Back at the X-Men's headquarters, Mary Jane was busy learning another perk from being host body to an alien creature from another planet. In her rest chambers, she stood in front of a mirror as the Klyntar demonstrated its ability to change its form to look like any form of clothing its host thought of, instantly changing the new spider-look into first a dazzling gold-coloured gown, then an astronaut spacesuit, and next a smart pink trouser suit with a matching fedora.
"Cool!" grinned Mary Jane, who could feel that the Symbiote was enjoying itself as much as she was. "Now, how about Daphne Blake's look from 'Scooby Doo'?"
Again, the Klyntar reshaped itself, and the next second, Mary Jane was attired in a short purple, long sleeved dress with mauve cuffs and hem, and an additional mauve ring below the waist, all complimented with a green scarf, a mauve headband, and mauve high heels.
"Like this?" asked the Klyntar.
"Exactly like that!" said Mary Jane cheerfully, as she admired her reflection in the mirror. "You sure have a great talent there, Klyntar. Have you ever considered going into the fashion business? You'd be an absolute whizz!"
Suddenly, the telepathic voice of Professor X seemed to boom in the room, making both host and alien jump in fright.
"Miss Watson! Come at once. I fear I have grave news concerning our allies!"
Alarmed, Mary Jane darted out of her room and sprinted down the corridor with a speed she had never been capable of before. As she did so, the Symbiote changed its form around her, and when they reached the main meeting room where the X-Men had also gathered, she was back in the black-and-crimson spider look that the Klyntar had created for her.
"Okay, what's the emergency?" muttered Wolverine irritably.
"We've completely lost contact with Captain America and his forces," said Professor X solemnly. "I have attempted to scan the area telepathically, and it seems that our allies have been the victim of a surprise attack! The whole fortress has been completely destroyed!"
Mary Jane was horrified. "What?! But what about Gwe... I mean Spider-Woman and the others? Are they alive or..."
"We don't know, but we're going to find out!" said the Professor. 'Cyclops, I want you to take a shuttle and scan the area for survivors. We need first-hand information of what is going on. Once we have a clearer idea of what is happening, we can then decide on the best course of action to take."
"I'm on my way, Professor," said Cyclops, turning to set off.
"I'm coming too!" Mary Jane suddenly cut in, running over to join Cyclops.
"But, Ms Watson..." Cyclops began to protest.
"No 'buts', pal! Those are my friends out there too, remember? Besides, you may need someone for back-up!"
"I think it would be wise for you to take her with you, Cyclops," advised Professor X. "You may find her help, and her 'passenger's' abilities, of great help."
"Very well, Professor," said Cyclops reluctantly, and within minutes, he and Mary Jane were aboard a shuttlecraft, racing across the sky in a desperate bid to see if their comrades were still alive. Along the way, Mary Jane glanced out of the window and spotted the alien village sitting practically at the feet of the still unmoving form of Galactus.
"Boy, I don't envy the people in those huts, having such a nasty neighbour on their doorstep," said Mary Jane quietly. "I wonder what the big guy is planning anyway?"
"I couldn't say, Mary Jane," said Cyclops, his mind focused on the mission at hand. "But we'll have to worry about Galactus later. Right now, we have a job to do."
As the shuttle rocketed through the sky, Mary Jane glanced through the window again, and her brow furrowed as she saw that something was not quite right with the scenery.
"Say, that mountain wasn't there before, was it?" she asked. "Where did it come from?"
"I don't know, but the shuttle's scanners are picking up at least one life-form down there," reported Cyclops as he glanced at the screen on the control panel. "I think it could be Thor! Stand by! I'm bringing us in to land!"
The ship landed gracefully on one of the mountain's larger ledges, and soon Cyclops and Mary Jane were racing over to the spot where they had spotted Thor. The thunder god seemed to have lost his helmet and cape, and he was frantically smashing his hammer down on the side of the mountain with all his might, so much so that chucks of rock were sent flying all over the place, one piece almost striking Mary Jane on her head!
"Whoa! Thor, what gives?" squeaked Mary Jane in a little annoyance.
Noticing that he was not alone, Thor turned to the two newcomers. "Cyclops! Lady Watson! Thou must help me with all haste! Our courageous comrades are buried, right under this mountain!"
