Shortly after HYDRA takes over America, Sam Wilson changes his twitter profile to indicate that he is no longer Captain America. His feed is full of people saying that Steve Rogers showed them the truth and is helping defend humanity against the Inhuman menace, as well as at least one person noting the rumors that Rogers was altered by a Cosmic Cube and isn't really a HYDRA agent.
Wilson reflects on his past. He'd taken up the mantle of Captain America but eventually set it aside after feeling like he wasn't making a difference and after his friend Elvin "Rage" Halliday was badly injured in battle. Depressed, Wilson went camping in the wilderness so he could bond with birds and sleep under the stars. His campsite had no cell reception, and so when HYDRA took over the country he didn't notice. He did use a bird's vision to see some green-suited soldiers marching through a town, but he didn't know what was going on until he finally returned to civilization and learned that HYDRA, led by Steve Rogers and utilizing the Americops, now controlled the country. Rogers being evil—and yet still able to wield Mjolnir—caused Wilson to despair even more.
In a cafe, Wilson listens as a customer and the cook talk about how great HYDRA is. The cook is excited that Earth is finally safe from cosmic villains like Thanos thanks to the planetary shield, and the customer notes that HYDRA has gotten rid of the mutants as well. Wilson yells at them that HYDRA are fascists and terrorists, but the customer tells him that's just what the media wants them to think. Both the customer and cook say that they trust Steve Rogers more than pundits and reporters, so if Rogers says that HYDRA is good, they believe him. They also are excited that HDYRA is building factories to produce warships and weapons, as this will put many people back to work. A disgusted Wilson storms out, reflecting on how much he cared for Rogers and how much it hurts to think his friend went evil. He decides to run away again but is stopped by the cries of a mother and her Inhuman daughter, who are being hassled by a group of thugs.
The mother protests that her daughter is harmless, but the thugs say they're reporting her to HYDRA. Wilson intervenes and beats the thugs unconscious with a circular rock that looks a little like his old shield. The mother recognizes Wilson and begs him to help her daughter escape the country. He protests that he can't do it, but she says that if Captain America can't help her, then who can? That convinces him to try. He contacts Misty Knight, who is furious at him for abandoning his mantle but agrees to help him evacuate people from the country nonetheless, and who brings along Dennis "Demolition Man" Dunphy. The three of them, working together, are able to smuggle the mother and her daughter to Canada.
Wilson then sets up a hotline on the deep web and is contacted by a variety of Inhumans, mutants, and regular humans begging him to help get them out of the country. One such individual is Scott Lang, who wants his daughter Cassandra to be taken to safety. Wilson agrees, and afterwards, Lang says he's going to join up with Clint Barton's resistance. He invites Wilson but Wilson refuses, saying the war is over, the good guys lost, and all they can do now is help a few people escape from the wreckage. Lang says that Wilson could try to fix Rogers somehow, but Wilson says that if the smart people like Tony Stark and Amadeus Cho can't find a way to do that, he doubts he'll be able to help. Wilson says that he doesn't think they can win back the country, and even if they could, he's noticed that most people seem find with HYDRA, so maybe there's nothing worth winning back. He makes Lang promise not to tell the other superheroes about him. Lang, however, leads the other heroes right to his location.
Tropes:
- Run for the Border: Wilson's new job. He smuggles people to Canada, where HYDRA does not have jurisdiction.
