Boston Games

The , also known as the Boston Blowback, were a series of conflicts among both villain groups to fill a power vacuum created after the toppling of most previously established gangs in Boston.

Prelude
Following several arrests in Boston, the local Protectorate team removed almost all villains from power, creating a large void in power that attracted villains of various standings to try and establish themselves in the city. Multiple villain groups began to divide up territory throughout the city, while the PRT and other hero groups mainly served to oversee and manage the situation until it calmed down.

Events
One of the villains who flocked to Boston seeking power was Damsel of Distress, a young villain who had been met with limited success in her hometown of Stafford, New Hampshire. She was able to travel to Boston by bus without alerting the authorities, though Stafford's local heroes, Edict and Licit, soon noticed her absence and followed. Upon arriving in the city, Damsel gained information from some local teens and set out to claim the neighborhood of Dorchester, also known as 'Deathchester,' as her own. She eventually made her way to a meeting among the villains seeking to claim territory in the southeast of the city.

Among the villains hoping to stake claims in southeast Boston were the Clockwork Dogs, The Four, Orchard, and Blastgerm, as well as some other groups. Detente of the Clockwork Dogs proposed a plan to divide territory and form a loose alliance, but was met with only minor interest, with Blastgerm and a biker group refusing the plan. The major groups soon left the meeting, and the smaller villains, including Damsel, began a second meeting; Damsel talked with an ex-employee of the villain group Soldat and attracted interest from several teens for hire. Later, Damsel attacked a truck transporting supplies, sparking a fight between Soldat and another group; though Edict showed up and tried to get her to join the heroes, Damsel refused.

As the major groups continued to organize themselves, Damsel chose Blastgerm as her next target; as her new minions collected information and distracted the group's capes, Damsel went alone to Blastgerm's headquarters, and discovered that Blastgerm's assembly of capes, whom they claimed had been recruited online, were actually lab-grown. In exchange for a share of money and an agreement not to take Dorchester, Damsel agreed not to reveal the secret.

After having completed four jobs, Damsel gradually acquired more mostly teenage minions, in particular growing close to one minion, J; with more money to spend, she acquired a house to use as an HQ. Damsel's group also had a brief encounter with the hero team New Wave. Blastgerm soon made its next move by deploying a giant monster in the bay, what would be later known as the Woad Giant; though the Giant was mostly passive, its presence drew attention to the city and stood as a constant threat. Damsel encountered Licit while on a mission, who let her know that Director Armstrong wanted to speak with her, but Damsel, growing increasingly frustrated and paranoid, refused.

At another villain meeting, Blasto defended the presence of the Giant as a symbol; the larger development, however, was that of the Clockwork Dogs moving territory and loaning out their capes to four newcomer teams. Blastgerm and the new villain teams make agreements about territory which Damsel is excluded from; she tries to assert herself, but Accord disparages her, and Damsel is removed from the meeting.

Following these events, Damsel's minions dropped from forty-eight in number to only eighteen; she eventually decided to call Director Armstrong, who warned her that Accord was working with a group on par with the PRT and that he may be tracking her. Increasingly paranoid, Damsel kills J, suspecting him to be a plant for Accord, and prepares to leave Boston; on her way out, she kills the Woad Giant.

Aftermath
The situation in Boston eventually settled some time after Damsel's departure; by 2011, Accord and his Ambassadors were a well-established presence in Boston, though Blasto and The Teeth were still present in the city.

Despite not coming away from the Boston Games with the power she wanted, Damsel of Distress gained some repute for having destroyed the Woad Giant and killed Jewel Her successor looked back on the Games fondly. Upon meeting Ashley, Victoria Dallon recognized her and recalled Damsel's run-in with her parents' team.