Liberty Squadron

Bernie Mason and Elaine Yvonne DuPres had both been sidekicks to Michael Mason, the first Hornet Man. After Michael was killed, Bernie became the second Hornet Man, and he and Elaine became a couple. They then moved to Philadelphia.

Hornet Man II and Hornet Girl helped found the Philadelphia based Liberty Squadron. Their relationship was based mostly on having been sidekicks and then partners together. But truthfully, Bernie and Elaine weren't right for each other, but they were both blind to this. And so they became engaged, more out of relationship inertia than anything. But somewhere along the line, the friedly-enemy flirtations between Hornet Man and Evette (Firebat) Wayne (back when she was just a fire using villainess) started becoming real, and Bernie came to realise that while he loved Elaine as a friend and parnter, he wasn't IN love with her.

Around the same time, Doyle (Megaman) Conan, having gotten out of the May-December romance with Lady America (that had come about between him being the Liberty Squadron's leader, and her the team's elder-stateswoman/advisor), found himself growing closer to Elaine. So he flirted with her, and she, without realising it, flirted back. Most of the Liberty Squadron could see that Bernie and Elaine weren't working as a couple. But human beings tend to not want to be involved. However, Megaman, both as team leader and as someone interested in Hornet Girl, decided to do what was "good for the team" and encouraged Bernie to be honest with himself and Elaine and their relationship. Bernie did so, and it blew up in everyone's faces.

Hornet Man ended things with Hornet Girl. Already unstable, she cracked. Her obsession with Bernie breaking things off prevented her from ever realising that Doyle had had an interest in her. If she'd been mentally healthier, something further might have happened between them. With a third of the team caught up in the mess, the Liberty Squadron couldn't stay together. Megaman, Ruby, and Elastiwoman moved to Williamsburg, NJ, and became Crusaders. Critical Velocity moved to New York City and became a Big Apple Knight. War Eagle moved to California and Ion Storm moved to Texas. Lady America hung up her cape, went to medical school, and became a psychiatrist so she could find and help people like Hornet Girl before they became a problem.

Elaine DuPres started using her middle name as her given name. Eventually she became Madame Y. Her first victims were Bernie and Evette, whom she turned into Hornet and Firebat, and made them her thralls.

© Copyright 1988, 2024 - Kenneth G. Hallaron

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Last updated on 4 July 2023