Diamondback is in the medical section of the Avengers' Mansion surrounded by Steve and Jarvis, and has just sat bolt-upright and declared that Steve must help her or LA will go down in flames from the Sons Of The Serpent. Steve firmly grasps her arms and gently pushes her back, commenting that he'll listen to her, and act immediately, but that if she's going to be any real use to anyone she has to let the automated medical equipment do their work until Hank Pym gets here to finish checking her.
She begins to explain that they need to hurry, and give the details of what she knows. She was contacted by Seth Voelker,* [ * - We know him as Sidewinder, last seen in Cap #424 - Librarian Dave ] who has left his secure cell in The Vault. He had been contacted by Viper, who told him that if he didn't escape and begin to do his bidding, she would make sure that his daughter was able to visit him in prison - a piece at a time. Seth escaped, and donned his Sidewinder garb again, and at Viper's direction began to remove from various incarcerations members of his old group, the Serpent Society. However, two of the members rescued by Sidewinder were Black Mamba and Asp, both of whom were friends of Diamondback's - he convinced them to support his story that Diamondback had returned to her old criminal ways after murdering Snapdragon. With this story in place, Seth then recruited Rachel into Viper's new Serpent Squad.
Viper had resurrected the Sons Of The Serpent, recruiting through her connections in the neo-nazi communities. However, this new Sons Of The Serpent was no longer about racial descrimination, but rather about power; according to Viper (giving a speech to her new recruits) "White America has betrayed us! They have welcomed the black, the Jew, the Mutant. They are no longer deserving of our effort to protect them from theirselves. Rather, let us treat them as they deserve, as they all deserve - if they do not accept our control, they shall be destroyed without mercy. We shall bring them down in flames, and from the rubble we shall bring forth a new order, a new brotherhood of the strong! The Sons Of The Serpent!"
She has established a large sub-terranean base near Los Angeles, and she plans to introduce a self-replicating biochemical nerve agent into the air, which will slowly begin to strip the sheathing of the nerves of the population, causing them to slowly develop more and more untreatable pain, slowly driving them violently mad until they rise up and kill each other. When the city is in chaos, Sons Of The Serpent will rise up from their bunkers all over the city, heading for the communication centers and military bases in the region. After seventy-two hours the agent becomes inert, but the plan calls for introducing the nerve agent at Los Angeles International Airport, and therefore spread it throughout the world in short order. Three days after, the world will be in ruins, with widespread destruction. The nerve agent kill 90% of the victims as their bodies burn themselves out in great agony, approximately forty-eight hours after exposure; those who survive are partially incapacitated for weeks afterwards while their bodies recover - enough time for the Sons Of The Serpent to take control.
Meanwhile....Viper is reporting to a shadowy figure whose silhouette has pronounced eyebrow ridges and a lit cigarette-holder. She is reporting that everything is in readiness, and that all devices are working perfectly, and that by now Diamondback must be on her way back with "that idealistic, star-spangled fool". She is commended, and warned that "that 'fool' has managed to cost us more in time and materials over the years, and must be destroyed at all costs...including your life!".
The Avengers Quinjet is flying over the Midwest on its way towards Los Angeles, and Cap is just finishing a tape leaving a record for the Avengers of where he has gone and what he is trying to do. Other passengers include Diamondback, and Free Spirit, and the craft is piloted by Zack Moonstone. Cap finishes his message, and they begin to plan strategy. Working from diagrams, they feel that the best option is for Diamondback and Free Spirit to spearhead an attack at Viper's office and attempt to capture her while Cap heads for the laboratories to see if he can disrupt or stop the manufacture of the neural toxins.
Viper's base of operations seems to be located in a bad neighborhood of Los Angeles proper - but as the Quinjet approaches, it is bracketed with fire from sever gatling-style pulse lasers which rise from concealment. The Quinjet spins on its tail, and retreats, dodging enemy fire. As the attention is on the Quinjet, several small motorcycle-sized two-man assault vehicles (carrying pilot and gunner) bearing the SHIELD logo pop up over some buildings, and launch missles which destroy the guns. A SHIELD assault force vehicle descends rapidly and the assault force, led by Diamondback and Free Spirit, disembark as the motorcycle-like fightercraft lay down covering fire. Armed Sons Of The Serpents spring from concealment, and a full-scale war erupts!
