The Untold Tales of the
Issue: 7 Author: Lonni Holland Graphics: Kevin Newburn & Chris Luna
| In a motel on the highway just south of Palos Verde..... |
Clint Barton paced back and forth. He was tired of looking at the muted rust bedspread and drapes, the painted velvet pictures and the 'Guide to Palos Verde' brochures that were liberally sprinkled throughout the room. Wanda had promised him a team of Avengers and he was still waiting. He had tried channel surfing but the motel television got only five channels and there was a soap opera or a talk show on all of them. Of course there was always the Pink Pussycat Theater but the charges for that would show on the motel bill and he wasn't sure he wanted to explain it to the Maria Stark Foundation. Besides, the quick glimpses of sweating bodies he had caught on the preview channel just reminded him of what he and Bobbi had been doing only yesterday, and he was still too angry to think about her. How dare she walk out on him like that? His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Bonita? Oh man, am I glad to see you. I was starting to think I was gonna be the only West Coast Avenger in town."
Firebird laughed and shook Hawkeye's outstretched hand. "It's good to see you again, Clint. I was just getting ready to go on a short vacation when Jan called me. I'm always glad to help out if I can. I understand that a few others will be joining us as well."
"That's what Waspie tells me anyway. At least Wanda sent over some equipment for us. Here's an Avengers communicard for you." He gestured to a computer monitor set up on a table at the side of the room. "This will keep us hooked up with the compound and the mansion too. Now all we need are a few more Avengers."
As if on command there was another knock at the door. Hawkeye opened it only to find the Black Widow and the Vision there. He was surprised, but welcomed them in. He had to wonder what Wanda was thinking asking the East Coasters for the loan of one of their members, especially her ex-husband, but shrugged and figured it was her decision. He was having quite enough trouble with his own marital affairs. Of course, seeing Natasha just reminded him of how abysmal a track record * he had when it came to his love life.
* the two meet in Tales of Suspense 57 and were lovers in the past
In just a few minutes he had made the connection with the Avengers West compound. Tigra chatted to them for a bit, bring them up to date on the conditions of their fallen comrades *. Shortly Wanda came into view on the screen.
* illness overcame many of the Whackos in Issue 5
"Good, everyone's there now. Natasha, Bonita, Vision, thank you for responding to our request. Vision, I certainly appreciate Captain America freeing you up from the eastern team to help us out for a few days. Thank you, both of you."
"Unnecessary Wanda. It is in the best interests of the Avengers to have both teams at adequate strength."
Wanda looked like she wanted to say something in response but she just sighed instead. "Whatever. Anyway, here's where we stand right now. I've booked four adjacent rooms there. If anyone else joins you we can double up later, for now you each have your own quarters. Hawk, you'll be keeping the monitoring equipment there with you and you should be hooked up to the main Avengers network soon. Expect a delivery of security equipment this afternoon. You can install it in all four rooms but get the bulk of it in Clint's room. We have to ensure the security of the database at all costs, a top notch hacker could possibly use our computers to breach national security. Vision, we had blood samples from the stricken members sent to New York as well as with the local medical authorities. Have there been any results?"
Vision spoke, flat, mechanical, much as he had back when he had first joined the team. * "Your theories that the microbe does not affect the female of the species as much as the male seems to be correct. This is an engineered virus and it reacts poorly to estrogen. Theories are that this came about as a result of it being redesigned to be able to incapacitate Wonder Man. Your choice of female replacement Avengers was a wise one. Of course I, being a Syntheziod, am immune."
* back in Avengers 57 & 58
Wanda rubbed wearily at her eyes. "Of course you are. Is there any word on whether or not Tigra, Jan or I are still in the contagious stage? We need more than four Avengers on the outside if possible."
"Not as yet but I am sure that the mansion will keep us informed."
"Very well then. Hawkeye, you may have been exposed and could yet come down with whatever this is. I expect you to keep a low profile and man the monitor equipment. Natasha, can you watch him closely for symptoms?"
"Monitor duty!" Clint blurted. "Wanda you can't be serious about..."
"Clint, don't even start. I have more than enough to deal with, without getting a lot of back talk from you. I said monitor duty, I meant monitor duty. If you do get sick we can't risk having you infecting half of Los Angeles. Now just do it. I'll be back to you all later."
"But... but..." Clint found himself talking to a blank screen. "Oh boy, it's gonna be one of those days, I can just tell."
| New York City..... |
"Incompetent idiots!!!! How could you have bungled the job so badly? They still have a team. You were supposed to take all of them out. The women are still functioning."
"But we had to make those changes in order to deal with Wonder Man. If we had more time to develop...."
