Written by Bob Gansler

1958. Communists, aliens, terrorists. As the nation faced these many dangers, President Eisenhower brought together the greatest heroes of the day as the Avengers. Together, they protect America from the threats of this world and of others.

Cast of Characters	Previously
Marvel Boy (Bob Grayson)  An Earthman armed with the skills and science of the Eternals of Uranus.  Gorilla-Man (Ken Hale)  A man cursed to to live in the form of a powerful gorilla. 3-D Man (Hal & Chuck Chandler)  When Hal dons a special pair of glasses, his brother Chuck emerges as the triple-powered 3-D Man. Venus  Olympian goddess of love  Human Robot  A thinking and feeling robot	Gorilla-Man, with the help of Jann and Lorna, defeated a contingent of Skrull soldiers who had landed in Africa.

In their headquarters beneath Heath Airfield, the Avengers were once again reunited. Marvel Boy had piloted the Silver Bullet across the Atlantic to pick up Gorilla-Man from Africa. Captain America and Bucky had completed the secret mission that FBI Director Hoover had assigned. Even the Cold Warrior was there, taking a break from his usual scientific pursuits. The team was assembled at their conference table, discussing recent events.

"C'mon, Cap," 3-D Man implored. "Aren't you going to tell us what Hoover had you doing while we were dealing with the Skrulls?"

"No," Captain America shrugged. "It was top-secret. Even you fellows don't have the necessary clearance."

"Couldn't have been too tough if you and the Boy Wonder managed to do it by yourselves," Gorilla-Man grumbled.

"Hey, don't you talk about us like that, you big ape!" Bucky leapt to his feet only to be held back by the cold metallic arms of the Human Robot.

Venus shot a look at both Bucky and Gorilla-Man. The sparkle in her eyes seemed to calm them both. "Boys, we're supposed to be a team here. Let's try to act like one."

Gorilla-Man frowned. "I guess. But the Star-Spangled Duo seem to disappear whenever Hoover wants them to pick up his laundry or whatever."

"You're a fine one to talk," Captain America countered. "You go across the ocean to get back in touch with nature. At least what we were doing was in service to our country. All you were doing was wallowing in self-pity."

Gorilla-Man's hands came down hard on the table. "Why I oughta!" 3-D Man grabbed the Ape Avenger by the shoulders to keep him from going after Captain America.

Venus sighed. There was so much anger in those three - Captain America, Bucky, and Gorilla-Man - that it disturbed her. Even her Olympian powers would be hard-pressed to calm all three of them now. She did not need to, though.

"Enough!" Marvel Boy called out from the head of the table. "We're the Avengers, by Uranos, not the Squabblers." He looked to Captain America and Bucky. "I've never liked the fact that you were assigned to the team, but I'll put up with it. You carry on a great tradition, and that's very important to the nation."

"Carry on?!?" Captain America objected. "Continue! We're the real McCoys."

"If you say so," Marvel Boy retorted. "Maybe a telepathic scan someday will indicate otherwise."

Captain America eyed Marvel Boy warily. "You wouldn't dare."

Marvel Boy pointed at Captain America. "Only if you become a liability." He shifted his focus to Gorilla-Man. "And you, I thought you had gained some perspective while you were in Africa. You certainly seemed changed on the flight back."

"Maybe," Gorilla-Man grouched. "But once I got back in the USA, I remembered that I got a wife and kid that I ain't seen in ages, and I never can, as long as I'm this freak."

"If she loves you," Venus intoned. "She will accept you."

"I can't take the chance," Gorilla-Man lamented. "If she couldn't handle it, it would kill me." His eyes stared to flare up again as he looked at Marvel Boy. "You promised me a cure, Spaceboy. Where is it already?"

Marvel Boy met his stare. "I'm working on it, and I will succeed. There is no doubt in my mind."

"That makes one of us," Gorilla-Man replied.

"Until that day," Marvel Boy continued. "You'll start acting like an Avenger, or so help me, I'll drop you back in Africa."

"Man," 3-D Man whispered to Cold Warrior. "I hope some trouble comes along soon, so we can let off all this tension."

"God help any menace that gets in Cap or Gorilla-Man's way," Cold Warrior agreed.

Elsewhere in the District of Columbia, there were others who were concerned about the recent Skrull activity. It was not some government agency or military branch that was discussing the alien actions but rather it was a boardroom full of businessmen, some of the richest and mot powerful capitalists in the entire country. There were a dozen or so men sitting at the long rectangular table. Their attention was focused on their associate standing at the front of the room.

