Back to GatefoldIssue #60 by Steve Crosby
[snapshot of original issue from defunct M2K site] |
|
School had ended hours ago, but the farm was several miles outside of town. It was late afternoon when Emery Schaub walked into the barn, huffing and puffing from the long, slow run he’d taken. By contrast his friend, Michael Van Patrick, was breathing normally as he transferred heavy bales of hay. He turned to see Emery and waved, easily keeping the bale aloft on one arm. “Hey Emery. Great timing, I’m just about done here.” “Yeah, timing.” Running as fast as he could, the time it took Emery to make the trip hadn’t changed in weeks. “Why do I keep doing this Mike? I haven’t lost so much as a pound in months.” “Because you have so much free time after losing that lab internship,” said Michael. He set the bale of hay down and walked toward Emery. “Come on, let’s get inside. You want water or one of my drinks for a change?” Emery couldn’t help but shudder at the idea of drinking a veggie-drink. “You should get your parents to stock normal beverages.” Michael smirked. “Says the man who mistook a beaker of mystery liquid for soda. You could have died!” “That stuff tasted better than soda. They should market it…if they ever recreate the formul-ahh!” Without warning, a massive green shape fell from the sky and crashed directly onto Emery. Michael jumped back on reflex. He looked up in shock and awe at the Hulk. A second later he was gone, jumped back into the air without a look down at anyone. It took another second for Michael to react to what happened to his friend. “Emery!” He rushed forward, expecting to find a bloody smear on the ground. In the dirt and grass there was an indentation, and pressed into the ground was Emery Schaub. “You’re not…how…?” “Could you give me a hand?” About all Emery could lift from the impacted earth was one chubby hand. “Yeah.” Michael reached down, grabbed his friend’s hand. He pulled gently at first, then pulled hand and Emery popped right out. Aside from mud and tears on his clothing, the overweight teenager was unharmed. “What’s happened to you? How do you feel?” “Not…not much of anything.” Emery was visibly shaking. “I haven’t…haven’t been feeling much for a while. Nothing happens when I…when I…down there.” He blushed, deeply embarrassed, but also scared. “Mike, I…I’m not a mutant. I mean, I can’t be.” “Don’t worry about that,” Michael said. He had a hand on Emery’s shoulder to calm him, and was looking up toward where the Hulk had disappeared. “There’re a lot bigger things to worry about than whether someone’s a mutant.” MARVEL 2000 PRESENTS... "ISAIAH 41:10 "Written by Steve Crosby
“At the height of his jump, go!” At Captain America’s order, Binary flew downward, burning through the atmosphere with her great speed. The invisibility field was breached. Binary was a fiery shooting star that collided with the Hulk in mid-leap. He was knocked off course by a tackle to the mid-section, starting the fall down but then Binary arced upwards. With a mindless roar, Hulk slammed a fist against her exposed back. “A little help here!” Binary cried through gritted teeth. “I got him!” When Hulk had raised his left arm for another strike, it was grabbed by an arm fading into view, until Warbird was fully visible. But even with both arms and all her strength, Hulk’s arm was inching down. “Grab his other arm! We need to-” Her words came too late. Hulk smashed his second fist against Warbird’s hip. The power of the blow was lessened by the angle, but Warbird lost control of her flight and the three went spinning through the air. “Find my center. Find my center.” Binary was repeating the mantra of her lessons, focusing all of her strength on controlling the flight. The spin started to slow. Hulk reached his arm back and his fingers found Warbird’s hair. At the same time he pulled, a knee jerked up into Binary’s chest. The two women screamed, and the downward spin ended with the hard ground. “Phase 2 stand by! Get out of there!” Still held by her hair, Warbird was swung against Binary. “Puny women leave Hulk alone!” the Green Goliath bellowed. Hair slipped and ripped through the Hulk’s fingers, and Warbird went tumbling through the air along with Binary. Some distance away, Captain America lowered his binoculars. “They’re clear. Go.” Espirita took to the air and Quicksilver ran with all his speed. Positioning herself almost directly over the Hulk, Espirita unleashed a gout of flame. The Hulk was quickly engulfed, and Quicksilver moved into a tight circle a dozen times per second. If not for Espirita, the flames would have been funneled upward and dissipated. Oxygen was pushed out and fire pushed in, with Hulk in the middle. “Keep it up Espirita,” Captain America said when he observed her beginning to falter. “You know the Hulk can take this. Lack