Seraph says that Cloud must go with her to learn the secret of her past. The Defenders are suspicious of her intentions, but Cloud wants to go and wants the others to come with her. Andromeda offers to go, and the rest of the Defenders agree as well. As Seraph and Cloud prepare for the journey, Candy Southern asks who Andromeda is. Andromeda explains that she is Group Commander of the Armed Forces in the empire of Atlantis. She is able to breathe on land and appear as a surface-dweller by using a gas mask created by the evil Warlord Krang. Andromeda became frustrated with the male-dominated society of Atlantis, where she was denied honors and promotions she was due because she was a woman. Hearing tales of Prince Namor’s adventures with the Defenders—in which males and females fought as equals—she decided to leave Atlantis and came to New York in search of the group. Befriended by a jogger named Tony, she pretended to be a human woman named “Andrea” and used her ship’s devices to create an I.D. and credit cards based on Tony’s, leaving behind a giant pearl as payment. Needing a replacement for Moondragon, the Defenders welcome Andromeda to their ranks. The next day, Beast has lunch with his old girlfriend, Vera, in an effort to repair their relationship. Beast gives Vera a special “Beast Signal Watch,” telling her to activate it whenever she is lonely and he will hear it with his “Beast-Hearing.” As Beast departs for the Defenders’ next mission, Vera activates the signal and cries. The Defenders take Seraph and Cloud in one of Angel’s private jets, but Cloud suddenly starts to experience pain and lashes out with lightning bolts. Beast is stunned, and the blinded Angel—aided by Gargoyle—is forced to fly the plane. Cloud calms down and Seraph explains that they just flew over the area where the Secret Empire discovered her, which may have caused her pain.

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