Synopsis
The Rune story was created by Malibu staff. It has script Chris Ulm & Dan Danko, pencils Henry Flint, inks Marl McKenna, letters Patrick Owsley, colours Violent Hues, editor Dan Danko. The Rune cover is by Barry Windsor Smith. It's entitled "Into infinity".
This tale begins with a replay of nearly the end of Godwheel #3. Thor got brought to the Godwheel in the Ultraverse and helped the Ultraheroes defeat the big villain. The energy vampire Rune watches from the shadows as Thor tries to use Mjolnir to send everyone to wherever they want to go, including himself back to Marvel Universe-616. It doesn't work until he gets a boost from the sorceress Mantra. But as they leave Rune leaps on the Thunder God, hungry for his power.
Now we see that Thor fought Rune off and they arrived in U-616 separately. Rune lands in New York with a thump. The Star Stones he wears on a necklace tell him that this isn't the Ultraverse Earth, and he senses Thor here and lots of other ultrahumans (we see Human Torch, Spider-Man, Storm and Sub-Mariner). People start calling him a monster so he disguises himself as the only 616 denizen he knows, Thor. Some cops call him to help them with a villain called Powderkeg who sweats nitroglycerine and is holding hostages. 'Thor' goes straight for him and sinks his fangs into his neck to imbibe his energy. PK sinks to the ground apparently dead and the power boost enables Rune to sense cosmic energies elsewhere on Earth.
We now enter a phase which runs parallel to part of Warlock & Infinity Watch #42 and will explain how the Watch lost all their Infinity Gems there.
We see Gamora having a swim off the coast of California. The commentary summarises her recent past. Months ago (Infinity Gauntlet event) she helped save the universe from Thanos, and as a result Adam Warlock made her part of his Infinity Watch to guard the Infinity Gems. She got the Time Gem, but she quit the Watch (W&IW#40) and it was given to Maxam. Then in #41 she joined Thanos (who had been entrusted with the Reality Gem). But now she's attacked by Rune who senses the Time Gem but quickly realises she no longer has it. He hypnotises her into telling him that the Gem is still on Monster Island with the other holders (except of course Thanos).
Next stop Monster Isle where he finds Maxam wandering alone without a care in the world. The energy vampire now siphons power from *him* and then takes the Time Gem from his brow. He uses it to stop time (and for some reason we see Beast, Bishop, Captain America, Hulk, Jean Grey, Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter), Venom and Wolverine presumably halted in mid-action). We learn that Gamora told him where the Watch keep their Gems. So we see him move through frozen time taking the Space Gem from between the toes of Pip the Troll. This allows him to conquer space as well as time to get the Reality Gem from Thanos' brow. Then he moves on the take the Mind Gem from Moondragon's forehead and the Power Gem from inside the stomach of Drax the Destroyer. Finally he approaches Warlock for the Soul Gem on *his* brow ...
... which is when things go wrong and he finds himself in Soul World (within the Gem) facing Warlock free from the effect of the Time Gem. But to Adam's surprise Rune uses the Reality Gem against him and boasts that he has the other 4. Warlock declares that the 6 Gems can't be used all together (by edict of the Living Tribunal) and his command of the Soul Gem will ensure that it doesn't happen. But suddenly the Soul Gem rebels against him and declares that it's been waiting since the dawn of the universe for Rune to claim the 6 Gems. It offers the vampire power over all of the Ultraverse and the Marvel multiverse if he accepts it as his guide. It transfers itself to Rune's brow and calls the other Gems to form the 'Gauntlet' on the fingers of his right hand. Rune gloats in victory.
But in the Dimension of Manifestations the Living Tribunal senses the Infinity Gems disturbing the fabric of reality and decides to ask someone for help.
Meanwhile the Soul Gem urges Rune to go back to the Ultraverse to gain vengeance on his enemies. The vampire doesn't like being told what to do and says that there is much for him to savour in *this* world. The Gem then claims to be the true master here but Rune resists coercion even as the Gem makes him open a portal to his home.
