Jeremy Horton is a powerful telekinetic and telepath who went by the name Hard Drive. The main limitation of his telepathy is that he can't compel anyone to do something they didn't already want to do. He used his telepathy to become rich by securing business deals, and also to put together his team, the Young Heroes.
History
After bringing the team together, Hard Drive used his telepathy to manipulate most of his teammates in the Young Heroes to try to keep the team functional. He repeatedly compelled Bonfire to romantically pursue teammate Thunderhead instead of Frostbite, as he believed if she and Frostbite got together they would both quit the team. He suppressed Junior's distrust of him after Junior saw him being intimate with Monstergirl.
He had a younger brother even more powerful than he is, who could not control his powers due to paranoid delusions. Hard Drive kept Frankie sedated in a hospital and visited regularly to telepathically induce tryptophan production. When Hard Drive brought Off-Ramp with him to check on Frankie, he corrected Off-Ramp's assumption that he keeps his brother sedated telekinetically and told him he does it telepathically, causing Off-Ramp to recall all his suppressed memories about Hard Drive's telepathy.
Off-Ramp tried to quit the team, but Hard Drive brainwashed him again, using the part of Off-Ramp's mind that wishes he had never found out. While Off-Ramp was still under his power, Hard Drive revealed he had staged the ten-car pileup that made Off-Ramp consider being a hero in the first place, in order to get Off-Ramp onto the team.
When the team fought the Scarecrow, Hard Drive's greatest fear wasn't losing control of his powers, like most of the others, or of being found out. Scarecrow's fear gas showed him his teammates and other innocents being tortured by supervillains. He was able to break free of Scarecrow's influence, as he was determined to help the defenseless at any cost.
His manipulation was ultimately revealed when boy genius Ricky Renquist shot him in the back of the head. When Ricky was caught and interrogated, Ricky steered the conversation to get Hard Drive to admit that he had thrown up a telekinetic shield at the last moment. Ricky concluded that Hard Drive must have telepathy to have sensed the shot coming. The mere suggestion was enough to cause memories to resurface for Bonfire, Off-Ramp, and Junior of being brainwashed. Seeing an opportunity, Monstergirl claimed she was brainwashed as well, an outright lie.
Hard Drive tried to explain that he can't outright control minds, and wouldn't want to, and he did what he did so they could all serve the greater good, as their gifts obligate them to do. He becomes increasingly violent and angry until he realized he'd gone too far. He claimed to genuinely love his teammates and the team, and admitted he needed help. Jeremy was then willingly institutionalized for specialist treatment.
This did not last long, and he used his telepathy to be voted governor of Connecticut. He invited his ex-teammates to his inauguration ball where he convinced them that, while what he'd done wasn't good, it wasn't exactly bad either, as he planned to do things like compel lawyers to tell the truth and take on organized crime. He asked Monstergirl to work with him, as she had an excellent head for politics.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Telekinesis: Hard Drive can fly, make force fields and blasts. He was even able to take on Kalibak alone.
- Telepathy: Hard Drive can use his telepathy to knock people out and affect brain functions, but he can't outright control anyone. He can only compel someone to do something they already wanted to do, even a little.
Abilities
Related
- 18 Appearances of Jeremy Horton (New Earth)
- 2 Images featuring Jeremy Horton (New Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about Jeremy Horton (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Jeremy Horton (New Earth)
Footnotes