Writer: Fabian Nicieza
The mysterious figure, whose hand was seen at the end of issue 71, is revealed to be Citizen V who explains that the V-Battalion's airship, the Vanguard's engines have created a white hole which has swallowed half the V-Battalion. Citizen V goes on to explain that, in two hours time, the Northern Hemisphere will be fused into glass and explains that he needs muscle for the job which is why he's using the Thunderbolts instead of a scientific based team such as the Fantastic Four. Aware that Hawkeye does not trust him Citizen V uses a communicator to get the V-Battalion's new leader (who became their leader at the end of the "Citizen V and The V-Battalion: The Everlasting" mini-series), Jim Hammond (the original, Golden Age, Human Torch who fought with the Invaders in World War II) to confirm Citizen V's story. Much to everyone's surprise, Silver Sable re-appears at this point having freed herself from the prison the Crimson Cowl put her in way back in #69 (She'd been forgotten by the thunderbolts with everything else which had happened since).
After much debate, the Thunderbolts decide to help Citizen V and the V-Battalion, all except Cyclone who attempts to flee when Hawkeye gives him an option. However, before Cyclone can get far, Hawkeye fires one of his electric arrows shocking Cyclone and knocking him out of the sky, Hawkeye then puts Cyclone in the custody of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Just under twenty-five minutes later, at Castle Masada, in Symkaria (Home of the V-Battalion), the Thunderbolts are given the schematics of the Vanguard by Elizabeth Bairstow and Jim Hammond of the Penance Council and Hawkeye splits the Thunderbolts and their allies into three groups giving each group an area to fill the void from. Hawk sends Citizen V and Silver Sable to Engine Room on deck 6, BlackHeath and Songbird to the Hydroponics Lab on deck 3 and orders everyone else (that's Hawk himself, Amazon, Skein and Harrier) to start filling the void from Deck 1. Before anything can be done, Harrier accidentally flies into the White Hole but is rescued by Hawkeye who uses Amazon as his anchor; this is all a shock to Harrier.
All three groups of the Thunderbolts start feeding the white hole with volume at the same time hoping to close it by filling the white hole with as much matter as it needs. At that minute, Harrier's sensors clear from the static they encountered when he entered the white hole and he informs the other Thunderbolts that the plan won't work as the white hole is actually an endless pit rather then a simple void. Hawkeye decides that the only option left open to the Thunderbolts is to actually go inside the White hole and hopefully find a way to close it from inside. Hawk decides to go in alone as he is the most expendable as he has no super-human powers but the other Thunderbolts (Songbird, Harrier and Skein, Amazon remains behind as an anchor) decide to follow Hawkeye into the void and the void suddenly disappears. Amazon says she thought she saw something or someone come through the void and Hawkeye confirms it. The issue ends with a panel of a gun pointing at Hawkeye's head and Hawkeye himself having an arrow knocked on his bow ready to be fired.
Issue Synopsis by: James Hunter
Thunderbolts and all associated characters are the property of MARVEL COMICS TM&©2003.