Search the Community

Big Em and The Bling were hunkered down in the canned juice aisle of the Good Fortune grocery. It was a small Chinese supermarket store ran by a family of second generation Half-Chinese/Half-alien cryptids. The food options ranged from typical supermarket fare to interstellar imports. Music was playing throughout the store drowning out the sound of the blaster fire that the pair was avoiding. As the two detectives stood and began fanning out to flank the gunmen cans of juice visibly exploded across the aisle. The store then began violently trembling. An ill-timed earthquake began to rock the premises of the small supermarket. Knocking down the aisles and forcing the superhero detectives attention away. Big Em Held back the frozen food aisle from crushing a little girl who had been staring at ice cream. Whereas Bling stopped a full grocery cart from hitting a woman with a wall shaped construct made of light. The lights began to flicker with the music dying out. By the time the scene settled it was clear that entrance had collapsed on itself. With no robbers to be seen.

Danger Manor North Bay, Freedom City Saturday, June 20, 2020. 10:23 AM The current academic year had recently ended at Claremont Academy, and for a change, Veronica did not have something that immediately needed her attention. This meant both she and her cousin, Janus, were able to spend some time at Danger Manor before they set off for any summer plans. Of course, given that allowing a pair of teenage Dangers to remain idle for too long was asking for trouble, the cousins had been set to work straightening up an attic in one of the wings of the large estate. Veronica climbed the last set of stairs that led up to the attic space in question, holding a LED camp lantern in one hand as she reached the top and began to look about the shadowy stacks of boxes, furniture and other objects that were illuminated by the lantern. "I remember coming up here during a game of hide and seek when we were eight." She said over her shoulder to her cousin. Moving further into the attic, Veronica went over to the nearest pile of boxes to start getting an idea of just how monumental this task might be. The teenage Danger was dressed in her typical attire, dark grey cargo shorts, an olive green T-shirt over which she wore a light brown thin linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up, along with her well-worn hiking boots. The brown haired Danger had been a bit more quiet than normal since the end of the school year. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that during the last week of school Veronica had ended her relationship with a graduating Senior from North Bay Academy whom she had started dating before the winter break.

Salsa! Debarge Bath, Somerset, England Friday, March 27, 2020 21:15 PM local time Bath is the largest city in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. The steam rising in the air paired well with the steamy entanglements of many a couple seeking a romantic destination. Erick Sloane and Dawn Farrington had in fact sought such a weekend getaway. The expectant parents, and currently longest serving active members of the current iteration UK's national superhero team the Vanguard, had left their English estate for a weekend in Bath. Salsa! Debarge was a lively bar and dance club. The posters plastered along the inside of the walls advertised daily dance classes. But, the nights were dedicated to live music, drinks, and Latin food. The second floor balcony overlooked the dance floor, with patrons of the restaurant treated to the show of the customers dancing below. The dance floor itself was circular and spacious enough for a crowd to engage in. With a stage set where a colorfully dressed band was currently playing their music loud enough for all to hear. Erick was drinking a glass of water, his plate of food half eaten. He was wearing a long sleeve button down cotton shirt with an alternating brown and orange stitch pattern. Tight jeans covered his black Savate shoes that looked similar enough to loafers to pass as such. "So, you call the dance Salsa still. But, you guys call the sauce red sauce. Were people worried that the public would think Salsa clubs would be places people bring chips and compare dips?"

Summers Manor, North Bay, Freedom City, New Jersey 18:00 EDT, 6th April 2020 Whilst Callie had mostly stayed at the Penthouse during her visits to Freedom City she had visited the manor a few times to see where her Grandparents had lived, the ones she knew about at least. Still she’s wasn’t quite ready to visit dad yet and since she was in town to visit St Thomas’s, she still wasn’t use to calling it Claremont’s, she figured she’d pop in to check out the old place. Her keys even still worked, or at least they needed much better unpickable locks, and she swing the doors open hand in her leather jacket as she peered into the gloomy hallway. She was taking it all in as if this could be taken away from her at any moments, and after all nothing exciting could be going on here...

