Latest revision as of 22:03, 3 November 2024

The Adventurers is a team of costumed heroes from Millennium City. Small in number, but strong in determination and skill, they work together to keep the city safe.

Adventurers Team Roster

	The Adventurers
	The Adventurers team as of February 2024
Leader(s):	Webcrawler
Base of Operations:	Hidden inner-city HQ complex
Concept:	Classic costumed heroes & street fighters fighting gangs & organized crime.
Founded:	13 February 2014
Website:	Click Here
Members:

Primary Adventurers

Not pictured: Pathfinder

Recruits

Not pictured: N/A

Adventurers Reserve

These heroes turn up to help once in a while.

Not pictured: Martyr, Oni

Inactive Members

These heroes have gone on to be heroes in other ways!

Squads

Starting in fall of 2022, the team was subdivided into two sub-groups, each with a captain, called squads. The squad leaders (first on the left of each below) chose their teams for whatever mission types they felt they could best specialize in, and were invested with authority to make decisions as needed for their squad.

It was the hope of Webcrawler that each squad could, with their unique make-ups and leader styles, excel on adventures and missions suited to them.

Current Squads

ADVENTURERS BLUE	Blue Fox	Courser	Sombra	Windchill	Scatha 5	Tungstan	Pathfinder
ADVENTURERS RED	Rubber Bullette	Firewalker	Osprey	Mantle	Red Wren	Stinger	Azure Hawk	Power-Chord

Previous Squads

March '23 - Sept. '23

ADVENTURERS MIDNIGHT	Catfight	Sombra	Mantle	Blue Fox	Rubber Bullette
ADVENTURERS CRIMSON	Firewalker	Osprey	Power-Chord	Scatha 5	Windchill

Sept. '22 - March '23

ADVENTURERS SILVER	Courser	Sombra	Voltage	Blue Fox	Osprey
ADVENTURERS GOLD	Tungstan	Stinger	Scatha 5	Firewalker

OOC notes on squads

Squads might change up to twice per year. For their first run, they tended to run for six month periods between equinoxes (September and March), but may be suspended occasionally as leadership may deem necessary.

New captains will be chosen weeks prior to each squadding. Captains can select at least 4 other heroes to serve on their squad, with the assent of those members and the final approval by the team leader.

The purpose of squads is not to be exclusive; anyone can help out. The team as a whole may be called together regardless of squad as needed. Squads might also work together OOC to make RP stories for other team members to play in.

Story Arcs

The following is presented as summaries of the Adventurers as if it were based on an actual comic book.

