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The Liberty Dome was situated between Midtown and the Theater District. A large events complex where the city’s major sports teams play. The 80,000-seat stadium also plays host to other sporting events as well as major concerts and shows during the year. It modern and modular and able host something like the high end charity concert (a couple grand for the privilege), as well as have facilities for the after party. It also had a dumb name. Well Amir felt that was the case, it felt so dated, but then he supposed that was better than auctioning off the naming rights every five to ten years. At least the Europeans had that right with their naming conventions for such buildings, sports economics notwithstanding. As per usual he had arrived in high fashion, in his latest acquisition a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante, sky blue with white trim. It cost him quite a bit, and he wondered, precisely, how much was the car for himself or the image he had cultivated carefully. He still liked it, however. What he didn't like was this concert, he was here to support the charity, something... he couldn't remember which one as he did so many. He couldn't get away with spending money on one of these things and then disappearing. He'd eat it in the press, and the rumor mill. It didn't help that Agnus was performing. So... here he was, trying to not interact with Agnus, while doing his best to be personable. Fortunately her hair made her easy to track, and adjust his path and everything accordingly, managing to come across extra 'not entirely present' tonight, while simultaneously wishing he could get three sheets to the wind.

GM UNISON Headquarters Geneva, Switzerland September 4, 2015 10:24 AM local time It had been several months since the members of Vanguard had been at the headquarters for UNISON, when they had joined several other heroes, and even villains, in protecting the base from the Communion until the Uni-Storm space fighters had been able to launch as part of a counteroffensive against the Incursion. The damage the buildings and surrounding town had suffered in that battle had all been repaired, one would not even have known that the battle had taken place now looking about. While the headquarters building was bustling with activity, it was not as hectic and desperate as it had been during that last visit. UNISON personnel were busy going about the daily routine of helping run and coordinate the international agency. Although the members of Vanguard had received a few stares as they had been led through the building toward an upper level conference room, they had been mostly brief. After all, the agency had a great deal of contact with superheroes, including having a number as agents. Today the four members of Vanguard had been led into a conference room with a long rectangular table capable of sitting over a dozen people. The UNISON staff member that had guided them to the room had provided water or other refreshments, then left them alone, stating that Colonel Ellis would be with them shortly.

Penthouse, Henderson Apartments, Downtown Freedom City 04:00 am 19th June 2015, First Day of Ramadan Agnus was gently woken from her sleep, snuggled against Amir, by Taylor declaring another beef about someone. Luckily she didn’t need much sleep and she quickly adjusted to the time zones she skipped everyday. And even she had been all tuckered out by what they’d done last night, probably the last time they’d get to do that for a month. “Come on sleepy head time to get up. It’s you that want’s to have breakfast at this ungodly hour.” It was around nine UK time, but she left that part out. Slipping out of bed she padded over naked to the massive window that gave amazing views over the city, without anyone else being able to see what they were doing. Which was quite useful as INS, Aegis and maybe even the League might want to know how and why she was in the country. She still felt a little guilty that this bedroom was probably bigger than her parents entire house, though they stubbornly refused to let her to buy them a bigger home. “You’ve still haven’t told us where we eating this morning.” she put the word morning i air quotes “I need to decide what I’m going to wear to breakfast, it takes a lot of time and effort to fit all this under a Hijab.” she gestured to her mass of hair.

Braddock’s Restaurant, London, United Kingdom Braddock’s was one of the most exclusive restaurant in London there was a two year waiting list and still then you could be turned down for not being of the right caliber. So an invite to attend a diner on the fly was a surprise in the very least. As they arrived they were show to a table where there sat an old woman she only appeared in her 60 but she was actually much older. Dame Pennington, Britannia during the war, was not a woman to be trifled with despite her advancing years.

OOC for >this thread.

