At Dr. Druid’s Sanctum in Boston,
Druid is examining Cadaver and learning he has no soul, nothing tying him to
his living identity as Cody Fleisher but otherwise not understanding how he is
alive or how his body works. Aware that a visitor is coming, Druid draws
Jillian Woods from the statuette that holds her life-force so she can open the
door when the bell rings. The visitor is R.G. Mathieson, head of Bureau 18, in
charge of investigating extranormal phenomena; they seek Druid’s help because
of a series of insect-related fatalities of entomologists. And now several
insect species are converging on the Rand-Meachum Supercollider in Houston,
Texas. Mathieson, discovering that Dr. Druid was again active, wants him to
uncover the cause of these disturbances. Druid agrees and tells him he will
need the help of Hank Pym a/k/a Giant-Man…
…who arrives at the Supercollider
site to be greeted by CEO Daniel Rand; Pym explains he has been dispatched by
the government to investigate the problem with the local insects. Danny tells
Hank that they’re about to turn on the collider for the first time and
introduces him to the staff, including Mathieson who is impersonating a State
safety inspector. Also present but invisible are Dr. Druid, Jillian, and
Cadaver. Hank dons his cybernetic helmet and the sound he receives is painful.
But now that Pym is aware of the problem, Druid’s team goes into action. Druid
locates the spot the disturbance is coming from. Cadaver tears a Sword of Bone
from his chest and starts digging violently. Druid and Shadowoman follow him
down. Suddenly they are attacked by swarms of insects, the tunnel collapses,
Druid shouting to Jillian to assume her shadow form and escape….
Meanwhile, at Druid’s Boston
Sanctum, a dark monstrous shadow being emerges from the statuette that usually
conceals Jillian….
Druid and Cadaver find themselves
glued to the wall of a hive and facing the villain Swarm who reveals his
sinister plan as their discovery compels them to act now. They intend to use
the supercollider to create an electromagnetic pulse strong enough to render
all human technology inoperative so the insects can conquer the world. Druid,
aware they need assistance, locates Archangel and Iceman, who were part of the
team that most recently defeated Swarm, and, creating an illusion of Professor
Charles Xavier, orders Bobby and Warren to the supercollider site in Houston.
The guys think Xavier sounded rather brusque but decided it’s because of the
pressure he’s been under. Druid can only hope it worked….
Above ground, insects attack the
humans. Danny dons his Iron Fist gear and joins Giant-Man to lead the humans to
an airtight testing chamber. To give him time to recalibrate his cybernetic
helmet, Iron Fist stands outside and focuses his chi to keep the bugs at bay.
Pym’s helmet soon broadcasts a wall of painful static to drive the bugs away.
He drags the exhausted IF inside. Mathieson sends a secret message to his
people that if he fails to report in every thirty minutes, they are to nuke the
supercollider….
Shadowoman returns to
consciousness and heads back down the tunnel to find her companions. She
encounters Cadaver’s Sword of Bone but when she tries to pick it up, it repels
her. So she soon discovers Swarm and her captive partners, her shadow powers
making her invisible to the bugs….
Back upstairs, Hank is horrified
to learn that the insects are adapting and will soon penetrate the barrier….
Give that special marvelite a timely gift