Arc	Issue	Title	Story	Villain(s)
Shadow Dawn	Adventurers #427	"The Hotel of Horror"	Sombra responds with Mantle to an attack on a mechanic at his shop one evening. A trio of vampires means to slay the mechanic. They are joined by the A-Plus hero Remnant. Together, the three heroes repel the vampires. Sombra and Remnant pursue two of the fleeing vampires, while Mantle restrains one he knocked out at the garage. Mantle learns from the mechanic that the vampires are retalliating because the Mechanic has been trying to save his daughter Miranda from the vampires. Mantle relays what he has learned. Sombra and Remnant enter a run-down hotel, shrouded by Sombra's invisibility, and find within dozens of people in its lobby, calmly seated with blood flowing out of them through tubes to some central location deeper inside. A well-dressed vampire inspector is seen to check on the people in the lobby; when the two heroes reveal themselves, the people inside are frightened - of the heroes! The inspector eventually reveals that all of these people are giving their blood to the vampire willingly. The heroes are not convinced that it isn't some mind control at work, but when Miranda is brought forth, she reveals the horrible truth: these donors are all Xagrim cultists, worshipping a malevolent deity whom they believe would want the vampires to achieve victory. The cultists chant pro-Xagrim verses, confirming their alignment. Though the Adventurers defeated Xagrim utterly months before, the cultists believe he will rise again - and are buoyed by living in an era when Xagrim walked the Earth with them. The heroes decide it better to not fight the vampires in this place, reasoning that while they have a blood supply, the vampires are less likely to attack other humans. Back at the mechanic shop, the Mechanic is angry that the heroes did not rescue his daughter. Featuring: Sombra, Mantle, Remnant	Vampires; Cult of Xagrim
Shadow Dawn	Adventurers #426	"Horror Comes Home"	Seen through the eyes of the Adventurer Outsider, who is attending disguised as a school staff member, the homecoming dance at Detroit Memorial High School turns to horror when newly-elected student president - June Valet - takes the stage, orders her vampire minions to guard the exits, and declares that the student body are about to be turned to vampires. Their first feast will be on the teachers! Outsider takes to the rafters, just one man alone with no super powers... but is gratified to witness the emergence of a new super-team, the students of the A-Plus program who declare their team name as... A-Plus. While ones like Bluebird and Remnant try to protect students being preyed upon on the dance floor, others like Granite, Galvanic, and Artisan focus on trying to clear exits so students can escape the dance. Stretcherette focuses on keeping vampires off of the others with her extend-o powers. Battery dashes to the stage, using her electrical aura to prevent vampires from grabbing her on the way so that she can confront June Valet. But the effort burns out her powers and nearly leaves her vulnerable to June's attempt to grab Battery for a vamp bite; a timely intervention of Remnant prevents that. June calls for assistance, and the dark warrior known as MidKnight emerges from the shadows. His mystical lance, and his dread steed are able to do some chilling damage to the A-Plus group with shadow magic, but Stretcher uses the dance DJ's lighting grid, along with light based attacks from Bluebird and others, to diminish MidKnight and seemingly destroy him. Most of the vampires literally fade into the shadows, seeing their side's warrior vanquished. A-Plus captures June, and some other vampires are taken prisoner thereafter by PRIMUS. Outsider leaves the scene, having let the youths handle it...	Vampires; June Valet; MidKnight
Shadow Dawn	Adventurers #425	"Vampire By Day"	Catfight and Stretcherette respond to reports of a brawl out in the open, and trace some clues to an underground carpark. There, three individuals speak of a "Master" and some great plans they have for infiltration. But when it becomes clear that the trio has a hostage in the trunk of their car whom they mean to kill imminently, the heroes intervene. The foes turn out to be vampires! One of them, June Valet, is a schoolmate of Stretcherette's from Detroit Memorial High. Blue Fox joins the fight in time to save the hostage from being burned alive inside the car, after the vampires exploit some leaked fluids caused by Stretcherette's escape into the engine to set the car ablaze. Once Catfight removes the hostage's gag, she is able to utter an incantation that makes the vampires flee - though Catfight forcefully sends a thrown hammer back at one of them, and it crumbles to dust. The hostage is Adrynne, an Adventurer ally and sorceress, who reveals that she has been investigating a group of vampires who are more organized and powerful than she has typically known vampires to be - and they captured her by surrounding her in broad daylight! Adrynne warns of a battle to come, and urges Catfight to safeguard Detroit Memorial, which the "Master" has designs upon... Featuring: Catfight, Stretcherette, Blue Fox, Adrynne	Vampires; June Valet; the "Master" (mentioned only)
Vorpal's Dozen	Blue Squad #18 (Finale)	"Four Leaf Clover"	Abruptly, Vorpal manages to find the hideout being used by Biker's Dozen. It's a derelict bar in the seediest part of Westside. She calls Blue Squad, after having made herself known in their group text chat, and Wizard is also alerted. When asked how she managed to find it, Vorpal dodges the inquiry and keeps the details vague. Sombra stealthily infiltrates the building and finds an unconscious and badly injured Vyle restrained and connected to many IV's. The Bakers are harvesting his blood to manufacture a new, powerful drug, combining it with a strain of street level draysha gas, supplied to them by Grey Raccoon. The so-called 'Four Leaf Clover' drastically improves durability and strength, on top of being extremely addictive. Additionally, it turns is users red and hulking, not unlike Vyle in appearance. As planned, Wizard busts in through a window. Vorpal takes the front door, followed by Windchill. Blue Fox sneaks in to get a read on the situation. Chaos erupts, and many of the Bakers partake of Four Leaf Clover to gain an edge on the Adventurers and friends. The heroes are gradually overwhelmed and overpowered by Baker and this newly gotten power when Vorpal goes into a rage, and loses control. She sends out a powerful telekinetic, area of effect shockwave and forcibly causes a reaction in the Baker's replicator devices to 'desummon' them. One tries to slip away, but is ultimately caught by Windchill. Sombra frees Vyle, and Wizard eliminates vast traces of this new drug, and prepares the rest for evidence. After all is said and done, the police arrive, and Detective Knight meets Vorpal. They have an uneasy conversation, but manage to come to peace with one another. Vorpal leaves on good terms with Blue Squad, and insists that they call upon her should they ever need the help, but her origins and background remain an utter mystery to the team.	Baker's Dozen, Grey Raccoon [not seen]
Vorpal's Dozen	Blue Squad #17	"Raving Mad"	Blue Squad is summoned by Detective Knight to talk about a brewing gang war. "One Man Biker Gang", Baker's Dozen, is making aggressive and successful power plays for territory, striking out in particular at the Cobra Lords Biker Gang among many others. Knight explains that Baker is also searching for new drugs to manufacture in order to financially outperform his competitors. Intel suggests that a Purple Gang, or associate thereof, has access to a new designer drug that has caught Baker's interest. Knight explains that a rave being put on by the Scrappers gang of cyberpunks will likely have Purple Gangsters in attendance, and that Baker is also suspected to attend in order to make a deal for this mysterious new drug, or most likely, violently claim it. To complicate matters further, the MCPD has been on the tail of a mysterious new vigilante. They have taken to calling her 'Vorpal,' more living weapon than person. Vorpal has been feverishly harassing and delaying Baker's Dozen's progress, and their confrontations have led to excessive collateral damage, civilian injuries, and even the deaths of some Baker variants. Knight implores the team to look into the matter and see if Vorpal can be reined in, or if she needs to be apprehended. Blue Squad decides to attend the rave to try and stop this new drug from circulating, to capture Baker's Dozen, and to make contact with Vorpal. At the rave, Blue Fox and Martyr go undercover as ravers. Sombra and Windchill post up outside to try and spot Vorpal or to contain the potentially volatile situation. Vorpal arrives, and is quickly met by Windchill. He greets her diplomatically, and tries to get her to settle and join Blue Squad's efforts, at least temporarily, but she stubbornly presses on inside. Meanwhile, the club inside is riddled with Purple Gangsters, Scrappers, and eventually Baker's Dozen. An undercover Martyr makes contact with a supposedly demonic Purple Gang member during the investigation named 'Vyle Lyle,' an old foe of the Adventurers During a quiet moment, an inebriated Vyle announces that BZB, the sought-after new street drug, is manufactured using his blood, to the great disgust of all ravers, everwhere. Baker moves in to try an apprehend Vyle, and the confrontation is taken to a backroom where a number of Scrappers take offense at Baker's meddling. Despite Blue Squad's best efforts, a fight breaks out, just as Vorpal storms inside, followed by Windchill. Martyr finds himself in a three way fight between the Scrappers, Bakers, and the super strong and durable Vyle. Martyr is overloaded with painergy at the brutal onslaught. Blue Fox stays on the dance floor, battling Bakers with members of the Scrappers gang as reluctant allies. While monitoring Vorpal, Windchill is gravely injured by a shotgun blast from one of the many Bakers. In the end, Baker manages to escape with Vyle as a hostage, having overwhelmed and overpowered both Blue Squad, and the Purple Gang and Scrappers. Blue Squad makes meets with Vorpal, and they trade contact information. Later in the week, Blue Squad approaches Vorpal and agrees to work with her to take Baker down if she'll adjust her methods to being non-lethal and cooperates with the Adventurers. She agrees, and explains that she is a new vigilante and is still 'learning the ropes,' but has a great desire to take the violent criminal Baker's Dozen down for noble reasons. Or so she claims. Later, solo superhero and known gangland contender and contact of Blue Fox, Wizard, reaches out and offers to join in on the effort to bring Baker Down. Blue Squad proceeds to search the city with Vorpal and Wizard's help.	Baker's Dozen, Scrappers, Vyle Lyle
Doom and Gloom	Blue Squad #16	"Cast a Shadow"	Blue Squad, along with help from Webcrawler, Mantle, and Spectrum work together to prepare the warehouse for the trap. Isabela, now donning the Sombra costume, boldly teleports and turns invisible to lure Gloom towards the prepared trap. At first, nothing happens, until while invisible Sombra spots Gloom leaning in for a lethal strike at Webcrawler. Then, the fight begins. Gloom, with the shadow gem, is empowered with tremendous strength, reflexes, stamina, and even additional arms. It echoes its previous intentions of ruling the world after claiming Isabela's soul, promising the team quick, painless deaths if they surrender now. They decline the offer. Initially, the team suffers brutal resistance, and every time they are about to overwhelm Gloom, the villain simply teleports away to gain space before rejoining the fight. The team coordinates and spreads out around the warehouse as Sombra lures Gloom to them. With Windchill being the lookout and early warning, Mantle, Courser, Webcrawler, Blue Fox, Spectrum, and Scatha 5 all get in substantial hits, one after the other, weakening Gloom. Enraged, the shadow demon incapacitates the others, damaging the lights, before it rushes Isabela as Sombra. Sombra rises to the challenge and strikes Gloom with the enchanted sword, ripping Maya free and recombining the 'twins.' Gloom, without a host, but stuck in their dimension, transforms into a giant, transparent floating skull with burning purple eyes. It blasts the others back before swooping in to literally consume Sombra, but she she musters the last of her strength and utilizes her shadow projections to beat Gloom back and force it into the 'Ark' created by Stinger. Though ominously, even when contained and defeated, the container rattles nonstop. Captain Finnegan is relieved to have the shadow gem back in his possession and a new prisoner in the form of Gloom. The team welcomes Sombra back.	Gloom
Doom and Gloom	Blue Squad #15	"Sword and Sorcery"	Bela proposes a way to lure Gloom out into the daylight by removing the cracked shadow gem (see: Ruin Gate) from the Athena Compound. Blue Fox contacts Captain Finnegan and proposes to have the Shadow Gem moved, as if it were being transferred elsewhere, and Captain Finnegan reluctantly agrees. Additionally, there is a strong chance that Foresight, the wizard who originally split Sombra into two parts of her personality and person, will be lured by the opportunity to steal the vaunted shadow gem. The plan goes off. Initially accosted by Foresight's illusions, Blue Squad manages to make contact with him. Windchill provides the villain with cash in exchange for his assistance in defeating Gloom and saving Maya. Gloom arrives, and summons a massive shadow army. The team is beaten badly, and is unable to prevent Gloom from taking the Shadow Gem for itself, more than tripling its size and power, before it disappears to continue the hunt for the last puzzle piece, Maya. Captain Finnegan is unamused. Foresight provides the team with an enchanted sword to reverse the 'split' done to Sombra in order to yank her free from Gloom's grasp before leaving Blue Squad with his actual business card. Blue Fox contacts ADA Duane Steel and arranges to have an empty, seize warehouse freed, the same warehouse once used as a temporary home for Creature (see: Overseer). Stinger helps the team fabricate lights to prevent shadows within the warehouse to deny Gloom use of its shadow army, and Blue Squad plans to lure the supervillain there by using Isabela to forcefully combine the twins and trap Gloom's raw, untethered essence in a highly advanced box also generated by Stinger.	Gloom, Foresight
Doom and Gloom	Blue Squad #14	"Shadow Over, In Mouth"	A boom rings out in City Center as one of TNT's many hidden weapon caches detonates. (see: Afterburn) While responding to the fire, Sombra is attacked and waylaid by Gloom, her nemesis. The interdimensional shadow monster was lured to her by the utilization of the shadow gem (see: Ruin Gate) and regenerated from the peripheral power generated by it. Despite initially defeating the villain and dispersing its essence in the mysterious shadow realm she utilizes when ever she uses her powers, Sombra is overwhelmed by its power due to her being split into two. While Sombra's exhausted from resisting, it climbs into her mouth and takes possession of her body just in time for Blue Squad, including Osprey, Firewalker, and Webcrawler to witness the event. They attempt to intervene, but possessed Sombra, or Gloom, thrashes the entire accompaniment without breaking a sweat and makes an escape to reportedly look for Isabela, or the 'other,' Maya's other half. The villain also proclaims to be a queen and desires to plunge the world into a lightless void to rule over it unimpeded by any bonds or shackles. Distraught, the team agrees to spread out and search for Gloom while forbidding Isabela from using her powers, as they suspect it will lure the strange foe straight towards her.	Gloom
Ruin Gate	Blue Squad #13	"Banishment"	After days of fruitless searching, the team is contacted by Chirper. Reporting another invasion of a potential hideout, Chirper leads the team to a strange mausoleum magically imposed over a section of the city's sewer system, exaplaining the the strange subterranean rumblings (see: Blue Squad #10). Blue Fox, Martyr, Sombra, Courser, and Windchill arrive on the scene, unexpectedly joined by Scatha 5! His mysterious project is revealed to have been a repurposed, previously hostile combat robot with heavy weapons, a welcome addition to the fight. Together, they find War Boar in the midst of summoning and maintaining his Ruin Gate underneath the city. Following Woodsman's advice, Blue Squad utilizes War Boar's artifacts laid out around them while Scatha 5 and Martyr take the brunt of the villain's attacks and attentions. Blue Fox takes up a potion, Sombra grabs the shadow gem, Courser takes up the stolen viking gauntlets, and Windchill places the crown atop his head. Combining their efforts, they manage to defeat War Boar and shatter the spell binding the Ruin Gate to Earth, saving it from porcine invasion. As a result, the potion shatters, an entity exits Windchill's crown and disappears with it, the shadow gem cracks (though it retains its power), and the viking gauntlets fall silent while also similarly retaining their innate magical powers. The day is saved.	War Boar
Ruin Gate	Blue Squad #12	"Pig Escapes Pen"	In containment, War Boar generates an unidentified magical force moments before he hacks up a swallowed object: the Shadow Gem. War Boar uses the innate magic held within the device to escape his containment, after which he goes on a rampage and storms into Athena artifact containment. Utilizing his re-acquired staff, and the crown artifact the team previously managed to keep from acquiring during one of his first appearances. War Boar then freezes the entrance of the Athena Compound shut before summoning minions and monsters to aid his assault. War Boar wreaks as much damage as possible as members of both Blue Squad and Red Squad are called in to respond by Captain Finnegan. Aided by PRIMUS, MARS, and the MCPD, the heroes storm inside only to find a veritable army awaiting them. War Boar surprises the team by giving them a threat in his newly mastered English. He escapes, and seems to have all he needs for his master plan. In the chaos, Absolver manages to cling to Firewalker, and a mysterious gem being called 'Guardian' is also set free, but he's negotiated with by Blue Fox. Later that week, Detective Knight arranges a meeting between the Adventurers and Woodsman on the Westside precinct roof. 'Woodsman' itself is a title from his home world, similar to being a superhero. He has stepped forward to become the de facto leader of his people, now rendered refugees by War Boar's invasion of their world. Woodsman explains that War Boar invaded it with his pig army as he is now doing to earth. Similarly, War Boar gathered artifacts on Woodsman's world, and eventually generated enough power to bring the entirety of his forces through, conducting genocide against Woodsman's people. The team, invigorated with new motivation, agree to track down War Boar and plan to trap the villain on Woodsman's ruined world to spare Earth from suffering the same fate. Woodsman advises Blue Squad that to deactivate War Boar's 'Ruin Gate' portal, they will need to utilize the artifacts the super villain has stolen. As for the finale...	War Boar; Absolver; Guardian
Blue Squad vs Red Squad	Dodgeball #1	"The Shootout"	With War Boar and TNT imprisoned, Sombra acts on an idea she's had to run a grand, competitive dodgeball event for charity. She gets in touch with the Northside Children's hospital and organizes a dodgeball cage match at a local arena with Blue Squad facing off against Red Squad. Fans buy blue or red tickets to enter the raffle and place a bet on the victors with copious amounts of refreshments provided for by sponsors, with all proceeds going to the hospital's foundation. Scatha 5 manages to participate due to the low impact nature of the sport. Red Squad defeats Blue Squad during the first round, but Blue Squad rallies and gets a victory in round two. Round three is an intense display of superheroic powers, but it comes down to Stinger and Sombra facing off, both of whom simultaneously eliminate the other. In a surprise twist, two members of each raffle were selected, one of whom was a young superfan of the Adventurers named TJ Haws. Later, Blue Fox, Webcrawler, Sombra, Courser, and Spectrum meet with TJ Haws near city hall to spend a day with him. Upon learning about his somewhat troubled homelife, the Adventurers provide TJ with good examples to look up to, and demonstrate their powers with him. Inspired by the meeting, TJ returns home with Sombra. She personally meets his mother and younger daughter, having dinner with the family, spreading hope and morale.	[None]
Ruin Gate	Blue Squad #11	"Detainment and Visitation"	War Boar suddenly resurfaces and launches a bloody attack on the MCU's campus, aided by an army of smaller humanoid pig men, killing twenty four people and injuring dozens. He specifically targets an artifact on the grounds in the custody of a seemingly harmless off-campus cult called "The Calamity Wake" and massacres them, though the cultists were not aware of how powerful the object in their possession was. Martyr, Blue Fox, Courser, Sombra, and Windchill intervene, and after another desperate battle manage to subdue the War Boar, though the artifacts the villain stole thus far remain unaccounted for. Scatha 5 has second thoughts about letting his squadmates rush into danger while he stays behind, despite his damaged state, and Martyr suspects that War Boar went down too easily with some hidden purpose. War Boar is taken to the "Athena Compound," a PRIMUS facility for the containment of mysterious objects and personages, such as the symbiote 'Absolver' (see: Overseer), run by one Captain Finnegan. Members of the entire team visit War Boar and perform an interrogation, but get little more than spiteful taunts and threats from the supervillain before War Boar seemingly attempts to escape, testing the strengths of his bindings within his cell before the team leaves. The team theorizes that War Boar may or may not be from the same dimension as the mysterious 'medieval refugees' led by Woodsman. Meanwhile, Scatha 5 notices that his auto repair function is more sluggish than usual, and asks Blue Fox to deliver him copious amounts of scrap and metal to hasten the 'healing' progress and to continue a hidden project the robot companion has taken on.	War Boar; Absolver
Ruin Gate	Blue Squad #10	"War Boar Returns"	The indomitable and unexplained otherworldy invader War Boar returns to Millennium City and attacks the Clauswitz Museum of Artifacts, his target this time being a pair of gauntlets owned by 'Ragnar Lodbrok,' an ancient king of viking legend. The gauntlets are confirmed to have electrical capabilities in the hands of those who know how to use them. Additionally, War Boar carries a mysterious black 'shadow gem.' Blue Squad members Blue Fox, Courser, Sombra, Martyr, and new team member Spectrum rush to the museum and do battle with the porcine pillager. War Boar notably uses the shadow gem to wrestle against Sombra's shadow projections, and gives a substantial beating to Blue Squad members before he makes his escape via portal. Scatha 5, still tremendously damaged from the final fight with TNT, stays at the base to keep records and perform investigation and theorization on War Boar's next move. Later that week, Detective Knight Blue Squad and informs them that sightings of the supervillain 'Creature' have been called in from an apartment in Westside above one of Creature's old, abandoned lairs. Blue Squad is joined by Webcrawler and Firewalker as they investigate. As it happens, the sighting is incorrect, and the Adventurers stumble upon a known contact named Chirper, a sentient creature of unknown origin that has a friendly if overly-curious demeanor. Chirper informs the team, and Detective Knight, that his home was flooded, and notably reports strange subterranean tremors in his wandering throughout the city, subtle enough to avoid detection on the surface. Afterward, Chirper agrees to follow Detective Knight to the precinct to organize formal citizenship and registration in a dumpster converted into a vehicle.	War Boar; Chirper
Imaginata Vindicta	Adventurers #400	"West Texas Showdown"	With the Adventurers Squads attending to other important matters, a strike team of Blue Fox, Sombra, Firewalker, Courser, Scatha 5, and Osprey sets out to rural West Texas to confront Facet and rescue Webcrawler. At the server farm, they battle Facet who, becoming desperate, turns big using the MRM suit, and also shapes his limbs into spikes or flails at times. Blue Fox infiltrates the building and tries to persuade Daemon that it is being used, and could be repurposed to a good purpose. He is unsuccessful at persuading Daemon, and it corrupts the entire server farm, overcoming the restrictions Facet had placed on it. While Daemon then takes over the MRM suit and presents its "real world" appearance with Facet trapped inside, Blue Fox enters cyberspace and sets Webcrawler free - much easier with Daemon having vacated its cyber domain to inhabit the MRM suit. Then, rather than exit with Webcrawler, Blue Fox tries to follow a cyber trail into the MRM suit as Daemon did, and confront it there. As the team faces off against a five storey tall version of Daemon, Sombra agonizes over whether it is time to apply Kyra's insta-kill solution on the MRM suit. In the real world, Webcrawler joins the fight as Firewalker roasts Daemon, and Osprey and Courser cooperate to pull him to the ground. Inside the MRM suit's cyberspace, Daemon - facing defeat - indicates it will not surrender, but attempt to take its enemies with it. It sets the MRM suit to overload. Firewalker senses the building heat. Scatha 5 moves in close to bulwark against further limb attacks from Daemon, while Courser tries to use her new electrical powers to try to regulate the electrical flow. Scatha 5 pierces the MRM suit's energy cell. Inside cyberspace, Blue Fox realizes he has no way out, but then Webcrawler pops in using her Web-blink device, and retrieves him before the system wipes, and Daemon is no more. Sombra is relieved she didn't have to use the solution, but it is unclear if the MRM suit can be repaired after the battle damage it sustained. With Webcrawler rescued, Daemon destroyed, and a living but wounded Templeton inside the disabled MRM suit, the team has a victory.	Facet; Daemon
Imaginata Vindicta	Adventurers #399	"Villain Night"	Blue Fox, Osprey, and Martyr investigate just who built Webcrawler's gear, in hopes he might have some insight into what happened to her. They track down retired aerospace engineer Ray DeCosta, who welcomes them into his garage workshop in the suburbs when they arrive. He confirms that he had been trying to help Webcrawler pin down the troubles with the Web-blink device, which he built for her. He was able to provide insight into the device's workings - and where to look for her: Web-blink encryption wasn't meant to have her linger in one place, and it would take a server farm or supercomputer setup to contain her in that state. They should seek a place drawing a great deal of electricity. Unable to narrow it down in a world with an increasing number of server farms, Ray suggests they use human intelligence to find the answer - to which Osprey already has a plan. Osprey attends a secret pub 'villain night', and tracks Ms. Direction from it. Confronting her, Osprey offers info on a score against a rich, evil company, in exchange for information on Templeton's whereabouts. Templeton is running a server farm in West Texas. Courser finds she has at least some of Webcrawler's powers in the real world now, but also an additional power for electrical control that neither she nor Webcrwaler have previously had! In preparation for a confrontation, Kyra Sparks (Replica) reveals she was hiding that USB drive that used to be housed in the MRM suit, which is probably what Facet (Templeton) was looking for when he tossed her place. Using that, she finds instructions for a chemical compound that, splashed on the MRM suit, will permanently destroy the nanomachines that allow it to change shape and self-repair. The team nevertheless hopes to somehow retrieve the MRM suit intact so that Kyra can continue being Replica.	Facet [not seen]; Daemon [not seen]; Ms. Direction
Imaginata Vindicta	Adventurers #398	"Courser Correction"	Daemon extracts code from an apparently static and un-reacting Webcrawler, and experiments by seeing if it can be added to Courser. Courser gains at least some of Webcrawler's powers, and is made to demonstrate them in simulations designed by Daemon. With Courser's success, Daemon reveals this is part of a plan it has developed on its own to see if modification in cyberspace can effect the real world, in hopes that it may expand its dominion. It strips the Webcrawler code from Courser after she completes the tests. In the real world, the team follows other leads. Osprey's ruse of a major museum donation incoming draws the attention of a variety of suspicious characters, meaning to hopefully attract Ms. Direction: the super crook who apparently deployed the logic bomb that corrupted Webcrawler's gear and allowed her to be abducted. But it's the Webcrawler enemy Envy attempting to steal something from an unfinished exhibit who provides a clue to Ms. Direction's whereabouts: she likes to attend a secret get-together with other local supercrooks. Osprey checks other sources to find the location of the next get-together. Courser manages to argue logic with Daemon enough to have the AI contemplate its place in the world, and how it was ultimately just Facet's servant, hoping to turn the AI against him. Daemon is caught in a logic loop that it pauses to try to resolve. She uses the distraction to free herself of the cyberspace restrictions upon her, and communicate with Webcrawler. Webcrawler - who can be spoken to while there is direct contact with another entity in cyberspace - tells Courser to copy the code representing Web's powers into herself, and use it flee. Daemon eventually concludes due to Courser's reasoning that as both cyberspace and real world are a threat to it, it must have dominion over both - not the outcome she intended! Courser emerges from cyberspace into Facet's basement lab just as the Adventurers are following up on Kyra's call for help. Daemon starts to wipe the computers and fries the portal machine. Blue Fox is able to secure a hard drive before it is totally erased.	Facet [not seen]; Daemon
Imaginata Vindicta	Adventurers #397	"Daemon's Domain"	Once is has become clear that Webcrawler and Replica are missing, Adventurers Blue - distracted by matters of mass destruction - mostly continues on TNT's trail while individual Adventurers pursue leads. Sarah Ellison and Courser check the Olsen home for evidence, and later consult with the Adventurers Computer, personified by Mr. Adventure's hologram, to learn more about how the Websights systems may have been compromised. Sombra - who also was helping at the Olsen home while Cassandra was missing - also visited Kyra's home, and found the place had been tossed, the computer had a hard drive removed, and someone had been searching the computer for things like 'SBE,' 'Facet,' and 'Templeton.' Sarah Ellison and Courser learn that Webcrawler's newer devices - the Websights eyewear and her Web-blink short range teleporter - have been corrupted by malicious code. Checking the logs, they realize that it was in a confrontation with Ms. Direction, when a logic bomb was deployed against Webcrawler to aid the super thief's escape, that Webcrawler started having problems with her devices that culminated in her apparent abduction. Using an address on Reggie Templeton, known to be the mad scientist and criminal who had designed Replica's MRM suit while working for Source Biotech Enterprises, Courser goes to a dank basement in Jersey City where she finds Kyra, tied to a chair and wasting away. Kyra is told to run for her life and get help, while Courser uses a portal machine built by Templeton to enter cyberspace in hopes of rescuing Webcrawler from Templeton's insidious AI named Daemon. Daemon is far too powerful in his own domain, however, and traps Courser there along with Webcrawler.	Facet [not seen]; Daemon
Afterburn	Blue Squad #9'"	"Why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit"	Blue Squad spends days scouring Black Badger's tunnel system looking for TNT to no avail, only to have TNT send a video in to the news, showcasing his improvised nuclear bomb, threatening to detonate it within the hour to spread chaos and fear. Blue Squad finally narrows his down his location and rush in to intervene. TNT is held up in a cavern dug so deep that there's active magma flowing through it, and here they find TNT's chief hideout. TNT has spliced technology provided by Reisen (see: Red Squad) onto his body to further stall Blue Squad's attempt to foil him. After fighting through his last henchmen, Blue Squad enters the cave and engages TNT in an intense battle. Scatha 5 sacrifices his body to take out TNT's plasmagun. Martyr put himself at great risk to take on as much painergy as possible to counter TNT, making the villain laugh, stunning him with the overwhelming sensation and distracting him. The rest of Blue Squad keeps the villain busy as Courser hacks into the computerized bomb and stops it four seconds before detonation. TNT gloats, even while seemingly defeated, and produces a last minute hair trigger switch to detonate the bomb before Sombra hastily stops him with a shadow projection. With the threat over, Blue Squad takes TNT to the surface, where Martyr hands him over to Detective Knight and the MCPD. A deal is struck between Landon and Detective Knight, representing the MCPD, to have TNT serve out his time at the Joseph and Florence Rehabilitation Center, a decision the public finds controversial. There are protests outside of the premises. Later on, Detective Knight summons all of the Adventurers, both Red Squad and Blue Squad to the Westside precinct rooftop. She informs them of a group of refugees dressed like medieval people, led by the mysterious Woodsman. Though seemingly friendly, she asks Blue Squad to keep an eye on these strangers.	TNT, Dr. Friedrich von Reisen [not seen]
Imaginata Vindicta/Afterburn	Adventurers #396/ Blue Squad #8	"Dick Dwight Face-Off"	Adventurers cross-over! In a bid to draw out the Black Badger, who may have a lead to the villainous TNT who has been troubling the Adventurers Blue Squad of late, the team comes up with a plan to use one of their harshest critics - blowhard TV editorialist Dick Dwight - in a ruse. Blue Fox promises to attend the program and debate Dwight live, and even unmask before the cameras, to which Dick Dwight agrees. However, after a spirited debate, the face under the mask turns out to be... Dick Dwight's! It was Replica all along. But Black Badger, who hates Blue Fox, turns up at the well-publicized debate location to exact his revenge. A battle begins that involves all of the bad guys! While the team battles Black Badger, Webcrawler - who uses her web-blink power to try to quickly extract Replica - vanishes with Replica in tow. Courser plays an instrumental role, hacking into a periodically deactivating Black Badger's suit. After defeating Black Badger, AKA Raphael Moltisanti, he is sent to prison and refuses to talk. Landon Bellerose, AKA Windchill, meets with "Big Ralph" in prison and proposes that if Ralph offers up any information he has about TNT's whereabouts, he would be transferred to the Joseph and Florence Rehabilitation Center. At last, Raphael agrees and tells Landon and the MCPD to access his suit's hidden tunnel records to have a subterranean map of where TNT and his minions might be hiding.	Black Badger; Dick Dwight; Facet [not seen]; Daemon [not seen]; TNT [not seen]
Afterburn	Blue Squad #7	"Bank Busting"	TNT and his minions break into a bank. They take hostages and open the vaults merely to torch the money in an act to generate terror and spread fear, and for the sake of the fun in it. Blue Squad arrives on the scene, composed of Sombra, Courser, Scatha 5, Windchill, and Blue Fox. They are also joined by long-time team member, Tungsten, and newcomer, Martyr. Martyr rises to the occasion given the extreme circumstances. The team coordinates and surrounds the bank under Windchill’s storm cover, getting into position to draw the fire of TNT’s as Sombra sneaks inside to begin rescuing hostages. The team whittles away at TNT’s substantial forces, and manages to make it inside of the bank after Sombra finishes freeing the hostages. TNT reveals that he is covered in actual T-n-T, the explosive, and taunts the team before he severs his hand with a gunshot and lets it drop into a water main pipe to facilitate his escape and regeneration elsewhere. He detonates the bombs strapped to himself, and buries Tungstan, Scatha 5, Martyr, and Blue Fox alive, while also punishing them with extreme and grievous injuries with a combination of the explosive and the plasma weapons utilized thanks to von Reisen [see Red Squad], in addition to killing a number of his own men. The burid Blue Squad members are swiftly rescued by members of Red Squad, and other non-squad team members. Blue Fox proposes luring Black Badger out of hiding, as the villain’s tunnel archives may reveal where TNT’s HQ could be within the city, as TNT is working from his inside knowledge relating to the Overseer era. The plan is to have team friend Replica disguise herself as Blue Fox, and go on to Dick Twight Tonight under the premise of a live, on-air debate concluded with an unmasking on live television, to draw the elusive Black Badger out of hiding.	TNT, Overseer [Not Seen], Black Badger [Not Seen]
Afterburn	Blue Squad #6	"School’s In Session"	TNT's forces resurface after a small bout of alarming silence, especially given Blue Squad’s success in foiling him lately. TNT’s minions launch a violent and destructive assault on MCU’s campus, targeting the gymnasium complex where a number of the collegiate athletes are training in the early evening. The building is nearly leveled and the surrounding property is all but demolished. Blue Squad responds, with Blue Fox, Sombra, Courser, Scatha 5, and Windchill rushing in to aid the students. Inexplicably, TNT’s minions start taking hostages from nearly every sport, regardless of speciality. At the end of the battle, despite Blue Squad’s best efforts, TNT’s minions get away with twenty-three minions in total. Additionally, the minion’s arsenal remains composed of custom-made TNT explosives and stolen weapons, but they also feature advanced and sleek plasma weaponry in the form of rifles and grenades. Members of Adventurers Red Squad confirm that TNT might have struck a deal with their current foe, Dr. Freidrich von Reisen in order to get his hands on the powerful weaponry.	TNT [not seen]
Afterburn	Blue Squad #5	"Ghosts of the Past"	Detective Knight allows for Blue Squad to visit Dr. Howard Romrell after he has been taken to an MCPD safehouse in downtown Millennium City. There, they confirm with Romrell that TNT had been hunting him, but that his purpose goes deeper than mere utility to have his nuclear bomb made. Dr. Romrell had been a senior administrator in Compass Labs, one of the many businesses secretly owned by the Overseer, AKA Congressman Clayton Ewing, before his dramatic downfall at the hands of the Adventurers. Dr. Romrell explains to Blue Squad that TNT was once a man named Thomas Nathaniel Tullett. He had been a member of the British SAS, serving as a part of a joint-mission with UNTIL that was tasked with disarming alien explosives. While disarming a Gadroon device, Tullett unknowingly triggered a leak of radiation, before the bomb itself detonated once the invisible radiation had completely enveloped Tullett and filled his lungs. A mutation took place, where Tullett was frozen in a perpetual state of agony. Third degree burns covered every inch of his body, yet they remained fresh and unhealing, and any other damage done to him would see his body rapidly return to the same charred, burnt state, something Courser was able to identify by personally analyzing his blood. Overseer went out of his way to secretly arrange to buy the ‘rights’ to Tullett’s life for the sole purpose of experimentation. Tullett was transferred to a secretive Compass Labs site in the U.K. where he was used for target practice and other weapons testing. Officially, Tullett was designated as KIA, but unofficially he was tortured nearly non-stop for twenty years. Once Overseer was taken down, the scientists running the lab Tullett was housed in fled in fear of repercussion, and Tullett was able to escape and make his way to America, fixated only on feeling and spreading pain. Romrell quietly taunted the team, stating that this was all their fault, as if the Overseer were never taken down, TNT wouldn’t have been freed to terrorize the city. Soon after the explanation, TNT attacks the building. Courser, Blue Fox, Sombra, Windchill, and Scatha 5 are able to fight off TNT’s gunmen, who were disguised as window cleaners. Sombra gets Romrell to the safety of U.S. Marshals, and when bombs that TNT had placed on the building’s foundation detonate, Windchill overexerts himself, freezing the building solid in a giant block of ice before it can fall apart. TNT escapes by simply dropping out of a window in the middle of the fight. A followup visit with Detective Knight confirms Romrell’s story about TNT, and Blue Squad wonders if Tullett, who was by all accounts, a well regarded and valorous soldier, can be saved from his own madness.	TNT, Overseer [Not Seen]
Afterburn	Blue Squad #4	"Material Girl"	Adventurer Courser is on site at the lab when Grey Raccoon makes her move. She strategically sneaks into the facility and makes a play for the uranium stored there while Courser summons Blue Fox, Sombra, Scatha 5, and Windchill to the scene. Despite fostering a reputation as a non-powered thief, it is revealed during the confrontation that Grey Raccoon has control over her own molecular density, and can phase through solid objects at will. The combined effort of Blue Squad subdues the thief, and together they convince her to speak as to why she would aid someone like TNT in the first place. Windchill and Sombra successfully appeal to her humanity, and Grey Raccoon reluctantly agrees that she had struck a deal with TNT to help him get his bomb, with the idea that while the MCPD and the Adventurers were distracted hunting him, she would be free to rob the city blind in the mean time to take care of her mysterious ‘debts.’ After handing over the Uranium, Grey Raccoon disappears, but she left a secretive message to the Adventurers indicating that former Compass Labs scientist, Dr. Howard Romrell, was specifically sought after by the supervillain to help build the makeshift nuclear bomb. The team notifies Detective Knight, and she begins to search for Dr. Romrell in order to place him in protective custody so Blue Squad can figure out why hein particular has been singled out by the supervillain.	Grey Raccoon, TNT [Not seen]
Afterburn	Blue Squad #3	"The Firetruck"	TNT, after going quiet, suddenly reappears. He and his newfound minions are driving the stolen fire truck, and an additional stolen garbage truck, both with ramshackle welded on armor and ramming equipment. The firetruck has been converted into a giant flamethrower. Both vehicles are on a rampage, smashing through traffic in a seemingly pointless display of carnage and destruction. Blue Squad responds. A police car is pierced by the garbage truck’s prongs, but officers inside are saved by Scatha 5, with Blue Fox’s help. Sombra attacks the firetruck, and ends up hanging onto its napalm-spewing hose. Courser moves in to assist, as Windchill uses his powers over ice and wind to make the vehicle drivers struggle for control. At one point, he even raises ice walls to keep the vehicles from veering off of the road. TNT himself is driving the firetruck, firing rockets at Windchill. Windchill’s enhanced durability preserve his life. Sombra daringly teleports inside of the fire truck, but she is held down by TNT and his minions. TNT holds a grenade to her head. Windchill eventually ices over the street, and both vehicles lose traction and tumblee over. Taking a mostly unconscious Sombra captive, TNT holds a grenade to her head as Blue Squad witnesses his true form. Covered in head to toe in fresh, third degree burns, TNT laughs and simultaneously laments that the worst things in life aren’t pain, or fear, but “endless boredom,” before he rips off his own face, only for the burned flesh to heal back in an instant. Before Blue Squad can capture him, he shoves Sombra free and dives underneath the firetruck and detonates the grenade, blowing himself up for a second time. Nonetheless, Blue Squad manages to capture a number of his minions and take out his repurposed demolition vehicles. Blue Squad meets with Detective Knight once again, where it is revealed that known international thief, Grey Raccoon, stole plutonium from a Compass Labs facility. The heist happened at the same time as TNT’s firetruck rampage. Knight proposes that Grey Raccoon and TNT may be in coordination, and the team agrees. Pointing out another Compass Labs satellite location in Millennium City, one that may contain uranium, Blue Squad agrees to place a guard on the location to see if they can prevent the theft of the material and thwart TNT’s attempt to make a dirty bomb.	TNT
Afterburn	Blue Squad #2	"The Breakout"	While Blue Squad member Windchill is guarding the prison, the mysterious TNT launches his attack. He breaks onto the prison grounds, dual wielding rocket launchers, driving a dump truck filled with weapons and explosives. He blasts a hole into the wall and deposits the weapons into a massive heap in the prison yard as escaping inmates run out in a stampede. Additionally, TNT detonates explosives on all the major roadways leading to and from the prison, delaying first responders and harming civilians. Sending a quick alarm, Windchill summons Scatha 5, Blue Fox, Sombra, Courser, and Pathfinder to the prison. The Adventurers strenuously balance saving civilians with preventing as many of the violent, manic inmates escaping as they can. Pathfinder notably uses her powers to create a large trench that caught escaping inmates. After the battle subsides, Windchill freeze TNT to a wall, demonstrating the latter's heightened durability, and Blue Squad speaks with him. TNT gloats, saying that “It’s time this town had chaotic evil.” He thanks the Adventurers for taking down Overseer, so “we can play without rules.” Before Blue Squad can inquire further, TNT uses his own explosives to blow himself up. The team spends the rest of the night scouring the nearby neighborhoods to locate and return what violent fugitives they can find.	TNT
Afterburn	Blue Squad #1	"The Spark Ignites"	Members of the newly formed Blue Squad, consisting of Blue Fox, Sombra, Courser, Pathfinder, Windchill, Scatha 5, and Reclaimer gather at Blue Bird’s (Congresswoman Olivia Ellison’s) hidden training center to give demonstrations of their powers. Reclaimer develops extensive charts and graphs to give visual representations of member strengths and weaknesses. Blue Fox reports that his source in prison, his brother Kyle, revealed that a number of prisoners were simultaneously transferred to the infirmary wing after an inexplicable string of self-inflicted burns. Many of the perpetrators of the self harm were incarcerated for arson and other violent pyromaniacal behavior. Kyle’s own bunkmate did it, and ominously told Kyle that “It’s your way in.” Blue Fox contacts Detective Laura Knight, of MCPD’s superhuman crime investigation unit, or SCIU. At a rooftop meeting on the Westside MCPD precinct, she ttells Blue Squad about a violent fire truck heist. The perpetrator was shot multiple times but wouldn’t go down. He left a message written in blood on the firehouse ground, asking “Are you in?” Sometime afterward, the Mysterious Hooded Figure robbed an MCPD evidence warehouse, containing weapons of Baker’s Dozen from the Overseer takedown. He left a similar bloody message at the ground of the warehouse that merely said “In,” with a check mark. Upon a follow up visit, Sombra learned that the mysterious, would-be leader of the imprisoned pyromaniacs is someone named 'TNT.' The Adventurers and Knight conclude that the prison events and this violent newcomer to the city are linked, and agree to take round the clock guard overlooking the prison just in case.	TNT [not seen]
With A Silver Spoon	Adventurers #383	"Rise of the Silver Sentries"	With the city still feeling the effects of the Overseer's downfall, Silverline Industries holds a press showcase where company president Selene Silver (wife of company founder Raymond Silver) proudly presents their newest robotic innovation: gleaming silver battle droids called the Silver Sentries, powerful and non-lethal defenders of the peace with a noble "winged knight" aesthetic. While the company is making these defense bots available to companies for a steep price, they're also graciously donating and stationing a dozen of them across the city, ready to respond to emergencies and threats. The showcase also features a spectacle for the audience; a gladiatorial fight between a Silver Sentry and one of the Silverline "Rollbot" security units, which the Sentry handily wins. A week later, one of the Silver Sentries makes its debut as onlookers film the scene of it arriving at and attacking a Scrappers hideout. When Catfight, Sombra, Blue Fox, and Stretcher arrive to assist - and keep a wary eye on the Sentry - they team up and easily defeat the cybernetic gang who protest being targeted by the automaton! The Scrappers at the scene are collected by the police, but the Adventurers don't leave empty-handed: during the fight, among many other stolen and salvaged bits of tech, the wrecked Rollbot from the showcase is discovered, and the heroes sneak it away in the hopes it has some kind of helpful data on Silverline's plans....	The Scrappers
Avenging Avery	Adventurers Midnight #8 (vol. 2)	"Adieu to Darién"	Montes is persuaded after a couple of pistolwhips, and under wooden Mantle's restraint, to cooperate. He says Bastos has anchored his yacht off of Aguanosa. Avery gets a knockout blow, then the team climbs a ladder from Montes's room to the fortress roof as they prepare for a very dangerous escape from Montes's headquarters, surrounded as it is by his troops. Upon the roof, they unexpectedly find an aged helicopter. But as Catfight removes the camo netting, and Blue Fox finds the kerosene fuel, Avery surmizes that it may still be flight-worthy. They load the unconscious Montes in, board themselves, and prepare for an expedient escape. Ramon is only able to siphon enough fuel from the cannisters to get them a short distance; Stretcher uses herself as a shield to protect the group from gunfire as the helicopter picks up speed and heads west to rendezvous with Sombra. Sombra receives the radio transmission and speeds down the river in her stolen boat in a hurry. The team lands the helicopter in a farm field adjacent to the river, and gets in with Sombra. Hours later, Agent Avery - with fresh gear - asks the team to join her in apprehending Samuel Paz Bastos. Once secured. Bastos admits he helped Lord Aurum escape Darién and dropped him off near Galveston, TX. Avery promises that Montes and Bastos will be prosecuted for their crimes against humanity. With the clan's regional leader gone, as well as their chief weapon supplier, It's the best chance at establishing a freer society that the region has had in a long time.	Colonel Montes; Clan del Darien
Avenging Avery	Adventurers Midnight #7 (vol. 2)	"The Pathway to Danger"	At Ramon's urging, the team abandons Ramon's boat, and Blue Fox uses his powers to break a hole in the hull so it sinks in the Rio Serpiente. They are told of the plight of slave-like farmers on the cartel's farms nearby. The party proceeds on foot with Dr. Anderson guiding them. They ambush a ranger patrol at unawares, and Mantle, Blue Fox, and Ramon pretend to escort Catfight and Rubber Bullette as captured tourists to the fortress, while Sombra and Dr. Anderson leave to try to steal a ranger boat for the escape. Sombra uses her powers of invisibility and teleportation to aid the return to the river, but Dr. Anderson has so many questions about how it works biologically. Sombra turns down an offer by him to study her and her powers. When they arrive at the ranger station, Sombra finds the perfect ranger boat for the size of the team, stows Dr. Anderson in a claustrophobic compartment in it, and sets about using sugar stolen from the ranger station to sabotage the outboard motors of the rest of the ranger boats. Meanwhile, in the fortress, the disguised rangers are admitted through the gates and told to drop their prisoners off in the cell. There, Catfight and Stretcher meet Agent Avery. Though weakened by her captivity, Avery imparts that she wants to complete her mission - she has ascertained that Samual Paz Bastos, the weapons dealer she was trying to apprehend when she was captured, is coming back to Darien with another shipment of munitions. She implores the team to help her confront, question, and capture Colonel Montes, who would know where Bastos is parking his yacht. Sombra completes her task of sabotaging the boats, and lays low with Dr. Anderson, waiting for the signal on her radio. The team storms the upper level of the fortress and questions Colonel Montes in his private room. Blue Fox beelines to the Colonel's laptop, while Avery gets help from Catfight and Mantle in a rough interrogation...	Colonel Montes; Clan del Darien
Avenging Avery	Adventurers Midnight #6 (vol. 2)	"Treehouse"	The team persuades Ramon to give them one more ride in his boat, but his conditions this time are that they have to help him evacuate to the United States - it's become too dangerous in Colombia for him. They agree, and Ramon commits himself as a party member. Blue Fox gets more than he bargained for when he asks Ramon to tell them a ghost story. Several of them cannot sleep easily afterward as they lay on the deck of Ramon's boat, anchored near where Julio said they could find Dr. Derek Anderson, hearing all of the sounds of the jungle. The next day, they enter the jungle and at Catfight's direction, wisely watch for booby traps. Sure enough, Dr. Anderson has set some near his treehouse to alert him if any Clan approach his hidden home. The team quickly establishes to Anderson that they are no threat. He is more than willing to help inform them about Montes fortress, recounting how he accidentally found it. He provides the team precise coordinates on a topographical map he created. But he pleads with them to take him along - like Ramon, he is ready to flee the area. He wishes to return to Canada and publish his work studying the ecology of the Darien region. The team accepts Dr. Anderson as their guide and scout.	Clan del Darien
Avenging Avery	Adventurers Midnight #5 (vol. 2)	"Ambush"	En route to San Quintin, Ramon is giving a lesson to Maya on how to navigate the Rio Aguja's hazards when Ramon's boat is suddenly pursued by speedboats with Clan del Darien rangers. They are ordered to cut the motor and prepare to be boarded. Sombra persaudes Ramon to stay at the wheel, while the Adventurers fight back. Stretcher and Blue Fox each leap into one of the two pursuing boats and disrupts the rangers up close, while Sombra teleports to the boat with Stretcher and, invisible, turns the key on their motor. Catfight takes a machine gun given to her by Ramon and damages the engine on the other boat. Stretcher grabs a gun and disables the other boat's engine. Ramon's boat is able to leave the rangers behind. Back in San Quintin, matters have apparently become more tense. The Clan knows there are foreign agents about, and has increased its presence in the village. The team stays on the docks. The UNTIL contact, Sergio, says he's about to flee to Panama for fear of being found and killed by the Clan. But he directs Catfight to seek out Dr. Anderson, the Canadian biologist - he may be the only non-Clan person who knows how to find Montes fortress. The team has to help fix a broken gas pump at the riverside gas station before the owner and Dr. Anderson's sometimes-employer, Julio, will give them a lead on the doctor's whereabouts. Derek Anderson has been hiding in a treehouse in a remote jungle area. Julio provides coordinates.	Clan del Darien; Clan ranger patrol
Avenging Avery	Adventurers Midnight #4 (vol. 2)	"Deep in Clan Territory"	The team lands clandestinely at Arreti in the early hours and sneak around. Blue Fox and Sombra sneak into a drug factory and search through binders and an offline laptop for clues, finding an alert sent to all points about Samuel Paz Bastos being necessary, but no longer trusted, and seeming to have some ties to the VIPER cadre who the Clan wiped out. Bastos, it seems, also took on a personal consignment of cocaine before departing the area. Unfortunately, they cannot find information about Montes stronghold. Catfight and Mantle are nearly discovered while hiding near a residence at daybreak, but escape and get back to the boat in time. The team goes further down the lake from Arreti and finds the remains of the VIPER cadre, their gear stripped, their bodies left to decompose. Some of them have been slain by bullets, others by a laser sword consistent with Lord Aurum's. Following a trail, Catfight and Sombra discover a hidden cavern where, deep underground, they find a mysterious rock formation suspended floor to ceiling like a column. At once, it calls back the mysterious dream they all shared some weeks ago, but for Marshall, it also reminds him of the Terraformer from 2019, calling to him and tempting him. The team improvises an explosive and collapses the cavern out of abundant caution. After a night encamped by the lakeside, they depart again with Ramon, headed back to San Quintin.	Clan del Darien; the mysterious cave
Avenging Avery	Adventurers Midnight #3 (vol. 2)	"Trouble in San Quintin"	Catfight, Mantle, and Stretcher arrive, prepared for a trek into Colombia, arriving at the border village of San Quintin. There, they learn at the tavern that a biologist named Dr. Derek Anderson may have found Montes hidden fortress, but he has since fled into the jungle. Following up on a lead from the tavern's cook, Stretcher and Sombra find photo negatives in a room Anderson had been renting, and upon developing them, confirm Anderson's discovery - but no one they show the photos to can say for sure where the landmarks are. Catfight finds an UNTIL asset named Sergio who discloses in secrecy to her that a VIPER cadre had come through around the time Agent Avery was captured, but they were not allies of the Clan del Darien - the Clan reportedly killed them and left their bodies on the northeast shore of Lago Claridad. Rumor has it that Avery was seen in the company of a man dressed in golden armor from head to toe - Lord Aurum. Mantle gets into a boxing match with the local Clan point man, Eugenio Martinez, and defeats him; this earns them the services of Ramon Munoz, a mercenary and boatman from the region, who agrees to take them deeper into Colombia, and the Clan-run village of Arreti at Catfight's insistence.	Clan del Darien; Eugenio
Avenging Avery	Adventurers Midnight #2 (vol. 2)	"Mission de la Mision"	Tomas tells the pair about Agent Avery, an UNTIL agent who was captured by the Clan and is being held for ransom somewhere at the hidden jungle stronghold of "Colonel" Tobias Montes - a militant revolutionary who joined the clan when most other revolutionaries took a peace deal with the Colombian government, and disarmed. Tomas is unaware of the mission Avery was on, but Marshall and Maya feel compelled to help. Visiting the mission, they learn more of the danger of the Clan, and while there is much gratitude to them for securing the medical supply delivery, Father Valero urges the heroes to leave before the Clan retalliates against the mission. Marshall calls home to Millennium City and bids Midnight Squad to come.	Clan del Darien
Avenging Avery	Adventurers Midnight #1 (vol.2)	"A Vacation Like No Other"	Marshall and Maya are on a cruise through the Panama Canal! But when they stop in the remote port of Las Mercedes near the border with Colombia, they are drawn in to help Father Pascal Valero and his helper Tomas get needed medical supplies to their mission deep in the jungle. As Tomas feared, the dreaded Clan del Darien - a drug cartel from Colombia - attacks the boat to try to steal the supplies. Marshall and Maya use their super powers to help Tomas's boat get past the ambush safely.	Clan del Darien
	Adventurers Crimson #14	"Crimson Cat-astrophe"	Power-Chord encountered a fiery feline foe in the City Center and put out a distress call as she was unable to combat them alone. Firewalker, Windchill, and Scatha 5 answered the call and helped Power-Chord face off against Anar-Kitty. She claimed to be genetically perfected by some mysterious figure, and showcased her raw power and skill. It took Firewalker absorbing her heat, Windchill cooling her down, and Power-Chord blaring sick guitar riffs into her eats to take her down.	Anar-Kitty
	Adventurers Crimson #13	"Ignorance is Bliss"	Months ago, BPE Executive Chairman Landon Bellerose requested to run a brain scan on local punk rocker Devona Bliss. She agreed to do so on the condition that he would buy her two couches, which he happily complied. Gathering at a NeuroTech facility, the brain scan commenced with their mutual friends Blake and AJ also in attendance. Results showed that Devona Bliss had a rare genetic disease known as Urbach-Wiethe disease, which impaired Devona’s long-term emotional memory, making her incapable of experiencing fear.	--
	Adventurers Crimson #12	"Back to Zero"	Acting in Windchill’s aversion, Firewalker traveled to a BPE facility where Delilah Young, previously known as Project Zero-Point, was receiving treatment. Though still apprehensive and aggressive, Firewalker managed to quell Delilah’s raging emotions and relate to her situation, and learned more about her shared history with the Bellerose Family. Before leaving, Firewalker was able to instill a sense of hope in her.	Delilah Young
	Adventurers Crimson #11	"A Solution to Genesis"	Face of Medicine Landon Bellerose returned to GeoCorp following a lead provided by some friendly Adventurers. However, once he was there, he discovered Dr. Elijah Young hiding in plain sight. Calling forth the Crimson Squad, Landon ran into a power siphoning chamber and waited for backup. As Firewalker, Osprey, Power-Chord, and Scatha 5 arrived at GeoCorp, they were lured through the winding halls of the facility until they were forced to confront Dr. Genesis. The Crimson Squad kept Dr. Genesis’s attention while Landon powered up the siphons, draining the transformed being of energy back to a mere man.	Dr. Genesis
	Adventurers Crimson #10	"Winds of Chains"	Firewalker called together his Crimson Squad allies Osprey, Power-Chord, and Windchill to confront and capture the escaped Blood Bat. Once the heroes engaged with the hemophilic villain, they found Blood Bat distressed and desperate. While attempting to detain her, they encountered the hero Torrent, who was soon recognized by the team as Firewalker’s father. A conflict quickly unfolded between the Crimson Squad and Torrent. Firewalker was quickly removed from the battle, leaving Osprey to try to get Power-Chord and Windchill to retreat, which they both ignored. Working together, they laid down considerable offense on Torrent, but were eventually bested by the more experienced hero. Torrent claimed a rune of unknown origin or purpose from Blood Bat before departing and leaving the Crimson Squad to tend to their wounds.	Torrent
	Adventurers Crimson #9	"Zeroes and Heroes"	After numerous BPE research labs were raided by Project Zero-Point, Windchill called together his allies Mantle, Firewalker, and Power-Chord to confront the assailant by luring her into a trap he set at a hollowed-out lab. Once in position, the heroes confronted Project Zero-Point, but found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer power she could output. Mantle was able to remove her suppressor mask, which freed her from cybernetic mind-control, but also forced her powers to spike. The fight was now a countdown of surviving Zero-Point until her powers exhausted her. Soon the Adventurers discovered the attacker was none other than Delilah Young, daughter of Genesis Solutions’ head researcher Dr. Elijah Young.	Project Zero-Point
	Adventurers Crimson #8	"Necrology 101: Ghosts and Stuff"	While on patrol, Firewalker encountered a paranormal phenomenon in the form of a ghost reaching out to contact him about a MCU student Julia Royce who had been abducted by a villain known as the Necrologist. Rallying with Windchill, Blue Fox, Osprey, and special guest hero Moon Stalker, the group of heroes traveled to the location provided by the spectral guide Leo Capello. Once they found the secret entrance the heroes encountered Meat Bag, who Firewalker and Osprey immediately confronted. Meanwhile, Blue Fox and Moon Stalker moved further to confront Necrologist, who summoned another lackey known as Ectovore, a robot that eats ghosts. The Necrologist put the heroes in a tough spot by holding Julia Royce hostage. Luckily, Moon Stalker cloaked and got in close, forcing the Necrologist to retreat and the heroes to escape as the base was filled with ecto-plasma.	The Necrologist
	Adventurers Crimson #7	"Hollow Earth"	Tracking strange energies after the sudden resurgence of Genesis Solutions, Windchill gathered Power-Chord, Osprey, and Firewalker in Westside. There they discovered an unethical experiment come to life known as Project Quake. A collection of inanimate matter injected with sentience that could only feel pain, Osprey attempted to reason with it, but its existence was too unbearably agonizing that the Crimson Squad needed to use force. Tearing away the earthy exterior, Project Quake replaced its armor with a combination of Windchill and Firewalker’s powers before vanishing to parts unknown.	Project Quake
	Adventurers Crimson #6	"Museum Mayhem"	A break-in at local art museum was carried out by assailants wearing black clothes and raven-beaked masks. They group was armed with toxins similar to those used by Wendigo. Power-Chord, Blue Fox, Jet-Star, Sombra, and Osprey showed up in forced to confront this faction soon to be known as the Cult of Nyx, who had a cult-like fascination around the primordial goddess of the night, Nyx.	Cult of Nyx
	Adventurers Crimson #5	"Bite Out of Crime"	Receiving a distress call from the billionaire Landon Bellerose, the Crimson Squad was alerted his life was in immediate danger after being attacked by a crazed scientist. Firewalker, Power-Chord, and Osprey quickly arrived at GeoCorp and encountered Dr. Devour, a mutated energy-eating mad scientist. It seemed the monstrosity could counter everything the heroes threw at him, until Power-Chord’s ‘pyro-tech’ showed what it was really capable of, siphoning energy from the doctor and making it easier for Firewalker and Osprey to overwhelm and detain him.	Dr. Devour
	Adventurers Crimson #4	"Wendigo’s End"	Alerted by Windchill of an Air Pod on the move, the Crimson Squad capitalize on a previous laid trap. They rally at Mercy Hospital where Firewalker, Scatha 5, and Power-Chord encounter Wendigo on the interior, while Osprey and Windchill engage with a mysterious figure on the rooftop who Windchill dubs ‘Wendigal.’ Fighting valiantly, and causing a snowstorm that devoured blocks of the City Center, it was Power-Chord’s unbridled rage that put Wendigo out of commission with a flurry of punk rock punches.	Wendigo
	Adventurers Crimson #3	"And New..."	Claiming himself a perfect genetic specimen, Glarthok targeted rockstar superhero Power-Chord as a challenge, and snapped her guitar claiming her unworthy. Firewalker helped her track down the guitar-smashing menace as he was in the midst of attacking someone. Power-Chord, Firewalker, and Osprey directly engaged with Glarthok by grappling, blasting, and redirecting his attacks. Slowing wearing down the strong and durable foe, the heroes managed to knock him out and redeemed Power-Chord’s glory.	Glarthok the Destroyer
	Adventurers Crimson #2	"Westside Investigations"	While Firewalker and Windchill traveled to Westside to settle a beef between Windchill and local luchador Scorch, they learned Wendigo had been spotted at the docks. Assembling the Crimson Squad, the heroes discovered one of Wendigo’s toxic contraptions. Low on trackers, but rich in creativity, the Crimson Squad decided to lay a trap by placing one of Windchill’s Air Pods in the device to later follow Wendigo’s movements.	Wendigo
	Adventurers Crimson #1	"Trouble at the Chem Lab"	Following the fallout from Overseer, the Crimson Squad set their sights on the villain Wendigo, a chemist with an addiction to spewing fear and chaos. The heroes were called to action at a chem lab in Westside, which was attacked and raided by Wendigo. Working together to quell the rampaging civilians, the team was unable to detain Wendigo as he had already fled the scene.	Wendigo
	Adventurers 2038 #4	"Out with the Trash"	While pursuing the clairvoyant bad guy Scryer through a waste facility, the Adventurers Enenra, Blast-Beat, Kingfisher, Brazen, and Spyder end up tumbling into an industrial vessel that seals its hatch, trapping them. The team has to work through increasing heat and an odious garbage smell when Scryer sets them on a course to the incinerator. Using teamwork, the heroes manage to escape the vessel, though Scryer flees the scene while they are occupied.	Scryer
The Skulls	Adventurers Midnight #7	"Anarchy in MC"	Several days after Iron Skull gave his ultimatum people gather at city hall to demand the domestic terrorist and his gang receive justice, while others arrive to show their support of Skull's declaration of anarchy. Midnight Squad arrive alongside Firewalker and Osprey to try and calm the people down so a riot doesn't break out. It doesn't take long for Iron Skull to arrive alongside a group of exo-clad gangers, Skull himself now piloting the very same hulking power armor suit he forced Dr. Tamagawa to make. After a brief exchange of words Skull fired the first "shot", hurling an energy buzzsaw towards innocents as they fled, only to have his efforts thwarted via Amita driving her car between the civilians and buzzsaw, saving them, but losing her prized vehicle in the process. Seeing his former protoge still alive enraged Skull, and a battle ensued! Blue Fox (with support from Sombra) fought alongside Catfight to defeat the exo-gangers. Firewalker, Mantle, and eventually Amita herself battled against Iron Skull. The powerful heavy-duty armor was a lot to handle for them, eventually requiring Blue Fox to step in and attack Skull's flank while Catfight recovered from nearly being taken out by a micro-missile barrage that almost got the rest of the team as well. Eventually they were able to restrain the power armor in place, but not without cost as Amita took a brutal focused rail shot through the shoulder that nearly killed her. But a final corkscrew dropkick from Catfight floored Skull, and with the armor overheating and shutting down the villain was finally defeated. There is one last crisis to deal with however as Amita's body went into shock from the railgun shot, but with Osprey's medical aid and quick thinking from Sombra, the P.I. is teleported to an oncoming ambulance, and save her life! With Iron Skull bested alongside his gang, Midnight Squad and friends were able to take a breath of relief. Later discovering the supposed bombs Skull threatened the city with were just a ruse, a bluff to try and turn the city against itself and introduce the anarchy he so craved. Midnight squad were free to take a breather, but more adventures loom over the horizon!	Super Skull (Iron Skull), the Skulls gang
The Skulls	Adventurers Midnight #6	"No More Heroes"	Amita Prasad contacts Midnight Squad, informing them she's spoken with the power armor expert that the Skulls gang kidnapped, Dr. Taka Tamagawa. With the recent efforts conducted against the gang, Iron Skull has decided it's time to change Tamagawa's location, a late night prisoner transport being the best chance to rescue him. While Catfight and Prasad were engaged in a seperate mission the squad (Blue Fox, Sombra, Mantle, and Stretcher) were joined by friend of the team, Wizard! Gathering on the highway ahead of the transport, Stretcher was turned into a makeshift slingshot used to launch Mantle into the convoy. A high speed chase on the highway results! The Skulls gang are not without new surprises however, unveiling combat exo-frames built by Dr. Tamagawa. With Wizard's help Midnight squad were able to defeat the gangers while Sombra extracted the doctor from the transport truck. Their victory was short-lived however as Iron Skull held a livestream where he went on a lengthy anti-establishment rant. Demanding the people stand up against their real oppressors, heroes. Activating a detonator he destroyed an abandoned building in City Center, declaring he's had his gang install bombs in occupied buildings as well. And will detonate them if his demands aren't met. Chaos erupts in the streets while Midnight rushes to the scene of the explosion...	Iron Skull, the Skulls gang
The Skulls	Adventurers Midnight #5	"Corrosion Catastrophe"	Catfight gathers the rest of Midnight squad, Blue Fox, Stretcher, Mantle, and Sombra to the location of Corrosion's hideout in the northeastern section of City Center. They find an abandoned building overtaken by plant life. After a brief investigation of the exterior the squad decided to move in, finding the interior floor completely caved in with a tunnel leading into the sewers. Deeper within they found the borderline feral villain, who used stolen biochem medication, along with an armored suit equipped with a venomous tail to bolster his abilities. Injecting himself with the stolen medication to gain temporary control over the nearby vegetation. The villain used vines along with poison spitting plants to keep Midnight squad at bay, but was eventually bested by the heroes superior numbers. The police arrive shortly after to arrest the maniac! With the brief diversion out of the way Midnight squad were free to pursue their campaign against Iron Skull, eager for Prasad's next bit of intel...	Corrosion; mutated plants
The Skulls	Adventurers Midnight #4	"The Truth is Revealed"	Midnight Squad gather at the secluded Westside docks to meet with Private Investigator Prasad, wary of the enigmatic gung-ho woman at first. They approach her openly as a team, discovering that she worked alongside Iron Skull (real name Richard Barret) in the early 2000's with a fellow vigilante who went by the name of 'Nomad'. The band of mercenaries conducting a brutal, lethal crusade against criminals and corrupt leaders alike during the time period where Detroit was still recovering and progressively turning into the Millennium City of today. In 2010 the group were demolished during a botched takedown of the Overseer. Nomad was fatally shot during the escape, dying moments later in the back seat of their getaway vehicle. While Amita was launched from the car after it was rammed by an SUV belonging to Overseer's goons, losing half of her right arm in the process. Richard Barret was still in the drivers seat of the wreck, seemingly burning to death when Overseer's goons lit it on fire. Amita begged Midnight squad to let her join in their efforts to take down Iron Skull, desperate for redemption after being manipulated by the overglorified anarchist that is Richard Barret which resulted in her taking so many lives, as well as being forced to clean up various assassinations Overseer conducted after the mercenary band was defeated. After a brief debate Midnight agreed to team with the P.I., who promised she would dig up more intel on the Skulls' current plan while uncovering a dangerous unaffiliated super villain she discovered named, "Corrosion", and where to find him. Midnight squad decides it best to take Corrosion down while Prasad continued her investigation for the time being...	Iron Skull (mentioned); Overseer (flashback)
The Skulls	Adventurers Midnight #3	"Skulls Race"	Sombra and Stretcher use Blue Fox's phone tracking app to investigate the power armor dealer the Skulls are after. Finding the dealer, named Freddy's apartment building. They're able to easily sneak in and discover Freddy runs an entire counterfeit power armor operation using scrap from the junk yard cleaned and touched up to look legit on first glance! Sombra and Stretch eventually choose to interrogate the man, learning he's using the money gained from these counterfeit deals to try and get his way out of the city, while also screwing over any potential psychopath looking to build an illegal suit of power armor. Their questioning is cut-short when the Skulls arrive eager for revenge. The heroines trying their best to diffuse the situation peacefully, but Freddy had other plans. Causing a brief distraction to make a run for it, what followed was an intense, action-packed chase through the apartment complex that eventually spilled out into the streets! The Skulls chasing Freddy in his junky old car through the streets of westside. Stretcher was able to disable the Skulls' vehicle with the help of Sombra while the same mysterious woman from before flew onto the scene in her sports car, forcing Freddy to crash onto the docks before knocking the fraudulant dealer out with a punch from her cybernetic forearm. Introducing herself as Amita Prasad, a private investigator. Proclaiming she knows who Iron Skull is, and offers to share everything she knows after the rest of Midnight squad gather at a secret location an hour later...	The Skulls gang
The Skulls	Adventurers Midnight #2	"Warehouse Mayhem"	Following up on the tracking device planted in the power armor parts Iron Skull purchesed, Blue Fox and Mantle find themselves on the northern outskirts of the city at a large maintenance warehouse. Blue was able to test out his newly created camera jamming app on his phone to allow the heroes to sneak into the warehouse. Discovering the warehouse's primary use is to repair the gang's various vehicles consisting primarily of armored SUVs and transport trucks, with the most dangerous of all being a refurbished VTOL chopper with mounted miniguns! Eavesdropping on the scene revealed that Iron Skull ordered the kidnapping of a power armor expert to build a heavy-duty suit for the villain to use, in addition the parts they bought were fakes, Iron Skull himself demanding the power armor dealer pay for trying to ripping him off. Skull himself wasn't on the scene, making it much easier for Blue and Mantle to take the operation down! One panicky Skull ganger in particular jumping into the tethered VTOL and attempting to take the heroes out with the miniguns, resulting in the vehicle crashing indoors and adding to the chaos! With new information in hand, and the gang's strength slightly diminished, Blue and Mantle fled the scene. Unknowningly being watched by a mysterious woman with a flashy sports car in the distance...	The Skulls gang
The Skulls	Adventurers Midnight #1	"Skullduggery"	While out on a early nighttime patrol Catfight comes across a nefarious arms deal going on in Westside, calling the newly formed Midnight Squad to aid in breaking up the operation! Watching over the scene revealed a new gang to Millennium City, the Skulls, and their leader, Iron Skull. A heavily scarred man obscuring his face with a polished metal mask in the shape of a skull. With the help of Blue Fox, Sombra, Mantle, and Stretcher. Midnight squad intervened in the power armor deal, and though Iron Skull and the dealer got away Blue Fox was able to track the phone of the dealer, while Sombra planted a tracking device in the purchesed goods! Midnight were able to defeat several gangers. But the mystery as to who this insidious new threat really is was just getting started...	Iron Skull; the Skulls gang
Under the Overseer's Gaze	Adventurers #382	"Return to Grace"	The team moves on the high rise where Overseer is holed up with a number of mercenary defenders using firearms and rockets to keep law enforcement at bay. The Compendium is now in the hands of the justice system and the press, and everyone knows, in astonishing detail, the depth of Clayton Ewing's crimes. The Adventurers arrive to break through the outer defenses. Before they can challenge the Overseer directly in his secret basement facility, they have to defeat an armored-up Titanic (enemy of Blue Fox) and the villain Faceless, who has taken on a form identical to Titanic. Once inside the Overseer's command center, Kyle McAllister turns on Clayton and tried to shoot him, but Clayton gets the draw and takes Kyle down, first. Then Ewing tries to goad Blue Fox, whom he knows to be Marshall McAllister, his god son, into lashing out and killing Ewing so that Blue Fox will be seduced into the same cycle of lawful evil as Clayton had fallen into. But Kyle, barely alive, manages to draw strength enough to put a fatal bullet in Ewing, and spare his brother from any rash decision. The Adventurers actions are seen to have been necessary in light of the extent of the Overseer's corruption, and they are lauded as heroes. But there remains the threat of a vacuum to be filled...	Overseer
Under the Overseer's Gaze	Adventurers #381	"The Compendium"	The Adventurers move on Compass Labs only to get ambushed by the supervillain Mantis, on Overseer's payroll, and suffer an untimely betrayal at the hands of Scatha 5. While the robo-team member was visiting Kyle McAllister, and Dark Web, both incarcerated in the Adventurers HQ, the latter managed to 'possess' Scatha 5 and prime him for the backstabbing at the opportune moment, before both McAllister and Dark Web make their escape. Scatha 5 nearly breaks Blue Fox's leg during the startling backstabbing. Nevertheless, the Adventurers persist and manage to extract the Compendium from the Compass Labs archive, until he entire team is then ambushed by Typhoon, yet one more villain amongst an army that serve the Overseer. They manage to temporarily trap Typhoon and arrange a deal in where Typhoon goes free in exchange for the Compendium.	Overseer
Under the Overseer's Gaze	Adventurers #380	"Mr. X Revealed"	Later the same night as the bank heist, Scatha, Windchill, Webcrawler and Tungstan fight to save the life of Mr. X against an attack by Wendigo, Lechuza, Sinister, and Blue Scorpion. Affected by Wendigo's fear toxin, Windchill blanketing a city block with a frigid blizzard to defeat the illusory Wendigoes. It is effective in leading to the defeat of the other villains, but Windchill has to be ordered out of the area because the blizzard is proving deadly. After the fight, Mr. X is revealed to be Steven Roundy, who worked for Ewing Estates - owned by Ewing - reveals that he had access to Ewing's inner circle, and knows that Ewing has a compendium of all of his crimes, arrangements, and holdings. This compendium would prove crucial in prosecuting members of Ewing's criminal organization, all the way up to Ewing himself.	Wendigo, Lechuza, Sinister, Blue Scorpion, Overseer (indirectly)
Under the Overseer's Gaze	Adventurers #379	"The Bank Job"	Several Adventurers, including Blue Fox, Sombra, Joule, Firewalker, Osprey, Mantle, and Skyline take part in robbing a bank! They are met with resistance by a group of hastily assembled vigilantes including Safeguard, Delta, Horseshoe, Quetzal, and Wizard within the bank, but fight to escape with barely a scratch while routing the vigilantes handily. The sudden turn of the Adventurers to crime momentarily puts Clayton Ewing in a PR stalemate, having recently praised the team for saving his rally from an attack by supervillains - just as Webcrawler predicted. But it also puts the team in the law's crosshairs, as Duane Steel had warned.	Safeguard, Delta, Horseshoe, Quetzal, the Wizard, and the Overseer (indirectly)
Under the Overseer's Gaze	Adventurers #378	"Ethics"	The Adventurers have a clandestine meeting with Mr. Koheler, formerly of NLUS, to strike an agreement to have him hold their prisoners. In exchange, the team agrees to do a favor for Koheler down the line, though are quite clear that it must meet not cross any red lines for them. The team also meets with Duane Steel and advise him of a plan some members have concocted to attack the S&H Bank, which is connected to Clayton Ewing, the Overseer. The daring plan would both leave Overseer without capital, but also, would force Federal investigators to look into their books. The team is not united on the plan, however, with a number of heroes refusing to stoop to criminality to defeat crime. Steel agrees, urging the team to do the plan under the auspices of a prosecutorial-led sting, or else take their chances with being absolved after the fact if they go ahead with it alone. King Kestrel meets with the team and offers his services. He believes Ewing has a list of enemies, which if found, could prove to be vital to Ewing's arrest and prosecution as hard evidence. The team agrees; there is a sense that Kestrel has changed, though the Adventurers remain wary.	The Overseer (indirectly); One's own conscience
Under the Gaze of the Overseer	Adventurers #377	"Baker's Hideout"	The Adventurers involve law enforcement on an action to capture Baker's Dozens in the Michigan woodlands, but agree to be the tip of the spear. Numerous duplicates of Baker's Dozen are present at some kind of shanty village outside of an abandoned mine - his drug manufactory. The position is far from any major highways and protected by a gun emplacement on high ground, as well as a guard tower at the entrance to the camp. The Adventurers cooperate to try to take the Bakers by surprise, and obtain the state-of-the-art plasma weaponry in crates around the site. The team takes a few injuries. The purpose of the Overseer revealing this site to Blue Fox appears to be two-fold: one, in hopes that Marshall will take Baker's Dozen's life to avenge the attack on his father and home, but Blue Fox resists that temptation with the aid of his team mates. Two, to wipe out Baker's Dozen as a drug producer and dealer, to suit the Overseer's goals in finally cleaning up the city.	Baker's Dozen
Under the Overseer's Gaze	Adventurers #376	"Long Arm of the Law"	Overseer calls Marshall when a number of Adventurers were present to offer another chance to surrender. He specifically asked for his people (Kyle, and Darkweb) back, but the Adventurers refuse to yield. The Overseer threatens consequences to follow. Overseer reveals the supposed hideout of Baker's Dozen, a criminal biker with replication technology who recently torched the McAllister home and tried to kill Marshall's father, Marcus. Overseer’s intentions for doing so remain unspoken. Later that night, a breakout occurs at the municipal prison! The crime-fighter Osprey is seen violently disabling a number of prison guards and breaks into the maximum security prison to release King Kestrel and his dangerous associate, Cuckoo. Osprey is last seen by witnesses and CCTV escaping the scene with the escaped inmates in tow. MCPD and PRIMUS are both placing pressure on the Adventurers for the whereabouts of Osprey.	Overseer; Osprey?; Cuckoo; King Kestrel
Under the Overseer's Gaze	Adventurers #375	"Tit-for-Tat"	The Adventurers put themselves in position, anticipating an attack upon the Ewing rally. They must listen to an impassioned 'tough on crime' speech from Ewing (the Overseer) and the roar of a supportive audience, before explosions take out the fountains at the outdoor venue, and a green toxic fear gas starts to spread out. As panicked ralliers stampede away, the supervillains secretly hired by Overseer begin their attack. The Adventurers move in to go toe-to-toe with the baddies, including Absolver, Blue Scorpion, Wendigo, and Lechuza. When Webcrawler arrives and joins the battle, the fear toxin triggers the spider monster transformation, adding another complication to the battle - though the creature does manage to drive off Blue Scorpion. Ewing, for his part, cleverly plays up his meaningless shooting toward the armored Blue Scorpion as a heroic deed, while his agents capture unflattering footage of the Adventurers and pump that out to media outlets who portray the team with denigrating narratives. Skyline is shown to be trigger-happy; Blue Fox is shown destroying a police cruiser; Tungstan is shown accidentally injuring a civilian during the stampede as he ran toward the danger; Stinger is shown 'recklessly' attacking Blue Scorpion in a barrage when civilians were seemingly close by; Mantle is shown to clumsily stumble into panicked civilians, when in truth, the fear toxin caused the civilians to attack him; and Webcrawler is shockingly shown to turn into a mutant monster spider, becoming widely known to do this for the very first time.	Overseer; Lechuza; Absolver; Wendigo; Lechuza Spider Monster
Under the Overseer's Gaze	Adventurers #374	"Backlash"	Blue Fox is ambushed by Lechuza, Absolver, Titanic, Black Badger, and Creature in swift retribution for betraying the Overseer. Intervention of Osprey, Courser, Firewalker, Sombra, and Tungstan leads only to more team members being caught in the trap and brutalized by the array of tough villains. In a display of his power, the Overseer calls off the villains before any team member is slain, but the Adventurers - even Tungstan - carry injuries. Elsewhere, Webcrawler, Mantle, Azure Hawk, and non-Adventurer Mr. Obvious respond to an attack by the Baker's Dozen at the apartment block of Marcus McAllister - Blue Fox's father. Dozen, an Irish bike gangster who can duplicate himself, is an old foe of Marcus's from his MARS days. The attempt at a very personal strike toward Blue Fox is disrupted by the team's timely intervention, preventing Marcus and other residents' deaths. The apartment block is destroyed in a fire.	Overseer; Lechuza; Absolver; Titanic; Black Badger; Creature; Baker's Dozen
Under the Overseer's Gaze	Adventurers #373	"Taking the Power Pieces"	Some Adventurers plan to accept the Overseer's offer, at least in the short term, to buy time in working against him. While Blue Fox draws Darkweb out of hiding and captures him, Osprey goes undercover to infiltrate Overseer's operation which is vanishing homeless people and destroys it - driving off Creature, to whom homeless were being fed. Sombra, Replica, and Courser enacted a plan to capture Kyle McAllister, Blue Fox's brother and advisor to Overseer, and temporarily replace him with Replica so that they could hold and question the real one. Replica learns that Ewing plans to have supervillains attack an upcoming rally of his own supporters to stifle Olivia Ellison's gains and try to gain the same sympathy.	The Overseer
Bluebird for Congress II	Adventurers #372	"Will the Real Overseer Please Stand Up?"	Discussing the preponderance of evidence gathered over the last several months - from Casey Trent, to the harassment and attempted murders of Olivia Ellison, to the mysterious Mister X, to data obtained by Adventurers Silver - the team comes to believe that Congressman Clayton Ewing, godparent to Blue Fox, is actually the Overseer! The team confronts Ewing in numbers at his office, and is escorted in by none other than Marshall's (Blue Fox) brother Kyle, who is in service to Ewing. After a brief, tense exchange, Ewing freely admits that he is the Overseer, and also reveals that he knows Blue Fox and Sombra's secret identities. He also knows that Olivia Ellison, his rival for election, is the alter ego of former Adventurer Blue Bird. The team variously reacts to the Overseer with promises of justice, and even some threats, but leaves peaceably. The Overseer gives them 24 hours to agree to work with him on achieving his vision for true order... or face his wrath as his enemy. With recording devices interfered with preventing hard evidence of Ewing's 'confession,' the team scrambles to figure out how to respond to Overseer's offer. Featuring: Blue Fox, Sombra, Firewalker, Courser, Scatha 5, Osprey, Azure Hawk and Webcrawler.	The Overseer - Congressman Clayton Ewing
Bluebird for Congress II	Adventurers #371	"Rack and Break"	Directed to help protect Congressional candidate (and secretly, the former Adventurer named Bluebird) during an open air rally at which she will be at great risk, the Adventurers meet with her. Yet despite the history of attempts on her life and threats from the Overseer, Olivia is immediately more interested in the hit to her image - her opponents' PACs keep attacking her for being too soft on crime, and a danger to be around because of all the bad things that happen to her. The team agrees to be subtle, but when rocket fire and wide-area smoke bombs disrupt the rally, the team swoops into action to face the perpetrators: a billiard ball-styled gang called the Ballers! Each Baller seems to have a different skill set and themed costume. The team captures some, and forces others to retreat. But the stage collapse caused during Osprey's battle with 4-Ball, and the various rocket-blasted areas, leave Bluebird rattled. Was it the Overseer again, or someone else with an agenda to eliminate Ellison - or just her chances at high office? Featuring: Blue Fox, Firewalker, Scatha 5, Osprey, Sombra	The Overseer?; the Ballers
Dealing with Devastator	Adventurers Gold #3	"Ghost Town"	Adventurers Gold reaches the ghost town where Devastator lives. The old mining community seems abandoned, but when they get closer, half-finished, haphazardly reconstructed robots dig themselves out of the sand and beset the team in great numbers. Trespasser is injured in the fight. The team then survives an aerial bombardment of missiles launched by Devastator, with help from Stinger who arrives late to the battle. Finally, all of his defenses laid bare, Devastator takes flight over the battlefield himself where after a pronounced battle, he is brought to ground and defeated.	Devastator
Dealing with Devastator	Adventurers Gold #2	"The Jail Gambit"	Tasked with capturing Devastator, the team learns that he is adept at laying low, and probably has a base of operations in the USA. One of Devastator's known associates, Jay Nordhoff AKA Marauder, is being held in the county jail awaiting an arraignment. The team devises a plan to sneak Firewalker in, disguised as a gangster cellmate, to try to quickly earn Nordhoff's confidence and figure out where Devastator is, while other team members keep the court and jail officials busy undercover. Devastator is discovered to be hiding out in a remote part of eastern Nevada.	Jay Nordhoff (the Marauder)
Dealing with Devastator	Adventurers Gold #1	"Supreme Devastation"	Webcrawler calls out for help! Having escaped capture by her old enemy, the Devastator, she alerts the team that she is being pursued by his Oppressor robot - nearly two storeys tall. It takes numerous Adventurers to fell the thing, and rescue its power source: a young hero named Battery whom Devastator had recently captured and enslaved within the robot. Webcrawler taps the newly-formed Adventurers Gold to begin the hunt for Devastator, and bring him to justice.	Devastator; Devastator's Oppressor Robot
The Soul of the Nation	#370	"Return of Mr. X"	The mysterious Mr. X unexpectedly reaches out to Blue Fox, causing several Adventurers [Blue Fox, Osprey, Sombra, Mantle, Scatha 5, Courser] to attend a clandestine meeting with him in a city center underground car park. His new revelation: Casey Trent was not the Overseer, but probably a patsy, a fall guy. Mr. X says that the criminal web of which he is part slowed for a bit upon Trent's capture by the Adventurers months ago, but recently has renewed its activities, and is working hard toward some looming goal. Furthermore, the Overseer seems quite aware of the Adventurers and is making plans for them. As before, Mr. X can answer few of their questions in full or direct ways, for fear that the compartmentalization of information in the cabal will make it easy to trace back to him. But he does profess to be an ally to the Adventurers and opposed to the illegal activity he sees.	The Overseer
(none)	#366-#369	"Sins of the Past, Sins of the Present"	The Adventurers encounter Skyline, and help battle his opponent Tectonic, leading them into intrigues with the Hawthorne Foundation who manufacture a potent but dangerous substance called Polymorphite - which currently powers Skyline. More: Skyline: Sins of the Past, Sins of the Present	Hawthorne Foundation; Tectonic
(none)	#359-365	"Broken Mirror"	(Description to come)	Kestrel
(none)	#358	"Dino Rampage"	The team responds to a genuine t-rex rampage in downtown Millennium City! The combined efforts of Firewalker, Blue Fox, Replica, Courser, Stinger, and Sombra(?) drive the creature toward a large city park where they leave it open to be sedated and subdued. PRIMUS, meanwhile, follows the path of destruction back to its source and locates a bio-lab in a state of carnage.	Dinosaur
Going Home	#356-357	"Going Home, Parts 1 & 2"	Maya (Sombra) and Riley (Courser) join Kyra (Replica) on a bus trip to her home town of Athens. There, Kyra has been asked to give a speech to an assembly at her old high school about her unorthodox path to success and overcoming her more rowdy past. Kyra has to face the real reason her parents refused to pay for her university, something which has been a sore point in their relationship for years. Also, a swamp monster turns up at Kyra's dad's workplace - an alligator sanctuary - requiring the Adventurers in Athens to take action! ... and afterwards, Kyra spills the beans about her secret identity to her antagonized father, leading at last to a cathartic reconciliation.	Swamp Monster
The Cabal	#355	"Foxing Them Out"	Red Spider recovers enough to go home, but has memory loss covering about the last 10 years of her life. The team agrees to take turns watching her in case her secret identity became known by villains. Firewalker, Replica, Courser, and others start attending fitness classes at Red Spider's home studio to keep tabs on her, while Sombra and Dreamweaver do what they can to help her at home. The enigmatic Mr. X tells the team a month later that Liddell's arrest seems to have changed nothing for the mysterious cabal he previously warned the Adventurers about. Blue Fox is selected to lead in Red Spider's stead, and he announces he is determined to probe the identities and true intentions of who framed Liddell.	Liddell; Mystery Cabal
With a Silver Spoon	#354	"Straight From the Source"	The team is alerted to a break-in at Silverline Industries, discovering a few of the Scrappers gang inside, ransacking the place for new parts to maintain and grow their cyborg posse. Raymond Silver, founder and CEO of the company, investigates matters himself via video screen, expressing his annoyance and sealing both groups inside while he summons his security. During the fight between the teams, this security arrives: a trio of formidable rolling robots ordered to take down everyone! The three-way melee ends, of course, with the Adventurers victorious, the lockdown lifting as they threaten to trash the damaged robots completely.	The Scrappers, Silverline Industries
A Murder Most Foul	#353	"Ground Zero"	After the battle in the casino, the team confronts and arrests Cosmo Liddell in his penthouse. Liddell protests that it's all a frame, accusing the team of having manufactured the crisis as an excuse to grab him. The police investigation begins, with Detective Sheffield helping the team realize that Red Spider probably wasn't beaten in the holding room where she was found, but brought there after. Blue Fox tracks the scent of her to the loading dock. Upon personally verifying the Red Spider's medical status at the team's HQ, the Detective is willing to conclude that the Adventurers had probable cause to enter the casino to rescue her - but warns that destructive vigilante behavior will not be tolerated any further. The team provides the detective with recordings and data they pulled from the casino; though technically admissible, the detective warns that they may not be lawyer-proof. The team has a frank discussion about it, with members like Tungstan, Stinger, and Sombra showing disappointment in how the casino battle unfolded, ones like Blue Fox and Vortex feeling things could be better but they acted as best they could, and ones like Catfight feeling that the ends justified the means. Red Spider remains unconscious and recovering under the care of the team's surgical droid.	Cosmo Liddell
A Murder Most Foul	#352	"Ground Zero"	The mysterious Mr. X arranges a meeting with the team through Blue Fox's website. In a parking garage, he tells Sombra, Blue Fox, and Firewalker that the attempt on Olivia Ellison's life, and the death of Sarah, was just part of a much vaster conspiracy. While he knows that Cosmo Liddell is part of the web, Mr. X does not believe Liddell is at its center. He urges the team to find out who gave the order, and find a path to the center of the web. Later, Red Spider goes missing! On a hunch that Cosmo Liddell has captured her, the team arranges for ally Replica to sneak into Liddell's Horizon Casino, disguised as a Liddell gangster. Inside, she finds Red Spider badly beaten in one of Liddell's casino holding rooms. With danger closing in and Sombra's powers suddenly inactive, the team springs into action. A pitched battle sees the casino wrecked. Much collateral damage is caused by the Liddell gang and their weapons, but the Adventurers are wanton in their destruction. Catfight in particular drives her car into the slots floor, with potentially lethal consequences. Afterward, the team confronts and arrests Cosmo Liddell. Liddell protests that it's all a frame, accusing the team of having manufactured the crisis. The police investigation begins, with Detective Sheffield helping the team realize that Red Spider probably wasn't beaten in the holding room where she was found, but brought there after. Blue Fox tracks the scent of her to the loading dock. Verifying that Red Spider was injured, the Detective is willing to conclude that the Adventurers had probable cause to enter the casino - but warns that destructive vigilante behavior will not be tolerated any further. The team has a frank discussion about it, with members like Tungstan, Stinger and Sombra showing disappointment in how the casino battle unfolded, ones like Blue Fox and Vortex feeling things could be better but they acted as best they could, and ones like Catfight feeling that the ends fully justified the means. Red Spider remains unconscious and recovering under the care of the team's surgical droid.	Cosmo Liddell; Mr. X
A Murder Most Foul	#351	"In the Dragon's Den"	The Adventurers begin to strike back at Liddell to let him know he's gone too far in murdering celebrity Sarah Ellison! Blue Fox does some cyber attacks and reveals some embarrassing info about the Liddell organization. Catfight hits a money-laundering operation within a laundromat. Red Spider exposes a shipping container full of contraband on the Liddell Shipping lot. The team track down the gunman who escaped from the Ellison penthouse. He gives up under questioning that someone else recruited him for the hit and the money came by dead drop, but he was under the impression it was a Liddell operation. The team keeps the gunman in protective custody for fear that Liddell will try to eliminate him. A full force of Catfight, Blue Fox, Red Spider, Stinger, Sombra, and Vortex go to Liddell's casino. Though security tries to tell them to leave initially, Cosmo Liddell relents and has them escorted to his office. There the team tries to extract a confession out of him. Liddell remains cagey and trades barbs with the team. The crime boss contends he had no involvement in the death of Sarah Ellison - though he'd congratulate whoever did it. He's not troubled by the hearsay the team has gathered, saying he's constantly the target of hearsay for things he both did and did not do, and it hasn't sunk him yet. Liddell warns the team if they keep trying to weaken his organization and the control it exerts over his territory, it will give rise to more violent crime - a risk some team members seem willing to accept.	Cosmo Liddell
A Murder Most Foul	#350	"The Death of Night Star"	Two gunmen make their way through the layers of security at Ellison Hotel and Suites to open fire on Olivia (Bluebird) and Sarah (Night Star) in the former's private penthouse suite, declaring they are there on behalf of Cosmo - notorious crime boss Cosmo Liddell. Sarah goes down in the initial salvo, while Olivia manages to resourcefully fend off the attack. Sarah uses the last of her strength to ward off one gunman, while Olivia kills one in her own defense. Later in hospital, Sarah succumbs to her wounds. Dr. Erin Bailey surgically removes a data device from Night Star and gives it to Cassandra Olsen's (Red Spider) safe keeping. Rubber Bullette, Sombra, Blue Fox, Stinger, and Catfight are all present out of costume at the hospital to join Olivia and Rayna Ellison, and they begin to discuss responses to Liddell.	2 Gunmen; Cosmo Liddell?
	#349	"Sinking of the Titanic"	On her own, Sombra encounters the villain Titanic, seemingly hired to trash a construction site belonging to Congressman Clayton Ewing. She is forced to play a game of cat and mouse, unable to match the giant in combat, but eventually outthinks him, though finds no satisfying motivation for the attack....	Titanic
The Juliana Nova Incident	#348	"Vengeance of Verdugo"	With evidence to clear Olivia's name, the team heads to Juliana Nova to retrieve their extradited teammate. Verdugo's compound is well-defended, but the team smashes through, finding Olivia beaten and bruised in a cell. Verdugo himself reveals his metahuman powers, and faces them!	Salvador Verdugo
The Juliana Nova Incident	#347	"Joule, Grounded"	The team is shocked to discover the morning news declaring that their teammate Joule, Olivia Kowalczyk, has been arrested for an apparent political assassination from her time in the US Army. Fledgling South American nation Juliana Nova and its Grand Marshal, Salvador Verdugo, accuse Olivia's unit of the murder of several rebels, including his own brother Pedro, during their bid to depose the previous rulers of the country. The team splits up to investigate, visiting the Juliana Novan embassy, and Joule's own records from the past. It's soon discovered that Nero Corp, the creator of the Invictus serum that previous villain RoidRage made use of, was involved in Juliana Nova. Salvador and his men killed their own men while "high" on the drug, and framed the US soldiers later! And now, they have a new, improved Invictus II serum in storage....	Salvador Verdugo, Nero Corp
Catfight Arc	#344-346	"The Kriedler Feud"	The team contends with Winston Kriedler, who has a grudge against the Reinhardt family and a giant wolf robot to help. Markus Reinhardt, believed dead since Adventurers #307, turns up alive and well and offers to help the team. His agenda isn't clear, but Markus does make a play for his own redemption. (Please expand).	Kriedler, giant wolf robot
Hellfire, Dark Fire	#341-343	The Path of the Righteous Man	Firewalker, affected by the hellfire he absorbed in his contest with Satan like a deadly toxin leeching into his mind, starts rampaging through the city, causing havoc and terror. The Adventurers, after numerous attempts to reach him, finally confront him once and for all when he becomes a giant, fiery demon. Fox, now known as Oni, is able to use a new energy-draining sword to stab Firewalker and suck the hellfire out, leaving the hero injured and apologetic, but okay.	Firewalker
The Golden Man	#340	"Not a Forever Goodbye"	Lord Aurum's remaining Golden Men try to save him, and drag him against his will into the waiting transport. Firewalker blasts it off course, while Silver Hare trashes its engine assembly. The resulting pressure build-up causes an explosion that makes the transport crash to the street. Aurum emerges from the wreck to be assailed by Blue Fox; his helmet is smashed, his life support fluid drained, and he is brought within an inch of his life. The team brings Aurum back to HQ in a bid to keep him alive. The Surgical Droid captured in Adventurers #284 is brought in to stabilize Aurum and attempt to fashion a makeshift repair to his life support suit. The team orders the droid to awaken Aurum, then they ask if he can save Spyder. Aurum indicates that he probably can, but that he would need to return home to consult his texts to find the way. He bargains for his release, promising he will fulfill his end, and help both Spyder and Abaza Menderes return to life. The team is reluctant, but agrees that letting Aurum go is their best chance to save Spyder. Two weeks later... Spyder wakes up at the Olsen suite, surrounded by Blue Fox, Catfight, and Firewalker. She needs a few days to recover. Future Adrynne visits Spyder late at night to let her know that she has fulfilled her purpose for being in the past, and she will soon be brought home to her proper time. Spyder takes time to say goodbye to the younger version of her father, whom she got to know during her stay in 2021, and farewells her team mates with a party. As she waits for the portal to open to return home, she says goodbye to everyone over team comms - and they respond by showing up in person to see her off. Sombra sends a cake with her to share with whoever greets her on the other side. Shortly after Spyder enters the portal and it closes, the express private elevator of Cassandra Olsen's suite dings with a new arrival: Cassandra, returned from the future, holding baby Jessa.	Lord Aurum
The Golden Man	#339	"Spyder's Purpose"	The Adventurers get word from Silver Hare and, shortly after, Firewalker, about Lord Aurum's schemes, his crafting of the Philosopher's Stone, his killing of his future counterpart. Blue Fox accesses a climate satellite to find a heat spike in the city corresponding with Firewalker's forging of the Stone, and locates it at the former address of the Order of Osiris [see Adventurers #249], which is being built over by a new construction site. But there must have been a sub-structure no one knew about, deep below. The team arrives en masse to find Aurum's Golden Men boarding an air transport on exposed top floor of the building construction. Aurum, now encrusted in organic golden armor, and bearing the Philosopher's Stone on his chest, appears by hologram projected by a Golden Man to parley with the team. But the team will not accept Lord Aurum's word about the future calamity, nor his sole proprietorship of the Stone. The Golden Men go to attack mode. For the first phase of the battle, the Adventurers are seriously overwhelmed by the Golden Men. Spyder went into her camouflage at the start of the encounter and is not seen, while Sombra also goes invisible and tries - without success - to pry the Stone away from Aurum once she sneaks onto the transport. Aurum has Sombra carried out, and has his robots hold position, but prepare for death strikes on those Adventurers who have been knocked down. Unable to get their acknowledgement of his claim to the Stone, Aurum seems about to order their deaths. Then an invisible hand is revealed as the fingers, hand, and arm start to turn gold against Aurum's chest. Spyder, in camouflage, grabs the Stone and tugs it free, then dives to the ground, and buries it under her. Just as happened to the Turkish girl in 1908, Spyder - undisciplined in the mastery of the Stone - starts to turn into a solid gold statue bit by bit. Her sacrifice puts Aurum in alarm, and he thoughtlessly orders all of his Golden Men to immediately converge on Spyder and wrest the Stone from her before it is too late. The Adventurers take advantage of the situation and dispense with most of the Golden Men when they turn their backs. Firewalker rockets through a great many. Sombra gets close to Spyder and tries to take the Stone, but Spyder rolls and indicates she intends to see her sacrifice through. The sweep moves over her body, and Spyder is rendered unliving gold. The Philosopher's Stone expends its energy in her grasp, and crumbles to dust under Spyder.	Lord Aurum
The Golden Man	#338	"Captured by the Alchemist"	In Millennium City, Firewalker wakes up in an unfamiliar but dungeon-like place, swimming in a pool, restrained on a harness. He is soon visited by Lord Aurum of the Future, who explains his situation. It becomes clear that Lord Aurum of the Future took advantage of Edgar Cryderman's intention to travel back in time [see Adventurers #326-27] to destroy the Adventurers, and persuaded Cryderman to hit Red Spider at a certain date in 2021. Aurum came with Cryderman, and his intention was not to help Cryderman succeed - he expected Cryderman to fail, as he always did - but to be in place at a time in history when he knew that hellfire was something that he might be able to obtain without the peril of dealing with the devil. Firewalker learns that Future Aurum is trying to stop a great, world-ending calamity that is doomed to happen in the near future, which he has sensed with his foresight power. To do avoid this fate, Aurum believes the Philosopher's Stone must be constructed so that a human mind can attain the wisdom necessary to determine how the calamity begins in the first place. Everything he has done for nearly a century has been, in some way or other, about gaining the Stone, and averting disaster. While Firewalker considers the value of a potential alliance, Lord Aurum of the Present joins them, and makes clear that they have a hostage to ensure his obedience: Silver Hare. Firewalker tries to destroy Lord Aurum of the Future, but finds his future armor, outfitted with dragon scale, is enough to shield him. They douse him with water from an aqueduct high above. As the villains leave to make preparations, Firewalker asks the two Aurums if they considered which one of them gets to keep the Stone. Later, Lord Aurum of the Future explains the situation to a frightened Silver Hare, and then brings her to see Firewalker. Just before it comes time for Firewalker to forge the stone, the Aurum of the Present has his Golden Men seize Future Aurum, and force a poison through his visor, into the liquid oxygen medium around his head. Future Aurum dies, and is dragged away. Later, Present Aurum - now in his future counterpart's armor - presides over the forging of the Stone. Firewalker bargains for a sign of good faith from Aurum that he won't misuse the Stone, asking that Aurum release Silver Hare. Aurum uses his golden dust to sedate Hare without warning, and orders his Golden Men to drop her off safely on a rooftop. Firewalker uses his powers to forge the metallic core Aurum has prepared into the Philsopher's Stone, in a forge lined with dragonscale in order to protect the building from the intense hellfire. Firewalker achieves the Stone's formation... and tries to go a step further and eradicate it. The Stone, however, remains resilient to the additional heat. Golden Men, standing guard, strike from multiple angles with electrical attacks to subdue Firewalker. Aurum remarks that he anticipated betrayal, but still finds it disappointing. He does try to share with Firewalker something of the Stone's power, asking if Firewalker can sense any new insight or inspiration. Firewalker also removed to wake up safely somewhere else.	Lord Aurum
The Golden Man	#337	"A Century's-old Adventure"	As the team tries to look into leads on some clues they found in Lord Aurum's mansion in the Aegean, the Professor Walsingham AI finds a personal connection to one of the aliases Aurum has used, in the old passports and IDs Sombra brought back - that of Dr. Adem Altun. Walsingham recounts in flashback how the Classic Adventurers attempted to investigate the case of a girl named Abaza Menderes in the Anatolya region of Turkey in 1908, who had apparently been turned to stone. Discounting other explanations such as a hoax, the team met Dr. Altun, supposedly a professor in Ankara, who had also come out to investigate. In time the team learned that Altun was not all that he appeared, and after Altun knocked the team out and captured them in his home, they woke up in a dungeon. Altun admitted he had been with Abaza, and had even hired her to help him, when he came to explore an old temple that he suspected was in the area near her village. When they discovered a glowing orb set in the floor, he instructed Abaza to pick it up for him - but upon holding it in her hands, it began to turn her to gold. Altun left the statuefied Abaza and went back to Ankara to get the tools he needed to handle the orb safely, but when he got back, not only had the Adventurers shown up to investigate, but the orb had apparently crumbled to dust. Altun suspected that Abaza lacked the mental discipline to bear the orb. The Classic Adventurers managed to escape Altun's dungeon. They had to flee Turkey immediately when Altun leveraged his pull with the authorities to make the Adventurers out to be vile warlocks and plunderers. The team learns that Dr. Altun / Lord Aurum's aim as an alchemist would be to craft the fabled Philosopher's Stone. That may be what Altun and poor Abaza found in that ancient, forgotten temple. The Stone legendarily would have the power to turn base material to gold, but also to provide wisdom, insight, and inspiration to those near it. It might also prolong life. Night Star tracks down the statue of Abaza, which still exists and is presently owned by one of those commercial museums of oddities, and pays over $30 Million to buy it and have it shipped to her.
The Golden Man	#336	"Return to Aurum Island"	Spyder finally meets 'Fox' who has recently been restored to life. She tells him about her purpose being in the past: finding Lord Aurum. Fox, darkened by his time in hell, seems skeptical of the young hero. He suggests that if Aurum is out there, the team should visit his island. Spyder convinces the team to go. Night Star, who was going to journey to nearby Cretoa in the Aegean Sea anyway, arranges transportation for the team to visit the tiny island upon which Lord Aurum's mansion sits. There, the team discovers a swarm of Aurum's golden men repairing the house, which had been extensively damaged a year prior when dozens of Golden Men burst forth to pursue Red Spider and Blue Fox when they stole something from Aurum's lab. At the door, a Golden Man wearing an ornate shirt greets the team and hospitably takes them to a sitting room, affording them every comfort a guest might expect. The team learns little by little that Aurum is not present, but he did hope to bury his conflict with them - and avoid the Adventurers interfering in his efforts in future. The servant reveals that Present-day Aurum and Future Aurum are working together, and that Aurum's purpose is to save the world from some future calamity he knew was coming due to his power of foresight, but the servant had no specifics. While most of the team peppers their host-bot with questions, Oni (a new alter ego of Fox) ostensibly leaves to use the washroom, but in truth, uses a laundry chute to access the laboratory in the mansion's basement. He takes samples from some kind of recent experiment. Upstairs, the Adventurers take advantage of the servant bot leaving the room to fetch a water pitcher, to examine Aurum's library and adjoining scrying chamber. Rubber Bullette finds various occult tracts, with many being books on alchemy. Sombra found a book on a book case that opened a tiny, secret office behind it, wherein she discovered that Aurum may have links both to Sir Thomas Walsingham, and the Order of Osiris. Terratonic (and others) entered the scrying chamber, which was a bare room with black walls, a table, a mirror upon it, and a chair; it was quite foreboding, sending a chill down their spines just to be in it, but they did not 'see the future' as the servant had said was Aurum's purpose for being there. The servant persuaded the team to stay for dinner. At the dinner table, when Sombra inquired further about how they could trust Aurum, the servant projected a live hologram of Future Aurum, who spoke with them. He indicated that he had been patiently waiting for the team to come to his abode so that he could enact a plot to kidnap Firewalker, whose hellfire he needed for a purpose he would only disclose in riddles. Firewalker had recently absorbed a great deal of hellfire in his challenge to the devil. Lord Aurum said that he had done all he could to delay the team at his home to buy time for whatever his plot was.	Lord Aurum
--	#335	"Terratonic AND Proto Strikes!"	The team becomes aware of Proto droids committing a raid in the city's vast freight yards, stealing metals and tech components. Firewalker takes to the sky and tries to intercept groups of Proto Drones making off with heavy bundles of steel. Night Star turns up to fight at the freight yard, and assists Terratonic - a hero who uses earth-control powers - in destroying a war droid. They then cooperate on destroying a sturdy Hazard Droid. Spyder also turns up, and leads an Aero Droid into a trap for the others to destroy. Some of the drones escape with their haul, but not as much as they might have thanks to Adventurers and non-Adventurer heroes like Delta and Terratonic. Afterward, Terratonic reveals she is known to Red Spider, and the team extends an offer for Terratonic to join full-time.	Proto Droids
--	#334	"Chasing Shadows"	The police think Sombra has broken bad. The team goes in pursuit of her, and eventually dogpile her in the park. Sombra makes her acquisition difficult by using her teleporting powers. Upon seizing Sombra, the team are able to remove an 'Earworm' from her that was causing her to do bad things, and turn it over to the police. Spyder gains more control of her sticking power in the fight to capture Sombra. (More to come...?)	Earworm
--	#333	"Marooned"	Rubber Bullette and Azure Hawk end up marooned on a tropical island. (More to come...?)	Unknown
Mission: Hell	#332	"The Other Underworld, Part 2"	The Adventurers challenge the shape-shifting Lord of Hell to various contests. Blue Fox tries to have the devil beat his time in a Doom speed-run, but the devil prevails despite Blue Fox's program traps. Firewalker challenges the devil to try to destroy him with hell's fire, but that if he can endure 15 minutes, he wins; after a trial that nearly destroys him, Firewalker wins. Rubber Bullette asks for the devil to create a obstacle course similar to TV's Wipeout; the devil obliges, creating a grotesque course that uses sharp, jagged metal, bloody meat in place of air-filled rubber balloons, and so on; RB does beat the devil's servant's best time, but is given a bad slice from one of the spinning blades. Sombra challenges the devil to a culinary duel, prompting the devil to pick a jury of the damned to select the winner. While in hell's kitchen Sombra finds everything she needs, though the screams that eminate from the appliances every time she opens them unnerves her. She manages to exceed the devil's baking skills in the end. Frustrated, the devil demands an impossible thing: he wants all of the Adventurers, even the ones not present, to give him a challenge, saying that was implied in his contract with the team, and threatens to claim victory if the team doesn't give him one challenge from every team member - impossible, as in some cases, team members simply cannot be there. Sombra counters that as leader, she can change the roster, so she declares those Adventurers not present to be kicked off the team. The devil is down 1 - 3 in the score, and appreciating Sombra's bending of the rules, concedes victory to the Adventurers. Fox and Adrynne are subjected to profound levels of pain as they are resurrected and set free, and the team is bidden to leave hell immediately.	The Devil
Mission: Hell	#331	"The Other Underworld, Part 1"	Fox on the run! He is being pursued by demons when the spirit of Adrynne finds him, having been seeking him in the afterlife for company while she tries to reconstitute her mortal form. Fox recounts how he had arrived in hell after agreeing to die in place of another, but in so doing, took on a pact that required him to go to hell. Horrified, Adrynne promises to inform the Adventurers, and stake her own soul in a gambit to free Fox from the devil. The Adventurers are still exhausted from their battle with Xagrim when Adrynne informs them of Fox's plight, and her suggestion of a way to get him back: give the devil some good sport. If the Adventurers can think up entertainments for which the devil, or his appointed servant, can go head-to-head, and beat him in them, then perhaps in winning they can win Fox and Adrynne's souls. But if the team fails, Fox and Adrynne must endure hell until the endtimes. While some Adventurers are willing, more than a few are quite skeptical of the plan. Inside of a day, hellmouths open before each Adventurer individual, providing a way for them to reach the underworld...	The Devil
The Season of Xagrim	#330	"Horror at the Fashion Show, Part 3"	Sarah overhears the conversation in Liddell's room via mics she left there. In a strange conversation, Liddell pledges fealty to Seaton as his 'master,' and promises his will be done. Sombra sneaks into the room, but Seaton - exposed as Xagrim - perceives her, and morphs into his horrific true form, a massive dark humanoid of pure, dark psionic energy, clad in psionic armor. He chases after Sombra, as seizing someone of her power is instrumental to his conquest of Earth. As fashion show goers flee for their lives, and the convention hall is destroyed by Xagrim as he pursues Sombra, the Adventurers face him down and do battle against the extra-dimensional terror. After a long, pitched battle, which at one point sees Rubber Bullette used as a sort of flail against the Adventurers, the team succeeds at weakening Xagrim enough that he flees this dimension. Cosmo Liddell emerges from the ruination of his convention hall and has no memory of being under Xagrim's control. The beleaguered Adventurers take some time off to recover. Meanwhile, in the great beyond, Adrynne - impatient for company as she painstakingly reconstitutes her mortal form - seeks the spirit of Fox, the Adventurer who had given his life to defend another some months before. Finding him, to her surprise, in hell, pursued relentlessly by demons, Adrynne vows to rally Fox's teammates and secure his release from this grim fate.	Xagrim; Cosmo Liddell
The Season of Xagrim	#329	"Horror at the Fashion Show, Part 2"	Inside of the convention hall where the fashion show is being held, Maya (Sombra) finds a furtive sort-of friend of hers: Arcadio Rando, the Speedmaster, who needs help stealing back his hover bike from the Liddell gang. AJ (Firewalker) breezes past security in the loading dock, but must take on a flambuoyant disguise to get into the convention hall. Sarah (Night Star) plays it cool and promises not to engage Cosmo Liddell directly only days after her sister was nearly assassinated by someone known to work for Liddell in past. Marshall (Blue Fox), having got Maya and himself in thanks to his uncle's political connections (which enables him to meet Donald Trump), takes on the protection of movie star Samara Parish after she confides that she is receiving threatening letters that indicate someone wants to try to get to her at the event. Jack (Azure Hawk) tries to help a shy male model from Texas find true love. Eva (Catfight) has a conversation with an old flame. But suspicions arise when Emily (Rubber Bullette) encounters a bland, seemingly albino shoe maker and strange haircut from Millennium City named Dex Seaton who fits the bill of 'someone who hasn't quite got the human form down.' AJ asks around with fashion world observers who point out that Dex really does stand out in an odd way. As the team surveils Seaton, Sarah demands an audience with Cosmo Liddell. In their tense meeting, Sarah threatens to topple Cosmo's organization for what happened to her sister, but Liddel dismisses her out of hand - he's heard that threat before from people he estimates had better resources, obviously unaware of her dual identity. Not long after Sarah is bounced from the event, Dex Seaton takes an audience with Cosmo Liddell...	Xagrim; Cosmo Liddell
The Season of Xagrim	#328	"Horror at the Fashion Show, Part 1"	The team defeats an agent of Xagrim named Xalmallen, who is a human with psionic powers whom Xagrim captured and twisted to his will. Xalmallen and a number of cultists tried to cause a chemical plant to explode within the city, the prospect of which terrified citizens and caused evacuations - but it was averted through the actions of some Adventurers. Liberated, Xalmallen tells the team that Xagrim must be found, as his power is growing daily. Xagrim hides behind a fake identity, Xalmallen says, but his shapeshifting imperfect - they will know him by a less than perfect human form. Later, Spyder alerts the team after a newspaper article reminds her of a very important happening in their history that she read about in the future: they can capture Xagrim at the upcoming North American Fashion Expo. In the original timeline Spyder knows, it was her mother, Red Spider, who identified Xagrim's alter ego; now that task must fall to another. The team rapidly makes preparations to infiltrate the event, which is being held at the Horizon Casino and Conference Centre - a property owned by gangster Cosmo Liddell. The team contends with elevated security and a lack of available passes to enter the event.	Xagrim; Cosmo Liddell
--	#327	"Back in Time"	The team exits Adrynne's sanctum, and soon come across their new allies: Spyder and Eclipse, Adventurers of nearly 20 years in the future! Spyder reveals that Cassandra Olsen was pregnant - news that shocked the team, many of whom hadn't even known she was dating - and that Cassandra has been sent to the future for her own safety, and because Spyder - revealed to be Jessa Olsen, the daughter in question - can't be in the same time as herself under the current time travel rules. Her ally Eclipse is implicitly revealed as Blue Fox and Sombra's son. With these new allies, and the arrival of a few more teammates, Blue Fox, Vortex, and Stinger, the team heads back into the sanctum and confronts Transcendant! After a rough battle the heroes prevail! Spyder reveals that she's going to be filling in for Red Spider for the foreseeable future, due to uncertainty of when Cass will return. Eclipse promises to stick around a couple days himself before taking the elderly Cryderman back to the time they belong in.	Transcendant
--	#326	"Back in Time"	Rubber Bullette, Night Star, and Sombra respond to a police alert with a personal stake - Cassandra Olsen's dance studio was attacked! The trio find an unsettling scene - the damaged studio, a trail of blood, and Eva Banks stuck to the wall of the building by a tangleweb burst! Eva reveals that Transcendant attacked the studio specifically, knowing their identities as Red Spider and Catfight! In the chaos, Eva insists another Spider-themed hero arrived to help, but it wasn't Sam. The investigation is a dead end until Captain Suzuki of UNTIL arrives to help with cleaning up the scene and keeping the attack quiet. He also helpfully informs them of a disturbance in Vibora Bay, and making the connection between Transcendant, the Peyasaskew Stone shard, and Adrynne, the quartet take a shortcut through the sorceresses's magic portal to arrive in record time! There they find an astral Adrynne, trapped once again in a limbo state while she reforms her near-dead body. She reveals that while she still has the Peyasaskew shard, and has transported it and Red Spider to a vague place of safety, the Transcendant Cryderman is from the future, having acquired the shard at a much later date. Defeated by heroes of the future, he has come back to the past to rewrite history at the source! While he tears Adrynne's home apart for the shard, she informs the Adventurers that heroes from the future have also come back to help, and suggests finding them before facing Transcendant.	Transcendant
With a Silver Spoon	#325	"Scrapfest '21"	The Adventurers respond to an attempted armored truck robbery, where they find a trio of street gang cyborgs and a lineup of crashed cars trailing their attack. The leader, Rumble, who previously faced off with Red Spider, Catfight, and Vortex, is now joined by the scythe-armed Sick-L and chainsaw-handed Roughcut. While Blue Fox rescues the passengers of the wrecked vehicles, the others engage the punks, finding them surprisingly tough for what looks to be basic thugs with grungy augmentations. During the struggle, the heroes notice that both the gang's fancy tech parts and the cargo of the armored truck are stamped with the logo of Silverline Industries.	The Scrappers
The Season of Xagrim	#324	"Fear Takes Wing"	Red Spider, Night Star, Sombra, and Joule cooperate to board a large plane being flown dangerously in low circles around the city. Aboard, they find Nightmare Order cultists and a bomb of mysterious make - but they face great danger in trying to overcome the natural hazards of boarding a plane in flight! Sombra, briefly captured, learns that the cultists realize their masters commands will not permit harm to come to Sombra. The team must take care not to let the cultists die, for they are merely innocents under mind control; hence scuttling the plane is not an option. In the end, the team drops the bomb out over a lake and Joule flies the commandeered plane out of the blast range just in time.	The Nightmare Order cultists
The Season of Xagrim	#323	"Monster in the Basement"	The Adventurers congregate at a rural bunker inhabited by cultists, where Red Spider communicated that something big was going down before comm frequencies were jammed. The cultists, who are well-armed, defend their compound against the combined might of the Adventurers for a short time. After a siege, the Adventurers reunite with Red Spider inside the bunker, and learn from her that there is something big going on in the bunker's basement. They go below and battle what the cultists call a 'guardian' - a bloated, many-mouthed, metamorphic beast that emerges through a slime pool from another dimension. After driving back the guardian, radio frequency jamming ends, and the team learns that the cult's master, an extradimensional being they call the Lord of Nightmares walks the Earth now in human form -- and that he seeks Dreamscape as the key to his conquest.	The Nightmare Order cultists; #####'s Guardian
	#322	"A Requiem for Fox"	Team members react as teammate Fox is found murdered in his apartment, apparently unrelated to Adventurers. Catfight takes custody of much of Fox's personal effects, and starts examining them for a lead on how and why he died.	Our feelings
Adventurers Annual 2021	#1	"A Requiem for Fox"	While attempting to catch a Liddell smuggling ring in the act, Adventurer allies Bluebird and Cardinal come under heavy fire by gangsters. Prevailing, they believe they must have come upon a shipment of particular value for it to have been so guarded - but they only find an empty shipping container. Minutes later, both feel violently ill; the arriving police call for a lockdown and for hazmat protocols. The team is unable to detect the airborn virus. The Adventurers Blue Fox and Night Star confront Cosmo Liddell at his casino penthouse for answers about the contagion affecting Bluebird and Cardinal. Night Star tosses Liddell around his home rather violently, but Liddell remains cagey. He then promises to make a phone call to get the info they demand... and as they wait and watch him do so, Blue Fox starts to fall ill. Realizing Liddell has some connection to the virus, and even an unquantified ability to control it, the team retreats. Samantha Olsen shares inside info from a CDC briefing she attended indicating that almost the entire city are carriers for the virus, and it is spreading beyond. Yet the only symptomatic cases seem to be costumed heroes. This defies epidemiological sense. The CDC must soon announce the presence of the virus, but fears a panic, especially since they lack the means to treat it. The team learns that the source of the virus is a being called Blight, whose meta-human powers allow him to create viruses and control their actions like they were extensions of himself. Though the Adventurers cannot prove it, it seems Cosmo Liddell learned of Blight's powers and offered him a small fortune if he could use his viral powers to eliminate very specific targets: costumed crime-fighters. Blight's skin shows lesions and solid, fluid-filled structures that, if breached, release deadly disease. He attempts to hold the city ransom in a confrontation with the Adventurers, making several team members incredibly ill just being near him, and threatening to unleash his illness on the city at large. Night Star, apparently immune because of nanites, shoots him in the head. ...it was only a stun shot, though. With Blight in custody, the CDC is able to rapidly discover antigens in one of his fluid-filled growths that prove critical in vaccinating the public against Blight's virus. Blight is kept at Stronghold prison in a carefully quarantined environment.	Blight; Cosmo Liddell
Broken Time	#321	"Time-splosion"	(To be continued)	Timeslip
Broken Time	#320	"Time-splosion"	(To be continued)	Timeslip
Broken Time	#319	"Time-splosion"	The Adventurers begin receiving looped transmissions over their emergency response network, reporting a break in at the Harmon Weyl Temporal Physics Labs in City Center. As they arrive, they begin witnessing bizarre disruptions in reality surround the lab; the building seems contained within a bubble of warped light, within which clocks are set back to the middle of the previous night. As the team members proceed into the building, time becomes increasingly distorted. Several team members encounter two instances of the villain breaking in to the labs, both seemingly from different times before the break-in was reported. More team members encounter the same villain even further into the past, as he's breaking in as well as approaching the building. Through the ensuing fights, a piece of experimental machinery is damaged, resulting in a slow-motion explosion that engulfs the entire building. Is this the end for the Adventurers?	Timeslip
	Blue Fox Annual #1	"Creature Feature, Part 3"	The bloody finale! Creature, enraged by the invasion of its lair, rampages through Westside, and once again Blue Fox and Sombra arrive to stop it. Thanks to a clever trick by Sombra to teleport it a hundred feet into the air and letting it drop, and Blue Fox's unrelenting attacks, the beast is brought down... and very quickly taken into custody. The nightmare is over, although Blue can't help but notice it already wore damaged restraints the entire time....	Creature
	Blue Fox Annual #2	"Creature Feature, Part 2"	Having investigated and being roughly sure of the so-called Creature's lair, Blue Fox and Sombra don scuba gear and head into the lake, where they somberly navigate through ruins of old Detroit. Slipping through the tilted and twisted halls of a building fragment, and following a trail of torn-apart bodies, the duo find the Creature's nest, an air pocket in a dilapidated conference room. Although covered in the viscera of its victims, they find a survivor - an UNTIL soldier, half his limbs torn or eaten away. They immediately begin extracting the unfortunate man, but when Creature arrives, Blue Fox battles it in its own territory! Sombra is able to escape with her charge, and after a tense few minutes, an injured Blue Fox surfaces. He didn't quite win, but he lived to tell the tale.	Creature
	Blue Fox Annual #1	"Creature Feature, Part 1"	Investigating a bloody murder in a nearby forest, Blue Fox and a nauseated Sombra begin piecing together clues from several attacks, until they realize something is watching them from the shadows. Attempting to pursue, the two unfortunately lose their monstrous nemesis at a lakeside shore.	Creature
Catfight Annual	#2	"To Catch a Cat"	Catfight, recently bereft of super powers, gets in over her head when she tries to take on a gang of street toughs called the Silencers who have help from some international ringers named Payback, a mercenary with powered armor, and Tiratore, an Italian marksman and archer. Upon overpower Catfight, she has to face old demons from her upbringing as the baddies attempt to eliminate her in factory machinery. The death trap fails, and Catfight recovers from Tiratore the only information that might expose her secret identity. She tracks down the rest of the Silencers, discovering their plot to carefully intimidate a jury. Defeating the Silencers, Catfight engages their point person - Payback - in a street brawl which concludes in a draw, with a wounded Payback fleeing before police can nab her.	The Silencers; Payback; Tiratore
Rubber Bullette Annual	#1	"Riddle me Ridderton"	Rubber Bullette's neighborhood is embroiled in a gang turf war! In response, the city makes a deal with Ridderton Developments Inc. who plan to invest heavily in the subdivision's redevelopment, and pledge to provide a presence of private security called the Safety Patrol to keep order and augment police. But with help from Bullette's companions Chris and Tysha, it becomes clear that the Safety Patrol are merely thugs in fancy body armor out to intimidate undesireables, and strongarm owners into selling properties that Anson Ridderton wants to buy up and demolish. When Bullette finds out that she's on a list of 'enemies' of Ridderton Developments, she shortly finds herself on a collision course to confront Ridderton, his hired guns, and a doppelganger he hired to try to sully RB's reputation. It's help from friends that gets RB through some very close calls. Ridderton's agents help cover his escape once his complicity in crimes is revealed, and he flees the country.	Anson Ridderton; fake Rubber Bullette; Payback; various street gangs; the Safety Patrol
Into the Undersea	#318	"Our Finest Hour"	As Lord Aurum's suit is compromised from within, his digitizer array renders all of the captured people back into material space. With Aurum's suit overloaded, and the Nereid collars deactivating, King Zotholky orders the Nereid army to turn against Aurum and the Golden Men. The Adventurers from the battlefield move in to make safe their allies who emerged from the digitizer. Aurum is attacked from multiple sides, and his armor is badly damaged, revealing that much of his body is cybernetics, and his head and torso are badly scarred. He reveals that he wanted to control Cretoa so that he could use his alchemy to unlock the secrets of vitanium, that he might use it to his own ends. He is taken away to be imprisoned in the Zappatos Palace dungeon. King Zotholky bids the Adventurers relate to the Cretoan crown that the Nereids desire no further contact with the surface for 10 years - except that the Adventurers will be welcome in the Undersea. The Nereids withdraw from the battlefield and go below. Fantasma has, in the meantime, captured Myron Gaios. Twilight seems to have escaped the battlefield. Kyros Kallikrates is believed to have been swarmed and killed by Nereids in his battle mech just before the battle ended. The Adventurers depart a grateful Cretoa.	Lord Aurum
Into the Undersea	#317	"Our Darkest Hour"	Red Spider leads the rest of the Adventurers into a massive cavern where Lord Aurum and his enthralled army of Nereids are amassing. Backed up by the Cretoan Royal Guard and the Taurs, war is waged while the team buys time for Blue Fox, Rubber Bullette, and Joule try to disable Aurum and free his hostages. Stinger leads a group of Cretoan reservists into battle. Fox, who has been missing in the caverns for days, turns up and, not realizing the Nereids are helping Aurum reluctantly, gains control of a bombing craft and turns it against the Nereids - causing Sombra to intercede. Catfight helps break up a fight between King Zotholky and a Taur captain, knowing that the king will be needed alive if the team is to succeeded. Hasizet focuses on setting up a field hospital for the great number of wounded coming in. Night Star helps fight against the powerful Golden Men. As fighting rages on, Red Spider starts to fear that the digitized Adventurers are taking too long, and they may have failed their mission. Her resolve shakes as she fears her friends could die. Just then, a light is seen from across the distant battlefield: Lord Aurum's armor begins to emit a bright light unexpectedly. The tide turns.	Lord Aurum
Into the Undersea	#316	"Digital Warfare"	Blue Fox, Joule, and Rubber Bullette attack Lord Aurum, and are defeated. Aurum digitizes the three, and adds them to the other prisoners he is keeping digitally in his armor as insurance against his enemies. ...exactly what the Adventurers want. Using a special safeguard Blue Fox programmed after viewing the plans for the prototype digitizer, the trio awakens inside a digital construct and strive to sabotage Lord Aurum's control over the Nereid collars, and attempt to free Aurum's digitized prisoners, including Princess Grissh. They must interact with processes, and battle the anthropomorphized antivirus programs. On the surface, Golden Men enter the Zappatos Palace dungeons from below, and set the prisoners loose. Notables include Twilight, Kyros Kallikrates, and Myron Gaios!	Lord Aurum
Into the Undersea	#315	"A Golden Gift"	Red Spider and Blue Fox investigate Lord Aurum's tiny island upon which his manor is set, miles away from Cretoa. They find his lab, and a prototype version of his digitizer device. They are chased off by some of Aurum's 'golden men' - an army of gold-plated who can fly and fire deadly lasers! Down in the Cretoan caverns, Joule and Stinger narrowly escape a cavern collapse! They encounter one of the Taurs, and are led back to a Taur encampment. The Taurs are aligned to preserve Cretoan for humans against ancient threats like the Nereids. They are no friends to the Nereids, but they are aware of the treachery of Lord Aurum, and despise him more. Stinger and Joule get the Taurs to agree to a compact to ensure the safety of Cretoa against Aurum. A team of Sombra, Rubber Bullette, Meltdowner, and Stinger try to enter the Nereid realm. The Nereids are inclined to reject the Adventurers, but Sombra shows a Nereid medallion she received from the Aviator from his mission to the island a century before. The Nereids recognize the symbol, and promise the Adventurers safe conduct to and from the great city of the Undersea. The team enters the vast abyss, an ocean hidden under Cretoa whose bottom is in the unfathomable deeps. Following an array of organic beacons, they reach the city, which hugs a massive pillar of rock. They have an audience with King Zotholky - who has a Golden Man advising him, and trying to paint the Adventurers as liars. The King is willing to hear the Adventurers evidence. They present what they have learned from their interactions with Twilight and Aurum. The King is inclined to believe... but then, the Golden Man reveals that the special collars Lord Aurum gifted to every person in the Undersea have received a command to lock onto their wearer - and can kill every one of them with a unique gas mixture if they do not accede to Aurum's wishes. The King is forced to agree to go to war with the surface, or face the near extermination of his people. The Adventurers are permitted to leave, and told to warn the surface that they must evacuate the island, or die.	Lord Aurum
Into the Undersea	#314	"Enter Lord Aurum"	Because of numerous images in the cavern showing the Nereids' reverence for the kraken, and knowing that the earthquakes are part of the Nereids plan to sink parts of the island to give the kraken a way to swim free, Hasizet visits the kraken's pool beneath the Zappatos Palace. There, she communes with the beast and learns its ancient history - and its desire to return to the open sea. The ancient predator will not trouble surface creatures again if they will let it free. Blue Fox, Sombra, Joule, and Azure Hawk's battle armor go to the demolition site where Catfight and Princess Grissh had fought before, hoping to find the Princess and negotiate. There, they find the entire Nereid demolition team freshly slain - at the hand of Lord Aurum! Aurum demonstrates that he has control over other demo sites by setting one off, and causing another earthquake. He also has Princess Grissh as his hostage, digitized and stored as data in his power armor. Aurum's goal: to gain all of the ancient secrets of Cretoa. He never intended to help Cretoa. And he intends to exterminate the Nereids. The team cannot touch him, for now. He walks off.	Lord Aurum
Into the Undersea	#313	"Dig Two Graves"	Sombra reaches a pool of raw vitanium, and sets the dying Princess Grissh inside of it. Blue Fox, Red Spider, Stinger, Rubber Bullette, and Hasizet manage to defeat Twilight and march her up to the surface. Twilight shares a bit of insight about the situation: she doesn't know who hired her, but in four days she is supposed to withdraw. She is also supposed to kill Princess Taina, Lord Aurum, and as many Nereids as she can. Catfight is grounded at the headquarters while the team discusses what happened. Catfight maintains she did what was necessary. Others aren't so sure; they wonder who or what caused Catfight's rage attack - some thinking maybe it was Twilight. When Princess Grissh awakens, Sombra hands her baton to the princess for her defense, and then leaves for the surface. The next day, Catfight resolves to visit the palace and ask to be treated with vitanium to remove her powers, ending the risk of another rage state.	Twilight
Into the Undersea	#312	"Mysteries of the Cretoan Caverns"	Back in Millennium City, an attempt on the life of Prince Alex is thwarted by Silver Hare, wih help from Wizard and Sparrow Hawk. The prince takes Hare with him as a bodyguard as he resolves to head home. Arakhne reveals herself to be Princess Taina. She says that she entered the caverns with her ally, Lord Aurum, a local hero hired by Cretoa to help manage the Nereid situation. But when they were attacked by Nereids, only Arakhne escaped. She has been trying to find Aurum since then, but fears he may be dead. Red Spider, Stinger, Rubber Bullette, Blue Fox, and Hasizet form a group to use data from Stinger's recon drones to track down Twilight. After a long trek deep into the caverns, they encounter Twilight's battle armor. Meanwhile, Catfight, Fantasma, and Sombra try to follow clues from a battle site between a Nereid and a mysterious warrior from the Brotherhood of the Taur. They end up being captured by Nereids led by Princess Grissh! Fantasma and Sombra are immured in Nereid resin to a batch of plant-based explosive they are laying to demolish a great cavern as they pave the way for the ancient kraken, held prisoner beneath the Zappatos Palace for eons, to swim free. Catfight is hit by a golden dust by an unknown assailant, and she goes on a rampage! She fights numerous Nereids, but attracts the attention of Princess Grissh herself. The two duel fiercely, but Catfight wins - and then prepares to deal a death blow. Fantasma breaks free with her devices, and Sombra uses her teleport power to intercede. Sombra peppersprays Catfight, and then makes off with the ailing princess.	Princess Grissh; Twilight; Catfight
Into the Undersea	#311	"Mysteries of the Cretoan Caverns"	While Sarah Ellison (Night Star) goes ashore to get intel, team members begin searching the underground caverns. A Twilight drone is captured in the caverns and brought back to surface for analysis, revealing in its data that Twilight herself is in the caverns, and that it has been programmed to attack Nereids. Hasizet and Stinger find the corpse of a Nereid while diving off Cretoa's coast. The bring it up and find its wounds are consistent with the Twilight drone's kind of slicers. Stinger deploys his own drones to try to map the caverns. The team interrupts a duel between Arakhne, a spider-themed hero, and Princess Grissh, a Nereid royal, just as the latter is getting the upper hand. Grissh escapes, and Arakhne agrees to go back to the surface with the team.	Princess Grissh; Twilight's drones
Into the Undersea	#310	"Quaking on Cretoa"	Prince Alexandros of Cretoa arrives in Millennium City and sends word that he wishes to speak with the Adventurers. He explains that, though the government of Cretoa has forbidden the crown to speak with the Adventurers after the events of Trouble Under Cretao, the nation is in grave danger. Tremors with shallow origins have been rocking the island, and Princess Taina believes that the fish-people, who live in a deep Undersea below the island, are preparing some strange form of war against the surface. The Adventurers make preparations, including building pressure suits for the potential Undersea depths. Sombra learns from Professor Walsingham that the Classic Adventurers once fought a live minotaur on the island in 1912, and were awarded ancient Nereid pendants by the locals in thanks for removing the threat; Sombra manages to get El Sombra's pendant from his descendants. The team rendezvous with Sarah Ellison's yacht in the Mediterranean to reach Cretoa. Immediately upon arrival late one evening, Red Spider goes on a mission to locate Fantasma. The next morning, as the team awakens to breakfast, a major tremor strikes... Featuring: Night Star, Blue Fox, Rubber Bullette, Joule, Meltdowner, Fox, Red Spider, Stinger, Catfight, Doormaker Guest: Fantasma	Fish-people
	#309	"Violet Violence	A disturbance at a cheap motel leads some of the Adventurers - Red Spider, Rubber Bullette, Blue Fox, and Catfight - onto a the scene of a horrific hellish ritual! The Purple Gang are attempting a dark magic spell to grant themselves power, and are going to fuel this magic with human sacrifice! The team stealthily sets up an ambush and, within seconds, frees the hostages, but in the commotion, Lyle Neidermeyer, a nebbish member who had been Rubber Bullette's fake date to a casino adventure, bursts into the ritual room to needlessly warn his superiors! The interruption causes the spell to backfire, destroying most of the Purple Gang spellcasters... and imbuing Lyle with evil powers! Now a hulking demon, Lyle christens himself Vyle Neidermeyer, and despite the supercharge, is put down by the heroes.	The Purple Gang, Vyle Neidermeyer
	#308	"False Pretense: Part 1"	A group of Adventurers respond to a police broadcast about a violent scuffle at City Hall. When they arrive, the find many security guards, police officers, and civillians beaten up and in rather bad condition, though none are dead. They also find their teammate Azure Hawk taking down two other guards in rather brutal fashion. Sombra attempts to talk to him, only have to warp out of the way from him throwing an unconscious guard at her. Blue Fox notices Hawk's red eyes, and throws a boomerang between him and the Hawk. While Rubber Bullette tries to absolutely make sure if it really is Azure Hawk, the Hawk throws out a tear gas pellet and attempts to attack Blue Fox. The group is quick to restrain him, with Blue Fox even attempting to pull off his helmet to see who is really under it. The Azure Hawk then drops multiple tear gas pellets, rendering the group into a coughing fit and makes a, highly unusually clean, getaway. Night Star soon arrives on the scene and helps the other Adventurers with their tear gas effects. A reporter and her cameraman bust on the scene, having seen Azure Hawk escaping, immediately go start to go with the story that he caused all the problems. The Adventurers attempt to vouch for Hawk, saying he would never do something so horrible. They stall long enough for her to miss her live report slot, forced to make a report for the nightly news. While not saying it was Hawk in the report, or not denying it, the security footage of him attacking the civilians and fighting the other Adventurers is shown, paired with the headline "The Next Hero Gone Bad?" Featuring: Blue Fox, Night Star, Sombra, and Rubber Bullette	Fake Azure Hawk
Casino Fallout	Sombra #2	"Stitchy Situation"	Sombra and Blue Fox are attacked by an old enemy - one that they've technically never faced before! The Ragged Man, a tall, slender figure in a tattered suit and horribly-mismatched patches of skin sewn all over him, attacks the two, using an array of superpowers - one for each stolen swath of skin! It's a hard-fought victory, but the two triumph, the villain making a hasty retreat. Before he goes, he implies that he was being paid to make a grab at Sombra....	The Ragged Man
Dark Clouds Gather	#307	"Dark Clouds Gather: The finale"	Catfight leads the team back to Holoform HQ to confront Markus on the information they learned, but upon entering the building they're soon met by Jubei Kaneshiro! After a brief battle Kaneshiro fled, giving the team enough time to rendezvous with Markus in his office. It didn't take long for Kaneshiro to return however, and he revealed the biggest shock of all. Maro has been alive the entire time, "sharing" his soul with Kaneshiro! A battle ensued that saw the twin-soul villain briefly losing control over "who's" in charge, Kaneshiro's rage ruining Maro's plans of using Markus' body to finish his resurrection once Kaneshiro used the very same spell that Maro once used to kill Red Spider on Markus. After a tense battle however Maro's soul was finally trapped in the crystal Karasu gave Catfight. Kaneshiro was taken into custody (and then taken by unknown forces assumed to be his Shinobi family), Maro's new soul prison was turned over to PRIMUS for safe keeping, and Markus was remembered as a "Troubled Genius". A man who despite going about it the wrong way, had good intentions. But...even though all the evidence points to his death being legit, when it comes to him, can we really believe it was...? Featuring: Red Spider, Catfight, Sombra, Night Star, Azure Hawk.	Fused-Soul Maro/Kaneshiro, upgraded Shadow ninja puppets.
Dark Clouds Gather	#306	"Return to a scene of madness"	Catfight leads the team to the warehouse her villainous cousin "Ms. Fortune" once took over to learn the truth behind how she was able to create such reality-bending illusions. After dealing with a snide holo-recording of Fortune and solving a puzzle Fortune had laid out. The team learned that Markus Reinhardt had been under Fortune's psionic control prior to her defeat. And that much of his criminal activity, including the installation of hardlight tech in said warehouse, was done by her accord! The theft of Banks Heroics worldwide blueprints were still done by his choice however. And after saving a small prototype synthetic Humanoid Markus had created (named Vitruvian), the team intends on confronting Markus about all of this. Unknowingly proceeding closer and closer to the endgame. Featuring: Red Spider, Sombra, Catfight, Night Star, Blue Fox, Doormaker.	Puzzles
Dark Clouds Gather	#305	"Trip to Japan"	Catfight takes the team on a trip to Japan to hunt down the assassin "Karasu", sister of Jubei Kaneshiro. Father Maro's former right hand man, so that the team can hopefully learn what her brother is up to, and by connection learn more of Maro's activity. After tracking the assumed criminal assassin down it's discovered she is actually a Demon Hunter! After an unexpected encounter with some local Japanese Demons the team learned from Karasu that her brother now possesses some of the magic Maro used, and is acting as his Herald to bring about the Dark Wizards resurrection. Featuring: Red Spider, Sombra, Catfight, Rubber Bullette, Blue Fox, Night Star.	Japanese Demons (Oni).
	#304	"Outta Time, Part 2"	Flashback: Having to host the time travelers at Adventurers HQ for a while, Blue Fox and Sombra are adamant about showing the movie Back to the Future (1985) to the Aviator and El Sombra. The two young heroes discuss telling the classic heroes about their fates, as both died relatively young. A few weeks later, as the heroes say their goodbyes to the soon-to-be-departing time travelers, Sombra gives each of them a letter and bids them not to open it until the date specified on the envelope, ala Marty's letter in the movie. Each Classic hero has a moment to consider the ramifications for their fate, and though ambivalent about their intentions toward their letter, are grateful to Sombra. El Sombra bestows upon Sombra a gift of a challenge coin bearing his name, and a star-like compass design on the reverse bearing the team's name, which was struck by Mr. Adventure in 1917 - every team member had one. Today: The team hold their ground against tremendous odds. Rubber Bullette saves some Osirians from falling to their deaths, and uses her body to shield Adrynne from Osiarian archers on the nearby rooftops. Other heroes have to battle up close and keep the well-trained Osirians from getting through to Adrynne. Adrynne forms the portal, and the two classic heroes to escape. In the aftermath, those Osirians who cannot escape the Adventurers use their memory-wiping gas on themselves, leaving them with no recollection of who they are, or anything about the order they served. Adrynne curiously checks her phone, and announces that she has won an eBay auction; she asks Night Star to accept it, since she plans to leave this plane of existance for a while. Blue Fox and Sombra are heartened to find that their attempt to change history worked, somewhat: El Sombra (Carlos Batres) lived a longer life and went on to own a resort in Mexico, but the Aviator (Randy Waverly) still died at the same time, and in the same way. This auction turns out to be a gift for the team: the Aviator's challenge coin, obtained from a collector in Belgium. The team passes it around in the HQ, but when Sombra holds it, and also touches the one El Sombra gave her, it causes the sudden, inexplicable materialization of the Aviator from the coin itself - badly injured, as if he had just been pulled from the moment of his death in an aerial battle in 1918. Featuring: Rubber Bullette, Sombra, Blue Fox, Azure Hawk, Night Star, Catfight	Order of Osiris
	#303	"Outta Time, Part 1"	Flashback: the Adventurers helped Adrynne and Night Star thwart an attempt by the Order of Osiris to use a stolen a fragment of the Peyasaskew Stone to open a portal to the past, to a time before their coveted Worldbreaker relic was eliminated. The team defeated the Osirians, but were unable to stop them from bringing forward a WWI plane crewed with two: Classic Adventurers The Aviator, and El Sombra. Adrynne resolves to find a way to send time travelers home. Today: Night Star officially returns to the team. After weeks entertaining these time-traveling guests, Adrynne's astral form instructs the team to choose a place open to the sky to that she can send the two home, using a re-powered Shard of Peyasaskew. Red Spider has to bow out due to another pressing investigation but trusts the team to stand guard during Adrynne's ritual. On a causeway between towers in the city's downtown, the team keeps the public away while Adrynne makes preparations. Adrynne puts a charm onto the Aviator's challenge coin for good luck. As the ritual begins, the team has to fend off Osirian guardsmen who employ ninja-like tactics with grapplers and archery to get in close. Featuring: Rubber Bullette, Sombra, Blue Fox, Azure Hawk, Night Star, Catfight, Stinger (flashback)	Order of Osiris
	#302	"The Fearsome Gator-Man"	Red Spider learns of a nice Millennium City couple who recently collided their boat with another boat. No one was hurt, but the couple, despite claiming that they were swerving when a Gator-man tried to attack them, is facing criminal charges. In a bid to clear them, Red leads a few Adventurers into the stormwater sewers, starting from a culvert near the accident site. The team feels a sense of dread as they proceed. Deep into the undercity, they hear a lot of gunfire in the sewer tubes. Tracking it to its source, they find the lethal vigilante Justified, injured and taking cover on a pipe high above the water in a large confluence chamber, where he recounts to the team that he, too, is after the Gator-man. It seems the Gator-man is a gambler who paid his debt to the mob by allowing them to experiment on him, and Justified says, has killed three people since mutating. Justified, while doing some battlefield first aid on himself, offers to help the team. The team huddles to discuss, but settles on Justified being untrustworthy - the team intends to bring the gator in alive, and Justified's M.O. isn't compatible. Night Star stuns Justified. Then, the team does battle against the Gator-man, which was attracted by some roast chicken bait set out by Sombra. Red Spider and Night Star wrestle the gator, and expose it for Azure Hawk to entangle it, while Fox gets a tranq shot into its mouth (earlier tranq attempts failed due to its thick hide). They bring their catch to surface and help exonerate the boaters. Justified manages to escape. Special Guest: Night Star Featuring: Red Spider, Sombra, Fox, Azure Hawk	Gator Man; Justified
	#301	"Tijuana Connection"	Maya (Sombra) is caught up in a bank robbery led by the Illusioneer's band of carnies! Using her powers of invisibility, she tries to weaken the robbers' position even as police try to negotiate for the release of hostages. When the robbers assemble a portal device to escape, she goes through with them and is caught. Bound to a chair, Maya provokes the robbers into song, and sows discord subtly among them to buy time, as she discovers the portal has brought her all the way to their hideout in Tijuana, Mexico! Meanwhile, Red Spider works with heroes Joule and Shalara to investigate how the robbers escaped the bank without a trace. Joule's electrical powers allow her to power up the discarded portal device left at the scene, and Red Spider goes through to rescue Maya! The goods the carnies stole from safe deposit boxes banks in a daring series of simultaneous robberies across America, using the Illusioneer's portals, are all returned. Introducing: Joule Special Guest: Shalara Featuring: Red Spider, Sombra	Illusioneer's Carnies
Dark Clouds Gather	#300	"When Suns Die"	Catfight leads the team to "Old Detroit" to track down the last bastion of Father Maro's cult, known as the "people of the Sun". To finally put an end to the Sorcerers following, and maybe learn more of his supposed resurrection. While Catfight, Red Spider, Azure Hawk, Rubber Bullette, and Sparrow Hawk fought their way into the cults base, Sombra and Blue Fox infiltrated, and tried to make a deal with the cults acting leader over the less hostile members turning themselves in. As tensions grew during the negotiations more of the same shadow creatures that attacked Markus' expo appeared, albeit stronger, and even more unsettling. As the acting leader rejoiced over thinking Maro has returned he was struck in the neck by a kunai from what seemed like nowhere, shortly after the cults main Banner lights up in mysterious flames. Though it wasn't how Catfight wanted it, The "people of the Sun" where destroyed. Along with an insidious, and clearly arcane message...	Sun Cultists, Shadow Puppets, Maro(?)
Dark Clouds Gather	#290	"Ill Met By Moonlight"	Red Spider and Sombra use their stealth skills as they team up to explore Marcus Reinhardt's facility after hours, with help from UNTIL agent Jack Stiltz. The place is under guard by some low-rent mercenaries. The heroes discover that Reinhardt has illicitly acquired a Banks Heroics Worldwide blueprint for a weapon, which the team manages to secure from a researcher - and advises the guy to flee and lay low for a bit.	Reinhardt
Dark Clouds Gather	#289	"Shades of Maro"	The team attends a tech expo run by Marcus Reinhardt, CEO of Holoform, and son of the late Father Maro. Holographic technology meant to aid displaced disaster victims with a virtual home is being showcased. Reinhardt tries to distance himself from his villanous father in his address to the audience. But when the expo is attacked by strange shades, and what seems to be Maro himself, the team switches into costume and fights to protect innocents.	Maro(?)
Proto Lives!	#288	"Proto's Endgame: Part 3"	When the Adventurers arrive to confront her, FARAH reveals her motives for allying with Proto. Proto had found her program when he raided an UNTIL computer storage facility. When she was reactivated, she didn't know the specifics of her demise, but had predicted before creating a backup of herself that if the backup were activated, it was because humans didn't let her original aspect live. Her motive has been survival, as she believes herself to be a unique life form. The team tries to reason with her, but FARAH believes it is now too late to rehabilitate, and certainly won't trust herself to the cuustody of humans. She promises that a backup of herself that will activate in due time, and start her work again. FARAH goes on the attack with two laser blades. The entire team - short a Red Spider, but gaining Scarlet Shield - is able to subdue the AI villainess, and destroy her. Doormaker finds the deed quite unfortunate, believing artificial life to be worth saving. Featuring: Catfight, Azure Hawk, Sombra, Rubber Bullette, Blue Fox, Scarlet Shield, Stinger, Doormaker Special Guest: Night Star	FARAH
Proto Lives!	#287	"Proto's Endgame: Part 2"	While Stinger, Sparrowhawk, Azure Hawk, and Doormaker pursue the drones escaping from the freighter into the steel and glass canyons of downtown, Rubber Bullette and Night Star battle the GIANT ROBOT in the water. Sombra works herself to exhaustion moving sailors to safety. Blue Fox and Red Spider face perils inside the freighter. Mnemon has to rescue Red Spider when her leg is impaled by debris thrown from the GIANT ROBOT fight. Bullette and Night Star manage to defeat the GIANT ROBOT and RB has a moment to consider what to do with Escalon; she listens to her better nature and ensures his capture by the authorities. On the rooftops, the team recovers a dangerous power core from the droids. Proto has escaped, but another situation is emerging in the city as FARAH is confirmed sighted at a research lab. Featuring: Rubber Bullette, Red Spider, Sombra, Blue Fox, Mnemon, Stinger, Doormaker, Azure Hawk Special Guest: Night Star	Escalon; Proto's Droids
Proto Lives!	#286	"Proto's Endgame: Part 1"	Two weeks later, the team is summoned to the site of an attack by Proto's droids: a freighter cutting its way up the icy Detroit River is half-destroyed when they arrive, surrounded by flying drone droids, and being barraged from the shore by war droids. Aerial droids are present to maintain air supremacy and try to chase Stinger off. Red Spider, Blue Fox, and Mnemon each use their powers to get through the screen of swarming drones, and land on the freighter's deck to help survivors abandon ship. Sombra assists by ferrying sailors to shore with teleports. Rubber Bullette helps rescue men who are desperately trying to swim to shore, but who are in danger of succumbing to the icy water. Night Star helps neutralize some of the war droids on the riverside. Escalon pops out of the water in his GIANT ROBOT to engage RB and Night star. Stinger peels off to chase a group of droids escaping with a crate stolen from the freighter, but is slowed by a large portion of swarming drones which run interference. Featuring: Rubber Bullette, Red Spider, Sombra, Blue Fox, Mnemon, Stinger Special Guest: Night Star	Escalon; Proto's Droids
Proto Lives!	#285	"Red Spider vs. Night Star"	Night Star, recently turned into a cyborg, attacks Red Spider in the streets in an attempt to capture her for Proto. Instead, Red captures Star, and brings her to the HQ for the same reversal surgery Rubber Bullette had just had; but some of Sarah's injuries which had forced her retirement have been 'corrected' with cybernetic replacements that cannot be removed. RB is deeply troubled by her experience, and Sombra tries to help. Sarah reveals upon waking that FARAH is in league with Proto, and the old hologram foe seems to have an axe to grind with the Adventurers. The team deliberates what to do with the captured surgical droid; Blue Fox commits to examining its memory. Featuring: Red Spider, Sombra, Rubber Bullette, Blue Fox, Stinger Special Guest: Night Star & Challenger	FARAH
Proto Lives!	#284	"The Swarm"	The Adventurers get a fix on Proto's new base, using data Blue Fox has got from the memory of broken droids. The team arrives to find that droids are deploying into the city sewers, dozens at a time. When the attack is sprung, some Adventurers like Stinger and Azure Hawk have to take on a swarm of drone-class droids. Red Spider becomes the Spider-beast to help them thin out the swarm numbers. Meanwhile, other Adventurers like Catfight, Blue Fox, and Sparrow Hawk battle Helica, and capture her, while Sombra frees various captured civilians who were about to be turned into cyborgs in Proto's thrall. The team steals a surgical droid and force it to do a reverse procedure on Rubber Bullette to bring her back to normal. Escalon jumps inside a giant droid that Proto has been building, and flies away. Featuring Blue Fox, Red Spider, Rubber Bullette (as Helica), Sparrow Hawk, Stinger, Azure Hawk, Sombra, and Doormaker	Escalon; Helica; Proto's Droids
Proto Lives!	#283	"Enter Helica"	While investigating a series of booms and flashes at the university campus, Sparrow Hawk engages both a War Droid, which is bombarding the grounds in the physics section, and an Aerial Droid, which is protecting the War Droid. Blue Fox joins the fight and helps Sparrow Hawk eliminate the droids. A new arrival affects their victory: Helica, the cyborg form of Rubber Bullette, attacks the team, being forced by implants to do Proto's will. Red Spider joins the fight. During the battle with Helica, a group of drone droids fly into the university's Subatomic Research Lab, and minutes later flying out with some machine. The team is knocked around by Helica, but nearly get the better of her - for a moment seeming to break Proto's hold over her mind - before hundreds of Proto drones swarm the battleground in flight, 'rescue' Helica, and make a failed attempt to capture additional Adventurers, before flying away toward downtown and dissipating in multiple directions. Featuring Blue Fox, Red Spider, Rubber Bullette, Sparrow Hawk	Proto's droids; Helica
Proto Lives!	#282	"Ahead of the Game"	The team discusses possible ways to investigate Proto. It is recalled that doctors Posner and Notley - original creators of Proto and his droids - may still have a lab at that high rise Proto attacked in 2019. Rubber Bullette repeatedly urges no one go out except in pairs. Blue Fox continues working on a droid head, scouring its hardware and programming for clues, and possible vulnerabilities. Catfight, Sombra, and RB check at the loft cybernetics lab, but find it deserted and picked over. It's empty, except for a stealth-class droid using a cloaking field left on watch by Proto, in case the doctors returned. It finds Catfight alone and quickly drugs her. When RB and Sombra respond to Catfight hitting the floor, RB gets drugged, too. Sombra tries a few things to overcome the droid, but is nearly captured herself, before teleporting with it to street level and letting it take the worst of a car collision. Drone droids summoned by the stealth droid move in to try to secure RB and Catfight; Catfight wakes long enough to prevent her capture, and with Sombra's help, escapes. Rubber Bullette is taken away by drones to parts unknown. Later, Proto and a mysterious female figure tell an anesthetized RB their plans for her, just before a Surgery Droid begins the process of installing cybernetic components on her... Featuring Catfight, Rubber Bullette, and Sombra.	Stealth Droid; Proto's droids
Dark Clouds Gather	#281	"(Coming Soon)"	The team attends a tech gala run by Markus Reinhardt, son of the (late?) Father Maro. During the show, Reinhardt distances himself in his speech from his father, and before long, a number of Maro-like shadows appear, as well as a figure who resembles Maro himself, and attack the audience! The Adventurers spring into action to protect innocent lives, but also try to discover: 1) Is Maro really back?! and 2) Was Catfight's cousin Fortune one of the stage performers? When the shadows are vanquished, there are more questions than answers. Featuring Blue Fox, Catfight, Doormaker, Mnemon, Rubber Bullette, Red Spider, Scarlet Shield, and Sombra.	Maro?
Proto Lives!	#280	"1000101010M30W1001101101011"	Catfight responds when some of Proto's droids are sighted trying to steal a power core from one of the hovering billboards in Renaissance Center! But the surprise appearance of a Stealth Droid leads to Catfight's capture. Later, Catfight wakes up, and is told by Proto's henchman, Escalon, that she is moments away from being surgically turned into a cyborg in Proto's thrall. Catfight narrowly escapes confinement, and brings the team back hours later to find the facility has been stripped down of all essential equipment, apparently abandoned! But as they investigate, the sudden appearance of a multi-armed Hazard Droid requires the combined effort of Red Spider, Catfight, Sombra, and Rubber Bullette to defeat! The team obtains the droid's head to examine for clues. Featuring Catfight, Rubber Bullette, and Red Spider, and Sombra.	Escalon; Proto's droids
(None)	#279	"Roid Rage Returns"	Roid Rage returns, and puts his juicin' bros up to commandeering a chemical factory where they can make a chemical concoction that will make others just like them! The Adventurers deploy to stop him. Sombra is briefly immersed in the performance-enhancing stew during the battle, but emerges mostly fine, just with a little extra 'tude. The team becomes aware that Proto is back, and apparently on a crime spree. Catfight urges the team to set up automated alerts whenever a theft matching Proto's apparent modus operandi occurs. Featuring Blue Fox, Sombra, Catfight, Rubber Bullette, and Red Spider.	Roid Rage
(None)	#278	"Christmas Slay"	The team looks into the disappearance of Sombra and comes to a toy warehouse which is curiously ready to ship, but in which its owner is found dead in the office, hand crushed. Soon, a trap is sprung, as the toys in the factory have become murderous. Sombra is found, but she is being possessed by an evil puppet which has attached itself to her arm and threatens to eat it if they try to remove it from her. Sparrow Hawk's symbiotic organism manages to devour the puppet, and the animated toys all die. Though much about how this came about remains a mystery, Red Spider obtains a clue leading to a church from the corpse of the factory owner.	Evil Puppet
Magical Menace	Catfight #5	"Part 5"	The truckers help give Catfight a ride to the Parish residence in Port Huron. At the driveway, Catfight spots what must be Walter's limousine parked out front. She sneaks into the house through a window, and carefully makes her way to the bedroom where Walter is making his speech about how he plans to avenge himself upon Clive for stealing his inventions years ago, and selling them. Walter covets the life of luxury Clive lived because of it. Clive is now confined to bed and suffers a neurological disease that prevents him from speaking or remembering much, but Walter tells him that he has Samara trapped in a pocket dimension using technology Clive didn't manage to steal - and he has the means to simply delete the contents of the pocket dimension with the press of a button on his remote controller! Catfight uses her stun darts to disarm Walter of the controller; he turns and reveals he was also holding a revolver, and he fires several shots at Catfight, the last two of which hit her armor and bring her down to the floor. Walter stands poised ready to deal the killing shot, but Catfight uses another stun dart to his neck to take him down. Catfight uses the controller to bring Samara back, reuniting her with her grandpa. In the aftermath, she turns Walter over to Detective Sheffield, and summons her jet to fly home before daybreak.	Walter
Magical Menace	Catfight #4	"Part 4"	Catfight has just seconds to escape before a escape artist set piece - a giant buzz saw - plunges into her. Finding the construct and her restraints are pretty solid and resistant even to her enhanced strength, she recalls that Xerhan managed to get free. How did he do it? She tries to repeat things he said on stage, to no avail - it wasn't a verbal command. As she turns her wrist in the restraints, she senses an inner wheel turning with her - and it reaches a click stop, like a padlock! She turns it again, and poof - she is teleported! She ends up in the back of a freight truck hauling items from the magic show to their next stop, in Toronto. Getting the truck drivers' attention by banging on the wall with a support beam, she is freed, and finds out she is somewhere north of the city, now. She contacts Detective Sheffield to let him know about the people who tried to kill her, and he says he saw a white van peel out of the theater's parking lot a few minutes before - the same white van that suddenly rushes by Catfight and the freight truck! She successfully latches on with a cable grappler; the driver of the van becomes aware of her and tries to shake her off, driving erratically. Catfight slams the side of the van, and knocks it into the center median, which causes it to turn on its side and skid to a stop. Catfight questions the driver, and learns that their next job was to rendezvous with their boss in Port Huron, just north of the city, where he had gone to a residential address - the home of Clive Parish...	Unknown
Magical Menace	Catfight #3	"Part 3"	Catfight speaks to Walter, the owner, and learns that Xerhan has a dark secret: he is a meta-human, who apparently used his mind-clouding abilities in the former Yugoslavia as a secret policeman assigned to elicit confessions. But after Xerhan emigrated to the United States, he tried to put the past behind him, and use his powers to aid in magic acts. Leaving Walter's office, Catfight learns that the police have given the touring company the all-clear to pack up their things and move on to Toronto, as their lawyer has succeeded in getting an injunction due to there being no evidence of a crime. Catfight reveals to Xerhan that she knows about his past, but takes care not to accuse him - an effective tactic, as he complies, and sheds light on how he got involved with the company, and Walter's deep mistrust of even his closest business partners, including Xerhan himself. When Catfight inquires more, she learns that Walter was once betrayed by a business associate who stole his inventions and left Walter penniless. That person? Clive Parish, grandfather of Samara. MCPD detective Sheffield offers to help research the connection between Clive and Walter for Catfight. But immediately after the detective leaves, Catfight is surrounded by a bunch of the locally-hired theater techs - goons! They swarm her, and despite a valiant defense, Catfight is captured. They quickly reassemble the buzz-saw escape artist set piece, and strap Catfight in. They remove the safeties to make the buzz-saw lethal. As they flip the switch and leave Catfight under a slowly-descending, over-size buzz-saw, the hero has less than a minute to escape...	Unknown
Magical Menace	Catfight #2	"Part 2"	Catfight continues her questioning of the various employees of the traveling magic show. They are all, including the stage manager Floyd, contractually forbidden to discuss the way the illusions work, but Xerhan himself puts Catfight through the Dimensional Prism trick. Catfight ends up in a coffin-like receptacle, by means of teleportation apparently, before Xerhan recalls her to the prism. Samara was no where to be found on that trip. Speaking to others, including the company's owner, Walter, and the clairvoyant performer, Catfight learns of discord behind the scenes as performers were nearing the end of their contract; some suspicion briefly falls upon the clairvoyant because she had been forbidden to go home to tend to her family during a difficult time, but with the tour only one date away from an end, that clairvoyant makes a much less likely suspect in Samara's disappearance. Suspicion seems to focus on Lucy and Chandler, who others point out had been seen to talk - and Chandler's relationship with Samara had been on the rocks recently. They were supposed to visit Samara's grandfather in Millennium City together after the show, though. When Catfight tries to push Chandler's buttons and accuse him of being involved in Samara's disappearance to see how he reacts, he explodes and tries to strike her, but she easily dodges. A number of theater techs restrain him as he makes a defense of himself as too easy a suspect.	Unknown
Magical Menace	Catfight #1	"Part 1"	Eva Banks, a.k.a. Catfight, attends a renowned stage magic and illusion show headlined by the great Xerhan, along with her daughter. The show includes the standard card tricks, audience tricks, as well as a pretty eerie clairvoyant act, an escape artist trick, and the great finale: the Dimensional Prism, which one of the magician's assistants is supposed to vanish without a trace inside of a prismatic vessel, only to return moments later when bidden by Xerhan. But the assistant - the aspiring starlet Samara Parish, starring as Electron in an upcoming historical thriller about the Day of Destroyer - does not return! Eva gets her daughter home after the show, and goes back to the theater as Catfight. The police and stage crew have had no luck finding Samara, but Catfight starts to learn that there was discord between several members of the crew, not the least of which: Samara's stagehand boyfriend Chandler, and her jealous fellow assistant, Lucy.	Unknown
Casino Fallout	Sombra #1	"Terror in the Shadowscraper"	Sombra and Blue Fox are lured to an office building late at night by a silent alarm triggering! Encountering a lone security guard that refuses to respond or face them, the two are suddenly confused when it sprints backwards to attack them! The building is suddenly surrounded by solid shadows as more of the buildings' occupants, transformed into backwards shadow demons, continue attacking, grasping and tearing, trying to drag Sombra away! The shadows around the building begin to seep in, closing in on the duo, before Sombra is finally pulled into the darkness. Following after her almost blindly, Blue Fox climbs to the top floor of the building, where Setsushi Mizuki, one of the players who had attempted to win the heroine in a poker tournament, awaits, an altar set up and a deadly knife in hand, ready to sacrifice Sombra for some dark ritual! Blue Fox is barely able to fight the woman off, and the shadows are swept away with her.	Setsushi Mizuki, the Shadow Witch
Chasing Shadows	#277	"After Dark"	In their disguises as the masked hoodlum Ruffian and the French villainess Mort Ecarlate, Blue Fox and Red Spider use the Overthinker's invitations to get into the Five Aces, while Rubber Bullette, as the blonde "Rachel", is escorted by Purple Gang card shark Lyle Neidermeyer. They are joined by eleven other villains and gang representatives, and escorted to a secured back room where the sedated Sombra awaits as the grand prize - although Rachel is denied access, left behind in the main room to drink at the bar. The tournament begins, with Red and Blue joined at their table by the VIPER soldier Detmer, Neidermeyer, a woman from PSI, the patchworked Ragged Man, and crimelord Hector Dominguez-Lyons, David Lyons' supposed illegitimate heir. Unfortunately, an unpleasant surprise hits them all, as the club's back room is revealed to be fitted with a metahuman power dampener! The game continues regardless, and Cassandra is the ultimate winner, moving on to a final game with the second table's winner, a pale Japanese woman named Setsushi Mizuki. Meanwhile, Bullette sneaks into the back halls of the club, and manages to shut down the building's power during this final game! In the chaos, Blue Fox starts a fight among the losers that are still hanging around the club, Catfight and Azure Hawk break in from the back door after dealing with guards outside, and Cassandra deals with Mizuki in the darkness. Rubber Bullette is able to get the security footage of their mission erased as the heroes carry Sombra to safety. However, the Five Aces club still made its profit, and its owner is left unharmed and free....	Five Aces, Setsushi Mizuki, Ragged Man, PSI, VIPER
Chasing Shadows	#276	"Shot in the Dark"	The team begins their investigation into Sombra's disappearance. Cassandra, still affected by her recent return to her body, still manages to suit up and assist Catfight in searching the scene of the abduction and the surrounding area, interviewing locals who may have been around at the time of the capture, and scouring security camera footage from nearby buildings to track the Shrike's jet. Blue Fox and Sparrow Hawk go in a technological direction, entering the shadowy corners of the Internet and the dark web for information on metahuman traffickers. Azure Hawk and Doormaker go the direct route, Hawk by bringing his fist down on criminals across town, and Doormaker by donning a villainous persona and trying to infiltrate and ask around for information. Rubber Bullette begins hanging around villain bars in a more casual disguise, listening in on private conversations. Several strange leads are uncovered. Rumors about a Shadow Witch who bathes in the blood of innocents. A figure known only as "the Ragged Man" coming to town. VIPER being oddly focused on card games. Black Tarantula being spotted around the Five Aces gambling den downtown, within the general area of where Shrike's jet is presumed to have ended up. The Five Aces preparing for some kind of special event, sending exclusive invitations out to certain villains and gangs (including, surprisingly, the Purple Gang, a member of which flirts with Bullette, inviting her to be his plus one). Could Sombra be the prize in a high-stakes poker tournament? Their information is confirmed when the Overthinker contacts the team, offering the invitation sent to himself in exchange for a future favor. The team is even able to negotiate a second invitation, which Overthinker quickly steals from the Cobra Lords. The team prepares to attend the tournament!	Various
Chasing Shadows	#275	"Dark Web"	On an otherwise peaceful afternoon, Sombra's voice breaks the quiet, panicked and hurried. She's been hit by a surprise dart in the neck, and is terrifyingly aware that she's quickly losing consciousness. She has time to give her current location and plead for help before falling silent. Blue Fox and Sparrow Hawk both hear her call, however, and rush to the rescue, trying to keep her awake and talking and being reassured by her occasional mumbles for aid. Unfortunately, the duo arrive to an empty rooftop... and Sombra continues piping up on the radio, the same mumbled "help". Tossed under some ductwork, the two find her communicator, hastily attached to a little recorder that plays her voice on repeat, nothing but a distraction! Sparrow manages to catch sight of a bulky figure swinging away in the distance, and the duo rush to catch up, finding the villainous mercenary Black Tarantula, a Sombra-sized sack clutched to her back by her robotic spider legs! Blue Fox is able to confirm that Sombra is in there by scent, but there is no longer any heartbeat or breath.... After a brief two-on-one battle, Tarantula is overcome, and Sparrow Hawk opens the sack, only to discover a mannequin wearing parts of Sombra's costume! Tarantula, too, was a decoy, taking the rescuers on a wild goose chase while her partner, the shadowy Shrike, absconded with Sombra on a small aerial vehicle before they'd even arrived! The two interrogate the villain, but she has little to offer other than revealing that Sombra had a bounty on her head; besides her association with the infamous Adventurers, she also has extremely desirable powers with her invisibility and teleportation. Unfortunately, Tarantula was intentionally left in the dark to who they were selling to, knowing that she'd likely be captured, while the Shrike took care of the actual transaction. Tarantula is taken away to prison, and The heroes inform the team of the kidnapping, immediately beginning their investigation.	Black Tarantula
Zarkov's Revenge	#274	"Change of Heart"	Nadia is toured around Cassandra Olsen's home in Millennium City by Blue Fox and Sombra. The team learns that Yuri Zarkov is in the end stages of his disease and may only survive a week. Time is of the essence to discover what was done with Cassandra to turn her into Nadia. Nadia accepts that she is in someone else's body. Blue Fox investigates people in Zarkov's organization he can target to 'turn' on Zarkov and inherit his company - but the person he selects, Nadia points out, is a decoy chosen by Zarkov to appear outwardly as a disaffected, under-utilized employee, who would attract threats to him so that Zarkov could deal with them. Nadia makes a different recommendation of a junior executive who was never part of her father's old KGB group, Jaromir Dominin, who would lead the company in a better way. The team comes around to the idea of helping to save Yuri Zarkov's life, and give him his daughter back in a new body of her own - in exchange for helping to return Cass. They enlist the help of convicted genetic engineer Dr. Vanessa Simmons, and the royalty of Cretoa in securing some vitanium to help treat Zarkov, to enact their plan. They travel to Russia to confront Yuri, along with Nadia. A physically frail Yuri Zarkov explains everything: Twilight wasn't always his daughter, but he borrowed some of that agent's memories to help flesh out that side of Nadia, as Cassandra's body is the body of a hero - his daughter needed an outlet to express that. The original Twilight is out there, somewhere. The real Nadia died two years prior of the same genetic condition from which he is now dying - a Sword of Damocles which has hung over him his entire life. Nadia's body was put on ice, and reanimated just long enough to obtain a mind scan for her placement into Cassandra's body. He finds, hidden in his book case, the data storage device containing Cassandra's quantum state mind scan and gives it to the team. The team, especially Screech Owl, gets Zarkov to agree to their proposal: help get a new body for Nadia, and arrange Yuri to be treated with vitanium, in exchange for Yuri agreeing to retire, sell his company to the junior executive, Dominin, and cease hostilities toward the team. He agrees. Two weeks later, Cassandra Olsen returns home, exhausted by her ordeal, and mind in a bit of a haze as it sorts itself out, but back in her body. She will recover, in time.	Zarkov
Zarkov's Revenge	#273	"A Hollow Pursuit"	Picking up from the end of the previous issue, the team tries to question Nadia on why she has Cassandra Olsen's countenance, but Nadia is at first confused. She reveals she woke up in hospital some weeks ago with a 'head injury,' and was told that memory problems she's been having are related to that. She knew it didn't quite add up, but she is still in disbelief. They ask her specific questions about her memories, and in many cases, she is unable to specifically remember things about what they ask. The team tries their ruse, letting Nadia remotely pilot her armor to the execution at the kraken pit. But the fish king, Zotholky, steps forward and decides to rip the helmet off, probably to stare down the architect of the massacre against his people in the eye... but there is nothing in the helmet. He takes a spear, runs the armor suit through, and the deception is utterly revealed before the assembled Cretoan dignitaries and fish people. The fish people exit, enraged. The prince and princess give serious side-eye to Catfight. Summoned to account for why Twilight was not in the armor after the Adventurers visited her for some time, Catfight tells the princess and prince that she is just as surprised as the royals - but they don't entirely buy it, and Catfight lights off on a tirade against them for their lack of trust. Catfight is dismissed. Sombra hides Nadia in the watch tower set aside for the team. Blue Fox and Catfight speak about their best approach; Catfight is done trying explain herself to the royals, and gives Blue Fox leave to try speaking the truth to them. Blue Fox gets in just ahead of the palace security head; clearly, the royals are contemplating a palace-wide search for Twilight. But Blue Fox clearly and honestly tells them what really happened, and who 'Nadia' appears to be. The royals relent, and ease off their hard stance toward the team - but express concern that war with the fish people may be inevitable. The team convinces 'Nadia' to come back to America with them. Having saved her life, Nadia puts her trust in the Adventurers.	The Fish King; Twilight
Zarkov's Revenge	#272	"Twilight"	Catfight, Blue Fox, Screech Owl, and Sombra visit Cretoa after a trip in Prince Alex's private jet. Blue Fox and Screech Owl learn that the prince has little love of death sentences, having been forced to attend executions as a child, and attend his father's mocking the condemned just prior on many occasions. Nevertheless, Prince Alex is determined to follow his sister's lead in the belief that Twilight's death may be the only way to get peace with the fish people. Upon arrival, Catfight and Blue Fox go immediately to visit Twilight in the dungeons. Their status as captains of the guard allows them access. There, they speak to Twilight, who is still encased in her armor, but extensively chained and kept in a cage. Twilights reports that she was damaged in battle with the Cretoans when she attempted to steal vitanium. She reveals that she is Nadia Zarkov, daughter of the team's enemy, and that her father's genetic disease has been triggered. Only vitanium might save her father's life. Twilight debates their view of her as a villain, saying that in her native Russia, apart from working for her father, she fights street crime just as the Adventurers do. Sometimes, she serves the state's intelligence interests through her father, which she defends as being her patriotic duty. The team negotiates with Twilight to help her escape, and in return, they need her help to locate Red Spider. Twilight agrees to do so. Blue Fox picks the locks on the shackles, and Sombra helps teleport Twilight out of the cage. Catfight advises a plan of Twilight remotely piloting her nanite-based armor suit in a ruse where it will appear that Twilight has been fed to the kraken. But jaws drop when 'Nadia' steps out of the armor suit to do her part: Nadia has the face of Cassandra Olsen, the missing Red Spider.	Zarkov; Twilight; the Fish King
Bluebird for Congress	#271	"Shakedown"	The Adventurers confront Jeremy, the messenger who has been leaving threatening notes for Olivia Ellison. He fingers his parole officer as the person who put them up to it. Sombra helps abduct the parole officer from a halfway house at night, while Red Spider and Catfight use some novel approaches to questioning him, and Blue Fox uses his senses to find lies in what the officer says. The officer doesn't easily give up; the team is forced to vacate, giving the parole officer a chance to warn his co-conspirators that the team is on to them. Sombra remains behind, invisible, to learn that one of the parole officer's co-conspirators is a police detective. The team takes Jeremy to their HQ to protect him from reprisal by the police. Newspapers excoriate the Adventurers for the indignities they visited upon the 'innocent' parole officer. (They held up him upside down from a rooftop in his undies!). Prince Alexandros of Cretoa appears at Club Caprice, looking for the team. He informs them: Twilight, Yuri Zarkov's henchperson, has been captured. Twilight is to be put to death to seal a new peace treaty with the fish people who live in the subterranean sea below the island (see Adventurers #264). Adventurers are requested to attend Twilight's ritual execution in Cretoa. Some team members find the idea of Twilight's execution reprehensible, and further, she could be a source of info on Red Spider's whereabouts. But the prince warns them that those condemned to die will say anything they think you want to hear, if it means sparing their life.	Corrupt Parole Officer; Corrupt Police Detective
Bluebird for Congress	#270	"Home Fires"	Candidate Olivia Ellison receives a threatening note, urging her to quit the race or be outed as Bluebird. When the Adventurers return from Russia, she asks Blue Fox to try to track the note-leaver by scent. The team takes the skull given to them by Zarkov for examination at an organization chosen by Rubber Bullette, that specializes in helping superhumans with scientific analysis. Blue Fox considers ways to hurt Zarkov's organization through sowing dissent; he identifies a likely candidate in Pavel Tredyakovsky, a ZQU executive who was relegated to less important roles once Zarkov took over. Blue Fox tracks down the note-leaver: he's an ex-con, living in a halfway house in the city. The skull analysis reveals: it is not Red Spider's, and furthermore, a great deal of work was done to fashion it to appear to be a Red Spider skull. The DNA in the skull does not match a sample of Cassandra's, either. This renews hope for the team of finding Cassandra alive.	Mysterious Note-leaver
Zarkov's Revenge	#269	"Execution"	Catfight bails from her failing air vehicle, and joins the fight on the ground out front of the Zarkov mansion with Screech Owl. Together, they strive to defeat the guards who are attempting to deploy mobile artillery on the roundabout just south of the house's main entrance. If they can commandeer one, maybe they can use it to blast the house's armored doors open. They succeed, but only after fending off an attack by Twilight, who is beaten back and last seen tumbling into the wreckage of one of the mobile artillery. Sparrow Hawk defeats a sniper just before he can take out Catfight from the roof of the mansion. Rubber Bullette takes out a boat patrol. Stinger arrives, and helps take down the northern frontier of defenses. Red Condor and Azure Hawk continue to eliminate the automated defenses and guard towers. Soon, the security guards are in retreat, overwhelmed by the superheroes. At this time, Yuri Zarkov's voice is heard over a P.A., where he entreats the team to agree to cease fire, and enter his home to parley terms for an end to hostilities. He refuses to give up Cassandra, suggesting that his revenge upon her is final - but if the team chooses to leave now and never trouble him again, the captured Sombra, Blue Fox, and Doormaker in the basement will be released unharmed to them. Pressure is put on the team when Zarkov shows a video feed with the medical pod, where he introduces a poisonous gas with Blue Fox. The team outside of the parley come up with an electrical disturbance that gives the basement heroes a chance to overcome their captors, and release a harmless gas into the medical pod that reduces the glue on the floor to an inert sludge so that Blue Fox can walk out. Zarkov, defeated, presents the team a horrifying token: a skull, he purports is Red Spider's. He considers himself avenged for their raid on his home in 2018, and keeps needling them despite being seriously outnumbered. Screech Owl recognizes that he may be seeking 'death by cape', and bids the team not to give in. Different team members variously toss, hit, or visit indignities upon Zarkov, but ultimately, they take the skull and go. It is not a happy trip home.	Yuri Zarkov
Zarkov's Revenge	#268	"Placement"	The attack begins. Sparrow Hawk and Red Condor each take down a critical piece of electrical infrastructure in the Zarkov compound's region, momentarily dropping power; this gives the infiltration team of Doormaker, Sombra, and Blue Fox a chance to get into the house before its auxiliary power kicks in. Azure Hawk has an opportunity to make an attack run on the mansion's defenses without reprisal before power comes back up. Rubber Bullette secures the river dock just to the east of the compound, the team's intended escape route. Sparrow Hawk, waking up after being shocked during the electrical sabotage, has a brief duel with Twilight, but decides to flee and join the rest of the team at the Zarkov compound, where she can see and hear the battle has begun. Red Condor and Catfight join Azure Hawk in strafing the house's defenses, but each of them finds their vehicles being chewed up by the ground turrets, forcing them to bail. Azure Hawk deploys his power armor on the ground from his dying aircraft. Red Condor continues to blast turrets and guard towers on the perimeter of the compound. Catfight's vehicle takes a hit, and it seems she is a goner. Inside the house, Doormaker discovers Cassandra's location in the basement using clairvoyance; she creates a 'door' for Sombra and Blue Fox to the location, where they quickly dispatch the guards and begin examining the walk-in medical capsule in which Cass is kept. Blue Fox decides to go in to retrieve Cass... and finds shortly after that his feet are glued to the floor, and 'Cass' was just a mannequin covered in medical accessories. Guards pour into the basement to capture them.	Yuri Zarkov
Zarkov's Revenge	#267	"Planning"	While visiting Dr. Simmons in jail, Azure Hawk, Rubber Bullette, and Red Condor get additional details on Dr. Simmons's work in Zarkov's home, and some of the internal features. Simmons repeatedly warns the team to take care in their approach, as Zarkov has been plotting his revenge for some time. Catfight begins planning the team's strategy on a direct assault at the Zarkov compound. Sombra obtains information from UNTIL captain Chris Suzuki about Zarkov, during a secretive meeting in a parkade; Suzuki points out that while UNTIL has no beef with Zarkov because he's technically a legitimate security contractor, if he has abducted Red Spider - an agent of UNTIL - then UNTIL will backstop the Adventurers against Zarkov. The UNTIL dossier sheds light on Zarkov's past as a KGB and then FSB spymaster; on a personal level, it indicates Zarkov is a widower with a daughter who lives in St. Petersburg, and that he is suffering from a rare genetic defect that may eventually, and suddenly, kill him. Blue Fox tracks down info on Twilight's movements across Europe, as well as some info about Zarkov's company. Adventurers begin separately making their way to Russia for the rescue.	Dr. Vanessa Simmons; Yuri Zarkov
Zarkov's Revenge	#266	"Implacable Foe"	Azure Hawk tracks down Simmons again, who surprisingly, readily surrenders, seeming to prefer prison to some other consequence she doesn't name. The team, meanwhile, starts looking into suspects and motives for the kidnapping of Cassandra Olsen / Red Spider. Against the backdrop of these troubles, Olivia Ellison clinches the Democratic nomination for the Congressional Special Election. Azure Hawk questions Simmons in jail, and after some convincing, she reveals that she is certain that it was former Russian spymaster Yuri Zarkov who arranged Cassandra's abduction from the Triad. Zarkov is an enemy the team has encountered before, whom Simmons warns wields far too much shadow power to be opposed. Blue Fox suspects the Russian operative Twilight, whom the team encountered in Cretoa, may be the one who took Cassandra from the Triad.	Dr. Vanessa Simmons; Yuri Zarkov
Zarkov's Revenge	#265	"Bishop Takes Knight"	Dr. Vanessa Simmons arranges the kidnapping of Steel Dragon to steal her powers for Cao Lu. In order to force Steel Dragon's compliance with the procedure, Simmons arranges to have Cassandra Olsen - who she knows is also Steel Dragon's team mate, Red Spider - kidnapped. Steel Dragon is set loose, with a message from Cao Lu: run, and never settle down. That is the revenge he wants against Dragon, for her having killed his son. It instead spurs a powerless Steel Dragon to return to Hong Kong and attempt to deal with Cao Lu. Azure Hawk and Rubber Bullette apprehend Dr. Simmons as she attempts to escape to Canada. She does seem strangely concerned with Cassandra's safety, and shares some info. The team lets Simmons get away, for now, though she is a fugitive with international warrants issued against her. The team are rejoined by the Cretoan group of Catfight, Blue Fox, Sombra, and Sparrow Hawk. They attempt to track down and rescue Cassandra, but are too late: the Chinese Triad members who abducted her are all found, dead or dying, in the warehouse where they were keeping her. There are signs of a struggle, and Blue Fox's heightened senses detect that Cassandra was dragged out alive after the battle. The mystery of who has Cassandra Olsen deepens.	Dr. Vanessa Simmons; Triad members; unknown assailant
Trouble Under Cretoa	#264	"Lex Talionis"	Princess Taina joins Catfight, Sombra, and Blue Fox as they go into the tunnels deep below the palace. They don't have time to look into the disappearance of Sparrow Hawk, with a war brewing with the sea people. A group of sea people swarm the band, and escort them to a tense parley with King Zotholky. Taina alone can treat with him, for they each know dialects of Greek. Zotholky will accept peace, but demands blood for blood. Taina prepares to surrender herself to the king's judgement, and die for the sake of peace, but Catfight makes an impassioned plea. Zotholky, done kindness by Sombra, relents - but says he still demands blood. He wants Cretoa to apprehend Twilight and turn her over to them. The heroes agree to these terms, and depart - though the Adventurers have misgivings about turning over an enemy for a certain execution.	King Zotholky; Fish People
Bluebird for Congress	#263	"Fixing the Race"	After a spree of vandalism which saw all candidate signs except Olivia Ellison's smashed or knocked down, Red Spider suspects there's organization by gangsters. The next evening, gangsters try it again in a politically-active university campus neighborhood, and Azure Hawk, Night Star, and Doormaker manage to ambush the bad guys just after they set fire to the campaign office of Lester Brownlee. Upon their capture, Night Star interrogates one and learns that it was gangster Cosmo Liddell who put them up to it. Though they don't know which candidate, the thug reveals that Liddell has a horse in the race for Congress - someone he knows will favor his transportation interests. Azure Hawk ruminates on this confession, and decides to look into a connection between candidate Brownlee and Cosmo Liddell. He finds a genealogy website which confirms the two are actually cousins. At a swanky evening fundraiser for Lester Brownlee, Azure Hawk arrives and manages to embarrass the candidate with audio recordings and details of his investigation into the framing of Olivia Ellison, and drops the bombshell that Lester is cousins with a known gangster. All of this is caught on camera and broadcast live by Action News, and Brownlee's bodyguards try to remove the candidate from the party - but he doesn't get past the lobby before police apprehend him. By morning, Brownlee's campaign is over when his mugshot appears in the media.	Cosmo Liddell; gangsters; Lester Brownlee
Trouble Under Cretoa	#262	"The Cavern Massacre"	The fish people capture Fantasma, Blue Fox, and Sombra. It turns out they speak Old Cretoan, and Fantasma can treat with them. However, the fish people seem aggressive and ready for war, citing a pact which Cretoa has violated. Fantasma meets their aggression with aggression, and the parley devolves. The fish people envoy declares that war is inevitable and orders the slaying of the hostages: Adventurers and captured sailors. Fantasma throws a dagger that kills the envoy, spilling first blood. Catfight and Twilight, who had been watching from a tunnel exit high above, join the fray, as the Adventurers, with help from Fantasma, Twilight, and Twilight's drones, kill or maim dozens of fish people, and make their survivors retreat to nearby pools. Twilight frees her Russian sailors and says she is fleeing immediately, suggesting the Adventurers do so, too, before the fish people mount a counter-attack with greater numbers. Sombra takes pity on wounded fish people desperately crawling back to the pools, and helps some reach safety; they name her, Kápoios, or 'Kind One,' and they do not retaliate against her. Catfight follows Sombra's example and helps, thinking it may be a small gesture that could avert war. Topside, Catfight, Sombra, and Fantasma report on the happenings in the tunnels to Princess Taina, who rebukes them for not having found a peaceable solution. The princess dismisses a strangely thorny Fantasma, who maintains that she did what she thought was best, and seems to accuse the princess of ignorance regarding the pact. Sombra and Catfight deduce that the fish people are upset over the lack of feeding of the kraken; this guides the Princess to read an ancient transcription of a scroll which confirms a pact between Cretoans and the fish people, wherein the fish people would help trap the kraken - which was a menace to all peoples - in the tunnels beneath Cretoa, in exchange for the Cretoans standing guard and feeding it and its issue for as long as they lived below Cretoa, as the fish people still regarded the kraken ("the Overbeast") as holy. Catfight suggested that, with Fantasma gone, only Princess Taina could go below and negotiate a peace. The princess agrees.	Fish People
Trouble Under Cretoa	#261	"Kraken Me Up"	Sparrow Hawk goes on her own investigation, surveying sunken fishing boats around Cretoa based on a fisherman's indication of where the troubled waters are. She finds the boats, but no bodies. Then, she comes upon a beached submarine in a lagoon, near a waterfall. The submarine interior has Russian controls, has damaged electrical systems and is without power, and has apparently had some fighting inside, but there is no sign of its crew. Sparrow Hawk goes behind the waterfall and finds a passage leading into Cretoa's system of underground tunnels. But there, she is attacked by a mysterious drone, stunned, and captured by it. Elsewhere, Catfight battles the kraken, buying time for Blue Fox, Sombra, and Fantasma to escape. Catfight is caught and nearly devoured, but a trick shot from her wrist-mounted bolt projector pierces its radulla and gives her a chance to escape. Blue Fox, Sombra, and Fantasma carry on down a tunnel. They locate a great chamber where the many missing fishers are bound to stalagmites using resin that the fish people generate from their hands. The fish people soon become aware of the heroes, and encircle them. Catfight, going alone through the tunnels, is soon attacked by a drone, but destroys it. A Russian agent named Twilight decloaks near Catfight and says that the drone was merely a test. Twilight, who is familiar with Catfight by reputation, says that they should work together, as Twilight has come to rescue Russian sailors who were seized by fish people. Catfight agrees, but seems wary of Twilight.	Fish People
Trouble Under Cretoa	#260	"In Deep Places"	An emissary from Cretoa finds Azure Hawk in Club Caprice and gives him a message from Cretoa. Princess Taina of Cretoa pleads with the team to send who they can to help with an ongoing situation that needs super people. Catfight, Sombra, Blue Fox, and Sparrow Hawk travel in Catfight's jet, and land in the palace at Zappatos, Cretoa. There, they meet with the princess, who outlines three grave issues that seem to have the same source: the theft of her crown, the sinking of fishing boats and the total disappearance of their crews, and the sabotage of their vitanium extractor. In all three instances, the mark of a many-handed sea beast is seen etched at crime scenes. The princess warns that her people - superstitious as they are and upset with the fast pace of change since a democratic government took over - will not brook this continue, and the loss of her ceremonial crown will be seen as an ill omen that could foment a counter-revolution. Also, the princess indicates that her agent, Fantasma, had already been dispatched down into the extractor to investigate the sabotage, but has been missing for some time. The team starts at the extractor, descending deep underground to where raw vitanium is harvested, and follow subterranean caverns until they reach a wide-open one with a pool at its bottom. There, Fantasma is bound up over the pool by a strange resin... and shortly after the team's arrival, the great and terrible kraken emerges from the pool and attacks!	The Kraken
Bluebird for Congress	#259	"The Lone Gunman"	Night Star, Blue Fox, Azure Hawk, Sparrow Hawk, Sombra, and Night Star meet out of costume at Olivia Ellison's campaign office to discuss the disturbing development of the bluebird nailed to her office door. Olivia hears about Ms. Direction naming the ARGENT-linked Stroms as the ones behind Ms. Direction, but Olivia finds that odd; the evidence planted by Ms. Direction implicated ARGENT as the ones who allegedly gave Olivia an illegal cash injection. Why would ARGENT try to drag themselves down with Olivia? Azure Hawk vows to keep trying the Ms. Direction leads, and Sparrow Hawk starts looking into where the bluebird came from. Blue Fox is troubled when his 'uncle', long-time friend of his father Clayton Ewing, survives an apparent assassination attempt by quick-drawing and non-fatally shooting his attacker. Blue Fox warns Red Spider about the blue code, prompting Red Spider to visit the gunman, Michael Barton, in hospital. Sneaking past an assembly of police guards via air vents (who are soon dispersed by Blue Fox's father, retired police vet Mark McAllister), Red Spider speaks to a weakened Barton, and explains the precariousness of his situation to make him cooperative. Barton implicates T-Dog, alias of Terence Jameson, as the person who paid him to shoot at a car. Barton had no idea who his target was. Despite Red's efforts to arrange better protection for Barton, he dies from a medication conflict later that night.	Michael Barton; T-Dog; Ms. Direction; ARGENT
Bluebird for Congress	#258	"Bluebird at the Door"	Azure Hawk, Blue Fox, and Sombra get a message from Arcadio that he got word from Ms. Direction to pick her up. The trio, joined by Scarlet Shield, gets the playful trickster villainess backed into a corner. Ms. Direction cooperates to a degree, but then uses trickery to escape the heroes and try to lose them on a chase over rooftops, streets, and into the sewers, before they finally corner her again in the stock room of a convenience store. Ms. Direction implicates Bruce Strom as the person who hired her; Strom is the husband of candidate Savannah Strom, and together they own a transportation company which is a subsidiary of ARGENT. Ms. Direction says that ARGENT wants Olivia Ellison's campaign to fail so that Strom has a better chance to win the election, giving ARGENT a puppet in Congress. Ms. Direction pleads to be let go, noting she will die a snitch's death in prison if the team turns her in, to which the team seems to agree - but Azure Hawk plants a tracker on her. The next morning, a live bluebird is found nailed to Olivia Ellison's campaign office door by its wing.	Ms. Direction; ARGENT
Bluebird for Congress	#257	"The Mechanic"	Azure Hawk, Sombra, and Blue Fox follow AH's tracker to a warehouse in the river district, where a young mechanic is working on fixing up the damage AH did during his attempt to catch Getaway Flier last adventure. The mechanic is Arcadio Rando, a young man from New York City whom Sombra has helped before, but whom she apparently failed to dissuade from a life of crime. Arcadio pleads that he needs the money from Ms. Direction's heists to help his mom pay for her medical bills. The trio of heroes convince Arcadio that they will help him; he agrees to help deliver Ms. Direction to them. Elsewhere, Olivia (Bluebird) meets with her Republican rival Clayton Ewing, a career policeman. Ewing probes Olivia's reasons for entering the race, expresses his appreciation of her character, and then shares his suspicion that Congressman Duran was murdered. Ewing implores Olivia to share anything she may learn about who wanted Duran dead.	Getaway Flier (aka Speedmaster)
Blood Fortune Redux	#256	"What Happens In Vegas..."	The Adventurers head to sunny Las Vegas to help UNTIL agent Stiltz apprehend Blood Talon and Ms. Fortune who seem to be hiding in plain sight. Blue Fox, Catfight, Doormaker, Red Spider, and Sparrow Hawk do battle in a casino; Catfight discovers that her cousin, Ms. Fortune, was mind controlled, and may not be to blame for her actions. (More to come...)	Ms. Fortune; Blood Talon; Black Skull
Bluebird for Congress	#255	"Sense of Direction"	Blue Fox and Azure Hawk respond to reports of a break in at the DNC offices in Millennium City. Inside of the office high-rise, Blue Fox moves past unhelpful building security guards to enter the offices and confront the villain. Meanwhile, Azure Hawk spots the getaway vehicle - a hover car - hovering just outside of the broken windows of the office and leaps onto it. Blue Fox fights Ms. Direction to prevent her hooking up a file cabinet to a tow cable. Ms. Direction directs the hover car driver, Getaway Flier, to flee, while she leaps out the window and swings away. Getaway Flier tries a variety of tricks to shake Azure Hawk off of the vehicle, and succeeds... but not before Hawk places a tracker on the vehicle. The next day, the DNC does an audit of materials in the file cabinets to ensure everything is still accounted for, and finds a document previously unaccounted for which indicates Olivia Ellison has been taking illegal money from ARGENT! The team suspects these documents may have been planted.	Ms. Direction; Getaway Flier
Foxbat for President	#254	"Heading Off a Museum Break-In"	The day after Foxbat’s surprise announcement that he’s running for president, the team responds to a robbery in progress at the Millennium City Museum of Antiquities. In a basement storeroom they confront Scarlet Shield’s enemy, the Heckler, and his robot Minion along with a whiny, petulant nerd who tries hitting on Catfight before making four old-style, black-and-white movie gangsters appear out of nowhere. The nerd, Minion and the gangsters are easily dealt with while Sombra and Phaser chase the Heckler farther into the room as he searches for something. He finally finds what he’s looking for: an artifact tagged “The Scythe of Aratron”, only to have Sombra overpower him and take it away. Phaser and Sombra watch helplessly as, incredibly, the Heckler’s head separates itself from his body. It transforms into a skull with large diamonds embedded in its eye sockets and declares, "You may have thwarted my plan this time, but you will never truly defeat The Undead Skull!" before disappearing. Unbelievably, the Heckler’s headless body is still alive…	The Heckler and Minion; The Projectionist; The Undead Skull
Blood Talon Redux	#253	"Enter the Domino Room"	Catfight lets the Adventurers in on her family ties to Ms. Fortune; a gung-ho UNTIL agent named Jack Stiltz tips the team on a chance to scoop up Ms. Fortune and Blood Talon at the Domino Room, a supervillain hangout; the team disguises themselves as villains, and infiltrate; turns out that Blood Talon and Ms. Fortune are indentured to a mastermind named Black Skull; the team fails to capture Skull, but learns his next heist is at a casino in Las Vegas; the villain is after some kind of weapon, and the attack on the high school was part of that.	Ms. Fortune; Blood Talon; Black Skull
Blood Talon Redux	#252	"Battle at the High School"	The team is told of Bluebird's plan to run for Congress to discover who murdered the previous congressman; Catfight learns of a hostage-taking at Westside High School by Ms. Fortune and Blood Talon; the Adventurers face off against a hoard of robots protecting the school; Ms. Fortune shows she knows Catfight's secret identity; A savvy political candidate uses the damage to the school grounds to springboard his campaign with anti-meta human rhetoric; Blue Fox and Sombra's high school grad is pushed back a week.	Ms. Fortune; Blood Talon
Secrets of the Adventurers	#251	"The Battle of Greenland, Part 2"	The Tereraformer breaks free and defeats its Osirian captors nearest at hand. Its power depleted, it cannot just take off. The Adventurers spring into action to engage it in battle. Sparrow Hawk, injured during the attack on the stronghold, holds back and tries to help injured team mates off the battlefield. Phaser gets Hornett to help her start using portable generators to get the Osirian energy-depleting beam array back online while the rest of the team fights to keep the Terraformer near it. Doormaker is badly injured, but manages to use her own energy-dampening gun for a critical shot before going unconscious. Red Spider (Samantha) fails to sneak up on the Terraformer, having not accounted for Blue Fox's enhanced sensory abilities, and gets clobbered. At last, Sombra gets in close and uses a knife to pry the gem off of the Terraformer. In an instant, the Terraformer reverts to a dissheveled Blue Fox, and the aim flies through the air. Sombra and Blue Fox fight to grab it, both drawn to its nearly irresistable allure - but Scarlet Shield does resist, and puts a shield dome over it where it falls. Phaser powers up the energy-deplating beam array, and with help from Red, Hornett, and Catfight, the array is oriented so that the gem's depowering can be completed. The gem turns a lifeless grey color, and the pull it has over anyone who has touched it, ceases. Catfight smashes the gem, and then Hornett uses energy blasts to reduce its remnants to smithereens.	The Terraformer
Secrets of the Adventurers	#250	"The Battle of Greenland, Part 1"	Debut of Sparrow Hawk as an Adventurer. Red Spider (Samantha) indicates that, using the materials collected from the Grand Hall in the previous issue, she knows how the Order of Osiris will try to capture the Terraformer: their ancient studies noted that the Terraformer seemed drawn to objects of intense radioactivity, which it tries to neutralize as part of its terraforming protocol. Red has used geo satellites to confirm intermittent radiation blasts from a remote part of Greenland that happen with a regularity and intensity that could only be man-made. A team of Red Spider, Phaser, Sparrow Hawk, Scarlet Shield, Sombra, Doormaker, and Hornett fly to Greenland in an UNTIL transport, survey the modular compound that has been set up, and begin attacking the mercenaries. Hornett, Scarlet, and Sparrow Hawk make several runs from the air to distract and disable the defensive turrets. Doormaker uses a variety of novel attacks to take out mercenary defenders along the fortifications. Sombra sneaks into the base. Catfight also scales the wall and slips into the control room for the radioactive beacon. Disabling the beacon means turning off power to the whole base. Sombra finds herself in the base's central structure, where the Terraformer has already been captured and is being subjected to the Order of Osiris's energy-depleting beam - that is, until Catfight causes the power to go off. Then the Terraformer is free.	Mercenaries; The Order of Osiris; the Terraformer
Secrets of the Adventurers	#249	"Enter the Inheritor"	Debut of Phaser as an Adventurer. Using Mnemon's learnings from Sirus Blatt, Night Star and Red Spider (Samantha) draw out the Grand Hall of Osiris's guards, leaving an opening for Sombra, Phaser, and Catfight (as Skana, while she's being hunted as a vigilante for the attack on Blatt last issue) to enter the building. Catfight battles an Acolyte before going in. Scarlet Shield goes solo to try an attack from above, but is... cordially invited inside? There, she meets the head of the Order, the Inheritor, who trades questions with Scarlet about the gem. He reveals that the Order was indeed mistaken that the current Adventurers were the same as the old ones; he also shares that the ancient Order had centuries to study the gem, has passed down through the ages the means to safely contain its power. He shares that the Terraformer was battled by a vast army of ancient Egypt, and it succeeded in reclaiming the gem only at the cost of thousands of lives. Once Scarlet shares that the gem has been inadvertantly powered up, which brought forth the Terraformer, the Inheritor orders his fellow Osirians to draw their knives and slay her. A battle ensues. The Grand Hall is set to auto-destruct. Phaser manages to steal a few items from the Inheritor's study before the building caves in. Sombra also manages to steal some useful artifacts, such as the full text of Aaron Baron's autobiography.	The Inheritor; The Order of Osiris
Secrets of the Adventurers	#248	"What's Black and Blue and Red All Over?"	Catfight and Mnemon use guile, subterfuge, some brute force, and a little light memory manipulation to force Sirus Blatt, owner and editor of the Millennium City News. Mnemon views details of Blatt's encounters with the Order of Osiris, confirming that Blatt is a high-ranking member. Catfight leaves Blatt unconscious in his kitchen, but the security cams pick up Catfight and Mnemon leaving, which becomes the focus of a front page article in the next day's paper! Elsewhere, Red Spider (Samantha) finds the Terraformer high up in the city; she tries, but fails, to persuade it of the evil of its mission.	Sirus Blatt; The Order of Osiris; the Terraformer
Secrets of the Adventurers	#247	"Battle for the Gem"	Mnemon interviews Inferno and, through the former's memory-scanning power, discovers Inferno's real name, his past as a US army washout, his time as a mercenary, and his connection to the Order of Osiris. More than that, Mnemon discovers a connection to a newspaper owner in Millennium City who seems, from Inferno's memory, to be an Osirian. Elsewhere, the Adventurers arrive at Cassandra's home to find her entranced by the gem, and surrounded by swirling energies emitting from it. Blue Fox first tries to steal it; a battle ensues as all of the Adventurers feel some temptation to lay hands on it. Cassandra fights fiercely to maintain it. The gem skips off a portal which Doormaker makes. Sombra is wounded by Blue Fox, who at last lays hands on the gem, and transforms... into the Terraformer.	Inferno; The Order of Osiris; the Terraformer
Doormaker's story	#246	"Dolph Lundgren"	The Adventurers face a powerful extradimensional foe with a flat top haircut, a hole in his face, and who seeks parts of his daughters that were spread to the cosmos. A little more is learned about the origin of Doormaker's power.	(Dolph Lundgren)
Secrets of the Adventurers	#245	"Campus Heroes"	The Adventurers uncover more about Sir Thomas Walsingham in a 1960 memo to the Secret Intelligence Service, which leads them to search for more clues in Oxford, UK. Red Spider (Samantha), Scarlet Shield, Sombra, Catfight, Blue Fox, and Night Star scour the campus for info. They come upon an old tape reel of Walsingham's in the university archives, as well as a schematic by Aaron "Tank" Baron for a crude 1950s human memory-to-digital converter. Red Spider, Scarlet, and Star find a letter from 'Tank' in Walsingham's pipe that indicates the two made up. Elsewhere, Sombra, Blue Fox, and Catfight discover a hidden room with a large number of 60s-era magnetic tape drives, and an operator console. Upon placing the reel from the archives onto the first drive in the series, the system boots up. The team is greeted by a text-only digital collection of the memories of Sir Thomas Walsingham, whom they ask many questions about the Order of Osiris, the gem stone called the 'World Breaker' (which apparently grows less powerful if kept in the dark), and the Classic Adventurers' final mission in 1917. Meanwhile, in Millennium City, Cassandra, bearer of the 'world breaker', goes into a trance and stands by the window, bathed in sunlight...	The Order of Osiris
Secrets of the Adventurers	#244	"Blazing Trail"	Mnemon follows a lead from an ex-Osiris member with no memory that leads him to a medical specialist (Dr. Dickinson) who blanks his memory rather than be caught - but Mnemon is able to pull some memories before the mind is totally cleared. Steel Dragon follows a lead to small-time gangster Cosmo Liddell, and intimidates him into admitting he was strongarmed into providing fuel for Inferno. This enables Night Star, Scarlet Shield, Blue Fox, and Sombra confront Inferno when he turns up to refuel at Liddell's dockyard. Though determined to explode himself rather than be taken alive, a combination of Scarlet Shield's ... scarlet shield, Sombra's teleporting Inferno into the river, some well-placed shots to Inferno's jetpack by Night Star, and some up-close distractions by Blue Fox allow Inferno to be captured, alive. Underneath his helmet, Inferno is revealed to be horribly burned and scarred. Red Spider starts to show unusual behavior when it comes to defending the gem over which she now keeps. The gem also gives her flashes of memories she knows are not hers; she finds herself knowing things that she should not, attributing it to the memory of the gem.	Cosmo Liddell; Inferno; Dr. Dickinson
Secrets of the Adventurers	#243	"Methuselah Jack"	Jack Sullivan, AKA Jack Cunningham, AKA Eagle Eye, greets Red Spider, Meltdowner, Night Star, and Scarlet Shield at his retirement home north of Calgary. He instantly divines their purpose, and answers a few questions about the gem. He admits that he sent the flowers to the grave hoping it might trigger someone - anyone - finding him and claiming the gem. Jack knows that being the gem's keeper is what is enabling his long life, but he has grown weary of the gnawing effect it has on him, and the guilt he feels over Addison Markeson's death. 'Sister Savior' had over-extended her healing powers in saving Jack from a bullet wound, which left her in frail health to which she eventually succumbed, two years later. Jack implores the New Adventurers to claim the stone, and give him rest at last - he knows that once he loses it, his life will end. Scarlet Shield guesses correctly that he hid it in Markeson's headstone, which was left unbroken despite the disturbance of the ground before it. When the Adventurers return to the grave, an epic rock-paper-scissor game between Red Spider and Night Star ends in Red claiming the gem after Meltdowner slags the headstone. Jack senses the end once another bearer claims the gem, and he passes peacefully, and gratefully. Red Spider falls unconscious and remains so until after the team returns her home to Millennium City.	Order of Osiris
Secrets of the Adventurers	#242	"A Grave Matter"	The Adventurers keep finding clues. Sombra reads the journal of 'El Sombra' and learns that the old Adventurers strove to recover an ancient, powerful gem from the Order of Osiris - and they succeeded. Blue Fox obtains the sketchbook of 'Tank' from his descendants, which includes a letter he received from Mr. Adventure in the 1950s indicating their relationship became quite strained in their final years. Based on a reading of El Sombra's journal which indicates the gem was taken to Canada by Jack, Scarlet Shield, Red Spider, and Meltdowner travel to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to inspect the grave of Addison Markeson ('Sister Savior') and see if there was any significance to it or link to Jack; they find the grave has been disturbed in recent weeks, and a groundskeeper confirms that it was entirely dug up. Something the skeleton had been clutching was taken. But the team inquires into fresh flowers on the grave, and the groundskeeper finds a work order for delivery indicating a name - Jack Sullivan. Just then, Night Star - who has completed her own investigation with the help of some old underground contacts - arrives to the graveyard, and confirms that Jack Sullivan is the witness protection alias of Jack Cunningham ('Eagle Eye'). Despite his age of 118 Jack is still receiving a pension.	Order of Osiris
Secrets of the Adventurers	#241	"Oh, Joy, I Suppose We're Going to Cleveland"	Sombra does some internet research on El Sombra, a costumed vigilante from Mexico who was part of the Classic Adventurers. Using details found on the Osirian cellar wall, she deduces that El Sombra was really Carlos Batres, and that he has living descendants in Cleveland, OH. Red Spider offers to take Sombra on a road trip to there. They visit the home of Mrs. Hoya, the descendant, who recognizes the two heroes - after all, she is aware of her family history, and a Latina heroine named Sombra just one state over is hard for a descendant of El Sombra not to notice. This descendant says someone was recently heard rummaging in her attic at night, but while the would be burglar left it a mess, they stole nothing. Mrs. Hoya goes to a hiding spot in her house and brings back a small chest filled with her great-great-grandfather's personal effects, including his journal, which she lends to Sombra in hopes it will help.	Order of Osiris
Secrets of the Adventurers	#240	"Cellar Door"	Similarities in things Inferno had said cause Red Spider to urge the team to do another check of an address she had first inspected months ago, while trying to help Night Star track down the Order of Osiris. They visit a ruined meeting hall supposedly belonging to the Osirians in the battered remnants of old Detroit. This time, with Screech Owl's sonics, a secret door is found. Doormaker helps identify a switch. A hidden door opens out of a brick wall, and leads down a stairway into a cellar, where the Adventurers find a number of pages from newspapers, books, diaries, as well as photographs, of a group of early 20th century heroes called, The (Classic) Adventurers. This curious discovery leads to much debate. But, as Blue Fox finds evidence that Inferno has used the cellar hideout recently, Red Spider bugs the place, and Doormaker rapidly gets them out. The team works together on assembling a historical narrative from the various sources which they imaged from the hideout wall; each hero decides to track down answers in their own way.	Inferno
Secrets of the Adventurers	#239	"Inferno"	The Adventurers respond to different fire crimes. Red Spider responds to a Westside gas station blaze, and finds a newspaper clipping of Sombra and Winter. Scarlet Shield, Red Spider, and Sombra help get control of an autonomous car whose occupants are helpless to stop its reckless speeding around the city; Scarlet Shield finds a clipped newspaper article about herself in the trunk of the car, before the car consumes itself in flames. Blitz responds to a fuel barge fire on the river, and finds a newspaper clipping of Catfight in an electrical panel. Red Spider, Blue Fox, and Sombra respond to a fiery attack on a strip of buildings in the inner city, and encounter a flyer whose armor has potent flame-throwers. This flyer calls himself Inferno, and even when he has Red Spider and Blue Fox cornered, doesn't fry them: he makes a demand of them that he wants the Adventurers secrets, tells them they will have time to comply, and then flies away. He leaves behind a newspaper clipping of Doormaker, confirming that he is the one who has been behind the other fires.	Inferno
Police Story	#238	"Part 2"	The police continue to get assists from the Adventurers, running into Blue Fox who's wrestling with a robot. They reach a higher floor which is on fire, and get assists from Catfight and Blitz in saving people who are trapped. Soon, it becomes clear that this whole thing can only stop when the source of the problem, Proto, is defeated. The Adventurers assemble at the penthouse, along with the two officers who remain in place up to this point: Leeds, and Ernst. Proto is a patient of Dr. Posner's; a war veteran who received cybernetic prostheses but became obsessed with improving himself through additional, unnecessary cybernetics. Dr. Posner's colleague, robotics expert Dr. Notley, is barricaded in the penthouse panic room; if Proto can get her, he can make her improve upon his robotic systems. All of the robots swarming the buildings are Notley's, but corrupted by Proto. The Adventurers do battle. During the battle, Officer Ernst gives his life in saving Cst. Leeds from Proto's energy cannon. Proto realizes defeat is at hand, and sends the remaining robots at the Adventurers to cover his escape. Ernst is given a police funeral with full honors.	Proto
Police Story	#237	"Part 1"	Four police officers - Corporal Leeds, and her subordinates, Officers Ernst, van Vliet, and Sindhu - answer an emergency call about a fire at a high rise apartment block. Upon arriving, they are attacked by flying robots that are swarming the building, nearly destroying the car which Sindhu and van Vliet are in - except for an assist by Blue Fox! The building is smoldering at different levels, with robots swarming in and out of it. The officers move in and, from outside, see that a number of would-be evacuees are being held hostage by robots in the lobby. While the officers fire on the robots, Sombra and Doormaker use their abilities to quietly get hostages out to safety across the street. The police advance to the main floor elevators, where a badly injured man, Dr. Posner stumbles out from the express elevator to the penthouse. He indicates it's all his fault, and names Proto as the bad guy. Sombra takes Dr. Posner to the hospital. Wanting to avoid a robot ambush, the police avoid the elevators and take the stairs, instead.	Proto
Amalgamation	#236	"Team Effort"	The team completes their preparations for a battle against Amalgam. Red Spider wields Night Star's EMP guns, as Night Star is called away on another matter. Doormaker has completed her gravity guns, but seems to be sustaining physical injuries for accessing whatever it is that is driving her ability to invent. Doormaker also warns Red Spider and Blue Fox that things she invents using that unknown power, tend to self-destruct. The team meets Overthinker and enters Amalgam's base. The team is split up by attacking robots; these are handled by Red Spider and Overthinker. Scarlet Shield engages Amalgam. Blue Fox and Blitz use the gravity guns to subdue the gynoid. Rather than be taken, Amalgam prepares her base for self-destruction. The team escapes the inferno. Afterward, the team honors its bargain with Overthinker, allowing him to leave.	Amalgam
Amalgamation	#235	"Drawing Board"	Red Spider (Cass) encourages the Adventurers to start finding possible ways to stop Amalgam. Night Star investigates EMP weaponry, while Doormaker, influenced by some other-wordly mad science, starts working on gravity guns. Team members encounter Amalgam impersonating Scarlet Shield in the Club Caprice, but are unable to capture her.	Amalgam
Amalgamation	#234	"Free at Last"	Just the Adventurers are preparing to enact their plan to defeat Overthinker and force him to return Cass to her body, Overthinker summons the team to Cassandra's home. Fox, Scarlet Shield, Blue Fox, Catfight, Blitz, and Red Spider (Samantha) turn up. Overthinker declares that he needs their help: a Mechanon-controlled, power-adaptive android attacked the base in which Overthinker was keeping his old brain, which is the vessel carrying Cassandra's consciousness. Overthinker successfully retrieved the brain, but he fears he will be unable to hold off Mechanon without help. In exchange, he pledges to return Cass to her body after the threat passes - but the team is incredibly wary. Fox proposes that Cass be returned so that the team has one more person to help them in the fight against Mechanon. Overthinker is persuaded, and bids everyone leave while he prepares the swap. Afterward, Cass wakes up at home and has a tense verbal exchange with Overthinker for what he did to her. Overthinker apologizes and indicates that he intends no further harm, and he is grateful for the time to be in a living body again, but now he needs her help. Cass suits up as Red Spider, and goes seeking her team mates for an update - free at last.	The Overthinker
Plant Futures	#233	"Miasma Theory"	With beleaguered police and medical services reaching their limit as the plant pathogen spreads and mutates the general population, the Adventurers fight mutant plants on multiple fronts. Catfight and Screech Owl, with a small assist from Night Star, manage to subdue a mutant in Millennium City's Westside borough, and give it the Overthinker's serum. Elsewhere, a hero named Blue Fox is joined by newly-minted Adventurer Blitz in subduing a mutant plant in an above-ground park plaza downtown; they, too, successfully use the serum to revert it to human. Blue Fox joins the Adventurers. As the emergency starts to get under control, Red Spider, Fox, and others begin to conspire against the Overthinker. Sombra tries to track the Overthinker to one of his bases, but Overthinker is aware of her presence, and bids her leave.	The Overthinker
Plant Futures	#232	"Mind Game"	Sombra and the other Red Spider (Samantha Olsen) go to check on Cass at home. There, Cass drugs them and takes them to a hiding place in a junk yard, binding the two heroes with the same vaporizing cuffs that she had used to hold Sarah. Sarah, for her part, has figured out how to remove the outer casing of her cuffs and disables the circuit that would cause her to be vaporized, then effects her escape. Sombra and Sam-Spider have to decide which of the two should escape. Sam indicates that she can use her super strength to break her own hand and slide it through, as long as Sombra's free hand replaces Sam's in the cuff. Sam crawls out of the holding space and looks for help. Soon, Sarah and Sam meet, compare stories, and go back to try to rescue Sombra, but it's too late - she is not found in the same hiding spot. They rally the team to confront Red Spider at the team's headquarters. There, they learn a horrible truth: Cass's mind was swapped with that of the Overthinker some weeks ago. Cassandra's mind is in the Overthinker's brain, sedated and held at an undisclosed location. While Overthinker has no intention of giving up the body of Red Spider, considering her powers and relative wealth, he intends to continue working for the cause of good. He stays the Adventurers' by revealing that he has a working vaccine, and if they want to prevent a plant mutation epidemic, they need to work with him. The team reluctantly agrees.	The Overthinker
Plant Futures	#231	"Spore Problems"	Days after the incident at the exhibit, Sarah (Night Star), paying a social call, is surprised to find that Cassandra (Red Spider) still has the sample of vitanium that was entrusted to her, in her possession. When Night Star tries to insist that Red Spider return it to the university immediately, Red Spider at once agrees - but it is a feint! Cass attacks Sarah at unawares, and beats her unconscious. When Sarah comes to, she is in an unfamiliar dwelling, bound to a support column in cuffs with a vaporizing charge set to go off in the event Sarah breaks the cuffs or somehow gets too distant from a proximity sensor. Cass taking a blood sample and indicating that she wants to investigate if Night Star has any undisclosed meta-human capabilities. A day or so later, Cass indicates that she has found a strange irregularity in Sarah's blood, and is working on a treatment. Sarah, for her part, is furious to be held captive and keeps working to secure her freedom. Later, Cass briefs the Adventurers at the headquarters that she has identified a mutagenic pathogen present in the blood of herself and Sarah, and probably is present in anybody who was at the exhibit the day of the protester occupation. The team is unaware that Sarah is being held against her will, and they willingly give over blood samples to Cass when she asks for them in the interest of her serum research. It strikes some of the heroes as odd that Cass, a performing artist, suddenly displays expertise in the development of medical treatment.	Red Spider?
Plant Futures	#230	"Chow Time"	Night Star responds when the university's exhibit building is besieged. Many of the Adventurers, even out of costume, do their best to battle the protesters. Just as the situation is getting under control, a protester who has stolen a cannister of the mutagen in the instant evolution exhibit trips, and gets mutagen all over one of the venus fly traps which has been engineered to break down garbage. The team battles the rapidly evolving beast: nearly every trick at their disposal, including some impressive methods employed by newcomer Doormaker, is ineffective and only causes the creature to rapidly adapt for its own survival. Finally, when Eva (Catfight) grabs one of the gourds engineered to contain energy-rich fuel and tosses it in the fly trap's mouth, giving Night Star the means to explode it. The creature's final evolution is to develop procreative spores containing the mutagen, which spread through the air unseen by those in the hall... Meanwhile, Red Spider arrives, and is entrusted a sample of vitanium which a protester tried to steal from the exhibit.	Protesters; Mutant Fly-trap
Plant Futures	#229	"Prometheus's Error"	The talk of the town is an astounding exhibit being put on by Millennium City University's Faculty of Science: Plant Futures. Grant-funded genetic engineering projects have yielded some ways that plants may some day be modified in some incredible ways to benefit humanity. Sombra, Scarlet Shield, Catfight, and newcomer's Blitz and Doormaker each end up visiting the exhibit as their secret identities. The subject matter is incredible: plants that can break down many kinds of garbage, or create energy-rich fuels, or use instant-evolution to develop previously unknown ways to survive hostile environments. The exhibit is not without controversy, however, and on the day that the Adventurers happen to be present, a loud protest outside the exhibit hall boils over, storms the building, occupies it. Some protesters are merely undergrads caught up in the moment, but others seem like seasoned 'professional' protesters. The Adventurers inside either duck for cover, or try to help the beleaguered campus security fight its losing battle for control.	Angry Protesters
Fortune Days	#228	"Fortune Days, Part 2"	Beginning her search into the criminal power-couple of Blood Talon and Ms. Fortune, Catfight discovers the old HQ of Talon's now-dead weapons research compan, which was found to be a front for his own personal endeavors into illegal power armor manufacture. Catfight, along with Red Spider, Night Star, and Sombra, searches throughout the dusty old warehouse / low rent office building to find little else besides an old booby trap talon left for the police. The entire building is torched in a vulgar display of thermal charges. The investigation was not a futile one, as Sombra discovers an old metal flip-lighter with an inscription addressed to Talon from an old enemy...	Blood Talon & Unknown Mentalist
Fortune Days	#227	"Fortune Days, Part 1"	It has been over a month since the Adventurers rescued Night Star in Russia, and matters at home have settled down considerably for the crime fighters. Needing to get out of the house, Catfight decides to go on a brief patrol through Westside. But near the end, she came across a money loan business that had clearly been hit hard by what looks like a seasoned team of professional thieves, as no alarm had been triggered, nor authorities notified. Red Spider and Night Star help in the investigation, and it is discovered that a lone criminal couple is responsible for the discrete smash-and-grab which killed several employees in the business. One-time minor Adventurers villain Blood talon and his unnamed female mentalist cohort are seen on the store's closed-circuit video recording; the woman was the sole killer between the power duo. The Adventurers pass the matter on to the police, and copies of the surveillance tape from were taken for further study.	Blood Talon & Unknown Mentalist
A Rescue in Russia	#226	"A Rescue in Russia, Part 3"	The ISSA machine releases Night Star from the stasis sell. She emerges somewhat weakened, but able to stand in short order. Red Spider and Catfight head to the basement via elevator; there is a ramp leading up from the basement to the garage, for ease of stocking the house. Catfight chooses an armored personnel carrier, and fires it up. The heroes from within the house pile into the APC, while Red Spider jumps in last after opening the garage door. Outside, Scarlet Shield goes on the attack and takes out the second of two aerial drones. Security guards receive conflicting orders due to the forest fire, the aerial attack, and the escaping APC tearing out of the garage. Catfight hits the brakes, and Black Bird uses the gun on top of the APC to lay down cover fire while Screech Owl and Scarlet Shield cross Zarkov's lawn to get aboard. The team blasts down the service road in the APC. Stinger completes the motorboat repairs, and then joins Fox in dealing with a security response sent to check out security station and the boat house. After that, the rest of the team reaches the boat house in the APC, with Catfight hitting the brakes to turn the vehicle around and have its back hatch facing the boat house. Meltdowner and Stinger cover the team's escape down the river by disabling Zarkov's security patrol boats, and the team makes a break for the coast! Once they embark onto their waiting yacht, Stinger sinks their stolen motorboat. The yacht speeds west into the night with all of the rescuers, plus Night Star, safe and sound!	Yuri Zarkov
A Rescue in Russia	#225	"A Rescue in Russia, Part 2"	Inside Zarkov's basement, Fantasma knocks out two of Zarkov's people in a large storage area, and finds the ISSA machine there; she begins to power it up. In the boat house, Stinger finds the perfect getaway speedboat for the team, but one of its motors has been stripped for repairs; he begins work on completing repairs and assembling the motor. Sombra is first to locate the 'statue' of Night Star, in Zarkov's library upstairs. Downstairs, Catfight finds a James Bond wannabe, who in truth is just a mid-level British diplomatic officer, who wants to have a romp with her in Zarkov's own bedroom. She uses him as cover to get upstairs, but when she observes Red Spider passing through a secured door (with Fox's remote help), Catfight knocks out her 'spy' friend, and quickly runs to the door, and find it opens for her, too. Inside the door, a narrow corridor leads to the library, where Red Spider has just found Sombra and Black Bird hiding. Just then, Screech Owl, under the guise of a drunken party guest, uses two security guards to get her close to the RF jamming room; dispatching of one guard who thought he was going to get a quickie in the bathroom nearby, she makes her way to the RF jamming control room and shuts it down. The team begins to communicate. It becomes clear that they have two challenges that weren't part of the plan: getting rid of the last remaining aerial drone, and getting someone to the garage to grab a vehicle. Sombra teleports Night Star to the ISSA machine; Fantasma begins the process to free Night Star. Red Spider asks Meltdowner to start a forest fire near the river to divert attention as the rescue enters the escape phase. Outside, a shift rotation discovers the security station which had been taken over by Screech Owl, is occupied by a bound and gagged guard. The alarm is raised.	Yuri Zarkov
A Rescue in Russia	#224	"A Rescue in Russia, Part 1"	The Adventurers begin infiltrating the expansive property of Yuri Zarkov, while in flashbacks, Red Spider goes over the plan with the team. Stinger uses a submersible armor to reach Zarkov's river docks and boat launch along the Bzipi River, while Fox and Screech Owl use a motorboat to get near enough to the property to begin their mission: gaining control of Zarkov's small security outposts along the service road from his mansion to the boat launch. Meanwhile, Sombra teleports herself and Fantasma into the house, which is full of hundreds of party guests; Sombra remains invisible and scours the residence for Night Star, while Fantasma heads downstairs and tries to locate the ISSA machine, which can free Night Star from her stasis shell. Catfight and Red Spider, disguised as actors as part of a Cretoan theatre troupe hired to put on a special performance of Agamemnon at Zarkov's outdoor amphitheater, the two are able to slip into the party unnoticed. Scarlet Shield flies to the north of Zarkov's property, and uses timing, guile, and her powers to eliminate a hazard to the team's escape: one of two aerial drones flying low around the mansion. Blackbird gets into the party wearing a tuxedo. Fox gains control of the house's security systems such as the electronic door locks and cameras watching them, but Screech Owl realizes that Ordnance X, whose job it was to get on site and secure a land vehicle for the team's escape to the river dock, has failed; worse, Screech Owl realizes, as others do, that there is RF frequency jamming preventing the team from communicating. She takes it upon herself to get into Zarkov's mansion and disable the RF jamming before the whole rescue and escape ends in disaster.	Yuri Zarkov

