If you're just tuning in:

Captain Marvel prevented the invasion of Earth by the Mig-Na'cha, but in the process, Rick Jones burnt out his psionic potential and was infected with a strange virus, as revealed by the ghost of the original Captain Marvel. Genis discovered there was a cure in the Microverse, however, Rick would have to remain there until the treatment was complete. Rick managed to share one last (steamy) moment with his wife, Marlo before venturing to Padcros.

The Microverse, the Padcros System

Rick Jones finds himself amidst a technological wonderland. Buildings reach for the stars and beyond. He's only been here for a few minutes and feels overwhelmed with curiosity. The technology is almost intimidating. Rick stares across the mile-wide street and sees various Padcrosian citizens participating in a street fight, only they are using duelling holograms to see which is the more advanced.

"Whoa, these people are nerds," Rick mutters.

Rick smiles at the fact that the sidewalk lights up as someone steps on it. He looks at his own feet while walking.

"You've been hit by, you've been struck by a smooth criminal! Da da, dada da da, dadadada, dadadada, da," Rick sings quietly to himself. He bumps into a Padcros native. Rick notices the strange creature's look.

Pale purple skin, yellow follicles protruding from the chin and ear holes. No visible nose. The clothing is something out of a Star Wars film.

The creature's eyes light up with excitement. "Ugalalan huma Ric-Jone?"

Rick recognizes his name in the alien language, somewhat. "Uh, yeah, that's me." He slides the strap of his duffle bag back onto a more stable position on his shoulder.

"Huj gamina," the alien says, pressing its finger on Rick's forehead. "There, I've implanted a chip in your cerebral cortex that will enable you to interpret any language."

Rick screams, "Oh my God!"

"What? Did I disturb you, my friend? Are you not the friend of Genis-Vell?"

"No, your translated voice sounds exactly like Adam Sandler! Hilarious! Sing the Lunch Lady Song!"

"I am not sure I know that particular rhythmic tune," the alien says. "However, I am called Zang. My father is the doctor that will treat you. I have a younger brother and sister named Rohk and Khru, respectively."

Rick smiles, "Can't wait to meet them."

Zang puts a hand on Rick's shoulder. "First, we must decontaminate you."

"Why--?" Rick asks as he is grabbed suddenly into a telephone booth-like device, stripping him naked and spraying him with a sulfur-smelling gas. He coughs, "Can't you just kill the bacteria with vitamin C or something?"

The machine digitally forms Padcrosian fashions on Rick's body before releasing him back to Zang.

"Feel refreshed, Friend of Genis-Vell?" he asks.

"Just call me Rick," Jones says as he examines his new threads.

Zang smiles, "Fair enough, Justcallmerick."

Rick glares. "Blah...close enough."

Zang approaches the curb, sticking out his thumb. "Transport!!!"

Suddenly, a neon vehicle screeches to a halt, just moments after it was called for. Zang opens the door, motioning for Rick to get in. Rick sits down, sliding to the other side, allowing Zang to get in as well.

"Bloph Port 5, and apply pressure to this vehicle's inadequate accelerator, please," Zang commands the driver.

"You guys are polite to your taxi drivers," Rick observes. The Padcrosian "taxi" driver turns around, revealing a grotesque purple alien. Rick's jaw drops, "But your taxi drivers seem to share the same bathing habits as ours..."

The neon hovercraft blasts through the city at speeds incomprehensible to Rick. Within five seconds, they have arrived. Zang gets out first, Rick second. Zang leans in the passenger window, paying the driver.

"That will be 5,000,000 flory-gazas," the driver informs.

Zang's cheeks turn red in a fury, "Five-million?!?! Son of a gulpod!" He reluctantly swipes a credit card of sorts into a scanner, paying the faire.

Zang turns back to Rick as the "taxi" speeds away, "This is Bloph Port 5, home to my father, Professor Bloph."

Rick nods, looking at the fountains and neon lighting, as well as the alien-looking plants. "It's nice." Rick fumbles through his duffle bag, grabbing a camera. "Zang, be a pal and get a picture of me in front of the building. My wife's gonna love this."

Zang takes the primitive (from his perspective, anyway) device from Rick. "Oh, all right, Justcallmerick. Ah, I've studied these ancient image-burning devices! How does it function, exactly?"

Rick, while standing in front of the doorway, shouts out, "Just wind the little thingy and wait for the little green light to come on. Then look through the lens and press the button on top. Make sure the flash is off, there's enough light in this city to make Vegas pee its pants."

Zang has a confused look on his face, not fully understanding Rick's terminology. "Uh," he mutters to himself. "Okay...wind the thingy...green light...look through lens...press the button..."

*EXPLODE*

Rick's smile fades, "Whoa! What happened, Zang?"

Zang, his face blackened, grumbles, "Perhaps we can get your wife another momento from Padcros..."

Rick shrugs, "All right, no problemo."