of oxygen is the only danger.” “And if I don’t stop in time when he transforms back?” Espirita asked. The choice never came. Hulk stomped his foot. Tremors threatened Quicksilver’s run, but he’d handled worse and his pace didn’t slack. “Hah! The fool would be better off clapping his hands. He’s not smart enough to…oh no!” Hulk’s stomp had been in preparation for a leap. He shot up through the air, directly toward Espirita. She stopped the flames in a panic, floating like a deer in headlights. Twin repulsor beams struck Hulk in the side, knocking him back toward the ground. “Fall back Espirita!” Iron Man flew past her. “I’ve got this!” Hulk landed on his feet and turned his back against Iron Man’s barrage. “Tin man leave Hulk alone!” Near Hulk was a massive boulder. He reached down and grabbed it from the bottom, hefting the large weight easily and hurling it at Iron Man. A Uni-Beam from Iron Man’s chestplate shattered. “Binary, if you’re recovered we need to get Hulk back in the air. Hey!” Along with the boulder, Hulk had thrown clumps of mud. One found Iron Man’s helmet, covering his eyeholes. Again Hulk leaped, straight for Iron Man. “Hulk will make tin man leave him alone!” Captain America shouted into his radio. “Binary, Warbird, get back up there! Namor, back them up!” Now the Avenging Son entered the fray. He beat Binary and Warbird to Iron Man, slamming into Hulk before he could do more than squeeze the armor a little. Namor kept flying, pushing Hulk along with him toward the lake little more than a hundred yards away. “Namor, veer off! We need to keep Hulk in the air!” “The sky is not my domain Captain! Submerged I will make short work of this brute!” In seconds there was a terrific splash. Namor had plunged Hulk with him beneath the waves. Warbird and Binary could only hover just above the surface, helpless to assist. “Dammit! Stingray, get down there and help! Binary, you don’t have to breathe! Darkhawk?” “Right here!” Darkhawk appeared flying ahead of Stingray. He was towing the gliding armored hero with a grapple hook. “I don’t have to breathe either, so I’ll – whoa!” Water erupted upward. Darkhawk veered, but Stingray collided with the shape that had been forced out of the lake. It was Namor, and luckily Stingray was able to keep hold of him as Darkhawk flew out from over the water. Hulk broke the surface seconds later, landing on the shore dripping wet. Stingray saw a chance. “Grab this!” he yelled to Namor as he thrust the grapple into the Sub-Mariner’s hand. Then he let go and made a controlled fall toward the Hulk. Electricity crackled around Stingray’s armor as he collided. “Aarrgh!” Hulk scream of genuine pain filled the air as much as the stench of burning flesh. Stingray knew better than to hold on and risk his flimsy armor against the Hulk’s strength. After colliding he pushed away, taking advantage of the Hulk’s pain to put as much distance between them. “This is our opportunity.” Captain America turned to the redhead standing next to him. “Get him back in the water. Iceman, you know what to do.” “I’ll help with that in a minute.” Phoenix gave a telekinetic push. Hulk felt an invisible force pressing against him. He tried to smash against it, but it wasn’t all around him. Only beneath his feet, lifting him up and flipping him back into the lake. Into the water that was suddenly much colder than it was less than a minute ago. The air around Iceman was misting as he concentrated hard. “We’re lucky Hulk scared all the fish away. I’m doing my best to only freeze that section solid, but cold can’t compartmentalize so…Phoenix?” “I’m doing my best.” Beads of sweat were forming on her brow. Her eyes widened. “He’s swimming towards the bottom! I’ll try to keep him and the cold contained but…Iceman hurry!” “I’m freezing as fast as I can.” Iceman said. His arms were raised to help focus, but they were trembling. “What we need next time is a nice, empty of life, reservoir.” Stingray was again in the air, gliding back toward the water. “I can shock him again!” “No!” Captain America was thinking furiously, struggling for a solution to the problem. Was he willing to make the compromise? “Hulk isn’t worth risking the lives. If we can’t contain it…back off Stingray.” A ten-foot patch of the lake’s surface was ice. Iceman and Phoenix were concentrating, doing their best to freeze the water all the way to the bottom. Finally Phoenix shut her eyes and whispered. “He’s touched the floor.” The ice suddenly shot up out of the lake. Captain America saw that the two had done well, created a column over thirty-feet tall. But it hadn’t been enough, because sticking out from the bottom were the Hulk’s legs at halfway below the knee. Jumping with all that weight through all that water, and the Hulk had done it with only ankle strength. A crash to the ground