Degenerate

Solitaire, along with Double Edge, saved several lives at the Plaza del Rey historic apartments, which had the signature graffiti inside, “tradition dies – the Degenerate”. This was the latest in a series of arson attacks across Los Angeles. Solitaire reflected on the Degenerate’s deadly trail of destroyed art and architecture, plus the murder of a young female ultra, all featuring mocking hints on the victims’ buildings.

At a Bach recital at the Hollywood Bowl, the conductor’s baton suddenly caught fire. Watched by the Degenerate, the fire spread rapidly to the singer’s outfit and the orchestra. Panic ensued and, while Solitaire rescued those caught in the flames, Serena chased after the Degenerate. The Degenerate’s arson attack quickly destroyed the open-air venue. Solitaire overtook Serena with his motorcycle, but the cornered arsonist spun around and fired his heat-gun at Solitaire, which caused the motorbike to explode. Solitaire, burning, launched himself at the Degenerate, landing on his chest. The Degenerate instead activated a fire retardant hidden in his belt buckle, which momentarily stunned and blinded his opponent. The arsonist sought to flee, but was again stopped by Solitaire, who was in turn stopped by Serena. This permitted the Degenerate to escape.
   
The Degenerate next mingled with a small crowd that had gathered to view the fire from a distance. He made some inflammatory comments before igniting a bystander with a flicked cigarette. Laughing, the Degenerate ran off, stopping to throw money amongst some homeless persons, before admiring a blow-up doll in a window. He then climbed into a nearby dumpster to leave a clue to continue the chase. Serena revealed to Solitaire that Aladdin hoped that a potential ultra-killer might be of some use to the organization for the expected war between ultras and humans.

The Degenerate appealed to some people’s greed by paying them for kidnapped children to be used in a later mass burning, with over 50 abducted in one hour. The Degenerate later oversaw the delivery of at least 10 children in the back of a delivery truck, but the children ran away as soon as the doors opened with the aggressively antisocial entrance of the boy soon to be dubbed Mr. Sparks by the Degenerate; the boy had set fire to several children in the truck. The Degenerate angrily grabbed the boy-arsonist, who stubbed his cigarette on the Degenerate’s hand. Maddened, then laughing, the Degenerate proclaimed him to be “my kind of boy!” He then introduced the boy to his philosophy of the lowest common denominator, that all are slime and that the world should reflect “survival of the meanest”. The Degenerate then grabbed a passing man’s red arm sling for the boy’s cape and some goggles as a headpiece. Children trapped in barrels were then presented to the cheers of the degenerates.
   
The children were then transported to the Museum of Art where they were about to be set aflame, if not for the arrival of Solitaire and Serena. Solitaire battled the Degenerate, while Serena battled his goons. Mr. Sparks leveled the flame gun at Solitaire, but Serena pulled the boy’s aim away, and the gun fired set on “high”, incinerating the Degenerate into dust. The Degenerate’s goons and Mr. Sparks were taken into custody.