Adventure:  The Balance Returns 
The secret identity of Ellipsis is out.  True, nobody identifies him with the name of Stephen Wolcott.  
But, twice since his photograph unmasked was printed in the campus newspaper, he has been the target of criminal attacks - one of which started in his own apartment.
He may not be able to break this tide.  But if he - and his allies - can't, nobody can.  
In the campus library, Stephen Wolcott casually removes the only archived copy of the State News which contains his unmasked picture, tears the photo out, and sets fire to it in the restroom.  Nobody notices.  
In the campus newspaper offices, he and Julie Moretti - the photographer who snapped his picture - walk into the archive room and systematically destroy all copies with that date on it.  Julie has no qualms about helping him; they have depended on each other for their survival lately, against the mob elements that have attacked them both lately.  Nobody else interrupts; though the newsroom was crowded, nobody even saw them walk in.  
Soon, Stephen mentally contacts the others - Mike Roberts, Laura Greene, Torn Juergens, Dirk Ryanl and John Peters - and asks them to meet with him about a mission.  All but Mike make it to his apartment that evening to hear him with Julie Moretti.  
Ellipsis intends to scour all knowledge of his secret from the underworld of Lansing - and Detroit if necessary.  
It might be an easy mission; the criminals of Michigan may not yet have recovered from the capture of most of their leadership in the raid that he and Captain Gonzo made.  But on the other hand ••• 
Laura needs no more urging; she's had trouble forgiving herself for being absent the night Captain Gonzo died, even though she was never asked to help them that night.  (But she wonders:  did Ellipsis know her sorrow when he mentioned Gonzo?) 
Dirk and Johnny for their part, are both spoiling for action, and Tom has his own reasons for going.  Julie can tell them where to start, but she insists on going along.  
That night they rip through Lansing, mostly in abandoned buildings throughout the metro area which the criminals have taken over as bases.  By the time they finish nobody within the city can remember Stephen's face.  However, all the major bosses have retreated to Detroit.  Julie recognizes one name in particular:  Louis Giambetti, the gang boss who tried to have her killed.  
Should they give chase? 
Morningstar asks:  why? They've run away:  aren’t you safe? 
No!  Julie says.  They're ruthless!  As loog as we know the truth about them they'll stop at nothing!  
Mike Roberts, calling at Stephen's apartment, catches up to them as the Mighty Tim.  Together they argue their plans.  Tomorrow after they're rested for the night, all but Morningstar will invade Detroit.  
Julie is especially excluded from this expedition.  Ellipsis insists this is a combat mission, in territory where she can add no knowledge.  He will not have a prospective casualty on-his hands.  Feeling the force of his conviction, she backs down, but makes him promise her an exclusive story.  
Before Morningstar leaves for the night, Ellipsis approaches her.  (He felt a flash of distrust from her earlier; he cannot-bear it and must deal with it - as best he can •••) 
He tries to make it clear:  this is a volunteer organization.  He will not use coercion.  She need feel no guilt if for any reason she 'cannot go with them.  If the mission cannot go without her, it is his problem if he goes ahead.  
As she leaves, she reflects:  He's different from before.  It's as if he's ready to cut us all away if we give him a chance!  
The next night, their invasion of Detroit leads them to a stakeout of Louis Giambetti’s headquarters.  Louis is within, discussing his plan for takeover of the Detroit gangs.  When Dominatra was removed and while his other rivals were detained in Lansing, he moved to absorb her organization.  It was in chaos, but he took about half of it under his wing.  Now he has weapons and super-powered underlings, which he can use to lean on some businessmen who-aren't giving him their full support.  Dominatra's vague plans for revenge were always so petty...
He calls his new powered squadron in.  Two are familiar to Ellipsis as he monitors:  Swordhand and Target.  A third calls himself Rad Man, and the fourth ••• 
Caliber' seems to recognize him from the description Ellipsis gives him mentally.  When Ellipsis asks for details, Caliber responds, -·I'11 tell you when I'm sure.' 
Louis continues.  To show his squadron's loyalty, he asks, 'Would you kill for me? Would you kill the Balance if I asked you to?' 
Swordhand responds, "Hell yes." Rad Man says, "Hey, what you say.· The other says, ·Uh ••• Yes, Sir!”