shook the ice, breaking off small pieces. Almost immediately Hulk had jumped again, getting as far away as he could from the lake. In mid-air the block of ice shattered. Hulk was free. “Hold off,” Captain America said to the approaching Warbird and Binary. He’d hoped to avoid her for Warbird’s sake, but she was their best chance. “Rogue, try to weaken him first.” “Ah’m on it.” Rogue shot through the air. A sheath of heat appeared around her, vaporizing chunks of ice that strayed into her path. The Hulk saw Rogue rushing at him, and her twisted to face her. Rogue first struck with eye beams to stun him and then grasped his head with both hands. “Sorry ‘bout this sugah. This’ll hurt me more than it’ll hurt you.” To Rogue’s surprise the Hulk didn’t recoil in pain. He didn’t seem to react at all as power and rage rushed into Rogue. It reminded Rogue of when she tried to absorb Magneto’s power, long ago at Illyana’s funeral. She was drinking with a straw from a bottomless well. With complete calm and deliberation, the Hulk grabbed Rogue’s arms with his hands and wrapped his legs around her body.”Oh, I know this will hurt you so much more!” Yanking Rogue’s arms painfully down to either side, Hulk jerked his head back then smashed it into her face. Rogue’s nose erupted in a spray of blood. She hanged there in the air, stunned, and again the Hulk bashed her in the face with his head. Rogue lost the presence of mind to keep herself in the air, and the two dropped rapidly back to Earth. A distance away, Captain America dropped his binoculars and started forward. “This isn’t how Hulk normally fights. He’s smarter, craftier.” The planned strikes had been designed for a force of nature, something that blindly struck out with brute strength. This, they needed to hit with equal savagery. “Fastball special!” Three more blows to Rogue’s head ensured she was unconscious when she crashed to the ground beneath Hulk. He stepped onto solid ground, grabbed Rogue by the hair and casually threw her aside. Hulk prepared to make another leap, but then he saw a large orange shape step out from a line of trees, carrying a small ball of berserker rage. “Rrraaarrrhhh!” Wolverine went flying straight at the Hulk. Seconds before impact his claws unsheathed six foot-long blades of adamantium that slammed into the Hulk’s chest with all the Thing’s strength behind them. They went in all the way to Wolverine’s knuckles. “Hiya bub. Remember me?” “Grraahh!” Hulk bellowed in pain and rage. He grabbed at Wolverine with hands almost the size of the diminutive mutant and tried to pull him off. Wolverine grit his teeth and kept his claws in. Try as Hulk might, he couldn’t break unbreakable bones. Every attempt to force Wolverine off caused the claws to twist inside his body. With a roar, Hulk clamped one hand around one of Wolverine’s legs and another around his head. He yanked hard on Wolverine’s head, and despite himself the mutant grunted. Though his skull and spinal bones couldn’t break, soft tissue was stretched and broke. Wolverine’s windpipe tore. Blood seeped down into his lungs. Soon he could drown. Hulk heard wood splintering. He looked up and saw the Thing had leaped into the air, and was falling towards him. “It’s clobbering time!” “There’s nothing on.” “How can you tell?” Stature asked. “You’re changing the channel too fast.” Wiccan tossed her the remote. “Here then. Spend longer watching crap.” He jumped up from his seat and began to pace the waiting room. “Argh, we should be in there! The time it takes She-Hulk to go bursting through that door could take all the difference.” “None of us likes just sitting around,” Patriot said as he was glancing at Artemis. The young Olympic-level archer was rapidly tapping the closed case that contained her bow and arrows. “But we’re needed here, and we have to wait where the doctors tell us to.” “Wiccan is needed here.” Young Avenger was leaning his forehead against the glass as he was looking out the window. Behind him, the young man’s shadow wasn’t quite matched up. “The rest of us should be there, helping against the Hulk.” “And we will be,” said Stature. “As soon as She-Hulk gets there it’ll be over, right?” “And if not we get to fight the Hulk. Win-win.” Artemis stopped tapping her case and looked down at it. “A bow and arrows against something that survived a nuclear bomb.” “I’ve seen people fight worse with a lot less,” Young Avenger said. “All it takes is a little skill and daring.” “What it takes now is for She-Hulk to get better,” Wiccan said. Then, all of a sudden, his eyes glowed a bright blue and his mouth was moving on its own. “Shehulkhastogetbetter… Shehulkhastogetbetter… Shehulkhastogetbetter…” Seconds later the door of a patient’s room burst open. Amidst much shouting of doctors and nurses, a jade giantess emerged dressed in a hospital