Avengers Solo (2011 series) #3

Before he was killed Tulio Guzman asked Hawkeye (Clint Barton) to find his missing sister Marcia and gave him a file about a suspicious drug study headed by Dr Forrest. The case wound up involving villains Chance, Trapster and enhanced(?) soldiers working for a Corporation headed by Angela Golden. They were seeking a group of people (Alicia, Emi, Jake and Melanie) who were aided by an armoured char Trace. After a battle against the foe last issue Trace unmasked as Alicia who Clint recognised as Marcia Guzman. She has the ability to change the size her body somewhat. And she believes Captain America is behind the bad guys.

She now tells Hawkeye how she was a subject in the drug test but she developed some flu-like symptoms so she went to the company for help. There she noticed pictures of Cap all over the place. But instead of helping her they tried to restrain her so she ran away. Clint says he can't believe Cap's involved, and anybody could have pictures of him. But this is why she didn't want the group to ask anyone for help, because *no-one* would believe Cap was evil. She supposes maybe they convinced him it was for the greater good, but Hawkeye says Cap wouldn't want to turn random women into super-soldiers. Alicia says she thinks that was an accident, it was supposed to affect their children.

Last issue Hawk took a tracker that Chance had planted on Trace and left it somewhere else. Now they're staking it out waiting for the bad guys to show up. They (including Trapster) arrive in black vans and Hawkeye leaps in shooting arrows while Trace sneaks up on a van. Our hero is doing very well against the footsoldiers when Trapster joins in, but Trace speeds over and knocks him down. However the villain manages to paste Trace to the ground and gum Clint's mouth up. But Hawk stills manages to kick him in the face and unconscious.

Off-panel Clint presumably uses Trapster's solvent to free himself and Trace. He also takes Trapster's belt of paste capsules and others, and calls Det Bright who's investigating Tulio Guzman's murder to send some cops to take Trapster and the goons in. The other fugitives have ditched their phones just in case, and have gone to a place belonging to a friend of Jake's in Brooklyn. The only way Alicia knows how to get there is via the subway so Clint can't just call up his sky-cycle. On the way (both in civilian clothes) he tells her that Tony Stark regularly improves it for him. Alicia reckons that means Stark could track him. Barton admits that's probably true but he won't do because he's just as not involved as Cap is.

Emi's not happy that Alicia has brought Hawkeye to their new bolt-hole (which seems to be a garment-manufacturing place) and that he'd (previously) shown Tulio's file to Cap. She suggests they leave the city and take their info to a reporter. Barton counters that any such reporter would likely get killed like Tulio. And there was nothing in Tulio's file to suggest Cap was involved so he showed it to him to ask for advice. Cap didn't try to stop him investigating, and he'd know that Clint would take him down if he was guilty. Mel says Tuli trusted Hawk, and her boyfriend Jake backs her so Emi is outvoted. Clint says he'll leave if they want and keep their secrets, but he'd still go after the villains.

Emi says that they stole some files last week which show that 6% of the test subjects developed some kind of enhancement. She's worried that Stark or the Government won't make them Register (like in the Civil War event). Clint can't *promise* something like that won't happen. But he *will* promise not to involve the other Avengers unless they want him to. They look over the files which suggest the testing involved 4 formulae to produce specific traits in any babies. But they don't have any list of subject names, and the clinics have all been closed down now and stripped of everything. There's supposedly a central lab but they don't know where it is.

Barton says he'll go and interrogate tomorrow some of the men taken in today to see if any of them know. Alicia offers to come with him in the Trace suit but he says he'll be going to see the homicide detective, then Avengers Mansion to get more arrows, and then a prison. And all of these would probably have questions for her. Emi reads out some more data:- There were 5 clinics with about 400 subjects each which means that more than 100 women wound up enhanced. And apparently 15 of them died. There's only 1 confirmed enhancement for an 'incendiary' formula which was Nita Young who was framed for Forrest's death (as mentioned in #1). Clint wonders if she was taking some other drugs which made her a special case. He puts on his Hawkeye duds and says he'll stand guard while they get some sleep - and he obsesses over how not-well he's done so far, and a niggling doubt that maybe Cap *is* working with the baddies.

We next see Clint Barton at Avengers Mansion restocking his armoury, especially fitting capsules from Trapster's belt to some of his arrows. Then in walks Cap, the person he least wants to face at the moment, who says he's seen the police report on Clint's case. Barton feels he has to tell him that he thinks armoured Trace is on the good side, and that there may be something like a powers-for-sale scam. Steve Rogers offers to help but Clint has to turn him down. Steve perceptively asks if that has anything to do with how antsy Tuli Guzzman was when he came to the Mansion (#1). Barton says it's a long story and exits quickly, leaving Steve looking thoughtful.

Next we see Hawkeye visiting Chance in prison. Apparently Trapster and the others are well lawyered up, but Chance has been left hanging in the wind. But he's still not willing to talk. However Barton gives him something he can't resist - a wager. He hands over an unopened pack of cards which the villain can check over and shuffle. Then they do straight cuts. If Hawk wins then Chance answers some questions. If Chance wins then Barton will get him transferred to a rich guys prison. Chance accepts and chooses to play Aces low. He cuts and gets a Queen. Hawk cuts and gets a King (what are the odds!). Mercenary Nick Powell tells him that his payment came from a shell company called PBI and his only contact was Angela Golden. He doesn't know where the main base is, but he thinks some of the goons, maybe including Trapster, were being paid with a drug. Hawkeye leaves him with the cards.

Outside he's attacked by a vanfull of guys who seem to be mutated. This is the reaction he was hoping for. He's joined by Trace, but this time he's told that Emi is in the armour in case he needs a doctor again. As they battle the baddies she tells him that 3 of them share the suit. Hawk blows up the van and Angela Golden staggers out telling her troops to concentrate on capturing Trace. The 'mutants' are apparently motivated with the promise of a cure. They pile on Trace and she blasts Hawkeye to stop him from 'saving' her as they drag her into the van and drive off. But she's hoping he can follow on his sky-cycle.

---

Story #2

Fight or flight

Writer: Jim McCann. Penciler/Inker: Clayton Henry. Colorist: Chris Sotomayor. Letterer: Dave Sharpe.

Synopsis

Avengers Academy headmaster Giant-Man and students Finesse and Striker are investigating activity at an old lab of Henry Pym's in Death Valley. Inside they found android versions of old West Coast Avengers heroes Hawkeye, Iron Man, Mockingbird, Tigra and Wonder Man.

Dr Pym advises his students not to do anything to wake the androids up while he finds a way to deactivate them. But publicity-hound Brandon Sharpe wants 1 made of him and mass produced for his fans. And Pym only manages to switch Iron Man off before the others come to life. Pym needs them back on their podiums in order to turn them off.

Baton-wielding femmes Finesse and Mockingbird square off. 'Bobbi Morse' gets the 1st blow in but Finesse can learn her moves. Hawkeye just stands around threatening to fire an arrow at Striker but Wonder Man grabs him in a bear hug. However the teen activates WM's belt jets which take them through the roof. He then removes the belt and zaps the android as it falls to the ground. Pym's gone giant-size with Tigra clambering over him as he catches his falling student. Brandon then dons the belt-jets and reaches the ground under his own power. Giant-Pym has Tigra in hand (literally) and Finesse has turned the tables on MB. (I don't know what's happened to Hawkeye.)

But then GM gets blasted from behind and the female Ultron called Alkhema introduces herself.