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Between Freedom City University and various technology companies, the North End was well populated with coffee shops, cafes and bistros suited for relaxing between projects or last minute crunch time before a deadline. Few of them were strangers to eccentric clientele or outlandish fashions but the pair who had commandeered a table on the patio of the Hasbean Cafe surely pushed the limits. "How long dost thou intend to sit here?" Sekhmet sighed, eyelids barely open as she stretched under the summer sun with one toned arm resting behind her asymmetrical haircut. Wariness of her companion only just outweighed the goddess' urge to doze off, a feline instinct made more insistent in a form that actually required sleep. The smaller figure across from her was in no danger of sleep as he drummed the fingers of one hand rapidly along the table with tapping away at his smartphone with the other. "Why would we leave!" Set exclaimed, bouncing enough in his seat to tip his stylish sunglasses upward briefly and jostle his brick red dreadlocks. "Such delightful establishments are the very home of coolness, Sekhmet! We must soak up its trendy essence!" He punctuated the claim with an animated gesture at the rest of the patrons on the patio, most of whom were studiously focusing their attention on laptops and coffee cups. "Do you realize their wireless internets are entirely complementary?! Such an era of prosperous excess! And these charmingly tiny espresso beverages! Magnificent! You must try one, I've had three!"

December 7, 2013 Kingston Midnight "Fullæstum! Cwæ, fullæstum mec!" The cry was coming from a deserted stretch of half-grown forest near a recent development as Cobalt Templar and Stronghold flew overhead, and as the ring-bearing sentinels flew low they soon found the source of the cry - a young woman about Corbin's apparent age, with long black hair cascading down her back and nearly chalk-white skin. Her clothes were a mess, a torn and slashed fast-food worker's uniform exposing half-healed wounds beneath as if she'd been attacked by a wild animal. Her eyes were the most striking; one an almost brilliant blue, the other a deep shade of purest black. When she caught sight of the descending heroes, she ran towards them, her eyes wide and her voice a scream. "Ellefnee, brega! Ic wédenheortu!" - December 7, 2013 Lincoln 1 AM Temperance was on patrol when the giant landed on the roof opposite her - there was no other way to describe the man-shaped, eagle-headed and magnificently-winged creature that towered at least twice her father's height as it pointed a taloned fist at her and spoke. The words were chilling like a winter squall, cold and wet as they slapped against her skin, the giant's voice like an avian shriek in an alien tongue. "Drýicge, for anlécas, ærfæder - Cume æt mec, or ic ábær ðu!" It shouted the words again, shaking those mighty wings, as it came closer and closer. Up close, she could feel the celestial chill that rose from those great wings, and see the ice that rimed the massive feathers - it was reaching for her, all right, as if planning to scoop her up into the night sky from which it had soundlessly come!

Chester’s Club Chester’s was finally called well Chester’s since the 1920’s the club had stood on the same spot more or less unchanged. It had survived wars and invasion and the worse that Freedom City could throw at it and through all that there had Bobby Johnson, but now he was finally retiring from running the club and leaving it in the capable hands of his Granddaughter Jada Johnson. The last couple of years Jada had subtly been updating the club whilst keeping the classic Blue Club feel. Whilst some of the old timer’s complained about not being able to smoke, most had been more surprised that Bobby had had time to have a daughter let alone a Granddaughter. The final act was to finally give the club the name that most people had always called it, and to celebrate the retirement of the second oldest of it’s patrons.

