(1) Production of the TV show Winter Knights, produced by Remington Enterprises, was starting and all of the heroes, in one capacity or another, were present. When a squad of Viper agents (who had recently started terrorizing the city) attacked the crew, a battle ensued with the heroes as the victors. Upon completion of the fight, Dynamo extended an invitation to join The Hawk to Midnight Cross and Pallequin. The two accepted and within the next couple of days, officially joined the group.

(2) The team's next outing had them investigating a string of murders. Due to the condition of the bodies, Howler was a suspect briefly, though released when facts arose that the killers were vampires. The Hawk fought a gang of vampires, destroying them with Pallequin and Dynamo's flame powers.

(3) Two weeks later, Junior (The Golden Eagle Helicopter II) had been completed, just in time for more vampires arrive in town; this time with mortal super-human leaders. The gang turned out to be The Evicted Demonz, a group of escaped mental patients from the Alister Institute for the Criminally Insane. Again, all of the vampires met with destruction and two of the three super human villains apprehended. Pallequin began a city-long aerial chase, concluding with him capturing the villain known as Claw and decapitating him in front of an audience of innocent people. A brief struggle ensued between half the team and the police over Claw, Pallequin not wanting to part with his severed-head trophy.

Pallequin believed he knew whom the unseen leader of the Evicted Demonz was, but refused to disclose the identity to the rest of the group. Bolt and the decapitated body of Claw (it was surviving without the head) returned to the Alister Institute for the Criminally Insane, while Overkill remained at large.

(4) A month later, Pallequin, Dynamo and Howler attend a campaign benefit for Dallas Frost, the man running against DA Harold Gray for District Attorney. Frost is also a chief stockholder in Neska International, a major European industry, and a well-respected man in the Chicago community. Squads of Viper foot soldiers, accompanied by three air snakes, attack the benefit in an attempt to kidnap Frost. The heroes defeat them, with assistance from a new hero named Shade. He confides in the heroes that he works in the DA's office, and that he will see what he can find out.

Meanwhile, Midnight Cross had his hands full. While filming the season cliffhanger of Winter Knights at the Mayor's home, Viper attacked. Their attempt to kidnap the Mayor and DA Gray was thwarted by Cross, with help from Mark Wessel and Stephanie Parker; the TV show's special effects crew.

(5) Two days later, Midnight Cross and Dynamo, with the help of Shade, covertly questioned one of the captured Viper agents. Through a bit of magic, they learned that Viper's plan was to kidnap Illinois 5 most important people. Knowing that three of them were the Mayor, DA Gray and Frost, the pair deduced that the other two had to be Lexington Inc. executive Larry Carter (their boss) and the Governor. Both men were in Rockford for a campaign rally. Afraid that Viper might strike again, Cross and Howler stayed in Chicago while Pallequin, Dynamo and Shade went to Rockford.

Upon their arrival, the group made contact with Special Agent Johnson, head of the Governor's security squad and fellow super. Between The Hawk, Johnson's agents and the added assistance of Ex-Warrior Captain Miracle (who most believed to be dead), Viper was swiftly disposed of upon their arrival. After the fight, Johnson quickly escorted the Governor out of town. Upon seeing his fellow Ex-Warrior, Carter greeted Miracle warmly, asking him to join the Hawk. He reluctantly accepted a communicator, though he passed on membership due to "things having changed."

Upon their return, the group learned that another thwarted attempt was made on the Mayor, Frost had issued a political stance against The Hawk and a buy-out bid had been made on Lexington Inc. by Neska International.

(6) Viper had laid off the kidnapping attempts over the weeks that followed, but moved on to robberies of all sorts. In addition, Carter discovered that Neska is in the process of buying another company in Chicago, Duchess Industries. Carter had set out to convince the heads of Neska to buy Duchess instead. The Hawk learn that Viper is in the process of robbing a bank, and arrive in time to find one agent left behind as Viper makes their escape underground. After questioning the agent, The Hawk discovers the location of the current Viper nest and strike out in force. They also learn that Viper has recruited a local gang as agents and is using their headquarters as the base.

The Hawk attacked the abandoned apartment building, quickly defeating the Viper agents inhabiting the place. Without warning, the building collapses with them inside as the group rides the rubble to the ground. From beneath the foundation, a group of Viper Elite (super-powered Viper agents last seen in the Houston area) attack. After a rather lengthy battle, The Hawk emerged victorious, believing that they had finally shut down Viper in Chicago.

(7) Shortly after, a movie company came to Chicago to shoot a movie about The Windy City Warriors. Carter had given his blessing on the script and the first day of shooting commenced. The Hawk went to the first day and the press conference. In attendance for The Hawk is Midnight Cross and Captain Miracle, with Howler in his alter ego covering the event. Once shooting had begun, The Hawk and Carter retired to Moe's Tavern, The Warriors old hangout and background scenery for the movie. Inside, Carter finds a woman who looks exactly like his deceased wife. The heroes are suspicious, but find nothing wrong with him reliving some pleasant memories.

In the middle of filming the first scene, the appearance of the surviving members of The Outcasts - The Warriors old arch nemesis - causes a disturbance. The Hawk does battle with the older villains, making relatively short work of them and capturing three of the five. They also stress to the villains the fact that they are messing with a new brand of heroes. The outcome, however, is the same ... their defeat. After the police arrive and escort them away, the two heroes return to the bar where they find Carter making headway with the waitress, not even noticing the battle that commenced outside.

Two days later, The captured Outcasts are in route to their arraignment when Shadowsword and Bullett attack the police. Shade, as part of the escort convoy, attempts to stop the breakout with the help of a new hero calling herself Vision. Bullett regains his speed powers by absorbing the life energy of his old friend Monolith. The two heroes are unsuccessful in stopping the breakout, as all the surviving Outcasts. As they disappear from sight through teleportation, Shade's Hawk beeper goes off.

(8.a) Midnight Cross signals Shade after finding out from the planetarium of an approaching space ship. With Pallequin headed towards Toronto, Captain Miracle and Howler in Rockford and Dynamo still on sabbatical, the added help of Vision was welcomed as the trio took to the skies in Junior.

After the one-man ship crash-landed in Lake Eerie, Cross plays diplomat and befriends Krai-Ron, a lost Star Knight. As the group works on ensuring Krai-Ron's safety and trying to contact the proper assistance, operatives of the Cyberpunks arrive to steel the new alien technology. Krai-Ron and the Hawk join forces to defeat the cyborgs, recover the damaged spacecraft and return to the Hawks Nest. Membership is offered to Vision as Krai-Ron is escorted to Los Angeles for debriefing by fellow Star Knight N'tx'n.

(8.b) The next night had Pallequin checking on Toronto gangs that had turned up missing. He stumbles upon an occult convention where he meets an old man who deals in old occult books. He also has another run-in with Overkill, who has apparently his ties with the vampires. In a battle between them, Overkill escapes with the help of a newly armored Spectre.

(8.c) At about the same time, Howler was searching the woods of Rockford for some hint of his origin. A strange group arrives at his campsite and transform into werewolves, attacking him and calling him the "wolfkiller". After defeating the pack and questioning the leader-pro-temp (the Alpha Female was absent from the pack), Howler gains a chronicle of their existence, including entries about him. Howler returns to Chicago after disposing of the bodies, keeping his newfound knowledge to himself.

(8.d) One week later, Cross learns that Fireforce, leader of the L. A. Police Unit Strikeforce, co-founder of HeroNet and ex-Champion of Justice was arriving in town to form a Chicago branch of the unit. Cross also learns that, on the same day, Lexington Inc. is hosting an international trade meeting with several Japanese businesses. Carter also asks Cross for help in straightening up the old Warriors headquarters, which they do until Carter's girlfriend shows up with her young son. Cross takes the boy on a tour of the Hawks Nest, finishing with the computer center where he sets him up on computer games and returns to work.

(9) The following week, Cross, Pallequin and Howler were conducting personal business around the Nest when they heard a noise from the room of Dynamo. He had returned from sabbatical with several changes, including a pet baby dragon named Jade. The reunion moved to Moe's Tavern where Carter, Shade and Vision join them. After a few drinks and conversation, the group travels to O'Hare to greet their arriving guests.

Fireforce arrives with no difficulty, but android terrorists attack the terminal of the visiting executive's airplane. With the airport shut down through computer control, the team divided into several small groups to handle the crises. Cross headed for the control tower where he found Heartbreak already at work on the situation. They worked together to hack a radio together and signal the airplanes to divert to other airports. Howler, Fireforce, Shade and Pallequin worked from one side destroying androids, while Vision and the newly arrived Captain Miracle landed the businessman's airplane and started working from the opposite end. Meanwhile, Dynamo set to work re-lighting the runways and, after the plane disappeared, searching for the executives.

