Dark Reign: Savage She-Hulk #4

Mar 14

Mar 14 Dark Reign: Savage She-Hulk #4

Born to Rage

Lyra has traveled back in time to the modern age to seek out the world's greatest hero, who is apparently Norman Osborn. Trapped with him in a lab in Avengers Tower, Lyra begins to kiss Osborn because she is ovulating. However, she stops herself before she takes it any further. She explains that the Gynosure sent her to collect his seed, but having met Osborn, she sees him as histories greatest monster. She explains that in her time, Osborn used his position in HAMMER to harvest the genetic materials of superhumans and sold them to the Origins Corporation, a company that he was the major shareholder. The proliferation of superhuman powers was what led to the destruction of society. However, she has realized that no matter what she does in the past it won't change her world, only create a divergent reality. Now she struggles with saving her future, but as it is one of constant war between the genders, she questions if it is worth saving. That's when her personal computer, Boudicca, contacts her through the Avengers computers and tells her that all is not lost and requests that Lyra retrieves her.

Finding Boudicca in another lab, Lyra unplugs her from a computer and puts the wrist sized computer back on her body. When she asks the A.I. if it heard her forsake her mission. When the computer confirms that it did, Lyra knows that the Gynosure in the future will know about her treason and offers Boudicca a chance to stay behind to be retrieved by the Femizons as opposed to committing treason with her. However, Boudicca refuses having become loyal to Lyra and severs her connections to the future. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn retrieves his Iron Patriot armor and initiates a red alert, calling forth his Dark Avengers. Warned of this by Boudicca, Lyra looks forward to fighting her way out of the building and enters her autotrance that allows her to follow the flow of ambient gamma radiation. While in this state she easily disarms Ares, and takes down Wolverine and Hawkeye. When Venom tries to attack her, she realizes that he is wearing the "Black Bloom" from her era. She explains that the sisterhood has tamed the symbiote and she is covered in pheromones that prevent it from attacking her. She then easily incapacitates Gargan. However, the tide of battle turns when she is ambushed by both Iron Patriot and Ms. Marvel.

Meanwhile, outside, She-Hulk continues her battle with the Sentry as she tries to get into Avengers Tower to recover Lyra for ARMOR. She is contacted by agent Charles Little Sky who tells her that Lyra didn't come to attack this reality, but to find a mate. She is then given authorization to get Lyra by any means possible. When Sentry rips the concrete off out of under She-Hulk's feet and lifts her into the air. Jennifer uses this as an opportunity to leap through the window of the 14th floor to get to Lyra. Fighting through the Dark Avengers, She-Hulk gets close enough to Lyra for ARMOR to pull them out. The two women work together to keep their enemies away long enough for ARMOR to lock in on them and teleport them to the Hollow. There, Charles Little Sky tells Lyra that they have to send her back to her reality. Lyra pleads to them not to as she will be killed for failing her mission. However, that's when Boudicca informs her that their mission was a success. The AI explains that when it accessed Osborn's computer it found the factory where the macroprocessors used for the cradles in the future. Since the facility is fully automated with robots, she hacked into it and had one of the robots bury a macroprocessor in the ground. She informs her that this information was sent to the Gynosure in the future. On Earth-8009, the Sisterhood find the device and return it home.

Back in the present, Norman Osborn contacts Charles Little Sky and demands to know what he is doing. When he threatens to shut down ARMOR for stealing his prisoner. Lyra explains that Boudicca has all of Osborn's secrets. Finding this interesting, Charles terminates the com-link with Osborn and offers to make Lyra a deal.

Not long later at Carhenge in Nebraska, the tourist trap is suddenly invaded by techno-wizards calling themselves Cyber-Sidhe. Their leader Phinn Mac Mram declares that this reality will be conquered by the Tuatha de Turing. As they start trying to murder the visitors, they are suddenly confronted by Lyra, who is now operating as an agent of ARMOR.

This story is continued in Incredible Hulk #600..

Recurring Characters

Lyra, She-Hulk, ARMOR (Charlie Little Sky), Dark Avengers (Iron Patriot, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Ares, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Sentry, Captain Marvel), Gynosure, Cyber-Sidhe (Phinn Mac Mram)

Namesake

This story takes place before the events of Civil War: Choosing Sides #1...

Venom comes across a newspaper article that recounts the activities of a female Scorpion. He is furious to learn that his successor is not only female but also a hero. Meanwhile, aboard a SHIELD helicarrier, the Scorpion complains about how she was sent to go after gun runners who were using live ammunition against her. However, SHIELD agent Derek Khanata informs her that they need to send her on such missions which they can leak to the press and boost her profile, in the hopes of catching anti-registration heroes.

Suddenly, they are informed by one of their techs that someone calling themselves "namesake" is requesting "green girl" on an anti-registration message board. Scorpion is then sent to the meeting place. However, instead of finding a member of the Secret Avengers, she is confronted by Venom. Getting information from her SHIELD informants, Scorpion learns about Mac Gargan's past and that the Venom symbiote is vulnerable to sonics. Scorpion then leads her foe into a nearby church in the hopes of using the bells against the villain.

Unfortunately, Venom manages to snare her in some webbing. He then expresses his anger about her using his former codename. But, before he can kill her, Scorpions powers to metabolize toxins come up with a means of counteracting the Venom symbiote through its webbings. Her body suddenly develops a symbiote like form around it that allows her to overpower Venom. However, this neo-symbiote crumbles to dust as soon as she overpowers her opponent. Venom takes this opportunity to flee. Agent Khanata tells Scorpion to stand down and let the NYPD handle Venome and congratulates her for beating the stuffing out of her namesake.