Escape! Surviving an attempt on his life by the Shroud, Dr. Doom now finds himself a prisoner of Namorita and the Hydro-Men who wish Namor to be freed from his slavery to Latveria. Doom insists to them that Namor is not being held against his will, but is pledged to stay because of a promise made. Returning to Castle Doom, they are informed that Namor has left the castle. Namorita and Tamara Kurtz decide to go looking for Namor, and order their guards to keep Doom in his confines.
Meanwhile, Namor and the Shroud continue their escape from Latveria, and Namor becomes irritable that unless they find a cure he will die in 24 hours. The Shroud takes him to where he left his plane but is shocked to find that the villages discovered it and destroyed it. When one of their hunting dogs picks up Namor and the Shroud's scent the peasants (led by Dr. Doom's faithful servant Boris) chase after the two men, forcing them to flee.
While Dr. Doom returns to Hydrobase to help out the scientist he gets reports in from Boris about the chase on Namor and the Shroud. Stumbling upon a small village, they discover a circus in town which happens to belong to the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime. When they ask the Ringmaster to try and smuggle them out of the country, the Ringmaster refuses to cross Dr. Doom. Losing his temper, Namor attacks the Ringmaster. This leads to a fight with the Circus of Crime, whom Namor easily defeats when they accidentally douse him with water. Agreeing to smuggle Namor and the Shroud out of Latveria, the two pose in as members of the circus that travels through Doomstad. However, when Namor sees a projected image of Dr. Doom, they both realize that Dr. Doom is not truly dead. Namor's sense of honor kicks in and he decides to stop trying to flee since he is still bound to his promise to Doom. When the Shroud blows his own cover to try and get Namor to flee with him, he is knocked aside by the Sub-Mariner and surrounded by guards.
This story continues in Avengers #154 and next issue....
