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Danar Nicole resurfaces, hideously scarred, when he recruits supervillains from across Europe and forms the supervillain team Eurostar, with himself as the leader. The team consists of Fiacho (Danar Nicole himself), Bora (the feared Italian super-terrorist), Durak (the superhumanly strong Russian psychopath), Le Sone (a Frenchman with sonic powers), Tesla (a German woman with magnetic powers) and Pantera (a vicious cat-woman). Their first action is to steal tens of millions of dollars in bullion from a Soviet gold depository, killing many Soviet soldiers, police and civilians in the process.
Shortly afterwards Eurostar take over the European Parliament building and Fiacho demands, live on TV, that all European nations hand over power to him, on pain of destruction. The Defenders of Minerva and Atalanta together manage to drive Eurostar off, but in the process many civilian casualties occur. Eurostar escape, and both the Defenders of Minerva and Atalanta receive hostile press for their role in the Pyrrhic victory. As time goes by Eurostar establish themselves as one of the most dangerous groups of superhumans ever assembled as they attempt to terrorise Europe into submitting to their will.
Minervan scientists lose contact with one of the two IBA probes when it is about a light-day from the Sun. The reason for this loss of contact is never discovered.
The Steel Tiger, the Burmese superhuman, vanishes and is not seen again.
The Solidarity trade union is formed in Poland. In response martial law is declared and the unions leaders are detained.
The poorer areas of several cities across Britain are wracked by several nights of rioting and violent clashes between rioters and Police.
President Anwar Sadat of Egypt is killed by the super-assassins the Ninja and Fantasia. Despite rumours connecting the assassination with Mossad no solid evidence is found to support this view.
Dr Jefferson Durant is kidnapped, along with his family, by King Cobra shortly after receiving the Nobel prize for biochemistry.
A female superhuman called Tenebres appears when she fights Atalanta after attempting to rob several Rome art galleries.
The construction of Starholme 2 begins from the residue of Roche 1.
The Chilean Empire invades the Falkland Islands and South Georgia for the fourth time. British forces move to repel the invaders but are easily pushed back when the Chileans move in a contingent of the Iron Legion. In the battle for the islands the superhuman Blackthorne appears for the first time when he aids British forces against the Iron Legion. Intense diplomatic pressure from the SAU and USA on the Chileans, combined with a series of guerilla raids by British special forces which do serious damage to the Chilean forces, cause the Chileans to pull out. However, they build up their forces on the South American mainland, facing the British buildup on the Falkland Islands.
Dr Destroyer reappears and attempts to launch a group of orbital mind control satellites. He is only thwarted when the Protectors, aided by the betrayal of the Doctors mistress Natasha Alexandrovna, cause the destruction of the launch vehicle on takeoff. Natasha Alexandrovna refuses to leave the Doctor and is never seen again.
Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev dies and is replaced by Yuri Andropov.
The leaders of the Solidarity trade union are released from detention in Poland.
Dr Jefferson Durant reappears, transformed by King Cobra into the supervillain Black Mamba.
The British luxury cruise airship, the Star of London II, is hijacked by the Iron Lords shortly after it leaves Hong Kong and held to ransom for over a billion dollars. The British government secretly ships SAS troops with Paladin combat armour to Hong Kong, and with the permission of the Chinese government, mounts an attack on the Star of London II with the aim of releasing the hostages. Unfortunately they are detected and the SAS troops are driven off. Several hostages are killed in retaliation. As the siege drags on it comes to the notice of Dr Hiroshima, who flies in to investigate. Again the Iron Lords detect the intrusion, but rather than fight, they warn Dr Hiroshima off. As he relentlessly comes closer the Iron Lords decide not to face Dr Hiroshima on his own terms, but to retreat and fight another day. They set off bombs which they have previously placed around the airship and manage to escape in the confusion following the airships destruction while Dr Hiroshima is distracted by saving the hostages. Despite his best efforts most of the rich and famous people on board are killed. A worldwide manhunt begins for the Iron Lords.
The previously unknown superhuman known as Renegade joins the Protectors.
Three days of rioting occur in Amsterdam when Police clash with squatters and their supporters who are protesting at the eviction of many squatters by the city council.
After a long period during which she becomes progressively harsher and less forgiving Mischief leaves the Defenders of Minerva and vanishes. She has not been seen since.
A superhuman feral child of unusual appearance is captured in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. After killing several people who try to re-integrate the child with society he is imprisoned in Stronghold.
Degat (Havoc) retires from the Defenders of Minerva to search for his sister.
The superhuman who becomes known as Helios appears when he is hunted across the city of Athens by Bloodletter. The Protectors arrive just in time to prevent him being killed and then capture Bloodletter, who escapes shortly afterwards by some unknown means. Shortly afterwards Helios joins the Protectors.
