Writer: Kurt Busiek
The Thunderbolts are pitted against brute force and the shocktroopers in a fight to appease the people that have joined with the secret empire, while citizen V watches on from above. While the battle rages on Citizen V contacts 'Piers' to patch her into a phone line to make a call.
Hawkeye comes up with a plan for the thunderbolts and the ones that they are fighting to attack the force field that's holding all off them in a little arena. Hawkeye assumes that the Empires men would jump at the to get to freedom so they will all work together to free themselves. The leader of squad against Hawkeye agrees but moonstone doesn't think they should risk exhausting themselves to bring down a force field. Hawkeye shrugs it off as Moonstone and Songbird blast as the weakening force field until it breaks open. As Hawkeye calls the shocktroopers that were against him that they now have freedom he is knocked down by their leader. The leader of the shocktroopers only agreed to the scheme to get the Thunderbolts to waste their energy and drop their guard.
The Thunderbolts exhausted start to fall until US Agent and the Jury bust into the place proclaiming the Thunderbolts are under arrest. Astonished to find out what is going on the Thunderbolts fighting the shocktroopers and Brute force US Agent and The Jury lend a hand. The Elite of the Secret Empire decide to abandon the base so Dr.Hesperus ChadWick their genetics laboratory doctor who runs off to duplicate files they don't have elsewhere before they abandon the base.
Citizen V stalks off further into the tunnels satisfied that the US Agent and the Jury had arrived and were now helping the Thunderbolts.
Meanwhile William Taurey leader of the Secret Empire at the base runs off from the battle to contact the benefactor for the Secret Empire who turns out to be Baron Zemo.
Taurey offers Zemo the chance to destroy the Thunderbolts personally since there still contained within the base but Zemo declines saying the situation would work better as a test for organization to see if they can cope and show Zemo their mettle.
Dr.Hesperus ChadWick makes it to his lab to discover Citizen V waiting for him announces that the lab has been mined and promptly blows up the lab as the doctor runs for his life.
The Thunderbolts escape the place they were in by rewiring one of the Imperial Forces devices that was set to kill them all with vibrations. Songbird screams into the sonic array at the mouth of the cannon and instead of it pouring out energy it takes it in and magnifies it and send it through the base's power system effectively overloading everything in the base. The Thunderbolts, US Agent and the Jury make it outside while the US Agent lets the Thunderbolts leave to chase after the Secret Empire, while he waits to deal with the authorities.
The Thunderbolts Chase after the Secret Empires ship with the Champscraft now being called the T-bird by Mooonstone but ultimately they escape. Not before learning that William Taurey thinks they captured Dr. Chadwick which leads the Thunderbolts to wonder what else was going on back at the base that they didn't know about. Citizen V had captured Dr. Chadwick and beings to wonder if her vendetta against the Thunderbolts serves and purpose at all.
As the Thunderbolts head back to the small Colorado town of Burton Canyon Hawkeye comments about Charcoal and Jolt having to study for school which doesn't leave Jolt happy at all. The Thunderbolts arrive back in their base to discover 6 new atomic Steeds wrapped with red ribbon, even one atomic steed big enough for Atlas to fit onto.
Hawkeye says Jolt will have to talk to Moonstone about school since their is more to her attitude about not wanting to go then hating school and says "Were got one priority only. Someone else is living in our HQ and we're going find out who!" which sets up next issue.
Comments: There's a very nice cover to this issue instead of another battle scene it centres on Moonstone which doesn't directly tie into the issue but the figures she is shooting at can be identified as the Brute Force. This issue had a rather big battle scene in it but was still a great one that just continued to get better after each page. The leader of the Shocktroopers not escaping and going with Hawkeye's scheme was nice. It was also nice to see him thinking or what Captain America would do and that Hawkeye was actually wrong for once. Never would have guessed that Citizen V was calling the US Agent and the Jury that was interesting to see them again. The Secret Empire lives to fight another day like any organization of villains should.
Finally Baron Zemo! I was waiting forever for him to show his face again just the way he is made his small appearance worth it and it was good to see that he was tied into something again. I do wonder what will become of Citizen V and when she will meet up with the Thunderbolts again.
It looks like next issue will be great with the mystery of who is living in the base, still looking forward to seeing Techno if he's living in the base or whatever he's been up to. Its just too much of a coincidence that Atlas spotted someone that looked like him outside of a window in one of the previous issues. Sadly next mouth will be Kurt Busiek's last issue, but a with Fabian Nicieza writing #34 I think the book will be in good hands.
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.