As the Quinjet speeds away, GW Bridge thanks Zack (the only occupant of the Quinjet) for playing lure, exposing the anti-aircraft armament so that their fightercraft could destroy them, making it safer for the assault force. Zack dismisses his thanks, and comments that he'd have joined them if the Quinjets carried armaments. Besides their usual passengers, that is...
Meanwhile...several blocks away, at one of the other concealed entrances, an explosion shatters a wall, stunning the guards on the other side. Before they can react, Cap leaps forward, tossing his shield. Cap kicks one and reverse-fist strikes a second, with his shield nailing the third, rebounding, and coming to rest in the mid-section of the fourth, taking them all down before they can do much more that think about sending an alarm. Cap studies a wrist-map/chronometer, and sprints in the direction indicated. He doesn't have much time.
Meanwhile, Diamondback, Free Spirit, and their Agents of SHIELD force have secured a large chamber, and seem to be doing well, so much so that one of the Sons Of The Serpent officers decides to seal the chamber in which they struggle off from the rest of the complex, allowing the SotS time to regroup. The huge chamber doors start to close, and Diamondback and Free Spirit sprint forward while the SHIELD agents follow slower, providing them with covering fire. Diamondback and Free Spirit make it through the closing doors just before they seal quite solidly, and they continue running, Diamondback leading them further into the complex corridors.
Meanwhile....Cap has passed a checkpoint, but missed the guard who had taken cover, and rises out of concealment to shoot Cap in the back. Before he can squeeze the trigger a white-gloved hand reaches out from behind the sniper, and clocks him, effectively ending his threat. One shadowy figure comments to the other "Boy, would he be angry if he knew he owed you a favor", and the other figure comments "Nobody is paying me to let him die...and we still need him."
Meanwhile, Diamondback grabs Free Spirit, and pulls her into a side corridor just before SotS reinforcements come by, on their way to the firefight. Free Spirit thanks Diamondback, and Diamondback nods, commenting that they need to reach Viper, and that the SHIELD agents can deal with the SotS goons. They break concealment and enter a chamber which looks like an armory. They are halfway through when two Hydra-model Dreadnaught robots leave their bays and move to attack. Free Spirit dodges the fist-strike of one while Diamondback leaps above the flame which sprouts from the other robot's mouth. Diamondback tosses three explosive-tip diamond-darts at the back of the joints of Free Spirit's opponent, knocking it off balance and giving Free Spirit time to heft and fire a huge rocket-gun at Diamondback's opponent. The huge rocket blows through the Dreadnaught, scuttling it, as Diamondback leaps from behind the other robot as it recovers, and shoves two more diamond-darts down the throat, leaping away as its head blows off.
Cathy comments that they seemed rather....fragile. Before Diamondback can answer, someone else answers "Yeah, but we got a really good price on them from HYDRA". Several members of the former Serpent Society have arrived - Anaconda, Asp, Coachwhip, Puff Adder, and Black Mamba.
"Go. I'll handle them," Diamondback orders Free Spirit.
"But..." Free Spirit starts, but Diamondback interrupts. "Trust me. Go!" Free Spirit sprints away, with some misgiving, and Diamondback addresses the half-circle of her former compatriots.
Meanwhile, Cap has hit (literally) the guard outpost outside the labs area. He makes his way through a half-dozen goons, and leaps through a rapidly closing door...and into the fist of Cottonmouth. He and Bushmaster are wearing re-breather masks, and both have spray cannisters - which they tell Cap is full of the nerve toxin!
Meanwhile, Free Spirit steps into a chamber, and out from the shadows a voice taunts her.
"So, you're his new disciple...a young fool to follow the old fool. I'll enjoy watching his face when I toss your head at his feet." Out from the shadows steps Viper, accompanied by several SotS thugs. She commands her thugs "Kill her...now!"
Next Issue - "Don't Tread On Me"