Captain America and Sharon Carter have interrupted the Serpent Squad in the midst of a bank robbery and are now in battle with the trio of baddies. The huge brutish Viper, the electric-powered Eel, and the slippery Cobra turn out to be no match for the two heroes. Cap leaves Sharon to guard the prisoners while he heads to the scene of the Madbomb-inspired riot at Morningside Heights. There he stands atop a truck and addresses the crowd calling for calm—but suddenly the Super-Soldier Serum leaves his body and he falls to his knees, his uniform hanging on him loosely. The crowd sees this skinny little man dressed as Captain America and concludes he is an impostor. They attack, beating Cap until the Falcon swoops down and carries him to safety.
That evening, the news reports the rumors that the crowd of rioters attacked Captain America while an investigation of the bank robbery turned up evidence that the bank was covering up fraudulent stock trades…. At her lavish quarters, Queen Hydra gloats as she makes a deal with rival banker Fitzgerald by threatening to do the same to his bank unless they merge interests. Her next target: the cable news networks….
Aboard the SHIELD Quincarrier, Sharon interrogates the captive Cobra, and he confesses that he and his gang were betrayed by the mysterious people who hired them. The Serpents were to create a distraction for their employers who had told them that Captain America would be out of action….
At the Raft, the prison for supervillains, Hydra agents suddenly appear on the premises and assault the guards. During a massive firefight, Baron Zemo cuts through the wall of Codename: Bravo’s cell, releases the rogue agent, and the two make their getaway in a small aircraft….
Aboard the Quincarrier, Sharon Carter locks down all the computer systems with an order for the craft to self-destruct if she does not reauthorize by a certain time. With the ship secure, she loads the file containing the consciousness of Machinesmith—and his grinning face appears on the viewscreen to tell her she just made the biggest mistake of her life….