Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Last issue ended with the Thunderbolts breaking into Nick Fury's secret base #20 - Home Run under the Yankee Stadium. Part of TB#135 fits between last issue and this showing the 'Bolts capturing Fury, Black Widow and Songbird, and Norman Osborn telling BW he'd been playing her all through her time with the team. The opening scene of this issue matches parts of the closing scenes of TB#135:-
TBolts Ghost, Mr X and Scourge (Nuke) take BW and SB away to TB#136. That's the last we'll see of them here.
Hawkeye (Bullseye) of the Dark Avengers beats up NF while H.A.M.M.E.R. troops hold him. Ares of the DAv is here too. Then Norman justifies why he's got Nick's old position (as head of the SHIELD replacement HAMMER). He claims the Government wants someone who'll do the dirty jobs that the public doesn't want to know about, without any annoying scruples. (But I thought Fury was basically like that too.) And he shoots Fury in the head.
Here endeth the overlap with TB#135.
Then the 'body' of NF makes some metallic noises and opens up. It's a Life Model Decoy, and out steps Ares' teen son Phobos (Alexander Aaron) of Fury's Secret Warriors.
The real Nick Fury is in Alexandria, Virginia with cyborg ex-SHIELD Agent John Garrett. Nick tells him about another ex-SHIELD guy who now works here for the Treasury. But data he uncovered (in #1) suggested Seth Waters was working for Hydra. He's set up a meeting with him for Garrett, and wants John to find out if it's true. Garrett says this feels more like the "older thing". Fury doesn't deny it.
We now flashback an hour to when Thunderbolts and HAMMER invaded Home Run. They were watched by Eden Fesi and Hellfire of the Warriors. Phobos was supposed to go in there as Fury and bring BW & SB out. But it's obviously all gone wrong. So they capture 2 HAMMER Agents, take their uniforms and infiltrate the invaders.
Now they shed their disguises, shoot the other HAMMER guys and put guns to the heads of Ares and Bullseye. Precog Alex wasn't worried - he *knew* they'd turn up to help him. Phobos greets his father. Osborn knows Alex is in the Secret Warriors and deduces the other 2 must be also.
Norman tries to get Alex to tell him where Nick Fury is with the promise of some kid's toys. Alex's response is hardly kid-like. So NO turns to threats. And Phobos responds with another of his powers - he instills fear in Osborn's heart, calling himself the God of Fear. Ares looks on approvingly.
Hawkeye/Bullseye isn't impressed and starts to fight back, but Ares stops him and compels him to back down. He tells his son that he did well. So he'll give the 3 of them a minute's start before coming after them. They take the hint.
Osborn is understandably enraged that Ares let them go. He swears they'll all die, even if Phobos *is* Ares' son.
Time for a scene change. In Fury secret base #22 Inside Straight, Sebastian Druid and Daisy Johnson (Quake) are on the way to see their injured teammate Yo-Yo Rodriguez (Slingshot). She had her arms cut off at the elbows (by Gorgon in #3) and they have been replaced by cyborg prostheses. Jerry Sledge (Stonewall) is already by her hospital bedside. Slingshot wants back on duty but Quake is worried about psychological trauma so only suggests a provisional go.
But it's all taken out of her hands when alarms sound. Eden, Hellfire and Phobos have just entered the base through 1 of Fesi's portals. But Ares, Bullseye and Osborn as Iron Patriot have followed them with a horde of HAMMER troops. And the base has initiated a 5-minute self-destruct sequence.