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True Believers - chapter four
The cloaked Leapfrog makes its way through the night sky, over Los Angeles, and on its way back to the La Brea Tar Pits. This is the tourist attraction that the runaways have made their home. Victor Mancha is with them, and his cell phone rings. He wants to answer it, but Gert rudely informs him that he isn’t entitled to a phone call. Victor becomes agitated. It’s only his mom, so why can’t he just tell her he’s okay? She probably just heard her only child was kidnapped by a bunch of locals in a frog-shaped… whatever the thing is. Gert replies that until they shake every last branch on his evil family tree, that’s all she’s gonna hear. Molly adds that he’s a villain, and his ringtone is stupid.
Victor tells Molly that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. His ringtone is a Rick Jones song. “Superfreak?” asks Karolina. Victor replies that Superfreak was by Rick James. Haven’t any of them read Sidekick? He holds up a magazine with a smiling Rick Jones on the cover. He explains that Rick Jones has only lived, like, the dream existence. He was part of the Avengers when he was their age, and got to hang out with Thor, Iron Man and was Captain America’s partner!
Molly, still feeling grumpy, replies that they met Captain America once. He made them go into foster care after their parents got blown up trying to destroy the world. He had really bad breath, she adds. Gert asks Victor why, if he has such a man-crush on the spandex crowd, does he want to murder them all when he grows up. Victor asks why people keep saying that. He insists he’s not a criminal. He’s never even had detention before.
Chase calls for them to prepare for landing at the tar pits, so they’d better blindfold Victor before he figures out where they’re taking him. Victor leans over into the cockpit. “Wait. You guys live in the La Brea Museum?” Nico covers her face with embarrassment. “You are such a moron,” she whispers towards Chase. Chase figures the comment was aimed at Victor, and explains that they live under it, not in it. Their ‘rents used to keep one of their secret lairs there, and they use it for their new digs. Victor asks whether people notice the Leapfrog coming and going. Chase tells him that it’s pretty much invisible when cloaked, and besides, the museum’s almost always empty. “Yeah,” adds Nico. “This is Los Angeles… Nobody cares about history.” The Leapfrog plunges beneath the bubbling tar.
(The L.A. Times)
Phil Urich meets Excelsior on the rooftop. Before they land he can see they’ve been roughed up a little, and asks if they were fighting children, or Dr. Doom! Chamber tells him to shut it, and asks why he doesn’t put on his Green Gobbler armor and try taking down these little monsters himself. Phil asks what happened out there. He saw the words ‘abduction’ and ‘major property damage’ come over the wire and decided to stop reading. Ricochet replies that their runaways aren’t troubled children - they’re full-on Children of the Corn. Thanks to Darkhawk going crazy-insane-o, they didn’t just escape; they escaped with a hostage. Darkhawk turns to Ricochet and tells him he had a nervous breakdown. He grabs Ricochet by the throat and asks how many more times he’s gonna have to apologize.
He hurls Ricochet from the roof, and Julie Power has to catch him. She tells Chris to get a hold of himself, but Chris is amped, and replies, “Or what? I used to be an Avenger! I’m more powerful than every one of you third stringers combined!” Chamber retorts that he’s a second stringer, not third.
Ricochet thanks Lightspeed for the save. He thinks ‘Hawk’s power crystal is driving him totally one ring. Julie smiles, and asks if he’s an LOTR fan. He replies that he’s seen the extended editions twenty-three times. Julie tells him to read the books. There’s so much beautiful stuff Peter wasn’t able to put in.
Turbo asks Darkhawk to power down or, so help her, she’ll throw him off the roof herself. The armor fades, and Chris tells her he doesn’t know what to say. This isn’t who he is. He used to be able to handle the armor when he was younger but, the older he gets, the more he feels like it handles him. He tells the others that he knows it might cost them a million bucks, but he can’t be part of this mission.
Phil tells him it was never about the money. It’s only ever been about helping kids, and now there’s one more out there that needs rescuing. Chamber asks what they’re supposed to do about it. Chris has gone mental; Turbo’s at fifty percent now that her wrist things have been blown to hell, and Phil’s a glorified dispatcher. They shouldn’t get him started on Rainbow Brite and Mister Discus, he adds, motioning to Ricochet and Lightspeed.
Phil receives a call on his cell phone, but the I.D. is blocked. He figures it’s their patron saint calling to inform them that they’re fired. Their patron saint has been watching Excelsior’s performance on a monitor, and he informs Phil that it’s not exactly been a gold-star day for the twixter set. Phil asks him to hang on while he gets Turbo, but he actually wants to speak with Phil himself. He tells Phil he was wondering how committed he is to his cause. Is he ready to take the next step?
(La Brea Tar Pits)
Inside the runaway’s hideout underneath the tar pits, Victor looks around and comments how it’s not exactly Four Freedoms Plaza. With the Leapfrog taking center stage, he checks the rest of the room out. There are paintings of the runaway’s deceased parents hanging on the walls, and several gadgets and mechanical objects scattered about. A river runs through the cave, and an amphibious vehicle bobbles on the water’s surface.
Karolina tells Victor that whoever said the bad guys have the best taste never took an interior decorating class. He should have seen how much green and purple their parents had down there before she started going all “Queer Eye” on the place. Chase asks if this looks like a freakin’ open house, and to get Victor to the brig. Gert reminds him that the hostel doesn’t have a brig. Something tells her their parents usually opted for the death penalty with their enemies.
Molly asks what they’re gonna do if Vic tries to electrify one of them again. They don’t even know how many powers he has. Nico guesses there’s only one option. She raises the Staff of One, as Victor turns to her and pleads for her not to kill him. Nico says ‘Insulation’ which created a cloud of purple foam, which covers Victor from head to toe. Standing over him, she asks him to zap with everything he’s got. Vic tries, but nothing happens. Nico then helps him to his feet, and tells him that her incantation should hold him until they discover the truth about his family.
Vic wipes the insulation from his clothes, and reiterates that his mom is an architect’s assistant by day, a student by night and a waitress by later at night. His dad was a U.S. marine who died in the Panama invasion when he was just a baby. Nico asks if he has any evidence to back his story up, but Vic responds by asking if she has any evidence to prove he’s wrong! Chase reminds him that Gert came back from the future Terminator-style and said his old man was the greatest evil in the universe. Gert adds that she reserves the word ‘evil’ for very few things outside of fat-free ice cream and non-Mac computers.
Karolina puts her hand on Victor’s shoulder. She knows this must be tough for him, but points out that he can trust them in that someone can live a whole lifetime with their parents and still not know the first thing about them. Vic never even got the chance to meet his father. Molly asks Nico if she can’t just cast a magic-something to show them his past, but Nico says she already used that spell on the future Gert. If they’re gonna uncover the truth, they’re gonna have to do one thing they never thought they’d do again: homework.
(The Mancha home)
It’s evening, and Marianella Mancha is on the phone trying to call Victor, but all she gets is his answering machine. It asks anyone calling to call back after ‘Lost’ is over. She leaves a message, telling him that if he gets it, she wants him to know she’s sorry; so sorry. She made a deal with the devil. She kneels down as her body weakens, and tells him she did it for him. “Tell the people who took you, Victor. Everything I ever did for….”
Before she completes her sentence, a voice behind her asks whether, “You’re not speaking to the authorities, are you, Marianella?” Marianella turns and asks for forgiveness. She didn’t think they’d be there so quickly. She looks up, and says, “Espera usted no es…” before being zapped with a burst of electrical energy. Her neighbors are oblivious to what’s happening next door.
(La Brea Tar Pits)
The runaways and Victor seat themselves around a holographic display. Chase gets into the right mood by grabbing a carton of popcorn. Nico hosts the show, and the first image to appear is that of the Kingpin. Chase asks, “That blob is the Kingpin of crime? He looks more like the Kingpin of Crisco.” Nico asks him to knock it off. Their parents built this holographic rogue’s gallery to keep tabs on the market share controlled by their international competition. She thought they could go through their files to see if any of these guys might potentially be Victor’s real father.
Karolina thinks this is like the most surreal episode of Maury Povich ever. Victor thinks this is stupid. In the highly unlikely event that he is the son of Charlie Manson or whatever, he didn’t raise him. Nico informs him that even adopted kids need to know if their parents had a history of heart disease, or alcoholism. Knowing about your past is the only way you can protect your future. The second image appears; that of Max Dillon, better known as Electro. She says his extra-normal abilities obviously have a lot in common with their guest’s.
Gert points out that Electro’s a two-bit hood. Can he really be the ‘greatest evil’ of anything? Nico replies not yet, but asks Gert to remember that the older version of herself came from twenty years in the future. Who knows what Electro might become between now and then? Gert suggests that if this is the case, then Vic’s father might not even be a villain yet. Maybe it’s a hero who flips in the next decade or so. Nico thinks they should stick to the ne’er-do-wells for the now. She struggles with the controls, and Victor, a gadget geek, helps out.
The next contender is the Leader, a gamma-irradiated egghead. Gert thinks Mancha’s got brawn to go with his brains, not to mention whatever X-factor let him wallop Karolina with those bleachers. Maybe he’s the son of Norman Osborn, she wonders. Karolina asks why they’re only considering men from Earth. She thought Gert said Vic’s father was the greatest evil in the universe. Good point, concedes Nico. The next image, she explains, used to be an urban legend, but their parents wrote that he’s one of the greatest threats the Earth has seen. Galactus appears, holding the Earth in his hands.
