As a suspicious Jim Hammond (the original Human Torch)
leaves the Maine home of his old comrade Randall Peterson, the latter’s
daughter Nay taps a coded message on their fish tank…
…which message is picked up by Namor the Sub-Mariner as he
leads his new troops, the Sea Blades, to Atlantis….
Captain America recalls a time when he and Bucky stole
aboard a Nazi ship to make off with some top-secret battle plans but they were
caught and Cap almost went to a watery grave until Namor rescued him. And now
Cap in a diving suit is approaching Atlantis for a meeting with his old wartime
pal but he is caught by guards Tiger Shark and Orka who would like to tear him
apart but Cap merely reminds them of Namor’s wrath and they lock him in a cage
until Namor’s return. Cap recognizes the man in the adjacent cell: it’s Spidey
villain Hydro-Man….
Back at his office Jim Hammond is pondering the mysteries of
how Namor met Charles Xavier, why their meeting was kept secret, and why the Petersons
would be hiding it from him….
In 1945 at a memorial service for the (presumed) dead Cap
and Bucky, Namor berated a general for his perceived lack of respect for the
fallen heroes for his plan to recruit two new volunteers to wear their uniforms.
And now a chained Captain America is brought before Namor, who had once
threatened him with death should he ever return to Atlantis. Now Cap tries to
talk Namor into calling off his war, speaking as a friend. Instead Namor beats
Cap with his own shield, insisting that the threat to his kingdom and his
people override all other considerations. Namor breaks Cap’s diving helmet open
and then Cap realizes that Namor has cleared the space of water, concluding
that Namor has somehow taken Hydro-Man’s powers from him. Returning to his ship,
Cap contacts Winter Soldier who was secretly underwater for another purpose….
Cap recalls how after his wartime rescue (see above), he
spoke to Namor about the drowning death of a Nazi soldier and Namor rebuffed
him, noting that war has no place for kindness….
Cap meets with Jim and Bucky. The latter reveals that while
Cap was distracting Namor (by almost getting killed), Bucky was invading Namor’s
quarters to discover what he is planning: Namor is building a bomb designed to
kill only humans….
Namor visits the Peterson home in Maine and Nay reveals that
Jim saw the photo of Namor with Professor X. Namor’s aide Machan takes him
aside and advises Namor to kill the Petersons as a potential threat to his
plans….