Incredible Hulk #443
Then and Now
The night skies over Alaska suddenly erupt in a bright flash of light as Janis Jones rips through time into the past. Landing in a lake, Janis pulls herself from the water and uses her tracking device to try and find the Hulk. While not far away, at Tom's Tavern, one of the locals insists that he saw Bigfoot while out hunting. Everyone thinks he had too much to drink, but while the man admits that he did, he is sure that there is a monster somewhere out in the wilderness. Elsewhere in the woods, Robbie Clayburn has run out of reasons to keep on living and has decided to commit suicide. To accomplish this she is trying to start a fire in the forest in an attempt to immolate herself. While Janis continues to search for the Hulk, Robbie starts a massive blaze and suddenly chickens out. As she tries to back away from the flames she ends up bumping into the very person Janis is searching for. In a panic, Robbie tries to explain that someone else lit the fire and ends up tripping over her feet and rolling down a hill. The Hulk then rips up all the burning trees and tosses them far away. No sooner have the local noticed there is a fire do they get surprised when the burning trees suddenly take off into the sky.
At that same moment, there is another bright explosion in the sky as yet another time traveler arrives from the future. It is a massive gamma-mutate named Quarry who has come to this era to find Janis Jones and eliminate her. No sooner has he emerged from the icy waters of the lake is Quarry suddenly crushed under the burning timber tossed there by the Hulk. Meanwhile, Robbie gets to Tom's Tavern where she runs into her father and insists that she didn't do anything. He fiancee Clay wonders why she insists she did nothing wrong and wonders if she is guilty of something. They are all suspicious about if she started the fire, but their queries are all quieted when suddenly, Janis Jones comes stumbling into the bar and collapses on the floor. Robbie then blames Janis for starting the fire. While back at the lake, Quarry emerges from the waters and finds himself face to face with the Hulk. When he asks why he was attacked, the Hulk insists that he didn't attack him. Quarry then explains that he is seeking a woman and that he will not harm the Hulk if he stays out of his way. The Hulk dismisses this and walks off, leaving Quarry to believe the Hulk has agreed to his terms.
Back at the bar, Janis wakes up to find herself tied to a chair. The bar patrons then demand to know what she is up to. When Janis explains that she has come from the future searching for the Hulk and is being pursued by Quarry, they find her story hard to believe. When they accuse her of trying to burn down the forest, Janis calls Robbie a liar. Robbie's fiancee Clay begins to get rough with Janis when they are interrupted by Quarry who demands that they turn Janis over to him. The men in the bar begin opening fire on this new intruder who proves to be bulletproof. Pulling a small energy weapon from his arsenal, Quarry then begins decimating the trappers with its massive energy blasts. While the patrons are being slaughtered before Robbie's eyes, Janis breaks free from her bonds and tries to escape. When Quarry tries to shoot her, his shot strikes the Hulk, who was standing by and watching from a distance. This angers the Hulk enough to attack Quarry.
The two battle it out, but this is all so the Hulk can wrest the weapon away from Quarry and use it to kill his opponent. With Quarry dead, Janis explains to the Hulk that she has come to seek his help. When he refuses to listen, she convinces him to at least let her accompany him to wherever he is going. Janis then climbs onto the Hulk's back and he leaps away. In the aftermath of the battle, Robbie cries over her dead father and fiancee but tells them they shouldn't have been so mean to her. She then lights the tavern on fire and goes outside with a fire extinguisher to watch the blaze.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Janis Jones, Quarry
Continuity Notes
Janis has come from the future to seek the Hulk's aid in liberating her future from the Abomination who has taken over her future after the seeming destruction of the Maestro as seen in Abominations #1-3.
