When the Illuminati voted to shoot the Hulk into space, Professor X wasn't there...but the Hulk just found out he was supposed to be. So he shows up at the Xavier Institute to ask a few pointed questions, Hulk style. With the other teams away, only Beast and the New X-Men stand between the massive rage of the Hulk and the Professor...not to mention the younger students who'd be caught in the crossfire. Can the X-Men-in-training survive the wrath of the Jade Giant until the other X-teams get back? Or will the young mutants become casualties of the World War Hulk?
A little while ago, Tony Stark and Professor Xavier met to update each other. Charles informs him that Havok and Polaris and with the Starjammers and will send along information about the Shi'Ar Empire. Stark asks him if he could ask Havok to keep an eye out for the Hulk while he's out in space. Charles doesn't know why he'd run into the Hulk. Stark tells they voted to send Hulk off planet after he went on a rampage in Las Vegas. They know that he didn't end up on the uninhabited planet they intended him to land on. Since Namor voted against the idea, Tony asks Charles how he would've voted had he been there.
Today, at the Xavier Institute, Charles is in the subbasement using Cerebra to see if he can locate any new mutants. Since M Day, there hasn't been a single new mutant. Up above, Beast is having a training session with the students in the living room. He tells them that if and when they get in a battle, there will be civilians they need to be aware of. They need to be able to fight in different environments. Suddenly they feel a tremble and notice that the O.N.E. sentinels are taking off. Since they're job is to watch over the mutants at Xavier's, they wonder what emergency could have called them away. Hank turns on the television to see if there is a news reportwhen she sees the Hulk's message for all of New York City to evacuate within twenty-four hours. Hellion feels they should rush over there to take on the Hulk while Mercury says too many civilians could get hurt and they should help evacuate them.
There is another tremble and Hank rushes to the window. He is shocked to see that Hulk has arrived on their doorstep demanding to see Xavier. Prodigy and Elixir rush in to see if Hank knows that Hulk is there. Hank tells them to get the other students out through the Morlock tunnels and to tell the Professor what is going on. Rockslide is excited to be able to fight the Hulk. Beast tells him it's not something to wish for but they need to buy time for the other mutant students to escape.
Beast answers the door as Hulk has been gracious enough to wait outside for Xavier. Beast tells Hulk that Xavier can't come and when Hulk says he'll find him himself, Hank once again says he can't allow that either. Hulk knocks Hank away and tells him that he wasn't asking for permission. The other students take this as their cue to attack.
They manage to knock Hulk outside. Hulk tells Beast he has two seconds to get the kids off of him or whatever happens to them in on Hank's shoulders. Beast takes Elixir over to Hulk telling him to use his death touch on him. Elixir is hesitant because he doesn't want to kill him. Hank tells him he'd probably get a medal if he did. Hank asks Hulk if he understands what the touch did to him. He says it just made him madder. He grabs a statue and smashes it at them. He claps his hands to make a sonic boom to try to rupture Hellion's eardrums so he can't use his telekinesis. Dust tries to attack him but Hulk just grabs a water pipe from the ground and squirts her away. Hank tries attacking again only to get another punch. Now it's Rockslide's turn. Hulk seems to know that he is the one that can control his body when it's in pieces. First he rips off both his arms. Then forcing him down with his foot, he rips off both his legs. He tosses them back and asks if he can still control them if they land in Connecticut.
Hulk asks whose turn is it to get hurt next. X-23 just sees him as a target and rushes at him. Hulk asks if she's Wolverine's sidekick and grabs both her arms in one hand. X-23 uses a claw in her foot and slashes Hulk in the eyes. Surge blasts him and Beast and X-23 both start hitting and slashing him. Hulk knocks them all away saying that his eyes just grew back so that means his healing factor is back to normal (after Elixir's touch). He throws X-23 through the school's wall saying he hopes she heals like Wolverine does. He tells them that he didn't want it to be like this. He just wanted Xavier.
As Hulk looms over Hank and Elixir, he feels pain at his back. Wolverine, Cyclops, Colossus, Kitty Pryde (and Lockheed), and Emma Frost have arrived. Despite having blood pouring from his back, he seems to be happy saying that this is the fight he was expecting. Xavier appears in the doorway telling Hulk that they will not fight. Now that the students are safely away, he has come to him. Hulk notices that Xavier is walking again and says that he can "fix" that. Charles uses his powers to mentally stop Hulk. He is surprised at how fierce Hulk's mind has become. He experiences feedback and sees Hulk's experiences on Sakaar. He sees how he was a slave and gladiator. He sees that Hulk found happiness with a wife and child on the way. He sees the destruction and death of so many, including his wife and unborn child.
Beast was able to "see" all this too. Charles tries talking to Hulk. He says that the others did send him into space but they wouldn't have sent the bomb with him to destroy everything. He says that he knows that. He was able to beat some information out of Black Bolt and knows that Xavier was supposed to be there with them when they made their decision. He wants to know how he would have voted on the destruction of his life.
Log in to comment