"Good lord!" exclaimed Cyclops, as he and Mary Jane exchanged horrified glances. "Hang on, Thor! I'll try to blast our way through to them!"
As Cyclops began cutting into the rock with his optic blasts, Thor explained as best he could what had happened. A short while ago, he had been in 'conference' with the Enchantress, trying to convince her to overcome her lust for power and change sides, when the base had fallen under attack. Thor had returned to the fortress too late to aid the others, and had learnt from a gloating Doctor Doom that the Molecule Man had dropped an entire mountain range on top of Captain America's party. There had followed a brief battle between Thor and the villains, at the end of which, Thor managed to use a flash of lightning to fool the evil doers into believing they had slain him, enabling him to escape and race over to rescue the entombed heroes.
"So Spider-Woman and the others are buried under all this?!" howled Mary Jane, her mind finding it impossible to process the full horror of the situation. "How the hell are we going to get them out?"
"I don't know if we can in time!" said Cyclops glumly, as he relentlessly continued blasting away at the mountain. "Even if by some miracle they avoided being flattened, they won't have much air left. By the time we reach them, they may already be dead!"
Sensing the growing distress in Mary Jane, the Symbiote tried to soothe its new host, as they watched Thor and Cyclops continue with their valiant efforts.
"Do not despair. There may still be hope for your friend."
As it was, things were not entirely hopeless. For deep beneath all those billions of tone of stone, in a hollow space consumed by blackness, a weak voice spoke out:
"How about a little light?" asked the Wasp.
"You got it!" said Captain Marvel, as she weakly managed to use her powers to form a flare in her hand, enabling all those present to see the predicament they were in. All the heroes were alive, but they were trapped in a small cavity of rocks, which surrounded them on all sides. At one end, the Hulk had stretched out his arms and pressed himself right against the boulders, his face creased with the sheer effort of preventing the weight of the entire mountain crashing down on them.
"There must be two miles of rock above us!" exclaimed Iron Man. "How can even you hold all that up, Hulk?"
"I'm just bracing it..." the Hulk managed to say, his voice strained as he focused all his strength and effort on holding the boulders in place. "I've got leverage! Still... I don't know how long... Seconds... A minute, maybe..."
Dazedly, Spider-Woman straightened up and looked around, rubbing her right arm which had got badly sprained when the mountain came down. As she gazed about their cramped surroundings, a feeling of fear and dread swept across her. "Oh my lord, how are we going to get out of this one?"
Hawkeye's voice was filled with despair as he replied to that question. "We couldn't dig out of here in a month! We're as good as..."
"No!" said Captain America sharply, refusing to give in even now. "We're still alive! There IS a way! Help me revive Reed!"
Quickly, they shook Reed Richards, and the scientific genius of the Fantastic Four groggily opened his eyes.
"Reed! Listen, we're in trouble!" Ben Grimm quickly explained. "They dropped a whole mountain on us, man! Iron Man and Hulk wedged out a space as it landed, keepin' us from being squashed. There ain't enough air for the Torch to flame on and burn his way out, and it's probably too far anyway! No one here has power enough to cut through or dig out."
"Except me," grunted the Hulk, beads of sweat forming on his brow. "But if I let go... The rock above will fall, smashing us all... Before I could start digging."
"I could try taking some of the weight..." She-Hulk began to offer.
"Bad idea," replied the Hulk. "If I move even an inch to let you try and take some of this load, then the whole thing will just collapse on us all in a heartbeat!"
Understanding the situation, Reed sprang into action. "Iron Man! Let me have a look at your armour! If it operates as I suspect it does, I just might have an idea! You must have a tool kit... I'll need it! And Hawkeye, if you have any trick arrows with microelectronic components..."
As Iron Man and Hawkeye began to help Reed and give him the equipment he needed, Spider-Woman suddenly remembered the spare web-shooters she was carrying for Mary Jane.
"Say, Reed! These have circuit relays," she said, as she handed the devices to Reed. "Can they help?"
