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(This thread has possible CWs for racism) 10:45 AM, January 26th, 2025 Broken Crow Refuge The Broken Crow Refuge was having a bit of a crowding problem. A series of random fires had broken out across Lantern Hill and Lincoln, and it seemed targeted almost entirely towards Hispanic and Black members of the community. It was almost to the point where, well, it didn't seem so random after all. For now, a pair of new families were receiving supplies and welcomes, preparing for what would be a difficult fight for an insurance claim and a stay at a hotel. There wasn't too much to do about it, other than the misery of having lost everything. And the youngest child of one of the families- a boy no more than 7 or 8- was holding a burned and charred rabbit toy that was still hanging on to life, despite having been partially consumed by the blaze. He was mumbling to himself, holding his little rabbit, and looking horrified. Like he'd seen something he didn't need to.

GM Star Knight and his squire crunched out of Hyperspace into the Koyash system. The Koyash system was forbidden. The reason was Koyash-3, an extraordinary gas giant planet with no core. It was held together by PSP - phase shift particles, a consequence of some strange internal quantum reaction. Perhaps its was the weird purple star, Koyash, perhaps it was some chemical reaction in the superheated centre of the planet, perhaps it was something else entirely. But Koyash-3 was a ball of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen much like earth. Freezing at the edges, hellish in the middle, and home to the dangerous and valuable phase shift particles. The only thing allowed near the Koyash system was Tulpar-1, an orbital station circling Koyash-3 and the only place in the known universe where one could mine PSP. An hour ago, it had sent a distress call. Power failure, computer failure. It had entered Free Fall, and was slipping into the upper atmosphere of Koyash-3...

(This thread has possible CWs for racism) 10:45 AM, January 26th, 2025 Saint Philomena's Church The Morning Mass at Saint Philomena's was in Spanish, and it was packed. The prayers of the faithful would reach the heavens and `shake the rafters. Father Thomas, an older man with a fully grey beard, preached on selflessness, on loyalty, on being like Jesus; that Jesus asked for nothing to help others. Help others, and through that find your way to heaven, through Jesus and the saints. It was a service that would repair the spirituality of the congregation, and prepare them for the next week; a connection with God and Jesus and Mary that kept them going through the rough times. And rough times were coming recently; a series of fires had struck through Lincoln, targeting members not just of Philomena's community, but a variety of other church's memberships. It was almost to the edge of belief that such things were happening, but no one had claimed responsibility, and arson driven by hatred were not often unclaimed. Carmen was here, at the weekly service given by the church that also handled her stay when she wasn't at Claremont. It was a chilly day, but it seemed to be a nice one.

The Amber Lantern Sunday, December 1, 2024 The repurposed beer mug-turned-light fixture that served as its primary signage was the bar’s only real distinguishing feature. Not old enough to be historical, no novel gimmick or theming, The Amber Lantern was nothing more nor less than a place to get an anonymous drink in Freedom City’s west side. Being a few blocks out of the West End proper and into Lantern Hill was another point in its favour in this case, so far as Erik Espadas was concerned. A bit petty, perhaps but he felt justified as he stepped inside the dimly lit watering hole. He wore a weathered jacket with a wool lining over a plain white shirt, dusty brown hair a little longer in the colder months, blending into a neat beard. He took in the other people in the room with a carefully casual glance before heading to a booth in the far corner and silently sat down across from the man waiting for him.

GM Afternoon, November 17th Traveling across the North Sea, heading for Norway Once again, a rescue mission. The members of Rex Atom's Atom Academy squad has spent the time since the group formed on a number of smaller and large scale missions, but now, they are joined by the newest member of their squad: Levity, gravity controller and pilot extraordinaire. A student at the Atom Academy noticed some strange readings caught by a satellite they had helped send into orbit, which seems to originate from the mountains of Norway. Exotic energy pulses from deep within the mountains, that spell out the morse code .../---/... , but their point of origin should be solid bedrock. A mystery, just the kind that the Atom Academy specializes in. They will reach the site soon, but they have time for the final preparations.

