Killcannon's Robbery

Also remembered as Eve's Bad Night, this minor Chicago-set event centers on Atom Eve foiling a burglary by her old foe Killcannon inside the Teen Team Base. The confrontation matters less for the villain than for what it does to Eve, exposing how frayed she has become and pushing her to question whether heroism is worth the danger she nearly inflicts on innocents.

Eve turns up on the Upstate University campus, admitting to William and Amber that she has been struggling and has even given up the treehouse she built. When Amber floats a get-together later in the week, Eve only half commits. That night, it emerges that she has moved into the abandoned Teen Team base, where her old enemy Killcannon appears and makes off with a potent battery. The fight spills onto a bridge crowded with traffic, and Eve grows careless enough to put two motorists in real danger. She still takes Killcannon down and saves the pair, then frantically calls paramedics and begs them to help. Rattled and doubting herself, she rides a bus home, leaves Amber's message unanswered, and returns to her old residence, where Adam Wilkins is waiting.

Two months on from the Chicago disaster, Eve settles into a quieter life at her parents' house. Her former flame Rex Splode drops by unexpectedly to ask for her help. She questions why he has come, but Rex reminds her that everyone stumbles, himself included. Still haunted by how close her clash with Killcannon came to costing lives, Eve hesitates, until Rex assures her the rescued motorists have pulled through. The relief lifts her spirits and gives her the push to help the Guardians deal with the Sequids.