It was Cross and Heartbreak that ended up finding the plane, though, and sent the entire team to converge on the hangar. Inside, they discovered another army of androids surrounding the plane. Dynamo played the part of the Pied Piper, diverting the robots while the rest of the team attacked the plane. Inside they discovered that the criminal known as Bald Helmet (of the defunct Society for the Facilitation of Entropy), with the help of an artificial intelligent chair-ship, was the one behind the kidnapping. A short battle commenced, after which the chair fled. Dynamo followed and brought down Bald Helmet and the chair just outside Joliet. When Dynamo came back with Bald Helmet, everything returned to normal as Heartbreak had disappeared in the confusion.

(11) As Carter's wedding day rolled around, the heroes still had their suspicions and stood ready for a surprise attack. Their fears are correct when a giant robot and several members of the Outcasts attack the chapel, with the brides half of the wedding party joining the fray. The bride herself proves to be the leader of the group: Potion. The Outcasts, with the assistance of the leader of the werewolf pack – Beastia - attempt to kidnap Carter, but the attempt has to be broken off. All but Overkill escapes, leaving behind a heartbroken Carter.

In the woods behind the chapel where Howler and Beastia battled, the heroes find their friend transformed into a wolf with no sign of a cure. The Hawk returns to the Nest knowing that they have not seen the last of the Outcasts.

(12) Things are not all fun and games at the team's one-year anniversary party as both Shade and Vision announce that they have to go on reserve status due to job transfers in their alternate lives. The celebration continues to go south when a delivery arrives for Pallequin containing a vampire head. It sends our favorite demon off on a vampire hunt to a lower class strip bar down south. The Hawk, much to Pallequin's displeasure, follows suite. Upon arriving at the bar, Pallequin seeks out Fang and begins to do battle. Their fight takes them through the back rooms and into the lower levels of the establishment. Meanwhile, the rest of the Hawk discovers that the entire bar is full of vampires and must battle their way through in order to rejoin their companion. Thankfully, however, there is one other human in the midst – Heartbreak – who assists them in their fight. As they find Pallequin, however, various other demons arrive and kidnap both him and Fang, disappearing through a dimensional portal.

The Hawk is able to follow the demons into the bowels of Der Nacht itself thanks to the magical abilities of Dynamo. Vision is instantly overwhelmed by the pain and anguish around her, but is brought back to function by Cross and Heartbreak, and the Captain finds that his costume has changed colors. The ensemble manages to work together to find Pallequin, who has been crucified upside down on a cross which has been staked through Fang's heart. The team reclaims their fallen comrade, freeing Fang in the process, and starts their journey back. Not all goes as planned, however, as the lord of the dimension and his minions arrive. The battle seems very one-sided with the heroes getting beat upon until Cross and the Captain find themselves supercharged through heavenly influence. It is then their turn to start whooping butt while the rest rush to escape. The entire entourage escapes to mend their wounds and ponder the events of the day ... as well as their lives.

(13) While Pallequin continues healing from his trip to Der Nacht, Dynamo helps Shade move to Springfield. In the middle of his morning workout, Pallequin has an overwhelming feeling of dread. He realizes that it was something passing by and decides to give chase. Finally realizing that he is part of a team, he calls for help. Dynamo teleports onto the back of Pallequin's motorcycle, then brings in Shade for backup.

Meanwhile, Captain Miracle - in his civilian identity - receives a visit from his uncle. He demands that the Captain turn over the Miracle powers to him. When the Captain tells him that he does not know what he's talking about, the uncle bursts into a fiery light and transforms into Mister Omega.

Outside, locals Ohm, Charcoal and Nigel Evans join Pallequin, Dynamo and Shade. They run across some hired muscle of Omega's and fight their way through. Captain Miracle transforms and does battle with Omega over the life of his mother. They fight each other to a standstill and only part when the other heroes threaten to join in. Omega flees and leaves his henchmen to go to prison.

(14) After a wild night of drinking at Moe's Tavern, Pallequin and Dynamo awaken to discover Howler missing from the Nest. A magical search uncovers a visit from a cat burglar by the name of Nightshade. The duo tracks her down to a house in the suburbs where they find her and Howler. She reveals that she broke into the headquarters to find out all of the information that they had on Viper. She was after them for killing her husband just a week before. Pallequin and Dynamo volunteer to help, but she turns them down.

The duo decides to investigate the situation themselves. After disguising themselves as IRS agents and downloading Junior into a laptop, they pay a visit to Duchess Industries; the last known location of Nightshade's husband. While they have Junior search the company database, Nightshade also attempts to infiltrate by filling out a job application. When that fails, she sneaks into the bathroom and transforms into a panther to search the air ducts.

Just as they are ready to give up, Pallequin gets suspicious and decides to play their hand. The duo reveals themselves and shanghais the elevator. As they plug Junior into the elevator and plunge into the hidden levels, Nightshade heads outside and runs into a troop of Viper agents. She shrugs them off and runs to the Hawk's Nest for backup. Meanwhile, Pallequin and Dynamo plow through six dozen agents and close down the headquarters. When they return to base, they find Carter offering membership to Nightshade and Junior capable of making holographic images in the headquarters. He chooses the form of Pamela Anderson, which he picked up from Dynamo's screen saver, but continues to speak in Carter's voice.

Over the days that followed, Neska International launched a campaign of ignorance about the Viper incident and closed down Duchess for further investigation. Shade also went through a power change, making him equally powerful during the day and night; believed to be after effects of the trip to hell. In addition, Nightshade and Heartbreak meet at the Hawk's Christmas party, but leave early together stating that neither of them belongs with this group.

(15) With crime within Chicago at an all time low, the Governor approached the Hawk, offering them the job of deputized agents of the state. As such, they receive jurisdiction over the entire area. With this vast expansion, Carter decided it was time for another membership drive. Very quickly afterwards, a heroine by the name of Electra, based out of the Aurora area, steps forward to join the team. Likewise, D. A. Gray proposes to Carter that a parolee of Matthew's Prison serve out the rest of his sentence within the ranks of the Hawk; repaying his debt to society. After having two known villains just leave (Nightshade and Heartbreak), he agrees; hoping that this time the influence will be positive.

The fact that Midnight comes to the Hawk Nest by an armed police escort and in cuffs, the first impression on the rest of the team is rather negative. The fact that his name is also Midnight rubs a little raw on Cross, but the founding member seems to be otherwise occupied. Dynamo also takes note that the new member's powers are darkness-based, and eagerly rushes off to tell Shade of the arrival.

Upon The introduction of the new members, Cross points out that the group is becoming a little large for him to control and steps down as leader of the group. He points out that he needs to rebuild his life after the Midas incident and that Pallequin and Dynamo have been proving themselves capable of taking care of things themselves. Carter concurs and institutes a selective mission system of choosing operatives for each situation; the ranking member of the group will be the field leader for that situation.

After all of the announcements have finished, Cross leaves to take care of some personal business. Shortly thereafter, Junior notifies the team that a group has taken hostages at Fermilab. The remaining heroes leave to take care of the situation.

Upon their arrival, they find that the hostages are on the other side of the building. They proceed to take control from the officers on the scene. With all of the area media watching, Pallequin first tries to negotiate with them, then coordinates a strike. Electra traveled through the electric lines to infiltrate the building, while Midnight blew out the lights in order to walk through the shadows to get there. Meanwhile, Pallequin provided a distraction by crashing through the walls, drawing the attention of the villains. Midnight then threw up a wall of darkness between most of the villains and the hostages, leaving only Albert Washington to deal with. Midnight also identified the criminals as members of IOGWP; the organization he had previously been associated with. While Mary Piper and Bonita Cortez worked on Pallequin, Electra and Midnight took down Washington and turned to face off against Fernando Gomes.

After a long skirmish, Piper carried Cortez in a chase through the building with Electra right on their tail while Gomes took off out the back. Midnight attempted to follow until Gomes shot down several of the news helicopters. Midnight acts quickly to save two of the helicopters in an incredible show of power, then collapses from overexertion. Meanwhile, Pallequin thinks ahead and has Junior track the flying Piper, waiting for her to exit the building and shooting her out of the air.

The heroes then gather up their fallen comrade and return to the Hawk Nest in time to see dramatic coverage on the news. The press does a historic retrospective presentation on the former-villain-turned-hero. Having proven himself as a safe investment, Midnight asks for help in seeing his estranged daughter from Carter and retires for bed. Just as he is about to doze off, he receives a visit from Spectrum, the man responsible for his imprisonment. Spectrum lets Midnight know that he will be watching and leaves.

One week later, the heroes receive word of a breakout at the Alister Institute for the Criminally Insane. Of the criminals who escape are the leaders of the Evicted Demonz. The breakout occurs shortly after dark with several guards found dead by puncture wounds to the neck and drained of blood.

(16.a) With Pallequin and Dynamo off at the United Center playing a charity game against the Chicago Bulls, the rest of the team gathers at the Hawk Nest to welcome visitors from Rockford. They also get a debriefing from Captain Johnson about proper police procedure now that they are officers of the law. Shade also drops by for a visit to check out Midnight. Captain Miracle states several problems with the concept of being officers of the court, backed up by a majority of the team. As the discussion commenced, Junior informed the team that a cloud of fog was traveling down Lake Shore Drive at 75 MPH. Miracle zooms out to investigate the cloud and discovers that the Evicted Demonz motorcycle gang is traveling inside.