April 7th, 11.46AM, 2020 Claremont Academy, Main Quad "...and this is where I leave you, I guess." Det. Janice Renchy had the tired, bleary look of anyone who worked at night who had to be up in the middle of the day. Rubbing at one eye with the heel of her palm, Leon's voucher squinted around the stately, old-fashioned school square. "Dunno how you're not coming out of here with a load of debt. Anyway, I'm sure you'll do great, Leo. Take care of yourself, you got my number if it can do you any good." Smiling a little, she offered the boy a handshake. She looked hard at Leon's face "You're good here?" Unbeknownst to the unlikely duo, there was another new arrival, just out of sight...and very much out of time.

GM The Nine Realms, The Branches of the World Tree Góa (March), Sól Hangs Triumphant (Noon) Our saga begins as so many others have began before. There were three young heroes. One was a prince, another a princess, and the third a faithful friend and mentor. From beyond the realms they would come to the mighty and all-encompassing World Tree Yggdrasil. For what cause you ask? A common one for a saga of young heroism. They intended to find a worthy foe and high adventure in the realm of the gods. But in what you ponder? In a dreki, of course! The great and fearsome winged fire beasts of Norse legend. And so they would travelling upon the rainbow light of the Bifröst and descend upon one of the smaller branches of the World Tree. From there they would begin their perilous journey to the fiery halls and mountains of Muspelheim in search of their blazing quarry. Or would they? There was no telling what kind of mythical beasts they would find and encounter along their intended path. Perhaps the Norns intend from something far stranger and wilder for this heroic saga...

April 2020 Approximately 1 week after the founding of Rurland 9:00 PM Ruins of Former Foundry Depot Two weeks ago this strip mall was shuttered, tenants bought out of their leases and ordered clear of the premises effective immediately. The convenience store and frozen yogurt shop that anchored the suburban holdfast vacated without even time for a going out of business blowout. One week ago the mall folded in on itself and fell into the hidden sub-basement of the Foundry weapons depot it had served as cover for. The owner of record claimed no ownership nor responsibility for the clean up. Curious teens crossed the police barriers some nights to poke at the craters edge. Private security had been placed within a few days to oversee the site at night when the initial cyclone fencing proved insufficient to deter the locals. Few had questioned why land that was left unclaimed was now under guard. They simply went about their lives happy the kids would be safe until it was cleaned up. Even fewer saw the small crew arrive and descend into the crater under the guards watchful eyes with nothing more than a knowing nod and wave. Which was why they had waited, now it was an eyesore best ignored not a recent disaster under careful watch from local authorities. Half an hour later the neighborhood shook with an all too familiar rumble as the edged of the crater began to collapse inward swallowing most of the street surrounding the hole. Alarms sounded up and down the streets and dogs were set to barking as lights lit up up and down the blocks shrouding the former depot with frightened civilians emerging to look on in fear as the crater slowly grew and broken pipes spewed water and natural gas into the sky just awaiting a spark. The guards car teetered on edge not quite swallowed by the growing sinkhole, but threatening to topple with every movement from the terrified rent-a-cop inside. Something had gone desperately wrong.

Freedom City April 7th, 2020 9:37AM Local Time Muirne wore a light blue t-shirt, a knee length black skirt with navy blue leggings beneath it. She held a charcoal grey jacket with a fluffy collar in her arms forgotten despite the cold wind as she swivelled rapidly, taking in the sights, wonder in her eyes- This was Freedom City? It looked like something from one of those 'science fiction' shows or films she'd watched. The shining trains suspended in the air on their tracks, the planes flying overhead, the towering buildings. She nearly walked into a tall man in a suit, but she danced out of the way, apologising sweetly. She turned to her escort, "This place is amazing, like something from a movie or a dream! Is this really where I will be going to school?" She pranced ahead again. She looked at her map on her phone, trying to figure out how to get to the school. Her face morphed quickly between excitement, then to confusion, then to embarrassment, before she looked back to her escort a sheepish smile on her face, "I uh, I can't figure out how we're getting there, my phone is being weird. Could I have some help?"