Molly doesn’t think he looks that scary, but Nico informs her that in reality, he’s supposedly over thirty feet tall. Chase gets halfway through a disgusting thought about Vic’s mother, before Vic warns him not to finish it. Gert says the biggest crime most of these guys committed was their wardrobe! What about men who were really evil, like Hitler? Nico asks Vic if he can get the file up on the Red Skull, but Vic draws the line there. His dad wasn’t a Nazi, he insists. And what if it is? Lots of children of horrible people grow up to be productive members of society.
Ultron’s image appears next. Vic explains that he was a demented killing machine, but he still created the Vision, who turned out to be, like, one of the greatest heroes ever. Karolina doesn’t think he can compare nuts and bolts to flesh and blood. Vic next brings up Magneto. He was the father of two Avengers; Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Gert mentions the fact that they were both part of something called the unironically named Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, This doesn’t exactly help Vic’s case, she adds.
Victors a little tired of all this. He’s sorry for what their parents did, but it didn’t happen to him. Gert asks him to chill out, but Vic grabs her and holds the remote against the side of her head. He warns the others to do exactly as he says, or he’s gonna blow her head off. The kids all stand up, concerned, but Gert asks them to relax. He’s holding a remote and is powerless. Vic stumbles over his words a little, but explains that he flipped the remote’s vibranium battery when they weren’t looking. If he presses one button while the polarity is reversed, it… it won’t be pretty.
Nico can’t risk any of them getting hurt again because she let the wrong boy into their lives. She asks Victor what he wants. He reaches his hand into Gert’s pocket. “Hey,” she cries. “Get your meat-fists off the merchandise, perv.” Vic tells her not to flatter herself, and pulls out his cell phone. He calls his mom, and tells her he’s all right. He’s about to tell her to send the cops to the tar pits, before a male voice answers. He tells Vic that he’s afraid his mother is unavailable at present, but perhaps he could spare a moment for his dear old father.
Vic’s eyes widen. “What? Mister, I don’t know what you’re…” The man interrupts him. “No, Victor, not mister… Doctor!” Back at the Mancha home, Marianella is tied and gagged, sitting on a wooden chair, with Dr. Doom standing right behind her.


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[Assistant]
True Believers - chapter five
(La Brea Tar Pits, Los Angeles)
Victor is aghast at finding out his father looks like being Dr. Doom. Doom, holding Victor’s mother captive, wishes to meet him at McArthur Warehouse in one hour, lest he risk elevating him to the status of being his sole guardian. Marianella cries out for Victor to stay away, but Doom silences her by smashing his gauntlet into her face.
Doom hangs up the phone, and Gert asks if that was really Dr. Doom, as in dictator of dictators, beast of the Balkans. Karolina thought he died fighting the Fantastic Four, but Nico reminds her that their ‘rents haven’t been updating their files from beyond the grave. Victor insists he has to leave or his mom will be killed, but Chase asks why they should let him go when he was just threatening to blow Gert’s head off. Victor assures Chase that he was bluffing. He’d never hurt anyone. He just wants to get back to the people he loves. All he cares about is helping his family. Molly tells him it sounds like this Mr. Doom guy is his family. All the while, Old Lace appears to be sensing something different about Victor.
(elsewhere)
Excelsior touches down at the coordinates their mystery benefactor provided them with. Phil Urich speaks with him on his cell phone. The benefactor informs him that the entrance to the warehouse should be keyed to his palm-print, so they can go on in. He knows Excelsior is down a man with Darkhawk being on the disabled list, so he wants to strengthen their line-up. He also wants to thank Phil for putting his trust into him, and for risking so much to help their little runaways.
Phil opens the warehouse door, and sitting there is a large, peculiarly shaped craft. The benefactor explains that it’s a ship, which will enable them to move around Los Angeles at speeds of up to mach eight. He calls her Excel. Phil tells him that he appreciates this, but he doesn’t think any of them know how to fly whatever this is. He is told that Excel has flight controls that have been retrofitted to mimic his old Green Goblin glider, so it should be like riding a bicycle for him. Phil is about to query how their benefactor knows about the glider controls, before being told that he’ll explain when they finally meet him. He’s taking the red-eye to L.A. now, but Phil shouldn’t wait for him to continue his search.
Ricochet checks out the craft, and says it’s about time someone pimped their ride. Julie Power is less certain. Excel seems a lot creepier than her old ship, Friday. Chamber, meanwhile, thinks this is mad. Why are they continuing to accept handouts from a complete stranger? Turbo reminds him that they’re not a super-team. They’re a charitable organization. They can’t check on everyone who wishes to hand them money. Besides, adds Phil, he and Turbo have been in the journalism game long enough to know whether or not one of their sources is reliable. “Believe me. We’re working for the good guys.”
(meanwhile)
The Leapfrog is making its way through the skies over Los Angeles, cloaked as usual so as not to attract any unwanted attention. Victor wants the runaways to turn their ship around. Doom said he wanted to meet him alone. Gert reminds him that he actually told him not to involve the authorities. Seeing how they’re all delinquent fugitives, she’s pretty sure they don’t qualify. Victor tells her that his name is not Doctor Semantics! Whether or not he’s really related to the freak, if he walks in there with them, his mom is as good as dead.
Karolina tries to assure him that they’ve been rescuing civilian hostages like this since bad guys started showing up in L.A. again. They can help him. Victor replies that, no offense, but seeing how a novice like himself almost took out half her team, he’s not sure why he should entrust his mom’s life to the freakin’ Teen Girl Squad! Chase reminds him that he’s part of the team too and, as soon as they’re in range, he’s gonna bring the ‘Frog down on Victor’s old man’s ugly gourd.
Nico points out that Turbo and her psycho grownup sidekicks are probably still patrolling the area for any sign of them, so it’s strictly cloaked from here on out. Molly asks Nico why she can’t just use her magics to teleport and rescue Mrs. Mancha; like Nightcrawler? Nico replies that she’s already used a ‘porting spell once, and the Staff of One hates repeats. She might be able to thinks of an alternative, however.
Victor is a little more realistic. He informs them that Doom took over an entire country. He’s not just the greatest scientist on the planet, he’s also one of the most powerful sorcerers. Sleight of hand from some glorified magician’s assistant ain’t gonna cut it. Gert asks if he has a better idea. Actually, he does.
(soon)
Arriving at the rendezvous point, Victor finds his mom gagged and bound, with Dr. Doom standing beside her. Doom tells Victor that his mom told him he had been kidnapped. He suspects this to be merely a yarn she weaved to bring her one true love running home. Victor replies that she was telling the truth. Doom asks where, in that case, are his abductors now. Vic smiles and tells him they’re unconscious a few blocks from there. He downed the do-gooders’ craft and knocked them out after they threatened to derail their family reunion. “Like father like son,” he adds, genuflecting before Doom.
Doom asks him to stand. He is impressed. Despite being a half-breed, his heart is clearly beating his blood. How tragic, he continues, that this woman led him to believe his father was nothing more than some lowly American combatant. Vic agrees. His mom led him to believe he was a Marine who died in battle, but deep down, he’s always known that was a lie. Since the day he was born he felt like he came from greatness. He’d always hoped his real dad was someone important, but he honestly never thought it could be someone as huge as him. Doom says that he honors him with him words. “Perhaps it was not a mere moment of weakness that led me to bed this commoner back in…”
Doom suddenly stops talking as he looks over to Marianella. Strangely, her ropes are being untied by some invisible force. He pulls out a weapon and blasts the area behind her, and Nico is revealed, now almost unconscious from the impact. With her concentration gone, her spell weakens and the other runaways materialize. “What happened?” cries Molly. “We’re not indivisible anymore?” Doom demands, “What is the meaning of this treachery,” as Victor calls for Karolina to get Nico and his mom to the ship. Everyone else must carry out Plan B.
As Karolina takes to the air, she says that they always go to plan B. Maybe they should make that their Plan A in future. Doom takes pot shots at her as she takes to the air, and also at Molly who sprints out of the way. Gert tells Old Lace that it’s feeding time, and her pet attacks Doom, grabbing his right arm in its jaws. He retaliates by unleashing a burst of energy from his gauntlet that chokes Old Lace. Having an empathic relationship with Old Lace, Gert also suffers the effects.
Victor’s hands glow and crackle with blue energy, and he dishes it out at Doom who simply laughs at his attempt. He then grabs Victor in his fist and asks if he really thought he would fail to fortify his armor against his electromagnetic attacks? He completely mapped every nucleotide in his mutant DNA before he ever set foot in the states. From behind him, Molly clenches her fist and asks why, if he’s so smart, has he never heard of a distraction? She punches him with all her might in the stomach, but Doom simply stands there and takes it. “Ouch,” whimpers Molly, embarrassed. Doom grabs her by the throat too, and lifts them both off the ground, asking Molly to enjoy her final breath.
As Karolina is untying Mrs. Mancha, she orders Doom to put them down, and she takes to the air once again, firing a rainbow-colored blast of alien energy at Doom. Unfortunately, she catches Molly instead, and Doom informs her she needs to improve her marksmanship. “Observe a master at work.” He hurls Molly at her, and she collides with Karolina, bringing her down.
