Issue 5 - No Laughing Matter (The Hunter-Scavenger)
"Maybe it will be better if I explain what is trying to be acomplished here. I expect you're worried about those who misuse power after acquiring it, which is understandable. But that is already the reality. You see it every day in the supervillains you face. I want to level the playing field."
—Hyena, monologuing to the heroes
Recap
*"News flash! City in riot! Police believe the the agitators are members of the extremist Egali-Darwinist movement, dedicated to tearing down entrenched power structures. Snapshots of the purported leader have been obtained:"
Our heroes respond to a city in crisis, as Egali-Darwinist activists clash with police. They attempt to subdue the rioters as they work toward the reported location of the revolution's leader, Hyena: The Centropolis Stock Exchange. Flex and Paragon arive on scene and help law enforcement to hold the hooligans at bay as our heroes press forward to their destination.
There they find her coercing the Exchange's tech workers to help corrupt the global economic data system. Nearby, a makeshift arena has formed with stock brokers and hedge fund managers equipped with superpowered biomechanical technology fighting each other as a rowdy crowd cheers on.
Our heroes confront Hyena, now revealed as their associate Helena, who welcomes them and invites them to join her revolution. The heroes refuse, pledging to stop her. She expresses disappointment, and states perhaps she ought to have known better that someone as birth-gifted as Topaz would not want the scales balanced.
A vicious fight ensues, with Hyena demonstrating the power of her Bio-Cybernetic Engine to mimic the powers of others whose samples she had collected, including hitting Topaz with a gem blast. Dangerous as anything were her exoskeleton's own razors and jaws, which took the life of noble Paladin before the heroes were finally able to put her on the back foot.
It is then she utilized Flex's quake powers to begin collapsing the building around her – If she could not destroy the global economy, she could at least destroy the hub of Centropolis'. Realizing the need to escape, the heroes made it out just in time to see the Stock Exchange crumble atop Hyena.
Thereafter, they were regaled as saviors of the globe, having prevented a worldwide economic catastrophe and the spread of the Egali-Darwinist Revolution.
All in a day's work.
Highlights
- Topaz successfully goaded Hyena into fighting the heroes without support in order to prove herself.
- Paladin heroically sacrificed himself in the climactic battle, helping to clinch victory.
Characters and NPCs
Notes
- Hyena's body was not found in the rubble. Her fate remains unknown.
- In retrospect, it has become clear that Hyena baited Killervolt to attack the Centropolis Mall in order to knock out the electrical grid powering the Metahuman Research Center (location). She then led a team to infiltrate the facility and acquire samples for use with her Bio-Cybernetic Engine to enable the uprising. Brain Leech also taking advantage of the window was unplanned.
