to come and live in peace with each other. Unlike previous attempts of his, however, this new haven will be made up entirely of so-called 'normal' or 'zeta' mutants."

"Zeta Mutants, Raymond?" Trish Tilby asked, though Pietro knew she knew full well the answer.

"Low level mutants, Trish," Raymond answered. "Almost all of the press about homo-sapien superior centers around those with dangerous or exotic powers, but believe it or not, there are many mutants out there who have powers that are quite harmless or even downright useless."

"Things like, being able to count all the words on a page just by looking at it, or levitating one inch off the ground, or being able to change your eye color, or having the ability to-"

"Right, sorry," he coughed, straightening his poor posture in the chair. "Magneto will serve as the ruler of these Territories, but they will follow Canadian law."

"What is Magneto's angle in all this, Raymond?" Trish asked, not being able to keep her biting doubts about Magneto in check.

"I'm sure it is something that will work in his one-sided favor!" Pietro snapped at the television. Magneto was a hot topic among all mutants, but especially for Pietro as Magneto was his father.

"You shouldn't yell at the television, honey," Crystal smiled from the doorway. "And by the way, your eggs are burning."

Quicksilver looked from the turmoil of the television to the beauty of his wife to the horror of his burning eggs. And the day had started so peacefully, too, he sighed to himself. He looked at the burned eggs he would never eat. "Where's Lockjaw when you need him?"

Lady Merveille touched down at the Invaders Café, the first place Hawkeye's transmitter beacon had broadcast from. The rest of the team was following the beacon's current location - somewhere up the coast - but she wanted to come here and check out the scene to see if she could learn just who they were up against.

The place was a mess. The Café's outside tables were overturned and some were scorched. Monica looked for any sign of evidence, but none could be found. It had taken her too long to let the team know what she wanted them to do before she headed here and the cops that stood off to the side looked like they had already combed the area.

"Lady Merveille? Hi, I'm Gayle Rogers," came a voice to Monica's left. She turned and shook her hand.

"I'm not interested in any damn statement!" she whispered harshly and Monica noticed for the first time that the woman looked a little shaken. "Hawkeye thought he was here to meet me, but I never called him.* From what the folks inside tell me, it was a set-up. He was ambushed and they took him out."**

"Then why, and forgive me for asking, are you here if you had no idea that Hawkeye was supposedly meeting you here?"

"I use this place for interviews every so often," she confided, sounding a little depressed. "They've got the most wonderful pastry deserts," her voice trailed off. Monica looked at the woman carefully, from what she knew of Gayle she wasn't a soft woman. So why was this bothering her so much? She didn't have feelings for Clint, did she?

"Here's a list, from what I can tell by talking to the witnesses, of the villains that jumped him," Gayle offered Monica a piece of paper, which she took. "I'm sorry, but I have to be going. It's more than a little unnerving to think that I've been being watched by a group of crazy villains."

Monica nodded, still wondering if she was being played by a veteran reporter, and looked down at the piece of paper. In scribbled handwriting, it read,

Quicksilver was the only one of us not sitting. The rest of the Whackos sat in their seats around the table: Hawkeye, Lady Merveille, Tigra, Crystal, Jocasta and Siryn. I'd taken the seat next to Siryn - not because she was this beautiful young woman with the most pleasing Irish accent or anything. That's just the way the seating worked out. Honest. It wasn't because Crystal was married, Monica was too serious, Jocasta was a robot and Tigra was upset with me. Really. Pietro tried to keep himself at the world's pace, but he found it difficult to do so when he was upset or troubled. Which he certainly was now.

"A treaty with Magneto of all people!" he raged, forcing himself to stand in one spot.

"Well, Pietro, what do you want us to do about it?" I asked, trying to keep my own anger in check. I had to be on the set of my new film in an hour - I didn't want this dragging out all morning. Especially with these weird fainting spells I've been having since we got back from that battle with Dr. Doom.* It was tough enough having a film career and being an Avenger at the same time with all the craziness that got thrown at us, I didn't need to be late because Pietro was throwing a fit.

"Don't act so casual, Wonder Man!" he snapped at me, raising my own temperature a notch. "You know well that if - that when - Magneto turns sour we will likely be the ones to be called in to save everyone!"