With the manhunt for them making them too notorious for any criminal to have contact with, the Iron Lords plan revenge on the author of their troubles, Dr Hiroshima. They attack him at his home (an isolated tower created by himself) in Japan. During the ensuing battle he manages to kill three of them, Firehand, Windstroke and Stonedeath, before he himself is killed. Stormwatch collapses due to his injuries before he can escape and is captured.
When news of his death is released the Church of Dr Hiroshima states that Dr Hiroshima allowed his physical shell to be killed by the servants of Satan so that he could ascend back to heaven, satisfied that his servants would carry on His work. The Church expands greatly, its popularity rivalling that of the more established religions in some places. With its increasing popularity churches are set up in America and Europe as well as the Far East.
At the trial of Stormwatch later in the year Dr Destroyer appears and carries him away, killing the two Japanese superhumans, Kami no Hayashi and Tetsuronin, who were guarding him, in the process.
In India, the superhuman Agni attacks the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Bombay, causing considerable damage. He is driven off by an unknown female superhuman who was apparently created by one of the accidents he caused.
US forces invade the island of Grenada.
The Soviet Union shoots down an unarmed South Korean airliner which strays into their airspace, to worldwide condemnation.
A female mentallist calling herself Gambit is imprisoned in Stronghold after being captured by PRIMUS while attempting to blackmail several US senators into giving her both money and power.
The leaders of the Solidarity trade union are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Israeli forces move into the Lebanon to eliminate the threat of terrorism from there.
War breaks out over a long-standing border dispute between Mozambique and Tanzania.
The super-assassin known as Fantasia demolishes a research laboratory belonging to the company Nishikawa Armaments near Kyoto, Japan, killing most of the facilities security guards in the process before escaping.
After prolonged negotiations with the US government the government of Singapore buys Iron Guard combat armour for the majority of its troops.
Fighting between Mozambiquan and Tanzanian forces moves into neighbouring Zimbabwe, whose forces try to eject both sides of the conflict.
Protectors Inc. is formed by the Protectors as a private security company.
The Defenders of Minerva rescue the superhuman who becomes known as Serval, a descendant of the original Pantera, from the Chilean Empire. She then joins the group.
In retaliation several Chilean sabotage squads are sent to Minerva. Blackheart is seriously injured in an explosion in one of Minervas main government offices, and the rest of the Defenders of Minerva narrowly averts disaster when they prevent the planting of bombs in the life support systems of several Minervan arcologies.
What appears to be nuclear mushroom cloud is observed two hundred miles east of Japan by several observation satellites and the crews of several airliners in the vicinity. However, examination of the site of the cloud reveals no traces of any radioactivity, and the sighting is never explained.
The superhuman Shakti appears in India, working for the government there, when she prevents the assassination of the Indian premier Mrs Indira Gandhi by her own bodyguards. She is quickly recognised as the superhuman who drove off Agni at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre the previous year. Over this and the following years, among other things, she works with the Indian armed forces against Tamil separatists and rebels in the states of Kashmir, Assam and the Punjab.
The husband and wife Ballet dancers Mikhail and Anna Kowalski defect to the USA, continuing to dance there with great success.
The first holographic vehicle-mounted cloaking devices are developed. Although initially they can only operate for a minute or so before their computer system must self-recalibrate, they instantly find wide military applications. As time passes, they become able to operate for longer periods, and extend their cloaking effect into the invisible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Yuri Andropov dies and is replaced as leader of the USSR by Constantin Chernenko.
A British policewoman is shot and killed by a Libyan 'diplomat' during a demonstration outside the Libyan Embassy in London. Shortly afterwards all Libyan diplomats in Britain are expelled and diplomatic relations between Britain and Libya cut off.
The superhuman The Knight of the Air appears for the first time in New York when he fights Black Mamba. He becomes popular with the press very quickly for this.
World-wide appeals bring in millions of dollars to aid the victims of famine in Ethiopia after its true extent is broadcast worldwide. Minerva lends several large grav-thrust transports to aid agencies to carry supplies, and these are still at work there today as despite massive efforts the crisis remains un-alleviated.
Mozambiquan forces push Zimbabwean forces entirely out of the area they control.
In Japan the superhuman Scaredycat appears when she stops a gang of thieves raiding an Osaka art show. After this she appears on a fairly regular basis fighting crime, especially the Yakuza, and doing things like outracing or playing chicken with bullet trains.
Eurostar appear in Venice when they hold the entire city for ransom. As their deadline draws closer Atalanta and Legione, with the Aid of the Italian government, covertly enter Venice and fight Eurostar. In the battle both Legione and Tesla of Eurostar are killed, and although they are driven off Eurostar take Atalanta with them as a captive. Although she does inform the media of her escape, Atalanta vanishes from the public eye and is not seen again until 1987. After his death Legione is identified as the great-grandson of the Italian Overman also known as Legione who led the Italian armed forces until his murder in 1922.
