Civil War II #2

New Attilan, the Inhumans’ home, floating above Manhattan:
Night time:
In stealth mode, Tony Stark aka Iron Man infiltrates the city, asking his sentient computer Friday to tell him where he is. Soon, he has reached the room of the sleeping young precog Ulysses.  Tony looks at a picture showing him and his late best friend Jim Rhodes both wearing armors.

Don’t do this, a voice asks him. It’s the Inhuman Queen Medusa. She explains Captain Marvel warned her he would be coming. Medusa told her that he wouldn’t disrespect her kingdom like that.

Coldly, he points out this isn’t a thing unless she makes it a thing. She orders him to go home. They will talk about this when his head is cleared. Tony replies he is taking Ulysses. Medusa points out he is a subject of her kingdom. Tony wouldn’t allow it in her place. She grabs him with her hair and Tony’s computer warns him of a hull breach. Tony groans that he respects her but she is really getting in his personal space.

Ulysses awakes. Medusa begs Tony to go home. He groans a refusal. They’ll talk about this when he wakes up, she sighs. He hits her with electricity and she falls back.

The noise has alerted Karnak, Crystal, the Human Torch and Iso. He thought about him, Iron Man addresses Karnak, who immediately attacks with a kick, despite Crystal’s warning. He did, Tony continues. As an engineer, he admires Karnak’s ability to sense the structural flaws in any construction. But he doesn’t have any. He blasts Karnak. Crystal reacts with lightning, despite Karnak’s warning that this will only add to his power. Iron Man seemingly explodes.

Hank McCoy helps up Medusa and explains it was a decoy, one of Iron Man’s signature tricks. While they were distracted, Stark abducted Ulysses and escaped. Crystal asks him why he didn’t help them. He doesn’t fight Tony Stark, Beast replies.

The Human Torch swears and asks if he should go after him. Crystal tells him it’s too late. What does he think he’s doing? Johnny wonders. Doesn’t matter what he thinks, Crystal replies darkly, he just declared war on the Inhumans.

At the Triskelion, SHIELD commander Maria Hill informs the Ultimates that Stark just created an international incident with a nation of superpowers. Captain Marvel suggests she send a squad of SHIELD agents to Stark Tower. Hill points out there is no way Stark will be there. Carol agrees, but the Inhumans are probably already here.

Which they are.

Black Panther interjects that Medusa knows Stark isn’t there. She is a leader of a people whom Stark invaded and attacked. He forced her into a proportional response. They are not going there to find Stark. They are going there to stop Karnak from pulling the building down on the city.

Outside Stark Tower, Karnak calls out Stark’s name. Instead, the head of Stark’s holographic aide Friday appears to inform the Inhumans they are trespassing and the authorities have been informed.

Karnak orders Friday to tell her employer that Medusa, queen of the Inhumans, will have words with him. Tell him to return their brother and he will be held accountable… Crystal points out he is chastising nothing. He insists Friday will pass on his message. It’s a hologram, probably an AI, Johnny Storm points out. He lived in the Baxter Building; he was practically married to one at a point. Crystal makes a noise of disgust.

Friday again warns them this is Stark property. Karnak announces this building is now theirs. He will bring it down.

That moment, several Ultimates and Avengers appear led by Captain Marvel, who asks them not to do this. She promises they will take care of this internally. They will return the hostage to them. The Black Panther tells Medusa it is in her power to stop this from escalating. Angrily, Medusa points out they didn’t stop Stark from escaping but they are stopping them. They knew this was coming and they did nothing, Karnak accuses them.

Carol reminds them she gave them a big heads-up, even though she was hoping Tony would calm down. She was wrong! Crystal snaps. Medusa stresses that one of the Inhumans was taken, for helping the human heroes, for sharing themselves with them. Carol points out that they all lost people today. She asks for one chance.

Elsewhere, Ulysses awakes tied to a chair, Tony Stark in front of him. Is he for real? Ulysses asks. What did he do? His best friend is dead, Tony announces grimly. He’s sorry, Ulysses replies. He feels so much better now, Tony shoots back sarcastically. Ulysses repeats he doesn’t know what he did. He doesn’t know who they are talking about. Colonel James Rhodes, Tony clarifies. An honest to goodness American hero. The mission Ulysses sent them on cost him his life. He didn’t send anybody anywhere. What is he doing?

Tony attaches sensor pads to his head. Is he going to hurt him? Is he going to kill him? Ulysses asks. Looking at a computer screen, Tony points out he is Iron Man. One of the good guys. He knows, he is a big fan. Ulysses babbles. Tony orders him to shut up. Was, Ulysses mumbles. He didn’t kill his friend.

Show him how his powers work! Tony orders. Have a vision! Ulysses explains he can’t control them. Tony snaps his finger against his temple, trying to see if outside stimulus changes anything about his brainwaves. He ignores Ulysses’ pleas and asks the AI Friday, who informs him there is some interesting neural energy around the frontal lobe. She needs more data and suggests Tony hit him again. Tony pretends to. Fear works as well, it turns out. Friday notes a spike in Alpha brainwaves that is not in the normal register

What does he want? Ulysses asks. Tony replies he is very sure he is going to go to war with some good friends of this, over Ulysses. And he wants to make damn sure he understands exactly what and whom he is dealing with. So while he is trying to figure out how his powers work, he is having Jessica Jones and Dakota North do some digging on Ulysses’ and his parents’ backgrounds. What do his parents have to do with anything? The boy demands.

Tony asks if he is having his visions from a pure state or do his personality and upbringing affect the outcome? Does his emotional state affect the visions? Does his bias? Everyone has a bias against something. He hates daytime talk shows. Ulysses points out that he could have asked him. Tony reminds him his friend died today because of a mission he shouldn’t even have known about.

Friday announces a security breach, surprising Tony who figured he was off the grid. Friday shows him several Avengers and Inhuman allies, among them Hank McCoy who is currently working with the Inhumans. Tony swears. He forgot that.

Tony unties Ulysses and tells him he made a copy of his brain. A moment later, the heroes break through the wall. Carol, he greets Captain Marvel, just in time for Parcheesi. That line was Parcheesi, she retorts. True, he is in mourning, he shoots back. They can’t all be winners. He’s created quite the incident, she points out. Actually, she did Tony, retorts. He is reacting. Well, now they are, Black Panther interjects. In kind.

Is everyone up to the moment on the subtext of this puppy? Tony demands. Because Rhodey is dead and She-Hulk isn’t much better off because Carol wants to control the future and it could have been any of them! “It could have been you!” He points at the heroes.” It could have been you” and he is actually shocked it wasn’t him, he addresses Hawkeye who angrily points out Tony tortured Ulysses. Hugging Ulysses, Tony points at him with a grin. Come on. He didn’t torture him. Look. He tortured him, Ulysses tattles grimly.

Carol remarks she believes Tony is having a bit of a nervous breakdown and she would like to help him. He’s having a complete nervous breakdown! Tony shouts.

They begin arguing about the future again while Ulysses finds himself in the grasp of another powerful vision. He sees the Hulk raging, Avengers strewn dead around him. However, this time he projects the vision into everyone else’s mind, a new aspect of his power.

Are they to believe this will really happen? Beast wonders. He’s sorry, Ulysses rambles. The Hulk will kill them all…