The Interceptors: Issue #0

[Gizmo]

Jack caught up with his cowboy comrade just before they reached the end of the staircase. "Colt," he said quietly through a toothy smile, "stop helping."

The swordsman took in the presentation of the underground base with poorly concealed awe. The equipment on display was so far beyond what he was used to it felt unreal. He grinned broadly as he walked in a wide circle around the command and control room. "Vince, you are my new favourite super team forming CGI talk show host ever."

[quotemyname]

Jack caught up with his cowboy comrade just before they reached the end of the staircase. "Colt," he said quietly through a toothy smile, "stop helping."

"Just watchin' yer back, partner." Colt gave him a smile and a pat on the back.

The swordsman took in the presentation of the underground base with poorly concealed awe. The equipment on display was so far beyond what he was used to it felt unreal. He grinned broadly as he walked in a wide circle around the command and control room. "Vince, you are my new favourite super team forming CGI talk show host ever."

Colt smiled, folded his arms and leaned up against one of the walls taking everthing in. "Reckon that's a bit oddly specific, but I gotta agree. Ya put together a nice show there, fer certain."

Colt pushed away from the wall and strode towards the center of the room. "I don't suppose ya'd wanna be a little more specific 'bout what all this is fer. Like why's all this here, or more importantly, why're we here?"

[Heritage]

Grim watches the presentation intently, her normal jocularity abandoned in favor of intense concentration; when it's finished, she holds up her hand once Colt is done speaking. At some point during the presentation, she somehow obtained a black Stetson.

"Vince, are there like normal bedrooms upstairs? This looks kinda sterile and lab rat for day-to-day living, and I just moved out of a tomb."

[ex3lev3n]

Kristian listened to the words of "Vince" carefully, making an effort to remember the layout of the underground complex. He walked over to the C&C terminals and scanned the various video feeds taken from all over Freedom City. Testing the machines capabilities with a few keystrokes he spoke to the others.

"Incredible. I'd bet we can tap into every video surveillance feed in the city with this equipment."

Looking over to the raven-haired girl with the blank tank top he spoke in her native language. <"Spetsnaz? GRU or Ministry of Defense?">, he asked softly.

[blink]

Now this was more like it. The facilities down here were much more like what she was used to seeing, both in the military and for her former clients. Even more impressive was that it seemed to exceed the capabilities of several people who made it their business to stay on top of the heap. There was some real coin pushing the venture.

Why?

She looked around the collection gathered watching the show and tried to guess at capabilities and their reason for being included on the team. Some, like All Star were obvious, others less so. For herself, she could see several places that she would fit in, roles that could be assumed. However, she was not the sort of person that wanted to assume. At some point she hoped their host would reveal what this team was being assembled for; because if it was for a heist, they could grab some amazing things.

Shaking her head, she shifted her train of thought. No, this was no heist. That was an life left recently behind. Her train of thought was interrupted by the youth who had stepped up to her. His Russian was good and she raised an eyebrow at his knowledge of the differing designations of the Russian Special Forces. Most Westerners didn't know or care for that matter.

"Vash russkij horosh, ne chego ja nadejalsja by v jetom meste. Vojska ministerstva horoshi, dlja postojannyh posetitelej armii, real'noe special'nogo GRU tol'ko. Ono dovol'no specificheskij vopros, kak vy znal jetoj raznicy?"

((Translated: Your Russian is good, not what I would have expected in this place. The ministry troops are good, for army regulars, but real Spetsnaz are GRU only. It is quite a specific question, how did you know of this difference?))

[ex3lev3n]

Continuing his conversation with the attractive Russian he said, <"I spent time in the former Soviet Bloc in my youth.">

Remembering the swashbuckler's earlier comment about his age, Kristian realized he was probably the youngest person here. His last comment must've sounded off to his newfound comrade, though he hoped she understood his meaning.

[blink]

"Net byvshego sovetskogo bloka, kak raz Rossija. Horosho uvidet' ee sil'nuju i zadne v mirovyh dela," she replied quietly before switching back to English. "Was this a recent thing... Kristian, right? The fall was a very turbulent time. I did not stay long after..."

She studied him as she spoke, guessing at what his abilities were. While there was nothing obvious, she could at least guess that he was probably versed in various martial arts from the callouses on his hands. He had to be quite gifted, assuming he was as young as he looked, to have the kind of skills that would fit into this kind of operation. Of course, it was just as likely he could fly or shoot laser beams from his eyes. She had to keep forcing herself not to assume anything in this place and with these people.