The Horsemen slowly begin to rebuild their operations in the Far East after worldwide Police pressure on them finally begins to ease.
After being unable to locate Mischief, Havoc returns to Minerva and rejoins the Defenders of Minerva.
Syrian forces move into the Lebanon in an attempt to stop Israel taking over the whole country.
The superhuman Lady Blue (real name Tara Lemick) appears for the first time when she robs a Pittsburgh bank of several million dollars. Despite her criminal activities her attitude and personality when she appears on a TV chat show via a satellite link (the first of many appearances since then) make her very popular with the general public, especially when it is found that the majority of the money she stole was in fact donated to charities to help the poor and homeless.
Blackheart retires from the Defenders of Minerva to become the Chancellor of Minerva.
British athlete Marion Bradford is killed in an avalanche while skiing in the Swiss Alps with friends.
The British actress Ursula Norton retires after eighteen years on the stage.
The Nippon Steel Corporation markets copies of the Tetsuronin powered combat armour. The Japanese government buys a number of the suits for their elite forces, and several Japanese companies also buy suits for use by their corporate security forces (with slightly different armament). The suits soon gain a reputation as the most technologically advanced combat armour in common use around the world.
Mikhail and Anna Kowalski are killed when their house in New York burns down.
Constantin Chernenko dies and is replaced by Mikhail Gorbachov.
The sculptress Gillian Umberto comes out of her months-long seclusion after being blinded in a skiing accident to announce she will be continuing her career as a sculptress. Although she now sculpts by touch alone her work if anything improves, and her first exhibition after this announcement is received with great critical acclaim.
The French secret service bomb a ship belonging to the environmental organisation Greenpeace in Auckland harbour, killing a crew-member and sparking worldwide controversy.
A superhuman calling himself Scathe is arrested by the Protectors in Atlanta where he was the head of a large ring of drug dealers working for Unterwelt. Several news reports claim that Scathe was informed upon by the Mafia to stop Unterwelts competition with their operations. After his trial Scathe is placed in Stronghold.
The Soviet superhuman known as Red Shield speaks out in support of Mikhail Gorbachov's policies and condemns the endemic corruption in the Communist Party. At the same time he reveals his true identity as Piotr Vladimirovich Vatutin, the son of two famous Soviet Academicians and changes his name from Krasnyi Shchit to Glasnost (Freedom).
The Knight of the Air fights Lady Blue when she tries to rob the New York Stock Exchange. He manages to drive her off, but not before enough damage is caused to the Stock Exchange to cause serious fluctuations in the Dow-Jones index.
Scaredycat battles the Horsemen after they try and disrupt the operation of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in order to cause the economic destruction of Japan. Although she and the Japanese security forces manage to drive them off she is badly injured in the fight and is not seen for several months afterward.
A stalemate builds up in the war between Tanzania and Mozambique.
Although actual fighting grinds to a stop, the border between Mozambique and Tanzania becomes heavily fortified, and skirmishes along the border occur on a regular basis. Once the war has effectively stopped, English Rose visits both nations, and uses her powers to aid the wars victims. Her visit to Tanzania is ended early when Tanzanian government agents unsuccessfully attempt to kidnap her and force her to work exclusively for them. Using her powers, she is easily able to escape and return to the USA.
The experimental anti-matter power plant at Chernobyl in the Soviet Union explodes catastrophically, the fallout spreading over much of Europe.
The eighteen year old musician Claire Firaux bursts onto the music scene in the US and very quickly attracts a huge fan following. Her enthusiastic support for the Green movement and organisations such as Greenpeace attracts many young people to the environmentalist cause, especially in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.
Minerva moves Starholmes 1 and 2 and Roche 1 and 2 into geo-synchronous orbit above Minerva.
Glasnost appears in Afghanistan where he works to reduce the suffering of the native Afghans, arguing vociferously, but with little effect, for tolerance and restraint on both sides.
Lady Blue is captured by the Protectors after, along with money, she steals incriminating documents from several companies which are illegally dumping toxic waste. However, her wealth allows her to hire lawyers who make sure she is not convicted and she is released soon afterwards, but in the process her normal identity is revealed to the world at large. The companies involved are forced to clean up their acts by the US Environmental Protection Agency and are heavily fined.
Eurostar covertly load stolen antimatter weapons into several unmanned Minervan cargo shuttles going to Starholmes 1 and 2, and sabotage the shuttles control systems so they cannot be diverted. Just after their takeoff Eurostar attack and destroy Minervan shuttle control on the ground and announce what they have done, demanding the immediate surrender of Minerva to them or the next shuttles will go into cities. As the shuttles near Starholmes 1 and 2 the defence systems of the stations attempt to destroy them, but Eurostar use override codes to de-activate them. In an act of desperation volunteer technicians are sent out to divert the shuttles. Fortunately the technicians manage to take control of all the shuttles and divert them away, but can do nothing about the bombs, which detonate before they reach shelter. Of the technicians, all but two die in the blast and exposure to vacuum after their space-suits are ruptured, but the survivors physically mutate and develop superhuman powers under the huge gamma-ray bombardment, becoming part of the Starholme security forces under the names of Mercury and Sapphire.
