Synopsis / Summary / Plot
The Avengers and SHIELD have been dealing with 3 problems simultaneously since this series began. Gorgon has raised a giant dragon from the Earth, and the island of Madripoor is on its head. Morgan Le Fay has raised zombies from the Cities of the Dead beneath some European cities. And AIM Island has exploded with futuristic technology.
Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner are advising Maria Hill, Director of SHIELD, on helicarrier Iliad. She decides to concentrate on AIM first, but is beaten to the punch when Andrew Forson their Scientist Supreme gives a television interview at a scientific symposium.
Forson fields the opening question of the extreme weather in the US allegedly caused by by Barbuda island's sudden expansion. His people are investigating, and if it's true AIM will take responsibility. In the meantime they are sending humanitarian aid anyway. Personally he thinks it's more to do with America's pollution, and on that point he promises an AIM breakthrough in renewable energy.
Next Hill gets a call from Xian Zheng Director of SPEAR, the just-revealed Chinese equivalent of SHIELD. Their flying HQ, the Circle, is trying to stop the dragon from attacking Shanghai. His superhero troop the Ascendant aided by Avenger Falcon are fighting Hand warriors on smaller dragons. The rest of the Avengers team (Black Widow, Shang-Chi and Wolverine) sent to Madripoor is onboard the Circle. But suddenly transmission is cut off as the big dragon attacks them.
Bruce Banner contacts Tony Stark to suggest he confronts Forson at the symposium. (But both scientists can't help speculating what AIM's renewable energy solution will be.) Iron Man flies there at top speed.
Maria Hill contacts the Avengers Hawkeye and Spider-Woman they sent to the initial trouble-spot in Velletri, Italy. (Starbrand wandered off in #4, and Nightmask isn't visible this issue either.) They have been joined by a new team Euroforce led by Black Knight in fighting the 1st zombie outbreak.
Iron Man smashes his way into the television studio. He and the Scientist Supreme exchange insults about them both having initially made their money from selling arms. But Forson also gets in cracks about the Superhero Civil War and Stark 'allowing' Norman Osborn to take over the country in Dark Reign.
But Forson claims that now AIM is a force for good. They've got a source of tech from the future, and they're willing to share it with mankind. But obviously Iron Man and the forces he represents don't want that to happen.
Then 'Forson' kills the transmission and reveals himself to be a robot with a built-in bomb.
Back on the Iliad Maria Hill abandons her post to check on another strand of her defence. Cannonball and Sunspot return from the future where they were sent to investigate AIM's source of tech. She's expecting the robot Jocasta to be with them, but instead they've brought back the Next Avengers, children of the current Avengers (who Hill already knew about).
Sunspot tells Hill that Jocasta let them in on 1 of Maria's secrets, that she had a team of Secret Avengers who agreed to have their memories wiped after every mission. But Hill utters the codeword 'Reverie', and the Avenger duo immediately forget where they've been.
The final pages show the continuing problems, now including AIM forces descending on the White House.