This issue continues the storyline in which Captain America faces off against the Americop, a man presuming to be a police officer who takes the law into his own hands (or the Punisher with a badge, real or not). At the same time, Cap is dealing with his diminishing strength and stamina as the super-soldier serum in his system slowly breaks down.
At the end of the last issue, Cap’s strength failed him during a fight with the Americop, and only the arrival of local Virginia law enforcement saved him from his foe’s “justice.” Rather than give chase, Cap chooses to respect the law that the other man makes a mockery of, and submits to the authorities—who unfortunately don’t make the law look much better.
Cap respectfully pleads his case to the sheriff, who shows the trope of the small-town sheriff’s scorn towards “big city types” seen in many movies and TV shows.
After scenes showing Americop’s pursuit of a child-trafficking operation and Rachel’s adventures with Zack Moonhunter in New Orleans, where they were captured by associates of Snapdragon (the woman Rachel killed in issue #413), we return to Cap, who makes his impression of the sheriff’s behavior known before getting his one phone call (which, like the belligerent sheriff himself, is largely a media concoction).
But if you do get a phone call, Cap shows you how to make the most of it! (So the sheriff didn’t believe Cap was Cap, but trusted whoever was on the other end of the phone line?)
Cap answers his own question the only way he could, but while he searches for Americop, he’s reminded of his deteriorating physical condition, even when at rest.
When Peggy calls with news that Rachel is in trouble, Cap changes plans and heads to New Orleans, where he finds one of Rachel’s captors, Angela Golden, in a cell, where Rachel put her after she and Moonhunter escaped. Cap knows none of this, however, so he only sees the damsel in distress the woman pretends to be…
…but, as he soon learns, she is definitely not.
Things get worse when Maynard gets the drop on Cap, while Rachel fights Kono Sanada, Snapdragon’s brother, who seems to want closure as much as Rachel does.
As Kono tries to drown Rachel, she remembers what was going through her mind as she drowned his sister: revenge.
As Rachel learns from Damon Dran, the “Indestructible Man” and the mastermind behind all this, that Snapdragon was cremated, Cap uses one of his famous judo moves on Maynard and heads to Rachel…
…but instead he is reunited with Americop, and they discover they may actually have mutual interests, although one of them has no interest in cooperating.
In the final panel, Dran appears with Rachel and Zack, his prisoners once again, which generates an excellent example of the way the two men think about hostage situations.
This story will conclude in the next issue, but one more thing before we wrap up: a panel from Quasar #60, the last issue of the series, as the title character says goodbye to his hero, who offers a sincere compliment in return.
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 1) #429, July 1994: Mark Gruenwald (writer), Dave Hoover (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks), George Roussos (colors), Joe Rosen (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Captain America Epic Collection: Fighting Chance.
Quasar #60, July 1994: Mark Gruenwald (writer), John Heebink (pencils), Aaron McClellan (inks), Paul Becton (colors), Janice Chiang (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Not yet collected.
PREVIOUS ISSUE: Captain America #428 (June 1994)
ALSO THIS MONTH: Daredevil #330 (July 1994)
NEXT ISSUE: Captain America #430 (August 1994)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
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