Reporter Jackie McGee interviews the
witnesses to an incident on Mercer Avenue in a small South Dakota
town. The Cop relates how he and a partner were called to a hostage
situation at the church on Mercer Avenue and ended up facing Hotshot,
a villain who could shoot deadly energy bolts from his hands. The
Bartender describes turning the mystery man (we know he's
Bruce Banner) away from the bar when the news about the hostage situation
came on television; Banner picked up a knife and rushed out. The Old
Lady, hostage in the church, thought Hotshot looked like James Dean,
a tragic romantic pleading for the Priest to give his girlfriend the
last rites. The Priest makes clear that Hotshot was begging for him
to exorcise his girlfriend, possessed by the One Below. The Priest
prayed for deliverance from this increasingly distraught young
man—and his prayer was answered. Hulk came crashing through a
stained glass window and confronted Hotshot, breaking his hands.
Hotshot, even with his hands mangled, could blow a hole through
Hulk—a hole which healed itself within seconds, leading Hotshot
(and the Priest) to call Hulk the One Below, the Devil himself. Hulk
agreed—and clobbered the punk. Later, the Priest joined the cops as
they went to Hotshot's motel room, where they found his girlfriend
Jailbait, dead, tied to a chair and smiling with her head twisted
around. The Priest hasn't been able to pray since. The Old Lady
visited Hotshot in the containment center, where he insisted his girl
was alive when he left. Later he hanged himself in his cell. The
bartender mentions how he left work later to find the Hulk had
smashed his car, leaving him angry....
Jackie tries to put together the
details, wanting to understand why this has been classed as an
“unconfirmed” Hulk sighting—and who is that mystery man who is
near every Hulk sighting? Jackie receives a call from Walter
Langkowski of Alpha Flight who wants to find Bruce Banner, needing
his help with something, as the shadow of Sasquatch looms above....