April 2020 Two weeks to prom ...Det, sa Peter till Wendy, var vägen till Neverland; men även fåglar som bär kartor och konsulterade dem i blåsiga hörn kunde inte ha sett det med dessa instruktioner. Peter, du förstår, sa precis allt som kom in i hans huvud... ...Jag avvisade dessa svar; istället valde jag något annat. Jag valde det omöjliga. Jag valde ... Rurland. En stad där konstnären inte skulle vara rädd för censuren. Där forskaren inte skulle vara bunden av små moral. Där det stora inte skulle begränsas av de små!.. "Yes, I, hmm, know people at Archetech. And HAX." said Eira archly to Kam, turning from where she sat besides Pan to speak clearly to the Dakanan teen. "Archetech gives you the strength and power of a great corporation, with a mastermind as its leader, while HAX has a more...intimate atmosphere. Fewer limits at one, more good friends at the other, yes?" She smirked at that, leaning back with her hands on her lap as if she'd said something very clever. ...of course - I am not a fool. But still - just imagine what it would be like. We are here - I will see you soon VINCE... When the Claremont van stopped in front of the dojo, Eira stepped out, duffel bag slung over her shoulder, in her grey sweats and white sneakers looking ready for an informal workout. This was technically a gym elective, something that got them all out of playing "Quidditch - but with POWERS!" - and it promised to be an interesting evening.

Justice 8PM, March 14th, 2020 Betlehem Heights, the noodle place on the corner of 14th and Ramos Robin was nervous. Not quite to the oh-god-I'm-a-wreck level of nervous just yet, but she was nervous. She wasn't the only hero in Emerald City, which was great, but everything was just so random. One day, she'd run into Emerald Spider, then it would be months before she saw someone else. Emerald City was big, sure, but it was almost like everyone was staying away from everyone else on purpose, and well, she'd been nervous about trying to rock the boat there. Emerald City didn't have many heroes, she didn't want to get on the bad side of anyone by pretending she could be the one to call everyone together and boss them around or anything like that. She really didn't want to do anything like that, but, well... things were changing, right? They'd probably seen the news of the Mars Ultio Suits, if they hadn't already run into them on the streets. And well, she knew some things about them that the others might not. At least she had a little bit of local fame with the whole thing with fighting the Wall getting on TV and when she helped put Devlin back in place, so she wasn't a total unknown. Still, she was still nervous about this thing. She was wearing her costume. Red with light grey boots and gloves, a pink lion on her chest and wearing her red domino mask. She wasn't quite ready to let everyone know who she was here, but wearing the full armor would be weird, if she wasn't about to fight someone at least. God, she hoped nobody would start fighting. So, Robin put out the call on HeroHouse and CapesList. A simple message: Hey, everyone in Emerald City, this is Justice! I know we're not really a close-knit community or anything, but things seem to be changing, and I'd like everyone to meet up. I'll be at the noodle place at the corner of 14th and Ramos in Betlehem. I hope I'll see you all there. Right, so, she had met Emerald Spider, Meta-Naut and Kanunu. Hopefully at least one of them would show up, maybe some of the other heroes that had started running around. At least the owners of this place were good people, they didn't mind people in masks and costumes. Maybe she'd even get the chance to thank Emerald Spider for introducing her to the place. So, she waited. Eyes on the door. Hoping that at least someone would show up.

Rooftop outside the British Museum London, Britain, UK Saturday, March 21, 2020 6:00 PM Early spring flowers had begun to sprout. The weather had begun to warm up. And crime had begun to spread out. It was the inevitable change of seasons. There were more people walking the streets as night was further away. Due to the fact that March was traditionally the windiest month of the year, Foreshadow's cape billowed in the wind as he hunkered over the rooftop. "Thanks for coming out, I know your kids probably have something fun plan for the holiday tomorrow. But, like I said I think this one might be up your alley." Foreshadow was referring to the fact that the British Museum of history had been robbed the previous night. Missing was a Scythian golden sword discovered in the 1980s near the Altay Mountain. With it was an aged book that was several hundreds years old with supernatural references to Pazyryk culture . The curator had refused to speak to reporters regarding the matter. Erick had informed Klara that the police had yet to find any leads. Even if it had only been a day. Less than 24 hours at that. A robbery wasn't exactly on the Ministry's workload, but Erick kept his ear to the street. They were to meet with the curator after museum hours.