Doom once again focuses on Victor Mancha. Chase appears, carrying his prized laser from the Leapfrog. Gert calls him a blockhead. Where’s it supposed to gets its power from? Chase hadn’t thought of that. Doom tells Chase that he reminds him of another hotheaded arrogant young imbecile. He will enjoy dismembering him. Thinking quickly, Chase tosses the laser to Victor. “Energizer Bunny, heat this bizzach up!” Victor takes the weapon and gives it a charge. He thinks the laser has two settings - stun and kill. “Guess which one this is?” as asks Doom rhetorically, as he punches a gaping hole through Doom’s chest.
Gert takes a look at the downed Doom, and she notices that his insides are just wires and circuits. There’s no blood and guts! Marianella orders Gert to get away from him. He’s still dangerous. They have to get the girls out of there, now. Victor kneels beside Doom and agrees with Gert. This can’t be the real Doom. It’s just… a robot.
A metallic voice from behind Victor congratulates them. It says it was 99% certain that they would defeat his Doombot, but that they wouldn’t be able to damage it badly enough to realize it was merely one of his androids. “Truly my greatest creation.” Victor turns to see the menacing figure of Ultron standing there.
Gert knows just how much trouble they’re in. She actually listened through the briefing. Ultron is the worst killing machine ever invented. They’re dead. Marianella approaches Ultron and tells it that she did everything it asked of her. She hid Victor’s true lineage and kept him off its scent. Ultron replies that, ultimately, she failed in her duties and, for that, she must be executed. Ultron unleashes a ball of intense flame that turns Victor’s mom into ash in an instant.
Victor cries out, and fires at Ultron with the laser. Ultron is unfazed, and asks Victor, who he calls a simulacrum, not to shed a tear. Marianella was a degenerate criminal, nothing more than raw genetic stock for his glorious technological future. It only regrets that Victor discovered his true nature the way he did. He hadn’t intended him to encounter super-powered beings until the other pieces of his puzzle had come to play. It says it will explain things after his cleansing.
Ultron continues to explain that, with his Doombot, he had hoped to convince Victor that his conquered father was human, so that its current plans could continue unabated. However, Victor’s memory must now be erased. The other children will have to be dealt with, permanently.
Victor says he won’t let Ultron hurt them, but Ultron replies that it isn’t going to hurt anyone. “You are…” Suddenly, Victor’s eyes begin to glow red, the same color as Ultron’s. The energy in his palms also glows the same color and he turns to Gert and Chase. “As you wish, father.” Gert holds Chase’s hand. “Chase…” she begins. Chase replies, “I know, baby. I loved you, too.”


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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
True Believers - conclusion
(Los Angeles)
The Excel glides through the air carrying Excelsior through the night skies. Phil Urich is piloting the craft, as their ‘Secret Santa’ has configured the controls to make it handle like his old goblin glider. Turbo would like him to slow down a little, but Julie Power wants more speed. Ricochet is with Turbo. He’s feeling a little airsick.
They are searching for the runaways, and Turbo calls Chris Powell, who is on monitor duty back at their base. She asks if he’s seen any sign of supernatural activity in the area, but Chris hasn’t spotted anything yet. Turbo is feeling a little annoyed that her plans for the group aren’t exactly working out. She devised the operation to show young people that there are healthy alternatives to dressing up in costumes, but that’s pretty much all they’ve done so far.
(meanwhile, in cyberspace/flashback)
Victor Mancha suddenly finds himself in cyberspace. Ultron has taken him inside the memory of their networked mainframes to provide him with a little history lesson. The first scenario he creates shows Hank Pym creating the first Ultron robot. Ultron considers Pym evil, as well as his fellow West Coast Avengers, who destroyed countless incarnations of his firstborn; including its model.
The next scene shows where Pym unceremoniously deposited Ultron’s remains on a scrap yard. It was forced to stare at an old clock for what seemed like an eternity, as its CPU was still active. By studying the clock, he learned that if it were ever going to punish his father and his cohorts, it would have to learn patience. Years later, its plans were set in motion when it saw a young woman stealing materials from its resting place for one of her architectural projects. Victor recognizes her as his mom.
Ultron begged Marianella for assistance and, being the superstitious type, she thought it was some kind of prophet like the beheaded John the Baptist. She confided in it that she was physically unable to have children, and barred from adopting because of her felonious past as a drug mule. Victor tells Ultron that his mom was not a criminal, but Ultron simply replies that crime is a human construct, and one that he would do well to forget.
The scene changes once again to show Marianella and Ultron standing before a work-in-progress version of Victor. Ultron had promised Marianella that in exchange for gathering supplies to help him construct a new body for itself, it would build her an immaculate creation. Utilizing her DNA, it soon began work on its most spectacular invention: a fully-grown cybernetic/human hybrid.
(reality - present)
“Wait,” Victor asks, “I’m a cyborg?” Everything slots into place. He realizes now that it’s why his mom wouldn’t let him fly, and was going to remove him from East Angeles High. He can’t pass through metal detectors without making the things go off like the Fourth of July. Ultron says that he can’t go through them yet, but eventually, the nanites that make up his skeleton will mature and metamorphose until they are indistinguishable from his human cells. By the time he reaches adulthood, the Avengers will be unable to discern that their newest member was once half-machine.
(cyberspace/flashback)
This is a lot to take in, and Victor is having trouble understanding. Ultron continues to inform him that it told his mom that it would fill his brain with enough false memories to make him believe that he had lived a full life as a real human boy. What it failed to tell Marianella is that it also gave him a deep-rooted love of ‘superheroes,’ and the fervent desire one day to become one himself.
Victor’s latent electromagnetic abilities were meant to activate upon his first exposure to powered beings on a trip to New York it programmed him to take on his twenty-first birthday. Ultron had calculated a 98% certainty that the Avengers would ask him to join their organization. After years of loyal service, he would have access to their most guarded secrets, which Ultron would use to destroy his father, and every other misguided ‘champion’ on the planet.
The story continues. As Ultron waited patiently waited to activate his sleeper switch, his mother took on a third job to afford a modest room for Ultron far off the grid; the last place its enemies would think of to look for it. An old-fashioned telephone was its only link to the outside world and, through it, Ultron learned of the unfortunate circumstances around Victor’s premature development.
It forced Marianella to participate in one last-ditch attempt to obfuscate his true origin and purpose, but its Doombot failed in its purpose. This, Ultron concludes, is why it must wipe Victor’s hard drive and restart his education… after he destroys the creatures responsible for this most unfortunate detour. Victor replies that he won’t hurt these people, but he is whisked back into reality to find the runaways all but defeated at his hands.
(reality - present)
“My boy… what do you think you’ve been doing for the last five minutes?” asks Ultron, rhetorically. Gert is wrapped in one of the warehouse roof’s steel supports, whilst Chase lies on the floor, unconscious. Ultron commands Victor to squeeze the life out of Gert, and he is about to carry out his orders before Gert tries to reason with him. She explains that if he’s still in there, then this is his time to be a rebellious little snot. Victor replies that he will obey his father, but Gert reminds him that Ultron killed his mother. She thinks he can delete the fifth commandment from his morality file.
Victor is shocked to hear of his mother’s death. Ultron leans over to him and says it never required a motherboard, and neither will he. “404 error processing. I… I am nothing…” answers Victor, “I am nothing like you!” He turns and blasts Ultron in the face with a burst of electricity. Gert is freed from her constraints and drops to the ground. Ultron is unfazed by his assault, and asks him not to make this harder than it has to be.
Nico thinks this is a good idea. She motions her Staff of One towards Ultron and says, “Shine on you Crazy Diamond.” The staff glows as Ultron is suddenly encased in a block of diamond. Gert asks her if she’s okay, and Nico thinks it depends on her definition. Doom might have been a fake, but she thinks his blast broke a few of her ribs. Karolina notices Molly about twenty feet away, zonked out. Chase is also injured, having had his arm pulled out of its socket by ‘Mr. Roboto’ when he tried to save Gert. Victor helps him up and apologizes. He assures them he had no control over his body.
Nico isn’t interested in his excuses. Her staff needs time to recharge, so she suggests they motor before Ultron gets free. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, the diamond smashes into countless shards, and Nico quickly orders Karolina to blast a hole in the ceiling. Karolina is concerned about draining all her energy in one shot, but Nico barks at her, “Don’t question me, dammit!” Karolina apologizes, and focuses all her power onto the high roof. The blast tears a hole in it and her alien rainbow energies shoot into the night sky.
Ultron wonders what she was trying to accomplish with that stunt, and so Nico explains that this is what kids always do when they want to attract a crowd; they turn on the searchlights. Sure enough, Excelsior is quickly on the scene and dropping through the new hole. Ultron? exclaims Turbo. Oh crap, adds Ricochet.
Turbo quickly takes control, and orders Chamber to get the civvies out of there. She then orders Lightspeed to shield up and try to draw Ultron’s fire. She does this, and is immediately blasted by Ultron, which knocks the wind out of her. Old Lace carries Molly to safety on its back, as Ricochet begins hurling his discs at Ultron. The nefarious robot tells them they are soulless animals; slow and inaccurate. Their extinction is inevitable.
