Captain America and the Falcon race over the nighttime rooftops heading toward Cap’s apartment. On the roof across the way Falcon takes a lookout prisoner, one of the vengeful Rivas mob (from issues #1-4). Inside the apartment, Cap easily fends off a couple of Rivas hitmen while he and his partner try to sort out who is pulling whose strings—Rivas? SHIELD? Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI)? They all want to get their hands on the bug stolen in the previous storyline. Cap has things to do so he takes his leave in a hail of gunfire, and the Scarlet Witch pulls up in a cab to spirit the two heroes away, though Cap seems to have an odd reaction to seeing her….
In his office at the Daily Bugle, Joe "Robbie" Robertson hosts a high-level meeting, to the confusion of J. Jonah Jameson. Nick Fury of SHIELD and Jimmy Westbrook of ONI arrive and await the coming of Captain America to make a deal that would return the captured Anti-Cap and the stolen bug to Westbrook….
As Luke Cage sleeps in front of his TV he is suddenly awakened by Redwing and reacts explosively, hurling Cap and the Falcon across the room ("Never touch a black man’s remote!"). The visitors want a sample of Cage’s blood. It seems Luke’s strength comes from the same chemical base as that of Anti-Cap—Acetovaxdol (AVS)—and to keep their prisoner from going into withdrawal and possibly dying, they want a sample of Cage’s blood so that scientists can perhaps synthesize skin patches. Falcon produces a Vibranium hypodermic needle, to Luke’s discomfort….
Outside Wanda turns over to Cap the bug she had taken from the Rivas compound in Cuba; Cap wants her safely out of the way. Falcon is confused by the undercurrent to their conversation….
They deliver Cage’s blood sample to the Wakandan Embassy, where the staff has orders from King T’Challa to cooperate with them. Anti-Cap (who begins to resemble Bucky Barnes in Cap’s mind) is being held a prisoner and taunts Cap over his moral dilemma: he can’t turn the rogue agent over to the ONI knowing they would kill him, but he also can’t have a man locked up without due process….
Cap and the Falcon arrive at the Daily Bugle where Admiral Westbrook demands his agent be returned. Cap says he needs time to think this through so in the meantime, Westbrook will have to have Cap jailed. Westbrook demurs since the public outcry over the arrest of a national hero would be a disaster for him. There are no such concerns about the Falcon, however, so Westbrook orders his arrest for treason. As armed guards file into the room, Falcon draws a pistol and shoots Westbrook four times in the chest, point blank….