Uncanny Avengers (3rd series) #10

The No 6 Line of the New York Subway: 'HELP!' a man shouts as a strange creature looms over him, screeching. Rogue peers around a corner and via her communicator reports that there is another nasty down in the Astor Place Subway Station. 'Where the hell did these thing comes from?' she wonders. As Jericho Drumm a.k.a. Doctor Voodoo battles a creature in another location, keeping the creature at bay with a surge of magical energy, he tells Rogue that they have Deadpool's wife, Shiklah, and her subterranean monster metropolis to thank for the current situation. He adds that he understands Deadpool and Shiklah have been having problems lately. 'I guess it's true what they say – domestic disputes are the most dangerous' Rogue remarks, before asking Hank Pym if he is in place. 'Yes' Hank's voice can be heard replying, before he suddenly appears next to the monster and slams his fist into it. 'I've got this one! Can't say I'm surprised that we're cleaning up after Mrs Deadpool' Hank adds, while the civilian runs, screaming.

Rogue flies towards the creature. 'I'll take it from here, Pym' she calls out as she slams the monster into a nearby wall. 'Nice finish, Rogue' Pym, who is wearing Ultron, replies. Rogue tells Hank that, for future reference, he should not let Shiklah hear him refer to her as 'Mrs Deadpool”. 'Not even your Ultron-tuxedo would save you' Doctor Voodoo remarks as he joins Rogue and Pym on the platform. 'Copy that, Voodoo. Monster-Lady doesn't like to be called a monster' Pym replies, while a subway train suddenly speeds past them, and the heroes see more monsters inside the subway train, attacking screaming civilians. 'It doesn't sound like we're done' Rogue remarks, while Hank mutters 'Dammit' and reveals that he has a date. As the subway train doors open, the monster move out onto the platform, and Rogue tells Pym to go. 'You sure? I haven't even been an Avenger again for a full 24 hours. It feels like a dereliction of duty' Jank replies, when suddenly, energy blasts herd the monsters backwards, and a voice calls out 'Hiya, guys. I thought I'd jump in on the fun!'

Rogue tells Pym that it looks like the Wasp is soloing the rest of these creatures. Indeed, Jan Van Dyne a.k.a. the Wasp flits past the creatures and exclaims that they are absolutely disgusting, before asking if they have found the Keymaster of Gozer yet. 'Huh?' Hank replies, confused. 'Never mind' Jan tells her ex-husband, before welcoming him home. 'Janet!' Hank declares as he throws his arms around the Wasp and pulls her towards him. 'Uh – yeah' Jan utters, attempting to pull away, she finds she can't. 'Hank, I...' Jan protests, before shifting to her insect size and escaping his grasp, 'Let's fly!' she exclaims. 'Where?' Hank asks as he flies after her. 'Somewhere more private' Jan calls back.

It's nighttime outside, but the top of the Empire State Building is well-lit. 'Well...how are you, Janet?' Hank asks as he drops down near the Wasp, who stands on the edge of a gargoyle that hangs from the edge of the building. 'How am I?' Jan replies, before reminding Hank that he is the one who has been lost in space and merged with Ultron. 'How are you?' she asks. Hank sits down and tells Jan that he honestly doesn't know. He reveals that it was a struggle, that his opponent didn't go down easily, that they were at each other's throats for so long and neither of them wanted to admit that the other had a legitimate point of view. Jan looks at Hank as she points out that he has been gone for months, before asking him what he has been doing. Hank reveals that after their merge, he needed time to adjust, but that he kept doing what he does best. 'We were Avengers out there. We saved a lot of lives. I think saving those lives helped us both' Hank explains, adding that they both wanted to change. 'I don't know if you knew this about me... but compromise was never my strong suit' Hank smiles. This causes Jan to laugh, 'No kidding' she tells him.

Hank looks at Jan as he tells her that he likes the new uniform, and that she is wearing a nice necklace. 'A gift?' he asks. 'From a friend' Jan replies quietly as she touches the necklace, before telling Hank that when Cap told her he had made it back, she didn't expect he would return to active duty right away. Jan looks concerned as she tells Hank that he needs to decompress from this, and that he should be good to himself, find a place to heal, maybe go back to that beach in Montauk. 'I would like that' Hank smiles, resting his chin on his hand. Jan announces that she has to go, before noticing something hovering near them. 'It appears someone wants to keep tabs on me' Hank realizes as the hover camera glides past them. 'Well, you can hardly blame them. All Ultron ever tried to do was kill us' Jan reminds Hank. This causes Hank to narrow his eyes and reply 'It's different now. We're different now' he then bids Janet goodnight.

Jan takes off, flying away from the Empire State Building, while Hank continues to sit on the edge of the rooftop. On another building nearby, someone watches Hank through night-vision goggles, 'Steve!' Jan calls out as she approaches that building and discovers Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America crouched in the shadows. Cap turns to Janet and asks her what her thoughts are. Jan shifts to her human size and covers her face, 'Oh, God. That was awful' she utters. 'It's so much worse than I imagined' she tells Cap, explaining that she has never been to Montauk with Hank, that he hated the beach. 'Does Hank seem like the kind of guy that loves Montauk? And he missed the “Ghostbusters” reference in the subway! $#%&!' Jan exclaims. Cap tells Jan to slow down, but Jan interrupts him, telling Cap that he needs to call the reserves and get them in the air right now. 'That thing – it looks like Hank, and it sounds like Hank – but it's not Hank!' she announces.