"Hey, I heard Alpha Flight is back in business," Tigra needled Pietro as she looked casually down at her claws, trying to show how disinterested she was in all this. Strange girl. Never could figure her out, even when we were … well, when we were whatever it is we were. Man, why do I spend so much time thinking below my waist? At least Wanda isn't around so I don't have to think of her anywhere but my dreams.* "And then there's the X-Men. We're probably third on the list-"

* Simon has spent the better part of the first 3 years of MV1 moping and pining for Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch.

"Don't mock me, woman!" Pietro pounded his fist on the table and, for the first time, really, I think we all realized that this wasn't just the usual Pietro-is-angry routine. He was genuinely, all-out upset.

"Okay, okay, Pietro, calm down," Hawkeye said, standing up. Good job, Clint, you deal with this crazy loon. "There's not much we can do. I've been on the horn all morning the East Coast team and the government and everyone I talk to says there's nothing we can do about it. We've got to play this cool and see what happens. No, don't say it, I know you're not happy with this. I know you can give us a list of reasons a mile long why this won't work, but there's nothing we can do."

The room is tense and Tigra seems unwilling to make one of her casual jokes, so I guess it's up to me.

"Poor Siryn. Joins up with the Avengers and the first crisis we stumble into is one of the X-Men's villains," I wanted to smile, but it was a good thing I didn't 'cause no one smiled back. I tried to lose the edge in my voice, but it didn't happen.

"Magneto is the world's villain!" Pietro admonished me and for a second I thought I might see him spontaneously combust. I was honestly surprised there wasn't steam pouring out of his ears.

"Yeah, but he's your father," I accused for no good reason. It was so easy to let Pietro get under your skin.

I didn't even see the punch. Didn't even realize I was hit until I crashed into the wall. "That does it," I stood and fell back down as another blow knocked me back.

"That's enough!" Hawkeye boomed and me and Pietro stopped but the look that passed between us said that we knew this wasn't over. "Pietro, we're all concerned about this, but what do you want me to do? Take the team there and take him out? I don't want to start a war with Canada, for Chrissakes! Besides, Magneto is … well, he's Magneto. Even with all the firepower we've got we can't guarantee victory. Best we can do is keep an eye on him and be ready if he screws up."

Pietro said nothing for a few seconds. "I'm going to go pay him a visit. If you want to order me not to go you can accept my resignation effective immediately."

"Well, geez, don't be so dramatic," Clint snapped, by the look on his face harder than he wanted to. "I'm not going to order you not to go. He's your father. Of course you can go."

"I'll need someone to accompany me," he said, his eyes looking to Crystal. Never understood what a woman like that saw in this guy.

"That's just the problem," Quicksilver turned back to look at Clint, "there's no one here I want to take."

Wonder Man was flying and no one sat at the controls next to him. Pietro was clearly mad at him - of course, as he paced around the Quinjet, it looked like he was mad at everyone - and Tigra was giving him the cold shoulder. I was going to sit there, but Tigra told me not to. If I'd known her better I would've challenged her, but I figure she's got her reasons. Just so long as she doesn't try to treat me as some stupid rookie. I've been doing this my whole life, it feels like.

Seems odd being here. Me, an Avenger? Sometimes the most pleasant surprises come out of the blue. I don't know why exactly Hawkeye offered me a position on this team,* but I wasn't going to say No. Heck, if Dani can hang out with the Avengers back east and Cannonball had plans to be here … why not? It should give my dad a jolt if nothing else.** They never asked him to join the Avengers, after all. The thought makes me smile.

Lady Merveille entered the Quinjet's cabin then, phasing right through the ship's hull. This woman is unbelievable. According to the Compound's computers, she can assume any form of energy up and down the electromagnetic spectrum. Read one report where she traveled to meet some spaceship called the Sanctuary II out beyond the orbit of Pluto!* Must be fun to be able to swing by Jupiter on your day off.

She led the Avengers for a short while, too, after that, but she doesn’t seem to have a problem taking orders from Hawkeye. I talked with her and Clint after the meeting this morning and she wanted to discuss her finances with him. I didn't know Avengers got paid! And $1000 a week, no less, for full-time members. Like it wasn't enough to get to live in this gorgeous Compound or back east in Avengers Mansion, you actually got paid to do it! Unbelievable. No wonder everyone wants to sign up with these guys.

