Assassination of Gene and Alice Hernandez

"Gene and Alice are no longer a problem." "You mean..." "I handled it."

- Leslie Dean and Tina Minoru

The Assassination of Gene and Alice Hernandez was a murder perpetrated by Leslie Dean in order to ensure that the Hernandezes would not hinder Jonah's plan.

Background
"We dug up these rock samples." "Yeah." "We can't explain it." "I think this dig has jack-shit to do with renewable energy."

- Alice Hernandez, Dale Yorkes and Stacey Yorkes

Gene and Alice Hernandez were geoscientists who were recruited into the PRIDE by Jonah, who pretended to be able to locate a source for clean and renewable energy. The Hernandezes were tasked with assessing the risks of the digs which were undertaken by the PRIDE on the PRIDE Construction Site. However, they also took some rock samples with strange characteristics, being able to change their shape and to emit a bright light. As a result, the Hernandezes suspected that Jonah had lied to them. However, PRIDE leader Leslie Dean found out about the Hernandezes' discovery and feared that they could become a problem.

Assassination
"Oh, my God! What is that? Molly!"

- Alice Hernandez upon discovering the bomb

While Gene and Alice Hernandez were further studying the rock samples they had taken in Goodman University, with their daughter Molly playing with it in the background, they alerted Dale and Stacey Yorkes, claiming that they could not speak over the computer and that they had to meet in person. As they ended the call, they heard a strange noise at the door. When Gene tried to open it, they realized that it was locked. Turning around, Alice spotted an unidentified device on the lab's floor, which had been thrown by Leslie Dean. They recognized it as a bomb and tried to get to safety. Alice screamed the name of Molly who was still playing with the rock samples, but the bomb exploded, destroying the lab and killing both Gene and Alice. Molly, who had gained superhuman abilities because of touching the rock samples, miraculously survived the explosion. As the lab collapsed in rubble and fire, Dean left the lab and called Tina Minoru, informing her of what had happened.

Aftermath
"You know that we loved your mommy and daddy very much, and we know how much they love you. And..." "We know that they would want you to have a good home, so we were wondering if maybe you'd want to come live with us."

- Stacey Yorkes and Dale Yorkes to Molly Hernandez

For years, Leslie Dean and Tina Minoru remained the only members of PRIDE knowing the truth about the deaths of Gene and Alice Hernandez. Despite it being publicly considered an accident, suspicions soon arose within the PRIDE. Geoffrey Wilder as well as Dale and Stacey Yorkes quickly hypothesized that the Hernandezes had been murdered, although their suspicions went towards Minoru, not Dean. Due to the friendship between the Hernandezes and the Yorkeses, Dale and Stacey adopted Molly Hernandez and raised her as their daughter along with Gert Yorkes. Once she grew up, however, Molly learned from Graciela Aguirre that their parents had left her a letter leading to a VHS tape which would help the Runaways to figure out PRIDE's true intentions.

Minoru ultimately disclosed the truth about the murder of the Hernandezes to the rest of the PRIDE once they became aware that all of them had been fooled by Jonah regarding the true purpose of the dig they had undertaken on the PRIDE Construction Site.