While following Nuklo whose mutant powers are gone, Bob Frank the autistic son of a former supervillain, from a barroom fight in New York, Wolverine encounters a giant robot resembling a Sentinel that had ambushed Bob. After a brief tussle, the robot, which had shaken Wolverine, escaped with a mysterious person riding a hovercraft. With a barely alive Bob, Wolverine took the poor man to a nearby hospital.
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, while saving innocent victims from a hole, Captain America discovers a mysterious lair laden with deadly traps. It is very apparent to the reader that this was the laboratory where the robot Wolverine fought was built.

While the heroes are working, the hoverboard-riding villain Overrider and his robot commandeer a big rig and force the driver to take them to the Adametco Metallurgy Company.

Both Wolverine and Cap' follow clues that lead them to Adametco, where Override has taken over the facility to upgrade Tess the robot with an adamantium coating. After a brief fight over a difference of opinion--that Magneto has joined the X-Men--our heroes come face to face with the newly upgraded Tess. While Cap' tackles Tess, Wolverine tries to apprehend Overrider. Unfortunately, the villain and side-kick are able to escape. The two heroes then decide to part ways and pursue different leads.

Later, a Mr. Rennselaer (Overrider) visits his son being cared for at a hospital for the boy's "nuclear psychosis", which had been brought on by his father's stories of the nuclear arms race.

While researching in the FBI database for information on the owner of the bunker Cap' had found, he discovered that Daniel Schumann was the project head for Project Tess--a program to build a robot that could eliminate super-soldiers after WWII in case they abused their power. Wolverine also used Cerebro to scan for mutants with the abilities exhibited by Overrider, Wolverine found a file on former SHIELD agent (and mutant) Richard Aennselaer.

The next day at a truck stop on the way to Offut Air Base, the gas attendant discovered the robot cargo of Aennselaer, and is able to get the message to Cap'. Arriving at the base, Captain America and Wolverine find Tess decimating the place. Closely working together (not Wolverine's forte), the two heroes are able to bring down Tess.
After the battle, they come face to face with Overrider and discover what his ultimate plan was. Overrider was using Tess to distract the military while he infiltrated the base and launch America's entire nuclear arsenal into the sea. He then reveals that his intention is to save his son by eliminating what he fears the most. Afraid that Aennselaer will be successful, which would eliminate America's ability to keep the Russians at bay, Cap' brings Overrider down with a well aimed throw of his shield. Though Wolverine is briefly tempted to kill Overrider to stop him from using his mutant ability, he lets the villain fall to the ground where he is knocked unconscious.

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