...At the Bottom of the Bay!

With Curtiss Jackson fleeing Alcatraz following the Corporation's failure to destroy Captain America and the Falcon, the white-collar criminal now has the Hulk following him as he escapes into San Francisco Bay. When the Hulk attacks Jackson's sub, he ejects out of a smaller craft, making the primary one explode. On the island of the former prison, SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell is briefed on what happened by Marvel Man when the explosion happens. Suspecting it's the Hulk, Marvel Man uses his Quantum Bands to fly off and recover him.

Meanwhile, the Hulk recovers from the first explosion and follows after the escaping craft. Jackson tries torpedos, which fare just as well. The Hulk leaps out of the water this time, knocking Marvel Man into the water as he goes. The Hulk follows Jackson into a Corporation owned warehouse. Inside, Jackson orders his men to hold the Hulk back while he makes his escape. Naturally, the two guards are no match for the Hulk, but before the brute can leap off after Jackson he hears a horn honking. At first he thinks it's the delivery truck in front of him, but then realises that it's coming from the storage area of the truck. Ripping open the back trailor, he finds his friend Fred Sloan and his van, who have been locked up since they were first captured by the Corporation.

The Hulk begins untying Jackson when Marvel Man arrives and orders the Hulk to surrender to him. The Hulk refuses and Marvel Man tries to stop him by force. The Hulk merely slaps him away and he and Fred flee in his van. When Marvel Man lands in the middle of a crowd, a little boy asks him if he is a super-hero. When Marvel Man tells the boy his name, everyone around him laughs at how lame that sounds.

Meanwhile, Jasper Sitwell reports the news that Senator Stivak worked for the Corporation to the staff at Gamma Base. This comes as a shock to his colleague Senator Hawk. The news gets worse when Sitwell also tells Doc Samson that Karla Soften was also Moonstone. When Samson asks if this ends Senator Hawk's investigation of Gamma Base, Hawk responds that this is just the beginning. Fed up of having his job questioned, Samson tells Hawk that he is welcomed to it and storms out. Miles away in Mexico City, Glenn Talbot waits at the airport for the arrival of his estranged wife Betty. Although they are both sorry that things have come to this, the pair agree that what they do next is what must be done.

At that moment, Fred and the Hulk have arrived in Berkley where some of his friends live. When they arrive, Fred asks the Hulk to wait in the van while he smooths things over. When he goes out to greet one of his friends, the Hulk grows impatient. As it turns out, one of the residents of the rooming house is Trish Starr, a past acquaintance of the Hulk.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Fred Sloan, Corporation (Curtiss Jackson), SHIELD (Marvel Man, Jasper Sitwell, Clay Quartermain) Doc Samson, Senator Hawk, Major Talbot, Betty Ross, Tris Starr

Continuity Notes

• Fred Sloan was kidnapped by the Corporation in Captain America #230.

• The mockery Marvel Man receives here prompts him to change his name to Quasar, a codename he starts using next issue.

• The infiltration of Gamma Base by the Corporation started from Incredible Hulk #231-232.

• Glenn and Betty got married way back in Incredible Hulk #168. Their marriage started getting problematic during a period when Glenn was in a catatonic state from Incredible Hulk #188-200. After attempts to reconcile, Glenn decided he needed to separate to sort out his life in Incredible Hulk #212.

• Trish Starr has shared adventures with the Hulk in through their mutual association with the Defenders. She first met the Hulk in Defenders #41.