WHAT IF...? has taken you to many different worlds, and has allowed you to see many different possibilities, all of which spring from one universe: the Marvel Universe with which many of you are familiar--the Marvel Universe that has presented those possibilities for over thirty-five years. This tale of WHAT IF...? will allow you to explore that universe even further, and learn a possible truth to a missing year, as it asks the question...What if the Avengers never broke up?

"BETRAYED"

She gazed hopelessly into the barren pit, its sides oozing with thick green and brown fluid, the bottom utterly bare.

"Hey, lady, you're out of mint chip," cried Binary, her head buried deep into Bethany Hallsworth's desolate freezer unit. The rest of the bustling kitchen was filled with the remaining Avengers: Hercules, Quasar, and Jim Rhodes.

"Soooory," Beth replied sourly. "I wasn't expecting company-especially not Earth's Mightiest Heroes!"

Black Widow approached her. "If you recall, I told you that this assemblage is supposed to remain secret, which means that you should refrain from using that moniker."

Beth ran her hands through her long, raven-black hair out of frustration and sat on her couch. "Oh, I recall bloody well, thank you," Beth said. "I just don't understand why you want me for this 'assemblage.'"

Black Widow joined her on the couch. "I won't lie to you, Ms. Hallsworth. When I saw you use your teleportation powers, I knew you would be a very valuable asset to this team. That's why I've asked you to join us." Actually, Black Widow was lying to Beth, but she wouldn't reveal the more important reason that she asked her to join. "Are your powers natural?"

Beth shook her head. "No. I suppose you could say they are mystic in nature. My aunt taught me how to use them when I was a young girl in London. But they alienated me from everyone else I knew, so I decided to move to America and start fresh." She stood from the couch and looked out at the city from her third-story apartment's window. Her mood had gone from frustration to near-depression. "And it worked for a while, too...until the Onslaught. That's when being a cop wasn't enough. In the absence of the heroes, I had to use my super powers to protect people, and I hated it, because, once again, I felt alienated-this time from my fellow officers. Then, the Thunderbolts came." Her voice took on a glint of hope, and this worried Natasha.

Revealing to Beth that the Thunderbolts were truly the Masters of Evil would crush the poor girl's world. But at the same time, it would make her feel betrayed, and angrier, more willing to fight for the Avengers' cause.

"I have something to tell you, Ms. Hallsworth-" Black Widow said. "-something you do not want to hear."

Beth continued to stare out at the city. "Go on. You can't really surprise me with anything else today."

Black Widow put her hand on Beth's shoulder. "The Thunderbolts, they have a secret. Citizen V is, in truth, Baron Zemo. And the Thunderbolts-they are actually the Masters of Evil."

Beth thought that nothing else could shock her. She was wrong. "You...you can't be serious."

"I'm afraid so," Natasha replied. "Their plan is to trick the world into giving them the Avengers' security codes and, ultimately, to take over the world."

Beth almost shed a tear. "It figures. It was too good to be true, just like everything in my life. Every time I feel safe, things get ruined. Everything I ever think is pure and clean eventually gets spattered with...with crimson."

Black Widow took a moment to let things sink in with Beth. And then, "So, will you join us?"

"You mean, you want me to give up everything in my life, cut ties with everybody I know, and dedicate my life to stopping the Thun-the Masters of Evil?" She paused. "Of course I will. They'll pay. They will."

The next day, at The Vault, guards were buzzing in and out of the cell of one Ulysses Klaw.

Meanwhile, in the admissions office, CIA agent Natalie Rollings and Inspector Gregory Usher shared heated words.

"Look," said the aged Usher, "I'm having Klaw taken from his cell, but I'm still not so sure I believe your story. You're saying the CIA wants to run tests on the man to improve their sonar devices?"

"That's right," Rollings replied. "Now I don't know what more I can do to prove to you that my story checks out. I've shown you my identification, which checked out with CIA headquarters, I've explained my story...I've done everything short of sharing a candlelit dinner with you, Mr. Usher. Now, there is a special Stark Industries security van waiting outside, so if we are through here, I'd like to see my prisoner safely to HQ."

Usher sighed heavily. "No, I guess that's it. Go on."

"Thank you, Mr. Usher. I assure you that you have nothing to worry about."

As Rollings stepped out of the office, Usher buried his face in his hands. "This job just doesn't get any easier, does it?"

Outside of the massive complex, guards escorted the heavily-restrained Klaw to the van, where Rollings and Stark employee Jimmy Roads were waiting.

"Here he is, ma'am," one of the guards said. "You sure just the two of you can handle him? Klaw is a dangerous man."

Rollings took hold of Klaw's arm and forced him into the sound-proof van. "We'll be fine. I've dealt with Klaw before." She slammed the doors of the van shut and activated the electronic locks to keep Klaw in. "Good day, gentlemen." Both she and Roads stepped into the van and drove away.

From the passenger seat, Natasha activated the van's computer network in order to speak to Klaw. "You know who we are, don't you, Klaw," she typed into a keyboard. As she typed, the words appeared on a screen in Klaw's secured portion of the van. "If so, press the 'yes' command next to the screen."

Yes.

"Good. I apologize for communicating with you in such an impersonal manner, but if the holding cell section of the van wasn't sound-proof, you'd have blown us all to bits by now. Now, I have a proposition for you. You were sentenced to The Vault for at least ten years for the assault of an officer of the law. Now, I've let you free, but your freedom comes with a price. I want you to join our secret grouping of Avengers. Before I tell you anything else, are you willing to join? If so, it means you'll not see the inside of The Vault for quite sometime."

Yes.

"Very good. Now, to the details. I dis-" Before Natasha could finish, another Yes flashed onto her computer screen. And another, and another, over and over.

"What's he doing?" Rhodes asked.

"I...I think he's trying to say something," Natasha said. "It's...it's Morse code!" The Yes's continued. "He says, 'Don't...make...me...make...you...regret...this."

Rhodes' eyes lit up. "Natasha, was this a mistake, getting him?"

"It's under control, Jim. I've got everything under control."

The van sped faster down the road.

NEXT ISSUE: THE AVENGERS VS THE THUNDERBOLTS, AND THE POOR INCREDIBLE HULK IS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE! PLUS, WHAT DOES THE BLACK WIDOW NEED WITH KLAW?!

THE LETTERS PAGE

Randy Lander writes :

Very nice stuff, Sam. My favorite of the work you've done so far, actually. I'm very interested in seeing where this all goes, seeing the team Natasha puts together, and seeing you handle the Thunderbolts' first 12 issues while the Avengers work in the background. What a cool idea! And I love the characters you've chosen for the team.

My only worry at this point is that Beth the cop is actually Crimson Cowl. That is her identity, isn't it? Seems risky to establish a history for a character in a What If? that will probably be totally different from the real one, as I prefer my What Ifs to look like what would have happened only if events had changed, not if the world itself had been different. It's not a huge concern, and if it is Crimson Cowl, I think using her is a really cool idea...but it does feel wrong, if that turns out to be who it is.

At any rate...great story, can't wait to read the rest of it!

Thanks for writing in, Randy! Randy Lander is the co-writer of WEB OF SPIDER-MAN and the writer of NEW WARRIORS and THE VAULT. Good to hear you liked the team. It just goes to show that not ALL the good heroes died fighting Onslaught. Maybe Klaw's potential membership has eased your worries of Beth's possible identity? We'll see next month how Klaw plays into the Widow's scheme.

If you'd like to write with your comments, send them to RooMil@aol.com