A fire at the Houston headquarters of the Office of National
Emergency causes the building to be evacuated. Turns out, though, the the fire
is an illusion, created so the Secret Avengers can enter unseen to confront the
heads of the Office, Mr. Atkins and Ms. Hood and find out which one is a Shadow Council
agent. Commander Steve Rogers has Black Widow and Moon Knight prepare
torture to identify the bad guy but Ms. Hood confesses. Under questioning, Ms
Hood reveals that the Council was conducting breeding experiments in Paraguay
to create a super-soldier; the resulting monsters are in the basement of that
very building. Hood was planning to revive the monsters so that she could
destroy them—but the Avengers' interference only allowed the monsters to
awaken....
In the basement, Sharon Carter, Valkyrie, and War Machine fight
gruesome creatures that keep growing, drawing energy from another dimension,
making them more and more dangerous—becoming an alien invasion. The team heads
for the roof and Beast uses the weapons on his ship to collapse the building,
destroying the monsters. And rather than be imprisoned, Ms. Hood takes out a
pistol and shoots herself in the head....
Excelsioring your collection
Story #2Red Light Nation
Writer:
Rick Remender.
Penciler/Inker:
Patrick Zircher.
Colorist:
Andy Troy.
Letterer:
Dave Lanphear.
Synopsis
Bagalia, an island nation run by criminals, for criminals: Captain America and Hawkeye drop in from high above, hitching a ride on an elevated train to a casino. They enter, using SHIELD camouflage suits to look like ordinary wealthy visitors. Upstairs they locate the room of the American Senator they have come to rescue and Hawkeye bursts in through the front door—and it is a trap. The “Senator” is an explosive Life Model Decoy and soon the heroes are pursued by security forces. As they flee, they bicker about Hawkeye's recklessness and Cap's self-sufficiency with Cap revealing that this mission was a test of Hawkeye's ability to operate covertly. Cap is planning to hand the reins of the Secret Avengers over to Hawkeye but only if he passes the test. Clint is mad about this and Steve is equally fed up with Clint's constant need for approval. Clint gets even madder and takes off. Cap then faces Vengeance, the fiery green motorcyclist, followed by Whiplash before being swallowed whole by Princess Python's giant snake. The captive Cap is taken before Max Fury who plans to put him to use in an anti-American propaganda campaign. One of the guards reveals himself to be Hawkeye who incapacitates the baddies with arrows then carries Cap to safety...and now they both know Clint is ready to lead the team....
Enemies
Masters of Evil, Max Fury, Princess Python (Zelda DuBois), Shadow Council, Vengeance (Kowalski), Whiplash (Anton Vanko).