Appearing in "The Love You Take..."
Featured Characters:
- Gen¹³
- Burnout (appears in both flashback and main story)
- Caitlin Fairchild
- Freefall (appears in both flashback and main story)
- Grunge (appears in both flashback and main story)
- John Lynch
- Sarah Rainmaker (appears in both flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Rebecca Hawkins
Villains:
- Enfant Terrible (Origin) (Death) (appears in both flashback and main story)
- International Operations (appears in both flashback and main story)
- Ivana Baiul (Main story and flashback)
Other Characters:
- Black Hammers
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Love You Take..."
Caitlin flees from the shapeshifting, omnivorous creature and watches in horror as it devours the Black Hammer pilot. Freefall rescues Caitlin with her gravity-negating powers and brings her to a nearby rooftop with the rest of Gen 13. They are joined by Rebecca Hawkins, the Black Hammer who helped them escape from Project: Genesis. They set off into the deserted city and find Lynch near the wreckage of the team’s downed jet. At Caitlin’s request, he divulges that the creature sustains itself by assimilating other life forms. While at IO, Lynch had it captured as an infant and contained, but Ivana Baiul and Miles Craven sought to weaponize it. They put this “Enfant Terrible” in stasis beneath this city, but it eventually developed the power to absorb machinery and escaped. Rainmaker realizes that it is a Gen-Active, and the team debates whether or not to kill it. Sarah argues that it is only lashing out because of its infant mind and awful life experience, and Caitlin decides they will try to save it. Gen 13 and the surviving Black Hammers lure it into battle. Just as it gains the upper hand, Grunge hurls himself into its mass, causing it to implode. The team rushes to Grunge’s side, and, before passing out, he explains how he deduced the creature absorbs the thoughts of its victims. So, he decided to let it absorb him and his feelings of compassion. In response, the creature consumed itself to prevent further destruction. Later, Caitlin buries the creature’s remains in the desert, apologizes for not saving it, and leaves her teddy bear atop its grave.
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in the Gen 13: Ordinary Heroes trade paperback published in 2004.