Incredible Hulk #68

The INCREDIBLE Hulk #68

Date: May 2004
Title: Dead Like Me Part 3 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.

Nadia runs away from the creature killing the coyotes and runs into Bruce, who is holding a rifle. When she asks where Bruce was, he tells her he heard an animal scream and went to search for it. Nadia figures the creature killed the deere and also took the body from the grave but Bruce doesn't think so. The creature notices them and starts to walk towards them. Nadia tells Bruce to shoot it but Bruce keeps looking at it's eyes. It reshapes itself in front of their eyes into the image of Bruce. Suddenly, the clone is shot. Samson and Betty step out, with Samson holding the rifle that just shot the clone. Bruce notices that they are together. Bruce and Betty say high cautiously to each other at first and then hug each other.

Samson carries the body of the clone back to Nadia's house and asks for medical supplies. He lays the clone on the table and says that the round just grazed his scholl and he is still breathing. He then asks for Bruce to roll up his sleeve and Bruce wonders if he is going to give the clone a transfusion but Samson says the tranfusion is for Betty. Betty protests again that it is her life. Samson looks at some of Bruce's blood under the microscope and says that it has just enough radiation to destroy the cancer but not kill. Bruce asks Betty is she wants to live. Betty wonders what kind of life she would have running from the law with Bruce, always wondering about Home Base and the cancer. Nadia makes some off hand comments to Betty and the two get into it. It even comes out that Betty slept with Samson but before Bruce can talk about that, the clone wakes up and says that the transfusion will not work.

The clone explains that only the Hulk's plasma will have any effect, Bruce's alone will not do it as Home Base verified. He then says that he is Hulk-free but has all the memories of Bruce. Nadia questions if he is so much like Bruce, why did he try to choke her. The clone explains that he was not fully developed and was under Home Bases' influence, which he states he is not anymore. The Hulk squishing him helped jump-start his chromosomes and completion. Bruce makes a comment of his being a mutated spider crab that eats deers. The clone explains that part of the growth process involves using DNA of lower life forms but he is complete now and fully Bruce Banner. He says that he wants to save Betty's life also and that required Hulk blood, which he does not have. The clone explains that if he could turn into the Hulk, Home Base would never have sent him here. Samson seems to believe him but Bruce doesn't believe a word he says and figures he is just lying again. Samson says that they can check for sure with a check of the clone's blood. Samson checks it and finds no irradiated blood. Bruce still doesn't believe the clone can't turn into some type of Hulk creature and trying to convince him he can't is just all part of the plan. Bruce walks over to the clone and says there is one test they have not tried, namely anger management, and proceeds to throw hot coffee onto the clone. The clone falls to the ground as Samson runs over to see that the clone's blood rate is flying but he has not changed into a Hulk. Bruce still does not believe the clone and figures he has advanced mind-control. Betty asks what they should do with them and Samson says that when he was in Argentina, they killed prisoners of war and throws out a gun. Betty grabs the gun and aims it at the clones head but can't pull the trigger. Samson takes it and can't do it either. Nadia starts to go for the gun but Bruce takes it and says everyone knows that he will have to do it. He takes the clone outside since he doesn't want to do it in front of Nadia or Betty. Bruce leads the clone up the hill and after they get a good distance away, he tells the clone to stop and then throws the gun away. The clone asks if Bruce is not going to kill him. Bruce reminds him that for agents of Home Base, if you just kill them, they will rise from the grave. You have to scatter the pieces to the wind. The clone reminds him that he knows all his fighting tricks plus advanced training from Home Base. The clone suddenly turns into a Hulk creature and hits Bruce, who turns into the Hulk, and tells him taht neither Nadia or Betty will know which one comes back down the hill.

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