Merveille had told Hawk- Clint, he said to call him - had told Clint that she needed a cover. She couldn't just be handed a $1000 check every week from the Maria Stark Foundation, so they worked up a cover where she was hired to be a "Stark Foundation Roving Security Consultant". Never really thought about it, but I guess you do need some kind of cover if you're getting paid to do this - can't really put "superhero" on your tax form.

"Find anything?" Tigra asked her. Man, I bet Sam couldn't keep his eye off that furry tail. Poor guy. Wonder if they ever … nah, not Sam. Probably would've done him some good, though. Maybe it would've stopped him from running off after Tabitha like some missionary trying to tame the 'savages' that happened to be doing just fine, thanks.* Accept her for who she is, Sam, or you'll just end up hurting the both of you.

"Looks like the Masters of Evil are back putting their noses in our business," Merveille announced. From what I gather, we're looking at a Crimson Cowl-led team, featuring Mankiller, Tiger Shark, Flying Tiger, Cyclone and-"

"Geez, anyone tough? Why couldn't Clint take them himself?" Wonder Man wondered aloud.

"Because you didn't let me finish," Monica let a cool edge creep into her voice.

Now, I'll admit, I wanted to laugh. War Toy? What kind of name is War Toy? Sounds like James Cameron's most perverse fantasy. But the hush that hit the room - even Quicksilver slowed down his frantic pacing - held me in check. I waited for them to say something, but everyone was too busy spinning the wheels in their own head, so I had to open my mouth and look like some stupid rookie, "Er, who's War Toy?"

"She's … well, Alkhema's a robot created by Ultron. What makes her dangerous is that her brain patterns are based on those of Mockingbird - Hawkeye's deceased wife - and she's always had it in for Clint. If she's involved, it's not just a return bout with the Masters of Evil, there's some serious psychological underpinnings that we have to be wary of."

"Ultron, who was created by Henry Pym," Tigra picked up the story, "and then, in turn, created the Vision, Jocasta and Alkhema."

"And that would be Wonder Man, Wasp and Mockingbird's brain patterns, respectively," Merveille finished off the story.

I must have had a blank look on my face. "And people say it's tough keeping track of Cable …"

"If Ultron created her," Wonder Man interjected, "that means she's certifiably nuts."

"How do you figure that?" Tigra asked, stunned. "You're running up the walls this morning about Magneto holing up in the frozen plains of Canada and yet here we're dealing with a product of Ultron and you're acting like it's no big thing. Care to explain or should we call Doc Samson for an appointment?"

"Think for a moment, Tigra," Quicksilver responded without looking at her. His eyes were locked with Merveille's and I had the distinct impression that they weren't really interested in what any of us thought at the moment. "Ultron created the Vision and what happened? He overcame his programming and turned against Ultron, joining the Avengers. Jocasta? Overcame her programming and joined the Avengers. Why should Alkhema be any different?"

"We can't go into battle with them and think she's going to turn good all of a sudden," Merveille countered, but clearly she was mulling over Pietro's words.

"No, we can't," Pietro answered. "But the real possibility exists that it's only a matter of time before she 'finds herself', as it were, like Vision and Jocasta did. And Hawkeye could be the key to that. Let us hope that she doesn't kill him before she overrides her original programming."

"I hope we're enjoying our stay here, Mr. Beacher," the prison guard sneered into the cell. "Mr. Jalome Beacher, otherwise known as the super-villain Slyde. Tell me, dirt bag, why's a chemical engineer turn to a life of crime? I mean, you look like a pretty smart guy, why do you make such a bad criminal?"

"Well, Mr. Super-villain, sit there and say nothing, I don't care. Last time you were handing out cards those Enlightenment Foundation cards to everyone. Got any this time? I still haven't figured out why they let you in here last time without taking your costume off,* but you're not so lucky this time around. Wonder if your friends are going to come bail you out again? Probably not - no one likes a loser. You had your get out of jail free card last time and you blew it. Got nabbed by the Avengers again, huh?** Ended up right back here. We'll see how long you sit and stir this time. What'cha think about that?"