Liberty Park Freedom City, New Jersey Friday February 21, 2025. 5:30 PM During the recent long weekend trip to Fiji with their friends and classmates, Lynn had told Jack that her adopted parents (in particular her adopted mom) had wanted to have him over for dinner. Apparently, it was part of Megan Howell-Harrow's desire to get to know the significant others of her children (adopted or otherwise) a bit better. Lynn had tried to assure Jack it was not because of the number of times their dates, or just other time spent together, had ended up in some sort of super battle (again emphasizing how her adopted mother was well aware of how frequently that could occur). The blonde teen had also insisted it was not because her adopted mother questioned Jack's intentions with her sixteen-year-old adopted daughter (though Lynn had reluctantly admitted it might be a small part of it). Lynn had even noted that her parents were doing the same thing with Lawrence's girlfriend. Of course, it was hardly uncommon for teenage boys to be somewhat worried about spending time with their girlfriend's parents. The fact that Lynn's adopted mother was the world-famous superheroine Velocity and member of the Freedom League, likely did not make things any easier. So, to try to help with the anticipation, the couple had planned to have a little date before going to dinner. A little after classes ended for the week, Lynn had driven them over near Liberty Park, parking the BMW SUV in a parking structure near Millennium Mall. They had stopped briefly at the Liberty Perk coffee shop across the street from the east side of Liberty Park to get some coffee and then continued over to the park. They had briefly stopped outside the park, near the Southern entrance next to the grand lawn, to have a kiss at the spot they had first met eight months earlier. They then continued into the park, taking their time to follow the paved roads that wound through the park to eventually reach the northwest corner of the park, where the botanical gardens were located. The gardens were located among a series of smaller paths that radiated out from a central area like spokes, the rows of plants and trees set out between the many paths, although most of the plants were currently dormant for the winter. At the center of the gardens, next to the large greenhouse building for more exotic plants, was a large circular reflecting pool. With the cold winter weather, the shallow reflecting pool had been frozen over and was being used as an open-air ice-skating rink, which was operated by the City to help provide some of the funding for the gardens’ operation. The setting did feel rather special, being out the cold night air. To the east, across the north end of the park, could be seen the skyline of downtown Freedom City. To the west were several tall, high-end condominium buildings. To the north was the south edge of Freedom City University's campus, most prominent being the large stadium for the university's football team and other outdoor sports teams. Lynn skated out onto the large frozen reflecting pool with graceful ease, her superhuman agility and balance making her movements seem effortless. The blonde teen casually turned so she was skating backwards as she looked back with a small smile. "Come on Jack." She said as she continued to skate backwards. Tonight, she was wearing a pair of dark navy jeans, a white puffy winter jacket, along with a red scarf and gloves.

Rita Kord Dormitories, Third Floor Claremont Academy, Freedom City, New Jersey Wednesday, January 15, 2025, 1:32 AM Over the last several months, Mattie Hopper had generally gotten accustomed to her roommate Lynn Conners having trouble sleeping. There were days where for whatever reason, things just got too overwhelming for Lynn, and she would cry herself to sleep or have to take some medication to help her get to sleep. It was also not at all uncommon for Mattie to be woken up in the middle of the night by Lynn having a nightmare. Sometimes, Lynn would toss and turn a bit, but rollover and settle down without ever waking. Other times, she would be jolted awake in tears, often taking some time to settle down and be able to go back to sleep. Tonight was completely unlike any of those other times. Mattie was jolted awake by the sound of Lynn screaming at the top of her lungs. The blonde sixteen-year-old was violently tossing in her bed, almost as if struggling, and continuing to scream so loud Mattie was sure others in nearby rooms could hear. Unlike other times Lynn had a particularly bad nightmare, this time she did not seem to be waking up. A few doors down on the floor, two of the upper classmen on the floor were indeed jarred awake by what was going on in Room 306. To Carmen Alvarez Arrache, Lynn's screams were as ear piercing as if she were in the room right next to her. Meanwhile, Iris Miller was awoken by a completely different stimulus. The young telepath felt the feelings of terror that were gripping Lynn's subconscious mind in her nightmare, ringing out as loud as any auditory scream…

Rai Ki Wai Estate Wakaya Island, Fiji Saturday, February 15, 2025, 8:45 AM local time The sleek form of a Pegasus Spaceplane soared through the sky above the waves of the South Pacific. Seated in the pilot’s seat of the Freedom League supersonic aircraft was Lynn Conners, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans shorts as she continued to descend in altitude towards the eventual destination in Fiji. Over the last couple of months, in addition to classes, homework, violin practice and just spending times with her boyfriend and friends, Lynn had also logged the necessary hours to be cleared to pilot a Pegasus. Less than half an hour ago Lynn, along with her friends and classmates that had opted for a different means of transport for this weekend’s getaway, had departed the Lighthouse, having teleported up to the League's space station from Freedom Hall. After a short orbital fight and re-entry, they were now quickly approaching the island nation. As she reached about a thousand feet of altitude, Lynn tilted the aircraft slightly to the right, allowing those in the back a better view out the right side of the Pegasus at the clear blue waters and green tropical volcanic islands that made up Fiji. Slowing their airspeed some, Lynn began a gradual banking turn as the spaceplane circled over the northern islands on an approach toward a private island at the eastern end of the chain of islands. Glancing over toward two seats to her right, the blonde teen gave Mattie and Jack, a small grin. "Told you I learned to drive in a flying car back in my timeline." Lynn commented, although she did not really believe either had never doubted any of the things she had told them about her original timeline. Although the blonde teen’s demeanor seemed generally more cheerful than typical, that outward appearance masked the emotional turbulence she had experienced over the last month. While Lynn had made many positive strides at the start of the school year, last month she had suffered a serious setback after being forced to vividly relive many of the events that had led to her timeline’s destruction and her narrow escape. Of course, these setbacks had been tempered some by the presence of Jack, Mattie and many of the other friends she had been making. So, Lynn was hopeful that she would truly be able to enjoy this trip and not be a burden on anyone. Focusing back ahead as she finished the turn and leveled the aircraft back out, the island that was their destination was in view. The small island was on the western side of an atoll, with dozens of narrow 'islands' scattered about its perimeter among visible coral reefs. Lynn activated the microphone of the headset she was wearing. "Flight Control. This is Pegasus Zero-Five, beginning final approach, initiating landing sequence." The blonde teenager flipped a few switches as she continued to descend in altitude and further reduced their airspeed. Up ahead, the buildings making up the Harrow compound could be seen among the jungle on the island; however, Lynn was steering the spaceplane towards the small private airstrip located next to the southwestern shoreline of the main section of the island. Dropping down to barely a hundred feet above the sea level, Lynn smoothly brought the aircraft over the airstrip, bringing it to a complete halt as the VTOL system engaged, causing the Pegasus to hover for a movement, before it slowly started to descend the rest of the way to the tarmac. Those aboard felt only the slightest jolt as the landing gear connected with the ground. "Flight Control, Pegasus Zero-Five has reached its destination, landing sequence complete. Signing off." The blonde teen reached over and flipped a switch before taking off the headset and hanging it next to her. The Pegasus started moving forward slowly as Lynn turned it slightly to the right, turning towards a small hanger located at the end of the airstrip. "Okay, will be just a few while we taxi into the hanger then we can debark and get this vacation started." She said to the others on board. It was only a few minutes later that the Pegasus came to a complete stop and Lynn activated the ramp to allow the others to start exiting while she began powering down the aircraft.

