Synopsis
Last issue Nick Fury Jr told Punisher how to get hold of the War Machine armour and asked him to go on a mission to Chernaya to get rid of the military coup led by General Petrov.
Some of Petrov's soldiers turn up at a lonely farm to claim it for the new People's Republic. The old farmer resists and is about to be shot when something lands with a loud sound-effect a few yards away. War Machine stalks out of the cloud of dust and tries to shoot the leader, but the armour's gun won't fire. Emboldened the soldiers fire at him but he kills them all - but not without wrecking the old man's tractor (which didn't work anyway).
Frank Castle takes his helmet off and asks what was going on. The farmer says they wanted to steal his crops - which were blighted and due to be burned anyway but he objected to the way they asked. Castle says he'll go on his way to Petrov, but the farmer says more soldiers will come looking when this lot don't report back - so Punisher says he'll wait for them.
1st he digs a big hole to hide the bodies in. While he's doing that he learns that the man's name is Vakha. He was a soldier for a long time, and he's seen men like this before who have lost their humanity in the process.
They discuss the War Machine armour's weapons not working and Vakha asks if he's switched the safety off. Frank doesn't believe something like this would *have* a safety switch, but he asks it and the AI confirms there is. Frank tells it to take the safety off, and various parts of the armour light up.
They, mainly War Machine, lay traps for the enemy and then wait. Soldiers come with the night. Castle tells Vakha to stay indoors and sets off to kill *this* lot. Felled trees have prevented their vehicles from getting through so they're approaching on foot through a field. He confronts them and asks them to take him to Petrov. They of course refuse so he shoots the leader (this time it works). Then he sets light to the diseased field which he had previously soaked with petrol.
Leaving the soldiers to burn Punisher goes after the vehicles. A troop carrier is still stuck but a tank approaches and manages to hit him with a shell before he has time to tell his armour to take ant-tank measures. The system will take some time to get back up to full strength but that doesn't stop him throwing the tractor at the tank. Then he's back to full power and shooting the accompanying soldiers.
A couple of soldiers have slipped past him and enter the farmhouse to be met by the farmer wielding his scythe.
Meanwhile Punisher finishes off the troops and leaps on the tank. Ripping open the hatch he fires a burst of flame inside. Then he fires a missile at the troop carrier.
His AI reports that there are no lifesigns left in the vicinity. But Castle realises what that means and rushes back to the farm where he finds Vakha dying next to the 2 dead soldiers. (So the AI wasn't strictly correct.) The ex-soldier is glad to have gone down fighting, but now he can join his wife and son in the afterlife. He suggests Frank take over the farm and keep it safe - and pretend the world doesn't need him anymore.
Later War Machine jets away, watched by 2 cloaked ex-SHIELD Agents (part of the local group who defected to Petrov after SHIELD was disbanded).