GM The Emerald Cities, South March 21, 2020 Some time around Midnight The cargo came in at night. They always did. There was something cloak and dagger about it all, but Frank Pulasky was being paid well enough that he didn’t see much reason to care about that. He was content to ship the big, black crates from the dockside warehouse to the little shop down on the corner next to Daniken and Arnold every night while ignoring the strange lights he saw in the sky just before every deliver and the way the stevedores seemed to never say anything. He just wanted to do his job. Unfortunately for Frank, his partner Shawna was a little more curious. “You ever wonder what’s in those crates?” Shawna said as she climbed into the passenger side of the cab, slamming the door shut behind her. “Hell, even what they’re made of? It’s definitely not wood. S’like… Some kinda weird… metal… glass… thing.” Frank sighed to himself, gripping the wheel tightly. “Not really,” he replied, already wanting to leave the conversation. “I mean, it’s all kinda weird,” Shawna said, freeing her little gas-station coffee cup from its holder and taking a sip. “You think this is all legal?” Frank rolled his eyes as he turned the ignition, hearing the roar of the engine as the truck came to life. “Who friggin’ cares, Shawna? It’s not like we can pass up the money. Unless you suddenly won the lottery or somethin’, I’m gonna suggest you just be happy you got the work.” Shawna sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I mean, if it is illegal,” she began to say, but Frank interrupted her. “If it is illegal, then our legal defence is we didn’t know. We lose that defence if you keep bein’ nosy.” Shawna frowned, but had no retort. Frank took that as a chance to start moving. He pulled out of the dock, and turned out into the road. For a while, everything was blissfully quiet. Until he heard something go bang in the freight box. He cursed, and Shawna looked behind her as if she would be able to see through the metal. “We should probably check that,” Shawna said, frowning. “...I mean, probably something just fell over,” Frank said, gritting his teeth. “Which is bad, Frank,” Shawna said. “What if they get mad about broken goods?” Frank sighed. This time, he was the one without a reply. He ground his teeth and grumbled some more, before pulling into an alleyway and slowing to a stop. He glared at Shawna. “Alright, we’ll make sure nothing’s broken, but you,” he said, pointing at her. “Are not going to do any snoopin’.” Shawna rolled her eyes. “Got it.” Frank left the truck in idle, and they both hopped out. Wheeling around to the back, the duo flung open the door to the freight box, and immediately, they were illuminated by a green light. One of the black crates had shattered, and nestled amongst the wreckage was a glowing green orb the size of a bowling ball. Frank cursed, the light almost blinding him, but Shawna was transfixed. She climbed inside, walking as though possessed towards the orb. “What’re you doing?” Frank hissed. “It’s calling to me,” Shawna replied, her voice an eerie monotone. She picked it up, staring at it for a moment, before turning around. Frank saw, to his horror, that her eyes were now glowing the same colour as the orb. “Shawna?” Frank asked, stepping back away from the crate. “Can you hear it, Frank?” she asked. “It’s alive. It’s talking to us. It’ll give us everything. We just… Gotta get it out of here.” “I… think you should put it down, Shawna,” Frank said, climbing up into the box to try and take it from her. “NO!” Shawna shrieked, and suddenly, a pair of beams erupted from her eyes, striking Frank directly in the chest. His eyes went wide, and he went sprawling as he gawped down at the two new, smoking holes in chest. Shawna giggled evilly. “Yes. I see now. You’ll make me powerful. With you, I’ll conquer this c--” She didn’t have time to finish her thought. Another beam came, but not from her. The pain was only momentary before she fell apart into dust, the green orb falling onto the bed of the trunk with a heavy clang. Stepping out of the darkness and stowing his blaster pistol, Rojek sighed. “Humans are goddamned weak-willed,” he muttered to his partner. “Now we’re gonna hafta to drive the truck ourselves,” Rojek said. His partner, Ageda, smirked at him. “And you didn’t want to tail them,” she said as she hefted the lifeless body of Frank into the back of the truck. “I thought maybe at least something on this planet might not disappoint me for once,” Rojek spat as he kicked the orb. “Alright, let’s get this to the shop before we get in trouble.” “Just gonna leave the car?” Ageda asked. “Sure, why not,” Rojek said with a shrug. “We can just steal another one if we have to. Clunky pieces of crap are everywhere, here.” Ageda giggled to herself, and climbed into the cab, and as she did, her appearance became that of Shawna. “Whatever you say, ‘Frank’.” Rojek rolled his eyes as his appearance turned into Frank, and he climbed into the driver’s seat. “Friggin’ Earth.” They drove off into the night, leaving nothing but a small pile of ash. Before anyone found or saw them, Rojek and Ageda were long gone.