He had to get away from the others. It's not that he wasn't a bad guy, he told himself, but he took no joy in watching Mankiller and Tiger Shark torture Hawkeye to his death. He wanted no part of it.*

'But zees does not make me a hero, non?' has asked himself, somewhat worried that he might be going soft. 'Ah, no, if I was a hero, I would have stayed and zaved de Archer.' Realizing his villainous heart was still in place, Cyclone felt a little better about things.

'Still, zo, won't ze othair Avengairs want revenge on us? Izn't zat stupid of us?'

Later, he would spend hours trying to explain how he didn't see a Quinjet swoop right down on top of him and Lady Merveille shoot out and zap into him.

"Oof!" he yelled, falling backwards. He realized when he saw who hit him that he'd be dead or unconscious if she had wanted him to be.

Later, she would scold herself for not seeing Flying Tiger swoop right down on top of her and knock her backwards.

Crimson Cowl was not happy. 'Those insufferable fools! How could they have missed the Avenger's tracer signal? I specifically asked War Toy to scan him for all electronic devices! Blast her!"

I've been waiting to pay these suckers back since the last time they messed up the Compound.* They got some nerve coming after us twice, this close together, but I guess that's why they're the Masters of Evil huh?

Flying Tiger. Big mouth, bigger jerk. Somehow managed to take out Merveille with a lucky shot. He'll be bragging about that for the rest of his life.

"Come get it, Flying Tiger!" I yelled, noticing that his fur looks pretty ragged. "What happened to you? Forget how to clean yourself off?" Whatever caused it wasn't pleasant because his eyes about popped out of his head.*

"I'll kill you, Tigra!" he yelled as he dived towards me. I waited, standing tall to give him a higher target. He came in hard and fast and I waited till the last second when I leapt into the air and came down on his back. "Arrrgh!' he screamed as I raked my claws down his back, drawing lines of blood. "How you like me now?" I taunted him, smiling the entire time.

I jumped off as he spiraled momentarily out of control. Even with Merveille down - Quicksilver had scooped her up and returned her to the Quinjet - the fight was in our favor. Tiger Shark and Wonder Man were going at it hard, pounding each other relentlessly. I'll say this, Tiger Shark is a lot tougher than he looks. You look at him and you figure he's just another guy with a gimmick, but here he is really taking it to Simon.

Simon should take him out, though- ouch, that had to hurt. Simon actually looks pretty dazed.

"You will fall, Wonder Man, to the might of Tiger Shark!" Simon didn't say anything, but launched back at his opponent. He'll finish him off now, no doubt. Probably just waiting to yell his new trademarked slogan …

Mankiller and Siryn are at a stalemate, so I start to move in that direction. Siryn's pouring her lungs out, but Mankiller is taking whatever our newest member dishes out. Mankiller is swinging wildly and has no chance to hit the flying Siryn with those blows.

A shadow passes overhead and I look up to see Flying Tiger aiming right for Siryn. There's no time to yell, but Siryn must've known he was there all along. She waited until he got just close enough, then turned and blasted him with her sonic scream.

Nice shot. He's all out of whack, now, and looks to crash-land somewhere soft, spinning crazily toward the ground.

"Aaargh!" Simon screamed, flinging backwards from a Tiger Shark blow. "Haha! Mighty Avenger? I think not, pal! You didn't know what you were messing with when you went toe-to-toe with Tiger Shark!" Man, what's wrong with Simon? Tiger Shark is tough, but he should be able to take this guy.

Pietro rocketed by me like I was standing still. Which, in fact, I was, but it wouldn't have mattered if I was going all out - the guy was cooking. Tiger Shark went up a few notches in my book, though, 'cause even though Pietro nailed him time after time and even though his face and body were being knocked around so much it looked like there was one of them Alien monsters inside him trying to get out, he didn't get knocked out.

Back to Mankiller and Siryn - I was going to go help Simon up but I remembered I'm mad at him for being a prude.* She's acting like a pro - keeping Mankiller at bay while the rest of us take care of the other members of the MoE. Figure it's time to help her out.

I came up on Mankiller from behind, as quietly - and seductively, I might add - as a cat. I waited till Siryn saw me and stopped screaming - no way did I want to get in the line of that kind of sonic attack.