==========================

[ex3lev3n]

A little embarrassed at her response he adds, <"You're right, sorry. I was there tending to "former Soviet Bloc" affairs, so I get it mixed up sometimes.">

"Was this a recent thing... Kristian, right? The fall was a very turbulent time. I did not stay long after..."

Also switching back to English so the others didn't think of them as "commie spies" he replied, "Yes, Kristian. You can call me Kris if you'd like."

He extended his hand to the young lady. "And yeah, it wasn't Russia proper, but it was just a few years ago..."

---

The pair of mercenaries huddled in the blown out husk of a two-story building, waiting for the right moment to make their move.

<"You ready, kid?"> asked the armored figure in the language of the land, bearing a .50 caliber sniper rifle. The black haired boy, wearing a set of too-large urban BDU's and hugging a Kalashnikov assault rifle close to his chest looked up at his mentor, his role model, and nodded gravely.

As the boy charged out of the gutted structure, dodging and exchanging fire with the rebel forces holed up across the once glorious plaza, Ronin popped out from behind cover and took aim through what was once a window. Picking off targets as they presented themselves, Ronin quickly dispatched the enemy riflemen with an ease that earned him respect and fear across the globe.

[Warmonger]

All-Star laughed off Velocity's remark. "Ha," he said. "Alright not bad, maybe you are the real deal, but keep an eye out, I don't accept second place." He stopped talking as Vince began his tour. All-Star stared wide eyed at it all.

He liked the control room but squinted at the 'living quarters', he liked the sun he didn't want to live underground, especially not after the thing with the Space-Moles. He rubbed his hands together when he saw the gym. "Man am I glad I don't have to go to Freedom Hall to workout anymore". He gave a predatory grin at the combat simulator. "Now you're speaking my language." He whistled out loud when he saw the MAVERIC. He flew over to and hovered around checking it out. He put his hand underneath and lifted the front of the massive vehicle clear off the ground. "So, Vince can we take this thing off-roading?"

[Gizmo]

Jack leaned next to the one of the monitors in the center of the room when All-Star mentioned the training simulator. He spoke quietly out of the corner of his mouth to the representation of Vince on the screen. "How, ah, durable is that thing? Sparky over there isn't exactly Mr. Self Restraint with the whole 'tall buildings in a single bound' routine." The swordsman looked up to see the super-strong hero admiring the MAVERIC. "You... know you can fly under your own power, right?" He pointed over his shoulder to the staircase. "Like, really fast. Or is this a 'driving for the sake of driving' sort of thing?"

[Warmonger]

All-Star looked over at the one called Jack, "Super-Strenght, flight, shooting lasers out of your toes," he said. He lowered the MAVERIC to the ground. "Thats all good and well, but is there a man alive that doesn't love toys? I mean are you gonna tell me, the first time you saw it, there isn't some small part of you that that didn't look at this," he indicated the MAVERIC. "and ask "I wonder how fast that thing can go?". He flew around the hangar. "Look at all this, secret hideouts, robot butlers, super-cars, this is like everything you ever wanted as a kid." Now throw in some foosball and its perfect.

[blink]

Taking Kris' hand, she confirmed one thing, he had spent a decent amount of time training in the martial arts. She had shaken hands with soldiers and equals for too long to have a dainty handshake and not only met his grip, but his eyes for a long moment. While he might be young, she saw something in there to indicate that he had seen and done much. She nodded to him and said, "Nadia. Pleased to meet you Kris, am sorry you had work in former republics."

She had few illusions as to what kind of work that would have been. Georgia, Chechnya and others had suffered dearly after the collapse of the USSR. There had been ample work for those motivated to take less than savory jobs. Although, this was to be a gathering of heroes, so perhaps she was wrong. It was one of far to many mysteries that had to be unraveled. Letting Kris' hand go, she watched All Star lift the front end of the large transport vehicle then proceed to fly around it like a small kid who had just received a new Christmas gift. She made a mental note of his power and filed it away with her estimation of Velocity's speed. One never knew when that kind of information would come in handy.

"Meaning no offense, Kris, but how old were you when you were there?" she asked casually trying to make her interest seem less than it was.