Chelsea, London, England Wednesday, March 24, 2020 10:32 AM local time Dee Farrington guided her grey Aston Martin down the streets of London on this overcast morning. She was on her way to the apartment she owned in the area to check up on the time displaced teenage girl that was staying there currently. The Englishwoman had taken a bit of the long way round getting to the apartment, wanting to get ever little extra bit of time behind the wheel of her sports car before she got too far along to be able to be able to drive it. She was dressed in her typical attire, jeans, a T-shirt, black leather jacket and a pair of Doc Marin boots. Her shoulder length black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, though a few locks hung lose along one side of her face, including one dyed green. Not being able to truly justify any more delay, Dee pulled her car into her reserved car port. Climbing out, she made her way over to the front door, keying the intercom next to the gate for her apartment. "Muirne, its Dee, I will be up in a moment." Letting herself in, three flights of stairs later (the doctors said it was good to continue to get regular exercise) and Dee was at the door to her apartment. Opening the door, she made her way into the living room. "Morning Muirne. How you doing today?" She asked as she entered.

Freedom City University Campus The North End, Freedom City, New Jersey Friday March 20, 2020, 12:24 PM The main quad of the FCU campus was more crowded that it had been in some months. But it was of little surprise that so many students had taken the opportunity to get outside for a bit in the middle of the day. The temperature had reached in the high-60s on this bright sunny day, though was supposed to drop overnight. Casey Blankenship was seated with several of her sorority sisters at a spot toward the center of the quad. Several of Casey's friends where chatting about how great that the weather would soon be getting warmer and discussing possible plans for renting a place somewhere along the Jersey Shore for Spring Break. Elsewhere on the quad, Nicholas Starkey emerged from the Student Union Building, his lunch in hand as he began scanning the quad for an open spot to eat, or a friendly face to join for lunch.

GM Jadetown, Emerald City, Oregon Friday, March 20, 2020 7:04:56 PM Xie Fan was a tall, well-built middle-aged man with a kindly face. He was normally one to wear a suit outside his family compound located smack down in the middle of Jadetown, but now the sleeves of his dress shirt was rolled back and the polka dot tie slightly loosened as he made his way on stage, a big grin on his face. Applause rang out from members of his family, his extended clan, and business colleagues and friends. You hear a whistle and shouted Chinese, probably from one of the more inebriated guests. Your audience was scattered around a large garden, mingling under the lanterns hung on trees that cast the party in a bright red glow, hanging around the small bonfire to warm themselves, or eating their dinner and noodles on the banquet tables. Toddlers chased each other on tiny legs as wizened old grandmothers and grandfathers sipped wine. A couple of bodyguards watched the proceedings at the edge of the gathering. The early spring air was chilly, not yet having cast of winter's cloak completely. Behind you, a banner hung between two poles, above the stage you stand on. Happy 50th Birthday Xie Fan! "Yeah! Haha!" Xie Fan waved at the crowd before he came to you, clapping you on the shoulder. "Okay. Let's do this." Time for your coup de grace.

