Joaquin Torres relates how he saved Captain America's life.
First he tells us his background: he came to the USA over the border when he
was a child. As an adult he was captured by the Sons of the Serpent and
delivered to Dr. Karl Malus who performed bizarre genetic experiments on him,
turning him into a literal bird-man. Now he has been rescued and is kept under
restraint in a New York clinic, guarded by Dennis Dunphy, the D-Man....
Here Joaquin's tale is interrupted by a flashback exploring
Diamondback's recent history in light of her return to the series last issue:
Rachel Leighton was engaged to Frank Payne, the former Constrictor, when he
fell ill. Frank had no medical insurance so they could not afford the latest
experimental treatments; Rachel vowed to get the money but she could not bring
herself to return to crime. And so Frank died. Desperate for cash, Rachel took
a job as a stripper and that is where she encountered Jordan Stryke, the Viper.
With his persuasive abilities, Viper talked Rachel into rejoining the Serpent
Society...
...and now Captain America (Sam Wilson, still in wolf form
since issue #3) is a prisoner of the Serpent Society, bound to a chair in their
boardroom. Viper launches into a cynical defense of their villainous activities
in a sort of homage to Ayn Rand (as Cap recognizes) and Cap defies them.
Meanwhile, Misty Knight has come to the rescue, arriving downstairs and she
takes on a cadre of snake hooded guards. Upstairs, with a typical bad guy quip
Viper hurls Cap, chair and all out the window to his death....
Joaquin resumes his narrative at this point. While watching
TV with D-Man, Joaquin had a premonition that Cap was in danger. He realizes
that as Cap's trained falcon Redwing was used in Malus' experiment, he has
inherited Redwing's psychic link. Decoying Dennis out of the room, Joaquin
tears himself free from his restraints (he heals quickly) and flies out through
the window. He races through the air across the city to catch the plummeting
Captain America in the nick of time. Unfortunately, Joaquin is still not used
to his wings and they crash into a construction site. Joaquin is proud of his
heroism—until Cap points out that the whole Serpent Society is standing behind
him....