The team swiftly responds as Miracle lifts a segment of the concrete to knock gang members off their bikes and then set it down on top of them. Cross then knocks Overkill from his motorcycle as Charcoal goes after a mysterious new member. It is soon discovered that this new member is Midas, Cross' ex-girlfriend, and that she has been transformed into a vampire. He also finds that she has brought a surprise along with her: a bouncing baby girl. Cross moves away with the child as Miracle, Electra and Shade fight Overkill, Charcoal faces Midas and Bolt, and Ohm, Nigel and Captain Johnson start picking off the rest of the motorcycle gang.

During this battle, several fatalities / life threatening injuries took place. First, Nigel severed the spines of three mortal motorcyclists when he smacked them with a light pole using his metal manipulation power. Next, Ohm electrocuted another cyclist. Electra ran the power of a lightning bolt through two other cyclists who were attempting to swim away when she hit the lake in an attempt to get Overkill. Finally, she hits Bolt with a lightning bolt, charging her to almost deadly levels. To save the life of Bolt, an inexperienced Shade attempted CPR, failing miserably in the process.

When the Chicago Strikeforce arrived on the scene, Miracle insisted that Electra be arrested for attempted murder. Midnight volunteered to be taken back to Matthew's Prison, stating that these heroes were far too dangerous. Johnson also had Shade placed under arrest for criminal misconduct. Cross disappeared with the child and Miracle returned to the Hawk Nest with the Rockford visitors. There, he informed Carter of what had happened and told him that he was quitting. To this, Carter began having chest pains and showed signs of having a heart attack. Miracle and Charcoal quickly rushed him to the hospital, setting off the priority one message on the signaling devise.

Cross, Pallequin and Dynamo all arrived at the hospital at the same time and, learning of the situation went to visit Carter. Meanwhile, DA Gray arrived at the precinct house to find half the Hawk team behind bars and set into motion gathering Miracle, Governor Edgar and various witnesses to find out what was going on. When it was discovered that Carter would eventually be OK, the rest of the team also traveled to the jail to find out what was going on.

By the time Cross and crew arrived, the charges against Shade had been dropped. Midnight was told that he would return to the Hawk (whether he liked it or not), and a trial was being set up in the cell for Electra. Shade, acting as her defense attorney, agreed to have a judge trial as opposed to a trial-by-jury. Gray acted as prosecutor while Edgar called in an old favor to get a judge to come down. With Miracle, Johnson, the Strikeforce officer who arrived on the scene and the paramedic called as witnesses, the case was presented. It was found that Electra had acted under the assumption that Bolt would be able to withstand the onslaught and that, with lethal force permitted in the capture of the gang, she was innocent of attempted murder.

As the group left the precinct, Miracle stated that he was disbanding the Hawk. This caused he, Cross and Midnight to begin an in-depth discussion of what it meant to be a hero. It was eventually agreed that Cross and Miracle would work together to form a better working, better behaved and better image team.

With their return to the Hawk Nest, the Rockford people headed for home and the rest of the team headed for their quarters. As Pallequin entered, he noticed that something was amiss. Upon closer study, he noticed that the head he had removed from the Evicted Demonz known as Claw was missing.

Miracle had lost all respect for Electra and Shade while the team began getting VERY negative press from the tabloids. Public opinion had swiftly swayed away from the Hawk. Dynamo paid Larry a visit in the hospital the day after he was admitted, casting a healing spell on him and bringing his heart back to normal condition. Cross and Miracle insisted on Carter leaving town while they worked on straightening this out. The two of them sent him to Hawaii to recover from the ordeal of having a heart attack.

Word leaked to the press of the jail cell courtroom as Gray and Judge Davis quickly came under heat for their actions. The Monday following the battle, word came down of Edgar's removal of their deputized status. The same day, David Knight, an assistant DA in Springfield, turned in his resignation, stating personal difficulties and conflict of interest as his reasons.

Two days later, Edgar announced his retirement from politics, stating health reasons. Wishing to step down right away, Edgar appointed George Ryan as Governor pro-temp until an official election could take place. Charges were leveled against Gray and Davis for impropriety and put on suspension until a full investigation. Electra could not be arrested and tried again for the same crime, but other charges were being looked into against her and other members of the Hawk's entourage.

(16.b) The same day, Pallequin hoped a flight to Hawaii to speak to Carter in person. While in route, he saw the ill effects of the situation first hand in the fear and prejudice of the other passengers. Upon his arrival at the Lexington bungalow, he ran into several employees who tried to stop him from seeing Carter, all to no avail. He found Larry out on the beach and taken care of by a nurse. The two of them discussed the situation, with Carter eventually being convinced that it was time to take charge again and return the team to what it once was - a family as well as a team. Pallequin then asked Carter to return to Chicago with him and agreed to work with Cross in rebuilding the team.

One week later, A replacement District Attorney was chosen to stand in while the charges against Gray were being examined: Dallas Frost, the man who ran against Gray in the last election. Frost held a press conference that day to announce a number of warrants. First, working in cooperation with the Rockford District Attorney, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Nigel Evans for attack with a deadly weapon and involuntary manslaughter. While Electra could not be charged with the assault on Bolt again, she was charged with First-Degree Manslaughter on two accounts for the deaths of gang members who were electrocuted in the water. Likewise, some charges for past crimes were covered. Midnight Cross is charged with assault with a deadly weapon for an incident two years previous dealing with the Demonz in which he shattered a gang member's neck with his staff. Lastly, Pallequin is charged with Attempted Murder in the first degree for an incident the same night when he removed Claw's head from his shoulders. In addition to all of this, he has had a judge issue a restraining order against the Hawk, and all the members therein and associated to, from participating in super heroic activity. A hearing was scheduled to discuss what future charges and restraints would be placed on the Hawk.

(17) The following day, Captain Miracle called for an emergency meeting of The Hawk to discuss the present situations. Also invited was Champion of Justice Wheel of Fortune, coming down from his hometown of Milwaukee. Nigel Evans had turned himself in to the authorities in Rockford, deciding to stand on his own against the charges. Likewise, Pallequin turned himself in, consulting only with Dynamo, who agreed to provide him with backup in his own mystical way.

Meanwhile, Midnight Cross decided to do some checking on Frost, only to find that he was a member of Viper. Cross returned to The Hawk's Net, debriefing the rest of the team. They decided to go public about Frost, after anonymously tipping off the major news studios with enough facts to warrant an investigation.

As the news hour struck, all of the stations that had received the tip went off the air simultaneously, their broadcast facilities blown up. The Hawk split into three groups to investigate the attacks, with each group greeted by operatives of Viper. They also found themselves being assisted by Maelstrom (II), a crude Englishman who used to work with The Vigil. Between the police trying to arrest them, trying to save innocent lives, and the Viper agents trying to kill them, the heroes managed to come out on top, once again proving themselves to be heroes of the people.

Upon their return to headquarters, Wheel of Fortune stated a conflict with Midnight Cross' leadership style; though he did state he would help out again.... in a state of enormous emergency. Maelstrom petitioned for membership, though he changed his mind after regaining consciousness from Captain Miracle punching him out.

The charges against The Hawk in general were dropped. A special hearing was held on the individual cases consisting of a board of twelve judges. District Attorney Gray was found guilty of impropriety and was asked to stand down as DA. Likewise, criminal charges were filed against Dallas Frost, who disappeared before apprehension by the police. Assistant District Attorney Morris Calhoun became DA pro-temp until an election could be held. The judge involved in the scandal resigned from the bench.

The charges against Midnight Cross, Pallequin and Nigel Evans were reduced to assault with a deadly weapon, while Electra's charge was reduced to involuntary manslaughter. Lexington Inc. hired Dwight Jones to defend all of the heroes before the judiciary committee. The assault cases ended in favor of the heroes, creating a legal precedence in support of super heroes. The committee, however, found Electra guilty of negligence, but only sentenced her to 50 hours of community service.

During this time, Dynamo is offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go study with Doctor Arcanum and he accepts, informing his fellow teammates that he will come if needed. In addition, Charcoal and Ohm both offer their services if the Hawk are in the Rockford area, but decline to continue their membership within the group.

A few weeks later, the remaining Hawk took the fight to the streets as two warring gangs turned half of Chicago into a battle zone. Taking matters into their own hands, the Hawk went in, stopped both gangs, and destroyed their weapons. Midnight Cross and Captain Miracle then organized a peace talk between the two gangs and came up with a peaceful conclusion to their disputes. Both gangs were told that any further hostilities, either towards each other or towards the city in general, would be met with force from the Hawk. With this done, the Hawk again grew in the public's favor, regaining their former position as the city's protectors.

