Synopsis
Last issue Finesse, Hazmat and Veil took filmed and posted revenge on the now-powerless Hood for Tigra. But when she found out she expelled them from Avengers Academy.
This issue begins by continuing that scene with Tigra deaf to their protests and leaving the room. Veil begs Dr Henry Pym for mercy because her power is killing her and he's her only hope. Giant-Man says he's not going to let her die. He suggests they go home to their parents for a while until he works things out with Tigra. And then he leaves all the students alone. Hazmat says they can't expel her because she quits. Striker says this will make him even more famous and he'll get a TV deal. Mettle tries to console Veil and leaves the room with her. Only Finesse and Reptil are left. Reptil says that as class leader he should have stopped it happening. Tactless Finesse agrees with him which sends him off in a huff.
But the thought of parents triggers a different response in Jeanne Foucault. She's never known who her biological father is but her speed-learning abilities suggest it might be the villain Taskmaster (and her legal parent were both criminals who were trained by him). So she goes to see Quicksilver who she's blackmailing into helping her and asks him to track the villain down. He locates 1 of TM's training facilities that he's recently abandoned and agrees to go with her to search for info on TM's whereabouts - which will be marginally more interesting than attending the staff meeting Pym's just called.
Hank Pym and Tigra are meeting with Jocasta, Justice and Speedball. Greer Nelson can't understand what there is to discuss. Vance Astrovik reminds her that she too took revenge on Hood's gang, and nearly beat *him* up. Greer puts up excuses and says she learned from it, which Vance says is a chance the students should have. She angrily responds by accusing him of leading on Veil who has a crush on him. Hank parts them and asks Speedball's opinion. He sides with Justice and says that they need the school to stop them going further down the path to supervillainy. Robot Jocasta agrees with him. Tigra declares she'll quit if they let the delinquents back in, and storms off.
Finesse and Quicksilver have found that the Nevada training site isn't really abandoned and have had to subdue a horde of minions. Pietro Maximoff has now speed-searched the place and found no forwarding address for the boss. He says he'd better respond to Pym's insistent calls but Finesse decides to stay for a closer look. She promises to use her Avengers Communicard if she has a problem and he zooms off. But as soon as he's gone a shuriken slices the card in half, and Taskmaster reveals his presence. He's heard about her and attacks to see if her skills match his.
Q reaches the Infinite Avengers Mansion and sees T leaving the meeting room. He too thinks they were right to overrule her. Throwing the kids out would leave them ripe for a master manipulator villain like his father Magneto to lead them down the wrong path. She finally admits that she *wanted* to do what they did, but that even when she (viciously) attacked his gang she *knew* it was wrong. But these kids are proud of what they did. Pietro counters that's just because they're still kids and their parents are mostly either absent or not good role models. But (to maintain his bad-boy shtick) he urges her to quit anyway because her quarters are better than his and he could do with an upgrade.
Back in Nevada the fight is on, Finesse's batons vs Taskmaster's sword and shield (and both chars' agility and fighting skill). TM chides her for not using more lethal weapons, but she replies that her teachers won't let her have them. But *she* likes them, and takes his sword off him. So now it's sword vs shield, and a bit later just fists. He accuses her of learning her all moves off modern chars on the Internet and says he's watched newsreels of Captain America at his peak in WWII as he throws his round shield at her. She dodges but runs into his foot. As he continues to beat her he commends the exploits of the superpower-less WWII Angel and American Avenger, throttling her with a cord like AA's lariat. But she throws him off and takes the fight to *him*, reminding us that in the earlier issues she fought Iron Fist, learned (blunt) swordplay from Valkyrie and fought Steve Rogers himself.
Then he abruptly gives up the fight. He's learned how good she is and she *might* be his child. But he denies remembering her mother amongst all his trainees over the years. She asks him for a hair to do a DNA comparison but he refuses to release such personal information. But he has a warning for her if her ability works like his. He remembers everybody's moves but that takes up so much of his brain that there's no room for personal memories. It's got worse the more skills he's memmorised, and in a week's time he may have forgotten *her*. But this fight may help him hang on to that memory. But he commends her current situation with the Academy. She's living off Tony Stark's money, and when it all turns sour she'll have lots of inside info to sell.
Hours later the gang are all back together in the Mansion. Tigra has relented and the 3 are now only on probation with extra classes on anger management and ethics. Hazmat says "What if I don't want to come back?" but Greer calls her bluff. Veil hugs Justice in gratitude. Striker admits to Mettle that his agent couldn't get him the type of gig he wanted. Speedball admires Tigra for what she's done. But in her quarters she rewatches the footage of Hood being beaten up.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Justice (
Vance Astrovik).