"Perfect!" said Richards as he took the web-shooters from her, and set about dismantling them along with Hawkeye's arrows, extracting the necessary components he needed. Then, working as fast as possible, he began building a device, using Iron Man's spare power pack and the cannibalised electronic circuits, which he began connecting up to Rhodes' armour.
"Can we help?" asked Captain America, aware that every second counted, the air already getting quite thin.
"No," Reed shook his head, as he pressed on with his work, almost seeming to forget the gravity of the situation. "Iron Man, your armour is more technologically advanced than I'd ever dreamed! Working with it is easier than I dared hope! Every system is already cross-linked. A cinch to modify! I knew Tony Stark was brilliant, but..."
"Shut up, Richards!" shouted the Hulk. "I'm tired of hearing about how brilliant you are, and now, how brilliant Stark is! Do you hear me? The dumb brute who's buying you this time is fed up with that garbage!"
As dust and chips of rock began to fall from the ceiling, Spider-Woman looked at the Hulk with some alarm. It was clear that the effort of holding up a whole mountain was becoming too much for even him, and if he should falter, even for a second, it would mean curtains for them all! There had to be some way to keep him focused, to buy Reed as much time as possible.
There was only one solution, and as much as Spider-Woman hated herself for what had to be done, she knew there was just one way to keep the Hulk going. And that was to get him as angry as possible. For the angrier the Hulk gets, the stronger he gets!
"Will you stop harassing Reed, you ugly ogre!" Spider-Woman suddenly snapped at the Hulk. "Can't you see he's trying to save all our lives? You big green idiot!"
For a moment, the Hulk was actually speechless. Then he retorted, "And what do you think I'm doing here, missy?"
"Being a jerk, which seems to me is all you're good at!" said Spider-Woman. "We should never have relied on you! It is, after all, your fault that we're in this mess! If you had bothered to keep an eye on things as you were supposed to, Doom's lot would never have gotten the drop on us! But no! You had to just laze around and feel sorry for yourself, and never mind the rest of us!"
Astonished at Spider-Woman's harsh words, the Wasp moved to pull her back, but Captain America blocked her path, having already cottoned on to what Gwen was up to.
"Easy, Avenger," he whispered calmly in Janet's ear. "Spider-Woman knows what she's doing."
Undeterred by the Hulk's steely glare, Spider-Woman carried on, poking the green giant right in the chest with her finger.
"Honestly, I don't know why the Beyonder even bothered putting you on our team! You've done nothing but moan and complain and insult everyone around you ever since we got here! You're nothing but a big liability! Trillions of lives are depending on us across the entire Universe, and all you can think to do is whine! That's the problem with guys like you! You think you're tough, but in the end, you're nothing but a big pushover!"
Throughout much of his existence, the Incredible Hulk had been hunted and hounded, abused and betrayed, mocked and ridiculed. But never, ever, had he felt more angry, more furious, than this puny little girl was making him right now!
"Rraaaarrrrggh! You arrogant, total bitch!" he roared with seething rage, almost completely forgetting just how heavy the mountain was on his shoulders. "You realise I'm losing my intellect? You think I'm nothing but a dumb ox, don't you? You better pray we don't get out of this alive, lady! Cause if we do, I'm going to tear you limb from limb, and pound you into pulp! I'll smash you to kingdom come!"
As the incensed Hulk continued spitting and bellowing at Spider-Woman, Reed was able to finish his work on the modifications to Iron Man's armour, to which he had connected two cables, each linked to a handheld metal relay rod. He proceeded to hand one rod to the Human Torch, and the other to Captain Marvel.
"I've adapted Iron Man's energy-input so that you can feed your energy directly into his power pods using these makeshift units," he explained. "I'll need you to concentrate with all your power! Johnny, channel your maximum nova-flame through your hand into the unit! Captain, give him the full-spectrum of electro-magnetic radiation!"
Upon Reed's command, Johnny Storm's hand flared up in flames, at the same time that Captain Marvel's own hands and whole body lit up with pure energy, as the two heroes began pouring the full force of their respective powers through the cables and directly into Iron Man's armour.
"Hey! I can feel their power pourin' in, addin' to mine!" said Iron Man excitedly, as he felt his armour become energised like it had never done before. "It's un-stickin'-believable!"