With the Hawk back on top, Pallequin felt comfortable enough to take a leave of absence from the group and take a walk-about to learn about life outside of being a super hero. Midnight, represented by a member of Dwight Jones' law firm, is attempting to switch custody of his daughter to his relatives in the states. His efforts were being detoured by the British government, which was trying to gain extradition so as he can face charges in England. Cross turns the baby over to Child Welfare, keeping an eye on her from a distance, and receives two job offers. Winter Knights, preparing to enter its third season, offers him his old job back while Remington Enterprises offers him a one month job on a live adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings" in Hollywood. He takes both jobs, finally finding his life returning to something resembling the normality it was before Midas messed him over.

(18) A few months later, the Hawk received a call from Strikeforce asking for their assistance in a murder investigation. When they arrive at the Ritz hotel, they find that a ritual slaying has occurred with superhuman involvement. A ceremonial knife is found on the scene as well as words written in an ancient language. Going through a detailed investigation, they discover the involvement of Nightshade and Heartbreak in a battle with the actual killers. The pair had been in the suite to rob the occupants when the murder was taking place. Nightshade battled with the killers, but was overwhelmed and retreated.

Having found this out, the Hawk track down the duo to Heartbreak's business front, allowing Cross to finally learn the true identity of his friend / foe. The confrontation allows the team to confirm their suspicions.

They then have Junior run video captures through various police databases to discover the identities of the killers. By tracking down the use of their credit cards, they track them down to a Super 8 near O'Hare and go to confront them. A battle ensues, with Midnight and Cross taking down their leader and Miracle and Electra chasing down the speedster. After Midnight blinded their strong man, the group is able to come together and defeat him after he attempts to take his own life.

A week later, a specialist in dead languages is brought in from the Roman Catholic Church, who identifies the language as ancient Roman from the era before the birth of Christ. The words translated meant Death, Vengeance, Destruction and Power. Likewise, the babbling of the strong man roughly translated into giving praise to someone or something called German; a fact that thoroughly confuses the Hawk. In Addition, Midnight Cross was once again approached by the Chicago Strikeforce, this time to go undercover into one of the local gangs. After receiving news from the Los Angeles branch of the formation of a union of all the underworld and street gangs with the warning of this possibly going county wide, they asked for Cross' help. As such, he has gone incommunicado to discover the facts.

(19) When Pallequin stops by the Hawk Nest from his walk-about, it is cause for celebration and the gang heads out for Moe's Tavern for a night on the town. After getting into drinking contests with a local boozer and a stewardess named Jackie Payper (the ex-girlfriend of Dragon and one-time acquaintance of Felix Katz), Pallequin found himself falling down drunk (he was drinking tankards while everyone else drank shots). It was at this point that they heard of a battle between ex-Warrior Brainwave and the hero-killing group Blasters. Junior left to gather up the unconscious Pallequin and Payper, while the rest of the group went to check out the fight. Dynamo, who "happened to be in the area" teleported to Pallequin first and absorbed the alcohol out of the demon's system, providing an instant detox and taking Dynamo out of the picture.

At the battle site, Captain Miracle made short work of Diana Evans - who was in Fuji mode - as he plowed through her shoulder. Fuji's quick takedown left the rest of the Blasters taken aback as they quickly fled the scene. At this point, the Hawk began questioning what had brought the Blasters out of their two-year hiding. About this time, they received a distress call from the Chicago Strikeforce Precinct.

Upon the Hawk's arrival, they discover that the three serial killers taken into custody by the Hawk were broke out of the high-security prison cells. A woman, signing in as their lawyer, had a officer escort her to their cell, release them, and escort them through the front door. Upon further examination, the Hawk concluded that the woman on the tape was their former teammate Vision, who had been by checking the files on these same villains. She had used her mental powers to control the officers. Through further investigation, they realized that Vision, too, was a Follower of Germanicus. The facts pointed to Germanicus-like activity in Indiana since Vision's arrival in the state, and when they tried to track her to ask questions they found her communicator smashed at the side of the road. Furthermore, they tracked down her civilian identity only to find out that she had killed her husband and abandoned her home. This left the Hawk with no clues to follow and forced to wait to see what happened next. The Hawk suggested to Brainwave that he stick around until this whole matter could be resolved, working under the assumption that the two incidents are connected.

(20) With Midnight expecting his daughter to visit for the holidays, the last thing he wanted was to get was a call from the Chicago Strikeforce. An anonymous tip had informed the police that the Collection Agency had taken over the Field Museum.

As the Hawk entered through the roof entrance, they found a group of museum employees held hostage by Maelstrom (I), Siphon, Thunder Bow and Second-Hand Rose (who had the Head Curator in her mental clutches). In addition, Titania and Dyna-woman worked on gathering Sue (the oldest full set of T-Rex bones found) from the vault. The trio got into position and attacked, in a battle that found the heroes close to loosing on a couple of occasions. The new hero Eidolon, who faced off against Dyna-woman and held his own, also joined them in battle. The fight ended with Siphon mind-controlled by Brainwave; Second-hand Rose losing her control over Midnight and thrown off the staircase after he had defeated Maelstrom in battle for her (he also ended up dealing the last blow on Dyna-woman); and Miracle taking command after having traded blows with Titania, Maelstrom, Siphon and Wavelength (who was around only long enough to shoot the Captain in the back and try to help Titania and Maelstrom escape). Although Titania, Wavelength and Thunder Bow escaped, the Hawk had managed to stop the thieves from making off with the dinosaur bones.

A month later, the U. S. government asks for Midnight's assistance in providing preliminary testimony in a Viper / Neska Court case. In exchange for six months off his probation, he traveled to Washington D. C. to testify on known actions by the criminal organization. Likewise, Pallequin again left, leaving only Brainwave and Eidolon on fully active status.

(21) With a martial arts convention scheduled at the Rosemont Horizon, Ohm again found himself in Chicago and decided to go pay a visit on his friends in the Hawk. When he arrived, he found none of the old members that he knew before. Also in town for the convention, Gateway Guardians Pyre, Starlight and Micron stopped by to say hello to their Northern neighbors.

A spotting of the Blasters in Woodfield Mall breaks up the gathering as the combined mass of heroes set out to fight the villains. They arrive to find the four male members of the Blasters fleeing the mall. Micron breaks off from the group to discover what is chasing the villains while the rest prepare for battle. When they exit the building, the Blasters transform into their power profiles and start fighting. Inside, Micron discovers a mysterious darkness. Upon investigating and knocking out those inside, he discovers the corpse of the female Blaster. Meanwhile, the heroes summarily stop the remaining Blasters. Before they can officially take them into custody, however, the group mysteriously transforms back and the leader struck by machine gun fire.

Micron returns to the group to find two new threats facing off against the Hawk: The founder / original leader and the female member (who was dead inside) of the Blasters. When Ohm blasts the male off the semi truck they are standing on, the person's form transforms into a teenage boy. When Brainwave ego blasts the woman, she also shifts into a teenager while the male reappears behind them with a rocket launcher. Junior, controlling one of the Talon motorcycles subsequently knocks him down. Pyre sets up a firewall between them and the approaching stampeding crowd from the mall, but the woman has taken over one of the innocent bystanders and continues forward. She informs them that the Blasters of old are gone, replaced by a new and improved version. The two villains then disappear, leaving the group dumbfounded.

Brainwave goes through the memories of the Blasters 2.0's victims and discovers that the pair is now calling themselves Virus and Legend. Meanwhile, Eidolon examines the woman's body and discovers that, while the form is dead, the soul is no where to be found. The two groups debate amongst themselves about what the next move should. The D. C. Defenders (who also receive financing by R. I. and were often foes of the Blasters) are alerted to the location of their base of operations. Meanwhile, Strikeforce arrives to take the remaining Blasters into custody.

A day later, Holiday International releases a statement saying that they are going to provide counselors for anyone traumatized by the Blasters attack and will pay all medical and repair bills. The Defenders report that they did indeed find the Blaster's base and found it dismantled. Lexington Incorporated and American Industries start negotiations to merge the two hero groups that they fund, under the condition that the group can maintain the same level of protection for both cities and the area between them.

Soon afterward, Jacob Richards completes work on the rebuilding of Musketeer's hovercraft - dubbed the Air-amus - and deploys one each for use in Chicago and Washington D. C. About this same time, Carter and Junior attend the first annual HeroCon in Kensington, Delaware. During visitation with the attendees, Junior decides that he needs force field emitters to be able to touch and lift objects. In addition, it was while serving on a panel about financing a hero group that Carter meets Xavier Holiday - CEO and owner of Holiday International. Holiday's presence is short, as he stands to leave and announces that he will be financing another hero group in Chicago. As news of this breaks, it is revealed that the super-group - known as the Brotherhood of Freedom - consists of heroes from other countries and minorities. A few days later, a friend of Junior's is involved in an airplane crash, leading the AI to pay him visits in the hospital.