GM UNISON Headquarters Geneva, Switzerland December 25, 2014 10:50 PM local time Just a few hours ago, UNISON headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland had been practically deserted, only a minimal security detail and a few technicians had been on duty, the rest home with their families for Christmas. That was until Colonel Ellis had been contacted by the Freedom League about an approaching threat from space. In the intervening time, scores of UNISON personnel had been called in, the headquarters now abuzz with activity as UNISON personnel were reaching out to contacts in governments and militaries around the world, as well as preparing itself for the possible arrival of a hostile alien force. Over a decade ago, UNISON had shocked many world leaders, when it had fielded a small fleet of space capable heavy fighters, the Uni-Storm, during the Grue invasion of 2003. Since that time, Colonel Ellis had managed to hold off efforts to decommission the Uni-Storm, which mean that UNISON had under its control a majority of Earth's space capable combat aircraft. The pilots for the fighters were still being brought it, and gearing up and receiving briefings for possible sorties. The mechanics that had been brought in were working as fast as they could to get all the fighters ready should they be needed, with more arriving all the time. Things were much further along than if there had been no warning, but they still needed a bit more time before they could get all the Uni-Storm into the air. During the past few hours, a number of even more unusual individuals had arrived at UNISON’s headquarters, as a group of superheroes from across Europe and the United States had arrived to offer what assistance they could. With Colonel Ellis' former connections with the Ministry of Powers in the UK, it was only natural that the current members of the Vanguard were present. Also present were two national heroes from countries in southern Europe, Professor Chiron from Greece, and Stella d'Argento (the Silver Star) from Italy. A pair of heroes had also transported to Geneva from the United States, sent by the Freedom League to assist as well. Currently the gathered heroes were with Colonel Ellis in a large command center in the center of the headquarters, where UNISON technicians were tracking activity all over the world as various militaries began the process of preparing themselves for the possibility of an attack, and keeping an eye on the telemetry coming in from numerous satellites and radio tracking stations on Earth that were scanning the heavens for signs of approaching ships. "So as of right now, we need about another half an hour to have all the planes ready to go into combat if needed." Ellis stated to the gathered heroes. "We can probably have half of them up in about twelve minutes, perhaps a bit sooner. As for the military units around the rest of the world…well, they are trying to mobilize as quick as they can, but this is probably about one of the worst times for such an attack in terms of the number of personnel away from base with friends and family."

August 30th, 2014 - 10:07am Liberty Park - Freedom City GM Post It was the closest thing to a lazy Saturday one could get in Freedom City. Summer was just starting to wind down, so everyone was soaking up the last of the summer sun while they still had the chance. Whether it was just running errands, people going out for an early morning jog, or spending some quality time with the kids, it seemed like everyone was outside today. In a perfect world, the day would unfold without incident, but fate it seemed had other plans for this day. Shortly after 10 o'clock in the morning, a piece of space debris made contact with the upper atmosphere of the earth and began its plummet to the ground in earnest. The fiery rock streaked across the Freedom City skyline, before striking down in the heart of Liberty Park. The shock wave rumbled through the streets and a huge plume of dust and dirt hung over the impact zone. Car alarms, police sirens and the cries of the terrified populace filled the air as everyone tried to get a handle on what just happened.

OOC for >this thread. Comments, concerns, what have you about the opening let me know so it can be adjusted if need be!

OOC thread for >this thread. Something happens I believe.

GM Caniff St., Riverside, Freedom City 11.45AM, September 7th, Saturday, 2013 "So yeah, if we schedule this for Monday, we can-ohmyGOOOOD!" Charlize Fellows, temporary manager for the acts at Hot Licks, dropped the papers she had been sorting through in the mad jump away from the window. Standing and trembling, a nerveless hand pointed out the offending portal, she stammered out to the older woman she'd just been talking to "S-s-snake! Mz. Stone, there's a giant snake outside!" A casual glance outside quickly proved that while remarkably easy to startle for a lifelong Freedonian, she was no liar. A massive ebon-scaled snake was, in fact, seeping from a jagged black tear in thin air down the street, turning a shovel-shaped head this way and that as its black tongue slid in and out experimentally. It ignored the shocked and panicky people rushing away from it yelling in horror, seeming instead to be looking for something. "W-what should we do Annice?" whispered Charlize as if the snake could hear her "Get out the back door?" Suddenly the pitch-black reptile swerved, and one enormous eye looked straight at the singer. 'You cannot hide, lighted one' shouted the distant voice 'Come, and fight'

