Aided by the sabotage efforts of traitorous British officer Allanson, the Russian terrorist group Peace Corpse seizes a heavily armed British nuclear submarine, the Waterwind, killing its commander when he sends out a distress call. The British government requests aid from the USA and the United Nations, who dispatch the Avengers to investigate. With Namor missing and aquatic expertise urgently needed, the Avengers recruit their ally Stingray for the mission. By the time the Avengers track down the sub, it is already in a confrontation with Russian super-team the People’s Protectorate, who feel Russian agents must stop the terrorists for the sake of their country’s image. The Avengers and the Protectorate start fighting each other over who has jurisdiction to capture the Waterwind, but an attacking force from nearby Atlantis, who consider this entire incident a violation of their territory, interrupts their underwater battle.