"Lose your voice?" Mankiller taunted up at Siryn, who didn't say anything in response. Just smiled one of those "I got you right where I want you smiles".

I leapt at Mankiller's back, not saying anything. Heck, I didn't know what to say that wasn't just a glorified version of "I'm gonna get you!" So I just jumped on her back and wrapped my arms around her face. She tried to reach back and grab me, which was, of course, the point. She didn't catch me, but I did manage to get her all spun around trying. I sprinted a short distance away and turned around.

"No." She was about to rush after me when I pointed behind her. "Say goodnight, Gracie."

"Huh?" She turned around and found, much to her surprise and our delight, Siryn standing not five feet from her.

"SHREEEEEEEEE!" One sonic scream later and Mankiller was done, lying on the ground, holding her ears and begging for her mommy. Well, okay, I made up the last part.

I looked around - every one of the MoE was out or down and not putting up a fight, but we weren't in the best of straights, either. We were missing our Chairman and our most powerful member was still inside the Quinjet, probably still unconscious. Simon was dazed, shaking his head and getting a hand up from Quicksilver. Man, Pietro can be about the biggest ass I know but he's always there when you need him. Siryn and myself are both doing fine, but she looks a little winded. Guess that scream took a lot out of her.

I was feeling pretty good 'til I realized this is what they call the calm before the storm.

That's when War Toy showed up. She landed in the middle of our battle-field and walked across towards Quicksilver, bypassing me entirely. I was going to get upset and call her on it when I realized I'd rather not deal with her directly. Let Pietro handle her.

Quicksilver was busy with Simon, still, so I whistled a warning to him. He turned around and immediately went into a defensive crouch. Alkhema just walked towards him as calm as could be. Pietro didn't move. She went right up to him, and I mean right up to him and they started whispering.

We watched in a kind of awed immobility. They were passing hard words back and forth, no doubt about it, but they weren't throwing punches. No real need to go over there, even though our curiosity was pushing us in that direction. But maybe you've heard that one about what curiosity did to the cat? Yeah, if you were me you wouldn’t be in a rush, either, would ya?"

"War Toy! What the hell are you doing? Deck the bastard!" Tiger Shark was up and ready to go another round. I looked around quick and Mankiller was shaking out the cobwebs. She'd be up soon. Cyclone was - crap. Cyclone was gone, but I'm sure he was around. Things were getting tense again and War Toy put herself on center stage.

"What choice will you make, hero?" she cackled at Pietro, energy seeping out of her eyes and mouth. God, that voice gave me chills. To think that a part of Mockingbird is perverted like this … it ain't right. "What choice? Destroy us or save your leader?"

"Are you nuts, you stupid metal witch?" he screamed. "Let's take these guys out! I've got Wonder Bread all set up for the finishing blow!"

I looked to Simon for a response, but he didn't say a word. Just stood there with empty eyes - which was an odd look for someone who had energy where his eyeballs shoulda been - and holding his left wrist. He looked in very bad shape.

"Don’t be a fool, Tiger Shark!" Alkhema turned on her teammate. "We've gotten what we want out of Hawkeye! Let us steal away while we have the chance! The final battle between the Avengers and the Masters of Evil is not destined for today." She turned back to Pietro, "The choice is yours, mutant! Crimson Cowl is now, as we speak, readying our headquarters to explode. You have five minutes to save Hawkeye, Avengers! Five minutes to negotiate the traps we have laid for you!"

Even though the look on Mankiller's face said that she didn't believe Cowl was laying traps, we really couldn't risk it.

"Avengers, let's move!" Monica blasted out of the Quinjet, rocketing toward the house in the distance. She must've been playing possum.

"This ain't over!" Tiger Shark screamed at Wonder Man, but Simon didn't even look in his direction. Poor guy. Must be hurting something fierce. I hope he - no, wait, I'm forgetting I'm still mad at him. Let him suffer.

We took off in the direction of the house, Merveille and Quicksilver off like a shot and me, Siryn and Simon taking up the rear. For a second I thought War Toy might come after us, or at least thrash the Quinjet, but she ushered the MoE away. They were in pretty bad shape, all things considered, so I guess she figured it was best they just get out of there.

