At
Avengers Mansion Scarlet Witch (
Wanda Maximoff),
Wasp (
Janet Van Dyne) and Government liaison
Duane Freeman are watching
Iron Man run a battery of tests on
Goliath (
Henry Pym) but failing to find any explanation for his problems during the
Kulan Gath story (
#28-30). (
IM is wearing an old armour (from
#85 of his original run) these days because his latest armour gained sentience and went rogue (current
IM#26-30).)
Hank is confidant that he sorted out all the problems with his growth serum a while ago after he left the
West Coast Avengers. He'd improved it when he rejoined the
Avengers in
#366 and perfected it soon after. This changed his powers slightly - he'd regained the ability to shrink as well as grow, but he couldn't now change the size of other things unless they'd been specially pre-treated. He knows Jan is worried about his mental state, given his history, but he thinks it must have been a side-effect of Gath's magic - or maybe just the flu.
But we know that the problem *was* a side-effect of the magic, and that he was split into 2 copies. The other copy followed the team home as miniature
Yellowjacket and is watching the proceedings from hiding. He's been living in the Mansion scavenging for food. The security system doesn't complain because it recognises him as Pym. But now he's disgusted that big Henry is under Jan's thumb, and he heads out into New York City for adventure.
In the
Combat Simulation Room Warbird (
Carol Danvers) is overseeing a friendly contest between
She-Hulk (
Jennifer Walters) and
Triathlon (
Delroy Garrett). They have
magno-gloves and a metal ball, and the aim is to get the ball to the opponent's goal wall-plate. It's
Shulkie's superior power vs Delroy's lesser super-strength coupled with speed and agility. There's lots of rebounds off the walls and such until Triathlon bounces it off
Jen's head to score. He says he mastered the bank shot hustling pool. His opponent compliments him on being as accurate and sneaky as
Hawkeye, and Delroy laughingly asks Warbird if that was a compliment.
Beast calls the Mansion and Wanda answers. He wants to talk to
Simon Williams (
Wonder Man) but the Witch thought her lover was with *him* (in the
Avengers Two: WM & B mini-series).
Hank McCoy says
Wondy left for the Mansion when they returned to NY a week ago. Wanda guesses he must have missed them while they were in
Costa Verde fighting Kulan Gath, but she's still worried.
Then there's another message this time from Vision which he broadcasts to all rooms. He tells them that all the
Maggia leaders of the US and Europe have been called to a meeting in Chicago by the Grim Reaper. And he thinks the Avengers should be there to capture them all. But Wanda is more interested in where her ex-husband has been sine he left weeks ago (in
#23 after a bust-up with Simon).
Vizh ignores her and tells them to meet him on the roof of the
Okanaga Building then signs off.
As Duane sees them out Iron Man is still frosty with him, and the others aren't much better. He wonders how he can do his job if they no longer trust him after discovering he's a member of the
Triune Understanding 'cult' which they are suspicious of. Even Triathlon who the Triune's foisted on them (
#27) is more in with them now.
In the
quinjet on the way to Chicago Triathlon asks Warbird why they all act concerned about Scarlet Witch over her super-powerful boyfriend Wonder-Man and her ex Vision. Carol says there are complications in both relationships.
When they land on the roof Vision explains he's been tailing Grim Reaper while he was away, seeing him contact Maggia leaders and now there's a big meeting going on in a riverfront warehouse
Inside we see Reaper and some familiar faces:-
Madame Masque of the Las Vegas Maggia, plus
Caesar Cicero and
Silvio Manfredi from New York. 2 names will turn out to belong to chars we know:-
Edward Lavell of the Gulf Coast and
Pierre Fresson from Europe. But the other 2
T B Smithson of Texas and
Shigeru Ichihara of the Pacific Rim have been invented for this issue (and only for this issue). Reaper suggests they should stop being separate organisations and band together to become even more powerful.
Avengers leader Wasp insists that the synthezoid tell her where he's been since
#23 (I thought he just did). But again with the ignoring as he says instead that
SHIELD are here to intercept any escapees but the Avengers will be the ones to go in. And he 'suggests' that Triathlon, Wasp and himself take out all the sentries. Which they do. Then Wasp orders the assault.
Madame Masque is happy with the current non-interference pacts. She's not going to open her borders and let her enemies in. Reaper says his boss won't take no for an answer. At this point the Avengers break in and Masque says she knew this was a trap.
Tony Stark knows it's impossible for
Whitney Frost to be here, but he still expected it. And Masque triggers her prepared defence and robot
Dreadnoughts break in from the opposite direction.
Wasp sends Goliath, Iron Man, She-Hulk and Warbird to tackle the big robots. She'll go after the mobsters' heavies with Triathlon and Vision while Scarlet Witch prepares to step in with spells where needed. Said heavies try to get their bosses to safety, but some of the bosses can make it out under their own power. Pierre Fresson turns out to be
Cyclone while She-Hulk captures the Texan. The
Golden Avenger goes after Cyclone but a Dreadnought gets in the way. Meanwhile Edward Lavell puts on his
Eel mask and tries to slip away, but Triathlon's boot in the face stops *him*. Then another batch of Dreadnoughts arrives but the Witch takes them all down with 1 hex.
Soon Grim Reaper and Madame Masque are the only villains still standing, and Reaper has Masque as a hostage with his scythe at her throat. He confirms to her that she was a prime target and his boss will be pleased when he delivers her. Masque calls out to Iron Man and says "She still loves you and she needs your help". And then her head explodes.
The Avengers are stunned into inaction and Reaper creates a smoke cloud to cover his escape. SHIELD rounds up the goons and 3 Maggia leaders (Smithson, Eel and I would guess Ichihara, although in my Comments I suggest it might be Manfredi). Wanda corners Vision and finally gets an answer. Vizh says he needed time to think after the confrontation with her and Simon in
#23. He's come to the conclusion that he had sought validation from others, but now he has taken responsibility for his own happiness.
Iron Man orders everyone back to the quinjet. They need to figure out what Reaper's up to and who he's working for, plus what's going on with Madame Masque. (He omits to mention finding out what's happened to Wonder Man.)
The crossover continues in
THUNDERBOLTS #42.