At his mother's home in Wisconsin, Wendell Vaughn--the disillusioned former Avenger known as Quasar--sat alone in the room in which he had been staying since his last, disastrous mission with the Black Widow's Avengers in which he had somehow murdered the Mad Titan, Thanos.*
(*actually a clone of Thanos created by Techno, a.k.a. The Fixer--Sam)

This morning, from his Avengers communicard, he heard the call.

"Avengers, this is Black Widow. I realize that I have a lot of explaining to do for my manner over the course of the last few months. I've acted without care--without compassion for others. I let my zealous crusade for justice affect my relationship with those that I can trust, but who can perhaps no longer trust me--namely, you. However, for whatever it's worth, I've changed, mainly as a result of our recent mission to the strange universe in which, by some miracle, the Avengers now reside. At the risk of sounding trite and insincere, I've seen the light. After a few days of reflection, I can safely say that the Black Widow that earned her Avengers status and chairmanship has returned, and I hope that you can believe that."

Meanwhile, in a Greenwich Village bar, Carol Danvers--recently stripped of much of her white-hole energy as Binary--was working on her second brew, and deep in contemplation regarding the fact that the Avengers were alive and well in another dimension.

And she, too, heard the call.

"Nonetheless, and hopefully not to your dismay, my agenda remains the same: Baron Zemo and the Masters of Evil must be thwarted--without the world's knowledge, in order for the public's trust in its heroes to remain, and in order to save the world from the terrible fate Zemo undoubtedly has in mind. Bad as it has been, the price we've paid in seeking out Zemo and his clan is nothing compared to the price paid if we simply allow his masquerade with the Thunderbolts to continue. It's what HAS to be done--it's what Captain America and the other Avengers would do if THEY were here, now."

Bethany Hallsworth--the teleporting Avenger once known as Limbo who had inherited her aunt's wartime moniker of Crimson Cowl--sat in her small, second-story apartment, and had just received a visit from her old friend from the New York police force, Dallas Riordan.

And, like the others, she heard the call.

"But they are not, and the world needs the Avengers, even if those Avengers remain in hiding for the world's sake. This is why I'm contacting you. Who can say when the long-thought-dead Avengers will return? The world needs protection from Zemo and his ilk NOW--the world needs its heroes NOW--the world needs the Avengers NOW.

"A friend recently told me that this has been long overdue--and so, in his honor--Avengers...assemble!"

Yes, Wendell Vaughn heard the call, and thought on it. Would there be anything--anyone--worth returning for?

And Carol Danvers, she heard the call, and she knew that, indeed, there was plenty to return for.

Bethany Hallsworth heard the call, but could not be as certain, and was willing to return to find out.

"Dallas, I've got to leave," Beth told her spectacled, red-headed friend.

"So soon? I just got here." Dallas replied, a bit confused.

"Yes," Beth said in her faint English accent, tying her wavy, stark black hair behind her.

Dallas was obviously disappointed. "Darn. I was hoping to catch up with you. It's been a while since we were on the force together. One of my contacts in the Mayor's office told me you had recently left the uniform without reason. I wanted to make sure you weren't running around using your powers again," she jokingly scolded. "Leave that sort of thing to heroes like the Thunderbolts, young lady."

Beth shot an incensed glare at Dallas. "Hmph. The Thunderbolts."

"Are you okay, Beth?" Dallas asked, observing Beth inexplicably place a thick, red cloth into a black duffel bag. "You seem...different. More frigid--no offense."

Beth felt free to unleash her pent-up anger on Dallas--after today, she would never see her again, or anyone else from the life that she would soon be abandoning in favor of vengeance, for that matter.

"Perhaps you know the feeling, Dallas," she warned, the moody tone of her voice startling Dallas a bit. "That feeling you get when you realize that everything you know and adore is a fraud, and no one can be trusted with your emotions. That feeling of betrayal and deception leveled against you, and only you. You've felt it--everyone has. Now, capture that feeling two and three more times, and you have my life."

