Fighting Back

Captain America has assisted SHIELD in capturing Chet Madden, the current director of Advanced Idea Mechanics. However, the situation has become complicated when it is discovered that he is being represented by Connie Ferrari, Steve Rogers’ current girlfriend.[1] Worse, she believes the charges against her client are trumped up. The case soon becomes a media circus. Outside the court house, Connie addresses the media and promises that she will win the trail for her client.

Steve waits for her outside the courthouse and tries to talk sense into her about representing Madden. He points out that AIM is a terrorist organization. Connie, on the other hand, reminds him that America runs on due process and that her client is innocent until proven guilty. More over, she thinks AIM are just scientists and researchers trying to develop new technologies and that their crimes are all from past iterations of the organization.[2]

Inside, Steve watches the opening arguments of the trail. Connie asks the judge to dismiss the case as the prosecution has no evidence of any crimes committed by his client. Although Chet was wearing the trademark yellow uniform of AIM, that doesn’t mean he was engaged in any illegal activity. The judge agrees and tells the prosecution that unless they can provide further evidence he will be making a motion to have the case dismissed in the morning.

This angers Steve who rushes out of the court room to do something about this. Outside he is stopped by SHIELD Director Sharon Carter. She tells him that what was said in court was true because AIM was smart enough to wipe all the incriminating evidence the moment they raided their facility. Steve cannot believe that everything that’s happened, including Protocide, that Chet Madden is just going to walk.[3] He refuses to let that happen, but Sharon still has her concerns about Connie and reminds Steve who his friends are. Rogers tells her that Connie is just doing her job and promises that he’ll do his as well.

Soon, Captain America is flying back to the AIM base in Iowa with agent Cameron Klein. There he shows Steve that there is no evidence because the organization was really good at covering their tracks. None of their personnel records mention anybody by name as each member of AIM was given a unique number for identification only. More over, trying to trace the source and destination of money flowing in and out of the company passes through a complex web of shell companies, making it impossible to track. Even AIM operatives don’t know the identities of their colleagues because they wear their masks at all times. Suddenly, they realize that there is one AIM operative they know has been unmasked.

This is Clete Billups, a spy that infiltrated SHIELD and was the one that helped obtain Protocide for AIM. Since his arrest, Billips has been confined to a SHIELD maximum security facility in Pennsylvania while he awaits trail for the murder of two SHIELD agents.

Sometime later, two individuals dressed like AIM operatives help Billups escape from the prison. As they are trying to make their way out they are confronted by Dum Dum Dugan who tries to stop them. Although Dugan is dealt with, one of Billup’s rescuers is seriously wonded. Once they escape in a ship, they convince Clete to set a course to AIM’s most secret base, Far Point. When they arrive, the AIM operatives inside the base quickly forget about Billups breaking protocol when they see the injured operative. However, when they get to the medical bay, Clete’s rescuers turn on them. As it turns out, they weren’t AIM operatives at all, but Captain America and Sharon Carter in disguise. After Sharon orders an airstrike on the facility, the pair fight their way to the data center. They arrive just in time to stop an operative from purging the data they need to nail Chet Madden. Moments later, the facility is secured by SHIELD.

The following day, when court is back in session, Captain America arrives and interrupts the trial to present the evidence they just found. While Connie objects to this sudden evidence, the judge decides to take it into consideration given the strength of Captain America’s character.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Connie Ferrari, SHIELD (Sharon Carter, Dum Dum Dugan, Nick Fury, Cameron Klein), AIM (Chet Madden, Clete Billups)

Continuity Notes

1. Steve and Connie have been dating since they first met in Captain America (vol. 3) #15. Since issue #20, Steve had decided not to tell her that he is Captain America. This is mostly because she believes her brother died from a hazing ritual gone wrong after enlisting in the military. Steve first learned Ched Madden was her client in Captain America (vol. 3) #37, but only found out last issue that he was the director of AIM.

2. Connie’s opinion about AIM might be a hold over from when the organization relocated to Boca Caliente for a time and “went legit” in Quasar #9. As a sovereign nation the organization sold their wares to whoever had the capital to buy. However, they have reverted back to form since the destruction of Boca Caliente in Avengers #388.

3. Protocide was a failed super soldier who seemingly died before Steve became Captain America. His body was stashed in a government facility until it was recovered and AIM revived him. Captain America just recently brought Protocide down. See Captain America (vol. 3) #28, 35, Annual 2000 and 37-38.

Topical References

• The data Captain America takes from AIM is depicted as being held on a 3.5” floppy disc. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete storage medium.