Hardware: The Man in the Machine #[nn]

In "Confrontations," Hardware confronts Alva not with violence, but with a chilling promise: after dismantling his empire through the secrets he’s uncovered, he’ll deliver the final blow when Alva is truly broken. The story explores the weight of vengeance and the cost of choosing justice over bloodshed.

In "Resolution," Hardware faces off against an armored enforcer sent by Alva, but when the tide turns, he doesn’t just defeat his foe—he turns the suit against him. Using quick thinking and his own tech, he hijacks the thug’s armor, rendering him helpless before dragging him back to Alva, forcing the old man to confront the consequences of his actions.

In "That Obscure Object of Desire," Curt (Hardware) is drawn into a tense web when his old friend Deacon Stuart is accused of a string of brutal murders. With a vigilante known as Deathwish targeting criminals—including those long behind bars—the two clash at a crime scene, each convinced the other is the real killer.