Deep in the caverns of New Mexico, the Destructor encounters two paid assassins hired by the Combine. Their mission - to kill the Destructor.

After making quick work of the first assassin, the Destructor finds himself being aided by the Outcasts (The Eye, Siren and Kronos) who subdue the last assassin. He is then captured by the Outcasts and taken to the Secret Citadel, a city deep within the caverns of New Mexico.

Upon awakening, the Destructor learns the origin of the Secret Citadel. The Citadel was built by scientists who lived in fear of nuclear devastation. The entire project, however, was funded by Abraham E. Caldwell III, whom the scientists deemed evil incarnate. Caldwell insisted that a small nuclear power plant be built, in order to supply energy for the Citadel. The plant was built, over the objections of the scientists.

The power plant was not without it's faults however. Leaking radioactivity, all 54 children born during the first year were abnormal. When the financier, Caldwell, returned for a progress report, he was murdered by a enraged group of scientists. With his death, the Citadel's existence had became a secret. As time passed, the scientists died or became ill, leaving the mutated children in control.

As this is being explained to Jay Hunter, a nuclear explosion some 10 miles away bathes the Secret Citadel in beta and gamma radiation. The radiation effects the chemicals in Jay's bloodstream, the same chemicals that made him the Destructor, as bolts of energy explode from his hands. The Destructor collapses, and the Outcasts see this as an opportunity to use the Destructor to meet their own ends. Upon awakening, Kronos sends the Destructor to face the U.S. Army and halt the nuclear testing.