gown that was much too tight on her. Young Avenger’s eyes widened and he quickly turned his head, though his shadow actually turned in She-Hulk’s direction. “What the hell is going on?” She-Hulk asked the assembled Young Avengers. “And who the hell shot at me?” Cracks were spreading rapidly along the Thing’s rocky skull. He’d never felt such pain before, and his scream reflected this. It reminded Wolverine of a bear trapped beneath a rockslide, and he wanted nothing more than to get up and help. Unfortunately his muscles had been shredded by those same hands that now threatened Benjamin Grimm’s life. In spite of himself, Hulk flinched a little when the arrow hit home inside his ear. Then the arrowhead exploded, and the grip on Thing’s head lessened. Grunting in pain, Hulk turned his head to stare out at Hawkeye. He had another arrow notched and winked. “That’s right.” The arrow released. A white substance splattered over Hulk’s face and immediately hardened. His eyes were blinded, his mouth and nostrils invaded. But worse was the buzzing in Hulk’s other ear. Every blast of Wasp’s sting was as powerful as Hawkeye’s explosive arrows. They reverberated inside Hulk’s skull and scalded an already damaged brain. The pain was nearly too much to bear, and when Hulk roared the adhesive in his mouth shattered. A far distance away, Beast was looking at his gamma detector with grave concern. “Effective though this tactic may be,” he said to Captain America, “I’m reading heightened levels of gamma radiation.” “Time to get out Wasp.” The words were a whisper, the thoughts carried by Phoenix. “You’ll be covered.” “Got it!” Wasp did a one-eighty out of Hulk’s ear canal. Out into the open air, she felt a wing brush up against something solid but unseen. “Rrraagghhrr!” Hulk swatted at Wasp. The invisible bubble shot through the air, its tiny inhabitant bouncing around inside. The purpose was done however, Thing and Wolverine were clear. “Ow,” said Invisible Woman from nearly a hundred feet away. Blood dripped from her nose. “That deserves a time out.” Before Hulk could make a jump, the ground decided to jump for him. Caught off-balance, Hulk’s own leap was achieved clumsily. He crashed right into the arms of Binary, Warbird, Iron Man and Darkhawk. Each super-strong individual took hold of one of Hulk’s limbs, as Human Torch positioned himself before them. “We sure about this?” “They can take it,” Captain America said aloud. “Okay.” Fire erupted from Human Torch and found the Hulk. Anything that remained on his face melted, but again oxygen was being denied. Hair vaporized and green skin took on a reddish tint. All around him, Hulk’s captors were feeling their proximity to the flames. Warbird broke away first, her lung capacity nowhere near Hulk’s. His armor’s alarms blaring, Iron Man had no choice but to fall back. This left an unfazed Binary and a slowly melting Darkhawk alone to contain the Hulk’s wild thrashing. “I got this if you want to fall back.” Binary was more thinking than saying the words to Darkhawk. “It’s not like I don’t have hundreds more of these bodies at home.” “Good. And anyways, I think we’re-huh!” Hulk had grabbed Binary by the leg and wrenched with such force that her arms were pulled free. Human Torch had no chance to get out of the way before a similarly fiery female form collided against him. The two were falling through the air while Hulk and Darkhawk, whose wings were only capable of gliding, fell back towards earth. “No! Damn you!” Darkhawk punched forward with his grapple claw. Two of the hooks embedded into Hulk’s eyes while the third snapped against his forehead. In response, Hulk was pressing a palm against Darkhawk’s chest, right over his amulet. When they crashed against the ground, Hulk’s hand kept going a good three inches in. “Aaaaagh!” “Darkhawk’s dying.” Shield ready on his arm, Captain America was running forward and prepared. “Quicksilver, go!” Straddling the still form of Darkhawk, Hulk raised both arms over his head. One last feeble blast of force shot out of the cracked amulet. It dispersed harmlessly against Hulk’s chest as both arms went down. In those fractions of a second, Quicksilver had grabbed Captain America’s thrown shield and situated himself in the path of Hulk’s attack. As many times as he’d seen it, the speedster never expected the shield to take such blows, and he almost collapsed from surprise. In the time it was taking Hulk to react, Quicksilver had dropped the shield, grabbed Darkhawk and run. He was half a football field away when the shield smashed against the ground, Hulk’s powerful arms against it. “I’ll take that now.” Hulk turned his head to see what belonged to the voice behind him. All he saw was Karnak, a puny Inhuman. “Big head wants Hulk’s shield. Hulk doesn’t like big heads!” More like his mad