A masked man called The Hornet is vaporized along with his wife and children by The Plutonian. One week later the happy meeting of "Tony" and Samsara, who would become crimefighting partners, is recalled when the members of The Paradigm desperately try to glean information that would let them stop their former teammate's rampage. As the heroes resolve to split up and track down leads on Plutonian's private life, he arrives, strangely satisfied when they escape.