GM Hanover Zoo Jerry Jones was a short, ugly man. And he knew it. He hit five foot six and then proceeded to grow outwards, in belly. His hair was lank and thin, and his face was wrong, somehow. He wore a permanent frown. Somehow, he still got along with his fellow zookeepers well enough. But they saw him as a distant, solitary, and sad man. I..was born for more than this...he would tell himself every day as he dutifully did his rounds of the zoo. Somehow, children seemed to cheer him up when they squealed at the animals. He often took it upon himself to help them and explain to them about the exhibits. ... The tall, elderly man with piercing eyes entered the zoo quietly, and caught Jerrie's eye. Both seemed to recognise each other, but perhaps on an intuitive level rather than conscious one. The tall old man turned away and strutted into the reptile house...

GM Continued from OVERTHROW in City Hall! The Iceberg, headquarters of AEGIS, Freedom City September 12th, 2012, 2.15 PM The walk to Director Powers' office was a short one, made longer by that sense of unfamiliarity coming from new environments and the unceasing hustle and bustle of the American Elite Government Intervention Service going on all around them, reports of events happening around the globe the subject of constant surveillance and study, dour military officers considering tactical difficulties and pondering the best way to safeguard the world marching cheek-by-jowl with lean and excited scientists explaining new breakthroughs in cybernetics and the tantalizing results of new tests done on metals from another dimension, and they quickly opened ranks to accept the neat and professional shapes of the direct agents of AEGIS, who opined on new ways to undercut and overcome the forces of evil and villainy. They quickly stepped to the side to let Agent Anthea, Agent Silas, and the heroes of city hall past, giving them stern but warm words of welcome, and more than a few quiet waves and thumbs-up as they went by. For their part, the guiding agents looked neither right nor left, acknowledged only a few close friends and followed the dark purple line that led them straight to the office whose thick oak door was marked H. Powers, Dir. of AEGIS with a smaller sign below it saying "Do not disturb, bureau business" Knocking three times on the panels, Anthea called in "Mr. Powers! The fine people you wanted are here." From within there was a brief sound like shuffling papers, and then the door was abruptly opened to reveal the towering, eyepatched, confident and vigorous master of the agency, Harry himself. Dressed in a neat black AEGIS uniform, the man oozed command from every inch of his being. "It says do not disturb, agent" he snapped, shutting the door behind himself and briskly taking the lead down another corridor following a green line "Do you think I put it there as a test? Dismissed! You and Silas are due for another assignment in four hours in India, get ready" he said crisply, folding his hands behind his back and leading the team in silence to a room dominated by a narrow table and large screen. Silas and Anthea saluted and marched off, Silas giving a slight wave before they were out of sight. Tapping a small button on the table, the screen clicked to green life, showing the schematic of a ship, and the layout of a base. Turning to face the assembled heroes Harry Powers said gravely "Good day, I am Powers, the director of this agency, I am pleased to meet you and would like to request your assistance on a delicate mission." turning to Gabriel he added "Of course, I cannot force you to help, and if you would prefer not to act in tandem with us, you may use the information I am about to give you as you see fit." he leaned on the table, his one eye boring into the very hearts of the group who had saved city hall "Any questions before I begin?"

Monday, February 4, 2013 4:30 PM Though the late afternoon air was rather cool, the sun was shining as Megan Howell made her way down one of the tree-lined streets of Riverside. She had left work at her internship with Summit Transnational a bit early today to take up Angus Stone's invitation to see the small recording studio she owed in this part of town. The young blonde had met the former pop star during the Midnight Society's holiday party back in mid-December. But given the holidays, starting her internship at Summit, as well as Angus' own busy schedule, it had taken until now for Megan to be able to take her up on the invite. Looking around as she made her way towards the address Angus had given her, Megan smiled as she took in some of the sights of the bohemian neighborhood. I really need to try to get down here more often. The young woman thought to herself. Especially now that it is an easy monorail ride from my apartment in the Wading Way. Reaching the street the studio was on, Megan turned to her left and walked down another block before coming to a stop in front of a building with the sign *Zenith Stuido* out front. Well here we are. She through as she opened the doors and made her way in. "Good afternoon," she said to the receptionist inside with a warm smile. "I am Megan Howell, and I am here to see Angus Stone."

