Where is Bruce Banner?

Iron Man has come to a SHIELD facility at Nuclear Spring, Nevada, demanding that Director Maria Hill tell him where Bruce Banner is. Maria explains that Banner had been working hard and needed a break, so they let them leave, since they can't really stop him anyway. Just as Stark is stressing the importance of keeping tabs on Banner, one of Hill's operatives informs her that Bruce Banner has disappeared. Running to the monitor room, they watch the security footage of Bruce's departure from the facility. They witness as Pip the Troll teleports onto Banner's motorcycle, injects him with a sedative, and teleports both of them away. Maria orders her agents to examine the abduction site and for them to pull up all their records on Pip the Troll. The records inform them that Pip the Troll was a founding member of a group called the Infinity Watch, and Iron Man recalls that Thanos was a member of the Infinity Watch as well and fears the worst. He deduces that Bruce Banner has likely been taken off the planet.

Tony Stark's deduction proves to be correct, Pip the Troll has transported Banner to deep space, to turn him over to Annihilus and Blastaar. Startled by the abduction, Banner transforms into the Hulk but is quickly incapacitated by a mind device that forces a reversion back to human form. With his mission complete, Pip demands that the two Negative Zone rulers honor their deal. They release Pip's current bimbo girlfriend, Heater Delight, and the two teleport away. Meanwhile, deep within his mind, Bruce Banner finds himself in the "special place" he goes when the Hulk takes control. However, he is there with the Hulk as well. When the Hulk asks if they are dying, Banner says he doesn't know. While in deep space, Pip and Heater go to an intergalactic bar called Starlin's. There, he explains that his rescue mission cost him a lot, including his security on Earth now that SHIELD will be looking for him, and now he needs to con someone to get him out of this mess. When considering his past Infinity Watch allies, Pip decides that there is only one person suited to derail the plans of Annihilus and Blastaar: Thanos. With his mind made up on what to do next, Pip tells Heater to wait for him and teleports away.

When he appears in the space fortress of Thanos, he is immediately captured and brought to the Mad Titan. When Thanos demands to know why Pip has interrupted him, Pip tries to convince him to help rescue the Hulk. Thanos, however, has no interest in doing so and orders Pip to leave before he lobotomizes the Troll again. Although Pip leaves, the fact that the Hulk is in the possession of Annihilus and Blastaar bothers Thanos enough to investigate. He learns that Annihilus has the Hulk contained with a cerebral disruptor. Because Annihilus has murdered as many living beings as he, Thanos decides that the Negative Zone ruler's possession of the Hulk could be a threat to his plans. He then orders his computers to prepare the neural linkage chamber. Not far away, Pip the Troll is secretly listening to Thanos' plans and revels in how easy it was to manipulate Thanos into doing what he wanted. He considers the situation under control, and figures he will have a happening ending where he will win the girl.

Back in the Negative Zone, Blastaar learns from Doctor Bultar that the Hulk has been secured in the lab. The pair then reveals the Hulk's capture to their master, Annihilus, who is pleased with their acquisition. While inside the Hulk's mind, the Hulk calls out to be let free, as he does not want to die. Banner mocks the Hulk for calling out to a god that he doesn't believe in. When the Hulk asks why Bruce is not afraid of death, the tormented scientist tells his alter-ego that he stopped fearing death not long after the Hulk was born. At that moment, Thanos activates a device that allows him to enter the Hulk's mind. There, he tells the Hulk and Banner that he will destroy them both.

Recurring Characters

Thanos, Hulk, Pip the Troll, Annihilus, Blastaar, Mephisto, Iron Man, SHIELD (Maria Hill), Heater Delight, Gamora, Karnak, Gorgon, Quasar, Drax the Destroyer, Ronan the Accuser

Continuity Notes

• This story takes place between the events of Indestructible Hulk #10 and Indestructible Hulk #11 during the period in which he was working for SHIELD.

• Maria Hill pulls up SHIELD's information on Pip the Troll which details his affiliations with the Infinity Watch, formed in Warlock and the Infinity Watch #2 and disbanded in Warlock and the Infinity Watch #42. It also lists his recent affiliation with X-Factor Investigations from X-Factor #207-249.

• Thanos threatens to lobotomize Pip again. He is referring to when Thanos destroyed his mind in Avengers Annual #7. His mind remained in the Soul Gem until he was resurrected in Infinity Gauntlet #1.

• Thanos states how Annihilus rules the "Old Imperial Homeworld" he is referring to the fact that Annihilus took over the planet Kree-Lar the homeworld of the Kree in Annihilation #6.