The ambulance ground to a halt as the driver ploughed into the snow drift on the crossroads between Eerie and State Street, their destination of North Western University Hospital completely blocked off by the early winter. Angrily the driver, an imposing man who towered over nearly everyone he met slammed his hands down onto the steering wheel, his partner a short woman even among normal company looked into the back to check on the EMTs and the patient, the later wrapped in a nest of reflective blankets.

"What's going on Toby?" one of the paramedics asked, "Why have we stopped?"

"We've hit a snow bank," Toby replied as the larger man slid out of the ambulance, "Cody just went outside to see if we can get out."

"Well he should hurry, even with the protective blankets we are going to loose this patient in a few minutes." the EMT replied. Nodding Toby opened the other door and dropped out, her feet sinking up to her knees into the snow. The sky was mostly dark save for occasional flashes of lighting and a few burning buildings wrapped in grey fog. The city looked like the end of the world and she suddenly realised that there was nothing they could do; they were insignificant compared to the powers that held the city in its icy grip.

"Toby I'm sorry." Cody announced as he walked over, "I'm going to put the suit on."

"Don't you fucking dare?" Toby spat not looking at her comrade, "That thing takes over, every time you pull that hood over you're head no matter what you do people die."

"People are already dying." Cody said putting a massive hand on her shoulder, "Besides I can fly people to the hospitals a lot faster then we can drive them. I know that you hate this but in my heart I know that this is the right thing to do. My brother never was very heroic but he had the stones to stick with the bad things and try and redeem himself at least that was what I was told."

"If they see you then they will try and kill you." Toby replied, "And it's not just the Maggia, the police, the National Guard all want to bring the Headhunter Vigilante to justice, you are a good man Cody but when you put that suit on you become a monster."

"That's what it's going to take to save the city." Cody replied quietly as he bent down and kissed Toby on the lips, "I love you but I have to go." he added as he walked away from the ambulance into the snow. Climbing back into the ambulance Toby sat in the drivers seat and punched the window before turning back to check on the patient. Whether or not they survived the night was now in Cody's hands, silently she preyed he would be safe and that today he wouldn't be the villain but rather become the hero he dreamed of being.

Cao Thi Cat stirred in the filthy apartment that she rented from the obese Maggia stooge who opened the building. Something was different today, it was warmer then it had been for a while. Pulling an old T-Shirt on as well as a pair of jeans she looked out the window to see falling snow, defiantly what she was expecting. Rubbing her arm she wandered to the door and collapsed into a pile of sand before slithering under the door reconstituting on the other side before regaining her human appearance. Before she was even fully reformed she felt the increased heat on her grainy skin and could hear the flames crackle. Calmly she headed for the stairs, the flames held no fear for her but she wasn't fond of the water that the Chicago Fire Department would be bringing to quell the growing inferno.

"Help me." a weak voice cried, Cat turned and looked down the hallway, she was sure she had heard something. Walking back towards the flames she heard the small cry again, somebody was still trapped in the building, a child judging from the pitch. Whoever it was, it didn't matter to her and she was getting out of here before she was caught and arrested.

"Please somebody help me." the unseen child whimpered. Cat stopped and retracted her face before reforming it on the back of her head. She still didn't care but she couldn't stand by and let an innocent child die despite her misanthropic disposition. Shifting her body to realign with her face she ran her hand across the wall using the structure to locate her target before morphing her hand into a solid sand hammer and smashing the wall open. Walking through the dust she saw a little girl huddled under the table clutching a book.

"Come here." Cat snapped, "We have to go." The child shook her head, it was obvious she was afraid and threats were not going to get her to budge. Sighing Cat breathed out a stream of golden sand before cutting through the flames between her and the little girl, parts of her body collapsing and extinguishing the barrier. "Please come here." Cat asked through gritted teeth, "The fire is getting out of control."

"Is my mommy safe?" the little girl asked.