"Gentlemen, our own government is conspiring with these aliens in order to oppose the Communists. While I hate the Reds as much as the next true-blooded American, I can't stand the fact that our own government is making deals with such a unknown and dangerous quantity," the speaker stated.

"Mr. Lee, we'll grant you that there were sightings of the aliens' craft and the green-skinned extraterrestrials themselves," one of the businessmen responded. "But there's no word on the American government being involved."

"Besides," another chimed in. "The Avengers were sighted battling these aliens before they were destroyed. Why would that be, if our government was in league with the aliens, Tim?"

Tim Lee smiled. "I expected reluctance on your part." He went over to his briefcase and took out a group of folders. He passed them around to each of the businessman. "The battle between the Avengers and the aliens was a part of the cover-up, though our brave heroes did not know they were part of it." He waited as the capitalists paged through the dossiers. "Those aliens did not die in the explosion. It was a display put on by some Hollywood special effects wizards."

"But what about the reports that the aliens were sighted in Africa as well," a media magnate asked.

"If you'll look on page 43, you'll see that that particular encounter was genuine. The aliens were doing some experiments on the savages over there, with the complete approval of the White House. It was lucky for those natives that Gorilla-Man happened to be there."

"Great balls of fire, Tim!" an oil baron exclaimed. "Is this the God-honest truth?"

"Yes," Tim Lee nodded. "The American government is negotiating with an alien power for a transfer of technology "

"But if they're just going to operate on those stupid savages over there," an airplane manufacturer who took pride in his family's Confederate past asked. "What's the harm?"

"The report shows that the government is condoning the aliens using the natives as test subjects," Tim explained. "They've also agreed to allow the aliens to use American citizens for later tests, supposedly to 'improve' us." He folded his hands in front of his waist. "Are we going to stand for this? Are we going to allow our own government to sell out our own people to sleazy green aliens?"

"By gum, I won't stand for that!" the oil baron bellowed.

"But what do we do. Take it to the press?" the shipping magnate asked.

The railroad tycoon shrugged. "We'll get laughed at in every respectable paper in the country, even if we supply them with this report."

"What can we do, Tim?" the movie mogul asked.

Tim sighed and then looked around. "There's only one possible response - coup d'etat."

"You want to overthrown our own government," the munitions manufacturer cried out.

"It's the only way to protect the people," Tim responded grimly.

"Even with the billions of dollars sitting at this table, we can't take on the US Armed Forces," the oil baron argued.

"We won't have to. We just have to take Washington. If we can capture the President, we can expose this entire sordid deal," Tim explained.

"I still find it hard to believe that Ike would be a part of this perfidy," the munitions manufacturer stated adamantly.

"President Eisenhower is a military man. He sees the Soviet Union as a threat," Tim replied. "He sees these aliens as potential allies, and he sees the aliens' demands as acceptable losses for victory."

The room fell silent as the businessmen weighed Tim's words.

"All right, let's put this to a vote," Tim said. "All in favor of toppling the government, raise your right hand."

All the men at the table did so.

"OK, Tim. You've got the approval of the group. What do you need from us?" the movie mogul asked.

Tim unveiled a plan of downtown Washington. "The best of your private security forces."

"Even pooled together, I don't think that will be enough to take the capital," the shipping magnate argued. "The feds have those armored guards, the Air Force One."

Tim smirked. "I happen to know that the entire Air Force One contingent is down at the training facility in Quantico, Virginia. Plus, I have some resources at my disposal." He rolled back his sleeve and pressed a button on his futuristic watch. A slight glow surrounded his body. When it disappeared, his clothes had been replaced by a white bodysuit with a green ringed planet emblem, a green finned helmet, and green gloves with some kind of projector attached. "Have your security men report to Atlas Engineering by eight AM tomorrow. We move at noon."

Before dawn of the next day, the best operatives of the capitalist cabal had mobilized at the headquarters of Tim Lee's enterprise, Atlas Engineering. A few of them were dubious of the legitimacy of their mission, but Tim Lee managed to convince them of the necessity of the action.

"Do you want to see the United States of America being the puppets of a race of slimy green aliens," Tim expounded. "Wouldn’t that even be worse than falling under the boot of the Red Communists?"