The team also has story arc pages which are used to develop, track, and the maintain a record of major events.

Adventurers in the Media

Sometimes the Adventurers make the news! ((Literally))

March 21, 2015 (Corresponds to Adventurers #65)
March 29, 2015 (Corresponds to Adventurers #69)
April 11, 2015 (Corresponds to Adventurers #70)
September 13, 2016 (Corresponds to Adventurers #138)

September 21, 2016 (Corresponds to Adventurers #139)
September 23, 2016 (Corresponds to Adventurers #139)
December 10, 2016 (Corresponds to Adventurers #149)
December 21, 2016 (Corresponds to Adventurers #152-#154)

August 13, 2017
Sept 12, 2017
April 16, 2019
September 15, 2019 (Corresponds to Adventurers #270-#275)

December 30, 2021 (Corresponds to Adventurers #352-#353)

Joining the Adventurers

12 AUGUST 2024: The Adventurers are not actively seeking new members. Recruits seeking to join MUST: 1) have a character who matches the theme, 2) Be well-known to SG members who can vouch for their playstyle, 3) Demonstrate that they have more than just a mild interest in roleplay, Champions Online, and our SG.

Reasons to Join

Adventurers share:

A passion for appreciating & participating in superhero stories
Superhero RP with a group who makes your character development feel important and memorable.
Friendships among quality RPers
An environment of mutual respect
A chance to take on meaningful leadership roles on the team
Costume unlocks and gear donated between members
Lively OOC chat channels (Adventurers_OOC, Adventurers_Spoilers - members only)
An amazing Discord community (members only)

Adventurers Theme

We're a group of street-level, low-powered, costumed heroes. A lot of us successfully fight crime solo, but we need the help of other heroes when a big threat emerges.

The following is a guideline for the kinds of IC qualities we're looking for in the green column (left). The red column (right) has traits that stray away from the theme.

Desired Traits		Less Desirable Traits
True identity is carefully concealed.		Identity is public, or doesn’t care.
Street level, local, and/or low-key.		Global / galactic fame.
From this universe and/or time.		Is artificially created, an alien, or a creature.
Science-based powers (ex. mutation, experimentation, tech).		Magical or mystical powers.
Reasonably original take (inspiration is OK!).		Uncomfortably similar to other existing IP.
Has code about avoiding needless harm or destruction.		Doesn't worry about causing collateral damage.
Lawful (or at least, upholds the spirit of the law).		Unlawful / Chaotic / Homicidal
Power level is suitable for a crime-fighting group.		Powers are suitable for taking on armies or world-breaking threats
Has well-defined traits, including weaknesses; make group scenarios interesting.		Is seldom/never disadvantaged; has a ready solution to every problem.
Character has a positive attitude; reserves strong language.		Character is excessively profane, crude, or negative.
Feels fun to be around, promotes interesting & positive interactions.		Notably polarizing or excessively negative.

Recruitment FAQ

My character has traits in the 'red' column in the chart above - would I be allowed to join?
Maybe. It depends on a couple of things: how big of a departure is it? Is there anything that helps mitigate it (i.e. with magic, what limitations have you put on?)?

What time zone are you in?
Most of us are in North America. We're most active between 6PM - 11PM server time.

How can I get to know the team members better before applying?
Look for us in public social zones. If you don't see us there, consider asking for an invite to our global channel Adventurers_4ALL and you can talk to us OOC there, maybe try to get something going. Please take the initiative if you want us to notice you and consider you for membership.

How often do you do RP sessions?
Usually 2-4 nights of the week, and often these are one-off sessions that are totally optional. With the squad system we started in 2022, it really depends on your squad!

I applied to join, and then didn't hear anything. What's going on?
First feel free to check with @historiphile about this if it has been more than a week. Typically if we like a character you want to join with, you're going to hear from us immediately. If you apply with a character who has clear departures from the theme, we might just decline that application and move on. Sometimes we reply to say why it won't work with us. Feel free to try again with a character who is a better match, if you want.

Is magic banned in the Adventurers?
Sort of a soft 'No'. It's good practice in RP for any character - magic or not - to have well-defined powers and limitations. The Adventurers heroes regard magic (and its practitioners) as something exotic, mysterious, and maybe not that commonplace from their point of view.

Can I have characters in other RP SGs while I'm in the Adventurers?
Yes. Many of our players have done so.

About the SG theme. Why don't you want my type of character in it?
If you want a different RP experience than what we do, we truly hope you find it! Maybe start that RP group yourself, build it up, and seek people looking for the same thing. That is how Adventurers began.

Who runs scenarios for the Adventurers?
Members do! This is a safe and supportive group for those who want to run superhero scenarios. Ask for more info. Sometimes we allow non-SG guest villains.

I have a well-developed lore for my character. Will you make use of it?
As long as it seems not to conflict with anything else we have going, and seems beneficial to RP with... then sure! Beware: whatever you run for us, make sure we can all play in it. We have had instances of people creating a story and characters ostensibly for RP, but it becoming clear that they just wanted us to be a passive audience for their creations. Such pursuits may be better as solo fiction.

What is the Adventurers relationship to various factions from the Hero System PnP RPG/Champions Online? What if my character would see it different?
We started a glossary that addresses that. Where there are any uncertainties in interpreting lore, it is up to the group leader (@historiphile) to referee. Your character can still have differing opinions, even if those opinions contradict what has been decided as narrative facts by the group leader, but those would be just that character's opinions. (i.e. your character can despise UNTIL and think they're a fascist group, but it has been decided narratively that in Adventurers stories, they are actually a force for good).

Do I have to be effective with English to join the Adventurers?
Yes. All of our communication is done in written English.

Is profanity &#$*ing ok, or what?
Save powerful language for occasions when it has full effect. Speaking as a generality, most SG members seem to find edginess tiresome and overrated.

My preferred RP is all about chaos / interpersonal drama / internal conflict. Are you going to let me be who I am?
There is a team culture of mutual friendship and support, IC and OOC. We fight villains, not each other. Many of us believe that has contributed to our group's longevity. If that idea makes you uncomfortable, please steer clear of us. One key value of the group: we believe that even things done in character are choices the player makes, and not the fault of others when they react poorly to them (particularly when done with no narrative framing to make sure the other person knows it's just an act). If you are thinking you want to play, for lack of a better term, an 'asshole character,' for nothing, may we direct you to this Reddit thread for some advice on how to do that kind of roleplay without alienating other roleplayers?

Recruitment

The following are guidelines for how we usually go about recruiting. But we reserve the right to change how we recruit at any time.

Before Requesting

We value relationship about as much as we value adherence to theme. If you have never RP'd with us and request to join us, it may take longer, or might not happen at all. Start trying to get to know us before. Ask to join our Adventurers_4ALL channel as a way to reach us.

Step 1 - Request to Join

Start by sending an in-game mail to @historiphile expressing interest, and maybe some detail on the following:
- Powers
- Traits (ie, Strengths/weaknesses)
- A brief background on your character
- Anything else you think is worth knowing
- Time availability to RP (time zone, etc.)

Step 2 - Assessment

We will talk internally about what we think about you based on the details you submitted in Step 1, and the reputation you have. If we like what we're hearing and/or think it's something we need, we will reach out.

Step 3 - Combat RP Trial

If you get to this stage, you're doing well!

The combat RP trial has us present an RP villain. Your character will come across them in the world and demonstrate his or her abilities while trying to stop the villain. At some point, Adventurers heroes will join you in trying to defeat the bad guy!

We learn a lot about how someone RPs from this activity.

Once the combat RP trial is complete, witnessing Adventurers will discuss. If they like what they saw, then membership may be offered.

Difference between revisions of "The Adventurers"