[Gizmo]

All-Star's remarks seemed to catch Jack off-guard, and he paused for a brief moment. "Never really been a... 'stuff' kinda guy," he replied finally. He looked around around again, and continued more brightly, "But I see what you mean. It's all pretty swank." He crossed his arms and turned back to the monitors. "Seeing as it's not my birthday, however, I'm still searching for 'who' and 'why' to go with all this 'what'."

[ex3lev3n]

"Meaning no offense, Kris, but how old were you when you were there?" she asked casually trying to make her interest seem less than it was.

Thinking back, he estimated his time spent behind the Iron Curtain. "The first time? I was twelve, I think, but that was more of scouting trip. Ro..." he caught himself before he let slip his former mentor's name. "I had to see the world I'd be operating in. It's hard to imagine urban tribes trading batteries and tobacco for food without witnessing it firsthand."

He whistled out loud when he saw the MAVERIC. He flew over to and hovered around checking it out. He put his hand underneath and lifted the front of the massive vehicle clear off the ground. "So, Vince can we take this thing off-roading?"

Turning his attention to see what All-Star was doing to the MAVERIC, he continued. "I've been over there a few times, though. Most recent tour was last winter." He turned back to face Nadia, a small grin playing at the corner of his mouth. <"It gets pretty cold over there, comrade,"> he joked. "What brings you to the states?"

[blink]

Twelve... Blink pondered this before replying. While she wasn't sure of his age, that was likely five or six years ago. That likely meant that Chechnya was his destination with possibilities in Armenia or Georgia as well. Still, his description of the lawlessness lead her to believe Chechnya was the likely place. Not much of a place to take a twelve year old. Although, she certainly was not someone who could judge what a childhood should be like. If he had been there at 12, his training and education had to have started far earlier. It was another mental note to keep for later.

"Vsjakomu ovoshhu svojo vremja," she said quietly quoting a favorite saying of her father. "Nichego dovol'no kak trenirovka v zime Sibir'"

She had not expected to find someone that she had anything in common with in this place. It was an unexpected, but pleasant, surprise. While he didn't have the bearing of a soldier, she guessed that he was trained by a professional or someone who had that experience. There were certainly enough mercenaries operating in those parts to warrant it. His bearing suggested that he was sure of himself, and not in the way of a typical man his age.

"After the fall, my unit was not paid for close to six months. There is only so many field rations and promises you can stomach before finding something better. Besides, the country had lost it's way and they began to use us in ways that were pointless and a waste of our training."

Nadia shrugged, "This country seemed to have many opportunities, and I..." she paused trying to think of how best to phrase her response. "...took them where ever I could."

===============================

((Translation 1: Everything is good in its season. Translation 2: There is nothing like training in a Siberian winter.))

[quotemyname]

Colt moved to stand next to Jack. "You 'an me both, partner." he said in reference to Jack's comment about the who and why.

All-Star had a point. All of this "stuff" was pretty neat. This place actually reminded Colt of home somewhat. The technology was just advanced enough to be similar. It was a shame that they didn't have places like this all over the world. Colt knew from experience that when technology like this became commonplace, it WOULD make the world better. Reckon that's goin' on the things ta do list, then.

[Thevshi]

Velocity had just watched as the others reacted to all the facilities that where at their disposal, assuming they all agreed to take the offer that was being made. At All-Star's reaction to the MAVERIC, she smiled and leaned over to whisper to Grim. "Boys and their toys."

All-Star's remarks seemed to catch Jack off-guard, and he paused for a brief moment. "Never really been a... 'stuff' kinda guy," he replied finally. He looked around around again, and continued more brightly, "But I see what you mean. It's all pretty swank." He crossed his arms and turned back to the monitors. "Seeing as it's not my birthday, however, I'm still searching for 'who' and 'why' to go with all this 'what'."

At Jack's comments, the speedster spoke up. "Well, the 'who' should be reveled soon enough, but the 'why' should be rather obvious."

"You've worked rather hard at fighting crime in this part of the city over the last few years. I know Grim has been focused on lots of street crime in other parts of the city as well. All-Star and Colt have also been pretty busy dealing with things recently. For all the good everyone has achieved on their own, so much more could be achived working together. The Freedom League has started to focus more globally, believe me I know, not even twenty four hours ago some of us where dealing with a small crisis in Kenya. I used to be much more locally focused before joining the League."

[blink]

The greater good...