The chill of winter had begun to settle over Freedom City, the night air now bearing the biting chill that would soon extend into the daytime. But even as winter arrived, the holiday season provided a festive atmosphere and energy to the city that helped to lessen the cold in the air. Throughout the city decorations and lights had gone up, giving the nighttime skyline a very different feel. The cold night air did not seem to dissuade the crowds in downtown Freedom as people went about their holiday shopping; or taking in the various decorations throughout the city; or, of course, attending holiday parties. Just such an event was taking place this evening, at the very edge of Midtown. There, along 52nd Avenue, just across from Liberty Park, stood the mansion of the Midnight Society. Dozens of luxury cars and limousines were making their way into mansion’s grounds, delivering many of the richest and most powerful individuals in Freedom City to the Society’s annual holiday party. The massive mansion was set back from the street, with stone walls sheltering its grounds from the sidewalk. Just inside the walls were large trees that had long since shed their leaves, and well maintained lawns and hedges. A large circular driveway lead to the front of the old stone mansion, which had several towers and peaked roofs. To the right of the front of the mansion was the entrance to its gardens, which stretched around the building to continue on beyond. The large building, and many of the trees and hedges along the front of the building, had been tastefully decorated with lights for the season. Waiting along the circular driveway near the mansion’s main entrance were a number of uniformed valets, though they hardly had time to consider the cold air as they were busy opening the doors of limousines to assist their passengers, or parking cars driven by arriving guests. A couple of those valets moved up to a dark blue Bentley as it came to a stop in front of the mansion. As one moved to open the front passenger door, the other opened the rear passenger door, holding out his hand to assist the young female occupant to exit. Megan Howell shivered slightly as she left the warmth of her father’s car and stepped into the cold December air. The blonde young woman looked up at the old mansion, lit up by both the lights set up along its walls and those arrayed in the grounds in front of it. Megan had missed the holiday party last year, as she had been studying in England, and her family had decided to spend the holidays in Switzerland, and so she had simply gone to join them there instead of returning to the States. Though she had been to an event or two since, there was still something special about the holiday party that stood out from most any other of the Society’s events. The sounds of conversation and laughter drifted out into the night air from the mansion. She was dressed in a sleek black V neck sleeveless evening gown. The dress was perfectly tailored to her lithe and athletic body. Tonight she had her long hair up in a side chignon, and around her neck was a platinum chain from which hung a deep red ruby. In one hand Megan was holding a shopping bag, which held several unwrapped articles of clothing that her mother had purchased as part of the Society’s charity drive for numerous needy families in the city. Lowering her eyes from the sight of the mansion, the twenty-one year old moved near her mother, as her father came over to join them. Dressed in a dark green evening gown, with a slightly more conservative neckline, Erin Howell was carrying another shopping bag filled with clothing to be donated. Donald Howell, dressed in a tailored Italian suit, smiled at his daughter. "Are you ready Megan? Tonight you will not be able to avoid the business conversations all night." He asked as they started towards the door. Megan gave her father a slight smirk, thinking back to past events she had attended at the Society with her parents throughout the years, where she dreaded enduring endless business and political discussions, and always sought out ways to avoid them. "Dad, I think I knew full well what I would be getting into when I started towards my economics major." She then replied with a small smile. "But, I certainly plan to do more than just listen to business conversations." She then added, her smile growing a bit broader.