(22) Jacob Richards returns from taking Junior to the hospital with the friend in tow. Returned to the mainframe, Junior explains that his friend has gained super powers and asks the Hawk to help him. Captain Miracle and the visiting Starlight, Pyre and Ohm take the newbie to the training center and then the roof to test what different types of abilities he has gained. Ohm also discovers the friend's aversion to electricity the hard way.

Meanwhile, Brainwave and Eidolon both worked on personal research projects when an anonymous tip came in. Eidolon rallied the troops on a report of several armored individuals converging on a private home in Wilmette. With Miracle and Starlight going ahead for reckon, Brainwave, Pyre, Ohm, Eidolon and (now calling himself) Thunderfist all rode in on the Golden Eagle Helicopter.

By the time they arrived, Starlight was already in pursuit of A.N.T. underground and Miracle was under attack by Desert Storm. Pyre went to help Starlight while Ohm proceeded to target Black Arrow, who had already deafened Starlight. However, Storm ran interference on Ohm. Eidolon went after Magnetron, but was magnetically grabbed and slammed into the ground. Brainwave took a shot at Plattoon's Ego, but ended up plowed into by three of her and temporarily knocked unconscious. A concealed Reaver attacked Thunderfist, while Miracle began to duke it out with Eliminator as Desert Shield took over trying to pick the lock on the door. When Thunderfist got in close enough to punch Reaver through the door, Shield took his shot and put the new hero into the house as well. Inside, Thunderfist spotted the Soldiers of Fortune's target; a decrepit old man in a wheel chair, who he grabbed and flew out of the building. Meanwhile, Miracle was making the rounds punching Storm and Magnetron, freeing up the desolidified Eidolon to take on three of the Plattoons, Reaver and Shield. The other three Plattoons and Black Arrow worked on keeping Ohm busy. A now conscious Brainwave took out one of Eidolon's Plattoons with a mental illusion while Reaver planted his spinning shield into Eidolon's belly before smacked away by Miracle. Eidolon then proceeded to stun Shield. It is at this point that Plattoon realized that their target is missing and called off the fight. With Starlight and Pyre pulling a one-two combination on A.N.T. in the basement, Pyre came up stairs to find the fight over.

The owner of the house is a World War II Nazi war criminal, who the Hawk claims bounty on to keep the Soldiers of Fortune at bay. Miracle then walks over to Reaver and takes way the bladed shield, hanging on to it long enough for Pyre to melt it. An enraged Reaver is held back by Storm and Shield from restarting the fight as A.N.T. – who is being patched up by Eliminator - tells him to let it go. In the process, Junior ran the prints on the old man to verify their story, as well as to make sure that the group's papers are in order and that they are working for Gail Force. The heroes have to allow the Soldiers to leave though Miracle continues to try to provoke Reaver to have a case against them.

As the heroes prepare to leave, they receive a news broadcast praising the Brotherhood of Freedom for eliminating a new Viper nest in Chicago's south side ghettos. When the team returned to the Nest, Miracle and Carter talked about the responsibilities of super powers with Thunderfist. They then offer to let him stay with the Hawk to learn until he makes a decision about what to do with his newfound powers. Hooking Thunderfist up with Electra (who had gone into retirement after almost killing Bolt) to train, he soon learned and mastered his newfound powers.

(23) Working on collecting funds for his community center, Thunder is contacted by Lexington Inc. The meeting goes very well, with Carter offering to donate more than twice the amount needed to the organization. On his way out, he runs into fellow ex-Crusader Elastiwoman, who – in her secret identity - has delivered diagnostic equipment to Richards. The two decide to have lunch together in the commissary of the building, where they are joined by Dr. Lucianne from the Field Museum.

At the same time, the Outcasts took the lobby of Lexington Tower hostage in an attempt to draw out Larry Carter and the Hawk. A call to arms goes out to the Hawk, with young Mr. Cameron informing the two visiting heroes that Carter would probably appreciate their help in this situation. While they had been given 10 minutes to make up their mind, there plans were interrupted by an impatient Potion threatening one of the hostages. This shoots the team into action, with Captain Miracle taking Bullett out with one move-through. While Thunder and Elastiwoman work together to scoop up the hostages and remove them from harms way, Brainwave is enveloped by Expandex and begins a struggle for dominance. Meanwhile, Potion drops a smoke cylinder and considers making a run for it until Carter arrives on the scene wearing his Golden Eagle armor. This draws her attention enough for her to hit him with a vile of knockout potion. While she closes in on the uncontious Carter, Thunderfist was mixing it up with Shadowsword's blade and Eidolon worked towards dispelling the smoke. It was the returning Thunder that got rid of the smoke, revealing Spectre removing pieces of support columns in an attempt to bring the building down. Brainwave eventually wins out over Expandex, mentally forcing her to gain a heroic mentality and transforming her into a female version of himself. Captain Miracle quickly moves to stand between Potion and Carter, only to have her call Monolith over. As Miracle prepares for the throw-down, Monolith declares that he is not going to fight.

Monolith informs his mother that her quest for vengeance against Carter has been fruitless and illogical, leading to a waste of resources. He tells her that the only way for his grandfather's mission to commence is for her to go to prison. He then stands aside as she is wrapped in Eidolon's magical bands. Spectre grabbing her and teleporting away led to a brief chase through the building. Eventually, however, the entire group gangs up on Spectre, knocking him for a loop and taking all but Shadowsword into custody.

After the Outcasts are taken away - with Potion cursing her own son's name – Elastiwoman helps Carter upstairs to his office while Miracle thanks Thunder for his assistance and offers him membership to the Hawk. Thunder thanks him for the offer and asks if he can think about it. Meanwhile, Brainwave comes upstairs and makes the same offer to Elastiwoman, who readily accepts.

Later that evening, Elastiwoman arrives at Thunder's community center to help out and catch up on old times. As the two heroes bond, they are both reminded of the advantages of friends and teammates.

(24) On a gorgeous Saturday spring morning, Thunderfist was out for a casual flight over Lake Michigan. Taking a brief break, he swings by Navy Pier for some refreshment. As he approaches, he sees a blue tail going over the side of the Odyssey II. Going in his civilian ID, he investigates. Meanwhile, Brainwave found a intoxicated Howler to talk about his life as a wolf. Finding him depressed, Brainwave informs him that he has not been forgotten and promises to work towards finding a cure. He then goes and finds Eidolon doing a background check on a villain by the name of Light Mage. The research is put on hold, however, as a alert comes in from Thunderfist, who is trying to save the sinking ship after a hole is torn by the mysterious attacker. Elastiwoman (from shopping at Watertower) and Captain Miracle (at Six Flags) also respond.

With Miracle on the scene first, he takes the boat to shore as the rest of the team arrives. Unbeknown to them, Godling was already stirring up trouble at the IMAX theatre. This drew the attention of a visitor to the city by the name of Menagerie. He had seen Godling enter the building and, after doing several shape-shifts, attacked in the form of a rhino.

Back with the Hawk, the group briefly encountered Speed Freak, who was obviously looking for a fight with Thunder and went to pursue that goal. By this time, trouble was busting out all over as Ultraman started tipping over the Ferris wheel, Electrawoman began blowing up cars, and a gunman opened fire on the crowd inside the Festival Hall. As Thunderfist started an airborne battle with Ultraman, Elastiwoman investigated the gunshots and Miracle made short work of Electrawoman. Brainwave joined in with Thunderfist from the ground by attacking Ultraman's ego. As Elastiwoman arrived on the scene, she spotted Mindbender, and vice versa. The next thing she knew, she was working with the Enforcers and was pulling the support beams out of the building.

As Miracle resurfaced from the parking garage, he spots Godling running from a talking robin, which had apparently defecated upon his head. Menagerie had been avoiding Godling's grip and was humiliating the man to the verge of madness. Meanwhile, the sky changed color as Eidolon was on the receiving end of an attack on the Urundi spirit within him. Soon afterward, Light Mage appeared in front of him demanding to know which one he was. When Eidolon told him that he was not his former master, Light Mage struck out with a mystical blast, which was made ineffective by Eidolon's suppression skills. After a quick swipe with Soulblight, Light Mage had fainted and Eidolon had moved on to his next opponent.

Leaving Thunderfist to fight Ultraman one on one for a while, Brainwave went in pursuit of Elastiwoman while Miracle took to the water to find Sea Demon. With her in tow, Miracle returned to the fight with Ultraman, performing a move-through maneuver to set up Thunderfist for the one-two punch. Eidolon went over to see what was going on with Godling, only to see him sat upon as the robin transformed into a hippo. Entangling him in the Bands of Bogardan, he watched as Menagerie goes from hippo to duck to gorilla. Meanwhile, Brainwave and Mindbender proceed to play mental tug of war with Elastiwoman's psyche, ending as the rest of the group comes over to peal her off of him and finally land a punch on the evil mentalist.

After the police arrive to take way the enraged Godling, the Hawk set out to return to their headquarters, where questions abound and lead to a sharing of secret identities all around. Eidolon explains that he is the fourth host of the Urundi spirit, which was brought to this plain of existence to find and fight the Raziel. He also reviels that his former host had been both the White Shadow (from the Allied Champions days) and the Scarlet Samurai (from the 70's).

