The Gift Of Death Continued from last issue... Crashing their hovercraft into the Man-Thing, F. A. Schist and Hargood Wickham find themselves stranded in the swamps. However they follow the Man-Thing into the La Hacienda, and learn that it is the location of the Fountain of Youth. The Man-Thing however, is taken back in by Lorena and the Capitan.
The two take the Man-Thing to the Fathers, who agree to allow them to find a way to restore the Man-Thing to a normal human. They devise a process to filter out the swamp-muck that comprises the base of the Man-Thing's bulk, while infusing the body with waters from the Fountain, causing the Man-Thing to slowly change back into a human. They are confronted by Schist and Wickham who offer them a business proposal. However, the Man-Thing breaks free and tries to attack them, causing Wickham to flee in fear and seemingly plummet to his death.
Calming the Man-Thing, Lorena and the Capitan take Schist to see the Fathers, the Father's appear interested in Schist's plans to market and sell the water from the Fountain of Youth. They agree to give Schist a bottle of the water in good faith, however when Schist drinks the water he becomes a withered creature just like the Fathers. The Fathers tell Schist that his own greed caused him to do the same thing they did many life-times ago: Drink the waters from the Fountain, instead of bathing in them.
Enraged, Schist takes Lorena his prisoner, prompting the Man-Thing to defender her. However, it's partially human form is not as strong as it used to be and has lost the power to burn things that fear at touch. However, during the fight, Schist knocks the Man-Thing into the globe which was holding the muck that was being siphoned from the Man-Thing's body. Contact with this muck causes the Man-Thing to be restored to it's former appearance and abilities. Now fearful of the restored Man-Thing, Schist is incinerated when the Man-Thing touches him. With all those who know the secret of La Hacienda seemingly destroyed, the Fathers allow the Man-Thing to leave and return to the swamps from which it came.
