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Freedom Hall City Center Freedom City, New Jersey Friday, December 13, 2024. 5:37 PM The holiday season had fully settled over Freedom City, with much of the city covered with lights and other decorations. The City Center was no exception, with dazzling light and holiday decorations covering the surrounding buildings and the massive Christmas tree that stood in the heart of the park at the center of Centennial Circle, just out in front of City Hall. One section of the park was not an open-air ice-skating rink, filled with people enjoying the clear (if cold) evening. Freedom Hall, the world-famous headquarters of the Freedom League, was no less festive. The multi-story, tiered building was covered in lights, as were many of the pine trees on the grounds. The high walls that surrounded the property were also festively decorated, with lights and other decorations spaced around the entire perimeter. Tonight, the building was hosting the Freedom League’s annual holiday party, open to heroes from across the city (and far beyond). Unsurprisingly, the larger lobby and reception area had been virtually transformed for the event. A fifteen-foot-tall Christmas tree had been set up to the right side of the lobby next to the grand staircase to the second level balcony that led to hallways to other areas of the floor. It was covered in shining silver ornaments and multicolored lights. Near the tree were several gathered sofas and chairs, arranged in small groups to provide comfortable seating for guests. On the opposite side of the lobby were more sofas and chairs, this time set up near a working fireplace (which had been put in place for the event by Dr. Metropolis). Along the wall was a long bar (where Protectron was again serving as bartender), next to an open door to a large conference room which had been set up tables covered with refreshments. Megan Howell-Harrow stood near the entrance to Freedom Hall, looking back in at the decorations, making one last check to ensure everything was in place and ready for the guests to start arriving. The blonde woman was wearing the iconic yellow costume (with the checkered flag patterned stripe down the sides) that she wore as Velocity. However, she did not have her mask, goggles or wig on, having revealed her identity at last year’s holiday party. Satisfied that everything was ready, the Freedom League member let herself relax a bit as she waited for guests to start to arrive. Similar to last year, Megan found herself filled with some mixed emotions. On one hand, Christmas time had always been one of her favorite times of year and she was looking forward to celebrating the season with her friends, teammates and other heroes. However, she was also cognizant that this could be a difficult time for the teenage girl she had adopted, Lynn Conners, the daughter of an alternate timeline version of Megan. This would be the girl’s first holiday season since she had lost everything in the destruction of her timeline. While Lynn was making new friends and Claremont, she still was dealing with a lot of trauma and depression, so Megan was planning to keep an eye on her tonight to make sure she did not get overwhelmed. Letting out a deep breath, the speedster turned away and prepared to start greeting guests as they arrived until some of her other teammates arrived. Holding up her phone, she activated the Christmas themed playlist she had put together, with Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree being the first song to play through the Hall’s sound system.