That was why she was here, wasn't it? Something like using your powers to help humanity, right the wrongs, and cure the ills. There were countless groups across the city that did just that; some of which she had run afoul of. So whomever had summoned her, and the other six heroes, wanted to form one of these super groups. However, for Nadia there was still a major question to ask.

Turning towards the group by the MAVERIC, she directed her comments to them, "That is very good, but who is paying for this goodness? Do they determine what is good and just or do we? I guess I have found that good can often be judged by those that have the power to dictate it and do not wish to become someone's KGB."

[quotemyname]

"I have ta agree with the lady." Colt responded. "All these toys are neat'an all. But they ain't cheap. I got no bank account, so I know I ain't paid fer'em."

Colt folded his arms. "Reckon her other point is even more of'a concern. If someone's gone an' paid fer all this, they may be expectin' us ta do their dirty work. I ain't one ta be led 'round like a fish on a line, now. That sorta set up sure wouldn't sit none to well with me."

[Dr Archeville]

He grinned broadly as he walked in a wide circle around the command and control room. "Vince, you are my new favourite super team forming CGI talk show host ever."

Vince visibly blushed at that. "Awww, go on!"

"Well, the 'who' should be reveled soon enough, but the 'why' should be rather obvious."

"You've worked rather hard at fighting crime in this part of the city over the last few years. I know Grim has been focused on lots of street crime in other parts of the city as well. All-Star and Colt have also been pretty busy dealing with things recently. For all the good everyone has achieved on their own, so much more could be achived working together. The Freedom League has started to focus more globally, believe me I know, not even twenty four hours ago some of us where dealing with a small crisis in Kenya. I used to be much more locally focused before joining the League."

"An excellent assess-" he began, before Blink inadvertently cut him off.

Turning towards the group by the MAVERIC, she directed her comments to them, "That is very good, but who is paying for this goodness? Do they determine what is good and just or do we? I guess I have found that good can often be judged by those that have the power to dictate it and do not wish to become someone's KGB."

"I have ta agree with the lady." Colt responded. "All these toys are neat'an all. But they ain't cheap. I got no bank account, so I know I ain't paid fer'em."

Colt folded his arms. "Reckon her other point is even more of'a concern. If someone's gone an' paid fer all this, they may be expectin' us ta do their dirty work. I ain't one ta be led 'round like a fish on a line, now. That sorta set up sure wouldn't sit none to well with me."

"Yes, well, if you'll all turn your peepers this way," Vince continued, "my special guest will be able to answer all your questions! So, please, join me in welcoming that Caesar of Science, der Doktor aus Deutschland, Caliph of Chemistry, Emperor of Electronics and Mogul of Mechanics ... Herr Doktor Viktor Archeville!"

Vince began clapping as the camera shifted slightly to a curtain, out from which Dr. Archeville appeared, smiling and waving. He walked over to the guest seat by Vince's desk, applauded by an unseen audience along the way. He shook Vince's hand, then sat down next to him.

"Danke, Vince, glad to be here," Archeville said.

"No, thank you, sir! So, how've you been?"

"Oh, busy as alvays, Vince," he said, taking a sip from the coffee cup next to him. "Experiments, research, building mein own company...."

Archeville then turned and looked directly towards the camera, towards the seven assembled heroes. The camera zoomed in some, so Archeville's head took up most of the screen.

"... und setting dis all up for you. Ja, you heard right -- I set all dis up, to help you do vhat you haff already been doing. You all haff done -- or haff de potential to do -- great good for de city, und I vish to help you do dat. You haff been doing a fair job thus far, so I shall not be ordering you vhere to go, telling you vhat to do or how to do it... for de most part. I may pop in mit some advice und suggestions now und again, und you may come to me to ask qvestions -- dough I vill insist on some restrictions on dat, vhich I vill get to in a moment -- but for de most part, you all are free to fly your own course."

"Now, I know vhat you are dinking: vhy am I doing dis? Und some of you are vondering how I came to you in de first place. De answer to de second qvestion is around you, in a vay: dis installation is equipped mit devices und softvare dat can access most any surveillance device -- cameras, listening devices, microphones, und so on -- in Freedom City. You'd be surprised how much traffic cameras und ATM cameras can catch. As for vhy I am doing dis: as Velocity pointed out, de Freedom League has grown from a team dat focused on dis city to von focused on global matters. Dat's all vell und good, but dis city needs some dedicated protectors. De Next Gen team does a fair job of dat, but dey are young und make many mistakes. Many of you are more seasoned, und know how to handle yourselves und your abilities... dough not necessarily how to handle vorking mit other people. Vince und I -- mostly Vince -- vill help you mit dat, vhere ve can, dough dere are of course some dings dat you vill simply need to learn on your own."

