Story #2—And One Shall Die!
Synopsis
Credits: Writer: Stan Lee. Pencils: Gene Colan. Inks: Bill Everett. Colors: ? Letters: Art
Simek.
Synopsis: Believing
he has finally destroyed Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, Warlord Krang takes off
in his sky-cruiser without looking back, intending to marry Lady Dorma. However,
Namor survived that final attack but must remain in the sea to regain his full
strength….
Revivified,
Namor returns to land. Discovering the radio transceiver given him by Number
One of the Secret Empire, Namor smashes it, just as that villain was trying to
resume contact with him. Back at his base in Park Tower, Number One is
desperate to regain control over Namor as the only way he can gain what he has
aways wanted, fame and recognition as the man who killed the Hulk. His scanner
shows that Hulk is heading towards him so he activates the Vibra-Discs
implanted in Namor’s ears to buzz his brain, forcing him to return to the bad
guy’s base….
And so, Namor
feels pain in his head; he climbs to the top of a roller coaster at a park in
New Jersey to clear his head but it doesn’t work. A train is rushing toward
him. He considers standing still and letting it be destroyed by crashing into
him but at the last minute he leaps away, seeing it would accomplish nothing to
kill or maim surface people. He wonders if this makes him weak, as Krang
contends, but shrugs and returns to the New York side of the river. Intense
concentration leads him to discover the discs in his ears and he smashes them.
Number One realizes Subby is no longer under his power and Hulk is climbing the
outside of the building toward his apartment. The baddie arms a time bomb and
sets it by the window then dashes out of the room to safety—but the end of his
robe is caught in the door as it swings shut and locks. The armored mesh of the
robe prevents it from tearing so the villain is trapped. The bomb detonates,
destroying the apartment. Hulk, unharmed, leaps away. Police investigate and
discover Number One’s body, burned beyond recognition….
Epilogue 1: A
mysterious Hydra Agent crosses the Secret Empire off a list with A.I.M. while
plotting the return of Hydra….
Epilogue 2:
Krang decides to wait to return to Atlantis until word of Namor’s death becomes
known around the world. In the meantime, he plans to wreak some havoc among the
humans….