"Yeah sure whatever now let's go." Cat told her, extending her arm and grabbing the little girl by the scruff of the neck. With a deep breath she leapt from the fifth story window desperately resisting the urge to let her body collapse into sand, with a thud she hit the pavement on her back, the little girl safe in a sediment cocoon as onlookers came rushing to the aid of the rescuer. Groaning Cat pushed the girl off her and got to her feet; despite being unharmed the fall had left her stiff, possibly due to landing on the cold pavement.

"Oh my god Mia." a woman squeaked rushing over to Cat and her charge, "Mia are you okay?"

"Mommy." Mia yelled as she ran into the woman's arms.

"Thank you for saving my daughter." a balding man said as he followed the woman out of the crowd. "It's good to know there are some Heros left in this city. We sure could use them now that the super villains have moved in."

"I'll see what I can do." Cat said as she shifted into a standing position, feeling the cold wind blow through her. As she disassembled into a pile of sand she found herself surprised at what had happened, for the first time for a while she was being sincere. Today was indeed different; today she would save people rather then destroy them.

The church was lit by candle-light with a pair of heaters adding a dim red glow to the area around the alter. People had come here preying that God would spare them from the cold winter that had befallen them, some even considered Cyclone and his team to be demons sent to test their faith. Already their was some talk about purging Chicago of non believers but the majority of the congregation had decided to maintain some sense and had quickly turned their backs on such hate mongers. Most were stunned at how quiet it was down on the streets, most roads were flooded with snow and the few that weren't had been blocked by escaping residents, their progress blocked by sheer walls of ice around the city perimeter. At the back a door creaked open and the wind momentarily swept in before being quelled by the thick oak doors being shut again.

Walking to the new arrivals the reverend looked up and down the aisles at the huddled masses. The pews were full and they were running out of room elsewhere, despite that he knew it was his duty to help the unfortunate. "Welcome my friends, is there anything you need?" he said warmly. The men who arrived didn't move save the one at the front who levelled a gun at the padre's head.

"We're here to take donations for the save Chicago fund." the man snarled, "Notes, change and anything we can pawn it all goes in the sacks that my buddies are carrying."

"Please put that away." the Padre said, "And think about what you are doing,"

"I am," the leader replied, "My little girl is freezing and the city is doing F all. I am not going to let some freaks in capes kill my family so I'm doing what the government should be doing, paying the basterds off."

"And you think that will make them stop?" the padre asked, "Have faith and salvation will come."

"Shut the fuck up." the looter screamed clicking the safety off, "One more word and you die."

"He is only doing his job." a voice echoed from the roof. Fearfully the looters swung their weapons around, covering the area in the hopes that the divine voice was simply a trick. With a series of thuds a figure leapt to the floor before standing in front of the Padre, the muzzle of the head looter's pistol resting on his temple. Looking the guardian angel up and down, taking in the black suit with white spiders on the front the man squeezed the trigger only to feel the gun being ripped out of his hands in the time it took to blink. Fearfully he backed away from the black suited figure as his men dropped their weapons and ran for the streets. With a swift punch the man in black caught the leader and removed a scrappy piece of paper from his pocket. "The Sidewinder Building." he read before dropping the paper on the floor, "Finally I will end this." he muttered as he walked to the door.

"What do you plan to end?" the padre asked causing the man to stop.

"The madness." the 'avenging angel' replied as he reached the door and slipped out into the frozen streets, "This city needs to be taught that criminals no matter how big or small are not welcome."

Abe landed in a field of thick snow his thrusters melting a patch for him and his passenger to stand on. All around him the shape of vehicles immobilized by the thaw loomed out of the fog, their operators huddled around a brazier at the foot of the mound of salt, its flanks sparkling under a thin coating of slushy snow. Looking across at Chris, Abe gave a nod and the younger man waded over to the closest truck and placed his hand on the snow as his powers melted the covering revealing the frozen snow plough underneath.

"Good work, hopefully it should be ready to go." Abe commented, "Free the other ploughs and gritters while I talk to the drivers."