North Bay, Freedom City, New Jersey Tuesday, February 11, 2014; 6:18 AM The sound of an alarm clock ringing for the third time in the last eighteen minutes pulled Megan Howell out of the half sleep she had fallen back into. The young woman's hand shot out towards the nightstand at speeds beyond what the human eye could easily follow, slamming the snooze button once more to silence the annoying alarm once again. But this time, Megan did not close her eyes again. Instead, she glanced at the room around her as her eyes adjusted to the faint darkness. The cold that had crept into the bedding on other side of the large bed reminded her that Robert was still back in England dealing with a few family matters and attending a conference back at Cambridge. Letting out a slight sigh, the blonde haired young woman sat up, reaching over to turn off the alarm. Once that was done, Megan was then up from the bed and had moved through the master bedroom and into the spacious master bath in a blink of the eye. A few moments later, she was climbing into a hot shower to help shake off more of her drowsiness, which should do until she was able to get some coffee. As the hot water ran over her, Megan closed her eyes for a few moments, thinking back to the various changes over the last few months. It had been toward the end of October when she and Robert had returned from what had been for them, six years in the Null Zone. Of course, because the Null Zone existed outside of normal time, to the rest of the world, they had not been gone long at all. Having returned with a six year old son, the pair had needed to make several changes to the lifestyles they had been leading. One of the first things Megan had done was to revel to her parents (and the later her older siblings) that she was Velocity, a secret she had kept from her family since she had been a Sophomore in high school. Naturally her parents had been quite shocked to learn their youngest daughter was also a superhero, not to mention that they suddenly had a six year old grandson. Megan and Robert had then begun looking for a place in Freedom City to purchase together. It had taken nearly all of November, but Megan had finally located a wonderful mansion in the northern, slightly more rural part of North Bay. The house came with extensive grounds, something Lawrence had become accustomed to growing up in the Null Zone. So Robert had more or less permanently relocated to Freedom City, although he was making bi-weekly trips back to England, though usually for only a couple days at a time and they had all spent the latter half of December and New Year's back at Robert's family estate in England. And of course, for Megan, there had been getting back into being more active with the Freedom League. Shutting off the water, Megan then exited the shower to dry her hair, get dressed and otherwise ready for her day. For the most part, her morning routine took mere moments, one of the benefits of having superspeed. But once she was dressed, Megan made her way down the dim hallway of the large mansion at a normal speed as she made her way to her son’s bedroom. The door to Lawrence's room was halfway open, as it often was, allowing some light from the main hallway to shine into his room so it was not too dark. Megan stopped at the door briefly and looked down at the sleeping form of the six year old. But then she turned on the lights as she called out. "Lawrence, time to get up and start getting ready for school." The figure on the bed began stirring as Megan added, "get dressed and the come downstairs for breakfast."

West End, Freedom City Lucy woke up with a throbbing headache something that struck her as odd, though right now she couldn’t remember why that was strange thing. She opened her eye’s to see a masked female face filling her vision, now that was a lot more familiar. “Are you okay? You were attacked and I sent them packing.†there was pride in her voice, it wasn’t something she’d done before. Lucy sat up causing the woman to step back, she didn’t quite know what to do this was all still new to her. She might be a hero of some type, her face was covered by a blue handkerchief actual everything she wore was blue and harked back to the classic 20’s style. “I’m fine, just a bump from the fall.†She rubbed a rather large bump on the back of her head. No wait that couldn’t be right? On hunch she felt for a pulse and could hear the steady beat of her heart. She was alive again. “I know this sounds a little weird, but what the day and year today?†The woman looked a little suspicious but answered the question. “It’s May 27th 1926.â€

Greenbank, Freedom City Friday, January 10th, 8:00pm They'd all started getting whispers, but they came from different places. Shadowblade was still making her mark on the city, but she'd heard rumors on more than one patrol that someone was restarting the same sort of experiment she'd busted up at that school just a few weeks ago. Except, this sounded bigger. With even more planning and setup, and in an area few seemed to care about. Blodeuwedd's patrols had gotten her a lot of rumblings about...well, it wasn't so much a "gang war" as it was "outsiders gobbling up territory". Except these outsiders played things smart. One day, suddenly several of the not-quite-empty warehouses were no longer under their existing management. Some of the previous tenants had made it out with rumors of men (and a few women) in matte black uniforms moving like ghosts in the night. People in uniforms that sometimes had guns, sometimes nothing. Always scary. Not all of the tenants (a polite term for small and medium gangs squatting in warehouses and other buildings) made it out, though some were whispering they weren't dead, they just switched "sides". Graft had been hearing rumbles from many of his patients coming through the clinic. Most were homeless people who'd seen these strange people lurking about, or just barely missed their "grabs". But they didn't seem to be primarily targeting the random homeless and transients. Instead, the primary targets were gang members! The folks Graft talked to mentioned at one point seeing black-clothed figures nab a half-dozen gang-bangers without killing them. A couple nights later, it seemed like there were even more paramilitary folks running around... Comrade Frost, meanwhile, had gotten some disturbing rumors himself. Rumors of the mafiya being paid a pretty penny to help move a lot of very interesting things into a couple of warehouses right on the river. Things like lots of high-end scientific materials, loads and loads of wires and cables and pipes and ropes, prefabricated housing and other long-term residence supplies... And weapons. Nothing too big, all man-portable, and nothing incredibly advanced. But weapons nonetheless. But it wasn't a continuing operation; it was a one-and-done transport deal, conducted with some people who were so professional you could cut paper on it. Not a pretty picture, but he hadn't heard of anything major getting blown up. Yet. Now, what would they all be doing about it?

