Marvel Team-Up #22

Issue Details

Synopsis

THE MESSIAH MACHINE! Ben has asked Reed and Sue to help him uncover the location of Alicia after she has turned up missing, starting at her apartment. When Ben begins beating himself up over his appearance and how Reed has apparently stopped trying to cure him. When Reed tries to console Ben, the Thing angrily swats him aside and storms out of the room. When Sue gets her husband up off the ground, he reveals that he hasn't stopped trying to find a formula that will cure Ben, and that he has been keeping his work a secret until he finds one that will work permanently.   Meanwhile at a secret facility known as the Beehive, Hamilton arrives with Alicia Masters with him through the Transfer-Grid via his Space Warpers. She is introduced to the other members of the Enclave: Zota, Morlak and Shinski. They explain to her that they are all experts in their scientific fields and have asked her to help them out with their latest creation. They then take her to a large slab of clay in order to test her ability to sculpt based on what she feels. When she succeeds in creating a perfect rendition of Morlak's face, passing the test that they wished to conduct.   Back in New York, the Thing spends his time brooding as he walks through Central Park. He runs into a police officer who notices that he is down and offers to help, but Ben isn't interested in the sympathy of others. His mood takes a bit of a turn for the better when a group of adoring fans come to meet him and one of the young girls in the group kisses him on the cheek and runs off to tell her friends. With his sense of self-worth renewed, Ben heads back to the Baxter Building. There on the roof, the Human Torch returns home to find that Crystal is unimpressed with how he suddenly abandoned her when the were out joyriding.   But the two manage to patch things up when Johnny starts to fool around. When they go into the building they find Reed hard at work on a device called a Heat-Image Tracer that will hopefully allow them to reconstruct the moments leading up to Alicia's disappearance.   Meanwhile, at the Beehive, Zota and the others take Alicia on a tour of the facilities when suddenly there is an explosion out in Lock 41, prompting the Enclave troops to mobilize to contain the danger. They explain to her that they have been working for years to try and create an artificial lifeform. When they succeeded their creation broke free from its tank and hid itself deep inside Lock 41, using its fantastic powers to force everyone out with it's blinding light. Alicia quickly realizes what they have asked her to do: They want her to go into Lock 41 and get an idea of what their creation looks like, as she is blind its defenses will have no effect on her.   In New York, the Thing returns to Alicia's apartment with some flowers and learns from her landlady that she hasn't returned, but his teammates are upstairs in her room. Going up to see, he finds that Reed has set up his Heat-Image Tracer to try and reconstruct what happened to Alicia. After scanning the room, they replay what they have captured and witness her kidnapping at the hands of Hamilton.   At the Beehive, Alicia and Hamilton begin suiting up to enter Lock 41. Inside, they push through the rocky terrain until they are held back by a flaming barrier. As Reed begins examining the footage he has captured, he notices that Hamilton was using Space Warpers and believes he can replicate the devices. While back at the Enclave, Alicia and Hamilton prepare as the creature known as Him begins to approach them.