Kestevan 79 Coalition Victory Station Lor time mark 2269.1 (Friday January 10, 2025, 3:35 PM (Eastern time)) There had been numerous conversations among many of the Claremont Junior class about space and CoVic Station over the last year since Lawrence had talked about his trips there and Michael had had the opportunity to meet Paradigm (as did most of the rest of the class during the trip to the pocket timeline last February). During the League holiday party, several of the class had talked with Paradigm and the new Star Khan and the idea for a trip to visit the station by several of the Juniors, as well as Carmen had been brought up. So, in the weeks following the holiday party and even into the start of school after the winter break at the start of the week, there had been discussions and plans being made for a trip to visit CoVic Station. Those plans had been finalized by mid-week, and just after the end of classes, a group of Claremont students and Carmen had met down in the Doom Room with small bags for an overnight stay at the Praetorian headquarters on CoVic. Once everyone was gathered, Lawrence had had them gather close and then raised his hands as a wave of temporal energy swirled around them and they were gone from the school and from Earth. As the Doom Room disappeared around the teens, it was almost instantaneously replaced by a large open area as the gathered Claremont students found themselves in vast, spacious plaza. All around the edges of the plaza were various low buildings spreading out almost as far as could be seen. Off in the distance they could see what appeared to be walls, going up higher than the buildings near them. All around the plaza could be seen hundreds of figures moving about like normal pedestrians in Freedom City. However, not only were here numerous human looking individuals in utilitarian jumpsuits, but there were aliens of all types, including reptoids, felinoids, insectoids and even a few that appeared to be amorphous blobs moving on several pseudopods. Overhead was a massive domed ceiling, on which massive sections had been replaced with some sort of translucent material. Out beyond that, they could see the vast blackness of space, though half the "sky" was filled with a bright blowing cloud of various gases that formed a nebula, along with a small, brightly shining point of blue light that seemed very different than any star. Some distance away, silhouetted against the glowing gas could of the nebula was a large vortex of slowly spinning cosmic flotsam, with light ending in unnatural angles around the outer edges of the massive, semi-circular singularity. Dozens of objects, which were soon identifiable as spacecraft of all shapes and sizes could be seen moving toward, into and out of the singularity with regular frequency. "Well, welcome to CoVic Station." Lawrence said with a slight grin, though his face showed a slight bit of exhaustion from the effort to transport them around 25,000 light years from Earth. "Indeed, welcome young Claremont students." Came a deep, gravelly voice from behind the teens, speaking English with an unusual accent. Turning around, they found standing in front of the nearest building the massive eight-foot-tall reptilian Praetorian many of them had briefly met in the pocket timeline or at the League holiday party. The Praetorian had a powerful, stocky build, with green and brown scales and a ten-foot-long tail that ended in a spiked ball. "It is good to see you Seresk." Lawrence said with a smile as he stepped up to hug the massive reptoid, who gently returned the hug. "It is very good to see you as well Lawrence Harrow, you have grown since last I saw you."