August 24th, 2013 10:03 AM Freedom City Tona Baudin was caught in the horns of a dilemma. "I want something that flows," she said, staring down at the magazine in her hands. "I want something that would billow and can present a larger target, you know?" She showed the magazine to Sam Vance, the girl sitting next to her on the rail car. "Like these ladies are wearing." The periodical wasn't what Tona usually read. Flight of Fashion chronicled fashion designs based off superhero costumes; most of the pieces had one or two dominant colors, and fit close to the body. The pages Tona was looking at were showing off tall, slim models wearing longcoats. Each was in the act of turning, the tails of their coats fanning out dramatically. "Something like that," she said, pointing at the coats. "That's what I want to find at the mall."

Hughes Household Friday, August 9, 2013 The invitation had gone out some 2 weeks prior. Out of the metaphorical blue, Corbin Alphonse Hughes had invited some of his closest and longest-running friends over to his home. He'd mentioned it would be "breakfast for dinner" and that he'd be providing a "nice spread", but that people were welcome to bring an additional dish. There was little else on the note, but for someone who supposedly had intended to take a break from school to go off and hunt ancient artifacts, it did perhaps seem a bit sudden. It was a fairly decent day out when everyone started arriving, just a bit before 5pm. The house had several lights on on the ground floor, though there was no evidence of anyone moving about from the front entrance. There was a hand-written note on the front door.

Freedom City Waterfront, New Jersey February 5, 2014; 10:24 PM A layer of snow still coated Freedom City, left over from the recent storms to hit the East Coast. The snow just added to the nighttime glow of downtown Freedom City's lights, helping reflect the lights from its many high-rise buildings. Down on one of the many waterfront piers, one on of the piers was currently fenced off with construction fences. Parts of the pier and the once sleek, three story building built on top of the pier were rather badly damaged, sections of the pier torn away and several huge holes torn in one side of the building. From where he stood a block away on the roof of another building, Jeremiah Deadfall could still see the PanStar logo on one corner of the damaged building. The building housed part of PanStar's oceanography research division and was damaged a couple of months ago when a supervillain controlling a giant squid attacked during some demonstration for some US military brass and some congressmen, senators and other important individuals. A pair of superheroes had appeared on the scene to stop the supevillain and drive off the giant squid, but the building and pier had sustained heavy damage. For Jeremiah, the damaged research facility offered a promising opportunity to investigate further into PanStar and its activities. High-tech company offices being attacked by supervillains occurred with some regularity in Freedom City. But what Jeremiah was more interested in was a disturbing pattern of other PanStar subsidiaries around the world being caught involved in some illegal activity. Thus far, such instances had been blamed on the local executives overseeing a particular project or office. But there was something of a pattern. Just the sort of thing for the Crier to investigate…

Freedom City University January 4, 2014 It was late on the night of January 4th when the alarm began ringing at Freedom City University's Physics Building; the clang-a-lang-a-lang of the old brass striker in the big red alarms located high above each of the building's original entrances. The campus was mostly quiet right now; classes weren't back in session and most students were still away lingering over the holidays with their families, and it was late enough that most of the people who used the campus for other purposes were home. Under dark, cloudy skies and a mostly empty, snow-covered campus, lit only by the ever-present glow of security lights, the alarms rang again and again - while dark deeds were carried out in the shadowed Physics building and a man's life lay in the balance.