As the armour hummed with energy and the power continued to build to fantastic levels, Mister Fantastic was just able to hear a faint sound coming from one side of their rocky prison. "I hear something! A tapping noise! It's coming from that direction! Full-force repulsors, Iron Man, that way... NOW!"
Turning in the direction that Reed was pointing, Iron Man released the full force of the power built up in his armour, the energy so bright that everyone had to turn their heads and cover their eyes, as Captain America used his shield to protect them from any falling debris.
KTHOOOM!
There followed the deafening sound of a colossal explosion, and as dust filled the air, Gwen Stacy feared for a moment that their desperate bid for freedom had failed and the mountain was finally starting to crash down on them all. But as her ears slowly stopped ringing and she opened her eyes, she was both relieved and flabbergasted to see that Reed's plan had been a success, beyond all imagining. For the blast had been so powerful that it had created a tremendous gorge through the mountain, like a canyon, and on the other side, bright and wonderful daylight could be clearly seen. They were free!
"I never dreamed how powerful this armour is!" breathed an understandably giddy Iron Man, as they all proceeded to make their way wearily outside. "With enough energy, I can do anything... Anything!"
As the tired and battered group continued slowly on, Spider-Woman crossed over to the Hulk, who looked decidedly relieved now he no longer had a whole mountain on his shoulders.
"Um, Doctor Banner," said Spider-Woman apologetically, shuffling her feet awkwardly. "About what I said back there, I didn't really mean any of that. You see, I..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know!" grunted the Hulk impatiently. "You saw I was losing it! You deliberately made me angry because you knew the madder I get, the stronger I get! I did work that out for myself, lady! I'm not that stupid!"
As the Hulk turned his back on her and stomped away, Gwen breathed a sigh of relief through her mask, glad that the Hulk seemed to understand, though she also decided that it would be wise for her to stay out of his way for the next few days, just in case. As she watched the Hulk move away from her, she almost did not notice that Captain America had come over to join her.
"Spider-Woman, I just wanted to say... You did good back there," the Super Soldier said with a smile, patting her on the shoulder.
"Thanks, Cap," Spider-Woman said with a small smile. "I just wish it didn't in the process leave me feeling like a total louse, you know?"
Just then, there came excited cries from the mouth of the newly-formed gorge ahead of them, and as Captain America and Spider-Woman turned, they saw three familiar figures eagerly coming over to greet them.
"Ho! Captain America! A welcome sight thou art!" cheered Thor happily, accompanied by Cyclops and Mary Jane Watson.
Captain America grinned. "Thor! I thought that tapping sound we heard might be you trying to dig us out!"
Thor was surprised. "My mightiest blows...? Tapping?! You were buried deep indeed!"
Upon catching sight of Spider-Woman, Mary Jane rushed over and pulled her friend into a joyous hug. "Spidey! Are we glad to see you! We thought you were all goners!"
"So did we for a moment back there!" chuckled Spider-Woman, ignoring the pain in her arm as she took in the costume that the redhead was attired in. "Great to see you, MJ. But what in the world are you wearing?"
"That's a very long story," grinned Mary Jane.
"We came over as soon as we realised that you were in trouble," said Cyclops. "We're all very glad you got out of there in one piece!"
"So are we," said Captain America. "But right now, we need to get back to your base! We have injured to attend to."
"That might be a problem, Captain. You see, when you blasted yourselves out, one of the boulders struck our transport, destroying it utterly! We were lucky not to have been crushed as well!"
"Yikes! Sorry about that, Cyclops," said Spider-Woman. "So what are we going to do now? We'll need somewhere to shelter and rest."
"I've an idea," said Mary Jane. "On the way here, we passed a village, brought to this planet like the rest of us. The only problem is that it's right under Galactus' nose! But I reckon it's the best place to shelter on this crazy planet."
"Then we'll make for this village," decided Captain America. "We'll have to worry about Galactus after we get there, but right now, we need shelter, food, and medical aid."
It took a few hours for the tired group to make their way there, and along the way, Mary Jane explained to an amazed Spider-Woman about the Symbiote she had stumbled upon and how it had bonded with her, giving her powers similar to Gwen's.