(GM Post) Mid November, 2024, After Classes While Michael and Baz were fighting Pavo While Carmen and Mizuki were fighting Grus There were other things going on, and none of the three groups knew that the other two were also engaged in a fight against Sola's Dark Commanders. Sola and her Dark Commanders did not stop at a single action, they were always plotting many things at once; a variety of schemes and plans to attempt to reclaim the Umbra Star, to reclaim the powers used by the Sentries, to reclaim the might of Asterim so Sola could rule as the queen of a Netherworld. So while Pavo was in the middle of a brawl in Southside, and Grus was being hunted in Lincoln, Lawrence and Parker- the last remaining members of the group that had gotten into a fight with the Starblights at the start of the year- were not left out of the loop. It had been a request to Parker's phone from Estelle Jones, the individual with the power of Sentry Orion, who had been the first to be on the side of the Claremont students when Ashley and Felix had taken control of her friend group by force. She'd kept in contact with Parker, even if the group as a whole had repeatedly avoided 'going straight' as it were. They weren't actively doing bad anymore, but they had been non-committal on doing any more than that. The text was fairly simple; to come to the same theater where at the start of the year they had fought the draconic Ashley as Sentry Draco, because she needed their help with something. She knew Lawrence could teleport, at minimum, so she didn't figure that'd be too much of a problem for them to come pay her a visit.

Rai Ki Wai Estate Wakaya Island, Fiji Saturday, February 15, 2025 A little under half a mile to the west/southwest of the main house began a long stretch of white sandy beach that stretched over half a mile to the south, before coming to a corner. A path led downhill from the main house through the jungle down to the beach. Near the entrance to the path were several deckchairs, which could be adjusted to sit upright, or laid flat to lie down. A short distance from those was a small building, containing a number of water sport equipment, boogie boards, some windsurfers as well as a large assortment of mask, snorkels and fins. The water off the beach was crystal clear, revealing shallows that stretched out hundreds of feet before reaching coral reefs, beyond which the water darkened quickly, as the depth dropped off rapidly. The waves along the beach were low and gentle, the reef taking the brunt of the ocean tides.

Beaudrie Opera House Theater District, Freedom City, New Jersey Tuesday November 12, 2024. 10:20 AM A couple of weeks ago Headmistress Summers had spoken with a few her students about an opportunity to assist a field trip for several of the youth attending the Nicholson School to attend a performance by the Freedom Youth Philharmonic for several area elementary schools. Michael Adon, Sarah Thatcher and Jack Davydov had volunteered. Earlier that morning, the trio had been transported over to the Nicholson campus in nearby Port Regal, where they had met the teacher leading the field trip (Ms. Houston) and the group of forty some students that were attending the performance. They had then loaded onto a school bus and made the trip over to the Theater District in downtown Freedom City. The level of excitement for the students varied considerably, ranging from very excited for many of the younger students (those nine or ten years old) to a more resigned indifference with the teens in the group. The area around the Beaudrie Opera House had been rather chaotic, with more than a dozen school buses all dropping off loads of elementary school students to attend the performance. Michael, Sarah and Jack had managed to help keep all the Nicholson students together and guide them into the building, making a stop by the restrooms for any that needed to use them, before heading off to find the groups seats in large venue. It was perhaps even more chaotic inside the building than out, as hundreds of students were gathered, many chatting away as they waited for the performance to begin, teachers and other chaperones keeping an eye on them and making one last headcount to ensure everyone was present. Sarah found herself sitting near some of the thirteen and fourteen year old students, many of whom were focused on their cellphones or otherwise looking around for distractions. One of the older girls looked particular bored and restless, Sarah thought she recalled her being introduced as Victoria. Jack was seated among some of the ten-year-olds, his gentle nature having won them over on the bus ride, despite his imposing height and frame. Among the group were two twin girls, Madison and Mary who seemed very excited to see the performance. Backstage….. Lynn Conners stood among the other members of the Freedom Youth Philharmonic as they waited for the que to take the stage. The blonde sixteen-year-old was wearing a long black evening dress with sleeves that went to her elbows. She was holding her violin and bow in her hands (her sheet music already out on a music stand by her chair) as she took a deep breath to try to steady the many emotions she was feeling. Although she had been part of the youth orchestra for a couple of years back in her timeline, it felt so very different here. For one thing, all of the other performers were unknown to her, as this timeline’s versions of any that she had known in her timeline being six years younger, and thus not yet in the orchestra (if they were even learning classical music here). Even the conductor was different in this timeline. As if that were not enough, there was also the fact that Lynn had managed to gain a spot in the orchestra outside the normal tryout process (in no small part due to her adopted family’s support of the orchestra over the years). The blonde girl let out a sigh as she opened her eyes again but did not focus on anything in particular as she continued to wait to go out to her seat…..

