In Italy, Hyperion tries to explain to Zarda why he still wants to be a hero, still wants to help people, even though he knows that the basic premise on which his life was constructed was a lie. When Zarda learns that Hyperion is ready to help people whether they want him to or not, she decides that there is an opening in his mental process which will allow them to accomplish their objective (conquering the Earth). Hyperion heads off, and Zarda goes to Rome to "shop" (since she is now and has been for the past few issues, fully nude). The stores are closed, but this is not any concern to Zarda, nor is her lack of money when she identifies the clothing she intends to take. She moves on to jewelry. When Italian police attempt to stop her from taking a spear from a statue in the city square, she kills them with it.
In Chicago, Kyle Richmond (Nighthawk) and the Blur continue to investigate the source of the pile of 83 left arms they found while investigating the serial murders of black prostitutes. Nighthawk calls in Hyperion for assistance because of the super-powered nature of the killer, over his own objections (since Hyperion is white and therefore not trustworthy). The Blur leaves Richmond to his own devices after he realizes that not only is he a raging racist, but that he is just as prejudiced when it comes to super-powered beings. Hyperion arrives in Chicago just after midnight, and Nighthawk shows him the evidence that he's gathered about the super-powered serial-killer. Nighthawk insists that Hyperion directly or indirectly caused the rise of super-powered beings, and in his own greasy way, impugns Hyperion's manhood to goad him into taking action. Hyperion heads back to his apartment and finds that the government has been ransacking his home trying to determine more about him, and his motivations. Even more insulted and disgusted by the government's treatment of his property and plans on ways to control him than he was by Nighthawk's attitude, Hyperion burns the apartment to the ground with his heat vision and returns to Chicago.
In Washington, Doctor Steadman asks Joe Ledger about the blackouts that he has been experiencing, where the crystal takes the drivers seat and leaves Joe locked in the trunk. Steadman is concerned that the crystal took him to the bottom of the ocean for some reason that Joe is not disclosing. Joe doesn't mention the amphibian creature he met there. On their way out, Joe notices Doctor Fraser, and (presumably at the crystal's prompting) suggests that Steadman should follow her to learn what she's hiding. When Steadman follows Fraser, he is accosted by military guards. When he is brought to Fraser, Steadman learns that she has been experimenting with the alien DNA from the cradle-ship that brought Hyperion to Earth. Steadman identified the DNA found on the ship as a combination of human DNA and alien DNA. They speculated that the DNA may have caused the enhanced abilities of people like Stanley Stewart (the Blur), and injected the combined DNA into a military volunteer who died in the test. Given the death, they continued their trials, this time on convicted killers serving life sentences in military prisons. When Steadman threatens to take the information public, the military implies that they will kill him rather than allow it. Joe Ledger appears from nowhere to defend Steadman's life.
In Shreveport, a shack sits with an old pickup truck in front of it, the door opens, a man comes out and drives off in the truck. Hours later, the man returns in the truck with a street prostitute. They enter the house, the prostitute noticing the smell of death as they enter. Some time later, we hear the woman being attacked, she runs out of the house and is chased by the man, who returns with her left arm.
General Notes
This issue is presented with four panels per page, showing the simultaneous stories of Zarda, Nighthawk/Hyperion, Doctor Steadman, and the super-powered serial killer.
Richard Isanove contributed inks to the cover only.
As Nighthawk is looking in a mirror on the cover, Gary Frank and Richard Isanove have their signatures reversed, as they would be if placed in front of a mirror.
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