"Man, this world is just full or surprises, isn't it?" said Spider-Woman at last. "But are you sure your new, uh, friend can be trusted?"
"I think so," said Mary Jane. "I've already gone over some boundary rules with it, and besides, as you said regarding Magneto, we do need all the help we can get. I mean, I've gotten a lot stronger now, and incredibly more agile too! I keep wondering if this is why the Beyonder brought me here, to become the Klyntar's new host."
"Hmm, could be," mused Spider-Woman. "I've been wondering about those spare web-shooters he gave me, if those were specifically to help Reed build that gizmo to get us out of that mountain. Frankly, it unnerves me, the way the Beyonder has set this whole thing up, manipulating our every move. I don't know about you, but I feel like a puppet on a string!"
"Yeah, me and the Symbiote are feeling pretty unsettled by all this too," sighed Mary Jane. "I just wish I knew why the Beyonder has done all this. What is it he's hoping to gain from this real-life Warhammer game?"
As the two girls puzzled over all this, the alien village came into sight, as did Galactus, who was still standing on top of the mountain, as still as a statue. The village itself consisted of a cluster of white domed buildings, with various plants and trees surrounding them, and as the group of heroes drew closer and entered the courtyard, they could see the villagers coming out to watch them, regarding their strange visitors fearfully. They were the same gold-skinned aliens that Gwen had seen on the monitor screen the day before, humanoid in shape, with silver hair, pointed elf-like ears, and yellow catlike eyes, and all dressed in purple robes with sashes.
"These people don't look too happy to see us!" muttered the Hulk, as the residents drew back, unsure what to make of these strange alien beings.
"Who can blame them for being afraid?" said Captain America, sympathising with these people who had been so violently taken from their own world and deposited here, just as the heroes and villains had.
"Perhaps we should try and show them we're friendly," said Spider-Woman, slowly stepping forward towards the villagers and raising her hands in a pacifying gesture. "Please, we mean no harm."
The villagers exchanged frightened looks, unsure what to do. Then one of them, an young attractive woman with long flowing hair, stepped towards Spider-Woman, regarding her with a curious expression. She spoke in a strange alien language, her tone friendly, but also unsure. It took Spider-Woman a moment to realise that the woman was trying to read her expression, but that was impossible due to the mask Gwen was wearing.
"Aw the heck with it," sighed Gwen, as she lowered her hoodie and pulled off her mask, allowing the woman to see her face. Gwen knew that she had probably just blown her secret identity right in front of her fellow heroes, but that did not seem important right now. What was important was convincing these people that they were friendly and needed help.
"Believe me, we're not your enemies. We're injured and need help. Can you help us?"
Seeing the pleading look in Gwen's eyes and the amiable expression on her face, the alien woman came to a decision. Calling to her people, she instructed them to begin tending to the heroes, helping to carry the injured ones over to some outdoor couches of a strange design.
"You did it, Spidey!" said the Human Torch, who was too tired to even comment on how gorgeous-looking the web-swinger turned out to be.
"Or it's a trap!" said the Hulk skeptically.
"No, Hulk. If it was, my spider-sense would be tingling," said Spider-Woman reassuringly, as one of the alien inhabitants set her down on one of the couches. "I think these people really mean to help us, at least so far!"
As if to back up Spider-Woman's faith in her people, the silver-haired alien woman crossed over to the blonde girl and began running her hands over Gwen's sprained arm. There came a reassuring glow from the alien woman's hands, accompanied by a soothing feeling that swept all over Gwen, and before the wall-crawler knew it, the pain in her arm had completely stopped. Rolling up her sleeve, Gwen could see that her injury was completely healed, with not even a hint of a bruise remaining.
"Wow! That's amazing!" said Spider-Woman in wonder, turning gratefully to the woman who had just healed her injuries. "Thank you so much!"
The Healer smiled and accepted her patient's thanks, before turning her attention to the other injured visitors, using her strange powers to heal them one-by-one.
"Hey, I think I'm in love!" declared Johnny Storm, as the Healer mended his broken arm and ribs, leaving them as good as new. "Baby, I'll tumble 4 ya!"
"Torch, you got no class, man!" said Iron Man disapprovingly.