GM Tuesday February 11th, at 4 PM Leaving Mars Tower, moving towards Yellow Brick Row, Emerald City When a company like MarsTech offers a guided tour for your students, then a school like Claremont Academy agrees to come. The headmistress might have her misgivings about Maximilian Mars and the company, but it would be hard to deny that they are on the cutting edge of technology, and son, a group of students were chosen, which included, among others, Iris and Daniels Evans, Michael Adon, Lawrence Harrow, Parker Powers and Carmen Alvarez Arrache, with Stephanie Harcourt joining them as their chaperone. They had left Freedom City with their classmates the previous day, stayed in the very luxurious Crown Tower Hotel (paid by MarsTech) and now, after a long day of being shown around Mars Tower, being told about their technologies and upcoming events, the students were heading towards Yellow Brick Row, where they would be allowed to run wild. Of course, not everyone had been entirely happy about going on the trip. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Harcourt asks, directed at Iris and Daniel in particular, as they walk down the street. "Remember, while Maximilian Mars might have a dark past, his company is at least trying to do right by the consumers. It's not like every company out there tries to make their products last as long as MarsTech."

(GM Post) Mid November, 2024 Wharton State Forest, Outside of Freedom City A spark of black lightning caused a bit of a stir out in Wharton Forest. It was in the middle of the forest, near an abandoned camp site- one that had been removed from the acceptable camping grounds due to a string of accidents on it-. It wasn't seen by anyone, but it did make a sound. A few more bolts of lightning happened, bouncing between the trees but leaving no scorch marks or burns. This event grew in intensity over a few minutes, more and more crackling bolts of lightning filling up the air around the forest. Finally, with a shuddering gasp, like the gargle of a dying man, Something emerged from nowhere, a great, shuddering egg of spongy flesh, rhythmically pulsing like it was breathing, glowing red and black. Somewhere else Muirne was having a very normal day, absolutely unaware of what was going to come her way soon. For now, to her, it was just a completely normal, not so special day. What did a normal day look like to Muirne? An average weekday with nothing special intended.

Small island on the outer Wakaya atoll, Fiji Saturday, February 15, 2025, 10:12 AM local time The last hour and a half had been somewhat hectic for Lawrence and Mizuki back at the Harrow estate, as Lawrence had been busy playing host and helping make sure everyone was set with whatever they needed. Even after his adopted sister Lynn arrived, there still had been a lot to do, as another group of students had arrived with her in one of the Freedom League’s spaceplanes. And while Lynn was technically helping host the group of Claremont students, she had only briefly been to the estate before, so was not as familiar with where everything was as Lawrence. But finally, things seemed under control, with their friends and classmates either deciding to relax by the pool or heading down to the beach. So, the couple were free to head out on the adventure Mizuki had planned out for them. A flash of temporal energy momentarily disturbed the white sand of a beach on a small island just to the northeast of Wakaya Island as Lawrence and Mizuki appeared. The blond teen looked over to his girlfriend after they arrived with a small grin. "Well, here we are."

Bayview Freedom City, New Jersey Friday January 10, 2025. 7:30 PM Winter had come to Freedom City, with the weather getting much colder. This Friday night was no exception, with some traces of snow from earlier in the week still visible throughout the city. As it was the start of the weekend, that meant many students at Claremont Academy finding time to go out and try to find a fun way to spend a bit of free time away from schoolwork. One such student was Mattie Hopper. With her roommate out on a double date, Mattie had gone around their floor to find some of their friends to head out with her to see what there might be to do down near the Bayview Mall. She had managed to get Sarah Thatcher and Daphne Celeste to join her. The trio had caught a bus down to the mall, but as they drew near, their attention was drawn to a location nearby the mall, a large building with a sign that read: Ker-Pow! Amusement Center. Getting off the bus, the three teenage girls made their way back towards the building, finding a crowded parking lot and dozens of people making their way into and out of the building. Inside was large open space with bright florescent lights, pictures of members of the Freedom League (both current and former members) were everywhere inside. From what they could see, there was an arcade, a laser tag arena, a mini-golf course and even a go-kart track!

