Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #65
Double Exposure
Doc Samson, Betty Ross, and Sandra Verdugo arrive by helicopter at Home Base's secret hideout to see that the Hulk has effectively trashed it. Once they go inside the ruined base, Sandra rushes off to try and find her son Ricky, ignoring the warnings from the others to stick together. When part of the ceiling starts to collapse, Betty pushes her out of the way but they are separated from Doc Samson. When they look around they find a flashlight, and what looks like Ricky Myer's hand sticking out of the rubble. Back at the diner, Nadia is spending her morning cleaning up the remains of the Krill creatures. Suddenly, Bruce Banner comes running up and collapses in her arms. When she asks about the others, but Bruce claims to have not seen them.
While Bruce Banner explains everything that is happening, back at Home Base, Sandra pulls what she thinks is her son out of the rubble only to discover it is another robotic duplicate. They are soon surrounded by more Krill as well as the mastermind behind Home Base, who appears to be a man in the wheelchair. He mocks the two women and tells them things are far from over. The grand conspirator presses a button that reveals a room filled with women and men in massive bio-tanks. He reveals that he has been growing his unkillable subjects, explaining that it takes a small strand of DNA to create a perfect copy, explaining that is how he managed to create Sandra Verdugo, from the body of her original. The leader then shows that Ricky Myers is still alive and well somewhere else in the facility. Having had enough of his manipulations, and threatens to kill her former employer. The mastermind offers to turn over Ricky in exchange for being allowed to take the Krill with the Hulk's blood up to his labs. Back at the diner, Bruce explains that they want the Hulk's blood in order to create an army of Hulk-like creatures. When Nadia presses him for more answers, he tells her that he has talked enough and forcibly kisses her.
Back at Home Base, Sandra agrees to her former master's terms, but Betty doesn't and opens fire on him. Although wounded, it doesn't appear to harm the man behind Home Base and he unleashes his Krills upon them. However, the critters are killed thanks to Doc Samson, who uses his lighter to set off the sprinkler system inside the facility. Leonard fires at the mastermind's head, revealing that it's merely a television. The master of Home Base tells them they have minutes to get out before a nuclear warhead goes off. Betty then tells them where Ricky is being held and Sandra runs off. When they try to follow after her the ceiling collapses, separating them. With Home Base falling down on top of them, Leonard and Betty are forced to flee. While at the diner, Nadia stops Bruce asking him to think about the others. However, Banner isn't interested in helping the others, only her. Not wanting to do anything, Nadia pulls away and tries to run. Sandra finally finds her son, but before she can take the boy out of there they are stopped by Agent Q-7 who tells him that they are going nowhere. While outside, Samson tries to go back for Sandra and Ricky, but Betty uses knockout gas on him and loads him into the chopper.
Back at Nadia's, Nadia learns that this man trying to rape her is not the real Bruce Banner, but a clone created by Home Base. Suddenly, the Hulk comes ripping through the house and grabs his double and crushes him to death. Sandra refuses to leave the side of her child, Betty, and Doc Samson getaway. Suddenly, Home Base explodes, seemingly killing Sandra and Ricky inside.
Recurring Characters
Hulk, Doc Samson, Sandra Verdugo, Nadia Dornova, Betty Ross, Home Base (The Leader), Ricky Myers
Continuity Notes
Betty's reappearance here is a complicated one, especially since the Leader seems surprised that she is there. Some facts:
Betty died of radiation poisoning in Incredible Hulk #466. As revealed in Incredible Hulk #473-474 this was due to Betty being injected with the Abomination's Blood.
The Leader wonders how Betty was brought back to life, which he should know since he and the other members of the Intelligencia were responsible for bringing Betty back to life as seen in Fall of the Hulks: Alpha #1.
However, some aspects of this storyline are part of the manipulations of Nightmare as a roundabout way of birthing a child named Daydream as revealed in Incredible Hulk Vol 2 #81 so some elements here, such as Betty's facelift and the fact that the Leader doesn't know that Betty is alive again are all part of this scheme.