After several terrorist attacks against US installations are traced back to organisations with links to Libya, in retaliation the US government bombards the country from several space platforms.
Spain and Portugal join the EEC.
A superhuman calling herself Eyecatcher is delivered to the police in Pittsburgh by Lady Blue after she murders all the members of a rich family there. The seriousness of her crimes bring calls for the reinstatement of the death penalty by a few agitators, but these are ignored and Eyecatcher is imprisoned in Stronghold.
A massive earthquake devastates Mexico City. The Protectors and English Rose aid greatly in the rescue and rebuilding efforts in the city and surrounding areas. Lady Blue also aids in the rescue (although she keeps well away from the Protectors while doing so), and donates money to the rebuilding effort.
Some time later Lady Blue (via satellite link) and the Protectors appear face to face on a TV discussion programme, where her persuasive arguments about what she does and why she does it leave the Protectors unable to provide convincing answers to her questions.
Peter St John becomes British Minister of Defence, a position he holds to this day.
A huge quantity of carbon dioxide bubbles up from Lake Nyos in what was once Cameroon, killing thousands of people in the surrounding villages.
President Marcos of the Phillipines is ousted in a large-scale popular uprising. He and his family are forced too flee to the USA and Corazon Aquino, wife of an opposition leader murdered by government forces, is elected President.
Havoc retires from the Defenders of Minerva to become the Minervan Minister of Defence.
The Knight of the Air fights Dark Seraph and the Affrighter when they attempt to steal several artefacts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Despite his best efforts only the timely arrival of PRIMUS forces prevents his being killed by the villains, who escape shortly afterwards.
Ace joins the Protectors. Shortly afterwards the Protectors act against a DEMON operation in Uganda. In the process they recruit a young Ugandan superhuman who becomes known as Brainstorm, snatching him away from the clutches of the Ugandan government.
A Chilean political prisoner, Manuel Zala, escapes from a Chilean research laboratory, where he was an involuntary subject in cybernetics research. He stows away on a ship to the United States and on arrival obtains political asylum. Shortly afterward he joins the Protectors under the name Silverfist.
The super-vigilante Breaker appears for the first time in Washington DC, when she completely wipes out several drug rings. Shortly afterwards she reappears in New York, where she continues to kill drug dealers and stop other forms of crime to this day.
The costumed vigilante Quarrel reappears in Europe, where they again begin to kill criminals. After a few appearances it becomes obvious that this Quarrel is in fact a woman.
Dr Destroyer teleports into a small town in New York state where two young superhumans, Crossfire and Rainbow, have been operating. They appear after he threatens to destroy the town and they attempt to fight him. They lose. PRIMUS arrives just too late to prevent Crossfire apparently being killed and Dr Destroyer teleporting away with Rainbow, who is never seen again.
Lady Blue attempts to stop Breaker's killing of drug dealers in a battle in New York. Both she and Breaker escape after PRIMUS forces arrive, and despite Breaker's continuing activities Lady Blue does not attempt to stop her again.
Greece joins the EEC.
The superhuman known as Desert Orchid appears fighting on the Iranian side in the Iran-Iraq war. After a few weeks she disappears and is not seen again in either country.
Zenith bursts onto the music scene, immediately becoming very popular with brainless teenyboppers everywhere.
The superhuman Harlequin appears in New York where she wages a one-woman war on the forces of DEMON.
The Knight of the Air fights the superhuman Fantasia when she attempts to kill several businessmen (who later press investigation reveals may have been Mafia Dons) in New York. Despite being badly injured he manages to drive Fantasia off before collapsing and being taken away for treatment by PRIMUS.
A hurricane sweeps across southern England and parts of Europe, causing serious damage in some areas. Zenith and Blackthorne both help the rescue services in the aftermath of the storm.
The superhuman Atalanta reappears in Europe after a three year absence.
A superhuman assassin calling himself Deathwatch appears when he kills several prominent anti-drugs campaigners in the Florida area. Shortly afterwards he is arrested by PRIMUS and the Golden Avenger himself, and after his trial placed in Stronghold. Deathwatch's confession also leads to the arrest of several Florida 'businessmen' involved in drug dealing who hired Deathwatch in the first place.
After she disrupts one too many of their operations the Yakuza give Terror Inc. a contract to kill Scaredycat. They appear in Japan and begin to commit crimes to draw her to them. When she appears her speed allows her to avoid the traps that have been set for her so Terror Inc. attempt to kill her directly. Again she is too fast for them and they flee in disarray after she uses her fear-inducing power on them. Giganto and Feur are captured after Scaredycat knocks them out while they are terrified, but they are freed by their comrades within a day and the team immediately returns to South America.
