In a darkened room, behind a desk, sits our now familiar shadowed figure. (if a shadowed figure can be familiar...) Before the desk stands the villainous form of the Taskmaster.

"What to report, Taskmaster?" asks the figure

"Th' trip back ta th' island was uneventful. No one followed me. We are ready ta proceed with tha next part o' the plan."

"Excellent, Taskmaster." if we could make ot more details of the person behind the shadows, we might perhaps catch a smile. "If Hawkeye thought he had trouble before, he's really in for it now!"

USAgent looked up from his pre-flight inspection of the quinjet, which he would be flying along with Hawkeye. "What? You even got on your battle armor for this one?"

Hawk nodded "Lotta guns and stuff on an A.I.M. base. Thought a bit of extra protection couldn't hurt. Not to mention, i've brought a lot of heavy-duty arrows along... and a few surprises." he grinned.

The Agent raised an eyebrow at him, but Hawkeye merely smiled and hopped into the quinjet.

A voice came over the intercom in the hangar. "OK boys, you're cleared for takeoff any time you're ready."

"Thanks Tigra," Hawk said "for minding store while we go take care of this."

"Hey... we all got to do our parts..." Tigra's tone was clearly miffed, even over the intercom, at being left behind.

Without further comment, Hawkeye and the Agent boarded the quinjet. In moments they were in the air over the azure Pacific Ocean.

"Quinjet av-2071 is in the air" said Hawk "Here we come, A.I.M.!"

Tumbleweeds blow across the Arizona desert. Scurrying across the dirt path that passes for a road around here. Up the road aways can be seen a horse and rider. As the rider draws near, we can hear him whistling a happy tune and we can make out what are the familiar masked features of the Two-Gun Kid.

We follow his solo ride for a bit. Soon, he draws near a narrow point in a canyon which he has rode into. Suddenly, a band of men jump out from various places in the canyon, guns and other weapons trained on Two-Gun.

"Give it up, Two-Gun. You cant beat us all. Come along quietly, and you wont be hurt."

Two-Gun looked to the speaker. His lips curled in a snarl "Iron Mask! I thought I'd seen the last of you."

"So sorry to disappoint you." said the Iron Mask "It took me a long time to rebuild my gang after you and your friends beat us last time.* But I'm finally back, and stronger than ever! Now, I do suggest you surrender."

*West Coast Avengers #18 --Two-Gun Scooter

Two-Gun looked at the men around him. All of the old henchmen of the Iron Mask: Hurricane, The Rattler, Red Raven, Doctor Danger, and the Fat Man. Not to mention about a dozen armed men. He knew he didn't have a chance against all of them and dropped his pistols. Deciding that an opportunity to escape would come.

Clint Barton's former Central Park West apartment sits empty, the former occupant having moved to LA. However, it still remains furnished as Clint decided to keep it to use when he makes trips to the east coast.

The apartment, however is currently occupied. A man swathed in a black cloak stands on the outside patio. He faces the sliding glass door to the interior. Seeing-- or sensing that no one is home, he produces an object from within his cloak and begins to write on the glass door.

There is a place in the realms of the multiverse where if one goes, one can learn all things, if one has the patience: The chamber of the Infinity Well. Of course, few people know of this chambers existence. Of those who do, few would dare enter, as it lies within the unliving realm of Mistress Death.

Still, there are a select few daring enough to try. One of these is here now. En Dwi Gast, better known as the Grandmaster. One of the Elders of the Universe. Older than the the universe we live in and knowledge about a great many subjects of which no mortal would have any ken.

He once was a thrall to Mistress Death, but escaped her grasp, though the cost to himself was infinite power. This he blamed he Avengers for.* But specifically one Avenger: Hawkeye.

* See Avengers Annual #16 for details --Grandmaster Scott

The Grandmaster grinned to himself, whispering softly. "Yes! The time for revenge is at hand. At last I have gained entrance to the Infinity Well, without alerting the Mistress... at least long enough to seize what I wish!" he strode to the well and stirred its waters.

"Greetings Grandmaster" spoke the well. "How may I be of service?"

"Show me all that I need to know about what I desire" he said. The well began to radiate images according to his command...

"We're approaching our target, Hawkeye." said the USAgent "Drop time in approximately five minutes."

Hawkeye readied himself. Checking to make sure his armor was on properly, making sure all of his arrow pouches were full. He was pretty sure he was going to need them all. Then he rose and headed for the exit hatch and waited.

A few minutes later, the Agents voice called back to him again. "Ok Barton, drop is less than a minute. Are you sure you don't want my help on this?"

Hawk looked tight-lipped. "No. These guys came after me and I want to deal with them myself. It's personal." he sighed and looked out the window. "Still, make sure you don't go too far in case I need a fast getaway."

The Agent turned to look at Hawk and gave him a thumbs up. "I'll be on it." He looked back to the quinjets controls "Okay, drop in 10... 9... 8..."

Our shadowed figure is watching a computer monitor when alarms go off all over the island. The figure taps a button on the desk, and speaks. "Report."

A voice comes back over a speaker imbedded into the desk. "We have radar contact of a craft approaching the island at a rapid pace. Visual contacts have confirmed it to be an Avengers quinjet."