"Bah! Your failure means I must adjust my plans. This was timed to the minute and you have totally destroyed the schedule now. I can wait no longer. Tell the other operatives to attack today. We need to take them out before they have a chance to regroup."
"Yes, sir. We won't let you down. The West Coast Avengers will fall."
"See that they do."
| Avengers West compound....... |
"Well, he handled that well, didn't he?" Jan was almost choking trying not to laugh at the memory of Clint's sputtering, as she and Wanda stood in the monitor room.
Wanda had to smile in spite of herself. "I suppose so. Oh Jan, how am I ever going to get used to this? Clint looked like he wanted to kill me there. I can't jeopardize our friendship this way." She shook her head. "I'm just not cut out to be a team leader."
Jan patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Wanda. You did just fine. Clint doesn't hold grudges, and he was wrong after all. He'll whined and complain but all you have to do is be firm with him and he backs right off. I'd even be willing to bet that he calls and apologies too. He's a good man, just hot headed. Don't you think that I've had to snap at him, and so has Cap, many times. You've done great with everything so far. Keep it up, we need a strong leader right now, and I have the feeling you're going to be a great one."
"Perhaps, Jan, but as soon as the others are back on their feet then I resign. I can do it now, but it's not something I'm ready to take on for good." She looked back at the monitor, the image of Vision still fresh in her mind. "I have too many other things to think of right now, things I am going to have to decide. Do you mind if I just sit here alone for a minute to collect my thought? Then I'd better call the mansion again."
Jan nodded and headed out to help Tigra with the invalids. Wanda sat quietly, wondering exactly what she was going to do. She had been seeing Simon for a few weeks but the sight of Vision made her realize that she didn't think she really loved Wonder Man. She was going to have to do something soon. The monitor beeped.
"Witchie?" Hawkeye looked contrite. "Hey, listen, I'm sorry about yapping at you like that. I guess you're right, it's just that I just hate being left behind. Still friends?"
"Of course we are. Just be careful, Clint. Hank had already been exposed to the virus when he was with you in the infirmary. * You could still be infected. If you do have to go out with the team at least try to keep well back."
* in Untold AWC 2 and 3
"Don't I always?" He grinned at her. "Hey, I'm a distance fighter right? Don't worry, Wanda. I'll be a good boy. Promise."
"I hope so. I have to go now, Hawkeye. We'll be in touch."
She disconnected the line and smiled to herself. So Jan had been right about Hawkeye after all. She was about to call the mansion for an update when a buzzer told her that she was wanted on the phone. She wondered what it was this time.
"Wanda, hi, it's Bobbi. I called to speak to Clint but they said I'd have to talk to you first. What's up?"
Wanda filled her in on the situation and Bobbi quickly promised that she and Big Bertha would both be there to help out. The Scarlet Witch had to smile again as she hung up the telephone. Perhaps her comments about the Lady Liberators hadn't been so far fetched after all. She wondered what Medusa and the real Valkyrie were doing.
| Time marches on...... |
scene switch: temporary AWC quarters at Best Western
Bobbi and Big Bertha arrive. After a few brief words, Ashley heads off to join Bonita in her room, leaving the lovers to their inevitable reconciliation.
scene switch: the highest security block of the Vault.
Adamantium bars do not bend but cement crumbles..... eventually.......
scene switch: a Beverly Boulevard bar in a seamy section of Los Angeles
An odd collection of street thugs and costumed men stand around the pool tables in the back room. Bare breasted waitresses wander in and out with beer bottles, emptying ashtrays and dodging pinches and gropes as they serve the patrons. The pay phone on the wall rings. A small man with an earring and a snake tattoo on his arm answers and the room falls silent. He listens, grunts, hangs up and nods to the others.
scene switch: AWC compound infirmary
USAgent and Quicksilver grumble to each other about the unreasonableness of the female sex after having both been told to shut up and go back to bed. Simon watches thoughtfully and Hank Pym (the only one to have been twice married) just laughs at them.
scene switch: the requisite abandoned warehouse on the San Francisco waterfront
Behind the already looted and empty wooden crates, a white clad woman draws a pentagram on the floor. The words she utters as she works are unrecognizable, at least in the languages we are accustomed to. The air grows thicker, the tension builds, green smoke starts to coalesce and...
scene switch: the abandoned subway tunnels of the RTD.
A caped figure hunts through the wreckage. He has searched for over a week now. Finally he unearths the machinery he sought. Revenge is sweet, and Erik Williams has a sweet tooth, and a taste for blood.
| Outside a motel room..... |
Knock, knock.
From inside the door came the sound of muffled laughter and a soft thud, like that made by someone being hit with a pillow.
Knock, knock.
"Clint, it's Wanda. You remember me, your new chairman."