"On it." Chris replied scorching a path to the next vehicle. Abe turned and stomped through the snow to the brazier, the fire barley having an impact on the freezing fog around it. The drivers turned to stare at him before watching the rapidly growing number of freed vehicles, snow dripping down their chassis.

"This city needs you." Abe told them, "Start by freeing the roads from the aid stations to the hospitals and universities so the ambulances can move freely, all over roads are not important until the situation changes." The men looked at their feet before turning back to the brazier choosing to ignore Abe's words.

"You heard the man in the flying suit." a rotund black man swathed in a thick coat above his overalls. "Get to you're trucks." The drivers looked at the new speaker before hurrying off to vehicles crawling into the cabs and revving the engine and flooding the area with sound.

"Thank you." Abe told the larger man, "We need everybody if we're going to save the city."

"No problem, without you and you're friend we would have to use shovels and old fashioned elbow grease. The thing is they know that once they go out they are going to get hit by the freaks that blocked the roads in the first place." the man announced, "I'm Winston by the way, never met one of you costumed crime fighters or whatever you are."

"A concerned citizen that's all." Abe replied, "I know it's a risk but without them more people will die."

"I hear you still it would be nice for them to have some cover." Winston stated.

"The Illinois National Guard is going to meet up with us three blocks from here; we freed a column of Stryker APCs armed with AA guns to keep the villains at bay. For the moment they seem content to watch, hopefully they'll stay that way." Abe told him, "The salt, could it be deployed by air?"

"Sure but you don't look like you have a lot of room in there." Winston replied, "Have a look anyway though." he added as Chris freed the last snow plough, "I've got to get moving my ride just reappeared." Abe nodded and walked over to the pile of salt past the queue of gritting lorries waiting to be filled. Running his hand across the surface he saw a few grains run down the side before scooping out a handful salt before letting it trickle through his fingers. As the last piece hit the pile it shuddered before spiralling upwards, the breeze making it revolve around the apex before settling into a humanoid shape.

"Quicksand," Abe snarled drawing the MASER pistol from its armoured holster, "I have enough problems to deal with today get out the way or be blasted and spread across the city, you're choice."

"Hold you're fire Cowboy." Quicksand buzzed, "I'm here to help. For some reason I feel benevolent today, I've already but some fires out downtown and then I saw an Iron Man wannabe heading this way so I followed you."

"You want to help." Abe said, "What's the catch?"

"None, I don't do cold and I don't fancy being an ice sculpture so it's in my best interest to help." Quicksand announced flowing down the side of the pile and wrapping an arm around Abe, "I can move that entire pile in two trips maybe even less and I am willing to lend a hand when you beat the people responsible for all this snow."

"And after the thaw sets in?" Abe asked not lowering the MASER.

"Don't know depends on how grateful you are." Quicksand hissed as she phased into the heap of salt before reappearing at the summit, "Last time you let me go MACHy Beetle."

(Quicksand was part of the Thunderbolts Army in Zemo's campaign against the grand master - As seen in Thunderbolts# 104 - 107)

"Fine but the first time you step out of line I make sure you stay in the cooler." Abe told her, throwing an ear-piece into the pile. Tapping his own helmet mounted version he waited for the static to clear before relaying what had happened. "Mel you won't believe what has just happened, I ran into Quicksand at the gritting depot."

"Is she working for Cyclone?" Melissa asked as she lowered an ambulance on a sonic platform outside the hospital.

"No she's working for us." Abe replied, "Apparently she grew a conscience or something. Whatever the case she's helping me keep the roads open so don't fire on her or we loose a powerful ally."

"Got it." Melissa answered, "Hang on I've got Myers on the other line. What is it Boomer?"

"I think I just saw a hairy guy with an axe fly past on a glider thing." Boomerang relayed, "I was delivering a generator to the aid station at the Aquarium when he glided past carrying a woman in a blanket. He's heading you're way so I thought you might like a heads up."