She paused, taking the black duffel bag in hand, and then, "No more," she vowed with refined hostility as she closed the door behind her.

And Dallas shivered. She had no idea what Beth meant by that--indeed, she did not want to know.

***

MV1 presents:
"Heroes Reborn"
by Sam Everett

***

Days earlier:

Natasha Romanoff--the Black Widow--departed Doctor Stephen Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum.

She had been there to deliver her friend, the mighty Hercules, to the Doctor's care after the Greek warrior had been stricken with a severe blow to the head while in the dimension the Avengers now called home. When Hercules had awakened hours later, in this dimension, he had been without memories of his time spent in that other dimension, and even amnesiac regarding events of the past few months, and his time with Natasha's band of Avengers.

Strange was glad to watch over Hercules' injuries, but Natasha wanted more. She had implied that it was in everyone's best interest if Hercules never recalled his time with her Avengers--but, she could not outright make the request, for to do that would be to admit failure and shame at having taken Hercules down into disgrace with her and the rest of the team. As much as she hated to admit it to others, she knew this was the case in her heart, and had been thinking on it--regretting it--for a while now.

Still, it was growing easier to admit as she gradually found a way to make it BETTER--a way not to erase the dishonor she had brought to the Avengers in recent months, but to at least bring some respect BACK to the name: she would not let Zemo and the Masters of Evil claim victory this time. To conquer him after all he had done to the world--and to the Avengers--would be a testament to the indomitable spirit of Earth's Mightiest Heroes under her chairmanship.

Yes, her mission remained, but not simply for justice--now, it was for redemption as well.

She knew now what had to be done, and how to do it: the Avengers would fight gloriously again!

***

Now, in the Gulf of Mexico:

From the rocking, top deck of his recently-restored ocean tanker, James Rhodes' blanched eyes scanned the blue horizon northwardly, where he detected two specks of light racing faster, faster toward his vessel.

"We've got incoming, Natasha," he informed the Black Widow, who stood behind him.

"I'd like to say I knew they would come," she replied, now gazing at those same two dots in the distance, "but, after the way I've treated them lately, I wasn't sure if they would."

"Every Avenger is entitled to a second chance," Rhodes said, bringing a hopeful smile to the Widow's face.

Finally, the skybound darts of light arrived. Quasar set his feet gracefully on the tanker, followed not a second later by Binary.

"Looks like I win," Quasar grinned. "And I wasn't even using my full speed!"

Binary sighed. "Guess there's a round of drinks on me, then!"

"I'll be fine with a pop, myself, thanks," Quasar replied.

The proceeding silence was expected, but tense nonetheless.

Finally, "Carol, Wendell, I'm glad you showed up," Black Widow greeted awkwardly.

"Yeah, well, you know...it's the Avengers," Quasar replied, brushing his long, blond hair out of his face, obviously nervous.

"Look, we realize you're going to take on Zemo whether we're with you or not," Binary added, more confidently than her star-faring teammate, "I'd just as soon keep an eye on you as long as you're going to do it."

"Fair enough," Black Widow replied, willing to dismiss the hostility in Binary's tone--she'd earned her anger.

"So!" Rhodes started in an attempt to break the unpleasant mood aboard the tanker. "How about those Avengers, huh?"

"Yes, did I hear your message right earlier, Natasha?" Quasar asked. "What's this I hear about them being alive in another dimension?*"
(*as seen in #146-147--Sam)

"It's a long story, Wendell," the Widow replied, "And we can't even be sure that those were OUR Avengers in that universe."

"Of COURSE they were, Natasha," Carol replied. "You were there--you felt it. It was them!"

"I tend to agree with you, Carol, and even more, I'm sure that eventually the Avengers will make their way back to THIS dimension, which is all the more reason we should get started on our mission."

