World War Hulk: Front Line #6

Mar 13

Mar 13 World War Hulk: Front Line #6

Embedded: Behind Enemy Lines

Stuck in a mob of panicked people while trying to save Ben Urich from a sink-hole, reporter Sally Floyd witnesses as the Sentry flies across the sky to take the fight to the Hulk. Unfortunately for everyone, the Sentry has lost his mind making both powerhouses a threat to the entire city. As the battle begins, people flee the scene, allowing Sally to rescue Ben Urich. As they rush out into the streets they witness as debris from the Hulk's battle with the Sentry comes crashing into buildings, causing massive amounts of damage. Suddenly, there is a massive rumbling in the ground and the road begins to break apart, forcing the two reporters to run for cover. Then, suddenly, as quickly as the battle began it is over.

Over the next three days, emergency crews begin the clean-up of Manhattan. With the war over, Sally learns that thanks to news coverage of profiling their newspaper, the Front Line's business has increased by 400%. Soon, the people forced to flee New York return home to find their homes either flooded or destroyed. For Ben Urich and his wife, they discover that their home was demolished in the carnage. Unfortunately for thE Urich's, because the damage is superhero related, they are not covered under their home insurance. Sifting through the wreckage, Doris Urich finds their smashed wedding photos among the rubble. When Ben assures her that he will fix things, she points out that's what happens: The heroes of this world break things and they are forced to fix them. Sally goes around the suburbs and sees those people who have been made homeless by the crisis. Some people just pack up and leave. While at police headquarters, Detective Danny Granville is shown the many Sakaarans that have been arrested since the end of the conflict. Since SHIELD is stretched thin and with no other choice, the captain orders them to be released.

Sally goes back out to look around the devastated city, stopping in Hell's Kitchen. There she sees the two children who were promised by Daredevil that he would protect their home. The apartment building is now damaged beyond repair and the two children are forced to leave. When Sally sees Daredevil watching from the buildings above she gives him the finger. Later, Sally decides to drink her sorrows in a bar. She is found there by Ben, who is disappointed to see that she has started drinking again. She is upset that he has come to give her grief, explaining that she is drinking to deal with the disaster they all lived through. Ben asks her how many times she is going to break her promise to herself. Sally says as much as she needs to and is upset that he is breathing down her neck after J. Jonah Jameson was earlier. Ben points out that Jameson was smart enough to track her down just like him and asks her if she is going to be smart now and walks out of the bar.

Thinking this over, Sally suddenly realizes something and rushes to the Daily Bugle offices. There she then demands a meeting with J. Jonah Jameson and gets to see him. Thee she reveals that she figured out that he is the secret benefactor that has been funding the Front Line. Jameson admits that he did and that he did so to help out his competition because everyone loves an underdog story and now he finances two successful newspapers. Furious, Sally asks how he could do this to Ben, but he insists that it will remain a secret unless she opens her mouth. He figures she won't be able to keep the secret for very long, but Sally decides that she is going to prove him wrong and leaves. She decides that she is not going to tell Ben, because they all need time to heal.