| Solicit | - Shocking new era begins for the Initiative! Where Camp Hammond once trained future Avengers, Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. now trains tomorrow's Dark Avengers! Under orders from Norman Osborn, your new Principals are Taskmaster and the criminal kingpin, the Hood. They’re registering villains as heroes and spreading Norman’s empire across the nation with such specialized classes as How to Fake Being Champions While Fleecing the Citizens You’re Supposed to Protect! But the heroes who once made up the Initiative aren't about to let this happen. Hunted by the law, hidden from sight, a resistance movement has formed...and they're out to stop a Dark Reign from falling over the Fifty State Initiative...by any means necessary!
* This issue is reprinted in other comics and books, see references for more info.
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| Synopsis | - The Avengers Resistance is raiding a bank in Charlotte, North Carolina, but they are surrounded by law enforcement.
Flashing to a week earlier, Norman Osborn is at a press conference, informing the public of the changes he's made to the Initiative. He had set up Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. in New Mexico, which use to be a Hulkbuster base and made new teams for all fifty states. However, the reporters asks why he put criminal teams on them. He responds that there have been criminals who have been heroes, justifying Diamondback and Constrictor as examples.
In the present, the Avengers Resistance had finished their mission of installing a Trojan horse in the bank's database to watch for any signs of the U-Foes accessing it. Though Ultra girl is unsure of breaking the law to stop the bad guys, Tigra asserts that things have changed and the old ways aren't working now, unless they will make America safe again.
At Camp H.A.M.M.E.R., the Hood and Taskmaster are telling certain supervillains to pretend to be heroes. The latter calls Vampiro to the front, having learned that he attacked prostitutes for sustenance and demands that he learn some self control. Vampiro refuses to cooperate, only wanting to stay in his position to stay out of jail. The Hood responds by transforming into his demonic form and gobbling Vampiro up. This scares the other villains into submission.
At the Avengers Resistance headquarters to report with Debrii, Scarlet Spider, Rage and Slapstick. Rage and Night Thrasher get into a fight only for it to be broken up by Gauntlet, who is watching his wife denounce him in television for not being with him for his family. He explains to the others that he told her to say that to protect his family.
At Camp H.A.M.M.E.R., Trauma is at his first session with Penance, still suffering from amnesia and the Stamford incident.
At the base's war room, the Hood, Taskamster and Baron von Blitzschlag meet to discuss the recent event involving prison 42 being captured. As a result, a more expansive Shadow Initiative is assembled to retake it.
At a presidential suite at the Hotel Santa Fe., Tigra attacks one of the Brothers Grimm, beating him brutally, as a message to the Hood.
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