Inactive Status: Quicksilver • Scarlet Witch

Villain: The Keeper

Cameo: Prince Rey, Dr. Anton

Gadgets & Technology: Destructo-Bombs

Letters Page: Page One • Page Two

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Hawkeye, Cap and the Wasp head to South America in search of Goliath, while Wanda and Pietro wait in their Bavarian homeland and wonder if their powers will ever return. Goliath treads down a cave path with Prince Rey when they are set upon by some of the Keeper's men who hurl Destructo-Bomb grenades at them, but Goliath swings a stalactite like a baseball bat and knocks them away. The explosions cause a cave-in, and the two manage to escape to Prince Rey's hideout. There, Prince Rey shares the secret of the Flame, as it is the Keeper who stands guard over a fire kept alive by "endless quantities of specially-treated cobalt." The Keeper was part of a long line of men who tended the flame, but he decided to take the power all for himself and toppled Prince Rey from the throne. But now, Goliath realizes that this level of cobalt should be in the hands of nobody! Upon hearing this, Prince Rey orders his men to stop Goliath, who is now on his way to settle the Keeper once and for all, and to find Dr. Anton.

As for the Keeper, he has directed his men to dispose of Dr. Anton. Cap, Hawkeye and the Wasp have made it to Anton's home, where they are met by local authorities, who tell them they have seen neither Dr. Anton nor Goliath. As the team flies away in their jet, they settle down into a cloud bank nestled over a mountain peak. When they realize it's an artificial cloud, they sense they are near their teammate. Goliath has made it away from Prince Rey's men, and has found the control center of the Keeper. He busts in and races towards the flames, but is hit by energy-sapping rays fired by the Keeper! As Goliath lies trapped in the Keeper's rays, the rest of the Avengers have made their way inside to rescue him. Hawkeye creates a lot of mayhem with his arrows, and Cap slings his shield, amazingly knocking down a small handful of men in one throw.

But as defiant as the super-heroes are, they are trapped inside a steel net. Only the Wasp stands on the borderline of the action, waiting for the right time to strike. The Keeper pulls the Goliath, Cap and Hawkeye near the flames, and then three mechanical claws reach out and grab them, to lift them into the fire. But suddenly, and ironically, the over-heated cobalt begins to explode, bringing the cave crashing down around the Keeper's domicile. Prince Rey gains entry and orders his men to attack and regain control of the flame. While this hubbub is going on, the Wasp finds the button that releases her teammates from the tentacles, and Goliath manhandles the Keeper's ray-guns with his massive grip, destroying them.

The final order of business is to tame the fiery flames that threaten to rage out of control and destroy the planet. The Wasp figures out that a giant idol overlooking the flames contain explosives that would destroy the flame if it got out of hand. Hawkeye lobs a blast arrow up into the idol's head and it explodes, the concussive force of which douses the cobalt flames. Once the flame is out, the previously antagonistic hidden society calms down and stand glumly in their shattered ruins. The Avengers take Dr. Anton with them back to civilization, and Goliath presses him on his abilities to help him restore his normal height. Dr. Anton says the only person he knows with the brilliance to help in such a matter would be Dr. Hank Pym.

--synopsis and panel images by Gormuu