Spitfire and the Troubleshooters (1986 series) #7

January 14, 1987. In a dense forest in southern New Hampshire, Steel Hawk (Arun Bahkti) stalks his prey. Armed with a rifle, he kicks open the door of a rural cabin and interrogates a frightened vagrant who confirms that four students and a woman had recently been hiding there. Steel Hawk departs, noting that the Troubleshooters are now his.

In a dream, Jenny Swenson is strapped to a guillotine, condemned by a sinister D.A. for the death of Fritz Krotze. Senator Hurt and her lawyer Bernie look on as the executioner — whose identity shifts between the D.A. and Jenny herself — prepares to pull the switch. The Troubleshooters burst in to rescue her, but Jenny orders them to stand down, insisting the M.A.X. suits are too dangerous. She wakes screaming from the nightmare, haunted by recurring bad dreams she has been suffering for weeks. She reflects that Steel Hawk nearly killed her in the Spitfire suit once before, and that he came close to assassinating the Prime Minister of England on the Boston Common at Christmas. As long as the Troubleshooters keep using the M.A.X. hardware, she fears they could become targets too — which is why she has insisted they hide out in the woods.

Late that same night, the Troubleshooters arrive at Jenny's MIT apartment to deliver news: they have voted unanimously to retire the M.A.X. suits. Jenny is relieved, though she says little. Eduardo Giotti is the last to leave, privately assuring her that he just wants her to be okay. A hooded figure observes from the shadows as he departs.

Meanwhile, Steel Hawk reviews the events of December 19th for a Club operative named Baker, screening enhanced video footage from the Boston Common ceremony. He has identified Timothy Ferris and his four closest friends — Eric Chin, Eduardo Giotti, Theresa Roberts, and Andrew Meadows — as the group who call themselves the Troubleshooters, all MIT students missing from campus since December 20th. He recognizes Jenny Swenson, whom he met in combat when she wore the Spitfire suit, as the group's secret leader. Steel Hawk vows to deliver satisfaction to the Club for his earlier failure.

The next morning, Jenny returns to MIT, welcomed back warmly by students and colleagues. Dean Norris, however, summons her to his office and coldly informs her that the board of trustees has decided not to grant her tenure, citing the adverse publicity of her recent trial. Jenny protests her innocence, but the decision is final.

Across campus, Tim Ferris is hauling his M.A.X. leg units in a crate when a snow plow nearly runs him down. The driver, revealed to be Steel Hawk, taunts him and commands him to put on the M.A.X. apparatus. When Tim activates the units and leaps clear, Steel Hawk blasts him with an explosive device, sending him crashing to the ground. Tim, shaken, flees to Jenny's apartment and buzzes her friend Bernie for help. Jenny happens to be there, devastated about losing tenure, and gratefully accepts Bernie's company.

Terry and Eduardo, suspicious that Andy Meadows — the last of the group to agree to retire — might be up in the New Hampshire woods practicing with the Beamsplitter weapon, drive out to find him. Their hunch is correct: Andy is at the team's hiding spot, firing Beamsplitter blasts at trees. When Steel Hawk opens fire on the group from the treeline with a machine gun, Terry and Eduardo realize the shooter is deliberately missing — herding them rather than killing them. Eduardo dons his Strong-Arms M.A.X. unit for protection while Andy uses Beamsplitter to try to pin Steel Hawk down. But Steel Hawk is too quick and too skilled, easily anticipating and evading Andy's laser blasts.

Eduardo distracts Steel Hawk long enough for Andy to get a clear shot, wounding the mercenary. However, Steel Hawk survives and grapples with Eduardo before Andy and Terry topple a large tree onto him. Steel Hawk escapes the fall but warns the group they will be seeing him again very soon. Back in the city, Jenny parts with Bernie and heads home alone — only to be abducted by a Club operative who bundles her into a van, radioing that she is secured.