April 2020 Outside Cuiaba, Brazil People think of Brazil as all Amazonian jungles and also the streets of Rio. Here just outside Chapada dos Guimarães National Park, though, both cities and Amazon seem far away - this is a place of rugged terrain with jagged cliffs and high waterfalls, with large red hills and sandstone cliffs towering thousands of feet in height rising in almost every direction. Normally it would be a gorgeous place to visit - minus the trail of destruction leading from Cuiaba towards the interior of the vast, rugged parkland "So you see," said Dr. Fraire, speaking by phone from the inside of her jeep, "we have a giant problem. The National Guard is already investigating what happened in the city but I think our lawyers will be able to tie them up for a few days. But if they get hard evidence that 'dangerous supertech' was being held in the city without their government's say-so, they could shut down every DI facility in Brazil!" The other voice on the line, the one who'd originally gotten the call, said "Why _didn't_ they know?" "That thing has been with us for almost seventy years, since Papa Danger's time!" said Dr. Fraire, who had not gotten a lot of sleep in the last few days. "Er, sorry, sir, but my records at the base said that information about "A Centurion Robo" was communicated to them all the way back in the 1940s; but there's been coups since then, and elections, and of course the museum fire..." She looked disconsolate for a moment. "If there were records, they've been lost. So we're in trouble!" So ended the last of Veronica's briefing about the recent breakout in Brazil of a twenty-foot, seventy-five year old robot cast in the brass and steel image of the Centurion! Danger family crises were a little different than who was going to water the lawn or feed the dog.

The Theater District Freedom City, New Jersey.Tuesday, March 17, 20207:00 PM The theater district was adorned with flyers, streamers, and balloons all in varying shades of green, white, and orange. There were carts full of vendors using the opportunity to sell their wares while relying on the theme. Tattoo artists giving temporary sidewalk tattoos. As the largest concentration of Freedom City's Irish community actually lived in the West End, it was clear that the celebration was mostly an excuse for young, rowdy, New Jerseyites to have a party. Floats advertising not only local artists and plays, but the handful of corporate organizers involved in sponsoring the event were making their way through the streets. The leader of the pack being of course Shaughnessey’s float. The local brew-pub had organized the parade. Partly as a 30th anniversary celebration of sorts. And mostly to drum up business. They had even gotten Jimmy Kirkpatrick, a municipal court judge to both speak at the opening and ride on the lead float. The age of the parade crowd ranged from late teens to early 30s, but most wouldn't have been able to pick Judge Kirkpatrick out of lineup unless they had one too many unpaid parking ticket. But, those who kept up with local politics knew that Judge Kirkpatrick was up for re-election. He was a portly man in his 40s with a tough on crime attitude that would make Gerald R. Baker proud. It was tough to say whether it was genetics or the stress of the job had begun taking its toll, but Judge Kirkpatrick's hairline had visibly begun receding. Though it was clear the crowd was mostly here for the second-most float from the front. The local band, Whipping Dave. With front-man Dave Tennet and the rest of the group standing on top of a giant leprechaun shaped float. The band wearing green, blaring their instruments was audibly getting more of a reaction than the pub sponsored judge.

GM 1:30 PM, March 7th, 2020 Emerald Skies Airshow, Joint Army/Air-Force Base Clark-Gordon, Cascadia The show had been coming for a while. The skies were clear and blue. Fighter jets roared across the sky, drawing colorful, emerald smoketrails behind them. The crowds cheered, the people of Emerald City was getting into the airshow. Even if the air was cool, the sun was warm. Mattus had sent Chromium to provide security. Since his arrival in Emerald City, he had spent time training at Clark-Gordon, learning to be better. Now, he was security. Just in case, Commander Irons had said. Nothing was going to happen, but it was good to get out there. See the people, see what he was fighting for. No need to be seen unless necessary, of course. A big shiny guy would stand out, but he could at least enjoy the show from the shadows. Nolan Aeronautics was here by invitation. In fact, they had asked for one Anne Mistral in particular. She was famous, after all. If anything, her presence would only draw larger crowds. While another jet soared across the sky, painting emerald circles with its smoke, the call went out that Levity was up next...