Turbo asks Ricochet to throw an E.M.P disc at her, but he’s already anticipated this move. He tosses one in her direction, and she uses a turbocharged boot to propel it at Ultron. The disc hits home, and Ultron screams as his electronics are fried. However, it quickly recovers, and replies, “Nothing… but a flesh wound.”
Suddenly, through the entrance comes Chris Powell, only now he is wearing his armor. He informs Ultron that it isn’t made of flesh, which means he doesn’t have to play nice. Ultron asks what he is, and Chris replies that he’s Darkhawk. He thought he could retire, but because of freaks like Ultron, that can never happen. He adds that there’s a war going on; a war between good an evil, and in war their elders may give the order, but it’s the young who have to fight. He punches Ultron, and then opens his chest plate to blast Ultron with his darkforce. Ultron lets out a stream of binary code, as its metallic body begins to tear apart.
Outside the warehouse, Victor is anxious to get back inside to avenge his mother. Chamber blocks his path, and says he can’t go back. He should leave the old ultraviolence to his highly trained Droogs. Gert holds Victor back, and says that Ultron’s way out of their weight class. They need to get back to the Leapfrog. Chamber holds his hand up, and tells them he can’t just let them walk off with a hostage. Gert replies that Victor’s not a hostage; he’s an orphan. Unless Chamber wants him to end up in Social Services, a ring of hell that makes what’s going on inside that warehouse look like Disneyland, he should let them go. Chamber stares back at her, considering his options.
Inside the warehouse, Phil Urich descends on a rope, only to find the battle ended and Ultron’s body parts strewn over the ground. He asks what happened. Ricochet replies that Chris went postal again, but this time it was in the right zip code. Julie can’t believe they actually beat Ultron, but Turbo is more concerned with the whereabouts of their little fugitives. Chamber enters the warehouse rubbing the back of his neck. He informs Mickey that Nico conked his gourd with her walking stick before making the lot of them disappear. He asks if they should go after them, but wonders if it would be wiser to remain there until they’re certain the big can opener can’t reassemble itself. Turbo reckons he’s right. They should stay until they can contact S.H.I.E.L.D. or someone to handle what’s left of Ultron. When their sponsor calls, she adds, she’ll take the fall for letting the runaways slip away.
A voice from behind her tells her not to sweat it. She turns to see a young man enter the warehouse. Phil is aghast. “No way. Is… is that Rick Jones?” Julie isn’t sure who Rick Jones actually is, so Ricochet explains that he was one of the first teenage sidekicks who used to run with the Avengers.
Rick apologizes for missing the fireworks but, even with the tracking device he had installed in the Excel, they were too fast for him. Phil knew he recognized Rick’s voice. He owns all his CD’s, he tells him. Turbo asks if he’s the guy who offered their group a million bucks. Rick replies that some of his investments he made with royalties from his book finally paid off. When his ol’ pal Captain America told him about the Pride’s kids running away, he decided to use his windfall to help make sure they didn’t have to endure all the crazy stuff he did in his teens.
He apologizes for all the secrecy, but he wanted to be certain that Excelsior were helping for the right reasons, and not because they felt bullied into it by the Hulk’s best friend. Julie asks about the Excel. Rick explains that she’s an old Quinjet prototype that Tony Stark souped up during one of his lunch breaks. Ricochet asks if he’s there to take it back.
Rick explains that he still wants them to track down the runaways, and holding Ultron’s head in his hands, he adds that, as they can see, this goes a lot deeper than they first thought. California is becoming increasingly dangerous, and unless a few experienced peacekeepers start taking on these threats, more novice heroes are going to show up trying to make a name for themselves. So, he asks, are they interested in getting back into the game full-time?
Phil is surprised at his suggestion, and Mickey says it would mean continuing to operate in uniform. Darkhawk tells her that they’re adults now. They can handle the responsibility. Julie adds that she hasn’t gotten a single callback to any auditions so she’s certainly got the free time. Ricochet reckons if everyone else is in, then so is he. He asks Chamber what he thinks, but when he turns, he notices Jono has left the building.
(later)
Chamber enters another building and, in his best faux-English, he informs three friends that he’s returned victorious. One of his friends says he can’t believe they fell for his accent. He sounds worse than Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. Another guy wearing a ‘Magneto was right’ T-shirt replies that he’s only jealous ‘cause he only sounds British when reciting lines from Python. A female companion presumes that the Minorus’ old chameleon glamour worked, then. Chamber holds the glamour in his hand, and suddenly Chamber’s image fades away to reveal a slim black male in his place.
He tells them it worked like a charm, literally. His fact-finding mission was a success, and he was able to keep Turbo and her fellow noobs away from their young enemies. When the proverbial dish is finally cold enough, revenge will be theirs to serve. “Long live the Pride.”
Outside the warehouse in the rain, Molly is now awake and the runaways prepare to climb back into the Leapfrog. Karolina tells Victor that she’s sorry. She knows how it feels to find out you’re not who you thought you were. Victor replies that he doesn’t care what he is. Monster, android, whatever. He just wants his mom back.
He looks at Gert and says they have some kind of time traveling thing, right? They have to go back and fix this. Gert tells him that her future self used up all the machine’s fuel making her leap back to them, and she doesn’t think whatever it runs on has been invented yet. They can’t change what happened, just what happens next. She places a comforting arm on Vic’s shoulder as he closes his eyes in disappointment.
As he enters the Leapfrog, Chase turns to Nico and says that, if they’re letting that thing join the crew, then he’s officially not the dumbest guy on the team anymore. Nico replies that Victor’s more dangerous on the streets than he is in the hostel with them. Chase doesn’t like this whole ‘keep-your-enemies-closer’ strategy of hers. Victor was programmed to disintegrate people like them. Nico replies that most kids are programmed by their ‘rents. That doesn’t mean they have to do as they’re told. Chase says that Junior ain’t other kids. He may be acting cool now, but what if he blows a gasket and tries to ice his girlfriend again? Nico says that if that happens, they’ll go back to Plan A… and rip his damn heart out.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
East Coast/West Coast part 2
(New York City, 24 hours ago)
“A Wolverine appearance? How novel,” comments Iron Man, as Wolverine squats atop a snow-covered Brooklyn Bridge. It’s the third time Iron Man’s run into him this week. Wolverine replies that ‘Captain Flag’ asked for his help, so here he is. Iron Man acknowledges that when anyone in the hero community is attacked, all Avengers take on extra shifts. He still can’t get over what Cloak did to Dagger. He always seemed like an upstanding young man. Wolverine reminds him that youth doesn’t always equal innocence. A boy can kill just as good as a man.
Iron Man asks if he’s had any luck tracking down their fugitive. Unfortunately, Wolverine lost Cloak’s scent an hour ago. Tony informs him that his armor is networked into a little over a billion dollars’ worth of geosynchronous surveillance satellites, but he hasn’t found a thing. Wolverine knows they aren’t built for this kinda work. They need a local to find their needle in the haystack. They need the kid. Iron Man’s tried him already, but Wolverine asks him to try again.
(now)
Cloak opens his arms and says welcome to New York City. The runaways tumble out into the snow, a little weary from the experience of being teleported from coast to coast. Gert reckons it still beats flying America West. Victor is shocked at what just happened, but Chase is in a worse state. He lies in the snow, shivering, and mumbling about space sharks. Molly says he smells like he went in his pants.
Cloak asks them to forgive his hastiness. He realizes that the darkforce dimension is not the most comfortable way to travel, but time is of the essence. Chase reckons he could have given them a second to grab a coat or something, but Nico reminds him that they’ve lived their entire lives in Los Angeles. Does he even own winter clothes? Cloak informs them that Father Lantom should be able to supply them with donations from their last clothing drive.
Molly asks Tyrone if that’s his dad, but he tells her he’s a catholic priest who has been providing both himself and Dagger with sanctuary for the last few months. He wishes to introduce them to him. Victor asks them to slow down a moment, motioning towards New York City. They’re in the big apple; home of Spider-Man, Daredevil… the Fantastic Freakin’ Four live here. This is hallowed ground.
(St. Patrick’s)
Soon, without a grand tour of the city, they find themselves at the church and, after Tyrone explains everything, Father Lantom asks if he’s possessed. After all the trouble he’s found himself in, he’s decided to drag five wayward children into the situation? Gert asks him not to forget their wayward pet. Suddenly, Old Lace pops its head up, which frightens the priest.
Backing slowly away from Old Lace, he asks what the hell this is. Who are they? Victor tells him that Old Lace is kind of like their guardian, and they’re just good Samaritans who want to help uncover the truth. Father Lantom says that the truth is that Tyrone is innocent. He’s known both of them long enough to know that he would never hurt Dagger. But, he fails to understand why he doesn’t just surrender to the police and let themclear his name. Cloak reminds him that, if he had any faith in the authorities, he would never have aided their crusade over these past few months. He knows this is unorthodox, but the runaways represent their last best chance at hope.
Nico asks him not to be afraid to put them to work, before quoting a verse from the Bible that the father fails to recognize. Nico says she’s a former alter girl. Father Lantom takes them into a room and shows them a surveillance tape of Dagger’s attack. On the monitor, it shows Dagger taking down three hoodlums, only to have Cloak appear with his back facing the camera. As he approaches her, his cloak opens and she tells him to get away from her. Her muffled screams can be heard as the cloak envelops her.