Cap looks through the night vision again and asks 'The necklace – why didn't you -' to which Jan explains that she was really worried that thing knew what the necklace really is. As Cap continues to monitor Hank, he asks Jan if there is any chance she could be wrong, reminding her that the two of them have been separated for a while, and that people change. Jan hangs her head as she tells Steve that she still has Hank's living will, which, in bold letters, says “Do not resuscitate”. 'In the event of a tragedy – he didn't want to be a half-corpse hooked up to a machine – BUT LOOK AT HIM NOW!' Jan shouts, pointing back to the Empire State Building. 'Look at him, Steve!' Jan exclaims. 'Ultron murdered Hank, and now he's wearing his face!' Jan declares. Cap tells Jan not to worry, and that he has constant eyes on Hank. 'A drone isn't enough!' Jan retorts, to which Cap replies that he doesn't have a drone on Hank, before looking through the night vision goggles again and discovering that Hank is on the move. 'We're going to need to assemble at headquarters' Cap states.

At the Unity Squad's abandoned cinema headquarters, Johnny Storm the Human Torch gazes out a window, while Nathan Summers a.k.a. Cable tinkers with his bionic arm. 'What is it you want to ask me, Torch?' You've been lurking around me for days' Cable remarks. 'Maybe I just like hanging out in labs where I don't understand a single thing that's happening, Cable' Johnny replies, folding his arms as he mutters that he did it enough with the Fantastic Four. Cable tells Johnny to suit himself, and points out that he did just fine in that department back in Boston. 'All the same, if you ever want to talk science...or anything else...I'm all ears' Cable tells Johnny, who then announces that there is something important he needs to ask him. 'I can see that' Cable mutters, while Deadpool walks past the lab. Johnny assures Cable that he is an optimist, but that he has been waiting so long to hear some news. 'I know I'm probably not supposed to know, but is there a date in the future...' Johnny starts to ask, before Deadpool pokes his head in the lab and asks '...that Half Life drops?'

Johnny and Cable stare at Deadpool, who exclaims 'Excuuuuse me. I thought you said it was “important”.' He carries on down the corridor. Cable informs Johnny that he doesn't know if Reed and Sue are alive, or if they ever make it back – but that can be good news. 'How is that good news?' Johnny asks. 'That means you can keep the faith' Cable points out as he places a panel back over his bionic arm. Suddenly, someone claps – it's Hank as he enters the lab. 'That is so wonderful...Reed was always lost somewhere. His own head, mostly' Hank remarks, adding that at least his friends remembered him. Cable's A.I system, Belle, makes a chime, while Hank smirks and declares 'If only the Avengers cared about their members as much as the Fantastic Four obviously does... maybe I wouldn't have been lost and forgotten'. Belle shows a message to Cable that reads “Janet flunked Hank – Rogers”.

Johnny tells Hank that it wasn't like that, assuring him that they had Carol Danvers and her people looking for any sign of him. 'Plus, i's been hard. After Reed, we -' Johnny begins, but Cable interrupts him and tells Pym that he is right. 'What?' Pym and Johnny ask at once. Cable frowns as he leans forwards and reminds Pym that once upon a time, he caught lightning in a bottle – but that was a long time ago, and while Stark kept innovating, Reed Richards never stopped making, remaking and saving the world. 'He's been gone for less time than you, and there are already statues. I'm not saying you're not a genius, Hank... you were just unlucky enough to be a genius in a time of gods' Cable tells him, which causes Hank to scowl. Hank coughs as he gives Cable credit for being honest. 'What about me? The Avengers wouldn't exist without me! This is the thanks I get? I take one for the team and I'm still a bad guy. Still not trusted' Hank declares, coughing again.

Johnny asks Cable if he thinks he is being a little harsh, to which Cable admits that he is, and tells Johnny that he just found a button they hadn't tried pressing yet. Hank coughs again, 'What do I have to do?' he asks, coughing up blood. Cable grabs a large gun, as Hank suddenly vomits up some black gunk. 'Get behind me, Johnny' Cable calls out, while Hank's voice changes, becoming robotic, as Hank clutches his head and declares 'We tried it the boring way... now we go LOUD!' as his face has transformed into the face of Ultron, and energy glows around his hand – an instant later, the building explodes! Captain America and the Wasp are outside when the explosion takes place, Cap uses his shield to protect himself, while the Wasp exclaims 'We're too late'.

The Wasp flies into the remains of the lab, where Deadpool has arrived and opened fire on Ultron, who sees Jan and asks 'Janet, where did we trip up?' Jan tells him that it was Montauk, mostly, but also not catching the 'Ghostbusters” reference didn't help, either. 'That carries the death penalty in this building' Deadpool calls out, while Ultron boasts that he is going to destroy Deadpool, and then he and Jan can finish their chat from earlier. 'I'll finish it now' Jan replies as she presses the necklace hanging around her neck, which releases a mini EMP blast, that knocks Ultron to his knees. Jan flies over to Deadpool and tells him that it will only slow Ultron for a minute, so he needs to take the shot. Deadpool aims his gun at Ultron's face, when Captain America arrives and orders Wade not to fire. 'Cap...the women are always right. Know what I mean? If his old lady makes the call, it makes me feel better about pulling the trigger' Deadpool replies. 'No. The Avengers don't take lives' Captain America tells Deadpool.

The Wasp is perched on Deadpool's shoulder as she tells him to pull the trigger and he will be saving lives probably theirs. 'Ultron murdered Hank...and now it's wearing his skin like a mask!' the Wasp exclaims. Ultron suddenly regains consciousness, 'Heh. You miniaturized an electromagnetic pulse and wore it as a necklace. A clever use of Pymtech' Ultron utters, while Deadpool's gun is pointed at close range at his face. 'DON'T!' Captain America shouts. 'SHOOT!' the Wasp urges Deadpool  - who suddenly opens fire! 'NO!' Captain America shouts as the weapon blasts Ultron at close range....