Seeking
to end his own life, Jack of Hearts flies into a massive storm. After wrecking
some houses, he tries flying out to sea yet his power churns up a maelstrom and
he snaps a cable of a bridge. Flying even higher his passing shakes a passenger
jet. He unleashes all of his power but when the air clears, Jack is as strong
as ever. The next morning, he is found by SHIELD Agent William Martins, the
agency’s instruments having detected his energy burst. They take him back to
the Hart Estate…
…where
Dr. Marcy Kane arrives, to be greeted by Martins, and she is ushered past all
of the security checkpoints. As Marcy was once Jack’s lover, Martins has taken
her up on her offer to try to help Jack deal with his increasingly dangerous
powers. Jack is in the Playpen, a dome pumped full of Neutro-Mist to suppress
his powers. When Jack spots Marcy, he is angered, accusing her of treating him
as a project to further her standing in the scientific community. He is so
angry that Martins gives the order to flood the dome with Neutro-Mist which
dampens his power but not his bitterness over his treatment. Martins dismisses
this as just another tantrum by Jack, and he encourages Marcy to try again
soon, warning her that Jack has lost all hope. Martins is approached by Smythe,
trustee of Philip Hart’s estate, overseeing Jack’s inheritance unless he is
deemed incompetent then the estate passes to more remote heirs. Marcy questions
his motives. Then Nick Fury arrives and Smythe produces a court order that Jack
Hart be tested for competency. Fury overrules him, citing national security
matters….
Marcy
is shown to her room and given Jack’s file. That evening she studies the notes
and learns about Jack’s background. His parents were two scientists who married
and had a son, Jack. The Harts discovered a limitless source of energy but
Jack’s mother died in a car accident when he was fifteen. Jack went to college
where he met Marcy and they dated—and Marcy is shocked to discover that their
relationship was under surveillance by SHIELD the entire time. Philip Hart
announced the discovery of Zero-Fluid but the Corporation, seeing a threat to
their business interests, had him murdered. Jack was accidentally bathed in
Zero-Fluid and gained the powers that made him Jack of Hearts. She reads about
his adventures with White Tiger, Hulk, Iron Man, and Spider-Man and is more
determined to help him….
The
next day she meets again with Jack, trying to persuade him to give up talk of
death and find a way to harness his powers to help people; Jack is skeptical.
Then the Mansion is attacked by flying saucers; Marcy pulls the switch that shuts
off the Neuro-Mist and restores Jack’s full powers and Jack of Hearts bursts
free and does battle with the intruders. He realizes that the bad guys are not
trying to kill him but contain him and he rebels against that. SHIELD’s
Hover-Fighters arrive and the saucers speed off. So Jack scoops up Marcy and takes
her away for a private talk….