Marlo sighs as she plays with her microwave dinner, orange glazed chicken with rice. Yeah, it sounds pretty sick. Those wacky celebrities, I tells ya.

"You alright, Mar?" Lorraine asks. "You look like me...meaning dead. You gotta throw up?"

"I'm not bulimic...," Marlo moans.

"Well, you still don't look so good. Maybe you should lie down?"

"I'm fine," Marlo says, gripping her stomach, feeling queasy. She stands up, and then sits back down on the kitchen stool. Suddenly, the sick feeling is gone. Marlo gets a confused look on her face. "Alright...now I have to pee."

Lorraine rubs her chin, "Oh God...you're not--?"

"No!" Marlo shouts. She calms down, "I mean...no. Rick and I are always careful. We like kids, it's just...if we had kids...they'd be seriously messed up. There's no telling what the radiation of being with the Hulk could have done to our DNA...or the fact Rick used to have the potential of Franklin Richards-level powers."

"So, you don't want your kid to be a mutie, is that it?" Lorraine asks.

Marlo bites her lip, "I didn't say that. Most of my friends are mutants."

"No they're not."

Marlo sighs, "Well, if my friends were mutants, I wouldn't care. This is LA, we've got open minds."

"Whatever. Hey, didn't you have to pee?"

"I don't have to anymore...now I feel bloated."

Lorraine arches her eyebrow, "I think you better...y'know...take the test. Just to make sure."

"The test? Y'mean that show on FX?"

"No. The. Test."

"IQ test?"

"..."

"What test?!"

"THE PREGNANCY TEST, YOU IDIOT!"

Marlo starts crying. Lorraine rolls her eyes, "Look, I'm sorry--"

"It's not that," Marlo squeals between sobs, "I think there's like oestrogen behind my eyes or something...it stings...and I have a strange craving for...fajitas..."

Lorraine crosses her arms, "Just take the test first."

"But I have to pee again..."

"Good, you can pee in a cup and dip the stick thingy in."

"I can't pee in a cup, I'm...I can't aim it."

Lorraine's eyes shift, "Right...I was just...making sure you didn't become all weird when you were revived from the dead."

Marlo pauses, "My eye colour changed slightly."

"Really? That's...kinda cool, actually."

Marlo darts for the bathroom and slams the door. Lorraine passes through the door as Marlo sits on the toilet. "Hey! I need some privacy!"

Lorraine lights a cigarette. "Chill out, I'm not Ted Bundy..."

"Well, do you have to watch me pee? I...I have stage fright. Go away."

"You have stage fright? You, the former star of Planet Boobula 33?"

Marlo starts crying again, "Why does everyone yell at me...?"

"Oh God...you better be pregnant, or I'd have to smack you for being such a wuss."

Marlo stands up, pulls up her pants and flushes the toilet. "Aw, sonofa!"

"Hope you can afford a nanny. If it were up to you and Rick raising that kid, it would die in a week inside its cage."

"Shut up, at least I have a kid!"

Lorraine's wicked smirk disappears. She sits on the edge of the bathtub. "I...had a kid once, actually."

"Oh...I'm sorry, Lor, I didn't--"

"No," Lorraine chuckles, trying to fight tears, "it miscarried. I guess it didn't matter, I mean, I would have been a single mom living on B-movie salaries. It wouldn't last long. I wasn't that beautiful when I was alive, anyway."

Marlo sits beside her ghastly friend, "Lorraine, you are beautiful. Don't tell yourself anything different."

"Ever wonder why I was killed and not you?"

"I...I don't know, Lorraine. He was crazy, that director. He wanted to manifest Wendigo, and...well, I'm not sure."

"It's because I was ugly. I had nothing to offer the movie business, or the world..."

"You're having a post-life, mid-death crisis, Lorraine. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Lorraine sighs, blowing smoke out of her mouth. She passes through the bathroom wall, leaving Marlo alone.

Rick walks up to Professor Bloph, who looks like an aged Zang. Rick stares around the massive lab area. It was big enough to fit six football fields, at least. Rick holds out his hand, "Hi, you must be Professor Bloph. I'm Rick Jones, Genis-Vell's friend."

Bloph smiles cordially, "Why, yes. You may call me Bloph if you desire, Rick."

Zang slips in, whispering into his father's ear, "He likes to be called Justcallmerick..."

Bloph glares at his half-witted son. "I'll be sure to oblige."

Zang makes a gesture with his middle finger. Rick's eyes bulge. "Whoa, Zang! Buddy, he's your dad!"

Zang seems startled. "What? I was giving him the middle finger's up. It's a common way of approving of something here on Padcros."

Rick whistles. "Sorry, it's just that my people usually use their thumbs for that."

Both Bloph and Zang's eyes bulge, "Good Universal-Creator! That's considered evil here!"

Rick becomes discouraged, "So when that taxi driver gave me the thumbs up...? Aw man...what a jackass!"

