Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Jennifer Walters is in court defending Jonathan Powers, who used to be the villain Jester. An undercover FBI agent sought to entrap him into planning new crimes, but all he got was general chat about what he might do if he returned to his old life. She maintains that this is not evidence of intent.
War Machine is in Latveria persuading the warring sides to lay down their weapons and allow democratic elections. (Dr Doom has stepped down from ruling the country since Secret War - as seen in Invincible Iron Man #1.)
Later the US President asks Jim Rhodes how he'd like to be Secretary of Defence (well, Iron Man had the job once). He suggests it as a step on the way to a Presidential nomination! (Well, he'd rather have Rhodey than Tony Stark.)
At Ohio State University 3 girls are waiting for the Terrigen cloud to pass overhead. Ulysses is more concerned with plucking up the courage to ask 1 of them, Michelle, for a date. But the cloud hits and both of them are cocooned.
In the Triskelion HQ of the Ultimates Captain Marvel gets a visit from Doc Samson. Carol Danvers says she called him 3 weeks ago, and jokes that when he didn't answer she thought he'd died. Leonard Samson replies that he did, but he recovered.
Carol confirms what he's heard, that the Ultimates are proactive - they try to stop disasters before they happen. His other questions make her realise that he's here professionally - he's psychoanalysing her.
She-Hulk does a Hulk-leap to land on the SHIELD helicarrier and meet Director Maria Hill. It appears she lost the Jester case but is going to appeal. But Hill tells her that Jonathan Powers is dead - shot by a guard during a fight with other prisoners. Maria isn't exactly sorry about it.
Back in Ohio the local press wait for the cocoons to open. Ulysses emerges looking normal. Then Michelle bursts out as a Harpy-figure. But suddenly Ulysses finds himself in a ruined city.