Random Happenstance

Cap snaps back awake to find Mentallo in a coma, and S.H.I.E.L.D. mops up the AIM soldiers, finding several hostages that were hooked into Mentallo's machine. Cap is left wondering what happened, until Iron Man calls an Avengers meeting with a very specific lineup: Cap, Thor, Wasp, Giant-Man, Wonder Man, the Scarlet Witch, and the Vision, who probably shouldn't have been affected...Iron Man reveals himself to be Tony Stark, and everyone present realizes they already knew that, as he "was able to tell you fast enough so the revelation restored your old memories." He makes plans to tell Hawkeye as well, when Cap takes him aside to ream him out. Cap takes the Batman in Identity Crisis high ground: Tampering with people's minds is just wrong, and Tony is once again putting his secrets and agenda ahead of the rights of others, violating their freedoms. Just like in the Armor Wars, Cap says.

In Tony's defense, he had recently received and was still recovering from an asskicking that landed him in the hospital, as the direct result of Spymaster learning his secret id. He takes offense at the Armor Wars crack, and points out that the Space Phantom previously had erased the world's knowledge of Cap's identity. (The editorial footnote cites Avengers #107, which I've read but don't recall, so I guess it worked. Sometimes Cap's id is a state secret known by no one, sometimes it's known to various and sundry secrety government agencies like SHIELD, the Commission, and the IRS, sometimes everyone knows.) Cap points out that wasn't his idea, but Tony says he still benefited from it. The two continue arguing and thinking the other is being a dick about the whole thing, until they're interrupted by a call from SHIELD.

The hostages' DNA showed an "aberrant pattern," which is the first thing the government looks at in recovered hostages. Iron Man recognizes it, asks the computer for the whereabouts of a Dr. Mark Cushing, and they're off in a quinjet two panels later. Not fooling around today, I see. Despite having had a meeting five minutes ago, the rest of the Avengers are busy, so only Cap and Iron Man go. They probably heard your argument and ducked out, guys: it would be the least fun plane ride ever, with both of them going "I'm right, aren't I? Tell him!" the whole damn way.

Having beat most of the AIM intruders, Cap and Iron Man find yet another Marvel hidden society, the gold skinned citizens of Zenith City. Their "voice of the groupmind" Jason introduces them, and explains that with the Avengers' help, they have beaten the rest of AIM's forces. Jason takes him to the body of the last Dr. Cushing, who's on display like Lenin. Cushing had been a scientist working for Tony, who walked with two arm-brace canes, that was trying to revive a biomechanics project previously shut down by Tony. Tony pointed out that he stopped that research because preliminary testing showed subjects couldn't stop the treatments without dying, and that the brain implants had the unfortunate side-effect of "an invariable tendency to synchronize--compromising the subject's individuality in favor of a hivemind effect!" Just like every message board I've ever seen...

Cushing walks out on Stark, saying he'd "never know the price the weak would gladly pay for strength." He found the funding, bought an island, and did it himself; turning the sickly and weak into gold-skinned hotties. Unfortunately, the research was funded by AIM, who tortured Cushing to death to try to find the secret of the process. With Cap and Iron Man's help, Zenith City was now free, but Cap points out MODOK isn't going to just let them go. And MODOK doesn't, instead activating the override, taking over the citizens again. The citizens are as buff as Cap and have mind-rays to zap Iron Man, so they aren't doing great. (By the way, I remember when MODOK was killed in Captain America #313, and then his corpse blown up in Iron Man #205, but if anyone can tell me what issue he came back in...)