The Big Fall Apart

This story continues from Captain America Annual #9…

On the trail of Umberto Safilios, Nomad (aka Jack Monroe) has come to Miami, Florida.[1] On the street, he saves a woman named Eila Arriguez from two gunmen hired by Safilios to silence her. Jack then takes her to the local hospital. There, the doctors tell him that Eila will live but a bullet passed through her spine and she’ll never be able to walk again. Eila’s father, Hector, then pulls Nomad aside and warns him that Umberto Safilios is a very dangerous man, something he knows since Umberto is his brother-in-law. The reason why he went after Eila is because he was pressuring her to steal information from an electronics company in town that is producing equipment for the military.

Jack decides to investigate the company, Cyberoptics, to find out what they are working on that Stafilios would be so interested in. Slipping inside using a key card he stole from Elia’s purse. Searching Elia’s desk he finds Umberto’s number on record as well as a note that Arriguez was to meet with a DEA agent named Joseph Kittle. That’s when Jack is caught by a security guard. Quickly knocking him out, Monroe tries to make a run for it but before he can leap over the security fence he is slammed to the ground by the very familiar shield of Captain America. Cap tells the guards to stand down and asks Jack what he’s doing. Nomad explains that he is investigating the attempted murder of Eila Arriguez. Cap doesn’t like the idea that Nomad is now walking around with a shotgun, but Jack justifies having it because it levels the playing field with the types of scumbags that he deals with. When Cap asks if this might have something to do with rumors that Advance Idea Mechanics were going to raid this building, Jack tells him that world conquerors are Cap’s type of foe, he is looking to avenge a young woman who is now stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Cap decides to let Jack go, but cautions him not to cross any lines.

Jack then heads to the warehouse listened in the date book and snoops around. He is shocked to discover crates full of weapons and ammunition. Ducking for cover when some headlights flash through a window, Jack waits to see who has arrived. He is surprised when Hector Arriguez is with Joseph Kittle, making him wonder what the hell is going on. He overhears how they are plotting to take down Umberto Safilios but that can’t happen for another two days while they wait on a delivery. Kittle then makes a call arranging a pick-up at a place called Lollipops. When the two men leave, Jack then tries the phone numbers that Elia had on file for her uncle. One number hits a voice mail, the other has an area code Jack doesn’t recognize, and the last turns out to be for a place called Lollipops. Monroe learns that it is a popular dance bar in the Miami area and decides to go down there and check things out. Since there is bound to be security, Jack leaves his shotgun and stun discs in his truck.

Jack orders a drink and sits in a booth and waits until 3:10. Sure enough, Hector shows up right on schedule and after briefly speaking to the bartender is allowed into a back room. 15 minutes later, Kettle shows up with two other guys and settle in at the bar. A short time after that, Arriguez leaves the backroom with Umberto Safilios himself. Hector is carrying a briefcase which Jack assumes is full of money. When the two men leave, Kettle and his men get up and follow after them. Jack heads out as well to see how this all goes down. Slipping back into his truck, Monroe gathers his gear as Umberto and Hector go to inspect some product in the back of a truck. However, Stafilios was expecting a betrayal and has some of his men sneak up behind Kittle and his men.

Soon a gun fight breaks out and Nomad steps in so he can get his hands on Safilios. He takes out Umberto’s thugs and the DEA agents. Hector is fatally shot and Umberto uses some girls from the bar as human shields until he can climb into the truck and try to make a get away. Nomad shoots out the back tire with his shotgun causing the truck to veer over a cliff. When it hits the jagged rocks at the bottom the truck explodes killing Stafilios. He checks the briefcase and confirms it is full of cash. He also finds a map and an a shipping label for a location in Lexington, Kentucky, the phone number matches the one he found with the unfamiliar area code. After dropping off the money to the Arriguez family so they can pay for Elia’s future medical needs, Nomad decides to head out to Kentucky and find out how it connects to everything that went down in Miami.

Two days later, the Commission on Superhuman Activities has called a meeting in Washington, DC. They have learned how Nomad has been interfering in an operation vital to the United States government. Val Cooper thinks that Nomad needs to be stopped but there is still a lot they don’t know about him. They unanimously agree to bring in a psychologist to investigate Jack Monroe’s background and come up with the best way to deal with him.

Recurring Characters

Nomad, Captain America, Umberto Safilios, Val Cooper, Henry Gyrich, Lewis Hayworth

Continuity Notes

1. Nomad has clashed with Safilios on two past occasions as seen in Marvel Comics Presents #14 and Captain America Annual #9.

Topical References

• When Jack is snooping around the Cyberoptics office all of the clues he finds are written down on paper. Of particular note is that he finds Umberto Safilio’s number on a rolodeck. These were circular devices that held file cards that were used to write down contact information for people. The cards would then be placed in alphabetical order for easy reference. These were popular in the days before computers and cell phones but they are basically obsolete although you can still buy them if you really that hard up. You could consider this a topical reference.

• When Jack looks through the crates of ammunition he wonders if they are planning for World War III or if they’re making Die Hard III. This should be considered a topical reference. At the time this story was published there were only two movies in the Die Hard franchise. A third film, Die Hard with a Vengeance was released in 1995.

• Nomad refers to the messaging service he gets when he calls one of Umberto’s numbers as an answering machine. Answering machines were devices that could be hooked up to a phone line that could pick up the phone when you weren’t home and allow the caller to leave a message. Since the advent of voice mail, answering machines have practically become obsolete. It’s reference her could also be considered topical.

• One of the songs playing at Lollipops is identified as being performed by Bon Jovi. While the band’s height of popularity was the 1980s, many of his songs have found endurance at bars that play that kind of music. It playing here wouldn’t necessarily be considered topical if you want to believe this place would play 80s rock and roll.

• Among the crap on the floor of Umberto’s getaway truck are cans of Coors beer and a map from AAA. These should be considered topical as they are real world products or businesses.

• The money in the briefcase totals to about a million dollars. Which was a lot of money back in 1990 but not so much now. Adjusting for inflation this would be worth about 2.2 million in 2022 money.