"I'll check it out." Melissa sighed before taking to the air again. Visibility was poor but as Mysteria had said earlier that day she had never needed to look for her prey, her hearing was a lot more acuter then that of a normal human and in a city almost devoid of human noise the sound of glider engines was easy to pinpoint. Hanging back she watched as the man dressed in green and purple flew past hanging onto his hostage. Melissa couldn't believe what she way seeing the man was dressed like the Headsman, a minor Spiderman enemy and former Thunderbolt. She quickly shook that notion, Cleavon Twain was dead, killed somewhat accidently by his team-mate back when Osborne was running HAMMER. Staying on the man's tail Melissa watched as he swung the glider down and landed it outside the aid station in the Tribune building before unhooking from his rig and carrying her inside. Landing Melissa waited three cold minutes before he emerged, the giant easily dwarfing her as he headed back to his glider.

"I saw what you just did." Melissa announced as the man reached for his axe, "How you carried that lady to safety. What I want to know is why you are dressed like a dead man."

"You're talking about my brother." the Headsman snarled, "He left me his gear after he died, I tried to find a use for it, turns out it takes a freak blizzard for me to suit up."

"So you just decided to fly people around the city while carrying an axe?" Melissa asked, "I'm a little sceptical that you're really a Good Samaritan."

"I have some problems with a few priors, mainly some business with the Maggia. They were pushing people around so I pushed back if you really want to know, and please call me Vassal; Headsman was my brother's thing." Vassal answered, "Back in Feudal Europe pacts were made between lords and mercenary knights or vassals. I want to make a deal; I'll do what you want if after this is done you protect me from any Maggia retribution. I heard of you Songbird, my brother saved you're life so you owe him and be extension me."

(Headsman, Paladin and Ghost saved Songbird and Black Widow from being executed in Thunderbolts #136)

"Only the Maggia." Melissa warned, "I won't fight the cops for you."

"I don't expect you to." Vassal answered as Melissa levitated an ear-piece to him. "You're orders Maam."

"Keep doing what you're doing." Melissa ordered, "Save as many people as you can. As soon as we need you we'll let you know." Vassal nodded before gunning the glider's engine and taking to the sky. Melissa watched the exhaust trail before tapping her own ear piece. "About that hairy guy on the glider…"

Juno typed in a second set of parameters; coupled with the high security level on the files she was trying to access the temporary fuel stored in the building wouldn't last for much longer. Despite this she didn't curse when yet another firewall popped up to block her progress. Flexing her fingers she began to hack into her old military account which hopefully was still active. Seconds later she was into the system, the comparison images taken from Abe's flight recorder scrolling against a list of citizens with the ability to control weather. The list was mercifully short and the search even shorter as facial recognition brought up an image of Anzhela Federova, a former Russian Ballerina, who had gone by the handle Bora before she had been stripped of her powers in the M-Day disaster. Juno smiled, with her information hunting over she could now focus on getting out of the 'office' and directly helping the freezing populous of Chicago. As she printed out the data a gunshot rang out from the aid centre along the corridor, the blast accompanied by raised voices. Springing to action Juno unholstered her pistol and activated her suits active camouflage module and crept down the hall and up to a window overlooking the aid post. Scattered around the room where six gun totting thugs, all armed with assault weapons and machine pistols whilst another three clutched sacks.

"Abe we have a problem back at base." Juno whispered as she headed downstairs, "Nine hostiles, six armed. Get here as soon as you can, I'm going to try and even the odds a bit."

"Wait for backup." Abe replied as Juno turned off the comm. link and opened the door a fraction. One of the thugs, a tall woman holding a cut down MP5 noticed and slunk over causing Juno to retreat to an excellent ambush position. Slowly the thug opened the door and entered the corridor, warily surveying the room but never bothering to look up until sixty four kilos of Thunderbolt dropped from the ceiling and quickly incapacitated her. Moving on from the ambush Juno returned to her Overwatch position and slipped a pair of grenades out onto the floor, the explosives clinking as they hit the floor. Her next target; an oriental man clutching an automatic shotgun went to investigate, bending down to find the source of the noise and eventually picking up the bombs. As he did the timers ran down from five to one detonating in a shower of ink which splashed over the thug's face and caused him to collapse behind some medical crates.

