Gen 13: Who They Are and How They Came to Be

In 1979, Black Razors hunt down the members of Gen 12. They kill Stephen Callahan and his wife Rachel, then abduct their children Matthew and [[Nicole Callahan (Wi

## Characters

### Heroes

Burnout, Fairchild, Freefall, Grunge, Rainmaker

### Collected

*Gen 13: Who They Are and How They Came to Be*

### Creators

Jim Lee · Brandon Choi · J. Scott Campbell

**Who They Are and How They Came to Be** is the story that introduces Gen 13. It was published as a mini-series by WildStorm Productions through Image Comics. It was written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi, with illustrations by J. Scott Campbell. The series was popular enough to get an ongoing series, beginning with the arc *Starting Over*.

## Synopsis

In 1979, Black Razors hunt down the members of Gen 12. They kill Stephen Callahan and his wife Rachel, then abduct their children Matthew and Nicole. Later in 1994, Caitlin Fairchild is attending college with her roommate Alexandra Gardner. She's invited to a government internship at the Gen 13 program, which she accepts. It's revealed that this is a front run by Ivana Baiul of I.O., with her underlings Matthew "Threshold" and Nicole "Bliss" Callahan. Her Sci-Tech division intends to experiment on these children. Fairchild is assigned to Pod 7 with Bobby Lane, Eddie Chang, and Roxy Spaulding. Chang and Spaulding begin displaying Gen-Active powers, but Fairchild and Lane are scheduled for termination. They're caught sneaking out one night, and a security guard punches Caitlin, triggering her powers as she grows in size. The group escapes with the help of a weather-manipulator named Sarah Rainmaker, and a psychic guard named Tom Hallinan. They're tracked down by Keepers, who Hallinan murders. Bobby develops flame powers taking the name Burnout, and Roxy develops telekinesis taking the name Freefall. Hallinan convinces them to return to the Genesis Compound and liberate their fellow students. However, Fairchild decides to stay in the desert. It's revealed that Hallinan is actually Threshold, and he knocks out the teens to take them captive. Fairchild swears that she will free her friends. John Lynch arrives at Genesis transporting the monster Pitt. Fairchild breaks into the facility by taking out several guards. Inside, Threshold tortures Chang to make him develop powers. Chang gains the power to absorb properties of matter, and he knocks out Threshold so the group can escape. Fairchild is discovered and forced to fight Pitt, but they team up when they realize they're on the same side. Fairchild and Pitt fight Ivana's Keepers, with the help of Lynch who believes Ivana is evil. Pitt grabs his child friend Timmy Bracken and leaves the facility with him. The Gen 13 kids battle their way through guards, testing out their new powers. Lynch distracts Ivana with his Black Hammers and helps them escape into the desert. He explains to Fairchild that he knew her father, and Gen 13 are the children of his army buddies in Team 7. In the desert outside, they are ambushed by Threshold. Threshold nearly destroys them, using his superior years of training. He reveals that he's using I.O. to try and build his own private army of superhumans. Rainmaker holds him off by threatening to murder Bliss. Ivana and Lynch battle on the rooftops, as she tries to escape with her test subjects by helicopter. Ivana reveals that she has cybernetic enhancements, and Lynch fights her with his psychic powers. Ivana escapes as the building explodes. Lynch and his Black Hammers arrive just in time to rescue Gen 13 from Threshold. Threshold escapes into the night. Lynch decides to quit his position, and go on the run with Gen 13.

## Issues

* *Gen 13*  #1
* *Gen 13*  #2
* *Gen 13*  #3
* *Gen 13*  #4
* *Gen 13*  #5

## Notes

* This storyline was loosely adapted in the 2000 animated movie *Gen 13*.

## Recommended Reading

* Gen 13 Recommended Reading
	+ *Gen 13*  (Volume 1)
	+ *Gen 13*  (Volume 2)
	+ *Gen 13*  (Volume 3)
	+ *Gen 13*  (Volume 4)

## Links and References

1. ↑ *Gen 13*  #1
2. ↑ *Gen 13*  #2
3. ↑ *Gen 13*  #3
4. ↑ *Gen 13*  #4
5. ↑ *Gen 13*  #5