June 13th, 2013 Rosh Pina Airport, Golan Heights, Israel Midday The sun was beating down on the airport tarmac, raising heat mirages from the pavement. Jessica Parker was intensely grateful for the shade of a hanger, and more glad that the L-100 Hercules was on schedule. She was dressed sensibly for being so near the equator, in a white skirt, white blouse, and dark brown wrap, and she was making sure to drink plenty of water, but this still a very different environment than Freedom City. Jessica's phone vibrated in her pocket and her headset beeped at her. She pressed a button and listened in on the conversation between the control tower and the approaching cargo plane with half an ear. She put the rest of her attention to scanning the skies, until she spotted a metallic glint against the clouds. A minute later, the wide-bodied aircraft bellied out of the sky and make tire-squealing contact with the runway, slowing down quite rapidly. Before long it was simply taxiing, approaching the hanger. She glanced back at the interior of the empty space, at the military truck holding IDF soldiers and a man in a UNISON jumpsuit. She took in a deep breath and blew it out, still uneasy at the military presence. Israel had insisted, though, and that was that. At least the Baron had agreed to fly down for this; otherwise Jessica would be completely on her own.

Chipping In, or, I Know a Guy who Knows a Prince June 1st, Saturday, 11.13 AM, 2013. Southside, Jordan International Airport, nearby Gate 8 The sun beat down happily on a panting Freedom City, the inhabitants of the most super city in the world going about their lives with a renewed vigor as summer seemed to send a jolt through every heart. Even the normally frantically dull airport terminals thrummed with energy, none of the usual lethargy to be found anywhere in the glossy gold terminals or the shining blue stores. For Elias Silvestri and Cerys Pfer, the two students of Claremont Academy sent with Tony Pao, a member of the junior staff there to welcome a new arrival, it was mostly unseen. The airport employees rushing by with baggage carts did seem to be whistling more than normal, however. The trio were standing just off the airstip, watching as the silvery glint of an oncoming plane came roaring into view. "Almost ten minutes early, good going..." murmured Tony to himself, the Laotion-American smiling in relief as the small plane, emblazoned on its tail and hull with the white and red symbol of a white lion, announcing it as a craft from the mysterious and powerful African nation of Dakana. Leading the way over as the airport technicians moved the standalone staircase up against the door of the plane, Tony resumed his earlier explanation at an even, rapid clip: "Aidah Sesay's light powers only recently developed, but from what Dakana's scientists can determine they seem to be some kind of natural mutation. King M'Balla wants her to get a good education on her powers, and asked the Freedom League to set her up here for couple of years. She's grown up surrounded by people who deeply admire her family and gave her the same deference, so...keep a level head. Be nice" he added with a concerned look. With a metallic rattle the stairs clicked into place, the door slid open and a small troupe of Dakanans marched out, seemingly unfazed by the American noonday sun in summertime and dressed to the nines in their nation's finery, mostly neat and colorful robes marked with intricate geometric symbols, their shoulders bearing the royal seal and slim jewelry around their necks. All of them carried themselves with stately dignity, politely thanking the airport technicians as they passed down the steps. Their leader, a grave-faced woman with graying hair, nodded and smiled at the two students before turning to Tony, shaking his hand and beginning "Hello Mr. Pao, thank you for arranging to meet us at such short notice." "Oh, it wasn't any trouble Mz. Okoro. On behalf of Claremont Academy, allow me to welcome you to Freedom City!" the former diplomat said cheerily, beaming at the reserved band "Is Ms. Sesay-" "HELLLLOOOOOOO FREEDOOOOOOM!" resounded a gleeful shout from the plane, announcing the emergence of a slender teenaged Dakanan girl dressed in much less subdued colors than the rest, wearing a large blue flowered hat over a beehive hairdo and sunglasses that looked slightly more expensive than what Cerys and Elias were wearing put together. Leaping onto the railing with a click of her high-heeled sandals she slid down it, leaping off just in time to land with a flair next to the two Claremonters. "Your new goddess has arrived, and brought the sun with her!" Lowering her sunglasses a little she raised an immaculate eyebrow as she looked the odd duo up and down. "And you two are...?" she asked with a barely-concealed smirk "Aidah! Behave, we are guests and each represent the nation." the older woman said crisply, getting a flinch and resentful look from the young woman, who nonetheless nodded, turned back and sulkily offered her impeccable hand "Greetings to you from the Land of the White Lion, I'm Aidah Sesay, I believe you are to be my schoolmates?" her voice was a little more heavily accented than that of the older Dakanans, and unlike the rest her robe reached only to her knees while her arms were bare.

