A tech billionaire that exploits people? Stop the press.

Despite reading a lot of Milestone, I've only read a bit of Hardware, but I love this issue: the cover was maybe the first time I realized, most superhero costumes do look better on a woman! From 1993, Hardware #9, "Software!" Written by Brian McDonald, pencils by Arvell Jones, inks by Denys Cowan.

Hardware, Curtiss Metcalf, had previously learned that his mentor Edwin Alva was not a benevolent philanthropist; but was in fact a predatory, credit-stealing bastard. He was also involved in organized crime and probably more than a bit racist; but maybe not quite the main bad guy like he would be on Static Shock: I want to say, think Lex Luthor, with more hair, and maybe more hands-on in exploiting his underlings. Curtiss created his Hardware armor to fight back, attacking Alva's illegal operations; and today was called into Alva's office to watch video of that. Curtiss thinks he's been found out, but Alva was instead giving him the assignment of defeating Hardware, which mainly seemed to be reverse engineering his tech. He's also given a research partner, the striking Tiffany Evans.

Curtiss sandbags, subtly sabotaging the project; although he struggled to do so in a way that Tiffany wouldn't immediately figure out. Still, she eventually did, and Alva threatens to sue Curtiss unless his performance improved. (Contractual agreements seemed to be Hardware's Kryptonite; I don't think he could just quit working for Alva.) Stymied, he presents Alva with a new design, which vaguely resembles the Robot from the 1998 Lost in Space movie with more guns. While Alva approves, Tiffany argues that was the wrong way to go, and they needed to go after Hardware's weaknesses: he was bigger and bulkier, but that flight gear would be far more efficient on a smaller frame...say, a woman's. Curtiss is then forced to help work on armor for Tiffany, and has trouble talking to her about it without seeming like an overprotective, sexist jerk.

When the Technique armor is ready, Alva has information leaked about a shipment from Columbia. Even knowing it was a trap, Curtiss still can't let Alva bring in drugs, but it was entirely a trap: the only cargo was Technique, who mops the floor with him for a bit. (Tiffany didn't know Alva was a louse yet, so he probably didn't bring in drugs to keep her on his side.) Hardware eventually knocks her out, or she's playing possum: when he tries to download her system, he gets a virus that activates his flight rig, launching him straight up! And at least in these early stories, fuel was a serious concern: while Curtiss manages to take back manual control and save himself, he also takes a big fall when the fuel runs out. Taking a couple days off to recover, he still has a note delivered to Tiffany, congratulating her for her success, and admitting she had a lot to teach him. 

The only trouble is, I think this was actually a fill-in issue: Milestone used to be strict about getting books out on time! Regular writer Dwayne McDuffie would be back the next month, so I'm not sure if Technique would return for some time. We saw a later Technique appearance some time back, but that would've been a couple years later.