Copycats

Reading a newspaper article about how Doc Samson has been hired to hunt him down, the gamma mutated serial killer known as Patchwork decides to use the parts of his victims in order to lure his pursuers into a trap. Elsewhere in the city, Doc Samson has agreed to allow the young woman known as Geiger uses her powers to allow him to try and find their foe. Along the way, he asks Geiger how she got her powers. She explains that she is a student at Empire State University. One day she was investigating a strange power surge at the facilities particle accelerator. Soon after she received a jolt from the device she began having nightmares about Patchwork that led to her eventual transformations. Suddenly, Geiger detects Patchwork nearby attacking a helpless woman jogging.

Meanwhile, Detective Trina Sharp is at the morgue examining the latest victim of Patchwork and finds it strange that the creature removed one of her contact lenses. She is then told about another victim, this one alive, but a Jane Doe recovering upstairs. She goes up to see this woman, who is still in a coma. Upon examining the woman's face, Sharpe instantly identifies her as Jennifer Walters, the She-Hulk and that somehow Patchwork stripped her of her powers.

Elsewhere, Doc Samson and Geiger have followed Patchwork into a subway tunnel. There they find his would-be victim, still unharmed. As Geiger frees her, Samson realizes that their prey has set a trap. Soon the creature comes smashing through the wall and gravely wounds Geiger. With the girl quickly losing control over her power. Samson tries to get her out because he can't fight both her and Patchwork if she imitates her power. While at the hospital, Detective Sharp has the doctors revive Jennifer Walters. She explains to her that Patchwork absorbed all of her powers and warns that Doc Samson will not stand a chance against such powers. Back in the subway, Doc Samson uses a hypnotically planted codeword to make Geiger go to sleep. He then battles Patchwork and seemingly beats him to death. This causes Samson to think about how he blames himself for the deaths of both Crazy Eight and the Punisher. However, his foe is playing possum and manages to drain some of his powers. However, instead of killing Samson, he slays his captured victim instead and then leaves the scene.

Later, back at police headquarters, Geiger tells Detective Sharp that after the woman was murdered before his eyes, Doc Samson quit the case and is heading back home. Elsewhere, Samson is taking a cab to the airport when suddenly someone shoots out the tire on the cab. Samson rushes out and sees the Punisher standing atop of a nearby building. Samson finds it hard to believe that the Punisher is still alive. The Punisher shoots at Samson, keeping him undercover. Castle tells Samson that he made a promise to solve the case and that he should stick to it. When Samson asks why the Punisher isn't doing it, the vigilante gets the drop on him and puts a gun to Leonard's head. The Punisher explains that he is waging his war on crime in a very different way and that the issue of Patchwork is his problem, he tells Samson not to give up for the sake of the killers’ victims. No sooner is the Punisher gone does Samson get a call from his cell phone. It's Kyle Baker, the man that he talked out of committing suicide the other day. Baker expresses his disappointment to hear that Samson is quitting the Patchwork case. However, the advice that Kyle provides convinces Samson that he should get back to solving the mystery. He thanks Kyle for his help, unaware that Baker is actually Patchwork.

Recurring Characters

Doc Samson, Geiger, Punisher, Patchwork, She-Hulk

Chronology Notes

• Samson recalls how he injected the Punisher with a drug that made him temporarily insane. That happed in Double Edge Alpha #1. This ultimately led to the apparent death of Nick Fury in Double Edge Omega #1. Samson believed that the Punisher was executed for this murder in Punisher (vol. 3) #1. In reality, the Punisher's death was faked and at this time he began working for the mob to try and eliminate crime from the inside. Fury's death was also a ruse as he turned up alive and well in Fury/Agent 13 #1.