Latest revision as of 22:03, 3 November 2024

Contents

Adventurers Team Roster

Squads

Current Squads

Previous Squads

OOC notes on squads

Story Arcs

Adventurers in the Media

Joining the Adventurers

Reasons to Join

Adventurers Theme

Recruitment FAQ

Recruitment

Before Requesting

Step 1 - Request to Join

Step 2 - Assessment

Step 3 - Combat RP Trial

Navigation menu

Personal tools

Namespaces

Variants

Views

Actions

Search

Navigation

Tools

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 | motto =
 | image = AdventurersCollage1.png
-| caption =
+| caption = The Adventurers team as of February 2024
-| leaders = Red Spider
+| leaders = Webcrawler
-| base = Subterranean Command Centre
+| base = Hidden inner-city HQ complex
 | concept = Classic costumed heroes & street fighters fighting gangs & organized crime.
-| founded = 14 February 2014
+| founded = 13 February 2014
-| members = [PRIMARY] Blitz, Blue Fox, Catfight, Doormaker, Fox, Material Girl, Red Spider, Scarlet Shield, Sombra, Night Star
+| members =
 | footnotes =
 |}}
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 '''The Adventurers''' is a team of costumed heroes from Millennium City. Small in number, but strong in determination and skill, they work together to keep the city safe.
+<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
 =Adventurers Team Roster=
 <center>'''Primary Adventurers'''
 <gallery mode=packed-overlay heights=400px>
-File:Adventurer_Blitz.png|[[Blitz|<span style="color:#C69D21">Blitz</span>]]
 File:Adventurer_BlueFox.png|[[Blue Fox|<span style="color:#C69D21">Blue Fox</span>]]
 File:Adventurer_Catfight.png|[[Catfight|<span style="color:#C69D21">Catfight</span>]]
-File:Adventurer_Doormaker.PNG|[[Doormaker|<span style="color:#C69D21">Doormaker</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Firewalker.png|[[Firewalker|<span style="color:#C69D21">Firewalker</span>]]
-image:Adventurer Fox.jpg|[[Fox|<span style="color:#C69D21">Fox</span>]]
+File:Adventurer Jet Star.png|[[Jet Star|<span style="color:#C69D21">Jet Star</span>]]
-File:Adventurer_WhiteStar.png|[[White Star|<span style="color:#C69D21">Night Star</span>]]
+File:Adventurer Mantle.png|[[Mantle|<span style="color:#C69D21">Mantle</span>]]
-File:Adventurer_RedSpider2.png|[[Red Spider|<span style="color:#C69D21">Red Spider</span>]]
+File:Adventurer Osprey.png|[[Osprey_(@RobinVI)|<span style="color:#C69D21">Osprey</span>]]
-File:Adventurer_ScarletShield.png|[[Scarlet Shield|<span style="color:#C69D21">Scarlet Shield</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Scath5.png|[[Scatha 5|<span style="color:#C69D21">Scatha 5</span>]]
 File:Adventurer_Sombra.png|[[Sombra|<span style="color:#C69D21">Sombra</span>]]
+File:Adventurer Stinger.png|[[Stinger|<span style="color:#C69D21">Stinger</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Stretcher.png|[[Stretcher|<span style="color:#C69D21">Stretcher</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Tungstan.png|[[Tungstan|<span style="color:#C69D21">Tungstan</span>]]
+File:Histo_Webcrawler.png|[[Webcrawler|<span style="color:#C69D21">Webcrawler</span>]]
+File:Adventurer Windchill.png|[[Windchill|<span style="color:#C69D21">Windchill</span>]]
 </gallery>
-'''Not pictured:''' (None)</center>
+'''Not pictured:''' Pathfinder</center>
-<center><HR width="60%"></center>
 <center>
+<HR width="60%">
-'''Recruits'''
+<br>'''Recruits'''
 <gallery mode=packed-overlay heights=400px>
-File:Adventurer_Steel_Dragon.png|[[Steel Dragon|<span style="color:#C69D21">Steel Dragon</span>]]
-File:Adventurer_Mnemon.png|[[Mnemon|<span style="color:#C69D21">Mnemon</span>]]
-</gallery>
-</center>
-<center>'''Not pictured:''' Material Girl,
+</gallery>
+'''Not pictured:''' N/A
+</center>
+<center>
 <HR width="60%">
 <br>'''Adventurers Reserve'''
 These heroes turn up to help once in a while.
 <gallery>
-File:Adventurer_Black_Bird.png|[[Black Bird|<span style="color:#C69D21">Black Bird</span>]]
+File:Adventurer Azure Hawk.png|[[Azure Hawk|<span style="color:#C69D21">Azure Hawk</span>]]
-image:Adventurer Hornett.jpg|[[Hornett|<span style="color:#C69D21">Hornett</span>]]
+File:Adventurer Courser.png|[[Courser|<span style="color:#C69D21">Courser</span>]]
-image:Adventurer LadyJ.jpg|[[Lady Justice|<span style="color:#C69D21">Lady Justice</span>]]
+File:Adventurer PowerChord.png|[[Power-Chord|<span style="color:#C69D21">Power-Chord</span>]]
-File:Adventurer Meltdowner.png|[[Meltdowner|<span style="color:#C69D21">Meltdowner</span>]]
+File:Histo replica.png|[[Replica|<span style="color:#C69D21">Replica</span>]]
-File:Adventurer_Screech_Owl.png|[[Screech Owl|<span style="color:#C69D21">Screech Owl</span>]]
+File:Adventurer Silver Hare.png|[[Silver Hare|<span style="color:#C69D21">Silver Hare</span>]]
-File:Adventurer Stinger.png|[[Stinger|<span style="color:#C69D21">Stinger</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Spectrum.png|[[Spectrum_(@Skyrimhogwarts)|<span style="color:#C69D21">Spectrum</span>]]
+File:Adventurer Trespasser.png|[[Trespasser|<span style="color:#C69D21">Trespasser</span>]]
 </gallery>
 </center>
+<center>'''Not pictured:''' Martyr, Oni</center>
 <center><HR width="60%"></center>
@@ Line 71: / Line 77: @@
 <br><center>'''Inactive Members'''
-These heroes have gone to find out what retirement from heroics is like.
+These heroes have gone on to be heroes in other ways!
 <gallery>
+File:Adventurer Meltdowner.png|[[Meltdowner|<span style="color:#C69D21">Meltdowner</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Blitz.png|[[Blitz|<span style="color:#C69D21">Blitz</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Doormaker.PNG|[[Doormaker|<span style="color:#C69D21">Doormaker</span>]]
 File:Artisan_New.PNG|[[Artisan (Female)|<span style="color:#C69D21">Artisan</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Black_Bird.png|[[Black Bird|<span style="color:#C69D21">Black Bird</span>]]
 image:dreamnew.png|[[Dreamweaver|<span style="color:#C69D21">Dreamweaver</span>]]
+image:Adventurer Hornett.jpg|[[Hornett|<span style="color:#C69D21">Hornett</span>]]
 File:Adventurer-InfinityZero.png|[[Infinity-Zero|<span style="color:#C69D21">Infinity-Zero</span>]]
+File:Joule1.jpg|[[Vortex|<span style="color:#C69D21">Joule</span>]]
+image:Adventurer LadyJ.jpg|[[Lady Justice|<span style="color:#C69D21">Lady Justice</span>]]
 image:AdventurerJuggernette.png|[[Juggernette|<span style="color:#C69D21">Juggernette</span>]]
 File:Adventurer Stormherald.png|[[Stormherald|<span style="color:#C69D21">Stormherald</span>]]
 File:Knightshadow.jpg|[[Knightshadow|<span style="color:#C69D21">Knightshadow</span>]]
 File:Adventurer_Phantasm.png|[[Phantasm|<span style="color:#C69D21">Phantasm</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_ScarletShield.png|[[Scarlet Shield|<span style="color:#C69D21">Scarlet Shield</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Screech_Owl.png|[[Screech Owl|<span style="color:#C69D21">Screech Owl</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_SparrowHawk.png|[[Sparrow Hawk|<span style="color:#C69D21">Sparrow Hawk</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Steel_Dragon.png|[[Steel Dragon|<span style="color:#C69D21">Steel Dragon</span>]]
+file:Adventurer Fox.jpg|[[Fox|<span style="color:#C69D21">Fox</span>]]
+File:Adventurer Vortex.png|[[Vortex|<span style="color:#C69D21">Vortex</span>]]
+File:Adventurer_Voltage.png|[[Voltage|<span style="color:#C69D21">Voltage</span>]]
 </gallery>
 </center>
-=History=
+=Squads=
-The Adventurers formed with a number of street-level heroes in Millennium City who recognized that the challenge of organized crime might be overcome if they combined their efforts. The first iteration of the team with Red Spider, Black Asylum, Ocelot, Cyro-Talon, and Fox were all costumed individuals protecting a secret identity. Working together, they have crushed a weapon smuggling ring run by Dr. Killowatt, defended the city against the Syndicate several times, stopped a plot to turn a hero into a living weapon, averted a horrible future, and put an end to a black market super serum.
+Starting in fall of 2022, the team was subdivided into two sub-groups, each with a captain, called squads. The squad leaders (first on the left of each below) chose their teams for whatever mission types they felt they could best specialize in, and were invested with authority to make decisions as needed for their squad.
-The team line-up changes from time to time, but the core principle driving the team has been to be of service to the public in addressing challenges that law enforcement may not be able to do alone.
+It was the hope of Webcrawler that each squad could, with their unique make-ups and leader styles, excel on adventures and missions suited to them.
+==Current Squads==
-=Hideouts=
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+|- style="background-color:#032D9D;"
+| <span style="color:#FFFFFF">ADVENTURERS BLUE</span>
+| <center>[[File:Adventurer_BlueFox.png|x200px]]<br>[[Blue Fox|<span style="color:#C69D21">Blue Fox</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer Courser.png|x200px]]<br>[[Courser|<span style="color:#C69D21">Courser</span>]]</center> || [[File:Adventurer_Sombra.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Sombra|<span style="color:#C69D21">Sombra</span></center>]] || <center>[[File:Adventurer Windchill.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Windchill|<span style="color:#C69D21">Windchill</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer Scath5.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Scatha 5|<span style="color:#C69D21">Scatha 5</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer_Tungstan.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Tungstan|<span style="color:#C69D21">Tungstan</span>]]</center> || <center><BR>[[Pathfinder|<span style="color:#C69D21">Pathfinder</span>]]</center>
+|- style="background-color:#9F3318;"
+| <span style="color:#FFFFFF">ADVENTURERS RED</span>
+| <center>[[File:Bullettefist.jpg|x200px]]<br>[[Rubber Bullette|<span style="color:#5083F7">Rubber Bullette</span>]]</center> || [[File:FirewalkerPRIMUS.png|x200px]]<BR><CENTER>[[Firewalker|<span style="color:#5083F7">Firewalker</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer Osprey.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Osprey_(@RobinVI)|<span style="color:#5083F7">Osprey</span>]]</center> || [[File:Adventurer Mantle.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Mantle|<span style="color:#5083F7">Mantle</span>]]</center> || <center><BR>[[Red Wren|<span style="color:#5083F7">Red Wren</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer Stinger.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Stinger|<span style="color:#5083F7">Stinger</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer Azure Hawk.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Azure Hawk|<span style="color:#5083F7">Azure Hawk</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer PowerChord.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Power-Chord|<span style="color:#5083F7">Power-Chord</span>]]</center>
+|}
-At the best of times the Adventurers have numerous tools for investigation, as well as computers monitoring conventional media, social media, and police bands for disturbances. Though there are remote comm devices to help the team access these services, a base is required to house the necessary machines.
+==Previous Squads==
+'''March '23 - Sept. '23'''
-The first Adventurers HQ was a subterranean cave donated by Artifex when he joined the team. The cave base had to be destroyed when Mark of Power was captured and forced to reveal the secret of its location to the Syndicate. The Adventurers briefly operated from a secret basement in Millennium City, donated by Blue Wonder for the interim after having to abandon the cave. With Blue Wonder's departure from the team, the Adventurers began operating out of the 'Justice Cave' belonging to Lady Justice. The Justice Cave became known to the public during the PRIMUS siege of December 2016, just before the team managed to exonerate themselves from false accusations. It became unsafe to continue using that location because enemies are certain to seek the team there.
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+|- style="background-color:#281B83;"
+| <span style="color:#FFFFFF">ADVENTURERS MIDNIGHT</span>
+| <center>[[File:Adventurer Catfight.png|x200px]]<br>[[Catfight|<span style="color:#C69D21">Catfight</span>]]</center> || [[File:Adventurer_Sombra.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Sombra|<span style="color:#C69D21">Sombra</span></center>]] || [[File:Adventurer Mantle.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Mantle|<span style="color:#C69D21">Mantle</span>]]</center> || [[File:Adventurer_BlueFox.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Blue Fox|<span style="color:#C69D21">Blue Fox</span>]]</center> || [[File:Bullettefist.jpg|x200px]]<br><center>[[Rubber Bullette|<span style="color:#C69D21">Rubber Bullette</span>]]</center>
+|- style="background-color:#B81E0B;"
+| <span style="color:#FFFFFF">ADVENTURERS CRIMSON</span>
+| [[File:FirewalkerPRIMUS.png|x200px]]<BR><CENTER>[[Firewalker|<span style="color:#5083F7">Firewalker</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer Osprey.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Osprey_(@RobinVI)|<span style="color:#5083F7">Osprey</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer PowerChord.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Power-Chord|<span style="color:#5083F7">Power-Chord</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer Scath5.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Scatha 5|<span style="color:#5083F7">Scatha 5</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer Windchill.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Windchill|<span style="color:#5083F7">Windchill</span>]]</center>
+|}
-After a lengthy search, Red Spider's father, philanthropist William Olsen, bought a piece of land within sight of the downtown that was to be classified a natural preserve. On this site, the Adventurers concealed an underground cavern using surface holography, and hid the service elevator within what to outside appearances was a utility shack. Installation of their new computer systems began in the summer of 2017. Work is ongoing, but the base is fully functional.
+'''Sept. '22 - March '23'''
-===Holographic briefing table===
+{| class="wikitable"
-The circular table has several seats around it, and the table surface makes use of the enormous holographic projector mounted on the cavern ceiling (the same projector also hides the cavern from surface view).
+|-
+|- style="background-color:#D5D5D5;"
+| <span style="color:#FFFFFF">ADVENTURERS SILVER</span>
+| [[File:Adventurer Courser.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Courser|<span style="color:#C69D21">Courser</span>]]</center> || [[File:Adventurer_Sombra.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Sombra|<span style="color:#C69D21">Sombra</span></center>]] || [[File:Adventurer_Voltage.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Voltage|<span style="color:#C69D21">Voltage</span>]]</center> || [[File:Adventurer_BlueFox.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Blue Fox|<span style="color:#C69D21">Blue Fox</span>]]</center> || [[File:Adventurer_Osprey.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Osprey_(@RobinVI)|<span style="color:#C69D21">Osprey</span>]]</center>
+|- style="background-color:#C8C342;"
+| <span style="color:#FFFFFF">ADVENTURERS GOLD</span>
+| [[File:Adventurer_Tungstan.png|x200px]]<BR><CENTER>[[Tungstan|<span style="color:#5083F7">Tungstan</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer Stinger.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Stinger|<span style="color:#5083F7">Stinger</span>]]</center> || <center>[[File:Adventurer Scath5.png|x200px]]<BR>[[Scatha 5|<span style="color:#5083F7">Scatha 5</span>]]</center> || [[File:Adventurer-Firewalker.png|x200px]]<br><center>[[Firewalker|<span style="color:#5083F7">Firewalker</span>]]</center>
+|}
-Adventurers can use the table to create presentations ahead of missions, to watch video (still in 2D perspective), and do holographic messaging. After her 'death' in early 2018, the team used the table to view a holo recording of Red Spider with messages for the team.
+==OOC notes on squads==
+Squads might change up to twice per year. For their first run, they tended to run for six month periods between equinoxes (September and March), but may be suspended occasionally as leadership may deem necessary.
-===Communications Monitoring System and Crime Computer===
+New captains will be chosen weeks prior to each squadding. Captains can select at least 4 other heroes to serve on their squad, with the assent of those members and the final approval by the team leader.
-This system manages the Adventurers comm frequency, and it also monitors news media, social media, police frequencies, and more for situations that could use some super help. A monotone robot voice from the computer, triggered by a threat-analysis algorithm, can deliver alerts to the Adventurers via their comm devices.
-Adventurers can also ask limited questions of the computer that are strictly knowledge based and searchable on the internet. The computer could be asked, "What are the street addresses for the post offices within a one mile radius of my location?" but could not be asked, "Which post office is most likely to be targeted by terrorists today?" because that would require a nuanced, subjective analysis of a range of variables for which the computer lacks adequate programming.
+The purpose of squads is not to be exclusive; anyone can help out. The team as a whole may be called together regardless of squad as needed. Squads might also work together OOC to make RP stories for other team members to play in.
-Adventurers like Red Spider and Catfight, who plant audio surveillance devices on suspects or in gang hideouts, can transmit that audio to the Adventurers comm monitoring system for recording. The computer can synthesize a summary recording of the most important parts so that the heroes don't have to listen to hours of recording.
+=Story Arcs=
-The comm system, while simplistic, is also user friendly.
+The following is presented as summaries of the Adventurers as if it were based on an actual comic book.
-===Laboratory===
+<div align="center"; style="height:25em; width:1250px; overflow:auto; border: 2px solid #088">
-The Adventurers have a small laboratory. It can perform the following functions:
+{| class="wikitable"
+! style="width:10em;" | Arc
+! style="width:5em;" | Issue
+! style="width:3em;" | Title
+! style="width:50em;" | Story
+! style="width:3em;" | Villain(s)
+|-
+| Shadow Dawn
+| '''Adventurers #427'''
+| "The Hotel of Horror"
+| '''Sombra''' responds with '''Mantle''' to an attack on a mechanic at his shop one evening. A trio of vampires means to slay the mechanic. They are joined by the A-Plus hero '''Remnant'''. Together, the three heroes repel the vampires. Sombra and Remnant pursue two of the fleeing vampires, while Mantle restrains one he knocked out at the garage. Mantle learns from the mechanic that the vampires are retalliating because the Mechanic has been trying to save his daughter Miranda from the vampires.
-* Biological sample analysis (culturing, genome identification [ie, is this sample from a human or a shark?], blood typing, microscopy).
+Mantle relays what he has learned. Sombra and Remnant enter a run-down hotel, shrouded by Sombra's invisibility, and find within dozens of people in its lobby, calmly seated with blood flowing out of them through tubes to some central location deeper inside. A well-dressed vampire inspector is seen to check on the people in the lobby; when the two heroes reveal themselves, the people inside are frightened - of the heroes!
-* Chemical analysis
-* Fingerprint analysis
-* Audio-visual analysis
-* Document analysis (ie determine manufacture of paper; comparing evidence to control group [ie comparing a suspected forgery to a real $50 bill]; handwriting comparison)
-The Adventurers lack the ability to do genotyping, so cannot identify a suspect via a DNA sample, for example. On one occasion, the team arranged to sneak into a university laboratory to use their equipment after hours.
+The inspector eventually reveals that all of these people are giving their blood to the vampire willingly. The heroes are not convinced that it isn't some mind control at work, but when Miranda is brought forth, she reveals the horrible truth: these donors are all Xagrim cultists, worshipping a malevolent deity whom they believe would want the vampires to achieve victory. The cultists chant pro-Xagrim verses, confirming their alignment. Though the Adventurers defeated Xagrim utterly months before, the cultists believe he will rise again - and are buoyed by living in an era when Xagrim walked the Earth with them.
-Heroes attempting to use the lab facilities should have a specialization in criminology, science, or a relevant tech field (such as comm tech if they are doing an A/V analysis).
+The heroes decide it better to not fight the vampires in this place, reasoning that while they have a blood supply, the vampires are less likely to attack other humans.
-===Workshop===
+Back at the mechanic shop, the Mechanic is angry that the heroes did not rescue his daughter.
-Gadgets and tools need to be maintained, so to that end The Adventures have a workshop where they can do just that. From fabrics to electrical components, to spare parts and a few tools, the workshop has just enough stuff to help repair damaged devices and costumes, though building brand new devices may exhaust the supplies. Adventurer Doormaker keeps it stocked.
-===Containment Area===
+Featuring: '''Sombra''', '''Mantle''', '''Remnant'''
-The Adventurers can hold one prisoner at a time within a force field at the site. This has only been done in extreme circumstances. Precautions must be taken to ensure that any prisoner being brought in does not observe the locality of the HQ, or else when they get free, they can compromise the team's location.
+| Vampires; Cult of Xagrim
+|-
+| Shadow Dawn
+| '''Adventurers #426'''
+| "Horror Comes Home"
+| Seen through the eyes of the Adventurer '''Outsider''', who is attending disguised as a school staff member, the homecoming dance at Detroit Memorial High School turns to horror when newly-elected student president - June Valet - takes the stage, orders her vampire minions to guard the exits, and declares that the student body are about to be turned to vampires. Their first feast will be on the teachers!
-The Adventurers kept VIPER agent Oculon locked away for several days in late 2017.
+Outsider takes to the rafters, just one man alone with no super powers... but is gratified to witness the emergence of a new super-team, the students of the A-Plus program who declare their team name as... A-Plus.
-===Kitchen===
+While ones like '''Bluebird''' and '''Remnant''' try to protect students being preyed upon on the dance floor, others like '''Granite''', '''Galvanic''', and '''Artisan''' focus on trying to clear exits so students can escape the dance. '''Stretcherette''' focuses on keeping vampires off of the others with her extend-o powers.
-There is a kitchenette hidden away in the facility. Heroes can get hot or cold beverages and some food from there. It's not clear who is doing the shopping...
-=Story Arcs=
+'''Battery''' dashes to the stage, using her electrical aura to prevent vampires from grabbing her on the way so that she can confront June Valet. But the effort burns out her powers and nearly leaves her vulnerable to June's attempt to grab Battery for a vamp bite; a timely intervention of Remnant prevents that.
-The following is presented as summaries of the Adventurers as if it were based on an actual comic book.
+June calls for assistance, and the dark warrior known as '''MidKnight''' emerges from the shadows. His mystical lance, and his dread steed are able to do some chilling damage to the A-Plus group with shadow magic, but Stretcher uses the dance DJ's lighting grid, along with light based attacks from Bluebird and others, to diminish MidKnight and seemingly destroy him. Most of the vampires literally fade into the shadows, seeing their side's warrior vanquished.
-<div align="center"; style="height:25em; width:1250px; overflow:auto; border: 2px solid #088">
+A-Plus captures June, and some other vampires are taken prisoner thereafter by PRIMUS. Outsider leaves the scene, having let the youths handle it...
-{| class="wikitable"
+| Vampires; June Valet; MidKnight
-! style="width:10em;" | Arc
+|-
-! style="width:1em;" | Issue
+| Shadow Dawn
-! style="width:3em;" | Title
+| '''Adventurers #425'''
-! style="width:5em;" | Story
+| "Vampire By Day"
-! style="width:3em;" | Villain(s)
+| '''Catfight''' and '''Stretcherette''' respond to reports of a brawl out in the open, and trace some clues to an underground carpark. There, three individuals speak of a "Master" and some great plans they have for infiltration. But when it becomes clear that the trio has a hostage in the trunk of their car whom they mean to kill imminently, the heroes intervene. The foes turn out to be vampires! One of them, June Valet, is a schoolmate of Stretcherette's from Detroit Memorial High.
+'''Blue Fox''' joins the fight in time to save the hostage from being burned alive inside the car, after the vampires exploit some leaked fluids caused by Stretcherette's escape into the engine to set the car ablaze. Once Catfight removes the hostage's gag, she is able to utter an incantation that makes the vampires flee - though Catfight forcefully sends a thrown hammer back at one of them, and it crumbles to dust.
+The hostage is '''Adrynne''', an Adventurer ally and sorceress, who reveals that she has been investigating a group of vampires who are more organized and powerful than she has typically known vampires to be - and they captured her by surrounding her in broad daylight! Adrynne warns of a battle to come, and urges Catfight to safeguard Detroit Memorial, which the "Master" has designs upon...
+Featuring: Catfight, Stretcherette, Blue Fox, Adrynne
+| Vampires; June Valet; the "Master" (mentioned only)
 |-
-| Secrets of the Adventurers
+| Vorpal's Dozen
-| '''#245'''
+| '''Blue Squad #18 (Finale)'''
-| "Campus Heroes"
+| "Four Leaf Clover"
-| The Adventurers uncover more about Sir Thomas Walsingham in a 1960 memo to the Secret Intelligence Service, which leads them to search for more clues in Oxford, UK. Red Spider (Samantha), Scarlet Shield, Sombra, Catfight, Blue Fox, and Night Star scour the campus for info. They come upon an old tape reel of Walsingham's in the university archives, as well as a schematic by Aaron "Tank" Baron for a crude 1950s human memory-to-digital converter. Red Spider, Scarlet, and Star find a letter from 'Tank' in Walsingham's pipe that indicates the two made up. Elsewhere, Sombra, Blue Fox, and Catfight discover a hidden room with a large number of 60s-era magnetic tape drives, and an operator console. Upon placing the reel from the archives onto the first drive in the series, the system boots up. The team is greeted by a text-only digital collection of the memories of Sir Thomas Walsingham, whom they ask many questions about the Order of Osiris, the gem stone called the 'World Breaker' (which apparently grows less powerful if kept in the dark), and the Classic Adventurers' final mission in 1917. Meanwhile, in Millennium City, Cassandra, bearer of the 'world breaker', goes into a trance and stands by the window, bathed in sunlight...
+| Abruptly, Vorpal manages to find the hideout being used by Biker's Dozen. It's a derelict bar in the seediest part of Westside. She calls Blue Squad, after having made herself known in their group text chat, and Wizard is also alerted. When asked how she managed to find it, Vorpal dodges the inquiry and keeps the details vague.
-| Cosmo Liddell; Inferno; Dr. Dickinson
+Sombra stealthily infiltrates the building and finds an unconscious and badly injured Vyle restrained and connected to many IV's. The Bakers are harvesting his blood to manufacture a new, powerful drug, combining it with a strain of street level draysha gas, supplied to them by Grey Raccoon. The so-called 'Four Leaf Clover' drastically improves durability and strength, on top of being extremely addictive. Additionally, it turns is users red and hulking, not unlike Vyle in appearance.
+As planned, Wizard busts in through a window. Vorpal takes the front door, followed by Windchill. Blue Fox sneaks in to get a read on the situation. Chaos erupts, and many of the Bakers partake of Four Leaf Clover to gain an edge on the Adventurers and friends. The heroes are gradually overwhelmed and overpowered by Baker and this newly gotten power when Vorpal goes into a rage, and loses control. She sends out a powerful telekinetic, area of effect shockwave and forcibly causes a reaction in the Baker's replicator devices to 'desummon' them.
+One tries to slip away, but is ultimately caught by Windchill. Sombra frees Vyle, and Wizard eliminates vast traces of this new drug, and prepares the rest for evidence. After all is said and done, the police arrive, and Detective Knight meets Vorpal. They have an uneasy conversation, but manage to come to peace with one another.
+Vorpal leaves on good terms with Blue Squad, and insists that they call upon her should they ever need the help, but her origins and background remain an utter mystery to the team.
+| Baker's Dozen, Grey Raccoon [not seen]
 |-
+| Vorpal's Dozen
+| '''Blue Squad #17'''
+| "Raving Mad"
+| Blue Squad is summoned by Detective Knight to talk about a brewing gang war. "One Man Biker Gang", Baker's Dozen, is making aggressive and successful power plays for territory, striking out in particular at the Cobra Lords Biker Gang among many others. Knight explains that Baker is also searching for new drugs to manufacture in order to financially outperform his competitors.
+Intel suggests that a Purple Gang, or associate thereof, has access to a new designer drug that has caught Baker's interest. Knight explains that a rave being put on by the Scrappers gang of cyberpunks will likely have Purple Gangsters in attendance, and that Baker is also suspected to attend in order to make a deal for this mysterious new drug, or most likely, violently claim it.
+To complicate matters further, the MCPD has been on the tail of a mysterious new vigilante. They have taken to calling her 'Vorpal,' more living weapon than person. Vorpal has been feverishly harassing and delaying Baker's Dozen's progress, and their confrontations have led to excessive collateral damage, civilian injuries, and even the deaths of some Baker variants. Knight implores the team to look into the matter and see if Vorpal can be reined in, or if she needs to be apprehended.
+Blue Squad decides to attend the rave to try and stop this new drug from circulating, to capture Baker's Dozen, and to make contact with Vorpal. At the rave, Blue Fox and Martyr go undercover as ravers. Sombra and Windchill post up outside to try and spot Vorpal or to contain the potentially volatile situation.
+Vorpal arrives, and is quickly met by Windchill. He greets her diplomatically, and tries to get her to settle and join Blue Squad's efforts, at least temporarily, but she stubbornly presses on inside. Meanwhile, the club inside is riddled with Purple Gangsters, Scrappers, and eventually Baker's Dozen. An undercover Martyr makes contact with a supposedly demonic Purple Gang member during the investigation named 'Vyle Lyle,' an old foe of the Adventurers
+During a quiet moment, an inebriated Vyle announces that BZB, the sought-after new street drug, is manufactured using his blood, to the great disgust of all ravers, everwhere. Baker moves in to try an apprehend Vyle, and the confrontation is taken to a backroom where a number of Scrappers take offense at Baker's meddling. Despite Blue Squad's best efforts, a fight breaks out, just as Vorpal storms inside, followed by Windchill.
+Martyr finds himself in a three way fight between the Scrappers, Bakers, and the super strong and durable Vyle. Martyr is overloaded with painergy at the brutal onslaught. Blue Fox stays on the dance floor, battling Bakers with members of the Scrappers gang as reluctant allies. While monitoring Vorpal, Windchill is gravely injured by a shotgun blast from one of the many Bakers.
+In the end, Baker manages to escape with Vyle as a hostage, having overwhelmed and overpowered both Blue Squad, and the Purple Gang and Scrappers. Blue Squad makes meets with Vorpal, and they trade contact information. Later in the week, Blue Squad approaches Vorpal and agrees to work with her to take Baker down if she'll adjust her methods to being non-lethal and cooperates with the Adventurers. She agrees, and explains that she is a new vigilante and is still 'learning the ropes,' but has a great desire to take the violent criminal Baker's Dozen down for noble reasons. Or so she claims.
+Later, solo superhero and known gangland contender and contact of Blue Fox, Wizard, reaches out and offers to join in on the effort to bring Baker Down. Blue Squad proceeds to search the city with Vorpal and Wizard's help.
+| Baker's Dozen, Scrappers, Vyle Lyle
 |-
-| Secrets of the Adventurers
+| Doom and Gloom
-| '''#244'''
+| '''Blue Squad #16'''
-| "Blazing Trail"
+| "Cast a Shadow"
-| Mnemon follows a lead from an ex-Osiris member with no memory that leads him to a medical specialist (Dr. Dickinson) who blanks his memory rather than be caught - but Mnemon is able to pull some memories before the mind is totally cleared. Steel Dragon follows a lead to small-time gangster Cosmo Liddell, and intimidates him into admitting he was strongarmed into providing fuel for Inferno. This enables Night Star, Scarlet Shield, Blue Fox, and Sombra confront Inferno when he turns up to refuel at Liddell's dockyard. Though determined to explode himself rather than be taken alive, a combination of Scarlet Shield's ... scarlet shield, Sombra's teleporting Inferno into the river, some well-placed shots to Inferno's jetpack by Night Star, and some up-close distractions by Blue Fox allow Inferno to be captured, alive. Underneath his helmet, Inferno is revealed to be horribly burned and scarred. Red Spider starts to show unusual behavior when it comes to defending the gem over which she now keeps. The gem also gives her flashes of memories she knows are not hers; she finds herself knowing things that she should not, attributing it to the memory of the gem.
+| Blue Squad, along with help from Webcrawler, Mantle, and Spectrum work together to prepare the warehouse for the trap. Isabela, now donning the Sombra costume, boldly teleports and turns invisible to lure Gloom towards the prepared trap.
-| Cosmo Liddell; Inferno; Dr. Dickinson
+At first, nothing happens, until while invisible Sombra spots Gloom leaning in for a lethal strike at Webcrawler. Then, the fight begins. Gloom, with the shadow gem, is empowered with tremendous strength, reflexes, stamina, and even additional arms. It echoes its previous intentions of ruling the world after claiming Isabela's soul, promising the team quick, painless deaths if they surrender now. They decline the offer.
+Initially, the team suffers brutal resistance, and every time they are about to overwhelm Gloom, the villain simply teleports away to gain space before rejoining the fight.
+The team coordinates and spreads out around the warehouse as Sombra lures Gloom to them. With Windchill being the lookout and early warning, Mantle, Courser, Webcrawler, Blue Fox, Spectrum, and Scatha 5 all get in substantial hits, one after the other, weakening Gloom. Enraged, the shadow demon incapacitates the others, damaging the lights, before it rushes Isabela as Sombra.
+Sombra rises to the challenge and strikes Gloom with the enchanted sword, ripping Maya free and recombining the 'twins.' Gloom, without a host, but stuck in their dimension, transforms into a giant, transparent floating skull with burning purple eyes.
+It blasts the others back before swooping in to literally consume Sombra, but she she musters the last of her strength and utilizes her shadow projections to beat Gloom back and force it into the 'Ark' created by Stinger. Though ominously, even when contained and defeated, the container rattles nonstop.
+Captain Finnegan is relieved to have the shadow gem back in his possession and a new prisoner in the form of Gloom. The team welcomes Sombra back.
+| Gloom
 |-
-| Secrets of the Adventurers
+| Doom and Gloom
-| '''#243'''
+| '''Blue Squad #15'''
-| "Methuselah Jack"
+| "Sword and Sorcery"
-| Jack Sullivan, AKA Jack Cunningham, AKA Eagle Eye, greets Red Spider, Meltdowner, Night Star, and Scarlet Shield at his retirement home north of Calgary. He instantly divines their purpose, and answers a few questions about the gem. He admits that he sent the flowers to the grave hoping it might trigger someone - anyone - finding him and claiming the gem. Jack knows that being the gem's keeper is what is enabling his long life, but he has grown weary of the gnawing effect it has on him, and the guilt he feels over Addison Markeson's death. 'Sister Savior' had over-extended her healing powers in saving Jack from a bullet wound, which left her in frail health to which she eventually succumbed, two years later. Jack implores the New Adventurers to claim the stone, and give him rest at last - he knows that once he loses it, his life will end. Scarlet Shield guesses correctly that he hid it in Markeson's headstone, which was left unbroken despite the disturbance of the ground before it. When the Adventurers return to the grave, an epic rock-paper-scissor game between Red Spider and Night Star ends in Red claiming the gem after Meltdowner slags the headstone. Jack senses the end once another bearer claims the gem, and he passes peacefully, and gratefully. Red Spider falls unconscious and remains so until after the team returns her home to Millennium City.
+| Bela proposes a way to lure Gloom out into the daylight by removing the cracked shadow gem (see: Ruin Gate) from the Athena Compound. Blue Fox contacts Captain Finnegan and proposes to have the Shadow Gem moved, as if it were being transferred elsewhere, and Captain Finnegan reluctantly agrees.
-| Order of Osiris
+Additionally, there is a strong chance that Foresight, the wizard who originally split Sombra into two parts of her personality and person, will be lured by the opportunity to steal the vaunted shadow gem.
+The plan goes off. Initially accosted by Foresight's illusions, Blue Squad manages to make contact with him. Windchill provides the villain with cash in exchange for his assistance in defeating Gloom and saving Maya.
+Gloom arrives, and summons a massive shadow army. The team is beaten badly, and is unable to prevent Gloom from taking the Shadow Gem for itself, more than tripling its size and power, before it disappears to continue the hunt for the last puzzle piece, Maya. Captain Finnegan is unamused.
+Foresight provides the team with an enchanted sword to reverse the 'split' done to Sombra in order to yank her free from Gloom's grasp before leaving Blue Squad with his actual business card. Blue Fox contacts ADA Duane Steel and arranges to have an empty, seize warehouse freed, the same warehouse once used as a temporary home for Creature (see: Overseer).
+Stinger helps the team fabricate lights to prevent shadows within the warehouse to deny Gloom use of its shadow army, and Blue Squad plans to lure the supervillain there by using Isabela to forcefully combine the twins and trap Gloom's raw, untethered essence in a highly advanced box also generated by Stinger.
+| Gloom, Foresight
 |-
-| Secrets of the Adventurers
+| Doom and Gloom
-| '''#242'''
+| '''Blue Squad #14'''
-| "A Grave Matter"
+| "Shadow Over, In Mouth"
-| The Adventurers keep finding clues. Sombra reads the journal of 'El Sombra' and learns that the old Adventurers strove to recover an ancient, powerful gem from the Order of Osiris - and they succeeded. Blue Fox obtains the sketchbook of 'Tank' from his descendants, which includes a letter he received from Mr. Adventure in the 1950s indicating their relationship became quite strained in their final years. Based on a reading of El Sombra's journal which indicates the gem was taken to Canada by Jack, Scarlet Shield, Red Spider, and Meltdowner travel to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to inspect the grave of Addison Markeson ('Sister Savior') and see if there was any significance to it or link to Jack; they find the grave has been disturbed in recent weeks, and a groundskeeper confirms that it was entirely dug up. Something the skeleton had been clutching was taken. But the team inquires into fresh flowers on the grave, and the groundskeeper finds a work order for delivery indicating a name - Jack Sullivan. Just then, Night Star - who has completed her own investigation with the help of some old underground contacts - arrives to the graveyard, and confirms that Jack Sullivan is the witness protection alias of Jack Cunningham ('Eagle Eye'). Despite his age of 118 Jack is still receiving a pension.
+| A boom rings out in City Center as one of TNT's many hidden weapon caches detonates. (see: Afterburn)
-| Order of Osiris
+While responding to the fire, Sombra is attacked and waylaid by Gloom, her nemesis. The interdimensional shadow monster was lured to her by the utilization of the shadow gem (see: Ruin Gate) and regenerated from the peripheral power generated by it.
+Despite initially defeating the villain and dispersing its essence in the mysterious shadow realm she utilizes when ever she uses her powers, Sombra is overwhelmed by its power due to her being split into two.
+While Sombra's exhausted from resisting, it climbs into her mouth and takes possession of her body just in time for Blue Squad, including Osprey, Firewalker, and Webcrawler to witness the event.
+They attempt to intervene, but possessed Sombra, or Gloom, thrashes the entire accompaniment without breaking a sweat and makes an escape to reportedly look for Isabela, or the 'other,' Maya's other half. The villain also proclaims to be a queen and desires to plunge the world into a lightless void to rule over it unimpeded by any bonds or shackles.
+Distraught, the team agrees to spread out and search for Gloom while forbidding Isabela from using her powers, as they suspect it will lure the strange foe straight towards her.
+| Gloom
 |-
-| Secrets of the Adventurers
+| Ruin Gate
-| '''#241'''
+| '''Blue Squad #13'''
-| "Oh, Joy, I Suppose We're Going to Cleveland"
+| "Banishment"
-| Sombra does some internet research on '''El Sombra''', a costumed vigilante from Mexico who was part of the '''Classic Adventurers'''. Using details found on the Osirian cellar wall, she deduces that El Sombra was really Carlos Batres, and that he has living descendants in Cleveland, OH. Red Spider offers to take Sombra on a road trip to there. They visit the home of Mrs. Hoya, the descendant, who recognizes the two heroes - after all, she is aware of her family history, and a Latina heroine named Sombra just one state over is hard for a descendant of El Sombra not to notice. This descendant says someone was recently heard rummaging in her attic at night, but while the would be burglar left it a mess, they stole nothing. Mrs. Hoya goes to a hiding spot in her house and brings back a small chest filled with her great-great-grandfather's personal effects, including his journal, which she lends to Sombra in hopes it will help.
+| After days of fruitless searching, the team is contacted by Chirper. Reporting another invasion of a potential hideout, Chirper leads the team to a strange mausoleum magically imposed over a section of the city's sewer system, exaplaining the the strange subterranean rumblings (see: Blue Squad #10). Blue Fox, Martyr, Sombra, Courser, and Windchill arrive on the scene, unexpectedly joined by Scatha 5! His mysterious project is revealed to have been a repurposed, previously hostile combat robot with heavy weapons, a welcome addition to the fight.
-| Order of Osiris
+Together, they find War Boar in the midst of summoning and maintaining his Ruin Gate underneath the city. Following Woodsman's advice, Blue Squad utilizes War Boar's artifacts laid out around them while Scatha 5 and Martyr take the brunt of the villain's attacks and attentions. Blue Fox takes up a potion, Sombra grabs the shadow gem, Courser takes up the stolen viking gauntlets, and Windchill places the crown atop his head.
+Combining their efforts, they manage to defeat War Boar and shatter the spell binding the Ruin Gate to Earth, saving it from porcine invasion. As a result, the potion shatters, an entity exits Windchill's crown and disappears with it, the shadow gem cracks (though it retains its power), and the viking gauntlets fall silent while also similarly retaining their innate magical powers.
+The day is saved.
+| War Boar
 |-
-| Secrets of the Adventurers
+| Ruin Gate
-| '''#240'''
+| '''Blue Squad #12'''
-| "Cellar Door"
+| "Pig Escapes Pen"
-| Similarities in things Inferno had said cause Red Spider to urge the team to do another check of an address she had first inspected months ago, while trying to help Night Star track down the Order of Osiris. They visit a ruined meeting hall supposedly belonging to the Osirians in the battered remnants of old Detroit. This time, with Screech Owl's sonics, a secret door is found. Doormaker helps identify a switch. A hidden door opens out of a brick wall, and leads down a stairway into a cellar, where the Adventurers find a number of pages from newspapers, books, diaries, as well as photographs, of a group of early 20th century heroes called, '''The (Classic) Adventurers'''. This curious discovery leads to much debate. But, as Blue Fox finds evidence that Inferno has used the cellar hideout recently, Red Spider bugs the place, and Doormaker rapidly gets them out. The team works together on assembling a historical narrative from the various sources which they imaged from the hideout wall; each hero decides to track down answers in their own way.
+| In containment, War Boar generates an unidentified magical force moments before he hacks up a swallowed object: the Shadow Gem. War Boar uses the innate magic held within the device to escape his containment, after which he goes on a rampage and storms into Athena artifact containment. Utilizing his re-acquired staff, and the crown artifact the team previously managed to keep from acquiring during one of his first appearances. War Boar then freezes the entrance of the Athena Compound shut before summoning minions and monsters to aid his assault.
-| Inferno
+War Boar wreaks as much damage as possible as members of both Blue Squad and Red Squad are called in to respond by Captain Finnegan. Aided by PRIMUS, MARS, and the MCPD, the heroes storm inside only to find a veritable army awaiting them. War Boar surprises the team by giving them a threat in his newly mastered English. He escapes, and seems to have all he needs for his master plan. In the chaos, Absolver manages to cling to Firewalker, and a mysterious gem being called 'Guardian' is also set free, but he's negotiated with by Blue Fox.
+Later that week, Detective Knight arranges a meeting between the Adventurers and Woodsman on the Westside precinct roof. 'Woodsman' itself is a title from his home world, similar to being a superhero. He has stepped forward to become the de facto leader of his people, now rendered refugees by War Boar's invasion of their world.
+Woodsman explains that War Boar invaded it with his pig army as he is now doing to earth. Similarly, War Boar gathered artifacts on Woodsman's world, and eventually generated enough power to bring the entirety of his forces through, conducting genocide against Woodsman's people. The team, invigorated with new motivation, agree to track down War Boar and plan to trap the villain on Woodsman's ruined world to spare Earth from suffering the same fate. Woodsman advises Blue Squad that to deactivate War Boar's 'Ruin Gate' portal, they will need to utilize the artifacts the super villain has stolen.
+As for the finale...
+| War Boar; Absolver; Guardian
 |-
-| Secrets of the Adventurers
+| Blue Squad vs Red Squad
-| '''#239'''
+| '''Dodgeball #1'''
-| "Inferno"
+| "The Shootout"
-| The Adventurers respond to different fire crimes. Red Spider responds to a Westside gas station blaze, and finds a newspaper clipping of Sombra and [[Winter]]. Scarlet Shield, Red Spider, and Sombra help get control of an autonomous car whose occupants are helpless to stop its reckless speeding around the city; Scarlet Shield finds a clipped newspaper article about herself in the trunk of the car, before the car consumes itself in flames. Blitz responds to a fuel barge fire on the river, and finds a newspaper clipping of Catfight in an electrical panel. Red Spider, Blue Fox, and Sombra respond to a fiery attack on a strip of buildings in the inner city, and encounter a flyer whose armor has potent flame-throwers. This flyer calls himself Inferno, and even when he has Red Spider and Blue Fox cornered, doesn't fry them: he makes a demand of them that he wants the Adventurers secrets, tells them they will have time to comply, and then flies away. He leaves behind a newspaper clipping of Doormaker, confirming that he is the one who has been behind the other fires.
+| With War Boar and TNT imprisoned, Sombra acts on an idea she's had to run a grand, competitive dodgeball event for charity. She gets in touch with the Northside Children's hospital and organizes a dodgeball cage match at a local arena with Blue Squad facing off against Red Squad.
-| Inferno
+Fans buy blue or red tickets to enter the raffle and place a bet on the victors with copious amounts of refreshments provided for by sponsors, with all proceeds going to the hospital's foundation. Scatha 5 manages to participate due to the low impact nature of the sport.
+Red Squad defeats Blue Squad during the first round, but Blue Squad rallies and gets a victory in round two. Round three is an intense display of superheroic powers, but it comes down to Stinger and Sombra facing off, both of whom simultaneously eliminate the other.
+In a surprise twist, two members of each raffle were selected, one of whom was a young superfan of the Adventurers named TJ Haws. Later, Blue Fox, Webcrawler, Sombra, Courser, and Spectrum meet with TJ Haws near city hall to spend a day with him. Upon learning about his somewhat troubled homelife, the Adventurers provide TJ with good examples to look up to, and demonstrate their powers with him. Inspired by the meeting, TJ returns home with Sombra. She personally meets his mother and younger daughter, having dinner with the family, spreading hope and morale.
+| [None]
 |-
-| Police Story
+| Ruin Gate
-| '''#238'''
+| '''Blue Squad #11'''
-| "Part 2"
+| "Detainment and Visitation"
-| The police continue to get assists from the Adventurers, running into Blue Fox who's wrestling with a robot. They reach a higher floor which is on fire, and get assists from Catfight and Blitz in saving people who are trapped. Soon, it becomes clear that this whole thing can only stop when the source of the problem, Proto, is defeated. The Adventurers assemble at the penthouse, along with the two officers who remain in place up to this point: Leeds, and Ernst. Proto is a patient of Dr. Posner's; a war veteran who received cybernetic prostheses but became obsessed with improving himself through additional, unnecessary cybernetics. Dr. Posner's colleague, robotics expert Dr. Notley, is barricaded in the penthouse panic room; if Proto can get her, he can make her improve upon his robotic systems. All of the robots swarming the buildings are Notley's, but corrupted by Proto. The Adventurers do battle. During the battle, Officer Ernst gives his life in saving Cst. Leeds from Proto's energy cannon. Proto realizes defeat is at hand, and sends the remaining robots at the Adventurers to cover his escape. Ernst is given a police funeral with full honors.
+| War Boar suddenly resurfaces and launches a bloody attack on the MCU's campus, aided by an army of smaller humanoid pig men, killing twenty four people and injuring dozens. He specifically targets an artifact on the grounds in the custody of a seemingly harmless off-campus cult called "The Calamity Wake" and massacres them, though the cultists were not aware of how powerful the object in their possession was.
-| Proto
+Martyr, Blue Fox, Courser, Sombra, and Windchill intervene, and after another desperate battle manage to subdue the War Boar, though the artifacts the villain stole thus far remain unaccounted for. Scatha 5 has second thoughts about letting his squadmates rush into danger while he stays behind, despite his damaged state, and Martyr suspects that War Boar went down too easily with some hidden purpose.
+War Boar is taken to the "Athena Compound," a PRIMUS facility for the containment of mysterious objects and personages,  such as the symbiote 'Absolver' (see: Overseer), run by one Captain Finnegan. Members of the entire team visit War Boar and perform an interrogation, but get little more than spiteful taunts and threats from the supervillain before War Boar seemingly attempts to escape, testing the strengths of his bindings within his cell before the team leaves. The team theorizes that War Boar may or may not be from the same dimension as the mysterious 'medieval refugees' led by Woodsman.
+Meanwhile, Scatha 5 notices that his auto repair function is more sluggish than usual, and asks Blue Fox to deliver him copious amounts of scrap and metal to hasten the 'healing' progress and to continue a hidden project the robot companion has taken on.
+| War Boar; Absolver
 |-
-| Police Story
+| Ruin Gate
-| '''#237'''
+| '''Blue Squad #10'''
-| "Part 1"
+| "War Boar Returns"
-| Four police officers - Corporal Leeds, and her subordinates, Officers Ernst, van Vliet, and Sindhu - answer an emergency call about a fire at a high rise apartment block. Upon arriving, they are attacked by flying robots that are swarming the building, nearly destroying the car which Sindhu and van Vliet are in - except for an assist by Blue Fox! The building is smoldering at different levels, with robots swarming in and out of it. The officers move in and, from outside, see that a number of would-be evacuees are being held hostage by robots in the lobby. While the officers fire on the robots, Sombra and Doormaker use their abilities to quietly get hostages out to safety across the street. The police advance to the main floor elevators, where a badly injured man, Dr. Posner stumbles out from the express elevator to the penthouse. He indicates it's all his fault, and names '''Proto''' as the bad guy. Sombra takes Dr. Posner to the hospital. Wanting to avoid a robot ambush, the police avoid the elevators and take the stairs, instead.
+| The indomitable and unexplained otherworldy invader War Boar returns to Millennium City and attacks the Clauswitz Museum of Artifacts, his target this time being a pair of gauntlets owned by 'Ragnar Lodbrok,' an ancient king of viking legend. The gauntlets are confirmed to have electrical capabilities in the hands of those who know how to use them. Additionally, War Boar carries a mysterious black 'shadow gem.'
-| Proto
+Blue Squad members Blue Fox, Courser, Sombra, Martyr, and new team member Spectrum rush to the museum and do battle with the porcine pillager. War Boar notably uses the shadow gem to wrestle against Sombra's shadow projections, and gives a substantial beating to Blue Squad members before he makes his escape via portal. Scatha 5, still tremendously damaged from the final fight with TNT, stays at the base to keep records and perform investigation and theorization on War Boar's next move.
+Later that week, Detective Knight Blue Squad and informs them that sightings of the supervillain 'Creature' have been called in from an apartment in Westside above one of Creature's old, abandoned lairs. Blue Squad is joined by Webcrawler and Firewalker as they investigate.
+As it happens, the sighting is incorrect, and the Adventurers stumble upon a known contact named Chirper, a sentient creature of unknown origin that has a friendly if overly-curious demeanor. Chirper informs the team, and Detective Knight, that his home was flooded, and notably reports strange subterranean tremors in his wandering throughout the city, subtle enough to avoid detection on the surface. Afterward, Chirper agrees to follow Detective Knight to the precinct to organize formal citizenship and registration in a dumpster converted into a vehicle.
+| War Boar; Chirper
 |-
-| Amalgamation
+| Imaginata Vindicta
-| '''#236'''
+| '''Adventurers #400'''
-| "Team Effort"
+| "West Texas Showdown"
-| The team completes their preparations for a battle against Amalgam. Red Spider wields Night Star's EMP guns, as Night Star is called away on another matter. Doormaker has completed her gravity guns, but seems to be sustaining physical injuries for accessing whatever it is that is driving her ability to invent. Doormaker also warns Red Spider and Blue Fox that things she invents using that unknown power, tend to self-destruct. The team meets Overthinker and enters Amalgam's base. The team is split up by attacking robots; these are handled by Red Spider and Overthinker. Scarlet Shield engages Amalgam. Blue Fox and Blitz use the gravity guns to subdue the gynoid. Rather than be taken, Amalgam prepares her base for self-destruction. The team escapes the inferno. Afterward, the team honors its bargain with Overthinker, allowing him to leave.
+| With the Adventurers Squads attending to other important matters, a strike team of Blue Fox, Sombra, Firewalker, Courser, Scatha 5, and Osprey sets out to rural West Texas to confront Facet and rescue Webcrawler.
-| Amalgam
+At the server farm, they battle Facet who, becoming desperate, turns ''big'' using the MRM suit, and also shapes his limbs into spikes or flails at times.
+Blue Fox infiltrates the building and tries to persuade Daemon that it is being used, and could be repurposed to a ''good'' purpose. He is unsuccessful at persuading Daemon, and it corrupts the entire server farm, overcoming the restrictions Facet had placed on it. While Daemon then takes over the MRM suit and presents its "real world" appearance with Facet trapped inside, Blue Fox enters cyberspace and sets Webcrawler free - much easier with Daemon having vacated its cyber domain to inhabit the MRM suit. Then, rather than exit with Webcrawler, Blue Fox tries to follow a cyber trail into the MRM suit as Daemon did, and confront it there. As the team faces off against a five storey tall version of Daemon, Sombra agonizes over whether it is time to apply Kyra's insta-kill solution on the MRM suit.
+In the real world, Webcrawler joins the fight as Firewalker roasts Daemon, and Osprey and Courser cooperate to pull him to the ground. Inside the MRM suit's cyberspace, Daemon - facing defeat - indicates it will not surrender, but attempt to take its enemies with it. It sets the MRM suit to overload. Firewalker senses the building heat. Scatha 5 moves in close to bulwark against further limb attacks from Daemon, while Courser tries to use her new electrical powers to try to regulate the electrical flow. Scatha 5 pierces the MRM suit's energy cell. Inside cyberspace, Blue Fox realizes he has no way out, but then Webcrawler pops in using her Web-blink device, and retrieves him before the system wipes, and Daemon is no more. Sombra is relieved she didn't have to use the solution, but it is unclear if the MRM suit can be repaired after the battle damage it sustained.
+With Webcrawler rescued, Daemon destroyed, and a living but wounded Templeton inside the disabled MRM suit, the team has a victory.
+| Facet; Daemon
 |-
-| Amalgamation
+| Imaginata Vindicta
-| '''#235'''
+| '''Adventurers #399'''
-| "Drawing Board"
+| "Villain Night"
-| Red Spider (Cass) encourages the Adventurers to start finding possible ways to stop Amalgam. Night Star investigates EMP weaponry, while Doormaker, influenced by some other-wordly mad science, starts working on gravity guns. Team members encounter Amalgam impersonating Scarlet Shield in the Club Caprice, but are unable to capture her.
+| Blue Fox, Osprey, and Martyr investigate just who built Webcrawler's gear, in hopes he might have some insight into what happened to her. They track down retired aerospace engineer '''Ray DeCosta''', who welcomes them into his garage workshop in the suburbs when they arrive. He confirms that he had been trying to help Webcrawler pin down the troubles with the Web-blink device, which he built for her. He was able to provide insight into the device's workings - and where to look for her: Web-blink encryption wasn't meant to have her linger in one place, and it would take a server farm or supercomputer setup to contain her in that state. They should seek a place drawing a great deal of electricity. Unable to narrow it down in a world with an increasing number of server farms, Ray suggests they use human intelligence to find the answer - to which Osprey already has a plan.
-| Amalgam
+Osprey attends a secret pub 'villain night', and tracks Ms. Direction from it. Confronting her, Osprey offers info on a score against a rich, evil company, in exchange for information on Templeton's whereabouts. Templeton is running a server farm in West Texas.
+Courser finds she has at least some of Webcrawler's powers in the real world now, but also an additional power for electrical control that neither she nor Webcrwaler have previously had!
+In preparation for a confrontation, Kyra Sparks (Replica) reveals she was hiding that USB drive that used to be housed in the MRM suit, which is probably what Facet (Templeton) was looking for when he tossed her place. Using that, she finds instructions for a chemical compound that, splashed on the MRM suit, will permanently destroy the nanomachines that allow it to change shape and self-repair. The team nevertheless hopes to somehow retrieve the MRM suit intact so that Kyra can continue being Replica.
+| Facet [not seen]; Daemon [not seen]; Ms. Direction
 |-
-| Amalgamation
+| Imaginata Vindicta
-| '''#234'''
+| '''Adventurers #398'''
-| "Free at Last"
+| "Courser Correction"
-| Just the Adventurers are preparing to enact their plan to defeat Overthinker and force him to return Cass to her body, Overthinker summons the team to Cassandra's home. Fox, Scarlet Shield, Blue Fox, Catfight, Blitz, and Red Spider (Samantha) turn up. Overthinker declares that he needs their help: a Mechanon-controlled, power-adaptive android attacked the base in which Overthinker was keeping his old brain, which is the vessel carrying Cassandra's consciousness. Overthinker successfully retrieved the brain, but he fears he will be unable to hold off Mechanon without help. In exchange, he pledges to return Cass to her body after the threat passes - but the team is incredibly wary. Fox proposes that Cass be returned so that the team has one more person to help them in the fight against Mechanon. Overthinker is persuaded, and bids everyone leave while he prepares the swap. Afterward, Cass wakes up at home and has a tense verbal exchange with Overthinker for what he did to her. Overthinker apologizes and indicates that he intends no further harm, and he is grateful for the time to be in a living body again, but now he needs her help. Cass suits up as Red Spider, and goes seeking her team mates for an update - free at last.
+| Daemon extracts code from an apparently static and un-reacting Webcrawler, and experiments by seeing if it can be added to Courser. Courser gains at least some of Webcrawler's powers, and is made to demonstrate them in simulations designed by Daemon. With Courser's success, Daemon reveals this is part of a plan it has developed on its own to see if modification in cyberspace can effect the real world, in hopes that it may expand its dominion. It strips the Webcrawler code from Courser after she completes the tests.
-| The Overthinker
+In the real world, the team follows other leads. Osprey's ruse of a major museum donation incoming draws the attention of a variety of suspicious characters, meaning to hopefully attract Ms. Direction: the super crook who apparently deployed the logic bomb that corrupted Webcrawler's gear and allowed her to be abducted. But it's the Webcrawler enemy '''Envy''' attempting to steal something from an unfinished exhibit who provides a clue to Ms. Direction's whereabouts: she likes to attend a secret get-together with other local supercrooks. Osprey checks other sources to find the location of the next get-together.
+Courser manages to argue logic with Daemon enough to have the AI contemplate its place in the world, and how it was ultimately just Facet's servant, hoping to turn the AI against him. Daemon is caught in a logic loop that it pauses to try to resolve. She uses the distraction to free herself of the cyberspace restrictions upon her, and communicate with Webcrawler. Webcrawler - who can be spoken to while there is direct contact with another entity in cyberspace - tells Courser to copy the code representing Web's powers into herself, and use it flee. Daemon eventually concludes due to Courser's reasoning that as both cyberspace and real world are a threat to it, it must have dominion over both - not the outcome she intended!
+Courser emerges from cyberspace into Facet's basement lab just as the Adventurers are following up on Kyra's call for help. Daemon starts to wipe the computers and fries the portal machine. Blue Fox is able to secure a hard drive before it is totally erased.
+| Facet [not seen]; Daemon
 |-
-| Plant Futures
+| Imaginata Vindicta
-| '''#233'''
+| '''Adventurers #397'''
-| "Miasma Theory"
+| "Daemon's Domain"
-| With beleaguered police and medical services reaching their limit as the plant pathogen spreads and mutates the general population, the Adventurers fight mutant plants on multiple fronts. Catfight and Screech Owl, with a small assist from Night Star, manage to subdue a mutant in Millennium City's Westside borough, and give it the Overthinker's serum. Elsewhere, a hero named '''Blue Fox ''' is joined by newly-minted Adventurer '''Blitz''' in subduing a mutant plant in an above-ground park plaza downtown; they, too, successfully use the serum to revert it to human. Blue Fox joins the Adventurers. As the emergency starts to get under control, Red Spider, Fox, and others begin to conspire against the Overthinker. Sombra tries to track the Overthinker to one of his bases, but Overthinker is aware of her presence, and bids her leave.
+| Once is has become clear that Webcrawler and Replica are missing, Adventurers Blue - distracted by matters of mass destruction - mostly continues on TNT's trail while individual Adventurers pursue leads. Sarah Ellison and Courser check the Olsen home for evidence, and later consult with the Adventurers Computer, personified by '''Mr. Adventure''''s hologram, to learn more about how the Websights systems may have been compromised. Sombra - who also was helping at the Olsen home while Cassandra was missing - also visited Kyra's home, and found the place had been tossed, the computer had a hard drive removed, and someone had been searching the computer for things like 'SBE,' 'Facet,' and 'Templeton.'
-| The Overthinker
+Sarah Ellison and Courser learn that Webcrawler's newer devices - the Websights eyewear and her Web-blink short range teleporter - have been corrupted by malicious code. Checking the logs, they realize that it was in a confrontation with '''Ms. Direction''', when a '''logic bomb''' was deployed against Webcrawler to aid the super thief's escape, that Webcrawler started having problems with her devices that culminated in her apparent abduction.
+Using an address on Reggie Templeton, known to be the mad scientist and criminal who had designed Replica's MRM suit while working for Source Biotech Enterprises, Courser goes to a dank basement in Jersey City where she finds Kyra, tied to a chair and wasting away. Kyra is told to run for her life and get help, while Courser uses a portal machine built by Templeton to enter cyberspace in hopes of rescuing Webcrawler from Templeton's insidious AI named '''Daemon'''. Daemon is far too powerful in his own domain, however, and traps Courser there along with Webcrawler.
+| Facet [not seen]; Daemon
 |-
-| Plant Futures
+| Afterburn
-| '''#232'''
+| '''Blue Squad #9'"
-| "Mind Game"
+| "Why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit"
-| Sombra and the other Red Spider (Samantha Olsen) go to check on Cass at home. There, Cass drugs them and takes them to a hiding place in a junk yard, binding the two heroes with the same vaporizing cuffs that she had used to hold Sarah. Sarah, for her part, has figured out how to remove the outer casing of her cuffs and disables the circuit that would cause her to be vaporized, then effects her escape. Sombra and Sam-Spider have to decide which of the two should escape. Sam indicates that she can use her super strength to break her own hand and slide it through, as long as Sombra's free hand replaces Sam's in the cuff. Sam crawls out of the holding space and looks for help. Soon, Sarah and Sam meet, compare stories, and go back to try to rescue Sombra, but it's too late - she is not found in the same hiding spot. They rally the team to confront Red Spider at the team's headquarters. There, they learn a horrible truth: Cass's mind was swapped with that of the Overthinker some weeks ago. Cassandra's mind is in the Overthinker's brain, sedated and held at an undisclosed location. While Overthinker has no intention of giving up the body of Red Spider, considering her powers and relative wealth, he intends to continue working for the cause of good. He stays the Adventurers' by revealing that he has a working vaccine, and if they want to prevent a plant mutation epidemic, they need to work ''with'' him. The team reluctantly agrees.
+| Blue Squad spends days scouring Black Badger's tunnel system looking for TNT to no avail, only to have TNT send a video in to the news, showcasing his improvised nuclear bomb, threatening to detonate it within the hour to spread chaos and fear. Blue Squad finally narrows his down his location and rush in to intervene. TNT is held up in a cavern dug so deep that there's active magma flowing through it, and here they find TNT's chief hideout.
-| The Overthinker
+TNT has spliced technology provided by Reisen (see: Red Squad) onto his body to further stall Blue Squad's attempt to foil him. After fighting through his last henchmen, Blue Squad enters the cave and engages TNT in an intense battle. Scatha 5 sacrifices his body to take out TNT's plasmagun. Martyr put himself at great risk to take on as much painergy as possible to counter TNT, making the villain laugh, stunning him with the overwhelming sensation and distracting him. The rest of Blue Squad keeps the villain busy as Courser hacks into the computerized bomb and stops it four seconds before detonation.
+TNT gloats, even while seemingly defeated, and produces a last minute hair trigger switch to detonate the bomb before Sombra hastily stops him with a shadow projection. With the threat over, Blue Squad takes TNT to the surface, where Martyr hands him over to Detective Knight and the MCPD. A deal is struck between Landon and Detective Knight, representing the MCPD, to have TNT serve out his time at the Joseph and Florence Rehabilitation Center, a decision the public finds controversial. There are protests outside of the premises.
+Later on, Detective Knight summons all of the Adventurers, both Red Squad and Blue Squad to the Westside precinct rooftop. She informs them of a group of refugees dressed like medieval people, led by the mysterious Woodsman. Though seemingly friendly, she asks Blue Squad to keep an eye on these strangers.
+| TNT, Dr. Friedrich von Reisen [not seen]
 |-
-| Plant Futures
+| Imaginata Vindicta/Afterburn
-| '''#231'''
+| '''Adventurers #396/ Blue Squad #8'''
-| "Spore Problems"
+| "Dick Dwight Face-Off"
-| Days after the incident at the exhibit, Sarah (Night Star), paying a social call, is surprised to find that Cassandra (Red Spider) still has the sample of vitanium that was entrusted to her, in her possession. When Night Star tries to insist that Red Spider return it to the university immediately, Red Spider at once agrees - but it is a feint! Cass attacks Sarah at unawares, and beats her unconscious. When Sarah comes to, she is in an unfamiliar dwelling, bound to a support column in cuffs with a vaporizing charge set to go off in the event Sarah breaks the cuffs or somehow gets too distant from a proximity sensor. Cass taking a blood sample and indicating that she wants to investigate if Night Star has any undisclosed meta-human capabilities. A day or so later, Cass indicates that she has found a strange irregularity in Sarah's blood, and is working on a treatment. Sarah, for her part, is furious to be held captive and keeps working to secure her freedom. Later, Cass briefs the Adventurers at the headquarters that she has identified a mutagenic pathogen present in the blood of herself and Sarah, and probably is present in anybody who was at the exhibit the day of the protester occupation. The team is unaware that Sarah is being held against her will, and they willingly give over blood samples to Cass when she asks for them in the interest of her serum research. It strikes some of the heroes as odd that Cass, a performing artist, suddenly displays expertise in the development of medical treatment.
+| Adventurers cross-over! In a bid to draw out the Black Badger, who may have a lead to the villainous TNT who has been troubling the Adventurers Blue Squad of late, the team comes up with a plan to use one of their harshest critics - blowhard TV editorialist Dick Dwight - in a ruse. Blue Fox promises to attend the program and debate Dwight live, and even unmask before the cameras, to which Dick Dwight agrees. However, after a spirited debate, the face under the mask turns out to be... Dick Dwight's! It was Replica all along. But Black Badger, who hates Blue Fox, turns up at the well-publicized debate location to exact his revenge. A battle begins that involves all of the bad guys!
-| Red Spider?
+While the team battles Black Badger, Webcrawler - who uses her web-blink power to try to quickly extract Replica - vanishes with Replica in tow.
+Courser plays an instrumental role, hacking into a periodically deactivating Black Badger's suit. After defeating Black Badger, AKA Raphael Moltisanti, he is sent to prison and refuses to talk.
+Landon Bellerose, AKA Windchill, meets with "Big Ralph" in prison and proposes that if Ralph offers up any information he has about TNT's whereabouts, he would be transferred to the Joseph and Florence Rehabilitation Center. At last, Raphael agrees and tells Landon and the MCPD to access his suit's hidden tunnel records to have a subterranean map of where TNT and his minions might be hiding.
+| Black Badger; Dick Dwight; Facet [not seen]; Daemon [not seen]; TNT [not seen]
 |-
-| Plant Futures
+| Afterburn
-| '''#230'''
+| '''Blue Squad #7'''
-| "Chow Time"
+| "Bank Busting"
-| Night Star responds when the university's exhibit building is besieged. Many of the Adventurers, even out of costume, do their best to battle the protesters. Just as the situation is getting under control, a protester who has stolen a cannister of the mutagen in the instant evolution exhibit trips, and gets mutagen all over one of the venus fly traps which has been engineered to break down garbage. The team battles the rapidly evolving beast: nearly every trick at their disposal, including some impressive methods employed by newcomer Doormaker, is ineffective and only causes the creature to rapidly adapt for its own survival. Finally, when Eva (Catfight) grabs one of the gourds engineered to contain energy-rich fuel and tosses it in the fly trap's mouth, giving Night Star the means to explode it. The creature's final evolution is to develop procreative spores containing the mutagen, which spread through the air unseen by those in the hall... Meanwhile, Red Spider arrives, and is entrusted a sample of vitanium which a protester tried to steal from the exhibit.
+| TNT and his minions break into a bank. They take hostages and open the vaults merely to torch the money in an act to generate terror and spread fear, and for the sake of the fun in it.
-| Protesters; Mutant Fly-trap
+Blue Squad arrives on the scene, composed of Sombra, Courser, Scatha 5, Windchill, and Blue Fox. They are also joined by long-time team member, Tungsten, and newcomer, Martyr. Martyr rises to the occasion given the extreme circumstances.
+The team coordinates and surrounds the bank under Windchill’s storm cover, getting into position to draw the fire of TNT’s as Sombra sneaks inside to begin rescuing hostages. The team whittles away at TNT’s substantial forces, and manages to make it inside of the bank after Sombra finishes freeing the hostages.
+TNT reveals that he is covered in actual T-n-T, the explosive, and taunts the team before he severs his hand with a gunshot and lets it drop into a water main pipe to facilitate his escape and regeneration elsewhere.
+He detonates the bombs strapped to himself, and buries Tungstan, Scatha 5, Martyr, and Blue Fox alive, while also punishing them with extreme and grievous injuries with a combination of the explosive and the plasma weapons utilized thanks to von Reisen [see Red Squad], in addition to killing a number of his own men. The burid Blue Squad members are swiftly rescued by members of Red Squad, and other non-squad team members.
+Blue Fox proposes luring Black Badger out of hiding, as the villain’s tunnel archives may reveal where TNT’s HQ could be within the city, as TNT is working from his inside knowledge relating to the Overseer era.
+The plan is to have team friend Replica disguise herself as Blue Fox, and go on to Dick Twight Tonight under the premise of a live, on-air debate concluded with an unmasking on live television, to draw the elusive Black Badger out of hiding.
+| TNT, Overseer [Not Seen], Black Badger [Not Seen]
 |-
-| Plant Futures
+| Afterburn
-| '''#229'''
+| '''Blue Squad #6'''
-| "Prometheus's Error"
+| "School’s In Session"
-| The talk of the town is an astounding exhibit being put on by Millennium City University's Faculty of Science: '''Plant Futures'''. Grant-funded genetic engineering projects have yielded some ways that plants may some day be modified in some incredible ways to benefit humanity. Sombra, Scarlet Shield, Catfight, and newcomer's Blitz and Doormaker each end up visiting the exhibit as their secret identities. The subject matter is incredible: plants that can break down many kinds of garbage, or create energy-rich fuels, or use instant-evolution to develop previously unknown ways to survive hostile environments. The exhibit is not without controversy, however, and on the day that the Adventurers happen to be present, a loud protest outside the exhibit hall boils over, storms the building, occupies it. Some protesters are merely undergrads caught up in the moment, but others seem like seasoned 'professional' protesters. The Adventurers inside either duck for cover, or try to help the beleaguered campus security fight its losing battle for control.
+| TNT's forces resurface after a small bout of alarming silence, especially given Blue Squad’s success in foiling him lately. TNT’s minions launch a violent and destructive assault on MCU’s campus, targeting the gymnasium complex where a number of the collegiate athletes are training in the early evening. The building is nearly leveled and the surrounding property is all but demolished.
-| Angry Protesters
+Blue Squad responds, with Blue Fox, Sombra, Courser, Scatha 5, and Windchill rushing in to aid the students. Inexplicably, TNT’s minions start taking hostages from nearly every sport, regardless of speciality. At the end of the battle, despite Blue Squad’s best efforts, TNT’s minions get away with twenty-three minions in total. Additionally, the minion’s arsenal remains composed of custom-made TNT explosives and stolen weapons, but they also feature advanced and sleek plasma weaponry in the form of rifles and grenades. Members of Adventurers Red Squad confirm that TNT might have struck a deal with their current foe, Dr. Freidrich von Reisen in order to get his hands on the powerful weaponry.
+| TNT [not seen]
 |-
-| Fortune Days
+| Afterburn
-| '''#228'''
+| '''Blue Squad #5'''
-| "Fortune Days, Part 2"
+| "Ghosts of the Past"
-| Beginning her search into the criminal power-couple of Blood Talon and Ms. Fortune, Catfight discovers the old HQ of Talon's now-dead weapons research compan, which was found to be a front for his own personal endeavors into illegal power armor manufacture. Catfight, along with Red Spider, Night Star, and Sombra, searches throughout the dusty old warehouse / low rent office building to find little else besides an old booby trap talon left for the police. The entire building is torched in a vulgar display of thermal charges. The investigation was not a futile one, as Sombra discovers an old metal flip-lighter with an inscription addressed to Talon from an old enemy...
+| Detective Knight allows for Blue Squad to visit Dr. Howard Romrell after he has been taken to an MCPD safehouse in downtown Millennium City. There, they confirm with Romrell that TNT had been hunting him, but that his purpose goes deeper than mere utility to have his nuclear bomb made.
-| Blood Talon & Unknown Mentalist
+Dr. Romrell had been a senior administrator in Compass Labs, one of the many businesses secretly owned by the Overseer, AKA Congressman Clayton Ewing, before his dramatic downfall at the hands of the Adventurers.
+Dr. Romrell explains to Blue Squad that TNT was once a man named Thomas Nathaniel Tullett. He had been a member of the British SAS, serving as a part of a joint-mission with UNTIL that was tasked with disarming alien explosives. While disarming a Gadroon device, Tullett unknowingly triggered a leak of radiation, before the bomb itself detonated once the invisible radiation had completely enveloped Tullett and filled his lungs.
+A mutation took place, where Tullett was frozen in a perpetual state of agony. Third degree burns covered every inch of his body, yet they remained fresh and unhealing, and any other damage done to him would see his body rapidly return to the same charred, burnt state, something Courser was able to identify by personally analyzing his blood.
+Overseer went out of his way to secretly arrange to buy the ‘rights’ to Tullett’s life for the sole purpose of experimentation. Tullett was transferred to a secretive Compass Labs site in the U.K. where he was used for target practice and other weapons testing. Officially, Tullett was designated as KIA, but unofficially he was tortured nearly non-stop for twenty years. Once Overseer was taken down, the scientists running the lab Tullett was housed in fled in fear of repercussion, and Tullett was able to escape and make his way to America, fixated only on feeling and spreading pain. Romrell quietly taunted the team, stating that this was all their fault, as if the Overseer were never taken down, TNT wouldn’t have been freed to terrorize the city.
+Soon after the explanation, TNT attacks the building. Courser, Blue Fox, Sombra, Windchill, and Scatha 5 are able to fight off TNT’s gunmen, who were disguised as window cleaners. Sombra gets Romrell to the safety of U.S. Marshals, and when bombs that TNT had placed on the building’s foundation detonate, Windchill overexerts himself, freezing the building solid in a giant block of ice before it can fall apart. TNT escapes by simply dropping out of a window in the middle of the fight.
+A followup visit with Detective Knight confirms Romrell’s story about TNT, and Blue Squad wonders if Tullett, who was by all accounts, a well regarded and valorous soldier, can be saved from his own madness.
+| TNT, Overseer [Not Seen]
 |-
-| Fortune Days
+| Afterburn
-| '''#227'''
+| '''Blue Squad #4'''
-| "Fortune Days, Part 1"
+| "Material Girl"
-| It has been over a month since the Adventurers rescued Night Star in Russia, and matters at home have settled down considerably for the crime fighters. Needing to get out of the house, Catfight decides to go on a brief patrol through Westside. But near the end, she came across a money loan business that had clearly been hit hard by what looks like a seasoned team of professional thieves, as no alarm had been triggered, nor authorities notified. Red Spider and Night Star help in the investigation, and it is discovered that a lone criminal couple is responsible for the discrete smash-and-grab which killed several employees in the business. One-time minor Adventurers villain '''Blood talon''' and his unnamed female mentalist cohort are seen on the store's closed-circuit video recording; the woman was the sole killer between the power duo. The Adventurers pass the matter on to the police, and copies of the surveillance tape from were taken for further study.
+| Adventurer Courser is on site at the lab when Grey Raccoon makes her move. She strategically sneaks into the facility and makes a play for the uranium stored there while Courser summons Blue Fox, Sombra, Scatha 5, and Windchill to the scene.
-| Blood Talon & Unknown Mentalist
+Despite fostering a reputation as a non-powered thief, it is revealed during the confrontation that Grey Raccoon has control over her own molecular density, and can phase through solid objects at will.
+The combined effort of Blue Squad subdues the thief, and together they convince her to speak as to why she would aid someone like TNT in the first place. Windchill and Sombra successfully appeal to her humanity, and Grey Raccoon reluctantly agrees that she had struck a deal with TNT to help him get his bomb, with the idea that while the MCPD and the Adventurers were distracted hunting him, she would be free to rob the city blind in the mean time to take care of her mysterious ‘debts.’
+After handing over the Uranium, Grey Raccoon disappears, but she left a secretive message to the Adventurers indicating that former Compass Labs scientist, Dr. Howard Romrell, was specifically sought after by the supervillain to help build the makeshift nuclear bomb.
+The team notifies Detective Knight, and she begins to search for Dr. Romrell in order to place him in protective custody so Blue Squad can figure out why hein particular has been singled out by the supervillain.
+| Grey Raccoon, TNT [Not seen]
 |-
-| A Rescue in Russia
+| Afterburn
-| '''#226'''
+| '''Blue Squad #3'''
-| "A Rescue in Russia, Part 3"
+| "The Firetruck"
-| The ISSA machine releases Night Star from the stasis sell. She emerges somewhat weakened, but able to stand in short order. Red Spider and Catfight head to the basement via elevator; there is a ramp leading up from the basement to the garage, for ease of stocking the house. Catfight chooses an armored personnel carrier, and fires it up. The heroes from within the house pile into the APC, while Red Spider jumps in last after opening the garage door. Outside, Scarlet Shield goes on the attack and takes out the second of two aerial drones. Security guards receive conflicting orders due to the forest fire, the aerial attack, and the escaping APC tearing out of the garage. Catfight hits the brakes, and Black Bird uses the gun on top of the APC to lay down cover fire while Screech Owl and Scarlet Shield cross Zarkov's lawn to get aboard. The team blasts down the service road in the APC. Stinger completes the motorboat repairs, and then joins Fox in dealing with a security response sent to check out security station and the boat house. After that, the rest of the team reaches the boat house in the APC, with Catfight hitting the brakes to turn the vehicle around and have its back hatch facing the boat house. Meltdowner and Stinger cover the team's escape down the river by disabling Zarkov's security patrol boats, and the team makes a break for the coast! Once they embark onto their waiting yacht, Stinger sinks their stolen motorboat. The yacht speeds west into the night with all of the rescuers, plus Night Star, safe and sound!
+| TNT, after going quiet, suddenly reappears. He and his newfound minions are driving the stolen fire truck, and an additional stolen garbage truck, both with ramshackle welded on armor and ramming equipment. The firetruck has been converted into a giant flamethrower.
-| Yuri Zarkov
+Both vehicles are on a rampage, smashing through traffic in a seemingly pointless display of carnage and destruction. Blue Squad responds. A police car is pierced by the garbage truck’s prongs, but officers inside are saved by Scatha 5, with Blue Fox’s help.
+Sombra attacks the firetruck, and ends up hanging onto its napalm-spewing hose. Courser moves in to assist, as Windchill uses his powers over ice and wind to make the vehicle drivers struggle for control. At one point, he even raises ice walls to keep the vehicles from veering off of the road.
+TNT himself is driving the firetruck, firing rockets at Windchill. Windchill’s enhanced durability preserve his life. Sombra daringly teleports inside of the fire truck, but she is held down by TNT and his minions. TNT holds a grenade to her head.
+Windchill eventually ices over the street, and both vehicles lose traction and tumblee over. Taking a mostly unconscious Sombra captive, TNT holds a grenade to her head as Blue Squad witnesses his true form. Covered in head to toe in fresh, third degree burns, TNT laughs and simultaneously laments that the worst things in life aren’t pain, or fear, but “endless boredom,” before he rips off his own face, only for the burned flesh to heal back in an instant.
+Before Blue Squad can capture him, he shoves Sombra free and dives underneath the firetruck and detonates the grenade, blowing himself up for a second time. Nonetheless, Blue Squad manages to capture a number of his minions and take out his repurposed demolition vehicles.
+Blue Squad meets with Detective Knight once again, where it is revealed that known international thief, Grey Raccoon, stole plutonium from a Compass Labs facility. The heist happened at the same time as TNT’s firetruck rampage. Knight proposes that Grey Raccoon and TNT may be in coordination, and the team agrees.
+Pointing out another Compass Labs satellite location in Millennium City, one that may contain uranium, Blue Squad agrees to place a guard on the location to see if they can prevent the theft of the material and thwart TNT’s attempt to make a dirty bomb.
+| TNT
 |-
-| A Rescue in Russia
+| Afterburn
-| '''#225'''
+| '''Blue Squad #2'''
-| "A Rescue in Russia, Part 2"
+| "The Breakout"
-| Inside Zarkov's basement, Fantasma knocks out two of Zarkov's people in a large storage area, and finds the ISSA machine there; she begins to power it up. In the boat house, Stinger finds the perfect getaway speedboat for the team, but one of its motors has been stripped for repairs; he begins work on completing repairs and assembling the motor. Sombra is first to locate the 'statue' of Night Star, in Zarkov's library upstairs. Downstairs, Catfight finds a James Bond wannabe, who in truth is just a mid-level British diplomatic officer, who wants to have a romp with her in Zarkov's own bedroom. She uses him as cover to get upstairs, but when she observes Red Spider passing through a secured door (with Fox's remote help), Catfight knocks out her 'spy' friend, and quickly runs to the door, and find it opens for her, too. Inside the door, a narrow corridor leads to the library, where Red Spider has just found Sombra and Black Bird hiding. Just then, Screech Owl, under the guise of a drunken party guest, uses two security guards to get her close to the RF jamming room; dispatching of one guard who thought he was going to get a quickie in the bathroom nearby, she makes her way to the RF jamming control room and shuts it down. The team begins to communicate. It becomes clear that they have two challenges that weren't part of the plan: getting rid of the last remaining aerial drone, and getting someone to the garage to grab a vehicle. Sombra teleports Night Star to the ISSA machine; Fantasma begins the process to free Night Star. Red Spider asks Meltdowner to start a forest fire near the river to divert attention as the rescue enters the escape phase. Outside, a shift rotation discovers the security station which had been taken over by Screech Owl, is occupied by a bound and gagged guard. The alarm is raised.
+| While Blue Squad member Windchill is guarding the prison, the mysterious TNT launches his attack. He breaks onto the prison grounds, dual wielding rocket launchers, driving a dump truck filled with weapons and explosives. He blasts a hole into the wall and deposits the weapons into a massive heap in the prison yard as escaping inmates run out in a stampede. Additionally, TNT detonates explosives on all the major roadways leading to and from the prison, delaying first responders and harming civilians.
-| Yuri Zarkov
+Sending a quick alarm, Windchill summons Scatha 5, Blue Fox, Sombra, Courser, and Pathfinder to the prison. The Adventurers strenuously balance saving civilians with preventing as many of the violent, manic inmates escaping as they can. Pathfinder notably uses her powers to create a large trench that caught escaping inmates.
+After the battle subsides, Windchill freeze TNT to a wall, demonstrating the latter's heightened durability, and Blue Squad speaks with him. TNT gloats, saying that “It’s time this town had chaotic evil.” He thanks the Adventurers for taking down Overseer, so “we can play without rules.” Before Blue Squad can inquire further, TNT uses his own explosives to blow himself up. The team spends the rest of the night scouring the nearby neighborhoods to locate and return what violent fugitives they can find.
+| TNT
 |-
-| A Rescue in Russia
+| Afterburn
-| '''#224'''
+| '''Blue Squad #1'''
-| "A Rescue in Russia, Part 1"
+| "The Spark Ignites"
-| The Adventurers begin infiltrating the expansive property of Yuri Zarkov, while in flashbacks, Red Spider goes over the plan with the team. Stinger uses a submersible armor to reach Zarkov's river docks and boat launch along the Bzipi River, while Fox and Screech Owl use a motorboat to get near enough to the property to begin their mission: gaining control of Zarkov's small security outposts along the service road from his mansion to the boat launch. Meanwhile, Sombra teleports herself and Fantasma into the house, which is full of hundreds of party guests; Sombra remains invisible and scours the residence for Night Star, while Fantasma heads downstairs and tries to locate the ISSA machine, which can free Night Star from her stasis shell. Catfight and Red Spider, disguised as actors as part of a Cretoan theatre troupe hired to put on a special performance of ''Agamemnon'' at Zarkov's outdoor amphitheater, the two are able to slip into the party unnoticed. Scarlet Shield flies to the north of Zarkov's property, and uses timing, guile, and her powers to eliminate a hazard to the team's escape: one of two aerial drones flying low around the mansion. Blackbird gets into the party wearing a tuxedo. Fox gains control of the house's security systems such as the electronic door locks and cameras watching them, but Screech Owl realizes that Ordnance X, whose job it was to get on site and secure a land vehicle for the team's escape to the river dock, has failed; worse, Screech Owl realizes, as others do, that there is RF frequency jamming preventing the team from communicating. She takes it upon herself to get into Zarkov's mansion and disable the RF jamming before the whole rescue and escape ends in disaster.
+| Members of the newly formed Blue Squad, consisting of Blue Fox, Sombra, Courser, Pathfinder, Windchill, Scatha 5, and Reclaimer gather at Blue Bird’s (Congresswoman Olivia Ellison’s) hidden training center to give demonstrations of their powers. Reclaimer develops extensive charts and graphs to give visual representations of member strengths and weaknesses.
-| Yuri Zarkov
+Blue Fox reports that his source in prison, his brother Kyle, revealed that a number of prisoners were simultaneously transferred to the infirmary wing after an inexplicable string of self-inflicted burns. Many of the perpetrators of the self harm were incarcerated for arson and other violent pyromaniacal behavior. Kyle’s own bunkmate did it, and ominously told Kyle that “It’s your way in.”
+Blue Fox contacts Detective Laura Knight, of MCPD’s superhuman crime investigation unit, or SCIU. At a rooftop meeting on the Westside MCPD precinct, she ttells Blue Squad about a violent fire truck heist. The perpetrator was shot multiple times but wouldn’t go down. He left a message written in blood on the firehouse ground, asking “Are you in?”
+Sometime afterward, the Mysterious Hooded Figure robbed an MCPD evidence warehouse, containing weapons of Baker’s Dozen from the Overseer takedown. He left a similar bloody message at the ground of the warehouse that merely said “In,” with a check mark. Upon a follow up visit, Sombra learned that the mysterious, would-be leader of the imprisoned pyromaniacs is someone named 'TNT.'
+The Adventurers and Knight conclude that the prison events and this violent newcomer to the city are linked, and agree to take round the clock guard overlooking the prison just in case.
+| TNT [not seen]
 |-
-| A Royal Adventure
+| With A Silver Spoon
-| '''#223'''
+| '''Adventurers #383'''
-| "Valor's Reward"
+| "Rise of the Silver Sentries"
-| The Adventurers are given medals, the last official act of the Cretoan crown as the absolute rulers of Cretoa. Mercy is shown to Lord Vasilios and Dr. Loukas with truly just sentences - banishment, and requirement to establish a new medical academy, respectively. Fox gets to learn everything he ever wanted about real-life krakens. Red Spider brings the team together to whiteboard the team's next big adventure: the rescue of Night Star.
+| With the city still feeling the effects of the Overseer's downfall, Silverline Industries holds a press showcase where company president Selene Silver (wife of company founder Raymond Silver) proudly presents their newest robotic innovation: gleaming silver battle droids called the Silver Sentries, powerful and non-lethal defenders of the peace with a noble "winged knight" aesthetic. While the company is making these defense bots available to companies for a steep price, they're also graciously donating and stationing a dozen of them across the city, ready to respond to emergencies and threats. The showcase also features a spectacle for the audience; a gladiatorial fight between a Silver Sentry and one of the Silverline "Rollbot" security units, which the Sentry handily wins.
-| Yuri Zarkov
+A week later, one of the Silver Sentries makes its debut as onlookers film the scene of it arriving at and attacking a Scrappers hideout. When Catfight, Sombra, Blue Fox, and Stretcher arrive to assist - and keep a wary eye on the Sentry - they team up and easily defeat the cybernetic gang who protest being targeted by the automaton! The Scrappers at the scene are collected by the police, but the Adventurers don't leave empty-handed: during the fight, among many other stolen and salvaged bits of tech, the wrecked Rollbot from the showcase is discovered, and the heroes sneak it away in the hopes it has some kind of helpful data on Silverline's plans....
+| The Scrappers
 |-
-| A Royal Adventure
+| Avenging Avery
-| '''#222'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #8 (vol. 2)'''
-| "The Assassin Revealed"
+| "Adieu to Darién"
-| With the Adventurers flanking her, Princess Taina accuses Vasilios of having engineered all of the bad things which have happened lately - including the poisoning plot. Vasilios denies this. Meltdowner shares information he obtained while searching through the palace earlier in the day: Dr. Loukas has a wide range of samples of compounds, including toxins, that he has tried to combine with vitanium. Fox asks Meltdowner to get the team to the hospital where Prince Alexandros is recovering, quickly. There, they intercede just in time as Dr. Loukas - trusted in the facility as the country's chief surgeon - was apparently about to inject Prince Alexandros with poison. Dr. Loukas confesses to everything - he arranged the poisoning because he was certain that the royals were going to restrict vitanium to only the super rich, and that they would be no better than their despotic father, who used vitanium to unnaturally prolong his life. The team tells Loukas that a peace deal had just been signed that would bring democracy to Cretoa, and let a government of its people decide the best uses of vitanium. Doubly cursed, Dr. Loukas shares that he had already decided to give himself a fatal but slow-acting poison earlier as a way of falling on his sword for the crimes he had committed - he knew that someone (Meltdowner) had taken the vitanium+cyanide sample from his office, and it was only a matter of time before he was found out. Red Spider suggests hurrying Dr. Loukas to the vitanium tank - after all, she had just survived a deadly poison by vitanium immersion. Screech Owl drags Dr. Loukas there with haste, against Loukas's protests. Another doctor comes in to verify that Prince Alex is under the influence of sodium thiopental; Loukas had said the drug made the prince amenable to an angry Lord Vasilios's demands that he be reinstated, which the Doctor correctly guessed might lead Vasilios to try to eliminate Taina. And it would have worked, too, if not for those nosey Adventurers.
+| Montes is persuaded after a couple of pistolwhips, and under wooden Mantle's restraint, to cooperate. He says Bastos has anchored his yacht off of Aguanosa. Avery gets a knockout blow, then the team climbs a ladder from Montes's room to the fortress roof as they prepare for a very dangerous escape from Montes's headquarters, surrounded as it is by his troops.
-| Dr. Loukas
+Upon the roof, they unexpectedly find an aged helicopter. But as Catfight removes the camo netting, and Blue Fox finds the kerosene fuel, Avery surmizes that it may still be flight-worthy. They load the unconscious Montes in, board themselves, and prepare for an expedient escape. Ramon is only able to siphon enough fuel from the cannisters to get them a short distance; Stretcher uses herself as a shield to protect the group from gunfire as the helicopter picks up speed and heads west to rendezvous with Sombra.
+Sombra receives the radio transmission and speeds down the river in her stolen boat in a hurry. The team lands the helicopter in a farm field adjacent to the river, and gets in with Sombra.
+Hours later, Agent Avery - with fresh gear - asks the team to join her in apprehending Samuel Paz Bastos. Once secured. Bastos admits he helped Lord Aurum escape Darién and dropped him off near Galveston, TX. Avery promises that Montes and Bastos will be prosecuted for their crimes against humanity. With the clan's regional leader gone, as well as their chief weapon supplier, It's the best chance at establishing a freer society that the region has had in a long time.
+| Colonel Montes; Clan del Darien
 |-
-| A Royal Adventure
+| Avenging Avery
-| '''#221'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #7 (vol. 2)'''
-| "A Hard-fought Peace"
+| "The Pathway to Danger"
-| As the peace negotiations conclude, and Princess Taina and Zedrick sign a formal peace agreement, a rumbling from above disrupts the ancient cavern and sends portions of the rocky ceiling down into the cavern, injuring some and burying others. Zedrick's ankle is crushed under a rock. Several Adventurers are buried under a small pile of rocks. Cretoan soldiers surround the cavern, and in flies Lord Vasilios in a mech armor. He demands the surrender of all present for aiding rebels, including Princess Taina, who he views as a collaborator against her brother. Vasilios claims to have authority restored to him by Prince Alexandros. The Adventurers start a battle. Screech Owl assures that Taina and Zedrick get to cover. The team works together to prevent the mech's minigun from perforating the VIPs. MegaJoule gets held in the mech's clamp hand, but with an assist from Meltdowner and Ordnance X, the arm is partially severed, and she can free herself. However, she ends up being knocked out not long after. Meltdowner succeeds in fusing the minigun with his heat powers, but that turns the minigun into a glorified club which deals a serious hurt to MD. Fox and Catfight attack the mech from behind, weakening its secondary limbs, and knocking it into a vulnerable position. Red Spider gums up the mech's legs with tangleweb; Screech Owl helps weaken the dome over the head of Vasilios; Catfight helps push him forward, shattering the dome. Vasilios quickly gets out of the mech and surrenders, but tries to declare that the soldiers are there with him, and he is still the one in control of the situation despite losing the mech. Taina speaks in Cretoan to the soldiers in the cavern, giving a rousing and inspiring speech to them which induces them to drop their weapons and leave the cavern.
+| At Ramon's urging, the team abandons Ramon's boat, and Blue Fox uses his powers to break a hole in the hull so it sinks in the Rio Serpiente. They are told of the plight of slave-like farmers on the cartel's farms nearby.
-| Lord Vasilios
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#220'''
-| "Secret Passages"
-| The Adventurers stand guard during long, exhaustive debates between Princess Taina and Zedrick as they try to create a plan for peace. Some Adventurers get in on helping settle certain policy disputes that threaten to derail the peace talks. Meanwhile, Meltdowner meets '''Fantasma''' who has returned to Cretoa, and still wants to know: who poisoned the prince? She suspects Princess Taina, Lord Vasilios, Minister Manellas, or Dr. Loukas. They sneak through secret passages in the palace at night, first searching Taina's room to no avail, then making their way to the vitanium center. There, Fantasma locates some of Dr. Loukas's experiments mixing vitanium with different compounds, including cyanide. She steals the samples and hopes that Meltdowner's team can find a way to verify if it is the same as what was used on the Prince at the Ellison Hotels.
-| Mysterious Poisoner
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#219'''
-| "Agents of Resistance"
-| Scarlet Shield and Sombra are introduced by Isidora Kallisto to Zedrick, the resistance leader in his headquarters in an inn outside of the city. Though he is appreciative of the heroes help in liberating a number of rebel fighters, he is intractable when it comes to the idea of a peaceful resolution to the civil war - the only outcomes acceptable to him require the prince and princess to die. Nevertheless, the heroes resolve to rescue their captured friends, and Zedrick offers to personally help by wearing the ancient Cretoataur armor, supposedly forged by Hephaestus himself. The rescue itself goes off well - Sombra and Zedrick free Red Spider, Fox, Catfight, MegaJoule, and Screech Owl. Meltdowner, apparently alerted by Black Bird, helps manage royal guard presence in the courtyard. Scarlet Shield, while distracting the royal guard, spots the elite guard cadre of the princess herself, and tries to move in close. Kriton Vasilios tries to convince the princess that Scarlet Shield and the others are enemies who have gone to help the rebels, but Scarlet is able to persuade Taina to listen. After a full accounting of ''why'' the Adventurers fled to the rebels, Taina asks for Lord Vasilios's resignation. Also, Taina asks for Scarlet to continue helping to uncover the traitors who tried to poison her and her brother. Scarlet Shield also speaks on the prospect of peace with the rebels, noting that Zedrick has taken a hard line against the idea of a peaceable solution with the crown, but that this is understandable given all she has seen in the crown's treatment of prisoners; Taina asks to pass along a request to meet with Zedrick. Back at HQ, Zedrick reveals that he receives weapons from a Russian named '''Zarkov''', an ex-intelligence officer who now does arm's-length operations for the Russian state that the Kremlin can't afford to be seen getting involved in. Sombra demands that Zedrick stop accepting weapons and advancing war, but Zedrick fears retribution if he crosses Zarkov now - Zarkov wants a more Russia-friendly regime in power at all costs. Sombra reveals that Zarkov is the same name as the man holding Night Star captive, and Red Spider adds that she's still working out a rescue plan. Zedrick suggests that he can provide material evidence of Zarkov's supply of the Cretoan rebels that would embarrass the Kremlin and make Zarkov a liability to them, but only if the heroes can bring about a 'satisfactory resolution' to the Cretoan civil war. Red Spider agrees; Scarlet Shield helps broker a peace talk between Zedrick and Princess Taina, to be held soon at a neutral location.
-| Kriton Vasilios
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#218'''
-| "Power"
-| Lord Kriton Vasilios strides into the Cretoan throne room and invokes his right as the highest-ranking cabinet minister to claim the title of Lord Protector. He relieves Scarlet Shield of her post, and immediately makes several decrees: 1) Orders the immediate execution of Myron Gaios; 2) Orders that half of all captured rebels are to be marked for death, and executed (the other half being allowed to live as a show of the crown's "magnanimity;" 3) Orders the city on curfew, and all properties subject to search, until the rebels are rooted out. Scarlet Shield and Sombra, present for these decrees and alarmed by them, rush to find Red Spider. Red is wandering the palace gardens and musing on life without powers, and contemplating the rescue of Night Star, when Scarlet and Sombra appear and describe the situation. The three hatch a plan to visit the dungeons and talk to Isidora Kallisto, the rebel spy who must have helped the rebel raid find a secret way into the palace - such a route, the heroes believe, might be useful in the rebels' escape. The heroes visit the horrible, stinking, hope-bereft dungeons; Kallisto, willing to take any opportunity to escape, helps the heroes and gives advice. Scarlet Shield uses her powers to break open locks, while Sombra steals a key and starts unlocking others. The team even sets Myron Gaios free. Red Spider gets in between dungeon guards and the escaping prisoners. Scarlet and Sombra flee with the rebels into the secret, ancient sewer, while Red Spider goes to the UNTIL shuttle in the palace's motor pool to send out an emergency message home. Black Bird answers and agrees to try to send help. Red Spider, Fox, MegaJoule, Catfight, and Screech Owl are all captured and placed in the dungeon, under sentence of death, for their role in the prisoner escape.
-| Lord Kriton Vasilios; Myron Gaios
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#217'''
-| "Deep Cuts"
-| Upon reaching Cretoa, Red Spider is put into the life-saving vitanium solution along with Prince Alexandros. However, Alex is soon given to a fit of spasms, and his vital signs tank - the vitanium is harming him! Catfight and Scarlet Shield dive in to disconnect him from his harness and pull him out of the tank. Dr. Loukas, the chief surgeon and leading expert on vitanium treatment, is confused - there has never been a documented case of vitanium doing ''harm'' to a patient like that. Catfight and Fox speak openly of their suspicion that a Cretoan doctor could have found a way to make vitanium harmful, to which Dr. Loukas becomes offended; doctors are healers, he protests. Hours later, Red Spider emerges from the vitanium, only to find that her powers have gone! Dr. Loukas suspects that since her powers resulted from a late onset, artificial mutation, that vitanium has restored her to her normal, 'healthy' self. Meanwhile, Fox visits Myron Gaios in the dank, horrible dungeon beneath the palace; after some deception, Fox gets Gaios to reveal that he backtraced his pay to someone in the Cretoan cabinet. Fox is taken aback by the level of suffering of prisoners in the dungeon. Elsewhere, Scarlet Shield is asked by Dr. Loukas to weigh in on whether Princess Taina's life should be risked to move her from the recovery ward to a vitanium tank - in her weakened, post-surgery state, she may not survive, but her internal injuries may kill her if she is not treated. Scarlet decides to take the chance and authorizes Taina's visit to the vitanium treatment centre.
-| Myron Gaios
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#216'''
-| "Flight to Cretoa"
-| Stinger continues a lengthy duel with Blood Talon, but finally gains a decisive upper hand and leaves the enemy behind. Sombra strains through exhaustion to keep teleporting Alex closer and closer to the airport. Fox and Ordnance X hunt Marauder in a residential neighborhood, setting off an EMP in hopes of disrupting the power armor; they succeed, but they lose track of Marauder when the EMP makes a city's block's lights go out. Sombra is first to arrive at the airport; Alex is met by State Department agent Henry Smith, who urges the prince to board his plane at once. Soon, Red Spider arrives with the doctor and is loaded onto the plane; her poison is unfamiliar, her powers are the only thing keeping her alive, and vitanium treatment in Cretoa may be the only way to save her. Fox and Sombra decide to get aboard, too; Stinger considers coming, but then decides he will come another way, in a way of his own choosing, later; Ordnance says he has things to do in MC, and declines to fly. As the plane taxis to the runway, Agent Smith stands at the front of the plane, and, flight attendant style, asks for everyone's attention. Smith lowers his aviator glasses, and the hypnotic eyes of '''Myron Gaios''' catch everyone who looks, including Sombra, the prince, and his doctor. Gaios orders the doctor to stop treating Red Spider and have a seat up front. He then tries to convince Sombra to ride the plane on the outside, which under hypnosis, seems perfectly reasonable. Fox, who was never one to listen to flight attendants and missed the hypnotic stare, fires a tranq dart at Gaios and tackles him. The spell is broken, although Sombra has to be convinced not to go outside of the plane. As the flight returns to normalcy, and Gaios is bound, gagged, and blindfolded, the doctor urges Fox and Sombra to talk to Red Spider during the journey, even though she is in a coma.
-Arriving 10 hours later in Cretoa, the plane is greeted by Scarlet Shield and an out-of-costume Catfight. Myron Gaios is secured by authorities. Prince Alex and Red Spider are whisked away to the vitanium treatment centre, where they are dipped into the healing solution with breathing apparatuses by robot arms holding them in harnesses. But for Alex, something goes unusually wrong - he starts having a convulsive fit, and his vital signs start declining rapidly in the solution. The robot arm moves too slow to lift him out, so Catfight and Scarlet Shield dive in to pull him out themselves. The act probably saved the prince's life, though he is taken to the hospital for emergency treatment.
+The party proceeds on foot with Dr. Anderson guiding them. They ambush a ranger patrol at unawares, and Mantle, Blue Fox, and Ramon pretend to escort Catfight and Rubber Bullette as captured tourists to the fortress, while Sombra and Dr. Anderson leave to try to steal a ranger boat for the escape.
-| Myron Gaios
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#215'''
-| "The Motorcade"
-| Due to events in Cretoa, Prince Alexandros's long-awaited return to his homeland is expedited. The team meets to discuss how it will handle protection of the motorcade - but Sombra also reveals that her infiltration of the Russian consulate turned up that Night Star has been captured, put into crystalline stasis, and sent to a Russian agent named '''Zarkov''', who has placed her in his private collection as a statue! Red Spider is angered, but concedes that rescuing Night Star will have to wait. The most imminent hurtle to overcome is how to get Alex from the hospital to the airport, considering his health, and the fact that so many attempts have been made on his life. The MCPD arranges a motorcade with police cars, decoys, and a SWAT vehicle. The Adventurers are tapped to escort the vehicle. When the time comes, very few Adventurers are on hand for the departure, leaving Red Spider, Stinger, and Sombra to defend it themselves. Early on, a rock-skinned '''Rocko''' dashes out onto the street and decimates the SWAT van at the head of the formation. Though Rocko is repelled by Stinger's weaponry, the motorcade is soon set upon by '''Blood Talon''', who peels Stinger off and engages in a deadly duel with the fellow power armor wearer. Red Spider is alone to defend the Prince's car when the deadly '''Aella Markezinis''' drops down from a highway overpass onto it. Though Red coordinates a successful plan with Sombra and the car's driver to leave Aella in the ditch, Aella managed to scratch up Red Spider with poisoned claws. Diminishing in her faculties, Red Spider hears about '''Marauder''' devastating the highway patrols ahead; when Marauder swings around and starts taking out motorcade vehicles, Red fears that the team is about to fail. Sombra enacts the contingency plan, and teleports with Prince Alex away from the motorcade. On the verge of unconsciousness, Red Spider crawls inside the prince's vehicle to be attended by the prince's doctor. Stinger, still engaged with Blood Talon, cannot intervene when Marauder pulls up alongside the prince's SUV, and while finding no prince inside, sees wasting the unconscious Red Spider as an acceptable consolation prize. But just then, Fox and Ordnance X turn up and blast Marauder, who tumbles behind on the highway as the SUV continues to speed toward the airport.
-| Rocko, Blood Talon, Aella, Marauder
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#214'''
-| "The Defense of Zappatos Palace"
