Synopsis / Summary / Plot
In previous issues Hydra went to war against Leviathan, and the Howling Commandos PMC were nearly wiped out in an attack on a Hydra base in China. This issue is set 6 months later.
It opens in the Hydra recruiting station Ravenous II in Seattle (indicating that the original Ravenous has been a casualty in the war). That is now destroyed, taking the Space Needle down with it and much else in the city centre.
The Secret Warriors have relocated to Nick Fury's secret base #16 Carbon in Colorado. Nick reviews recent history with them. After the China incident Hydra raised 3 blocks in Paris to get Fury's European command base #13 Hotspot. A month later a biological attack took out his London base #14 Columbia, with 12,000 civilian casualties in the surrounding area. Then the war between Hydra and Leviathan escalated. Leviathan destroyed all Hydra's Hive bases, shipyards and Ravenous I in Vancouver. Hydra's toll on Leviathan was even worse and *they* now only have 2 bases left. A month ago a ceasefire was arranged, but Leviathan head Magadan was assassinated in a meeting with his co-heads Orion and Val de Fontaine - and after exiting his brain the bullet created a blood spatter on the wall in the shape of the Hydra symbol. The Seattle attack was retaliation by Leviathan. This was the final straw for the world governments, but while they're running round like headless chickens Fury intends to end it all now.
Fury has the base on lockdown until it's time for action. That night JT James (Hellfire) complains to his lover Daisy Johnson (Quake) that he needs to get out because he's going stir crazy. As Daisy's the team leader she can fix it and she reluctantly agrees. But he goes to a bar to meet a Hydra contact. In #16 we learned that Hydra are blackmailing him into giving them information, and they've sweetened the deal by promising to leave Daisy alone when they win. Now JT's having 2nd thoughts but he still tells the guy that they're going to destroy the main Hydra base Gehenna.
2 days later they're at another Fury secret base #12 The Rocket, which appropriately enough contains a rocket that takes them to base #28 Heaven's Hell in geosynchronous orbit above Gehenna on a mountain in New Zealand. (This is off the end of the list of 27 secret bases in #1.) From here they'll attack there while Mikel Fury and Alexander Pierce's Grey and Black Caterpillar teams will hit Leviathan's 2 remaining sites. The plan for Daisy's White team is for Eden Fesi to teleport them to Gehenna where they'll set off a 'mountain breaker' and teleport back.
But when they get there they find Hydra troops waiting for them. Fury doesn't seem surprised and sends his people into action. Quake causes quakes. Slingshot zooms in and belts the foes with her cyborg arms. Stonewall shields Phobos from flamethrowers and absorbs the flames to use against the enemy. Hellfire joins him with his flaming chain. Meanwhile Fury has planted the bomb and armed it. But then their ticket out Eden gets blasted from behind.
And Baron Strucker, Gorgon and Madame Hydra (Viper with the octopoid on her head) are watching from elsewhere.