Norma Astrovik

Bloodstrike

Chord

Darkhawk

Rachel Dreyfuss

Firestar

Bart Jones

Left Hand

Marvel Boy

Midnight's Fire

Namorita

Foggy Nelson

Night Thrasher

Nova

Rage

Silhouette

Silk Fever

Smiling Tiger

Speedball

Tai

Thing

Nothing But the Truth

"All my life --
I wanted revenge on whoever killed my parents...
And now -- I've gotten it --
and I don't know which is worse --
Having lived a total lie for my entire life --
or having finally learned the truth...I just don't know."

Chapter 1, New Warriors (Vol I) 22
The Stolen Children
In Cambodia, a captured Night Thrasher awakens to find the members of the Folding Circle (Left Hand, Bloodstrike, Silk Fever, Smiling Tiger, and Midnight's Fire) have him surrounded. Left Hand offers him membership in the evil group, but Thrasher refuses until Fire tells him that the group is going to learn all about their collective past, including who murdered Thrasher's parents. Night Thrasher joins the group. Back in New York, Chord, the New Warriors' former mentor, is in the hospital after a suicide attempt. Tai, Night Thrasher's housekeeper, appears, and heals Chord's wounds. Then she tells him the truth: she murdered Chord's wife and his daughter: Silhouette! But back at the Crashpad, the New Warriors are gathered to talk about Marvel Boy's upcoming trial when Silhouette appears, nearly dead. She awakens, and she tells them the truth behind everything that's happened: its been Tai all along. The New Warriors quickly suit up to head to the hospital to see Chord. Silhouette barges in and demands answers. Chord tells them that Tai will be in Cambodia. He tells them of the Pact and he tells that he is the one that killed Night Thrasher's parents. Later that night, the Warriors arrive at the house of former Avenger Rage and invite him to join. Meanwhile, Nova convinces Darkhawk to help them. The new gathers and tries to figure out a way to Cambodia and decides to have Rage steal a quinjet. But then Firestar tells them she can't go, that she needs to be here for Marvel Boy's trial. The Warriors leave without her and they travel to the Avengers Mansion. They trick security and manage to stop the mansion's defenses. They're on their way to Cambodia. Meanwhile, the Folding Circle faces a group of ninjas in the deep jungles, and Silk Fever destroys a large portion of the canopy, revealing the ancient Temple of the Dragon's Breadth. And on the temple's entrance are guards, each wearing Night Thrasher's armor!

Chapter 2, New Warriors (Vol I) 23
Passed Lies
The Folding Circle makes their way into the temple, easily killing all the guards present. The Left Hand offers Night Thrasher a helmut, realizing that it was Chord who designed his armor, patterned after these soldiers. But inside, the Circle is confronted by Tai, who tells them the time is not right for the Pact to be sealed and their deaths are imminent! Back in New York, Marvel Boy's trial for murder begins, with Rachel Dreyfuss as prosecutor and Foggy Nelson as Vance's defense. Dreyfuss calls Walter Rosen, chairman of Genetech, to the stands. She asks him about Vance's control over his powers and how much more capable he was. But Foggy counters, having Rosen confess that Marvel Boy used his powers only to protect, most often putting himself in danger. Meanwhile, the New Warriors arrive over Cambodia's airspace and are quickly flanked by two warplanes. Namorita decides its decision time. She lies and tells them that they are the Avengers and that they need information on the whereabouts of the temple. Back at the temple, Tai tells them the origin of the pact, how the group's fathers came upon the temple during the Vietnam War and each should have been married to own of the daughters of the temple. And at the trial, Foggy tells Vance and Firestar that Dreyfuss is going to call Firestar to testify, but he doesn't understand why. She tells him that she had nothing to hide. And so, Firestar takes her oath and takes the stand. Dreyfuss asks about when Firestar first met Vance, with his powers hard to control. And how Vance slowly gained more confidence and experience with his powers. And then Dreyfuss asks whether or not Vance could have stopped his step-father without killing him. And Firestar is forced to say yes. In Cambodia, Tai tells that Night Thrasher's father refused and she nearly killed him for it. She tells that she used their fathers so that the children would be fluent in the cultures of both east and west. And then, she reveals that Chord was the father of Midnight's Fire. But the Left Hand steps in, telling that the power can be theirs, instead of Tai's. The Left Hand tells Night Thrasher that it was because his father did not participate all those years ago, that they were killed when he but a child. He doesn't believe it, but the New Warriors appear, telling him that everything is nothing but the truth!