I try not to think about the fact that War Toy just gave up Hawkeye like that. There's more to this story than we're seeing.

Crimson Cowl stood at her monitor, seething with a growing anger. She had no idea why War Toy did what she did, especially after wanting to go after Hawkeye as hard as she did, but Cowl would find out.

Hawkeye shuffled back to the Quinjet, knowing he was lucky to escape out of this mess as well off as he did. It would be a long, hard night before sleep came to him, however, and his physical well-being wouldn’t have anything to do with it.

No, it would be a long night remembering his dear Bobbi and thinking over the actions of the robot with Bobbi's voice.

Charlie Gantner sat in a small room, watching the dailies of today's movie shoot. She was pleased with what she saw - a feeling that had been inside her since she got Wonder Man to agree to play the Greek god Pluto in this movie of hers. She was a little disappointed that he hadn't been able to stick around for very long today, but his part was sufficiently small enough that he wasn't really needed.

She knew that shooting would be chaotic with him, which is why she made sure to get plenty of shots of him standing around in front of a blue screen just in case he was called off on some urgent mission. It'd be easy enough to just plug those images into the scenes they needed and people wouldn't know the difference. The studio had told her that if Simon was off on an Avengers mission, they'd boost her budget to do this, since the publicity they'd get would match whatever extra money they threw in.

What she saw on the small screen in front of her looked good, though. Simon wasn't a great actor, but if you could control him and play to his strengths, heck, anyone could be a star. He had presence, which is something you couldn't fake.

There was one person, however, whose opinion Charlie would need to get or the movie would never be released. She didn't know this person, and would've called you a liar if you told her who it was, but it was a very important person in her life, whether she knew it or not.

If Simon's performance displeased him … Charlie wouldn't ever see her second film get made.

The person she had to please was, at that moment, sitting in the room with her, though she didn't realize it. She wouldn’t realize it, either, unless the man decided to let her know he was there.

And right now, Pluto was more interested in watching the dailies to see if he was being honored.

Crimson Cowl caught up with her Masters of Evil a mile away from their former headquarters. She wanted to lay into War Toy right here, but a voice suddenly boomed out of nowhere.

Crimson Cowl stopped in her tracks and quickly spun around and around. She knew the voice and suddenly knew that this could turn out to be a very, very bad day indeed.

"The Masters of Evil exist nowhere that I do not say they exist!" came the voice again.

They closed ranks as a group of villains suddenly were on top of them, approaching steadily and assuredly. Cowl looked them over: Techno, the Gatherer's Vision, now called Eidolon, a nightmare version of the Beast, a new Yellowjacket and a female someone who looked like an assassin.

"Let me introduce you to the real Master of Evil, Crimson Cowl!" Zemo mocked, "Techno, Eidolon, Kreature, Vespid and Suicide Selia! We are the Masters of Evil and you … are … IMPOSTORS!"

Crimson Cowl knew this wasn't going to be good, but she needed a fight so she could escape in the confusion, "We are the Masters of Evil, Zemo!"

Cowl was looking for a fight and those were the exact right words to say. Zemo exploded in rage, "None but Zemo shall lead the Masters of Evil! YOU SHALL FALL!!! Attack, my Masters of Evil, ATTACK!!!"

I hope you enjoyed this segment of the Masters of Evil War that Baloo cooked up. I know that Lonni and myself had a blast working with him to get this story to work out. Let me know what you think of the rotating first person narration for the various scenes. It was something I tried because I wanted to try to change the pace up a little.

Be sure to check out CHAMPIONS 37 for the conclusion of the MoE War and then check out HAWKEYE 20 and WCA 118 for the lasting effects of this crossover. Oh yeah, and WCA 118 guest stars Pietro's sister and dad, so you might want to come back for that little family get together. On with the letters and reviews …

WEST COAST AVENGERS #115 (Mark "Bisquit" Bousquet)--the mystery around Shape, Zola, Jolt, and more!

