Synopsis / Summary / Plot
This issue follows Hydra's Avengers led by Superior Octopus on a little Secret Empire adventure of their own. As he pilots their quinjet and tries to ignore Deadpool's annoying chatter Otto Octavius thinks to himself that their 7th member is really superfluous - *he* always found 6 was the right number for a group (ie the various versions of his Sinister Six).
Wade Wilson turns his attention to baiting Thor Odinson as Doctor Octopus mentally reviews his compatriots' motivations and abilities. DP's healing factor would unfortunately make throwing him out of the plane futile. He and the disgraced Thunder God are both here out of loyalty to Captain America.
Black Ant and Taskmaster are here for the money. Otto is concerned that TM's photographic reflexes would allow him to duplicate Ock's own unique fighting style (but without the extra mechanical arms). But he's not concerned about Ant using his size-changing abilities in any of the spectacular ways *he* could think of.
Scarlet Witch and Vision join them after making out in the rear cabin. She is currently controlled by the demon Chthon. He/it has been reprogrammed to support Hydra. (But we see a little good Vision inside trying to get out.)
Super-Ock explains the team's mission (again, because Wade wasn't listening before). Hydra have set up a force-shield around Earth to keep out invading Chitauri (but also to keep out lots of pesky heroes). The shield is sustained by a worldwide network of power transmitters. The 1 in Uzbekistan was destroyed yesterday. A problem was detected in the Swiss 1, the North side of which explodes as they reach it. But the Avengers will stop the perpetrators escaping.
Octavius divides the team into 3 groups to stop the other quarters of the installation being destroyed. Deadpool and Vision will go East, Black Ant and Taskmaster go West while he, SW and Thor go South. They have earbuds to keep in communication (except for Deadpool).
Ant and TM immediately run into an alien blob with multiple eyes and pseudopod/claws. BA shrinks and dives through an eye. Then he grows to explode the creature from inside - but finds himself trapped as the skin won't break. Taskie attacks and slashes an exit wound for him. The alien dies.
Pre-warned DP and Vision find 2 more aliens. Vizh goes intangible and 'Pool cuts of an arm but it's only a holding action. Wade comments that he hears voices, but that's quite usual for him. But the 3rd team are already deep in battle with several of them and calling for help.
Taskmaster is fighting some more aliens when they get in telepathic contact with him. They claim to be a peaceful race who came to Earth to evaluate humanity's suitability to be given advanced technology. They are trying to bring down the barrier so they can go home. TM has somehow met up with DP who realises *that's* what the voices he heard were. But only Tony Masters could hear them clearly. And TM claims that the aliens are here to kill off the human race.
All the Avengers now set to with increased ferocity and annihilate their opponents. (They all now seem to be in the same place.) Only Odinson mourns their death.
And we realise that Octopus has stolen 1 of Black Ant's batches of Pym Particles that he uses to change size.