GM September 12th, 2012, 1.45 P.M. City Hall The day had so far been profoundly boring for the civic government employees. So far there had been the usual pileup of bureaucratic duties and paperwork needing to be filled out and passed on to other departments, or else sent out to businesses, agencies and the various Freedonians contributing to the steady stream of licenses, fines, and sundry other aspects of modern life. Mayor O'Connor sat wearily in his office, squinting through his thin glasses at the carefully-worded email A.E.G.I.S. Director Powers' secretary had sent him and wishing the ear-achingly-loud helicopter flying by would hurry up. Running a hand through his hair limply, he sighed and read the last sentence again. "'So, with all due respect Mr. Mayor, I don't think their presence is necessary'. Really, Harry?" he said to himself sarcastically as he began to busily check through a report on the state of the city roads in Lincoln "You're certain you know these people that well?" he shook his head "Alright, if you think that's best, I won't try and talk you out of it." Turning his full attention back to the almost completely positive report, he failed to notice the the fatigue-wearing man sneaking in through his propped-open window before it was too late. The hand roughly grabbing his shoulder and slamming him against the wall hard enough to dent it was his first clue that something was up, the sound of his attacker entering masked by the throbbing chops of the helicopter blades. Grunting in surprise and pain, Michael tore himself free and tensed himself, about to try and fight back when with a click his assailant backed up, drawing a rifle and aiming it directly at his face. "Don't even think about it, gramps" he snarled, his eyes behind the balaclava cold and murderous "from now on, your life belongs to OVERTHROW!" From the low-flying helicopter and a trio of dark vans screeching to a halt in front of the local center of government, armed members of the terrorist group stormed into the white-washed building, quickly disarming the guards and herding the now-terrified government workers into the lunch rooms and higher levels. In mere minutes, the helicopter was landed on the eerily-deserted main plaza of the hall, the vans pulled up onto the municipal lawns with a group of terrorists to guard them, and already the wail of sirens could be heard, the flashing blue and red lights of the racing police vehicles clearly visible to the four snipers crouched among the decorations on the corners of the roof. ----------------------------- News of the attack spread almost instantly, with twitter feeds, the various news channels getting as close as they dared to the scene of the attack, and word-of-mouth racing throughout the metropolis that armed men had taken captive their seat of government captive! Within the hour, the agents of OVERTHROW gave their demands to the television news networks, sending out an unmasked man in heavier armor than most of the others: "We categorically refuse to release your tyrannical mayor unless we receive the following:" he said, donning wire-frame glasses as he read from a sheet of paper "The firing of every person currently employed by this city's monument to managerial mediocrity and licensed waste of talent, replaced by the peerless members of our group we will bring before you for installment" smiling thinly at the blank stares that earned him he went on "As well, the freeing of Austrian citizen Hamilcar Kramer, AKA Weissnacht from Blackstone Penitentiary, the closing of that unnatural and unlawful prison, the rescinding of all laws permitting dangerous costumed vigilantes to operate freely in this city, and disallowing any reprisals against any of us involved with this act of regrettable but necessary terrorism!" he concluded forcefully, calmly removing his spectacles and folding the paper neatly into his pocket "Are there any questions?" As might be expected, there were.

GM Monday, August 13 2:00 PM The Hunter Natural History Museum was a bustling place, buzzing with talk about the new animatronic dinosaur exhibit that was on loan for a few weeks. Over the next few weeks, virtually every elementary school in Freedom City would send their children to the museum to see the wonderful exhibit. They were supposedly the most lifelike dinosaurs ever constructed, and were on a tour. They'd already been in New York, and were now in Freedom City. A group of school children on a field trip were taking the tour, guided by chaperones. Some of them were interested, others were bored out of their minds. The dinosaurs themselves were in a specially outfitted area, with models of ancient plants from the dinosaur era scattered about.

GM Continued from Slave to Time Slave to Time - Part 2 - Journey to the Future! A carriage drew up ahead of El Heraldo and Young Brittania, who were short on water, food, sleep, and energy. "You folks alright?" said the Captain Yates. there were six of them. Northern soldiers, weary, dirty, and in at least one case, injured (with a grubby bandage wrapped round his head. Captain Yates was a youngish man, but lined by the war. He looked strong and healthy, with a mop of blond hair and a square jaw, his looks marred by a broken nose and a cauliflower ear. One would not call him an intellectual, by any means, but he seemed to have more wit about him than the average cannon fodder. He had a pleasant attitude, but a gruff voice. "Got to be careful up ahead. The South, they moving. Its going to be dirty fighting soon, all mud and swamp round here. Damn mosquitos nearly as bad as the war, to be honest. I swear, its more rotten and diseased than ever. Lost two of men to fever before we even saw action. Hell, I don't know why we are even fighting over that land..." He seemed genuinely puzzled by his own question. "Still, you folks got to be careful, you know..." he looked at Vile, bound and gagged. "Who you got their, Son?" he asked El Heraldo "a Southern Spy?"