The agents grumbled their agreement. They were all outfitted in black bodysuits and armed with assault weaponry.

"Are we really going to be enough to take over the country?" one spoke up.

"We only have to capture the White House and the Capital," Tim explained. "Once we get them to capitulate to our cabal, the military won't move against us. In fact, I'm sure the armed forces will be more than happy to root out any alien infiltrators." He pressed a sequence of buttons on his gauntlet, and a door at the far end of the storage area slid open. A giant semi-humanoid robot emerged. "This robot should help us in case we encounter some unexpected difficulties."

The Avengers' meeting room was once again hot with controversy. Captain America and Marvel Boy were squaring off again.

"And I think we need to give a full report to director Hoover regarding these Skrulls," Captain America asserted forcefully.

"I don't think the FBI is equipped to deal with aliens," Marvel Boy countered.

"What would you know?" Bucky piped up. "You're practically one yourself!"

"WOULD YOU ALL PLEASE QUIET DOWN!" Venus spoke with godly power. Her presence seemed to loom much larger over all those assembled. Then she seemed to shrink back to normal. "Thank you. Now, perhaps we should provide the FBI with information regarding the Skrulls, but we can conveniently leave out the fact that these undercover agents are actually from another world."

"That works for me," 3-D Man commented. He had had the most experience with the Skrulls, and while he did not completely trust the government, he now felt that they should be informed about a potential internal threat.

"A most wise solution, Venus," the Cold Warrior added.

"I suppose," Marvel Boy sighed. "Let's get in the Silver Bullet and pay a visit to FBI HQ."

Moments later, the sleek form of the Silver Bullet was rushing through the sky towards the FBI's administrative building. As Marvel Boy's scanned across his control panel, he noted a strange reading on an electromagnetic sensor. "That's odd," he noted.

"What's that," 3-D Man said from the co-pilot's seat. He wished that Marvel Boy would allow him to fly the Silver Bullet. He had thought flying the XF-13 was the tops, but Marvel Boy's

craft was something else.

"An energy discharge," Marvel Boy replied. "Pretty powerful. Not something that could have generated by any Earth technology that I know of."

"Did you get a fix on it?" Cold Warrior asked as he studied the gauges.

Marvel Boy's hands reached out and he twisted a number of dials. "I think so." He fine tuned one dial until his radarscope clearly showed when the discharge had originated. He turned on the internal radio and informed the rest of the Avengers. "Strap in. We're going down for a quick look see."

"He's just trying to find a way to delay talking to Hoover," Captain America muttered.

"Who wouldn’t?" Gorilla-Man answered.

Marvel Boy softly put the Silver Bullet down in a nearby park and rummaged through the storage locker for a portable energy tracker. The Avengers filed outside in hopes of finding the source of the energy discharge.

"Call me crazy," 3-D Man called out. "But I think they might have something to do it." His triple-powered vision was the first to see the black-clad revolutionaries a few blocks away.

"Even if they're not linked to it, they have to be stopped!" Captain America shouted. "Nobody marches on Washington!"

"Go, Avengers, Go!" Marvel Boy proclaimed as the Avengers rushed off in pursuit.

3-D Man's triple-speed allowed him to reach the revolutionaries first. He grabbed one of them by the shoulder and yanked him back. "Hey. What's the meaning of this, pal?"

"Saving the country from selling out!" The rebel swung at 3-D Man with the butt of his rifle and caught the Human Triple Threat on the chin. 3-D Man staggered back.

Captain America's shield zipped by the other Avengers and struck a rebel in the knee, who promptly crumpled to the ground. The shield bounced and made a glancing blow to another rebel's back before spinning down the street.

The rebels quickly turned and drew their weapons to meet the attacking Avengers.

"Hey, it's those Avengers," one of the rebels called out. "What should we do?"

Tim Lee was at the front of the column, the robot by his side. He cursed softly. "By Hala, I didn't expect them." They had already secured the main police buildings and the FBI headquarters had been stalemated. He had expected an unimpeded path to the White House and the Capital. Now his plans for securing this nation as a Kree outpost were threatened.

He knew that his superiors had assigned him to be an undercover agent, posing as the CEO of a powerful engineering firm. He knew that he was supposed to be keeping a low profile, but the recent Skrull activity had convinced him that more decisive action needed to be taken. The name of Tym-Lee would be hailed throughout the Empire when he scored this strategic victory.