Two days later, Miracle, Eidolon, and Elastiwoman go to question Light Mage on how he had managed to attack the Urundi spirit. As they waited, a commotion ensued as the prisoner performed a spell upon himself, transforming him into a madman. Calling in Brainwave, the heroes discover that he has removed his own intelligence. Knowing that he is being sent to the Alister Institute, they prepare to see him again.

(25) It was a cool Wednesday in early summer. Brainwave was off on a business trip, Thunderfist was pulling a night shift at the airport, and Thunder - who had formally agreed to join - had not as of yet picked up his communicator. Augustas Lucienne was pulling a late night at the Field Museum after receiving a request from the local branch of the FBI to translate documents found in the home of the Nazi war criminal (see #22). Finally leaving for home around midnight, he discovered that his apartment had been broken into by what appeared to be professionals. Placing a call to the Hawk Nest, Lucienne relayed the information to Junior, who volunteered to bring Howler to the scene to investigate.

After Junior flies him to the apartment in the Air-imus, Howler proceeds to use his enhanced sense of smell to track the thieves' point of entry and course through the apartment. He points out to Lucienne where the two invaders had been and leads him out of the building to where they hooked up with a ride. Prepared to go back to the Nest, the boys board the Air-imus as Junior inquires as to the nature of the burglary. Besides some rare artifacts, the only things missing were papers from the museum, leading them to decide to return to there. Upon their arrival, Lucienne notices a classic car parked in the shadows behind the museum. Howler maneuvers over to investigate, only to launch into an attack against Brainsmasher. Howler is quickly tossed across the parking lot, breaking two ribs and a leg, but provides enough time and distraction for Lucienne to transform into Eidolon. As he throws the Bands of Bogardan around the behemoth, Eidolon places a call for backup from the Hawk.

When Captain Miracle and Elastiwoman arrived on the scene, they found Eidolon keeping Brainsmasher at bay with the bands. Miracle told his two teammates to check out the inside and that he would handle Brainsmasher. As they entered, Eidolon desolidified through the floor, separating himself from Elastiwoman and leaving her to take the stairs. When he arrived at his office, he found Snake Eyes and Battery opening his safe. He interrupts them long enough to fire off a couple of blasts, be shot at, and kicked through two office walls by Snake Eyes. By this time, Elastiwoman rejoined him and joined the fray. Also getting involved was Nightshade of the Feathers, who tackled Snake Eyes in an attempt to take the satchel full of stolen documents. Meanwhile, Battery drained Elastiwoman of some of her elasticity. Fighting Nightshade off, Snake Eyes barely gets out of the way of an Eidolon blast and Elastiwoman's moving brick wall maneuver and dives into the airshaft. After blasting Battery into unconsciousness, Eidolon pursues her through the building.

Meanwhile, outside, Miracle finds himself in a slugfest with Brainsmasher, with the Captain dealing most of the slugs but the driver for Triple Threat continuing to get up. A winged stranger calling himself Quetzal, who tries to help subdue the crook, soon joins their fight. Just as the two heroes have him on the ropes, Miracle notices the presence of Heartbreak and Alley Cat, Nightshade's partners in crime. The two thieves quickly lay into Miracle as Quetzal grabs hold of Brainsmasher and takes to the air. While Alley Cat's martial arts maneuverability and diamond-tipped claws manage to stun the Captain, Heartbreak's telekinetic blasts continually missed. As Quetzal lets go of Brainsmasher from almost 200 feet in the air to crash into the ground, Miracle forces the women into a strategic retreat. However, Elastiwoman emerging from the museum and grabbing hold of the fleeing thieves, causing them to give up peacefully. At the same time, Brotherhood of Freedom members Depot, Northstar, and Atlas arrive in time for Atlas to put the finishing touches on Brainsmasher.

About this same time, Eidolon and Snake Eyes emerge on the roof. Realizing that she is not going to get away from him, Snake Eyes throws the satchel over the far wall, causing Eidolon to make a choice. After failing to capture her in his Bands of Bogardan, Eidolon pursues the papers, only to return to find Snake Eyes gone. At this same moment, his powers of precognition kick in, revealing to him that the trio had been hired by a henchman in armor, placing the group in the employment of Kristoffer, son of Mordred. Meanwhile, down below, Miracle was learning that the Feathers had been hired by a unknown employer to steal the same documents. As Depot and Elastiwoman returned inside to check on the guard and retrieve the prisoners, Northstar met up with Quetzal in the air. Very soon afterward, the two groups recombined (minus the enigmatic Eidolon) out in front of the museum where Strikeforce officers waited to take the prisoners and camera crews looked for the story. Depot was happy to tell them of the success of this Brotherhood / Hawk collaboration, with Miracle supporting by pointing out that the property damage in the parking lot was done by Atlas. Depot also added that the Brotherhood was happy to announce the addition of their newest recruit, the mysterious Quetzal.

(26) The Tuesday following the Lewis-Keene Wedding (a Champions of Justice story), Thunderfist and Brainwave were still occupied by their personal business, while Elastiwoman watched the clock tick by waiting to get off work, Eidolon and Captain Miracle worked on deciphering the German notes and Thunder studied the history of the Hawk in the Nest. Shortly after six, both Eidolon and Howler were exposed to a vision of supernatural carnage in a small town. While the vision caused Howler to go a bit nuts, Eidolon studied the environment and gathered the troops to find out where it was located. With cooperation between the two witnesses, they narrowed the location down to an area near Naperville, which led Miracle to call Cathy (Electra) Thomas for more info. She informs them of a small town called Eola located on the boarder between Naperville and Aurora that has since all but disappeared due to the area building up. The group, including Howler, take the Air-amus to check out the town.

Upon their arrival, they split up to check out various parts of the small town. Miracle, transforming back into Christian, and Elastiwoman begin checking out the town while Eidolon and Thunder examine the outside of the warehouse. Elastiwoman returns soon to go in with them while Christian talks to one of the neighborhood women. When he meets back up with them in the empty warehouse, the group decides to stake the town out, gets some food, and wait.

Shortly after 10:30 at night, the Hawk divided through the town to stand guard. The first to encounter an intruder was Thunder, who quickly tied up the vampire. At the same time, Elastiwoman spotted a pack of werewolves - led by Beastia - approaching along the railroad tracks. Her first instinct was to attack Howler, severely damaging him. The team quickly converged on the pack, with Miracle facing off against the other vampire inside one of the houses. Also on hand were the Slayers, a group comprised of hunters of the supernatural. This new group not only went after the werewolves and vampires, but also after Eidolon once they learned that he was a supernatural entity. As Shaft made long-distance kills with her bow and Sliver went around assassinating werewolves, Eidolon confronted Helsing and Beastia teamed up with Miracle to fight Final Factor. In the end, Miracle confronted the Stalkers about their tactics and morals, but was forced to release them due to lack of proof that they had indeed purposefully endangered human lives. In the process, however, the Hawk did take Beastia prisoner with the intent of forcing her to change Howler back to normal.

Upon their return to the Hawk Nest, Howler was rushed into emergency surgery as Miracle confronted Beastia. She informed him that she would need her book to work on restoring him; something she had lost shortly after Saunders was changed into Howler. As they turned her over to Johnson for holding, Miracle contacted Ravenclaw in an attempt to get his magical assistance. Ravenclaw said that he could help for the moment, but that he and Pallequin were in search of Followers of Germanicus. He returned long enough to cast a healing spell on Howler and teach Eidolon how to search for magical auras.

Over the next couple of days, Miracle and Eidolon were forced to divide their time between translating the German notes and searching the forestland in Rockford for the book. When a general search proved impossible due to the high magical content of the forest itself, they began a needle-in-a-haystack search for the book and the surrounding area. Likewise, Brainwave returned from his business trip to find the mystery and began questioning both Beastia and Howler about the book and its contents.

(27.a) During the investigation, Brainwave found that Howler was less than forthcoming with information, ending with a direct question about the book. Come to find out, the book had been in Howler's closet ever since his last trip to Rockford (see 8.c for details), though he didn't know its significance. Once the heroes had retrieved the book, they went to Strikeforce headquarters to reclaim Beastia, only to question if she was truly capable of what she said. Calling on Ravenclaw once more, it was determined that he may be able to transform him back into a werewolf, but that she couldn't be trusted. A specialist would have to be found to reverse the process, using the book to undo the final step. As the search for a specialist was about to begin, Captain Miracle and Junior were called in to help with the Gulf Storm.

(27.b) * Gulf Storm Crossover * After spending two days in the gulf region working on rescue and relief efforts, Captain Miracle found himself at the Louisiana military internment camp to await his next set of orders. After meeting with the camp CO, he was directed to barracks set up for the heroes, and discovered that la Chatte of the Champions of Justice and the entire team of the Brotherhood of Freedom were also there. La Chatte was in the process of watching the BoF as they sat quietly for the return of their leader, Depot, and trying to figure out why an old teammate was in their midst in disguise. Upon Miracle's entrance, Quetzal drew his attention and the two men walked outside together. This drew la Chatte's attention more than the zombie-like quiet of the rest of the BoF, so she slipped outside to eavesdrop.