cousin would do, Karnak smiled. “Oh, I think mine’s going to look even bigger.” Indeed, it took a moment for Hulk to realize, but Karnak was getting bigger. A moment later, it occurred to Hulk that he was actually getting smaller! His feet planted on the shield, Hulk was soon about the size of the star in its center. Crawling out from under the edge of the shield was Ant-Man, who was quickly running as fast as he could. “Rraaggh!” With that bellow of rage, tiny Hulk leapt up at Karnak. The Inhuman’s response was a sweeping roundhouse kick. The heel of his foot caught tiny Hulk directly in the center. The diminutive green beast went flying through the air, right into the waiting arms of Namor the Sub-Mariner. “Even at this size, the monster has strength to rival my own,” said the exiled monarch of Atlantis. His hands were working double-time to contain the mighty limbs of tiny Hulk. “Surely we have more suitable means of restraint?” On the ground, Captain America recovered his shield. “Will his size make it easier to siphon off the radiation?” he asked Beast. Once again, Beast was puzzling over the gamma detector with grave concern. “To be forthright, I presently have serious concerns. Radiation levels are still elevating at an exponential right. So much so that they appear to be…oh my stars and garters. Namor, release him immediately!” “My eyes have already told me so much.” Namor had released Hulk the moment he grew another inch in size. By the time Hulk smashed to the ground, he had returned to full height. Immediately he looked to Captain America and, with a snarl, rushed forward. “What just happened?” Captain America asked as he raised the shield in anticipation. “Hulk shoved those Pym Particles out of his body. I had never witnessed such a feat before!” “You may never witness anything again if we don’t-” A flash of light cut off Captain America’s words. Between him and the Hulk there appeared six men and women. Or, to be more accurate, one tall woman and five teenagers; She-Hulk and the Young Avengers! “OhmygoditstheHulkohmygoditstheHulkohmygoditstheHulk,” stammered Wiccan at such a pace it was almost a high-pitched whine. “Shut up,” said Artemis as she raised her bow. “Take a breath. Recite something that can help.” At the back of the group, Stature was growing to a height of twelve feet. In the front, Patriot and Young Avenger were bracing themselves to face the oncoming freight train that was the Hulk. But She-Hulk stepped out from in between them, and at sight of her the Hulk appeared to slow. “Bruce, it’s me.” She-Hulk raised her hands and smiled at her cousin. “I’m fine. You don’t have to-” “Hulk not puny Banner!” She-Hulk didn’t get a chance to say another word. The much larger gamma-powered man continued forward and smashed a fist into her face. Still recovering from her injuries and wholly unprepared for the assault, She-Hulk was thrown through the air. Flying over the heads of Young Avengers, she landed hard at the feet of Beast. Hulk roared, human in only the vaguest sense, as he advanced on the Young Avengers. “Pleasechangebackpleasechangebackpleasechangebackpleasechangeback,” said Wiccan over and over in a rapid mantra. In response, Hulk slammed his hands together. The shockwave hit Patriot and Young Avenger first, hurling him back against Stature. Before it could reach their more vulnerable teammates, Quicksilver got to them first. Outracing the thunderclap not once but twice, he deposited Wiccan and Artemis to safety. When Wiccan stammered out a thanks, Quicksilver said in response, “Be stupid again you won’t be worth saving.” Before Hulk could advance on the Young Avengers before him, Binary arrived to intercept. Karnak reached Captain America and handed over the shield. “Our best chance at calming Hulk has failed.” “Beast?” Captain America didn’t need to turn his head to know that She-Hulk was out cold. “Have you modified the Gamma Detector?” “Into a proverbial Gamma Sponge? Yes, I’ve copied some designs from a Psi-Dampener I once used on Phoenix.” Captain America remembered the time when Beast had placed his loyalties to the X-Men above the Avengers. “Test it on She-Hulk. We’ll buy you time.” Beast looked up from his examination of the gamma giantess with a look of surprise. “What? But in her condition-” The protest fell on deaf ears. Captain America was running to join the battle already back underway. Their minds connected by Phoenix, the airborne trio of Iron Man, Warbird and Binary kept Hulk off-balance with a never-ending barrage. Circling low to the ground were Espirita and Human Torch, feeding a ring of fire. Namor, Stingray and Rogue hovered over the assault, read to assist should the Hulk attempt a leap. Finally, Invisible Woman had made Hulk’s eyes invisible, effectively blinding him. His senses overwhelmed by blackness, head