Tyrone insists he was miles away at the time, but Father Lantom points out that it appears fairly damning. Tyrone holds up a glove, which was found at the crime scene. He’s never seen it in his life and certainly never worn one like it. He hands Nico the glove, still in its police bag, and Nico asks where he got it from. He replies that before leaving California, he teleported inside the NYPD storage locker to retrieve clues that might aid their search for the real culprit. Gert comments that he’s stealing evidence from an investigation where he’s the prime suspect. ”You’re not exactly helping your case, O.J.”
Nico asks him who Dagger was fighting before someone assaulted her. He informs her that they’re a gang of narcotic dealers who’ve been pushing designer drugs like Mutant Growth Hormone in Washington Square Park. This gives the user temporary supernatural abilities. Victor asks if there’s any chance that an impostor might have used drugs to simulate his condition. Cloak replies that the pharmaceuticals that were forced upon both he and his partner had long-term effects, specific to their biological makeup. But, if that drug were laced with MGH, there is a chance someone could replicate his powers. But, why would anyone willingly take on his curse?
Nico doesn’t know the answer to that, but at least it gives them a place to start. Father Lantom is reluctant to have them confront drug dealers with a girl as young as Molly at their side. Chase figures he has a point. If they’re going undercover, an eleven year-old will stick out like... an eleven year old. Gert reminds them that Old Lace would do likewise.
Nico figures she can kill two birds with one stone. She uses the Staff of One to cast a spell, turning Old Lace into a small dog. The effect isn’t permanent, but Gert and Victor can use her to track down the person behind the glove, while she and Chase shake down pushers for leads. Chase asks how come Victor gets to be with Gert. Nico replies that the two of them would simply make out, and this isn’t spring break. Cloak thanks them for their help and remains with Molly and Father Lantom. Molly wants souvenirs, or someone’s gonna get a beating.
(New York City)
Nico and Chase wander through the streets of New York City, passing She-Hulk along the way. Chase tells her that super heroes are an everyday occurrence for these people. Seeing She-Hulk is like an Angelino running into Steve Guttenberg. Nico asks who he is. Exactly, replies Chase. Nico doesn’t see how he can compare some nobody to a former Avenger. Chase says that at least celebrities worked to get where they are. All these super-types ever did was get born a mutant, or fall into a vat of chemicals or accidentally get zapped with… Nico asks if he’s jealous that he lost his super toys. He reckons he isn’t. He doesn’t need x-ray specs and flame gloves. He’s cracking skulls today.
They see a shifty-looking man nearby in the park who keeps checking his lookout and drop man. He asks Nico to follow his lead. Chase steps up and tells him he and his girl just came in from Brooklyn, ‘cause they’re trying to score something a bit more powerful. “What do you need, Los Angeles?” replies that guy, without missing a beat. Chase is a little lost for words, so Nico tells him they’re looking to taste a little darkforce. The man looks around and says they need to talk to the Pusher Man ‘bout that. Chase asks where they find him. The man opens his coat and they see a portal where his body should be.
Nico heads straight into it, followed by Chase. Inside, they find three people sat on a couch. An alarm is set off due to one of them carrying weapons. A pink-haired woman named Bo searches them. Chase apologizes that he’s carrying a switchblade, but Bo informs him that it’s his girlfriend that’s carrying. She lashes out at Nico with a knife, cutting Nico’s sleeve and nicking her arm. The Staff of One emerges from her chest, only for Bo to grab it from her. Her employer, Pusher Man, who looks like an upper class pimp, says they can now show these cats what they do to narcs.
(Elsewhere)
At the hospital, Captain America is looking on Dagger, who lies asleep on the bed. An orderly arrives with some food, and Cap asks him if she’s had any visitors, other than when Cloak was there. He tells Cap that the only person to stop by was Father Lantom. He’s a priest at St. Patrick’s, who usually comes by to do last rites and stuff. He spent an extra long time in here, now Cap mentions it. “Why do you ask?” he enquires as an idea pops into Cap’s head.
(Elsewhere again)
Victor, Gert and Old Yeller are also walking the snow-covered streets. They cross a road, and Vic thinks it’s amazing that they can do this. If they jaywalked in Los Angeles the cops would be all over them. Gert thinks that if that’s Utopia, then he should try her burrito. For a town that has so many great restaurants, their Mexican food is a crime against humanity. Old Yeller picks up a scent, and leads the pair of them to an alleyway between two shops.
Once they’re in, they hear a voice, which asks if they wouldn’t happen to know a fella named Cloak… tall, dark and billowy? Vic responds to the voice by charging himself up, ready for action. Who said that? he asks. The voice replies that he sorta figured Ty might try something like this, so he planted a tracer in that glove the cops found at the scene. He’s been from Harlem to Coney Island trying to find the signal. Now, it leads him to a couple of kids.
Gert asks him not to call her kid. Spider-Man then drops down beside them, hanging upside down from his webbing. “Wow… I was just telling a hairy little Canadian guy the same thing.”


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
East Coast/West Coast part 3
(St. Vincent’s Hospital, New York City)
A hospital orderly visits Dagger as she lies in her hospital bed in a coma. They’re from a secret admirer, and he’s about to put them near the window when she lights up the room using her powers.
(St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Downtown)
Molly is casually carrying a huge crate of donations as Cloak watches her. He apologizes for not pitching in but, since Tandy went into hospital, he finds his powers have been stretched to the limit. Father Lantom appears and suggests that he go catch some Z’s downstairs. He can look after the girl. Cloak appreciates it, and heads off for a few minutes repose.
Molly asks Father Lantom if they live in this castle. Not exactly, he replies. Cloak and Dagger are guests of the church, and he normally resides… elsewhere. He asks her to accompany him. There’s something he’s like to give her.
(Midtown)
In an alleyway, Spider-Man speaks with Victor Mancha and Gert. Spidey asks Vic if he’s the son of Electro, upon seeing blue sparks emanating from his mouth. Victor replies that he’s Ultron’s kid. Spidey takes that with some reservations, and turns to Gert, asking if she’s from another planet or something. She replies that she isn’t, but her dog’s a genetically engineered psychic dinosaur from the 87th century, usually. Vic says they’re not lying, and Spidey replies that he wasn’t being sarcastic. What with all the nutty wamajama he’s seen in his life, he’s whatever is the opposite of a skeptic.
Gert asks if they’re supposed to fight him now. “Do you want to fight?” he asks. Gert admits that she doesn’t, but they do want to help their buddy, Cloak, and every spandex cowboy in the city is out to get him. Spidey wonders if they mean the Avengers, because they’re good people. But, just because they’re on the same team doesn’t mean they always see eye to eye. Vic thinks it’s cool that he’s really with the Avengers now. Spidey jokes that they were offering a low annual fee, so he decided to enroll in the trial membership. As he’s freezing his cepalothorax off out there, he suggests heading to a local sushi bar and finishing this conversation indoors. Gert is more than pleased to toss her foul burrito away en route.
(a pocket dimension somewhere in time and space)
Pusher Man orders the room cleared. Things are about to get nasty. Bo watches Chase as Nico recovers from having the Staff of One yanked from her body. She asks Pusher Man if he wants to cave in their skulls, and he replies that she can kill the boy, but she should keep the Asian sensation. He’s sure he can find a use for her. Chase warns that if she lays a finger on Nico, the only thing he’ll be pushing up is daisies. Bo tells him that if he talks to her boss like that again, she’ll give his girlfriend a taste of her own voodoo.
Chase asks if they have any idea who sent them there. Nico asks him not to drag the others into this, but Chase has a plan. Pusher Man asks, politely, which super-powered Boy Scout troop they’re a part of. The Young Avengers? Or maybe those New Warrior cats from the TV? Chase doesn’t miss a beat. “We work for the Pride.” Pusher Man and Bo stop in their tracks as they digest this snippet of (false) information.
Pusher Man asks what the hell he’s talking about. Chase informs him that they’re the Pride’s kids. They wanted him and Nico to have a talk with him. Bo says Chase is lying. The Pride is dead. She saw it on 60 Minutes. Chase asks if they don’t know the old saying; the greatest trick the devil ever played was… convincing the world he got blown up, or whatever. Nico groans.
Chase continues to inform their captors that their folks new their rep was starting to leak out beyond the underworld, so they faked their deaths and sent them out to be their soldiers. Where do they think Nico got the Staff of One from? Plus, he adds, because they’re all minors, even if they get pinched, the law can only hold them until they turn eighteen.
Pusher Man doesn’t believe it. He doesn’t believe they’re still alive. His demeanor suddenly changes and he hugs Chase. He can’t believe it. He’s a huuuuge fan of his folks. Chase replies that they like his work too. Pusher Man stutters as he asks,” The Pride knows who I am?” He asks Chase to tell them he’s been following the rules. He doesn’t deal anywhere near Los Angeles. The only place he peddles is between dimensions, outside the feds’ jurisdiction.
Chase runs with it. He continues to inform Pusher Man that their parents appreciate it. However, a few nights ago, some dopehead got high on his mutant junk and dressed up like a do-gooder named Cloak. He teleported inside one of his dad’s workshops and stole some really valuable… cyber pants. His old man needs to know who he sold the drugs to. Pusher Man steps back, and replies that he doesn’t think so. If he starts giving out customer’s names, his “bidness dries up with a quickness.” He’s sure Chase’s daddy will understand.