Again suppressed sounds were heard. "Uh, hang on Wanda. I'll be there is a second." A few moments of silence, another giggle. "Coming, just a minute." The door opened and Hawkeye welcomed them in, trying to straighten his hair as he walked back into the room.
As Wanda and the remaining Avengers, who she had called first, walked into the room Tigra pulled Clint off to one side and whispered, "Uh, you might want to tuck your tunic into your tights at the back a bit. You're slipping." She giggled as he hasten to do it, his face burning.
Firebird,. the Black Widow and Wanda sat on the rumpled bed. Tigra and Big Bertha took their seats on the floor while Vision stood impassively near the door. Clint had sat in an armchair near the window and Bobbi, slipping out of the bathroom, perched on the arm of the chair and played with his hair as they all listened to Wanda.
"All right people here's the situation. She paused and frowned. "Clint, you look flushed, are you sure you're all right?" As he nodded and stammered she continued, "Well, that's fine I suppose. Anyway Tigra and I have been given a clean bill of health so we're moving in to the motel as well. Jan and everyone else at the compound are still under quarantine so this is the new Avengers West headquarters, at least in the interim. We've gotten no further in tracking down who is responsible for having the virus engineered and hiring the Blank to infiltrate us but the Eastern team is still checking into it for us. Natasha, I think you were making some arrangements for us regarding our transportation."
"Well, I succeeded in leasing the lot down the street to keep the Quinjets in but I'm having trouble locating a secure spot for the skycycles. Right now we have two of them locked up in the motel utility shed but we can't keep them there for long."
Wanda nodded. "I suppose that will have to do for now. When this is over we need to set up contingency plans in case this happens again. I suppose we should have learned with the destruction of the mansion by the Masters of Evil last year. * At any rate we seem to be in pretty good shape for now and it's expected that the quarantine will be lifted in just a couple of.." She was interrupted by the computer monitor activating. "Jan, what's the problem?"
* during the Mansion Siege in the 270's of Avengers
"Wanda, there a major disturbance in downtown LA. It looked like it was just gangs moving out of their territory but now the reports show that it's more than that. There are dozens of heavily armed men and a group that's been identified as the Death Throws. The police are holding them off but only temporarily. You better get down to the 500 block of Spring Street fast."
"Right Jan, we're on our way." Wanda turned back to the team. "Okay Avengers, let's go. Bonita, perhaps you had best fly ahead and see if you can assist the police in containing the situation. We'll be right behind you in the Quinjet. Hawkeye, I still think you look flushed so you had better stay here."
"Flushed? I'm not flushed." His face burned even more. "Besides Mock and I just took these guys down recently * so we know them best."
* in Avengers Spotlight 23-25
"Well I suppose you have something there. You can brief us on them on the flight, Clint, but keep well back once we get there. Tasha, Bobbi, stay with him just in case."
Clint started to protest, but he knew it was a lost cause so he shrugged and gave up instead.
| Downtown Los Angeles..... |
Shattered glass littered the streets; terrified pedestrians huddled behind police barricades and lines of SWAT teams; gunshots sounded and explosions were heard in and around the local banks and high class jewelers. Firebird was flying over the area, hampered in what she could do because of the proximity of the civilians; she concentrated her energy blasts to deflecting or destroying falling debris and bullets that seemed to be flying through the air like rainfall. The Avengers Quinjet landed just in front of the police lines. Vision led them out of the plane, his density at maximum to ward off any rounds directed at them. Wanda surveyed the situation and made her assignments.
"Tigra, Bertha, to the right. Tigra can move fast enough to distract them and Bertha can take out that main gun emplacement. Hawkeye, we need some blast arrows to scatter the rest of them up and get rid of some of those automatic weapons. Vision, you work on getting some of the civilians trapped in those stores to safety. Bonita has been shielding them, she can continue to deflect the gunfire without harming them. I'll see if I can slow down a few of the Death Throws. Widow, Mockingbird, stay with Clint and cover him. He looked feverish back at the motel."
"Feverish? Wanda, I don't need a bodyguard, I was just..." Hawkeye's protests were unheard as the others dashed off. Natasha and Bobbi stood staring at him.
"Well, lover, are you going to get moving or will we let the party start without us?"
He shook his head in disbelief and yielded to the inevitable. "Lead on ladies."
Within moments the Avengers were fully involved in the conflict. Vision altered his density back and forth as he quickly cleared civilians from the battlefield that used to be a busy downtown intersection. Tigra leapt and bounded from spot to spot, slashing at the weapons of the now panicking men as Big Bertha flattened any that she could get to hold still long enough for her to land on. Wanda's hexes deflected razor sharp rings thrown by the Ring Leader, dropping them useless on the ground. Hawkeye fired repeated blast arrows into the throngs of assailants that crowded in front of the broken windows of the Bank of America. Mockingbird swung her battle staves to deflect the spheres tossed by Oddball in Clint's direct. Natasha used her Widow's line to swing herself at Ten-pin and Knick Knack, taking one down with her Widow's bite and the other with a well placed kick to the chin. Another explosion rocked the street.
