| Arsenic |  And? How does it start?  |
| Alex Wilder | How else, Gert? "In the beginning... |
Appearing in "The Good Die Young, Chapter One"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Pride (Origin revealed) (Only in flashback)
- Geoffrey Wilder (Only in flashback)
- Catherine Wilder (Only in flashback)
- Dale Yorkes (Only in flashback)
- Stacey Yorkes (Only in flashback)
- Gene Hayes (Only in flashback)
- Alice Hayes (Only in flashback)
- Victor Stein (Only in flashback)
- Janet Stein (Only in flashback)
- Robert Minoru (Only in flashback)
- Tina Minoru (Only in flashback)
- Frank Dean (Only in flashback)
- Leslie Dean (Only in flashback)
- Gibborim (Only in flashback) (First appearance)
- LAPD
Other Characters:
- Reagan (Mentioned) (Topical Reference)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Mutants (Main story and flashback)
- Majesdanians (Main story and flashback)
- Gibborim (First appearance)
- Nephilim (Mentioned)
- Vampires (Mentioned)
- Martians (Mentioned)
- Dinosaurs
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- United States of America (Main story and flashback)
- California (Main story and flashback)
- Los Angeles (Main story and flashback)
- Marine Vivarium (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Hollywood Hills
- Malibu (Only in flashback)
- Wilder Mansion (Only in flashback)
- Los Angeles (Main story and flashback)
- California (Main story and flashback)
- United States of America (Main story and flashback)
Items:
- Fistigons
- Abstract
- Ring of the Abstract
- Karolina's Medical Alert Bracelet
- Wilders' Dagger (Only in flashback)
Vehicles:
- 4-D Time Portico (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
Synopsis for "The Good Die Young, Chapter One"
It has been a week and the Runaways have grown tired of waiting for Cloak and Dagger to call the Avengers to arrest their parents. Alex then strides in tell everyone what he has translated from the Abstract so far. Apparently, twenty years ago, their parents were all pulled together by the Gibborim, anthropomorphic gods who desire to return Earth to its original, pure state. To this end, they formed the Pride, whom they instructed to bring the soul of an innocent girl to feed on for every year for the next quarter century, giving them the strength to wipe out humanity. In the duration of this time, they would have the power to secretly control Los Angeles as they see it. Once the Gibborim were rejuvenated, they would choose six members of the Pride to survive the coming Armageddon and rule the Earth eternally, while the rest would perished.
When Karolina asks where do they fit into this, Alex reads that in the third year of the Pride, Janet Stein became pregnant. The Pride, except for the Deans and the Hayes, became intrigued with the idea of having children (the former did not want a child and the latter feared that they could not conceive). Deciding that perhaps their children could take their place in paradise, the Pride agree to tell their offspring of their double-lives when they turn eighteen.
Horrified by this shocking revelation, Molly and Chase suggests that they go to the authorities with this evidence but Alex shoots that idea down, as the LAPD is on the Pride's payroll. As it so happens, a squad of dirty cops, led by Lieutenant Flores, have found them.