A party comprising Moloid and Tyrannoid subterraneans and Lava Men bursts through the city street, and the Avengers assemble to drive them back underground. Pursuing their opponents, the heroes encounter the Mole Man, Tyrannus, and Grotesk (the latter now the ruler of the Lava Men not transformed by the passing of Cha sa dra), who reveal that they and their followers were not attacking the surface world, but rather fleeing the attacking Deviants, from whom they had long ago purloined their advanced technology. No sooner do Captain America and the Black Widow go to summon aid than their teammates are besieged by the Deviant leader Brutus and his mutate creations, while their new subterranean allies retreat to await the battle s outcome. Ultimately, the Avengers are taken captive by their foes.