A-Force (1st series) #3

She-Hulk a.k.a. Jennifer Walters stands amongst a deserted, somewhat destroyed New York City. Tigers can be seen resting on the edge of a broken building. '...huh' she remarks to herself as she examines her surroundings. Hands on hips, she reminds herself that she is the Baroness of Arcadia, the most blessed island in the whole of Battleworld. She recalls that in the past twenty-four hours they have been attacked by giant sharks, overruled by their unknowable god-emperor and his wizard-staff-up-his-butt vizier, lost one of their finest lieutenants for doing her duty, discovered an incomprehensible portal in their ocean, and met a universe incarnate adopted by her youngest and least emotionally stable operative. 'And fought a giant robot' she adds, deciding that someone is trying to destabilize Arcadia and are doing a pretty fine job so far.

Suddenly, there is an explosion behind She-Hulk, who leaps for safety. 'Snap!' she exclaims. Turning around she discovers three more giant robots standing over her, the red haze that covers the sky looming above them. 'Non-mutant signature detected. Scanning for genetic status' one of the robots, a Sentinel, states. 'Oh, good. More murder friends' She-Hulk mutters.

'Abnormal status confirmed. You will be brought to a detainment center for processing -' another of the Sentinels begins, but She-Hulk interrupts: 'Normally I'd say something about needing a can opener to bust you and your buddies open – but what can I say, I'm having an off day...' The Sentinel states 'Unacceptable response. Subdue' and fires a blast from its hand that strikes She-Hulk and knocks her back across the ground. One of the Sentinels prepares to stand on She-Hulk, but she uses her incredible strength to push up, and rip the Sentinel's foot off, '...my bare hands will have to do' she declares. 'No one ever threatened to rip off your own leg and beat you with it, did they? Good thing I -' She-Hulk begins, before a blast of energy strikes her and knocks her over.

She looks up and sees Valkyrie, Sif and Gamora – all members of the Thor Corps.

'She-Hulk, Baroness of Arcadia...' Valkyrie begins. 'You have broken Doom's law' Sif announces. 'You are not where you belong' Gamora points out. 'Stop! There's more at stake here, there's -' She-Hulk pleads with the warriors, but they rush towards her, their hammers and swords at the ready, 'We may do this the easy way, or the hard way, Jennifer' Sif calls out. 'I would enjoy either' Gamora declares. 'Thors, you're attacking the wrong person!' She-Hulk exclaims as they loom over her.

Suddenly, She-Hulk grabs Gamora's sword-carrying arm and announces that she is no the one who made these portals. 'Damn it. Can we cut the green-on-green violence, please?' She-Hulk jokes as she elbows Gamora in the face, knocking her over. She then grabs one of of the Sentinel's large heads and throws it towards Valkyrie and Sif, causing them both to fall to the sides of the head. She-Hulk then leaps into the air towards the glowing orange portal above her. 'Arcadia. I've got to get back to -' she begins, before looking around the portal where colorful scenes play about before her. Wide-eyed, She-Hulk pushes on through the portal with some urgency, as brilliant colors surround her and she realizes that this is magic, and that it is from Arcadia.

Meanwhile, at the Plaza of Arcadia, Captain Marvel a.k.a. Carol Danvers, Medusa, Alison Blaire a.k.a. Dazzler, Nico Minoru a.k.a. Sister Grimm and the mysterious Singularity have gathered. Nico points out that She-Hulk has been gone a long time. Dazzler supposes that it could be a temporal shift as well as a spatial tear. 'One more time?' Nico asks. 'Maybe time passes differently there' Dazzler explains. Medusa looks over to where Singularity is playing with the ends of Medusa's very long hair. 'Mmm, little one? You want a lock of my hair? You are a little magpie, aren't you' Medusa smiles as some of the hair is broken away, and Singularity ties it around her wrist. Singularity points upwards, as the portal opens and She-Hulk drops from it. 'Jennifer! Are you hurt?' Captain Marvel asks as she rushes over to the She-Hulk, while Dazzler asks her what she saw.

She-Hulk gets to her feet and looks back up at the portal, informing the others that someone tried to frame the newcomer for this – someone let in the monster that cost them America Chavez. 'A-Force... there's a traitor in Arcadia' She-Hulk announces, when suddenly, the portal opens as Valkyrie, Sif and Gamora drop from it.