[blink]

So this is our benefactor... and he is spending this kind of money for the good of the city. I suppose there are worse things to do with several million dollars.

However, Nadia wasn't entirely convinced. Her world view had only just recently changed and she was still coming around to the concept of good for its own sake. She wondered if she was the only one with reservations or not. Either way, the pay was good and if the Doctor wanted to pay her to help little old ladies across the street, then so be it. Her honesty and loyalty had been unquestioned over the years. If these heroes were to be a team, she would try her hardest to both fit in and pull her own weight.

"Herr Doctor," Blink said to the screen. "Thank you for this invitation. I assume Vince will fill in the details of this assignment? I want to make sure I am perfectly clear on both what is expected and what resources are available."

It was as polite a method of asking about pay, room and board, and the other sundry details as she could phrase. While she didn't need much, she wasn't quite to the point of working for free. Perhaps in time.

[quotemyname]

Colt on the other hand didn't mince words like Blink did. "Reckon that letter said somethin' bout pay as well. If'n I remember correctly.

Truthfully, Colt would have worked for any livable wage. However, have a little extra spending money was nice too.

"Other'n that, I'm on board. Y'all got a mighty fine setup here. Reckon I'ma like workin' on this team." Colt said with a smile.

[Gizmo]

A number of things clicked into place for Jack when Archeville appeared next to Vince. The evident resources, the level of technology, the surprising membership choices all suddenly made a lot more sense. Guess I made a good impression during that whole medieval tournament thing, he supposed. He stepped sideways to stand slightly behind and to the side of Blink while facing the monitor. "Huh. Hey, Doc, good to see you looking a little less D&D and a little more R&D. 'From Russia With Love' and 'Winchester '73' here have a point. Not to sound mercenary, but Vince did mention something about... easing certain financial burdens." If joining up with this team could pay for his sister's education, Jack's decision was pretty much made for him.

[Warmonger]

All-Star arched an eyebrow. "Alright... I think I got most of that." The accent was difficult. "Now look, all this stuff is cool, I mean really cool". He gestured around the base. "I like the whole, "for the greater good spiel" top-notch. But I'm kinda already doing that." He lowerd himself to the ground. "What I want is..." Fame? To have my cape hung up in Freedom Hall. To be remembered? "... is to go to the next level ya know. Except for Velocity here, no one here ever ran with the big boys. Isn't that like the blind leading the blind? I wanna be prime time like Deion. "

[Dr Archeville]

"Ja, ja, dere vill be a monthly stipend," Archeville replied, a bemused expression on his face. "It vill not be an extravagant amount, but vhen you consider you are also getting room und board out of dis, it should be... sufficient."

Camera pans over to Vince, blinged out in fur, gold rings and chains, sunglasses, and a big cigar. He smiles and nods, then the camera pans back to Archeville.

"Er... yes... vell, as I vas saying: room und board, including rooms both down in de underground base und in de brownstones above. You can use von for your heroic identity und von for your 'civilian' von, or simply use von of de rooms for storage, a study lounge, personal office, vhatever. All de equipment here is yours to use, as you see fit, dough as Vince said I vould advise against tampering mit de power core in de south ving. Speaking of de equipment, I should make a bit of a confession..."

Camera pans to Vince, now dressed as a Catholic priest. At first, he looks somber, but then gets a shocked, wide-eyed look. Camera pans back to Archeville.

Archeville does a double-take, then resumes. "Some of de equipment you vill be using is in de Beta testing phase. Specifically, you are de Beta testers for mein inventions. Including Vince here."

Camera pans to Vince, now standing on a plain white set and wearing a simple gray jumpsuit and an innocent, boyish grin. Across the front of the jumpsuit, in bright blue letters, is

Vth (Fith)

Iteration

Networked

Computer

Entity

Camera pans back to Archeville, "now, as for 'taking it to de next level'... vell, de Freedom League vere not alvays 'big boys,' de all started in de same place you are, von good deed at a time. I am confident dat you can all reach dat level, if you so choose. All dis, dis is me giving you a bit of a boost."