Chase gets a little bolder, warning Pusher Man that his dad could buy and sell him a thousand times. Pusher Man then asks why it is then that he sent Chase to negotiate. He’s got respect for his family, but no uppity boy starts talking trash on his turf without getting the back of a pimp hand. Nico asks Chase to cut his losses and go home, but Chase is lost in his role. He tells Pusher Man that he isn’t scared of a dude wearing a cheap knockoff of his old Fistigons. When he kills a guy, he does it with his bare hands.
Pusher Man asks who exactly he has offed. Chase replies that it was some carjacker who tried taking his car when he was sixteen. He beat the life out of him and dumped his body in a landfill. He almost dares Pusher Man to take a shot. It’ll be the last thing he ever does. Pusher Man likes the way Chase rolls. He reminds him of when he himself was young. He asks Bo to give him the name of the freak who bought a dime bag of darkforce from them last week.
Bo isn’t happy about this, but complies and hands Nico her Staff of One back. She jests that this is why they’re not running the world - ‘cause when women see a younger version of themselves, it just makes them angry. Nico replies that, if she hadn’t already turned something into a dog today, she’d do it to her. Chase grabs her hand and yanks her away before they get grounded. As they depart, the naive Pusher Man asks Bo to fetch them a bottle of Cristal. He thinks they’ve just made some valuable friends.
Chase and Nico slip through the swirling gateway through which they entered Pusher man’s hangout, and Chase asks her to remind him to send Cloak back there to wipe them out. Nico, in her exuberance and glee, grabs Chase and lands a smacker on his lips. He pushes her away and asks what she’s doing. Nico says she doesn’t know. She was just so thankful to him for saving their lives. Chase reminds her that he has a girlfriend, and that he’s not into love triangles. Besides, he adds, he’s not into her like that.
Nico looks dejected. She doesn’t know what’s wrong with her. She doesn’t know why she keeps doing that. She feels evil. Chase assures her that it’s him who is evil, or at least he would be if Gert wasn’t there to keep him from going over the edge. Nico asks if what he said back there is true about him killing that carjacker. She hopes he was bluffing. Chase cuts the conversation short and suggests they go find some action.
(Sushibucks)
Spider-Man, Victor and Gert (with Old Yeller in tow) grab a bite to eat where it’s warm, despite the sign saying it’s closed. They’re getting a free meal due to Spidey saving the place from Hydro Man a few months back. Gert tells him that this grub still won’t get them to provide him with Cloak’s whereabouts. It takes more than free food to sell out their friends. Spidey says he’s not asking them to betray anyone. He’s been falsely accused of plenty of awful stuff in his life to give Cloak the benefit of the doubt. He just wants to find Tyrone before a trigger-happy S.W.A.T team or some angry mob does.
Vic suggests that he won’t have to do that if they can nab Cloak’s impostor, right? Maybe they can help each other. Spidey, whilst eating his sushi, replies that he got into this game when he was their age, so he’d feel like a hypocrite telling them to stay out of trouble, but if they really want to help, he figures they should lay low while he clears Ty’s name. Vic uses his powers subtly to manipulate his cutlery. He says they have powers and, in Spidey’s photographer friend’s book, Webs, it states that his motto is ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’
Gert reckons that’s stupid, because most people in life don’t have great power, and the few that do are almost never responsible with it. The people who have the greatest responsibility are the kids with no power, because they’re the ones who have to keep everyone else in check. Spidey looks at her. “Wow. You are totally gonna be an Avenger when you grow up.”
Chase and Nico enter the establishment at that moment. Nico asks if they’re okay. They saw Old Lace tied up outside and figured they must be in trouble. Chase checks out Spidey’s threads and says red and blue looks lame on him. He should go back to the black and white getup he wore when Chase was in grade school. Gert apologizes for her boyfriend. Spidey whispers, “He’s not related to a guy named Flash, is he?”
Vic informs Nico that it’s under control, but Nico isn’t so trusting. She aims her Staff of One at Spidey and orders him to step back from his prisoners. Spidey replies that she must have a majorette malfunction, and asks her to drop her baton. Nico attacks immediately by saying the word Hellfire. A burst of orange flames shoots out of the staff towards Spidey, who uses his agility to steer himself clear of danger. He fires his webs and grabs the staff, but Nico uses the word Dreamtime, which puts Spidey to sleep.
Vic asks what’s wrong with her. She assures him that it’s only a sleeping spell and will wear off quickly. Vic informs her that Spidey was trying to help them. Chase tells Vic that he’s new in their club, and they have one rule that they follow. They don’t trust people like him. “Heroes?” asks Vic. “No, adults,” replies Chase.
Gert actually backs them up, adding that Spidey was probably just trying to lure them into his web so he could turn Cloak and them over to the cops. Nico tells them that they have other pests to worry about. She and Chase just found out that a creep named Reginald Mantz traded pharmaceuticals stolen from the hospital where he works for MGH laced with the same drug that made Cloak. Gert asks her to back up. Did she say he works for a hospital?
(St. Vincent’s Hospital)
The hospital orderly asks Dagger to stop glowing like that, despite her being in a coma. If she keeps it up, they’re gonna take her out of there, and he can’t let that happen. He says he’s loved her ever since he first saw her picture in the Daily Bugle. That’s why he brought her there after… after she was so bad to him; so they could still be close. He’s done everything to be the kinda man she needs, hasn’t he? He gulps down a pill of MGH and a rapid transformation begins. He transforms into a Cloak-like figure, as he asks why she’s trying to ruin what they have. Didn’t she like his flowers? Dagger remains seemingly oblivious to his insane muttering.
(St. Patrick’s Cathedral)
Father Lantom and Molly are sat in the pews, and he gives her a present. It’s a new phone, and Molly asks if it has Tetris on it. Father Lantom replies that what it does have is his number at the rectory programmed into its memory. He’s just the touch of a button away from her now. He explains that he’s been working with runaways long enough to know that he can’t force her into foster care, but if the day ever comes when she wants to be with a family again, she shouldn’t hesitate to call.
Molly doesn’t think she can take the phone. She already has a family - Chase, Old Lace, Gert, Nico and even Victor… except when he’s being a butt-tard. The priest tells her that it might seem like fun now, but children her age need guidance and stability. His sentence is interrupted by Captain America, who has entered the cathedral. He is flanked by fellow Avengers, Iron Man and Wolverine. Cap was wondering if they might ask him a few questions.
Father Lantom stands and asks what they’re doing. This is a sanctuary. Molly is surprised but happy to see Wolverine there. Iron Man says that he’s sorry to disturb him, but Captain America has reason to believe he is harboring a fugitive named…
Cap interrupts, and remarks that he knows the girl. She’s one of the Pride’s children. Wolverine asks Iron Man to watch the door. He’ll guard the kid. Father Lantom puts his arm around molly to protect her, but Wolverine approaches quickly, jumping over the pews. He warns him to get away from Molly.
Molly doesn’t see the danger. She asks Wolverine if she can touch his hair. Her friend Karolina said that he uses gel, but she thinks that it just grows that way ‘cause he’s a mutant, too. She adds that she used to have a poster of him and Doop in her bedroom when she was little. She thinks he’s even cooler than Doop, and she liked that time when he and the other X-Men met the Fantastic Four and…
Father Lantom warns Wolverine that he’s making a terrible mistake, and that everyone in the church is innocent. Wolverine snikts his claws. “Get away from her!!” he shouts. Molly’s eyes begin to glow as she screams.


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
East Coast/West Coast conclusion
(New York City)
The runaways are traveling by magic carpet over the streets of New York. Nico is using the Staff of One to transport her friends, and Chase is wondering why she couldn’t have summoned an enchanted helicopter for them instead. Nico informs him that, for her staff to work, she first has to conjure painful memories. Anything that makes her feel guilty does the trick, and whatever it is she thinks about, something convenient just kinda pops out. She can’t control what.
Gert asks, whilst they’re speaking of the dark arts, whether she could evolve Old Lace into something more prehistoric and less adorable before they go into battle. Nico replies that her incantation will wear off by itself soon enough. Chase wonders what happens if their magic carpet ride suddenly hits its expiration date, but Vic doesn’t think it’ll be a problem, considering they’re going the wrong way. He’s been studying Manhattan since the day he was born, and their cathedral is uptown. Nico informs him that they’re not going to the cathedral. Chase reminds him that they’re going to see Reginald Mantz. He’s the orderly at St. Vincent’s pretending to be Cloak. It’s the same hospital where Dagger is laid up.
Vic wonders if they should go back to home base and tell the real Cloak that they found out who attacked his partner, but Gert says there’s no time. Who knows what this pervy addict is doing to Dagger while she’s in her coma. Vic enquires about Molly. Shouldn’t the whole team be together when handing a new villain? Nico thinks they can handle it, and besides, Molly deserves a night off.
(St. Patrick’s cathedral)
Molly’s screaming has caused Wolverine to take a step backwards, and Captain America asks her to please stop screaming. They aren’t going to hurt her. They just wanted to have a few words with a wanted man named… Molly continues screaming, and Wolverine holds his head, asking her if she’s ever heard of heightened senses. He gives her exactly three seconds to stop drilling a hole in his brain, and begins his countdown.
After two seconds, Wolverine is smashed unceremoniously through the church door and into a pile of snow outside. He lays face down, feeling the after effects of the kind of punch only a mutant eleven year-old girl can deliver. “Only 198 mutants left on the stinkin’ planet, and that girl’s gotta be one of ‘em,” he grumbles.
