The
Avengers are clashing with their government liaison,
Ray Sikorsky who questions the choice of
Namor the
Sub-Mariner for the team.
Captain America vouches for Namor as the son of an American citizen and a defender of the USA during World War 2;
Jan reminds Sikorsky that the National Security Council has no say in Avengers membership and assures him it will be all right.
Black Knight is impressed with Jan’s leadership qualities….
Elsewhere in
Avengers Mansion,
Hercules and
Captain Marvel are showing Namor around; he takes a liking to Herc’s room and claims it for his own. Herc objects.
CM doesn’t want to break up another fight between the two (as she did last issue) so she turns into light and shoots out of a window. While pondering Namor and his suitability for the team, she sees an explosion in Jamaica Bay and immediately shows up at the site. Agent Freeman tells her that the three Enclave members have been rescued and are being taken to the hospital. A pair of divers sent down to investigate are suddenly hurled out of the water and describe a strange energy source with a voice. CM dives in and identifies the source of the radiation as a large cocoon. She approaches and hears a voice telling her to keep away; the cocoon repels her, forcing her back to human form so
Monica must surface as quickly as possible before she drowns….
At his secret hideout,
Melter is spying on Avengers Mansion via a secret camera. As he explains his scheme to his henchman
Keegan, he discovers the real Keegan locked in a closet. Fake Keegan shoots Melter and says, “Justice is served,” the cry of the
Scourge of the Underworld….
The rest of the team arrives at the crash site,
Subby exciting some commentary among the onlookers. CM describes the cocoon and
Cap recognizes it as something the Enclave has created before and gives her (and the readers) a summary of
Him (
Adam Warlock) and
Her. Defying orders, Namor dives into the water and is almost immediately hurled back out.
Wasp scolds him, backed up by Cap and Namor is humbled. Captain Marvel is dispatched to interview the Enclave members at the hospital to see what she can learn. The others don appropriate gear to go down and see the cocoon. The thing shoots out bright yellow lights that even immobilize Hercules along with Cap and Wasp; Black Knight’s
Ebony Sword is powerless against it….
At the hospital, a groggy Wladyslav Shinski tells CM that the cocoon wasn’t theirs as they had learned their lesson about messing around with such things; she returns to the group with this report….
The Avengers back off but Hercules pushes ahead, forcing the cocoon backwards and they realize from the amount of silt it was buried in that it cannot have come from the plane but must have been there for years. The cocoon asks to be left alone and blasts Herc. Wasp realizes it has been acting in self-defense and approaches gently, promising to help. The rough outer coating, which turns out to have been an old mattress, is peeled away revealing a smooth metallic capsule. They take it back to the Mansion and try to puzzle out what’s inside. They are called back to the crash site in case there are more surprises underwater. Left alone, the capsule becomes transparent, revealing the sleeping figure of
Jean Grey….
Story continues in
FANTASTIC FOUR #286.
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