(GM Post) A video recording. It's a heavily defended, heavily prepared research station in a frozen area of Norway. The kind surrounded by chain link fences with cameras on every inch of the perimeter. The recording is splicing several different video feeds at once, too fast for a human brain to check. No one enters through the perimeter. Suddenly, there's a portal of reddish pink energy inside the first door. The guards are immediately on alert, but people quickly move to attack. A man, shaved head, summons an energy shell of the same color around him; a giant, vicious octopus that grabs and slams the guards with great force and vigor, the shell protecting him from bullets and shock staffs. The second is a woman, clearly the leader, who walks with the gait of someone who feels invulnerable. She weaves between bullets, demonstrates amazing strength and endurance even without a shell of energy. When confronted by a squad of guards, she paralyzes them in place; overwhelming their minds and causing them all to collapse. She's accompanied by the third; a woman almost hiding behind her, coward and avoiding the conflict. When someone tried to sneak up behind her, she suddenly turned, finding them and- with a wave of her hand in defense-, sends the guard tumbling through a portal that opened at their feet, disappearing from those cameras and reappearing buried in a snowbank at the perimeter. The carnage continues; doorways are ripped away, eye checks and finger checks are opened using unconscious guards. With each flicker of the screen, with each reset of the camera to show more visual data, they proceed deeper and deeper into the faculty. They finally reach the end. A massive room filled with a thousand drawers set into the wall. They check a computer, then retrieve one of the boxes. Their exit is much less spectacular. The cowardly one summons a portal, and they leave. The video ends. The member of the SOG (Swedish Special Operations Task Group) was a model soldier, if a bit young, dark haired and sunken eyes. He hadn't been able to keep up with the video, but he'd gone over it before. The high speed video play- a 15 minute insertion played back over just a single minute- had been intended purely for Angelic, sent directly to her as members of the SOG and other governmental military bigwigs were in the room. Angelic had been called specifically by the SOG. She'd been relayed most of the information, but this was the first time she was seeing the video. She had been asked, simply, to volunteer her time and expertise. There hadn't been a discussion of her acting as a Superhero and stepping in to stop the issue (yet. But it was definitely coming), but they had been clear they wanted someone from Sweden, a national, to assist, as this was a matter of personal national security, not just world security; it was their vault that got broken into, their sovereignty being abused by these mercenaries, their country being threatened. "Their name is MEDUSA. We don't know what it stands for yet, but we know what they stand for. Metahuman superiority. They're highly trained, powerful terrorists, going by Gorgon, the Leader, Typhon, the Muscle, and the teleporter named Charybdis. They're dangerous to engage with, remorseless and violent. We don't know where they got their powers, and we're not sure where their base is. So we're working pretty blind here." the member of SOG explained. "But we know what they took. That was an infectious disease laboratory, and they took a highly contagious strain of Tuberculosis. I don't know how that gets them to their metahuman superiority, but I think we can generally put the dots together that they're intending to modify the disease and create another pandemic. Our hope is that you'll help us deal with them, and maybe return the disease to the vault, if you can manage it. We'd at the very least hope you can help us figure out what they're going to be doing for their next steps. We're not necessarily asking you to fight, just...to help in some way, especially if they're going to be operating here for the foreseeable future, and we have no reason to think they're moving on yet."

West Freedom Lantern Hill Cemetery Saturday, January 11th, 11:48 PM Vik popped her bubblegum as she swung her Doc Martens back and forth over the edge of the mausoleum she was perched on. She was listening to her battered old iPod, and bopped her head as she sang along to a particularly appropriate song from the 80s. "I was struck by lightning, walkin' down the street I was hit by something last night in my sleep It's a dead man's party, who could ask for more? Everybody's comin', leave your body at the door Leave your body and soul at the door." She felt good about tonight. Luckily, the mausoleum was unoccupied (even the dead have standards, after all) for their meeting tonight, her fellow "Friends of Romero", as she lovingly called them. Revenant, Deadbolt, and Dust Devil: three living-impaired superheroes living in Freedom City. After she met Lucy at the Christmas party, she told her about others like them. It felt damn good to not be so alone. She popped her gum again and looked out over the graveyard. Thick fog descended over the graveyard, reminding her of the old monster movies she watched with her dad as a kid. She wasn't scared, not exactly (well, maybe a little), but there was a certain mood that those movies had. The rows of upright headstones standing up like crooked teeth of some terrible beast, the wind blowing eerily through the trees...yeah. This was right. The first meeting of the...well, she hadn't come up with a name for their team, but hopefully the others would have some ideas. After all, some of them had been around a lot longer than her.

GM Kirby Art Museum Parkside, Freedom City, New Jersey December 17th, 2024, 11 AM It was a balmy morning in Freedom City. The Kirby Art Museum was just about to open for the day, and there was a small line to get in. There was excitement in the air as museum attendees jammed their hands in their pockets and breathed into clasped hands to keep warm. Their newest exhibit, "Freedom City in Popular Culture" opened that day, and everyone was excited to see it. Paintings, advertisements, rare comic books, and movies, all made by Freedom City locals would be on display. Reporters from local newspapers waited impatiently, clutching their cameras and sound equipment, eager to be the first inside. The museum, two stories tall, is a work of art in and of itself with a beautiful crystal spire atop it visible from miles around. Having suffered from super-battles in the past, security guards wearing Kevlar vests with futuristic-looking pistols in their holsters patrol up and down the line, occasionally talking into their earpieces. They weren't about to have another incident on museum grounds: twice was quite enough. Everyone in line had to wait a bit longer, as the security team was taking every precaution to ensure the valuable exhibits remained where they belonged. Finally, the doors opened, and a slow trickle of attendees were allowed inside. Owen was waiting at the back of the line, looking around for his friends. "Are you guys on your way?" he sent via group text.