The Defenders of Minerva are seen in Berlin over the course of several weeks, where they appear to be searching for something, but decline to say what, although the media speculate that it may have something to do with rumours of a new superhuman which have been circulating in the city for several weeks. Over the course of their stay they demolish several drug rings operating in the city, then leave as suddenly as they appeared.
Desert Orchid reappears in Afghanistan fighting with the Mujahedin against the Soviet invaders.
A Palestinean uprising begins in the Israeli occupied territories.
Minerva Montpelier takes over leadership of the Defenders of Minerva from her mother the Amazon, and the previously unknown superhuman known as Moonshadow joins the group.
The super-assassin who becomes known as Anguish appears when she wipes out several gangs of criminals in southern Europe.
The Knight of the Air fights Breaker when she attempts to kill a gang who were smuggling heroin into New York shortly after he has captured them. They fight to a near standstill (as Breaker declines to use her claws on The Knight of the Air), but Breaker flees and escapes when PRIMUS forces arrive.
In the Chilean Empire a superhuman called Poinsettia appears. She works for the Chilean government, mainly as a figurehead for its intelligence services.
Peregrine of the Defenders of Minerva is killed by the super-assassin Anguish.
Several reports of a huge 'lizard-man' come in from the swamp areas of South Carolina. These reports end after a large, brightly lit oblong object is seen flying over the area.
Hurricane Gilbert causes a swathe of devastation across the Gulf of Mexico. In the aftermath of the Hurricane English Rose visits most of the affected areas, using her healing powers to help people injured by it. Lady Blue is also seen to help in the aftermath of the storm.
The Japanese company Nishikawa Armaments is shut down after investigation by the Japanese government when it is revealed that Nishikawa Toshikazu, its owner and President, is in fact the super-assassin known as The Ninja. However, Nishikawa Toshikazu escapes and goes into hiding, after stripping his company of most of its assets, and continues his career as The Ninja.
The 'Black Monday' crash on Wall Street rocks financial markets around the world.
The Burmese government crushes a pro-democracy uprising among the Karen people and moves greater force against their continuing rebellion.
Lady Blue appears in Europe as a new member of the Defenders of Minerva where she remains despite American attempts to have her extradited and widespread protests about a known criminal joining the team. However, she remains on wanted lists in most of the rest of the world.
Quarrel assassinates Vittorio Obertelli, a leading Italian politician, immediately causing the police manhunt for her to be massively upgraded. She is not seen again until late 1989.
As the Soviet hunt for her intensifies Desert Orchid disappears from Afghanistan and takes up the career of a mercenary, fighting for various causes in various parts of the world.
The superhuman Fulgor appears for the first time in New York, where he attempts to destroy the power of the drug barons.
A massive earthquake in the Soviet province of Armenia kills tens of thousands of people. President Gorbachov cuts short the visits he is making to various foreign nations and returns home to personally oversee the reconstruction effort. Within hours of the earthquake English Rose, Glasnost, the Defenders of Minerva and the Protectors arrive at the scene and greatly aid in the rescue, rebuilding and medical efforts.
Doc Sonic joins the Protectors.
The Ayatollah Khomeni dies. Shortly afterwards the Iran-Iraq war comes to an end.
The Horsemen attack several targets around Japan, stealing a large variety of industrial chemical synthesis equipment. Although several times the Japanese police and armed forces and the superhuman Scaredycat are present and attempt to stop them they do not succeed, and many service people die or are injured at the hands of the Horsemen before they make good their escape.
Two female superhumans calling themselves Megalith and Vestige are imprisoned in Stronghold after being captured by the Protectors following a series of robberies in the southern USA.
A coup in the Central African Republic brings the black superhuman known as The Rock to power there, displacing the previous democratically elected government.
Poland elects a non-communist government, Hungarys' communist party dissolves itself and the Eastern Bloc begins to disintegrate.
Solar Angel is seen again around Starholme 1 for the first time in ten years.
Ex-President Marcos of the Phillipines dies in exile in Hawaii.
Thousands of Chinese students assemble in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, protesting for democracy. Among their number are two previously unknown Chinese superhumans whose names are never discovered. After several days the authorities bring force to bear to remove the demonstrators. This includes approximately fifteen previously unknown superhumans who work as part of the government's forces. Over one thousand pro-democracy supporters are killed and many thousands of others are taken into custody. The fate of the two pro-democracy superhumans is never discovered. Several weeks after the massacre, a Chinese superhuman known as Zhanshi (Champion), who was not one of the pro-democracy superhumans in Tiananmen Square, seeks political asylum in Japan after flying into Tokyo with his dependants. They are detained for several months while the details of their asylum are clarified, but eventually clearance is granted and he and his dependants begin a new life in Japan, with new identities.