Cap lifts his shield and asks Iron Man to position himself for maneuver epsilon and to wait for his word. Molly tells Iron Man that, if he touches her, she’ll punch his face off. She mistakes him for Ultron. Father Lantom says that Molly is only a child. This is madness. Cloak then appears, and says the father is correct. He is the one they want. Molly calls for him to run while she holds these dork-faces off, but he thanks her, saying he’s tired of running.
Cap says that’s a wise decision, and asks him to remove his cloak. Just then, Iron Man receives a priority one transmission from L.C. and S.W. They say they just spotted Cloak inside Dagger’s hospital room!
Molly wishes to go and kick the fake’s butt, and so Cloak envelops her in his cloak and vanishes, leaving Cap sprawling on the floor after trying to get him to wait. Wolverine reappears and asks if they can make a deal. He won’t tell anybody about tonight if they don’t.
(St. Vincent’s Hospital, New York City)
Reginald Mantz, in his Cloak form, prevents Tandy from screaming, and asks her to go back to sleep. He doesn’t know how much of her light power he can absorb without killing her. Luke Cage then enters the room and orders him to back up. He asks who he is. Reginald turns to see who is speaking, and recognizes Luke as being Power Man. He knows Luke teamed up with Dagger to fight Tombstone three years ago. He still has the article in his scrapbook. He stretches his cloak to grab Luke and lift him from the ground. Spider-Woman also arrives, and says she doesn’t know who he is, but his mother should never have let him out of the basement.
Reginald warns her to stop trying to seduce him with her pheromones. Dagger’s the only girl he’ll love. Luke asks Jessica to be cool, adding that Reginald doesn’t want to hurt him. He tells Reginald that he isn’t Power Man any more. He’s Luke Cage and he’s got a kid. He wouldn’t hurt a dad, would he? Reginald replies coldly that his old man ran off when he was just a baby. What does he care about fathers? He hurls Luke at Jessica, and they both crash through a window, several stories up.
He then picks up Dagger in his cloak and phases them both through the ceiling and onto the hospital roof. Why do people always tell him what to do? he whines. He’s a grown man. As he appears on the roof, the runaways are waiting for him. Gert says that the evil ones usually are. Reginald doesn’t recognize them from the official handbook of heroes. Are they new? Nico points her Staff of One at him. “Please,” she replies, “New York, New Wave, New Avengers… ‘new’ is just another way of saying old. Sunburst!”
Her staff’s power creates a somewhat disappointing burst of light that causes Reginald to fall over, but nothing more. He stands and informs her that he absorbs light. It only makes him stronger. He uses the cloak to reach out and push the runaways away from him. Gert and Old Yeller are shoved to the edge of the roof and over, but Victor suddenly takes to the air, manipulates the fire escape using his electromagnetic powers, and carefully catches her.
Chase is impressed that he can fly. Vic picks Gert up and asks if she thinks Chase will stop calling him names now. Gert thinks not, but she’ll stop flicking paper clips at his face while he’s asleep. “That was you?” he replies. Old Yeller suddenly transforms back into Old Lace, and growls at the rooftop high above them. Gert hopes this doesn’t mean Nico is dead.
On the roof, Chase warns Reginald that, if his girl is so much as bruised down there, he will destroy him. Reginald responds by saying he hates stupid jocks always bragging about having a girlfriend. Well, he has one, too, and she’s a lot prettier than his fat chick. Chase picks up the Staff of One from the snow and replies that he hopes his health insurance sucks. He utters a few useless magic words, which fail to snap the staff into action. Reginald asks if forgot to read the manual. He might as well give up. As long as his body’s pumped full of the best MGH in the city, he can’t touch him.
Chase thanks him for the tip. “Detox!” he cries. The staff glows, and its mysterious energies hit Reginald full in the chest. His body suddenly rejects the drugs in his system, and he regurgitates what’s left onto the roof. Chase holds his mouth. “Must… not… sympathy puke…”
Nico recovers, and asks Chase how he did that. Chase picks her up and replies that he doesn’t know, but he’s never doing it again. Seriously, he adds. The fruity guy who got eaten by his own tiger will go back to magic before he does. Dagger also comes round and asks where she is. Nico places her jacket over Tandy’s shoulders, and tells her it’s over. That’s all that matters.
The real Cloak then arrives with Molly in tow. Victor uses his powers to raise himself, Gert and Old Lace to the roof, and everyone is back together again. Gert thinks that they should vamoose. A dozen squad cars just pulled up downstairs. Tandy asks Ty who these people are, and he replies that they’re friends. He’ll explain everything later, but for now, he owes them a return trip. He asks her to remain there and relax. The Avengers will handle her assailant.
Molly leads Victor to Cloak and says that Wolverine and Mister America will probably be there soon. Vic asks if she met those guys. Molly replies that she did, but they were stupid. Super heroes are for little kids. She’ll teach him all about it on the way home.
Before entering Ty’s cloak, Gert says no offense, but his town may be a nice place to live, but it’s a lousy place to visit. Ty admits that he believes it might be time for Cloak and Dagger to find a new city in need of their protection. Nico asks Chase to hold up as they approach Cloak. She hopes her little slip of the tongue isn’t going to go any further. Chase tells her that as long as she doesn’t repeat what he said back in Pusher Man’s joint, then his lips are sealed.
Dagger suddenly remembers the runaways. She says they’re the Pride’s kids, right, from Los Angeles? She asks where their leader, Alex, is. Nico informs her that he’s gone, just like their parents. Tandy apologizes, but Nico says it’s all right. When your team is made up of a bunch of runaways, you can’t expect them all to stick around forever.
(elsewhere)
This conversation is being watched by the new Pride. A female uses a cauldron to create an image of the scene so everyone can watch. She thinks it looks like the Stein’s book was right again. Her eye-spy cauldron, which they lifted from the old Minoru place, shows that their enemy clan is heading back to the City of Angels as they speak. Her companion, who is playing a video game, replies that the Stein’s tome isn’t just some book. It’s the Abstract. Each copy breaks down the past and future of the Pride. A third guy, eating a burger, asks what tomorrow holds for them. Their leader replies that tomorrow they rest, but before the year is up, one of them is going to die!


[User]
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Provide a full summary of the comic book.

[Assistant]
first story: Mollifest Destiny
first story:
(Los Angeles, eight years ago)
Police are on the scene at a warehouse in order to investigate a massacre. Bodies of heavily armed super-villains lie on the ground as Anderson informs command that they have a situation. Everyone is dead except for one guy, who appears to have witnessed everything. Drool is formed around his mouth and tears are dried to his cheek. They wonder what could have done this.
(X-Men Headquarters, Graymalkin Industries, The Marin Headlands, now)
Molly Hayes has arrived at the X-Men's HQ where she is greeted by Colossus and Beast. She asks whoever is inside her head and telling her to come to San Francisco to please shut up now. It's giving her a really big headache. Colossus bends over and says hello, but before he has chance to speak to Molly, Hank interrupts and tells him that the less communicating, the less chance for misunderstanding. He tells Molly that she'll be wanting to see Miss Frost.
Watching from high above the Golden Gate Bridge are the runaways who view Molly's entrance from the flying Leapfrog. Victor tells them that she's in, and Chase asks if they're fighting yet. Karolina, sporting a Dazzler T-shirt, begins to tell him that it's not like she's going to just start a fight, but gives up when she realizes that she's probably wrong. Victor thinks that this is a terrible idea. Just for the record, he wants it known that, when the city blows up, they can all think back to this moment and remember that he called it. Nico replies that at least they're consistent with their bad decisions. Besides, what was she supposed to do? Molly's been harping on about this for weeks. Victor tells her that she's acting like Molly's going to summer camp. They just dropped her off with a mutant strike force because she says she's hearing voices in her head. Karolina thinks that's a little harsh. Molly is a mutant, too, and Kitty seemed nice, remember? She'll take care of Molly... until the fighting starts. Then they'll come pick her up. Klara asks where mutants come from. "Angstville," replies Karolina, "Now let's go eat."
Inside the X-Men's headquarters, Emma Frost is chatting with Cyclops. She believes that they should have been a little more selective with their little invitations for all mutants to come to San Francisco. She has very few limits, but being in the same room as... as that... it simply is not going to happen. She adds that Scott is a little afraid of her. Scott folds his arms in a defensive manner and denies this, adding that it's just that children don't like him, and she is much more motherly. Emma replies that she's going to slap him. She asks where the other urchins are that Molly runs with. Scott informs her that he sent a squad to keep an eye on them. "What are you not telling me? he asks. Emma tells him that she knew of Molly's parents. The Hellfire Club reached out to the Hayeses, but it went... poorly. She informs him that they were monsters. The girl is better off without them but she needs a mentor - someone other than her. Fine, replies Scott. He's the leader of the X-Men so he'll handle this, by delegating.
(shortly)
"Wolverine is a jerk!" cries Molly, as Logan holds his head in his hands. "And he smells like beers!" Logan swears that he's going to kill Summers. Molly says that she'd rather go with the tall shiny metal guy or the cat monkey guy than him. Emma reads Wolverine's thoughts, and Scott asks her what's happening. She tells him that Logan's actually visualizing disemboweling Scott now. It's quite disturbing, and Molly's asking for ice cream.