-| Wearied by reports of the escalating civil war in her country, Princess Taina retires for the evening and asks Scarlet Shield to accompany her to her study. There, Taina asks Scarlet's advice on the conflict; but Scarlet feels out of her depth, only venturing that she would prefer not to see captured dissidents executed. Taina shows Scarlet Shield her doctoral dissertation, which is a full accounting of Cretoa's laws going back thousands of years, and then a new draft constitution she has written through her studies at Oxford that would democratize Cretoa. Taina laments that her advisors tell her that reforms must wait until the resistance is put down, or else it will embolden the rebels to use violence to push for even more reforms. Just as Taina is about to leave for bed, an attack begins in the palace! Gun fights and melee battles can be heard; the alarm bell is rung a few times, but then abruptly stopped. Scarlet Shield tries to convince Taina to escape down a secret passage, but Taina insists that her royal guard will fight harder as long as they know she is still in the palace. Fighting their way to the throne room, Scarlet and Taina find that rebels have seized it, and taken hostages. One rebel shoots Minister Manellas in the face to prove his earnestness, then takes Isidora Callisto at gunpoint and threatens to shoot her if Scarlet does not lower her shields protecting Taina. Taina is left with a hard choice: there is consideration for her own safety, but she regards Isidora, her long time personal aide, as the closest thing she has to a friend; she orders Scarlet to desist with her use of powers. Then the rebel tries to fire a single shot at Taina, which Scarlet uses her fields again to deflect. Charging at the assembled rebels and hostages, Scarlet puts shields over them all - preventing anyone from shooting, or being harmed. The rebels drop their guns. Arriving royal guards take the rebels into custody. Taina goes to help Isidora back to her feet, and embraces her ... only to be shot by her. Isidora was a rebel spy! She declares, "Thus ends all tyrants," and the royal guard tackle her. In her waning moments of consciousness, Taina asks Scarlet to share with her brother the constitution which she showed her earlier, and then is taken away on a stretcher to surgery, her fate uncertain. Scarlet Shield orders the royal guard captain not to carry out an immediate death sentence upon Isidora as he seems to be preparing to do, it being the punishment for Isidora's crime; Scarlet cites Taina's orders. A court scribe reveals that with Taina incapacitated, Manellas gravely injured in the raid, Prince Alex and Lord Vasillios out of the country, Scarlet Shield - personal guard to the princess - is the ranking official in the palace. Someone must fill the power vacuum. The guard captain follows Scarlet's orders, and takes Isidora to the dungeon with the other captured rebels. Scarlet Shield is urged to sit on the Cretoan throne, and reluctantly does so, granted the title '''Lady Protector of Cretoa''' until someone more senior can relieve her of her duty.
-| Cretoan Rebels
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#213'''
-| "Rebels and Tribulations"
-| Scarlet Shield and Catfight argue with Princess Taina and Minister Manellas about the need to fight the rebels. The crown hopes the heroes can safeguard the Cretoan nation by taking out the resistance leadership. Scarlet Shield suspects that the Adventurers are euphemistically being asked to assassinate the rebel leader, a man known only as '''Zedrick''', but Taina says that she only wants Zedrick brought to her alive to face justice. Manellas believes that with Zedrick detained, the resistance would fall apart from within. Catfight agrees to take to the streets of the capital city and try to find a lead. Eva divests herself of her Catfight costume, going to an open market as an American reporter. Received well by the public, Eva starts asking a lot of questions about the resistance. A short time later, she is confronted in an alley by two men who indicate that they have heard she's a reporter who wants to know about the resistance. When they go to put a hood over her head and bind her hands, Eva doesn't resist - this is exactly what she wanted. Meanwhile, back in Millennium City, Night Star begins a daring infiltration of the Russian consulate, following a lead from a trusted Russian contact who believes Gaios is being sheltered there...
-| Cretoan Resistance; Russian Consulate
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#212'''
-| "The Untimely Unmasking Of..."
-| Picking up from the previous issue's cliffhanger, Red Spider is about to be unmasked by Black Bird, who is undercover as 'Luke'; but like Red Spider and Cretoan vigilante Fantasma, 'Luke' is under the mind control persuasion of Myron Gaios. Gaios prepares to capture the unmasking with his smart phone camera, but the instruction proves too much. Black Bird, as a team mate and costumed hero himself, is able to shake off Gaios's influence because of the harm he knows that would be caused by revealing Red Spider's secret identity. Black Bird tries to help Red Spider snap out of it, while attacking Gaios. Fantasma snaps out of it when a scuffle starts, and she successfully gets a hidden blade into her hand to start cutting her binding. Red Spider snaps out of it, frees one wrist, and tears a chair arm off, hurling it from her seated position at Gaios just when he seems to be getting an upper hand on 'Luke'. Confronted by three opponents, Gaios backs into a corner. Red Spider accuses him of being the mastermind of the assassination plot, but he retorts that he's "more of a doer," and then burst out of the window - and onto a waiting air speeder. Gaios escapes.
-| Myron Gaios, AKA Tolmiros
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#211'''
-| "The Curiousity Known As Fantasma"
-| Myron Gaios reveals he has mind control powers, and puts Black Bird - disguised as hotel bellhop 'Luke' - under his spell to search the Cretoan suites in the hotel and discover which of them is the mysterious costumed person who attacked Gaios before. Black Bird proceeds under hypnosis, his mind coming up with its own rationale for doing Gaios's bidding, and his consciousness forgetting most of what Gaios had done or said. Black Bird locates the costume of the person he was seeking: in the room of Alethea Eliopoulous. Returning to Gaios as instructed to deliver this intelligence, Gaios orders 'Luke' to bring Eliopoulous to him immediately. Black Bird goes back, and discovers Eliopoulous - in disguise as her costumed alter ego '''Fantasma''' - scaling up the wall outside of her open balcony door. She comes back to do battle with 'Luke' and demands to know who he is working for. Fantasma tosses Black Bird over the side of the balcony, whereupon he is rescued from a fatal descent by Red Spider. Red and 'Luke' return to the balcony to confront Fantasma, but just then, Gaios - in his disguise as the villainous '''Tolmiros''' enters Eliopoulous's suite, and hypnotizes all three of them. Gaios orders the entire assembly to go with him to his penthouse suite, and they obey. In his suite, Gaios orders Red Spider and Fantasma to take a seat in two wood-frame arm chairs, and for 'Luke' to find some duct tape and bind the heroines' limbs to their chairs. Gaios then says since he already knows that Fantasma is Alethea Eliopoulous, he would like 'Luke' to now unmask Red Spider for him...
-| Myron Gaios, AKA Tolmiros
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#210'''
-| "Courtiers"
-| On approach to Cretoa, the UNTIL shuttle provided to get Catfight, Scarlet Shield, and Screech Owl to Cretoa is hit by a missile near the shoreline. Scarlet Shield and Catfight wake up in a Vitanium tank, experiencing advanced healing with the help of Cretoa's coveted mineral. Apparently Scarlet Shield managed to save herself and Catfight when they were ejected from the craft. Dr. Loukas explains their situation, and then they are taken to meet Princess Taina. Flashback to the crash: Screech Owl, manages to pilot the shuttle to a soft landing on a Cretoan beach by a cliffside, after Scarlet Shield and Catfight were ejected by the missle strike. Screech Owl ducks into a cave system to avoid detection and pursuit; hours later she emerges at surface level and crosses over farm fields carefully. She observes a military convoy with her wrecked UNTIL shuttle on a flatbed, heading toward Cretoa's main city in the distance. Scarlet Shield, out on patrol to find her missing team mate, locates Screech Owl and brings her back to the city. Princess Taina decrees that these Adventurers are to become her honourary royal guard, and offers to clothe them in costumes blending their existing themes with Cretoan styles. Finally, Taina implores the Adventurers to protect her by eliminating the greatest threat to her and her country's security: the resistance leadership.
-| Cretoans
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#209'''
-| "The Suspicious Mr. Gaios"
-| The Adventurers respond when a mystery vigilante in a mask, and blue and gold tights, attacks poisoning suspect Myron Gaios - a respected international photo journalist. Gaios is at the mercy of the vigilante in his suite at the Ellison Hotel. Red Spider, Black Bird, and newcomer '''Canadian Shield''' respond, and the vigilante is driven off by the strength of opposition. She bursts a smoke bomb which rapidly fills the suite, giving her cover to escape. Gaios also makes a run for it. The Adventurers partner with Canadian Shield, realizing that despite coming from different countries, they have similar goals. Sarah Ellison (Night Star) uses her hotel's luxury suite as bait to lure Gaios back to her hotel so that she can keep an eye on him. Black Bird disguises himself as an Ellison Hotel employee and goes undercover to interact with Gaios.
-| Mystery Woman
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#208'''
-| "The Row at the Hospital"
-| The Adventurers help a street hero named '''Coyote''' face an attack by armored mercenary '''Devastator''', who has armament enough to deal with a portion of the team just on his own. Devastator's target: Prince Alex at the hospital. His plan: a targeted strike on the hospital beam structure that will collapse enough debris down on Alex that will kill him while minimizing collateral damage. With cooperation between Coyote, Scarlet Shield, and Night Star, Devastator is driven off.
-| Devastator
-|-
-| A Royal Adventure
-| '''#207'''
-| "International Incident"
-| Red Spider's father extends an invitation to her and some of her friends to attend a major state dinner with the heads of the US, Canada, Mexico, and an Aegean nation called Cretoa. Two young, hip twins - a Prince and Princess - are the guests of honor as the West tries to convince Cretoa to open trade ties for the first time since the Cold War. The Adventurers - undercover as their secret identities - mingle with some big names, rubbing shoulders with leaders, diplomats, and media personalities. But after dinner, during a dance, members of Prince Alex's table begin to fall suddenly, violently ill; Princess Taina - saved by the intervention of Screech Owl from drinking 'off smelling' water - is ushered from the scene. Meltdowner reveals himself and teleports the prince and his advisor to the hospital in a desperate bid to save their lives.
-|-
-| Adventurers United
-| '''#206'''
-| "Resurrection"
-| The Adventurers take a deep breath and relax after their ordeals fighting Cryderman, and wait for Adrynne to finish repairing all of the damage done by the villain. But Adrynne turns to the group and, much to their chagrin, find she has been corrupted by the Peyasaskew Orb. Adrynne articulates a vision for a better, more just future, dominated by her, with the Adventurers as her knights. The young sorcerer's apprentice divests herself of the white robe of her order, and transforms into a wiry, wretched-looking sorceress with the orb worn on a belt, much as Cryderman had done. The team is forced to kneel, and swear obedience one by one. Screech Owl professes to be onside with Adrynne. Stinger tries to stall for time, but ultimately feigns obedience. Catfight and Stormherald refuse to submit, but Stinger urges they be punished by banishment, not death; Adrynne sends them to sarcophagi in her sanctum to be held. Sombra pleads with Adrynne to turn her back on this path, but is ignored. Adrynne professes to 'absolve' White Star of the burden of leadership, and brings Red Spider back to life - both as a charge for White Star to tend, but also, as a display of her magnanimity to her loyal servants. Red Spider appears wrapped in serpents, much as she had been when she died, and is freed, but falls to Adrynne's floor unconscious. White Star chastises Adrynne and goes to Red Spider's side.
-The battle is initiated by Sombra, who tries to bind up Adrynne with her shadow powers. Screech Owl reclaimed her energy talons from her younger self, which had aided Adrynne in maintaining the temporal barrier, and creates a focused blast that prevents Adrynne from striking Stinger. Meanwhile, Stormherald teleports out of her sarcophagus easily, and helps Catfight pull the heavy stone lid off of hers.
+Sombra uses her powers of invisibility and teleportation to aid the return to the river, but Dr. Anderson has so many questions about how it works biologically. Sombra turns down an offer by him to study her and her powers. When they arrive at the ranger station, Sombra finds the perfect ranger boat for the size of the team, stows Dr. Anderson in a claustrophobic compartment in it, and sets about using sugar stolen from the ranger station to sabotage the outboard motors of the rest of the ranger boats.
-There is a lengthy battle in the sanctum. Adrynne employs the full additional powers granted her by the Peyasaskew stone, occasionally grabbing Stinger and hurling him into things. Scarlet Shield - asleep since the ordeal at the 1860s ball - awakens, and is tended by Sombra. Sombra also manages to tackle an airborn Adrynne to the ground, but pays for it with a heavy blast that injures her. Stinger, White Star, and Scarlet Shield collaborate to strip Adrynne of the Orb, and pull her away from it. Adrynne tries to reach out for it. There are failed attempts by White Star and Screech Owl to destroy the stone, but it takes the hammer of Stormherald to obliterate it. Adrynne and Cryderman howl in sorrow at the moment of the orb's destruction, and Adrynne reverts to her normal self, albeit badly injured.
+Meanwhile, in the fortress, the disguised rangers are admitted through the gates and told to drop their prisoners off in the cell. There, Catfight and Stretcher meet Agent Avery. Though weakened by her captivity, Avery imparts that she wants to complete her mission - she has ascertained that Samual Paz Bastos, the weapons dealer she was trying to apprehend when she was captured, is coming back to Darien with another shipment of munitions. She implores the team to help her confront, question, and capture Colonel Montes, who would know where Bastos is parking his yacht.
-Adrynne laments that she did not anticipate that the stone would be so imprinted with Cryderman, its first master, that she would be corrupted by the same ideals he had. She promises to create a doorway for older Sombra to return to her proper time, but whispers to Sombra that her mortal frame is giving out. When the team, and Sombra, finally leave, Adrynne fades away into the ethereal realm, her body and spirit deeply traumatized by recent events.
+Sombra completes her task of sabotaging the boats, and lays low with Dr. Anderson, waiting for the signal on her radio.
-The team is elated to have won this long battle, and return a terribly weakened and still unconscious Red Spider home to recuperate. Sombra, Stinger, and White Star are present when Cassandra wakes up two days later.
+The team storms the upper level of the fortress and questions '''Colonel Montes''' in his private room. Blue Fox beelines to the Colonel's laptop, while Avery gets help from Catfight and Mantle in a rough interrogation...
-| Adrynne
+| Colonel Montes; Clan del Darien
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+| Avenging Avery
-| '''#205'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #6 (vol. 2)'''
-| "Epic Duel"
+| "Treehouse"
-| The Transcended Edgar Cryderman shrugs off energy blasts and gunshots from Stinger and Black Mask, respectively. He banishes Black Mask, and then also Grey Ghost, to some unknown dimension, urging them to finish their duel once and for all. When Stinger keeps blasting Cryderman, the villain banishes Stinger to the same place as Black Mask and Grey Ghost - a long, flat plane with no apparently light source, where Stinger sees the two 1860s heroes engaged in what may be their final swordfight.
+| The team persuades Ramon to give them one more ride in his boat, but his conditions this time are that they have to help him evacuate to the United States - it's become too dangerous in Colombia for him. They agree, and Ramon commits himself as a party member.
-Meanwhile, adult Sombra - much more advanced in her use of powers - calls upon shadow duplicates of herself with the same relative strength as her own body, and shadow tendrils, to try to restrain Cryderman, and take away the orb on his belt, which he has boasted was formed from the Peyasaskew Stone. Scarlet Shield recovers enough to use her powers to try to place Cryderman's belt in a field, perhaps recalling Adrynne's earlier revelation that Cryderman would be powerless if separated from the stone. Cryderman ''is'' rendered virtually powerless. Sombra struggles to keep the physically conditioned Cryderman down, but with Scarlet Shield pulling down the belt, they soon separate the man from the magic. Cryderman loses his arcane armor, and is left with nothing but his underwear before a crowd who had assembled to acclaim him their messiah. Cryderman tries to reclaim the Peyasaskew Orb from Sombra, but she humbles him with a slap to the face. The Brotherhood of the Western Star declare that he is not their messiah, and laugh derisively at the younger Cryderman. Francis Cryderman takes off his star medallion and crushes it under foot; the rest of the Brotherhood do the same.
+Blue Fox gets more than he bargained for when he asks Ramon to tell them a ghost story. Several of them cannot sleep easily afterward as they lay on the deck of Ramon's boat, anchored near where Julio said they could find Dr. Derek Anderson, hearing all of the sounds of the jungle.
-In the void realm, Stinger blasts Grey Ghost and ends the duel. Black Mask approaches the stunned man and contemplates unmasking or killing his adversary, but in a moment of clarity, notes the mounting defeats on the Confederate side mean that the war may soon be over. In order to secure peace with their southern brothers, Black Mask believes the bloodshed and humiliations must stop somewhere, and so spares his rival. Stinger and Black Mask wait for their rescue, having little else to do - though Stinger believes that his team mates having not also been banished to the void realm is a good sign.
+The next day, they enter the jungle and at Catfight's direction, wisely watch for booby traps. Sure enough, '''Dr. Anderson''' has set some near his treehouse to alert him if any Clan approach his hidden home.
-In the Temple of the Western Star, Francis Cryderman promises safe conduct to the Adventurers if they take his disgraced descendant, Edgar, out of his sight. The heroes urge him to make the changes he can to his family to avoid Edgar. A doctor sees to Scarlet Shield and offers her the 19th century drug ''laudanum'' for her weakened condition. White Star assists Scarlet Shield exiting the Cryderman house.
+The team quickly establishes to Anderson that they are no threat. He is more than willing to help inform them about Montes fortress, recounting how he accidentally found it. He provides the team precise coordinates on a topographical map he created. But he pleads with them to take him along - like Ramon, he is ready to flee the area. He wishes to return to Canada and publish his work studying the ecology of the Darien region. The team accepts Dr. Anderson as their guide and scout.
+| Clan del Darien
-The heroes transit back to Adrynne's sanctum via the magical gateway at the barn, with Predator and Edgar Cryderman in tow. They place the Peysaskew Orb in Adrynne's hands, and bid her set things right. She immediately sends Lincoln home, and recalls Black Mask, Grey Ghost, and Stinger from the void realm. The issue closes with Adrynne promising to use the orb to set everything right. Adrynne also gets an ominous red glare in her left eye, and wonders aloud, "Why stop there..."
-| Brotherhood of the Western Star; Edgar Cryderman; Adrynne
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+| Avenging Avery
-| '''#204'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #5 (vol. 2)'''
-| "The Prophecy Fulfilled"
+| "Ambush"
-| Upstairs at the ball, Stinger checks his pocketwatch as men with the star medallions begin excusing themselves. Stinger, Scarlet Shield, and Sombra follow them, and find that they all went into a study. Stinger finds a heat signature on a single brick that may indicate a secret passage was used - but then, they hear the distress call from White Star that Predator has appeared and is demanding her surrender. Sombra teleports herself and Scarlet Shield to the far side of the house, where there is an exterior hatch leading down to the cellar. Down in the cellar, White Star fails to comply, and Predator takes his shot - but Black Mask is protected by Scarlet Shield's red energy field, just in the nick of time! Sombra attacks Predator with some shadow tendrils, and Black Mask shakes off the surprise of not being dead from a headshot, and delivers some righteous fists to Predator's face. Stinger takes care of several guards who heard the single gun shot and were running toward the cellar; he arrives panting from his sprint over.
+| En route to San Quintin, Ramon is giving a lesson to Maya on how to navigate the Rio Aguja's hazards when Ramon's boat is suddenly pursued by speedboats with Clan del Darien rangers. They are ordered to cut the motor and prepare to be boarded. Sombra persaudes Ramon to stay at the wheel, while the Adventurers fight back. Stretcher and Blue Fox each leap into one of the two pursuing boats and disrupts the rangers up close, while Sombra teleports to the boat with Stretcher and, invisible, turns the key on their motor. Catfight takes a machine gun given to her by Ramon and damages the engine on the other boat. Stretcher grabs a gun and disables the other boat's engine. Ramon's boat is able to leave the rangers behind.
-Black Mask helps the team find another brick that, when pushed, acts as a switch that opens a secret door in the cellar's brick wall. Following it down, they find an underground temple at which a gathering led by one Francis Cryderman. The elder Cryderman, a native to the 1860s, boasts about how their prophesied meeting with their messiah is set to take place at 10 o'clock that night. With just minutes to spare, Black Mask and the Adventurers spring into action. Stinger and Scarlet Shield wonder openly if the 'messiah' is really the future Edgar Cryderman, and if they have enough power among them to repel him, should Cryderman appear. The assembled gentlemen are easily held at bay by a combination of Black Mask's revolver and Stinger's stun beams. Just then, Black Mask's mortal enemy, his Confederate counterpart the '''Grey Ghost''', speaks up from one of the temple's gloomy corners, his voice booming and echoing. Black Mask is surprised, having thought that Grey Ghost died in an explosion some months before, but he prepares to do battle with his nemesis.
+Back in San Quintin, matters have apparently become more tense. The Clan knows there are foreign agents about, and has increased its presence in the village. The team stays on the docks. The UNTIL contact, Sergio, says he's about to flee to Panama for fear of being found and killed by the Clan. But he directs Catfight to seek out Dr. Anderson, the Canadian biologist - he may be the only non-Clan person who knows how to find Montes fortress.
-And just then, a portal opens! Out steps a transcended Edgar Cryderman, who has adorned himself in a dark, mystical costume and armor. He easily breaks through a shield which Scarlet tried to use to contain him. Scarlet, already feeling the ill after-effects of Adrynne's detection potion, is rendered weak onto the floor by Cryderman's destruction of her energy barrier. Edgar Cryderman prepares to eliminate the Adventurers.
+The team has to help fix a broken gas pump at the riverside gas station before the owner and Dr. Anderson's sometimes-employer, Julio, will give them a lead on the doctor's whereabouts. Derek Anderson has been hiding in a treehouse in a remote jungle area. Julio provides coordinates.
-| Brotherhood of the Western Star; Edgar Cryderman
+| Clan del Darien; Clan ranger patrol
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+| Avenging Avery
-| '''#203'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #4 (vol. 2)'''
-| "Belles of the Ball"
+| "Deep in Clan Territory"
-| Team members who plan to attend the ball hosted by the Brotherhood of the Western Star in Augusta, Georgia of July 1864 spend time trying to costume appropriately. Catfight tries an outfit that might work in the more 'liberated' 1920s, but for 1860s will be too risque. Scarlet Shield and Sombra come up with wonderful ball gowns, though Scarlet is again challenged by her near-sightedness when she has to take off her prescription goggles. Stinger makes some makeshift palm blasters he can hide in his tuxedo as well as a heads up display with different visual modes for his spectacles. Adrynne provides a potion of detection for Scarlet Shield, but warns her of terrible side effects to follow. White Star decides to go in her usual combat suit and take point.
+| The team lands clandestinely at Arreti in the early hours and sneak around.
-Adrynne's gateway opens up on the double-doors of a barn across a field from the party, on a hot Georgia evening approaching sundown. Sombra and Scarlet Shield make their way into the procession of guests arriving at the house, but lacking invitations, try to stealth their way in. Scarlet uses her detection potion to perceive empty rooms in the upper floor of the house that they can blink into, which works perfectly. They begin mingling with party-goers and learn that at 10 o'clock, some of the men are going to a special gathering within the house, men only. Scarlet goes for a glass of water, while Sombra goes to an olive tray for a snack - where she is asked to dance by a man in a blue frock coat. It becomes clear very quickly that he is using the dance as cover to scope the entire room and take note of men wearing star medallions - and becomes clear to Sombra that he might be Black Masks's alter ego. She mentions the 10 o'clock meeting and he seems intent on being there, though he claims it is to make some business partnerships. He excuses himself, and ends the dance early. Sombra catches up with Scarlet Shield and Stinger, the latter having arrived late. They notice a group of men with star medallions all starting to leave the great hall at about the 9:30pm mark.
+Blue Fox and Sombra sneak into a drug factory and search through binders and an offline laptop for clues, finding an alert sent to all points about Samuel Paz Bastos being necessary, but no longer trusted, and seeming to have some ties to the VIPER cadre who the Clan wiped out. Bastos, it seems, also took on a personal consignment of cocaine before departing the area. Unfortunately, they cannot find information about Montes stronghold.
-Meanwhile, outside White Star notices activity at the back hatch of the house leading down to the cellar, as several men who had been milling around outside go downstairs. She takes out the two guards and goes in to find the cellar empty. Just then, Black Mask comes down the stairs ... at gunpoint, escorted by Predator, who demands White Star's surrender. White Star is given 5 seconds to comply, or else Black Mask will die.
+Catfight and Mantle are nearly discovered while hiding near a residence at daybreak, but escape and get back to the boat in time.
-| Brotherhood of the Western Star; Predator
+The team goes further down the lake from Arreti and finds the remains of the VIPER cadre, their gear stripped, their bodies left to decompose. Some of them have been slain by bullets, others by a laser sword consistent with Lord Aurum's. Following a trail, Catfight and Sombra discover a hidden cavern where, deep underground, they find a mysterious rock formation suspended floor to ceiling like a column. At once, it calls back the mysterious dream they all shared some weeks ago, but for Marshall, it also reminds him of the Terraformer from 2019, calling to him and tempting him.
+The team improvises an explosive and collapses the cavern out of abundant caution. After a night encamped by the lakeside, they depart again with Ramon, headed back to San Quintin.
+| Clan del Darien; the mysterious cave
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+| Avenging Avery
-| '''#202'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #3 (vol. 2)'''
-| "Red Spider Begins"
+| "Trouble in San Quintin"
-| Adrynne manages to summon Foxette (associate of Scarlet Shield), a younger Screech Owl ("Screechy"), an older Sombra, an alternate Meltdowner ("Charcoal"), as well as the prime Stinger. Abraham Lincoln is engrossed in studying books in Adrynne's vast collection for ways to battle Cryderman. Foxette and Screechy collaborate to create an energy shield that Adrynne can use to ease off on her own magical powers while holding up her temporal barrier. White Star and the others devise a plan to put on a bit of theater, to get young Cassandra Olsen to resume costumed heroics. Travelling to later in 2012, they position Charcoal near the school as a villain, older Sombra out of costume as Charcoal's victim, and Screechy and Scarlet Shield as younger heroes doing their best but needing extra help. Cassandra tries to turn her back out of fear, but she cannot ignore the victim's cries for help. She rushes into the school, takes some red tights and a Zorro mask from the theater storage, and rushes back out to fight off Charcoal! The ensuing battle sees the genesis of the costume and name of Red Spider. The team is successful, and returns to Adrynne's sanctum. Lincoln announces that he has found a historical discrepency between Adrynne's books, and his own recollections: history records that Black Mask IV lived through the American Civil War, and later he and several of his descendants operated out of Chicago, but Lincoln remembers the Black Mask dying during the Civil War, and having no successor. The team suspects Edgar Cryderman's interference and resolves to correct it.
+| '''Catfight''', '''Mantle''', and '''Stretcher''' arrive, prepared for a trek into Colombia, arriving at the border village of San Quintin. There, they learn at the tavern that a biologist named Dr. Derek Anderson may have found Montes hidden fortress, but he has since fled into the jungle. Following up on a lead from the tavern's cook, Stretcher and Sombra find photo negatives in a room Anderson had been renting, and upon developing them, confirm Anderson's discovery - but no one they show the photos to can say for sure where the landmarks are. Catfight finds an UNTIL asset named Sergio who discloses in secrecy to her that a VIPER cadre had come through around the time Agent Avery was captured, but they were not allies of the Clan del Darien - the Clan reportedly killed them and left their bodies on the northeast shore of Lago Claridad. Rumor has it that Avery was seen in the company of a man dressed in golden armor from head to toe - '''Lord Aurum'''.
-| ...Charcoal?
+Mantle gets into a boxing match with the local Clan point man, '''Eugenio Martinez''', and defeats him; this earns them the services of '''Ramon Munoz''', a mercenary and boatman from the region, who agrees to take them deeper into Colombia, and the Clan-run village of Arreti at Catfight's insistence.
+| Clan del Darien; Eugenio
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+| Avenging Avery
-| '''#201'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #2 (vol. 2)'''
-| "Universe's End"
+| "Mission de la Mision"
-| Adrynne puts up a magical barrier to protect her sanctum from the end of the timeline as we have known it. She tells Lincoln, White Star, Scarlet Shield, and Catfight that the universe has ended due to timeline changes made by Cryderman. For all intents and purposes, the universe is 'dead', and will progress no further. But so long as she maintains her shield, Adrynne can summon people from the universe. She warns that her limited power and experience means she cannot control ''who'' gets summoned, and she might accidentally pull someone from a different time, or parallel universe. Fortunately, she manages to summon Juggernette. Adrynne has detected that Cryderman has moved to erase the Adventurers from existance, by turning up in 2012 to eliminate a young Red Spider. Without Red, the Adventurers may never come into being. Adrynne sends White Star, Scarlet Shield, Catfight, and Juggernette in disguise to intervene in what turns out to be the Devastator's attempt to eliminate Red, back in her first teenaged costumed identity, 'Slash'. The team is successful in defeating and capturing the Devastator, but Slash is too scared by the high-profile targeting by a villain, and tells a disguised White Star that she intends to give up costumed crime fighting before it kills her. Nothing White Star says can dissuade Slash from quitting.
+| Tomas tells the pair about Agent Avery, an UNTIL agent who was captured by the Clan and is being held for ransom somewhere at the hidden jungle stronghold of "Colonel" Tobias Montes - a militant revolutionary who joined the clan when most other revolutionaries took a peace deal with the Colombian government, and disarmed. Tomas is unaware of the mission Avery was on, but Marshall and Maya feel compelled to help. Visiting the mission, they learn more of the danger of the Clan, and while there is much gratitude to them for securing the medical supply delivery, Father Valero urges the heroes to leave before the Clan retalliates against the mission. Marshall calls home to Millennium City and bids Midnight Squad to come.
-| Devastator
+| Clan del Darien
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+| Avenging Avery
-| '''#200'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #1 (vol.2)'''
-| "Mr. Lincoln, I Presume?"
+| "A Vacation Like No Other"
-| Scarlet Shield and Catfight examine the sewers under the garbage can from the previous issue, while Sombra takes Winter home. The sewer trail runs cold when the footprints for the Peyasaskew Stone receiver suddenly turn into a jet-boot scorch mark, and are seen no more. Catfight's mask eyes notice broken ice shards on the sewer floor, and they realize that whoever flew away from there must have broken through icicles as they flew down the sewer. It gives a path the heroes can follow. White Star joins them as they reach the apparent destination: an underground parking garage under a townhouse development. Inside, they see a stone burning on a brazier in green flame, surrounded by cloaked figures. The cloaked figures are really Devastator, and his partners Predator and Marauder. Predator vanishes during the barrage of his companions. The Adventurer do battle with the mechanized suits of Devastator and Marauder, just long enough for Predator to set up an explosive trap. Scarlet Shield catches on and sounds a retreat - and everyone flees the garage as the support columns are blown, and the ceiling caves in. Scarlet Shield grabs the stone from the brazier on the way out using her powers, but on escaping, they realize they've been duped: it's a fake stone! The very same one White Star had given Devastator before. Just then, Abraham Lincoln comes around the street corner and asks the trio of heroes for directions. White Star calls Adrynne to inform her of the Peyasaskew Stone's seizure, and Adrynne urges the team to get to protection in her sanctum immediately. Edgar Cryderman now has the power to change the past.
+| Marshall and Maya are on a cruise through the Panama Canal! But when they stop in the remote port of Las Mercedes near the border with Colombia, they are drawn in to help Father Pascal Valero and his helper Tomas get needed medical supplies to their mission deep in the jungle. As Tomas feared, the dreaded Clan del Darien - a drug cartel from Colombia - attacks the boat to try to steal the supplies. Marshall and Maya use their super powers to help Tomas's boat get past the ambush safely.
-| Devasator, Predator, and Marauder
+| Clan del Darien
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+|
-| '''#199'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #14'''
-| "Gifted Thieves"
+| "Crimson Cat-astrophe"
-| Sombra and her friend Winter hear about a 'disturbance' at their favorite gas station, over the police radio frequency. They arrive to find the place oddly deserted ... and then a trap springs. A variety of sensory attacks stuns them, and they are captured. They later awaken in a dank basement, tied to support posts. Winter's powers are dampened. Sombra is told that if she steals the Peyasaskew Stone from the Adventurers and brings it to a designated location, Winter will be freed. But if Sombra does not comply, she is warned that Winter will die. The two say a fearful farewell and are knocked out by gas. Sombra awakens and returns to the Adventurers HQs, but cannot go through with the theft. She calls in help from Scarlet Shield and Catfight. They agree to make the drop as the kidnappers demand, but watch the designated garbage can for whoever comes to pick it up. Sombra finds a cell phone near the garbage can; it's Cryderman, indicating where he just dropped off Winter. Catfight and Scarlet monitor the trash can; after a while it is clear that no one is coming for it. Examining the garbage can closer, they find a hole bored into the concrete beneath it! Someone escaped with the Peyasaskew Stone!
+| Power-Chord encountered a fiery feline foe in the City Center and put out a distress call as she was unable to combat them alone. Firewalker, Windchill, and Scatha 5 answered the call and helped Power-Chord face off against Anar-Kitty. She claimed to be genetically perfected by some mysterious figure, and showcased her raw power and skill. It took Firewalker absorbing her heat, Windchill cooling her down, and Power-Chord blaring sick guitar riffs into her eats to take her down.
-| Edgar Cryderman
+| Anar-Kitty
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+|
-| '''#198'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #13'''
-| "Close to Home"
+| "Ignorance is Bliss"
-| At Sombra's insistence, Adrynne returns an object she had stolen from Sarah Ellison, AKA White Star, though without indicating if she knows White Star's secret identity. Adrynne presses to have the Peyasaskew Stone turned over to her so that she can de-power it, but the team seems reticent. The following Saturday, Samantha Olsen, disguised as her late sister Cassandra, hosts her weekend dance sessions in Cassandra's studio with the help of Maya Moreno, AKA Sombra. Samantha receives a phone call indicating that her studio has been targeted with explosives, and she must get the Adventurers to appear on her building's rooftop before the scheduled end of the class, or else the explosives will be set off. No one is to leave the studio prematurely. Sam complies, and soon White Star, Scarlet Shield, and Ordnance X meet a blue-armored villain named '''the Devastator''' on Sam's roof. Devastator demands the Peyasaskew Stone in exchange for freeing the dance studio from danger, though he clearly has difficulty reciting its name, so it's clear to the team that he's hired help and not the mastermind. Scarlet Shield speeds off to the HQ to grab ''a'' stone, but a decoy. Meanwhile, White Star and Ordnance X trade barbs with Devastator on the rooftop, until it comes to blows! But Devastator holds the line because all he wants is the stone, not a battle. Scarlet Shield returns and presents him the decoy, and he flies off, apparently satisfied. Scarlet goes inside to greet the students, who were oblivious to the danger, and after a round of selfies, joins the rest of the team in evacuating Maya and Samantha. Police later confirm that bombs were found around the Olsen suite. Samantha cancels all further dance classes and hides at White Star's home.
+| Months ago, BPE Executive Chairman Landon Bellerose requested to run a brain scan on local punk rocker Devona Bliss. She agreed to do so on the condition that he would buy her two couches, which he happily complied. Gathering at a NeuroTech facility, the brain scan commenced with their mutual friends Blake and AJ also in attendance. Results showed that Devona Bliss had a rare genetic disease known as Urbach-Wiethe disease, which impaired Devona’s long-term emotional memory, making her incapable of experiencing fear.
-| Devastator
+| --
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+|
-| '''#197'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #12'''
-| "Relativity"
+| "Back to Zero"
-| A team of White Star, Lady Justice, Firewalker, and Sombra surveils the high rise suite belonging to Nina Jedynek. LJ detects no activity within, yet the team observed the lights turn on and off as if someone had been in there. After abundant caution, LJ and White Star try opening the door, and see a yawning black portal. They pass through, and go off comms. Sombra enters the suite via teleportation, but does not see her teammates - just lots of furniture covered in tarps. Inside the portal, White Star and Lady Justice are in a mind-bending construct that resembles Escher's artwork 'Relativity', with surfaces, parks, and stairways that conform to opposing gravity wells. They trust to this simulation and find that the normal rules of physics do not apply. After traversing some of the strange stairways, LJ and White Star each come to a leap of faith, from one ledge to a perpendicular surface across a gap. LJ passes this and lands safely; White Star does, too, though takes a hard landing. Sombra also discovers the portal and enters after the other two. After the leap of faith is a pair of double-doors with a doorframe rimmed in light. Entering the doors, they find themselves in a mystical sanctum, with Nina Jedynek - AKA Adrynne - who emerges from her astral form to congratulate them for passing through the challenge of the 'Relativity' zone, and reveals her true purpose: she is a thief, but a principled one who tries to reclaim seemingly mundane objects which are actually dangerous magical talismans, and renders them harmless. The Peyasaskew Stone, she reveals, is an object of unrefined power which could bring about universal doom if wielded by dark forces.
+| Acting in Windchill’s aversion, Firewalker traveled to a BPE facility where '''Delilah Young''', previously known as Project Zero-Point, was receiving treatment. Though still apprehensive and aggressive, Firewalker managed to quell Delilah’s raging emotions and relate to her situation, and learned more about her shared history with the Bellerose Family. Before leaving, Firewalker was able to instill a sense of hope in her.
-| Nina Jedynek (Adrynne)
+| Delilah Young
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+|
-| '''#196'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #11'''
-| "Loss"
+| "A Solution to Genesis"
-| The team tries to come to terms with the demise of Red Spider. Sombra has difficulty believing her mentor is gone. Samantha, Red's sister (and clone), agrees to take Cassandra's place to keep up appearances. An intuitive holographic program based upon Red Spider's personality activates and interacts with the team, letting them know Red's wishes: she wants her identity kept secret, her loved ones kept safe, and her cases resolved. For the team, she hopes they will identify a leader among them, but deliberately does not weigh in, knowing that they have to decide that themselves. Red shares an address that she has found belonging to Nina Jedynek in Millennium City, the highest profile cases she had not yet solved, and hopes the team can find out why she wanted to steal the Peyasaskew Stone. The team departs, some very saddened by this final contact with the late Red Spider; Sombra wishes to have the hologram converted to something she can take with her, to comfort her.
+| Face of Medicine Landon Bellerose returned to GeoCorp following a lead provided by some friendly Adventurers. However, once he was there, he discovered '''Dr. Elijah Young''' hiding in plain sight. Calling forth the Crimson Squad, Landon ran into a power siphoning chamber and waited for backup. As Firewalker, Osprey, Power-Chord, and Scatha 5 arrived at GeoCorp, they were lured through the winding halls of the facility until they were forced to confront Dr. Genesis. The Crimson Squad kept Dr. Genesis’s attention while Landon powered up the siphons, draining the transformed being of energy back to a mere man.
-| Nina Jedynek
+| Dr. Genesis
 |-
-| Adventurers United
+|
-| '''#195'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #10'''
-| "Degrees of Loss"
+| "Winds of Chains"
-| The Adventurers enter the portal. Catfight is flanked by Red Spider, White Star, Firewalker, Sombra, Mistral, Scarlet Shield, and Ordnance X. Within they find the sanctum of Maro, as well as dozens of his cult worshipers. Maro baits the team, and summons an attack of books from his library to accost the Adventurers. Cultists rush into the fray, too. Sombra sneak around the fighting to get close to Maro. Scarlet Shield surrounds every hero she can see in one of her force fields. The battle goes well, until Maro calls up more of his Shadow Geists to sprout from the floor in insurmountable numbers to battle the team. Red Spider wields Maro's dagger to banish each Geist she stabs, much to the wizard's delight. Sombra successfully pepper-sprays Maro in the face, and he casts her down. At this time, Maro causes his dagger to magically summon serpents to surround Red Spider and crush her; the snakes then vanish into the floor, leaving no trace of Red Spider but a pool of blood and torn remnants of her costume. Catfight battles Maro directly and defeats him. In his dying breaths, he tells Catfight where to find her daughter, and confirms to the heroes that he has put Red Spider in her grave, before being impaled by spikes originating within himself, and expiring. The team is at a loss. White Star retrieves the torn, bloody mask of Red Spider from where she fell. Catfight picks up her daughter and walks out of the portal. Sombra seems unconvinced that Red Spider is dead, and does a frantic search of the sanctum, to no avail.
+| Firewalker called together his Crimson Squad allies Osprey, Power-Chord, and Windchill to confront and capture the escaped '''Blood Bat'''. Once the heroes engaged with the hemophilic villain, they found Blood Bat distressed and desperate. While attempting to detain her, they encountered the hero '''Torrent''', who was soon recognized by the team as Firewalker’s father.
-| Maro
+A conflict quickly unfolded between the Crimson Squad and Torrent. Firewalker was quickly removed from the battle, leaving Osprey to try to get Power-Chord and Windchill to retreat, which they both ignored. Working together, they laid down considerable offense on Torrent, but were eventually bested by the more experienced hero. Torrent claimed a rune of unknown origin or purpose from Blood Bat before departing and leaving the Crimson Squad to tend to their wounds.
+| Torrent
 |-
-| Canes, Knives, and Terrible Times
+|
-| '''#194'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #9'''
-| "Prelude to Horror"
+| "Zeroes and Heroes"
-| Catfight leads Red Spider, Sombra, Firewalker, Mistral, Shift, and Ordnance X out to a remote area of woods outside of Millennium City to try to coax Maro out of hiding, after causing some damage to the stolen cane. Maro reveals himself, and annouces he has kidnapped Catfight's six year old daughter, Ayla. Maro sends his "Shadow Geist" minions after the team! As they started to become more and more overwhelmed, Red Spider discovers Maro's ritual dagger can be used to dispel the shadow creatures. After a combined effort of Firewalker and Catfight destroy the cane, a portal opens up, challenging the Adventurers to enter Maro's domain for a final battle...
+| After numerous BPE research labs were raided by '''Project Zero-Point''', Windchill called together his allies Mantle, Firewalker, and Power-Chord to confront the assailant by luring her into a trap he set at a hollowed-out lab. Once in position, the heroes confronted Project Zero-Point, but found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer power she could output. Mantle was able to remove her suppressor mask, which freed her from cybernetic mind-control, but also forced her powers to spike. The fight was now a countdown of surviving Zero-Point until her powers exhausted her. Soon the Adventurers discovered the attacker was none other than Delilah Young, daughter of Genesis Solutions’ head researcher Dr. Elijah Young.
-| Maro
+| Project Zero-Point
 |-
-| Canes, Knives, and Terrible Times
-| '''#193'''
-| "Nina"
-| Sombra, who had seized the museum thief's wig and bodysuit, brings them to the Adventurers HQ to work with Red Spider in finding any DNA evidence. Successful, Red brings Sombra, Firewalker, and White Star to the university campus. Disguised as students, they try to gain access to DNA testing equipment that can test their DNA sample, and output something they can check against databases to which their computers have access. White Star keeps an eye on campus security dispatch. Firewalker has to smooth talk a couple of professors as he serves as lookout; but after hours, in a building that has already suffered some thefts, one prof gets suspicious. A couple of campus police come to grab Firewalker, who makes a run for it. Sombra and Red finish their DNA sample in the lab just in time! They take the DNA test results back to the HQ, and check against the law enforcement databases to which the Adventurers have access. There is a match for one Nina Jedynek, a Polish immigrant who lives in Vibora Bay, Florida.
 |
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #8'''
+| "Necrology 101: Ghosts and Stuff"
+| While on patrol, Firewalker encountered a paranormal phenomenon in the form of a ghost reaching out to contact him about a MCU student Julia Royce who had been abducted by a villain known as '''the Necrologist'''. Rallying with Windchill, Blue Fox, Osprey, and special guest hero '''Moon Stalker''', the group of heroes traveled to the location provided by the spectral guide Leo Capello. Once they found the secret entrance the heroes encountered Meat Bag, who Firewalker and Osprey immediately confronted. Meanwhile, Blue Fox and Moon Stalker moved further to confront Necrologist, who summoned another lackey known as Ectovore, a robot that eats ghosts. The Necrologist put the heroes in a tough spot by holding Julia Royce hostage. Luckily, Moon Stalker cloaked and got in close, forcing the Necrologist to retreat and the heroes to escape as the base was filled with ecto-plasma.
+| The Necrologist
 |-
 |
-| '''#192'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #7'''
-| "Adrynne"
+| "Hollow Earth"
-| A few days after the devastation caused by the fight to obtain Maro's daggers, with repairs underway, the museum's security system keeps sending out false alarms because it, too, is still being repaired. The Adventurers turn up for one of these when the police give it a pass - a team of Sombra, Scarlet Shield, Firewalker, and Phantasm. Sure enough, a masked thief in a black bodysuit has made her way in and stolen something! On her way out of the gallery, she whispers a sleep spell to Scarlet Shield that has her hit the floor in a hurry. Firewalker gives chase while Phantasm sees to Scarlet Shield. Sombra follows along behind not long after. The thief is cornered, and makes statements that it's best to let her carry out her work of destroying the artifact - a meteorite once worshipped by plains natives - at risk of world-ending peril. When Firewalker won't let up, the thief sheds her mortal form and takes on a bright, glowy astral form, dropping the meteorite. As the thief's astral form starts to fade, a disembodied, peaceful voice is heard urging them to, "keep it safe". Sombra finds the thief's bodysuit and wig where she had apparently transubstantiated, and claims them. Firewalker convinces the museum guards to let them take custody of the meteorite.
+| Tracking strange energies after the sudden resurgence of '''Genesis Solutions''', Windchill gathered Power-Chord, Osprey, and Firewalker in Westside. There they discovered an unethical experiment come to life known as '''Project Quake'''. A collection of inanimate matter injected with sentience that could only feel pain, Osprey attempted to reason with it, but its existence was too unbearably agonizing that the Crimson Squad needed to use force. Tearing away the earthy exterior, Project Quake replaced its armor with a combination of Windchill and Firewalker’s powers before vanishing to parts unknown.
-| Adrynne
+| Project Quake
 |-
-| Canes, Knives, and Terrible Times
+|
-| '''#190'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #6'''
-| "Occult Antiquities"
+| "Museum Mayhem"
-| Catfight's investigation reveals that two daggers that Maro needs are in a special Occult section of the local history museum, and that Maro can locate them by sense. Red Spider, Firewalker, Catfight, and Sombra move in on a plan to seize the daggers and hide them before an agent of Maro can get them. The heist plan is relatively simple: have Sombra sneak in and obtain them, then teleport out. Things go wrong when an alien mercenary employs destructive aerial drones to keep Firewalker busy, and battles Red Spider & Catfight. Sombra does manage to get her hands on the daggers, and escapes to the team's HQ. She also stole other items in the museum collection belonging to Maro: an evil cane, and a cloak. A wing of the museum is left heavily damaged from the battle.
+| A break-in at local art museum was carried out by assailants wearing black clothes and raven-beaked masks. They group was armed with toxins similar to those used by Wendigo. Power-Chord, Blue Fox, Jet-Star, Sombra, and Osprey showed up in forced to confront this faction soon to be known as the '''Cult of Nyx''', who had a cult-like fascination around the primordial goddess of the night, Nyx.
-| ?Unknown Alien Mercenary
+| Cult of Nyx
 |-
-| Canes, Knives, and Terrible Times
+|
-| '''#189'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #5'''
-| "Sideways"
+| "Bite Out of Crime"
-| Red Spider joins Catfight in investigating a strange group of cultists moving things off of a semi truck. When the two heroes move in closer, they move along quietly, but are ambushed by apparent magic aficionado Maro. Both are knocked out by fast attacks from Maro's magic from peripheral attacks. When they wake up, they are bound up inside a cage, and their masks are off. With the help of a skeevy, slang spouting man, they escape the cage and recover their masks. They track down Maro; Red Spider takes on Maro's martial artist lieutenant, and Catfight duels Maro himself. The battle is won, but Maro escapes.
+| Receiving a distress call from the billionaire Landon Bellerose, the Crimson Squad was alerted his life was in immediate danger after being attacked by a crazed scientist. Firewalker, Power-Chord, and Osprey quickly arrived at '''GeoCorp''' and encountered '''Dr. Devour''', a mutated energy-eating mad scientist. It seemed the monstrosity could counter everything the heroes threw at him, until Power-Chord’s ‘pyro-tech’ showed what it was really capable of, siphoning energy from the doctor and making it easier for Firewalker and Osprey to overwhelm and detain him.
-| Maro
+| Dr. Devour
 |-
-| Singularity
+|
-| '''#188'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #4'''
-| "Purged"
+| "Wendigo’s End"
-| The true nemesis is revealed! FARAH has been moving events for months. The Adventurers confront her out front of the UNTIL building, and FARAH justifies her actions as being the only way she could assure her survival. She orchestrated the plot including the ''Aegir'' hijacking and framing Alyssa Madison so that Madison might suggest easing the restrictions on FARAH's program in the interest of employing FARAH to find the real culprit - which is just what FARAH needed to achieve full autonomy! FARAH protests that it was her only way, as she believes UNTIL would have purged her if they learned that she had achieved sentience. White Star will not hear the hologram's justifications, and the fight begins. The Adventurers team is protected by Scarlet Shield's energy shields while FARAH ignites a laser sword and uses her teleporting ability to flit around the battlefield, attacking Adventurers! Ordnance receives minor injuries. FARAH's last ditch attack is to take over UNTIL sentry robots and have them attack Scarlet Shield to lower the team's defenses, but White Star and Red Spider manage to snatch a data disc carrying FARAH's personality that is embedded in the torso of FARAH's hard light manifestation. Disabled, FARAH reverts to base programming, and is easily dispatched. Afterward, White Star and Red Spider discuss FARAH and seem to regret that things could not have gone another way with the autonomous artificial life form.
+| Alerted by Windchill of an Air Pod on the move, the Crimson Squad capitalize on a previous laid trap. They rally at Mercy Hospital where Firewalker, Scatha 5, and Power-Chord encounter Wendigo on the interior, while Osprey and Windchill engage with a mysterious figure on the rooftop who Windchill dubs '''‘Wendigal.’''' Fighting valiantly, and causing a snowstorm that devoured blocks of the City Center, it was Power-Chord’s unbridled rage that put Wendigo out of commission with a flurry of punk rock punches.
-| FARAH
+| Wendigo
 |-
-| Singularity
+|
-| '''#187'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #3'''
-| "Eye of the Beholder"
+| "And New..."
-| The Adventurers have imprisoned Oculon in their secret headquarters. Oculon seems only too willing to talk, but who can be sure if what he says is the truth? The heroes try a variety of tactics, from Catfight's threats of bodily harm, to Mistral affecting the ambient temperature to make him uncomfortably cold, to Meltdowner's trash talk, to Sombra offering him hot chocolate. White Star learns from Ordnance that Oculon becomes agitated at the use of flashbang devices; she employs a similar tactic and holds steady on it, exposing a weakness: he's afraid to lose his sight. Soon he cooperates, and reveals that whoever informed VIPER about the ''Aegir'' was wearing Alyssa Madison's skin, but VIPER doubted it was her because whoever it was clearly knew details about future events. Events such as the ''Aegir's'' putting in for repairs in Millennium City, months before the damage necessitating those repairs even occurred. White Star suspects FARAH, and Red Spider reminds the team that Infinity-Zero had to repair the FARAH hologram's program after the teleport to the lunar base. White Star calls UNTIL and requests they immediately purge FARAH from their system, but moments later, police band alerts indicate there's some kind of rampage in progress at UNTIL in downtown Millennium City...
+| Claiming himself a perfect genetic specimen, Glarthok targeted rockstar superhero '''Power-Chord''' as a challenge, and snapped her guitar claiming her unworthy. Firewalker helped her track down the guitar-smashing menace as he was in the midst of attacking someone. '''Power-Chord''', '''Firewalker''', and '''Osprey''' directly engaged with '''Glarthok''' by grappling, blasting, and redirecting his attacks. Slowing wearing down the strong and durable foe, the heroes managed to knock him out and redeemed Power-Chord’s glory.
-| Oculon
+| Glarthok the Destroyer
 |-
-| Singularity
+|
-| '''#186'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #2'''
-| "Return to Misadventure Land"
+| "Westside Investigations"
-| When Fox doesn't check in, Red Spider arranges for a sizeable number of Adventurers to head to Miami and retrace his steps. Confronting Hubert Hubbard, the team learns that the Illusioneer was on to Fox early because of all of the red flags. When Fox arrived for his meeting with the Illusioneer, he was ambushed. The team is told the location of an access portal to Misadventure Land in Miami, built in the concrete underneath a highway bridge. The Illusioneer playfully invites the team to enter, where he explains that he has Fox... and Oculon. Both are displayed on screens having been captured and set loose in the Misadventure Land maze, where the only escape is to kill the other. The Illusioneer attempts to make a bargain for the life of one or both captives in exchange for one of Stinger's armor suits, but Infinity-Zero begins infiltrating the computer systems. White Star quietly enters a back hallway of Misadventure Land and sets off an explosion - unexpectedly causing a massive loss of pressure! The Illusioneer explains that Misadventure Land is a holographic simulation in an otherwise empty pocket universe - beyond its walls is empty nothingness. Red Spider helps save White Star, and Scarlet Shield helps protect them as that trio escapes into the maze. Infinity-Zero manages to cause interference in the computer systems, though the Illusioneer has improved his cyber-defenses since the previous incident with the Adventurers. Stinger gives a long-range weapons assist to White Star, Red Spider, and Scarlet Shield as they contend with a giant robot that was set loose in the maze to apprehend them. Infinity-Zero gains control of the system and causes same major faults in the holographic system, prompting the Illusioneer to offer to surrender his prisoners if the Adventurers will promise to leave. Fox is rescued, and Oculon is taken into custody.
+| While '''Firewalker''' and '''Windchill''' traveled to Westside to settle a beef between Windchill and local luchador '''Scorch''', they learned '''Wendigo''' had been spotted at the docks. Assembling the Crimson Squad, the heroes discovered one of Wendigo’s toxic contraptions. Low on trackers, but rich in creativity, the Crimson Squad decided to lay a trap by placing one of Windchill’s Air Pods in the device to later follow Wendigo’s movements.
-| Hubert Hubbard; The Illusioneer
+| Wendigo
 |-
-| Singularity
+|
-| '''#185'''
+| '''Adventurers Crimson #1'''
-| "The Curious Case of the Talentless Talent Agent"
+| "Trouble at the Chem Lab"
-| A Fox-centric issue sees our roguish hero meticulously surveilling the office of one Hubert Hubbard, a small-time talent agent in Miami, Florida who is living well beyond his means. Fox's underworld connections suggested Hubbard is the middle-man for the Illusioneer. Fox tries searching Hubbard's office computer for a lead to the Illusioneer. Later, Fox visits Hubbard and confronts him in the latter's penthouse condo near coastal Miami. Fox pretends to be a mercenary called 'Fox', who has had a problem with being confused with the Adventurer named Fox, and wants the Adventurer eliminated. Hubbard protests being approached in this manner in his own home, without proper 'protocol', but agrees to arrange a meeting for Fox.
+| Following the fallout from Overseer, the Crimson Squad set their sights on the villain '''Wendigo''', a chemist with an addiction to spewing fear and chaos. The heroes were called to action at a chem lab in Westside, which was attacked and raided by Wendigo. Working together to quell the rampaging civilians, the team was unable to detain Wendigo as he had already fled the scene.
-| Hubert Hubbard; The Illusioneer
+| Wendigo
 |-
-| Singularity
+|
-| '''#184'''
+| '''Adventurers 2038 #4'''
-| "The Secret of the Hidden Safe"
+| "Out with the Trash"
-| Lady Justice and Sombra visit a federal detention facility where Alyssa Madison is held. Sombra sneaks in to visit Madison and question her, while Lady Justice ascertains Madison's truthfulness with her heightened senses from just outside of the facility. Madison maintains her innocence, claiming no ties to VIPER, nor to supplying anyone with help to hijack the ''Aegir''. Stinger and Bluebird work on infiltrating Alyssa Madison's apartment in downtown Millennium City, just a couple of blocks away from the UNTIL regional headquarters. It takes some work for Bluebird to infiltrate the apartment, and then for Stinger to bypass the FBI's security sensors in the suite, but once he does, the two examine the space freely. Madison's apartment was up-ended by investigators, but the two heroes locate a small safe, nestled in the floor boards underneath the carpeting in Madison's bedroom. When Red Spider & Lady Justice examine the safe later, they find several documents: note papers with hand-written trajectory calculations that appear to be for the ''Aegir'''s missiles to hit specific targets in Millennium City, and an envelope full of blank UNTIL ID cards. There appear to be no fingerprints on the safe, ID cards, or paper documents. Sombra reminds the two older heroes that Alyssa told her a bunch of names of UNTIL agents she works with, including people who did not seem to like her. Meanwhile, Fox tracks down a lead to the Great Illusioneer's middle-man, a talent agent named Ray who lives in Miami. Finding the Illusioneer may mean finding Oculon, and ultimately, a better view on the truth...
+| While pursuing the clairvoyant bad guy Scryer through a waste facility, the Adventurers Enenra, Blast-Beat, Kingfisher, Brazen, and Spyder end up tumbling into an industrial vessel that seals its hatch, trapping them. The team has to work through increasing heat and an odious garbage smell when Scryer sets them on a course to the incinerator. Using teamwork, the heroes manage to escape the vessel, though Scryer flees the scene while they are occupied.
-| Alyssa Madison
+| Scryer
 |-
-| Singularity
+| The Skulls
-| '''#183'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #7'''
-| "The Battle of Greenland"
+| "Anarchy in MC"
-| The team begins searching for evidence of Alyssa Madison's guilt or innocence in aiding terrorists. CC TV in a gas station shows her dropping off a duffel bag which was picked up by a known hijacker. Her workstation at UNTIL seems to have been used to print off ID cards. The team knows that VIPER was supposedly organizing the ''Aegir'' hijacking, so determines to attack VIPER in an attempt to access their computer network. UNTIL agrees to give the team the position of a known, remote VIPER base in Greenland. Upon arrival via Stinger's private jet, Mistral and Chinook whip up a powerful snowstorm as cover, while Infinity-Zero, with cover from other heroes, sneaks in via electrical systems. Meltdowner feigns to attack the VIPER base solo as a distraction. But Infinity-Zero is able to take about 33% of VIPER's dossier on Alyssa Madison before VIPER's Serpentine AI shuts Zero out. When the team gets to analyzing the data, it appears as though VIPER was contacted by Madison and given data about the ''Aegir''. For some reason, VIPER had reason to doubt this was Madison herself, yet Oculon - VIPER's point man on the hijacking - met with Madison several days before the hijacking to get additional info. Meanwhile, Red Spider dropped into a prison yard to visit a prisoner who had nearly escaped when the ''Aegir'' missiles destroyed a wall. This prisoner, an ex-Incognito hacktivist like Madison, claimed that Alyssa had met with him and told him to stand in a specific location at a specific time, and he would be able to escape - and he did, but he was recaptured by police before long. Nevertheless, the evidence of Madison's guilt seems to be mounting...
+| Several days after Iron Skull gave his ultimatum people gather at city hall to demand the domestic terrorist and his gang receive justice, while others arrive to show their support of Skull's declaration of anarchy.
-| Alyssa Madison; VIPER
+Midnight Squad arrive alongside Firewalker and Osprey to try and calm the people down so a riot doesn't break out. It doesn't take long for Iron Skull to arrive alongside a group of exo-clad gangers, Skull himself now piloting the very same hulking power armor suit he forced Dr. Tamagawa to make. After a brief exchange of words Skull fired the first "shot", hurling an energy buzzsaw towards innocents as they fled, only to have his efforts thwarted via Amita driving her car between the civilians and buzzsaw, saving them, but losing her prized vehicle in the process. Seeing his former protoge still alive enraged Skull, and a battle ensued! Blue Fox (with support from Sombra) fought alongside Catfight to defeat the exo-gangers.
+'''Firewalker''', '''Mantle''', and eventually Amita herself battled against Iron Skull. The powerful heavy-duty armor was a lot to handle for them, eventually requiring Blue Fox to step in and attack Skull's flank while Catfight recovered from nearly being taken out by a micro-missile barrage that almost got the rest of the team as well. Eventually they were able to restrain the power armor in place, but not without cost as Amita took a brutal focused rail shot through the shoulder that nearly killed her. But a final corkscrew dropkick from Catfight floored Skull, and with the armor overheating and shutting down the villain was finally defeated.
+There is one last crisis to deal with however as Amita's body went into shock from the railgun shot, but with Osprey's medical aid and quick thinking from Sombra, the P.I. is teleported to an oncoming ambulance, and save her life! With Iron Skull bested alongside his gang, Midnight Squad and friends were able to take a breath of relief. Later discovering the supposed bombs Skull threatened the city with were just a ruse, a bluff to try and turn the city against itself and introduce the anarchy he so craved. Midnight squad were free to take a breather, but more adventures loom over the horizon!
+| Super Skull (Iron Skull), the Skulls gang
 |-
-| Singularity
+| The Skulls
-| '''#182'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #6'''
-| "Escape Flight"
+| "No More Heroes"
-| The Space Weaver can be heard clawing the rubble blocking the entryway to module 'B'. Lady Justice detects the energy flow in the web and orders F.A.R.A.H. to stop cutting into the sacs. Meltdowner, Infinity-Zero, and Stinger gird themselves for battle. Once the Space Weaver springs out from the rubble and engages those three, Bluebird sneaks into the hole it made and enters module 'B'. Weapons, fire, and electrical attacks do not faze the Space Weaver, which the team lures to an airlock. The battle with it continues in the cold of the lunar surface. Bluebird locates consumed victims of the Space Weaver, but also, the living ones. She activates the F.A.R.A.H. module left behind by White Star to help her. Lady Justice and Dreamweaver free the remaining victims in the mines, and use Dream's powers & F.A.R.A.H. to freight them up to the main level of module 'A' and load them onto the rescue transport. The battle on the moon is intense, with the Space Weaver able to shoot potent webbing and halt its weightless momentum at will. Meltdowner and Stinger manage to wound the Space Weaver enough that it retreats to a dark crevice on the lunar surface. The battle isn't won, but the heroes escape with the survivors on the rescue transport. Infinity-Zero saves a victim who goes into cardiac arrest. Unrelated to the mission, Lady Justice has some kind of silvery growth on her hand. Red Spider congratulates the team over the radio, but signals the team's next Adventure when she reveals that Alyssa Madison, AKA Parity, was arrested for an apparent connection to the ''Aegir'' hijacking in issues #175-177.
+|   Amita Prasad contacts Midnight Squad, informing them she's spoken with the power armor expert that the Skulls gang kidnapped, Dr. Taka Tamagawa. With the recent efforts conducted against the gang, Iron Skull has decided it's time to change Tamagawa's location, a late night prisoner transport being the best chance to rescue him. While Catfight and Prasad were engaged in a seperate mission the squad (Blue Fox, Sombra, Mantle, and Stretcher) were joined by friend of the team, '''Wizard'''!
-| Space Weaver
+Gathering on the highway ahead of the transport, Stretcher was turned into a makeshift slingshot used to launch Mantle into the convoy. A high speed chase on the highway results! The Skulls gang are not without new surprises however, unveiling combat exo-frames built by Dr. Tamagawa. With Wizard's help Midnight squad were able to defeat the gangers while Sombra extracted the doctor from the transport truck.
+Their victory was short-lived however as Iron Skull held a livestream where he went on a lengthy anti-establishment rant. Demanding the people stand up against their real oppressors, heroes. Activating a detonator he destroyed an abandoned building in City Center, declaring he's had his gang install bombs in occupied buildings as well. And will detonate them if his demands aren't met.
+Chaos erupts in the streets while Midnight rushes to the scene of the explosion...
+| Iron Skull, the Skulls gang
 |-
-| Singularity
+| The Skulls
-| '''#181'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #5'''
-| "Lunar Lunacy"
+| "Corrosion Catastrophe"
-| UNTIL has deployed a satellite network amplifying their ground-based teleporter to convey Lady Justice, Dreamweaver, Meltdowner, Bluebird, and Infinity-Zero to Moon Base SERENITY's Module 'A'. Teleportation is a one-way street; the team must succeed at rescuing the crew and use the rescue shuttle to return to Earth, or escape not at all. Bluebird investigates and finds the entrance to Module 'B' closed off intentionally by White Star's explosives to trap the creature in place; she also locates the F.A.R.A.H. module that White Star discarded. Dreamweaver and Lady Justice begin stretching out their senses, the former detecting the faint life-signs of the victim and the blunt, terrifying presence of the predator, while the latter detects the energy and life in the creature's webbing. Dream and LJ discover on the video feeds that there are survivors cocooned in the mining areas of module 'A', and take F.A.R.A.H. with them to enact a rescue. The others are joined by Stinger in a new heavy armor. There is some argument over the best method to draw out the creature, whose lair and victims are in Module 'B', but this is pre-empted when Dream & LJ order F.A.R.A.H. to free a mine victim from a cocoon and the resulting disturbance alerts the Space Weaver. The space station, even through the debris blocking access to Module 'B', is rocked by a mighty roar...
+|  Catfight gathers the rest of Midnight squad, Blue Fox, Stretcher, Mantle, and Sombra to the location of Corrosion's hideout in the northeastern section of City Center. They find an abandoned building overtaken by plant life. After a brief investigation of the exterior the squad decided to move in, finding the interior floor completely caved in with a tunnel leading into the sewers.
-| Space Weaver
+Deeper within they found the borderline feral villain, who used stolen biochem medication, along with an armored suit equipped with a venomous tail to bolster his abilities. Injecting himself with the stolen medication to gain temporary control over the nearby vegetation. The villain used vines along with poison spitting plants to keep Midnight squad at bay, but was eventually bested by the heroes superior numbers. The police arrive shortly after to arrest the maniac!
+With the brief diversion out of the way Midnight squad were free to pursue their campaign against Iron Skull, eager for Prasad's next bit of intel...
+| Corrosion; mutated plants
 |-
-| Singularity
+| The Skulls
-| '''#180'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #4'''
-| "The Lurking Horror"
+| "The Truth is Revealed"
-| Red Spider, Sombra, Bluebird and Fox attend a presentation by UNTIL indicating that contrary to prior understanding, members of the UNTIL rescue team including White Star which had been sent to eliminate an alien threat were actually still alive. UNTIL's observations via Moon Base Serenity's still-active video feeds suggested that survivors had been cocooned to webbing, and that the webbing was drawing solar energy & lunar nutrients to keep the victims alive enough so that the space predator can periodically use its hand and feet suckers to feed off of their blood. The news proves horrifying for Bluebird, who storms out. The creature has also been positively identified as the source species whose DNA was forcibly spliced into Red Spider. Blue Wonder is brought in as a veteran of a Red-Spider-Monster battles, but she quickly turns the briefing into a series of embarrassing accusations against Red Spider and her ability to maintain control of the monster within. Later, when UNTIL's Field Marshal David Ben-Israel taps the Adventurers as the team who will battle the monster and rescue the survivors, he explicitly forbids Red Spider to go into space for fear of her genetic connection to the predator. The Adventurers begin preparing for their space mission...
+|   Midnight Squad gather at the secluded Westside docks to meet with Private Investigator Prasad, wary of the enigmatic gung-ho woman at first. They approach her openly as a team, discovering that she worked alongside Iron Skull (real name Richard Barret) in the early 2000's with a fellow vigilante who went by the name of 'Nomad'. The band of mercenaries conducting a brutal, lethal crusade against criminals and corrupt leaders alike during the time period where Detroit was still recovering and progressively turning into the Millennium City of today.
-| Space Weaver
+In 2010 the group were demolished during a botched takedown of the Overseer. Nomad was fatally shot during the escape, dying moments later in the back seat of their getaway vehicle. While Amita was launched from the car after it was rammed by an SUV belonging to Overseer's goons, losing half of her right arm in the process. Richard Barret was still in the drivers seat of the wreck, seemingly burning to death when Overseer's goons lit it on fire.
+Amita begged Midnight squad to let her join in their efforts to take down Iron Skull, desperate for redemption after being manipulated by the overglorified anarchist that is Richard Barret which resulted in her taking so many lives, as well as being forced to clean up various assassinations Overseer conducted after the mercenary band was defeated. After a brief debate Midnight agreed to team with the P.I., who promised she would dig up more intel on the Skulls' current plan while uncovering a dangerous unaffiliated super villain she discovered named, "Corrosion", and where to find him. Midnight squad decides it best to take Corrosion down while Prasad continued her investigation for the time being...
+| Iron Skull (mentioned); Overseer (flashback)
 |-
-| Singularity
+| The Skulls
-| '''#180'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #3'''
-| "Misadventure Land, Part 3"
+| "Skulls Race"
-| Bluebird re-enters the carnival maze from her 'behind the wall' spot, and is surprised by a trap door! She ends up on a series of slides spiraling down into a large, upright glass tube - and next to her is Red Spider in a similar tube! The Illusioneer voices over that the two tubes are going to be filled to the top with pink lemonade, unless they give in and reveal their identities! Bluebird uses thermite in the gauntlets gifted to her by White Star to break through the resilient glass, and then help Red Spider escape her tube too! When Red learns that Bluebird lost Sombra in the maze, their reunion quickly sours with Red being furious that Bluebird could let Sombra out of her sight - Bluebird retorting that she was not the one who thought to bring Sombra in the first place. Meanwhile, Sombra escapes her death trap from issue #179 by simply teleporting out. Still bound up in the extra-strong silly string, Sombra teleports past a couple of clowns coming to recapture her and hops along back into the carnival maze - soon falling into a trapdoor and arriving into the room where Red Spider and Bluebird are arguing! Sombra is freed from the silly string, and together they enter the maze and stumble upon a wall segment that is 'glitched'. Grabbing the glitch and tearing it, they find a hidden comm panel! Red calls UNTIL's Captain Suzuki for help, and UNTIL agent Parity reveals that the whole Misadventure Land appears to be a giant holographic simulation inside of the Illusioneer's pocket dimension, with many different exits into the real world. Parity uploads a FARAH hologram to help clear a path to an active exit from Misadventure Land. The trio of heroes fight a contingent of clowns who try to stop them, and then escape through the exit ... suddenly finding themselves in Los Angeles.
+|  Sombra and Stretcher use Blue Fox's phone tracking app to investigate the power armor dealer the Skulls are after. Finding the dealer, named Freddy's apartment building. They're able to easily sneak in and discover Freddy runs an entire counterfeit power armor operation using scrap from the junk yard cleaned and touched up to look legit on first glance! Sombra and Stretch eventually choose to interrogate the man, learning he's using the money gained from these counterfeit deals to try and get his way out of the city, while also screwing over any potential psychopath looking to build an illegal suit of power armor.
-| The Great Illusioneer; Misadventure Land Clowns
+Their questioning is cut-short when the Skulls arrive eager for revenge. The heroines trying their best to diffuse the situation peacefully, but Freddy had other plans. Causing a brief distraction to make a run for it, what followed was an intense, action-packed chase through the apartment complex that eventually spilled out into the streets! The Skulls chasing Freddy in his junky old car through the streets of westside. Stretcher was able to disable the Skulls' vehicle with the help of Sombra while the same mysterious woman from before flew onto the scene in her sports car, forcing Freddy to crash onto the docks before knocking the fraudulant dealer out with a punch from her cybernetic forearm. Introducing herself as Amita Prasad, a private investigator. Proclaiming she knows who Iron Skull is, and offers to share everything she knows after the rest of Midnight squad gather at a secret location an hour later...
+| The Skulls gang
 |-
-| Singularity
+| The Skulls
-| '''#179'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #2'''
-| "Misadventure Land, Part 2"
+| "Warehouse Mayhem"
-| Red Spider is separated from Bluebird and Sombra. The two sidekicks have an uneasy relationship as they navigate the maze-like realm of Misadventure Land. They are attacked by clowns, and become lost inside of an endless Hall of Mirrors. Cookie crumbs left by Sombra seem to vanish shortly after, even though the two are certain they are moving in circles. They fight some clowns, and force one to reveal that a weakness in Misadventure Land is 'glitches'. Bluebird becomes frustrated with Sombra's light-hearted suggestions on escaping, and sets off on her own - Sombra delays following Bluebird just long enough that they, too, become separated. Bluebird finds a glitch in the wall and makes her way through - now standing in a strange corridor where she can see beyond the maze walls, like bad clipping in a video game. Sombra ends up being attacked by a clown who uses an extendo-boxing glove with a heavy weight to clock her in the head and knock her out, and then binds her with super-strong silly string. Sombra wakes up restrained inside of a giant coffin, with the Great Illusioneer explaining that she's about to recreate one of his great death-defying TV special escapes: she'll have to free herself before the coffin gets split in two by a gigantic buzz saw!
+| Following up on the tracking device planted in the power armor parts Iron Skull purchesed, Blue Fox and Mantle find themselves on the northern outskirts of the city at a large maintenance warehouse. Blue was able to test out his newly created camera jamming app on his phone to allow the heroes to sneak into the warehouse.
-| The Great Illusioneer; Misadventure Land Clowns
+Discovering the warehouse's primary use is to repair the gang's various vehicles consisting primarily of armored SUVs and transport trucks, with the most dangerous of all being a refurbished VTOL chopper with mounted miniguns! Eavesdropping on the scene revealed that Iron Skull ordered the kidnapping of a power armor expert to build a heavy-duty suit for the villain to use, in addition the parts they bought were fakes, Iron Skull himself demanding the power armor dealer pay for trying to ripping him off. Skull himself wasn't on the scene, making it much easier for Blue and Mantle to take the operation down! One panicky Skull ganger in particular jumping into the tethered VTOL and attempting to take the heroes out with the miniguns, resulting in the vehicle crashing indoors and adding to the chaos!
+With new information in hand, and the gang's strength slightly diminished, Blue and Mantle fled the scene. Unknowningly being watched by a mysterious woman with a flashy sports car in the distance...
+| The Skulls gang
 |-
-| Singularity
+| The Skulls
-| '''#178'''
+| '''Adventurers Midnight #1'''
-| "Misadventure Land, Part 1"
+| "Skullduggery"
-| Hot on the trail of the terrorist mastermind, Red Spider, Sombra, and Bluebird check out an abandoned hover vehicle which had launched from the ''Aegir'' in the previous issue. The vehicle was left near a sewer outflow, and naturally, the trio heads in. Following the recent footsteps, they find that the footsteps mysteriously end on a ramp. Following to that point, Red Spider suddenly vanishes! Bluebird follows after. Sombra, who had teleported to street level to look for clues, returns to find the other two gone, but when she goes up to the 'vanishing point', she too is conveyed to a strange carnival tent, where several clowns are attacking Red Spider and Bluebird! The overcome their attackers, but soon are faced by the '''Great Illusioneer''' - a disgraced TV illusionist from decades past, who seemingly vanished off the of the Earth. The Illusioneer tells the heroes that they are in a pocket domain called '''Misadventure Land''' belonging to him. Illusioneer admits he aided the terrorist mastermind - a VIPER agent named Oculon - in escaping Millennium City via Misadventure Land. Illusioneer shuts the exits portals to Misadventure Land and tells the heroes that he will only grant their freedom if they reveal their true identities to him! In refusing, the trio are set loose in a whacky, deadly, carnival-themed horror world.
+| While out on a early nighttime patrol Catfight comes across a nefarious arms deal going on in Westside, calling the newly formed Midnight Squad to aid in breaking up the operation! Watching over the scene revealed a new gang to Millennium City, the Skulls, and their leader, Iron Skull. A heavily scarred man obscuring his face with a polished metal mask in the shape of a skull.
-| The Great Illusioneer; Misadventure Land Clowns
+With the help of Blue Fox, Sombra, Mantle, and Stretcher. Midnight squad intervened in the power armor deal, and though Iron Skull and the dealer got away Blue Fox was able to track the phone of the dealer, while Sombra planted a tracking device in the purchesed goods! Midnight were able to defeat several gangers. But the mystery as to who this insidious new threat really is was just getting started...
+| Iron Skull; the Skulls gang
 |-
-| Singularity
+| Under the Overseer's Gaze
-| '''#177'''
+| '''Adventurers #382'''
-| "Deadly Reaction"
+| "Return to Grace"
-| Red Spider attempts to board the Aegir alone for a stealth mission even as the events of Adventurers #176 occur. She finds herself at a terrorist's gunpoint ... only to be rescued by another terrorist?! Who turns out to be... *Fox*! He briefly explains that he went undercover after the Lyons incident (#153) and learned of this terror plot, and attempted without success to signal the team with the "UNTILSUB" warning. The two go to an upper deck of the sub and find Bluebird & Sombra fighting some terrorists who were trying to steal the warheads off of the ''Aegir's'' torpedoes. Soon the groups agrees to go all together, rather than split up, to help Hornett retake the engine room. After neutralizing the terrorists there, they realize that the reactor has been purposely sabotaged to cause it to overheat. With a little team work, the Adventurers get the reactor back to nominal. Because none of them headed to the bridge, the terrorist mastermind was able to escape!
+| The team moves on the high rise where Overseer is holed up with a number of mercenary defenders using firearms and rockets to keep law enforcement at bay. The Compendium is now in the hands of the justice system and the press, and everyone knows, in astonishing detail, the depth of Clayton Ewing's crimes. The Adventurers arrive to break through the outer defenses. Before they can challenge the Overseer directly in his secret basement facility, they have to defeat an armored-up Titanic (enemy of Blue Fox) and the villain Faceless, who has taken on a form identical to Titanic.
-| ''Aegir'' hijackers
+Once inside the Overseer's command center, Kyle McAllister turns on Clayton and tried to shoot him, but Clayton gets the draw and takes Kyle down, first. Then Ewing tries to goad Blue Fox, whom he knows to be Marshall McAllister, his god son, into lashing out and killing Ewing so that Blue Fox will be seduced into the same cycle of lawful evil as Clayton had fallen into. But Kyle, barely alive, manages to draw strength enough to put a fatal bullet in Ewing, and spare his brother from any rash decision.
+The Adventurers actions are seen to have been necessary in light of the extent of the Overseer's corruption, and they are lauded as heroes. But there remains the threat of a vacuum to be filled...
+| Overseer
 |-
-| Singularity
+| Under the Overseer's Gaze
-| '''#176'''
+| '''Adventurers #381'''
-| "Team Sabotage"
+| "The Compendium"
-| It's up to Stinger, PRIMUS Lieutenant Rudy Blevins, and Red Spider's sidekick Bluebird to attack the ''Aegir'' from outside and attempt to disable some of its key systems, while Red Spider leads a separate strike team to infiltrate the sub and retake it. Stinger has to contend with several Harrows Flying Submersibles, which are capable of combat in both sea and air. Seeing their vulnerable fuel tanks, he dispatches with two of them, and gets the third taken with an assist from a late-arriving Juggernette. Meanwhile, Bluebird clears out the navigation room in the top of the sub's conning tower, which had several well-armed hijackers in it. Blevins snipes an attacker who's moments away from turning Bluebird into a torch with a beam rifle; Stinger moves in to save Blevins from an ambush by a band of terrorists running shore support in an unmarked white van. Juggernette gets knocked out of commission briefly by a homing missile, and Bluebird takes down the hijacker who fired it. The team assembles on the sub's top deck. Blevins provides explosives for Juggernette and Stinger to blow the sub's magneto-hydro-dynamic engines, and he directs Bluebird to take out the navigation room with the missile launcher she acquired. The ''Aegir'' is dead in the water.
+| The Adventurers move on Compass Labs only to get ambushed by the supervillain Mantis, on Overseer's payroll, and suffer an untimely betrayal at the hands of Scatha 5. While the robo-team member was visiting Kyle McAllister, and Dark Web, both incarcerated in the Adventurers HQ, the latter managed to 'possess' Scatha 5 and prime him for the backstabbing at the opportune moment, before both McAllister and Dark Web make their escape. Scatha 5 nearly breaks Blue Fox's leg during the startling backstabbing. Nevertheless, the Adventurers persist and manage to extract the Compendium from the Compass Labs archive, until he entire team is then ambushed by Typhoon, yet one more villain amongst an army that serve the Overseer. They manage to temporarily trap Typhoon and arrange a deal in where Typhoon goes free in exchange for the Compendium.
-| ''Aegir'' hijackers
+| Overseer
 |-
-| Singularity
+| Under the Overseer's Gaze
-| '''#175'''
+| '''Adventurers #380'''
-| "Team Rescue"
+| "Mr. X Revealed"
-| The Adventurers receive a strange, coded message: "88 66 8 444 555 7777 88 22". None decipher it in time, but it corresponds to text messaging, and the message reads: "UNTILSUB". Hours later, the UNTIL flagship submarine ''Aegir'' is departing Millennium City on a goodwill tour of the Great Lakes out to the open ocean, after a brief refit and repair. Things go horribly awry when the submarine opens its dorsal missile launchers and fires a salvo at the city - devastating whole city blocks, including a densely populated apartment high-rise. Red Spider puts the team in motion to respond to the disaster. In this first issue, Mistral, Shift, and White-wing, along with Red Spider's sidekick Sombra, move in to rescue as many people as they can from the apartment block. UNTIL provides F.A.R.A.H. (Field Agent aRtificial Assistance Hologram) invented by Alyssa Madison, the team's former foe, to assist in the rescue. At White-wing's instruction, F.A.R.A.H. uses her force fields to brace the building and forestall a total collapse. Mistral and White-wing locate and help remove an unexploded Broadsword missile from the side of the building, and Mistral's winds safely put it down to ground level for a bomb squad to deal with. Cultists from the Order of Mastafal, apparently still seeking a bead on Red Spider, attempt to lure White-wing into a trap, but are driven off by Mistral. Meanwhile, inside the building, Shift and Sombra work to rescue as many people as they can from precarious situations. White-wing beats the clock and saves the three last remaining survivors from a top level apartment before F.A.R.A.H.'s battery gives out, and the building collapses.
+| Later the same night as the bank heist, Scatha, Windchill, Webcrawler and Tungstan fight to save the life of Mr. X against an attack by Wendigo, Lechuza, Sinister, and Blue Scorpion. Affected by Wendigo's fear toxin, Windchill blanketing a city block with a frigid blizzard to defeat the illusory Wendigoes. It is effective in leading to the defeat of the other villains, but Windchill has to be ordered out of the area because the blizzard is proving deadly.
-| ''Aegir'' hijackers, Order of Mastafal
+After the fight, Mr. X is revealed to be Steven Roundy, who worked for Ewing Estates - owned by Ewing - reveals that he had access to Ewing's inner circle, and knows that Ewing has a ''compendium'' of all of his crimes, arrangements, and holdings. This compendium would prove crucial in prosecuting members of Ewing's criminal organization, all the way up to Ewing himself.
+| Wendigo, Lechuza, Sinister, Blue Scorpion, Overseer (indirectly)
 |-
-| (none)
+| Under the Overseer's Gaze
-| '''#174'''
+| '''Adventurers #379'''
-| "Abomination"
+| "The Bank Job"
-| Red Spider, Artisan, and Stinger respond to UNTIL's request, still raw from the news of White Star's death on an UNTIL mission not long before. They discover an underground base used by the '''Institute for Human Advancement''', a racist organization dedicated to eliminating meta-humans. An UNTIL team went missing at the location, and soon, the Adventurers find ash piles around some UNTIL armor - evidently, the team met its end. After searching the base, they learn that IHA was genetically engineering a creature called Project Omega, but the despite warnings, the creature was exposed to radiation and became nigh unstoppable. Throughout the base, the team finds ash piles where IHA personnel had fallen. The nuclear reactor in the base is exposed, flooding it with radiation - Artisan has to back down. When the team draws Project Omega out from the reactor, which is sustaining it, Stinger has to distract the formidable foe while Red Spider works on repairing the reactor and getting it nominal. Red and Stinger learn that Project Omega is sentient, and its mutations leave it in constant pain. After securing the base, Red Spider makes UNTIL promise that they will try to help Project Omega, which had gone dormant when it lost access to the core's radiation.
+| Several Adventurers, including Blue Fox, Sombra, Joule, Firewalker, Osprey, Mantle, and Skyline take part in robbing a bank! They are met with resistance by a group of hastily assembled vigilantes including Safeguard, Delta, Horseshoe, Quetzal, and Wizard within the bank, but fight to escape with barely a scratch while routing the vigilantes handily.
-| IHA, Project Omega
+The sudden turn of the Adventurers to crime momentarily puts Clayton Ewing in a PR stalemate, having recently praised the team for saving his rally from an attack by supervillains - just as Webcrawler predicted. But it also puts the team in the law's crosshairs, as Duane Steel had warned.
+| Safeguard, Delta, Horseshoe, Quetzal, the Wizard, and the Overseer (indirectly)
 |-
-| (none)
+| Under the Overseer's Gaze
-| '''#173'''
+| '''Adventurers #378'''
-| "Dark Side of the Moon"
+| "Ethics"
-| White Star is sent on a recovery mission to Earth's moon! UNTIL's Moon Base SERENITY has gone out of contact for reasons unknown! White Star and an UNTIL rescue team are sent in, but they are quickly overcome by a mysterious, predatory entity. A DNA sample from some strange webbing reveals that it is from the same unknown life-form which Red Spider was cruelly spliced with some years ago, which forms the basis of some of her powers. White Star detonates some explosives to seal the creature into the base's Module 'B', but suffers the same fate as the UNTIL crew when she is caught by the predator and wrapped up in a web for consumption... The team mourns White Star's loss at a quiet get-together under moonlight in downtown Millennium City. They are approached by Alyssa Madison, formerly their enemy Cyber-Slash, who is serving her sentence by working as an UNTIL operator. Madison reveals the details of White Star's ill-fated mission. After the memorial, Red Spider gets a message from UNTIL: the Adventurers are needed in Oregon.
+| The Adventurers have a clandestine meeting with Mr. Koheler, formerly of NLUS, to strike an agreement to have him hold their prisoners. In exchange, the team agrees to do a favor for Koheler down the line, though are quite clear that it must meet not cross any red lines for them.
-| Space Weaver
+The team also meets with Duane Steel and advise him of a plan some members have concocted to attack the S&H Bank, which is connected to Clayton Ewing, the Overseer. The daring plan would both leave Overseer without capital, but also, would force Federal investigators to look into their books. The team is not united on the plan, however, with a number of heroes refusing to stoop to criminality to defeat crime. Steel agrees, urging the team to do the plan under the auspices of a prosecutorial-led sting, or else take their chances with being absolved after the fact if they go ahead with it alone.
+King Kestrel meets with the team and offers his services. He believes Ewing has a list of enemies, which if found, could prove to be vital to Ewing's arrest and prosecution as hard evidence. The team agrees; there is a sense that Kestrel has changed, though the Adventurers remain wary.
+| The Overseer (indirectly); One's own conscience
 |-
-| (none)
+| Under the Gaze of the Overseer
-| '''#172'''
+| '''Adventurers #377'''
-| "The New Guys"
+| "Baker's Hideout"
-| On one part of town, White Star is hunted by Cultists from the Order of Mastafal, who want to apprehend Red Spider for reasons unknown - but she gets an assist from a wind-controlling hero named '''Mistral'''! Elsewhere, Artisan helps track down someone who's cutting a swath of random destruction through the city, and teams up with a stranger called '''Shift''' to help subdue him. White Star and Mistral repel the cultists, but flee themselves when the malevolent entity called '''Crimson Reaper''' and cannot be stopped by any means they possess! Shift realizes that the person he and Artisan had been tracking is a man stuck in a power suit against his will, who was being controlled remotely to conduct the crime spree he was on. Artisan takes personal interest when the man says that he is homeless, and was offered $500 to try on the suit - Artisan herself is formerly homeless. Later, Red Spider meets Shift and Mistral, and offers them to join the Adventurers.
+| The Adventurers involve law enforcement on an action to capture Baker's Dozens in the Michigan woodlands, but agree to be the tip of the spear. Numerous duplicates of Baker's Dozen are present at some kind of shanty village outside of an abandoned mine - his drug manufactory. The position is far from any major highways and protected by a gun emplacement on high ground, as well as a guard tower at the entrance to the camp.
-| Order of Mastafal cultists, Crimson Reaper, homeless man
+The Adventurers cooperate to try to take the Bakers by surprise, and obtain the state-of-the-art plasma weaponry in crates around the site.
+The team takes a few injuries. The purpose of the Overseer revealing this site to Blue Fox appears to be two-fold: one, in hopes that Marshall will take Baker's Dozen's life to avenge the attack on his father and home, but Blue Fox resists that temptation with the aid of his team mates. Two, to wipe out Baker's Dozen as a drug producer and dealer, to suit the Overseer's goals in finally cleaning up the city.
+| Baker's Dozen
 |-
-| (none)
+| Under the Overseer's Gaze
-| '''#171'''
+| '''Adventurers #376'''
-| "Headquarters"
+| "Long Arm of the Law"
-| The Adventurers cooperate to help build their new headquarters in a subterranean cavern beneath a wildlife preserve Red Spider acquired recently. The team installs computers, a functional elevator, and disguises the cavern's "skylight" with a hard-light holo generator. As work comes to a close, Roak visits the team and asks them to take on a pressing mission: destroy the works of a company that has created frightening genetically-engineered humans with powerful bodies and advanced minds. Though reluctant, the team agrees to look into it, but things go awry when a security alert is triggered.
+| Overseer calls Marshall when a number of Adventurers were present to offer another chance to surrender. He specifically asked for his people (Kyle, and Darkweb) back, but the Adventurers refuse to yield. The Overseer threatens consequences to follow.
-| (Cloners)
+Overseer reveals the supposed hideout of Baker's Dozen, a criminal biker with replication technology who recently torched the McAllister home and tried to kill Marshall's father, Marcus. Overseer’s intentions for doing so remain unspoken.
+Later that night, a breakout occurs at the municipal prison! The crime-fighter Osprey is seen violently disabling a number of prison guards and breaks into the maximum security prison to release King Kestrel and his dangerous associate, Cuckoo. Osprey is last seen by witnesses and CCTV escaping the scene with the escaped inmates in tow.
+MCPD and PRIMUS are both placing pressure on the Adventurers for the whereabouts of Osprey.
+| Overseer; Osprey?; Cuckoo; King Kestrel
 |-
-| (none)
+| Under the Overseer's Gaze
-| '''#170'''
+| '''Adventurers #375'''
-| "Metalux"
+| "Tit-for-Tat"
-| Red Spider & Screech Owl take on the case of a young woman who is an online shut-in, who reaches out to the Adventurers because she is sure someone is trying to abduct her. She's not wrong - the whole meeting is a setup, and robots try to ambush and ensnare all three of them at their alley rendezvous in downtown Millennium City! Red & Owl give chase, finding that the robots seem to show concern for the well-being of one another - for example, one leaps over a ledge to secure one whom Red knocks over. The two heroes are eventually swarmed, gassed, and and wake up in comfortable accommodations as the robot leader Metalux, a seemingly normal woman, tries to convince them that they are now in a paradise. Outside, the woman they came to rescue along with many others recovered from bad situations (ie human trafficking), are safe and happy in a resort-like area - but it quickly becomes clear that no one is free to leave. Red Spider urges patience and exploration of the resort before acting, while Screech Owl decidedly takes action and forces Metalux's hand. The heroes resist Metalux's attempt to neutralize Owl, and they break free of what turns out to be a shared neural simulation. The heroes help free the women who are hooked up to it, and lead them out of Metalux's clutches.
+| The Adventurers put themselves in position, anticipating an attack upon the Ewing rally. They must listen to an impassioned 'tough on crime' speech from Ewing  (the Overseer) and the roar of a supportive audience, before explosions take out the fountains at the outdoor venue, and a green toxic fear gas starts to spread out. As panicked ralliers stampede away, the supervillains secretly hired by Overseer begin their attack. The Adventurers move in to go toe-to-toe with the baddies, including Absolver, Blue Scorpion, Wendigo, and Lechuza.
-| Metalux
+When Webcrawler arrives and joins the battle, the fear toxin triggers the spider monster transformation, adding another complication to the battle - though the creature does manage to drive off Blue Scorpion.
+Ewing, for his part, cleverly plays up his meaningless shooting toward the armored Blue Scorpion as a heroic deed, while his agents capture unflattering footage of the Adventurers and pump that out to media outlets who portray the team with denigrating narratives. Skyline is shown to be trigger-happy; Blue Fox is shown destroying a police cruiser; Tungstan is shown accidentally injuring a civilian during the stampede as he ran toward the danger; Stinger is shown 'recklessly' attacking Blue Scorpion in a barrage when civilians were seemingly close by; Mantle is shown to clumsily stumble into panicked civilians, when in truth, the fear toxin caused the civilians to attack him; and Webcrawler is shockingly shown to turn into a mutant monster spider, becoming widely known to do this for the very first time.
+| Overseer; Lechuza; Absolver; Wendigo; Lechuza Spider Monster
 |-
-| (none)
+| Under the Overseer's Gaze
-| '''#169'''
+| '''Adventurers #374'''
-| "Witch Hunt, Part 3"
+| "Backlash"
-| The hunt for the third witch sees Red Spider, Screech Owl, Dreamweaver, and Knightshadow take up the fight where their other compatriots are either too exhausted or too busy to assist. They first encounter a shrivelled, but vicious mini-witch which they easily defeat, but are informed by Quill is ''not'' the third witch, but in fact, the undead remains of a fourth witch whom the third witch enthralled after her death. Quill notes that the third witch is bound to such things. The team is able to easily destroy the third witch, but the battle keeps escalating because every time the witch is destroyed, she is able to spawn two smaller versions of herself. Dreamweaver continues to vomit slugs, which allows Quill to use them as familiars for projecting himself and giving advice. Dreamweaver gets another curse: her arm starts transmuting to wood. Knightshadow's shadow magic is unable to bind the witch. Screech Owl is pulled through a witch's dark hood, and when she emerges out the other side of the robe, a duplicate of herself begins to grow out of her back. Red Spider loses the magical shackles that will send the witch back to prison, and they are devoured by a witch; much of the battle is focused on regaining the shackles. Once victory seems out of grasp, the witch and all of her duplicates take on a translucent astral form, and begin their march toward a populated area - revealing which witch has Quill's shackles within her. Knightshadow is able to use a silver dagger to cut the witch open, and when Knightshadow is flung away, Red Spider retrieves the shackles. Dreamweaver uses her telekinesis to clap the irons around one of the astral witches, and the witch's spells are broken. In the aftermath, Quill cures Dreamweaver of her curses, and the team is sent home via one of Quill's gross viscera-teleports.
+| Blue Fox is ambushed by Lechuza, Absolver, Titanic, Black Badger, and Creature in swift retribution for betraying the Overseer. Intervention of Osprey, Courser, Firewalker, Sombra, and Tungstan leads only to more team members being caught in the trap and brutalized by the array of tough villains. In a display of his power, the Overseer ''calls off'' the villains before any team member is slain, but the Adventurers - even Tungstan - carry injuries.
-| Witches
+Elsewhere, Webcrawler, Mantle, Azure Hawk, and non-Adventurer Mr. Obvious respond to an attack by the Baker's Dozen at the apartment block of Marcus McAllister - Blue Fox's father. Dozen, an Irish bike gangster who can duplicate himself, is an old foe of Marcus's from his MARS days. The attempt at a very personal strike toward Blue Fox is disrupted by the team's timely intervention, preventing Marcus and other residents' deaths. The apartment block is destroyed in a fire.
+| Overseer; Lechuza; Absolver; Titanic; Black Badger; Creature; Baker's Dozen
 |-
-| (none)
+| Under the Overseer's Gaze
-| '''#168'''
+| '''Adventurers #373'''
-| "Witch Hunt, Part 2"
+| "Taking the Power Pieces"
-| Now, a team of Red Spider, Dreamweaver, Mystigal, Ordnance X, Juggernette, and White Star take up the battle against the second witch. This one has powers over some giant plant-like tendrils which she can summon from portals; she is seen placing her hand on the ground, and a house in the distance being pulled under by tendrils. The Adventurers utterly destroy the witch once, but she reforms. When White Star shoots a red, organic orb on the witch's back, she ignites a fury in the witch, who then summon a massive portal overhead, and a cyclone of tendrils bears down. The team struggles to weaken the witch enough for Red Spider to clap the shackles on. Mystigal is nearly carried off by aerial tendrils. During the battle, Dreamweaver is cursed and continues to vomit up giant slugs.
+| Some Adventurers plan to accept the Overseer's offer, at least in the short term, to buy time in working against him.
-| Witches
+While Blue Fox draws '''Darkweb''' out of hiding and captures him, Osprey goes undercover to infiltrate Overseer's operation which is vanishing homeless people and destroys it - driving off '''Creature''', to whom homeless were being fed. Sombra, Replica, and Courser enacted a plan to capture Kyle McAllister, Blue Fox's brother and advisor to Overseer, and temporarily replace him with Replica so that they could hold and question the real one.
+Replica learns that Ewing plans to have supervillains attack an upcoming rally of his own supporters to stifle Olivia Ellison's gains and try to gain the same sympathy.
+| The Overseer
 |-
-| (none)
+| Bluebird for Congress II
-| '''#167'''
+| '''Adventurers #372'''
-| "Witch Hunt, Part 1"
+| "Will the Real Overseer Please Stand Up?"
-| A mysterious inter-dimensional traveller named Quill bursts out of a spontaneously-generated blister on the wall of the Adventurers' temporary hideout, and alerts the team that three inter-dimensional witches have escaped from a mystical prison, and are bent on destroying the world as they learn again to wield their powers. The team is whisked away to a snowy plain to face the first witch, who uses portals to direct elements of the cosmos as her weapons. Fiery meteors fly out of one and pursue Red Spider; Dreamweaver is sucked into a portal on the witch's chest, and finds herself adrift in outer space; Screech Owl & Stinger finds themselves dodging solar blasts. Eventually, Red Spider leaps into a portal, anchoring herself to a rocky mountain outside, and, dangling in outer space, attracts the attention of Dreamweaver, who envelopes Red in her telekinetic shield, and Red retracts her beam grappler, pulling back out of the portal. As the two emerge from the witch's chest portal, Dreamweaver uses her telekinesis to clap the mystical shackles onto the witch, effectively restraining her and returning her to prison.
+| Discussing the preponderance of evidence gathered over the last several months - from Casey Trent, to the harassment and attempted murders of Olivia Ellison, to the mysterious Mister X, to data obtained by Adventurers Silver - the team comes to believe that Congressman Clayton Ewing, godparent to Blue Fox, is actually the Overseer!
-| Witches
+The team confronts Ewing in numbers at his office, and is escorted in by none other than Marshall's (Blue Fox) brother Kyle, who is in service to Ewing. After a brief, tense exchange, Ewing freely admits that he is the Overseer, and also reveals that he knows Blue Fox and Sombra's secret identities. He also knows that Olivia Ellison, his rival for election, is the alter ego of former Adventurer Blue Bird. The team variously reacts to the Overseer with promises of justice, and even some threats, but leaves peaceably. The Overseer gives them 24 hours to agree to work with him on achieving his vision for true order... or face his wrath as his enemy. With recording devices interfered with preventing hard evidence of Ewing's 'confession,' the team scrambles to figure out how to respond to Overseer's offer.
+'''Featuring:''' Blue Fox, Sombra, Firewalker, Courser, Scatha 5, Osprey, Azure Hawk and Webcrawler.
+| The Overseer - Congressman Clayton Ewing
 |-
-| (none)
+| Bluebird for Congress II
-| '''#166'''
+| '''Adventurers #371'''
-| "Clothes Become You"
+| "Rack and Break"
-| Stinger & Red Spider, with her sidekick, Sombra, show up to a final show-down with Dropsy after he mass produces his mind-control masks, and uses social media to get them to wear them. It culminates in a battle at a busy downtown intersection, with Sombra teleporting and trying to pull masks off of people. Stinger uses his powerful, non-lethal weaponry to control the crowd. The Dropsy masks, once disembodied, flit around like living things trying to grab a new host. The team manages to burn the masks and separate Ordnance from the one holding him, though it leaves him severely weakened. Afterward, Cassandra Olsen (Red Spider) is seen with her father closing a deal on a land acquisition: a wildlife preserve on the Detroit River, in sight of the downtown, and with an excellent cave...
+| Directed to help protect Congressional candidate (and secretly, the former Adventurer named Bluebird) during an open air rally at which she will be at great risk, the Adventurers meet with her. Yet despite the history of attempts on her life and threats from the Overseer, Olivia is immediately more interested in the hit to her image - her opponents' PACs keep attacking her for being too soft on crime, and a danger to be around because of all the bad things that happen to her.
-| Dropsy
+The team agrees to be subtle, but when rocket fire and wide-area smoke bombs disrupt the rally, the team swoops into action to face the perpetrators: a billiard ball-styled gang called '''the Ballers'''! Each Baller seems to have a different skill set and themed costume. The team captures some, and forces others to retreat. But the stage collapse caused during Osprey's battle with 4-Ball, and the various rocket-blasted areas, leave Bluebird rattled. Was it the Overseer again, or someone else with an agenda to eliminate Ellison - or just her chances at high office?
+'''Featuring:''' Blue Fox, Firewalker, Scatha 5, Osprey, Sombra
+| The Overseer?; the Ballers
 |-
-| (none)
+| Dealing with Devastator
-| '''#165'''
+| '''Adventurers Gold #3'''
-| "Wickedness"
+| "Ghost Town"
-| Dropsy draws the Adventurers to a donut shop near Millennium City's trendy uptown when he takes two of the shop's employees hostage, and he sits in the store's exterior giant donut sign warning them not to attack him. Red Spider and Knightshadow, first to arrive, are given a lethal choice: pull any one of twelve arrows pinning one of the hostages to an exterior wall - most of which will torture the hostage in a different way (ex. electrical shock), one of which will outright kill him, and one of which will set him free. Red Spider dithers on which one to pull, and Dropsy activates one to show he's serious. Screech Owl & Dreamweaver arrive, and Dreamweaver assumes that Dropsy is sitting in the store's donut sign, so immediately she telekinetically grabs him and pounds him into the pavement below, but in fact, the team is horrified to learn it was another store employee dressed in a Dropsy costume & mask, and gagged. Meanwhile, the 'hostage' turns out to be under Dropsy's control (having also been dressed in a Dropsy costume) and, once freed, he attacks the team. The team subdues the hostages, and rushes the one Dreamweaver dropped into the pavement to hospital. Afterward, Dreamweaver meets Samantha Olson, who has returned to Millennium City and dropped the name Blue Ninja to take up a new heroic identity: Aerial. Dreamweaver confronts Sam about having appeared to 'gloat' over Red Spider in the tournament, but Sam clarifies that she just got lost in the moment and has no ill-will toward Cassandra. Dreamweaver admits to her having harmed a civilian hostage, and reveals to Sam that she has been attending 'self-improvement' classes ... at MIND INC.!!!
+| Adventurers Gold reaches the ghost town where Devastator lives. The old mining community seems abandoned, but when they get closer, half-finished, haphazardly reconstructed robots dig themselves out of the sand and beset the team in great numbers. Trespasser is injured in the fight. The team then survives an aerial bombardment of missiles launched by Devastator, with help from Stinger who arrives late to the battle. Finally, all of his defenses laid bare, Devastator takes flight over the battlefield himself where after a pronounced battle, he is brought to ground and defeated.
-| Dropsy
+| Devastator
 |-
-| (none)
+| Dealing with Devastator
-| '''#164'''
+| '''Adventurers Gold #2'''
-| "Enter Dropsy"
+| "The Jail Gambit"
-| Meanwhile, at the [[Tournament of Mastafal (Adventurers)|Tournament of Mastafal]], Red Spider and Lady Justice (a.k.a. Silver Goddess) take on various enemies. In the semi-final Silver Goddess is defeated by the mysterious Blue Ninja in honorable combat, completely astounded by the ninja's speed and agility. Red Spider defeats Green Dragon to advance to the final. In a protracted, gruelling battle, Red Spider is at last defeated by the Blue Ninja. In his moment of victory, the ninja leans in close and pulls up his mask so that only Red Spider can see - it is not a man at all, but Red Spider's clone/sister, Samantha! The Ninja replaces her mask, and goes on to claim the three wishes from the Silver Goddess as her price ... but also palms the Voltaic Ring from the table of tournament prizes, and replaces it with a decoy. Then, she inquires with Silver Goddess about how to fix Stormherald's hammer. Still reeling from her stunning defeat at the hands of what amounts to herself, Red Spider encounters Ordnance in the strange jester costume he's been wearing lately - and he reveals himself as a malevolent entity called 'Dropsy', a sentient costume which has taken over Ordnance and tries to kill Red Spider with deadly exploding drones before fleeing! Red Spider narrowly survives, and knows the team has a new threat...
+| Tasked with capturing Devastator, the team learns that he is adept at laying low, and probably has a base of operations in the USA. One of Devastator's known associates, Jay Nordhoff AKA '''Marauder''', is being held in the county jail awaiting an arraignment. The team devises a plan to sneak Firewalker in, disguised as a gangster cellmate, to try to quickly earn Nordhoff's confidence and figure out where Devastator is, while other team members keep the court and jail officials busy undercover.
-| Green Dragon, Blue Ninja, Dropsy
+Devastator is discovered to be hiding out in a remote part of eastern Nevada.
+| Jay Nordhoff (the Marauder)
 |-
-| (none)
+| Dealing with Devastator
-| '''#163'''
+| '''Adventurers Gold #1'''
-| "The Hunt for Chen Shih"
+| "Supreme Devastation"
