Captain America #173
The Sins of the Secret Empire
Captain America and the Falcon have traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to find proof that Captain America is being frame for murder.[1] There they have run into the remaining members of the X-Men who are investigating the disappearance of mutants which is somehow connected to the same organization framing Cap for murder. Before they can learn more, they are interrupted by Nick Fury and his agents of SHIELD, who are in the area for other reasons but spotted Captain America and now want to bring him in. With the X-Men’s aid, Cap and the Falcon manage to escape capture and they seek cover in an abandoned mine.
There, Professor X continues explaining the recent disappearances of mutants. This dates back to when the Avengers recently rescued the X-Men from Magneto. During the ensuing battle. In the aftermath of the battle, the two teams noticed that the Angel had gone missing in battle. After, the Professor tried to mentally contact the Beast, but could not find any trace of him. They next went looking for Lorna Dane and Havok, who were living in the southwest, but discovered that they had gone missing as well. With the rest of the team missing, Professor X had Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and Iceman check in on their foes. Not only did they discover that they were going missing as well, Iceman never returned from his mission.
When Captain America asks how this ties to his murder case, Professor X reveals that the organization behind both conspiracies is the Secret Empire. He then reveals that the Empire uses propaganda as a weapon and that Quentin Harderman is one of the men working with them through his advertising agency. Learning of Harderman’s involvement, Captain America agrees to help the X-Men out. Xavier suggests that they seek out Linda Donaldson, the Beat’s former girlfriend whom he learned has connections to the Secret Empire.
Since her association with the Beast’s alter-ego, Hank McCoy, Donaldson has relocated to the Brand Corporation’s facility in Dallas, Texas. There she has been trying to find a way to steal an experimental electron gyro for her masters. When she reports back on how difficult it is to steal this invention, her handlers tell her to obtain the gyro no matter what, denying her request to hunt the mutants spotted in the area instead. As she pulls into the parking lot of her hotel, Linda is suddenly grabbed by Cyclops. His staged kidnapping attempt allows Captain America and the Falcon — who have disguised themselves as a pair of unemployed men looking for work — to “rescue” her. After Cyclops is driven off and hearing “Roger Stevens” and “Willie Samuel’s” hard luck story she thinks these two men could be used to steal the electro gyro.
That evening, Steve and Sam are visited in their rented room by Agent 13 of the Secret Empire, who pays them to steal the gyro from the Brand Corporation. Accepting the job, Steve insists that they steal the device as Captain America and the Falcon, hoping that his good name still has some value when he explains their need for it. Although they are caught by the security, the pair manage to escape with the gyro, leaving a note for the owner. When reading the explanation for why they stole the gyro, the factory boss — Mister Black — tells his men to let them go and not get the police involved because he still believes Captain America is good, despite the continued negative advertising coming from the Committee to Regain America’s Principals.
In the early hours of the morning, “Roger Stevens” and “Willie Samuels” hand over the gyro to Agent 13. Impressed by their work, the operative takes them back to the Secret Empire’s hideout which is hidden below the desert. Little does Agent 13 know is that they are followed by the X-Men, who wait outside for their cue to attack. However, Professor X grimly worries that they may never hear from Captain America or the Falcon ever again.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Falcon, Secret Empire (Number Nine and Thirteen), SHIELD (Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones), X-Men (Professor X, Cyclops, Marvel Girl), Brand Corporation
Continuity Notes
A smear campaign started by the Viper in Captain America #166 led to Cap being framed for the murder of the Tumbler in issue #169, he has been on the run since.
Professor X goes into a lot of current events happening to Marvel’s Merry Mutants at the time of this story. They are:
The Avengers rescued the X-Men from Magneto in Avengers #110-111.
The Best had graduated from the X-Men and was a solo crime fighter at the time. His adventures were chronicled in Amazing Adventures (vol. 2) #11-16. He went missing following his last appearance in Incredible Hulk #161.
Lorna went to the southwest to try and bring Havok back into the fold after he lost his temper and injured Iceman and quit the X-Men. They were last seen in Incredible Hulk #150. Their search for Lorna and Havok was chronicled in Incredible Hulk #172.
Topical References
The dive hotel Steve and Sam stay at charges $1 a night for a room. This should be considered topical since you’d be hard pressed to find a place that charges such a low price for a room.
