Fred Davis looks back on his wartime stint as Bucky, sidekick to Captain America: Captured by a mad scientist and his zombie Nazis, Bucky was rescued by the Invaders, and he and Bill Naslund carried on the legacy of the nation’s greatest heroes. So now the elderly Fred reacts with horror to TV news reports of a youth dressed as Bucky on a violent shooting spree downtown….
At the government lab in Hoboken, Captain America Steve Rogers has gained access to the remains of the Adam II android for Will Naslund (grandson of the second Cap) to study seeking clues to the android that attacked Fred Davis (last issue). Steve gets a call from Sharon Carter alerting him to the Bucky gunman downtown. Cap arrives on the scene and confronts the killer and is taken aback at how much the gunman resembles the real Bucky Barnes. In the ensuing fight, Cap hits "Bucky" in the head with his shield but it does not seem to affect him. When Cap stops to protect an innocent bystander, the killer runs off…
Fred Davis has watched this on TV and decides to stop feeling sorry for himself and do something positive….
Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch, assists Will Naslund as he examines the remains of Adam II. While they work a curious Will questions his companion about the grandfather he never knew. Will removes the android’s skull and discovers a small opaque globe at the base. Hearing a muted voice emanating from the globe he gazes into it and light beams enter his eyes as Jim is forced to flame on against his will….
After doing extensive research on Will Naslund, Fred has discovered that every file on paper and the internet is classified and it doesn’t feel right. As he tries to contact Jim Hammond, a nurse slowly approaches from behind, holding a syringe….
Cap pursues the fake Bucky over several rooftops until his quarry crashes through a skylight. Cap follows—and finds himself surrounded by android duplicates of Captain America….
The voices in Will Naslund’s head become louder as Jim Hammond tries to control his flames. When the Torch tries to destroy the globe, Naslund overpowers him; his program has been rewritten and he stands revealed as…Adam III.