James "Bucky" Barnes, the Winter Soldier, is summoned to the SHIELD Helicarrier where Maria Hill briefs him on the shocking events which have just taken place. The Black Widow, rescued from Leo Novokov last issue, was being examined and questioned to learn whether her brainwashing had been reversed. Natasha seemed to be back to normal but when Nick Fury entered the room, a second level of mental conditioning kicked in and she grabbed a gun and started firing. Jasper Sitwell threw himself in front of the wounded Fury, giving the ace agent the time to shoot the Widow and hit the red alert. Natasha fled and escaped by hijacking a flying motorcycle. Now Sitwell is dead and Fury is in surgery; Bucky demands to see Professor Rodchenko who performed the brainwashing; the Soviet doctor explains that Leo Novokov had him create a deeper level of conditioning. He had erased all memory of her romance with Bucky and made her believe she had been a deep cover Soviet agent all along. Maria Hill summons Captain America, Hawkeye, and Wolverine (the latter two are surprised to learn Bucky is alive) to join in the search for Natasha. Hill stresses that this mission must be kept secret so as to make it possible for Natasha to return to her real life….
Elsewhere, underground weapons designer Marvin Martin is about to be killed by client covering his tracks; he is rescued by Leo Novokov who recruits him for his mission….
As Bucky trains in the gym, his mind goes back to an idyllic afternoon in Paris with a delightful Natasha. Brooding, he is interrupted by Hawkeye telling him that she has been spotted in Manhattan and it’s time to go to work….