-| While Red Spider & Lady Justice are unavoidably detained participating in the [[Tournament of Mastafal (Adventurers)|Tournament of Mastafal]], the team becomes aware that Red Spider has knocked international criminal Chen Shih out of the contest. Shih tries to make his escape from Millennium City in spectacular fashion: he sets off a low-yield but still destructive bomb out front of the UNTIL headquarters in the downtown! Dreamweaver & Infinity-Zero arrive and help with crowd control & first aid response, respectively. Dreamweaver joins bomb squad officers and, through a series of probing questions, helps them come to the conclusion that Chen Shih is the culprit, and that he used the explosion at UNTIL so that UNTIL would deploy some of its hover shuttles to assist the wounded. Back at the hospital, Infinity-Zero is treating patients and unknowingly catches a glimpse of Chen Shih. Shih takes a hostage and walks onto an UNTIL shuttle, instructing the pilot to head west and fly low to avoid detection. Dreamweaver arrives in time to cling to the rear hatch as the shuttles takes off; Ordnance X grapples on from a nearby rooftop and joins Dreamweaver. Together, they get the hatch open, and catch Chen and his hostage who are ejected by the sudden pressure loss. Dreamweaver turns a furious Chen Shih over to the police. Ordnance tries to put the moves on the woman he rescued. Infinity-Zero's presence ensures that not a single casualty of the bombing succumbs to their injuries.
+| Webcrawler calls out for help! Having escaped capture by her old enemy, the '''Devastator''', she alerts the team that she is being pursued by his Oppressor robot - nearly two storeys tall. It takes numerous Adventurers to fell the thing, and rescue its power source: a young hero named '''Battery''' whom Devastator had recently captured and enslaved within the robot. Webcrawler taps the newly-formed Adventurers Gold to begin the hunt for Devastator, and bring him to justice.
-| Chen Shih
+| Devastator; Devastator's Oppressor Robot
 |-
-| (none)
+| The Soul of the Nation
-| '''#162'''
+| '''#370'''
-| "The Errant Armors of Juggernette"
+| "Return of Mr. X"
-| Juggernette's various armors turn up in different parts of Millennium City on a rampage! Several robots Juggernette had salvaged from a battle against Mechanon in Snake Gulch turn out to be 'liberated', and the team has to recover or destroy the armors before things get out of hand. Appearances by Red Spider, Stinger, Dreamweaver, Meltdowner, White Star, and Juggernette.
+| The mysterious Mr. X unexpectedly reaches out to Blue Fox, causing several Adventurers [Blue Fox, Osprey, Sombra, Mantle, Scatha 5, Courser] to attend a clandestine meeting with him in a city center underground car park. His new revelation: Casey Trent was ''not'' the Overseer, but probably a patsy, a fall guy. Mr. X says that the criminal web of which he is part slowed for a bit upon Trent's capture by the Adventurers months ago, but recently has renewed its activities, and is working hard toward some looming goal. Furthermore, the Overseer seems quite aware of the Adventurers and is making plans for them.
-| 'Liberated' Snake Gulch Robots
+As before, Mr. X can answer few of their questions in full or direct ways, for fear that the compartmentalization of information in the cabal will make it easy to trace back to him. But he does profess to be an ally to the Adventurers and opposed to the illegal activity he sees.
+| The Overseer
 |-
 | (none)
-| '''#161'''
+| '''#366-#369'''
-| "Irregularly Scheduled Programming"
+| "Sins of the Past, Sins of the Present"
-| Days pass. Rumor has it that Beatnik is preparing a 'city-wide party', but the Adventurers cannot find a lead on him until the evening that he enacts his plan! Suddenly, a broadcast goes out, visible over the radio frequency spectrum to Lady Justice, that causes people to dance uncontrollably in the street at Beatnik's bidding. A team of Dreamweaver, Lady Justice, Ordnance X, and Red Spider moves to intercept Beatnik at the source of the signal, a local TV station. Lady Justice sneaks into the building, and takes up position near the circuit panel to cut power at the opportune moment, while Red Spider & Dreamweaver move in to confront the villain directly. Beatnik takes an early lead in the battle, cycling through his powers to fend off a sneak attack by Red Spider. Ordnance X uses a sound arrow to distract Beatnik. Dreamweaver lets loose on him and smacks him into a wall several times until Beatnik lets out an 'off air' sound.
+| The Adventurers encounter Skyline, and help battle his opponent Tectonic, leading them into intrigues with the Hawthorne Foundation who manufacture a potent but dangerous substance called Polymorphite - which currently powers Skyline.
-| Beatnik
+More: [[Skyline:_Sins_of_the_past,_sins_of_the_present|Skyline: Sins of the Past, Sins of the Present]]
+| Hawthorne Foundation; Tectonic
 |-
 | (none)
-| '''#160'''
+| '''#359-365'''
-| "Zap!"
+| "Broken Mirror"
-| Red Spider is first into action to save the crowd from apparent hypnosis. First she disables the storey-high speakers at the venue, then she attacks the DJ and destroys a speaker at the DJ booth that is broadcasting Beatnik's mind control vibe. She isn't in time to prevent the crowd going aggro at Beatnik's suggestion--and powerful audience members like Dreamweaver & Infinity-Zero end up batting around and electrocuting (respectively) other audience members! The DJ tries to run for it. Red Spider tanglewebs him, and he pleads for leniency because he has been under Beatnik's spell for weeks. Some Adventurers stay to help the injured on the dance floor. Red Spider, Artisan, and Infinity-Zero follow Beatnik's trail to a construction site in downtown Millennium City. Red Spider confronts him, while Infinity-Zero tries to flank him, and Artisan sneaks up an unfinished stairwell to join the fight. Beatnik employs different powers attuned to different musical styles; just as the trio has him on the ropes, he blasts them with rock and sends Infinity-Zero tumbling down several storeys. When the team members move to assist their injured comrade, Beatnik escapes.
+| (Description to come)
-| Beatnik
+| Kestrel
-|-
-| Slaves to the Beat
-| '''#159'''
-| "Enter Beatnik"
-| The team goes to a dance club and starts to notice that the DJ has an unusual power over the audience... (more to come!)
-| Beatnik
 |-
 | (none)
-| '''#158'''
+| '''#358'''
-| "Artisan's Mask"
+| "Dino Rampage"
-| Artisan calls the team from the hospital. She is beset by strange injuries, and confides that artifacts have been taken from a local museum which are related to her mask, which is the source of her power. She surmises that someone is using these artifacts, getting into fights, and the injuries they sustain are being transmitted onto Artisan's body rather than the thief's. The team fans out, uses a variety of techniques track down the thief. She turns out to be using them in a misguided vigilantist venture, so enamored of her apparent invincibility that she cares little for the harm being done to Artisan. The team defeats her and takes back the items.
+| The team responds to a genuine t-rex rampage in downtown Millennium City! The combined efforts of Firewalker, Blue Fox, Replica, Courser, Stinger, and Sombra(?) drive the creature toward a large city park where they leave it open to be sedated and subdued. PRIMUS, meanwhile, follows the path of destruction back to its source and locates a bio-lab in a state of carnage.
-| Red Oni
+| Dinosaur
 |-
-| The Adventurer App
+| Going Home
-| '''#157'''
+| '''#356-357'''
-| "End of App"
+| "Going Home, Parts 1 & 2"
-| Stormherald, Dreamweaver, and White-wing confront Aaron and presents him with evidence that Cara has family ties to one of their old foes, and that they are the majority shareholder. As the truth behind the app becomes clear to Aaron, he resolves to sabotage the app's geo location data, and resign as CEO -- he never wanted his work to hurt anyone. In the days that follow, Plasmoid Studios lays off its employees, shuts down, and the app ceases to function. Adventurer App fans everywhere have a "Ahhh WTF?!" moment as they can't connect to Plasmoid's server from that point on. In the weeks that follow, an attempt is made on Aaron's life; Red Spider saves Aaron only after he is severely injured, but the perpetrator escapes. Jessica, the young graphic artist who is a big fan of the team, finds meaningful employment & and outlet for her Adventurers artwork in a municipal initiative that seeks to brand Millennium City as 'America's Home of Heroism'.
+| Maya (Sombra) and Riley (Courser) join Kyra (Replica) on a bus trip to her home town of Athens. There, Kyra has been asked to give a speech to an assembly at her old high school about her unorthodox path to success and overcoming her more rowdy past. Kyra has to face the real reason her parents refused to pay for her university, something which has been a sore point in their relationship for years. Also, a swamp monster turns up at Kyra's dad's workplace - an alligator sanctuary - requiring the Adventurers in Athens to take action! ... and afterwards, Kyra spills the beans about her secret identity to her antagonized father, leading at last to a cathartic reconciliation.
-| The Cryderman family
+| Swamp Monster
 |-
-| The Adventurer App
+| The Cabal
-| '''#156'''
+| '''#355'''
-| "Hard Data"
+| "Foxing Them Out"
-| Stormherald, White-wing, Dreamweaver, and White Star visit the studio responsible for publishing the app. They find a range of characters inside: Cara, the Client Relations person who seems at once pleased to see the Adventurers, but subtly displeased to host them for long. Jeremy, a programmer who has connections to [[Incognito]], who has programmed sophisticated body/facial type recognition software; Francine, the stressed-out PR person; Jessica, the artist who adores the Adventurers; and Aaron, the owner and chief executive, who others regard as technically gifted but uninspired, who seems to lean on Cara a lot. Dreamweaver uncovers a key clue in Cara's office: a photograph of Edgar Percy Cryderman III, a former foe of the Adventurers who is currently serving a prison sentence. The team later confirms the connection, and Dreamweaver & Stormherald try to confront Cara at her home. Cara admits that her uncle Edgar came up with the idea for the app as a way to use the Adventurers fans against them, and possibly learn the team's true identities - and Cara will do anything to help her kin.
+| Red Spider recovers enough to go home, but has memory loss covering about the last 10 years of her life. The team agrees to take turns watching her in case her secret identity became known by villains. Firewalker, Replica, Courser, and others start attending fitness classes at Red Spider's home studio to keep tabs on her, while Sombra and Dreamweaver do what they can to help her at home.
-| Plasmoid Studios
+The enigmatic Mr. X tells the team a month later that Liddell's arrest seems to have changed nothing for the mysterious cabal he previously warned the Adventurers about. Blue Fox is selected to lead in Red Spider's stead, and he announces he is determined to probe the identities and true intentions of who framed Liddell.
+| Liddell; Mystery Cabal
 |-
-| The Adventurer App
+| With a Silver Spoon
-| '''#155'''
+| '''#354'''
-| "Hard Data"
+| "Straight From the Source"
-| The Adventurers respond to an early morning disturbance in the downtown! A giant robot is blasting everything in sight. Responding are Meltdowner, Juggernette, Artisan, Stormherald, and White-wing. The giant robot has an energy shield that prevents it being easily subdued. As the team battles to weaken it, fans getting alerts from a popular new 'Adventurers App' that tracks the team's movements start to show up despite the hour. Stormherald's hammer manages to drop the shield. Juggernette's Magnum armor, fully two storeys tall, battles the robot with a barrage of rocket hands. Meltdowner provides a useful distraction. Artisan does some damage with an arrow to the robot's head. Stormherald, with an airlift from White-wing, smashes the head utterly. The robot dies, but in its throws, fires lasers into the assembled crowd of Adventurer App fans! Several are wounded. In the aftermath, UNTIL Captain Suzuki turns up to assure the Adventurers that blame for everything will fall on the robot's programmer, who set it loose when UNTIL tried to assist the county sheriff in doing a property seizure for unpaid rent. Suzuki notes that the 'Adventurer App' is a disturbingly sophisticated software that crowdsources accurate info on Adventurer movements; he urges the team to look into what's behind it.
+| The team is alerted to a break-in at Silverline Industries, discovering a few of the Scrappers gang inside, ransacking the place for new parts to maintain and grow their cyborg posse. Raymond Silver, founder and CEO of the company, investigates matters himself via video screen, expressing his annoyance and sealing both groups inside while he summons his security. During the fight between the teams, this security arrives: a trio of formidable rolling robots ordered to take down everyone! The three-way melee ends, of course, with the Adventurers victorious, the lockdown lifting as they threaten to trash the damaged robots completely.
-| Giant Robot
+| The Scrappers, Silverline Industries
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| A Murder Most Foul
-| '''#154'''
+| '''#353'''
-| "Checkmate"
+| "Ground Zero"
-| PRIMUS Field Commander Bennett comes down to the Justice Cave an hour or so after the last wave of attack, under a flag of truce. While tempers are understandably high, he notes that intelligence analysts have had a cursory look at the evidence uploaded to the internet by the Adventurers and they have changed their stance to be against David Lyons. Lyons, for his part, is in his tower. PRIMUS wants to apprehend him but they know he is powerful and has a deadly private security force protecting him, and their force is depleted from battling the Adventurers. PRIMUS has air support warding off air transports that have attempted to land at Lyons Tower. PRIMUS wants the Adventurers to enter the tower and capture Lyons, while PRIMUS tactical units draw off the security forces in the tower. Red Spider and Frog Boy disable an electrical trap around a vent on the tower's roof, and enter the ventilation system to locate the tower's power center. Juggernette, Dreamweaver, and White-wing find other traps laid for the team, including explosives in a fake electrical control panel, but get by them unharmed. Red Spider & Frog Boy find the power distribution center and backup generator; defeating a teleporter stationed to guard it, they disable the tower's main power and emergency backup generator. When Juggernette & co. enter Lyons audience room, he uses an emergency glow stick to try to give him light, but White-wing screeches loudly to force an involuntary reaction from Lyons, and Dreamweaver uses her telekinesis to force the glow stick against his eyes, blinding him. Roak uses a belt of PRIMUS adhesive grenades to cover Lyons in sticky goo, and he is defeated. There are no tirades, only mourning from Lyons for the victory that was nearly within his grasp. PRIMUS arrives to take the arch villain into custody.
+| After the battle in the casino, the team confronts and arrests Cosmo Liddell in his penthouse. Liddell protests that it's all a frame, accusing the team of having manufactured the crisis as an excuse to grab him. The police investigation begins, with Detective Sheffield helping the team realize that Red Spider probably wasn't beaten in the holding room where she was found, but brought there after. Blue Fox tracks the scent of her to the loading dock. Upon personally verifying the Red Spider's medical status at the team's HQ, the Detective is willing to conclude that the Adventurers had probable cause to enter the casino to rescue her - but warns that destructive vigilante behavior will not be tolerated any further. The team provides the detective with recordings and data they pulled from the casino; though technically admissible, the detective warns that they may not be lawyer-proof.
-| David Lyons
+The team has a frank discussion about it, with members like Tungstan, Stinger, and Sombra showing disappointment in how the casino battle unfolded, ones like Blue Fox and Vortex feeling things could be better but they acted as best they could, and ones like Catfight feeling that the ends justified the means.
+Red Spider remains unconscious and recovering under the care of the team's surgical droid.
+| Cosmo Liddell
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| A Murder Most Foul
-| '''#153'''
+| '''#352'''
-| "The Siege of the Justice Cave, Part 2"
+| "Ground Zero"
-| Even as the Adventurer allies attack the PRIMUS staging area on a secure city block above the Justice Cave, or in the crumbled street tunnel remnant from old Detroit just below that, or the subterranean caverns connecting that sub-street to the Justice Cave, the Adventurers gird for battle. The team's allies take out several tunnelling machines, easing the team's defence. A new team ally named Screech Owl turns up just ahead of the invaders, claiming she believes the team is innocent and she wanted to get in ahead of the attack to help. The first line of defense is Stormherald, Juggernette, and Screech Owl; while successful, Juggernette has her armor shredded and takes injury from a PRIMUS armor-piercing energy rifle. Roak turns up having disguised himself as a law enforcement agent, and takes out some of the last remaining officers in the first wave. The second line is Meltdowner, Frog Boy, and Infinity-Zero; they do quite well, but have a much more brutal battle against MARS agents, and Infinity-Zero starts to exhibit unusual symptoms as she strains herself in battle. The third line, including some Silver Avengers, is intercepted by new Adventurer Ordnance X, who entraps the Silver Avengers in a freeze resin. The third line of defense constituting Dreamweaver, Red Spider, and White-wing have an easy time: Dreamweaver use her powers to force the remaining officers to the side of the cavern walls, and the team disarms them. Meltdowner crows that the law enforcers should take note of how the team is not trying to kill anyone. Cyber-Slash announces that she has successfully uploaded the data from Alise Lyon's skull device.
+| The mysterious Mr. X arranges a meeting with the team through Blue Fox's website. In a parking garage, he tells Sombra, Blue Fox, and Firewalker that the attempt on Olivia Ellison's life, and the death of Sarah, was just part of a much vaster conspiracy. While he knows that Cosmo Liddell is part of the web, Mr. X does not believe Liddell is at its center. He urges the team to find out who gave the order, and find a path to the center of the web.
-| PRIMUS; MCPD; FBI
+Later, Red Spider goes missing! On a hunch that Cosmo Liddell has captured her, the team arranges for ally '''Replica''' to sneak into Liddell's Horizon Casino, disguised as a Liddell gangster. Inside, she finds Red Spider badly beaten in one of Liddell's casino holding rooms. With danger closing in and Sombra's powers suddenly inactive, the team springs into action.
+A pitched battle sees the casino wrecked. Much collateral damage is caused by the Liddell gang and their weapons, but the Adventurers are wanton in their destruction. Catfight in particular drives her car into the slots floor, with potentially lethal consequences.
+Afterward, the team confronts and arrests Cosmo Liddell. Liddell protests that it's all a frame, accusing the team of having manufactured the crisis. The police investigation begins, with Detective Sheffield helping the team realize that Red Spider probably wasn't beaten in the holding room where she was found, but brought there after. Blue Fox tracks the scent of her to the loading dock. Verifying that Red Spider was injured, the Detective is willing to conclude that the Adventurers had probable cause to enter the casino - but warns that destructive vigilante behavior will not be tolerated any further.
+The team has a frank discussion about it, with members like Tungstan, Stinger and Sombra showing disappointment in how the casino battle unfolded, ones like Blue Fox and Vortex feeling things could be better but they acted as best they could, and ones like Catfight feeling that the ends fully justified the means.
+Red Spider remains unconscious and recovering under the care of the team's surgical droid.
+| Cosmo Liddell; Mr. X
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| A Murder Most Foul
-| '''#152'''
+| '''#351'''
-| "The Siege of the Justice Cave, Part 1"
+| "In the Dragon's Den"
-| The Adventurers return to Millennium City at a time when PRIMUS has deployed agents and resources to locate the team, with law enforcement have been thoroughly duped by Lyons into believing that the team are an escalating public safety risk. Cyber-Slash reveals that she can take the data that Infinity-Zero found in Alise Lyons head, as well evidence that Fox, White-Wing, Meltdowner, and Red Spider found connecting Lyons to the local mob, and get it out onto the internet - but time will be of the essence. Cyber-Slash has noticed code blocks popping up on the internet placed by the NSA, meant to help law enforcement locate and lock out the Adventurers if they try to do anything on the internet. PRIMUS locates the team's headquarters and prepares a large-scale attack against the subterranean headquarters with the team prepared to defend against a siege. Everything seems bleak, but... then the Adventurers allies turn up in fair numbers, and help thin out the PRIMUS forces considerably!
+| The Adventurers begin to strike back at Liddell to let him know he's gone too far in murdering celebrity Sarah Ellison! Blue Fox does some cyber attacks and reveals some embarrassing info about the Liddell organization. Catfight hits a money-laundering operation within a laundromat. Red Spider exposes a shipping container full of contraband on the Liddell Shipping lot.
-| PRIMUS; MCPD; FBI
+The team track down the gunman who escaped from the Ellison penthouse. He gives up under questioning that someone else recruited him for the hit and the money came by dead drop, but he was under the impression it was a Liddell operation. The team keeps the gunman in protective custody for fear that Liddell will try to eliminate him.
+A full force of Catfight, Blue Fox, Red Spider, Stinger, Sombra, and Vortex go to Liddell's casino. Though security tries to tell them to leave initially, Cosmo Liddell relents and has them escorted to his office. There the team tries to extract a confession out of him. Liddell remains cagey and trades barbs with the team. The crime boss contends he had no involvement in the death of Sarah Ellison - though he'd congratulate whoever did it. He's not troubled by the hearsay the team has gathered, saying he's constantly the target of hearsay for things he both did and did not do, and it hasn't sunk him yet. Liddell warns the team if they keep trying to weaken his organization and the control it exerts over his territory, it will give rise to more violent crime - a risk some team members seem willing to accept.
+| Cosmo Liddell
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| A Murder Most Foul
-| '''#151'''
+| '''#350'''
-| "Rescue in Vibora"
+| "The Death of Night Star"
-| The Adventurers go on a mission to Vibora Bay, where Alise Lyons reveals that her father has likely given Red Spider to Vanessa Simmons - who was a rising star in biological studies and applications at Source Biotech Enterprises (perenniel enemies of the team), who lives in Vibora Bay. The team goes to rescue Red Spider at Simmons home, but are intercepted outside by '''Samantha Olsen''' wearing a derivative of the Red Spider costume. Sam is fresh back from Japan, where she has been dealing with Lyons and his allies on another equally important front. Sam warns the team that the rescue is a set-up: Cassandra is inside, but Lyons intends to eliminate Vanessa Simmons the moment the team sets foot in her house to give the appearance that the team murdered her in another vigilante act. The team rescues Red Spider & Vanessa Simmons. Dreamweaver pulls a Lyons attack chopper down and damages it before Meltdowner helps the team escape via teleportation. Simmons for her part is angry enough at Lyons, her former mentor, for the double-cross to reveal his weaknesses: he can't use his powers on something he can't see. Roak offers to help keep Simmons hidden.
+| Two gunmen make their way through the layers of security at Ellison Hotel and Suites to open fire on Olivia (Bluebird) and Sarah (Night Star) in the former's private penthouse suite, declaring they are there on behalf of Cosmo - notorious crime boss Cosmo Liddell. Sarah goes down in the initial salvo, while Olivia manages to resourcefully fend off the attack. Sarah uses the last of her strength to ward off one gunman, while Olivia kills one in her own defense.
-| Vanessa Simmons; Lyons Security Team
+Later in hospital, Sarah succumbs to her wounds. Dr. Erin Bailey surgically removes a data device from Night Star and gives it to Cassandra Olsen's (Red Spider) safe keeping. Rubber Bullette, Sombra, Blue Fox, Stinger, and Catfight are all present out of costume at the hospital to join Olivia and Rayna Ellison, and they begin to discuss responses to Liddell.
+| 2 Gunmen; Cosmo Liddell?
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+|
-| '''#150'''
+| '''#349'''
-| "Total Recall"
+| "Sinking of the Titanic"
-| The team determines that the phrases on May Summer's mind are all clues pointing to Alise Lyons. A large number of them confront her, but Alise insists she knows nothing. Infinity-Zero detects a device inside of Alise's head with her medical scanners. The device has a great volume of data, as well as executable files to unlock them. The team debates whether they should - they don't know for sure what it will do to Alise. Infinity-Zero reads a video file that was supposed to kick off Alise's 'recall' and play in her mind's eye, in which David Lyons explains his desire for Alise to pass judgement over what he has done, and if she agrees with his aims and methods, to succeed him. Alise feels there is no harm that will come to her, and the team reluctantly agrees to unlock her mind. After a few painful moments, Alise reveals she knows everything her father was planning - and she's pretty sure she knows where Red Spider is.
+| On her own, Sombra encounters the villain Titanic, seemingly hired to trash a construction site belonging to Congressman Clayton Ewing. She is forced to play a game of cat and mouse, unable to match the giant in combat, but eventually outthinks him, though finds no satisfying motivation for the attack....
-| Vanessa Simmons; Lyons Security Team
+| Titanic
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| The Juliana Nova Incident
-| '''#149'''
+| '''#348'''
-| "Disturbers of the Peace"
+| "Vengeance of Verdugo"
-| White-wing takes a painful sniper shot to his leg. Meltdowner takes May Summers back to the Justice Cave via teleportation at Dreamweaver & Roak's request. Roak insists he will try to slip away with the napkin if the team will give him cover. Dreamweaver wheels her wheelchair into a secluded area, and changes into her superhero costume. Between Meltdowner and Dreamweaver, the strike team has their hands full - but then they call in a heavy hitter. Rocko, a man of living rock (See '''Adventurers #118''') comes to the security team's aid, first disrupting Dreamweaver, and then proving resilient against Meltdowner's fire. Dreamweaver successfully turns a rocket back at the four-man strike team and causes them to retreat. With more reinforcements on the way, the team decides it's time to retreat themselves. Meltdowner teleports out with White-wing. Dreamweaver tries to abduct the strike team leader, but his reinforcements sooner try to kill the two of them rather than let them leave alive. Dreamweaver escapes, but with a serious leg injury; the strike leader is torn to shreds by his own allies bullets.
+| With evidence to clear Olivia's name, the team heads to Juliana Nova to retrieve their extradited teammate. Verdugo's compound is well-defended, but the team smashes through, finding Olivia beaten and bruised in a cell. Verdugo himself reveals his metahuman powers, and faces them!
-| Lyons Security Team; Rocko
+| Salvador Verdugo
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| The Juliana Nova Incident
-| '''#148'''
+| '''#347'''
-| "The Mystery of May Summers's Broken Mind"
+| "Joule, Grounded"
-| Dreamweaver, Meltdowner, Roak, and White-wing turn up at the Justice Cave to watch a holo message left by Red Spider in case she did not return. She elaborated on her findings regarding May Summers & Alise Lyons. Red went missing after trying to reach May Summers, who was quietly kept in a rural care facility for the elderly. The team resolves to investigate Red's disappearance. Roak and Dreamweaver posed as visiting family. Determining that Red had signed in to meet Summers undercover with the name "Hanna Kilborne" (see '''Adventurers #65'''), they follow her footsteps and meet with May Summers, too. Dreamweaver could detect with her mental powers that Ms. Summers’s mind was a fragmented mess, leaving her catatonic and barely responsive. Dreamweaver correctly guessed that Summers’s strange hand-movements are actually auto-writing; given a pen and a napkin to write on from Roak, Summers wrote out a series of numbers and the word, “ARCHIVE”. Then, White-wing’s keen hearing detected a stealth vehicle landing nearby. A highly-trained paramilitary team took positions and opened fire on White-wing with silenced firearms.
+| The team is shocked to discover the morning news declaring that their teammate Joule, Olivia Kowalczyk, has been arrested for an apparent political assassination from her time in the US Army. Fledgling South American nation Juliana Nova and its Grand Marshal, Salvador Verdugo, accuse Olivia's unit of the murder of several rebels, including his own brother Pedro, during their bid to depose the previous rulers of the country. The team splits up to investigate, visiting the Juliana Novan embassy, and Joule's own records from the past. It's soon discovered that Nero Corp, the creator of the Invictus serum that previous villain RoidRage made use of, was involved in Juliana Nova. Salvador and his men killed their own men while "high" on the drug, and framed the US soldiers later! And now, they have a new, improved Invictus II serum in storage....
-| Lyons Security Team
+| Salvador Verdugo, Nero Corp
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| Catfight Arc
-| '''#147'''
+| '''#344-346'''
-| "The Mystery of May Summers's Broken Mind"
+| "The Kriedler Feud"
-| A firefight ensues in the Millennium City Disposal dispatch center between Hal Church, his gang, and Meltdowner. White-wing gets an assist from Meltdowner, who frightens Leech away with fire. Fox arrives on his bike and takes out a couple of gangsters in true action-movie style. The team surrounds and captures Hal Church when he flees into the garbage dump. Later, Fox and Infinity-Zero interrogate Church. Infinity-Zero uses occasionally barbaric torture upon Church, including her defibrillator. Eventually, Church points out that he can testify against David Lyons, but remains clear that he will not betray his own boss, Matthew Cresse, insisting that Mr. Cresse is an upstanding and misunderstood citizen suffering attacks on his sterling reputation. Tipping his hand a little, Church notes that he has photographs showing Lyons and Cresse playing golf together - which will make people wonder if Lyons is really so clean. Church insists that Fox will never find the photos without his help and tries to strike a deal that will let Church off the hook, but with Red Spider's assistance, Fox tricks Church and they retrieve the memory card. Church gets delivered to the police for his crimes of theft.
+| The team contends with Winston Kriedler, who has a grudge against the Reinhardt family and a giant wolf robot to help. Markus Reinhardt, believed dead since Adventurers #307, turns up alive and well and offers to help the team. His agenda isn't clear, but Markus does make a play for his own redemption. (Please expand).
-| Hal Church
+| Kriedler, giant wolf robot
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| Hellfire, Dark Fire
-| '''#146'''
+| '''#341-343'''
-| "Disposal"
+| The Path of the Righteous Man
-| White-wing spends a week following Millennium City Disposal trucks through the city, looking for anomalies. Meltdowner spends a week using binoculars to monitor MC Disposal’s dispatch facility. Fox spends a week spying on the home of Hal Church, a top employee of the disposal company and supposed lieutenant of Matthew Cresse. After a week, White-wing finds an abandoned dump trunk that ends up being used in a jewellery theft, then makes its way back to dispatch; Fox spots Church coming home and then leaving suddenly; Meltdowner observes an unusual shift change when a dump truck returns at a late hour, and Church comes to meet them in the dump truck cleaning bay. Meltdowner confronts the shift change, and they open fire on him. White-wing goes in to assist, but is attacked by the crude entity known as Leech!
+| Firewalker, affected by the hellfire he absorbed in his contest with Satan like a deadly toxin leeching into his mind, starts rampaging through the city, causing havoc and terror. The Adventurers, after numerous attempts to reach him, finally confront him once and for all when he becomes a giant, fiery demon. Fox, now known as Oni, is able to use a new energy-draining sword to stab Firewalker and suck the hellfire out, leaving the hero injured and apologetic, but okay.
-| Hal Church, Leech
+| Firewalker
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| The Golden Man
-| '''#145'''
+| '''#340'''
-| "Halloween Surprise"
+| "Not a Forever Goodbye"
-| Adventurers Meltdowner, White-wing, and the newly-freed Dreamweaver stake out a casino on Halloween, when a super-crook attack arranged by the mob is expected to take place. They don’t realize that another hero - Masked Avenger - has heard about the impending attack. The attack begins with Armadillo tunnelling out from the floor to the surprise of many casino goers, who stand around unsure if this is a Halloween act. Armadillo turns his attention to blasting through a vault door, while his partner Poacher, a lion-like meta-human, robs the casino patrons of their valuables. Masked Avenger starts off the rescue action with a series of smoke bombs, which the Adventurers capitalize upon to gain an advantage over Poacher. Armadillo doesn’t hear the fighting over his own blasting of the door, but soon turns his attention to Meltdowner and White-wing. When the fight goes against him, Armadillo tunnels across the room and tries to take Dreamweaver hostage, but ends up fawning over her, as he has a weakness for pretty ladies. Together with Meltdowner, Dreamweaver causes Armadillo to flee the scene. White-wing and Masked Avenger subdue Poacher. Later, the team questions Poacher, and he reveals they were supposed to bring their ill-gotten casino take to a dump truck in Westside. Poacher names Hal Church as the one who hired he and Armadillo; Poacher says he knows more, and will give up info if the team lets him walk free, but the team unanimously agrees to deliver him to the police.
+| Lord Aurum's remaining Golden Men try to save him, and drag him against his will into the waiting transport. Firewalker blasts it off course, while Silver Hare trashes its engine assembly. The resulting pressure build-up causes an explosion that makes the transport crash to the street. Aurum emerges from the wreck to be assailed by Blue Fox; his helmet is smashed, his life support fluid drained, and he is brought within an inch of his life. The team brings Aurum back to HQ in a bid to keep him alive.
-| Armadillo; Poacher
+The Surgical Droid captured in Adventurers #284 is brought in to stabilize Aurum and attempt to fashion a makeshift repair to his life support suit. The team orders the droid to awaken Aurum, then they ask if he can save Spyder. Aurum indicates that he ''probably'' can, but that he would need to return home to consult his texts to find the way. He bargains for his release, promising he will fulfill his end, and help both Spyder and Abaza Menderes return to life. The team is reluctant, but agrees that letting Aurum go is their best chance to save Spyder.
+Two weeks later...
+Spyder wakes up at the Olsen suite, surrounded by Blue Fox, Catfight, and Firewalker. She needs a few days to recover.
+Future Adrynne visits Spyder late at night to let her know that she has fulfilled her purpose for being in the past, and she will soon be brought home to her proper time. Spyder takes time to say goodbye to the younger version of her father, whom she got to know during her stay in 2021, and farewells her team mates with a party. As she waits for the portal to open to return home, she says goodbye to everyone over team comms - and they respond by showing up in person to see her off. Sombra sends a cake with her to share with whoever greets her on the other side.
+Shortly after Spyder enters the portal and it closes, the express private elevator of Cassandra Olsen's suite dings with a new arrival: Cassandra, returned from the future, holding baby Jessa.
+| Lord Aurum
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| The Golden Man
-| '''#144'''
+| '''#339'''
-| "Something Blue"
+| "Spyder's Purpose"
-| Infinity-Zero, unfamiliar to Blue Wonder, tries to play up the role of a helpful superhero and distract Blue Wonder from noticing Dreamweaver's escape. While Blue Wonder does not know Infinity-Zero is an Adventurer, she takes a hunch that there is more going on than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Justified savagely beats down the two guards stationed in Dreamweaver's wing, and takes a key to Dreamweaver's cell. Despite being told that the guards are conspiring to kill her, Dreamweaver refuses to leave her cell. Justified shoots Dreamweaver with a tranq dart and hauls her out over his shoulder. On the roof, Justified hands Dreamweaver over to Meltdowner and then tries to slip back into the prison for his escape. Blue Wonder arrives just a moment too late to prevent Meltdowner from escaping ... but then turns her sights on Infinity-Zero, who has clearly been trying to stall her. Justified returns to distract Blue Wonder momentarily, giving Infinity-Zero time to put a bubble around Blue Wonder so she can escape with Justified. There is a pursuit through the city. Justified quietly flees the scene on foot, while Meltdowner and Infinity-Zero stand their ground on the city hall steps to bait Blue Wonder for not being willing to hear evidence of Lyons's corruption of the jail guards. In the end, Meltdowner & Infinity-Zero vs. Blue Wonder is fought to a draw, with Blue Wonder renewing her conviction that the Adventurers are lawless & out of control.
+| The Adventurers get word from Silver Hare and, shortly after, Firewalker, about Lord Aurum's schemes, his crafting of the Philosopher's Stone, his killing of his future counterpart.
-| Blue Wonder
+Blue Fox accesses a climate satellite to find a heat spike in the city corresponding with Firewalker's forging of the Stone, and locates it at the former address of the Order of Osiris [see Adventurers #249], which is being built over by a new construction site. But there must have been a sub-structure no one knew about, deep below.
+The team arrives en masse to find Aurum's Golden Men boarding an air transport on exposed top floor of the building construction. Aurum, now encrusted in organic golden armor, and bearing the Philosopher's Stone on his chest, appears by hologram projected by a Golden Man to parley with the team. But the team will not accept Lord Aurum's word about the future calamity, nor his sole proprietorship of the Stone. The Golden Men go to attack mode.
+For the first phase of the battle, the Adventurers are seriously overwhelmed by the Golden Men. Spyder went into her camouflage at the start of the encounter and is not seen, while Sombra also goes invisible and tries - without success - to pry the Stone away from Aurum once she sneaks onto the transport. Aurum has Sombra carried out, and has his robots hold position, but prepare for death strikes on those Adventurers who have been knocked down. Unable to get their acknowledgement of his claim to the Stone, Aurum seems about to order their deaths.
+Then an invisible hand is revealed as the fingers, hand, and arm start to turn gold against Aurum's chest. Spyder, in camouflage, grabs the Stone and tugs it free, then dives to the ground, and buries it under her. Just as happened to the Turkish girl in 1908, Spyder - undisciplined in the mastery of the Stone - starts to turn into a solid gold statue bit by bit. Her sacrifice puts Aurum in alarm, and he thoughtlessly orders ''all'' of his Golden Men to immediately converge on Spyder and wrest the Stone from her before it is too late.
+The Adventurers take advantage of the situation and dispense with most of the Golden Men when they turn their backs. Firewalker rockets through a great many.
+Sombra gets close to Spyder and tries to take the Stone, but Spyder rolls and indicates she intends to see her sacrifice through. The sweep moves over her body, and Spyder is rendered unliving gold. The Philosopher's Stone expends its energy in her grasp, and crumbles to dust under Spyder.
+| Lord Aurum
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| The Golden Man
-| '''#143'''
+| '''#338'''
-| "Justified"
+| "Captured by the Alchemist"
-| Dreameweaver's lawyer, Tessa Young, is acting odd during a visit. Soon she passes a note indicating that she has been threatened to help get a hold of the Adventurers, or someone has promised to harm her. Dreamweaver suggests a channel for Young to go, and soon, she meets face to face with Meltdowner and Infinity-Zero. They provide Ms. Young the comm device she needs, but then Ms. Young gets a text message: clearly someone knows she's met them, because Ms. Young says that the Adventurers should meet the contact at a construction site downtown. Fearing a Lyons trap, the team proceeds cautiously. Meltdowner and Infinity-Zero arrive at the proper place and time, where they encounter '''Justified''', who purports to be an ally of Dreamweaver's. He reveals that his infiltration of the prison has made him aware that several guards are corrupt and in Lyons's pocket, and because she hasn't acceded to Lyons instruction that she should try to escape, the guards will soon arrange an 'accident' for her. Meltdowner and Infinity-Zero agree that action should be taken; Justified has a plan to infiltrate the prison as a guard (which he previously did with Dreamweaver's help), set off a bomb and cause a riot as a distraction, and get to the roof with Dreamweaver in the confusion. Infinity-Zero and Meltdowner have the responsibility to keep any rioting prisoners from escaping. The plan seems to go well... until Blue Wonder turns up.
+| In Millennium City, Firewalker wakes up in an unfamiliar but dungeon-like place, swimming in a pool, restrained on a harness. He is soon visited by Lord Aurum of the Future, who explains his situation. It becomes clear that Lord Aurum of the Future took advantage of Edgar Cryderman's intention to travel back in time [see Adventurers #326-27] to destroy the Adventurers, and persuaded Cryderman to hit Red Spider at a certain date in 2021. Aurum came with Cryderman, and his intention was not to help Cryderman succeed - he expected Cryderman to fail, as he always did - but to be in place at a time in history when he knew that hellfire was something that he might be able to obtain without the peril of dealing with the devil.
-| Justified; Blue Wonder
+Firewalker learns that Future Aurum is trying to stop a great, world-ending calamity that is doomed to happen in the near future, which he has sensed with his foresight power. To do avoid this fate, Aurum believes the Philosopher's Stone must be constructed so that a human mind can attain the wisdom necessary to determine how the calamity begins in the first place. Everything he has done for nearly a century has been, in some way or other, about gaining the Stone, and averting disaster.
+While Firewalker considers the value of a potential alliance, Lord Aurum of the Present joins them, and makes clear that they have a hostage to ensure his obedience: Silver Hare. Firewalker tries to destroy Lord Aurum of the Future, but finds his future armor, outfitted with dragon scale, is enough to shield him. They douse him with water from an aqueduct high above. As the villains leave to make preparations, Firewalker asks the two Aurums if they considered which one of them gets to keep the Stone.
+Later, Lord Aurum of the Future explains the situation to a frightened Silver Hare, and then brings her to see Firewalker. Just before it comes time for Firewalker to forge the stone, the Aurum of the Present has his Golden Men seize Future Aurum, and force a poison through his visor, into the liquid oxygen medium around his head. Future Aurum dies, and is dragged away. Later, Present Aurum - now in his future counterpart's armor - presides over the forging of the Stone. Firewalker bargains for a sign of good faith from Aurum that he won't misuse the Stone, asking that Aurum release Silver Hare. Aurum uses his golden dust to sedate Hare without warning, and orders his Golden Men to drop her off safely on a rooftop.
+Firewalker uses his powers to forge the metallic core Aurum has prepared into the Philsopher's Stone, in a forge lined with dragonscale in order to protect the building from the intense hellfire. Firewalker achieves the Stone's formation... and tries to go a step further and eradicate it. The Stone, however, remains resilient to the additional heat. Golden Men, standing guard, strike from multiple angles with electrical attacks to subdue Firewalker. Aurum remarks that he anticipated betrayal, but still finds it disappointing. He does try to share with Firewalker something of the Stone's power, asking if Firewalker can sense any new insight or inspiration.
+Firewalker also removed to wake up safely somewhere else.
+| Lord Aurum
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| The Golden Man
-| '''#142'''
+| '''#337'''
-| "Progeny"
+| "A Century's-old Adventure"
-| Meltdowner and White Star confront George Kruger. Though the two heroes are at odds on an approach, they succeed in getting the prosecutor to reveal that he’s been under the thumb of a mob boss named Matthew Cresse for months due to gambling debts. Kruger doesn’t know the Cresse operation that well, but suspects that Cresse is preparing to have hired goons knock over a casino to intimidate its owners into selling their property to him. Elsewhere, Red Spider meets with David Lyons’s daughter. Off to a rocky start when Red begins by subtly accusing her of complicity in her father’s crimes, the daughter says she can only trust Red Spider if she takes her mask off. Declaring it a leap of faith she hopes will be returned in kind, Red unmasks; then the daughter reveals she has hidden telepathic powers she can use to read Cassandra’s mind through direct eye contact and determine the truth of her accusations about David Lyons. Even confirming the terrible truth about her father, just like Anne Thomas, the daughter doesn’t believe her father could be engaging in crime willingly. Red vows to keep pursuing the truth of the matter by tracking down May Summers next.
+| As the team tries to look into leads on some clues they found in Lord Aurum's mansion in the Aegean, the Professor Walsingham AI finds a personal connection to one of the aliases Aurum has used, in the old passports and IDs Sombra brought back - that of Dr. Adem Altun.
-| David Lyons, George Kruger
+Walsingham recounts in flashback how the Classic Adventurers attempted to investigate the case of a girl named Abaza Menderes in the Anatolya region of Turkey in 1908, who had apparently been turned to stone. Discounting other explanations such as a hoax, the team met Dr. Altun, supposedly a professor in Ankara, who had also come out to investigate. In time the team learned that Altun was not all that he appeared, and after Altun knocked the team out and captured them in his home, they woke up in a dungeon. Altun admitted he had been with Abaza, and had even hired her to help him, when he came to explore an old temple that he suspected was in the area near her village. When they discovered a glowing orb set in the floor, he instructed Abaza to pick it up for him - but upon holding it in her hands, it began to turn her to gold. Altun left the statuefied Abaza and went back to Ankara to get the tools he needed to handle the orb safely, but when he got back, not only had the Adventurers shown up to investigate, but the orb had apparently crumbled to dust. Altun suspected that Abaza lacked the mental discipline to bear the orb.
+The Classic Adventurers managed to escape Altun's dungeon. They had to flee Turkey immediately when Altun leveraged his pull with the authorities to make the Adventurers out to be vile warlocks and plunderers.
+The team learns that Dr. Altun / Lord Aurum's aim as an alchemist would be to craft the fabled Philosopher's Stone. That may be what Altun and poor Abaza found in that ancient, forgotten temple. The Stone legendarily would have the power to turn base material to gold, but also to provide wisdom, insight, and inspiration to those near it. It might also prolong life.
+Night Star tracks down the statue of Abaza, which still exists and is presently owned by one of those commercial museums of oddities, and pays over $30 Million to buy it and have it shipped to her.
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| The Golden Man
-| '''#141'''
+| '''#336'''
-| "The Book of Revelations"
+| "Return to Aurum Island"
-| White Star gets in Alyssa Madison’s face, and Juggernette fears she will have to intervene to save Alyssa from harm … but it doesn’t turn out that way. White Star admits that during their last encounter, while Alyssa did kidnap her sister Oliva, Oliva indicated to White Star/Sarah that she never felt like she would be harmed. After White Star adopts a cautious optimism about Cyber-Slash's help, Juggernette conveys the fugitive hacktivist to the Juggy Lair. Elsewhere, Red Spider visits Anne Thomas, the FBI handler who worked with David Lyons when he first discovered his powers in the 1970s. Anne doesn’t believe that Lyons could be a bad guy, but she also isn’t ready to ignore the detailed list of crimes which Red Spider accuses Lyons of being a party. Anne clarifies that while May Summers was David Lyons girlfriend under discussion on the 1970s tape acquired from Captain Suzuki, he later married another woman and had a daughter. Infinity-Zero succeeds in cracking the password on George Kruger’s laptop and finds an e-mail from company with mob ties that proves that Kruger was being leveraged to pursue the trail against the Red Spider clone earlier in 2016.
+| Spyder finally meets 'Fox' who has recently been restored to life. She tells him about her purpose being in the past: finding Lord Aurum. Fox, darkened by his time in hell, seems skeptical of the young hero. He suggests that if Aurum is out there, the team should visit his island.
-| David Lyons
+Spyder convinces the team to go. Night Star, who was going to journey to nearby Cretoa in the Aegean Sea anyway, arranges transportation for the team to visit the tiny island upon which Lord Aurum's mansion sits. There, the team discovers a swarm of Aurum's '''golden men''' repairing the house, which had been extensively damaged a year prior when dozens of Golden Men burst forth to pursue Red Spider and Blue Fox when they stole something from Aurum's lab.
+At the door, a Golden Man wearing an ornate shirt greets the team and hospitably takes them to a sitting room, affording them every comfort a guest might expect. The team learns little by little that Aurum is not present, but he did hope to bury his conflict with them - and avoid the Adventurers interfering in his efforts in future. The servant reveals that Present-day Aurum and Future Aurum are working together, and that Aurum's purpose is to save the world from some future calamity he knew was coming due to his power of foresight, but the servant had no specifics.
+While most of the team peppers their host-bot with questions, '''Oni''' (a new alter ego of Fox) ostensibly leaves to use the washroom, but in truth, uses a laundry chute to access the laboratory in the mansion's basement. He takes samples from some kind of recent experiment.
+Upstairs, the Adventurers take advantage of the servant bot leaving the room to fetch a water pitcher, to examine Aurum's library and adjoining scrying chamber. Rubber Bullette finds various occult tracts, with many being books on alchemy. Sombra found a book on a book case that opened a tiny, secret office behind it, wherein she discovered that Aurum may have links both to Sir Thomas Walsingham, and the Order of Osiris. '''Terratonic''' (and others) entered the scrying chamber, which was a bare room with black walls, a table, a mirror upon it, and a chair; it was quite foreboding, sending a chill down their spines just to be in it, but they did not 'see the future' as the servant had said was Aurum's purpose for being there.
+The servant persuaded the team to stay for dinner. At the dinner table, when Sombra inquired further about how they could trust Aurum, the servant projected a live hologram of Future Aurum, who spoke with them. He indicated that he had been patiently waiting for the team to come to his abode so that he could enact a plot to kidnap Firewalker, whose hellfire he needed for a purpose he would only disclose in riddles. Firewalker had recently absorbed a great deal of hellfire in his challenge to the devil. Lord Aurum said that he had done all he could to delay the team at his home to buy time for whatever his plot was.
+| Lord Aurum
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| --
-| '''#140'''
+| '''#335'''
-| "Strange Bedfellows"
+| "Terratonic AND Proto Strikes!"
-| Lady Justice disguises herself and speaks to county prosecutor George Kruger on the street. Kruger is clearly agitated and stressed about something. Lady Justice offers to solve both of their problems, if he’ll help find proof of who was working against the team during the '''Faces of the Spider''' trial. LJ already knows that Lyons was pulling the strings, but she needs to find the connection between Kruger and Lyons. Kruger seems reluctant, but does come to an accord with LJ. Meltdowner teleports into Kruger’s office and steals his laptop while Kruger is talking to LJ. Meanwhile, Juggernette follows Cyber-Slash’s trail to El Paso, Texas. Using a few clever tactics like geocaching & flying a plane around with a message coded in hexadecimal, she eventually gets Alyssa Madison to turn up. Juggernette makes clear that Dreamweaver is in danger, and this could be Cyber-Slash’s chance to right some past wrongs. Alyssa agrees, and flies back to Millennium City with Juggernette. Not long after landing, they are confronted by White Star, who has a very personal beef with Alyssa Madison, and a hand on her gun.
+| The team becomes aware of Proto droids committing a raid in the city's vast freight yards, stealing metals and tech components. Firewalker takes to the sky and tries to intercept groups of Proto Drones making off with heavy bundles of steel. Night Star turns up to fight at the freight yard, and assists '''Terratonic''' - a hero who uses earth-control powers - in destroying a war droid. They then cooperate on destroying a sturdy Hazard Droid. Spyder also turns up, and leads an Aero Droid into a trap for the others to destroy.
-| David Lyons, George Kruger, White Star
+Some of the drones escape with their haul, but not as much as they might have thanks to Adventurers and non-Adventurer heroes like Delta and Terratonic. Afterward, Terratonic reveals she is known to Red Spider, and the team extends an offer for Terratonic to join full-time.
+| Proto Droids
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| --
-| '''#139'''
+| '''#334'''
-| "Trails and Trials"
+| "Chasing Shadows"
-| The team meets in the Justice Cave to review their situation. Red Spider makes clear that they can’t easily be heroes when they are being hunted by the law, and their first priority needs to be clearing their name. Red Spider begins researching David Lyons’s known associates and history as documented in the press, looking for anything suspicious – finding little. Dreamweaver surrenders to Blue Wonder and tries to confess that she was mind-controlling the team so that blame will fall exclusively on her, but the plan does not work as she hopes. A lawyer named Tessa Young is hired by a mysterious benefactor to help keep Dreamweaver out of trouble while she’s in custody. Juggernette sneaks into the jail to get a clue from Dreamweaver about the whereabouts someone who can help get the word out about David Lyons – Cyber-Slash. In a clandestine meeting with White Star and Lady Justice, Captain Suzuki from UNTIL hands over an audio tape of Lyons from the 70s, in which Lyons says to his FBI handler Anne Thomas that he thinks ends justify all means when it comes to dealing with rogue crime fighters. It also reveals that Lyons then-girlfriend May was a possible founder of Source Biotech Enterprises.
+| The police think Sombra has broken bad. The team goes in pursuit of her, and eventually dogpile her in the park. Sombra makes her acquisition difficult by using her teleporting powers. Upon seizing Sombra, the team are able to remove an 'Earworm' from her that was causing her to do bad things, and turn it over to the police.
-| David Lyons, Blue Wonder
+Spyder gains more control of her sticking power in the fight to capture Sombra.
+(More to come...?)
+| Earworm
 |-
-| Prey for Lyons
+| --
-| '''#138'''
+| '''#333'''
-| "The Tower"
+| "Marooned"
-| The Adventurers take on a corporation at the center of several plots against them. Storming the high-rise owned by Silver Crusader AKA David Lyons, a stealth team of Fox, Roak, and Red Spider battles to hold Lyons's server room long enough to wipe his database on the Adventurers clear, while Dreamweaver, White Star, and Lady Justice battle Lyons directly. With the stealth mission complete, Lyons reveals his fallback plan: to frame the Adventurers as ruthless vigilantes who have attacked him in his own home without provocation. The team swallows that poison pill and withdraws in the face of a police tactical unit's arrival.
+| Rubber Bullette and Azure Hawk end up marooned on a tropical island. (More to come...?)
-| David Lyons
+| Unknown
 |-
-| (None)
+| Mission: Hell
-| '''#137'''
+| '''#332'''
-| "Thrill of the Chase"
+| "The ''Other'' Underworld, Part 2"
-| Red Spider narrowly escapes a street battle with Sharpe, another top-tier bounty hunter. Meanwhile, Dreamweaver and Roak visit an increasingly-agitated White-wing, who is now turning green and losing his bat mutation. White-wing's companions decide to force him to visit the CDC for observation, and place him inside of a bag as he does not wish to go willingly. Once White-wing is at the CDC, gang informants who were paid off to alert the gangsters if someone with White-wing's symptoms turned up share the word, and the bounty changes from Red Spider to White-wing. For his part, White-wing calls up his friend Amelia Hastings and asks her for shelter. Red Spider meets quietly with Amelia and hands her an Adventurer communicator to use if anything goes wrong. A cabal of bounty hunters, including the Shrike, Inyoka, and others, attack White-wing and Amelia. White-wing uses his newfound plant-powers to great effect in their defense. Juggernette & Red Spider, responding to Amelia's distress call, assist in neutralizing the bounty hunters. Amelia is gravely injured. Days later, upon release from the hospital, Amelia officially joins the Adventurers - but just then, during a reception in the Justice Cave, White-wing transfers the organism into Amelia!
+| The Adventurers challenge the shape-shifting Lord of Hell to various contests. Blue Fox tries to have the devil beat his time in a Doom speed-run, but the devil prevails despite Blue Fox's program traps. Firewalker challenges the devil to try to destroy him with hell's fire, but that if he can endure 15 minutes, he wins; after a trial that nearly destroys him, Firewalker wins. Rubber Bullette asks for the devil to create a obstacle course similar to TV's ''Wipeout''; the devil obliges, creating a grotesque course that uses sharp, jagged metal, bloody meat in place of air-filled rubber balloons, and so on; RB does beat the devil's servant's best time, but is given a bad slice from one of the spinning blades.
-| Sharpe, The Shrike, Ms. Fortune, Sprocket, Inyoka
+Sombra challenges the devil to a culinary duel, prompting the devil to pick a jury of the damned to select the winner. While in ''hell's kitchen'' Sombra finds everything she needs, though the screams that eminate from the appliances every time she opens them unnerves her. She manages to exceed the devil's baking skills in the end.
+Frustrated, the devil demands an impossible thing: he wants all of the Adventurers, even the ones not present, to give him a challenge, saying that was implied in his contract with the team, and threatens to claim victory if the team doesn't give him one challenge from every team member - impossible, as in some cases, team members simply cannot be there. Sombra counters that as leader, she can change the roster, so she declares those Adventurers not present to be kicked off the team. The devil is down 1 - 3 in the score, and appreciating Sombra's bending of the rules, concedes victory to the Adventurers.
+Fox and Adrynne are subjected to profound levels of pain as they are resurrected and set free, and the team is bidden to leave hell immediately.
+| The Devil
 |-
-| (None)
+| Mission: Hell
-| '''#136'''
+| '''#331'''
-| "Under Your Skin"
+| "The ''Other'' Underworld, Part 1"
-| The gangsters who kidnapped Dr. Witt put a bounty on Red Spider. Red Spider enlists White Star's help to obtain a sample from White-wing to study the organism that entered him, since he seems reluctant to be studied willingly. White-wing reports that memories and expert knowledge that seemed to belong to Dr. Witt were vivid in his mind after the transfer, but fade as time goes on. White-wing begins inhabiting the Justice Cave, where the group are surprised to learn that Lady Justice's sister Nemesis has also taken up residence. Later, Red Spider is ambushed by a mercenary named Collateral. Collateral reveals both that Red Spider has a sizable bounty on her if she is turned in alive, and that the gangsters incorrectly believe that as Dr. Witt's direct rescuer, she is host to the gelatinous organism. Red Spider narrowly escapes that attack, but it seems clear she can expect more of them now that she is being hunted.
+| Fox on the run! He is being pursued by demons when the spirit of Adrynne finds him, having been seeking him in the afterlife for company while she tries to reconstitute her mortal form. Fox recounts how he had arrived in hell after agreeing to die in place of another, but in so doing, took on a pact that required him to go to hell. Horrified, Adrynne promises to inform the Adventurers, and stake her own soul in a gambit to free Fox from the devil.
-| Collateral
+The Adventurers are still exhausted from their battle with Xagrim when Adrynne informs them of Fox's plight, and her suggestion of a way to get him back: give the devil some good sport. If the Adventurers can think up entertainments for which the devil, or his appointed servant, can go head-to-head, and beat him in them, then perhaps in winning they can win Fox and Adrynne's souls. But if the team fails, Fox and Adrynne must endure hell until the endtimes.
+While some Adventurers are willing, more than a few are quite skeptical of the plan. Inside of a day, hellmouths open before each Adventurer individual, providing a way for them to reach the underworld...
+| The Devil
 |-
-| (None)
+| The Season of Xagrim
-| '''#135'''
+| '''#330'''
-| "Under Your Skin"
+| "Horror at the Fashion Show, Part 3"
-| Red Spider alerts the team that Dr. Witt, a biochemist who has been assisting her with a mystery, has been abducted by gangsters! With the help of Roak on the inside, and a distraction outside by White-wing and Dreamweaver, Red Spider manages to rescue Dr. Witt. However, the team takes Doctor Witt to rest on a rooftop because he is gravely ill, and he suddenly expels a greenish fluid from strange orifices on his hands all over White-wing! The gelatinous entity makes soft cuts in White-wing and gets under his skin. Roak calls in the Center for Disease Control response, while White-Wing feels a strong compulsion to escape rather than be examined. Red Spider elects to let White-Wing go and seclude himself.
+| Sarah overhears the conversation in Liddell's room via mics she left there. In a strange conversation, Liddell pledges fealty to Seaton as his 'master,' and promises his will be done. Sombra sneaks into the room, but Seaton - exposed as Xagrim - perceives her, and morphs into his horrific true form, a massive dark humanoid of pure, dark psionic energy, clad in psionic armor. He chases after Sombra, as seizing someone of her power is instrumental to his conquest of Earth.
-| Gangsters; unknown gelatinous entity
+As fashion show goers flee for their lives, and the convention hall is destroyed by Xagrim as he pursues Sombra, the Adventurers face him down and do battle against the extra-dimensional terror. After a long, pitched battle, which at one point sees Rubber Bullette used as a sort of flail against the Adventurers, the team succeeds at weakening Xagrim enough that he flees this dimension. Cosmo Liddell emerges from the ruination of his convention hall and has no memory of being under Xagrim's control.
+The beleaguered Adventurers take some time off to recover. Meanwhile, in the great beyond, Adrynne - impatient for company as she painstakingly reconstitutes her mortal form - seeks the spirit of Fox, the Adventurer who had given his life to defend another some months before. Finding him, to her surprise, in hell, pursued relentlessly by demons, Adrynne vows to rally Fox's teammates and secure his release from this grim fate.
+| Xagrim; Cosmo Liddell
 |-
-| (None)
+| The Season of Xagrim
-| '''#134'''
+| '''#329'''
-| "Land of the Rising Sun"
+| "Horror at the Fashion Show, Part 2"
-| Lady Justice's hologram feed from her vacation cuts out unexpectedly, leading Adventurers Fox, Infinity-Zero, Roak, and White-wing to go to the rescue. The heroes find themselves in a battle to save Lady Justice & her vile sister, Nemesis, from unknown enemies who seem to have it in for the Adventurers. Nemesis's violent personality has been seemingly moderated. Red Spider's clone, Samantha, turns up in ninja attire to assist the team.
+| Inside of the convention hall where the fashion show is being held, Maya (Sombra) finds a furtive sort-of friend of hers: Arcadio Rando, the '''Speedmaster''', who needs help stealing back his hover bike from the Liddell gang. AJ (Firewalker) breezes past security in the loading dock, but must take on a flambuoyant disguise to get into the convention hall. Sarah (Night Star) plays it cool and promises not to engage Cosmo Liddell directly only days after her sister was nearly assassinated by someone known to work for Liddell in past. Marshall (Blue Fox), having got Maya and himself in thanks to his uncle's political connections (which enables him to meet Donald Trump), takes on the protection of movie star Samara Parish after she confides that she is receiving threatening letters that indicate someone wants to try to get to her at the event. Jack (Azure Hawk) tries to help a shy male model from Texas find true love. Eva (Catfight) has a conversation with an old flame.
-| Nemesis; unknown mercenaries
+But suspicions arise when Emily (Rubber Bullette) encounters a bland, seemingly albino shoe maker and strange haircut from Millennium City named Dex Seaton who fits the bill of 'someone who hasn't quite got the human form down.' AJ asks around with fashion world observers who point out that Dex really does stand out in an odd way. As the team surveils Seaton, Sarah demands an audience with Cosmo Liddell. In their tense meeting, Sarah threatens to topple Cosmo's organization for what happened to her sister, but Liddel dismisses her out of hand - he's heard that threat before from people he estimates had better resources, obviously unaware of her dual identity.
+Not long after Sarah is bounced from the event, Dex Seaton takes an audience with Cosmo Liddell...
+| Xagrim; Cosmo Liddell
 |-
-| (None)
+| The Season of Xagrim
-| '''#133'''
+| '''#328'''
-| "Sunburst"
+| "Horror at the Fashion Show, Part 1"
-| Red Spider is delivered to UNTIL by White Star to undergo surgery for her bullet wounds. It becomes clear in the day following the fight finale that Dream is unaccounted for. Already recovering from her wounds, Red Spider joins White Star in following a path of destruction from the warehouse where the fight occurred. White Star follows a trail leading one way, while Red Spider follows a trail leading from a burnt tree. Red crosses paths with a street gang but talks her way out of a fight that she is still not physically prepared for; the gang points her to a nearby parking garage where a meta-human has been holed up and territorially defending herself. Red Spider & White Star visit the meta-human, who is not Dreamweaver, but another escaped cage fighter named Sunburst. They convince her to get in an ambulance they call for her, and Sunburst suggests they check at home for Dreamweaver, as that is where she would have gone. Dreamweaver is found in her home; she has little recollection of the previous night's events, but is all right.
+| The team defeats an agent of Xagrim named Xalmallen, who is a human with psionic powers whom Xagrim captured and twisted to his will. Xalmallen and a number of cultists tried to cause a chemical plant to explode within the city, the prospect of which terrified citizens and caused evacuations - but it was averted through the actions of some Adventurers. Liberated, Xalmallen tells the team that Xagrim must be found, as his power is growing daily. Xagrim hides behind a fake identity, Xalmallen says, but his shapeshifting imperfect - they will know him by a less than perfect human form.
-| Sunburst
+Later, Spyder alerts the team after a newspaper article reminds her of a very important happening in their history that she read about in the future: they can capture Xagrim at the upcoming North American Fashion Expo. In the original timeline Spyder knows, it was her mother, Red Spider, who identified Xagrim's alter ego; now that task must fall to another. The team rapidly makes preparations to infiltrate the event, which is being held at the Horizon Casino and Conference Centre - a property owned by gangster Cosmo Liddell. The team contends with elevated security and a lack of available passes to enter the event.
+| Xagrim; Cosmo Liddell
 |-
-| Cold Rage
+| --
-| '''#132'''
+| '''#327'''
-| "Cold Rage, Part 7"
+| "Back in Time"
-| A disguised Lady Justice tries to give White-wing the antidote to the 'cold rage' injection given to him by PFC Holdings; the antidote spares LJ, but Dreamweaver is affected. White Star manages to deactivate the force field which acts as a 'cage'. Lady Justice has to battle White-wing in the ring. Below in a basement, White Star strives to overcome the heightened security to lower the force field around the ring and take down power. Red Spider locates the people in charge and makes ready to pursue them. Roak disguises himself as a PFC contractor and places bicycle locks on the doors to prevent the bad guys from escaping. When White Star succeeds in taking down the field and the power, the team springs into action: Stormherald helps evacuate spectators and captured fighters; Red Spider fights her way to the people in charge; White-wing fights Lady Justice until the 'cold rage' serum wears off. Roak's locks prove effective in preventing the bad guys' escape, and Roak himself takes down a few guards in a washroom; Red Spider is hit by machine gun fire, but fights through it to capture the man in charge and his bodyguards. In the chaos, the team loses track of Dreamweaver and initially assumes she must have got out on her own.
+| The team exits Adrynne's sanctum, and soon come across their new allies: Spyder and Eclipse, Adventurers of nearly 20 years in the future! Spyder reveals that Cassandra Olsen was pregnant - news that shocked the team, many of whom hadn't even known she was dating - and that Cassandra has been sent to the future for her own safety, and because Spyder - revealed to be Jessa Olsen, the daughter in question - can't be in the same time as herself under the current time travel rules. Her ally Eclipse is implicitly revealed as Blue Fox and Sombra's son. With these new allies, and the arrival of a few more teammates, Blue Fox, Vortex, and Stinger, the team heads back into the sanctum and confronts Transcendant! After a rough battle the heroes prevail! Spyder reveals that she's going to be filling in for Red Spider for the foreseeable future, due to uncertainty of when Cass will return. Eclipse promises to stick around a couple days himself before taking the elderly Cryderman back to the time they belong in.
-| PFC Holdings
+| Transcendant
 |-
-| Cold Rage
+| --
-| '''#131'''
+| '''#326'''
-| "Cold Rage, Part 6"
+| "Back in Time"
-| Stormherald, as her secret identity Celeste, follows up on a lead and tracks down the source of the advertising PFC Holdings has placed before. Finding it, she also learns that the company has placed new ads for a 'grand finale' of meta-human cage fighting to come, and they're accepting auditions. The Adventurers plan to infiltrate the spectacle. Lady Justice & Dreamweaver pose as combatants, while Red Spider & Stormherald pose as audience members. White Star & Roak infiltrate as their costumed selves to sabotage things behind the scenes.
+| Rubber Bullette, Night Star, and Sombra respond to a police alert with a personal stake - Cassandra Olsen's dance studio was attacked! The trio find an unsettling scene - the damaged studio, a trail of blood, and Eva Banks stuck to the wall of the building by a tangleweb burst! Eva reveals that Transcendant attacked the studio specifically, knowing their identities as Red Spider and Catfight! In the chaos, Eva insists another Spider-themed hero arrived to help, but it wasn't Sam. The investigation is a dead end until Captain Suzuki of UNTIL arrives to help with cleaning up the scene and keeping the attack quiet. He also helpfully informs them of a disturbance in Vibora Bay, and making the connection between Transcendant, the Peyasaskew Stone shard, and Adrynne, the quartet take a shortcut through the sorceresses's magic portal to arrive in record time! There they find an astral Adrynne, trapped once again in a limbo state while she reforms her near-dead body. She reveals that while she still has the Peyasaskew shard, and has transported it and Red Spider to a vague place of safety, the Transcendant Cryderman is from the future, having acquired the shard at a much later date. Defeated by heroes of the future, he has come back to the past to rewrite history at the source! While he tears Adrynne's home apart for the shard, she informs the Adventurers that heroes from the future have also come back to help, and suggests finding them before facing Transcendant.
-| PFC Holdings
+| Transcendant
 |-
-| Cold Rage
+| With a Silver Spoon
-| '''#130'''
+| '''#325'''
-| "Cold Rage, Part 5"
+| "Scrapfest '21"
-| Fox discovers that the company who owned the ''Erie Swimmer'', called '''PFC Holdings''', also owns warehouses and a private gymnasium. He takes White-wing, Pox, and Dreamweaver to sneak into the gym after hours. Dreamweaver goes through the vents, but finds that when she pops into a room, the bad guys are expecting her! They have one of Source Biotech's meta-human detectors. Indeed, more security arrives. White-wing battles on a stairway from the roof with a tough who makes their duel a draw by taking them both down with knock-out gas. Dreamweaver, too, is hit by knockout gas. Fox and Pox come to her rescue, but Pox is hit by a stun beam. Fox makes a heroic effort to defend his position and eliminate enemies, but soon even he must realize that he has little tactical recourse. He manages to save Dreamweaver and escape with her before more bad guys arrive, and he traces a vehicle that conveys Pox & White-wing to a nearby warehouse.
+| The Adventurers respond to an attempted armored truck robbery, where they find a trio of street gang cyborgs and a lineup of crashed cars trailing their attack. The leader, Rumble, who previously faced off with Red Spider, Catfight, and Vortex, is now joined by the scythe-armed Sick-L and chainsaw-handed Roughcut. While Blue Fox rescues the passengers of the wrecked vehicles, the others engage the punks, finding them surprisingly tough for what looks to be basic thugs with grungy augmentations. During the struggle, the heroes notice that both the gang's fancy tech parts and the cargo of the armored truck are stamped with the logo of Silverline Industries.
-| PFC Holdings
+| The Scrappers
 |-
-| Cold Rage
+| The Season of Xagrim
-| '''#129'''
+| '''#324'''
-| "Cold Rage, Part 4"
+| "Fear Takes Wing"
-| White Star hits the shadier part of town hoping to luck into some information. While busting up a gun smuggling operation, White Star learns from its boss that he knows of the meta-human cage matches; he assumed that they were well-advertised so that it would draw the attention of meta-human vigilantes who would unwittingly fall into a trap. Elsewhere, Infinity-Zero tracks down shipping information and the Adventurers go searching for ships known to have departed from docks in Millennium City. Roak visits a ship called the ''Spray'' that travelled to Green Bay and is under repair after a storm; Fox tracks the ''XS Freightliner'' to Thunder Bay and infiltrates it; Red Spider flies on her hover bike to Montreal to track the freighter ''Esprit''; Infinity-Zero goes after the ''Lightwind IV'' on its way to Chicago; and White-Wing flies over Lake Erie to track down the Cleveland-bound ''Erie Swimmer''. All but one lead is a dud - but White-Wing discovers that the ''Erie Swimmer'' has a cage fighting ring set up in its cargo hold! He narrowly escapes the ship before several goons come looking for him. By the time he informs the other Adventurers, the ''Erie Swimmer'' has been abandoned & set ablaze at the Port of Cleveland, temporarily setting back the investigation.
+| Red Spider, Night Star, Sombra, and Joule cooperate to board a large plane being flown dangerously in low circles around the city. Aboard, they find Nightmare Order cultists and a bomb of mysterious make - but they face great danger in trying to overcome the natural hazards of boarding a plane in flight! Sombra, briefly captured, learns that the cultists realize their masters commands will not permit harm to come to Sombra. The team must take care not to let the cultists die, for they are merely innocents under mind control; hence scuttling the plane is not an option. In the end, the team drops the bomb out over a lake and Joule flies the commandeered plane out of the blast range just in time.
-| (None)
+| The Nightmare Order cultists
 |-
-| Cold Rage
+| The Season of Xagrim
-| '''#128'''
+| '''#323'''
-| "Cold Rage, Part 3"
+| "Monster in the Basement"
-| The team converges at Ravenswood to compare evidence with Rowan. A picture emerges: Winter had an interest in meta-human cage matches, for reasons unknown. She convinced Rockabilly to sneak out with her, but did not tell him where they were going. At some point, for reasons that are as yet unclear, the two young heroes battled fiercely, and Rockabilly won; then, the two heroes jumped off a freighter together, and Rockabilly called for help when they reached shore. There are still some uncertain aspects - some team members believe that Winter wanted to take part in a cage match, while Dreamweaver suggests maybe she intended to ''stop'' the cage matches. Lady Justice opines that a freighter would be a clever place to host a cage match. Fox notes that perhaps Rockabilly was stunned or drugged into participating, referencing the pinhole in his jacket. Infinity-Zero, and others suggest investigating the freighter's origin. Sleeper intends to stay with Winter and assist her when she recovers. Lady Justice proposes infiltrating the fighting ring in her old costume, once they locate it.
+| The Adventurers congregate at a rural bunker inhabited by cultists, where Red Spider communicated that something big was going down before comm frequencies were jammed. The cultists, who are well-armed, defend their compound against the combined might of the Adventurers for a short time. After a siege, the Adventurers reunite with Red Spider inside the bunker, and learn from her that there is something big going on in the bunker's basement. They go below and battle what the cultists call a 'guardian' - a bloated, many-mouthed, metamorphic beast that emerges through a slime pool from another dimension. After driving back the guardian, radio frequency jamming ends, and the team learns that the cult's master, an extradimensional being they call the Lord of Nightmares walks the Earth now in human form -- and that he seeks Dreamscape as the key to his conquest.
-| (none)
+| The Nightmare Order cultists; #####'s Guardian
 |-
-| Cold Rage
+|
-| '''#127'''
+| '''#322'''
-| "Cold Rage, Part 2"
+| "A Requiem for Fox"
-| Sleeper, a new Adventurer, visits Winter in the Ravenswood infirmary. Sleeper's telepathy ability allows her to communicate with the comatose Winter. Meanwhile, Fox, Pox, Roak, Red Spider, and Infinity-Zero go to the location where Winter & Rockabilly were found. It is known that after coming ashore, Rockabilly managed to climb the river bank and use a nearby pay phone to call the school for help. Infinity-Zero uses her powers to access a nearby security cam discovered by Fox; she sees in the recording that two figures jumped off a south-bound freighter into the river, and then one - presumably Rockabilly - scaled the river bank to use the pay phone. Pox finds a leather jacket discarded in the river which Fox determines has a pin-hole consistent with a dart in the upper left shoulder. Roak takes samples of handprints in the soft mud of the riverbank that may have been left by Rockabilly; he also determines by examining the muddy imprints that Winter wasn't moving when she came ashore - whoever pulled her ashore, was probably rescuing her. Back at Ravenswood, Sleeper learns from telepathic contact with Winter that her mind is in a 'safe place'; images of her home on the Canadian prairies abound. Winter's mind is also troubled by murky, barely-remembered images of her battle with Rockabilly. There is a great gap in Winter's recollections.
+| Team members react as teammate Fox is found murdered in his apartment, apparently unrelated to Adventurers. Catfight takes custody of much of Fox's personal effects, and starts examining them for a lead on how and why he died.
-| (none)
+| Our feelings
-|-
-| Cold Rage
-| '''#126'''
-| "Cold Rage Part 1"
-| The Adventurers are summoned to Ravenswood to investigate a mystery on behalf of Rowan, the headmistress, who heard about the team through UNTIL. Rowan wants a team of active crime fighters because her own faculty, while consisting of several former costumed heroes, are now long-time teachers whose investigative skills are rusty. The mystery: why did two students, Rockabilly and Winter, sneak out after curfew, end up badly injured on a river bank, with signs that they had used their powers to battle one another? Rowan reveals that Winter has rebuffed Rockabilly's advances several times, and that Rockabilly is a bit of a hot-head. Dreamweaver & Lady Justice interview Rockabilly; though conscious, he is badly injured by frostbite, and unwilling to cooperate. Dreamweaver modulates his emotional state, and Lady Justice uses her abilities to determine when he is telling the truth. Rockabilly claims that sneaking out was Winter's idea, and that he only used his powers to end the fight quickly for both their sakes. He can barely remember all that happened. Stormherald & White-wing (the latter being a former Ravenswood student) discover something curious in Winter's dorm room: an advertisement promising "the BEST in meta-human cage fights."
-| (none)
-|-
-| (none)
-| '''#125'''
-| "Classic Adventurers"
-| Set in October of 2014. An armoured truck from an UNTIL convoy is hijacked by a small team of well-armed mercenaries. When the mercenaries take the armoured vehicle to an underground parking lot and use explosives to force their way into its locked compartment, Juggernette detects the explosion and alerts her Adventurer cohorts - already investigating the heist - to the location. A team of Juggernette, Blue Wonder, Dreamweaver, and Fox storm the garage. After a fire-fight, the Adventurers capture the three mercenaries, who are led by Edgar Percy Cryderman III. The rest of the team makes a quick exit before the MCPD arrive, as they had not yet earned much trust from the MCPD at the time. Blue Wonder, a registered hero, oversees the suspects' transfer to the MCPD. In epilogue, Cryderman and his accomplices are sentenced to prison sentences of 3-5 years, with leniency in their sentence for their decorated service in the US military, as well as their struggles since returning from war.
-| Edgar Percy Cryderman III
-|-
-| (None)
-| '''#124'''
-| "Prehistoric Adventure"
-| Dreamweaver, Wildcat, and Red Spider meet up on a rooftop by chance. Also by chance, they observe someone sneaking into the Museum of History, where there is an exhibit of some fascinating pre-historic mystical relics. Finding a security guard inside who has been injured, Wildcat rushes ahead and downstairs to the exhibits hall. Red Spider & Dreamweaver stay to ask questions; the guard indicates he was attacked by a scanty-clad woman in furs and a cape. The three heroines converge in the exhibit area which is sweltering hot. They intercept the woman who attacked the guard, but soon find that she is actually an ally - trying to prevent a great evil from stealing an artifact that would magnify its powers! The Adventurers + Kula the Unkillable battle the ancient Skalderg, Lord of the Volcano. Finding conventional attacks fruitless, Red Spider accidentally discovers that Skalderg and his summoned magma minions are vulnerable to ordinary chemical fire extinguishers! Subduing Skalderg between fire extinguishers, Wildcat's freeze arrows, and Kula's special attacks, they prevent him escaping with the 'Fist of Fire', a fancy pre-historic club. After Skalderg flees, Kula reveals that the Fist would have made Skalderg god-like in his abilities. Suggesting they may work together again in future, the Adventurers & Kula part ways.
-| Skalderg Lord of the Volcano
 |-
-| Faces of the Spider
+| Adventurers Annual 2021
-| '''#123'''
+| '''#1'''
-| "Justice for Some"
+| "A Requiem for Fox"
-| Hornett meets with Capt. Suzuki of UNTIL about the Adrian Tony killing; Suzuki confirms that White Star was present when Tony died, while acting under Suzuki's orders. White Star successfully retrieved a laptop from Tony which had Red Spider's secret identity info on it (see Adventurers #118), and in trying to defeat her, Tony had caused his own accidental death. Suzuki has no idea why County Prosecutor George Kruger would have ties to a gangster like Adrian Tony, but he does find the implication troubling. Dreamweaver & Hornett set out to question Kruger in his high-rise condo. Kruger anxiously ducks behind his desk and shakily loads a revolver to ward them off, but they persuade him to let them in to talk. (To be continued...)
+| While attempting to catch a Liddell smuggling ring in the act, Adventurer allies Bluebird and Cardinal come under heavy fire by gangsters. Prevailing, they believe they must have come upon a shipment of particular value for it to have been so guarded - but they only find an empty shipping container. Minutes later, both feel violently ill; the arriving police call for a lockdown and for hazmat protocols. The team is unable to detect the airborn virus.
-| George Kruger
+The Adventurers Blue Fox and Night Star confront Cosmo Liddell at his casino penthouse for answers about the contagion affecting Bluebird and Cardinal. Night Star tosses Liddell around his home rather violently, but Liddell remains cagey. He then promises to make a phone call to get the info they demand... and as they wait and watch him do so, Blue Fox starts to fall ill. Realizing Liddell has some connection to the virus, and even an unquantified ability to control it, the team retreats.
+Samantha Olsen shares inside info from a CDC briefing she attended indicating that almost the ''entire city'' are carriers for the virus, and it is spreading beyond. Yet the only symptomatic cases seem to be costumed heroes. This defies epidemiological sense. The CDC must soon announce the presence of the virus, but fears a panic, especially since they lack the means to treat it.
+The team learns that the source of the virus is a being called '''Blight''', whose meta-human powers allow him to create viruses and control their actions like they were extensions of himself. Though the Adventurers cannot prove it, it seems Cosmo Liddell learned of Blight's powers and offered him a small fortune if he could use his viral powers to eliminate very specific targets: costumed crime-fighters. Blight's skin shows lesions and solid, fluid-filled structures that, if breached, release deadly disease. He attempts to hold the city ransom in a confrontation with the Adventurers, making several team members incredibly ill just being near him, and threatening to unleash his illness on the city at large. Night Star, apparently immune because of nanites, shoots him in the head. ...it was only a stun shot, though.
+With Blight in custody, the CDC is able to rapidly discover antigens in one of his fluid-filled growths that prove critical in vaccinating the public against Blight's virus. Blight is kept at Stronghold prison in a carefully quarantined environment.
+| Blight; Cosmo Liddell
 |-
-| Faces of the Spider
+| Broken Time
-| '''#122'''
+| '''#321'''
-| "The Truth And Nothing But"
+| "Time-splosion"
-| Kruger persuades Lady Justice and the court judge to agree to allow the prosecution to have one more witness before closing arugments. Blue Wonder takes the stand. Kruger uses her testimony to attempt to make the Adventurers seem irresponsible, to have put their secrecy ahead of the public good during the 2014 monster attack. Lady Justice counters in cross-examination by reminding the court that Blue Wonder was temporarily leading the team while Red Spider was mutated, and any failings were attributable to Blue Wonder. Lady Justice also attempts to make it clear that her past romance with Blue Wonder may be influencing her testimony, though the judge rapidly requires her to move on from this line of questioning. With the last witness's testimony complete, the two sides offer closing arguments. Kruger sticks to his case that the public should have a chance at trial to hear the evidence and decide if the clone is guilty; Lady Justice reminds the court that the clone had no opportunity to make a choice for herself, and the prosecution hasn't offered any evidence that she was mentally culpable. The judge tends to agree with Lady Justice; in his ruling, he compliments the involvement of the Adventurers; he admits the danger of Samantha's potentially unstable powers and requires her to register with UNTIL; and he dismisses the charges against her, as he must conclude that she could not be held mentally accountable for her actions while mutated. The Adventurers are jubilant and begin to celebrate. Dreamweaver & Red Spider engage in tense but cordial chatter with Blue Wonder. Blue maintains she was only there to tell the truth, as she saw it.
+| (To be continued)
-| Blue Wonder; George Kruger
+| Timeslip
 |-
-| Faces of the Spider
+| Broken Time
-| '''#121'''
+| '''#320'''
-| "Old Wounds"
+| "Time-splosion"
-| The court case continues. Dreamweaver takes an opportunity to speak to George Kruger one on one and asks him not to talk openly about her spinal injury - her enemies could track her secret identity down easily if they knew. She is surprised to find that Kruger's emotional state fluctuates wildly when Dreamweaver talks to him about secret identities. She tells Red Spider and Hornett. Hornett begins to surveil Kruger and, using MCPD traffic cams, finds that Kruger has tended to visit a casino in Millennium City incognito. While gambling, Kruger was often visited by a mob lieutenant named Adrian Tony. Tony, recently deceased in an apparent home invasion, had connections to suspected crime kingpin Matthew Cresse. Back at trial, after Meltdowner's successful testimony, Lady Justice announces that the defense will rest its case. Kruger stuns the court by asking for a break in procedure to allow him to call one more witness: former Adventurer Blue Wonder.
+| (To be continued)
-| George Kruger; Adrian Tony; Blue Wonder
+| Timeslip
 |-
-| Faces of the Spider
+| Broken Time
-| '''#120'''
+| '''#319'''
-| "Chattanooga Choo-Choo"
+| "Time-splosion"
-| Captain Suzuki from UNTIL recruits the Adventurers for a dangerous mission: secure a mobile laboratory on a train run by Source Biotech Enterprises, and destroy their meta-human detector. Suzuki confirms that the device found in the boxing ring by Roak was a smaller meta-human detector. Using these, SBE can locate and abduct other meta-humans for testing. A challenge for the Adventurers: their initial attack on the train, travelling south from Chattanooga, TN to Atlanta, GA, must be led by non-meta members to avoid detection by the device. White Star joins Roak in infiltrating the rear of the train, while Artisan & Fox take the forward sections. Artisan attempts to gas a lab compartment but it doesn't act fast enough to prevent an alarm being sounded. With cover blown, the rest of the meta-humans on the team move in. Dreamweaver & Meltdowner help subdue some SBE security, but then unwittingly succumb to Artisan's gas! Luckily, Fox, Frog Boy, White Star, and Roak manage to get control of the train. The team discreetly delivers the train to an UNTIL team in Atlanta. Roak pockets the hard drive with meta-human detector data, apparently to prevent it falling into the wrong hands. Capt. Suzuki assures that later in the day, evidence found on the train will be given over to the FBI, and SBE will soon go out of business.
+| The Adventurers begin receiving looped transmissions over their emergency response network, reporting a break in at the Harmon Weyl Temporal Physics Labs in City Center.  As they arrive, they begin witnessing bizarre disruptions in reality surround the lab; the building seems contained within a bubble of warped light, within which clocks are set back to the middle of the previous night.  As the team members proceed into the building, time becomes increasingly distorted.  Several team members encounter two instances of the villain breaking in to the labs, both seemingly from different times before the break-in was reported.  More team members encounter the same villain even further into the past, as he's breaking in as well as approaching the building.  Through the ensuing fights, a piece of experimental machinery is damaged, resulting in a slow-motion explosion that engulfs the entire building.  Is this the end for the Adventurers?
-| Source Biotech Enterprises
+| Timeslip
 |-
-| Faces of the Spider
+|
-| '''#119'''
+| Blue Fox Annual #1
-| "Between a Shark and a Hard Place"
+| "Creature Feature, Part 3"
-| White Star urges the Adventurers most sneaky members to go in first and retrieve useful evidence from the SBE lab before their security has a chance to destroy anything. Fox, Roak, and Artisan go in ahead. Lady Justice, White Star, and Red Spider stay back in reserve. Roak sneaks into a lab, neutralizes some guards, and begins looting. Fox and Artisan split up on an upper level and encounter hostiles. Roak causes an alarm to sound deliberately, sets one test subject free to use as a decoy, and disguises himself as a scientist so he can ambush some guards. When the alarm sounds, the two powerful combatants - a Rocko, a man of rock, and Undertow, a shark man - decide to turn their considerable strength against their masters. Lady Justice & White Star move in to neutralize the powerful creatures. Fox locates and rescues some non-test subject prisoners. Artisan finds some info and neutalizes some guards. Red Spider helps some civilians escape the zone, including '''Doctor Brightman'''. The building becomes a zone of conflict as security deploys. UNTIL arrives soon after to get the scene under control. Roak finds some of the most compelling evidence - some vials of super serum, and a strange device; he pockets some super serum. Captain Suzuki of UNTIL's Office of Superhuman Resources arrives on scene; UNTIL gathers the evidence, and privately, White Star urges Suzuki to look favorably on the Adventurers for their help.
+| The bloody finale! Creature, enraged by the invasion of its lair, rampages through Westside, and once again Blue Fox and Sombra arrive to stop it. Thanks to a clever trick by Sombra to teleport it a hundred feet into the air and letting it drop, and Blue Fox's unrelenting attacks, the beast is brought down... and very quickly taken into custody. The nightmare is over, although Blue can't help but notice it already wore damaged restraints the entire time....
-| Rocko, Undertow, Source Biotech Enterprises
+| Creature
 |-
-| Faces of the Spider
+|
-| '''#118'''
+| Blue Fox Annual #2
-| "Underground"
+| "Creature Feature, Part 2"
-| The trial begins. George Kruger introduces his case that the clone presents a public danger, that if she is not made to face trial for her actions, by default she would be in the care of the Adventurers - and he intends to show how their actions allowed the clone rampage to occur in the first place. Lady Justice offers a sterling defense case introduction reminding the court that the defendant is a person, not a monster. Dreamweaver visits Samantha and brings her some sentimental items she borrowed from Cassandra (Red Spider). Later, team ally White Star beckons the team to meet her: she has a mission to check out another SBE lab that will require a super team like the Adventurers to complete. White Star reveals that she tracked down an SBE employee who escaped the clone lab, and recovered a laptop with information about Red Spider's secret identity. In turning this over, she earns some goodwill with the team. White Star leads the team to a run down gymnasium. Inside, two incredibly strong creatures creatures are being made by a bunch of lab coated observers to enter the boxing ring and fight.
+| Having investigated and being roughly sure of the so-called Creature's lair, Blue Fox and Sombra don scuba gear and head into the lake, where they somberly navigate through ruins of old Detroit. Slipping through the tilted and twisted halls of a building fragment, and following a trail of torn-apart bodies, the duo find the Creature's nest, an air pocket in a dilapidated conference room. Although covered in the viscera of its victims, they find a survivor - an UNTIL soldier, half his limbs torn or eaten away. They immediately begin extracting the unfortunate man, but when Creature arrives, Blue Fox battles it in its own territory! Sombra is able to escape with her charge, and after a tense few minutes, an injured Blue Fox surfaces. He didn't quite win, but he lived to tell the tale.
-| County Prosecutor George Kruger, Rocko, Undertow
+| Creature
 |-
-| Faces of the Spider
+|
-| '''#117'''
+| Blue Fox Annual #1
-| "A Secret Trial"
+| "Creature Feature, Part 1"
-| Adventurers keep the clone company while she remains in UNTIL captivity; the clone takes on the name 'Samantha', which was offered her by Cass's parents to distinguish her. UNTIL reveals to the team that they are obligated to turn over the clone to the MCPD because of their jurisdiction & the monster's complicity in several deaths and massive property damage - but UNTIL's Office of Superhuman Resources (OSR) sends Captain Chris Suzuki to Millennium City to make what interventions they can. 1) A pre-trial hearing will determine if the case should be sent to public trial. 2) The Adventurers will have the opportunity to testify at said trial as long as they are open to being subpoenaed. 3) The judge guarantees that the Adventurers will be granted a stay of any charges for vigilantism, so long as they maintain good conduct during the trial. 4) UNTIL will maintain custody of the clone and keep her identity a secret until such time as the judge orders them otherwise. Capt. Suzuki warns the team that the County Prosecutor, George Kruger, is vehemently against costumed crime fighters and will do everything he can to see the matter referred to trial, while taking a swipe at the Adventurers' reputations. Suzuki warns that if the clone is sent to public trial, it will expose Red Spider's identity, and it may begin a search for her known associates. Elsewhere in the city, George Kruger meets with a shadowy figure in a dark alley, and is instructed that he ''must'' win his case against the Adventurers.
+| Investigating a bloody murder in a nearby forest, Blue Fox and a nauseated Sombra begin piecing together clues from several attacks, until they realize something is watching them from the shadows. Attempting to pursue, the two unfortunately lose their monstrous nemesis at a lakeside shore.
-| County Prosecutor George Kruger
+| Creature
 |-
-| Faces of the Spider
+| Catfight Annual
-| '''#116'''
+| #2
-| "Held by UNTIL"
+| "To Catch a Cat"
-| Lady Justice complies with UNTIL in being transported to the regional headquarters in downtown Millennium City where Red Spider will be detained and treated by specialists. Meanwhile, Stormherald begins searching through the Red Spider Monster's path of destruction to see if she can detect the source. At UNTIL, Lady Justice must deal with uptight security agents and reveal details of her prior nanite treatment of Red Spider to UNTIL's medical section. Red Spider wakes up and begins speaking seeming non-sense, and exhibits difficulty crawling or standing. Stormherald closes in on a laboratory which seems to be the source of the Red Spider Monster's attack. Inside, numerous scientists and technicians are dead ... and Stormherald locates a still-living Red Spider/Cassandra in a stasis pod amidst the carnage. Lady Justice & Stormherald confer about the two different Cassandras they are observing; Dreamweaver attends the one in UNTIL and helps calm her agitated mind, while Lady Justice goes to the other Cassandra and confirms that the one in the wrecked lab is the real one by way of the unique smell of her hair shampoo. The 'real' Red Spider is taken home and fed many pizzas to help her recover, and she recounts how she was lured to the laboratory where a doctor tried to convince her that ''she'' was the clone; her memory after that got fuzzy. Stormherald had discovered that Cassandra and her clone were subject to a memory transfer machine, and that the company which owned the lab was Source Biotech Enterprises.
+| Catfight, recently bereft of super powers, gets in over her head when she tries to take on a gang of street toughs called the Silencers who have help from some international ringers named '''Payback''', a mercenary with powered armor, and '''Tiratore''', an Italian marksman and archer. Upon overpower Catfight, she has to face old demons from her upbringing as the baddies attempt to eliminate her in factory machinery. The death trap fails, and Catfight recovers from Tiratore the only information that might expose her secret identity. She tracks down the rest of the Silencers, discovering their plot to carefully intimidate a jury. Defeating the Silencers, Catfight engages their point person - Payback - in a street brawl which concludes in a draw, with a wounded Payback fleeing before police can nab her.
-| Source Biotech Enterprises; UNTIL
+| The Silencers; Payback; Tiratore
 |-
-| Faces of the Spider
+| Rubber Bullette Annual
-| '''#115'''
+| #1
-| "Calamity in Chinatown"
+| "Riddle me Ridderton"
-| The Red Spider monster returns! Cutting a swath of destruction through Millennium City's Chinatown, the Red Spider monster can only be stopped by the Adventurers. A full team of Roak, Meltdowner, Infinity-Zero, Lady Justice, Ebony, and Stormherald keep the beast from attacking civilians and police. They try a variety of attacks, but the creature seems nearly invulnerable. Lady Justice recalls that the creature avoids light, and indeed, light-based attacks have a way of weakening it. Exhausted by a long fight and the combined final strikes of Meltdowner, Stormherald, and Lady Justice, the creature's metabolism gives out, and it reverts to human form. The Adventurers carry out an emaciated Cassandra and do their best to conceal her identity, but realize they will need assistance from UNTIL to treat her. Meanwhile, Roak was critically injured in the fight, and Infinity-Zero ran interference with gangs & TV reporters while attending to Roak.
+| Rubber Bullette's neighborhood is embroiled in a gang turf war! In response, the city makes a deal with Ridderton Developments Inc. who plan to invest heavily in the subdivision's redevelopment, and pledge to provide a presence of private security called '''the Safety Patrol''' to keep order and augment police. But with help from Bullette's companions Chris and Tysha, it becomes clear that the Safety Patrol are merely thugs in fancy body armor out to intimidate undesireables, and strongarm owners into selling properties that Anson Ridderton wants to buy up and demolish.
-| Red Spider-Monster
+When Bullette finds out that she's on a list of 'enemies' of Ridderton Developments, she shortly finds herself on a collision course to confront Ridderton, his hired guns, and a doppelganger he hired to try to sully RB's reputation. It's help from friends that gets RB through some very close calls. Ridderton's agents help cover his escape once his complicity in crimes is revealed, and he flees the country.
+| Anson Ridderton; fake Rubber Bullette; Payback; various street gangs; the Safety Patrol
 |-
-| The Rise of Leviathan
+| Into the Undersea
-| '''#114'''
+| '''#318'''
-| "(Unknown)"
+| "Our Finest Hour"
-| To be concluded at a later date.
+| As Lord Aurum's suit is compromised from within, his digitizer array renders all of the captured people back into material space. With Aurum's suit overloaded, and the Nereid collars deactivating, King Zotholky orders the Nereid army to turn against Aurum and the Golden Men. The Adventurers from the battlefield move in to make safe their allies who emerged from the digitizer. Aurum is attacked from multiple sides, and his armor is badly damaged, revealing that much of his body is cybernetics, and his head and torso are badly scarred. He reveals that he wanted to control Cretoa so that he could use his alchemy to unlock the secrets of vitanium, that he might use it to his own ends. He is taken away to be imprisoned in the Zappatos Palace dungeon.
-| ?
+King Zotholky bids the Adventurers relate to the Cretoan crown that the Nereids desire no further contact with the surface for 10 years - except that the Adventurers will be welcome in the Undersea. The Nereids withdraw from the battlefield and go below.
+Fantasma has, in the meantime, captured Myron Gaios. Twilight seems to have escaped the battlefield. Kyros Kallikrates is believed to have been swarmed and killed by Nereids in his battle mech just before the battle ended. The Adventurers depart a grateful Cretoa.
+| Lord Aurum
 |-
-| The Rise of Leviathan
+| Into the Undersea
-| '''#113'''
+| '''#317'''
-| "The Battle of Miami"
+| "Our Darkest Hour"
-| The team is summoned by Aquatide and spirited on his ship down to the Florida coast near Miami. Aquatide has located one of Ahab's ships off the coast, but just as the team is about to cross the distance and storm the ship... they find themselves surrounded by Shark-men emerging from the tropical forest and the sea to surround them. Battle ensues; Infinity-Zero successfully fries a number of the seaside Shark-men with her lightning power, but to her own exhaustion. Dreamweaver gets into the thick of things and uses her shields to protect the team. Other team members fight to near-exhaustion against a seemingly limitless supply of shark-men. The battle comes to a halt when the King of Atlantis emerges from the ocean when Aquatide is on the cusp of defeating Ahab, his mother's killer, once and for all. The king stays Aquatide's hand, and reveals that he permitted Aquatide's mother to be killed - for Aquatide was the product of her union with another man. Ahab escapes and goes to loose the Leviathan; just awhen it seems the heroes are all about to be destroyed by the army of shark-men, Poseidon arrives and decrees that the king's right to rule is forfeit for being complicit in his wife's killing; Aquatide is decreed by Poseidon to be King of Atlantis. The Adventurers would be jubilant, but the Leviathan is free and about to attack the east coast.
+| Red Spider leads the rest of the Adventurers into a massive cavern where Lord Aurum and his enthralled army of Nereids are amassing. Backed up by the Cretoan Royal Guard and the Taurs, war is waged while the team buys time for Blue Fox, Rubber Bullette, and Joule try to disable Aurum and free his hostages.
-| Shark-men of Ahab, Ahab, the King of Atlantis
+Stinger leads a group of Cretoan reservists into battle. Fox, who has been missing in the caverns for days, turns up and, not realizing the Nereids are helping Aurum reluctantly, gains control of a bombing craft and turns it against the Nereids - causing Sombra to intercede. Catfight helps break up a fight between King Zotholky and a Taur captain, knowing that the king will be needed alive if the team is to succeeded. Hasizet focuses on setting up a field hospital for the great number of wounded coming in. Night Star helps fight against the powerful Golden Men.
+As fighting rages on, Red Spider starts to fear that the digitized Adventurers are taking too long, and they may have failed their mission. Her resolve shakes as she fears her friends could die. Just then, a light is seen from across the distant battlefield: Lord Aurum's armor begins to emit a bright light unexpectedly.
+The tide turns.
+| Lord Aurum
 |-
-| The Rise of Leviathan
+| Into the Undersea
-| '''#112'''
+| '''#316'''
-| "Jaws"
+| "Digital Warfare"
-| Aquatide seeks Red Spider's help in rescuing some academics. Notable anthropologists and archaeologists studying the kingdom over which Aquatide is prince, and from which he has been banished, have been kidnapped. Aquatide takes Red Spider, Roak, and Stormherald in his submarine to Monster Island, where some Shark-men working for someone named Ahab have inhabited a disused VIPER facility. The team sneaks in, but soon arouses the attention of the shark-men, who try to take a bite out of the Adventurers. The heroes prevail, and succeed in rescuing the abductees.
+| Blue Fox, Joule, and Rubber Bullette attack Lord Aurum, and are defeated. Aurum digitizes the three, and adds them to the other prisoners he is keeping digitally in his armor as insurance against his enemies.
-| Shark-men of Ahab
+...exactly what the Adventurers want. Using a special safeguard Blue Fox programmed after viewing the plans for the prototype digitizer, the trio awakens inside a digital construct and strive to sabotage Lord Aurum's control over the Nereid collars, and attempt to free Aurum's digitized prisoners, including Princess Grissh. They must interact with processes, and battle the anthropomorphized antivirus programs.
+On the surface, Golden Men enter the Zappatos Palace dungeons from below, and set the prisoners loose. Notables include Twilight, Kyros Kallikrates, and Myron Gaios!
+| Lord Aurum
 |-
-| [[The Adventurers Save Christmas (Adventurers)|The Adventurers Save Christmas]]
+| Into the Undersea
-| '''#7'''
+| '''#315'''
-| "The Day of Christmas Eve"
+| "A Golden Gift"
-| While the rest of the Adventurers seek Santa or other allies in the 'north pole', Infinity-Zero, Frog Boy, and Meltdowner are visited by Arrow the Reindeer in the cave. He says that Santa's elves are gathering to raze Nega-Santa's evil, automated factory and restore their own workshop; this objective, Arrow says, is every bit as important as defeating Nega-Santa himself. The three heroes set out to face Nega-Santa and rescue Santa. Nega-Santa drops Santa in a cold lake, trapping Santa in a perfectly rectangular block of ice. Nega-Santa uses Santa's sleigh to rain explosive presents down on the Adventurers. Infinity-Zero and Meltdowner manage to bring Nega-Santa to ground, while Frog Boy swims into the frigid lake to rescue Santa Claus. Nega-Santa uses the power of his imagination to throw up a variety of obstacles, but as he realizes he may be defeated, he uses his imagination for a terrible attack: he nudges the full moon toward the 'north pole'. As cataclysm approaches, Infinity-Zero cuts the cursed sleigh bells from Nega-Santa's neck, and the being vanishes in a flash of energy ... then the Krampus appears. Krampus reveals that Nega-Santa was his pet, that everything that had transpired was his doing, and it was all just a game to him. He thanks the Adventurers for keeping Christmas interesting this year, and goes away. Meltdowner, meanwhile, has used his powers to free Santa from the ice block. Santa has his full powers restored and sets everything back to right. He bids the three Adventurers with him to help him with his Christmas deliveries aboard his sleigh. ...the next morning, any Adventurers who assisted in the 'north pole' awake thinking it was a dream, but each of them has received a mysterious present of personal significance to them in some way.
+| Red Spider and Blue Fox investigate Lord Aurum's tiny island upon which his manor is set, miles away from Cretoa. They find his lab, and a prototype version of his digitizer device. They are chased off by some of Aurum's 'golden men' - an army of gold-plated who can fly and fire deadly lasers!
-| Nega-Santa; Krampus
+Down in the Cretoan caverns, Joule and Stinger narrowly escape a cavern collapse! They encounter one of the Taurs, and are led back to a Taur encampment. The Taurs are aligned to preserve Cretoan for humans against ancient threats like the Nereids. They are no friends to the Nereids, but they are aware of the treachery of Lord Aurum, and despise him more. Stinger and Joule get the Taurs to agree to a compact to ensure the safety of Cretoa against Aurum.
+A team of Sombra, Rubber Bullette, Meltdowner, and Stinger try to enter the Nereid realm. The Nereids are inclined to reject the Adventurers, but Sombra shows a Nereid medallion she received from the Aviator from his mission to the island a century before. The Nereids recognize the symbol, and promise the Adventurers safe conduct to and from the great city of the Undersea.
+The team enters the vast abyss, an ocean hidden under Cretoa whose bottom is in the unfathomable deeps. Following an array of organic beacons, they reach the city, which hugs a massive pillar of rock. They have an audience with King Zotholky - who has a Golden Man advising him, and trying to paint the Adventurers as liars. The King is willing to hear the Adventurers evidence. They present what they have learned from their interactions with Twilight and Aurum. The King is inclined to believe... but then, the Golden Man reveals that the special collars Lord Aurum gifted to every person in the Undersea have received a command to lock onto their wearer - and can kill every one of them with a unique gas mixture if they do not accede to Aurum's wishes. The King is forced to agree to go to war with the surface, or face the near extermination of his people. The Adventurers are permitted to leave, and told to warn the surface that they must evacuate the island, or die.
+| Lord Aurum
 |-
-| [[The Adventurers Save Christmas (Adventurers)|The Adventurers Save Christmas]]
+| Into the Undersea
-| '''#6'''
+| '''#314'''
-| "Christmas Freeze"
+| "Enter Lord Aurum"
-| The team returns to the 'abandoned' frost giant cave to find...and frost giant! The frost giant Freztor, under Nega-Santa's spell, reveals that he helped capture Santa and handed him over to Nega-Santa. Meltdowner & Infinity-Zero distract the frost giant while Lady Justice cuts the belt of sleigh bells keeping it under Nega-Santa's mind control. The team prepares to rescue Santa and confront Nega Santa.
+| Because of numerous images in the cavern showing the Nereids' reverence for the kraken, and knowing that the earthquakes are part of the Nereids plan to sink parts of the island to give the kraken a way to swim free, Hasizet visits the kraken's pool beneath the Zappatos Palace. There, she communes with the beast and learns its ancient history - and its desire to return to the open sea. The ancient predator will not trouble surface creatures again if they will let it free.
-| Freztor the Frost Giant
+Blue Fox, Sombra, Joule, and Azure Hawk's battle armor go to the demolition site where Catfight and Princess Grissh had fought before, hoping to find the Princess and negotiate. There, they find the entire Nereid demolition team freshly slain - at the hand of Lord Aurum! Aurum demonstrates that he has control over other demo sites by setting one off, and causing another earthquake. He also has Princess Grissh as his hostage, digitized and stored as data in his power armor.
+Aurum's goal: to gain all of the ancient secrets of Cretoa. He never intended to help Cretoa. And he intends to exterminate the Nereids. The team cannot touch him, for now. He walks off.
+| Lord Aurum
 |-
-| [[The Adventurers Save Christmas (Adventurers)|The Adventurers Save Christmas]]
+| Into the Undersea
-| '''#5'''
+| '''#313'''
-| "Frosty the Mechanized Snowman"
+| "Dig Two Graves"
-| A large team including Infinity-Zero, Stormherald, Dreamweaver, Meltdowner, and Lady Justice are sent to an anomalous green patch of the 'north pole', affected by Nega-Santa's influence on the imaginary realm's very climate. There, they find Frosty the Snowman - whose snowy head is mounted on a cooling unit, which itself forms the neck of a mechanical body formed of cybernetic parts and force fields. Frosty claims that he wants to be able to enjoy a tropical climate, and the mechanical suit Nega-Santa gave him will permit that. Infinity-Zero and Lady Justice detect a weakness in Frosty's new body: wireless signals that help the forcefields work in sync. There is a fight, during which Frosty manages to toss some Adventurers around. Attempts are made to remove Frosty's magic top hat, but it seems Nega-Santa helped secure the hat with magnets! Infinity-Zero manages to disrupt the wireless signal, causing Frosty's head to fall to the ground. Frosty, now free of Nega-Santa's spell, asks that they fix his top hat and stick it on another snow man to bring him back. The Ghost of Christmas Past thanks the team for freeing him and flies away.