The Knight of the Air fights the superhuman Tenebres after she robs several museums and art galleries around New York. Tenebres is captured by him, but is acquitted at her trial on a legal technicality and set free.
Soviet forces finally withdraw from Afghanistan after years of international protests and Afghani terrorism.
The Berlin Wall is demolished to celebrations across Germany and the world.
The supervillainess calling herself Imp appears in Britain when she attempts to steal a bullion shipment. She is driven off by Zenith although she manages to injure him in the process. Later, she robs a series of banks in London, but never gets away with more than a few tens of thousands of pounds each time.
A fairly powerful earthquake strikes California, causing widespread damage. The Protectors are on the scene within minutes and greatly aid the relief efforts, saving many lives.
With the permission of the US and Soviet governments, Glasnost travels to the USA as an emissary of Soviet good will. Once there he works as a non-governmental costumed crimefighter under the nominal guidance of PRIMUS.
It becomes obvious that the Protectors have begun to act strangely, tending to be far more harsh with their opponents than has previously been the case.
With her wanted status severely limiting her activities with the Defenders of Minerva on Earth, Lady Blue moves to Starholme 1 to become part of its security forces. However, she is still occasionally seen in the USA and elsewhere, mainly donating money to the poor and homeless or fighting those who would exploit or oppress them.
President Manuel Noriega is removed from power in Panama and taken into custody by US forces after his links with the drug trade become public.
The vigilante Quarrel reappears when she begins killing criminals in the USA.
A family of wealthy Spanish cattleowners, the Medinas, are imprisoned and their lands confiscated after it is discovered that they have links with Dr Destroyer.
A superhuman calling himself Raven appears in Bermuda, fighting against drug dealers there.
A group of Protectors Inc. agents attempt to steal a valuable Aztec artefact, the Tezlicopa Statue, from a train travelling from Boston to New York. They are stopped by several superhumans, some of whom, such as Fulgor and Harlequin, have been seen before, others of whom are completely unknown. Several days later the Protectors themselves attack the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the statue is kept, and although the superhumans who stopped their agents before are there, they manage to escape with the statue. A nationwide alert is put out for the Protectors.
One of the superhumans involved in fighting the Protectors, an angelic figure known as Uriel, is imprisoned in Stronghold due to possible murder on his part, as well as some other dubious actions. Shortly afterwards DEMON raids Stronghold and manage to kill him, despite the team which becomes the Guardians arriving and driving off the DEMON forces. In the aftermath of the raid, a group to imprisoned supervillains escape and form a group known as Spearhead.
The group of superhumans who fought the Protectors remain together and based in New York, although their membership fluctuates widely for a time. At first they call themselves Complex Variable, but after widespread press and public derision of the name, change it to the Guardians.
The Protectors are seen in various parts of the world kidnapping scientists - usually experts in seismology and vibration.
Fulgor, one of the superhumans who fought the Protectors in New York, goes to South America to aid the DEA's fight against the drug barons there.
Several Mafia Dons are killed in New York in what is widely seen as a move by Unterwelt to take control of New Yorks organised crime. The team which becomes the Guardians battles a black-clad female superhuman at one of these assassinations, but she escapes. Some time later a new group of supervillain calling themselves Herosbane who apparently work for Unterwelt, appear in New York where they fight the Guardians, apparently as a test run for the team. Herosbane later kidnap about twenty new-born babies and their mothers from a New York hospital. The mothers and babies are never seen again.
Half of the Protectors appear in New York where they attempt to kill the Guardians. However, they fail and are captured. They are then placed in Stronghold.
Things which become known as Sea-Tanks kidnap hundreds of people from Bermuda. Several days later they surface in New York, where they demolish Empire State University and kidnap hundreds more people before they are halted by the Guardians. However the kidnap victims have already vanished into the sea. The Guardians manage to track the victims to the Chilean Empire and covertly enter the country to recover them. They succeed and in the process kidnap El Libertador and his consort Francesca de Valdivia, who turns out to be the superhuman Avatar, fleeing across the border into the SAU with them. When Chilean forces cross the border to take back El Libertador same of the Guardians take off into the jungle and kill him. Harlequin remains behind in an attempt to save the SAU soldiers at they base where they have ended up. In the process she is captured. Some time later her execution by firing squad is broadcast from Chile. Avatar takes over as ruler of the Chilean Empire and despite some discontent from various sections of the populace she manages to retain control. She then begins to attempt to improve Chile's reputation in the eyes of the world, opening negotiations with various outside groups and governments.
Apparently inspired by the example of the Guardians the government of the SAU puts out a call for superhumans to form a team of their own. After a while six superhumans come forward. They form a team known as the Unity.
