Avatar creates a portal and the group jumps to the upstairs level where the second team of bad guys should be. We don’t hear anything, however. Proteus uses his mental powers to scout the area of stray thoughts, and senses people in the Electrical Engineering lab nearby. We rush to the lab door just in time to see it open, and a hand cart coming through being pushed by Shrew.

Gray Guardian throws up a force field around the door and Shew runs into it with the cart, completely unaware. Proteus also puts a barrier of crackling energy in front of the door. Cane charges in and smacks her. Gray Guardian moves in to attack as well.

Avatar creates a portal into the room and both he and Proteus step through. They see Vulture in that room and Proteus creates a “box” around him, trapping him. Vulture breaks through it; Avatar fires a power blast but it doesn’t have much effect. Vulture counter-attacks and knocks Avatar unconscious. Proteus attacks him back and defeats him. As they are fighting, a laser blast is heard nearby.

Cane, in his wolf form, sees a hole in the wall created by the laser blast and jumps through, seeing that FIST created it with his laser powers. He chases FIST up to the second level and beats him down. Gray Guardian finishes off Shrew.

The police come to collect the unconscious baddies, and accompanying Det. Broyko is a strange looking woman who seems to be part plant. She has brown skin and is somewhat leafy. She is certainly dressed like a superhero. The group collectively has impure thoughts about her. Broyko introduces her has Evergreen, one of the Crusaders.

Evergreen explains that all of the Crusaders are currently captured and being held hostage by the Crushers in the Crusaders’ own tower. They are looking for a way to get into the Crusaders’ computer system, TEACHER. Evergreen barely managed to get away.

The other group of Crushers is made up of THE MOCKER, an android with sonic abilities and a master of ventriloquism; MARIONETTE, a one-foot tall woman with mind control abilities; HORNET, a man with wings and sonic powers; SHOCKER, a Japanese man with lightning control and acid blood; STORM-LORD, a disinherited English noble who has invisibility and weather control; and THE MACE, a man with a large electrical mace.

Evergreen says that we will need to disable the security system at the tower so we are not attacked by the building’s defenses as we enter. Proteus points out that they will need to heal Avatar before any attempt is made since he would be able to teleport the group in.