…As Cuban soldier Luisa Prohias holds her assault rifle on Captain America, he explains he is holding a SHIELD transmitter and that in eight minutes the Americans will microwave the building and sterilize the bio-weapons stored inside. Cap tries to persuade her to abandon plans to seize the weapons for Cuba, even destroying the getaway truck with his thrown shield. She and her partner Arturo Gutierrez ponder the matter then escape with Cap and the wounded hostage Fernand Hedayat. Later at the hospital where Hedayat is recuperating from his wounds, Cap and former Senator Lester Paley, Hedayat’s lawyer, sees Fidel Castro enter and declare Hedayat a hero of the Cuban people (unaware the bio-weapons are now useless). After he leaves Cap and Paley meet with Hedayat who tells them Castro has offered him asylum in Cuba. He has turned it down: he is not a brave man and did not endure the horrors of the last few weeks to live in Havana. He wants to go back to America, his homeland. Cap is summoned back to Camp Hasmat, where he learns that the military trial for Hedayat has been postponed indefinitely and Colonel Boyle has been reassigned. Outside Cap speaks with General Barron. He has learned from ballistics tests that the weapon used to fire on him in Brooklyn (in issue #21) was American—the type used by Barron’s covert operators—and he asks point blank whether Barron ordered the attempt on his life. An angry Barron hints broadly that he was ordered to be nice to Cap in public but to have him killed since the higher-ups were afraid that Cap would be fair to Hedayat instead of pursuing a show trial. He reminds him of the fact of life: soldiers don’t kill, politicians do. After the General leaves, Cap calls Nick Fury who confirms that Barron’s remarks were recorded and will be delivered to Director Tolliver of the Department of Homeland Security….
New Year’s Eve in Havana: Rebecca Quan arrives to celebrate with Steve, followed by other guests: Luisa Prohias and her husband, Arturo Gutierrez and his mother. Lester Paley arrives shortly thereafter to tell Steve he is running for President…and wants Steve to be his running mate. Desite the importance of the issues and the election, Steve declines. At the stroke of midnight he and Rebecca watch the fireworks in the sky.