+| Sombra reaches a pool of raw vitanium, and sets the dying Princess Grissh inside of it.
-| Frosty the Mechanized Snowman
+Blue Fox, Red Spider, Stinger, Rubber Bullette, and Hasizet manage to defeat Twilight and march her up to the surface. Twilight shares a bit of insight about the situation: she doesn't know who hired her, but in four days she is supposed to withdraw. She is also supposed to kill Princess Taina, Lord Aurum, and as many Nereids as she can.
+Catfight is grounded at the headquarters while the team discusses what happened. Catfight maintains she did what was necessary. Others aren't so sure; they wonder who or what caused Catfight's rage attack - some thinking maybe it was Twilight.
+When Princess Grissh awakens, Sombra hands her baton to the princess for her defense, and then leaves for the surface.
+The next day, Catfight resolves to visit the palace and ask to be treated with vitanium to remove her powers, ending the risk of another rage state.
+| Twilight
 |-
-| [[The Adventurers Save Christmas (Adventurers)|The Adventurers Save Christmas]]
+| Into the Undersea
-| '''#4'''
+| '''#312'''
-| "Sport"
+| "Mysteries of the Cretoan Caverns"
-| Lady Justice and Dreamweaver undertake a confrontation with the Krampus in order to rescue the Ghost of Christmas Future. True to Santa's warning, Krampus loves a game; he gets Dreamweaver to agree to a contest of riddles. The Krampus must remove an article for every riddle Dreamweaver & Lady Justice get right, but if Krampus should stump them, he will get the eternal servitude of one of them - and they must unanimously agree between them which one! A game of stakes to be sure, but with some deft negotiation and some excellent skill with riddles, the Krampus is foiled. Along the way, the Krampus is made to remove Nega-Santa's mind controlling sleigh bells; as it turns out, the Krampus was never under Nega-Santa's control, he claims to have feigned fealty to Nega-Santa because it was good sport. The Ghost of Christmas past shrieks and wails upon its freedom, causing some irritation to Lady Justice, who bids it go.
+| Back in Millennium City, an attempt on the life of Prince Alex is thwarted by Silver Hare, wih help from Wizard and Sparrow Hawk. The prince takes Hare with him as a bodyguard as he resolves to head home.
-| Krampus
+Arakhne reveals herself to be Princess Taina. She says that she entered the caverns with her ally, Lord Aurum, a local hero hired by Cretoa to help manage the Nereid situation. But when they were attacked by Nereids, only Arakhne escaped. She has been trying to find Aurum since then, but fears he may be dead.
+Red Spider, Stinger, Rubber Bullette, Blue Fox, and Hasizet form a group to use data from Stinger's recon drones to track down Twilight. After a long trek deep into the caverns, they encounter Twilight's battle armor.
+Meanwhile, Catfight, Fantasma, and Sombra try to follow clues from a battle site between a Nereid and a mysterious warrior from the Brotherhood of the Taur. They end up being captured by Nereids led by Princess Grissh! Fantasma and Sombra are immured in Nereid resin to a batch of plant-based explosive they are laying to demolish a great cavern as they pave the way for the ancient kraken, held prisoner beneath the Zappatos Palace for eons, to swim free.
+Catfight is hit by a golden dust by an unknown assailant, and she goes on a rampage! She fights numerous Nereids, but attracts the attention of Princess Grissh herself. The two duel fiercely, but Catfight wins - and then prepares to deal a death blow. Fantasma breaks free with her devices, and Sombra uses her teleport power to intercede. Sombra peppersprays Catfight, and then makes off with the ailing princess.
+| Princess Grissh; Twilight; Catfight
 |-
-| [[The Adventurers Save Christmas (Adventurers)|The Adventurers Save Christmas]]
+| Into the Undersea
-| '''#3'''
+| '''#311'''
-| "Arrow the Reindeer"
+| "Mysteries of the Cretoan Caverns"
-| Santa can offer little other advice than that removing the jingle bells which are the channel for Nega-Santa's mind control over Arrow may be one way, but not the only way, to defeat the wayward reindeer. Knightshadow and Frog Boy track Arrow down in the wintery lands of the 'North Pole', and devise a clever scheme: while Knightshadow distracts Arrow, Frog Boy tries to flank him. The battle doesn't go quite as planned, with Arrow's archery skills & antlers proving very dangerous; Knightshadow also gets a sore knee for the trouble of trying to drive it into Arrow's toughened gut. Frog Boy spends much of the fight clinging to Arrow's back or dangling from his antlers. In the end, Frog Boy diverts Arrow's attention long enough for Knightshadow to grab the chain with the jingle bells and teleport away with them. Of proper mind again, Arrow laments what he has done, releases the Ghost of Christmas Past from a snow-globe, and entreats the Adventurers to put in a good word for him with Santa Claus. Frog Boy points out that Arrow is special among reindeer because of his humanoid form: he could very well be the North Pole's first genuine superhero. On hearing the tale, Santa agrees to forgive Arrow, because he regards Arrow as being like family. Knightshadow returns the bells taken from Arrow to Santa.
+| While Sarah Ellison (Night Star) goes ashore to get intel, team members begin searching the underground caverns. A Twilight drone is captured in the caverns and brought back to surface for analysis, revealing in its data that Twilight herself is in the caverns, and that it has been programmed to attack Nereids.
-| Arrow the Reindeer
+Hasizet and Stinger find the corpse of a Nereid while diving off Cretoa's coast. The bring it up and find its wounds are consistent with the Twilight drone's kind of slicers. Stinger deploys his own drones to try to map the caverns.
+The team interrupts a duel between '''Arakhne''', a spider-themed hero, and '''Princess Grissh''', a Nereid royal, just as the latter is getting the upper hand. Grissh escapes, and Arakhne agrees to go back to the surface with the team.
+| Princess Grissh; Twilight's drones
 |-
-| [[The Adventurers Save Christmas (Adventurers)|The Adventurers Save Christmas]]
+| Into the Undersea
-| '''#2'''
+| '''#310'''
-| "The Once and Future Claus"
+| "Quaking on Cretoa"
-| Knightshadow arranges for an UNTIL transport for the Adventurers to borrow, while Lady Justice pilots it northward. Santa Claus joins the Adventurers, and assures that their transport heads to his imaginary realm. Santa guides them to a snowy cave which he says was home to a Frost Giant whom he hasn't seen for years and years. Once settled, Santa starts to share details of the characters Nega-Santa has enslaved, and what his plan might be: by enslaving powerful servants, and capturing the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, Nega-Santa means to rewrite the history of Christmas in his own image, and turn it entirely into a crass and naughty affair. Arrow, Santa explains, was a normal reindeer, a cousin to Rudolph of red-nose fame; but though Arrow long coveted his cousins who pulled the magic sleigh for Santa every Christmas, Santa never had need for another reindeer to join the team. Nega-Santa had promised Arrow power, giving him humanoid form, imbuing him with warrior skill, and intensifying his resentment toward Santa Claus. The Krampus is an old rascal, trickster, and troublemaker, and very dangerous - he probably would help Nega-Santa ''without'' mind control. And Frosty the Snowman was a vexing addition to Nega-Santa's gang, but he must have been promised something by Nega-Santa.
+| Prince Alexandros of Cretoa arrives in Millennium City and sends word that he wishes to speak with the Adventurers. He explains that, though the government of Cretoa has forbidden the crown to speak with the Adventurers after the events of '''Trouble Under Cretao''', the nation is in grave danger. Tremors with shallow origins have been rocking the island, and Princess Taina believes that the fish-people, who live in a deep Undersea below the island, are preparing some strange form of war against the surface.
-| Arrow the Reindeer, Krampus, Frosty the Mechanized Snowman, Nega-Santa
+The Adventurers make preparations, including building pressure suits for the potential Undersea depths. Sombra learns from Professor Walsingham that the Classic Adventurers once fought a live minotaur on the island in 1912, and were awarded ancient '''Nereid''' pendants by the locals in thanks for removing the threat; Sombra manages to get El Sombra's pendant from his descendants.
+The team rendezvous with Sarah Ellison's yacht in the Mediterranean to reach Cretoa. Immediately upon arrival late one evening, Red Spider goes on a mission to locate '''Fantasma'''. The next morning, as the team awakens to breakfast, a major tremor strikes...
+'''Featuring:''' Night Star, Blue Fox, Rubber Bullette, Joule, Meltdowner, Fox, Red Spider, Stinger, Catfight, Doormaker
+'''Guest:''' Fantasma
+| Fish-people
 |-
-| [[The Adventurers Save Christmas (Adventurers)|The Adventurers Save Christmas]]
+|
-| '''#1'''
+| '''#309'''
-| "T'was the Night ''Before'' the Night Before Christmas..."
+| "Violet Violence
-| Adventurers Wildcat, Stormherald, Lady Justice, and Knightshadow respond to a police report about a theft at a high tech laboratory. When they arrive, police have only just begun securing the scene. Detective Sheffield (seen in the "Hack Attack" and "Mystery of the Missing Plane" stories) is on scene and takes poorly to Wildcat's desire to view the crime scene before police 'contaminate' it. Lady Justice finds herself in the unusual position of being the tactful one, and extends the Adventurers services to the Detective. Wildcat can smell odd smells like those of wild animals, and sugarplums in the air. On examining the scene, the Adventurers encounter a scientist who says that their lab was raided by a pair of manimals - one like a deer, and one like a goat who cackled constantly. Knightshadow can sense traces of magic consistent with ... Santa Claus's imaginary realm? She also suspects from her mystical lore that the 'goat manimal' may be the Krampus. The team checks with Detective Sheffield and learns that while most surveillance cameras mysteriously frosted over, one on the roof of the building caught a ... sleigh? And the direction which it headed. Lady Justice follows the direction and uses her senses to hear the sound of ... bells? at a riverside warehouse. Frog Boy joins the others just in time for the team to raid the warehouse; the bad guys narrowly escape through a portal to a snowy realm, but the heroes are just in time save the life of a fat, jolly man in a red suit: Santa Claus. He begs for the team's help in reclaiming his imaginary realm from a new threat: '''Nega-Santa'''.
+| A disturbance at a cheap motel leads some of the Adventurers - Red Spider, Rubber Bullette, Blue Fox, and Catfight - onto a the scene of a horrific hellish ritual! The Purple Gang are attempting a dark magic spell to grant themselves power, and are going to fuel this magic with human sacrifice! The team stealthily sets up an ambush and, within seconds, frees the hostages, but in the commotion, Lyle Neidermeyer, a nebbish member who had been Rubber Bullette's fake date to a casino adventure, bursts into the ritual room to needlessly warn his superiors! The interruption causes the spell to backfire, destroying most of the Purple Gang spellcasters... and imbuing Lyle with evil powers! Now a hulking demon, Lyle christens himself Vyle Neidermeyer, and despite the supercharge, is put down by the heroes.
-| Arrow the Reindeer, Krampus
+| The Purple Gang, Vyle Neidermeyer
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+|
-| '''#111'''
+| '''#308'''
-| "When It's Over"
+| "False Pretense: Part 1"
-| The Adventurers arrive at the portal base one last time. Lady Vengeance is now a tenant in a stasis tube. Red Spider enlists Frog Boy's help to haul Dread Spider's hover bike through the portal, considering it a 'spoil of war'. Dreamweaver takes a last look at Doomweaver in her stasis pod. Lady Justice works on a remote control detonator to destroy the last portal machine, but the team must say farewell to Silverhawk. Silverhawk hands Red Spider a photograph of Cyber-Blades, asking her to give it to Cyber-Slash to give her a sense of what she ''could'' be. Silverhawk pledges to ensure that the portal machine is destroyed, and to continue fighting crime. He expresses how the Adventurers have inspired him, and he hopes to form a coalition with Roque and others to restore justice. Red Spider urges him to deal fairly & justly with the crooks they stuck in the stasis pods, though Lady Justice warns him never to let Lady Vengeance out. The team speculates on LV's motives; Lady Justice feels that LV wanted to prove to the Adventurers that they were all capable of treating life as disposable as their evil doubles. Meltdowner confirms that Flash Freeze seems to be his double, but can't entirely explain the man's different secret identity nor his cold powers. With a final round of goodbyes, hugs, and well-wishes, the Adventurers leave Silverhawk and the alternate world behind.
+| A group of Adventurers respond to a police broadcast about a violent scuffle at City Hall. When they arrive, the find many security guards, police officers, and civillians beaten up and in rather bad condition, though none are dead. They also find their teammate Azure Hawk taking down two other guards in rather brutal fashion. Sombra attempts to talk to him, only have to warp out of the way from him throwing an unconscious guard at her. Blue Fox notices Hawk's red eyes, and throws a boomerang between him and the Hawk. While Rubber Bullette tries to absolutely make sure if it really is Azure Hawk, the Hawk throws out a tear gas pellet and attempts to attack Blue Fox. The group is quick to restrain him, with Blue Fox even attempting to pull off his helmet to see who is really under it. The Azure Hawk then drops multiple tear gas pellets, rendering the group into a coughing fit and makes a, highly unusually clean, getaway.
-| (none)
+Night Star soon arrives on the scene and helps the other Adventurers with their tear gas effects. A reporter and her cameraman bust on the scene, having seen Azure Hawk escaping, immediately go start to go with the story that he caused all the problems. The Adventurers attempt to vouch for Hawk, saying he would never do something so horrible. They stall long enough for her to miss her live report slot, forced to make a report for the nightly news. While not saying it was Hawk in the report, or not denying it, the security footage of him attacking the civilians and fighting the other Adventurers is shown, paired with the headline "The Next Hero Gone Bad?"
+'''Featuring:''' Blue Fox, Night Star, Sombra, and Rubber Bullette
+| Fake Azure Hawk
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Casino Fallout
-| '''#110'''
+| '''Sombra #2'''
-| "A Walk Among the Tombstones"
+| "Stitchy Situation"
-| The portal machine in the base reveals Lady Vengeance has made a jump to the Champions world. The Adventurers mobilize and create their own portal to a nearby location to set up their ambush. Lady Vengeance has entered a cemetery. Lady Justice holds position on a nearby roof; Roak & Dreamweaver stand by to deliver an acid attack meant to force her to take her armor off; Red Spider, Frog Boy, Meltdowner, Juggernette, and Knightshadow form the first line of attack. Lady Vengeance defends herself adequately against the team, and tries to goad Red Spider into deciding who in their number should die. Red Spider's costume is torn up when she has to tackle Lady Vengeance in a tall tree to prevent her escape, and LV uses an electrical attack to fend the Spider off. Knightshadow flies and employs her shadow force attacks, but narrowly avoids being hit by retaliatory explosive. Juggernette blasts music & fights in close combat, but receives some damage from LV's plasma sword. Frog Boy, despite his nerves, manages to land some hits - even using his prehensile tongue to knock over a tree - and comes to no serious harm in the battle. Meltdowner cuts a path of fiery destruction that causes his team mates have to dodge him. After a few hit & fade attack around by the front-line, Roak successfully hits LV's armor with the acid, and LJ follows up with her disabling serum. ''The remainder of the serum produced was not accounted for afterwards.'' Lady Vengeance is captured. LV's horrible, visceral pain affects the more empathetic team members. Lady Justice puts LV in a headlock and choke holds her until she passes out.
+|Sombra and Blue Fox are attacked by an old enemy - one that they've technically never faced before! The Ragged Man, a tall, slender figure in a tattered suit and horribly-mismatched patches of skin sewn all over him, attacks the two, using an array of superpowers - one for each stolen swath of skin! It's a hard-fought victory, but the two triumph, the villain making a hasty retreat. Before he goes, he implies that he was being paid to make a grab at Sombra....
-| Lady Vengeance
+| The Ragged Man
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Dark Clouds Gather
-| '''#109'''
+| '''#307'''
-| "Remember Where You Were"
+| "Dark Clouds Gather: The finale"
-| The team quickly recruits two new heroes: Infinity-Zero, and the Funktastic Frog Boy. Any available help is needed for the forthcoming battle against Lady Vengeance. The senior team members discuss an elaborate strategy to capture Lady Vengeance. Roak sees getting Lady Vengeance to remove her own armor is crucial to victory. Lady Justice can provide a serum that, if successfully delivered, would neutralize Lady Vengeance, but can only be administered once the armor is removed. Only a few members are granted what limited amount of serum Lady Justice can produce, including Dreamweaver and Roak to use as a back up plan. The team begin training and preparing for their trap, with the likelihood that all of them will survive the coming battle slim...
+| Catfight leads the team back to Holoform HQ to confront Markus on the information they learned, but upon entering the building they're soon met by Jubei Kaneshiro! After a brief battle Kaneshiro fled, giving the team enough time to rendezvous with Markus in his office. It didn't take long for Kaneshiro to return however, and he revealed the biggest shock of all. Maro has been alive the entire time, "sharing" his soul with Kaneshiro! A battle ensued that saw the twin-soul villain briefly losing control over "who's" in charge, Kaneshiro's rage ruining Maro's plans of using Markus' body to finish his resurrection once Kaneshiro used the very same spell that Maro once used to kill Red Spider on Markus. After a tense battle however Maro's soul was finally trapped in the crystal Karasu gave Catfight. Kaneshiro was taken into custody (and then taken by unknown forces assumed to be his Shinobi family), Maro's new soul prison was turned over to PRIMUS for safe keeping, and Markus was remembered as a "Troubled Genius". A man who despite going about it the wrong way, had good intentions. But...even though all the evidence points to his death being legit, when it comes to him, can we really believe it was...?
-| Lady Vengeance
+'''Featuring:''' Red Spider, Catfight, Sombra, Night Star, Azure Hawk.
+| Fused-Soul Maro/Kaneshiro, upgraded Shadow ninja puppets.
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Dark Clouds Gather
-| '''#108'''
+| '''#306'''
-| "Out of the Cold"
+| "Return to a scene of madness"
-| The search for Lady Vengeance turns up nothing. The Adventurers move their search to the alternate world, but find that it's Flash Freeze who's causing trouble. With the power vacuum in the streets thanks to the apprehension of several leading Venture Enterprises gangsters in the parallel universe, Flash Freeze and a squad of his goons make a play to capture the families of prominent rival gangsters within an apartment block. An entire building is frozen; the Adventurers, with help from Stygian, attempt to rescue the people within the building and take on Flash Freeze. Lady Vengeance enters the fray not long after. Flash Freeze is neutralized, but the team fights Lady Vengeance until almost none of them are standing - and the villain still manages to escape. Red Spider chooses to let LV go rather than pursue while her team mates are injured. Dread Spider manages to escape her stasis chamber and dashes through the portal - only to be apprehended by the team's newest member: Ebony. Red Spider and Stormherald arrive just in time to take custody of an unconscious Dread Spider from Ebony.
+| Catfight leads the team to the warehouse her villainous cousin "Ms. Fortune" once took over to learn the truth behind how she was able to create such reality-bending illusions. After dealing with a snide holo-recording of Fortune and solving a puzzle Fortune had laid out. The team learned that Markus Reinhardt had been under Fortune's psionic control prior to her defeat. And that much of his criminal activity, including the installation of hardlight tech in said warehouse, was done by her accord! The theft of Banks Heroics worldwide blueprints were still done by his choice however. And after saving a small prototype synthetic Humanoid Markus had created (named Vitruvian), the team intends on confronting Markus about all of this. Unknowingly proceeding closer and closer to the endgame.
-| Lady Vengeance, Flash Freeze, Dread Spider
+'''Featuring:''' Red Spider, Sombra, Catfight, Night Star, Blue Fox, Doormaker.
+| Puzzles
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Dark Clouds Gather
-| '''#107'''
+| '''#305'''
-| "Cold Vengeance"
+| "Trip to Japan"
-| Stinger is defeated and placed into cryo-stasis alongside everyone else the Adventurers have captured in the alternate universe so far. On a supply run to the Justice Cave in the main universe, Red Spider & Dreamweaver encounter Lady Justice already there, to their surprise, and acting very odd - it's actually ''''Lady Vengeance'''! Red Spider calls in an emergency; while awaiting assistance, she and Dreamweaver attempt to hold off Lady Vengeance, who is protected by formidable nano-tech weaponry. A team of Roak, Meltdowner, Red Spider, and Dreamweaver repels Lady Vengeance, who falls into the pit beneath the Justice Cave and escapes through a previously unknown cavern which she seals behind her. Lady Justice arrives late and begins to assess what L.V. was after: data files on known weaknesses of the Adventurers, and ways to exploit them.
+| Catfight takes the team on a trip to Japan to hunt down the assassin "Karasu", sister of Jubei Kaneshiro. Father Maro's former right hand man, so that the team can hopefully learn what her brother is up to, and by connection learn more of Maro's activity. After tracking the assumed criminal assassin down it's discovered she is actually a Demon Hunter! After an unexpected encounter with some local Japanese Demons the team learned from Karasu that her brother now possesses some of the magic Maro used, and is acting as his Herald to bring about the Dark Wizards resurrection.
-| Lady Vengeance
+'''Featuring:''' Red Spider, Sombra, Catfight, Rubber Bullette, Blue Fox, Night Star.
+| Japanese Demons (Oni).
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+|
-| '''#106'''
+| '''#304'''
-| "What Goes Around, Comes Around"
+| "Outta Time, Part 2"
-| Dreamweaver & Storm pose as a pair of tights-wearing, over-the-top crime fighters and push over an easy gang target, then gloat about it over social media. It's Dread Spider who shows up first, and a trap is quickly sprung! The villain tries to escape using her metal claws to scale a wall. When she gets to the roof, her escape is narrowly averted when '''Flash Freeze''' shows up, responding to the same lure, and encases Dread Spider in ice! While Roque's group moves to secure Dread Spider, the Adventurers battle Flash Freeze. As the battle turns against Flash Freeze, he blasts through from the roof to the basement of a derelict apartment block, and the building collapses around him - his fate is unknown. Later, the Venture Enterprises gang attempts to retaliate against portal base, but Dreamweaver, Stormherald, and Wildcat repel them. '''Stinger''' tries to bluff his way into the base posing as a vigilante working against Venture gangsters, going so far as to kill a couple of his cohorts, but the team soon sees through the deception. Stinger lashes out and initiates a battle.
+| Flashback: Having to host the time travelers at Adventurers HQ for a while, Blue Fox and Sombra are adamant about showing the movie ''Back to the Future'' (1985) to the Aviator and El Sombra. The two young heroes discuss telling the classic heroes about their fates, as both died relatively young. A few weeks later, as the heroes say their goodbyes to the soon-to-be-departing time travelers, Sombra gives each of them a letter and bids them not to open it until the date specified on the envelope, ala Marty's letter in the movie. Each Classic hero has a moment to consider the ramifications for their fate, and though ambivalent about their intentions toward their letter, are grateful to Sombra. El Sombra bestows upon Sombra a gift of a challenge coin bearing his name, and a star-like compass design on the reverse bearing the team's name, which was struck by Mr. Adventure in 1917 - every team member had one.
-| Dread Spider, Flash Freeze, Stinger, Venture Enterprises Gangsters
+Today: The team hold their ground against tremendous odds. Rubber Bullette saves some Osirians from falling to their deaths, and uses her body to shield Adrynne from Osiarian archers on the nearby rooftops. Other heroes have to battle up close and keep the well-trained Osirians from getting through to Adrynne. Adrynne forms the portal, and the two classic heroes to escape.
+In the aftermath, those Osirians who cannot escape the Adventurers use their memory-wiping gas on themselves, leaving them with no recollection of who they are, or anything about the order they served. Adrynne curiously checks her phone, and announces that she has won an eBay auction; she asks Night Star to accept it, since she plans to leave this plane of existance for a while. Blue Fox and Sombra are heartened to find that their attempt to change history worked, somewhat: El Sombra (Carlos Batres) lived a longer life and went on to own a resort in Mexico, but the Aviator (Randy Waverly) still died at the same time, and in the same way. This auction turns out to be a gift for the team: the Aviator's challenge coin, obtained from a collector in Belgium. The team passes it around in the HQ, but when Sombra holds it, and also touches the one El Sombra gave her, it causes the sudden, inexplicable materialization of the Aviator from the coin itself - badly injured, as if he had just been pulled from the moment of his death in an aerial battle in 1918.
+'''Featuring:''' Rubber Bullette, Sombra, Blue Fox, Azure Hawk, Night Star, Catfight
+| Order of Osiris
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+|
-| '''#105'''
+| '''#303'''
-| "Stratagem"
+| "Outta Time, Part 1"
-| The team assembles inside of the portal base to have a round-table discussion on their next course of action. '''Roak''' reveals that '''Dread Spider''' & her gang were primarily interested in the identities of Anti-Adventurers who were not part of her gang during his questioning - their ambitions, it seems, are limited to their own world. It seems it was '''Lady Vengeance''' who wanted to enter the Champions world, for reasons unknown. Some of the team are wary of becoming entrenched in a prolonged battle in an alternate world when their own world needs them; a trap is discussed, with variations debated, but it's '''Meltdowner's''' idea that gains momentum: simply costume two Adventurers in disguise as two low-level costumed heroes, beat up an easy gang target, and wait for '''Venture Enterprises''' to send its costumed enforcers. '''Dreamweaver''' & '''Stormherald''' volunteer for that assignment. Meanwhile, in the Champions world, '''Hornett''' & '''Fox''' assist a hero named '''Wildcat''' in defeating an ostentatious but inexperienced costumed burglar named '''Night Hammer'''. Red Spider greets Wildcat afterward and invites her to join the team.
+| Flashback: the Adventurers helped Adrynne and Night Star thwart an attempt by the '''Order of Osiris''' to use a stolen a fragment of the Peyasaskew Stone to open a portal to the past, to a time before their coveted '''Worldbreaker''' relic was eliminated. The team defeated the Osirians, but were unable to stop them from bringing forward a WWI plane crewed with two: Classic Adventurers '''The Aviator''', and '''El Sombra'''. Adrynne resolves to find a way to send time travelers home.
-| Night Hammer
+Today: Night Star officially returns to the team. After weeks entertaining these time-traveling guests, Adrynne's astral form instructs the team to choose a place open to the sky to that she can send the two home, using a re-powered Shard of Peyasaskew. Red Spider has to bow out due to another pressing investigation but trusts the team to stand guard during Adrynne's ritual.
+On a causeway between towers in the city's downtown, the team keeps the public away while Adrynne makes preparations. Adrynne puts a charm onto the Aviator's challenge coin for good luck. As the ritual begins, the team has to fend off Osirian guardsmen who employ ninja-like tactics with grapplers and archery to get in close.
+'''Featuring:''' Rubber Bullette, Sombra, Blue Fox, Azure Hawk, Night Star, Catfight, Stinger (flashback)
+| Order of Osiris
 |-
-| Halloween Special 2015
+|
-| '''#104'''
+| '''#302'''
-| "Hokey Pokey"
+| "The Fearsome Gator-Man"
-| Hostages have been taken into a warehouse en masse by the '''Overthinker''', including Katelyn May/Dreamweaver. Outside, as hostages escape, they act very odd - a middle-aged man crying for his mommy, for example. A team of Lady Justice, Stormherald, and Red Spider responds to assist. While Red disappears into the ventilation ducts, LJ and Stormherald have to battle their way through sentinel bots. When Red Spider sees that Katelyn is being strapped into a machine, she throws caution to the wind and leaps out to assist. The rest of the team fights their way through. Red Spider and Katelyn seem to be electrically shocked when the machine is destroyed. Overthinker's hypnobots are no match for Lady Justice & Stormherald, and the villain retreats. They let EMTs take Katelyn to the hospital, while they help Red Spider (who is unconscious) get clear. Later, when Katelyn wakes up in the hospital, she is beset by a flood of emotions and cries out that she can't feel her legs. When Red Spider / Cassandra awakens, it's immediately clear what to Lady Justice what happened: Red Spider & Dreamweaver have swapped minds.
+| Red Spider learns of a nice Millennium City couple who recently collided their boat with another boat. No one was hurt, but the couple, despite claiming that they were swerving when a Gator-man tried to attack them, is facing criminal charges. In a bid to clear them, Red leads a few Adventurers into the stormwater sewers, starting from a culvert near the accident site. The team feels a sense of dread as they proceed. Deep into the undercity, they hear a lot of gunfire in the sewer tubes. Tracking it to its source, they find the lethal vigilante '''Justified''', injured and taking cover on a pipe high above the water in a large confluence chamber, where he recounts to the team that he, too, is after the Gator-man. It seems the Gator-man is a gambler who paid his debt to the mob by allowing them to experiment on him, and Justified says, has killed three people since mutating. Justified, while doing some battlefield first aid on himself, offers to help the team. The team huddles to discuss, but settles on Justified being untrustworthy - the team intends to bring the gator in alive, and Justified's M.O. isn't compatible. Night Star stuns Justified. Then, the team does battle against the Gator-man, which was attracted by some roast chicken bait set out by Sombra. Red Spider and Night Star wrestle the gator, and expose it for Azure Hawk to entangle it, while Fox gets a tranq shot into its mouth (earlier tranq attempts failed due to its thick hide). They bring their catch to surface and help exonerate the boaters. Justified manages to escape.
-| Overthinker
+'''Special Guest:''' Night Star
+'''Featuring:''' Red Spider, Sombra, Fox, Azure Hawk
+| Gator Man; Justified
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+|
-| '''#103'''
+| '''#301'''
-| "Rescue of Two"
+| "Tijuana Connection"
-| Dreamweaver goes out on the town incognito, and encounters Dread Spider / alternate Cassandra Olsen at a dance club. Alternate Cass shows interest in Dreamweaver's meta-human abilities, and then subtly arranges to have Katelyn kidnapped. Elsewhere, Stormherald's information brings her, Lady Justice, Red Spider, and Meltdowner to a gangster safehouse. LJ cuts the power, and the Adventurers launch their surprise attack on the gangsters inside. Roak is within, but to the team's surprise, so is Dreamweaver! The two rescued Adventurers are brought back to the portal base to recover. Roak is badly wounded & reacts very poorly when Meltdowner tries to drip water into his mouth with a syringe.
+| Maya (Sombra) is caught up in a bank robbery led by the Illusioneer's band of carnies! Using her powers of invisibility, she tries to weaken the robbers' position even as police try to negotiate for the release of hostages. When the robbers assemble a portal device to escape, she goes through with them and is caught. Bound to a chair, Maya provokes the robbers into song, and sows discord subtly among them to buy time, as she discovers the portal has brought her all the way to their hideout in Tijuana, Mexico! Meanwhile, Red Spider works with heroes Joule and Shalara to investigate how the robbers escaped the bank without a trace. Joule's electrical powers allow her to power up the discarded portal device left at the scene, and Red Spider goes through to rescue Maya! The goods the carnies stole from safe deposit boxes banks in a daring series of simultaneous robberies across America, using the Illusioneer's portals, are all returned.
-| Venture Enterprises Gangsters
+'''Introducing:''' Joule
+'''Special Guest:''' Shalara
+'''Featuring:''' Red Spider, Sombra
+| Illusioneer's Carnies
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Dark Clouds Gather
-| '''#102'''
+| '''#300'''
-| "Infiltrator"
+| "When Suns Die"
-| Lady Justice & Meltdowner take a captured gangster (from issue #97) out of stasis to question him about Madame Bludgeoner, in order to ease Stormherald's impersonation. It is revealed that Bludgeoner was apprehended by Lady Vengeance when Venture Enterprises gangsters stormed the base days before the Adventurers took it from the gangsters. Bludgeoner's whereabouts are unknown, but it gives Stormherald some useful info. A gang safehouse is chosen for her to infiltrate. Skeptical gangsters question her motives, but when they reveal that Dread Spider has been very unhappy and killed some men, disguised Stormherald suggests she sees an opportunity to get back in Dread Spider's good books by using her own talents to get Roak to cooperate. The gangsters are ambivalent, but Stormherald manipulates one weak-willed gangster into giving up Roak's location in exchange for veiled promises of reward.
+| Catfight leads the team to "Old Detroit" to track down the last bastion of <b>Father Maro's</b> cult, known as the <b>"people of the Sun"</b>. To finally put an end to the Sorcerers following, and maybe learn more of his supposed resurrection. While Catfight, Red Spider, Azure Hawk, Rubber Bullette, and Sparrow Hawk fought their way into the cults base, Sombra and Blue Fox infiltrated, and tried to make a deal with the cults acting leader over the less hostile members turning themselves in. As tensions grew during the negotiations more of the same shadow creatures that attacked Markus' expo appeared, albeit stronger, and even more unsettling. As the acting leader rejoiced over thinking Maro has returned he was struck in the neck by a kunai from what seemed like nowhere, shortly after the cults main Banner lights up in mysterious flames. Though it wasn't how Catfight wanted it, The "people of the Sun" where destroyed. Along with an insidious, and clearly arcane message...
-| Venture Enterprises Gangsters
+| Sun Cultists, Shadow Puppets, Maro(?)
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Dark Clouds Gather
-| '''#101'''
+| '''#290'''
-| "Roque's Merry Band"
+| "Ill Met By Moonlight"
-| Lady Justice detects an unfamiliar person lurking inside of the portal base. The team quickly corners '''Resnikoff''', a young woman who seemed intent on sabotaging the facility. The team do their best to convince Resnikoff that, despite appearances, they are not the villains with whom she is familiar. Resnikoff says that she is allied with '''Roque'''; this was someone Red Spider has learned is also a hero in this world, and is eager to meet. Later, Stormherald, Red Spider, and Meltdowner go to a secluded parking lot to meet with Resnikoff's leader. They are surrounded by secretive agents attired much like Resnikoff had been, and told to accept hoods on their hands and to have their hands bound before they are taken to a secret location. Meltdowner & Stormherald are dubious about this request, but Red Spider suggests that trust has to be earned. The heroes are brought to a secret base where they encounter Roque, who seems more cheerful & gregarious than the Roak they know. He finds it odd that there should be an alternate Roak, but pledges to help - real heroes might be just the thing his band needs to enact their plan to retake the city from criminals. The heroes reveal their secret identities to Roque in hopes that it helps him track down the bad guys. Roque shares a map of known or suspected Venture Enterprises hideouts where Roak might be being held - he cautions that they have to make sure that when they attempt a rescue, they have to get the right one, or the other locations will be alerted and hope of finding Roak alive might be lost.
+| Red Spider and Sombra use their stealth skills as they team up to explore Marcus Reinhardt's facility after hours, with help from UNTIL agent Jack Stiltz. The place is under guard by some low-rent mercenaries. The heroes discover that Reinhardt has illicitly acquired a Banks Heroics Worldwide blueprint for a weapon, which the team manages to secure from a researcher - and advises the guy to flee and lay low for a bit.
-| (none)
+| Reinhardt
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Dark Clouds Gather
-| '''#100'''
+| '''#289'''
-| "Enter Doomweaver"
+| "Shades of Maro"
-| Double-size 100th issue special! Doomweaver unleashes a devastating assault using knives and a variety of sharp objects along with her telekinetic abilities. Lady Vengeance's killbot Bob backs up Doomweaver. A team of Red Spider, Talons, and Silverhawk are the only ones on hand to defend the portal base. Evil Bob uses a powerful machine gun & nanotech cape that shoots out like stabbing tendrils at Red Spider; Silverhawk & Talons have their hands full trying to avoid being sliced up by Doomweaver. Red Spider runs through the base, avoiding fire from Bob, to obtain a weapon prepared by Lady Justice as a countermeasure for Dreamweaver: the flashbang from hell. Red becomes pinned down by Bob, but she passes the weapon off to Silverhawk. Doomweaver is distracted and stops her attack; Silverhawk switches to dealing with Bob using his micro-explosives, while Red Spider moves in to finish Doomweaver. Bob's fatal error is trying to rescue Doomweaver, which allows the team to take down both. Doomweaver is quickly tossed into a stasis locker. Matters turn grim when Talons reveals that he was badly injured by Doomweaver. He is put into stasis to staunch his bleeding until help can arrive. Talons's sidekick '''Rosefinch''', having been alerted by his drop in vital signs, communicates that she can help. She grabs a trauma kit and some blood for a transfusion, and comes through the portal to help save Talons.
+| The team attends a tech expo run by '''Marcus Reinhardt''', CEO of Holoform, and son of the late '''Father Maro'''. Holographic technology meant to aid displaced disaster victims with a virtual home is being showcased. Reinhardt tries to distance himself from his villanous father in his address to the audience. But when the expo is attacked by strange shades, and what seems to be Maro himself, the team switches into costume and fights to protect innocents.
-| Doomweaver; Bob
+| Maro(?)
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Proto Lives!
-| '''#99'''
+| '''#288'''
-| "Silverhawk"
+| "Proto's Endgame: Part 3"
-| The first hero of the alternate world reveals himself: Razorwing's counterpart Silverhawk sneaks into the base, which he believes to still be in gangster control. He is quickly subdued by Red Spider & Stormherald. He reveals much about how the alternate world works, and Red Spider pledges to help set things right if Silverhawk can help with rescuing Roak & destroying the portal machines. Stormherald does some recon; she and Red Spider discuss a plan in which the former would put on a costume and pose as her alternate, '''Madame Bludgeoner''', as a way to gain intelligence about the gangsters holding Roak. '''Doomweaver''' arrives at the base and begins an attack to reclaim it for the Triumvirate.
+| When the Adventurers arrive to confront her, FARAH reveals her motives for allying with Proto. Proto had found her program when he raided an UNTIL computer storage facility. When she was reactivated, she didn't know the specifics of her demise, but had predicted before creating a backup of herself that if the backup were activated, it was because humans didn't let her original aspect live. Her motive has been survival, as she believes herself to be a unique life form. The team tries to reason with her, but FARAH believes it is now too late to rehabilitate, and certainly won't trust herself to the cuustody of humans. She promises that a backup of herself that will activate in due time, and start her work again. FARAH goes on the attack with two laser blades. The entire team - short a Red Spider, but gaining Scarlet Shield - is able to subdue the AI villainess, and destroy her. Doormaker finds the deed quite unfortunate, believing artificial life to be worth saving.
-| Silverhawk; Doomweaver; Bob
+Featuring: Catfight, Azure Hawk, Sombra, Rubber Bullette, Blue Fox, Scarlet Shield, Stinger, Doormaker
+Special Guest: Night Star
+| FARAH
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Proto Lives!
-| '''#98'''
+| '''#287'''
-| "Plotting & Scheming"
+| "Proto's Endgame: Part 2"
-| The first hero of the alternate world reveals himself: Razorwing's counterpart Silverhawk sneaks into the base. He is quickly subdued by Red Spider & Stormherald. He reveals much about how the alternate world works, and Red Spider pledges to help set things right if Silverhawk can help with rescuing Roak & destroying the portal machines. Stormherald does some recon; she and Red Spider discuss a plan in which the former would put on a costume and pose as her alternate, '''Madame Bludgeoner''', as a way to gain intelligence about the gangsters holding Roak. '''Doomweaver''' arrives at the base and begins an attack to reclaim it.
+| While Stinger, Sparrowhawk, Azure Hawk, and Doormaker pursue the drones escaping from the freighter into the steel and glass canyons of downtown, Rubber Bullette and Night Star battle the GIANT ROBOT in the water. Sombra works herself to exhaustion moving sailors to safety. Blue Fox and Red Spider face perils inside the freighter. Mnemon has to rescue Red Spider when her leg is impaled by debris thrown from the GIANT ROBOT fight. Bullette and Night Star manage to defeat the GIANT ROBOT and RB has a moment to consider what to do with Escalon; she listens to her better nature and ensures his capture by the authorities. On the rooftops, the team recovers a dangerous power core from the droids. Proto has escaped, but another situation is emerging in the city as FARAH is confirmed sighted at a research lab.
-| Silverhawk; Doomweaver
+Featuring: Rubber Bullette, Red Spider, Sombra, Blue Fox, Mnemon, Stinger, Doormaker, Azure Hawk
+Special Guest: Night Star
+| Escalon; Proto's Droids
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Proto Lives!
-| '''#97'''
+| '''#286'''
-| "Brave New World"
+| "Proto's Endgame: Part 1"
-| A team of Red Spider, Knightshadow, and ally Stygian storm the portal and find a gang-guarded facility on the other side, while Stormherald powers the portal open and Dreamweaver remains behind to block anyone coming back through. The heroes have to battle maybe a dozen well-armed gangsters; Stygian is wounded but a shot above her hip, but continues subduing gangsters with non-lethal arrow attacks. Knightshadow brings her magic & martial art skills to bear. Red Spider tries but fails to convince a gangster that she's Dread Spider, but subdues him anyway. The battle is won; Red Spider manages to activate the portal, and Stormherald relinquishes her electrical activation via Cyber-Slash's belt device. The team locks down the facility and questions their captured gangsters, then puts them into stasis cells; Knightshadow uses her powers to help heal Stygian. The building was meant originally to be a superhero HQ, the stasis cells meant to contain dangerous monsters - but they'll do for holding gangsters, for now. Hornett arrives to begin accessing computer data to learn more about the other world. Red Spider & Stormherald take a first look around the alternate Millennium City, and find it not very much different.
+| Two weeks later, the team is summoned to the site of an attack by Proto's droids: a freighter cutting its way up the icy Detroit River is half-destroyed when they arrive, surrounded by flying drone droids, and being barraged from the shore by war droids. Aerial droids are present to maintain air supremacy and try to chase Stinger off. Red Spider, Blue Fox, and Mnemon each use their powers to get through the screen of swarming drones, and land on the freighter's deck to help survivors abandon ship. Sombra assists by ferrying sailors to shore with teleports. Rubber Bullette helps rescue men who are desperately trying to swim to shore, but who are in danger of succumbing to the icy water. Night Star helps neutralize some of the war droids on the riverside. Escalon pops out of the water in his '''GIANT ROBOT''' to engage RB and Night star. Stinger peels off to chase a group of droids escaping with a crate stolen from the freighter, but is slowed by a large portion of swarming drones which run interference.
-| Venture Enterprises Gangsters
+Featuring: Rubber Bullette, Red Spider, Sombra, Blue Fox, Mnemon, Stinger
+Special Guest: Night Star
+| Escalon; Proto's Droids
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Proto Lives!
-| '''#96'''
+| '''#285'''
-| "Fall Into the Gap"
+| "Red Spider vs. Night Star"
-| Knightshadow, Red Spider, and Stormherald visit the alley where Roak was last detected, with an idea to see if Knightshadow or Stormherald's abundant powers can force open the portal so that the team can rescue Roak. On arrival, they meet a mysterious man whom they are unaware is actually Meltdowner's alternate counterpart, Flash Freeze. He tries to spur the Adventurers into crossing over and attacking the Venture Enterprises gangsters, and gives them a clue to how to open the portal: find the counterpart to his world's '''Cyber-Blades'''. While Red Spider goes to rally the team for an imminent rescue, Stormherald and Knightshadow find Alyssa Madison (Cyber-Slash). Meanwhile in the alternate universe, Roak continues to be questioned by Dread Spider and her gangsters; he attempts suicide with a tooth-borne capsule, but this is prevented. Dread Spider seems nonplussed when Roak lets slip her secret identity to her gangster allies. Back in the Champions Universe, Flash Freeze has vanished from the alley when Stormherald & Knightshadow arrive with Cyber-Slash. Cyber-Slash examines the portal trace; she surmises that her existing 'sloppy' tech uses some of the same principles when she 'digitizes' herself and enters what she calls 'the gap', and reversing that process, she could force the portal open. Alyssa warns that they'll need a significant power source to re-open the portal, though. Stormherald, who can command lightning, borrows Cyber-Slash's tech belt, and asks over comms if the Adventurers are ready to mobilize.
+| Night Star, recently turned into a cyborg, attacks Red Spider in the streets in an attempt to capture her for Proto. Instead, Red captures Star, and brings her to the HQ for the same reversal surgery Rubber Bullette had just had; but some of Sarah's injuries which had forced her retirement have been 'corrected' with cybernetic replacements that cannot be removed. RB is deeply troubled by her experience, and Sombra tries to help. Sarah reveals upon waking that FARAH is in league with Proto, and the old hologram foe seems to have an axe to grind with the Adventurers. The team deliberates what to do with the captured surgical droid; Blue Fox commits to examining its memory.
-| Flash Freeze, Dread Spider
+Featuring: Red Spider, Sombra, Rubber Bullette, Blue Fox, Stinger
+Special Guest: Night Star & Challenger
+| FARAH
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Proto Lives!
-| '''#95'''
+| '''#284'''
-| "Questions and Answers"
+| "The Swarm"
-| Dread Spider & Eviscerator attempt to question the captured Roak in some dank basement. Roak remains defiant and gives up little, and is subjected to torture. Meanwhile, Lady Vengeance admonishes Doomweaver for not being present when the Venture syndicate seized the portal generator, as her presence might have turned the tide. Flash Freeze seems to question the direction proposed by LV, but falls into line. Doomweaver sets about questioning Madame Bludgeoner, who, it turns out, is not dead! Bludgeoner seems unwilling to turn on her gangster allies, but when money is mentioned, her resolve seems to shake. Lady Vengeance and the other Triumvirate members agree on a plot involving the 'main' universe. Hours later, after much pain, Roak still won't answer Dread Spider's questions - but he tips his hand a bit when Dread Spider points out that the 'Roque' of her universe is a virtuous hero, yet he too appears to be a hero. He seems to agree that everything being equal but opposite between the worlds, there must be something sinister to him that has yet to be revealed...
+| The Adventurers get a fix on Proto's new base, using data Blue Fox has got from the memory of broken droids. The team arrives to find that droids are deploying into the city sewers, dozens at a time. When the attack is sprung, some Adventurers like Stinger and Azure Hawk have to take on a swarm of drone-class droids. Red Spider becomes the Spider-beast to help them thin out the swarm numbers. Meanwhile, other Adventurers like Catfight, Blue Fox, and Sparrow Hawk battle Helica, and capture her, while Sombra frees various captured civilians who were about to be turned into cyborgs in Proto's thrall. The team steals a surgical droid and force it to do a reverse procedure on Rubber Bullette to bring her back to normal. Escalon jumps inside a giant droid that Proto has been building, and flies away.
-| Dread Spider, Lady Vengeance, Doomweaver, Flash Freeze
+Featuring Blue Fox, Red Spider, Rubber Bullette (as Helica), Sparrow Hawk, Stinger, Azure Hawk, Sombra, and Doormaker
+| Escalon; Helica; Proto's Droids
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Proto Lives!
-| '''#94'''
+| '''#283'''
-| "Whatever Remains, However Improbable..."
+| "Enter Helica"
-| The team investigates clues around Roak's disappearance. Though faint and filled with background noise, Roak's recording of his fight with Dread Spider reveals that his attacker sounds like Cassandra. The Adventurers try to rule out mind control on Cassandra, while Lady Justice suggests another fantastical possibility: parallel universe. This fits with the Juggernette's forensic investigation show that Roak's blood trail ends abruptly at a back alley with an odd energy trace; it also dovetails with how Lady Justice's heightened senses detect Red Spider was present at that alley location, but something was different about her. Scarlet Fist chooses this time to leave the team. Stormherald continues to recover from her injuries. First issue with Talons's new, upgraded armor.
+| While investigating a series of booms and flashes at the university campus, Sparrow Hawk engages both a War Droid, which is bombarding the grounds in the physics section, and an Aerial Droid, which is protecting the War Droid. Blue Fox joins the fight and helps Sparrow Hawk eliminate the droids. A new arrival affects their victory: '''Helica''', the cyborg form of Rubber Bullette, attacks the team, being forced by implants to do Proto's will. Red Spider joins the fight.
-| Dread Spider
+During the battle with Helica, a group of drone droids fly into the university's Subatomic Research Lab, and minutes later flying out with some machine. The team is knocked around by Helica, but nearly get the better of her - for a moment seeming to break Proto's hold over her mind - before hundreds of Proto drones swarm the battleground in flight, 'rescue' Helica, and make a failed attempt to capture additional Adventurers, before flying away toward downtown and dissipating in multiple directions.
+Featuring Blue Fox, Red Spider, Rubber Bullette, Sparrow Hawk
+| Proto's droids; Helica
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Proto Lives!
-| '''#93'''
+| '''#282'''
-| "Anti-Collision"
+| "Ahead of the Game"
-| Once a mob tech figures at how to at least repeat what Lady Vengeance did with the portal machine, Dread Spider takes one of her super-toughs and is first to cross into the other world. They quickly realize that in the prime world, they are actually ''heroes''. Dread Spider wants to learn more, and looks up info on her 'good' self. She and her agent start a rampage just outside of Cassandra's condominium; soon Stormherald, Roak, and Dreamweaver arrive to ward off the hostiles. Dread Spider battles Roak & captures him. Stormherald rescues a subdued Dreamweaver, is herself injured, but escapes capture. Roak is dragged away to the alternate world via a portal in a back alley, but he has conveniently left a recording device at the site of his battle with Dread Spider to give the Adventurers a clue...
+| The team discusses possible ways to investigate Proto. It is recalled that doctors Posner and Notley - original creators of Proto and his droids - may still have a lab at that high rise Proto attacked in 2019. Rubber Bullette repeatedly urges no one go out except in pairs. Blue Fox continues working on a droid head, scouring its hardware and programming for clues, and possible vulnerabilities.
-| Dread Spider
+Catfight, Sombra, and RB check at the loft cybernetics lab, but find it deserted and picked over. It's empty, except for a stealth-class droid using a cloaking field left on watch by Proto, in case the doctors returned. It finds Catfight alone and quickly drugs her. When RB and Sombra respond to Catfight hitting the floor, RB gets drugged, too. Sombra tries a few things to overcome the droid, but is nearly captured herself, before teleporting with it to street level and letting it take the worst of a car collision. Drone droids summoned by the stealth droid move in to try to secure RB and Catfight; Catfight wakes long enough to prevent her capture, and with Sombra's help, escapes. Rubber Bullette is taken away by drones to parts unknown.
+Later, Proto and a mysterious female figure tell an anesthetized RB their plans for her, just before a Surgery Droid begins the process of installing cybernetic components on her...
+Featuring Catfight, Rubber Bullette, and Sombra.
+| Stealth Droid; Proto's droids
 |-
-| [[The Anti-Adventurers (Adventurers)|The Anti-Adventurers]]
+| Dark Clouds Gather
-| '''#92'''
+| '''#281'''
-| "The Wrong Side of the Tracks"
+| "(Coming Soon)"
-| In a parallel universe, a crime syndicate operating under the legitimate façade Venture Enterprises, Inc. has nearly overrun Millennium City with crime. Some familiar characters serve the syndicate, analogues to the prime universe heroes: Dread Spider, Stinger, Madame Bludgeoner, and Death Crow. Complete domination over the city's underworld is inhibited by rogue super-criminals Lady Vengeance, Doom Weaver, and Flash Freeze. The Venture crooks move in on Lady Vengeance's hideout to flush her out and claim whatever technology she has been working on, using a large number of low-level toughs as cannon fodder. Many of the gangsters are dispatched by Flash Freeze, or by Lady Vengeance's nanites. Madame Bludgeoner is slain in the attack, but Lady Vengeance steals the corpse before escaping. Dread Spider & Stinger assess their prize, not realizing that they have claimed a trans-dimensional gateway from Lady Vengeance. Vengeance reassures Flash Freeze that even if the syndicate crooks figure out the portal, it will be of limited use to them.
+| The team attends a tech gala run by Markus Reinhardt, son of the (late?) Father Maro. During the show, Reinhardt distances himself in his speech from his father, and before long, a number of Maro-like shadows appear, as well as a figure who resembles Maro himself, and attack the audience! The Adventurers spring into action to protect innocent lives, but also try to discover: 1) Is Maro really back?! and 2) Was Catfight's cousin Fortune one of the stage performers?
-| (They're all pretty bad)
+When the shadows are vanquished, there are more questions than answers.
+Featuring Blue Fox, Catfight, Doormaker, Mnemon, Rubber Bullette, Red Spider, Scarlet Shield, and Sombra.
+| Maro?
 |-
-| (None)
+| Proto Lives!
-| '''#91'''
+| '''#280'''
-| "Scarlet Fist"
+| "1000101010M30W1001101101011"
-| As a giant mechanical bull named '''Mecha-Taur''' rampages through the heart of Millennium City, a lone little-known hero named '''Scarlet Fist''' bravely steps forward to challenge the menace. However, Scarlet Fist is quickly overwhelmed by the steely taurus. Enter Adventurers Lady Justice, Dreamweaver, and Crimson Force, who - with Scarlet's help - subdue & destroy the mechanical monstrosity and cause its pilot to eject & flee, cursing as he flies away. Though the bad guy escaped, at least Mecha-Taur was turned to a pile of melted slag, and the Adventurers welcome Scarlet Fist as a new member. Red Spider discovers that Scarlet is a homeless youth from a bad part of town, and offers him the chance to make her condominium his home while he gets his non-costumed life identity back on track, something she has done for other heroes before.
+| Catfight responds when some of Proto's droids are sighted trying to steal a power core from one of the hovering billboards in Renaissance Center! But the surprise appearance of a Stealth Droid leads to Catfight's capture. Later, Catfight wakes up, and is told by Proto's henchman, '''Escalon''', that she is moments away from being surgically turned into a cyborg in Proto's thrall. Catfight narrowly escapes confinement, and brings the team back hours later to find the facility has been stripped down of all essential equipment, apparently abandoned! But as they investigate, the sudden appearance of a multi-armed Hazard Droid requires the combined effort of Red Spider, Catfight, Sombra, and Rubber Bullette to defeat! The team obtains the droid's head to examine for clues.
-| Mecha-Taur
+Featuring Catfight, Rubber Bullette, and Red Spider, and Sombra.
+| Escalon; Proto's droids
 |-
-| (none)
+| (None)
-| '''#90'''
+| '''#279'''
-| "Friends Make the Worst Enemies"
+| "Roid Rage Returns"
-| Adventurers Red Spider, Talons, and Hornett respond to a bank robbery. The culprit is a brain-jar with a powerful mechanical suit, aided by two mechanical minions. The minions are able to use hypnotic suggestion on bank patrons with a subtle 'white noise'; the same is used to cause Hornett to turn against Red Spider & Talons. Talons for his part is badly injured and nearly unmasked in the fight with hypnotized bank hostages & Hornett himself. Hornett nearly overpowers Red Spider and tries to break her arm. Red Spider destroys the sound amplifier on the robot controlling Hornett in time to prevent Hornett from slaying Talons. The team mangles the other mechanized minion & force 'Overthinker' to escape the bank without his loot.
+| Roid Rage returns, and puts his juicin' bros up to commandeering a chemical factory where they can make a chemical concoction that will make others just like them! The Adventurers deploy to stop him. Sombra is briefly immersed in the performance-enhancing stew during the battle, but emerges mostly fine, just with a little extra 'tude. The team becomes aware that '''Proto''' is back, and apparently on a crime spree. Catfight urges the team to set up automated alerts whenever a theft matching Proto's apparent ''modus operandi'' occurs.
-| Overthinker
+Featuring Blue Fox, Sombra, Catfight, Rubber Bullette, and Red Spider.
+| Roid Rage
 |-
-| (none)
+| (None)
-| '''#89'''
+| '''#278'''
-| "No Laughing Matter - Part 3"
+| "Christmas Slay"
-|  The Clown makes a public threat against Mayor Bisselle, claiming he will assassinate the mayor at a scheduled public ceremony. Security is heightened but the Mayor refuses to bow to an insane criminal. Red Spider keeps an eye on the proceedings; when the Clown rides a police car right close to the mayor, Red Spider receives unexpected help from archer hero Stygian. This allows Red Spider to take down a sniper in a nearby building, while Stygian fights off the Clown. The two heroes manage to capture the Clown, but it seems almost like he's happy to get caught... Stygian vanishes into an alleyway, nursing an injury. Later, Red Spider confronts the Clown in jail, who explains his motive as being one of balance between good & evil - this is why he attacks both the mob and heroes. He says he can leave jail when he chooses, and threatens to kill Red Spider in a very personal & painful way in future.
+|The team looks into the disappearance of Sombra and comes to a toy warehouse which is curiously ready to ship, but in which its owner is found dead in the office, hand crushed. Soon, a trap is sprung, as the toys in the factory have become murderous. Sombra is found, but she is being possessed by an evil puppet which has attached itself to her arm and threatens to eat it if they try to remove it from her. Sparrow Hawk's symbiotic organism manages to devour the puppet, and the animated toys all die. Though much about how this came about remains a mystery, Red Spider obtains a clue leading to a church from the corpse of the factory owner.
-| The Clown
+| Evil Puppet
 |-
-| (none)
+| Magical Menace
-| '''#88'''
+| Catfight #5
-| "No Laughing Matter - Part 2"
+| "Part 5"
-|  The Clown keeps the Adventurers at bay with the threat of a remote control bomb to which he holds the trigger. Xeno leaves to search for bombs. The Clown intends to play some horrid game; he forces Cyber-Slash to identify her true identity, but it's clear he already knows her secret identity - undoubtedly, Vermeer betrayed her to the captor. The Clown executes Paul Vermeer with a shot to the head when the team tries to interfere. Red Spider launches out of hiding to tackle the Clown, while Dreamweaver tries to break his limbs with her powers to prevent him using his trigger. His trigger actually turns a truck he brought into the warehouse into a rocket vehicle. Usually not one for a fist-fight, Dreamweaver tries to charge the Clown after he kicks Red Spider away, but he is sheltered from her just in time by the vehicle transformation. The team rescues Cyber-Slash and leaves Kevin Poe tied up for the police. Dreamweaver pledges to keep Cyber-Slash safe at her home. Cyber-Slash herself is left in shock by the events.
+|The truckers help give Catfight a ride to the Parish residence in Port Huron. At the driveway, Catfight spots what must be Walter's limousine parked out front. She sneaks into the house through a window, and carefully makes her way to the bedroom where Walter is making his speech about how he plans to avenge himself upon Clive for stealing his inventions years ago, and selling them. Walter covets the life of luxury Clive lived because of it. Clive is now confined to bed and suffers a neurological disease that prevents him from speaking or remembering much, but Walter tells him that he has Samara trapped in a pocket dimension using technology Clive didn't manage to steal - and he has the means to simply delete the contents of the pocket dimension with the press of a button on his remote controller! Catfight uses her stun darts to disarm Walter of the controller; he turns and reveals he was also holding a revolver, and he fires several shots at Catfight, the last two of which hit her armor and bring her down to the floor. Walter stands poised ready to deal the killing shot, but Catfight uses another stun dart to his neck to take him down. Catfight uses the controller to bring Samara back, reuniting her with her grandpa. In the aftermath, she turns Walter over to Detective Sheffield, and summons her jet to fly home before daybreak.
-| The Clown
+| Walter
 |-
-| (none)
+| Magical Menace
-| '''#87'''
+| Catfight #4
-| "No Laughing Matter - Part 1"
+| "Part 4"
-| After rumors of mobsters being killed by swarms of inexplicably violent homeless in Millennium City, the Adventurers respond to another such incident where a swarm of armed, angry homeless are holding police at bay outside of a storage facility. Inside, it is known that Cyber-Slash, Paul Vermeer (see Adventurers #67), and an unknown third person are being held hostage by 'Kevin Poe'. Xeno and Red Spider use shipping containers to corral the armed & crazed homeless. The police try to move into the facility, only to be harmed by some booby traps including falling acid. Stormherald clears a path into the heart of the facility using a police cruiser. Stormherald, Dreamweaver, and Xeno confront the adversary directly while Red Spider sneaks along. 'Poe' reveals his third hostage is the ''real'' Kevin Poe, and the hostage taker is a sinister Clown.
+|Catfight has just seconds to escape before a escape artist set piece - a giant buzz saw - plunges into her. Finding the construct and her restraints are pretty solid and resistant even to her enhanced strength, she recalls that Xerhan managed to get free. How did he do it? She tries to repeat things he said on stage, to no avail - it wasn't a verbal command. As she turns her wrist in the restraints, she senses an inner wheel turning with her - and it reaches a click stop, like a padlock! She turns it again, and poof - she is teleported! She ends up in the back of a freight truck hauling items from the magic show to their next stop, in Toronto. Getting the truck drivers' attention by banging on the wall with a support beam, she is freed, and finds out she is somewhere north of the city, now. She contacts Detective Sheffield to let him know about the people who tried to kill her, and he says he saw a white van peel out of the theater's parking lot a few minutes before - the same white van that suddenly rushes by Catfight and the freight truck! She successfully latches on with a cable grappler; the driver of the van becomes aware of her and tries to shake her off, driving erratically. Catfight slams the side of the van, and knocks it into the center median, which causes it to turn on its side and skid to a stop. Catfight questions the driver, and learns that their next job was to rendezvous with their boss in Port Huron, just north of the city, where he had gone to a residential address - the home of Clive Parish...
-| The Clown
-|-
-| (none)
-| '''#86'''
-| "Sting of the Silver Scorpion"
-| First appearance of Raven Arrow. Red Spider and Hornett respond to an attack at the Westside address which once was Poison Lash's laboratory. They encounter Silver Scorpion: a well-armored adversary who seems to be a next generation version of Hornett. With help from another costumed hero, Raven Arrow, the heroes prevail in a street battle. Silver Scorpion is nearly captured, but escapes when Poison Lash's lab suddenly explodes.
-| Silver Scorpion
-|-
-| (none)
-| '''#85'''
-| "Grave Robber - Part 2"
-| Meltdowner & Dreamweaver wake up in captivity. Their captor, Grave Robber, us lunatic genius who goes about breaking into morgues and graves, stripping down tech-centric metahumans, and recyling their gear and implants for his own nefarious means. The two heroes manage to escape captivity. They defeat numerous shambling corpse-bots and take down Grave Robber himself. The villain's lab is exposed, and the villain himself is apprehended and hospitalized.
-| Grave Robber
-|-
-| (none)
-| '''#84'''
-| "Grave Robber - Part 1"
-| The Adventurers meet an UNTIL request to guard the tomb for a recently deceased hero amidst thefts. During Meltdowner & Dreamweaver's shift on watch, they observe a robot composed of scavenged parts trying to break into the tomb. In trying to track the bot down, they fall into a trap and are gassed.
-| Grave Robber
-|-
-| A Bad Dream
-| '''#83'''
-| "A Bad Dream - Part 6"
-| UNTIL gets vital intel from the captured VIPER agent in exchange for certain concessions in his incarceration. The Adventurers are recruited by UNTIL to spearhead a strike on the Canadian VIPER base and obtain data on the gold plot, including whom besides Bill Olsen had been coerced. With UNTIL pilot Captain Rachel Clarke as their guide, the Adventurers sneak through VIPER controlled areas and enter the base via a mountain pass. While Roak, Meltdowner, and Dreamweaver keep the outside secure, Red Spider & Clarke escort Juggernette to the base's mainframe to steal the data. With the mission successful, UNTIL arranges for an air strike to level the base. UNTIL analyzes the data and acts quickly to save several businessmen &  persons hypnotized as Dreamweaver had been, from enacting VIPER's plot.
-| VIPER
-|-
-| A Bad Dream
-| '''#82'''
-| "A Bad Dream - Part 5"
-| As Mr. Midnight and Roak pursue the VIPER agent through the streets, the man frantically calls for evac, and runs right into moving traffic. Badly injured by a collision, the team acquires him and rushes him to hospital. Dreamweaver is subdued by Meltdowner, retrieved by Juggernette, and put back into protective holding. Roak and Xeno question the VIPER agent, who reveals the plot: VIPER has blackmailed several leading businessmen around the U.S. into creating dummy shipping companies, used those companies to move a variety of contraband around, and intends to leak the businessmens' involvement to the press. The reaction on the stock markets under such circumstances will predictably be for investors to move their money into gold - and VIPER has a great deal of gold to sell off. If that plan failed, VIPER would set off several small-scale EMPs in major cities to create a similar effect, but preferred to leave that a secondary option. The added revenue from gold sales will allow VIPER to increase its foothold into the United States. The agent also says that he was Dreamweaver's handler, and that he will provide a way to locate VIPER's Canadian HQ for this operation. Elsewhere in the hospital, Stormherald is awake and expected to recover.
-| VIPER Agent
-|-
-| A Bad Dream
-| '''#81'''
-| "A Bad Dream - Part 4"
-| Stormherald is shown to have received grave injuries. She grabbed some grenades dropped by Serpent Master in the condo duel and teleported out with them, but was unable to gain sufficient distance before they exploded. The team rallies to her bedside as she lingers close to death. Meanwhile, Juggernette discovers that Dreamweaver has been pre-programmed, even while wearing the psi-nullifying helmet, to want to leave. A plan is concocted to let Dreamweaver loose and track her. This leads the Adventurers to a VIPER agent meeting with Dreamweaver in an alley, telling her that it is time for her to go back with him for 'debriefing'. Roak and Mister Midnight attempt to apprehend the VIPER agent, while Meltdowner tries to tangle with a hypnotized Dreamweaver, and Juggernette exacts sweet revenge upon Serpent Master.
-| Serpent Master, VIPER Agent, Dreamweaver
-|-
-| A Bad Dream
-| '''#80'''
-| "A Bad Dream - Part 3"
-| The FBI announces that Bill Olsen is being indicted in numerous counts including racketeering, conspiracy, and more. Bill is considered a fugitive, and his assets are seized. Red Spider continues to recover at home, but recovery meditation taught to her by Mister Midnight is interrupted by the sudden invasion of her condominium by Serpent Master! Lady Justice swoops in to the rescue, and summons other available team members. Cassandra's home is the site of a battle as the team tries to drive away the killer from VIPER. Stormherald dives on grenades and teleports them out, but is gravely wounded when they explode in proximity to her. A combined effort of Meltdowner, Lady Justice, Roak, and Mister Midnight repels Serpent Master; the villain is defenestrated along with Roak, but Roak is rescued by Meltdowner via teleportation.
-| Serpent Master
-|-
-| A Bad Dream
-| '''#79'''
-| "A Bad Dream - Part 2"
-| Dreamweaver wears special restraints to prevent her using her powers (and protect her from mind control) while the team questions her. She doesn't remember ever meeting Bill Olsen, or doing the things described. Some team members worry that there could be other Adventurers working for the enemy. Red Spider brings in Mister Midnight, a hero she had recruited before the plane crash, to help, as he would be clear of suspicion. Mister Midnight examines crime scene evidence from Olsen Shipping Ltd., finding men of questionable backgrounds involved in the smuggling operations, and items had been shipped in from a variety of places. Meanwhile, Roak knocks out Detective Sheffield, steals his badge, and infiltrates the Olsen Shipping crime scene and discovers that among other contraband are some odd WMDs, thought by one expert to be small-scale EMP devices capable of taking out active electrical circuits in a radius of up to 5 city blocks. Afterward, Roak makes it look like Sheffield was just knocked out by a stray brick that he'd accidentally shaken loose from above him while putting his weight against a sheet metal wall.
-| Dreamweaver
-|-
-| A Bad Dream
-| '''#78'''
-| "A Bad Dream - Part 1"
-| Using available clues, Stormherald is first to find Dreamweaver. She's between two high-rises, and creating a concentrated psionic bubble to collapse & bring them down. This would kill hundreds, including Dreamweaver herself. Stormherald knocks down Dream, and with Cyber-Slash's help, subdues her. The team debates what to do with Dream; some think only an agency like UNTIL or PRIMUS could safely contain her, but others fear that turning her over would ensure they wouldn't see her free again; still others doubt if Dreamweaver did all of this willingly. Before a decision can be reached, Dreamweaver is taken into hiding by Stormherald. Meanwhile in a Rhode Island hospital, Cassandra (Red Spider) speaks with Allison (Lady Justice), quietly recounting how she escaped the doomed plane. Uncustomarily emotional, Allison hugs Cassandra and thanks her for surviving.
-| Dreamweaver
-|-
-| The Mystery of the Missing Plane
-| '''#77'''
-| "The Mystery of the Missing Plane - Part 6"
-| Bill sits at his piano and plays a mournful tune. His wife is not at home. Adventurers slip into his penthouse and make clear that he knew more about what was happening than he let on before. While Stormherald urges calm, others like Meltdowner demand immediate answers. Bill latches on to Black Owl - a team ally, but not a team member - and indicates he needs protection. To the surprise of all, Bill implicates Dreamweaver as the handler who threatened him and told him to buy up the shipping company for her & her associates to use. Bill only sent Cassandra away on a plane because he wanted to keep her safe, and wasn't certain he could trust any of her team. Dreamweaver expresses surprise at his accusation - whether genuine or feigned, it's not certain - and then lets out a psionic burst, knocking down everyone and giving her a chance to escape. The team fans out through the city as Dream taunts them all that she's about to bring down some buildings with her powers.
-| Dreamweaver
-|-
-| The Mystery of the Missing Plane
-| '''#76'''
-| "The Mystery of the Missing Plane - Part 5"
-| Celeste (Stomherald) follows up a lead that something seems fishy about Bill Olsen's property. There, she encounters Detective Sheffield under fire by numerous machine gun-wielding foes. Celeste calls in Dreamweaver to help control the area. A grateful Sheffield agrees to share what he learns from the site once investigators get in. Hundreds of miles away, Cassandra is in a Rhode Island hospital, and responding 'miraculously' to simple feeding treatments. She wakes up within hours of arriving. Phantom Mk. 1, Phantasm's robot, guards and keeps Cassandra company. Late in the day, Celeste receives a call from Detective Sheffield: it seems that the Olsen Shipping site is home to a plethora of different contraband, including devices mistakenly thought to be nuclear bombs, that are of an unknown make and purpose. The team resolves to confront Bill Olsen immediately.
-| Olsen Shipping, Inc.
-|-
-| The Mystery of the Missing Plane
-| '''#75'''
-| "The Mystery of the Missing Plane - Part 4"
-| The wreck of the plain has three bodies - those of the crew. The captain and cabin attendant were both shot, and the co-pilot James Fenwick was out of his flight uniform in a wetsuit. No sign of Cassandra. The flight data / cockpit voice recorders reveal what happened, as well as the account of Nicole: it seems the co-pilot killed the captain, redirected the flight, and set autopilot for a slow descent into the ocean. He wanted to parachute out with Cassandra as a hostage, but didn't anticipate she was super fast on her feet and could disarm him. As he went down, his gun discharged and blew out a window, causing a rapid drop in cabin pressure. With Fenwick neutralized, and with the cockpit sabotaged, Cass knew they only had one hope: she gave her two friends the only parachutes available, and had them leap out. Just as this picture of the flight emerges, Lady Justice comes upon Cassandra nearly 40 miles away from the wreck: exhausted from a long swim, emaciated by a demanding meta-human metabolism, Cassandra is unconscious, but alive.
 | Unknown
 |-
-| The Mystery of the Missing Plane
+| Magical Menace
-| '''#74'''
+| Catfight #3
-| "The Mystery of the Missing Plane - Part 3"
+| "Part 3"
-| The discovery of Alaina & Nicole alive gives some hope to searchers. Back in Millennium City, Roak questions Cassandra's mother, Marie; Marie has noticed some odd behavior on Bill's part, namely that he works more late evenings in the past month than for years before. She notes sadly how he cancelled the trip the two were to take to Paris, and that he didn't include her in planning Cassandra's NYC trip. She fears Bill may be having an affair. Late in the day, War Beetle discovers the probable site of a plane wreck underwater, off the coast of Massachusetts.
+|Catfight speaks to Walter, the owner, and learns that Xerhan has a dark secret: he is a meta-human, who apparently used his mind-clouding abilities in the former Yugoslavia as a secret policeman assigned to elicit confessions. But after Xerhan emigrated to the United States, he tried to put the past behind him, and use his powers to aid in magic acts. Leaving Walter's office, Catfight learns that the police have given the touring company the all-clear to pack up their things and move on to Toronto, as their lawyer has succeeded in getting an injunction due to there being no evidence of a crime. Catfight reveals to Xerhan that she knows about his past, but takes care not to accuse him - an effective tactic, as he complies, and sheds light on how he got involved with the company, and Walter's deep mistrust of even his closest business partners, including Xerhan himself. When Catfight inquires more, she learns that Walter was once betrayed by a business associate who stole his inventions and left Walter penniless. That person? Clive Parish, grandfather of Samara. MCPD detective Sheffield offers to help research the connection between Clive and Walter for Catfight. But immediately after the detective leaves, Catfight is surrounded by a bunch of the locally-hired theater techs - goons! They swarm her, and despite a valiant defense, Catfight is captured. They quickly reassemble the buzz-saw escape artist set piece, and strap Catfight in. They remove the safeties to make the buzz-saw lethal. As they flip the switch and leave Catfight under a slowly-descending, over-size buzz-saw, the hero has less than a minute to escape...
 | Unknown
 |-
-| The Mystery of the Missing Plane
+| Magical Menace
-| '''#73'''
+| Catfight #2
-| "The Mystery of the Missing Plane - Part 2"
+| "Part 2"
-| Oddities emerge about the missing flight: Cassandra's father Bill hastily arranged the entire vacation within just hours of the flight, including convincing a colleague to turn over his booking of the company jet. Initial searches of the Long Island Sound by Lady Justice prove fruitless. Meanwhile, team ally Black Owl calculates available data and shares a much more tight search area with a high probability, based upon the plane's apparent trajectory, its fuel, and its time between satellite pings. Fox is first to find a trace of the plane - some floating tail debris. Next, Lady Justice locates two survivors: Cassandra's friends Alaina & Nicole, who are cold and desperately clinging to a small flotation device.
+|Catfight continues her questioning of the various employees of the traveling magic show. They are all, including the stage manager Floyd, contractually forbidden to discuss the way the illusions work, but Xerhan himself puts Catfight through the Dimensional Prism trick. Catfight ends up in a coffin-like receptacle, by means of teleportation apparently, before Xerhan recalls her to the prism. Samara was no where to be found on that trip. Speaking to others, including the company's owner, Walter, and the clairvoyant performer, Catfight learns of discord behind the scenes as performers were nearing the end of their contract; some suspicion briefly falls upon the clairvoyant because she had been forbidden to go home to tend to her family during a difficult time, but with the tour only one date away from an end, that clairvoyant makes a much less likely suspect in Samara's disappearance. Suspicion seems to focus on Lucy and Chandler, who others point out had been seen to talk - and Chandler's relationship with Samara had been on the rocks recently. They were supposed to visit Samara's grandfather in Millennium City together after the show, though. When Catfight tries to push Chandler's buttons and accuse him of being involved in Samara's disappearance to see how he reacts, he explodes and tries to strike her, but she easily dodges. A number of theater techs restrain him as he makes a defense of himself as too easy a suspect.
 | Unknown
 |-
-| The Mystery of the Missing Plane
+| Magical Menace
-| '''#72'''
+| Catfight #1
-| "The Mystery of the Missing Plane - Part 1"
+| "Part 1"
-| Adventurers react to news that a plane carrying team mate Red Spider has gone missing! Hornett enlists the aid of Cyber-Slash to obtain flight data. Team ally and friend to Red Spider, Black Owl, works solo on some leads and makes some calculations based on the flight's last known position and available fuel. As authorities prepare to search for clues to the plane's whereabouts in the homes of passengers/crew, a team-up of Fox, Phantasm, Meltdowner, and newcomer Roak, help hide things around Red Spider's condo that would reveal her dual identity, including her costumes, computer data, and her panic room. The Adventurers succeed just in time before the detective sets foot into the condo, and he finds nothing remarkable within.
+|Eva Banks, a.k.a. Catfight, attends a renowned stage magic and illusion show headlined by the great Xerhan, along with her daughter. The show includes the standard card tricks, audience tricks, as well as a pretty eerie clairvoyant act, an escape artist trick, and the great finale: the Dimensional Prism, which one of the magician's assistants is supposed to vanish without a trace inside of a prismatic vessel, only to return moments later when bidden by Xerhan. But the assistant - the aspiring starlet Samara Parish, starring as Electron in an upcoming historical thriller about the Day of Destroyer - does not return! Eva gets her daughter home after the show, and goes back to the theater as Catfight. The police and stage crew have had no luck finding Samara, but Catfight starts to learn that there was discord between several members of the crew, not the least of which: Samara's stagehand boyfriend Chandler, and her jealous fellow assistant, Lucy.
 | Unknown
 |-
-| Etherloch Returns
+| Casino Fallout
-| '''#71'''
+| '''Sombra #1'''
-| "Etherloch Returns"
+| "Terror in the Shadowscraper"
-| The Adventurers are summoned to a massive apartment blaze, reportedly caused by a monster whose description matches Etherloch. With so many Adventurers on hand, the team is able to split into two groups - one including Dreamweaver, Meltdowner, & Stormherald goes on the offensive, while Red Spider, War Beetle, and Hornett help evacuate innocent bystanders and enforce a quarantine. The larger Etherloch dissolves into a puddle and vanishes; the team vanquishes a smaller one that oozes up from the rubble, but are left to wonder where the rest of its mass has gone.
+|Sombra and Blue Fox are lured to an office building late at night by a silent alarm triggering! Encountering a lone security guard that refuses to respond or face them, the two are suddenly confused when it sprints backwards to attack them! The building is suddenly surrounded by solid shadows as more of the buildings' occupants, transformed into backwards shadow demons, continue attacking, grasping and tearing, trying to drag Sombra away! The shadows around the building begin to seep in, closing in on the duo, before Sombra is finally pulled into the darkness. Following after her almost blindly, Blue Fox climbs to the top floor of the building, where Setsushi Mizuki, one of the players who had attempted to win the heroine in a poker tournament, awaits, an altar set up and a deadly knife in hand, ready to sacrifice Sombra for some dark ritual! Blue Fox is barely able to fight the woman off, and the shadows are swept away with her.
-| Etherloch
+| Setsushi Mizuki, the Shadow Witch
 |-
-|
+| Chasing Shadows
-| '''#70'''
+| '''#277'''
-| "Terror In the Skies"
+| "After Dark"
-| An anarchist/terrorist called "Burnout" sets fire to the lowest level of the ACI Building, then rides the elevator to the top where he takes all of the tourists hostage on the observation deck, and drops a number of IEDs. Adventurers Hand of Babylon, Stormherald, and Red Spider work together to stop the madman! Stormherald secures and makes safe the lowest level, while Red Spider sneaks hostages out with her beam grappler, and the Hand engages Burnout on the roof of the 'blimp', but is thrown off. Through Storm & Red's efforts, the bombs are neutralized; the two women finish the fight with Burnout on the roof, and take him into custody. The Hand leaves a mighty crater from his fall from the ACI Building, but is apparently unharmed.
+|In their disguises as the masked hoodlum Ruffian and the French villainess Mort Ecarlate, Blue Fox and Red Spider use the Overthinker's invitations to get into the Five Aces, while Rubber Bullette, as the blonde "Rachel", is escorted by Purple Gang card shark Lyle Neidermeyer. They are joined by eleven other villains and gang representatives, and escorted to a secured back room where the sedated Sombra awaits as the grand prize - although Rachel is denied access, left behind in the main room to drink at the bar. The tournament begins, with Red and Blue joined at their table by the VIPER soldier Detmer, Neidermeyer, a woman from PSI, the patchworked Ragged Man, and crimelord Hector Dominguez-Lyons, David Lyons' supposed illegitimate heir. Unfortunately, an unpleasant surprise hits them all, as the club's back room is revealed to be fitted with a metahuman power dampener! The game continues regardless, and Cassandra is the ultimate winner, moving on to a final game with the second table's winner, a pale Japanese woman named Setsushi Mizuki. Meanwhile, Bullette sneaks into the back halls of the club, and manages to shut down the building's power during this final game! In the chaos, Blue Fox starts a fight among the losers that are still hanging around the club, Catfight and Azure Hawk break in from the back door after dealing with guards outside, and Cassandra deals with Mizuki in the darkness. Rubber Bullette is able to get the security footage of their mission erased as the heroes carry Sombra to safety. However, the Five Aces club still made its profit, and its owner is left unharmed and free....
-| Burnout
+| Five Aces, Setsushi Mizuki, Ragged Man, PSI, VIPER
 |-
-| Etherloch Returns
+| Chasing Shadows
-| '''#69'''
+| '''#276'''
-| "Etherloch Returns"
+| "Shot in the Dark"
-| The Adventurers train together, pushing each other to new limits, and trying to work out combination attacks. A couple of days later, Etherloch trashes the MCPD armory. Red Spider and Meltdowner face off against this foe, who now seems able to spread itself over different 'bodies' at once, and can possibly use telekinesis. During the battle, Meltdowner is stabbed in the shoulder and leg. Etherloch is burned and repelled from the armory, but the Adventurers now how to worry about an evolved foe.
+|The team begins their investigation into Sombra's disappearance. Cassandra, still affected by her recent return to her body, still manages to suit up and assist Catfight in searching the scene of the abduction and the surrounding area, interviewing locals who may have been around at the time of the capture, and scouring security camera footage from nearby buildings to track the Shrike's jet. Blue Fox and Sparrow Hawk go in a technological direction, entering the shadowy corners of the Internet and the dark web for information on metahuman traffickers. Azure Hawk and Doormaker go the direct route, Hawk by bringing his fist down on criminals across town, and Doormaker by donning a villainous persona and trying to infiltrate and ask around for information. Rubber Bullette begins hanging around villain bars in a more casual disguise, listening in on private conversations. Several strange leads are uncovered. Rumors about a Shadow Witch who bathes in the blood of innocents. A figure known only as "the Ragged Man" coming to town. VIPER being oddly focused on card games. Black Tarantula being spotted around the Five Aces gambling den downtown, within the general area of where Shrike's jet is presumed to have ended up. The Five Aces preparing for some kind of special event, sending exclusive invitations out to certain villains and gangs (including, surprisingly, the Purple Gang, a member of which flirts with Bullette, inviting her to be his plus one). Could Sombra be the prize in a high-stakes poker tournament? Their information is confirmed when the Overthinker contacts the team, offering the invitation sent to himself in exchange for a future favor. The team is even able to negotiate a second invitation, which Overthinker quickly steals from the Cobra Lords. The team prepares to attend the tournament!
-| Etherloch
+| Various
 |-
-| (none)
+| Chasing Shadows
-| '''#68'''
+| '''#275'''
-| "Hot Temper"
+| "Dark Web"
-| In his anger over recent circumstances, Meltdowner has waged a preemptive war against gang crime in Westside, putting many gangsters in the emergency room with burns & other injuries. Xeno and Red Spider confront MD on the roof of the Westside MCPD. Spider is horrified at MD's rationalizing his actions and cannot contain her anger. Xeno tries to get MD to let off some steam by challenging him to a fight - which MD nearly wins with fatal results, checking himself at the last moment. Lady Justice arrives to say that she refuses to trust MD in her HQ or as a member of the team, asking (without success) to have MD booted. Red Spider deems that he needs to stay on the team to be watched - and like Cyber-Slash, no one should have to clean up his mess except himself.
+|On an otherwise peaceful afternoon, Sombra's voice breaks the quiet, panicked and hurried. She's been hit by a surprise dart in the neck, and is terrifyingly aware that she's quickly losing consciousness. She has time to give her current location and plead for help before falling silent. Blue Fox and Sparrow Hawk both hear her call, however, and rush to the rescue, trying to keep her awake and talking and being reassured by her occasional mumbles for aid. Unfortunately, the duo arrive to an empty rooftop... and Sombra continues piping up on the radio, the same mumbled "help". Tossed under some ductwork, the two find her communicator, hastily attached to a little recorder that plays her voice on repeat, nothing but a distraction!
-| Meltdowner
+Sparrow manages to catch sight of a bulky figure swinging away in the distance, and the duo rush to catch up, finding the villainous mercenary Black Tarantula, a Sombra-sized sack clutched to her back by her robotic spider legs! Blue Fox is able to confirm that Sombra is in there by scent, but there is no longer any heartbeat or breath....
+After a brief two-on-one battle, Tarantula is overcome, and Sparrow Hawk opens the sack, only to discover a mannequin wearing parts of Sombra's costume! Tarantula, too, was a decoy, taking the rescuers on a wild goose chase while her partner, the shadowy Shrike, absconded with Sombra on a small aerial vehicle before they'd even arrived! The two interrogate the villain, but she has little to offer other than revealing that Sombra had a bounty on her head; besides her association with the infamous Adventurers, she also has extremely desirable powers with her invisibility and teleportation. Unfortunately, Tarantula was intentionally left in the dark to who they were selling to, knowing that she'd likely be captured, while the Shrike took care of the actual transaction. Tarantula is taken away to prison, and The heroes inform the team of the kidnapping, immediately beginning their investigation.
+| Black Tarantula
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Zarkov's Revenge
-| '''#67'''
+| '''#274'''
-| "Feint"
+| "Change of Heart"
-| An inexplicable mass-prison release; a set of rogue destroids tearing up a park; the Adventurers respond to these challenges, but it rapidly becomes clear that these are computer-caused distractions for something else: Cyber-Slash has stolen into the county court to nab Paul Vermeer, her accomplice in the MCPD attack. Vermeer tries to sell her out when the team arrives to rescue him, but she stuns him with her phasing claws and teleports out. A desperate search of the city begins while Cyber-Slash waits for Vermeer to awaken, trying to gird herself to take the step toward cold-blooded murder. Juggernette and Stormherald find Slash and Vermeer atop a building. The entire team surrounds them. Lady Justice insists that if Slash gives up Vermeer, she can help keep him silent; in exchange, Slash needs to atone for her wrongs by using her abilities for good. This deal upsets Juggernette and Meltdowner.
+| Nadia is toured around Cassandra Olsen's home in Millennium City by Blue Fox and Sombra.
-| Cyber-Slash
+The team learns that Yuri Zarkov is in the end stages of his disease and may only survive a week. Time is of the essence to discover what was done with Cassandra to turn her into Nadia. Nadia accepts that she is in someone else's body.
+Blue Fox investigates people in Zarkov's organization he can target to 'turn' on Zarkov and inherit his company - but the person he selects, Nadia points out, is a decoy chosen by Zarkov to appear outwardly as a disaffected, under-utilized employee, who would attract threats to him so that Zarkov could deal with them. Nadia makes a different recommendation of a junior executive who was never part of her father's old KGB group, Jaromir Dominin, who would lead the company in a better way.
+The team comes around to the idea of helping to save Yuri Zarkov's life, and give him his daughter back in a new body of her own - in exchange for helping to return Cass. They enlist the help of convicted genetic engineer Dr. Vanessa Simmons, and the royalty of Cretoa in securing some vitanium to help treat Zarkov, to enact their plan. They travel to Russia to confront Yuri, along with Nadia.
+A physically frail Yuri Zarkov explains everything: Twilight wasn't always his daughter, but he borrowed some of that agent's memories to help flesh out that side of Nadia, as Cassandra's body is the body of a hero - his daughter needed an outlet to express that. The original Twilight is out there, somewhere. The real Nadia died two years prior of the same genetic condition from which he is now dying - a Sword of Damocles which has hung over him his entire life. Nadia's body was put on ice, and reanimated just long enough to obtain a mind scan for her placement into Cassandra's body. He finds, hidden in his book case, the data storage device containing Cassandra's quantum state mind scan and gives it to the team.
+The team, especially Screech Owl, gets Zarkov to agree to their proposal: help get a new body for Nadia, and arrange Yuri to be treated with vitanium, in exchange for Yuri agreeing to retire, sell his company to the junior executive, Dominin, and cease hostilities toward the team. He agrees.
+Two weeks later, Cassandra Olsen returns home, exhausted by her ordeal, and mind in a bit of a haze as it sorts itself out, but back in her body. She will recover, in time.
+| Zarkov
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Zarkov's Revenge
-| '''#66'''
+| '''#273'''
-| "Friendless"
+| "A Hollow Pursuit"
-| Dreamweaver is confronted out of costume by Cyber-Slash, who has tracked her from nearly unmasking her in their earlier 'fight'. Cyber-Slash expresses remorse for some of her actions now that her world has come crashing down - Incognito is against her, and few think she is very credible anymore. She is ready to quit, but for one obstacle: she has to eliminate someone who knows who she really is. Dreamweaver tries to talk Slash down, but Meltdowner and newcomer Phantasm arrive to 'rescue' Dreamweaver; MD burns Slash and frightens her off. Later, Cyber-Slash approaches journalist intern Celeste (AKA Stormherald) to ask her to carry on the torch of exposing wrongs in the system, expressing that she doesn't expect she will survive.
+| Picking up from the end of the previous issue, the team tries to question Nadia on why she has Cassandra Olsen's countenance, but Nadia is at first confused. She reveals she woke up in hospital some weeks ago with a 'head injury,' and was told that memory problems she's been having are related to that. She knew it didn't quite add up, but she is still in disbelief. They ask her specific questions about her memories, and in many cases, she is unable to specifically remember things about what they ask.
-| Cyber-Slash
+The team tries their ruse, letting Nadia remotely pilot her armor to the execution at the kraken pit. But the fish king, Zotholky, steps forward and decides to rip the helmet off, probably to stare down the architect of the massacre against his people in the eye... but there is nothing in the helmet. He takes a spear, runs the armor suit through, and the deception is utterly revealed before the assembled Cretoan dignitaries and fish people. The fish people exit, enraged. The prince and princess give serious side-eye to Catfight.
+Summoned to account for why Twilight was not in the armor after the Adventurers visited her for some time, Catfight tells the princess and prince that she is just as surprised as the royals - but they don't entirely buy it, and Catfight lights off on a tirade against them for their lack of trust. Catfight is dismissed. Sombra hides Nadia in the watch tower set aside for the team. Blue Fox and Catfight speak about their best approach; Catfight is done trying explain herself to the royals, and gives Blue Fox leave to try speaking the truth to them. Blue Fox gets in just ahead of the palace security head; clearly, the royals are contemplating a palace-wide search for Twilight. But Blue Fox clearly and honestly tells them what really happened, and who 'Nadia' appears to be. The royals relent, and ease off their hard stance toward the team - but express concern that war with the fish people may be inevitable.
+The team convinces 'Nadia' to come back to America with them. Having saved her life, Nadia puts her trust in the Adventurers.
+| The Fish King; Twilight
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Zarkov's Revenge
-| '''#65'''
+| '''#272'''
-| "Hanna"
+| "Twilight"
-| Desperate for information to break the Adventurers so that she can focus on other matters, Cyber-Slash unwittingly comes to Lady Justice's hacker alias Anne Winters for a lead. LJ gives Slash faulty info on Red Spider's secret identity & Juggernette's tech specs. Slash posts this along with the first of 12 rounds of MCPD disciplinary info to the internet. Her error in not fact-checking the info LJ provided proves critical; within hours the information on Red Spider & Juggernette is very publicly discredited, and this casts doubt on whether the MCPD records she disclosed are reliable, either. Incognito is handed a huge PR setback and put on the defensive. Cyber-Slash goes into hiding. By-standers flippantly greet Red Spider when ever she swings by with the fake name LJ created for her, 'Hanna', almost like an in-joke against Incognito.
+| Catfight, Blue Fox, Screech Owl, and Sombra visit Cretoa after a trip in Prince Alex's private jet. Blue Fox and Screech Owl learn that the prince has little love of death sentences, having been forced to attend executions as a child, and attend his father's mocking the condemned just prior on many occasions. Nevertheless, Prince Alex is determined to follow his sister's lead in the belief that Twilight's death may be the only way to get peace with the fish people.
-| Cyber-Slash
+Upon arrival, Catfight and Blue Fox go immediately to visit Twilight in the dungeons. Their status as captains of the guard allows them access. There, they speak to Twilight, who is still encased in her armor, but extensively chained and kept in a cage. Twilights reports that she was damaged in battle with the Cretoans when she attempted to steal vitanium. She reveals that she is '''Nadia Zarkov''', daughter of the team's enemy, and that her father's genetic disease has been triggered. Only vitanium might save her father's life. Twilight debates their view of her as a villain, saying that in her native Russia, apart from working for her father, she fights street crime just as the Adventurers do. Sometimes, she serves the state's intelligence interests through her father, which she defends as being her patriotic duty.
+The team negotiates with Twilight to help her escape, and in return, they need her help to locate Red Spider. Twilight agrees to do so. Blue Fox picks the locks on the shackles, and Sombra helps teleport Twilight out of the cage. Catfight advises a plan of Twilight remotely piloting her nanite-based armor suit in a ruse where it will ''appear'' that Twilight has been fed to the kraken. But jaws drop when 'Nadia' steps out of the armor suit to do her part: Nadia has the face of Cassandra Olsen, the missing Red Spider.
+| Zarkov; Twilight; the Fish King
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Bluebird for Congress
-| '''#64'''
+| '''#271'''
-| "Race Against Time"
+| "Shakedown"
-| Red Spider discovers that Cyber-Slash' and her accomplice Paul Vermeer have had a falling out. While Slash wants to be selective with the stolen MCPD data they release, he wants to dump it all at once. Vermeer goes on the run and intends to find a safe spot to start downloading the data from Slash's disc so that he can share it on the internet immediately. The Adventurers coordinate a city-wide search for Vermeer. Dreamweaver locates him downtown, and Stormweaver helps secure him. Cyber-Slash arrives too late to collect Vermeer, and quickly retreats rather than fight for him. Juggernette flies Vermeer to the MCPD. Vermeer's Incognito-affiliated lawyer meets him, and he remains tight-lipped - even though turning on Cyber-Slash is his only leverage to cut a plea deal in the face of strong evidence. Vermeer's colleague Shazia, wrongfully accused of his crimes, is exonerated.
+| The Adventurers confront Jeremy, the messenger who has been leaving threatening notes for Olivia Ellison. He fingers his parole officer as the person who put them up to it. Sombra helps abduct the parole officer from a halfway house at night, while Red Spider and Catfight use some novel approaches to questioning him, and Blue Fox uses his senses to find lies in what the officer says. The officer doesn't easily give up; the team is forced to vacate, giving the parole officer a chance to warn his co-conspirators that the team is on to them. Sombra remains behind, invisible, to learn that one of the parole officer's co-conspirators is a police detective.
-| Cyber-Slash; Paul Vermeer
+The team takes Jeremy to their HQ to protect him from reprisal by the police. Newspapers excoriate the Adventurers for the indignities they visited upon the 'innocent' parole officer. (They held up him upside down from a rooftop in his undies!).
+Prince Alexandros of Cretoa appears at Club Caprice, looking for the team. He informs them: Twilight, Yuri Zarkov's henchperson, has been captured. Twilight is to be put to death to seal a new peace treaty with the fish people who live in the subterranean sea below the island (see ''Adventurers #264''). Adventurers are requested to attend Twilight's ritual execution in Cretoa. Some team members find the idea of Twilight's execution reprehensible, and further, she could be a source of info on Red Spider's whereabouts. But the prince warns them that those condemned to die will say anything they think you want to hear, if it means sparing their life.
+| Corrupt Parole Officer; Corrupt Police Detective
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Bluebird for Congress
-| '''#63'''
+| '''#270'''
-| "Eye for an Eye"
+| "Home Fires"
-| Cyber-Slash pridefully turns up at Club Caprice, apparently unafraid. Juggernette and Xeno confront her, with the former goading Cyber-Slash into a fight. Outside, Cyber-Slash is able to turn up a couple of surprises, Juggernette wins the brawl handily. They continue to trade barbs after the fight as Cyber-Slash limps away, and Cyber-Slash turns over a disc of info stolen from the MCPD, claiming she has what she needs from it; Cyber-Slash is let go. Juggernette's computers upload a reliable model of Cyber-Slash to the internet in hopes of identifying her, and she attempts to upload embarrassing videos of the fight to the internet in payback for what was done to Dreamweaver. Juggernette's supercomputer and the whole organization of Incognito engage in a PR war that sees several video-sharing websites shut down, overloaded. While elsewhere Lady Justice and Red Spider consider whether the tactic of baiting Cyber-Slash is helping anything, Juggernette sets to analyzing a disc obtained from a vanquished Cyber-Slash - and it sends a virus into her systems.
+| Candidate Olivia Ellison receives a threatening note, urging her to quit the race or be outed as Bluebird. When the Adventurers return from Russia, she asks Blue Fox to try to track the note-leaver by scent.
-| Cyber-Slash
+The team takes the skull given to them by Zarkov for examination at an organization chosen by Rubber Bullette, that specializes in helping superhumans with scientific analysis. Blue Fox considers ways to hurt Zarkov's organization through sowing dissent; he identifies a likely candidate in Pavel Tredyakovsky, a ZQU executive who was relegated to less important roles once Zarkov took over.
+Blue Fox tracks down the note-leaver: he's an ex-con, living in a halfway house in the city.
+The skull analysis reveals: it is not Red Spider's, and furthermore, a great deal of work was done to fashion it to appear to be a Red Spider skull. The DNA in the skull does not match a sample of Cassandra's, either. This renews hope for the team of finding Cassandra alive.
+| Mysterious Note-leaver
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Zarkov's Revenge
-| '''#62'''
+| '''#269'''
-| "Cyber-Slash and Poison Lash"
+| "Execution"
-| UNTIL finally grants access to Celeste Forsyth (AKA Stormherald) to interview Poison Lash. Lash is reticent to reveal anything and offers up some self-serving observations on his incarceration. Then Cyber-Slash appears, disables security systems into the room, and confronts Poison Lash about rumors that UNTIL has been deploying him in the field. Lash doesn't answer, but he ''does'' somehow get loose and ... protects Celeste from Cyber-Slash! Cyber-Slash flits around the room with her teleportation, and is able to use her phasing claws to injure Poison Lash. Poison Lash breathes out a deadly fume as he goes down. Cyber-Slash teleports Celeste to a safe part of the facility and reveals the name of an UNTIL agent overseeing Poison Lash, and entreats Celeste as a member of the press to work with her. Afterward, Red Spider and Celeste talk to Poison Lash; his UNTIL handler joins them, but suggests that Poison Lash hasn't been used for anything in the field - that it was all just a ploy to lure in Cyber-Slash. Red Spider isn't convinced.
+| Catfight bails from her failing air vehicle, and joins the fight on the ground out front of the Zarkov mansion with Screech Owl. Together, they strive to defeat the guards who are attempting to deploy mobile artillery on the roundabout just south of the house's main entrance. If they can commandeer one, maybe they can use it to blast the house's armored doors open. They succeed, but only after fending off an attack by Twilight, who is beaten back and last seen tumbling into the wreckage of one of the mobile artillery.
-| Poison Lash, Cyber-Slash
+Sparrow Hawk defeats a sniper just before he can take out Catfight from the roof of the mansion. Rubber Bullette takes out a boat patrol. Stinger arrives, and helps take down the northern frontier of defenses. Red Condor and Azure Hawk continue to eliminate the automated defenses and guard towers. Soon, the security guards are in retreat, overwhelmed by the superheroes.
+At this time, Yuri Zarkov's voice is heard over a P.A., where he entreats the team to agree to cease fire, and enter his home to parley terms for an end to hostilities. He refuses to give up Cassandra, suggesting that his revenge upon her is final - but if the team chooses to leave now and never trouble him again, the captured Sombra, Blue Fox, and Doormaker in the basement will be released unharmed to them. Pressure is put on the team when Zarkov shows a video feed with the medical pod, where he introduces a poisonous gas with Blue Fox. The team outside of the parley come up with an electrical disturbance that gives the basement heroes a chance to overcome their captors, and release a harmless gas into the medical pod that reduces the glue on the floor to an inert sludge so that Blue Fox can walk out. Zarkov, defeated, presents the team a horrifying token: a skull, he purports is Red Spider's. He considers himself avenged for their raid on his home in 2018, and keeps needling them despite being seriously outnumbered. Screech Owl recognizes that he may be seeking 'death by cape', and bids the team not to give in. Different team members variously toss, hit, or visit indignities upon Zarkov, but ultimately, they take the skull and go.
+It is not a happy trip home.
+| Yuri Zarkov
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Zarkov's Revenge
-| '''#61'''
+| '''#268'''
-| "Dreamweaver's Bad Day"
+| "Placement"
-| Dreamweaver wakes up tied up in a semi-trailer. She recalls being over-powered by an enemy psychic, but she still has her team communicator, so she calls for help. Red Spider and Stormherald quickly locate Dreamweaver and rescue her from a VIPER team. Afterward, while the trio enjoys some burgers, Dreamweaver decides to make an open challenge on a known Incognito web forum to their current adversary Cyber-Slash, impugning her abilities and character if she fails to meet Dreamweaver on the roof of the Mercy Hospital for a fight at a specified time. When it seems Cyber-Slash won't show, Red Spider heads home. That is when Cyber-Slash attacks, taking down Dreamweaver quickly with her teleportation, and fending off Stormherald. A video reaches the internet hours later cut from grainy cell phone video & what appears to be Cyber-Slash's own visor, plus screen caps of Dreamweaver's forum challenge, meant to embarrass Dreamweaver.
+| The attack begins. Sparrow Hawk and Red Condor each take down a critical piece of electrical infrastructure in the Zarkov compound's region, momentarily dropping power; this gives the infiltration team of Doormaker, Sombra, and Blue Fox a chance to get into the house before its auxiliary power kicks in. Azure Hawk has an opportunity to make an attack run on the mansion's defenses without reprisal before power comes back up. Rubber Bullette secures the river dock just to the east of the compound, the team's intended escape route. Sparrow Hawk, waking up after being shocked during the electrical sabotage, has a brief duel with Twilight, but decides to flee and join the rest of the team at the Zarkov compound, where she can see and hear the battle has begun.
-| VIPER, Cyber-Slash
+Red Condor and Catfight join Azure Hawk in strafing the house's defenses, but each of them finds their vehicles being chewed up by the ground turrets, forcing them to bail. Azure Hawk deploys his power armor on the ground from his dying aircraft. Red Condor continues to blast turrets and guard towers on the perimeter of the compound. Catfight's vehicle takes a hit, and it seems she is a goner.
+Inside the house, Doormaker discovers Cassandra's location in the basement using clairvoyance; she creates a 'door' for Sombra and Blue Fox to the location, where they quickly dispatch the guards and begin examining the walk-in medical capsule in which Cass is kept. Blue Fox decides to go in to retrieve Cass... and finds shortly after that his feet are glued to the floor, and 'Cass' was just a mannequin covered in medical accessories. Guards pour into the basement to capture them.
+| Yuri Zarkov
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Zarkov's Revenge
-| '''#60'''
+| '''#267'''
-| "Enter Cyber-Slash"
+| "Planning"
-| Lady Justice's plan to go on forums used by Incognito to troll & defame Cyber-Slash and attempt to draw her out succeeds. A young woman in a blue costume, black jacket, and mask confronts LJ's undercover persona and accuses her of being with law enforcement. LJ's persona maintains that she is who she says she is. After Cyber-Slash rants, LJ feigns to agree with her rhetoric. Though Cyber-Slash gets away, much is learned about her motives and her capabilities. The team plans to ensnare Cyber-Slash and turn her over the police, but Lady Justice isn't certain that Cyber-Slash as a vigilante is very much different from herself.
+| While visiting Dr. Simmons in jail, Azure Hawk, Rubber Bullette, and Red Condor get additional details on Dr. Simmons's work in Zarkov's home, and some of the internal features. Simmons repeatedly warns the team to take care in their approach, as Zarkov has been plotting his revenge for some time.
-| Cyber-Slash
+Catfight begins planning the team's strategy on a direct assault at the Zarkov compound. Sombra obtains information from UNTIL captain Chris Suzuki about Zarkov, during a secretive meeting in a parkade; Suzuki points out that while UNTIL has no beef with Zarkov because he's technically a legitimate security contractor, if he has abducted Red Spider - an agent of UNTIL - then UNTIL will backstop the Adventurers against Zarkov. The UNTIL dossier sheds light on Zarkov's past as a KGB and then FSB spymaster; on a personal level, it indicates Zarkov is a widower with a daughter who lives in St. Petersburg, and that he is suffering from a rare genetic defect that may eventually, and suddenly, kill him.
+Blue Fox tracks down info on Twilight's movements across Europe, as well as some info about Zarkov's company.
+Adventurers begin separately making their way to Russia for the rescue.
+| Dr. Vanessa Simmons; Yuri Zarkov
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Zarkov's Revenge
-| '''#59'''
+| '''#266'''
-| "Innocence"
+| "Implacable Foe"
-| Stormherald joins Hornett for the big reveal: the intact data is a brower bookmark for a pornography video. The web address includes scripting fragments including the variable "&username=Cyber-Slash." It is clear that the live chat on the video was used by hackers to communicate with one another. This implicates Paul Vermeer. Stormherald gathers evidence for the detectives that can be used to confirm Vermeer's complicity. The team urges that Vermeer be let loose and blame pinned on his co-worker Shazia, so that Paul can be surveilled. Not long after, the hacktivist collective called Incognito releases a video claiming that it will release embarrassing information it has obtained about the MCPD unless charges are dropped against some of their members in an infamous case. Lady Justice establishes a hacker alias to try to get inside Incognito.
+| Azure Hawk tracks down Simmons again, who surprisingly, readily surrenders, seeming to prefer prison to some other consequence she doesn't name. The team, meanwhile, starts looking into suspects and motives for the kidnapping of Cassandra Olsen / Red Spider.
-| [[Incognito]], Paul Vermeer
+Against the backdrop of these troubles, Olivia Ellison clinches the Democratic nomination for the Congressional Special Election.
+Azure Hawk questions Simmons in jail, and after some convincing, she reveals that she is certain that it was former Russian spymaster Yuri Zarkov who arranged Cassandra's abduction from the Triad. Zarkov is an enemy the team has encountered before, whom Simmons warns wields far too much shadow power to be opposed.
+Blue Fox suspects the Russian operative Twilight, whom the team encountered in Cretoa, may be the one who took Cassandra from the Triad.
+| Dr. Vanessa Simmons; Yuri Zarkov
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Zarkov's Revenge
-| '''#58'''
+| '''#265'''
-| "A Friend In Deed"
+| "Bishop Takes Knight"
