The day the Hulk returned to Earth started just like any other day for most of the members of The Initiative. But not for Hardball. Blackmailed by a mysterious man he met in Stamford, Connecticut Hardball is forced to use his powers to infiltrate the labs of the Initiative, and steal the S.P.I.N. tech, a flood of nanites that can be used to negate super-powers. Only able to steal one vial of the tech, he barely manages to return to the barracks before The Gauntlet arrives to start the day's training. But on this day, Hardball learns the price of his actions. Because the one vial of the S.P.I.N. technology he replaced with a dud is the vial that Iron Man attempts to use to nullify the Hulk. Because of Hardball, Iron Man failed, and the Earth may pay the price.