"Damn it, we forgot about Bombshell." Hawkeye dashed towards the source of the detonation, Mockingbird and the Widow right behind him. He had to dive to the ground and roll out of the way of some gunfire. Firebird and the Scarlet Witch directed their attentions to the attempted snipers on the rooftop. Clint leapt back to his feet, puffing but nocking an electro arrow just the same.
Just as he was aiming at Bombshell, who he could see inside the jewelry store, he was shoved out of the way by Natasha. "Clint, first you were flushed and now you're gasping. You must be sick. Get back and let me handle this."
"Sick? But I was running and..." The Black Widow's bite made short work of Bombshell and Hawkeye sighed and turned his attention back to the street. One of Ten Pin's projectiles whizzed by his head and he brought his bow back up only to be knocked to the ground by a furry hand in the middle of his back. As he scrambled to his feet he saw Tigra race past him to tackle the juggler.
"Better stay down Hawk. If you're sick we can handle these guys."
"But I'm not sick I was just..."
"Give it up, sport." Bobbi laughed as she threw one of her battle staves past his head, knocking Knick Knack to the ground, just as he had been about to throw a knife at the now thoroughly confused Hawkeye. "Looks like you're going to be safeguarded, whether you like it or not."
Wanda redirected the attack. Most of the gun wielders had been nullified but the Death Throws were regrouping. She motioned to Vision and Big Bertha to deal with the last of the shooters and turned her attention to the costumed opponents. They had gathered at the front of an outdoor cafe and were holding Mockingbird, Tigra and the Black Widow at bay. Firebird arrived beside her, prepared to direct her considerable forces at the jugglers and the last few of their street thug companions, but her teammates were in her way. Instead Wanda raised her arms and concentrated. In seconds the canvas awning over the cafe fell, trapping the Death Throws beneath it.
Within a few minutes the attackers had all been subdued. The police were rounding them up and loading them into the waiting paddy wagons. A few of them left in heavily guarded ambulances. Wanda surveyed the situation.
"Well, I think we did a fairly good job. A few bystanders were injured before we arrived but it looks like Bonita was able to protect the others once she arrived. Is everyone all right?" As her teammates all nodded she looked around. "Wait a minute. Where's Hawkeye."
"Right here, Witchie." They turned to look in the direction of his voice. Clint sat disconsolately on the hood of a car, his bow slung over his back, his chin resting on his hands. "You guys were so busy protecting me that I finally decided I might as well sit this one out before someone else knocked me down." He flashed a look at Natasha and Tigra, who glanced at each other and giggled. Under his breath he muttered, "Woulda been more exciting on monitor duty."
The Scarlet Witch ignored his grumbling and said, "All right, people, let's head home."
| In a laboratory at Stark International..... |
Tony Stark knew he should still be in bed but he was so close to finding an answer. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued keying instructions in his computer. He reflected that he'd be glad when this fever finally left, or when he had a solution at least. Then he could crawl back into bed and sleep for a week. There, he was done. He leaned his head forward on the desk and waited. The computer had all of the data now. An answer should be available soon. He just hoped he could stay awake long enough. The information was analyzed, the probabilities weighed, the known patterns considered. The computer dinged to indicate the answer was ready.
Tony lifted his heavy head and peered at the screen. There it was, the name of the man most likely behind the attacks on the Avengers West. Of course! Tony reflected that he should have known all along that the mastermind was really...
| A New York prison...... |
In a cell a lone man stared out of his window at the wintry scene before him. Choppy grey water assaulted the rocks. In the distance the smog hung over the edges of the Manhattan skyscrapers. Odd bits of paper whipped in circles on the grounds beneath his window. He saw none of it. Once again he had failed. He had foolishly let his desire for revenge rush his plans and the Avengers West had stopped him. He had hoped to defeat them totally and thus demoralize their eastern counterparts so he could launch his final revenge. Ah well, there was always the next time. The Mad Thinker returned to his bunk, to make his plans for the future.
| San Francisco...... |
The picture on the television flickered and started to roll. The lone occupant of the room snapped it off in a hurry. She had seen all she needed to see. The Avengers West had battled publicly and her enemy was with them. She had made her preparations and summoned the appropriate assistance. Wanda Maximoff would die soon. She would see to that.
Our last issue was quite a departure from our usual format, and reaction has been mixed. We're back to our regular team again but I'd still like to hear more of what you thought of our time and reality displacement. Send your comments to lonni@paratime.ca.