"Two down." Juno whispered as she edged along the balcony to where two men with M16s were hassling a woman in a nurse's uniform. "Four to go." Mounting the railings she leapt down to the floor, the impact of her landing causing the goons to swing round. With a single move long since perfected during a particularly risky mission in Chile, Juno threw her hands up and ripped out rifles ammo clips and threw them away. The men reacted by pulling the triggers but it was two late, three swift punches and a sloppy haymaker later both were lying face down on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Juno asked the nurse as she purposefully stepped on one of the unconscious men's necks. "Did they hurt you?" The nurse shook her head and Juno heard a click. Turning around slowly she saw the remaining armed thugs and a sack bearer behind her. Raising her hands in surrender the lead thug cuffed her and dragged the aid posts defender into the middle of the foyer.

"Who do you work for bitch?" the leader; a dark skinned woman equipped with a Glock and nightstick asked.

"Volkner." Juno replied, "It's not to late, drop you're weapons before you get hurt."

"Shut up slut." the second thug yelled, "We are going to save this city."

"Or destroy It." a third thug announced as he pulled his hood from over his head revealing a black mask decorated with a white spider. The second thug swung around and swore before raising his weapon, "Its Spiderman let's fucking ventilate him."

"Black Tarantula." the masker thug replied slamming and elbow into the man's face and kicking his Uzi away before turning to face the woman, her arm wrapped around Juno's neck, her pistol pointing at the Thunderbolt's head.

"Now Tarantula Man kneel down and put you're hands up or I kill this security guard" The woman hissed.

"Do it." Juno snarled, "Pull the trigger." The woman hesitated before pulling the trigger only for the weapon to jam. With a swift headbutt Juno sent her captor reeling before slamming the thug into a table, the blow causing the woman to collapse to the floor in agony. "You spent too much time in the cold causing ice to freeze the inside of the barrel. Usually not a problem except that it's so thick that the bullet didn't have enough punch to escape."

"You have experience in these things." Tarantula observed, "You are more then a mere security guard."

"Former military." Juno told him, "Former Thunderbolt. You are a bit of a ninja you're self, ever think about joining I assume that you're record isn't perfect."

"It isn't." a third voice announced as Abe stomped in, "Black Tarantula was a crime boss before he changed his ways. He kept out of trouble but for some reason sided with the Hand in the whole Shadowland debacle."

"A mistake, I thought Daredevil would help bring the Hand into the light not let the darkness consume him." Tarantula answered, "From what I know this is the last cell of thieves stealing for the city. Now that they are subdued I will take my fight elsewhere and protect the innocent from crime."

"Or you could stay." Abe replied, "The Thunderbolts are all just like you, former criminals trying to fight the good fight. While I have doubts about fifty percent of my team I know that you are a perfect candidate. Even if after we bring the F5 to justice you want to leave I'll be fine with that. For now I need everybody I can get."

"It is a worthy fight." Tarantula stated, "I will help you rid the city of this F5."

"Good." Abe said smiling, "Juno hook him up with communication and then see if there are any more people looking to take the law into their own hands. I'm just going to check up on the data you found."

"Roger that boss." Juno announced as she led Tarantula away. Abe smiled behind his mask, between Quicksand, Vassal and now Black Tarantula he had a fairly good team, now all he needed to do was keep them on side. Opening the door to the offices he though he saw something slink into one of the rooms. Cautiously he ducked inside and saw that a woman was sitting on the desk holding a folder.

"I've been expecting you Abe." the woman announced.

"And I you Diana." Abe answered closing the door behind him.

Thunderbolts #27

Even with their new allies are the Thunderbolts strong enough to take down the F5 as the icy grip of winter closes around the city. And if they are what kind of response can these former criminals expect from the people they saved and the wider world. Find out if the Thunderbolts are about to outstay their 'Welcome to the Windy City' in the next issue.