The allure of the royal jelly was too much for Jan and Jessica. Watching Jennifer gulp down the creamy stuff was making them hungry, too. They joined her around the cauldronlike vessel and began to suck down the delicious slime. The room was filled with the sounds of smacking lips, groans of pleasure and slurps of jelly off of fingers.
The three women soon ate their fill, and laid down together on the spongy floor, cuddling together and stroking each other's bodies. Their bellies were full, softly pressing between them as a gentle reminder of their awesome fertility.
Jennifer basked in the newfound hum of ecstasy that filled her, closing her eyes and simply enjoying the loving closeness she found with her friends... but they were closer than friends now. Almost sisters... almost.
Wasp touched She-Hulk's face with her antenna, sensing her friend's emotions through her bioelectric field. She smiled at the blissful sensation, but something still troubled her. Jennifer had eaten so much royal jelly, but she hadn't grown any more insectoid. It suddenly dawned on Janet: the cosmic control rod must have acted as a catalyst! They had to get it out of Annihilus's claws.
Spider-Woman chuckled as she ran her fingers over She-Hulk's broad hips and soft belly. The jade giantess giggled and flinched as the dainty claws tickled her. "Mmmm, Jen, you're so sexy," Jessica purred. "You remind me of Mantis. Remember her?"
"Do I?" Jennifer blinked and sluggishly got to her feet. She examined herself in the cracked hallway mirror. She did bear a resemblance to the onetime avenger and so-called "Celestial Madonna," except Mantis was never so zaftig as this. Jennifer's muscle tone had disappeared under the insulating bulk of a layer of fat. Her face had become rounder and her breasts lay atop her belly, which hung outward. She still looked strong, but now she'd just added more mass. "I guess I do," she said, posing to get a good look at her pillowy, heart-shaped rear. "Mantis," she mused.
The word seemed to resonate in her. Even if she wasn't showing it physiologically, she seemed to feel a deep kinship with that predatory insect. She couldn't wait to see what Annihilus was like...
***
Meanwhile, the Avengers had their hands full. They cicled the nuclear power plant in a Quinjet, surveying the carnage. Captain America switched the ship to autopilot and undid his seatbelt. He strapped on his shield and joined Tigra, Hercules, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Hawkeye in preparation.
"It looks like whatever that thing is, it's got a serious craving for isotopes," Cap said grimly. "It's already cracked open the cooling tower and it seems to be devouring the radioactive bleed-off. The plant's been evacuated, so there's no risk to any civilians."
"Alas, that they could stay and witness the titanic struggle," Hercules blustered with a grin.
"This won't be easy," Scarlet Witch said. "I sense that whatever it's using to absorb the radiation is more than just a mundane weapon."