Marvel Two-In-One #54
The Pegasus Project Part 2: Blood and Bionics!
The Thing is wandering the Project Pegasus complex when he is attacked by the Nth Command's agent, the cyborg known as Deathlok. The cyborg attacks Ben with lethal force and manages to injure his arm. When Ben tries to appeal to Luther Manning, the cyborg informs Ben that it has been culled of all it's organic components and is run completely by artificial intelligence before resuming its brutal assault on the Thing. When Quasar arrives with Pegasus security, Deathlok flees the scene. With Ben given the care of Pegasus medical staff, Quasar goes after Deathlok to figure out what the cyborg is up to.
The damaged cyborg meanwhile has traveled deep into the complex and has begun setting up a Nth Projector in the Radioactive Disposal Section of the facility. Quasar manages to track Deathlok there and resumes his attack (unaware of what Deathlok was doing in this area.) During the fight, the cyborg suffers severe damage to its body, even more so when Pegasus security arrives along with a medically treated Ben Grimm. When Quasar hears that Deathlok has activated a self-destruct device he uses his Quantum Bands to destroy its body, leaving its head intact for questioning. However, the cyborg has foreseen this possibility and causes its head to self-destruct leaving nothing behind to determine the cause of Deathlok's attack on the facility.
While back in New York City, Thundra has begun practicing for her new career as a female wrestler for Oglethorpe, and is pitted against a group of female wrestlers known as the Grapplers (Titania, Poundcakes, Letha, and Screaming Mimi) all of whom Titania manages to defeat easily.
Back at Pegasus, Thomas Lightener has ventured down into the Radioactive Disposal section to check and see if the Nth Projector had been discovered. Finding it unmolested, he calls his leader at Nth Command who demands that Lightner finish constructing the device himself and to initiate their contingency plan that they had organized in the event that Deathlok had failed in its mission.
As Ben and Quasar greet Bill Foster (who has come to bring the villain Atom Smasher into the Project's custody for study) Lightner sneaks into the cell of another radioactive menace: Nuklo, the mutant son of the Whizzer and Miss America. He awakens the child-like creature and opens up his cell in the hopes that the mutant will cause enough destruction around the compound for him to finish his plan.
Recurring Characters
Thing, Quasar, Thundra, Herkimer Oglethorpe, Deathlok, Grapplers, Letha, Poundcakes, Screaming Mimi, Titania, Nuklo, Thomas Ligtner, Bill Foster, Atom-Smasher (corpse)
Continuity Notes
The being posing as Deathlok is actually a robot created by Roxxon, as revealed in Deathlok (vol. 2) #32.
The Thing refers to Deathlok as a "robot from the future" that was SHIELD had under wraps.
The real Deathlok hales from the alternate future of Earth-7484 as first seen in Astonishing Tales #25.
Deathlok was brought to Earth-616 by Fixer and Mentallo in Marvel Two-In-One #26 in a failed attempt to assassinate the President in the following issue.
Due to the damage done to Deathlok, the Thing brought him to England for repairs in Marvel Two-In-One #28 and turned him over to SHIELD in Marvel Two-In-One #34 once repairs were complete.
Quasar mentions how he used to be part of SHIELD Super-Agents from Captain America #217-230.
The Thing recalls the last time he met Bill Foster which was back in Marvel Two-In-One #24.
Unknown to all here, Foster is dying of cancer as revealed in Marvel Two-In-One #58, he contracted the illness during his battle against Atom-Smasher back in Black Goliath #3.
Lightner mentions the previous two times the Avengers battled Nuklo, these fights occurred in Giant-Size Avengers #1 and Avengers Annual #6.