May 14th, 2012 Freedom Medical Center 2:42 PM The Freedom Medical Center was easily the largest and most modern hospital in a large and modern city, and as such its emergency room was never empty. At the moment, though, the area was filled to overflowing with patients on gurneys, lying across the plastic chairs intended to families of those awaiting diagnosis, or even propped up on the floor with only a pillow. Nurses and doctors dashed to and fro, surgical masks in place and rubber gloves on tight. Most carried an extra carton of them in their pockets, and trash bins were stuffed full of them as doctors poked, prodded, and collected samples of blood and phlegm. The air was filled with the hacking coughs, fits of sneezing, and low groans of the sickly. Most were leaking some pus or other fluid; one man on a gurney was holding a metal pan and regularly coughing up and spitting blood into it. It was a madhouse, and it was only growing.

Onika Studio's, Monday 21nd May 2012 It was a small studio, but one with big dreams. At the moment they were creating content for the local market. And they were having some measure of success, especially with their new game show Box O Money. It main gimmick was a massive Perspex box filled with cash; they claimed a billion dollars, which would count out each winners money. So proud were they of this success they would proudly proclaim this to all there visitors and show the box to all the visiting audiences. Now they were try to pilot a chat and variety show using a local radio personality with a variety of local and acts from outside known for their local connection.

GM The spirits were different. Or at least - appeared - different. Both of them were women. Both of them were the incarnate spirit of some idea, some land. Victory and Justice. Perhaps they were one and the same, perhaps not. Even the two superheroes which served each spirit, El Heraldo and Young Britannia, were not privy to their true nature. No doubt a thousand other such spirits (or aspect of one) existed, some given manifest form, some not. However, only two superheroes of these spirits were in Freedom City at this point. And they were chosen. For the message was the same. "I call upon you. Another force like I stirs, but a force malign. The spirit of Lemuria, the serpent empire. It is the spirit of slavery, and cruelty, and dominance. It's chains could break the world... In the War of this land, it was defeated, But now, history may be rewritten... Without talking, speaking, or hearing, somehow both heroes knew where to look. Freedom City Library. The cults of the American Civil War. By Professor James Bottle

6:52PM, December 2nd, 2011 Amir was early. Which might surprise people to expect him to be fashionably late, or worse considering some of the avenues opened for him by his new life. Fortunately tonight was casual. The restaurant, Gianni's, was a little place tucked into Riverside. It had good Italian food, and wasn't a stuffy formal place. In part because he didn't like to be dressed up all the time. So he just wore a dark slate colored suit, with a white shirt underneath, not tucked it, and the top two buttons left undone. He looked calculatedly rumpled as he sat alone at the table, an elbow propped on the table, and his chin resting in his palm, as he scanned over the wine list. Not having decided what he was having yet, but not familliar with what they had here. The date was set for 7pm, but he had been a little anxious. Not that that was terrified of the prospect of a date, this was his first real date since his declaration as a public identity hero. There was a lot that could go wrong. Which was not a facet he was used to thinking about when he dated.