and explosions of energy, Hulk shouldn’t have been able to do what he did next. The only explanation was luck, but Captain America didn’t believe it. Through the hazy flames, he saw the Hulk pause, tighten his legs, and leap sideways into Espirita’s path. “No!” Captain America’s yell was drowned out by the snap of a neck. Espirita’s limp body bounced off the ground several times. Her limbs flailed about like a puppet with its strings cut off. For a heartbeat, all was still. Another second in a battle that had gone on too long. Captain America looked to Phoenix and gave the order. “Headshot.” Phoenix turned to look at him, clearly hesitant. “Do it.” They all struck as ordered, Invisible Woman and Phoenix and Iceman. Rapidly, the temperature in Hulk’s brain dropped, causing ice crystals to form. In the tiny blood vessels there appeared force bubbles, restricting blood flow. Those same blood vessels were being forced to constrict, squeezed around bubbles and freezing blood. Even the tiniest parts of Hulk were stronger than most anything on Earth, but enough pressure could break them. In the Hulk’s head, several things popped at once. He would have screamed if he’d remembered how. Next to be forgotten was how to stand, followed by others. Everybody caught the stench, but it wasn’t what made them most want to gag. “He’s down,” said Invisible Woman. “I’m getting out.” “Hold his body with a force-field,” Captain America said. “Phoenix, move on to the heart and lungs. Light squeeze, keep movement short and shallow. Iceman, lower the body temperature, but stay above hypothermia.” “Right, we wouldn’t have to kill him.” Captain America ignored the rib. “Beast, are you ready?” Beast leaped over Captain America’s head, the small Gamma Sponge in his hands. “Yes. Jennifer is fine by the way.” In the mansion there was a contract She-Hulk had drawn up herself. It detailed everything she was willing to do to help stop Hulk, including this. Captain America had eventually signed it after hours of arguing. It wasn’t the right time to get into any of that. Wolverine had recovered, and at his nod Captain America said, “Wolverine will monitor changes. Look to him and let up accordingly. Start it Beast.” The tablet Beast clamped onto Hulk’s chest was somewhat larger than a sponge, but on contact it served as just that. The gamma radiation was being drawn out of Hulk, and soon everybody could see the results. His bulk decreased and skin lightened, until quickly it wasn’t Hulk lying there but Bruce Banner. The breathing was shallow and color was bad, but he was still alive. Beast pressed fingers to the man’s neck with a grim expression. “He’ll need a hospital immediately.” Before Captain America could respond, a cry from Quicksilver made his head turned. The mutant speedster had gone to check on Espirita, had moved to close her open eyes. Just as he was about to make contact however, the woman blinked. She then gasped, the bones in her neck noticeably snapping back into place as her body jerked upward. “She was dead,” said Phoenix in awe. “I felt nothing in her mind. How-” The heavy noise of rotors whirring broke all conversation. A half-dozen large helicopters appeared in the sky. They settled to landings around the assembled heroes, releasing a torrent of armed men that couldn’t wait to touch the ground. Most of the automatic rifles were pointed in the Hulk’s vicinity, but not all. “Easy, Wolverine.” Captain America settled a hand on the Canadian’s tense shoulder. He then called out, “I’ll speak to the present superior.” “That would be me.” A large man in a bulky uniform stepped out of his helicopter after it touched down. None of his face could be seen behind the helmet’s face-shield, further unsettling Captain America. “We’re here to take Hulk into custody. You can all go home now with the thanks of a grateful nation.” “After we’ve done all the hard work,” said Human Torch. Others began to grumble. A look was exchanged between Captain America and Beast. There was an understanding, and thoughts were transmitted among the X-Men. Of all the gathered heroes, they had the weakest relationship with law enforcement. As one, they moved back toward their Blackbird jet. “I understand if you have concerns,” said the man as he moved toward Captain America. “But I have my orders sir, and the government feels it would be best to keep Hulk out of private custody. With all due respect, mistakes had been made in the past by those going outside their authority.” There were arguments that Captain America could have made. Certainly those gathered expected him to voice them. However he said, “You get this man to immediate medical treatment.” “Security is paramount to-” “I’m not wasting any time on this. If you don’t have the proper equipment here, if he’s not going straight to the best care