Techno Heroes 6: Epilog

Where the comics are concerned, Antrez (Micromegas) becomes Jan Andress, and Mandar (Tachyon) Carl Mendor. Both act as consultants to Equalizer Security and its new subsidiary, Equalizer Prosthetics, headed up by Conner Bragg. They occasionally provide minor technological advances, irritation, and amusement for their new friends, as seen in Titan #2, for example:

Colt: "Catching up on your Webcomics, Bragg?"
Bragg: "No, I thought I'd check Krohn's Facebook."
Colt: "How clever! Checking someone out only after he's tried to kill you."
Bragg: "It says he was voted most likely to become a villainous mad scientist. Really, Derek--that's childish of you."
Colt: "It would be; that's why I had Mandar do it--he was wanting to try his hand at our primitive computers anyway."

Oddly, the future pair also back up Colt when he gives Bragg/Titan a blaster: Colt says that Darklight depends on stealth and shouldn't carry a noisemaker, but Titan being more overt than covert may as well carry a gun, if only to blast through doors and walls.

Tachyon and Micromegas sometimes regret their policy of merely thwarting Chronos, especially as he becomes more homicidal. Colt observes that with their help, he could probably discover Touchstone himself, and he further suggests that they could keep Chronos in stasis and make the discovery in his name if need be. Tachyon and Micromegas sometimes consider using stasis themselves to return to the future, though as time passes they have more ties in their past than in their native century.

Meanwhile, Techno Heroes, Inc. finds itself embattled because of its success: when it and Modern Heroes were the "upstart startups," no one bothered them. But they are now big enough to sue. Thus one company claims that Titan in particular is a ripoff of one of its characters. Most observers expect Techno Heroes to quietly fold and settle out of court, but Ty Addison fights back. Leaving the courthouse, he tells reporters, "There can be no confusion between our work and that of other comics. We are literate."

Curiously, immediately afterward, GameScape, an InfoSys subsidiary that creates games for the InfoTech GameMaster product, makes a deal with Addison for a game based on The Verne Archives--the famous "Verne's Vortex" series. The first game has an odd feature: it has Verne lost in time and using his genius to combat a time-warping supervillain called Chronos. Because of this link to Techno Heroes, InfoSys weighs in on GameScape's and the comics' behalf, and an all-star legal team led by Eric Bitzer, later of Defend Life, alternately savages and humiliates their opponents, likening their suit to the infamous suit against Captain Marvel. The winning argument, however, is that the other company should have acted sooner: Wells' Jagannath character was actually closer to their character, yet they only laughed at the imitation originally.

Addison's other challenge is quite different: unlike Modern Heroes, Techno Heroes is generally G rated, except for some violence and frightening situations. Addison is a Christian, though he is not loud about it, and so is Wells. Grissom has the background, but he is more conflicted. This also comes out in the characters: Chronos is adamantly atheistic, while Bragg's views are evidently tied to his faith. He is some form of Christian, though it isn't spelled out. Micromegas refers to his faith at one point as "New Catholic," saying that it reflects a later schism, and notes that modern Catholicism is close enough for him. Tachyon once calls himself "Puritan Anglican," noting that the future labels are nearly meaningless in the twenty-first century. Colt refuses to identify with any denomination, though it's implied that he secretly (of course) attends some church or other. At one point he responds to Bragg, "Of course I'm a Christian. I'm not an idiot."

These remarks do not endear Techno Heroes to certain people, and a minor industry in debunking them arises. Some claim that Bragg and Colt have a homosexual relationship, which Addison calls "wishful thinking on the part of some very desperate souls." It is probably reaction against this sort of opposition that motivates Rod and Allen to overlook Techno Heroes' indirect tie to the Troika.

On a personal note, to confirm a lot of fears, after writing the Micromegas post late at night, I had a dream featuring the Techno Heroes. I don't remember much about it, except the part right before I woke up:

Darklight: As always, I have a brilliant plan for escaping Chronos' deathtrap and giving his ego a wedgie on the way out.

Tachyon [holding up a bag slightly larger than the kind used for bowling balls]: Wait! First, I have a number of futuristic devices in this bag. See? [He begins gravely removing various small gadgets until he has emptied the bag.]

Darklight: So now what are you going to do?

Tachyon: I'm going to stick the bag over my head until you're through with your plan.

Addendum: The League of Superheroes will have an epilog of their own about Techno Heroes next time. Fanboy alert!