Chapter 1
Pencils: Sean Chen. Inks: Bob Layton, Rob Hunter.
The 100-foot tall giant robot Ultimo has waded ashore on the Washington coast and is headed directly toward Spokane on his quest of destruction. Iron Man and the Air Force are on his tail and Shellhead attaches an E-M Field Targeter to its back to draw a lightning bolt to drain Ultimo’s power (as in issue #300) but it doesn’t work this time, as Ultimo has developed a defense. Iron Man realizes he needs help and contacts the Avengers (Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Firestar, Wonder Man ) in Slorenia and Cap promises they will be there soon—but not soon enough. IM can’t get through to Thor, the Fantastic Four, or the X-Men and hope the evacuation measures are well under way….
Interlude: Carol Danvers wakes up in the hospital and is told the amount of alcohol in her body should have killed her. The doctor advises her to go into rehab but Carol doesn’t listen, demanding her clothes so she can leave….
Chapter 2
Pencils: Tom Lyle. Inks: Rob Hunter.
Rumiko Fujikawa arrives at the Stark-Fujikawa plant to find Iron Man has set up a base and is surveying the situation. She is angry that Tony Stark himself isn’t there and Pepper Potts jumps to his defense before Iron Man quiets her down. Tony broods that his identity as Iron Man prevents him from a real personal life until Pepper tells him to knock it off and go into action. He takes off and Pepper and Happy Hogan trade longing glances….
Chapter 3
Pencils: Bob Layton. Inks: Bob Layton.
Iron Man heads to the Rajaki base east of Spokane which is being guarded by SHIELD; he learns that Sapper and Golden-Blade have been working to gather energy to revive the Rajaki people whose minds have been preserved. They are willing to sacrifice themselves and their people to defeat Ultimo. Shellhead learns that the SHIELD Agent Ashton has orders to dismantle the alien base for study but shuts down that idea immediately. IM contacts Rumiko and asks for the codes Morgan Stark used to tap into Ultimo and then he, Golden-Blade, and Sapper go out to engage their giant foe until either Rumiko or the Avengers come through. The battle is hard and Sapper is swatted into the distance but the other two heroes continue to pour it on….
Fast Lane Part 3 of 4: On the Edge
Writer: Glenn Herdling. Pencils: Gregg Schigiel. Inks: Richard Case. Colors: Chris Dickey.
Synopsis: An anti-drug public service announcement featuring Spider-Man appearing in several Marvel comics this month.
Interlude
Pencils: Yancey Labat. Inks: Rob Hunter, Mark Pennington.
Carol Danvers wanders into a Seattle bar looking for a drink; she learns from the television news about Ultimo and Iron Man’s efforts to stop him. She changes into Warbird and grabs onto some open power lines for a quick boost and takes off….
Chapter 4
Pencils: Sean Chen. Inks: Rob Hunter, Don Hillsman.
Iron Man fires a cruise missile at Ultimo’s face but the giant just laughs it off. Warbird arrives and wrongly assumes that Golden-Blade is one of the bad guys; Iron Man stops her and getting word that what he wants from Rumiko is ready, sends Carol to pick it up. The monster swats Golden-Blade out of the sky and Warbird returns with the equipment….
Pencils: Tom Lyle. Inks: Mark Pennington.
While Warbird distracts Ultimo, Shellhead welds the system tap into place on the giant’s back. While continuing to fight, Tony links his armor’s cybernetics to the tap and enters Ultimo’s programming. Golden-Blade discovers Sapper is still alive. Tony tries to command Ultimo to stand down but the giant does not recognize him as a master. A school bus crashes nearby and it is right in Ultimo’s path; as Sapper and Golden-Blade seek to rescue the passengers, Iron Man tries again—and Ultimo stops and falls over backwards, immobile….
Epilogue 1
Pencils: Sean Chen. Inks: Don Hillsman.
Iron Man drains power from Ultimo to fuel the Rajaki starship and Golden-Blade and Sapper wish him a fond farewell as they return to the stars. As Tony watches Ultimo being dismantled, he realizes that being Iron Man is not an addiction or an escape but a duty, a calling….
Epilogue 2
Pencils: Bernard Chang. Inks: Rob Hunter.
Carol joins Tony at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous….