Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Quake turns up at Avengers Tower in answer to last issue's general emergency call. This gives Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman and Wolverine the chance to explain what's going on. Captain America, Giant-Man, Iron Man and Thor have gone into a micro-universe in Central Park because they think Wasp may be trapped there.
In the microverse they have indeed found Janet Van Dyne, but they are all under attack by Lord Gouzar and his forces. The Avengers' bodies and technology don't function perfectly in this environment. Wasp fails to warn Hank Pym in time that becoming giant-sized here will risk a heart attack, and he collapses, pinning Iron Man in his malfunctioning armour. Even Thor succumbs to the advanced weaponry, and Cap's shield doesn't protect him enough. Jan tries to invade Gouzar's armour wasp-sized, but he captures her too.
Red Hulk and Vision are standing guard over the mechanism Pym used to shrink himself and the others. Wolverine was supposed to be with them, but he excused himself to go to the bathroom 9 hours ago. Now he returns with the squad from the Tower. Quake calls Maria Hill to turn this into a SHIELD operation.
4 of the captive Avengers (except Iron Man) awake to find themselves sharing an underground cell. Wasp tells her version of the end of Secret Invasion. She had grown uncontrollably big, and Thor seemed about to reluctantly attack her. So she shrank on reflex, blacked out, and awoke here. Thor explains that the Skrulls had turned her into a bomb.
Jan doesn't know where she is. Hank tells her they're in a microverse. She also learns that Pym had been replaced by a Skrull, and it was the Pym-Skrull that made her a bomb. He's been feeling guilty ever since. But Wasp is just glad they've come to rescue her now.
In return, Jan tells them about Lord Gouzar, the local crimelord. Who is now in his flying flagship trying to use Cap's shield to pry Iron Man's armour off. All he gets for his trouble is a face full of blast from Stark's chest repulsor implant.
The others hear that, and Thor smashes a way out of their cell by hurling Mjolnir. Almost power-less Iron Man is using Cap's shield offensively and defensively, when Thor's hammer slams into the flying craft.