A minor tremor is felt across the whole of the Earth. It is traced to the jungles of the northern SAU. The Guardians, the Defenders of Minerva and the Unity all fly in to locate the source. The Guardians find it - the Protectors who are apparently out to destroy the world in order to save it. Although they manage to stop the Protectors, Dr Wraithe and the Purifier (the superhuman who was the Tezlicopa statue) manage to escape. The captured Protectors are imprisoned in the American Stronghold, after requests that they be given into Minervan hands so that Moonshadow of the Defenders of Minerva can attempt to cure them are denied.
Some of the people who were captured by the Sea-tanks begin to suffer some kind of genetic change. With the aid of the SAU the Guardians infiltrate the Chilean Empire and manage to obtain a cure which is rapidly used on the victims. While in the SAU the Guardians manage to rescue Harlequin, who was brainwashed into working for the Chilean government as an assassin under the name of Petrushka.
Several strange energy vortexes are seen in New York. After a while these sightings cease and do not recur.
The Horsemen become involved with the New York drug scene.
On the night of one of the worst storms in New York's history Doctor Destroyer appears in Times Square, calling the Guardians, and threatening to destroy the city if they do not appear. The Guardians appear at the same time as the Soviet superhuman Glasnost and face the doctor. Shortly after they arrive a second Doctor Destroyer teleports in and denounces the first as an impostor, blasting him with energy and causing severe damage to many of the building around Times Square. The first Doctor Destroyer fires off a series of reflective spheres which each hit a Guardian, causing them to vanish. Once all the Guardians have vanished the first doctor disappears too. After searching the area for a time the second doctor also teleports away.
At the same time The Eagle, a member of the Guardians, is seen fighting the Ninja on a New York street. After a lengthy battle the Ninja beheads the already-seriously-injured Eagle and leaves.
A huge explosion of unknown origin is recorded in high orbit, lighting up an entire hemisphere.
On the Amazons birthday (16th April) she announces that Minerva intends to launch a starprobe by the turn of the millenium.
On the Soviet May Day parade several groups protest about the slow pace of reform in the Soviet Union.
Terror Inc. appear in London when they destroy the Kings Cross underground station, apparently in the process of assassinating someone. Two new superhumans, Eastender and Flashlight, appear and although they fail to stop Terror Inc. they assist greatly in the rescue attempts afterwards, as does the superhuman Blackthorne.
Herosbane and Spearhead lead what seems to a gang war between Unterwelt and the Mafia in New York and the surrounding area. Although PRIMUS proves quite effective, capturing Syncline, a member of Herosbane in general they arrive too late to be of mush use.
The superhuman Greymalkin reappears in London, in the exact same place she died. She is very confused and appears to have substantially different abilities to her earlier incarnation. She is helped to re-orient by the superhuman Sigil. Several days later she is kidnapped by a superhuman who appears to be Masterman (also thought to be dead). Sigil, Flashlight and Eastender track Masterman to a house in Romford, east London. What exactly happened then is unclear, but Greymalkin was recovered, Masterman was not seen again, and the house involved vanishes, taking part of the adjoining house with it.
Greymalkin, Sigil and Flashlight fly to Cambodia at the request of a refugee camp doctor to aid the people there. In the process Flashlight and Sigil are killed in separate incidents. Flashlight not only comes back from the dead, but also brings several other people back as well. For this, and for her use of her healing powers to aid hundreds of thousands of people across Cambodia she is hailed as Doctor Hiroshima returned, both by many of the people who have seen her in action in Cambodia, and by the Church of Doctor Hiroshima. Sigil also comes back to life, but like Greymalkin has different abilities to his earlier self. Following Flashlight's return to London the Hiroshimite population of the city rises drastically and Kings Cross station becomes something of a Hiroshimite shrine.
The band The Mission are killed when their tour bus runs of a cliff while they are touring Europe. Their backing band, God's Own Medicine, from New York, continue the tour to rave reviews. A memorial concert for them is arranged in Central Park New York for Hallowe'en night, featuring acts such as Clare Firaux, God's Own Medicine (the headliners), The Cure and the Sisters of Mercy.
As the summer goes by many of New York's streetgangs are either assimilated into or wiped out by a new streetgang calling itself The Flesheaters.
Iraq invades Kuwait causing quite serious damage and loss of life. After the Iraqi government ignores several UN resolutions the forces of several western begin to build up along the Kuwaiti border. Solar Angel warns both sides not to use weapons of mass destruction. Within two weeks a ship arrives off Kuwait City to take off refugees. It carries the Defenders of Minerva, the Unity and several other superhumans to prevent the Iraqis hindering the refugees leaving. Several incidents occur when Iraqi forces try to interfere with refugees, but these are all defused with the aid of the superhumans present. The refugees ships makes several voyages and allows thousands of Kuwaiti's to leave the country before the start of the Gulf War in late November.
A massive power failure occurs across Minerva. Although quickly remedied its cause remains unknown.
