(1st story)
In Coconino County, Arizona, in a diner, Bruce Banner tells Skaar to drink his milkshake. He’s a growing boy; he needs his calcium. Skaar replies that, if this is a trick, he’s dead. Banner tells him that he’s already sworn to kill him six ways to Sunday, remember? He’s gonna have to come up with better threats than…
Just then, Banner’s cell phone beeps and he tells Skaar to hang on. Looking down at his cell phone, Banner reads a text from “Jgrnt” that reads “Yr dead Bnr.” Chuckling to himself, he says great minds… Leaving the diner, Banner tells Skaar to c’mon, his playdate’s there.
Outside the diner, the Juggernaut arrives and snarls Banner’s name. When Banner remarks that he sees he got his evite, Juggernaut replies that he blew up his house. Banner adds “and his three million dollars in stolen cash, if he calculates correctly.” Juggernaut proceeds to ask what the hell he wants. Pointing to Skaar, Banner introduces him as the son of Hulk. He spent his childhood being stabbed by monsters on an alien planet. Naturally, he blames his pop. So he’s going to try to kill the Hulk the next time he transforms. In the meantime, he thought he could use a little practice. In other words, he needs a punching bag and the Rhino was busy.
Cracking his knuckles, Juggernaut says okay, then. Step aside, Conan this is between him and his old man. When Skaar asks “Conan,” Banner tells him that he’ll explain later. Now get ready. Once he starts moving, the Juggernaut can’t be stopped. So… Turning around, Banner sees Skaar walking away and asks him where he’s going. Skaar replies that he’s gonna get another shake. Banner starts to protest but Skaar tells him that he started this fight, he ends it. Conan. Banner says okay. That’s cute. But it doesn’t work that way. See, he’s the one with hair and the…
Just then, Juggernaut punches Banner. When he notices that Banner is using defensive shields, he calls him a cheater. Continuing his assault, he remarks that it’s not going to do him much good.
At the Baxter Building located in New York City, monitors indicate a Richter magnitude three point two… four point six… eight… Via another monitor, Henry McCoy (Beast) reminds Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) that he told him this is a total disaster. Reed tells McCoy that Bruce picked the battlefield. And he’s never known him to purposefully endanger a soul. Believe it or not, he may just know exactly what he’s doing.
In Arizona, the residents of Coconino County tumble around due to the earthquake. When the man who worked at the diner fell into one of the chasms, Banner tells Skaar that the Juggernaut is gonna kill all those people. He has to… Grabbing hold of the diner worker’s arm, Skaar pulls him out of the chasm and proceeds to slash him in half at the waist. Revealing the person to be a robot, Skaar tells Banner nice try. But real humans stink of fear. Pulling out his device, Banner leaves himself a note to add pheromone synthesizer to fourth gen life model decoys. When Juggernaut asks what the hell’s going on there, Skaar tosses a large structure at him and buries himself underneath.
Pulling himself out of the rubble, Juggernaut asks Skaar if he wants to tussle. Glowing with electricity, Skaar says sure, if tussle means “crush your fat skull.” As the two behemoths being to fight, the Juggernaut has the upper hand. From the sidelines, Banner yells to Skaar that he can’t fight him like that, dummy. He’s the Juggernaut. Once he starts charging, no one can stop him. Skaar remarks that his… his old power… Banner says “is science.” But the Juggernaut’s powered by magic. You can’t…
As Juggernaut prepares to deliver the final blow, he tells Banner to calm down. At least he made it… quick… Just then, Juggernaut looks down at Skaar and, instead of seeing the large man, he only sees a frail child pleading with him not to hit him again. Stopping in his tracks, Juggernaut turns to a surprised Banner and tells him he’s a sicker piece of work than he ever… At that moment, Skaar points out look who stopped charging and flings Juggernaut away with his powers. Banner tells Skaar well done. Now they need to get out of there before… Ignoring him, Skaar grabs hold of his sword and lunges at Juggernaut.