"Yeah, don't get started, fella! She's way out of your league!" added the Wasp, who knew from past experience what a shameless ladies' man the Human Torch could be.
Crossing over to Spider-Woman, Mary Jane drew her friend to one corner and whispered in her ear, "You realise you may have just given away who you are to everyone here, don't you?"
"Yeah, I realise that," admitted Spider-Woman, as she pulled her mask back on. "But we needed to earn these people's trust, and besides, our teammates haven't really seen me in my civilian identity, so my ID should hopefully still be secret. In any case, it doesn't really matter that much, with us all being stuck on this backwater world far from home."
"I suppose you're right," admitted Mary Jane. "Talking of identities, I suppose I ought to give me and my 'passenger' a shared nickname while we're working together like this. How about the 'Crimson Spider'?"
"Sounds cool to me!" said Spider-Woman. Though she was still unsure what to make of this alien being that had latched itself onto her friend, Gwen had decided to give the Klyntar the benefit of the doubt, just as the villagers had opted to trust the superheroes.
"Hey! What the...?!" came a sudden cry from nearby, and Spider-Woman and the Crimson Spider whirled around to see that Ben Grimm, standing next to a surprised Reed Richards, had morphed back into the form of the Thing.
"I'm the Thing again!" Grimm spluttered in bewilderment. "Son of a...! What in the blue blazes is wrong with me? On Earth, I'm always a lovable lump of orange rocks... Here, all of a sudden, I git human again for no reason at the worst possible time, an' now I'm a monster again! Why, Big Brain? Why?!"
"I... I'm not sure, Ben," said Reed with a worried expression. "I'll... uh, give it some thought."
"You do that, Stretcho," said the Thing as he wearily started to walk away. "I'm going to see if these guys got a cot big enuff for me, and hit the sack... If these little wimps don't panic and run off at the sight of my beautiful bod!"
As the confused Thing wandered off, Spider-Woman came over to Mr Fantastic.
"You know, Dr Richards, I've gotten a lot better at reading people's expressions in recent years," she said quietly. "And I can also see on your face that something is worrying you about your friend."
Richards sighed. "Confidentially, Spider-Woman, I have a strong suspicion about Ben's sudden changes, and it's not good news! And if I told him... It's the kind of thing that might shatter a man, even a strong one like Ben!"
"Well, whatever it is, I think the Thing has a right to know what's causing his transformations," said Spider-Woman soothingly. "And I think he's a stronger man than even you give him credit for. I think you ought to tell him, and however he reacts, just be there for him, okay?"
"I suppose you're right, Spider-Woman," said Reed hesitantly. "Though I'm still worried how... huh?"
Reed's attention was suddenly distracted by something on the mountain that Galactus was standing on, and as Spider-Woman turned to look in the direction that Mr Fantastic was, she was surprised to see that the purple-and-blue armoured giant had moved, his head and his eyes looking upwards, with his arms raised and pointed in the same direction.
"Hey! He moved!" cried Spider-Woman. "Galactus moved! But what for?"
"Um, I guessing for that!" gulped the newly-christened Crimson Spider, as the shape of a gigantic spaceship appeared in the horizon, its twisting and turning shape making it look like a solid infinity symbol. At first, it seemed quite small, but as it grew rapidly closer and closer, its immense shape soon bloated out the whole sky, even though it was still millions of miles away from the planet! Upon catching sight of the object, Reed Richards' immediate reaction was one of genuine, absolute, terror.
"Oh... No! NO!" he cried in alarm, causing all the heroes to rush over. "I should have known! I should have suspected this!"
"What is it, Reed? What does it mean?" asked Captain America, as everyone gaped at the huge spaceship.
"It's Galactus' home!" exclaimed the Human Torch, recognising the technologically-advanced World-Ship that Galactus travelled in during previous battles with the Fantastic Four.
"I just don't believe it!" breathed Spider-Woman. "It's as big as a whole solar system!"
"Galactus must have summoned it from the far side of the universe!" explained Reed with dread.
"But why?" asked the Wasp, certain that no-one would like the answer.
"At a guess," said the Thing grimly, "to help him devour this entire planet... And us with it!"
NEXT TIME: THE BATTLE OF FOUR ARMIES