October 23rd, 2011. How do you get a bunch of superheroes to meet? Mostly it seemed like chance and circumstance were the best ways. And fortunately circumstance and his money had become a bit of a confluence. He had passed his contact info amongst various people during the Harvestfair, where a bunch of heroes had been. All he hoped was that someone would listen. And then the press conference three days earlier helped. So a meeting was arranged, he had sent out invites to the responses he got, and to some he didn't get. "I apologize for the impersonal nature of this, but you likely are aware of my recent efforts. As such I wish to discuss with you the possibility of affiliating yourself with what I am building. I prose a meeting atop the opera house. 7 P.M. on the 23rd of October. Myself and King of Suits will be there, barring some catastrophe that might arise." It was a little form letter-ish and he regretted that as he raced with Weaver towards Hanover on the Arug. But it looks like he wasn't going to be make his appointment, a call to the contact information he had for King, and he hoped everything would go smoothly in his absence. though it was more a little fear, than something legitimate. He understood he could not force things to go according to plan, as right now showed.

October 1st, 2011 8:21 PM Starlight Room, Tremont Hotel Freedom City The Gorgon had been diverted, by the amazing sacrifice and hard work of so many. Earth had not been untouched, though; a metallic rain of nanites, a crazed villain's attack on the West End, and a thousand other disasters still plagued the planet in the wake of the planet-killer's defeat. It could have been so much worse and the history books would record it as a win, but the dead and dispossessed would have a different opinion. So would many of the wealth and charitable of Freedom City. In the days following the disaster, the idea of a charity dinner had sprung up almost organically among the penthouse and mansion set. Now they were gathered in the Starlight room, high atop the Fremont Hotel. The cost of dishes and drinks had been doubled across the board and tip jars were stuffed with twenty dollar bills; the set-up was a subtle reminder that they were double blessed. Not only had the Earth survived, but Freedom City itself was miraculously intact. Jessica Parker was sitting apart from the crowd, in a lounge area with a striking view of the city. She was dressed in a full-length silk evening dress, so white it almost seemed to glow against the dark city. Silver fleshed at her throat and wrist, and there were pearls in her ears, but she kept rubbing at once finger. She had spent some time on the dance floor but most of the people there were way too old for her, as in 'of an age to drink legally.' Besides, part of her was still trying to process how she felt about Blake; the threat of the Gorgon had kept her from really coming to any personal resolution over that. She was angry, of course, that he had lied to her for so long about something so important; sad that something that had meant so much to her was now done; and a little confused about how the whole mess was affecting her.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 11:46 AM Riverside Park, Riverside The Sentry Statue was not what most people saw when they first entered Freedom City, but it was the city's most famous landmark. Almost any citizen, and certainly any hero, could have found it, which was why Liz Moya chose it for a meeting place with Young Britannia. There was a bench there, between the Statue's legs; Liz was sitting there in tan slacks and a bulky green sweater. She had told the other heroine to look for the sweater and the messenger bag she used to haul her schoolbooks around in, but with the lowering skies and colder temperatures (a side-effect, they said, of the Gorgon's approach) the outfit was eminently practical as well. The student-hero had intended to sit there and keep an eye out for the fellow light manipulator, but she wasn't always the most patient person. The young woman decided to spend her extra time studying, and at the moment was nose-deep in a history book, trying to memorize the procession of US presidents. It was a subject she personally found mind-numbing, but it was required for her coursework so she bent all of her concentration to the task.

GM Warehouse 13 - Waterfront District - Freedom City Amid crates of every shape and size standing silent sentry, sounds of scuffling slither through the shadowed storehouse. "Careful with those crates Joe, Boss don't want 'em damaged," the largest of the men whispered harshly. "Keep yer lid on, Paulie, and keep yer voice down! You want the entire city to wake up to yer yammerin'?" Joe cuffed the bigger man on the back of the head as an exclamation before turning back to the task at hand. The other three men worked in silence, forming a line between the door and the back of a large box trailer attached to a semi-truck. Their eyes darted from side to side, pupils almost completely dilated in the blackness. "What's got you mooks spooked eh," Joe asked, handing off a crate to the nearest in line. "There's been stories, about more fish men comin' from the waters. They say they come at night and drag you down into the ocean. They say-" "They say a lotta things don't they Paulie," Joe sneered derisively at the superstitious lout, believing him soft-headed. "Huh-huh-huh," was Paulie's reply. An out of place sigh echoed through the warehouse, and a disembodied voice reverberated through the rows of stacked crates. "Sometimes what they say, my friends, turns out to be true."