available, then he’s best left with me and mine.” That blank face-shield was not inches from Captain America’s face. “Okay. But just so you know, language like that makes people nervous.” Captain America could see his own face reflected in the glass. “Good. Because I will be watching.” Waiting outside the secured chamber was a young woman. Her form-fitting uniform was blue and white with red trim, covering all her body from the neck down. Covering her head completely was a curved helmet with a breathing mask and tube connected to the tank on her back. Held at her side was a long, high-powered rifle, and she raised it in attention at the arrival of her superior. “Sir, he’s inside, sir.” He looked her up and down, pleased at the respect and discipline. It was something many youths lacked in the modern day. “Go above. Nothing disturbs us.” She moved past him without another word. He approached the door and, after passing through all the security measures, it opened for him. Inside the chamber, seated at the small table was an extremely large man. In the second between the visitor crossing the threshold and the door closed shut, a flash of light struck the large man and showed his skin to be green. Without illumination from the hallway, the light inside was dim, coloring each man to a shared shade of their respective colors. The visitor seated himself across from the man much larger than he, who then spoke. “Why shouldn’t I kill you right now?” “Because the failsafe programming won’t allow you to. And yes, I’m aware you could beat it if you tried hard enough, just like Bruce can beat you if he tries hard enough. That is the main reason, because you could be turned off at any time we desire.” “That was his last thought. The bullet.” “Maybe if he’d seen it beforehand I would be impressed. However he saw it after, just like they’ll all see it after. Those who won’t be dead.” “Is that why you brought me here using thoughts recorded from my last visit? To kill for you?” “My Coalition wanted to show you that you can be beaten. That it’s in your interests to work with us.” “That is the how, Red Skull. What is the why?” “Because, Maestro, you’re the strongest one there is.” NEXT ISSUE: A lot of property was damaged in the Hulk’s rampage. Enter: Damage Control! EAST-COAST MISSIVES It’s been a long wait, and I doubt this issue was worth it. I’m trying to do better, I promise. There were a lot characters here, and more than a few timelines to cross over. To be clear, this issue happened before the events of New X-Men #1, Avengers West Coast #46, and Fantastic Four #7. Also after the events of Captain America #16 (when eventually done). Hey, I finally get to answer a letter of critique sent by the great new AWC writer Meriades Rai! After a long layoff to accomodate The Kang / Ultron War, it's a pleasure to see the regular Avengers series return. There's a lot here that reminds me of classic 70s and 80s Marvel with regards to how much Steve packs into each issue - Inhumans, Deviants, political intrigue, a shock assassination attempt, The Hulk, an absolute horde of guest stars and the introduction of a number of newer yet familiar characters (from Marvel's Avengers: Initiative) - but the narrative is so cleverly constructed that everything flows perfectly. I was especially impressed by how the Jennifer Walters scenes were interwoven with the action sequences on Attilan and Jupiter (issue #58 is just SO Kirby- and Englehart-esque), and then by how coincidence linked the origins of the Initiative characters to the Hulk's journey across the states. I’m glad you like what I did in #58. I had originally intended three spotlight issues, then quickly realized there wasn’t enough material for that. Don’t you just love that, when you get separate ideas and figure out how to tie them together? As for Hulk’s journey, well, I hope you figured out by now that it wasn’t all coincidence... It was a shame not to see much of Warbird, Binary or Espirita - more screentime for the ladies please, Mr Crosby! - but in contrast it was great to see the spotlight fall on Stingray and Karnak in #58. I haven't got a clue what's going on with The Hulk - a footnote somewhere would have been useful, just explaining the status quo - and much of the She-Hulk storyline is shrouded in mystery, but hopefully it won't be too long before the next issue and some of the layers of intrigue are peeled away. Am I right in thinking that an Initiative series might be around the corner...? Sorry to dash your hopes, Meri. It has taken awhile, but between this issue and another story just release (shame on you if you haven’t read Marvel Fanfare!) intrigue has been stripped bare. As for Hulk, sorry but with the way that title is I felt it best to just go with a simple “Banner exiled in the middle of nowhere but won’t be