The Fens, Freedom City, New Jersey Tuesday March 17, 2020, 9:12 PM A light rain was falling on Freedom City this evening, making the cool night feel just a bit colder. Out in the dark streets of the Fens, the rain just added to the oppressive, downtrodden feeling that seemed to emanate from every dark alleyway. But from Jack Sounder, the Fens was the perfect place to seek to make amends for the mistakes of his past. Strolling down the sidewalk of the mostly deserted streets, Jack took in a deep breath, trying his best to take in whatever smells were not being washed away by the rain. Turning a corner, the former boxer and mob muscle spotted a group of four young men exiting a dark sedan further up the street. The four men moved with a cocky swagger that was all too familiar to Jack as they made their way up towards a small Mom-and-Pop corner store at the other end of the block. At least two of the young men had their hands in the pockets of the jackets in a way that made Jack certain they were armed…. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mali Benjawan was crouched near the edge of one of the three story tenements in the Fens, out on one of her regular patrols of one of the more run down and crime ridden parts of the city. But so far the unpleasant weather seemed to be keeping troublemakers indoors. Just as Mali was starting to consider heading back to the Du Temps building, she spotted a group of four young men making their way to the entrance to a small convenience store. While they could well have just been a group of friends looking to buy some drinks and snacks, something about the way they moved and carried themselves made Mali study them a bit closer. As she watched, they drew close to the door and she saw one draw out a handgun from the pocket of his jacket as they made their way inside….

March 31st, 11.45PM, 2019 Dressing room, Crown Tower Hotel, 2nd floor ballroom, Emerald City(OR) ITEM: Robbery planned at your show tonight. Be ready. - G The note had been slipped into Dalir's back pocket. It had been printed, not written, and aside from the 'G' there was no indication who had made the white card with grey text. In the press and crush of the crowd milling in the lobby, anyone could have done it, and people touching his butt on the sly was an all too common occurrence. Still, there was an audience on the other side of the door, and an announcer hyping the audience, and a world of stress on the shoulders of the announcer hyping the audience on the other side of the door.

GM 3PM, March 4th, 2020 The Riverfront District It was perhaps appropriate that Sunburn, Dinostroyer and Metamind had been brought back to the Riverfront district that they had attacked. Their trial had, despite the overwhelming evidence, lasted a few weeks now. It was not much of an argument of guilt, it was more a question of how bad, and how to punish someone that didn't seem to exist. As it turned out, it seemed that Sunburn's claim that that the trio was from another world had been true. Or, at the very least, they had been good at hiding any trace of themselves. Now, a verdict had been reached. Property damage, mind control, but thankfully, no fatalities, and mostly minor injuries. The Upstarts were to be sent to an A.E.G.I.S. holding facility closer to Freedom City, far from Emerald City. Super villains were not something that happened in Emerald City, after all, so they had no way of keeping them. As the group was loaded into individual trucks, they were still wearing the power dampening equipment created by MarsTech. Dinostroyer wore heavy chains, Metamind had been outfitted with a helmet and Sunburn was inside a large tank filled with a strange fluid, with a breathing apparatus around her mouth and nose. She looked even more pissed off than the rest. The trucks didn't far before they simply stopped. The drivers got out, any guards simply left... and then the first shots were fired towards the prison transports. Emerald City was not a city of villains, and it seemed that being a villain here came with its own consequences.

The Western edge of the Taklamaka Desert, at the foothills of the Pamir Mountains Western China Saturday March 7, 2020. 7:54 AM China Standard Time (CST) (6:54 PM on Friday March 6, 2020 in Freedom City, New Jersey) A cold winter's wind swept over the sands of the Taklamaka Desert, shifting some of the sand as it went. A pair of figures walked up a sand dune in the early morning light, the dark shapes of tents and other temporary structures down in an open space below them. Not far to the west, the snow-capped peaks of the Pamir Mountains rouse up into the sky over the dark foothills which lay between the mountains and the desert. <"Why did they say to come out here?"> One of the two men making their way up the sand dune asked in Pashto. The other man in the lead gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. <"They said a member of the Danger family would be arriving with some assistance to take over the search for Doctor Schneider and Doctor Warren. You have heard some of the stories of the Dangers, likely wants to make some sort of dramatic entrance."> The two men crested the rise of the dune and moved out onto a relatively flat expanse of sand amongst the dunes. <"Hopefully we will not have to wait too long."> Those words proved prophetic, as the pair were just starting to look about for some sign of the arrival of the help from Danger International when there was a bright flash of light and a group of individuals appeared a short distance away. The central figure release the hands of the individuals on either side of her and took a step forward. The two men saw an attractive seventeen year old girl dressed in dark khaki cargo pants and a light brown winter parka. She wore a pair of well-worn hiking boots, and her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "Good morning, I am Veronica Danger." The teenager said to the two men with a small smile.