When the two combatants collide in mid-air, Juggernaut calls Skaar a dumb kid. He reads the papers, his old power doesn’t work if he’s not on the ground. Skaar replies that his unstoppable thing doesn’t seem so special in the sky. Juggernaut says yeah, well unless he suddenly learned how to fly, he’ll get what’s coming to him once they hit the…
Once they hit the ground, Skaar uses his powers to create a chasm in the ground. As they fall into the chasm, Juggernaut tells Skaar that he’s just putting off the inevitable. Eventually they’ll hit solid… When they eventually land, they find themselves in a pit of lava. Juggernaut says okay. No foothold, fine. He once spent years buried underground. He has nothing but patience. He’ll just wait for him to burn up. Skaar tells him that he’ll wait a long time. When the Hulk abandoned him, he was born in fire. Chuckling, Juggernaut asks him that he hates his old man more than he does, doesn’t he?
Hearing the sound of laughter emanating from the chasm, the diner robot worker remarks that doesn’t sound good. Banner tells him not to worry. Skaar has picked up on every hint he’s dropped so far and added a few tricks of his own. The diner robot asks like that little gray version? He sure didn’t see that coming. But he seems like a nice kid, doesn’t he? He bets when he has a chance to sit down with him, he’ll… Banner cuts him off and tells him that he’s not really looking for parenting advice from robots today, so…
Just then, Juggernaut and Skaar emerge from the chasm perched on top of a large slab of rock, powered by Skaar himself. Juggernaut tells Banner to watch out; the boy’s got a mind of his own. Just then, Skaar stops the rock slab in mid-air, causing Juggernaut to fly off of it. Meeting him on the ground, Skaar punches Juggernaut with all his might and knocks him into space.
At the Graymalkin Institute, home of the X-Men, McCoy tells Reed via monitor that they sent up three shuttles, but they still haven’t found Juggernaut. Reed replies that he’s got Amadeus Cho tapping the H.A.M.M.E.R. satellites. They’ll know the minute anything leaves orbit or reenters the atmosphere. McCoy states that he’s been keeping close tabs on the Juggernaut. The X-Men were prepared to move the minute he moved. Now Banner’s ruined that all. He knows Banner is one of his oldest friends. But he’s dangerous, maybe even more dangerous than the Hulk. Reed tells McCoy that he’s telling him, there’s a method to his madness. But he’ll talk to him. McCoy tells Reed he doesn’t understand. He’s not asking him to help; he’s suggesting he stay out of the way.
Later, at a comic shop located in Arlington, Texas, Bruce Banner shows Skaar a “Conan” comic book. As Skaar peruses the comic, Banner asks him what he thinks. Skaar tells him all right. He gets it. But he needs a bigger sword. At that moment, Wolverine tells him tsk. C’mon kid, you don’t mess with the classics.
(2nd story)
Three days ago, via monitor, Norman Osborn shows General Ryker video of Lyra fighting his Avengers (Daken, Venom and Ares). He tells him ,that if her story is to be believed, she is Lyra, Bruce Banner’s – the Hulk’s – daughter from the future.
As the security footage shows, she managed to single-handedly hold his Avengers at bay long enough for her to be rescued by A.R.M.O.R., at least. Now zoom in on her wrist. Freeze this frame. This thing? She calls it “Boudicca.” It’s some kind of artificial intelligence from her time period. When this new “She-Hulk” escaped Avengers Tower, she took many of his most sensitive computer files with her, downloaded into Boudicca. He wants what’s his returned to him. Boudicca is his primary target.
As for her mistress… well… when she and he spoke, she gave him the most wonderful idea – the commoditization of superhuman abilities, synthesizing them and making them available to the general public for the right price. Thanks to Lyra’s knowledge of the future, he already knows it will be financially successful beyond his wildest dreams. This is why he has bankrolled the Origins Corporation, given it this beautiful bio refinery in Cambridge, Massachusetts and installed him, he tells General Ryker, as its head, given his experience in transplanting metahuman tissue into normal humans. It seemed a shame to let him languish in a jail after that unfortunate “Gamma Corps” incident. Particularly since it is now a H.A.M.M.E.R. jail and he holds the keys.