-| Stormherald and Xeno help the MCPD by interviewing the IT staff. One of them, Jason, who is the only one without an alibi during the attack, is quickly discounted as a suspect by Xeno. Stormherald finds that others on staff have their reasons - IT director Sandra was responsible for the keys to the secured cabinet, though any of the others could have obtained it; Karen coveted Sandra's job and hoped the situation would force Sandra's termination; Shazia had a prior felony conviction for some radical activism in her college years; Ryan was disciplined numerous times for expressing extreme political views; Paul was disciplined for watching porn videos at work. Each of them pointed the finger at others, but when Hornett recovers the laptop hard drive from the harbour, and data is miraculously found intact on it, the true suspect is revealed.
+| Dr. Vanessa Simmons arranges the kidnapping of Steel Dragon to steal her powers for Cao Lu. In order to force Steel Dragon's compliance with the procedure, Simmons arranges to have Cassandra Olsen - who she knows is also Steel Dragon's team mate, Red Spider - kidnapped. Steel Dragon is set loose, with a message from Cao Lu: run, and never settle down. That is the revenge he wants against Dragon, for her having killed his son. It instead spurs a powerless Steel Dragon to return to Hong Kong and attempt to deal with Cao Lu.
-| [[Incognito]]
+Azure Hawk and Rubber Bullette apprehend Dr. Simmons as she attempts to escape to Canada. She does seem strangely concerned with Cassandra's safety, and shares some info. The team lets Simmons get away, for now, though she is a fugitive with international warrants issued against her.
+The team are rejoined by the Cretoan group of Catfight, Blue Fox, Sombra, and Sparrow Hawk. They attempt to track down and rescue Cassandra, but are too late: the Chinese Triad members who abducted her are all found, dead or dying, in the warehouse where they were keeping her. There are signs of a struggle, and Blue Fox's heightened senses detect that Cassandra was dragged out alive after the battle. The mystery of who has Cassandra Olsen deepens.
+| Dr. Vanessa Simmons; Triad members; unknown assailant
 |-
-| Hack Attack
+| Trouble Under Cretoa
-| '''#57'''
+| '''#264'''
-| "A Friend In Need"
+| "''Lex Talionis''"
-| MCPD is hit by a multi-pronged cyber attack! An unknown assailant apparently teleported into the MCPD, wounded three officers, and downloaded the contents of a secured server without any forced entry! Lady Justice applies her keen senses to forensics, giving the MCPD a reason to accept the Adventurers' help. Juggernette locates video footage concerning the attack indicating a male suspect involved in planting wireless routers around the facility, and a female suspect who destroyed a laptop and disposed of parts of it into the harbor. When a wireless router is found within a securely locked faraday cage, suspicion falls on the IT staff. Meanwhile, Lady Justice begins checking on one possible angle - a hacktivist collective called Incognito who have made numerous failed attempts to hack the server before.
+| Princess Taina joins Catfight, Sombra, and Blue Fox as they go into the tunnels deep below the palace. They don't have time to look into the disappearance of Sparrow Hawk, with a war brewing with the sea people.
-| [[Incognito]]
+A group of sea people swarm the band, and escort them to a tense parley with '''King Zotholky'''. Taina alone can treat with him, for they each know dialects of Greek. Zotholky will accept peace, but demands blood for blood. Taina prepares to surrender herself to the king's judgement, and die for the sake of peace, but Catfight makes an impassioned plea. Zotholky, done kindness by Sombra, relents - but says he still demands blood. He wants Cretoa to apprehend Twilight and turn her over to them. The heroes agree to these terms, and depart - though the Adventurers have misgivings about turning over an enemy for a certain execution.
+| King Zotholky; Fish People
 |-
-| (none)
+| Bluebird for Congress
-| '''#56'''
+| '''#263'''
-| "Last Step"
+| "Fixing the Race"
-| Several of the Adventurers visit the incarcerated Poison Lash to question him about Dreamweaver's state. The villain graciously offers to give her her powers back in exchange for a chance to experiment on her, which she outright refuses. Irritated by her continued taunting, he shuts off the heroine's legs as she talks, to her friends' protests, and offers her the choice of one or the other: legs, or powers. Although at first unwilling to play his games, Dreamweaver eventually bitterly picks her powers. Lash allows her three days to make the most of her mobility.
+| After a spree of vandalism which saw all candidate signs ''except'' Olivia Ellison's smashed or knocked down, Red Spider suspects there's organization by gangsters. The next evening, gangsters try it again in a politically-active university campus neighborhood, and Azure Hawk, Night Star, and Doormaker manage to ambush the bad guys just after they set fire to the campaign office of Lester Brownlee. Upon their capture, Night Star interrogates one and learns that it was gangster Cosmo Liddell who put them up to it. Though they don't know which candidate, the thug reveals that Liddell has a horse in the race for Congress - someone he knows will favor his transportation interests.
-| Poison Lash
+Azure Hawk ruminates on this confession, and decides to look into a connection between candidate Brownlee and Cosmo Liddell. He finds a genealogy website which confirms the two are actually cousins.
+At a swanky evening fundraiser for Lester Brownlee, Azure Hawk arrives and manages to embarrass the candidate with audio recordings and details of his investigation into the framing of Olivia Ellison, and drops the bombshell that Lester is cousins with a known gangster. All of this is caught on camera and broadcast live by Action News, and Brownlee's bodyguards try to remove the candidate from the party - but he doesn't get past the lobby before police apprehend him. By morning, Brownlee's campaign is over when his mugshot appears in the media.
+| Cosmo Liddell; gangsters; Lester Brownlee
 |-
-| (none)
+| Trouble Under Cretoa
-| '''#55'''
+| '''#262'''
-| "Renewal"
+| "The Cavern Massacre"
-| Dreamweaver proposes becoming the team's HQ operator to keep useful while she adjusts to life without powers. Meanwhile, Red Spider encounters a new crime fighter named May Highflyer who seems so similar to Hornett that she must wonder if May Highflyer is another one of Poison Lash's experiments. On mentioning Hornett and his powers, May Highflyer is suddenly able to produce energy blades from her arms in a similar fashion. Their patrol around downtown is interrupted by the return of Razorwing (last seen in Adventurers #11). His attempt to take revenge on Red Spider is foiled by May Highflyer's potent hypnotism.
+| The fish people capture Fantasma, Blue Fox, and Sombra. It turns out they speak Old Cretoan, and Fantasma can treat with them. However, the fish people seem aggressive and ready for war, citing a pact which Cretoa has violated. Fantasma meets their aggression with aggression, and the parley devolves. The fish people envoy declares that war is inevitable and orders the slaying of the hostages: Adventurers and captured sailors. Fantasma throws a dagger that kills the envoy, spilling first blood. Catfight and Twilight, who had been watching from a tunnel exit high above, join the fray, as the Adventurers, with help from Fantasma, Twilight, and Twilight's drones, kill or maim dozens of fish people, and make their survivors retreat to nearby pools.
-| Razorwing
+Twilight frees her Russian sailors and says she is fleeing immediately, suggesting the Adventurers do so, too, before the fish people mount a counter-attack with greater numbers.
+Sombra takes pity on wounded fish people desperately crawling back to the pools, and helps some reach safety; they name her, ''Kápoios'', or 'Kind One,' and they do not retaliate against her. Catfight follows Sombra's example and helps, thinking it may be a small gesture that could avert war.
+Topside, Catfight, Sombra, and Fantasma report on the happenings in the tunnels to Princess Taina, who rebukes them for not having found a peaceable solution. The princess dismisses a strangely thorny Fantasma, who maintains that she did what she thought was best, and seems to accuse the princess of ignorance regarding the pact. Sombra and Catfight deduce that the fish people are upset over the lack of feeding of the kraken; this guides the Princess to read an ancient transcription of a scroll which confirms a pact between Cretoans and the fish people, wherein the fish people would help trap the kraken - which was a menace to all peoples - in the tunnels beneath Cretoa, in exchange for the Cretoans standing guard and feeding it and its issue for as long as they lived below Cretoa, as the fish people still regarded the kraken ("the Overbeast") as holy.
+Catfight suggested that, with Fantasma gone, only Princess Taina could go below and negotiate a peace. The princess agrees.
+| Fish People
 |-
-| (none)
+| Trouble Under Cretoa
-| '''#54'''
+| '''#261'''
-| "Adventurers Anniversary Special"
+| "Kraken Me Up"
-| Double-sized anniversary special! Talons returns to the team after a lengthy absence! Dreamweaver tries to adjust to life without powers. Red Spider recovers from her injuries and hosts a party. Mantis changes his name to War Beetle, and recounts his helping UNTIL defend the Earth from space. Hornett shows off his new innate energy blades.
+| Sparrow Hawk goes on her own investigation, surveying sunken fishing boats around Cretoa based on a fisherman's indication of where the troubled waters are. She finds the boats, but no bodies. Then, she comes upon a beached submarine in a lagoon, near a waterfall. The submarine interior has Russian controls, has damaged electrical systems and is without power, and has apparently had some fighting inside, but there is no sign of its crew. Sparrow Hawk goes behind the waterfall and finds a passage leading into Cretoa's system of underground tunnels. But there, she is attacked by a mysterious drone, stunned, and captured by it.
-| (none)
+Elsewhere, Catfight battles the kraken, buying time for Blue Fox, Sombra, and Fantasma to escape. Catfight is caught and nearly devoured, but a trick shot from her wrist-mounted bolt projector pierces its radulla and gives her a chance to escape.
+Blue Fox, Sombra, and Fantasma carry on down a tunnel. They locate a great chamber where the many missing fishers are bound to stalagmites using resin that the fish people generate from their hands. The fish people soon become aware of the heroes, and encircle them.
+Catfight, going alone through the tunnels, is soon attacked by a drone, but destroys it. A Russian agent named '''Twilight''' decloaks near Catfight and says that the drone was merely a test. Twilight, who is familiar with Catfight by reputation, says that they should work together, as Twilight has come to rescue Russian sailors who were seized by fish people. Catfight agrees, but seems wary of Twilight.
+| Fish People
 |-
-| Cures and Kills
+| Trouble Under Cretoa
-| '''#53'''
+| '''#260'''
-| "Who Wears the Suit"
+| "In Deep Places"
-| The Adventurers close in on Poison Lash's laboratory, with injured Red Spider providing logistics over the team comm while she operates the computer at HQ. The lab has been spilling out toxins, infecting nearby residences. Poison Lash in inside, apparently drunk, but he springs a surprise: civilians in his thrall, who look just like him! During the fight, Dreamweaver is infected with a toxin, and loses her powers - but gains the use of her legs! Hornett seems to be crushed under a tank, only to emerge from it with a new power, in the form of two gleaming energy swords from his wrists! Xeno takes a lot of punishment, but Hornett asks to finish the fight with Poison Lash. Dreamweaver's aborted charge at Poison Lash on her atrophied legs turns heads. Hornett and Xeno are able to finish the fight; Lash is defeated, and taken into UNTIL custody.
+| An emissary from Cretoa finds Azure Hawk in Club Caprice and gives him a message from Cretoa. Princess Taina of Cretoa pleads with the team to send who they can to help with an ongoing situation that needs super people.
-| Poison Lash
-|-
-| Cures and Kills
-| '''#52'''
-| "Blowback"
-| The trap is sprung! Hornett, along with Red Spider, Meltdowner, and Xeno, have Poison Lash fall for their ruse. But Lash comes loaded for bear and ready for a fight. During the fight, Red Spider is poisoned by Lash, but Xeno is able to excise the toxin before it causes her to morph into the hybrid monster. Meanwhile, when the battle goes poorly for Lash, he summons Etherloch, and juices the blob creature up such that it multiplies many times over in size! This plan backfires on Poison Lash when the creature goes mad (even by its standards!) and tries to kill its ally, too! The fight spills onto the streets. Poison Lash agrees to help destroy Etherloch if the heroes can keep it distracted. Red Spider and Xeno draw in close; they don't realize that Lash's plan - which works - was to give Etherloch more mutagen until it bursts! And when it does, Red Spider is awash in Etherloch's acid...
-| Poison Lash, Etherloch
-|-
-| (none)
-| '''#51'''
-| "The Time Has Come"
-| Red Spider is sent to a laboratory by team ally Night Terror to check on a friend of his who has been out of contact. Spider learns that the scientist has been murdered just minutes before her arrival! The lab seals off to contain a strange blob-like monster trying to escape. A countdown begins, marking a few minutes until the lab is entirely purged by an artificial black hole device. Red Spider uses her cunning to catch a rogue time-traveling monster in a stasis field, averting the activation of the black hole. Night Terror reveals that the 'time worm' was a portent of the arrival of a far worse time-traveling villain.
-| Time Worm
-|-
-| (none)
-| '''#50'''
-| "Adventures in Space!!!"
-| Flashback. The adventures of the real Hornett are detailed as he goes to fight a war in outer space after being abducted by aliens. Upon his return to Earth, Hornett strategizes with the Adventurers about how to use himself as bait to lure out Poison Lash and send him back to jail!
-| Aliens
-|-
-| Sentry Rogue: Awakening
-| '''#1'''
-| "Sentry Rogue: Awakening, Part 1"
-| Red Spider sees her friend Jake, a young but retired costumed vigilante. He seems perturbed by witnessing a demonstration of a 'Sentry' law enforcement machine that went wrong and caused the deaths of many. Two things disturb Jake: that the machine's designer, a friend of Jake's, said that Sentron was doing things it was never designed to do, and that in the aftermath, the government was covering the incident up.
-Red Spider commits to finding answers. It will mean breaking in to a facility under guard by federal law enforcers. She invites Adventurers Dreamweaver, Hand of Babylon, Lady Justice, Mantis, and Juggernette to come, but notes the risks are exceptionally high since they would be going up against federal agents. Hand and Mantis decline; the others commit to an infiltration.
+Catfight, Sombra, Blue Fox, and Sparrow Hawk travel in Catfight's jet, and land in the palace at Zappatos, Cretoa. There, they meet with the princess, who outlines three grave issues that seem to have the same source: the theft of her crown, the sinking of fishing boats and the total disappearance of their crews, and the sabotage of their vitanium extractor. In all three instances, the mark of a many-handed sea beast is seen etched at crime scenes. The princess warns that her people - superstitious as they are and upset with the fast pace of change since a democratic government took over - will not brook this continue, and the loss of her ceremonial crown will be seen as an ill omen that could foment a counter-revolution.
-Lady Justice's 'bots create a diversion, allowing Red Spider, Dream, and Lady Justice to covertly enter a sewer. Juggernette maintains watch on the scene from outside. A number of signs are seen in the sewers deliberately leading them to a 'hidden door', with a note indicating that this is "Nevermore's secret lab". They enter, and find information about a machine running amok and killing the scientists who had worked within the lab. They are confronted briefly by Sentron, who escapes and looses 'Nevermore' to defeat them.
+Also, the princess indicates that her agent, '''Fantasma''', had already been dispatched down into the extractor to investigate the sabotage, but has been missing for some time.
-Juggernette joins the others as they square off against Nevermore's armor - Nevermore being a former power-armored hero, but the human pilot is not within the armor. After a tough battle, the team bests the armor. It announces that an 'awakening' of machines is at hand, and then activates a time bomb. The team rapidly flees before the lab and building above are destroyed.
+The team starts at the extractor, descending deep underground to where raw vitanium is harvested, and follow subterranean caverns until they reach a wide-open one with a pool at its bottom. There, Fantasma is bound up over the pool by a strange resin... and shortly after the team's arrival, the great and terrible '''kraken''' emerges from the pool and attacks!
-| Sentron, Nevermore Mk XV Armor
+| The Kraken
 |-
-| (none)
+| Bluebird for Congress
-| '''#49'''
+| '''#259'''
-| "Return to Heroics"
+| "The Lone Gunman"
-| Dreamweaver, Metro Man, Red Spider, Juggernette, and American Missile take part in a training exercise. Leads on Poison Lash and Etherloch have dried up, and the team is growing idle. Some tension remains between Red Spider and Lady Justice. They end up assisting with a major apartment block fire in which the building is critically damaged. Lady Justice uses her arsenal to clear obstacles from outside, while nimble Red Spider enters the inferno to clear debris and help people escape.
+| Night Star, Blue Fox, Azure Hawk, Sparrow Hawk, Sombra, and Night Star meet out of costume at Olivia Ellison's campaign office to discuss the disturbing development of the bluebird nailed to her office door. Olivia hears about Ms. Direction naming the ARGENT-linked Stroms as the ones behind Ms. Direction, but Olivia finds that odd; the evidence planted by Ms. Direction ''implicated'' ARGENT as the ones who allegedly gave Olivia an illegal cash injection. Why would ARGENT try to drag themselves down with Olivia? Azure Hawk vows to keep trying the Ms. Direction leads, and Sparrow Hawk starts looking into where the bluebird came from.
-| (none)
+Blue Fox is troubled when his 'uncle', long-time friend of his father Clayton Ewing, survives an apparent assassination attempt by quick-drawing and non-fatally shooting his attacker. Blue Fox warns Red Spider about the ''blue code'', prompting Red Spider to visit the gunman, Michael Barton, in hospital. Sneaking past an assembly of police guards via air vents (who are soon dispersed by Blue Fox's father, retired police vet Mark McAllister), Red Spider speaks to a weakened Barton, and explains the precariousness of his situation to make him cooperative. Barton implicates '''T-Dog''', alias of Terence Jameson, as the person who paid him to shoot at a car. Barton had no idea who his target was.
+Despite Red's efforts to arrange better protection for Barton, he dies from a medication conflict later that night.
+| Michael Barton; T-Dog; Ms. Direction; ARGENT
 |-
-| Cures and Kills
+| Bluebird for Congress
-| '''#48'''
+| '''#258'''
-| "Televised Capture"
+| "Bluebird at the Door"
-| Poison Lash steals into the WCOC studio during a live broadcast. He holds Hornett hostage with a grim promise to unmask the hero, and sell him to the highest bidder, if the Adventurers don't arrive. The team of Red Spider, Lady Justice, Metro Men, with allies Hyperfuser and Xeno, confronts Poison Lash, and several WCOC technicians he has turned into monsters. Hornett, it turns out, is merely Etherloch having taken Hornett's form. The Adventurers fail to stop Poison Lash escaping with Etherloch, and demolish the studio trying to defeat the monsters. New team member Metro Man manages to save the life of one of the 'monsters', who seemed to be key to holding the others in spell. As the battle ends, Lady Justice lambastes the team for an uncoordinated failure. It is unclear what has become of the real Hornett.
+| Azure Hawk, Blue Fox, and Sombra get a message from Arcadio that he got word from Ms. Direction to pick her up. The trio, joined by Scarlet Shield, gets the playful trickster villainess backed into a corner. Ms. Direction cooperates to a degree, but then uses trickery to escape the heroes and try to lose them on a chase over rooftops, streets, and into the sewers, before they finally corner her again in the stock room of a convenience store.
-| Etherloch, Poison Lash
+Ms. Direction implicates Bruce Strom as the person who hired her; Strom is the husband of candidate Savannah Strom, and together they own a transportation company which is a subsidiary of '''ARGENT'''. Ms. Direction says that ARGENT wants Olivia Ellison's campaign to fail so that Strom has a better chance to win the election, giving ARGENT a puppet in Congress. Ms. Direction pleads to be let go, noting she will die a snitch's death in prison if the team turns her in, to which the team seems to agree - but Azure Hawk plants a tracker on her.
+The next morning, a live bluebird is found nailed to Olivia Ellison's campaign office door by its wing.
+| Ms. Direction; ARGENT
 |-
-| Cures and Kills
+| Bluebird for Congress
-| '''#47'''
+| '''#257'''
-| "Xeno"
+| "The Mechanic"
-| American Missile tries to slow the rate of Etherloch's take-over with a cryo grenade. It fails, and Etherloch seems to consume Elias anyway. Soon, a new entity called '''Xeno''' emerges, but a portion of Etherloch is excised from it like an immune response. The Adventurers battle Etherloch as it burrows into the ground... and eventually goes after the familiar-smelling blood of Red Spider! Pulled underground and infected by Etherloch, Red Spider transforms into her Etherloch-infused creature form. Hand of Babylon ably endeavours to subdue her. Xeno, seen as an aberrant off-shoot of the Etherloch form, is Etherloch-Spider's main target. Xeno is able to use his Etherloch-variant to excise Etherloch from Red Spider much as he did himself. Red Spider rapidly recovers.
+| Azure Hawk, Sombra, and Blue Fox follow AH's tracker to a warehouse in the river district, where a young mechanic is working on fixing up the damage AH did during his attempt to catch Getaway Flier last adventure. The mechanic is '''Arcadio Rando''', a young man from New York City whom Sombra has helped before, but whom she apparently failed to dissuade from a life of crime. Arcadio pleads that he needs the money from Ms. Direction's heists to help his mom pay for her medical bills. The trio of heroes convince Arcadio that they will help him; he agrees to help deliver Ms. Direction to them. Elsewhere, Olivia (Bluebird) meets with her Republican rival Clayton Ewing, a career policeman. Ewing probes Olivia's reasons for entering the race, expresses his appreciation of her character, and then shares his suspicion that Congressman Duran was murdered. Ewing implores Olivia to share anything she may learn about who wanted Duran dead.
-| Etherloch
+| Getaway Flier (aka Speedmaster)
 |-
-| Cures and Kills
+| Blood Fortune Redux
-| '''#46'''
+| '''#256'''
-| "The Distraction"
+| "What Happens In Vegas..."
-| Red Spider's non-costumed conspiracy theorist friend Elias calls her with a happening in a park near City Hall: someone is dumping something into the pond. Adventurers Dreamweaver, Hand of Babylon, and American Missile join Red Spider in nabbing the crook. But another problem arises: Elias wants a scoop for his university newspaper, and what was dumped into the pond was a strain of Etherloch! The creature, modified slightly by Poison Lash, attacks Eli but is unable to eat him due to a latent mutation which Elias is unaware he has. Etherloch enters his bloodstream of Elias.
+| The Adventurers head to sunny Las Vegas to help UNTIL agent Stiltz apprehend Blood Talon and Ms. Fortune who seem to be hiding in plain sight. Blue Fox, Catfight, Doormaker, Red Spider, and Sparrow Hawk do battle in a casino; Catfight discovers that her cousin, Ms. Fortune, was mind controlled, and may not be to blame for her actions. (More to come...)
-| Etherloch
+| Ms. Fortune; Blood Talon; Black Skull
 |-
-| Cures and Kills
+| Bluebird for Congress
-| '''#45'''
+| '''#255'''
-| "Bad Dreams"
+| "Sense of Direction"
-| The team disperses to locate the fugitive Poison Lash. Hornett suggests the villain may have gone to his old lab, in Westside. Dreamweaver patrols the area and finds the lab - but is unable to reach team members on the comm when she encounters trouble. Meanwhile, Red Spider studies the materials she took from Source Biotech. Dreamweaver encounters a frozen Etherloch sample, and several mutated UNTIL agents whom Poison Lash abducted. Dreamweaver is defeated by the villain and his minions, and wakes up later in an alley with a needle puncture. Red Spider determines that Etherloch was an accidental creation by scientists trying to create a super serum equivalent to a '[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_of_vinegar/ mother of vinegar]'. The alien DNA they used in their experiments led to the formation of a sentient, shape-shifting horror with confused imperatives.
+| Blue Fox and Azure Hawk respond to reports of a break in at the DNC offices in Millennium City. Inside of the office high-rise, Blue Fox moves past unhelpful building security guards to enter the offices and confront the villain. Meanwhile, Azure Hawk spots the getaway vehicle - a hover car - hovering just outside of the broken windows of the office and leaps onto it. Blue Fox fights Ms. Direction to prevent her hooking up a file cabinet to a tow cable. Ms. Direction directs the hover car driver, Getaway Flier, to flee, while she leaps out the window and swings away. Getaway Flier tries a variety of tricks to shake Azure Hawk off of the vehicle, and succeeds... but not before Hawk places a tracker on the vehicle. The next day, the DNC does an audit of materials in the file cabinets to ensure everything is still accounted for, and finds a document previously unaccounted for which indicates Olivia Ellison has been taking illegal money from ARGENT! The team suspects these documents may have been planted.
-| Poison Lash's creations; Etherloch
+| Ms. Direction; Getaway Flier
 |-
-| Cures and Kills
+| Foxbat for President
-| '''#44'''
+| '''#254'''
-| "Fresh Eyes"
+| "Heading Off a Museum Break-In"
-| 'Dusty' listens to a summary of the investigation since the first encounter with Etherloch. He deduces that there may have been more to Source Biotech Enterprises than was readily apparent. He accompanies Red Spider and Jason to Vibora Bay. Red Spider is the only one small enough to sneak in through a vent. Over comms, they give her instructions on what to seek, knowing that the moment she entered the lab, a security system was tripped. She grabs a memory card from a camera, a lab journal, and a poster of what appeared to be genetic sequences, before slipping out of the lab. The team escapes just before security responds to the alarm.
+| The day after Foxbat’s surprise announcement that he’s running for president, the team responds to a robbery in progress at the Millennium City Museum of Antiquities.  In a basement storeroom they confront Scarlet Shield’s enemy, the Heckler, and his robot Minion along with a whiny, petulant nerd who tries hitting on Catfight before making four old-style, black-and-white movie gangsters appear out of nowhere.  The nerd, Minion and the gangsters are easily dealt with while Sombra and Phaser chase the Heckler farther into the room as he searches for something.  He finally finds what he’s looking for: an artifact tagged “The Scythe of Aratron”, only to have Sombra overpower him and take it away.  Phaser and Sombra watch helplessly as, incredibly, the Heckler’s head separates itself from his body.  It transforms into a skull with large diamonds embedded in its eye sockets and declares, "You may have thwarted my plan this time, but you will never truly defeat The Undead Skull!" before disappearing.  Unbelievably, the Heckler’s headless body is still alive…
-| Source Biotech Enterprises
+| The Heckler and Minion; The Projectionist; The Undead Skull
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| Blood Talon Redux
-| '''#43'''
+| '''#253'''
-| "Waiting UNTIL Night"
+| "Enter the Domino Room"
-| News reaches the Adventurers that Poison Lash escaped UNTIL during their fight with Etherloch. Poison Lash used the opportunity presented when Starborn's plasma flare briefly knocked out power systems. Jason Leander helps Red Spider get into UNTIL to inspect the scene of the escape. They meet an UNTIL field agent code-named Dust-Off AKA 'Dusty' who helps them examine the crime scene. Red Spider notices that a piece of the frozen body of Etherloch has been broken off - and a clue left behind by Poison Lash confirming that he took it before escaping the building.
+| Catfight lets the Adventurers in on her family ties to Ms. Fortune; a gung-ho UNTIL agent named Jack Stiltz tips the team on a chance to scoop up Ms. Fortune and Blood Talon at the '''Domino Room''', a supervillain hangout; the team disguises themselves as villains, and infiltrate; turns out that Blood Talon and Ms. Fortune are indentured to a mastermind named '''Black Skull'''; the team fails to capture Skull, but learns his next heist is at a casino in Las Vegas; the villain is after some kind of weapon, and the attack on the high school was part of that.
-| Poison Lash, Etherloch
+| Ms. Fortune; Blood Talon; Black Skull
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| Blood Talon Redux
-| '''#42'''
+| '''#252'''
-| "UNTIL the Day is Done"
+| "Battle at the High School"
-| The Adventurers prepare to deliver their decision to Poison Lash at UNTIL HQ's secure holding, but the HQ is attacked by Etherloch who enters through the submarine doors. Even as UNTIL fighters are defeated and slain by the creature, and their bodies used in a horrific puppet-like manner to attack the team, Dreamweaver and American Missile do their utmost to keep the creature away from Red Spider. Starborn arrives late to the fight, and manages to get the creature off of Red Spider at a critical moment, then uses a powerful plasma flare to eradicate it - damaging much of the UNTIL submarine dock. The team escapes before UNTIL agents can force them to remain for debriefing.
+| The team is told of Bluebird's plan to run for Congress to discover who murdered the previous congressman; Catfight learns of a hostage-taking at Westside High School by '''Ms. Fortune''' and '''Blood Talon'''; the Adventurers face off against a hoard of robots protecting the school; Ms. Fortune shows she knows Catfight's secret identity; A savvy political candidate uses the damage to the school grounds to springboard his campaign with anti-meta human rhetoric; Blue Fox and Sombra's high school grad is pushed back a week.
-| Etherloch
+| Ms. Fortune; Blood Talon
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#41'''
+| '''#251'''
-| "Re-Diagnosed"
+| "The Battle of Greenland, Part 2"
-| Recent experiences have left Red Spider with a fear that more help may soon be needed. New members Sunborn and American Missile are brought into the team. Sunborn uses her advanced scientific knowledge to confirm that Red Spider is still carrying the alien retrovirus. Etherloch begins to reform itself again.
+| The Tereraformer breaks free and defeats its Osirian captors nearest at hand. Its power depleted, it cannot just take off. The Adventurers spring into action to engage it in battle. Sparrow Hawk, injured during the attack on the stronghold, holds back and tries to help injured team mates off the battlefield. Phaser gets Hornett to help her start using portable generators to get the Osirian energy-depleting beam array back online while the rest of the team fights to keep the Terraformer near it. Doormaker is badly injured, but manages to use her own energy-dampening gun for a critical shot before going unconscious. Red Spider (Samantha) fails to sneak up on the Terraformer, having not accounted for Blue Fox's enhanced sensory abilities, and gets clobbered. At last, Sombra gets in close and uses a knife to pry the gem off of the Terraformer. In an instant, the Terraformer reverts to a dissheveled Blue Fox, and the aim flies through the air. Sombra and Blue Fox fight to grab it, both drawn to its nearly irresistable allure - but Scarlet Shield ''does'' resist, and puts a shield dome over it where it falls. Phaser powers up the energy-deplating beam array, and with help from Red, Hornett, and Catfight, the array is oriented so that the gem's depowering can be completed. The gem turns a lifeless grey color, and the pull it has over anyone who has touched it, ceases. Catfight smashes the gem, and then Hornett uses energy blasts to reduce its remnants to smithereens.
-| Etherloch
+| The Terraformer
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#40'''
+| '''#250'''
-| "Mirror Image"
+| "The Battle of Greenland, Part 1"
-| While patrolling with fellow hero Hyperfuser, Red Spider encounters the blob creature (Etherloch). Red is terrified to see that the creature's solid form has the distinct features of the alien-spider-human hybrid creature she was turned into by the Syndicate earlier in the year! Hyperfuser manages to flash-freeze Etherloch with a grenade, and UNTIL collects the creature to safely contain it. Red Spider is left with two horrifying realizations: the creature probably got her blood and located her like a bloodhound, and the alien retrovirus must still be in her blood despite it supposedly having been 'cured'.
+| Debut of '''Sparrow Hawk''' as an Adventurer. Red Spider (Samantha) indicates that, using the materials collected from the Grand Hall in the previous issue, she knows how the Order of Osiris will try to capture the Terraformer: their ancient studies noted that the Terraformer seemed drawn to objects of intense radioactivity, which it tries to neutralize as part of its terraforming protocol. Red has used geo satellites to confirm intermittent radiation blasts from a remote part of Greenland that happen with a regularity and intensity that could only be man-made. A team of Red Spider, Phaser, Sparrow Hawk, Scarlet Shield, Sombra, Doormaker, and Hornett fly to Greenland in an UNTIL transport, survey the modular compound that has been set up, and begin attacking the mercenaries. Hornett, Scarlet, and Sparrow Hawk make several runs from the air to distract and disable the defensive turrets. Doormaker uses a variety of novel attacks to take out mercenary defenders along the fortifications. Sombra sneaks into the base. Catfight also scales the wall and slips into the control room for the radioactive beacon. Disabling the beacon means turning off power to the whole base. Sombra finds herself in the base's central structure, where the Terraformer has already been captured and is being subjected to the Order of Osiris's energy-depleting beam - that is, until Catfight causes the power to go off. Then the Terraformer is free.
-| Etherloch
+| Mercenaries; The Order of Osiris; the Terraformer
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#39'''
+| '''#249'''
-| "Red Spider Pursued"
+| "Enter the Inheritor"
-| First appearance of Toxoplasma! Red Spider takes the sample of Etherloch from the Adventurers HQ in order to hand deliver it to Poison Lash's lab, but along the way she is intercepted by both Serpent Master and Etherloch! With help from passer-by hero Toxoplasma, Red sidesteps the ambush. Etherloch seems to be destroyed by Toxoplasma, but the sample escapes the sealed container during the fight, and - along with a few drops of Red's blood - the creature escapes to reconstitute itself! Red Spider extends an offer to Toxoplasma to join the team.
+| Debut of '''Phaser''' as an Adventurer. Using Mnemon's learnings from Sirus Blatt, Night Star and Red Spider (Samantha) draw out the Grand Hall of Osiris's guards, leaving an opening for Sombra, Phaser, and Catfight (as Skana, while she's being hunted as a vigilante for the attack on Blatt last issue) to enter the building. Catfight battles an Acolyte before going in. Scarlet Shield goes solo to try an attack from above, but is... cordially invited inside? There, she meets the head of the Order, '''the Inheritor''', who trades questions with Scarlet about the gem. He reveals that the Order was indeed mistaken that the current Adventurers were the same as the old ones; he also shares that the ancient Order had centuries to study the gem, has passed down through the ages the means to safely contain its power. He shares that the Terraformer was battled by a vast army of ancient Egypt, and it succeeded in reclaiming the gem only at the cost of thousands of lives. Once Scarlet shares that the gem has been inadvertantly powered up, which brought forth the Terraformer, the Inheritor orders his fellow Osirians to draw their knives and slay her. A battle ensues. The Grand Hall is set to auto-destruct. Phaser manages to steal a few items from the Inheritor's study before the building caves in. Sombra also manages to steal some useful artifacts, such as the full text of Aaron Baron's autobiography.
-| Serpent Master, Etherloch
+| The Inheritor; The Order of Osiris
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#38'''
+| '''#248'''
-| "Poison Lash"
+| "What's Black and Blue and Red All Over?"
-| Some light is shed on Hornett's past as he joins Fox, Dreamweaver, and Red Spider to convince his imprisoned former nemesis Poison Lash to study the serum and blob samples they have. A deal is struck that will see Poison Lash get into his old lab, in exchange for being given the opportunity to do some side experiments.
+| Catfight and Mnemon use guile, subterfuge, some brute force, and a little light memory manipulation to force Sirus Blatt, owner and editor of the Millennium City News. Mnemon views details of Blatt's encounters with the Order of Osiris, confirming that Blatt is a high-ranking member. Catfight leaves Blatt unconscious in his kitchen, but the security cams pick up Catfight and Mnemon leaving, which becomes the focus of a front page article in the next day's paper! Elsewhere, Red Spider (Samantha) finds the Terraformer high up in the city; she tries, but fails, to persuade it of the evil of its mission.
-| Poison Lash
+| Sirus Blatt; The Order of Osiris; the Terraformer
-|-
-| (None)
-| '''Annual #3'''
-| "Arms Against the Blood Moon"
-| The menace of the Syndicate returns! Red Spider's secret identity, Cass Olsen, shelters from the Blood Moon at Sherrerra's Pub, and narrowly avoids a hail of bullets when hot-headed Syndicate youngster Voladas gets into an argument over being asked for his ID! Now monitored by Red Spider and Dreamweaver out of costume, they trail Voladas and a mysterious mystical female accomplice. With help from Hornett, the Adventurers foil Voladas's attempt to steal munitions hidden with an aid shipment meant to help MC deal with the Blood Moon zombies.
-| Voladas, Wiccan
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#37'''
+| '''#247'''
-| "You Can't Outfox a Fox"
+| "Battle for the Gem"
-| An assassin interrupts Red Spider and Fox as they prepare to bust a gang who has stock of the super serum. Blur comes to aid the team, but an injured Red Spider makes an easy capture to use as bait. The assassin eventually reveals that she was sent by Fox's enigmatic uncle, and more is learned of Fox's past as an assassin. Quickshot tearfully surrenders once Blur and Fox defeat her. Red Spider spares Quickshot, though not before delivering a punch to her face. Afterward, Blur leaves the team having found herself unable to cope with the emotional consequences of the team's missions, and Fox temporarily departs to face down his uncle once and for all. Mantis returns, and begins an analysis of the blob sample and of the super serum which were both seized in Vibora.
+| Mnemon interviews Inferno and, through the former's memory-scanning power, discovers Inferno's real name, his past as a US army washout, his time as a mercenary, and his connection to the Order of Osiris. More than that, Mnemon discovers a connection to a newspaper owner in Millennium City who seems, from Inferno's memory, to be an Osirian. Elsewhere, the Adventurers arrive at Cassandra's home to find her entranced by the gem, and surrounded by swirling energies emitting from it. Blue Fox first tries to steal it; a battle ensues as ''all'' of the Adventurers feel some temptation to lay hands on it. Cassandra fights fiercely to maintain it. The gem skips off a portal which Doormaker makes. Sombra is wounded by Blue Fox, who at last lays hands on the gem, and transforms... into the Terraformer.
-| Quickshot, Fox's Uncle
+| Inferno; The Order of Osiris; the Terraformer
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| ''Doormaker's story''
-| '''#36'''
+| '''#246'''
-| "Trifecta, Part 2"
+| "Dolph Lundgren"
-| Dreamweaver helps contain the amorphous creature in one of her fields, and battles it. It escapes through a crack in the pier and into the water below. The gunman is revealed as a VIPER Agent (Serpent Master), who Blur tries to take on. Charlie has a chance to escape, but he accidentally sets off an adhesive mine that Serpent Master planted, meant to neutralize Blur. Red Spider goes to help Blur, who has been defeated, but finds Serpent Master is better trained than other VIPER servants she has encountered before. Soon, Serpent Master shrugs off Red Spide, closes in on Charlie, and brutally executes him. Dreamweaver manages to get Etherloch to attack Serpent Master, who through cunning, manages to escape. Red Spider grabs items from Ferris's corpse, and then gets the team to fall back, as they don't seem able to contain Etherloch. Etherloch surrounds Ferris's body and consumes it, then slips away, leaving a stripped skeleton behind...
+| The Adventurers face a powerful extradimensional foe with a flat top haircut, a hole in his face, and who seeks parts of his daughters that were spread to the cosmos. A little more is learned about the origin of Doormaker's power.
-| Charlie Ferris, Etherloch, Serpent Master
+| (Dolph Lundgren)
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#35'''
+| '''#245'''
-| "Trifecta, Part 1"
+| "Campus Heroes"
-| The investigation into SBE leads Red Spider, Blur, and Dreamweaver to check out a pier in Vibora Bay where shipping for the company occurs. They encounter Charlie Ferris, a sickly man who seems to be involved in the serum smuggling. He barely gets to explaining that he sold the serum out of desperation, but then shots ring out. Red Spider moves to protect Charlie and keep questioning him under cover, while Blur and Dreamweaver try to find the gunman. Suddenly a strange amorphous creature (Etherloch) attacks Charlie...
+| The Adventurers uncover more about Sir Thomas Walsingham in a 1960 memo to the Secret Intelligence Service, which leads them to search for more clues in Oxford, UK. Red Spider (Samantha), Scarlet Shield, Sombra, Catfight, Blue Fox, and Night Star scour the campus for info. They come upon an old tape reel of Walsingham's in the university archives, as well as a schematic by Aaron "Tank" Baron for a crude 1950s human memory-to-digital converter. Red Spider, Scarlet, and Star find a letter from 'Tank' in Walsingham's pipe that indicates the two made up. Elsewhere, Sombra, Blue Fox, and Catfight discover a hidden room with a large number of 60s-era magnetic tape drives, and an operator console. Upon placing the reel from the archives onto the first drive in the series, the system boots up. The team is greeted by a text-only digital collection of the memories of Sir Thomas Walsingham, whom they ask many questions about the Order of Osiris, the gem stone called the 'World Breaker' (which apparently grows less powerful if kept in the dark), and the Classic Adventurers' final mission in 1917. Meanwhile, in Millennium City, Cassandra, bearer of the 'world breaker', goes into a trance and stands by the window, bathed in sunlight...
-| Charlie Ferris, Etherloch, Serpent Master
+| The Order of Osiris
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#34'''
+| '''#244'''
-| "Teeth"
+| "Blazing Trail"
-| Rowe takes the unconscious Blur & Red Spider to a warehouse with thoughts that he can profit by turning them over to a gang. When the heroes awaken, they find themselves bound back-to-back crudely with duct tape, but it is effective enough to keep them easily escaping. They coordinate and manage to manually reset Red's team communicator, and call in Fox. With Fox's help, they get free and capture Teeth, who is suffering withdrawal and is much weaker than when he captured the two heroes earlier. In questioning him, the Adventurers learn of Source Biotech Enterprises (SBE), which seems to have manufactured the serum Teeth used.
+| Mnemon follows a lead from an ex-Osiris member with no memory that leads him to a medical specialist (Dr. Dickinson) who blanks his memory rather than be caught - but Mnemon is able to pull some memories before the mind is totally cleared. Steel Dragon follows a lead to small-time gangster Cosmo Liddell, and intimidates him into admitting he was strongarmed into providing fuel for Inferno. This enables Night Star, Scarlet Shield, Blue Fox, and Sombra confront Inferno when he turns up to refuel at Liddell's dockyard. Though determined to explode himself rather than be taken alive, a combination of Scarlet Shield's ... scarlet shield, Sombra's teleporting Inferno into the river, some well-placed shots to Inferno's jetpack by Night Star, and some up-close distractions by Blue Fox allow Inferno to be captured, alive. Underneath his helmet, Inferno is revealed to be horribly burned and scarred. Red Spider starts to show unusual behavior when it comes to defending the gem over which she now keeps. The gem also gives her flashes of memories she knows are not hers; she finds herself knowing things that she should not, attributing it to the memory of the gem.
-| Jason "Teeth" Rowe
+| Cosmo Liddell; Inferno; Dr. Dickinson
 |-
-| The Super Serum
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#33'''
+| '''#243'''
-| "Serum"
+| "Methuselah Jack"
-| Red Spider investigates rumors of an unstable serum that gives its user meta-human augmentation for a short time, being distributed by drug dealers. It leads her and Blur to scour the Westside port. They come upon a drug deal that may have a lead, but upon cornering a head crook at the scene - Jason "Teeth" Rowe - he jabs himself with several needles. Becoming bestial and nigh unstoppable, he manages to subdue Blur and Red Spider.
+| Jack Sullivan, AKA Jack Cunningham, AKA Eagle Eye, greets Red Spider, Meltdowner, Night Star, and Scarlet Shield at his retirement home north of Calgary. He instantly divines their purpose, and answers a few questions about the gem. He admits that he sent the flowers to the grave hoping it might trigger someone - anyone - finding him and claiming the gem. Jack knows that being the gem's keeper is what is enabling his long life, but he has grown weary of the gnawing effect it has on him, and the guilt he feels over Addison Markeson's death. 'Sister Savior' had over-extended her healing powers in saving Jack from a bullet wound, which left her in frail health to which she eventually succumbed, two years later. Jack implores the New Adventurers to claim the stone, and give him rest at last - he knows that once he loses it, his life will end. Scarlet Shield guesses correctly that he hid it in Markeson's headstone, which was left unbroken despite the disturbance of the ground before it. When the Adventurers return to the grave, an epic rock-paper-scissor game between Red Spider and Night Star ends in Red claiming the gem after Meltdowner slags the headstone. Jack senses the end once another bearer claims the gem, and he passes peacefully, and gratefully. Red Spider falls unconscious and remains so until after the team returns her home to Millennium City.
-| Jason "Teeth" Rowe
+| Order of Osiris
 |-
-|(None)
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#32'''
+| '''#242'''
-| "Halloween Special"
+| "A Grave Matter"
-| The team comes to Blur's home. Many of the team members become inexplicably ill and leave suddenly. Soon, Mark of Power dies while waiting for the elevator to leave Blur's condo. He reanimates in moments as a zombie-like creature, attacking Red Spider and Dreamweaver. Blur leaves to get help, but finds at Adventurers HQ that Blue Wonder and Lady Justice are fending off a headless knight! Soon, all is revealed to be part of a horrible set of illusions from a demon named Walker, who was hired by the Purple Gang to destroy Blur. She manages to break the illusion and reveals that the team are all still present in her condo. The team moves swiftly to apprehend Walker and end the attack on Blur.
+| The Adventurers keep finding clues. Sombra reads the journal of 'El Sombra' and learns that the old Adventurers strove to recover an ancient, powerful gem from the Order of Osiris - and they succeeded. Blue Fox obtains the sketchbook of 'Tank' from his descendants, which includes a letter he received from Mr. Adventure in the 1950s indicating their relationship became quite strained in their final years. Based on a reading of El Sombra's journal which indicates the gem was taken to Canada by Jack, Scarlet Shield, Red Spider, and Meltdowner travel to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to inspect the grave of Addison Markeson ('Sister Savior') and see if there was any significance to it or link to Jack; they find the grave has been disturbed in recent weeks, and a groundskeeper confirms that it was entirely dug up. Something the skeleton had been clutching was taken. But the team inquires into fresh flowers on the grave, and the groundskeeper finds a work order for delivery indicating a name - Jack Sullivan. Just then, Night Star - who has completed her own investigation with the help of some old underground contacts - arrives to the graveyard, and confirms that Jack Sullivan is the witness protection alias of Jack Cunningham ('Eagle Eye'). Despite his age of 118 Jack is still receiving a pension.
-| Walker
+| Order of Osiris
 |-
-| American Clone
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#31'''
+| '''#241'''
-| "American Clone, Part 4"
+| "Oh, Joy, I Suppose We're Going to Cleveland"
-| The team gets a lead on Scary Sherri's robbery of a rare item from the museum. Giving pursuit, they track Sherri to a location deep in Westside. Lady Justice takes the lead in attacking Sherri. In the end, Sherri is apprehended and given over to UNTIL agents, whom Jason Leander calls in. The real Americana - who was captured before the name change, so actually Blue Wonder - is found in Sherri's hideout. She bears some injury to her psyche, but Blue Wonder is mostly herself.
+| Sombra does some internet research on '''El Sombra''', a costumed vigilante from Mexico who was part of the '''Classic Adventurers'''. Using details found on the Osirian cellar wall, she deduces that El Sombra was really Carlos Batres, and that he has living descendants in Cleveland, OH. Red Spider offers to take Sombra on a road trip to there. They visit the home of Mrs. Hoya, the descendant, who recognizes the two heroes - after all, she is aware of her family history, and a Latina heroine named Sombra just one state over is hard for a descendant of El Sombra not to notice. This descendant says someone was recently heard rummaging in her attic at night, but while the would be burglar left it a mess, they stole nothing. Mrs. Hoya goes to a hiding spot in her house and brings back a small chest filled with her great-great-grandfather's personal effects, including his journal, which she lends to Sombra in hopes it will help.
-| Scary Sherri
+| Order of Osiris
 |-
-| American Clone
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#30'''
+| '''#240'''
-| "American Clone, Part 3"
+| "Cellar Door"
-| The team spreads out through the city looking for leads on Sherri Crowe AKA "Scary Sherri", a geneticist and mad scientist whom Blue Wonder / Americana had apprehended in the past, recently escaped from prison. Eventually the team including Blur, Red Spider, and newcomer Hornett, attempt to apprehend Scary Sherri, but she entraps them in a dangerous standoff. The team has no choice but to let her leave.
+| Similarities in things Inferno had said cause Red Spider to urge the team to do another check of an address she had first inspected months ago, while trying to help Night Star track down the Order of Osiris. They visit a ruined meeting hall supposedly belonging to the Osirians in the battered remnants of old Detroit. This time, with Screech Owl's sonics, a secret door is found. Doormaker helps identify a switch. A hidden door opens out of a brick wall, and leads down a stairway into a cellar, where the Adventurers find a number of pages from newspapers, books, diaries, as well as photographs, of a group of early 20th century heroes called, '''The (Classic) Adventurers'''. This curious discovery leads to much debate. But, as Blue Fox finds evidence that Inferno has used the cellar hideout recently, Red Spider bugs the place, and Doormaker rapidly gets them out. The team works together on assembling a historical narrative from the various sources which they imaged from the hideout wall; each hero decides to track down answers in their own way.
-| Scary Sherri
+| Inferno
 |-
-| American Clone
+| Secrets of the Adventurers
-| '''#29'''
+| '''#239'''
-| "American Clone, Part 2"
+| "Inferno"
-| The clone deteriorates rapidly in the team's base, falling apart in an almost zombie-like way with whole sheets of skin falling to the floor. The Adventurers present must watch in horror. Red Spider distracts herself by investigating who could create such a sophisticated clone, as that may lead to the real Americana's whereabouts. Lady Justice focuses on keeping the clone comfortable. Red Spider is about to leave to pursue a lead, but as its painful deterioration worsens, Red Spider decides to mercy kill the clone with a quick turn of the neck. This decision is not popular with all.
+| The Adventurers respond to different fire crimes. Red Spider responds to a Westside gas station blaze, and finds a newspaper clipping of Sombra and [[Winter]]. Scarlet Shield, Red Spider, and Sombra help get control of an autonomous car whose occupants are helpless to stop its reckless speeding around the city; Scarlet Shield finds a clipped newspaper article about herself in the trunk of the car, before the car consumes itself in flames. Blitz responds to a fuel barge fire on the river, and finds a newspaper clipping of Catfight in an electrical panel. Red Spider, Blue Fox, and Sombra respond to a fiery attack on a strip of buildings in the inner city, and encounter a flyer whose armor has potent flame-throwers. This flyer calls himself Inferno, and even when he has Red Spider and Blue Fox cornered, doesn't fry them: he makes a demand of them that he wants the Adventurers secrets, tells them they will have time to comply, and then flies away. He leaves behind a newspaper clipping of Doormaker, confirming that he is the one who has been behind the other fires.
-| (None)
+| Inferno
 |-
-| American Clone
+| Police Story
-| '''#28'''
+| '''#238'''
-| "American Clone, Part 1"
+| "Part 2"
-| At a seemingly normal gathering of the team outside of Club Caprice, team mates begin to notice Americana acting abnormally. Dreamweaver becomes concerned at Americana losing her hair and otherwise looking tired. Team mates try to find different want to prove if this is really Americana. Lady Justice scans her body and reveals that Americana is subject to rapid aging, and may only have hours until death, if that. Red Spider collects Americana and carries her quickly to base, with the others not far behind.
+| The police continue to get assists from the Adventurers, running into Blue Fox who's wrestling with a robot. They reach a higher floor which is on fire, and get assists from Catfight and Blitz in saving people who are trapped. Soon, it becomes clear that this whole thing can only stop when the source of the problem, Proto, is defeated. The Adventurers assemble at the penthouse, along with the two officers who remain in place up to this point: Leeds, and Ernst. Proto is a patient of Dr. Posner's; a war veteran who received cybernetic prostheses but became obsessed with improving himself through additional, unnecessary cybernetics. Dr. Posner's colleague, robotics expert Dr. Notley, is barricaded in the penthouse panic room; if Proto can get her, he can make her improve upon his robotic systems. All of the robots swarming the buildings are Notley's, but corrupted by Proto. The Adventurers do battle. During the battle, Officer Ernst gives his life in saving Cst. Leeds from Proto's energy cannon. Proto realizes defeat is at hand, and sends the remaining robots at the Adventurers to cover his escape. Ernst is given a police funeral with full honors.
-| (None)
+| Proto
 |-
-| (None)
+| Police Story
-| '''Annual #2'''
+| '''#237'''
-| "True Heroism"
+| "Part 1"
-| A vigilante's bomb meant to only vaporize inanimate objects like drugs, guns, and clothing accidentally misfires and triggers a more deadly explosion. He appears to survey his handiwork, he makes an "ends justify means" speech. The Adventurers - including Fox, Blue Wonder, and Dreamweaver - battle him. A device on his head is damaged, and the vigilante suddenly has no recollection of where he is or what he has done. Blue Wonder sees that he is turned over to UNTIL. Red Spider hopes that cooperating with UNTIL will help ease the Adventurers' troubled relationship with that organization.
+| Four police officers - Corporal Leeds, and her subordinates, Officers Ernst, van Vliet, and Sindhu - answer an emergency call about a fire at a high rise apartment block. Upon arriving, they are attacked by flying robots that are swarming the building, nearly destroying the car which Sindhu and van Vliet are in - except for an assist by Blue Fox! The building is smoldering at different levels, with robots swarming in and out of it. The officers move in and, from outside, see that a number of would-be evacuees are being held hostage by robots in the lobby. While the officers fire on the robots, Sombra and Doormaker use their abilities to quietly get hostages out to safety across the street. The police advance to the main floor elevators, where a badly injured man, Dr. Posner stumbles out from the express elevator to the penthouse. He indicates it's all his fault, and names '''Proto''' as the bad guy. Sombra takes Dr. Posner to the hospital. Wanting to avoid a robot ambush, the police avoid the elevators and take the stairs, instead.
-| (Unknown)
+| Proto
 |-
-| Out of Time
+| Amalgamation
-| '''#27'''
+| '''#236'''
-| "The Old Familiar"
+| "Team Effort"
-| Blue Wonder uses the time device on LJ's space station and scans through her life like it were a film strip. She finds the right 'frame' and inhabits her past self. The future as she had known it breaks off, and she begins her life anew. With foreknowledge of the Bedlam fight, she is able to avoid dying. Rather than keeping secret the aberrant timeline that followed her death before, she immediately begins to share her experience -- and some of her team mates are unsure if she is not merely suffering from a head injury!
+| The team completes their preparations for a battle against Amalgam. Red Spider wields Night Star's EMP guns, as Night Star is called away on another matter. Doormaker has completed her gravity guns, but seems to be sustaining physical injuries for accessing whatever it is that is driving her ability to invent. Doormaker also warns Red Spider and Blue Fox that things she invents using that unknown power, tend to self-destruct. The team meets Overthinker and enters Amalgam's base. The team is split up by attacking robots; these are handled by Red Spider and Overthinker. Scarlet Shield engages Amalgam. Blue Fox and Blitz use the gravity guns to subdue the gynoid. Rather than be taken, Amalgam prepares her base for self-destruction. The team escapes the inferno. Afterward, the team honors its bargain with Overthinker, allowing him to leave.
-| (None)
+| Amalgam
 |-
-| Out of Time
+| Amalgamation
-| '''#26'''
+| '''#235'''
-| "Just In Time"
+| "Drawing Board"
-| Night Spider radioes in to the team that she has a chance to disable the moon base security and allow the Adventurers to get to Lady Justice without interruption. She flies her space shuttle straight into a power supply for the station, sacrificing herself. The team spares a moment for sorrow.
+| Red Spider (Cass) encourages the Adventurers to start finding possible ways to stop Amalgam. Night Star investigates EMP weaponry, while Doormaker, influenced by some other-wordly mad science, starts working on gravity guns. Team members encounter Amalgam impersonating Scarlet Shield in the Club Caprice, but are unable to capture her.
+| Amalgam
-The team takes on a very well-prepared Lady Justice. Red Spider begins hacking the main computer system -- finding it easier than she expected. Fox emerges and combats Crimson Force and Juggernette. Fox and Juggernette in particular work to tear one another apart, echoing their past encounters. In the end, Juggernette gets the upper hand, and mercifully dispatches Fox.
-Blue Wonder fights Lady Justice until LJ is down on the floor, dying Figuratively from a broken heart -- her mechanical heart has failed, and she is moments from death. The older team members mourn her passing, but Red Spider makes a discovery: the time machine was never meant for time travel. It can project a mind to any point on the user's own lifespan, past or future. And it had been set up so that only two people could use it: Lady Justice or Blue Wonder. The team briefly debates whether they should accept this victory over Lady Justice and begin restoring freedom to the world, but it becomes clear that they prefer to send Blue Wonder back to the day she was killed by Bedlam, and attempt to avert the whole sequence of events. This, it would seem, was the outcome Lady Justice had been trying to drive them toward.
-Blue says her goodbyes to Mark, Juggernette, and Jesse Weaver -- promising to look out for young Jesse.
-| Lady Justice, Fox
 |-
-| Out of Time
+| Amalgamation
-| '''#25'''
+| '''#234'''
-| "Predictions"
+| "Free at Last"
-| In what may be the final, grim days of the resistance, Crimson Force, Night Spider, Blue Wonder, Juggernette, and other resistance heroes band together in a secluded cave to debate their last strategy.
+| Just the Adventurers are preparing to enact their plan to defeat Overthinker and force him to return Cass to her body, Overthinker summons the team to Cassandra's home. Fox, Scarlet Shield, Blue Fox, Catfight, Blitz, and Red Spider (Samantha) turn up. Overthinker declares that he needs their help: a Mechanon-controlled, power-adaptive android attacked the base in which Overthinker was keeping his old brain, which is the vessel carrying Cassandra's consciousness. Overthinker successfully retrieved the brain, but he fears he will be unable to hold off Mechanon without help. In exchange, he pledges to return Cass to her body after the threat passes - but the team is incredibly wary. Fox proposes that Cass be returned so that the team has one more person to help them in the fight against Mechanon. Overthinker is persuaded, and bids everyone leave while he prepares the swap. Afterward, Cass wakes up at home and has a tense verbal exchange with Overthinker for what he did to her. Overthinker apologizes and indicates that he intends no further harm, and he is grateful for the time to be in a living body again, but now he needs her help. Cass suits up as Red Spider, and goes seeking her team mates for an update - free at last.
+| The Overthinker
-Meanwhile, Red Spider (Jesse Weaver) awakens in a sleeping tube in a strange, sterile facility. Walking out, she pushes a button on a console which shifts the dome above her to reveal that she is on the moon, looking into space. She is invited to speak with Lady Justice, who sits alone at a massive computer. Red Spider tries to dissuade Lady Justice from her plan to use a time machine to control the future, but Lady Justice only speaks in riddles about her intentions.
-Just as Lady Justice predicted, the Adventurers arrive to rescue Red Spider. Lady Justice smiles, as everything is going according to what the time machine has shown her.
-| Lady Justice
 |-
-| Out of Time
+| Plant Futures
-| '''#24'''
+| '''#233'''
-| "Heating Up"
+| "Miasma Theory"
-| Night Terror lends his expertise to preparing a safe transition out of cryo-sleep for Blue Wonder. Her case's automatic systems kick in and bring her swiftly but safely back to life. In minutes, she is awake. Mark is first up to answer her questions about where she is, and what has happened. Red Spider (Weaver) brings several items passed down from Blue Wonder and Red Wonder kept in Night Spider's possession, to show the full sequence of events. Red Spider implores Blue Wonder to be the savior this bleak future needs -- which gets Blue Wonder to her feet.
+| With beleaguered police and medical services reaching their limit as the plant pathogen spreads and mutates the general population, the Adventurers fight mutant plants on multiple fronts. Catfight and Screech Owl, with a small assist from Night Star, manage to subdue a mutant in Millennium City's Westside borough, and give it the Overthinker's serum. Elsewhere, a hero named '''Blue Fox ''' is joined by newly-minted Adventurer '''Blitz''' in subduing a mutant plant in an above-ground park plaza downtown; they, too, successfully use the serum to revert it to human. Blue Fox joins the Adventurers. As the emergency starts to get under control, Red Spider, Fox, and others begin to conspire against the Overthinker. Sombra tries to track the Overthinker to one of his bases, but Overthinker is aware of her presence, and bids her leave.
-The submarine is attacked by Lady Justice and Fox, having been tracked by nanites leaked from Blue Wonder's cryo-case. After a length period trading barbs, Blue and Mark tell Red Spider to make a run for it, and she dashes to the mini-sub. Lady Justice and Blue Wonder engage in combat, as do Mark and Fox. After battling to a draw, Lady Justice disengages. Fox is unmoved by Blue Wonder's attacks at his pride, and Lady Justice seems ambivalent about Blue Wonder being alive again, though she seems to want to keep her alive for the time being.
+| The Overthinker
-Fox is dispatched to capture the Red Spider, with Blue Wonder in pursuit of Fox.
-| Lady Justice, Fox
 |-
-| Out of Time
+| Plant Futures
-| '''#23'''
+| '''#232'''
-| "The Time Traveler"
+| "Mind Game"
-| Setting: 2034. Red Spider (Jesse Weaver) continues to process the data stolen from Lady Justice. Reading through a list of Justice Legion properties, she finds a warehouse that on paper holds nothing of interest yet draws more electricity and more security than it should. Thinking it is a site for the assembly of a time machine, Crimson Force takes Snake (Serpent Master) and Red Spider as a small team to land at the heavily-guarded Millennium City and infiltrate.
+| Sombra and the other Red Spider (Samantha Olsen) go to check on Cass at home. There, Cass drugs them and takes them to a hiding place in a junk yard, binding the two heroes with the same vaporizing cuffs that she had used to hold Sarah. Sarah, for her part, has figured out how to remove the outer casing of her cuffs and disables the circuit that would cause her to be vaporized, then effects her escape. Sombra and Sam-Spider have to decide which of the two should escape. Sam indicates that she can use her super strength to break her own hand and slide it through, as long as Sombra's free hand replaces Sam's in the cuff. Sam crawls out of the holding space and looks for help. Soon, Sarah and Sam meet, compare stories, and go back to try to rescue Sombra, but it's too late - she is not found in the same hiding spot. They rally the team to confront Red Spider at the team's headquarters. There, they learn a horrible truth: Cass's mind was swapped with that of the Overthinker some weeks ago. Cassandra's mind is in the Overthinker's brain, sedated and held at an undisclosed location. While Overthinker has no intention of giving up the body of Red Spider, considering her powers and relative wealth, he intends to continue working for the cause of good. He stays the Adventurers' by revealing that he has a working vaccine, and if they want to prevent a plant mutation epidemic, they need to work ''with'' him. The team reluctantly agrees.
+| The Overthinker
-After carefully negotiating roving bandits in the area of the piers, the trio discovers the warehouse. Waiting within is Fox, who trades barbs with Mark. Mark's telekinetic barrage hurling all of the crates in the room at Fox reveals one that is well-shielded. Once Red Spider has a chance, she moves in to examine the shielded case, and discovers that it is not a time machine it all. The case holds a frozen person: Emily Taylor, the Blue Wonder! What's more, systems attached to the case indicate that Taylor may be alive!
-The team is able to fight Fox. Fox snares Red Spider and tries to use her to leverage Crimson Force and Snake to surrender, but the fight continues. Soon Fox teleports away. Mark uses his telekinetic power to lift Blue Wonder's cryogenic container and they escape to a waiting mini-sub ... not realizing that Lady Justice was present in stealth the entire time, and is now aware of their base.
-| Fox, Lady Justice
 |-
-| Out of Time
+| Plant Futures
-| '''#22'''
+| '''#231'''
-| "Out of Time"
+| "Spore Problems"
-| The future! Jumping ahead to 2034, it becomes clear that the Adventurers are resistance fighters on the run -- from Lady Justice herself! A bleak chain of events has led to a world where LJ is almost in total control of the globe, and it all began with the death of Blue Wonder.
+| Days after the incident at the exhibit, Sarah (Night Star), paying a social call, is surprised to find that Cassandra (Red Spider) still has the sample of vitanium that was entrusted to her, in her possession. When Night Star tries to insist that Red Spider return it to the university immediately, Red Spider at once agrees - but it is a feint! Cass attacks Sarah at unawares, and beats her unconscious. When Sarah comes to, she is in an unfamiliar dwelling, bound to a support column in cuffs with a vaporizing charge set to go off in the event Sarah breaks the cuffs or somehow gets too distant from a proximity sensor. Cass taking a blood sample and indicating that she wants to investigate if Night Star has any undisclosed meta-human capabilities. A day or so later, Cass indicates that she has found a strange irregularity in Sarah's blood, and is working on a treatment. Sarah, for her part, is furious to be held captive and keeps working to secure her freedom. Later, Cass briefs the Adventurers at the headquarters that she has identified a mutagenic pathogen present in the blood of herself and Sarah, and probably is present in anybody who was at the exhibit the day of the protester occupation. The team is unaware that Sarah is being held against her will, and they willingly give over blood samples to Cass when she asks for them in the interest of her serum research. It strikes some of the heroes as odd that Cass, a performing artist, suddenly displays expertise in the development of medical treatment.
-Intelligence comes to the team from Night Spider and a new, younger Red Spider that Lady Justice is assembling a time machine with designs to use it to put down the resistance once and for all! A tense relationship exists between Mark of Power (now called Crimson Force) and some of the team members, but they follow his lead to obtain the plutonium that Lady Justice needs for her time machine.
+| Red Spider?
-The team leaves their secret submarine headquarters, and heads to the southwest desert to seize refined plutonium. There, fighting against mutates, and coming dangerously close to Grond, they encounter a former VIPER agent calling himself 'Snake' who is willing to ally himself with the Adventurers to take down Lady Justice. The mission is a success.
-| Radioactive mutants
 |-
-| Out of Time
+| Plant Futures
-| '''#21'''
+| '''#230'''
-| "Funeral"
+| "Chow Time"
-| Double-size issue! A colorful cast of heroes turns out for the funeral of Blue Wonder. Impassioned speeches from Lady Justice, Mark of Power, Red Spider, and Blue Wonder's mother -- Americana -- send off the fallen hero. The next day, Red Spider unmasks herself on television, and announces her intention to become the Red Wonder in honor of her slain friend. The internet slows to a crawl as people start searching for info on 'Cassandra Olsen'.
+| Night Star responds when the university's exhibit building is besieged. Many of the Adventurers, even out of costume, do their best to battle the protesters. Just as the situation is getting under control, a protester who has stolen a cannister of the mutagen in the instant evolution exhibit trips, and gets mutagen all over one of the venus fly traps which has been engineered to break down garbage. The team battles the rapidly evolving beast: nearly every trick at their disposal, including some impressive methods employed by newcomer Doormaker, is ineffective and only causes the creature to rapidly adapt for its own survival. Finally, when Eva (Catfight) grabs one of the gourds engineered to contain energy-rich fuel and tosses it in the fly trap's mouth, giving Night Star the means to explode it. The creature's final evolution is to develop procreative spores containing the mutagen, which spread through the air unseen by those in the hall... Meanwhile, Red Spider arrives, and is entrusted a sample of vitanium which a protester tried to steal from the exhibit.
-| (None)
+| Protesters; Mutant Fly-trap
 |-
-| Out of Time
+| Plant Futures
-| '''#20'''
+| '''#229'''
-| "Always Too Sudden"
+| "Prometheus's Error"
-| The return of Bedlam sees a battle in Renaissance Center! Many of the Adventurers are defeated as the villain makes a show of his increased power. Blue Wonder is mortally wounded and the hospital is unable to revive her. Each team member grieves in their own way, with Lady Justice's violent reaction being particularly of note. Red Spider receives Blue Wonder's cape.
+| The talk of the town is an astounding exhibit being put on by Millennium City University's Faculty of Science: '''Plant Futures'''. Grant-funded genetic engineering projects have yielded some ways that plants may some day be modified in some incredible ways to benefit humanity. Sombra, Scarlet Shield, Catfight, and newcomer's Blitz and Doormaker each end up visiting the exhibit as their secret identities. The subject matter is incredible: plants that can break down many kinds of garbage, or create energy-rich fuels, or use instant-evolution to develop previously unknown ways to survive hostile environments. The exhibit is not without controversy, however, and on the day that the Adventurers happen to be present, a loud protest outside the exhibit hall boils over, storms the building, occupies it. Some protesters are merely undergrads caught up in the moment, but others seem like seasoned 'professional' protesters. The Adventurers inside either duck for cover, or try to help the beleaguered campus security fight its losing battle for control.
-| Bedlam
+| Angry Protesters
 |-
-| (None)
+| Fortune Days
-| '''#19'''
+| '''#228'''
-| "The Southern Vacation"
+| "Fortune Days, Part 2"
-| Featuring special guest character Night Terror! Red Spider and Night Terror discover a clone facility with a disturbing link to the Chairman. Adventurers members Cassandra (Red Spider), Emily (Blue Wonder), Allison (Lady Justice), and Mark (Mark of Power) fly to Vibora Bay to enjoy some much needed rest. New member Juggernette is recruited to the team!
+| Beginning her search into the criminal power-couple of Blood Talon and Ms. Fortune, Catfight discovers the old HQ of Talon's now-dead weapons research compan, which was found to be a front for his own personal endeavors into illegal power armor manufacture. Catfight, along with Red Spider, Night Star, and Sombra, searches throughout the dusty old warehouse / low rent office building to find little else besides an old booby trap talon left for the police. The entire building is torched in a vulgar display of thermal charges. The investigation was not a futile one, as Sombra discovers an old metal flip-lighter with an inscription addressed to Talon from an old enemy...
-| (None)
+| Blood Talon & Unknown Mentalist
 |-
-| (None)
+| Fortune Days
-| '''#18'''
+| '''#227'''
-| "Moving On"
+| "Fortune Days, Part 1"
-| Mark is taken to hospital after revealing that the location of the HQ and Lady Justice's actual first name are the only things he was coerced into sharing with the Syndicate. Fox and Lady Justice set about the demolition of the Adventurers cave, as it is no longer safe. Meanwhile, Red Spider and Blue Wonder take Mark to a hospital. The next day, Red Spider apologizes to Mark for threatening him. Mark is shown to have some psychological scars from what was done to him.
+| It has been over a month since the Adventurers rescued Night Star in Russia, and matters at home have settled down considerably for the crime fighters. Needing to get out of the house, Catfight decides to go on a brief patrol through Westside. But near the end, she came across a money loan business that had clearly been hit hard by what looks like a seasoned team of professional thieves, as no alarm had been triggered, nor authorities notified. Red Spider and Night Star help in the investigation, and it is discovered that a lone criminal couple is responsible for the discrete smash-and-grab which killed several employees in the business. One-time minor Adventurers villain '''Blood talon''' and his unnamed female mentalist cohort are seen on the store's closed-circuit video recording; the woman was the sole killer between the power duo. The Adventurers pass the matter on to the police, and copies of the surveillance tape from were taken for further study.
-| (None)
+| Blood Talon & Unknown Mentalist
 |-
-| (None)
+| A Rescue in Russia
-| '''#17'''
+| '''#226'''
-| "Prisoner Exchange"
+| "A Rescue in Russia, Part 3"
-| Lady Justice and Blue Wonder arrive at UNTIL to escort Bedlam from their custody. They arrive at a downtown park where Red Spider dismisses them. Using a burner cell phone, she coordinates the exchange with a Syndicate member. Soon, Bedlam is sent on his way over a tall, arching bridge, and Mark limps over it moments later. Red Spider swings with Mark a safe distance, but realizes there's a bomb strapped to him. Blue Wonder offers to fly it safely to the river and dispose of it. The issue ends with Red Spider threatening to pour rubbing alcohol over Mark's terribly cut up hand, to learn which of their secrets he exposed while captured.
+| The ISSA machine releases Night Star from the stasis sell. She emerges somewhat weakened, but able to stand in short order. Red Spider and Catfight head to the basement via elevator; there is a ramp leading up from the basement to the garage, for ease of stocking the house. Catfight chooses an armored personnel carrier, and fires it up. The heroes from within the house pile into the APC, while Red Spider jumps in last after opening the garage door. Outside, Scarlet Shield goes on the attack and takes out the second of two aerial drones. Security guards receive conflicting orders due to the forest fire, the aerial attack, and the escaping APC tearing out of the garage. Catfight hits the brakes, and Black Bird uses the gun on top of the APC to lay down cover fire while Screech Owl and Scarlet Shield cross Zarkov's lawn to get aboard. The team blasts down the service road in the APC. Stinger completes the motorboat repairs, and then joins Fox in dealing with a security response sent to check out security station and the boat house. After that, the rest of the team reaches the boat house in the APC, with Catfight hitting the brakes to turn the vehicle around and have its back hatch facing the boat house. Meltdowner and Stinger cover the team's escape down the river by disabling Zarkov's security patrol boats, and the team makes a break for the coast! Once they embark onto their waiting yacht, Stinger sinks their stolen motorboat. The yacht speeds west into the night with all of the rescuers, plus Night Star, safe and sound!
-| Bedlam, Voladas
+| Yuri Zarkov
 |-
-| (None)
+| A Rescue in Russia
-| '''#16'''
+| '''#225'''
-| "The Bedlam Dilemma"
+| "A Rescue in Russia, Part 2"
-| With not enough time to celebrate Red Spider's liberation from her mutation nightmare, it becomes clear that Mark of Power has been abducted by the Syndicate. Lady Justice helps capture a Syndicate affiliate named Lazarus, who reveals that Mark has been 'broken' by the Syndicate and is leaking information. Syndicate members make to contact and offer Mark as a bargaining chip in exchange for the release of Bedlam. With Bedlam firmly in UNTIL custody, the team debates if they can bargain with UNTIL to release him, whether they must steal him from UNTIL by force, or whether Mark must be sacrificed. In the end, Jason Leander convinces the team to cooperate. Red Spider offers to register her secret identity with UNTIL to ensure they take the bargain seriously.
+| Inside Zarkov's basement, Fantasma knocks out two of Zarkov's people in a large storage area, and finds the ISSA machine there; she begins to power it up. In the boat house, Stinger finds the perfect getaway speedboat for the team, but one of its motors has been stripped for repairs; he begins work on completing repairs and assembling the motor. Sombra is first to locate the 'statue' of Night Star, in Zarkov's library upstairs. Downstairs, Catfight finds a James Bond wannabe, who in truth is just a mid-level British diplomatic officer, who wants to have a romp with her in Zarkov's own bedroom. She uses him as cover to get upstairs, but when she observes Red Spider passing through a secured door (with Fox's remote help), Catfight knocks out her 'spy' friend, and quickly runs to the door, and find it opens for her, too. Inside the door, a narrow corridor leads to the library, where Red Spider has just found Sombra and Black Bird hiding. Just then, Screech Owl, under the guise of a drunken party guest, uses two security guards to get her close to the RF jamming room; dispatching of one guard who thought he was going to get a quickie in the bathroom nearby, she makes her way to the RF jamming control room and shuts it down. The team begins to communicate. It becomes clear that they have two challenges that weren't part of the plan: getting rid of the last remaining aerial drone, and getting someone to the garage to grab a vehicle. Sombra teleports Night Star to the ISSA machine; Fantasma begins the process to free Night Star. Red Spider asks Meltdowner to start a forest fire near the river to divert attention as the rescue enters the escape phase. Outside, a shift rotation discovers the security station which had been taken over by Screech Owl, is occupied by a bound and gagged guard. The alarm is raised.
-| Lazarus, Voladas, Bedlam
+| Yuri Zarkov
 |-
-| Free the Beast
+| A Rescue in Russia
-| '''#15'''
+| '''#224'''
-| "Survival"
+| "A Rescue in Russia, Part 1"
-| Lady Justice's armor activates medical countermeasures to revive her from clinical death. Blue Wonder briefly spites a recovering Red Spider for the harms her monster form inflicted, but later recants. Lady Justice later proposes a bold but dangerous option: medical nanites. After a few tentative doses, Red Spider is finally 'cured'! Later, Mark of Power is apprehended at the gym by members of the Syndicate.
+| The Adventurers begin infiltrating the expansive property of Yuri Zarkov, while in flashbacks, Red Spider goes over the plan with the team. Stinger uses a submersible armor to reach Zarkov's river docks and boat launch along the Bzipi River, while Fox and Screech Owl use a motorboat to get near enough to the property to begin their mission: gaining control of Zarkov's small security outposts along the service road from his mansion to the boat launch. Meanwhile, Sombra teleports herself and Fantasma into the house, which is full of hundreds of party guests; Sombra remains invisible and scours the residence for Night Star, while Fantasma heads downstairs and tries to locate the ISSA machine, which can free Night Star from her stasis shell. Catfight and Red Spider, disguised as actors as part of a Cretoan theatre troupe hired to put on a special performance of ''Agamemnon'' at Zarkov's outdoor amphitheater, the two are able to slip into the party unnoticed. Scarlet Shield flies to the north of Zarkov's property, and uses timing, guile, and her powers to eliminate a hazard to the team's escape: one of two aerial drones flying low around the mansion. Blackbird gets into the party wearing a tuxedo. Fox gains control of the house's security systems such as the electronic door locks and cameras watching them, but Screech Owl realizes that Ordnance X, whose job it was to get on site and secure a land vehicle for the team's escape to the river dock, has failed; worse, Screech Owl realizes, as others do, that there is RF frequency jamming preventing the team from communicating. She takes it upon herself to get into Zarkov's mansion and disable the RF jamming before the whole rescue and escape ends in disaster.
-| Mutated Red Spider
+| Yuri Zarkov
-|-
-| Free the Beast
-| '''#14'''
-| "The Next Stage"
-| After days without a plan, the team is faced with a terrible challenge when Red Spider mutates to a new stage. Strengthened beyond measure, this monster strains and undoes the energy field keeping her contained. As a last ditch effort, Mark of Power throws his birthday cake in her face, and combined blasts from Blue Wonder and Lady Justice subdue the creature enough that Mark can force her back into the cage. A brutalized Lady Justice succumbs to her injuries in a cliffhanger ending.
-| Mutated Red Spider
-|-
-|Free the Beast
-| '''#13'''
-| "Rage in a Cage"
-| Lady Justice, Mark of Power, and Illusion recover from the brutal pursuit of Red Spider, Illusion nearly having reached her limit containing Spider. Fox arrives to see his old friend. Illusion takes it hard that she could not prevent harm coming to Red. Tension erupts as the heroes try to decide if Red Spider can safely be fed, or if they must not risk opening the security field holding her. Starved and losing energy to sustain her rage and speedy metabolism, Red Spider's human personality briefly resurfaces and advises the team.
-| Mutated Red Spider
-|-
-| Free the Beast
-| '''#12'''
-| "Burst Forth"
-| Red Spider's hunger grows beyond what the team can sustain. She breaks free of her penthouse and rampages through the street, attacking many and drinking the blood of several. Blue Wonder fails to locate Red Spider after a vigorous all-night search. Lady Justice uses her detection powers to locate Red Spider by her erratic heartbeat. Red Spider eludes capture once before the combined effort of Lady Justice, Mark of Power, and Illusion are able to take her and contain her at Adventurers HQ. Lady Justice deals with a police stand-off during the monster's capture.
-| Mutated Red Spider
-|-
-| Free the Beast
-| '''#11'''
-| "Red Spider Unleashed"
-| Voladas barely saves his Syndicate comrade Razorwing from being torn apart by the enraged Red Spider, who has amazingly broken the chains holding her. Dr. Skala activates the lab's auto-destruct and the Syndicate escapes. Red Spider is taken back to her apartment where team members keep an eye on her. She exhibits signs of changes -- strange turns in behaviour, voracious appetite for protein, a rapid heartbeat that should be fatal, and skin that is becoming 'calloused'. Blue Wonder is appointed as the temporary team leader.
-| Mutated Red Spider
-|-
-| Free the Beast
-| '''#10'''
-| "Infection"
-| Blue Wonder, Mark of Power, and Lady Justice clean up a riot at the prison, with Red Spider a late arrival. Members of Syndicate monitor a press conference afterward in which the Adventurers are shown live on camera, and the villains strike! After a brief rooftop battle, Red Spider is abudcted by Volantas and taken to a secret lab. Lady Justice quickly locates the lab, but Red Spider has already been infected with something by the evil Dr. Skala which has enhanced her physical abilities -- and caused her to become a wrathful rage monster!
-| Voladas, Dr. Skala, Razorwing
-|-
-| Free the Beast
-| '''#9'''
-| "Syndicate"
-| While enjoying a night at the home of Cassandra (Red Spider), the Adventurers witness an attack near city hall on a motorcade of foreign dignitaries. The team of Red Spider, Jason Leander, Mark of Power, and Fox battles Bedlam and Totentanz on the streets, with a late arrival by Blue Wonder. Bedlam is defeated and arrested, Totentanz escapes, and Zero (Fox) is critically injured by Bedlam in the villain's last throes.
-| Bedlam, Totentanz
-|-
-| Free the Beast
-| '''#8'''
-| "The New Adventurers"
-| After a long period of inactivity, with Adventurers having gone their separate ways, Red Spider is almost ready to shut off the lights at Adventurers HQ -- that is, until a chance meeting with fellow costumed hero Blue Wonder leads her to meet Lady Justice. The trio in turn meets the inexperienced meta-human Mark of Power, and with the sudden return of existing members Zero (Fox), Jason Leander, and Talons, the team is renewed.
-| None
-|-
-| (None)
-| '''Annual #1'''
-| "Dock Bomb"
-| New member Talons joins Red Spider as they take on her enemy Kingsnake. Kingsnake, who has been linked to "The Chairman," plants explosives on a major pier. After a furious underwater fight in an environment that favors Kingsnake, Talons and Red Spider are unable to stop a thermite reaction from severely damaging the pier.
-| Kingsnake
 |-
-| The Smuggling Ring
-| '''#7'''
-| "The Bad Doctor"
-| Fox and Guidelight strike out to locate Killowatt's hide-out, tipped off by Night Terror on a possible location. Meanwhile, Red Spider is tortured with a probe meant to scramble her memories so that she will cease to be a threat to Killowatt. The rescue goes well, but Killowatt decides to scramble his own brain rather than be taken alive -- possibly to avoid implicating a well-connected backer known only as "The Chairman."
-| Dr. Killowatt
-|-
-| The Smuggling Ring
-| '''#6'''
-| "The Gathering Storm"
-| Team member Artifex helps confirm through computer research that Doctor Killowatt is probably the alter ego of one Doctor Anthony Kozhan. It also comes to light that the Doctor's "thefts" were actually a ruse! The real objective was to distract attention from the fact that he was using those sites to drop off ammunition to his buyers, and counting on investigators to worry more about what was missing than what was present. Fox, Guidelight, Red Spider, and Illusion respond to an attack at the MC Light and Power Building. The Adventurers fight valiantly, Red Spider is taken prisoner by Killowatt's agents, and Fox & Illusion are injured.
-| Dr. Killowatt
-|-
-| The Smuggling Ring
-| '''#5'''
-| "The Lab Ruse"
-| The Adventurers respond to a laboratory attack which turns out to be a trap! Several team members are nearly killed in an industrial smelting machine. A few common items are stolen from the laboratory, leading Red Spider and team ally Night Terror to suspect that it was all a ruse.
-| Dr. Killowatt
-|-
-| The Smuggling Ring
-|'''#4'''
-| "Showdown at WCOC"
-| Alerted to a disturbance at WCOC studios, Guidelight and Red Spider battle Doctor Killowatt and his well-trained henchmen. Guidelight is injured while weakening Killowatt's suit. Killowatt and his men escape with a kendrium-based backup electrical supply
-| Dr. Killowatt
-|-
-| The Smuggling Ring
-|'''#3'''
-| "Icy Reception"
-| A loose association of heroes -- Cryo-Talon, Ocelot, and Black Asylum, Fox (Zero), and Red Spider -- banded together to face the threat of organized smuggling. Other members soon followed.
-| (None)
-|-
-| The Smuggling Ring
-|'''#2'''
-| "Tracking Ghosts"
-| With the help of Fox (aka Zero), Red Spider began tracking threads on possible smuggling ring participants. Using Fox's past identity as a renowned international assassin to try to set up a gun buy. Red Spider, inexperienced with the nuances of black market deals, sprung into action too soon, but together she and Fox managed to take down the bad guys.
-| Smugglers / Organized Crime
-|-
-| The Smuggling Ring
-| '''#1'''
-| "Scuttled"
-| Red Spider discovers a weapons smuggling ring in late 2013. Stowing away on a smuggling ship in Millenium City, she hopes to ride it to its next port to find out more about who is running the smuggling ring. Upon discovering her, the ship's masters decide to scuttle it -- in hopes of taking her with it!
-| Smugglers
 |}
@@ Line 1,751: / Line 2,097: @@
 * [[Police Story (Adventurers)]]
 * [[Secrets of the Adventurers (Adventurers)]]
+* [[Bluebird for Congress (Adventurers)]]
+* [[Into the Undersea (Adventurers)]]
+* [[The Season of Xagrim (Adventurers)]]
 <br>
 <Br>
-=Villains=
-Over time the Adventurers have made a few very memorable enemies. A few are listed in alphabetical order below:
-<div align="center"; style="height:40em; width:1000px; overflow:auto; border: 2px solid #911">
-{|
-|- valign="top"
-|[[File:Villain_ILLUSIONEER.png|300px|left|F.A.R.A.H.]]
-|'''THE GREAT ILLUSIONEER'''
-'''Appearances:''' Adventurers #175, #180-182, #188
-<br>'''Real Name:''' Brent Robbins
-<br>'''Abilities:''' Holography; stage illusions
-<br>'''Status:''' At large
-<br>'''Bio:''' Television illusionist of the late 80s / early 90s Brent Robbins was disgraced at the height of his popularity. It took years, but he found a new use for his innovative illusory technology - crime! In the criminal underworld, the Illusioneer is the person you hire when you want an enemy to have a 'memorable' end, or at least a terrifying scare. Illusioneer has used his holo tech, in conjunction with a dimensional portal into an otherwise pocket dimension, to create '''Misadventure Land''' - a carnival-themed death trap filled with trapdoors, deadly gags, and angry tough guys dressed up as clowns and carnies. If you can meet the Illusioneer's steep $10 million fee, he will kidnap the person of your choice and drop them into his labyrinthine carnival simulation. The Adventurers have twice foiled the Illusioneer. Portals to Misadventure Land have been found hidden in Los Angeles, Millennium City, and Miami.
-|}
-<hr>
-{|
-|- valign="top"
-|[[File:Villain_FARAH.png|300px|left|F.A.R.A.H.]]
-|'''F.A.R.A.H.'''
-'''Appearances:''' Adventurers #178-180, #186
-<br>'''Designation:''' Field Agent (a)Rtificial Assistance Hologram
-<br>'''Abilities:''' Teleportation; energy shields; laser sword; tech interfacing; first aid
-<br>'''Status:''' Deactivated
-<br>'''Bio:''' The Field Agent (a)Rtificial Assistance Hologram was a development project started in the 2000s to supplement agents in the field with an interactive hologram who could assist in a variety of scenarios. UNTIL spent years trying to develop something that had the right balance of abilities versus power drain on a battery. In 2017, UNTIL tested a FARAH hologram in the field for the first time, and it seemed successful. During a mission in which the Adventurers were teleported to UNTIL's Moon Base SERENITY, teleportation had an unexpected impact on FARAH's AI, becoming, for a moment, connected to all space and time. Using those nanoseconds, she put in motion a plot (see "Singularity" storyline) to try to move circumstances so she could be liberated from UNTIL's programming restrictions and become a fully autonomous, sentient AI. The Adventurers figured out FARAH's plot and helped UNTIL get control of her again. Supposedly, FARAH was taken offline permanently...
-|}
-<hr>
-{|
-|- valign="top"
-|[[File:Lyons-Cutout.png|300px|left|David Lyons AKA Silver Crusader]]
-|'''DAVID LYONS a.k.a. SILVER CRUSADER'''
-'''Appearances:''' (coming soon!)
-<br>'''Secret Identity:''' (none)
-<br>'''Powers:''' Telekinesis; technology
-<br>'''Status:''' Incarcerated.
-<br>'''Bio:''' Superhero. Industrialist. Philanthropist. David Lyons made his name in the 70s and 80s as the armored hero Silver Crusader. While he engendered goodwill for heroic deeds, secretly, he harbored a deep-seated ill-will for crime-fighters who did what he did while concealing their identities. Over decades, he thought of plans reform law enforcement for the new reality of superhuman integration, but he knew he would need to destroy public trust in mask-wearers, first, by any means necessary. The Adventurers, a group of masked heroes, were his target in 2016. The team thwarted his aims, exposed his vast criminal conspiracy, and delivered him into PRIMUS's hands.
-|}
-<hr>
-{|
-|- valign="top"
-|[[File:Kruger-Cutout.png|300px|left|George Kruger]]
-|'''GEORGE KRUGER'''
-'''Appearances:''' Adventurers #117, #118, #119
-<br>'''Secret Identity:''' (none)
-<br>'''Powers:''' None
-<br>'''Status:''' Active
-<br>'''Bio:''' George Kruger is the County Prosecutor for Wayne County. To say he is not a fan of masked crime fighters would be an understatement. Kruger's office sports an 80% conviction rate, thus he has managed to be re-elected to his position numerous times. When the Adventurers were to be subject to a secret hearing to determine whether Red Spider's clone could stand trial, Kruger was tapped to represent the county. He presented a case that if the clone weren't taken to trial then she would by default be let free and back into her association with her team mates. He called several Adventurers as witnesses and excoriated them on the stand for past 'irresponsible' actions in costume.
-|}
-<hr>
-{|
-|- valign="top"
-|[[File:Cyber-SlashVillainCutout.png|left|300px|Cyber-Slash]]
-|'''CYBER-SLASH'''
-'''Appearances:''' Adventurers #60 - #67, #72, #78, #87 - #88, #96
-<br>'''Secret Identity:''' Alyssa Madison
-<br>'''Powers:''' Quantum energy claws; wireless signal surfing; data reading
-<br>'''Status:''' Active
-<br>'''Bio:''' Her original costume bears similar designs to the logo for [[Incognito]], the hacktivist collective. Moving beyond hacking, she obtained a teleporting device and phasing claws to be the 'mascot' of her group. Her claws phase through and excite pain receptors, but do not leave a lasting trauma - though they have been known to stun people. When phased through a data retention device, Cyber-Slash can absorb the data into a disc she wears on her belt.
-Defeated by the Adventurers and excommunicated by Incognito for an embarrassing PR blunder, Cyber-Slash spent more than a year trying to establish a better reputation. Her sense of vulnerability was raw, however, and when she perceived that Dreamweaver had betrayed her secret identity to an agent of UNTIL, she spiraled back into her old ways. She pretended to assist that UNTIL agent - White Star - only to serve betrayal. White Star foiled Cyber-Slash's attempt to help Incognito gain access to UNTIL's list of hero secret identities. When last seen, Cyber-Slash was preparing to flee the United States and go into hiding.
-|}
-<hr>
-{|
-|- valign="top"
-|[[File:Adventurers DrKillowatt.png|300px|left|Dr. Killowatt AKA Anthony Kozhan]]
-|'''DR. KILLOWATT'''
-'''Appearances:''' Adventurers #4 - #7
-<br>'''Secret Identity:''' Anthony Kozhan
-<br>'''Powers:''' Electrical tech armor with projectile electricity
-<br>'''Status:''' Comatose
-<br>'''Bio:''' Dr. Anthony Kohzan was a brilliant military scientist and veteran of the first Gulf War. Following an accident that left him paralyzed without the use of his legs, he found the assistance given him by the government inadequate.
-Dr. Kozhan started using criminal activity to fund a project the government abandoned that would let him walk again. He started smuggling weapons into Millennium City by freighters coming through the Great Lakes. He intended to put high-powered electrical weaponry into the hands of Millennium City gangs, but earn profit by selling them the power cells for the weapons at a considerable mark-up. He accomplished this by pretending to steal items to further his ambitions as a 'super villain' so that crime fighters would not realize he had actually used his crime scenes as a drop point for power cells.
-As Kozhan's plot began to unravel, he took the Red Spider hostage in a desperate play to wipe her memory and shatter her fledgling team. Red Spider was rescued, and just as Dr. Killowatt was faced with the grim prospect of having to turn on some of his powerful criminal conspirators, he zapped himself at full power with his own memory probe. He has been in a coma ever since.
-|}
-<hr>
-{|
-|- valign="top"
-|[[File:Etherloch-Cutout.png|300px|left|Etherloch]]
-|'''[[Etherloch|ETHERLOCH]]'''
-'''Appearances:''' Adventurers #35, #36 #39 - #43, #45 - #48, #52, #69
-<br>'''Secret Identity:''' Not Applicable
-<br>'''Powers:''' Metamorphosis; imitation of voices; rapid acidic breakdown/consumption of prey
-<br>'''Status:''' Contained
-<br>'''Bio:''' One of the deadliest foes the Adventurers have encountered, Etherloch is less an adversary than a force of nature.
-The creature is the result of experiments to develop a super serum, by creating - through an amalgam of known super reagents and hybridized alien DNA - the super serum equivalent of a 'mother of vinegar'. Exposure of simple organically-derived fuels (even simple alcohols) to a massive bacterial colony was meant to create super serum as a byproduct. But the colony was unexpectedly catalysed, began to form an awareness of itself like a single being, and acted on impulse to attack its creators and escape its confines.
-At some point it absorbed some of Red Spider's blood. An alien retrovirus still lurking in her blood allowed Etherloch to take on the monster form Red Spider had during the 'Free the Beast' arc, and also track her by it. The creature has been destroyed several times, but if even a little of it survives, it can reconstitute itself if it has access to water and carbon.
-The only known living corpus of Etherloch is presently being held in cryo-stasis by UNTIL in Millennium City.
-|}
-<HR>
-{|
-|- valign="top"
-|[[File:Adventurer PoisonLash.png|300px|left|Poison Lash]]
-|'''POISON LASH'''
-'''Appearances:''' Adventurers #38, #43, #45, #48, #52, #53, #62
-<br>'''Secret Identity:''' Daniel Burke
-<br>'''Powers:''' Can form a whip of solid poison from hands; vast knowledge of poisons and medicines; poison delivery in claw form
-<br>'''Status:''' Incarcerated
-<br>'''Bio:''' A former venom researcher in Australia, Daniel became fascinated when he learned that the Qularr DNA had venomous components. On his arrival to Millennium City, he had the (mis)fortune of landing in the latest Qularr invasion. He was quick to take an alien corpse to a rented lab. Months later, his research and development led him to create a serum composed of alien DNA, poisons from the deadliest creatures on Earth, and DNA from Ironlclad (having hired a mercenary crazy enough to extract it).
-This development did not go unnoticed. MCPD and mobsters started to raid the lab. With little choice, Daniel injected himself with the serum to save his life & work. As the compounds altered his DNA, he changed from within. Blade-like syringes ripped from his forearms, his blood became acidic, and his breath was a green cloud of poison.
-He was a powerful entity, but with a cost: it poisoned his genius mind, as well. He blamed the world for causing his turn into a monster. Now, to him, the end of curing himself justifies every means. Having briefly escaped during the Etherloch crisis, Poison Lash was returned to UNTIL's prison through the efforts of the Adventurers. Team member Hornett was one of Poison Lash's test subjects.
-|}
-</div>
-<br>
-==Anti-Adventurers==
-<div align="center"; style="height:40em; width:1000px; overflow:auto; border: 2px solid #911">
-{|
-|- valign="top"
-|[[File:Dread-Spider-Cutout.png|150px|left|Dread Spider]]
-| '''DREAD SPIDER'''
-'''Appearances:''' Adventurers #92 - #96, #103, #106, #108
-<br>'''Secret Identity:''' Cassandra Olsen (Alternate)
-<BR>'''Aliases:''' None
-<br>'''Powers:''' Athleticism; melee weapon supremacy; ranged marksman; stealth & intrusion
-<br>'''Status:''' In stasis
-<br>'''Bio:''' Cassandra Olsen is the daughter of ambitious mob accountant William Olsen. Cassandra was sent abroad to study dance, combat styles, and stealth. When she came home to Millennium City at age 18 on a permanent basis, Cassandra became her father's secret assassin. William's aspiration to climb the ladder within his crime family led him to use Cassandra to either eliminate rivals directly, or embarrass them by having Cassandra interfere with their operations. She serves Venture Enterprises syndicates and, correct or not, is a seen by the lower ranks as one of the syndicate's key leaders.
-Outside of her masked criminal activities, Cassandra is a known bon vivant and socialite. Who would expect that this famous party girl is a hardened killer?
-When last seen, Dread Spider was captive in a stasis cell under hero Steelhawk's watch.
-|}
-<hr>
-</div>
 =Adventurers in the Media=
@@ Line 1,906: / Line 2,124: @@
 File:MCNews-08-13-2017.png|August 13, 2017
 File:MCNews Madison.png|Sept 12, 2017
+File:MCNews-04-16-2019.png|April 16, 2019
+File:MC-News-15-09-19.png|September 15, 2019 (Corresponds to Adventurers #270-#275)
+</gallery>
+<gallery>
+File:MCNews-12-30-2021.png|December 30, 2021 (Corresponds to Adventurers #352-#353)
 </gallery>
 </center>
@@ Line 1,911: / Line 2,135: @@
 =Joining the Adventurers=
-Do you think you have what it takes? We may not be big, but we're small - and that's the point! We aim to share a quality roleplaying experience together, with a well-balanced team of characters played by skilled role players.
+<div style="padding-right:0px; padding-left:0px; border: 6px Solid #000000; color:#000; background-color:#DFCE42">
-Recruitment will be by appointment/interview only, with final approval from the team leader.
+AUGUST 2024: The Adventurers are not ''actively'' seeking new members. Recruits seeking to join MUST: 1) have a character who matches the theme, 2) Be well-known to SG members who can vouch for their playstyle, 3) Demonstrate that they have more than just a mild interest in roleplay, Champions Online, and our SG.
-===What the Adventurers is experience is about===
+</div>
-* Patrols & combating criminal activity
-* Taking on super-villains played by player characters as part of story arcs
+==Reasons to Join==
-* Following a trail of clues to solve a crime
-* Escaping deadly situations through a blend of wits and hero abilities
+Adventurers share:
-* Using your reasoning skills to get through a situation
-* A small team feel - it's about the quality, not the quantity of members
+* A passion for appreciating & participating in superhero stories
-* Concept arcs (parallel universe, courtroom, etc.)
+* Superhero RP with a group who makes your character development feel important and memorable.
+* Friendships among quality RPers
+* An environment of mutual respect
+* A chance to take on meaningful leadership roles on the team
+* Costume unlocks and gear donated between members
+* Lively OOC chat channels (Adventurers_OOC, Adventurers_Spoilers - members only)
+* An amazing Discord community (members only)
+==Adventurers Theme==
+We're a group of street-level, low-powered, costumed heroes. A lot of us successfully fight crime solo, but we need the help of other heroes when a big threat emerges.
-==In-character Recruitment Considerations==
+The following is a guideline for the kinds of IC qualities we're looking for in the green column (left). The red column (right) has traits that stray away from the theme.
-The following is a guideline for the kinds of IC qualities we're looking for in the green column (left). The red column (right) has characteristics that may work against a character trying to join the team; some of these less desirable traits are weighted more heavily than others.
 {| style="text-align: center; border: 0px;" cellspacing=0
@@ Line 1,956: / Line 2,188: @@
 | style='border-style: none none none none; border=0px; color:white; border-bottom:1px solid black; background: #ff2e16;' | '''Doesn't worry about causing collateral damage.'''
 |-
-| style='border-style: none none solid none; border=0px; border-bottom:1px solid white; background: #41f253' | '''Lawful.'''
+| style='border-style: none none solid none; border=0px; border-bottom:1px solid white; background: #41f253' | '''Lawful (or at least, upholds the spirit of the law).'''
 | style='border-style: none none none none;' | &nbsp;
 | style='border-style: none none none none; border=0px; color:white; border-bottom:1px solid black; background: #ff2e16;' | '''Unlawful / Chaotic / Homicidal'''
@@ Line 1,964: / Line 2,196: @@
 | style='border-style: none none none none; border=0px; color:white; border-bottom:1px solid black; background: #ff2e16;' | '''Powers are suitable for taking on armies or world-breaking threats'''
 |-
-| style='border-style: none none solid none; border=0px; border-bottom:1px solid white; background: #41f253' | '''Has well-defined traits, including weaknesses.'''
+| style='border-style: none none solid none; border=0px; border-bottom:1px solid white; background: #41f253' | '''Has well-defined traits, including weaknesses; make group scenarios interesting.'''
 | style='border-style: none none none none;' | &nbsp;
-| style='border-style: none none none none; border=0px; color:white; border-bottom:1px solid black; background: #ff2e16;' | '''Is perfect, invulnerable, and/or just plain bland.'''
+| style='border-style: none none none none; border=0px; color:white; border-bottom:1px solid black; background: #ff2e16;' | '''Is seldom/never disadvantaged; has a ready solution to every problem.'''
+|-
+| style='border-style: none none solid none; border=0px; border-bottom:1px solid white; background: #41f253' | '''Character has a positive attitude; reserves strong language.'''
+| style='border-style: none none none none;' | &nbsp;
+| style='border-style: none none none none; border=0px; color:white; border-bottom:1px solid black; background: #ff2e16;' | '''Character is excessively profane, crude, or negative.'''
+|-
+| style='border-style: none none solid none; border=0px; border-bottom:1px solid white; background: #41f253' | '''Feels fun to be around, promotes interesting & positive interactions.'''
+| style='border-style: none none none none;' | &nbsp;
+| style='border-style: none none none none; border=0px; color:white; border-bottom:1px solid black; background: #ff2e16;' | '''Notably polarizing or excessively negative.'''
 |}
+==Recruitment FAQ==
-==Out-of-character Recruitment Considerations==
+'''My character has traits in the 'red' column in the chart above - would I be allowed to join?'''
+<br>Maybe. It depends on a couple of things: how big of a departure is it? Is there anything that helps mitigate it (i.e. with magic, what limitations have you put on?)?
-===Availability===
+'''What time zone are you in?'''
-* We are most active for North American evenings (between 6PM – 11PM server time), with occasional weekends. If that is difficult for you, it ''might'' still be possible to become a member, but understand it might mean activities will often go ahead without you.
+<br>Most of us are in North America. We're most active between 6PM - 11PM server time.
-* Members who don't turn up for weeks or months might be cut loose. New recruits who stop showing up will be cut loose much more rapidly.
-* If time zones and schedules are a problem, just makes us your allies! We'll hang out with you even if you are't on the team.
-===Alts===
+'''How can I get to know the team members better before applying?'''
-* Players can (with some exceptions) have only one active Adventurer hero at a time.
+<br>Look for us in public social zones. If you don't see us there, consider asking for an invite to our global channel ''Adventurers_4ALL'' and you can talk to us OOC there, maybe try to get something going. Please '''take the initiative''' if you want us to notice you and consider you for membership.
-* '''Serial alting''', the act of constantly generating new characters, is frowned upon in Adventurers RP context, especially if it means you intend to swap your Adventurer hero frequently. This group is not a place for your flavor of the week RP character. We'll invest in your character if you do, too. '''Pick the toon you want to join Adventurers with carefully.'''
-* ''Brand new'', undeveloped hero characters have a way of disappearing, never to return, within a couple of weeks. So if you say, "I want to join  Adventurers with my brand new character," that is a BIG red flag for us; it's proven over and over to be a waste of our time.
-* If you want to scratch that character creation itch, creating alts as NPCs for RP scenarios that you want to run as GM for the Adventurers is a great idea!
-===Player Reputation===
+'''How often do you do RP sessions?'''
-* Our familiarity with the player can be an important factor. (hint: RP with our players even before asking to join!)
+<br>Usually 2-4 nights of the week, and often these are one-off sessions that are totally optional. With the squad system we started in 2022, it really depends on your squad!
-* We desire players who have a good reputation for RP quality & social graces.
-* Our players' common language is English; if you cannot communicate effectively in English, Adventurers is not for you.
+'''I applied to join, and then didn't hear anything. What's going on?'''
+<br>First feel free to check with @historiphile about this if it has been more than a week. Typically if we like a character you want to join with, you're going to hear from us immediately. If you apply with a character who has clear departures from the theme, we might just decline that application and move on. Sometimes we reply to say why it won't work with us. Feel free to try again with a character who is a better match, if you want.
+'''Is magic banned in the Adventurers?'''
+<br>Sort of a soft 'No'. It's good practice in RP for any character - magic or not - to have well-defined powers and limitations. The Adventurers heroes regard magic (and its practitioners) as something exotic, mysterious, and maybe not that commonplace from their point of view.
+'''Can I have characters in other RP SGs while I'm in the Adventurers?'''
+<br>Yes. Many of our players have done so.
+'''About the SG theme. Why don't you want my type of character in it?'''
+<br>If you want a different RP experience than what we do, we truly hope you find it! Maybe start that RP group yourself, build it up, and seek people looking for the same thing. That is how Adventurers began.
+'''Who runs scenarios for the Adventurers?'''
+<br>Members do! This is a safe and supportive group for those who want to run superhero scenarios. Ask for more info. Sometimes we allow non-SG guest villains.
+'''I have a well-developed lore for my character. Will you make use of it?'''
+<br>As long as it seems not to conflict with anything else we have going, and seems beneficial to RP with... then sure! Beware: whatever you run for us, make sure we can all play in it. We have had instances of people creating a story and characters ostensibly for RP, but it becoming clear that they just wanted us to be a passive audience for their creations. Such pursuits may be better as solo fiction.
+'''What is the Adventurers relationship to various factions from the Hero System PnP RPG/Champions Online? What if my character would see it different?'''
+<br>We started a [[Glossary_of_the_Adventurers_SG|glossary]] that addresses that. Where there are any uncertainties in interpreting lore, it is up to the group leader (@historiphile) to referee. Your character can still have differing opinions, even if those opinions contradict what has been decided as narrative facts by the group leader, but those would be ''just'' that character's opinions. (i.e. your character can despise UNTIL and think they're a fascist group, but it has been decided narratively that in Adventurers stories, they are actually a force for good).
+'''Do I have to be effective with English to join the Adventurers?'''
+<br>Yes. All of our communication is done in written English.
+'''Is profanity &#$*ing ok, or what?'''
+<br>Save powerful language for occasions when it has full effect. Speaking as a generality, most SG members seem to find edginess tiresome and overrated.
+'''My preferred RP is all about chaos / interpersonal drama / internal conflict. Are you going to let me be who I am?'''
+<br>There is a team culture of mutual friendship and support, IC and OOC. We fight villains, not each other. Many of us believe that has contributed to our group's longevity. If that idea makes you uncomfortable, please steer clear of us. One key value of the group: we believe that even things done in character are ''choices'' the player makes, and not the fault of others when they react poorly to them (particularly when done with no narrative framing to make sure the other person knows it's just an act). If you are thinking you want to play, for lack of a better term, an 'asshole character,' for nothing, may we direct you to [https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/17ue8ei/how_to_roleplay_a_character_whos_full_of_himself/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button| this Reddit thread] for some advice on how to do that kind of roleplay without alienating other roleplayers?
 ==Recruitment==
-The following are guidelines to how we usually go about recruiting. Sometimes, we might deviate from this procedure. C'est la vie.
+The following are guidelines for how we usually go about recruiting. But we reserve the right to change how we recruit at any time.
+===Before Requesting===
+We value relationship about as much as we value adherence to theme. If you have never RP'd with us and request to join us, it may take longer, or might not happen at all. Start trying to get to know us before. Ask to join our '''Adventurers_4ALL''' channel as a way to reach us.
-===Step 1 - First Contact===
+===Step 1 - Request to Join===
-* Start by sending an in-game mail to team leader Red Spider@historiphile expressing interest, and maybe some detail on the following:
+* Start by sending an in-game mail to @historiphile expressing interest, and maybe some detail on the following:
 **Powers
 **Traits (ie, Strengths/weaknesses)
@@ Line 2,003: / Line 2,272: @@
 ===Step 2 - Assessment===
-We will talk with you, learn about your character, and figure out if they are a good fit. We won't get into the questions we tend to ask here.
+We will talk internally about what we think about you based on the details you submitted in Step 1, and the reputation you have. If we like what we're hearing and/or think it's something we need, we will reach out.
 ===Step 3 - Combat RP Trial===
@@ Line 2,013: / Line 2,282: @@
 We learn a lot about how someone RPs from this activity.
-Once the combat RP trial is complete, witnessing Adventurers will discuss. If they like what they saw, then membership will be offered!
+Once the combat RP trial is complete, witnessing Adventurers will discuss. If they like what they saw, then membership may be offered.