Prologue: 1926: Sarah Rogers packs to
flee Brooklyn with her son Steven; caught by Elisa Sinclair and a couple
of Hydra agents, she has Steve hide under the bed, while Elisa comes
in to “chat”....
Captain America (Steve Rogers
retroactively suborned by Hydra) explains to Dr Erik Solveig why he
secretly rescued the doctor when he had been ordered to kill him by
his master the Red Skull. To gain Solveig's confidence he presents to
him the lab they are standing in, which he gained at a considerable
price...
We see in flashback how Cap seized the
lab by killing its previous owner, the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes.
As Cap explains the current situation
to Solveig, we are given glimpses of the state of all of the other
parties factoring into Cap's big plan...
Maria Hill is interviewed by the secret
council prior to her tribunal in connection with the failed Kobik
Initiative and the Pleasant Hill project. Everett K. Ross appears and
reveals that he is to be her prosecutor....
Sharon Carter addresses the Senate
Intelligence Committee, asking them to approve a bill that would
expand SHIELD's powers in view of the coming war with the new
Hydra....
Jack Flag lies in the SHIELD medical
bay, clinging to life as Cathy
Webster—Free
Spirit—remains at his side. Rick Jones enters and offers all of his
support for the two of them....
In Bagalia, Taskmaster (the “Sheriff”)
examines the wreckage of the ship carrying Baron Zemo and Eric
Solveig (crashed last issue) and finds Zemo's corpse—but “somethin'
ain't right here”....
Kobik is now in the custody of the
Thunderbolts, led by Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. Back at their
home, Bucky gets a call from Cap—but Kobik keeps him for receiving
the call....
Ex-Quasar Wendell Vaughn is training
the new Quasar Avril Kincaid in the use of her new powers....
Thanos is also looking for Kobik....
And another flashback to 1926 shows us
Sarah Rogers accusing Elisa Sinclair of having her abusive husband
killed (seen as an enigmatic event at the end of last issue) and she
is inadvertently killed by one of Sinclair's henchmen. Young Steve
tries to escape but he is caught and Sinclair has such grand plans
for him....
Back to the matter at hand: Cap wraps
up the details for Solveig, explaining how his goal is to restore the
glory of Hydra by killing the one man threatening that future: the
Red Skull....