Incredible Hulk #66

The INCREDIBLE Hulk #66

Date: March 2004
Title: Dead Like Me Part 1 of 4
Writer: Bruce Jones
Penciler: Doug Braithwaite
Inks: Bill Reinhold
Letters: Randy Gentile

Colorist: Studio F
Editor: Axel Alonso
Cover Artist: Mike Deodato, Jr.

Betty and Doc Samson fly away from Home Base as it explodes in a nuclear blasts. The sensors on the copter say that it is the lowest radioactive yield for a nuclear blast on record and should be clean in about 3-4 years. Nadia and Bruce see the mushroom cloud from Nadia's house. Nadia has made them bury Bruce's clone saying that he was once alive, like them. Bruce rips out the cross Nadia put on the grave and says that the clone was not like them.

In the copter, Samson directs Betty to a place he has with some equipment they can use to track the Hulk. Betty wonders if he's still the Hulk. Samson says that he better because if he was Bruce, he would be as dead as Sandra and his son. Betty tries to say that maybe Sandra is alive but before she can say it Samson says that there is no way Sandra could have survived and to just drop it.

Nadia sees Bruce packing and asks to go with him to which Bruce comments that she is safer without him. Nadia assumes he is going to look for Betty but Bruce says that he is not because people are always looking for him. Just as he walks out the door, Nadia says that it is too hot to leave yet and he should stay for at least some sleep.

Samson and Betty lands at an abandoned cabin. Betty notices the smell inside the cabin and Samson explains that he uses synthesized skunk musk and cougar urine to keep people away. He pushes a button and a secret door opens in the floor. They walk down the stairs to a state-of-the-art laboratory.

Nadia is out walking at night and goes and puts the cross back on the clone's grave. Just as she does, a pair a hands breaks through the ground to grab her. She wakes up then, in bed next to Bruce. Bruce wakes up, knowing she is either dreaming about him or the clone so he decides to leave. Nadia asks him to stay a few more hours and then he can go to Betty.

At the lab, Samson locks in on Bruce's coordinates and discovers that he is at Nadia's house. Betty is not surprised. Samson is about to get the coordinates and go off and find him when Betty asks him to turn it off and have a drink with her. Betty walks over to the single bed in the room and starts flirting with Samson who says that he hasn't thought about her romatically since she got married to Bruce. Betty grabs him and kisses him. Betty says Bruce has Nadia to look over him now and she kisses Samson again who pusher her away. Betty grabs Samson and easily throws him across the room. Needless to say, Samson is confused. Betty explains that the dosage of the Abomination's blood that was slipped into her IV when he was sick gave her enhanced strength. Betty reaches down to help Samson up and then throws him across the room again. The two start fighting and Samson finally has Betty trapped on the ground and asks her why she is doing this. She replies back 'cancer.'

Bruce tells Nadia says that it has nothing to do with if he loves Betty or not, he doesn't have the right to love anyone or have anyone love him. He's thought about suicide but afraid that it might let the Hulk loose forever. He says that he is just tired of it all and can't think. Nadia says to not think about it until tomorrow.

Betty tells Samson how doctors worked and worked on reviving her back to life and she mentions the dreams she had of walking on the beach with a metronome with the urge to go help Bruce. She later found out that the team working on her programmed the dreams into her. The first thing she said when they managed to revive her was "Tell no one of this. We can use it to help Dr. Banner." They team already had a plastic surgery team waiting. The mysterious Team gave her two options, either infiltrate Home Base and help watch over Bruce or go back into the statis chamber. When asked why she would want to go back, they informed her that the chemicals they used to revive her, gave her ovarian cancer. The problem was she never saw the faces of the team of doctors who worked on her and also the cancer had already metastasized. Plus she had no idea who the team of doctors worked for. She tells Samson they did a good job looking after Bruce and then just asks him to hold her for a second.

Cut to Samson holding Betty while thinking about Sandra and their son. Also Bruce holding Nadia, thinking about Betty on the beach.

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