"The aliens must have gotten to them," Tym-Lee called out. "They've either sold out or were brainwashed by the aliens. Destroy them, destroy them for America."

"Hey, who's the guy in the spacesuit up there," Gorilla-Man called out. "A buddy of yours, Spaceboy?"

"He's no Uranian," Marvel Boy replied. "But he seems to be the ringleader of this mob. I'll take him. HR, that robot's for you. The rest of you, quell this uprising." He dodged his way through the crowd while the Human Robot just plowed his way through the rebels.

Gorilla-Man snatched a rebel and lifted him up into the air. "What's your problem, buddy? Taxes too high?"

"What would you know about taxes?" the rebel coughed. "You're probably a product of alien experimentation."

"You're out of your gourd." Gorilla-Man tossed the rebel, bowling over a number of his compatriots.

A number of rebels took aim at Captain America, Bucky, and Cold Warrior. The Star-Spangled Avenger chastised himself for his lack of skill with the shield. The Cold Warrior covered for all three of them by generating a large ice shield in front of them. The bullets chipped at the frozen barrier but could not penetrate it.

3-D Man had recovered and landed a triple-powered punch on the rebel that had smacked him before. "Take that," he chuckled. "Triple damages."

Venus reached out with her powers of the heart to find out what was driving these men. She could pick up on a love of money, but there was also a decided love of country. These men were doing this out of patriotism. "Avengers, these men think they're really trying to save the nation."

"Saviors like this we don't need." Gorilla-Man was using a captured rifle like a baseball bat, swinging at any rebel that came too close.

The Human Robot activated his sensors to gather as much information as he could about his opponent. Comparing the readings to the information stored in his own databanks, he could tell that this robot was unlike any other automaton on Earth.

"Destroy the puny Earth robot!" Tym-Lee declared as he unleashed particle blasts from his handblasters. Marvel Boy ducked under the blasts as he continued to make his way towards the Kree agent.

A group of rebels had wasted all of their ammunition in a futile attempt to break through the Cold Warrior's shield. As quickly as they chipped away at it, the Icy Agent formed more. Now he ducked out from cover and let loose some frigid blasts of his own. He froze two rebels in columns of ice. "Frozen with fear, perhaps?" he chuckled.

"C'mon, Bucky," Captain America called out as he vaulted over the melting ice shield. The lad joined his partner as they waded into the rebels. Their Super Soldier strength made them more than a match for the dozen agents who surrounded them. Though the rebels struck at them with billy clubs, the Patriotic Duo was able to savagely overcome them.

Bucky kicked at a downed rebel. "That's what you get for trying to take over the US of A!"

Captain America smiled. "You tell 'em, Bucky."

A rebel managed to get by Gorilla-Man's swinging rifle and grabbed Venus. "What are they thinking sending a dame to stop us from saving the country?"

"I am not a 'dame'," Venus said indignantly. "Furthermore, we're the ones trying to save the country. You're trying to overthrow it. No matter what the government may have done, there's no reason to stage violent revolt, is there?" She turned and looked deep into his eyes."

The man paused and then let her go. "No, I guess not. That's not what freedom is all about." He then dropped to the ground. 3-D Man was standing behind the slumped form of the rebel.

"That whammy you put on him let me get the drop on him," 3-D Man grinned.

Venus scowled at the Human Triple Threat. "I had just managed to convince him that his actions were not in the spirit of this country that he loves, you brute."

3-D Man's green half of his face grew red with embarrassment. "Oops. Sorry about that."

The Kree robot reached out with its powerful hands and grabbed the Human Robot. Its grip held him firm, though the Human Robot struggled to break free, or at least he seemed to struggle.

"Inferior automaton," the Kree robot said mechanically.

"Inferior to what?" the Human Robot asked. He figured he could gather some information while he prepared his energy cells for his favorite anti-robot maneuver.

"To Kree construction."

"What is Kree?"

"A great interstellar race." The Kree Robot began to squeeze and the metallic shell of the Human Robot began to crumple from the pressure. His energy cells were ready now, and the Human Robot reached out and grabbed the Kree Robot's shoulders. He let the massive charge flow through his circuits and into the Kree Robot. The Human Robot slumped to the ground while the smoke started to seep out of the Kree Robot's joints. While damaged, the Kree Robot was still functional while the Human Robot was motionless.

