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GM Greenbank, Freedom City, New Jersey Sunday, August 31st, 2014 12:14 PM To the few who knew her Noemi Newman was a taxi driver in the very busy streets of Freedom City. Another head in the crowd, working day to day to get by. To those fewer still, she was the experimental Red Rat. A former spy on the run from those who wish to control her. Using an old Soviet depot to better the world while avoiding drawing attention upon herself. Therein lies the root of the problem. Having done some springing cleaning of the hidden depot, Noemi had found a weapons cache from all the previous residents. It was the mother of all Cold War payloads. Soviet munitions that were out of date even when they were in use. Coupled with some questionable black ops tech that was still considered advanced by modern standards. Some of the cache was even nuclear or radioactive in nature, assembled in case the call for mutually assured destruction came through and left quite unstable. Leaving the Red Rat with quite the problem on her hands. Meanwhile, Amir ibn Jafar ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Misri, commonly referred to by the public by the moniker of Asad, was currently hosting a weapons disposal event in Greenbank with the reliable Agnus Stone in tow. In a city where superheroes contended with villains and their hired guns it was to be expected that there were still a lot of leftover and highly dangerous tech lying around. Most of which wasn't stored in an evidence room and instead picked up by whoever found it lying around. Rather than wait for the likes of AEGIS to claim proprietary ownership of said devices Asad had taken it upon himself to aid in cleaning the city sooner rather than later. While it was to be expected that the normally busy entrepreneur could not attend every philanthropy event he funded, he made sure to make the time for this one. The evident risk of a large collection of weapons being collected in a single location was not lost on him.

GM "So that's it" said Cruxberry. "The best lead we have. And I can't say I'm surprised that it was Lucy Diamond that showed up first. She never was very circumspect at the best of times". Cruxberry sat, whilst the impassive, muscular agent Smith stood with his usual jet black glasses, crisp black suit, and huge black briefcase, not moving a muscle. He didn't say a word. Smith never said a word, unless he needed too. It was in rural Wales, apparently. Some locals had seen sights. Of course, masses of people had seen sights. Champion flying overhead, Y Derwen planting himself in their back garden, on a glittering display of lights that could only be Lucy Diamond. But this was a lot more persuasive than the others. The descriptions were accurate. And actually frightening. A band of travellers, a wandering woman matching Lucy Diamond, and a wholescale panic. The whole travelling community went, for want of a better word, banana's. Attacking each other, arson, self injury. Two dead, seventeen severely injured. Utter mayhem. The file on Lucy Diamond spoke for itself. "Lucy was always powerful, but a loose cannon" explained Cruxberry. "Anyone touching her was infected with some kind of madness. And she was quite short of marbles herself. Combined that with the ability to turn into a form of organic diamond..." he whistled. "Osprey and Dr Benoit...I can see their potential but they haven't earned their stripes yet. Also, I need them for another matter" he explained to Young Brittania and Synapse. "So I would like you two to look into the sightings. Lucy Diamond is not a threat, at least not directly. We just want to find answers...." he drummed his fingers and looked at Synapse. "And there is a problem" he explained. "Lucy was completely immune to psionic effects. At least as far as Headcase was concerned. Somehow she shuts them down. Probably why Headcase was so paranoid about her. Although as you know, he was pretty paranoid about everything" he conceded. "Maybe you can get through to her, maybe you can't. But you can at least try to find out what happened, see if there is any truth to the stories. See if you cant stop anybody else going crazy with that splendid head of yours" he said to Synapse, passing her the file on Lucy.

OOC for thread, as we start pulling the team and relationship map together, and may see the beginnings of conflict and investigation!

GM September 1st The Ministry of Powers, London There were, of course, a number of government agents. Armed ones, too. And a number of bustling, virtually faceless civil servants. But the only two men with any gravity in the plush office, decorated in oak, with lined leather volumes gilding every wall were the Minister for Powers, the Rt Hon. Cecil Booth, and Sir Cruxberry, who actually ran the agency. Cecil Booth was middle aged, slightly rounding, and moderately intelligent. A career politician, he had never been particularly successful and had never really failed. He had slowly risen the ranks, never destined to be a star, but never destined to take a fall. "Good old dependable Booth" was the genial comment that accompanied his name, when it was mentioned. He was even respected by the opposition parties, which of course only served to further dampen his career prospects. He had never wanted the portfolio for the Ministry of Powers, but once he had it, he had applied himself to it. Sir Cruxberry was older, ex army, and a veteran of war and spying. He wore a patch over one eye and walked with a noticible limp, but his solitary blue eye shone bright. His form was lean and his hair was white and clipped like his moustache. Somehow, one was left with the feeling that ones boots were not quite polished enough when one talked to him. Or that he could kill you in some ingenious but terribly effective way without breaking a sweat. "Thank's for popping over" said Booth, offering Young Brittania a cup of tea, of which he had already drunk several cups and was quietly trying to hold on to his bursting bladder. He was quite excited to have the heroine in the room. "For Queen and country and all that" he continued, with encouragement. "Look, I expect you know what this is all about. The Vanguard, they vanished without a trace a few months ago. Quite the mystery. Left us defenceless, and beside that, we would rather like to know what the devil happened..." he said with a helpless shrug, backed up by the precise gaze of Cruxberry who spoke no words but communicated his iron agreement.

The Vanguard were the united kingdoms major superteam in the late twentieth century, forming slowly between 1970 and 1980. Much is known about them, from press cuttings and interviews. Of course, some information is more classified, and known only to those with access to the Ministry of Powers files on these exceptional individuals. What is not known is how and why they disappeared overnight...