Hulk (Vol. 2) #56

Mayan Rule, Part 4

At Gamma Base, Annie has brought the members of Alpha Flight that were prisoners of the Mayapan and placed them in nutrient baths along with She-Hulk and Lyra. She tries to contact the Red Hulk and learn what is happening as the situation in Central America has become even more volatile and she will not be able to stall Captain America for much longer. Unfortunately, the Red Hulk cannot answer as Machine Man was ripped to shreds by Kukulkan and he himself has had half of his lifeforce drained by the Mayapan. Ross' mind drifts back to the events of the day before.

Yesterday

The Mayapan had just succeeded in resurrecting their God-King, the serpent that is known as Kulkulkan using the life force of A-Bomb. Furious that they managed to get Rick Jones, the Red Hulk leaps up to attack the massive serpentine god and is blasted aside. This sends the Red Hulk flying into the nearby temple. Realizing what Kululkan is trying to do, Machine Man tries to prevent the Red Hulk from landing in a chamber that will suck out his life energies like all the others. X-51 manages to get a grapple device attached to Ross, and manages to pull him out before he goes all the way through, leaving only half of his body's life energies absorbed by the Mayapan. Seeing what Machine Man is doing, Kulkulkan orders Tohil to deal with him. The lava god uses his powers to melt X-51's body.

Kulkulkan orders Ixchel to put the Red Hulk all the way into the chamber. The woman is impressed by the amount of energy they have siphoned so far as it resurrects Ah-Muzencab the God of Bees. However, no sooner is Ah-Muzencab brought back to life he shrieks in pain and suddenly explodes in a massive blast of energy.

Now

Annie continues to try to make contact with the Red Hulk, but he is too far away from the remains of X-51 to try and make contact. Suddenly, a small mechanical spider comes crawling out of the ruined shell of Machine Man with his consciousness still alive within. Machine Man has noticed that the Mayapan regard him as merely a tool, not a life form, and unless they actually see him they have no awareness of his presence. He then attaches a device to one of the Red Hulk's eyes to allow them to share what they see, so Ross can know what is happening outside. X-51 then travels out of the pit. There he sees that the Mayapan's numbers are increasing thanks to fearful locals sacrificing their lives to these would-be gods.

Continuing his observations, X-51 finds an archivist documenting the history of these would be deities. Translating the hieroglyphics he learns that these so-called gods were actually local Mayan natives who drank from water that was contaminated by an underground source of Terrigen Crystals the first generation of Mayapan to communicate telepathically. The next generation gained the power to control lower-order animals. The fourth discovered a means of absorbing the energies of other living beings, especially through bloodletting, finding the key to immortality. They soon dominated the other locals, each successive generation developing more and more powers, they also discovered that the gained, even more, power if they slew their forebearers. Ultimately, these beings were worshiped as the gods they now believe themselves to be. He also reads about a pair of twins who rebelled, that's when something grabs X-51. From his spot in the temple, the Red Hulk calls out to Machine Man, but suddenly the ground begins to shake.

Outside, Ah Puch has decreed that somehow the power of the Red Hulk killed Ah-Muzencab and therefore must be destroyed. Tohil is ordered to incinerate their foe.

Recurring Characters

Red Hulk, Annie, Machine Man, A-Bomb, Hunahpu, Xbalanque, Mayapan (Jacawitz, Ixchel, Camazotz, Ah Puch, Tohil, Yuma Kaax, Kukulkan), Alpha Flight (Guardian, Talisman, Puck, Snowbird, Aurora, Sasquatch)