Caliber takes off!  He crashes through the wall of the building, yelling, ·”No!  Don't do it!" 
“Be it damned!" Ellipsis says.  "Hold – but be ready!" 
Caliber lands in the room with the villains.  He turns to face a towering man with a cone-shaped helmet on his head, dressed in a silver bodysuit with the U.S. Air Force star-and-bars on his chest.  
Caliber says, ·Stand to attention, Dauntless Commander!”· The man straightens his posture.  
·You've been following orders from unauthorized authority.  Stand and report your reasons, flyer!' 
'Don’t listen to him!” the teenager standing next to the helmeted man shouts.  "I'm your buddy!  I got you that jet fuel when you ran out, huh?”
Louis shouts as loudly, “Silence the intruder!” Swordhand and Target move forward.  
The Balance materializes in the room in a burst of flame.  
Swordhand sees Ellipsis before him, the man who invaded his mind - exposed his secrets and threw him away as worthless!  Energy crackles around his hand to form a blade.  As he charges, he screams, "I'LL KILL YOU!" 
Ellipsis sees Swordhand before him, one of those who made Captain Gonzo's death possible.  He states loudly, "NEVER Aga in!”
Swordhand stumbles, and falls at the feet of Ellipsis.

The woman Target gets ready.  Her talent is to ... seduce an attacker to close range, and then hit him with bioelectric shock.  It should work this time ••• 
The next thing she knows, she's reeling face down on the carpet - downed by the battle staff of the Mighty Tim behind her.
The man in the silver bodysuit is getting agitated.  His new  boy sidekick yells at him, “You see? They be come to down you for good_ Hit 'em, MX!”· Yes!  Time to hit the enemy at last!  
“Shut up, punk!" Caliber charges Rad Man.  The teenager rolls out of the way.  
"Hey, don't be hittin' Rad, Man,, or I make you burn!" Energy builds around his hands.  
"No!  Neither you!"  Ellipsis strikes at the teenager.  
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!”  MX is on the move.
The room is rocked by a forceful blast.  Most of those within are staggered.  Only Caliber and Ghost Knight are not.
"Dammit, I said stop!”' Caliber slams into MX.  They impact the wall, but neither is harmed.  
Ghost Knight has a distance weapon in his armor, which he can use instead of being invisible or intangible.  He brings it into play against MX.  It does very minor damage.  
The others start to pick themselves up.  Ellipsis silently tells them, “Play dead.”
Men with guns approach.  FOAD jumps up and attacks them.  They mostly run.  Ellipsis says, “All the better.”
Louis Giambetti presses a button on a portable console from his pocket.  The armor of Ghost Knight decouples, and falls off.  
Mighty Tim, still on the ground, ports Ghost Knight out.
Ellipsis takes this chance to wipe his secret identity from the crimelord’s mind.  He then says to the team, “Time to leave.”
Mighty Tim ports himself and Ellipsis out.  FOAD’s moving too quickly to catch and Caliber’s too close to MX’s energy releases; they’ll have to make it out on their own.  And they do.
After the Balance escapes from the battle, Ellipsis says to Caliber, ·”What by Hell was MX back there?' 
"It's classified.”
"It's also vital to my personal safety, plus that of everyone else you see here.  I personally consider that of at least equal importance to the security of the United States.  Now what is it?" 
"I still can't tell you, sir." 
"None the less, you said you would tell me when you knew who our opponent who calls himself MX was, did you not?'
“It's still classified sir." 
Be It All Damned ••• Ellipsis could easily find out - without Caliber even knowing!  But in the long run, that won't work.  He won't try it until he despairs.  
'Why did you take unauthorized action against this anonymous MX, then?" 
"It was a danger situation, sir.  I felt that my action was appropriate.' 
"Good enough - be it all damned!.  I cannot ask you to break your former oaths.  But I can give you a choice:  act as one of us, or leave us!' 
"Yes, sir.”
"Now what can you tell us about the man MX?" 
Caliber has-To think back, to when the madman tried an unauthorized launch of the new flight of Peacekeeper missiles.  The entire Dauntless Flight barely stopped him...
"The mental instability of the man you know as MX was caused by a man who called himself Domesday.”