Chase of Topher Vasquez

The Chase of Topher Vasquez was a confrontation between the Runaways and Topher Vasquez, who attempted to gather Gibborim Rocks at the risk of hurting everyone around him.
==Background==
Traumatized by the death of her second cousin Graciela Aguirre at the hands of PRIDE, Molly Hernandez decided to use her superhuman abilities to fight crime in Los Angeles as a vigilante.Runaways: 2.02: Radio On However, by doing so, she caught the attraction of Topher Vasquez, a young man living in the streets, who followed her up to the Hostel, the Runaways' secret hideout.Runaways: 2.03: Double Zeros
Despite the Runaways' initial reluctance, Vasquez was allowed to stay in the Hostel, especially because of the powers he displayed which were similar to Hernandez's.Runaways: 2.04: Old School Vasquez, who had gained these powers after the explosion that had killed Hernandez's parents and had not aged since then, lied to the teenagers about his abilities' origin. He also falsely assumed that the Runaways' powers were due to regular consumption of ground Gibborim Rocks, just like him.
Having become addicted to the rocks, Vasquez stole a map of the PRIDE Construction Site from Alex Wilder and headed to the site to collect more rocks. This forced the Runaways to go after him, as they feared that his actions could endanger their own plans to fight against PRIDE.Runaways: 2.05: Rock Bottom
==Chase==
Topher Vasquez quickly arrived at the PRIDE Construction Site, and injected some grinned Gibborim Rock into his body to activate his powers. Vasquez thus acquired a superhuman strength he used to break through the fence of the dig site. Vasquez then noticed a dump truck filled with sand and figured out that he might find some more rocks there. He thus climbed onto the truck and began searching through the sand. He managed to find Gibborim Rocks but was spotted by a nearby worker who attempted to stop him. In an outburst of violence, Vasquez violently attacked him, leaving him for dead in the sand.
As the Runaways arrived at the dig site, they saw the worker attacked by Vasquez being dragged out of the sand. They then noticed Vasquez, who stole a car and hastily drove away from the dig site. Although Alex Wilder suggested inspecting the site to assess the damage caused by Vasquez, Nico Minoru ordered Gert Yorkes to follow Vasquez. Despite Yorkes' reluctance to drive fast and to breach the traffic laws, they managed to track down Vasquez in a residential area, with his car being parked near a house. The Runaways, except Yorkes who stayed in the car, entered the house and saw Vasquez arguing with people who turned out to be his family.
The Runaways then learned about the truth regarding Vasquez: he had acquired his powers in the same night when Molly Hernandez's parents were killed, and the lack of control over his newfound powers caused him to hurt his family, notably gripping his father and forcing him to run away without aging ever since. The Runaways attempted to convince Vasquez to leave the house and to give up on the Gibborim Rocks, but he refused to listen to them. Hernandez then stepped in, threatening to use her own superhuman strength, but she was violently hit by Vasquez, projecting her out into the yard.
Hernandez was quickly joined by the other Runaways while Vasquez left the house, claiming that no one could stop him. Nico Minoru attempted to attack him with the Staff of One, but Hernandez instructed her not to, tackling Vasquez herself instead. However, he pushed her back one more time and Minoru seized the opportunity to blast him with the Staff of One. Angered, Vasquez retaliated by throwing a dumpster at them, which Chase Stein attempted to repel with the Fistigons.
However, the dumpster was redirected onto the car where Yorkes was. Refusing to see her harmed, Vasquez rushed to push the car, thus saving Yorkes, but was violently hit and trapped beneath the dumpster. The Runaways managed to drag him out, but could not afford to stay and tend to his wounds, being told by Sofia Vasquez to leave and get rid of the Gibborim Rocks.
==Aftermath==
The confrontation with Topher Vasquez deeply affected the Runaways, especially Molly Hernandez who had befriended him, and who blamed Nico Minoru for her behavior towards him. This brought a heavy strain on their relationship, as Minoru insisted that she was right to distrust Vasquez in the first place the moment he had arrived in the Hostel. Minoru claimed that she had tried to spare Hernandez from losing someone she cared about once again and that she cared more about Hernandez than she did about Vasquez, but Hernandez refused to listen to her, stating that Minoru sounded like her mother.
Gert Yorkes later comforted her adopted sister about the events, claiming that she was proud of her strength and stating that even though she could not have formed a real connection with Vasquez, she could always consider the Runaways her family.
One of the neighbors who had witnessed the fight between Vasquez and the Runaways, and had had a glimpse of Hernandez's eyes when using her powers, drew a large graffiti of a yellow-eyed girl's face on a wall.
==References==
Category:Events