Rai Ki Wai Estate Wakaya Island, Fiji Saturday, February 15, 2025, 8:34 AM local time With Freedom City New Jersey facing another cold winter, Lawrence Harrow (along with his adopted sister Lynn Conners) had once again arranged for a trip for many of his fellow classmates to his parents’ estate on private island in Fiji. This time they would take advantage of the long weekend with President’s Day on Monday the 17th, to give them a little extra time. Given the increased number of students that would attend this year, the logistics of planning the trip had taken a bit more time than the prior year. This included an alternate form of transportation to the island for those that were leery of risking a long-distance portal, which had proven dangerous on the trip back last time. But for those willing to take the risk, they had gathered in the Main Quad at school with their luggage, and Lawerence created a portal in time and space which instantly took them from the east coast of the United States to the small South Pacific Island in an instant. The blond teen was already wearing a t-shirt and board shorts, along with a pair of aviator sunglasses, as he exited the portal, a small duffle bag over one shoulder. Although still relatively early in the morning, the air was already at least a warm and humid seventy degrees and getting warmer and more humid as the sun continued to rise into the sky. The teens that emerged from the portal found themselves on a massive wooden deck, with several small tables with chairs scattered around it. There were also multiple lounge chairs around the deck, many of them near the long pool that stretched along one side of the deck, separating it from a large, two-story building. The upper floor of the building had a covered balcony that stretched around the visible exterior and led to covered walkways that connected to smaller nearby buildings. All in all, it looked like a high-end resort but appeared completely empty save for the group of Claremont students. Around the exterior of the deck were palm trees and other tropical plants, which gave way to a large well-manicured lawn that gently slowed down hill away from the deck. About a hundred or so yards the law ended at jungle, with a couple paths visible in the tree line. And further out could be seen the clear blue waters stretching out as far as could be seen. "Welcome to Fiji, or for some of you, welcome back." Lawrence said as he turned to the gathered teenagers that had emerged from the portal. "For those that have not been here before, this is obviously the deck and pool." He stated as he gestured around them before pointing towards the large house opposite the pool. "That is the main house pavilion, which is, along with the two guest suite pavilions on the opposite side, where the ladies will be sleeping while we are here. The boys and I will use the three bungalows that are a little way down that path." he added, pointing to a path to the left of the main house. "Again, the only area off limits is the master bedroom pavilion," he continued, pointing to the visible small building connected to the main building by a covered breezeway. "Also, no messing with the security systems and if you want to leave the compound, please do so by one of the gates, either on the main road or along a path, so that you won’t trip the security and thus us having to end up with my mom dropping by in a minute or so to check on us." "The beach is down that way," He continued, turning away from the house and pointing across the groups towards one of the paths that seemed to lead towards the water beyond. "Over that way is a tennis court, which can be lit at night. The staff has the weekend off, so will not be bothering us, but they have stocked everything up for us. So, settle in, relax and the others should be arriving in not too long."

GM Saturday 21st September, Early Afternoon The art of the Byron Gallery was, as one might imagine, Byronesque. Vivid, 18th and 19th century classical, with, the owner (a Mr Winston Pudgeball) would say "a modern twist". The art itself hovered around the "just above average mark", with some excellent pieces, some mediocre ones, and everything in between. Rich landscapes, clouds, romantic heroes and heroines on Parisian streets suffering nobly for their art, tortured by a sensitive nature, or perhaps by alcohol and consumption. A half dozen people sauntered around the displays, accompanied by Mr Pudgeball, a sweaty, rotund and tall man, with thick glasses and a physique that seemed to have a kind of muscular fat to it. He was enthusiastic, nervous, and very keen for people to buy the over priced art on display. He tried to ply every browser with a glass of cheap rose, and chocolate muffins (that did not match). Despite his vaguely irritating manner, he genuinely did like the art, and genuinely knew his art. He sauntered around Adrianna Lindell like a fly around manure. Pudgeball was a young man - maybe thirty - and without the glasses and without the excess of five, maybe six, stone, he would have been moderately attractive. A bit old for Adrianna, mayhap, but still, she had the looks and he was but a man. And not that old. "Quite the... ah beautiful melancholy about this piece, don't you think?" he said, fawning over Absinthe in Paris, by Rene DeSaens. "Makes one appreciate the delights of modern sensibilities?" There was nothing odious or pest like about Pudgewell. He was making polite conversation with an attractive set of... eyes. For art.

GM Evening, March 22nd, 2024 A local, somewhat small, but still with plenty of room, show stage Tokyo The music is loud, and so are the fans, as Multiplicity has taken the stage. Normally, they would be playing back home in Freedom City, but ever since Neko had started helping build their social media presence, the band had started to gain a massive following in Japan. More than enough to get an invitation to go there to play, taking the stage together with Neko. Both Neko and Bernadette and Neko has both brought their boyfriends along, and despite their somewhat strained relationship, both Charlie and Leon had come along. Despite Charlie's offer of taking the Young Guardians' jet, they had traveled commercial, which had been quite an experience, but now they were here. The lightshow that illuminated the hall turns off, and the crowd goes quiet, waiting for Multiplicity and Neko to start the show.

