"And the Rocket's Red Glare!"
The Avengers respond to a suspected extraterrestrial sabotage at the Kennedy Space Center and encounter a group of terrorists called the Rocketeers, who escape the ensuing battle under cover of a disabling mist. Unknown to the heroes, the Rocketeers were actually disguised alien Dire Wraiths, and are now in the heroes' very midst, under the guise of space center technicians.
When the Dire Wraiths stage a second assault on the facility, the Avengers deduce their true identities and capture them. However, one of the Dire Wraiths, disguised as a senior scientist, Dr. Cather, escapes in an experimental ion-drive rocket. Unbeknownst to its passenger, the rocket's drive engine is an unstable experimental model and is about to explode.
Meanwhile, Quicksilver and Lockjaw are in Transia to pay Bova a visit. They are stunned when they come across the smoldering remains of her home.