Bloph puts a hand on Rick's shoulder. "I am sorry for that. However, we must begin your treatment. Genis-Vell described the virus was infected upon you by another race of sentient beings?"

Rick nods, "Yeah. Man-sized bugs. Called themselves the Mig-Na'cha. Tried to take over my world."

"I assume they failed?" Bloph asks.

Rick smiles widely, "Yep. Genis had a little run-in with a giant who was terrorizing the Lohupians, but he managed to save them and Los Angeles."

Bloph rubs his chin, "Ah, good to hear. Well, let us begin with the procedure."

"Anything you want me to do, father?" Zang asks.

"Yes. Um...stay as far away as possible from the lab," Bloph responds.

"Can my siblings and I save the world?" Zang asks.

"Yes, just stay out of the lab. Your mother wants you all home by dinner this time!" Bloph shouts as Zang skips out of the lab in joy.

As the door shuts, Rick peers at Bloph. "Save the world?"

Bloph presses a button on a console, opening a hatch, which reveals an array of different instruments. "Yes, my children -- Zang, Rohk, and Khru -- are the Tremendous Troika. They idolize the Micronauts, so I built them battle suits to fight evil in. I was originally planning to be the fourth member, so we could call ourselves the Fantastic Four."

Rick smiles, "Cool name."

Bloph sighs, "But anyway..."

A table forms under Rick. He falls flat on his back. His digital clothing is turned off, leaving him naked. "What is with you aliens and nudity? This is the second time in two months I've been stripped down by something inhuman."

Bloph holds a large needle in his hand. "This might sting a bit..."

As the sharp needle pierces Rick's left arm, he feels a burning sensation he's never felt before. He grits his teeth. Restraints extend from the lab table, pinning him to it. Rick rustles around, screaming, as his chest seems to be experiencing the worst case of heartburn ever.

Suddenly, the pain is gone. Rick stares off into space at the massive ceiling of Professor Bloph's lab. The restraints retract.

"You may sit up if you wish," Bloph says as he turns Rick's digital clothes back on.

Rick sits up as he's told. He feels something strange around his wrists. He feels...wrong. "My nega-bands! What happened to my nega-bands!?! Those are my ticket out of this crazy universe!"

Bloph folds his arms, "I am sorry, Rick. Genis told you I knew how to cure your virus, but even he did not know what was to be done. I had to separate your molecular bond."

"Genis?" Rick shouts, hoping his half-Kree friend will hear him.

"I'm sorry," Bloph says. "You'll need to receive a new injection every 24 hours to burn the virus out of you."

Rick remains on the exam table as Bloph retreats back to his quarters.

"Rick?" Genis asks again, for the 20th time.

Marlo looks at Captain Marvel, who has his cosmic awareness turned off, with worry in her eyes.

"That's it," Genis says as he raises his nega-bands, "I'm bringing him back!"

*KLANG*

Genis opens his eyes one at a time to realize he didn't trade places with Rick. Genis sighs, "I guess Professor Bloph really meant it when he said Rick had to stay there for awhile."

Tears stream down Marlo's cheeks. "Is he dead?"

"No," Genis says. "I trust Bloph. He's a good doctor."

Marlo grips her stomach when she hears the d-word. She made an appointment a few hours ago at Los Angeles General to get an official announcement if she was pregnant with Rick's child or not. The home test was positive, but those things are what? Only 99% accurate? Pft!

Marlo hugs Genis tight. Between sniffles, she says, "If Rick isn't home in like...nine months...promise you'll take care of me."

Genis strokes Marlo's hair, "He's fine -- NINE MONTHS!?!?!"

Marlo smiles slightly.

"That's all you're giving him? Nine months? I thought humans stayed married for life. Sorry, Marlo, I'm not a home-wrecker."

"No, you don't understand," Marlo giggles.

"No. I've made my decision. Regardless of our true feelings, I think we should see other people."

"We were never going out, you dork."

Captain Marvel glares at the redhead. He motions towards the window of the Jones-Chandler apartment. "I better...uh...go fly and...do good stuff."

"Genis, wait--"

*WHOOSH*

Marlo sighs, shutting the window. Lorraine is hovering to her side. "What an idiot."

Marlo smiles, "He's an alien. Besides, he knows pretty much everything about humans. More so than most aliens...I think."

"Except he fails to correlate nine months and pregnancy?"

"True..."

"So, you think Rick's gonna come back?"

Marlo pauses. "I hope so."

"So...what're you gonna name it?"

"If it's a boy, I'm leaning towards Ezekiel or Jonas. If it's a girl, Marsha or Rupam."

"Rupam? The hell's that?"

"It's like Rupaul...except Rupam."

"...I think you should get Rick's input before you give your kid an official permanent kick-me sign."

NEXT ISSUE: Marlo finishes her work on the Monster Books and meets up with her upcoming co-stars of her new Miramax film (title in the works), Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, and Jim Carrey. Oh yeah, and Genis flies around saving the world. No big. And: IS MARLO PREGGERS?