Synopsis
The Avengers #321 synopsis by
T Vernon
Rating:
Conception Bay, St. John’s, Newfoundland: As the Avengers (Captain America, Sersi, Quasar, Vision, Stingray) and the Russian team, the People’s Protectorate (Vostok, Perun, Fantasma, Crimson Dynamo, Red Guardian) are locked in a stalemate with the terrorist organization Peace Corpse over the hijacked nuclear sub Waterwind, Alpha Flight (Guardian (Heather McNeil), Diamond Lil, Box, Puck, Shaman) have arrived claiming jurisdiction as they are on Canadian soil. Cap explains that they want the terrorists stopped and the submarine returned. People’s Protectorate wants the Russian villains in custody. Alpha Flight want the foreign heroes out of their country. So, they work together….
Guardian grants the Waterwind leave to enter a berthing facility to make their repairs, escorted by Vision, Quasar, Vostok, and Crimson Dynamo; she adds a warning that this temporary asylum will fail if they harm another hostage. The three hero teams establish an HQ nearby as Vostok runs an MRI on the sub to see what the terrorists are hiding below. Cap notes that Heather has grown into her role as the new Guardian….
Aboard the sub, the rebellious Strokov discovers a flattened bullet on the deck so they realize that the shell did not penetrate Stingray’s helmet. Strokov is growing increasingly impatient with Major Prokvitch’s satisfaction with the way the mission is going but Prokvitch knows the offer of asylum is only a ruse for the heroes to prepare an attack. Knowing they will not be permitted to take the craft into New York Harbor, the terrorists will make their final assault here so they arm the nuclear warheads….
In their temporary HQ, the heroes gather around a map of the Waterwind, planning the best means of attack. Vostok and Vision suggest that they decide on an acceptable casualty rate which Shaman finds reprehensible; Cap agrees with Shaman, proposing two teams, one to infiltrate and incapacitate the terrorists and the other to evacuate the civilians. Cap picks for the first team himself, Vostok, Box, Vision, and Puck. Red Guardian insists on joining that team as he and the Peace Corpse leader, Major Illyich Prokvitch, are childhood friends….
Back in the ruined Atlantean city, Tyrak, Orka, and U-Man are enraged because they lost the bout with the hero teams which is merely their latest failure against the surface world. Tyrak wonders what was so important about that sub they were fighting over and launches a communications probe to find out. The device picks up an international broadcast outlining the situation. Tyrak decides that their next course of action will be to go to St. John’s and cause the nukes to detonate on the surface….
Cap’s team (Puck, specifically) overpowers the guard and enters the sub, counting down the six terrorists; a miscalculation: Box’s armor is too large to permit him to enter the craft so he converts into a submersible to search the sub for weaknesses on the outside. Inside, Vision thumps another guard (four); they then find the hostages and take down Allanson, the British traitor working with the terrorists (three). The villains’ lone female member (Voroshilov) is sent to investigate the noise; Vostok turns her gun into a huge flower and Red Guardian knocks her out (two). The team hurries to the weapons room to find the last two terrorists (Prokvitch and Strokov) have biologically attached themselves to the missile control console, making themselves into living nuclear arsenals….
Story #2Mother of Invention
Writer:
Mark Gruenwald. Penciler:
Jim Reddington. Inker:
Mickey Ritter. Colorist:
Joe Rosas. Letterer:
Ed Lazarelli.
Synopsis
At the Avengers’ new headquarters, house inventor
Fabian Stankowicz is supervising the crates of equipment being placed in his large workshop area. Looking over his stuff he comes across the
Mechano-Marauder armor which he used to fight the Avengers as a wannabe villain. Regretting his foolish behavior, he is grateful that the Avengers forgave him and hired him for the team. Then he realizes that the authorities impounded the Mechano-Marauder armor and he couldn’t have packed it. The helmet then jumps on his head, the armor encases his body and, against his will, his arms rise and blast all of his crates of equipment to pieces. His mother then enters, expressing disgust at his behavior. Fabian had been told his mother died when he was just a baby. Mother reveals that she walked out on the family when he was a baby because she was fed up with the two of them. Now she has dropped by to see how he turned out and she is disappointed. As she walks out, Fabian’s arm rises and kills her with a blast. He is shattered, insisting it was the suit that did it….