In the Center of
Creation beneath the city of Sharzhad, Dagan Shah has discovered Red Hulk and
Machine Man (X-51); after tearing the robot in half, he draws on the infinite
powers of the space to battle Hulk. Confident in his having nothing to fear,
Shah clobbers Rulk, eventually growing to giant-size and clutching Rulk in his
hand, then casting him away into a portal to the Rigellian system. Rulk is
caught by Machine Man’s upper half which recovers and restores his lower half.
They are attacked by Dagan Shah multiplied a thousandfold who pushes the two
captives onto a crystal sled toward the Gate of No Return which will eject them
into space. But Arabian Knight arrives and slices Shah’s arms off, angry that
Shah treated him like an enemy when he could have been an ally. With the three
of them now headed out of the galaxy, MM charges AK’s sword and gives Rulk a
detonator so that, just as Shah is able to reattach his arms, the sled is blown
straight up through the Earth, crashing through the dome. Now Rulk gets his
hands on Dagan Shah…and he is interrupted by General Fortean, informing him
that Sharzhad has been recognized as a legitimate nation by the Arab League and
USA is keeping its distance so Fortean’s orders are to remove Rulk from the
country by force, if necessary. Rulk and Machine Man choose to leave under
their own power. MM informs him he achieve his goal, finding out who was
responsible for his friend’s death but, as Rulk notes, his friend is still
dead….