The figure slammed its fist down on the desk. "The Avengers!" The figure tapped another button "Taskmaster, to my office... Immediately!

Moments later, the Taskmaster was present.

The figure spoke calmly "The Avengers are attacking the island. I believe you said you weren't followed?"

"You bet yer !@#$ I wasn't followed. I covered my tracks gettin' back here. Don't ask me how they found us."

The figure rose and backhanded Taskmaster. "Fool! There is no other possibility! Now, I am making it your responsibility to defeat those Avengers. I've too much invested here to lose it now! If you fail me... " the figure stared coldly "Well, just don't..."

"Taskmaster nodded curtly and left the room. The figure resumed its seat. "Ah Avengers, the game is not yet ended."

Hawkeye leapt from the open side-door of the quinjet and free-fell toward the tiny island below. He held is arms close against his body, streamlining himself to quicken his descent. Speed was of the utmost importance. Most likely, the AIM base had been taken by surprise, and the less time spent in the air was that much less time they had to prepare for him.

The island began to rush up at him. Hawk deployed one of his newest arrows. The arrow shot up over him, attached by a long cable. The arrowhead popped open, and a small parachute opened up above the archer. It looked too small to support his weight. However, the chutes material was made of unstable molecules and as the air caught it, it began to expand until it reached full size capacity.

Hawkeye's decent slowed and he watched as the island grew larger. Suddenly, three figures launched into the sky to intercept him. As they neared, Hawkeye noticed that they looked similar to Vault Guardsman armor, although modified and painted in AIM's school-bus yellow.

More stolen Stark technology Hawk thought. Well, lets see how they like one of my other new arrowheads.

Hawkeye drew a shaft from his quiver and fired at the approaching enemies. The arrow flew at them, and when it got within close proximity, emitted an EMP* burst. The three armored figure, halted briefly in mid-flight, then tumbled back to the earth, each plopping into the sea.

*Electro Magnetic Pulse --Professor Scooter

Hawkeye landed without further attack. This is too easy. He thought.

Taskmaster trotted down a few corridors and came to one the hangars. He commandeered an aircraft and launched, leaving AIM Island behind.

"So long, suckers!" He said

"Hahahahaha!" Hawk laughed "I really caught these jerks with their pants down! How could they be so disorganized?"

He decided to ferment a little more chaos by blowing a few things up. A fuel truck for their aircraft was the first to go. Then some of the aircraft itself. Soon, the majority of the complex was ablaze. Pandemonium was in full effect as personnel scurried this way and that. Hawk began to search in earnest for his real objective. The Taskmaster, and whoever he was working for.

A voice replied "Um... the Taskmaster took off in one of our craft several minutes ago. We assumed he was acting to stop the assault."

The figure stared coldly at the monitor. "Betrayed..."

The figure began typing codes into the computer. when finished, the computer scrolled a few lines of text onto the screen. It read: Auto Destruct sequence initiated. Detonation in 5:00 minutes. 4:59... 4:58...

The figure grinned. "The island may be lost, but Hawkeye is lost with it." the figure laughed and ran from the room, to the hangar.

He came to a door labeled simply: Director. He smiled and kicked the door in, arrow nocked. "Okay freeze!" he said to the empty room.

He looked around and his attention was caught by the monitor in the room. An unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke through the intercom.

"Welcome to my Island, Hawkeye. Unfortunately, circumstances dictate that I couldn't greet you personally. However, I have arranged a treat for you. I'm sure you'll find it to be quite a bang. Ahahahaha...!" the connection severed.

Hawkeye finally realized what he was seeing on the monitor. 1:01... 1:00... :59...

"Hawkeye pulled his communicard out quickly. "Agent! Get me out of here!" He ran for the exit.

"No time to land!" Hawkeye's voice came over the intercom. "Just swing low, and I'll hitch a ride!"

The Agent frowned "Whats going on?

"Just do it! No time to explain!"

The quinjet sped toward the island, full out.

27... 26... 25...

15... 14... 13...

The quinjet passed not fifty feet overhead. Hawk launched the rocket head which....

...affixed itself magnetically to the bottom of the quinjet.

4... 3... 2...

The cable grew taut as the quinjet sped up into the sky, Hawkeye dragged along behind. The two Avengers making tracks from AIM Island.

1...

KA-BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

AIM Island went up in a cloud of smoke, the explosion being enough to wipe the small land mass from the face of the earth. When the dust settled, all that remains is the deep blue sea.

"Whew!" said USAgent. "That was a bit too close. If I had been a second slower, both you and me would be barbecue right now."

Hawkeye nodded. He had been fairly silent since clambering back aboard the quinjet. "Yeah. We stopped AIM's plans, destroyed their base... but we didn't get the Taskmaster, nor do we know who he's working for."

The Agent shrugged. "If ya want, we can keep after them."

"I frankly wouldn't know where to look, Jack." Hawk sighed. "No, I'm afraid were going to have to sit tight for now, and just be on guard for when whoever our mystery person is to make their move."

The pair rode the rest of the way home in brooding silence.

NEXT ISSUE: Hawkeye teams up with The Shroud!

Haranguing with Hawkeye

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