However the dispute is unresolved because the Living Tribunal's help arrives in the form of the Silver Surfer who's here to keep the Infinity Gems in *this* universe and out of the hands of Rune. They fight briefly (and it's presumably the villain's unfamiliarity with the Gems that stops him from winning effortlessly). I'm not sure exactly how it happens but the 5 Gems leave Rune's hand and go through the portal. Rune's right hand is on fire and he too falls through the portal to the sky of Ultra-Earth, from which he falls to sink to the ocean bed with the angry Soul Gem still on his head.
The 2nd story was created by Marvel's Glenn Herdling writer, John Buscema penciler, Bill Anderson inker, Ken Bruzenak letterer, Mike Rockwitz & Prism Riot & Andy Walton colourers, Mark Gruenwald editor. It's cover was by John Romita breakdowns, John Buscema pencils, George Perez inks. It's entitled "If I should die".
Silver Surfer is riding his Cosmic Surfboard through the deserted Omega Quadrant of space when he's battered by a cosmic storm which turns out to be due to the sudden appearance of the very large Living Tribunal. It's exposed face of Equity tells him that time has been stopped. The veiled face of Necessity tells him that this has disturbed the balance of the universe, favouring Order over Chaos. It reminds him how the Infinity Watch were given an Infinity Gem each to safeguard. But the extradimensional Rune stole the Time Gem and froze time allowing him to take the others, threatening to break LT's ban on the Gems all being used together. So he wants SS to prevent it. Norrin Radd objects to being again used as a pawn by cosmic beings and suggests the Tribunal does it himself. LT says that not all 3 of his faces agree on the course of action. And it also mentions that Oblivion has also sent an agent to take the gems. Norrin's conscience won't let him refuse the task.
He heads to Earth where the Gems were stolen. In New York he sees the populace frozen in time. He continues on to Monster Island where he sees frozen Watch members menaced by a being of blackness with white cloak, gloves and boots and a black 'spear'. That being strikes Surfer and announces himself as Deathurge. The spear is numbingly cold and saps his will. Before he can recover the opponent uses his weapon again to pin the surfboard to a tree. Then he pulls black skis out of his body and skis off into space. Surfer struggles to pull the spear from his board, its freezing black energy increasing the will-sapping effect. But eventually he overcomes. But then the spear dissolves into shards.
Deathurge is following the trail of the Gems through space until a streak of light tells him that SS has caught up with him. It's Surfer's turn to strike, which causes the foe's dark body to begin to break up. He describes it as being composed of a dark force derived from the despair and guilt of the universe's inhabitants. But the setback is only momentary and then he produces a black bow and arrow. Surfer's board dodges the shaft and then he circles his opponent at faster than the speed of light before firing a cosmic blast through his chest. DU laughs that off and tells the other that his featureless obsidian face is a mirror into the viewer's soul. He shows Norrin 1 of the many planets that he led his former master Galactus to consume. He ignored the pleas of the populace, even killing those who tried to stage a defence. And now Deathurge opines that Surfer's feeling of guilt makes him wish to die. Norrin counters that Galactus made him do it but DU doesn't think he believes it. Producing another black spear he pierces Norrin's chest and Surfer almost gives in. He recalls that his loves Mantis and Nova are dead, and Shalla Bal has turned to his brother. But the Tribunal appears to him and urges him to atone for his past sins by saving the universe now. So Norrin accepts his self-destructive urge but masters it by confronting it and Deathurge. They meet head-on in a mighty explosion. And only Silver Surfer remains.
Now he continues his quest and sees Rune wearing the Infinity Gems on hand and brow and creating a rift in space. We see again the battle between them. It is clearer here that Surfer's blast destroys the hand that wears the 5 Gems leaving Rune with only the Soul Gem. These 5 Gems fall through the portal before Surfer can stop them, and Rune follows.
He thinks he's failed but the Living Tribunal counts this a success. With the 6 Gems scattered through another universe they're unlikely all to be used together. And with the Time Gem gone time in the 616 universe has resumed its flow. However LT does admit that if they *are* ever assembled in the Ultraverse then it might signal the end of *both* universes.