Lo, the Sub-Mariner Strikes!

Story continued from Rampaging Hulk #3...

The kingdom of Atlantis is attacked by strange alien sea-creatures, prompting Prince Namor to go to the surface world to investigate. Meanwhile in France; the Hulk, Rick Jones and Bereet escape the French police and return Spirou to the inn where he lives. Hulk uses his superior strength to "convince" the inn keeper to be nicer to the boy. Deciding to go back to Rome to try and figure out the next plan in the Krylorians attempt at invading Earth, the trio arrives around the same time the Sub-Mariner does.

When Namor attracts a mob who seeks to attack him, Banner and his allies show up to see what the fuss is about. Bereet finds herself attracted to the Sub-Mariner, but upon her approaching him she is knocked out by a brick tossed by the mob. This causes Banner to change into the Hulk and attack the Sub-Mariner. During the fight, the Sub-Mariner douses himself in water to boost his strength and easily over-powers the Hulk, before taking Bereet and departing.

Recurring Characters

Hulk, Rick Jones, Bereet, Sub-Mariner, Krylorians (All Earth-7711)

Continuity Notes

• Although this story references the events of Fantastic Four Annual #1, it does not take place on Earth-616. This story was later revealed to be a work of fiction created by Bereet of Earth-616. However, according to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3, this is an alternate reality, designated Earth-7711.

Suite Fear!

Prologue One:

A man in Greenwich Village enters the subway and enters the train. Once it gets to 59th Street, he pulls a gun and orders everyone off. After all the passengers flee and the man is alone, the subway car suddenly explodes.

Prologue Two:

In the mailroom of Delenor Hospital, two clearks find a package that has been mailed to Killer Shrike, the mysterious costumed patient who arrived in a coma not too long ago. Even though the authorities might be interested in such a package, the two men make the ill advised decision to open the package. Inside they find what appears to be the components of some kind of robot. Regardless of how strange and potentially dangerous this package might be, they then begin assembling the robot.

Now:

Bloodstone and his aid Brad Carter arrive at a posh hotel on 59th Street. Bloodstone's mind is strill troubled following recent events and the death of his long time foe Ulluxy'l. In the hotel, Ulysses gets some grief from the clerk at the front desk over his reservation. As it turns out, someone wrote down his name incompletely. Once this is straigtned out, a bellhop comes to show the men to their rooms. As they are being led to the elevator, Ulysses and Brad are unaware that they are being watched by a man in sunglasses.

Up in his room, Ulysses is told by the bellhop that his room had been recently renovated to give it a more classic feel. Left alone in his room, Bloodstone's tension is on the rise, but he dismisses this as paranoid. However, he should trust his instints as a trio of strange men are monitoring him from afar and have sealed him in his room with titanium reinforced walls, they then begin to prepare their trap.

Interlude I:

In France, the mysterious man named Domino has forced Samantha Eden to accompany him to a cafe. He demands to know what information she has on Ulysses Bloodstone. Having grown tired of Dimono's behaviorisms, Samantha tries to cry for help. But Domino assures the other patrons that this is nothing more than theatrics, and surprisingly everyone believes him. Samantha gives up and sits down, and Domino once more asks her to tell him what she knows about his target.

Interlude II:

In Russia, reporter Philip Lerou is drinking coffee and reading the paper when a man from Russian intelligence drops a small capsul on his lap. No sooner that he does, the man is quickly arrested by members of the Russian secret service, leaving Phillip to wonder what he has stumbled upon.

Interlude III:

Bloodstone Island mysteriously explodes, completely destroying the complex on the island build by Ulysses Bloodstone.

Now:

While back at the hospital, the staff have finished constructing what they think is a robot, discovering it's some kind of human shaped exo-skeleton. Seeing no harm in the object, they disassemble it and have it delivered up to Killer Shrike's room where the costumed mercenary still is in a state of coma.

Back at the hotel, Ulysses' suspicions about his hotel room become just as he hears something moving in the main room. Rushing out of the bathroom he is shocked to see his room converted into a massive death trap filled with deadly weapons. He manages to leap past the machine guns and get to his shotgun, which he uses to blow away the weapons. Suddenly, Bloodstone is wrapped up in coils but manages to pull free before spear launchers can fire at him. Next he narrowly avoids falling into a pit filled with parasitic energy that could dissolve his body into nothingness. Climinging onto some roof spikes, Bloodstone tosses some of his shotgun shells into the energy below and mentally detonates them, ruining this new trap. Bloodstone then charges through the door into the hallway. He then slams the door shut and braces it, causing the suddenly explosion of energy to blast outside of the building, instead of decimating the internior.

Epilogue:

The man from the subway reaches the hospital and blasts open the door to Killer Shrike's room. There he finds the exo-skeleton, actually a sentient being called the Modular-Man has just revived Killer Shrike. With the police about to arrive at any moment the Modular-Man believes law enforcement will be no match for him.

Recurring Characters

Ulysses Bloodstone, Brad Carter, Samantha Eden, Conspiracy (Killer Shrike, Domino, Modular Man)

Continuity Notes

• All referemces to the Russian secret service being the KGB should be considered topical references per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. Readers should interpret the KGB appearing here as a stand in for whatever the current Russian intelligence organization is known as.

• A number of plot points in this issue are dropped as the Ulysses Bloodstone plot is wrapped up prematurely in Rampaging Hulk #8.

  • The plot thread started in Interlude II is never explored further and is completely dropped.

  • The plot involving the Modular-Man and Killer Shrike is dropped as well, but the pair reappear later in Marvel Team-Up #90, where their encounter is briefly glossed over. Whatever plans that the Conspiracy had for them ended when the group dissolved.