"You can't stop me," Tym-Lee declared as he continued to unleash particle blasts at Marvel Boy.

Marvel Boy brought up one band and absorbed a blast while he loosed a bright flash with the other. The unexpected illumination caught Tym-Lee off-guard.

"They're like the legendary Nega-Bands!" Tym-Lee sputtered.

Marvel Boy used Tym-Lee's disorientation to close the final few yards between them. He pounded on the Kree warrior with his Uranian-bred strength. While partially blinded, Tym-Lee was still able to defend himself. His battle skills did not depend on sight alone. Still, Marvel Boy had the decided advantage. Inevitably, the Uranian Wonder triumphed.

With the remaining rebels vanquished, the other Avengers focused on saving the Human Robot from the fury of the Kree Robot. Gorilla-Man, 3-D Man, Captain America, and Bucky all smashed at the alien automaton while the Cold Warrior froze the machine to the ground. It took a great number of exchanged blows between the super-strong quartet and the mechanical man before the Kree Robot finally fell.

Marvel Boy went over and inspected the battered form of the Kree Robot. He had been uncertain from a distance, but seeing the automaton close up, he could tell that the robot was not of earthly origin. The design reminded him of something on Uranus. He returned to Tym-Lee and knelt over him. "You're not even human!" Marvel Boy exclaimed as he forced a mental probe upon his battered foe. "You're Tym-Lee, a Kree!"

"All right, Marvel Boy. You can leave him to us." FBI Director Edgar Hoover had just arrived with a contingent of his men. The FBI agents quickly spread out and began taking the downed revolutionaries into custody.

"About time you G-Men showed up," Gorilla-Man grouched.

Hoover shot the Ape Avenger a cold stare. "That's enough out of you. These rebels had us holed up. We had to shoot our way out." He turned back to Marvel Boy. "I'll take this fellow into custody."

Marvel Boy rubbed his chin. "With all due respect, this 'fellow' is a little bit out of your league. He's not even an Earthman, so I don't know if he falls under your jurisdiction."

Hoover was momentarily taken aback. "I don't care what kind of alien he is, illegal or outer space. When he acted against this nation, he came under my jurisdiction." He pointed a finger at Marvel Boy. "Don't make me order my men to arrest you Avengers for obstructing justice."

Marvel Boy shrugged and lifted his hands from Tym-Lee's shoulders. "Be my guest. Just don't be surprised if he's too much for you to handle."

After motioning one of his agents to come over to handcuff Tym-Lee, Hoover looked Marvel Boy in the eye. "I know what to do with him."

Sitting with Director Hoover in his office were a few of his most trusted officials within the Federal Bureau of Investigations. They were sharing some whiskey as they discussed the events of the last few days, events known to very few people within Washington

"What kind of deal did you make with that Accuser that the Kree sent?" one of the officials asked.

Hoover smiled. "The Accuser said that the Kree government wanted their rogue agent back to punish him for his transgressions. I began talking about what we wanted in exchange for turning over our prisoner. I saw how long that robot stood up to the combined might of the Avengers, even after the Human Robot had severely damaged it. I wanted that technology. And they agreed. We gave them their agent and information about the Avengers, and they gave us some robot technology. They're happy, we're happy. I think the only one who's not happy is Tym-Lee. I think he preferred his cell for the past year over what his people are going to do to him."

"Do they have other agents here?" another aide asked.

"That's on a need to know basis. Right now, I'm the only one who needs to know," Hoover replied.

"Can we trust them?"

"I don't trust anyone," Hoover replied. "But we'll use their robot technology against the Soviets and we'll use them against the Kree if they try to do anything that endangers the United States of America!"

Tym-Lee is a continuation of the Marvel tradition of naming Kree soldiers after comic companies. First, of course, there was Mar-vell (Marvel), then there was At-las (Atlas) and now we have Tym-Lee (Timely).

This story was spawned many moons ago when Randy Lander wrote the Vault/Squadron Supreme Giant-Size #1 back in 1998. He wanted a reason for the government to have Kree technology and we came up with this explanation. Here are the words of General Haywerth from that issue:

Next Issue:
A foe from Venus' past comes back to haunt her.

BiG Productions
19-May-00

Comments, criticisms, and concerns for FLASHBACKWORDS accepted at rgansler@facstaff.wisc.edu

The Avengers 1958 web page is at http://www.cae.wisc.edu/~gansler/avengers58/av58.htm