As downtown Boston
has been evacuated, Red Hulk and Omegex are brutally bashing one another when
Black Fog joins the fray. The shadowy serial killer and his snakes attack
Omegex, sending electric current through it. Red Hulk can’t understand what
Black Fog is up to but Omegex returns to battle….
Uravo
the Watcher arrives with Annie, explaining the role of Watchers and blaming
Uatu for the current situation as he appears to have been present for the
activation of the doomsday robot, knowing it could not detect him but it could
pick up the trace Red Hulk left behind when he punched Uatu who now appears to
have set this up as his revenge. Uravo explains also that Omegex is departing
from its usual programming as it registers Red Hulk as a single being; usually,
Omegex is usually assigned to destroy an entire species and prefers to implode
their planet’s core which he will only do now as a last resort to kill Rulk.
Then General Fortean’s forces arrive and rock soldiers are formed out of rubble
and Fortean himself appears on the scene in battle armor. Watching the events
unfold, Uravo foresees that Red Hulk will die today—but Zero/One shows up to
introduce another variable. Zero/One explains she has evolved after her meeting
with MODOK and no longer wishes Red Hulk’s death thus she sent Black Fog to
protect Rulk. Annie persuades Zero/One to take Rulk out of time, suggesting
that Red may have some data that would enable Zero/One to understand herself.
So she pulls Red Hulk out of phase to where she waits with Annie and Uravo,
leaving Omegex to fight Fortean. After catching Rulk up on matters, Annie
suggests Rulk use his energy absorption powers as his best chance of defeating
Omegex; he explains that it would risk his being able to return to his Thaddeus
Ross form, puzzling Zero/One who can’t understand why he would want to return
to a weaker form. Rulk recognizes who Zero/One is and she explains she has
evolved beyond her need for vengeance. She takes Red Hulk and vanishes; Annie
must explain to Uravo that Zero/One is wondering if she should give up her
humanity and needs to understand why Rulk clings to the desire to become human
again. Red Hulk and Zero/One visit moments in his past, including his decision
to allow the Leader and MODOK to make Thunderbolt Ross into Red Hulk. Rulk
keeps bringing Zero/One’s attention back to the battlefield and he finally
agrees to use his absorption powers to save Reggie Fortean, his former comrade.
She sends him back and Rulk attempts to absorb its energy but he can’t, Omegex
is not vulnerable to such an attack, leaving Rulk helpless before his enemy….