"THIS is the team?" Carol asked, in disbelief. "Where's Herc?"

Natasha's tone suddenly became more somber. "We're all deserving of a break, but Hercules the most. He's in no condition to fight alongside us."

Everyone present sensed that there was something more to the Widow's statement--some regret.

And then, "Did you invite...um...anyone else?" Quasar asked. As soon as the words came out, he realized that it was obvious to everyone that he was referring to Limbo, whom he had nearly fallen in love with during the team's first weeks together.

Natasha smiled, finally able to appreciate the relationship between the two young heroes that she once thought could compromise the team's mission. "Well, just--"

A ruby show of light enveloped the whole of the top deck, and then, "--me."

The four turned to see Limbo, cloaked in her familiar, wavy, red costume, only now shrouded in a cloak.

"Limbo!" Quasar greeted, delighted.

"Welcome aboard...again," Black Widow greeted.

"But your flash, it didn't blind us like it's supposed to," Rhodes observed. "That's strange."

"Much has changed, recently," the woman replied from under her hood. "MUCH--including my name. The life of 'Limbo' is in the past. Call me Crimson Cowl."

"The identity you used when you posed as the head of the new Masters of Evil,*" Widow noted.
(*see #142 and THUNDERBOLTS #3--Sam)

As she stared into the blank eyes of the woman under the cloak, Widow nearly shuddered with worry. Something had happened to Bethany Hallsworth--something had changed her, and not for the better.

Before Natasha's musings could delve further into the potentially familiar mindset of her teammate, the fuzzy message emanating from the radio console located near the hatch broke her thought process.

"skkzzzzz is the skkzzzzz freighter Zandvoort to skkzzzzz! We are skkzzzzz attack near the Verrazano Narrows by unknown skkzzzzz!"

"The Zandvoort? They were scheduled to arrive here in a few weeks," Rhodes said as he rushed to the radio and spoke into the mouthpiece. "This is James Rhodes. Zandvoort, repeat? You say you are under attack? By whom?"

"skkzzzzz affirmative. Inhuman skkzzzzz eyes. Requesting assistance skkzzzzz available party. We will skkzzzzz sunk!"

Rhodes looked to Natasha worriedly, expectantly, followed moments later by Quasar and Binary. Once already, the passionate, possessed Widow had refused to send the team on a mission that did not pertain to stopping Zemo.* But now, she appeared to have changed--with her response to this threat on the Zandvoort, they would see just how much.
(*see #145--Sam)

She knew their thoughts, and she could not let them down. "I don't suppose Lim--er, Crimson Cowl could teleport us to the Verrazano Narrows, eh?"

At that, Quasar pumped a fist, and Binary gave a giddy clap. The Avengers were most pleased--save for one.

"I could, Widow," Crimson Cowl replied, "but I won't."

The once-cheerful eyes of the Avengers now shot toward Crimson Cowl in confusion.

"What do you mean, you won't?" Natasha asked.

"I fail to see how saving that freighter gets us at all closer to ending the Thunderbolts' charade," Cowl replied coldly. "Let the Coast Guard serve its purpose, and let the Avengers serve ours."

Widow approached Cowl threateningly, hoping to scare the young woman out of whatever state she was in. "This IS the Avengers' purpose--saving lives."

"That isn't the story you were telling a few weeks ago," Cowl shot back. "Since when have you cared about anything but bringing Baron Zemo to justice?

As the Widow was silenced in contemplation, Binary pleaded, "People are dying, Beth!"

She lowered her head, her dim eyes seething. "Let them die."

And with that, Natasha had to ask herself, "What have I created?" Whatever it was, it had to be stopped.

She threw a fist at Crimson Cowl, the impact slamming through her hood and into her jaw. The other Avengers were too startled by her action to react.

From the ground, the Cowl's eyes widened with shock, "Widow? No!" And then, with rage. "NO!!!!"