The Guardians reappear at Ayers Rock in Australia. They make their way back to New York.
The night before the Mission Memorial concert unusual activity at five points in the vicinity of New York outlines a huge pentagram centred on the concert stage. Acting on this, and other information, the Guardians manage to get the concert postponed to the night after Hallowe'en. On Hallowe'en night the Guardians, English Rose and her superhuman employees and several PRIMUS Silver Avengers are in Central Park in case of trouble. As midnight approaches crowds of Goths and streetkids gather, and eventually break into the park led by members of the Flesheaters gang. Just before midnight a large Gypsy caravan and the band God's Own Medicine teleport onto the stage. The band starts to play, ignoring the stage being demolished under them. The entire band transforms into superhumans with powers similar to Beltane (an ex-member of the Guardians) when the assembled forces attack them. At the stroke of midnight a huge figure calling itself Dhananjaya appears and fights the assembled forces for a while, then suddenly vanishes at the same time as a wave of nausea is felt all across the Earth. When the nausea passes it is seen that the Guardians, Bobby Lee the lead guitarist of God's Own Medicine and Solar Angel (who was not there before) are trapped in what seems to be an impenetrable bubble of slowed time and people everywhere are aware that they have just been saved from something unspeakable. The Gypsy caravan crashes to the ground. Upon examination it is found to contain a body which appears to have suffered several hundred years of decay. The members of God's Own Medicine are taken away by PRIMUS but upon questioning can remember nothing since soon after the start of the Mission tour and after about a week they are released. Although God's Own Medicine try to carry on as a band without Bobby Lee they are just not the same, and after a while they split up, the various members of the band following separate musical careers.
Despite their best efforts scientists are unable to learn anything about the bubble of slowed time, or even detect it.
The two Germanies re-unify.
Indian government forces begin operations against Muslim Kashmiri rebels. The superhuman Shakti is park of these forces.
A group of superhumans calling themselves the Forty Thieves attack a Los Angeles research facility owned by the company Cameroon-Lee Industries.
The Gulf War begins as the Allies move into Kuwait. Even from the start it is obvious that the war will not really be a contest as the Allies have a major technological advantage over the Iraqi's, as well as sophisticated orbital observation and bombardment systems and at least one superhuman (the mercenary, Desert Orchid) working for them. Although the Iraqi's put up a fierce fight using both home grown and foreign weapons systems as well as the super-mercenaries Terror Inc., whom the Iraqi government has hired, they soon begin to be pushed back and are forced out of Kuwait within three weeks of the wars start. As the Iraqi's are forced out of Kuwait, in a last defiant gesture they demolish all of Kuwait's oil facilities with nuclear charges in the biggest act of deliberate environmental vandalism ever. Huge plumes of smoke mixed with small amounts of fallout begin to drift eastwards. When the Allied forces move into Iraq to remove Iraq's military capability Saddam Hussein threatens and then uses nuclear arms against the Allies. However, his weapons systems are outmoded and all the missiles are intercepted or miss their targets. Allied bombardments begin to decimate Iraq's military facilities. As the situation gets more and more desperate Saddam Hussein orders nuclear bombardment of all targets within range. Missiles are fired at all Israeli cities and many in Saudi Arabia, with a few also being fired at European targets. Defence systems destroy most of the missiles, but there are several near misses. Then a missile manages to get through. Although it hits miles away from its intended target - Jerusalem - it still kills several thousand Israeli citizens. The Israeli government orders a retaliatory strike in return using state-of-the-art stealth cruise missiles. It is proved that Israel has anti-matter weapons capability when Baghdad is expunged in a massive anti-matter detonation. Saddam Hussein dies in the Israeli attack, along with several million Iraqi's, but it is soon discovered that Terror Inc. had left Baghdad several hours before, with a large percentage of the Iraqi treasury. In shock, the Iraqi defences crumble and Allied forces take control of the country, installing an interim government until democratic elections can be held. The Kurds in the north of Iraq call for an independent Kurdish state and after some discussion among the UN an independent Kurdistan is set up. Large quantities of aid begin to flow in to aid in the rebuilding of the country. Several senior Iraqi military figures are tried for war crimes in the war's aftermath.
The occupying forces and the new Iraqi government are troubled by B'athist Guerrillas who are apparently following a relative of Saddam Hussein, with the intention of bringing him to power. Although generally not considered too much of a threat they do occasionally show quite a high level of tactical ability, as well as access to ex-Iraqi nuclear weapons.
A global recession sets in.
A superhuman calling himself Dunesmith appears in Ethiopia, where he proclaims himself the new Messiah, tempered in the forging fires of the desert, and come to bring salvation to this sorrowful world. Despite opposition from the Ethiopian government and other religions he has gained a small following when the Purifier and Dr Wraith appear while he is speaking to his flock and abduct him.