Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Months ago a beam of energy containing a human figure bounced of some satellites near the sun. Now that beam approaches Earth.
In the Arctic Thunderbolts HQ Erik Josten/Atlas is feeling antsy. He goes out for a walk in the snow but it doesn't do any good. He's alright when he's given a job to do by Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (or before that by Baron Zemo or Hawkeye) but he doesn't like inaction. He wishes his young pal Jolt were here - she could always cheer him up.
Fixer has forbidden the use of mobile phones for security reasons. But Erik thinks a few rounds of Candy Crush can't do any harm. However as soon as he turns the phone on he hears the voice of sometime-TBolt and friend Man-Killer (but she spent more time fighting them as a member of 2 of the Masters Of Evil teams). She now appears through a portal with another MOE team, homing in on his phone's signal.
Katrina van Horn asks Erik to (re-)join them (he was part of an earlier group, and of course the Tbolts themselves started off as a disguised MOE) or else ... . But the threat decides him to fight them instead. He uses a tactic he's been taught against a large group - keep dodging around so they get in each other's way. Atlas' version involves using his shrinking and growing power. Until he runs into Man-Killer's fist when human-size. Then the rest of them kick him while he's down.
Then the bolt of energy arrives, scattering the baddies, and out of it steps Jolt. She immediately takes stock of the situation, turns back to energy and carries Josten's limp body a long way away. Dazed Erik can't believe it's really her, so she explains how the Young Allies sent her back from Counter-Earth as electricity. She bounced of various satellites on the way but got trapped in Earth's magnetic field when she arrived. But she somehow detected Erik thinking about her and zeroed in on that. But now Atlas has lost consciousness.
Back at the portal Baron Zemo steps through to join his minions. Van Horn explains what has happened, but Zemo doesn't care that Atlas has escaped. He left his phone behind and the HQ door open.
Inside Karla Sofen/Moonstone is worrying at something like a sore tooth while Abe Jenkins/Mach-X and Melissa Gold/Songbird are bickering over a supply run to get clothes for newbie Melissa. Karla goes to see Norbert Ebersol/Fixer about a previous supply run that Abe and Erik did (#6). She and Bert were left with Kobik the young girl Cosmic Cube. But she thinks she's missing a few hours from that day. Fixer is sure he can remember everything but he'll check his internal logs.
Bucky is in his room brooding over his latest encounters with Steve Rogers/Captain America (#7-8) and Black Widow (in her #9-10) when he gets a text from Erik's phone. He rushes out to tell Josten off for breaking security - and is ambushed by the MOE.
Fixer and Moonstone confront Kobik about their missing time. Mach-X and Songbird come to see what all the shouting is about. Kobik is about to tell them how the pair were being bad to her when there's a sudden power failure. When the backup kicks in they find they have been joined by Zemo.
Kobik is very angry because Zemo attacked her (Avengers Standoff: Assault On Pleasant Hill Omega). He was angry then because she'd imprisoned him, along with the Thunderbolts and many others, in a living dream/nightmare. But now he has another plan. He drops a ball which he says is a miniaturised containment device devised by Erik Solvig. And it expands to entrap her painfully in a force bubble.
While Bucky is outside fighting the MOE, the Baron offers the others a job. They were all part of the other MOE that he turned into the original TBolts. He draws on the bond between them to ask them to abandon Winter Soldier's battle against alien invasions and join his team again - with the power of Kobik at their command.
At this point the MOE drag in a beaten Bucky Barnes - an example of the alternative to accepting his proposal.
Songbird gives her answer with a blast of sound that breaks the device (I think) controlling the forcefield. Freed Kobik freezes everyone but herself and Bucky - and she uses her power to heal him. Then the others unfreeze. Abe sides with Melissa and they run off to get Jenkins' armour. Kobik's power has unleashed a maelstrom - until she vanishes with Bucky.
Zemo sends Wrecker and some others after Mach-X and Songbird. He assumes that Fixer and Moonstone are on his side - but Norbert doesn't sound so sure.
Bucky seems to wake up as his teenage self in WWII.