Hamburg, Germany, two months ago: Aleksander Lukin sits in his limo as the Red Skull inside his head calls his attention to a gang of skinheads beating up a foreigner. Lukin dispatches a henchman to take down the thugs and drag the leader, Max Lohmer, over to the car. There, the Red Skull (in Lukin’s body with the appropriate mask) tells him he knew Max’s grandfather, the original Master Man, and is recruiting the young punk to his cause….
Today, Steve Rogers arrives in London, met by Joey Chapman, who is the current Union Jack. They head to Falsworth Castle to meet Jacqueline Falsworth, the rejuvenated Spitfire. Getting down to business, Steve explains how he is keeping an eye on Lukin, head of the multinational Kronas Corporation, and suspects his next scheme will involve London so he has asked for the help of his two British allies. Steve mentions another complication: Bucky Barnes is also hunting for Lukin, with vengeance on his mind….
In downtown London, Bucky reads in a newspaper that Lukin will be at a huge gala to celebrate the opening of Kronas’ British HQ. While planning his moves, he casually stops a purse-snatcher by clotheslining him with his cybernetic arm….
In Texas, Crossbones and Sin murder a Roxxon exec heading to the Kronas gala in London and commandeer his plane….
The next night, Captain America and Union Jack are at the docks, watching as a foreign freighter off-loads cargo onto Kronas-owned trucks which head for the city. Cap sends Spitfire to follow the trucks while he and Union Jack steal aboard the ship. Cap finds the ship’s log, which shows a puzzling stop in Hamburg but then the two are surprised by crew members. In the midst of the ensuing fight, Cap suddenly finds himself against a burly opponent who is much stronger than he expected and he steps back to see…a new Master Man….