Ryker tells Osborn that he won’t regret it. He will make the most of this opportunity, he assures him. Once the capture this “Lyra,” they will put her organs and DNA to good use. When he originally pursued Banner, he wanted to capture and experiment with his cousin, the original She-Hulk, as well. But she was just too politically connected to the super-hero establishment – the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the like. But ironically, it is Jennifer Walters who will be indirectly responsible for her successor’s downfall. While Banner was off-world, she apprehended many of the Hulk’s greatest foes on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Abomination, Zzzax and the Glob. The samples gleaned from them in captivity became property of H.A.M.M.E.R. when S.H.I.E.L.D. was disbanded and the Origins Corporation knew just what to do with them.
Now, in Death Valley, Lyra is held captive by Morass (derived from Glob). As she is, Lyra tells her captives that she is looking at dead women. She swore to her arms-mate she would protect him. And they killed him. They made her break her word of honor. So she is looking at… Just then, Aberration (derived from Abomination) punches her in the face and tells her to shut the hell up. Continuing to wail away on her, she asks her when they bring her to the general, she know what he’s gonna do? He’s gonna chop her up for parts. And nobody’ll notice. Nobody’ll care. ‘Cause she’s not the real She-Hulk. She’s no celebrity super-hero. She just some bargain-bin imposter…
Just then, Axon (derived from Zzzax) taps Aberration on the shoulder and reminds her that the target’szz tissueszz are too valuable to the general to be damaged out of szzpite. Jamming her hand through Axon’s body, Aberration tells her to keep her hands to herself or she’ll… Axon tells her that she’ll do szzquat. Just as she was implanted with DNA from Abomination, she received the neuro-electric powerszz of Zzzax, the “living dynamo” szzo she can become as isubszztantial as a thought. They need to remain focuszzed on the mission. Grabbing the Boudicca off of Lyra’s wrist, Aberration angrily says she got her stupid wristwatch thingee. Happy? Will she shut up now? Pointing her finger at Lyra, she tells her that goes double for her. Axon remarks that she’s ecszztatic. She’ll szzumon their radio-controlled dropship. En route, they will confirm with the General that they have secured their prizzze.
Once the ship arrives, Axon tells Morass to get ready to load Lyra into the containment field. Looking over at Lyra, Aberration points out that it looks like she took the fight out of her. Just then, Axon asks didn’t the general warn them about thiszzz. When she getszz calm, she can actually get szztronger. Go into some kind of a… At that moment, Lyra breaks free of Morass’ grasp, leaps up to the ship, grabs hold of it, and proceeds to slam it onto her captors below.
Busting out of the fiery wreckage, Aberration exclaims that’s not funny. She doesn’t care what the general does to her after, she’s feeding him her legs. They already proved she can’t beat all three of… Oh, she doesn’t believe this. Where’d she go?
When Morass points out the footprints on the ground, Axon states that she leapt away. Sztill, she couldn’t have gotten far. They have to szzplit up and find her. Aberration proceeds to ask her if she’s high. That’s just what she wants them to do. “Divide and conquer…” Axon asks her what does she want her to szzay? She deszztroyed their transzzport. General Ryker will not accept failure. And does she have to remind her what will happen in just a few dayszz. Aberration concurs and tells the others that they’ll rendezvous back there in twenty.
Later, as Morass walks through a cavern, Lyra sneak-attacks her from above but is unable to defeat her at first. Eventually, Lyra is able to split her in two. When she does, Morass begins to try and put herself back together. Lyra tells her she wouldn’t try and reconstitute her form from the ground around there, an alkali salt flat. Not unless she wants to completely dry herself out. Ah, well. Hold that pose.
In time, Aberration and Axon reconvene at the wreckage site. Just then, Lyra communicates with them by way of the Boudicca and tells them they’re right. She’s not Jennifer Walters. She’s nothing like Jennifer Walters. Jennifer Walters is a kind woman and an honorable warrior. That was why she was trying to find her. So she could learn from her. She is nothing but a monster. When Aberration and Axon see the broken body of Morass lying on the ground in front of them, Lyra asks them a simple question. Do they think that will make her easier… or harder to catch? One down, two to go. Their move.