Outside, the two men began to discuss the condition of the Brotherhood of Freedom, with Quetzal stating his concern over their occasional blind obedience and the fact that he was being kept separate from the rest of them until after his "initiation". He also told Miracle that he disliked being a spy and they were nothing like his friends in the Crusaders. After a final notification that Depot was off making phone calls before the group left for their next assignment, the two men parted company with a faked argument over which team was better. While Quetzal rejoined the BoF, la Chatte snuck through the building while Miracle changed into his secret ID, both in search of info on Depot.

With la Chatte behind the door and Christian around the corner, Depot spoke to an unknown party on a cellular phone about the state of disarray of the team - needing another "treatment". He also confirmed that reporters were being sent to the new assignment and that he was nterested in the new "procedure" when the bugs were worked out. Upon hanging up, he was greeted by a young fan (Christian) while la Chatte returned to her bunk and Depot left with his group for their next mission. Miracle soon joined up with la Chatte as the two were called in on their next assignment. Calling in via vidphone, General Wilcox sent the two heroes o Everglade City, Florida to deal with an animal uprising in the zoo (since the storm began, animals had been showing signs of abnormalities such as human language, increased size, strength and other superhuman abilities).

Once in Everglade City, the two heroes quickly assessed the situation and were confronted by the lion leader, a large gorilla, a giant elephant, and talking chimpanzees. While the lion was willing to talk, the gorilla attacked Miracle but missed. The battle ended as quickly as it started with Miracle throwing the gorilla into the charging elephant, knocking them both unconscious. The lion quickly surrendered and all of the abnormal animals were prepared for transport to the labs. La Chatte waited at the zoo for Spectrum with the unconscious and battered gorilla while Miracle and the newly arrived Junior transported the remaining animals.

(27.c) The following Monday, the pre-arranged opening of Thunder's Oasis Community Center was scheduled with the Hawk in attendance to support their teammate. Also arriving was Glenn Feurgeson, who was passing through town when he learned of his former teammates grand opening. As old allies caught up and new friends were made, discussions ranged from the German translations and Howler's condition to the tenacity of villains to continually go after the same heroes. It was about that time that the front doors burst open and the Hilton Brothers arrived on the scene.

As the doors mysteriously slammed shut behind them, the Monarch of Motion started to tangle with Thunder, Skullcracker faced off against Eidolon, Elastiwoman tried to tie up Big Guy, and Carbon and Electric Cool went after Brainwave and Glenn. Monarch was the first one subdued after getting tied up by Thunder, but Big Guy caused the first property damage breaking out of Elastiwoman's grasp. Thunder then challenged the big brother to fight outside, to which he crashed through the exterior wall. While Thunder and Elastiwoman battled with Big Guy outside, they noticed a pair of retreating Minority of Ones who had been holding the doors closed. Meanwhile, Brainwave played mind games with Skullcracker while Glenn fried Electric Cool and froze Carbon. To finish things off, Eidolon was assisted by Brainwave to scare Skullcracker into submission.

The questioning that followed led to several interesting discoveries. First, The Villain, who once again was making targets out of the old Crusaders, sent the Hilton Brothers on this hit. Unfortunately for them, they had no clue as to what they were being set up for, nor did they know that Minority of One was sent to back them up. As Elastiwoman went to check Electric Cool for medical assistance, it became a mystery as to how he was now healed from second and third degree burns, complete with re-grown hair and fresh costume. In the intervening time, Carter had managed to contact his contractors and made arrangements for repair crews. Wanting to secure the site for the night, Thunder began working only to be joined first by his fellow heroes, and then people from the community that were at the opening, reaffirming that this was going to truly be a community center.

Upon the Hawk's return to the Nest, Miracle and Dragon of the Champions of Justice soon joined them. Miracle had told Dragon of Howler's situation, and the Champion had offered to check the situation out. Knowing that his mentor in magic had some knowledge of lycanthropes, Dragon said that he would investigate the case further, but in the meantime cast a spell of his own on Howler, transforming him into a wolf man, but restoring him to a visage of his former self. While without the strength, stamina and fortitude of his former werewolf form, he had gained back his ability to communicate and walk as a man; an improvement Howard was more than grateful for.

(28) As Christian, Howard and Brian (Brainwave) played video games on the Hawk entertainment center, Junior interrupted the broadcast to show them a news brief. Reports indicated that the Brotherhood of Freedom had gotten into a battle and, breaking from tradition, failed to stick around for a press conference. This caught the Hawk's attention and, after having a meeting with Larry, decided to investigate. Eidolon, having called in after hearing a similar report over the radio, was the closest person to the scene and was sent to investigate. He was joined soon afterward by Brainwave while Miracle stayed behind to tape a press release with the newly arrived Elastiwoman, who had likewise heard the news.

Down near the lakeshore, Eidolon and Brainwave began examining the area for clues, most notably the clear signs of battle. While nothing on the surface was found, Brainwave's infrared lenses allowed him to find a hotspot under the sand, leading the pair to discover a bit of liquid metal. They then returned to the Hawk's Nest - and were quickly joined by Thunder - to learn that the sample wasn't that of either Sliver (of the Slayers) or Johnson (of the Chicago Strikeforce), but that of Amorpho, who had been sent into the Brotherhood as an undercover operative. Figuring that the Brotherhood were trying to cover something up, Captain Miracle decided to infiltrate Holiday International's headquarters disguised as Mr. Omega.

Upon entering the building, the staff and security were unclear as to how best fight off "Mr. Omega", as it quickly became clear that the Brotherhood were not present. When the Hawk responded to the emergency call, the team managed to search the building for information while Thunder, having run up to the roof, met Xavier Holiday. The search turned up cellular phone records, confirming that first conversation Depot had during the Gulf Storm was with Holiday, but the second was to an unregistered number. As the Chicago Strikeforce arrived, the Hawk requested permission to take and question "Mr. Omega", who broke out of his bonds and returned to Captain Miracle upon returning to the Nest.

Using Depot's cellular number, the Hawk had Junior trace the call to a mile out in Lake Michigan. Traveling out there by helicopter, the Hawk quickly found the underwater base. Gaining entry without difficulty and finding Viper, the kidnapped Brotherhood of Freedom and a liquefied Amorpho, they were soon discovered and a fight ensued between them, the Houston Viper Elite, Depot (who had been transformed into a reptilian half-breed), Dr. Ceylon, and a hidden mentalist. As par for the course, things looked bad for the heroes, with Miracle and Thunder drained of constitution and physical defense, Brainwave slowly being squeezed by Python, Thunder severely injured by Naja Haje, and Dr. Ceylon making a clean getaway. Likewise, however, they pushed forward, led by several severe blows by Miracle and Elastiwoman's new smother attack. Soon, the mentalist resorted to having Atlas, Roadwalker and Northstar tear the wall down as a distraction. Even this failed, however, as Miracle and Brainwave stopped their progress as Eidolon stopped anyone trying to slip by. Within seconds, the Hawk had evacuated the underwater base of both captors and victims.

Upon turning the whole group over to Strikeforce, Brainwave began working to discern what had happened. He had learned that the Brotherhood had been a plant since its conception; puppets controlled by Alexander. While Naja Haje claimed to be a dupe as well, Brainwave found little mental tampering in his mind, and suspected that he was the inside man. The others were fully brainwashed, and were beyond his direct abilities to help. They were sent off to a mental facility while other forms of care were sought. Holiday International issued a press statement thanking the Hawk for their assistance in uncovering the Viper plot, stating that it had no immediate plans to try to rebuild the hero organization. Once again, the Hawk was Chicago's only superteam.

(29.a-Special thanks to Ken Hallaron for standing in as GM.) The Hawk had been invited to attend the Lexington Incorporated tenth anniversary party; the Chicago branch's held at the Ritz-Carlton hotel ballroom. With a web simulcast between the three offices (Washington DC with the Defenders in attendance and San Francisco with surprise guests Pallequin and Ravenclaw), the party was in full swing. New member Neutrino (who replaced Elastiwoman after her quick departure), Brainwave, Christian Cameron (later arriving as Captain Miracle), Dr. Augustas Lucienne (later arriving as Eidolon), and surprise guest Charcoal began to celebrate. Other attendees appeared to have their own agendas as Carter played the friendly host, Richards conferred with Tom (Emerald Knight) Wilson over the webcast about some technological advancements to the Defenders new headquarters, and Howard Saunders and Christina Cameron concentrated on enjoying one another's company. Those two weren't the only ones making a love connection, however, as Brainwave made eye contact with a mysterious woman across the room. Once the DJ started the music, the two of them found themselves in each other's arms on the dance floor.

