New Defenders, The (1983 series) #130

The Secret Empire’s rocket shoots up into the sky, with Valkyrie and Moondragon clinging to its side. Moondragon reveals that her mental powers are too weak to pierce the force fields protecting the rocket’s controls and suggests they leap to freedom. But Val, knowing there is no other way to stop the satellite, uses Dragonfang to crack the casing of the guidance computer, sending the rocket down toward Earth but then someone on the ground takes control and the rocket travels upward again….

Down in the control room, Mad-Dog has just corrected the course when Cloud forms behind him and blasts him with a lightning bolt, just as the rocket explodes. Angel rushes up to Moondragon’s rescue and he catches her, having blown up the rocket and teleported herself and Val away just before the explosion but not far enough and they are both stunned. Gargoyle joins Angel by catching Valkyrie and they use their wings to slow their descent. By this time, Iceman has created an ice slide and snow cushion to bring his comrades to a safe halt. They are making sure everyone is well when they are attacked by Mad-Dog and the Mutant Force. But the heroes fight aggressively so that when Nick Fury and his SHIELD agents arrive, the bad guys are all vanquished….

After all is cleared up we learn that Seraph had transmitted their location to her superior Colonel Rodian Razumihin to get the Americans and the Russians to the site. Professor Power and his top aides have escaped but the threat is over for now. But Angel opines that there’s nothing stopping the USA and USSR from causing World War III on their own. Razumihin reluctantly agrees and turns with Seraph to go but an angry word from Cloud halts them. Cloud accuses Seraph of helping the Secret Empire kill her parents and kidnap her and for that there must be justice. Seraph apologizes, saying there was nothing she could have done about it without breaking her cover. Cloud summons a storm cloud but Moondragon persuades her to look into her heart for the pain and compassion she sees there and forget vengeance; Cloud cries and falls into MD’s arms. This surprises the other Defenders who had never seen such a display of compassion by Moondragon—but Val still fears something she can’t define….

The Defenders return to their new Angel’s Aerie headquarters, each with serious concerns on their mind, to discover the place in a shambles and Professor Power holding Candy Southern and Dolly Donahue prisoner. He releases them as he does not want to harm innocents, claiming that Candy was injured only because she resisted him. He condemns the Defenders not because they interfered with his plans but for the unforgivable crime of denying his son justice. And he lashes out with his Alpha-Waves and the strength of his battle-suit and easily batters the good guys. Moondragon advises that, since they cannot best him physically, they nut do it mentally. She insists that Power’s son Matthew’s consciousness is still alive in his body so she employs her psychic powers to bring Matthew’s mind to the forefront where he wrestles with his father, driving him insane. Beast says he hopes Moondragon can live with what she’s done because he can’t….

Four days later, Warren and Candy are looking over her plans for expanding the Aerie, though he is still interested in Moondragon, Cloud relaxes by the pool, Bobby also moons over Moondragon, Hank announces that a) he has booked a college lecture and b) the New Defenders have been granted official government clearance. The teammates are all thrilled with the news, except for one (Moondragon, unsmiling in the final panel)….