Seeing Red

At the offices of the Front Line, Ben Urich types up the events of the last few days on a typewriter. It's a story that he cannot possibly publish, but needs to tell. However, fearing that those who don't want the truth to get out will find out, he has decided to write up the story on a typewriter. He starts by recounting the end of World War Hulk. When all seemed about lost, the Hulk was taken down by a massive blast from a network of orbital defense satellites. The Hulk was defeated, and Bruce Banner was taken into SHIELD custody and Urich thought that would be the end of the story. That was until three nights earlier....

... Urich was called to a parking garage on 21st Street to meet with the She-Hulk. Jennifer Walters wants to talk to him about the Hulks, both green and red, but the phone isn't safe, hence the privacy. She explains that a cover-up is happening with her cousin Bruce Banner. She tells him about how he was turned over to a previously unknown Gamma Base under the command of General Thaddeus Ross. She then talks about how the Red Hulk assassinated the Abomination as well as wrecking a SHIELD helicarrier and hacked into the Baxter Building. Since Urich is someone who can be trusted, Jennifer asks for his help to help expose this conspiracy. She tells him to take a flight out to Las Vegas and bring a photographer. Suspecting someone might have followed Urich, She-Hulk then disappears.

Ben followed orders, bringing Peter Parker along with him to take photographs. They are brought to Gamma Base by She-Hulk and they find it swarming with what appears to be SHIELD agents. They then meet with their man on the inside, Doc Samson. Samson explains that those "SHIELD agents" are actually Life Model Decoys that are under the control of Advanced Idea Mechanics, who are actually running the facility. He passes AIM uniforms to Ben and Peter, and they head into the facility. Samson leads them through the sewer access and into the ventilation system. From there, he leads them to a vent that overlooks a lab, telling them that is where their story is. When they look through they see an AIM lab that under the observation of General Ross and MODOK. They witness an experiment being conducted on A-Bomb, as well as a strange figure floating in a massive tank of green fluid. Samson explains that AIM had begun experimenting on gamma mutates and that MODOK manipulated the satellites to bring down the Hulk through refracted cosmic energy. The purpose of being a gamma-powered super-soldier program, something he couldn't talk about previously because MODOK was brainwashing him. Suddenly, Samson is wracked with pain and undergoes a transformation, his hair growing longer, his muscles bigger.

When Samson tries to attack them, She-Hulk tackles him, sending the two crashing through the vent and into the middle of the lab, alerting MODOK and the others of their presence. While the two battle it out, MODOK eventually takes them down with a mental blast. Arriving on the scene is the Red Hulk, who spots Ben Urich. By this time, Peter Parker manages to slip away to change into Spider-Man and prevents the Red Hulk from attacking Urich. Spider-Man distracts the Red Hulk long enough to shoot webs into his eyes. MODOK Tries to blast the wall-crawler, but this bounces off the Red Hulk's skin, hitting the binds keeping A-Bomb pinned to the operating table. Just as the Red Hulk grabs Spider-Man, the man in the tank -- Bruce Banner -- wakes up and sees what is going on. Growing angry, he turns into the Hulk and smashes out of the tank. He immediately lunges at the Red Hulk and the two begin to battle it out, slamming into a gamma core, destabilizing it. Surprisingly, the Red Hulk begins to absorb the Hulk's own gamma radiation, forcing a reversion into Bruce Banner. Despite MODOK's protests, the Red Hulk absorbs all of Banner's gamma radiation and proclaims that he will never become the Hulk again.

With the gamma reaction reaching critical mass people start scrambling: Spider-Man grabs Ben Urich and retreats, A-Bomb grabs Bruce Banner, while the Red Hulk decides to ensure that Doc Samson and She-Hulk ride this out. As the facility explodes, A-Bomb shields Bruce Banner's body from the blast and radiation. While not far away, Ben Urich fears that Parker might be dead, unaware that he is secretly Spider-Man. With Ben safe, Spider-Man slips away to change back to his civilian identity. Unfortunately, Peter's camera was lost in the blast and they have no photos of what they saw. Back in New York, Ben returns to the parking garage on 21st Street where he is confronted by the Red Hulk. He threatens Urich to bury the story, threatening to bring down the Front Line building killing all his friends and co-workers are all inside. That's when Ben Urich went back to the office and began typing out his tale, knowing that there is a war coming and that they are all going to lose and he can't even print the story of what will happen.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Ben Urich, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, A-Bomb, AIM (“General Ross”, MODOK, Red Hulk, Doc Samson), (in flashback) Illuminati (Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, “Black Bolt”), Invisible Woman, Thing, Luke Cage

Continuity Notes

• Ben Urich recounts the defeat of the Hulk in World War Hulk #5.

• The man who appears to be Black Bolt in the flashback is actually a Skrull spy, as revealed in Secret Invasion: Inhumans #3.

• She-Hulk talks about the various attacks that the Red Hulk had committed since he appeared these attacks were chronicled in Hulk Vol 2 #1-3.

• The man at Gamma Base who appears to be General Ross is actually a LMD. This and the true identity of the Red Hulk, and the experiments on A-Bomb and Doc Samson are fully explained in Hulk Vol 2 #23.

Weapon of A.R.M.O.R.

This story continues from Savage She-Hulk Vol 2 #4...

Coming from an alternate reality of Earth-10001011 where technology evolved into intelligent life that combined technology and mysticism. A powerful group known as the Cyber-Sidhe and their leader Phinn Mac Mram were banished from that reality. They end of up Earth-616, appearing in the middle of Carhenge, a tourist trap found in Nebraska. Phinn Mac Mram claims this reality in the name of his Cyber-Sidhe, until they are ambushed by ARMOR's latest recruit, Lyra, the She-Hulk of Earth-8009. Monitoring the battle from the Hollow, is ARMOR's director Charles Little Sky. He wants Lyra that she is the only one who can stop the Cyber-Sidhe as they are attempting to take over Earth's computerized technology using a mystical Worm Lore. Just as he explains this, Lyra's A.I., Boudicca falls under the control of Phinn Mac Mram and his minions and blasts her. Furious, Lyra strips Boudicca from her wrist and leaps into battle, knocking out one of the Cyber-Sidhe.

Reminding herself that anger saps her strength, Lyra battles the invaders while trying to keep her temper in check. However, she is forced to stop battling when Phinn Mac Mram threatens to kill the tourists that have come to see Carhenge. Lyra warns Phinn that if he kills his hostages then that will guarantee that she will end his life. Impressed with the green-skinned warrior woman, he offers her the chance to end his invasion, by battling all his warriors to the death. Lyra agrees and soon finds out that she must battle the Cyber-Sidhe unarmed. This hardly phases her as she focuses her attention until she goes into her autotrance. This allows her movements to be guided by ambient gamma radiation that is found all around her.

She easily defeats the warriors, but when Phinn tries to attack her, Lyra focuses all her attention to find his weak spot. Seeing it in his chest, she rams her fist with enough strength to rip out the kill switch contained inside. From there she opens it, revealing a small energy fairy that flies off -- his soul. With the battle over and the invasion thwarted, Lyra departs.

Recurring Characters

She-Hulk, ARMOR (Charles Little Sky), Phinn Mac Mram