She rose and pulled Natasha closer to her, seemingly in an embrace, at first. And then, her intentions seemed to change, and she shoved the Widow away.

"Curse you, Avengers," she growled. "You've lost your goals--your sense of justice. You've grown weak--and you, Widow, the weakest of all." And then, in a flash that blinded the others THIS time, she was gone.

"Where'd she go?" Rhodes asked frantically, trying to wipe the light from his eyes.

"Who knows?!" Binary replied. "That crazy--!"

"--Beth...what's happened to her," Quasar gasped, oh so helpless.

"I happened to her," Widow said regretfully. The others were not quite sure what to make of that.

"This is Admiral Grace of the United States Coast Guard to a James Rhodes." came a new, clearer message over the radio.

Rhodes reclaimed the radio mouthpiece. "Rhodes here, Admiral."

"The crew of the Zandvoort said they contacted you out of distress moments ago, Mr. Rhodes. We thought you should know that the Zandvoort is lost, but the crew is safe aboard our vessels."

Rhodes sighed with relief. "Thank you, Admiral. Rhodes out."

Widow placed a hand on his firm shoulder. "I'm sorry, James. That probably means you've lost some money if the Zandvoort salvage equipment shipment is lost, correct?"

"Yeah," Rhodes replied. "But, it's more than that. All those people--they could have...."

"I know," she soothed. "And it's Beth's doing. Which means we need to find her, Avengers," she insisted. "Do you mind if we use the bi-plane, James?"

"It's all yours."

"Then Binary, take us to New York City; Quasar, follow ahead of us. Beth's a dangerous woman now, and we can't waste any time before she exposes Zemo to the world."

***

Hours later, New York City:

When Beth's Avengers communicard had turned up in Central Park without its owner, Black Widow had sent Quasar and Binary to various parts of the city on their search for Crimson Cowl, but Natasha herself was posted just yards away from the most obvious place for Beth to go: Four Freedoms Plaza, former home of the Fantastic Four, and current residence of the Thunderbolts.

But first, Natasha awaited word from Quasar, who had already encountered abnormal developments, as the Elements of Doom had earlier shown up at La Guardia Airport and Madison Square Garden, mounting an attack while the Avengers were still en route to the city.* A hum and pulse from her communicard signaled Quasar's report.
(*see THUNDERBOLTS #6--Sam)

She pulled her ID card from her sleek, black uniform and looked into it, seeing the bright-yet-troubled face of Quasar.

"The Elements of Doom have sprung up again, itching for another fight with the Thunderbolts," Quasar said. "So, apparently, the Plaza's abandoned--you're free to enter, as far as I can tell."

"Thanks," she said hastily. "Widow out."

She poked her communicard back into her outfit and started into the high-rise from the first floor entrance. She was expecting automatic security measures to be taken, but her training as an espionage agent would aid her well, as always. Without concern, she skillfully sidestepped the net trap on the third floor , slid through the laser grid on the sixth, leapt over the motion-sensing sliding floor on the tenth, disabled the crude security robot on the eighteenth....

By the time she reached the Thunderbolts' main living quarters, she was confident that she had foiled each of the Plaza's security devices. However, she could not know that one still remained--the field around the building that disabled outside communications.

And so, when Quasar reported once again in a frenzy, "Wait! Natasha! Citizen V isn't here with the rest of the Thunderbolts! I...I think Zemo's still at the Plaza!" she did not hear--

--no, all she heard was the sound of tempered steel striking skull--HER skull!

As she fell to the ground, unconscious, one red boot rested on her near-motionless chest.

"I return home from my observatory excursion to my insolent team's confrontation with the Elements of Doom, and what do I find? Four Freedoms Plaza has been infested by pests--Widows, more accurately." As Citizen V pulled his blank mask off, revealing his scarred, mangled face, he continued, "I suppose that makes me the exterminator!"

***

Next issue: The beginning of the end for the Thunderbolts AND the Avengers?!