Avengers, The (1963 series) #389

The wormhole connecting the Shi’ar Empire and the Terran star system, shut down by order of Queen Lilandra, opens suddenly and a tiny probe comes through, headed for Earth….

And now Deathcry of Shi’ar is being pursued over Manhattan rooftops by Mandroids, intent on seizing the canister she carries. As the Mandroids decide that she is more dangerous than they were told, they intend to “sanction” her. Hercules comes to her rescue, followed by Quicksilver. The Mandroids claim she has compromised the security of the nation, if not the planet. Deathcry pleads ignorance. Crystal arrives to defeat the last Mandroid while Deathcry searches for the missing canister….

Henry Peter Gyrich confronts the Avengers, demanding they turn over Deathcry to his custody as she has been designated a dangerous extra-terrestrial. The heroes come to her defense and Gyrich reveals that the wormhole to Shi’ar, supposedly closed forever, has opened four times in the last few months, creating solar interference, and Deathcry was found at the site of the most recent incident. Gyrich wants to know why they never investigated their new member, mocking Quicksilver to his face. Marilla defends Deathcry and Pietro and Jarvis back her up, surprising Gyrich. Black Widow reveals that they had informed the government about the incidents; she also defends the Shi’ar Majestrix’s honor that the wormhole would not open unless absolutely necessary. But Pietro questions this, wondering if they can trust the Shi’ar or Deathcry. DC breaks down and dashes from the room, crying. Pietro apologizes for his lack of sensitivity while Marilla goes to comfort the girl and discovers she has run away. Gyrich sneers, noting that he only wants to make sure that the wormhole poses no threat to the Sun, caring nothing for DC’s emotions. It’s his job to protect ordinary citizens from wild cards like the Avengers. He departs to lead the search for Deathcry so Black Widow plans to search the city via Quinjet for DC’s bio-signature, recognizing that Gyrich’s concerns are valid….

Later, Marilla comes upon Hercules who had volunteered for monitor duty. Marilla, being an Inhuman, recognizes Deathcry’s loneliness. Herc calls her a gem beyond value. Even Later, Deathcry returns to the mansion, crawling through her window to discover Hercules, who knew she’d be back, having nowhere else to go. He admits to being surprised that her room looks like that of an ordinary Earth teenager; she admits in turn that she felt it best to put on a warrior guise to keep everyone at a distance. He reveals that he has the holo-disc which she thought the Mandroids had destroyed. She activates it with her bio-imprint and sees a hologram message from her nursemaid K’rin, which is badly damaged and the message is garbled. Herc comforts DC and assures her that she has a friend in him….

Back in Shi’ar, Lilandra discovers that a probe had gone through the wormhole and she prays that the message never gets through to Deathcry, for her own sake and the sake of them all….