Saturday January 18th 2014 West End 10:30 am Just another day in the city, in particular the West End. People minding their own business is what's going on, nothing out of the ordinary. However, there's a certain air of tension filling the normally far more lively and pleasant neighborhood. As if something had been brewing slowly in the last few weeks or even months. A sharp eye could notice there had been some degradations in a few places around the West End, that in some places the neighborhood had turned a little more intimidating or even dangerous. Noises fill the air as police cars pass by in the street, their sirens blaring. Something is going on, that’s for sure.

2AM (Los Angeles time) December 5, 2013 Richard Cline sipped his coffee and checked his 1989 Chrono-Quartz digital watch, a 20th anniversary present that he would get tired of about the time his son stopped asking him when he was going to learn how to text. Six am in Freedom City. Better get moving. "Juanita," he said, slapping a twenty down to pay for the several cups he'd drunk that morning, "your coffee is great every night, but this stuff?" he picked up the cup and winked, glad as ever he'd found this greasy spoon diner instead of the trendy coffee shops everyone else seemed to hit in LA. "Totally radical." He stepped out of the shop, let his feet hit the pavement - and ran. Back in the late 90s when he and Paige had been trying to have a kid, Richard had sat down for the first time with a science-type and figured out how his powers worked. Behind all the nerd stuff, the German guy they'd hired had been pretty straightforward: first he emitted a chroniton field that stopped time all around himself, freezing everyone and everything in a nanosecond bubble of no-time as his powers washed over everything like paint on a tie-dyed shirt. And then he turned his power on himself, accelerating his own subjective time so that he was running faster than a man, faster than a plane, faster than Johnny Rocket, as he laughed at the sound barrier and reached his typical cruising speed of 20,000 miles an hour. At the end of a run, he reversed the process, slowing himself back down again, then restarting local time so that he synched back up with the rest of the world. From Richard's perspective, though, it was like this - Olvera Street slowed to first a crawl, then a stand-still as Richard sprinted down the zigzag brick street. Pause. A moment later, as acceleration kicked in, the city erupted to life again as Fast-Forward rocketed down blurred LA streets faster than a jet could fly, Richard's phenomenal reflexes turning speeding cars and zipping bikes into so many standing-still slowpokes. Play. As he left the LA basin behind, Richard reached down his watch and hit the timer button, a smile curling his lips. "Time to fast-forward!" he exulted as he hit hypersonic speed, the wind in his face like a summer breeze as the world became a series of slow-moving images and garbled sounds, the thousands of miles between LA and Freedom City falling away like a sprint around the block. 8 and a half minutes from LA to Freedom City. Four slow, slow minutes buying a box of assorted doughnuts at World's Fair in St. Louis. His watch beeped at 6:13 as he hit the streets of Freedom City and Richard slowed down, coming to a halt just outside the Cline family's brand-new front door at six-fifteen on the dot. He glanced down at his watch and turned off the little timer, keeping a grimace off his face. Fifteen minutes to go cross-country. I'm turning into Don freaking Ameche here! He pushed that thought down, reminding himself that today wasn't about the old man, today was about his boy and the family taking him to school. Holly was asleep, or at least her lights were off, but even still there was no burdening his little girl with her dad's unhappy thoughts. He glanced back at the white picket fences around the house and opened the door; his leather jacket was hanging up and costume in his belt buckle faster than a normal man could blink, and he set the box of donuts down where they'd stay warm in the kitchen. All right, time for breakfast...Freedom City was cold, so reluctantly he turned on the electric stove, flipping his way through five or six cookbooks until he remembered where he'd left Will's favorite Mexican bacon and egg recipe. This was a big day for the kid - better get it started off right!

