Overview:

Roster

Heroes Reward

Techno enters and the team is prepared for a large press conference. The mayor begins his speech by recapping the Onslaught and Heroes Return stories and then introduces the Thunderbolts. He continues by announcing that the government has granted them the same security clearances that the Avengers and Fantastic Four had. Citizen V adds a few brief comments of his own before several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by G.W. Bridge attack. Bridge annonces that he's discovered the Thunderbolts are really the Masters of Evil, but Techno quickly releases an electromagnetic pulse that nullifies all the electrcial systems in the area. Songbird shields the Thunderbolts as they break up and escape. Jolt flees as well, hoping to gain some time to think.

Meteorite is the first to be seen again. Hawkeye fires two warning shots and orders her to surrender. Karla quickly knocks Hawkeye off the building and evades her pursuer before he regains his composure.

As Mach-1 and Songbird run from small mobs, Jolt catches a news broadcast announcing prior evidence of the Thunderbolts' ruse. Shocked, she runs through the streets.

The New Warriors, Spider-Man and Daredevil attempt to break into Four Freedoms Plaza. Their siege of the building keeps Atlas at bay until Meteorite races through unexpectedly taking Erik with her. The heroes are stunned enough that the two Thunderbolts make it into the building safely, as does Jolt who has entered through the sub-basements.

As the Thunderbolts regroup within Four Freedoms Plaza, Baron Zemo tells the group that he was the S.H.I.E.L.D. informant who revealed their identities. He continues by explaining that it was simply a ploy to convince the Thunderbolts to remain loyal to him. He gloats in his own cunning as the Thunderbolts take flight. As they leave, Zemo destroys Four Freedoms Plaza to keep their captors busy saving innocent bystanders. He enjoys watching the building destroyed as they leave, unaware that Jolt has hidden herself in the ship.

Characterizations

This seems vaguely familiar...

Four Freedoms Plaza had been constructed after the Baxter Building was destroyed Dr. Doom's heir, Kristoff Vernard, in Fantastic Four #278. Although it officially opened shortly before the Human Torch's wedding in issue 300, the dedication ceremony wasn't shown until Fantastic Four Annual #22. Since it is generally stated that every five years' worth of comic books is roughly equivalent to one year in the Marvel Universe, the existence of Four Freedoms Plaza in the Marvel Universe has been approximately two years.

The explosives set within Four Freedoms Plaza (presumably set by Techno) would certainly have to have been of a very high caliber. The walls were made using a carbon aramid thread, giving them incredible damage resistance capabilities despite their relative thinness. Similarly, the 1/4" thick windows were made of a carbon lattice (closely resembling dimaond) which has been "woven" into the integral building structure. Obviously, Techno spent a great deal of time and energy planting the necessary explosives.

There are a number of chronological indicators to specify when this issue occurs. Since the mayor makes references to the return of the Fantastic Four, Captain America and the Avengers, one safely can assume that the story is after Heroes Reborn: The Return. It also seems to occur after Captain America #1 since he was not sighted until that issue. Given Spider-Man's reference that the Fantastic Four cannot be reached, it can be assumed that these events are transpiring at the same time as those in Fantastic Four #1.

Next issue... The Plan!