Writer: Kurt Busiek
The Thunderbolts captured by Graviton are set to die at dawn the next day. Jolt and Charcoal the two Thunderbolts who did not go on the mission go to seek help. While on Sky Island Gravitons Island in the sky the Thunderbolts attempt to escape from where they have been imprisoned.
Archangel thinks about how things are not going as how he thought they would and he expected the Thunderbolts to throw in with gravitons scam. Atlas comments about how his costume was fixed by someone just after they moved into the new headquarters but the others deny they fixed his costume, which leaves Atlas to ponder just who did. When Hawkeye tries to get some sleep songbird goes to see him and apologizes for the way she's been acting recently and kisses him. Hawkeye pulls away knowing its wrong, since Mach-1 is in prison and she's with him. Hawkeye has a little talk with songbird just as Moonstone walks by at the end.
Meanwhile Mach-1 gets moved out of prison to see Henry Gyrinch of the Commission on Super Human Activities and agent Valerie Cooper.
Jolt and Charcoal end up getting help from the Machine Man. Graviton gets Moonstone to come to his room so he can talk to her and be merciful with her but Moonstone laughs at him and calls him pathetic which angers graviton as Moonstone is sent back to the Thunderbolts cell.
On the morning that the Thunderbolts are to die at gravitons hands jolt attacks him having just arrived from getting help from Machine Man. Charcoal frees the Thunderbolts as Jolt attacks Graviton. The other Thunderbolts join the fight with Graviton now wearing armbands made of Machine Man's innards to help them so Graviton can't get a lock on them.
As it looks like Graviton is on the verge of being defeated moonstone taunts him some more until Graviton morphs into a white and blue humanoid creature. With waves emitting outward he screams...
"I'm Gravitonnn..."
Comments: Another spectacular issue.The scene at the begining was a bit of a surprise to see but you get a sense that Graviton is a real threat throwing those police helicopters into space and them being stuck in orbit now. The Graviton story continues with him turning into something else more powerful.
The mystery of the 'elves' fixing things in the Thunderbolts base is touched on. Hawkeye is nice to Songbird about what she's going through and when she kisses him. More on the Mach-1 subplot with the commission of super human activities I wonder where this is going to lead. Its great to see Jolt and Charcoal getting help from the machine man one last time before he's made into something uglier in his own M-Tech title. Inventive with the wristbands that cancels the gravity equation from Machine Man's innards. I also liked how Moonstone mocked Graviton about his scheme was all he could think of when she's summoned to his quarters.
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.