The Gang War

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Aug 23, 2023 - Crusader and Liberty Lad check up on Boss Morolli, Mafia don of Iron Harbor. Liberty Lad is gassed by a strange sex pollen and captured by Morolli's pet metahuman, Stormlord. the first indication that two of the major criminal groups in the city are working together as aging Boss Morolli tries to shore up his waning power over the gangs and various criminal operations.

The Skull Cult betrays Stormlord and Morolli, seeming to align with young Mob up-and-comer Antonio Scarra. The otherworldly Black Bolt vibro-hypnotizes Blue Bolt and Redshift,. and Black Tiger into service and gifts Black Tiger to Scarra, who is also dealing with the Skull Cult. The Skull Cult plan to betray the Mafia in order to become the dominate force in the city.

Leatherboy rescues Black Tiger from the Skulls.

Crusader and Liberty Lad have been electro-mesmerized into evil personalities: The Ravager and Slave Boy. They become chief enforcers for the Mob through Stormlord, and begin to forcibly recruit new heroes into the fold.

Redshift, now known as Speedboy, is captured while investigating Morolli, and electro-mesmerized into his evil self: Stormboy!

Meanwhile, Freelance is captured by Doctor Hypnos who has recently begun providing his hypno-badges to the police, bringing them under his control. Black Tiger and Blue Bolt are subsequently enslaved by Doctor Hypnos. After his earlier humiliation at the hands of Black Tiger, Hypnos has wanted revenge for months. Now he has Blue Bolt under his power, one of the most powerful metahumans in the city. Suddenly the minor villain has ambitions....

Stormlord begins to realize he should be in charge instead of working for the Morolli's. He turns Morolli's second in command.

Hypnos sends his partner Blackbird to seduce and capture Lynx, Black Tiger's partner. Blackbird has his own plans for the Sable Sentinel and Lynx, and sells them behind Hypnos' back to Coach Hayes. But Hypnos has already made a deal to hand over Black Tiger to the corrupt cops as a reward. The cops also capture newbie hero Bobcat.

Ravager captures Redhawk. Meanwhile, the West Coast Wonder, Shockwave, arrives in the city and is promptly captured by the Skull Cult.

Stormlord makes his final move, killing Boss Morolli and taking over his operations!

The Skull Cult betrays the other factions and tries to take over the city. They invade Doctor Hypnos' base but all of the assault force are hypnotized into Doctor Hypnos' service. He acquires Shockwave and Scarra in this way. The rest of the Skulls assault Stormlord's base.

Black Tiger and Bobcat break free of their control and try to rescue Blue Bolt. They recruit two retired heroes, Volt and Starman, to their cause. But they fail and, unable to fight the mind-controlled Blue Bolt, both young men come under the control of Hypnos once more, fitted with new-generation hypnomasks. Blue Bolt and Freelance get the location of the Skull's hidden crypt/temple/base from Scarra's mind and raid it, sweeping up the last the Skulls and ensnaring them with the hypnohoods.

Torment, leader of the Skull Cult, escapes into the tunnels under the city. I'm sure he will move to Belgium and open a bakery.

Volt and Starman make short work of Stormlord's base, and capture most of his men and the rest of the Skulls as well. Stormlord himself is captured after revealing he is Volt's long-estranged father!

Doctor Hypnos mind controls Antonio Scarra, then provides him with a costumed identity: Mesmer.

Many betrayals and double-crosses later, a new power finally emerges from the chaos: Doctor Hypnos controls both the Mob (through Scarra) and the Police. He now has hundreds of minions thanks to the ranks of the Skull Cult. The most powerful heroes in the city are his mind-controlled puppets. But will it last?