Captain America vaults over the rear wall of the West Coast Avengers compound in Los Angeles, dodging all of the traps and security measures as he reviews the last few issues and SECRET WARS II #1 for the benefit of the reader. He meets up with Hawkeye and Mockingbird and is given a tour of the sprawling estate. Cap asks to borrow a Quinjet to fly back to New York and Clint and Bobbi head off to attend a Hollywood premiere. While in the jet hangar, Cap hears the intruder alarm and goes to investigate. He encounters a huge figure with armored plates for skin who calls himself the Armadillo! The lumbering villain attacks Cap who fights back and soon discovers that his foe is very strong and near-invulnerable but not particularly quick (or smart). As a mysterious glowing figure watches from a distance, Cap moves from using his own abilities to fight the Armadillo to luring him into the gauntlet of traps around the estate, ending with the intruder being trapped in a titanium net. While immobilized, Armadillo tells his story: he was a petty crook whose wife Bonita fell ill. Unable to afford the medical treatments she desperately needed, the distraught man encountered Dr. Karl Malus who offered to cure her—at the price of the husband’s service. He agreed and was transformed into the hulking Armadillo and dispatched to recover the body of the villain Goliath which was being held in the Avengers’ compound. The story rings true so Cap releases him and takes him to Goliath. Armadillo had been provided with a shrinking solution so he could transport the sleeping giant back to Malus but the container was broken during the fight and the contents lost. Cap suggests he return to Malus for more and follows discreetly behind….
Interlude: In New York Bernie Rosenthal stops by Steve’s apartment and finds Jack Monroe has gone, taking all his things with him…
When Armadillo arrives at Dr. Malus’ lab, Cap confronts the mad scientist and arrests him, assuring the distraught Armadillo that his wife will get the medical treatment she needs.
Epilogue 1: As Cap goes to phone the police, the mysterious glowing figure which has been following him through the issue is revealed to be the alien Beyonder who decides to take on human form and creates a body using Cap’s as a template. Once this is done, he vanishes to the next installment of the crossover series.
Epilogue 2: in a New York City apartment Black Mamba, Anaconda, and Death Adder are awaiting their host, Sidewinder. They want their money from a previous job (in MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #64-66), and not only does the mastermind gladly turn it over, he includes a bonus. Sidewinder then outlines a proposal for a new criminal organization….