(GM Post) Early September, 2024, Abandoned Subway Station in Riverside Doctor Shock had once been a good man. A caring man. But Doctor Shock was not. But that didn't mean he no longer had a good bedside manner, no matter how violently he had gone about attempting to acquire test subjects. Captain Cosmos had been treated like a real patient; placed in a white room, his identity not revealed, and a battery of tests and equipment around. He vitals were tracked, his blood had been drawn. He was treated exceptionally nicely, but he was still a prisoner, watched over by a half dozen robotic nurses. And Doctor Shock himself, a frankenstein-like man, abnormally thick and tall, his skin charcoal grey with metal prongs and bits of lightning crackling off it, carrying a club that looked like a lightning rod. But he was ineffably polite to the man he was kidnapping. "Don't worry, Captain. We're simply going to do a few tests on your ability to alter your molecular structure. It's for science, you understand." He repeated, over and over again. The Subway Station was abandoned, gritty, and dirty. While Captain Cosmos' room was a perfect sterile white, everything outside of the sealed bulkhead was garbage; hanging electrical cables, standing water, a computer forcibly hooked up directly into downed electrical lines. The tiles of the station were cracked and broken, the pillars exposed with rebar and steel instead of covered with plaster and brick. A constant stream of water dripped down the only stairway into the subway station. Above ground, Ghost was reaching the site; the abandoned B34 Station, which had been diverted after Terra-King had completely obliterated the subway in the surrounding area in one of his invasions. Rather than attempting to rebuild the destroyed station, they had simply built a new, better line, which meant that B34 had fallen immediately into disrepair. From the outside, it looked abandoned, but that was the perfect place for a supervillain. Meanwhile, Captain Cosmos was being greeted by Doctor Shock once more, carrying dinner; from Stan's Super Heroes, no less. "Captain, will you eat your sandwich? I need you to keep your strength up when I'm drawing blood, to prevent you from developing Anemia."

Early to Mid October, 2024 It had started with a complaint to Parker and Michael while they were helping another student. Thomas- a student at Claremont with limited magnetic manipulation powers- had complained that he had been suddenly accosted by Dr. Metropolis one night while he was off school grounds. He quickly realized it wasn't Dr. Metropolis when the Hero had attacked him, displaying all the usual powers of Dr. Metropolis. But Thomas had escaped before suffering serious harm. A further investigation- and telling the teachers- had revealed more incidents. Not always Claremont students, but always superpowered people, Heroes or not; a member of the Freedom League appearing suddenly and attacking them, then leaving just as quickly. Quickly after, there had been a decision made for Claremont students. No one truly believed that the Freedom League would attack Claremont students or other super-powered individuals with no cause; not just because it was quite easy for some students to simply call their parents or guardians and confirm that-, but if someone was pretending to do it, the students of Claremont needed to be careful. And that was why they mostly now were required to travel with their teams, or with other students, to rely on safety in numbers. Call for help, don't engage if it's a bad idea, all the usual precautions. But for Heroes, and those who wanted to be Heroes, could they really stay on the sidelines when duty called? When people's lives were in danger, could they sit idly by and allow others to risk themselves, or let civilians be hurt? The question was about to be answered in the middle of Freedom City. Vueriz, Parker Powers, Lynn Conners, and Diego D'Angelo had just dropped off some archival books to the Freedom Public Library for storage; older versions of text books and spare yearbooks and copies of the School Newspaper- all stored in the public library archives-. But while they were preparing to head back to Bayview and Claremont, the Freedom Monorail passed above them, and then let out a loud groan. The front car shifted as if it's alignment had been broken. Then the second car jackknifed, bouncing violently up and down and then swinging left and right. Each car after swung even more violently, then as the fourth car hit the problem spot in the rail, the entire rail snapped; the three cars in front continued careening forward wildly, even as sparks flew from them with the emergency brake activated. Meanwhile, the fourth car was falling straight down, heading towards a congested intersection of cars and people, who were screaming as it fell towards them. Meanwhile, the metal bars and gears of the destroyed monorail line was also falling towards other people, threatening to crush them under the mass of metal. And above that, on the destroyed monorail line, bolts of lightning were striking nearby buildings as a blur of black and green sped across the shiny faces of the large buildings of Freedom's City Center, avoiding the bolts that were blowing out windows and twisting metal in the buildings.

GM Afternoon, Wednesday November 13th,2024 The Schuster Auditorium, Hanover, Freedom City Now, as far as coach Armstrong is concerned, Violet Squad is in for a treat, being chosen to be the squad to join him for an incursion to Schuster Auditorium to the Ultimate Wrestling League exhibition. The somewhat rough and tumble coach, not always a hit with the students, though he proclaims that he is only acting as he is to toughen them up, is, of course, not using this as an excuse to have Claremont pay for his ticket, no. This is all for the sake of the students. "Now, isn't this excitin', kids?" he proclaims, as he stops near the entrance after having lead the squad inside the auditorium, which is filled with a people watching a number of exhibition matches between the league's super powered wrestlers. He is clad in a black jacket with the UWL logo proudly emblazoned on the back, his large blonde moustache neatly trimmed for the occasion. "See over there? And there!" The coach is excited, and the atmosphere is frankly infectious here. "Take it all in, kids. Today we're gonna learn all about the sweet art of wrasslin'!"