Hulk (Vol. 2) #42
Hulk of Arabia (Part One)
13 Months Ago
A team of soldiers are hunting down the remaining members of the Shadzir after their camp was blasted by a missile. They complete their mission objective when they manage to capture their leader, Dagan Shah, alive. The commander of this team is Will Kraugauer, a soldier of fortune. He is impressed with how long these Shadzir separatists managed to keep fighting and would solute Dagan if he recognized his people's nation. However, Shah has a surprise for them when he spits a live grenade out of his mouth. All the soldiers are killed in the blast, but Dagan Shah survives. Under a blazing sun, Shah walks across the blistering hot desert until he hears a strange alien language calling out to him. Following the sound of the alien voices, he eventually falls in a put of pure light.
Now
In Manitoba, Canada, the Red Hulk is once again pursued by Reggie Fortean, the man who thinks he is responsible for killing Thaddeus Ross, unaware that the Red Hulk is his old commander. The Red Hulk defends himself but is sick of Fortean hunting him down. Reggie is tired of this constant hunt himself and tells the Red Hulk to just give up and die. The Red Hulk won't do this, but can't bring himself to bring his former subordinate any harm. However, Reggie suddenly gets a radio call and suddenly departs. The Red Hulk is confused because Reggie is not one to retreat from a battle. He is then contacted by Annie who tells Ross that she intercepted the transmission and where to meet her. When he arrives back at the trailer, he reverts back to human form. By this point, Annie has decoded the transmission and learns that Fortean was being informed of the death of Will Krauguer was killed in action in Quatar. Annie thinks this doesn't concern Thaddeus, however, he explains that it indeed does.
He explains that he and Reggie worked alongside Krauguer for years. He recounts how he didn't work well with the top brass. When he realized that he would never make general, Will retired from the military, he then became a soldier of fortune, founding the Skytower organization. They are then contacted by Terry, the LMD who has replaced Chuck at Gamma Base. He informs them that Skytower has been operating in the Middle East recently, sometimes working with the US or other nations. Most recently they were dealing with Shadzir separatists on behalf of the government of Qatar. Since the death of Will, the Shadzir have suddenly been supplied with enhanced weaponry. However, the Red Hulk leaps off after Annie believes that there isn't anything to look forward on in this matter. When she notices that Ross is gone, she tells Terry to get her in touch with Steve Rogers. The Red Hulk lands at a nearby airbase where he steals a fighter jet to fly him to the Middle East. Along the way, Thaddeus thinks back to when he Colonel Krauguer decided to leave the military for the private sector. Thaddeus was against the idea, telling Will that if he turned his back on the military, he was also turning his back on their friendship. Arriving off the coast of Qatar, Ross bails out of the fighter jet and transforms into the Red Hulk, swimming the rest of the way to shore.
Meanwhile, the city of Al Dayaan is under siege by the Shadzir and their advanced weaponry. Suddenly, the Red Hulk lands in the middle of the battle. However, Ross is not interested in the conflict in the region as he only wants to avenge the death of Will Krauguer. He slams his fist on the ground, knocking the Shadzir soldiers falling over. One of the rebels fires a strange missile from his bazooka that has enough force that it knocks the Red Hulk off his feet, much to his surprise. He is struck again, but the Shadzir's leader tells his men to conserve their missiles. Recovering from the attack, the Red Hulk chases them out of the city. However, before he can follow after him he is ambushed by War Machine, Black Widow, and Valkyrie of the Secret Avengers. They explain that they have been sent by Steve Rogers to stop him from interfering with foreign affairs, telling him that that is not his job, but theirs.
Recurring Characters
Red Hulk, Annie, Secret Avengers (War Machine, Valkyrie, Black Widow), Dagan Shah, General Fortean
Continuity Notes
Reggie Fortean is after the Red Hulk because he believes he killed Thaddeus Ross in Fall of the Hulks: Gamma #1. In reality, this was a Life Model Decoy of General Ross as explained in Hulk Vol 2 #23.