Chapter 3, New Warriors (Vol I) 24
The Cheating Corner
The two groups attack, both equally powerful. But when Namorita attacks Night Thrasher, he realizes the stupidity of his actions. Nita throws him at the Left Hand and then takes out Silk Fever. The battle turns for the Warriors favor, ending with Silhouette finishing off her brother, Midnight's Fire. But Tai, who simply watch the fight, uses her magic to trap them, and tells them their deaths will be just as useful. Back at the trial, the Thing appears to testify for Vance, and he tells them of Vance's heroism. But then, Dreyfuss asks if Vance is capable of using his powers to prevent someone from being hurt. Foggy calls his last witness, Vance's mother, Norma Astrovik. In Cambodia, Tai tells them more of the past, that Tai used her magics to easily fend off the Circle's fathers. Tai then tells them of the temple's history, and how her generation was the most adept at using its magics. And Tai knew that the temple's power would be hers, so she murdered her entire generation. Night Thrasher asks Tai what she wants, and she tells them that she will tell them what really happened to his parents, if the New Warriors sacrifice their lives to her. At the trial, Norma tells the court that Vance's father started beating him at thirteen because he was a mutant. She tried to stop him, but then was beaten too. When cross-examined, Norma tells the court that she believes Vance could have stopped his father without killing him!

Chapter 4, New Warriors (Vol I) 25
Justifiable Homicide
The two groups, the New Warriors and the Folding Circle, are at the mercy of Tai, and she is hurting Silhouette to force Night Thrasher into a decision. He manages to free his leg and he kicks her, distracting her. The others make their escape, and Tai's grandchild, Silhouette, tries to fry her. The groups attack, but Tai flees to the center of the temple, where the well of power is. Absorbing the energy, she attacks. The group is forced to retreat, but only Nova, Nita, Thrasher, Left Hand, Midnight's Fire, and Darkhawk make it out. Left Hand tells them that the only way to truly stop Tai is to kill her. Back in New York, Firestar makes her way back into the courtroom, when she spots her father in the crowd. She goes after him and meets him in a private room. He tells her its ok she's Firestar again, and that Vance will be ok too. In Cambodia, Left Hand tells them how he gained his powers. After making the Pact, he returned to America with his bride and they had a girl. But years later, his wife died and his daughter was comatose after an elevator accident. Learning the mystic arts, he pulled the dark energies from his mutant daughter, becoming the Left Hand. He then gathered the Folding Circle, telling them the truth of their heritage and a way to power. The Left Hand tells them that Tai will sacrifice the others simply to gain more power. At the trial, the lawyers present their closing arguments, Foggy delivering a speech about Vance's heroism and courage. Dreyfuss, in the midsts of her speech, pulls out a gun and fires. Vance stops the gun, only to realize it was fake. All this to prove Vance could have stopped his father without lethal force. In Cambodia, Tai tells her captives, especially Silhouette, Chord's history. He returned to the temple after he believed his wife and children had died, and such, Tai returned to America with him. He soon became friends with the Taylors, Night Thrasher's family. But then, Tai ordered Chord to murder Trasher's parents. As such, he did, while Tai controlled his actions. Young Thrasher's memories were erased by Tai, starting the whole process of lies. In New York, the verdict is delivered: Vance is innocent of first degree murder, but guilty of negligent homicide. The judge sentences him to the Vault and Foggy wants to appeal, but Vance says no. The guardsmen arrive and take him away, as Firestar, her father, and Vance's mother look on. At the temple, the group attacks, striking at Tai without mercy. They manage to free their teammates, but Tai throws them nearer the well. Silk Fever, Smiling Tiger, and Bloodstrike escape, and Midnight's Fire wants Silhouette to came with him, but she refuses. Instead, she strikes at their grandmother, her braces delivering an amount of poison. Tai begins to pull the New Warriors into the well, while the Left Hand and Night Thrasher continue to fight. Tai grabs them, holding them over the edge of the well. But Night Thrasher ends the fight, but shooting the old woman in the stomach. The three fall into the well, but Nova swoops in and saves Thrash. The New Warriors escape the quickly evaporating temple, only to find the Folding Circle stole the quinjet. And Night Thrasher confesses that in order to stop Tai, he was forced to kill her!

Creators -
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Artist: Mark Bagley, Chris Marrinan
Inker: Larry Mahlstedt, Andrew Pepoy
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editor: Danny Fingeroth
Editor-in-chief: Tom DeFalco