March 21, 2020 DuTemps Castle "Kimber!" called Eira from the guest bedroom the Claremont girls were using to change. "I need your advice!" Technically the members of Orange Squad (along with her room-mate and her friend Pan) were here for diplomatic and professional purposes. True North, Canada's super-team, had recently teamed up with the British super-team Vanguard to battle the forces of the Fenian Liberation Army - the fight had been long, been hard, and it was all very interesting if you cared about the history of cross-Atlantic imperialism and the lasting legacy of American and British imperialism. But what was relevant right now was that in the aftermath of the battle in upstate New York, the teams had come to a neutral spot to celebrate, reconnect, and enjoy the hospitality of one of their richest American partners. It was a great opportunity to meet adult heroes from all over Europe and Canada, use the DuTemps pool - the big one, that the Deep One who lived here typically avoided because of its chlorination, get acquainted with the Claremont alums who lived in the castle, get out from under Claremont discipline under the watchful eye of adult heroes, and maybe hit the sound system and eat snacks while they were at it.

Countryside near Hetfordshire, England Monday March 9, 2020 3:02 PM local time Dee Farrington walked down the hallway of the second floor of the countryside estate where she had lived with Erick Sloane for the past four years. The attractive woman was barefoot and wearing a pair of black jeans and a white T-shirt. Her shoulder length hair was black, with two green streaks along one side. In just two months Dee would be turning thirty and she still was sometimes a bit surprised where her life had taken her over the last slightly more than half a decade. For one, she would never have expected to live in countryside home such as this again. Erick had purchased the home when he have moved from Freedom City to England to be with Dee and to join Vanguard. Dee had to admit, there was much to be said for the privacy, given the pair’s involvement in the superheroing world. And the large home certainly afforded them each with plenty of space for their rather varied hobbies and interests. Coming to one of the many rooms along this hall, Dee passed through the open doorway to where Erick was busy working on assembling a new piece of furniture that has arrived that morning. She glanced down at the tablet she was carrying in one hand, scrolling through several bedding options from an online store. But then Dee paused, glancing up from the screen and looking about the recently repainted room and the new furniture that was now starting to fill the room and let out a small sigh. "How did this happen?" She said aloud. "I feel so bloody domestic."

March 2020 Alpine, Texas There's not much in the Big Bend region of Texas except space. The city of Alpine is relatively large; almost five thousand people, with a state university in Sul Ross, and the remotest AEGIS base in the Lower 48 States - tucked away inside an old gas station on the edge of town, the one most of the locals think might be haunted. There are a lot of old hippies in this area, people who liked the isolation better than the California or Nevada deserts, or just wanted to be able to disappear into the mountains, so when news came of robot reptiles appearing all over the area, originally the local office treated it as just more poppycock. At least until the twenty-foot robot crocodile crawled out of the sewers and tried to make a nest in the country club's golf course. So now there's a veteran AEGIS agent on the scene! But on the other hand, even a robot crocodile is just a crocodile. So this is a good mission to bring super-teens along; especially those who know a thing or two about machines and giant reptiles - or perhaps those careers might not take them into conventional superheroing. - Eira hadn't said much to Danica on the flight to West Texas, but she hadn't been quite the cold fish that she'd heard. She was dressed in an outfit suitable for West Texas - denim jeans and a blue and gold patterned shirt, dark glasses against the glare (though why would a robot need those?), and a white cowboy hat perched on her head. The Freedom League Javelin (albeit one disguised as a regular Learjet to avoid attention) had covered the 2000 miles from Freedom City to Alpine in about two hours; and had left early enough that it was still only about eight-thirty when they landed at Alpine–Casparis Municipal Airport. There had been very little signs of towns below until they got here; even now this was still obviously very remote.