Synopsis / Summary / Plot
War Machine (James Rhodes) is investigating Madame Masque's break-in to the Osaka Stark Tower (#1), with the help of the AI Friday. She can't find anything missing, but MM also scrambled the security system during her visit. The only footage Friday can recover shows (as we saw in #1) the villainess fighting the light-sabre-wielding techno-ninjas Iron Man battled in #4 (when they were on her trail).
Iron Man isn't doing this job himself because Tony Stark is entertaining Amara Perera in his apartment. (They're just about to have breakfast after spending the night together.) He takes a moment to contact Rhodey for an update. And to remind us that Whitney Frost and the ninjas were dabbling with demonic forces.
Tony takes Amara to a little diner he knows that serves the best waffles in the world. They exchange science chat over the meal, until Victor Von Doom wanders in and joins them. Stark tries to shoo him away, but the now unscarred and unarmoured Doom charms Amara.
Meanwhile James Rhodes has gone seeking info on the techno-ninjas in an illicit dive run by wheelchair-bound Yukio. Faced with the threat of Avengers wrecking her place she points him to an over-sized guy with 2 female companions.
Von Doom repeats his claim to be a good guy now. But Stark still has his Iron Man armour stand outside the restaurant ready for trouble. Victor says he's here to see if Tony is suffering any mystical after-effects from last issue's magical battle. He claims that thwarted demons often gain petty revenge on their enemies. Doom also avoids answering the question of how he knew Stark was here, before leaving the place.
The big guy and the girls get in a flash car. Which suddenly starts flying as War Machine lifts it into the air. He takes them to the top of a skyscraper and drags the man out. Rhodey shrugs of bullets, 1 of which ricochets and injures the man. But when he asks about the ninjas Jim belatedly discovers he's dealing with the wrong enemy. The girls attack him with light-sabre swords.