(San Francisco)
It's a beautiful day, and the runaways have made their way to the waterfront. Chase reckons it's way too clean in this place, and they only have one In-n-Out Burger in the whole city. How do these people survive? Nico admits that the lack of helicopters is freaking her out. Karolina feels that they're being unfair. They're in the touristy area, after all. She wishes Xavin was there. Nico reminds them that they're not staying. Molly's checking in with the X-Men and then they're off. "What if she wants to stay?" asks Karolina. Chase doesn't reckon that's gonna happen. A) The X-Men are tools. They're gonna give Mol the tour and sales pitch and she's gonna hate it. Secondly, the X-Men are tools. He doesn't notice Rockslide's huge body looming over him as he speaks. The others, however, do, and Vic asks Chase to ixnay on the "Men-xay are toolays." Rockslide leans over and asks what Vic just said. Chase barely registers him, but then turns to see Anole saying that he thinks 'turn around' was probably the gist of it.
Alongside them are several other Young X-Men including Dust, Loa and Mercury. Nico quips that this is why they should never leave the house. Chase bags the silver girl and the tattoo girl if they start fighting. Rockslide asks them to listen up. They're the X-Men, almost, and they're here to deal with them. Chase says they're not, and asks 'Fraggle Rock' if he can get his gloves out of the car before they tangle. Rockslide replies that it's okay.
(the worst tour ever)
Wolverine shows Molly, sporting her pig satchel, around the headquarters. She isn't interested in the bathrooms and hallways. She wants to see some super hero stuff. "And there's the door..." jokes Logan. He takes her to see the Blackbird, but she isn't interested as it doesn't talk to them like Leapfrog does. Plus, black is boring, but then Nico likes black and she takes care of them, so that's okay. She moves on to Cerebro where she meets the Stepford Cuckoos. One of them alarms Molly by pointing out that if she happened to be in the bathroom when they psychically scanned her, then they would see her using the... Molly screams before she can finish the sentence.
She moves on to the War Room where a live feed hologram of Storm dominates the center. Logan's asked her to come home, but she says that she can't. She notices Molly standing there and asks who she is. Molly replies that she's Princess Powerful, and asks Ororo if she's really a queen. When she grows up she guesses she'll be Queen Powerful, but then asks why her eyes are like that. Can she see okay? She points out her white hair and asks how old she is. Ororo can't deal with this and hangs up.
Next up is the science lab where Beast and his team are working. Molly talks constantly, and Dr. Nemesis tells Beast that if she doesn't shut up, he's going to dissect her. Beast quips that he's alarmingly fine with that. She's still talking by the time they reach the kitchen. Molly tucks into an ice cream as Logan pulls his hair out. There's only one thing for it.
(the classroom)
Molly can't believe that she would actually have to go to school. She asks where all the X-kids are. Logan replies that they keep them separated now, in case of rocket attacks. "For real?" gasps Molly. Wolverine then takes Molly to the Danger Room. She thinks it's a dumb name. What's the dangerous part? Boredom? Logan informs her that it's not turned on yet. "I knew that..." she replies. Prodigy calls down from the control room and asks Logan what intensity level he wants it at. "Ten hundred thousand," replies Logan, and he's not joking now. Prodigy places the level at 'one' and building blocks begin to form inside the room. Logan explains that they're nano-somethings. It builds stuff for you to fight. Molly asks what kind of stuff, but before Logan can reply that it can be anything you think of, Molly asks for a unicorn... and butterflies. Prodigy creates them and Molly seems impressed. Before she can do anything, Logan asks for it to be turned off.
Molly tells him to turn it back on. She was still playing. Logan bends down and explains that it's not a game. He doesn't know if she keeps up with current events, but there used to be millions of mutants and now there are under two hundred. They're not 'super heroes' anymore. They're trying to survive, and maybe, if they're lucky, they won't become extinct. Molly's bottom lip pops out and she asks if he's saying that they're not super heroes anymore. That's dumb. Logan tells her that she doesn't know what she's talking about. She a spoilt brat who lives in a fantasy land, and he doesn't have time to play mommy and daddy for her.
Molly smashes Wolverine right through the ceiling and into Scott's office, where Emma gets covered in debris. She flicks some stone from her clean white gloves and Scott grins. He asks Logan how it's going with Molly. Logan looks back at him and replies, slightly angrily, that he better pray that she leaves, because if she doesn't, he's going to beep kill her, and then he's going to find Scott and beeeep beep beep kill him and then he's gonna beep beeeep, right in the beeep head. That's how it's going beep."
They head downstairs and find Molly leaving. Emma asks her not to walk away. They can call her a taxi... Scott asks her to give it another try. She won't have to run any more. All mutants are welcome and her friends would be too. He's already sent a team to check in with them. Molly grinds to a halt and turns to Scott. Doesn't he know anything? she asks. They're just gonna fight. Someone has to take her to them right now.
(San Francisco, 98 miles per hour)
Wolverine drives his green mustang fast across Sutter. The car is airborne as he quips that he needs to get his special sword and get her to cut off his head with it. He asks for confirmation that her parents were super-villains. What the hell kind of super-villains raised her? Evil Care Bears? My Little Evil Pony? Molly asks him not to talk about her parents. He tells her that she would have been better if they'd made her evil, too. At least she'd have a better picture of how the world works. He stops talking and sniffs the air. Mol asks if he's smelling her but, before he can reply, he grabs her and leaps from the car which then explodes. Logan bleeds heavily as several heavily armed troops approach them. Just before she passes out, Molly weakly exclaims that they are toast. Her friends will save...
(the X SF Dance Club on Harrison)
The runaways and Young X-Men dance together as Pixie flies overhead, loving the music and lightshow. They are totally unaware of Molly and Logan's plight.
(elsewhere)
Molly wakes up. She is hanging upside down and wrapped in chains. Wolverine is similarly bound and hangs beside her. He is already conscious. Several soldiers stand around with their shoulder-held weapons trained on the two mutants. She thinks she's back home with her mom for an instant, and then wonders if she's in the Danger Room, because this seems a lot more dangerous. Logan asks her not to freak. He'll handle this. Molly bawls that this is his fault. Someone tried to blow her up because of him! An older guy wearing the same armor as the others corrects her. They didn't come for him, they came for her. He explains that it took him a year to find her, but now he's finally going to have his revenge on the Outcasts. Her parents!
Molly tells him that she doesn't remember seeing him on any of their pictures. Were they friends? The guy almost laughs. "Friends?! Do you even know who your parents were, girl?" Molly replies that she knows that they were super-villains. The guy replies that they weren't super-villains. He's a super-villain. What they were was far worse.
(flashback - eight years ago)
He and his crew were going to make a play for a chunk of the Pride's territory. Her parents killed them all right in front of him. They did something to him... made him watch. He couldn't stop watching. He ended up in hospital, unable to close his eyes due to what they did to him. The nurses had to put drops in them to keep them moist. He couldn't close his eyes to sleep, and almost went insane. After seven years it stopped.
(present)
"Seven Years!!" he cries. Molly replies that she doesn't believe him. Her parents wouldn't do that. Wolverine asks her not to listen to the guy, but he interrupts and says he's not finished yet. He adds that Molly's parents killed anyone who even thought about trespassing on the Pride's turf. Her parents were cruel, sadistic murderers. They hurt people and they liked it... he watched them enjoy it. Tears well in Molly's eyes as he informs her that her parents killed families and children. They killed anyone who stood in their way and anyone who crossed them, sometimes just for being human. Now they are dead and in hell, so that's where he's going to send her, so they know that he got payback. Wolverine interjects by asking if he's all done, or is there more to his sob story? He reckons the girl is more of a man than he is.
"Kill him," he orders. Logan quickly asks Molly to close her eyes, just as several shots ring out. They hit Logan in his torso and also shatter the chains that bind him. He falls to the ground, seemingly dead. The boss points his gun at Molly's head and asks her to tell her parents, when she sees them, that it was him. Before he pulls the trigger, Wolverine is already up and has his claws extended. He quickly slices his way through the soldiers, reminding Molly to close her eyes as he wades through them. He kicks the boss in the chest and he falls to the ground. He puts his claws right up to his flesh. "You wanna talk to people in hell? Get ready?" Before he can kill the guy, Molly shouts for him to stop. She reminds him that super-villains kill people, not super heroes. He's a super hero, not like her parents. Logan pauses and the guy gets up. He tells Molly that he's sorry her parents are dead... sorry he couldn't kill them himself. Molly's eyes glow, and she smashes the guy through the roof, heading rapidly skywards.
With the danger over, Logan asks if Molly is okay. She lowers her head and says that her parents were bad people. They were always nice to her. They said they loved her. But... what he said... Logan kneels down and cuddles her, assuring her that whatever the guy said, her parents did love her. Super-villain or not, anyone who has a kid as good as her couldn't have been all bad.
(later)
The sun begins to set over the headland as the runaways collect Molly. Victor tells her that he knows that they were kind of down on the X-Men before, but she really should give them another try. They're so nice. The students were so much fun. She's going to love it. Nico agrees that she should seriously consider it. Molly replies that the place is horrible. They are taking her home right now or she will beat them up forever. The Leapfrog then takes off and the runaways leave San Francisco behind.