Port Regal, Freedom City, New Jersey Cline Home Tuesday, February 4th, 2014 William walked into his family's home with less than his usual vigor and energy. He was oddly subdued and, unusually, glad his father wasn't home. His mother could feel the relief. She'd felt Will's subtle probe and inquiry earlier, when he'd been "told" that his father and younger sister were out and about in the city, likely getting into some sort of trouble. William wasn't carrying an overnight bag or anything (not that he needed one; he had enough supplies at home to split his time if he liked), and didn't even have a backpack full of homework. He just had a couple slightly wrinkled sheets of paper clenched in one hand. He moved into the kitchen, looking for Paige. "Hey, uh, Mom? Where are you at?"

Even for someone raised in a tough environment the last couple of day’s had been too cold to bear for too long. But now the temperature was a little more tolerable and she had decided now was a good time to do something. Maybe after a few days shut indoors she was going a little stir crazy but she decided that today she was going to clear the snow from the Zen Garden. So after a quick and early breakfast with a few hours before classes began she borrowed a shovel and head out to complete her task.

Freedom Hall Tuesday, December 17, 2013 5:56 PM The early evening found a light snow falling on Freedom City, adding to the thin layer that had already accumulated. Heavy clouds that had filled the skies all day, now glowed a soft orange from the city's lights. Beyond the normal bright lights of the city's evening skyline, holiday lights and other decorations now seemed to be everywhere. The combination of the festive decorations and the light snow seemed to generate a vibrant energy within the city. As the heart of Freedom City, City Center was awash with dazzling lights and holiday decorations. A massive Christmas tree stood in the green space at the heart of Centennial Circle, out in front of City Hall. Sitting just to the west of Centennial Circle, Freedom Hall, the original headquarters of the Freedom League, was no exception to the festive atmosphere. Sections of the stone wall surrounding the Hall had various decorations, and the trees inside the grounds were adorned with lights. Freedom Hall itself had lights strung along the edges of stepped ledges created by the roofs of each floor. Velocity, one of the members of the Freedom League, was standing in the large lobby and reception area, taking one last look at the decorations that had been put up for the holiday party the League was hosting this evening for the city's various heroes. A ten foot tall Christmas tree had been set up along the right hand side of the lobby, covered in shining silver ornaments and multicolored lights. A number of tables were set up over on that side of the lobby, some lower tables with chairs, others were tall tables around which people could stand. Located just off that side of the lobby was a conference room where the food and refreshments had been set up. On the other side of the lobby had been reconfigured some by Dr. Metropolis to include a working fireplace in which there was currently a roaring fire. A number of leather sofas and chairs were arranged around the fireplace, offering a comfortable setting area for guests to relax. "Okay, everything looks great. The guests should start arriving soon." The speedster started out loud to some of her teammates as they were putting on the final touches. She was wearing her normal yellow costume, with the addition of a red Santa hat. As someone who could multitask with easy, the Velocity took a brief moment to check her phone, which was set up to control the sound system that had been connected to the first floor's PA system. Flipping through some of the songs she had put on the playlist, the young woman came to a stop at one song on the list. Listed on the screen was a song by Death Cab for Cutie, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). Hmm, good song, but not one I think that hits a bit too close for Stesha. She thought, as she removed the song from the playlist. With that done, she selected another song on the list to begin with. Over the speakers throughout the first floor of the building, the mellow sound of saxophones and other jazz instruments could be heard as