The Good:
--finally, something done with Shape. He's always been an annoying character to me, and while his new appearance/attitude is still annoying, it's something different.
--do I sense a new relationship for Simon? Anything to get him over the hardly-seen-in-MV1 Wanda!
--Beta Ray Bill: if he sticks around, that would be the surprise of the month! What role could he play with this team?
--is that "Heroes for Hire" comment going to go anywhere? I hope so, but at the same time, I think
Monica needs to be with the team more--that Clint/Monica dynamic is intriguing!
--no one writes a team book like Bisquit. All the characters have a place, from Crystal's mission, to Hawkeye's, to Monica's thoughts away from the team, to Tigra's familiar role as the "...oh, and you can..." member!

The Bad:
--all that character development that Scooter started and Bisquit continued for Tigra seems to have taken a nose-dive in the past few issues...what happened?

The Score:
4 out of 5 Roos! Go Bisquit!

The GOOD: I'm glad that people seem to be interested in what's going on with Shape. I racked my brain to come up with something interesting for him to do, and this is what I came up with. Shape will actually be a bigger player in the book now with less appearances than he would've if he had stayed the same character, living at the Compound. Beta Ray Bill, a character I really enjoy, just didn't fit the long term plans with the book, but he will be appearing in my opening Defenders arc in DEFENDERS 187 - 190. The HfH comment won’t be going anywhere in an HfH direction, no, but Monica's debt will continue to play a role. As for Wanda … she won't be missing from MV1 for much longer. She's about to be back in a big way.

The BAD: In a team book it seems there's always a character or two who gets back-burnered for a few issues and this was just Tigra's turn. Look for the spotlight to swing back to her more fully in a few issues. Thanks for the review, Sam. Now, everyone go out and read Sam's BLACK PANTHER and TRIATHLON!

West Coast Avengers #115:
MBQ continues to write gems on this series! It's been awhile since I've read WCA, and this is a great one to jump back onto. Mark has this great gift of being able to nail the characters' dialogue, and he does wonders with it here. Fun to read!

I enjoy the fact that there's less "action" and more character/plot development going on. I'm intrigued by what Zola's really up to, and why he's become so benevolent in his old age...

What I liked most about this ish: Mark's found something interesting to do with Shape. I have to admit, the biggest reason I gave up on the guy is that I couldn't think of one thing to do with him. Glad to see one of my errant "children" is in good hands, Mark... ;)>

Great story. Go read it if you haven't, then check out...

And to show that the Universe really does balance out, Kell is doing an excellent job with a character I couldn't come up with anything interesting to write about: Lyja. Check out SQUADRON SUPREME and see for yourself. Thanks for the kind words, Kell and rest assured that we haven't seen the last of Zola.

Excellent work Mark! Loved the surprising plot twist, especially Crystal been pregnant again. Lets hope the father is quicksilver and not a certain Black Knight!
Siryn been part of the team was predictale from the first part of the story, glad to see her on. Tigra is an excellent character, very funny. You now got me interested in Lighthouse, I'm stopping there next.
On another note, which issue happens between 114 and 115 in particular?
Oh, also read your FF, great stuff, I know really understand the World Without storyline. Next is all god's Children, which I've heard so much about. Great writing
Dominic Galliano
PS Looking forward to your Defenders

Thanks, Dominic. The father of Crystal's child is indeed Quicksilver. Of that there is no doubt. The Kree/Shi'ar War happens between issues 114 and 115. Check it out on the Epic Branch. Thanks for the comments on some of my other MV1 work, as well.

Thanks for reading and writing in, everyone. Be sure to check out the following:

CHAMPIONS 37 - The Conclusion to the MoE War as Zemo and Cowl go head-to-head! Last one standing gets to be called the Masters of Evil! Loser gets to be called Masters of Vault Block 5!

HAWKEYE 20 - Confused by Clint's recent visions and dreams? Well he is too and he's calling in some help. He's big, he's gamma powered, he's green (well part green)... he's... Doc Samson?

If you'd like to join the MV1 Talk list and discuss MV1 fanfic with the over 100 people aleady on the list, please go to http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/mv1talk . You will have to register with onelist but it's a painless process that generates ZERO spam.

APRIL, Y4	MV1 Presents ... Earth's Mightiest Heroes!!!	AVENGERS
		And there came a day when the foes became too great for Earth's Mightiest to handle alone! On that day was born the West Coast Avengers!
# 117	NORTHERN BEAR PRODUCTIONS	# 117