The happy times quickly drew to a close as The Oddballs (with a few extra hired guns) arrived and shanghaied the ballroom, looking for ex-Crusaders to kill. The fight begins after Black Widow disconnected the webcast, allowing the Hawk only a glimpse of the fight that was beginning in Washington between the DC Defenders, Fantastic Man, Fantastic Girl and a cadre of old Crusader villains (The Hood, Domino, Missile Man, Boiler, Mr. Hot, Night Owl II, and Frostbite).

Miracle started out by bashing Red Thunder through a set of walls, ensuring that the twin sociopaths would concentrate on him. Pairings formed as with Dark Phoenix and Wanda fighting Eidolon, Manifest Density and In-Forcer against Charcoal, Brainwave and his mysterious female friend against The Weird, and an invisible Neutrino attacking Mammoth. When it dawns on the attackers that neither of the expected Crusaders are present, the DJ shape-shifts back to his true form, and Amorpho joins the fray against Black Widow. Miracle surprised everyone (including himself) by taking out the Thunder Twins by bashing their heads together, then headed over to trade blows with Mammoth. Amorpho, transforming his arms into giant fly swatters, took down Widow while Eidolon used Soulblight on Phoenix, rendering him useless and freaking out Wanda. When they realized that the fight was pointless, both The Weird and Black Widow made a strategic withdrawal, leaving Density and In-Forcer to surrender themselves, fully planning on a future escape. As soon as the proverbial smoke had cleared, Brainwave's mystery woman planted a kiss on him and disappeared into the crowd.

Once communications with the other parties had been reestablished, the Hawk found that the DC Defenders had likewise defeated their foes with Fantastic Man choreographing the battle, highlighting the villain's weaknesses. With the mood of the party officially ruined and the crowd dispersed, the evening ended on a negative note.

(29.b) As Captain Miracle and Eidolon worked together to finish the translations on the old Nazi journals, they stumble across documentation referring to Hitler's advisors. The reference to Kristoffer, Son of Modred, and Raziel brought to mind the fact that Eidolon had not checked on Light Mage recently. Calling up reports from the Alister Institute for the Criminally Insane, they quickly learn of a jailbreak, including Light Mage and the Evicted Demonz.

Upon arriving in Germantown, TN, the duo locates the converted mining camp and soon finds the head of the institute, Dr. Gordon Alister. After a frustrating debriefing, they discover that the four members of the Evicted Demonz, Light Mage, Madman, Dr. Celcius, and a man named James Nova all escaped during an outdoor recreation break. Excusing themselves, the duo searched the surrounding area, finding a campsite used and evidence of the escapees having stayed the night there. Finding questionable leftovers, the two returned once again to the institution to learn the details of the escape. Realizing that the trail is cold and there is nothing left to do, the pair returned to Chicago.

They decided to also swing by Chicago Strikeforce headquarters to question Wanda the Witch, only to learn that they were hired by the Villain to attack ex-Defenders. The fact that their intended targets weren't even present was why they ended up surrendering. Not feeling overly successful, they returned once again to the Nest.

(30) While working on schoolwork at the nest, Captain Miracle gets a call from the Chicago Strikeforce requesting the Hawks' assistance. A hostage situation involving students at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy had been reported to them due to reported superhuman activity. Due to travel time expectations, the police requested that the Hawk intervene. In addition, Brainwave would not be joining them, as he was in the middle of a "session" with a member of the Brotherhood of Freedom, trying to break the mind control placed upon them. Miracle sent out the signal to the rest of the Hawk to meet him at IMSA.

Upon arrival, Miracle and Amorpho got a debriefing from the local authorities while waiting for Eidolon, Thunderfist, and Thunder to arrive minutes later. With the only visible people being light-manifestations, Amorpho took it upon himself to move around to the back of the building, shapeshifted into a child and break into the school. Working his way through the building, he purposefully gets himself captured to discover who was behind the kidnapping. Once escorted into the main foyer, Amorpho learned and conveyed to the Hawk that Light Mage and the ex-members of the Blasters had teamed up. Having recognized Mazer from the HeroNet files, Amorpho proceeded to ask how Howard Moore was doing, sparking the intense hatred the young villain had for his former leader. Turning on the "young boy", Mazer blasted him with an energy beam.

Upon hearing Amorpho shot, The rest of the Hawk charged into the building. Coming up through the floor, Eidolon caught Light Mage by surprise, knocking him unconscious and dissipating his light-manifested henchmen. Thunder went after Mazer, only to be smacked around by Flashblade. Thunderfist went after Vesuvia, only to be entangled in the massive villain's volcanic bile. Miracle followed knocking Mazer and Flashblade for a loop by leveling Vesuvia. After several seconds, the Hawk was turning the fight when Spectre teleported himself and Light Mage out of the fight, leaving the other three villains to be captured.

Having been hit hard by Mazer, Amorpho was in serious need of time for self-repair and was rushed back to the Hawks' Nest by Thunder while the other two members waited for Strikeforce to arrive. At the same time they arrived, the press began working their way through the crowd. Also arriving by private helicopter, Xavier Holiday had heard of the instance in route to Chicago and had decided to stop by and see if there was anything he could do to help. After a very brief discussion with the remaining Hawk, he went off to tell the press he would pay for all of the repairs on the school while the heroes rushed off to check on Amorpho.

(31) After the Champions of Justice had dismantled the Villain factory in Antarctica, Charcoal discovered a letter posted to the Editor-In-Chief of the Chicago Sun-Times. Finding this as odd, she places a call to her former team members at the Hawk to check it out.

Meanwhile, in the Hawk Nest, Cameron, Dr. Lucienne, Larry, Howard and Christine were enjoying lunch together when the call came through for Captain Miracle. After finishing his conversation with Charcoal, Cameron returned to fill in the others. Sending Junior out to the information highway for various pieces of information, the group quickly discovers that the head of the Sun-Times is a man calling himself Ferris Glenberg, but has many holes in his past that are questionable and an appearance that matches Glenn Feurgeson. Agreeing that this matter must be investigated immediately, Captain Miracle heads for the Sun-Times building while Eidolon proceeds to the man's home to investigate.

Upon his arrival at the newspaper offices, Miracle asked for a meeting with the Editor-In-Chief to discuss the perpetual bad press given to the Hawk by the Sun-Times. Instead, Kent Parker, the News Editor, greets him. The two men talk about the various coverage given, admitting that the Hawk have made mistakes in the past, but that the Times had also not given them good press when they had done well. The discussion led to the news editor insisting upon a meeting with Glenberg with Miracle in tow. When notified of the duo in his outer office, he told an unknown someone in his office to leave. Eavesdropping, Miracle knew a cue when he heard it and excused himself.

Meanwhile, Eidolon's search of Glenberg's apartment turned up two pieces of crucial evidence: a hidden safe filled with cash and four suit bags of Villain costumes. Contacting Miracle as he left the building with the information, Miracle instructed him to come over to the Sun-Times offices. He also called Larry, asking him to send Amorpho over for backup. When the two of them arrived, Miracle instructed Amorpho to impersonate The Hero and proceeded to knock on the window to draw Glenberg's attention.

Upon seeing The Hero floating outside his window, The Villain opened up with his heat vision, hitting Amorpho dead on but failing to do any damage. Miracle purposely drew the attention of Parker outside the door. While Amorpho and Miracle took the fight to The Villain, Eidolon flew downstairs to discover the identity of the person told to leave. As he arrived, the door flung open to show Majority of One. As the duplicator split into eighths, Eidolon did his best to chorale them in the alleyway. Upstairs, Amorpho's version of "tractor vision" and impersonation of a rhino mixed with Miracle left the Villain clone unconscious. While Amorpho took charge of Glenberg, Miracle flew downstairs to lend Eidolon a hand. Majority was busy doing his imitation of the Flying Luandas in order to attack Eidolon, but began reducing his numbers until there was just one left. When Eidolon grabbed him with his mystical tendrils, Miracle followed through with a haymaker, knocking Majority unconscious. Seconds later, however, he disappeared from sight and a sound of shock was echoed through the alleyway. Eidolon and Miracle began to search, realizing that one of the duplicates had teleported out during the fight, Miracle found Majority trying to get away, only to be knocked out again by a move-through.

When the two Hawk returned to the office, they found Amorpho being mobbed by reporters and photographers. The next day, the Hawk found themselves on page one of the Sun-Times with a three-page spread covering the whole story and Kent Parker as the new Editor-In-Chief Pro-Temp.

A short time later, Brainwave was requested by RADKE to come on staff to assist in the rehabilitation of the brainwashed Brotherhood of Freedom members after sucessfully helping Shadow Dancer. Taking a leave of absence from his accounting job, he accepted. Likewise, Neutrino left the city as quickly as she had arrived. After a few other strange occurances, the few remaining Hawk members were asked to join the Champions of Justice, with the Hawk Nest officially becoming the Airie - the Chicago base of the CoJ.

© Copyright 1994, 2003 - James Caswell