Freedom Hall Monday, September 30th, 10:23 AM For all its international presence the Freedom League could sometimes be viewed as American ambassadors in questions of law and often more importantly public perception. Questions of jurisdiction became very muddled very quickly in the wide and wild world of superhuman powers, brightly coloured costumes and brass tacks politicking. When it came to the Igneous, a thriving subterranean civilization with settlements and tunnels far, far below the surface of much of North America and north-eastern Asia, the question of borders turned suddenly difficult. Thus it was that a team of Leaguers, including their resident Russian liaison, had been requested for a joint mission with the representatives of the nationally funded Canadian super team True North to respond to a reportedly tense and escalating situation deep within the section of the Rocky Mountains that crossed the 49th parallel. Besides Comrade Frost, who had had some dealings with the underground culture when the Kola Superdeep Borehole had found a little more than it had expected in the 1970s, the geokinetic Gaian Knight had been a natural choice, along with the famously diplomatic Fleur de Joie. The team gathered about a conference table littered with briefings on the area's geography, past encounters with the Igneous and the members of True North they'd be meeting with, familiarizing themselves with all of them before departing.

GM Friday 1st October, 15:07pm The Beginning of Rush Hour... A busy street... It happened in a flash. The truck was stuck in traffic, beeping its horn in frustration. But then, lots of people where stuck in traffic and beeping horns in frustration. This was Friday evening rush hour. Freedom City was the city of heroes, but for all its super powers, it was not immune to traffic congestion. The truck was marked full of hazardous chemicals. And then, it got hit. Three. No four. No five men, marching out a nearby van, in full orange jumpsuits, headphones, and gas masks, and wearing heavy rifles, fired - gas grenades it looked like. Knockout gas. Everyone fell asleep - pedestrians, drivers, the hot dog salesman at the corner, the street performer playing "The Ace of Spades" on a rubber band and a smoked kipper, and the preacher with a megaphone and a particularly individual interpretation of the old testament that did not hold him back from telling the world of his unique revelations. All of them hit the floor, snoring heavily. Cars swerved into one another, crashed. Alarms sounded, and injuries - from minor to more severe, peppered the streets. And one car crashed into the Truck. The chemicals started flowing freely into the street. An unpleasant smell to say the least, and from the warning signs on the truck, a toxic one too...

Wakaya Island, Fiji Friday October 25, 2013; 11:33 AM local time (Freedom City time: 7:33 PM (Thursday October 24, 2013)) The late morning sun shone brightly in the sky over the small Fijian island of Wakaya. With the "cool" season coming toward an end, the day was turning out to be pleasantly warm, the temperature already approaching eighty degrees. Megan Howell glided through the water of the large infinity pool located on the spacious main deck of the large compound situated on the highest point of Wakaya. Dubbed Rai Ki Wai, Megan and Robert Howell had acquired the property a little over a month ago at a rather reasonable price, considering the size and quality of the property. This last week had been their first real chance to enjoy their new vacation home, other than a four day weekend back at the end of September. The decision to purchase the property with Robert had felt like something of a major move for the young woman. After all, it had only been about seven or so months since they had renewed their relationship, after nearly a year apart. Of course, Megan blamed that year apart on her on mishandling of things in regard to her identity as the superheroine Velocity. If she had not kept that a secret from Robert while they had been at Cambridge together, she was rather certain they would have recently celebrated two years together. Of course, the decision to purchase Rai Ki Wai together had also been made a bit easier by the knowledge that, at least in some timelines, she and Robert married. But that knowledge also came with the burden of knowing that in a number of those timelines (and perhaps even others where they did not marry), they had a son that would develop terrible powers. That possibility had made Megan consider not reconciling with Robert when he had initially indicated his desire to do so. But discussing the issue with a few fellow members of the Freedom League and their allies in the superhero community in Freedom City had convinced her otherwise. As she neared one of the stairs from the pool, the young blonde woman put her feet back under her, touching the bottom of the pool and standing back up out of the water slightly as she walked the rest of the way and up the stairs to the polished teak deck. Picking up a towel she had left nearby, Megan began to dry herself off as she made her way across the deck towards a row of lounge chairs overlooking the ocean. Seated in one of the chairs was Robert, the young English lord apparently in the process of making more edits to a paper he was to be presenting early next month at some scientific society he belonged to back in England. Unable to stop herself from smiling slightly, Megan moved over to take a perch at the edge of the chair beside him, running the fingers of one hand through his short blond hair. "You know, you have a long plane ride home early next week, not to mention several days once your back, to finish that up." She stated with a grin.