left alone” plot device. Was there enough screentime for the ladies here? I added some nice bits for Invisible Woman and Phoenix too, just because they’re so cool. Before anybody gets in my face, I wanted to write an exchange between Quicksilver and Rogue, but dammit there was just too much in this story and it’d taken long enough. Speaking of too much, here’s another of those pesky back-ups... Captain Marvel "PAST LOVES & HATES" Part One Written by Steve Crosby A starburst of light signaled Captain Mar-Vell’s arrival into a new area of space, another galaxy entirely. People of Earth called it the Andromeda Galaxy, after a woman of mythology. To the rest of the universe it was considered the Skrull Galaxy, as it was dominated by that alien race. The Skrulls of course had their own name for it. Ours. When the Kree were still working stone tools, the Skrulls had built a massive empire based on trade. When the Kree taught them war, the Skrulls had subjugated their trade partners to serve as a buffer against Kree attacks. All were now extinct. “Now it would seem the Skrulls are approaching their end,” Captain Mar-Vell said. He hovered over what remained of the Skrull Throneworld, a treacherous field of planetary debris. Captain Mar-Vell had seen such devastation before, after Galactus had consumed a Kree world. A real shame. The interstellar highway was struck down in committee the day after demolition. “Once, I would have cheered for this as a loyal Kree soldier. Now I grieve for the billions dead.” Pfft! This is nothing. Unless you’re destroying a thousand planets at once, you are small-time. An expanse of stars passed over Captain Mar-Vell’s face, and he knew the words of his son Genis for truth. “A thousand…who could have done such a thing?” Probably the guy that killed Galactus. I wasn’t paying attention. Massive chunks of dead rock floated past Captain Mar-Vell with no pattern. He was in the middle of chaos created by a single conscious act. He reached out and touched a rock that, once, may have been a section of the Skrull Imperial Palace. At a clench from Captain Mar-Vell’s fist, photonic energy shattered the rock into a thousand pieces. “Perhaps that is why such things are allowed to happen.” Rage filled Captain Mar-Vell’s face. Photon blasts erupted from his hands in a dozen directions. “Nobody bothers to look too closely, then you go to visit a place and find it very different from what you remember. Some might ignore it still, and continue on as though it never happened. This happened!” When Captain Mar-Vell’s rage subsided, all rocks of significant size were gone. All that remained from the former Skrull Throneworld were particles of dust. Far away, this was recorded by sensors floating through space, and when the images reached a certain Skrull he smiled. “So, the reports from Earth were true. You have returned. I have not been denied.” Wow. You are not the man I was told stories of. Breathing heavily, Captain Mar-Vell shook his head. “You were raised by those Eternals, and I am not yet the man they knew to tell of.” But still, you’re…like me. Uncertain of where he should teleport, Captain Mar-Vell chose to instead fly toward the edge of the solar system. “If you mean lost and confused…I suppose that is what I’ve become in my recent months. I had purpose with the Kree. When I left that service and was exiled into the Negative Zone, all my focus was on getting out. After that I threw myself into defending Earth, but with this new Awareness I don’t feel right staying on one planet while a whole universe of evils exists.” But there’s so much and you don’t know how to handle it all. Who are you to decide what dangers are most important? “It’s more than that. From my days as a soldier I know that no actions exist in a vacuum. What I do, what disasters I avert, all could have far-reaching consequences. All I see are pieces, and without knowledge of the whole tapestry I fear to pull threads should it unravel everything.” For loose threads I use scissors. Between an empty orbit and any outer planet’s, Captain Mar-Vell felt something in the back of his skull and turned his head. It should have been beyond his vision, but Captain Mar-Vell saw the world that came closer to him on its journey around the sun. Moreover, he imagined he could see the planet’s surface, see inside the structure that shouldn’t exist on that lifeless rock. Didn’t you build a tomb on a lifeless rock? Without a word, Captain Mar-Vell teleported onto the planet, inside a dome with artificial atmosphere. He strode into the building, pitch-black inside but he was able to see perfectly. Confronting Mar-Vell was a larger-than-life statue of a Skrull woman, one he recognized immediately. “Anelle?” Behind Captain Mar-Vell, the great doors of the building slammed shut... TO BE CONTINUED... |