'She-Hulk' Gamora calls out through gritted teeth. 'Stop. We have discovered a traitor. And I think I've discerned where these portals are coming from -' She-Hulk informs the Thor Corps. Dazzler, Captain Marvel and Sister Grimm ready their powers, while Sif, Valkyrie and Gamora raise their weapons. Gamora points her sword towards She-Hulk and exclaims 'Tell that to America Chavez in her banishment. You will be sisters in exile soon enough, She-Hulk'. Suddenly, 'Ladies, Thors.. .if I may be of use' Medusa remarks as her hair extends outwards and wraps around She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Dazzler, Nico and Singularity. 'Medusa?' Dazzler calls out, before Medusa's hair slams She-Hulk to the ground.

'Excellent, Medusa. Doom shall reward you for this' Valkyrie calls out. 'No. No! It's not you, it's not -' She-Hulk exclaims as she looks up at Medusa, who leans down and grabs She-Hulk's face, 'I told you. Always have I told you. Do your duty. Or I will be forced to do it for you'. 'RUN!' Medusa then shouts to Carol, Alison, Nico and Singularity as she frees them from her tresses, while grabbing the Thors. Medusa uses her incredibly strong hair to toss Gamora, Sif and Valkyrie skyward, 'Darlings, I am many things. But I am no traitor' she declares. Medusa smirks as she looks down at She-Hulk: 'You never had the instincts of a queen, Jennifer... protect Arcadia. Find this traitor, and then -' she begins, before Gamora suddenly latches on to the end of some of Medusa's hair, and as she is pulled into the portal, she releases energy which strikes Medusa in spectacular display.

'No! NO!' Carol screams as she rushes back over to She-Hulk, who has caught Medusa in her arms. 'Damn them!' Carol shouts angrily. 'Medusa!' She-Hulk gasps. Dazzler reaches out to touch Medusa, 'Please get up. We have to hide -' she tells her. Teary-eyed, Carol takes flight, while Singularity hugs Nico. She-Hulk picks up Medusa and tells the others to split up, announcing that they must find the traitor, and they must defy Doom to do it.

Nico rushes down an alleyway and pulls Singularity after her. 'Go' She-Hulk calls out. Suddenly, Singularity comes to a halt. 'Why did you stop? We can't -' Nico begins, before turning to look at Singularity, who stands with her arms open. Tears well up in Nico's eyes, and she starts to sob, putting a hand over her face as Singularity embraces her.

A-Force headquarters:

She-Hulk carries Medusa's limp body up the stairs towards the building, and inside, lays Medusa on a table and places a sheet over her body, leaving only her head and hair showing. 'Baroness?' Dazzler calls out as she and Captain Marvel appraoch She-Hulk. She-Hulk tells them that she is a fugitive of the island and that she must go into hiding. 'This will be my last order as leader of A-Force. Alert Arcadia. We are no longer safe' She-Hulk announces.

Alarm bells sound over Arcadia. Black Bolt sits up in bed, and looks over to find the other side of his bed empty. Kamala Khan stares out a window, while Storm puts her headpiece on, and Black Panther adjusts his clawed gloves. Loki gazes out a window to see Captain Marvel fly past her. She-Hulk thinks to herself that they tried to build a paradise – they knew they were blessed and they rejoiced in everything they had, everything they were. Their eyes and hearts so full of the world they loved, that they were blind to the little things beneath. A summer's day, a flight, a fight, a sacrifice – and now, here they are. By little things, they find meaning. By little things, they lose empires. And at that moment, Gamora smashes back down through the portal to Arcadia. 'Someone has come to Arcadia... engineered hatred within the ranks of A-Force. Opened holes in our defenses. Taken those we love from us. Brought the rage of Doom and his Thors upon us. We must bring them to justice' She-Hulk decides.

The dark sky covering Arcadia is suddenly lit up by the arrival of several members of the Thor Corps. Beta Ray Bill and Sam Wilson confront Squirrel Girl, while Nightcrawler and Colossus appear in front of the Scarlet Witch, Emma Frost and Black Bolt. Gamora, Valkyrie and Sif stalk the streets of Arcadia with their weapons at the ready, while Spider-Girl, Spider-Gwen and the female Hawkeye keep watch over them from rooftops.

Storm approaches She-Hulk, Spider-Woman, Pixie, Nico, Singularity, Dazzler and Captain Marvel, fog wafting behind her as she announcees that the fog she has gathered will only slow the Thors' search for so long. Storm then asks She-Hulk what she intends to do. Jennifer reveals that she thinks she knows who is behind this, and she just needs to lay low long enough. Nico calls out to She-Hulk, and pointing at Singularity reports that her friend has an idea. 'We kept her safe...she means to repay the kindness, the trust she was shown. 'Here...like this'. The heroines all turn to to Singularity as her form alters slightly, with shards of her space-like form wrapping around the women, 'Hide' she tells them, as they rush towards her....