11 hours after HYDRA bombed Las Vegas, Amadeus "Totally Awesome Hulk" Cho searches the rubble for survivors. He notes that about 700,000 people were in town at the time and he's having trouble grappling with the knowledge that the vast majority of them were killed. Joaquin "Falcon" Torres flies overhead and says there have to be some survivors, but Cho challenges him to find one. Torres muses how the bombing was just a show of strength for HYDRA. The two talk, with Torres explaining how he was spliced with DNA from Sam Wilson's pet bird Redwing, and Cho asks if he feels uncomfortable. Torres, though, says he loves being able to fly, because for him flying symbolizes freedom.
Torres tells Cho he can't see any signs of life, and can't form a telepathic bond with birds in the area because there's no birds left after the bombing. Cho estimates how many cars there are in the area and how many exploded in the bombing, then notes that since the car explosions would have created empty space for at least 10 feet around each car, there may well be survivors hiding in those pockets of empty space. However, as they dig into the rubble they find an opening filled by a burning gas line, and Cho notes that any survivors won't be able to get past it. He says he can deal with it and claps his hands to create a shockwave and extinguish the fire. This fails, however, and he collapses to his knees. As Torres stands over him, Cho repeats his estimate of the number of people who were in Vegas when HYDRA leveled it.
Elsewhere, Miles "Spider-Man" Morales, Riri "Ironheart" Williams, and Rayshaun "Patriot" Lucas try to open up the door to a crashed plane in an airfield. Lucas notes that the planes aren't badly damaged and this one just fell into a crack in the ground, so any passengers onboard should still be alive. Williams rips the door open and they all go inside, but Lucas immediately notices a foul smell and Morales realizes that the passengers were somehow cooked alive. Lucas says he needs air and Morales helps him get back out of the plane. Morales then goes in to see Williams, who says that her suit has filters and also aspirated medication to stop her from vomiting, so she's okay. Morales realizes that the planes were hit with some kind of microwave weapon, and Wililams exposits that this is why the planes weren't damaged—HYDRA simply hit the field with a microwave weapon that cooked everyone, ensuring everyone died without having to go through the effort of bombing the field She also finds tracks and realizes that the emitter had to be at least as large as a three-car garage.
Morales says they have other places to check and asks if Lucas is ready. Lucas insists he's fine, but he's clearly still shaken, so Morales says they can take a minute and try to think about other things. He asks if Lucas made his own suit and Lucas says that Tony Stark gave it to him. This surprises Williams, who gripes that she didn't realize Stark was just giving out technology left and right. She asks if Lucas's suit does anything and Lucas says not really; it did have a shield that contained a drone, but he lost the drone somewhere. Williams snaps at Lucas for losing his shield, and Lucas demands to know what Williams' problem with him is. Morales gets between them and asks why they're both spoiling for a fight. Lucas says that he's stressed because the world is full of white privilege and he thinks that HYDRA will 'weed out' everyone that isn't white. Williams says she gets that, and she's just acting out because it's easier than processing the horrors in front of them.
Morales tells Williams that he's going to give Lucas some advice, since unlike them Lucas is a very new hero, but Williams is welcome to listen if she wants. Morales then tells Lucas that the worst part of being a hero is when they have to put a human face on the horrible things that villains do. He then says that he empathizes with Lucas, who became a hero much more recently than them, and says that he understands if Lucas isn't ready for this. He finishes by saying he and Williams will move on to check another area for survivors and it's okay if Lucas doesn't feel like he can continue on with them. Lucas says nothing and looks down, so Morales and Williams leave.
At a third location, Viv Vision and Nadia "Wasp" Pym check through the rubble of a destroyed mansion. Pym says that HYDRA doesn't discriminate between rich and poor, but Vision tells her that she's worried that she (Pym) is overexerting herself since she's been working without rest for hours. Pym says they can't stop until they find at least one survivor, which they haven't yet. However, the mansion contains only corpses, and when they finally leave Pym sighs that she can't stand more carnage. Vision urges her to rest and asks if Pym regrets coming along, but Pym instead thanks Viv for allowing her and her other friends to work alongside her. She wonders if this makes them all Champions now, and Viv says that they all serve as best they can, regardless of their team name.
The two rest on a destroyed wall and Pym decides to work out how they are related. She notes that she is Hank Pym's daughter and Ultron could be said to be Hank's son. She adds that Vision was Ultron's son, sort of, and Viv is Vision's daughter. That makes Nadia the great-aunt of Viv. Viv protests that this is stupid because Vision was a machine, and Pym says that everyone's machines, especially since everyone uses cell phones. Then she gets an idea for finding more survivors. She hooks Viv up to some car batteries and asks Viv to monitor cell phone networks to find survivors calling for help. Viv is hooked up without trouble and she projects a map of the city, but there is no indication of cell phone users on it. Pym says her idea isn't working but Viv says it is; there just aren't any people on their cell phones, because there are no survivors.
All the heroes except for Lucas meet up later at the ruins of a large building. Torres notes money blowing around but says he doesn't rob graveyards. Morales, despondent, asks what will stop HYDRA from doing this again and going on as normal. Williams says they have to remember that their situation is not normal, and that they must refuse to adapt to HYDRA ruling America. Morales says that a lot of people are happy with HYDRA in charge because Steve "Captain America" Rogers is leading it and nobody wants to believe he could be corrupted. He adds that a lot of people will tolerate HYDRA because HDYRA promises law and order, security, and jobs. Cho notes that people can easily accept HDYRA; all they have to do is lie down and let the trains run on time. For her part, Viv says that the Champions were formed in the first place because they realized that older heroes were ignoring the wants and needs of everyday people, but now that it's clear everyday people are willing to overlook mass murder, maybe those older people have a point. Morales agrees with Viv and says they need to join up with the older heroes to beat HYDRA, as that's the most important concern.
The heroes are interrupted by a baby crying. They rush in the direction of the cry and find Lucas cradling a baby and standing over a sparking robot. He says that he checked through a hospital maternity ward one final time and found the baby, and on his way out he ran into and fought a killbot. Viv is amazed that Lucas beat the killbot while holding a baby in one hand. Lucas wonders what to do with the baby, and Cho says they can make sure it doesn't grow up in a fascist country by taking Rogers down. Morales agrees, and Pym says they just need to find a home for the baby and then get to fighting Rogers.
Tropes:
- Hope Spot: When Pym comes up with the idea to search for cell phones, it seems like the team will finally be able to find survivors, but they still come up empty.
