Dr. Thomas
Barrow continues to examine James-Michael Starling but is still unable to
penetrate the reserve of this boy who seems to have no emotions, not even about
his parents who died. But Barrow continues to take a proprietary interest in
JMS….
As Omega the Unknown
carries off the damaged robot assassin he fought, Electro appears, zaps
the hero with a bolt of electricity, and steals the robot for his own
purposes….
The next
afternoon, James-Michael is discharged from the clinic and goes home with Amber Grant
and Ruth Hart to their apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. JMS is a bit confused
by the dismal neighborhood, enlivened by Amber’s sarcastic commentary on
catcallers, beggars, and human excrement in the hallways. Inside the apartment,
he encounters cockroaches, cramped quarters, and bars on the windows, all
confusing to him. And when Ruth sprays insecticide on a roach, his chief
concern is the ozone layer….
Seeking a
change of clothing for disguise that night, Omega breaks into a pawnshop and
interrupts three thieves already in the shop. He subdues them but is shot in
the shoulder…and at that moment, James-Michael feels the pain of the gunshot
and is shocked awake and confused. Back at the pawnshop, Gramps, the
pawnbroker, holds the robbers at bay with a shotgun, telling Omega to hide in
the back while the police are there. After the police have gone, Gramps dresses
Omega’s wound and offers him a job….
The next day,
Amber takes James-Michael to a soda shop to taste his first egg cream. A trio
of punks harass a shirtless man lying in the street; he warns them of trouble
but they don’t listen. And then he turns into the Hulk and starts smashing
them. Omega, in street clothes, challenges Hulk who throws a newsstand at him,
tearing his togs and exposing his hero suit. As the two mix it up, Amber takes photos.
Omega drops a load of cars on Hulk, slowing him down for about two seconds. And
then Electro appears, zaps the two super-combatants, and makes off with Omega.
Meanwhile, in the soda shop, James-Michael has collapsed and gone into shock….