Rita Kord Dorms- 4PM, Friday the 17th of January Haukea sat in the common room, taking some quiet time after classes to read a book. The last week of classes had been… fairly relaxed settling in, but wasn't the real problem. Well, maybe not a problem so much as… The whole room shuffle had left Haukea with a room to herself, at least until some more students came in. She didn't remember the last time she'd had a room to herself. Okay, apart from the whole broken arm incident. But she was still feeling a bit lonely.

GM January 5th, Saturday, 2013 South America, the gateway to the Lost World Zandar, Jungle Lord of the Lost World, had recently sent word to the Freedom league that he wished for greater understanding between his domain and theirs. He had offered a guided tour for several young people from Earth-Prime through the reaches of his kingdom, something that had led to a scramble among the Claremont Academy student body, all of whom wanted to be the one that got to see the fabled and secret land where prehistoric beasts lived beside humans! At last, Headmaster Summers had selected four teenagers to go. Blodeuwedd, El Heraldo, Myrmidon and Tsunami were to explore the strange Lost World and bring back a written report on what they had learned and discovered about the place and its people. No less than twenty pages were allowed for the final product, as Prof. Skyler had declared with no little smugness. But that seemed far away as the four teen heroes stood on the rocky and wooded plateau far above the jungle that glistened below in the sun, the teleportation quick and precise. All they had to do now was wait for their guide to show up. The South American sun beat down on them with the full weight of summer, and at the edge of sight and hearing all of them could tell animals were creeping just out of sight...

November 28, 2013 Earth holidays were something Steve Murdock had gradually learned to celebrate during his years living in Freedom City, none having been part of his own upbringing. Some made sense, at least on an abstract level - the religious holidays to celebrate the birth, death, and rebirth of the primary god of the local population, the national holidays to celebrate the birth of the local nation-state, and those that commemorated the beginning and end of the year. His favorite of them all was the day of thanksgiving, perhaps because it was the closest thing to a holiday he himself had had as a child, even if the historical underpinnings of the day were at best an abstraction to the native of the Terminus. He'd spent most of his Thanksgivings on Earth-Prime working in homeless shelters and soup kitchens, gladly giving hot meals and warm beds to those who had fallen between the cracks even of this shining, near-perfect society. This year, however, was different - instead of helping strangers at a difficult time, he was helping someone very close to him indeed. Facing Gina across the breakfast table on Thanksgiving morning, he said, "It is strange to have a holiday together. I like the feel of it." Steve normally worked right through the holidays on behalf of his coworkers with children and families, but had made an exception this year given that Peter Evans was finally well enough to leave his treatment at the Albright Institute and walk safely on the street without fear of disaster. It was an occasion Steve understood only too well. Speaking of the day itself seemed like the safest place for the conversation to go, knowing how tense she was about the holiday reunion with her brother and his family - for all that she'd invited them there in the first place.

December 16th 9:00 PM The Fens The world was cold. Frost and ice decorated the rooftops and streets, and snow, mixed with light rain, came from above. All in all, the weather was miserable. Still, Shadowblade was not deterred. She teleported to another roof, this one a convenience store. Just as she landed, she heard the distinct sound of a struggle. As she looked down, she saw five men in jet black suits grab a homeless man who was bundled up in a corner, and throw him roughly into a nearby van. Tonight already brought trouble.

December 15th, 2013 Southside 5:30 PM It was a chilly late afternoon in Freedom City, and the shopping areas of Southside were picking up from all the people who had gotten out of work and needed to do some shopping. The sky was filled with the orange glow of twilight. The street lights were on, there was snow on the ground, and the air was cold. It felt and looked and sounded like Christmas was right around the corner. For some people, this was cause for celebration. For others, it was a sign of a miserable winter. Meanwhile, behind one of the shops, three robots stepped up to the wall of the building...