Captain America and Hauptmann
Deutschland have just discovered the dead body of the Red Skull,
apparently murdered by the Scourge of the Underworld. A search of the
area revels the bodies of Mother Night and Crossbones, similarly
executed. By now, Haupt has become convinced that Cap is the real
thing, not an impostor (see the previous issue). The police and FBI
investigate and discover the tape from a security camera has caught
Scourge's murder of Crossbones and Mother Night...
...and here we learn that the Red Skull
has faked his and his servants' deaths by using bio-plastoid
duplicates created by Armin Zola. The Skull has assembled all of his
division chiefs for a report. His Scourge has failed to carry out
orders so the villain has him killed before the group. Later, the Red
Skull outlines a new mission for the Skeleton Crew: breaking Viper
out of prison and bringing her here. When Crossbones balks, the Skull
fires him on the spot and orders him out. After the meeting, Mother
Night talks with Crossbones, sharing that she is miserable from her
unrequited love for the Skull and his constant abuse of her....
Back at Avengers Mansion, Diamondback
suggests to Cap she join the Avengers staff as a secretary. Later Cap
is wrapping up a training exercise with Sersi and Quasar when he has a
visit from Bernie Rosenthal; Bernie and Rachel size each other up
immediately with Cap blissfully unaware....
At the Federal Penitentiary in
Virginia, the Skeleton Crew (minus Crossbones but supplemented by men
supplied by the Power Broker) bust Viper out of the place and deliver
her to the Red Skull....
2. “The Face of Fear” 2.5/5
Writer: Mark Gruenwald. Pencils: Larry
Alexander. Inks: Dan Panosian. Colors: Renee Witterstaetter, Marie
Javins.
Synopsis: Rachel (Diamondback) Leighton
is sunning herself on the patio of Avengers Mansion when she is
surprised by two visitors: her friends Asp and Black Mamba of B.A.D.
Girls, Inc. She updates them on her recent activities, finding refuge
from recent traumatic events in the safety of the Mansion and the
arms of Captain America. Suddenly Rachel sees a vision of her nemesis
Snapdragon before her and panics; Black Mamba had reached into
Rachel’s mind and found the image of her fear and created an
illusion of it so Mamba and Asp could learn what it was. Rachel is
furious at this invasion of her mind and orders them off the
premises. As Asp and Mamba ponder how they can bring Snapdragon to
justice and help Rachel, they head to the Bar with No Name. While
sitting at the bar they are spotted by Battleaxe, Golddigger, and
Steel Wind, who hope to collect the reward posted by Superia for
their capture….